Lyrics featured are Written in the Stars by Westlife.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam, having finished a large pile of paperwork, ventured out from her office into the rest of the SGC, feeling mentally drained not just from her previous task but from the problems that she and Daniel were currently experiencing. Sighing, she went into the Infirmary to see Carolyn just finishing the post mission tests for SG-3, the medic having returned to work a couple of months previously from her maternity leave. The Marines and Reynolds all stood to attention on sighting the General and Sam said, still not used to that particular tendency of the military personnel under her command,

"At ease, men."

They each nodded and after an ok from Carolyn, they filed out of the Infirmary. Carolyn remarked with a smirk as she handed her clipboard to a waiting Nurse, "Uneasy in power?"

"Oh, don't get me started."

Carolyn hugged her and said with a bigger smile, "Happy birthday, Sam. Jo and I..."

Sam frowned. "Jo?"

Carolyn rolled her eyes. "Jonas."

Sam chuckled as she perched on a nearby gurney. "Sorry, forgot about the pet names you guys have."

"Don't push it." Carolyn glanced around, checking that she had no more patients for the time being, and she said, inclining her head towards her office, "Come on, let's go in my office before House finishes in Isolation Room One."

Sam slid off the gurney and followed Carolyn into the doctor's office, saying, "I went to see the Bedrosian and Optrican refugees at the hospital earlier... they look a lot better... and Nyan's practically been living there."

Carolyn replied as they entered her office, taking seats either side of her desk, "Yeah. Doctors Frasier and Carmichael are doing a good job... but House sped it up by doing his..." Carolyn chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. "That man, I swear... he went around the Commissary earlier, diagnosing a whole string of Air Force personnel in the space of ten minutes."

Sam laughed. "He's a legend." She shrugged. "I was in two minds about sending him to the hospital with his – shall we say – abrasive sense of humour."

"I don't know... he seems a lot tamer than he used to be." Carolyn smirked. "Anything to say about that?"

Sam shrugged, feigning innocence. "Nothing much, except that if he ever does hit on me again, my Dad and my Ascended son will do a lot worse... and that's after my husband's finished with him. Not sure if I get a chance to defend myself these days."

Carolyn chuckled, knowing all too well just how defensive Daniel was of Sam, and she then asked, "Are you going home?"

Sam exhaled. "Yeah, I might as well – someone's got to keep Daniel company. Just going to do a little walk about first."

Carolyn nodded, her smile gone. "How are things?"

Sam sighed, her elbows propped up on the desk as she leaned forward, her gaze fallen. "They're going somewhere. We're taking it slow."

"That's better than nothing, I guess."

"I get the feeling though that I look like the bad guy here... not from Daniel, but from Cam and Jack... they wanted me to patch things up quickly with him... something about Daniel getting laid." Sam couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the doctor once again. "Men, huh?"

Carolyn raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yes. Tell me about it. Jo's pretty much the same. Hey, how did Cammie and James like their new lunchboxes?"

Sam smiled, remarking bashfully, "You didn't have to."

"Well, I am their Aunt... and you and Daniel have been good to us and Henry."

"They liked them very much. Jimmy and Cammie said thanks... they've got a surprise for you. On strict orders not to tell you what it is."

Carolyn chuckled. "A surprise? I can't wait. Anyway, they're very welcome."

Sam asked as she looked at the reinstated Chief Medical Officer of the SGC, "So, how are things with you?"

Carolyn smiled once again. "Great, just great. My Mom and Dad are dropping in tomorrow and we're all going out for dinner. We were considering leaving Henry with Cam and Vala, but then Mom wanted to eat with her first grandchild."

"Ooh, that is nice. Where are you going?"

"Jo and I can't decide between Adam's Mountain Café on Manitou Avenue, or Mollica's up in Garden of the Gods."

Sam looked thoughtful. "They're both really good... Daniel and I went to Mollica's before we had the last set of CJ's... it's more family-friendly than Adam's."

Carolyn looked surprised considering the fact that at that point, the Jacksons had had five children, "You took..."

Sam laughed. "Oh no... just Cammie and James, but there were a couple of families with a lot more kids. Jake doesn't do too well in crowded places, and Grace can get very jealous of Daniel having my attention to the point of throwing things at him... so we left them and Claire at Cam and Vala's because Jack was hanging out with Teal'c and insisted." Sam sighed as she remembered her friend who now lived with the Hak'tyl. "I miss Teal'c."

"Oh, me too. He's a nice man... which is kind of unexpected from a man of his size and with his temperament."

