Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

"General, where in the rule book does it say that an SG team HAS to have four people?" Jack asked, sitting down in one of the man's chairs.

"Jack, you've been very complimentary about Major Feretti in your reports," General George Hammond said, sighing as he leaned over his desk. "In fact, just last week I seem to recall reading that he was ready for his own team," he said.

"Yes, he is. But just because he gets his own team why does that mean that I get to baby- sit the wet behind the ears rookie?" Jack asked. "Daniel, Teal'c and I get along just fine."

George nodded. "And the next time you get stuck on a planet without a working DHD?" he asked, pointedly bringing up their last, nearly disastrous mission.

"We managed," Jack said, bristling a bit at the man's words. Yes, it had been spooky and had definitely been a close call. Fortunately, Earnest and Catherine had managed to figure out how to get off Heliopolis before the whole palace had crumbled into the sea.

"You did. And you would have managed even easier had you had someone with you that understood how the stargate worked," George said.

"Teal'c knows."

"Teal'c still thinks of the goa'uld as his gods and sees their technology as magic," George reminded. "Jack, Captain Carter is one of the Air Force's foremost experts on the Stargate," he said. He handed Jack a folder and Jack opened it, glancing at the type written sheets inside.

"Then why didn't he go to Abydos?" Jack asked, wondering why, if this person was such an expert, they were just now coming to the program, a good six months after its inception. He closed the folder and laid it on his lap, not even bothering to really read it.

"The captain wasn't available for reassignment then, but she is now," George said.

"She?" Jack raised his eyebrows, catching the addition of a letter. "Not only am I getting an egg head, I'm getting a female egghead?"

"Do you have an issue with female officers?" George asked.

"Personally? No," Jack said. "But, with all due respect, sir. You haven't been out there. Women's lib hasn't made much of a splash."

"We have female officers on other teams," George reminded.

"Yes, sir, we do," Jack agreed. "And, so far, things have been ok. But I'm telling you sir, if we'd had a female with us, that whole Mongolian thing probably would have been a lot different."

"Maybe," the man conceded. "Regardless, Captain Carter is going to be on your team. You may as well get used to it."

"Yes, sir," Jack said, getting to his feet. He nodded to the general and left the room, sighing once he was out of the door. This was bogus. He didn't want to break in someone new.

Yes, Charlie deserved his own team. To be truthful, he did from the beginning. And Jack had noted the fact in his mission reports more than once. He just hadn't stopped to think that once Charlie got his own team, that Jack would get someone new.

As far as he was concerned, SG-1 was odd enough as it was. If Daniel wasn't enough to deal with, there was that whole alien thing with Teal'c. The last thing he needed was some prissy girl, or worse, some ball cracking butch.

He reached the elevator and swiped his card, summoning the car. He knew that he should tell Daniel and Teal'c about their new member, but he just wasn't in the mood. She wasn't due to arrive until tomorrow, so there'd be time enough in the morning.

Besides, this morning he'd told Sara that he'd be home in time for dinner and that was a promise he intended to keep. Especially since he was in no mood to spend the night on the couch…again.

<><><><><>

Captain Samantha Carter made her way through the various checkpoints, her newly laminated and glossily slick ID allowing her passage into the top secret facility. She held her head high and smiled at the various SF's, hoping that the old adage was true. If you looked like you knew what you were doing, people were less likely to question you than if you showed any insecurities.

She couldn't believe that she was finally here. For over a year Cheyenne Mountain and Stargate Command had been the same to her as Los Angeles and Hollywood were to an aspiring actor.

The past couple of weeks had been insanely busy. She'd moved from San Diego and, thanks to no small amount of help from General Hammond, found a small house to rent a few miles from the base.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, she hadn't owned much furniture and lacking the time and the funds to really shop, had simply furnished the house with finds from the local thrift store.

Part of her wanted to settle in more, but another part of her was afraid to extend herself too much. She was planning for this to be a fresh start, a chance to put her past behind her and finally take her fate into her own hands.

But if she'd learned nothing else in her life, it was that fate was a fickle creature and it often rebelled against any attempts to control it.

She made her way down to the deepest depths of the SGC, following General Hammond's directions to his office. Protocol demanded that she present herself to the base CO and then find out precisely how and where she'd been assigned.

She knocked on his door, unable to deny the relief she felt when she recognized his voice telling her to come in.

She stepped in front of his desk and stood at attention, saluting smartly. "Captain Carter reporting for duty, sir."

He saluted back, smiling welcomingly. "Sam, sit down," he invited. "How are you settling in?" he asked as she sat.

"Fine sir, thank you," she said, still not able to fully relax now that they were on the base. General Hammond may be an old family friend and a buddy of her father's, but he was still her commanding officer. And the last thing she needed was for rumors about favoritism to start.

"Good," he answered. "You have a meeting with your new commanding officer, Colonel Jack O'Neill in an hour," he briefed her. "You've been assigned to his team, SG-1." He handed her a folder. "There are some short briefs in there about your teammates, Doctor Daniel Jackson and Teal'c."

"Teal'c?" she asked. "That's a strange name."

"Teal'c is a Jaffa, an alien," he explained.

"Like the ones that attacked the SGC six months ago?" she asked, opening the folder.

He nodded. "Yes. Teal'c defected. He helped Colonel O'Neill's team escape and was granted asylum. He helps with intelligence and translation. I'm trusting that you don't have an issue working with an alien and civilian," he said pointedly.

"I don't think I'm in a position to have an issue with anything," she answered. "If you feel that this is where I belong, sir, then this is where I belong."

He chuckled. "You should have joined the diplomatic corp," he said. "I think you and Colonel O'Neill will get along just fine." He sat back in his chair. "We don't have a lot of female officers on this base so our facilities aren't quite up to par with other bases. There was a knock at the door and Hammond waved the person in. "Sergeant Westerholm here can show you around, Captain." Sam stood up, acknowledging the sergeant. "Once you've showed her around, take her to Colonel O'Neill's office. She has a meeting with him at 1000," he instructed.

"Yes, sir," the woman said.

"Dismissed and good luck."

Sam saluted and left the room, hurrying to keep up with the young sergeant. "I can take you down to the locker rooms," the woman said. "We keep fatigues in there." She looked Sam up and down, noting her class A uniform, appropriate attire for meeting her commanding officer. "The general's not big on wearing the dress blues unless you're a member of the admin staff," she said, leading Sam to the elevator. "General Hammond is pretty mellow. No stick up his ass like some other stars I've known," she said, ushering Sam into the car.

"There's only about a dozen of us here, other than the nurses," she continued. "And I think only three others on off-world teams, so while the guys seem to respect us, we do have to share."

