Final year, A.F Academy.

It had been a few months since Daniel ascended to another plane of existence. Since Jonas hadn't been allowed to leave the base, Willow didn't meet him the night she and SG-1 went to O'Malley's to talk about Daniel and their memories of him. The first time Willow met Jonas was a couple of weeks later when O'Neill brought him by the Academy to show him around. Jonas was finally free to leave the base because he had been instrumental in saving Earth from a new Goa'uld, Anubis, who had attempted to use a weapon that would destroy the Stargate at the SGC.

Willow was angry at Jonas as he and O'Neill recalled the story over lunch in the city. She tried not to show it, reminding herself that Daniel's "death" wasn't Jonas's fault. Even so, a part of her believed that if Jonas had done something—anything—to prevent the incident in Kelowna, Daniel would still be alive. She kept her voice professional—not friendly, but not curt either—as she listened to O'Neill explain how the Stargate had been flown through a hyperspace window using the experimental X-302. After a few seconds, it had exited hyperspace some distance away from the moon, where it exploded in a brilliant flash of light. Because Jonas had proved himself, he was allowed to join SG-1 and take over Daniel's position.

Willow congratulated him.

"The Colonel told me you'll be joining us after you graduate," Jonas said excitedly. "I look forward to working with you."

Willow nodded. "Me too."

Over the next few days, Willow focused on the final stretch of her studies. She had already broken several records at the Academy, even surpassing some of Major Carter's by two or three points. When she discovered this, she released a long breath of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. But the final year wasn't over yet. She still had exams, presentations, and a few soccer matches left. Her team was leading the intramural league by a single point.

In the meantime, Teal'c continued training her in advanced combat techniques, both armed and unarmed. He also helped her with advanced meditation.

Willow felt on top of the world. Everything seemed to be going her way—from her stellar performance in soccer matches (her team won the league) to her fluid presentations, top exam scores, and outstanding marks in combat training, simulations, and leadership assessments. She knew she had crushed everything.

Two weeks before graduation, Willow had already secured an apartment. O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c, and Jonas helped her furnish it with secondhand furniture and move a few boxes from her dorm. She was going to miss Colleen and the friends she had made at the Academy. Most had already been assigned to duty stations across the country. Willow was the only one staying in Colorado Springs.

A week before the graduation ceremony, General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill called Willow back to the SGC to discuss staffing issues. A chill ran down her spine at Hammond's words.

Staffing issues? she thought. Don't tell me I wasn't good enough…

She forced herself to stop thinking about it. She would hear what Hammond had to say, and if necessary, she would beg. In the end, orders were orders. If she wasn't good enough for SG-1, she would have to grin and bear it.

Her heart pounded as she made her way to the mountain. It pounded even harder in the elevator, her mind racing through different scenarios.

Some bad. Am I being assigned to a desk job? Was there a clerical error in my records? Maybe something saying I never finished basic training?

Some ridiculous. Is SG-1 being disbanded, and I'm being reassigned to some hyper-classified Stargate Black Ops unit where I'll work alone in deep space? That one was absurd.

Some good. Am I being placed on an R team? Do they want me to help design a spaceship?

Her mind spun through more possibilities. She couldn't help it.

Reaching Hammond's office, Willow took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in," General Hammond called from inside.

As soon as she entered, her eyes landed on Colonel O'Neill. He was leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, looking uncharacteristically serious.

Willow's stomach dropped. Uh-oh. Not good.

Her gaze flicked to General Hammond, who sat at his desk with a solemn expression.

Her stomach dropped further.

"Sir?" she asked cautiously. "You wanted to see me?"

Hammond sighed heavily and rubbed his temples, as if the conversation physically pained him. His voice was low, almost regretful.

"Cadet Rosenberg… we made you a promise."

Willow stiffened. It was about SG-1.

Oh no. No, no, no.

She recognized that tone in the general's voice—the I hate to do this tone.

Okay. She would beg.

O'Neill avoided her gaze, suddenly very interested in a spot on the wall.

Her heart felt as if it was about to jump out of her chest. She was being reassigned, wasn't she? A desk job. Was it a desk job!?

