Epilogue

Alarms sounded throughout the SGC, warning the personnel that the Stargate was activating. The iris closed with the sound of a hundred metal blades slashing against each other, with the noise immediately followed by the sound of several automatic weapons being cocked and readied in the event that the Marines would need to repel any invader who might come through the gate.

Up in the command center, however, the tension eased immediately as the computer confirmed that the other end of the wormhole was occupied by friendlies.

“It’s SG-6,” Sam Carter told General Hammond, who had entered the room as soon as the first alarm had gone off.

The general didn’t smile, but his expression did lighten a little.

“Open the iris, Major.”

“Yes, sir.”

Watching the iris through the blast window she palmed the hand reader that controlled the shield protecting the Stargate. A moment later four men emerged from the wormhole, each one looking dusty and a bit dirty, but healthy and hale to judge from the way they were walking.

Hammond and Carter both left the control room to go down and meet them – and neither was surprised to find Jack O’Neill, Teal’c and Daniel Jackson had somehow found their way to the gate room by the time they’d arrived.

“Colonel Blake,” Hammond said by way of greeting to the Commanding officer of SG-6. “How did it go?”

“Smooth as fine wine, sir,” came the reply. “There’s no sign of Jaffa activity on P67-D33. The locals tell us the last time they had visitors it was the Asgard, and they don’t have much contact with them, either.”

“Good. Clean up and get checked out and we’ll debrief in an hour.”

“Yes, sir.”

Released from formality by that dismissal, Jack stepped up to Blake as soon as Hammond left the room.

“So how did he do, Roger?”

The Colonel smiled.

“Ask him, Jack.”

Jack turned to the other men on the team, and raised an eyebrow at Anthony Ruff, whose brand new uniform was as dusty as the others. The deputy turned Marine had already started wiping the barrel of his P90 to get it clean.

“How’d it go, Anthony?”

“Call him Lieutenant Ruff, Jack,” Blake interjected. “He’s got to get used to it. I called him that a dozen times in the last three days and he ignored me half the time.”

Anthony smiled.

“I said I was sorry.”

“You’re sorry, all right.”

The tone was friendly, though, and the ribbing good-natured. It was clear to Jack – and the rest of SG-1 – that Blake liked his newest team member. From the grins on the other guys, they did, too.

“So?”

Jack was back to the original question, and Anthony shrugged.

“It was fine, Jack. Just like training…”

“And if it hadn’t been?”

“Then we’d have taken care of things.”

O’Neill smiled.

“Good answer.”

Anthony’s smile was amused. He’d spent a couple of months at Quantico – the Marine Corp’s military training school – first doing Officer Training school, and then Basic. It had annoyed O’Neill when Anthony had decided that he’d rather be a Marine again than switch over to the Air Force, but when Anthony pointed out that he could still change his mind and be a deputy, Jack had simply sighed a sigh of long suffering and then grumbled for a while. Anthony didn’t mind. Once a Marine always a Marine – at least that was the way he’d figured it.

Besides, he liked the dress uniform better than the Air Force’s.

“”We’d better get cleaned up,” Blake told his people, reminding Jack that they were still dusty – and ready for a much needed drink once the briefing was over.

“Yeah,” O’Neill agreed. “You guys do smell funny.”

Sam Carter chuckled and slid her arm through Anthony’s, leading him off toward the door.

“What do you have planned for the weekend?”

Ruff smiled.

“I’m going to pick up Agustin and we’re going to go to six flags. Want to come?”

Uncertain what to do about his son while he’d been away for training, and certain that he didn’t want to leave the baby with complete strangers – something that had happened to him too many times already as far as Anthony was concerned – he’d had Daniel introduce him to the people who had been Agustin’s foster parents since Cathy had been killed. Using the same cover story that Daniel had used to get Agustin from them in the first place – that Anthony had been forced to leave his wife to go undercover on a joint military mission and hadn’t even known Cathy had been pregnant when he’d left – Anthony now explained to them that he was going to be forced to leave for training. And had asked them if they would mind taking Agustin in while he was gone.

Delighted at the idea of keeping in contact with Agustin – and touched by the genuine loss in Anthony’s expression when he was discussing his lost wife – they’d agreed to extended babysitting whenever Anthony needed the help. It was a long way to drive to and from when he had an extended mission – anything more than a day or two – but the stability for Agustin in his formative years was more than worth the added effort. Besides, Agustin loved them.

Carter shook her head.

“Tempting as that is… We’re leaving in about three hours.”

“A weekend mission?”

She rolled her eyes.

“I wish. We’re going fishing…”

“Hey! I heard that!”

She looked over her shoulder with an innocent look.

“I didn’t see you there, sir…”

O’Neill just scowled in mock annoyance. Anthony wasn’t fooled for a minute, and smiled, feeling like he was a part of something far more than just the SGC. Between his new team and the others he couldn’t help but feel that he was part of a new family. A group that was just as tight and caring as any he’d ever had with the sheriff’s department.

All that was missing was Cathy – and he knew she’d never be completely gone.

The end

So! Something different, eh? It was fun making up a new character and I hope you guys liked it. I’m really sorry it took so long to finish, though. Seems like everything was crazy while I was writing this one – my sister’s stroke, me getting sick more than once, and a lot of changes in my schedules at work. But it’s done, so let me know what you thought, okay?