She was awoken by Daniel trying desperately to untangle himself from the sheets, his face that same shade of green of the night before. Annika quickly helped him to the bathroom, where she left him hugging the toilet like it was the Holy Grail. Hearing groans coming from outside, Annika looked out the window to see Teal’c hauling a very wobbly colonel over the fence towards Daniel’s house. Obviously Sam has taken up residence in my other bathroom, she thought making her way downstairs.

Flipping the button on the coffee percolator, she heard the toilet flush a few moments before the major crawled out and leant against the doorframe.

"Do you want a hand getting to the table?" Annika offered.

Sam shook her head weakly and immediately groaned at the movement. "If it’s all right with you, I’ll just stay here."

"Coffee?"

"Sounds good." She accepted the steaming mug with slightly trembling hands. "How did we get here? We didn’t drive, did we?" Her already pale face turned whiter at the thought.

"No, a Marine and Teal’c rolled you in." Annika grinned at the flicker of clarity on the blonde’s face.

"Rolled…Oh God, we rolled down the ramp at the SGC, didn’t we?" Sam clutched her head in mortification.

"That’s what I’ve been told. Apparently you were all singing at the time," Annika chuckled. "I can’t wait to watch the security tapes."

Sam only moaned into her coffee.

There was a shuffling on her back porch and she turned to see Jack slowly walking towards them. Well, at least he’s upright. Teal’c followed him in ready to catch him should his legs give out.

"Morning, Jack."

"Please don’t yell," he cringed, gingerly lowering into a chair and resting his head against the table. "Teal’c, buddy, shoot me now. I absolve you of any guilt. It’ll be a mercy killing."

"Here." Annika wrapped his hand around a mug of coffee. "This’ll help."

"Promise?"

"Trust me." She managed not to smile as she watched him warily take a sip.

"Glad you find our misery so amusing." Bleary eyed, Daniel ever so delicately walked in and collapsed onto a chair.

"I wasn’t laughing." Another cup was poured out.

"Yes, you were." Annika felt a miserable tug at their bond.

"Okay, I was," she admitted, "but you’ve got no one to blame but yourselves."

"Your with a cold hearted woman, Daniel." Jack’s voice was muffled by the tabletop. "I thought you said she was an angel."

"I made you coffee, didn’t I?" she protested. "And I’ll even cook you breakfast. How does lots of greasy bacon and eggs sound with toast and lashings of melted butter?"

Annika quickly hugged the wall to make way for the mad exodus of three bodies once again bolting for the toilets.

"That was cruel, Annika Murdoch," Teal’c said somberly, however his eyes were sparkling.

"Yeah, I know," she grinned, "but pretty funny, huh?"

A couple of hours later the hung over trio managed to hold down a few pieces of dry toast and had dragged themselves into the shower. Dressed in their freshly laundered fatigues, they morosely gathered in the lounge room.

"Just how much did you all drink anyway?" Annika asked curiously, while Jack handed around aspirins like they were candy.

Daniel shrugged then regretted the gesture. "I have no idea. I definitely remember the first two. After that it seemed like my cup was never empty."

"Surely we must have stopped at some point." Sam gratefully swallowed the aspirin. "I mean we did sleep, right?"

Jack rubbed blood shot eyes. "I vaguely recall lying down on a bunch of oversized cushions a few times and whenever I sat up someone thrust another drink in my hand."

"You all had approximately five drinks each night from dusk until dawn," Teal’c supplied the missing details. "When the sun rose, the Porichnees pulled out the pillows O’Neill spoke of and went to sleep. When they awoke an hour before their sunset, food was brought out and you all ate, then started the whole process again."

"Only five drinks?" the colonel asked in disbelief. "I know Daniel’s a cheap drunk…"

"Gee, thanks, Jack," Daniel muttered.

"…But it takes more than five drinks to take me down."

"That’s Earth drinks, sir," Sam theorized. "Porichnee liquor may have a higher alcohol percentage."

"Major Carter is correct," Teal’c confirmed. "On the third day I sent a sample back to Doctor Fraiser. She determined the alcoholic content was quadrupled by Tau'ri standards."

"And you didn’t think we should know this little tidbit?" Jack groaned.

"I did try to tell you, O’Neill, however you did not seem interested."

"Next time make me interested."

