Author Notes: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I had NANO to do and just recently have been having some family troubles so it took me awhile to get things sent off the beta (who was quick in responding;) )

Because of the Holiday season coming up and said family problems, there may be a wait for chapter 4 too. But I have a clearer outline now of what is happening so we shall see. I'm sorry for the quickness of some of the scenes towards the middle of this chapter. I couldn't figure out what to write and therefore just jumped.

Chapter 3

Qetesh looked out over the crowd. She was her own System lord now. Not as high as Apophis but certainly a threat to the others. Today Apophis was gaining a host for his queen and she was to choose a host for the first of her children.

She knew she couldn't be seen by the humans stuck in the prison room, so she gazed openly at them, observing them. She noticed a small group of humans that seemed gathered together and dressed differently then the more peasant-looking others. She tilted her head as she watched them. There was one man with short brown hair who seemed the leader of this group. Beside him stood a blonde woman who was scanning the walls for weaknesses and chances of escape. A young boy dressed more like the others around them stood with them, an angry expression on his face. Oh, yes. That boy had come from the same planet as Amaunet's new host. However, it was the man with the longer brown hair that captured her attention the most. He seemed to be in shock and she wondered why. Had he not known that his god would call for a host from amongst his people? That it was an honor to be host to a child of the gods?

But looking at his eyes she knew it wasn't just that. She smiled. He was a strong willed man and would be perfect for a new lover. Perhaps the young boy could be the host for her first child. Both were strong looking. She did not want a weak host. It would not bode well for the symbiote if the host was weak.

"Find something you like?" Qetesh looked over to see Amaunet standing beside her.

"I believe I have. Enjoying your new host?" Amaunet smiled.

"Indeed. She is strong willed but those always make a more interesting host, I'm sure you agree." Amaunet looked over to the group of people Qetesh had been watching. "Those came with my host. The young boy is her brother so I'm sure he will do well as a host for our children. Apophis wants him for our son. However the others you may do as you wish. The younger looking male is the husband of my host. He tried to speak to her earlier." Amaunet looked as if she couldn't understand why the man did not look upon her as a god but still as the woman he had married.

"He does not understand she has been honored by the gods."

"No." Amaunet paused. "I do not believe they are from our controlled space. I hear the mummers of my host still. She talks of a place called Earth. Tauri." Amaunet had always been friendlier towards Qetesh then other Gou'ald. She was the only one not to fear her up and coming power.

"Perhaps it would not be wise to choose such a host. They brought down Ra." Amaunet's eyes flashed.

"Ra was a fool. Apophis will take care of them. He brought me a host from their world. They are weak." Qetesh was secretly agreeing. She had been pleased to hear of Ra's destruction. He was indeed a fool. But she still did not believe in Apophis as whole-heartedly as her "sister" did.

"Vala." She frowned for a second, her name being said though Amaunet's mouth but in another's voice. She slowly opened her eyes to see Daniel looking down at her in concern. She blinked. Obviously she had fallen asleep and had missed it when Sam and Daniel had switched guard. Given that Daniel had a book in his hand and a stack of papers he probably had been there for at least an hour or so. She groaned as she set up. Sleeping on the couch was probably not the best idea.

"Daniel." She sat up, and looked at the coffee table in front of the couch, which was pretty much the only other piece of furniture in the room. There was a spot for a TV, but since she spent most of her time at Daniel's, she hadn't bought one yet.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you. I just had a migraine from those blasted dreams I keep having." She knew perfectly well that her earlier vomiting was probably caused form something other then the dreams but she was not ready to reveal it to him just yet.

"Well, I brought some of your stuff over." She waited, but he didn't comment on the fact that she had come here without taking any of her clothing. This had left her with a set of PJs she had left here once. She had been angry at him the day before and even the thought of having to sneak into his house after he went to work was better then going to his house. Well, she supposed she could start calling the bloody thing their house since she had helped him pick it out when he had decided to try home owning again. She never asked why he had sold his old house or the apartment and so far he hadn't really told her.

He reached over and put a piece of hair behind her ear, causing her to look up and into his eyes. She could tell he was sorry, and instantly she was sorry too. It had been a stupid fight, over nothing at all. She moved in closer and he wrapped his arms around her, the book that had been on his lap sliding onto the floor. He hugged her close and without saying anything they mended the break. She doubted either one of them would state what was behind the fight. It would probably happen again but for now, all was well.

She slowly let go and stood up stretching. "What time is it?"

"Four-thirty in the afternoon," Daniel responded with a quick look at his watch. "You slept most of the afternoon."

"Should be getting ready for Sam's party then." She walked over to where she saw a pile of her clothes neatly placed on the counter dividing the living area from the kitchen.

