The incessant ringing of the telephone penetrated Daniel’s sleep addled mind. Without opening his eyes he relinquished his very comfy position of spooning with his wife and fumbled for the receiver. "’lo?"

All he heard was silence.

"Hello?" he repeated with a flash of annoyance at the possibility of a prank call at this unseemly hour of the morning. It took a moment for his mind to compute that the phone was still ringing, but it was distant, coming from downstairs. He had just sat up ready to drag his tired butt from the bed to go and search for his cell phone, when it stopped. For the briefest of moments he considered finding out who it was, then figured that if it was important then whoever it was would call back. He flopped back down on the mattress.

In less than a second he was nodding off again. Two seconds later the ringing was back, this one louder with a different ring tone, coming from the chair tucked in the corner of the room. As an added bonus, it wasn’t his phone this time.

He gave Annika, who had automatically snuggled back into his side, a nudge. "You gonna get that?"

There was an un-ladylike grunt from the crook of his arm. "You’re more awake than me."

"Your phone," he pointed out, burrowing deeper under the covers. "And you’re closer."

"If you love me you’d answer it." Her voice was slurred with sleep however he heard her hope.

"Don’t remember that from our wedding vows." He grinned at her resigned huff, felt her reluctantly twist to the far side of the bed, taking the covers with her. He simply rolled over with her to keep the warmth of the blankets.

Annika cracked one eye open, contemplating just where that irritating piece of technology was located. Caught sight of the digital clock glowing brightly on the bedside table. Four twenty in the morning. It could only be work. Anyone else who knew the couple had better sense than to make a social call before ten on their day off. Well, technically it wasn’t their day off, but their shift didn’t start until midday so the same principles applied. "Damned inconsiderate," she muttered. "Why can’t there be an emergency at a civilized time?" Rather than get up she stretched out across the small patch of carpet, using her hand to support her. Her jeans were just out of reach. Wiggled a little more walking on her hands, while her legs remained on the bed. Snatching at the leg of her jeans and tugging them to her, her mind absently noted that she would have expended less energy if she had simply got up normally. Fishing her cell out of her back pocket she hit the answer button and fell back onto the pillows. "The world had better be ending…" she grumped by way of greeting.

Daniel felt her stiffen slightly.

"Oh, hello, sir. I wasn’t expecting you personally…don’t you ever sleep?"

He couldn’t stop the snort of laughter as he guessed correctly that General Hammond had been on the receiving end of her ungracious salutation. Daniel earned a playful elbow jab for his lack of discretion, before she snuggled back against him. He listened curiously to the one-way conversation.

"Oh…uh huh…okay…yes, sir, I’m sure the receiver’s just been knocked off its cradle…o-seven hundred, see you then, sir." She disconnected the call.

"Our briefing’s been changed?" Daniel had understood enough that they wouldn’t have to go flying out the door for at least another two hours, so he made no move to get out of the coziness of their bed just yet.

"Yeah. Our mission’s been bumped up," she replied distractedly, a familiar poking at her mind. She hit the second number on her speed dial, waited impatiently for the person to pick up. "Jack…it’s disgusting that you are so chipper at this ungodly hour…yep, just got word, that’s why I’m calling. Pack some civvies…yes, I know it’s a mission…nope, no idea, maybe the locals have an aversion to BDUs…pack enough for a week…yes, I know it’s only supposed to last three days…next time I speak with the Powers That Be I’ll be sure to pass that along." With a chuckle she hit the end button. "Jack thinks it’s very inconsiderate that I wasn’t shown all the details." Her next phone call to Teal’c was a lot quicker, the Jaffa not questioning the vagueness of her vision.

"Did you see anything else?" he asked, as she dropped the phone on the bedside table and relaxed fully in his arms.

"Only that we’re not going where we think we’re going." She saw him frown and hurried on. "Nothing bad. I’m getting lots of warm and fuzzy vibes." Grinned when she shifted her position slightly and realized that a certain piece of Daniel’s anatomy was also now fully wide awake. "Although that could just be what I feel in this room."

"Could be." He nuzzled the nape of her neck. "Since we have two hours to kill, I have the perfect solution to while away the time."

