Bendy time to a couple of days after Geartopia Shore Leave

[valaunbound]

Sprawled out on her front, right in the middle of the spacewalk, is one Vala Mal Doran. She's booked out a mini-player video thingy from the Media Library and is watching re-runs of 'Dallas' of all things, idly kicking her legs around in the air behind her. Maybe the recent shore leave gave her the taste for cowboy hats as she's still sporting the one that she got on Geartopia, and maybe she thinks it gives her that Pam Ewing look when she's at the ranch.

Vala looks like she was simply lying on any floor. Except because it's the spacewalk, it looks like there's a woman in a cowboy hat and pigtails floating in space. Not your everyday scene, but she's as relaxed as if it were. She's decided she quite likes it here, if she can see the stars then she can imagine being back home and maybe she can fool herself into thinking she's back on the Odyssey on her way to Atlantis. There's also not too many people around - and in particular, no Daniel.

She's been avoiding him ever since the great big shiner popped up on her cheekbone. Somehow she didn't think he'd be particularly impressed if he knew she'd been in a bar fight. So if he saw it then she'd have to make up all these lies about how she got it and maybe it was just best to give him a wide berth instead. That way she didn't have to lie.

Comments

[hi_there_aliens]

Oh come on, the show wasn't that interesting! "And you do realize you have a pause button."

Giving him five minutes of her time wasn't nearly the chore she made it out to be. The look on his face could only be defined as either dumbfounded or steadily annoyed. It wasn't like he was about to debrief her on the significance of runes recently found on a set of ruins SG-4 stumbled across.

"Yes, about the night you came into my room," he clarified. Not the day of, not the morning after, he wanted to talk about that night. "You asked something of me. I'd like to know what you meant."

[valaunbound]

"Well it wasn't accidental that I just pressed it." Vala flashed him the paused screen as evidence that she was indeed aware, petulant sarcasm not withheld. Look, there, see, already done it.

She asked him something? What had she asked him? Oh that... the entire reason she was laying low given why she'd got into a bar fight. The momentary confusion followed up by that sinking look on her face was all more then evident. If she hadn't pulled the hat brim forwards another inch or two and completely obscured her sizeable purple souvenir that is. Enjoy your conversation with a brown suede hat, Daniel.

"You'll have to jog my memory," she floundered, buying time.

[hi_there_aliens]

He jumped on the slip immediately. "Exactly, there you go. You're not going to miss anything."

Daniel saw it across her face the moment the hazy memory of the night in question returned to her. And if that wasn't enough to implicate her, Vala making the sudden decision that her hat was just as good as any fortress kind of sealed her fate.

Biting his lip, Daniel considered the hat wall. "You know what I'm talking about." What he didn't see the point of was Vala lying about it. They both knew she remembered enough. She might as well save herself the trouble. Them she could get back to her "cultural immersion". He crouched at her side, a sure sign he wasn't going anywhere else fast now. Cocking his head, he tried to peer under the brim.

"Can we please talk about this like adults?"

[valaunbound]

Vala pursed her lips, tapping the screen with a finger thoughtfully as he hunkered down to speak to her at her level. She turned her head away from him, his perfectly reasonable request breaking through her resolve. He always had this way of pushing until she couldn't keep it up any longer.

Resignedly she removed the hat and faced him properly. There was no use in trying to hide it anymore, he was going to notice it sooner or later and she might as well be the one to relent.

Besides, lying was still an option. Vala smiled at him guiltily, her eyelid was an interesting marbled effect of purples and yellows, her purple cheekbone outlined with orange definitely larger on that side of her face and her eye didn't quite open all the way. All in all it was a bit of a mess.

"You're right. Of course we can."

[hi_there_aliens]

Vala suddenly turned. She removed the hat and smiled at him. All thoughts of being as stubborn as possible until she went and told him something suddenly took a trip out the nearest window. The idea that she might have put the hat on to hide something wasn't something he'd remotely considered for even a second. He wasn't prepared for what happened when she took it off. His jaw fell open.

