Chapter One: Stranded

The land around me is dying as the heavens crash upon us in burning angels' tears.

Great, I've become a poet. And in the worst kind of situation, too. At least we we're on the right planet for that. What kind of stupid name was "'Firerain'" anyway? Talk about a contradiction in terms. The meteors are crashing around me with a deafening sound and a frightening force into the fields as I hold onto the little piece of plastic and electronics that is strapped to my vest.

"Colonel we're getting multiple strikes now, please respond," I practically plead with the radio to answer me. Who'd had the stupid idea to separate, anyway? Oh, right that would have been the Colonel; I gotta congratulate him on that command decision. Sure Carter, as if! The heavy sarcasm that laces my thoughts is quite unusual but I can't bring myself to see this from a more objective viewpoint, it had been a bad idea. First the Edorans hadn't wanted our help and now they were rushing to safety; to the gate where Daniel's helping them.

"Nothin'" I tell him, referring to the radio. Yeah the Edorans might be safe, but right now I'm more worried we'll return as a duo instead of a quartet. I watch the busy feet hurry over the green grass, and the bodies that fling themselves into the very same wormhole that they had dreaded only hours ago. At the same time I watch the path hoping to see either the Colonel or Teal'c, preferably both.

Here comes Teal'c, Thank God he's all right. I can't see the Colonel anywhere, which means I'm in command; and I have decisions to make. 'Come on Sam, decide,' I chide myself. And half a second later I've made my decision.

"Daniel? You go through, tell the Edorans everything's okay. Teal'c, you take my place," he merely nods his head and I turn to leave, but Daniel speaks up.

"What are you gonna do?" he shouts over the noise of the impacts, halting me in my steps.

"I'm going to get the Colonel," I tell him and once again turn to go.

"Sam!" he's stopped me again and my patience is wearing thin.

"What Daniel? I have no time to chat," I'm angry, he should know better. He looks at me, maybe a little hurt because I've snapped at him and I am sorry, but I'll apologise later. He simply turns and walks through the gate. I turn as well and run to the forest that separates the clearing from the caves.

The steady flow of Edorans has stopped and I look back to the gate where Teal'c stands, waiting for me. I hear the 'whoosh' of a meteorite above me and realize with shock that it's going to be hitting right on top of the gate. Teal'c has seen it too, but still he's still standing guard at the gate. Damn that guy is stubborn.

I grab my radio, "Teal'c go!"

"MajorCarter..."

"Damn it Teal'c GO! I'll be alright," the last I see is Teal'c jumping through. The meteorite crashes and the world is nothing but blinding light. I squeeze my eyes shut, turn around and run blindly. I need to get away from the explosion. I manage another four steps before the shockwave knocks me to the ground and my world goes black.

Throbbing pain are the only words for how I feel. Throbbing pain. Massive headache maybe, but nothing else. And the Colonel's persistent voice isn't helping any. Okay, the Colonel is calling, a good little soldier would answer her commanding officer, so let's just concentrate on what the Colonel is saying. I try to get my thoughts in order so I can actually understand what he's talking about and after a few seconds I manage to clear the dense fog that seems to have settled over my consciousness enough to understand his words.

"...Carter? Teal'c?... I'm getting a signal, so who's out there? Hello?..." his voice is getting impatient. I'd better answer him. Well... I need the radio first, radio... ah! Radio! I congratulate myself as my shaking fingers blindly find the little piece of technology still strapped to my vest. "Colonel?" I manage, but it isn't much more than a whisper.

"Carter? You okay?"

I finally open my eyes and took a look around, everything around me is burning and I'm lying behind a huge stone. That's probably what had saved my live. God, I hurt all over. "Yeah I'm okay," I'm relieved my voice sounds a little stronger than before.

"Where are ya?"

"Err, in the woods?" I reply uncertainly. There aren't many trees left and half of those that remain are already burning down to join their brothers' fate. So, I guess the explosion had thrown me at least beyond the first row of trees. I should probably be thankful that I came through that relatively unscathed.

"What was that?"

"The woods, sir," only then do I notice the rain. I'm soaked. The concept of rain as well as fire doesn't really sit well with me. Water should kill the flames, right? I wish my head would clear; I need to think straight if I want to survive this. The constantly rising smoke isn't helping either. My eyes are starting to sting and suppressing the urge to cough is getting harder and harder to do.

"Where are the others?" the Colonel asks me. The others, Daniel and Teal'c! They had made it.

"Gone, sir," I try to stand up but the sudden pain in my left arm makes me suck in my breath. Well I'm not so unscathed after all.

"What do you mean gone?" the Colonel asks, but I can't answer him because I'm clenching my teeth against crying out. Damn that feels broken.

"Carter!"

"They're on earth," I manage to hiss before I cut the connection so the Colonel won't hear me cry out in pain.

"Carter? You sure you're all right?"

"Yes, sir," I answer, my voice back, but tight as the pain in my arm slowly subsides to a constant throbbing.

"Why didn't you return home with the others?" he wants to know and for a second I don't have an answer. I wanted to know if he was all right, but that couldn't have been the only reason, could it? Another second passes and I answer him, "I wanted to see if I could give you a hand, sir. Did you and Laira find the kids?"

"We did and I swear one day you are going to learn how to follow my orders, Carter. I'll come and get you, where exactly are you?" he doesn't sound too angry so I hope that he isn't really serious about the order-thing. It would be a little unfair if he brought me up on charges for insubordination while I had just been worried about him. Them. Him, Laira and the kids.

I can't allow him to come here. He'll never find me in this smoke and it's too dangerous to walk through the burning forest. "Negative, sir. The area is not stable and..."

"Nonsense, Carter, I'll come and get you, wait a second," I can't hear his voice as clearly as I had before; I guess he's put the radio down to talk to Laira. Why he's still pushing the 'talk' button though I have no idea. Maybe the apocalyptic atmosphere is getting to him, too? Their voices are faint but I can hear most of their conversation. It seems like Laira is asking him to stay. It also seems like he's refusing.

'Jack, please, you can't leave us here alone,' that's Laira.

"I'm not leaving her out there, have you taken a look? It's hell out there and this isn't the kind of hell she's used to. I'll go bring her back; you stay in here. That means you too Garan," the Colonel instructs them, but Laira tries again.

"She said she's alright."

Nice try girl, but the Colonel won't buy that one, I think with a wry smile. I'm starting to dislike her.

"She says she's okay, with Carter that could mean she's lying out there dying!"

Hey! I'm not dying, I want to scream but I remain silent, oddly curious about their conversation.

"She's probably trying to protect me from going out there, she can't survive, it's hot, she has no water or supplies, I'm bringing her here, no arguments."

"Carter? Where exactly are you?" he's speaking to me again, but I'm still having difficulties understanding his words.

"Woods, sir," is all I say before I loose consciousness again.

Next thing I know is that someone's slapping me. I try to fight back but my sight is blurry and all energy seems to have left my body, I struggle weakly but I don't stand a chance.

"Carter! Damn it, Carter, stop!"

"Colonel?" It's the Colonel. "I told you to stay away," I say, trying to feel angry, while really feeling weaker and weaker.

"Yeah well, I told you to tell me if you were fine or not. You lied."

"I only..."

"I know Carter, let's just get you to the caves, okay? I can't even see the gate from here, there are fires everywhere," he starts picking me up.

"I can walk, sir."

"Oh, I don't think so, Carter," he picks me up and I scream when my arm is moved. He looks at me a shocked expression on his face. Well, I usually don't scream when he touches me.

"What's wrong?" he asks worriedly

"My arm, sir. I think it's broken," I hold it to my chest trying to shield it from all movement.

The Colonel starts walking carefully trying to avoid the bumps on the way, "Carter? You know as soon as this is over we need to work on our communication skills. And on your definition of 'fine'. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," I say as I loose consciousness again. 'Anyone else see a pattern emerging here?' I think as my world goes black yet again.

Okay. I'm awake again. The headache's still here, so's the Colonel. It's pretty warm, but it's not the oppressing heat of fire from before. There's a splint on my left arm. The Colonel's pressed against my back, his arms holding mine down. Well, it seems to be a not entirely bad situation. But I realize I'm shivering despite the warmth. My arm hurts like hell, the pain barely bearable. And I'm not wearing my fatigues! I'm wrapped in two blankets but beneath them I'm wearing nothing more than my underwear and something that smells suspiciously like the Colonel's shirt. Confused for a second I then remember the rain and realize that he had probably only wanted to prevent me from catching pneumonia or something. I remember another time I had been so close to my commanding officer and a small smile comes to my face. Still this is slightly embarrassing.

"You know Colonel, as much as I might otherwise think this is nice..." I let my voice drift off, more due to the pain and exhaustion I was feeling than the dramatic effect.

"She's awake!" the Colonel shouts, ignoring my remark. "Could you hand me some water?"

A couple of seconds later a cup is pressed to my lips and the Colonel encourages me to drink, saying something about a fever. The way the sweat is clinging to my skin I would say that I'm pretty dehydrated by now. I drank in tiny sips but down the whole cup eventually.

"Good girl," the Colonel says and I can practically feel him smile behind my back.

"Sir? I think I'm falling asleep again," I say, my eyes already closing.

"Good, sleep," he says and I snuggle even closer to him seeking his warmth. If he ever asks me about it I'll blame it on the fever. He puts his arms on my broken one probably to prevent me from injuring myself further in my sleep.

"And Carter? We'll talk about stealing my lines later." With a smile on my face I fall into a healthy sleep in my Colonel's arms.

We do that a few times. I wake, drink a cup of water and fall asleep again, and each time I feel better.

"Colonel?" I call into the darkness after waking once again.

"Carter?" he answers groggily. I think I woke him. "You want another cup?"

"No, sir, I'm fine, sorry for waking you."

"Nah, just dozing. You're feelin' better?"

"Yes, sir, much. How are the others?"

"They're fine. Frightened, but fine. You gave me quite a fright out there. What were you thinking, Major?"

"At which point, sir?"

"I mean the lying-in-the-woods-dying-but-not-telling-the-Colonel part. False pride has killed stronger people than us."

"Sorry, sir," is all I can say.

"Just don't do it again."

"Yes, sir," I closed my eyes; they were no use in the darkness anyway.

"Sir?"

"Carter?"

"Thanks for saving me."

"Anytime, Carter. Now go back to sleep, you need to rest some more."

"Yes, sir."

My last thought is that I'm happy that he hasn't released me from his arms.

I feel refreshed and much better the next time I wake. I slowly turn around, carefully holding my arm to my body and sit up, whilst trying to prevent the blanket from slipping from my body. Garan and his girlfriend are sat in the corner talking while Laira busies herself with what seems to be breakfast. My stomach is giving me the distinct impression, that breakfast would be a good idea and so I rise and I walk the few steps over to Laira, "Good morning, Laira," I greet her.

She smiles at me tightly, "Good morning Major Carter."

"Where is the Colonel?" I ask and her face darkens. Seems like I've hit a sore spot. Maybe she was angrier with him for leaving her than I had thought.

"Jack went outside to determine if it's safe for us to return to the village. Are you hungry? You've been ill for nearly two days. You should eat."

"Two days? It didn't feel that long," I think for a moment then smile again, "Are you and the kids alright?" I ask as I take the slice of bread she offers me.

"Yes, we are fine."

Before we can fall into what I suppose would be a rather uncomfortable silence the Colonel comes back, much to my relief I might add.

"Hey Carter, sleep well?" the Colonel asks me from the cave's entrance.

"Yes, sir. You?"

"Better than ever. You feelin' better?"

"Yep, just peachy," I answer cheekily. He looks at me with a strange expression on his face and for a moment I think I have overstepped my boundaries with my last words, they weren't that respectful after all. But then his expression changes and he says, "Oh how I wish I'd waited till you were conscious to put that splint on your arm. Payback can be so satisfying," he tells me with an evil grin. And my thoughts involuntarily settle on the memory of our time in Antarctica. Especially the Colonel's face when I'd had to reset his leg. Still when Laira looks at us strangely I burst into giggles and when my eyes lock with the Colonel's we both chorus, "No giggling." That put a huge frown on Laira's face and I smile at her unable to do anything else.

"I didn't see this behavior before," she says, "you're acting rather...childish," she's right but I still can't stop smiling, it just feels too good to be able to laugh for a little while. The Colonel is grinning too, so I don't feel too bad about it. He directs his gaze towards Laira after a second, "I'm sorry. It's a joke," he says and when he sees Laira's frown elaborates, "You see Carter and I were once stuck in Antarctica, that's a part of Earth that's completely frozen..." and so he tells her the whole story over breakfast. The kids come to listen, while Laira hangs on every word he says.

After breakfast I ask if I can do anything to help, but the Colonel orders me to go back to sleep. I try to tell him that I'm not tired, but a huge yawn gets in the way.

"Not tired, eh? You, are going to bed Carter, no argument," he states, he seems determined enough not to back down on that decision so I surrender, I am tired.

"Can I at least have my clothes back?" I ask as I pull the blanket I have tucked around me, closer.

