Spoilers: Everything from The Stargate Movie up to the end of Season Eight, as well as Stargate: Atlantis’s “Rising”, and reference to technology used in Ethon and Off the Grid.
Season: Eight, starting just before the beginning of Threads and finishing after the end of Moebius.
Rating: T for violence, some non-graphic adult situations, some language, and confusing time-travel paradoxes
Disclaimer: The only thing I own that’s related to Stargate is my DVD collection. I’m not making any money off of Stargate. In fact, the reverse is true.

-- Chapter One --

The claxons screamed, beacons flashing. A voice blared over the loudspeakers. “Unscheduled off-world activation!”

Sam was on her way to the commissary. As the elevator opened on level 22, she punched Level 28 and repeatedly pressed the ‘close door’ button. Arriving on the lowest level of the base, she rushed down the corridor and entered the control room. She hesitated in the shadows near the back of the room, watching anxiously through the window that overlooked the stargate.

“Receiving IDC. It’s SG-7, sir,” Sergeant Harriman said.

General O’Neill was standing behind the Sergeant. He frowned. “They’re not supposed to be back for eight hours. Open the iris.”

Sam craned her neck to see as the iris slid open. Moments later, the members of SG-7 stepped through the event horizon. All four of them were covered from head to toe in pink slime.

General O’Neill snorted and leaned closer to the microphone to speak to the people in the gate room. “What the hell happened?”

“It’s a long story, sir.”

“No kidding. Alright. Get to the infirmary. Debriefing in two hours.” The General shook his head and made his way up the stairs toward his office. “Can’t wait to hear this one,” he said, chuckling.

The wormhole disengaged, and Sam stared at the now inactive stargate. She sighed.

“Sorry, ma’am.”

Sam jumped slightly. She looked at Sergeant Harriman, who had turned to face her. Forcing a smile and a nod, she left the control room.

She pressed the call button for the elevator and waited for it to arrive. It had been a week since she had ordered the activation of the device on Dakara. One week, and there was still no word from Daniel. Sam had hoped that he wasn’t on a Replicator ship when they were all destroyed, but as the days progressed, her hope began to wane. If he had been on a planet, he would have gated home by now. Or at least found some way to contact them.

No word for this long meant one thing: Daniel had been on one of the Replicator ships.

And by destroying those ships, Sam had killed him.

The elevator arrived, and she stepped inside. She stared at the floor selection panel, trying to remember where she had been going when the alarms went off. When her irrational side had led her to believe that Daniel was coming home. But it hadn’t been him. She squeezed her eyes closed. Daniel was dead, and it was her fault. And as much as she wanted to, Sam was afraid to let herself hope that Daniel might return again.

Coffee. That’s what it was. She had been on her way to the commissary to get coffee for herself and her dad. Opening her eyes again, she pressed the button for level 22.

The doors opened, and Sam headed down the corridor to the commissary. She filled two mugs with coffee then retraced her steps. The rich aroma filled the elevator, making her think again of Daniel. Her finger hovered over the button for level 18, a floor she had gone to many times with two fresh cups of coffee at all hours of the night. She swallowed hard and pressed 19 instead.

Sam arrived at her office. Her dad was sitting, quietly waiting for her. His elbows were leaning on her desk, and he was holding his head in his hands, eyes closed. She placed his coffee next to him, and he looked up.

Her dad smiled at her, picking up the mug. “Thanks.”

“I thought Selmak made you give up coffee.”

He shrugged. “He doesn’t mind if I have a treat now and then.”

Sam sat down and stared absently into her mug.

“He’ll be back, Sammy.”

She looked up at him. He must have guessed the reason her coffee run had taken so long. “He’s dead, Dad. I killed him. I killed my best friend.”

“And since when has Daniel ever let a little thing like death stop him? He’s the most stubborn person either Selmak or I have ever met. And in more than 2000 years, Sel’s met a lot of people.”

She sighed and took a sip of coffee, feeling her dad’s eyes studying her.

“What does Jack have to say?” he asked.

“I haven’t really talked to him about it. Last week, just after...Dakara, I tried. But I didn’t really push the subject.”

“Why not?”

“He’ll think I’m crazy, Dad!”

“For what? For believing that Daniel will come back? That’s not crazy, Sam. It’s happened before.”

Sam closed her eyes, trying to control her emotions. She decided that a change of subject might help. “Before you go back to the Tok’ra, I’d like you to meet Pete.”

Her dad stared at her for a long time, and Sam wondered if he was talking to Selmak. “I’ll tell you what. You talk to Jack about Daniel, and I’ll meet with Pete.”

She shook her head, smiling faintly. Her dad had never negotiated with her for anything before his blending with Selmak. Military Dad to the end, he had always just given orders that his children were expected to follow. Once again, Sam silently thanked Selmak for giving her the father she never thought she’d know.

“Alright,” she said. “You’ve got a deal.”

--------------------------------

Sam entered the control room and idly checked some computer monitors. Sighing, she stood behind Sergeant Harriman and stared at the inactive stargate. He turned to her.

“Still nothing, Colonel.”

She looked down at him and smiled slightly. Sergeant Harriman was sweet, and it seemed that he always knew everything that was going on with everyone on the base. Sam glanced at the spiral staircase leading up to the briefing room. “Is the General in his office?”

“Yes, ma’am. I believe he is.”

Nodding, Sam went upstairs. She walked purposely through the briefing room toward General O’Neill’s office. Her step faltered, slowing to a stop as she saw through his window that he wasn’t alone. She winced and looked back, debating what to do. Despite the deal with her father, it had taken a while to work up the nerve to come and talk to the General, and if she backed down now, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it again. She wanted to believe that Daniel would be back. She needed to hear it from someone who wasn’t her father. She needed to hear it from the General.

Thankfully, the woman in his office left through the other door. As the General turned back to his desk, he saw Sam through the window and waved her in.

“Sorry, sir. I saw you were with someone. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“What’s up?”

Sam hesitated, not sure how to begin. “Who was that?”

“Um, Kerry Johnson. He sat down at his desk and picked up his pen, looking at some paperwork. “CIA.”

“I’ve heard the name.” Sam searched her memory. “Oh. She was heading up the investigation into, uh, Goa’uld still at large after the incident with The Trust.”

“Yeah.”

Sam waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. Now she had nothing else to delay this conversation.

“Sir, I wanted to talk to you about—”

“Carter.”

”We haven’t heard from him in a week.”

“Doesn’t mean anything.”

“Sir, we know he was captured by Replicators. Chances are he was on board a Replicator ship when it disintegrated.” Sam stopped herself before she verbalized her overwhelming guilt to her commanding officer. She knew he wouldn’t understand. He hadn’t killed Daniel.

“All we know for sure is that he’s missing.”

She needed more than that. She needed himtosay that Daniel was still alive. She needed him to say that he’d come home. That she didn’t have to live with the guilt of killing him forever. Sam tried to force his hand. “Sooner or later—”

“Forget it! I’m not falling for it this time.”

“‘Falling for it’?”

“Yeah! How many times have you thought he was gone, and then he shows up in...one form or another? I’m sorry, but we’re not having a memorial service for someone who is not dead.”

Sam closed her eyes. Not dead. Not exactly what she was looking for, but it might be close enough. Her eyes flew open when he shouted.

“You hear that? I’m not buying it!”

Sam looked around, hopeful, but nothing happened. She looked back at the General, studying him. Maybe she shouldn’t be so worried that he’d think she was crazy for wanting to believe that Daniel was still alive. In fact, if anything, the General was coming off a little crazier than she was right now. That observation must have come across on her expression.

“What?” he asked. “He’s just waiting for us to say a bunch of nice things about him! Next thing you know he’ll come waltzing through that door. Like, right now.”

General O’Neill pointed at the door Kerry Johnson had left through. Sam followed his gaze, willing the door to open and Daniel to walk through it.

Nothing happened.

“Waltzing,” the General said, staring at the closed door. Sam looked at him, thankful for his hopeful words, but disappointed that his prediction hadn’t come to pass. “Now.” He turned and looked at her for a long moment. “He’s out there, Carter. He’ll be back.”

There they were. The words she longed to hear. Sam took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you, sir. I think I just needed to hear someone else say that.”

“Yes, well, happy to oblige.” He scowled at the pages on his desk briefly before looking back up at Sam. “Was there something else?”

“Actually, yes. I was hoping to get base clearance for Pete. I’d like him to meet Dad.”

“And he can’t do that off-base?”

“It would really mean a lot, sir.” If she was able to get Pete on the base, her father wouldn’t be able to find an excuse to be unavailable.

The General just frowned. The sound of a throat clearing made Sam turn around. Sergeant Harriman stood in the doorway behind her.

“Uh,” the Sergeant said. “There seems to be a problem in the infirmary, General. They, um, haven’t been able to find a solvent to remove the slime from SG-7, and it’s, uh, starting to solidify.”

General O’Neill sighed and stood up. “You know, there was once a time when that might have surprised me.”

“Sir?”

He turned back to Sam on his way out the door. “Clearance granted, Carter.”

“Thank you, sir.”

--------------------------------

The meeting between her father and Pete could definitely have gone better, Sam decided. She really wanted them to like each other. She wanted her dad to approve of her fiance. There were so many things Sam wanted. Lately, it seemed she wasn’t getting any of them.

Her dad sat across the commissary table from her, absently pushing his food around on his plate. He hadn’t eaten much. And he had said even less about Pete.

“So,” Sam said, breaking the silence. “You gonna visit Mark and the kids this trip?”

“Tomorrow,” he said, smiling.

She studied him. His smile seemed forced. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m just not very hungry.”

“You’ve been pretty quiet.”

“I’m fine.”

Sam nodded and poked at her Jell-o. He obviously didn’t want to talk about the meeting with Pete. But she needed to talk about it. She took a deep breath. “Dad?”

“What?”

“It’s been two hours since Pete left. You haven’t said a word.”

“I did so.”

“‘He seems nice’?”

“I believe that’s three words.”

“I’m going to marry him.”

“I know.” He nodded and looked at her with what she was afraid might be sadness or disappointment. Or worse, both. “I just met him. What do you want me to say?”

The truth was, Sam didn’t know what she wanted him to say. All she knew is that she wanted him to say something.

“I know how happy he makes you,” her dad continued. “That’s all that matters to me.”

She nodded slowly, watching him carefully. “Okay.” She looked down at her Jell-o and gathered some on her spoon.

“Selmak really liked him.”

Sam struggled not to roll her eyes. “Selmak.”

“Yeah, and he’s a great judge of character.”

“Well, okay.” Sam glanced at him and then back at her food. She was starting to get the distinct impression that her dad didn’t want her to marry Pete. As much as she appreciated the softening effect the blending with Selmak had on her father’s personality, it bothered her that he often hid behind his symbiote when faced with something he didn’t want to talk about.

“Look, Sam. I’m tired.”

She looked up, worried. Her dad never admitted weakness, not even when he had been dying of cancer.

He swallowed with what seemed like an effort. “It’s been a long day. I think I’m going to turn in early.”

“Are you sure nothing else is wrong?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night.” Sam watched him go and absently tapped her bowl with her spoon. Then, abandoning her Jell-o, she got up and followed him. She jogged down the corridor to catch up.

He sighed when she joined him. “Sam, I’m fine.”

She shrugged. “I just wanted to walk my dad back to his quarters.”

“Alright, then.” They walked in silence for a moment before he spoke again. “Still no word from Daniel?”

“Not yet, no.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine, Dad.”

“Sure you are.”

Sam rolled her eyes. Like he was one to talk. At the door to his quarters, he turned, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her.

“Sammy, does he know?”

She blinked, confused. “Does who know what?”

Her dad studied her for a long moment. He seemed about to say something, but he just shook his head. “Never mind.”

“Dad.” Sam placed a hand on his arm as he opened the door. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Sam pursed her lips, frustrated. She wished he’d stop saying that. “Dad.”

“I am, kiddo. I just need some sleep.” He pulled away from her and entered his quarters. The door closed quietly behind him.

To be continued...

-- Chapter Two --

Sam walked toward her car in the SGC parking lot, angry. Angry at herself for not turning off her cell phone during the briefing. Angry at her father for not being able to take a hint and stay quiet about her missed meeting with Pete. Angry at Pete for calling her with a flower ‘emergency’ while she was at work. Angry at Daniel for not coming back. Her step faltered. Yet. Angry at Daniel for not coming back yet.

She really needed to talk to Daniel. She needed her best friend back.

As she drove home, she called Pete. He was very excited that she had managed to get away from work and said he’d meet her at her place.

They drove through the streets of Colorado Springs. Sam stared blindly out the window, lost in her thoughts.

Pete dragged her out of her silence with talk about the caterer. He was obviously frustrated that she hadn’t been able to make the meeting with the florist. Sam didn’t really blame him for being upset, but she still couldn’t believe he had called her at the base about it.

It might be different if he didn’t know how important her job was. But Pete knew that the fate of the galaxy could be in her hands at any given time. Literally. She wished he could understand that their wedding plans didn’t exactly fit into her top-ten list of priorities every minute of every day.

But the galaxy was safe again. And he deserved her attention. Her residual anger at him began to fade as they talked.

As hard as she tried though, she found her mind wandering away from the conversation again. He noticed her distraction and called her on it. Why was she doing this to him? Pete was a good guy. He was trying so hard to make this work. Sam pushed her concerns to the back of her mind and tried to concentrate on being here with Pete.

They talked a bit about the meeting with her father, and then Pete asked, “Did I tell you I also have a surprise for you?”

“No, what is it?” Sam asked.

He turned to her and opened his mouth but closed it before he said anything. “Tricky!”

She grinned.

“You’ll see,” he said.

Sam smiled, leaning back in her seat. Talking about her father reminded her of his odd behaviour over the last few days. Her smile faded. She had a feeling something was wrong. That there was something he wasn’t telling her. Maybe it had to do with Pete. She wished her dad was willing to talk about it.

“And I’ve lost you again.”

“Sorry.” Sam winced. “I guess I have a lot on my mind.”

“Want to talk about it?”

She just sighed and stared out her window again.

“Sam, are you okay?”

She should at least try to explain why she was so distracted. Her head rolled on the headrest so she could look at him. “A friend of mine is missing.”

Pete glanced at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the road. “As in ‘missing in action’?”

“Yeah.”

He reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. Sam wished she could explain everything. She wanted to tell Pete that it was her fault Daniel had been taken in the first place. That it was her fault he was probably dead. But she had always had trouble talking to Pete about Daniel. She didn’t really know why. Still, Pete’s sympathy was sincere, and she appreciated it.

She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “So, what’s this surprise again?”

“You’ll see. We’re almost there.” Pete grinned. “Close your eyes.”

Sam laughed. This was one of Pete’s favourite games. He seemed to love taking her places as a surprise. And it never failed to make her laugh. She closed her eyes.

“They closed?”

“Yup.”

“Good.”

“Can I open them now?”

“Nope.”

“How about now?”

Pete laughed. “Not yet. Be patient.”

Eventually, the car stopped, and Sam climbed out of the car, her eyes still closed. She felt the softness of grass under her shoes. “Can I open them now?”

“Almost.”

She closed her door.

Pete took her hand and placed his other hand on her back. He guided her a few steps forward. “Okay. Now.”

Sam opened her eyes and looked around, confused. Whose house was this? Why had Pete brought her here? What was the surprise?

“What do you think?”

“Uh.” She looked to her right and saw the For Sale sign in the yard. Oh God. Had he brought her here to look at this house? He had never told her that he was looking at houses. “Well, uh...”

“Speechless, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Pete laughed in apparent delight. “Isn’t it great?” He let go of her hand to gesture at the house excitedly. His hand still on her back, he led her forward, across the front yard. “Remember our first night together? You described the house you always wanted?”

He remembered that? Sam felt a stab of guilt. She could barely recall the conversation. “I can’t believe this,” she said.

“The kitchen isn’t yellow, but we can paint. Come on. I’ll show you.” His hand left her back and her pace slowed. Pete continued forward, stepping around a flowerbed. Sam stopped in the middle of the front yard.

“And you’re not gonna believe the back yard! The dog’s gonna love it!” He headed toward the house, leaving Sam blinking at his back.

“Dog?”

Sam watched as Pete stood on the front porch, digging in his pocket for something. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A house. This was huge. Getting married was huge. Why was the fact that she’d be sharing her entire life with Pete only now starting to sink in?

“Come on! You’ve got to see the inside!” Pete pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and opened the front door.

He had keys to the house. Alarmed, Sam glanced back over her shoulder at the sign in the yard. She relaxed as she confirmed that it said “For Sale”. The realtor must have loaned him a set of keys so that he could show her the house. Okay, this wasn’t bad. She could look at the house. She had to get used to the idea of living with Pete full time anyway. Little steps. She could do this.

She turned back to the house. It really was beautiful. It was sage green with a charcoal shingled roof. The paved driveway led to the garage on the left side of the house. A wooden bench in the front yard overlooked the sprawling beds of wildflowers. Hanging baskets of plants decorated the front porch. All of the windows had decorative panels across the top, and a stone pathway disappeared around the corner of the house, presumably leading to the back yard. The back yard that, apparently, the dog was going to love.

Pete disappeared inside. With a sigh, Sam walked up and looked through the door.

To the right, off the main entrance, was a room that, when furnished, could be a library. Empty bookshelves were set into the walls, and the large window overlooked the front yard.

“Okay, we’ll have cozy chairs in here for reading and chatting,” Pete said excitedly. “And you have to imagine this room full of plants. This house has so many windows! Your plants won’t know what to do with all the light!”

Sam stepped into the room, looking around. She glanced at her fiance warily. Her plants wouldn’t know what to do with someone around to water them regularly.

Taking her arm, Pete led her back through the entranceway and to the left, into the kitchen. Here, the windows overlooked the front porch. The walls were white, the cupboards a light-coloured wood.

He went up to a wall and knocked on it. “The realtor said that this isn’t a supporting wall, so I figure we can cut a hole in here to see through to the dining room. Maybe even set up some stools on the other side, so it’s like a breakfast bar.”

Dazed, Sam followed Pete through a doorway into the next room. It was an open-concept dining room and living area with a fireplace coming down from the centre of the ceiling. It was glassed-in on all sides, so when it was in use, the fire would be visible from every angle.

“I know it’s a little hard to imagine without furniture, but isn’t it perfect? You’ve got to see the bedrooms.”

As they walked through the living-dining area and down a small corridor, Sam tried not to think about how much thought Pete had clearly put into what they could do with the house if they decided to buy it. She hadn’t been able to relax into their relationship quite as much as he had, but she was trying. Sam was sure that she’d get there eventually. It’s just that lately, there were too many global or even galactic emergencies to deal with for her to be able to put much thought into something as insignificant as her personal life.

“There’s a full bathroom here.” Pete gestured at a doorway as they passed. “And an ensuite off the master bedroom, which is right here.”

Sam looked around the large bedroom in awe. It was about one and a half times the size of her current bedroom, and she thought that was pretty large. Pete showed her the adjoining bathroom and the huge walk-in closet.

“Pete,” she said, giving him her most convincing smile. “This is incredible.”

“I knew you’d like it.” He grinned broadly at her. “There’s a second bedroom across the hall. And space for what could be either a guest house or office over the garage.”

Sam wandered across the hall and leaned against the doorjamb to the smaller bedroom, trying to muster some of the enthusiasm Pete clearly had in spades. In her mind’s eye, the room was filled with child-sized furniture. There. That wasn’t so hard. She tried to imagine more of their life together, and a little girl with bouncing brown curls jumped onto the bed.

“Daddy, will you tell me a bedtime story?”

“Sure, sweetie, but just one. It’s late, and you need to get to sleep.”

The little girl squealed with excitement and patted the bed, giggling as her father gently tucked the covers around her and sat down.

“Mommy! Come on! Daddy’s going to tell me a story!”

Sam smiled broadly, taking a step into the room. The man laughed and turned around, his bright blue eyes twinkling with his happy grin. “Yeah, mommy. Come on!”

She stopped dead in the middle of the empty room, blinking.

“Well?”

Sam spun around at Pete’s voice. “It–it’s great.”

“You okay?” He looked concerned.

She forced a laugh. “Yeah, I guess it’s all just a little, um, overwhelming.”

“Alright.” He grinned. “Take your time, look around. I’ll be out front.”

Sam nodded, smiling tightly, her ability to appear enthusiastic about the house suddenly gone.

As soon as Pete left, she turned back to the room that had just invoked a troubling scene from her imagination. The man in her fantasy hadn’t been Pete; it had been Daniel. Sam squeezed her eyes closed, trying to force the image out of her mind. She’d been sure she had buried her feelings for him years ago.

Those feelings had briefly re-entered her mind when she had been given command of SG-1. She had even considered talking to General O’Neill about finding someone else to lead the team because of them. But she’d been seeing Pete at the time, so she’d forced those feelings aside, giving Pete her entire attention. It just made more sense. It was better for the team, which made it better for her. For everyone.

Sam opened her eyes, looking around the room once more. She wandered aimlessly through the house, trying to imagine living here with Pete. Outside a window, in the front yard, she saw him sitting on the wooden bench, one arm slung over its back. His face was tilted to the sun, a contented smile playing on his lips. He was a good man, and she did love him. Their relationship had never really moved slowly. But lately, it seemed to be picking up even more speed. Sam felt like she was being left behind.

He stood up as she came outside. “So? What do you think?” Pete took her hand, and they began walking back to his car.

“It’s beautiful, Pete.”

“I just knew you’d like it! I have one last surprise for today.”

“More?” Sam swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

“Yup. Close your eyes.”

“Okay...” Instead of the laughter that usually accompanied the game, Sam felt nervous.

She heard the car door open and close. A few seconds later, she felt Pete’s hand touch her back.

“Okay, open your eyes.”

Sam looked around. Pete was grinning broadly next to her. She looked at the car but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“What?”

With his chin, he pointed over her shoulder.

Sam turned around and tensed as she realised that the ‘For Sale’ sign was now a ‘Sold’ sign. She looked at him, confused and more than a little afraid.

“I put a down payment on it this morning.”

“You what?”

“I knew you’d like it. It was exactly what you described.” He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. “Good surprise?”

All Sam could do was laugh weakly.

They climbed into the car and began driving back into the city.

Pete looked over at her and smiled. “Would you do me the honour of joining me for dinner tonight?”

“Oh. Um, I’m really not that hungry, Pete. And I’m kind of exhausted. I think I really need to just go home and get to bed early. I’m sorry.” Sam was having some serious second thoughts and really needed time alone to think. She needed to sort out her feelings and figure out what she really wanted.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. It’s been a really long week.”

“Saving the world stuff?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

Sam looked at him for a moment. She gave him a tight smile and nodded.

“But everything’s okay now, right? I mean, except for your friend being MIA?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we stopped them.” And killed Daniel in the process. Sam stared blankly at the dashboard.

“Well, then. I’ll get you home so you can rest.” Pete glanced at her again, grinning. “I can’t believe I’m marrying a woman who saves the world on a regular basis. This is so cool!”

Sam leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Right. Cool. Cool that she’d caused her best friend’s latest death. Cool that she still seemed to have feelings for him despite her best efforts. And very uncool to be thinking about either topic while sitting next to the man she had promised to marry.

To be continued...

-- Chapter Three --

Sam sat heavily on her sofa. She leaned over, her elbows on her knees, and clasped her hands, setting her forehead on her outstretched thumbs.

How had she let things get so completely out of control? She loved Pete, and when she had agreed to marry him, she thought she could love him enough to make it work.

But her thoughts for the last week had been more and more on Daniel. Of course, he was missing – probably dead – and it was her fault. So it made sense that she’d be thinking about him. Right?

Sam sighed and leaned back, her head thumping softly into the cushions of the sofa. Thinking and worrying about Daniel while he was missing was one thing, having fantasies about raising a family with him was something else entirely. Her eyes searched the ceiling, looking for ethereal wisps of light. They found none.

For the thousandth time since Janet’s death, Sam wished her friend was here to talk to. Janet would have the perfect advice. She’d know how Sam should deal with this mess. Janet hadn’t even met Pete. At the time, Sam had thought there was plenty of time to introduce them. She sighed. She had no idea what her friend would have thought of her fiance.

Her thumb toyed with Pete’s ring, spinning it around on her finger. She lifted her hand and stared at it. What was she doing? In her heart, she knew she’d never love Pete as much as she loved Daniel. Yes, Daniel was probably dead at the moment, but Sam knew – she knew – that he’d ascended again. Just as she knew he’d be back. He might hate her when he found out why he had died, but that didn’t change anything. Sam would always love him. Truth be told, she always had.

God! How could she have been so cruel to Pete? He deserved someone so much better than her. He certainly didn’t deserve someone who hid her love for her best friend by trying to love someone else. As much as she felt an obligation to fulfill the promise she had made to him, she now knew it was in both of their best interests to call off the wedding.

She had to tell him. He had been so excited about the house; it hurt to think she might break his heart. But she knew she had to tell him sooner rather than later. The longer she put it off, the worse it would get.

She picked up the phone and dialled Pete’s number. It went straight to voicemail. Damn. He must be on the phone. She left a brief message saying that she needed to talk to him and hung up.

Setting the phone down on the coffee table, Sam stared at it for a moment. Then she stood up. Now that she knew that her feelings for Daniel weren’t so easily forgotten, she had to tell General O’Neill. Sam stood up and grabbed her keys. She needed to do this now.

--------------------------------

“Well, you see, General. I probably should have talked to you about this a long time ago. I just— I guess I really needed to work up the nerve to admit it to myself.” She took a deep breath. “I’d like to request reassignment. It’s inappropriate for me to continue as leader of SG-1 when I have such strong feelings for one of its members.”

Sam paused. “You said yourself that he’ll be back. We may have to find him, but we will get him home. I know that now.” She sighed and dropped her head. “He doesn’t know, but I’m in love with him, sir.” Sitting in her car, she looked up at the General’s house, resting her chin lightly on her hand. Through the windshield, she could see a plume of smoke rising over the rooftop from the back yard.

She knew she had to do this now. It would be like practice for telling Pete. She closed her eyes briefly. How could she have just thought that?

Staring again at the house, Sam realised she had no idea what the he would say. She hoped that, like her, he had moved past the feelings that had been confessed during the zatarc testing. Feelings of the never-to-leave-this-room variety. That had been four years ago, and Sam had long since realised that a real relationship between her and the General would never work. Not in the long term, anyway. And she was sure he knew that too. At least, she hoped he did.

Sam took another deep breath and puffed out her cheeks as she blew it out, nervous. Then, she climbed out of the car and walked around to the back of General O’Neill’s house. She found him at his barbeque, dousing some type of rather well-cooked meat with beer.

“Hi, sir.”

General O’Neill turned to look at her, obviously surprised. “Carter!”

“Look, I–I’m sorry to bother you at home like this, but, uh—”

“How’d you know I was here?”

Sam smiled uneasily. “I saw the smoke.”

“Oh, yeah.” He brushed off his shirt and face then looked back at her again.

“Look, is this–is this okay? I mean, I could have called first, but...”

“No. Yeah. I mean, it’s fine. So, um, what brings you to this neck of the woods on such a fine day in my back yard?” He waved the charred meat that was on the end of his barbeque fork at his yard.

“Well, actually, I’ve, um...” She glanced back in the direction she had come and cleared her throat. “I’ve been sitting in your driveway for the last ten minutes trying to work up the nerve to come and talk to you.”

He raised his eyebrows and set the meat onto the grill.

“The truth is, I’ve been trying to work up the nerve for a lot longer than that.” She smiled nervously. This wasn’t going as well as she had rehearsed.

“Oh?”

“Pete put a down payment on a house,” she blurted, immediately regretting it. Yes, this was definitely not going as planned.

“Well, that’s great!”

“It’s a beautiful house,” she said with a weak laugh.

He nodded and then shook his head, raising his eyebrows again. “But?”

Sam dropped her gaze to the ground and took a deep breath, trying to get back on topic. “The–the truth is, I’m having second thoughts about the wedding.” She looked back up at him.

He stared at her a moment, frowning. “Why?”

“See, the—” She sighed. She had to get to the point. “The thing is, the closer it gets, the more I get the feeling that I’m making a big, huge mistake.” A gigantic, enormous, mind-blowingly stupid mistake. Sam swallowed the lump in her throat.

The General looked her up and down, then closed his eyes and turned to his barbeque, obviously not sure what to say. He glanced briefly at his house before looking at her again. “Look, Carter, the— I don’t know what you—”

“Look, I’m sorry to bother you with this, but, ah...” she interrupted. Sam knew that General O’Neill had never been entirely comfortable talking about feelings, and she didn’t want to make this difficult for him. But she had to tell him. When Daniel came back, her feelings would affect her job, and he was her commanding officer. He had to know. “See there’s actually a very good reason that I’m bothering you with this, and if I don’t tell you now, I might never—”

The creak of a door behind her made her voice catch in her throat.

“Jack, I looked everywhere,” came a woman’s voice. “I could not find—”

Sam closed her eyes and winced. She really should have called first.

Turning, she saw Kerry Johnson at the back door, holding a large salad bowl and plastic container of parmesan cheese. Sam was both relieved and disappointed at the same time. Relieved because Kerry’s presence was a good indication that the General had moved past his feelings for Sam. And disappointed because she knew that she’d never be able to say what she came here to say with this larger audience. She should have waited to talk to General O’Neill at the base.

“Colonel Carter!” exclaimed Kerry, clearly surprised to see her.

“Hi,” Sam said softly.

“Ms. Johnson,” the General said.

“Yeah, I didn’t–I didn’t...” Sam stammered.

“We were just...meeting here in my back yard on this fine day to discuss the state of affairs.” He looked up at the sky, gesturing broadly with both hands, spilling some of his beer.

Affairs. Interesting word choice. Sam smiled tightly to keep from laughing.

“Well, this is awkward,” Kerry said.

Sam again tried not to laugh. “Ya think?”

“Jack didn’t want anyone at the SGC to know about us.”

General O’Neill put down his beer and walked over to take the bowl and cheese from her.

“No, look, I—” Sam shook her head. “I, uh, I’m sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have come by unannounced like this.”

Kerry shrugged good-naturedly. “Well, you know, now that the cat’s out of the bag, you’re here, why don’t you just stay? I’m sure there’s enough charred meat on the grill for all three of us.” She grinned and looked at the General, who held out a piece of what Sam generously decided to call steak for her to see.

“No, thank you,” Sam said, finally allowing herself to laugh. “I, um—” Her phone rang, and she checked the caller ID. She was relieved to see that it wasn’t Pete. “It’s the SGC.” She glanced at the General apologetically as she answered the phone. “Colonel Carter.”

“Colonel, it’s Doctor Carmichael. We need you to come to the base, ma’am. It’s your father. He collapsed.”

Sam felt her stomach bottom out. “What? When?” She knew something had been wrong with him. She should have pushed to find out more.

“We found him not long ago. He’s stable, but I think you should get in here.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” She hung up and turned to the General and Kerry. “I–I gotta go. Uh, it’s my dad.”

--------------------------------

Sam ran into the infirmary, looking for Doctor Carmichael. “What happened?”

“He’s stable for now, but we’ve moved him into Isolation Room One.”

Damn it, that wasn’t what she had asked. “What happened?”

“He wants to talk to you himself, Colonel.”

Frustrated and worried, Sam left the doctor and headed straight for the isolation room. She opened the door and found her father sitting up in the bed, wearing hospital scrubs and looking very frail.

“Dad?”

“I’m sorry, kiddo. We both are.”

“About what? What’s going on?”

“I don’t want to ruin everything like this.”

Sam’s worry grew. It wasn’t like him to beat around the bush. When he had told her that he was dying of cancer, he had used exactly four words. ‘I have cancer, Sam.’ Granted, that was before his blending with Selmak, but still... “Dad?”

He sighed. “It’s Selmak. He’s dying.”

“Oh my God. I’m sorry.” She felt a sharp stab of guilt for being relieved that it was the symbiote’s health that was the problem and not her father’s.

“It’s okay. He’s okay. He led a pretty full life.”

“I didn’t live with Jolinar that long, but I think I have some idea what it’s like.”

“Well, this is a little different, Sam. As you know, when a Tok’ra symbiote dies, they can prevent their host from dying as Jolinar did with you.”

Sam nodded. Jolinar’s sacrifice had been a terribly emotional experience for Sam. Her dad had been blended with Selmak for years, and she knew this must be an even more difficult situation for him.

“The problem is,” her dad continued, “that last selfless act requires a certain amount of energy and a conscious effort.”

Suddenly, Sam had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. “What are you saying?” she asked slowly, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

“By all rights, Selmak should have been dead weeks ago. I wouldn’t let him go. I thought we needed him. That I needed him to help you stop the Replicators.”

A chill ran through Sam’s entire body. “Dad?” she asked through her clenched jaw.

“He hung on as long as he could. Then he slipped into a coma just after we activated the weapon on Dakara.”

“You’ve known all this time since then?”

“I didn’t want to spoil your wedding. Now, I thought we could make it.”

Sam stared at him, praying that she heard him wrong. “‘We’?”

“He’s barely alive.”

She shook her head, not wanting to believe him. Not wanting to listen. She couldn’t lose both Daniel and her dad in the same week. She just couldn’t.

“I’m going to die with him, Sam.”

Sam’s mouth went dry at the same moment her eyes filled with tears. She closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to cry in front of her father, but failing miserably in her effort.

He took her hand and squeezed it, smiling softly at her. “You should probably contact the Tok’ra.”

She nodded glancing briefly at the door to the hallway. “I’ll have someone get in touch with them.”

“It’s okay, Sam. I’m not going anywhere just yet. Have you had dinner?”

“Dad.”

“Please, Sam. I’ll still be here when you get back.” He looked at her, his eyes imploring her to do as he asked.

Slowly, she nodded. “I won’t be long,” she whispered.

Sam made her way down to the control room. Sergeant Harriman sat at his post. “I need you to dial the Tok’ra base.”

He immediately complied, and after the standard play-by-play of the dialling sequence, the wormhole opened. Sam spoke into the radio, quickly informing the Tok’ra of what was going on. After being assured that a contingent would soon visit to pay their respects, she signed off. Sam straightened and watched as the wormhole disengaged.

“Are you alright, Colonel?” Harriman asked.

She couldn’t look at him. She knew he was just being nice, but it was going to make her cry. “I’m fine,” she said. “When they arrive, please have someone show them to Isolation Room One.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, thanking him more for his understanding than for carrying out her orders. Then, turning on her heel, Sam quickly left the control room.

In the locker room, she changed out of her civilian clothes. After splashing some water on her face at a sink, she leaned on the counter and stared at her reflection in the mirror. With several deep, cleansing breaths, she regained control of her emotions and was ready. She went back to the infirmary, finding her dad in much the same condition as before.

Sam sat down next to his bed, taking his hand in hers.

“A number of the Tok’ra have responded. They want to pay their respects.”

“They can come.”

“I can’t believe there’s nothing they can do.” Her father looked at her pleadingly. But she continued. “They can remove a Goa’uld. In the last few years you’ve almost perfected the process of saving a host.”

“That process instantly kills the symbiote before it releases toxins. It’s too late for that, Sam.”

She looked away, studying a section of the floor near her chair.

“I’m sorry,” he said, squeezing her hand. Sam turned back to him. “I hate to do this to you, but I should have been dead four years ago. Since then, I’ve been all over the galaxy.” He smiled weakly. “I’ve done things most men never dream of.”

Sam could have laughed. “Where have I heard that before?” Those were almost the exact words she had said to the hallucination of her father when she was stranded on Prometheus with a head injury.

“I just want to know you’re going to be happy.”

“I am.”

He looked at her with deep sadness in his eyes. “Don’t let rules stand in your way.”

Sam shook her head, not understanding. He couldn’t know how she felt about Daniel, could he? How could he, when she had only just rediscovered it herself? “What are you talking about?”

“You joined the Air Force because of me.”

She laughed softly in surprise. How could he think she didn’t like working for the Air Force? “I love my job.” Sam smiled.

Her father sighed, nodding. Then, he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, looking at her seriously. “You can still have everything you want,” he said slowly.

“I do, Dad.”

He exhaled heavily and rested his head back against his pillow.

Sam took his hand, holding it between hers. She looked at him, nodding. “Really.” She rested her chin on their hands, staring at him.

Her dad sighed again. “Sam, my biggest fear is that you don’t really know what you want.” He looked at her imploringly. “You do know that you’re in love with him, don’t you?”

