Author's Note: Merry Christmas Adam! In celebration of the season, I have a 3-parter for you! Just a warning - it is rushed/fast paced since I didn't want to extend this into a full story. I have one in the works that would've had similar themes/chapters, so I decided against it.
I hope you like. As always, let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I would've ended things WAY differently.
o0o
Oops, I Did it Again!
The universe was out to get him.
He just knew it. Because, how in the hell did he end up in this position twice – and without knowing it until after the fact! He knew he dealt with the impossible on a consistent basis, but this was too much. He swore he heard Jack O'Neill laughing his ass off in his head at what had occurred. He didn't even want to think about the man's reaction when he actually found out.
If he found out.
Daniel Jackson still wasn't quite sure how the hell it happened, but here he was.
To think, it was a relatively normal day off world. Nothing to be alarmed at, the people were what they classified as peaceful, and no major issues with them – until he intervened in their law by trying to help someone. Jack would call it his 'classic damsel in distress syndrome' – he may have a point there. But was he supposed to do nothing and just stand there while the woman was in trouble, being chased throughout the village? That would've been the smart thing to do, but then again, he didn't always make the brightest decisions.
Hence why he fruitlessly tried to defend himself and the woman as they were led to the cells, and that's when he saw her.
Vala, the Kull Warrior.
He never did catch her last name.
The woman who hijacked Prometheus months ago was suddenly before him in a jail cell he himself was about to occupy. While he noticed her, she saw right past him and was more interested in the woman behind him. Concerned was probably a better word.
"Ferrah, what the bloody hell did you do?" the space pirate groused. Maybe angry should be thrown in there too. "I specifically told not to do anything that resulted in this!"
Con gone wrong? Daniel unkindly thought to himself. Another heist?
"I could not stand idly by again," Ferrah retorted just as heatedly.
Again?
"You promised!" Vala hissed. She projected anger and disappointment, but Daniel swore she was actually scared. "Now you'll suffer the same fate!"
The guards shoved him and Ferrah into the same cell and slammed the door shut. Vala still hadn't noticed him yet, and he was okay with that – he was curious to see how this would play out.
Ferrah stomped over to Vala. "I do not care. I'll not regret doing the right thing. I owe you that much."
Vala deflated. "You owe me nothing," she said somberly. "You made it possible for me to see her one last time. That is more than enough."
"How touching," a voice snared. The jailer stood in front of the door, glaring at the three of them. "Ferrah, we expected more."
The woman scoffed. "Sorry to disappoint."
The guard's face twisted. "I hope it was worth it – for all of you," he growled before dramatically exiting.
Vala's face contorted into confusion, and before he knew it, she finally recognized his presence. Saying she was shocked was an understatement. "Daniel?" she asked in disbelief, blinking rapidly.
"You know him?" Ferrah asked in disbelief, and Vala gave a small nod.
He crossed his arms. "What'd you steal this time?" He wasn't entirely proud of his rude remark, but because of her, he was now facing what appeared to be death. So yeah, he was snarky.
He expected her to respond with anger or her typical flippant manner, but instead she just looked exhausted. "Believe it or not, nothing." She slid down the wall of the cell until she reached the floor. "My reasons for being here were pure."
Daniel dropped his arms and frowned at her. Though he honestly couldn't trust anything that came out of her mouth, he still believed her, which was a little disturbing to him, given their history. "Are you okay?" He wasn't sure why he asked – just his nature, he supposed.
Vala scoffed as she drew her knees to her chest. "Well, given the fact that I'm about to be executed, and dragging the two along with you, I'm just great," she bit out.
And at the reminder of his imminent death, he was annoyed again. This is what he got for interfering. At least she felt bad that he and Ferrah were going down with her. Though he had to admit, her defeated attitude was both confusing and concerning to him. "So, you're just gonna sit there and feel sorry for yourself?" he asked in a deadpan manner. "You can escape a Brig aboard a spaceship and steal a Ha'tak but you can't escape a simple prison cell?"
Both women scoffed, causing him to raise his eyebrows in a questioning manner. "If it was anyone besides 'Qetesh,'" Ferrah spat out the word offensively, leaning against one of the walls and crossing her arms, "it wouldn't be as hard, but they're not going to let her slip through their grasp again."
Daniel wanted to ask – he really did – but as far as he could tell, time was of the essence. "So, that's it?" he asked. "You're just going to give up? You're not even going to try?"
