"Sir, Rock Doc is gonna wanna see this in person." Ferretti’s voice was slightly static over the radio.

"What have you found, Major?" Hammond mentally associated the name with the base’s key archaeologist. Doctor Jackson had almost as many nick names as languages he spoke. Of course, some of them were never intended to reach the general’s ear, especially the ones that originated from the female locker room. A few of those had made the worldly CO blush.

"A big mother of a temple with a novel of Ancient glyphs decorating the walls and what looks like the Goa’uld version of graffiti."

"Any indication of what the temple was used for?"

"No, sir. Nyan took a stab at it but his Ancient is a bit rusty. From the look of it, no one has been near the place since Moses was a boy."

"We’ll notify Doctor Jackson when he arrives. Shouldn’t be more than an hour."

"Roger that, sir. We’ll be standing by," Ferretti signed off and a few seconds later the wormhole disengaged.

General Hammond headed for his desk, leaving instructions with his assistant to make sure when the archaeologist arrived he be told the CO wanted to see him. "Lieutenant, organize a kit for him."

"Yes, sir."

The base commander paused in the doorway. "Better make that two kits."

The lieutenant nodded. "Yes, sir."

When the couple strolled through the checkpoints, the guards passed on the message. After Annika disembarked the elevator to discover what new off-world items had been left on her desk for her to ‘read’, Daniel continued down the next two levels.

He tapped on the general’s door. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Hammond looked up from the report he was reading and waved him in with a smile. "Yes, Doctor Jackson. Major Ferretti’s team has discovered an abandoned temple with Goa’uld and Ancient writing." He handed over the transcript of the major’s communication and the basic statistics of the planet.

His blue eyes lit up as he devoured the short report. "You’d like me to check it out?"

He nodded. "SG-2 has another two days on PX5-447. That should be more than enough time for you to make a general assessment."

"Only two days?" The archaeologist seemed disappointed.

"Unless you find something significant to justify a longer stay." Hammond saw the man was about to object and hurried on, "I know everything about the Ancients is important, but I’m talking military significant."

Reluctantly Daniel gave a nod. He’d had this argument countless times before. If all he had were two days then he’d make the most of them. "Can I get a little help?"

Hammond hid a smile. "Of course, take anyone you want. Except Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter."

Daniel was momentarily distracted from his train of thought. "Still in the infirmary?"

"Doctor Fraiser will be releasing them tomorrow all being well."

Daniel let a small smile touch his lips as he recalled why his friends had been laid up in the medical room for the last three days. He caught the twitch of Hammond’s mouth. "There have been no other…er…flare ups over the weekend?"

"No, I believe the symptoms have almost disappeared. It’s just precautionary that they stay the extra night."

A week ago they’d been contacted by the Kelownans. They had found a Goa’uld temple in a dialect that Jonas had never seen before and he’d asked if Daniel and Teal’c were available to help with the translation. The whole team had gone, treating it like a mini vacation. Jack and Sam had explored the hilly outskirts of the main city. Their dalliance into all things natural had been rudely interrupted by a sneak attack. The attack came not in the form of the Goa’uld or any of the native people, nor was it a temperamental species of fauna. Rather it was of the flora variety. Jack and Sam had inadvertently discovered why the weed that looked so much like ordinary clover, was called Fire Grass and why the locals avoided contact with it.

The two men openly grinned at each other.

The archaeologist cleared his throat, getting back on track. "I’d like to take Annika along."

Before Hammond could say he’d already organized packs for both of them, he rushed on.

"She’s needs more field experience where we can take the time to explore a temple properly, not on the fly like we usually do, and she’s picking up Goa’uld quickly," he paused his mind sidetracked by his own comment. "Surprisingly quick. I think it has something to do with her visions. She ‘feels’ the meaning more before comprehending the symbols. Anyway, with her abilities Annika tends to have the knack of zoning in on the more relevant segments of an inscription…"

"You don’t have to justify your reasons to me, son," Hammond interrupted.

