A/N: Writing this has been a really incredible experience for me. As always, you have proven yourselves to be the best readers in the galaxy. Because you have lifted my spirits so tremendously in the last year-and-a-half, I wanted to thank each and every person who left me a signed review. You are the reason I keep writing!

Thank you to…
0xNatashax0, 7 League Boots, a. loquita, Addezia, Aertyn - Fluff Monster, ale, Alexpat1, ALIMOO1971, AngusH, anothersg1fan, ArafelSedai, ARomanticAtHeart, astareltheweeper, AT Fan, BallsBreaker, Batari, Bellkie, beverlycat, Bixata, Bladeswin, bobskull9, BookWormFaery, bored2pieces2, BrenRenQoI, Bucky4, Bunnylass, caligate, cartertwo, ccgig, ChappaEyebrow, cheekybumbum, chocolatequeen, codo, CosmeticSquelch, Cptn. Suz, CrystalPheonixEyes, Dale, Deathzealot, Delilah Wigglesworth, Desert Blossom-by-the-Sea, dietcokechic, dp, DrawnToTheRhythm, dyslecksec, eeesh, Forget Me Not Blue, froggy0319, gategirl312, Gater Vic, Gater101, gater62, gatewatcher, gERMaNgIrL678, getcarter, Halfpastdead001, i.m. nell, igotnothin', imashel, jabarber69, JackO'NeillIsTheMan, jacksggirl, janissima, Jessica, Joy Cutting, Joytheia, Julie McLaughlin, kahuna85, KakaIru-IsMyWorld, Kaleena Mason, kathy, Kaytee33, kinnik72, Kirsty, kissmekent, Kiwi4624, Krazyalien, ktarra, Lady Spezz, ladyhawke, LadyMo, Laura, Lea Marie, lealea, Leighawen, Leilina, Likesg1, liketoread, Little Miss Delliham, live2rite, LJEvans, lkhoward88, loki2525, love-child-1403, lovestruck1990, lurker2209, LuSo, lynnmichelle, Maguchi, Majorshrl, malson72, mara-anni, mary, marydoll, meljoy, melray1228, Mercurial1, mightylibrarian, Milly Molly Mandy, mishy-mo, Miss Eliza Azraelian, msenterprise, Natters, neenee1, Nikki, nogigglingmajor, Odakota-Rose, Oma-1, Owl, prometheus246, Random Reader504, rankokunalpha1, RngrThorne, rocks and glass, RomieG, roque872002, Sailor Sayuri, Samisim, SamJackShipLover, sammie77, SammieAtHome, sann3187, Sasusc, sazzle87, sb158, scarletwitch0, SciFiDVM, scifihippie, SeedC, sg1 huge fan, SG1SJSGAEJ, sg1star, ShannonG, shiny silver grl, sissybear, skiergal, Spike26, Starlite1, Starr484, stusue, Surreal Perceptions, tankbbg, tara bone lady, The Lady Reaper of the Shad..., Theresa, Theresa Webb, TnTornado, toadaleigh, trtlsoup2001, Turnlach, Unputdownable, vball2003, VisualIDentificationZeta, Vivienne, WarmTea, Windrider, x-whgz 1340, YS1, & Zoser.

Also, many thanks to anyone I've overlooked, to those of you who've read without reviewing, to the 91 of you who currently have this story on your favorites list, and to anyone who might read or review this little tale in the future!

Happy 2008!!

Epilogue

Sitting bolt upright in his ridiculously opulent bed, Ba'al exhaled sharply and muttered Goa'uld obscenities under his breath. As he wiped sweat from his aristocratic brow, his eyes flashed with annoyance.

Damn those Tau'ri cowards.

In the last eight weeks, he'd had plenty of time during his relatively sleepless nights to plot revenge against the insolent vermin who'd afflicted him with his current condition. Their torture would be slow, painful, and carried out by his own expert hand. Given the wretched dreams he was forced to endure nightly, his lone comfort had become the promise of inflicting great suffering on those responsible.

Rising from his bed to fill a goblet of chilled wine for his parched throat, Ba'al reassured himself that, annoying as the present situation was, it was temporary. Even now, he had a small army of Jaffa priests and scholars creating a new control mechanism for the gilded ritual circle. Unfortunately, in spite of their god's obvious rage, the construction was painfully slow. Ba'al gripped the chalice in his hand so firmly that his knuckles cracked and wine splashed over the cup's gilded rim. No matter how violently he wanted to vent his frustrations on the inept slaves who were manufacturing the device, showing weakness in front of his minions was not an option.

He would simply have to endure the torment of the Tantalus curse until another option presented itself. In the meantime, he would placate his roiling temper by plotting the painful undoing of SG-1. Slamming the goblet down on an ornate nightstand, Ba'al turned from his tangled satin sheets and strode purposefully out of his bed chamber, down a darkened corridor of his ship. Eyes glowing with feral determination, he stalked grimly into the blackness without flinching. He was on a mission.

