"Daniel?" Sam asked as she poked her head into his lab.
His head snapped up, hearing her voice and he smiled at her. "Sam!"
She walked over to him and gave him a hug, having missed him the past few weeks.
"Did you get my message?" Daniel inquired, leaning back and looking at her slightly tanned face.
"Yeah, that's why I'm here. Not that I wouldn't have come if you hadn't left a message," she hastily added.
"What, did you prolong your honeymoon?"
"No, why?" She asked, frowning.
"Well, you were only supposed to be gone for two and a half weeks, I called you, and because you never answered I left a message. And now, two weeks later you're here. You could've called me, you know," Daniel scolded. On one hand, he was happy to see her again, but he had been worried about her after she didn't answer or called him back.
"I'm sorry," she squeezed his shoulder, before sitting down on a stool. "After we got back we had to unpack… Pete's children stayed with us for an entire week, which took some getting used to," Sam smiled sheepishly. "Then Mark asked us to come over and stay for the weekend, after which I just didn't have the time…"
"Whatever," Daniel huffed; turning back to the box he had been filling.
"Daniel," Sam softly protested. "I really am sorry…"
He turned and gave her a weak smile. "Okay, fine," his tone matched hers and he continued his packing.
"Look, it took some adjusting, okay? General Landry had already told me I wouldn't have to start until today, so…"
"I said it was all right," Daniel said, slightly annoyed. Seeing her bite her lip, uncomfortable and feeling guilty, he sighed. "I'm sorry. How was the honeymoon?"
"Great," she smiled. It had been wonderful; their hotel was amazing, the beaches and different culture had actually made sure she didn't get bored. Her mind had only started to wander as she had been tanning or reading at the pool, sometimes Jack O'Neill had popped into her head, but she had gotten quite good at repressing him. Thinking about Cassie and their last conversation had been harder to ignore and she was still a bit upset that Cassie hadn't contacted her.
"Didn't get out much, huh?" Daniel commented, motioning at her only slightly tanned skin.
Blushing furiously, Sam shook her head. "No, it's not like that, Daniel. You know me; it takes me forever to get a good tan. I'm glad I didn't turn into a lobster," she tried joking.
Nodding absentmindedly, Daniel grabbed another pile of books and mumbled something incoherently.
"Have you seen or heard from Cassie?" Sam hesitantly asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer; was Cassie ignoring her on purpose?
"Jack told me she was with him and doing fine," Daniel replied, without looking up. "Why?"
"Nothing… it's just, well, she didn't answer my calls, and I was worried."
"Really? Well, I know how you feel," he commented, feeling his annoyance returning in full force.
Ducking her head, Sam tried to hide the blush creeping up her neck. "Sorry," she muttered again. "You're sure she's okay?"
"Why, you think Jack would lie to me?"
"No, of course not," she immediately responded, hearing his hostility. "I just want to make sure."
"You could try calling."
Frowning, she cocked her head to the side. "Didn't I just tell you she hasn't answered my calls?"
"I meant Jack," Daniel innocently suggested. "I believe she has a new number, now."
"Why?"
Shrugging, Daniel just raised his brows, not knowing the answer to her question. "Ask him."
"Daniel," she started in an exasperated tone. "I already told you at the wedding, we're not, eh…"
"On speaking terms? Not friends anymore? We were like family Sam; I can't believe you're just throwing all that away."
"Daniel," clenching her jaw, Sam slowly stood. "I'm not throwing anything away," she swallowed.
"Could've fooled me," he snorted.
"Our – the General and mine – friendship was based on mutual respect, years of working together and sharing a military past," she lied, not believing her own words.
"Of course it was," Daniel played along. "That doesn't mean everything has to change, just because you got married. After all, you're still sharing, eh… those feelings," he picked his words carefully, confident she knew what he meant.
"Daniel, we agreed. Our friendship… it ended a long time ago, now we just said it aloud," she tried explaining, but failing miserably.
"Sure," he jeered.
Glancing around his office, she tried to think of a change of subject. "So… why are you packing?"
"Well, um… that was one of the reasons I called you. I'm leaving," he stammered a bit, unsure of her reaction.
"What, why?" Sam exclaimed with wide eyes.
Daniel couldn't help but smirk proudly. "I'm going to Atlantis."
"Atlantis?"
Hearing the disbelief in her voice, he nodded animatedly. "Yeah, it took me a lot of whining, but I'm finally going to go to the Lost City of the Ancients."
"I can't believe it… General Landry actually approved your request? I thought he'd want you and Teal'c to stay on SG-1, with that new Colonel Mitchell," Sam stated, still a bit stunned and confused. These last few months had been full of surprises, she mused.