"Are you sure you're up for going?"

"I'm perfectly fine now." Daniel gave her a look that said he didn't really believe her but wasn't about to argue with her. He must have expected it because when she looked through the clothes he brought, he had included the outfit she had planned on wearing. She glanced up at him finding him working on whatever he had brought with him and sighed. Couldn't he at least leave the work AT work for once?

"I'm going to take a shower."

When Vala stepped out of the shower, she could hear Daniel messing around in her kitchen, and the sink running. Daniel would have been watching the history channel had she actually had a TV She knew he was looking forward to a show on the similarities between various ancient cultures, in particular Ancient Egypt and the Mayans. Apparently it was brought on by a discovery made in one of the ancient temples in Mexico, but she forgot most of the details of that particular file, preferring not to think about Hathor and what she did to the men on the base, Daniel in particular. She didn't like Hathor anymore then her former goa'uld had, although for very different reasons.

She got dressed quickly and started her makeup. Luckily for her, she had left some when she had last been at her apartment. She really should start spending more time in her own apartment because it was a waste to spend the money for rent if she was never there. Either that or she could buy out of the lease and just move in with Daniel completely. She wondered how he would take that idea. She put on a pair of earrings that Sam had gotten her for Christmas the first year she had been there, and was almost finished with the second earring when the world seemed to spin.

Qetesh watched as the villagers started to fight her Jaffa. For the first time in her long life she felt afraid. Ever since the news of Ra's defeat had been passed around, minor system lords kept falling to their rebellious former worshipers. Qetesh thought she was beyond such happenings but she was wrong.

Oh, halva, she was wrong!

She stood strong though, refusing to fall in such a pitiful state as her former King had. Res was dead now, fallen to his own world's rebellion. Pity, she had actually grown to appreciate him, especially after her attempts to find a new lover had fallen. She had been with Ba'al for awhile but the being's omnipotence had aggravated her own.

She could hear them outside the walls crying and yelling and a voice inside laughing.

You get what you deserve!

'You will die if I die, so do not laugh so quickly, host!' feeling stupid as she said it for even conversing with the being which hosted her consciousness.

As long as you die, I don't give a damn!

The doors to her inner chamber were suddenly being banged on and she knew the end was near. She would die, but she would die standing up and not begging for her life as Res and others had done. She was a goddess for goodness sake and should act like one

"Hey Vala! You need to hurry up in there. We are going to be late if we don't leave soon." Looking at the clock she realized she had dazed for about five minutes, her hand still at her ear, though the earring now resided on the floor. She had never had them while she was awake before. She was scared but she was determined not to say anything till after the party. She wasn't going to ruin things because she couldn't handle some bad memories.

When the pair arrived at the party, most of the guests were already there and Jack had started up his new grill. The only three left to arrive were the Landry party including Cameron. Daniel was drawn one way as Jack called him over while Vala was pulled away by Sam to meet Walter's new wife Camilla. Cammie was a xenobiologist who had been recruited for the program two years ago. SG-1 hadn't had much contact with her and Vala had none. However they had much in common. Before she was a host to Qetesh, Vala had worked as a undergraduate in a biology lab so she understood many of the things Cammie said, even adding a few things of her own. Sam of course added her side of things and soon the three women were engrossed in a conversation about a new species of fish that had been discovered on PX9-243 which seemed to have the ability to levitate above the water of the pond. Walter just smiled and snuck away from them to find a conversation he could understand more then every third word, conversing with Jack and Daniel about the proper way to cook on the grill.

When Hank, Carolyn and Cameron arrived, the food was almost prepared and everyone prepared for dinner by helping setting up the picnic tables and dinnerware. Everyone sat and enjoyed the meal and easy conversation in the cooling night air.

Halfway through the meal, Jack stood up to make his announcements.

"Sam and I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight for a couple of reasons, the most important being that now there will be no leftovers." The group laughed. "Originally this party was planned to celebrate six straight months of being free of having to save the planet from some group or another and that Daniel has managed to get himself injured, maimed or killed in the last year so we have a record tonight." Daniel only shook his head at the teasing and Vala smiled at him. "But now we have another reason for a party. I have an announcement tonight and from appearances, so does Mitchell." Cameron smiled and Carolyn blushed as everyone turned their attention to them. Sam stood up bringing the attention back to her and Jack.

"But I'll go first. Sam and I would like you all to know we are having a baby." The group seemed to move in masse to congratulate the new parents and this continued for a little while before Jack told them all to sit down, a large smile still on his face. "According to Carolyn here, it should be born sometime in January. Now speaking of Carolyn..." Cameron smiled wishing he wasn't put in the spotlight but at the same time, wanting to announce this.

