The Patience of Kings - Chapter 4

[alvericff]

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: SG-1, Atlantis or Universe, I am just playing in the world

Previously: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3

The Patience of Kings - Chapter 4

Skies above the Ancient outpost, Antarctica, June 2004

He closed on Prometheus and was almost immediately twisting and banking to avoid glider fire while he opened up with his rail guns on several of them.

"Fox Four, Fox Four." He corkscrewed away while scanning his radar, latching on to another flight of gliders harassing a pair of his squadron's 302s. He muscled his fighter in from the side and opened up again with his railguns, he needed to save his missiles now. "Fox Four." he called over and over while the gliders fell before him. He turned the ship around, his RCS thrusters working hard to compensate for the damaged engine. "How's the engine look, Banks?"

"She's struggling, sir." came the reply and Cam swivelled his head around to get a look at the trail of smoke he was leaving behind and grunted at that, but focused his attention back on the fight, spotting an Al'kesh trailing smoke from a damaged engine beginning a dive against Prometheus, he broke left and homed in on it. "Contact, one bandit on our six." Cam twisted around to see the glider banking in behind them and kicked in with some erratic manoeuvres of his own. He focused on the Al'kesh and selected his last radar guided missile. He spotted a glider coming at him from the other side of the Al'kesh and opened up with guns.

"Fox Four." He spiralled through a blaze of staff cannon fire and managed to clip one of the gliders wings with his guns, sending it tumbling through the sky as an explosion rocked its fuselage. He sighted back on the Al'kesh as he was flying upside down and pressed his thumb down. "Fox Three." He corkscrewed away with the glider on his six following as the alien bomber exploded below him. He turned over with a tight loop and felt a judder from behind him, but knew they hadn't been hit.

"We've lost a turbine." called Banks. He cursed. The shudder must have been the internal powerplant in the port-side thruster failing. The glider on his six blew up only moments later as a 302 streaked in and took up position at Cam's four o'clock. He smiled, reminding himself to buy Major Nash a beer when this was all done, but before he could thank him his favourite voice in the whole world came piping over the radio.

"Heads up, Blue Leader. This is Carter." He nearly rolled his eyes. "We have another bandit incoming." He glanced down at his radar and began selecting the Al'kesh zeroing in on her Tel'tak's position. He saw Blue Two's targeting indicators flash over the Al'kesh as well. Pulling hard on his flight stick he dragged his fighter into position behind the assault bomber.

"I see it, Major." he replied while wrestling against his wounded ship to get a lock. The green reticule spiralling around until it froze and flashed red over the image of the Al'kesh. "Fox Two." he fired his last infrared-guided missile and watched an identical bird, fired by Blue Two, streaking past on his right. They both struck the Goa'uld assault craft's engines and obliterated it as a chain reaction vaporised the entire ship. He twisted the yoke and flew through the fireball. "Splash one Al'kesh!" He passed by the Tel'tak's bow and glanced up through the top of his canopy as he flew by on edge. Seeing a blurred vision of blond locks over a pale face looking his way from the cargo ship's forward view.

Camelot, September 2010

Sam landed the jumper in a small clearing close to the road and started various lockdown protocols as Vala bounced up out of her seat and bustled over to help a still shaky Valencia out of hers. Teal'c watched both women with a slight smile as he stood and walked over to the rear hatch. They had returned to Camelot a day or two ago, Sam coming by Stargate after flying Viridia to Selenis, and were spending the few days before their expected return to Earth investigating Merlin's Library for references to the new things they'd discovered in Muranis. Vala was eager to visit the nearby villages for any tales of what Merlin might have done around the time of his journey to the Agate Seat. So while Sam and Teal'c travelled with Vala and Valencia, Daniel remained ensconced in Merlin's Library itself, poring over the tomes within for similar references. Cameron was there also, having decided to practice with the unfamiliar dialects of Lantean in the books. Sam just thought he was looking up information about Peredur and Angharad, hopeless romantic that he was.

She thought back to how Merlin had stubbornly refused to use anything but the names by which he'd first called each of them. He said simply that was how he knew them and he was far too old to change his ways. The response had Vala giggling. Sam sighed at that because Merlin's name for the former smuggler was so similar to her real name. She stepped out of the back of the jumper with Teal'c in tow to find Vala rubbing Valencia's back as she leaned heavily against the craft's side.

"I'm not that bad a pilot." she muttered as she walked over and looked at the young woman with a little worry. Valencia glanced up and shook her head.