“Who?”

“Daniel.”

Sam gaped at her father. “How—” She shook her head in amazement. “How long have you known?”

“Since we were on our way home after you rescued me from Ne’tu.” He smiled. “Actually, it was Selmak who figured it out. You know how I am when it comes to things like that.”

She laughed softly and squeezed his hand. “Yeah, Dad,” she said softly. “I know. I finally realised I couldn’t hide from it any longer.”

Her father nodded. “Good. You also know he’ll be back. The rules can be bent, Sammy. Just because you’re leader of the team doesn’t mean you can’t make it work.”

“I know, Dad. I went to talk to General O’Neill about it today, but...”

“But something got in the way.”

“Yeah.”

“What about Pete?”

“I’m going to talk to him, too.”

“That’s my girl.”

Sam’s eyes burned, and her vision blurred. “Dad, there has to be something we haven’t—”

“There isn’t, kiddo. I’m sorry, but this is it for me.”

“I feel like I just got you back in my life.”

“Selmak gave us our best years together, Sammy. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

“Me too, Dad.”

“I am so proud of you.” His fingers tightened around her hand. “I always have been.”

Sam choked on her tears and looked up at the ceiling. She took a shuddering breath before looking back at her father. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too. All I want is for my little girl to be happy.”

“I know.”

“You’ll talk to Daniel when he gets back?”

She sniffed and nodded.

“You two will be good for each other. You’re a good match. I’ve always thought so.”

Sam smiled at her dad through her tears. When Daniel came back, she’d talk to him. She didn’t know what his reaction would be, but somehow, she’d work up the courage to talk to him.

A soft knock behind her made Sam clear her throat and turn around. Sergeant Harriman and several Tok’ra were standing in the doorway.

“Thank you, Sergeant,” she said.

He nodded and headed back down the hallway. She turned back to her father. He smiled weakly at her and squeezed her hand again.

“I’ll just be up there.” Sam nodded to the observation area overlooking his room.

Her father smiled, and she left his bedside. The Tok’ra nodded their thanks as she passed them.

From the observation room, Sam watched as the Tok’ra spoke to her father. General O’Neill came by to see how she was doing. She wasn’t sure he believed her when she said she was okay, but she really was. Still, she had been very grateful for his support. It was nice to have someone to lean on when Daniel, the one who usually provided the emotional comfort she needed, couldn’t be there.

One of the Tok’ra laid a hand on her father’s shoulder and looked up at her. It was time. Sam went down into the isolation room and took her father’s hand. She kissed his forehead, and he opened his eyes. “I love you,” he said quietly.

Then, he closed his eyes and was gone.

To be continued...

-- Chapter Four --

Sam watched as the base’s self-destruct countdown ticked away the last seconds of her life. This whole mess was a sad twist of cosmic irony. Now that she finally knew what she wanted in her life, she was going to die. Of course Anubis was about to destroy all life in the galaxy, so she was hardly the only one. But still, it was ironic. Not to mention annoying.

The break-up with Pete had gone far better than she had feared. He had been hurt, that much was certain, but he had also implied he’d been expecting it. His reaction had been a far cry from what Sam had anticipated. It bothered her. Not because she wanted him to beg her to stay, but because his reaction made her realise that she didn’t really know him at all.

Not that any of that mattered now.

Fifteen seconds. This plan wasn’t going to work. Destroying the base wouldn’t destroy the stargate. It wouldn’t stop the device’s energy field from reaching Earth. Sam knew it. General O’Neill knew it. Everyone knew it. But they had little choice. There wasn’t enough time to come up with a better plan. Not when Anubis had control of the device on Dakara. The device with which Sam had killed Daniel.

Sam tried to focus. Her guilt was irrelevant now. She looked around. No one was evacuating the base. There simply wasn’t time. The General had ordered the countdown to start at thirty seconds. Barely enough time for people to make peace with themselves. Hell, most people were still going about their regular duties.

It was absurd. Fully aware of the pending destruction of every living thing in the Milky Way, people were still complaining about the quality of the commissary’s coffee.

Five seconds. Daniel. Sam was surprised she hadn’t thought of it before. He had ascended again, she was sure of it. Daniel could stop Anubis. She glanced at General O’Neill, wondering if he was thinking the same thing she was.

Two seconds. Sam watched, barely surprised, as the countdown slowed. Yes. Daniel had done it, and now he was saving them from themselves. She looked out to the gate room and watched as the shimmering light in the gate room disappeared with the usual high-pitched whine of the stargate shutting down.

“Wormhole disengaged,” said Sergeant Harriman with awe in his voice.

Sam couldn’t blame him for being surprised. He didn’t know Daniel as well as she did. But she wasn’t about to start talking about help from higher beings in front of him. Instead, she looked at the computer monitors before the Sergeant, frowning. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Must be some kind of...system malfunction.”

Right. She almost laughed. A malfunction that conveniently disengaged the incoming wormhole and, at the very same time, stopped the self-destruct mechanism from blowing up the entire mountain. That’s not very likely. In fact... “That’s impossible,” she said.

“Shut it off,” General O’Neill said.

With a brief glance at him, Sam turned to the computer. “Aborting self-destruct.” She entered her code, and the alarms stopped blaring. Sam looked at the General and raised her eyebrows, silently asking if he also believed that Daniel was involved.

Instead of responding, he just looked back at the stargate and puffed out his cheeks with a heavy breath.

She stared at him. She knew she’d have no problem convincing the General that they should begin a search for Daniel. In her mind, Sam began running through all of the possible planets where they could begin. The Others had little tolerance for ascended beings meddling in the affairs of mere mortals. Daniel was undoubtedly being punished for saving the galaxy. The last time he had interfered, The Others had wiped his memory and sent him to Vis Uban.

If they followed the same routine, she would have to find Daniel and help him remember who he was again.

And this time, if he asked her if there was anything between them, she’d give the answer she had wanted to give in the first place. That no, there wasn’t anything more than friendship between them, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be.

This time, she’d do things right.

--------------------------------

Just hours later, Bra’tac came through the stargate from Dakara with news that Anubis’s Kull army had been defeated.

General O’Neill, Bra’tac, Teal’c and Sam sat in the briefing room, discussing what had happened.

“The Kull warriors became disorganised, confused,” said Bra’tac. “As though they no longer knew what to do.”

“They no longer had a master to serve.” Teal’c smiled at Sam, making her think that he also believed Daniel had something to do with the fall of Anubis.

Bra’tac nodded slightly. “After that, they were easily defeated.”

“Many Jaffa lost their lives at Dakara. Those that survived are united as never before.”

Sam smiled. The Jaffa had worked hard for their freedom. She wouldn’t be surprised if Teal’c ended up becoming a leader of the Free Jaffa.

“And we are in agreement. The weapon must be destroyed.” Teal’c looked at General O’Neill. Sam followed his gaze.

He nodded. “Well, that’s good.”

She smiled faintly at him, happy that they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else holding the galaxy hostage with the device on Dakara. No one should have that kind of power.

“A new memorial will be erected in its place so that our triumph over the Goa’uld will never be forgotten,” Bra’tac continued.

Sam wanted to get back to talking about how Anubis had been defeated in the first place, but she still didn’t want to be the one to suggest Daniel’s involvement. She tried to bring up the topic subtly. “I still don’t quite understand what happened. One minute Anubis is about to push the button that ends all life in the galaxy, and the next minute he’s just...gone.” Once they officially decided that Daniel had been involved, they’d begin searching for him. When he was found, alive and well, then maybe Sam could start to forgive herself for killing him.

A tingle caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. Sam straightened slightly in her chair and looked at the General out of the corner of her eye, but he didn’t seem to have felt anything out of the ordinary. She tried to shake it off.

“Indeed,” said Teal’c. “It is a great mystery.” Sam tried to hide her disappointment that he hadn’t mentioned Daniel.

“One can only assume he was vanquished by some beings. If not, why would he forfeit the weapon and his army?” asked Bra’tac.

Surprise of surprises, her segue to the topic she so desperately wanted to address came from the person most removed from the subject. Sam leaped on the opportunity and turned to the General, studying him hopefully. “You think?”

“I do.”

She smiled briefly, relieved. “It’s the only thing that would explain the self destruct not going off.”

“Of what do you speak?” asked Bra’tac.

Teal’c answered. “O’Neill believes that Daniel Jackson was somehow responsible.”

Sam nodded.

“Nope! It wasn’t me!”

She felt her eyes widen, and she straightened in her chair again. Had she just imagined Daniel’s voice?

“Anybody else hear that?”

Sam looked at General O’Neill and nodded, her breath catching in her throat.

“I’m in here!” Daniel’s voice was coming from the General’s office. Sam was frozen in her chair. Why wasn’t he coming out to greet them? Every part of her body was screaming at her to run into the office to confirm that she wasn’t having a delusion, that Daniel had returned, that he was alive. But she couldn’t move.

The General turned back to Sam. “That’s Daniel!” he said before getting up from the table and walking quickly toward his office.

“No! Don’t come in!”

“Whoa!” General O’Neill back-pedalled out of his office. “Hey there!” he said loudly.

Daniel was back. They didn’t have to find him. He was back. Sam heard him say something but couldn’t make out what it was. She sat there, still frozen, watching as the General turned around and pulled the SGC flag from its pole, passing it into his office.

A moment later, Daniel emerged from the office, the flag wrapped around his waist. Sam gasped. Finally regaining motor control, she turned away, trying to keep her emotions in check. Daniel was back. He was alive. And he was naked!

“It’s a...long story,” he said.

Sam felt him staring at her, and she looked up at him, smiling nervously. Involuntarily, her eyes moved over his body. Daniel had changed considerably over the years. The muscular body he had worked so hard for was a far cry from that of the young archaeologist she met on Abydos.

Her emotions were in stark opposition to each other. On the one hand, she was thrilled beyond belief that Daniel was not only alive and back on Earth, but also that he seemed to have retained all of his memories. But on the other, she was terrified of what his reaction would be when she told him why he had died in the first place. And she would have to tell him. Soon.

Daniel turned to look at her again, and Sam stood up. First things first. She needed to welcome her friend home. Walking quickly forward, Sam threw her arms around his body and hugged him tightly. She feared he might push her away like he did last time and nearly sobbed with relief when she felt him wrap his free arm around her back. She squeezed her eyes closed, for once not caring if the General saw her emotional side. The embrace felt wonderful.

Sam opened her eyes. “I knew you’d be back”, she whispered. Reluctantly, she pulled away to look at him, tears blurring her vision.

“It pleases me to no end to see you alive and well, Daniel Jackson.”

“Thanks, Teal’c. It’s good to be back. Again.”

“So, if it wasn’t you, who was it?”

“Uh, I’d be happy to explain everything, Jack, but could I get some clothes first?”

Before the General could answer, Sam headed for the door. “I’ll go get you something.” Leaving the briefing room, she cast a glance over her shoulder at Daniel.

As she walked down the hallway on the way to the locker room, she took a deep, cleansing breath, trying to remain calm. Daniel was home. She definitely needed to talk to him privately as soon as possible.

Stepping out of the elevator, voices down the corridor caught her attention. She heard someone mention Daniel’s name. Sam stopped at the corner and listened.

“I don’t believe it!”

“Well, believe it. He’s back.”

Sam’s eyebrows rose. She knew that the rumour mill at the SGC moved quickly, but this was just ridiculous. Daniel hadn’t even left the briefing room yet. No one outside of herself, the General, Teal’c and Bra’tac could possibly know that Daniel had returned. The airmen down the hall continued their conversation.

“How?”

“How does he ever return from the dead? Who knows? All I can tell you is he just appeared – poof, out of nowhere – in General O’Neill’s office.”

Sam’s eyes locked on a security camera near the ceiling. It was the only explanation. Sam made a mental note to speak to the SF on duty in the security office. She checked her watch and decided that in order to ensure that Daniel’s dignity remained intact, she’d also arrange for a little accident that would wipe the last ten minutes of footage from the General’s office.

She walked briskly down the corridor, past the gossiping airmen. Finally, Sam retrieved a spare uniform from Daniel’s locker and hurried back to the briefing room. The door was slightly ajar, so she opened it and went inside.

“—twice now. I think that’s pretty helpful,” Daniel was saying.

The General rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, there is that.”

Sam approached and Daniel looked at her gratefully. “Oh, thank you.”

She pressed the clothing into his outstretched hands, her eyes searching his, her heart aching. “I’ll just wait outside,” she said softly.

His eyes narrowed slightly, his head tilting to one side, but he nodded. “Thanks.”

The General cleared his throat. “I think it’s best if we all wait outside.”

“Good plan, Jack.”

Back in the hallway again, Sam leaned against the wall.

General O’Neill stood in front of her, grinning. He raised a finger and waved it in the air. “I told ya he’d be back.”

She smiled weakly. “Yes, sir.”

“This is a joyous occasion,” said Bra’tac.

“Indeed,” Teal’c agreed.

A few moments later, the briefing room door opened, and Daniel, now fully clothed, stepped out. The General clapped a hand on his shoulder. “That’s much better.”

Daniel chuckled. “No kidding.”

“Daniel Jackson,” Bra’tac said as he stepped forward. “I am most pleased that you have returned. I wish I could remain longer, but I must return to Dakara.”

“I will accompany you to the stargate, old friend,” said Teal’c. “There is much work to be done.”

General O’Neill waved as Teal’c and Bra’tac headed down the corridor. “Have fun, you two.” He turned back to Daniel. “Okay. We need to get you to the infirmary.”

“I feel fine, Jack.”

“I’m sure you do. But you’ve been dead for more than a week, so you understand why I’d like to get a professional’s opinion that you are, in fact, fine.”

There was a brief pause before Daniel answered. “Alright, I’m going.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Sam followed Daniel and the General down the hall toward the infirmary. Before they rounded the first corner, Sergeant Harriman’s voice stopped them.

“Uh, General?”

General O’Neill rolled his eyes as he turned around. “Yes, Sergeant?”

“Um, there’s a small problem with SG-7, sir.” He nodded to Daniel. “Welcome back, Doctor Jackson.”

Daniel grinned. “Thanks.”

“What kind of problem?” asked the General.

“Well, sir, you remember that pink slime they were covered in when they returned from their mission the other day? Uh, they’ve been getting regular check-ups to make sure there aren’t any lasting effects, and, um...”

“Yes?”

Sergeant Harriman cleared his throat nervously. “It–it seems that the members of SG-7 have developed a certain, uh, attraction for metallic objects, sir. There was an incident in the commissary. One of them was injured. They’re in the research lab with Doctors Lee and Carmichael now.”

The General groaned. “Magnets. It’s always magnets.” He turned to Sam and Daniel. “No rest for the wicked. Carter, you make sure that Daniel sees a doctor right away.”

Sam nodded, not trusting herself to speak right now.

“And Daniel?”

“Jack?”

“I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too.”

They watched the General follow Sergeant Harriman for a moment before turning to continue down the corridor to the infirmary.

Sam kept her gaze fixed to the floor as they walked, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Daniel periodically looking in her direction.

“You okay?”

She glanced at him and nodded, forcing a smile. She could tell he wasn’t buying her act. But the corridors of the SGC were not where she wanted to start the conversation that was burning a hole in her stomach. Thankfully, Daniel seemed to understand, and they continued toward the infirmary in companionable silence.

Sam barely noticed as they passed two airmen talking in the corridor outside the infirmary.

“Seriously,” said one of them. “I saw it with my own eyes. The fork flew off the rack all by itself and impaled Lieutenant Prebble right in the arm! I’ve never seen anything like it! And I’ve seen my fair share of strange things on this base.”

“They should have plastic utensils in the commissary,” said the second airman. “I’ve been saying that for months now.”

Sam brushed past the chatty airmen and entered the infirmary. After a thorough examination, Daniel was declared fit to resume duty. He was released and Sam walked with him back to his office. When they arrived, Daniel closed the door.

She stared at his desk, not turning to face him. “You still have all of your memories.”

“Yeah.”

Sam collapsed into a chair and squeezed her eyes closed, dropping her head into her hands. She felt Daniel’s hand on her arm.

“Sam, what’s wrong?”

She opened her eyes to find him kneeling on the floor in front of her. The expression of deep concern on his face broke her resolve, and her vision blurred as her eyes welled with tears.

“Daniel, I’m so sorry.” Sorry. That was the most pathetic thing in the world to say.

He looked confused but pulled her into a hug. “For what?”

“It was me. I killed you,” Sam sobbed into his chest.

She felt Daniel’s body tense. He pulled away and stared at her.

“No, you didn’t,” he said. “She wasn’t you.”

Sam blinked at him. “What?”

Daniel seemed to hesitate, the muscles in his jaw flexing and the crease between his brows deepening slightly. “You didn’t kill me, Sam.”

“I did. I helped calibrate the device, and I told my dad to activate it. It destroyed the ship you were on. I knew you were out there, and I did it anyway.”

His expression softened. “Sam, you did what you had to do. You saved the galaxy. And I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I should have found another way.”

“There wasn’t time.”

“I could have—”

“Sam, stop.” Daniel hands on her shoulders forced her to look at him. “Don’t do this to yourself. Please. You did what needed to be done. It was the right thing to do.”

Reluctantly, Sam nodded, and Daniel wrapped his arms around her. They held each other for a long moment. Then, pulling away from Daniel’s embrace, she looked at him. His lips were curved in a kind smile, and he gently brushed the tears from her cheeks.

“You okay?” he asked.

“You’re alive,” Sam answered, nodding. “I’m okay.” She was grateful for Daniel’s almost limitless understanding, but she knew it would take longer for her to forgive herself for what had happened to him.

She ran a hand through her hair and looked at him. His deep blue eyes were filled with care and understanding. Then she remembered something.

“What did you mean ‘she wasn’t you’?”

In less than a second, his face became an unreadable mask. “Nothing, Sam. Never mind.”

She frowned, studying him. Daniel didn’t shut down like that very often. Sam felt her eyes widen in horror as she realised the answer to her question. Standing quickly, she backed away from him. “Oh, God.”

“Sam, please.” Daniel stood and approached slowly, reaching out to her.

She raised her hands to stop him. Her throat was painfully dry. “She killed you,” she whispered.

He winced, and she knew she was right.

“How?” Sam managed to ask.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Tell me,” she pleaded.

Daniel’s eyes searched hers. He must have seen that she wasn’t going to let this go. “It was very...Terminator-esque,” he said. “Her arm became a blade and she, uh, ran me through.” He shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “She was, ah, a little angry with me.”

Sam was appalled. “How can you look at me and not see the person who killed you?”

“She wasn’t you, Sam.”

“Wasn’t she? She had my thoughts, my memories, my feelings. What are any of us besides that?” Sam laughed harshly. “She thinks, therefore she is me.” She raised a trembling hand to her forehead. This was worse than she had imagined. She hadn’t thought it could be any worse than knowing Daniel had died in the cold vacuum of space after the ship disintegrated around him. But to have died at the hands of her Replicator double, to have her face be the last that he saw before dying, that was too much for her to handle.

Suddenly, Sam felt Daniel’s hand on her arm again, and she twisted away, backing up another step until her back pressed against a wall. “How can you touch me? I killed you. Twice over!” Sam wrapped her arms around her waist and grimaced as nausea threatened to overwhelm her.

“Sam.” Daniel’s voice was calm but firm. “She wasn’t you.”

Her knees wobbled, and she started to slide down the wall. Daniel was immediately at her side and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he eased her to the floor. Too dazed to fight him, Sam barely noticed as her arms wrapped around his waist.

“She wasn’t you,” Daniel murmured, holding her tightly in his arms as they sat against the wall. He stroked her hair and continued whispering comfort as her tears again soaked into his shirt. “Don’t you realise that everything about you just further demonstrates how unlike her you really are?”

Sam rested her head on his shoulder, trying to regain control of her breathing. After several minutes, she sighed and closed her eyes, savouring Daniel’s closeness.

“Daniel?”

“Hmm?” he murmured.

“I missed you.”

Daniel pulled back and smiled softly at her. “I missed you, too.”

“I knew you’d come back. What I didn’t know is if you’d hate me once you did.”

“I could never hate you, Sam.” He gently brushed her hair off her forehead.

Sam looked into his eyes and saw no shred of fear, anger or hatred. His expression was one of concern and understanding. He seemed more worried about how she was handling this news than he was disturbed about it himself.

“How is it that you managed to come back with all your memories this time?” Sam asked. “After the countdown stopped, I was trying to think of all the places The Others might have sent you for interfering.”

“Well, I didn’t interfere this time. It was all Oma. So when I ascended, I was able to choose to take human form again. I guess I was able to keep my memories and choose where I went because descending wasn’t a punishment this time.”

Sam studied his expression. “So, you’re here because you want to be here?”

He nodded and Sam smiled. He had chosen to come back home. That was promising. She knew she should tell him now. She had promised her dad that she’d tell him. Sam bit her lip, trying to muster the courage to continue.

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. With a frustrated sigh, she looked away from him. She was such a coward. She couldn’t say it. Sam squeezed her eyes closed, trying to find the words to tell Daniel how she felt about him.

“Sam.” Daniel’s voice was soft and soothing. She opened her eyes and looked at him. A small smile danced on his lips.

“The truth is...” He took a deep breath. “I’m here because I want to be with you.”

“You what?” she whispered.

“Sam, I—” He smiled and touched her cheek. “I love you,” he said softly. “I’d rather live my life here, near you, than spend an eternity never able to see you or talk to you again.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. Her heart was racing. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. Not only did he not hate her for killing him, but he loved her? He had given up a life on a higher plane of existence to be with her?

Daniel took her hand and held it between his. “You don’t have to love me back, Sam. I just— I needed to tell you. You need to understand that I—”

Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at him. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth gently against his. After the briefest of moments, Daniel’s lips returned her kiss. Too soon though, he pulled away, his eyes searching hers.

“Sam?”

“I promised Dad that I’d tell you. But I was afraid.” She smiled at him. “I love you, Daniel. I think I always have.”

He smiled and cupped her cheek with his hand, brushing his thumb lightly over her lips. Then he frowned. “What about Pete?”

“I called it off while—” Sam shook her head, her eyes darting to the floor. “It took losing you to realise that I’d never love him as much as I love you.”

Daniel cupped her chin, lifting her face to look at him. “Maybe I should have told you a long time ago, then.”

With a quiet sigh, Sam shook her head again. “All that matters is that we’ve said it now,” she whispered.

He pulled her closer, his lips curved in a seductive smile. “I’m going to kiss you again.”

She laughed softly. “I sure hope so.”

Their lips met again, sending a delicious tingle through Sam’s body. The fingers of one hand tangled in his hair while her other hand explored his back. Their mouths opened, tongues touching in a fiery explosion of emotion. Sam moaned softly, tilting her head slightly to get a better angle. Their tongues slid past each other, exploring and tasting.

Daniel’s hand dropped to the small of her back. Sam allowed him to pull her into his lap, their lips never parting. He groaned as she leaned into him, pressing him back against the wall.

Her hands moved up the strong muscles in his arms to his shoulders. From there, they began a downward journey again, this time over his chest. She felt Daniel caressing her back. His hands slid down her thighs and back up to her hips. Their mouths moved hungrily over each other.

Slowly, Sam remembered where they were. She pulled away and gazed at Daniel, smiling. On the floor next to one of Daniel’s bookshelves, they were out of the direct line of sight of the security camera. But Sam was pretty sure it would be obvious what was going on if the feed from Daniel’s office happened to be on the screen at any time during the last few minutes. However, as much as she knew they should continue exploring this new facet to their relationship somewhere else, right now, Sam was just too happy to care.

She pressed her lips tenderly to Daniel’s forehead and then dropped scattered kisses across his face.

He laughed, capturing her face in his hands. She traced his lips with a finger. “I love this smile,” she whispered. “I miss this smile.”

Daniel’s eyes twinkled happily at her. “Well, I think it’s here to stay now.”

“That, Doctor Jackson, is a very, very good thing.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

As he leaned forward for another kiss, there was a loud knock, and General O’Neill’s voice filtered through the door. “Daniel? You in there?”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Five --

Sam and Daniel pulled away from one another and got up off the floor. Sam smoothed down her uniform as Daniel ran a hand through his hair. He smiled at her, and she nodded. Daniel opened the door.

“What gives? Your door is never locked.”

“Sorry, Jack.”

“Where’s Carter? She was supposed to take you to the infirmary.”

“She did, Jack. Uh...” Daniel looked over his shoulder at Sam.

“I’m right here, sir.” Sam took a step forward so that she’d be in General O’Neill’s line of sight.

“Oh. Good. Listen...” He looked back and forth between Sam and Daniel, his eyes narrowing. “Why are you two grinning like that?”

Sam took a deep breath. “General, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“We need to tell you.” Daniel moved to stand closer to her.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Right.” Sam turned back to her commanding officer. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a while.”

General O’Neill crossed his arms over his chest and gave her an expectant look.

“In fact, I really should have talked to you about it when I was given command of SG-1.”

“What are you talking about, Carter?”

“Reassignment, sir.”

“What?” The General’s eyes widened.

“Sam, what are you—”

She raised her hand, silencing Daniel’s question. “It’s not appropriate for me to be the leader of SG-1 when I have such strong feelings for one of the people under my command.”

“Under your...what?” He stared at her for a moment in apparent shock. Then his expression hardened into a glare. "Who?”

Before Sam could answer, Daniel slipped his arm around her shoulders. It felt completely natural, and she couldn’t help but lean into him. She wrapped her arm around his waist, and they smiled at each other before they both turned back to General O’Neill.

The General’s jaw was slack, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two people before him. After a long moment, he stabbed a finger in Daniel’s direction. “You?”

“Jack, just let us explain,” started Daniel.

General O’Neill glared at Daniel before turning to Sam. “But when you came by the other day...” He narrowed his eyes at her. “What was that about?”

“I was trying to talk to you about being reassigned once Daniel came back. But, uh,” Sam shrugged. “We were interrupted.”

The General exhaled loudly and shook his head.

Sam frowned at his confused expression. “Why did you think I was there?”

“I—” His mouth opened and closed several times. Finally, he shook his head and took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter.” General O’Neill fixed his glare again on Daniel. “How long has this been going on?”

“Um.” Daniel checked his watch. “About ten minutes.”

Sam couldn’t help but laugh, but one look from the General caused her to clear her throat and stare at the floor.

“Jack, I know this probably comes as a surprise, but—”

“Surprise? I don’t think surprise quite covers it, Daniel! How could y—” He broke off, and Sam glanced at him long enough to see the muscles in his jaw flexing.

The General was clearly upset. And he had apparently misinterpreted her reason for stopping at his house the other day. Maybe she had also misinterpreted the significance of Kerry Johnson’s presence. Sam winced inwardly. She was starting to have serious doubts that General O’Neill had moved beyond his feelings for her.

Daniel’s arm left her shoulders as he stepped forward. “Jack,” he said softly.

“Daniel!” The General raised a finger. “Just— Just be quiet a minute.”

Sam swallowed as her commanding officer turned to face the wall behind him. Daniel looked back at her, an apology on his face. She moved to stand next to him and placed her hand lightly on his back. He leaned into her touch, the corners of his lips turning up in a small smile.

“Oh, for crying out loud.” The General’s voice was very quiet.

They turned and saw him watching them.

“Sir,” Sam began.

“I always knew you two were close,” he said. “I just...I always thought of you as siblings.”

Sam felt her eyes widen as she gaped at the General. Daniel uttered a strange sound, and she looked at him, finding a look of shock on his face that undoubtedly matched her own.

“I’ve never thought of Sam as a sister, Jack,” he said slowly. Daniel turned to Sam, his expression was one she had seen many times before when he thought he might be talking to a crazy person.

She shook her head, agreeing with him. “Me neither.”

They both looked at the General again. He sighed. For a long moment, his eyes moved back and forth between Sam and Daniel. Sam was really starting to grow uncomfortable with the silence when, finally, General O’Neill spoke.

“How serious is this?”

“I’m in love with her, Jack,” Daniel answered. “I have been for a long time.”

His words made her heart sing, and she smiled up at him. Sam didn’t think she’d ever grow tired of hearing Daniel say that.

“Carter?”

She turned back to her commanding officer. “I feel the same way, sir.”

“Right,” he said slowly. “Well, obviously, you won’t be able to lead the team anymore.”

Sam nodded. “I’m aware of that.”

“And have you two decided how you’re gonna deal with that?”

“I wasn’t kidding about the ten minutes, Jack. This is all still pretty new.” Daniel shifted on his feet and Sam felt his arm brush hers. “We haven’t discussed any of what comes next yet.”

General O’Neill pursed his lips, studying them. “SG-1’s on stand down for a couple of weeks, so you’ll have some time to think about it.” He waved a finger back and forth between them. “I expect to be kept in the loop.”

Sam nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The General sighed again. “Okay. So, back to why I came here in the first place. We saved the galaxy. Again. And Daniel’s come back from the dead. Again. These are things the four of us need to celebrate.” He leaned against a corner of Daniel’s desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “Next week, after the funeral, I thought we could all get together. A little pond, a little fishing, a little quality time together without the fate of the world looming over our heads.”

“Wait,” said Daniel. “What funeral?”

The General raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t tell him?”

Sam closed her eyes and didn’t answer. She felt Daniel’s hand touch her shoulder.

“Sam?”

She drew a deep breath and met his eyes with a weak smile. “Dad died.”

“Oh God, Sam.” He pulled her into a warm hug. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Daniel’s hands moved in soothing circles over her back. Although she wanted to stay in his embrace forever, Sam pulled away.

“I really think I’m okay,” she said. “We got to say goodbye.”

His eyes searched hers, and she gave him a small smile, trying to show him that she was telling the truth. She had closure. She was okay.

The General cleared his throat rather loudly. “I’ve got some paperwork to do.”

“Jack.”

“Daniel.” General O’Neill turned to face them again. “Not right now,” he said evenly. Then, with a final look at Sam and Daniel, he left.

“That didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped.”

Daniel was staring at the doorway. “He’ll be okay. Jack just needs some time to adjust.”

Sam nodded as he turned to face her.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked.

She looked up at him. Her father had died, but not before they’d had the chance to tell each other the things that needed to be said. She was sad and missed him, but she was okay.

And Daniel was back. And he loved her.

That simple fact made it quite clear to Sam that Daniel really didn’t hold her responsible for her Replicator double’s actions. She couldn’t understand why, but she wasn’t about to argue the point with him.

Daniel’s hands rested lightly on her shoulders and then trailed down her arms, taking her hands in his. She smiled at him and squeezed his fingers reassuringly. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said.

--------------------------------

Telling Mark about their dad was one of the hardest things Sam had ever done. The Tok’ra had taken her father’s body for their own ceremony. But the Air Force gave him a hero’s funeral a few days later. Daniel’s solid and reassuring presence beside her silently strengthened her throughout the ceremony. Mark and his family had made the trip. He was both saddened and surprised at their dad’s death.

“The cancer came back,” she told her brother.

Mark shook his head in disgust. “I never really understood how he could have had such a miraculous recovery in the first place.”

“It was very sudden.”

“What was dad really doing?”

Sam just sighed.

“I’m not an idiot, Sam. I know the ‘deep space radar telemetry’ stuff is bull.”

“Mark,” she warned. They had both grown up knowing that military ‘need-to-know’ secrets were a way of life. She knew he understood; he just didn’t like it.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked back at the funeral crowd that was starting to break up. “At least tell me why the President is here.”

“Dad’s a hero. He saved a lot of lives,” she said softly. It was the truth, and it was also vague enough so that she wasn’t releasing classified information. She hoped he would leave it at that.

Thankfully, Mark stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry, Sammy. I’m just angry. He came to see us the other day. He didn’t even tell me he was sick again,” he whispered.

“I know. It was a surprise to me, too.” Over her brother’s shoulder, Sam saw her teammates standing not far away. She smiled at them and they approached.

Her brother pulled away as Daniel, General O’Neill and Teal’c arrived.

“Mark, I’d like you to meet my friends and teammates. They’ve all worked with dad.” Sam gestured at the men in the order they stood next to her. “This is Doctor Daniel Jackson, General O’Neill and Teal’c.”

“We are very sorry for your loss,” said Daniel, extending his hand to shake Mark’s.

The General followed suit. “Jacob was a good man.”

“Indeed,” said Teal’c, bowing.

Mark nodded his thanks. They all spoke briefly about unimportant things before her brother excused himself. He gave Sam a goodbye kiss then went to find his wife and children.

As she walked back toward their car with the three men who knew her better than anyone, the day’s emotions started to catch up with her. She sighed and stared at the grass passing under her feet.

Daniel’s shoulder bumped hers. She looked over at him but was surprised to see him looking the other direction. Sam leaned forward slightly to look around him and saw General O’Neill thrust his chin in her direction before he nudged Daniel so that his shoulder again touched hers. Still, Daniel remained turned the other way. After a moment, the General gave him a small nod before looking forward again as they continued toward the car.

Daniel turned to Sam and smiled softly. Then he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. The General’s acceptance coupled with the funeral for her father threatened to overwhelm her. She squeezed her eyes closed, leaning into Daniel’s embrace, trying to hold back her tears. A calming pressure on her shoulder opened her eyes. She looked up at Daniel gratefully. Then, wrapping her arm around his waist, she smiled.

--------------------------------

Sam watched as General O’Neill cast his fishing line out into the pond. She had to admit it: this place was beautiful. It had been four days since her dad’s funeral, and during that time, the General’s attitude toward Sam and Daniel had become more and more relaxed. She was relieved that the change in their relationship wouldn’t strain the friendship they’d shared for so many years.

“This is great,” she said. It was nice to get away from the non-stop demands of the SGC once in a while.

“I told ya!” the General said.

“I can’t believe we didn’t do this years ago.”

“Yes, well. Let’s not dwell.”

Sam stared out at the water for a moment, watching as the General reeled his line back in. They hadn’t been here long, but had yet to even get a nibble. Sam glanced at her commanding officer and realised something. “There are no fish in this pond, are there?”

“No.”

She looked over at him, laughing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daniel and Teal’c round the corner of the cabin, approaching them. She turned back to the pond as General O’Neill cast his line back out again. It went farther than last time.

“Nice!” he said.

Sam finished reeling in her line and smiled. Her next cast went only about ten feet from the end of the dock – about a third the distance of the General’s – but it was still her personal best. Footsteps approached down the dock, stopping just behind them.

“Hey, thanks!”

Sam looked over to see Daniel handing General O’Neill a bottle of beer. He offered her another one. She smiled and shook her head. Daniel shrugged, setting the second bottle on the dock next to the General. Then he moved to stand in front of her.

With a playful smile, he took her fishing rod and set it on the dock beside her. “Let me sit there.”

After a quick glance to where Teal’c was sitting, Sam raised her eyebrows and pointed over her shoulder. “You have your own chair!”

“Yeah, but I want to sit there.”

“Well,” she said, grinning. “That’s just too bad.”

“Oh, really?” Daniel took a quick step forward and sat on her lap.

Sam squealed with laughter and swatted at his back. “Okay, okay! Get off!”

Daniel stood and grinned as Sam got up off the chair.

“Bully,” she said with a pout, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

Daniel grabbed her around the waist to pull her onto his lap. “That’s more like it,” he said as he rested his cheek on her shoulder.

Sam looked down at him and tapped his nose with her finger. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Doctor Jackson.”

He just grinned and nuzzled her neck.

“Oh, for crying out loud. You two are gonna scare the fish.”

Sam looked at her commanding officer and was happy to see that he was failing to hide his smile. “What fish, sir?” she asked.

“That’s not the point.”

“There are no fish?” Daniel frowned at the pond. “Then what are you doing, Jack?”

“It’s the act of fishing that’s important. Fish really have nothing to do with it.”

“Clearly.” Daniel gave Sam a lopsided grin.

“I don’t know what we were thinking, General.” Sam grinned back at Daniel. He tightened his arms around her, pulling her in for a tender kiss.

Sam trailed her fingers over the side of his face, relaxing into his strong arms, losing herself in the kiss. When they parted, she rested her cheek on the top of his head and sighed happily. “This is great,” she said again. This trip was exactly what she needed.

--------------------------------

“Alright! Time for supper.” General O’Neill stuck his head in the fridge and started handing things to Teal’c. The Jaffa dutifully piled the items on the counter.

“Carter, Teal’c, you two see if you can turn this stuff into a salad or something.”

