She stared at the telephone, debating whether or not to use it. It wasn't exactly an emergency and yet... She glanced out the door across the corridor to the office opposite. To use an Earth term, 'it was better to be safe than sorry'. She grabbed the receiver and quickly dialed one of the number sequences she had committed to memory. It was picked up after the fourth ring.

"Greetings and salutations."

"Jack?"

"That you, Keelah?"

"Yes. I'm sorry to call you on your down time."

"Don't sweat it. What's up?"

"Um...I'm concerned about Daniel. He's acting oddly."

"Oh?"

Keelah could hear Sam in the background. From the sound of her whispered query, she guessed the blonde was right beside the general. Glancing at the clock she grimaced. She'd probably woken both of them up. "I don't know if his behavior is normal given the circumstances."

"Well, Teal'c knows our archaeologist's usual bizarre quirks..."

"He's not here," she interrupted. "He left Saturday with Master Bra'tac and Ishta to resolve a problem in the Jaffa camp, and General Hammond is in meetings today. I didn't want to disturb him in case I'm wrong. And Janet hasn't started her shift yet."

"Okay." Jack sat up in bed, giving Keelah his full attention. "So what are you finding odd?"

"I...I know he's worried over Annika but he's acting a little," she paused, "manic, I think is the right word."

She could practically feel his frown through the receiver. "Can you elaborate?"

"He's speaking very fast, even for Daniel, and his movements are...I don't quite know how to describe them."

"He hasn't been messing with some doohickey from one of the missions, has he?" Jack was beginning to lose count of the times a push of a tiny button on a mystery device had resulted in people on base going nuts. And Daniel had a knack for accidentally finding that button.

"No. At least I don't think so. From what I've seen he's been working all weekend on ordinary scrolls and tablets."

Jack didn't bother asking why Keelah had been on base all weekend when it was her time off. He knew the former slave stayed at the SGC whenever SG-1, or more specifically when Teal'c, was on a mission because she didn't like staying in an empty house on what was still a strange new planet for her. Guessed Daniel had also stayed on base to be near Annika. "Casper's still in the infirmary?"

"Yes, her fever is coming down, but slowly." Habit had her nodding her head even though she knew Jack couldn't see her. "Janet still has her sedated." Her memory finally came up with a comparison to Daniel's odd behavior. "One of my former Master's children was addicted to a narcotic. Whenever he was coming down from a dose, he acted in a similar manner to how Daniel is now. Agitated, antsy, like he could run up a cliff without breaking a sweat. He's not irritable or angry like the son was, he actually seems quite happy to see me, yet he's over-boisterous. Once I can get him to respond to a question he goes off on a tangent like he is having trouble focusing."

Halfway through the description, Jack was already reaching for his clothes. Tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear while he pulled on his jeans. "I'm on my way. Just keep an eye on him until I get there."

An hour later, Jack leant into the doorframe, observing his best friend with concern. He gave Keelah, who was anxiously hovering in the corridor, a tight smile, indicating she had been right to call him. Daniel was practically bouncing off the walls as he shifted between sitting behind his computer, then leaping to his feet to study a stone tablet in the far corner too big to easily lift, scribbling furiously in his notebook, then rushing back to the computer. The general eyed the large bag of coffee grounds, which he knew on Friday had been full and now was all but empty.

"Ah…Daniel?"

The archaeologist jumped at his quiet voice. "Jack!" He sprang up and beckoned him over. "What are you doing here? Weren't you spending the weekend at the cabin with Sam? You two didn't have a fight, did you? You've got to see this. I think I've found a correlation between the Incas and the Asgard."

"Uh huh." Incas shimkas. At this moment Jack didn't give a damn about a connection between a long dead race and the little grey guys. He was more concerned about the pasty tinge to Daniel's skin and the...yes, Keelah had used the correct term...manic expression on his face. "Daniel, how much coffee have you had?"

"Since when?"

Okay, bit of an odd question, but the general shrugged. "Since this morning?"

Daniel glanced at the clock. "Ah… since sunrise four cups."

A strange answer, however, four cups in about four hours wasn’t too bad for Daniel. "When did you last eat?"

"I grabbed a sandwich."

"Not what I asked. When did you eat?"

"Sometime…"

"Daniel!"

"Yesterday." He paused. He vaguely recalled grabbing a bite with Keelah sometime. Well, he remembered selecting something resembling food from the mess hall, didn't actually recall eating it. "I think."

