Daniel sat on his and Sam's bed next to her open bag, the Archaeologist quietly watching as his fiancée went back-and-forth, a phone clamped to her head as she looked close to a breakdown. Knowing how stressed she was, he stood up and when she stopped in front of her dresser, he approached her and gently massaged her shoulders. She closed her eyes and sighed softly as she leaned into his touch, flexing her neck as she realised just how stressed she was getting. She smiled back at him, mouthing the word, 'thanks,' before saying into the phone,

"Yes, Sir. No, I understand. Thanks."

She pressed a button to disconnect the phone before dropping it to the ground, not caring about what happened to it. Daniel said in a soft voice, "That was a long call."

Sam exhaled as his fingers continued to knead her tense muscles. "Just some technicalities about Midway. He just had to make sure that I understood as there isn't time for a briefing before I go. There could have been, to be honest, but I think he took pity on us." She turned around, slipping her arms around his shoulders as she rested her head against him, closing her eyes as she tried to draw strength from him. He rested his head against hers as he held her tight. She whispered, her body beginning to involuntarily tremble, "Daniel... if I don't come back..." She felt his body tense up and a tear rolled down her cheek. "... I don't want you to spend the rest of your life alone. You'll find someone, and I'll tell you now, you have my blessing."

He didn't say anything, not a single word in reply, and she felt even worse. She felt far worse when he shook and she realised that he was crying. Feeling absolutely rotten, she held onto him tighter. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I'm sorry, but..."

He shook his head and said quietly, his voice sounding congested, "Sam... I just want you to know that there is no-one else for me... there never will be."

Tears now running down her cheeks, she said, shaking her head as she looked up at him, "There could be one day, Daniel, you never know. I just don't want you feeling guilty when the time comes and I'm not here."

He appeared flustered at the prospect of sharing the love that he had with Sam, with someone else. "I didn't ask anyone else to marry me. I want you. Even... even if you don't come back, which... which I want to think is incredibly unlikely, there will never be anyone else."

"You say that now, Daniel, but..."

He snapped, "But nothing. This isn't the pain talking." He glanced at his watch and quickly composed himself, his tone softening. "Come on, you've gotta have breakfast before you go... without your fan club."

She smiled as she dried her eyes with the tissue he gave her. "You're so cute when you're jealous." She kissed him on the cheek as he gazed at her sombrely, and she stepped around him in order to fasten her bag. She tilted her head back and looked around their room. "I'm going to miss this place." She turned to look at him with a half-smile. "I'm going to miss you."

He remarked with a smile that failed to reach his eyes, "I'm glad you said that." He gazed at her, his smile softening as he focussed on the good memories, of which there were a lot, that he had of their time together. She was about to lift her bag when he stopped her. "Here, let me." Without waiting for an answer, he lifted the bag and with his other hand, took her hand as they left the room together.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Cam lie curled up in bed with Vala, a contented smirk on his face as he held her with one arm, the elbow of his other arm being used to prop himself up, his bare back bathed in the morning sunlight. He beamed as Vala's eyes opened, and he remarked as he cuddled her, "Hey, Mrs Mitchell, how's it going?"

They kissed and she replied, her face radiant with happiness, "It's still... going, Colonel Mitchell." She looked at him flirtatiously, and then asked, concerned, "Aren't we going to Daniel and Samantha's?"

He shook his head and said with a small grimace, "Ah, no. Was gonna drop in a little later, but got a somewhat stiff phone call from Jackson, asking whether we were gonna have breakfast with them. Kinda took the hint there." He smoothed his wife's stomach as he kissed her temple. "We'll see Sam off at the SGC." He glanced at the bedside clock. "Speaking of which... we better move if we're gonna get there without breaking the speed limit." She opened her mouth to speak and he raised an eyebrow. "No, we're not gonna use you being pregnant as an excuse. We've got to save that one up for when we do get round to making us some little Mitchells." He kissed her softly as her gaze became downcast, the former Goa'uld host feeling forlorn. "Hey, come on, we've only just started try-outs. We've got plenty of time."

She looked up at him, barely concealed anguish in her eyes. "But what if by having Adria..."

"Hey, hush up now... Carolyn said you're fine. Just gonna take a little time 'cos of the stress and crap." He sighed softly as he settled down to cuddle her under the covers, his eyes closed as she began to smile at his attempts to reassure her. "Come on, baby. Just time for this. Wanna continue try-outs after watching Sam go?"

She shrieked in surprise when he tickled her, a mischievous expression on his face, and she replied, grinning when he groaned, rolling his head back into the pillow once she had exacted her revenge on him, "Let's take a break. We could actually leave the house for something that isn't work."

