What We Could Have Done, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)

Summary: Sam catches up with old friends when her time in Atlantis is cut short. The team attends the extraction ceremony of the last Ba'al clone, but will this be their last adventure? Missing scenes and tags for Stargate: Continuum. Sequel to What We Should Be Doing

Pairings: Sam/Daniel, Cam/Vala, Teal'c/Ish'ta, Jack/Sara

Rating: T

Category: Established Romance

Genres: A/U, Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Episode-related, Friendship, Relationship, Romance, Tragedy

Series: 3 of 3 (preceded by What We Should Be Doing)

A/N: This is the Continuum missing scene/tag thing that I've been wanting to do for a long time. It's the final story in a trilogy (1: What I Should Have Told You, 2: What We Should Be Doing). I hope you like it. All comments/criticism are welcome. :o)

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel hadn't done this in years; too many to think of right now. He was in the middle of a desert, in the blistering heat, watching as dozens of archaeology students and locally-sourced labourers busily yet carefully scraped away the sand and dust. He watched them peel back the layers and years of civilisation, digging further into the past. He glanced at the large grid-map that he held, but his mind was miles away; light years to be precise.

He had come out here so he could do something other than languishing about in Colorado Springs between surprisingly run-of-the-mill missions off-world. Egypt had once again beckoned, promising adventures. Well, so far it had delivered unspoken promises of heat rash and mosquitoes, and, if he was honest with himself, this felt dull compared to the things he had done in the past decade.

But it was an escape.

Still, when he was an active member of SG-1, while he was cynical about governmental and military policy, this wasn't how he had envisioned his life outside of the SGC. This seemed somehow like a step-down. It was hard to remember that while he had been immersed in origins of off-world civilisations and myths, that they really did come back here. Of course, that was the basis of the theories he had proven, but it was easy for him to forget the vast wealth of history on Earth. He grimaced a little – how had he come to look down on his own planet so?

He was about to climb down the wooden ladder into the pit where the diggers were. However, he stopped on hearing what sounded like a helicopter nearby. He turned and squinted up at the sky, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. He frowned. It looked like a military helicopter. His frown vanished and a sinking feeling grew in his stomach. Had an emergency arose at the SGC? He then visibly blanched. Had Atlantis been attacked?

Around him, people stopped working and got up to have a look as the helicopter hovered, looking for a place to land. Daniel held his scarf around his mouth and nose as dust and sand was blown into the air. He then stared as he recognised one of the people inside the helicopter. As the blades slowed, Daniel ran towards the craft, crouching as he neared it. As he did so, Jack O'Neill stepped out of the cockpit and coolly slid on a pair of sunglasses and his olive-green baseball cap.

The two men stared at one another for a moment, and then they hugged suddenly. When they let go, Daniel asked, "What are you doing here?"

Jack retorted, "What, an old friend can't drop in when you decide to be incommunicado?"

Daniel shrugged and said, "I'm on leave. You won't let me go to..." He cleared his throat, well aware of his relatively public surroundings. "... Pegasus; I've got to do something."

Jack cocked his head and said, "Well, Danny, that's the thing."

That sinking feeling returned. Daniel asked, "Jack, please don't play with me – what's happened to Sam?"

"She's back."

Daniel seemed surprised and then happy. However, there was only one reason in his mind for his fiancée to return prematurely. "Is she hurt?"

"No, no, just her pride. Woolsey's in charge out there now. She's been cursing up a treat." Jack looked out at the crowd of people which slowly dispersed now that nothing of interest was happening. Jack then looked at Daniel again. "Go on, pack your things. I'm taking you home."

"Now?"

"Yeah. You know, I might tell you someday why I get itchy anywhere near the Middle East." Jack patted Daniel on the shoulder. "Go on, we can catch up on the ride back to Cairo. Big, big news going down. You were due back anyway."

Daniel looked up at the helicopter and noticed the pilot. The pilot – a well-built man with dark hair – leaned out of the cockpit and grinned at him. He said, "Hey, Doc, how's it hanging?"

Daniel recognised the man – he was one of the F-302 pilots at the SGC. Daniel replied with a tight smile, "Lieutenant Wood."

Further conversation was cut off when Jack pressured him once again to get ready to leave.