There were Tau'ri to hunt.

Leaning back in his chair, Daniel glanced at the figures across from him with a satisfied grin. "Not bad for a day's work," he pronounced.

Teal'c's steady countenance didn't shift, but a glimmer of agreement flashed in his dark eyes. "Indeed," he murmured approvingly.

Rolling her eyes, Janet picked up her glass of chardonnay and shook her head. "As if you two had anything to do with it."

Daniel scowled, apparently offended by her remark. "I think we deserve some of the credit." Across the table, Teal'c's single, raised eyebrow affirmed his friend's assessment.

Janet snorted inelegantly. "I wouldn't talk too loudly about what we deserve right about now," she said with just enough volume to be heard. Glancing at the table next to them, she suppressed a wince at the impressive number of stars, medallions, and ribbons adorning the uniforms of those assembled. "We're damn lucky we didn't get what we deserve, or we'd all be in Fort Leavenworth right about now."

Thankfully, the elegant botanical gardens around them bore absolutely no resemblance to a maximum security military prison. It did, however, resemble something out of a storybook – which, given the reason for the gathering, was altogether fitting.

Thousands of tiny, white lights illuminated the neatly manicured trees and shrubs in the garden's central courtyard, complimenting the black, star-speckled sky above them in a breathtaking fashion. Small, floating candles flickered whimsically in crystal bowls at the center of every table and a light, late-summer breeze swept delightfully across the distinguished crowd of guests. At the far end of the twinkling space, an ivy-covered archway stood as a heartwarming reminder of the vows which had been spoken there hours before.

In spite of the trauma, chaos, and angst which had preceded this day, Sam and Jack's wedding had gone of without a hitch.

Standing hand-in-hand beneath that archway, the couple had spoken their vows while the setting sun's golden rays had glinted off the gorgeous Colorado Rockies. By the time their rings had been exchanged and Jack had placed a sweet, passionate kiss on his new wife's mouth, there hadn't been a dry eye in the house. Even the President had looked a little misty.

Contemplating Janet's dire assessment of the situation, Daniel found that he was now the one rolling his eyes. "That's ridiculous," he muttered. "We didn't do anything wrong."

Janet regarded him disbelievingly. "We didn't do anything wrong?" she hissed. Leaning forward, her voice became an emphatic whisper. "I don't know about you, but I knowingly concealed knowledge of an improper relationship between commissioned Air Force officers, destroyed physical evidence which reinforced said relationship, lied to my base commander by omission, and then released a pregnant woman for gate travel in spite of a clear conflict of interest."

Daniel absorbed her monologue for a moment. "Huh." Slowly, his face transformed into a grin. "Yeah, you're right. You do deserve to be behind bars."

Teal'c's quiet snort of amusement echoed softly in the background.

Glaring at both of them, Janet's face was the picture of indignation. "You're not exactly choir boys yourself," she muttered.

Daniel shrugged. "We're not military," he reminded her cheerfully. "Which means neither one of us is bound by the UCMJ." His smile was remarkably guileless, given the annoyance he knew he was inflicting on his glowering colleague. "In fact, I'm pretty sure the worst I could be accused of is pissing Jack off of a regular basis, which most of the military brass would probably approve of."

Janet opened her mouth to issue a scathing retort, when she was cut off by the appearance of General Hammond, who looked rather imposing in full dress uniform. Snapping her jaw closed, she mustered a mostly-pleasant smile. "Good evening, sir." Her voice managed to convey a sense of amiable greeting, in spite of the fires still burning in her lovely eyes.

Hammond didn't seem to notice anything amiss. His smile was broad and enthusiastic. "Yes, I'd have to say it's a very good evening."

Not used to such unbridled excitement from their commander, even Janet couldn't resist a small grin at his boisterous attitude. "Did the happy couple depart for their honeymoon on schedule?" The plan had been to use an Asgard transporter to beam Sam and Jack directly from the reception to their well-deserved vacation.

The General nodded. "I saw them off personally, not five minutes ago." He smiled faintly. "Can't say I understand their choice of destination, but they looked as happy as two people possibly could be."

Daniel and Janet exchanged knowing looks. Not many people outside SG-1 understood the significance of Sam and Jack's honeymoon locale. Daniel cleared his throat. "I think they've spent so much time in exotic places over the years that they just wanted to go somewhere rustic and isolated."

Hammond shrugged, looking somewhat unconvinced. "If you say so." He could sense that there was more to the scenario than he understood, but was also pretty sure he didn't want to know the whole story. "Still," he said doubtfully, "I find it hard to believe that Major Carter would allow her honeymoon to be spent… fishing." He shook his head. Not many women would settle for a backwoods, Minnesota cabin when there were so many other, more glamorous places available for such an occasion.

