A/N: Daniel just keeps getting himself into trouble, doesn't he? I tried to base part of the flashback in this scene based on his (terrible) behaviour from Unending. You might be feeling pretty cranky at him on Vala's behalf.

Chapter Sixteen

Both numbness and pain fought to overtake her senses. Her brain tried to reconcile what had just happened but her vision was blurring and the gaping hole that had just torn her body in two pressed against the edge of her. She vaguely knew that Cameron was next to her. He had moved from next to her on the bed, back to the wall and now he was raking his hands through his hair.

Everything was in slow motion and her consciousness was slowly slipping away, just like her son had only a moment ago. Another child ripped from her. She hadn't even seen him before Daniel had taken him into his arms and disappeared.

It was this image, accompanied by the frenzied cries of her C.O that saw her slip into the vast emptiness.

The harsh sun on the planet they called PX-8779 drove both Daniel and Vala into the large pyramid, the focal point of the wide desert. Colonel Mitchell and Teal'c had gone the opposite direction to the small, lush oasis that lay to the south of the stargate.

Vala had tried to keep her discomfort to herself. Years as Qetesh had exposed her to all sorts of climates but her former Goa'uld captor fancied herself amongst the sand and blistering heat. She hated it. Daniel, on the other hand, was in his element.

So she had dutifully kept her mouth shut, a feat for her, and helped him catalogue everything he deemed important. Finally, after about four hours in the blistering heat, she had gently suggested they look inside the pyramid.

It had been surprisingly cool inside.

"Thank the gods," she muttered, zipping up her jacket and letting out her hair. "The heat has completely ruined the hair straightening serum I put in my hair last night. It's going to be-" she waved her hands around for effect "all frizzy."

Daniel took no notice of her. He had abandoned his bandana and held his canteen in his hand, staring at the entrance to the pyramid. She followed his line of sight to the Goa'uld writing adorning the archway.

The writing looked relatively new compared to some of the other inscriptions they had come across on past missions.

"Something….something of the Goddess," Daniel paused, taking a moment to decipher the obscure word.

"Promenade," Vala supplied. She pointed to the inscription, "it roughly translates to promenade. Well, that sounds ominous."

"Yeah, most of these things do. Have you ever heard of it?" Daniel quickly stashed his canteen and wiped the remaining sweat from his forehead.

The name sounded familiar but her memories from Qetesh, particularly after Athena's meddling, hovered at the back of her head. The particular word 'promenade' resonated somehow.

That wasn't helpful right now so she shook her head for Daniel's sake. "Nopppe." Daniel rolled his eyes at the harsh popping of Vala's reply.

Something felt strange about this pyramid but she kept her silence and peeked into the archway, Daniel not far behind her. The path was clear up until a point, where it sharply turned left. Goa'uld technology adorned the floor, lighting up the way forward and illuminating the images on the walls.

"This looks like it was maintained until not too long ago," Daniel said, leading the way into the chamber. Vala took a tentative step behind him and looked around. She had come to the same conclusion but said nothing. Her eyes scanned the writing and images on the walls. A cartouche sat at the far wall just before the sharp turn but Vala could not make out the meaning as looked as if it had been scratched off.

Daniel finally noticed it too and stopped them at the base of the cartouche, touching it with curiosity and reverence she almost desperately wished he would with her. "The first part says 'Queen'. Maybe it was taken over by a rival Goa'uld?"

"Well, they did like to do that," she agreed, still staring at the cartouche. Something spoke to her as if it was a warning.

Daniel took a look around the other corner. "It's funny...it almost seems set out in a particular way. Like a guided tour or a museum." He looked at Vala. "What would the Goa'uld want with a museum?"

It was then that Vala's memories kicked into gear. Daniel wasn't far off with his very educated guess from his very educated mind. Concern shot through her and she fought her deeply ingrained urge to run, run far away from the Promenade of the Goddesses. She stared at Daniel and nothing worked- not her mouth, or her body, to tell him to stop. This hallway was much like first, almost as if it was waiting for spaces to be filled.

She had to think of something because Daniel was not going to like what he saw around the next corner.

He had moved several paces in front of her, absorbed in the writing on the all and the illuminated images that seemed to stare at them as they walked with inquisitive strides. "Oh well, looks abandoned to me. Maybe we ought to…" she clicked her tongue, "get the hell on out of here. Too much dust."

Daniel didn't respond, as he was prone to do when on the edge of a discovery. "Daniel?" she prodded again. "I forgot to relieve myself. No bathrooms in here I imagine…"

An exasperated sigh in the dark told her she had nearly hit her mark. "Vala…"

Maybe she really had nothing to worry about. Maybe the Promenade wasn't what Qetesh remembered. Maybe there had been others changed after Amaunet wasn't the last Queen or maybe they hadn't added her and the last presence of her existed in the furthest part of this dark hole hell-bent on dragging up the past.