"After eight days, you’re lucky you didn’t end up with alcohol poisoning," Annika frowned.

"Doctor Fraiser gave me a list of symptoms to watch for," Teal’c reassured her. "She also sent through the Stargate some supplements which she instructed me to add to your food. I do not know precisely what they were, however I was told it would help you cope with the alcohol intake."

Daniel carefully tilted his head in concentration. "I don’t remember you doing that."

"I am not surprised, Daniel Jackson," the Jaffa said without a hint of a smile. "Doctor Fraiser said you required double doses of the supplement because of your known low tolerance for alcoholic beverages."

Jack and Sam started laughing but quickly broke off clutching their still throbbing heads.

Annika drove them all back to the base and went in search of Janet while the subdued team gave their official report to the general. Unsurprisingly she found the doctor in the infirmary going over a stack of medical files.

"How is the singing trio?" Janet asked with a wicked grin.

"Feeling very sorry for themselves." She perched herself on an empty gurney.

"I’ll bet." The doctor started setting up three syringes. "I have to say, that in all my years working here, this was the first time I have been asked to help a team survive a week long party."

"What exactly was in those supplements you had Teal’c slip into their food?"

"A new mix of vitamins courtesy of the Kelownans." She began filling the vials with an amber liquid. "Jonas sent it through when he heard where SG-1 had gone. Seems they’ve already had dealings with the Porichnees a few months ago. I’ve asked they report down here when they’ve finished the debrief. Jonas recommended giving them a direct shot into the blood stream to help with the hangover."

"And you couldn’t have given it to us last night?" Jack grumped from the doorway.

The two women twisted around to see the pallid team shuffle into the room.

"But, Colonel," Janet began with a look of pure innocence. "You were all so eager to go on your road trip, I didn’t want to delay your departure."

"Haven’t you taken that hippopotamus oath to help the sick?" he demanded already rolling up his sleeve.

"You weren’t sick when you left here."

"No, that came this morning," Annika chuckled, scooting over to make room for Daniel beside her.

"Colonel, you gave me a direct order last night to release you from the infirmary." Janet swabbed his arm and deftly administered the injection. "You do outrank me after all."

"That’s never stopped you before," Daniel protested, flinching as he received his own shot. "You could have stopped me, I have no rank."

"You were worse than the colonel." Janet moved over to Sam. "I had barely taken your blood pressure before you were stumbling out the door to see Annika. I couldn’t stop you."

"Isn’t that what the guards posted at every entrance are for?"

"Oh, build a bridge and get over it," Annika laughed. "Sheesh, you’d think you’d never had a hangover before."

"You wouldn’t be saying that if you had that fruity brew." Sam slid to her feet. "I never want to see or smell another piece of fruit for as long as I live."

"Well, you’re all done here." Janet disposed of the syringes. "I’ve already recommended to General Hammond that you be given three days down time to fully recover, but I don’t want any of you behind the wheel for at least another day."

"That’s alright." Annika held up her keys. "I’m playing chauffeur today."

Sam chose to remain in her quarters on base, while Teal’c took the free days as an opportunity to visit his son Ry’ac. After Jack and Daniel switched into civvies, Annika dropped the colonel at his cabin before driving her and Daniel home.

Parking in the driveway she felt a ripple of desire from the man beside her. She snuck Daniel a sideways glance. "I take it that shot is very effective."

"Oh, yeah." Gone was the sickly pallor that had haunted his face, to be replaced by a devilish gleam. "I’m feeling much better." His arms reached for her and his mouth descended on her lips.

A wonderfully familiar heat spread through her body as she eagerly responded to his touch.

They reluctantly drew apart long enough to climb out of the car, but instead of heading for her porch, Daniel led her next door. Kissing the tips of her fingers he murmured, "I want to show you something."

One of the first things they had done when Annika had been given full security clearance was to go step by step through his house. She had received visions from just about every artifact she’d touched, but with Daniel by her side, he’d been able to explain any SGC related incidents, as well as many personal experiences trapped in the objects he’d accumulated over the course of his life. The images dissipated never to return. So while for convenience they spent most of their time together at her place, she no longer feared a bombardment of psychic flashes. In fact she quite liked the soft warmth that his home exuded and when he was off-world she would spend many hours curled up on his couch, taking comfort in being surrounded by the old-world items.

