Carpe Occasio
by sg1mouse

Chapter One

04 August 2008 — Planet Designation: P20-993 — 21:30 hours

The rumbling had stopped an hour ago, but dust and dirt still hung in the thick air. It was darker than pitch. Someone could wave a hand an inch in front of your eyes, but you wouldn't see anything, only feel the slight breeze that it made.

Ears still ringing from the cave-in made Vala's head throb. She slowly shook it to try and make the fogginess disappear, but that only served to increase the pounding behind her eyes.

Reaching out blindly to brush off the dirt and stones, Vala Mal Doran took stock of her condition. That's when the memory hit her, Daniel Jackson, her friend, and a teammate had pushed her clear of the heaviest part of the cave-in. She stretched out her limbs, noting that nothing was broken and sat up.

Coughing the grime out of her lungs, Vala called out in a rough voice, "Daniel?"

The only answer was her echo. She began to feel around for anything familiar. Vala's hand hit her pack, and she let out a sigh of relief. Rifling through it blindly, she found her flashlight and turned it on. The moment she did, she wished she hadn't.

"Daniel!"

Scrambling over to the archeologist, she started to brush away the loose dirt and rocks off him, looking over his body. His whole lower half was buried under tons of debris.

"Daniel, can you hear me?" she asked him as she continued to try and dig him out. "Daniel… come on, wake up!" Vala pleaded with the unconscious man, "You know I don't like to be alone."

A barely audible groan was the sweetest sound Vala thought she had ever heard, "Daniel, darling? Are you with me?"

Coughing and spitting dirt and blood from his mouth, Daniel moaned again. He was facing down with earth and rocks all over and around him. His head ached— his chest ached— everything ached. Except his legs— they seemed to be fine. He couldn't move them, but at least they didn't hurt. Daniel tried to move his arms but could not.

"Lay still, darling, you have most of the cave lying on top of you."

"Wa… wa…," clearing his throat he attempted to speak again, "Wa… ter."

Vala reached over and pulled her canteen out. She looked at the way Daniel was laying and supposed it would make a mess to pour the water into his mouth, not to mention it would probably drown him. She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a handkerchief. Dousing it with the water, making sure it was good and soaked, she placed it beside Daniel's mouth. He sucked on it greedily. The water was cold and felt good on his earth crusted throat. When he had enough, he shoved the cloth out of his mouth with his tongue.

"Thanks," his voice was barely a whisper. "Wha'… hap… pened?"

Taking a drink herself, then splashing a small handful on her face, she said, "Well… as the cave began to collapse, you shoved me out of the way, and now we are buried with no way of getting out anytime soon. Half the ceiling is on top of you. And if I remember correctly, Muscles, Cam, and Samantha have gone to check in with the SGC, which means a five-hour trip there and back again, sooooo…"

Daniel let out a groan, "So we're… sssscrewed."

"Pretty much, yes."

They were quiet for a short time, absorbed in their thoughts.

"Daniel, darling?" Vala placed a hand on his head and began to stroke his hair. "Do you think we'll get out of this? Alive I mean?"

He didn't answer. She poked at his shoulder until he groaned.

"Hey, stay awake. I need someone to talk too."

"Sssorry… 'ired," he mumbled.

The silence wrapped around them again, squeezing the darkness closer. Vala took her flashlight and shined it all around them looking for anything that could help. She spotted Daniel's backpack not far away and crawled over to retrieve it. She knew he always had a stash of Power Bars with him, and she was desperate for chocolate.

"Vala?" Daniel's voice was weak.

"Yes, darling?"

"I… I, I can't fffffeel my legs."

The little color left in her face drained away. She reached over to him and carefully ran her hands down his back. When her fingers were just south of his butt, she sucked in a gasp. A boulder was sitting squarely on the back of his legs, crushing them. And she could feel the warm, stickiness of blood leaking from somewhere on his side.

The thing that concerned her most although, was that he couldn't feel his legs at all. She knew that meant his back might have been broken. It was a pretty good guess that the massive rock had come down on Daniel's back, knocking him down then landing on his legs, crushing them.

