Work Text:
The Realness of Us
"Is this real?"
It was out of the blue and Daniel Jackson froze with a fork full of food suspended in midair, at the question. He frowned in confusion. "What?"
Vala Mal Doran gave him a piercing look – one he probably wouldn't understand, but she still sent it. She needed to know. "Is this real? Or is it just the situation?" she questioned but didn't give him time to answer before firing off another set of questions. "If things were different, would it have still happened? Is it just because I'm familiar? Or safe or convenient?"
It was like he sensed she was about to ask even more, and quickly cut her off. "Wait! Wait!" he dropped his fork on the plate with a loud 'clunk' and held up a hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Vala, what're you talking about? You're gonna have to be more specific," he told her with patience. "Are you talking about us?" he guessed and gestured between the two of them.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. Wasn't it obvious? "Would you actually choose to be with me if we weren't in this situation?"
It was something that weighed heavily on her mind for the past month, and she wasn't planning on saying anything, but things had changed for her, and she could no longer be content with not knowing that he had merely settled for her because they got stranded together with no way home.
There had been trouble brewing with the Lucien Alliance and SG-1 was sent to check out some recent activity on a planet. They had split up for various reasons and somehow Daniel and Vala ended up prisoners. The planet had no place to hold them effectively so they had been taken aboard one of the ships orbiting the planet. The Alliance members knew of them and immediately set a course away from the remainder of the team – they hadn't wanted to risk the rest of SG-1 attempting to mount a rescue. So they had shipped the two of them off while others hunted for the rest.
Given Vala's extensive knowledge of Goa'uld ships and tricks the Lucien Alliance liked to use, she was able to get them out of their cell, and they swiftly made their way through the mothership to steal one of the Cargo ships, but not before she messed with the hyperdrive. The plan was to drop out of hyperspace, take the Cargo ship, and jump into hyperspace with it and sail home (or at least to the closest planet with a Stargate). But like most of SG-1's plans, it never went perfectly – though this time they did better than normal. There was a reason the ship was left idle in the mothership and not out and about doing the bidding of the Lucien Alliance – it was damaged.
Vala was able to get it out and activate the hyperdrive, but before they knew it, it malfunctioned and spat them out randomly in the universe. The coms were shot, they couldn't pinpoint their location since navigation was damaged, and essentially were screwed. On further inspection, the ship looked like it was being scrapped for parts. But as SG-1 luck would have it, they were thrown out of hyperspace in range of a habitable planet. Vala fortunately was able to steer the ship to the planet and land it – and that was putting it generously. The landing itself felt more like a controlled crash, but she did it and they made it out alive, and that's what mattered.
The planet was habited and the people were nice and generous. They called the planet Thessa and themselves Thessians. They weren't too advanced but enough for certain levels of comfort – Daniel had joked early on that the town looked like a scene from an old western movie, but with some amenities that they were used to. He speculated their advancement was somewhere between the late 1800s and early 1900s on Earth. They were also more open minded than most races at their level. They did ask if the two of them were married. Daniel naturally went into diplomatic mode and asked if it would be a problem either way. Vala knew he hadn't wanted to lie or bind himself in that way to her, but lucky for him, they didn't care or even bat an eye when he requested that they reside in the same residence.
They spent the first two months searching for any signs of a Stargate. Daniel researched their archives, questioned their historians and elders, they studied maps and geography to see if anything would lead to it, but no such luck. There were no signs of it, and after those first two months, they gave up and accepted the fact that they were stuck. With no other option left, they began to integrate themselves into the Thessian's society.
It was no surprise that Daniel found himself a new culture to study – they had an old language that had ceased to be spoken, an old village that was still intact, caves complete with drawings from the early inhabitants, and all the things Daniel lived for, and he was all too eager to share his knowledge with the people – they were interested in learning. Vala had found her niche in helping with the planet's machinery advancement, which included building and fixing several types of machines and equipment. It wasn't exactly what she dreamed of doing, but she did enjoy the work and didn't have complaints for the most part. They slowly started to build a life here.
It was hard to let go of the dream of going home, but there was no evidence that a Stargate was ever placed here.
After halfway through the third month, they had naturally come together – at least Vala liked to think of it that way, but she feared she was reading too much into it. Well, she was almost certain she was. She still remembered things she couldn't forget.
