A/N: Sorry everyone, I've decided to keep this chapter relatively short and sweet. Just another attempt at a light hearted chapter in Cpt. Rosenberg's story. In this chapter, the speech that Dr. Weir gives to the Atlantis Expedition was taken from the series premier of SG: Atlantis (Rising: Part 1). Thanks to everyone for your reviews. Hope you all like this chapter as much as you did the previous ones.
Episode references: "Rising" (SG Atlantis), "Graduation Day Part 2" (BtVS)
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
It has been almost a week since Willow had the weirdest time ever since she joined the SGC; not including the time she appeared at the top secret facility from her bedroom in Sunnydale.
"Lets see, what happened to me so far" thought Willow to herself, "I was possessed by a half ascended Goa'uld called Anubis, injured the base CMO and my superior officer, almost escaped from the SGC, stopped from escaping after the girl I love beat the crap out of me because of the Goa'uld possessing my body, took control of my body and escaped anyway, ended up on an ice planet, met an old friend, returned to Earth, recovered from my ordeal, healed the CMO and my superior officer, died, and got a new cloned body based on the near ascended physiology of the Ancients along with the memories of my original body".
"Did I miss anything?" she thought to herself as she waiting at her rental car for one Cassandra Frasier.
"Hey Willow" said Cassie as she parked her car and got out waving at her.
"Hi Cass" said Willow as she hugged the younger red head, "How are you?"
"I'm fine Willow" said Cassie as she got out of the hug, "Anyway, I should be the one asking you that question".
"Actually that's why I asked you out here" said Willow, "ready for the walk?"
"Yea" said Cassie as the two red heads started their walk to Dr. Frasier's burial site.
They were walking for twenty minutes in comfortable silence before Willow spoke.
"So…." Said Willow as she looked at Cassie, "what do you know about what happened to me?"
"Uncle Jack simply told me that the Asgard brought you back as good as new. He told me that you'll fill me in on the rest" said Cassie as she looked at Willow, and noticed her smile.
"Well that's kinda accurate" said Willow.
"What do you mean?" asked Cassie.
"Well" said Willow, "there are a lot of things I need to tell you, but there's something important I need to get off my chest first. An important message I need to pass on."
"A message?" asked Cassie, clearly confused.
"Yea" replied Willow just as they reached Dr. Frasier's grave.
"From?" asked Cassie
"From her" said Willow motioning to Dr. Frasier's headstone as she got down on both knees onto the soft grass.
"From mom?" asked Cassie in surprise as she went down on both knees as well
"Yea" said Willow quietly.
"But….." said Cassie as Willow interrupted her.
"The General told you what happened after I was taken by Anubis right?" said Willow as she looked at the younger girl.
"Uncle Jack just got me you went through the gate to a planet that was covered in ice and snow" said Cassie, "but what does that have to do with mom?"
"Maybe after an hour or so of being on that planet" said Willow as she looked at Cassie, "after Anubis left my body, I lost consciousness and found myself at another place."
"Another place?" asked Cassie.
"I was told it was someplace between mortality and ascension" said Willow as she turned from looking at Cassie to looking at the headstone, "and Dr. Frasier was the one offering it to me"
"Mom?" said Cassie as she looked in shock, "You…. You're kidding right?"
"She showed me a book of Shakespeare's plays that she used to read to you" said Willow to a very surprised Cassie, "the one with the red cover"
"Is she alright?" asked Cassie.
"Yes" replied Willow.
"So mom offered to ascend you?" asked Cassie.
"It was only because I was on the verge of death" said Willow, "she said that the choice was mine to ascend or go back to the planet where I would have a very small percent chance of survival"
"But you chose to come back anyway" said Cassie.
"Yes" said Willow smiling, "Not being able to help the SGC when there is still a war out there to fight. I couldn't give up if there was a chance I could still survive"
"So" said Cassie with a smile, "She's still out there somewhere"
"Yes" said Willow, "and she asked me to give you a message"
"Oh?" said Cassie as she looked at Willow in surprise
"She wanted me to tell you that she loves you very much" said Willow smiling, "and that she's always watching over you"
Cassie turned to look at the headstone and smiled, "That definitely sounds like her"
"Yep" said Willow.