"Share?"

"Locker rooms," she explained. "We have signs on the door. You need to shower or whatever, you just make sure that the room is clear and flip the sign. The guys will stay out, or go find another one. Although, a lot of the women just change in the ladies rooms." The door opened, depositing them on a floor that looked a lot like the one Sam had just left. "They keep promising us our own locker room, but given the numbers, I'm not holding my breath," Sergeant Westerholm said.

She walked to a door labeled 'Locker Room' and knocked on the door, calling out loudly. Getting no answer, she flipped a laminated sign hanging by a string over to read 'Female Occupied' and opened the door. "So far, we don't seem to have any exhibitionists, but you never know," she warned. "The general has said, as long as you announce yourself, you're covered. Although, I would suggest using the lock." She pointed out a small hook and eye catch. "If they're really determined they can get in, but this is usually enough of a deterrent."

She opened a closet and pointed out some fatigues. "I'll let you find your size. We can get with the quartermaster and get you some more. Most folks around here come in in civvies and change. And, I'll talk to Siler about getting you a locker," she listed off. "I'll be waiting outside and give you the nickel tour before taking you to Colonel O'Neill's office."

She stepped out of the room, leaving Sam alone. With a sigh, Sam sank down on a bench, staring at the Unitarian room around her. She was here. Despite herself, she chuckled, raising her hand to her mouth to smother the noise. Hot damn, she was finally here.

<><><><><>

Jack O'Neill scanned the report in front of him, preparing himself for their next mission. At least they'd gotten an easy one to break in a newbie, the trip to Hanka to observe a black hole being a perfect cake walk. Especially one for a theoretical astrophysist.
He still wasn't sure about her. Everything in her file seemed to prove that she was a good candidate for this command. Of course, some of the stuff in there also suggested that maybe there was a little something more to her transfer.

There was a knock at the door and he checked his watch. "Well, she's punctual," he muttered, closing her file. "Come," he said louder.

The door opened and she stepped into his office, stopping in front of his desk and snapping to attention. "Captain Samantha Carter reporting as ordered, sir," she said, her eyes fixated on the wall behind him.

"At ease," he said after a few seconds, taking the time to study his new teammate. She was tall, taller than was normal for a woman, and a little on the slim side. Her blond hair was cropped short, coming just to above her collar.

She shifted position, moving to parade rest. Someone sure as hell put extra starch in her girdle. This was going to be fun. She'd probably spend most the mission quoting regs at him. "So, when does daddy come for a visit," he said, giving into his baser instincts.

"Sir?" She glanced at him, frowning a bit.

"How long before I get to show the good general around?"

"I really don't know, sir. I haven't spoken to him since Christmas. But if you'd like I can give you his number and you can invite him," she said sweetly, a glint of evil in her eyes.

Jack shook his head, chuckling slightly. "For crying out loud, sit down," he said.

"Sir?"

"Sit." She sat in the chair in front of his desk, her posture relaxed but still stiffly uncomfortable. "So, what exactly does a theoretical astrophysist do?" he asked.

"We study the aspects of the physics of astronomy," she replied evenly.

He nodded slowly. "And the theoretical part?"

"It's kinda hard to bring a star into the lab, so we usually end up just running simulations based on the known quantities of the problem," she said. "Of course, for every known quantity, there are a dozen more that are unknown which means that every single experiment can have a nearly endless number of outcomes."

"Stop," he said. "You talk like that on a mission and I'll put you on report."

"Colonel?"

"No babbling, it gives me a headache," he said. "Ok, in words of two syllables or less, why are you here."

"I was assigned here," she said.

"So?" he asked, doing his best to rattle her. "A lot of people are assigned here. None of them are on my team."

"Well, sir. If it wasn't for me, you would have no reason to have a team," she replied.

"Excuse me?"

"Actually, that isn't quite true. You would have a reason to have a team, you just wouldn't have much to do," she corrected.

"Would you like to explain that, Captain?"

"On Abydos, you found a cartouche; it contained a lot of Stargate addresses."

"Right, Daniel found it. We brought the addresses back, plugged them into the computer and, voila, we have a program."

"Very true," she agreed. "However, the addresses Doctor Jackson brought back were only partially useful."

"Partially?"

"They were right, they're all right. But whoever wrote them down thousands of years ago didn't quite grasp the concept of stellar drift. The theory is that the DHD is able to compensate-"

"We don't have a DHD," he interrupted.

"Right, which is why I wrote the program that takes stellar drift into account. If it wasn't for that, only a fraction of Doctor Jackson's addresses would work," she said.

"And this ability will save our asses when pissed off aliens are trying to kill us?" he asked.

"No," she admitted. "But I do have level three hand to hand and am an expert marksman," she replied.

"Ok, Captain. We have a mission tomorrow, I'll send you a copy of the report," he said. "You can spend the rest of today getting situated." He looked at his watch. "Chances are Daniel and Teal'c will be eating lunch in about an hour. Meet me in the commissary and I'll introduce you." He handed her a folder. "Hammond also assigned you lab space. Here's the access card. It's up on level nineteen. If you need anything, give me a call."

She took the folder from him and got to her feet. "Thank you, sir."

"We ship out at 0800 tomorrow. Which means that you're to be in the gate room, dressed and ready by 0750," he warned.

"I'll be there, sir. Thank you." She left the room and he watched her go, shaking his head slightly. She may be an egg head, but at least she had spirit.

<><><><><>

The front door opened and Sam looked up, smiling as Pete walked in. "Hey," he called out, shucking his coat. "How was your first day?"

"You would not believe it," she said, closing the folder she'd been reading. He sat next to her on the couch. "The whole place is just-fantastic," she finished.

"Yeah, tell me about it," he invited.

"Pete, you know I can't."

"Classified?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. What can you tell me?"

"Umm…I get to travel a lot," she said. "The dress is fatigues so I don't have to mess with hose and heels every day."

"That's always a plus. I hate it when I have to wear heels to work," he quipped.

"Stop." She slapped his arm playfully.

"How about the people," he asked.

"They seem ok. A lot of guys, there's not many women assigned there."

"That can be good." She shot him a look. "Not only is there no line in the ladies room, but it's a target rich environment," he teased.

"Behave Shanahan. What was your first day like?" she asked, knowing that he needed to get used to the ground rules. For the better part of the past year, he'd been her confidante. The person she'd talked to at 0300 when nightmares kept her awake. The only person she trusted enough to be totally honest with. But he needed to accept that he had to step back now. There was a part of her life that he couldn't get involved in anymore.

