A/N: Ok, so I meant to post the next two chapters at the same time as 14 & 15, but when I re-read chapter 16, I realized it didn't really fit. I've re-written it (and re-re-written a few bits), so hopefully it will work better now, but as always, feedback is welcome.

Sam reluctantly made her way down to the commissary. She was not looking forward to her lunch with Daniel and Mia, although she really couldn't see a way around it. There was no doubt in her mind that if she didn't accept their invitation willingly today, Daniel would find some other way to spring her alter-ego's daughter on her. Might as well get it over with now.

Sighing, she made her way between the crowded tables, grabbing a tray of food and scanning the room quickly before finding her friend's beaming face in the crowd and making her way towards his table. Placing her tray gently before her, she gingerly pulled out the seat across from Daniel, lowering herself onto the chair as she said a quick hello to her two mealtime companions. Mia smiled awkwardly in return, clearly about as much at ease with this situation as Sam was herself. Oddly, that small fact helped Sam relax a little as she silently nibbled her lunch, unsure what she was supposed to say.

Unsurprisingly, Daniel was the first to speak. "So, Mia, what have you been up to today?," he asked cheerfully.

Mia's brow furrowed slightly as she replied, "Nothing much. I had an impromptu sparring match with an SF guard named Tom, then a proper training session with Teal'c after breakfast. Then there was the incident in Colonel Carter's lab," she continued, looking extremely embarrassed, "for which I'm very sorry," she added sheepishly, meeting Sam's surprised gaze, "And then General O'Neill and I went for a walk through the woods around base," she finished. Daniel had stopped chewing and was staring incredulously at the young woman.

"Nothing much?," he asked in disbelief. "It's barely even noon!"

"I've been up since before dawn," Mia explained hastily. Sam had to stifle a grin at her friend's sudden discomposure as Mia eyed him innocently, clearly unable to understand his surprise.

"Even still," he muttered. And then, "Jack actually took you out for a walk?" Mia shrugged.

"There were a few things about my parents he wanted to know," she responded.

"Like what?," asked Sam, her own brow furrowing in much the same way Mia's had mere moments before. Mia blushed slightly, growing flustered.

"I think he wanted to know if they were happy together," she replied cautiously, avoiding Sam's gaze. Silence ensued, and when Mia dared to raise her eyes again, it was impossible to tell who looked more startled by her response, Sam or Daniel. Each now wore an almost identical expression of surprised disbelief, gaping wordlessly at her as if waiting for some further explanation that would make more sense to them.

"What?," she asked at last, blushing furiously under their frozen stares.

Daniel recovered first, spluttering, "Ah, well, it's just that Jack doesn't usually show much interest in..." he paused uncertainly, waving his hands in the air, "Well, anything, really," he finished at last, leaning into the table for support. Sam shot him a quick look of disapproval before returning her attention to Mia.

"So he was asking about the other SG-1?," Sam fished lamely, ignoring Daniel's frown. Mia smiled patiently, saying, "No. He never asked about my Daniel or Teal'c." Now it was Sam's turn to frown. She had expected this meeting to be awkward, but more from an alternate-timeline perspective than from anything Mia and General O'Neill could have been discussing earlier. To make matters worse, Daniel's interest was definitely piqued by the direction this conversation was taking, and she couldn't help but worry how much longer it would be before someone else from one of the other tables in the crowded room began to show interest in the conversation as well.

"So what did you tell him?," asked Daniel suddenly, his eyes never wavering from Mia's face long enough to register his teammates growing discomfort. Mia, however, was not quite so cavalier about Sam's personal life, and glanced cautiously at the older woman before carefully wording her response to Daniel. "I told him what little I could remember, the way they were always together, always laughing and smiling. They were happy together, for the short time they had." She shrugged, carefully pushing the dull ache left by their loss to the back of her mind. They were gone, and she was here. Nothing else mattered in that moment.

Mia returned her attention to the contents of her tray, pointedly avoiding direct eye contact with either of her companions. Shooting Daniel a warning look, Sam did the same, fiddling with her lunch until the end of her break, lost deep in thought. As she stood to leave, however, Mia stood as well, falling silently into step beside her as they emptied their trays and left the commissary.

Once safely out of earshot of any curious onlookers, Mia spoke softly, saying "I know this is none of my business, but I think you should know that what my parents had was really special. I've watched a lot of couples together, and I've never seen anything like it since." She paused, shaking her head. Sam was eyeing her cautiously, maintaining both her silence and her pace. "Don't let him bully you out of taking the job in Nevada," she continued in a rush, explaining, "He's so afraid of losing you, he's not seeing how much closer you could be outside of this life." Mia gestured toward the grey corridors of the SGC as she finished. Sam stopped abruptly, carefully studying her would-be daughter's face. Concern and uncertainty were etched deeply into Mia's features, lending her a haunting resemblance to the General anytime he had been forced to face the possible mortality of someone he cared for. Sam blinked, reaching unthinkingly for the girl's hand. She squeezed gently, releasing it quickly with a small smile.

"Thank you," she said simply, turning to go. Mia stayed rooted in place, watching quietly as Sam quickly closed the distance to the next corridor, rounding the corner out of sight.

As she made her way back to her lab, Sam couldn't help but think that somehow, without even realizing, she had reached a turning point. First there had been her dad on his deathbed, saying "Don't let rules stand in the way. You can still have everything you want." Then Daniel and Teal'c in the briefing room this morning, and now Mia in the hallway. More importantly, what everyone seemed bent on telling her was nothing she hadn't already thought or felt for herself. Only now, the timing seemed right. Nothing stood in her way. Her career was no longer an issue. And from what she had learned fishing recently with a certain General and their two closest friends, neither one of them had any other personal attachments. Everything was different. This time would be different. Steeling her resolve, Sam marched up to the General's office door, and knocked.