His eyes turned serious. "No, sir, not to you. But I’d like those reasons mentioned in the official report. There are others who may think I’m taking her solely because of our relationship. I don’t think anyone really wants a repeat of last week’s…um…" He floundered for the right word.

"Lesson?" Hammond supplied.

He nodded.

The older man could see the incident had upset him. "From what I understand, Annika knows it was just sour grapes from the captain that made her say such things."

"Yes, she does," Daniel confirmed. "But Annika doesn’t want the integrity of SG-1 or yourself to be ever questioned again…and quite frankly, I don’t want the integrity of Annika to ever be in doubt. We may be lovers, but that is not why she was brought into the SGC and given a place on SG-1. It just happens to be how I learned of her abilities." Anger burned behind the lenses of his glasses.

Hammond nodded in understanding. "I’ll make sure to make a point of Annika’s qualifications in the report."

"Thank you, sir." Daniel relaxed. "So, when do we leave?"

"As soon as you’re ready."

Hammond smiled at the way the man almost bolted from his office, the idea of deciphering wall upon wall of text giving him an added bounce to his step. The smile faltered when he thought about Doctor Jackson’s concerns and he rifled through the stack of folders on his desk until he found the one documenting the incident. It irritated the general as much as his flagship team that such rumors had been circulating. The fact that Annika was romantically involved with Doctor Jackson was immaterial as far as her position went. She had proven her abilities were an asset since day one of her arrival. Hammond instinctively wanted to defend the redhead. But it turned out Annika was quite capable of doing that on her own. Damn, I wish I’d been there. Annika in action was always interesting to watch, you never knew what she was going to do, or what would come out of her mouth. He had watched the security tapes though. Taking a break from his work, he reread the report and replayed the security tapes in his mind, with Annika’s verbal debrief echoing in his head.

A captain, jealous of the psychic’s quick rise through the ranks had snidely commented that the only reason Annika was assigned to the flagship team was because she was Doctor Jackson’s lover and insinuated that she was sleeping with not only the rest of the team, (Major Carter included,) but with General Hammond as well. Annika, who’d just entered the busy mess hall with Doctor Fraiser, had heard her and seen red. Apparently she hadn’t cared the woman thought her a slut, claiming she’d been called worse things in her life. What had enraged her was that the honor of SG-1 and the general had been questioned.

Annika had confided that she had been very proud of the civil tone that she used. She’d quirked an eyebrow at the captain. "You want to know why I’ve been assigned to SG-1? You see, I have this little gift…" She crooked her index finger, aiming for the woman’s foot. With a wrist flick the woman found herself flipped upside down, hanging in midair. "…It comes in very handy in all sorts of situations," she continued conversationally, ignoring the woman’s outraged blustering. Her other hand rose and the captain’s boot began unlacing. "But this trick is only a recent development. I was originally asked to join because I have the uncanny knack of finding out people’s deep dark secrets…"

The shoe flew off the struggling woman’s foot and the sock quickly followed. The captain was demanding to be let down and Annika frowned. "Please be quiet, Captain, I’m trying to make a point." Another flick and the woman’s jaw slammed shut and no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t open it again.

"Now, where was I? Oh, right, deep dark secrets." She looked to the doctor. " Janet, I don’t have a medical degree, however if you peer closely at the captain’s toes, particularly beneath the nails, you’ll notice tiny needle pricks. Quite a painful way to inject your narcotic of choice, but I suppose the high you get would more than make up for that. Captain, I know Janet’s wondering how you fooled the blood work ups and urine tests after each of your missions." Annika crouched down so she was looking directly into the upside down woman’s face. She made her voice into a loud whisper. "If I were you, when we’re finished here, I’d go down to the infirmary, grab the nurse who has been switching your samples for you and then I strongly urge you both to resign your commissions. A dishonorable discharge is such a negative thing to have on one’s resume."

Annika had considered just dropping the woman but she graciously spun her upright again and released her grip. "Oh, and just so we are all entirely clear, I only sleep with one person on this base, and since both of us tend to suffer from a mild case of insomnia actual ‘sleep’ is not something we do much of when we’re in bed. So, have I set the record straight on why I am a member of SG-1?"

