The Daedalus beamed down a team of marines. When those marines saw that there was no immediate threat, a small medical team joined them.

They were all ushered into the infirmary and cordoned off into separate isolated areas to reduce the risk in case any of them were infected by nanites. Half of the marines stayed in the infirmary, weapons trained on them, and the other half moved out to secure a perimeter around the infirmary in case there were any hostiles remaining.

Jack, as the highest ranking official there, underwent the medical tests first.

With the mostly on-world job he had now, he'd forgotten how annoying all the requisite medical tests could be. He almost couldn't believe he used to undergo some form of this after every single SG-1 mission.

The medical team took multiple vials of blood and brought in some portable scanners that were probably important and expensive. He sat there and took it all without his usual complaints. Carter looked at him with concern from her iso area across the room, but he tried to smile and show that he was fine. It was all just catching up to him - the exhaustion, the adrenaline crash, and the fact that a few hours ago he thought he was going to die.

All those concerns he'd pushed to the back of his mind when he had to focus on survival were bubbling back up.

Jack's thoughts were a mess of his worries about how he had prioritized his life, about his future with Sam, about how he'd almost died for negotiations that had amounted to nothing, and about how they'd lost Daniel once again.

He couldn't exactly talk about any of those things right now, so he stayed quiet.

Dr. Carson Beckett complained enough for the both of them.

He went on so much about how this process would go faster if he was able to help, that the medical team eventually relented and told him they would do his tests second. That way, Beckett could assist with the remaining medical exams as long as his results came up clean.

Jack left the infirmary as soon as they cleared him and started on Beckett.

While he waited for the others to finish their tests, he went back to the control room and got in touch with Colonel Caldwell.

"You'll be happy to know that it's really me, Colonel," Jack said. "Passed with flying colors."

There was a pause while he waited for a response. They really needed to get the monitor hooked back up in here so he could see the people he was talking to.

"Yes, sir. The medical team let us know your results. We were happy to hear that you were okay."

There was a stiffness in Caldwell's voice and Jack couldn't tell if it was because he was usually like that or because of the reason the man had been sent to Atlantis in the first place.

"Don't worry, Steven. I'm not gonna blame you for almost dropping a nuke on my head. No need to suck up."

Caldwell coughed and Jack wondered if he was hiding a laugh or had just been caught off guard by Jack's comment. Caldwell didn't look like the type who laughed much.

"Yes, sir. I appreciate the understanding."

Well, Colonel Caldwell was never going to be the life of the party.

Before he got into all of the clean-up details with this whole Atlantis mess, Jack decided to ask about Daniel.

"Any update on Daniel Jackson's location after SG-1's last mission? I heard he's MIA."

There wasn't a guarantee that Caldwall would know the status of that failed mission, but Jack knew that Landry liked to keep the Daedalus crew informed about any key happenings with SGC teams just in case they needed to provide backup.

"Not much to tell, General. They couldn't get a lock on the planet SG-1 came from. No way to figure out where Adria might've taken him even if we take a ship to the planet. From here on out, they're relying on intel from our allies."

Damn it.

There was another pause when Jack couldn't think of what to say to that information. He'd been hoping for some good news to share with Carter.

"I can ask for additional details if needed, General," Caldwell added.

Jack tapped his hand on the top of the table in front of him.

"When you talk to General Landry, ask if he can arrange for Colonel Carter and I to be briefed on the situation when we return."

"Will do, sir."

Jack talked with Caldwell for about ten more minutes and learned that after they were cleared, he'd still need to wait for the okay from the SGC about whether to re-issue or re-activate their codes and for further instructions on how they would be brought back to Earth.

Then they discussed the full inventory that would need to be made of the damage done to Atlantis. It sounded like a pain in the ass, so Jack volunteered the Atlantis team to help out with it once they were cleared. There would probably still need to be inquiries back home related to the unsanctioned rescue mission and a formal discussion of consequences, but that could wait. Carter was on leave and he was overdue and as soon as possible they were going to get back to Earth and escape anything alien-related for at least a week. Maybe two.