Teal’c eyed the vegetables that the General had brought. “Do you wish a salad with all of the small musical instruments?”

General O’Neill blinked at him for a moment before groaning. “Honestly, Teal’c. Eight years! You’ve been here eight years. It’s bells and whistles!” The General picked up a package of steaks and the bowl of potatoes, heading for the door. “Daniel, grab the beer. You’re with me.”

“Well,” Sam said after they left, picking up a head of lettuce. “This shouldn’t be too bad.”

“Indeed.” Teal’c pulled a large salad bowl out of a cupboard and set it on the counter.

Sam washed the lettuce and began tearing it into the bowl. “So, Jaffa High Council, huh? That’s pretty exciting.”

“It is a great honour. My only regret is that it will require me to leave the Tau’ri.”

She smiled. “We’ll miss you too, Teal’c.”

He looked up from the carrots he was chopping and bowed his head. “I am pleased to see that you and Daniel Jackson have progressed to the next logical step in your relationship.”

Sam had finished with the lettuce and was about to start slicing some radishes. She looked up at her friend in surprise. “What do you mean ‘next logical step’?”

“I have been aware for some time that your feelings for each other went beyond those of simple friendship.”

She stared at him as he concentrated on cutting perfect circles of carrot. Then, she laughed. “Of course you have. You know, Teal’c, sometimes I forget how observant and insightful you really are.” She shook her head and returned her attention to the radishes. “For all your stoic silence, you notice everything, don’t you?”

Teal’c glanced at her, a silent eyebrow raised, and Sam grinned.

“Although, I gotta say, it seems like everyone knew how I felt about Daniel except the General.” Sam looked toward the window briefly and then chuckled. “And, of course, me.”

“I believe it is said that it is often difficult to see the forest for the trees.”

“Good point.” Sam laughed. “And well said!” She studied Teal’c for a moment, realising something else. “Wait a minute. All of your misunderstandings of Earth’s cultural references and sayings... Those are intentional, aren’t they?”

If she hadn’t known the Jaffa for eight years, Sam would have missed the subtle change in his expression. Her eyes widened. “I knew it! It’s your idea of funny, isn’t it? Making the General explain your ‘mistakes’ all the time.”

“Indeed.”

Sam threw her head back, laughing.

“I request that you do not inform O’Neill of your discovery, Colonel Carter.”

“Are you kidding? This is the funniest thing I’ve heard in ages. I’m not about to ruin it! Your secret’s safe with me, Teal’c.”

They continued assembling the salad, and Sam turned to look out the window to where General O’Neill and Daniel were talking near the barbeque. As they spoke, the General poured some more beer onto the steaks he was cooking and glanced briefly in the direction of the cabin.

“I wonder what they’re talking about.”

“I suspect that you are the topic of conversation, Colonel Carter.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I was afraid of that.”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Six --

“See? The beer keeps them from getting dried out.”

Daniel eyed the steaks Jack was barbequing critically. “Don’t you think you might be able to accomplish the same thing by, oh, I don’t know, cooking them less?”

“Oh, they’ll be great. You’ll see.”

“If you say so, Jack.” Daniel glanced back at the cabin, hoping that Sam and Teal’c had managed to pull together a sizable salad. He had eaten some adventurous things in his life, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stomach much of the charred beef on the grill.

Picking up a potato with a set of barbeque tongs, Daniel examined the underside of it. “The potatoes are about finished.” He moved them all to the top rack, away from direct heat.

And yet, apparently the steaks weren’t. Jack poked at them again before turning to face Daniel. “So, have you decided on an assignment yet?”

“Ah, no. Not yet.”

“I’m sure you’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of wooing. I don’t think there’s a team or project on the base that wouldn’t benefit from your experience. You wouldn’t believe how many people have been knocking on my door, begging me to convince you to accept their offers.”

Daniel blinked, taken aback by the implied compliment. “A few people have come to talk to me already.”

“And?”

“I don’t know. Haven’t been overly intrigued by anything yet.” He shrugged. “SG-1 has everything: action, adventure, first contact with other races, dibs on archaeological finds—”

“I’ll never understand your fascination with rocks.”

“They’re artefacts, Jack.”

“Poe-tay-toe, poe-tah-toe.” Jack poured some more beer over the steaks and glanced at the cabin. “You could always stay with SG-1. If it has everything you want, I mean. Save me the paperwork of your transfer.”

Daniel shook his head. “No. It’s been a great eight years, but I think it’s time to move on.”

“And it doesn’t have everything you want anyway, does it?” Jack said, his eyes not leaving the grill.

“Ah, no,” he answered slowly.

Daniel waited. He knew that Jack had really asked him to help with the barbequing because he wanted to talk about Sam. But he also knew that starting that conversation was something that Jack had to do. If Daniel did, it would only cause Jack to shut down and avoid the subject completely. So, he waited.

He didn’t have to wait long.

“So, I take it Carter’s not intrigued by any of your offers either?”

“We really haven’t talked much about it, Jack. There’s been a lot going on, what with Jacob’s funeral and everything.”

“Yeah, I’m really going to miss that guy. He was the one snake-head I actually liked.”

Daniel smiled slightly and stared out at the pond. He missed Jacob too. Sam had explained that her dad had known all along that they had stronger feelings for each other than they had ever revealed. He was sorry that Jacob wasn’t around to see that he was right. To see the beautiful smile that often graced Sam’s face these last few days, despite her father’s recent death. Daniel hoped that Jacob would be happy for them.

“Carter is very special, Daniel.”

Turning to Jack, Daniel nodded. “I know.”

“I never expected you two to...” Jack’s voice trailed off, and he sighed.

“Jack...”

“Look,” Jack said, not letting Daniel finish. “She deserves to be happy.” He glanced at the cabin again before staring levelly at Daniel. “I haven’t seen her smile this much for... Well, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her smile this much. You either, for that matter.”

Daniel dropped his gaze to the barbeque again but said nothing.

“You’re like a brother to me, Daniel.”

Daniel looked up, surprised. Jack didn’t do emotional very often. In fact, he actively avoided talking about feelings whenever possible. “I feel the same way, Jack. And I—”

“Ah!” A raised finger stopped him. “As much as I care about you, Daniel, if you break her heart, I’ll break you.”

After a brief moment, Daniel nodded, smiling. “Got it. That won’t be a problem.”

Jack’s mouth turned up in a small smile before he turned back to the barbeque. “You’re better for her than I would be,” he said softly. “It took me a while to realise it, but you are. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realise you two are perfect for each other. And I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”

Daniel shrugged. “Sometimes it’s hard to see past what you’ve believed for so long.”

“Does she make you happy?”

“More than I’ve been since Sha’re.”

Jack nodded. “And I think it’s pretty clear that you make her happy, too.”

“I hope so.” Daniel glanced back at the cabin.

Jack poked at the steaks again. “These are done,” he said, effectively ending the conversation about feelings. He started transferring the meat and potatoes from the grill onto a clean plate. “Let’s eat.”

Daniel followed his friend back into the cabin. He was glad that they had been able to clear the air so easily.

Inside, Teal’c was setting a large bowl of salad on the table.

“Dinner is served!” said Jack as he placed the steaks and potatoes next to the salad with a flourish.

Sam was leaning against the counter. She looked at Daniel, her eyebrows rising briefly in a silent question. In response, Daniel grinned at her and nodded. Her face lit up in a relieved smile.

“Come on, you two.” Jack waved them over to the table, where Teal’c was already helping himself. “Before it gets cold.”

--------------------------------

“You gonna deal sometime tonight, Carter?”

“You that anxious to lose again, General?” Sam asked.

“Complete fluke. Had a bad hand. I’ll have you know I have never been beaten in my own house.”

Daniel leaned back in his chair. “And how often have you played poker here?”

“I do not believe it has been often, Daniel Jackson, as O’Neill requested I bring the clay currency substitutions.”

“They’re called chips, Teal’c,” Jack said. “And that’s not the point.”

Daniel blinked innocently. “Uh huh. And what exactly is the point, Jack?”

“Carter?”

She knocked off a sloppy salute. “Yes, sir. Dealing, sir.” She whisked the cards out around the table with practiced ease. “Five cards, one draw, deuces are wild.”

Jack took one look at his hand and threw it down in obvious disgust. “I fold.”

Sam frowned. “Uh, sir? Wouldn’t you rather check first?”

“Check what? I’ve got nothing.”

“Never mind. Daniel?”

Daniel glanced at his cards. Ah, why not? “Three hundred.”

Teal’c raised an eyebrow and set his cards back on the table. “Your wager is too costly for my internal fluids, Daniel Jackson.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “That’s ‘too rich for my blood’, T.”

Daniel looked across the table at Sam. She ducked her head briefly, too late to hide her grin at Teal’c’s joke, but when she looked up again, her expression was one of intense confidence. She stared at him levelly. He studied her, trying to keep his expression neutral.

“I’ll call.” She pushed her chips into the pile. “How many cards you want, Daniel?”

He smiled. “None.”

That made her blink in surprise. She cocked her head and watched him as she discarded and dealt herself three more cards.

Daniel tossed in another five hundred and forced himself to meet Sam’s calculating gaze.

Slowly, a grin formed on her lips. “You’re bluffing.” Sam matched his bet, casually dropping her chips on the growing pile in the middle of the table, her eyes never leaving his.

Daniel winced and turned over his cards. He had less than nothing – his highest card was a nine. He looked at Sam sheepishly.

Her grin widened. She flipped over her hand.

“That was one hell of a bet for a pair of sixes, Carter!” exclaimed Jack.

Sam just shrugged. “I knew he was bluffing.” She clawed her winnings toward her with obvious glee then jumped up from the table. “Anyone for a refill?”

Everyone nodded, and Daniel watched as she walked around the table and behind him toward the kitchen. “How did you know?”

Her fingers slid over his arm to his shoulder. Her hand moved casually down his chest as she leaned over his shoulder to tilt her face in front of his.

“Oh, I can read you like a book, Daniel.”

Sam slid away, her fingers trailing back up his chest to his shoulder, playfully tickling his neck before she moved into the kitchen.

Daniel cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. Jack just chuckled quietly as he shuffled and then dealt the cards.

The sudden touch of something cold caused Daniel to gasp. He took the beer that Sam had pressed against his neck, laughing.

She handed a bottle of water to Teal’c. Then, she leaned over Daniel’s shoulder to place Jack’s beer in front of him. As she did, her breasts pressed lightly against the back of Daniel’s head. He tried not to react, but when she lingered a moment too long, he knew she was deliberately teasing him. He looked up at her and grinned.

With a broad smile, Sam bent down and kissed him.

“Alright, alright, save the indecency for the game, kids,” Jack laughed as he tossed his ante in for the next hand.

--------------------------------

Teal’c caught the pillow Jack tossed at him easily.

“Okay, T,” Jack said. “You take the sofa.” He turned and picked up two of the duffel bags from the pile near the front door, one Sam’s the other Daniel’s. He walked to the second bedroom and set the bags just inside the door. “You kids be sure to keep the noise down. Teal’c needs his beauty sleep.”

Sam’s eyebrows rose, and she looked at Daniel.

“I’m assuming you two are...” Jack trailed off, waving his hands around in meaningless gestures.

Daniel felt the heat of a blush rise up his neck. “Thank you, Jack,” he said quickly. “Have a good night.”

“I have to admit,” Sam said after closing the bedroom door behind them. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

He moved closer to her and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her body against his. “We had a little chat. Jack’s really okay with us.”

Sam smiled, tracing her fingers over the muscles in his arms. “I kind of figured that out when he sent us to bed together.”

“Hmm.” Daniel lowered his head and brushed his lips over Sam’s. “I’m going to have to thank him for that again in the morning.” She uttered a contented hum as his mouth moved over her jaw and down her neck. He nibbled at her throat, and she laughed softly before squirming out of his grasp.

“Let’s just, um...” Sam glanced at the door.

He smiled. “Yeah, I know.” The cabin was clearly not soundproofed. While Jack might be okay with knowing that Sam and Daniel were sharing a bed, Daniel doubted that his friend was ready to have a live audio show of the event in question.

They climbed into bed, and Sam snuggled into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. Daniel sighed happily.

“Have you thought at all about what you’re going to do next?” he asked.

Sam took his hand and measured it against hers. “You mean my reassignment?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” she said, examining the back of his hand. “I’ve been contacted by the R&D Department at Area 51.”

Daniel smiled as she placed a kiss on the tip of each of his fingers. “ Nevada?”

“Mmm.” She kissed his palm before pressing his hand against her cheek.

“That’s sure to be an interesting opportunity.”

“Far from Colorado Springs, though,” she said absently, rolling partially onto his chest so she could look at him.

“Sam, if you’re worried about me, don’t be. You need to do something you’ll enjoy. Something that’s fulfilling for you. We have a strong enough foundation to make a long distance relationship work.”

She smiled at him and then kissed his shoulder. “It’s interesting you should say that.” Sam’s mouth began marking a diagonal line from his shoulder across his chest to his side. “Because, actually,” she said between kisses. “I was considering requesting permission to join a mission that would take me somewhere even further than Nevada.”

Daniel tried to focus on the words her lips were forming rather than the incredible tingles they were sending through his entire body. “Where?”

Sam rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him adorably from under her eyelashes. “Atlantis.”

“What? How?”

“There’s a new ship that’s currently going through the last stages of testing. The Daedalus. Remind me to show you its schematics when we get back to the base. It has Asgard hyperdrive engines.” Sam smiled, her fingers tracing the infinity symbol on his shoulder. “You, uh, think a certain brilliant and handsome archaeological expert on the Ancients might be interested in joining me?”

“Are you kidding?” Daniel rolled them over, shifting up on his elbow so he was leaning over her.

“Assuming that the expedition is safe, and the city’s still standing, it’d have more than enough to keep both of us occupied for the rest of our lives. Ancient culture and technology – we could be quite a team.”

“We already are,” he said softly. Lowering his head, he began to nibble at her collar bone.

She laughed and squirmed beneath him. “Daniel! Shh!”

“You’re the one making all the noise,” he murmured against her neck. Reluctantly, he lifted his head and looked at her again. “You don’t have to convince me, Sam. I think it’s a great idea.” He traced the line of her cheek with a finger. “I love you,” he whispered.

Her face lit up in a brilliant smile. “I love you, Daniel.” She laughed softly and ran her fingers up and down his back, tracing deliciously light lines that made Daniel want to throw decorum out the window and deal with Jack in the morning. “I can’t wait to see the look on your face when we get there,” she said.

“Well, let’s not jump the gun. We’ll have to see if we can join the mission first.”

Sam nodded, her expression saddening slightly. “SG-1 will be completely disbanded.”

“Someone else will come along to lead it.”

“It won’t be the same.”

“Wouldn’t be, even if we stayed.”

“Hasn’t been this past year, anyway.”

“Sam, you’ve done a great job leading the team.”

“Maybe. But it was more fun with the four of us.”

Daniel considered that statement. “I suppose you’re right. Without Jack around, we had no one to get his head sucked by Ancient devices.” He settled onto his side, resting his head on the pillow to gaze at her.

She turned to face him, smiling. “Or be infected by nanites that cause rapid aging.”

“Getting captured by a bounty hunter is always fun.”

“So is having a sentient computer program implanted in our brains by people who want to experience life vicariously through us.”

“And what about that television show that provided the SGC with culpable deniability?”

Sam snorted. “Of course, the General does still manage to get into trouble without officially being on an SG team. He did shoot you in the gate room not that long ago.”

“Fulfilling a lifelong ambition of his, I’m sure. And then there was King Maybourne.”

“Or Joe, the barber from Indiana?”

Daniel chuckled. “Now, that was funny.” He glanced at the door and then back at Sam. “So.” His hand slid down her side to rest on her hip, and he raised his eyebrows at her. “How quiet do you think we’d need to be?”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Seven --

Sighing heavily, Daniel tore the page off his notepad and crumpled it up. He clipped his pen onto the pad and rolled his head around on his shoulders. Cool fingers touched the tense muscles of his neck, gently massaging them into relaxation. He leaned into the familiar hand, grateful for Sam’s silent support.

“You know what I keep thinking?” he asked.

“What?”

“I don’t even know where I’d be or what I’d be doing if I hadn’t met her.” The news of Catherine Langford’s death had come as a surprise to Daniel. He had been even more surprised to be asked to speak at her funeral. The only thing that hadn’t surprised him was that the call had come to Sam’s lab. Daniel didn’t even think twice anymore about how people knew to find him in Sam’s office or lab.

Now, here he was, on the way to Denver with Jack, Teal’c and Sam, completely incapable of coming up with anything even remotely appropriate.

“If she hadn’t brought me onto the Stargate Program, I might be...” Daniel searched his mind for something he couldn’t imagine himself doing. “I don’t know. Teaching English as a second language or something.”

“Perhaps that is what you should say, Daniel Jackson,” said Teal’c from the front seat.

“Teal’c’s right. It’s perfect.” Sam gave him a small smile, nodding. “He’s pretty good at this sort of thing.”

Daniel looked at the blank page on his lap and picked up his pen again. And he began to write.

--------------------------------

Daniel straightened his tie and smoothed his suit jacket, studying his reflection. Sam’s arms wrapped around his waist, her face appearing in the mirror as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

“You look great,” she said.

He exhaled heavily, puffing out his cheeks. “I’m a little nervous.” Even though he had given dozens of presentations and speeches to a wide variety of human and non-human audiences, Daniel’s stomach still got a little queasy before each one. Of course, that wasn’t something that he was willing to admit to just anyone.

“You’re gonna do great.” She kissed his neck. “Whoops.” Sam began gently rubbing the spot she kissed with her thumb. She glanced at him sheepishly. “Lipstick.”

Daniel watched her in the mirror, enjoying her attentions. When she finished, he turned around and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m glad you’re here, Sam. Thank you for coming.” He kissed her temple.

“Don’t be silly.” She squeezed him tightly. “I love you,” she said, as if that explained her presence here.

He smiled and rested his cheek against her head. “I love you too, Sam.”

--------------------------------

“She said Catherine thought of me as a son,” Daniel said, absently running his thumb over the Eye of Ra amulet that Catherine’s niece had given him. It was strange to have it in his hands again. He hadn’t seen it since he had visited Catherine before embarking on the mission where they found Ernest. Before that, it had been on Abydos. He had sent it back to Earth with Jack after deciding to stay with Sha’re.

Sam looked up from the laptop on her lab bench. “What’s so strange about that?”

“I don’t know. Nothing, I guess.”

She frowned at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Daniel smiled. “What are you working on?”

“Nothing really. Just finishing up some reports. Since we’re still on stand-down, I’m finally catching up on my paperwork.”

Her phone rang, and Sam picked it up. “Carter,” she said. Her eyes moved over to Daniel. “Sure.” She handed him the receiver. “It’s the General. I don’t know why I bother picking up my phone anymore.”

Chuckling, Daniel put the receiver to his ear. “Jack?”

“Daniel. You wanna come down to your office?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah. That’d be good.”

“Be right there.” Daniel walked around Sam’s lab bench and hung up the phone. “Seems Jack needs me in my office.”

Sam smiled. “We still on for lunch?”

“You bet.” He bent down for a quick kiss. “See you then.”

Rounding the corner to his office, Daniel nearly ran into an airman with an empty dolly. Jack was leaning casually against the wall in the hallway.

“Jack?”

“Daniel.”

A second empty dolly rolled by. Daniel watched it go and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s going on?” He frowned as yet another airman pulling an empty dolly behind him left his office.

“You been shopping online lately?”

Siler handed Jack a clipboard.

“Whatcha talkin’ about?”

Jack gave the clipboard a passing glance and then handed it to Daniel. “Well, you’ve got a little delivery here.”

Daniel looked over the document on the clipboard. “It’s from Catherine’s estate.”

“Yeah, kinda looks like she sent the whole thing.”

Daniel glanced briefly at Jack before returning his attention to the inventory list in his hands. He walked into his office and looked up. “Holy...buckets!” Every surface in his office was covered in boxes and books. Daniel couldn’t even see his desk. “Looks like her entire collection!” He stood there, his eyes roaming over the various artefacts that were sticking out of boxes and the many piles of books that were scattered around the room.

“I prefer stamps,” Jack said, patting Daniel’s shoulder as he left.

Daniel stared at the room for another long moment in shock. Finally, he looked back at the pages on the clipboard, examining the inventory list in earnest. “She said odds and ends. A few odds and ends,” he muttered to himself. “Why would Catherine leave all of this to me?” He looked around again and laughed softly. “This is incredible!”

He looked around his very cluttered office, not knowing where to start. Moving a pile of books out of the way, Daniel opened his closet and pulled out a blank notebook and a bag of artefact tags. With a deep breath and a broad grin, he opened the first box to begin cataloguing the collection. This was going to be fun.

Three crates and two and a half piles of books later, Daniel barely registered a knock at his door.

“Whoa,” said a familiar voice.

He looked up and grinned at the woman standing in his doorway. “Sam! Look at this. It’s–it’s—” At a loss for words, Daniel simply gestured at the wealth of knowledge and artefacts that currently filled his office.

She looked around, her eyes wide. “Where’d it all come from?”

“Catherine. She left it all to me. It could take months to go through everything.” He picked up the next book on the pile and examined its cover and spine before opening it. “Oh God, this is an original 1889 edition of ‘The Eye of the Sun’.”

She moved to look over his shoulder. “Judging by your tone, I’d say that’s a good thing?”

He laughed excitedly, glancing at her quickly before turning his attention back to the book. “It’s fantastic! It’s the only copy known to exist. I can’t believe Catherine had this!” His fingers moved over the text on the page before him as he read.

“Well, while you look at that, why don’t I go get us something from the commissary and bring it back here?”

Daniel looked up from the book. “Hmm?” Sam was smiling pointedly at him, and his eyes widened. He checked his watch, wincing as he realised he had missed their lunch date. “Oh, Sam. I’m sorry, I lost track of time.”

She just laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You’re excited, and it’s adorable. I’ll be right back.”

Before he could promise to make it up to her, Sam had kissed him on the cheek and left. Not for the first time, Daniel shook his head in wonder at how lucky he was to have her in his life. He smiled and turned back to the book in his hands. Flipping a few pages, an etching caught his attention. “Oh my God,” he said before running out of his office.

“Jack!” Daniel shouted as he neared the briefing room. He ran inside. “We need to talk! Oh!” He stopped, realising that Jack was in the middle of a meeting with SG-22. “Sorry for interrupting.”

“No!” Jack grabbed Daniel’s arm, making him jump.

Daniel looked from Jack to Balinsky and back again.

“It’s okay. If it’s important, you must interrupt. You must.” Jack squeezed Daniel’s arm hard.

Daniel made a mental note to teach Jack the art of subtlety. They had known each other for nine years. They knew each other well enough now that he didn’t have to inflict pain to get his point across.

“I think we may have found a ZPM,” said Daniel, trying to clear his expression of the pained wince he knew it currently held.

Balinsky didn’t seem at all impressed that his debriefing was being interrupted.

“Yes!” Jack stood up quickly, not letting go of Daniel’s arm. He patted Balinksy’s shoulder and gestured to the mineral samples on the table. “Great stuff with the rocks.”

Daniel hopped a little, trying to squirm out of Jack’s vice-like grip. Finally, his friend released him.

“Go!” Jack said, smacking him on the back.

Daniel took off at a run down the hall, with Jack following. Along the way, they ran into Teal’c.

“Is there some emergency?”

“Teal’c!” said Daniel. “Everything’s fine. But come on! You’ve got to see this.”

Daniel skidded to a halt outside his office and hurried inside. Sam was already there.

“Where’d you go?” she asked, laughing.

“Sam, you’re not going to believe it!”

Everyone conveniently together, Daniel explained the significance of the image that he had found in the book. The ZPM that it depicted might still be somewhere in Egypt, buried in a tomb. Sam started to join in Daniel’s excitement. She told them that they should be able to scan the area by satellite to try to find the Ancient power source.

“Nice,” said Jack. “Carter, you do your scanning thing. Daniel, see if you can find out anything more about what Ra knew about the ZPM and where it might have gone.” He glanced at the tray of food sitting on one of the filing cabinets near Daniel’s office door and looked back at the scientists. “After you’ve eaten.” Then, Jack slung his arm over Teal’c’s shoulders as they headed out of the room. “So, T, how are things on Dakara these days?”

Daniel couldn’t stop grinning. He turned back to the piles of boxes in his office, wondering what secrets the next one might hold.

“Hey, before you jump back into the fray, you need to eat something.”

He turned to Sam and accepted the lunch tray she offered him. “What would I do without you?”

“Oh, probably get so lost in all this stuff that you’d forget to eat, then several days later, we’d find you unconscious on the floor from low blood sugar.” Sam grinned mischievously at him as she picked up her sandwich.

Daniel laughed. “You’re probably not wrong.” He picked up half of his sandwich and took a bite. “Mmm. Thanks for this.”

“You’ll probably have to do the same thing for me next time I get some really cool piece of technology to study.”

“True enough.”

Sam grinned at him. “So, tell me about this ‘Eye of the Sun’ book.”

--------------------------------

Sam pushed an open file toward Jack then crossed her arms and looked at Daniel apologetically. “We did an extensive satellite sweep of the Giza plateau searching for an energy signature like the one given off by the ZPM we found at Taonas. Even if it’s buried under dirt and rock, we should have been able to detect it. We found nothing. I’m sorry, Daniel. But if it’s there, it’s probably been depleted.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Daniel shook his head. “According to the text, it was a religious artefact. An icon. It was never used as a power source.”

“It is possible Ra simply took the device with him when he left Earth,” said Teal’c.

“In which case,” said Sam, “it could be anywhere by now.”

Daniel had been afraid of that. But he had an idea of how they could still get their hands on the ZPM, even if Ra had taken it with him. He just had no idea what Sam would think of it. Actually, he did know what Sam would think of it. And that was the problem. “We don’t know where it is now, but we do know where it was,” he said slowly, dropping his gaze to the table before him. “ Giza, three thousand BC.” He looked up at Sam to gauge her reaction.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “You can’t be serious.” She opened her eyes to look at him again.

“What?” asked Jack.

Daniel ignored him. “It’s the only way.”

“What?”

“No, we agreed.” Sam looked at him pointedly.

“If I have to say ‘what’ one more time, heads are gonna roll!” Jack said loudly.

“We have a time ship,” Daniel explained. “We can go back and get the ZPM.”

Jack leaned forward closer to Daniel. “She wouldn’t let me go back and watch the Cubs win the World Series!”

Daniel rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Jack, this is a unique opportunity. Ra never knew what he had, which means we can go back and take it without adversely affecting the timeline.” He looked at Sam, trying to make her realise that he had thought a lot about this plan.

“Actually, sir,” she said, bobbing her head slowly. “He may be right about that.”

Daniel blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly.

“You’re on board with this?” Jack asked, clearly as surprised as Daniel was.

“I’m not happy about it, but we don’t have any historical evidence to show that any Goa’uld has ever used a ZPM.”

Daniel looked triumphantly at Jack as Sam made his case for him.

“In which case, it wouldn’t be missed,” she continued. “We would have to be extremely careful to minimise our interaction with the people of the period.”

“Yeah, there’s that,” said Jack. “But I thought you said you couldn’t get it to work.”

“No one at Area 51 has been able to engage the time device. In fact, they’ve barely got the ship off the ground. But you were able to fly it without too much difficulty.”

“Indeed,” said Teal’c. “You have demonstrated an exceptional ability to control Ancient devices.”

“Jack, think about it,” Daniel said excitedly. “With a fully functional ZPM, we could power Earth’s defences and open up a wormhole to the Pegasus galaxy.” He stared anxiously at his friend.

Jack looked at Sam, and Daniel smiled when she nodded.

“Now, hang on a sec.” Jack glanced at Daniel and back to Sam. “This plan is a little zany, even for us. Carter, are you sure you’re not just agreeing to this thing because you’re...” He waved his hands vaguely in Daniel’s direction. “Sleeping with he who proposed it?”

Sam’s eyes flashed with anger, her mouth opening in clear indignation. Daniel spoke up before she said something she’d regret. “Jack, I think you know us better than that by now.”

“Hey. It’s a valid question. There’s a reason for the frat regs, you know. They ensure objectivity.”

“General,” said Sam, her voice low and even. “Like I said, we’ll have to be careful, but it’s a good plan. Daniel’s right. Ra wouldn’t have even known what it was. If we go in, get the ZPM and get out, avoiding contact with the people there as much as possible, we should be fine.”

Jack nodded. “Okay then. I’m in. After all, if the brain trust agrees on something, what could go wrong?”

Daniel caught Sam’s wince as he gave one of his own. Nothing good ever came of asking questions like that.

To be continued...

-- Chapter Eight --

“Three thousand BC,” Daniel said slowly. The last thing he wanted to happen on this mission was for Jack to send them to the wrong time period.

“Any particular day of this century for ya?”

Daniel gave him a look then demonstrated concentration. Jack turned to the controls and closed his eyes, concentrating. A hum ran through the ship, slowly rising in volume and pitch, and then suddenly dropped and went silent.

“What happened?” Jack asked.

Daniel looked around. “I didn’t feel anything.”

“The time machine pulsed,” said Sam as she entered the forward compartment of the ship. “Try the radio.” She leaned on a console and looked out the main window.

Daniel tapped the radio control on the dash beside him and cleared his throat. “Stargate Command, this is Daniel Jackson, do you read?” He waited for a response before repeating his hail. Still, there was no answer.

Behind him, Teal’c stood up and looked out the window. “The stars are different.”

“Earth was in a different orbit around the sun five thousand years ago,” said Sam. “I think we did it.”

“Huh!” said Jack.

Daniel shook his head, impressed. He hadn’t been entirely certain that the ship would work. He grinned as Jack again grasped the controls.

“Okay!” said Jack. “ Egypt. That’s in Africa, I believe?”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Jack.”

“So, we need to go...” Jack craned his neck as he looked out the window. He pointed to China. “That way.” He looked at Daniel. “Right?”

Daniel simply dropped his chin to his chest with a sigh.

As the ship started to angle in the actual direction of Egypt, Daniel exchanged an amused glance with Sam. Jack’s tendency to pretend he wasn’t as smart as he really was had caused both of them significant irritation over the years.

They landed and prepared for the mission. Sam reiterated the need for minimal interaction with the people of this period and minimum impact on the timeline. They were here for the ZPM, and that was it.

As they left the ship, Jack used the remote to cloak the Jumper. They all turned to watch it vanish from sight.

“Aww...” Jack moaned.

“What?” Sam asked.

“I thought it’d do that car alarm beep thing.”

She sighed. “Let’s just get going, sir.”

They walked across the desert in the direction of the tents that they had seen on the way to their landing site. Several dozen people were camped there.

“Okay,” Daniel said. “Why don’t I see if I can talk to these people.”

“Daniel.”

He turned to Sam, already knowing the reason for her objection. “I’ll be quick. A non-history-changing conversation.” She just frowned. “We have to find some way to get into the temple. Maybe they know something.”

Sam sighed but nodded.

Daniel walked over to two men standing not far away. It took him a few minutes to gain his bearings with the language. It was similar to that spoken on Abydos, but had some significant differences, and it had been a while since Daniel had spoken it. After a brief conversation, Daniel bowed his thanks to the two men and headed back to his team.

“Well, my Ancient Egyptian’s a little rusty, but I think I got the gist of what they’re saying.” He pointed back at the men he had been speaking with. “That’s Katep and his brother Salatis.”

Jack waved, shouting, “Hey guys!”

Sam turned to Jack with an incredulous look. Before she could speak, Daniel pushed Jack’s arm down and shook his head.

“They’re on a pilgrimage to the temple of Ra to make an offering,” Daniel said, watching Sam carefully. She was smiling now, but he knew she wasn’t going to like what came next.

“Oh, there’s timing!” said Jack.

“Tomorrow.”

Sam’s smile vanished.

Daniel nodded his head in the direction of Katep and his brother. “I told them we were travellers from the east and they offered to put us up for the night.”

Sam winced. “I was kind of hoping we wouldn’t have to stay that long.” Jack and Teal’c turned to look at her. “I’m sorry. I keep thinking I’m going to step on a bug and change the future.”

“Well,” Daniel said. “We can’t just walk into the temple unannounced. A public audience is the perfect way to get inside.” Sam had to realise that this was the only way.

“We just have to—” She looked pointedly at Jack. “Keep a low profile.”

Jack gave her an indignant look. “Yes,” he said, obviously not impressed. He turned to Daniel. “But more importantly, did they say what was for dinner?”

--------------------------------

“Katep, Salatis, I gotta say,” Jack said, picking up another date. “I was a little nervous about the food, but that was delicious! And beer! I can’t believe you have beer!”

Daniel grinned and translated for their hosts. Dinner had been simple but flavourful. Boiled cabbage, sweetened sour dough bread, sun-dried fish with fire-roasted onions, dates for dessert, and of course, rich, warm beer.

“I am pleased that you enjoyed it,” said Salatis in his native tongue.

Salatis’s son, Baraka, had taken an immediate liking to Jack. The boy hadn’t left him alone for more than a few minutes at a time, running circles, tugging on hands and robes, bouncing up and down. And Jack seemed to be enjoying every minute of it.

On Jack’s lap, Baraka laughed as Jack dangled another date in front of the boy’s face. At nearly four years old, he was a little big for the ‘open the hangar doors’ game, but he seemed quite amused. Daniel suspected that the boy was more entertained by the silly sounds Jack was making than by the game itself.

The date swooped closer and closer in time to airplane noises. It sputtered and stalled about a foot over Baraka’s head, but luckily the engine caught just in time to land safely in the boy’s mouth. Baraka giggled as he munched on the fruit.

“This kid is great,” said Jack as he prepared another date for takeoff. “What does Baraka mean, anyway?”

“Blessing,” said Daniel.

Jack grinned. “That he is.”

“It will be dark soon,” said Katep. “Allow me to show you where you can sleep.”

Everyone stood and followed him outside to another tent. Daniel looked inside. Three bed mats had been prepared with cream-coloured linen sheets.

“Hey!”

Daniel turned at Jack’s shout to see him standing in front of Sam and two other women. They were holding Sam’s hands, trying to move around the man before them.

Jack held up a finger and stepped in front of them again. “Ah! Where are you taking her? Daniel! A little help here?”

Sam glanced over her shoulder at Daniel as he neared the group. It didn’t take long for the women to explain the problem.

“Well? What’s going on?”

He turned to Jack. “Um, it seems that unmarried women have to sleep in a different part of the encampment.”

“Like hell she does. Tell them you and Carter are married.”

Daniel looked at Sam. He knew Jack was right, but he wasn’t about to make a decision like that without her input.

“Damn it, Daniel,” said Jack. “I’m not letting anyone split up my team in ancient Egypt. We’re sticking together. Now, tell them you two are married.”

Sam nodded almost imperceptibly, and Daniel reached out to take her hand. He spoke briefly to the women flanking her. They apologised profusely for the misunderstanding before heading off in the direction they had been taking Sam.

Daniel stepped close to Sam, studying her intently. “You sure this is okay?”

She nodded again. “The General’s right. We should all stay together. It’ll minimise our impact on the timeline.”

He smiled and draped his arm over her shoulder. All four of them headed back to the tent where Katep was waiting.

“Forgive me, Daniel. I did not realise she was your wife.”

“That’s alright, Katep. No harm done.”

The members of SG-1 entered the tent where they’d be spending the night. Jack and Teal’c settled on the two beds nearest the door.

“I shall take the first watch,” said Teal’c.

“Great, T. Thanks, I’ll take second.” Jack picked up a wooden object from the head of the bed and waved it in Daniel’s direction. “What the heck is this?”

“That’s a headrest, Jack.”

Jack grimaced and set the object on the ground. He took off the robe that covered his BDUs, folded it, and placed it at the head of his bed. “I think I’ll stick with a pillow. That thing doesn’t look very comfortable.”

Daniel chuckled and settled into bed next to Sam.

“Remember, sir. We have to keep a low profile tomorrow.”

“I know, Carter. You’ve only told me a hundred times.”

“I just want to make sure you understand how important this is.”

“I get it. Fate of the world and all that. This isn’t the first time that’s been on our shoulders, is it? Get some sleep. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

Sam sighed quietly, and Daniel reached out to give her arm a calming squeeze. She turned her head, smiling. Then they curled up together and went to sleep.