Mutely the Captain nodded, not daring to test her voice in case Annika hadn’t removed her hold on her jaw.

"Good." Annika smiled sweetly. "Captain, you have a nice day now." She spun on her heel and left, leaving a stunned but amused group of officers in her wake.

Once news of the incident reached Hammond’s ears he had offered the captain and nurse two choices. Resign or face a court martial. The drug habit in itself was enough for the captain to be dishonorably discharged, though if the circumstances were different, Hammond would have been more inclined to put the officer through rehab. But considering that contracting contagious alien viruses was a very real danger at the SGC, switching blood and urine samples was not something that could be overlooked. He shuddered at the thought of what could have happened had the captain actually been infected with a virus.

He snapped the report shut. He was pretty sure that Annika had squashed any doubts regarding her placement on SG-1. Even if she hadn’t, there were many people on the base that would have defended the young woman, not to mention SG-1. Her quick wit and the ability to laugh at herself had endeared her into the hearts of most of the personnel. If the psychic hadn’t already been present, he was confident that they would have stepped in and enlightened the bitchy officer. One thing was for sure, that incident had brought to light that if they wanted to ‘prompt’ a vision from Annika, all they needed to do was piss her off. The psychic had sworn she had not an inkling of the captain’s drug habit until that moment. Her emotions honed her ability and her anger had sought and found the means to put the woman in her place.

Hammond set the folder aside and continued with what he’d originally been doing, though every so often a quiet chuckle would escape at the image of the captain being flipped upside down.

Daniel leaned in the doorway, watching Annika ‘read’ the ceramic jar in her hand. Her eyes were closed and her head tilted in concentration. She opened one lid halfway and scribbled down what her gift had shown her. Drawing in a steady breath she fully closed her eyes again, searching for any other snippets.

He had no idea how she was able to pick up the residue of souls from inanimate objects. Had no clue how any of her gifts worked. All he knew was that Annika’s mental abilities were fantastic. What he found even more amazing was that in the near future she would be his wife. While a marriage ceremony was technically unnecessary, he got a thrill at the idea of the woman he loved taking his name. ‘Mrs. Annika Jackson’ just had a wonderful ring to it.

"Anything interesting?"

She shook her head, turning to him. "Not really, just an average Canopic jar with a man’s heart inside. He lived a long, happy life and died of old age."

"Lucky fella."

She carefully placed the jar on the desk then picked up a scroll of yellowing parchment. "I couldn’t get anything off this, but I translated it…at least I think I did." She beckoned him over. "It looks like a diary entry with a kind of purchase list. Two cows, ten fowl, four gold vases, three barrels of wine, one…what’s an ‘ornoc’ blade?"

Daniel quickly read the Goa’uld script. "It’s a ceremonial knife, very ornate. Used in the Rite of Ornoc. It’s a Jaffa ritual that takes place between a newly married couple on the…" his finger absently tapped the paper as he dredged up the detail from his memory. "On the Eve of Shimroa. Teal’c could probably tell you more, since he went through it with Drey’auc."

A shiver ran down her spine. "No thanks, I don’t think I want to know about marriage rituals involving knives."

"Not something you want at our wedding?" he grinned.

"Only if it’s to cut the cake." She studied the writing again. "So this is more a dowry than a purchase list." Annika gave a huff of annoyance. "One word changes the meaning of the whole thing. And here I was thinking I was a quick study."

He bit back a teasing remark when he realized she wasn’t joking. He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Give yourself a break. You’ve only been studying Goa’uld for three weeks."

"Three weeks and I know diddly squat."

"Annika, you’re picking up Goa’uld very quickly."

She lowered her eyes, pretending to focus on the scroll still in her hand. "You’re just saying that to make me feel better." It was clear she didn’t believe him.

Gently but firmly he tilted her chin up so she was forced to look at him. "No. I’m not. It took my last research assistant months before he was fluent in Goa’uld. If I had given him that to translate after only a couple of weeks, he would have maybe known a quarter, guessed another quarter and had no clue of the rest."

