AN - Thank you to everyone who has read so far, Chapter 9 is the penultimate chapter (sort of as there is an epilogue.) Someone asked where is the angst and I realised that I have edited most of it out as it was very out of character and a bit rubbish. I'll change the description as the angsty bit that are left are of the fluffy variety. Re who Ellie looks like, you'll just have to wait a little bit :P I hope you all enjoy x

Chapter 9

"Welcome back Major!" Siler called happily as he ran down the corridor nearly bumping into her. "Where's Ellie?"

"With our Child-minder," Sam called after him, "What's the emergency?"

"Power coupling," Siler shouted as he rounded the corner and on out of sight.

Sam shook her head, pleased that some things didn't changed. It was a comfort to her to know that; especially as her working life away from the front line entered a new phase. In the month of her maternity leave she had received more information on her new orders. While she was officially stationed at Groom Lake it was a purely paper exercise and she was still effectively under General Hammond, but in a way that allowed her and Jack to be together and meant she could work a better schedule for raising Ellie. Her final instructions had been to report to work on this day, to meet with the General and her new official CO at 1200 in General Hammond's office. Stepping into her lab she coughed slightly. The small room dusty from disuse even though it looked like someone had given it a quick clean when they deposited the files that she would be working on. She took her position at her work station and stared at the file with disinterest, wishing with all her heart that she was topside with Ellie, back at home in their own little bubble. Shaking off the feeling she reached for the first folder, deciding that she needed to have a quick familiarisation before her meeting in an hour.

"Sam!" Daniel cried happily rushing into the room like he hadn't seen her for years instead of the three days since he and Teal'c visited the house for dinner. "I'm so glad your back!"

"Thanks Daniel." Sam returned his hug. "It's good to be back…I think," she smiled guiltily. "Jack is on the warpath by the way."

"Why?" Daniel looked alarmed as he tried to remember why he had upset his team leader.

"You were right," Sam grinned at him. "Amethyst suits Cassie's colouring much better than peridot. We can also get a dress for Ellie with a matching amethyst sash."

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all?"

"It's the colour scheme for our wedding Daniel," Sam jokingly admonished, "it's very important. We'll be sending invites in the next few weeks but we set the date for May 27th."

Daniel nodded, "So date set, bridesmaid dresses sorted. Did you get your dress?" he chuckled at the words, struck by the oddity of having such a normal girlie conversation in the world's most top secret base, in a room with gadgets and doodads that many people couldn't even imagine, with one of the smartest women on the planet, a woman who had saved the galaxy from aliens. He grinned at her, pleased for her by the change that Ellie had brought to her life.

"That would be telling," Sam giggled, she reached for her folder to swat him a way. "Don't you have work to be doing?" She hit him with the folder accidently spilling the contents. Daniel held his hands up in defeat. Together they crouched down to collect the paper. Sam frowned as she picked up one page, "Daniel what is this?" she held out the page for him to look at.

Daniel gave the page a quick scan "It's the telemetry from the monitoring device we left at P8Z-512, what about it?"

"Look at it," Sam lifted a second page of graphs holding them out to him. "What does it remind you of?"

"A heartbeat on an E.C.G," he wrinkled his brow. "Is that typical for this type of energy signature?"

"No, typically it's a regular wave pattern," Sam shook her head, "look, like an irregular heartbeat," she traced the line of data from one month and then the next, "and it's getting weaker."


Sam arrived for her meeting promptly, clutching her folder on Taweret's temple, her and Daniel's scribbled surmissions tucked inside. Hearing Hammond's permission to enter she stepped inside, and gave a salute. "Major Samantha Carter reporting as ordered Sir."

"At ease Major," General Hammond smiled warmly at her. "Take a seat. You remember Colonel Feist?"

Sam paused as the tall man stood up to greet her, "Sir," she saluted.

"Colonel Feist is your new CO Major," Hammond explained what he was sure Sam had already worked out.

"I am excited to work with you Major, however limited that may be," The Colonel greeted her. "How is your daughter?"

"Ellie is well," Sam smiled at the mention of her daughter. "Getting more alert and more like a real person each day. She smiled for the first time on Saturday," she neglected to mention that the smile had been made in response to Sam laughing at Jack as he danced around their bedroom in his underpants.

"It's a wonderful time," Colonel Feist smiled amiably.

He and Sam took their seats and General Hammond began to speak. "Colonel Feist has provided a schedule of meetings for you Major," he handed Sam a folder. "They will mostly be over telephone or video conference. However your annual review will be in person. As I am acting as your supervisor this will take place at the SGC."

"Yes Sir," Sam nodded in understanding. "Will I be required to visit Groom Lake at any time?"

"Only when deemed necessary," Colonel Feist told Sam with quiet professionalism. "Of course you are welcome at any time. I understand the projects you are to work on were left in your office for review."

"Yes Sir," Sam opened her folder. "I actually wanted to talk about one of the projects," she placed the folder on the desk and arranged the paper so the men could see it, ploughing on before either could protest. "I reviewed this folder when I arrived this morning and I noticed something," she pointed to the graphs. "We have been receiving telemetry readings for the energy signature on planet P8Z-512. It matches what we would see as an irregular heartbeat on an E.C.G. just at a far longer space between beats than for a human. Daniel and I have been reviewing it and we think the energy signature is something alive. I would like to propose that SG1 return to the temple on P8Z-512 to look beneath the altar. If you would permit me I would like to accompany them."

