Jack

"Hey, Carter, how is Cassie?" I say walking into her lab. God I've missed Carter, four missions without her. Thank God she'll be going on the next one.

"Great!" she says as she glances down at her watch, "You're back already? That was a really quick mission."

"Right, well we ran into a volcanic explosion which was covering up some race of people that apparently didn't want to be rescued. But the part you come in on is these devices," I say offering one of them to her.

"Wow," she says, and she's already completely absorbed in the mystery. When Carter gets absorbed in something, she looks just like Sara did when she was fixing the truck. Yeah, that was definitely a thought I should avoid. Comparing my wife (ex-wife, you need to remember that Jack) to my second-in-command who in the past year has become a single mom, and watched me kill her ex-fiancé.

After the whole alien masquerading as me and Charlie thing, Sara and I talked. Or rather sat next to each other and didn't talk, and cemented the fact that it was really over. Even now, when I'd finally started to function-to get out of bed, and go to work, and live again, that I wasn't healed enough to be in that house, or see pictures of him, or talk to Sara.

That as much as I liked Cassie, I was so not ready for fatherhood.

Not that my second in command was ever an option.

"It will be good to have you back on the team, Carter" I offer.

She looks up startled, oh, she was so not aware I was still in the room, "It will be great to be back on the team, Sir."

Hammond

Sammy is back. Really, Captain Carter is back. I think I'm going to miss the Sammy part of her. She really was Jacob's little girl for awhile there. Right when Cassie first came through. She probably still is Sammy at home, but here she's Captain Carter, all business.

I wish I didn't have to be the General all the time. I like being Grandpa, and I wouldn't mind being Grandpa George to that little girl. But that wouldn't be appropriate given our professional relationship. Besides, I have granddaughters and that little girl has a Grandpa. Where the hell is Jacob anyway? Maybe I should give the man an earful about being more involved in Sammy's life. I mean I know his kids pushed him away after Grace died, but my God he's got a granddaughter.

But Captain Carter, mission briefing, focus George.

"What do we know about these devices they were wearing?" I ask.

Captain Carter says, "Well, they all emit low levels of radiation indicating an operative energy source, but there's no circuitry, moving parts or chips. We've never seen anything like it."

"I thought at first that they were from a parallel culture but it looks like they might be way ahead of us," Dr. Jackson informs me.

Tiny little internal happy dance, we found aliens more advanced than us. I don't let the happy dance show, but ask a question I needed answered, "We've determined humans on other planets originated here on Earth, right?"

"Yes," Dr. Jackson says. God, why do I have to deal with the world's least articulate linguist? I probably should have let Jack leave him on Abydos, again.

Lead a horse to water, George. "Then how, given our present state of technology, could they be ahead of us?"

"Yes. Umm…we'd be colonizing space right now if it hadn't been for the Dark Ages. There was a period of over eight hundred years where science was heresy and anathema. Maybe they didn't have that set-back."

Happy dance. Advanced aliens.

Daniel

"New hobby?" I ask as I watch Sam play with some sort of a robot in the gate room.

"Neat, huh? I had to do something while you were going to planets without me," she says.

"Because raising a kid isn't enough," I respond playfully.

"It's a miniature UAV with all the bells and whistles. I'm just adding heat sensors so I can send it through the Gate to Tollan."

"Hm. I was just down in the infirmary with one of the Tollan, trying to get them to talk to us. They only ask questions, they never answer them. As a matter of fact, one of them was asking a lot of questions about you," I tell her.

"I thought they weren't interested in us," she says absently.

My big brother protective instincts were shooting off alarms when I was talking to Narim, but now they are doing even more so when I see how blissfully unaware she is. God, how could a woman that beautiful not realize when a guy is fawning all over her?

"Oohh…I didn't say us. I said you. General Hammond thinks maybe you'll have better luck getting some answers. He'd like to see you."

"OK," she says still focusing on her robot.

Sam

Great, I really do have to do everything around here don't I? Captain Carter, the military recruits need to know how to work a staff weapon. Dr. Carter, we could use your help figuring out this new technology. Captain Carter, help us work the gate. Dr. Carter, Siler broke something again. Mom, when are you coming home?

