As Sam checked her hair in the full-length mirror of a bedroom at Cam's house, Daniel, wearing a tuxedo without the jacket, and with the bow tie undone, wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her bare shoulder. She smiled at his reflection and he kissed her neck, saying with a soft groan, "Well... one day, it's going to be us."

Her smile became tinged with wistfulness and with the spectre of lost time. "Hopefully." She sighed as she turned around to look at him. "Hopefully it won't be too late. I want to be able to spend more time with you without the Ori over our heads now."

"Same here." He kissed her and then made a face. "Ugh..." He licked his lips tentatively. "Lip gloss... I forgot." He wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

She smiled as she looked away from him, turning back to the mirror to touch up her make-up. "Well, I was about to finish getting ready." She took a step away from him and asked, sliding her hands down her waist over the fabric of the strapless burgundy floor-length gown that she was wearing, "What do you think?" She looked at him nervously.

He smiled and said as he cocked his head to one side, looking thoughtful for a moment as his eyes moved down her body, "I like it." His smile widened as he held her in his arms once again. "But then again, I am biased." He toyed with the ruby necklace that she wore, and was about to kiss her when he, remembering the taste of lip gloss a few moments previously, kissed her neck instead. He murmured as he carefully touched her hair, which, save for her fringe, had been curled, "I wish it was our wedding day today."

She smiled wistfully. "Me too." She then looked amused and proceeded to tie his bow tie as he glanced down at what she was doing before continuing to smile. "... although, I wouldn't get to dress you... and where would be the fun in that?"

He raised an eyebrow mirthfully. "Dress me? I would have thought that going the other way would have been more fun..."

She grinned, glancing down momentarily. "Well... you see, we'd never leave the house... and a certain someone has to be Cam's best man today." Her smile faded a little. "Have you got your speech ready?" He nodded, patting the breast of his jacket, and she continued, "What about the rings?" He hesitated and she was ready to snap at him for being careless when he flashed her a sheepish grin on finding them in his jacket pocket. "Close call there. It's bad enough that two members of SG-1 are getting married today... we don't need anything as relatively trivial as rings going wrong."

"Well, they'd count themselves lucky if that's the only thing that does." He smiled coyly. "So... I hear that it's traditional for the best man and bridesmaid to hook up." He raised his eyebrows teasingly. "How about it?"

She snorted with laughter and then said, "Oh... in that case, I hope Cam's best man is cute."

"He damn well better be."

She tidied his hair. "Aren't you supposed to be helping Cam get ready?"

He shrugged. "His Dad and he are having some personal time. What about you? Aren't you helping Vala?"

She appeared concerned. "Vala's all ready. She just wanted some time alone... you know, to reflect on who can't be here today."

He nodded, worried too. "We could have had her Dad here."

She shook her head. "Even if Vala wanted him here, General Landry would be reluctant to let him back through the 'gate again... especially after last time."

"Oh yeah. Well, anyway, he might be living off the profits of those packing peanuts we gave him."

Sam smiled a little at the memory as she held onto Daniel, her head resting against his. She then sighed as he tightened his embrace. She whispered, suddenly feeling very anxious as it hit her right then just where she would be going not long after the wedding, "You will wait for me, won't you?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

She smiled tearfully. "I guess not."

Tears in his own eyes, he slowly rubbed her back and cracked a joke to break the tension of the moment. "Careful, or my mascara will smudge too."

She snickered and he pressed a gentle kiss to her neck. "We'll be okay. I know it seems like another setback, but we've seen off the Goa'uld, the Replicators... the Ori... I'm not going to lose you. You'll be back in a few months and we'll get married... and we'll probably go to Atlantis together."

She smiled as she looked at nothing, imagining their married life. "I want to look at applying to be adoptive parents." Her smile became tinged with longing. "Or maybe IVF. One last try before nature takes hold."

He continued to rub her back, the Archaeologist looking sad. "Hey... don't talk like that. You can have babies well into your fifties and sixties with IVF."

"But there comes a point, Daniel, when it just isn't worth it. It is going to be substantially harder for someone my age to get pregnant that way than someone like Carolyn... or even Vala, for example... and it's expensive."