"Daniel, you've got to eat."

"Hmmm? Oh, I know, I'll get something soon. Want to finish this."

"The rock can wait. It's not going anywhere."

"I'll join you in a minute or two."

He was still missing something. He noticed the dark circles under the man's eyes. "Daniel, when did you last sleep?"

The archaeologist pretended not to hear him.

"Daniel." Jack grabbed his friend's arm to make him stop rushing about the room. "Sleep. You. When?"

Though he stood still he kept scratching notes in his book. "What day is it?"

Now Jack was really worried. "Monday."

Blue eyes blinked in genuine surprise. "Really?" What had happened to Sunday?

The general nodded.

Daniel tried to count back. He was certain he had nodded off a couple of times, though it hadn't been for long. His coffee had turned only lukewarm the first time he had picked his head up off the desk. The second, the toasted sandwich he'd gotten had been almost cold though the melted cheese hadn't quite congealed. Well, a few minutes was better than nothing and more than he had expected. Gave his head a shake and stopped trying to work out the particulars. "That I remember? Woke up Friday morning at six." He tugged his arm free and shifted back to the computer.

Jack did his own calculations in his head. Seventy-five hours. Crap, no wonder Daniel was acting like the living dead on crack. His earlier coffee question he realized had been neatly side stepped. Three plus days surviving on caffeine and a sandwich. "Daniel, what are you doing to yourself?" he demanded. He knew his best friend lost all concept of time whenever there was some old thing to decipher, but this was ridiculous. "You've got to sleep."

"Can't."

"The damn rock can wait!"

"The 'rock' keeps me busy."

Jack usually was able to keep up with the workings of Daniel's mind, no matter how much fun he had denying it. However, right now he was a giant leap behind and wasn't afraid to admit it. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't sleep without her," he mumbled. "Tried. Doesn't work."

Realization struck. "You mean because Annika's in the infirmary…"

"Tried to stay with her that first night. Janet wouldn't let me, kicked me out." He wouldn't meet Jack's eyes. "Been working ever since, may as well do something useful instead of staring at the ceiling."

"Well, maybe if you lay off the coffee…"

"It's got nothing to do with coffee," Daniel growled. "I drink coffee non-stop whenever I'm awake. This 'awake' has just lasted three fucking days. I've lasted longer…"

"When?" Jack asked incredulously.

Dammit, I must be tired to have let that one slip, Daniel thought irritably. Reluctantly he admitted, "Last few missions before Annika became permanent."

"Crap, Daniel, those missions were what, five, six nights…?"

"Thanks for the recap." He became sarcastic. "If Annika's fever doesn't break soon, I'll be going for a personal record."

"Why didn't you say something before this?"

"Because it didn't matter. Annika's permanently on SG-1 now, we won't have that problem anymore. Just never expected her to get sick and have her gift go haywire. Certainly didn't expect her fever to last this long. Even Janet expected it to last only a day...then one day became two," his expression turned sheepish, "and I got so wrapped up in work I didn't realize day three had come and gone."

"You should have told us." The cryptic comments just before Annika succumbed to the sedative now made sense.

"It's no one's damned business, Jack." He gripped the pen in his hand tightly, trying to keep his temper. "Our entire love life is already the hottest gossip on the base. I…we…don't want the whole base knowing that we need each other that much."

"I wasn't talking about the base," Jack said quietly. "I meant me, Sam and Teal'c."

That brought Daniel up short. "Oh." He sighed, "Jack, we didn't intentionally keep it a secret from you. It took us a while to figure out what was causing our insomnia other than the usual suspects. We worked out before Christmas that if she astral travels to me we can sleep."

"And obviously she can't do that with the Doc's drugs."

Daniel shrugged. "It could be that. We haven't had a need to do it since the Nox debacle. She may not be able to maintain her astral projection with her reduced abilities. With how hectic things have been..." Another shrug. "It was the last thing on our minds. Even so, we honestly didn't think it would be an ongoing issue."

"Okay." Jack could understand that reasoning. But that didn't change the fact that when Annika was eventually woken from the induced sleep, his best friend was probably going to collapse from nervous exhaustion. And then he had no doubt that Annika wouldn't be able to sleep. It'd end up a never ending circle. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Daniel's attention was already refocused on the tablet and didn’t hear him leave.

