A/N: Anything in italics is a thought projection from either Willow or one of the other characters. I will label who said, or thought, what. I do apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors. Please read and review .

Ancient Outpost, Antarctica, Earth

The ice covered outpost of the Ancients, the place where Colonel O'Neill almost sacrificed his life to defeat Anubis, was eerily quiet. Only a day has passed after what the White House and the Pentagon referred to as the Battle of Antarctica. Luckily for one Willow Rosenberg, there was only a skeleton crew in the outpost conducting research on the strange chair and waitching over Colonel O'Neill, hoping that the stasis pod would help tp remove the Knowledge of the Ancients from his mind. Willow knew that this was only a stop gap measure, that the stasis pod only slowed down the degradation of the Colonel's mind and that something else would be needed to be done to remove that information permanently.

There was no one around when Willow suddenly appeared in the outpost, just as she had appeared on the Prometheus when it was lost in space, or else they would have asked questions on why one of the members of SG1 was wearing a pair of track pants, an oversized 'Hello Kitty' shirt and fuzzy bunny slippers in the chill of Antarctica. She walked over to the Colonel's stasis pod and waved to the camera that was overlooking her Commanding Officer, unsure if any camera or other recording device could see or hear her in her astral form. She touched the ice like substance of the pod wishing that there was something that she could do to help the man trapped inside, but this time Willow knew that only one of their allies could help.

Before she could talk to the Colonel, she looked over and saw someone stirring in a cot by the side of the pod surrounding by boxes and monitors that weren't even set up yet. She walked over to the man and took a glance at the name on his jacket.

"Beckett, Carson" thought Willow to herself, "Looks like he's a doctor of some sort judging from some of the medical equipment here. Poor guy, probably trying to figure out what's going on with the Colonel"

Walking away from the man, she walked back to the Colonel and just stood there in sadness before she spoke.

"HI Colonel" whispered Willow, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I hope you can. I relayed your last order to Major Carter and she's already tried to contact the Asgard without any luck so far. She thinks the Asgard would be the best choice to help you since they have done it before", she continued, "the team says Hi. Daniel said he will be recording the Simpsons for you, and Teal'c; well he just raised his eyebrows and said that he hopes you will be out of here soon"

Willow: "As for Major Carter, she is hoping that you get out of there soon too so that you can go and bother her in her lab. I think she misses talking technobabble to you Sir"

She was hoping to get some kind of reaction as she looked into the Colonel's eyes which were staring right at Willow.

Willow: "Colonel, earlier today, I found out that Major Carter's friend, or boyfriend I guess, Shanono….. Shanunu….. the cop, has been following her. I'm not sure how long it's been going on for or why that guy is doing it but I'd like your advice. What would you do Sir? Would you tell her without any proof? Would you wait until he makes a move? The guy has limited clearance so I'm worried if something isn't done, then he might say or do something and the fallout would be uncontrollable"

Willow stood in front of the Colonel hoping for an answer, hoping that there was still a small remnant of the mental link that she shared with the Colonel but she couldn't feel anything. There was no link, there was no emotions coming from the Colonel and that made the red head even sadder.

Willow: "I really should have taken the download Sir. I should have just pushed you away on that planet and taken the download, maybe things would have been different because I still remember the information or whatever information I could access through our link, and it hasn't caused me any negative effects so far. Even if it did, it would have been worth it. Daniel, Teal'c and especially Major Carter misses you, as does the entire SGC. I miss you, Sir. We need you back Colonel"

Suddenly Willow could sense people coming her way and she knew that she had to leave as soon as possible.

Willow: "Sorry Sir, it looks like I have to go. Some Airmen are coming to do their rounds and it would be better if I got out of here. I'll come back tomorrow; I'll come back every night until you're out of that pod Sir. You won't be alone, I promise"

After touching the ice of the stasis pod one more time, Willow stepped back and vanished just as two guards walked by the Colonel.

Willow's Apartment, A few seconds later

Willow had woken up and found herself lying on the couch with her fuzzy bunny covered feet hanging off the side. She slowly sat up and breathed slow and deep.

"At least it was just a projection to Antarctica, if the Colonel was trapped off-world, I don't think I could have done that" thought Willow to herself.

She looked at the clock and saw that it was already eleven thirty at night and her stomach was grumbling.

"Great" she said to herself as she got up and headed to the kitchen to make herself something to eat. As she was heading to the kitchen, she stubbed her toe and shouted "Oh for craps sake!"

As she was nursing her fuzzy covered toe, she noticed Cassie's door opening and a head peeking out.

"Hey Cass" said Willow grimacing, "Sorry if I woke you up"

"No problem Willow" said Cassie, "I was just studying for exams"

"Ah, that's got to be real fun huh?" said Willow smiling as she limped to the kitchen, "you want a bite to eat?"

"Sure" replied Cassie, "what you making?"

"Well" said Willow looking into her fridge before she stood up straight and looked at Cassie, "We have a problem"

"What?"

