Ba’al pressed the button to activate the monitoring devices. The tiny cameras had been strategically concealed to give a clear picture of the main rooms. He always checked each room before beaming down, making sure there were no unexpected visitors, and if there were that everyone within was asleep. He couldn’t risk someone walking in while he conducted his interviews.

It was the first opportunity he’d had to receive an update. He’d been checking in every night. For two nights his pet had not returned home, and last night Ba’al himself had been involved with other matters. He was eager to find out what had gone wrong with Qebehsenuef’s raid. When the lesser Goa’uld had not returned on schedule, he had assumed the incompetent had been caught and Ba’al’s First Prime, (who Qebehsenuef mistakenly thought of as his own,) had followed his true God’s orders to leave no one left alive to be interrogated.

Satisfied that he would not be disturbed, he beamed down directly into the room where his unknowing minion slept. It was a pity that Osiris had been caught, he had provided many a useful adaptations to Goa’uld technology, primarily being the beaming technology of the Asgard.

Ba’al paused a moment, attuned to the silence of the room, to verify his arrival had gone undetected. His pet barely stirred. He twisted the blood red stone of the ring adorning his right hand and a small needle popped up from the golden filigree design. With a narrowing of his eyes, he contemplated where would be best to inject. He chose a different spot each time so as not to irritate the skin and alert his unsuspecting informer. In a normal zatarc, this infusion was not needed. The technology had primarily been developed to make the victim into a silent assassin. The nanite that was preprogrammed with a specific designated event had only enough of the serum for a single use. Ba’al had seen the potential of such technology and had adapted it to his purposes. Each time he interviewed his pet it was a new task being performed requiring a dose of the serum.

The cotton material of the sleeping person’s shirt had ridden up a little, revealing a patch of skin above the hip. Ba’al lightly scratched the needle across the skin. A deep penetration was not necessary, just a tiny graze. He smiled at his finesse. He hadn’t even drawn any blood.

While he waited the few seconds for the chemical to filter through the body and reinitialize the nanite at the base of the brain, his sight fell to the bowl his pawn’s hand rested on. He was unfamiliar with the food. Almost absently he plucked up one of the small irregular shaped balls and popped it into his mouth. The explosion of flavor had him reaching for more.

The person’s eyelids snapped open, though the gaze reflected in the flickering light of the speaking box was blank. The Goa’uld knew that the neural processors of his pet’s brain would now respond to his voice and his alone.

"Awaken, my pet." Ba’al turned his attention to the reason of his visit. "What have you to report?"

He only received a blink for a reply.

It didn’t really surprise the Goa’uld. The programming of the nanite was designed to respond to specific questions not generalizations. "Has Jackson translated the manual?"

"No."

"If you know why not, tell me."

"His focus has been on identifying the spy." The response was unemotional as all the answers given would be.

"They know of your existence."

"Yes."

"But not who?"

"Not yet."

"Do you know where the device is now?"

"No, it’s in a location only known to the Jacksons."

"Jacksons?" Ba’al frowned. There couldn’t possibly be two Doctor Daniel Jacksons could there? Perhaps the Tau'ri were experimenting with cloning technology. Having one of the pesky archaeologist was bad enough. "Clarify."

"The party the night of your attack was in fact a wedding."

"Jackson married the seer?"

"Yes."

Worthy of note, but not really relevant. Ba’al moved on, his hand once again dipping into the popcorn bowl. "How did you retake the base?"

"We conga-ed in and surrounded the Jaffa and Qebehsenuef."

Ba’al’s hand stopped midway to his mouth with a fresh kernel. He had never heard of that military maneuver before. Was it a new battle tactic the Tau'ri had come up with? "Explain this ‘conga-ed’."

"A human chain is formed by the participants…"

Hmmm, interesting. Ba’al chewed the kernel in his mouth, listening intently.

"…Steps are synchronized to each other and the beat of the music…"

"…Every fifth step-hop is a leg kick to the side."

He almost choked on the crunchy puff he was about to swallow as he realized what was being described. What kind of battle tactic was that? "You are detailing a dance."

"Yes."