"No, Dr. Carter, I think I am just not used to travelling in such a manner." She smiled faintly. "All I can remember is the speed we were moving at as we left Galadia and the flames in the window as we came down to the planet." Vala was giggling behind her. "It was a little exhilarating." Sam smiled and laid her hand on the woman's shoulder as she stood up straight.

"Why didn't we just use the Asgard transporters on Galadia?" Vala asked.

"So we do not startle Valencia's people unnecessarily, Vala Mal Doran." Teal'c intoned as he hefted a pack onto his broad shoulder. "A vehicle, no matter how outlandish, is far easier for them to accept than our sudden appearance out of thin air."

"That, and it means we don't have to carry a recording of Daniel saying 'there is no magic' wherever we go." Sam finished with a smile as she gave Teal'c a wink.

"Indeed." he offered with a small nod. For her part Vala put on a mock-indignant glare.

"Are you implying they wouldn't believe me if I said it, Samantha?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

"I don't think they would, Lady Vala." Valencia replied apologetically in Sam's stead. The open-mouthed look of incredulity Vala threw at the young woman was very real and Sam laughed out loud, which only earned her a real-indignant glare from her friend as the young Camelot native began giggling as well.

"Back me up here, Muscles, these people love me and trust me completely, don't they?" she claimed as she turned to face the Jaffa with her hands on her hips.

"I do not believe that to be the case, Vala Mal Doran." Teal'c replied with equanimity, only for Sam to laugh harder. "Although I do feel they think very highly of you personally, they do not count you as an authoritative source. Instead, they regard you with all the honour and respect they accord other travelling bards and entertainers." Vala stared at the Jaffa in shock, only roused from it when Sam wrapped her arms around her.

"They love you, Vala, they just think everything that you say is an entertaining fiction." she said soothingly and the former smuggler closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Damn my beauty and talent." she muttered finally as she returned Sam's embrace. Sam giggled and patted the woman on the back. The four then proceeded onto the road and began walking towards the nearby village. Vala received many waves of welcome, as did Valencia. Several of the village children ran up and greeted Teal'c, he smiled at them all. Valencia led the way to the village's inn while Vala pointed out various people in the streets to Sam and said a few words about each. She had been very busy out and about while Daniel was in the Library. When they entered the large two storey building close to the center of the village, a plump, ruddy faced woman with a broad smile looked up from behind the bar against the far wall and greeted them all warmly. "Hello again, Marta."

"Lady Vala, Teal'c, you're back!" She walked around the bar and gave Valencia a hug. "Valencia dear, you have been working hard these last weeks, haven't you?" She glanced sidelong at Vala who put her hands on her hips in mock-indignation. "And you've brought a new face with you." She smiled at Sam who held out her hand for a shake.

"Marta, this is Dr. Samantha Carter from Earth." Valencia said with a smile as the older woman shook Sam's hand.

"The same place as your Daniel, Lady Vala?" Marta smiled as she looked between Vala and Sam.

"That's right, Samantha and her betrothed, Cameron, are my very dear friends." She beamed and Sam smiled gratefully. Marta lifted her eyebrows at this.

"Is your betrothed here also?" she asked of Sam and it was very clear the woman lived for gossip. Sam shook her head.

"I'm afraid he stayed behind in Camelot. Someone has to keep Daniel out of trouble." she supplied and Marta canted her head to the side.

"Is he not always reading in Merlin's Library? What trouble could he possibly get into in a room full of books?" All of Marta's visitors cringed slightly, even Teal'c.

"I take it you haven't met Daniel yet?" Sam asked hesitantly and Marta shook her head in burgeoning amusement. "Well, he can get into trouble anywhere. In fact, a few years ago he encountered a bounty hunter in a library back on Earth who tried to kidnap him." She turned more serious. "And then there was our first visit to Merlin's Library..." Marta finally nodded in realisation.

"I heard about poor Antonius." She shook her head sadly. "Your betrothed is there as his guardian and keeper then?"

"Something like that." Sam replied with a sad smile. Marta turned back to Vala then indicated a table by the windows. After being seated and ordering a small repast Vala managed to broach the reason for their renewed visit.

"Marta, we're studying the tales of Merlin's journey to the Agate Seat, and any others which are linked to it." she motioned to the seat beside Teal'c and Marta sat down with a smile after a look around the otherwise empty inn. "We're wondering if other stories give a reason for or an accounting of what led to him going." Marta pondered that for several long moments.