Vala sat there in silence, blatantly ignoring him for a few minutes before she sighed heavily. "Did they search you?"
He frowned. "What?"
"No," Ferrah answered for him. "They only confiscated the weapons they could spot."
Vala nodded thoughtfully and before he knew it, she was off the floor and patting him down. He seized her wandering hands, and glared. "Vala," he growled in a warning manner.
She smirked. "As much as I'd love to take advantage of the situation and feel you up, time is of the essence," she reminded him and yanked her hands from his hold. "I need to see what they've neglected. I might be able to use it to our advantage."
With a reluctant sigh, he surrendered, but didn't allow her to search him again. He went straight for his pocketknife, somehow knowing it was all she needed, and he was right. Less than five minutes after having it, she got the door opened, and they made their escape. Only two guards were posted outside, causing Vala to scoff at their arrogance before both she and Daniel each took one out.
He was hesitant to go with her at first, but she kindly reminded him that by helping Ferrah, the people of the planet viewed it as him helping Vala, which was a no-no for some reason – he decided to get off the planet before demanding an explanation since it had something to do with Qetesh. And when they came to the fork in the road – both metaphorical and literal – he was swayed again by her sound reasoning that they likely placed guards at the Stargate, but they didn't know where she'd parked her Cargo ship.
"Wow, you've really lowered your standards since we last met," Daniel mocked once he saw the Tel'tak she had hidden away.
"Your friend is right," Ferrah agreed as they all helped to remove all the debris hiding the ship. Daniel decided not to correct her about being Vala's friend. "It looks in poor shape. Will it even fly?"
Vala huffed and opened the door. "She'll fly, but it won't be smooth," she retorted tersely. "It's definitely a piece of junk, but it was all I could afford."
At Ferrah's stunned look, Daniel was relieved to know that he wasn't the only one surprised that Vala hadn't stolen the ship as they believed.
"You came by it honestly?" Ferrah asked cautiously.
Daniel wasn't entirely proud of it, but he felt justified that her own friend shared similar thoughts.
"I couldn't risk bringing trouble back here," Vala wouldn't look at any of them and prepared the ship to take up.
"They deserve it," Ferrah stated bluntly.
He raised his eyebrows in curiosity.
Vala's lips twitched. "Perhaps," she agreed to an extent before glancing sadly out the window. "But timing could've been a problem."
Ferrah's gaze shifted between her and the window. "You can't go," she told Vala firmly. "They'll expect it."
Vala sighed. "I just want to –"
"You have already said your goodbyes," Ferrah cut her off. "She wouldn't want you to risk it. Try to find peace in the knowledge you were able to see her one last time."
What the actual fuck were they talking about? And why the hell did Vala look sad? Did she risk a trip to a planet she obviously wasn't welcome on for a particular person? Who would be so special?
The Cargo ship gave a sudden jerk, and he almost lost his footing. Ferrah was right – this ship was a piece of shit. He couldn't remember ever being on a ship that was as rocky as this one – and he had been on an actual boat before.
"Last chance," Vala said to the woman in the seat next to her – why did he get the awkward no seat option?
Ferrah smiled ruefully. "There's nothing here for me anymore."
Vala had a knowing look. "Engaging hyperdrive."
And just like that, they were off.
o0o
The plan wasn't to go too far – Vala knew of a planet with a working Stargate that was only an hour away by hyperdrive – but with the condition of the ship, it was going to be a struggle getting there, if it was even possible. Then the life support system started to fail – because what would be a grand escape without everything going wrong?
"According to my sensors, there's a planet coming up," Vala announced as she concentrated on flying the ship, which seemed to be a struggle. "No guarantees it habitable or even has a 'gate, but the hyperdrive's not going to last much longer."
No sooner than she said it, they suddenly were no longer in hyperspace and the aforementioned planet was looming in front of them. Multiple alarms started going off within the ship. "Planet sounds good," Daniel quipped, glancing around at the different warning sounds.
Long story short, they crash landed. Vala was able to lessen the effects with her flying skills, but she was only able to do so much due to the condition of the ship. It was still a hard landing – one that he didn't remember much of since he was flung around the back of the ship and was almost immediately knocked out. But he was the first one to come to.
He knew it hadn't been long since the crash, but he also knew they needed to get out of the ship. It was quickly filling with smoke and small explosions were happening throughout the Tel'tak. "Vala," he coughed at the smoke and groaned at the pain in his body as he got up. "Ferrah?" he tried.
