Prompt 74.02

[skieswideopen]

Five things Vala would miss about Earth if she left.


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Comments

[sg1danny.livejournal.com]

1. Danelle's Bridal Boutique (well a girl can dream)

2. JC Penneys

3. Chocolate

4. Citadel Mall (so convenient)

5. Daniel's credit card.

[archersangel (from livejournal.com)]

1. tv; especially the soap operas that she finds compelling.

2. the sweets; earth had some of the best cakes & candies of any planet that she's been to.

3. the shopping; so many stores, with so much variety & don't forget the wonders of "shopping at home" either through the internet or a catalogue.

4. karaoke nights at the local bars; fun, food, booze & music.

5. the freedom; she was allowed go & do what she wanted (within reason) on many planets you needed papers to move from area to area, even just from city to city. that is if you could get them. if you did, you still had to answer questions about who you were, where you were going, for how long & why when you got the border. then if you did make it across, the people in charge might ask you to leave for any number of reasons. sometimes they were looking for a bribe. other times just to exercise their power.
these earth people didn't know how good they had it.

[shinealightonme]

1. The cuisine. Variety of climates and cultures leads to more kinds of foods than she could properly appreciate in a lifetime. As if that were not enough, a trip to a country fair taught Vala that all Tau'ri food can be deep-fried or dipped in chocolate. She's not sure why Daniel despairs of this fact; she considers it the ultimate example of Tau'ri wisdom.

2. The Tau'ri policemen. There's something immensely satisfying in knowing that she has, as Cameron calls it, a "get out of jail free" card, and can flirt and pester the police as much as she likes without the distraction of planning a getaway. Their uniforms are much sexier than those worn by most law enforcement agents across the galaxy, too.

3. Days spent at the spa. She hasn't enjoyed that kind of pampering in a long time, and on Earth all it costs it a small amount of cash (usually taken care of by Sam, who knows the paperwork magic to get reimbursed by the SGC, anyway). She finds, not surprisingly, that massages and saunas are far more enjoyable and relaxing when they don't stem from the alien possession and murder and enslavement.

4. The Tau'ri attitude that because something hasn't happened yet, it isn't going to happen at all. It's a foolish attitude, even more so among the SGC personnel, who have every reason in the galaxy to believe otherwise but can't quite kick the habit. It makes it so much easier for her to sneak around where she shouldn't, get into things not meant for her, and surprise her friends in both kind and mischievous ways.

5. Christmas. All planets have their own important festivals, religious or secular, but after hearing about "Christmas" a few times on television and around base, she gets curious about the particulars.

Daniel is the best bet for asking questions; he's less likely to make up answers than Cameron Mitchell, has more experience explaining cultural matters to the uninitiated than Sam, and doesn't try to phrase his answers in the fewest words possible, as Teal'c does. However, after a lecture on Christianity and the Winter Solstice expands to cover Judaism, Islam, and several other world religions, Saint Nicholas of Myra, and the rise of commercialism, there's still one important question that he hasn't answered.

"Yes, but when do I get my presents?" Vala demands, to Cameron's amusement.

"Sounds like Vala's got the gist of it," he laughs, even as Daniel glares at him. "Come on, Jackson, you can't really explain Christmas, you gotta show it to someone."

She thinks, after they have gotten the chance to show her, that it's something truly special, and wonderful even without – well, for reason other than just – the presents.

Five thing Vala would miss about earth if she left. - Part One

[tittamiire.livejournal.com]

1. Ice Cream.

Daniel, Sam, Teal'c and Cam all eat it straight from the tub, waving their spoons in the air between mouthfuls to emphasise whatever point they're trying to make, but there is no finesse to that. Vala scoops the different flavours out of the tub in near perfect spheres and arranges them in the bowl.

'Vala,' Cam calls from the living room, 'The movie is about to start!'

'A minute,' Vala calls back. She grabs the hot fudge sauce and the sprinkles from the cupboard and adds them to the bowl, tilting her head on one side to admire her handiwork and then add a touch more sprinkles.

'Vala,' Daniel calls more impatiently, presumably informing her that the movie has started. Vala sticks her spoon into the ice cream and picks the bowl up. She can miss the first minute of the film, but ice cream should be done properly.

