A/N: I want to say something really impressive here--but I've got nothing. So here's off the top of my head: this chapter is ohh about a year or so overdue, and if you're reading this, it means you've stuck with the story for that long, so I pretty much love you. :)

Chapter 33: Spacebound

Time on a spaceship was something Vala was more than used to. She had, on occasion, spent days alone in space, confined in some minuscule cargo ship she was delivering as part of a job. Other times, she had stowed away on bigger transports, for as long as two or three weeks at a time, to get to her destination safe and unobserved. She had even owned a couple of smaller vessels in the past, mobile and inconspicuous, that had kept her off the radar when she had needed it.

So why was it that her time on the Odyssey, en route to the supergate, was proving so trying to her?

Alone in her quarters, she leaned against the wall until her forehead touched the cold metal. Beyond it, she could almost feel the vast darkness of space, and for once there was no sensation of freedom or comfort with it. It only showed how far away they were from home, how much farther yet they had to go.

She sighed and turned away, grabbing a pillow from the bed and throwing it at the wall in annoyance.

"Ouch," came the wry comment from behind. "We have a gym for that, princess. Lot easier to work off that frustration on a punching bag than a pillow."

She gave Mitchell a sideways glance.

"Didn't your privacy-obsessed people put a doorbell on these cabins?"

"Rang twice, you didn't answer," he retorted.

Vala frowned. Had she really been that absorbed by her thoughts?

"I didn't hear it."

Mitchell stood unobtrusively by the door, arms crossed casually, though she could see by his intent look that he was concerned. For a second, she wanted to shrug it off, then thought better of it; after all, the long, tension-filled hours on the ship were getting to all of them.

"Just came by to tell you we're meeting again in the conference room," he said. "Be there in an hour."

She rolled her eyes.

"Cameron, there's only that much we can plan before we get to the Ori galaxy. Forcing us to sit around a table and get bored out of our minds going over the same ideas isn't going to get us anywhere!"

He arched an eyebrow and gave her a warning glare.

"Yea, well, it's happening anyway. We're going into completely unknown territory here—"

"Not to me and Daniel. And Tomin," she added after a millisecond, and her voice got that hoarse, personal undertone to it again. "We've all been to the Ori galaxy before, we know what to expect. So can we be excused?"

In fact, she would have happily attended if Daniel and Tomin were 'excused'. Vala could not say exactly why, but she did not want to see too much of either of them at the moment.

"Nice try," Mitchell deadpanned. "Neither of you has been there in over a year, and I doubt the Ori have been sitting on their bright collective—butts—doing nothing for all that time."

He walked to the corner of the room and picked up the pillow she had flung at the wall, throwing it back to her.

"Face it, Vala. We're jumping head-first and we've no idea what's waiting for us at the bottom."

She caught the pillow, sat down on the bed and hugged it, looking at the man over its soft, plush rim.

"You're not very good at that whole encouraging-your-team business, are you?"

Meanwhile…

Teal'c crossed the small Odyssey cafeteria with a few determined strides. He ignored Davidson and Marks, gesturing at him to join them at a table by the drink bar, as well as the nods of acknowledgment coming from Harris and two other crewmen who had stayed behind. Instead, he made a beeline for a table at the far end of the mess hall, where its single occupant stared distantly into space.

Upon reaching the table, he put down the tray he carried and silently pushed a plastic coffee cup across. A second passed before his gesture was acknowledged. Tomin stared at the coffee, then looked up with a listless expression.

"Thanks."

Teal'c chose to interpret his words as an invitation, and he sat down on one of the many empty chairs. He looked at Tomin for a long moment, appraising the man's state of mind, before finally speaking.

"You have not left this table for a considerable amount of time," he pointed out in a calm voice of vague interest. "You seem to have no wish to interact with the humans on this ship."

Tomin gave a small bitter laugh.

"They don't want to see me, anyway," he replied. "They all probably hate me—and for good reason."

Teal'c cocked his head, giving him a sideways glance.

"I believe you are mistaken."

Without replying, Tomin grasped the coffee cup and took it to his lips, taking a slow sip, willing his prolonged silence to drive away his interlocutor. He soon realized that was not going to happen, as Teal'c simply joined his hands on the table surface, staring at him with an expression of utter patience.

Words suddenly came to him, thoughts that he had not even known existed.

"This is my chance to redeem myself," he said almost pleadingly. "It should feel right, I should feel grateful that I'm given this chance, but instead it's all just…just…" His voice became increasingly strained with anger.

"Disappointment," Teal'c provided. He fixed a coffee stain on the table with a keen stare. "Frustration. Resentment."

He raised his eyes to meet Tomin's again.

"In this battle, it is not only your former masters you must confront, but also yourself...by the same token, it is not only your new allies you must convince of your good sentiments." He paused for a second, choosing his words. "It may be difficult to start believing in yourself again, but once it happens, you will find great strength to go forward with your mission."

Tomin's gaze intensified with a sudden surge of awareness.

"You sound like you know what you're talking about."

Teal'c merely dipped his head noncommittally, and said nothing in reply.

Tomin had returned to his quarters a few minutes after the talk with Teal'c, only to find Vala there waiting for him. It had been a welcome surprise—she had been so uncomfortable around him, lately. This time, however, she had even leaned into his eager embrace for a second, and Tomin had thought that maybe, maybe what they had was rushing back to her, too…

However, as she sat cross-legged on his bed, playing with a corner of the blanket, he found it trying to bring the discussion around to it.

"Let's not talk about that again."

"But, Vala—" Tomin's shoulders sagged in frustration. "Alright. As you wish." He felt like staying silent, but one pleading look from her made him change his mind. Despite everything, he couldn't stand to see her sad. "I…I talked with Teal'c today," he found himself saying, and was happy to see her head rise with interest.

"Really?"

Tomin nodded. Vala waited for a second for him to volunteer more information; it seemed he wouldn't, though, so she just nodded and picked up the conversation.

"He's great to talk to, Muscles is. Doesn't seem that way, you know, with all that 'tall, dark, and scary Jaffa' routine…" she smiled fondly as the image of her friend formed in her mind, "…but he gets things. And people," she added after a second's thought. "He gets people most of all."

Tomin nodded in his turn, seemingly thoughtful.

"He told me to talk to the rest of…his team…more." There was a split-second of silence as they both acknowledged how he had used third person, rather than second. "And the rest of the crew. He thinks it will help them…accept me."

Vala gave him a confident smile.

"I couldn't agree more. So why don't we do this: walk with me to the incredibly long and boring briefing now," she suggested with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, "then we'll join my friends in the cafeteria for a chat." It felt a bit like coaxing a reluctant child to go out and play with the others, but Vala didn't care. As long as he would be at ease. "How does that sound?"

He returned the smile, though she found it half-hearted.

"It sounds good, Vala." He stood up and reached her his arm, just like he always used to back in the Ori village. It pleased him, the way she linked her hand through the crook of his elbow with a small squeeze of encouragement. "Let us walk, then."

(End of Part Two)