Chapter One

London - England - One year later

The concrete skyline taunted Daniel in every way as the steam rose from his coffee. 'I will go and find the furthest and most obscure dig possible. Yeah Right! London how obscure!' thought Daniel. When he left the program it had been a struggle to find any digs that would accept him. As far as the world was concerned he was the nutty professor who debunked the theory that the Egyptians built the pyramids. He had no academic credence whatsoever. He was the nutty professor who lost everything through one mad theory that happened to be right. Now said proved point was now classified. He was in essence an academic joke.

Daniel dropped his coffee mug next to his keys and turned to pick up his keys banging his shin on the rather close coffee table near him. Damn London city had nothing but boxes for apartments. Even the stipend that he earned with the Air Force he lived on a trickle of the money he earned. He wanted as little to do with that Air Force money as possible. All there was the job. It wasn't much but it kept him out of the line of sight of the SGC and all that that represented.

Lifting his case and walking down the steps of the London estate he lived on, Daniel began to remind himself how he got to this point in his life. With each step he grew more bitter with every thought. Through Catherine and his references from General Hammond he had managed to get a teaching position linked to the British museum in London. His days were filled with students from the London University and afternoons cataloguing items from all over the globe. Daniel spent his mornings teaching lectures on ancient history to students who were only mildly interested in passing their course and his evenings alone working on various small items that came through the British museum. He sometimes had a number of students who helped him out but often as soon as the students settled into their tasks he often had his TA's monitor their progress and he worked on a project on his own in the far corner. Alone - just as he had always been and how he would always be. Often he just closed off the memories of the family that had been SG-1.

Daniel was often approached by various female staff and students but often he rejected them politely that no, he would not go out on any dates. He was branded pretty to look at and left alone in general but that still didn't stop a few women trying.

Daniel had ensured that his need to be alone was respected. His small London flat was respectable and bare. All of his items from his previous travels were stored in the US. None of it held any meaning to him anymore. The only concession he had given to himself were his books and a picture of Shau'ri. She was the one thing he wanted to remember after the funeral.

Kasuf would send word via Jack on how he was doing but he no longer wanted anything to do with the Stargate. Thus word from Kasuf became rarer and eventually stopped. As far as he was concerned the Stargate was a dream along with the voice of Shau'ri who came to him night after night begging that Daniel return to his travels through the Chaap'ai. He still could not get over the grief that begged his attention night after night. He spoke to no one but Jack. Even then it was just about Kasuf and nothing else and even then Jack was becoming more of a distant annoyance now. He had shut down and locked away the key to his former family friends and life.

Tonight was no different. There were four students with him tonight most of them female and stunningly pretty but not one iota did he notice anything except their academic potential. There was no one else here tonight except the security guards and the students. The public had gone home finished with their gawping and the open museum staff just called time at 6pm as usual. The work rooms were blissfully quiet and that was the way he preferred it.

"Professor Jackson" The voice of the young strawberry blond, ah Marie, Maria M something or other broke through his thoughts. He lifted his head and coked it to one side.

"Hmmm?" He sounded really bored. He thought that he really should try to sound more enthusiastic. At least, that's what his Head of Department had hounded him to do.

"Can I ... help you?" His student looked at him more rather petulantly. She appeared to be on the team of girls who joined the course to score a Lecturer or at least him.

Simpering to his good looks the student smiled. "Professor Jackson it's 10.30pm. You said we could go an hour ago." The end of the sentence came out in a whine rather than a request. Daniel looked at his watch and smiled in apology. She giggled. 'Oh dear, we have another one!' Thought Daniel. 'MAYDAY! MAYDAY!'

"I'm sorry?" Daniel smiled up at the student like a parent admonishing a child. "Look you've all done great work here. I'll see you all next Tuesday for lectures as usual. Have a great week." The girl giggled again and tilted her head in a 'let's go' gesture. Her fellow students gave up varying groans and cussing and put away the already cleared away tool packs in their pre-assigned cupboards and left.