"Real big problem actually" said a smiling Willow to a confused Cassie, "too much food, not sure what to eat"

A few minutes later, Willow and Cassie sat down on the couch for a late night snack of sandwiches and potato chips.

"So Cassie" said Willow, "Have you talked to Major Carter?"

"Yea" said Cassie, "She told me about Uncle Jack. Do you think everything is going to be ok?"

"Yep" said Willow, "We're trying to contact some of our allies so I think that we should hear from them sooner than later"

"Hope you're right Willow" said Cassie, "I don't think I can handle it if Uncle Jack doesn't come back"

"He'll came back Cass" said Willow trying to reassure Cassie, "you'll see"

At that, Cassie smiled and took another bite of her sandwich.

"Oh" said Willow, "Have you gotten any responses from the colleges you applied to?"

"Yea I did actually" said Cassie, "I got acceptance letters from MIT, Harvard, Georgetown and Colorado State"

"That's an eclectic group of colleges" said Willow, "How come you applied to Colorado State?"

"Well, I applied to Colorado State to be closer to you guys." Said Cassie, "I'm actually scared to accept the others"

"How come" asked Willow

"Everyone I know is here" said Cassie, "You, Sam, Uncle Jack, Teal'c and Daniel are here. Why would I want to go anywhere else?"

Cassie: "And Dominic is going to Colorado State too"

Willow couldn't help but smile at the alien girl, "Let me guess, Dominic's also going to Colorado State?"

"Maybe" said Cassie blushing

"Aha" shouted Willow pointing at Cassie and laughing, "My guess was right"

Cassie sat further into the couch blushing, "Maybe"

"Have you told Major Carter yet?" asked Willow

"Not yet" said Cassie, "I checked the mail after she dropped me off here. You were asleep so I didn't want to bother you with this"

"Its no bother Cass" said Willow smiling, "Can I give you a piece of advice?"

"Sure" said Cassie

"I think you should accept the offers from Harvard, Georgetown or MIT" said Willow, "leave out Colorado"

"Why?" asked Cassie surprised

"Well" said Willow, "if you're planning to go to Colorado State just because of Dominic then its a bad idea. You shouldn't decide your future based on where your boyfriend or boyfriend-to-be is going to be. If you go anywhere else I can guarantee than you will have a better, more interesting time. Plus you never know, you may meet someone better than Dominic" continued Willow with a grin, "anyway, you know what they say right, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe if you go out of state, Dominic will think about you more"

"Maybe you're right" said Cassie

"Well, I can tell you one thing though" said Willow, "I don't regret leaving Sunnydale"

"What do you have against Sunnydale?" asked Cassie, "that's your home town right?"

"Just because it's my home town doesn't necessarily mean I have to stay there forever, Cass" said Willow, "I did get offers from some of the top schools too but instead I stayed on in Sunnydale to go to UC Sunnydale so that I could be closer to my friends, and I think that was a mistake"

She then continued, "but Sunnydale is a nice city, and I do try to go there once in a while just to visit my friends there, but I like it here in Colorado Springs. If I stayed in Sunnydale, I wouldn't have met you, Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c and I wouldn't have this great 'job' I have now"

"I think I know what you're trying to say Willow" said Cassie, "Hey, the next time you go visit Sunnydale can I come along?" asked Cassie

"Well, you have to ask the Major about that" said Willow smiling

"Speaking of whom" said Cassie, "Sam wanted me to remind you that we are supposed to be having dinner with them tomorrow"

"Them?" asked Willow

"That A-hole is coming" said Cassie referring to Pete, "apparently he wants to get to know us better"

"I bet he does" said Willow under her breath

"Did you say something?" asked Cassie

"No" replied Willow, "it's just that I don't feel comfortable around that guy"

"So" said Cassie, "do you believe me when I said that he's been following Sam?"

"Do I tell Cassie about the cop's appearance outside our apartment?" Willow thought to herself, "nah, that would just worry her"

"There's no proof yet Cass…." Said Willow smiling, "Hey, you never told me what majors you got accepted in at Harvard, MIT and Georgetown" asked Willow trying to change the subject.

"Medicine" said Cassie

"That's great Cass" said Willow, "It would be a great way to honor Dr. Frasier if you take up medicine. Who knows, maybe eventually the SGC will have another Dr. Frasier sticking the injured with big needles" smiled Willow as she nudged Cassie with her elbow

"Let's see what Sam says" said Cassie smiling, "I'll ask her tomorrow"

Major Carter's Lab, SGC, The next day

"Good morning Major" said Willow as she came in with two cups of coffee and handed one to Major Carter.

"Is it morning already" said the Major looking dazed

"Yes ma'am" replied Willow, "have you been here the whole night?"

"Yea" said the Major, "I wanted to stay in case the Asgard called back about the Colonel. Oh, did you manage to send the Colonel a message yesterday?"