Caldwell said that they'd forward Jack's request to take a jumper back to Stargate Command ASAP and get back to him.

He also said he'd take under advisement Jack's recommendation that Woolsey stay here during the inventory and investigation efforts since the IOA would likely require an on-site representative anyway.

Carter probably would have said that he was being mean, but Woolsey loved detailed paperwork and analyzing events after the fact. Jack was practically giving the other man a gift, as far as he was concerned.

Plus, Jack had no interest in sharing the jumper home with anyone other than Sam. Woolsey could figure out his own ride home.

By the time he returned to the infirmary, Sam was just finishing up her tests. Elizabeth Weir and Richard Woolsey had been cleared and had gone off somewhere, John Sheppard was waiting to be put through one of the scanners, and the rest of them were sectioned off into different areas getting blood drawn.

A medical officer warned him that he shouldn't get close to Sam until her results were in, but he ignored the woman. After all, he and Sam had been pretty damn close less than an hour ago.

If no alien viruses or nanites had been passed when he had his tongue in her mouth, he figured that standing next to her was perfectly safe.

"How are you holding up?"

Sam had a hand pressed against the inner curve of her elbow, holding a small patch of gauze against the skin that had been punctured for various blood tests. She gave him a soft, weary smile.

"Pretty well, considering. It's just all sort of hitting me."

She looked up and around them and he knew that she meant that all of the recent events related to the Atlantis rescue were catching up to her. She was probably starting to deal with an adrenaline crash too.

"Same here. I was thinking that once we blow this joint, it might be good to take some of that time off that we've been chasing after."

He sat down on the infirmary bed next to her and his pinky finger brushed against hers.

"You won't have to go back to D.C. to brief everyone on what happened?"

By everyone, he knew that she meant the President and Joint Chiefs and various muckety-mucks with the IOA. That powerful group of people that kept getting in the way of him spending time with the woman beside him.

"Fuck 'em. We almost died and we're taking a vacation. We'll brief Landry when we get back to the SGC and he can get them up to speed."

Sam moved her hand to clasp his. It was a small gesture and their hands were still hidden between their bodies, but Jack felt more reassured by this than by when she'd pulled him into an empty room earlier to make out.

"I really like that idea," she replied, her voice sounding more fragile than usual. "I didn't want to have to say goodbye again yet."

Jack wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her, tell her that he didn't want to say goodbye again either, but he was reminded by her comment that he had other news to share.

They'd said goodbye to Daniel far too many times over the years.

There wasn't a delicate way to ease into the update, so he just told her straight out.

"Carter, they couldn't get a lock on the 'gate. Wherever Adria and the rest of the Ori took Daniel, they're long gone by now."

She looked up at him, surprised, before her expression darkened.

"I was so happy we survived this and that you were okay that I almost forgot…" Her voice trailed off.

He knew that the pain of losing Daniel was sharper for her because she'd been there with him on the mission. Jack still felt the loss, but he was no longer used to seeing Daniel everyday and was no longer responsible for his life off-world. It was different for Sam because she would feel the unfounded guilt of Daniel's absence. Once they were past this whole Replicator/Atlantis thing, her mind would spin up with all the "what if"s and "might have been"s.

Jack opened his mouth to say something, anything, to help her feel better, but they were interrupted before he could come up with the right words.

The medical officer he'd spoken to before - the one who suggested, laughably, that he'd be safer away from Sam Carter - appeared next to them.

"Colonel Carter, you've been cleared."

Sam thanked the woman, but didn't move. He could tell by the distant look in her eyes that she was still stuck on the fact that Daniel was out there without them and there were no leads.

Jack couldn't fix the facts, but he thought he might be able to help her just a little.

"Let me take you somewhere."

Sam nodded.