"Wait a minute" said Cassie as she looked back at Willow in horror, "Did she say anything about watching me and Dominic together?"
"No" said Willow laughing, "But…. Now that you know she's watching, you'd better tell Dominic to be careful or else Doc will give him an injection with the longest needle she could find in the ascended plane"
"I guess mom's still doing her job" said Cassie as she calmed down after a laughing fit and traced the engraving of Dr. Frasier's name on the headstone with her fingers, "she's still saving lives"
"Yes Cassie" said Willow, "she is, and always will be."
"I want to become like her" said Cassie softly.
"You will" said Willow.
"I love you mom" said Cassie as she kissed her fingers and then pressed them onto the headstone, "Please visit me when you can."
Then all of a sudden, Cassie felt a gust of wind that simply came out of nowhere. She felt it caress her cheeks and flow through her hair before it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
Willow noticed the movement and smiled at Cassie who wiped a tear that rolled down from her eyes.
"Bye mom" said the younger red head as she slowly stood up, "I'll visit you again soon, please continue to look after me and the others"
"Goodbye Janet" said Willow softly as she stood up alongside Cassie, "and thank you."
"Ready to go Cass?" asked Willow as she turned towards the younger red head.
"Yea" said Cassie, "and thanks for giving me mom's message".
"You betcha" said Willow as she put her hand around the shoulder of the younger girl and walked towards the exit.
"Lunch?" asked Willow, "I've got another surprise to tell you"
"Sure, there's a nice place near the university" said Cassie
"Lets go then" said Willow as she turned to face Cassie, "say, how did you like Attack of the Clones anyway?"
Gateroom, SGC, two weeks later
Faith had just stepped through the event horizon when she saw what looked like organized chaos in the Gateroom.
"Woah!" she thought to herself, "must be moving day"
She slowly walked down the ramp and then quickly stepped back before she got hit by one of the Airmen pushing a cart full of what looked like really expensive equipment.
"Hey, easy guy" said Faith as the sheepish looking Airman walked past her.
"Sorry ma'am"
After he passed her, Faith stepped onto the solid concrete floor and walked out the door. As was protocol, she went to the infirmary first to get her many bruises taken care off. The General had suggested that she be trained in various military protocols so, for the past week, she had been at the Alpha Site training with the Marines stationed there.
"Hello Faith" said Dr. Brightman
"Hiya Doc" said Faith
After thirty minutes of being examined by Dr. Brightman, Faith was allowed to go and change into her on-base BDU's.
"Faith" said the doctor just as she was about to leave, "the General wants you in the briefing room after you've changed"
"Read you five by five, Doc" said Faith as she waved and exited the infirmary.
Faith then slowly headed over to the locker rooms where, on the way, she noticed many people she never saw before milling around the hallways. She noticed one man in particular who was wandering around the hallway looking confused.
"Hey" said Faith, "Need help?"
"Yea, where is this Gateroom thing?"
"Oh" said Faith, "just keep going straight and take the elevator to level twenty eight. Once you get just there keep on following the main hallway and you'll hit it. Trust me, you can't miss it"
"Thanks. By the way I'm Major John Sheppard"
"Hey" said Faith as she shook his hand, "Faith"
"So you've been recruited for this expedition?" asked Faith.
"Yep" said Major Sheppard, "let's just say that General O'Neill has a way of convincing people to do stuff. But then again, going to a new galaxy sounds quite interesting"
"I bet" said Faith
"You're not part of the expedition?" he asked.
"No" said Faith, "I only recently joined this place, plus I'm just a civilian consultant"
"Ma'am" said the Major, "from what I've heard about this place, no one's 'just' anything here"
Faith smiled and nodded her head.
"Anyway" said the Major, "I should go and meet with Colonel Sumner, thanks for the directions"
"No sweat" said Faith as she saw the Major walk away.
After she took a shower and changed into her BDU's, she walked towards the briefing room. On the way there she noticed more people, both military and civilian, milling around in the hallway as they excitedly talked among themselves about the expedition to Atlantis.
Briefing Room, SGC
"Hi" said Faith as she walked into the briefing room and saw General O'Neill, Daniel and Willow seated next to another dark haired woman she didn't recognize.
Willow smiled as she saw Faith take the empty seat next to her.