As soon as Hammond's words left his mouth, Janet snorted inelegantly. In unison, the three men turned toward her, clearly amused by her unguarded response. Realizing that the wine may have chipped away at her usually-professional demeanor, Janet felt a flush climb into her cheeks. Jutting her chin out defiantly, she met their amused stares head-on. "Oh, give me a break," she muttered. "We all know they aren't going to be doing much fishing."

Biting back a grin, General Hammond had to admire his senior medical officer's pluck. "Well, on that note," he said, hoisting his champagne glass aloft, "I think we should toast the happy couple in their absence."

The four colleagues, who came from vastly diverse backgrounds and whose future paths were destined to take them in very different directions, found themselves currently facing each other across one of destiny's odd points of convergence. For this single moment in time, they were not commander and subordinates, not doctor and patients, not scholar and soldiers, not alien and Tau'ri. Standing beneath a thousand tiny pinpoints of glimmering white light, the four people assembled were simply friends, raising a glass in salute to the rare happy ending that Fate's capricious whims had bestowed upon them.

"To Sam and Jack." Daniel's voice was touched with emotion as he offered the toast. "May their lives be full of blessings and empty of sorrow."

As the four glasses met with a quiet clink of approval, even the heavens seemed to radiate their endorsement of the heartfelt wishes.

The stars overhead shone a little brighter, bolstered by hopeful dreams for the future.

Stretching languorously, Sam reveled in the sensation of the down comforter on her bare skin. It had certainly taken long enough for her to get to this tiny, secluded corner of Minnesota, though – in her estimation – it had been well worth the wait. The soothing heat given off by her husband's sleeping form was more than enough to warm her from the tip of her nose to the soles of her feet.

And everywhere else in between.

As she enjoyed the feel of his body spooned behind her, a solidly muscled arm slithered around her still-flat belly. Suddenly, Sam felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. So much for her husband's sleeping form. The possessive squeeze he issued as he wrapped her in his embrace told her that he was now very much awake.

And a not-so-subtle pressure against the curve of her bottom told her that he was not interested in returning to sleep anytime soon.

Sighing contentedly, Sam arched her back and pressed against his growing arousal, energized by the resulting growl of approval which rumbled through her ears. Angling her head slightly, she granted him access to the tender skin of her neck.

As his warm mouth began brushing delicate kisses along the sensitive flesh, his hand began a tantalizing journey downward, tracing delicate circles along the skin below her navel before delving into the golden triangle of curls at the apex of her thighs.

Gasping softly, Sam flexed her hips, eagerly pressing her body into the intimate caress. As Jack's nimble fingers slid deftly toward her molten center, he found his wife more than willing to assist his progress.

For long moments, his erotic torment continued to elicit groans and whimpers of pleasure from Sam's suddenly-dry throat. Finally, as she realized she was rapidly nearing an earth-shattering climax, Sam reached down and gripped her husband's hand firmly. "Now," she ordered.

More than happy to comply with her brazen demand, Jack shifted his own hips slightly and slid his arousal to the precipice of her warm, moist entrance. With a groan of satisfaction, he thrust forward and –

Breathing raggedly, the couple shot upright in unison, tugging the comforter away from the comfortable, king-sized mattress with their sudden movement. As reality settled in, they looked at one another in stunned silence for a few heartbeats before simultaneously breaking into peals of unrestrained laughter.

Falling back onto the bed, Sam and Jack continued to laugh until their sides ached and tears were rolling down their cheeks. When the ability to speak once again returned to her, Sam wiped her eyes gingerly and rolled onto her side so that she could see her husband's face.

"Guess that's one of those 'residual effects' we were warned about," she said breathlessly, still feeling helpless giggles trying to bubble into her voice.

Grinning ridiculously, Jack looked into her sparkling blue eyes with a somewhat lecherous expression. "I must admit," he said impishly, "it's much less of a hassle now that I'm waking up naked next to you." His eyes glinted with both amusement and heat.

Sam leaned forward and placed a kiss on his still-smiling lips. "And, look on the bright side," she murmured seductively, "this will be incredibly handy once the baby is born."

Pulling away from her caress, Jack regarded her with confusion. "How do you figure?" As far as he could recall, babies had a way of stopping a couple's sex life dead in its tracks for many, many months.

Sam's eyes twinkled. "Come on," she said reasonably, "How many other couples can take care of sleep and foreplay at the same time? Talk about the ultimate in multitasking." As his reaction to her comment registered, Sam found herself dissolving in helpless giggles once again.

With a playful grin, Jack pulled her into his arms and abruptly rolled them over so that he was now looking down into her eyes. "You are one in a million," he said affectionately. Then, lowering his mouth to hers purposefully, he stopped a few millimeters short. A dry half-smile settled on his lips as he stared into her eyes.

"Though, I do like your theory on multitasking…"

A/N: There you have it! Hope it was worth the ridiculously slow update schedule. Thanks for hanging with me!!