Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG1 or any of it's characters and I assure you I'm not making a dime off of this story.

BTW: this is a repost of this chapter, there were a few things I wanted to change, to keep everyone in character.

Sam stood by Daniel's car and checked her watch again. He was late. Not that she was surprised. For all of his wonderful qualities and virtues, punctuality was not one of them. Sam on the other hand was almost neurotic when it came to being on time. Growing up with a father in the military and then joining the Air Force herself, she always went by the motto 'If you're not ten minutes early, then you're ten minutes late.' Sam couldn't count the number of times her father quoted that particular line to her.

Just as Sam was beginning to think that she should go after the tardy archaeologist, he came jogging around the corner towards her. He had changed into a dark blue button down shirt and jeans. Pulling on his brown suede jacket, he approached her rather breathlessly. Noticing his wet hair, Sam realized that he probably would have needed a shower after the drenching he received from the coffee earlier, so she decided not to pick on him for his lateness.

Sam noted how the color of the shirt brought out the blue in his eyes, especially now that they were outside in the natural light. She had to admit to always having a bit of a school-girl like crush on Daniel, his boyish good looks turned many a female's head and his puppy dog eyes could melt even the hardest of hearts. Even Janet, the pint sized medical officer that could intimidate the pants off the most seasoned of military officers like Jack, would turn to a puddle of goo whenever he would flash those baby blues.

However, she had never considered him as anything more than a close friend, mostly she believed, because he was like a little brother that needed her protection. His curiosity and passion for knowledge were only outdone by his moral rectitude and this had often led him to dive headlong in situations that often landed him injured or even dead a few times.

Sam had to admit though, that her friend had changed much over the years. A decade of battling the Goa'uld and then the Ori had hardened him, made him into a warrior, something she knew he had never intended or wanted to become, but he had never compromised his beliefs and had always remained true to his convictions. He always believed in peace first, but now when push came to shove, he would shove back. Maybe that's why there had been somewhat of a gulf in their friendship over the last few years, she thought, maybe he just didn't need or want her protection anymore. She hoped it wasn't too late to bridge that gap again.

"Sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to take so long."

"It's okay, I wasn't waiting long." Sam replied. Daniel gave her a warm smile as he came to a stop in front of her.

"You look great." Daniel remarked sincerely and gave her a small peck on the cheek. Sam was flattered by his statement and she felt her face flush a bit, she was surprised by her reaction, it wasn't like this was the first time he had ever paid her a compliment. She had changed into a red form-fitting sweater and jeans that had gotten a little bit tighter on her since her last trip to Earth. Having been away from going on regular missions had made it harder for her to stay in shape while she was on Atlantis. Not that she felt fat, in fact, she had only put on a couple of pounds, but she knew she would be in for some hard workouts before she was in the same physical condition she was in before she took command in the Pegasus galaxy. But still, she thought, it felt good that he noticed.

"Guess we should get going." Daniel said.

"Yeah, guess we should."

Daniel moved to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for her before crossing to the other side, getting in and starting the engine. They drove on for several minutes in silence. Daniel was being quiet and Sam sensed that he was distracted by something, but she dismissed it for now and figured she could ask him about whatever was bothering him later. She hoped they would get some time that night to catch-up since it had been so long since they really had a chance to just get together and talk like they used to before she left.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow after the ceremony?" She asked, unable to stand the quiet any longer, Sam figured she would need to be the one to start the conversation.

"What? Oh, uh, no, I don't think so." He answered, finally breaking from his reverie.

"I was just wondering because I need a ride to get my car out of storage so I can start looking for a new place to live."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot that you sold your house." he glanced at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the road. "Well, I don't know how long the ceremony is going to be tomorrow, but I should be free in the afternoon. I actually got quite a bit of work done today without having Vala bug me every ten minutes, so I should have the entire weekend free. I could help you look for a new place."

"That would be great, I think I'm going to need all the help I can get. It's been a while since I've had to go house hunting. Now that I think about it, there's so much to do, I've got to find a new place, get all my stuff out of storage, set up utilities; I'm getting tired just thinking about it. You know I'm wearing my only other civilian top that I brought with me, guess I'm going to have to go clothes shopping also to tide me over until my stuff gets here from Atlantis." Sam sighed apologetically "I'm sorry it's been a long day, I don't mean to dump on you."

"Don't worry about it; feel free to dump on me anytime, I don't mind." Daniel smiled at her and Sam smiled back. "You know I'll help you get settled here again, so will everyone else. After we find you a new place, I'm sure Mitchell and Teal'c would love to help you move your stuff in and Vala would be more than happy to take you clothes shopping. We'll talk about it with everyone when we get to the restaurant."

Sam thought about how nice it was to know that things hadn't changed much since she left. Even though she had been gone for so long, they were still a team, always there for each other when one of them needed help.

She found herself lost in her thoughts and staring out the car window as the familiar sights of Colorado Springs went by, feeling for the first time that day like she was really home. Despite losing command and the subsequent blow to her ego, she knew that she would be able to deal with it. She had her friends here after all and she was where she belonged. It was as though the dark cloud that had been following her all day had dissipated and a new lightness had settled on her.

Looking over to Daniel, he too seemed in his own little world again. However, before she could ask him what was on his mind, they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.

"Well, here we are." he announced as he parked and turned off the engine. He got out and jogged over to Sam's side and opened the car door for her. Sam had always thought of herself as a self-sufficient and independent woman, but there was something endearing about a man that opened doors and pulled out chairs for her and Daniel had never failed to always be a perfect gentleman. As she exited the vehicle, she hooked her arm around his elbow.

"Shall we?" Daniel gestured toward the restaurant's door.

"let's go" she replied as they walked arm in arm to the entrance.

"How much you want to bet that they ordered without us?" Daniel asked rhetorically just as they entered the establishment together.