Now Daniel wants me to be ambassador to an alien race? Seriously? I should demand five separate pay checks for the five separate jobs I do around here. Ok, go meet an alien.

General Hammond says, "This is Narim."

The alien is wearing this shinny tinfoil stuff, and makes this tiny head nod before he says, "Oh…Captain Carter, or is it Doctor?"

Million dollar question, I'll let you know if I ever figure that one out. "Why don't we just make it Samantha?" Because right now, that's all I can handle

"You may call me Narim," he says.

"OK."

Sometimes when the General looks at me, I see something in his eyes that takes me back to my childhood. I haven't forgotten that George was the one who took care of me that first week after my mom died, and Dad didn't get out of bed, and Mark didn't come home. But I try to forget that George is General Hammond. Try to separate it all out in my head. I have enough problems with my own multiple identities.

I also have enough trouble trying to convince people I deserve to be here. Everyone thinks that just because I'm a woman I slept my way to the top, or else am only here because I'm a General's daughter. I'd rather they didn't know the guy who runs the base is an old family friend. Although, the Colonel probably already knows; he does read those files.

Hammond, in that assertive voice of his says, "Captain Carter, Mr. Narim seems very interested in our planet. I thought maybe you'd like to escort him up to the surface to have a look."

"Really?" I say. It took us almost a month before they let Teal'c off base. Why do they trust this stranger?

"I would be very pleased to have that opportunity," Narim says.

"As long as you give me your word you'll stay with Captain Carter," the General says.

"You have my word," he says looking at me, in a way that seemed almost...romantic. I hadn't seen that since...no, let's be honest, Jonas didn't look at me like that very often. Never, really.

"Great! Let's go. Sir," I nod to the General.

"Umm…I wanted to tell you, that I'm glad to be alive. Ummm…so are the others."

You would think that would go without saying, "Good."

"Thank you. And please tell your friends."

"Oh. You…you can tell them yourself."

"No, I can't. I shouldn't be talking to you."

"Why not?"

"You know, when I was in the infirmary, I thought I was dying. I heard your voice and managed to open my eyes, and, uh…when I saw you…uh."

"What?"

"An old superstition. There was a time before reason and science when my ancestors believed in all manner of nonsense. Like the Sher'mau. The story goes that if a Sher'mau appears at the moment of death, she would take you to her dwelling in the stars."

"Ah! We call them angels."

"Than you still believe in them?"

"Some of us do." I used to. Mom used to. There are still people who do. I'd like to again, but I can't. Not anymore. Still, nice to be called an angel.

"Ours were reported to be quite beautiful…and, when I saw you…well…you seemed to fit the description."

I like being flirted with, but I should probably tell him, "I usually go through the gate. I didn't go through the gate this time, because I was on maternity leave."

He gives my body a quick glance, "No way you just had a baby."

"I'm glad you think so, considering the fact that I adopted."

He smiles, "So you are a mother as well as an explorer and the brilliant scientist that Doctor Jackson said you were."

"Wow!"

"I'm afraid I ask quite a few questions. Curiosity. I'm a little curious about your child, and your husband."

"No husband, and Cassie is an eleven year old whose planet was just destroyed about a month ago."

"That sounds awful," she says, "She ok?"

"Yeah, she's doing ok, considering."

"Can you tell me something about your world? Is it permitted?"

"Well, yeah. Of course."

A bird flies by, and his eyes catch it. It's like when I took Cassie to the zoo or turned on the TV, or flushed the toilet.

"A flying animal," he says in a stunned voice. I try not to laugh.

"Yeah. We call them birds."

"Are there other animals?"

"Oh yeah. Millions of them," I say.

"Huh. There have been none on Tollan for generations."

I wonder if we're going to do the same thing to our world that they did to theirs. God, a world without any animals, awful. "Well, I could bring you pictures, if you'd like. My daughter is actually pretty obsessed with earth animals, so I have lots of pictures."

"I would like that very much. Thank you."

"Good."

"But, I think it would be best if Omoc didn't know."

"Why?"

"Omoc is not as harsh as he seems. He is only trying to protect us. And you."

"From what?"

"Perhaps…" he looks at the guards, "Perhaps we should go back."

"OK." Huh! I make a good alien ambassador who would have thought?"