Jack gestured for Keelah to head with him to level twenty-one, since he knew Daniel wouldn't be venturing away from the rocks anytime soon, at least not willingly.

"What's the matter with him?" she asked anxiously. Her Master's son had been able to hide his dependency on assidula, the recreational drug of choice for the idle rich who lived on the planet where she'd been enslaved. Her heart ached at the thought of her friend being dependent on such a drug. "Does Daniel have some kind of addiction?"

Jack gave a short bark of laughter hitting the button for the elevator. For once the lift fairy was on his side because the doors opened straight away. "The only thing our archaeologist is addicted to is the little redhead in the infirmary."

"I don't understand." She stepped in next to him.

"He's got the worst case of love sickness in the galaxy," Jack quipped. Now that he was sure Daniel hadn't gone and gotten himself infected by some alien bug or gizmo sonar he could relax somewhat.

Keelah's brow puckered in concern. This was the first time she had heard 'love' referred to as an illness. "Love has made him act this way?"

"Pretty much."

"Is this a normal...symptom of love?"

"Yeah, but as usual the Jacksons don't do anything by halves, they've taken things to the extreme."

"So you and Sam don't suffer this insomnia when you are not together?"

Jack shot her a sideways look as they exited the lift. Realized that Keelah was taking his smartass answers seriously. "Well, I'd be lying if I said I slept like a baby...but then both myself and Sam have been trained to nod off to sleep at the drop of a hat." He saw Janet duck into her office, obviously just starting her shift. Rapped his knuckles on her door.

The doctor looked up, pausing in putting on her white coat. "General, I thought this place was taboo on your day off."

"Best laid plans, Doc." Jack gave a wry grin, then turned serious. "We have a teensy problem."

Janet looked from Jack to Keelah, taking in the former slave's worry. Switched her gaze back to Jack, saw the small lines of tension around his eyes and instantly switched to doctor mode. "Talk to me." She listened carefully to the pair's description of Daniel's behavior. "He's been like this how long?" Janet asked, concern creasing her brow.

"I started noticing it yesterday," Keelah admitted. "But it was only this morning he...um..."

"Really started acting like Speedy Gonzales." Jack raised an eyebrow at Janet. "Doc, you didn't notice?"

Janet looked both guilty and annoyed. "No. In hindsight, Daniel timed his visits to Annika when I wasn't here. I assure you I'll be having words with my supposedly 'observant' staff."

"Don't be too harsh with them, Doc. You and I know both know how sneaky Space Monkey can be about this kind of stuff." Daniel hated being a burden to anyone, hated making a fuss, add to that his undoubted embarrassment at his 'dependency', and he clammed up tighter than a frog's ass.

Janet nodded. Daniel had hidden his appendicitis for two whole days before he had passed out from the pain. However, she wasn't letting herself or her staff off the hook so easily. "Precisely. Which is why we should have been extra vigilant. I take it you have a plan?"

"Yep, but I don't think Daniel's gonna like it." Jack launched into his idea to get passed his best friend's stubbornness to ask for help.

"You're right, Daniel's going to hate it." Janet rummaged through her off-world med kit, which was always stocked and ready to go for any emergencies. She found the item and held it out to Jack.

"Ah, Doc, I thought you could be the one to...you know."

"It's your plan, General," Janet replied.

Reluctantly Jack took it. "Yeah, but Daniel wouldn't hit you."

A few minutes later Jack was back down on level twenty-six. As he'd predicted, Daniel hadn't budged. Slowly he approached the man typing madly at the keyboard. "Ah, Danny?"

"Hmmm?" Daniel didn’t look up.

"Er…Sorry."

"For what?"

"This." He quickly jabbed the needle he had hidden in his hand into his friend's arm.

"Jack!" Daniel jumped away from him rubbing at his pierced skin. "What did you do?"

"You need to sleep." He kept his distance, waiting for the sedative to take effect. Hoped it would kick in fast because Daniel looked royally pissed.

"What the hell...?" Daniel swayed on his feet as the drug coursed through his body. "Jaaack…"

The general caught him before he hit the floor. "Just sleep, Danny." Waited a second until he was sure the man was entirely out to it, then called to Janet, who was waiting in the corridor with a gurney.

Keelah helped Janet wheel the bed through the doorway and Jack carefully laid his friend on it.

Janet checked his vitals. "Did Daniel mention if this is psychological or physical?"

Jack shrugged, as the three of them began maneuvering the gurney to the infirmary. "Does it matter? The effects are the same."

