Title: The Embassy

Author: Carhop

Email: carhop6506@yahoo.com

Rating: R multiple POV, Sam/Jack UST, angst, RST, sexual situations

Pairings: Sam/Jack, suggestion of Sam/Other and Jack/Other, Janet/Daniel

Archive: SJD, yes; Heliopolis, yes; Gateworld, yes; others please ask.

Summary: Earth sets up an embassy on a neutral world, alongside those of many other worlds. After Jack's knee finally gives out, the President reworks SG-1 and assigns them to work out of the embassy.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/ Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Do not archive without permission of the author.

Time Frame: Season 7 or after.

Minor Spoilers: Children of the Gods, Broca Divide, The Nox, Point of View, 100 Days, Small Victories, Redemption, Disclosure, Fallen, Homecoming, Changeling, Orpheus, Birthright.

Status: Complete

Author's Notes: I know Janet dies in late S7, but I've ignored that little fact for this fic and taken her in another direction. I've also totally ignored Pit Shanahan. Feedback is always much appreciated. Profuse thanks to my excellent beta readers Shane, Fulinn, and Eleri. I offer special thanks to San Brontecook for reading this (among others) with a clear eye and setting me straight about inconsistencies. You're the best San. Any remaining errors are my own.

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Week 1 Day 4

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Jack O'Neill grimaced and groaned as his left foot hit the ramp harder than usual and the extra stress on his knee caused him to stumble.

"Sir, are you alright?" asked his second, Sam Carter, her hand supporting his elbow, genuine concern in her voice.

"Yeah, just my bum knee after so much walking." His grimace belied the lightness of his tone.

"And which one of your bum knees would that be, Jack?" interjected a snickering Daniel Jackson, archeologist, linguist and former ascended being.

"Very funny, Daniel. You can only pray you're in such good shape when you're my age." He stumbled again as his left knee gave out with an audible pop and dumped him gracelessly on the metal grid. Jack groaned from the pain, clutching at his knee.

"Uh, maybe not, Jack." Doctor Jackson immediately handed his weapon and pack to a waiting airman, and then unclipped both of his teammates' packs to tender them as well. With a glare at Daniel, Major Carter helped her CO to his feet and supported him as he hopped on one foot toward the large doors leading out of the gate room.

"Daniel!" snapped Major Carter as the younger man stood tiredly at the foot of the ramp. She knew Teal'c would have gladly taken the weight of their commander, but she felt Daniel should do it after his little display of unsympathetic sarcasm. He scurried to catch up and took Jack's other arm across his shoulders, sharing the weight of his friend as they walk-hopped to the infirmary.

"This is a switch," commented Doctor Janet Fraiser, base Chief Medical Officer, as she watched three quarters of SG-1 bounce its way into her infirmary, followed by Teal'c. "For once, it's not you being helped in here, Daniel." Speaking to Sam, she indicated a bed to her left, "Put him there, if you please." Turning to Colonel O'Neill, the doctor asked, "What happened, sir? You weren't shot again, I hope."

Grimacing again in pain and annoyance, Jack snapped, "No, just my damned knee. I hit the ramp hard on the first step out of the gate and it gave out on me. It doesn't help that we marched at least ten klicks between the Stargate and the city today and ten yesterday, all hills."

"Well, let's take a look and then get an MRI, sir." He sighed in frustration, knowing from experience the regimen of physical therapy this little injury would cost him. By the time his subordinates' post-mission exams were done, the MRI image was in Janet's hands and she was almost clucking over the damage such a minor accident had caused. Teal'c, Daniel and Sam hovered around their commander, exchanging worried looks.

"Okay, give it to me, Doc. What's the verdict?" Jack shifted uncomfortably on the bed and moved the icepack on his knee to a more effective position. The doctor glanced at the colonel's teammates, silently asking if he minded them being present. "They might as well hear it now. It affects them, too."

"Well, sir, I can't make a definitive diagnosis based on one MRI and an external exam, but it looks like the anterior cruciate ligament is torn. At the very least, you'll need surgery to repair the damage; and you have a slight sprain in the other knee from the fall on the ramp. You'll be in a wheelchair until the swelling in your right knee goes down. I'm ordering a set of tests and scans of your knee and will send everything to an orthopedic surgeon I know at the Academy hospital. When I get her diagnosis back, maybe as early as tomorrow, we'll talk about your options."

"Options? I don't think I like the sound of that." Jack lay back on the bed with a groan, an arm thrown over his eyes. It had been such a good day. How could it have turned so bad so quickly?

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Week 1 Day 1

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*SAM*

A casual comment Thor, the Asgard fleet commander - pardon me, that's Supreme Commander - had made to Daniel became the basis for not only our mission to PJB-007, but so much more. The little gray being had mentioned a world where the Asgard and other species kept embassies. Daniel hadn't been able to follow up on the lead until several weeks later so he recruited my help to finish his research in time for a presentation to General Hammond. Daniel and I were in his lab looking for anything on the planet when Colonel O'Neill poked his head around the door jam.

"Whatcha workin' on, kids?" At Colonel O'Neill's sarcastic remark, Daniel unburied his nose from the laptop and I turned away from the other computer to face my grinning CO.

"Researching a new planet Thor told me about," Daniel replied tersely.

"Am I gonna like it? Don't tell me. Let me guess. It has trees," joked O'Neill with a twinkle in his sable eyes.

Daniel snorted softly and grinned at his best friend, "It's a meeting place, neutral territory and embassy row all rolled into one. Several of our allies already keep a delegation there along with others we've never even heard about. Even the Goa'uld use it to deal with each other."

"Sounds cool. It got any good restaurants? Beaches? Sightseeing?" The colonel was in rare form and I found it remarkably charming. Unfortunately. Keep your mind on your work and not on forbidden fruit, Samantha, I chided myself.

"We'll know that, Jack, if General Hammond approves my proposal for a mission."

*DANIEL*

Two days later, all four of us left for PJB-007, Teal'c having returned from a brief visit with his son, Rya'c. After Doctor Fraiser declared Teal'c fit for duty, we received a "Go" from General Hammond.

As the four of us paced up the ramp, Jack was going on and on and on about the planet's designation. "It's got to be a joke, right? PJB-007 as the name for an embassy planet probably full of spooks. What bozo picked that name - Ian Fleming's grandson?"

"Jack, we've already heard this at least ten times. Can you just let it go?" It was really, really getting on my nerves.

Clearly feigning hurt, Jack harrumphed. He walked silently through the event horizon, pointedly ignoring Carter's mimed and obviously heartfelt "Thank you!" to me. The corner of Teal'c's mouth lifted ever so slightly. Jack remained silent through most of the long walk from the Stargate to the center of a rather large city, perhaps sulking at our lack of appreciation of his humor. I certainly didn't care, so long as he stayed quiet.

As we walked through the streets, I kept up a continuous lecture on what I saw. "The city looks faintly Polynesian in origin with a bit of country French influence thrown in. Note that the neighborhoods are a hodgepodge of wood houses with wide covered porches and large windows, as though built for a hot climate, right next to angular stone and painted stucco walls."

"It makes for a rather odd mix, Daniel, if you take into account the fact that France didn't colonize Polynesia until the 19th century, thousands of years after the Goa'uld left Earth," Sam commented, avidly glancing around at the houses to either side of the quaint cobbled streets. Parks dotted the cityscape, filled with lush displays of exotic flowering plants, and people with dark hair and deeply tanned skin.

"There's no analogous culture in Earth's history, although the closest *would* be French Polynesia. That's one reason I needed your help in researching similar cultures. The little hints Thor dropped gave me almost nothing to go on in preparation for the mission."

"Do you think the Asgard ambassador will assist us, DanielJackson?" Teal'c spoke for the first time since leaving the SGC.

"I'm hopeful that he will. It's to their advantage to help us become less dependent on Asgard protection."

We stopped periodically to ask directions. People were amazingly friendly and helpful, freely pointing the way and offering advice on where to stay. The Asgard "embassy" turned out to be a plain-faced façade, behind which was a room, bare of furniture and ornamentation.

"I, uh, guess we just wait until someone shows up," I hazarded, looking around the room.

Jack spoke, finally. "Nowhere to sit either. They must not get too many repeat visitors." He turned to open the door we'd just come through and found no knob. "Great! Carter, get us out of here."

"Yes, sir." Sam was already pacing around the perimeter of the room, skimming her hands across the walls, searching for who knew what. Just as she finished her inspection, a flash of light preceded the appearance of a small gray-skinned large-eyed being. He made a small, graceful nod in our direction.

"Greetings. I am Bragi, the Asgard Ambassador to Hawai'iki. How may I assist you?"

I whispered an aside to my teammates, "Norse god of poetry and eloquence. Good choice for an ambassador." I stepped forward to address Bragi. "We are representatives from Earth. I'm Daniel Jackson. This is Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c. Our mutual friend Thor mentioned this planet to me. We hope to establish an embassy and would like to ask for your assistance. Particularly, we'd like advice on where to start."

"Yes, Commander Thor said I should expect you sometime soon. Others claimed the best locations in Hawai'iki many decades past, but the Lojan deserted their embassy a few weeks ago, after Anubis destroyed their world. No planet, therefore no reason for a delegation." The little being paused as though to gauge our response to what I assumed was his attempt at humor. I smiled encouragingly. "If you hurry, you may be able to stake a claim to the compound before someone else does," Bragi advised and quickly gave us directions to his suggested location.

Sam asked, "Won't the owner of the building mind if we just plant our flag on the front door?"

Shaking his head, Bragi replied, "The Lojan *were* the owners. Now, whoever gets there first will own the facility." Blinking, Bragi glanced around at us humans. "It is a system that works. Seldom is there strife over such a transition. You will find that there are well-defined rules on this world that you would be wise to learn and follow."

I interjected, "We very much appreciate your guidance, Bragi. I hope that you will be willing to assist us while we learn. We're a young race, but eager to learn the proper etiquette of the wider community."

"Well spoken, young human. I think I will find instructing you most entertaining. Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to some rather pressing duties. One last word of advice, do not eat the food you find in the Lojan building." Bragi glanced at Sam. "It would taste worse to you than *our* food." Sam winced, most likely at the thought of food more revolting than that of the Asgard. The diminutive alien bowed his head and, before we could say goodbye, vanished in another burst of light. The door swung open with an audible snap as the latch released.

"At least he opened the door," Sam said genially.

O'Neill piped up, "Let's go find the place Braggy talked about and lay claim, if someone else hasn't beaten us to it."

Bragi's directions were very good, guiding us through opulent neighborhoods and wide tree-lined avenues to a slightly narrower street that ran along the crest of a hill overlooking the city. About a quarter mile along the street, we could see a tall stucco wall about a hundred feet long, in the middle of which stood a pair of elegant wrought iron gates. Moving closer, we saw that the gates opened into a stark cobbled courtyard littered with dead leaves.

"Shall we go in?" I suggested. Glancing to my left, I saw Sam was picking through her vest pockets. Finding a pad of florescent green paper and the marking pen she used to label samples, she wrote something in block letters, one character to a page. "Daniel, find the surgical tape, would you?" she mumbled with the pen in her mouth.

"What is the purpose of that, MajorCarter?" inquired Teal'c as I searched for the medical kit.

"Be patient and you'll know what it's for as soon as Daniel finds the tape." She softened her words with an affectionate smile for the Jaffa.

I held out the adhesive tape at last. Sam took the pages and stuck their adhesive strips in three parallel lines to the wall by the gate. She grabbed the tape and applied four strips to secure the pieces of paper to the wall. With a flourish and a grin, she said, "With this sign, I lay claim to this compound for the planet Earth." The makeshift sign read "Embassy of the Planet Earth."

"You are amazing, Carter. I never would have thought to use Post-its to take ownership of an embassy." Jack flashed his best grin and she blushed slightly around her smile. Sam had never been able to take praise well, however slight, especially from Jack.

Having staked our claim to the compound with her homemade sign, Sam regally preceded her teammates through the gates and stopped just inside.

"Wow." Jack gaped after he passed the ornate barriers. Spinning on one foot through 360 degrees to see the whole space, Jack scanned the substantial area around us. Following his example, albeit with a little more dignity, I saw that the building comprised three of the walls surrounding the courtyard. The fourth side was the outer wall and gateway through which we'd just passed. Many shuttered windows, underlined by window boxes full of dead and dying foliage, punctuated the stone walls.

"Let's check out the inside," Jack ordered as he strode to the double doors across the courtyard and pushed the left door inward.

"Right behind you, sir," Sam noted, her P90 rifle at the ready to defend her CO, if need be.

The deserted structure somehow oppressed any desire to speak. As we silently surveyed the empty spaces, I filmed each echoing room and Sam, apparently having decided there was no immediate threat, sketched a floor plan of the mansion. I watched as Jack and Teal'c noted the placement of windows and gauged the defensibility of the building, using gestures rather than words to point out features. Our years together removed all need for speech.