"You danced my Jaffa into submission?" Ba’al’s eyes flashed yellow in anger. Did he have complete idiots under his command?

"Yes. Annika’s suggestion worked flawlessly."

So the seer had devised the strategy. It was totally inexcusable that his trained warriors had fallen for the trick, but it did explain a few things. The new Mrs Jackson was turning into more of a hindrance than he first gave her credit for. "Was the seer able to gain any extra information?"

His pet hesitated and Ba’al stifled a sigh of frustration. Too general again. Not really understanding his pet’s thought processes, he didn’t realize the person had been about to go into detail of the dream vision Annika and Daniel had shared. "From the Jaffa or Qebehsenuef’s bodies?" He knew that a touch was all it took for the woman to get a myriad of secrets.

"No."

Ba’al ate more of the popcorn as he considered his next line of questioning. His pet waited patiently, staring at nothing.

"What are the plans for identifying you?"

"A mission to your ship to search for records you have kept."

"They know it’s me?" What have I missed? "How?"

"A premonition this morning."

That damned seer again! He was going to raise the bounty on her head, doubling the amount to capture the witch with the supernatural powers alive. To take her as a host would be worth every shes’ta he had. "When?"

"0900, this morning."

Ba’al glanced at the timepiece in the room and mentally calculated where he’d be in five hours. It would be rather difficult for anyone to infiltrate his ship while traveling through hyperspace. Although, the Tau'ri were irritatingly inventive. "How many teams?"

"One."

"Which one?" The Goa’uld had a pretty good idea of who it would be already.

"SG-1."

He immediately began thinking of ways to capture the team that had become the bane of his existence. "You have done well, my pet." He patted the person’s head. "Sleep now, and you won’t remember anything of my visit."

A single nod and blank eyes slid shut, once again relaxed in slumber.

Ba’al waited a few extra seconds to be sure his pet would not wake. He eyed the bowl he’d been dipping into. Whatever these little morsels were, they were delicious. Surely his pet would not miss the bowl of treats. He’d take it with him. Carefully he reached out to lift the hand away from the bowl rim and picked the dish up.

At the Goa’uld’s touch, the person jerked away, as though sensing the contact was not something they’d normally allow.

Ba’al sprang back, bowl in hand, inadvertently knocking loudly into the piece of furniture behind him. Immediately he activated the beaming device, not daring to wait and see if the noise had awakened his pet.

A split second after the flash of light, one of the most trusted members of the SGC was wide awake.

Jack didn’t shift position, giving the illusion that he was still asleep. His eyes were barely discernible slits as he swept the room looking for the culprit that had woken him. All of his senses were poised to the slightest alteration for the source of the noise. Nothing looked out of place that he could tell. Oy. O’Neill, you’re getting paranoid in your old age. Although to give himself some credit, being paranoid had kept him alive all these years. Plus let’s not forget that it had only been a few months when that loopy Asgard, who’d been kicked out of the Science Club, played ‘lets clone the colonel’.

The sound of something metal hitting the wooden floor had the military man reaching for his gun kept in his bedside drawer, and he silently crept down the hall. The living room was clear. There was a scrabbling coming from the kitchen and something else was knocked over.

Jack peeked around the doorway, ready to surprise the intruder. He couldn’t see anyone, but the door to his pantry swung on its hinges. Whoever was there must be crouched down, hidden from view by the breakfast bar. One hand flicked on the light switch, the other was training his nine mil at the pantry. "Freeze, asshole!"

There was a startled squeak and then silence. Jack slowly rounded the side of his bench ready to shoot…

Two huge black eyes blinked up at him. Well, they were huge for a critter that was only a foot long. One little paw was wrapped around a can of tuna, the other had a ripped open packet of pretzels, the contents of which were scattered on the floor.

Jack lowered his gun with a chuckle, instantly relaxing. "How’d you get in you crafty bugger?"

In response the raccoon scrambled back, sending the neatly stacked cans of food every which way as it sought the safety of the dark corner.

