Daughter
Chapter 19 – Instinct
A/N: Ahem. Carolyn's mother was only ever named Kim out loud. No last name. Lexa Doig (the actress who played Dr. Lam) is half-Filipino, so dammit, I'm making her character's mama match. I know one could make an argument otherwise; believe me, I know. If it wasn't said aloud on screen, though, it's not canon to me. Let's just regard this as taking advantage of backstory gaps. Have fun with this comedy below. Oh and action is a-coming. One of my favorite scenes to have been written for this story. Get ready…
When Carolyn opened the door of her apartment, 'shocked' would be an inadequate term to describe her reaction. "Mom?" Her eyes went wide.
Her mother offered her a pleasant smile. "Hi! I was in the neighborhood." She pulled Carolyn into a tight maternal hug at the threshold of her front door.
"You live in another state," Carolyn said thinly, staring with wide eyes at the hallway wall across from her.
"And who's this?" her mother asked curiously over her daughter's shoulder.
Carolyn pulled away from her mother's embrace to glance behind her. Shit. "Mom, this is… Cam."
The Colonel stepped forward with a friendly smile and offered a hand. "Ma'am," he greeted pleasantly. "Cameron Mitchell."
Thank God we're decent, Carolyn grumbled internally. Her mother automatically accepted Cameron's handshake and blinked rapidly as she smiled. Carolyn knew that look. It was a look of calculation.
"Kim Tolentino," she introduced herself. Cam nodded with a smile. Her mother held up bright yellow plastic bags. "I brought food and treats from the Asian market. Cameron, have you tried lumpia before?" She pushed past Carolyn into the small kitchen just by the door.
He tilted his head in thought. "Sounds familiar." Carolyn's mother immediately began pulling things out of the bags and arranging them on the kitchen island. She peeled back foil from an aluminum tray. It revealed small spring rolls. The scent of salty, fried goodness wafted into the air. "Well, what do ya know. I know what those are!"
Carolyn's mother chuckled approvingly. She made eye contact with Carolyn and raised her eyebrows briefly to show that he'd just earned himself a brownie point.
Oh my fucking…
"Say, you don't happen to have that sauce, do you?" Cam asked, turning to Carolyn.
Kim held up a fresh bottle of sweet chili sauce.
The Colonel took in a breath. "I'm in love."
Carolyn's mother laughed aloud. She then dug around in her daughter's kitchen cabinets for a small bowl. She poured the sauce and scooted the bowl in Cam's direction. She nodded encouragingly at him to get started. He helped himself to a piece of lumpia and dipped it into the sauce. The women watched as he enjoyed his first bite.
"Oh, it's been a minute since I've had these," he said with satisfaction. He immediately went for another one.
Carolyn cleared her throat. "So… when did you fly in?" Her mother pushed a piece of fried spring roll into her hand, essentially ordering her to eat without a word. She looked down at it unenthusiastically. Still, she dipped it in the sauce and took a bite.
"This morning," her mother reported nonchalantly. She began to open up plastic containers, decidedly smaller than the tray of lumpia. One contained a noodle dish with vegetables. Another held meat chunks smothered in sauce. She dug in the cabinets for plates and utensils. Clearly, they were about to sit and have a meal. She put a stack of plates in Carolyn's hands and raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to set the table.
Carolyn blinked. Cam was busy eating his fourth piece. He watched as her face contorted into a mixture of exasperation and anxiety. He used the action of eating his appetizer to cover his laugh.
"How did you get here from the airport?" the daughter asked as she brought the dishes to her small table.
"I rented a car."
"You could have called me."
"Oh, it was so early in the morning. I didn't want to bother you. I went straight to my hotel first." Her mother quirked a smile in Cameron's direction, eyes twinkling as he continued to enjoy the food. She turned around to open the fridge, clearly searching for something. As she leaned in and moved things around, she asked, "Where is your rice?"
"I didn't make any."
Her mother stood up and gave Carolyn a look of disapproval. "Go make some."
Her daughter took in and let out a surreptitious breath, mustering patience. Cam nearly cackled aloud as he watched her. She dug her rice cooker out of a cabinet, then went through the motions of preparing white rice. He'd never seen her this uncomfortable around anyone before. And they worked with some pretty intimidating people. Carolyn could make an airman feel small with a mere look. Now he knew where she got her superpowers from.
It only made him like her mother more.
The woman was already feeding him. He couldn't have imagined it getting any better.