Through windows on the rear, beyond faded formal gardens, we saw more structures, probably outbuildings for the main house. Finally, finished with the last unlocked room in the basement, we returned to the courtyard. The lowering sun threw long web-like silhouettes of the spidery gates across the space, lending it the atmosphere of a place deserted for years rather than mere weeks.

Jack spoke for the first time since beginning the tour of our new acquisition. "Let's set up camp in the foyer. Sorry campers, no fire tonight. I don't think the new ambassador will approve of us scorching his or her pretty floor."

I spent an uncomfortable night in the echoing grand foyer, tossing and turning on the ornate and oh-so hard stone floor. The amount of thrashing about of bodies inside the other sleeping bags led me to believe that my companions fared no better. The next morning, after using zip-ties to secure the gate, we hiked the ten kilometers, mostly downhill, back to the gate.

"O'Neill, you are limping," Teal'c observed as we neared the Stargate.

"Just my knees. They truly hate going downhill. Now me, I don't really care, but *they* have a habit of making their opinion known. Well, we're almost to the Stargate. I feel the spa and a beer calling my name." Unfortunately, a loose stone on the 'Gate platform spoiled his plans.

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Week 1 Day 5

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*JANET*

"I'm sorry, Colonel O'Neill, but it looks as though you are in for some months of recovery and therapy to rehabilitate your knee. One of the most important elements in your successful recovery after this type of surgery is following an exercise and therapy program for four to six months. Even then, you won't have the same functionality as before due to the excessive amount of scar tissue and damage left from previous injuries." Captain Casselle, the orthopedic surgeon I'd called in, gave her bad news with a detachment that grated on me, as though she couldn't be bothered to feel bad for Colonel O'Neill.

"Thank you, Doctor Casselle. You've given me a lot to think about. I guess I'll go . think about it now." He grimaced, wheeled his chair around and left my office abruptly.

"Not too big on social amenities, is he?" quipped Doctor Casselle.

"What do you expect, Doctor?" I snapped at the younger officer. "You just told a man who lives for action that his years in the field are over." With that, I practically pushed Doctor Casselle out of my office, alluding to preparations I needed to make for a returning team.

I walked to the colonel's room, but there was no sign of him. Searching, concerned for his state of mind, I made my way to Daniel's lab, Teal'c quarters, the colonel's office, and then Sam's lab. Sam was the first member of SG-1 I found.

"Sam, I haven't been able to locate Colonel O'Neill and have to get back to the infirmary. SG-11 is due back soon and they *always* need my services. Would you try to find him? I can't give you any details without breaching patient confidentiality, but he really needs someone right now." Her immediate expression of concern for him gave me hope.

"Of course I will." I quickly told her where I'd already been and could see Sam mentally crossing them off her list of places to look.

*SAM*

Making an educated guess about where he'd be, I headed for the surface. He couldn't get far in that wheelchair, but there were several paved paths through the small park-like area up top.

The sentry greeted me, "Morning, ma'am."

"Good morning, Sergeant Tunnyhill. Have you seen Colonel O'Neill pass this way recently?"

"Yes, ma'am. He took off for the trails. Little chilly today, if you ask me ma'am, to be wheelin' around on top of a mountain, even if it is spring down below," the young E-3 volunteered.

"Thanks," I threw over my shoulder and set a quick pace, almost jogging, to catch up with my CO. From his past experiences, he really knew how to make that chair fly around the curves and hills of the pathways. After several minutes of walking, arms wrapped around my body in the chilly breeze, I heard the telltale sound of wheels on the gravel edge of the path. Walking more quickly, I caught up to him. He sat staring out over the valley below.

Kneeling next to the arm of the wheelchair holding my colonel, I said, "Sir? I won't ask if you're okay, because it's pretty obvious you're not. You're starting to turn blue, sir. Can we go inside?"

He shook his head. "I need to be alone for a little while, Carter. Go in before you get cold, too." His voice was as devoid of emotion as his blank face.

"Too late for that, Colonel. Besides, I'm not leaving you alone. Friends don't do that." I rested my hand on his arm and asked softly, "Talk to me."

He looked at my hand and sighed in defeat. Not looking at me, he told me what was bothering him. "Janet and the ice queen surgeon just dropped the bomb. No more fieldwork or combat for me. I just can't cut it with this knee any more, even with surgery and months of physical therapy."

"Sir, what can I say? I won't tell you there are many things you can still do for the Air Force. You know that already." Impulsively, I leaned forward and put my arms around his shoulders. The colonel froze when I hugged him, apparently startled, then relaxed into the embrace. I don't imagine his last second, Kawalsky, ever hugged him. The contact made my heart race.

Pulling back at last, I felt my face heat up. "I'm sorry, sir. That wasn't very professional of me."

"Don't be silly, Carter. I really needed that hug . much more than a phony pep talk. Thanks, Sam." He still looked as though he wasn't feeling at all good about his future, but at least he wouldn't be alone. The other members of SG-1 and I would make sure of that.

He flashed a grin at me that took my breath away. There was something in his smile I couldn't identify, but made me want to see it again. Turning the chair sharply away, he quipped, "Race you to the elevator. It's cold out here!"

*DANIEL*

Within the week of our return, I gave my proposal for an Earth embassy on PJB-007. The initial presentation to my teammates, Major Davis and General Hammond was a practice run for the presentation to the President.

I opened the speech with some background, the sort of thing that routinely puts Jack into a coma but builds the foundation needed for the remainder of the talk. "If the inhabitants of Hawai'iki were truly transplanted from Earth, then their planet is named for the fabled homeland of the Hawaiians. We're hopeful this ancient kinship may be to our advantage with the Hawai'ikians." The presentation continued for another 45 minutes until I was ready to wrap up my argument.

"The presence in one city of so many species and cultures could save us years of searching worlds for possible allies. Moreover, the intelligence gathering opportunities appear limitless. The Hawai'ikians have built their economy on trade in information. Earth's presence on Hawai'iki represents an opportunity unparalleled in our short years of interstellar travel."

With some reworking and rewording of the talk, General Hammond gave his approval. A week to the day later, he and I made our pitch to the President via videoconference.

After a lengthy question and answer session, the President remarked in his clipped New England accent, "I'm quite captivated by the idea, Doctor Jackson. However, I have a number of people to speak with before I can give you an answer. Now that our Earth allies are aware of the existence of the Stargate and the program, they must be included in the decision to place an embassy off world. I'll get back to you within the week. Thank you again, Doctor Jackson, General Hammond."

"How do you think it went, sir?" I nervously asked the general after the President dismissed us.

"As well as it could have, son. I'd have been extremely surprised to get an answer right away. Like the President said, things are a lot more complex now that we've let the cat out of the bag." The portly general chuckled, evidently satisfied we'd done our best. "Now, we just have to be patient."

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Week 3 Day 7

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*JACK*

I uncertainly clutched, in the hand not occupied by a crutch, my transfer paperwork. Procrastinating, I thought, Hammond's been more than patient with me. It's time to give him my answer. At least I'm out of that damned chair.

The hefty cast made maneuvering around corners at speed an exercise in logistics, but it beat trying to maneuver a big hurkin' hospital wheelchair around halls and elevators. Stopping in front of my commander's door, I knocked and heard, "Enter." Taking a deep, cleansing breath, then another and another, I opened the door before I hyperventilated. Clomping my way over to his desk, I placed the letter before the general.

"I've come to give you this, sir. It's my request for a transfer from SG-1 to another position. Assuming you have one for me." I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do now that my field days were over, but sitting at home in retirement wasn't it. I'd been there, done that. I wasn't the same man who'd spent an entire year brooding over things I couldn't change.

"Thank you, Colonel. I know it wouldn't have been your choice to leave SG-1 this way, but we do have need of your talents here." Hammond smiled encouragingly and gestured for me to sit.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips before I could stop it. Hammond had already said the Air Force wouldn't force me into retirement, but I was well aware of the enemies I'd made in high places. "Thank you, sir. Doctor Fraiser says I'll be off duty for another six weeks, but I'm making good progress, all things considered. As soon as she clears me for light duties, I'd like to return. There's only so much cleaning and fixing up around the house a guy can stand."

He chuckled in sympathy. "That's good news, Colonel. We'll be happy to have you back." Hammond withdrew two folders from his desk drawer and handed them to me. "I have a couple of positions here you might want to consider. You're more than qualified to do either, so the choice is yours. Read the job descriptions and let me know within the next two weeks if you'd like either one. I assume you'll want to tell your team yourself."

"Yes, sir, just as soon as we're through here."

He noticed I was hesitating before turning to leave. "Is there anything else, Jack?"

"Yes, sir. I know we've discussed this before, but I wanted to make my recommendation again that Major Carter be seriously considered to lead SG-1 and for that next promotion. She's more than qualified and has proven herself repeatedly over the past seven years."

Hammond smiled and asked, "Since I forced you to accept her on your team, you mean?"

I returned his smile. "Yes, sir. Best thing you ever did for me . uh, and the team."

"You recommendation is duly noted, Colonel. For the record, I agree completely, but it's up to the Joint Chiefs and the President." Dismissed, I clomped my way out of his office and toward a meeting that I dreaded.

*GENERAL HAMMOND*

Later that day, the President replied to our proposal. "General Hammond, Doctor Jackson, I'm pleased to report that we have a tentative agreement from our allies, so long as they are included in crucial decisions. I'm sure I can trust you, Doctor Jackson, to do that as the new ambassador to Hawai'iki."

Doctor Jackson started, obviously taken aback. "B-b-but sir, I wasn't asking for the job for myself! There are many others much more qualified than I am. Beside, I'm a charter member of SG-1, a-a job that I love."

"You'll still work with SG-1, just not in the same capacity as before. As the new ambassador of Earth, you'll be leading your companions now," the President announced with a self-satisfied smile.

"Sir! No, really, I couldn't take that opportunity from Major Carter. *She* should be leading SG-1."

He smiled smugly. "And so she shall, with some changes. I've explained everything in your orders, which the general should have in his email inbox by now. Good luck, Doctor." The screen went blank and the President was gone.

A stunned, newly made ambassador sat back while I searched through the morning's email. "Here it is." I scanned the documents, my smile growing as I read. "Let me print you a copy, Doctor Jackson. I think you're going to like this."

*SAM*

"Carter, team meeting, my office, 1400 hours." Before I could say a thing, Colonel O'Neill was gone, skillfully pivoting around the door jam on his crutch tip, using the weight of his cast to slingshot him into the hall. I listened to the squeak-clomp of his steps as he hobbled down the hallway toward Daniel's lab and then, presumably, Teal'c's quarters.

At 1355, I stood nervously outside my CO's office. The meeting had to be about his future with SG-1. Sucking in a deep breath, I knocked and entered when invited.

"Hey, Carter, sit down. Daniel and Teal'c should be here any time." Searching for a place to sit, I chose the straight-backed, barely padded guest chair over the scruffy sofa on the right wall. Relaxing was the last thing on my mind just then.

"Sir, is there anything you can tell me before they get here? I assume this is about where SG-1 goes from here."

"Sorry Major, no advance hints. Besides, I don't know all the details myself yet."

I tensed and reflected to myself that the news mustn't be good. The Joint Chiefs must not have decided to give me SG-1 and they're looking for a replacement. Not hearing a word the colonel said, I fidgeted anxiously until my two other teammates arrived.

"What's up, Jack?" Daniel asked as he flopped down on the ancient sofa and Teal'c took a seat more gracefully.

"Well, I'll make this short. As of midnight, I'm no longer your CO. I gave Hammond my request for transfer this morning." He paused to glance at each of us. I followed his gaze and saw resignation and disappointment on my teammates' faces. "Until they make a permanent assignment, Carter is in charge. My knee is shot and Hammond's generously offered me a couple of other positions from which to choose. I have two weeks to give him my decision." The colonel looked at each of us again. "Any questions?" We sat for several seconds in shock at his barebones announcement.

Daniel recovered first and cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. I hate to overshadow your announcement, Jack, but has General Hammond showed you the orders I got a couple of hours ago from the President?" The colonel shook his head, so Daniel handed out copies of the multi-page document, a look of annoyance marring his handsome face. "The long and short of it is that I'm now the Earth ambassador to Hawai'iki. The, uh, President apparently mistook my proposal for a job application."

"Daniel, congratulations!" I hugged him and the others shook his hand. Then it struck me that we were really breaking up after seven years together. SG-1 was dissolving.

He sat down again. "And there are new opportunities for you, Sam and Teal'c, if you want them. The President was very thorough in his planning."

I'd been scanning the orders since I sat back down, absorbing every syllable relating to SG-1 and my future. Stunned, flabbergasted and thunderstruck don't begin to describe how I felt and I sat gaping at the pages in my hands.

