March 16, 1992

A knock on the door prompted Daniel to walk over and open it. A blond woman in Air Force dress blues stood at the door, facing the wall opposite his apartment. "Sam?"

She turned. "Daniel!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I just got back from the Gulf. I stopped off in Egypt to see your dig, but…"

"I've been here for the last year and a half.'

She nodded.

Suddenly, he realized that she was still standing outside his apartment. "Come in, come in."

She smiled, walking into his apartment. "I thought you worked in a museum. You didn't say anything mention the fact that you actually live in one."

He grinned. "I have a tendency to bring my work home with me."

Sam silently observed the dwelling place of her older brother. Bookshelves lined almost every wall, each filled with another priceless relic from the Egyptian past. A desktop computer was barely visible underneath the plethora of papers lying on the desk. Books lay everywhere: on the coffee table, on the floor, on the desk, and on the bed.

While she studied the apartment, Daniel studied her. Her appearance was crisp and clean: her make-up (if she wore any at all) was tastefully done and her short blond hair was perfectly styled. She wore a navy blue dress jacket over her blues and a uniform hat on her head. But despite the similarly impeccable appearance she had prided herself on for many years, her eyes had lost the sparkle of innocence.

"You okay?"

She turned, surprised. "Oh, I'm fine. Had a shoulder injury awhile back, but with therapy, it's almost fully…"

"I meant, are you okay emotionally?"

She wasn't as quick to answer, but turned back toward the bookcase. She seemed to draw strength from the spine of each book, moving her fingers down the row.

The seconds that passed felt like hours and Daniel considered repeating his question. He allowed a minute or two more to lapse before he heard a tiny whisper. "I can't shake the nightmares."

Daniel's sharp intake of breath made her turn. There was a sadness in her eyes that he had only seen once before- shortly after their mom had died.

"My team's going back next week."

She hadn't included herself in the group, and Daniel double-checked his hypothesis. "And you?"

"I didn't pass the psych evaluation. I start meeting with the shrink tomorrow."

The door opened and in walked Sarah Gardner. "Daniel! I brought Chinese. I thought…" She looked up from the box of food she held in her hands to see Sam in Daniel's living room, and she stopped. "Oh, you have company."

"No, no…Sarah, this is my sister, Sam."

"Your sister."

"Pleased to meet you." Sam said, plastering a smile on her face.

"And you," Sarah said, setting the food down on the counter and extending her hand for a handshake.

Sam accepted it, and Sarah turned to Daniel. "Why didn't you tell me your sister was in town? I might have done something more formal than Chinese take-out for two."

"Oh, he didn't know I was coming." Sam answered quickly. "I got some unexpected leave."

"You're Air Force."

She nodded, and then turned back to Daniel. "I really should get going. I have an appointment with a realtor."

Daniel gave her a confused look.

"I'm moving out of the barracks. Hopefully that'll help."

"There's an apartment in this building if that helps."

She nodded in the direction of the English woman. "Thank you. It might."

Daniel bit his lip. "If you need a place to stay, I have a couch." He offered.

"Thanks. I don't think I'll need it though. Dad's had the Air Force set me up for now."

Daniel let his eyebrows raise in understanding. "Ah."

"I guess I'll see you around." She said, walking toward the door.

"Wait!" Sarah said, looking at Daniel. "Daniel and I were going to go downtown for dinner tomorrow night. Would you like to join us?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Sam!" Daniel scolded.

"It's not an imposition. I'll simply call the restaurant and arrange for our reservation to be changed from a two-person booth to a three-person table. I'd love to get to know you better."

"Come on, Sam. I haven't seen you in…"

"Four years." She said, with a small smile. "Okay. I'm in."

"Great!"

She motioned toward the door. "I've really got to go."

Daniel approached her and gave her a hug, kissing her on the cheek. "Well, good luck on the house hunting. Call us if you need anything."

She nodded. "Of course. Bye."