Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate, but if I did, I would have MAJOR bragging rights...But I don't, sadly.

Author's Note: Here is our final chapter 3 much love, guys! And I wanted to say thank you to my wonderful 'Beta fish' DeborahSloane for helping me out this chapter!

Chapter Seven, Finding a Place...Again

Vala sat in what had once been her permanent quarters, and was now her temporary room. Last time she'd seen Daniel he was arguing her case with that Alice Griffith girl, and that was not something she'd particularly wanted to stick around for so she left for the solitude of this familiar room. She'd been in her room for only five minutes when there was a knock on the door. Vala opened the door to produce Sam. She smiled and opened the door wider for her old friend.

"Oh, hello Samantha," She said, stepping back to let her into the room,

"Hey, Vala," Sam acknowledged, and a short silence followed. Sam looked like she had something to say, but wasn't sure how to begin.

"Whatever you have to say, go on," Vala said, sitting back down on her bed.

Sam hesitated, but then nodded, and sat down next to her, "The only person who isn't glad your here is Alice, everyone is glad your back. Including people I didn't know had ever spoken to you in their lives."

Vala could only give a small smile at this information.

"Daniel has barely been able to function without you," Sam added, gently, "For months, he was looking for you. Always searching on every mission, but only after the IOA refused to let him go wherever he thought you'd gone, just for the sake of looking. Even when he stopped hoping, when he had almost given up, he never truly got over it."

Vala looked down at her hands, her throat felt tight. I never gave up on him, either.

"When you left, I felt lonely. I missed having another girl around to talk to, I'd felt like we'd gotten really close, to be honest. I'm so glad your back, and I want you to stay. Without you around everything just feels so much more sad around here, you light up the whole place. Like I said, there are random people in the halls getting excited that your back.

"Cam hated that you left too. He was always mumbling and complaining when he didn't think anyone was listening, about how nothing was the same. In fact, everyone on the team knows that there is something going on between him and Alice -whether or not he realizes it- and yet, he's still totally on your side. If she says anything to him about you, he gets pretty mad. She's learned not to mention it around him.

"And then there is Teal'c, Vala. He was just as sad as the rest of us. You didn't see his face when we saw you for the first time. He was worried and sad of course at the state we found you in, that you were angry, that you were stealing, but he still smiled. He had this look on his face, like he could still see it was you. You know how calm he always is, and yet he just got the biggest smile. It was really something, Vala.

And I know you think that nothing can ever be the same again, but it can. You just have to give it time, because Alice and the IOA are the only people who are going to be really slow to forgive you, and you know the General can talk the IOA into letting you stay. But everyone else, we all just want you home. And it can be home again." Sam finished her speech, and looked at Vala, hoping her words had had the correct impact.

Vala hugged Sam, grateful for her friendship, and felt guilt fill her when she heard Sam's next words, "I do have to admit, Vala, though I'm ready to put it behind us, I'm more than a little disappointed in you."

"I make no excuse for my actions, Samantha... But I have spent the last month returning everything I possibly could that I had stolen." Vala said, sheepishly. And the last months effort was totally worth the warm smile of approval she received from her second-best friend in the world, she was second, of course, only to the nearest and dearest to her heart: Daniel.

Daniel, meanwhile, was in a hallway in the SGC, arguing in hushed tones with Alice, "Stop pretending like you understand, you don't know her, you don't know what she's been through."

"Ever stop to think what she's put others through, Daniel?!"

"Yeah. I have. But we all put people through things, and we all would want someone to fight for us! So I love her, and I fight for her!"

"You haven't seen her in three years, how do you know she's even the same girl you fell in love with?" Alice argued,

"Because I know her.--"

"Jackson, leave her alone." Mitchell said calmly, from behind him, "Jackson, you leave Doc alone, Doc, you leave Vala alone. Those are orders. Now leave, Jackson, I want to talk to her."

Daniel wasn't in the mood to argue with Mitchell. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Alice either. He was just glad Vala had returned, and this time, he would fight to get her to stay.

"Want to yell at me again?" Alice asked Cam, with raised eyebrows, and a note of hurt in her voice.

"Hey," Mitchell said, gently but firmly at the same time. "Alice, listen," He dropped the nickname in his seriousness, and said, softly, "She was part of our team long before you showed up. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad you did, I'm just sayin', that no matter how great of friends we are, I can't sit back and allow you to bash on my other friends, you hear?"

"But she--"

"And I bet you a hundred bucks she's sorry for it," He said, knowing what she was about to say. "All I'm gonna say, is that there are a lot of people on this team who want her around, and if you can't learn to get along with her, then we're gonna have some problems, aren't we? So suck it up, I don't care if you hate her, if you make another rude comment, Doc, so help me I will--"

"I get it, Cameron." Alice couldn't really be upset, because though his words were harsh, he said it in a way that made her realize he didn't want to get rid of her. But she knew if it came down to it, her or Vala, Vala would be the one that stayed. Cam was telling her this so that she could stay. So that she would just let it go, because he didn't want to get rid of her, either.