"Er… it wasn't General Landry," Daniel softly objected, before ducking his head under the desk, pretending to pick up some books as Sam gave him a scrutinizing look.
"It wasn't? Then who?"
"Jack," he replied uncomfortably.
"General O'Neill is letting you go to Atlantis," Sam pondered aloud. "I can't believe this, he was the one who wanted to keep you here."
"Well, I figured that he wanted that knowing they wanted you there. Now that you made it clear you're not going to take command," he huffed, still disagreeing with her choice. Hell, with all of her choices lately! "I guess he didn't mind me going. He said they could use me there, with everything I know."
"I see," she glumly replied, slowly nodding her head in understanding. Daniel is leaving, he's moving to another galaxy!"What about SG-1?"
"I don't know, it's none of our business anymore, is it?" He casually asked, shrugging. Seeing her cringe, he knew she still wasn't sure if she had made the right decision. "So, you'll be spending all your time in your labs?"
Feeling uncomfortable, she shifted on her feet. Hearing him state that it wasn't their business anymore, had hurt somehow. The more this day had been coming, the more her doubts had risen again. Had she made the right decision? Could she work all day every day in her lab? These last few weeks she had been sure she could, but she hadn't imagined Daniel wouldn't be here every now and then, ready to distract her or have lunch with. "What about Teal'c?" She asked, confused that he could be so cold about this. Daniel of all people!
Surprise sounding through his voice, he turned to look her square in the eye. "You didn't hear?"
"Hear what?"
"He left, Sam."
"What, when… where?" She stammered, her mind racing a mile a minute.
"It's why I called you," he softly answered, not sure how to break this to her. "If you had called me back… I don't know, you could've said goodbye."
"Daniel, you're scaring me!"
"No, no, no, it's not like that," he was quick to say. "He left for Dakara, feeling there was nothing here for him. He has Ishta, Rya'c and Kar'yn are married, Jack left for Homeworld Security and you stepped down as commander. We both figured it was time for us to move on as well. He wanted to say goodbye to you, but we couldn't reach you and you weren't at home," he said, still upset that she hadn't taken the time to say goodbye to Teal'c.
"Oh… well, he will be visiting right?"
"I don't know, I believe Jack asked him to, but you know how that goes… different planets or galaxies, it tends to complicate friendships," he smiled wistfully. "He'll be coming by Atlantis, though."
"Great," she said in a resigned tone, feeling horrible for not having had a chance to say goodbye to her good friend. Everyone was moving on and she wasn't sure she liked it.
Seeing her facial expression, Daniel gave her an appraising look before opening his mouth. "You were first, you know? You were the one who set this all in motion."
"What?" She gasped; shocked that he would blame her. "I didn't! The then-Colonel O'Neill was the one who left SG-1 first!"
"Oh, come on, Sam! He had to, if not for his health or sanity, it was because we needed someone we could trust to command the base and we all knew it!"
"Doesn't mean he had to leave for Washington," she blurted out, surprising both of them. "That's not what I meant–" she started, but Daniel interrupted her.
"God, Sam, are you really that blind? He left for you – because of you, can't you see that? Or is it that you don't want to see it?" He yelled, running his hand through his hair in a frustrated manner. Seeing her shocked expression, he gave her a sad smile. "He told me about the conversation you two had, Teal'c knows as well."
Dumbfounded, she just stared at him, never expecting the General to tell anyone. "What?"
"Don't act like the wounded party here, Sam," Daniel snorted. "He only told us because we were nagging at him because he wasn't stopping you from marrying Pete."
"Oh."
"Yeah," he huffed, sitting down across from her, his energy suddenly gone. "I just hope you're happy, Sam. That it was all worth it…"
Swallowing, Sam looked at him, feeling a lump form in her throat. His words made her think. Was it all worth it? Her marriage to Pete was good, they had only been married for a little over a month now, but everything was going great. She had some difficulty adjusting to taking care of two young children when his kids came over, but eventually she could do that, she knew. Yet, it had cost her a lot, hadn't it? The General, command of SG-1, Cassie… she didn't even get to say goodbye to Teal'c and God only knew when she would see him again. Daniel, was she losing him too? "Daniel…"
Glaring at her, he dared her to say something to make it sound like nothing had changed. He knew it had, she had changed! She was turning into someone he wasn't sure he knew, Jack had been right all those weeks ago… perhaps he should've spoken up earlier? Then again, he knew Sam, she had set her mind to a normal life with Pete, and once she had a goal, she was determined to follow through. They had all made sure she knew they didn't think Pete was the one for her, albeit not saying it out loud, but still… it had been crystal clear. However, if she kept insisting he made her happy, then who were they to deny her that? Daniel now knew that Jack had known this all along and that was why he had let Sam go, to make her own choice.