So much dirt and stone debris piled around the linguist that Vala concluded she wouldn't be able to remove enough of it to help get him out. Plus, if she did move any and more came down in its place, she could bury him alive by accident.

With a good attempt at a normal voice, she said, "Oh… since you're just lying around, they probably fell asleep. When the others get us out, you will have that pokey and stab-y feeling most likely."

Daniel chuckled though it hurt like hell to do it, "Tttttha… that's… pins 'nd… ne… needles."

"Yeah, that," she tried her hardest to keep the fear out of her voice, but he could sense something was wrong.

"Vala," Daniel croaked, "um, w'y don't… you see… if you 'an ssshh… ssshift 'ome of da… 'ocks… dirt… 'way ffffrom… en… trance."

She leaned over him, smirking, "And which way is that, precisely?"

With both his arms pinned underneath him, the only thing he could move to any extent was his head. He tried to point with his nose, "T'at way… I fink. Sssee 'ow ttttick aaaat… da 'op. Mmmmight nnnot get ou— out, but ggget fresh— fres'… air 'nd a, a, a ra… doh sssignal 'ut."

Vala slapped her forehead. The radio— duh! Pulling her discarded tech-vest over, she clicked the call button.

"Cam? Can you hear me?"

Static.

"Muscles? Anyone?"

"Nnnn… not gonna gggget sig— sig'al 'n 'ere," Daniel said very quietly. "Vala, dig… at… 'op—"

His voice faded at the end and she knew he was drifting into unconsciousness. Taking her canteen to splash a little water on him, she lightly tapped his cheek. He was warm. And she hadn't noticed before the small pool of blood that his face was lying in.

"Oh, my gods— you have a head wound, too?! Daniel! Wake up—, please! I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking. I should've checked you over better!" her tone was shrill and scared.

"I'm… fffffi… jjjust… 'ig."

"I don't know what to do for you, Daniel… Why didn't I go with them and let Sam stay? She would know what to do!"

By now, he could hear the tears she was trying to choke back.

"Va…la… is 'kay. I bbbbe fine…" he mumbled. "I, I… gllllad… you 're 'ere."

With a sniffle, she asked, "Really? You are? You must be concussed then!"

Vala bent over and gave him a light kiss on his cheek. His skin was actually burning up. His temperature seemed to be rising quickly so she placed her wet handkerchief on his forehead to try to bring it down. This galvanized her into action. Jumping up, she went over in the direction Daniel had indicated and looked over the situation.

She worked on the never ending wall of fallen stones for what it seemed like hours. Every nail on her hands was broken within the first ten minutes. She would stop and take a drink every so often and then check on Daniel. He hadn't said anything since telling her that he was glad she was there with him. From time to time, he would moan, the only thing that let her know he was still alive.

When Vala was about to give up, the debris gave way enough for the cool night breeze to swept in. Congratulating herself tearfully, she made the hole as wide as she could. She indulged for a moment, sucking in the much needed fresh air, before jumping down to sit by Daniel.

Placing her hand on his head, she noticed he was still scorching. She rubbed his cheek softly leaving a muddy streak from her fingers behind in the sweat that covered his face. She listened to the ragged, wheezing of his breaths and knew he had to get help soon, or she was going to be alone… for good.

Grabbing her tech vest, she again climbed to the top of the cave-in mound and pushed the radio part out the hole, keeping the mic/receiver part with her.

"Vala Mal Duran calling SG-1— Please respond—," she said in an exhausted voice.

Static.

"SG-1— Please respond, this is Vala Mal Duran and I have a medical emergency—"

Static.

Pressing her hands to her eyes, she sat down beside her teammate. She was hot, tired and dirty. Her head hurt like Goa'uld pain stick was inside poking at her brain. And she had done everything to get to the outside, and yet it still amounted to squat. How? How had this happened anyway? Oh yeah, it was her fault.