The colonel considered his options. He could throw a towel over the ‘intruder’, pick him up and deposit it outside, however with its point of entry unknown to Jack, it would probably just sneak back in to raid his food cupboard again. Nope, that little guy was going to leave the way it had come. He grabbed the broom from the laundry. Getting down on his knees to get the angle right, he poked the handle into the corner where the raccoon was cowering. "Come on, out you come."

The raccoon swiped at the stick and cringed itself tighter against the wall.

He swapped ends using the brush to hook behind the furry body and pull it out. The scared creature found a scrap of courage and with a growl pounced out with claws bared. Jack found himself with the bundle of fur clinging to his t-shirt, chittering angrily in his face. "Hey, no, get off!" He grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and yanked, ripping a few holes in his shirt as he did so, and tossed it a few feet away. The raccoon reared back on its hind legs, front paws waving indignantly at the human who dared disturb its late night forage. Jack sighed, "Jeez, that’s all I need." Why should it surprise him? He lived in a world where snakes thought they were gods, so why shouldn’t a raccoon think it was a bear? He poked the broom at it once again. "Come on, Yogi, get out of my cabin…go find a missus and make babies to irritate me next spring."

The raccoon scampered into the living room, jumping onto the sideboard against the back of the couch, its tail taking out the photo frames and knick knacks as it skidded over the slippery polished wooden top.

Jack chased the lightning quick animal, hoping it was making its grand escape. "Ya’ can teach the kids the family trade of breaking and entering!"

The raccoon shot into the bathroom and Jack winced at the sound of toiletries smashing to the floor, including the bottle of aftershave that had been sitting on the vanity. He rounded the corner to see a grey blur dive from the hand basin into the partly opened cupboard beneath it. "Crap!" Now he’d have to go through the whole process again!

With his trusty broom handle he prodded the cupboard door fully open only to have cleaning products fall out. There was no sign of the furry intruder. "Huh, must be related to Houdini," he muttered, poking around with the stick to make sure the critter wasn’t hiding behind a full packet of toilet paper. The pack of six rolls tipped over to reveal a loose panel in corner. When Jack pulled it forward to investigate, he could see his backyard through a hole bigger than his fist.

The colonel grabbed his tool kit and nailed the panel back down, then pulling on clothes went to investigate the damage from the outside. Luckily, only that one plank had rotted. The scratch marks on the now soft wood, was a clear indication that the raccoon had been trying to get in for quite some time. And people thought animals were dumb! He made quick work of replacing the board and then headed back inside. With no chance of going back to sleep, Jack decided he’d just arrive a little early at Sam’s. He’d stop off at the bakery for some cinnamon buns and croissants. If Sam wasn’t awake yet, then he’d use the key she’d given him and sneak in quieter than a mouse. Within half an hour, after tidying up the mess, a shower and coffee, Jack was on the road, the pale light of dawn touching the horizon.

A  A  A  A  A  A

General Hammond’s eyes snapped open. What was that? His ears strained to hear the noise again. All he heard was the droning of the news presenter on an early morning talk back show. He fumbled for the remote and turned off the TV. Damn, I must have been tired to fall asleep sitting up. He hadn’t done that in God knew how long. There was a soft click of a door shutting behind him and he twisted his head to see his youngest granddaughter tiptoe into the room. He assumed that the first noise he’d heard must have been Kayla opening her door. "Sweetheart, what are you doing up?"

Her sleepy face was surprised to see him sitting up on the couch. "Thwirsty," she slurred, then padded over to him and climbed on his lap. Due to her loosing her two front teeth, the last of her baby teeth, she spoke with a slight lisp.

She really was getting too big for this, but she had always been the more affectionate of the girls. If she was still willing to have a cuddle from Grandpa then he wasn’t about to complain. It was only a matter of time before such hugs were aligned with ‘boy’s germs’.

"Did you and Gwandma have a fight?" she yawned. "Daddy used to sweep on the couch when he fighted with Mommy."

"No, sweetheart," he assured. It surprised him that Kayla remembered those times. She’d been only two years old when Angie filed for divorce and full custody of the girls. It had been the best thing she could have done. Her husband had been a no good lay-about quite happy to let his daughter support his gambling habit. Last he heard he was in prison for embezzling company funds to pay off his bookie. "Grandpa was just being lazy." He stood up, setting the girl to her feet. "Why don’t we get you that drink and then we can both go to bed?"