--------------------------------

As SG-1 returned to the Jumper, Daniel couldn’t help but think that the mission had gone even better than he had hoped. They had retrieved the ZPM from Ra’s treasure room, and Sam seemed satisfied with their limited interaction with the people from this time period.

Daniel was also thrilled with the video footage he had managed to get of the pyramids and life in ancient Egypt. He couldn’t wait to get back to his office to pick through the recording in excruciating detail.

“I still can’t believe you wouldn’t let me do anything back there, Carter,” Jack grumbled as they walked across the desert. “Now Baraka has to grow up without his father.”

“I’m no happier than you are that Salatis had to die, sir. But saving him could have drastically impacted the timeline.”

“Sam’s right, Jack.” The death of Salatis had been unfortunate, and it had bothered Daniel that they couldn’t prevent it. “When we got back to the encampment, I spoke with Katep briefly.” That conversation had helped Daniel understand the dangers and delicacy of travelling through time.

Sam glared at him, clearly upset that Daniel had engaged in another conversation that could have affected their history.

“Katep told me that he could no longer tolerate living under the rule of Ra. That something had to be done.” Daniel glanced at Sam and saw that her displeasure had been replaced with an expression of wonder.

“He’s going to join the rebellion that forces Ra to abandon Earth,” she said, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Sure sounds that way.”

“You see, sir?” Sam said, turning to Jack. “Causality. Imagine what would have happened if we had saved Salatis. You never know how far the ripples that one small act could have on history. We could have created a timeline in which Ra never left.”

Jack kicked at the sand but said nothing more. Daniel doubted that Jack actually agreed with Sam, even though she was right, but it was clear he was done arguing about it. At least for now.

As they neared the dunes where they had left the ship, Teal’c cocked his head. “There are voices ahead.”

Jack gestured for everyone to get down. They walked, half-crouching, and ducked behind a dune. From there, they could see about thirty Jaffa standing around a rather odd-looking pile of sand. The Jumper was still cloaked, but its location was quite obvious given the sand that had drifted partially over its invisible hull.

“Oh my God,” Sam said quietly.

“Alright,” said Jack. “We’ve got a little problem here.”

Daniel squinted, trying to see things more clearly without his glasses. “Must have been a sandstorm during the night.”

“The Jaffa will soon call for reinforcements if they have not already done so.” Teal’c glanced at the three of them. “We must move quickly.”

Jack reached for his gun, and Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sir, we can’t.”

“We’ve taken on more Jaffa than that.”

“You know what I mean. This is exactly the sort of high-impact event we’re supposed to avoid.”

“They have the ship,” said Teal’c. “Will that not alter the future more than anything that we could do?”

“Not necessarily.” Sam glanced at Teal’c before looking back out at the surrounded Jumper. “They don’t know what it is. And even if they did, they can’t use it. None of them have the gene. Even Ra won’t be able to make it work.”

“So, what are we supposed to do?” Daniel asked.

“Nothing.”

Daniel looked at her in disbelief.

“Nothing?” asked Jack, clearly not thrilled with that plan.

“Well, close to it.”

“No. Here’s a better idea.” Jack waved his gun at the Jaffa before them. “We take back our ship!”

“Sir, if we kill those Jaffa, or worse, get captured, we could alter the future immeasurably.”

Daniel dropped his chin to his chest. They were going to be stuck here. Sam and Jack continued discussing the situation.

“I’m sorry, sir,” said Sam. “I should never have allowed us to do this.”

Daniel rubbed his eyes in frustration. There had to be a way out of this mess. This mission had been his idea. He didn’t want to be responsible for stranding his team 5000 years in the past.

They got up and started making their way back to the encampment. Daniel followed his teammates, his mind racing for a solution.

“So, what? We live out the rest of our lives here?” Jack asked.

“Well, we know there’s going to be a rebellion eventually. The human slaves rise up and Ra abandons Earth. Daniel learned that on Abydos nine years ago. When it happens, there is a chance that we could get the Jumper back without creating too big a ripple in the events of this timeline.”

“When does that happen?”

“I don’t know the exact date. It could be years,” Daniel said, barely paying attention to the conversation. He was starting to put together a possible plan, although he wasn’t entirely sure if he had the time-space logistics of it worked out.

“What?” snapped Jack. “Years?”

“Sir, we don’t have a choice.”

“Carter, what about the ZPM? I mean, if we wait, we lose any chance of getting it back to our time.”

She glanced back at Daniel before responding. “Preserving the timeline is more important.”

“For all you know, things could get better!”

“Or they could be worse! We can’t take that chance.” Sam turned around and looked at Daniel imploringly.

“Well, I know a way we can get the ZPM back to our time, even if we don’t,” Daniel said. “About a month before we left, there was an archaeological dig that uncovered a first dynasty tomb near Giza. All we have to do is bury the ZPM in that tomb, let them find it, and maybe our future selves won’t have to take on this mission.”

Sam stared at him, a slow smile spreading on her face. “Wow. That’s bizarre, but it might just work.”

Daniel smiled, pleased that he had managed to grasp a temporal paradox.

Jack didn’t seem nearly as impressed as Sam did. “Carter, a lot of good people died when Anubis attacked Earth. I don’t think their families would mind if we futzed with the timeline a little.”

“Sir, I know this is hard for you. Your instinct is to change things. Make things better. But for once, that’s exactly what we can’t do. We have to let things play out exactly the way they’re meant to.”

“How the hell are we supposed to live here for what could possibly be years without affecting the timeline?”

“We’ll just have to be careful. Besides, as long as we haven’t changed history already, Daniel’s idea might just work.”

“We’d still be stuck here!”

“Not necessarily, sir.” Sam turned to Daniel. “We can record a message for ourselves with your camera telling us what the future should be like. That way, we’ll have the ZPM and know that our trip back in time didn’t change our history...”

“And we’ll never make the trip in the first place,” Daniel finished for her.

“Exactly!” Sam smiled at him.

--------------------------------

Daniel handed the camera to Teal’c and opened the view screen. “You can see what you’re filming here. And this is the button to start and stop recording.”

Teal’c pushed the button and the view screen turned on.

“Okay, that’s right,” Daniel said. He walked a few paces away and turned to face Teal’c. “Okay, my name is Doctor Daniel Jackson. I’m part of a team called SG-1, and we have just travelled back in time five thousand years.”

He continued, listing some recent major events around the world. Then Daniel urged Sam to join him on camera. Together, they briefly explained where and when the stargate had been found and how they had travelled through it, acquiring advanced alien technology that had been used to protect Earth from several alien attacks.

“Uh, Jack?” said Daniel, looking at his friend who was standing behind Teal’c. “You should say something here.”

Jack raised his hands and shook his head. “No, no. I’m good.”

“We should all be here on the tape.”

“We have no way of knowing how things could have changed,” said Sam.

Rolling his eyes, Jack came forward to stand in front of the camera. “Uh, uh, General Jack O’Neill, United States Air Force. How you doin’?” He looked over his shoulder at Daniel, clearly not knowing what he was supposed to say.

“Tell them about the future,” Daniel urged.

Jack glanced at Sam before he turned back to the camera. Daniel looked over at her but she seemed to deliberately avoid his gaze.

“Uh, college football is played on Saturdays,” Jack said. “Pro on Sundays. And there are no fish in my pond. At all. Where I fish.” He looked back at Sam and Daniel again. “Uh, I think that covers it for me.”

Jack walked away, standing behind Teal’c again.

“Okay.” Daniel looked at Sam pointedly. “Sam, is there anything else you and I should say about the future?”

“Um.” Sam stared at him for a long moment and then shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Daniel clenched his jaw, his eyes fixed on hers. “Are you sure?”

She smiled slightly and nodded, glancing at the camera. “Yeah, I think we’ve got it covered.”

Daniel sighed and swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to hide his disappointment. Then he turned to Teal’c. “Um, Teal’c, you should say something.” He moved to take the camera from Teal’c as the Jaffa stepped in front of the camera.

As Teal’c spoke, Sam stood next to Daniel. He focussed his gaze on the camera, even though he could see her staring at him out of the corner of his eye. Her hand lightly touched his arm. He pulled away.

She sighed softly and turned to leave the tent. Daniel watched her go, confused and hurt. As Sam disappeared outside, he felt someone pat his shoulder. He looked back to see Jack give him a reassuring nod before following Sam. After a moment, Daniel turned back to Teal’c, who was just finishing up.

“If all these things have not come to pass, you must believe that the present in which you now live exists only because the past has been mistakenly altered. It must be restored.”

“Good. Okay,” said Daniel, even though he had completely missed everything Teal’c had said. Daniel firmly pushed his emotions into a back corner of his mind to deal with later. Handing the camera back to Teal’c, Daniel launched himself into lecture-mode. He explained Jack’s Ancient gene, the gate dialling system, the point of origin, illustrated the addresses to both Chulak and Earth in the sandy floor of the tent, and then picked up the ZPM.

Before he could finish explaining the purpose of the Zero Point Module, Teal’c closed the view screen on the camera; the battery was dead. Daniel put the ZPM down. If he hadn’t taken all of that footage of the pyramids, he would have been able to finish telling their future selves everything they should know. Daniel dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. He’d just have to hope that the future wouldn’t be drastically different and they’d have everything they needed.

For the moment, however, he had more immediate concerns. “I’ve got to go find Sam.”

Teal’c nodded solemnly. “Indeed.”

Daniel went outside and looked around. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the encampment. He was hurt that Sam hadn’t wanted to talk about their personal relationship on the tape. Did she have regrets? Had she changed her mind and decided she didn’t love him after all? He had to find out.

Jack and Sam were sitting near the bottom of a dune a short distance away. They looked up as he approached.

“Hey.” She smiled and held out her hand to him.

Daniel frowned at her hand and took a deep breath, trying to get far enough past his feelings of rejection so he could talk to her. Slowly, Sam dropped her hand.

Jack stood up and brushed himself off. “Well, uh...” He glanced toward the tent where Daniel had left Teal’c and then back at Sam and Daniel, shifting awkwardly on his feet. Suddenly, his head swivelled back to the tent. “Coming!” he shouted before he hurried off.

Daniel sat down heavily next to Sam. He stole a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She wrapped her arms around his waist. He sat rigidly but didn’t pull away when she rested her chin on his shoulder.

“We’ll know, Daniel,” she said quietly.

He turned to look at her, searching her face. “How can you be sure?”

“Because we’ll see the way we interact and how we look at each other. Trust me.”

Daniel sighed. “I don’t even want to think about a timeline when we’re not together, Sam.”

“Don’t worry.” Sam leaned closer, her breath hot against his neck. “We’ll know.”

“Why didn’t you want to say anything on the tape?”

“I just—” She rested her cheek on his shoulder and sighed. “I just want to make sure that the people at the SGC find out about us on our terms.” Sam straightened, turning to face him. “Could you imagine if General O’Neill learned that we were involved on a video tape from five thousand years in the past? I mean, it was bad enough when we were the ones telling him.”

Slowly, Daniel nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He stared at the sand, wiggling his feet until they were half buried.

“Hey.” Sam cupped his cheek and turned his face toward hers. “I know what you’re thinking. I have no regrets, Daniel. That’s not what this is about.” Her eyes searched his. “We’ll know.”

“Okay.” He pulled his face away from her hand and stared at the ground again, not entirely convinced, but willing to take her word for it.

“Do you really think I’m about to jeopardise the first thing in my life that’s made me truly happy?”

At that, Daniel looked at her again.

“And yes, I mean you, silly.” Sam squeezed his arm.

He smiled. Sam could always make him smile. Daniel leaned closer to her as she again wrapped her arms around him, this time relaxing into her embrace. “I hope you’re right, Sam.”

--------------------------------

The next day, the four members of SG-1 trudged through the sand, carrying their precious cargo: the ZPM and video camera. Katep had helped them vacuum-seal the camera inside a canopic jar. He’d been somewhat bemused by the bizarre-looking figurine, which was what they’d decided to call it. Daniel didn’t want the headache of trying to explain why they were sealing up a ‘papyrus-weight’, which had been Jack’s suggestion.

“It shouldn’t be much farther,” said Daniel. If he had his bearings right, the tomb they were looking for wasn’t far from the encampment where they had spent the night.

Jack squinted up at the sun. “So how we gonna know if this works?”

“In theory, we should know immediately,” Sam answered. “We’re not in an alternate reality, just the past of our own reality. Putting the ZPM where it will be found and brought to us before we travel back in time will prevent the need for that trip in the first place. The recording on the camera will tell us if we changed history. If we haven’t, then we’ll already have the ZPM, so we’ll never have come to ancient Egypt in the first place, and we simply won’t be here anymore.”

Jack scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “This is giving me a headache.”

Sam smiled. “Time travel can do that, sir.”

At the top of a hill, Daniel stopped suddenly. He surveyed the desert below, dread beginning to knot his stomach. He hoped he was wrong.

“Wait here,” he said over his shoulder. Starting down the slope toward the activity below, his remaining hope began to wane. He spoke briefly with a worker and confirmed his suspicions. With a sigh, he turned and climbed the hill again to rejoin his friends.

“Is there a problem, Daniel Jackson?”

“Uh, yeah.” Daniel took a deep breath and looked at Teal’c, Jack and then Sam. “We might have to stay here a while.”

“Why?” Sam looked down at the structure that was being built below them, and her eyes widened. She turned back to Daniel. “Don’t tell me that’s the tomb we’re looking for.”

Daniel nodded. “It’s not finished yet.”

“How long are we talking here?”

“I don’t know, Jack. More than a year. Probably several.” Daniel looked back at the scene below. It was remarkable really, to witness the construction of an ancient Egyptian tomb, but Daniel felt none of the joy and amazement he probably should have been feeling. This trip into history had been his idea, and now they were stranded.

“Perhaps there is another location where we can conceal these items,” Teal’c said.

Daniel shook his head. This tomb had been the only recent discovery from this time period. “We’re going to have to wait.” He reluctantly turned his gaze back to Sam, knowing she wasn’t going to like that idea. She was staring at him, a pleading expression on her face. Daniel just shrugged. He couldn’t think of any other way.

To be continued...

-- Chapter Nine --

Daniel watched Sam from across the table. Teal’c said something; she laughed. He caught her eye and tilted his head toward the door. Daniel got up and went outside. Sam joined him a moment later. He took her hand, and they started walking through the cool night air of the desert. Sam looked up at the stars and sighed happily.

“One nice thing about ancient Egypt is the lack of light pollution.” She gestured at the sky with her free hand. “Just look at that!”

Daniel followed her gaze and smiled. They had been here for nearly two weeks, and were still becoming accustomed to life in ancient Egypt. Strangely, it was the little things that seemed the hardest to get used to. Like the absolute silence at night – the lack of ambient noise from cars, planes, and other twentieth century machinery was unsettling at first. And then there was the fact that Polaris, the North Star, didn’t point north. It was no longer – or rather, wasn’t yet – a fixed point in the night sky.

When they reached the outskirts of the encampment, they stopped. He turned to face her directly.

“Sam...” Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat. She smiled at him, and he found the courage to continue. “Will you marry me?”

The smile slowly disappeared from her face, and her eyes searched his in deafening silence.

“I–I know this is quick, especially after Pete, but I, uh, I just—” Daniel’s stumbling words stopped as Sam placed a hand on his arm.

“Yes.”

His eyes widened. “Really? I–I mean, you don’t have to say yes. We can just continue allowing people to believe that we are so that they don’t send you to live with—”

“Daniel.” Sam smiled softly at him. “I have to tell you something.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“When Pete asked me to marry him, I didn’t know what to tell him. Then, two weeks later, when we found you and Teal’c’s neighbour...” Sam sighed. “At first, I thought you were dead, and I was—” She broke off and looked down at her feet, digging her toes deeper into the sand.

Daniel waited quietly for her to continue. After a long moment, she looked up at him again.

“When they said you were going to be okay, I was so relieved. And...and terrified.”

He frowned. “Terrified of what?”

“Of my feelings for you. Pete was there, and–and I said yes. I told myself that I could love him enough to make it work.” Her eyes searched his again. “Then when I— when the Replicators took you, I finally realised I would never really get over loving you. And that wasn’t fair to Pete or to me.” Sam took both of Daniel’s hands in hers and squeezed them tightly. “When he asked me to marry him, there were so many different shouts in my head that I didn’t know what to do. When you asked me, there wasn’t a single part of me saying no.”

Daniel felt an overwhelming sense of joy, and he smiled happily at her. Her face lit up in an answering smile. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a kiss.

When they parted, Sam was grinning broadly, her face glowing with joy. Daniel tightened his arms around her waist and swung her around in a circle. He stumbled in the sand, and they fell to the ground, laughing, with Sam landing on top of him. Instead of getting up right away, Sam rested her chin on her arms, crossed over his chest.

Although the sand was permeating his robes, Daniel quickly decided there were far worse positions to be in. His arms held her body against his.

“I love you,” she said softly, tracing a finger over his lips.

He kissed her fingertip. “I love you so much, Sam.”

She uttered a happy sigh and rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his jaw with her nose. “You know, except for the ancient Egypt bit, I think I could stay like this forever.”

Daniel chuckled. “I can’t think of an argument against that plan right now.”

“Now that I think of it,” Sam said, looking up and smiling seductively at him, her fingers working their way under his robes. “I can.”

--------------------------------

Atop the hill overlooking the construction of the tomb, Sam and Daniel faced each other, hand in hand. Jack and Teal’c stood with them.

“So,” said Jack, looking at Daniel. “Do you?”

Daniel smiled. “I do.”

“And do you?” Jack asked Sam.

She laughed. “I do.”

“Well,” said Jack. “That was easy! So, go on! Kiss already!”

Ancient Egyptians didn’t have much of a ceremony for weddings. A common couple was considered married when they started living together. What Sam and Daniel had decided on was hardly an official ceremony by their standards, but it was enough. And it was meaningful to the four of them. Both Jack and Teal’c had been happy to hear of their friends’ engagement and had organised a celebration following the ceremony.

The next few weeks saw the members of SG-1 adjusting to life in ancient Egypt. Daniel, Katep and Baraka helped Sam, Jack and Teal’c begin to learn the local language. And they had managed to make themselves pillows, which were far more comfortable than the wooden headrests that were common here.

They had to learn everything all over again. Sam was insistent that they do things according to the customs of the people in this time period. Anything they taught them could affect history.

--------------------------------

One night, in their tent, Daniel lay down next to Sam. His arms wrapped around her body, gently pulling her closer. With a soft sigh, she turned around in his arms. He smiled at her, trailing his hand down her side to rest on her hip.

Sam laughed softly. “Easy, tiger.”

He pulled away, pretending to pout. “What?”

“I’m having my period.”

“Ah.” He dropped a line of kisses across her collar bone before propping himself up on his elbow to gaze down at her. He smiled. “Okay.”

“What that means,” Sam said slowly as she ran her fingers through his hair, “is that we’re going to have to start being careful.”

Absently, he traced hieroglyphs on her stomach with his finger. “Careful about what?” he murmured.

“I’m overdue for my birth control shot.”

Daniel’s hand froze mid-symbol. “Oh.” He was surprised that he hadn’t thought of that earlier.

“I don’t even want to think about the changes in the timeline that a child could produce.”

He nodded. She was right. It was too dangerous.

“It takes about 6 months on average to become fertile again once the shot wears off. That will give us time to track my cycle. We’ll have to use the rhythm method.”

“I didn’t think that was very reliable.”

“It isn’t. It has about a twenty percent failure rate. But I’m also getting to the age where it’ll be harder to conceive anyway. Combined, that makes the risk of getting pregnant fairly small.”

Daniel brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. “Are you sure?”

“I think we’ll be fine.” She smiled. “Besides, the alternative is abstinence. And I’m not ready to give up making love with you just yet.”

“Oh, good.” He lowered his lips to hers for a kiss. “I’m rather fond of that activity myself.”

Sam chuckled and pushed on his shoulder until he was lying on his back. Pulling his arm around her body, she curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Daniel kissed the top of her head, completely content to hold her in his arms. He closed his eyes and smiled. The desert air was devoid of pollen, so he hadn’t been sneezing. Otherwise, Daniel might have remembered sooner that he was overdue for his allergy shot. For the sake of convenience and safety, Janet had started him on the injections years ago, and he’d never looked back.

Suddenly, a thought hit him, and he sat up.

“Hey! Where’d my pillow go?” Sam grinned, but her expression quickly became serious as she looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Birth control shots last three months.”

She nodded, frowning. “Right. I had my last one just before we found the time ship on Maybourne’s planet. About two months before we came here.”

“So, how long does a vial of Tretonin last?”

Her eyes widened, and she sat up. “Oh God.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

Standing outside Teal’c’s tent just a few minutes later, Daniel took a calming breath. His frustration with himself for not thinking about this problem when they had first discovered they’d be stranded in ancient Egypt wasn’t going to help. “Teal’c?” he called through the fabric of the tent.

“You may enter, Daniel Jackson.”

Sam and Daniel stepped inside, finding Teal’c sitting cross-legged on his bed mat and Jack seated on the ground nearby.

“Hey guys,” said Jack. “You’re up late.”

“Teal’c,” said Sam, getting straight to business. “How much Tretonin do you have left?”

“With continued rationing, I have an adequate supply to last approximately six weeks.”

She sighed and sat down in front of him, running a hand through her hair. “I can’t believe we didn’t think about this before. Why didn’t you tell us?”

Daniel sat next to Sam and looked over at Jack, who had picked up a handful of sand and was intently watching it flow through his fingers. Daniel narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Jack?”

He looked up; the too-innocent expression on his face confirmed Daniel’s suspicions. “Daniel?”

“How long have you known?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jack dropped his gaze and picked up another handful of sand.

“Sir?”

Daniel glanced at Sam, then Teal’c, and turned back to Jack, suddenly angry. “What were you going to do? Go off alone to get him a symbiote and get yourself killed?”

Jack glared fiercely at Daniel. “I take care of my team, Daniel. And no, I wasn’t going to tell any of you my plan because you’d just scold me for going alone, Carter’d yell at me for messing with the timeline, and Teal’c wouldn’t be happy that I’d killed a Jaffa to save his life.” He looked at each of them steadily as he spoke. “But I’d do it. You three are my family. And I’ll be damned if any of us are going to die here. I’m sure as hell not going to sit idly by and watch that happen. Not when there was something I could do about it. I take care of my team,” he said again firmly.

Daniel gaped at him. “You honestly think I wouldn’t help you? Do you think that little of me? If you had told me, I wouldn’t have been angry because I wouldn’t have let you do it alone.”

“Daniel!”

He turned to Sam, knowing the reason for her outburst. “I’m sorry, Sam. I know how important the timeline is. But I can’t sit around waiting for Teal’c to die either. Can you?”

She glanced from him to Teal’c and back again before looking at the ground. “No,” she said softly.

“Damn it, Daniel!” Jack tossed his handful of sand away. He stood, smoothing his hands down his legs to clean them, and began to pace the length of the tent. “That’s exactly why I couldn’t tell you. I’m not going to have you risking yourself. You’re the only one that can reliably talk to these people, the only one that has a chance of blending in with them for more than the three seconds it takes us to open our mouths.” He stopped his pacing and picked at a microscopic mote on his robe. “Besides, you’ve got something good going with Carter. I didn’t want to risk that.”

Daniel got up and glared at his friend. “What right do you have to decide who is worth risking and who isn’t? My life is no more important than yours. And it’s certainly not more important than both your life and Teal’c’s. You were risking his too, by going alone, you know. You stubborn, over-protective, short-sighted fool!”

“I’m stubborn? Look who’s talking!”

“Oh, please! You weren’t even going to tell us what you were planning! Did you think you’d just waltz back into camp one day with a larval Goa’uld and present it to Teal’c? That’s the dumbest plan I’ve ever heard!”

“Really? What about the let’s-go-to-ancient-Egypt-and-get-a-ZPM plan? That one’s proven to be quite brilliant, hasn’t it?”

Daniel just stared at him. Surely Jack knew that Daniel dealt with the guilt of that failure every single day. Beside him, Sam stood up, and her hand flattened against his back with a calming pressure. Yes, Sam knew. How the hell did Jack not know? But his guilt over his own stupid plan didn’t make Jack’s any smarter.

“At least I talked that plan out with everyone,” Daniel said. “I didn’t just steal the time ship and take off alone!”

“Enough!” Teal’c shouted, eyes flaring in rarely seen anger.

Daniel flushed, realizing he’d been ignoring the subject of the conversation the entire time. He saw Jack’s mouth close on what would have undoubtedly been a rude and entirely unproductive retort, and they both sheepishly turned to their Jaffa friend.

Teal’c got up from the floor and glared at them. “It is my reliance on Tretonin that is at issue, and the decision of what should or should not be done is mine to make.”

Daniel shifted on his feet, not entirely sure he was going to like Teal’c’s decision. “What do you want to do, Teal’c?”

“Ensuring the safety of our timeline is too valuable,” he said.

“Teal’c.”

The Jaffa held up a hand, silencing Jack’s argument.

“For eight years, I have worked to release my people from slavery by the Goa’uld. Tretonin has not only freed me from reliance on them, but it will ultimately free all of my people. I have no desire to once again be enslaved by any Goa’uld, larval or otherwise.”

Daniel winced in sympathy. He hadn’t considered that aspect of Teal’c’s problem. Still, the alternative... “You’ll die.”

“My son has become a strong leader among the newly-formed Free Jaffa Nation. If my death ensures the continuation of that timeline, then I gladly accept it. Even if the timeline were not at stake, I will not murder a brother Jaffa so that I might live.”

“What if we found a Jaffa that was already dying?” asked Sam.

He raised his eyebrow at her. “Would that not affect our history?”

“Teal’c,” she said. “None of us want to watch you die. We’ll find a way to get you a symbiote without causing too great an impact on the timeline. And in this case, it would be you enslaving the larval Goa’uld, not the other way around. It would continue to live only to serve you.”

Daniel watched Teal’c tensely as he studied Sam. Finally, the Jaffa bowed his head in agreement.

--------------------------------

It had been more than a month into Teal’c’s remaining six weeks of Tretonin. During that time, the members of SG-1 had been searching for a way to save Teal’c. Injured Jaffa were never seen, nor did Ra appear to have a seplica full of Goa’uld larvae like the one that Sam and Daniel had found on Chulak years ago. Daniel was really starting to worry, and Jack was becoming increasingly agitated.

Jack and Daniel returned to the encampment from another failed recon mission. Daniel hoped that Sam and Teal’c had found something of use. Teal’c didn’t have much more time.

One of the women who lived nearby came running between the tents. “ Jaffa!” she cried as she drew nearer.

Daniel tensed. Ra’s forces had been making intermittent sweeps of the area, always in groups of two or more. The members of SG-1 had typically stayed hidden as the Jaffa searched the camp. The last thing they needed was to have them find a Jaffa bearing the mark of Apophis on Earth. Not to mention the suspicions that might be aroused if Ra’s forces found three humans who were clearly not of Egyptian descent.

The woman passed, and Katep hurried along behind her. When he saw Daniel, he approached quickly.

“How many?” Daniel asked him in the local language.

“I saw three. There could be more.” Katep gestured in the direction he had come. “Daniel, they have captured your wife and friend.”

Daniel felt a chill of dread run through his entire body.

“I didn’t get that,” Jack said. “What’d he say?”

“They have Sam and Teal’c. At least three of them.”

“Let’s go.”

They ran to Jack’s tent and dug up the weapons they had wrapped in fabric and buried under the end of his bed mat. Jack thrust a P-90 into Daniel’s chest and grabbed a second for himself. Then, hiding the weapons under their robes, they rushed outside and across the desert in the direction Katep had indicated.

Daniel knelt in the sand next to Jack. Peeking around the dune they were using as cover, they could see three armed Jaffa facing away from their position. Sam and Teal’c were on their knees, facing them. Three staff weapons were pointed at them. Although neither of their friends gave any obvious reaction, Daniel knew that they were both aware of their presence.

“Son of a...” Jack muttered.

One of the Jaffa probed Sam’s shoulder with his staff weapon. “Onak sha kree! Shal Goa’uld!”

Sam didn’t answer.

“Obi tan!” said Teal’c.

“Ha’re kree!” The second Jaffa gestured angrily at him.

Jack leaned closer to Daniel, although neither of them looked away from their friends. “Daniel?”

“He’s asking what god she worships,” Daniel whispered.

Sam’s eyes met Daniel’s for the briefest of moments before she looked at the ground before her and shook her head. Daniel knew the gesture was intended for him. She didn’t want them to act. His stomach churned.

“There are only three. Let’s go.”

“Jack, wait.” Daniel grabbed Jack’s arm before he stood up and exposed them.

“Onak sha kree! Shal Goa’uld!” the Jaffa said to Sam again.

She remained silent. The Jaffa shouted angrily and struck her in the face with the end of his staff. She fell to the ground and lay very still.

“Daniel!” Jack hissed.

Daniel had never felt so conflicted. Despite Sam’s very clear message, he couldn’t just watch her and Teal’c be killed. And he refused to consider that she was anything but unconscious right now. “Just— Let’s just see if Teal’c can get them out of this peacefully.”

The Jaffa that had attacked Sam turned his weapon on Teal’c. “Kel shek!”

Teal’c stared defiantly back at the Jaffa. “Onak arik kree.”

“Ya wan Ra, ya daru.”

“Shal rin nok.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw Jack glance at him. “They want him to pledge allegiance to Ra.”

“Well, that’s not gonna happen.”

“Shel norak!” shouted the Jaffa. “Lazla.”

“Kree shak shel nok,” answered Teal’c.

“Lo mel nok.” The Jaffa’s weapon crackled to life. Daniel tensed. This was not going to work.

“Shal kek nem ron.”

“Shol’va!”

“Well, I definitely understood those last two.” Jack readied his weapon. “We’re going in.”

This time, Daniel didn’t argue. The Jaffa were taken by surprise and the firefight was brief. The moment they were all lying on the ground, Daniel dropped his weapon, knelt by Sam’s side and checked her pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief to find it strong and steady beneath his fingers.

“Sam?” He brushed her hair off her forehead and took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. “Come on, Sam. Wake up.”

“Teal’c!”

Daniel looked up to see Jack standing over one of the fallen Jaffa, his P-90 dangling from one hand.

“This one,” he said, nudging the Jaffa with his foot. “Head shot. No body injuries.”

Teal’c knelt in the sand next to the dead Jaffa. “This was not how I wished to acquire a symbiote, O’Neill.”

“Yeah, I know it’s not ideal, but we’ve only got a week left, and this is our best chance. Do it. And I’ll make it so this never happened.” Jack took the zat from the arm of one of the other dead Jaffa and fired at the body three times, disintegrating it.

Daniel turned his attention back to his wife. She wasn’t going to be happy when she woke up, but she was alive. And Teal’c was getting a symbiote. He stroked the side of her face, the red beginnings of a bruise already forming on her cheek.

Sam’s eyelids fluttered and opened. She blinked a few times before looking around. “Oh God,” she said softly. “What did you do?”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Ten --

Daniel walked with Katep between the tents, toward the sound of laughter. They entered the open area in the centre of the encampment to find Jack, Teal’c and Baraka racing around the campfire. Looking around, Daniel saw Sam standing some distance away, watching the playfulness before her with a sombre expression.

He sighed. She had been growing increasingly distant over the last two months. Ever since Jack and Daniel had saved her and Teal’c from those three Jaffa.

“Baraka wins!”

Daniel turned his attention back to the rest of his friends. Jack scooped up the little boy and sat him firmly on his shoulder for a victory lap around the fire.

“You have got to be the fastest boy in Egypt,” cheered Jack.

Looking back at Sam, Daniel saw her cross her arms over her chest and sigh. It pained him to see his wife so sad. But she adamantly refused to talk about it.

Her behaviour was odd. Jack and Teal’c had agreed with him that she was acting out of character. But they had also agreed that it was because she was angry at Daniel and Jack for saving her life and possibly altering the timeline. Teal’c had accepted the situation far faster than Sam had.

“Okay, I want to show you something,” Jack said haltingly in the local language as he put the boy back on the ground. The lessons from Katep, Baraka and Daniel were paying off. The rest of SG-1 was slowly becoming conversational with the local people. However, Katep and Baraka seemed to be picking up English at a faster rate.

And that was another fact that had earned Daniel more than one scolding from Sam. English wouldn’t exist in Egypt for millennia, or anywhere else, for that matter. He had tried to explain that he wasn’t deliberately teaching Katep and Baraka the language, they were just picking it up from the conversations between the members of SG-1, but she wouldn’t listen.

She had told them, shouting, that they shouldn’t even be living among the people here. That they were undoubtedly having a regular influence on their lives. Arguments that ancient Egypt was a society of communities, that everyone in a village contributed to sustaining the life of each individual, that they’d never survive on their own, also fell on deaf ears.

Jack picked up a large branch and a small squash. He put the branch in the boy’s hands so he was holding it like a bat and demonstrated swinging. Daniel almost laughed. Although Katep had taken official responsibility for his nephew after Salatis’s death, Jack spent a lot of time with the boy.

“Keep your eye on the ball.” Jack pointed to the squash, smiling at Baraka.

“That’s not a ball! It’s a squash!”

“Use your imagination!”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sam stormed up to Jack, shouting, arms waving. “You can’t teach him baseball!”

“For crying out loud, it’s just a game, Carter.”

“A game that won’t be invented for thousands of years!”

“How can teaching a kid baseball change history?”

“That’s exactly my point! We don’t know!” She turned her face abruptly to the sky, arms stretched out, and released a primal scream.

Daniel approached them quickly, but before he could mediate the situation, Sam began to stalk off. He watched her go for a moment before he sighed and dropped his head. Following her would only make matters worse. Daniel had learned that the hard way.

Three weeks after Teal’c got his symbiote, Sam and Jack had argued about the effect that killing those Jaffa might have had on the timeline. Daniel had followed her out of the tent and tried to talk to her. All he had managed to accomplish with that act was to have her yell at him for five solid minutes and then not utter a word to anyone for the rest of the day. It was best for everyone to let her cool down on her own.

He had watched her several times over the past weeks as she sat at the top of the hill where Jack had married them. Sometimes, he’d go up and sit next to her, watching as the workers continued to build the tomb below. But she still wouldn’t discuss her concerns with him.

Sam disappeared between the tents. Daniel knew she’d be headed for the hill again. She’d be back by suppertime. Not that knowing that made him feel better.

It had been getting worse as the weeks wore on. And now, months after the deaths of those three Jaffa, she had almost completely withdrawn from him. Daniel’s one comfort was that Sam did seem to be willing to spend time with Teal’c.

The dynamic between the four of them had definitely changed. Just after they had arrived in ancient Egypt, Jack and Teal’c had spent a lot of time together, probably to give Sam and Daniel quality time alone. Since ‘that day’, however, Sam had been spending more and more time by herself or in Teal’c’s company.

Though he would never admit it to her, and only grudgingly admitted it to himself, Daniel was slightly jealous to think that Sam might be confiding in Teal’c instead of him. It hurt more than a little, but he forced himself to be relieved that at least she was talking to someone.

“Sorry, Daniel.”

“It’s not your fault, Jack,” he replied, not looking up. “It’s my fault. I knew that she would rather die than possibly change history.” Daniel squeezed his eyes closed. “I just couldn’t let her go.”

Jack laid a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Neither could I, Danny-boy.” He sighed. “I just hope she forgives us soon.”

“Me too.”

--------------------------------

As Daniel expected, Sam reappeared shortly before supper was ready, accompanied by Teal’c. She was silent throughout the meal and then went to bed early. Jack, Teal’c and Daniel stayed up for a while, talking mostly about Sam and her disturbing behaviour. Finally, Daniel decided to retire for the night.

When he entered their tent, he found Sam lying on her side, her eyes closed. He climbed into bed behind her.

“Sam?” he whispered. “Are you asleep?”

There was no response.

Daniel pressed his lips gently against her shoulder. “I love you,” he said softly. Rolling onto his back, he weaved his fingers together behind his head. Even though she was physically near and still sharing his bed, Daniel felt like she was absent. He missed her. Staring at the ceiling of their tent, he sighed and tried to relax.

Beside him, Sam moved. He looked over at her. She rolled to face him and placed her head on his shoulder, laying her arm across his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and placed a tender kiss on the top of her head. Moments like this were few and far between lately, and Daniel was determined to make it last as long as possible. He held her desperately.

Then, she uttered a soft sigh.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

He felt her nod her head against his shoulder.

“You know you can talk to me, right?”

