Okidoki, here's the last chapter. It is short, I know, but I had to wrap up the story, and this seemed the best way to do it. It really hope you enjoy it though! Please tell me what you think. I still like to get reviews even though the story is finished, lol. Thanks so much to all of you! I couldn't have finished this without ya:)
Oh yes, and now I'll be getting back to writing the third story in the 2018 series, "2019: Blessings in triplicate", and D/V future story. I you'll all read and review that too. I'll start posting on it again in a day or two.
Epilouge
"Okay, how many fingers now?"
Daniel rolled his eyes and dropped his head onto his arms on the table in the commissary. "Jack, stop it. I'm not answering that question one more time; I can see fine." Jack smirked and let his hand fall back into his lap.
"Are you certain, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked. Daniel just stared at him.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you have a get a stronger prescription on your new glasses, though?"
He shrugged and sat up. "Just a slightly stronger one—for now, anyway," he answered, reaching up to put his new glasses back on, which to the naked eye were indistinguishable from hid old ones.
"Sure you'll be able to keep up?" Jack teased.
Daniel glared at him good-naturedly. "Janet's satisfied, Jack. What more do you want?"
"Nothing, Daniel, just kidding…"
It had been about a week since Daniel's sight had been restored. He had moved back to his own house the day before, and later this morning SG-1 would be embarking on their first mission in over two months. In fact, it was almost time to gear up, and Daniel pointed that out as he glanced at his watch.
Jack agreed and stood. "Okay, kids, breakfast is over. Let's get moving."
Sam and Daniel were the last two to get down to the 'gate room, and Sam hesitated outside the door. Daniel stopped ad looked at her with concern.
"Sam? You gonna be okay?" he asked gently.
She looked back at him for a moment and then nodded decisively. "Yeah. I'll be fine." Daniel smiled at her then, and when she saw the twinkle reach his eyes, she knew, not for the first time, that it was true. "What about you?"
He shrugged. "I'll be all okay," he nodded, then motioned to the door. "Now come on; we'd better get in there before Jack comes looking for us."
Sam smirked and agreed. "Good idea."
The door opened, and she and Daniel went in. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c were there, milling around as the 'gate dialed.
"Chevron five, encoded," Walter Harriman announced from the control room.
"Carter, Daniel, nice of you to join us," the colonel grinned as he turned and saw them.
"Yeah, thought we'd show up for a change," Daniel shot back.
O'Neill had nothing to say to that, and seemed a little annoyed at being thwarted.
"Chevron six, encoded."
Teal'c only smiled, obviously glad to have thing back to normal.
"How long has it been?" the colonel question, gesturing toward the 'gate.
Daniel turned and looked at it with a satisfied smile. "More than two months…it's good to be going out again."
O'Neill grimaced. "That long? You can say that again."
"Chevron seven, locked," Walter announced happily. The 'gate burst open, and Daniel watched it with rapt attention. Sam felt tears sting her own eyes again when she saw the joy in his. Then the spewing particles settled into their usual blue pool, and the reflection of it in Daniel's glasses hid his eyes from her. She turned back to Colonel O'Neill, who was smiling again.
UP in the control room, General Hammond, who looked just as happy, spoke into the microphone. "SG-1, you have a go."
"Let's go, campers," Jack grinned.
The four of them exchanged glasses, and Sam felt the silent decision that was made between them. Together, SG-1 mounted the ramp, and stepped through the stargate as one.
Daniel jerked out of a nightmare, gasping. Fighting to calm his breathing, he pulled his sleeping back closer around him. When his heaving chest was under control again, he relaxed, wondering how much longer the bad dreams would continue. It varied from incident to incident, but they never failed to come.
He'd planned on trying to get back to sleep—they had to get up early to check in with the SGC—but noises from nearby interrupted that plan. Daniel sat up and glanced around the camp site. It was Teal'c's turn to keep watch, and he could see him just down the valley, checking something out that might have been of concern.
It only took a moment to pinpoint the noises to where Sam was sleeping, just a few feet anyway. The light from the twin moons of P5X-890 fell on her face, showing him her troubled expression and how she tossed and turned as she moaned and called out in her sleep. He watched her for a moment, hoping the dream would calm and she would sleep more easily, but it didn't. She started yelling.
Daniel popped out of his sleeping back and crawled over to hers. "Sam," he said, shaking her shoulders a bit. "It's a dream, it's okay." She didn't answer, but twisted in his grasp.
"No…not again…please…" she moaned. Daniel swallowed.
"Sam, come on, wake up," he called louder.
She twisted away from him. "No!"
"Sam!"
Sam shouted and jolted upright suddenly, her eyes flying open. Daniel caught her before she could topple forward and held onto her.
"Whoa! Hey…it's okay…"
She gasped and dropped into his arms, shivering. Daniel hugged her tightly. "It's okay…it was just a dream." Sam nodded against his chest, and after a moment or so the shivering stopped, but she stayed where she was for another minute or so. Daniel just held on.
Finally Sam sat up slowly, staring at the ground. "I'm sorry; you didn't have to do that."
Daniel lifted her chin with his hand. "Come on, Sam, of course I did," he reprimanded, smiling gently. "You've done it for me."
She smiled back a bit. "Thank you."
"You're welcome…are you okay?"
She nodded again, this time with more confidence. "Yeah."
The two of them fell into silence then, until Daniel spoke up quietly. "You know…Sekhmet was an Egyptian goddess of war, also known as "Lady of Flame". Her name, in Egyptian, literally means "one who is powerful". She was said to protect the pharaoh in battle, and destroy enemies with arrows of fire."
Sam looked up at him silently, not seeming to understand where he was going with this. Daniel sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you, Sam; she scorched us--both of us." Then he smiled. "But she couldn't destroy us. What Sekhmet didn't understand was that we're all in everything together. She could burn us…"
"But she couldn't take us down," Sam agreed, smiling back. "You're right." She paused for a moment. "We really are going to be okay, aren't we?"
Daniel grinned. "You can count on it."