Chapter VI: Heart to Heart
The bar in Vala's home village was by no means an impressing edifice—indeed, the one room that served as meeting place to over a hundred tipsy loud men (and the occasional clandestine teenage Vala) was smaller than the Gate room that Vala remembered. Nevertheless, Adria had somehow managed to find the farthest corner, and stood there sulkily, looking every bit the petulant child that she claimed she wasn't.
For her part, Vala, who had never before been known for her patience, had discovered that the new role of mother apparently came with endless resources of tolerance and serenity. Sitting at the counter, she fumbled with an old broken clock that she had taken down from one of the walls. She tried to get it working again, although she had no idea how to measure time in that place, or if that dimension even existed there.
But that dilemma would not be much bother, as she doubted ever being able to get the rusty clock working. Playing with its rundown pieces just provided a necessary distraction from the unpleasant atmosphere between her and her daughter. Indeed, the air in the room was fraught with tension.
Morgan noticed the same thing when she appeared again, but chose not to comment on it. Instead, she gave them both a questioning look.
"Have you made your decision?"
Vala looked up from her work on the counter and shrugged.
"I don't know…this place grows on you…"
"We want to go back!" Adria immediately cried, stepping away from her dark corner.
"Is that common agreement?"
"Nope…" Vala sang, giving the ceiling a cheerful gaze.
Arching an eyebrow, Morgan nodded.
"Very well…however. I must warn you. Should you decide to go back, your consciences would return to your bodies."
Vala's blissfully unconcerned expression immediately vanished. She matched the Ancient's arched eyebrow, and spoke dryly:
"Meaning…since everyone thinks we're dead…"
"We are dead, thanks to you," Adria interjected bitterly, but her mother ignored the jab.
"What exactly will happen to us—our…bodies, I mean?"
Before Morgan could reply, the Orici huffed proudly.
"The believers will revere me, they would not dare harm a single hair on my body!"
Vala grimaced. Silent alarms went off at the back of her mind.
"Alright…" she said slowly, "I have no idea what humans do in these cases…"
To her questioning look, Morgan returned the same placid expression, and answered cryptically.
"You should hurry."
Vala rolled her eyes. Barbaric humans.
"Of course."
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"Mother…"
Noiselessly, Adria had come behind her mother.
"Mm?"
Vala did not look up from her fourth (or was it fifth?) mug of apple cider.
"Why can I not ascend?"
The question was surprising, and the raven-haired woman raised a thoughtful gaze to her daughter.
"Remember what I told you earlier?"
"About…understanding?" To the other's nod, Adria sneered. "That's ridiculous!"
Vala shrugged and went back to her cider.
"I possess all the knowledge of the Ancients, by all rights I should be up there already!" Frustrated that her mother was paying no attention, Adria raved on. "They're only holding me down here because they know I would share all this knowledge with others!"
"Probably."
Vala's consent fazed the Orici.
"What?"
"Well look at how you're sharing it—enslaving the galaxies before the age of one!"
"Don't delude yourself, mother. There was war before we came—the Goa'uld, the replicators. The Ori are striving to bring peace and the way to ascension to all believers."
Vala arched an eyebrow.
"Which way to ascension would that be?" she asked pointing to the shabby tavern around them.
Unable to retort, her daughter just glared.
"I'm not trying to rub it in, Adria," Vala sighed. "I've already grown used to the idea of spending eternity here with you…I just wish we'd do something slightly more…constructive than arguing about who's right and who's wrong."
"You dare accuse me, mother…but you are no better. I've been so patient with you…trying to lead you to the light. And you? When you saw I would not bend to your evil ways, you chose to kill me!"
"Us!" an exasperated Vala reminded her. "Also, for the sake of argument, I haven't wiped out entire populations."
None of them said anything for a while, then. Leaning back against the tavern wall again, Adria quietly watched her mother. After a prolonged silence, she spoke up again:
"How would you have gone about it, then?"
Vala's expression and voice were grave when she replied.
"I wouldn't. People are free to believe in whatever they choose. If they rejected Origin…that should be the end of it."
"But wouldn't you want them all to attain enlightenment?"
"Adria." She spoke her daughter's name gravely. "You cannot ascend. Your knowledge is not enlightenment…it is corruption. It's not leading you down the path to the light, but to destruction."