There was a long pause, then another nod.

Daniel swallowed the tears that were threatening him. “I wish you’d forgive me, Sam.”

She started to pull away, and he tightened his arms around her. “No please,” he choked. “I’m sorry, Sam. Please just let me hold you.”

She looked up at him and touched his face, wiping a tear from his cheek. Then she kissed him. “I’m sorry, Daniel.”

“Please talk to me.”

“I will. I just— I need to figure it out first.”

“Let me help you.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel,” she said again.

“Sam, I know it’s selfish, but I just can’t be sorry that Jack and I killed those Jaffa.”

She turned her face into his shoulder but said nothing.

“They were going to kill you and Teal’c.” Daniel exhaled heavily, staring again at the ceiling. He didn’t even want to think about living in ancient Egypt without his Sam. Despite how she had pushed him away, he was still glad that she was safe. If he could go back to before he and Jack had killed those Jaffa, he’d do it all again. But he wasn’t going to tell Sam that.

“It was just three Jaffa out of thousands of Ra’s forces, Sam. The effect on the timeline can’t possibly be significant. I know you didn’t want us to kill them, but agonizing over their deaths is–is futile. It won’t accomplish anything. They’re dead. It’s done. There’s nothing anyone can do about it now.”

Still, she said nothing.

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay.” He kissed the top of her head again. “Get some sleep. I love you.”

The silence echoed in his ears until he finally fell asleep.

--------------------------------

The next morning, Daniel awoke to find himself alone in bed. It wasn’t the first time in the last two months, but it still left him with an aching cavern in his chest. He knew Sam was safe. She’d be talking to Teal’c or at the hill.

Heading outside to face the day, Daniel found Jack just outside.

“Good morning, campers!” Jack said. He ducked his head, peering around Daniel’s shoulder.

“She’s not here.”

Jack nodded. “Teal’c and I had quite a conversation last night after you went to bed.”

“About Sam?”

“Well, no, not exactly. About this time travel thing and what we can do about Ra.”

“Jack.” Daniel sighed. “Sam—”

“I know!” Jack interrupted, a finger held in the air. “I know. But I’d really like to try to talk her into it one more time.”

Daniel studied his friend. He knew Jack had been struggling with the inaction that Sam insisted on while they were in ancient Egypt. It bothered Daniel, too, though probably not as much as it did Jack. Having to sit idly by while people were killed and oppressed by Ra was certainly not Jack’s idea of a good time.

But they’d had the ‘let’s join the rebellion’ discussion with Sam a dozen times since arriving in the past. It never ended well.

“She doesn’t want you to teach Baraka baseball, Jack. What makes you think she’ll ever agree to participate in the rebellion?”

“I’ve gotta do something, Daniel. I’m going nuts! Progress on that tomb is ridiculously slow. I can’t live like this. Not for years.”

Daniel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew what Sam’s reaction would be. It would be exactly the same it had been every other time Jack had brought the subject up.

“I wish you wouldn’t, Jack.”

“Daniel.”

“I don’t like living under Ra’s rule any more than you do! But we’re talking about Sam! My wife!” He looked at Jack desperately. “You know what will happen. It’ll be even worse than yesterday. Even worse than every time she talks about those Jaffa.”

“Look, Daniel, I’m sorry. But I don’t regret doing what I did.”

“I know. Neither do I. I’m grateful.” He looked at his friend solemnly. “I killed one of them too, you know. But we both know that Sam didn’t want us to do it.”

“Damn it, Daniel. She’s got to know that we wouldn’t just sit back and watch her be killed. Killing those Jaffa saved not only her life, but Teal’c’s as well.”

“The integrity of the timeline is really important to her, Jack.”

“All I want is one more chance to convince her. Teal’c and I think we’ve figured it out. Well, okay, it was mostly Teal’c.”

Daniel stared at his friend. “What are you talking about?”

“He had these great ideas about time travel and paradoxes, and I can’t explain any of it, but it sounded really great last night, and I think Carter will like it.”

“Jack, I—”

“Just one more try, Daniel. I need you on my side here.”

Daniel squinted at him, not wanting to say no, but not able to say yes, either.

“Please,” Jack said softly.

Daniel sighed. That just wasn’t fair. “If she says no...”

“Then I’ll never bring it up again. I swear.”

“Alright,” Daniel said reluctantly.

“Yes!” Jack clapped a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “You’ll see. Teal’c figured it all out.”

“Sure, Jack.” Daniel tried to share his enthusiasm, but he couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

--------------------------------

The conversation that Daniel was dreading began that night, just as they were finishing dinner.

“Carter, we’ve been thinking.”

Sam had been silently picking at the last of her bread. She looked up at Jack.

“I think we have to be involved in the rebellion,” Jack said.

Beside her, Daniel tensed, watching Sam carefully. She lifted her chin defiantly but said nothing.

“Teal’c, why don’t you explain it.”

“Our presence here has undoubtedly caused changes in our timeline. We have no way of knowing if these changes are large or small.”

Sam gave a small nod, and Daniel allowed himself to relax slightly. So far, this was going far better than he had feared.

“Perhaps,” Teal’c said, “it would be wise for us to use our knowledge of Earth’s history. The recording that we will leave for our future selves upon completion of the tomb will allow us to confirm certain historical events. But it is in no way a comprehensive telling of those events.”

Again, Sam nodded. Reaching out, Daniel laid his hand over hers. She looked down at their hands and closed her eyes briefly. But she didn’t pull away. Daniel gently rubbed the back of her fingers with his thumb.

She looked up at Teal’c again as he continued.

“Since our future selves will not know everything that should have transpired, perhaps it is our responsibility to ensure that events in our history come to pass as they should.” Teal’c paused, looking at Jack, Daniel and then at Sam. “We know that the rebellion forces Ra to abandon Earth. By participating in it, we can ensure that it proceeds that way.”

Jack clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “See? Didn’t I tell you it made sense? What do you think, Carter?”

Daniel watched as her cold gaze slid from Teal’c to Jack and then to himself. He looked at her imploringly, his heart racing. He never should have allowed Jack to talk him into this. Searching her eyes with desperation, Daniel silently begged her to say something. Her expression softened, and she turned back to Teal’c.

“You’re right,” she said softly.

Daniel felt his jaw drop.

“We are?” asked Jack, his eyebrows raised.

Teal’c leaned back from the table, also clearly surprised by Sam’s response.

She nodded. “I keep coming to the same conclusion myself.”

“So, you’re okay with us helping to kick Ra’s ass off the planet?”

“As long as we’re extremely careful not to rush things or make anything happen that wasn’t going to happen in the first place...yes, sir.”

“Well, that’s...” Jack laughed. “That’s great!”

“Indeed,” said Teal’c.

“Excuse me,” Sam murmured. She stood up from the floor and left the tent.

“Huh. That went remarkably well.” Jack glanced at the door of the tent before turning to Daniel. “Guess she’s not mad at us any more.”

Daniel was stunned. He still couldn’t believe that she’d agreed to the plan.

“Did you two work everything out last night, or what?” asked Jack.

“She barely even talks to me,” Daniel said, shaking his head. He stood up and walked to the door, watching as Sam moved through the encampment. When she disappeared from view, he turned back to his friends and sighed. “Teal’c, you’ve been spending a lot of time with her. Does she talk to you?”

“I have been instructing her in Kel’no’reem. She has told me that it is helping her to focus her thoughts and find peace.”

“That’s it? I assumed— I mean, she hasn’t been confiding in you?”

“She has not. While our discussions have been many and lengthy, all have been regarding causality and paradoxes. In fact, it was from our conversation before the evening meal yesterday that I devised our plan.”

Daniel ran an anxious hand through his hair. “Okay, but if she’s agreed to make sure history turns out right, shouldn’t she be back to herself again? Why’d she just leave?” He sighed. “I mean, I know living in ancient Egypt isn’t exactly Sam’s thing. But am I crazy, or did she seem happy at first?”

“Does it have to be one or the other?”

He shot Jack a withering glance.

“She seemed happy, Daniel.”

“I believe you should continue your efforts to communicate with her,” Teal’c said.

“I have been.” Daniel threw his hands in the air, venting some of the frustration that had been building for the last two months.

“And?” asked Jack.

Daniel sat down again, next to his friends. “I have no idea. She used to talk to me about everything.” He sighed heavily. “Lately, I’m lucky if she’ll even look at me.”

“Perhaps, now that Colonel Carter has altered her position regarding the rebellion, she will be more willing to discuss her troubles with you.”

“T’s got a point,” Jack said, nudging Daniel’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go find out.”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Eleven --

Daniel found Sam exactly where he expected her to be. She sat on the hill overlooking the tomb where they would one day hide the ZPM and video camera for their future selves, her knees pulled up to her chest.

“Mind if I join you?”

Sam looked up. The faintest hint of a smile flashed on her lips before it disappeared. “Of course not.”

Daniel sat next to her and watched the work below. The sun was starting to set, and the workers were calling it a day. Earlier, the area had been a hub of activity, but now only a few people remained. He hoped that Jack and Teal’c were right. That Sam was finally ready to talk.

He stole a few glances at her, afraid that starting the conversation would cause her to shut down again. Just two months ago, they would gladly talk for hours about every topic imaginable. Lately, it was a good day if she said a dozen words to him.

“It’s funny,” she said softly.

He turned, waiting for her to continue, hoping that today was a good day.

“The way things work out,” she said. “It never really goes according to plan, does it?” Sam laughed harshly. “Maybe it’s not supposed to.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never should have let us come here. It’s impossible for us not to have an impact on the timeline. I should have known that.” She looked at him and sighed. “We could have already changed our future to the point where we never even joined the Stargate Program.”

“Sam, I know that it’s possible we’ve changed things. But you can’t keep doing this to yourself. You can’t keep agonizing over the ‘what ifs’ about our being here. Those Jaffa—”

She silenced him with a raised hand and turned her attention back to the tomb below them. “It’s gonna be a while before they finish that, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I’m guessing four or five years.”

“And the rebellion?”

“I don’t know. Maybe about the same time.”

Sam weaved her fingers together, resting her elbows on her knees and leaning her forehead against her thumbs. “Five years,” she said quietly. “Well, I guess it could be worse.”

Tentatively, Daniel reached out, pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck. He rested his cheek on her head, relieved.

“Sam, please forgive me. I just couldn’t watch you be killed.” His voice caught in his throat. It felt good to hold her again. “Talk to me. I miss you.”

She pulled away from him, and he felt cold despite the desert sun beating down on his back.

Sam took a deep breath and held it for a moment. “I’m late,” she said.

“Late for—” Daniel felt his eyes widen and his heart pound in his chest as he realised the full meaning of what she was saying. “You— How late?”

“Um...” Sam gave him a weak smile. “About two months.”

“Two months? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to be sure.”

“Oh God, Sam.” Daniel struggled to find the words to express his feelings at this news.

She looked at him, a wary expression on her face. “Is this good news?”

“Wh— Are you kidding?” Daniel looked at her incredulously. “This is the best news!” He caressed her face and kissed her tenderly. When they parted, he looked down at her abdomen and flattened his hand against her belly. He locked eyes with her, his eyes welling with tears of joy and relief. “We’re going to have a baby!”

Sam gave him a small smile. “Yes, we are,” she said. “I just hope it doesn’t cause us to cease to exist.”

Daniel’s heart ached, his joy about becoming a father evaporating at her unenthusiastic tone. He studied her carefully. “Are you okay with this?”

With a shuddering breath, she nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” She looked again at the tomb below.

“This is why you’ve been so distant. This is why you agreed to help with the rebellion, isn’t it?”

“We have to be very careful.” Sam placed a hand on her stomach. “But at this point, I think it’s unreasonable to believe we’ve made no impact on the timeline at all.” She looked at him and shrugged slightly. “Like Teal’c said, maybe by being involved in the rebellion, we can help make sure things happen the way they’re supposed to.”

Daniel nodded, finally understanding the reasons for her behaviour the last two months and relieved that it wasn’t because of him.

Her eyes lingered on him for a long moment. “Daniel, I’m sorry—”

“Shh.” He gathered her in his arms again, holding her tenderly.

“I never should have pushed you away. I don’t know what I was—”

Daniel shushed her again. “Sam, it’s okay.” He ducked his head to try to see her face. “Just remember you can always talk to me about anything, okay?”

“I know that. I’ve always known that. I just—” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I was stupid.”

“Hey,” he said, smiling. “You’re anything but stupid, Sam. I can hardly imagine what your hormones are doing to your emotions right now.” Daniel gazed at his wife lovingly and brushed her hair off her forehead, caressing her face. “I can’t believe we’re going to have a baby,” he said softly.

“It shouldn’t have happened...”

“Because of the timeline?”

“Because of biology.” She rested her head comfortably on his shoulder. “It’s funny how things turn out.”

“Are you happy, Sam?”

She pulled away again and regarded him seriously. “Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the existence of this baby isn’t going to end the world as we know it.”

Daniel nodded slowly. That was something he had absolutely no problem agreeing with.

“With that assumption in place, all that remains is that I’m having your baby.” Sam’s eyes sparkled at him in the light from the setting sun. “And that makes me very happy, Daniel.”

He laughed in relief. “I love you, Sam.” Daniel reached out to her and was thrilled when she leaned into his embrace. His lips pressed against hers in a tender kiss.

Sam moaned quietly and intensified the kiss, her arms pulling his body against hers. Her lips moved hungrily over his before migrating over his jaw and down his neck.

“Oh, Sam...” he murmured.

“I love you,” she said, her lips still on his neck. Sam climbed onto his lap and leaned into him, pressing him backwards to lie on the sand. She lifted her head and looked down at him. “Can you forgive me for pushing you away?”

Daniel brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek, smiling. “I already have.”

A slow smile spread across her face, and her hands began to work their way under his robes. Sam lowered her head and gently nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth. Daniel laughed softly, tightening his arms around her body.

As they made love in the sand, all of Daniel’s fears and insecurities melted away to release the near constant state of wonder and happiness that had been buried within him during their estrangement. He knew that everything was going to be all right now.

--------------------------------

They lay at the top of the hill, watching as the stars appeared in the darkening sky. Daniel took a deep and contented breath, then let it out slowly. In his arms, Sam uttered a happy hum and cuddled even closer against him.

“Jack and Teal’c will be getting worried about us,” he said softly.

“Yeah, I guess we should head back.”

“Are we going to tell them the news?”

“Can you imagine what would happen if we didn’t?”

Daniel chuckled. “Good point.”

After another moment in each other’s arms, they stood up and brushed the sand from their robes. They headed back across the desert toward the encampment. Sam hooked her arm under Daniel’s, holding him close as they walked.

Their tent was glowing with the flickering light of a lamp burning inside. Jack and Teal’c looked up as they entered. They had undoubtedly been waiting to learn the results of the mission they had sent Daniel on – to talk to Sam. Teal’c smiled, and Jack’s eyes moved over the couple.

“Well,” said Jack. “Looks like that worked!”

“Sir, I’m sorry for my, uh, erratic behaviour lately. I had a lot of thinking to do.”

“Carter, if there’s ever a time you stop thinking, the world would probably stop turning.” He paused and glanced briefly at Daniel. “Everything figured out now?”

Sam inhaled deeply and looked up at Daniel, her arm wound around his waist in a half hug. “Yeah, I think so.”

Daniel smiled down at her and squeezed her shoulder. She nodded at him, and her arm dropped from his waist. They turned back to Jack, who was looking at them expectantly.

“Jack, Teal’c,” began Daniel. “How would you two like to be uncles?”

Jack’s eyes widened.

Teal’c raised an eyebrow. “You are with child, Colonel Carter?”

Sam smiled. “Indeed.”

“This is joyous news.” Teal’c stood and engulfed both Sam and Daniel in a giant Jaffa hug. “I offer you both my congratulations!”

“Thanks, Teal’c.” Daniel knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn’t help it. He looked at Jack, trying to gauge his reaction.

His friend stood up slowly, looking over both Sam and Daniel.

Daniel glanced at Sam. She looked very nervous. He reached out to take her hand in his. She gave it a grateful squeeze, her eyes never leaving Jack.

“A baby,” said Jack. “This is big.” His expression revealed nothing of what he was thinking.

Daniel nodded cautiously, unsure as to whether or not ‘big’ also meant ‘good’.

Suddenly, Jack’s face broke out into a huge grin. “This is huge!” He pulled Sam and Daniel into their second three-way hug in the last two minutes. Releasing them, he squeezed their shoulders. “Good for you two.”

“Yeah?” asked Daniel.

“Yeah!” said Jack. “Of course, you realise the kid is probably going to invent cold fusion or something.”

Sam winced.

“The child will, in all likelihood, possess an above average intellect,” said Teal’c.

Daniel ducked his head at the compliment and addressed Jack. “We know that having a child can dramatically alter history. But the way I look at it, it’s like the Grandfather Paradox.”

Sam turned to him, a frown creasing her brow. Slowly, her face cleared, and she looked at him with shining eyes. She stepped closer and wrapped her arm around his waist again, resting her cheek on his shoulder silently. Daniel placed his arm over her shoulders. It felt so good to have her near him again.

“Wait a minute,” said Jack. “Doesn’t that say something about going back in time and killing your grandfather?”

Sam lifted her head from Daniel’s shoulder to look at Jack and nodded. “Yes, sir. But in less specific terms, it describes a paradox wherein a time traveller sets in motion a series of events that will cause him to never exist. And if he never existed, he could never have set those events in motion in the first place.” She glanced at Daniel, smiling slightly, then dragged her teeth over her bottom lip and turned back to Jack. “A common solution to the paradox is that no one who travels back in time would alter their history in such a way that they’d never have existed to change the past in the first place.”

Jack blinked slowly. “Which means...?”

“Which means that while we might have changed history, the fact that we’re here might indicate that it’s still possible for our timeline to exist unchanged. We just have to make sure that’s what happens.”

“So, you’re saying that maybe we were supposed to help out with the rebellion?”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far, sir. But I think we can help them create a strategy that will fit with our history. We should go back to our original plan and use the rebellion as a distraction so we can steal back the Jumper. We’ll bring the ZPM back to our time with us.” She glanced at Daniel and placed a hand on her stomach. “Putting it in the tomb will just undo everything that’s happened to us here.”

Daniel squeezed her shoulder, smiling broadly at her. When they got back to their time, they’d have a family. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so happy.

Jack grinned. “Okay. Well, this is just a great day. Not only do I get to do something to get the resident snakehead off my planet, but I also learn that I’m going to be an honorary uncle!”

“There’s nothing honorary about it, Jack,” said Daniel. “You and Teal’c are family to Sam and me.”

“Well, if we’re family, I have one request to make.”

“What’s that, sir?” Sam asked.

“That you stop calling me ‘sir’, Carter.”

Sam just laughed.

“I’m serious. The Air Force doesn’t exist. Hell, America doesn’t even exist!”

“Does that mean you’re going to start calling me ‘Sam’, sir?”

“Ah!” Jack raised a finger in the air. “You were saying? Sam?”

Sam laughed again. “It’s a deal. Jack.”

“Excellent. Well, Teal’c, why don’t we leave Daniel and Sam to celebrate.”

“Indeed,” said Teal’c with a smile.

After the four friends said their goodnights, Sam and Daniel began preparing for bed.

“I should have talked to you right from the start,” Sam said as Daniel settled himself into their bed.

“It doesn’t matter now.” He reached his hands out to her, and she let him pull her down next to him.

“You’re right about the Grandfather Paradox. I should have thought of it before. If I hadn’t pushed you away—”

Daniel silenced her self-punishing words with a kiss. When he pulled away, he ran his fingers over her lips and smiled, hoping she’d realise that she wasn’t going to fix anything by feeling guilty. “I love you, Sam.”

She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment before looking up at him. “I love you, Daniel,” she whispered.

Lowering his head, Daniel kissed her stomach. “And I love you,” he said to her belly.

Sam smiled and ran her fingers through his hair and over his face. “You’re going to be an incredible father.”

“I hope so.” He wove his fingers together over her abdomen and rested his chin on his hands, looking up at her. “You’re going to be quite the fabulous mother. And a gorgeous pregnant woman, too.” Daniel waggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed, tugging on his hands to pull him closer. “C’mere, you.”

--------------------------------

Daniel woke up to be greeted by the profile of his wife next to him. He pushed himself up on one elbow to gaze down at her. Now more than six months into her pregnancy, she was even more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. Even as she slept, she glowed. Daniel placed his hand on her swollen belly. He still had a hard time believing that in a matter of months, he’d be able to hold their child in his arms.

The beam of sunlight that had awoken him finally made its way over Sam’s face. With a little groan, she turned her face toward Daniel and away from the light. Daniel settled down onto his pillow again to watch her wake up. With a sigh, her eyes opened. And she smiled at him.

“Morning,” she murmured.

Daniel leaned in for a kiss. “Morning,” he whispered against her lips.

“Mmm...” Sam smiled. “You know, I think I could wake up like this every morning for the rest of my life.”

Daniel chuckled and pushed himself up on his elbow again. “I think I can handle that,” he said, running his fingers over the curve of her hip.

She looked around their tent, frowning. “It’s late.”

“You looked so peaceful. I couldn’t bear to wake you up.”

“I should get ready to go.”

“You don’t want to stay just a little longer?” Daniel gave his best puppy-dog look.

Sam laughed, her eyes dancing. “I would love to stay here in bed with my brilliant and handsome husband all day long.” She pulled him down for a sweet and lingering kiss. “But Teal’c’s going to be waiting.”

The last four and a half months, SG-1 had spent most of their time working with Katep to help organise the rebellion against Ra. They began to make contact with a number of other rebel groups, coordinating their efforts and stockpiling weapons.

Today, Sam and Teal’c were meeting some rebels from a nearby village. They had contact with people sympathetic to the rebellion from closer within Ra’s forces and would prove to be valuable allies. Haji, a friend of Katep’s, was going with them. Jack and Daniel were to meet with another group of rebels with Katep.

There had been some concerns that they might be doing too much too fast, and splitting up to meet with two groups at the same time was evidence of that. But ultimately, they had all agreed that even at this rate, it would probably take years for them to build up the resistance to the point where they could effectively lead an attack to force Ra off of the planet.

“Yes, and I suppose Jack is waiting for me.” With a reluctant sigh, Daniel stood and reached down to help Sam out of bed.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling. Sam stretched her back, making her stomach stick out even more. Daniel kissed it, and she playfully swatted him away. “Go get dressed, you.”

As Sam finished getting ready for the day, Daniel came up behind her. He wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist, spreading his fingers over her protruding belly, and nuzzled her neck.

Sam turned around in his arms and pulled him close. Her fingers tangled in his hair as they shared another kiss. Sam’s tongue caressed his, probing his mouth. Daniel moaned softly. His hands moved over her back, his lips over hers hungrily. Then, with Herculean effort, he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. “You keep that up and neither of us will be going anywhere today.”

“Would that be so terrible?” Sam raised a playful eyebrow.

Daniel chuckled. “Not in the least.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But Jack will have our hides.”

Sam sighed melodramatically. “Well, I should be back after noon. Maybe we can pick up where we left off.”

“It’s a date.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, Sam.”

With one more kiss, they went outside. Sam headed off to meet Teal’c for their day’s mission. Daniel wandered over to the middle of the encampment where Jack was watching some women engrave intricate designs into bowls.

“Well, well, well,” said Jack as Daniel approached. “Look who finally decided to join the land of the living.”

“Good morning to you too, Jack. You ready to go?”

“Yeah, in a minute. Look at this.” He nodded his chin in the direction of the women.

Daniel silently watched them work for a moment.

“It’s pretty incredible.”

Daniel turned to his friend in surprise. “You think this is incredible?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I know throwing pots can take a while to learn, but that’s nothing compared to what they’re doing.”

“Wait, you know how to throw pots?”

“Sure. Don’t you?”

“Since when?” Daniel scoffed.

Jack waved his hand in vague circles. “Oh, I learned during the time loop that only Teal’c and I remember.”

Daniel just stared at his friend, dumbfounded.

“I don’t think I ever realised how much work goes into making these things.” Jack pointed at the bowls the women were engraving.

“I thought you said you’d never understand my fascination with ‘rocks’.”

“They’re artefacts, Daniel.”

At that, Daniel burst into laughter. “Jack, you’re a never-ending source of astonishment.”

“Right backatcha, Danny-boy.” Jack clapped a hand onto Daniel’s shoulder and they headed off meet Katep. “How’s Sam doing?”

Daniel grinned. “She’s more beautiful every day.”

“Just a few more months and you’ll learn I wasn’t kidding about how much work a baby can be.”

“Work that’s well worth it, I’m sure.”

“That it is, Daniel. That it is.”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Twelve --

Author’s note: You’ve got this far into my story, so there’s a good chance you’ve already seen Moebius. If you have, then you know what has to happen. And for those of you who haven’t seen that episode...here’s a warning. This chapter contains major character death. Don’t hurt me. It’s canon. I had to address it.

Daniel, Jack and Katep returned to camp, both satisfied and excited. Their mission had gone extremely well. The rebels they had met with were already well-armed and well-organised. They would make powerful allies. Katep headed into his own tent, and Jack and Daniel continued through the encampment.

“Alright,” said Jack with a broad grin. “If Sam and Teal’c’s meeting went half as well as ours did, the rebellion’s going to be ready to go in no time at all!”

“We’ll know soon enough,” said Daniel, squinting up at the angle of the sun. “They shouldn’t be too much longer getting home.” He pulled aside the flap of his tent and followed Jack inside.

“I can’t wait to tell them how many troops we just added to our little army!”

“Daniel Jackson! O’Neill!” Teal’c’s voice rang loudly through the encampment.

Alarmed, Daniel and Jack went back outside. When Daniel saw his Jaffa friend running toward him, he felt his entire body go numb.

“No,” Jack said quietly.

Time slowed to a crawl. Daniel couldn’t move. All he could do was stare at Teal’c as he approached. He didn’t want to believe what he was seeing. He didn’t want to believe what Teal’c was carrying. He didn’t want to believe that the bloodstained body in his arms was Sam. He barely registered that Katep’s friend, Haji, wasn’t with Teal’c.

Suddenly, time sped up and Teal’c flew past him and into the tent.

Daniel stumbled inside after him. “What— Teal’c?” he choked out. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.

“I’ll get the first aid kit,” said Jack, already pushing past the tent flap.

“Many Jaffa were waiting for us,” said Teal’c as he carefully laid Sam’s still body on the bed.

Daniel fell to his knees beside her. As she came to rest on the bed, she cried out in pain. She was alive. Daniel took her hand in his and pressed the back of her fingers against his lips.

“Sam?”

Her eyes opened. She blinked several times before her unfocused gaze fell on him. “Daniel,” she gasped, squeezing his hand.

“I’m right here. It’s going to be okay, Sam.” Against his will, Daniel’s eyes moved to her abdomen. He carefully pushed her singed robes away to examine her injury. “Oh God.”

He had seen a staff blast wound this bad only twice before. The first time, he had been on Apophis’s ship and the wound had been to his own chest. The second, he had been on P3X-666, and the injury had been Janet’s.

Daniel grabbed their sheets and balled them up, applying pressure to the gaping wound on Sam’s abdomen. “It’s going to be okay,” he told her again.

“No,” she whispered. “I don’t—I don’t think so.” Her breath was coming in shallow gasps.

He shook his head forcefully, tears flying from his eyes. “Yes, it will. You’ll see. You’re going to be okay.” He refused to believe otherwise.

“Our baby...” A tear trailed from the corner of her eye and over her temple before falling onto the pillow.

Unbidden, a sob escaped his throat. He shushed her. “Please, Sam. You’ll be okay.” He pulled the bundled sheets from her side and adjusted them. The fabric was already soaked with blood. Sam’s blood. His wife’s blood. Their baby’s blood.

Daniel couldn’t understand why she was bleeding so badly. The staff blast should have almost completely cauterised the wound. As he pressed the fabric back against her stomach, her body contorted, and she uttered another pained cry.

“I’m sorry, Sam. I’m sorry,” he said quickly. If he could stop the bleeding, she’d be alright.

Slowly, her body relaxed again, and she looked at him. “I’m sorry, Daniel.”

The tears now fell freely from his eyes. He grasped her hand tightly, refusing to let her give up. “No. You have to fight, Sam. Stay with me. Please don’t leave me.”

“Come on, Sam,” Jack said, suddenly appearing next to Daniel. He held up the morphine auto-injector from the first aid kit. “This will help with the pain so you can heal in peace.” He lifted her robe and pressed the morphine pen against her thigh. She didn’t even seem to feel the jab of the needle. “Daniel’s right. You have to fight. We all have to fight. Those bastards are going to pay for this.”

“No,” Sam said loudly. She hissed painfully, squeezing her eyes closed. “You can’t. You can’t—” She took several gasping breaths. “You...can’t change history. It’s not time for the rebellion yet. They’re not ready.”

“They sure as hell are. We might not have all the troops we need, but the element of surprise is on our side.”

“No!” Sam moved as if to sit up, but she fell back onto her pillow with a harsh cry. Her head lolled to one side as she started to lose consciousness.

“Sam! Sam, look at me!” Frantic, Daniel shook her shoulder. “Jack, just shut up right now.”

“O’Neill, you are upsetting Colonel Carter. You will accompany me outside,” said Teal’c from behind Daniel.

“Like hell. I’m not going anywhere. Ow!”

Daniel didn’t even turn around as Teal’c dragged Jack out of the tent. “Please, Sam. Open your eyes.”

After a terrifying moment, she complied. Daniel smiled. “There are those beautiful blues I love so much.”

Sam squeezed his hand. “Daniel, please.”

Daniel smoothed her hair off her forehead and shushed her. “Rest. Don’t talk. Keep your strength to fight this. You have to hang on. You’re going to be okay.” He smiled lovingly at her, silently begging her to listen.

“I need you—” she took a gasping breath, “—to promise me.”

“Anything, Sam. Just stay with me.” Daniel gathered her hand in his, her fingers gave a fierce squeeze.

“We went...too fast. You have to wait until the rebellion is ready. Prom—promise me you won’t change our history.” Another long wave of convulsions racked through her body. When it ended, she stared at the ceiling for a moment, her heavy, ragged breathing gradually slowing to a more normal pace. Then she looked again at Daniel, her eyes burning with an intensity that scared him. “Things have to play out the way they’re supposed to.”

Daniel sobbed, clutching helplessly at her hand. She knew she was going to die. And there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. He kissed her fingers, then held her hand to his chest.

“Promise me, Daniel.” Her eyes searched his in obvious desperation.

This was all his fault. If he hadn’t come up with this stupid time travel plan in the first place, none of this would have happened. “I promise,” he whispered hoarsely.

She smiled, and Daniel felt his heart break. “Thank you.” More tears fell from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“No, Sam, please. You’re not going anywhere. Listen to my voice. Look at me. Stay here with me.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Daniel shook his head again, refusing to believe that this was the end. “Sam, please. I need you.”

Her fingers tugged gently on his robes. “Kiss me.”

“Oh God, Sam,” he choked. Still holding her hand to his chest, the fingers of his other hand caressed her face, tracing the perfect curve of her cheek.

Sam smiled again. “Please?”

Daniel swallowed another sob. He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. He kissed her long and slow, pouring every ounce of his love for her, every drop of hope for their lives together into that one act. When he pulled away, her eyes were shining with tears, her face glowing with a happy smile. He had never seen her look so beautiful.

Her fingers tightened around his hand again, and he returned the squeeze desperately, as if the action would keep her from slipping away.

“I love you, Daniel,” she whispered.

He drew a shuddering breath as he gazed at his dying wife. “I love you, Sam.”

She smiled and closed her eyes. Another tear squeezed out onto her pillow as her hand went limp in his.

Daniel stared at her for a long time. He rocked back and forth, holding her hand and smoothing her hair. His wife and unborn child, his promise for the future, were dead. Daniel felt an overwhelming surge of hopelessness and gathered her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair, breathing her scent deeply. He wouldn’t forget anything. Not the feel of her in his arms, the taste of her kisses, the tender touch of her hands.

Slowly, he regained control of himself. Daniel gently laid her body back on their bed. He leaned over her again, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Then, with one final touch to her cheek, he pulled a blanket over her lifeless body.

Finally, he stood and took a deep breath. He stepped outside the tent, squinting in the bright sun.

Teal’c was waiting and placed a heavy hand on Daniel’s shoulder, looking at him solemnly. Daniel blindly nodded his thanks and turned to Jack. The sand near his friend’s feet was very disturbed. He had obviously been pacing. Now, he stood facing Daniel, his arms defiantly crossed over his chest and a look of sheer determination on his face.

“Jack.” Daniel’s voice came out a hoarse croak.

Jack’s expression softened, and he quickly stepped to Daniel’s side. He glanced at the tent. “Sam?” he whispered.

Dumbly, Daniel shook his head. He felt Jack’s arms wrap around him in a supportive hug. His friends led him to Jack’s tent and he sat down, feeling numb. Jack quietly seated himself next to Daniel as Teal’c began to explain what had happened.

“The rebels we were to meet do not exist. I believe they had heard there were plans to rise up against Ra and decided to lay a trap for us. A dozen Jaffa lay in wait for our arrival at the meeting place. They killed Haji. Colonel Carter and I returned fire.” Teal’c looked at Daniel gravely. “The blast she took was intended for me. I have once again failed you, Daniel Jackson.”

“No,” Daniel said softly. “No, you’ve never failed me, Teal’c.”

“Alright,” said Jack. “So, let’s rally the troops and go.”

“Jack, no. Sam’s right. It’s too much, too fast. They’re not ready.”

“It can work. They won’t be expecting an all-out attack so soon. Our forces can infiltrate Ra’s temple and force him out. We can take them by surprise and get that damned snakehead off our planet once and for all.”

“It won’t bring her back,” Daniel whispered, staring at the sand beneath his feet.

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“It’s what Sam wants.”

“She didn’t want to be dead, Daniel! We’re talking about your wife here! Your pregnant wife!”

Daniel’s head jerked up, and he glared at his friend. “You think I don’t know that? You think I didn’t just watch—” His voice failed him, and he swallowed the bile rising in the back of his throat. “I promised her, Jack. I promised her that we wouldn’t change our history.”

“So, what the hell do we do?”

Daniel turned back to the sand. “Nothing,” he whispered.

“Damn it, Daniel.”

“Jack, you can’t do anything. Things have to play out the way they’re supposed to.” When Jack didn’t respond, Daniel looked up at him again. “Please, Jack.”

Jack’s gaze moved from Daniel to Teal’c and back again. Finally, he sighed. “Fine. We’ll do it the way Sam wanted.”

Daniel squeezed his eyes closed. “Thank you.”

--------------------------------

Half-waking from a fitful sleep, Daniel turned his head and reached out for his wife. But instead of Sam’s warm body, he was greeted only by the cold and empty other half of the bed.

“Daniel.”

His eyes flew open at the whispered voice, and he realised he wasn’t in his tent. He wasn’t in his bed. The events of the previous day flooded back to him in a wave of nausea. Sam was dead. The Goa’uld had taken another woman he loved from him. Daniel idly wondered if it was his love that had cursed them, or if it was just his ideas. It had been his idea to reopen the gate on Abydos. And it had been his idea to come to the past to get the ZPM. His fault, both times. Sha’re and Sam had both paid with their lives.

“Daniel?” the voice whispered again.

“Jack?”

“Think you got a whole hour there.”

Daniel stared blindly at the ceiling of Jack’s tent. “You?”

Jack was silent for a moment. “Teal’c just went out to bring back something to eat.”

Daniel just squeezed his eyes closed.

“You need to eat, Daniel,” Jack said softly. “We all do.”

Explaining to Katep and the others that they didn’t want to have Sam’s body embalmed was simple enough. They had established upon arrival that they were travelers from the East, so it was understandable that they’d have different customs and beliefs.

They decided that Sam would have preferred cremation, since it would leave no evidence of her existence in ancient Egypt. They built a pyre and placed her sheet-wrapped body atop it. As the fire grew, Daniel watched his future go up in smoke, with Jack on one side and Teal’c on the other.

“Shel mek. Shel assah,” Teal’c said. “Tak mal arik tiak.”

Daniel stood there, watching, until the last of the embers died.

The three of them agreed that stealing the Jumper during the rebellion was, once again, no longer Plan A. Instead, when the tomb was finished, they would hide the ZPM and jar. That plan would undo everything that had happened here, which was more than fine with them. And in the meantime, they’d ensure that the rebellion went as it was supposed to.