Instead of answering her, Daniel's demeanor became neutral – as if he was preparing for a fight. "Vala, where's this coming from?"
Yup, he was definitely approaching this in a diplomatic way, but two could play this game. "That doesn't matter," she blew off his own question. After all, she asked first. "Answer the question."
"No," his calm expression didn't change.
"And why not?"
"Because it's an unfair question to ask," his annoyance and possible anger leaked through.
Vala sighed and sat back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine," she relented there, but wasn't done. "Then why are you with me?"
She practically dared him to admit what she already felt for him. They had been together for two and a half months, and she knew it was unfair of her to ask, but they had been dancing around this issue long before they became stranded on this planet and no way to get home.
"Vala," he growled in a warning.
"Just answer one of the damn questions!" she broke first and if she was honest with herself, it didn't surprise her.
Daniel sighed and his own frustration showed. "All of them are unfair and you know it," he bit out, but he gave in. "Things at the SGC were way different than they are here. I can't tell you that things would've panned out the way they have here. And if you don't know why I'm with you by now then you clearly have missed something."
She did her best not to flinch. "So if we never got stranded, this would've never happened," she stated rather than asked, and motioned between the two of them. "I really am just something convenient for you."
His face abruptly changed to anger…and something else she couldn't decipher. "Is that what you really think of me?" his tone matched his voice. "Do you honestly think so little of me? That I would stoop to that level, that that's the only reason I'm with you? And based on what? Nothing!"
Her body snapped forward. "It's not based on nothing!" she practically seethed.
"Oh, do enlighten me, please!" he spat out with heavy sarcasm – obviously thinking she was overreacting and exaggerating.
Vala narrowed her eyes at him and in a steady voice, uttered the words she knew her ears were never meant to hear. "Never in a million years, a million, million years would I ever possibly consider Vala to be the person I'd eventually move on with. We're completely opposite and wrong for each other, not to mention she's an emotionally unstable wreck." It was hard to keep the hurt she still felt out of her voice, but she did it.
She could see it in his face that he remembered saying those exact words to Samantha and how horrified he was at the thought that she actually heard it. You think she would have learned her lesson then and accepted the situation as it was…but then they were marooned on Thessa with an almost nonexistent chance at getting home. And to be fair, he was the one who initiated things down here – how could she not have the smallest of hopes that he could change his mind? It was foolish on her part – all of it – but she couldn't see to help it and now, she would pay dearly for it.
Daniel had made it clear where he really stood and she would lose him.
o0o
"Shit."
Shit, indeed. Not a very good response, but it was the only thing that popped into his head. Daniel felt the dread, anger, and disappointment spread throughout his body. Disappointed and angry at himself for even saying those words. He had been the moment he said them in Sam's lab and every moment he remembered it afterwards. Sam had been so furious with him, she didn't speak to him for a week – with good reason. His one saving grace over the situation was that he hadn't blurted it out in front of or at Vala.
So much for that.
Pain flared in his chest as took in her appearance – believing every word he had said in that horrible moment. It intensified when he realized she thought she was just something he was passing the time with. That couldn't be further from the truth. How could she not see that? How could she not realize how much she meant to him? But the main question was, how did he fix this without losing her?
"Vala," he began carefully, but he didn't get a chance to continue.
"Don't," she ordered and yet pleaded at the same time. "I may have not gotten a straight answer, but your reaction tells me all I need to know."
"Hey, that's not fai –"
"It was stupid on my part," she cut him off.
She wasn't interested in anything he had to say and defend himself, and it was frustrating him. If only she would allow him to explain. "Vala, just lis–"
"I can't do this, Daniel," her words made him snap his mouth shut. That didn't sound good. "I thought I could. I held on to this foolish hope that you would change your mind. I should've known you wouldn't – even when you kissed me that night. It was unfair to you, just like my questions, but…I couldn't help it – I just needed to know for certain."
She rose from her chair and he quickly did the same, but stayed in place to watch her as she headed to their bedroom. Every part of him wanted to follow, but his body wouldn't cooperate. He couldn't seem to form words. Everything he wanted to say he had a feeling she wouldn't believe him and think it was just him trying to placate her – he worried it would only drive her further away. But he could fix this. He had too.