Daniel smiled softly as the calls of "Goodnight Professor" echoed out of the room and the remaining silence descended. He looked at the signature beads in front of him - early biblical times. He gazed at them fingering the fragile pottery beads on a thin string through his soft latex gloves. It never seemed to faze him how many years these pieces of history had survived. He allowed himself to get lost in the paperwork and relaxed as the silence descended. He would not be going home tonight.

Two hours past midnight and Daniel was still cataloguing items for the Egyptian exhibit. The museum had strict rules about coffee and artefacts so Daniel had to leave to use the break room across the hall to drink his fifth cup of coffee. Daniel knew that he had no classes to teach in the morning as tomorrow was Saturday. He was treating himself to an all-night session cataloguing new items when his phone rang. Daniel cussed. Very few people had his mobile number. It was Jack. He knew it was Jack. Teal'c and Sam had given up trying to contact him anymore. He stretched over and muted the phone. He continued to sip his coffee whilst watching the phone vibrate next to the coffee machine. He wasn't going to answer. Didn't Jack get that? He sighed. 'Course Jack doesn't get it. He calls every week asking me to come back. I'm not going back. I'm not Indiana Jones neither am I soldier. I've done enough!' Daniel looked up to the ceiling and counted to ten. The phone stopped. "...Annnd 3,2,1..." a text popped onto his screen. He reached over and opened his phone.

"Answer your phone Daniel! We need to talk. This can't go on ya know!" It felt like Jack was there and not the text on a phone.

Daniel sighed exasperated and began tapping the keys on his phone. "You'll have to find me first Jack. Even Catherine will not tell you where I am. I'm not coming back - leave me alone!"

Daniel let out another exasperated sigh when he pressed send on his cell phone. He rolled his eyes as Jack responded. "Same old story Daniel. You miss doing this. I'm sure life in London has really met your expectations. Considering the worlds and missing cultures we are running to".

Daniel huffed and typed "How do you know where I am?" It was a quick response. "The day I don't know where you are is the day I die Danny boy! Shut up and get your ass back here. At least answer my calls once in a while." Another text rang through from Jack. "Oh Teal'c and Sam say hi. They miss you. We all miss our kick ass GEEK. ah hahaha"

'Yeah Jack, real funny' thought Daniel. He sighed and switched off the phone.

Jack was worse than a nagging old mother hen. Only his clucks were ten times more annoying and stung twice as bad. He always went on and on about Daniel's return to the program but each time it ended in bouncing texts back and forth. He only knew news by text these days. Daniel missed going through the Stargate on occasion but then thoughts of Shau'ri would kick in and it would all come crashing back.

He closed his eyes and his mind flashed back painfully to her kidnap, her death and the loss of her baby to who knows where. Living in London, Daniel had picked up some acquaintances with whom he would claim nodding rights to but not friends, close friends. It was hard to talk to someone about all his work as it had been top secret over the last three and a half years besides with his reputation who would believe him? He tossed his phone into his briefcase after shutting it off. 'No more Jack tonight I think?' With that hope ingrained into his head Daniel finished the dregs of his coffee cup and headed back to his work station.

From a darken office two doors down a figure sat in frozen position behind a door. "That's it you gorgeous little man" the voice whispered from the dark office next to the break room. "Head back to your desk and continue to work. Let me have a quiet look around all the pretty trinkets in the other room in peace. That way you and I don't have to have some fun which involves you out cold on the floor." With that the figure who had stilled the search around the office during Daniels cup of coffee lifted from its hiding place and quietly slipped past Daniel's work room.

First days to one year - Whatever happened to Vala?

This dingy little word - Surprise! Surprise! - has room for a rather gorgeous thief with some high class skills. It helped Vala that she had managed to 'acquire' some rather nifty forms of currency to start her out.

The Tel'tac had landed in the middle of what looked like a rather long expanse of beach not far from a dwelling surrounded by mountains. It was night time when she had crashed so she managed to set some rather spectacular fireworks when she decided to blow up the ship. Better not risk being found by whatever or whoever ruled this world.

