Hi! So this is either the last or second-to-last chapter. You'd think I'd know, but I really don't. Also, this has taken so long due to midterms, technology continuously erasing parts or even the whole of this chapter, papers and the death of my grandmother. RIP Marie Bell 3 For the people of CBO. The con was epic and I loved meeting all of you! Of course, now I have PCDS (yes, still!) and miss all of you terribly… We gotta do that again sometime! Soon ;-)
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"Samantha!" Vala called. "Wait up!"
Sam turned to face her teammate. "Vala, what's up?"
Vala held up her hand.
"You got a new ring?" Sam asked, confused.
"No, well, yes," Vala replied, "it's an engagement ring!"
"Well, then it goes on your left hand," she replied. Then it registered as Vala switched hands. "Wait, you and Daniel are engaged?"
Vala nodded excitedly. Sam pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed.
"Thanks! Oh, there's Cam, gotta go!" Vala hopped off.
-0-0-0-
"You told everyone?" Daniel exclaimed.
Vala shrugged.
"Was that your way of getting back at me?" he asked.
"No, I just didn't want you to beat me to it this time. Okay, maybe a little, but mostly what I said."
He smiled. "I guess I can't really blame you," he said. "Although next time we have news, we should tell people together."
She shrugged. "We'll see."
-0-0-0-
"I like this one!" Vala exclaimed from the change room.
"Come out and let me see!" Sam exclaimed.
Vala emerged, the entire gown sparkling in the light from the crystals that had been sown into the bodice. Sam coughed. It was pretty ugly. She forced a smile.
"I dunno, I like the last one," she replied.
"But it's so sparkly!" Vala protested. "Muscles?" she whined, hoping for a better response.
"I believe the last ten," Teal'c stressed that word, "were better suited for you, Vala Mal Doran."
She frowned. "I guess."
"How about this one?" Carolyn emerged, holding a silky white dress in her arms. It was a long-sleeved off-the-shoulder number with subtle crystal flowers lining the neckline. Matching flowers caused the ruffles in the long skirt. It was possibly the most beautiful dress that Vala had ever seen. Perfect for her winter wedding.
"Wow," Vala breathed..
"Where'd you find that?" Sam asked. "I haven't seen it and we must have been through this store at least three times."
"Shoved behind about a hundred other dresses," she replied. "I think someone was hiding it..."
Vala grinned, "Not anymore!" She snatched the dress from her friend's grasp and quickly disappeared into the changeroom.
"How ya doing there, Teal'c?" Sam asked. He gave her a familiar stoic expression, though she could tell he was not amused by the girls dragging him with them to six different stores, in which Vala had made a point to try on at least half the dresses in each shop. She sighed. She was getting rather bored as well.
"So what do you think?" Vala boomed.
Sam whipped around. "Wow..." she mumbled. "You look fantastic!"
Vala grinned.
Carolyn smiled smugly. "Called it."
"Muscles? What do you think?"
"It is my opinion, Vala Mal Doran, that this dress is most suitable for you." He smiled at her, at least, it was as much of a smile as anyone would get out of the Jaffa.
Vala's grin widened. "Thanks Carolyn!" she exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug.
"You're welcome," Carolyn replied, struggling to break free.
"So you're getting that one?" Sam asked a little too enthusiastically.
Vala nodded ferociously.
"Finally," Carolyn muttered under her breath.
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"Daniel?" Vala asked, frowning as she stared at herself in the mirror.
"Yeah?" He looked up, expecting her to complain about the weight she was gaining – although she looked even more beautiful to him than ever – or something along those lines. Instead, she turned to him, biting her lip and holding one hand over her barely noticeable bump.
"What if I'm not the same?" she squeaked in a barely audible tone.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"What if I'm not the same mom that Johnny and Emmy remember? What if I'm not as good?" she whispered, looking at the floor instead of him. He studied her, trying to think of the right words to make her feel better. He stood and walked over to her, pulling her down to sit on the bed with him.
"Listen to me Vala," he said. "You'll be a great mother. Johnny and Emmy loved you in their timeline and they'll love you in this one. Just because our situation has changed, doesn't mean you have.."
"What if I have, though? What if they only thought I was good because they had no one to compare me with? Or because I never had the opportunity to run away and disappoint them."
His brow furrowed. "Do you want to run away?" he asked, slightly alarmed.
She shook her head. "I don't want to be like my father," she replied, even more quietly than before.
"You won't be," Daniel stated. "I won't let you get away that easily." He shot her a grin and she half-heartedly returned the gesture. He pulled her into a hug and buried himself in her thick hair. "I love you, so you better never leave me."
She snorted. "I was just about to say the same to you," she mumbled in response.
-0-0-0-
"Here are the saltines you wanted." Sam held out a plate of crackers.
Vala took them with a slight forced grin. "Thanks," she mumbled.
"How are you doing?"
"Fine," Vala replied, unconvincingly.
"You don't look it."
"What?" She jumped up from the bed and stared in the mirror, examining herself for imperfections. She was dressed in the gorgeous white gown, with a flowered crystal barrette holding back her wavy hair. Her make-up was flawless and her pale pink nail polish was still unchipped. She turned to face Sam, confused.