Three days after Sam’s death, Daniel went outside with Jack.

“I’m going to go to the marketplace,” Daniel said.

Jack frowned at him. “Why?”

Over the last few days, Daniel had been thinking about the women he and Jack had seen engraving the bowls the morning before Sam died. He had an idea about how to get a message to their future selves. Something that only he and Sam would see, so he wouldn’t have to worry about Jack or anyone else learning about their relationship before they were supposed to. He took a deep breath, studying his friend. “If Sam and I had mentioned our relationship on the tape, and you had seen it before we were able to talk to you about it...”

“Would it have been...uncomfortable?”

“Yeah.”

Jack released a heavy sigh. “I’d get over it.”

Daniel nodded. “What about if there was a message about it in hieroglyphs on the canopic jar that’s holding the camera?”

“Well, Daniel,” Jack said slowly. “I’ve been living in ancient Egypt for nearly a year now, and I can’t read hieroglyphs.” He looked at Daniel pointedly. “The me before we got here couldn’t read them either.”

Daniel gave his friend a faint smile. “I need some tools. That’s why I have to go to the marketplace.”

For the last three days, Jack and Teal’c hadn’t left Daniel alone for a moment. Not that he really blamed them. He knew he wasn’t quite himself, and he did take comfort in the fact that they cared about him. But Daniel really wanted to have some quiet time alone to think.

Jack shook his head. “You’re not going alone.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I just—I really just need some time to myself.”

“I guess we’ve kinda been smothering you, eh?”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate your support. I just—”

“Yeah, I get it. But I’d feel much better if you stayed here. Baraka’s been asking me to take him down to the market. Teal’c and I will go. We’ll get your tools, and you’ll get some time alone. Deal?”

Daniel nodded. “Thanks, Jack. Just be careful.”

“Always am, Daniel.”

After Jack and Teal’c left for the market with Baraka, Daniel went to his tent. He hadn’t been inside since Sam died. He sat heavily on their bed and touched her pillow. Picking it up, he pressed it to his face and breathed deeply, trying to fill his lungs with Sam’s scent. If he closed his eyes, he could see her, hear her, feel her. He missed her. And he would fix this.

Daniel dug up the ZPM and the canopic jar from the corner of their tent. He stared at the jar. He would have to come up with something to inscribe it with that would be vague enough not to be obvious to the people who would undoubtedly see it before he did, but specific enough that his future self would take notice of it. Hugging Sam’s pillow to his chest, he held the jar in his other hand and studied it, searching his mind for the appropriate phrasing.

“Daniel!”

He started at Baraka’s voice. Were Jack, Teal’c and Baraka back already? How long had he been lost in thought? Daniel went outside to find the boy running toward him. Katep came out of his tent and approached them quickly.

“Daniel!” Baraka’s eyes were wild with fear. “I did not know what to do!”

“What happened?” Daniel looked around. “Where are Jack and Teal’c?”

“The Jaffa said that I was stealing! Jack saved me. Run home, he told me. A Jaffa chased me, but I was faster!”

Daniel looked over the desert in the direction of the nearby marketplace, dread again stirring in his heart. Without hesitation, he took off at a dead run across the sand.

“Daniel! Wait!” Katep cried from behind him.

But Daniel wouldn’t wait. He couldn’t. The last of his family was in the hands of Ra’s Jaffa. He wasn’t going to lose them too. Blinded by tears and the sun, he stumbled in the sand. Two people arrived at his side and helped him up. Daniel barely recognised one of them as Katep. As the market came into sight, Daniel could see that a crowd had gathered in the square around three armed Jaffa.

“This is the punishment for all those who dare to resist Ra’s rule,” said one of the Jaffa loudly in the local language.

Finally, through the mass of people, Daniel caught a glimpse of Jack and Teal’c kneeling in the square before the Jaffa. The staff weapons crackled to life.

“No!” Daniel shouted, struggling to push his way through the crowd to help his friends.

Energy discharges struck both Jack and Teal’c square in the back. They fell forward, smoke rising from the instantly fatal wounds.

Daniel cried out in anguish and lunged desperately through the people in front of him. Why wasn’t anyone getting out of his way? How could they just stand there?

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on his mouth, and fingers tightened around his arms, dragging him backwards.

“There is nothing you can do,” Katep’s voice hissed in his ear. He turned to the man he arrived with. “The Jaffa must not see him. Take him back with you. I will collect the bodies.”

--------------------------------

For the second time in a week, Daniel found himself standing before a funeral pyre. He was too close. The flames singed his skin. But he didn’t move away.

He would fulfill his promise to Sam. He would do what Jack and Teal’c would have wanted. He would make sure the rebellion succeeded in forcing Ra to leave Earth. He wouldn’t let their deaths be meaningless.

Everyone Daniel had ever loved was dead. His parents, Sha’re, the people of Abydos, Sam, Jack, Teal’c. Slowly, the flames consumed the bodies of the last of his family.

Daniel felt a coldness growing in his heart that even the heat of the fire could not touch.

And he made no effort to fight it.

To be continued...
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-- Chapter Thirteen --

Rising from his bed, Daniel quickly dressed in the robes that were part of his daily life in ancient Egypt. He had developed a routine, and this was just part of it. He had done his best to keep a low profile, and as such, his life was unspectacular.

Since Sam, Jack and Teal’c had died more than four years ago, Daniel had lived a solitary life. In an effort to limit his contact with the local peoples, Daniel’s work to build the forces of the rebellion had been done entirely through Katep. With a few exceptions, the rebels were completely unaware that many of the ideas Katep was bringing to the table were from Daniel. History, should it record anything at all, would cast Katep as the leader of the rebellion. And that was fine with Daniel.

They were taking things slowly. Every effort had been made to ensure that events would unfold the way they were meant to. Their plan was good. Daniel was confident that it would force Ra to leave Earth. Their forces would be ready to launch their coordinated attack before the year was out.

While working to fulfill his promise to Sam, Daniel had also been waiting. Waiting for today. Today marked the end of the monotony of the last four years. Today was the day.

Yesterday, Daniel had witnessed the completion of the tomb that would be discovered a month before he stupidly suggested that SG-1 travel back in time to obtain a ZPM. Today was the day he would fix that mistake. Today, he would undo all of it.

He dug through the sand in the corner of his tent. Carefully, he pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle out of the hole. Daniel checked its contents. The ZPM glowed brightly, and the jar that held the video camera was unharmed. Today, he would hide these items in the tomb so that he and his friends would never make their ill-fated trip into the past in the first place.

He ran his thumb over the inscription he had painstakingly carved into the side of the canopic jar. The pottery had been on the soft side for inscriptions, but Daniel was hopeful that it would still be legible in five thousand years. It had to be. His future self would find it, translate it, and know what it meant.

But even has he hoped that today would fix everything, a small voice inside him was whispering that it was possible SG-1’s presence in this time period had, in fact, considerably changed history. If that was the case, there was the possibility that he and his friends might have to come back in time again in order to correct their mistakes.

Daniel ran a hand through his hair and pulled his hood over his head. He went outside and approached Katep’s tent.

“The tomb is finished. I’m going today,” Daniel told his only friend in the local language.

“That is good news, Daniel. I hope that your journey will be successful.”

“There is a chance that it will not be. If that is the case, my friends and I might return.”

Katep’s eyes widened. “They will return from the dead?”

“Not exactly. It is possible that if they come, they will not have the same memories and life experiences. They would be like different versions of us.”

“I do not understand how this can be.”

“I cannot explain it, Katep. If they arrive, I ask that you do not tell them what happened to them.”

“You wish that I lie to your friends?”

“I wish that you allow me to be the one to explain things.”

“And to your wife?”

Daniel turned to stare blindly at the horizon. “If she comes—” He took a steadying moment and began again. “If she comes, she won’t really be the woman who was...is...” he sighed, beyond caring about the solution to the paradox, “will be my wife.”

He squeezed his eyes closed, trying once again to block out the anguish of losing his entire family in a single week. Daniel forced the pain and guilt back into the coldness of his heart. He concentrated on maintaining the mental wall that separated him from the world that punished him with every sunrise. “I don’t— I need to be the one to tell them,” he said.

Daniel felt a hand on his shoulder, and he opened his eyes. Katep was looking at him solemnly, nodding. “What should I say?”

“I don’t care. Just—” He shrugged Katep’s hand away and attempted to strengthen his resolve. “Tell them our plans ended up exposing us to those still loyal to Ra. That they were captured and executed. It’s not a lie. And—” Daniel took a deep breath. “Make no mention of my marriage.”

“If that is your wish.”

“Thank you, Katep.” Sam hadn’t wanted Jack to learn about their relationship on the tape. And Daniel wasn’t about to let him learn about it through a perfect stranger, either. “It’s my hope that they don’t arrive at all, but just in case...”

“I understand, Daniel. Good luck.”

--------------------------------

Daniel hated travelling to the tomb, yet he had done it every day to check on the progress of its construction. What bothered him most was crossing the hill that overlooked it. The hill where Sam and Daniel had been married. The hill where they had made love after learning that he was going to be a father – the most wonderful news of his life.

Every time he climbed that hill, Daniel felt a little more of himself slip away. He became a little more bitter. A little more angry. And a little more cold.

Moving quickly down the slope, he snuck into the tomb. After a brief search, Daniel found the ideal location to conceal his treasures. Somewhere they wouldn’t be identified as out of place by the natives, but somewhere they would be found in five thousand years.

He held the jar and ZPM in his hands, staring at them for a long moment. When he put them on the shelf before him, everything would change. Daniel licked his lips and, with a deep breath, he carefully placed the items down.

Nothing happened.

He looked around the tomb and released the breath he was holding. Frowning, he picked the ZPM up and set it down again. No. It couldn’t be. Daniel made his way outside, hoping that leaving the tomb would trigger the ripple in time he so desperately needed.

Nothing happened.

So much for the common solution to the Grandfather Paradox.

Dejectedly, Daniel sat in the sand. He had failed them again. Halfway around the world and five thousand years in the future, he and his friends should have received the ZPM and the tape and never made this trip. He shouldn’t be here now. Unless history had changed.

The last shred of hope in his heart gave up its valiant struggle for survival. He had killed everyone he loved. And there was nothing he could do about it. With a resigned sigh, he got up.

Then, pulling his hood back over his head, Daniel started back up that hateful hill.

--------------------------------

As he neared the encampment, Daniel saw Baraka running towards him. “Daniel! They have returned!” the boy shouted.

“Where are they?”

“Daniel, they did not appear to know me.”

“It’s very complicated, Baraka. I will try to explain later. Please tell me where they are.”

“They are with my uncle.”

Unbidden, emotion flared in Daniel’s heart as he followed the boy, running across the sand. They moved quickly through the tents, slowing as they neared Katep’s.

“Go and play,” Daniel told Baraka softly.

“But I wish to see Jack.”

“There will be time for that later.”

The boy looked forlornly at him but nodded before heading off to the centre of the encampment.

Approaching the tent, Daniel could hear voices coming from within. He hesitated at the door, listening. Katep was honouring his request and telling the alternate versions of himself and his friends that they had been captured and killed.

“Really? All of us?” Daniel could have smiled at Jack’s voice.

“All but one,” answered Katep.

That was as good a cue to enter as any. Daniel ducked through the doorway of the tent and pulled back his hood. He surveyed the people inside.

Teal’c was wearing the armour of a First Prime, Jack’s slouch was more pronounced than usual, and Sam...

Daniel fought to pry his eyes away from the woman who looked just like his wife but was obviously very different. She was wearing glasses. And the way she fidgeted and nervously clasped her hands in front of her made it quite clear that she wasn’t the strong and confident Sam he knew so well. It hurt to see her like this. More than Daniel had imagined.

He looked around for his alternate self, but couldn’t find him. “Well, this can’t be a good sign.”

“Why’s that?” asked Jack.

“Where am I?” Daniel had a bad feeling about this. He tried not to think about the alternate realities he had experienced. Realities in which he and Sam had never met. Realities in which Sam had been involved with Jack. Daniel had always had a hard time believing that was a coincidence.

Jack looked around the tent. “Ancient Egypt?”

Daniel stifled a sigh. It seemed that Jack was Jack no matter the timeline. “No, I mean the me from your timeline.”

“I killed you,” said Teal’c.

“Why?”

“You were a Goa’uld spy.”

Oh, lovely. Daniel shook his head slightly. “Good reason.”

“It was horrible,” said Sam.

Her voice tore a gaping hole in his chest. Daniel tried to dismiss the pain by dismissing her. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He avoided looking at her. He focussed instead on Jack. “Why are you here?”

“Yes.” Jack pointed at Daniel, grinning. “Excellent question.”

Daniel glanced at Katep. He knew that he had become more short-tempered the last few years, but these people were incredibly frustrating. “You don’t know?” This was unbelievable.

“Well, I thought I did there, for a while. And then I realised I...didn’t.”

Daniel sighed, trying to stay in control of himself. “Well, I know why I’m here.”

“Good! Let’s start there!”

“We came back in time to get a ZPM.”

“Right!” said Sam. “It was buried with the tape.” She glanced at Jack before looking back at Daniel. “Why is it so important? I–I think you were about to explain it but the, uh, the–the batteries on the camera ran out.”

Daniel kept his gaze focussed on Jack. Seeing Sam, but not Sam, was too difficult. Jack at least seemed more or less his typical self. “Long story. Why don’t you take a seat?” Daniel indicated the table behind them, and Jack and Sam sat down.

With a deep breath, Daniel began the abridged version of what had happened. “Basically we got trapped here because you,” Daniel pointed at Sam and stared at her feet, “didn’t want to affect the timeline. But ultimately, you and you,” he looked at Jack, then Teal’c, “couldn’t stand the idea of living out the rest of your lives under Ra’s rule without doing anything. We remembered there was a rebellion here on Earth – that’s how the gate got buried in the first place. So we figured what difference would it make if we’re involved or not? Unfortunately, we never got to execute the plan.”

“We heard,” said Jack.

Daniel looked away from them. Despite the coldness in his chest that was his constant companion, he still couldn’t lie to their faces. “Yes, we tried to do too much, too fast.” That part was definitely true. If they hadn’t been so eager to meet with two rebel leaders at the same time, Sam and Teal’c would never have been caught off guard the way they were. Sam wouldn’t have been killed. And Jack and Teal’c wouldn’t have been in the marketplace later.

He should have known better. But he had learned from his mistakes. The work he had been doing with Katep had been painfully slow. “Since then, Katep and I have been slowly building up an underground movement,” Daniel continued. “I can only assume things don’t go well because if you’re here, you saw the tape, and the future still needs fixing.”

Jack nodded. “Something like that.”

Closing his eyes briefly, Daniel tried to swallow the guilt that once again threatened him. He had failed them. Sam had asked only one thing of him, and he had failed her.

“Oh, we didn’t just see the tape. We saw the tablet,” said Sam.

Daniel glanced at Katep, and then really looked at Sam for the first time since her arrival. “What tablet?”

“Oh,” she said. “The one you haven’t written yet and put where the stargate was supposed to be buried.”

Daniel marvelled at how quickly Sam could wrap her mind around the concepts of time travel. Wait. Did she say... “‘Supposed to be’?”

She nodded. “In our timeline, the rebellion that you planned actually works. Ra ends up leaving, and Earth is free. But, uh, Ra takes the stargate with him.”

The sheer magnitude of his failure struck Daniel with physical force. “Okay, that’s a problem,” he said slowly.

“Yes! The gate is never found at Giza, and–and none of us join the Stargate Program.”

So this Sam really didn’t know him. She didn’t even know the other him. Daniel sighed as she continued.

“But you left a tablet in an obscure Egyptian dialect telling us the date of the rebellion and where to find the second stargate in Antarctica.”

That made sense. After Ra took the stargate, Daniel would definitely try once again to fix the future. “Good for me. So you’re here to make sure Ra doesn’t take the stargate.”

Sam nodded slowly.

Jack shrugged. “It’s a plan.”

Baraka ran into the tent. “Daniel! Daniel! Jaffa!”

“We must hide,” Katep said.

“Where?” asked Jack.

“In here.” Katep and Baraka pulled back a mat on the floor and started digging sand away from the edge of a stone slab. Daniel waved the alternate versions of his friends closer. The stone was removed to reveal a ladder leading into a dark chamber. Daniel followed them down, and Katep sealed the opening behind him.

Daniel took a torch from Jack and shone its light into the depths of the chamber. SG-1’s weaponry and vests sat on a crate nearby. Staff weapons lined the walls, and trunks along the wall were both filled and covered with zats and shock grenades.

“Sweet!” said Jack.

The Jaffa patrols passed through regularly, but fortunately, they never stayed very long. As Daniel and the alternate versions of his friends hid, they discussed possible strategies to prevent Ra from taking the stargate when he left Earth. Daniel felt the familiar anger toward himself rising in his throat as he realised that he didn’t mention the ship’s cloak on the tape. There were a lot of things he should have put on that damned tape.

The stone slab above them moved, causing Jack to jump. Daniel squinted into the light, shielding his eyes from the falling sand and dust.

Katep leaned over the opening. “They are gone.”

They all climbed back up the ladder to the surface. Sam reached up for Daniel’s hand as she got to the top of the ladder. After a brief hesitation, Daniel took her hand and helped her up.

Nodding his thanks to Katep, Daniel noticed that Baraka was clinging to his uncle. He looked like he wanted to leap into Jack’s arms.

“Jack, Teal’c, this is Baraka.” Daniel waved the boy closer. “He— He knew the other Jack and Teal’c.”

Baraka looked up at Daniel with wide brown eyes.

“It’s okay,” Daniel said softly, glancing at Jack and Teal’c. “They don’t remember you. It’s like they never met you. But they’re still them.”

Jack crouched to the ground, smiling. “Hey, kiddo.” Baraka launched himself at him, throwing his arms around his neck. “Whoa!” exclaimed Jack as he placed a hand on the ground to balance himself.

“I have missed you, Jack.” Baraka looked up at Teal’c. “And you as well.” He grabbed their hands and began dragging them out of the tent. “Come!”

Katep glanced between Daniel and Sam before quickly following his nephew. Now alone with Sam, Daniel shifted uneasily on his feet, very aware that another version of his dead wife was standing next to him.

“Daniel?”

With reluctance, he turned to look at her. Her eyes roamed his face and body. She lifted her hand, and it hovered uncertainly near his head. Then, abruptly, she pulled her hand back. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she cleared her throat and clenched her hands into fists at her sides.

“Your hair is different,” she said. Slowly, she raised her head and looked at him. There was pain in her eyes, and Daniel felt his heart ache. “I saw you die,” she said, biting her lip. “I didn’t even do anything. I–I just stood there. Stupid and useless.”

Daniel longed to pull her into his arms, to tell her that everything would be all right, to let her melt the ice that had grown in his chest. He struggled against the urge. “You’re Sam Carter. I couldn’t imagine a reality or timeline in which you are either stupid or useless.”

She wrinkled her nose and shifted her feet in the sand.

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Daniel said. He searched her face, trying to find a trace of the woman he loved.

“I liked him,” she said very quietly, dropping her head. “I didn’t know him very long, but I—” She sighed. “I really liked him. He stood up for me.” Sam looked up at him again, pursing her lips. “No one’s ever done that before. He was really sweet. And he helped keep that creep McKay away from me.”

She was hurting. She missed the other him. Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, trying to reassure her. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to say anything for fear of showing this Sam how much it was killing him to see her.

She lifted her head, squinting at him from behind her glasses. “You’re not him, are you? You’re...” her voice trailed off as she studied him. “You’re harder. You have sharper edges. You’ve been hurt. A lot.”

Daniel dropped his hand from her shoulder and stared at the ground. He didn’t want to talk about any of this with her. Not right now, anyway. He needed time to adjust to this new Sam.

“What was the other me like?” she asked. “Was she...interesting?”

Daniel walked to the door of the tent and looked outside. “Yes,” he said very quietly.

“What happened to her?”

“A Jaffa shot her. She died.” He struggled to maintain clinical detachment from this stranger with a face from his dreams. And his nightmares.

“Oh.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw her move to stand next to him. She seemed nervous, hesitant.

“What happened to you?” she asked softly.

“I died too. Just not enough.”

She laid a gentle hand on his arm, and for a split second, she was his Sam. Daniel felt all of the barriers he had built around himself disintegrate. It took all of his self-control not to grab her and kiss her. He managed to pull away, stepping outside. “It’s all my fault,” he said to no one in particular.

Sam followed him outside. “What is?”

“All of this.” Daniel gestured with his arm at the encampment. “It was my idea to come here. We got stranded, and it was my fault. Everyone died. And it was my fault.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

He glared at her. Who did she think she was? She wasn’t his Sam. She didn’t know anything. What right did she have to show up here, looking and sounding just like his wife? She shrank away from him, and he closed his eyes, shaking his head, trying to regain control of his temper.

When he opened his eyes again, she was staring at him compassionately. “Look. Even if it was your fault, feeling guilty about it won’t fix anything,” she said.

Daniel couldn’t bear to look at her any longer. He turned to face the expanse of sand beyond the encampment. “The other me,” he said finally. “Did he find an inscription on the canopic jar the camera was in?”

“Jar? I–I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t even think he was given the jar. They didn’t even give him the tablet to work on. Just pictures of it. I was dying to see the ZPM, but...” She shrugged. “The Air Force people didn’t trust us very much. I really think the only reason we were brought in at all was because we were on the tape.”

Daniel sighed. So much for his brilliant plan. At least now he knew how he had failed. He still had time to fix things. Baraka ran up to them, followed by Teal’c and then Jack.

“You’re fast!” said Jack. He grinned at Katep. “What a great kid.”

Katep bowed his head. “Thank you.”

“So, I guess we need to check on the ship’s cloak.” Jack turned to Sam. “You do know how to fix it if it doesn’t work, right?”

“Um, I don’t know. Maybe.” Her eyes darted from Jack to Daniel and back again. “Yes.”

“Great! Let’s get a move on.”

Daniel watched Sam and Jack head back to the Jumper to test the cloak. He fixed his eyes on the pair as they disappeared over a dune near the edge of the encampment. Once again, he mentally kicked himself for not mentioning the cloak on the tape. He sighed. Yet another failure.

“Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel looked up at the alternate-timeline version of his Jaffa friend.

“I must regretfully inform you of the extent of my involvement in the fate of the other Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said solemnly. “You did not give in to torture. Apophis ordered me to leave, and I did, despite the fact that I knew he would implant you with a Goa’uld. After the members of your party had escaped, it was I that killed you.”

“Yeah, well. I’ve been by the Goa’uld tortured plenty of times. And as for the implantation and death of the other me...” Daniel shrugged, not particularly caring what had happed to his alternate self. “I know that I would rather die than live as a host. You did him a favour, Teal’c.”

The Jaffa gazed at him steadily. Finally, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Daniel turned back to look at the waves of sand. “So, Apophis is still alive, then?”

“Indeed.”

“Figures.”

“I understand that he is not alive in your timeline.”

“Uh, no.”

Teal’c was silent for a moment. “The Tau’ri have indeed become a formidable enemy to the Goa’uld.”

Daniel shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so. After we killed Ra, I think the rest just seemed second nature.”

“Ra is one of the most powerful System Lords. You killed him?”

“Well, not me, exactly.” Daniel thrust his chin in the direction of the sand dune where Sam and Jack had disappeared. “It was mostly Jack. I was just there.”

“Have other false gods fallen at the hands of the Tau’ri?”

Daniel studied him for a moment before deciding that he was genuinely interested. “Uh, yeah. A few. Let’s see, between us and our work with the Tok’ra...” Daniel started counting off on his fingers. “We’ve killed Hathor, Setesh, Sokar, Heru-ur, Osiris, Apophis...” He looked up at Teal’c solemnly. “Cronus.”

Teal’c tensed. “My father was avenged?”

“You killed him yourself.” Daniel decided that wasn’t exactly a lie. And it was certainly easier than explaining that Cronus had been killed by an android duplicate of Teal’c.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure the success of our plan so that your timeline can be restored.”

Daniel nodded. “I know you will, Teal’c. Thanks.”

Katep approached again, joining them.

“Will you show me the battle plans for the rebellion?” Teal’c asked Daniel.

“Sure. I’m not a strategist. I’m sure you could do much better.” With one final glance in the direction Sam and Jack had gone, Daniel turned to enter Katep’s tent. He unrolled the maps and scrolls onto a table.

Teal’c studied them for a moment. “Your strategy is good.”

Daniel didn’t respond. He just stared blankly at the map before him.

“But it does not work well as a distraction of our plan to steal the Chappa’ai.”

That caught Daniel’s attention. He looked up. “Wait a minute, we know this plan works. If we alter it...”

“We may fail,” said Katep.

“With this plan, the uprising succeeds and Ra leaves,” continued Daniel.

“And Ra takes the Chappa’ai. If we are to be successful in keeping Ra from taking the Chappa’ai, we must focus the efforts of the rebellion on distracting him from it.”

Daniel glanced at Katep and turned away, frustrated. Teal’c was right. Everything they had worked on these last four years was for nothing.

“Trust me.”

Daniel looked at Teal’c. After a moment, he nodded. He was being given a second chance. The alternate version of SG-1 was proof of Daniel’s failure, but with them came with the knowledge of how to erase it.

Teal’c again studied the plans before him. “Who designed this strategy?”

Before Daniel could answer, Katep spoke up. “Although Daniel will say that it was me, it was in fact he who devised our plans.”

Teal’c looked at Daniel. “Are you not a scholar like your other self?”

“Yes,” Daniel answered. “I am.”

“These are the plans of a warrior.”

Daniel shrugged. “I’ve studied the works of some of the greatest military minds in Earth’s history. Well,” he sighed. “My Earth’s history, anyway. And I spent eight years learning from the best.”

“To whom do you refer?”

“You,” Daniel said. “Well, you and Jack O’Neill.”

Teal’c was silent for a long moment before bowing his head. “You honour me, Daniel Jackson.”

“But clearly, as you’ve pointed out, the plans are not appropriate for achieving our goal. How do you suggest we change them?”

Daniel, Katep and Teal’c discussed alternate strategies that could both force Ra from the planet and protect the stargate. Then, the radio on the table crackled to life.

“Hey, guys,” came Jack’s voice. “We’ve got a little problem here.”

“Katep!” Daniel shouted as he grabbed his radio and P-90. “Get everyone together.”

“But we are not yet ready!”

Daniel stopped at the door and turned back to Katep. “I won’t let them die again!”

Finally, Katep nodded and hurried out of the tent. Teal’c picked up his staff weapon and followed Daniel across the sand towards where the Jumper was parked.

“Daniel! Teal’c!” came Jack’s voice again.

“We’re almost there!” shouted Daniel into his radio.

He could hear staff blasts nearby. Ducking behind a dune, Daniel and Teal’c peeked over the sand to find more than a dozen Jaffa surrounding the ship. Daniel was relieved that Sam and Jack were nowhere to be seen and that the Jaffa were shooting at the Jumper. He looked over his shoulder, trying to decide how far behind Katep and his army were, and then turned back to the ship.

Daniel knew the staff blasts weren’t powerful enough to damage the ship’s hull, though their energy discharges were probably wreaking havoc on the ship’s electrical systems. Probably creating quite a light show inside the Jumper, too. But Jack and Sam were perfectly safe as long as they were inside.

“Well,” said Daniel. “This doesn’t look good.”

“Indeed.”

“Though it is quite ironic.” He glanced back at Teal’c. “This whole thing started because Sam didn’t want to take the Jumper back from a Jaffa patrol.”

“Daniel Jackson, I will speak to my brothers, tell them that they can live free of oppression by false gods.”

“I don’t think that will work, Teal’c. We’re five thousand years in the past. The Jaffa rebellion is a long ways off right now.”

“I must try.”

Reluctantly, Daniel nodded. If nothing else, the attempt would buy them the time they needed for Katep and their troops to get there. With great purpose, Daniel and Teal’c strode out from behind the sand dune toward the group surrounding the Jumper.

“ Jaffa!” Teal’c shouted. They all stopped firing at the ship and turned to face Teal’c. He raised his arms wide from his body. “Hear me.”

Daniel squinted at the Jaffa, trying to see clearly. One of the Jaffa took several steps closer to them.

“Ra is not a god!” Teal’c continued. “You can live free!”

“A’kek, shol’va!” shouted the Jaffa.

“I don’t think he bought it,” Daniel muttered. Over a nearby dune, he saw a head pop up briefly before it disappeared again. Good. Katep had arrived.

“Relinquish your weapons and surrender.”

“Kel’tek trey! Lo t’nak!”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah, I thought you’d say that.”

“Shal kek!” shouted Teal’c.

At the battle cry, Katep climbed over the dune, armed with a P-90. He shouted and made a broad gesture as hundreds of screaming villagers carrying staff weapons and zat guns appeared at the top of the dunes, completely surrounding the meagre Jaffa forces. Daniel raised his P-90, levelling it at the lead Jaffa.

Quickly admitting defeat, the Jaffa all dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Daniel lowered his weapon and pulled out his radio. “Sam, Jack, it’s all clear. You can come out now.”

“In a minute,” came Jack’s voice through the speaker.

Daniel scowled at the radio in his hands, his mind racing for any explanation for Jack’s response besides his gut reaction. He glanced at Teal’c and did his best to hide his resentment, jealousy and anger. However, he wasn’t entirely certain he was successful.

For a long moment, he stared at the Jumper. Finally making a decision, he walked quickly towards it. Daniel keyed open the door and glowered at the two people looking up at him from their embrace on the floor.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout, but he had no right. These people were not the people he knew. She was not his Sam. And despite the similarities, he was not his friend Jack. Clenching his jaw, Daniel took a deep breath and just walked away.

This was his punishment. He deserved this pain for allowing the people he loved to die five thousand years before they were even born. Apparently, having to live without them wasn’t enough.

“Daniel!”

He heard Sam’s voice behind him but didn’t stop walking.

“Daniel, wait! Oof!”

Hearing her grunt of pain, Daniel turned around. Sam was several steps behind him and had fallen in the sand. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading.

He offered her a hand, helping her up. As she brushed the sand off her uniform, Jack trotted toward them. Daniel glanced quickly at him and then back at Sam.

“It’s not what you think,” she said quietly.

Daniel gently cupped her cheek with his hand, the ache in his chest intensifying. “Sam...” he whispered. He gazed at her for a long moment before drawing a shuddering breath. Then, lowering his hand, he turned and walked away from her.

“Hey! You said you lied about being attracted to Daniel!”

Despite himself, Daniel smiled slightly at Jack’s words.

“I thought we were about to die!” came Sam’s indignant reply.

“Well, that’s just great.”

“Maybe the future me does have a boyfriend.”

Daniel looked around at the rebels still shouting in victory from the top of the surrounding dunes. A thousand screaming people might make the perfect distraction so that they could steal the stargate and hide it from Ra.

And they would succeed in that plan. The timeline would be restored. SG-1 would have the ZPM and never have to go back in time in the first place. Everything would be made right. This time, it would work. Daniel would make sure of that.

To be continued...

Daniel took a deep breath. Or rather, his consciousness took a moment to ready itself. It was, of course, both unnecessary and impossible to breathe without a corporeal body. He was grateful that The Others had permitted his ascension after his involvement in Oma’s decision to finally deal with Anubis. He only hoped that she hadn’t been too late.

Even as the question entered his thoughts, the answer came to him. Anubis had been taken out of the picture before he activated the device on Dakara. The galaxy was safe once again.

As he moved through space, nebulous gases glowed with his presence. He passed through a very young system; proto-planets and planetesimals formed a disk surrounding the variable star. A star that Daniel noted with amusement was a type known on Earth as a T-Tauri Star.

But this wasn’t where he needed to be. He left the newborn system behind, heading for a much more familiar one.

Daniel concentrated. He directed all of his attention on an insignificant yellow star that was more than half a galaxy away. As he willed himself closer, he began to refine his focus. Third planet, Northern hemisphere, North America, United States, Colorado... He was almost there. He could see the mountain now. Well, he couldn’t really see it, since he didn’t have any eyes. But Daniel knew it was there. He could sense it.

Three-thousand, three-hundred and seven feet of two-billion year-old fractured granite eased out of Daniel’s path. Vertical foliations of metamorphic rock, formed by the melting and recrystallisation of tectonic plates colliding at the root of the mountain, moved fluidly past him.

He didn’t question how he knew the astronomical and geological details that entered his mind. Just as he didn’t question the fact that he was completely aware of every atom of matter, and every trace of energy that surrounded him.

Again, Daniel narrowed his concentration, flowing easily through alternating layers of concrete and air, this time to a specific section of air on what was known as Sublevel 27.

He was there. He had made it.

There were four familiar presences in the room. Daniel hovered near the ceiling, knowing they weren’t aware of him.

“I still don’t quite understand what happened,” said the woman. He moved closer to her. “One minute Anubis is about to push the button that ends all life in the galaxy, and the next minute he’s just...gone.” The pain, guilt, fear and hope radiated from her in waves.

Daniel reached out, trying to provide comfort, but he couldn’t touch her. No, this just wouldn’t do. He knew he would never be happy like this. The last time had been different, but he still hadn’t been happy. Daniel didn’t plan to remain an ascended being for very long this time. He looked at the woman before him. This was where he needed to be. With her. He knew what he needed to do.

He shifted his thoughts into the next room. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do what he wanted. Getting here was easy when compared to staying here. Readying himself once more, Daniel gathered all of his concentration.

And descended from a higher plane of existence.

It was dark. Was it supposed to be dark?

Daniel opened his eyes. That was much better. He looked around at the familiar office. He had done it. He knew where he was, and, even more important, he knew who he was. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. He was back. But something wasn’t quite right.

He looked down at himself and groaned quietly. “Oh, for—”

Teal’c’s voice came from the room next door. “O’Neill believes that Daniel Jackson was somehow responsible.”

“Nope! It wasn’t me!” Daniel said loudly. He squeezed his eyes closed and dropped his chin to his chest as he realised, too late, that given his current state, it probably would have been a better idea to stay quiet until the debriefing in the next room had ended.

“Anybody else hear that?” came Jack’s voice.

Daniel sighed. “I’m in here!”

“That’s Daniel!”

A shadow appeared in the doorway, and Daniel realised that his friend was on his way into his office. “No!” he shouted as Jack poked his head through the door. “Don’t come in!”

“Whoa!”

Daniel squeezed his eyes closed again and groaned, frustrated. How was it possible that he could navigate his way halfway across the entire galaxy but not remember that he’d want to be wearing clothes when he retook human form?

“Hey there!”

He opened his eyes to find Jack quickly backing out of the room. He sighed. “Can you get me...something?” Daniel asked softly.

Jack spun around near the doorway to his office. He tugged the SGC flag off the pole behind him and handed it to Daniel.

“Thank you,” he mumbled as he wrapped the flag around his waist. With a deep breath, Daniel stepped out of the office. He glanced at Jack, who seemed to have taken a sudden interest in studying the flagpole, and then turned to Sam.

Her eyes widened, her mouth making a perfect circle of surprise. She seemed flustered and looked away. Daniel felt the heat of a blush rising up his neck.

“It’s a...” His gaze flickered briefly to the ceiling, trying to come up with a quick explanation for the situation. He failed and looked back at Sam. “Long story.”

She looked at him with a weak grin. He felt her eyes move over his body. In an effort to distract himself from her, he looked back at Jack, who turned quickly away to study a section of wall.

Daniel turned the other way to look through the window back into Jack’s office. He could practically feel Sam’s gaze still on him. Glancing over at her, he saw she was smiling, although the expression in her eyes was one of sadness. She stood up, walked quickly forward, and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Daniel shifted his grip on the flag so he could hold it in place with one hand and wrapped his other arm around Sam.

“I knew you’d be back,” he heard her whisper. She pulled away, and he saw tears shining in her eyes. Her expression was an odd mixture of fear and joy.

“It pleases me to no end to see you alive and well, Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel tore his eyes away from Sam to look at his Jaffa friend. “Thanks, Teal’c. It’s good to be back. Again.”

“So, if it wasn’t you, who was it?”

“Uh, I’d be happy to explain everything, Jack, but could I get some clothes first?”

“I’ll go get you something,” said Sam, already almost out the door.

Daniel smiled gratefully at her as she glanced at him before leaving.

They waited for several minutes in silence, Daniel shifting uncomfortably in the SGC flag.