There was no way in all that mass of wires and crystals that the ship would ever fly again. It was in all truth a write off. She'd spent the first few hours walking around trying to find some food and 'civilization'. Whatever that meant for this dreary planet and if at all possible the Stargate. Which Vala soon found out did not even appear in this planet at all.

From the stares she got onto the main road from the locals when Vala first walked down the local road, Vala felt the wave of 'alien' and 'weirdo' vibes sting her personal pride. She stood out here and it showed. Seeing what looked like a form of law enforcement Vala felt the need to hide out from time to time. It didn't matter what planet she was on she had sworn to smack authority in the worst places. Preferably, where they would end up singing soprano using her knee and other body parts.

Her first task of the day was hiding all the things that made her stand out. Her Zat'nikatel was far too conspicuous amongst the people who lived on this planet along with all her rather stand out but gorgeous leather bodice. She was far too noticeable. Walking past a little cottage on the edge of a small village she saw a woman who was about her height and but slightly bigger. Clothes, food and currency - those were her priorities. So she watched and waited for the opportunity to steal necessities once the woman had left her cottage. After all a girl had to be fabulous but essentially she had to be fed. Starving and fabulous were not words that often went hand in hand.

Vala entered the small cottage with the hope of regaining her supplies and mingling into the community that last thing Vala managed to lift was something that resembled food. All Vala could see that looked familiar was the reflection in the large mirror that she walked past in the hall. There were too many images in this house. Still flat 2D images with happy people. As she made her way through the small cottage, she felt liked they mocked her and the way her life had been. Images of what looked like a very happy family appeared to cover every surface available and mocking her at every turn within the cottage. Vala had to shut down her feelings or else those pictures would act as a distraction.

Happy families were not where she came from. Images of pain threatened to flood her consciousness while she worked through each room. Feelings of abandonment, abuse and hurt threatened to cover every corner of her mind. There was only so much that a girl could hang on to. The first rule was trust yourself and no one else. .Everyone else was there to help you get your goals. It was a mantra she lived by and it had not proved her wrong yet. This was not someone's home but a place to 'acquire' provisions. She could always count on the person being 'generous' in some shape or form.

Leaving the cottage and strolling back into the village she heard the locals speak in a weird lilting language. Not the similar tongue that she knew from all over her wanderings in the galaxy. This was familiar but there were many rolling r's when they spoke in the familiar tongue but otherwise it was a weird language. Vala was determined that she would blend in even if it cost her. She only spoke mostly the universal language and Goa'uld. She was determined that this language would not beat her.

Over time and several weeks finding houses to break into and squat - Vala was met with many new challenges. The device in the shape of a flat box intrigued her and she loved the rolling pictures and sounds in the language that was similar to what she knew. Vala also spent time teaching herself about her new surroundings in a building that had many books called a library. A lot of times Vala would even break into the library to spend hours falling asleep in this magic world that ignored her past as a thief.

From these clandestine trips, she knew she was in a planet called Earth and she also learned that the country she was in was known as Wales. All this information was useful in determining what her life could be. She stayed around the area of Llandudno finding that it was far away from any major city in this land known as the United Kingdom. She registered for any free class such as adult reading and writing classes. Faking silence and lack of understanding people mistakenly classed her as a foreign person with her use of pointing and halted understanding of what was being said. That was useful as her use of Goa'uld language had people mistaking her as being from the Middle East with the halting use and lack of English became clear. As her improvement in the language became better she sounded almost Australian in her use of English.

Her skills and her abilities as a thief started to be noticed by the criminal fraternity and they welcomed her into their community with open arms with very little questions. What made her noticeable was the fact that she had managed to get into a heavily fortified police station and had stolen some money from the evidence locker without leaving a fingerprint of who or what she was. Cardiff City Centre police station to be precise. Some poor policeman had been put on suspension for sleeping on the job to which the policeman firmly denied.