"Well, Merlin travelled to the Agate Seat to retrieve the Key of Gems which was hidden there by his ancestor Ailemnu the Builder." she began. "The stories only say the Key was needed to stop the Tilexsuli." She chuckled. "Which is odd isn't it? Because he'd already defeated them at Ar Domûn before he left for the Agate Seat." Sam glanced at Vala and found the woman glancing her way as well.

"Is it mentioned anywhere that Merlin's defeat of the Tilexsuli at Ar Domûn was only a temporary respite?" asked Teal'c only for Marta to shake her head.

"No, it is always counted as their final defeat. Which is why most scholar's think the early passages of the Journey to the Agate Seat were incorrectly transcribed as taking place after the battle. Or that it is not a real accounting because no mention is ever made of the key except in that story. Oh, and in one more, the Return of the Queen. Queen Guinevere was saved by a group of warriors as she travelled to Caerleon, the warriors were on their way to ask Merlin for the Key of Gems, but he turned them down as he did not possess it. That story leads in to the events which end with the battle at Ar Domûn, but most consider it to be fanciful." Valencia frowned.

"Just because the band of warriors included women." She pointed at Vala and Sam. "Both of them are warriors. I'm a warrior too." Marta held up her hands in surrender.

"Peace, child." she remonstrated. "I don't disagree with you. I'm just telling Lady Vala and Lady Samantha what the scholars think." She turned to Vala. "Very little is written about this troop, they had some dealings with Merlin and King Arthur sent them on some quests."

"Do you know their names?" Vala asked only for Marta to shake her head. Sam sighed and looked out the window at the light bustle of activity moving through the village, wondering if they could ever really base such a decision as the one they were trying to make on legends and yarns spun for these people by Merlin himself. She could tell Daniel and Cam were almost certain of it for some reason.

The Keg Steakhouse, Niagara Falls, Canada, November 2008 (alternate timeline)

She leaned over and swatted at Daniel with a bread stick as Cameron laughed next to her. For his part, Daniel went with looking affronted even though he was entirely at fault. He reached up and brushed the breadcrumbs from his hair and glared at her darkly. Sam laughed while leaning against her love in the chair she'd forced him to push next to hers at their table. They sat in front of the floor to ceiling windows of the restaurant overlooking the waterfalls as they were illuminated by powerful spot lights in the colours of the rainbow, filling their entire view with blues and greens and reds and purples and yellows reflecting off the water spray. She smiled at Daniel who rolled his eyes at her and brushed the remnants of the bread stick onto the small plate at his side.

"Very mature, Colonel Doctor Carter." he intoned gravely and she just stuck her tongue out at him to further prove his point. Cam laughed even harder at that. "You can be quiet too!" Daniel cried with a glare at the man across from him. "You're like a pair of teenagers."

"Fine, Dad, sorry." he muttered with a surly shake of his head. "You just don't understand me." he whined and even Daniel laughed at that. "Oh, here comes our food." Cam said brightly when he spotted the approach of a waiter bearing dishes. Sam nearly swooned when she saw her filet mignon wrapped in smoked bacon until she got a look at Cam's sirloin with sautéed mushrooms in cream sauce. She glanced up at him and he glared back, moving his plate away from her slightly. Daniel laughed as his peppercorn strip steak was put in front of him at the look she must have been giving Cameron.

"Oh, I think there will be a little retribution later for that move, Mitchell." Daniel said jovially and Sam glared at the linguist. She looked up at the waiter.

"Could you bring me some more breadsticks, please?" she ordered and the man nodded and moved away. Cam laughed as Daniel looked at her with slightly widened eyes. "That wasn't a nice thing to say, Daniel." she said calmly. Daniel gulped slightly. Cam nudged her slightly and when she looked over she found him holding up a forkful of his steak for her and she smiled at him lovingly before taking it in and chewing at the tender meat and flavourful mushrooms. She purred happily.

"You see, she understands me, Jackson." Cam began as he cut into his steak again. "I will defend my plate to the death, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to give her every chance to sample some of what I've got." Sam burbled contentedly as she leaned across and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Just as I know I'll probably end up eating half of that filet mignon by the end of the night." He smiled softly as he took the bite of her steak she was offering him.