His heart felt as though it had left his chest at the thought of creating a life with her. "We can talk about this when you come home or tonight, or whenever. We've got to be happy for our friends right now."

She blinked back tears. "I am happy. It just feels like sometimes I'm losing control of things though. Just when we thought we'd be on the level, something like this crops up. Okay, so it's not permanent, but..."

He shook his head and held her tighter, not wanting to yet again consider a very grave possibility. "No, no, don't you dare say it."

Her voice sounded congested, the Astrophysicist knowing the odds of her returning on time. "Daniel... please..."

"No, you keep bringing this up. I won't let anything happen to you. We... as in all of us... won't stay silent if you're in trouble. Nothing will happen."

Nothing was said for a long moment as they thought of what they had lost, what they still had, and what they could gain. Finally, Daniel kissed Sam's neck again and whispered, knowing that they had things to do, "Sam... go see if Vala's done thinking."

They reluctantly let each other go and she smiled, a touch embarrassed as she dried her eyes, going to the mirror to touch up her make-up again. He gave her a hug from behind and then stepped backwards as she turned to face him. As she gazed at him, she had a strong feeling, despite his assertions and denials, that her command in Midway wouldn't go as planned. Even so, she decided to enjoy the time she had remaining before she would leave for the space station, and she knew that he would wait for her, no matter how long she took. Smiling, she kissed him on the cheek and said as he smiled at her,

"You go and check on Cam then. I'm not having you wallowing in self-pity by yourself." She left the room and he watched the place where she had been with a thoughtful expression on his face. He looked down at the bare ring finger of his left hand, wondering just as much as she was when the Universe would finally let them get married... if it did.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam was seated next to Vala in the back-seat of a black and white 1950 Daimler Consort as the car was solemnly driven to a Church by Walter, with Teal'c in the front passenger seat, and Carolyn seated on the other side of Sam from Vala. Sam asked Vala, the bride in a mass of white taffeta that she occasionally fiddled with,

"How are you holding up?"

Vala appeared to gulp, the other female member of SG-1 nodding briefly. "Still feeling nauseous." She closed her eyes for a moment as she rested her head against the seat rest as she considered just how much of a big step she was taking in her relationship with Cam, and not long after her divorce from Tomin. "Yeah. Definitely."

Sam looked concerned, wondering whether it was normal when Teal'c said, glancing back from his seat at the front, "Fear not, ValaMalDoran. Feelings of nauseousness are the norm. You will feel like this until the conclusion of the matrimonial ceremony. And it is understandable that you will feel more nervous than usual... you have recently ended a long-term relationship with Tomin."

Vala exhaled. "Muscles... that doesn't count."

"How does it not?"

Vala waved helplessly. "Uh, well, okay, I admit that I liked him and loved him... but it was nowhere near the way that I love and care about Cameron." She looked down at her colourful bouquet as Sam held her hand in support. "It just wasn't meant to be with Tomin... otherwise I'd be lying to myself. Done too much of that in my life already."

Carolyn leaned over, patting the hand that Sam held. "Hey, you're going to be fine, Vala. Just focus on who you're marrying today."

Sam smiled at the doctor and then at Vala. "Yeah." Sam shrugged. "I'm probably going to feel like this when Daniel and I finally tie the knot, but you know... all that should matter is that you're marrying the person who you really want to marry, and you've been planning it for so long."

Vala raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes... planning it with you and everyone else in mind. You were supposed to be getting married today with Jack and Sara as well... it would have made this a lot easier, knowing that we were all in the same situation."

Sam nodded, looking wistful. "I know. It just hasn't worked out... like all good SG-1 plans." She smiled again, patting Vala's hand. "But I've learnt that over the years, you've just got to make do with what you have. It'll all work out, and one day, we'll be able to laugh about it."

"Laughter is good... except when you're the one being laughed at."

Sam and Carolyn smiled as Teal'c remarked, "Indeed... but it is also good when you can smite the ones laughing at you."

Carolyn caught Sam's eye, the doctor looking perplexed at Teal'c's choice of words. She mouthed, "Smite?"

Sam smiled, and mouthed back, "Daniel."