They chuckled, and Sam said, getting up but looking regretful, "Well, I better go... might make it home at a humane hour if I start now."

Carolyn remarked sceptically, "Good luck with that."

Sam laughed and was about to leave when Carolyn, remembering something, said, "Sam?"

Sam looked at the medic curiously as she continued, "Almost forgot... Jo and I have got you something... going to drop round later on. Is that ok?"

"Of course it is... the dropping round part... but you're not getting me anything."

"Yeah right... like that's going to happen, General..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam, after walking around the entire base, checking on scientific research and the progress of the base's scientific, archaeological and linguistic teams, was about to tiredly walk into the locker room to change out of her fatigues into civilian clothes when she heard Walter's voice,

"General Jackson!"

Blinking tiredly, the General asked, turning to the Sergeant to see that he was bearing a pile of envelopes, "What is it, Sergeant?"

Walter presented the pile of what turned out to be birthday cards to Sam, saying as he looked a little nervous, having observed her demeanour of late, "Happy birthday, General. I waited 'til before you were due to go because I didn't think you wanted to be harassed..." he lowered his voice. "... especially after the briefing from Doctor Balinsky's team."

Sam nodded gratefully, having surpassed new levels of boredom during the aforementioned briefing by Daniel's colleagues despite having a passing interest in the subject. "Thank you."

He nodded and was about to turn on his heel to return to his station in the control room when the unauthorised wormhole activation siren sounded. Sam sighed, remarking tiredly,

"What is this time?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A gate technician got up to give her seat to Walter as she said, looking up at Sam, "It appears to be from Atlantis, Ma'am."

Sam looked confused, saying with a frown as Walter tapped into the console, "But Colonel and Doctor Sheppard already checked in yesterday. Open a radio channel."

Walter replied as he pressed his earpiece, "Aye, Ma'am."

When Walter had opened a channel, Sam said, addressing the incoming traveller as she looked through the control room window to the 'gate below, the device covered by the Iris, "This is General Samantha Jackson of Stargate Command. Identify yourself."

A few seconds later, a voice came over the radio, a very familiar voice. "Hey General. Colonel Sheppard reporting."

Sam smiled in bemusement for a moment on recognising the voice of the military commander of the Atlantis expedition. "Quit the formalities, Sheppard – what's up?" She nodded at Walter who looked up at her, and he nodded in reply, the Iris almost immediately retracting.

She smiled again on detecting the slightly insolent tone that the Colonel had a tendency of using when he wasn't totally being 'the Colonel'. "It's a business call. Meredith grudgingly agreed that he and Radek need Jeannie for one of their science projects."

Sam managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes, remembering how spontaneous recent spells of retrieving Jeannie from British Columbia had been. "Colonel, what have I told you about spontaneity... you need to file the appropriate paperwork otherwise the IOA will get on my ass again, and I'll be on yours... and I don't want to be because you guys do such a great job out there."

"Yay, a blank cheque for mayhem now. Thanks."

Sam did roll her eyes that time and she asked, "Is it just McKay this time, or is it half the expedition like last time?"

"That would have been so cool... if only to see the look on your face. Nah, it's just McKay and Carson. And before you ask, they're already on their way. They should be with you in... oh, fifteen minutes now... Hey, quick question: do you and McKay get royalties every time anyone uses this thing?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam found herself smiling as she stood in the gateroom as McKay and Carson emerged from the active event horizon, the wormhole disengaging behind them. As the gateroom personnel lowered their weapons around the General, the two Doctor McKays descended the gate ramp and approached Sam. Sam, delighted to see them – Carson especially – hugged the medic, and said,

"It's great to see you again."

Carson hugged her back, remarking fondly, "Aye, it's nice to see you again too..." She looked Sam up and down. "... although I have to say that I'm a wee jealous that you appear to have lost your baby weight so quickly."

McKay added, unashamedly checking the General out, "Carson still hasn't lost all of hers..." His gaze drifted lower. "Hm. You've got a bigger..."

Carson rolled her eyes and then nudged her husband hard in the ribs, almost winding the Physicist as Sam unclenched her fist slowly. They left the room, Sam in between them, an arm around Carson's shoulders as the medic asked,

"So... how are those wee bairns of yours?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After seeing off Carson and McKay as they left for British Columbia, the Physicist reluctant to let the Odyssey simply beam him and his wife down there due to a penchant for airline food, Sam grudgingly filled in all the related paperwork, now halfway convinced that she would never see home again. She muttered grumpily as she glanced at the pile of birthday cards on her desk,

"So much for going home early."