Hammond sighed again, his shoulders sagging. "I have some news…"

O'Neill shook his head, exhaling as if he couldn't bear to hear it. "It's bad, Red."

Now she was really panicking. Okay… okay… she would go on her knees and beg. It would be desperate. But yes—begging should work. Right? Right?

"Sir?" Willow asked, her voice barely a whisper.

O'Neill finally looked at her, his brown eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry, Red."

Her breath caught.

"I'm sorry, but…"

There was a long, heavy pause. That's it! It was time to start begging.

O'Neill then concluded, "…you're stuck with me and the others in SG-1."

Silence.

Willow blinked. Then blinked again.

Then, her brain finally processed what had been said.

"Wait… what?!" she exclaimed.

O'Neill's serious face broke into a grin. Hammond chuckled.

"Congratulations, Cadet," Hammond said, his voice suddenly back to normal. "Welcome to SG-1."

Willow's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "…You mean this was a prank?"

O'Neill clapped a hand on her shoulder, grinning. "Come on, Red. You didn't think we were gonna pass up a chance to mess with you?"

Willow groaned, her heart slowly starting to calm down. She buried her face in her hands. "You guys suck."

Hammond laughed. "Consider it a lesson, Cadet. Never let your guard down."

Willow groaned again, but deep down, she was grinning.

"And…" the Colonel said as Willow looked up, "there's something else."

What else could there be? Willow wondered.

She turned her attention to the General, who stood up, and immediately straightened her posture, placing her hands behind her back. Hammond then spoke with a proud tone in his voice.

"Cadet Rosenberg, given your exceptional service to the Stargate Program, as well as your outstanding academic and operational performance, I have the pleasure of informing you that upon graduation, you will be commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force."

There was a beat of silence.

Willow gulped before whispering, "Wait… what?"

"What he's saying, Red," O'Neill explained, "is that instead of being a butter bar, you get to be a slightly shinier butter bar. Congratulations."

Willow's eyes widened. Skipping Second Lieutenant? That… that almost never happens.

Flustered, she spoke. "Sir, I—how? I mean, I know I've done well, but this is…"

"This is earned," Hammond said. "Your record at the Academy speaks for itself, and your service with SG teams over the summers has been invaluable. The Pentagon agreed."

Willow felt a sensation of warmth travel through her entire body. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll keep making us proud," Hammond said.

She swallowed hard and then nodded. "Yes, Sir. I won't let you down."

There was a beat.

"So… I am getting promoted?" she asked slowly, just to be sure. Again.

Hammond and O'Neill nodded.

"I'm really joining SG-1."

O'Neill nodded, as did Hammond.

Willow narrowed her eyes. "And this isn't some elaborate setup where you tell me all this, make me really happy, and then immediately send me to Antarctica?"

O'Neill smirked. "Now that would've been funny."

Willow exhaled sharply, her shoulders finally relaxing. "Okay, cool. Just checking. Because my imagination really took a dive into some worst-case scenarios on my way here."

Before she could say anything else, the door behind her swung open.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant Rosenberg!" Jonas Quinn strode in, carrying a massive box of donuts like a victorious hero.

Right behind him, Carter and Teal'c followed, looking far too pleased with themselves.

Willow blinked.

"We heard the good news and figured this called for a celebration!" Jonas exclaimed.

Willow blinked again. "…Wait… you guys knew? How did you guys know? I just found out."

"General Hammond informed us earlier," Teal'c said calmly, clasping his hands behind his back.

Willow narrowed her eyes. "So, let me get this straight. You all knew I was getting promoted before I did?"

Carter nodded innocently. "Mmhmm."

Willow turned to O'Neill and pointed at him accusingly. "And yet, you decided to prank me instead?"

"Obviously," O'Neill said with zero shame.

Willow groaned. "You guys suck."

"We do," Carter agreed, patting her shoulder, "but you love us anyway."

Willow grumbled but couldn't hold back a smile.

Jonas opened the box, revealing a very specific selection.