Carolyn nodded in acknowledgement, everything falling into place as the car pulled to a stop, and Walter called, "Miss Mal Doran, Colonel Carter, Teal'c, and Doctor Lam... we're here."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Inside the Church, Cam stood unaided, the Colonel's injuries sufficiently healed enough so he could walk albeit slowly without a cane some of the time. Looking nervous, he was stood next to Daniel in front of a packed Church, full of SGC personnel, family and friends. There were also framed photographs of those who couldn't be in attendance – Colonel Prendergast, who had died with the Prometheus when it had been blown up above Tegalus, the Colonel having saved the lives of all but around thirty of the ship's personnel; Bryce Ferguson, a friend of Cam's who had died some time after Cam had been given command of SG-1; and Cam's grandmother.

Noticing time and time again just how nervous Cam was, Daniel patted the Colonel on the back. "Hey, you're going to be fine."

Cam hissed. "It's not me I'm worried about. You know my fiancée. What if she gets kidnapped on the way to Church? What if Tomin changes his mind and comes after her? I don't want ten takes of this wedding day. Just once... just once, I'd like to have something go right the first time round."

"Well, that takes practice." Daniel glanced at his watch. "Not long now."

"What are you talking about? She's five minutes late."

"Uh... it's tradition."

"Yeah, sure... Doctor Anthropologist. Is it also traditional for the bride to be kidnapped?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows a little as he remembered something. "Uh, actually, yes it is. Before Greek weddings, it's customary for the groom's friends to kidnap the bride before the wedding... count yourself lucky... the bride's father used to have to pay a ransom to get her back in the old days."

Cam glared at Daniel. "Thanks. You say that knowing full well that my future father-in-law, wherever he is, would rather con than pay for anything..." He paused and frowned. "Where does the groom come in all that?"

Daniel feigned innocence. "It's the groom usually orchestrating the whole thing. They all go out to dinner."

"Damn, I wish you'd told me before. I would've confused any potential kidnappers by hiding out at our friendly neighbourhood Cracker Barrel."

Daniel smiled slightly. "I'll admit that I wouldn't mind going there again."

Cam grinned in triumph but kept his voice down. "Now we're talkin'! So I did convert you to the ways of the Cracker after all..."

Just as Daniel was about to issue a stinging retort, the booming sound of the Church's organ startled them both back into the present, and they, and everyone else, turned as Teal'c, sporting a bowler hat this time, walked a rather nervous yet smiling Vala down the aisle towards them. Both men grinned, Cam finding himself, despite his nervousness and reservations, grinning the most. Daniel caught sight of Sam behind the bride and couldn't help but imagine the day when he would be in Cam's place, and Sam in Vala's. He glanced momentarily back to the pews on hearing some sniffing, expecting Cam's mother or aunts to be the ones crying. Instead, it was Walter, who now blew his nose into a handkerchief while Jack and Landry, flanking him, shot him some odd looks.

The Archaeologist drew his attention back to the bride as the Wedding March finally ended, Vala and Teal'c reaching Cam. Teal'c and Cam solemnly shook hands, a silent promise in Teal'c's eyes that he would severely injure Cam if he hurt Vala. The two then smiled and hugged, Teal'c moving to stand next to Sam and Carolyn, the former of whom now held Vala's bouquet as she grinned across at Daniel while Cam and Vala held hands.

Cam whispered with a small smile as he gazed at his soon-to-be wife, "Hey. You look great."

Vala smiled in reply. "So do you."

"Ready?"

"Yeah." She swallowed, still feeling nervous. "Let's do this."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam was perched on Daniel's lap as they and the rest of the guests applauded and cheered while watching Cam and Vala dance for the first time as a married couple. Sam found herself wiping away tears as she watched the couple, glad to see both of them so happy, especially after everything they had been through of late. She leaned back a little into Daniel's embrace when she felt his hand smooth her waist, and he asked quietly,

"Sam?"

She sniffed and then smiled. "I'm fine. Just getting emotional. They look so great together, don't they?" She nodded in thanks when he offered her a tissue and she dabbed at her eyes with it. "Just think... we almost lost the whole team out there."

Daniel sighed softly, knowing what she was talking about. "I know. But we're all here now... and that's all that matters." He smiled a little when she kissed him, the smile vanishing soon afterwards. "I'm gonna miss you like crazy."