She and Daniel were, surprisingly, fighting over something she couldn't even remember. In a fury, she kicked at an unassuming timber strut several times until the old rotting wood finally broke under the assault precipitating the cave-in. Daniel noticed the imminent catastrophe and ran to push his teammate out of the way, just as the entire ceiling crashed down on top of him. That set off a chain reaction which closed off the entrance and efficiently trapped them. The only thing in their favor was the fact that they were so close to the opening of the cave that when the rest of SG-1 got there, it shouldn't take too long to get them out. Vala just hoped that they would both be alive by the time their friends reached them.

A strangled groan coming from her half-buried teammate pulled her out of her thoughts. She brushed his hair off his forehead.

"Daniel? Darling? You awake?"

"Mmmm… 'mi… dead yet— again?" he mumbled.

"No, love, you're not dead. I'm trying to keep you that way too. Do you need some water?"

Licking sore and bloody chapped lips, he nodded slightly.

Vala picked through Daniel's bag looking for a clean cloth of some sort and found his bandanna. Again wetting it thoroughly, she placed it into his mouth. He sucked on it, but without much heart.

"Sssshanks… um… tanks—. You 'kay?" he asked, always looking out for the others before himself.

"Yes, darling, I'm all right. Bump on the head, nothing to worry about. Do you think you could maybe eat a little of a Power Bar?"

"Nnnnot 'ungry. I… fffeel air. Is good. Nice. Wwwa… waking me up a bit."

Vala brought the flashlight over to see if she could find the source of the blood flow by his face. He grimaced when the light shined in his eyes, and she noticed right away that his pupils stayed dilated. Gently Vala turned his head up slightly and saw that he had a long gash running from somewhere around his temple down his cheek almost to the corner of his mouth. The blood was crusted over and mixed with dirt to form a crude bandage, but at least it was no longer flowing.

"How do you feel?" she always thought that in times such as these, this was a stupid question.

"Bbb'etter," he attempted to smile. "Can't feel legs at ball— head-ach not bbbad. Got shrrr— thhrrr… ough… outside?"

"Yes. It's a small hole, but the night air is blowing this way. I haven't gotten a hold of the others yet. They should be back soon— I hope."

Her voice was strained and weary. Daniel wished he could help somehow, "'ay, grab blittle… ssssleep. You n't ssss… sssoun' to good."

"This coming from the archeologist trapped under rocks," she said with a smirk.

"VALA, DANIEL!" Colonel Samantha Carter's voice came from the mouth of the cave where the hole was. Vala jumped up and ran to the entrance.

"Sam! Boy, am I glad to see you! Daniel is hurt— bad. I can't get him out. Most of the ceiling is on top of him and Sam," Vala lowered her voice to a whisper, "I think his back is broken."

Carter's sharp inhale signified fear and worry. Sam pushed two canteens of water through the opening for them.

"I'll radio Cam and tell him to head back to the 'gate and get a rescue and med team here. Teal'c and I came back before him since it was getting so late, but we couldn't dial out at first. Something happened Earth side."

"Samantha, please tell them to hurry. He's not doing well."

The Colonel heard a desperate plea in her friend's tone and nodded.

"He'll pull through, Vala. Never knew Daniel not too— one way or another."

Carter then pulled out the small med-pack she always carried and handed Vala a morphine shot, "Give him this, it will help with the pain. Anywhere you can find a suitable vein."

Trying to smile, she took the syringe and went back to tell Daniel that their friends had returned. When she reached him, he was passed out again. Vala placed her hand on his head. His fever was as high if not higher than before. She removed the handkerchief and re-soaked it with fresh water, placing it gently back on his forehead. He murmured and opened one eye.

"Daniel— Sam and Teal'c are outside the cave. They've radioed Cam to get us some help. I also have a morphine shot and some fresh water."

She set about soaking the bandanna and giving it to him so he could drink. When he had enough, he muttered his thanks to her. Next, she gave him the shot, wincing as he groaned. After a few seconds, he felt a warm tingly feeling— mixed with the unmistakable hazy, floaty sensation of the morphine starting to work. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off into oblivion.

04 August 2008 — Planet Designation: P20-993 — 23:45 hours

Vala was bored. Even with Daniel's life on the line, she couldn't help but get restless. She hated not to be doing something. It was always in the quiet moments when her mind would turn on her and she would relive the horrors of her life as a host. And now this. She couldn't stop thinking about how she had been the cause of the cave-in and it was Daniel paying the price.

