Chapter Two: Retrospective

Daniel spent an uncomfortable night on Jack's sofa, unable to sleep for thinking about Sam and what had happened the night before. He had just seen her the week before, and memories of their time together haunted his dreams every time he tried to close his eyes.

He kept thinking back to the day he spent with Sam and Emma at the San Francisco Zoo. During the day, he had been constantly astounded by how lively and exuberant the four-year old was...as well as how unusually bright and inquisitive she was. He remembered joking with Sam that Emma must have inherited her parents' intelligence. Looking back, Daniel was haunted by the fact that the life of the little girl he had grown to love so much had been ended at so young an age.

Sam and Daniel trailed after the young girl, frantically trying to keep up with her.

"Hey Sam…" Daniel called out, practically out of breath, "didn't this hiking and running around used to be a lot easier?"

"Were much older now, Daniel. Besides…I don't think I ever had as much energy as Emma. It never ceases to amaze me how much she has. I think she gets it from her father," Sam replied as she increased her pace.

Ahead of them, they could clearly see Emma waiting for them impatiently.

Finally catching up to the little girl, Daniel asked, "What did you think of the lions and tigers, Emmy?"

"They were cool!" She answered before she grabbed his hand and started quickly pulling him along behind her. "Come on, Uncle Daniel…you've gotta see the penguins!"

Daniel and Sam were relieved to be able to catch their breath while overlooking the Penguin Island exhibit. As Sam, Daniel, and Emma watched the penguins dive and swim in their pool, Emma suddenly told him proudly, "Mommy's going to take me to Antarctica someday to the see the penguins there."

Daniel and smiled and then shot Sam a skeptical look when Emma turned away for a second. Sam merely smiled at him and shrugged as if to say, 'Why not?'

When Emma turned back around to look at him, he asked, "Why would you need to go all the way to Antarctica when you can see the penguins right here, Emmy?"

Her eyes widened in astonishment, as if she could not believe that Daniel could say something so idiotic. "Silly…these penguins come from South America. I want to see the Emperor Penguins in Antarctica. They're the largest ones on Earth. Do you know that all penguins come from the Southern Hemisphere…" she trailed off before moving around to the other side of the pool, trying to keep track of a small penguin that was swimming in circles.

Daniel grinned widely as he watched the inquisitive girl chase after the penguin. He stood next to Sam who was keeping a cautious eye on her daughter, a bright smile covering her face as she did so. "You know, Sam…I think you and Alec let her watch way too much Discovery Channel."

Sam turned to him and laughed knowingly. "Tell me about it. I'm lucky that I don't mind watching it…and the National Geographic Channel…and Animal Planet. You know, she's already decided to be a marine biologist when she grows up. And I prefer to encourage such thinking…after all, she could want to be a rock and roll singer or something even worse."

"Well, she certainly has the scientific curiosity and intelligence for it. You must be very proud of her."

"I am, Daniel…but more so because she's such a loving person, not just because she's smart. She loves and respects all living things… although she's a bit frightened of snakes, so we will definitely be skipping the reptile house if you don't mind."

"Not at all…I have never been too fond of snakes myself." Sam immediately smirked, knowing full well that Daniel was referring to a completely different type of snake than those housed at the San Francisco Zoo.

Emma ran back up to them, already bored of watching the penguins. "Mommy…Uncle Daniel! Can we go ride the carousel now?"

"Sure, sweetie. And if you're really good, maybe Uncle Daniel will buy you a snow cone."

After his sleepless night on the sofa, Daniel got up early to make several phone calls to friends, family, and colleagues, trying to piece together what had happened. After he was finished, he turned on the morning news program, only to find that they were airing a special tribute piece in Sam's memory.

As he turned up the volume on the TV, Jack wandered somberly into the living room and quietly sat in a large chair in the corner. His face was drawn, his eyes were hollow, and his hair was sticking up in all directions as usual. If anything, he appeared to have gotten even less sleep than Daniel. Daniel took in his friend's haggard appearance and smiled sympathetically in response.

The normally perky host of the morning program came on screen. Even though she was usually a very upbeat person, it was clear that the subject matter of this morning's special segment saddened her tremendously. She began her introduction with an uncustomary serious expression and tone.

"Welcome back to the Morning Show. Last evening, the nation lost one of its most brilliant scientific minds and a true American hero in a tragic car accident along a dark California highway. Samantha Carter-Colson was only in her early forties, but in her short life she accomplished more than most could in fifty lifetimes. The Morning Show has put together a brief segment in honor of this brave and brilliant woman…she will be missed."