"I wish they would have told us," Janet grumbled. "As their doctor, this sort of thing I should know about."

When they entered the infirmary, Jenkins, who had been waiting for Janet's arrival so he could finish up his shift, looked up from the report he was signing. Before he could open his mouth to enquire what was wrong with the base's primary archaeologist, Janet held up a hand forestalling him.

"It's all under control, Major. Nothing to worry about. If you could wait in my office we can do the changeover in a few minutes."

Jenkins nodded, recognizing the dismissal for what it was.

"I can understand why they didn't." Jack rolled the bed next to Annika's, picking up the conversation as though there had been no interruption. "Especially Daniel. Every aspect of his love life since he came back from Abydos is on record. As open as he is about other things, Daniel doesn't like sharing his private life. Neither does Casper. She hardly mentions her life before she met us. Privacy is important to them."

Janet didn’t reply.

"Come on, Doc," he gave the small woman a lopsided grin. "Would you admit to anyone, especially in this fishbowl, that you loved someone so much that you physically couldn't live without them?"

She sighed. "Probably not. And knowing those two," she gestured to the sleeping couple. "They’d see it as a weakness."

This time it was the general who sighed. "And they’d be right. If word got out in Snake-land that Daniel and Annika are so intricately connected they'd become more of a target. Capture one and the other is sure to follow."

Janet gave him an incredulous look. "General, their connection may be physical, but your entire team is psychologically linked in much the same way. I recall many times having to threaten every single one of you with sedatives when one of you was missing. You are as much bonded to each other as Daniel and Annika are."

"I suppose we are." Jack gave a slow nod. He looked down at his best friend. "Doc, is there any way that we could keep this between us? Just say Daniel fell asleep at her bedside?"

Janet nodded. "That happens often enough around here."

"You're looking a bit tired yourself, Doc."

"Just haven't been sleeping well lately," she brushed his concern aside.

"Still having nightmares?"

"About Ba'al?" She shook her head. "No. Just been restless."

Jack was beginning to wonder at the wisdom of accepting the promotion to general. People were getting cagey with their answers. He changed the subject. "How's Casper doing?"

The doctor reached for the chart at the end of Annika's bed and quickly scanned the obs taken through the night. "Her temp has finally come down, and has remained normal for the last four hours. I'd give it another four to be sure and then wake her up."

"What about Daniel?"

"That sedative dose should knock him out for at least six hours. If no one disturbs him then it could be a lot longer. Now that his body is being forced to rest, hopefully it will take advantage of it and recoup." She looked from one sleeping body to the other, considering what she had been told about the insomnia. "Maybe I'll hold off waking Annika for at least eight hours. I don't want to risk waking Daniel when she comes around."

"Got another idea." Jack began pushing Daniel's bed right up to Annika's. When the two beds bumped together, he reached across to grab the husband's and wife's hands and placed them gently together. The two wouldn't be able to lie together, given that the top of Annika's bed was raised to stop fluid settling in her lungs, but at least they now had a point of contact. "Maybe that will help keep Daniel asleep even longer."

"Undoubtedly," Janet agreed, recalling how in the past when the couple had been unconscious they had instinctively reached for each other.

"Let me know when Daniel show signs of waking?" Jack asked.

Janet's lips twitched. "Want a head start to know when to hide?"

"I have a plan all worked out to save my jaw from receiving a left hook." The general sounded confident, then grinned. "Now I'm going to save Sam from Felger."

The exuberant scientist had blindsided the two of them when they had both hightailed it from the cabin. Knowing that the last thing they needed was to have Felger going into panic mode, as he undoubtedly would if he found out there was something unknown wrong with a member of SG-1, Sam had distracted Felger so Jack could continue on in peace.

He spun on his heel to leave then gave a start at seeing Keelah in the room. She had been so quiet keeping out of their way that he had forgotten she was there. "Keelah, thank you for making that call."

She gave him a small smile. "You're welcome."

Jack hurried off to rescue his fiancée, and Janet did another quick check of Daniel's vitals.

When the doctor looked up, she saw Keelah studying the sleeping couple with a frown, particularly Daniel. "He'll be fine after a few hours sleep."

Keelah didn't correct her friend's assumption of what her concern was, not quite sure she wanted to verbalize her thoughts. "Could you please also let me know when they wake up?"