The welcome from her thievery fraternity provided Vala access over the following months to documentation such as a birth certificate stating that she was a citizen of the UK. Using the document she was able to get herself a real passport and national insurance card thatallowed her to be identified as a British citizen. The necessary portions of normal life slotted in after that. She ran through gaining as many normal skills allowing her to be identified as a living honest member of society. Over the next few months she was offered work from various gangs for information, money, valuable items and so on. Vala was clear on what she would not do - no drugs, no guns, no murder. As long as they were happy to meet these terms Vala welcomed their business.

When Vala was not working as an independent contractor for the British underworld she visited the local library and community centre. She genuinely loved being part of a real community that welcomed her. An elderly librarian called Gwen had taken a shine to Valerie (as Vala now called herself). She spent hours talking with Vala in the library sometimes an hour past closing Gwen would teach Vala something new on the computer or a new life skill such as banking (Vala taught herself how to hide money using the banking system). Gwen thought that Vala had come to Wales to run away from an abusive family. Vala didn't discourage her from that notion but was often taken back by the level of kindness aimed in her direction by Gwen's motherly nature.

Six months into her stay on Earth, Gwen approached Vala rather nervously. She had painted on a friendly smile when she had closed the library for the evening. "Valerie, would you like to come and live with me?" Vala's head snapped up and her eyes were wide in shock. Her dark eyes then slatted tight in suspicion. No one asked anything for no reason. Kindness was not a facility she was often accustomed to.

"Why would you let me live with you?" Gwen smiled that kindly smile that often graced her face.

"Why not dear? You need family around here and I have a bed." That rocked Vala. The notion of family was pain and hurt. No one offered her family with grace as freely as Gwen did. "Valerie dear don't you know that here you will always have a home with me. You will always be cared for." Vala stood up sharply and back away from Gwen. She turned her back to hide the tears that threatened to fall.

"Gwen, I am thankful for the kindness you have shown me but I beg you to not ask this of me. I am poison to anyone who knows me."

"Valerie dear, surely you do not consider yourself so badly met by those who know you. You are nothing but a kind sweet girl who has the capability to be more than you realise. You are only starting out in life." Vala let out a burst of laughter that sounded both dispirited and desperate in nature. Vala never classed herself as having any worth both to herself and anyone she ever knew. No one prior to this had ever given her any kind of credit for her own worth unless they wanted something from her. Her life had been about what people could get out of her never what they could do for her as an individual.

She squeezed her eyes shut and stilled. Her mask fell over her and something in her blood ran cold. She was about to hurt someone she never wanted to hurt using methods she swore she would never use as a free person. She was going to threaten a woman who had been kind to her without cost or expectation of returned kindness.

"Listen to me old woman; I will kill you if you don't leave now. In the bag next to the computer is a gun. I will use it on you if you do not leave within the next twenty seconds!" She turned to face Gwen with cold hard eyes. As expected, Gwen was shocked, terrified even and yet searching for the woman who had been there a few moments ago. Vala made a swift move to reach for the non-existent crude weapon. Her Zat was actually in her bag but not much else weapon-wise. She advanced on Gwen using lethal predatory movements which belied her calm menacing grace she had displayed beforehand. Gone was Vala Mal Doran in her place was how she remembered Qetesh. A parasite who was vicious, cruel and totally without mercy. The parasite had done its damage and in its wake left nightmares Vala would never get over. Just like now. Especially when she was scaring the one and only friend she ever had in this world.

Gwen shifted back towards the door as Vala advanced. As she reached the door she gave Vala one last look it was pleading almost longing in its stare. "Valerie, don't forget that you have potential to be more than this. You are not who you display now - I can't believe that this is who you are."

Vala snarled "Believe it old woman. I had you going and you had your uses. That time has now passed and you are no longer useful. I will give you to the count of five to be gone or I will kill you. 1,2,3..." Vala heard the door bang and she knew that Gwen was gone. The next thing Vala knew would be coming was the local police. She did not have much time.

Vala grabbed her things and fought the ragged tears that threatened to fall again. She stopped at her squat in the house two streets over and collected her things and was gone within the space of minutes. It was time to run again.

