The next few weeks took on a familiar pattern, just like it had been at the SGC. There was always something new and interesting to be learned, and then there was the occasional disaster. She communicated once a week with the SGC, and she did get the opportunity to say hello to Daniel, Cam and Teal'c, who seemed to be doing well with the exception of the predictable squabbling over who'd be the next member of SG-1.

"Don't make me come over there." Sam threatened Cam.

"That's the idea. If we behave badly, you'll have to come back." He laughed with that quirky smile Sam knew usually meant trouble. She missed them all so badly that it hurt. Sam filled Landry in on the nuts and bolts of the operation, and after she signed off she tracked down Rodney in the lab.

"McKay, when we send our report to Landry every week, it's nothing but an ordinary radio wave, correct?"

"That's basic gate knowledge. " McKay looked at her "I'd really like to offer you a tutorial on the gate bridge that you and I built, but I'm busy, here." He raised his eyebrows at her, only half-jokingly.

"There's no reason why I couldn't send an ordinary cell phone transmission through?"

"No, not theoretically, but we don't have cell phones here, they're useless. And there's no transmission out of the mountain."

"I have a cell phone. I forgot and left it in my briefcase." Sam smiled. "And we put a cell transmitter on the top of the mountain and at level 14, not too long ago."

"To whom do you wish to speak?" Suddenly Rodney wasvery interested in her silly question.

"It's just a question." Sam smiled.

"It's never, "just a question" with you, Carter." He crossed his arms. "Everyone's going to want to do it. We'll have to ship in a carton full of phones, now, you know." He began his predictable whining.

"Oh well, that's a problem for engineering, Rodney, not you."

The next week they opened up an outgoing wormhole for their regular communication. When they were finished, Sam asked Landry, "General, I'm going to keep the wormhole open for a little while. We're going to try an experiment."

"It doesn't have to do with black holes or particle beams, does it?" Landry knew her history all too well.

"No, sir, I promise no one will get hurt. Not even Siler." Sam smiled.

"All right."

Sam turned on her cell. She didn't know if the tiny amount of radiation would work to hold open the wormhole, but remembered that it was a very tiny, though steady amount that had actually detonated the gate in the past. She needed to dial someone off the base to see if her theory would work.

Her hand hovered over her phone. God, how she wanted to hear his voice, that deep voice that could command her to set the C4, ask her to find a solution or coax her into bed. She dialed the phone.

It rang.

"Agent Malcolm Barrett."

"Hi, Malcolm." Sam said.

"Hey, Sam! Where are you?"

"You won't believe it."

"Pegasus." Malcolm sat back in his chair, stunned. "I can't believe it."

"See."

"How have you been?" she asked.

"Great," he said. "I haven't had to deal with the SGC in days. You work with an interesting crowd, Colonel Carter."

Sam laughed. "Yeah. Well, I wanted to thank you for helping McKay and his sister."

"As long as it doesn't involve brainwashing, I'm good to go."

"Then you won't mind that I'm experimenting on you right now."

The phone was silent.

"Malcolm- it's just a phone. Really."

"Oh. Okay. Don't ever say that to me again, all right?"

Sam smiled. "Goodbye, Malcolm."

"Hey, Sam, can I call you?"

"No, it's a one-way street."

It usually is, thought Malcolm. Only it runs in the other direction. He smiled and flipped his phone shut.

A few phones arrived the next day. McKay went into a tizzy establishing ground rules, but eventually worked out a solution that at least allowed some limited calls back home. He caught Carter in her office in the early morning. "You still have it. The art." McKay said, pressing his lips together.

"Rodney you couldn't have known about…"

"And I don't have the people skills, just as you said. So I wouldn't have thought of it if I had known."

Sam looked puzzled. "When did I say that?"

"That time you were half-naked and…"

"McKay!" Sam warned him off, but with a smile. He was starting to grow on her a little- like a fungus. He left, smiling.

