"Hey!" Sam looked up from the many papers on her desk to see Daniel standing in the doorway of her office.
"Hey!" she replied, giving him a big smile. "What are you doing down here? I thought you were cooped up in the infirmary for a while."
"Dr. Lam let me out on a little field trip," Daniel said, returning her smile. "Mind if I have a seat?"
"Of course!" Suddenly flustered, Sam stood up and pulled a pile of folders and other doo-dads off her other office chair and pulled out of the corner for Daniel to sit on. "Sorry about that. You okay?"
"I'm fine, Sam," Daniel assured, wincing as he lowered himself into the chair. "Just sore. Really . . . sore."
"Recovery going okay?"
"Yeah. I don't think I need quite so much attention, but-"
"I'm sure Dr. Lam is just trying to give you proper care."
"I wasn't talking about Dr. Lam."
Sam smirked when she realized Daniel was referring to his girlfriend. "Where is Vala, anyway? I'm surprised she let you out of her sight."
"I finally managed to convince her that she needed to take a break."
"Meaning you needed a break?"
"Maybe." Daniel scrunched up his face. "Just . . . don't tell Vala that. She's been great, really, I just-"
"Needed some space?"
"Yeah."
"So what's she doing now?"
"She went to go see a movie with Teal'c."
"Really? You know, those two get along surprisingly well," Sam commented.
"Yeah, I know. It kind of surprised me, too," Daniel admitted. "I guess it makes sense, though. They're the only two around here who are from different worlds. They both have a long history with the Goa'uld. They've got a lot in common."
"I guess so."
Daniel spun his chair around and took a look at Sam's overly-cluttered desk. "So, what's all this? I didn't think we were taking any assignments right now."
"Oh, we're not. This is just old paperwork. Reports, that kind of thing." Sam brushed it off, hoping Daniel wouldn't pry further. She should have known better.
"Really? So, there wouldn't be any job offers in that pile of paperwork? Maybe a couple of command positions looking for a Lieutenant Colonel?"
Sam's face fell. "How did you know?"
"Please, Sam. You've been trying to figure out a way to tell us that you're leaving at least since we started this mission."
"You've known for that long?"
"Sam, I've known you for over a dozen years," Daniel told her. "I figured out how to read you a long time ago. So, what's the job? Have you decided?"
"You're really not upset that I'm leaving SG-1?" Sam asked, ignoring his question.
"Upset? No! Sam, ever since you came back from Atlantis, I've been waiting for you to tell us you were taking a new position. I don't know why you didn't do it sooner!"
"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to leave you guys." Sam put her hand on top of Daniel's and squeezed it. "I loved Atlantis and the people there, but I missed you guys like crazy! When I came back, I just wasn't ready to move on."
"I get that. What made you finally decide to go?"
"I was offered command of the George Hammond."
"Oh, wow! Sam, that's great!" They both paused, remembering the man who used to command the SGC. "He'd be proud of you."
"Thanks, Daniel. I'm actually really excited about it."
"You should be!" He paused and made a face that made her laugh. "Good luck telling Mitchell, though."
"I already did," Sam assured him. "A couple of days ago. He took it pretty well, actually."
"Well, that's good. Hopefully he'll be okay with some more . . . news."
"Oh?" Sam raised an eyebrow at him until his words sank in. "Oh, Daniel. Did Landry ask you to leave the team? Because of you and Vala?"
"No, it wasn't Landry." Daniel took a deep breath. "After all that happened, I'm not sure it's such a bad idea for Vala and me to separate our relationship from work. I asked Landry to work for the SGC as an independent contractor. I'll be able to work with all the SG teams and work here in the lab, too. These days, I think it's a better use of my skills, and honestly, I kind of miss the work."
"How did Vala take it?"
"Pretty well, actually. Of course, I told her immediately after I asked her to move in with me."
"You did what?" Sam's shock must have been written all over her face, because Daniel chuckled at her. "Sorry, I'm just surprised. That's moving pretty fast."
"I know, but it makes a lot of sense. Vala's been itching to move off base for a while now, and if we're not working together anymore, this way we'll still be together. And after this last mission, I'm ready for it. Besides, I have no room to talk about rushing into relationships. I did marry the first girl I met on the first planet we visited through the Gate."
Sam smiled warmly at him. "So, you and Vala, huh?"
"I know; it's weird isn't it?"
"Kind of," Sam said laughing. "But I'm glad you're happy." She paused a moment, considering. "Wow. SG-1 is going to look pretty different."
"Oh, that's not all, either."
"What do you mean? Who else is leaving?" One look at Daniel's face told her. "It's Teal'c, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but it's a good thing. He's going to stay with Rya'c."
"That's good. I'm sure Rya'c will be happy to have him there."
"Oh, I know Rya'c will be happy to have him," Daniel said with a cheeky grin. "Teal'c's going to be a grandfather."
"What?" Sam squealed. She quickly regained her composure, but the smile didn't leave her face.
"He just told me this morning," Daniel said, matching Sam's smile. "He's over the moon."
Sam sat back heavily in her office chair, letting all the information sink in. "This is crazy. Everything's changing."
"Yeah, it is," Daniel said, wheeling his chair closer to her. "But it's good. All of it. You and Teal'c and me, we're all going on to really good things. And Mitchell and Vala will start a new SG-1. If you ask me, this is a pretty good way to end things."
"I wonder what the new SG-1 will be like."
Daniel put his arm around Sam and squeezed her shoulder. "They won't be able to hold a candle to us."
I hope you liked it! I really enjoyed writing this set of three stories. It was kind of bittersweet writing this ending to SG-1. I know it's not exactly canon, although I tried to stay at least sort of close to what I remember happening. Thanks for all the kind reviews along the way!