The Summers Family Home, Sunnydale, 2000 hours.
Buffy was seated on the couch in the living in her home; not the one she shared with Xander, but the one where she lived ever since moving to Sunnydale from Los Angeles- her family home. She was leaning back on the soft back of the cream coloured couch while her two step-siblings, Rose and Jay were around her. Buffy stared at Jay playing a racing game while seated on the carpeted floor, his back leaning against the couch, and seated inches from her jeans covered legs. Buffy glanced at him as he leaned his body sideways while using the controller to turn the cars on the screen through narrow roadways and sharp turns.
The blonde Slayer then looked down at the blonde head of the young Rose; her ears placed against her abdomen. It was only after the excited call with Dawn, Faith, and then later with Willow several hours ago that she made an appointment to see an OB-Gyn at Sunnydale Mercy hospital. And when she told them the results of her ultrasound, Willow, Dawn and Faith, who just arrived from a mission, were ecstatic. Dawn said that they were busy the whole week, and so would visit Sunnydale after her work was done.
Willow and Faith made the same promise as well.
'Twins,' Buffy thought as she placed her hand on the top of Rose's head while the later tried to listen for two heartbeats. He ran her hand through Rose's hair while thinking to herself, 'oh my God, I'm having twins.' A smile appeared on Buffy's face as she recalled making the announcement to Angel, Cordelia, and the others earlier that day about the results of the ultrasound.
And it was Cordelia's squeal of delight that made Buffy flinch slightly before the woman hugged her tight. And Buffy returned the hug. Angel was delighted, as was Spike who was helping to rehabilitate Kathy with very little results. Finally, it was Tara who hugged Buffy before they parted. Tara placed her hands on either side of Buffy's face and congratulated her before leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I'll have a protection spell for you, Buffy," Tara said stepping back while Xander placed his arms around his wife's shoulders. Angel too nodded his head at Tara's suggestion before saying that Buffy could very well be the first Slayer to have children.
Buffy turned her head to Angel who had his arm around a grinning Cordelia's shoulders before he continued, "and you have to remember you're on the Hellmouth, Buffy. I.. I don't know what could happen if…"
"You're worried about demons coming after me?" Buffy asked before shrugging, "they always come after me, Angel. Even before I was pregnant, and…"
"What I'm trying to say is that a Slayer giving birth on the Hellmouth to twins? That's going to cause a possible ripple effect in the magical plains, Buffy," Angel said as the smile on Cordelia's face vanished, and she turned her head to look at Angel, "we need you to stay protected."
"We can leave Sunnydale," Xander said.
"The babies were conceived here," Tara said, "we don't know what could happen if you leave, Buffy. We don't know if… I mean… we simply don't know if the magic coming out from the Hellmouth has had some kind of an effect on your children, or… we simply don't know."
"Can't you check?" Xander asked.
"It's dangerous," Spike said before saying that a protection charm from Tara was the best way forward.
"I'll have one ready for you by tonight," Tara said as she placed a hand on Buffy and Xander's shoulders.
"Buffy, Xander," Angel said, "I want the both of you to stay at the BPRI. This place is magically warded from evil, we've got the Ancient shield systems all working now, and you're surrounded by Potentials, Slayers, friendly demons, witches, and me." Buffy stared at Angel, and knew he was right. She wanted to leave Sunnydale while she was pregnant, perhaps head off to another state where there could be some peace and quiet. But there was a part of Buffy telling her that being cautious was good. But there was another part of her that wanted to leave… that wanted to go away.
Buffy shook her head before pushing those thoughts away, for now. Right now, she wanted to enjoy herself… she wanted to revel in the news that she and Xander were going to be parents.
It was after telling Angel and the others that Buffy went back to the family home. Having told Dawn not to tell Joyce yet, Buffy opened the door to the house and walked into the living room with Xander closing the door behind them. On the couch were Rosa and Jay, the former watching her brother playing a racing game on the console.
"Hey," Xander said before the transfixed Rose turned her head and smiled at Xander and Buffy while waving at them. All Jay did was nod his head while saying "hey" as he controlled his racing car. Buffy rolled her eyes upwards before walking over to her step-sister and then leaned down before kissing the top of her head.
"Mom?!" Buffy yelled while she stood up and ruffled Rose's hair.
