Chapter 21

Sam came around what felt like hours later, but looking up dazedly at the sky from where she lay on her back, she saw that the sun was no farther along in the sky as it had been. Slowly as she regained her senses, Sam noticed that her nose was no longer numb. It fact, she felt quiet warm all over. Hearing movement beside her, she slowly sat up.

Around her, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were all coming around.

"You know, I don't think I'm going to miss this thing one bit," Jack muttered groggily, looking up blearily at the pillar which stood innocently next to him.

Daniel started to get up and froze as he looked at the ground around him. "I think it worked."

Instead of a foot of damp snow, the team found themselves sitting in warm sand, tan and sparkling in the sunshine. Looking up, the tree line had moved closer again.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called from where he now stood.

Jack, Sam and Daniel all got up to join Teal'c. There, instead of the frozen lake that had been there minutes before, stood the Stargate, the DHD, and the M.A.L.P., all right where they had left them so long ago.

"YES!" Jack shouted, fists shaking in the air in celebration. "Way to go, Daniel!" He gave his friend a hearty pat on the back.

Turning back to the tree line, Sam started looking for Lunasa and the rest of the people from Xanthus, but she couldn't see them watching anymore. "Lunasa!"

Her teammates followed her gaze, and then followed her as she began striding back towards the trees.

"Lunasa! It is safe now!" Teal'c's booming voice only bounced off of the trees and went unanswered.

"Well where did they go?" Daniel asked, puzzled.

"I don't know…. Maybe the flash from the device scared them and they've headed back to the city." Sam said, but she didn't sound convinced of this idea at all. The young woman had been genuinely interested in the device. Surely she wouldn't have been frightened off so easily.

Jack was just about to attempt to call Lunasa's name when he saw movement in the trees. Figures were coming towards them, moving quickly and dressed in green.

"Take cover!" Jack said in a harsh whisper.

There was no time to get to the gate. Drawing their weapons, the team ducked behind the first trees of the tree line for cover.

The figures drew closer, flitting in and out of the trees, unrecognizable. Then a solitary figure dressed all in tan emerged.

"Dad?" Sam said, so surprised that she spoke loud enough to give their position away.

"Sam!" Jacob Carter came rushing out of the trees to hug his daughter. "We heard shouting and hurried up to see what was going on."

The "we" was apparently Jacob accompanied by the two SG teams that now came out of the forest into the sunlight.

"Where the hell have you guys been?" Jacob demanded as his euphoria over finding his daughter safe started wearing off.

"That would be a long story, Jacob, old pal. Tell me, you didn't find a group of people in there did ya? A young woman with about a dozen men with sticks?" Jack asked.

"No… the only living thing we've found here is you, and frankly you guys are all we cared about." Jacob watched as the team exchanged confused glances. "Would someone please tell me what's been going on here?"

"What do you say we get back home first, and for a shower and a good pot of coffee we'll tell you and General Hammond the whole story, eh?" Jack left no room for argument as he struck a brisk pace for the Stargate, his teammates following close behind him.