She knew since it was still night outside Sam and Teal'c would not be able to do anything for them until morning. The breeze that had felt wonderful an hour ago was now making her cold. She knew that Daniel would also be and couldn't afford to get a chill on top of everything else.

Pulling her backpack over, Vala hunted for the small silver package that supposedly held a blanket. When she found it, she ripped it open and to her great surprise, it really was a blanket. How clever those Tau'ri were sometimes. Getting as close to Daniel as she could without hurting him, she pulled the cover over both of them.

"Mmm… ffffeels nice," Daniel said quietly. "How… doin', Vala?"

"I'm fine, thanks. A bit bored, though. You?"

Daniel could literally feel the life ebbing away from him. He didn't want Vala to worry and do something extreme trying to get him help and hurt herself in the process. He had recognized from the first time he woke up that he probably wasn't going to get out of this one alive. He had seen the boulder that was about to fall on her when he shoved her out of the way. As soon as Daniel was awake enough to do a mental damage assessment, he knew he was fucked. But he had to keep Vala going.

"Gggget… mmmmy jour-nal out 'or me."

"You're going to write something now? I'd pay to see you try!"

Daniel groaned, "Sssssmar'-assssss! Tought you rrrread ta me."

She dug out his leather bound-journal and flipped through the pages. Most of it was in some sort of code, but towards the back was what looked like a story.

"You want me to read you this— is it a story you've written?"

"Y'h, why nnnot? May… be you 'an… gggguess who t… it's 'bout."

Vala scanned the first page, thinking this was going to be boring to the extreme. Most likely something to do with reading about dead civilizations or dusty old ruins. Taking a breath, she began to read his story.

Late one evening, while I was in my office—

"As usual," Vala piped in.

"'Ey… 'oo's tellin' tis… 'ory?"

"Okay, okay… I'll go on with your little yarn."

She began reading again, in a quiet, and soothing voice.

I was beyond tired but had a nagging feeling. Like someone watching me. Suddenly, she was there, as a night breeze she wafted into my office and closed the door. Slowly she made her way over to me and placed warm hands on the back of my neck. It sent chills down my spine. I knew I was at work but… what the hell, I just went with the moment.

When she ran her fingers through my hair, I could feel her soft, moist breath blow across the nape of my neck. I melted. It was as if she knew that was one of my most sensitive spots. She reached around and removed my glasses, carefully placing them on the bookshelf behind her. I tried to say something only to have her place a finger on my lips and shake her head.

Leisurely, this woman spun me around to face her, raining delicate kisses on my eyes, nose… lips. Her eyes… oh my God, her eyes. She had the most incredible smoky blue eyes. And her lips… full, rich, dreamy and ready to devour me whole. As those lips came closer to mine, I took a deep, anticipating breath. She consumed my mouth and brushed her tongue over my lower lip, demanding entrance, which I willingly gave. She delved inside and embarked on mapping every inch of it, slowly and methodically.

I ran my hands up her sides as she invaded me orally. Her smooth body glided beneath my touch. I could feel her shiver under my caress. Her hands carded through my hair as she continued the most incredible kiss I ever had. A small moan escaped my throat only to be swallowed by her ravenous mouth. I needed her closer, so I pulled her to me— felt her rub her ample breast against my chest. She wiggled her way between my legs and casually slid one hand down between us, unbuttoning my shirt… slowly. Blood raced to my groin, awakening a part of me that hadn't felt pleasure in a VERY long time—

"Daniel!" panting slightly, Vala managed to say, "I didn't know you had it in you to think dirty like this."

"Yyyyy'u wan— ted 'ometing t'do. You gonna 'tinue… or too in… decent 'or you?" he snarked.

"Answer me this— who's the woman?"

"Nnnnot tellin'."

"Come on. I need a visual to help me here. Pleeeaseee!"

"N'pe. 'ust gonna 'ave'ta wait 'til… end."