"Buffy? In the kitchen!" Joyce yelled. Buffy and Xander looked at each other for a few seconds before hiding hands and then walking through to the kitchen where Joyce was cutting some vegetables and preparing a roast. Joyce was about to ask why they had come in so early, that they were supposed to be at the BPRI.
"Got the rest of the day off," Xander said while Jay yelled from the living room that he finished second again.
"When I get there, you'll be third and I'll be first, you munchkin!" Xander yelled over his shoulder before looking at Buffy who frowned at him. "Sorry," Xander whispered, "got a little carried away."
Buffy shook her head, the frown turning into a smile before she looked at her mother.
Rose was watching her brother start another race when the two of them suddenly heard screaming, "oh my God!" Joyce yelled, "oh my God!" Rose and Jay stood up with a start,a nd then rushed to the kitchen where a tearful Joyce was hugging Buffy and Xander together.
"Mother?" Jay asked, "what has happened?"
"Buffy? Xander?" Rose asked looking up at the two of them, who parted from Joyce and turned around.
"I'm… well…" Buffy placed her hands on her abdomen, "the two of you are going to be and uncle and an aunt." Buffy chuckled as Rose and Jay's eyes widened before they rushed forward and hugged both her and Xander.
That was hours ago. Now, Xander had gone out to get some wine while Buffy sat at the couch while Rose's head lay on her abdomen. Buffy told herself she was going to stay in Sunnydale.
Stargate Command, 0040 hours; one hour after SG-17's scheduled check in time.
After the earlier than scheduled return of SG-1, it was a quiet day in Stargate Command. As he was sitting at the Gate control console reading a book while other officers and technicians were walking around behind him minding their own business, Walter received a beep from his computer. The man put the book down, placing a mark on the page where he stopped, and then leaned forward to look closely at the notification on the bottom left hand side of the screen.
"SG-17 was due for a check-in an hour ago," Walter whispered to himself. He then clasped his hands together, cracked his knuckles, and then sat up straight while pressed down the keys of the keyboard in front of him that corresponded to the gate address of the planet where SG-17 was sent for their mission, P1Z-276. 'They're probably enjoying themselves a little too much with the natives.' Walter thought as he chuckled while inputting the final chevron, Earth's symbol as the point of origin. 'Either way, General Landry will have to be notified,' Walter thought as the unstable vortex 'whooshed' into the Gateroom and he grabbed the microphone in front of him.
'But I'll write the report tonight, tell him tomorrow when he gets back in,' Walter thought while saying, "Stargate Command to SG-17, you've missed your scheduled check-in an hour ago, do you copy?" Walter waited for a minute. He wondered if the village was further away than the team had previous thought, and so waited a few more moments. He imagined one of the people from SG-17 still running his way towards the MALP to dial the Stargate and then check-in. Walter knew that would take some time, and maybe someone from the team left the village later than they were supposed to.
'But the radio transmitter on the MALP should have relayed my message by now'. Walter wanted to kick himself in the rear when he realized that the team would have been able to answer using their radios.
And that made him slightly worried. 'They should have answered. Someone should have answered by now,' Walter thought as he pressed the transmission button on the microphone again and called out for Major Taggart, "Major, this is Stargate Command. Do you copy?" Walter released the button, knew the transmission should have gone through the Stargate, and then he stared at the blue event horizon waiting for an answer from Major Taggart, or one of the SG-17 members.
"Dr. Wells, this is Stargate Command, do you copy?"
The worry in Walter's voice was already attracting the attention of the others in the Control Room and they surrounded him in a crescent formation, "SG-17, do you copy?" Walter then pressed another button that tuned on the MALP camera. He looked at the computer screen while the others stared at the bank of monitor located above Walter's head. They were seeing the surrounding grassland covered in a light blue and white hue from the event horizon.
Walter took control of the camera remotely and then pressed a button on the keyboard. The camera on the MALP's arm attachment panned slowly from one side to another, but there was nothing. There was no movement anywhere; not from any SG team member running towards the MALP in a mad dash before apologising for being late, or from any of the tall grass that surrounded them. Everything was deathly still.