"Absolutely." She gave a mischievous grin. "General O'Neill may need our support."

Her returning smile was distracted as she left, her mind trying to process what she had learned. Everybody she knew, whether it be her new friends of Earth, her friends and family from when she was a child and the people she'd met in between, were all seeking to fall in love. They yearned for it, some spending their entire lives on a quest to find it, spouting the joy and fulfillment of the magic of sharing their lives with a single precious someone. It was why Teal'c was helping her overcome her insecurities so that one day she could experience it for herself. Yet what she had just witnessed revealed a darker side to love. And then there were the articles and stories she had been reading to educate herself on the ways of the Tau'ri, and the movies she had watched. How many...'crimes of passion', she thought that was the term used, had been committed in the name of love? How many suicides had occurred because of love lost? Keelah understood that most movies were works of fiction, but where had the ideas come from if not from real life? She didn't even have to look beyond the base for real life examples. Sha're was still very obviously mourning the death of her husband. And Daniel, he still had Annika, and there were still negative consequences. Returning to her work, she wondered if she was strong enough for the emotion called love and if she wanted to experience it at all.

Just before lunch, Janet administered a final dose of sedative into Annika's drip. Once the drug had been absorbed into her patient's body, she drew the curtain around the side-by-side beds and removed the catheter and the cannula to spare Annika from the uncomfortable procedures when she woke. Daniel didn't even stir despite the slight jostling of Annika's bed against his as Janet moved Annika's body for the removal, his loud snoring the only proof the doctor needed of how exhausted the man was.

Three days without sleep! And he knew! Both of the Jacksons had known that insomnia would set in. She recalled that first night when she had told Daniel to go home. Why hadn't he said something then? And then over the weekend she had learned upon asking her staff, that he had timed his visits, not only to avoid her but the majority of her nurses. She shook her head. "For a man who is such a genius, you can be so idiotically stupid sometimes."

The only reply she received was another snore.

It was around four in the afternoon, when Annika showed the first signs of waking, mumbling something under her breath. Daniel's snores also tapered off into steady quiet breathing. The doctor paged Jack and Keelah to the infirmary as requested, then added Sam, knowing the colonel would want to know as well. She was surprised when only Jack sauntered in with a pile of clothes for Annika to change into.

The general shrugged, "Sam's giving Keelah a lesson on the firing range. They won't be back for at least a half hour."

Janet gave a nod and gestured to one of the chairs. "Shouldn't be long now."

Jack made himself as comfortable as the hard plastic seat allowed and waited. Only a few minutes had ticked by when Annika's eyelids fluttered open.

She blinked blearily at Jack, who gave a little wave. Felt the familiar hand resting on hers and heard the even breathing coming from beside her and knew Daniel was still asleep. Groggily Annika sat up. "How long was I out?"

Jack paused. "Three days."

"Three days?" she croaked in disbelief, her gaze straight away darting to her husband. "Daniel?"

"We sedated him this morning," Janet said quietly. "We would have done it sooner, if he had told us what was going on between you two."

Annika heard the reproach in the doctor's voice. "I'm sorry...we just didn't want to cause a fuss for something so embarrassing."

"Sleep deprivation is not embarrassing," Janet scolded. "It's a serious condition."

She caressed her husband's cheek. "Stubborn man," she whispered. "I bet he got caught up in his work to distract himself and lost track of time."

"Lost track of time is a huge understatement," Jack butted in, his tone testy. His earlier defense of Daniel's secrecy to Janet had been a team leader protecting his kids from official chastisement from the CMO. Now it was a team leader letting those kids know that such secrecy was not acceptable. "You do know they use sleep deprivation as a form of torture?"

Annika winced. "We didn't mean to hide it...we didn't really spend much time thinking about it..."

Daniel had been roused by the voices, though it was the guilty pulse through their bond, which had decided to work for the time being, that really woke him. "Stop growling at my wife, Jack. It's not her fault."

"Well hello, sunshine," Jack drawled. "I'm not saying this insomnia thing is anyone's fault. Your quirks are what they are. I'm just saying a heads up would have been damned nice. You had Keelah freaked out thinking you were a closet drug fiend."

"Okay, we're sorry for worrying everyone," Annika sighed. "Can we just consider ourselves reprimanded and drop it?"

To her surprise it was Daniel who shook his head. "Not just yet." He fixed Jack with an accusing glare. "You blindsided me."