She sighed and was about to start reading when she heard Teal'c at the entrance of the cave.

"ValaMalDoran. DanielJackson. I am going to begin to dig out the entrance. Are you at a safe distance from this hole?"

Vala quickly got up and went to the opening. She didn't realize that the morning had come already. She was too focused on reading Daniel's story.

Clearing her throat, she said, "We are back about ten feet or so, Muscles."

"The rescue crew is on this planet, and will soon be here. Do you have need of anything?"

"I could use hot bath right now," she joked.

"I promise to take you to the Hot Springs Spa when we return, ValaMalDoran," Teal'c said as he inclined his head.

"I'll hold you to that, Muscles!"

She tried to give him a winning smile but knew it was a rather lackluster one instead. When she settled back down with Daniel under the blanket, she noticed that he had drifted off to sleep again. She really wanted to keep reading his tale but decided not to read ahead. She closed his book, putting back in his pack and then shut her eyes.

05 August 2008 — Planet Designation: P20-993 — 06:00 hours

Vala awoke after what seemed like only a few minutes, to hear the labored breathing of Daniel beside her. She reached out to rub his head only to find it soaked with sweat. Concern swept over her and she pulled the blanket back to see his eyes screwed closed while he was panting and struggling for air.

"Daniel? Baby?" she cried out. "Calm down darling, you need to breathe slowly. Please, Daniel… come on, you need to take slow breaths."

She could tell that he was trying to do as requested, but it was hard for him. He looked like he was drowning without being in the water. This worried her. She thought that he could indeed be drowning if his lungs were filling up with fluid. She had no idea how bad his internal injuries could be, but hearing him now— she knew that they needed to get him out of there and back to the SGC, as soon as possible!

When he seemed to get his breathing under control, Vala brushed the hair from his forehead and whispered, "Darling, I'm going to see how Teal'c is doing with getting us out of here."

He nodded slightly with a small whimper. Vala got up and headed over to the now considerably larger hole. If she were alone, she would be able to wiggle her way out of it now. Seeing Teal'c next to the hole, she crawled up to talk to him.

"Teal'c, how's it coming? Daniel is fading fast. We need to get him out of here!"

"The medical team is currently on its way aboard ATV's. They will be here within the hour."

"Teal'c— I don't think he has an hour," her voice was stressed and the Jaffa could see the tears she was trying valiantly to hold back. "Do you suppose that Samantha could squeeze in here and look him over? Please."

"I will ask her for her assistance, ValaMalDoran."

Vala went back over to Daniel and sat with him. Rewetting the cloth with fresh water and placing it back on his forehead, she listened to the gurgling sound of his breathing. Whispering to him soothingly, she gently stroked his cheek, "Please stay with me, Daniel."

"Mmm ffff 'ine. Wa… wa'er?" he murmured.

"Sure, wait a sec. I have to get the other canteen."

She scooted away and retrieved the new containers that Carter had sent through earlier. When she got back to him, he was out again. Nudging him awake, she got the water drenched bandanna in front of his mouth. He sucked on it greedily for a long while.

"Fanks. Need—d 'at."

The light was going out of his eyes. Vala was sure if they couldn't get him back to the SGC soon, he was going to die. She did NOT want that to happen! A grunting noise came from behind her. Vala turned to find Sam sliding into the cave. Once in, Sam turned around and grabbed a med kit that was handed to her through the opening. And then, to Vala's great surprise, Dr. Lam came scrambling through the hole.

"Oh, thank the stars!" Vala shrieked. "Please, he's gonna die if we can't get him out if this damned cave. You've gotta help me save him. I don't need any more deaths on my conscience!"

Dr. Lam was instantly by Daniel's side to assess his condition. Her face was stern and schooled without emotion. She quickly ran her hands over all of his exposed body and turned to Carter.

"Tell them to send in the other box, now!"

Colonel Carter yelled up to the team on the outside to send in the requested box. The look on Carter's face told Mitchell that he had better get the engineers working double time or the band was going to be down by one.

"Vala," Dr. Lam said to the alien woman, "I need you to help me stabilize him."

"What can I do? I don't have any medical training."