"Carolyn has agreed to marry me." Another round of congratulations was received, along with a few threats on what would happen to Cameron if he hurt her, but all in good humor. They all knew that Cameron loved Carolyn without a doubt and the same with her for him.

Jack had Sam bring out some champagne to celebrate the upcoming birth and nuptials and with the exception of Vala and Sam they all took a glass. They had finished dinner and now broke off into small groups for conversation. Sam, Vala and Carolyn sat on a bench that Jack had recently installed for Sam when she had moved in.

"So are you excited about the baby?" Carolyn asked, smiling since she knew full well that Sam was ecstatic. While certainly not planning on having children at this point, she had always wanted to have them and was glad to finally have a chance. With Jack retiring in a few months, it would be easier to raise the child in Colorado and she didn't even have to leave the SGC.

"Yes," Sam answered with a smile. "You should see Jack though. I was worried what he would think about having another child, but he's even more excited then I am. He bought a bunch of catalogs for baby stuff today and is already designing a baby room. The only downside right now is I'm already getting the cravings and I'm only three months in!"

"Try having cravings you can't even satisfy because you're in the wrong galaxy. You have no idea how long I craved pancakes. I could never understand why they didn't have them," Vala commented. Recently she had gotten more comfortable speaking about her pregnancy and months spent in the Ori home galaxy. The others still seemed startled sometimes when she offered information but most of the time were getting used to her being more free about her past, particularly to the members of SG-1 who were closest to her.

"So that's why you asked for them when you came to visit?" Carolyn asked, having heard stories about Vala's little trip in Daniel's body. It was always referred to as visiting by the ones involved although sometimes she still got odd looks when it was talked about in front of people who hadn't known about Daniel and Vala's bond caused by the bracelets

"Yeah. You know Daniel always teases me about that when I order pancakes," she said with a smile. "I guess I should be glad I didn't choose something he was allergic to. I forgot when I was eating it that it was his body and not mine."

"So any tips?" Sam asked with a smile.

"So, Danny-boy. Did you ask her?" Jack asked as he and Daniel watched as Sam, Vala and Carolyn laughed. Daniel didn't need to ask what he was supposed to ask Vala.

"No. I did however ask her to move in with me."

"For cryin' out loud Daniel, you've had that ring with you for weeks. You should just ask her."

Vala felt like she was drunk. Her head felt woozy despite having only consumed a single can of cherry seven-up and she excused herself from the party to lie down on Jack's couch. The other girls had watched her in concern but she reassured them before she went inside that it was just remnants of the migraine.

She decided to go to the bathroom first and wash her face, which was feeling hot. However her face felt suddenly cold as she stared at herself in the mirror and saw her eyes flash a familiar glow.

The whole party rushed inside at the sounds of Vala's screams, Jack and Daniel managing to find her staring at the mirror, pale and shaking and grasping onto the shower curtain behind her. Sam rushed and got a glass of water while Daniel and Jack tried to pry her away from the bathroom and into the living room.

She kept repeating the words almost silently. She's back. This can't be happening. She's back. Daniel wrapped himself around her while Carolyn came and leaned down beside them. She checked Vala's temperature and found it warmer then normal, but not exactly threatening. However, she decided not to take any chances, not with how Vala was acting and soon the group was on their way to the infirmary at Cheyenne, with Daniel, Vala and Teal'c in the back of Jack's truck.

Carolyn rushed her down, while Jack checked them through security. Daniel however did not leave Vala, although from the grip she now had on his shirt, he probably wouldn't have been able to without the loss of it.

However he was pushed away when Vala started to faint, and then convulse. Daniel was left watching as they put her on a stretcher and moved her into the infirmary, not really knowing what was wrong with her.

Carolyn looked at the tests in front of her and sighed. She rubbed her eyes as she sat back in the seat. So far, none of the tests had come up with an answer as to why Vala had suddenly convulsed or why she was stuck in some kind of nightmare right now, trashing around in the room below. They had to strap her down in order to keep her from hurting herself and a mild sedative to hopefully take away any pain that may be accruing.

"Dr. Lam, here are the neurological scans," an orderly stated as he placed the final tests and scans on the workstation in front of her. She nodded and watched as the orderly left and her father came in.

"How is she?" He asked. Carolyn sighed again and looked down at the patient in question, who was finally acting peaceful.

"I'm not sure." She opened the new file and read the test results. However the brain readings brought something to her attention. Something was there that shouldn't be.

"Oh, God." There were two distinct sets of brain waves.

So there you are... Hopefully I'll be getting to chapter 4 soon and I'll be posting it soon. Also, if you like my writing, I'll be posting the NANO related fic as soon as I find a beta for it. It's almost completed and uploads (once its completed) will be much faster.