"Really?" Her violet eyes were still doubtful.

"Really." He assured her. Ever since they had returned from the alternate reality Annika had been like a woman possessed. Every spare minute she spent pouring over Daniel’s notes and papers, trying to learn as much of the alien language as she could. When Daniel wasn’t available to teach her the pronunciation, she went in search of Teal’c to practice her verbal grasp of the vocabulary with him. She was just as eager to learn Ancient, but Daniel had convinced her that she should learn one language at a time. Though it pleased him beyond measure that she wanted to learn, he wasn’t quite sure why. "Where has this sudden burning desire to learn Goa’uld and Ancient come from?"

Her head dipped again. "I want to be useful," she mumbled.

"Useful?" It wasn’t the answer he was expecting. "Your premonitions have helped us so often that we’re starting to lose count…"

She shook her head. "It’s a selective usefulness. I don’t get premonitions for every mission and what I do see can be screwed up in the interpretation."

He studied the top of her bowed head. There was something she wasn’t telling him. "What else?"

Just when he thought she wasn’t going to reply she sighed.

"When we were on Abydos…you and Daniel and Casey could read those walls like a paperback novel. All I could do was sit back and twiddle my thumbs, waiting for you all to come up with the answer. I couldn’t help…"

Daniel was about to remind her that her psychic abilities had given them the positioning of the stones that enabled them to get back, but she continued on.

"And when Casey and I were on the Goa’uld ship and chasing Sha’re off the first time, it was so frustrating to have Casey have to translate everything I said. I’m not used to relying on other people like that. I hate that I wasn’t able to do it myself. I want to learn Goa’uld and Ancient and any other language that we may need and any other solid skills I can so that I won’t be a burden."

He could tell how much it meant to her. Also, he understood about needing to prove oneself. Had spent those first couple of years on SG-1 doing just that, not realizing that as far as everyone else was concerned he had already proven his worth on that first trip to Abydos. Jack had seemed surprised when Daniel had admitted his self-doubt, quipping in his typical manner, "If you weren’t one of the best, then you wouldn’t be on team numero uno." Daniel hadn’t believed him and Jack had had to revert to a rare moment of seriousness to convince him. Daniel spoke softly, sharing what his best friend had told him, having no doubt that it applied to Annika as well despite her not being an ‘original’ member of the team. "When they were first forming the SG teams, Jack fought to have me, Teal’c and Sam on his team…"

"Wasn’t Sam assigned to SG-1?" Annika interrupted. She couldn’t see the relevance of how SG-1 was formed to her current doubts, but she knew that Daniel would give a reason eventually.

"Sam was assigned to that first mission after Apophis attacked," Daniel clarified. "But she wasn’t originally assigned to SG-1, we just assumed that. After we came back from Abydos, Hammond told Jack about the formation of the teams before the briefing. Jack recommended Kawalski head SG-2 and requested that Sam be on SG-1."

That little tid bit momentarily distracted Annika from the point of the conversation. "Does Sam know this?"

Daniel shrugged. "He may have told her by now, but you know Jack. At the time he was having way to much fun playing the put out colonel lumped with a scientist."

"What about you?" She tilted her head curiously.

"Oh, he wanted me as well, not that Jack told me that then either." A wry smile twisted his lips. "But General Hammond was determined to keep me as an overall consultant. He had me pestering him whenever I saw him in the halls and Jack nagging him behind closed doors. He capitulated just to get some peace and quiet."

Annika smiled, easily picturing the scene. Both Jack and Daniel were like a dog with a bone when they wanted something. It didn’t surprise her in the least that the general had caved under the dual force.

"Anyway," Daniel continued. "Jack chose us because we all have individual skills that the others don’t. We complement each other. The same goes for you. He wouldn’t have suggested you be on SG-1 if he didn’t think you’d be an asset."

Her eyes widened, "Jack suggested I join?"

"What, you’re shocked he never told you?" Daniel couldn’t help the teasing question.