Sam nodded as she held onto him tighter. "Me too... but this is just something that has to happen, I guess." She looked out at Cam and Vala once again. "We're just going to have to make do with the time we have left."

Meanwhile, as Cam and Vala slowly moved around the dance floor, their steps smooth and much rehearsed, the dashing Colonel, in his dress uniform but without the cap, whispered with a smile as he gazed down at his new wife, "Told ya it would be easy."

Vala quietly snorted. "Easy?" She paused in thought and then bobbed her head. "Okay, so no invasions or whatnot, but I felt sick for most of this morning."

He smiled as he gazed down at her, his fingertips brushing her jaw tenderly. "Me too. I was all a mess with my legs refusing to co-operate, and plus thinking about what could happen..." He took a moment to kiss her as a few of the guests whooped, cameras flashing all around them. "But a long line of your ex-boyfriends didn't turn up for five rounds of Smackdown, so I'm good. And I'm pretty sure that if anybody wanted to pick a fight, they would have done it by now." He paused. "I'm relieved though. Had too much whumping for one lifetime already." His smile widened as that single moment felt like one long dream to him. "Did I mention that my folks love you? They don't make a habit of it, believe me."

She smiled contentedly, her head against his shoulder as he held her in his arms, the couple still in the centre of the dance floor as their friends began to pair off and join them. "Good." She peeked up at him. "I like them, you know."

He tenderly kissed her forehead. "I know, baby... and I couldn't be any happier that you all get along so well."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jack watched the man who was in charge of his old team. He still thought of it as his team, and would think no less than that for perhaps the rest of his natural life. The old General liked Mitchell, despite not usually being able to spend much time in Colorado over the past couple of years. The young Colonel reminded him of, well, himself at that age. A hot head, but always ready to put his life on the line instead of risking anyone else's unless it was absolutely necessary... and always having something to say, whatever the situation. But he also knew that time and bitter experience had now since tempered Mitchell's almost-recklessness, and that he had become much more level-headed over the years of his command.

But then, the number of times Daniel alone had gone missing... if the Colonel hadn't developed some sort of level-headedness at least, he would most likely have gone completely mad with worry and stress... and quite possibly grey too. Jack never... or at least tried not to let Daniel forget just who gave him at least some of his grey hair.

It had been hard, admittedly, to watch his team being led by the Colonel. Okay, so Carter had had command prior to Mitchell, but it was easy then to think that it was almost like old times. But times change, and hopefully, so do people. The fact that Sara was not only in the same city as him, but in his arms... was just a living testament to that.

Jack looked down at the face that had been roughened by the bitter squalls of time and pain, but still showed a determination; a strong determination to keep moving no matter how fast and how hard the winds blow, no matter how much rain batters down. In that moment, but not for the first time, he found himself feeling sorry for missing the stages of Sara's life between when he had left her in Chicago well over a decade previously and when they had resumed their relationship. That was time that neither of them would ever get back. He had missed her grow from a beautiful woman into an even more beautiful older woman. He had missed her more than he had, in the past, been willing to admit to himself, never mind to Teal'c and Daniel.

But he had everyone and everything right now. The love of his life was in his arms. His friends were scattered around the dance floor in pairs. His successor-once-removed had just got married to one hell of a Poker player. And even now, even if he wouldn't admit it to Sara, he could feel Charlie's presence... far stronger than he had felt said presence in the past. This time, however, it didn't scare him or make him doubt his sanity... okay, maybe a little bit.

He smiled slightly as he held her a little tighter. The regrets, the past, and the recriminations didn't matter now. All that mattered now was the present, and of course, the future. She had had to be briefed on what he had been doing for the past decade, including, of course, what went on at the SGC. She had taken it surprisingly well... after having to sit down on realising not only how many times he could have died without her knowing the true circumstances in which he could have died, but also that aliens did exist and some of them had come very close to wiping hers and everyone else's lives from existence.

But she was comfortable enough with the whole thing that he too felt comfortable discussing things with her... venting about missions gone wrong, or the times Daniel risked his life needlessly.