Sam tapped her pen on her paper, remembering her own hallucinations. "I will always be there for you." Somewhere out there, in all that space, she knew he was. She tried not to think about it.


Sam stood at the balcony that night, looking over Atlantis. "Pretty, huh?" Sheppard commented, coming up behind her. Sam nodded.

After a while she asked, "What do you think about Elizabeth?"

"I don't have a plan, yet, Sam." He looked out to sea, but his eyes saw far past the horizon. His casual manner belied the pain Sam suspected was in his heart. She remembered the many times Jack had been missing, or worse, and she truly sympathized, because John wasn't allowed to show his fear, either.

"Something will present itself. Elizabeth is strong and smart. We just have to keep our eyes open, John."

"Of course you're optimistic. SG-1 is legendary for having nine lives. We all go by and rub your doorknob for good luck." He smiled slightly, and then it faded. "You spent a little time with the replicators, Sam. What are her chances?"

"A little time?" Sam winced. "They're cruel, John. Emotional and mental torment is their game. They know how to get to us, but maybe they'll just copy her and give her back, like they did with me."

"Do you think Elizabeth is like them now? Are there enough nanites to turn her into one?" Sheppard gazed back out at the twinkling lights of Atlantis, and the black sea beyond.

"I don't know, John. How many nanites does it take to change someone into a person you don't know anymore? None of us knows the answer to that."

Sheppard looked at her. "It didn't take any for O'Neill." He started to walk off.

"John!" Sam's voice stopped him. "What's your problem with him?"

He turned back around, and then put his arm against one of the supporting columns. "Look, Sam, I've thought he was a cocky sonofabitch from the very first day I had the displeasure of flying him to Antarctica, and he's only gotten worse. When we rescued his and Woolsey's asses last year, he acted like he was doing us a favor."

"So? Even if that is true, he's not the first general with an attitude that the USAF has ever had."

"Actually, I was also under the impression that Elizabeth had taken a liking to the General, myself. Wondering if that was a two-way street."

Sam understood now. She never for one minute doubted that Jack loved her, and only her. But she did see a little of Jack in John. "Don't be angry with her because she's gone." Sam gently reprimanded him.

"I never saw your bottle of champagne the day you left for Atlantis."

Don't be angry with her because she's gone.

Sam turned around to look back out over the ocean.

Sheppard felt like an idiot. He walked back up to the railing. "I'm really just telling you all this so you'll be too mad to ever go back home." Sheppard nudged her with his elbow.

She looked at him and gave him a wry smile. "How do you know these things?"

"Besides the fact I've got eyes and ears, McKay has followed your every move for years. I've heard it all. Thank God he's got a girlfriend now. Finally."

Sam shook her head. There were downsides to having such a brilliant team.

"Sam, I'm not being totally altruistic here. You need to keep your eye on the ball. We need you here."

She nodded. That was a fair thing to say.

"So that's why I'm not thrilled he's showing up here tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." They stood and watched the moons rise.

The next day was clear and bright, and Atlantis hummed with activity from sunup. Sam put on her blues and went with McKay and Sheppard- who made a point of not wearing his blues- to greet the General.

At a few minutes after nine, Jack walked through the event horizon.

He greeted them casually, his assistant carrying his briefcase. He shook hands with Sheppard and McKay, and then stood before Sam. "Carter."

"General. It's good to see you sir." Sam extended her hand and he slowly shook it, his hand warm and strong, his eyes seeing something in Sam's that made her look away. Either Jack couldn't remember or her hands felt softer and smoother now that she wasn't in the field. It was all he could do to keep from turning her hand over and kissing her palm, just to see. Sam wondered how Jack could make a simple hello feel so erotic. She slipped her hand out of his grasp and took a half step back.

McKay and Sheppard glanced at each other, and then took the opportunity to slip away and get back to work.

"How is Atlantis?" She could say it was about to sink into the sea, and he wouldn't care, as long as he could stand there next to her while it did.

"Well, as you know, we've had some very strange things happening, but everything's okay now, except for Dr. Heightmeyer, who is greatly missed."