"Oh, by the way, I invited your father to join us. He'll be here soon."
Now it was Cam's turn to blink. He looked at Carolyn with a question in his eyes.
She stared back at him, completely unamused. And here she thought she could enjoy a nice day off, lounging around casually with her boyfriend. Maybe this was her punishment for not calling her mother more often. Carolyn had no way to warn Cam that he was about to be evaluated. Her mother was right there.
There was a knock on the door.
"Ahh, that's your Dad. Cameron, would you mind?" Kim asked, eyes flitting to the door.
"Uhh, sure."
When Hank saw Cam opening the door, his eyebrows raised high. "Mitchell."
"Sir." Cameron coughed uncomfortably. He opened the door and stepped aside to let his commanding officer into the apartment.
Hank leaned around him to find his ex-wife already busy rustling in their daughter's kitchen. He then looked at Cameron, who was standing ram-rod straight at attention, waiting to be addressed. "At ease, Mitchell. We're off duty." Then he leaned in to whisper, "How long has she been here?"
"A couple of minutes, sir."
Hank stole a glance at Carolyn, who was quiet as she pulled glasses from a cabinet. He quirked a smile and stepped further in. "Kim," he greeted.
"Hank," Carolyn's mother responded pleasantly. She was holding a serving spoon in each hand. She moved to give him a brief hug, cheek to cheek, spoons dangling in the air behind him. Then she turned around as if she'd only seen him yesterday, even though it had been more than a year.
"Hi, Dad," Carolyn said.
"Hi." He surveyed the food that had since been moved from the take-out trays to ceramic serving bowls. "What are we having?"
"When's the last time you had pork adobo, Hank? And pancit?"
He smiled, automatically rubbing his belly in delight. "A long, long time." Without asking, he picked up a piece of lumpia from the tray and dipped it in the chili sauce. He turned around to address Mitchell. "You ever tried one of these before, Mitchell?"
"I have, sir. They're good. Really, really good."
"Always a hit at parties," Kim commented. She eyed the rice cooker, which was now busy doing its job. "Ahh, the rice will still be another fifteen to twenty minutes." It sounded like a light complaint.
Carolyn grit her teeth but didn't outwardly change her expression. "We can sit in the living room while we wait." She gestured for the men to join her at the couch and armchairs. Her mother grabbed extra plates to serve as lids over the bowls of food to keep them warm.
Carolyn and Cameron occupied the couch, while each of her parents sat adjacent on individual armchairs. Cameron leaned over the coffee table to hit a button on the TV remote and turn off the screen, which was paused on some movie.
"So…" Landry started awkwardly, "Kim, how was your flight?"
"Oh just fine. I sat next to this young mother and her two-year-old." She made eye contact with Carolyn, now addressing her directly. "They were Filipino. The little girl was very cute."
Carolyn smiled placatingly back. She knew what her mother was doing.
Then she turned back to Hank directly across from her. "The girl had such a bright smile. Very friendly like Carolyn was at that age."
"Aww sounds nice," he replied.
Cameron looked back and forth between the pair. He stayed quiet.
"Did you take time off work?" Carolyn wondered aloud, trying to sound casual.
"Just a little bit. I have too much vacation time. I need to use some of it before it expires."
Her daughter tried to come up with a sneaky way to find out just how much was a 'little bit,' without causing offense. She prayed to whatever ascended being would listen that her mother only meant a couple of days.
"Reaching the maximum, huh?" Landry asked.
"Ugh. Yes. It's such a waste of money not to use it. They reduced the cap on our vacation banks at work. Terrible idea!"
"Somehow I figure they're trying to encourage you to take a few days off," her daughter commented.
Her mother scoffed. "I need to keep that bank full so I can go home to the Philippines." She turned to Hank. "Tita Arlene is not doing so well. I need to go home if she dies. And you know the novena takes time. And then I need to visit with family on the other island. I need all the vacation time ready."
"How is Jun?" Hank asked.
Kim grumbled, "Still stubborn as ever."
Carolyn leaned toward Cam to explain. "Her big brother." He nodded.
"Family business doing good?"
"Oh, the bakery is fine. They're expanding their presence all around Manila now." Hank tilted his head, impressed. "You know, Carolyn, we are merging with another hospital system at work. We're adding a few new hospitals. One will be a teaching hospital. We could use a director."