Jack sat down and tapped his fingers noisily on the table. “Daniel, the suspense is killing me here. Spill.”

Daniel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Oma ascended me. Well, partially, anyway.” He bobbed his head back and forth. “You know how it is. I had to release what held me to this life and all that.”

“Clearly that didn’t stick.”

Daniel grinned. “Yeah, well. I ran into Anubis and learned what he was planning. Once I figured out who he was, I tried to stop him. But I couldn’t, because I wasn’t fully ascended yet.”

“So, who stopped him?”

“Oma.” Daniel answered simply. He shifted his grip on the flag again. “I have no concept of how long I was there. Time is...weird on that plane of existence. It’s hard to keep track of it.” He shrugged.

“It has been more than a week since we activated the device on Dakara,” said Teal’c.

“A week?” Daniel puffed out his cheeks as he exhaled. “Wow. Better than a year, I suppose. Anyway, I guess, during our time together, I convinced her that something had to be done. I’d have done it myself, if I could.”

“And she did...what, exactly?” Jack waved his hands back and forth in front of him.

“She fought him.”

“And won?” Jack’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “Huh. Guess she was more powerful than she looked.”

“She didn’t win, Jack. She’ll never win. But neither will Anubis.”

Teal’c bowed his head gravely. “She will battle him for all eternity.”

Daniel nodded. “I don’t think she’ll be able to help us ever again.”

“Right,” said Jack. “‘Cause she’s been an enormous help so far.”

“Well, she’s saved my life twice now. I think that’s pretty helpful.”

“Yes, well.” Jack rolled his eyes. “There is that.”

The briefing room door swung open and Daniel clutched the flag tighter around his waist. Sam stepped inside, carrying some clothes for him. He had never been so happy to see that blue uniform. “Oh, thank you,” he said.

Sam gave him an odd look as she handed him his clothes. Daniel studied her carefully. Something was definitely bothering her. No, it was more than that. She looked like she was scared to death. It wasn’t an expression that Daniel saw on Sam very often.

“I’ll just wait outside,” she said softly.

Daniel nodded. “Thanks.” He’d figure out whatever was bothering her once they had some time alone. And he was fully clothed.

Jack cleared his throat. “I think it’s best if we all wait outside.”

Daniel would have laughed if he hadn’t been so worried about Sam’s obvious distress. “Good plan, Jack.” He was pretty sure that Jack had been even more embarrassed to discover Daniel’s attire – or lack thereof – than Daniel had been.

His friends went out in the hall, leaving him to get dressed in relative privacy. He finished quickly and opened the door to join them.

Jack stepped forward and squeezed Daniel’s shoulder, smiling. “That’s much better.”

“No kidding,” Daniel agreed.

“Daniel Jackson,” said Bra’tac. “I am most pleased that you have returned. I wish I could remain longer, but I must return to Dakara.”

Teal’c nodded. “I will accompany you to the stargate, old friend. There is much work to be done.”

Jack waved as Teal’c and Bra’tac walked down the hall together. “Have fun you two.” He turned back to Daniel. “Okay. We need to get you to the infirmary.”

Daniel really didn’t want to be poked and prodded by doctors right away. He knew he’d have to go eventually, but he hoped that he could postpone it for a little while. “I feel fine, Jack.”

“I’m sure you do. But you’ve been dead for more than a week, so you understand why I’d like to get a professional’s opinion that you are, in fact, fine.”

Daniel glanced at Sam. Her gaze was firmly fixed on the floor. He decided that the sooner he could get the infirmary visit out of the way, the sooner he could get to the bottom of what was bothering her. “Alright,” he said. “I’m going.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

The three of them headed down the hall in the direction of the infirmary, but before they even rounded the first corner, a voice caused them to stop.

“Uh, General?” said Walter Harriman.

“Yes, Sergeant?”

“Um, there’s a small problem with SG-7, sir.” He nodded to Daniel. “Welcome back, Doctor Jackson.”

Daniel grinned, amazed that nothing ever seemed to faze Walter. “Thanks.”

“What kind of problem?” asked Jack.

“Well, sir, you remember that blue slime they were covered in when they returned from their mission the other day? Uh, they’ve been getting regular check-ups to make sure there aren’t any lasting effects, and, um...”

“Yes?”

Walter cleared his throat nervously. “It–it seems that the members of SG-7 have developed a certain, uh, repulsion for metallic objects, sir. One of them sent half the cutlery in the commissary flying across the room. They’re in the research lab with Doctors Lee and Carmichael now.”

Jack groaned. “Magnets. It’s always magnets.” He turned back to face Sam and Daniel. “No rest for the wicked. Carter, you make sure that Daniel sees a doctor right away.”

Sam nodded silently. Daniel watched her, worried.

“And Daniel?”

He looked up, raising his eyebrows. “Jack?”

“I’m glad you’re back.”

Daniel glanced at Sam and smiled. “Me too.”

With Jack on the way to resolve the emergency with SG-7, Sam and Daniel headed for the infirmary. He couldn’t help but send the occasional worried glance in Sam’s direction as they walked. She had been very quiet and was currently studying the lines painted on the floor as if they would reveal the secrets of the universe.

Even though he knew that he should wait until they were somewhere less public to talk to her, Daniel couldn’t stop him self from asking, “You okay?”

She looked up at him with a very fake smile and nodded before turning her gaze to the floor again. Daniel frowned but decided he could wait. He just hoped that the visit to the infirmary wouldn’t take too long.

The conversation between two airmen near the door to the infirmary caught Daniel’s attention.

“Seriously,” said one of them. “I saw it with my own eyes. Every time Lieutenant Prebble reached for a fork, it darted across the table away from him all by itself. Nearly skewered a marine. I’ve never seen anything like it! And I’ve seen my fair share of strange things on this base.”

“They should have plastic utensils in the commissary,” said the second airman. “I’ve been saying that for months now.”

Daniel gave the airmen a wary look as he and Sam entered the infirmary. He was examined, had some blood samples taken, his memory tested and was then declared officially living. Not wanting to give the doctors time to change that prognosis, Daniel hurried out of the infirmary with Sam, heading toward his office.

Once they arrived, Daniel closed and locked the door. They could talk about whatever was bothering Sam without interruption. He turned to face her and was surprised to see that she was standing near his desk with her back to him.

When she spoke, he could barely hear her. “You still have all of your memories.”

Daniel felt a wave of relief wash over him. Was that what she had been so worried about? “Yeah,” he said, smiling.

Suddenly, her knees buckled, and Daniel reached out to catch her before he realised she was going to land in a chair. He walked around and knelt on the floor in front of her, worried again. Her eyes were squeezed closed, and she held her head in her hands. He put a gentle hand on her arm, looking at her imploringly.

“Sam, what’s wrong?”

Her eyes opened and Daniel felt his heart ache as he saw the pain and tears within them.

“Daniel, I’m so sorry.”

He gathered her into his arms, holding her tenderly, but not understanding why she was apologising. “For what?”

“It was me. I killed you.”

Oh God. How did she know? He never wanted her to know what her Replicator double had done. He pulled away slightly, looking at her steadily. “No you didn’t,” he said firmly. He had to make her understand that he didn’t hold her responsible for what the Replicator had done. “She wasn’t you.”

She blinked. “What?”

Crap. What had he been thinking? She couldn’t have possibly known what the Replicator had done. Why had he thought she had figured it out? Daniel back-pedalled, hoping she’d forget his slip. “You didn’t kill me, Sam.”

“I did. I helped calibrate the device, and I told my dad to activate it. It destroyed the ship you were on. I knew you were out there, and I did it anyway.”

No wonder she was so upset. He wanted to tell her that he had been dead before the ship had been destroyed, but that would require that he tell her how he had died in the first place. And he didn’t want her to know that. “Sam, you did what you had to do. You saved the galaxy.” Daniel smiled at her. “And I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

He rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I should have found another way.”

“There wasn’t time.”

“I could have—”

“Sam, stop.” Daniel placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and locked his eyes on hers. “Don’t do this to yourself.” He looked at her imploringly. “Please. You did what needed to be done. It was the right thing to do.”

After a long moment, Sam nodded. Relieved, Daniel gathered her into a hug again. He closed his eyes, taking in every detail. The feel of her in his arms, the light fruity scent of her hair, the warmth of her body. All too soon, Sam pulled away and looked up at him. Daniel smiled softly, brushing her tears from her cheeks.

“You okay?” he asked.

“You’re alive.” She nodded. “I’m okay.”

He smiled again as she ran her hand through her hair. He was relieved to see some of the fear and pain leave her face. Suddenly, her expression changed to one of curious confusion.

“What did you mean ‘she wasn’t you’?”

Daniel’s heart dropped in his chest. “Nothing, Sam. Never mind.” He hoped that she’d forget his careless comment and let it go. As he watched her frown, though, he knew she wouldn’t. And he knew she was going to figure it out, even if he didn’t say anything.

Her eyes widened, and she scrambled out of the chair, backing away from him. “Oh God.”

Daniel silently cursed himself for not thinking before he spoke. She didn’t need to know, and now she did. At least, Daniel was pretty sure she did. He stood and approached slowly, reaching out to her. “Sam, please.”

She raised her hands, keeping him at a distance. He stopped, but watched her intently. “She killed you.” Her voice was hoarse.

Involuntarily, Daniel winced. He immediately regretted it. If she hadn’t known before, he had just confirmed her suspicions.

Sam’s expression contorted in horror. “How?”

Daniel shook his head, determined to convince her to drop the subject. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Tell me.”

Daniel searched her face. He should have known better than to think that she’d be willing to let the topic go. He sighed and decided to just tell her the truth. At least since she was finding out now, he could make sure that she knew he didn’t blame her.

“It was very...Terminator-esque. Her arm became a blade and she, uh, ran me through.” He shrugged, studying her reaction. “She was, ah, a little angry with me.” Hello. Understatement.

Her beautiful blue eyes were hollow with fear and dread. “How can you look at me and not see the person who killed you?”

“She wasn’t you, Sam.” He had to find a way to make her understand that simple fact. It was something Daniel had easily been reminded of every minute he was with her double. He knew she wasn’t his friend. Nothing about her was anything like Sam. She had to understand that.

“Wasn’t she? She had my thoughts, my memories, my feelings. What are any of us besides that?” She uttered a wild laugh that caused Daniel’s concern for her to grow even more. “She thinks, therefore she is me.” She raised her hand to touch her forehead.

Daniel’s heart ached when he saw how badly her hand was trembling. He took another step forward and tentatively touched her arm.

With a soft cry, she jerked away from him, pressing her back against the wall. “How can you touch me? I killed you!” she screamed. “Twice over!” She wrapped her arms around her waist in a self-hug that Daniel recognised as one of his own habits.

Daniel stepped forward again, trying desperately to calm her. “Sam, she wasn’t you.”

He reached out just in time to catch her as she started to slide down the wall. His arms around her, they edged gently down to the floor together. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief when Sam’s arms wrapped around his waist, happy that he had managed to get through to her.

“She wasn’t you,” he murmured into her hair, holding her tightly in an effort to keep her from flying apart. He stroked her hair and continued his attempts to calm her as she cried in his arms. “Don’t you realise that everything about you just further demonstrates how unlike her you really are?”

Daniel rubbed her back as her breathing gradually returned to normal. She drew a shuddering breath and released it slowly.

“Daniel?”

She didn’t lift her head, so he contentedly remained still, his cheek resting on the top of her head. “Hmm?”

“I missed you.”

Daniel smiled. That was more like it. He pulled back to make sure that her expression matched her verbal stability and was pleased to see that it did. “I missed you, too.”

“I knew you’d come back. What I didn’t know is if you’d hate me once you did.”

Well now, that was just silly. “I could never hate you, Sam,” he said. Daniel brushed a lock of hair off her forehead and gazed at her adoringly. He wanted to tell her why he had come back. He had to tell her.

“How is it that you managed to come back with all your memories this time?” Her red-rimmed eyes searched his. “After the countdown stopped, I was trying to think of all the places The Others might have sent you for interfering.”

“Well, I didn’t interfere this time. It was all Oma. So, when I ascended, I was able to choose to take human form again. I guess I was able to keep my memories and choose where I went because descending wasn’t a punishment this time.”

“So you’re here because you want to be here?”

There was more to it than that, but he nodded. Sam’s lips curved up in a slight smile. She was beautiful, even with her nose and eyes all red and puffy from crying. Her teeth raked over her bottom lip for a moment, her eyes on his. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then sighed and looked away. Daniel watched as Sam squeezed her eyes closed in what seemed like pain.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. He had to tell her the real reason he had come back. Maybe if she knew, she would believe that he didn’t hold her responsible for the actions of her Replicator double.

“Sam,” he said softly. Her eyes met his. Daniel felt his heart pounding in his chest. All he had to do was tell her. “The truth is...” He took a deep breath. “I’m—”

“Doctor Jackson?” Someone knocked loudly on the door.

Daniel looked at the door and then back at Sam. She ran a hand through her hair and appeared to quickly recompose herself. He helped her up and opened the door. An airman stood in the hallway, holding a crate.

“Yes?”

“Sorry to disturb you, sir. This just arrived, and General O’Neill said I should bring it to you.”

Well, that just figured. Daniel glanced at Sam again before turning his attention back to the airman and the crate he was carrying. “What is it?”

“I don’t know, sir. It just arrived from Egypt.”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Fifteen --

Daniel took the crate and thanked the airman, who nodded and headed off down the corridor. As he set it on his desk, Sam came up next to him. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “What’ve you got?”

He glanced at her, trying to read her expression. She seemed fine. But he knew she was very good at suppressing her emotional side when the need arose. Daniel decided to keep a careful eye on her.

“I have no idea,” he said. “Only one way to find out.” Daniel opened his closet, pulled some tools off of a shelf, and pried the lid off of the crate. After moving some of the packing material aside, he gasped.

“Holy Hannah,” said Sam. She reached into the crate and pulled out the ZPM, turning it over in her hands. “It’s fully charged!” Sam looked up at Daniel, her face glowing almost as brightly as the ZPM. “Where did this come from?”

Daniel dug around in the crate some more and found an envelope. He opened it to find a short note inside. “It says these items were found at a dig two weeks ago, in a newly discovered first dynasty tomb.” He laughed softly. “I guess the arm of the Air Force is longer than I thought. They must have people all over the world keeping an eye out for artefacts that might be related to the Stargate Program.”

“This is amazing!” Sam exclaimed. “We can open a wormhole to the Pegasus galaxy again! And power the chair device in Antarctica!”

Daniel watched her, a smile playing on his lips. It was great to see her sincerely happy and excited. She was okay. Maybe he wouldn’t have to tell her the real reason he came back. He wasn’t entirely sure what her reaction would be. They had known each other for a long time, but he had never seen any indication that Sam might care for him as more than a friend. Daniel was afraid that she wouldn’t want to hear what he had been about to say.

No, it was better not to tell her. He was content just to have her in his life. To be near her every day. To have her friendship. He had gone this long without telling her how he felt, and it hadn’t killed him. Actually, it was one of the few things in the galaxy that hadn’t.

He turned his attention back to the crate. “There’s more in here.” Daniel pulled out a canopic jar and studied it. He ran his fingers over the seal. Alarmed, he glanced at Sam. “Uh, I think we need to find out what’s inside this jar.”

Sam looked at him and then at the jar in his hands. Her eyes widened. “The seal?”

“Intact.”

“Do you think...?”

“That there might be a symbiote inside? It’s possible.”

“How long did Osiris survive?”

“At least as long as this has.” Daniel switched on a lamp on his desk to better examine the sides of the jar. “I think there’s writing here.” He squinted at it. “It’s hard to make out though. It’s pretty badly worn.”

Sam raised her eyebrows. “A warning?”

“Could be.” Daniel shrugged. “It might take a while to translate.”

“Right. Well, let’s get down to the infirmary and run some imaging scans.” She packed the ZPM back into the crate, covered it, and picked it up.

“You don’t want to leave that here?”

“Are you kidding?” She grinned at him. “I’m not letting this out of my sight!”

Daniel chuckled. Yes, Sam was definitely okay. That was good.

“Just don’t drop that,” she said, thrusting her chin at the jar in his hands. “I don’t want whoever’s in there to be slithering all over the floor. Or worse.”

In the infirmary, Doctor Brightman was on duty. Sam and Daniel explained their suspicions. Brightman nodded. “We’ll start with a CT. If there’s no evidence of anything metallic inside, we’ll try an MRI.”

A few minutes later, the three of them were looking at a film that depicted the contents of the jar.

“Well,” said Doctor Brightman. “That’s definitely not a symbiote.”

Sam narrowed her eyes at the image. “It almost looks like a...”

“Video camera,” Daniel said.

“Yeah.”

Daniel shook his head. “But this jar was found in a tomb that had been undisturbed for five thousand years.”

Sam looked at him, tilting her head to one side. “I think we need to open it up.”

“I think you’re right.”

Sam picked up the crate with the ZPM, Daniel took the canopic jar, and they headed back to his office again.

Carefully, so as to not disturb the faint writings on the side of the jar, Daniel opened it. “I can’t believe it,” he said as he pulled a modern video camera from inside.

It was in remarkably good condition, except for a few dents and a long, jagged scrape along the back of the folding viewscreen. Daniel ran his thumb across the scratch and looked up at Sam, amazed. “I can’t believe it!”

“You said that already,” she said, grinning. “Although it is worth repeating. It’s remarkable.”

“No,” he said. “You don’t understand.” Daniel set the camera and jar down, opened one of his desk drawers and began rummaging around.

“Daniel? What’s wrong?”

“Ah ha!” He found what he was looking for and pulled it triumphantly out of his desk. Daniel examined his camera and showed it to Sam. “Look at this,” he said pointing to the back of the viewscreen. “It got this scratch when I, uh, got into a little argument with the book burning natives on P1R-451. Jack told me I was lucky that only my camera was cracked and not my skull.”

Sam looked confused. “Okay...?”

Daniel picked up the camera from the jar. “See? It’s the exact same scratch.” He looked up at her, holding both cameras out for her to examine. “This is my camera, Sam.”

She took the cameras from him, tracing the scratches with a thoughtful finger. Then she turned both devices over and studied them a moment. Sam looked up at him with an expression of confusion and awe. “They have the same serial number.”

Daniel edged his seat closer to her. “Sam, how did my camera get inside a five thousand year old Egyptian tomb?”

Sam shook her head. “I have no idea.” She studied the camera from the jar and looked up at him again, placing the one from his desk down. “There’s a tape inside.” She pushed the eject button but nothing happened. “I think the battery’s dead.”

“No problem!” Daniel laughed and dug through his desk drawer again. “I have the charger!”

He plugged the camera in and pressed eject. The tape compartment obediently popped open. Sam pulled out the tape and examined it. Then she raised a silent eyebrow at Daniel.

“Let’s see what we’ve got,” he said.

They put it into the tape drive on Daniel’s computer. Sam pulled a chair up next to Daniel and watched the monitor as the tape rewound. Her arm brushed against his, and he relished the contact as he always did. With a click, the tape reached the beginning and started to play. Daniel’s computer monitor was filled with a spectacular desert vista.

Slowly, the camera panned over dunes. In the background, two huge pyramids came into view. Lying in front of the pyramids was a fully intact Great Sphinx.

“Wow,” said Sam quietly.

A number of people wearing robes entered the frame from the right, walking toward the pyramids. One of them turned and beckoned to the camera.

“Daniel, come on,” came Sam’s voice from the tape. “We have to go.”

“Oh, my God,” said Sam next to Daniel. He saw her turn to look at him, but Daniel couldn’t tear his eyes away from his computer.

On the screen, Sam beckoned to the camera again, smiling.

“I’m coming. I just have to get this.”

She glanced back at the group that was walking across the desert. Two of the people in robes carried a large basket between them. Sam walked toward the camera, her eyes sparkling with her smile. “They’re leaving without us,” she whispered loudly as she held her hand out toward the camera.

Daniel heard his own laugh come from the speakers on his computer. “Okay, I’m coming.”

Abruptly, the scene on the screen changed. Now, they were inside, looking at a stone wall covered in hieroglyphs.

“Do you have to do that?” asked Jack’s voice from off-camera.

“Jack, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Teal’c could be a while, and we haven’t seen or heard any more Jaffa.”

“Bunch of writing on the walls,” came Jack’s muttered reply. “Only thing that’s missing is the sound of silence.” There was a brief pause before Jack continued. “Hey, here’s a question for ya. How come no one around here is walking like an Egyptian?”

“What was that you were saying about silence, Jack?”

Daniel tapped a finger on the screen. “I’ve seen this before. On Abydos. In Ra’s temple.”

“Wasn’t Ra was on Earth five thousand years ago?” asked Sam.

He nodded. “Around the same time this tape was put in that tomb.”

The scene changed again, this time depicting a close-up of the Sphinx. After several minutes of that, the image of a group of tents appeared. In the centre of the tents was an open area. A large pot hung over a fire pit and several children played nearby. A woman came out of a tent and whisked the children inside.

“Daniel! Carter! Time to go home!” The camera panned left to show Jack and Teal’c dressed in tan robes standing not far off.

“You ready?” asked Sam quietly from off-screen.

“If I said not yet, would you leave without me?” Daniel recognised a playful note in his recorded voice.

“Not in five thousand years,” she answered in a soft tone. Then she laughed as Jack and Teal’c began walking away from the camera. “But the General might. In fact, he already is.”

The camera moved further left for an extreme close up of Sam. She laughed, raising a hand to block the shot. “Hey! Keep that up, and I might leave you here after all!”

There was a chuckle as the image returned to capture more activity around the fire pit and among the tents of the encampment. “Well, I wouldn’t want that.”

“Neither would I.” A man carrying a crying young boy emerged from a tent. The man nodded solemnly at the camera. A soft sigh emanated from Daniel’s speakers before Sam’s voice again, “We should go.”

There was another sigh. “Yeah,” said the Daniel on the tape. “Let’s go home.”

Daniel glanced at Sam, sitting next to him. Her eyes were glued to the screen.

The shot angled down to the ground. For a split second, two pairs of feet standing very close to each other were shown before the scene changed yet again, now showing an extremely close shot of someone’s robes.

“Okay, that’s right.” The robes shifted to reveal Daniel stepping back toward the fabric wall of a tent. “My name is Doctor Daniel Jackson. I’m part of a team called SG-1, and we have just travelled back in time five thousand years.”

Daniel felt his jaw drop as he looked at another version of himself on the screen. He didn’t really know why he was so surprised, having already seen Sam, Jack and Teal’c. But to see himself in ancient Egypt was shocking, to say the least.

“See, the thing is,” his other self continued. “We’re not sure we’re going to make it back. Um, the chamber where you discovered this tape should be discovered shortly before we’re set to leave. If the timeline hasn’t changed at all. Let’s see, what are some recent major events?”

Sam grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from Daniel’s desk and started taking notes. She looked up when the Daniel on the tape called for her to join him on screen.

Daniel watched the recording in awe. He had actual video footage that proved the Great Pyramids predated the fourth dynasty. Of course, no one was ever going to see this tape as long as the Stargate Program remained classified, but that didn’t matter right now.

“If, for whatever reason, the things we’re talking about are not true,” said the Daniel on the screen, “then it is possible that we have somehow, inadvertently changed the future. Now, the purpose of this tape is to provide you with the tools you will need to go back in time and set things right. If, for whatever reason, the stargate has not been discovered, you will have to find it and get it up and running.”

“We’re going to have to get the General and Teal’c in here to see this,” said Sam, tapping her pen on the pad of paper on her lap as the Jack on the tape talked about football and fish.

Daniel nodded silently, intrigued by what was happening on the screen.

“Okay,” said his other self. “Sam, is there anything else you and I should say about the future?”

“Um, no. No, I don’t think so,” she answered, shaking her head.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he gazed intently at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Sam smiled slightly, nodding, and glanced at the camera. “I think we’ve got it covered.”

There was a long pause as the Sam and Daniel on the recording stared at each other. Finally, Daniel sighed and looked past the camera. “Um, Teal’c, you should say something.” He walked toward the camera, and the image shook for several seconds.

Daniel glanced at Sam. She was staring at the screen, a slight frown creasing her forehead. It looked like that last exchange had seemed odd to her too.

“There you are!”

Daniel turned around sharply to find Jack standing in his doorway. He paused the playback just as Teal’c entered the frame.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you two.” Jack bounced into Daniel’s office, his gaze falling on the crate that sat on Daniel’s desk. “Ah! I heard about the exciting box from Egypt. What’s in it?” He pulled the top off and looked inside. “Anything cool?”

“Really cool, sir.”

Jack picked up the ZPM, a broad smile on his face. “Nice! Where’d this come from?”

“It looks like we left it in a five thousand year old tomb for, uh, ourselves,” answered Daniel.

Jack blinked at Daniel. “Good for us!” He looked at Sam. “When’d we do that?”

“Well, technically, we haven’t done it yet.”

“Of course not. Don’t know what I was thinking.” Jack hefted the ZPM in his hands. “So, where’d this come from?”

Sam chuckled. “We should really get you and Teal’c to take a look at the tape that came with it, sir.”

“Alright then.” Jack bobbed his head up and down, grinning broadly, and picked up the phone. “I’ll just call him.”

Daniel exchanged a glance with Sam. Jack sure was in a good mood.

“T! You busy? We need you in Daniel’s office.” Jack grinned at Daniel. “Great! See you soon.” He hung up. “He’s on his way. So. We have downtime next week. Here’s the plan. My cabin. Just the four of us. What do you say?”

Ah. That explained the good mood. Jack was always trying to get them to join him at his cabin. “That, uh...” Daniel wasn’t sure how to respond.

“That sounds nice, sir.”

Daniel looked at Sam in surprise.

Jack clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly. “Yeah!”

“I think I could use a break from the base,” Sam said.

Jack’s grin faded quickly. “We all could.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Next week.”

She nodded. “I’ll be there.”

“Good. Daniel?” Jack looked at him expectantly.

Daniel’s gaze moved from Jack to Sam and back again before resting on Jack’s hand still on Sam’s shoulder. He forced a smile. “Sure, I’ll go.” Daniel studied Sam. Some of the sadness had returned to her eyes.

“Teal’c!” Jack greeted their Jaffa friend as he entered Daniel’s office. “My cabin, next week. You coming?”

Teal’c gave Jack what Daniel thought was a very wary look. “Everyone will be in attendance?”

“You betcha!”

Teal’c bowed his head. “In that case, I would be willing to participate in the festivities.”

“We found a tape,” Sam began. She explained the discovery of the camera and its significance. “We need to make sure that everything on the recording is true.”

Jack sat down at Daniel’s desk. Daniel, Teal’c, and Sam stood behind him. Daniel hit a button on his keyboard, and Teal’c appeared on the screen. They listened as he told them about the Free Jaffa Nation, the death of Apophis, Tretonin, and Rya’c. Daniel came into frame to talk about the Stargate Program and everything that related to it.

“Well, so far, so good.” Sam pushed a button to rewind the tape. The pictures whirled backwards on the screen. When the image of the encampment appeared, she stopped the rewinding and pressed play. “There’s a section just after this that’s specific to you, sir.”

“Hey!” came Sam’s voice from the computer. “Keep that up, and I might leave you here after all!”

“Well, I wouldn’t want that.”

“Neither would I.”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably. He glanced at Jack, who was poking at a scar on the back of his hand, and then at Teal’c. The Jaffa was looking at Sam, whose eyes were fixed on the screen, slightly narrowed.

Teal’c turned to Daniel. He raised a silent eyebrow and tilted his head curiously. Daniel gave him a nervous smile and focused his attention again on his computer monitor.

“We should go.”

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

Jack yawned exaggeratedly. “Well, this is thrilling.”

“Sorry, sir.” Sam pressed a key to speed up the playback. “There’s a bit with me and Daniel, and then...there.” She pressed another key, and the recording resumed its regular speed.

“Tell them about the future.”

“Uh, college football is played on Saturdays,” Jack said on the screen. “Pro on Sundays. And there are no fish in my pond. At all. Where I fish. Uh, I think that covers it for me.”

Daniel quickly hit the stop button before Jack left the screen. He would try to figure out why the Sam and Daniel on the tape were behaving so strangely later. But for some reason he couldn’t quite pinpoint, he didn’t want Jack or Teal’c to see it right now.

“Is that correct?” asked Sam.

Jack squinted at the screen. “If it is, we don’t do anything?”

“Apparently, nothing we did affected the timeline.”

“But we didn’t do anything!”

“Not yet. Apparently we were going to. Two weeks from now. But now we don’t have to.”

Jack looked from Sam to the computer screen and back again. “Excellent!”

Daniel nodded at Teal’c, and they parted from the group.

“That’s it!” said Jack. “I like it.”

From a bookshelf, Daniel took down an empty journal. There was a lot of information on that tape, and he was going to get every last detail written down. He turned back to his friends and saw Teal’c standing near the doorway.

Sam reached for the crate that held the ZPM. She hadn’t stopped hovering over it since it arrived. “Okay. I’m going to get this up to the lab for analysis.”

“No!” Jack took the crate from her. “I’ll take it. There’s a whole room full of geeks up there just dying to get their hands on this. You’ve got packing to do!”

Daniel turned to watch Jack leave, wondering why his friend thought it’d take Sam a week to pack for a fishing trip. From the expression on Sam’s face, he decided she was wondering the same thing. Jack nodded at Teal’c on his way out the door, and the Jaffa followed him. After they left, Sam released a heavy sigh and stared at the computer monitor.

“You okay?” Daniel asked.

She looked up, the slightly sad expression on her face disappeared in less than a second, but Daniel didn’t miss it. “Yeah, I’m fine. Um, I’m sorry about the uh...” Sam gestured to the floor where he had held her just an hour ago.

“Hey,” he said, moving to stand in front of her. “You don’t have to worry about that with me.” Daniel searched her face, trying to decide if she was still concerned about what her Replicator double had done to him. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked softly.

A small smile turned up the corners of her lips. Her hand rested on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Daniel felt her thumb rub back and forth on his arm, and he watched her, puzzled at the expression on her face. For a moment, he thought she was going to say something more. But then she dropped her hand and turned to the door.

“I really should get going.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Suddenly, she turned around and enveloped him in a powerful hug. He grunted slightly as the air was forced out of his lungs but quickly recovered, wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m glad you’re back,” she mumbled.

“Me too, Sam.” Daniel gently rubbed her back. “Me too.”

To be continued...

-- Chapter Sixteen --

The next week flew by. They had used the ZPM to establish a wormhole to Atlantis and had sent reinforcements to hold off the Wraith invasion of the city. Now, the Daedalus was taking the ZPM to the Pegasus Galaxy to power the city’s defences.

Daniel had been saddened to learn that Jacob had died, and had accompanied Sam, Jack and Teal’c to the funeral. He was worried about Sam, but she insisted that she was fine. She and her father had been given a chance to talk and say goodbye, she said.

The news that she had broken off her engagement with Pete hadn’t been nearly as upsetting to Daniel. In fact, no one appeared particularly bothered by it, least of all Sam. And despite his stoic exterior, Daniel thought Teal’c seemed downright pleased.

Daniel looked over at Sam, who was seated next to him in the back of Jack’s rental car, watching the northern Minnesota landscape pass by her window. He’d had another lengthy conversation with her about the events after he was taken by the Replicators. Daniel believed that she was okay, but there was something about the way she looked at him that was different. Not in a bad way, he didn’t think, but he couldn’t quite identify it.

And then there were the items from ancient Egypt. Daniel couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something...off about the way he and Sam had interacted on the tape. The inscriptions on the canopic jar weren’t entirely legible; five thousand years could do a lot of damage. But what he had been able to translate told that ‘ Egypt is not all history dreams’. The rest had been mostly illegible, except for something that looked like it might read ‘Hold her close. Never let go.’ Daniel had been frustrated by his inability to read the full text.

As he watched Sam gaze out the window, it was too easy to let his imagination run wild. Daniel could almost believe that the message on the jar had been written by his other self. Almost believe that it was about Sam. But that was crazy, wasn’t it?

She turned to him, her eyebrows rising on her forehead. “What is it?” she asked quietly.

Daniel just shook his head, smiling. He glanced to the front seats of the car where Jack and Teal’c were discussing the apparent philosophical similarities between Star Wars and the Simpsons. Turning his attention back to Sam, he hesitated. There it was again. The look was back. It unnerved him to see an expression on her face that he didn’t recognise.

“Put your seat backs and trays in the upright position. We’re coming in for a landing.” Jack pulled the car into a tree-lined laneway. “Welcome to paradise! Please leave all cell phones and weaponry in the car,” he continued in an overly-cheerful flight attendant voice.

Sam pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and frowned at it. “What if there’s an emergency, sir?”

“Let someone else take care of it for a change! We’ve saved the world how many times now?”

“Thirteen,” Teal’c said matter-of-factly.

“That many? Huh. Well, we deserve a break. We’re on vacation. Fate of the world be damned.” Jack paused, then shrugged. “Well, so to speak.” He craned his neck to look at Sam through the rear-view mirror. “Don’t make me make that an order, Carter. I don’t like giving orders when I’m on vacation.”

Sam smiled and put her cell phone in the pocket on the car door. “Yes, sir.”

“Excellent!”

The car pulled up in front of a large cabin, and they all stepped outside. The sun was warm, a slight breeze ensuring the heat stayed at a comfortable level. The air was sweet and clean. Daniel looked around. This was a really beautiful area.

Jack opened the trunk and began setting their gear on the grass next to the car. He stared at the pile of bags, his hands on his hips. “Why do we have five bags? There are only...” He made a show of counting heads, then held up three fingers. “Four of us.”

Teal’c picked up one of the duffels and put it back in the car. “This one can remain in the vehicle for the time being.”

“T?” Jack looked at the Jaffa with his eyebrows raised. “Care to share with the rest of the class?”

“Perhaps at a later time, O’Neill.”

Daniel exchanged a curious glance with Sam.

“I see. Alright, then.” Jack rubbed his hands together. “Daniel, Teal’c, you guys look after the supplies.” He picked up two lawn chairs and two duffel bags then nodded to Sam. “You better not have a computer in here, Carter.”

Instead of answering, Sam just cleared her throat and reached for the other two bags. She looked up at Daniel and gave him an exaggerated wince. He couldn’t help but chuckle. Daniel had packed his laptop too, but he wasn’t about to tell Jack that.

Jack groaned, rolling his eyes. “Come on. Let’s get busy relaxing! That means no computers.”

“I really do find my work relaxing,” Sam said as she followed Jack around the cabin.

“Oh, for crying out loud! Just humour me, will ya? You’ll enjoy fishing. I’ll show you.”

“Fishing, sir?”

Daniel watched his two friends disappear around the corner and then turned to Teal’c. “So, what’s in the bag?”

With a small smile, Teal’c tugged on the drawstring, opening the duffel to reveal several large water guns.

“That’s quite an arsenal,” said Daniel. “You sure you don’t want to bring them in?”

“O’Neill did request that all weaponry remain in the vehicle.”

“He did, didn’t he?” Daniel chuckled. “Well, I have a feeling he’ll change his mind once he sees those.”

“Indeed.”

“So.” Daniel turned his attention back to the trunk of Jack’s car. “Do you think he brought enough beer?” He grabbed the handle of one of the cases and pulled it out of the car.

“I believe O’Neill prefers to cook with Guinness.”

“Cook?” Daniel glanced around the corner of the cabin where Sam and Jack had disappeared. “Jack cooks?”

“With Guinness.”

“Great...”

Together, they brought the coolers and beer into the cabin and began packing everything into the fridge.

“I do not believe there is adequate room for all of these items,” said Teal’c.

“Hmm.” Daniel peeked into the fridge and surveyed the supplies Jack had packed. All of the meat, vegetables, soda, and water, as well as one case of beer filled the shelves. “Well, I think we can live without the second and third cases of beer in the fridge right now. If there’s a Guinness emergency, he can stick them in the freezer for a few minutes. Assuming there’s room in there. And that he prefers them cold.”

Teal’c opened the freezer and looked inside. “There is indeed sufficient space.” He turned to Daniel with one eyebrow raised. “O’Neill has Fudgsicles.”

“Ooh, that’s nice.”

They began filling one of the coolers with a selection of beverages.

“I have been meditating on the existence of the tape that was discovered in the Egyptian tomb,” said Teal’c.

“Yeah. Weird, isn’t it?”