Not really knowing what she had actually wanted to say, Sam shut her mouth again. She had just wanted to object, tell him he was wrong. That it wasn't all her fault… biting her lip, she looked the other way, not able to look him in the eye. She had never imagined that he, Daniel, would ever look at her like that. As if he didn't know her or perhaps didn't want to know her… she swallowed and cleared her throat. "Um… You said Cassie was staying with the General? Do you have her number for me?"
Frowning, Daniel looked at her. That had been the last thing he expected her to say… "No, I don't. Just call Jack, Sam."
"I can't," she said in a small voice. She couldn't deal with the General right now, she needed to reflect the last few weeks and set her priorities straight. She needed to talk to Cassie, to apologize, set things right. Janet had entrusted her with the care of her daughter – who had always felt like her own – and she couldn't mess this up. She owed Janet so much, she owed Cassie…
"Why not? He is still your boss, Sam," Daniel replied, knowing that she had wanted to resign the USAF but that Jack, the JCS, and the President had denied it, probably for her best interest. "There will be a time you two will have to face each other."
"Daniel, we agreed our friendship was over," she shivered involuntarily, thinking about that night. "We can be professional towards one another, but acting casual isn't possible anymore."
"I think you're overreacting, Sam. I'm sure he won't hang up on you, or something like that," Daniel mentioned.
"It's not like that, Daniel. We made our choice and it's for the best. Now, will you call him and ask for Cassie's number?"
"No, I won't. If you want it, you'll call him yourself. You said it yourself; you're a grown woman who can make her own choices. You can sure as hell pick up that phone and call him; we're not in high school anymore, Sam!"
Taken aback by his sudden outburst, Sam automatically shrank back. "Fine, is he at work or in his house?"
Placing the last of his boxes on the trolley, Daniel turned back to face her. "Nooo," he drawled out, giving her a sympathizing look. "He's in Europe."
"What, where?" Sam asked, not expecting the General anywhere else but in Washington DC.
"Yeah, he gave me a number where I could reach him," he replied, fumbling in his pockets for his cell phone. Finding Jack's temporary number, he wrote it down and left it on the table for Sam. "Call him, tell him I said hi. I'll be leaving tonight, hopefully you'll be there to say goodbye."
Unable to move or speak, Sam just sat there, staring at Daniel's retreating back as he walked out of his lab to who knew where. When she finally got out of her daze Daniel was long gone, and she reached out to grab the piece of paper.
Finishing the e-mail to her DC branch, Ilse pressed 'send' and was about to close her laptop, when the phone on her desk started ringing. Leaning forwards, she picked up the receiver with one hand, while closing her laptop with the other. A quick glance at the clock assured her it was still morning and she wondered who it could be.
"Goedemorgen," she answered, trying to recognize the caller ID.
"Hello? I'm looking for General O'Neill?"
"He isn't available for the moment," Ilse replied, thinking of Jack, who was still in the hospital because the twins would be released today and he had gone to sign the forms and pick them up.
"Oh… well, I guess I'll try his cell phone, thank you."
"His cell phone is turned off," she automatically retorted, knowing Jack always turned it off before entering the hospital, convinced it would interfere with medical equipment. "Can I take a message?" Ilse asked, already reaching for a notepad and a pen.
"Er… just tell him that Colonel Carter called to ask for Cassandra's new phone number."
Ah, that's why the voice sounded so familiar! "Colonel Carter? Shouldn't it be Shanahan or Carter-Shanahan by now?" Ilse couldn't help the little jab at the other woman's expense, knowing how much her marrying that cop had hurt Jack.
"I'm keeping my maiden name for work," even with 8,000 kilometers in between them, the gritting of teeth came through loud and clear.
"Well, that's good to know," Ilse said sweetly. "I can get Cassie for you, if you want?"
"What?"
"She's right here," she replied, walking out of her study, crossing the living room and padded through the corridors until she reached the room where Cassie was making last-minute preparations for the twins. "Cassie? There's a phone call for you," she told the girl, holding her hand over the receiver.
Getting up, Cassie smiled at her. "How does it look?"
"Excellent," Ilse gave her an approving smile; Cassie had done a lot of things in the short time Ilse had been in her study and the room looked almost complete. She held out the phone for her and gave her a questioning look.
"Who is it?"
"Just answer it," Ilse said, pressing the receiver in her hand, before walking away.
"Hello?" Cassie asked warily, having a good idea about who it could be and unsure if she wanted to talk to her…
"Cassie?"
"Hey Sam…"