Carolyn swallowed and glanced at Cam and her father. "Uhh, actually, I'm good where I'm at, Mom." She nodded her head a bit for emphasis.
Kim waved a dismissive hand at her. "That's okay. But let me know if you know someone." She glanced at Cameron, mouth quirking with a hint of a smile. She suspected her daughter's immediate refusal had to do with him. She had no idea that these three people had some of the highest possible security clearance in the country. They wouldn't give it up for anything. "Ahh but how nice that would be to be able to work with my daughter," she added, now looking at Hank with jealousy in her expression.
He shared a quiet look with Carolyn. It hinted at exasperation. "Weren't you the one who hated working with your own parents back home at the bakery?" he asked.
She sighed. "Of course, you're right." Hank blinked. He wasn't used to hearing her say that… to him. Kim looked at Cam. "Working with family can be so challenging. That's why I ran away to get married," she reported, flapping a hand in Hank's direction.
Mitchell's mouth pulled up into a slight smile. He was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. He glanced at his CO, who was quietly dropping his head into his hand.
Carolyn looked up at the ceiling.
"Aba, I just realized I passed that on to you," Kim complained about herself, but looking straight at Carolyn.
Her daughter's eyes shot straight to her. They warned of danger if she even dared to bring up her ex-husband in front of Cam. She was saved by the beeping of the rice cooker behind them. Carolyn clapped her hands loudly. "Rice is done!"
Carolyn shut the front door and leaned back against it, closing her eyes. She groaned. Loudly.
"Aww, come on, it wasn't that bad."
She reopened her eyes to see Cam right in front of her. She stared at him for awhile, amazed that he was even still alive. And what the hell was that smile on his face for? "I will completely understand if you wanna break up with me now," she deadpanned.
He stepped closer to wrap his arms around her. He nuzzled his nose with hers. "Why would I wanna do that?"
"You just met my mother. You ought to be running for the hills about now."
He chuckled quietly and kissed Carolyn's forehead. "I like her. She's kind of funny."
Carolyn pushed him back to get a good look at him. The way she regarded him, he'd have thought he had two heads growing from his neck.
He laughed more. "Babe, it's gonna take a whole lot more than your mother to keep me away from you. Not even a Jaffa battalion could do it."
She blinked, lip quivering. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard within our security clearance. And which cannot be repeated outside of this room."
"Technically, I could say it again when we're on the base."
"Yeah, but then we couldn't do this on the base." She kissed him lazily.
He smiled, eyes closed as he responded in kind. "Hmm." He broke off the kiss and let their foreheads touch. "At some point I think I need to bring you home to my parents."
"Really?" Carolyn wondered to herself if it was too soon.
"Well, yeah. Now I know both of yours… only fair."
"My mother showed up on her own. That's a relationship milestone disaster."
He laughed good-naturedly. "Let's plan a little trip to Kansas, huh?"
Carolyn let out a breath, in awe of how patient he was with her mother. And by extension, with her. "What are your folks like?"
"Well, I dunno. They're my folks. You can ask Vala. She's met them."
"So she was your date? To that reunion?"
Cameron's face twisted into disgust. "Only on paper."
She laughed. "You don't even know what kind of rumors were swirling after you two came back."
He groaned. "Oh my God. Don't remind me." He thought back to all the knowing looks and comments thrown his way in the men's locker room. It was pure torture. Not to mention Jackson's grumpy attitude that lasted for nearly a month. He was sort of glad that Jackson finally gave in when it came to Vala. It took some of the heat off of him.
Cameron swept his hands through Carolyn's loose locks and looked at her adoringly. He had more important things to worry about instead.
Sweaty and breathless, Vala laid her head on Daniel's bare shoulder. She kissed him there as her hand rubbed up and down his chest. The other arm was wrapped around his upper back for balance.
He was similarly breathless. His abdominal muscles ached and his quads screamed. But he wasn't really complaining.
He tilted himself back from the wall of his bedroom to let Vala slide down onto her own feet. Now relieved of her weight, he could go to the nearby bed and collapse. She slid into the bed next to him and nestled herself into the crook of his arm. His free hand swiped at the watch on the nightstand, nearly knocking it off. He could have turned his head to look at the alarm clock, but his glasses were missing and he couldn't really see.
"Shit. That was our longest one yet," he murmured after he had brought the watch close to his face.
Vala laughed evilly. "We broke a record," she said with a satisfied voice.
Daniel let the watch drop back onto the nightstand. "Yah," he replied with exhaustion.