2. Science Fiction.

She's always amazed at the human ability to make stuff up, not just lies, Vala can spin a lie out with the best of them and tell good stories too. She remembers how stories always spread like wildfire and grow wilder with each telling, but, at least where Vala grew up and lived, the stories had a basis in fact. Most science fiction stories didn't even have a basis in the fundamental laws of physics. She loved them for their ridiculousness, or at least that was what she said when she justifies the second Star Wars marathon with Teal'c and tried to sell him on the idea of doing a Star Trek: The Next Generation one the following weekend.

Or maybe she just loves the way the Tau'ri can look to the stars and see a hope for a better future, rather than with fear of a Goa'uld's whim and all the horrors the galaxy really contains.

3. Mornings

Or earth mornings more specifically because the sun comes up on most planets. It's a simple planetary rotation that occurs over and over again in every solar system in every galaxy, but somehow on earth it's different to other planets and definitely different to sleep rotations on a ship. She's confined to the base mostly, but the rare nights she gets to stay somewhere else are precious and she wakes up early so that she can enjoy the morning air and revel in the simple things such as a comfortable bed, regular meals and acceptance.

Five thing Vala would miss about earth if she left. - Part Two Sam/Jack

[tittamiire.livejournal.com]

4. Online shopping and credit cards

They count as one because you can't truly enjoy one without the other. And with the combination the Tau'ri have hit upon something of immense power and, perhaps it's a good thing that the Stargate program is a secret because she's pretty sure the galaxy would be no match for commercialisation on the scale that the Tau'ri have demonstrated they can achieve.

Still, for all their evils Vala would miss them if she left because she's found such joy in ordering things. Few things have beat the look on Daniel's face when he unwrapped that life size model of Tutankhamen's burial mask she'd found being sold off after an exhibit (she tried to tell him it would look good in the living room of his apartment, but he wouldn't listen), or the very-nearly-a-laugh from Teal'c when the Darth Vader costume arrived (he actually thanked her graciously, though she hasn't seen the costume since). She didn't get to see Cam's reaction when …. , but she certainly heard about it when he tracked her down.

Sam never said anything about what she got from Vala's spending spree. Vala slid the booking for the heavily discounted room in a top hotel in Washington and the plane ticket for their next period of down time under her door after she knew she would be asleep and left.

It seemed to work because Vala saw her actually hurrying to get off the base at the end of the day and the next time she saw her Cam asked how her days off had been and she smiled a peculiar smile that garnered her a knowing look from Daniel.

Still, for all she'd miss it, she didn't think the galaxy was ready for it.

5. SG1

She knows she'll leave one day. She can't see herself ever doing anything like 'retiring' at all, but she really can't see herself retiring on earth. She won't do it. She won't become the crazy (alien) lady on the corner with funny ideas who gets tormented by kids and, worse, ignored by adults. So, if she lives long enough to see SG1 retire then she'll leave because she has to keep moving, has to keep doing to keep her thoughts at bay and the nightmares suppressed.

She knows she couldn't stand it; she'd tried to imagine the fifty years they spent on the Odyssey and she thinks the only thing worse than growing old herself would be to see them grow old and die.

Besides, it's all theory, she's fairly confident that someone will shoot her long before she needs to worry about dementia or arthritis, or one of the repairs on the jury rigged space ships she inevitably ends up flying will go wrong and she'll die in the vacuum of space alone and no one will know.

That'd be better anyway, then SG1 can assume that she's still wheeling and dealing across the galaxy and she can assume they're reading and fishing and spending time with their families.

[magnavox-23.livejournal.com]

#1. Gravity defying lace covered mammary enhancers

#2. Polyester stuffed creature imitating comfort suppliers

#3. Motorised satisfaction enhancing fake rubber phallus'

#4. Mood enhancing sweetened cacao originating substances

#5. And one dashing, brave and ultimately heroic archaeologist who explored dusty temples, found crystal skulls, the holy grail and worked for a secret government organisation... bull whip optional.

Four things Vala would miss about Earth if she left, & one that she wouldn't (part 1)

[grammarwoman]

(with many thanks to kazbaby)

Vala had a series of escape plans worked out even before she stepped through the Gate that first time to Daniel's world, plans that were discarded and replaced as soon as she got a thorough evaluation of the layout of the SGC. Throughout her stay with the Tau'ri, the constant calculations for strategic withdrawal running through her head became a soothing background noise. A jarring note introduced itself, though, when she realized how much she would miss what she would be leaving behind.

