Title: Safe Bet

Chapter: Forward Motion

Summary: Looking straight into her eyes, he said something that caught her completely off guard, "Marry me."

Disclaimer: Hardly any of the characters are my own, and I don't own the show. The plot I lay claim on.

Authors Note: Don't worry, I'm not going to make Pete out to be a good guy! I still don't like him, so I'm not going to try and make anybody else like him, either. Haha.

XXXX

When Sam woke up, it wasn't because of the shrill ringing of her alarm clock, nor was it because of her natural instinct to wake early, as she normally had to, when off-world. The reason she was roused was simple, sunlight was streaming in through her window, and hitting her right in the face, and not many people can sleep while the sun's rays are aimed directly at them. Annoyed as she pulled herself out of bed, she ran a hand through her more than likely unruly hair and sighed, would she ever be able to sleep in late?

Late... Uh oh. Suddenly fully awake, Sam jumped out of her bed and nearly ran straight into the bathroom door. She pushed it open, and for the first time, stopped to look at the clock on the wall. 8:31. She had a briefing at 9:15. Well, good thing she had showered the night before.

She brushed her teeth in record time, washed her face even quicker, then ran a brush through her hair. Why hadn't her alarm clock gone off? Wait... had she even set it? With her being off the day before, could she have forgotten to turn the alarm on? She couldn't have been so absent minded, could she? Then again, she hadn't really been level-headed and thinking rationally the night before. Which reminded her...

Cassie was supposed to have woken her up, and as far as she could remember, she hadn't. Sam changed into fresh clothes quickly and hurried out of her bedroom and into the living room. "Cassie?" she asked, looking around. The girl wasn't anywhere to be seen. Taking a look out the window showed that her car was no longer in the driveway. Had she even come home the night before?

Getting another glance at a clock, she cursed herself. How could she have not woken up? She grabbed her things and hurried out of the house– she could deal with Cassie at a later time. At the moment, she was running a bit behind.

Pulling out her cell phone, she did the last thing she wanted to at that moment. He answered on the second ring, as precise and formal as always. "O'Neill?"

Sighing, she slid into her car and cranked up the engine, "I woke up late."

XXXX

Jack O'Neill nearly smiled to himself. She was calling to tell him that she didn't wake up on time? "And...?"

"We have a briefing."

"Yeah. About that..." he said, "I meant to tell you, but Daniel called and asked for the morning off. His flight got in really late last night and he hasn't gotten much sleep. Forget the briefing, we'll delay the mission for another day. It's not extremely important, anyway."

She seemed relieved, "You've talked to Daniel?"

"Nope." he said with a sigh. "Walter did. Took a message. Listen, take your time getting to work. There's no rush."

"Thank you, sir."

"Anytime, Carter." he hung up and shook his head with a smile. After all of these years, and he still didn't have any understanding of women.

XXXX

"Well, I've done a lot of thinking..."

Daniel could actually feel the air rushing out of his chest, and it wasn't pleasant. Why he was so nervous over this, he would never know. It wasn't like Jack or Sam knew what he was doing, so if the answer came back as a 'no' then he wouldn't have to return home with disappointing news. There would be no letting anyone down. At least, nobody would know they had been let down.

"This is a very sensitive subject," the president informed them, "as you well know. I also get how important it is to you," and he was looking directly at Daniel, "that this be in place, for your friends happiness. The politician in me is against this, one hundred percent. I am forced to keep so many secrets as it is, and this would be yet another to add to the pot. Besides that, if it somehow got out, it would hurt me. Showing favoritism is never looked upon greatly. It almost doesn't seem worth the risk."

Daniel and Davis both caught on to the 'almost' that the man had used, and held their breath. Which, still wasn't a problem for him, since he had yet to find the oxygen that had escaped moments prior.

"On the other hand, the husband in me thinks that it's a risk worth taking. Nobody should be denied any sort of happiness, and keeping a secret of such magnitude from a loved one is a very tiring job, I know. But, as hard as it is for me, it has to be ten times harder for those who are out there risking their lives every day. I hold both Colonel Carter and General O'Neill in high regards, and to learn of their situation, and that they have been in it for many years, makes me feel as if I have, in some way, let them down. They have, without a doubt, contributed the most to the program, as have you and Mister Teal'c. And if there is anything I can do that would make your lives easier for you, then I feel as if I am obligated to do so.

"Which, brings me to my predicament, I have conflicting opinions on this subject. Each are important points of view, and each are equally truthful. But, I must think about what's best for my men, my country, and my world.

"Which leads me to my answer..."

XXXX

Daniel was exhausted. By the time he had gotten out of the president's office there was only one flight back to Colorado Springs, at 0100 hours the next morning. Davis and brought him back to his place so he could collect his things, and he had attempted to sleep, but he couldn't. He kept thinking about the president's decision, and how it was going to effect his life, and that of his friends and co-workers.

Cassie had called, while he was in the president's office. She left a message, telling him to call her back ASAP, it was extremely important. So, after an hour of tossing and turning on Paul's couch, he found his phone and dialed. "Hey Cassie," he said when she answered, "it's me."

"Hey," she replied. "Where are you?"

He told her. Washington D.C.

"What are you doing in D.C.?"

He told her. Everything. From the beginning, with Davis' approaching him at the SGC to the end, meeting the president in his office.

"Well?" she asked. "What did he decided?"

He told her. A nearly word for word account of the president's answer.

"Oh." she said.

"Why did you call?"