I carry Schrödinger into the room in a kennel. I thought Cassie would be upset when I suggested giving our cat away, but she was thrilled. She feels about Schrodinger about the same way the Colonel does, disdain.

"Hey. How you doing?" I ask watching Narim fiddle with blankets.

"Um…it may sound ridiculous, but I have no idea what to do with these items. Oh…well, our sleeping platforms adjust automatically to our body temperature. They don't…come with accoutrements."

"It's OK. I'll show you. When my daughter first came to earth, she kept wanting to move the mattress to the floor. She didn't like sleeping off the ground. I can only imagine if I tried to get her on a top bunk. I brought you some things to take a look at. Cassie sent them for you."

He takes the books, "Oh! Thank you."

"You're welcome. Uh…you…you might like to see this first." I take Schrodinger out and hand him to him.

"I never thought I'd see a living animal."

"His name's Schrodinger. Oh…it's kind of a joke really. His name, that is. Schrodinger's cat…"

"Oh?" Right, first rule in the alien ambassador's handbook; try to keep the earth references to a minimum. Actually, we should make an alien ambassador's handbook. It would be helpful when someone like me is strong armed into it. But it's the SGC, everyone is expected to work miracles 24 hours a day, without breaking a sweat or receiving training. It's what we do.

"Right. Uh, see, there was an Earth physicist by the name of Erwin Schrodinger. He had this theoretical experiment. Put a cat in a box, add a can of poison gas, activated by the decay of a radioactive atom, and close the box."

Narim pets Schrodinger, clearly in love with him already, "Sounds like a cruel man," he mutters.

"Oh, no, no. It was just a theory. He never really did it. He said that if he did do it at any one instant, the cat would be both dead and alive at the same time."

"Ah! Kulivrian physics. An atom's state is indeterminate until measured by an outside observer."

"We call it quantum physics. You know the theory?" If I play this right I could get some hints that could further our understanding of physics.

"Yeah, I've studied it…in among other misconceptions of elementary science."

"Misconception? You telling me that you guys have licked quantum physics?"

Shit! I'm wrong! I've always believed quantum physics over string theory. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I want to rewrite my graduate thesis now! If only I could let people know so half of the world's physicists could stop wasting their time. Right, I could just say, an alien told me that quantum physics is wrong.

Narim pets Schrodinger, and he's so happy with his new pet that I think I might be able a great time to get information out of him.

"Narim…can you tell me why Omoc is so…you know…"

"Obstinate?"

"Yeah…"

"The nearest planet in our solar system was called Sureeta. When we began to explore space, we learned she was inhabited."

"Did you make contact?"

"Yes, when we thought they were sufficiently advanced. They were on a level very similar to yours."

"So what happened?"

"We offered them a device…to produce unlimited productive energy. And they used it to make war."

"How bad was it?"

"In one rotation of our planet, they had destroyed theirs."

"One day?"

"The destruction shifted our planet's orbit point 3 tekanna, enough to begin a chain of events that…made our world unstable."

"So that would explain why he's so afraid to give a society like ours any of your technology."

"Yes. He's trying to protect innocents. Like your daughter."

"Tell me, what…what were you really doing outside last night." He and his people made the whole base pretty frantic when they tried a disappearing act.

"Omoc spoke the truth. By setting the position of your stars, we were able to calibrate the distance between Earth and the new homeworld. It is very far away, Samantha. Too far to hope for a ship in our lifetime.

"Have you ever thought about staying here? On earth?"

"I would…gladly stay, if only to spend more time with a certain inhabitant of this planet. I speak, of course, of Schrodinger." I love his sense of humor. It's like my father's was, before my mother died. It's like Jack's too. But I also like what he was saying before he made a joke. Maybe...adopting a daughter didn't mean I couldn't get married one day. Maybe a history of dating crazy people, and a failed engagement...wasn't the end.

"Samantha," Narim's voice says. Yes, Samantha. I like being Samantha again. But where exactly was this voice coming from?

"Narim?"

"Hello," he says as he walks through a wall. Seriously, I am never going to get used to this level of technology. It's so far beyond. I mean the man just walked through a wall.

"Oh my God, how did you do that?"

