Chapter 8

The next few weeks passed without incident. No one in the house made any mention of Daniel and Vala moving out in the near future. It seemed only right that Ber and Kira keep caring for Vala during her pregnancy. Of course, Daniel and Vala made no effort to dissuade the older couple, so they all continued to live under the same roof as Vala's fourth month came to an end.

"Kira, Ber, are you home?" Vala could hear Denya knocking furiously from the other side of the front door.

"Come in, Denya," Vala called back as she stood up from the table where she'd been cleaning the vegetables for dinner. Denya walked in and came over quickly to help steady Vala.

"Still dizzy?"

"Mmmhmm," Vala nodded. "The nausea is gone for the most part, but standing up too fast leaves me light-headed."

"You should sit back down, then."

"No, I'm fine now. What's wrong? You needed to find Ber and Kira?"

"Yes, I've got a message for them from their son in Ver Obdur. His wife is ill and he's in need of some help around the house. He sent word with someone to tell his parents and ask for them."

"And you didn't see Kira outside in the garden? Maybe they're all in the barn."

They headed outside and found them all huddled around a small wooden piece of furniture.

"There you are," Denya exclaimed. "I've come with a message from Nic."

As Ber and Kira moved off to hear what Denya had to say, Vala couldn't help but stare at the crib at Daniel's feet, a small grin playing on her lips.

"Is everything all right?" Daniel said as he came up to Vala and put an arm around her waist.

"Hmm?" She tore her gaze up from the tiny baby bed and looked at Daniel as he tilted his head in the others' direction. "Oh, their son's wife is ill and he's asked for them to come and help, I think." Vala could tell Kira was agonizing over what to do.

"But we can't leave Vala, now," she said to Ber. "She needs us, too."

"I'm doing fine, Kira," said Vala, walking with Daniel towards the others. "You've taught me which herbs to take and my nausea is completely gone. And Daniel will be here to help me."

"I can help, too, Kira," Denya offered. "Vala won't be alone."

Daniel spoke up next, "You should go be with your son and his wife. It sounds like they need you more than we do."

"We should at least check in on the children, Kira."

She nodded to her husband. "Of course, we should go."

"Will you leave today, Ber?" Daniel asked. "How long will it take you to get there?"

Daniel and Ber spoke of plans and traveling concerns while Vala took Kira's hand and they walked into the house to make preparations. Denya went back to the village to tell the messenger he could leave and to inform Nic that his parents would be arriving the following day. It was a six-hour journey to Ver Obdur, but it wouldn't be safe to leave now as it was already after midday. Ber and Kira decided to pack and rest for the night, then leave early the next morning.

"We'll try to be back by the end of the week, two at the most." Ber shook Daniel's hand.

"Take your time. We can take care of things here," Daniel responded.

"You remember to take your herbs if you feel sick, dear, and let Daniel help you with the chores." Kira reached out to hug Vala tightly.

"I'll be fine, Kira," she smiled back. "Don't worry on my account. Go take care of your grandchildren."

Well isn't this the picture of domesticity? Daniel thought as he walked into the cottage with a pail of milk to pour into bottles and saw Vala beating a mound of bread dough into submission with a pair of wooden spoons that could double for drumsticks. Her sleeves were rolled up and her face, hands, and arms were covered in flour. He had to work really hard to control the laughter bubbling up inside him.

"What did the dough do to you, Vala?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just flattening it out for biscuits," she smiled.

He couldn't hide his smirk any longer. "That's probably what the rolling pin is for."

"Well, I can't find it at the moment, so I'm improvising."

Improvising. Like figuring out how to destroy the supergate, like coming up with an idea to keep them from getting burned to death, like living day in and day out with an unexpected and probably impossible pregnancy. His admiration for Vala was growing by the day. And as things stood, it was becoming much more difficult for him to sleep each night next to this strong, capable woman, especially when she looked so adorable with flour on her nose.

Clearing his throat, Daniel mumbled a 'goodbye' and an 'I'll leave you to it then,' and walked back outside to work off some tension that had suddenly built up in his body. Maybe he could come up with a way to ease his mind for the next few days and nights.

"Your meals aren't half bad," he grinned.

