Chapter Nine

There had been a lot of unexpected events and situations since crash landing on Thessa. It was pretty much a given – new planet, new home, new challenges, new everything – but even Daniel couldn't have predicted what he was seeing, and it was the reason he stopped dead in the middle of the main living space for the house, staring at Vala with his mouth wide open.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked once he was able to compose himself.

He saw Vala frowned but her concentration stayed on task. "What, you've never seen one before?"

It was his turn to frown. "Of course I've seen a sewing machine," maybe one not this primitive in person. "But I asked what the hell are you doing with it?"

This time she did glance up at him. "It's a sewing machine," she explained slowly. "What else would I be doing with it? I'm sewing."

"Why?" he asked, baffled and completely stumped. "Do you even know how?"

She scoffed and demonstrated by sewing two seams together. "Not my first time," she replied, and continued sewing whatever the hell it was. "And I'm doing it because we need more clothes. Gai'la lent me the machine and gave me some extra fabric she had. Besides, we cannot continue to live on the generosity of others. You have a job now, and we need to start being self-sufficient."

Daniel stared at her for a moment. "You know how to sew," he mumbled.

He heard what she was saying, and agreed completely with her, but his brain was having a hard time processing the image of Vala Mal Doran doing something so…domestic.

She tsked in what sounded like disapproval. "Honestly, Daniel," her tone was chiding too, "is that all you have to say?"

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. "It's just…it's not something I thought you knew how to do."

Vala chuckled. "You do realize I grew up on a much more primitive planet," she pointed out. "Not to mention surviving almost a year in the Ori galaxy. I know how to do a lot of things you might find shocking."

She had a point. Even though he knew her childhood was one of more humble means – oppression to the Goa'uld almost guaranteed it – it still never clicked. As for surviving in the Ori galaxy, he always assumed she found a way out of it – especially when her pregnancy became known. Then again, the Ori didn't exactly allow slacking of any kind, so it made sense.

"Right," he stretched the word out.

o0o

Vala was right – she knew a lot of things he didn't expect her to.

The next day, he came back for lunch to find her outside, wringing some of their clothes through an odd contraption. Next to it, was something that looked like a manual washer stuffed with wet laundry. Like he did the day before, he stopped and stared.

"You're doing laundry," he stated like an idiot.

She didn't spare him a glance and continued to squeeze out the excess water from the laundry. "Has to be done," she retorted, plopping another piece into a basket, and brushed a stray piece of hair from her sweaty face.

Hand washers were no piece of cake. Even the ones on Earth took sweat equity, but they were more…advanced, for the lack of a better word, than the one he saw next to her. It was obviously hard and tedious work, and that's what he was having trouble with. The Vala he had known these last few years avoided work – any work – like it was the plague. But here she was, doing labor intensive, domestic chores willingly, and that's what was worrying him.

This wasn't her at all. "You want some help?" he offered, stepping closer and pushing up his sleeves.

Vala paused and glanced around before pointing to a few large posts in the ground and some rope. "You could secure the rope to the poles," she continued to wring the clothes. "Jero helped me secure them in the group but had to leave unexpectedly. I was in the middle of a load and didn't want to stop."

"Sure," he walked over to their new clothesline and grabbed the rope. "Where'd you get the washer and wringer?"

She chuckled. "Gai'la gave me the wringer, and a nice old woman named Emrin donated her old washer," she responded. "Not exactly the convenience we're used to but at least I don't have to hand wash them in a creek."

Daniel stopped tying a knot and glanced her way. "You've done that before too?"

Vala just smiled at him. "Gai'la told me they've been working on a version of a dryer, but haven't mastered it yet, so hang drying will have to do for now."

That gave him an idea. "Maybe you could try to help you with that," he suggested and tried not to sound too obvious.

Judging by her look and the snort that followed, he didn't succeed. "I think you overestimate my abilities," she said dryly. "I wouldn't know the first thing about building a dryer."

She was brushing him off. She didn't want to believe he thought she was capable – probably because she was afraid she would fail. "I think you could surprise yourself," he mumbled and left it at that.

o0o

Okay, now she was doing it intentionally.

It was the only reasonable explanation for Vala Mal Doran to be on her knees with her hands deep in soil – obviously planting a garden, and not a small one either. He prayed to whatever cosmic power there may be that she was doing it on purpose to mess with him. If she wasn't, he was no longer concerned – he was downright panicking.

"A garden, huh?" he altered his course to a few feet to the side of the house. "More donations from the locals?" he guessed, gesturing to the multiple seed packets.