"Major Carter," General Hammond blinked slowly as he considered his phrasing. "You are aware that P8Z-512 is the planet on which you conceived your daughter."

"Yes Sir," Sam nodded. "I'm prepared to take the risk that it may happen again," she smiled softly, "but I can take precautions."

"Not touching anything for instance," Colonel Feist muttered pointedly. "Wearing gloves."

"Yes Sir," Sam nodded earnestly. "I wouldn't suggest it normally but the signature is getting weaker. I think whatever it is that is causing it, is dying."

"I see no harm in it General," Feist consented sitting back in his chair in an easy manner. "It's your call General."


Sam stepped out of the event horizon onto the stone plinth that supported the Star gate of P8Z-512, like their visit almost 4 months ago the air was damp and mist wreathed the trees of the forest that surrounded the gate.

"You OK?" Jack asked her as he readied himself for the trek through the wood.

Sam nodded, it was her first gate trip since the frantic return back the SGC, the trip was just like riding a bike, but it did hit her just how far she was from Ellie. "I'm fine." She answered quietly.

"We are in no danger Major Carter," Teal'c spoke softly to reassure her. "We will return to Ellie O'Neill before the day is out."

Sam smiled in thanks and Jack gave the signal to move out leading the trudge through the forest to the temple.

An hour and twenty minutes later Sam regretted her decision to suggest this mission. Though Janet had declared her fit for gate travel, and she had been walking daily with Ellie, her fitness had slipped slightly, but that was not the worst problem she now faced. Her T-shirt was soaking, and her breasts threatened with further leakage. Her barely recovered body was not built for hacking it through a forest it was built for feeding babies. She grimaced as she leaned against a stone pillar outside the temple to catch her breath. She was aware that Jack and the rest of the team were watching over her and she was grateful for them for not saying anything about her present state. Silently Daniel handed her some paper towels and she stepped behind the pillar to pad her bra with the dry paper to stop the situation from getting worse. It was the best she could do. When she stepped back around the pillar Jack gave the order to move on and she trudged up the steps trying to keep her embarrassment in check. Not looking were she was going she missed that Teal'c had stopped, and nearly walked into him. Jumping to one side she put her hand on the wall just inside of the temple doorway. Instantly lights around the temple flickered to life.

"Ookaaaayyy," Jack gripped hold of his gun. "Why is it doing that this time?"

"Do you think it was me?" Sam stared at the wall for any sign that she had milk on her finger that she had been unable to feel through the latex gloves she wore as protection.

"Hello Mother. We welcome you from your travels," the deep voice of a Goa'uld sounded.

The team's attention drawn to a flickering hologram that had appeared behind the altar. The hologram was of a being that stood no more than five foot tall. The being looked remarkably like the statue, it was easy to see how the primitive Egyptian's could have likened her to the hippopotamus though there was noticeable differences, her face less bulbous and devoid of the large mouth that characterised the species.

"What in the hell is that!" Jack hissed pointing his gun at the flickering image.

"We am Taweret. Bring forth your Blessing, so that we may view the child."

"She is not here," Sam stepped forward.

"It's just a recording Sam," Daniel told her pointedly.

The hologram tipped its head, the black pebble like eyes studying Sam. "Why have you not brought her?" The image wavered.

"Are you certain that it is a recording Daniel Jackson," Teal'c asked as he took a step towards Sam so that she was within reach. He was aware of Jack doing the same from the other side.

"Please," Sam took another step closer to the image. "We came to help you."

"That is kind," the figure of Taweret made an expression that could be classed as smiling. "But we cannot be helped. We expected to die in our hibernation. A hibernation we stayed in for too long. We are just waiting to complete our final gifting," she coughed and her calm happy expression vanished and was replaced by one of pain.

"You're not a recording," Daniel scurried forward. "Where are you?"

The squat figure pointed towards the main statue. "Beneath."

After much poking and prodding of the statue Daniel eventually found the access panel, which slid away to reveal a staircase. He glanced uneasily at Jack who trained his P90 as they waited for something to happen. Nothing did, the staircase remained an empty black hole in the statue. "T you take the rear," Jack ordered, slowly making his way down the dark hole. Twenty steps down they reached an opening that was illuminated in a soft blue light. Cautiously the team stepped into the chamber which was a mirror of the one above. In the place of the altar was a chair, seated in which was Taweret. The alien was short, squat with a smooth round torso, her skin a grey blue, her face grey and smooth with her dark eyes at the side of her head, while her snout was a large long curve, not marred by nostrils and her mouth was a barely discernible line beneath. She wore a cloth that covered upper legs but her smooth round upper torso was bare. The team paused and stared warily at the figure, their eyes tracing the cabling and tubes running from the ceiling into the alien's body, almost looking like tree roots reaching up to the stone floor.

"Do not be alarmed," the alien spoke softly. "We have lived like this for millennia, it is how we helped my tribe when they still lived," Her eyes glowed weakly. "Come forward Mother," Sam took an apprehensive step forward. "We shall not hurt you," Taweret told her weakly. "Why did you not bring your child?"

"What do you want with her?" Jack abruptly answered, his grip on his gun as tight as possible.

"Our priestesses when they lived, would bestow a gift on a Blessing on our behalf. The gift would assist the child in her future life." Taweret gave an involuntary shudder "We would like to complete our work this final time before we pass." She fixed her eyes on Jack. "We would be most grateful," Taweret gave Jack what he interpreted as an imploring look. "We have waited for you to return so that we can complete our final gift," the alien told him before dissolving into a coughing fit.