He couldn't help but smile a little more on seeing Daniel and Carter kiss, and he raised an eyebrow, surmising by the way that they moved across the dance floor that Carter had drilled some dance moves into the Archaeologist at some point between a disastrous waltz practice and now.

Sara gazed up at him, noticing the smile. Knowing that he rarely smiled liked that, except when he was with her sometimes, she remarked, looking curious, "Spotted the cake yet?"

His attention shifted back to her, his smile still there. "No, have you?" She chuckled and he shrugged a little, knowing from her expression that she was curious about his general demeanour. "I'm just happy."

She grinned. "I figured... either that or you're drugged."

"Damn. Carter tell you about all that crap with the cake?"

"Oh yeah." Sara looked at him sternly. "If you see Kynthia again, I won't be held accountable for my actions." She shot him a sly look. "Laira too." He was about to defend himself when she looked at him challengingly. "You never said anything. I mean, okay, you glossed over some stuff that happened... but you never explicitly told me that..."

He tried to keep his voice down, cringing a little on realising that his old team were now watching both him and Sara in concern. "Because I didn't want to worry you like that... and it was all in the past when we were both hurting. And besides, you never told me about..."

She shot him a scathing look. "We've been over that. We were on a break... a huge break. In fact, I..."

"Exactly. Just because I'm a man doesn't mean I have to pay through the nose for something that happened when we weren't even together. I'm not gonna apologise either. I don't care what the crap in that magazine of yours says. I'm sorry that I never told you stuff... but you know what I'm like." He glanced around at everyone else who were trying to be discreet about glancing over at the couple, and he remarked, "Wanna keep it civil so we don't give these guys more to talk about?"

She shrugged. "Depends if by 'civil', you mean making you sleep on the couch tonight... then, sure."

"You learn that poutiness from Daniel?"

She looked at him, smirking yet somehow looking confused too. "I wonder about you and Daniel sometimes."

"Yeesh. Who told you about..."

She smirked. "No... before Sam told me about you two getting caught in a room together." Her smile faded. "You were never even that close to Charles."

He frowned. "Charles? Who's..." He then realised who she meant. "Ah. Kawalsky. Right. Yeah." He shrugged. "Daniel and I have a thing." He glared and then smirked when she appeared amused. "Not that kinda thing." He looked awkward. "I'll tell you one day."

Knowing that he was rarely emotional forthcoming, Sara nodded and said quietly, but firmly as she rested her head against his chest. "You'd better."

He tenderly kissed the top of her head. "Yeah." He smiled against her temple. "Still wanna marry me?"

"Um..."

Meanwhile, Teal'c stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching the couples twirling and swaying, some laughing. The Jaffa looked outwardly stoic, but inwardly... he was far from stoic. He and Ish'ta had had yet another blazing row the day prior, which had resulted in her refusing to come to Earth for the foreseeable future. That had indirectly resulted in the destruction and loss to the SGC of three of its gym's punch bags.

Despite this, he felt happy for ColonelMitchell and ValaMalDoran... or ValaMitchell. No-one without knowledge of the SGC could have known that the Colonel had not long ago barely survived an altercation with a Replicator-human hybrid while the Odyssey was close to total destruction. And ValaMitchell... as she gazed up at her new husband with such loving, who could have known that she had had to break another man's heart to be with the man that she wanted?

He couldn't help but smirk slightly on sighting O'Neill and his former bride appearing to have a quiet dispute. Despite the frustration on their faces, it was apparent that they did not hate one another. Life was too short, especially in this vocation to continue in-fighting.

His smile was sustained as ColonelCarter and DanielJackson moved past him, looking very much in love and as though they were having much fun. DanielJackson too had what ColonelMitchell referred to as a 'close call', but he and the rest of his friends had triumphed and, as a result of their actions, had triumphed in defeating the Ori, and saving not one, but two galaxies.

Today was indeed a joyous day. They each had much to be thankful for.

He was about to turn away in order to sit alone with his thoughts when he was stirred out of those very same thoughts by a hand on his waist. He turned and said with a nod and a smile on recognising the person, "CassandraFrasier."

Cassie, who wore a similar outfit to Sam and Carolyn, smiled and remarked, dragging him to the dance floor, "Not so fast, T."