"I like your way of thinking," she murmured as his hand cupped the mound of her breast, lazily playing with her nipple. Her lips sought his and all thoughts of the changed mission dissolved.

A little over two hours later, the couple was riding down into the depths of the underground base with Teal’c who had driven in with them. Nestled in the crook of Daniel’s arm, the memory of the previous night made her grin like a Cheshire cat. Halfway down Annika received a flash of where their destination had been changed to and her grin became wider. She was about to announce it to Daniel and Teal’c when the lift doors slid open and two members of SG-10 stepped in. Her mouth clicked shut. Their destination wasn’t supposed to be ‘public’ knowledge…well, at least the reason for the trip wasn’t. She wracked her brain to find a way to give her husband a hint. To get his attention she tightened her hold around his waist. "Oh, honey, the moon will be bright tonight."

Daniel’s brow crinkled in confusion at the bizarre comment, both at the endearment and the content. Since when did Annika start calling me ‘honey’? She was peeking sideways at him. Clearly she was expecting an answer. "Well, sugar, the stars will be bright too."

The perplexed look on her face told him that wasn’t the right response.

"We need some honey, and I want to hire out ‘Moon Over Miami’ on DVD."

Right, now that was even more cryptic. "If we’re making a list, then we need peanut butter as well, and I’d like to see ‘The Usual Suspects’." He didn’t need to be genius to figure out that he still was missing the point. He may not have a clue what she was talking about but he saw she was exasperatedly amused. "You don’t want to see ‘The Usual Suspects’?"

"Never mind, honey. The moon will rise soon enough and all will be revealed."

Teal’c cleared his throat, which sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Annika rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the Jaffa with a wry grin. Okay, the ‘alien’ in the car got what she was hinting at, but the linguist of over twenty-three languages didn’t. There is something seriously wrong with this picture! Suddenly Daniel’s hand that had absently been brushing back and forth against her arm, stilled. "Okay, honey-bun, I bought a clue." His chuckle in her ear sent a warm tingle through her right to the tips of her toes.

"Well, it’s about time, sweetie pie," she replied cheekily. Her giggle was cut off as his lips captured hers.

Both forgot they were in a crowded elevator, and Teal’c was forced to give a discreet cough when they arrived at the bottom level. Reluctantly they drew apart, and with Teal’c bringing up the rear to make sure they didn’t get ‘distracted’ again, they headed for the briefing room.

When they arrived, it was to see Jack and Sam already seated in their usual chairs with General Hammond at the head of the table.

"Good morning! Isn’t it a beautiful day?" Annika smiled brightly making a beeline for the coffee pot.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I see you’ve taken a happy pill since last we spoke."

"I’m just high on life." She poured out two mugs and passed one over to Daniel. Her eyes locked on her husband. "Can’t wait to go on this mission!"

Hammond caught the slight darkening of the archaeologist’s eyes though the man tried to hide it by taking a sip of his coffee. He knew then that a psychic heads up had been received regarding the mission change. "So, shall I tell the rest of your team or shall you?"

"All we know is that we’re going on our honeymoon," Daniel replied. "I’m sure that you have more details, sir."

"Not much." Hammond held the single page transcript of the message the Nox had sent through.

"Honeymoon?" Sam gestured to herself, Jack and Teal’c, "So why are we here?"

They all knew of the invitation Lya had extended to the newlyweds at their wedding, however they had assumed, as was natural, that it would only be Daniel and Annika who would be going.

"It seems that the Nox have requested that this be treated as an official mission, and have included the rest of you in the invitation."

"Sweet." Jack seemed pleased at the prospect of spending a few days on a safe planet. Then frowned, darting a look at Daniel and Annika then back to the general. "Um, sir, did you explain the particulars of a honeymoon? Like two’s company, five’s a crowd?"

"I tried, Colonel." Hammond gave an apologetic shrug to the newlyweds. "But Lya was insistent."

"It’s a big planet, Jack," Annika quipped, not at all put out. "I’m sure that Daniel and I can find a place to be alone for a while."

"Did Lya mention why it’s been brought forward?" Daniel asked. As far as he knew, Lya had been willing to coordinate the date with their original honeymoon date so as not to rouse suspicion.

"No, she didn’t, Doctor Jackson."

"Do we have an official reason for visiting the Nox?" Teal’c enquired.