Vala's face was a mess. The smile might have been lopsided, but attractive-lopsided, on any other day, but today wasn't it. It ended up looking ugly, and worse, painful for her. A rainbow of bruises mottled her face. The area around her eye looked puffy. The only good part was that they didn't look extremely recent, but considering the last time he saw her wasn't that long ago, and she'd been fine then...

Daniel's mouth closed with an audible click of teeth. "What the hell happened to you? Who did this?"

[valaunbound]

Vala bit her lip and considered her options. He wouldn't be that mad at her if she told him the truth, right? No, on second thoughts he probably would. Okay how about an economical truth? That could work. But then there was Jamie and if Daniel spoke to Jamie, well all bets were off. She swears she was going to tell the truth Daniel, absolutely and emphatically, it was on the tip of her tongue...

It just didn't seem to come out that way when her mouth opened. "I was attacked on the planet. Some local thugs decided I must have been easy prey."

Well it wasn't a complete lie, they did attack her.

[hi_there_aliens]

This wasn't at all what he expected to hear. Sure, Jamie mentioned that they'd essentially gotten the evil eye from some of the locals, but to think anyone would stoop to this level of violence... and for what? He wasn't so sure it mattered. There was no excuse to attack someone like this. Daniel couldn't take his eyes off the bruises marring her face. There was a spectacular explosion of purple on her cheek that he couldn't look at without wincing. Why didn't she come to him? Anybody, like security?

He almost asked her if she was okay, did it hurt? Daniel stopped it from reaching his mouth. Stupid question. Of course it hurt, of course she wasn't okay.

"You haven't been to the infirmary, have you," he said. No bandages, no sign of aid that he could see. He straightened his knees, then offered a hand. "We can talk about it after you get some help."

[valaunbound]

"It's only bruising Daniel, I hardly think a trip to the infirmary is called for," Vala all but laughed the suggestion off, ignoring the twinge of soreness in her cheek that the movement caused and his proffered hand. Yes it hurt, but it would heal, it wasn't like she'd broken anything or it needed stitches.

Vala had no intention of going, she still hadn't had her medical assessment and she'd been on the ship for what felt like weeks now. Everything that had happened with Athena back in Colorado was far too recent to willingly subject herself to prodding and poking by people she didn't know. Especially on an alien ship where she didn't know the doctors. Letting Carolyn subject to her tests had been a stretch and that was with Daniel vouching for her.

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel's hand dropped to rest on his knee as he stared at her, completely dumbfounded. "Vala, someone tried to turn your face into an abstract painting. Doesn't it hurt? Why wouldn't you want to get something for it?"

And besides, Vala didn't exactly strike him as the doctor-type. It wasn't like she could tell for sure if she didn't have any fractures or anything. Any visit to the infirmary wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but at least she'd know if something was wrong. She didn't have to take treatment if she didn't want to, but it was better than being left in the dark, and then getting an unwanted surprise later.

He sat down. Folded his legs. Settled his hands on them. If Vala thought he'd leave before, he certainly wasn't now. It was a clear sign. He wasn't going anywhere.

"At least tell me what happened."

[valaunbound]

Abstract? "If it were abstract Daniel, then no of course it wouldn't hurt," Vala looked at him like he'd gone mad, why would he compare it to a theoretical concept? "I assure you it's quite real, unless I dreamt the whole debacle and somehow it manifested itself into reality, which seems a fairly abstract concept in itself."

Him making no sense gave her the perfect opportunity to easily skim over the questions. Yes it hurt, but only marginally and only when she moved her face the wrong way or if she touched it. Besides, if she went to get it checked out, aside from her obvious fears, there would be questions.

Daniel sat down beside her making his intentions to talk her round more than obvious and because she had a twinge of guilt that he might be concerned for her over events of her own making, she gave him nothing but sarcasm and an eyeroll in return. Obviously.

"Well some theoretical men followed me out of a bar that wasn't a bar at all and jumped me. I retaliated."

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel's face found its way into his palm. "An abstract painting. Art that doesn't necessarily represent figures or objects. Sometimes they'd use shapes or splotches of color to get the effect."