"They're not dry yet," he says and my eyes widen.

"Not dry?" I ask disbelievingly. "Half the planet is burning and you're trying to tell me my clothes are still wet?"

"They are just a little damp. But your fever only broke tonight, so you aren't wearing anything that isn't completely dry, understood?" there's that determination again. I probably scared him more than I'd thought to make him a little overprotective now.

"Yes, sir," I reply and walk into the corner were I had spent the last two days. I take the second blanket and arrange it carefully around my already shivering body, within seconds I'm asleep again.

"Carter? Carter wake up! You need to eat and drink some more," only half of his words really reach my brain, but -eat- and -drink- penetrate the fog surrounding my head.

"What time's it?" I ask weakly.

"You nearly slept the whole day. You'll eat now than sleep some more. I gave you some antibiotics in case you caught something while you were playing in the rain."

"Thanks," I mumble as I turn onto my back bringing my hand to my forehead. Only as I sit up do I remember my lack of clothing and quickly bring one blanket around me. The Colonel smiles at me, rather embarrassed, I think he was staring at my legs! But I'm still pretty dizzy so I guess I was probably hallucinating.

The pain in my arm has nearly gone, same goes for my headache.

"Did ya give something against the pain too?" I ask as he helps me stand up.

"Yeah, but only a mild painkiller, you were tossing in your sleep and I thought it better that you catch as much as you can," he looks at me as if he is waiting for my approval of decision, so I say "Yeah, that was probably for the best. Now about that drink?"

He laughs at that and instructs me, "Sit down here, I'll get you some soup and water," I look around and see that it is already dark outside. The others are lying near the fire where the Colonel has just gone to get some food and water for me. It's rather cold despite the fire and the heat that should be coming from outside.

As the Colonel sits next to me handing me the water first I ask him, "How is it out there?"

"Pretty good actually, the rain tended to most of the fires, but it's cold right now, I'm not sure why. It's summer here isn't it?" he looks to me for an explanation and I can't help feeling that it's good to know that some things will never change.

With a smile I answer him. "I'd say the impacts are responsible for the dense fog in the atmosphere, so the sun can't get through. Kind of like when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Just not as bad. I hope."

He nods at me, "What about the rain?"

"What about it?"

"It's been raining constantly since the impacts stopped."

"Maybe one meteorite hit a lake or an ocean and the boiled water built the clouds that are now raining back to Earth?" I say with a shrug and he accepts it at that.

I sip at my water and after I finish it the Colonel gave me the soup. We sit there in silence as I take sip after sip.

I make it through half of the bowl of soup before I start to feel dizzy again. "Colonel? I think I should go back to sleep," I say and get up. My steps are unsteady and he's by my side immediately. As I carefully slide back down he puts the second blanket around me again. I don't remember seeing another one in the cave and so try to give it back to him.

"You should take the blanket, sir. Or you'll be frozen by tomorrow morning."

"I'll be fine, Carter. Go back to sleep, you'll need all the warmth you can get," he answers stubbornly.

"I won't sleep before you take it," I say and put the blanket in his arms.

"I don't think you got a say in that," he says and I know he's right. My eyes are already closing again. "But you are right, you know, it's rather cold. Do you mind if I bunk with you?" he asks and I could swear he's blushing.

I tiredly suppress a smile, "Just keep my feet warm and you're welcome Colonel," wait a sec - did I just say that?

I fall asleep before I can answer my own question.

I wake up with pleasantly warm feet. To be honest I feel rather good all over. The Colonel is still next to me and I briefly wonder how long it has been since I've woken next to a man. I'm shocked when I realize the answer is Antarctica, two years ago. Now what does that say about me?

I shake my head to get that thought out of my brain and am pleased to find most of my headache gone.

"Carter?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You're awake," he states.

"Yes sir" I tell him with a smile he can't see.

"Good. The sun will rise in a little while, not that's it's going to make much difference," he sighs and releases me from his arms.

I sit up and look at him, he looks tired.

"You look a little... tired, sir."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well I didn't sleep that well," he says and wipes his hand over his face. "I'll go and a see if your clothes are dry," he says and before I can say anything else he has gone.

He returns a few minutes later, the tiredness seemingly gone, but I know that it is only a mask. He gives me my clothes, which are "Good as new."

"Thank you, sir," I smile and happily pull my socks on.

He turns around to give me some privacy to dress. I quickly slip into my clothes. I realize his shirt is pretty damp with sweat and walk up to him.

"Sir? Is here a place where I can wash out your shirt?"

"There's a little river out there, from the rain I suppose. Just give it to me, I'll be right back," he takes the shirt from my arms and leaves the cave, his body language clearly stating that he wants to be alone, but I follow anyway.

I find him by the 'river'.

"Sir? Is everything alright?" I ask him. He replies without looking at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine Carter. Go back inside, you shouldn't be out here it's too cold."

"I'm fine Colonel. I'm more concerned about you, sir."

He remains silent and the only sounds I hear are from the river and from his washing. He finally speaks again. "I just have a feeling Carter, I think we are in for an unpleasant surprise."

We had return after witnessing a spectacular sunrise and the Colonel informs Laira that we can return to the village after breakfast. Seems like the worst is over, most of the particles have settled during the night. There is next to no wind and the rain has stopped. It's all gray on gray now. We eat in silence, afraid of what we might find and even more afraid of what we wouldn't find.

We make the short trip to the village. It's in chaos, one of the houses has collapsed completely, and others are badly damaged. Laira's seems to be one of the few that is still intact. There are no people to be seen. Garan enters the house first with Laira following him. There are injured people everywhere, it seems like they'd all fled to her house.

When Laira spots Paynan she calls his name. "Laira," he answers in wonder. He looks beaten.

She kneels before him, with a reassuring hand placed on his knee she speaks, "It is alright," she tells him, but I'm not sure if he's heard her.

He speaks as if he is in a sort of trance, "One struck Thelmar's home. Three families were inside. We are all that are left."

"Why did you stay?" Laira asks him.

Paynan speaks ignoring her question, his voice nothing more than a whisper, "On the third day we could take no more. We fled to the stone ring... where it used to be."

"Used to be?" the Colonel and I chorus at the same time. We turn and leave, running to the clearing and find it. The huge crater that has destroyed all our hopes of returning home.

Laira had followed us. "It's gone. I will never see my people again, they can never return home," she says disbelievingly.

"Neither can we," I say with my eyes on the ground. The Colonel kicks it in obvious anger. I find myself numb.

Chapter Two: Painful Realisations

Laira has now gone, the Colonel kicks some more, throws a few stones, even lets out a frustrated cry and is now staring into space just like I had. I slowly walk over to him. Our eyes lock with identical expressions, 'What are we gonna do?'

I think that this is the worst possible time for me to run out of ideas.

I’m not sure how it happened but I’m suddenly in the Colonel's arms, clinging to him just like he is clinging to me. A few tears make their way down my cheeks and I angrily wipe them away.

"What are we gonna do now?" I ask him softly.

"Do you think it's still working? The meteorite could have blown it to pieces."

"No, I don't think so. It's probably intact. The gate is pretty hard to destroy. But we don't know where it is. General Hammond could have opened it but I haven’t felt the ground shaking. So either they aren't trying to open it or it's buried so deep that we can't feel it. The vortex should be forceful enough to make a hole next to the gate or even above or under it; depending on how it's lying. They should have come through by now," even I know I’m babbling but the Colonel doesn’t stop me, "The only thing they'd have to do is dig themselves out. But that’s if they even figure out that the gate is buried and not destroyed. The MALP would be destroyed immediately if the gate was horizontal, there are just too many variables..." I’m nearly sobbing now, the stress of the last few days catching up with me. The Colonel's hand comes to my hair and presses my head softly to his chest as he tells me to stop.

"Calm down Carter, will ya?"

"I don't know what to do, sir. We've never been in such a situation..." I trail off and he motions for me to sit down. We sit together in the middle of the crater just staring for a while.

"I'm missing a really great hockey game on Friday," the Colonel finally breaks the silence.

"I promised Cassie we'd spent some time together after this mission, we planned a little weekend trip. Just her, Janet and me," I fall silent again.

"Daniel talked me into a trip to Virginia, apparently there's a archaeology convention. We wanted to take Teal'c."

"Oh God, I was so mean to Daniel," he looks at me puzzled, "I told him to go through the gate and I was on my way to help you and Laira, he wanted to say something and I snapped at him, he probably just wanted to tell me to
take care or something. I planned to apologize later," I bury my face in my hands and the Colonel speaks again.

"You can still apologize, they'll figure out how to get us home."

I look at him afraid that my disbelief would show.

"I even have a date for Friday night," I say with a snort, "Janet arranged it and I really didn't want to go, I guess that's the good thing in all this..."

"Come on Carter, they'll get us outta here. It may take them a while, especially if you're not there to figure it out for them, but in the end they'll come and take us home," he says but I can hear that he is far from convinced. I realize that he’s keeping the morale up for me and I have to smile.

"Sure they will, sir. Sorry sir, just a little shocked, we should try digging the gate out," I take a look around and shrug, "Although I have no idea where to start, sir."

We remain sitting there, looking around as if the disarray around us is going to give us all the answers. We only leave when it starts to get dark again.

The village looks just like before, there’s a light coming from Laira's house and we enter it.

It looks like they are praying, Laira speaks, thanking the ancestors; it also looks as if they are about to eat.

Paynan sees us as Laira stops talking.

"This is all that remains of our people, because of you," he accuses us. Garan's girlfriend asks about her parents and there are tears in her eyes.

"You took them away through that thing and now it is gone," Paynan says.

"That thing probably saved their lives," the Colonel replies and I can understand his anger. "And if you had shut up and listened to me in the first place this wouldn't be the situation," he continues. I put a hand on his arm to calm him; this conflict was helping no one. He turns to leave and I follow him until Laira says, "This is my home and both of you are welcome here," I smile at her thankfully.

"You need to eat, sit down and share our meal," the Colonel looks to me and I nod. He looks around and walks over to one of the benches and I follow him, not saying a word.

"Thank you," is all he says as he sits down.

We leave the table after we've eaten our meal, it seems like we'll all spend our nights together in Laira's house.

The kids are sleeping in Laira's bed while the others gather what they can find to make themselves beds, it seems like it was just the floor for the Colonel and me, but we've encountered worse. I manage to find a relatively nice spot in the kitchen and the Colonel has made his bed in Garan's room where he's helped to move the injured, who are occupying Garan's bed now.

'I've got to get us home,' is my last thought before I close my eyes and try to fall asleep.

After a restless night I've come to a few disturbing revelations. I need to speak with the Colonel about them, but I decide to wait till we are on our way to the gate. We have breakfast with the others and after that the Colonel
and I walk to the crater.

"Colonel?"

"Yeah?" he looks as tired as I feel, but that isn’t what I have to talk to him about. Maybe later.

"I don't think we should try to dig out the gate," he stops dead in his tracks and looks at me as if I've told him that I’m an alien.

"What?"

"I don't think that it is safe. I've been thinking. What if they opened the gate while we are standing on top of it? It would create a big hole underground and the surface above it would crumple and we could be sucked in..."

"What would be the probability of that?" he asks, interrupting me.

"Yeah, I know, but that's not the only reason. I think I know why they haven't opened the gate yet, sir."

He looks at me expectantly. "And?"

"Naquadah, sir."

"Ahh," he says, having no clue what I mean.

"What if the melted naquadah closed the gate like an iris? They wouldn't be able to overcome that. Neither would we."

He looks at me and I can practically see the moment he understands what I’m implying.

"So you're saying that even if we found it we couldn't get the naquadah off it?"

"Yes."

"Crap."

"Yes, sir."

Whatever he's going to say next is cut short by Laira's arrival.

"I'm glad I found you," she says as she walks up to where we are standing. She returns my smile politely then beames at the Colonel.

"What is it, Laira?" he asks.

"You want to go looking for your doorway?" she asks back instead of answering him.

"Not anymore," he says. His voice, his stance, his eyes... his whole body screaming defeat.

Laira looks at him puzzled and when he refuses to explain any further she finally turns back to me.

"What did he mean by that?" she asks me.

"I think it isn't save to dig in the area where the gate has been once. In fact I'd like you to warn your people about going there. The ground might not be stable," I explain. "I'm not sure we'd find it anyway and even if we did, we'd still need the DHD and I'm not sure we could use it even if we found both devices," I trail off and simply shrug.

"I see," she says though I doubt it. "I came here to ask of your help. We are all sorry for your loss, that you can't go home, because you wanted to save my son, still, we need food and for that we need to work in the fields, there are few of us left and so I ask for your help. We offer you our home, our friendship, but we need your help in return."

I look at the Colonel. His eyes are fixed on me. "No way home Carter?"

"There's nothing we can do, sir. We'll have to wait for them to find a way."

"Then I guess we are all yours Laira," he says and he directs his steps back the way we'd come. I follow him without a word.