"Well you look gorgeous, yes, but you also look very ill."
Vala sighed. "Crap. I can't be sick on my wedding day...again..."
Sam took a seat next to her friend. Rubbing a hand along Vala's arm, she said, "If you want to postpone the ceremony, I'm sure Daniel will understand."
Vala shook her head. "No."
"It'll be okay. It's not a big venue..."
"No. I want to marry him now," she said in a stubborn tone. "I'll be fine." She took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. "I'll be fine," she repeated to herself.
-0-0-0-
Cam stood at the top of the ramp, behind alter they'd made with a goofy grin plastered across his face. He'd been ordained online the prior week. To his left, stood Daniel, who was biting back a goofy grin of his own. Behind him was Jack, who seemed to be more preoccupied with finding the cake than anything else.
The team had been surprised to discover that Carolyn was actually quite a talented violinist, and had put her in charge of the music for the ceremony. The violin slowed into a soft tune as Sam appeared from behind the gate room doors. She smiled at Jack and used her eyes to send him a warning to pay attention. She felt satisfied with her victory as he stood to attention.
Everyone stood as the brunette bride entered, with one of the first genuinely happy expressions Daniel had ever seen. He couldn't help letting out the one he'd been holding back. On her arm was General Landry - since, despite his efforts, she'd refused to invite her own father. Not that he could blame her. He just felt bad that most of the guests were his friends, though he guessed she knew that, as he'd been puzzled to see two young airmen who, as far as he knew, had only talked to Vala twice.
He took her by the arm up to the front. Looking into his beautiful blue eyes almost made her forget how sick she was feeling. They exchanged smiles.
"Dearly beloved," Cam exclaimed enthusiastically, "we are gathered here to join together Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran in holy matrimony."
They didn't much listen to anything Cam was saying. He could have been marrying them to a zebra and they wouldn't have noticed. Vala was busy focusing on not throwing up or passing out and Daniel was trying to figure out why she was only giving him a fake smile. He studied her face, worried for a moment. He snapped out of it when it was time to say his vows.
"When my wife died, I thought I'd never find love , that I'd never be capable of feeling that way ever again." She frowned slightly as he continued. "But when I met you, I couldn't help but fall for you. And for years I tried to deny it - afraid of being hurt again. But after seeing you with Johnny and Emmy... Seeing how you'd become not only someone who brought immense joy into my being but also someone I can trust with my life and with my heart. I won't ever hurt you. I'll always love you. And I'll shut up now because you're giving the oh-you-and-your-ramblings look."
At Cam's prompting, Vala straightened up and began her own vows. "I always knew you wanted me," she giggled. "I'm not that easy to resist darling," she winked. Resisting the urge to crack inappropriate jokes, she decided to be serious for once. She cleared her throat. "For years, I was alone. I was a free agent, living only for myself - never letting anyone in. I thought I'd live like that forever, until you showed me a place I could call home. You were my first real friend in a long time. I...I love you Daniel. And I always will." She smiled shyly - something no one was used to.
They smirked as Cam wiped a tear from his eye. "Do you Daniel take thee Vala to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"Do you Vala take thee Daniel to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do."
"You may now kiss the bride!" Cam exclaimed, clapping as Daniel pulled his new wife into a deep kiss.
They signed some papers and took off out of the gateroom. They crashed on Vala's bed, laughing as they hit the mattress. They looked at one another, grinning. Daniel laid his hand on her cheek and leaned in to kiss her. She kissed him for a moment, then pulled back.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Morning sickness. Er... Afternoon sickness, I guess."
"Oh," he paused and laid a hand on her stomach. "Johnny! Are you makin' your mommy feel icky?"
"Icky?" Vala teased. "That's a word I never thought I'd hear you use, Daniel."
"There's a lot you don't know about me," he winked.
"We'll see about that. You're not that good a liar Doctor Jackson."
She bit her lip before leaning back into the kiss.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"Much."
-0-0-0-
"Push!" Carolyn exclaimed.
"I am pushing!" She resisted the temptation to curse, though she did mutter some choice Goa'uld phrases under her breath.
"Come on Vala, just one more!"
Using all her strength, she pushed as hard as she could. When she finally stopped, she took a deep breath, gasping for air. Why hadn't she remembered how painful it was the last time? Her train of thought was broken as she saw Daniel cutting the chord and looking very puzzled as he stared at the crying baby.
"What's the matter Daniel?" she asked, terrified something was wrong with their child.
"I, uh... I guess we did change the timeline..."
"What? Wh-why do you say that?"
"Because I'm about to introduce you to our daughter," he replied, a grin spreading across his face as he wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her off to his wife.
"Our daughter?" she repeated. He nodded. "This is Emmy?" He nodded again.
Although she was still a bit confused, she couldn't help but grin as she stared into her baby's bright blue eyes.
"She's beautiful," Vala whispered.
"Just like her mother," Daniel replied. She looked up at him and grinned a moment before turning her attention back to her daughter - her second chance at being a good mother.
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Okay, so there's only a little more to come in the epilogue. So sorry for the massive wait between chapters... Hope you liked it! Reviews are love!