"Lya has left it up to us to think of a plausible reason."

Daniel was already running through possibilities in his mind. "There are some vague references I’ve found that could possibly refer to when the Nox first visited Earth. It could be a fact finding mission."

"That’s good enough for me," the general agreed. "It’s not like the there will be many questions asked. You mention the Nox to the Oversight Committee and their eyes light up at the prospect of getting their hands on their technology."

"Um, sir," Annika hesitantly spoke up. "You know that they will never share their technology with us. Regardless of my genetic relationship with them, they still consider us too young a species to…um…"

"Have those kinda toys?" Jack finished helpfully.

A wry smile touched the CO’s lips. "You know that," he gestured to include all of them. "And I know that. However as long as the committee don’t know that, then it will leave the door open for you to have regular contact with your new kin."

Annika was touched that the general had used that reasoning. "Thank you, sir."

The Texan gave a nod then finished off the briefing. "Officially this mission is three days. However, Lya has informed me that your return will be delayed by an unfortunate ‘gate malfunction that will take them another three days to fix."

"Well, ain’t that a shame, sir?" Jack said solemnly. "Six days of twiddling our thumbs with the wee tree folk."

"I thought you’d be upset about that," Hammond said dryly. "You move out in half an hour." Though this was technically not a mission at all, his final comment was automatic. "Good luck and Godspeed."

When they emerged from the wormhole, it was to see Lya and Anteaus waiting for them.

"Welcome." Lya gave slight head bow.

Anteaus frowned slightly at the weapons they had draped over their shoulders.

Jack shrugged. "Hey, you said to make this look official."

Teal’c pulled out a compact pouch from his pants pocket. Unfolding it, he revealed it to be a carry bag and he deposited his zat’ and P-90 inside. The others added their own weapons and the Jaffa zipped it up.

Anteaus smiled. "Better."

"I must apologize for the short notice," Lya began. "We have only just learned that an annual summit we participate in has been moved forward. The length of the summit varies, however rarely is it shorter than two lunar cycles. We did not want to delay your visit that long."

Annika stepped close to embrace her cousin. "We don’t mind. Bumping up our honeymoon was no great chore, I assure you."

"Ah, yes, congratulations on your…marriage," Anteaus stumbled over the unfamiliar human word. "And I believe well wishes are due to you as well," he turned to Jack and Sam. "Lya tells me your betrothal was unique."

The engaged couple grinned, accepting the congratulations.

"There are no…" Lya paused trying to think of the correct term, "wedding bells for you, Teal’c?

"There are not, and I do not intend to enter into matrimony for quite some time." He made a point of directing his comment to Annika, hoping that the matchmaking psychic would take heed this time.

Annika grinned at her teammate, dismissing his comment with a wave of her hand. "We’re still working on that."

Lya hid her smile at the exasperated sigh from the Jaffa. "We have prepared accommodation for you."

SG-1 had barely lifted their feet in the direction of the forest, when they felt a warm tingle surround their bodies. When their boots hit the ground, it was not with the long grass of the paddock, but rather with smooth white tiles that had a slightly pink glow.

"We’re staying in the city?" A fissure of excitement shot through Daniel.

"You would prefer the forest?" Lya inquired, her tone gently teasing.

"Oh, no, the city will be perfect," Sam jumped in. She’d been waiting seven years to get even close to this place.

Curiously they gazed around the room. There were four doorways beside the obvious main entrance that they surmised correctly led to bedrooms and a bathroom. The pearly walls gave off the only illumination, bright though not harsh. The furniture, which consisted of two long couches, the equivalent of two easy chairs and side tables, appeared to be made of the same material, however they didn’t glow quite as much. Hand woven rugs and throws softened the starkness.

"Not that I don’t love what you’ve done with the place," Jack was frowning at the décor. "But it’s not quite what I was expecting from such...er…nature lovers."

"You were expecting the thatched huts of the ground?" Anteaus was amused.

"Well, no, yes, I dunno."

Lya gave a secretive smile. "The room does not know you yet, so it does not know what surroundings you prefer."

Daniel titled his head. "You speak as if the building is alive."

"And so it is," the Nox woman confirmed. "Our city is a living city. It adapts to the individuals and families living within it."