She grimaced. "Well, no, not really." Annika thought back to when Daniel first asked if she wanted to work at the SGC. There had been no talk of her going off-world, nor of her joining any specific team. Originally they were going to keep her on base as a ‘consultant’. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I didn’t know you had doubts," he replied honestly, then realized that he had gotten sidetracked again. "But my point is, all of us have had our…talents…fail us at some time or other." He smiled slightly. "And despite Jack’s claim to the contrary, we have screwed up on a monumental scale a few times. We’re not perfect, and no one expects you to be either."

Though she didn’t say it, he felt a gentle caress of their bond, thanking him for his words of reassurance, then he felt a mischievous tickle. "Well, I know I’m not perfect. But you on the other hand, come pretty darn close…except for the nasty habit you have of leaving a trail of clothes on the floor."

"As I recall, that’s usually because that’s where they land when you rip them off me," he pointed out, and was rewarded with a full bubble of her mirth rippling through his body. God, I love the magical bond she’d created between us. "Miss Murdoch, how would you like to spend the next two days exploring a temple?"

"Hmmm…I’d have to check my calendar." She turned back to the desk, carefully placing the brittle scroll down.

"The head of the archaeology department requests your presence," Daniel said in mock seriousness.

"You mean the cute guy with the sexy smile who occasionally pops his head in here?"

"That’d be the one," he grinned.

She peeked demurely over her shoulder at him. "I think I could be convinced if he asks really, really nicely."

Daniel’s arms snaked around her waist and he nuzzled the back of her neck. "Come and get filthy dirty with me off-world."

Annika leant into his embrace, loving the warm caress of his breath on her skin. "You should be careful, rumor has it that I have a string of jealous lovers."

"That’s okay." He placed a playful kiss to her throat, feeling her pulse jump at the contact. "There’s a rumor that I’m gay, so no one will suspect that I actually covet the little redhead I work with."

Annika burst out laughing. "You gay? Whoever thought of that certainly doesn’t know you very well."

"I never did get that one myself," Daniel chuckled.

"So where are we going?" She popped the elastic band of the tag number back around the Canopic jar, then added her own tag with her insights jotted down.

"Ferretti found an Ancient temple bastardized by the Goa’uld." He tagged the scroll with Annika’s translation and put it in a box with other artifacts that were officially unimportant, at least as far the military was concerned. "Hammond wants a translation of both scripts if possible."

They headed for the locker room to gather the personal items they’d need.

"Has Nyan been able to get a head start?" she asked eagerly.

"Nope. He’s not fluent in Ancient yet." Daniel felt a warm rush of pleasure at how excited Annika sounded.

"Any artifacts or devices inside? Or hidden rooms?" Violet eyes sparkled at the idea.

"No idea." He couldn’t help his grin when he felt a tug of impatience in his solar plexus. She was just as keen as he was to get kitted up and away. "Ferretti didn’t mention any." Daniel tucked his compact dig kit into the side pocket of his BDUs. A more extensive collection of tools would already be in his pack, but he always liked to have the bare essentials on his person.

"I’ll give Joyce a call to make sure she can look after Hathor and Thor." She gave him a quick kiss before rushing out the door.

He heard a muffled thump then her apologetic voice. "Sorry, Siler. Oh, that do-hickey you wanted me to look at is a kids game, alien version of Pac-Man. Gotta run!"

A second later Sergeant Siler appeared in the entrance rubbing his shoulder where the psychic had collided with him. "Annika’s a little enthusiastic."

"Going off-world is still a novelty to her."

The tech sergeant could see the archaeologist was just as eager. "So what’s your excuse?" he asked dryly.

Daniel chuckled. "Ancient temple?" he suggested, shutting his locker.

"Have a safe trip, Doctor Jackson."

"Thanks, Siler." Then he was out the door to double check their packs.

When the couple reported in for the usual pre-mission check up it was to find the colonel scowling at everything that moved. Sam’s bed was conspicuously empty.

"Where’s Sam?" Daniel asked.

"Got paroled," he grumped. He recognized the familiar routine. "And where do you think you two are going?"

"To translate a temple." Annika’s excitement lit up her face.