Glancing around, he spotted Ferrah first. It looked like she got tossed around too since she was out of the passenger's seat and lying on the floor. He saw Vala still in the pilot's seat and decided to check out the other woman first. "Ferrah," he shook her shoulder but there was no response. He went still. After observing her for a moment, he hesitantly checked her pulse and deflated when he felt none.
As much as he wanted to take the appropriate amount of time to honor the dead, more explosions went off and a visible fire started up. Feeling tremendously guilty, he left Ferrah's body to check Vala's pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt a strong beat. There was no time to wake her up and have her walk out on her own. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her upper waist and lifted her into a standing position. Before he could swoop her up, she was conscious.
"Daniel?" she groaned, presumably in pain.
"We gotta get out of here. Can you walk?" he wasted no time with pleasantries or her answer before guiding them to the door. The amount of dead weight from her gave him all the answers he needed.
They both squinted at the bright sunlight as they stepped outside. Vala glanced around the surrounding area. "Wait, where's Ferrah?" she mumbled in confusion.
He didn't release his hold and urged them forward. The ship was on fire on the inside and it would only spread. He didn't want to be anywhere near it when it fully ignited. "We need to move further away from the ship," he said, ignoring her question.
"No, what about Ferrah?" Her strength was starting to return, and she began to fight his hold.
Daniel held on tighter. "I'm so sorry, Vala," he told her, words full of sincerity.
He saw understanding flash across her face before horror took over. "No!" She struggled against him. "No, we have to go back!"
He adjusted his grip. "There's nothing we can do."
Vala fought his hold, and he had a hard time maintaining his grip. "Let me go!" She kicked her legs out. "Ferrah!" For a woman obviously hurt, she had a lot of fight in her.
Her kicking her legs out caused him to stumble, and they fell to the ground just as a fireball exploded from the Tel'tak. "She's gone, Vala," he told her gently, and squeezed her closer to him when she let out a sob. "I'm so sorry."
All the fight left her. "It should've been me," she said before she started crying.
Daniel frowned at her declaration but didn't spend any more time on it and just hugged her to him.
o0o
He wasn't sure how long they sat there, but it was long after she stopped crying, and the fire in the ship slowly died out. They hadn't moved or even talked the whole time, but without warning, Vala abruptly stood up.
"We should see if there's a settlement nearby," she mumbled. He could see she was trying to pretend earlier didn't happen. "It's already freezing, and it's bound to get worse."
She waited for him to get off the ground before she started walking. "Vala, wait." He jogged to catch up and keep pace with her, ignoring the aches in his whole body. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Vala –"
"I don't want to talk about it," she said vehemently and shook off his hand.
Daniel understood, and while it wasn't the healthiest decision, he wouldn't push her. He'd lost more people than he cared to count and talking about it never made it any better.
So, they walked in silence for hours until they found a settlement. He was sure he startled the residents when they showed up, disheveled, bleeding in places, chilled to the bone, and dead on their feet.
At least they were friendly.
They gave them shelter, food, a change of clothes, and attended to their injuries. Vala just sat there silently as Daniel answered the questions they had – he decided to leave out the part about escaping from prison. He eyed her many times, but she never lost that blank look, and it was beyond concerning at this point – it was downright creepy.
One of the elders commented on it and inquired if she was okay. Daniel just smiled ruefully and quietly explained their friend hadn't made it before redirecting the conversation and asking about the Stargate.
Thankfully, they had one. The bad news was that it was several days' journey from the town and at a much higher altitude – high in the mountains. "Winter has already come to the Portal's location. It will be buried in snow for several months."
Daniel sighed in resignation, rubbing his forehead where a headache started to form. "There's no way we can get there?"
"Not without freezing to death," had been their answer.
It looked like they had no choice but to stay where they were and wait out the winter – which the people explained would take seven to eight months for the Stargate to be accessible.
They were given temporary quarters for the night with the promise of something permanent. When the town elder asked if Daniel wanted separate accommodations, he took one look at Vala's downcast demeanor and declined. He couldn't leave her like that and expressed that to the man. It didn't matter that she drove him insane the last time they met – she was in a lot of pain, and he couldn't find it in himself to leave.
"You didn't have to stay," Vala said later that night long after they settled into their beds. It was the first time she had spoken since leaving the ship and her voice was hoarse from little use.
He glanced at her unmoving form as she stared blankly at the ceiling. "Yeah, I did," he argued. "Despite what you think, it wasn't your fault."