"What is it?" Curiosity momentarily battled against the awakened passion within her. Her mind ran images of the rooms she’d been in not two days ago, looking for any new item she hadn’t noticed before.

A sly glint lit up his eyes as he unlocked the door, keeping an arm around her. "Patience is a virtue."

"One I seriously lack." She stepped inside and her gaze swept the room already searching for whatever it was.

Daniel grinned at her impatience. "Close your eyes."

Obediently she squeezed them shut, only to have one spring back open. "What for?"

"I was once told that presentation is everything."

A smile tilted her mouth to have her ‘words of wisdom’ from their first night together, thrown back at her. "Don’t tell me you’ve decorated a cake."

"No, I leave the artistry up to you."

Delicious lips lightly brushed hers.

"Now, no peeking."

He guided her down the hall, passed his study and the main bedroom. She heard him open the door to the spare room, then the soft click as it shut behind them.

"Okay. You can open them now."

At first Annika thought her motor functions had seized up, refusing to listen to her brain to actually open her eyes. The room was pitch black, so dark she couldn’t see her hand right in front of her face. "Daniel?"

Strong arms hugged her from behind and his breath caressed her neck. "Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when we went for that little midnight excursion?"

She smiled at the memory. "You mean when we went skinny dipping and ended up hiding buck naked from the park ranger on night patrol?"

"That’s the one." She felt him smile against her skin. "Before that but after our little dip, you wondered what it would be like to make love amongst the stars."

"I remember." They’d drowsily star gazed, entwined in each others arms after making love both in and out of the natural hot spring nestled in the depths of the national park.

"I figured this would be the closest we could get…"

Her breath caught when the darkness was suddenly awash with tiny pinpricks of light. As they slowly revolved around the room, Annika recognized some of the clusters of galaxies no one on Earth, (outside the SGC that is,) had ever had the privilege to see. The gaseous clouds of nebulas, shooting stars and comets swirled all the colors of the rainbow, painting the walls that she now realized were covered with black sheets.

Daniel felt that magical tickle beneath his heart, telling him more than words how enchanted she was. "Sam backwards engineered the Tok’ra holo-device and we reprogrammed the matrix."

"How?…When did you do this?" The roaming stars revealed the bed and floor were also covered in silky black sheets, adding to the illusion that they were standing in the middle of outer space. "I didn’t sense a thing."

"You did, but just didn’t know it." He gave a low chuckle. "I thought I’d been so sneaky. I waited until you were asleep then crept over, making sure that my thoughts were focused only on the task and not fantasizing about why I was doing it. Feeling very proud of myself that I’d succeeded, I returned only to find you snuggled into the pillows, humming the ‘Star Wars’ theme in your sleep."

A giggle escaped as she recalled that night. "Now I know why I had an x-rated dream of Hans Solo and Princess Leia getting it on."

"So did they have any interesting positions we should try out?" Daniel’s fingers had made their way beneath her shirt, his seeking touch making her tremble in anticipation.

"Nothing we haven’t done already." She turned in his embrace and tenderly cupped his face in her hands. "Thank you for this." This man never ceased to amaze her. He’d taken a wistful comment and made it into a reality, (well almost). "Let me show my appreciation." She reached up to kiss the man who had become the center of her whole world. Starting slowly she reveled in the touch of his lips, her tongue exploring what she’d been denied for eight long days. Her fingers lightly traced along his jaw and down his neck, feeling his pulse rate increase when she deepened their kiss.

Continuing her quest to his chest, she felt his nipples harden under the soft cotton of his clothes. Snagging the hem of his shirt with her thumbs she pushed the material up his torso. Her palms kept contact with his heated skin, not wanting to be separated for even the moment it would take for Daniel to remove the shirt himself. Gods, she loved every blessed inch of him. She would never get enough of him, not in a million years.

Obligingly he lifted his arms to let her finish, and her touch sent fire shooting through his veins as she moved over his biceps. When the shirt tipped over his fingers her hands backtracked the way they had come, detouring to his back. Annika trailed a line of feather light kisses across his chest and a low groan escaped from his throat when her tongue swirled around his nipples.

Daniel’s hands began their own journey. One caressed the curve of her back before tugging her shirt off, while the other released the clasp of her bra, freeing her breasts. He pulled her closer to him, almost molding her body to his. Hands slid down to her behind and she felt his arousal pressed to her. "Oh, how I’ve missed this," she breathed.

