The plan was in place. Daniel fixed his gaze on to his Godchildren, observing them with much affection- they had been planning this for a long time. Leaving them to make the final preparations, he walked out of the cabin, quietly, for some much needed air and reflection.

The night sky was clear and beautiful; the stars twinkled brightly at him as if to assure him everything would work out. Moonlight filtered through the trees, lighting a path for him to follow. Daniel followed the path shown to him but it didn't matter what direction he took in life, he would never escape the guilt that lived in him.

He would never forgive himself for destroying this family. Daniel blamed himself for Kara and Cameron never having the chance to feel their fathers' love, for denying them of his presence in their lives. He blamed himself for the pain and anguish Sam had lived through, from the time she had learned of Cameron's death up until the moment she had died.

In his darkest hour, Sam told him she didn't blamed him for what happened to Cameron and Daniel had accepted that. But deep down he knew she would never truly forgive him and it was something that ate away at him everyday.

He had made critical errors in the translation of the scrolls and because of those errors he had set off a chain of events that had changed the course of their lives.

The lockdown had remained in place for a few more days after Cameron's death. An autopsy was carried out and when it became evident that he was the only one affected, quarantine was lifted. General Landry had given them whatever time they needed to grieve for the loss of their friend.

Sam remained on autopilot for a long while after, switching herself off mentally and emotionally. Not even Cameron's parents could pull her out of her despair.

Col. Mitchell's funeral was very much a military affair. His superiors, both past and present, along with his friends and comrades paid tribute to an exemplary soldier, a honourable man and a hero.

Emotions ran high as Mr and Mrs Mitchell accepted the folded United States flag given to them. Tearfully, Mrs Mitchell handed the flag to Sam; hugging her tightly to herself, she looked Sam in the eye- as far as she was concerned; the honour that came with the flag belonged to the woman who loved her son so much.

Teal'c watched Sam kiss the single white rose she held in her hand and place it on the coffin. She wanted to be alone and he respected her wishes. Both himself and Daniel had stayed behind, should she need them but allowed her, her privacy.

"I miss you so much baby, I'm so lost without you…come back and help me find my way. I'm alone…please don't make me live without you…please…I'm begging you…" Sam fell onto her knees unable to cope as the control on her emotions slipped.

Teal'c placed his hand on her shoulder and knelt down beside her, offering words of comfort as Daniel looked on.

"There is an old Jaffa saying…

'Where there is love,

Much happiness can be found,

But great sadness must follow.

Destiny binds two souls to each other,

Fate forces them to part.

No matter how strong the love is between two people,

One must always leave the other behind.'

You must take comfort in the knowledge that Col. Mitchell was spared the pain such loss brings."

Daniel stopped for a moment as he recalled the words Teal'c had said and it was those words that had forced Sam to face reality.

Daniel woke up to a loud knock on his door, wondering who it could be at that late hour he opened the door, only to find Sam standing on his doorstep, shivering in the cold. She was wide eyed and an emotional wreck.

He pulled her in to the warmth of the house and grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around her has he made her sit down on a chair in front of the fire. Daniel added more logs to the dying flames and before long they had a roaring fire.

Daniel watched a motionless Sam stare in to the fire. Neither said a word, the only sound came from the crackling fire.

"I keep telling myself that none of this is real, that it's not happening. I keep praying that I'm stuck in a nightmare and when I wake up he'll be there, telling me it was just a dream and that he was alive and well." Sam spoke with distance in her voice, it was like she was there but she wasn't. She was so numb.

Daniel sat down beside her and waited for her to continue.

"I've tried to find someone to blame. This intense pain that rises up from deep within me, the agony that's eating me alive has to be someone's fault. Who can I blame for this crippling loneliness, the doctors who failed to save his life? God? Cam, for his stubbornness?

I keep going over and over it in my head, what could I have done differently? I should have made him see a doctor when he first became ill! I should have kept a better eye on him, maybe if I had taken more of an interest in how he was rather than spending every spare minute with that device, he would still be alive."

"No one is to blame, especially not you Sam. It took us all by surprise, there was nothing anyone of us could have done differently…"

"I'm so tired Daniel, I've got no energy. Look at me…I'm sobbing over the smallest things, crying for days on end…I'm a wreck…"

Sam looked at him, the pain and hurt still new and raw.

"Haven't I been through enough already that I had to lose him too?!"

Sam rocked herself backwards and forwards as her river of pent up emotion burst its banks. She fell apart right there and then, weeping, screaming at the unfairness of it all.

There was nothing he could do.

Between heart wrenching sobs she asked him, "Why didn't he keep fighting? How could he leave me when there's a part of him growing inside me?!"

It was then that Daniel had learned that Sam was pregnant with Cameron's child.

How do you tell a pregnant woman that her lovers' death was a mistake?

That the father of her children lost his life because of a malfunction?

How do you tell her that you were so wrapped up in your discovery that you didn't double check that the translation, of an obscure dialect of the Ancient language, was correct?"

They never found out what had happened to Cameron until the day they received a visit from a very angry group of aliens called The Bosanti. It was only then that they had learned the true extent of Cameron's suffering and Daniel learned of his part in Cameron's death. Even now he still had nightmares about it.

Reviews welcome, as always. Thanks for reading. Chapter 12 coming up!