Vala reached the train station to find two trains on platform. One was leaving for Scotland the other was headed to London. Which line - North or South? Vala did not even think. She knew that one phone call would get her ties to the London fraternity and work. London it was. Jumping onto the train without a ticket she headed south wards and for once Vala let her tears finally fall.

In the weeks that followed, Vala set herself up with housing within London's boroughs using the money she 'acquired' from her 'freelancing'. Her links with the Welsh fraternity meant that there was regular work available from regular sources but she also knew she had been on the radar of the police in Wales for a few months but they were never able to prove anything or so her sources told her.

Vala knew that she was different even here in London where different seemed to be all around her. She filled her days with learning where she could. She often found herself wandering into London University often passing herself off as a student trying to learn as much as she could. It was one thing she could never seem to get over was how freely available education was here.

Most planets she visited learning was for the select few often. Sometimes what was available was very limited. The shock of this planet allowed was open to let anyone learn and yet in many ways it was so primitive in its assumptions about the universe. It was whilst sipping coffee next to the bridge near Parliament buildings that she realised what it was that pulled her attention - here she was free but never free to be herself. It was a condition she was used to but until now it never disturbed her. She tried to shrug the feeling off by taking another sip of her coffee but each taste was now much bitterer than before.

It was a spring day when she walked into the university. People were so used to seeing her here now that they automatically dismissed her. She had an evening planned full of another meeting with a contact that promised to be lucrative. She was walking through the halls of the archaeology buildings that day when she heard his voice. Often she dismissed these buildings as they often contained stuffy older lecturers that held no appeal to her whatsoever. It was a whim that brought her here. The voice was soft and clear and held an appeal to her that she never thought possible. She looked through the door of the lecture hall and there he stood with a room full of enraptured students. It was a lecture on Egypt. Of that much she was certain. Vala could remember spending hours reading on the topic.

The lecturer at the front had short close cropped brown hair with short spikes. He was tall with glasses that much she could tell from a distance. He was well built but it was his voice that had her. She stood at the doors straining to hear every word that was said. As Vala was about to leave she tripped falling against the doors causing them to swing wide and fall open. There was a silence as Vala fell into the lecture hall. There was an intake of breath from some students in the room who had noticed the commotion from the doors. All heads turned in her direction.

"You, yes you there at the doors either take a seat at the front or leave." Vala lifted her head and internally cringed. She was not usually this clumsy. She lifted her finger and pointed at herself.

"Yes" grumbled the voice "Ah yes you must be the new student I was waiting on and you are late! Come take a seat here at the front and let me get on with my lecture." Vala looked up to find that the voice was not as far away as she thought. Somewhere between the first words he had spoken and Vala lifting herself to her knees he had sprinted up the side steps to her. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen and right now her breath caught.

"Your name?" His eyes had gone from stern to soft in seconds.

"Vala" What had made her say that? She never gave her real name to anyone! Again she cringed internally at her stupidity. His lips twitched into a soft gentle smirk.

"Well Vala, I am Professor Jackson and I require that you arrive on time in future. He lifted himself up and turned to the other students who had been watching this with obvious amusement at the woman's discomfort. "Right, Now as I was saying..." By the end of the lecture Vala was determined to break into the student admissions office and sign up for his classes.

That night she met with her 'agent' in a small bar in soho. It was a fashionable joint with cocktails and art deco decor and city types. He sat in a small booth in the far corner watching Vala walk in wearing a revealing green wraparound dress. Lucas was a well-built good looking blond man with green eyes. They lustily ran up and down Vala's form every time they met. He was always wanting more than just an opportunity to give Vala work - of that she was aware. He smiled. It was like watching a Goa'uld system lord smile - all slime and sleaze.

"Valerie darling" He air kissed each of her cheeks.

"Lucas" She smiled falsely. Tonight it was business and never with Lucas would it be pleasure. She sat down and sipped her glass of Vodka.

"What do you have for me?"