Annika was examining the glowing walls more closely, and she ran her hand over the smooth panel. The glow pulsed then the walls began to change. The whiteness turned into a warm sunny yellow and a relief-freeze along the top, molded out in a soft swirling pattern in burnt umber. "Wow."

Totally fascinated, Daniel joined her, draping an automatic arm around her shoulders. With Annika still touching the wall, it seemed to sense Daniel’s presence. The freeze altered in appearance, though the color remained the same, into the simplistic figures of Egyptian hieroglyphs. The middle of the panel recessed, creating a small nook and an urn emerged to sit in the center. When Teal’c added his touch the urn turned more into a tribal piece.

Through their boots they felt the floor change into a creamy thick carpet. The three spun around to see what else had changed and didn’t try to hold back their grins at what Sam and Jack had altered.

The pair had reached out to touch the same couch. Half of it had turned into soft brown leather. The other half was reminiscent of vintage Victorian.

"You two are going to have fun redecorating when you finally move in together," Annika chuckled.

The two Nox gave apologetic grins.

"The technology is not perfect," Anteaus shrugged. "We thought that you would like a tour of the city, and then tonight we have prepared a banquet to introduce you to the rest of our clan."

"We’ll be honored to attend." Daniel accepted the invitation, since his wife seemed to be temporarily speechless.

A flutter of butterflies erupted in Annika’s stomach. "How many people are coming?"

"Our clan consists of approximately one hundred and fifty people plus children."

"And they’re all coming?" The redhead’s eyes nearly popped out of her head, overwhelmed by the idea.

"They are most eager to meet the descendant of Naturra and her adopted family." Lya smiled, gently reaching out to brush her cousin’s cheek to calm the woman’s nerves, then addressed the rest of the group. "It is the only official function we have organized. The rest of your stay you will be free to spend as you please."

"Perhaps you would like to change before we begin, into something more comfortable?" Anteaus suggested.

The team glanced down at their BDUs. The military gear was actually quite comfortable to wear, however given the placid nature of the Nox, they guessed correctly it was more to put the other Nox at ease, than them. They more than happily agreed, they hadn’t planned on remaining in the military clothes long anyway. It took only a few minutes for them to change and then with the Nox leading the way they set out to explore the floating city.

When they emerged from the building, someone they recognized from their previous trip to the planet was stepping out from the building next door. The wizened face of Opher smiled at them in greeting. "Mind if I join you?"

Annika hurried over to give him a hug. When she had visited during her lessons with Lya, the old man, whom she had learned was Lya’s father, had taken a real shine to her. His crusty sense of humor reminded her of Margie, and the two of them had struck up a true friendship. "Of course not."

The three Nox and the five wide-eyed humans moved out.

Before they had even rounded the first corner of the graceful city, Daniel, Annika and Sam were firing off questions about anything and everything they saw. The two scientists of the team had been captivated by the city from the moment they had been shown that glimpse all those years ago. Between the two of them, Jack was confident that they would learn all the ins and outs of the place and the people before they even got halfway around the block. Annika managed to get in a few questions, though hers were more specifically about Lya’s clan to which she was related. Teal’c, who probably wouldn’t have gotten a word in if he tried, was studying the architecture of the buildings. They all seemed to be curves and arches, with no sharp corners or edges, giving the advanced city a soft ethereal atmosphere. Jack was content to simply watch with a slightly indulgent grin, as his kids trotted around their version of Disneyland.

Daniel enquired about a dome shaped building up ahead that was as tall as the Empire State building.

"That is our library."

Jack knew with those four words he had lost the two honeymooners from their group. Blue and violet eyes went wide as saucers and they were practically drooling to get in.

"Can we have a look?" Daniel asked with excitement that Jack would never understand. At Lya’s nod, the archaeologist raised a pleading eyebrow at Jack.

The colonel shrugged. "It’s your honeymoon. If you want to spend it with a bunch of books that’s your call."

Annika’s eyes lit up. "See you at dinner!"

Hand in hand with eager grins plastered to their faces, the couple almost ran to the massive arch that was the building entrance.

Jack tapped Lya on the shoulder. "Friendly word of advice. If you actually want them to turn up for the banquet, you’ll have to send someone to drag them out. Possibly have to set off a fire alarm."