He heard the quietest sniffle and if he looked closely enough, he could see her wet cheeks. "She should've never helped me," she croaked out.
Daniel barely restrained a sigh at what he was about to do. Throwing off his own blankets, he walked over to her bed. "Scoot over," he mumbled, not giving her a chance to argue as he climbed into the bed. "She obviously loved you, and we do whatever we have to for the people we love."
Vala's face crumbled again, and she turned her body to face him and buried her face in his chest. "It should've been me," she whimpered again before crying again.
One of these days, he'd ask her what she meant by that, but right now, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. He didn't say anything but simply held her.
o0o
The next morning, a loud squeak from the door woke the two of them. At the leaders' surprise at the two of them in the same bed, Daniel tried really hard not to panic or look like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. He refused to regret his actions in comforting Vala. But that didn't mean they didn't both create space between them.
When the leaders apologized, they both brushed it off, but Daniel caught the look the prime elder had when he glanced between the two of them – it gave him a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
They left with the promise of showing them an abandoned house they had available for them. Once they were gone, Vala grabbed the change of clothes provided and bolted for the other room.
Aware of the fact that she was likely embarrassed, he tried to stop her. "Vala –"
"I'm fine, Daniel," she called out from behind her before slamming the door shut.
He got the message loud and clear – last night didn't happen and he never saw her in that state.
Once they were both dressed in the donated clothes – their own completely beyond repair – they met the elders outside to tour the village and the empty home they had obtained. Daniel discussed it in detail with them last night about them staying until the Stargate was accessible. They had been more than generous by allowing them to stay and providing everything they'd need to survive the winter – which sounded harsh on this planet.
It clearly already started – it was freezing outside, and Daniel was immensely thankful for the outer coats they provided them.
"It is not much, but it is what we have that is available," the prime elder said as he showed them the small cabin. "We will help in preparing it for occupancy and the winter."
Vala glanced at Daniel and raised a questioning eyebrow. He knew immediately what she was insinuating – there was only one bedroom, one bed, and no room to add another. He shot her a warning look not to say anything. She smirked, leaving him to wonder how he knew exactly what she was thinking by a mere smirk – he barely knew her, but yet, here they were, having a conversation without words.
"We're more than grateful for all you're doing for us. This is perfect," Daniel assured him.
The man looked relieved. "If it is alright with you, we would have you come to a formal dinner so our people can meet and get to know you," he requested, looking between the two of them. "They are quite curious. We have not had visitors from another world in some time."
Daniel and Vala shared another look before agreeing. The elders looked pleased and left them to themselves.
"So…" Vala dragged out the word. "Are we going to talk about the –"
"Nope," he cut her off. "One of us gets the bed, the other the floor, and we switch on and off. Discussion over."
She smirked again. "We can sha–"
"No!" he said with finality. He was not sharing a bed with Vala.
"We shared one last night just fine."
…Okay, correction – he was never sharing a bed with her again. "That was a one time thing," he argued and crossed his arms. "Besides, I thought we weren't talking about last night," he said in a challenging manner.
She pursed her lips, and he smiled triumphantly.
He gestured to the space around them. "We should get this place cleaned up and habitable." It obviously hadn't been in use for some time and needed a nice deep clean.
Vala crinkled her nose in distaste but surprisingly didn't argue. "Better get to it."
o0o
They spent the majority of the day cleaning the small cabin. Despite the size of it, it did require a lot of work. The former occupants had left many common household items, but they were in need of a good cleaning. Vala had even taken the initiative of taking an inventory of what they had in the house and cellar, and what they would need.
When he stared at her incredulously when she suggested it, she simply shrugged. "You saw the place I grew up – it's just a part of winter prep."
It took him a good solid minute to realize she was talking about the planet they escaped from. Suddenly, he remembered Ferrah mentioning Qetesh and insinuated the people still viewed Vala as her. He then remembered Vala's story on Prometheus about an uprising of one of Qetesh's former planets. A lot of things made sense now – the people's harsh justice, Ferrah's defense of Vala, and Vala's sense of guilt of Ferrah's capture and death.
It was apparent Ferrah helped sneak Vala onto the planet, but he just didn't know the reason. His curious nature was killing him as he held it at bay, but he knew it was a necessary evil…for now.
Random people dropped by throughout the day to donate more items and food. By the time they had finished with the house and cleaned up themselves, another small group arrived and offered to show them to the town hall where the dinner was taking place.