He remarked with a teasing smile, "Isn't it a bit late to want to date me now? You're in it for the long haul now, honey bunches."

She hummed smugly as she lie over him, her long hair cascading around his face. "I could say the same to you." She closed her eyes as their bodies slid together and she whispered with an impish smile, "Let's break the speed limit to get to the SGC."

He murmured distractedly, the Colonel being unable in that moment to focus on anything else, "Sure thing, Mrs Mitchell."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel watched Sam politely shake hands with her senior officers in the gateroom. His sadness appeared to remain at bay for the time being as he watched his fiancée prepare to leave. He watched her, dressed in an olive green flight suit, be engulfed in huge hugs from Teal'c and Vala after a solemn handshake with Cam. Sam said with a smile tinged with regret as she looked at Cam,

"I'm going to miss your promotion. If it was up to me, I'd be there."

Cam smiled at her affectionately. "I know. You're gonna be there in spirit anyhow." He patted her shoulder. "Go kick some ass, girl. Good luck."

Sam said quietly to both him and Vala, "And to you too."

Cam and Vala exchanged a discreet glance before thanking her, and at last Sam made it to Daniel. They just stood facing each other, neither sure of what to say. Daniel came to the conclusion, however, that he, being a civilian rather than military, would be permitted to hug her. If he wasn't... he didn't care. This was his fiancée. Being brave for her, he smiled at her fondly and hugged her tight, whispering as he almost swept her off her feet,

"I am so proud of you."

She grinned at him as he spun her around and suddenly she felt much better about her impending time away. She would be back. The months would fly by. Jack, raising his eyebrows as Landry looked away, cleared his throat and said, looking a little testy,

"Uh, Daniel? Put Carter down."

The others smirked as Daniel eventually let a slightly embarrassed Sam go. He held her hand as she walked away from him, the Archaeologist slowly letting her hand go. Suddenly, she turned back to him and kissed him quickly, showing him with her eyes just how much she would miss him as he stroked her cheek. At last, she walked away from him, her bag slung over her shoulder as Jack rolled his eyes. The General asked, sounding insolent,

"Carter? Ready?"

Sam willed herself not to cry as her eyes fell on Daniel's quiet and drawn form, and she tried to swallow past a lump in her throat as she nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Good." He looked up at the control room. "Walter?"

Walter called via his microphone, "The Apollo is ready and waiting, Sir."

Jack nodded in acknowledgement and then said as Sam nodded again, "Hit it."

Sam smiled slightly as she looked at her friends and she waved a little and then looked up as the Apollo beamed her out of the SGC. Almost instantly, she was standing on the bridge of an interstellar battle cruiser, facing the ship's commander, who was standing next to his command chair. Sam's bag was taken by an Airman, and Ellis said in greeting,

"Colonel Carter. Welcome."

He and Sam shook hands. "Colonel. Thank you."

He nodded to a waiting female Lieutenant. "Lieutenant Bracknell will escort you to your assigned quarters. It's a long ride there."

"If it's okay with you, Colonel, I'd like to look around the ship."

Ellis nodded before sitting down. "Sure thing." He smiled slightly as Sam smiled briefly in thanks as she walked behind his chair to sit down at an unmanned console. "General O'Neill's told me about you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was dark with only the full moon in perigee and a mass of stars in the night sky for light. There was nobody about for miles, the very faint sound of cars barely audible in the distance above the breeze. Daniel sat on the bonnet of his car as he looked up at the night sky, the Archaeologist beginning to regret turning down Jack's offer of use of his telescope. He couldn't begin to fathom in which direction Midway was. He searched in vain for something in the heavens that would connect him to Sam, a reminder that she was out there.

A star flickered and he focussed on it, until he realised that it was the top right star of the constellation of Orion. He hugged himself, curling up on the bonnet of his car as he almost heard Sam's voice in his head, telling him the name of the star,

'Bellatrix.'

It was perfect. 'Bellatrix', he murmured to himself, was the Latin for 'female warrior.'

For the duration of the cold months, on clear nights like that, Sam would be there in the skies, a reminder of a part of him who was thousands of light years away, but who would be back in his arms by the time Orion became less obvious in the sky. His warrior. The thought, despite the distance between him and her, that Sam was his, made him smile as the tears rolled down his cheeks. He continued to look up at the sky until his eyes grew heavy with sleep, and he fell asleep where he was seated, a photo of his bride-to-be clutched tightly in his hands.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Thanks so much, guys, for reading, reviewing, story alerting/favouriting, and for putting up with my sporadic updates of late. Thank you. You've been great as always. Sequel to come early next year hopefully, to fill in Continuum.

Thank you! Reviews, as always, are incredibly welcome!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (alternatively, Seasons Greetings!)

: )