"You two disgust me." muttered Daniel, who then chuckled as he grinned at them. The waiter returned with Sam's new bread sticks and the archaeologist eyed them warily. Sam picked one up and twirled it idly around her thumb with a raised eyebrow in his direction. "Um, change of topic." he murmured wisely before looking up at Sam with a flash of inspiration. "Sam, you said the Navy came to you with a request to build a containment device." Sam chuckled as she put down the bread stick on her plate and resumed her steak cutting.

"That's right. Seems the SEALs succeeded in retrieving the Telchak device." She smiled when Cam began to grumble. "I designed a case that would seal its radiation emissions and still allow some study." she explained. She smiled at the two men with a glint in her eyes. "The best part is I used that as a cover for getting my hands on some of the rarer materials and components for our communicator." She grinned when Cam looked at her askance with a forkful of steak halfway to his mouth. He turned to her and just guided the fork her way and she chuckled before taking the bite.

"Devious woman." he intoned as she smiled and nodded. "This includes the iridium you thought was going to be almost impossible to get?" She nodded. "You have all you need?" Another nod. "You're something else, darlin'." he murmured with a grin.

"Yep. With that iridium I can start making the power coils and the infuser which all need iridium cores and rings." She took a bite of her steak and chewed thoughtfully for several moments. "If I get you the designs can you make me the molds, Cam?" He nodded immediately.

"Shouldn't be a problem." he responded. He turned to Daniel. "Have you managed to find a source for the chromium and vanadium we need?" Daniel nodded.

"In New York... with connections in South Africa for both." he replied. Sam sighed in relief. With those ingots and the titanium they already had she could make an alloy for the framework to house the magnetic field wave guides. "That should be everything we need for the power regulators and induction field generators, am I right?" Sam nodded.

"After I get those put together I'll move to the high capacity transducers for the power generator." Both men nodded while they ate. Sam knew they didn't really understand what they were actually building, though Cam had lately been offering rather sage advice after he looked over her designs. It was odd. Just as they finished their main course they looked up and out the window when the night sky above the falls erupted with fireworks. Sam's eyes filled with delight as she reached for Cam's arm and pulled him tightly to her side. She felt his fingers closing around hers and his thumb ran along the back of her hand. She looked over and saw Daniel staring out into the brightly lit sky and she smiled at the child-like innocence he was showing. She nudged Cameron who looked over when she tilted her head and he smiled as well. It was nice to see their friend with a smile like that.

Dalziel Lodge near Colorado Springs, September 2010

Sam grinned at him with that evil little smile of hers, but said nothing in reply to his question. She merely leaned back in her seat and held her clutch in her lap with a raised eyebrow. He grumbled dramatically and got out of the car as a valet held the door for him, he settled his cover on his head and waved the other valet off as he was heading for Sam's door. That was his job. He'd stopped the car as close to the red carpet spilling out of the front door of the lodge as he could. Sam's gorgeous dress did not need to have its short train dragged through the gravel of the circular driveway in front of Dalziel Lodge, the exclusive ski resort which catered to a very select and extremely well-to-do clientele. He hadn't thought even the IOA would have enough pull to swing this venue for their little soirée. He walked around to the passenger's side and opened the door, holding out his hand as Sam's right foot snaked out of the Mustang to step onto the red carpeting underfoot. She slid out and he lifted her up so that it all seemed to be one fluid, graceful motion. She smiled gratefully at him as he closed the door and turned around to guide her inside while she slid her hand up to the crook of his arm. His Mustang had never looked better.

"Colonel Mitchell, Dr. Carter, it is good of you to come." said a familiar voice from just outside the door. They both blinked at the sight of Richard Woolsey, but realised that with a full complement of ZPMs in Atlantis and another powering the SGC, there would be no real reason for the trip between Pegasus and the Milky Way to be anything but routine now.

"Mr. Woolsey." Sam greeted him with a nod and Cam did likewise, shaking the man's hand.

"Just as a heads up," Cam leaned in towards Atlantis' current commander, "we let Vala come along." he whispered and pointed at Daniel's Jeepster coming to a stop where his Mustang had just been. "I'm sure she's forgotten all about that thing you did when she first joined." Cam shook his head in mock-reassurance. Sam gripped his arm tightly as he felt her sides trying to contain her mirth. Woolsey looked horrified.

"Colonel Mitchell, I assure you-" he began until Sam couldn't stifle the laughs anymore.

"He's just joking with you, Mr. Woolsey." She grinned at Cam who smiled jovially at the other man then turned to look over his shoulder at Daniel helping Vala out.