The Nox woman smiled. "A thirst for knowledge is something to admire."

"Yeah, but they take it to the extreme."

They kept strolling. When they came to a park a few streets away, there was a group of Nox going through the motions of what looked like Tai Chi. And Jack knew that their group was about to become one smaller. Teal’c was avidly watching the fluid movements.

"It is a form of meditation, attuning mind with body," Anteaus explained, also seeing the Jaffa’s look of interest. "You are welcome to participate."

"I would be honored." Teal’c also looked to his team leader, seeking his okay. At his nod, Anteaus led the Jaffa over to introduce him to the group.

Walking with Sam’s hand clasped in his, he could see how excited she was to be here. She peppered Lya and Opher with questions about the city, especially about how they engineered it to float. The answers flew right over Jack’s head and he tuned them out. He was quite happy just to watch the way her face glowed in enthusiasm. He did catch Lya’s question if Sam wanted to take a look at one of the power generators. He frowned at Sam’s reply. "Carter, are you sick?"

The blonde looked at him in surprise. "No. Why?"

"Did I just hear you say that you don’t want to take a look at a gizmo?"

She blushed with a self-conscious shrug. "I can look at it later."

Okay, something wasn’t adding up… Then the light bulb went off in his head. "Sam, don’t worry about me. I’ll shoot the breeze with Opher."

"You really don’t mind?" Sapphire eyes were torn between her desire to get up close and personal with the Nox technology and spending time with him.

"You can tell me all about it over dinner," he assured then gave a cheeky grin. "The short version."

Sam threw her arms around him in an excited hug, gave a lingering kiss that held a bunch of promises that she’d really thank him after the banquet, then hurried off with Lya.

Jack watched her bounce away, questions still running a mile a minute from her mouth. "Might need a fire alarm for her too," he smirked at the man beside him.

The Nox tilted his head curiously at him. "Was this visit not meant to be a relaxing respite for you all?"

"Trust me, burying herself in high-tech gizmos is relaxing for Sam."

Opher wasn’t fooled by his wisecrack. "I meant, time to spend with you as her mate."

Jack shrugged. "Sam’s been waiting a long time to get a peek at this city. How can I deny her that chance?"

"So what would you like to do to relax?" the Nox asked.

"I don’t suppose you have a lake in this place?" Jack wasn’t very hopeful considering they were currently on a floating city.

"You wish to swim?"

"Fish actually."

Opher frowned disapprovingly at the idea of Jack killing a living creature.

"I’d just like to add that it has been close to ten years since any hook of mine has even tempted a fish. It’s the act of fishing I enjoy, not the catching."

"Then come, I have just the place." The little old man beckoned him to follow.

He led him down two side streets, to a large single storey building without any windows. Wondering just what kind of lake would be fully encased indoors the colonel followed him in. The room that if he had to hazard a guess stretched out in a square of approximately two miles, was completely empty.

"Um…Opher, I think we need to work on our communication skills."

The older man gave a chuckle and swiped his hand in front of a creamy panel in the wall. The panel flipped slowly down to reveal a console with a slightly raised rectangle in the middle that had the outline of a hand embossed on it. He tapped a switch and the handprint lit up. "Place your hand on the console and think about this lake that you wish to fish at. Picture it in your mind."

Not completely sure that the old guy hadn’t lost his marbles Jack did as asked. Closing his eyes, he pictured his favorite fishing spot and he felt a soft pulse beneath his palm.

"Now turn around."

The colonel spun on his heel and opened his eyes. "Well, I’ll be damned. That is just too cool."

The room was now the spitting image of the lake. The walls had been replaced by a forest of trees. He could hear the soft twitter of birds nestled in the branches and the gentle lap of the water as it rippled at the rocky shore. He crouched down and dipped his hand in the water. It came away wet.

"This room can recreate whatever the mind can imagine."

Jack was tempted for a moment to ask how it worked then vetoed the idea. Sam would love to get a look at this place. "Any chance I can book it for tomorrow as well?"

"If you wish."

"Sweet!" He strode over to the deck chair with a fishing pole leaning against it that he had also visualized, and made himself comfortable. "Care to join me?" He gestured to a second chair beside him.