"Faith" said the General as he pointed to the unknown woman, "this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the leader of the Atlantis Expedition"
"Hey" said Faith
"Hello Miss Lehane" said Dr. Weir, "I really wanted to meet you before we left for Atlantis"
"Oh?" said Faith
"Yes" said Dr. Weir smiling, "It's really not every day that one gets to meet with someone who regularly kills vampires"
"Well" said Faith who looked at a smiling Willow, "You do know someone who used to be a practising witch who also used to kill vampires"
"Well" said Dr. Weir, "that is true"
"Anyway" said the General, "If you happen to find vampires there, then we can send Faith out to help you guys. But only on a temporary basis, I can't have you poaching all of my staff you know"
"Why, General O'Neill" said Dr. Weir in mock shock, "I wouldn't do that"
"Right" said the General as he smirked and he got up rubbing his hands together excitedly, "I guess it's that time?"
"Yes it is General" said Dr. Weir as she and the others at the table got up and walked down the metal stairway to the control room.
Faith: "Any regrets Red?"
Willow: "Hell no!"
Willow and Faith were the last two people to reach the control room just as the General nodded at Dr. Weir. She then walked down to the Gateroom and walked up the ramp before she turned around and addressed the large group people who were assembled.
"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" she said as everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards her.
"All right, here we go. We're about to try to make a connection. We have been unable to predict exactly how much power this is going to take, and we may only get the one chance at this. So if we're able to achieve a stable wormhole, we're not going to risk shutting the Stargate down. We'll send in the MALP, check for viability, and go. Everything in one shot."
She then took in a deep breath as she looked around the room, "Now, every one of you volunteered for this mission, and you represent over a dozen countries. You are the world's best and brightest. And in light of the adventure we are about to embark on, you're also the bravest. I hope we all return one day having discovered a whole new realm for humanity to explore. But as all of you know, we may never be able to return home. I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation."
Having seen no one even attempt to withdraw from the expedition at the last minute, Dr. Weir smiled inwardly and stared at the control room before asking the technician to start the dialling sequence. Once the sequence had started, she ran back to the control room where Dr. McKay had finally joined them.
"Hi Doc" said Willow as she turned to the Canadian, "excited?"
"Yes" said Dr. McKay stoically, "Can't you tell? This is my excited face"
"Sure it is" said Faith smiling
"And you are?" asked Dr. McKay
"Faith"
"Oh" said Dr. McKay
"McKay!" said Willow loudly
"What?" said Dr. McKay
"I'm a telepath remember" said Willow as she stared incredulously at Dr. McKay, "You're thinking too loud"
"Oh…. right" said Dr. McKay as he stepped back to stand next to General O'Neill and Dr. Weir as his face turned red.
"Did I miss something?" asked the General as he looked between Willow and Dr. McKay.
"Nothing Sir" said Willow as she glared at Dr. McKay.
Faith: "Let me guess, he thought about you and me having fun?"
Willow: "Oh yeah"
Faith: "Wanna torture him a bit"
Willow: "Down girl"
After looking at Willow questioningly, the General then turned to the technician on duty as the dialling sequence completed and the wormhole was established, "send in the MALP"
Everyone looked on as the MALP moved slowly up the ramp and through the event horizon. After it went through, the view in the control room switched from the window in front of them, to the small screen that just activated.
"Do we have a picture?" asked Dr. Weir as all that appeared on the computer screen was darkness.
"We're receiving telemetry" said the technician
"What are we looking at?" asked Dr. Weir
"Switching to the Zero Lux" said the technician as he pressed a butting on the MALP remote and they managed to finally look at their surroundings
"Red?" said the General as Willow grabbed a chair and sat down
"May I?" asked Willow as she motioned for the MALP remote.
"Of course" said the technician
"Looks structurally intact" said Daniel as Willow panned the camera around
"Environmental sensors show that there's oxygen and no measurable toxins" said Dr. McKay as he smiled and turned to Dr. Weir, "looks like we're not getting out of this"
"Red?" asked General O'Neill, "Is this what you saw?"
"Yes" said Willow as she panned the camera all around the Gateroom of Atlantis, "it's amazing Sir".
"You have a go doctor" said the General as he turned towards Dr. Weir
"Thank you General" said Dr. Weir as she headed back down to the Gateroom.