"You’re as bad as he is." He flapped a hand towards Daniel.

"Yeah, isn’t it great?"

"Ferretti’s," Daniel replied.

"What’s the planet like?"

Blue eyes rolled at the question. They went through this every time the archaeologist was loaned out. "Nice spring weather, no sign of rain, three moons, gentle breeze full of the sweet scent of flowers…"

Jack sent him a filthy look.

"…No signs of human habitation. The biggest ‘predator’ is as big as a cow and just as docile."

"Where there are cows there are bulls."

"Good thing Annika and I can run pretty fast."

"Stop fussing, Jack." Annika couldn’t help an eye roll of her own. "It’s a nice safe planet."

"Famous last words," he grumbled. "Can’t you wait a day? I’ll be out of here by then and we can all go with you."

Daniel’s eyes flashed. "We don’t need a babysitter."

"Not saying you do. But bad things happen when you get loaned out."

"Bad things happen when I’m not loaned out," he fired back.

The colonel glared at Janet when a snort of laughter escaped from her lips. Wisely she kept her attention on the medical check.

"That’s not the point."

"Then what is the point?" the archaeologist demanded of his friend.

"Got a bad feeling."

"Just as well that you’re in the infirmary then, isn’t it?" Daniel quipped.

"You psychic now, Jack?" Annika asked innocently.

"My gut’s telling me you shouldn’t go," the colonel harrumphed. "And my gut is never wrong."

"Your gut always tells you that whenever Daniel goes off-world without you," Janet piped up.

"And look at the track record," he declared, waving his hand for emphasis. "It always goes to hell."

"We’ve only got two days as it is," Daniel said stubbornly. "I’m not going to waste a whole day twiddling our thumbs."

"How’s the rash?" Annika butted in, unsubtly changing the subject.

"It’s fine," the older man growled.

"No more flare ups?" she teased.

"No." He folded his arms across his chest like a petulant child.

"The pollen is fascinating." Janet attempted to deflect attention away from her patient. It was a purely selfish act on her behalf. Once Daniel and Annika left, she would have to put up with the grumpy colonel in her sickbay. Being teased would only add to his ‘good humor’. "It only activates when friction is applied…" As soon as the words left her mouth Janet winced. She was just feeding the fire…

"Intriguing," Daniel mused. "So that’s why it affected you and Sam and not us. You two were…"

"Exercising is the term in the official report." Janet gave up trying to placate Jack and joined in the teasing. He was already in a foul mood, may as well make the most of it.

"That’s one way to of putting it." Annika bit back a laugh. "Jack, what sort of exercising do you do in clover?"

"Push ups," he announced.

"On your back?"

"Sit ups."

"Oh," Daniel nodded sagely. "So you were doing sit ups which would explain why your back and legs were exposed, and Sam was doing push ups, explaining why it was her knees and hands…"

"Exactly."

Daniel playfully tugged at the top of the colonel’s hospital gown, revealing an almost healed red welt. "Interesting that the rash on your chest is in the shape of a hand."

"Coincidence." He slapped Daniel’s prying hand away, yanking the gown back in place.

"Jack," Annika continued seriously. "Where does being naked come in?"

Janet had never seen the colonel blush before. She found it quite fascinating to see his tanned face turn bright red.

"Oh, will you just get out of here and go play with your rocks!" The colonel threw a pillow at them.

Laughing Daniel and Annika ducked and ran out the door.

"That was just too much fun!" Annika giggled as another pillow bounced off the round portal of the flapping doors.

"Hey, he teases us often enough," Daniel snorted. "It’s great to have some ammunition of our own."

"Good point. I’d say this little episode is good for at least another week or so…"

"Two," Daniel corrected, helping Annika with her pack.

They entered the ’gate room as the Stargate began the dial up sequence.

"Good luck and God’s speed, Doctor Jackson and Annika." General Hammond’s voice rang out over the speaker system.

The couple waved up at the CO as the wormhole bellowed out. Warning Ferretti via radio that they were on their way, they strode up the ramp and stepped through.