Sam Carter

It was utterly trite and embarrassing, but she'd never had a friend like Sam: an attractive female who was completely uninterested in flaunting it. Vala had to resist a scream the first time she suggested that Sam play up her natural appeal to distract Landry from blustering at a failed mission, to which Sam had shot her a puzzled look, then an outraged glare before storming off. Honestly, if she'd been blessed with that devastating combination of blue eyes and blond hair, Vala could have made a killing in her various negotiations across the system. It just never seemed to occur to Sam that she was beautiful, let alone the advantages she could obtain from it. Vala tried a few helpful tips, just the barest suggestions, really. Sam bore them with long-suffering patience, then finally dragged Vala home with her for a girl's night in and a heart-to-heart about the boy's club and its pervasive impact on the military. Vala, finding the whole thing utterly ridiculous, was outraged on Sam's behalf. She covered up the awkwardness by offering to help Sam revel in her femininity after hours, something that Sam admitted she had let lapse for a long time. Vala found it refreshing: with Sam, there were none of the usual unspoken competitions or sizings up as to who was the more striking of the two women. Really, the delighted glee on Sam's face at her appearance when Vala coaxed her into dressing up in something more shapely than BDUs and pampering herself with various girly products was simply charming.

Once Vala grudgingly recognized that people paid more attention to Sam's brain than her face, she considered how much further she herself could advance her own schemes if she openly displayed her intellect instead of hiding it behind her formidable charms. It made Sam smile encouragingly even as Daniel and Cameron looked even more suspicious. Teal'c maintained his inscrutable façade, but she had long since learned to observe and treasure the small gleam of amusement in his eyes.

Teal'c

Of the constant stream of surprises in her time on Earth, few were bigger than the example of Teal'c and herself. That a former First Prime to one of the most powerful System Lords and a former Goa'uld host should become colleagues, even unspoken friends...well, it would surely boggle a lesser mind than hers. She learned to look for Teal'c's discreet eyeroll when one of SG-1's members complained about some petty detail, or the power of his scowl when he disagreed with a plan. Those who thought Teal'c was a man of few words had never learned to read the volumes of his face. On those occasions that the alien surroundings of the SGC closed in on her like another prison, Teal'c would invite her with a nod to join him in his quarters to meditate and share a few careful memories. Though their team tried their best, Earth would never truly be home to the two outcasts. But the struggle to find their own homes, places to truly belong, could just as well be fought from the stronghold of their allies and friends.

Four things Vala would miss about Earth if she left, & one that she wouldn't (part 2)

[grammarwoman]

Cameron Mitchell

Vala appreciated that the other members of SG-1 had been on the front lines for a long time, ceaseless years of triumphs and tragedies. The cost of traveling through the Stargate had been high for them all.

It was still a disappointment that Mitchell was the only one with a sense of adventure and excitement to match her own. And if his enthusiasm led them to more dangerous situations than the others would have liked...well, Vala still preferred that to playing it safe and boring. Mitchell reminded her of the wonder and sheer fun of journeying through the galaxy, something she never wanted to lose.

Daniel Jackson

Vala had known countless men like Daniel Jackson across the galaxy. Well, strictly speaking, men somewhat akin to Daniel's nature: bookish creatures whose thirst for knowledge led them down dangerous paths, convinced that experience gained through manuscripts and scrolls served just as well as action. Unlike Daniel, however, none of them had been as skilled with weapons as words, capable of as much violence as peace. Certainly not a one of them had been as handsome and yet aloof as the infuriating Dr. Jackson. From their first encounter as she was liberating the Prometheus from its uncaring masters, she could tell, though, that she and Daniel shared a connection, unwilling as Daniel was to see or acknowledge it. Vala Mal Doran was never one to back down from a challenge, and if she had to devote years to puzzling it out, she would crack the enigma that was Daniel Jackson.

Jack O'Neill

Vala had only met the past leader of SG-1 a handful of times, but the sense of him lingered in the team and even the whole of the SGC like a palpable presence. She had quickly seen beyond his dissembling exterior to the hardened steel beneath, a man who would, and had, lived and died for his people. As he took her measure in turn and found her wanting, she could tell that he did not count her among that number. Even as she recognized a kindred spirit in one whose easy persona masked the roil of emotions beneath, she knew that she would not live long past any permanent harm she might bring to SG-1. That thought chilled her to the point that she spent many sleepless nights as her brain spun helplessly through her backup plans of escape. She only hoped that when it came time to leave Earth and all that she would miss, it would not be with Jack O'Neill hounding her to the ends of the galaxy.