"Not too bad," he said. "The captain's a bit of a prick, but my partner is good."

"What's his name?"

"Her."

"Her?"

"Yeah, Detective Roxanne Rivers."

"Roxanne? And what happens when you call her Roxie?"

"She shoots me," he answered. Sam laughed, getting caught up in Pete's infectious
humor. "Actually, she goes by Tracks."

"Tracks?"

"Tracks. As in rail road." She stared, shaking her head. "RR. Roxie Rivers," he explained as Sam struggled to keep a straight face. "Tease." He got to his feet. "You want to get dressed?"

Sam looked down at her sweat pants and t-shirt. "I thought I was."

"They're having a little get together. Sort of a welcome to the squad thing," he explained.

"Pete, I have to be in early in the morning," Sam protested.

"It's only 530."

"And I have to be up by 0500."

"You need to eat, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, from what I hear, this place serves a mean steak. We'll have dinner and come home early," he bargained.

"And when you get caught up talking? What then?"

"Then you slap me upside the head and drag my ass out of there."

"Pete-"

"Come on. It'll do you good to get out," he said. "Weren't you just saying last week that Colorado would be different? That you weren't going to be all isolated and insular?"

"An evening in a bar with a bunch of cops wasn't quite what I had in mind," she said.
"It'll be the safest place in town. Besides, you never know when you'll need to get out of a ticket," he tossed over his shoulder as he made his way back towards the bedroom.

"I do not speed," she called indignantly. "Much," she confessed to herself. Ok, so she was hungry. And steak did sound good. And it would be sort of fun to meet Pete's co-workers on a personal level instead of professional. "We're leaving by eight," she yelled, levering herself off the couch.

<><><><><>

"I invited a few of his friends," Sara said, resisting the urge to kick her husband under the table. Jack was distracted, eating his steak with a fascination that bordered on obsession. "Do you think you can stop by after work and pick up the cake?" she asked. "They said it'd be ready after noon but if I'm going to have any time to decorate before the boys arrive at two, I really won't have the time."

The plan for Charlie's twelfth birthday was to have a pool party around the large above ground pool Jack had put in the year before. The boys would spend the afternoon swimming and playing then Jack would get home and barbecue some hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner.

It was going to be a perfect day. *if* she could just get Jack to pay attention long enough.
"Of course, I could always ask one of the strippers to pick it up. That Bambi that I talked to seemed nice enough. She said she might give us half off…in the interest of future business of course."

Jack took another bite of his steak and Sara sighed. She plucked a spray of parsley off her plate and flicked it across the table, catching Jack on the nose. "Hey!"

"You're ignoring me," she complained.

"I'm sorry. I just-"

"Was thinking about work," she finished.

"Yeah." She raised her eyebrows inquisitively, inviting him to share. She knew that there were aspects of his job that he couldn't talk about. But she also knew that he could tell her quite a bit, as long as he left the details. "We got a new person today," he said. "Charlie's getting promoted to his own team and they replaced him."

"That's great," Sara enthused. "We should have him over to dinner, celebrate."

"I'm sure he'd like that."

"Something's bothering you," she said, picking up on his mood. One thing her husband wasn't was subtle.

"It's just…It's a she."

"What?"

"The new member of my team, it's a woman," he said.

"So?"

"So…We're going to be going out on missions, sometimes for days on end and-"

"Jack," she interrupted. "Do you plan to have sex with her?"

"What? NO!" he said, his raised voice making a few of the nearby diners look at them.

"Then I have no reason to worry," she said, hiding a grin at her husband's behavior. There were times, for all her husband's worldliness, he could be so parochial. "You've worked with women before."

"Yeah, just not…" Jack set down his fork. "Sara, I've never had a woman on a team that goes on overnight missions before," he said.

Sara chuckled. He was probably right. Over the years, she'd met a few members of his team, and every single one of them had been male. It made sense. For as forward thinking as the military liked to portray itself, most of its elite units were definitely male dominated. "Well, unless your mission is in a nightclub, I don't think I have much to worry about," she dismissed, quashing the small fission of unease that washed over her.
She loved her husband, she trusted her husband. And she knew that he knew that if he ever cheated on her, she'd Bobbitt his ass. "You know, I think I'd like to meet her," she said, taking a casual sip of her beer.

"What?" He stared at her, looking more than a little shocked at her suggestion. She'd certainly met some of his teammates before, but she did prefer to keep work at work and not to encourage him to bring it home.

She had no little amount of respect for what her husband did for a living. It was dangerous and not something that just anyone could do. But she also didn't want to raise their son surrounded by men who killed for a living. She shrugged. "Well, when we invite Charlie over to celebrate his promotion, we can invite her too. In fact, invite both teams. You can burn some meat, they can play in the pool…it'll be fun."

"I thought that-"

"Yeah," she interrupted. "I know. We'll make an exception. Besides, this project is obviously important to you. I think I'd like to meet the people you spend so much time with."

"Ok," he agreed. "I'll aah, I'll talk to Charlie and see what day works," he agreed.
They finished their meal and Sara excused herself while Jack paid the tab. She made her way through the game room, having to squeeze by a large group of people, all gathered around the pool table. A tall blonde had the cue in her hand and was bent over the table, lining up a shot.

Sara watched her sink the ball and shook her head. Oh for the good old days, she thought, entering the bathroom. She quickly took care of business and walked back out, noting that the woman was still the center of attention in the group.

Tamping down a pang of something she refused to call regret, she made her way back through the bar and to her husband, waiting by the exit. She didn't need a group of admirers; she had a husband and a son. Who could ask for more?

<><><><><>

"So, what exactly are we going to see after this eclipse begins? I mean it is black. And it is a hole," Daniel said, trying to start a conversation. It was odd to be going through the stargate without Major Feretti with them. He was just getting used to the man's off beat sense of humor, which meshed rather well with Jack's quirkiness.

Captain Carter was different, Daniel could tell that already. She wasn't rude or cold, but was definitely retired and a bit reserved.

Of course, that could also be attributed to going on a mission to another planet with a bunch of virtual strangers.

"Well, it might be a black hole," Jack said.

"Okay, let me put that a different way."

"No Doctor Jackson, you're right, you can't actually see it, not the singularity itself its so massive not even light can escape it. But during the totality phase of the eclipse, we should be able to see matter spiraling towards it."

"Actually it's called the Accretion Disc." Daniel and Teal'c stared at Jack while Captain Carter watched them all, her unfamiliarity not allowing her to get the joke.

"It's just an astronomical term," Jack excused. "Let's go."

He shepherded them up the ramp and Daniel moved to stand beside Sam. "It's really not that bad," he reassured her. "Just a little cold."