She moved quickly in her desperation, fear dancing in the corners of her eyes and settling in her stomach. She dragged her hand along Daniel's back, genuinely marvelling at the strength he possessed underneath his archaeologist exterior. "You know, this lighting is kind of romantic. A girl could get up to some interesting things in the dirty pathways of a pyramid, Daniel."

It was low, but she had never made the most sound of decisions under the influence of her own panic and desire. She knew how he would react to this because he had reacted similarly before. She knew that he wouldn't respond in the way a thousand other beings would, because she had been there on both counts.

It was her intention to make him angry and have him storm out of the pyramid, blame her for their failures and move on. She wasn't expecting him to just ignore her. They had reached the next corner and she almost had to bite back a scream.

"Daniel," she purred, moving around to face him. His face telegraphed his annoyance as clear as the sun above them on this forsaken planet. "Come onnnn. We've had such a long day. Don't you feel like…" she paused dramatically and leaned up close to his ear, "blowing off some steam?"

He stiffened, his face now drawn into a scowl. It was a face she had nearly memorised. She wanted to run her fingers over his wrinkles and lips and shape them into a face she could bear to see. A look of love or longing. In this moment she would even take tolerance.

He roughly pushed her away and she nearly stumbled. It was then that the display was finally lit up, an awful beacon in the darkness. He was in front of her now, and she closed her eyes in defeat. She turned to see if she had been right, the ever-expanding pang of regret almost consuming her whole.

Daniel was right in front of it now, the ghostly tableau of his dead wife mocking them both. Whoever had been responding for carving her image had been a master, for every single detail seemed to reflect Sha're's- Amaunet's-face. Her gaze looked up, as if she was too godly to cast her eyes downward. A small cartouche rested at the base of her feet, likely identifying her to whichever pilgrim made their journey down the Promenade. Vala had never seen Amaunet before and had only spied Sha're in Daniel's photos. She was breathtaking.

Daniel was clearly mesmerised, his hands shakily touching the cartouche proclaiming her name. And then he whipped back around, his eyes ablaze."Did you know this was here?"

Vala took a step back, and averted her eyes as if to distance herself from the anger radiating off him. "Qetesh had heard…"

"And you didn't think to mention to me that the image of my dead wife might pop up?"

The accusation stung, and maybe she should have mentioned it in those ten seconds before she was confronted with Amaunet's smug look and Daniel's absolutely heartbroken on. She steeled her nerves and look at him in the eye. "I've never been here, Daniel."

He shook his head. "This is just...so typical of you. You've been quiet all day and pestering me ever since we set foot in his pyramid. A minute ago you were propositioning me. So I would what- have sex with you under the watchful eye of the Goa'uld that enslaved ended up killing my wife?" Daniel's hands were up in the air now, his voice steadily gaining volume and urgency.

Vala took another step back from him and looked past him as Amaunet continued her haughty stare. Vala had never been afraid of Daniel, yet every instinct told her to run. To run away from him and this. To run from the ghost of Amaunet, Sha're, to run from being in her shadow because it was clear to her that the candle still flickered inside Daniel Jackson for his beloved Sha're.

"I'm sorry," was all she could say. "I didn't...think."

He scoffed and took one last, long look at the effigy of his wife. "You never do."

Vala forced herself to maintain eye contact with Amaunet's statue as Daniel pushed past her back to the entrance of the pyramid.

"Vala!"

He shouted again to no avail. Ignoring the state of his teammate and the bed, he found himself over her, pushing and prodding, desperate to find a pulse. "Come on."

The dust had barely settled from where Daniel had done his disappearing act with the kid and now he had another crisis on his hands. He really hoped Jackson knew what he was doing because he was literally leaving Vala's life in his hands. He knew Vala would not argue about the arrangement- there was no way she would trade her own life for that of her son.

Despair and panic began to assault him in equal measure as he was unable to find a pulse. He was pretty sure she was still bleeding too.

"Damnit, Jackson!"

As he stole a glance at the door, the thought struck him. There was still no way out of this room. No way to find help, no way to pass on Vala's definitely-unconscious-possibly-dead-body to a waiting medical team.

It was him, his hands and the beat to Stayin' Alive.

Part of him was so tired he almost stopped himself but that was not who he was. He carefully got over Vala and hoped he she would forgive him for this one day. His knees dug into the soiled bed, blood staining them.

"Come on, Princess."

And just as he pressed the heel of his palm in the centre of his chest, a loud sound akin to an explosion sounded behind him. He leaned down and managed to shield himself and Vala from any debris, closing his eyes and hoping the miracle he had been praying for had finally arrived.

"Guys, I need help!" he hollered in anticipation, waiting for Teal'c or a Tok'ra, somebody to help him breathe life back into Vala Mal Doran.

Instead he heard the engagement of a zat.