Just don't ask him to explain it more in depth. Art history was never his field, and what he did know, was that abstract art went a lot further than what he just said. Personally, he preferred the stuff of antiquity, cave paintings, tomb reliefs, maybe a fresco that told of a recent coronation. Daniel wasn't nearly as interested as going into the subject as he was about getting to the bottom of Vala's injuries.

What was with the eyeroll? He was trying to help!

His stomach sank. A bunch of guys tried to attack her. Deliberately waited for her to get alone and jumped her. Somehow it didn't surprise him that she fought back, and he hoped she gave them a hell of a fight, but she obviously hadn't gotten off lightly herself.

Daniel hesitated then had to ask. "You're sure you're okay...?"

[valaunbound]

So basically a child's painting, one that bore no resemblance whatsoever to anything ever. Well she supposed that made sense regarding the bruise, not that she'd actually been able to locate a mirror in which to inspect it with. She had no idea just how bad it looked, but not for want of trying - self diagnosis from actually seeing it might have told her perhaps she did need to get it checked out by a professional.

The lie had been almost too easy though, inwardly she congratulated herself for her prowess in flawless dishonesty. Possibly a little too blazé given she didn't factor Jamie into the equation at all.

"It's fine, it's just a little sore." That tiny white lie wasn't quite as flawless given she looked away while she said it, she found lying much easier when she covered the truth with a slew of facetious comments.

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel laced his fingers together over his knees, eyes tracing over the bruises on her face thoughtfully as if hoping they'd paint more of a picture about what happened than Vala was offering. He'd never had quite the same mess on his face himself. Daniel did, however, still remember what it felt to have a similar set of bruises all over the rest of him, thanks to the Touched. Walking back to the Stargate at the time was something of a dazed ache. That was before the pain fully set it. He'd landed on his ass in an undignified sprawl on the SGC ramp the moment he cleared the event horizon. He didn't have to say anything at the time, but Doctor Fraiser took one look at his face. She knew. It was all she needed to tell just how much everything hurt.

Daniel didn't see why Vala insisted on acting like it wasn't a big deal. Getting attacked was bad enough. Even if she'd retaliated, driven them off, she still should see someone. Or talk. Or do something.

"The tough act's never done anyone any good, you know," he said quietly. "It's okay to admit it hurts."

[valaunbound]

"Well it certainly won't do me any harm," she replied in the same subdued tones. Vala didn't know where to look when Daniel's eyes wandered over her face. It was almost uncomfortable, like he was looking into her and trying to read her. No matter where she held her gaze she could see him in the corner of her eye searching her, probably for a truth. She wished he'd look at her like that under normal circumstances, with that same level of intimacy. But not when her face looked like she'd ended up on the losing side of a territorial fight with an Unas, and certainly not when she was blatantly lying to him.

"Which is more than I can say for Doctors I don't know, who work on--for a ship that can read our minds for god only knows what purpose." She didn't cover the hint of fear that was accompanied with that statement. Daniel knew what was buried in her mind, it didn't need mentioning.

"Yes it hurts, but I'll take minor discomfort over risking who even knows what they'll try to do to me with their wires and attachments and probes, thank you."

[hi_there_aliens]

"Actually it could. If you're injured and don't know it, you might aggravate it. Not that I'm that kind of doctor or anything," Daniel tacked on quickly. Seemed like a common sense kind of thing. It also never seemed to occur to any of SG-1 on the field, something that would, he could feel, cause Janet a mass of gray hairs one day.

Seriously, what was with Vala avoiding his eyes? Daniel shifted into a more comfortable position, switched his legs so they didn't strain his knees so much. He wasn't judging her here. It wasn't her fault a bunch of thugs followed her out. That was completely on them. He was just glad she was relatively okay. It could've been so much worse. Daniel took another look at the biggest bruise and winced a little. Not that what she ended up with looked like any fun, but maybe she didn't like him staring at them.

Which made sense. Who would like it? Daniel let his eyes drift back to the nebulae around them, taking in the swirling colors, some of which were only a shade or two off from the bruises. It worked as a distraction until he caught the fear lurking in her voice. Daniel looked back at her.

