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Sam hadn’t quite thought it through when she had invited Vala Mal Doran back to her place one time and breezily said ‘Make yourself at home’ as she went to prepare drinks, or dinner, she can’t quite remember.
Somehow, over the following months Vala had managed to make the comment a literal one and Sam found her spare bedroom was no longer permanently empty. What had once become a dumping ground of boxed items she would ‘get to later’, soon became a living space, with all manner of weird and wonderful Earth culture collectibles Vala managed to get her hands on.
Sam soon learned Vala was a collector of everything, if it intrigued her, she bought it, no matter what it was or when it was from. Some even found their way out of the spare room and into the other areas of the house, shelving in the living area, the kitchen counter, even the bathroom.
Daniel had asked her once if Vala was now living with her and Sam couldn’t deny it, even though Vala still had a room on the base and technically, technically wasn’t allowed to live outside of the SGC facility. If General Landry had an issue with it, he’d never voiced his concerns and it wasn’t like Vala stayed every night, but only because sometimes a mission would keep them off world for a day or two.
Sam found she liked the company, she liked Vala, even though she was a loose cannon at times. Sam liked her style, her energy and it was nice to have a female companion. She loved the guys, but she missed her bond with Janet, a friendship she’d never be able to truly replicate, but Vala was a good addition to her small of groups of friends, her family. She guessed Vala appreciated a female companion too, as much as they all got on together, sometimes you just needed a little girl talk.
Sam never once betrayed the trust Vala put in her when she would often, late of an evening, speak of her experiences when she’d been a Go’auld host. Sam could somewhat relate, only in that she had once been joined with Jolinar, and the residual feelings still existed all these years later, despite it having been a brief bonding. She couldn’t begin to imagine what years of such melding must have been like, a prisoner in your own body. Vala had often cried, Sam had sometimes held her and the next day Vala would be back to her old self and Sam would feel like she’d helped a little, in her own way.
Never once had she shared those conversations with the guys. It was Vala’s story to tell. In kind she told of her own story, from losing her mother at an early age, the ups and downs of relationships and balancing a career, the many missions she’d been on, the lost lovers, the pressure of being the one person everyone relied on to save the world from impending doom. And Vala listened, no judgement, no advice, simply an ear to hear.
So now home was, homey – comfortable, content. No longer just a stopping place until the next mission. Sam hadn’t ever wanted a room-mate, always happy with her own company, until now. If she ever had to go away for conferences or research at area 51, she was always restless until she was able to return home, to her little house, that no longer had a spare room.
- Fin -