It was warm on Baku'te, very warm. Daniel and Vala had decided incognito meant leaving their SG1 uniforms at home. Daniel was dressed casually in pants and a solid grey t-shirt, so he wasn't exactly miserable, but he suspected Vala was regretting her choice of black leather as they wondered down the well beaten path from the gate to the village. He had to admit he was almost happy. Hopefully, soon Shifu would be home with him and he'd finally be able to try feel he had honored Shar'e's last request. Of course, oddly enough he was grateful to have some time alone with Vala, too. He hadn't realized how much he enjoyed her company until he rarely had it anymore. He probably needed to think about what that could mean at some point, but right now he was on a very important mission.
"Daniel, before we get to the village we should go over our covers. Since Hathor's fall, many of her worlds have not exactly taken kindly to women. They are usually treated like property. I'm sure being lorded over by a goa'uld queen for so many years is at fault, but I think it might be safest if you tell the people of the village I'm your sister."
"Don't you think it would make more sense to say you're my wife. I mean, wouldn't that give you more protection?"
"For me, probably, but it could certainly put you in danger. They could kill you so they could take me as their own."
"We have a similar story on earth. Thousands of years ago, a man named Abraham made his wife tell people she was his sister when they travelled for the same reason."
"Sounds like he was a wise man. I do think it's the most judicious choice."
"We'll see," Daniel said absentmindedly.
"Tell me about Shifu."
"Well, you know the basics. Apophis took Shar'e and made her his queen then he and Amaunet decided to break the rules and have a child together. Amaunet slept so Shar'e could carry Shifu to term and I arrived on time to deliver the baby, but I wasn't able to save my wife. Eventually, Shifu ended up on Keb with Oma, and she taught him to forget. He grew quickly. Only a few years had passed the next time I saw him, but he was probably about 8 when he made contact with us again. He wanted to know more about his mother. I told him a few stories then I messed everything up. Instead of just being there for him, I asked him to help us defeat the goa'uld. He was just a child, Vala. He was the same age I was when I lost my parents and I tried to enlist him."
"Daniel, don't be so hard on yourself. The goa'uld were evil, and you were on the front lines. They'd killed the love of your life."
"But, I should have done better by him. He taught me something though. He touched me and I had a horrible dream. I sent Teal'c to his death, put Sam in prison, and basically took over the world. Those memories are impossible to control. This device, if it can remove them, gives Shifu real chance at a normal life."
"You didn't do any of those horrible things, Daniel. It was just a dream."
"But, I would have done them. Shifu told me that Oma taught him that the only way to win was to deny the battle, and I tried to make him fight it."
"Well, that's just rubbish! The only way to win the battle is to actually win the battle. Fight until you're standing and the enemy isn't anymore. Those ancients irritate me almost as much as the Ori with their stand back and watch while the universe is in chaos philosophy!"
"Well, Oma's gone now and I believe Shifu needs me. I have to help him."
"And, we will, Daniel. Looks like we've found the village. Where should we start? I'm thinking the tavern. It's always a good place to get some information."
Daniel looked around. There were definitely more men than women on the street, and they looked pretty unsavory to him. He definitely didn't like the way they were eyeing Vala. The leather was definitely the wrong choice. He fell into step a little closer to her, and they walked into the tavern. It was pretty dark and dingy. The crowd inside looked even rougher than the crowd on the streets. They walked straight to the bartender. "Hello, I'm Daniel Jackson and this is my wife Vala," he paused as Vala gave him the evil eye, but he didn't retract his statement. "We're travelers, archeologists actually. We were wondering if you could point us in the directions of the some ruins we suspect may be in the area."
The bar tender just stared at him for a moment before speaking, "ruins, you say?" He looked at the patrons sitting at the bar. "Any of you know anything about any ruins? We've got a fancy archeologist and his," he paused and looked Vala over from top to bottom, "wife, and they want to see some ruins."
Daniel was not the least bit comfortable with the situation. He grabbed Vala's hand and was about to drag her right back out the door when one of the men spoke, "there's an old temple of Hathor," the man stopped to spit on the floor showing his hatred for the dead goddess before continuing, "it's a long walk due west, but you won't make it tonight. Better start in the morning."
Daniel really didn't like the sound of that, but Vala spoke before he could get them out the door, "So, where can we find lodging for the night?"
"Only place with rooms is right here, but you'll need to pay up front."
"Well," Vala smiled, "we aren't from around here so we don't have your currency. Can we work out a trade?"
"Doll," the bar keeper said with a sneer, "I believe you and I could work out the terms alone in the back room while your man has a drink."
"My wife is not a bargaining chip."
"Daniel," Vala warned placing her hand on his arm to keep him from taking a swing at the man.
"See, I have a hard time believing she's your wife. She looks way out of your league to me, so why don't you just step back and let the lady speak for herself."
Daniel was fuming. He grabbed Vala and kissed her passionately then turned to the bar keep and raised his voice a bit. "You are not to speak to my wife," then in a calmer tone, he added, "do you have customers who keep a tab?"
"Yes."
"How do you keep track of what they owe?" The man pulled our a leger. "Do you have to add this in your head?" The man nodded. "I have a device. It's called a calculator. You type the numbers in like this and it does the math for you. It'll save you hours of work. You can have it for the price of a room for the night."
The man looked at the calculator Daniel had pulled from his pack. "You have a deal."
As soon as the pair made it to their room and the door shut behind them, Vala slapped Daniel across the face. "What was that for?" Daniel asked as he rubbed his cheek.
"That was for changing the plan. Sister, Daniel, not wife. You could have been killed."
"But, I wasn't."
"Not yet," Vala replied rolling her eyes, "and what kind of stunt was that kiss?"
"I was making a point. He didn't believe we were married."
"We're not married, Daniel."
"I was protecting you."
"Well, don't ever kiss me like that again just to protect me. I can protect myself. You could have been hurt."
"I'm sorry. I really didn't think I'd offend you by kissing you. I mean you used to throw yourself at me at every opportunity. Just a few days ago, you made the crack about me 'ravaging you in the ruins' remember? Aren't you the one who thinks I'm uptight about sex?"
"Sex? We are not talking about meaningless sex here, Daniel. That kiss, well, that kiss was the kind of kiss a man gives the woman he loves. And, when one of the people doing that kind of kissing is in love with someone else then it's just wrong. It's not fair to anyone, especially the one with feelings. Unrequited love is not funny, Daniel." She climbed on the bed and threw him a blanket and a pillow.
Daniel was shocked. Had she just told him she was in love with someone else? That would explain why she didn't spend much time with him anymore. He thought she was busy helping with Katie, but apparently she'd met someone. As he curled up on the small love seat and tried to get comfortable for the night, he wished he hadn't waited so long to reciprocate her feelings. He knew she'd felt something for him at first, but now it seemed their chance had past. He didn't dream of Shar'e that night. Instead, he kept seeing Vala laughing at him as he played with Shifu then disappearing into thin air. By morning, he knew one thing. He was in love with Vala Mal Doran, and he wasn'the going to get her.
