Author's note: So many people asked me to continue this story that I have changed its status from "complete" to "in progress." This year, I'll be writing fic tags to Sam's Stargate Atlantis eps…and posting them here. This story is S/J established. This chapter also contains Sheppard/Weir ship overtones. Just sayin'.

The door to her quarters closed behind an exhausted Colonel. Sam took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, let her body slump back against the door and embraced the quiet. Finally—a moment alone—a chance to relax. For the past 48 hours, she had been very conscious of the scores of eyes on her…and she had done her best to be the epitome of a calm, confident, decisive leader.

From the moment she arrived, Sam had been in the spotlight, but she had expected that. She stepped through the gate in dress blues with a few words prepared, because she thought Sheppard would have key base staff there to greet her. But she hadn't anticipated her first two challenges…staring down the intimidating form of Ronon Dex…and having to keep her composure while Rodney spoke of the "unrequited lust" he imagined between them. She shuddered. Well, at least he was seeing someone now. Hopefully, that would prevent him from following her around with puppy dog eyes and inappropriate comments.

She had thrown a few things in drawers, tried to get her bearings on the unfamiliar base and led a team on a rescue mission to a Wraith hive ship. She sighed. Never a dull moment. She had hoped for a couple of slow days to get acclimated, but she had worked at the SGC too long to ever expect normalcy.

She was beginning to understand how Jack felt when he first took over as commander of the SGC. He was in familiar surroundings, of course, but after years as the base's most outspoken maverick, the transition was hard for him. She knew it was also hard for him to send his old team into action while he stayed behind. After eight years, he was used to watching their backs. In retrospect, she supposed that might have even been harder for him than this transition would be for her. He had to present a new persona to people who knew him and had certain expectations of what he would do and how he would react. She only had to establish authority in a different environment. But she did face the uphill battle of replacing a beloved commander who had been taken from her people by force. Sam wished Elizabeth was still here. Then, she would still be on Earth…not here in Atlantis, feeling completely out of her element.

Sam sighed. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was gone, at least for now, and the I.O.A. had given her an assignment as a result. Sam was determined to do her duty. And as much as the scientist in her was excited to be here, her heart already ached for home, and for Jack.

Jack. Switching on the lights in her quarters, she crossed over to the picture frame and picked it up. Warm brown eyes stared out at her, and an involuntary smile rose to her lips. It was a photo Daniel had snapped several years ago while SG-1 was on a mission. Jack was wearing field gear and a baseball cap, and an irreverent sparkle lit his eyes. She loved the picture because it captured the essence of the man she had come to know as a colleague and friend, long before they began to think of each other in a romantic way.

Had it really only been three days since Jack held her and kissed her good-bye? Somehow, it seemed longer. But, she admitted with a sigh, they were used to being apart from each other. For years, they had spent almost every day together, separated by regulations that kept them from being honest about their feelings. Then, once they had been able to begin a relationship, they were separated by two-thirds of a continent, with her work in the Rockies and his job in DC. Now, they faced a new separation, as he remained on Earth while she was reassigned to command Atlantis. Such was life.

S&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&J

"Hey," he had said softly, as he snuggled up to her in bed, "I'll only be an energy burst away. Besides, it's just two jumps and 30 minutes from the SGC to where you'll be. I'm sure I can find a reason for another official visi. And you'll come home on leave. Except for the phone calls, it won't be any different than how we're living now."

"I know," she replied, as she gently stroked the arms around her waist, "but it seems like such a big change."

"You're the one who saved their whiny necks from those bugs last year. Maybe if you hadn't been such a hero that day, they would have given Sheppard a try."

"It would have been a moot point…because if Colonel Emerson hadn't beamed us out of there when he did, we'd all be dead."

She sighed. Reading her thoughts, he voiced his agreement. "Paul Emerson was a good officer."

"We've lost a lot of good people," she murmured. "Including Elizabeth Weir."

"But no one handles a crisis better than you, Carter," he chuckled. "In fact, I have one for you now."

"And that would be?"

He turned her toward him, gazing into her eyes. "My wife is going away tomorrow, and she's not paying enough attention to me."

She giggled. "Jack…you've always had my attention."

"Prove it."

Snaking her arms away from his neck and down his torso, she replied huskily, "No problem."

S&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&JS&J

A knock on the door interrupted her pleasant thoughts. Setting the photo back on the table next to her laptop, she rose, crossed the room and pushed the button that opened the door. "Colonel Sheppard…"

"Sorry to bother you, Colonel Carter. I just wanted to see if you needed anything."

She smiled. "I'm fine, John. I'll finish unpacking tomorrow, and I'll be all settled in." He seemed uneasy standing there, as if there was something he needed to say, but couldn't find the right words. "Colonel, did you need to speak with me about something?"

"I just wanted to tell you that it was good having you out in the field with us today…and if someone new had to come here…well…I'm glad they sent you."

"Thanks," she said warmly. "I just wanted to help. I have a lot to learn about this place, Colonel, and I hope you're willing to be a resource for me."

"Glad to help in any way I can, ma'am," he smiled. He stood there a moment, then spoke again. "Well, that's really all I had to say. I'm sure you're tired, and I'm sorry again to interrupt. I…I just wanted to tell you that."

"I appreciate it…really, I do," she said.

"Well…I'll be going then," he replied, turning to walk away. She was about to hit the button that would close her door when he stopped and spoke again.

"Oh, and Colonel…"

"Yes?"

"About Elizabeth…"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to continue to lobby for a rescue mission."

"I'd expect nothing less."

A grin spread across his face. "Yes, ma'am." And with that, he was gone.

Sam closed the door, then turned and walked back to the table. She pulled out the chair and sat down. She wanted to write a note to Jack while the events of the past two days were still fresh in her mind. And when the energy burst went out in the morning, her message would be part of the transmission.

After gazing at his photo for a few moments, she began writing. She wrote of meeting the Wraith for the first time, of John's concern for Elizabeth Weir, of Ronon's pain at being betrayed by his friends…and of her latest odd exchange of words with McKay. Some of these topics would be revisited in her official reports, but the tone would be different. This was a letter from a wife to the husband she missed very much. And when she was done, she planned to get a good night's sleep before the next crisis occurred.