She told him. Pete had let the cat out of the bag, and things had gone south from there. If there was any way for him to get home, and quick, then he'd better take it.

"I can't Cass, my flight doesn't leave out until one o'clock in the morning."

"Well... we'll just have to do something when you get home, then. Won't we?"

Daniel sighed. "Yeah. Okay."

XXXX

The whole way back from D.C. he thought about Sam and Jack. They deserved so much more than all the things they had been put through. And, he wasn't completely modest, either. He knew that he deserved just as much in return as they did, but there was nothing that he required. At least not something of such magnitude.

Davis had seen him off early that morning. He had smiled, thanked him for coming, and shook his hand. Daniel wondered if their little plan would lead to a better friendship than the two had had in the past. He had grown to like the man in the past few days. There was something to be said about a person who would go completely out of his way for two people that he didn't know all that well. It was noble. Honorable. Kind of stupid.

He attempted to sleep once more, finding that he had, in the past day, developed insomnia. Not that he had ever been one to fall asleep easily, unless he was drunk. Years of off-world experiences had led him to be a terribly light sleeper. He was always cautious, even when unconscious, and the slightest noises would jerk him awake. He had nearly fallen asleep on the plane, until the cry of an unhappy baby pierced the air, and forced him back awake.

So he focused more on what Cassie had told him about the events that had taken place while he had been away. Sam had finally left Pete. Jack had stopped by Sam's house. Pete had called Jack to let Sam's biggest secret slip. Then Cassie had been in charge of damage control, putting back the broken pieces of Sam's life together. From what Daniel could tell, the puzzle was almost finished.

Almost being the key word.

XXXX

"Paul," Meghan questioned, "what's wrong?"

"Huh?" the man asked, looking up at his girlfriend, who was sitting on the arm of the couch he was in. "Oh. Nothing, I was just thinking."

"About what?" she asked, curious. He hardly ever got as quiet as he was being. It was a bit unnerving.

He smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap. "We've been dating for awhile, right?" he asked.

"Yeah." she replied. "More than nine months. Why?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"Of course," she said with a smile, "I love you, too. What's all of this about?"

He got a distant look in his eyes, then it seemed as if he snapped back to reality. Looking straight into her eyes, he said something that caught her completely off guard, "Marry me."

Meghan felt breathless. Had he just proposed to her. "...What...?"

"Marry me." he replied. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, have kids, get old and ugly, right here with you. So... marry me. I know I don't have a ring or anything, but we can get that later... if you say yes."

"If?" she asked, smiling. "Of course I'll say yes!"

He actually looked surprised. "Really? You will?"

"Did you think I was going to say no?"

Smiling sheepishly, he shrugged. "It was always a possibility."

"No it wasn't," she informed him. "I love you, Paul. I could never think to say no." She kissed him deeply. "But, can I ask what brought this on?"

He nodded, his arms still wrapped around her waist, "I just didn't want to waste any more time."

XXXX

It was a little after two o'clock in the morning, Colorado time, when Daniel's plane touched down. Cassie was waiting at the airport for him, looking extremely exhausted, but determined at the same time. "Well..." she told him with a slight smile, as he walked up to her. "Let's get this show on the road."

Ooh... it was going to be a long night.

XXXX

"What's wrong, Henry?" Annabel Hayes questioned, as her husband slid under the covers of their bed. It seemed to her that something had been on his mind that night, bothering him, as it were. When she asked, she had half expected him to wave her off, as he normally did. Presidential matters. Highly classified. Things that, even she, as the first lady, was not privileged enough to know about. But, to her surprise, he gave her an actual reply.

"I had to make a tough decision today," he informed her, somewhat cryptically, as he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "I'm just worried about whether I made the right choice or not. That's all."

She rested her palm against his cheek, and kissed him softly. "Well. Whatever it is, I'm sure you did the right thing. As long as you went with your gut feeling."

He sighed, and in the darkness, she could she doubt in his eyes. "Yeah. That's what I'm worried about." He was quiet for a moment, and his next words were almost too close to a whisper for her to hear, "I didn't."

XXXX

Cassandra Fraiser hated to wait. She was young and impatient, always had been, and more likely than not, always would be. Her mother had always summed it up to too much time spent with Jack O'Neill, but Cassie had a hard time believing that. Jack was one of the most patient people she knew, if not then the most. Not only was he required to be so by the military, but what other kind of person could work side by side with the woman they were in love with for years, and yet not do a thing about it? That certainly wasn't a sign of impatience. Maybe stupidity or stubbornness, but that was a whole other story.

It occurred to her how alike Sam and Jack were. Both were extremely patient and stubborn. If only they could see how similar they were. Maybe things would be easier on everybody else. Because, quite frankly, they could go on ignoring their feelings until the end of times, but those around them were getting fed up with it, and not just her. Point proven by the fact of what Daniel and Davis had done.

There was an announcement that flight 241 from Washington D.C. was in, and relief washed over Cassie. Finally. A few minutes later, people began emerging from the terminal, among them Daniel Jackson. She smiled when she saw him, and he came over to her, walking slowly, because he was tired. "Well," she said, when he was within earshot. "Let's get this show on the road."

XXXX

A/N: I know you guys are getting ready to murder me at the moment, because I have once again, delayed the response of the president. But, however, I know that it will be in the next chapter, so there's just a bit more waiting to be done! Anyway... review please. I live for feedback, and it makes me right quicker, in most cases (this being one of them)!