"Good, glad we're on the same page." He gave her a small smile and patted her on the back, "Now, I'm gonna go give princess a little talkin' to. Do you wanna come along?"

"I'm not sure if that's a great idea."

Cam ruffled Alice's hair in an affectionate way, like two people who'd known each other long enough to be really comfortable with each other, and grinned, saying, "You should probably apologize to her anyway, Doc, no offense."

Alice sighed, "I hate it when you're right."

"Too bad that's all of the time," He joked, and followed her down the hall to Vala's quarters.

As Cam and Alice reached the door to Vala's quarters, they found Sam just exiting the room, "Hey," She said, with a smile, "Look, be gentle with her, she spent the last month returning everything she could that she'd stolen."

"Seriously?" Alice asked, surprised.

Sam gave her, 'aren't you a little bit sorry' sort of look, and nodded, before walking off.

"Well, isn't that something..." Alice mumbled, as she walked into Vala's room, Cam following behind her.

Vala tensed up when she saw Alice enter the room, she didn't mind so much that Mitchell had come, but she didn't think the girl could have anything good to say to her, so she was surprised when Alice said, "I wanted to apologize, I've been rude to you, no one should be treated that way, and I'm sorry." She said, quietly.

Vala nodded, "Don't worry about it, I sort of deserved it."

"No one deserves that," She said, turning and waving as she exited the room, in a hurry to get away due to her embarrassment.

"She's not so bad, once you get to know her," Cam said, motioning to the door that had been closed behind Alice.

"Really? Cause I've heard that your opinion of her is far from 'not so bad'," Vala teased,

"Shut up," He said, but he was smiling. "We missed you around" Mitchell admitted after a moment.

"I missed being around," Vala confessed.

"So, will you be sticking here then?"

"Sticking here?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You know what I mean," He rolled his eyes, but he couldn't be really annoyed with her.

"If they allow me too, then yes, I think I'll 'stick around' Mitchell," She said, nodding.

"Good," He gave her a pat on the back, "And you better start earnin' it princess, cause I've had to yell at people I like to keep you around," He said, as a parting word as he exited the room.

She looked amused as she sat there, but she did understand she'd really have to work to earn her place there again. Who knew if she would be welcomed again as part of SG1? But for once in her life, she didn't think that she would be bored sticking around the base for a while. After all, she was home.

She shouldn't have been surprised, five minutes later, when Teal'c entered the room, but she was. "Oh, hello, Teal'c!" She said, smiling warmly at him as he entered. Having talked with three of her good friends already, she couldn't help but feel much more cheerful then she had when she arrived. Perhaps she really would be welcomed home after all.

"ValaMalDoran, your return has pleased us all,"

"Perhaps not all of you, Teal'c, but thanks." She said, though her voice was actually rather cheerful.

He gave a small nod, "We were disappointed very much, but I have been informed you have recently been making amends."

She gave a small sigh, "I've been trying, though I was hoping that wouldn't spread around." She didn't really want to brag, after all, she wouldn't have to return anything if she hadn't stolen it at all.

"I am proud of you," Came his deep voice, after a small silence, and Vala couldn't help but throw her arms around him and hug him. He seemed a little surprised, but patted her gently on the back, returning a hug to a friend he had thought was long since lost.

Days passed, and then weeks, and there was never a definite 'Yes' from the IOA, deciding Vala could stay, but eventually, other matters came up and they sort of dropped the topic, but they never said she had to leave, thus, Vala was allowed to remain at home. Her home. A month after her arrival, and her good behavior on base led to her being allowed to join SG1 on missions, though not as an official member of the team, but only two more months would bring that honor. Not long after she had officially become part of the team, Sam had decided that it wouldn't do for her two good friends not to get along. Thus, she arranged several 'girls' nights' with Alice and Vala, so that eventually, they too had become good friends, though Vala never felt quite as close to Alice as she did to Sam. Alice had become much nicer after digging deeper and getting the chance to see Vala further than just the surface. A year after Vala officially rejoined SG-1, Daniel worked up the nerve, -with much support (and nagging) from Jack- to propose to Vala, and after making sure every single person on the base was sure she was getting married, they were married five months later. Their first child was born a few years after that.

Vala had once again found her home , and she was welcomed far sooner then she had ever, ever, expected. She did so love these people. This truely was home, and this time she wouldn't run.

The End,

Author's Note: Well friends, I hope you enjoyed the fanfiction, I certainly had a wonderful time writing it, and am kinda sad now that it's done, but I have other Stargate (D/V even) fanfictions up my sleeve, so stay tune, pretty please! Please review, and thanks guys!