The sun had already set, and it was absolutely frigid outside, causing Vala to loop her arm around his and huddle further into his side. At his warning expression, she rolled her eyes. "It's freezing," she hissed. "I hate being cold. Besides, I get the feeling these people are a little more…traditional than some planets."
Daniel understood what she meant and agreed, but that didn't mean he wanted to be the gatekeeper between her and whatever fictitious guy wanting to lay claim. He sighed heavily. "Vala," he practically groaned in protest.
"Don't worry, you don't have to do anything – your presence will be enough," she promised. "We don't know this world or anyone on it. I know we don't know each other well, but I think it would be best to stick together."
He wanted to protest, but as he learned from his many years at the SGC and as Sam's teammate, the galaxy could be pretty cruel for women, and while he may not like her, Vala didn't deserve to be treated like that – no woman did. "Fine," he reluctantly gave him. "What's your last name?"
He still didn't know it was. It's not like it was a big deal, but he'd been introducing himself as Dr. Daniel Jackson all day and her just as Vala. He had a feeling knowing her last name would go a long way to convincing these people that they were friends.
She stared at him curiously but didn't question him. "Mal Doran."
"Mal Doran," he tested the name on his lips. "And how do you know you can trust me, Vala Mal Doran? I could be worse than anyone here."
He was expecting her to at least chuckle at him, but when she didn't react, he glanced at her. She was giving him the sincerest expression he knew he'd probably ever see. "Because you still checked for refugees even when you had no reason to believe me," she mumbled.
It took him a second to realize what she was talking about – Prometheus and her bogus story. "To be fair, I had no control over the ship, so…" he trailed off.
Vala didn't let him off that easily. "You helped Ferrah," she added softly. "Without thought or even knowing the situation. You're a good man, Daniel Jackson. Any intelligent being can see that."
Daniel squeezed her arm in comfort. One of these days, when it wasn't as fresh, he would ask about her relationship with Ferrah, but tonight wasn't the night. No, tonight they had to face an entire town and get to know the people they'd be spending the next several months with.
Oh, joy.
o0o
There were a lot of people. The town hadn't looked that big during their tour, but Daniel assumed that many may live on the outskirts and it was also possible that this wasn't the only town on the planet.
Daniel and Vala were directed to the head of the table where a bench seat awaited them. He barely held in a grimace. He hated being the center of attention. Even Vala appeared to be a little uncomfortable, which he found strange for her.
"I don't like everyone staring at me while I eat – it's disconcerting," she told him when he asked her what was wrong.
It got weirder.
They were served first – one plate of food and one cup of what he assumed was some variation of wine. When none of them made a move to eat or drink any of it – they were waiting for the rest since that was the polite thing to do – the prime elder gestured for Daniel to pick up the cup. Not wanting to cause any offense, he did as instructed.
"Do you accept freely of your own volition?" the man asked.
The pair of them shared a glance, silently asking them if they had ever experienced this before. The answer was clearly 'no'. "Daniel?" she muttered so only he could hear.
He tried to think of explanations and while there were several, only one seemed to make sense. "I think this is their way of accepting us. We're being inducted, I think."
"So we say yes?"
He nodded to her before answering yes aloud. The other man smiled and motioned for him to drink from the cup and then hand it to Vala. He repeated the same question to her, and she looked at Daniel briefly before answering the same as him and drank from the cup. The second she set the cup down, the room cheered.
The prime elder said something in a language Daniel didn't understand and then encouraged them to eat the food in front of them. "Think it's poison?" Vala quipped the second he took a bite.
He glared at her as he chewed and moved the plate to her. "Why don't you find out?"
Once she ate from the plate, everyone seemed to lose interest in them and finally started eating and talking amongst themselves.
Vala's gaze swept over the room in a careful manner, as if assessing for threats. "Tell me that wasn't odd," she practically challenged as she munched on some food.
"I've seen weirder," he admitted, taking a piece of bread from the plate. "But I'll admit, it was still bizarre."
"Was it really necessary? They already agreed we could stay."
Daniel shrugged. "It could be a simple formality they adhere to, some kind of law, or did it for the rest of the people," he guessed. "Maybe so everyone else knows we aren't a threat?"
She thought about it for a second before nodding agreement.
o0o
Living with Vala was…challenging to say the least.