"MajorCarter, you are quite pale. Are you alright?"

"I think so, Teal'c, but you may want to ask me again after I absorb all these changes. The colonel leaving and the rest of us offered jobs off world."

*JACK*

"Come on, you three. Drinks at O'Malley's, on me, no argument. We need to celebrate all of our new jobs. I'll see you at the elevator by our quarters in 90 minutes." I shooed them out the door and collapsed in my chair, thinking about what I hoped to get out of this change to our lives.

I mused, Just my luck, as soon as we're free of the regs, she goes off world. At least there's no one else to compete with for her affections. I hope. No more delays, I have to speak with her tonight.

The thought of losing Sam after waiting what seemed like forever was too much. We'd given up so much for the war against the Goa'uld. Now we finally had a chance to be together, assuming I didn't screw up this relationship too.

Hey, no pressure.

*JANET*

"Sam, are you alright? You're white as a sheet," I asked my best friend.

She looked up at me, blue eyes huge, from her seat on the locker room bench. "I-I'm not sure. My whole world is upside down. The colonel just told us he's quit SG-1. Then Daniel showed us our new orders."

"May I ask what the new orders say? Are you getting command of SG-1?" I slid onto the bench next to Sam.

She drew a shaky breath and let out a little laugh. "SG-1's charter is changing and . I do get command. It's now a team of four to five scientific specialists, plus Teal'c. We'll be based out of the new embassy on Hawai'iki."

"Hawai'iki, where's that?" I listened in stunned silence as Sam summarized the events I'd missed.

"No wonder you're in shock, Sam. What an opportunity." Slightly in shock myself, I turned to face Sam. "Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know just yet. I have to talk it over with the guys and the general - and Dad, if I can find him. I need more details."

"Cassie and I'll miss you, Sam." I wrapped my arms around her for a congratulatory hug. We both knew Sam would jump at this opportunity, regardless of what those details turned out to be.

*JACK*

Drinks at O'Malley's were more sedate than the last time SG-1 was there; no fistfights, no being tossed out and barred.

"I think this calls for champagne," I announced after sitting down at our table. When all four of us had a glass, we toasted our seven years of companionship and our futures.

Then Daniel turned to me. "So, give. Tell us about the two positions you have to decide between."

I shifted to face him. "First, the Academy is looking for a new instructor of strategy and tactics. Second, the SGC is adding more teams again and seriously needs to start a formal in-house training program. The second job would also involve tactical consulting."

"So?"

"Well, Daniel, I'm getting to that. Hammond did well by me, but it took all of 30 seconds to decide. Can you really see me in that group of stuffed shirts? No, I'm taking the second job."

"Congratulations, sir. You'll do a *wonderful* job. And we'll still be able to see you whenever we're on Earth." Carter's smile was breathtaking. She was seriously happy for me.

She talked excitedly, eyes shining, about the missions she'd like to lead and the type of team members she hoped to recruit. "I already have two people in mind I'd like to steal from other teams." She glanced sidelong at me and said evilly, "Just creating some openings for your trainees, sir." We laughed together, still working as a team. "We'll investigate leads to new archeological and scientific finds *and* actually get to research the items we bring back instead of sending everything to Area 51. Plus, we'll have access to all sorts of new technology on Hawai'iki."

Daniel went on and on about the plans he had for building beneficial relationships with the various factions on Hawai'iki and the opportunities this would provide him for some research of his own. Frankly, my mind zoned out after about two sentences. Watching Carter was much more fun. She practically oozed eagerness for the four of us. Her cheeks glowed, no doubt helped by the wine. I tried not to stare, but she was stunning that night.

Teal'c was his usual stoic self at first, but he was positively boisterous after one glass of wine. No more Junior to spoil his fun, so we could tease out his plans for the future. Along with his duties on SG-1, he'd be running the security for the new embassy. His real hopes were for helping to rebuild the aborted Jaffa rebellion.

They all had such exciting prospects; I was a little envious. I'd just have to make my own domain exciting, too, or live vicariously through them.

Teal'c and I excused ourselves briefly for a bio-break. Later, hobbling back, I approached our table from behind a fancy partition. I stopped for a moment to relieve the pressure of the crutch on my arm and overheard them talking. Ashamed of eavesdropping, I started to walk again, but stopped at what I heard.

"Sam, what about your relationship with Jim? How can you leave now?"

"I don't know, Daniel. I don't even know if he loves me. What if he just wants to be friends?" The depth of emotion in her voice surprised me.

"Do you? Love him, that is?"

She paused shortly. "Yes, I do, Daniel, more than I ever thought possible."

My stomach fell through the floor. So, Sam has someone else. I've waited too long to say something. Maybe it's been too late for some time and she was afraid to tell me. Daniel obviously knew. Who else knows?

My thoughts ran in circles until I shook myself out of the trance her words had induced.

Daniel shifted in his seat. "What are you going to do about it? You should talk with him."

Carter snorted softly. "You're asking the wrong person to do that. I haven't had a personal life for so long I wouldn't even know how to start the conversation. What about you and Janet?"

"Come on, Sam. There is no me and Janet, you know that. It's not as if I have a life either. What would she and Cassie do on an alien planet?"

"Cassie's a pre-med student now, Daniel. She can get along just fine without her mommy, and I happen to know that Cassie's mom likes you an awful lot." She paused and changed tactic. "Well, anyway, we'll have each other and Teal'c's shoulder to cry on. His shoulders have gotten pretty damp over the years. Even if we can't have the colonel there, we'll have the three of us."

Their conversation had shaken me badly, but it was time to join them before Teal'c came back from the men's room and caught me listening. Taking up my crutch, I rounded the corner and slid in across from them. Carter's eyes were a little red. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing much, sir." She made a face as she glanced at Daniel and he stayed silent.

"I must take my leave now," Teal'c said, suddenly appearing beside our table. "MajorCarter, I will take a taxi back to the base. You need not go back there tonight."

"I don't mind at all, Teal'c." Carter started to gather her things. "I have a couple of tests I ought to check anyway."

"I should go, too. I have an early meeting tomorrow." Daniel stood to leave as well. Then, turning back toward the table, he asked, "Coming Jack?"

"What else can I do? You kids just have no stamina," I quipped to hide my powerful sense of dread.

****************************

Week 7 Day 7

****************************

*DANIEL*

Four very long and busy weeks later, Teal'c and I returned to Hawai'iki to join the detachment of Marines holding the fort at the villa.

"Major Adams, how have things been here? I see you've cleaned up." I gazed around the now well-swept and cleaned courtyard in astonishment. The fountain ran freely with clean water and masses of brightly colored flowers overflowed from the window boxes. The window glass sparkled and large clay urns with fragrant plants dotted the courtyard. "I appreciate your efforts."

"Wish I could take credit for all of it, sir, but when the neighbors saw us pushing brooms around the place they dropped by with cleaning supplies and pitched right in. The flowers all came from them, too. We were very careful about who we allowed inside, though, Mr. Ambassador, and the place was swept for bugs as soon as they all left."

Embarrassed, I groused, "I don't think I'll ever get used to being called Mr. Ambassador, Major. Thanks again, for your efforts. How are your troops getting along with their assignment here?"

"Well, it being a hardship tour - no families and all - they're missing home a little, but they'll settle into it soon. I've been on a couple of these tours before, and after a month or two things smooth out."

"Good. Teal'c will be in charge of security when he's not on missions with SG-1. If you have any security issues or need information, speak with him. Major Carter, when she and her new team arrive, will be in charge of any technology for the compound. I'd appreciate it if your techs could work with her on any projects that come up."

"I'll do that, sir."

"When do the rest of your troops arrive?" A special detachment, assembled just for this off world assignment, would eventually number between fifty and seventy-five. The first group had arrived with Major Adams while the security community back home vetted the rest.

"I hope the next group will be here next week, but you know how quickly the bureaucracy moves, sir." We exchanged wry smiles. "If you'll follow Lieutenant Moore, he'll show you where you can bunk. The rooms are pretty bare, but we found some old stuff in the attic and set up a couple of offices and apartments for you and Teal'c. If you need anything, we're in the barracks out back."

I was astonished they'd accomplished so much with so little. I looked gratefully at the major and remarked, smiling, "I'm glad you took this transfer, Major."

The beds were old, the mattresses lumpy, but we'd slept on much worse over the years. The next day I was inundated by local well-wishers and site-seers wanting to meet the new player in their midst. We were a seven-day wonder to the locals, and from such a "backward" planet, too.

Teal'c took charge of the security details and organized a thorough search of the mansion and outbuildings for breaches of the perimeter and anything that didn't belong. He arranged for repairs to the remarkably few items broken or stolen while the place had stood abandoned.

I hired and supervised craftsmen to begin refurbishing the mansion. There was enough work to keep the carpenters alone busy for a generation. Both of us had enormous jobs ahead of us and we loved every minute of it.

*SAM*

While Teal'c and Daniel were lying around, living the life of leisure, I was recruiting and interviewing for my last team member, and finishing any projects that I couldn't delegate. One Friday noontime just after Daniel and Teal'c had left Earth, Janet and I sat in the mess hall over lunch.

"I've signed up two new members for SG-1, written the requirements and supplies lists for the off-world labs, rented out my house, put my things in storage, had my mail forwarded to the SGC, and given away all my plants. Now, if I could get all of my open positions filled, I can get out of here."

"That anxious to leave? I thought you'd be figuring out ways to stay." Janet lowered her voice and asked conspiratorially, "So, uh, Sam, have you and the colonel, uh, you know?"

"Excuse me?" I really didn't know.

"Have you, well, done the dirty deed yet?" Her grin widened in anticipation of any dirt I could dish.

"Janet!" I could feel my cheeks positively glowing with embarrassment.

"Come on, give. Is he as good as he looks?"

I dropped my head to stare at my uneaten lunch and whispered miserably, "Janet, I haven't seen Colonel O'Neill since we all went to O'Malley's the day he resigned from SG-1. I've tried calling his office, calling his home, sending email, dropping by unannounced, leaving notes. It-it's like he's been avoiding me." I looked up to see her gaping at me in shock.

"Oh. I guess we . misjudged how he feels about you." Then, Janet put down her spoon a little more forcefully than strictly necessary, earning her a few curious looks. She lowered her voice to avoid fueling any more rumors and leaned toward me. "Darn it! No, we didn't. I've seen him sit by your bed for days on end when you were hurt. We've all seen the way he looks at you. That man loves you, Sam."

"Well, there's not much I can do if I can't find him is there?" I replied miserably.

"Not unless you happen to be best friends with his doctor." My head popped up to stare at my now smirking lunch companion.

"Janet. what are you plotting in that evil brain of yours?" I wasn't sure I liked the sound of this. On the other hand, what did I have to lose except the grinding loneliness of my life?

"A certain wounded bird colonel has an appointment for an exam this afternoon. I *could* be persuaded to ask him to wait in his office for the results of the MRI on his knee."

Encouraged, I chuckled. "So, what is this little favor going to cost me?"

"Hmm, how about, oh, maid of honor?"

"Dreamer." My smile slipped a little as I remembered the lonely weeks just past.

Two hours later, I stood outside my former CO's office. Janet had assured me that he would be inside waiting for the test results for at least 20 minutes. My hand hesitantly rose to knock when I heard, "Major Carter report to General Hammond's office immediately. Major Carter report to General Hammond's office."

"Arrgghh! Lousy timing," I protested as I spun on my heel and marched to the general's office as fast as I could get there without running. Let's get this over with so I can corner the colonel.

Hammond kept me cooling my heels in the outer office for at least ten minutes until the his aide motioned for me to go in. My firm knock was greeted with, "Come." I strode in, impatient, but trying not to show it.

"Sir."

"Sit down, Major. I have something for you." He opened the desk right-hand drawer and withdrew something he kept out of sight in his lap. "By all rights, Colonel O'Neill should be giving you these in a formal ceremony, but he asked me to do it for him and time is short before you leave." A small smile played around his mouth. I couldn't tell if it was amusement or pleasure.

"Yes, sir?" I prompted him, trying not to fidget. I thought to myself, Hurry up! The colonel's going to leave if I don't get down there soon enough.

General Hammond took pity on me and raised a small box from behind his desk. He pushed it across the desktop toward me. It looked rather familiar. "Sir, is that . what I think it is?" My heart was beating fast, my mouth dry.

"Perhaps. What do you think it is, Major? Or should I say, Lieutenant Colonel?" He chuckled, probably with delight at the dumbfounded look on my face. "I tried to get Jacob here for this, but he's off on another long-term mission. I know he'll be disappointed to have missed seeing you take this next step."

"I-I don't know what to say, except thank you." I felt my face stretching into a happy grin.