"Of course." Woolsey coughed into his hand slightly before glancing at the raven-haired alien. "Will Teal'c also be joining us?" he asked, perhaps now expecting the whole of SG-1 when he'd only requested two of them.

"I'm afraid not," Cam replied, "the T had to return to Chulak after our mission debrief a couple of days ago, for a meeting of the High Council's planning committee."

"Though we expect him back sometime tonight, isn't that what he said, Cam?" she glanced at him with a questioning look and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Baby, I can only keep a single timezone in my head at any one time, and he said he was leaving early morning Chulak time." he grumbled and Sam smiled faintly at him while Vala and Daniel approached.

"Richard!" she cried with a grin plastered across her face. "How are you?" Woolsey smiled and nodded to them both, shaking their hands.

"I'm quite well, Ms. Mal Doran, Dr. Jackson." he waved them on in and walked ahead of them all a few steps. A concierge came around a long counter at the side of the foyer and took Cam's cover and Sam's and Vala's shawls, as well as Daniel's overcoat, which he doffed to reveal his pointed-collared slate grey dinner jacket with a dark indigo dress shirt and silk tie.

"I'll let you have a dance with me, Richard, as long as you promise that your ha-" Vala was a little surprised to find Daniel's hand clamped over her mouth while Cam gave her a warning glare.

"Promises, Vala." he intoned and she sighed and nodded. Woolsey glanced away for a moment and decided to pretend he hadn't heard or seen anything, instead leading them into the large common room of the lodge, with it's highly polished wood floors and high-raftered ceilings.

The room had a large river stone fireplace at one end and a long marble-topped bar at the other. The vast space in between which would normally be filled with islands of cushioned chairs and settees surrounding coffee tables, was instead cleared for the night to provide room for the half dozen or so large round tables set up for the dinner. Even those would be taken away afterwards to make room for the band stage and dancing. Above the door they'd just come through was a large overhanging balcony which yet retained its original seats and coffee tables and would no doubt see plenty of traffic while the dinner tables were removed by the staff. Opposite the door was a long line of French doors leading out onto a wide balcony overlooking the slope behind the Lodge into the forested valley below. On the walls and the columns were everything you'd expect from a mountain lodge decorated in the rustic style, landscape pictures, antlers, paws and other assorted hunting trophies, decoratively polished rifles and cavalry swords. All of it skewing to the hideously expensive and garish. Vala, of course, loved it. She grabbed Daniel's arm and led him on a tour of the place, having him describe to her all the various animals from which the severed body parts were removed. Daniel looked a bit green.

"I should inform you both, Colonel, Doctor," began Woolsey in his full-on bureaucrat mode, with which he must have felt he was getting rusty, because he paused to cough lightly into his hand, "the IOA would be very grateful if you would both take the time to speak with Senator Bancroft at some point during the evening. He's the new Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and I understand, a fan of your work, as they say."

"Should we be talking to him about anything in particular?" Sam asked diffidently.

"Perhaps," he explained, "you could reassure him that the SGC has no expectation of a permanent occupation for Muranis at any point in the near future." Cam frowned slightly, true, Muranis was probably unsalvageable as a permanent facility, as the AI was on the brink of entropic collapse, but the technology housed in it was still of immense value.

"Mr. Woolsey, am I not right in thinking that currently, Selenis is paying for itself? She's a net gain, right?" Cam offered darkly until Sam gave his arm a squeeze.

"The ZPMs we've taken from her stores not only power her facilities, including the shipyard, which slashes the cost of BC-304 production to less than a quarter, but has also allowed us to remove the SGC and Area 51 from the national grid completely. That's a savings of over ten billion dollars a year." Sam added in a more neutral tone.

"All good points which I hope you'll bring up with the Senator." Woolsey countered. "Believe me, Dr. Carter. I want what you want. Truly." Sam sighed and nodded, mollified. "Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I see Ms. Mal Doran speaking with the Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Committee." He began to move off. "I think I should just go see if Dr. Jackson will need a hand."

"Have a little faith, Dick." Cam called after him and Richard gave him a pleading look over his shoulder. Sam leaned into him and pulled him away to the bar, though he was only going to drink a glass or two with the meal.

