"Hey!" My loud greeting startles Daniel, forcing him to look up from his pile of work. I give him a cocky grin as I stand in the doorway of his office wearing my dress uniform and a pair of shiny new stars on each shoulder. I never really thought I'd live to see this day. It really is incredible how life seems to work itself out. Daniel looks confused as he glances from me to the pile of work on his desk. No doubt he's trying to finish as many outstanding projects as possible before he leaves. Which is the reason I'm here. "What's this I hear about a transfer?" I ask, as casually as I can.

Daniel lets out an over-exasperated sigh and turns to face me. "Jack, we've been over this."

"Yes we have. Last year as a matter of fact." I enter the room and walk up to him, leaning my hip against the edge of his desk.

"This isn't the same thing," he says with confidence.

"Isn't it?" I offer the words like a challenge. That was probably a mistake.

"Hey, you left first."

"Not the point." I look away slightly, amazed at how quickly he managed to sidetrack this discussion. "So, you're really going?"

"If Landry approves the transfer, yeah."

"Actually," I break eye contact to hide my guilty expression, even though I'm sure he'll notice it anyway, "Hank was going to sign off on it this morning. I asked him to wait a few hours." Daniel raises one eyebrow and I look around the room in a blatant attempt to hide from the look in his eyes. Eventually I spot a ball-point pen and begin fiddling with it to divert my attention. I don't like talking about these sorts of things. It's too serious, too emotional. But I've always found it easier to deflect that emotion if I have something to fiddle with. Daniel usually rolls his eyes and makes some comment about hyperactive colonels; although, I think he understands the reasoning behind my antics.

I take a deep breath before speaking, eyes still glued on the pen in my hand. "You know, I can't stop you this time, but…"

"Jack." His voice interrupts me and he waits until I look him in the eye before he continues. "I'm not running." I don't respond, still flipping the pen over and over. He must see that I'm not convinced, because he takes a deep breath and I know he's about to launch into a long and complex argument for why he's right. "Look, Teal'c needs to be with the New Jaffa Nation. They need him right now, and we've always known where his priorities lie. You have this great new promotion – "

"Great?" I ask skeptically.

Daniel glares at me over the top of his glasses. He may be the only one who can see through my act. The truth is, I want this promotion for many reasons. Yes, it's good for the program, and it's good for my career, but I also want it for myself. It's time to move on, I've been feeling that for some time now. I want the chance to step back from the battles we've fought, and maybe even have a somewhat normal life. Daniel and I have talked about this actually. The last time I was offered a promotion, I called an SG-1 meeting to help me decide if I should take the position. This time, I talked to Daniel alone. Teal'c and Carter were already contemplating other positions, but I wanted to make sure that Daniel understood before I made a decision. Consequently, he's the only one who knows exactly why I took the job. Daniel continues to glare until I raise my hands in mock surrender and he continues.

"Sam's got her own issues to work out, and I'm glad she's taking the time to deal with them. Besides, research is her passion. It's much better for her than a command position."

I nod in agreement because he's right. Not surprisingly, he's analyzed this situation from every possible angle. "And you?" I ask cautiously.

At that, Daniel actually smiles. "Well, things are changing for all of us." He cocks his head in consideration of his own words and I wait with faintly concealed curiosity. "I think, I'm okay with that. And this assignment to Atlantis is just a temporary thing. With the Daedalus up and running, there will be a lot more trips between Earth and Atlantis. You could even come and visit now and then."

"That goes both ways, you know."

"I know." He pauses. "This really is for the best Jack. I'm okay with it. Change is a good thing, right?"

I smile and clap a hand on his shoulder. "Right." We both stand. "So, no running away?"

"Nope." He shakes his head. "Just taking a little jog over to Pegasus for a while."

"Okay, no problem then."

"Right."

"So, lunch?"

Daniel merely smiles at the sudden change of subject. "Sure."

I smile as we walk out the door, side by side. Yeah, everything is gonna be just fine.

"So, I understand there's been a change in the forecast." Daniel's head jerks up at the sound of my voice, and he tries not to look surprised. I smother a chuckle. He really should be getting used to my interruptions. Did he seriously think that just because I was in Washington, I would stop checking up on him? This time Daniel's sitting in the briefing room across from Colonel Mitchell and Vala Mal Doran, waiting for Landry to arrive. He was staring at a mission file when I came in. I hover in the doorway as Mitchell jumps to attention. Vala stops in mid-sentence and I can't be sure, but I have the feeling she was in the middle of some kind of joke at Daniel's expense. A joke he was surely trying to ignore by focusing on that mission file.