"As I said, you should be thanking Colonel O'Neill. He's been burning up the wires between here and the Pentagon for the last two weeks. They finally relented and expedited the paperwork just to be rid of him. It was his last act as commander of SG-1."

"Is that why he's been avoiding me, sir? So he could surprise me with this?"

Hammond appeared puzzled by the question. "Not that I'm aware of, Colonel. Perhaps you should ask him."

"If you'll excuse me, sir, I'll go do that." I stood to leave and stopped. "Thank you, again, sir. I know he couldn't have done this without your support."

"You're very welcome, Sam. The promotion is well deserved. When time allows, we'll schedule a ceremony so Jacob can attend." I grinned happily again and pivoted to exit his office.

I practically flew down the hall to Colonel O'Neill's office door. Rapping firmly, I waited for an answer and then knocked again. "Sir, it's Carter. I'd like to talk with you." Frustrated by silence, I tried the knob. Locked! Arg!

Several long, enervating hours later, feeling like a stalker, I sat in my car outside the colonel's house. It was an unseasonably warm night for late spring and unusually humid, retaining the day's heat. He wasn't home yet, so I waited, less than patiently, for his return, thinking, why didn't I bring my laptop to keep my mind from racing in circles? My fingers drummed on the steering wheel and then flipped impatiently through all of the radio stations for something, anything that would keep me from going crazy while I waited.

Finally, around 2200, his big F250 truck turned the corner and headed for his driveway. I slid down in the driver's seat to avoid him spotting me, but the skirt of my light cotton dress bunched up around my waist. Mumbling an aggravated, "Stupid dress." I tugged at it in frustration as I sat back up.

With only a few streetlights on his road and no moon out, my silver Volvo was practically invisible in the shadows of several trees. I bit my lip in anticipation and considered that maybe, if I could surprise him, he wouldn't get away this time. Oh, why don't I have my P-90! It would feel so comforting in my hands right about now.

As soon as the door closed behind him, I opened my car door, closed it quietly and trotted up the driveway, my sandals making practically no noise. I raised my hand to knock and paused, getting definite feelings of déjà vu from this afternoon. I muttered, "This is your last chance Jack O'Neill. You'd damn well better answer the door."

"Nice view, Carter. I'm sure the neighbors are enjoying it too," I heard from behind me.

I spun around. "Wha. what are you doing out here? And what's a nice view?"

He stood, looking incredibly hot leaning casually on a cane, his smirk nearly wide enough to split his face in half. "I may not be in the field anymore, Carter, but you can't skulk around my house without me noticing. And, uh, you might want to check out the back of your skirt before you leave home next time."

My hands flew to my posterior and felt -- nothing but skin! I closed my eyes and couldn't stop the plea from leaving my lips, "Oh, God." One side of my skirt was tucked inside the band of my thong, practically baring me from the waist down. "I don't suppose you can just forget this ever happened?" I asked as I pulled the offending material out to cover . things properly. Nothing like starting off a possibly life-altering encounter on the wrong foot.

"Whatcha doing here, Carter? Need some advice from your former CO *already*?" His tone was fading from amused to sarcastic.

"Can we talk inside, sir?" I was already at a severe disadvantage in the exchange. Standing out in his yard hadn't made me feel any more confident.

"Whatever," he replied, seemingly disinterested, and led the way through the front door and into the kitchen. "Beer?"

"I'd prefer wine, if you have it," I answered. Silently, I prayed for the alcohol to calm my nerves.

"There's a bottle of white left over from our last team get together." He poured the golden liquid into a stemmed glass and held it out toward me. Leaning back against the counter, hands on the edge, he asked, "So, why are you here, Carter? Boyfriend didn't call this weekend?"

"Huh? No. I wanted to ask why you've been avoiding me since you left SG-1." I gulped some wine and nervously swirled the remainder around in the glass, staring at it instead of him. "I mean, if you've changed your mind about how you feel a-about me I can understand. We never . made any commitments to each other. I just need to know ."

He frowned slightly. "Shouldn't you be saying this to Jim?"

"'Jim?' Now it was my turn to be baffled.

"Your boyfriend, Carter. Or do you go through so many of them you can't remember their names?"

How could he say that! I have no memory of doing it, but my wine, as though it levitated from the glass, splashed against his face. "You jerk! I don't know why I ever thought I could talk to you about this. I just wanted to know if you still cared for me and you treat me like a tramp."

Mopping his face with a paper towel, the colonel said, "I guess I deserved that. Sorry, Carter. I know very well you usually have no more of a personal life than any of the team does."

Cynicism laced my words, "Gee, thanks, sir. I appreciate your *complete* understanding of my situation. You *know* very well the reasons why I haven't seen anyone else."

"I don't know about that, but well, Jim's a lucky man." He turned away from me, his expression tight, controlled, his jaw clenching spasmodically.

This was just too much. I was furious at the colonel skirting the issue by implying that I was involved with another man. "Who is Jim?" I shouted.

"Your boyfriend, Carter. I accidentally overheard you and Daniel talking about him at O'Malley's last month."

"Wha .?" One hand over my mouth, I frantically thought back to the last SG-1 team night, running through my conversations that night. After a few seconds, the light dawned and I sniggered at his misunderstanding. The snigger became a chuckle, which turned into a laugh, then a full-blown guffaw. His face showed indignation over my laughter at his expense. Helpless, I bent over my aching stomach and gasped. "Oh god, just wait until Daniel hears about this."

"*What?*" Colonel O'Neill snarled with annoyance. It only made me laugh harder and I gasped for air.

With a great effort, I composed myself, wiped my eyes and stood, making sure this time my skirt was covering everything. Clearing my throat, I flashed what I hoped was a saucy grin at him, feeling in control of the conversation for the first time all evening.

"Did you know I've never *really* kissed Jim? At least, not when I was myself."

He held up his hands, palm out, and said intently, "TMI, Carter. Too much information."

"There's been a lot of speculation in the women's locker room about how *hot* he'd *really* be," I purred and stepped a little closer to my colonel.

"Again, too much information. Guys don't talk about each other like this, Carter." He backed away and nervously pressed his butt against the edge of the counter as though trying to get away.

Delighted with his physical responses, my smile got wider. I took another step, thinking, yeah, like they don't talk about women this way either. A derisive snort escaped.

"Janet tried to get me to tell her how *good* he is in bed." I put my hands on the counter to either side of his lean hips, suddenly deadly serious.

He looked about ready to panic. "For cryin' out loud, Carter. Give me a break here." Instead, I moved closer, pressing against him, molding my body to his. He was breathing hard, seemingly afraid to find out what I was up to and, yet, I could tell he was afraid not to.

My hand slipped around his neck and I pulled his head down to mine. My lips brushed softly, teasingly against his. My tongue skated across his lips and I momentarily replaced it with my lips. I licked my lips, tasting the wine, "Mmm, you taste *good*, Jack." A small moan escaped him.

I slid my other arm around his waist and pulled his shirt from the waistband of his jeans. I traced a line up his spine with my short nails, eliciting a violent shiver.

"Oh God, Sam. Why are you doing this to me?" His hands clenched the edge of the counter and his knuckles were white with the effort to hold on.

I pressed my lips to his and, my voice husky with desire, whispered, "Hi, Jim." My fingers twined in the soft hair at his nape. I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. His soft lips parted, admitting my tongue. I ground my hips against his groin, rubbing the evidence of his excitement through the thin fabric of my dress and the soft cloth of his worn jeans. I thought the counter would break, he gripped it so hard. I was sure they never taught how to resist this type of interrogation at the Air Force Survival Schools.

My words finally seemed to sink in and Jack stuttered, his control obviously almost broken, "J-J-Jim?"

Abruptly, I stepped back, breathing hard and shaking in every limb from the powerful desire to rip his clothes off. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. "Yeah, *Jim*." I smacked his forehead with the heel of my hand and walked the few steps toward the kitchen table to sit down before I fell down. Overheated and shaken from the amazing kiss, I slipped off my light sweater and put it over the chair back while I tried to calm myself.

His face showed unbounded confusion and, taking pity on him, I explained, "Do you remember when Daniel came back to us, he couldn't remember anyone?" Jack nodded mutely. "He called you 'Jim' and I kept reminding him that it was 'Jack'?" He nodded again, comprehension dawning in his amazing brown eyes. "Well, we started using Jim as a codeword for you and kept it up even after Daniel's memory came back. We were talking about *you* that night at O'Malley's."

Jack shut his eyes and grimaced. "Oh, crap, I am *such* a fool."

I pursed my lips in annoyance and replied, "You'll get no argument from me."

*DANIEL*

It was 2 a.m. and my guests had shown no sign of leaving yet. Apparently, the custom was to hold an open house as soon as a new embassy was established. I still hadn't gotten anyone to tell me how long the open house should last. At least they had brought their own refreshments.

"Oh, Mr. Ambassador, have another. These are a specialty of my planet, as well as a personal specialty." The lovely young female from Barave batted her eyelashes at me. Well, she actually batted the flabby ridge . things that served as eyelashes. It was really kind of creepy.

"They're delicious, but I couldn't possibly eat another thing, please." She batted them again and I repressed a shudder. Teal'c was nowhere in sight, lucky man. The timely appearance of her clan father, the Baraven ambassador, saved me from having to eat the mushy blue pile of . something she kept offering me.

I was exhausted from a very full day. Shortly after we arrived that morning, the parade of ambassadors, deputy ambassadors, ambassadorial spouses, their children, their friends, and sundry relatives and hangers-on began. Every one of them had an unmarried daughter, niece, sister, cousin or, in one case, brother to present. The day quickly took on a nightmarish quality.

The last fifteen hours or so had been a whirl of strange faces and unattached names. It would be weeks before I sorted them all. I'd learned early in the day to lock my apartment door and had Adams lock as many other doors as he could. The Hawai'ikians had an insatiable desire to poke around. It made me wonder why they'd never traveled off world.

Somewhere around three a.m., the visitors began leaving, one by one. By five o'clock, they were all gone. I collapsed into my bed and fell asleep immediately. By six o'clock, the tradesmen began arriving, all demanding oh-so-politely to see the ambassador.

*JACK*

"Sam, can you ever forgive me?" I felt such a fool.

She stood slowly and walked over to me. "Only if you're *completely* honest with me. No more avoiding me, no more assuming you know what's going on rather than finding out, no more deciding things for both of us." She caressed my cheek. "Deal?"

I turned my head to brush my lips lightly against her palm. "Deal. You have no idea how much the thought that you were with someone else hurt me, Sam."

"The same way it hurt me that you avoided me like the plague once the regs weren't an issue anymore. I had no idea what you wanted from me. Whether you just wanted to be friends or you had someone else I knew nothing about." Her eyes were filling with unshed tears. Carter never cried. It ripped my heart apart to think I was responsible.

"Sam, please forgive me. You mean more to me than my own life." I gathered her into my arms. "Without you, I don't really have a life."

She dipped her head shyly and, her warm breath feathering softly over my neck, suggested, "Well, you *could* make it up to me, Jack." Her use of my first name was as intimate as a caress.

"Anything. I'll do anything for you, Sam." Her hand slid from my shoulder down my chest, her index finger trailed over my abdomen, her hips molded against mine. Her other hand pulled my head down to her for the sweetest kiss I'd ever experienced. The kiss seemed to last no time at all, but I was suddenly gasping for air as though it had gone on forever. She moved her lips to my neck and shoulder.

"That's good, because we have a lot of wasted time to make up for, Jack."

I closed my eyes, guilt eating at me for that time we'd never get back. I silently vowed never to let her down again. A shiver flashed through my body as her tongue assaulted my collarbone. My breathing became ragged again and I think I moaned her name.

*TEAL'C*

DanielJackson had just agreed to give the tradesman ten domesticated bovine animals for a pound of grain, so I felt it was time to intervene. My seven years of research into Earth culture came to my assistance. "Mr. Ambassador, you are wanted by President Shmoo of Outer Slobovia - immediately."

"Oh, yes. Uh, thank you Teal'c. I'm coming right now." He was weaving on his feet; consequently, I took his arm. By the time we arrived at the stairs, his condition required that I carry my friend to his room. I removed his boots and covered him. His snoring promptly followed me as I returned to take care of the remaining merchants.

*SAM*

The next morning, I woke alone in an unfamiliar place. It was Jack's bedroom, but there was no sign of him. Not seeing any of my clothes, I grabbed a shirt lying across the bottom of the bed and pulled it over my head. The thing hung to mid-thigh, so I figured it was good enough coverage. I padded out to the kitchen looking for Jack. We had many things to discuss.

"Jack?" He bounded in through the back door, grinning widely, holding flowers picked from his yard in one hand and his cane in the other.

"*Good* morning, gorgeous." His eyes got really big. "Whoa."

