Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate, unfortunately for me :)

Author's Note: Before you guys thing that I'm being out of character, remember a lot can happen in three years. That's my excuse, though I know it's not much of one... :)

Chapter Three, Ruined Walls,

Daniel was angry at himself for not being able to find words in this moment. He watched as Vala looked them all over, as if passing some sort of judgment on them.

"Why are you all here, then?" She asked, still attempting to sound casual.

"You know how it is, princess, day-to-day missions." Mitchell shrugged, watching Vala just like the rest of them were, wondering what was going on inside her head.

"Princess?" Alice, who was standing at Cam's side, asked. She didn't look amused, of course, no one was amused at that moment.

Cam just shrugged.

"Well, before you put your little paws on these ruins. I was here first. Any treasure you find here is mine." Vala said, folding her arms, her eyes were burning with anger.

"Oh, we wouldn't dream of stealing 'your' treasure." Mitchell said.

"Good." She looked at them all for a moment, "Well, then, be on your way."

None of them moved, and Daniel found his voice. "See, we can't do that."

Vala's glare practically cut through him, "I really don't want to have anything to do with you, Daniel, so you can just go. " Her words were followed by complete silence by the entire team. Though none of them moved.

Vala felt vulnerable. She felt embarrassed. She felt angry. She felt awful. She felt like the world would be okay if she could just run into Daniel's arms and beg him to just hold her there forever. But she could never lower her pride on such a level. She was not the one at fault in the situation. Of course she shouldn't have gone back to a life at thievery, but in her non-existent-relationship with Daniel, she was the blameless one.

"So whose the new...Oh what was it that you always say on earth? Whose this new chick on your team?" Vala asked, looking at Doctor Griffith.

"Doc, this is Vala," Mitchell said, motioning from one to the other, "Vala, this is Doctor Alice Griffith."

"Pleasure." Vala said, though she seemed like she really didn't care whether or not she met Alice.

"I wish I could say the same." Alice didn't like Vala much, the team all insisted she was great -or had been- but to Alice she was a cruel woman who stole from helpless families and betrayed her friends.

"Well, aren't we a little bit rude?" Vala said, rolling her eyes. "So, SG1," She made a face when she said it, "You've already agreed not to take my treasure, so what are you still doing here?"

They all glanced at each other, then Sam said slowly, "Vala, this may surprise you, but we actually care about you."

Vala gave a humorless laugh, "Well, thank you, Samantha, I'll remember that." She fought back tears as she stared at the only people in the galaxy she had ever considered her friends. And oh, how they had hurt her. She would not let them see her cry however, so she forced back the tears. She had to keep up her walls. Her defences. She would not be ruined like this planet's city that was lying in ruins around them all.

There was another long silence, until finally Daniel looked at the rest of SG1, and worked up the nerve to say something, "Guys...Do you think...Could I...?"

"Sure, we can meet Daniel at the gate, can't we, Cam?" Sam asked, looking at Mitchell.

"Right, come on Teal'c, Doc," He said, nodding and heading with the other three back towards the gate.

"Your sending your friends away?" Vala raised her eyebrows and glared at him, "You couldn't make your apology in front of them?"

"They're your friends too, Vala."

"Oh yes, I'm really feeling the love, darling, thank you." She said sarcastically, turning away from him and determinedly looking through the old ruins again. At least she wasn't running.

"Can we talk, please, Vala?" Daniel begged, frustrated. Now he had the chance to say everything he'd wanted to say to her for the past three years, and words were failing him, and she wouldn't listen. But why had he ever thought she would?

"I'd really actually rather not, thanks though!" She said, her voice wavering slightly.

He was silent for a moment, but he wouldn't move. He wouldn't let her out of his sight. He wasn't losing her again, not if he could help it. "I won't force you to come back."

She gave a bitter laugh, "I'd like to see you try."

"No, I don't think you would like that, actually. Doesn't seem too pleasant." He said, not really sure why he was putting off the conversation that needed to happen.

"Clever, Daniel." Was all she said, as she looked at a piece of stone with some sort of text on it, shrugged, and threw it over her shoulder. That made Daniel cringe slightly, but he had more important things to think about.

"I was going to save you. When I made the deal with that...That creep, Sorras, I was planning to save you." Daniel told her, the explanation flowing quickly from his mouth. All he received was a glare, and an angry reply.

"Well it's too late to 'save' me now, isn't it, Daniel? I don't care if you were going to save me from Sorras or not! You shouldn't have made the deal!" Her anger was evident. Three years of built up rage, as she reflected on what had happened.

"I know...I know Vala, the tablet was just a piece of junk, and I shouldn't have--"

"No, no, no, no, no! Even if the tablet was worth millions you shouldn't have done it, Daniel!" Vala's voice was loud and harsh.

"You think I don't know that?!" Daniel's voice raised now too, "You think I didn't spend every hour of every day the last three years wishing I hadn't done it?! It was a mistake, Vala! A stupid mistake! But it wasn't something worth giving up your whole life for!"

Daniel felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as Vala picked a small rock off of the ground and threw it at him. "You did this to me! I trusted you, and you handed me over to Sorras! This is your fault!"

"I know! I know that it's my fault! I've known it's my fault for a long time! I didn't ever want you to leave!" He insisted.

"Oh, so when you said, 'Fine! Go! I don't care!' you didn't mean it? Cause you sounded pretty sure to me! And it's not like you came after me!" Her voice was filled with anger and pain.

"I did come after you! I was always looking for you until I was forced to stop!" Daniel cried, he was frustrated and sad and confused.

"It doesn't matter. None of it matters. It's too far gone, Daniel. It's too late." Vala tried to stay firm, but her voice faltered when she said this. She tried to fight the tears in her eyes but she couldn't.

His voice lowered, and he said tenderly, "It doesn't have to be."

"Like anyone would trust me ever again after this. Don't be stupid. I don't want to come back, anyway." She said, turning around. She started jogging into the direction of her cargo ship, Daniel stood there for a moment, frozen in place and he wasn't sure why. But after a moment, he ran after her and grabbed her arm.

"I won't force you to come back, I couldn't do that! But I can't just let you walk away again, either! I did that once and it was the biggest mistake I ever made!" He said, and she pulled her arm away from him.

"It's time to let me leave, Daniel, we can't stay here forever. You said you weren't forcing me to return, so now I'm leaving. Goodbye." She turned, but as she was walking away one of the few old pillars that were standing in the ruins of this city collapsed. Out of all the places it could have fallen, it fell right on the woman Daniel watched walk away.

"Vala!" He rushed to her side, "Guys, I need help back here, now!" Daniel said urgently into his radio.

~*~*~*~

Daniel's face was in his hands as they sat in the briefing room. "Let me get this straight, you traded her for Sorras's tablet?" The General asked Daniel, slowly.

"I know, it was stupid! I had a whole plan to save her! And it worked! But then she got angry and..."

"And wanted to leave?" Mitchell completed his sentence for him.

"Yeah." Daniel sounded sad and defeated.

"And you told her to just go ahead and leave?" Mitchell asked disbelievingly.

Daniel sighed and nodded, and the General, Teal'c and Mitchell all got up and left the room.

Daniel stared at Vala's empty chair next to his own, before Sam said his name.

"Daniel,"

"Yeah?"

"I think she was in love with you."

Daniel paused to take a deep breath before answering, but his voice still shook, "I-I know." He said, sadly.

Author's Note: Hope you liked that chapter and that the flashback explained some things! I hope it wasn't too out of character, but you know. :) Please review!