Jack gave a single nod. "Yes, I did." He put his plan on how not to wind up with Daniel's fist connecting with his jaw, into action. He was very much aware that it could blow up in his face...or more literally, wallop him in the face. Good thing he was already in the infirmary. "My plan A worked like a charm."

"And what was plan B?" Daniel snapped. "Whacking me on the head with a vase?"

"No, because in all likelihood the vase would have just broken on your stubborn skull." Jack heaved a sigh. "Was my plan sneaky and dirty and underhanded? Yes, I admit that. You deserve to take a swing at me." He tapped at his jaw offering it up. "So go on, take your best shot, but know that I would do it again in a second because it was for your own good."

The two best friends glared at each other then Daniel scowled. "Fine, just don't expect me to say thank you for drugging me."

"So I'll say it," Annika squeezed her husband's hand. "Thank you, Jack, for helping Daniel get some sleep."

Daniel switched his glare to Annika. Then saw the worry reflected in her eyes as she stared back at him, knowing she was seeing the dark circles that were under his that had only diminished a little from his forced sleep. His anger drained away and he gave her a weak smile. "It was only meant to be for one night."

"I know," she said softly, giving his hand another squeeze. The couple shared an understanding smile.

Jack cleared his throat. "Ya' know, now would be the perfect time for you to share the details of any other little secrets that you two have." He waited expectantly for an answer.

The look Annika and Daniel were sharing turned mischievous.

"Well," Daniel said thoughtfully, "now that you mention it..."

"We have a troupe of kids squirreled away in our basement," Annika finished with a straight face.

Jack blinked at them. "You have a basement?"

Everyone lasted all of two seconds before snorts of laughter erupted from them.

"So I take it that's a 'no' for any more quirks?" Jack needed it confirmed.

"Yes, that's a 'no'," Annika nodded.

"What's that?" Daniel asked warily as Janet approached with a syringe filled with a clear liquid. If it was another sedative he was making a run for the door. Being knocked out once today was more than enough. Though he was still tired, he was positive a naturally induced sleep in his own bed with his wife in his arms would restore him fully.

"A mega dose of vitamins," Janet replied, indicating with her free hand for him roll up his sleeve. "You haven't eaten anything substantial all weekend."

"You couldn't have given it to me while I was asleep?" he grumbled, reluctantly shrugging out of his BDU shirt and offering his arm.

She swabbed his bicep and unceremoniously stuck him with the needle. "But then, Doctor Jackson, you wouldn't learn the consequences of depriving your body of needed nutrition." She moved on to Annika, this time with just a stethoscope. After getting her patient to breathe deeply a few times, she removed the earpieces and hung the instrument around her neck. "There's no sign of fluid or congestion. How do you feel?"

"Good," she replied, and there wasn't even a slight hedging to get out of the infirmary as quickly as humanly possible. She wasn't going to question why she didn't have a residual cough or blocked nose that typically lingered with the flu. Annika was just glad she could breathe normally.

"Do you feel up to testing the strength of your telekinesis?" Janet asked.

Annika nodded, looking for something to use that couldn't be turned into a weapon in case her control hadn't been restored. Jack picked up a highlighter from the desk, raising an eyebrow in questioning suggestion. Another nod and he placed it at the foot of her bed, motioning for Janet to take a precautionary step back.

Warily Annika focused her will on the pen. Shakily it rose a few inches and she winced at the instant throbbing in her head. She let the pen drop back to the sheets with a sigh of relief. "Back to how it was."

"Well, you're both free to go," Janet gave her official release. "Daniel, I recommend an early night."

The archaeologist was about to protest that he had just slept all day, then decided against it. He wouldn't put it passed the doctor to order him sedated again. He just accepted the pile of clothes for Annika from Jack. Janet out of habit drew the curtain to give some privacy to change.

Making conversation, Jack said, "Casper, you know you're a real chatterbox when you sleep?"

"Am I?" The redhead tugged off the hospital gown, tilting her head in question at Daniel.

He nodded confirmation with a grin. He found the little mumblings she made to be cute.

"What'd I say?" she called to her friends beyond the curtain, making quick work of the hooks on her bra.

"Guess you were picking up on Daniel's condition," the doctor sounded amused. "Something about being love sick."

Annika stiffened, her stomach roiling as the comment caused fragments of fuzzy images to flash in her mind. Though not even half dressed she flung the curtain back. "What else?"