The Orici did not pick up the argument, and again, silence fell over the two. And again, Adria broke it after a while, muttering in an emotionless tone:
"It's too late now, anyway."
"Oh?"
"Whatever I did is done, right or wrong, I can't change it. So you'll have to live with it, mother."
Vala closed her eyes and sighed sadly.
"You'll have to live with it, too, Adria."
"Yes," was the other's straight-faced answer. "I suppose we'll have eternity to think this over." After a short pause, she met her mother's gaze. "You don't need to be here. I'm sure the ways you advocate will find a better echo with them," she added with a meaningful look upwards.
"Yeah…" With a long-practiced move, Vala knocked back the remaining cider and set the mug down forcefully. "Alright then! I would say we've spent enough quality time together…"
Adria's expression grew wary.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm sorry if you wanted to stay, darling, but obviously we're not a good match to spend eternity together, you've admitted that much…"
Immediately, the Orici returned to her cold, emotionless countenance. Her voice was bitter.
"So. You're ending it—me—here."
Vala shrugged and stood up from her stool.
"Uhm…Morgan?"
Surely enough, the Ancient materialized as soon as her name had been called. She regarded the two with a tint of curiosity.
"You have made a decision."
"Yes."
Before continuing, Vala gave Adria a look, and the Orici frowned disdainfully.
"I assume you are happy," she said icily.
Eyebrows arched cryptically, Vala tilted her head and a small smirk curled her lips in what seemed to be a combination of annoyance and compassion.
"What is that decision?" Morgan asked calmly, though she already knew the answer. The Ancient was not surprised when Vala declared in a falsely casual voice:
"We'll go back…"
Their eyes met, and Morgan gave a small nod. Vala smiled.
"What??"
Adria's shriek caused them both to turn, and her mother asked worriedly:
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you growing fond of the apple cider?"
Wordless, the Orici shook her head.
"I thought not. It's settled, then."
"You're agreeing…for us both to resume our human form," Adria said disbelievingly.
Vala simply shrugged.
"Well…you're hopeless at darts anyway."
But quips would not satisfy the Orici. She drew herself to full height and stepped closer to her mother.
"You do realize" she spoke haughtily, "that I will surely continue my fight to bring light to the galaxy."
"Yes, I guessed as much."
"And will seek retribution for your little trick?"
"Wouldn't expect any less from someone of my own flesh and blood."
"And will—"
"Adria. Do you want me to change my mind?"
"No, mother. I am merely pointin—"
"Then shut up, darling," Vala said sweetly, then turned back to Morgan.
"Are you certain of this decision?" the Ancient asked.
"Yes—well, almost, actually," Vala added cautiously. "Do I still have a body to go back to?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful. Will we get to keep our memories?"
"No."
"Will you help us defeat the Ori?"
Morgan raised an eyebrow, and the raven-haired woman put up her palms.
"Had to ask. Oh, let's just do it anyway…"
"Very well, then. Are you ready?"
"Wait!" Adria said sharply, but there was clear anxiety in her voice. "Mother, I do not understand—"
"Exactly." Vala interrupted with a shake of her head. "Next time you find yourself here, maybe you will… understand."
Mother and daughter locked gazes for a long moment. Both stared unwaveringly, unsmiling and focused. Boring deep into each other's soul.
And, as a small smile graced her mother's face, Adria unwillingly mirrored it.
"And here I was hoping to save you."
The sound of her daughter's pensive voice brought another wistful smile to Vala's lips. She reached a hand to caress Adria's cheek.
"Yes, well…just remember this, darling."
"I won't."
Adria lowered her head on her mother's shoulder, and felt Vala softly stroking her hair.
"Yeah…I know…"
They held onto the moment for as long as they could, before Morgan nodded once more and reality dissolved around the two of them.
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AN: Soo…what do you think? We're now just two chapters away from the end. How's the story coming along? Let me know if you like it! (I know it will be a tremendous shock, but) I love reading your comments! So please take a second to leave a review!
Myosotis
PS: I know I marked this story as a Daniel/Vala fic...so, to all shippers out there who might feel cheated, you'll get your fix in the next chapter, which is entirely dedicated to this lovely couple. And I hope you give me your opinion, since this is my first SG fic, and I'm also fairly new to the Daniel/Vala universe. (but they are sooo made for each other. That much was obvious since she took off that helmet on the Prometheus! Okay done ranting.)