After a moment’s hesitation the older man lowered himself into the seat and mimicked the colonel’s actions.

Jack showed the Nox how to cast a line, then let his own line fly out across the lake. With a happy sigh he closed his eyes. Let Daniel and Annika have their books, Teal’c his meditation and Sam her gizmos, just give him a fishing pole and bit of water and he was a happy camper.

Annika peeked over the top of the book at her husband. He had two scrolls, a book and two active holo-devices spread out over the table, somehow reading all five at once. She didn’t need their bond to know he was in his element. There was a glow about his face, an excited bounce to his fingers as he tapped at the buttons then almost reverently followed the scroll’s lines of script. Daniel was in heaven, archaeologically speaking. Her gaze flickered to the huge bay windows they were sitting near and beyond the glass to the clouds drifting by the buildings outside. The floating city was probably as close to a literal heaven as they would ever get. A warm pulse of pure love and joy tickled beneath her heart. Emotional heaven. Yep, all three bases covered.

When she was a little girl, daydreaming about marrying her Prince Charming, she never imagined that she would be lucky enough to fall in love with a man who loved her as much as Daniel did, especially once her second sight emerged and everyone in general had shied away from her. A rueful smile touched her lips. Of course she never imagined that the first day of her honeymoon would be spent in a library, on a floating city, on a planet thousands of light years from Earth, with an alien species to whom she was genetically linked. It just went to prove that sometimes real life was better than any fantasy.

Annika flipped closed the book she’d been skimming and picked up the next one. She’d found a section of the massive library that referred to the ‘Orthalia’, which Lya had told her was the name of her clan, one of five hundred or so clans of the Nox. Opening the ancient book, she realized the cover had been deceiving. Rather than pages, the inside revealed it to be a holographic device. She activated it, studying the glowing images that sprang forth. It was set up like a pyramid line graph. At the very top was the symbol of a tree, which she assumed was a pictograph of the Nox equivalent of the words ‘Family Tree’. Beneath the tree were the names of the first of the Orthalia clan then the names under them, connected by a glowing vertical line, indicating their children. The partners who had married into the clan were put alongside their mates, color-coded to identify which clan they had originated from. The further down the lineage she scrolled down, the wider the graph became as the clan grew in population. About three-quarters of the way down, her eyes honed in on the name ‘Naturra’.

She found herself reaching out to the word, as though by touching it, it would bring her closer to knowing her ancient ancestor. As her fingers brushed over the photons, the name flickered and changed into an actual image of the Nox woman. Delighted to have a visual reference to go with the name, she touched the name to the left of it that was highlighted in a burnished orange. As it was the only name in that particular hue on the entire graph, she surmised that it was the name of the Tau’ri man Naturra had fallen in love with. The name, ‘Toth’, also changed to a picture, and Annika was overcome with a sense of awe and wonder that she was actually looking at the two people with whom she shared blood with, no matter how diluted it was.

Daniel sensed the emotional switch in her and came over to see what had affected her so. It only took him a glance to identify what the hologram was showing. He hugged her from behind. "So that’s Grandma and Grandpa, huh?"

Unable to speak, Annika could only nod.

"What’s this?" He reached over her shoulder to a vertical line below the pictures. It wasn’t connected to anyone that they could see, the ‘end’ of it being beyond the bottom of the current display. He scrolled down, passed the next thousand years of Nox generations. A few lines before the end of the list, was the current Orthalia clan, including Lya, Anteaus and Opher. The very last line showed the youngest of those living. Next to Nafrayu the line that had lead from Naturra and Toth ended with another burnished orange name.

Annika’s eyes welled. "They’ve added me to their Family Tree." Her finger touched her name, and then the name beside it that was a paler shade of her own. "And you."

Daniel could feel the utter joy at being ‘officially’ named as one of the clan, and yet there was a deep sadness as well. "You’re thinking about your mom and sister."

She nodded. "These people," she gestured indicting the Nox, "have welcomed me practically sight unseen. I have what amounts to less than a drop of their blood and they have brought me into their family…my own full flesh and blood who’ve known me from birth have turned their backs on me, never really accepted me for who I am." She drew in a shaky breath. "It…it hurts."

