Work Text:
I'm Yours
Vala hated laundry…but then some days she didn't mind it and found it soothing. Today was one of those days. Today was a day where she got the cleaning bug and decided the whole house needed to be cleaned.
Over the last few months, she had begun to notice a pattern that whenever Daniel was offworld, she got like this. She could only take the SGC for so long before she headed home. Ever since they moved in together, and then married shortly after, she preferred to spend her downtime in their home rather than underground.
Vala was free to roam Earth without supervision and refused to stay on the base when she could enjoy the fresh air and sunshine instead.
The buzz of the dryer had her roaming thoughts sharpened and focused. She abandoned the vacuum, which she detested with a passion, to start on the freshly laundered clothes. She'd make Daniel do it when he got back.
She checked her watch and noted he should arrive within an hour at most, depending on how the post off world protocols went.
Just as she scooped the last of the warm laundry into the basket, Vala heard the doorbell go off. She frowned. Anyone worth coming over would've simply let themselves in – they all had keys. They rarely got visitors, and both her and Daniel had thoroughly scared away any solicitors and religious people coming to save their souls.
She sighed, annoyed she was being forced to deal with people. She settled the basket on her hip and went to open the door. She didn't bother with the peep hole – she never did, which annoyed Daniel to no end.
The first thing she saw was a woman with strawberry blonde curls in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt covered by a jean jacket. Despite the basic clothing, she still managed to look elegant compared to Vala with her sweats and oversized hoodie that belonged to Daniel. Within seconds, Vala immediately knew who she was.
“Oh,” the woman's surprise was evident in her accented tone.
“Can I help you?” Vala asked politely and gave a small smile.
Her brows furrowed. “I'm sorry,” she looked behind her. “I thought Daniel Jackson lived here?” She phrased it as a question, and she squirmed a little.
Vala schooled her face to not reveal anything. “He does,” she stated simply. “He's not home at the moment. Can I take a message?”
The woman frowned, not liking her answer at all. “Um, do you know when he'll be back?”
She held back a groan. Vala knew who she was, and Daniel wouldn't be pleased if she sent her away – and he'd find out someway. “An hour or so?” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “He just got back from…a business trip.” The woman's eyes widened in understanding. “You're welcome to wait if you'd like?”
A relieved look settled on her face. “Thank you.” She entered the house as Vala opened the door fully. “I'm Sarah Gardner, by the way.”
Vala bit her tongue to stop her from saying, ‘Yeah, I know,’ in a snarky way. Daniel better be proud of me, she thought to herself. Instead, she simply said, “I'm Vala.”
They walked into the living room and she quickly moved the vacuum she left in the middle of it to a corner out of the way before dropping the basket of laundry and started to fold. “Make yourself at home,” she gestured to an empty chair. “Kitchen is over there if you're thirsty.”
Sarah glanced in its direction but opted to take a seat. “Are you Daniel's housekeeper or something?”
She wasn't entirely successful in holding in her snort, which raised the other woman's eyebrows. “Or something," she said vaguely.
If Sarah had bothered to actually look around, she'd notice the photos of them spread throughout the room, feminine touches in the decor, and the warmth that made it feel homey – something that was severely lacking before she came into the picture. It no longer looked like a cold museum, but instead a warm, cozy home they had built together.
They sat in awkward silence for approximately ten minutes before she could no longer stand it. “What do you need with Daniel?” She tried engaging in small talk as she folded a towel. “He expecting you?”
Sarah squirmed in discomfort. “Uh, no,” she confessed. “I was in town and thought I'd stop by.”
Lies. Vala could tell when she was being lied to – her story also didn't make sense. They hadn't been in contact for years. The house was new, purchased only a year ago, and not well known to people outside their circle. Privacy was everything to them, and getting their new address was intentionally made hard to find. There was nothing casual about the visit – it was intentional.
The longer Vala stared at her, the more she began to understand.
“He may never truly know what it was like, but Daniel is able to understand to an extent what it was like,” she said casually and continued to fold the clothing. “It's nice to have someone who understands.”
Sarah's head snapped to her, her face expressing shock. “What?”
“He may have never had an alien parasite take over his body but those same parasites ruined his life – took everything he loved from him,” Vala continued. “It sent his life down a path of pain and misery.”
A path that led him to her. She wanted to be the bigger person and say she wished he didn't have to go through any of it, but she couldn't – because that meant them never meeting, and she was too selfish to wish them away.
“He understands being forced to do something against his will – just not to the extent of being trapped in your own body, unable to control a single thing.”
Try as he might, Daniel was unable to hide certain reports from her – like the first incident with Hathor. There had been others but she knew that was one of the worst for him.
Sarah swallowed hard and looked everywhere but her. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Vala ruefully smiled and gently laid all the neatly folded laundry back in the basket to be put away. “That feeling you have?” She waited until she caught her attention. “The feel of something crawling under your skin – the uncomfortable sensation you've been experiencing since I opened the door?”
Sarah's mouth partially opened in bewilderment. “H-how do…?”
She took pity on her. “It's the nequadah in your blood reacting to the naquadah in mine.” Sarah's face scrunched, and Vala turned her neck and pulled her hood further down to reveal the scar she pretended didn't exist most of the time. “I know because I have the exact same feeling around you.”
Sarah's shoulders fell at the explanation. “You were one too.”