"That's a result of the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution," she said absently, her eyes fixated on the shimmering blue surface.

"Right." he said slowly, glancing at Jack. Captain Carter paused atop the ramp, one hand going out to touch the surface. "You can actually see the fluctuations in the event
horizon," she whispered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw Jack move, giving the captain a small shove and pushing her through the gate.

"Jack…" Daniel protested.

Jack shrugged. "We haven't got all day." He walked through the gate and Daniel looked over to Teal'c, noting that the Jaffa did nothing more than just raise an eyebrow.

"This could be fun," Daniel said.

He led Teal'c through the gate, emerging in just seconds on PX8987, a planet called Hanka. It was a nice planet, temperate and mild. The natives had a small village a short walk from the gate and that was where they were going to stay. Their plan was, since the planet was secure, for Jack to escort his team to the observatory and introduce them, then he would return to Earth so that he could attend Charlie's birthday party.

Captain Carter was hunched over by the side of the road and Daniel made his way over to her, concerned. Jack was standing beside her. "Oh, I feel sick," she groaned.

"Shouldn't have had that large breakfast," he said, unsympathetic. "Let's go." She nodded and straightened up. Jack moved to point so Daniel moved to walk beside the captain.

Nausea was a common side effect of gate travel, and usually something a person got over. "Don't let him kid you," Daniel said.

"What?"

"The first time he puked," he said, trying to reassure her.

She smiled slightly and nodded. "Thanks."

They walked forward, past a large plywood sign. "Someone from SG-7 should have been here to greet us," Teal'c said.

"They should be prepping the telescope for the big show." He led the way towards the town, his pace casual, his hands resting easily on his weapon. Daniel followed him, his eyes studying their surroundings. The stargate was in the middle of a large clearing, full of small trees and bushes.

As they walked around a bend in the road, Jack abruptly broke into a run, stopping at the side of a man lying beside the road. Jack grabbed his arm and rolled him over, recoiling at the sight. "Oh god! All right MOPP Four."

Daniel stared in horror as Carter and Teal'c put on their masks, only doing do himself when prodded by Jack. "All right, Daniel, you and Teal'c check the village. See why no one's missed this guy, where everyone is. We've got the observatory. All right, move out."

Jack and Carter went off one direction and Daniel followed Teal'c, their peaceful pastoral surroundings now starkly menacing. However that man had died, it hadn't been an accident.

<><><><><>

Sam walked down the road, the soft hiss of air in her hazmat suit a surreal counterpoint to what she was seeing. She could see the trees wave in the breeze, the birds flying by, but couldn't hear them. It was almost like watching a TV on mute.

So far, this mission was horrible. This was supposed to be, well not fun, but definitely not something out of a nightmare. So far, it looked like every single person on the planet was dead. That was about a thousand people. One thousand souls who'd been killed by some mysterious ailment.

"We're supposed to tag the bodies with these," she said, more to fill the silence than anything else. They'd all been briefed about what to do after they'd been cleared by Doctor Fraiser.

"They knew this would happen," Doctor Jackson said, his voice troubled.

"The indigenous people?" Sam asked.

"They told me when we came here three months ago, that with darkness would come the apocalypse. It was part of there mythology, and what did we tell them? It's just an eclipse, and there's nothing to worry about."

They came across a group of corpses and Sam bent down, sliding one of the plastic tags into the woman's stiff fingers. She started to walk away, turning back when a flash of movement caught her eyes. The bushes swayed and she moved closer, trying to see if it was a person or just an animal.

She looked down at the corpse, noting that the plastic tag was gone. "Hello?" she called out. "It's okay, you can come out." The rest of her team joined her. "I know I must look pretty scary in this mask but I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay. Colonel, there's someone in the bushes and they won't come out," she said, belated realizing how silly her words sounded.

The colonel turned to Teal'c. "Show'em your face. Try to look friendly."

Teal'c nodded and walked into the brush. Unlike the rest of them, he wasn't wearing a hazmat suit, his larval goa'uld giving him protection from any contagions that might be in the air.

"We will not hurt you," he said. "Please come out." Sam stood back, resisting the urge to follow him into the brush. "Take my hand," she heard him say. In a few seconds he walked out, leading a young girl. Her small hand was wrapped in his massive one and she stared at them, her eyes wide.

"Good job," the colonel said. "Let's get her back to Fraiser."

<><><><><>

Jack sat in the telescope room literally twiddling his thumbs. What in the hell was taking them so long? They'd brought the girl into the facility over an hour before and were still waiting to find out if she was going to be all right or if she was a carrier of whatever had killed the rest of her people.

"How can only one person survive?" Daniel asked. "Shouldn't there be more?"

Jack shrugged. "Maybe there were. Maybe they bailed and left her behind?"

"Why would they do that?" Daniel asked.

"Fear can make people choose poorly," Teal'c said.

Jack caught sight of the doc and Carter walking up the hall and got to his feet. "Doc?"

"Well, I have some bad news. The samples show the entire area to be contaminated. It's in the water and the ground. Now the bacteria doesn't seem to be airborne, but it has a unique ability to survive in a variety of enlivenments," she briefed.

"Listen, umm, I hate to sound self-centered here but..."

"Your test's are fine," Fraiser reassured Daniel.

"What of the girl?" Teal'c asked.

"No sign of the infection and as a procession I did an ultrasound to make sure she wasn't parasitly infested with a Goa'uld."

"So she goes back with us?" Jack asked. The doctor nodded.

"Doctor, would it be safe for someone to stay a little while longer? I mean were safe right now aren't we?" Carter asked.

"Captain?"

"Sir, the eclipse happens in less then one day. This is our only opportunity to use this window of darkness, to photograph this black whole with this telescope. It could change the course of human history. I don't want to belittle what's happened here, but if we
just pack up and leave, SG-7 and all these people will have died for nothing," she said.
As Jack watched, the girl slowly crept down the hall and made her way over to Captain Carter, her hands wrapping around the woman's arm. She half hid behind her, staring at Jack with wide eyes.

"Well, you won't be staying," he said, unwilling to further traumatize the girl by taking her away from the one person she seemed to trust.

"I will remain, I am not at risk," Teal'c volunteered.

"Yeah, I'll stay too," Jack said with a sigh. "Daniel?"

"Yeah."

"I want you to go back with them."

"Umm, Jack…what about tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Birthday party?" he prodded.

"Oh." Jack ran his fingers through his short hair. "You'll just have to call Sara for me. Tell her that I've been delayed." He clicked his fingers. "Oh, do me a favor. Talk to Feretti, see if he can pick up the cake."