When she walked out of their room with a bag all nicely packed, he realized this was something she had been struggling with for some time, and he felt horrible that he hadn't seen it. Panic bubbled up in him and he finally found his voice again. "Vala, don't do this," he begged and moved to intercept her.
Vala dodged the hand he tried to place on her face. "No, you don't do this to me!" her eyes became shiny. "It's too hard, Daniel – it's too painful. I can't stay knowing that you don't love me the way I do you."
"Just listen to me!" he finally got out.
"So you can come up with something to make me stay? Some excuse?" she questioned and her grip tightened on the bag. "I've already spent too much time coveting the love of others who would never love me back – my father, my daughter…and now you. I can't do it anymore – I won't."
"Vala…" his words died off. He wasn't sure what to say.
His eyes watched as she sighed and dropped the bag. He felt a smidgen of hope flare up in his chest when she stepped towards him and when she grabbed the back of his head to bring their foreheads together, his hope grew. He exhaled sharply, pulling her impossibly close to him, and closed his eyes. They remained motionless.
"You need to let me go," she whispered to him in a pained voice.
Daniel squeezed her tighter. "I can't."
Vala took a shaky breath. "You need to…because I'm going," she told him matter-of-factly.
"Stay," he begged.
She sniffed loudly and pressed a small kiss to his lips but pulled away before he could react. "I love you, Daniel Jackson, but I can't. I need to do this."
He opened his eyes and his heart clenched at her tear-stained face. He swallowed the words he wanted nothing more than to say but knew she would never believe him. There were no words that could. He had relied on words and languages for so long and now they were failing him. So if he couldn't use them, there was the next best thing – actions. They did speak louder than words, after all.
Daniel kissed her. It probably wasn't the right thing to do, but he needed to express what he felt for her somehow. Vala kissed him back like it would be the last time they would ever see each other.
It ended far too early for him, but he didn't push her further.
"I'll be with Gai'la," she told him before grabbing her bag and bolting.
And then he was alone.
o0o
Daniel didn't know how long he sat there alone, but it had been dark for a while when he finally forced himself to move to their, his, room to sleep – not that sleep actually came, but he did get a few winks in here and there.
He had spent most of the night going over their relationship since the moment they met, trying to pinpoint the moment when she became something more to him. It was harder than he expected, but when he analyzed every single moment he could remember, he realized that it happened in the simplest and smallest ways. Random little things broke through his mental walls and he hadn't even noticed. It really had begun with their first kiss on Prometheus, but it was so incremental, he hadn't noticed. It started to catch his attention after she had destroyed the Ori's first beachhead. He hadn't collapsed merely due to the bracelets and he could now admit that.
Things had spun out of control from there on for him in regards to Vala. There were things and instances he used to keep himself as far away as he could, but they still took out pieces of his wall until it crumbled completely and left him completely exposed. Being vulnerable like that caused him to do some pretty stupid things – mainly saying horrible things in hopes that he could rebuild it, but it hadn't worked. The only purpose it served was him ruining any chance he had with Vala…and things were amazing until now.
He couldn't fault her for not believing him. After his long night of reflection, he came to the knowledge that he never once told her he loved her. Granted, those words had become hard for him to say to a woman, but how could he not have? He certainly had shown it – that he knew for a fact – so how had she not seen that he was at least attempting to tell her? He realized he had no right to be mad, this was primarily his fault, but surely him making the first move would have given her an inkling that he cared more than just a casual fling. That night screamed romantic and felt insanely intimate – that was saying a lot for him.
Despite that slightly more advanced planet of Thessa, the people still carried out simple traditions from their past. One of them being a Harvest Festival, celebrating the harvest of their fields and kicking off their Autumn type season. Daniel had enjoyed it and Vala told him it reminded her of home before it became merely a planet to her – thank you Qetesh. There was a feast, games for the children, music, dancing, and more. For some reason, the atmosphere felt…charged for him, and every time he looked at her, he felt his heart skip a beat, and his guard go down. When she asked him to dance, he was at the point where he couldn't deny her. He enjoyed holding her close and used every advantage he could to pull her closer – and he could proudly say that he didn't have a drop of alcohol that whole night. So late into the festival, when he gazed down at her bathed in the firelight, he couldn't be accused of being intoxicated when he kissed her. He knew she felt the same electricity as he – after all, he hadn't just straight up and kissed her.