"Change? What kind of change?" He goes for innocent and confused, but I'm not buying it. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Vala exchange confused glances.

"Well, the picnic was rained out," I say casually, as if I'm discussing the weather, which we both know I'm not. "And the clouds are promising some pretty spectacular lightning bolts."

He nods appreciatively. He keeps telling me that he's okay with change, but we both know that this isn't the kind of change he was hoping for. He lost SG-1 and Atlantis, and in exchange he got the Ori and Vala Mal Doran with her funky Goa'uld handcuffs. Talk about a lousy trade.

"Um, sir?" Mithcell's confusion is evident as he turns to address me. "The last time I was topside, it was sunny and eighty-two. Not a cloud in the sky."

"The Colorado sky, maybe," I say. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Daniel cover a laugh with one hand.

My attention isn't diverted for long. "So," I turn back to Daniel, who winces slightly in anticipation. Vala leans forward, seeming a little too interested in my conversation with Daniel, but maybe she just isn't sure what to make of our relationship. Honestly, I can't blame her, because most of the time I don't know what to make of it either. I focus on Daniel and give him a wicked grin. "This storm front kinda changes your plans, doesn't it?"

I can see Daniel bristle at my smug tone, his eyes shooting daggers in my general direction. I know that he still plans on going to Atlantis the next chance he gets. We talked about it the last time I was here. But that was before we realized Daniel was still linked to Vala. And my spies tell me that Mitchell has been pressuring Daniel to rejoin SG-1. According to the aforementioned spies, Daniel has been doing his best to avoid Mitchell and Vala, which is somewhat difficult since he passes out if he gets too far away from the alien woman. I assume that his attempts to ignore the two of them are related to his adamant refusal to accept Mitchell's offer. But I'm siding with the colonel on this one. And I don't want to see Daniel pass up an opportunity just because he's dead set on running off to Atlantis.

"I assure you, it's only a temporary delay," Daniel says, but the conviction seems forced.

I raise an eyebrow in challenge. "Can you say - denial," I respond, provoking another glare from Daniel. He seems to be doing a lot of that lately. I wonder if it's a side-effect of spending too much time with Vala.

My smug attitude has the desired effect of infuriating my troublesome archeologist.

"We'll see about that," he says. Mitchell and Vala look as though they think we've lost our minds and I barely suppress a delighted chuckle. There's nothing I love more than confusing the newbies, and although he would probably deny it, I think Daniel enjoys it just as much as I do

Nonetheless, I must not be deterred from my purpose. "There's no picnic," I point out.

Daniel concedes with a frown. "No."

"No parade."

"No."

"Good weather to go for a run?" I ask. And there it is. The loaded question.

"It looks like it." Daniel looks me in the eye and I wait patiently for him to give me the answer I want. "But maybe I'll just wait around for a bit." He smiles tentatively. "You never know when the forecast will change again."

My own smile breaks lose. "Right. Great. Well, then, I'm glad we're all on the same page here." Daniel laughs at that. I glance at Mitchell and Vala and note their utter confusion. It's quite clear that Daniel and I are the only people who have the slightest clue what page we're on, let alone what script we're working from. I share a conspiratorial grin with my best friend before clapping my hands together briskly, signaling that the discussion is over. "So…carry on, people. I have a plane to catch." I move towards the door of the briefing room, but turn back briefly. "Daniel. I'm glad we had this little discussion."

He grins and gives a half wave. "See you around, Jack."

I wave as I head out the door. "Yeah, sure, you betcha."

I'm grinning madly as I leave the room. From behind me I hear Mitchell ask, "What was that about?"

Daniel's voice responds with mock innocence. "How should I know?"

There is a beat before I hear Daniel chuckle and my grin widens. I would bet money that Mitchell will have a certain archeologist on his team before the end of the month. But of course, Daniel's not quite done playing hard to get.

I whistle slightly as I stroll down the hall. Yes, change can definitely be a good thing. It's just a matter of learning how to take it all in stride.