"Sir, I can-"

"No," Jack interrupted Carter. "You take care of her. Sara will understand…eventually," he said, wishing that it would be different. He wanted nothing more than to call another team in and turn this over to them, but he just couldn't justify it. They still didn't know what had happened here and what another team might be exposed to. He just couldn't do it, couldn't risk someone else's life just so he could eat cake with his son. "Besides, I don't want to go home until I know for sure what I might be bringing with me," he said, rationalizing his decision.

"Sir, I cleared all of your team," the doctor said.

"I know, Doc. Just…I'll stay here with Teal'c. We'll watch the eclipse and then come home when it's over."

<><><><><>

Teal'c sat in the observatory room, watching as O'Neill struggled to stave off boredom. The human was seated on some steps and, as Teal'c watched, his hands moved restlessly in his lap. "This is fun. Only eight hours to go. Sweet," he muttered.

"I still do not understand this black hole," Teal'c said, more to alleviate O'Neill's feelings of unease. That was another odd habit of his new friends, the human desire to name and explain everything they encountered rather than simply accepting the fact of its existence.

"Well a black hole is this really...big thing. It um...well basically it's uh...massive...hole, out there," he said.

"I see."

"What happens is everything gets sucked into it, even light, that's why we can't see it. Just gets...sucked in."

"Thank you."

"Sure."

"You will not return the child to this planet," Teal'c said after a few minutes.

"What?" O'Neill looked at him. "No. We can't."

"I do not believe it would be…compassionate to find her a home on another planet," Teal'c continued.

"Probably not." O'Neill shrugged. "We'll try and find her a foster home," he said. Teal'c frowned, not recognizing the term. "We'll find someone to take her in and finish raising her," O'Neill explained.

"While I find the Stargate Command sufficient for my needs, I do not believe that the atmosphere is appropriate for a child to live in," Teal'c said.

"It'll have to be someone outside. I can talk to Hammond when we get back. See if he knows someone with enough clearance to adopt a kid."

"Perhaps it would be best if that person was someone from Stargate Command," Teal'c said.

"What makes you say that?" O'Neill asked.

"Only someone who has worked at Stargate Command could truly understand what the child has experienced," he said.

"Yeah, true. But Teal'c, who at the SGC has the ability to take in a kid?" O'Neill said. Teal'c merely looked at the man, hoping that the human would make the next logical conclusion. "Teal'c? What are you thinking?"

"It is often far less stressful upon the child, and the adoptive parents, if that child is brought into a household with other children," he said.

"Other? Teal'c, you're not suggesting that I take her?" O'Neill asked.

Teal'c shrugged. "Very few members of Stargate Command have mates or children. Therefore, there are very few homes to which the child can be assigned."

"Yeah, but, Teal'c I can't just bring home a kid," O'Neill protested.

"I am not suggesting that. However, once it has been determined that the child is not merely a delayed victim to this ailment, and she has acclimated to Earth, she may wish to seek refuge with a person whom she already knows," he said.

"She saw me for three minutes," he protested. "And besides, she liked Carter more."

Teal'c remained silent. It was true that the child had shown a marked preference for the Captain. However, he did not know if that was simply because of the woman's more open demeanor. Children often gravitated towards females over males.

O'Neill fell silent and Teal'c observed him, noting that the man was deep in thought. Perhaps, presuming the child survived, she would be able to make her own choice of which person she preferred to live with.

<><><><><>

Sam sat on the bed, absently running her fingers over Cassie's hair. It wasn't fair. It just….she'd already been through so much, and now she was going to die. What kind of monsters did this to a child?

Cassie stirred and Sam shushed her, hoping to sooth the child back to sleep. That would probably be best, if she just slept until the end. She didn't want to admit just who it'd be best for.

Cassie opened her eyes. "Mom?"

"Hey," Sam said, pasting a smile on her face. "You okay?"

"I was dreaming about my mom," she said softly

"You miss your mom very much?"

Cassie nodded. "I'm tired."

"Well then, you should get some rest. Don't worry; everything is going to be just fine. And when you get better, I promise you I am going to show you all kinds of really wonderful things about this planet," Sam said, quashing any guilt she felt about lying. The girl had already lost so much; Sam couldn't let her last hours be full of fear.

"Promise?"

"You bet." Cassie reached out and Sam pulled her into a hug, the heat from the girl's fever seeping through both her pajamas and Sam's uniform. Sam held her until she felt the girl relax, falling back to sleep. Sam carefully laid her down and got off the bed, tip toeing out of the room.

"How is she?" Sam stopped for a second, surprised to see Doctor Jackson waiting for her. He'd found a chair somewhere and taken up station in the hall, a quickly folded newspaper sliding off his lap as he got to his feet.

"She's fine, sleeping."

"If you want I can sit with her tomorrow, for a few hours," he offered.

"No, we're okay," Sam said.

"Okay."

"I just...I want to do this," she said, feeling the need to explain herself.

"Okay, but I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to do this alone," he said sincerely.

"Thanks." Sam left him, her only goal to make it to the ladies room around the corner before she burst into tears.

<><><><><>

"So the Goa'uld's kept SG-7 from coming back through to warn us. All part of the plan," Jack briefed as SG-1 plus General Hammond made their way into the briefing room. It had been close, too close.

He and Teal'c had left the planet just as the goa'uld Teal'c called Nirti attacked Hanka. They had no way of knowing if Teal'c's prediction of the bomb in the girl's chest was accurate or not, but none of them were willing to give it a try.

"So what are we going to do now?" Daniel asked.

"Teal'c, Dr. Frasier says this device inside the girl is on some kind of timer. You're sure it will go off if we send the girl through the Stargate?" Hammond asked.

"We should not attempt it," Teal'c said, echoing Jack's sentiments. "The Earth gate is what the Goa'uld wish to destroy."

"Cassandra's conditioned deteriorated when she got near the Stargate," Carter said.

"Well I can't risk the security of this mountain. Well have the take her someplace else," Hammond said.

"What about the abandoned nuclear facility..."Jack suggested.

"Right. It's just 20 minutes away." Hammond left them, walking quickly into his office.
He picked up the red phone while Jack waited with his team. "This is Major General Hammond; get me the Secretary of Defense immediately. Tell him it's a matter of life and
death."

While they waited, Jack looked at Daniel and Carter. Both of them were strangely silent, something Jack felt had little to do with the magnitude of their situation. Carter was especially withdrawn, her eyes fixated on the window overlooking the gate room.
Jack looked at Daniel, silently asking him what was wrong with the woman. Daniel glanced over at her, then back at Jack. 'Later,' he mouthed.