"No, but you can use one of these—"

The slim, no-nonsense doctor lifted out of the container that she had just received, a Goa'uld healing device. Vala immediately took the tool, slipping it on and began to hold it over Daniel's body. Concentrating hard on healing his head wound first.

"That's it, Vala. We have to give him time. Alleviate some of the trauma. There really isn't much we can do about his back until we get this rock off of him," Dr. Lam quietly said.

The process took a lot of energy out of the former host. Vala wasn't exactly uninjured herself. But she had to do what she could for the man that not only saved her this time but also believed in her and called her his friend. Soon, she dropped her arms to her side with a long, weary sigh.

"That's all I can do. I stopped the bleeding and tried to ease the pressure on his lungs. This won't be able to heal his back, Dr. Lam. It's beyond the power of the device."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Vala. You've probably just saved his life, though. I've got to get an I.V. going on him. Can you two help me dig his arms out from under him?"

Very carefully, the three women began to dig under the wounded archeologist. Just as they were able to gently pull on Daniel's left arm, he woke up with a howl of pain.

"Sorry, Daniel," Dr. Lam stilled the struggling man, "we have to get one of your arms loose so I can get an I.V. hooked up."

Through clenched teeth, he hissed out, "N't tink— I un-bbbbend it, Dddd… dddoc."

"How about the right one?"

"Uh-uh. N't… 'at one— eit'er. Th't 'ne 'urts… mmmmore. Ssssorry."

Dr. Lam reached over to her medical bag and pull out an even larger needle, "Guess I have no choice. I'm going to have to give you an E.J. I.V. Daniel, and it's going to hurt like a son of a bitch."

"Knnnnow I sssstill aaaalive… dden."

The newest CMO of Stargate Command wiped his neck with antiseptic and then inserted the needle.

Cringing at the pain, Daniel again howled out, "AAAHHH CRRRRAP!"

"I'm going to slowly start you some fluids. Can you tell me where you hurt?"

"Ev'rywhere— 'cept lllllegs," Daniel said with a moan.

"Can you be a little less cryptic?"

Daniel was beginning to pass out again, "— my b… 'ack 'n ch… ches' mos… mos'ly. Arms when I 'ry ta mov'em. 'ead bbb'ad too."

"Okay, Daniel," Lam spoke sternly, "you've got to stay with us. No, sleeping. I need you to remain somewhat alert for me."

"I t'y," he murmured. "Ch'ck 'ala… will you, Ddddoc? Che n't doin' real well…"

"Oh, don't you worry about me, darling. I'm a tough girl," Vala whispered.

He faintly smiled at what she said, "Know dat— j'st like… fruitc'ke."

The tears escaped when Vala heard that. Sam pulled her away toward the entrance so they weren't in the way and put a blanket around her. She then grabbed their backpacks and put them by the entry. They both then sat down and Carter put her arm around the shoulders of her friend.

"He's in real danger, Samantha," Vala said quietly.

"I don't think he's been this bad since he came home with radiation poisoning six years ago."

Leaning her head on the Colonel's shoulder Vala inquired, "How did he get out of that one?"

With a heavy sigh, Sam closed her eyes trying to fortify her emotions, "Um, he didn't. He died."

Vala's head shot up and she looked at her friend in distress, "What?! But, he's here— now. And I know you guys don't have a sarcophagus!"

"Vala, Daniel has died more times than I can remember. That time was the longest he was away, though. He ascended, went to live with the Ancients. Then he got kicked out about a year later because he wouldn't follow the rules. So Oma, I guess you could call her his sponsor, sent him back. Didn't he ever tell you about that?"

"No. He never did. And the mission reports sorta glossed over the him dying part. They just said he was missing in action," she said. "He really doesn't talk much about his past."

Sam gave her a small, sad smile, "Yeah, he likes to hide from it. Kinda funny when you think about it. The fact that he's an archeologist and everything he loves is in the past."

"Maybe his past is just too recent for him to consider," Vala said.

"Or to painful—"

They fell into a thoughtful silence and soon Vala was asleep with her head resting on Sam.