His arms tightened around her, comforting her in the only way he could. Nothing he could say would ease the pain that her family had caused, he could only be there to support her through it. After a long moment, he felt her tuck the unwelcome emotions away, and she twisted around to place a light kiss to his jaw. He accepted the silent thanks by capturing his lips with hers, and the vestige of the unpleasant memories were banished by the hot flush of desire that flooded them both.

They drew apart before it could consume them, leaving a lingering promise of what they planned to do once they returned to their room.

Finished with this set of recorded histories, Annika left Daniel to continue on with his selection, and carefully returned her books to their respective shelves. As she was deciding which of the numerous shelves to tackle next, the soft strains of music echoed down the aisle. Curious she followed the sound. After many twists and turns she emerged in a reading area, just as the music stopped. She was reasonably sure that the music had been coming from the doorway to the right. When she peeked inside the room, it was distinctive from the rest. Instead of shelves of books, the walls were completely bare. There were a few Nox sitting in comfy looking chairs gathered in small groups, and at first Annika thought that the purpose of this room was somewhere people could gather to talk so as not to disturb the quiet of the library. Then one of the Nox rose and glided to a small alcove in the corner, and she saw that there was a console of some kind.

Hesitant to intrude she hovered in the doorway. The seated people smiled shyly curious at her but the Nox by the console beckoned her in with an encouraging hand. As she approached, the Nox woman smiled.

"You must be Annika."

"Gee, what gave me away?" Annika could have kicked herself for the automatic quip, especially when the seated Nox’s eyes widened in shock, like she had committed some great sin.

However the woman before her gave a blink then replied with a perfectly straight face, "Your shoes."

The redhead automatically looked down at her feet. In comparison to her jeans, t-shirt and the fact that she was distinctly a Tau’ri with red hair, her boots were the least remarkable things about her. "I guess I’ll have to work on my disguise." She grinned and her mirth was reflected back by the woman.

"My name is Rosettym." She gave a head bow that was custom for introductions.

Annika reciprocated. "It’s a honor to meet you."

"Are you enjoying your visit to our city?" she enquired.

"It’s absolutely breathtaking. So many fascinating things to see," she said enthusiastically. "I heard music. Was it coming from here?"

Rosettym nodded. "This is the Lyric Room. It is the largest repository of music in the city. Would you like to hear a selection?"

"Yes, please." Annika nodded eagerly.

The Nox tapped at a few buttons then motioned for Annika to follow her back to the chairs. They were crossing the floor when the first notes echoed through the room. The melody was so hauntingly beautiful that it made her stop short to savor the moment. For the psychic who was prone to be sensitive to the emotions of those around her, the feelings of love, peace and the joy of life that had been composed in the melody brought a tear to her eye. "That was beautiful," she breathed, wiping her eyes. "We don’t have any instruments that sound like that." Annika couldn’t even hazard a guess if the instruments used were string, wind or horn.

"It is a type of flute." Rosettym had stopped when Annika had, a couple of feet away. "The sound is different for each who play it for it is the sound of the composer’s thoughts."

"You mean literally?" The redhead’s eyes went wide at her nod. It was one thing to create a piece of music by jotting down notes and chords; it was another to learn that what she had just listened to was the actual emotions of the composer. "Wow." She found herself wondering what kind of melody would come from her mind or from Daniel, Jack, Sam and Teal’c. Her thoughts were interrupted as a new composition began. On the outset, it was about love, not familial love, but of that between man and woman. Whoever had composed this had been thinking of their soul mate. As the piece progressed beneath the bubbly tune, Annika was overcome with a sense of inconsolable loss.

Rosettym openly watched Naturra’s descendant, more than a little stunned that she had identified the hidden emotion within the piece. Lya had told of Annika’s perception, but she hadn’t realized it was so strong. Even many of the Nox did not pick up on the underlying background theme. The Nox could see that the young woman was trying to keep composed as the music reached its crescendo, and while her facial expression managed to do so, her feelings were like an invisible wave descending around the room. By the time the last note echoed in their ears there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. She placed a consoling hand to Annika’s arm. "I’m sorry, I did not intend to upset you by playing that piece."

"Oh, no, it’s alright." Annika sniffed. "A love that strong needs to be heard. It’s too beautiful not to."