"Very carefully," I laugh. It's nice to be able to laugh at someone's jokes. I can't laugh at the Colonels. Military protocol.

"I have come to say goodbye. We'll be leaving soon." Yeah, didn't think this would last. It never does with me.

"So, you really are going to be able to go with the Nox? I mean Daniel's plan is going to work?"

"Either way, I will be leaving. However, I will go reluctantly."

"Why?"

"Because, as of tonight, we will never meet again."

I give him a big fake smile, "Oh, come on, you'll forget about me in a heartbeat."

"I thought you felt that way." He pulls a device off his sleeve, "That is why I brought you this."

"What is it?"

He hands it to me, "You have audio and visual recording devices, yes?"

"Yeah."

"This one records emotions. My feelings for you. I have worn it each time we were together."

Ok, not sure if this is weird or awesome. "How does it work?"

"Touch the red triangle…"

I start to feel something. Something I've never felt before. The device lights up. I'm trying to fight the emotions. I'm pretty sure I don't want Narim to know that I am falling in love with him when he's about to leave.

"…and close your eyes."

I let myself smile. God this feels good. It's so unselfish. Jonas and I...was complicated, controlling, painful. Narim's love doesn't hurt. He's leaving, but it still doesn't hurt. He barely knows me, and...wow!

I flip it off. "Uh…I don't know what to say."

I know he's feeling things that he's not saying, "We have a custom…" he steps close to me, "…that expresses more than words." He kisses me. Wow!

"We have that custom too."

We pull into a kiss again. Daniel enters the room, and turns to leave. Probably hoping we didn't notice. We pull back to look at Daniel, "Oops! Uuhhh…sorry. I got to do some stuff in here." Daniel mutters. Then he looks at me, "Actually, I need your help."

I turn to Narim. I really, really hate goodbyes. But I know it's better when you actually say them, "You should probably get going. Don't forget Schrodinger."

He smiles at me, and I close my eyes. I'm not sure how he can say goodbye to me after he's let me know so exactly how he feels. He touches my chin and cheek, and I feel the love for a second without the help of a device. I close my eyes.

"Thank you." He says. Thank you. Better than goodbye. An acknowledgment of what we have had together, even if it wasn't much.

Daniel

Doctor Captain used to leave the base really late at night, but not since she became a mother. So when I see her motorcycle in the parking lot when I leave the base I turn around and go back in.

There she sits in her lab. Fiddling with a rock.

"You ok Sam?" I ask.

"Hey, Daniel, yeah, I'm ok," she says giving me a faint smile.

"So, Narim," I say sitting on her lab bench.

"Not that I don't appreciate this, Daniel, but I already have a big brother."

"Hey, we don't have to talk about that kiss," he says.

"Just as well, because it wasn't nearly as steamy as..." she shuts her eyes for a second, "God, Daniel I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It's almost creepy the way no one talks about Sha're. So, still on base?"

"Yeah, Janet had the day off, so she's watching Cassie."

"And you are?" I wave my hands.

"Having a moral dilemma."

"Ah," I say.

"You don't happen to have a secret degree in psychology do you?"

"Naw, that was more like an adolescent hobby. Mess with the shrinks your foster parents send you to," he says with a grin. "So..."

"This," she flashes the device, "Is an emotion recorder."

"Which currently holds..."

"Narim's feelings for me."

"Ah...and the moral dilemma is..."

"All alien technology should be turned over to..."

"Sam, you saw my apartment right?" I ask.

"Yeah, right after we thought you were..."and she looks a little choked up. I'm still a little surprised that my death made them freak out like that. It must have been the chemicals the alien used to make them believe I was dead.

"Right, and it was real empty right?" I tease.

"The Colonel said it was like a museum."

Yep, sounds like Jack. "Right, so...I grew up as a foster child. When Catherine Langford asked me to join the program all my belongings fit into two bags. Those two bags were given away by the time I got back from Abydos. Did you ever wonder where I got those things, only a couple of months later?" I ask. She hasn't quite gotten it yet. "Let's just say they are not as old as people outside of the program would guess based on the society they are from."

"Daniel!" she says like a scolding mother, "are you a kleptomaniac?"