They had played their little game the entire time they danced, locking gazes more often than not. There were times when he swore she was daring to do something about the tension brewing between them – and not just the night, but from the last three and a half months of living together. He eventually couldn't help himself and went for it. He never once regretted it. They became a thing from that moment, and he thought it was leading to only one place.
That is, until he screwed up big time.
How am I going to fix this?
Daniel didn't get the chance to answer his own question. A knock sounded at the door, and his heart sped up in hopes that it was Vala. He quickly bolted to the door only to find himself disappointed when it opened.
"Daniel!" one of the local women exclaimed. "Good to see you, my dear," she said in a grandmotherly way.
He forced a smile. "How are you, Emrin?" he politely inquired and squelched the urge to shut the door and resume his brooding.
"Old," she quipped in a deadpan tone. "But you don't want to hear about that. I'm looking for Vala. Is she here?"
Daniel barely stopped himself from flinching. "No, uh…she's not," he struggled to get out. He wasn't entirely sure what to say.
Emrin waved a hand. "No matter," she said, unaffected by the news. "I only came to give her these," she held out paper packets containing what felt like a fine powder.
He took them from her and frowned at them. "What are they?"
"They're for the sykdom," she didn't seem bothered by his lack of understanding. "I talked with Vala about it. She knows what to do with it."
Daniel's frown deepened. "The what?"
Emrin chuckled. "I suspect they call it something different where you're from."
He glanced down at the packets and suspected they were for medicinal use. "What exactly are they for?"
He hadn't been expecting her answer.
o0o
Vala sensed his presence before he got anywhere near her but she was too distracted to care.
She certainly didn't stop him from sweeping her hair away from her face or from him pressing his chest against her back. If any, she appreciated the small amount of comfort, no matter how hard it would be for her once she sent him away.
Daniel's hand appeared in her sightline and in it laid a white square. Her breath caught when she recognized what it was and closed her eyes in defeat when she realized he probably knew what it was for. "This will help with that," he kept her voice low and controlled but she knew when it was natural and forced for him – and he was forcing himself.
Vala ignored his offering. "I was going to tell you," she matched his tone.
"When?" she didn't like him when he was like this. It was too…eerie.
She shrugged, but he didn't accept her answer and caught her chin to guide it in his direction. Their eyes met and his stare was intense, so she cracked. "I don't know. A week maybe?"
She saw the anger brew in his eyes. "A week?" his control started to slip. "I had a right to know, Vala, and not a week from now, damn it!"
Seeing as how they were no longer keeping things pleasant, she let her own control lapse. "And I needed time!"
"Time?" he asked incredulously. "To what? Build up that damn armor of yours? I didn't spend the better part of three years breaking through that damn armor only for you to try to put it back up, and I'll be damned if I allow that – not after I've finally broken through."
She pushed away from him and arose from the ground. He was quick to follow and caught her when she stumbled. "Easy," he mumbled gently and his hand went to her face. "You okay? You're pale."
Vala shrugged him off and backed away. "You may have broken through my armor, but I certainly haven't broken through yours, and that's why I waited to tell you," she tried to explain. "I needed to make sure I wouldn't fall apart any further."
Daniel stepped towards her. "And I get that, I do," he said gingerly, "but Vala…it's my baby, too."
She inhaled sharply at the words being spoken. She tried hard not to think on that small detail – well, it was actually anything but small. She hadn't allowed herself to think about it too much and when Emrin caught onto her condition, Vala hadn't let the woman speak the words aloud. Fortunately, she seemed to understand, and simply offered something to help with the morning sickness, which she rapidly accepted. She just hadn't expected Emrin to deliver it to Daniel. That did make things messier than she wanted them to be.
"I know that, Daniel, and that's what makes this even worse." To have a child with a man who couldn't love you the way you wanted or needed was nothing short of torture.
He flinched like she struck him. "I didn't realize bearing my child was such a burden," he tried to make himself sound angry or rude, but all she heard were the undertones of hurt.
