While Carter, O'Neill, and Teal'c were talking about the options Danny and I were in the other room.
"You have to call them Buffy," Daniel said.
"Danny, I left them 4 years ago. They aren't just gonna up and be happy and say, 'sure lets fight an apocalypse like old times. And then afterwards we'll go drink and play monopoly.' Come on Daniel."
"Well of course not, but it's your job so you have to make the sacrifice and call them," Daniel said.
I looked at him pouting and he chuckled.
"Puppy pouts not going to work Summers," Daniel said and I sighed looking out the window at the sunset. "You can do it. I have all my faith in you."
"Can I borrow some," I whispered.
He just took me into his arms and I clung to him as my tears fell.
"What are you afraid of?" He whispered to me.
"I don't want to face them," I whispered back. "I don't wanna go back to the pain."
"I'll be there with you," Daniel told me as he comfortingly rubbed my back.
Then a cell phone in the other room went off and we pulled apart. I wiped my tears off my face as O'Neill came in.
"Hammond just called. We have to get back to the base for the debriefing since we skipped out," O'Neill said trying to ignore how I looked like a drowned rat I suppose.
I grabbed my cell and sighed, "I'll call them on the way. Colonel, you're driving."
O'Neill smirked, "Always wanted to drive a jeep."
So 5 minutes later O'Neill was driving, Teal'c was in the passenger seat while Daniel, Carter and I were in the back. I dialed my home number where I knew either Tara, Willow, or Dawn would be, at least I hoped.
"Casa de Summers. Xan here."
Okay that got a snort from Daniel and a chuckle from me.
"Xan did Wills let you get into the Twinkies again?" I smiled and I could hear him gaping.
"Buff?" He asked.
"In the flesh, or over the phone so to speak," I said. "Who's all there?"
"Everyone minus G-Man actually. We got a new demon that rolled into town," Xander said and then I heard Willow in the background asking who it was. "Uh, It's my boss, I told her to call here."
"Nice cover," Daniel said and I smirked as O'Neill played with my car.
"Hey Colonel, uh, this thing is a Rubicon so I know you have a need for speed sir, but just be careful," I said and his eyes lit up.
"Oh dear god," Carter said as O'Neill went 'Yee haw!' as he drove on the back roads to the base.
"In the army? Damn girl," Xander said. "Okay I think we all could have expected me going in there after the Halloween thing but.....How've things been? Boyfriends, demons, pain in the ass generals that I can threaten with a shovel?"
I chuckled, "In order. None, None, and No Generals, but there's a Colonel who I think you'd want to talk to a bit."
"What are you getting me into Lieutenant?" O'Neill asked.
"Your mini-me sir," I smirked then the base started coming into sight sooner than I expected because of the colonel's speed. "Okay Xan, round up the gang tonight around 8 your time. If all things go to plan I'll call and you can put me on speaker so we can all talk."
"What's going on Buff? You have that tone in your voice," Xander said.
"Don't worry about me. I'll worry about you when you tell Willow that I was on the phone. Good luck Xan," I smirked as I hung up when I heard Willow's voice in the back again. "Well that was peachy."
"And tonight you'll talk to all your friends," Teal'c said as O'Neill parked.
"Which I'm not looking foreword to," I said then as we got out I turned to O'Neill. "Sir, just for your information, there's a bit of desert that me and a few friends go off-roading if you're interested. We're planning on going this weekend if Jacobs gets out of his job."
Daniel slung his arm around my shoulder, "Perhaps a team bonding thing because I'm pretty sure that Teal'c has never been 4 wheeling."
"You're kidding," I said turning to Teal'c. "You at least have been on a 4 wheeler tearing up the forest after it rains right."
"Jack's tried many times, but none of us go," Carter said. "He's crazy when it comes to outdoors."
Teal'c, Carter, and Daniel started walking.
"I've tried," O'Neill smirked lightly patting my back then quietly he said, "But don't worry about Hammond. We cover for our team."