She began tracing the ripples that made up his abdominal muscles. "What brought that on?" she mused.
He was still catching his breath. After a beat, he answered, "You. Just you."
She hummed. "Ever since we came back from Washington, I noticed…"
"Noticed what?"
"You've been an absolute animal." She propped herself up on her elbow so she could show him her grin of approval.
He might not be able to see clearly but he could tell that she was completely gratified. He mirrored the naughtiness in her expression. He chuckled quietly.
Vala dropped back down into her comfortable spot within his arm. It was one of her favorite places to be. "Could it be…" she started playfully, "…that you actually want to keep me around? And all this love-making is your way of showing it?" She lifted her hand to pretend to gesture around. "I don't see any Kor-mac bracelets. It's a wonder you haven't tried to kick me out yet…"
"Vala." Daniel knew what she was doing. Outwardly, she sounded like she was making some sort of light remark or a joke. It's what everyone expected of her. Her eyes sparkled magically whenever she successfully entertained her audience. Right now, however, he knew she was being more serious. He literally knew her inside and out. Her statement had just been an admission of insecurity.
He wondered when he became an expert on her. There was a time when he would have loved nothing more than to see her leave. To stop bothering him. He once assumed everything that came out of her smart mouth was a lie to enable her hidden agenda. Now, he could think back to conversations they had and tease out which statements were the real lies and which ones were the truths dressed up as jokes to hide her self-doubt.
Daniel turned himself on his side to face her. His free hand gently stroked the swell of her hip. "I'm not letting you go," he said softly.
He saw the worry flash across her eyes. Something about that translated to 'Are you sure?'
The corner of his mouth turned up into a gentle smile. "Where you go, I go. Don't need any Kor-mac bracelets anymore."
"I guess my little plan worked then."
He let out a breath through his nose as he laughed quietly. "You little sneak." He flicked her nose affectionately. Daniel kissed her forehead lightly. "I love you," he said more easily than he expected. It came out so naturally that it didn't occur to him that he'd never actually said it before. Not until he saw the twinkle in her eyes when he pulled back.
"In that other future, the one Gracie came from… did he love her?" Her voice was laced with curiosity and anticipation.
Daniel smiled broadly now. "Yes. The only photos on the shelf of his quarters were of you and Sha're."
Vala sucked in a small breath. He had just told her that another version of himself held her in the same regard as his late wife. Oh he had her now. She was never, ever going to leave. Not that she wanted to. But she would come back from the dead, if necessary, just to fulfill that silent promise.
She stared into his mesmerizing blue eyes. Her hand crept up to cup his face. "I'll never be her," she began.
"I don't need you to be," he interrupted, hoping to quash any other doubts she might have.
Vala closed her eyes briefly and tilted her head to show that she understood that part. "I do hope… that I could make you as happy as she did."
"All I need is for you to continue to be you. And to stay. Then mission accomplished," he declared.
She smiled. "Sounds easy enough." She adopted a sly look while biting her lip. "What do I get out of the deal?"
He looked at her pointedly and reminded her, "You. Me. Wall."
"Oh yeah…"
"Don't pretend you already forgot."
"I suffer from memory loss from time to time. I need regular reminders." She squealed when Daniel rolled on top of her to tickle her sides.
"Darling…" Vala sat down across from Cameron, looking pensive the next day. They were in the commissary, which was bustling with people there for lunch. She stared down at his plate, seemingly worried.
Cameron dropped his fork. "What's wrong?"
Vala sucked in a breath dramatically as she stole a look at him. Her eyes darted around the mess hall, wondering who could be listening in. She caught a few glances being thrown in their direction. She hid the smile that threatened to break through.
"I don't know how to start this…"
Cameron's face became serious as he waited. She looked so unsure of herself. "Princess?" he asked softly.
Vala looked straight into his eyes. "I…" She swallowed. "I'll always cherish what we had together, Cameron."
His mouth twitched. "Had? As in… past-tense?" He blinked rapidly. Then he sneakily glanced around, noting quite a few stares emanating from other tables. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the volume of the commissary had just been turned down a couple notches.
"I've never wanted to hurt you, Darling," she said with immense guilt in her tone.
His face seemed to grow sad with realization. "Then, don't hurt me, Baby."
Vala's lip quivered. She sighed loudly. "But… we just can't do this anymore."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No… it's not you. It's me." Vala stared down at the table again.