The dinner was delicious, the company was... excruciating. At least Vala was enjoying herself. Halfway through the meal she had her table and the one behind her hanging off her every word. And she was behaving. Sam was very proud, as was Cameron. After dinner everyone moved up to the second floor balcony which overlooked the main level. Cheese and fruits were served along with drinks while the company conversed in small groups. Sam and Cameron used the time to speak with Chairman Bancroft and the House Appropriations Committee's Ranking Member, Congressman Stevens. Sam reiterated the points she'd listed for Woolsey earlier while adding several more. Cam ate some grapes. They were pretty sweet.

"I understand your points, Dr. Carter, and they are well made," Stevens nodded sagely while the Senator added his own agreement, "but I'm sure you can see our point when we say perhaps we've pushed the boundaries far enough for a while. Hell, we have a base in another galaxy, fighting to liberate it from an alien species I wish I didn't know was real."

"I think what my learned colleague is saying is that perhaps it would be wiser to consolidate for a while," Bancroft added to Stevens' nod, "make sure we can hold what we already have, maybe even scale back slightly." Sam looked down for a moment and Cam outright frowned.

"I was only two years old, Senator," Cam began in a low voice, "back in December '72 when the crew of Apollo XVII came back to Earth." Sam leaned against him slightly. "But I know what my father told me as he bounced me on his knee and watched the scant coverage of it on the news. 'Our horizon just got a little bit smaller,' he said. We didn't land anyone on the Moon again until I went there with SG-1 two months ago." He gave Sam a slight smile, remembering the words they'd shared while taking a walk on the lunar surface just over a month before. "I suppose you might call it insignificant, 'We've been to other galaxies' Sam said to me when we stepped out on that mare." He looked at the two politicians who were staring back silently. "But the Moon is special. For a few years around the time she and I were born, it was our horizon. And when your horizon shrinks you always leave a part of yourself out of reach beyond the new boundary. A part of yourself you can feel, but can't touch."

"That was the Moon for me." Sam breathed and he smiled down at her.

"And me." He glanced over to the Senator and Congressman who looked back with troubled gazes. "I no longer have a horizon, gentlemen."

"Burn the land and boil the sea?" Sam asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"You really do love that show." He chuckled at her before turning serious again when he faced the two men and the small cluster of people who'd gathered behind them as Cam spoke. "Looking back, turning inwards, closing your eyes. They're all options, valid options at that. Understand this though, you'll be leaving behind a small part of your soul out beyond the horizon, where you can't reach it. Even if you've never seen it with your own eyes." They could hear the first strains of the band beginning to practice downstairs. "Now if you'll excuse us, gentleman, I owe Dr. Carter the first, second, third and fourth dances at least. I should really learn to call her bluffs more often when we play poker." Sam grinned and clutched at his arm with a fiercely possessive look.

Dalziel Lodge near Colorado Springs, September 2010

Sam pulled him away from the small gathering of politicians and bureaucrats and found Daniel nearby giving Cam a look of approval and a nod. Vala was settled a little behind him, still entertaining a rapt audience with tales of less than legal activity. Sam sighed, but at least it was better than actually effecting less than legal activities.

"Having fun, Jackson?" Cam asked as they walked over. Daniel smiled with a look over his shoulder at the former smuggler.

"Surprisingly, yes. She's loving it." He turned back to them. "You know, I think Odyssey turned her from a net consumer of entertainment into a net producer of it."

"We always knew she was an attention seeker, Daniel." Sam added with a smile and Daniel chuckled and nodded. "I guess her tastes in attention have just shifted."

"How about you guys? Having fun?" He looked between them both as Sam glanced at Cameron.

"My friend," he began with a flick of his head towards the wooden balustrade as the sounds of practice from the band downstairs became more pronounced. "this party is only just about to kick off."

"You really do like to dance, don't you?" Daniel offered with a smirk and Cam just grinned.

"I really like to dance with Sam." he replied and she turned bright crimson and looked away from them both as Daniel turned to face her with a knowing smile.

"Don't look at me like that, Daniel. Vala is going to be expecting you to dance with her." she declared when she finally turned a glare on the archaeologist.

"That's right, Daniel. I expect you to dazzle me with your Earth mating rituals." Vala elaborated as she came up behind him and slipped an arm through his.

"It's always about mating rituals with you, isn't it?" Daniel asked with a sigh of exasperation. She tilted her head slightly.

"No, it's more often about the loot, but seeing as someone doesn't let me actually keep any, then I'm just left with my fall back position." Vala replied with a grin for Sam at the end.

"Woman's got a point, Jackson." Cam dead-panned to Sam's laughter.