He caught up to them and I gave a small smirk before catching up.
"Alright now that the debriefing is over, will one of you 5 explain why you took off suddenly when you arrived?" Hammond asked.
"Really bad chicken for lunch?" O'Neill tried getting snickers from us.
"Colonel I'm serious," Hammond said.
"That'd be my fault," I said and everyone looked at me. "I kinda forgot that it was my friends birthday and totally panicked so they offered to help me get some stuff quickly. We were at the party when you called."
"And you didn't say so the first time why?" Hammond asked curiously.
"Because there was some alcohol involved," I said with a wicked smile. "Not something you tell your employers. I mean have you seen the Colonel chug?"
I let out a whistle and Daniel was holding in laughter at O'Neill's face.
"What about you Lieutenant? To down the whiskey like that you'd have to be an expert," O'Neill said and I got a look from Hammond, but I stood tall.
"Nice try, but I think from my file you can tell my history is not all peaches and cream Sir," I lifted up my sleeves to reveal a bit of scars on my arms. "Take a wild guess."
"Dismissed," Hammond said with a chuckle.
As we left O'Neill tried to clap me in the head but I ducked.
"That was harsh," O'Neill said.
"But it worked," Teal'c said.
"Yeah, big guy's defending me and his opinion counts so sorry sir," I said.
Before O'Neill could reply my cell phone rang. My ring was a country song called Come Home Soon by SheDaisy so I got an eyebrow raised, but I ignored it as I answered.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"You really think you'd get off that easy?" An English voice said.
"Am I still gonna get yelled at if I say yeah?" I sighed and the team stopped along with me when they heard that.
"4 years Buffy," Giles said. "4 years and you didn't have the decency to even leave a note or anything."
"Giles I like really can't talk right now," I said as Hammond was walking over as soldiers rushed by after the usual voice boomed 'Incoming wormhole'
"General," A voice yelled as Hammond stepped by us. "It's an unknown signal."
Us Sg-1 members looked at each other.
"I gotta go Giles," I said and as I went to hang up I heard him say-
"Don't hang up or you'll have hell to pay and-"
Hammond raised an eyebrow at me.
"Long story," I said and then we walked to the room above the Embarkment room as the iris started opening.
"Close the iris," Hammond barked.
"I can't. The System's not responding."
This madness was not helping my headache. Daniel must have noticed because he gave me a concerned look before someone walked out of the Stargate, a familiar someone that made us 5 SG-1 members groan.
"Hello all!" He said looking straight at us.
We all sighed as we said, "Hello Whistler."
"Hope you don't mind Blondie. Brought a guest," Whistler said then a familiar someone walked through the Stargate before the wormhole closed.
"Cordelia?" I asked.
"I ascended," Cordelia said with a small smirk. "I got stuck working with this familiar jackass."
"Who's Cordelia?" O'Neill asked Daniel and I.
"Don't ask," Daniel said as we all walked down there, with Hammond.
"Colonel how do you know this Whistler?" Hammond asked.
"Later General," O'Neill said as Daniel and I stepped in front of Whistler.
"Beat his ass in double for me will ya," Cordelia said stepping away when she saw the familiar glint in our eyes.
"Oh come on guys," Whistler said backing up a bit but we stepped foreword.
"May I?" Daniel asked me.
"Make sure it hurts," I said and then Daniel decked Whistler.
"God!" Whistler said rubbing his already bruised jaw. "Who else bit the dust that you it wanna take out on me for?!"
"How about-" Before Daniel could finish Hammond butted in.
"Lieutenant, Dr. Jackson, step down," Hammond almost yelled.
"Uh, General," O'Neill said. "I think you better let these two actually handle this one."
"How so, Colonel?" Hammond asked and just as O'Neill was about to answer.
"Because it's these two, bozo here needs to talk to," Cordelia said. "I'm here to make sure it all gets said this time."
"All?" I asked giving Whistler a deadly glare.