"Well, all foster kids sort of are. But it's not like I actually steal. I just sorta...bring my work home with me. The point is, Sam, Narim gave that to you, not earth. And you do not need Dr. Lee or some scientist you've never even met touching it," I say firmly.

"Thanks Daniel," she smiles. She pauses, a brow wrinkling her forehead, "All foster kids are kleptomaniacs?"

Oh, Cassie. "Not all," no, I better be honest, "You could always tell the neglected kids, because they were obsessed with food. Hid it everywhere, and it would go bad. The abused kids, they didn't steal. Just look scared. The rest of us...yeah, you take stupid crap, pencils, library books, one kid used to steal gum wrappers, not gum, just the wrappers."

"Or valuable anthropological finds from other planets," she says with a grin. Sam grins, but she never laughs. Usually she grins at Jack. Who isn't ready to date, and can never date her. And then she has a fling with an alien who's leaving. And before that she was engaged to a psychopath-actually that might be the cause of the other problems.

"Right."

"So, what else do we know about foster kids?" she asks.

I haven't talked honestly about this since I gave up on shrinks. Which was a long time ago. Big breath, for Cassie, "Sam there is a huge difference between foster kid and adopted kid. When I was talking about foster kids I was talking about the people I grew up with. Who were neglected, abused, or abandoned when they were old enough to remember it, and too old to have any hope at adoption. Who moved every six months to a new family or a cold clinical institution that didn't even notice if you didn't come home for dinner. Who had to keep putting everything they owned into trash bags. Whose clothes smelled like trash bags, who felt like trash. I am not talking about a person who has one person who is going to love them forever. Way different."

She's silent for a long time, and I'm a little worried I just lost a friendship.

"When I first took her, I thought she'd act like I did after my mom died. It's been nothing like that. You know, at fourteen, I didn't think there could be anything worse than losing a mother. But I guess...I never realized how lucky I was to still have my dad."

"And your brother, God, I would have killed for a brother," he says.

"Would you settle for a sister?" she asks.

"If that sister is you, I'm not settling," I say with a smile.

"Thanks," she grins.

"'Course if I'm your big brother it means we have to talk about you kissing an alien."

And she laughs. She actually laughed.

Cassandra

Janet puts dinner-whole wheat bread, vegetables, and meat all carefully separated-in front of me.

"Thanks," I say really sincerely.

"No problem honey," she says with a smile.

"I mean, thank you, you saved my life a while ago," I say.

She smiles, "I wish I could do that for everyone who comes through my door honey."

"My mother was a healer," I tell her, "but she couldn't save them. I couldn't either."

Her eyes go soft, "Honey, that was not your fault. I probably couldn't have saved them either." A car door slams, "Sounds like your mom is home."

"Hey!" I say.

"Hi, sweetie," Mom says giving me an absent kiss on the cheek. She walks past. Janet and I exchange looks of surprise and confusion.

I follow her. She's in my room, in my closet.

"Mom?" I ask.

"Sorry sweetie, I was just..."

"What's going on?" I ask her.

"Daniel was just telling me...you don't talk about what happened...on the planet. I mean? Are you as ok as you seem?" she asks.

I'm more than a little confused, "I'm fine," I say with a smile.

"If you're mad or sad or anything, it would be ok. I'd love you just as much," she says.

Oh. My planet died. How does she think I am?

I shrug.

"I'm sorry. I was just worried about you," she says hugging me. "I mean you're adjusting to a new planet, a new family, a new school, learning a whole new form of mathematics, and you make it look easy. I just wanted to make sure you didn't feel like you had to put on a brave face for me."

"And you thought the answer might be in my closet?" I ask.

"Daniel said that some kids...if they don't feel secure, they might gather things."

Crap. I should have realized Daniel would notice. I pull the box out from under my bed. Pens. Mostly from the SGC.

She smiles, and kisses me.

"Mostly it was from the SGC, I thought Daniel might notice, it was too fancy," I say biting my lip, and offering up the one I stole from his office.

"Sweetie, he didn't notice, he was telling me about his own childhood. This is normal. Everything, you feel is normal."

"I steal pens."

"Yep," she says with a grin, "So do you want to return them or add to the collection?"

I look at her confused.

She smiles at me, "Nothing you could ever do could make me love you any less."