Chapter Three: A Life So Different

The Colonel and I are helping the Edorans. Due to my injury my own work is different from the Colonel's. While he's gone to the fields to help Paynan and his men, I am sitting on a hill that oversees the village drawing a map for myself. Most of the houses are beyond repair so we’ll have to rebuild them from scratch. I plan to help them with a concept for those.

I absently caress the baby that is sleeping in my arms. I'd been shocked when Laira'd said I should take care of it, but it makes sense. The baby's mother is uninjured so she can work, I’m left in the village with the baby and the two people that aren't fit enough to work yet.

I finish my little drawing then walk back down to the village. The baby's mother should be here in about an hour to feed the kid and I need to check if the injured are okay or need anything.

They are both asleep and I quietly leave the house again to get a look at what is left of the houses. The houses had been simple in concept; most had just had four walls and a roof. Some had been divided in two or even three rooms, but no house had had stairs or a running water supply. I want to change that, there is a river nearby, which we can easily manipulate to go through the village, the best way would be underground, but I’m not sure that that will be manageable, we'll just have to wait and see. And I want to build a school. Garan has asked me if I can teach him our science and I think that it’s an excellent idea. So as long as I can’t work physically I’ll do some thinking. I've heard that's what I’m best at.

The others come back in the evening. While the baby's mother had visited me every three hours the others have worked in the fields all day long. They are hungry and we prepare dinner together. The others practically eat it in one breath. I myself am not that hungry and resume my earlier thoughts on how I can explain to these people what I want to do.

I leave the house after dinner to go and watch the unfamiliar stars; and I’m not surprised when I feel the Colonel sit down beside me.

I am lying on the grass near the spot I'd sat earlier today and despite my intentions to watch the stars I’ve closed my eyes to dream of home.

"How's the arm?" the Colonel asks in greeting. Besides a short hello we haven't spoken since he's come back from the fields.

"Better, sir. Thank you," it is true, I feel next to no pain in it, for which I am grateful.

"How are you doing?" I ask and open an eye to take a look at him.

"I'm fine," he replies but the awkward way he holds his shoulders defy that statement.

"Your back bad?" I ask as I close my eyes again. To my surprise he admits, "A little."

"You want a massage?" I offer, I’m not sure if I am out of line here, but I only want to help.

"That'd actually be great, Carter," he answers and surprises me a second time in a matter of seconds.

I open my eyes to catch the last second of his sheepish smile and sit up.

"Then turn around and take off that jacket, Colonel," I tell him and he complies.

He is wearing the shirt I wore only yesterday but it seems like an eternity has passed since then.

I start my one-handed massage on the Colonel's right shoulder and slowly work my way to his left one. He gives me an appreciative grunt and I can’t help but smile.

"God Carter where did you learn to do this?"

"My father was a diplomat all his life, sir. Believe me after sitting in a room with some stubborn allies for hours the man would kill for a massage," I recall and my smile grows wider as I remember those times.

"So little Sam helped her old man out of his misery by learning how to give nice backrubs?"

"Oh my motives weren't entirely altruistic, sir, you could practically get everything out of him while I was giving him a 'nice backrub', believe me my brother and I used that to our advantage quite a couple of times," I tell him.

"You know Carter I can't wait till your arm is healed, I can only imagine how this must feel then," he says and I can practically feel him grin. I shake my head.

"What makes you think I'm going to do this again?" I ask him in playful voice.

"Oh you wouldn't want to see me suffer, would you?"

"Oh, maybe just a little every now and then," I say and he turns to me with a feigned shocked expression.

He turns back around and I resume my work on his shoulders.

We remain silent for a while oddly content until, "So unless the SGC finds a way to get the gate open we are stuck here forever?" he asks suddenly, completely out of the blue.

"Of course not, sir! I guess if they can't get the gate open they'll simply ask the Tollans or the Tok'ra to send a ship, you don't think dad would let us rot out here?" I ask.

"I didn't really think about the ship-thing. So how long do you think we'll have to wait?"

"I don't know, sir. It depend on where the next ship they can spare is."

"Well that sure makes you wonder where Thor is when I need him," he says. "Hey! You stopped," he suddenly states and I laugh and rest my head briefly on his back.

"Sorry, sir," I say before I start again. "You know I have a few ideas for this place..."

We stay outside for another hour before we go in to catch some sleep.

I tell him all about my ideas and he promises to talk to Paynan and Laira about them tomorrow.

I am lying in the dark unable to sleep as I think about home. Do they think we are dead? Despite my earlier claim to be certain that they are going to send a ship I know that that isn’t necessarily the case. The Tok'ra are shorthanded at best and whether or not the Tollans are willing to help is a question of its own.

Thoughts like that kept me tossing around, and sleep remains elusive. I manage to sleep for about two hours.

My feet are cold the whole night.

I spend another day babysitting and thinking. I am anxious to hear whether or not the people here will accept my suggestions. I’ve also built my first house today, mentally of course, but I’ve got the concept clearly in my head and have even managed a first drawn concept. I am so glad I brought pens.

I am really tired and feeling the second night without decent sleep in every bone.

The Colonel is been looking even worse this morning and I’m worried about him.

Laira and I have had a little incident this morning. I was on my way to the Colonel so we could have breakfast together when she came to me and tells me that Paynan had asked to see me immediately. So I make my way over to where I saw him last only to get a puzzled look from him.

"I didn't ask to speak with you Major Carter, you must be mistaken," he tells me.

I apologize for the misunderstanding, feeling a little foolish and leave to go find the Colonel, not thinking anything about the mistake I think that Laira has made. However when I found them I’m shocked to find Laira practically sitting in the Colonel's lap. He was looking rather uncomfortable in his position, but didn’t see me. Laira on the other hand does and her face darkens when her eyes settle on me. She stands up and takes the Colonel's hand to drag him outside. I’m sure she'd wanted to get him away from me, but I have no idea why.

The Colonel was the first to arrive today, he enters Laira's house and smiles at me before he quickly goes to the “kitchen” to get himself some water. He swallows a whole cup before he comes over to sit with me.

"Hey Carter. How are ya doing?"

"Fine, sir. How about you?"

"Ah, not so bad. The sun is a little too warm for my liking but Paynan says I'm too pale anyway," he grins at me, then continues, "But what you probably wanna know about is what he says about that little project of yours," I nod my head enthusiastically and his grin widens a little more.

"What did he say?" I ask when he doesn't continue.

"He said okay."

"Okay? That's all he said? Okay?"

"Yep, he wants to know everything you do and wants to learn about it. As soon as you are ready you can begin."

"Oh I am so ready!" I exclaim, "Only two days here with nothing to do but babysitting and it's already driving me crazy."

He laughs again, "I thought as much, Carter. I was worried you'd gone AWOL on me when I didn't see you this morning."

I decide to not tell him about Laira, he just won’t understand it, not that I understand it, but at least I can ignore her behavior, I’m not sure he could.

"Nah, sir. Couldn't leave you with the natives, could I?" I tell him instead and he smiles at me.

Chapter Four: Problems

Time is passing quickly. My arm has been healing pretty well. I can now work in the fields and even help with the houses. We've rebuilt two more homes and the villagers love the changes I’ve made and I think the Colonel is even proud of me.

Well, he's told me that he is proud of me so I guess I can be pretty certain he is.

We are still living with Laira and her son and the situation is a little tense. I still don't know why, but Laira avoids me at all costs. Maybe I have offended her somehow, but I can’t really think of an occasion where I’ve had the opportunity. She and the Colonel are pretty close though. But where Laira lacks enthusiasm towards Garan makes up for it. Nearly every night after work he comes and asks me about 'The wonders of the planet earth.'

He is curious as hell and not a day goes by without more questions and requests for explanations. He has even gotten the other kids to join him, some of them are even worse and it seems as if my idea about building a school will be met with equally much enthusiasm.

Life is already becoming routine and the Colonel and I have managed to adapt very quickly. We help Laira in the morning, then look for whom we can help building up their houses and after that we go work in the fields. Twice a 'week' I teach some of the kids math, physics... essentially all I know that can possibly help them. I’ve learnt their written language too; it's not that hard since the letters seem to have developed from the same as our own. I spoke with Paynan today and he’s agreed to build a little house where we can meet after work.

In the evening we cook. It’s interesting. Cooking seems to be a group event on Edora, the whole family meets up and everyone gets to do something. It’s nice how everybody is equal here. We sometimes talk about our days during cooking and dinner, but most of the time the Colonel and I are told about the Edoran history and customs.

After the meal the Colonel usually leaves with Garan and Garan's girlfriend to meet up with the other kids. He’s been trying to teach them hockey for ages but they seem to be hooked upon baseball. Whenever it rains he just tells them stories, sometimes about our missions, sometimes tales, needless to say that the kids love him.

I sometimes go with them but most of my evenings are spent in Laira's home, I’ve drawn a few concepts for new houses, but it’s hard, I don't know about the stability of the wood we are using and such things. So I spend my time with my books. I’ve written a few for the school, so that the kids can read them after the lessons. And they really do, they’ve even copied a few of them and now every family with a kid has at least one of the books.

The kids here are great, they want to learn and help me with everything I don't understand. The Colonel once said they are my teachers instead of the other way around.

The Colonel... I guess we’re the same as ever.

The only thing that has changed between him and me is that we are now sleeping together. As in next to each other, of course.

Ever since those first two nights at the cave we seem to be unable to sleep alone, this is worse than Antarctica. I admit I had difficulties similar to the ones I'm experiencing now, but the feeling of loneliness I'd felt back then had gone away after a few nights.

Not this time, we've tried, the first three nights had been spent apart and we'd looked worse each morning, with dark circles under our eyes from lack of sleep.

On the fourth night we'd met in the middle of the room both longing for the other's presence. Without a word he had followed me to the cushions that made my bed and I had lain down on my side careful of my arm, without saying a word. He’d lain down next to me his side barely touching my back and as I closed my eyes I heard him mumble, 'Night Carter,' and I had answered with my own 'Good night sir' before I slipped into much needed sleep, that was the one and only day we ever slept in.

We had woken the same way. His side had been a little closer to my back and his arm had somehow found it's way under my head and I had been happily using it as a cushion.

We’ve never talked about these new sleeping arrangements and I guess we won’t in the future.

Things between Laira and me on the other hand haven’t changed a notch. Worsened maybe, but not changed. It had become unbearable after three months.

We'd been to a party Paynan had given the day, well night, after his house had been finished. The party was okay, the Edorans sure know how to party, anyway what pissed Laira off is that the Colonel and I had left together. It had been really quite innocent, we'd just gone to sleep, but Laira had been furious and that had made it finally clear to me what her problem with me is. She is jealous. Good old jealousy, of the Colonel and me, as if there is a ColonelandMe, hah. She doesn’t need to worry though, the Colonel's and my relationship is still the same as it had always been when we'd still worked at the SGC, the strange sleeping arrangements aside, of course.

Everything else is 'Yes, sir, no, sir,' just as it always had been.

The problem is that we are living at Laira's place. The house is clouded with tension whenever the three of us are in the same room. The Colonel being a man, naturally doesn't have a clue about what is going on.

I'd thought I could play along, ignoring her when she got bitchy and just walking away when she got insulting, but I can’t. She's all nice to me when we have company, but as soon as we are alone she turns into 'Evil Laira' as I call her.

Flashback

She, with that I mean Laira, had decided that I needed a shower, don't get me wrong I’d practically kill for a shower these days, not to mention shampoo, but water with which I’ve just cleaned the floor isn't what I had in mind.

I stomp out of the house and nearly run into the Colonel on my way. All I mumble is, "Sorry," before I resume my pace. If I stop I'd probably do something stupid, besides I need to get the dirt off my fatigues; I'd only washed them yesterday, Paynan has offered us some stuff to wear, but up until now we've stuck to our fatigues, only wearing those weird pjs he gave us. But maybe I’ll have to take Paynan up on his offer; after all I can’t walk around in wet clothes. The summer is all but over, that’s why everybody is here and not in the fields.

Anyway I walk over to the small waterfall behind the village where some of the kids had gone in the summer. I increase my pace when I see it and just run the last few steps as I feel my skin begin to itch from the dirt.

"Damn you Laira," I mumble as I test the water with my fingers and find it to be ice cold, I brace myself for the shock and then take the last step forward.

I suck in a breath at the cold, but I can feel the dirt leaving my skin nearly immediately. I let my head fall back and enjoyed the water, cleaning my body.

"Ca," I suddenly hear, then again "Car.. er!"

I open my eyes again and see the green shape that can only be the Colonel standing in front of me, carefully avoiding the cold water.

I stick my head out so I can understand what he is saying, "Sir?"

"Are you completely out of your mind Carter?" he asks and I only nod.

"Maybe I am, sir," I tell him then simply step back into the water.

The next time I open my eyes he is gone. I let out a sigh and step out of the spray. The wind hits me immediately, forcing me to admit to myself that the Colonel wasn't that off with his question.

My teeth are chattering and I’m shivering like crazy, "Damn you Laira," I mumble again and rub my shoulders with my hands to get at least some warmth back into my body.

"What's with Laira?"

I spin around and see the Colonel standing behind me with what looks like my pajamas, a blanket and some towels. It’s sweet and I would have smiled at him for his concern if I wasn’t that furious.