Daniel knew it wasn't going to be easy – it was Vala – but it was still harder than he expected. They bickered a lot, which led to fighting. It was almost always tense in the house, and he had no idea how they were going to survive an entire long winter with each other without one of them killing the other.
And it had only been two days.
"Why do you get to make all the decisions?" Vala yelled.
They were in the middle of a fight – what was new? "Someone has to!" he snapped back. "And it's not like I'm asking much. It's only fair we take turns with the chores."
"So I'm incapable of making decisions?"
"If I left it up to you, nothing would get done, and we'd live in a pigsty for months!"
Vala hesitated. "You don't know that for sure…" she said slowly.
A knock on the door prevented him from arguing his point. "Just…pick up something!" he gestured to multiple items that littered the floor and table because of her and went to open the door. Seeing that it was one of the elders, he grabbed his coat and quickly stepped outside and shut the door behind him – he didn't need to see the state of the home they so graciously donated to him and Vala. "Is everything alright?" he asked as he shrugged on his coat and noticed the man's somber face.
Instead of answering, he stepped to the side, and that's when Daniel saw the wagon bed with something wrapped in cloth. It didn't take a genius to know what it was – or rather who. He took a small step forward. "You went back for her," he said in a strangled voice.
He didn't know why it affected him. He barely knew the woman, but it meant a lot for them to trek a few hours to the crash site in the cold just to retrieve a body.
"We could not in good conscience leave her there," a woman he never met said. "All dead deserve a proper burial."
His hand gripped the edge of the wagon. "Thank you."
The woman began telling him about some pre dug graves they could use for Ferrah. The ground was much too hard in winter to dig into, so they always pre dug some before winter set in. A little morbid sounding to him, but he understood why they did it. He knew it would be hard for Vala to bury her, but maybe it would be good for her as well – laying Ferrah to rest and getting closure.
It looks like the people here had the same idea. "We hope it will be of some comfort for you and your wife."
It took him a second to realize what she said. He blinked at her. "I'm sorry, my what?"
She tilted her head and stared at him in confusion. "Your wife. Vala, is that not her name?"
Daniel shouldn't have been surprised – he really shouldn't have. He'd been in situations like this with SG-1, but Jack usually was the suspected husband to Sam. "She's not my wife," he sighed. He should've known this would happen.
She stared blankly at him for a second before laughing awkwardly. "You have an unusual sense of humor."
He frowned. "I wasn't kidding," he told her slowly. "We're not married. She's not my wife."
The woman gaped at him before chuckling nervously. "Perhaps you were not when you arrived on this planet, but you most certainly are now."
No. Oh, no. No! This was not happening again – not without his knowledge for a second time. There's no way in this universe where he got hitched without knowing twice! Although, the dinner they went to suddenly started making more sense. "You've gotta be kidding me," he grumbled. "The dinner…it was…" he couldn't bring himself to say it.
She nodded before explaining it was assumed they were already married, and the ceremony was merely a formality to appease certain members of the town – a woman wasn't allowed to live with a man unless they were married. It was something they apparently took seriously.
"Is there any way to annul it?" he asked desperately. He could not be married to Vala Mal Doran. With any luck, he could dissolve it without her even knowing.
Her eyes widened in alarm, and she glanced around in concern. She grabbed his arm and pulled him further away from the elder. "You must not," she hissed. "I am sorry you did not understand the ceremony, but you cannot release her as your wife."
"Why not?" he argued.
She eyed the people behind her. "If you do, she cannot remain with you. It is against our law," she explained urgently. "While most of us do not care, one does, and it is the reason we performed the ceremony – for her sake."
For Vala? He started to get a bad feeling. "Why, is she in danger?"
Turns out, there was a man who had his eye on Vala – a man known to have a bad reputation, if three dead wives were any indication. Despite the rest of them believing Daniel and Vala were married, the man argued they had no proof, and they would be breaking their law if they allowed the couple to cohabitate during the winter. When the elders caught the two of them sharing the same bed that first morning, they decided to hold the ceremony so the man couldn't lay claim to Vala.
"I am sorry we misunderstood the nature of your relationship, but we did it to ensure our law couldn't be used against her," she said quietly. "You mustn't say anything to anyone. If you dissolve the marriage, the elders will have no choice but to give into Laurd's demand, and Vala would be in danger."
His lips thinned. As much as he didn't want to stay married to Vala, he'd experienced many cultures like this and knew if he did try to get out of it, she would be subjected to their law, and there wouldn't be a thing he could do about it. There was only one thing he could do. "Fuck me," he groaned.
