A/N: I've been seeing mixed reviews of '200' on various forums and chat boards, but I must say, I absolutely LOVED it! Of course, I've long since stopped expecting TPTB to write that perfect, shippy ending that we all crave, so I wasn't disappointed by the decidedly lighthearted and teasing mood of the show. Personally, I really enjoyed the millions of inside jokes and the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

Besides – JACK O'NEILL was there! How much complaining can anyone really engage in, when everyone's favorite USAF General is in the house? And, was it just me, or did Jack have two stars on his uniform? When did he get promoted from Brigadier General to Major General?

And how pathetic is it that I noticed that?

Anyway, before you start reading this next chapter, I'd like to both warn and reassure you. The warning is that my muse simply wouldn't wait to start work on my next fanfiction. There were scenes in my head which simply had to be written down. At first, I thought I'd wait to post it until after I'd wrapped this one up, but it turns out, I'm far too much of an immediate-gratification junkie to do so. This leads me to the reassurance: Have no fear, I'm dying to get the end of this story down on paper, too. If only I had four arms and two laptops, I might be able to keep up with this sudden burst of creative energy. Apparently, I kept it bottled up too long while finishing my master's! In any event, the other fiction I'm starting is far more mature and far less plot-driven than this one – total, unapologetic, blatantly hormonal ship. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm afraid I'm a slave to the voices in my head. (Hmmm… I'm not sure that came out right.)

Okay, enough chit-chat. On with the show!

Chapter 21

Yawning groggily, Sam shuffled down the corridor toward her lab, trying to shake off the now-familiar feeling of sleep deprivation she'd been experiencing for the last year. True to her daddy's predictions, Janelle had woken up noisily around 3:00 a.m., stubbornly refusing to return to sleep anywhere but in her parents' bed. Sam suppressed a smile. She'd often scolded Jack for being too soft with his children – if he continued to spoil them, they might never get another night alone together. Still, the fiercely protective look he got on his face when cradling either of the pudgy cherubs in his arms was priceless. Jack was a pushover when it came to the twins, and, apparently, Sam was a pushover when it came to Jack.

Swiping her passkey in the electronic lock at the entrance to her lab, she opened the door and began planning her morning. First, she'd finish typing her report on Jack's recent discoveries with the cylinder – though why she was typing Jack's findings was still something of a mystery to her. Next, she'd start a closer examination of the cylinder's many switches and levers. If she was lucky, she-

Suddenly, Sam stopped dead in her tracks, a feeling of sickening dismay plowing through her gut. Rushing to the phone, Sam fought to grasp the receiver with her now-trembling hands. Blindly punching numbers, she fought down a rising sense of panic.

Finally, a familiar voice sounded on the other end of the line. "Jack?" The single word held volumes of information about her current emotional state. "Get a security team here immediately." As fingers of dread clutched at her heart, she uttered the words that she'd previously believed impossible. "Someone's broken into my lab." Exhaling sharply, she forced herself to articulate the worst of it. "The cylinder is gone."

Several levels up, Daniel lay contentedly in Sha're's full-sized bed, reveling in the sensation of her warm breath on his neck. The feeling was surreal. Not long ago, she'd been his muse, his saving grace, and the other half of his soul. The year he'd spent with her on Abydos had been sublime, his only regret that it hadn't lasted long enough. Losing her had killed a part of him and changed his perspective on the rest of his life profoundly.

Now, lying beside her warm, familiar body, he found himself wondering if he was dreaming. The end of her life had been blurred and confusing for him. Her last, desperate communication through the Goa'uld hand device had certainly eased the torment of her death, but had also made him doubt his sanity for months afterward. When he would awaken from dreams haunted by her dark eyes – a natural enough part of the grieving process – he'd wonder if the vision had been a byproduct of his own subliminal pain, or if it had been part of her final farewell. Letting go had been tricky. In some respects, he'd made his peace with her in the final moments of her tormented life. In other ways, the jagged hole left by her passing had never really healed.

In the darkness of the windowless room, he could feel her slowly start to awaken. Smiling at the tiny, satisfied yawn she emitted upon first waking up, Daniel leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good morning," he whispered.

Slowly, one of Sha're's hands slid down his bare arm, eventually meshing itself with the long fingers of his hand. "My Daniel," she murmured sleepily. "Am I dreaming, or is it really you?"

Squeezing her delicate hand, his mouth gently started trailing kisses from her smooth brow, down one sculpted cheekbone, to the corner of her warm mouth. "It's me," he replied softly. Tenderly brushing his lips over hers, he sighed quietly at the incredible rightness he felt.