Jack instantly recognized the signs of a vision. "Not the warm fuzzy, walking on cloud nine type of love sickness, huh?"

"No," she vehemently shook her head, buttoning the pants of her BDUs.

The doctor and general exchanged glances both trying to recall the specifics.

"You were muttering something as you were coming out of the sedative. It was hard to make out," Janet finally admitted. "All I caught was 'love sick'."

Jack gave a curt nod of agreement.

"May I?" Annika held out a hand to each of them.

Without a word the pair placed their hands in hers, not needing to be told to specifically concentrate on the memory of her sleep talking.

Jack tried not to wince as her knuckles turned white against his. "I'm gonna go with bad."

Daniel could feel through their bond the mix of emotions the vision was causing. "Real bad."

After a few very long seconds, she released her hold, her violet eyes opening, filled with worry. "One of the teams is going to come back...the only description I'm getting is love sick."

A shudder ripped through Daniel at the first possibility to occur to him, dredged up from the real nightmares of his memories. "Something like Hathor's and Bes's pheromones?"

"No...a physical illness...a deadly one." She felt his horror at the memory of what Hathor had done to him. Besides wanting to absolutely reassure him this 'love sickness' wouldn't be a repeat performance of the intoxicating pheromones, she needed a second pair of eyes to help decipher this vision. It was too important for her to miss anything. Again she concentrated on the vision and reached out to transfer it to him.

"Any clue which team?" Jack asked.

"No." Annika could feel Daniel processing the images, his hand closing over hers to draw it away from his forehead when he was done. Was comforted when his fingers threaded through hers maintaining contact.

"When?" Jack broadened his questions. "Are they off-world now? Or is it an upcoming mission?"

"I don't know."

"Not today," Daniel said quietly. "But soon." He gave Annika's hand a squeeze drawing her attention to him. "Why is time so important?"

The general stopped his questioning, knowing that Daniel was referring to something specific from the shared vision and not to his question of when.

Annika frowned. She hadn't picked up on anything time related. "Where was that in the vision?"

"Near the end...like it's an afterthought."

She replayed those images and despite knowing where to look she again almost missed it. Gave her observant husband a grateful smile.

"Sneaky, isn't it?" he murmured.

She nodded then gave her interpretation. "Whatever it is, it's undetectable during the incubation period."

"Any idea on how long the incubation period is?"

Daniel's catching the 'time' issue and Janet's question unlocked another snippet in the vision.

"Longer than the standard post-mission quarantine."

"We gotta take this to Hammond," Jack decided.

Everyone agreed and started for the corridor. Daniel however tugged Annika back.

"Um...Annika, as much as I love how you look right now, do you really want to give everyone a peep show?" He swung a piece of material back and forth in the air.

For a moment Annika stared blankly at the black cotton, then looked down at herself, realizing she was shirtless. Her cheeks turning pink she grabbed the t-shirt and hastily pulled it over her head. "Thank you."

Daniel couldn't resist, she looked so damned cute when she was embarrassed. He pulled her into a hug. Over her head he gave an innocent grin at Jack and Janet who had stopped at the door. "Now who's the one who got caught up and forgot 'little details'?"

The pair looked abashed, having been caught doing what they had just berated the Jacksons over. So caught up over trying to figure out the vision it hadn't registered that Annika wasn't quite dressed.

"Touché," Jack chuckled.

Annika grabbed her socks and boots deciding to shove them on in the lift rather than delay any more, and hand in hand with Daniel followed after the sheepish pair.

Hammond was in his office reviewing his notes on the meetings he'd been in all day. He looked up at the knock on his door, but before he could bid anyone to enter, the door swung open.

"We're just barging in, sir." Jack strode in first followed by Daniel, Annika and Janet.

"It's good to see you both up and about," Hammond smiled at the civilians. Jack had updated him on Doctor Jackson's condition, however, that was all he intended to say on the insomnia incident, knowing his 2IC was going to address it himself. He took in the serious expressions and his smile dropped. "What's happened?"

"I had a vision, sir," Annika said, crouching down to lace up her boot, "while I was coming out of the sedative."

"I see." Hammond listened to the contradictorily specific yet vague details she could provide. "My first instinct is to go into immediate lockdown," he said thoughtfully. "But without a more specific timeframe it's not viable. We can't shut down the base indefinitely."

"And if we cancel or delay all upcoming missions we may just be delaying this sickness catalyst," Jack gave his opinion, showing he agreed with the CO.