"Why thank you, Daniel," Vala smiled back cheerily.

"I was thinking," he set his fork down and steepled his fingers together, "I could sleep in Ber and Kira's room while they're gone, so you can have some more privacy."

Vala glanced up at him from her half-eaten plate, shocked. "If that's what you want." She quickly looked away as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. "You'll have to move back in when they come home, of course, and I'll have twice as much laundry to do with you sleeping in another bed. But if you want to sleep somewhere else that's fine with me."

"It's not that, Vala," he unfolded his hands and leaned back in his chair, regrouping. "I was just thinking out loud, that's all."

Standing up from the table too quickly, she closed her eyes to the dizziness. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "We've been sleeping in the same room for four months now. I'm quite used to your snoring and the way you stare at the wall while I change clothes. Modesty and privacy have never been much of a concern for me, but if you'd rather sleep in the other room, by all means, don't let me stop you." She gathered their dishes and took them into the kitchen, clearing the food away and washing the plates.

"What's with you?" she heard the irritation in his question. "I was just trying to be nice."

"By heaping extra chores on me and making me feel like a pariah," she seethed. "Thank you, darling. You're so sweet."

"Vala. You know that's not what I meant."

"Just…do whatever you want. I'm going to bed." She stomped off upstairs and slammed the door to their room.

Well, that hadn't gone as he'd planned. Vala had obviously misunderstood Daniel's suggestion to sleep elsewhere, that was the only explanation for her outburst. But what had he said wrong?

After she'd stormed out, he'd cleaned up the kitchen area more thoroughly, then sat down at the table to study Tulia's book again. But predictably, he couldn't concentrate so he put a few more logs on the fire and set a kettle of water over it to boil. He sat facing the hearth and replayed the night's events.

Apparently, suggesting he sleep somewhere else was a mistake, but why? It could have been a hormone thing, physical changes weren't the only thing to plague pregnant women.

Maybe Vala depended on him. He was the only other person from their galaxy, the only other sane person among dozens of religious zealots. Could his suggestion have been interpreted as a kind of rejection?

Daniel really did try to keep his feelings for her to himself, hell, he tried to keep them from himself as well. But he did try to keep everything between them strictly friendly. Sure there'd been those two instances when they'd cuddled close at night, before and after going to Celestis, but that had been it.

Was the charade they acted in front of Ber, Kira, and the rest of the villagers messing with the way she saw him? He shook his head, that couldn't be it. In general their feelings were clear every night when they went to bed. Nothing had happened before Celestis, and nothing had happened in the months since. Everything remained as platonic as possible when they were alone, at least on his part.

But how did she feel?

Daniel finished making some tea and poured it into two cups. Vala was clearly upset when she'd left and whether or not she needed to be alone, Daniel realized he wouldn't be able to relax until he knew she was all right.

He hesitated a moment in front of their door before knocking a few times. Silence was the only response, so he knocked again a bit harder.

"Vala? Are you all right?"

After a moment he heard her firm reply. "Yes, Daniel."

Daniel exhaled and relaxed. Holding the cups together in one hand, he placed a hand on the doorknob and asked, "May I come in?"

"No," Vala replied quickly yet resolutely.

Feeling dejected, he infused patience in his voice as he tried again. "I made you some tea."

"Thank you."

That's a start. "May I bring it to you?"

"No," came her steadfast answer. "Goodnight, darling."

Daniel dropped his hand from the doorknob and took a step back from the door. Too soon, apparently. "Goodnight…Vala."

The next morning dawned bright and sunny and Vala hated every ray of sunshine. She felt cold inside for having lashed out irrationally at Daniel. There wasn't any reason for being upset with him, she'd just blown up. Sitting up slowly and taking a sip of water from the bedside table, she resolved to keep her emotions in check from now on. She got up out of bed and dressed, then made her way downstairs to start breakfast. Yet the sight in the kitchen caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

Daniel had fallen asleep on Tulia's copy of Origin at the kitchen table. It was almost too adorable for words and Vala felt warmth spread throughout her body. She moved over to the hearth, quietly stoked the fire, and set a kettle of water to boil.