"Nothin'" I mumble and start to walk off.

"Damn it, Carter, stop. Now tell me what's going on. You nearly tackle me, looking like a drowned rat, only to drench yourself even more, what's wrong."
And finally I explode, "You wanna know what's wrong? I tell you what's wrong, Laira is wrong," he stares at me open-mouthed. With a sigh I start to explain, "I've had cleaning duty today, so I scrubbed the floor until it was all nice and shiny, put the cleaning tools away so I could throw away the dirty water, I bent down to lace my boot and suddenly I'm getting a nice, dirty shower. I turn, ready to attack whoever did it, only to find Laira standing there with the smuggest grin on her face," I take a deep breath to calm myself and look up at the Colonel who stares at me disbelievingly.

"Why should she do such a thing. Totally out of the blue?" he asks.

"Out of the blue? Colonel this has been going on since we got stuck here, granted never as bad as this..."

"Why?" he interrupts me.

"Oh, you actually," I say and the sarcasm in my voice is nearly suffocating.

"I don't understand."

"You don't understand! Well, I didn't either until recently."

"Than explain it to me!" he tells me looking confused.

"Laira feels threatened by me," I say a little quieter, suddenly a little self-conscious.

"Threatened? Why? In what way could she possibly compare herself to you?" he says and all I can think is: Was that a compliment Colonel?

I simply answer, "You."

"Me?" he asks, still not understanding. I didn't expect him to, but I still dread explaining my suspicions.

"Laira has a pretty big crush on you, sir, you may have noticed."

It seems like it’s his turn to get a little self-conscious, "I guess. I try not to encourage her, but... it's a little hard when you are living together," he sighs.

"Well, Laira thinks that I'm a threat to her, because of you. She thinks I'm trying to steal you away from her or something. Like I would do such a thing!" I say and lift my arms to the heavens. "I should give her a regulations manual, that would take care of things."

I catch the smile he tries to hide, "Hey, what's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing Carter, just seeing you rambling totally drenched, you do look a little funny, ya know," he smiles at me but I don't return the favor and he sobers up immediately, "Sorry, I'll talk to her when we get back."

"No! It will only get worse if you do. Just leave it alone, I will deal with Laira. God knows I’ve dealt with worse. I've already been through high school after all," I sigh and start to walk back to the house, but the Colonel stops me.

"Here Carter," he says and pushes the clothes and blankets/towels into my arms. "Change into these, I need to talk to Paynan," he says and starts to walk away.

"Please, don't talk to him about this, sir, or to Laira," I plead and he smiles at me.

"I promise. I think I have another solution, just get dry and try to avoid getting pneumonia," with that he is gone leaving me staring after him.

End Flashback

So here I am lying in my pajamas waiting for him to return. I have no idea what he could have meant when he said that he had to talk to Paynan and I guess I won’t find out anytime soon. I even talked to Paynan today when I had asked him for some cloths to wear instead of my uniform and all he'd said was that the Colonel had instructed him not to tell me about it.

When the Colonel had come back earlier he'd just smiled at me and then left again. It’s already dark outside and still he hasn't returned.

I roll over so I can lie on my side. I shiver from the cold and draw the blankets closer around me, then I drift off to sleep wondering what the Colonel is up to.

Chapter Five: Changes, For The Better

Whatever his other solution is I haven't heard about it for a few days so I guess I’m on my own against Laira again. I have finally surrendered to Paynan and am now wearing the clothes he's been offering us. I guess they aren't too bad for dresses, but they aren't really my style either. Most people look at me funny, maybe they’ve realized for the first time that I am indeed a woman, the Colonel had looked at me strangely enough when he'd seen me the day after the shower incident. However he's followed my example and we both fit better into the village now.

We’ve just finished washing up after dinner and the Colonel leaves immediately after that. I don't know where he’s gone, but he's been going out at night for a few days now, maybe he’s made some new friends?

Anyway I’m pretty busy, I’ve written another book for the kids about math, which they seem to like the most. Then there is my other little project; I’m building my dream house! I’d asked Garan for some larger paper and it is nearly a poster now. I'd been drawing little concepts first and now my dream domicile is nearly finished. I just need to add a few details, which is what I want to do now. I go to the 'bed' and get my pens; all I need now is the paper itself... Where is it? I know I put it here last night, it has to be here! I look through the few things the Colonel and I possess but I can’t find it. I swear if Laira has taken it...

The Colonel who’s come into the room smiling widely interrupts my silent ranting, he opens his mouth to speak but before a syllable can come past his lips I start, "Sir! My paper is gone! The one with the house, I can't find it!" the Colonel's smug grin distracts me so much I don’t continue my tirade.

"What?" I finally ask when he doesn't tell me the reason for his bemusement himself.

"Come with me," he simply says and I am this close to simply ignoring him, but I’m so used to doing what he says that I set my anger aside and follow him. He leads me outside and I shiver regretting that I haven't brought my jacket. "Sir, what are we doing out here in the middle of the night?" I ask, but all I get is this annoying smile of his.

I decide to follow him for two more minutes before I'll go back inside; it’s just too damn cold to be outside. I hug my shoulders to prevent what little warmth is left in my body from leaving.

Just as I am ready to announce that I’m going back he turns to me with an even bigger grin. We are nearly out of the village by now and for whatever reason he's dragged me out here, it better be a damn good one.

"We’re here," he announces and I look at him with a question mark probably written across my face.

"Here where?" I ask finally and he walks around me. I follow him with my eyes and he stops behind me. I can feel his body heat and the sudden warmth makes me shiver in the night's cold.

"What do you see?" he asks and I contemplate not answering the question, just because I’m annoyed.

"You dragged me out here in the cold to show me a field I see everyday? It's too cold for jokes Colonel," I turn around and see his grin fade and a concerned expression replace it. I am instantly sorry for ruining whatever he's brought me out here for.

"Sorry," I mumble and turn around again, "A field, sir. I see a field," I tell him as a peace offering. I expect an explanation now and I get it but not before I feel the Colonel's hands on my shoulders as he steps behind me so his warm chest is pressed to my back. He starts to move his hands over my upper arms, rubbing them warm. I’m touched by the gesture but before I can say 'thank you' he speaks again.

"This isn't just a field Carter, this is our field."

"Huh?" that answer wasn't too impressive, I know, but what am I supposed to say to something like that. 'Our field, wow, always wanted one of those.'?

I turn my head so I can see his face and again I am greeted by his grin and an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"This isn't just our field this is the field we got from Paynan so that we can build our own house here."

"..." Great it seems like I am loosing it, did he just say 'our house'?

"Don't look at me like that," he says and I turn my head back to the field in front of me. "With all that seems to be going on with Laira and you I thought it'd be best if we get out of her hair. So I went to Paynan and asked him if we could have our own house. He agreed and said that it was a good idea especially when the others come back from earth and we go home. We realized that we don't have enough space for everyone and so tomorrow we start building houses again and one of them will be ours," he stops and all I can do is stare at the field in front of me.

When I finally set my mind to answer him I am embarrassed when I stutter a little, "This... this is probably the sweetest thing someone ever did for me, sir. Thank you. I'm not really sure what else to say," I relax against him and a sigh leaves my mouth before I can stop myself. I am suddenly turning around and facing the Colonel or rather his boots as I’ve lowered my head.

"What's wrong, Carter?" he asks and I quickly look up and hope that he can’t see the tears shining in my eyes in the dim light, I smile at him, "There's nothing wrong, sir. This is wonderful. Seems like I just didn't realize what a toll this Laira thing is taking on me until now."

He smiles back at me, "Glad to be of service. If we work hard we should have another three houses finished before it gets too cold to work outside, we need wood, stones, we need to make more tools..." he launches into a full speech about the needed supplies and I am content to walk next to him and listen. He confesses that he's taken my papers so he can see how many of my ideas we could realize and how much wood we’d need for it. He also promises that I'll get it back in one piece and I believe him.

So we walk back to Laira's house and I am already counting the days until we won’t have to spend our nights there.

We've done it. I am standing in front of our house. Our house, wow. The cold air around me tells me that we’ve finished just in time. It could be snowing any day now, in fact we had a little snow last week and cleaning afterwards was a real pain, but now the house is finished and I love it.

The Colonel tells me to go inside and I do as he orders. I haven't seen all of it yet since he'd told me to stay away for the last two days. Apparently he was working on some surprise I wasn't allowed to know anything about.

There are four rooms; the biggest is the kitchen come living room. Then there is a smaller room which is kind of a storage room right now, all the things I need for the school are in there as well as the few hockey sticks the Colonel has made along with the few things we call our own. Then there are the stairs that go up to the small bedroom under the roof.

Yep, bedroom, as in one bedroom, with one bed. We haven't talked about it, not a word. I’d walked in one day after school and found him upstairs working on the bed. I’d just looked at him for a second then put our radios and vests in a drawer, which I had come there to do.

I’d felt him watching me and the air had seemed to be too heavy to inhale. I think that that was a situation where I had to make some kind of a decision or an acknowledgement, but I hadn't want to. Something is changing between us, but until I know what it is I simply can’t go to him and talk about it, whatever it may be. So instead I’d simply asked, "Will you make it to dinner or should I save you something sir?"

He'd smiled at me and said that he'd probably be a little late and if I could tell Garan that he was sorry that he couldn't meet up with him tonight. I'd said of course I would and that I'd try to save him some leftovers and he thanked me as I was on my way out.

And now I am standing in front of the single bed and wondering if it will be the same to sleep there in a real bed with him beside me, or if it will be different from our nights at Laira's place. And I have to admit I’m nervous.

When I enter the fourth room, the bathroom, I instantly know why the Colonel hadn't wanted me here the last few days. A huge grin comes to my face and I leave again in search of the Colonel.

I find him outside sitting on one of the benches next to Tran one of the kids, telling him about dogs of all things. With a smile I speak up, "Hey Colonel!"

He turns to me and smiles, "I take it you found my little surprise?"

I nod enthusiastically before I answer verbally, "Oh definitely, sir. I love it. When did you have time to build it? And how? I mean the stone must have been huge," I would have gone on but I can tell by his grin that he is totally amused by my need to try to understand everything. So I stop speaking and instead raise my eyebrow Teal'c style and his grin widens even more.

The thing is, in the bathroom stands a tub. An honest to god bathtub and it is huge. It’s made out of stone and it stands on two smaller stones. I'd seen some wood under it so you could light a fire under the stone to warm the water. I think I'd kill for a hot bath.

"It wasn't that hard actually," the Colonel says and interrupts my thoughts about relaxing in the hot water, "You know when I went to the caves with Paynan a few days ago? One of the caves was destroyed and there was one stone that just reminded me of a tub. So I decided to make one of it. The hardest part was getting it into the house, believe me this thing is way heavy. And of course we had to get it past you, once that was done the rest was pretty easy. I got some tools from Paynan and he even helped me a little."

"He did?" I ask in disbelief. Our relationship with Paynan has improved since we came here, but the Colonel and he are miles away from being friends, at least they had been the last I’d heard.

"Yeah, it seems like this house building thing is really important to him, ever since we started working again he's been all nice and friendly with me. He even said we could just build this house first with everybody's help and then start on the two other ones," he points at the two houses flanking ours, gosh that still sounds weird. Our house. I said it again: weird.

I shake my head a little to get out of my thoughts and concentrate on his words again. He’s watching me as he tells me how he and Paynan found the huge stone that already had the needed form and all he did was working on the finer details.

Still one thing is bugging me, "How did you know that I'd probably kill for a bath these days?"

He looks at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes and drawls, "Well I wasn't gonna say anything, but I guess half the village would kill to get you to take a bath." As soon as the words have left his mouth he jumps off the bench and beaks into a short run throwing worried glances over his shoulder.

"Ha-ha, very funny Colonel," I say as I walk up to him. He looks at me, more serious now.

"I actually thought of it when I remembered how you muttered about that involuntary shower Laira subjected you to," he explains.

"Oh," is all I can think of. After nearly six months I’m still not used to his sometimes very thoughtful behavior. He can be really sweet when he wants to be.

He points invitingly to the house and I precede him on our short way back, "Let's put the rest of our stuff inside shall we?"

Although we don’t have any real furniture yet the house has a comfy feeling, which can probably be contributed to the fact that we helped building it.

I’ve also tried that marvelous bathtub. Boy did that feel good. I’ve decided on an early night and am half away asleep when I hear the Colonel come up the stairs. I hear him change in the area we have separated with a curtain. Two minutes later he slips under the sheets. He lies on his back just as he's done the previous night and many nights before. There’s more room in the new bed than on the cushions that we'd slept on in Laira's home, so we'll probably end up lying away from each other. I’m lying on my side, my back to him and when he takes his usual place behind me; lying on his back I wonder why I had ever been nervous.

Chapter Six: Acceptance

Again we settle smoothly into the situation. The Colonel and I get the housework done pretty well, probably because we’ve both lived alone for so long. We actually clean too much instead of too less. The military has taught us how to keep things in neat order and how to work as efficiently as possible. The house is relatively big so if we need time alone we can have that too. All in all life gets better every day. Now that Laira and I don't see each other so much I’ve found that I can breath a little easier, too.

