Daniel accepted the chalice from the chief elder and took a cautious sip. Never knew how potent these things were. It was a drink to commemorate friendship between the people of Earth and the Norettens. They weren’t a technically advanced race, more on par with the Abydonians, but establishing cultural relations was just as important in the anthropologist’s eyes as gaining weapons technology was to Jack. The drink was sweet, like a fruity white wine. Passing the cup on to Sam, he wondered if he could take some back with them. Annika was quite partial to sweet drinks.

One day left…actually nineteen hours, fifty-four minutes and fifteen seconds, (not that he was counting,) and he would be back with his soul mate. Hopefully this would be the last time he had to go off-world without her. They would be on stand down until after Christmas and then Annika became a fulltime member of SG-1. He couldn’t wait to get home.

Home. What a magnificent word. A word that he had never really grasped growing up being bounced from one set of foster parents to the next. A word that meant so much to him now that Annika was in his life. It wouldn’t matter if they lived in a tent, a cave or under an umbrella, wherever His Angel was, that was home. For the first time in his adult life he was actually excited about Christmas. The day after they returned, he and Annika were going to spend the day decorating. That is, after they made it out of the bedroom. Six long days and even longer nights since he’d sampled the sweet taste of her. He missed her presence from the moment he stepped through the wormhole.

Daniel pulled himself out of his reverie. There was another reason he was anxious to get back. He’d been worried about her for the last couple of weeks. One moment she was ecstatically happy and then the next without warning a deep sadness would filter through their bond. She’d done her best to shield those times from him but hadn’t been successful. Annika claimed that Christmas was her favorite time of the year, yet he sensed that her sadness was linked to the Yuletide season. She remained tight lipped and Daniel hadn’t pushed. He knew she would tell him when she was ready. That didn’t make the waiting any easier.

Teal’c was just handing over the ceremonial cup when they all heard it. It was a sound Daniel never, ever wanted to hear, especially when he was eighteen thousand light years from Earth and a day's hike from the Stargate.

Immediately the four friends searched for the source, while the Norettens looked confused, even a bit frightened.

"Where is she?" Daniel’s eyes frantically scanned the room then he jumped to his feet and spun around to look behind. Normally when Annika astral projected it was within a set radius to him. There was no sign of the redhead.

The Jaffa crouched down to peer under the table. "Daniel Jackson." He beckoned to the archaeologist.

The rest of SG-1 dropped to their knees while a couple of the elders bent over in their chairs to see where the unexpected noise was coming from.

Hidden by the shadows of the tabletop sat Annika clutching what seemed to be a string of Christmas lights, rocking back and forth, sobs wracking her body.

"My Angel, what’s wrong?" Daniel automatically reached for her but his hand swept right through her astral self. There was no reaction from Annika that she’d heard him. "Damn, she’s split."

The other’s nodded, understanding that the newest member of their team was unaware of her visit. While Annika had no trouble making a conscious split of her astral self, there were still times when she unconsciously did it. They also knew that only happened when her emotions took precedence over her mind.

The elders pushed away from the table, scattering from the ghostly image.

"No need to worry, folks." Jack saw the fear widen their new ally’s eyes. "She’s with us."

"She is a spirit?"

"Yes and no." The colonel gestured to Sam. "Carter, explain Annika’s little party trick, will ya’?"

Dutifully Sam launched into an explanation, trying to keep her voice calm and steady. Not that Annika’s appearance was unusual, it was the distraught state of her friend that had her worried.

Daniel desperately yanked at their bond, giving two short tugs. After the Bon Jovi concert incident they had devised a way of making her aware of what her subconscious had done. With no chance of verbal communication until the psychic herself realized she had split, two tugs on their bond was the code they had worked out. Twice she had split since then and twice it had had worked. However this time there was no response from her. The grief consuming her was blocking his efforts.

"I don’t know what to do." His voice was hoarse as he helplessly watched Annika cry like her heart was breaking. What had happened? Gently he probed their bond, searching for a clue. Had she received some sort of bad news? As far as he knew Annika had no relatives. On the other hand, she had conveniently sidestepped any talk of her family, had always talked of them in the past tense. This anguish felt old, like it had been buried deep within her.