The cooler filled, Teal’c pulled two Fudgsicles out of the freezer and handed one to Daniel. “I am not certain how such a tape could exist.”

Daniel leaned against the kitchen counter, opening his Fudgsicle. “What do you mean?”

“After travelling to the past, we created the recording for our future selves to see.”

Daniel nodded. “Right.”

“However, now that we have seen the tape and determined that the timeline has not been altered by our actions, we will not be making that journey to ancient Egypt.”

“So, if we never travel back in time to make the tape, it’s impossible for us to have seen it in the first place.”

“Indeed.”

Daniel chewed thoughtfully on his Fudgsicle for a moment. “I don’t know, Teal’c. It’s a paradox. From what I understand, time travel is fraught with them.”

“It is curious.”

“That’s a good word for it.”

“Do you believe it is possible that we have had this conversation before?”

“You mean in another timeline?”

Teal’c nodded and pulled another Fudgsicle out of the freezer. He offered it to Daniel.

“No, thanks.”

With a slight shrug, Teal’c tore open the packaging and took a large bite.

“I guess anything’s possible,” said Daniel, considering the implications of Teal’c’s question. “I mean, I suppose it’s even possible that in some timeline, we received the tape and learned that things were drastically different than they were supposed to be. We might have travelled back in time again to fix the past and change the future.”

Teal’c just raised his eyebrow silently.

Daniel chuckled. “Yeah. You’re right. That’s just crazy.”

When Teal’c finished his second frozen treat, they took the cooler outside. Each picking up a lawn chair, they carried the cooler between them, heading around to the back of the cabin. Jack and Sam were already seated in their chairs on the dock.

“Fishing up a storm already,” Daniel said. “In Jack’s fishless pond.”

“Truly, it is a futile exercise.”

“Well, it’s nice they left us with all the heavy lifting.”

They set the cooler down. Teal’c began to set up his chair, and Daniel opened the cooler to pull out two beers, narrowly missing being caught by Jack’s fishing line as he prepared for another cast. Then, Daniel headed down the dock to offer the cold drinks to his friends. He stood behind them a moment, enjoying the scenery and fresh air. Sam cast her line out onto the water.

“Hey, thanks!” said Jack, accepting the beer that Daniel passed him over his shoulder.

Turning to Sam, Daniel offered her the second bottle. She was staring out at the water, a worried frown creasing her brow. “Sam?”

She jumped as if startled. “Oh,” she said, her eyes falling on the beer he held out to her. “Thanks.” She took the bottle and turned back to the water, chewing her bottom lip and half-heartedly reeling in her line.

Daniel looked back and forth between Jack and Sam. “Something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” Sam said slowly.

“For crying out loud, it’s not a big deal, Carter.”

Daniel turned to Jack. “What isn’t?”

“It could very well be a big deal, sir.”

“What could be?”

“How could— Ha!” Jack began to quickly reel in his fishing line. “Yes!”

Daniel watched, confused, as Jack pulled a fish out of the water.

“Couple more like this and we’ll have supper!” exclaimed Jack. “Look at that!” He held the fish up for them to see. “What a beauty!”

“Wait a minute.” Daniel turned to Sam. “There are fish? What about the tape?”

Sam didn’t respond.

Jack finished putting the fish into the basket that hung in the water off the side of the dock. “Like I told Carter, it’s close enough.”

“Close enough?”

The catching of the fish had brought Teal’c from his lawn chair onto the dock. “I do not understand, O’Neill. When you brought me here four years ago, there were no fish in this pond.”

“Yeah, well, you were so bummed about it, I had it stocked. So the next time I managed to convince you to come fishing, there’d be something to catch. Didn’t figure it’d take this long, though.”

“Then the timeline has been affected by our journey into the past,” said Teal’c.

“Oh, come on! It’s just fish, people! It’s not the end of the world. I know, ‘cause I’ve seen that! We all have.”

“It’s still a change, sir,” said Sam.

Jack rolled his eyes. “All of the major events that Daniel prattled on about on the tape happened. This has to be close enough! Right?”

Sam looked at Daniel. He shrugged. He didn’t know what to think. Teal’c just raised an eyebrow and walked back to his lawn chair.

“Right?” asked Jack again.

“Um, I suppose so, sir,” Sam said finally.

“Good. Now, back to fishing. Daniel, you wanna try?”

“Uh, no, you two have fun. I’m going to go sit with Teal’c.”

Jack shrugged. “Your loss.”

Daniel wandered back up the dock to sit next to Teal’c. Jack’s pond had fish. The tape said it shouldn’t. It wasn’t an Earth-shattering difference – he hoped, anyway. But, as Sam had said, it was still a change. And it made Daniel wonder what else might be different in this timeline.

“It would appear that all is not as it should be,” said Teal’c.

“Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing.” Daniel stared out at the two people on the dock.

Jack said something that Daniel couldn’t hear. Sam shook her head, looking out at the water. After Jack nudged her shoulder, she turned to him. He said something else, and the two stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Sam smiled and nodded slightly. Jack grinned and cast his line back out onto the pond.

Daniel released a heavy sigh. He pulled a bottle of Heineken out of the cooler and popped off the cap. Rolling the cold liquid around in his mouth, he watched as Sam reeled her line back in.

“The information we left ourselves on the tape was in no way comprehensive.”

Pulled from his thoughts, Daniel turned to Teal’c. “What?”

“It was impossible for us to leave details about every event that shaped our galaxy on the tape. Your other self was not even able to finish explaining the purpose of the ZPM before the battery expired.”

“Good thing we already know what it does, I guess.” Daniel looked again at Sam. The sunlight made her hair sparkle. She turned to Jack, laughing. Daniel scowled at his beer bottle and set it on the ground.

“As O’Neill indicated, the major events of history appear to have transpired as they were intended. Though perhaps, as the presence of O’Neill’s fish would seem to indicate, some of the more minor events may have been altered.”

Daniel dragged his gaze away from Sam and Jack to look at Teal’c. “Yeah. Well, I guess if they’re minor events, it’s not a big deal.” He stood up and stared at the cabin. “I’m gonna go inside, I think.”

“Daniel Jackson.”

He stopped, halfway to the cabin, and turned back to Teal’c.

His Jaffa friend looked at him gravely. “Perhaps it is our responsibility to ensure that the minor events that have been changed do indeed come to pass.”

“You mean you think we should get rid of all of the fish from Jack’s pond?”

Teal’c raised an eyebrow and looked out at the water. “Perhaps some events are more minor than others.”

Daniel frowned. Teal’c was being more cryptic than usual. But it was clear that he wasn’t going to say anything more on the subject. With a final glance at the pond and the two people fishing off the dock, Daniel headed back toward the cabin, lost in thought.

--------------------------------

“Well, I’m out.” Jack leaned back in his chair and took a swig of beer. “Guess we know which of the four of us has the best poker face.” He peered inside his bottle before setting it down on the table.

Teal’c calmly assembled all of his chips into neat piles. “Indeed.”

“Carter, why don’t you take the second bedroom.”

Sam smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

“I’m afraid my sofa’s not very comfortable,” said Jack.

“I’ll take the sofa.”

Jack turned to Daniel. “You sure? It’s not bad for sitting, but it is a little lumpy for sleeping.”

“I’ve slept on far worse, Jack.”

“True enough. Alright, T, I guess that leaves you and me bunking in the master bedroom.”

“Then it is most fortunate that I brought these.” Teal’c pulled a pair of ear plugs out of his bag.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“You snore quite loudly, O’Neill.”

“I do not!”

“Indeed. You cause vibrations in the windows.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “That’s ‘you’re a window-rattler’, Teal’c. And I do not!”

Daniel chuckled as his two friends disappeared into the next room. Sam gathered up the last of the empty beer bottles and set them on the counter next to the sink. Finding her duffel bag still next to the door, Daniel picked it up and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Sweet dreams, Sam.”

She looked up at him. And there was that look again. He studied her, trying to guess what she was thinking. Abruptly, she closed her eyes and dropped her gaze to the floor. When she looked up again, the expression was gone.

“Good night, Daniel.”

“Good night.” He watched her go into the bedroom, closing the door behind her, and sighed.

Something was definitely bothering Sam. She usually talked to him about whatever was on her mind. He didn’t know what was different this time, but she didn’t seem to want to discuss it with him. Or maybe she did but didn’t know how to begin.

Daniel changed into the sleeveless tank and loose cotton pants that he slept in. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what Sam would be afraid to talk to him about. With another sigh, he settled in for the night. Maybe he’d try to talk to her about it in the morning.

To be continued...

-- Chapter Seventeen --

Daniel lay on Jack’s sofa, willing himself to relax. He flexed his feet and weaved his fingers behind his head. The moon reflecting off the pond outside cast a shimmering pattern on the ceiling, reminding him of the stargate’s event horizon. His eyes drifted shut as he recalled the events of the day.

They’d had fish with Jack’s special recipe beer sauce for supper – sauce that was thankfully on the side. Jack had prepared the interesting meal after catching three large trout from his pond.

The pond that was supposed to be fishless.

Once again, Daniel’s mind wandered to the tape they had found. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Sam had been acting strangely on the recording. And he couldn’t get over the thought that there was something that the other version of himself wanted the other Sam to say.

Daniel made an effort to clear his mind in preparation of sleep. It never worked, but he tried anyway. After several minutes, it became quite clear that he wasn’t yet tired enough. He had images of the canopic jar saved on his laptop. Translating was a relaxing activity, though he had to admit the puzzle of the jar was becoming increasingly frustrating. He idly wondered what Jack’s reaction would be if he came out to find him working. Daniel imagined that he’d have to spend the next morning fishing his computer out of Jack’s pond.

The sound of a door quietly closing pulled him out of his silent reflection. Daniel opened his eyes and sat up. Aside from him, the room was empty. He looked out the window and, with the light of the full moon overhead, saw Sam walking toward the dock. A smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.

He watched as she sat on the end of the dock, dangling her feet over the edge and into the water. She leaned back on her arms, throwing her head back to look at the sky. The moonlight bathed her in an ethereal glow.

Suddenly, Daniel realised something. If the crate from Egypt hadn’t arrived at the exact moment it did, he would have told Sam how he felt about her. He would have told her the real reason he had chosen to descend. But in the original timeline, there had been no crate. The original him would have told her. Maybe the writing on the jar really was about her.

He quietly made his way outside. As he walked down the short path to the dock, a twig snapped under his foot. Sam’s body tensed, and she turned around sharply.

Daniel held up his hands, smiling. “It’s just me.”

Visibly relaxing, she turned back to the water. Daniel settled himself on the edge of the dock next to her.

“Did I wake you?” she asked, staring again at the sky.

“No, I wasn’t sleeping.” Daniel followed her gaze to the stars overhead. “I heard you go out, and I’ve been watching you from the window. Thought you might want some company.”

She glanced at him briefly and smiled. “I really needed this.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“This place is just beautiful. It’s so peaceful. I kinda like it.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Jack.”

Sam laughed and swatted him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t you dare. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Daniel chuckled. “Good point.” He turned and studied her profile. “Sam?”

She smiled and rolled her head on her shoulders to look at him. “Hmm?”

“Are you okay?”

Her smile faltered. “Fine. Why?”

“I don’t know. Lately, it’s just seemed like...” Daniel studied her expression carefully. “Like there’s something on your mind.”

The smile faded, replaced once again by the look. Sam sighed and turned back to the water.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Of course I know that, Daniel.”

“Okay,” he said quietly.

They sat in silence for a while. Daniel relaxed, enjoying her company and the cool night air.

“Daniel, do you think—”

He looked over at her and waited for her to finish. When she didn’t say anything more, he frowned. “What?”

“That tape from the tomb...” Sam said softly, seeming to look everywhere except at Daniel. “Did you think— I mean, did you notice that we – the ‘we’ on the tape, I mean – were acting, um...”

“A little odd with each other?”

Sam nodded and finally looked at him again. “What do you think that was all about?”

“I don’t know.” Daniel licked his lips nervously, watching her. “I mean, it almost looked like I— he was asking you— uh, her if they should say something on a personal note.”

Her eyes searched his for a long moment before she looked back out at the pond. “I got the same impression.” She splashed at the water with her feet. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, actually.”

“And?”

Sam turned to face him. “The thing is, there aren’t supposed to be fish in this pond.”

Before Daniel realised what was happening, Sam leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. The contact lingered just a moment longer than one between two people who were just good friends should. She pulled away before he could react, leaving Daniel feeling dazed. She looked at him for a moment, her face showing a mixture of fear and uncertainty. Then, abruptly, she stood up and began walking quickly toward the cabin.

His brain finally shifting into gear, Daniel rose to his feet and followed her. “Sam, wait.” He caught up to her near the door to the cabin. Placing a gentle hand on her arm, he turned her to face him.

“Daniel, I’m sorry.” She sighed and hung her head. “God, I’m such a coward.”

“What?” He cupped her chin, tilting her face up to his. “Sam, you’re one of the bravest people I know.”

“Not when it comes to talking about how I feel.” Her eyes looked almost silver in the moonlight.

Daniel smiled, hoping he understood her correctly. “How you feel about me?”

She nodded, dropping her gaze to the ground. “I should have told you ages ago. But I was afraid to admit it to myself. I promised Dad that I’d tell you. This last week, I’ve tried so many times. But I was afraid.” Sam uttered a humourless laugh and looked up into his eyes. “It doesn’t make any sense. I can face death every day, but I can’t tell you that I...” Her fingers grazed over his cheek. “I love you, Daniel,” she whispered.

A joyful warmth spread through Daniel’s chest. Slowly, he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly. After a moment, her mouth began to move under his. He felt her hand at the back of his neck, her fingers sliding through his hair as she intensified the kiss. Daniel responded eagerly.

Finally, they broke apart. Daniel stared at her. “Sam...” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’ve been afraid, too. The truth is, I’ve been in love with you for years.”

The smile that spread over Sam’s face could have lit up all of Colorado Springs. Daniel wrapped his arms around her, and her arms encircled his waist. Once more, he pressed his lips to hers. His entire body tingled with pleasure as her hands roamed his back. Her mouth opened in response to his tongue’s touch to her lips, and he echoed her moan of pleasure as he explored her mouth.

Breathlessly, he pulled away, smiling at her. Her face was glowing with happiness. Daniel traced a light line down her cheek with his finger and then pulled her close to his body. They held each other in silence for several minutes.

Sam uttered a happy sigh, resting her head on his shoulder. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Daniel dropped his head and ran a line of kisses from her shoulder up her neck. “Me neither,” he whispered near her ear. He kissed her earlobe before pulling it gently into his mouth. Sam gasped and clutched at the back of his shirt, pressing her body tighter against his.

He took a step forward, so that her back flattened against the outer wall of the cabin. She sighed softly as he nibbled lightly at her neck. Her fingers again tangled in his hair. She pulled his face up to hers and kissed him hungrily.

Her tongue probed his lips, and he granted her access. They kissed deeply and passionately, their tongues sliding over each other. Daniel pressed his body tighter against hers, pushing her against the wall. Sam lifted one leg and hooked it around his, locking them together and thrusting her pelvis against him.

Daniel moaned loudly into her mouth. His hands moved to her waist and then slowly up her sides. His thumbs tentatively grazed over the curve of her breasts through her clothing, and she gasped at his touch, her body arching into his hands.

A loon called out from across the pond and brought both of them back to the real world.

Panting, they clung to each other, faces buried in the other’s neck. A long, delicious minute passed.

“We should probably take this slow,” she said rather unconvincingly.

“We’ve been going slowly for years, Sam,” Daniel murmured into her neck. He kissed the pulse point below her ear, gently nipping at her skin.

Sam gasped in pleasure and her head fell back, giving him more access to her delicious neck. Daniel marvelled at the reactions his kisses were causing and had to force himself to stop. “You’re right,” he said.

She whimpered softly as he lifted his head. Gazing at him, she held his face in both of her hands and pulled him into another kiss. Parting again, Sam dragged her teeth along her bottom lip.

Daniel groaned softly, his eyes locked on her lips. “You’re going to have to stop that.”

She released her lip and smiled at him. He lowered his head and kissed her tenderly, then rested his forehead against Sam’s.

“I guess we should go inside,” she whispered.

Daniel nodded his agreement. He stepped away from her, and they entered the cabin quietly. They sat on the sofa, side by side, their legs touching. Sam smiled at him as his fingers brushed against the back of her hand. She turned it over and entwined their fingers together. Daniel squeezed her hand affectionately.

A loud snore came from another room. Daniel laughed, but Sam tensed, staring at door to the bedroom where Jack and Teal’c were sleeping.

“We’re gonna have to tell them,” she said quietly.

Daniel smiled. “I have a feeling they’ll be okay with it.”

She turned to look at him. “How do you know?”

“I think, in the timeline where Jack’s pond has no fish, we were together.” His thumb traced circles on the back of her hand. “We would have told them. And except for the odd glances we were giving each other – which I think we’ve figured out now,” he smiled warmly at her, “there was no indication of any problems from Jack or Teal’c.”

Slowly, Sam nodded. “I think you’re right.”

“Jack might...” Daniel searched for a delicate way to phrase his concern, “need some time to adjust to the idea.” Sam frowned, so he tried to explain himself better. “He, um, he’s part of the reason I never told you how I felt.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have to know that Jack has had feelings for you.”

She winced. “Yeah. I was worried about that too. There was, uh, a bit of confession during our zatarc testing a few years ago. But, I recently discovered that he’s been seeing someone.” Sam glanced at the bedroom door. “But it’s a secret. I sort of stumbled in on a dinner they were having at his house. I had stopped by unannounced to talk to him about what might happen once you came back.”

He smiled. “You knew I’d come back?”

“I was afraid we’d have to find you again. That you’d have lost your memory again. But I knew you’d be out there.”

Daniel caressed her cheek, and she closed her eyes, turning her face to kiss his palm. “I came back for you, you know.”

Her eyes opened, searching his. “I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

“I don’t think that’s even possible.” Daniel gave her a broad smile at her.

Sam’s fingers traced his lips. “I really missed you,” she said. “And I missed this smile.”

“Well, I’m back now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

She sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder, folding her legs up onto the sofa. “Good.” Sam curled up along his side, her fingers playing with the fabric of his shirt.

“We should probably get to bed.”

“I know,” she said. “I just wanna stay like this a little while longer.”

Daniel smiled against her forehead. He’d be perfectly content to hold her close forever. At that moment, he realised that he had been right about the writing on the canopic jar. It had been about him and Sam.

He tightened his arms around the woman he loved, wondering how they were going to tell Jack. If Jack really was seeing someone, then that did bode well for his acceptance of the change in relationship between two of his friends and former teammates.

Daniel closed his eyes, drinking in the feel of Sam’s body against his. He wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable talk with Jack. Daniel just hoped his friend would understand.

To be concluded...

-- Chapter Eighteen --

Daniel awoke slowly, feeling better rested than he had in years. Something was different. Not wanting the feeling of complete comfort to end just yet, he kept his eyes closed. Gradually, he became aware of a warm weight next to him. Sam, he remembered with a smile. It hadn’t been a dream.

Opening his eyes very slightly, he could see her sleeping form next to him. He had fallen asleep on the sofa with his right foot on the floor. His left leg was stretched out over the cushions. One of Sam’s legs was draped rather possessively over his. Her hand lay on his stomach, under his shirt. Daniel’s left hand rested comfortably on Sam’s hip, his right cupped her face. He closed his eyes again and kissed her hair before resting his cheek on the top of her head.

This was nice.

The quiet sound of a throat clearing nearby made him lift his head. He looked over to find Jack sitting on the coffee table. He was leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

And he was staring at Daniel.

Quickly checking that Sam was still asleep, Daniel turned to his friend. “Jack,” he said very softly. He wondered how long Jack had been watching them sleep.

“Daniel.” Jack’s voice was low and even.

Daniel licked his lips, trying to find the words to explain.

“So,” Jack said quietly, waving his hands at Daniel and sleeping Sam on the sofa. “This is new.” His eyes met Daniel’s solidly. “I hope.”

Daniel nodded slowly. “Very new, Jack.”

His friend took a deep breath and just stared at him for a while. “You know, the four of us have been on a lot of overnight missions,” he said finally.

Daniel frowned. He didn’t really know where this was going, but he stayed silent.

“Granted, we’re usually on other planets, but the fact remains that I’ve never seen either of you two sleep as soundly as you were just now.” Jack paused, his eyes moving down to Sam’s face. “You two have been like this all night, I assume?”

“Sam went outside. Neither of us could sleep. We had a little chat, and, um...” Daniel’s voice trailed off. “Jack, how long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough to know a good thing when I see it.”

“Jack, I didn’t...”

“I know. It’s not like I... I never...”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Look at her.”

Daniel looked down at the still sleeping Sam. Perfectly on cue, she shifted slightly, moving her hand higher under his shirt, and snuggled her face into Daniel’s chest with a contented sigh. Then she stilled again, her lips curved in a small smile.

“Are you in love with her?”

Looking back at Jack, Daniel nodded solemnly. “I am.”

“And does she...”

Without thinking, Daniel smiled, remembering Sam’s confession from the night before. Jack dropped his head to look at the floor, and Daniel sobered.

“You deserve her, Daniel,” Jack said quietly. He looked up at Daniel seriously. “But if you hurt her...”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Jack.”

Jack gave him a lopsided grin. “I didn’t really think I would. You two will be good together. And I guess I need to stop thinking of you and Carter as siblings.”

Daniel blinked, gaping at his friend.

“Yeah, I figured out that you two don’t see each other that way all by myself. Just a couple hours ago when I woke up to find you like this.” Jack waved his hands at them on the sofa.

“Hours?” Daniel sighed. “Jack.”

Jack shrugged. “Was gonna go fishing. Ended up doing a lot of thinking instead.” He looked back down at Sam, still sleeping next to Daniel. “You know they won’t let her lead SG-1 anymore, right?”

Daniel frowned. He hadn’t thought of that. “I can transfer to another team.”

“Lot of changes in store for SG-1,” said Jack, his eyes still on Sam. “But you know, if you make any decisions without talking to her about it, she’ll kick your ass.” Jack turned back to Daniel. “Besides, she’s aware of the regs. I’m sure she knows what she’s getting into.”

Daniel nodded. “I hope so.” Beside him, Sam stirred again, and this time, her eyes opened. Daniel felt her body tense against his as she abruptly pulled her hand out from under his shirt.

“General!” Sam sat up awkwardly, untangling her legs from Daniel’s.

“Morning, Carter.”

“Sir, I can explain,” she said, as she ran a hand through her hair and straightened her t-shirt.

“No need, Colonel,” said Jack, shaking his head and then nodding. “It was tough, but I think I figured things out myself. You guys might want to work on your subtlety.”

Sam’s eyes darted from Jack to Daniel and back again. “Sir, really—”

“Ah!” Jack raised a finger, silencing her. “When, exactly, were you going to tell me about this, Carter?”

“I tried, sir. At your house, more than a week ago.”

Jack’s eyebrows rose on his forehead. “Oh.” With a sigh, he puffed out his cheeks. “Right,” he said.

“I’ll put in for reassignment just as soon as we’re back to the base.”

“Well,” said Jack, looking back and forth between Sam and Daniel. “You two want to be on different teams?”

Sam glanced at Daniel. “We haven’t really talked about it, sir. But what we want doesn’t really matter with the frat regs.”

“Well, you certainly can’t lead the team, Carter. But the rules can be bent. If you’d like, I can get working on obtaining a special dispensation from the President for the two of you to keep working together on the same team.”

Daniel turned to Sam. She was staring at her lap. With a deep breath, she looked up at Daniel. He gave her a slight nod, and she smiled.

“Thank you, sir,” she said.

“Great!” Jack stood up and rubbed his hands together. “Now that’s all settled, let’s think about breakfast. How do you feel about omelettes?” He wandered off into the kitchen.

Daniel took Sam’s hand in his. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She smiled and squeezed his hand. “It’s just that Dad said something about bending the rules, too.”

A loud clang from the kitchen made them both jump. Daniel laughed. “Maybe we should get in there and help Jack.”

“Well,” said Jack as Teal’c joined them in the kitchen a few minutes later. “If it isn’t our noble Jaffa warrior! Nice of you to finally wake up, Teal’c.”

Teal’c scowled at Jack.

“What?!”

Teal’c raised a hand, his earplugs dangling from his fingers. Wordlessly, he dropped them into the garbage can next to the counter. Sam clapped a hand over her mouth and turned around, her shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter.

“I take it you didn’t sleep very well, Teal’c?” Daniel chuckled.

“Indeed I did not.” He sent another scowl in Jack’s direction.

“Yes, well,” said Jack. “There was a perfectly good bed that went unused last night. Maybe tonight we’ll have to adjust the sleeping arrangements. What do you think, kids?”

Daniel felt the heat of a blush rise up his neck. “Jack!” He gave his friend a pointed look and glanced at Sam. She was leaning on the counter, with one hand on her forehead, her back to them.

Teal’c looked at each of them, his eyebrow raised. When he caught Daniel’s eye, a slow smile spread over the Jaffa’s face. “I am most pleased. Daniel Jackson, Colonel Carter, I have long awaited the day when you would take this step.”

Sam turned around, her eyes wide. “You—” She stopped, shaking her head. “Of course you knew.” She smiled at Daniel as he took her hand. “Um,” she looked at Jack. “We’re gonna take things slow, sir.”

Jack’s face scrunched up in obvious confusion. “Why?!”

Sam opened her mouth to answer, then frowned and closed it again. “I, uh...” She turned to Daniel. “I don’t really remember right now.”

Daniel grinned at her and squeezed her hand. “We’ll talk about it later,” he whispered.

Sam ducked her head but failed to hide the blush that coloured her cheeks. She was clearly as uncomfortable talking about this in front of Jack and Teal’c as Daniel was.

“So,” Daniel said loudly. “Omelettes!”

“Yes!” said Jack. “And I have the secret ingredient right here.” He reached into his fridge and pulled out several bottles of beer.

“Jack?”

“Daniel?”

“Do you ever cook anything that doesn’t include beer as an ingredient?”

Jack’s eyes rolled to the ceiling in thought. After a moment, he looked back at Daniel and popped open the first bottle. “Nope.”

Daniel nodded. “Good to know.”

--------------------------------

“So,” said Jack, as they finished the last of the dishes from breakfast. “What fun should we get into today?”

“I have brought the equipment necessary for an activity that should be most amusing,” answered Teal’c. “May I have the keys to your vehicle, O’Neill?”

“Ah, the mysterious fifth duffel. Do tell!” Jack tossed the keys to Teal’c.

“Daniel Jackson can inform you while I retrieve my bag.” Teal’c went outside, and everyone turned to Daniel.

“Teal’c brought water guns.”

“Sweet! We can have a little two-on-two water hunt.”

Sam grinned at Daniel. “That does sound like fun.”

“I’m with Teal’c!” said Jack.

“Ex-black-ops and ex-First Prime on the same team?” asked Daniel. “Are we sure that’s really fair?”

“Hey!” Sam turned to face him, her hands on her hips, and a playful scowl on her face.

Daniel laughed. “On second thought, I think I got the better deal anyway. Never mind, Jack.”

Jack just rolled his eyes. Teal’c returned and the two of them began filling the water reservoirs at the kitchen tap.

“I think I should change my shirt before we get started,” said Sam.

Daniel looked at her white t-shirt and grinned. With her wearing that, he’d be tempted to blast her with water himself. “If you insist...” he said slowly.

Sam raised her eyebrows and gave him a sly smile before disappearing into the second bedroom. Daniel moved back into the kitchen.

“Here’s one for you, Danny-boy,” said Jack as he held out a giant blue plastic water gun. “This is gonna be so much fun!”

Daniel took the toy and gave it several test pumps.

Jack tapped its barrel twice. “You point this end at the person you’re aiming at.”

“Oh? You mean like this?” Daniel squirted him.

“Hey! Not inside! What are you, some kind of animal?”

Sam reappeared in a black t-shirt and leaned between Jack and Teal’c, her hands on their backs, stretching to see over their shoulders into the sink. “Where’s mine?” she asked.

“It’s over there, Carter.” Jack thrust his chin at the gun sitting on the counter next to Daniel. “How about we play best three out of five hunts? Both members of the opposing team have to be neutralized before the other team wins.”

“Looks like you’ve already been wounded, sir.”

“Yes, well.” Jack glared at Daniel. “Some people don’t yet seem to know that water guns are outside toys.”

“Sorry,” Daniel said, shrugging. “Guess I must have missed that lesson. I had a complicated childhood.”

Jack winced. “I’m sorry, Da—” His apology was cut off as a stream of water blasted him in the face.

Daniel grinned. “You’re right, Jack. This is fun!”

“Damn it!” Jack spluttered in mock outrage, pointing to the door. “Out!”

They all went outside, and Jack set the last of the ground rules. “We’ll stay within a one kilometre radius of the cabin.” He checked his watch. “The first five minutes of any hunt are a no-shoot period. Questions?”

“No, sir,” said Sam, knocking off a sloppy salute.

Daniel couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t seen Sam this relaxed since... Actually, he wasn’t sure he had ever seen Sam this relaxed.

“Alright! Let’s go!” Jack gave a series of complicated hand gestures to Teal’c and then took off running around the pond. The Jaffa raised an amused eyebrow at Sam and Daniel before following Jack at a leisurely pace.

Sam and Daniel headed in the opposite direction. Taking cover behind some trees, Sam crouched to the ground and pulled a hand-held device with a large screen out of her pocket.

“What’s that?” asked Daniel.

“Something I’ve been working on,” she answered as she turned the device on. “I brought it up here hoping to have a chance to test it in a non-urban area. This is the perfect opportunity.”

The screen lit up, displaying an image of the planet. She pressed a few buttons and the view zoomed in until it centred on a small body of water surrounded by forest. Two small red dots blinked steadily on the screen, slowly moving across the image.

Sam looked across the pond and pointed. “They’re over there.”

“You’re tracking them? How?”

She grinned. “You remember a few months ago when The Trust stole our stargate?” Daniel nodded, and she continued. “Well, I’ve been working on creating our own version of the locator beacon that they used to tag the gate so they could beam it out of the mountain. I hope that someday, we’ll be able to create a chip that could even be implanted subcutaneously.” She looked at Daniel, her grin fading and sadness entering her eyes. “We could track people if anyone ever went missing.”

Daniel squeezed her arm and smiled. His abduction by the Replicators had hardly been fun, but she really need to stop blaming herself for it. “So, Jack and Teal’c have these chips?”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head, turning back to the screen. “We’re not quite there yet. But we do have small, functional transmitters. I put one on Teal’c and another on the General as they were finishing filling the water guns.”

The two red dots made their way around Jack’s pond. “Isn’t this cheating?” Daniel asked.

Sam turned to him, her eyes wide with innocence. “The transmitters have to be tested in a field combat situation.”

Daniel cocked his head at her, eyebrow raised.

“Oh, come on!” she said. “You said yourself the teams aren’t fair. You’ve seen Teal’c’s tracking abilities. All this does is level the playing field! The General would want us to use all our skills in a combat situation. In fact, he’d expect nothing less.”

Smirking, Daniel shrugged. “Fair enough.” Jack and Teal’c were in for a surprise.

The transmitters worked beautifully, allowing Sam and Daniel to stage two perfect and completely successful attacks on their friends. One more and they’d win the tournament.

“They’re on the dock,” Sam whispered.

Daniel nodded and peeked around the side of the cabin. He leaned back against the wall, glancing at her. “Are you sure? I don’t see them.”

She checked the display on the tracker. “They’re there.”

Leaning around the corner again, Daniel looked for any indication of his friends near the dock. He shook his head. Still no Jack or Teal’c.

Sam grinned. “They must be in the water.”

“How are we going to get them if they’re underwater?”

She shrugged. “The game just became hide and go seek. We find them, we win. Let’s move out.”

Weapons primed, they crept along the wall of the cabin, alert for any sign of their friends. Daniel nudged Sam’s shoulder and pointed. Two large reeds were sticking out from the surface of the water next to the dock.

Sam grinned again. “We’ve got ‘em now.” She scanned the area and gestured for Daniel to wait at the end of the dock while she went ahead.

Tiptoeing across the planks, Sam crouched and quickly tugged on one of the reeds. It seemed to come away easily in her hands. She frowned at it, and then peered into the water.

Daniel’s eyes moved over the tree line. He had a bad feeling about this. He glanced back at Sam, who was tapping buttons on her tracker. She waved the device back and forth in front of her, and then bent to pick up something from the end of the dock.

“Oh God,” she said.

“What?”

“Ambush!”

Suddenly, Jack and Teal’c appeared out of nowhere, blasting Sam and Daniel with ice cold water. Sam tried to escape to solid ground down the dock, but Teal’c caught her, scooping her up in his arms and lifting her into the air.

Sam struggled to free herself from the Jaffa’s grip. “Okay, okay! You win!” she said, laughing.

Teal’c plucked the tracking device and water gun from her hands and tossed them to Jack, who caught them easily. “Using tracking technology to assist you in our battle is most dishonourable, Colonel Carter.”

“It was a legitimate field test! Come on, put me down!” Sam squirmed again in his arms. Then, her eyes widened as Teal’c carried her to the end of the dock. “No! No, Teal’c, don’t do it!”

“Price you pay for cheating, Carter,” said Jack with a broad smile.

Daniel grinned, watching the scene unfold. He didn’t really believe that Teal’c was going to throw Sam in the pond. At least, he didn’t really believe it until Sam was actually airborne.

With a scream and a huge splash, she disappeared under the water. Seconds later, her blonde head popped up, and she glared at the three men standing on the dock. Teal’c was smiling triumphantly, Jack howling with glee. Daniel bit the inside of his cheek to keep from joining him.

“Okay, how is that funny?” Sam asked, swimming the short distance she had flown.

Daniel walked to the edge of the dock. “Oh, it isn’t.” He tried to keep a straight face, but a bubble of laughter burst forth, unannounced.

“Daniel!” She scowled up at him from the water.

Struggling to keep his amusement under control, Daniel reached out to help her back onto the dock. “I’m sorry, Sam. But it is funny.”

She rolled her eyes and took his extended hand, muttering under her breath. Suddenly, she tugged hard, sending Daniel tumbling head over heels, over her and into the water.

He quickly reoriented himself and surfaced, gasping. His ears were greeted by a deep, guttural guffaw from Teal’c and quiet wheezes of laughter from Jack, who had fallen to his knees on the dock, clutching his stomach.

Sam grinned broadly at him. “You’re right. It is funny.”

“I can’t believe you just did that!”

“I think you’ll find I’m full of surprises, Doctor Jackson.” She raised a seductive eyebrow, her lips curving into a sultry smile.

“Oh really?” Grinning, Daniel swam closer to her and placed his hands on her hips.

Her fingers danced up his arms to his shoulders, leaning closer. Then she pushed down, dunking him under the water again.

Breaking the surface yet again, Daniel splashed her. “You’re not playing fair!”

She splashed him back. “All’s fair in love and war.”

“Yeah? Which one is this?”

“You tell me.”

He splashed her again, pouting. “I can’t tell.”

Her grin turned mischievous again. “Maybe it’s both.” A raised eyebrow and slight nod in the direction of the dock told him what she had planned. Together, they sent a small tidal wave over the dock, soaking both Jack and Teal’c from head to toe.

Instantly sobering, Jack stood and glared at Sam and Daniel, his hands on his hips. “Alright! That does it!” With a quick run to the edge of the dock, he leaped over their heads and cannonballed into the water behind them. Jack burst to the surface with a whoop of excitement. “Come on in, T! The water’s great!”

“Aren’t you getting a little old for that kind of thing, Jack?” Daniel asked, deadpan. “You could have broken your hip or something!”

In response, Jack sent a flurry of water raining down on Daniel’s position.

Teal’c quickly joined their impromptu swim, though with a much more dignified entrance, and the four friends began an all-out splashing war. Daniel couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun. It was great to spend this kind of quality time with his best friends. He didn’t know when they’d get the chance again.

As the four of them played, Daniel looked around at his friends. Jack had accepted a reassignment to Homeworld Security, and Teal’c had been invited to join the High Council to help lead the newly formed Free Jaffa Nation. Daniel caught Sam’s eye. She smiled broadly at him, and he returned the sentiment.

Daniel wasn’t sure what the future might hold for him and Sam. But one thing he did know was that they were going to face it together.

THE END
Phew! My first novel-length story. Love it? Hate it? Let me know why.
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