Cameron reached out to grab both of her hands on the table. "We can make it work. Come on." Then he pretended to gasp. "There's someone else, isn't there?" he realized now, accusation lacing his tone.
Vala gasped, too, as if she'd been found out. She stared straight into Cameron's eyes.
He stared back, a dare in his eyes.
Neither of them blinked for 60 seconds.
Both of them burst out laughing hysterically. Cameron leaned over the side of the table, banging his fist on it with mirth. Vala leaned back in her seat, cackling up toward the ceiling with tears in her eyes.
Carolyn and Daniel stood near them, arms crossed, watching them. They looked at them like they were stupid.
Daniel loudly declared, "You guys are dumb." Carolyn rolled her eyes in agreement.
The entire commissary erupted into laughter.
"EldaMalDoran." A Hak'tyl rushed into her shared hut. "You are summoned by the den mother."
Gracie looked up, surprised. It was her last night here. She was busy gathering her possessions, deciding what to take back and what to leave behind. It was already pitch black outside and the night guard was on duty. The rest of the settlement was preparing for rest. Gracie glanced at her hut-mates, who looked back expressionless. She dropped the black travel suit she was holding and rose to follow their sister.
The young female Jaffa opened the door to Ishta's hut for her but did not enter. Gracie ventured in, immediately bowing upon entry.
"Sit with us, kal'ma," Ishta instructed, referring to her as a child. Gracie took no offense, unlike when her father called her a kid. Both Nesa and her older sister Neith were there. Clearly, she was the lowest-ranked tribe member present.
Gracie took a spot among them in the circle surrounding the small table for tea. The pot was empty and cold.
"We will commence Exhibition," Ishta announced without delay. "You will ride with your sisters and engage the Jaffa men in battle."
Gracie blinked. She was set to leave for Earth in a matter of hours. Ishta knew this. She was supposedly traveling with her. She did not speak, but instead looked at Nesa with a question in her eyes.
The Hak'tyl turned to her blood sister Neith, who spoke next. "We are aware of the Jaffa boy who approached you in the forest. The same one who engaged you in combat during the last Exhibition."
She was startled. How did these Jaffa do that? She didn't mention him to anyone. Neith made her feel as though she were in some sort of trouble. But she'd done nothing wrong. She didn't even want to talk to that Jaffa male. Gracie swallowed nervously.
"Fear not, Sister," Nesa said reassuringly. "We simply ask that you do not fight him tonight. Let another of our sisters engage him instead."
Gracie bowed both in acknowledgement and in relief. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the reasons for their order were. But she wasn't going to complain. She had every intention of avoiding Jasuf. He was trouble. She could feel it in her bones.
What worried her now was the fact that they expected her to pick some other Jaffa to attack. She was nowhere near ready. Her poor performance during training was more than enough for her to believe it was the truth. Gracie stared at them, waiting for more instructions. She secretly hoped they would just change their minds and hold her back from the raid.
"Summon Sel'sa and Idul to this hut," Ishta instructed.
"Shal kek," Neith commanded. Gracie was dismissed.
Shocked, she left the hut and did as she was told. She found the girls in question, then led them back without speaking further. As soon as the door to Ishta's quarters were shut, Gracie stared about at the settlement. The last of the day fires were dying out. Only a select few were being kept alive, far enough away from the huts so as not to accidentally burn them all alive as they slept. None of the minders outside of Ishta's hut seemed to be tense nor on high alert. The few Hak'tyl outside completing mundane tasks were acting completely normal.
Gracie had no idea which of her sisters was expected to conduct a sneak attack in the dead of night. Surely not everyone would be expected to go. Some needed to stay behind to guard the settlement. She would have gladly volunteered for that duty if she'd been given the chance.
She took in a shaky breath.
Mom is going to kill me.
A horn quietly sounded. It wasn't loud enough to be heard outside of the settlement's borders. But it was enough to rouse anyone inside their huts. Gracie knew what the sound meant. It was time to go.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. Nesa had appeared. "Acquire a plain staff."
"Nesa," Gracie dared to ask in a whisper, "why am I being called to battle? I'm not ready!"
"We must all be ready at every moment, whether awake or asleep. Your opponents will not wait for you to feel proficient with your bashaak, your training. Hesitation is death."
The young blonde human looked at her with fear. "Insufficient proficiency is also death!"
"Trust your instincts, Sister. You are human and have considerable experience of your own. Use it to your advantage." Nesa then moved away to give instructions to the warriors gathering in the town center.