Jack nodded. "Hold on, Sam." He turned to his assistant. "Jim, why don't you go guard my briefcase somewhere else?"

Sam smiled, and called one of the airmen over to give him a guided tour.

"What would you like to see first?" Sam asked him. Jack was stunned by how terrific she looked. She seemed to be holding up extremely well under the stress of the command.

"General?"

You, naked, Jack thought. "What would you like to show me?"

"Well, the thing of which I'm the most proud is the littlest."

"Yes, the great cell phone caper." Jack smiled.

"We can only call when the wormhole is open for official reasons, but the morale boost is huge." Sam beamed. Jack could see how much she cared for those under her charge. He hoped he'd had a little influence in that regard.

"Show me something M12-578-shattering." Jack gestured grandly up the main staircase.

Sam smiled at him. They walked through the labs and jumper bays, including the one with the underwater entry.

"I get breathless just looking at that water." Jack said sarcastically.

"It was pretty remarkable, what you were able to do." Sam said. "I'll bet it was pretty cold, too."

"Yes." He leaned cautiously over the railing. "It's full again."

"McKay's idea." Sam walked away from the narrow staircase. "Why heat, cool, or God forbid, oxygenate precious air in a rarely used bay? Although he did fix the switch."

"How are you handling that guy?"

Sam smiled. "He told me that the "thing" we had between us was over."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a while, then Sam said: "It's my understanding that your communications with me are somewhat less than your communications with the previous administrator of Atlantis, sir. As in zero."

"You're more capable."

"I see." They walked a little further. "Couldn't just telecom in for a chat? It's pretty lonely out here, Jack."

"Who'd you call, Sam?" Because SG-1 was often at the base for the weekly link-up, he had a pretty strong suspicion about that.

"Official business, Jack."

"Yeah, right." He immediately regretted the sarcasm because he knew Sam was correct, but that didn't make him any less angry about- well, everything.

"I'm the commander at Atlantis. Shouldn't I be hearing from you?" She took a deep breath. "I feel like I'm on SG-1 and you're still my Colonel."

"What does that mean?"

"We've only worked together once since, uh…"

"Since that night up at my cabin?" Jack tried not to smile, and failed miserably.

Sam nodded, determined not to let the Jack O'Neill charm work on her this time. "You've always kept me at arm's length compared to your other subordinates. Why?"

Jack shook his head. "Landry's your boss, Sam." He paused. "Lunch?"

Sam sighed and they started off down one of Atlantis' beautiful but less than functional hallways. "I thought we could go to the mess hall." Sam said. "Face time for the General, and all that."

"Oh." Jack was surprised. "Weir never wanted to be overheard. We always did it in the conference room."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Had lunch and went over the supernova-sized problems, Sam." Jack smiled and shook his head.

"Sheppard has a different idea about that, Jack."

"He's only around because he does a damn good job. Sheppard's a cocky sonofabitch."

"He said the same thing about you." Sam said. "And, I'm the one who gets to say whether he stays around or not, with all due respect, General."

Jack looked at her, surprised and pleased at her manner. Being here had changed her. She was becoming everything he'd thought she could be. He was so proud of her, he thought his heart would burst if it weren't already broken.

They left the chamber and passed by Sam's quarters. She mentioned what Sheppard had said about the lucky doorknob. Jack smiled.

"Why don't you just have everything sent up here from the mess hall? I don't want any eavesdroppers, Sam." Jack reiterated his objection to her chosen meeting spot, mostly because he wanted to be alone with her.

"I thought I'd see if some of that deliberate distancing would work for me as well as it has for you." Sam's eyes flashed.

Jack started to speak, then looked down the hall. He opened the door to her apartment and hauled her in, then shut the door.

Sheppard came around the corner at that precise moment. He shook his head in bewilderment. Then a sly smile crossed his face, and he went back the way he'd come.

"Knock it off, Sam." Jack said, shutting the door behind him.