Vala swiped hair away from her dirt smudged face and gave him a smile. "Actually, no," her smile grew. "Since you got officially paid yesterday, I purchased the seeds and tools using some of that."

She what now? "Vala –"

"I didn't spend much!" she swiftly defended herself. Of course, she knew what he was going to say. "I'm not stupid. I can handle money properly, and I know how to economize if need be. But we needed some things, and we can't keep asking for others to provide them – they have families of their own to think of."

Daniel knew and had seen how thoughtful and smart Vala could be, but she rarely allowed that side to be seen by anyone, so naturally, it was surprising when he saw it. "Right."

She sighed and went back to work. "I've started a ledger. You can review and double check the numbers yourself."

Damn it, he offended her again, and made her feel like he didn't trust her. He sighed and sank to his knees next to her. "I trust you," he said as earnestly as he could. "Now, tell me what we're planting and how I can help."

She hesitated for a moment, scrutinizing the sincerity of his words, before handing him a spade. "Mainly vegetables, and only the ones that aren't too late in the season to plant."

She told him about the variety of seeds she bought and her plans for the garden – there would be four flower beds altogether, each containing two different types of produce. Since the season was nearing the end, she was limited by what would grow before the harvest, but for next year, she was considering expanding it even further. They would, of course, have to reevaluate their financial situation before making any more plans. He listened to her well thought out plans, asked a few appropriate questions, and left it at that.

Daniel convinced himself she was just trying to make sure they could survive financially on their own, and not have to rely on the generosity of others. Vala didn't like being in anyone's debt, especially if she was stuck with nowhere else to go. In a way, he was proud of her. She was taking the initiative, she was being the levelheaded person doing what needed to be done while he got to have fun and talk about his passion for ancient cultures, civilizations, and languages. He convinced himself he was overreacting.

But when he came home that night to a spotless house – floor and walls scrubbed and everything dusted – clean clothes, a few new shirts, a pair of pants, four freshly planted garden beds, and a meal all nicely prepared and waiting for him, he snapped.

"Alright, that's it," he shut the door a little more forcefully than needed, and his bag dropped to the ground with a loud 'thump'. He earned a raised brow from her. "I wasn't going to say anything, but now you're just freaking me out."

Vala raised an eyebrow at him as she scooped steaming soup into a bowl. "I could say the same for you," she retorted dryly. She laid the bowl in front of the chair he normally occupied. "Time to eat."

Daniel gestured to her and the pot of soup. "See, this is what I'm talking about!"

She gave him a puzzled look. "The soup is freaking you out?"

He sighed dramatically. "No, you are!"

"Me?" she sounded bewildered at the notion.

"Yes, you!" he waved his hand around the house. "And all of this. You're, you're cooking, cleaning, washing laundry by hand –"

"Not by hand," she interjected and appeared slightly amused.

"Planting gardens, sewing new clothes, keeping and living on a budget – it's not you!" he listed off rapidly. "You don't do manual labor without being coerced. You don't do domesticated things – you're not some cliche version of a 50s housewife. Vala, you're scaring me! This isn't you."

She turned away and began spooning some soup into her bowl. "You're overreacting."

"I'm overreacting?" he said incredulously. "On top of all that, you haven't complained once. You haven't flirted or come onto me in weeks – you haven't even made any innuendos."

Like a flick of a switch, the vixen he knew was suddenly back. "You've missed it, eh?" she purred and ran her hand up his arm suggestively. "Why didn't you simply say so?"

She was deflecting in an attempt to hide how accurate he was. "Don't do that," he pleaded softly, grabbing her hand, but instead of flinging it away, he held onto it.

Vala tugged at the hand he held. "Daniel," she sounded like she was gearing up for a heated debate, so he cut her off.

"This is not you, and I refuse to –" he paused and hesitated for a second, "I refuse to be Tomin in this situation. I refuse to make you someone you're not," he felt a stab of guilt at her flinch. "I don't need or expect you to do any of this. I just need you to be yourself. I need you to be happy."

He stunned her – that much was obvious.

She blinked at him multiple times. "Why?" her voice was quiet.

Daniel huffed in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" At her blank expression, he sighed. "Vala, you're my teammate. More than that, you're my friend, and I care about you. We're gonna be spending the rest of our lives on this planet – that's a long time watching someone I care about being unhappy."

Vala finally was able to pull her hand away and she fiddled with the spoon in her bowl. "What do you suggest I do?"

That was the question of the hour, wasn't it?

He sighed again and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "Honestly? I don't know," he plopped his glasses back on, and met her eyes. "But I won't stop trying until you find your place, something you love doing – until I know you're happy."