Walther then switched to the thermal view on the camera, "and still nothing." Walter panned the camera side to side while calling out for SG-17 once again, but finding nothing. He wondered who were the senior officers present in the SGC; Willow was still injured and in the infirmary while Faith and Teal'c were in their respective rooms. Daniel and Colonel Carter had gone to their respective homes. As Walter was reaching for the phone receiver to his left, the man had already made a decision.
He put the receiver to his ear before pressing a few numbers. Walter waited for a few seconds, and then there was an audible click from the other end, followed by a very groggy 'what is it?'. "General Landry, sir," Walter said as he looked at the computer screen, and at the images being relayed by the MALP camera, "it's SG-17, we may have a small problem."
With SG-1 having only just returned from a mission, and with Jon's team having a mission later that very day. The General asked, in a groggy voice, to called Colonel Ferretti and tell him that SG-2 needed to come in for an emergency briefing. The General slowly sat up in his bed and then moved his body around until his legs were off the edge of the bed while saying, "and prepare a drone for launch within the hour." The General wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before saying, after a yawn, "I'll be there in an hour."
"Understood, sir," Walter said before the General signed off. Walter then disconnected the call, and then dialled another number. The phone was ringing until there was a click, and a groggy voice asked who it was that was calling at one in the morning. Walter then sighed before speaking, "Colonel Ferretti, SG-17 has missed their scheduled check-in and hour ago. The General would like for your and your team to come in for a possible rescue mission."
"No answer at all?" the Colonel asked as he shot out of bed.
"None, sir," Walter repeated, "we'll be sending a recon drone in an hour, and the General should be in by then."
"Notify the others," Colonel Ferretti said wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, "I'll be on the way in a few minutes."
"Yes, sir," Walter said as the people around him who were listening in started to disperse.
Grogan's apartment, 0100 hours.
With a musky smell wafting in the room, a sweat covered Grogan collapsed onto the back of a sweat covered and panting Satterfield. They lay on top of one another while Grogan occasionally kissed her shoulders. Satterfield shuddered, closing her eyes, as Grogan kissed the back of her neck when a cell phone on the bedside table started to buzz.
Grogan sighed as the interruption, as did Satterfield who then suddenly gasped and giggled when he kissed the area between her shoulder and neck before rolling of her back and then grabbing the phone. Grogan placed his feet on the bed as he sat upright, his back to Satterfield who was now laying on her side as she pulled the blanket to cover her body. In the meantime, Grogan listened to Walter and nodded his head, "I'll be there in thirty." Grogan then put the phone down before he turned his head to look at Satterfield looking back at him confused. It was then that Satterfield's phone started to buzz on the side table where it used to lay next to Grogan's phone. He reached out and grabbed it before handing it to Satterfield who rolled onto her back while Grogan breathed in deep as his eyes scanned the young woman's curves, accentuated by the blanket draped over her body.
"Yea," Satterfield said nodding her head at Walter on the other line while sitting up. She pressed the blanket against her bare chest as she said, "I'll be there soon."
Satterfield then sighed before getting off the bed and then walking around it to Grogan who pulled the phone out of her hand, and then placed it next to his own on the table. Placing his hands on her waist, he pulled her close, and looked up at Satterfield chuckling before she leaned down and kissed him passionately on the lips.
"We really need to tell Colonel Ferretti about us," Satterfield breathed after she parted, her lips brushing lightly against Grogan's lips.
"We should… after the mission," he whispered as he tightened his hands on her waist as he stood up. He stared into her eyes as he recalled the day SG-2 returned from a particularly trying mission. While Dawn and the others went back home, Satterfield asked Grogan if he wanted to have dinner with her. That was only a week ago, and from then on one thing led to another; and they kept their relationship secret.
While both Satterfield and Grogan slowly walked towards the door that led to the hallway in Grogan's apartment. Grogan pulled Satterfield around before pulling her close. The both of them were passionately kissing again as they stumbled towards the hallway, with Satterfield yelping as she knocked her back against the doorframe, and then she turned Grogan around as they stumbled out the door. They were kissing while Grogan was knocked against the hallway wall before he pushed back Satterfield onto the opposite wall… right next to the door leading to the showers. Grogan's hand was frantically searching for the light switch while the both of them kissed, and then once he found it; the light in the shower was turned on.