"Uh, I grabbed the first thing I found to put on. I hope it's okay. I can change if it's not." Just my luck to have grabbed his favorite shirt.

"No, don't. You look incredibly sexy in my hockey jersey. It never looked that good on me."

I couldn't help grinning. "That's a matter of perspective, Jack. Somehow, I think you'd be pretty hot in it." His arms engulfed me and strong hands stroked my back. My head swam from the combined affect of his holding me and his distinctive scent - clean, musky, and masculine. I wanted him all over again.

He must have seen the desire in my eyes because Jack pulled me forcefully toward him and kissed me passionately. Hands roamed over my body, igniting a greater desire, and found their way under the jersey to my skin. Shivers of delight ran through me.

"Jack, bedroom," I got out between kisses. I cupped him through his sweat pants, squeezing gently, stroking.

"Oh, yeah." Despite his recent injuries, he scooped me up and carried me into the bedroom, the cane forgotten.

*JACK*

If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up. Cliché, I know, but it was true. The woman of my many dreams was lying in my arms, sleeping while I watched and I never, ever wanted to let her go. I always thought we'd be good together, but the reality was so far beyond my imagination.

Feeling breakfast was in order, I mentally reviewed my pantry and freezer, and then decided on making my specialty: a simple ham and Swiss omelet, toast, fresh fruit and coffee. When the omelet was keeping warm in the oven, I took some coffee into Sam. I set it down on the nightstand on "her" side of the bed and sat down beside her. Lashes rose, revealing enormous, crystalline blue eyes that were sucking me down into. Then, Whoa, Jack, where'd that come from? Get a grip here, passed through my mind. Man, I had it bad.

"You have enough time for a shower before breakfast is ready, Sam."

"Is that a hint, Colonel, or are you angling to join me?" Her grin was infectious and I returned it, though mine was probably a lot sappier than hers was.

"Don't tempt me, *Colonel*. If I do, breakfast will never be ready and I know how ravenous you are in the morning." She chuckled quietly.

"That reminds me, I owe you a huge thank you for pushing though my promotion. Especially when you thought I was seeing someone else." Well, that embarrassed me all over again for making an ass of myself.

"Yeah, well, you've earned it several times over, Sam. You should have had your own team years ago, but I was selfish. I didn't want to break up SG-1 or lose what little time you and I had to be together, even as just teammates." I was afraid of her reaction to my little confession, but her words were not exactly what I expected.

"Even if you did hold my career back a little, something, by the way, you're *never* going to do again on threat of evisceration . I love you, Jack O'Neill."

I'm afraid my voice was a little tight when I replied, "I love you, too, Samantha Carter." We shared a little kiss, a kiss so full of promise I never wanted to let her go. Finally, she pulled back, grabbed her coffee and headed for the bathroom.

"I'll be out in 15 minutes. Hope you made enough food for both of us. I'm starved."

When the door closed behind her all I could think of to say was, "Wow."

*TEAL'C*

I was well satisfied with my morning of trading. The merchants on this world were not prepared to face the *presence* of a former First Prime. They expected arrogance and greed; they were unprepared for negotiation by a master of the art.

Not only had I procured a week's worth of supplies for the inhabitants of the compound, I had reversed the less than fortunate trades made by my friend, DanielJackson. Major Adams' Marines were storing the perishables under his direction while I took my leave of the last tradesman, many of them having left after it became apparent that no easy currency would be made here.

I moved toward the Marine. "Major Adams, have you and your team opened the remaining locked rooms in the basement?"

"All but two. They've resisted all sorts of persuasion. I think we'll need a locksmith."

"They use the same sort of mechanism as the other locked doors?"

"No, sir. These two have more complex, electronic locks with a combination of some sort. None of my kids recognized the writing on the door either. Perhaps you could take a look?"

"Indeed, I will. I prefer to have no areas we have not explored, but, if I cannot open the doors, MajorCarter may be able to when she arrives." Major Adams nodded his agreement and we departed the courtyard for the basement.

*SAM*

"That hit the spot, Jack. I never knew you could cook so well. I'm glad one of us can. My repertoire is rather limited," I admitted a little self-consciously.

"Just because all I've ever cooked for you before is barbecue and MREs, doesn't mean that's all I can do." His smile held for a few seconds while I grinned back, and then faded.

I sipped my coffee and sensed from his expression that we were about to get down to some serious discussion now.

He stared at his mug, face open and vulnerable for the first time since I'd met him. "You know, Sam, if we ever got together, I kind of wanted to take this whole relationship thing slowly to make sure we get it right, but we sort of blew that whole theory last night." The corner of his mouth rose in a smile that made my heart suddenly beat harder.

"Yeah, about four or five times if you include this morning," I blurted, unsettled by his honesty, and snickered rather inappropriately. Realizing what I'd just said, I blushed furiously, mentally chiding myself, I have been spending *way* too much time with a certain colonel. The thought made a small smile play around my lips, but I quickly replaced it with an equally small frown.

"What are you thinking about, Sam?"

"Nothing." I suddenly got busy with cleaning up and not looking at him.

"Hey. Is something wrong?" His tone reflected true concern.

I put the plates in the sink and turned to face him from the relative safety of six feet away. "I just remembered I leave for Hawai'iki in less than two weeks. If I'm lucky, I'll be home once a month. What kind of relationship would we have living so far apart? It's not like I can phone you each night to ask how your day was." We'd taken one step forward and slipped back a few light years.

"That's a problem, but not an insurmountable one." Jack moved to stand in front of me and raised his hands to my shoulders. "We could start an old fashioned correspondence with real letters. Ya know, snail mail."

Incredibly pleased by his suggestion, I gushed, "You're brilliant, Jack."

****************************

Week 9 Day 4

****************************

*SAM*

Ten days, a lousy ten days were all we had before I had to leave. I've never been so exhausted in my life. Spending my days in the lab, meeting with General Hammond and working with my new team took more hours than there were in the day. More important, I made time to spend with Jack. I used to fantasize about him, now I dreamed about sleep.

Jack was wonderful and I saw a side of him never before revealed. Whatever time I got home, he'd hobble to the door and lead me to the couch. Off came my boots and jacket. A cup of my favorite tea would be waiting. He made me an excellent dinner each night even though I knew he was busy with plans for his new training unit.

After dinner, we'd make love or, when I was too exhausted, he'd hold me in his arms where I'd sleep soundly all night. It got harder each day to think about leaving him. I'd never been this happy or felt this loved.

When I got back to work the Monday after I'd "stalked" Jack, Janet cornered me in my lab wanting to know how things went Friday afternoon. "General Hammond called me into his office just as I was about to knock on the colonel's door. By the time I got back from speaking with the general, Colonel O'Neill was gone." It was evasive, but I wasn't quite ready to share our relationship with all of the SGC.

"So, you never got to see him. I'm sorry, Sam. We'll just have to think of something else. I hope the General had news good enough to make up for missing the colonel." I dipped my head to hide the grin I couldn't stop. "Sa-am, what are you hiding?"

I guiltily pulled my fatigue shirt off my chair and held it out to her. She gasped in delight when she saw the new insignia on the collar. "Sam! Why didn't you come tell me right away?"

"Well, I was running around like a headless chicken looking for the colonel, if for nothing else than to thank him for pushing through my promotion. When I missed him again, I didn't really feel much like talking."

"Oh, Sam. What can I say?" Her expression of sympathy almost made me 'fess up.

"Don't worry, Janet. I'm a big girl; I'll survive. If we're meant to be, it'll happen," I evaded, guarding my private life, even from my best friend. She'd kill me when she found out. Just so long as I told her before I left.

"Can you come to dinner Friday with Cassie and me? We'd love to see you before you go. How about we make it a girl's night? We'll rent a movie, eat junk food, drink some wine and tell lies about how we hate all men."

"Uh, it sounds wonderful, but I can't, Janet," I fumbled for an answer. "There's just too much to do between now and then. I promise I'll spend time with you next time I'm home."

"Okay, but I'm going to hold you to that, Lieutenant Colonel, ma'am." She threw a snappy salute my way and left the lab with a chuckle.

*TEAL'C*

This planet was most interesting. The people were friendly to the point of being intrusive. They participated in the activity O'Neill called "partying" to an extent that defied reason. They freely shared everything in their possession without complaint or, what was more amazing, ego. Being proud of one's giving was considered gauche and refusal of a gift was never taken as an insult. It was a truly mature society that, despite their tendency to give away everything they owned, still managed to achieve an impressive level of technology, in many ways far surpassing that of Earth.

My friend DanielJackson was in his element when speaking with the Hawai'ikian scholars and we often had hoards of them about the place. They would walk about the gardens or sat sipping cups of coffee, which my friend had introduced to the chef during our first week and the Hawai'ikians drank with great relish. My task of securing the residence was often more difficult due to the propensity of these intellectuals to wander freely as they discussed whatever subject caught their particular fancy. They knew nothing of privacy nor understood security. This trait kept me quite busy devising ways to deflect them from areas we wished kept private.

The one area in which the Hawai'ikians were not far in advance of Earth science was medicine. The transplanted Tau'ri on Hawai'iki had very sturdy constitutions and few diseases troubled them. Even the constant influx of alien and humanoid races had not significantly increased the incidence of illness. I suspected their Goa'uld master must have modified their genetic makeup considerably, as other Goa'uld had the Jaffa. Doctor Fraiser or a physician of her caliber would find this world and its inhabitants most interesting.

*JACK*

How I dreaded the day when she'd leave. The time since she'd confronted me had been wonderful. The days were full of working on my training program, personnel justifications, office and space requests, equipment lists and everything I could think of for my new unit. Annnnnd, every few minutes there was the little thought that would pop up of the delightful, beautiful, brilliant woman who owned my heart.

For the first time in years, I was able to exercise my cooking skills on someone besides a few unsuspecting party guests. Knowing how hard she worked and how little she ate if not reminded, I sent a page each day at 1800, "Time to come home, gorgeous. Dinner's almost ready." Within an hour or two, she'd be home, greeting me with a smile that would vaporize ice with its heat and a kiss that would curl my toes.

On the last day, I decided to start our correspondence a little early and sat down to write a letter. I made a lot of false starts and worked on it for hours. The finished letter I slipped into the bag of personal items she was taking with her to Hawai'iki. On the outside, I'd written, "Do not open until you get to the embassy."

*DANIEL*

Sleep, I needed sleep. My mirror showed a man on the edge of collapse. There just wasn't enough time in the twenty-eight-hour Hawai'ikian day to meet with everyone who asked for me *and* to sleep. In desperation, I went to Bragi for an answer to how I could politely refuse some of the invitations and visitors. He had to know what the local customs allowed.

The petite alien appeared, just like before, in a flash of light. "Ambassador Bragi, thank you for making the time to meet with me. I really need your advice and some information on the never-ending open house. Plus, how can I manage to find some time for duties and a few minutes to myself without insulting everyone who comes to see me?"

I could have sworn he was suppressing laughter. "I will be pleased to help you, Doctor Jackson. If you do not mind, let us retreat to my ship where we can speak in comfort." He made a gesture and a hidden mechanism whisked us to his ship. Several other Asgard stood at consoles in the room where we appeared. Nodding to them, Bragi led me to a room with comfortable, if somewhat small, furniture where we spoke for more than two hours.

The solution was so simple that I, in my inexperience and exhaustion, couldn't see it. Essentially, all of the senior staff members at the embassy took turns with me being on duty for visitors. They would be my representatives, relieving me from constantly having to dance attendance on guests. Now, I just had to break the news to the staff.

*JANET*

I stewed mentally over the situation between my two co-workers, feeling helpless. Poor Sam, I feel so badly for her. She deserves so much better. If I get that colonel in my infirmary, senior officer or not, I'm going to wring his neck. Sam was due to leave Earth that morning and several of us planned to see SG-1 off on its new assignment.

"Doctor Fraiser, it's time to go if we want to get there before them," Lieutenant Rush pronounced from my office door.

"Be right there." I locked my workstation and then joined her and the other women by the elevator. We took the next car to level 28 and hurried to the gate room. We milled around for several minutes until our lookout rushed in. "They're almost here. Get ready."

We scrambled, preparing our sign off to the side of the ramp, laughing and ignoring the jibes of the men standing around. Just as we got into a line, laughing a little, the new SG-1 walked through the door into the gate room. Sam and her three new teammates, all female, beamed back at the sign we held up: "Make us proud, ladies!"

I overheard one of the male technicians whisper wistfully to another, "Teal'c is a *very* lucky man."

*SAM*

The first thing I did after setting down my luggage in my brand new and mostly empty apartment was pull out Jack's letter. He'd told me about it when we parted at his house this morning. It was an emotionally exhausting experience, but Jack hadn't wanted to say goodbye in front of a room full of people any more than I had.