On sensing someone about to knock on her door, she glared straight at the door, remarking fiercely, "Not now Doctor Balinsky. It can wait."

Seconds later, she saw a flustered looking Balinsky walk past her window, and Sam idly wondered whether she should start moving furniture from home into her office. Grimacing as she finished eventually, she faxed them to Homeworld Security before getting up and leaving the room with her birthday cards.

Waving goodbye to Walter, she jogged out of the briefing room, not wanting to take her chances of something else happening. For the second time that day, she was about to enter the locker room to change when she sensed someone standing behind her. Without turning around, she asked, forcing her voice into neutrality,

"What do you want, House?"

The former Chief Medical Officer of the SGC remarked gruffly, "Just wondering how you pulled that trick with dyeing my hair pink."

Sam turned around and barely stifled a laugh on seeing the doctor's hair notably darker than usual, House obviously having dyed it again in an attempt to get rid of the pink. She shrugged. "I didn't do it."

"Sure... Wilson snuck in, in the middle of the night 'cos he found it funnier than staying the night in a hotel bathroom."

"Well, you hit on me... and my Ascended family fixed you up after I did."

"Don't talk shit, General... what did you do?" House stepped closer to her, his voice more intense than previously and Sam found herself feeling scared. With a discreet wave of her hand, he froze, his mouth open as he was about to speak. Sam's hand began to glow as she waved it over the top of his hair, changing his hair colour back to his natural medium-to-dark brown, peppered with a lot of grey. Smirking despite her tiredness, she then waved her hand over his face, his chin now clean shaven for the first time in a very long time. Now feeling more tired because of using her powers whilst already in a state of tiredness, she walked into the locker room to get changed, almost cheering in triumph when she made it into the room and to her locker.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam, having driven home very carefully, knowing that Daniel wouldn't be happy at all that she had driven in her state, parked on the driveway before getting out. She entered the house wearily, calling in her head as she dropped the pile of birthday cards onto a table in the hall,

'Honey, I'm home.'

She frowned on realising how quiet the house was taking into account that it was late afternoon when usually by now she would have been swamped by at least five of her children, and squealed at by two more. Her eyes almost closing with tiredness, she entered the lounge just as Daniel did from the kitchen, and he quickly stepped forward to hold her. She rested her head against his shoulder as he held her tight, and she asked tiredly,

"Where are the kids?"

"At Mitchell and Vala's. That seems to be SG-1 central at the moment with Jack and Jonas there too, but no Teal'c."

Sam groaned. "I saw Jack earlier... didn't know he was staying that long."

"Oh yeah. And guess what?"

"What?"

He sat down with her on the couch, the General in his arms as he gazed down at her. "Mini-Jack's come home again."

Surprised, she tried to open her eyes properly. "He has? Where is he?"

"He's at Mitchell's too. They all wanted to take you out for dinner but I knew it'd be the last thing you'd want after being on base since last night. Jack and I went to see the Bedrosians and the Optricans earlier."

Her head against his chest, she murmured, "Me too. They're doing good... nothing like a volcanic eruption to bring people together." She groaned again. "Daniel, I'm not really in the mood for talking right now... I'm going to have a shower and then I'm going to bed. Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, Jack forced me to eat something earlier." He helped her to stand and then gently kissed her. "Happy birthday, Sam."

She blinked tiredly and returned his kiss. "It is... I got you back."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Finally reaching the bed after her shower, Sam lie down on her front with a groan, feeling utterly drained. Peeking up at Daniel as he sat on the edge of the bed, watching her in concern, she remarked, "Are you going to sit there or are you going to lay down?"

He retorted, smirking nonetheless, "Easy General, you're exhausted."

"Smooth." She watched him undress and she smiled, never tiring of watching him do so. He then joined her in bed, making her shriek when he tickled her. She then draped her arm over his stomach as she murmured, her eyes closed as she turned to rest her head on his shoulder,

"McKay and Carson dropped in earlier... damn spontaneous Lantaeans... had to fill out more paperwork to cover the fact that Shep didn't do any." She soon fell asleep as he watched over her, gently smoothing her hair and touching her cheek. He then slowly reached under her pyjama top to caress her back as he began to look thoughtful, wondering whether he and Sam would ever be as intimate as they had once been.

He shook his head slightly with a sigh, remarking to himself that that was the least of his worries right now, or at least it should have been. His hand came to rest in its caresses on her waist, which seemed a little thicker than he had remembered. With that came the stark epiphany that while he had had all of the past now seven months to heal and straighten himself out, she hadn't had time to do anything remotely similar. He had never been in any real danger during his travels with the Doctor because he had always had his abilities but without having to worry about the implications and whether any of the villains he had faced would go after his family.