The both of them parted, with Satterfield giving him a smirk before kissing him again, and then pulling him in the shower.
And then the door was slammed shut from the inside of the shower with a swift kick from Grogan.
Jon's Apartment, at the same time.
Dawn was asleep on the bed she shared with Jon. It was after the explosion at the house she shared with Willow and Faith that she told both Willow and Buffy she was moving in with Jon. And that she would be staying with him even after the house was repaired. She felt the nice cold air from the air-conditioning coming through the blanket that was draped over her body.
As she slept, she could feel Jon's arm laying gently on her tank-top covered waist, and his warmth breath on her back. Even while she was asleep, Dawn like the feeling of his breath on her back. It made her comfortable. It made her feel safe. It was nearly eleven that she returned from the SGC after having dinner with Willow, Faith, Colonel Carter and the rest of SG-1, who returned to Earth earlier than their scheduled time. She and Willow listened to Faith and the others telling the story of the terrorists who had taken hostages at the museum.
With Jon having things to do in the SGC, as did Dawn, the two of them left exhausted. Once they reached their apartment, they simply crashed into their bed. They held onto each other tight. But now, all of a sudden, Dawn slowly opened her eyes and groggily moaned at the loud buzzing sound rattling against the bedside table. She reached out with one hand and grabbed the phone, and then stared at the caller-Id with the bright white light from the LCD strip on the folding phone reflecting on her face.
Dawn sighed, 'it's the SGC', she thought to herself as she opened the phone and then placed it on her ear. "Yeah?" Dawn whispered before yawning and then continuing, "what's up?"
"Miss Summers, SG-17's missed their scheduled check-in, General Landry's activated SG-2 for a possible rescue mission," Walter said, "you need to come in."
"Okay," she whispered nodding her head as Jon groaned while Jon pulled her closer to him. Dawn just wanted to be in bed- she wanted to be asleep next to Jon holding her. But she knew that she needed to get up; most teams were off-world and so, SG-2 and the other teams had to pick up the slack. Dawn closed the flip phone and then placed it back onto the bedside table while pulling Jon with her. Once the phone was back on the table top, She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand before looking over her shoulder as Jon breathed on her back of her neck.
A smile on her face, Dawn whispered, "I know you heard the conversation."
"Uh uh," Jon whispered back.
"I gotta go," Dawn whispered as she rolled onto her back while Jon raised his arm off her waist and then draped it over her abdomen. The two of them looked at each other longingly before Dawn closed her eyes as Jon leaned in for a kiss. The two of them parted before Dawn turned around and then got off the bed. In the meantime, Jon pushed himself until he was lying down on his side and on his elbow.
Dawn, whose back was to Jon, took off her tank-top and then looked over her shoulders while Jon stared at her bare back. Dawn chuckled as she threw her white top at his face before taking off her bottoms and throwing those towards him as well. Dawn laughed as she walked towards the door that led to the shower in his Studio Apartment while Jon grabbed the top and bottoms off his face and placed them on the empty space where Dawn used to lie down.
"I'm afraid no smooching tonight," Dawn giggled as she walked backwards when she was halfway to the door, "maybe when we get back."
"My mission's later today, and it's for three days," Jon whined as he looked at Dawn with sorrowful eyes.
"Well," Dawn said opening the door in a husky voice while staring at Jon, "we could always share a shower."
"Thought you'd never ask," Jon said as he shot right out of bed as the giggling Dawn rushed into he shower with Jon running in after her. Jon then slammed the door shut behind him as Dawn turned on the warm water in the shower. She stepped into the stream and gasped as the stream hit her body, warming it instantly against the cool air in their room. It wasn't a second later that she felt hands on her waist from behind, followed by Jon's body brushing against her back and his lips kissing the back of her neck and shoulders.
Dawn was then turned around, her hair matted on her head from the shower, before Jon leaned forward to kiss her. Parting a few seconds later, Dawn panted while stating, "we don't have much time."
"Then we make the most of the time we have," Jon whispered before leaning forward and kissing Dawn once again.
Stargate Command, 0200 hours.
"Walter," General Landry said as he walked down the stairs from the briefing room above the control room. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, that had steam streaming upwards into the air as he took the final step and then walk towards where Walter was seated. "Still nothing?" the General asked as he looked out the Control Room windows and at the winged drone that was being ready for launch.