I stared at the crisp white envelope for I don't know how long. Finally, I tore open the top, slipped out the plain white paper, and read:

My Dearest Sam,

Do you know how long I've wanted to say those words anywhere except in my mind? I think you do. When I shoved you through the Stargate that first trip and said, "I adore you already," I was only half kidding.

Kawalsky took great pleasure in teasing me back then about the lovely new member of our team whom he was convinced I'd seduce as soon as possible. I don't think he suspected ASAP would turn out to be more than seven years. Besides, wasn't it you who.?

Smiling, I stopped reading and remembered our first meeting so long ago. The first thing I noticed about him was how sexy he looked in class As. Oh, and that smile! I picked up the letter again.

Even though I'm writing this before you leave, I miss you already. I miss sleeping with my arms around you. I miss the cute way you wake up semi-conscious and your incredible brain doesn't start until after your first cup of coffee. I miss finding your things in my dirty clothes hamper and having your favorite foods in my fridge - which you made me clean out. Especially, I miss the scent of your hair when I hold you and the feel of your skin under my fingers.

I guess this isn't too bad for a guy who's bad at talking about his feelings. What can I say? You inspire me.

Come home to me when you can, Sam, and write as often as you can. I love you.

Yours always,

Jack

I loved him *so* much. It hurt to be away from him even after such a short time together. Where was an interstellar telephone when you needed one? I figured I'd just have to invent it.

Just then, I heard a knock on my door. I quickly wiped my tears away and walked over to open the door. It was Teal'c, come to ask my assistance with a lock no one had been able to open. It was the first of many puzzles I'd face on Hawai'iki.

*TEAL'C*

LieutenantColonelCarter had been weeping when I interrupted her. The signs were subtle, but there nonetheless. As her friend, I did not wish her any unhappiness and felt it best we provide her with a challenge to engage her energetic mind. The locked rooms were one such challenge.

"Hi, Teal'c. It's so good to see you again." She gave me a brief hug and stepped back. "We've missed you and Daniel. Did he get the rest of my team settled?"

"Yes, ColonelCarter. They are quite happy with the quarters we have provided for them." The three other females of SG-1 were residing in the remodeled barracks out back. "We cleaned and refitted what once must have been the senior officer's quarters into a suite for them. Each one has a private bedroom and the bathing facilities are quite luxurious." She nodded, seemingly content that we had taken care of her team for the moment.

"Thanks, Teal'c."

"If you have a moment, ColonelCarter, I have a problem that requires your attention."

"Lead on, Teal'c. I'm happy to help." As we walked, I described the electronic combination locks, inscribed with a language neither DanielJackson nor I had ever seen before.

*SAM*

We walked down stairs from my third floor apartment to the basement. At the bottom, Teal'c turned to the right. We went down a wide, brightly lit corridor dotted with closed doors, and then turned left into a short, much narrower hall. Teal'c opened the door at the end and stood back for me to precede him into a large, empty space.

There was a portable lamp set up opposite the door where I stood, illuminating what at first glance was a blank section in the wall. Teal'c walked to it and pressed an area roughly in the center. A smaller panel slid back into the wall, revealing what looked like a keypad. Characters unlike any I'd ever seen before covered the area around the keypad. Instructions?

"MajorAdam's team found this accidentally while performing an in-depth survey of the building prior to our arrival. Both DanielJackson and I have accessed records of every script we know, as well as Lojan and Ancient. This appears in none of them."

"What else have you used to try to open it?" My curiosity was engaged and ready.

"We tried random combinations on the keypad, many hundreds of them, chemical strippers and acids on the surface, searching for another opening, as well as brute force. As you can see, there has been no effect on the exterior."

I crouched and ran my hand over the section around the open panel. "Hmm, have you found any other irregularities on the wall, Teal'c?" He shook his head. "Any indication of where the power for this panel comes from? The main electrical source?"

"We have found nothing in the mechanical room that appears to power this panel."

"Can I have some time to think about this, Teal'c? It could take quite a while to open."

"Of course, ColonelCarter. However, I will be more at ease living here when we know what is behind the two doors." There was an air of worry about him that I'd never felt before. If something was worrying Teal'c I knew it was important.

"Oh, yeah, the second door. Is it just like this one? May I see it now?" I stood to follow as he turned back the way we'd come.

"The second door is a mirror image of the first. Please follow me, ColonelCarter."

****************************

Week 10 Day 2

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*JACK*

I've said it before and probably will again. The doc was a Napoleonic power monger. I swear she used square needles; dull, square needles at that. My butt was sore from top to bottom - pun intended - and both arms were full of holes from giving her all my blood. My left knee was throbbing from the treadmill and weight tests. Still, this was my last checkup before she declared me fit for light duty. Boy, was I hoping everything was a-okay. My home was becoming a prison without Sam.

She'd been gone four days. Four days in a house empty without her things there, four nights in a lonely bed. I'd taken to writing her each night about my day. It helped me feel closer to her.

At least my work was going well. My course schedule had been through three iterations and was ready for review by General Hammond. I'd mentally picked two former SG team leaders for instructors. Hammond and I communicated daily on the type of candidates we wanted for students and the facilities available for my unit to use.

I wandered down to my old office while I waited for the results of my tests. Hammond had agreed to let me use it until someone else needed the space. All of my stuff was gone, so I read email on my laptop for an hour until Doc Fraiser called me back to the infirmary. My stomach was in knots with anticipation. The results would determine if I came back to duty or my injuries forced me into permanent retirement. The SGC was my only link to Sam. I couldn't lose it.

She finally summoned me to the infirmary. "Doc, what's the verdict? Can I come back Monday?"

"Well, Colonel O'Neill, despite the severity of your injury and the extensive repairs necessary due to previous injuries, it seems the surgery and physical therapy has brought your knee back to an acceptable level of functionality. You'll need to keep up with the PT and wear your brace when engaging in extended physical activity. You may come back Monday." She never once cracked a smile.

"Wow, you've overwhelmed me with your enthusiasm, Doc. Are you upset about something? There's nothing wrong with Cassie, is there?"

"No, sir. There's nothing you need to worry about. Now, if you don't mind, I'm expecting a team back very soon and need to prepare." She turned away, as if dismissing me.

"Sure, no problem. I'll get out of your hair. Thanks for the good news, Janet."

Her expression was more annoyed than anything, and I would have sworn one of her nurses glared at me on my way out. What'd I done to deserve their displeasure? One way or another, I knew they'd find a way to let me know.

*SAM*

My PDA beeped with a reminder for a team meeting I'd called. I put down the letter from Jack that had come in the twice-weekly mail delivery. There were two others I hadn't opened yet. I was saving them. On the way to the conference room Captain Alice Yamauchi, our new biochemist and chemical engineer, joined me. The next-most senior member of my team, 1st Lieutenant Moreen Barton, followed her. Barton was an Electrical Engineering doctoral candidate and something of a computer wiz. Teal'c and 2nd Lieutenant Sigrid Meyer, archeologist and linguist, essentially a Daniel-in-training, were waiting for us in the only usable second floor conference room. Daniel's construction crew had worked full speed on getting the place habitable, but some things had just taken time.

I sat at the head of the table and addressed my team. "Good morning. I'd like to review the mission planned for tomorrow. Captain Yamauchi, what have you found on the technology we're going to P2X-098 to retrieve?"

"SG-6 brought back a small sample of the substance, ma'am, but didn't know how to store it properly and most of the power leached out before the techs at Groom Lake could test it. I've received the new storage units. We should be able to acquire enough power clay this time and keep it potent until we can check it out in the lab here. The potential uses for the clay as a power source are endless."

"That's good news, Captain. Thank you. Lieutenant Barton, have you been able to set up the equipment in the labs so we can start testing as soon as we get back?"

"Yes, ma'am. The captain's lab is complete and ready for the tests. Yours is ninety-percent done and will be done by the end of today. Lieutenant Meyer's and mine are seventy-five-percent done. The network is functional on all floors of this building. The remaining buildings should be ready by the end of next week, barring any emergencies, of course." She flashed her infectious grin around the room, eliciting smiles in return.

"Good work, Lieutenant, thanks. Lieutenant Meyer, how are you coming with the language of the natives on 098? We'll need to be able to speak with the chieftain to negotiate for more power clay."

"It's slow going, but I know enough to greet them, buy the clay, and say goodbye. By tomorrow, I'll be more fluent. Doctor Jackson is helping me with the vowel sounds and syntax. He says it's similar to a language spoken by ancient Toltec natives." The bubbly 24-year-old flushed slightly at the mention of her current idol.

"Good. Thanks. Teal'c, has all of our equipment arrived from home?"

"Yes, ColonelCarter. All is in readiness." Succinct, that's our Teal'c.

"Well, I think we have a go then. Any issues anyone needs to bring up before we break?" We worked through problems with defective equipment and missing personal items. By lunchtime, we were done and looking forward to the latest dish from the chef Daniel had hired. The Etrurian man made the best food I'd had in years and his desserts were to die for. I could feel the gym calling me already.

*GENERAL HAMMOND*

"Despite his many idiosyncrasies, it is nice to have Colonel O'Neill back to work. A certain .spontaneity has been missing around the SGC." I paused, listening to the man on the other end of the phone line. "Yes, sir, his plans and requisitions look *very* good. I'm quite pleased with his work so far. He didn't waste any time while he was recuperating. Thank you, Mr. President. I'll be sure to tell him that." He began a new topic of conversation.

"Yes, sir. Doctor Jackson's last report was quite accurate. I've had independent confirmation via the Asgard that our delegation is doing a superb job. If I may say, sir, the idea of assigning SG-1 to the embassy was quite inspired. Not only does Doctor Jackson still have his team members around him, they have unparalleled access to other races for study and trade of technology. Yes, he's in his element and has become quite popular with the local intellectuals.

"Refitting the buildings and hiring a staff has taken much of the ambassador's time, but he's managed to make a number of new friends for Earth. Apparently, he's cutting a wide swath, albeit quite unintentionally, through the female population of Hawai'iki. It is a common occurrence around the young man. Fortunately, his behavior is always above reproach.

"No, sir, he's a widower. His wife, Sha're, was a victim of the Goa'uld. However, the female members of SG-1 have been serving as temporary hostesses when required and are filling in as his representative on a rotating schedule. It's very good experience for them and Major Adams. Yes, I just received a requisition for six new personnel for the embassy."

"Yes Mr. President, I agree that his bachelor status makes him a tempting target for certain 'distractions.' No, I don't know for sure of anyone here to whom Doctor Jackson is attached; although, I will make it my job to find out. Goodbye, sir." I let out a large breath and my mouth formed a soft smile as I replaced the red handset in its cradle. My thoughts and expression closely matched for once. "Some days, I really like my job."

Reaching forward, I picked up the other phone and asked my aide to page a member of my staff.

*DANIEL*

Thanks to Bragi's suggestions, plus the various local customs he shared, sleep was my regular companion. The embassy closed its doors to visitors each night from two a.m. until noon, except, of course, to any citizens of Earth. It's the custom for most embassies and no one thought anything of it when we posted a sign to that effect.

The remodeling was going well. The building was turning out to be an archeological dig of sorts. Most days one of the workers would come to me with some new find: a beautiful mural discovered under six layers of paint and wallpaper, discarded personal items, or papers that I had to, sadly, put aside for later study. The characters found on the papers were similar to that on the mysterious panel downstairs, but not close enough to provide a key.

The craftsmen on Hawai'iki were masters of their craft, if rather expensive. By good fortune, the President had given me the equivalent budget for any new embassy, which we brought in as gold bullion and converted to the local currency. That system presented a problem. Gangs of bandits roamed between the 'gate and Hawai'iki City. With the Stargate so far from the city, the regular shipment of large quantities of gold was hazardous and required that we send most of the Marines to meet the party transporting it.

One of those same Marines had made an off-handed remark that had stuck in my mind until I could think it over at leisure. Transportation within the city was either by foot, riding animal or animal-drawn cart. The Hawai'ikians had banned internal combustion and similar technology long ago in favor of less environmentally damaging methods. For some reason, no one had tried less damaging technology, at least according to the sources I questioned. I had derived quite a bit of entertainment imagining the puzzled look on General Hammond's face when he saw *that* requisition.

*SAM*

SG-1's mission to P2X-098 was a complete success and my team performed very well. Lieutenant Meyer was able to explain to the headman what we wanted the substance for and that we had no intention of allowing it out of our possession. His attitude was very close to that of the Tollans at first, but he warmed to her arguments and finally gave us the lumps of gooey clay-like material that his people dredged out of the nearby streams. I don't think it hurt our case that we were four women, plus Teal'c, who mostly stood to the side. The leader's grandson cast appreciative glances from time to time at the two lieutenants.