"I hate to break it to you, but if they wanted to do anything questionable, they already had the perfect opportunity while we were in the pods."

[valaunbound]

"Fine, I'll heal it myself then." Vala said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she pushed herself up to her feet from the lounging position she'd kept for the entire duration of this conversation. She'd left her healing device in Daniel's lab the day she broke the Mummy and hadn't bothered to retrieve it since, despite being back more than a few times - read daily. She hadn't seen the need. And when there finally had been a need, Vala for obvious reasons had chosen to stay well away from the Science department as a whole. Now he'd seen the injury though and she'd successfully skimmed over the circumstances surrounding it, her earlier reticence was no longer an obstacle.

"And stop wincing at my face," she added, irked by his empathetic gesture - one she really didn't deserve. "Anyone would think it was you with the compromised cheekbone structure."

Vala started to walk away, purpose in her stride. The sooner it was healed the sooner he'd stop probing hopefully. "Thankfully, I can't remember that because hello," she held her hands out to emphasise the point sarcastically, "I'm not sure about you but I was definitely in some kind of stasis and unaware. I'm certainly not about to go and offer the ship free second helpings though. And that goes for their silly 'mandatory' medical examination too."

[hi_there_aliens]

"Sorry." Daniel's cheeks went pink. Caught. He looked away.

Right. She was able to use Goa'uld technology, like Kendra. She'd suffered the mass of bruises rather than take care of it until now. Why? Because, he remembered with a further flush of embarrassment, he kicked her out of his lab and never told her she could come back. He hadn't actually considered ever doing again while the Taleen dig stuff remained in there. Now that she was injured, actually needed the device, there wasn't any way he would tell her no.

Daniel got to his feet. He had to close his eyes to avoid the dizzying sensation of standing up in thin air. As locales went, the spacewalk was gorgeous, amazing, but not exactly doing wonders for his stomach when he let it get to him. The vertigo passed finally. Daniel hurried after her, arms crossed over his chest. He just couldn't understand why she was being so difficult. No, he didn't like it either, but it was required.

"Yes, but I'm just saying. They already had a chance, so I don't think they want to do anything. And if you don't do the medical exam, you can't go on missions. So you wouldn't be able to..." Daniel bit the rest off. It wasn't as if Vala had a pressing reason to get off the ship. He went off for several reasons, curiosity being one of them, but finding a way to help Sha're and Skaara was easily the biggest factor. It was like going through the Stargate back in their universe. Every time he set foot on a new planet, there was at least the chance they might find out where they were, or find some new technology. Maybe he could find something in these planets and universes.

Once he found something, then it was just a matter of getting back to a world that....hopefully wasn't actually destroyed. Piece of cake.

"Never mind. But I'm coming with you." Daniel finished. No way she was going into his lab unsupervised. She did enough damage supervised.

[valaunbound]

If Daniel's apology hadn't made her feel guilty for snapping at him, especially given the reason for her irritation was already his misplaced sympathy, she'd have probably enjoyed the flush of his cheeks. Instead she was left with an uncomfortable feeling that she didn't know how to shake. She'd started down this path of 'omitted truths' now though, and there was no turning back.

"You're kidding right?" Vala stopped and turned to face Daniel, clearly pissed off about that rather significant piece of information. She couldn't go on missions without it? Well there went her hopes of visiting as many planets as possible in search of a Stargate. Because the moment she found one she was dialling Earth to check for herself what was waiting at the other side. Not take some race's word for it that had never even deemed to show themselves to her.

"I was allowed off for shore leave, what makes Stacy's wild duck chase missions so different?" She didn't bother replying to his announcement that he was coming with, she was quite sure she had zero chance of changing that, and it made no difference to her. This feeling of nagging guilt that lurked in the pit of her stomach wasn't going anywhere soon, with or without him.

[hi_there_aliens]

His face certainly didn't look like it was kidding.

Daniel stopped on his heels and only cocked an eyebrow as he looked down at her. It wasn't like these were his policies. Or his ship. It was either Stacy, Leon's or the Daligig's policies, and regardless of what he thought of the Daligig as the big unknown factor, the policy did make sense. It wasn't much different than what the SGC asked of them. Vala claimed she was part of the SGC, she should be used to it by now.