Trying again to reach her, he sent the full force of his love. He watched the vision of Annika with baited breath, praying to any and all Gods that this time she would feel him. The ghostly image gave a start and Daniel felt a wash of emotions propel back to him with such speed it made him gasp. All her love, mixed with a desperate longing and that grieving pain. He quickly gave another two tugs and her eyes widened. She shimmered, became stronger and the emotions changed into embarrassment when her eyes focused on the alien faces behind her friends.

"Oh, Gods, I’m sorry," she hiccupped. "I didn’t mean too…"

"Annika, it’s okay." Daniel moved so that he was directly in front of her, blocking her view of the strangers. "What’s wrong?"

"I…" Her throat closed up. "I’m okay…really."

"You’re not." Daniel caressed their bond. "I know you’re not."

She glanced over his shoulder and he felt her growing mortification override the sadness. "I’ll talk to you soon."

"Annika, wait!"

But her body flickered then vanished.

Daniel kept a gentle hold on their bond. If need be he would spend the night pouring his love and concern through their link to help her in the only way he was able without physically being with her. There was a slight pushing from her end and he stubbornly tightened his grip. He wouldn’t let her off the hook this time. He felt her sigh of resignation when she realized this, then the deep sadness was slowly reeled back, once again to be tucked away into the back of her mind.

"Danny?" Jack laid a comforting hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

When the archaeologist lifted his eyes, Jack saw a jumble of emotions reflected back. Love, worry, helplessness, confusion, stubbornness and a touch of hurt. "We’re having a tug of war at the moment."

"Which of you two mules is winning?"

Daniel’s mouth twitched. "Yet to be determined."

The elders hesitantly approached. "Dan-yel, your mate is in great distress. Do not feel obligated to remain here."

Though he really wanted to high tail it back to the Stargate, Daniel knew that a feast had been prepared by the whole village for their final night. "We would not offend you and your people by leaving on such an important evening."

"Our friendship has been well established over the six nights you have been here," the elder assured him. "Your concern for this woman only strengthens the wisdom of our alliance. It shows us that our new friends are a compassionate people."

"As are our new friends." The archaeologist warmly clasped the elder’s hand then glanced up at Jack, trying to keep his expression neutral. It would be up to the team leader whether they started back to the ’gate now or in the morning.

"There’s still a couple hours of daylight left. We could make some headway."

Daniel turned back to the elders. "Thank you."

The elder shook the diplomat’s hand. "When you return, please bring your mate with you. We would like to meet one who is both spirit and earthly body."

"I’m sure she’d like to meet you too."

With a promise to return within a few weeks, SG-1 managed to walk out of the village. Once out of sight of the villagers, without a word they began to double time it, trying to cover as much ground as possible. They only stopped when it became too dark to safely continue over the rough terrain.

"How’s she doing?" Sam asked quietly, as they pitched their tents.

He sighed. "Pretending to be happy."

They made a quick meal of MREs from their packs then drew straws for standing watch.

Daniel lay wide awake on top of his sleeping bag, staring at the canvas and waited. Anxiety made his body taut, not to mention the overwhelming feeling of uselessness. He knew that Annika would astral travel to him, if only to try and convince him that she was fine. After what seemed like an eternity, he sensed her emotions calm down. Okay, she’s meditating, any second now…

Before he had finished the thought, Annika’s image appeared sitting by his side. She was tense but composed.

"Daniel…"

"Annika, what’s happened?" He propped himself up on one elbow.

The concern in his voice unraveled her. She opened her mouth to speak however the words wouldn’t form. Instead her violet eyes welled and her face crumpled.

Immediately he reached for her, pausing a fraction to make sure she’d solidified her shape. Blessedly he felt her warmth and he embraced her crying body. She clung to him as he stroked her hair, giving what comfort he could without knowing the cause for her tears.

"I’m sorry," she gulped. "I thought I’d cried myself out."

"You’ve nothing to apologize for." Daniel soothingly rubbed her back. "Talk to me," he pleaded. "I can’t stand seeing you like this."

Annika took a few steadying breaths. "I started unpacking the Christmas decorations, getting them ready for when you get back."

"Okay…" He couldn’t fathom where she was going with this but he’d let her explain in her own way.