"I did" said Willow, "the Colonel is non-responsive but I gave him the messages. Not sure if he heard me though"

"Good morning Willow, Sam" said Daniel yawning as he walked into Major Carter's lab with Teal'c

"Good morning Willow Rosenberg, Major Carter" said Teal'c

"Good morning guys" said Willow and the Major together

"What no coffee for me?" whined Daniel

"Well, how am I supposed to know you're gonna be here this early in the morning" said Willow grinning

Daniel mumbled something before he walked to the door of the lab, looked around to see if there was anyone in the corridors and then walked back in. "So did you see Jack last night?" he quietly asked Willow.

"Daniel" said the Major laughing, "the way you said that makes it sound as if Willow and the Colonel were… you know"

Willow couldn't help but laugh when Daniel realized that what he said could be misconstrued as something else, "Oh my God, you should see your face!" she said laughing

"This is why I need my coffee in the morning" mumbled Daniel

"Yes I visited the stasis pod last night and gave him the messages" said Willow as she slowly calmed down, "But I hope that the camera's didn't spot me talking to him"

"Hold on" said Major Carter, "let me pull up the footage from the outpost"

Willow, Teal'c and Daniel stood behind Major Carter as she pulled up the camera from the Antarctic outpost from the previous night. As they watched the video, Major Carter fast forwarded to a few seconds before Willow said she visited the Colonel. What they saw surprised them.

"Woah" said the Major, "the feed went blank"

"What happened" asked Willow and Daniel

"How long were you in Antarctica Willow Rosenberg?" asked Teal'c

"Maybe five minutes" said Willow

"Sam, how long is the picture out for" asked Daniel as Major Carter fast forwarded the blank footage until a picture of Colonel O'Neill in the stasis pod reappeared with two Airmen standing in front of him.

"Four minutes and twenty seconds" said the Major as she turned around and looked at Willow, "Willow, I think your astral projection must release some kind of electromagnetic field. That's the only explanation I have for the blank footage"

"But then, how come I didn't interfere with the electronics on the Prometheus?" asked Willow

"The systems on the Prometheus and the systems at the SGC are shielded against electromagnetic interference" said Major Carter, "but the systems they have in the outpost right now are not, so you may have affected those systems"

"That sucks" said Willow, "So does that mean I can't go back there?"

"Not for a few days, we need to inform the science and medical teams there to shield their equipment against electromagnetic energy" said Major Carter, "Well, we could leave out the camera's, I don't think we can spare the headache of explaining how Willow can be at two places at once"

"Anyway" interrupted Daniel, "you guys up for breakfast?"

"Let's go" said the Major before turning to Willow, "after breakfast, we should take a look through the drawings you did. We can go through the specs and try to figure out what they do and if we can re-create some working models"

"Sure" replied Willow

"Oh" said Major Carter just as they left her lab, "don't forget, today we're having dinner with Cassie and Pete"

"Oh please, kill me now" thought Willow to herself, "Yep, Cass reminded me last night" said Willow as they walked toward the commissary.

O'Malley's Bar and Grill, Colorado Springs, 8pm

"Hi Sam" said Cassie as she sat down facing Major Carter, "Hello Peter" she said to the man who was sitting next to her guardian. Pete looked up from the menu with a hint of anger in his eyes, he didn't like it when others called him Peter, he always preferred Pete.

"Hi Cassandra" said Pete, "and it's Pete, not Peter"

"Hey Cass" said Major Carter as she hugged Cassie, "where's Willow?"

"She's trying to find a parking spot" said Cassie, "Oh look, there she is" she said as she stood up and waved to Willow.

As she walked towards the table she gave a small wave to Major Carter and Cassie, "HI Major… hi Paul" she said to Major Carter and Pete

"Its Pete" said the cop

"Sorry" said Willow smiling, "my mistake" she continued with a shrug

Pete: "Oh how I wish I could wipe that smile off your face"

"So shall we order" asked Major Carter

"Let's, I'm starving" said Willow

After they had ordered their drinks and food, the small group tried to make small talk about things that were not classified. "So Cass" said Willow looking at Cassie, "have you decided which college you'll be going to yet?"

"Yep" said Cassie, "I think I'll study medicine at Georgetown"

"That's great" said Willow as they got served their drinks, "to Cassie and her quest to becoming a doctor" said Willow as she stood up to lead a toast

"So Pete" said Willow as she sat back down, "are you still commuting between Colorado Springs and Denver?"

"Not anymore" said Pete, "This was going to be a surprise but I just received my official transfer to the Colorado Springs Police Department"

"Really?" said Major Carter as she went to give Pete a hug, "Congratulations"

"Yep" said the cop with a smile to Major Carter, "now you won't be able to get rid of me that easily" he continued laughing

Pete: "And neither will these two. I'm here to stay now. There's nothing you bitches can do to keep us apart now"

Willow noticed a smug grin from Pete as he thought those words, and couldn't help feel a cold shiver run down her spine. She knew in her heart that the man Major Carter was in a relationship with wasn't who he said he was. Sure he was a cop, but Willow could sense something more, something that could be categorised as bad news although she had nothing to prove it.