The Colonel and Paynan have agreed on some form on peace treaty and seem to be best buddies now. They chop trees for the winter and hunt for more meat. All three of us will sometimes sit together in the evening cooking while we talk about new houses and a better water supply system. Paynan is actually a nice guy, he has a few weird points of view, but once we’d gotten past those we’ve become friends pretty fast.

Winters seem to be really cold on Edora. Two weeks after the first snow you won’t leave the house unless you have to as it feels like you breath is freezing in your lungs. Still we’re okay. The new things the Colonel and I have taught the Edorans has prepared us for the hard times. We've stored too much food, enough to last two winters and with the new chimneys the houses stay much warmer. Once a week we'll all meet at Laira's house, which has replaced the town hall, and simply talk. We make a lot of blankets, curtains and stuff. Boy was the Colonel pissed when he learned that men have to stitch and stuff. We’ve made cupboards and shelves to fill the house with some more furniture. We’ve even managed something that can be interpreted as a couch.

The Colonel has taken up drawing, which I never would have pegged him for. I’d wanted to paint the bookshelf in the living room and had started to experiment with making different colors from plants, vegetables and fruit. In the end I’d painted it in a light green and then had packed away the different colors again. A few days later the Colonel had been bored and had asked what I’d done with all the paint I had made. I had given them to him and since that day he’s painted. He's produced several pictures of the stargate which are quite good, a few pictures of SG-1 which he himself knows aren't that good, he doesn't like drawing faces. Human faces anyway. I have no idea where it came from, but suddenly he’s painting cartoons. Everything from the Simpsons to the Peanuts. And they’re quite good!

And so another month has passed, we wake, have breakfast together and then go off to work on the various projects we've started. The Colonel has drawn a lot of pictures and I’ve written a few new books for school. After cooking and eating lunch we wait for the kids to arrive. Since there is no work to be done in the fields the children have a lot of free time. Each afternoon they’ll come over and I'll teach for about an hour. They understand the basics of mechanics now as well as mathematics till the first steps of algebra. The Colonel sometimes stays for physics but most of the time he goes upstairs to draw or finishes some housework he started earlier. A lot of our evenings are spent cooking. Both of us being horrible cooks have started to find it really interesting. I learnt a lot of things from our neighbors who'd helped us in the beginning. After dinner we take care of the tasks we've been assigned to by Paynan whether it is repairing furniture or knitting, we do everything that needs to be done. After that we go to bed.

We are sitting by the fire one evening when it hits me.

"Colonel?" I ask and he looks up from the cushion whose holes he is trying to darn.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think it's odd?"

"What is?" he asks, his brows furrowing together as he feels the needle pierce his skin, "Ouch!"

With a smile I get up and go get him a band-aid, another thing we've taught the Edorans, antiseptic band-aids. When I come back I sit down next to him on the floor and he holds out his finger. It isn't bad, but we've discovered the hard way how easily wounds get infected when you aren't used to living in our new home.

"What do you think is odd?" he asks as I wrap the finger with a thin cloth.

"Oh just how fast we have gotten used to our life here. How easily these people accepted us after the first few hurdles were taken. And I don't know, probably how little I miss our friends," I shrug and then rise to sit back on the couch.

"Don't you miss Daniel and Teal'c?" he asks softly.

"I miss them like crazy, it's just... oh I don't know," I fall back and close my eyes.

"You wanna know what I think?" he asks and I open my eyes again. "Of course," I reply.

"We've been pretty busy, working in the fields, building houses, with you teaching the kids, can you remember having only a minute of breathing time in the last few months?"

I think about it, the last couple of days have been quite easy, but before that I was practically jumping from one task to another. "Not really I guess, we really were pretty busy. Why?"

"Well I think we missed them all the time, but only now that we have enough time to have at least one clear thought per days do we realize how much we actually miss them."

"Seems like you've given this some thought," I remark and he looks at me again.

"I too felt a little odd. Bereft all of a sudden like I was missing something. Something I hadn't had time to miss before," he is right. It has been a hectic time, we’ve practically fallen into bed each night as soon as we've finished dinner.

"Thank you," I say sincerely. “For making me feel like I'm not forgetting them."

"Oh, come on Carter, you're not forgetting them. If one of us is going to get senile it's definitely going to be me!" he says and I laugh.

"Of course, sir. My mistake."

And from then on we may miss our friends more, but we miss them together.

We’ve achieved a lot this winter, building new furniture as well as 'technologies.' The hard work started in the spring, we’ve had to plow and sow the fields and check every house for damages. It’s hard, but the Colonel and I had been in relatively good shape when we'd arrived here and the hard work from last harvest has strengthened us even more, though spring is the hardest yet. But we manage.

Spring comes to an end and we have a few weeks between sowing and the first harvesting. The Colonel has offered to cut my hair and I’m rather grateful. He's heard me cursing about the strands always getting in the way and has asked if I need any help with it. He's kept his hair short with a knife and his particular style of disarray hasn't really revealed that he hasn't seen a hairdresser in eight months, but my hair is a mess. I usually keep it in a ponytail since it has gotten that long, but I’m not really comfortable. So we’re sitting in the living room. Me on the floor and him on the couch behind me as he cuts my hair using the medical scissors from the medkit.

"So Carter what are gonna do with all that free time?" he asks casually.

"I don't know yet, sir. Maybe the kids want some extra lessons," I think some more about it and remember something I had wanted to do last year. "I could always make those stability experiments I wanted to do with the wood. Maybe we can build a few more houses, maybe even bigger ones. What about you sir?"

"Oh I'd thought about doing some exploring. What's behind those caves for example? Paynan says there is nothing but woods but I guess there has to something else."

"Sounds good. Want some company?"

"Sure. It will be like old times Carter. We’ll need a tent and some backpacks for supplies and we can be on our way."

And two days later we are, on our way I mean. We've told the others and while they weren't too thrilled to hear that we'd be gone for a couple of days they saw that we need some time away from the village's life. It is fun. Just hiking through the woods until we can't walk anymore, building a campfire and sleeping in our makeshift sleeping bags... it feels good to have that part of our lives back.

On our last night before we'll return to the village we’re sitting around the campfire when the Colonel asks, "What are you thinking?"

I’m startled by the question so I push back a non existent strand of hair before I answer, "Not much I guess," he looks at me with a doubtful look. "No really, I just thought that there would have been certain advantages if I had been stuck here with Daniel."

Now it is his turn to look rather startled, "And what kind of advantages would that be Major?"

"Only one actually, sir," he looks at me expectantly and I can’t help but grin. "His infinite supply of chocolate of course."

He starts to laugh and nearly spits the water he's just sipped into the fire, he coughs and throws me a few dark looks as he calms down. "So you'd trade my company for chocolate? Good to know, Major."

"Sorry sir, but that's just the way it is."

We spend the rest of the night laughing.

When we arrive back the next day we are greeted enthusiastically. We've obviously been missed and I realize that I too had missed these people. After the Colonel and I have packed away the camping gear we walk over to Paynan who immediately assigns us to tasks.

And as I walkover to Penny to help her install new windows I realize for the first time that I have accepted my life here. I have accepted not being an active Air Force officer anymore or an astrophysicist as well as I have accepted that this is now my life.

Chapter Seven: The Way Home

"Greetings O’Neill," a strangely familiar voice half wakes me before my head is lifted from the Colonel's arm and lands abruptly on the mattress.

"Hey!" I protest sleepily before the scene registers in my sleep-hooded brain.

"Thor!" the Colonel nearly screams and I wince at his loud voice.

"Colonel O’Neill, Major Carter," he addresses both of us and inclines his head.

"Thor, it is... good to see you," I am suddenly very self-conscious about the fact that I'm lying in bed, together with my commanding officer. "I assume you are our ticket home?" I half ask, he surely won’t leave us here, will he?

"Took you long enough, buddy!"

"I am sorry, but we have not been in contact with your world for a long time due to a situation in my home quadrant, however, I was sent to talk about certain things with your General Hammond, only to discover that you and Major Carter were missing here on Edora. I have come to bring you to the next planet with a stargate, from which you can then travel back to earth. I will leave you to collect your possessions and say your goodbyes to the locals. Would an hour suffice?"

"Give us two and we'll be ready," the Colonel says.

"I will tell the Edorans on my ship that they should be ready to depart by then," and after another nod the little gray alien vanishes in a beam of light.

"Did I just dream that Thor was here?" I ask confused yet hopeful.

"Unless I was having the same dream it really happened. Sam, I think we are going home."

"Colonel?" we’re just packing our stuff into boxes.

"Yeah"

"What are we going to tell the others?"

"The truth, that our old buddy Thor finally decided to give us a lift home. What else is there to tell?"

"What I meant was how are we going to tell them about the little gray alien that will bring their families and friends back?"

"Oh we'll figure something out. Are you done packing?"

"Yeah. Who do you think will live here?" I suddenly wonder.

"How about we give it to Garan? As a wedding present."

"That's a good idea," Garan asked Candia to marry him a few weeks ago and they could probably use the house.

"Well then I guess everything is settled," he says and I nod.

"Yeah, everything's settled."

We take another look around. I feel strangely attached to this place we've called home for the last four months. The walls where the Colonel's pictures had hung are bare, the pictures now packed with the rest of our stuff and I already missed seeing them there.

"Let’s go before we ask Thor if we can take the house with us," the Colonel says softly and with a nod I fall into step next to him, leaving our house for the last time.

"Everybody! Rise and shine!" he shouts as we wander through the dark streets. Candles are lit and a few confused as well as a few angry replies are uttered in return.

"What is going on Jack?" Paynan asks, still wearing his sleeping clothes. A small crowd of sleepy villagers builds around us and the Colonel waits until he thinks that everybody is present.

"Oh there's good news and there's better news, which do you wanna hear first?" we are met with a lot of confused looks and so I just continue.

"Good news is Colonel O’Neill and I are going home tonight," murmurs start from every direction most of them questioning what I have just said.

"I thought that was the better news," the Colonel mumbles in my direction before he raises his arms to silence the others again.

"Carter's right. A good friend of ours is here to take us home. And this is where the better news come in, this friend of ours also brought your friends with him."

Laira speaks first after it seems like everyone else has forgotten how to, "How is that possible? Has your doorway been uncovered?"

"Ah, no. You see this friend of ours is from a different world far away and he doesn't travel through the stargate like we do, he uses a ship. That's like the canoe I built just for space travel," the Colonel explains. Nobody looked convinced so he simply says, "they'll appear in a blinding light in a couple a minutes so... just don't panic, okay?" We don’t need to wait long, two minutes later Thor appears next to me.

"Major Carter have you and your Colonel bid your goodbyes?"

"Not exactly, give us a few minutes, okay?"

"Very well."

"Paynan buddy!" the Colonel calls and the circle closes on us as not only Paynan but everybody says their goodbyes with handshakes, hugs and even the random tear.

"Okay guys, I think that's our cue to leave. Thor, ready?"

"Yes O’Neill. Transportation can begin immediately."

"Okay, so down with the guys and up with us. My friends?" he asks and turns so he can look in everyone's eyes and says, "It's been a blast, see you around!"

The next thing I see is the familiar bright light of the Asgard transportation system.

"Carter would you do the honors?" the Colonel says as he points to the DHD in front of me.

Thor has taken us to the nearest planet with a stargate, it had taken only minutes to arrive at our destination and after a short goodbye from Thor we beamed to the surface.

"With pleasure, sir," I close the remaining distance to the DHD in a few strides and start punching the address.

With a last smile in the Colonel's direction I push the seventh symbol and wait with anticipation for the blue liquid to fill the circle.

With the long missed whoooshh the gate activates and we walk up the steps.

"It's not yellow and there isn't a brick inside but it's the way home, don't you think Dorothy?"

Rolling my eyes I take the last step.

As I step through the gate again I have the overwhelming feeling of coming home. And I don't mean earth, I mean the wormhole. I am swallowed by gravimetrical forces that are so different from the things I have concerned myself with for a long time. I am very conscious of my clothing as well as my slightly longer hair. We have changed so much; I just hope our home hasn't changed as well. I suddenly wonder what has happened to my house. Did I still have a home to go to or have they given it up? What is our current status at the SGC? Have we been declared KIA or MIA? Things like that, trivial and important all mixed up swivel though my brain in the seconds our journey takes. The journey is too short and too long at the same time. Here we spent two thirds of a year away from home, an unbelievable distance away and then it only takes seconds to bring us back. I feel cheated somehow.

On the other hand I am impatient. I have been promised home on the other side and now I wonder if it has always taken so long to do this.

Just as the thought has formed in my mind we are there. We are back.

"Long time no see mon General!" the Colonel exclaims as soon as he stops to stand next to me and I can’t help but grin.

Oh yeah, we are so back.

Chapter Eight: Welcome Home

The people around us look at us, a little stunned, but with happy smiles.

"Welcome home. It's been a long time indeed."