She smiled sadly. “Yeah,” she confirmed it. “Just a few more years than you before spending the next ten trying to run from it.”
Vala always told herself she was living – refusing to let the Goa’uld ruin whatever life she had left – but the longer she was on Earth, the more she came to realize that she had only been fooling herself. With Daniel's help, she faced those demons and came out victorious. It would never go away, but she now knew how to deal with it in a healthy way.
“Unlike Daniel, I truly know what it was like for you. I know how lonely and isolating it is.”
Sarah was silent for a moment and Vala didn't push. She had to work it out herself. “No one here understands,” she mumbled. “They say they do and pretend they can and try to help you…‘get over it,’ but what if it's not possible?”
Vala could only assume ‘they’ meant professional help – and maybe a potential boyfriend or something of the kind. It was hard to date when the other person couldn't know all the details but only that trauma occurred – too heinous to speak of.
It was a lonely existence. She should know – she forced herself into that corner for over a decade before she allowed someone near her.
Vala leaned forward on the basket. “Daniel can't be your security blanket,” she stated firmly but also softly, earning her a not so nice look. “You can't let them win. They've already taken so much from us – don't allow them to make you settle.”
Sarah's eyes started to shine, and she let out a wet chuckle. “You're surprisingly deep for a housekeeper,” she tried to joke but it fell flat.
She huffed softly, but she heard the rattling of the door before she could contradict her.
“Vala!” Daniel called out from the door, and she heard the keys clatter in the bowl, and the thud of his bag. “I'm home!”
“Living room,” she retorted, and watched as Sarah's eyes brightened a bit. “We've got company.”
“What?” She heard the confusion in his voice. “I just left everyone we kno–” he stopped when he hit the entrance of the living room. “Sarah?” he asked in confusion. “What're you doing here?”
Vala caught the brief flash of disappointment in the woman's face. “I was in town and thought I'd drop by,” she used the same excuse and Daniel saw through it.
Not wanting to witness any of the exchange, she gripped her laundry basket. “Well, I'm gonna put this away,” she settled it on her hip. “Daniel, be a dear and vacuum for me?”
He chuckled. “You saved that one for me, huh?”
Vala smiled sweetly. “You know I can't stand the sound.” She gave him a wink and left with her laundry.
“Isn't that her job?” Sarah asked, drawing Daniel's attention from Vala's retreating figure.
“Huh?” Her job? What did he miss?
“Isn't that what you hired her to do – clean?”
Who the hell did she think Vala was? They certainly had enough proof of their relationship spread throughout the house. “Vala is my wife,” he said it in a way so there could be no confusion. “The sound of the vacuum actually does bother her ears. Not to mention the fact that she's carrying my child – if she wants me to vacuum the living room then I'm damn well gonna do it.”
Daniel hadn't meant to come off as an ass, but he'd become overly protective of Vala over the last year, and it had intensified since the pregnancy. He wasn't proud of his behavior, but he knew Sarah very well, and in the short few minutes in her presence, he could tell she wasn't here by chance.
“Wife,” her voice cracked, making him feel even worse. “And a baby. That's…,” she cleared her throat. “I'm pleased for you. I know you've always wanted this.”
Daniel sighed heavily. “I didn't mean to sound like a bear,” was his attempt at his apology. “It is good to see you.” He just would've appreciated a heads up.
She smiled sadly. “You too.” She glanced at her watch. “I should go. Have a flight to catch.”
More lies, but he bit his tongue and did whatever a polite estranged friend would do and ignored it.
He walked her to the door, gave her a small hug, and sent her on her way.
Once his home was once again just him and his wife – just the way he liked it after coming back from off world.
“Why'd you let her think you were my cleaner?” he asked, leaning on the doorway of their bedroom.
Vala gave him a small smile. “She’s struggling,” she mumbled, shoving a hanger through one of his shirts. “She's lonely. I know what that's like – I've been there – and I didn't want to make it worse.”
Daniel pushed off of the door and snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist until his hands settled on the baby bump hidden behind his oversized hoodie. He kissed her neck, smiling as she leaned into him. “Not long ago you would've staked your claim pretty loudly.”
She snorted and rested her hands on top of his. “Someone hammered things like humility, empathy, and compassion into me,” she quipped. “I'm not as bitchy as I used to be.”
“Well, you can stake your claim on me anytime – I'm yours,” he murmured into her neck. “You were really kind to her – and I love you for that.”
They both knew Sarah had come for Daniel, expecting him to be unattached as he usually was. After all she'd been through, she was lonely and craved something familiar – someone familiar. He was someone who loved her once, and he could understand and even deal with her trauma.
Daniel was easy, but the best things in life are hard – they required work and sacrifice, but if you made it through the hardest parts, you could make it to the end.
They were proof of that. Their relationship started out shaky – there may have been a break up or two, but like moths to a flame, they couldn't resist each other, and made the decision to work at it until it was healthy.
It evolved into more than they ever expected, and now, they were solid. Happy. They could conquer any challenge the universe threw their way – but only because they did the work.
Parenthood would be a challenge, but it was one they know they could succeed in – because they had each other.
“And I love you even more for promising to vacuum for me.” She slipped out of his hold. “Now get to it.” She playfully shoved him.
Daniel gave a mocked salute. “Yes ma’am.”
Yeah, they could do anything if they had each other.
The End.