"Good luck, Dr. Weir" said Willow as she stood up and shook her hand, "and good journey"
"Thank you Willow" said Dr. Weir as she ran down to the Gateroom and walked up the ramp to stand next to Colonel Sumner.
Dr. Weir looked back at the people at the control room and smiled before she walked through the event horizon of the Stargate. Everyone looked on as the rest of the expedition team made their way slowly through the Stargate into a completely unknown situation.
"Think they're going to be alright, Big-G?" asked Faith as she looked at the General.
"I hope so Faith" said the General as he walked down to the top of the ramp after the last man and equipment went through. Willow and the others saw him take a bottle of champaigne from one of the Airmen, and roll it lightly through the event horizon before the wormhole disengaged.
"So they're alone now" said Daniel
"Looks like it" replied Willow, "Unless they can find some ZPM's that is"
"You think they got space vampires in that galaxy?" asked Faith
"What are the odds of that?" asked Willow as the General walked up the stairs to the control room.
"How about asking Walter to make a pool?" said the General, "you know, about the space vampires thing"
"I bet fifty bucks that there are no such thing as space vampires" said Willow, "can you imagine vampires running spaceships? That's gotta be like the worst nightmare in the history of worst nightmares"
"Right" said Faith, "Put me down for a hundred when Walter comes back for space vampires"
"Ah Faith" said Willow with a grin, "ever the Vampire Slayer"
"You betcha, Red" said Faith grinning
"General O'Neill?" said the technician on duty after he got off the phone
"Yes?" said the General
"Colonel Carter would like to see you"
"I'm gonna be playing a trick on her" said the General as he turned towards Willow.
"Oh?" said Willow as she raised an eye brow
"Yea" replied General O'Neill, "I'm gonna go to her lab and tell her that there's a report due today"
"And?" asked Faith confused.
"There is no report" said the General with a big grim plastered on his face, "can you imagine what the look on her face would be?"
After a moment of silence, it was Daniel who finally spoke up.
"That wasn't funny at all Jack" he said
"Sorry Sir" said Willow smiling as the General looked towards her before finally setting his eyes on Faith.
"Hey" said Faith as she stepped back and put her hands up, "don't look at me, I'm not getting involved in your weird practical jokes"
"Weird is the right word for it" said Daniel as he turned around and walked out the control room, "anyway, see you guys in two days"
"You ladies are no fun" said the General as he huffed and walked to Colonel Carter's lab
"See you in two days sir" shouted Willow after him as he gave them a thumbs up sign.
"Ready to go home?" said Willow as she turned towards Faith.
"Yeah" said Faith
"Great" said Willow, "let me get changed and then we'll get out of here"
Thirty minutes later, primary elevator landing, level twenty five
"So what you wanna do tonight?" asked Faith
"I don't know" said Willow as she quickly turned and gave an evil looking grin at Faith, "how about we make Dawn cook something?"
"Yeah" said Faith laughing, "That girl's been freeloading"
"Hi Colonel" said Willow as she noticed Colonel Carter approaching them.
"Hey" she said softly as she looked at both the girls in front of her before staring at the closed elevator doors.
"Everything alright Sam?" asked Faith.
"Yea" said the Colonel as she continued to look at the elevator.
Faith: "She's not ok is she?"
Willow: "Nope. I'm getting a clash of emotions from her"
"You two feel up to having a girl's night out? I mean I used to have it once or twice with Janet, but I haven't been able to since she…. You know" asked the Colonel as she made a sudden turn toward Willow and Faith, "nothing fancy, maybe my place… or maybe not my place….. O'Malley's… maybe?"
"How about my place, Colonel?" asked Willow, "We're going to try and get Dawn to cook"
"Can she cook?" asked the Colonel
"Actually we're not sure" said Faith as she looked at the two ladies in fear, "what if she can't?"
"Alright" said Willow as she raised her hands into the air and proclaimed, "we'll get wasted on beer and pizza!"
"Who's getting wasted on what and what now?" asked a very familiar voice from behind Willow.
"General O'Neill sir" said Willow as she turned around and stood at attention while noticing that the Colonel and Faith were trying their best not to fall on the floor laughing, "I… ah… what I mean is…. Since SG1 is off for a few days… maybe it would be best if the ladies had a… you know… night out…. No guys….. yeah"
"At ease Red" said the General, "enjoy your girls night"
"Yes sir" said Willow as the General walked past them.