"Where are Danny and Teal'c?" the Colonel asks and I’m suddenly gripped by fear. They wouldn't die on us, would they? It will have been too cruel to let us return back home after so long only to find half our family gone.

A huge puff of air leaves my lungs when the General tells us that they are on Abydos to take new pictures of the cartouche Daniel found there three years ago.

"We were told to expect you tomorrow, so I sent Dr. Jackson to do something else then pace the length of the gate room until then. He was beginning to irritate me."

Both me and the Colonel smile at the mental picture before he puts a hand on my shoulder to guide me towards the blast doors. When we are up in the control room the Colonel and General shake hands and I am surprised when Hammond gives me a hug. A wave of fatherly affection hits me so hard that I press my eyes shut, gloating in the fact that I am finally back where I belong. The General releases me and I smile again. The feelings of homecoming I'd had before are nothing compared to this "I suggest you go and see Dr. Fraiser and then we'll meet for a short briefing. You're on downtime for two weeks, I'd like the full reports when you return for duty. Understood?" his voice is strict as he looks at the Colonel, but the fact that he is still smiling betrays said strictness.

We salute sharply, bellowing a "Yes, sir," like the good soldiers we are and with one last smile leave the room to head to the infirmary.

"Oh my god Sam!" Janet says as soon as she sees me enter her infirmary.

"Hi Janet," I answer and before I know it I am enveloped in a fierce hug. Who knew that the petite woman had so many muscles hidden under her lab coat?

"Good to see you too Janet," I manage to choke out and as she realizes that my breathing is a little labored she releases me.

"Sorry," she says with an impish smile. "God I missed you! You should have seen Cassie, I'll call her in a second."

"How about we pay her a little visit?" the Colonel asks besides me and Janet seems to realize for the first time that he is with me.

"That would be nice, sir. Good to see you back home, sir," I notice her extensive use of 'sir.' Seems like she is trying to compensate for not greeting him before.

"Glad to be at your mercy once again," he says with a twinkle in his eye and Janet smiles.

"It's really good to see you again..." she starts, "ah what the heck," with that she takes a step and hugs him, "Welcome home."

His arms come up to hug her back and he whispers his thanks, "Now let's stop all these sentimental displays of affection and on with the needles. I'd like to get out of here and have a nice long look at earth's sun," he exclaims after a second then adds, "And a beer."

"Oh sweet gray, how I missed it," the Colonel says as he pats the wall of the elevator.

"Don't forget the camouflage green, sir," I say and he smiles. It seems like that is all we are doing today.

"We made it, didn't we?"

"Definitely, sir. Home at last."

"You think a hug would be appropriate?" he asks casually and I grin at him.

"I guess..." I trail off, but turn to face him. Carefully we step into each other’s personal space. One would think that I'd have gotten used to feeling him so close after the last six months, but it seems like I haven't. I enjoy the closeness for a second before I remind myself that I shouldn't get used to this.

"Welcome home, Major."

Chapter Nine: Friends and Family

Since our cars are in a garage across town, we get ourselves a driver and head for the High school.

"How are we supposed to find Cassie in this crowd?" the Colonel asks over the noise of the teenagers scattered around us.

"No problem, sir. I'll find her," he looks at me puzzled then his face changes into an 'ahh-expression.'

"At least that snake was good for something," he murmurs and I smile. The traces of naquadah in Cassie's system enable me to sense her, a fact that comes in very handy every now and then.

Just as I think the familiar tingle makes itself known and I turn a full circle to see where my inner compass leads me.

"Sam!" ding-ding, we have a winner!

The body that crushes me in a firm hug is definitely taller than nine months ago.

"My Cass, don't break my bones please."

She releases me only to fling herself at the Colonel. We'll probably do a lot of hugging today.

Cassie hadn't wanted to go when her next lesson had started, she'd only gone when we both promised to come and see her the first chance we got.

We walk back to the car and tell the driver to go to my place first since it is closer to the school. By a silent, mutual agreement we just sit there watching the world pass by through the windows.

When we arrived at my house I leave the car and look at the place. My house stands there like I remembered it, a fact that more disturbs than pleases me. I've been gone for so long and still life has gone on, I’d known that of course I didn't consider myself so important that I’d expected the world to stop spinning, but they could’ve at least let the flowers die! They look healthier than before I left, for crying out loud!

"Carter? You all right?" the Colonel asks through the open window.

"Sure, sir," I answer after a second, "Just a bit of a culture shock. If you can call it that. Have a safe trio home, sir," I tell him before I walk the short distance to the door.

"Bye Carter," I hear him call and with a look over my shoulder I wave at him. The driver accelerates and in a matter of seconds the car vanishes around the next corner.

With a sigh I turn back to face my home. Already feeling more at home than only a few minutes ago I close the remaining distance with a few steps. I search my pockets for the keys I’d taken from my locker earlier. I'd been surprised that they hadn't cleared our stuff from the lockers, but I had also never been so glad to find that I had stocked it with extra clothing.

I step inside and immediately see that someone has been inside, there is no dust on the surfaces, the air smells fresh and all the curtains are open. After I look around some more I realize that not only has there been someone in my house, but that there still is somebody there.

"Hello?" I call as I enter the living room, dismissing my first thoughts about burglars. Criminals usually don't open the curtains in the houses they break into, besides what are the odds that they’d break in today after I’d been gone for so long? That is even out of Murphy's range.

"Sam!" I blink several times when I hear the familiar voice calling and then again when he enters the living room. "Oh my god, Sam!" he shouts and then gives me a crushing hug that lifts my feet off the ground.

I can only smile at my brother's enthusiastic greeting, "Come on Mark, let me down, will ya?" I manage between fits of laughter in which he has joined me. He obediently sets me down again and I take a deep breath before I look at him with big grin on my face, "Missed me, hah?"

All playfulness leaves his face as he answers, "We were worried Sammy. Uncle George called and said that you were missing, he couldn't say where though. You had us a bit shocked, little sister."

"Hey!" I say softly, "I'm here now, right?" he nods and then looks at me again ready to start the generation old discussion about the military once again. So I quickly take his hand and pull him with me to the kitchen. He follows me wordlessly for which I am grateful. Once in the kitchen I open the refrigerator only to find it empty. "No surprise there then," I mutter before I turn to my brother once again. "As there is nothing edible in here and I'm quite hungry how about you and I go a little grocery shopping?" I ask him and with another smile he nod. "Great, did you arrive here by car?" I ask.

"No, George called me yesterday, telling me that he might have news about you by tomorrow so I took the next flight over," he explains.

"That's sweet, Mark," and it is, my brother usually doesn't show his concern so openly, it seems like I’d really had him worried. "Well my car is still in the garage, could you call a cab while I go fetch a jacket?" he nods and I go get my jacket. It’d been a lot warmer when I had put those clothes into the locker after all.

When I get back Mark says that the cab should be here any second and as if on cue the driver rings the doorbell calling, "Your cab's here!"

We leave the house and I give the driver the address for the garage where my car has been stored. That done we go to the supermarket where I internally 'ahhed' and 'ohhed' over all the stuff. I think I bought a little too much, but hey I had nearly a years worth of pay waiting for me, so who cares?

Mark keeps giving me strange looks and I finally ask him what has piqued his interest.

"Oh nothing, sis. It's just you look as if you haven’t been in a supermarket for a long long time."

"Ah, that’s actually true Mark," I tell him trying to stay as close to the truth as possible I continue, "There wasn't any city nearby", true, "and so we had to grow our own food," absolutely true.

"Where on earth have you been?" he asks disbelievingly.

"Sorry, classified. How about carrot-salad with the steaks?" I ask him, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Yeah whatever," he’s sulking, great.

"Listen Mark, I cannot tell you and I won't. Can't we just have a nice day together?" I plead and eventually he gives in. I had forgotten how hard it could be to talk with my brother when he doesn't get things his way. I had also forgotten how difficult it is to hide everything you do from the people around you.

After a few minutes of tense silence Mark asks me if he can have vanilla pudding for dessert and with a laugh I agree.

Vanilla pudding, steaks, potatoes and carrots have been packed away into the trunk of my car and we are just about to start the drive back to my place when I see something in the video store across the street.

"Wait a second, Mark, I'll be right back," I say and grab my purse before I hurry over the street.

Five minutes later I come back the video I’ve bought safely tucked into a bag, "What's that?" Mark asks and points to my purchase.

"Oh just a gift, nothing fancy. Come on let's go. I feel like I haven't eaten in ages."

Chapter Ten: This Is Home

We’re in the kitchen talking while I prepare dinner when we hear the front door close.

"Carter? Are ya home?"

"Yes, sir. I'm in the kitchen," I call and Mark looks at me puzzled. I’m not sure why until I realize the Colonel has entered using his emergency key. It probably should alarm me that the Colonel would enter my house like this, but it feels right somehow.

"He has keys in case of an emergency," I explain but Mark still looks suspicious. He comes through the door and his eyes immediately settle on Mark, "Sorry, I didn't know you had company. I can come back tomorrow..." he says, already turning.

"Nonsense, sir. I don't believe you've met my brother? Mark? This is Colonel Jack O’Neill, Colonel, this is my brother Mark. Remember I told you about him when we were on... away," I hastily correct myself. It’s hard to treat the stargate and everything around it as a secret when you've been talking about it openly for nearly a year.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Carter," he says and they shake hands.

"Are you the Jack?" Mark asks and the Colonel raises his eyebrows in my direction.

"Talking about me Carter?"

"Actually, no. My father did. You are Sammie's CO, aren't you?"

"Yep that would be me. What did Jacob say about me?" he asks with a smile in Marks direction.

"Oh, he said, 'He's annoying to no end but one of the best soldiers I ever met.'" Mark says in his best General Carter voice.

The Colonel smiles, "That sure sounds like Jacob," he walks over to me and automatically helps me with dinner. I wouldn't have realized how out of place this must seem if I hadn't caught Mark's shocked expression as he saw the Colonel cut the carrots.

I decide to ignore my brother for now; there'll be enough time to explain this to him later. After I've hopefully found a plausible lie.

"Did you come here for a reason, sir?" I ask the Colonel instead.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot," he dries his hands before he takes something from within his jacket pocket.

He throws me the little package and I smile as I realize what it is. Chocolate. Lot's of it, all from Mrs. Terry's down the road. I have to smile. "Thank you, sir."

"I thought a welcome home present was in order," he shrugs but smiles.

"That's sweet, sir. I actually got you something too," his eyes widen in that childlike fashion I know so well. I feel bad for ignoring my brother who's come all this way to spend time with me, but the Colonel will probably leave in a few minutes anyway.

I pick up my bag from next to the door where I had left it.

"There you go Colonel," I say as I toss him the videotape.

"The Simpsons - Bart Wars! Cool Carter, you're the best," and his smile warms me more than any hug could have.

We gaze at each other for a second before he speaks again, "Well I'm gonna leave you two alone, now. You'll be okay Carter?"

"Sure, sir. You?"

"Just fine. I have a great bedtime story," he says and holds up the tape.

I’m glad he likes it. He and Mark shake hands again and the Colonel says, "Nice meeting you Mr. Carter."

"Likewise," Mark replies a little tense.

When he turns to me he smiles again, "I'll find my own way out," he draws a breath and we both say, "Fair day," before he turns with a last smile in my direction. "And be well," I mumble before I realize Mark is still in the room.

I turn around and smile at my brother before I resume preparing our dinner.

"So how are the wife and kids?"

"Sam what the hell was that?" he asks with a look of utter disbelief on his face. I know my brother; he won’t let this go until I come up with a plausible explanation. There is only one little problem: the truth isn't very plausible.

"What do you mean?" I ask. I know I’m stalling but I have no idea what to say to him.

"Oh come on. That your commanding officer has a key would be explainable, but he came in without knocking... and what about the carrots?" he waves in the direction of the expertly cut vegetables as if they hold some deeper meaning.

"He only wanted to help," not good, I know, but hey I have never claimed to be a good liar.

"You always cook together?"

"Now that's enough Mark! If you have something to say, say it. If not, say nothing."

"Well I have something to say. You and that guy are suspiciously acting like a couple and I sure as hell would like to know about that," his voice has risen to the angry volume I know all to well from my childhood.

"A couple? The Colonel and I? Oh Mark you’ve got it so wrong. What did they tell you about what happened to me while I was away?" nobody has filled me in yet and without asking I won’t get out of this.

"Just that you were missing and that your return was uncertain. Damn military wasn't really forthcoming with information," he spits. He may have made his peace with our father, but that doesn't mean his hatred for the military has ceased, far from it apparently.

I take a deep calming breath and look at him. He is still sitting at the table his hands clenched into fists.

I sigh and sit down opposite him, "I can't tell you what happened, but while I was... missing. The Colonel was missing as well; we were sharing a house and practically lived together. Cooking the evening meal together is a tradition there, we just... I don't know. He's my best friend and he was the only one I knew for a long time. It’s... hard to be separated from him," I admit and realize in the same instant that it is true. I miss him.