"Ma'am, he's agreed to give us the amount we asked for in return for the items we've brought." Lieutenant Meyer looked justifiably quite pleased with herself. The wizened chieftain had just waved two of his people away to get the power clay.

"*Very* good work, Lieutenant. Let's unload the rest of the trade goods and let him inspect them before the actual trade." I could see Captain Yamauchi and Lieutenant Barton standing ready to pack up our newest acquisition properly.

"Lieutenant Meyers, have you asked them about how long the properties should last and how to store it long term?" Captain Yamauchi inquired.

"Yes, ma'am. The grandson is going to tell me while the chieftain rests." At my nod granting permission, she turned to the young man and they began speaking haltingly in his language. He gestured frequently as if describing something to her and, finally, grabbed her arm to lead her toward a storehouse.

"Would you stay with them, please, Teal'c? I don't want our young friend to get the wrong idea and spoil such a promising relationship."

The Jaffa gave me a dignified nod and followed the two young people from a discrete distance. I yet again thanked whatever gods prompted the President to keep Teal'c on SG-1. While I knew Sigrid could take care of herself, the presence of a large Jaffa made clear to the leader's grandson, without insult, that she was not his.

*JANET*

I walked into the general's office unaware of how the following conversation would change my life. After I sat down, I saw that General Hammond looked a little uncomfortable. "I - uh - have a rather delicate question to ask you, Doctor Fraiser."

"Yes, sir?"

"The President is concerned that Doctor Jackson has no wife or significant other to act as hostess at the embassy and he would rather the woman be someone who would be a friend and partner to Doctor Jackson. He asked that I find out if there is anyone to whom Doctor Jackson is attached, a girlfriend or close friend."

"Sir, Daniel has many close friends, but I don't believe there is anyone whom Daniel is currently dating." Evasive enough?

"Doctor, I have noticed over the past few years that you have grown pretty close to Doctor Jackson and I know he thinks quite highly of you. Is there anything you would care to share with me?" My cheeks began to burn. I'd thought my infatuation with Daniel was my little secret.

He stopped me from replying. "Don't say anything just yet. I have another question to ask. Doctor Jackson has requested a physician and a nurse for the embassy clinic. Apparently, the host culture's medical science is quite far behind ours. They have immunity to most diseases and simply die from those for which they have no resistance.

"In part, because the gate is so far from the city, they need a doctor trained in emergency medicine as well as a general physician. I have a complete description of the positions here." He slid a large packet of paper across the desk to me. "Do you think any of your staff might be interested in the position?"

The temptation to leap on the offer was almost irresistible, but rash decisions were never my style. I had too many things to consider before making this one. "May I have some time to think about your request, sir?"

"Of course, Doctor. You may take a few days to answer. Dismissed."

*JACK*

My meeting with Hammond had gone well. He agreed to the space and personnel requests I made and approved the initial lesson plans. Now it was up to me to start recruiting for instructor and support staff positions. I mentally reviewed the names I'd come up with in advance and sat down in my office to dredge up contact information for the two retired SG team leaders I knew who could do the job standing on their heads. I sent an email to the one whom I remembered as a technophile and called the other.

"Hey, Fred, it's Jack O'Neill. Do you have a minute to talk?"

"I have an hour if you'd like, Jack. I can't see why you ever retired the first two times. Unfortunately for me, my back forced me out."

"Well, I may be able to do something about that, if you're interested. Can I meet you somewhere for lunch? O'Malley's? They should be about ready to let me back in." He chuckled at the mention of SG-1 having been barred from the bar several years ago.

"I'll have to tell Mary that I'm leaving. Say, in an hour?"

"Great. See you then." I hung up and leaned back. So far, so good. I stood to go in search of the senior sergeant I wanted for the unit. Word was, she was craving a new challenge and I had just the opportunity for her to kick some junior officer butt with no repercussions.

****************************

Week 11 Day 5

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*TEAL'C*

Drey'ac came to me the previous night in a dream. The human need for sleep brought with it several strange side effects. Dreams were but one of them. My dead wife told me that Rya'c had need of me; that the rebel's cause was faltering with few adherents left. I had known this since the slaughter of the rebel army that had resulted in the loss of my symbiote, but her words made it real. I resolved to ask DanielJackson and ColonelCarter in the morning for some time with Rya'c and Master Bra'tac.

"Of course you should go, Teal'c. Assuming Sam has no objections, of course. SG-1 has no missions planned until after your next downtime. She and Major Adams can fill in for you on security. Please give our regards to Rya'c and Master Bra'tac."

ColonelCarter was, as ever, generous and understanding, giving her consent to my absence immediately. I packed a few belongings and obtained my staff weapon from the armory at the back of the embassy property. I took my leave of my two friends as though driven by wild targs. Something was pushing me to see Rya'c as soon as possible.

*SAM*

That door panel was driving me crazy. I'd tried irradiating it, hitting it with sledgehammers, punching in countless combinations based on an algorithm I developed and bombarding it with sounds. Nothing worked. Teal'c certainly knew how to keep me out of trouble.

Captain Yamauchi was making good progress with the analysis of the power clay. Its promise was vast if she could discover what made it work. The natives had used the substance to power crude lamps and heaters during their 18-month winters. I was hopeful the blankets and sheets of rigid insulation we traded them would help make their flimsy homes more livable.

I wandered into her lab three days after we got back from P2X-098 to see if she wanted to go to lunch. The chef, Mamarce, was quite temperamental when people showed up late or just ate and ran. "Alice, how goes the research?" I grinned to indicate I wasn't checking up on her and she smiled back.

"Pretty good so far, Colonel. I've been able to isolate 25 distinct compounds or elements within the clay, but nothing yet that explains its unique properties. The identification of two elements eludes me, so they may be the key. Lieutenant Barton has made several attempts to use the clay to power various devices, with mixed results. You can't exactly just stick the power plug for your electric toothbrush in it," she added ruefully.

"Ready for lunch? Don't want to keep Mamarce waiting, do we?" She chuckled at my little joke about his tendency to have hysterics and began putting various experiments and devices on pause. "Let's stop by Barton's lab to pick her up, too. You three are all as bad as I am about forgetting the time and not eating. Poor Teal'c has his work cut out for him between us and Daniel."

We ran into Daniel on the way to lunch and he naturally moved to join us. Over lunch, the four SG-1 members and our ambassador talked about how our various research projects were going.

"Find anything new in the remodeling today, Daniel?" I asked him, glancing up from my plate. His distracted gaze meant something was up and I'd have to pry it out of him later.

"What - uh - no. No new finds today. The last was the hand mirror in the ventilation shaft two days ago." His mind was obviously elsewhere so I took pity and turned to Lieutenant Meyers.

"Sigrid, any progress on the Lojan language samples we found?"

"I haven't been able to find anything with translations and, even though it sounds similar to Mandarin, it appears to not be Earth based. So, there's no common basis. It may take some time, even with Doctor Jackson's help." Sigrid glanced sidelong at her oblivious new hero and then quickly down at her plate. Alice and I exchanged amused looks. This was nothing new around my friend, Daniel.

After we broke for lunch, I excused myself and went after him. "Daniel, wait up. I want to talk with you." He stopped for me to catch up and I pulled him into a small reception room, closing the door.

"What's wrong, Daniel? I can tell something's eating at you. Can you talk about it?"

He looked at me, dipped his head, eyes closed, then raised his head to look at me. "You know I requested six new people, including a doctor and nurse?" I nodded. We'd discussed it at length last week when he and Teal'c came to my place for dinner.

"Well, General Hammond asked me if I'd like Janet to be assigned here. I think he and the President are sort of playing matchmaker, partly to keep from having a bachelor ambassador."

"*Oh, dear,* what have you said?" This was interesting!

"Nothing yet. I frankly don't know what to say. What do you think, Sam?"

"You already know what I think, Daniel, and Teal'c would say the same. *If* she's willing to leave the SGC and the general would agree to let his CMO go, why not take the chance?" I put my hand on his and squeezed.

"I don't know, Sam. I never brought it up with her, how will she know ."

"She'll *know*, Daniel. She's pretty smart and I know she cares for you a lot. Okay, more than a lot. With that statement, I've betrayed her confidence. Don't make me regret it." I hugged him quickly and opened the door. "Go. Tell the general that you'll happily accept her if she's willing to come here."

"Yes, ma'am! You know, you're worse than Jack sometimes."

"*Thanks*, Daniel." I grinned and strutted away, pretty pleased with myself.

*JACK*

Two days after I spoke with him at lunch, Fred Marchand called back to accept my offer. Even his wife thought it was a good idea and she'd always hated his work at the SGC. Master Sergeant Maser had accepted too. Actually, she jumped at the opportunity and was already working on my team. She was recruiting her own support staff members, so, thankfully, I didn't have to. Two down for me, two to go.

My second choice for instructor was already working for the SGC in another capacity, so I had to go looking again. The interviews I had had were discouraging; one lieutenant colonel in particular. We sat in an anonymous office at Peterson and I'd seen his smirk upon spying my cane.

"I see you have quite a few years with Special Ops, two years of instruction and some in support of scientific units. How well do you get on with scientific types, Colonel Ferris?"

"Well enough to keep their butts out of a wringer, but not well enough to want to spend my downtime with them." Okay, so long as he could be civil and make nice occasionally.

"Tell me why you'd be good in this position. What do you have to offer?"

Another smirk plastered itself on his face. "Sir, if you can't tell that from my record, I don't think I could explain it to a desk jockey like yourself. With all due respect, sir."

I stood to end the interview. "Colonel, I don't think we have anything further to discuss. Thank you for your time." I shook his hand and pointed him toward the door, following slower. "Oh, by the way, Colonel. You just blew your dream job. *Have* a nice day." Okay, so the sarcasm had been a little heavy-handed, but I felt justified after his snotty remark. His face fell and I shut the office door on it.

It wasn't the first time someone had taken me for a career desk jockey since I still walked with a cane so long as the physical therapists held my leash. It had just galled me so much to take crap from turkeys like him.

"Thank God Sam is due back for downtime in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll go write her another letter," I muttered. This job was making me talk to myself.

****************************

Week 12 Day 1 ****************************

*JANET*

I gated to Hawai'iki with Lieutenant Marisa Samuels, who was considering the position of nurse at the embassy. I had kept telling myself I was only scoping out the situation so I'd know whom to recommend. Self-deception was something I thought I'd outgrown, but it had been in full force that day.

No one was there to greet us, but that wasn't so surprising since we were almost an hour early. An emergency mission to retrieve the 2IC of SG-3, whose wife was in a seriously compromised labor, caused us to be hustled through the Stargate to clear the way for the returning father. We hauled out the map and took the road that looked like it would get us to our destination. Samuels chattered away, relieving me of the need to be sociable. I merely had to nod and smile at the right place in the conversation. I hadn't fooled her for a minute though.

The long trek to Hawai'iki City was all uphill. Maneuvering the FRED through switchbacks hadn't been too much fun and wasn't an experience I cared to repeat. It carried medical supplies for the new clinic, mail and various other goods. 'No wonder Colonel O'Neill's knee gave out on him, I thought as we trudged up the well-traveled road.

After I flubbed a turn yet again, Marisa gently took the FRED controls away. "Ma'am, your mind just isn't on driving this thing. Let me take it for a while." Embarrassed, I muttered my thanks and we moved on after she extricated the vehicle from the muddy patch where I'd mired it.

Her muted southern accent softened her words. "Ma'am, Janet, if I may, it wouldn't be that bad you know. Doctor Jackson really does like you a lot. You sure can't beat having a two-star general and the President of the United States as personal matchmakers."

I laughed, embarrassed again. "That easy to read, am I?"

"No. I've worked for you for several years now and the rumor mill has been running overtime about you two the last few weeks. Besides, I've seen the way you two look at each other, and it's not like the regs are against you like they were for Colonels O'Neill and Carter."

"True, but we've never taken this beyond the gazing longingly at each other stage. What if my arrival is a total shock to Daniel?"

"Well then, you just give him the same story you gave us. You're just here to check out the facilities and determine who would work out best. No loss of dignity, no embarrassment."

I snorted softly. "You should have Mackenzie's job, Marisa. You'd certainly be more popular than him."

"No thank you, ma'am. I don't like school and don't like bein' a cold hearted person. I think his job would do that to a person."

"You're probably right." After that, we walked in silence until the gleaming white walls of the city came into sight over the rise of the last hill. The city gates hung wide open, welcoming us. We glanced at each other and bright smiles broke out.

"Looks like a friendly place," she commented.

"It does, at that." The late morning sun shone in our eyes, obliterating our view ahead for a minute or two.

*SAM*

I stopped by the cookhouse to grab the picnic lunch Chef Mamarce Pulena had prepared for our trip to the Stargate to pick up Janet and Lieutenant Samuels. We chatted briefly about his plans for dinner, knowing Daniel wanted everything perfect for his "guests."