"Nothing, Sir," Walter replied, "SG-17 has gone silent."
"Has Colonel Feretti checked in yet?" the General asked, his face full of worry now. Usually, the SG gives off-world teams a leeway of an hour if there has been now check-in at the scheduled time. But now, having no responses from an away team was very unusual.
"He just got in, Sir," Walter said, "the others are on their way. And…"
"And?" asked the General.
"It appears that Airman Lewis still hasn't recovered from the flu," Walter said looking back at the General.
"I suppose that Teal'c and Miss Lehane are still here on base?" the General asked with a frown on his face. With Airman Lewis out of action for the rest of the week after a bad case of the flu, the General wanted one more person to round off the team so that they would be at full strength. He then nodded his head and asked Walter to contact Teal'c, "tell him to get ready for a possible rescue mission."
"Yes, sir," Walter replied just as one of the three of the technicians in the Gateroom turned away from the launch pad where they were finishing diagnostics on the drone. He lifted his arm into the air and gave the General and Walter the 'thumbs up' sign- the drone was ready to launch. Walter then reached for the microphone and said, "all clear. I repeat, clear the Gateroom." As the technicians were rushing out, Walter looked back over his shoulder at the General for permission to dial the Stargate. The General nodded his head, silently issuing the order.
Once the Stargate opened a connection, Walter said "Launching the drone," before he pressed a button and then grabbed a joy stick to his right side. The thrusters on the rear of the drone ignited, the sound thundering along the walls and through the glass as Colonel Ferretti walked down the stairs behind the General. Walter flew the device through the event horizon just as Colonel Ferretti stood next to General Landry. The two of them nodded at each other before looking at the computer screens above their heads which showed the images from the drone's more advanced camera coming through the event horizon and beamed to the computer.
"There's the MALP," the Colonel pointed at the overhead screens as the Drone flew in a circular pattern over the Stargate and the DHD. It looked untouched while the grass around it swayed in a cool breeze. "it's really dark. Night-vision?"
"Night vision," said Walter pressing a button. The scene on the screen changed to show a greyish tinted area. Now, the Colonel and the others could clearly see the surrounding area in range of the Stargate and the MALP.
"Activate their subcutaneous transmitters," the General ordered. Walter pressed a few buttons on the keyboard before a small box at the corner of the screen opened up. The box had an arrow that pointed in the direction of the transmitters. Walter pulled up on the Joystick before the drone silently flew in the direction of the village that SG-17 had earlier found. The same village where they, unknown to the SGC, breathed their last. Once the device reached the village several minutes later, and started flying high in a holding pattern over it, the rest of SG-2 rushed down the stairs in the back of the control room.
"Sirs, sorry we're late," Grogan and Satterfield said as they nodded their head at General Landry and Colonel Ferretti. The both of them were standing several steps away from each other with Dawn standing next to Satterfield as she looked up at the screens over their heads with her hands in her pockets.
"Found them?" Dawn asked looking back down at Colonel Ferretti who shook his head.
"Sirs," Walter said looking back at the Colonel and General, and then back at the pictures coming in from the Drone on his computer, "we've found the transmitters, but…"
Dawn, Grogan, and Satterfield looked up at the screens overhead and saw that the signals from the transmitters were grouped together in one of the houses.
"They're not moving," Walter finished his earlier sentence.
"Go to thermal imaging," the General said.
"What the hell?" Dawn whispered as the thermal imaging showed areas of blue and red where the transmitters were laid down. However, there was no sign of any human body… at least not any outline of anything resembling a body. All they could see was something in the house that was giving off a lot of warmth.
"What's that?" Satterfield asked as the thermal camera spotted something outside the house. Th e camera switched back to night-vision mode to get a clearer view of what it was that Satterfield saw, "it's a drone."
"Looks like it crashed," the Colonel whispered as the larger drone flew over the rest of the village, "where is everyone?"
"Colonel," the General said, "get your team ready. I've already asked Teal'c to be your temporary fifth member of your team. We'll have a briefing in an hour, and then I want SG-2 ready to leave. I want to know what happened, and if possible, I want their bodies found and returned to us."
"Yes, sir," Colonel Ferretti said.
TBC.