"I’m sorry," I am surprised to hear Mark say. He usually doesn't apologize least of all to his little sister.

"I just can't understand how you can be missing when you are working in that mountain. On deep space radar telemetry of all things," I smile at him and he even smiles back.

"Come on, let's have dinner, shall we?" I rise and walk over to the counter to finish the preparations for our meal.

"You know I only want to keep you safe, don't you?" he asks in a voice that is one hundred percent our father's.

Without turning around I smile again, "Of course I know that."

We are nearly finished with dinner when the doorbell rings. I shoot a confused look to Mark then apologize.

"Sorry, I have no clue who that could be," I quickly walk to the door and my confusion evaporates making room for happiness as I see who is standing on the other side of the door.

"Hey guys," I say as I open the door for Daniel and Teal'c.

"Oh Sam, it's so good to finally have you back, we were so worried..." I stop Daniel with a hand on his arm.

"I’m here now am I not?" I ask rhetorically and it’s Teal'c who answers.

"Indeed you are MajorCarter. I am pleased to see you alive and well," he is smiling openly and I can see his usually hidden emotions displayed in his facial expression.

"Thanks Teal'c." I smile at them. I’m doing an awful lot of smiling today.

It seems like Mark has decided to make his presence known. He comes out of the kitchen and gives me a glance that asks for introduction.

"Mark come over here. Daniel, Teal'c this is my brother, Mark. Mark this is Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c," he smiles at them politely and my two friends smile back. "Seems like you’re getting to know all my friends today, we all work together at Cheyenne Mountain."

It’s Daniel's turn to look confused and I explain, "The Colonel paid us a visit only half an hour ago,"

"He did? You know I always thought you two would kill each other if left alone too long," Daniel says with a smile.

"Nah, killing your commanding officer is really bad for your career ya know, I wouldn't do that."

"Of course not. Well we'll leave you two alone now, how about we meet tomorrow for lunch? You know the whole gang, Cassie has been dying to see you."

"I know, we paid her a visit this afternoon, she's a real lady now, I missed so much about you guys..." I sigh and Daniel immediately envelops me in a hug.

"I am sorry, I wasn't there today to greet you, we were told you'd arrive tomorrow."

"I know, don't be sorry. I understand you’ve achieved a lot of things in the last year?"

"Oh yeah, the archeology department is finally ahead of the astrophysics department. I think it's now 122 to 287," Daniel informs me with a cheeky grin. He and I had a bet, if one of us left the project, the one who had made the most discoveries would pay all those bills we'd left unpaid at Sean's. Sean's is a bar in town we frequently visit.

"But well Daniel, now I am back, so prepare to be left in the dirt. I've done some thinking while I was away, believe me. The next thing I plan is something that'd get me the Noble Prize if I could talk about it," I reply and I think he looks a little scared, he knows I usually don't say things I can’t back up. I am of course talking about my particle beam accelerator, it may all have been theory, but I've had a lot of time on Edora and I've come up with a few ideas, I need the base computers to check it out but I am fairly certain that I can build one. Oh the Air Force will so love me for this.

Daniel and Teal'c leave shortly after that. Mark and I have finished our dinner and are now sitting on the couch with coffee, oh how I've missed coffee.

"So sis, how have you been? And I mean really. We haven't seen each other in two years and before that..." he shrugs his shoulders and I can see the embarrassment in his eyes. He may still hate the military, but he's at least stopped ignoring me and has even admitted that he was wrong. "I'm good actually. But I wanna know about you and your family."

"Well you know..."

We talk well into the night until I decide it is way beyond our bedtime, Mark does have to catch a flight tomorrow after all.

So now I’m lying in my bed unable to sleep. It’s probably all the excitement of coming home and all that stuff. It has to be, because I refuse to believe that the cold spot behind me is responsible for my restlessness.

I watch my alarm clock as it finally says it's 05:59h and swing my feet off the bed to get myself an extra pair of socks.

As I enter my living room I can hear Mark's soft snoring from the couch. I sit in the armchair next to him and shout, "Get the hell up, Cadet, what do you think this is, a vacation?" I muster my best drill sergeant voice; the one dad had always used to wake us when we'd been late for school. Mark practically jumps off the couch looking around like a madman as I burst into giggles. He realizes what I've done as he hears my laughter and immediately turns to me.

"Oh you are so gonna pay for this one sis!" and in a heartbeat he is next to me tickling my sides. I laugh until the tears are running down my cheeks.

"Please, Mark, stop," I manage between giggles and he actually stops to let me recover from his attack.

"You know, I kinda missed that," he says.

"What? Tickling me to tears?" I ask while taking deep breaths.

"In a way, yes. I missed you laughing. The last time you were in San Diego with Dad, you weren't laughing," he tells me and I try to remember a time that seems to be so far away from what my life has been recently.

"Yeah, I was a little depressed," I say and silently add, 'Because I’d just killed a man with the power of my mind and was having a little problem with that.'

"And I guess you can't tell me about it?" Mark asks, already knowing the answer.

I only nod and smile. Changing the subject I stand, "Breakfast?" I ask and he smiles at me.

I took Mark to the airport after breakfast and we parted ways in peace for once.

I’m in my car right now, enjoying the speed. I had wanted to take the motorcycle but Janet warned me that if she saw me anywhere near the bike in the next two weeks she'd make certain the test results from my physicals were lost and she'd be forced to repeat them ALL. So I’m in the car and who would have thought? I’m in front of the Colonel's house.

What the hell am I doing here?

Before I can decide whether to run away or walk to the door I see a car pulling up next to me in the Colonel's driveway. Sitting inside is a grinning Jack O’Neill waving at me.

I smile back at him and open my window as he does the same.

"Hey Carter, you're a little early, aren't ya? I thought we were meeting at Janet's for lunch and at my place for dinner."

"I know, I was just driving around and thought I'd see how you are doing," I reply.

"How's Mark?" he asks as he gets out of his car.

"He's fine, on his plane home, actually."

"Did ya have breakfast yet?" he asks and I’m tempted to tell him that I haven't just so we can have breakfast together like we used to do.

"Yeah before I took Mark to the airport," I answer instead. I sit back in my seat as he leans on my car.

"Wanna have some coffee?" he asks casually.

"Sure," I answer equally casual, before my brain can over rationalize my actions.

"So...," he starts with a grin after he's made some coffee, has given me a donut and we've both sat down at the kitchen table. I sip my coffee as I look at him, the donut lying untouched on the table before me.

"So...," I counter and his grin widens even more.

"Home, huh?" careful Colonel if you’re so generous with words we'll be talking in sentences soon. I grin at the thought, then shake my head before I answer, "Yeah, I guess it's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?"

He nods, "You know yesterday evening after you left while I was making dinner, I actually turned around to ask you something, just because I expected you to be there," I admit and then curse my pale skin for revealing my blush. "It was a little weird. And you should have seen Mark, when I turned around, prepared to ask a question and then simply turned back when I realized you weren't there."

He grins at me, but then his expression sobers, "Ah, about yesterday, I'm kinda sorry, for barging in like that, I guess I've got a little adjusting to do as well," he shrugs his shoulders and looks at me with an apologetic grin, "I only realized what I’d done after I'd left again, oh and that carrot stuff too," he lowers his head, but he’s still grinning and I can’t help but laugh.

He looks at me and I explain Mark's reaction to him and suddenly he’s blushing! That certainly isn't something I've seen him do before, but it does look kinda cute. I take a piece from my donut and chew it slowly savoring the taste of sugar and all the other unhealthy ingredients.

He looks at me and I realize he has already eaten his own and without a word give the rest of mine a little push so he knows he can finish it if he wants to. With another grin he takes it and eats it in careful bites. We sit there in silence munching happily.

"So, how's everything at your place? Anything missing?" he asks suddenly.

"No, why?"

"Oh, I guess Daniel decided to 'borrow' my stereo and VCR," he says with a grunt and I smile again until I realize what that meant.

"Then you couldn't watch your video," I say and he nods.

"Yeah, no bedtime story."

I take a look at my watch and realize that we have enough time until lunch and so ask, "Wanna watch it at my place, sir? I'm not sure, but I think my VCR is still where it used to be."

He too looks at his watch then up to me, "Sure, I wouldn't know what to do till lunch anyway," he tilts his head a little as if he's just realized something and than speaks again, "Not that I wouldn't have agreed otherwise, I like spending time with you Carter, argh," he exclaims and I decide to help him out of his misery.

"I know what you mean, sir," I rise and put my cup in the sink, filling it with water before I turn around and walked past him. "You coming sir?

"Yeah just a second," he leaves the room and I take his cup to place it next to mine in the sink filling it with water as well. He comes back a second later, a bag in hand. His eyebrow rises when he sees me half-heartedly clean the cups. I simply shrug and watch him as he walks over to the refrigerator and takes out the package I saw him put in there earlier. I guess it’s something from the bakery since he'd taken the donuts from the same bag before he'd put it in there.

"What's that?" I ask and point to the mysterious package.

"Uh?" he looks at me quizzically, then catches me looking in the direction of his hand, "Oh that. It's a cake. Janet ordered me to bring dessert."

"Oh, cake," I say and with a smile he hides the package behind his back anticipating my next words, "What kind of cake?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

I give him an unhappy expression and he laughs, "It's chocolate cake, Carter. Just an ordinary chocolate cake."

"Mhhm, chocolate cake," I murmur and he quickly hides the cake behind his back again.

"Yeah and you can't have any before lunch," he states.

"You know, Colonel contrary to public opinion not all women are addicted to chocolate," I tell him and he grins.

"I know Carter, but you are addicted to the stuff. Don't forget, I know you," at his words a shiver runs down my spine and I am left to wonder why the prospect of him knowing me makes me feel light-headed as he walks out of the kitchen.

He isn't in the living room when I follow him. A second later he walks down the stairs putting a photo in his shirt pocket. At my questioning glance he looks a little... I don't know... embarrassed?

"I, uh, I just had to get something from upstairs," he looks at me for a second and seems to come to a decision. He takes the picture back out and sits on the couch with a sigh. I follow his example and sit next to him. He turns the picture over so I can see a boy smiling at the camera.

"Charlie?" I only half ask. He nodsand I carefully take the picture from his hands to study it.

I'd say he be about nine or ten years old when this picture was taken. He’s more grinning then smiling. Definitely his father’s grin, he had the same hair as well, before the Colonel’s had turned grayish anyway. He holds a baseball bat casually thrown over his shoulder, his cap turned backward.

"He looks like you," I say softly and turn to him giving the picture back.

"People usually say he looks like Sara," he takes another look as if to check again.

"It's the eyes, sir. He's got your eyes," he looks up at me, surprised before a grin settles on his features. "Oh and that grin," I take the picture from his hands again and hold it next to his face. "Yep definitely the Jack O’Neill grin."

"There is no 'Jack O’Neill' grin Carter," he says, his eyes wide.

"There's not? Well that it must be a different 'O’Neill' whom I heard about in the locker room."

He looks at me, not understanding what I mean, so I go on. "Let me think... I believe it was Lt. Esry, who mentioned, wait a second," I continue in a thick southern drawl, "that Colonel O’Neill is a honey, edible from the cute butt to the grayish hair, but the grin is absolutely gorgeous!" after that I start to giggle and I can’t seem to stop myself.

He looks at me a little shocked, but I can see the humor in his eyes. "Lt. Esry, huh? Now if she was only about fifteen years older, we could live happily ever after. Maybe I should ask her out?"

In typical male fashion his ego swells at what I have told him, "So Carter what was your input on the subject?" he asks and I’d kind of known that that question was coming.

"You know it's funny that you'd mention 'going out', 'cause that was exactly the same thing she said," I tell him and his grin becomes really smug.

"She did, did she now?"

"Uhuh," I nod my head before I continue, "Of course that was before she saw me," his facial expression once again states his confusion, and again I use the thick accent we all know Esry so well for to explain, "M-major Carter, ma'am! I'm... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit on ya man, I swear!'"

"What!?" he practically shouts and all I can say before I once again succumb to laughter is, "Exactly my reaction, sir!"

My laughter must have been infectious because the next thing I know is that we are both laughing. "You know Carter I actually dread meeting Daniel," he says after he's calmed down a bit.

"Why's that, sir?" I ask my laughter quieting as well.

"Oh, it's just with all the gossip we've missed he won't stop talking till next month," we both smile. He is right of course Daniel can be a little too concerned with the base's grapevine always bragging about who is dating whom at the SGC during missions. I actually enjoy listening to him because I always have an advantage over Janet who still hasn't found out how I am able to know all the gossip while being off world. The Colonel on the other hand usually isn't too pleased, probably because he's already heard everything Daniel is saying.

"Just as well, sir if that means we get downtime till he's finished," I tell him and he smiles.

"You know what the best thing about being home is?" he suddenly asks.

"Uh, showers?" I try as I remember Mark's comment on my one-hour morning shower.

He chuckles, but then shakes his head, "Close but not right," he turns and fishes something from behind the sofa, "It's pizza, Carter!" he pockets the picture again.