When the tea was finished, she placed a cup near Daniel's nose and let the aroma gently wake him.

"Hmm, that smells good. Thank you." Daniel focused on the cup in front of him and took a sip, then sat up straighter and stretched his back.

"You really didn't have to sleep down here. You should have gone to Ber and Kira's room."

"I was comfortable," he yawned. "I missed sleeping at a desk."

"Liar."

After taking another large sip of tea, he asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Vala nodded. "I'm sorry for shouting at you."

"What did I say?"

"Nothing. I just overreacted." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's probably hormones. I'll try to keep it under control."

"It's all right. I'll try to watch what I say."

"Don't worry about it." Vala paused and sipped her own cup of tea before asking, "Was sleeping down here worth it?" She pointed to the book. "Did you learn anything new?"

"I think Tulia was part of the resistance."

She nearly sprayed the table with a mouthful of tea because of Daniel's revelation. "You're joking! What makes you think that?"

"The notes in the margin that I said didn't make sense compared to the passages…I think they're written in code." He smiled as she pulled the book across the table closer to her. "When Denya told us she was killed, I started reading the notes more carefully. There's a faint symbol penciled in on some of the pages which looks very similar to Earth's stargate symbol."

"Representing Earth…where the Alterrans may have gone when they left this galaxy."

"I think so. It's taken me weeks, but I think her notes are her true feelings about the Ori. How she doesn't believe they are gods at all. That she's seen too many things that contradict their claims. She even writes about some artifacts that describe a contrasting civilization in this galaxy." He leafed through the pages and found a few examples.

"She had discovered evidence of the Alterrans?"

"Possibly, if I've deciphered this correctly."

Vala glanced at the book, then up at Daniel. "Does she leave any clues as to who else was in the resistance?"

"No," he shook his head, "she doesn't mention any names. Unless they're also hidden in the code, but I can't find anything."

"Well, what do we know about her?" Leaning back in her chair and bringing her cup to her mouth, Vala sipped the tea and wondered out loud. "She was friends with Denya. Could she be part of the resistance, too?"

Daniel leaned back as well. "Why work for Seevis, then? She could easily be found out."

"Perfect way to spy on the enemy. And a tavern is a great place to hear gossip. Maybe what happened to Tulia strengthened her resolve even."

Both Daniel and Vala sat silently for the next few minutes working out what they'd tried to piece together.

"Daniel? Do you recall Ber and Seevis talking when we first met Seevis all those months ago?"

"A little. Why?"

"I'm remembering something. It seemed odd at the time but I must have forgotten. I thought I heard Ber tell Seevis we were from Ver Alta. Did you tell Ber that?"

"No. Ber didn't really ask much while we worked that first day, and I didn't really say anything either." Daniel closed his eyes. "Are you sure he said 'Ver Alta'?"

"Yes, pretty sure," Vala replied.

"Strange." Daniel opened his eyes and pulled Tulia's book back over to his side of the table. "It could have been a coincidence, but why would Ber have said that?"

Vala leaned forward. "What is it, Daniel?"

"I think 'alta' is a root word for 'Alterran.' I just don't know why Ber would have referred to us in that way."

"Do you think he knew who we really are? Or at least that we're not from this galaxy?"

"If so, then why did he continue helping us, why did he maintain our cover story? They're followers of Origin. Why didn't they turn us in?"

"Because of what happened to Tulia, maybe?" Vala said. "They knew that unbelievers would be burned so they protected us. They're kind people, I doubt they'd be party to murder."

"Makes sense."

"Or. Could they be part of the resistance as well? Perhaps Tulia became a member because of her parents."

Daniel shook his head. "I can't see Ber or Kira sacrificing their daughter when she was caught."

"Maybe they weren't there. Maybe they couldn't save her."

"Yeah, but why tell Seevis we're from a village we're not? If it is a real village, Seevis could easily check it out."

"It was a codeword then, to let Seevis know we could be trusted."

"So the bully barman is part of the underground Ori resistance, too? That seems a little farfetched."

"But like you said, Daniel, why else would Ber tell the obvious lie?"

"I don't know."

"All right, next question: how can we test this theory that they're all part of the resistance without giving away who we are?"

"I don't know that either."