Home. He smiled as he made his way to a nearby trailer. He was going home. He was going back to Sam. He hadn't envisioned that she'd come back before he did, and while he was concerned about how she would feel about her return, it would be good to see her again. He then paused. How could he leave this place prematurely? His coming here had been a long-standing favour from Catherine Langford's niece.

But those doubts were swept away as he thought of going home to Sam. For the moment, he forgot what Jack had said about there being big news.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Vala sat on the floor of the living room with only a blanket around her to cover her nakedness. She closed her eyes as she savoured a spoonful of ice cream, finding yet another reason for loving Earth. She flicked through channels on the TV until she found a programme she recognised. She watched it for a few minutes, before bursting into tears as she continued eating ice cream.

She then froze on hearing the sound of a key in the lock of the front door. She quickly dried her tears and resumed watching, but the tears returned.

Cam entered the house and called, "Baby! I'm home!"

He dropped his keys on a table in the hall, and hung his jacket up. He entered the living room and stopped in his tracks on seeing his wife on the floor with only a blanket on, and watching soap operas. As he neared her, he remarked,

"You could at least have put something on... especially since we have a different mailman 'cos of last time." He sat down next to her and put an arm her. Noticing her tears, he kissed her, and asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

She sniffed and looked past him at the screen. Distraught, she said, "What's wrong??" She looked at him again. "Rachel just told Ross how she felt and he walked out on her. I mean, he came back, but..."

He stared at her calmly and said, "That's what you're upset about? A bunch of fictional characters going about their fictional lives? Baby, it's not real. I don't know who's been talking to you, but if it says it's a sitcom, it's not real."

She was still upset so he took the tub of ice cream from her and put it on the floor. He then hugged her and she cried in his arms. He kissed the side of her head. "Aww, come on, this'll pass." He paused. "I hope." He rubbed her back. "It's some stupid hormones."

She closed her eyes and sniffed in his embrace. She said, "I hate feeling like this. I couldn't stop crying during You've Got Mail. Come on, it's You've Got Mail. I mean... agh!" She shook her head. "I never felt like this carrying Adria."

"Well, you know, that wasn't exactly a normal pregnancy. This, I'm told, is completely normal. I know it sucks but just ride it out a little. I'm not going anywhere without you." He smiled a little as he looked at her and he dried her tears. "There's my beautiful gal." His smile faded and he soon grew serious. "You sure you're okay enough to go to Ba'al's extraction? I don't like that they're letting you go in your condition."

She grew just as serious as she regarded him coldly. She said, "No, I have to be there. You're not stopping me." She whacked him on the shoulder. "And, you know, Cameron, it's not like I'm a bomb or anything. I'm pregnant. Women throughout time and space have gone through the same thing." When he looked as though he was going to speak, she pointed at him. "No, don't. I'll be fine. I won't be if I'm not there. I'm not even that far gone yet."

He kissed her neck, and murmured, "Vala, I'm just worried about you. You could get all upset with all the memories coming back."

She retorted sharply, "Honey, they never went anywhere. Do you honestly think that I am ever going to forget what I've been through? It's scarred me for life."

"That's what I'm worried about." He kissed her gently. "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

She asked, concerned, "How's Sam doing?"

"Itching to go back. Don't tell anyone, but I think O'Neill had a hand in that IOA decision. It's not something you hear everyday. She'll kill him if she finds out."

"I'll bet." As Cam helped her to her feet, Vala asked, "So, when are Daniel and Muscles due back?"

Now standing, he kissed her as he adjusted the blanket around her. He said, "Well, Muscles is already back from Hak'tyl. Jackson's not due back 'til tonight."

She frowned. "I wish I could've gone out to Egypt. I've never been outside of this country before." She looked at Cam. "Don't get me wrong; I like it, but if you didn't want me getting itchy, you shouldn't have shown me a world map."

Cam looked at her in bemusement. He said, "Hey, we've been to Canada."

She looked confused, and he continued, "Don't get Jackson started about North American history. I made that mistake once – he wouldn't stop talking for hours. I had to rope in Sam to distract him."

He put an arm around his wife. "Anyway, enough yak-yak. Let's go eat."