They kicked off their shoes and he backed towards the bed until he was sitting on the edge. At the perfect height Daniel was able to nestle between her breasts. His lips roamed over the delectable mounds, paying particular attention to the areolas and the beautiful little buds that stiffened within his eagerly sucking mouth. Oh, yeah, this was heaven. Life didn’t get any better than this. His hands continued to stroke her through the denim of her jeans, happy for the moment to delay the exploration of her lower half until he’d paid homage to the upper half.

With the myriad of sensations coursing through her, not only at Daniel’s touch but the pleasure and volcanic desire pulsing through their bond, Annika thought she was going to go out of her mind. Drawing in a haggard breath her fingers began unbuttoning his jeans, releasing the tight material that was restricting his ever growing shaft.

Daniel gasped against her skin, his teeth grazing the edge of her nipple when her nails teasingly skimmed across his boxer shorts. Her hand closed over the straining muscle still trapped in the silky material moving from its base to the tip and back again. She knelt between his legs, the need to taste him couldn’t be denied any longer. Playfully her tongue darted between the slit in the shorts, flicking over only a few centimeters of the hot skin beneath.

He let out a moan, "Please, My Angel."

She answered his plea and when he lifted his hips she tugged off both the jeans and boxers. With a blissful sigh Annika lowered her head taking him into her mouth.

Daniel watched her bob up and down, her hair splayed out across his legs. He ran his fingers through the soft tresses, loving the way they tickled his thighs. One hand gently cupped him from beneath, massaging him, while the other encased the base of his manhood, moving in sync with her mouth. The sight of His Angel performing the erotic act and feeling her own joy in doing so, made the passion already assaulting his body increase tenfold. When she began taking him deeper down her throat he reluctantly pulled her up. A few more wonderful sucks and it would have been all over and he had yet to partake in the pleasure of her sweet well.

Hauling her against him Daniel hungrily sought her lips, relishing the slightly salty taste of himself lingering within her mouth. He unsnapped the button of her jeans and slowly unzipped them, letting them fall unheeded to the floor. In one quick move he twisted them around, swapping places. Kneeling, his lips traveled down her belly, smiling at the way the muscles twitched beneath his touch.

His warm breath played havoc with her senses as he placed light kisses on her creamy thighs and his fingers teased her through the lacy cotton of her bikinis. Now it was Annika’s turn to beg.

When she whimpered his name, Daniel more than willingly slid the final item of clothing down her legs. His tongue parted her moist folds and she involuntarily jerked at the contact. Finding her aching nub he took great delight in licking and sucking the tender area until she was writhing against his lips. So beautiful and sweet, like fairy floss spun just for me. When his finger delved into her hot crevice it sent her over the edge. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she cried out and Daniel greedily lapped up her nectar.

When he rose to lie beside her, Annika’s legs closed around him, keeping him upright. "Take me this way," her voice husky. "I want to watch the stars reflect off you."

"Your wish is my command." He grabbed the pillow from the head of the bed and tucked it beneath her hips, giving the extra height he would need. Toying with her, he let only the tip of his manhood enter her before pulling away. Annika let out a moan of frustration when he repeated the tantalizing procedure moving just a fraction deeper. She wrapped her legs around his hips, attempting to force him fully into her but he was the one in control.

"Gods, Daniel, do you want to drive me crazy?" she hoarsely demanded bucking towards him, clenching her inner muscles to keep him inside her.

Her guttural tone made him swell within her. A low groan escaped his lips and with his next thrust he buried himself as deep as he could. Daniel paused, savoring the wonderful sensation of being surrounded by her throbbing core. His hands gripped her hips and she reached out to them, interlocking her fingers with his against her body. With infinite slowness he drew back and began thrusting into her. Their eyes met and in the flickering lights they watched their pupils dilate as the building fire raged between them.

Annika’s breath turned into short gasps and her body trembled with the oncoming orgasm. When her muscles contracted it yanked Daniel over the precipice and his life force flowed into her.

Their heart rates still beating madly they shuffled up the bed and collapsed into each other’s arms. Temporarily sated, they contentedly watched the holographic stars dance around the room.

