Sam had been in the infirmary for a few days due to the drugs they kept giving her. She hated the way they made her feel, but they helped the pain that seemed to intensify with each passing hour. After that, she was allowed to go to her quarters. Having never been in a wheelchair, she hadn't thought it would be too difficult. It hadn't taken her long to rethink that thought. Counters were too high, doors hard to open, inaccessible places that she needed to go, even going to the bathroom was a major chore. It didn't take her too long to move things around in her lab and bedroom, to make it easier on her, but some things, like getting meals, she still needed assistance with. It was tough to balance a tray of hot food on her lap, and maneuver around the tables in the commissary. Fortunately Daniel was usually around to assist her.

Daniel had been the one to tell her about the two who had died in the explosion. One was a security guard, employed by the company. He had been responding to Vikki's call when he was engulfed in the flames. Another had been working on an experiment and had been wearing headphones to block out any noise. He had been caught as the building collapsed. It had been confirmed that Andrew had died, and likely the goa'uld inside of him. She had appreciated Daniel telling her, and felt comforted by his presence. Once in her quarters, she had broken down, at the lives lost for her project.

She waited eagerly inside a newly vacant lab. Scott and Vikki were coming to check out their new workspace and she wanted to see their reaction. They had moved to Colorado Springs the day before, and had been busy settling into their new place. She had told them she would see them today, so they could unpack and get a little settled before entering the hubbub of the SGC. She grinned as she remembered the call from Vikki. They had decided to move, to be a part of what the SGC was doing. Once the decision had been made by both of them, Scott had asked Vikki to marry him, and live with him in Colorado Springs. Sam was happy for her two friends.

The wedding date and place had yet to be decided, but Vikki told Sam that Scott joked continually about having it held on another planet. Neither of them had much family. Scott lost his parents at a very early age, and had been in foster care until he graduated high school. Vikki had a brother, and her mother in Philadelphia, but no extended family. Sam had been surprised that Vikki had agreed to move halfway across the country considering how close she was to her family.

That in mind, she remembered how she had moved far away from those she considered family, to be with the man she loved. Well, the man she had loved. She tried not to think of Pete, but the memories surfaced from time to time. Sitting alone in the empty lab, she allowed herself mind to drift back. She remembered the good times, the laughter, the closeness, the feeling of being loved. Now it felt tainted, and bitter. She couldn't forget the fight when she had confronted him about his other woman. He had denied it, then become angry towards her. He hadn't tried to hit her, and she had known, that even though she was out of practice, it wouldn't take much for her to kill him.

Every time she saw children, she felt a weight in her heart, as she thought of the two she had lost. She had a small tattoo where her womb was, in remembrance, and her hand traced the design over her shirt. She had not told anyone of the losses, and even Daniel didn't know most of what had happened. She had only told him that Pete had been cheating, and she had left him. She doubted Jack knew any of it, and didn't remember telling him that she had divorced Pete. Surely Daniel would've.

A noise down the corridor shook her out of her revere. She wiped her face, and cursed herself for allowing her memories to affect her at work. Hoping no one would notice her red eyes, she opened the door, and waited for them to arrive.

Several weeks later, Vikki and Scott were settled into their new home. Settling in to the SGC was another matter. Vikki kept getting lost, and Scott, while getting his own work completed, loved to go watch teams depart and arrive from missions. He had been ordered out on several occasions by General Landry, but still tried to get in. Sam had discussed sending him off world with one of the scientific teams with the General, but he had yet to agree.

Daniel had been spending more time with Vala, especially once she was allowed to roam the base. She had taken a lie detector test in an attempt to prove that she meant Earth no harm, and was not a spy. She had been depressed for several days, as she had tried to flirt with the man doing the test. Unfortunately she had been hooked up to the machine, and it had indicated her lies as she tried to compliment him. When the word finally came to her that she had passed, she had been back to her normal self.

Daniel had convinced the General that searching for Merlin's treasure could be potentially useful, and was now waiting for the Prometheus to return from the Pegasus Galaxy. They needed the scanners on the ship to detect the underground cavern, that seemed to be shielded.