"It's all set," Hammond said, hurrying out of his office. "They're expecting you at the front gate and will escort you to the bunker," he instructed.

"Yes, sir," Jack said, looking at his team.

"I'll…go get her," Carter said, her voice low. She hurried from the room and Jack turned to Daniel.

"Daniel?"

"She's gotten attached," Daniel said simply.

"Great," Jack groaned, not surprised but also acknowledging how much easier it would have been had the woman's emotions not been involved. Then again, Jack didn't know if he wanted to work with someone who couldn't care about a dying child. He sighed. "Ok, Daniel, go help her."

"She doesn't want any-"

"I don't care," Jack interrupted. "Go help her. We'll meet you on the surface."

"Ok," Daniel said, hurrying off.

"Daniel?" He turned back. "We don't have much time."

<><><><><>

Sam sat in the back of the truck, the movement of the tires rocking her slightly. Cassandra, wrapped in a blanket, lay in her lap and Sam took comfort from her weight. What kind of monsters were these goa'uld? They had to be monsters; only a monster would use a child like this.

They'd used her, used all of them. They'd turned the natural human emotion of compassion into a weapon. She hated them. Hated that they'd done such horrible things to Cassandra, hated that she'd been naïve enough to care.

The rest of her team sat around her and she ignored their presence. She didn't want them here. She didn't want anyone to witness her abandon the child, tuck her away like some dirty little secret.

She didn't want their sympathetic looks, didn't want to see the pity in their eyes. Stupid. She'd been so stupid. Detachment. That was what they taught you in the academy. Emotions had no place in the military and she'd let her emotions get in the way.

The truck lurched to a stop and she tightened her grip, struggling to maintain her balance.
The colonel got to his feet and climbed over the edge, reaching up to lower the tailgate. Sam edged forward, Doctor Jackson reaching out to grab her arm. "Let me hold her while you get down," he offered.

She was ready to refuse him, and then realized that there was no way she could get down without risking falling. She handed Cassie over and clambered out of the truck bed, standing close to take Cassie when Doctor Jackson handed the girl to her.

Doctor Jackson jumped down, followed by Teal'c and the four of them hurried into the bunker. "I can take her from here now Captain," the colonel said as they arrived at a large elevator.

"No, sir, it's okay," she said, meeting his eyes.

"Ok," he said after a second. "This elevator goes down 30 floors through solid rock. It takes about 3 minutes to get to the bottom. That gives you four minutes to start back up.," he briefed.

Sam nodded and got into the car, closing her eyes in relief as the doors closed.

She could do this, she told herself. All she needed to do was take Cassandra into the bunker and lie her down. Then just close the door and-the bundle in her arms stirred and Sam felt her stomach drop. "Where are we going?" Cassie asked, her voice weak and breathy.

"Please, go back to sleep," Sam begged.

"I'm not tired anymore," Cassie said, shifting her weight so Sam had to put her down. Oh god, no. Not this. She can't be awake. She can't…they can't expect her to just leave her down here. No, that'd be mean, cruel. "Are you crying?" Cassie asked, and Sam noticed her tears for the first time.

Sam shook her head, not trusting her voice. The elevator stopped and Sam stepped out, turning on the flashlight she was carrying. Cassie trailed her as she opened the large door, the heavy wheel turning easily, despite its age.

The room was stark and barren, a low cement wall its only feature. Dirt, or something, was piled in the corner and Sam guessed that it had been some sort of store room for some kind of bulk goods.

She led Cassie to the wall and helped her sit up on it, tucking the blanket around the girl. It was cold in the bunker, too cold for comfort. It didn't come close to matching the block of ice that was settling in Sam's gut. "Sit down here and rest for awhile, okay? I have to go," Sam said, trying not to scare Cassie any more than she already was.

It wasn't working; Sam could see the fear on the girl's face.

"You promised you'd never leave me alone," she said, her voice wavering.

"I'll come back, okay? I'll be back," Sam promised emptily. Cassie nodded, believing her. "You're very brave, remember?"

Cassie nodded again. "I'm very brave," she repeated.

"I have to close the door." Sam got to her feet and walked out of the room. Sam turned back and looked, the image of the girl sitting alone in the large empty room engraving itself on her brain. Forcing herself, Sam closed the door, hurriedly spinning the circular lock.

Cassie cried out, the door closing scaring her. "Sam? Sam?" She yelled. Hating herself with every step, Sam stepped into the elevator and punched the button for the top floor.
The elevator moved and Sam broke, taking her grief out on the walls.

This wasn't fair. It wasn't right. She was just a little girl. She shouldn't be left alone to die. She shouldn't be dying at all. She should be braiding her hair and playing with Barbie dolls. She should be giggling on the phone to her friends and riding her bike down the street.

She shouldn't be locked up to die alone and abandoned.

God, why couldn't she have stayed asleep? Why couldn't she have had at least that much peace? Why couldn't she have died back on Hanka? So she could be buried with her family, instead of hundreds of light years away.

If only they could have gotten her home. But they couldn't. The closer she got to the gate, the sicker she'd gotten.

Sam stopped, her heart lurching. The closer Cassie had gotten to the gate, the worse she'd become. And the further away, the better.

She struggled to her feet, not even remembering falling down. She dove for the controls, fumbling with the stop button on the elevator. She had to get back down there. She couldn't leave her alone any longer.

The car started to descend and she wiped the tears off her face, her voice hitching in her throat. The door opened and Sam hurried out. She swung the lock around and pulled the door open.

Cassie wasn't crying anymore, but just sitting there, looking small and forlorn. Sam shut the door as the intercom crackled to life. "Captain Carter?" she heard the colonel's voice. "Captain Carter."

She ignored him, knowing that he was going to tell her something she didn't want to hear. "Sam? Do you read me?" he asked, his voice softer.

"Colonel, I'm staying," she answered, knowing that if she didn't, he would be on the elevator in seconds.

"Negative," he answered.

"Colonel, she's awake," she explained, lacking any better explanation.

"Captain, Carter. I am ordering you to get back up here, right now. Right now!" He ordered, all the softness gone from his voice. Sam ignored him and walked over to Cassie, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Are we going to die?" she asked.

"No, we are not going to die," Sam declared, knowing that even if she was wrong, it wouldn't matter.

"We are both very brave," Cassie said, her hand digging into Sam's arm.

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"I love you, too," Sam answered, realizing that she was telling the truth. She loved this child. Loved her as much as if she'd given birth to her herself. A warm sense of peace washed over her and Sam realized that she didn't care if she died. She was here, right where she needed to be. And dying wouldn't be so bad, as long as they were together.
She sat there, feeling the warmth from Cassie's body sink into hers. The room was silent; there was no sound other than their breaths. Sam knew that she should find it spooky and oppressive, but she found it peaceful.