Gracie gawked at her retreating form. "What?" she whispered aloud, knowing she would not hear her. Even if she did, Nesa would have ignored her.
Someone pushed a staff into her hands. Another of the Hak'tyl grabbed her arm and pulled her along to where Nesa began addressing the warriors. Gracie found a place among them, barely able to keep up with the orders Nesa was rattling off in Goa'uld as she panicked internally. It would seem Nesa was leading the raid. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Gracie noted that this might be Nesa's first one. But she detected no hint of anxiousness in the warrior's mannerisms. She wished she could feel so confident.
The horses were brought forth. One of her sisters pulled Gracie up to ride behind her. "Hold on to me, Sister. Keep your staff high but out of the way," she said gently, but determinedly.
Gracie couldn't just bow silently to show her assent as she normally would. The Jaffa was in front of her and would need to hear her confirmation aloud. "As you say, Sister," Gracie acknowledged the instruction. The reigns of the horse were snapped, and they sped forward.
The group stopped after ten minutes of riding. They spread out the horses and secured them to trees. A few Hak'tyl were chosen to stay behind with the animals. Gracie wondered if they knew all along about those assignments. She looked at them longingly, wishing she could stay back with the horses, too. But as luck would have it, her sisters pulled her along with them to start surrounding the other Jaffa camp.
She kept low to the ground as she quietly stepped forward. She could see their night fires in the distance. The scent of Jaffa males soon became apparent in the air. As Gracie cautiously moved, the Hak'tyl alongside her spread further and further apart. They were just barely within sight in the pale moonlight. She watched her footing, trying not to snap twigs or branches and alert anyone to their approach.
After another handful of minutes of careful movement, Gracie stopped at the edge of the enemy settlement. From her position within the brush, she could see only a few Jaffa milling about. Their camp was a mirror image of theirs, except this one supposedly contained a mixture of men, women, and children. Only the Hak'tyl maintained their gender-based segregation, despite the fact that the original reason for it was long dead. Gracie had been educated about the horrors of the Goa'uld Moloc's reign. She knew the original Hak'tyl tribe consisted of refugee girls that would have been otherwise sacrificed to the fire upon birth. Distrust of men was deeply sown into their culture.
"Tal shak," the sister to her left whispered.
"Tal shak," Gracie repeated, sending the order to her right.
The message to attack spread along the perimeter until it came back around to Nesa. "Kree, tal shak!" she yelled loudly. The Jaffa women rushed forward with their staffs and invaded the settlement.
Gracie froze, eyes wide. She could hear some of the men sounding the alarm, prompting other men from within the huts to begin yelling. She watched as her sisters fearlessly attacked, picking anyone they saw in sight to engage in combat.
Nesa forcefully hauled her up by the arm. She had come out of nowhere. "Krelnok! Go!" She pushed Gracie into the fight.
Gracie stumbled into view of everyone else. A Jaffa male immediately caught sight of her. He raised a wooden staff to strike. She yelped, immediately raising her own staff to block. He was much, much bigger than her. She kept defending herself from his attempts to hit her, but couldn't find an opening to strike him back.
He swept his staff at her legs. Big as he was, he was still slow. She wasn't going to be tricked into falling this time. She jumped at just the right moment, landing directly on his staff with the force of all her weight coming down onto it. He faltered a bit as it jerked. Gracie bounced off his staff and brought a foot up to kick him in his gut. He barely moved. She used her staff to bat at his hands, making him loosen his grip on his weapon.
She came back down to the ground and used her other foot to flip it out of his hands. It sailed to the ground a few feet away, out of reach. She pushed forward, hoping to land a blow on his side. But the big Jaffa anticipated her move and caught her staff with his hands. He pulled, causing Gracie to pitch forward with it. He caught her and twisted her into his arms, her back to his front, and held her own staff up against the bottom of her chin.
She grunted, struggling to push against the forceful pressure on her neck.
And then Gracie remembered, she had been in this unfortunate position before.
Screw her training. He wasn't wearing full armor, having been caught off guard at night. Her left leg planted itself on the ground. The right knee bent suddenly, bringing her heel forcefully into the Jaffa's crotch. He was stunned immediately. The grip of his hands on her staff loosened. Gracie suddenly leaned forward with all her weight, loosening her weapon further. Then she raised her arms up to bring the horizontal staff back into his face behind her.