"The only thing we have any control over is the quarantine," Hammond concluded. "Would doubling the length of the post-mission quarantine be enough, do you think?" He looked at Annika, hoping for a confirmation that was enough time.

The psychic could only shrug her shoulders noncommittally. "I could try taking another look at the pre-mission reports, see if I get any more details." During her original standard 'search' of the reports, which she did for every upcoming mission, she hadn't tried to direct her gift, just 'listened' to what the photos and telemetry readings shared with her third sight. If she now tried to focus on the 'love sick' vision she may get lucky and get a psychic hit.

"Start with the teams already off-world," Hammond approved.

"'Love sick' could be symbolic," Daniel put forth. He knew Annika wouldn't be reading the reports in the physical sense. "I can go through the briefs as well, looking for any variations or references to 'love' in the MALP imagery."

"I'll place an urgent supply order on medical supplies..." Janet also looked hopefully at Annika as she began listing things off. "Antibiotics, anti-virals, penicillin, pain meds..."

The last nudged at Annika. "Lots of them...strong ones." She recalled a similar nudge from the day when they had healed Keelah's scars. "Flu-like symptoms, at least before the bad stuff."

Janet grimaced. Considering the flu epidemic that had hit the base that wouldn't make any one person stand out, though it did narrow down a bit which meds she'd bring in. While there were a lot of illnesses that had initial flu symptoms, she could at least eliminate the ones that didn't. As it was, whatever she brought in would be pretty hit and miss considering they didn't know what they'd be dealing with or if the Earth medications would have any effect on an alien infection.

"I'll get on stocking up food supplies, sir," Jack added. "If we do wind up in lockdown when this thing hits, it'd be better to be prepared."

The CO gave another nod.

"Did you want us to remain on base, sir?" Jack asked.

Hammond considered it, then addressed Annika and Daniel, whom he knew had had the vision transferred to him. "You're both sure this won't happen tonight?" At their firm nod, he shook his head in answer to Jack's question. "Then I don't see the point of you staying. Go home, get a good night's sleep." Even as he said that he knew that would probably be an impossibility. Wondered if insomnia was actually a byproduct of working at the SGC for all of them, rather than just a side effect for the Jacksons. "We'll all look at this with fresh eyes in the morning. For now I'll scrub SG-1's mission for tomorrow. Instead I want you to focus on this, prepare as much as we can and identify anything we can."

They all nodded in understanding and agreement, then left to begin their assigned tasks. Annika and Daniel split the pre-mission reports between them and headed down to their office, which was where Sam and Keelah found them. Both offered to lend a new set of eyes to help out once the situation had been explained. Jack sauntered in a short time later, having organized the foodstuff. He was contemplating reaching for one of the folders when the klaxons announced an off-world activation from the Free Jaffa camp. Blessing Teal'c for his sense of timing Jack went to meet the final member of their team and give him a heads up.

He met Teal'c in the corridor of level twenty-eight. "Hey, T, how'd the powwow go?"

"I feel like I have spent two days with belligerent children," he sighed, his tone etched with weariness.

"That good, huh?"

"It was long and tedious and my respect for Daniel Jackson to participate in such meetings on a regular basis has increased tenfold. I assisted as I could. It is now up to the Jaffa to implement the suggestions made. Only time will tell." A small smile played on his lips the further they traveled down the corridor to Hammond's office for Teal'c to give a report on the mediation. "It is good to be home. What is the condition of Annika Jackson?"

"We woke Casper up this afternoon and she's as good as new, already given us a new hocus pocus snippet to decipher."

"That is good to hear," Teal'c replied. He barely hesitated when he asked, "When did you need to sedate Daniel Jackson?"

"This morn-" Jack stopped short, his expression incredulous. "Wait, you knew about this insomnia crap?"

"I did."

"And you kept mum because...?"

"It was a private matter between husband and wife."

Jack was about to launch into a repeat rebuke of 'those kind of secrets need to be told', then snapped his jaw shut. His team were what they were and there simply was no changing that.

Teal'c changed the subject. "Tell me of this vision Annika Jackson has had."

By eight o'clock that night they decided to call it quits for the evening. Despite the various sets of eyes none of them had been able to find even a hint of anything referring to love or illness, although Annika was able to glean that the double length of quarantine would be enough to at least contain the illness. It was a rather solemn group that trudged topside.