After a few minutes Daniel reached over to the bedside table and adjusted the knob of the holo-device making the stars glow brighter, then removed a small velvet pouch from the drawer. "I’ve got something for you. I wanted to give it to you on our two month anniversary, but the Porichnees kind of ruined that idea."

Even as Annika’s eyes lit up they were tinged with a touch of guilt. "You didn’t have to do that…I didn’t get you…"

He silenced her with a kiss. "I didn’t expect you to. You have already given me the best gift I could ever imagine." She felt his tickle of their bond. "But one thing I’ve learnt from my past relationships, is to never take for granted the love that you wholeheartedly bestow upon me. I unintentionally did that with Sarah and to a lesser degree with Sha’re. I was so involved in my work that things like anniversaries came and went without my noticing. I don’t want to make that mistake with you." His voice had deepened with sincerity. "So, be prepared, this is the first in a lifelong trail of gifts that I plan to shower you with."

He tipped the contents into her palm. A necklace with a silver trinket, no bigger than a thumbnail, tumbled out and she recognized the significance immediately. It was a tiny replica of a chewed up shoe, complete with the sole half hanging off and minute teeth marks peppering the edges.

"I didn’t want to be clichéd with the traditional box of chocolates."

She gave a chuckle of delight. "I love it. Where did you get it?"

"One of the rebel Jaffa from Chulac was a silversmith by trade before Apophis ‘recruited’ him. When Apophis learnt of this he appointed him as his own private jeweler…"

"You’re kidding, right?" Annika’s tone was incredulous.

Daniel laughed at her expression. "Nope. I know, I didn’t believe it myself. The whole concept of a Jaffa being anything else but a fighting machine never occurred to me. This guy designed a lot of the ornaments Apophis was always decked out in and made nearly all of the ribbon devices and jeweled weapons. Apparently the presence of a symbiote is needed when creating the weapons to make the final product work," he shrugged. "I don’t really understand it, Sam can explain it to you if you’re interested. Anyway, he’s now set up shop and gives any profits to the rebellion."

Annika fingered the delicate creation, marveling at the craftsmanship. "And all these years, Teal’c has never mentioned that some Jaffa have other jobs besides being Rambo?"

"No, in his words," Daniel mimicked the Jaffa’s tone. "It was irrelevant to the primary mission of defeating the Goa’uld."

Annika giggled as she held the necklace out to him. "Help me put it on?"

He nodded and she lifted her hair out of the way. When he joined the clasp he placed a gentle kiss to the base of her neck, sending a shot of desire rippling through her body. She felt him grin against her skin.

"I wish you could have seen the Jaffa’s face when I plonked the real shoe down and said I wanted a pendant made. He was positive he’d mucked up his English translation, so I had to repeat my request in Goa’uld and then tell him the story behind it."

Annika twisted in his arms so she was lying on top of him. "So now the free Jaffa know that mangled footwear brought us together?"

He looked a bit sheepish. "And some of the Kelownans."

"How did they get involved?"

"They made a few additions. Since they’re no longer at war with each other they’ve been expanding their cultural activities. Their latest art craze is micro miniatures." He scooped up the pendant now resting between her breasts and carefully applied pressure to the sagging sole. It was only then that Annika realized that there was a tiny hinge in the crease. As the sole clicked shut, the heel popped open to emit a soft blue light. "Look."

Daniel turned the opening towards her and Annika saw that the light was caused by some sort of hardened gel. He watched her expression become wondrous as she gazed into the light. "The gel is a bio-luminous poxy that magnifies a thousand fold whatever is encased in it, which in this case is smaller than a pin head."

Her breath caught in her throat. Nestled inside was a plaque ‘enlarged’ to the size of a grain of rice. She could clearly make out the words engraved around the edge, My Angel, My Love, My Life, and in the center was the etched figure of a renaissance angel, complete with flowing gown and feathery wings.

"Oh, Daniel, it’s beautiful," Annika gasped when she finally found her voice. She sent a rush of love through their bond, only to have his wave meet her halfway.

"Doesn’t compare to the new owner." Daniel’s voice was thick with emotion.

She lowered her mouth to his and their reawakened passion ran riot through their bodies.

The next few hours were spent trying to quench the insatiable thirst they felt for each other since the day they met. Eventually the need for food couldn’t be denied any longer. As they hadn’t had a chance to restock Daniel’s fridge on his return, they reluctantly redressed and headed back next door.