She brought an elbow back behind her into his pouch, then repeated the motion on the other side. With as much force as she could muster, knowing his hands were still on her weapon, she quickly pivoted. He twisted with the motion, spinning to the ground. He landed on his side. Gracie finally freed her staff from his grasp and stepped three paces back.
He glared at her with accusation. "Kal tak," he grumbled bitterly, spitting toward her feet.
With chest heaving from the heavy activity, Gracie bowed slightly to him. She didn't respond aloud to his complaint that she'd used a dirty trick to overcome him. Not all of her previous opponents had ever been Jaffa. Thus, honor was not required when survival was the ultimate goal. She acted on instinct, only now realizing that Nesa had told her to do exactly that. Gracie felt shame for not adhering to her Jaffa training for this exercise. She wondered if this would bust her down to a lower rank within the tribe now. Maybe she'd be training with the children the next time she came.
"Kree, EldaMalDoran!" a male voice shouted at her from a distance.
Gracie's head whipped around. Oh no. Jasuf had found her. And he was approaching her with a fire in his eyes.
Her head made an obvious gesture at her Jaffa opponent, who was now getting up off the ground. She wanted it to be known that she'd already engaged someone. She should be done with this Exhibition. Shouldn't she? Her eyes searched desperately for Nesa. Her orders were to stay away from Jasuf. But what was she going to do if he wouldn't stay away from her?
Instead of meeting him head on, Gracie ran further into the camp. She needed her leader to see. Surely she'd be somewhere in the middle of the fray, watching their sisters and evaluating their performance. Maybe Ishta was somewhere nearby, hidden and observing. She darted around a nasty fight between one of her sisters and a young Jaffa male. She turned around to see Jasuf following. "Dammit," she swore under her breath. Nesa was not within sight. Defense, then, she decided. They told her not to fight him. But perhaps she could escape him, at least long enough for the whole Exhibition to be over. Gracie knew he wouldn't actually try to kill her. She was going to use that to her advantage.
Jasuf nearly caught up to her but she used another dueling pair as an obstacle between them. Her eyes spied some structures set behind the huts. There was a water wheel spinning just beyond the roofs of the Jaffa residences. Gracie dashed off in that direction, zig-zagging among her sisters still fighting.
And here she thought it would be a nice, calm night before she went home to Earth.
She didn't bother to look back to see if Jasuf was following. She knew that he would. She reached the structures and found that there was a long wooden plank set upon a pivot point. On each end were giant buckets. It was comparable to that 'see-saw' thing she watched her little sister play on at the children's playground in Washington. Only this version was ten times bigger. When each end of the lever was raised to its highest point, the buckets were accessible to a raised platform, many, many meters up. If she could get up there, she'd have a chance to wait out Exhibition without having to pull any punches against her Jaffa pursuer.
Gracie hopped onto the board, near its center.
Jasuf grabbed her from behind and pulled her back. She let out a yell of surprise. He wrapped an arm around her neck. Her hands automatically tried to claw him away. "Why are you running away?" he breathed out.
"Because I'm not supposed to fight you!"
Gracie leaned forward as best she could against his weight and bent her elbow back into his torso. The motion had him forcing out a breath. She grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. Now free, Gracie hopped back onto the lever to resume her half-baked plan. He reached for her ankles from the ground, but missed.
Jasuf got up and glared at her menacingly. Breaths ragged, Gracie held up two hands in a placating motion. "Jasuf, hol." She saw that he had no staff weapon. She realized that she had lost hers somewhere along the way. That bothered her. She hadn't noticed until now, focused as she was on her little plan of escape, which was quickly unraveling.
Gracie backed up, still on the plank. It swayed slightly with her movement. Jasuf hopped up onto the center of the lever with her. The motion had the wide board swinging ever so gently. Gracie took more steps back as Jasuf locked eyes on her and slowly followed. As he drew closer to her and away from the center, one side of the plank began to tilt down with their weight. She wanted to go up, not down!
"Jasuf," she pleaded as she stepped backwards. "I don't want to fight. Look, it was an accident that we met last time. I'm sorry that I interrupted your progress in Exhibition. One of my sisters will challenge you, and you can test your skills with a more worthy opponent." She continued backing up.
He matched her steps, eyeing her carefully. "I have fought all of them already and won."
Gracie's eyes went wide. She gestured to herself. "Human! Remember? Not worthy!" she shouted, trying the self-deprecating excuse to get him to stop.