As their kiss began to gain in heat and intensity, Daniel felt Sha're's hand slip from his grasp before lightly molding itself to his flat stomach. As her fingers explored the smooth, muscular expanse of his torso, Daniel felt his breathing begin to grow labored. Pulling her forcefully against his body, he growled at the sensation of her skin gliding against his.

Unfortunately, at that exact moment, an insistent knock sounded at the door to Sha're's quarters. Stilling instantly, the lovers slowly disentangled themselves from one another as they both tried to formulate rational thoughts. As a scattered afterthought, Daniel yanked their blanket up high enough to provide decent covering.

The action proved to be fortuitous, as the door swung open in the next instant, sending a shaft of fluorescent light into the room. "Sha're?" Sam's uncertain voice filled the silent room.

Cringing at the embarrassing scene which was about to unfold, Daniel cleared his throat sheepishly. "Um… And guest," he said quietly, feeling his face turn red.

In the doorway, Sam's eyes grew wide as saucers. Taking in the haphazardly discarded garments on the floor, the two blanket-covered figures in the bed, and the familiar sound of Daniel's voice, she clapped a hand over her mouth and whirled around to give them whatever privacy they could salvage. "Ohmygod, I'm so sorry," she gasped, sounding truly mortified. "I didn't even think…" Rushing to explain herself, she gestured wildly into the hallway. "When no one answered right away, I was worried that Sha're might be unconscious again. I just wanted to be sure she was okay."

Apparently taking the entire situation much more cheerfully than Sam or Daniel, Sha're chuckled warmly. "As you can see, Samantha, I am more than okay."

Grinning in spite of her embarrassment, Sam nodded at her friend's words. "Well, in that case, why don't you guys give me a call when you're done… Um, I mean… later on." Instantly, Sam felt like smacking herself in the forehead. When they were done? For being a theoretical astrophysicist, she certainly sounded like a complete idiot at the moment.

The ridiculousness of the situation finally sank into Daniel's mortified brain. Smothering a laugh, he choked out a reply. "Sure thing. And Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam knew her face was probably the color of a fire hydrant. Daniel's embarrassed amusement wasn't making her feel much better.

"Could you tell the guard at the door to not let anyone else in?"

"No problem, Daniel." Quickly stepping out of the room, she yanked the door closed behind her with an exaggerated wince. The marine posted beside the door sent her a curious look that almost sent Sam running down the hallway. Gesturing to the door, she regarded the soldier with a comically awkward expression. "Sha're would like some privacy," she mumbled hastily before scurrying back in the direction she'd arrived.

By the time she'd returned to her lab, Sam's face had mellowed from a deep crimson to a more neutral magenta. Stumbling past the small army of guards and investigative personnel who'd been summoned to the room, she quickly crossed to the ruggedly familiar form of her husband.

"Hey, everything all right?" Jack asked upon seeing her expression. "You look… flustered."

Sam groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Oh my gosh, I'm such an idiot."

Jack raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Oh? Isn't that supposed to be my job?" Seeing her peek up at him, he couldn't help planting a quick kiss on her forehead. He knew she wasn't comfortable with displays of affection while at the base, but she looked so uncomfortable at that moment, he simply couldn't resist. "What's wrong, Sam? Didn't Sha're take the news well?"

Shaking her head, Sam felt her face darken back into its earlier shade of scarlet. "We never got that far," she mumbled.

Jack sent her a puzzled look. "You went all the way to her quarters and then didn't explain why you were there?"

"Um, yeah. That about sums it up," she agreed miserably. Then, once again hiding her face, she made herself explain the situation, bracing for the reaction that would undoubtedly be forthcoming. "I kind of… walked in on her and Daniel."

For a moment, Jack's face remained blank. Then, catching the suggestive connotation in her words, he burst into unrestrained laughter. "You-" he sputtered, unable to contain his amusement, "you walked in on them?" Then, clearly enjoying the entire idea of the situation, he grinned wickedly. "Were they decent?"

Glaring at her husband, she nodded frantically toward the crowd of people in her lab, some of whom were sending them very curious looks. "Jack!" she hissed from between clenched teeth.

"What?" Her husband's innocent look was far from convincing. "I'm just trying to form an appropriately accurate mental image in my head." Once again dissolving in laughter, he shook his head gleefully. "What I wouldn't give to have seen the looks on your faces."

Groaning, Sam felt her heart sink in her chest. It was going to be a long time before she lived this down. The only thing Jack liked better than teasing his wife was tormenting Daniel. Since this particular story killed both birds with the same stone, she was fairly certain she'd be hearing about it for the foreseeable future.

Looking at the commotion in her lab, Sam abruptly decided that maybe she'd have been better at home with a pair of teething toddlers today.