"Gladly," he heard Vala's eager voice from behind him.
Daniel spun around to see her heading his way. He stepped away from the wagon and hurried over to her. He didn't want her to see Ferrah's body until he had a chance to tell her. "We should go back inside," he suggested as he tried to lead her back to the house, but she already caught sight of the body behind him.
"Daniel…" her hand squeezed his arm as she stumbled to a stop. "Is that…?"
"Yeah," he confirmed gently.
She took a shaky breath before walking to the wagon.
He stayed where he was, feeling like this was a private moment and he shouldn't interfere. The elder and the woman he'd been talking to quietly told him where they could bury Ferrah before leaving.
o0o
The sun was setting, and it was so cold outside, he felt it deep in his bones, but Daniel refused to move until Vala was done saying goodbye.
They put Ferrah in the pre dug grave and silently worked together to fill the hole. When they were done, he stepped back to give Vala a moment, but she'd been sitting there for almost an hour. She hadn't spoken since discovering the body, and he didn't know if she would now, but he had to try.
"Vala," he knelt beside her. "It's getting dark. We should head back." Still no response. "Vala, I'll visit with you anytime you want, but we should get back."
After a long pause she finally nodded. "I hate knowing that come spring, I'll be leaving her here forever," she rasped. "I'll never be able to visit any of my family ever again."
Out of all the possibilities of who Ferrah was to her, being family was not one of them. Friend or even significant other was top of his list – not that he was judging. "Sister?" he guessed gently.
"Cousin," she corrected. "But she might as well have been a sister. She was the closest thing to it."
It made sense – why Ferrah would risk everything for Vala. "I'm so sorry, Vala," he repeated, but the words just felt empty.
Losing family was the worst. The pain ran deep and never truly went away.
She shifted into a more comfortable position. "It's not your fault – it's mine."
He mimicked her position. "You keep saying that. How is any of this your fault? Because from where I'm standing, it's anything but."
She shook her head. "I shouldn't have come," she argued weakly. "But when she found me, saying grandmother was dying, I couldn't help myself – I had to say goodbye."
Oh, shit. She lost her grandmother too. "That's why you were there. That's how you were captured."
Vala sniffed and nodded. "Ferrah begged me to go when they discovered me, but…I couldn't leave my grandmother. I had to be with her in her last moments."
"Vala, that's perfectly understandable," he told her. "Your people are in the wrong. Not you. Not Ferrah."
"I didn't have to come!" He didn't know if he could ever convince her it wasn't her fault. "I tried to protect her. I told them I threatened her, and left her no choice, but she went and tried to help me."
"Because she loved you," he insisted. "She tried to protect you like you tried to protect her. What happened will never be your fault."
She finally looked at him for the first time in hours. "Agree to disagree," she smiled ruefully. "We should get home."
Home. Funny how quickly that cramped little place became home – temporarily, of course. God, please let it be temporary.
He helped her up. "Yeah, home." The word got him thinking about what he learned today, and when he should tell her about it.
They were silent on the way home, both in apparent deep thought. When they got back, they went through the motions of making dinner. He did notice the house looked cleaner and made a mental note to thank her later.
It was only halfway through the meal when Vala broke the silence. "Are you going to tell me what's got you thinking so hard?"
Daniel sighed heavily. "Okay, look…I may have been wrong about what happened the other night at dinner." Oh, he had been so wrong. One of his worst blunders yet.
She gave him a funny look. "What does that exactly mean?"
He fidgeted. "Well, it looks like I was wrong about the whole cup and acceptance thing."
She gave an impatient sigh. "Daniel, I'm not really in the mood for vague answers," she grumbled. "Just say it–"
"We're married!" he blurted out and then winced at his abrupt and callous manner.
Vala froze. "I beg your pardon?" she gritted out after a long moment.
Daniel buried his face in his hands, rubbing it vigorously. "I misunderstood what they were doing, and it turns out it was a marriage ceremony. In their defense, they thought we were already married." She didn't respond, and he didn't bother looking up.
Several minutes passed before she finally spoke. "So, what do we do?"
He dreaded what he was about to say. "We stay married."
"What?" she screeched.
He met her gaze. "Let me explain!" he insisted before she could freak out. She nodded smally, allowing him to tell her everything.
Once he was finished, she had a pensive expression. "Fine, we stay married," she consented, not sounding the least bit happy about it. "For now."
"Agreed."