The wooden board crept further down as they approached the end.
"EldaMalDoran, you underestimate yourself."
She scrunched her face. Was he complimenting her? She stepped back more. He followed. The board crashed to the ground as she made contact with the bucket. Their arms instantly flailed to the sides for balance as they nearly fell off.
Now Jasuf towered over her, higher as he was on the diagonal board. "Fight me!" he demanded, adopting a familiar stance with feet planted wide apart, ready to engage her in hand-to-hand combat.
Gracie considered jumping off now and running back into the settlement. But she had no idea how much longer Exhibition was going to take. She still had a better chance of riding it out up on that platform, where he wouldn't be able to reach her so easily.
Her eyes looked past him longingly at the other end of the lever. It was fully raised. It looked like freedom.
"Fuck it," she muttered. Gracie ran forward, straight to him. He tensed to capture her, arms raised. But Gracie slid underneath him and between his legs. She got past him and ran for all she was worth toward the other side of the board. Her weight had the lever beginning to bring its other end down. Jasuf spun around just in time to watch her leap up desperately toward the platform. Her elbows barely reached, leaving her hanging off its edge.
"No!" he hollered, immediately trying to chase after her.
Gracie grunted as she pulled herself up onto the level platform. She came into a crouched position then turned to see Jasuf drawing near. She saw that his weight and movement were shifting the plank in the other direction. Without a counterweight on the board, he had no way of using it to get to her.
He growled in frustration. Gracie laid back on the platform with exhaustion, hoping to catch her breath. "I followed the order. I followed the order," she repeated to herself between ragged breaths as she stared up to the sky.
Jasuf's eyes darted around. She had forgotten that this wasn't her camp. It was his. He found what he wanted. Gracie sat up to see what he was up to. Her eyes went wide again. He picked up a very large boulder. In the waning light of the moon, she saw his muscles bulge as he lifted the heavy rock with both arms. Jasuf looked up at her with a smirk and positioned himself on the plank, right next to the bucket meant for her side of the platform.
"Oh shit."
He raised the boulder and hurled it straight at the opposite bucket. It went right in, forcefully bringing that side of the lever down, and in exchange, bringing him up to her level. The motion was unpredictable, though, causing him to falter and lose his balance. Gracie caught his arms before he fell back. She had to shift her weight backwards just to keep them both from tumbling several dangerous meters to the ground. They toppled onto the platform together.
Jasuf ended up on top of Gracie, nose to nose.
"Dammit," she complained.
He was breathing heavily. "Now will you please fight me?"
Gracie locked eyes with him. "Why are you so determined?"
"Because you are the only female who has ever defeated me."
"Seriously! You want a rematch!" Gracie ground out through gritted teeth. His weight was still on her as they argued.
"I cannot let you, a human female, be my weakness!"
"Let me make this clear right now. I have no interest in being your weakness either!"
"Fight with me here and we can both get what we want!
"No! I will not engage you!"
"Why not!"
"Orders!"
"What orders!"
The horn sounded loudly in the distance.
Gracie let her head fall back onto the plank with a sigh. "Thank the Gods," Gracie said as Jasuf growled in complaint. Exhibition was over. He slammed a fist onto the platform near her head.
Their eyes met again. One set was relieved while the other was enraged.
Jasuf grumbled as he lifted himself off of her, pulling her up into a sitting position with him. Gracie stared at him for a few moments, then quirked a smile. She began to laugh.
He scowled at her. "What is so funny, human!"
"I didn't have to fight you… and I still won!" Gracie continued to cackle. She was laughing more out of relief than at his expense. She was beyond out-of-sorts by now.
The Jaffa roared in frustration. He grabbed at her neck and pulled her to him.
And then he kissed her. Hard. Her breath hitched.
Gracie surprised herself by responding in kind. Her tongue slammed into his. She should have been pulling away and slapping him instead. What the hell am I doing!?
Jasuf let go, eyes still on fire.
Gracie's were wide with confusion. She hadn't been ready to stop. But she shouldn't have liked it that much!
"Had to shut you up, somehow," he groused.
She huffed with mouth wide open, stunned. Her eyes followed as he got up, took one last look at her, then hopped onto the raised plank to leave. He easily transcended the stuck lever like a ramp and hopped down to the ground. Gracie laid back onto the platform and stared up at the stars above. "What the…"
It was then that she realized she hadn't won at all. He did.