We both laugh at the empty pizza box he holds and then after some silent communication get up and leave the house. He throws the pizza in the trash on our way to the car and I smile again. We are home. It will take a while to get used to everything but this is definitely the place we'd been dreaming of returning to.

Chapter Eleven: Celebration

We arrive at Janet's place a little late, having lost time over the Simpson Video. When we finally get there Cassie once again throws her hands around both of us in greeting, "Hey guys. You are late," she states with the subtleness of a teenager.

"Nice seeing you too, Cass," the Colonel replies and I can only nod my head in agreement.

"Come on in, mum and Daniel were getting nervous," she says and vanishes back into the house.

"About what?" the Colonel asks and then adds, "that we gated back to that planet Thor left us on and then flew back to Edora?"

"Well the thought had crossed my mind, sir," I say with a silly grin on my face as I walk into Janet's house.

Being with our friends again feels more than good. Seeing Daniel and Janet joke around over dessert brings back how much I had missed them. The good humor between us as well as the love and friendship. Jokes that only the Colonel had any hope of understanding on Edora are finally acknowledged by all again. I feel like I belonged to these people and I treasure that feeling.

All around me people laugh and talk filling us in on all we’ve missed. Apparently Makepeace pulled some stupid stunt in liaison with Maybourne, which ended with both of them in prison. Daniel had to do an undercover act to get involved with them so he could destroy the conspiracy from the inside. From what Janet recounts he was quite the actor. That's how Thor got involved in our rescue. The Asgard, Tollan and Nox had talked to Hammond about the strange disappearances of their technologies from protected planets and after the General and Daniel had solved the mystery they had asked Thor for a favor which he gladly granted.

So here we are now, our friends have survived quite a few battles, which we are anxious to hear about. So we spend our afternoon listening and telling and just getting used to being around our friends again. In fact we talk so long that when we have come to a pause it’s time for dinner. We decide to relocate the party to the Colonel's house. Once there we start the grill and then have a really nice dinner with steaks and baked potatoes, celebrating our reunion.

Chapter Twelve: Remembering

After dinner Janet and I excused ourselves to the Colonel's roof to have some girl talk. The boys are happily watching some sport or the other. The Colonel has been complaining that he's missed a whole lot of hockey games and Daniel has volunteered to fill him in. I admit to like watching baseball every now and then but to watch anything sport related, just because it's sports seems to be male thing.

We’re sitting next each other and I’m just enjoying the knowledge that all my friends are around me. Cassie is lying in the Colonel's guestroom fast asleep, I had been so happy to see her again. I’d spent the last three hours asking her about everything that has happened in the last nine months. I think I've worn her out, she'd practically fallen asleep mid-sentence.

Janet smiles at me, "What are you thinking?" she asks me.

"Oh just how I missed all you guys and how happy I am to be home... all that stuff."

"Yeah. We all missed you. You should have seen Daniel, he was devastated. I don't know how many times he turned around and started to ask you something. It sometimes took him minutes to realize you weren't there."

I smile sadly at her, "Well I had my surroundings to remind me where I was, all the time."

"How was it? Living on Edora, I mean," Janet asks.

"Oh it wasn't bad. The people were really nice and all, except Laira who seemed to be ready to kill me any second," I tell her with a laugh. "It was nice. You know we could really help those people, we made a difference with the little things we did. I taught the few kids that were left, we built a lot of houses, and furniture, we worked in the fields, we helped with the cooking and all that stuff. It wasn't the intergalactic war we are fighting here at the SGC, but it was still important."

Janet looks at me with big eyes.

"What?" I ask.

"You cooked?"

"Janet! I can cook! Go ask the Colonel." She only laughs at me more.

I lean over so I can see the veranda beneath us, as well as the open doors.

"Hey Colonel!" I shout and a few seconds later his head appears.

"What's up Carter?" he asks.

"I can cook a decent meal, can't I?" I ask him and Janet appears next to me.

"Sure," he replies and I smile a triumphant smile at Janet, "With a little help," he adds.

Janet laughs beside me as I throw him a dirty look. He raises his arms in defeat and says, "Believe her doc, she can definitely cook, all I ever did was cut vegetables. Anything else?"

"Nope, that's all sir, thanks."

"No problem," with that he vanishes back into the house.

I sit back down again and take a sip from my beer.

Janet sits down next to me with a smile on her face that makes me want to run away.

"Soooo," here it comes, "you and the Colonel cooked together? Anything else you need to tell me?" she asks with the worst possible grin on her face.

"Janet!" I admonish her, "you are impossible! What do you think I need to tell you, hah?" That we had slept next to each other every night, that we’d lived together in our own house for six months, that we... stop now!

"Oh I don't know," Janet interrupts my inner dialogue, "You were alone with one of the most attractive man on base, for nine months and you want to tell me that nothing happened between you two?"

Shit! I’m blushing I know I’m blushing, damn.

"Aha," Janet exclaims with triumph.

"What?" I ask her trying to play innocent.

"Oh come on! You’re beet red. Something happened and I wanna know what!"

I know this woman, she is my best friend, and the only 'girl-friend' I have had in a long time. When she gets like this there is no way to escape, none, zero, nada, nothing. So I admit defeat as I sigh dramatically and motion her to come closer. I lower my voice to a whisper and tell her, "We kissed."

Janet Fraiser looks at me like a fish, "You kissed?" she finally manages to choke out.

"Once."

"Once?"

"Once."

"How? When? Why?" Janet starts to bubble and I can’t help the smile that comes to my face together with a slight blush.

"It was after a party Paynan was having at his house...

Six months earlier

We’re sat next to each other, two lonely souls in crowd of cheering people.

Garan is being spun around by his friends, and as I understand it it’s some game to get to know your true love. Everybody is dancing and alcohol is being passed around freely.

I haven't tried it yet, but the smell alone is enough to make my stomach burn.

Paynan suddenly yanks the Colonel away and they blindfold him. I watch for a second before I decide to get myself something to drink.

Paynan sees me and comes over, handing me a small cup with the health hazard he calls a drink.

"Drink some. It will lift the sorrows from your shoulders," he tells me and I laugh at him.

"Yeah and probably give me a headache to remember," I say but after another sniff I down the liquid. As I had thought the burning sensation is overwhelming and Paynan laughs as I cough.

"Do you like it?" he asks me and I grin at him.

Holding out my cup I ask "Refill?" and with a laugh of his own he follows my request. We lean against the wall and he fills my cup as soon as I empty it, my stomach is already spreading this warm feeling that always comes with being drunk. I watch the scene before me, they are still spinning the Colonel around and a beaming Laira motions her people to push him in her direction, but in her haste she moves in his way and he falls over her. He lands on his back and everybody laughs.

Worriedly I make my way over to him and reach him as he sits up. I gave him a hand so he can stand up again. Only when he is standing does he remove the blindfold. He looks at me and smiles. I can feel Laira's angry looks as if I have seen them. Ignoring her I ask the Colonel if he is all right and he says he just needs to sit down for a second.

We sit together and Laira comes over, apologizing for making him fall. He says it is all right and she sits down besides him.

Paynan comes to sit besides me and he fills our cups until we are all pleasantly drunk. Laira talks to the Colonel while Paynan and I are discussing future plans for more houses until we are just too drunk to concentrate on such things.

"I think I'm going to bed," the Colonel announces just as I start a similar sentiment and Laira immediately rises to accompany him.

Present Day

"That woman seems to have had an iron claw around our poor Colonel," Janet declares.

"Yeah. Imagine her face as the Colonel says...

Six Months Ago

"Carter? You coming? Or would ya rather stay?"

I look at Laira, her face is boiling with anger and her hands are clenched to fists by her sides.

"I think I'm going to bed, too," I tell him. "Thanks for the party Paynan. It was great," I give him a kiss on the cheek and he smiles at me. "You are most welcome, Samantha," he tells me. I then follow the Colonel who has said a short goodnight to Laira and is already by the door.

He holds the door open for me and I walk through leaving the happy Edorans behind me. We walk over to Laira's house, both tripping over every obstacle in the way. In the end we simply hold onto each other, supporting each other to the house.

"You know Colonel I think that we are pretty drunk," I say between giggles.

"You know ya got this annoying talent of stating the obvious, Carter."

"Sorry, sir." I say without being the least bit sorry.

"Sure you are," he says before we bump into the door, laughing.

My back is pressed into the door and the Colonel is pressing against me.

We hastily untangle ourselves and stumble inside before we can think about what has just happened.

As we stand inside we look at each other again. I don't know what he is thinking, but I know that I’m not thinking at all as we simultaneously take a step forward, meeting in the middle. The haste and passion I anticipate judging by the way we take that last step doesn't follow.

Our bodies are as close as possible without touching.

When his hand touches my face my own hand rises to his cheek, caressing forbidden flesh in a way that is equally forbidden. As his hand passes my ear, mine travels to the back of his neck, absently stroking the short hair I find there. Our hands draw our heads together; our eyes lock ensuring the other knows there is no alien virus or inter-dimensional counterpart this time.

There isn't even half an inch between our lips as we close our eyes.

Present Time

"And?"

"And what?" I look at Janet with the most innocent look I can muster and I swear if looks could kill... let it just be said that there wouldn't be enough sarcophagi in this galaxy to help me.

"Sam! I want details!" she exclaims and I have to laugh at her.

"You want details, huh? Well... where was I? Oh, yeah, the kiss. The first contact was awkward, we were a little insecure I guess, but after that... let me just tell you that this man knows how to kiss," I state and Janet's gaze is intense as she tries to find out if I’m telling the truth. She finally speaks, "Okay, so you kissed. What happened next?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Come on! After nearly four year of flirting, sexual tension and two alternate realities all you did was kiss once?" she asks and her voice is full of disbelief.

"But that's exactly what we did Janet. We were both drunk and we knew it. We kissed and he smiled at me with that what-did-just-happen expression and I shook my head and smiled back. We let go of each other and went to bed."

What I won’t tell Janet is that we had gone to our bed and that the night hadn't been spent in our usual, more innocent embrace, but with our arms and legs tangled our bodies as close to each other as they could be without being one.

"I'm not sure I can believe that," Janet tells me.

"Believe it Jan, it's the truth."

"And nothing changed between the two of you?"

"We’re closer, he's my best friend and I learnt things about him I never thought I would. In the end I'm kind of glad it happened. Not that we were away from you guys for so long and I could have definitely done without the broken arm but I gained something as well. I gained the Colonel's friendship. A true friendship, more than the camaraderie we had before. And for that I am grateful."

"I still think you did more than kiss," Janet says and rises.

I laugh and follow her example, as we stand next to each other I give her a hug telling her, "I missed you guys."

"We missed you, too."

We stand under the stars, one of them the sun Edora circles, and I think of a little house that is standing on that planet. Garan and his wife are happily living there, just like I once had.

Epilogue

We've retired for the night. Janet and Cassie have got the guest room and Teal'c and Daniel are sleeping on a mattress in one of the other rooms, the Colonel got his bed and I got the couch.

We all went to bed about an hour ago, but I'm still awake. I'm really happy to be home, but...

Yeah, there is a but and that’s the problem. I miss the Colonel, I miss having him to myself and I miss him at night. Especially at night.

All the bachelors in the world don't know what they are giving up when they wake up to an empty bed every morning. I know how it feels to be warm, the warmth that only another human body can provide.

I hug my blanket close, trying to get warmer. I'm so tired I feel like I could sleep for a week. So why am I lying here wide awake?

I get my answer as I hear footsteps; someone is walking down the stairs.

I open my eyes to see who else can't sleep and I'm not really surprised to see the Colonel standing by the stairs.

He's looking at me and all I can do is look back at him. He starts walking towards me and sits on the coffee table in front of me. I have no idea what he expects from me now; I only know that all I want in this moment is to feel him next to me.

He must have read my approval in my eyes, because the next thing he does is reach out his hand and I take it. I swing my legs off the couch and he pulls me to my feet.

I follow without question as he leads me to his bedroom. He releases my hand as he gets under the covers and I simply walk around the bed and get in on the other side.

We meet in the middle of the bed, me on my side and him on his back next to me, I have the pleasant feeling of coming home and for a moment I just enjoy the warmth.

"Sam?" the Colonel calls and I'm suddenly afraid. We never talk, especially in moments like these.

"Yeah?" I answer after a second.

"Good night," he simply says and I'm kinda surprised he doesn't say anything more.

After half a second’s hesitation I turn around.

"That isn't what you were going to say," I say and look at him expectantly.

He looks at me and I can see indecision in those brown depths, a barely audible sigh escapes him before he speaks again, "No it isn't."

Any more questions I could ask him die on my lips as he reaches out and pulls me to his chest, bringing the blankets around us before he holds me close to him.

I'm tense for a second before I simply snuggle up to him; I'm on my side, my hand lies on his chest and my head is on his shoulder. And it feels right.

I’d thought we'd go on like before, just being Colonel and Major again, but now I'm curled on my side facing him and both his arms hold me close and I realize something. We need each other and we’ve just admitted it.

FINI Three Hundred Days

Feedback would be greatly appreciated at p-u-k@gmx.net

Home