Now she felt horrible for multiple reasons, but his words seemed to bring on another wave of nausea. Daniel's expression instantly went from hurt to concerned and she assumed her face became even paler, especially when he closed the distance between them.
"Where's Gai'la?" he asked as he settled a hand on her cheek.
"Work," she mumbled and silently wondered why he was asking.
Daniel sighed and released her cheek only to grab her hand. "Let's get you inside and see how well Emrin's magic powders work," he held up the paper square again. He didn't give her a chance to respond and began pulling her into the house.
They were familiar with Gai'la and her house – they had become great friends over the last six months – and he instantly began to grab what he needed to prepare the crushed plant the planet's alternative medicine woman gave him. She just sat and watched, trying to figure out where to go from here. Damn Emrin. If only she hadn't found Daniel before her. That would have saved her all of this heartache.
Vala wasn't lying when she said she would have told him in a week or so. She really did need time. He may have been right in saying that it was her to build up what he called her 'armor.' But that plan was shot to hell and she didn't know what to do about it now – and it wasn't like she had adequate time to come up now.
"Drink," he commanded gently and set a cup in front of her.
She grabbed the cup. "Thank you," she murmured before taking a sip.
o0o
Daniel watched her as she took the next few sips before jumping into it. Hopefully it worked as well as Emrin claimed.
Finding out he was going to be a father from a woman he'd only known for a couple of months wasn't ideal nor how he ever imagined it. But he was thankful in a way. He fully believed Vala when she said she would have eventually told him, but he was glad he knew now, before things between them could go even further south. He headed for her the second after Emrin explained how to prepare the powders only to find her outside the small cottage their friend, Gai'la owned, throwing up in the bushes. He didn't think, only reacted.
Now it was time for answers.
Taking a seat across from her, he asked. "Why?" He worked hard to keep tone neutral. The last they needed was for this to turn into a shouting match.
Vala narrowed her eyes at him. "I already told you."
"So you were already planning on leaving me when you ambushed me yesterday?" He internally chastised himself at the slight bite to his words. He came to the conclusion when he found out about the baby and remembered that she pre-packed a bag.
"What?" she said in a horrified tone.
He leaned forward. "You could've told me about the baby before you started with the Spanish Inquisition, so why didn't you?" She bit her lip and looked away. He knew he hit the nail on the head. He recognized guilt when he saw it. "You were," he stated, but there was no malice or anger in his words.
He knew why she had done it, even if she didn't.
"I didn't!" she immediately denied, but then her face became confused. "Well, at least not intentionally. I just…had to know."
Vala Mal Doran has a defense mechanism and she used to deploy it often before they became teammates and eventual friends. He certainly hadn't seen it during their time on Thessa, and he assumed it was dormant, but it had been inadvertently triggered by the pregnancy – he wasn't even sure if she realized it yet. He did though. He recognized it the second he found out she was pregnant and felt slightly stupid for not seeing it sooner.
"You needed to know that I was with you because of you, and not for the baby," he stated. "That you were the reason for me staying."
Bingo.
Her facial expression said it all. "Is that so unreasonable?" she whispered. "I needed to know if you would stay for the right reasons."
"I get it," he really did. There was nothing worse than having someone being with you for the wrong reasons. "Vala, I'm sorry."
She frowned at him. "What?"
Daniel leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. "I know I have trouble with saying it, but I thought I had at least showed you how I felt," that was a huge mistake on his part. "I didn't realize until last night that I never actually said those words to you. I guess I relied too much on actions."
"Daniel –"
He couldn't let her go on. He needed to get this out. "You've always been a 'actions speak louder than words' kind of girl. You've told me on multiple occasions your father gave you empty promises and words didn't mean the same – actions always tell the whole story…and I guess unintentionally took advantage of that. For that, I truly am sorry. You deserve more."
Vala let out a watery chuckle that soundless mirthless. "What you say is true," she conceded and bit her lip before continuing, "but with you…I always knew I could trust whatever came out of your mouth. You were the first honest man I met and you never lied to me. I think that's why I believe what you said to Samantha that day."
He sighed heavily. "Tell me what you need me to say or do to make you believe me and I'll do."
She smiled sadly at him. "It's not that simple."
"For you, maybe," he retorted. God, how had things gotten so screwed up? "I wish I could go back and do things differently," he mumbled.