"Because we're going into completely foreign territory and we'll be representing the ship, rather than a controlled environment. It's not much different than the exam you might get before going abroad." Yelling at him, not that she was, yet, wasn't going to change anything He rolled his eyes. The arms stayed folded across his chest. "I thought you didn't want to get involved on these missions anyway."

She'd made a point of not wanting to risk her neck earlier. She didn't have to. Daniel, on the other hand, saw every reason otherwise to go.

[valaunbound]

"Having never been anywhere except Washington and Colorado Springs, because I have to beg to be allowed offbase, I wouldn't know!" Not that it was a sore point that frustrated her, not at all. Vala was more than irritated now and had quite happily slipped into blame Daniel for absolutely everything ever mode. Plus he was standing there with his arms all folded and being all logical.

"I don't. But what if there's a Stargate out there somewhere?" Vala gestured towards the myriad of stars that decorated the view. "One of those planets is bound to have one sooner or later. I mean the Ancients didn't just litter our galaxy with them, and the moment I find one I'm dialling home."

"So basically it's a case of let them wire me up or..." The only alternative she could think of was 'borrowing' a ship from the hangar, she chose not to share that particular idea with Daniel, "or just stay here and do nothing?"

[hi_there_aliens]

Oh. Just like Teal'c.Since he was an alien, he was usually confined to base, or unless he had someone from the SGC around. Vala was one too, even if she didn't exactly have quite the same clear indication like the emblem or the larval pouch. It didn't seem fair. Earth had a lot to offer, and Teal'c, at least, had risked himself time and again for her. Daniel's eyes crinkled in embarrassment. "Well, then the standard procedure for the SG teams is as good an example as any."

The Ancients? Not a set of aliens he recognized, but it was a possible confirmation of something he'd been trying to push this year. He knew it! Daniel's face lit up for a brief moment, pleased at this development despite having an upset Vala in his face. There wasn't any way the Goa'uld could've built the Stargate system, he just knew it. They were parasitical, not just biologically, and scavengers, their society built around this fact and the Stargates. They might have pyramids ships but they weren't capable of the creating technology of that level.

"And that's your grand plan?" Daniel repeated. Like he hadn't already thought of it. His hands found their way to his hips. "Assuming we even have an Earth in this universe, what if they have an iris? Or assuming you pick any other planet, what if the gate's at the bottom of an ocean? Or in a war zone?"

It wasn't as simple as finding a gate and dialing out. If he didn't think he had a better chance on Stacy, he'd have done the same and tried to get back to his Earth. But logic and the pragmatic side of him had to admit that Stacy at the moment, made sense. Besides, the visitation day had given him another reason to hesitate. He'd gotten proof Jack was here, even if only for a day. It was hard to fake just how much of a pain the Colonel was, but it was enough for Daniel. Maybe the rest of SG-1 was here. Maybe not awake, but they were here. He couldn't leave them if there was a chance.

Eva came to mind. Before the hostage mess and her stint in the brig, she'd worked in the department that dealt with ship defense. Something about cannons.

"Maybe not nothing. It's a big ship, there's a lot to explore," he said. "I'm sure you can find something to do in a department at the very least."

Just not his lab.

[valaunbound]

"Well it's better than your non-existent plan." Vala threw her hands up in the air in frustration. How was he was so willing to just carry on as if everything was normal, pottering about with his bits of pottery? Oh maybe that was where the word came from originally? Pottering; a verb meaning the pointless and mind numbing inspection of old vases, urns and mosaic pieces, but ultimately serving no useful purpose.

"You may be content to wile your days away just accepting the story that you're being fed Daniel. But I'm not. If your Earth has been destroyed then explain me and-and all the things I know that you don't! Things that haven't happened to you yet, but they will!"

roflmao. your pottery line is lovely

[hi_there_aliens]

The urge to shake her was so strong that Daniel had to move his hands from his hips to wrapped around his chest. "I'm not! I have my own reasons for staying onboard and going on missions, none of which are any of your business. If you know me that well, you'd know that."

