I hadn't really intended to do a sequel to 'Waiting' and so in true me fashion I went and wrote two, so thanks to Crimson Regret and Dark Faith5 for planting the seed in my mind and to everyone else who reviewed the story.

Big thanks and hugs to Naliza, for the beta and everything else you've done for me.

Waiting: His Fate

She waits.

He's back now but still she is forced to wait. They proved them all wrong and brought him home, it had not been the suicide mission it had been deemed. All four members of SG-1 were home.

But she knows that while he may be safe he isn't out of danger. His life hangs in the balance, she watched as the surgeons rushed him into the operating theatre, to repair his more serious injuries. But she worries that he may be beyond their aid, she saw his injuries. She knew that he had been clutching onto life but also that it had been slowly slipping from his grasp.

She waits for news, the relief that accompanies the decree of life or death. She wants this decree, she needs this decree but at the same time anticipates its arrival with dread. She can't predict the outcome and this scares her.

The possibility of his death also scares her, she can't imagine what it would be like without him around, his irreverent humour, quips and sarcastic wisecracks. She recalls the times she had spent here waiting, the times she has been met by good news but she fears that this time it may be different. If it is going to be bad news she knows that it will be permanent, there can be no reprieve, not this time.

She looks up and sees them, they are both deep in thought and don't notice her movement. She knows their thoughts, their fears because they are the same thoughts and fears that haunt her.

As he removes his glasses and rubs his eyes in a gesture that shows his tiredness, she meets his gaze and offers a weak smile, which he returns. The moment passed and they return to their own thoughts, their own small worlds.

She glances at her watch and immediately regrets it, the hands moving achingly slowly, every second seeming to take a minute to pass. She forces her eyes away from the watch and down to her feet, concentrating on the black leather of her boots and smooth concrete of the floor.

But suddenly they hear her enter, she's raking her fingers though her hair and looks exhausted. They shoot to their feet and approach her. The need for news is overwhelming but so is the dread inside her.

She sees the faintest smile from her friend and in that instant she knows that he is alive. She smiles as this is confirmed, they know that there is still a way to go but they also know that he will not give in easily.

The news received, their actions justified, an absolution received.

And so she finally stops waiting.

So there's the first sequel, the second 'Their Fate' will follow shortly. I'd love to hear what you think of this!!