"And make you say something you're not ready for?"
He met her eyes. "Who said I wasn't ready?" his voice was even and unwavering, clearly communicating his meaning.
"Daniel –"
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna say it until I know you'll believe me," he cut her off. "But I'm sure as hell will the second you finally do – that's a promise."
She inhaled sharply and looked down at her lap. "I don't know how to respond to that."
"And you don't have to. I know you probably think I'm only saying this because of the baby, but if you're ever gonna believe anything that comes out of my mouth ever again, believe this – I didn't choose you because you were convenient. I chose you because –" he swallowed the words that were the absolute truth but not right for the moment, "because you're Vala Mal Doran. How could I not?"
Vala glanced back up and studied him. "What does that even mean?"
Daniel chuckled. "It means you're the woman who kicked my ass and hijacked my ship. The woman who bonded us together with stupid bracelets, who risked her life for the good of the galaxy more than once, the woman who chose everyone else over her own child," he took a risk and lean forward to grab her hand and his heart lightened when she didn't pull away. "You're the woman who broke through every single defense I had and left me vulnerable and exposed. You may not know this, but when I have nothing protecting me, I lash out – that's what you heard in Sam's lab. She pointed it out and my defenses were already on thin ice and I did what I could to protect myself, but I never wanted you to hear that."
She appeared to be digesting his words, and he held his breath as she did, anticipating her response. "Why are things different here?" she whispered as if she was almost afraid of the answer.
He remembered their argument from yesterday and held back a sigh. "I didn't answer that question yesterday because I honestly don't know if we would've gotten together had we never got stranded," he reiterated his earlier answer. "There were more things I could use to keep us apart at home – subconsciously, I mean. But here? It's just you and me. No missions that could get you killed. No Goa'uld infested Trust to kidnap you again. No Ex-husbands attempting to steal you away."
Vala raised her eyebrows before they shot down in a frown. "This was about you being afraid to lose me?"
Daniel swallowed hard. "Yeah, what else?" he admitted quietly. "Losing Sha're drove me to the edge but losing you would push me over. I can't do that, Vala – I won't."
Tears filled her eyes and he grew worried. It hadn't been his goal to upset her.
"I mean that much to you?" she whispered in awe.
Wow. He really was a terrible boyfriend.
He squeezed her hand. "That's something you should've never had to ask. I'm sorry you ever doubted it– that never knew just how much you mean."
He would make sure it never happened again. Once he finally succeeded in making her believe him, he would remind her every chance he got until she was sick of it – even then, he would continue.
Vala took a shaky breath before meeting his eyes. "Tell me," she gently demanded.
He frowned. "What?" Tell her what? He already explained everything…right?
She sighed in exasperation and his brows furrowed further. "Tell me," she emphasized again. "I'll believe you," she added softly after a small pause.
Oh! Daniel smiled as he felt elation spread through him and he grabbed her other hand. "I love you, Vala Mal Doran," he told as earnestly as he could muster. "I think I have from the moment I saw you emerge from the 'gate after we set up that trap for Adria."
She half chuckled, half laughed. "Seriously?"
He smiled and nodded. "But I knew for certain at the weirdest moment," he confessed. She tilted her head at him in a silent question. "It wasn't some grand significant scene. We were just going to some random planet on a routine mission. We had just gotten back from the Odyssey and were spouting off cliché proverbs. You looked at me and said, 'Life is too short,' and just like that…I knew."
Vala smiled. "I remember feeling the same," she told him, and he didn't doubt it.
That moment seemed to have ignited something between the two of them that couldn't be stopped. And here they were, almost nine months later. If only it hadn't taken them that long.
"Come home," he begged softly. "We've already wasted too much time."
"Okay."
o0o
A pinging noise caught his attention and he shifted his focus to where it was originating from.
He frowned. "Sir," Major Kevin Marks called out and waited to grab the man's attention.
The commander of the Odyssey turned to him. "What is it, Major?" Colonel Davidson asked, coming up to him.
"I'm picking up two of our subcutaneous transmitters," Marks explained with confusion.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one. "How's that possible?" he inquired and leaned over the Major's shoulder. "This quadrant of space is primarily devoid of planets and the few there are, don't have any Stargates."