"We, uh, didn't know what you liked," he admitted. "So, we got a mix of everything—chocolate, jelly-filled, glazed, powdered, uh… these strange-looking ones with something called sprinkles."

Willow peeked in. One donut had clearly been mangled, as if someone had picked it up, realized they didn't want it, and shoved it back.

She eyed Jonas suspiciously.

"Did you… take a bite out of one of these and then put it back?"

Jonas hesitated. "…Maybe?"

O'Neill sighed. "Jonas, we've talked about this."

"It was just a little nibble! I wasn't sure if I liked the flavor!"

Willow shook her head, laughing despite herself. She reached into the box, grabbed a chocolate-frosted donut, and took a big bite.

"Well," she said, mouth full, grinning at her team, "I guess I am officially one of you guys now."

Teal'c inclined his head. "Indeed."

A.F Academy, Graduation Day.

This was the day that soon-to-be First Lieutenant Willow Rosenberg had been waiting for. After four long years, she had finally graduated and would be going on her first official mission just a few days after the ceremony. It was unfortunate that her parents couldn't make it due to flight delays at Heathrow. They had planned to attend the graduation ceremony and stay in Colorado Springs for a few days. Instead, they sent her a congratulatory message. It was expected, she supposed.

Even Buffy and the other Scoobies were unable to come. It was something Willow had feared, yet still expected. She had been having that feeling for some time. Xander sent a nice message, as did Buffy, Giles, and Anya. There was no message from Dawn. Willow replied with simple "thank you" emails but left it at that. She didn't want to beg them to come.

From where she stood, she could see Jonas, Major Carter, Teal'c, Cassie, and Dr. Fraiser seated in the family section. Turning her head slightly to the left, off to the side at the edge of the family seating area, she spotted Daniel. He was dressed in cream trousers and a dull off-white sweater. Willow smiled and nodded at him.

Then, the ceremony began.

She stood in formation with the rest of her graduating class, eyes straight ahead, hands stiff at her sides. The ceremony was long—filled with speeches about honor, duty, and leadership. Soon came the moment they had all been waiting for: commissioning as officers.

A general stepped up to the podium and began reading names. One by one, cadets stepped forward to receive their Second Lieutenant bars. The crowd clapped politely each time. Then…

"Cadet Willow Rosenberg, United States Air Force. First Lieutenant."

The words were delivered smoothly, without extra emphasis or dramatic pause—just a continuation of the list.

For a brief moment, murmurs spread through the crowd. Some cadets blinked in confusion. Beside her, Colleen whispered, "Wow… you knew about this?"

Willow shook her head. She had to lie. It was better that way. Keeping her expression neutral, she stepped forward as if nothing was amiss.

General Hammond, dressed in his formal blues, gave her a barely perceptible nod as she approached. He didn't elaborate on her unusual promotion. Instead, he handed her the paperwork with a quiet, "Congratulations again, Lieutenant."

She nodded sharply. "Thank you, sir."

Off to the side, Colonel O'Neill was waiting. Instead of his usual sarcastic grin, his expression carried something different—approval, maybe even pride. He stepped forward and, without a word, pinned the silver First Lieutenant bars onto her uniform.

In a low voice, he said, "Well, look at that. You're all grown up, Red."

Willow simply grinned. O'Neill patted her on the shoulder before stepping back.

The ceremony continued.

Afterward, there were hugs all around—from Carter, Fraiser, and Cassie to Jonas. Teal'c gave her a simple, slow nod, the kind that carried weight. Willow straightened and nodded back.

Then, Colleen and a few classmates rushed up. Grinning, Colleen joked, "What's up with that?"

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Willow's place with some of her classmates. That evening, she found herself at O'Malley's Bar and Grill with SG-1, celebrating in true team fashion—steaks, beer, soda for Cassie, and plenty of good-natured teasing.

O'Neill raised his glass. "To First Lieutenant Rosenberg—who is now officially two pay grades above where I was at her age."

Willow rolled her eyes. "And yet, I still have to listen to you."

She took a sip of her beer as everyone laughed.

Yes. This was the first day of the rest of her life.