"But this is supposed to be a joyous occasion for you." Rosettym glided back to the console and selected another song. "Something a little more cheery perhaps?"

Annika nodded eager to hear more of the music that was giving her an insight to the Nox. The music was showing her that the calm exterior they portrayed to the world hid as much of a passionate nature as her own people had. Expecting another of the alien composition, she was startled when the beat that started up was one she recognized and was very distinctly Tau’ri. Her face broke out into a wide grin though it was a little confused. "How in the world did you get ‘The Time Warp’?"

Rosettym smiled. "Lya added it to the library after she returned from your commitment ceremony. I must confess that while the song is very different to what we are accustomed to, the exuberance of the melody is captivating." Movement beyond Annika’s shoulder caught her eye and she beckoned to the newcomer. "Welcome, Doctor Jackson." The Nox woman instantly felt the emotional change within Annika. Upon just hearing her husband’s name, her surprise at hearing the Earth song was immediately swamped by her love and passion, which was nothing compared to when she turned to actually look at him. Rosettym found herself having to shield herself from the sudden onslaught. From the corner of her eye she saw the others of her kind do the same thing. Made a mental note to warn those attending the banquet this evening to prepare themselves.

Daniel entered the room, with the same perplexed look as his wife. He gave a warm smile to the Nox, but his focus was on Annika. "I wondered what the commotion was." He sent a gentle caress through their bond, telling her that he didn’t mean the aural noise.

"Rosettym has been sharing some music with me," Annika said by way of explanation, her arm automatically sliding around his waist as he drew near.

The archaeologist nodded, now understanding the rollercoaster of emotions he’d been sensing. "This has a familiarity about it."

The Nox woman again explained that Lya had added it to their library. "She also added another, though she insists that she was unable to capture the full essence of the piece."

"Oh? Which one?" Annika asked curiously. The dancing that had gone on at their reception had all been fun-loving rather than anything that could be classed as ‘emotive’…

Rosettym tapped at the console and the opening strains of ‘La Paloma’ echoed through the room.

…Well, except for that one! Annika thought ruefully, instantly recalling their wedding dance that Daniel had prepared as a surprise for her. Glanced up at Daniel and saw that he too was remembering that moment.

Despite having shielded herself the Nox almost reeled away from the bombardment of emotions that exuded from the couple. "I see that Lya was correct," she murmured, though she was pretty sure that the Tau’ri couple didn’t really hear her. Tentatively she reached out to touch them on the shoulders. "I believe there is a dance that you performed…" They gave a silent nod. "Would you please show us?" Another nod. Rosettym reset the music to the beginning, tapping at another button that unbeknownst to the couple would record the emotions that Lya had been unable to reciprocate.

With eyes only for each other, Daniel and Annika moved to the center of the room, the music transporting them back to that night. The fire and passion of the tango swept them across the floor, every step a seduction, an expression of their deep and powerful love.

On the closing note the pair ended with a soul searing kiss and a wistful sigh escaped from Rosettym’s lips. "Thank you for sharing that moment."

The slightly breathless tone drew the newlyweds back into the room. The flush that touched their cheeks not entirely due to the heightened desire the dance had caused.

"You have no need to feel embarrassed," she assured. "Expressing one’s love is never anything to be ashamed of." She sensed the couple trying to tamper down the heat that had erupted between them. Guessed correctly that as much as they would now like to finish what they had started, they were aware that it would be very undiplomatic as guests to leave. "The time of the welcoming banquet grows near, perhaps we should consider getting ready."

Daniel nodded, barely missing a beat though he knew that it had only just passed midday, recognizing and was grateful for Rosettym’s understanding. "We wouldn’t want to be late."

"You’re part of the Orthalia clan?" Annika was delighted by both the idea of Rosettym being part of her clan and being given a tactful excuse to leave so she could ravish her husband, not necessarily in that order.

"I am." A slightly mysterious smile touched the woman’s lips. "I shall see you at sunset." As the Nox watched the human couple hand in hand hurry away, excited desire riddled anticipation left in their wake, her thoughts drifting to her mate. Wondered if he was particularly busy right now, for witnessing the passionate dance had fired her own ardor, a fire that could only be quenched by her life partner.