Marks nodded. "I'm aware of that, sir," he said respectfully. "Are any of our other ships supposed to be somewhere around here?"
"No," Davidson tapped the screen to view the intel. "We're the only one scheduled to be here. Besides, if it was another one of our ships, there'd be more than two signals."
"An SGC mission, perhaps?" Marks guessed again. "Possibly one that went awry?"
The Colonel ran his hand over his jaw. "Possibly," he conceded to the possibility. "Our long-range coms should work out here. Contact the SGC and confirm. Report back once you have something."
"Yes sir."
o0o
She couldn't believe it.
After seventeen months missing and over a year searching, Samantha Carter had all but given up hope on ever finding her lost friends. That is, until the Odyssey picked up two lone subcutaneous signals where none of their people should and all of their people were accounted for – all but two. The transmitters were specifically designed and transmitted on a frequency unique to the SGC, so the chances of someone using them to set a trap were slim.
"Carter, calm down," General Jack O'Neill grumbled from beside her. "You're making the ship rock."
Sam smiled cheekily at him. "Like you aren't excited to see them again?" she challenged. "And do you know the statistical probability of me actually producing enough –"
"Ah!" Jack put up a hand and stocked her in her tracks before she could start spouting her technobabble. "I'll take your word for it."
She smiled triumphantly.
He moved closer. "You should consider the alternative," he mumbled in a warning. "We don't know what we'll find."
Sam refused to consider it – she had seventeen months ago and she would now. "We know they escaped."
"On a Cargo ship that was heavily damaged," Jack retorted. "We don't know what happened when Vala engaged the hyperdrive."
She shifted her eyes to him. "But we now know it didn't implode when she did," she pointed out. "If it had, their transmitters wouldn't be active. The signal also happens to be originating from a planet we know for a fact is habitable and doesn't have a Stargate."
"Sam," he whispered.
"I'm choosing to believe they're okay," she cut him off before he caution her again about her optimism.
Jack looked at her for a few seconds before nodding slowly. "Okay."
"My money's on Vala," Cameron Mitchell chimed in from a few feet away, Teal'c standing next to him. "It isn't the first time she's disappeared in a ship only to end up somewhere safe. She took care of them."
"Indeed," Teal'c concurred.
"Well, we're about to find out," Jack stated and gestured to the window as they came up on the planet.
Sam moved away from them and went over to Marks, leaning over him. "What've you got?" she asked, barely holding in her impatience.
"Transmitters appear to be in a populated area of the planet," Marks replied. "Appears to be a village or town of sorts."
She shot her husband an 'I told you so,' look before refocusing on the monitor. "They appear to be moving," she heard her own relief in her voice and smiled.
They were alive.
"Davidson, drop SG-1 and myself off on the edge of the village closest to where they are," Jack commanded, and she heard his relief and happiness.
"With pleasure, sir."
o0o
"This it?" Jack inquired as he took off his sunglasses to stare at the small stone cottage.
"Yep. This is where the signal is coming from," Sam confirmed.
"It's cute," Jack commented.
It wasn't something he expected to find the two of them living in, but it was on the skirts of the main settlement and quiet. He could understand why Daniel might have chosen it, especially if the natives weren't as friendly as one would hope.
"So," Mitchell said after a pause, "do we just go up and knock?"
"Pretty much," Jack confirmed.
The four of them walked to the door in unison – in SG-1 fashion – and knocked on the door.
Shuffling and low voices could be heard from outside and one grew closer before the door opened to reveal his best friend.
"Jack," Daniel said in surprise and looked at the rest. "Guys."
"Space money," Jack greeted and felt a smile grow. He should've known Carter was right – hell, he should've known Daniel would make it out of another scrape unscathed.
Daniel gapped for a second before composing himself. "Sorry, it's just…I never thought I'd see you all again."
Jack gave him an expectant look. "You gonna leave us standing out here?" before Daniel could answer, a cry was let out from further in the house, and he raised his eyes expectantly. "What was that?"
The others all shared a look before focusing on Daniel, who smiled softly at all of them, and opened the door further. Vala stood further in the room, holding a small bundle wrapped in dark green. She smiled brightly and waved as best she could.
Daniel walked over to Vala and wrapped an arm around her. "Come meet our son."
The End.