The screen faded into a segment complete with photo montages, video clips, and melodramatic music. It started out talking about Sam's impeccable record at the Air Force Academy, flashing an early photo of her dressed in her cadet's uniform. The next series of snapshots were obviously taken during her years at the Academy – some of her hanging out with friends and a couple with her in a flight suit standing by her training glider. In all of them, Sam wore that brilliant smile of hers, so full of happiness and life.

Daniel felt his grief build as he looked at these candid photos. They remarkably captured the person she was – the person he would forever miss.

The reporter next discussed her Air Force career, briefly touching on her role in the Gulf War, her academic career at MIT, and her early work at the Pentagon. Daniel smiled as they listed each of her accomplishments and achievements. Oftentimes, these 'in memoriam' programs glorified the deceased. This one was no different, but Daniel amusedly noted to himself that in this case it was all true. They portrayed Sam as the model student and officer…and she had been.

The main part of the report centered on Sam's years at the SGC – it praised her role in developing the dialing program and system, her position on SG-1, her promotions, and her later command of the premier team. There were even a couple of video clips from interviews that Sam had done after the Stargate program went public, with her talking about the importance of the program and awkwardly shrugging off all the praise thrown at her.

'She never did take praise well,' Daniel thought to himself. Daniel was also amused when the report got some of the facts wrong – after all they had saved Earth much more than the nine times mentioned.

The final part of the tribute chronicled the last five years. As pictures of Sam and Alec Colson were displayed, the reporter recounted the known details of their relationship and work together.

"After the public revelation of the Stargate Program, Samantha Carter-Colson resigned her commission, married billionaire Alec Colson, and moved to northern California to start a new business venture with him. Carter-Colson Technologies, or CCT for short, has been on the leading edge of developing some of the most important technological breakthroughs of the past five years. Last year, the American Medical Association presented the Colson's with their annual award for contributions to the field of medical technology."

Suddenly, a photo of a young girl appeared on the screen. She was a beautiful child, with long, light brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. Daniel knew that Emma clearly took after her father, but he noticed that she get at least one feature from her mother.

Daniel's eyes once again welled up. "She had Sam's smile…." he whispered to no in particular.

The reporter continued, "Four years ago, the Colson's celebrated the birth of their daughter, Emma. It was the joy of having Emma in their lives that inspired the Colson's to take such an active role in supporting such children's charities as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Children's Leukemia Fund. The couple devoted countless time and money to helping children in need. Ironically, they were returning home from one of these charity events when the tragic accident that took the lives of Samantha and Emma Colson occurred."

The segment ended and the camera cut back to the host of the program. "All of us at ABS would like to send our condolences to the Colson family at this tragic time. " The screen solemnly faded to black and then to a commercial.

Daniel turned away from the TV to face Jack. He was shocked to see the intense despair on his friend's face. Jack was not crying, but his eyes radiated a deep anguish that Daniel had not seen since that first mission to Abydos.

"I called a few people out in California," Daniel informed him. "Carly Turner, Alec's personal assistant, told me more about what happened and about the funeral details."

Jack's face remained impassive at this news. It was as if he had lost all ability to function and communicate. He had barely said two words to Daniel since hearing the news the night before.

Even though Jack was obviously not in the mood to be receptive, Daniel began explaining all that he had learned so far, "It seems that it was raining and the car hydroplaned off the road. It rolled down an embankment. Colson and the driver survived relatively unharmed because they were in the front seat. It seems the air bags did their job successfully. Carly said that Sam and Emma were most likely killed because they were in the backseat and weren't wearing seatbelts."

Daniel was stunned when Jack's face suddenly sparked to life. "That can't be…"

Daniel shook his head incredulously. "I know…it impossible to imagine that Sam and Emma could have been killed for overlooking something so small…"

"No, Daniel!" Jack shouted, "Sam would never have ridden in any vehicle without a seatbelt on. And she sure as hell wouldn't let her daughter do so."

Daniel looked a little confused. "Well…we all forget sometimes, Jack. Perhaps she overlooked it just this once."

Jack shook his head adamantly. "She would never have overlooked it."

Jack stood up and began pacing anxiously. He paused to face Daniel and started to explain why he was so insistent in his beliefs.

"A long time ago, Sam gave me a ride home. I didn't put on my seatbelt and she wouldn't even start the car until I did. I asked her why it was so important to her. You know her Mom died in a car accident?"

Daniel nodded slightly, "Yeah..."

"Well, she told me about it that day and explained that later on the doctors told Jacob that her Mom might have survived if she had been wearing a seatbelt."

He stared intensely at Daniel, conveying the seriousness of this fact. "So…Sam never forgot… she never overlooked it… she wore a seatbelt without fail and so did everyone riding in the car with her."

Daniel's brow wrinkled in confusion as he looked back into Jack's steely gaze. "So…what do you think happened then?"

"I don't know, Daniel… but I think we need to dig around for some answers. Something's not right with this."

TBC