Cassie nestled in, making herself comfortable. Sam slowly stroked her back, taking comfort from the action. "I'm glad you came back," Cassie said, her head buried in Sam's neck.

"So am I," Sam agreed.

Sam's watch beeped, the sound echoing off the walls. The noise startled Cassie and she jumped, pulling away. "What is that?"

Sam smiled, shifting to read the face of her watch. It was blinking four zeros. "That is my watch," she answered, smiling.

"What is a watch?"

"It means that we're going to be ok," Sam said.

"Captain Carter, can you hear me?" The colonel's voice echoed over the speaker. "Sam, can you here me?"

"He sounds scared," Cassie said.

"That won't last for long," Sam said, knowing that it was time to face the music. And, oddly enough, the thought of charges of insubordination didn't scare her in the slightest. She untangled herself from Cassie and got to her feet. With hands that shook slightly, she pushed the button. "We're okay, nothing happened. Cassandra's fine, I'm fine, it didn't happen. I just...I couldn't leave her, sir," she said, feeling the need to explain herself.

"How did you know, Captain?"

"It occurred to me that she first slipped into the coma when we brought her close to the Stargate. As soon as we got her far enough away from the Stargate, she woke up, and I knew." She shrugged, looking back to Cassie.

"You knew?" He asked skeptically. Not in the mood to answer him, Sam left the intercom and returned to Cassie's side.

"Can we leave now?" she asked. "I don't like it here."

"Neither do I," Sam said. "And I think we can leave soon."

"You won't leave me again?" she asked, her hand digging into Sam's sleeve.

"No," Sam said. "I won't. Ever, ever again."

<><><><><>

Jack made his way up the walk, a dozen calla lilies clutched in his right hand, his duffle bag in his left.

This was definitely not going to be fun. He wasn't just late, he was two days late.

Something he'd promised Sara he wasn't going to be.

She was going to be mad. And he didn't blame her. He had broken a promise, again. Just like he'd done so many times before. But this time it was different. This time he wouldn't have to lie.

In fact, if things worked out, this could be a whole new beginning for them.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, pasting a - I'm really not an asshole - look on his face. He walked in, not surprised to find Charlie sitting on the couch, watching cartoons.

"Dad!" he cried, struggling to his feet. He lurched towards Jack, his normal limp even more pronounced.

"Hey, Sport," Jack said. "You ok?"

"He overdid a little in the pool," Sara answered, stepping out of the kitchen.

"Aah," Jack replied, his face coloring a bit at the censure in her voice. "Charlie, I'm sorry that I missed your party," he said sincerely. "I-"

"Had something important," Charlie interrupted.

"Yes, it was important," Jack agreed. "But also something that I just couldn't get out of." Jack set the flowers on the table and reached into his bag, pulling out a baseball glove. "Here, I got this for you." He handed the glove to his son.

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can," Jack interrupted. "Your doctor said that you needed to exercise your arm and this outta do it." He knelt down and helped Charlie slide the glove onto his stiff left hand.

The boy's lame arm and leg were the lasting physical reminder of the worst day of Jack's life. Sometimes, when he dreamed, he relived that horrible day, hearing again the sharp crack of the pistol, feeling that sickening, gut-wrenching horror as he pulled away from Sara and ran up the stairs, never able to run fast enough.

His fingers were still sticky with his son's blood even hours later when the doctor had spoken to them, breaking the horrible news. Coma. Brain damage. Ten percent chance of survival. Charlie had beaten those odds. Despite the doctor's dire predictions, he'd woken up. After they'd pronounced that he'd never walk or talk, Charlie had again proven them wrong. No, he wasn't a normal thirteen year old boy. And he probably never would be. But Jack was confident that, with enough effort, Charlie would have as normal of a life as possible.

"You use your right hand for throwing," he coached. "You just need to get the glove out to catch the ball. The glove does all the work. You just need to get it there." Charlie nodded slowly, staring skeptically down at his hand. "Tell ya what; I need to talk to your mom for a bit. Why don't you go show Jeff your glove. Then, when I'm done, I'll come out and we'll play a little catch."

"Ok," Charlie agreed. He started towards the door, pausing just long enough to grab his cap.

"Be careful crossing the street," Sara called out. She waited until Charlie was outside and turned to Jack. "You don't need to make anything up," she said. "I don't care."

"Sara-"

"No. This is just like it was before. I should have known better."

"Sara. Sit down," Jack ordered, his brusque tone catching her by surprise. He pulled her towards the sofa and gently shoved her onto the cushions. He sat beside her and took a deep breath.

"Jack?" she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just need you to listen. What I'm about to tell you is classified under section 11C9 of the National Security Act. That means, if you tell ANYONE what I'm gonna say, it's treason and they can shoot you."

"Ok," Sara nodded slowly.

"Project Bluebook, what I'm working on, is the cover name for the Stargate Project. We work under NORAD, in a secret base called Stargate Command. The main reason for our project is a piece of alien technology called, creatively enough, a stargate."

"You said-"

"Yeah, the deep space radar telemetry is just a cover story. The stargate is a twenty foot tall metal ring that is capable of creating a stable wormhole we can use to travel to other planets." He paused and looked at her, almost smiling at her stunned expression.

"I wish you would have just stuck with 'it's classified hon'", she muttered, getting to her feet. She made her way to the front window and stood there, her attention riveted outside. Jack remained silent, knowing that she needed time to digest what he'd just told her.
"Other planets?" she finally asked.

"Yep."

"How, aah, how many have you been to?"

"Umm,..about a dozen or so."

"Dozen, that's nice."

"Sara?"

"Why now?"

"What?"

"You've been…going to other planets for the better part of a year and I just NOW need to know about it?" she asked, her voice rising.

"You just now need to know about it because you need to answer something I want to ask you," he said, getting to his feet and joining her at the window. Outside, he could see Charlie playing with Jeff. His son's friend was smart and compassionate with Charlie. He seemed to have some innate ability to know just how much, physically, he could push Charlie's limits without hurting him.

"What? Don't tell me that you're going to start some colony or something?"

"No. Nothing like that," Jack reassured her. "Last week, we came across a planet that had been attacked. Everyone was dead, except for one." He glossed over the details. Sara did 'need to know' but it only stretched so far - at least until she agreed to his proposal. "The survivor was a young girl. We think she's about a year younger than Charlie. She can't go home, everyone is dead, so we're looking for someone here to take her in."