He kissed her shoulder, whispering as he ran his fingers through her hair, "I'm sorry, Sam. I wish I hadn't gone with the Doctor, but then if I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have made the leap that I have. But all that means nothing without you. And to be honest and truthful and everything else, I don't think that you compromised yourself. You are truly the strongest person that I know. I honestly do envy that about you... how you can love and love despite the things that happen. It isn't a weakness... it takes great courage to do that... greater courage than any of us and the rest of SG-1 possess, believe me." He held her close. "So... I wish that I could have been as healed as I am before now, long before now so I wouldn't have had to take that other path. I mean, I could have, I guess, gone back to where I'd left and in this timeline never left you... but the Doctor didn't like that idea. Something about a causal nexus or something. Plus, I think it would have ended up with me technically being four months older than you instead of you being two months older than me."

He rested his head against hers, still gazing down at her. "But I'll do whatever it takes... and I'll fight for you, not only because you're my wife, but you're my soulmate. You may hate me right now or want to keep me at arms' length, but that isn't going to stop me. I'm not the man that I was... I'm not going to leave you... I'm not going to run away to heal. Because that time away taught me how much that I've been taking you for granted. I automatically assumed that you would take care of the kids. Of course, there's no doubt there... I'd do the same for you if for all those months I was the one left behind. But it's the principle, my fair Guinevere. If I'd stood up to you... but then again maybe if I'd stayed, we would have been far worse than we are now... and that's something that I don't want to think about right now... because I still have you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel woke up on his back to the feeling of Sam caressing his stomach. He gazed down at her, watching her appear to examine his bare torso, and he asked, his voice a little heavy with the last remnants of sleep, "Sam... what are you doing?"

She looked up at him and he reached up to smooth her cheek, understanding settling into his mind. He gazed at the eyes that he had longed to see for all those months, and he said in a soft voice, mesmerised by the depths of blue-grey before him, "I'm not going anywhere."

She turned to kiss his hand. "I know. I just want you to know that I'm glad you're back... and that you being here right now is the best birthday present that I could ever ask for."

"I did get you something."

She smiled. "I know you did, fellow telepath." She lowered her lips to his, kissing him gently and then she rested her head next to his, watching him as he, in turn, watched her. "It's a lovely bracelet." She smiled again. "Sorry about that... it was a total accident but..." she affectionately touched the tip of his nose. "... if it helps, I'll be more surprised than I will be when you give it to me."

He grinned. "You don't need to be." He returned her kiss and asked as his hand began to wander under her pyjama top again, "Do you want something to eat? It's actually a little weird having the house to ourselves."

She slowly rubbed his hip. "Tell me about it. Dad and older-Jimmy helped out when you were gone... but I couldn't let them do everything. It was bad enough going to New Jersey with House." She stared at him in surprise when he didn't look shocked or surprised at all, and she frowned. "You knew!"

He shrugged, feigning innocence. "Might have done." He smiled again. "Well, those images make a little more sense now. You went to a Jewish wedding with House. I'm actually a bit jealous... I love Jewish weddings. They're so interesting. I've only ever been to..." He squinted at the ceiling as he tried to remember and then looked back at her again. "... three, I think. There's just so much solid history and tradition behind each gesture, each part of the ceremony."

She looked amused. "I was thinking then that you'd be having a field day if you'd been there." She stroked his cheek with her thumb, and said, "I'll eat if you're hungry, but to be honest..." She grinned as she whispered in his ear, "I'm feeling more naughty than hungry right now." He stared at her, feeling exactly what she was feeling, and he murmured,

"I know."

"Well..." she asked coyly as her hand drifted with painful slowness down his torso. "... what are you going to do about it?"

He swallowed and then grabbed her hand before it went too far. When she frowned, he said, shaking his head, "You're doing it because you're turned on. You're not doing it because you actually want to be with me."

She rolled her eyes and then closed them as she caressed his jaw, remarking silently, 'Still the same man I married.'

"Stay with me
Don't fall asleep too soon
The angels can wait
For a moment..."

He stared at her and then comprehension dawned on him when he got another direct glimpse into her psyche. She finally opened her eyes with an easy smile, amused at the surprise that now appeared on his face.

"See?"


"Come real close
Forget the world outside
Tonight we're alone
It's finally you and I..."