"I want an answer. We agreed we'd never let our personal feelings affect our jobs, but they have. Only in the exact opposite way we thought they would." Her blue eyes flashed and her breathing quickened.

Jack sat down. He took a deep breath and looked up at her. " I can't explain it, Sam. I won't deny you're right."

He had so much pain in his eyes that it broke her heart. What was it Jonas had said? "The bird with the broken wing you couldn't fix." Sam looked at Jack and thought he might be another one.

They were silent for a few moments, and then Jack noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He rose abruptly and walked over to the table by the window where his picture was. Sam bit her lip. He wasn't meant to see that. He picked it up, then looked at her, feeling as if he couldn't breath, as surely as if he were still underwater in the jumper bay.

Sam walked over and took it out of his hands. "I can't explain it, either," she said, putting it back on the table.

Jack put his hands on her arms, his heart pounding. "I thought you were through with me."

She looked helplessly into his brown eyes. "I thought so, too."

Slowly and tentatively, Jack brought his lips to hers. He kissed her softly, and pulled her to him, holding her tight, feeling her breathe.

"Jack, we have work to do." Sam said, breaking away from his grasp. She was miserable. Everything was as confusing for her as it was the day she left for Atlantis.

Jack looked at her face, and understood. He followed Sam back out the door.

Jack was impressed with the reports, and a bit jealous. "Hell, Sam, you've already had as much of a chance to shoot things up as I had in a whole year at the SGC. And that deal with the Wraith ships blasting each other right over Atlantis- how did you know they'd do that?"

Sam smiled. "I didn't."

He looked at her and shrugged. Jack went on to observe that Sheppard was no less reckless and still spent too much time evaluating the assets of the alien female population.

Sam laughed. "With a couple of notable exceptions, you were pretty well-controlled, I must admit."

"Don't give me too much credit, Carter. I was only trying to set a good example." He smiled. "And I was sort of occupied with evaluating your assets."

They went for a walk around the city, something Jack hadn't done before since his other visits were more-or-less crisis oriented. Sam rattled off the various uses for this and the specs for that, clearly happy in her new assignment. Jack smiled at her enthusiasm. After they came in, he programmed the teleporter and they ended up near Sam's quarters. "I'd offer you something to drink, but I don't really have much." Sam said.

"You know what they say about all work and no play, Sam." Jack chided her.

"I know. You've been telling me that for over a decade."

They entered her apartment. On the coffee table sat a bottle of champagne, with a note. "Bon Voyage, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard." Sam smiled slightly.

Jacked looked at it. "A message in a bottle, huh, Sam?"

"I didn't say anything."

Jack sat down and ran a hand through his hair.

"Don't tell me she needed the support, and I don't." Sam stated before Jack could say anything. Then she visibly relaxed, remembering what she'd told John on the balcony the night before. "I guess you do have a right to be angry with me." She popped the cork on the champagne, and poured two glasses, handed one to Jack, then sat down across from him. She kicked off her shoes and crossed her legs. "I'm sorry Jack, I didn't want to fight with you, today. It's just that since I've been here I've had plenty of time to think."

"And?" Jack asked, taking off his jacket.

"I don't know." Sam got up to pour some more champagne, as the first glass had gone surprisingly quickly.

Jacked looked around her quarters. "I don't see Barrett's picture around."

"Didn't I say I didn't want to fight with you?" Sam said, wearily.

"He must get the spot on your nightstand."

Something in Sam snapped. She put the bottle down. "Get up," she told Jack.

"Throwing me out?" He looked at her without moving.

She walked over to him, her eyes blazing. "Get up, or I'll pull you up by that lovely blue tie of yours."

Jack looked at her. He was fifteen years her senior and had a desk job. She'd been going out in the field every day until recently. She probably could do it. He stood up. She took his arm and led him back to her bedroom.

"See any pictures?"

Jack shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sam."

"It takes years to get into my gallery."

"Evidently only a few weeks to get into your pants."There. That should do it.

It did.

Sam slapped Jack as hard as she could.