Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Sg1 or any of it's characters, I post this strictly for entertainment purposes.

Chapter 6

Daniel bounced on his feet with his hands in his pockets. He hadn't been this excited in a long time and he was practically bubbly. Standing next to him, McKay gave him a quick jab in the ribs.

"Hey, What was that for?"

"Take a look at yourself, man. You're like a little kid at Christmas."

"No I'm not, I'm just happy we're going to have Sam here, that's all."

"Are you kidding me? You haven't shut up about this for three weeks. I just wish she'd get here already so you can find someone else to bug." Daniel gave his old friend a glare. Whether he wanted to recognize the fact or not, he and Rodney had become grudgingly good friends over the last few years and knew each other's tells.

"Oh stop it, Rodney. I know you're just as excited to see Sam as I am, you just won't admit it."

Rodney snorted in response. Suddenly, a bright light filled the gateroom and instantly the object of their conversation appeared before them wearing a big smile on her face.

"Daniel, Rodney..." She never got to finish her greeting as McKay swooped in an grabbed Sam, wrapping her into a giant bear hug and rocking her from side to side. A stunned Sam patted him on the back as he continued to squeeze her.

"Sam!" Rodney practically squealed. "Oh, it's so good to see you again." Still clutching on to her and not showing any signs of releasing her anytime soon, Sam mouthed the words 'help me' to Daniel as he looked on with a smile plastered on his face.

"Okay, Rodney." Daniel stepping in. "Sam may need to breath sometime. Besides, what would Jennifer say if she saw you this close to another woman"

"Oh, she'd be just fine with it, Sam's not another woman..." Sam cocked her head to the side to give him an 'oh, really?' look while Daniel chuckled at his guffaw. Looking abashed and realizing what he just said, Rodney let go of Sam with a red face.

"You know what I mean! Oh course, you're a woman..." Rodney saw the two of them exchange looks. "Oh for God's sake! I'm going back to work." Still blushing, McKay stormed off, leaving Sam and Daniel alone.

"Well, good to see Rodney hasn't changed any."

"No, but at least he's mellowed out some."

"That was mellow?"

They laughed a little as Daniel held out his arms, Sam moved in close and the two embraced in a friendly hug.

"Hey stranger, long time, no see." She said after they broke off.

"Yeah, you're looking really good, Sam. How have you been?"

"Good, really. I'm enjoying working again and things are getting better everyday, how about you?"

"Oh, you know, same 'ol same old." She nodded. A figure walked up behind Daniel and came to a stop beside the pair.

"Dr. Carter? I'm Andrew Wescott." The balding man in his late sixties extended his hand in greeting and Sam shook it. "It's good to finally meet my replacement. I was starting to worry they wouldn't find anyone in time for me to get home and see my son get married in Florida. But, thankfully you're here and I can get started on packing."

"It's good to meet you too, sir. Congratulations on your son's wedding and your retirement."

"Thank-you, the years I've spent here have been some of the best of my life, but it's time to go home and see my grandkids grow up. Well, I've got a lot to do, so I'm sure Dr. Jackson can show you to your quarters."

"I sure can." Daniel took her bags as Wescott took leave of them and climbed the stairs towards the control room. Sam looked around, taking in the sights of the gateroom. Daniel hadn't forgotten that Sam had been commander of Atlantis before and that she had truly excelled at her first major command. He had been just as upset with the IOA when they replaced her with Richard Woolsey, but secretly he had been glad that she had come back to Earth and rejoined SG1. He gestured for her to follow him as he led the way to her quarters.

"So, How was the trip?" Daniel asked as they walked down the corridors of the ancient city. She smiled brightly at him.

"It was great, I forgot how much fun traveling through space was."

"You would find a three-week trip on a spaceship fun." Daniel remarked and returned her smile.

They rounded a corner and Daniel led her to a door where he waved his hand over a sensor and it slid open.

"I know it's kinda small, but this is just temporary until Wescott leaves tomorrow, then you'll get the big wig quarters."

"This is just fine, Daniel." The room was brightly lit with sunlight streaming in through the window and balcony. Sam immediately threw the bag she was carrying onto the bed as did Daniel and made her way over to the balcony. The setting sun cast off hues of reds and oranges with streaks of purple tracing across the sky, reflecting in multi-colored facets against the waves of the water. Sam went to the railing and looked out across the vast ocean below.