"Are you suggesting I let her keep some of the artifacts we discover?" Daniel asked incredulously.

"No, I'm suggesting you accept the fact that you turned our lovely Vala from an interstellar thief into a productive member of society. Take responsibility for your actions, Jackson." Cam said seriously which had Vala grinning.

"You broke it, you bought it." Sam added with a smirk. Daniel looked at her in horror and Vala laughed out loud. Cam turned to her with a wince.

"Oh, baby, I wasn't going to put it like that." he said with a faint cringe at the end. Sam kissed him softly.

"Sometimes, Daniel needs a kick in the pants, sweetie." she murmured in reply. Daniel wasn't happy to hear that and frowned heavily at them.

"Right. I don't want to see you two for a while. Go on, get!" He made shooing motions in their general direction. "Go dance your feet off, crazy kids." Sam smiled and walked over to give Daniel a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug for Vala. Cam gave them both a little salute before taking Sam's hand in his and leading her around the balcony towards the little staircase in the corner of the room beyond the fireplace. They weren't the first couple to arrive back downstairs, there were certainly some bureaucrats present who, by dint of inebriation or a sense of high spirits, were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to dance. Once a good group had gathered before the stage the band leader turned and made introductions to polite applause and eased the company in with something gentle and melodic, which suited Sam just fine because it gave her the chance to lean in close to her beloved. She was a little surprised at how much he had improved since just the last time they were on Urdijina.

"Cameron. You were not this good two weeks ago." she murmured as he led her across the floor surprisingly gracefully. "Not that I'm complaining, of course." she added to his chuckle.

"I had a good teacher it turns out. In another timeline." he replied with a soft smile as he looked into her eyes which widened in realisation while she flushed a dusky rose.

"I taught you?" she asked quietly and he nodded. "I haven't remembered that yet." she muttered disconsolately and he chuckled.

"Then you haven't remembered the stepping on toes and trips and stumbles and falls..." he trailed off and she could only smile.

"I would rather be overturned by you, than driven safely by anyone else." she said with a smile and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Austen?" he asked and she gaped slightly. "Hey, I took English Lit." he grumbled. And she smiled, laying her head on his shoulder. "Grandma wouldn't stand for me not reading all my assigned books." She giggled.

"Especially not Austen." She lifted her head to see him nodding slightly with a grunt and laid her head back down. She reminded herself to thank Grandma Mitchell again for helping to turn out such a fine man.

They spent the next hour or two dancing, up-tempo or slow, it didn't matter, Sam lost herself in Cam's eyes. Vala had to pry him away to get a dance of her own with him and she had to grin as she and Daniel took a turn at a lively dance. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Cam approaching the band leader's podium and whispering to him and she frowned outright when he turned back and smiled The Smile right at her. He beckoned with his fingers and she moved towards him.

"Cameron..." she warned as she took his proffered hand and he pulled her along, not to the dance floor, but outside onto the balcony. She tilted her head in curiosity, but smiled when he unbuttoned his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "What are you up to, Mitchell?" she asked only for him to tilt her chin up slightly and kiss her lips softly. He pointed up at the starry sky and the Moon partly occluded by a long drift of clouds. She widened her eyes as the first clarinets and muffled saxophones began playing. She grinned as he held out his hand and took her into his arms to turn her around to the music drifting out to them in the glow of the waxing Luna overhead. "Moonlight Serenade?" She shook her head slightly before pressing her cheek against his. "I love you so much, Cameron." she breathed. She didn't need a reply from him, the feel of his hands on her lower back, the warmth of his chest against hers, his feet guiding her in the slow lazy circles they were taking around the wide open balcony told her everything she'd ever need to know about how he felt for her. She kissed his neck gently and closed her eyes, hoping the song would never end.

However, every man has a limit to his patience, and she could tell Cameron's was approaching fast. Every time he glanced her way after they returned inside she could tell the only thing he saw was the dress, and that she was still in it. As if he'd called her name she found herself glancing in his direction and a silent nod was the only signal he'd ever need. With a nod to Vala and Daniel, who were still dancing, Sam and Cameron made their way to the front and the chill September night. Sam was adjusting her shawl as the valet drove up with the Mustang. Cam helped her in and thanked the valet for having the forethought to start the heater going before they set off back down the mountain. They didn't notice the gunmetal grey SUV turn its engine over and switch on its lights as they came out from the private road.

On to Chapter 5