Lucas pulled back as if in shock. "What Darling no pleasantries?"

"Lucas I don't have time for pleasantries - what do you have for me?" Vala's voice was all ice and steel. Lucas flinched.

"There is a little snatch and grab I'd like you to do for me from the British Museum. A small matter of a tablet with some unknown never before seen language. My client will pay well to get his hands on this tablet. Usual arrangements apply £1 million with my usual 25% cut." Vala sat back and pretended to consider his offer.

"Done Lucas. Have the details couriered to the usual box and I will arrange for a pick up. Nice doing business with you." Vala rose and grabbed her bag which was the same point that Lucas made a grab for her butt. She turned and grabbed his hand slamming his wrist down hard on the table.

"Valerie that hurts!" cried Lucas.

"Then don't make a play at grab my ass otherwise next time it will be a broken wrist. Okay?" Lucas swallowed at the look in Vala's eyes. It was cold and calculating. He had never accounted for that. Vala repeated her words and applied extra pressure to the joints in his wrist. "Okay Lucas?" By this stage there was silence falling in the tables around them.

"Yes! Yes! Okay. Jeez woman - you cow!" There was a quiet snap on his little finger which had him howling. The bouncers were running over at this stage. Vala ran to them.

"Please help he was trying it on with me and would not leave me alone!" Her eyes were wide with fear and trying to look every inch the wronged woman. The bouncers didn't even blink.

"Don't worry miss we'll take care of it." They grabbed Lucas with his broken finger and all and dragged him towards the door. The last thing Lucas saw was Vala blowing a kiss and throwing a wink his direction as she headed towards the back exit to melt into the evening crowds.

Two nights later the plan was set and Vala was kitted up. Her plan effectively was very simple. Go to the museum close to closing and lock herself into an office and do a little bit of late night digging until about midnight after that it was show time. Two days before she recced the museum trying to figure out who she had to either make call in sick or find out who was on holiday. So flirting with a rather vulnerable guard was quite easy before he was spilling a lot of gossip about the museum. She had the museum floor specs containing the whereabouts of her package. These had been picked up by another contact from her drop box. This meant that she had planned her office in which to nest in along with a couple of nifty hacking gadgets.

She had spent the morning before the job listening to Daniel lecture on a civilisation known as Babylon. She sat in his lecture taking note after note desperate for some opportunity to answer him and also desperate for some of his attention. He had a way about him that was fascinating and encouraged something inside her and it scared her. She could not afford too many feelings.

Vala felt that she might be stuck on this world but she may as well stick to her philosophy that no one gets to touch her in any way. Daniel however seemed to crush that rule in small ways but she was advised by all the girls that he was either "off the market" or "gay". Not that she knew what being consistently happy had to do with being unavailable as a male. That is until someone clarified that he was possibly into guys - which Vala thought was not possible.

As Friday evening fell into night Vala shook her head clear of Daniel. That was just a distraction and she didn't need distractions. Her little nest in the office next to the work labs had a thin wall that allowed her to hear noise to some degree. There were definitely voices in there but they faded one by one as the evening went on. It did not however allow her to hear clearly any words being spoken. Vala just used her time to go through the office she was in and checked to ensure that her black mask covered her face along with her balaclava. She checked her zat and made sure it was ready to hand. She figured since there was no Stargate here - no one would know what her weapon was never mind that the first shot did not kill.

As time drifted Vala heard the door next to her open and close. Time seemed to drag as she waited on a good opportunity to make her move. The tablet she was to 'acquire' was of Egyptian design. She saw the back of her neighbour go out from the coffee room. She smiled to herself looking at the extra padding around her chest. Tonight she dressed as a man. Tomorrow she would not be mistaken as such.

She smiled softly to herself. "That's it you gorgeous little man. Head back to your desk and continue to work. Let me have a quiet look around all the pretty trinkets in the other room in peace. That way you and I don't have to have some fun which involves you out cold on the floor." Vala looked at her watch. It was time. Enough pussy footing around it was time to play.