"Oh, it's so lovely." She breathed, taking in a deep breath of the salty, sea air. "I've been spending so much time under the mountain that I haven't seen the sun set in so long. I remember the first time I came here, I made it a point to try and catch as many sunsets as I could..." She looked off across the seas, lost in her thoughts. Daniel came up beside her, he too had spent many hours looking out his own balcony, decompressing from his day, allowing his mind to shut off and just take in the beauty that was out there on the shimmering waters. Lately, he had been doing a lot of thinking out there, especially after he came back from Earth and began corresponding with Sam. Her letters had opened up the floodgates for him and he experienced emotions he had long ago suppressed or at very least had managed to dodge for a very long time.

Watching her look off into the sunset, he realized that he was seeing something he hadn't seen in a long time; a genuine look of peace on her face. It was enough to make him smile and give her a squeeze around her shoulders.

"It's good to have you here Sam. I glad you decided to come."

"Me too."

They continued their observation of the colorful sky in companionable silence until the first stars of the night broke through and the sun disappeared over the horizon.

OOOOO

The next morning Sam followed Daniel as he led her through the city. She knew her way pretty well already, but it had been a long time since she had been here last, so the guided tour had been a welcome way for her to reacquaint herself with the city and meet the people she would be working with.

After visiting the infirmary and catching up with Dr. Keller, or rather Dr. McKay as she was now called, she followed Daniel to his lab and office. She was unsurprised to find his working space to be much like it was back on Earth. Artifacts were carefully labeled and placed on shelves in the lab and several bookshelves lined the walls holding volumes upon volumes of books ranging in topics from history to anthropology and linguistics and even a separate bookshelf dedicated solely to Ancient texts and his own journals and writings on the research he had been engaged with over the last five years.

In contrast to the lab, his office was just as cluttered as always. Papers were strewn about the desk while books were stacked into high pillars on the floor near his work space.

"Well, this is it. I think we've seen a good majority of the city now. Sorry about the mess in here, I don't entertain much."

"It's fine, Daniel. I think I just want to sit for a few minutes, it's already been a long morning and we've been walking around for hours."

Daniel grabbed a stack of books that littered the couch and offered her a seat which she gratefully took. Sitting down, she sighed; the tour had really taken a lot out of her and felt great to stop for a few minutes.

"Coffee?" He asked grabbing the empty carafe from his coffee pot.

"Sounds good." She answered.

"I'll be right back." Daniel took his pot with him to fill it with water. While he was gone, Sam took a look around the office. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar face peeking through in a photograph on his desk. Getting up she drew closer to the picture and gasped a little. Partially buried by a few papers, she pulled it out and examined it in detail. It was a photo she remembered taking. Jack, Daniel and Vala, sitting on the dock out at Jack's old cabin in Minnesota. Everyone was smiling in the picture, even Daniel, who hadn't been too keen on the idea of spending a weekend in the woods. She smiled at Jack's image. God, she missed him, but as she constantly reminded herself, he wouldn't have wanted her to tear herself apart and quit living because he was gone, he would have wanted her to move on and she felt that she was doing just that by being here in Atlantis.

"Oh, hey I ah..." Daniel came back in with the carafe full of water, startling Sam. Still holding on to the photograph, she gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I saw this and had to take a look." He came near, eying the picture in her hands.

"Oh, it's okay." He replied softly. She handed the photo back to Daniel and he stared at it. She wondered what was running through his mind, but she was quite certain that he was just as nostalgic for those times as she was.

"Those were the best of times, weren't they?" She asked. Without looking up and continuing his stare down with picture Daniel replied with a quiet. "Yeah."

"But those times are gone now." He said as he opened a desk drawer and placed the photo inside and closed it again. A far away look came to his eyes and Sam reached out for him. She could see that he was retreating again, running from the pain.

"Hey, look at me." Sam demanded of him and he finally looked down into her eyes. "Those good times we had back then may have passed, but that doesn't mean we can't make new memories. And it especially doesn't mean that they would have wanted us to never be happy again."

Nodding, he gave her a small smile as she patted his back. He filled the coffee pot and the two friends shared a couple cups of coffee while reminising about that trip, laughing about the part where Jack fell into the pond and how Vala griped non-stop about the mosquitoes.

Eventually, Sam realized that she needed to get to the control room and meet with Wescott and go over details about her takeover before he left for the Daedalus. As she got up to leave, she left Daniel sitting at his desk, but before she left, she pulled open the drawer that held the photo and took it out. Pulling a tack from the corkboard mounted on the wall above his desk, she stuck the picture onto the board.

"Leave it up." She ordered when it looked like he was going to object. "It's not so much to remind us of how much we've lost, but to help us remember the good times and look forward to the future." She turned to leave and as she was halfway out the door, he called out to her with a soft smile.

"Thanks, Sam." She nodded and left, leaving Daniel to face the photo.