His fingers hesitantly played with the buttons on her pyjama top and then he smiled as he gazed at her. She smiled back, seeing his love for her in his clear eyes at the same time as she felt it far more strongly than she had on previous occasions. He unbuttoned her top slowly as his smile grew wider on feeling her own love for him and she chuckled softly on feeling his shiver of delight.

"Aa-aah...

It wasn't meant to feel like this

Aa-aah...

Not without you..."

Suddenly spluttering with laughter, amused as well as exasperated at how long he was taking, she quickly removed her top, and he remarked distractedly as he began to examine her breasts, "Still as impatient as ever."

"Well, you know, my patience depends on a number of factors... one of them being whether anyone's life depends on my being impatient... or patient." She kissed him searingly, jolting him out of his distraction as he wrapped his arms around her, a hand lost in her hair as he gave her everything she had given him plus more.

"'cause when I look at my life
How the pieces fall into place
It just wouldn't rhyme

Without you..."

Daniel took a moment to gaze down at Sam lovingly as she lie beneath him, holding onto him. He gently brushed her cheek with his knuckles as her gaze softened, as they both contemplated the time that they had had apart. He kissed her with a smile as she reached up to thread her fingers through his hair, and she remarked affectionately as her other hand drifted underneath the waistband of his boxers, smoothing his backside,

"I missed your hair the most. I still don't know how you get it so soft."

He retorted with a fond quirk of his lips, "Now that's an Archaeological secret."

She laughed. "I think it's more of a Jackson trait... Jimmy and Claire both have your apparently unique hair allele."

"When I see how my path
Seems to end up before your face
The state of my heart
The place where we are
Is written in the stars

Don't be afraid
I'll be right by your side
Through the laughter and pain
Together we're bound to fly..."

He chuckled and she looked down at his body over hers. She said as she looked thoughtful, "I'm so jealous of you losing your baby weight. It's getting harder to lose mine as I get older."

He smiled as he kissed her on the forehead. "I don't care about yours, trust me. I always wanted more of you to play with." She laughed again, hitting him on the shoulder, and he continued, "All jokes aside, you'd look beautiful to me no matter what size you were."

She smiled up at him, moved by the conviction in his eyes. "You're sweet."

"I'm telling the truth."

He kissed her again as she smiled too, clinging onto him, and his lips moved to her collarbone as she groaned beneath him. He smiled against her neck when at one point she called out his name, and he whispered as he resumed his kisses, "Happy birthday, fy Gwenhwyfar."

"Aa-aah...

I wasn't meant to love like this
Not without you

'cause when I look at my life
How the pieces fall into place
It just wouldn't rhyme
Without you

When I see how my path
Seems to end up before your face
The state of my heart
The place where we are
Is written in the stars..."

As his mouth moved down her body, he said, "I think we'd better do this in our heads... that is if we want to pick up the kids later. To be honest, it's not fair on Mitchell and Vala to have to look after nine kids all together."

Her fingers tangled in his hair, she replied, gasping as he found a particularly sensitive spot, "Don't worry... I'll pick them up. You're not going to be much use to anyone later."

"Made a few mistakes, yeah
Like sometimes we do
Been through lot of heartache
But I made it back to you

'cause when I look at my life (yeah)
How the pieces fall into place (into place)
It just wouldn't rhyme
Without you (without you)..."

He smiled when she gasped again as he ventured down to the apex of her thighs, and he closed his eyes as he felt her mental safeguards crumble as a huge wave of pleasure crashed over him. Suddenly Sam stopped groaning and he, curious, stopped and looked up at her from his position right before she sat up. He then smiled bashfully when he realised what she wanted and he kneeled in front of her. She kneeled in front of him, taking a moment to stroke his manhood in a brief moment of lucidity before straddling his lap.

"When I see how my path
Seems to end up before your face

The state of my heart
The place where we are
Is written in the stars

Look at my life
How the pieces fall into place
It just wouldn't rhyme
Without you..."

He kissed her, loosely wrapping his arms around her as he whispered sweet words in her ear. She, an arm around his waist, slipped her other arm around his neck as she kissed him as they began to move. They closed their eyes as they continued to kiss, one of Daniel's hands moving down to cup one of Sam's buttocks as they both groaned with pleasure. They intermittently called out each other's names as they drew to a climax as they lost themselves in a reciprocal exchange of both physical and mental pleasures, both relieved as they began to indulge in a far greater and more profound physical intimacy than they had shared in the month or so since Daniel's return.

"When I see how my path
Seems to end up before your face
The state of my heart
The place where we are
Is written in the stars...

The state of my heart
The place where we are
Is written in the stars..."