"Surely there's a dozen-"

"We can't just pick any old foster home. She IS an alien," he reminded.

"What? Does she have green skin or something?" Sara asked, half in jest.

"No. She's human, just like you and me."

"Then-you want to bring her here," she said, comprehension dawning.

"Yeah. Hon, we have plenty of room and, if I remember right, we'd wanted to give Charlie a little brother or sister."

"Ten years ago," she reminded.

"Better late than never," he retorted. "Look, I know this is a big decision and all but-I think it'll work out.

Sara slowly shook her head. "I don't know-"

"At least meet her," he bargained. "My team and I are going to take her out to the park tomorrow morning. You could tag along, get to know her and make up your mind from there."

Sara stared at him for several seconds before sighing and nodding. "Ok."

<><><><><>

Sam knocked on the general's door. She hadn't felt this nervous in years. Of course, it'd been a long time since so much had ridden on a simple meeting.

"Come." Sam walked into the room. "Captain, what can I do for you?" he invited, motioning for her to take a seat.

"Thank you, sir," she said, sitting down. "I wanted to talk to you about Cassandra."

"I understood from Doctor Fraiser that the girl was well on her way to a full recovery."

"Yes, sir, she is. This isn't about that."

"Oh?"

"The colonel was talking about how we'd need to find a home for her."

"That's right."

"And that it might be hard because of the classification of the project."

"Yes. Which is why we're hoping that someone within the SGC will agree to take her," he agreed.

"Yes, sir. I'd like to do that," she clarified.

The general stared at her for a few seconds. "I don't know if that will be possible," he said.

"Sir?"

"Colonel O'Neill has already expressed his interest and intent in adopting the girl. In fact, I believe he is talking to his wife about it right now.

Sam slowly shook her head. Where the hell had this come from? Not once had the colonel shown the slightest interest in Cassie. Now, all of a sudden, he wanted to adopt her? It wasn't right. And it wasn't fair.

"With all due respect, sir, the colonel barely knows Cassie. We've spent days together and we've bonded," Sam said.

"I'm aware of that, Captain. Your relationship with the girl is nothing short of remarkable. However, I need to consider the long term benefits for her," he said. "Colonel O'Neill has a large house in a nice neighborhood. His wife is not working and is able to stay home all day. They already have a son close to Cassandra's age and I think it would be a good environment for her."

"Sir, I-"

"Captain. You just moved here a month ago. You don't have anyone in your life to help and there is the matter of your recent past," he said meaningfully.

"General, that was a year ago and in California," she protested. "Things have changed since then."

"I'm sure they have. And I'm sure they'll continue to change. However, I consider Colonel O'Neill to be the best choice to care for Cassandra." He leaned across the desk, his voice softening. "Sam, you're on a field team. How will you care for her when you're off world?"

"There's Pete-"

"Who also works long, unpredictable hours," he interrupted.

Sam started to protest, then closed her mouth, realizing that what she was about to say, she shouldn't be saying to a general, especially her commanding officer.

"May I ask, sir, if Mrs. O'Neill decides not to adopt Cassandra that I be considered?" she asked, deliberately keeping her voice even.

"Your request will be given all due consideration," he replied.

"Thank you," she said stiffly. She got to her feet and waited for him to dismiss her before leaving the room.

She sincerely hoped that the general was right and that the colonel was at home, because if she ran across him right now it would definitely not end well.

<><><><><>

Daniel sat beside Sam on the park bench while Teal'c stood behind them, drawing more than a little attention with the rather remarkable cowboy had he'd chosen to hide the golden tattoo on his forehead. A short distance away, Jack and Sara were playing with Cassie and Charlie, introducing her to the human invention of a swing set.

"So, how sure were you, really?" he asked, grasping any topic to break the oppressive silence. Sam had been subdued all morning, smiling only at Cassie, and even then only when the girl was looking.

"I can't explain it Daniel, I just knew."

"A mother's instinct, perhaps?" Teal'c said.

Sam fell silent, her eyes suddenly riveted upon the ground. "You know, I aah, I think I must have gotten a bad hot dog," she muttered, getting up from the bench.

Daniel watched her go, puzzled by her strange behavior. "What's gotten into her?"

"She called it a hot dog," Teal'c said.
Daniel turned to him and frowned, not quite sure if the Jaffa was serious. Yes, Teal'c was still learning Earth slang, but he was also a lot smarter than he looked.

Charlie yelled and Daniel looked back at the playground. The two children were playing together, now bouncing up and down on the see saw as Jack and Sara watched. "He's gonna take her," Daniel declared, just knowing that there was no way Sara could turn down Cassie now that she'd met the girl.

"That is likely," Teal'c agreed. "However, I do not think that is the outcome Captain Carter was hoping for."

"What?" Daniel turned back to face Teal'c. "Oh my god." He understood now. "She wanted to take Cassie home."

Daniel looked around for Sam, catching sight of her getting into her car, neglecting to even say goodbye to any of them. "I didn't know. And I don't think that Jack did either." It made sense that Sam would want to take Cassie. The two of them had bonded over the past weeks. And Daniel knew that she'd gotten attached. He just hadn't realized how attached.

"I find that likely," Teal'c agreed.

"What happens now?"

Teal'c silently shook his head.

<><><><><>

Pete looked up as the door opened, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV. "Hey," he said as Sam walked into the room. "I talked to my sergeant today." He got to his feet as she walked past him. "They've got this child care program. Yeah, I know this girl is older than most kids in child care, but they said she could come and help them with the little ones. It would only be during the summer, when she's not at school or when both of us are working.

"I know your schedule is a bit crazy, but if we work things right, we can coordinate off days, try to leave her alone as rarely as possible. Things are a little cramped right now, but I talked to a friend of mine. He thinks that the attic could be finished off quite easily. She could have her own room and everything."

He stopped, suddenly realizing that she wasn't responding. "Sam?" Is something wrong?"

She ignored him, her gaze riveted on the far wall. "Sam?" He sat beside her, taking her hand in his. It reminded him of the first time he'd ever seen her, covered in blood, some of it hers, shocked and shaking on a worn down sofa.

This wasn't quite the same. There was no sheet shrouded body this time. "Sam? Tell me what's wrong. Is Cassandra ok? She didn't get sick again?"

"Colonel O'Neill…" She stopped and took a deep breath. "He's got a wife and son and a nice big house. He'll probably even get a dog," she said, her voice flat. "It'll be a much nicer home for her than a woman living with a man who's been accused of murdering her husband."

"Oh Sam." He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

"I wanted her," she whispered. "I really, really wanted her."

He held her, his tears mingling with hers. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair.

~Fin~

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