"Carter" said the General as he stopped and looked at her, "have a good night"
"Thank you sir" said Colonel Carter as the General smiled and walked past her before heading into the men's locker room.
Willow noticed that the Colonel's emotions fluctuated even more when the Colonel was talking to her.
"Why are you feeling sadness, ma'am?" thought Willow to herself.
Willow's apartment, 2200 hours and a case and a half of beer later.
"And then the mayor, and let me remind you that he already turned himself into a giant snake, crashed into the library and, according to Giles, all he could say was, 'Well, Gosh' before the huge explosion" said Willow while she was laughing, "I mean you just turned yourself into a huge snake and all you can say is 'Well, Gosh'? Seriously?"
Willow laughed even louder when she saw that Colonel Carter was lying on the carpet laughing as she spilt some beer from her open mouth.
"Come on Red" said Faith, "what did you expect him to say?"
"Maybe something like 'I would have gone away with it, if it wasn't for those meddling kids'" said Willow as she laughed.
"That's from a cartoon" said Faith smiling
"You guys are dead drunk aren't you?" said Dawn as she stood with her hands folded across her chest just as she returned home from class and found herself facing three grown women on the carpet lying down.
"Hi Dawnie" said Willow as she gave a wide grin.
"No" said Faith as she slowly got up but then lay back down again, "we're not drunk, at least I'm not… I don't think so"
"Nope" said Colonel Carter, "none of us here are drunk, I'm just tipsy. I mean I feel comfortable enough to fly a Raptor. Maybe I should call General O'Neill and ask him if I can fly a Raptor just to prove that I'm not drunk"
"Oh no you don't" said Dawn as she ran to the phone just as the Colonel reached for the receiver, "no drunk dialling anyone"
"You're no fun" said the Colonel as she sat down on the couch.
"Alright" said Dawn, "I'm cutting the three of you off"
"Awwww" said Willow pouting, "please, just one more?"
"No" said Dawn
"Come on" said Willow, "pretty, please?"
"No" said Dawn
"Dawn" said Colonel Carter, "give each of us one more can and I'll pull some strings to take you up on a jet for your birthday"
"Ummm.." said Dawn as she thought about the offer, "as long as it's on the latest and greatest, then you can have one more can of beer while I take the rest of the case to my room."
"Agreed" said the Colonel as she was handed another can of beer from Dawn.
"Dawnie" said Willow as she slowly stood up and put her hands on Dawn's shoulders, "You're a great girl, you know that right? I love you to death."
She then gave Dawn a kiss on the cheek before giving her a tight hug.
"Alright" said Dawn as Willow stepped back, "I really think you should sit down now"
"Yea" said Willow as she sat down next to Colonel Carter.
"Hey Faith" said Dawn to the Slayer who was lying on her back on the carpet, "You alright?"
"Yea Kiddo" said Faith as she looked up at the ceiling before she slowly sat up, "You should take some pizza"
"Yea" said Dawn.
"I think we may have drunk ordered" said Faith as she looked at the four large boxes of pizza on the coffee table.
"Yea" said Dawn with a smirk, "anyway, I'm going back to my room to study for an exam"
"Alright Dawnie" said Willow grinning as Dawn walked away carrying the remaining case of beer and a whole box of pizza.
"Hold on a minute" said the Colonel, "will she finish the rest of the case and the whole pizza?"
"Fifty bucks says that she does" said Faith smiling before she closed her eyes and lay back down on the carpet.
"I'll go for a hundred" said Willow before she leaned back on the couch and turned her head to look at the Colonel.
"Is everything ok, ma'am?" asked Willow softly, "really?".
"I wish I was even more drunk" said the Colonel softly as she reached into her jeans pocket and fished out a small box.
"Ma'am?" said Willow as the Colonel handed her the box.
"Open it" said the Colonel as she leaned back and looked straight up at the ceiling.
"Oh" said Willow as she opened the box to see a ring with a huge diamond on it, and then turned to look at the Colonel in surprise.
"Ma'am" said Willow with a grin, "I'm flattered, but you know…. I'm interested in someone else"
"Very funny, Captain" said Colonel Carter.
