June 14, 1997

Sam walked into the embarkation room, all geared up and ready to go. Four years she had waited for this…two of which had been unjustly given to her. She was especially looking forward to meeting this…Dr. Jackson. He had taken her credit, her experience and she was looking forward to finding out just how much the hallowed Dr. Jackson knew about how the Stargate functioned.

She softened a little inside, however, as she looked at the base of the ramp and found Major General George Hammond standing there. She had probably become so bitter about the whole ordeal because of the abrupt way that General West had handled it. It was probably time to let that go since the new commander was much more lenient and kind.

When he had taken command of the project, he had immediately noticed her hard work and the oversight that West had made. Now, she was going to be walking through the very things she had been studying for four years.

Four years, she thought. Time flies, I guess…

"Try to follow orders this time, Colonel."

"Sir?"

"This time you bring Jackson back. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Move out!"

She continued to stare at the wormhole despite the fact that most of the team had gone through already.

"Captain?"

She looked at her commanding officer, trying to convince her heart that it was unacceptable to begin pounding like battle drums if he spoke to her. "Don't worry, Colonel. I won't let you down."

"Good. I was gonna say 'Ladies first.'"

They walked up the ramp.

"You know, you really will like me when you get to know me." She said, unable to stop herself.

"Oh, I adore you already, Captain."

She stopped just short of the event horizon, in awe of what was happening. A million different things flew through her mind as she stared at this…this…miracle.

"My God... look at this. The energy the Gate must release to create a stable wormhole is - is astronomical, to use exactly the right word." It was childish, she knew, but she couldn't help but touch her hand against the clear blue surface of the event horizon. "You can actually see the fluctuations in the event horizon.

Suddenly, a hand on her back pushed her through the wormhole. She had wanted to savor the moment;' after all, it had been four years in coming, and he ruined it for her. She arrived on the other side, feeling incredibly nauseated, and cold. It was almost a deadly combination for her. "Oh... I think I'm going to be sick. Uhhh..."

For some reason, her commanding officer found it somewhat amusing as he patted her shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't have had that big lunch."

They were in an almost deserted temple as they carefully walked down the steps. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by teenagers holding guns. All of the soldiers brought their own automatic weapons into position. Just the, a man burst through the crowd, robed in the traditional clothing of Abydos, but with a fairer complexion than the others around him.

"Cha'hari! Cha'hari! Lower your guns."

That voice. That voice made her blood run cold. Daniel? Daniel took her place on the expedition through the Stargate? DANIEL WAS ALIVE?

"Jack? Uhh... welcome back."

He walked toward Daniel as if to say hello, but instead brushed past him toward a native young man. "Skaara."

"O'Neill."

They shared a manly embrace, before pulling back. "I did not think to be seeing you again!"

Jack finally turned around to face Daniel. "Daniel, how you doing?"

"Uh, good. You?"

"Much better, now that I see that everybody's okay."

Finally, Sam found her voice. "Daniel?" She whispered.

He turned, confused at the sound of her voice. When he saw her, his eyes widened. "Sam?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded. "Geez! I thought you were dead!"

Jack just gaped at his normally level-headed second-in-command.

"What?" Daniel asked, confused.

"You'd been evicted from your apartment, your grants had run out, our lecture was a flop…I thought you might have been suicidal after I left! And instead, you took my place on the expedition!"

"Your place?" He asked, still surprised to see her off-world.

Jack finally found his tongue again. Though it was in the pit of his stomach from surprise, he managed to get it to work. "Captain."

She took a deep breath as she noticed Sha're poke her head out from one of the rooms to see what was going on. "Permission to be excused to calm down, sir."

"Granted." He said. She walked away.

"Old girlfriend?" Jack asked, stepping closer to the confused archaeologist.

"Wha-? No…No…she's…she's my sister."

"Your sister?" Jack asked, surprised. How'd two people manage to turn something that good-looking out alongside something like…Daniel? He asked himself.

"Yep. You didn't give her letter I wrote?"

There was a pause. "That letter was for her? Damn! I knew she looked familiar! I ran into her when I tried to drop it off, but that jerk said he'd never heard of you…"

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"Daniel! The guy I spoke to at the address written on the envelope said he didn't know a Daniel Jackson. There was no name on the letter, so how was I to know who it was for?" He threw the envelope that had plagued his life with guilt for the last two years at the dumbfounded archaeologist and then walked off in search of the distraught captain.

"What is it, Daniel?" Sha're asked, coming over and placing her arms on his shoulder as his arm snaked around her waist.

He took a deep breath. "That's…my sister."

"Samantha?"

"Yep."

"You should go talk to her."

"I will…but…I'll give her a moment to calm down first."