"You know I love Christmas," she sniffed. "But I don’t think you realize just how special it was to my family…to me. We were a loving family…not that we didn’t show that throughout the rest of the year…we did…but at Christmas time it intensified. Everything we did from decorating the tree to wrapping the presents was done with only joy and laughter. Any problems we had disappeared for the month of December." A sigh escaped. "I always received more negative visions around that time of year. People are either insanely happy or completely depressed. It seemed like I was a magnet for any morose imprints left in everyday items. So my parents made a special effort to make sure our house was only full of happy thoughts, like a safe haven." Annika gave him a sad smile. "It was a purely magical time of year."

Despite his concern for what she was going through, his return smile was a little envious. After his parents died, Christmas became just another day. Admittedly a couple of his foster parents had tried, but they hadn’t known how to treat their ward, a little boy who was so withdrawn, who always had his nose buried in books university professors had difficulty reading, who chattered to himself in a half a dozen languages, a child who was way too smart and way to ‘old’ for his young age. "It sounds wonderful."

"It was," Annika agreed. "I have cheerful, terrific memories of every Christmas from my childhood."

Daniel held her closer, thinking about what she’d told him. It didn’t explain her sadness, in fact it totally contradicted what he knew she was feeling. And then the light dawned. "What was it about the lights that upset you? What did you see?"

She drew in a ragged breath. "Daniel, I just don’t have my memories anymore," she raised his eyes to his. "I’ve got Dad’s as well. The lights…they were his Christmas job. He grumbled that they were all twisted up in knots, made a great song and dance of untangling them. Mom always defended her packing skills, claiming that she’d made a point the year before to roll them up neatly. It was a game…a silly game that they played out every year. When I touched them today, I realized just how much they loved teasing each other, that Dad would secretly mess them up for the sole purpose to tease her about it the next year…You know I don’t usually have visions from anything I own…I didn’t expect it, wasn’t prepared…" she fought back a fresh wash of tears. "Gods, Daniel, I miss him so much."

Even as he held her whispering words of comfort, her last statement repeated in his ears. I miss him so much. Not them. Did that mean that her mother was still alive? If she was, why hadn’t Annika mentioned it before? He knew her mother had had problems with having a psychic for a daughter when Annika originally told him about her ability. From that same statement he’d assumed that things had worked out. Daniel pushed the thoughts away. Now wasn’t the time to ask questions. At least now he knew where those stabs of grief had come from in the last few weeks. Touching the lights today may have been Annika’s first vision of her dad, however she was struggling with her own memories, like those that the coming holiday inevitably awakened in everyone who’d lost a loved one. He’d been battling with the same thing ever since his parent’s death. So did Jack over the loss of Charlie and Sam with her mom. It was why all of them had buried themselves in work, not coming up for air until well into the new year.

Daniel lost track of how long he rocked her in his arms but eventually her tears stopped and they lay in silence for a few minutes.

When Annika next spoke, her voice was soft. "I guess I should consider myself lucky. As much as I miss him, it’s a pretty special memory to add to my own."

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "Your visions are a true gift." He hesitated, not sure how to word his question or even if he had the right to ask it at all.

She titled her head, sensing not only his doubt but a wistfulness through their bond. "What do you want to ask me?"

"Uh…well…I was wondering if you’d be willing to share what you saw with me." Her eyes widened in surprise and he hurried on. "I’ll understand if you don’t, I mean it’s your family’s memory…but it would be kinda nice to have a few happy Christmas memories, even if they’re not my own…" His voice trailed off and he lowered his gaze.

Annika could almost see the child that had been Daniel growing up in one loveless home after another, longing for the family that had been destroyed. Without a word she lifted her palm to his forehead, transferring her vision to him. She watched as his lips turned up into a smile.

"You parents were very much in love."

"Yes, they were," she reminisced. "They told each other in a hundred different ways everyday."

"Thank you." His lips lightly brushed her forehead. "For letting me in."

She cupped his face. "I didn’t mean to shut you out. I’m just still not used to having someone to share with. Someone who wants me to share."

"I’ll always be there," he murmured, his blue eyes darkening with the truth of his words.

"I know," Annika gently sought his lips. "I just need reminding every now and then." She drew in a slightly shaky breath. "Can I…er…stay here tonight? I know it’s probably against regs…"

He cut her off with a kiss. "Of course you can stay." He grinned, "And as a bonus on top of having you in my arms, I might even catch up on some sleep myself."

Annika shifted her position so she was lying down, snuggled against him. "Me too. If your last two missions have taught me anything, it’s that I really need more than two hours of sleep a night."