"*Of course* I make a special dinner, Colonel Samantha! My dinners are *always* special." The tubby man sniffed at me, indignant. I hurried to reassure him and soothe his ruffled ego.

"Mamarce! How could you think that I wouldn't know that? Haven't I gained ten pounds since you started cooking here?" I asserted, stating essentially the truth. He chuckled and pinched my cheek playfully. Vesia Pulena, his wife and the embassy housekeeper, shorter but just as outsized and considerably less flighty, stalked up and slapped his hand imperiously.

"By the wrath of Veive, keep your hands to yourself, Mamarce! I am the only one you can handle so," she ordered her man, winking to me out of his line of sight.

"Vesia, my love, you have no need to call down the god's revenge. I look at no woman but you," he smiled so sincerely at her and gathered her into his arms that her "anger" melted visibly. She placed a generous kiss on his cheek.

Vesia, her husband, and her son, Tyrrhenos, had come to Hawai'iki with the Etrurian ambassador, but left his service over an unknown disagreement. Daniel theorized that their people were descended from the ancient Etruscans. According to their legends, the Etruscan gods Fuflans and Veive, gods of wine and revenge, respectively, had brought the Etrurian people to a paradise, but soon disappeared themselves. In reality, their Goa'uld masters had probably died off or killed each other, leaving the Etrurians to flourish and, eventually, figure out how to use the Stargate.

With our lunch in hand, I left the smooching couple and raced up the main building stairs, trying to burn off some of those ten pounds. The hallway meeting area outside our third floor apartments had been a wonderful idea that actually came about by accident. When the "lightly used" furniture dealer delivered the furnishings before the apartments were ready, it ended up in the corridor and we just started using it for evening get-togethers and impromptu meetings. The minute I reached Daniel I could see that he was a basket case waiting for the moment when we could leave. We chatted until, for the fifth time in thirty minutes, he asked me the time.

"It's five minutes later than the last time you asked. I'll tell you what, why don't we leave early. Chef made us a picnic lunch. We could have a leisurely lunch by the 'Gate while we wait for them."

"Great. Let's go." He lunged from the sofa and grabbed his pack.

I bit my lip to stifle a chuckle. The poor man was in agony. He didn't need me laughing at him. I hooked my weapon to my lanyard and followed. We waved goodbye to the sentries outside the gate and walked at a comfortable pace through the city streets, exchanging respectful greetings with people we knew. As soon as we reached the city gates, Daniel picked up the pace. Somewhat surprised, I kept up.

From there, the road led to the first of the hills down to the Stargate. As we got within a few hundred yards of the slope, two figures in BDUs and a squat machine crested the hill. With the sun in their faces, I knew they couldn't see anything in front of them. Having heard stories, which I sincerely hoped were just that, of bandits outside the city walls, we hurried toward them.

*JACK*

With Doctor Mengele gone for a few days, I was a little less apprehensive about my regular PT and physical exam. I'd hoped that, without Fraiser there to egg them on, the remaining staff members would take pity on me and ratchet down the torture a step or two. Little did I know, they were angrier than she was and she'd been holding them back.

Two hours later, I limped painfully back to my office and made another call to a colonel I knew from my Special Forces days. He was the last on my list of personal acquaintances that I'd considered hiring for my new training unit. With Fred Marchand, Moira Maser and a former Academy instructor I knew on board, things were smoothing out. I hoped we'd be ready to start interviewing student candidates in two weeks.

I mentioned the possibility of training off world to the general again. He actually rolled his eyes. I swear he did. I knew I'd wear him down eventually, but it would just take time.

*DANIEL*

In the bright light of early afternoon on Hawai'iki, without the sunglasses I'd left behind in my haste, I couldn't walk as fast as my feet felt I should. The last thing I wanted was to trip and fall on my face in front of Janet. I was trying to impress her, not make her feel I needed a nanny to cross the street

The road we walked bisected a large open meadow between the Hawai'iki gates and the edge of the hill that led to the Stargate. I'd noticed signs of temporary structures along the wide, roughly cobbled highway. During several of our all-too-infrequent chats, Bragi had related stories of summer fetes and winter revelries held there.

Ignoring the radio on her shoulder, Sam waved and yelled to her best friend enthusiastically, "Janet, is that you?"

"Yes," came the faint reply. "Sam?" Janet raised her hand in reply and Marisa lifted the walking stick she carried to wave to us.

Just then, the sound of an energy weapon echoed around us. Swirls of dirt puffed up where the shot struck inches from Janet's feet. At least ten men rushed them from behind, apparently having hidden over the edge of the hill. Sam unhooked her P90 and ran toward the attackers, not shooting until the two women were out of her line of fire. I had my pistol out and stopped to aim at the man in the lead. I hit him, but he stood again and ran toward Marisa.

"Janet, Marisa, get down!" I yelled. As they hit the dirt, using the FRED as shelter against the occasional shots by the bandits, I aimed again at the men to the left of the group running toward us. Two went down, but I missed the next two.

Sam, having covered the intervening ground at an amazing rate, knelt by the FRED and began sweeping her sub-machine gun along the line of men running toward us. More went down, but the five left were almost on my friends. I ran toward them as fast as I could, but it seemed to take forever as though I ran in slow motion.

Sam continued firing until an energy bolt struck her forearm. Her hand useless, she cried out and dropped her P90 as the men overtook the women. One was too close for her to lean down to grab her fallen gun, so Sam lunged, shoulder first, into the abdomen of the man rushing at her. Her retrieved rifle was ineffective at such close quarters so it became a club in her good hand. From forty feet away, I heard his skull crack.

Marisa stood and swung her walking stick into the face of one man. He stumbled back and she jammed the staff in his groin. He was out of the fray, but another grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms and causing the lieutenant to drop her staff. Janet stomped on his foot, her heavy boots crushing his foot through his worn shoes. Unfortunately, it only made him madder and he tightened his grip on Marisa, who was fighting to breathe. Janet picked up and swung the walking stick at his head, to little effect. Knowing just where to strike to do the most damage, she jammed the thick end in his back, breaking his hold on Marisa. Janet brought the staff down on his head again and he fell to the ground, stunned.

I shot as I ran and, amazingly, took out a man by hitting his foot. The remaining two men grabbed the one I'd just shot and sprinted with him between them back toward the hill. By the time I ran up to my friends, it was over.

"Everyone okay?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. Marisa, practical to the core, had already recovered and was surveying the other two for injuries.

"Doctor, the colonel's arm is hit, but it's not too bad, just a minor burn. Colonel, what should we do with these men?"

"Let's take them to the guards." Sam pulled some long zip ties from her vest and we secured the men while she radioed the embassy to have them notify the City Guard of our situation. We draped two of them over the FRED and marched the third toward the city gates.

The City Guard met us at the gates and relieved us of the men. I didn't envy the prisoners from the glares and shoves they got from the soldiers.

Now that the excitement was over, I remembered why Sam and I were outside the gates and shyness gripped me. Sam and Marisa were over to the side, while the nurse bandaged the burn on Sam's arm.

"Cat got your tongue, Daniel," Janet asked. I'm afraid all I could do was stutter and nod. "A little nervous?" I nodded my agreement. "Me too. Maybe we should gather Marisa and Sam and get going?"

Some great linguist and ambassador, all I could say was, "W-we brought lunch."

Janet bit her lip, probably to keep from laughing at me. "An offer I can't refuse."

Sam and Marisa were more than happy to take a break after our adventure. The adrenaline high was wearing off. We could use food and rest before walking the rest of the way home. The four of us set out the picnic in a charming pocket park just inside the gates, under a copse of trees. The shade was delicious after the sweltering noon sun. We talked mostly of neutral subjects, like the life here on Hawai'iki.

After the last crumb of Mamarce's wonderful lunch was gone, Sam stood and announced, "I have to get back to my lab. Marisa, why don't you join me? We can get the FRED unloaded and you settled."

As they left, Sam said to us over her shoulder, "Take your time, you two. I imagine you've got a lot of catching up to do." I could tell a set up when I saw one.

*TEAL'C*

Rya'c struggled to stay on his feet on the other side of Master Bra'tac, whom we supported between us. My arrival had been just in time to save them from an attack by former Serpent Guards, now in the service of Anubis. However, I was not in time to keep my master from being badly injured.

We hid for two days until the Serpent Guards gave up their search for us. Rya'c and I were able to dispatch the three Horus Guards left to secure the Stargate. I entered the address for Hawai'iki and stood back to wait for the wormhole to engage.

"Father, why do you not dial the Tau'ri? Do they not have superior medical facilities to your new home?"

"Yes, my son, but I was negligent and failed to bring my GDO device with me. The iris will be closed to us." He nodded his head slowly in understanding and helped me support Master Bra'tac's limp form. We walked though the event horizon and stepped out onto the platform on Hawai'iki.

There was no one about, so we began the slow journey to the city where we could find a safe haven. The hills were the hardest. My master's feet hung down and snagged on protruding rocks and roots as we climbed. At last, the final hill was before us. We had only to reach the city gates and the embassy within before Rya'c and I collapsed.

*SAM*

We left them behind and chatted about all sorts of things, doing a little catching up ourselves. As one of Janet's long-term staff members, we'd often chatted during post-mission exams. I'd never been one to take much part in the gossip endlessly circulating the SGC, but somehow I missed it. Our little community here was just too small and too new yet to generate that type of juicy tidbits.

"You think they've realized we're gone yet, Colonel?" Marisa joked as we walked through the mid-afternoon crowds. She stared openly at the array of aliens and humanoids mixing freely in the streets of the city.

I had to laugh. "Probably not. If they aren't back by nightfall, I'll send out the cavalry." I turned to look at her as I commented, "We weren't expecting you for a couple of hours. Not that I'm complaining about your saving me several hours of walking, but, as you found out, the way from the 'Gate isn't always safe for small parties."

Marisa's good humor evaporated as she explained, "The SGC was sending a retrieval team for SG-3 and all other scheduled 'Gate trips were cancelled or rescheduled to leave the 'Gate free."

Amused by her news, I asked, "Captain Darnel's wife in labor?" She nodded, smiling so I continued. "Daniel was impatient to have you two here so I suggested we leave early. That's the only reason we met you when we did."

"I can't tell you how glad I am that you were there," Marisa assured me. "While it was exciting, I don't relish the idea of meeting that gang alone, especially if they'd attacked before we were so close the city."

"You did very well, for a non-combatant. I'm impressed with your reactions."

"Too many shifts in an emergency room," she quipped, half serious.

We turned into the villa gates and she stopped to gape at the rustic charm of the wide courtyard. Daniel had bought some tables and chairs, plus several large potted trees to place around the square.

"It's lovely," Marisa exclaimed, wonder in her voice.

Several of the guards and some of the housekeeping staff were chatting over cups of coffee. As soon as one of them saw us, someone yelled, "Mail call," and the Marines mobbed the small device carrying their lifelines to home.

By sheer force of will, my lieutenant colonel insignia and a very loud, piercing whistle from Marisa, we managed to stop the pillage.

"Okay. Now, we're going to do this in an orderly manner." I proceeded to hand out the personal mail and pocketed the six letters with my name on them. Finally, we extricated the remaining mail and ourselves from the crowd. The FRED made an excellent cowcatcher.

We got Marisa settled in with my three team members in the barracks building out back, and then I showed her to the future infirmary in the mansion basement. Ignoring the projects in my lab, I climbed as fast as my legs would take me up the stairs to my quarters. Unlocking and then relocking the door, I flopped on the couch and held up the letters. I brought them close to my face and sniffed. I imagined the envelopes still held his scent.

Deliberately, I opened the one on top and read:

My Dearest Sam,

How can I tell you how much I miss you? My letters must be getting pretty boring by now, since I mostly just say that I love and miss you. So, let me tell you about my day.

Our budget doesn't stretch to having everything done for us. So, the six of us - Fred, me, Moira, her two minions and Debbie, a groupie I seem to have picked up - built our two classrooms on level 23 today. Can you see me, with my bad knees, crawling around under tables pulling network cables around and between the painters? Well, I did. Fred, with his bad back, was up in the overhead pulling yet more LAN and AV cables. By the end of the day, Moira had to help both of us to the infirmary for some painkillers.

Speaking of which, I'd swear Janet's staff hates me. Since you've been gone, they've taken to torturing me at every opportunity. No more flirting, no more banter. Just "Bend over and drop 'em, Colonel." and "Does this hurt?" Wrench goes my knee, then "How about this?"

Oh, damn. I forgot to tell Janet about Jack and me. He is gonna be *so* pissed, I worried.

Class starts in three weeks. With the completion of the classrooms, the course outlines and the preliminary student list, we're on a roll. I just have to find one more instructor, though we can do without for a few weeks, and then pick the students. The first c