Cam was thrilled at having Teal'c on his team, and the prospect of working with Daniel. Vala had spent the past few days trying to convince Daniel that she should come too, considering how she had brought him the tablet in the first place. Daniel wasn't falling for it. Bosco had been reassigned to SG-1 once he had recovered from his head injury, and was delighted about it. Cam, with the temporary addition of Daniel, had a team he was thrilled with, and didn't hesitate to let everyone know how he felt.

Sam was glad to be out of the wheelchair, but the crutches weren't much better. Her arms, and hands hurt for a while at first, until she got used to it. By the time the original cast had been removed, it was covered in signatures. She had figured out Teal'c's as soon as she was able to see it. He had written, in goa'uld, that this was another strange Tau'ri custom. Daniel's was taking time, as someones signature had run through the last few symbols, making it difficult for her to figure out what it said.

There was one word written with no signature. It was almost underneath her calf, and in Latin. It had been written in block letters, making it impossible for her to tell who had written it. One word, Semper. Always. She had kept the cast, and it now lived in a corner in her closet.

She had been relieved to go home, but it hadn't taken her long to take Daniel up on his offer. Living on the third floor with no elevators, it was exhausting to go up and down the stairs. Living with Daniel was different in a good way. His house was littered with artifacts that he had found on digs, and all sorts of historical bits and pieces. He had cleared the spare room for her and it hadn't taken her long to feel at home. Daniel had been off world several times, but not for more than a night or two. Before he left, he always made sure that there was enough food in the house so Sam wouldn't have to go shopping. She felt very well taken care of, without feeling smothered or useless.

One night Jack had called looking for Daniel. Sam had heard the surprise in his voice when she answered, but he asked how she was doing, and if Vikki and Scott had settled down. He informed her that he would be coming to the base for a while, as General Landry was taking some time off. Sam had heard from the General that one of his close friends was very ill, and was glad that he would get a chance to go visit him.

They chatted about work and Jack confirmed that he had received her report about the test of the delivery system. She wondered if it would go ahead in Landry's absence, and Jack stated that it would. She hung up content. While there was still some distance between them, the friendship seemed to be healing.

The next week Jack arrived and General Landry left for two weeks. Sam guessed the guy hadn't had more than a few days off in a row since he had taken Jack's old spot. Jack on the other hand, settled in right away, taking one of the guest quarters while he was there. Sam had offered him her place, and he had thanked her, but refused.

The test went ahead as scheduled. Sam, Vikki and Scott waited in the control room to see how well all their work would perform. As they had no live goa'uld to test it on, they had sensors all over the base. Even though the gas was harmless to humans, Jack ordered everyone to get above ground for the duration. Once they had the numbers they needed, all personnel were allowed back inside. Vikki and Scott had been thrilled with the result of the test, but Sam wasn't as happy.

"Carter, it was a success. Why so glum?"

"I don't think it was as effective as it could be."

"In what way?"

"I think that if there were people walking around here, it would take much longer than I would like for the gas to do anything to the goa'uld."

"Will it still work?"

"Yes, it'll just take longer than I expected."

"Then it's something to work on. You did a great job, Carter."

"Thanks Sir."

"Carter. I told you to cut the Sir."

"Sorry, Sir. I just hear 'Carter' and automatically answer that way."

"Ok. Sam, what are yours and Daniel's plans tonight?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, seeing as Daniel and Teal'c are going off world at 1800 tomorrow, I was thinking dinner at O'Malley's."

"Uh, well I'll have to ask Daniel."

"Teal'c's up for it. Just tell Daniel I'm paying. He'll come."

"Sure, sounds great. What time?"

"1900?"

"Meet you there then."

Sam walked out of the almost deserted control room, grinning. Things seemed to be getting back to normal.

AN: To all of you who answered my question about broken legs, ouch. I'm glad I've never broken one... Thanks for the help. Top marks for ALIMOO1971 and AT Fan, for guessing what Jack wrote on the cast correctly... More soon...