Guess she didn't after all, Daniel thought snidely. Why was he even trusting her to any degree? Jack wouldn't. He'd be suspicious. Just because she knew a few things about the SGC, as a whole, it was claims. Lots of claims and nothing nearly that concrete. For all he knew, she was going off his reactions and expanding, like reading a person.

Daniel started to walk again. If she wanted to follow, fine. If she didn't, even better. Whatever she chose, Daniel just wanted to get her in and out of the lab as quickly as possible. Being told that he was swallowing whatever they gave him mindlessly, as if he hadn't already thought of all this, which he had, thank you, and better yet, he was sitting on his ass, not doing a thing for Sha're or trying to help the others was just it. He didn't nearly get his ass shot off on Orya or Galilee for nothing.

"For all we know, things got changed because of this very event," he tossed over his shoulder. Time travel, even the theory and mechanics of it, might not be his area of expertise, but he could still feel around its edges. "Maybe all these things you know about me won't ever happen now."

[valaunbound]

Vala snorted out a sarcastic laugh at that. "Oh so you're testing me now? I should have seen that coming." She gestured wildly with her hands, keeping up speed with him as he walked and tagging him from behind his shoulder. He wasn't getting away that easily. She knew exactly why he was going on the missions, or she had an inkling at least.

"Maybe you don't even believe I was part of SG-1 either? Because if I think back, you weren't so keen on the idea in the first place. Oh you couldn't wait to get rid of me. Why would anything be different second time around? Vala Mal Doran, the thief and liar. Obviously not good enough for your exclusive little Stargate club. I suppose you expect me to jump through hoops again just to prove myself. Maybe I could fly right into the last open space of the unfinished Supergate and stop the Ori building a gateway into our galaxy again, just to see if I actually die this time? That could be fun."

Vala was fuming, she was on a roll and nothing could have stopped her at this point, she was barely pausing for breath. "And you know what? If all this has changed everything, then I never will be a part of SG-1." And then where would she be? She didn't want that to be true, and if she didn't want it to be true then there was no way she was accepting the possibility that this could change the timeline completely. "It was only because of my foolish misplaced attraction to you and your expertise in translating Ancient that I even came to Earth in the first place! But why would you care about that? I mean I'm nothing to you, am I? Well how about the fact you finally manage to defeat the System Lords? Want to change that too? In fact if your 'theory'" she actually made little quote gestures with her fingers, "is right. Then maybe, just maybe I'll simply vanish from existence. Poof. And then you can continue hopelessly looking for your wife in a galaxy that's still largely ruled by Apophis's oppressive regime."

[hi_there_aliens]

She was the one who kept insisting she knew him so well! Vala should bottle up the bitter sarcasm and sell it, he thought sourly. She obviously had plenty to spare and was more than willing to share it with the world, him in particular. All the words went over his head. The Ori, proving herself, like he had any idea what she was talking about, flying ships into a gateway. Humans actually defeating the System Lords. All these at best felt like abstract concepts, just words at this point. Little pieces here and there as to who she was, and here she was, shoving them at him and expecting him to already know the full picture. She'd followed him around for days, demanding and demanding from him. No matter what he did, it didn't seem to make a difference.

The frustration boiled over like pot left on too long.

"What do you want from me?!" Daniel flung his hands up. He tried to be understanding, patient, and usually, he thought he did a decent job of it, only surpassed by Teal'c. Then again, that was dealing with other cultures, diplomacy, which were something you looked at from a certain reserved perspective. It didn't usually come prying, poking and prodding at him from every single angle, finding out the most personal spots and weaknesses.

Daniel rubbed his cheek, trying to get his anger under control. Vala wanted to be immature, He didn't have to be. He could deal with this like an adult. "I"m sorry that happened to you and I'm sorry you feel that way. But you keep comparing me to this guy I'm not."

He stopped suddenly. And how did she know his wife was missing in the first place? He'd only mentioned that he was married. He'd said nothing else about it to her. It didn't escape his notice that she'd thrown in the fact that it was a hopeless search.

"What're you talking about?" Daniel demanded. "How did you know she's gone?"