"Hey, my mistake Blondie. You and Danny-Boy had enough on your minds," Whistler said as he stood.
"You have one minute," Daniel said.
"Okay so basically, Danny and Blondie are gonna have to work through some things. The first is gonna kick some booty as it joins with these snake guys, and unless Blondie goes back to the past we're all screwed. So what are your odds Blondie, because we have bets going and-" Whistler said then at my look he put his hands in front of his face. "Don't hit me again or I'm telling the watcher on you, Summers."
"Summers?" Hammond asked me.
"Old nickname," Daniel covered.
"How would you know?" Hammond asked Daniel.
"Hey Baldy, shut up and let us get this over with," Cordelia said.
"Cordy," I said shocked. "Just for once shut up before you get me into trouble, again."
"What? You know my deal with bald people. I mean Snyder. Hello. He was a freaking impotent Nazi with a bug up his butt the size of an-"
"Emu, got it the first time," I said rolling my eyes and cutting her off. "What else?"
"It's going to be harder for you because of Dawn," Whistler said.
"Whistler, I'm about to pull a double feature of Graduation on your head in about 2 seconds if you don't give me a straight answer," I said and he backed away.
"Oh-ho," Cordelia said. "Damn, Whistler you're gonna be screwed if you don't talk."
"You're dad came back and got custody of her," Whistler said and everyone looked at me.
"What's the deal there?" Cordelia asked. "I mean besides the divorce-"
"Cordy," I said cutting her off and looking at her. "Shouldn't you, I don't know, be haunting Wesley or something?"
"I got in trouble last time," She said with a pout.
"Then go get revenge on Xander," I said and Cordelia's face lit up.
"You're on your own Whistler," Cordelia said then disappeared in a flash.
"Look, Blondie, Danny, I gotta get going. Make sure to drop by for tea next time you two die," Whistler said disappearing before anyone could say otherwise.
"All of SG-1 in the briefing room immediately," Hammond practically screamed before walking out of the room.
The soldiers walked out and us 5 were left in there just looking at each other, well I was just staring into nothing really.
"You okay?" Daniel whispered putting his hand on my shoulder after nodding to the other three that it was okay for them to go.
"I hate to admit it, but I'm really scared," I whispered.
"Come on," Daniel said. "We'll be there with you. Plus Jack will stick up for you if Hammond gets too angry."
"You think Dawn will be okay?" I asked.
"From what you told me about your dad...She's a tough girl," Daniel said. "If she's anything like her sister she'll be fine.
Then we walked into the briefing room and we sat down. I was sitting between O'Neill and Daniel so I felt at least a little bit better.
"So. Who wants to explain what the hell just happened down there and all of these Long stories?" Hammond asked with an all too familiar tone in his voice.
"Simple, when I ascended I met Elizabeth here. Whenever she slept we talked because it was decided she just needed it. So I know a bit about her. End of story," Daniel said.
"And Whistler?" Hammond asked.
"Another ascended being," Daniel said.
"Who the hell is joining with the Goauld?" Hammond asked and no one said anything because we were thinking about that ourselves.
"The First, sir," I said and the team looked at me.
Jack gave me a look but I shook my head.
"Just little things here and there about them," I said. "With a bit of research, Daniel and I could have some information for you by Friday."
3 days, what am I getting myself into.
"Dr. Jackson?" Hammond asked.
"I'm siding with Elizabeth," Daniel said.
"I want a full written explanation on my desk by noon on Friday," Hammond said.
"Then I have a request sir," I said taking in a breath as he looked at me nodding to continue, "I'm asking for permission to go to Sunnydale, California until then."
"Why there, Lieutenant?" Hammond asked with a tone in his voice I didn't recognize.
"I know someone there who could give us some light on the topic," I said.
"Permission granted," Hammond answered.
"SG-1 asks permission to go with Lieutenant Wright," Jack said.
"Granted. Dismissed," Hammond said walking out.
I finally let out the breath I'd been holding in, "We'll so I guess we're all going to Sunnyhell."