"Just trying to lighten the mood, ma'am" said Willow still grinning.
"I know" said the Colonel softly, "Pete gave me the ring almost two weeks ago"
"Oh" said Willow
"Yea" replied the Colonel.
"Have you given him an answer?" asked Willow
"No" replied the Colonel.
"I see" said Willow as she nodded her head before closing the small box and handing it back to the Colonel.
"I told the General about it after the expedition had left" said the Colonel as she played with the box in her hand.
"Ma'am?" said Willow before she was cut off by Colonel Carter.
"I don't know what to do" she whispered.
"I could kind of guess how he took it" said Willow.
"He wasn't happy" said Faith as she opened her eyes and looked at the two Air Force officers.
"Oh come on" whispered Faith softly as she saw the other two ladies staring at her, "I know that Red won't say anything, but I've seen you and Big-G together. I can tell there's something there. It's just beneath the surface but it's there"
"The regs won't allow it" said the Colonel.
"Yeah" whispered Faith smiling as she looked at Willow, "that's why I'm kinda glad I'm not military"
Willow looked at Faith and returned her smile.
Willow: "I'm glad you're not military too. Just so you know"
"Do you love him ma'am?" asked Willow.
"Who?" whispered Colonel Carter.
"You know who" said Faith.
"I don't know" said the Colonel.
"Wait a sec" said Willow, "who are we talking about here?"
The Colonel simply looked at Willow with one eye brow raised.
"Oh" said Willow, "how about the other one?"
"I know you and Cassie really don't like him" said the Colonel, "but to me he's normal, he's not infected with the craziness that we have to deal with everyday. I can always come home to him and know that everything would be normal."
"I'm sorry Colonel" said Willow, "but he followed you around"
Willow: "He even followed you to the sting to take Osiris down"
"I know" said the Colonel, "I talked to him about that, and the other times he did what he did"
"And?" said Willow.
"He said he did it so that he could know more about me" said the Colonel, "he said that it was the only way he could understand me and the people I worked with"
"Seriously?" asked Faith, "I'm sorry Sam, but that's just creepy"
"Even Buffy said he was creepy" said Willow as she recalled the last time Buffy came to visit her in Colorado Springs.
"Hey" said Faith as she looked at the Colonel, "now you've got the opinion of two Slayers. We're really good at character recognition you know"
"Thanks" said the Colonel smiling.
"Ma'am" said Willow, "if you do say yes to 'he-one-who-shall-not-be-named', we'll support your decision"
"Thanks Willow" said the Colonel, "and just so you know, he's not evil"
"Oh, I know the entire base will be gunning for him" said Willow
"You know what?" said Faith, "I'm gonna close my eyes just for a little while"
"Go to bed Faith" said Colonel Carter as Faith gave her a mock salute and slowly got up and walked to her room.
Willow: "Faith I'm sorry"
Faith: "For what?"
Willow: "If I hurt your feelings about the stuff I said about the mayor. I mean I know how you saw him as a father figure and all"
Faith: "It's alright Red. At the end of the day, he was still a big bad"
Willow: "I'm still sorry though"
Faith: "Don't be. Anyway, I'm going to bed now. I'd kiss you good night but I'm guessing that Sam may find it a bit uncomfortable"
Willow: "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow morning then"
Faith: "Yep. Hey… you know I… you know…. right?"
Willow: "I know"
"Ma'am" said Willow as she smiled at Faith as she walked to her room before turning to face the Colonel, "you should take my room. I've got the couch"
"Nah" said the Colonel, "you should go to your own room, and I'll take the couch"
"The thing is Colonel" said Willow smiling, "I don't think I can get up, my body's numb. Its better if I just lay down here for tonight"
"You sure?" asked the Colonel again.
"Yes" said Willow.
"Alright then" replied the Colonel as she slowly got up and held on to the wall as she walked slowly to Willow's room.
"Good night Colonel" said Willow.
"Night Willow" said the Colonel.
"That was one hell of a night" thought Willow to herself as she laid her head down onto the cushions and used her telekinesis to bring her legs up to the couch as she lay down and closed her eyes.
"I wonder what tomorrow will bring" she thought to herself just before she went into a deep sleep.