"I know what you mean, I’ve practically been a zombie for the last couple of days." Daniel waited until she’d stopped wriggling and then curled his body around her, cocooning her in his embrace. "Sleep, My Angel."

"Good night, My Love," She gave him a final kiss. "And thank you for helping me with my mini meltdown."

"Anytime." He softly caressed her cheek.

With a contented sigh Annika let her eyes close and within a few minutes was asleep. Daniel remained awake until he heard her breathing become slow and steady, then his own eyes drooped shut and he fell into his first decent night sleep for six days.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Jack poked his head into the tent to wake Daniel. He’d heard voices coming from inside and had guessed Annika had paid another little visit. Their quiet murmurs had trickled off an hour ago and he assumed everything had been sorted out. He found the archaeologist lying on his side, his arms wrapped around the transparent woman pressed against him. Her head was tucked beneath his chin and her hands were holding him tightly. Silently the colonel left the sleeping couple alone. At the present time, it was clear Annika needed to be with Daniel more than Jack needed him to stand watch.

He resumed his post against a tree on the perimeter of their camp, lost in his own thoughts. He hadn’t mentioned it to Daniel, but he had a pretty good idea of what had upset the young psychic. He’d seen that sort of grief looking back at him in the mirror for years after Charlie had died, especially around the so-called silly season. Working at the SGC, or more specifically working with Daniel, Sam and Teal’c, had grafted the gaping hole in his heart. It was still there but their friendship and love made it easier to bear as the years passed. He didn’t want to imagine living without any one of them. He glanced at the tent where his best friend slept. Been there, done that. Sure as hell didn’t want an encore. On a purely selfish level, he prayed that if ever, (God forbid,) any of his team was killed, that he too would die at the same time. He gave a wry grin. Been there, done that too. Jack knew himself well enough to know that he would shut down as surely as Daniel and Annika would from their bond thingy if any member of SG-1 lost the fight to live.

Crap! Stop with the morose melancholy! It is sooo not cool. This Christmas was not going to be ruined by such depressing thoughts. Annika had the whole thing planned out and he had to admit that he was looking forward to it. It’d be sweet to have a real Christmas again. Not to mention the fact that it would be his first Christmas with Sam. Well, he’d spent the last seven Christmases with Major Samantha Carter but this was the first one with Sam, his lover. True they had to keep their feelings hidden but the whole team was staying with Daniel and Annika from Christmas Eve to the twenty-sixth. That was two whole nights together where they didn’t have to pretend they were only colleagues.

He and Sam hadn’t discussed their relationship with their teammates. Daniel and Annika knew that the undercover roles had continued after Mooloolaba. There had been the occasional teasing comment, but never where prying ears could hear. And Teal’c…well, he wasn’t a chatterbox at the best of times, however Jack was pretty sure the Jaffa had guessed what was going on between the two military officers. By unspoken agreement the subject was left alone. Talking about it risked discovery and no one was willing to accept the consequences of that. Damn, the military and the non-frat reg! Something had to be done and soon. He didn’t know if he could take the sneaking around much longer, especially now that he’d tasted Sam’s sweet lips. He wanted to kiss her senseless whenever he saw her. Speaking of which…

Quietly he crawled into the major’s tent. Unable to deny himself the pleasure he brushed his fingers across cheek. "Sam, wake up."

"Hmmm?" Blue eyes flickered open. Her hand closed over his, holding it in place.

"It’s your watch," he whispered.

Groggily she sat up. "I thought Daniel was before me."

"Change of plan. Let them sleep." Jack sat down beside her, handing her boots to her.

"Them?" Sam plunged her feet into the shoes and quickly tied the laces.

The colonel shrugged. "Casper’s with him."

"Annika’s okay?" The concern in her voice was clear.

"Think so."

"I’d better get out there." She started to slide out of the tent.

Jack caught her as she passed pulling her onto his lap. His lips descended on hers in a forbidden but oh so delicious kiss. "Good night, honey."

"Sweet dreams, Jack," she whispered back, then after another quick kiss, she reluctantly moved out into the night air.

Jack didn’t bother to remove his shoes, he just flopped down onto Sam’s sleeping bag. Breathing in the flowery scent that lingered within the material he closed his eyes. Yep, something really had to be done about that damned regulation….