"’kay," she nodded, slipping her hand in his.

Together they moved to the kitchen and after she drank a half glass of water he tucked her back into bed.

"’Night Gwandpa." Little arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Goodnight, Kayla." Hammond pulled up the sheet, placing a light kiss to her temple. Grandchildren were one of life’s payoffs, and he was lucky enough to have two of them. The general quietly entered his own room, peeled off his uniform and spent what was left of the night with his arms snuggled around his wife.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Heart thumping, Sam sprang off the couch. What in hell was that? She scanned the room, the adrenaline pumping through her body making her ready for action. Whatever it had been, it had sounded like it was right next to her. She saw nothing amiss, nobody lying in wait to jump out and attack. The major was still haunted by the memory of Adrian Conrad kidnapping her. She found it odd that out of everything that had happened to her over the last eight years, that incident was the one that invaded her dreams. She supposed it was because she’d grown accustomed to the Goa’uld and the like, acting like monstrous aliens. The idea of one of her own species using her as a guinea pig was too close to home. Though there were many instances in Earth’s and her own history that highlighted how evil people could be, Sam preferred to cling to the rather naïve ideology that the bad guys were supposed to be out in the depths of space, not literally around the corner.

Just to be sure that she really was alone she checked all the rooms in her house. Finding nothing, she double backed to the living room to see a skit of a bumbling chef drop a pot on the TV.

Was that what woke me? The TV? Funny, it hadn’t sounded like metal dropping, rather wood scraping. Sam turned the TV off and silence descended. She pushed the feeling of unease aside, deciding that it was more than time for her to climb into bed. Walking down the hall, there was a distinct scraping sound from outside. Instantly alert the major peeked out the window. Heaved a sigh of relief to see a stray dog snuffling around at her neighbor’s bin. A wooden crate had been placed next to the overflowing trashcan and the dog was trying to get at something inside, pushing the wood against the footpath in its efforts. The stillness of the night always seemed to enhance any sound. Happy that the mystery sound had been worked out, Sam curled up under the covers and once again drifted off to sleep.

A  A  A  A  A  A

The tiny doctor’s eyes popped open, some noise yanking her abruptly from slumber. Normally she slept like the dead, so it must have been pretty loud and close. Unless… Janet was on her feet in a second, and quickly headed through the house. She listened outside Cassie’s door, her motherly instincts attuned to her daughter. A tiny whimper beyond a closed door was the one thing that she knew of that had the ability to penetrate her REM sleep. Quietly she twisted the knob and poked her head into the room.

Cassie was asleep in bed though it wasn’t a peaceful sleep. The blankets were tangled around her and her limbs drenched in sweat as she thrashed around. Janet hurried to her side, her heart wrenching at the sight. "Cassie, honey, wake up."

At her mother’s soft shake the girl bolted upright, her eyes wild.

Janet gently brushed a damp tendril of hair from her face. "Shhhh, it’s just a dream."

Sucking in haggard breaths, Cassie sought the comfort of Janet’s embrace. "Mom, why am I having so many nightmares?"

"I don’t know, honey." She softly rocked her in her arms. "I don’t know. Do you want to talk about them?" So far Cassie hadn’t wanted to discuss the details of the dreams. "Maybe it will help." She felt her daughter’s head shake against her shoulder.

"No."

Janet wouldn’t push. If Cassie wasn’t ready to discuss them then there was nothing she could say to convince her. She could only be there when she was ready.

It took a while, but eventually she stopped shaking and calmed down. With a final hug, Cassie pulled away and settled back on the pillows.

"I’m okay now."

"You’re sure?"

The young woman nodded.

"Do you want me to stay until you go back to sleep?"

After a minor internal debate as to whether saying ‘yes’ was too childish for her age, she nodded. "If you don’t mind?"

"Not at all." Janet straightened the blankets around her daughter.

Cassie scooted over to make room and the small woman lay down beside her, her arms protectively hugging her close. With a contented sigh, Cassie let her eyes droop shut.

Just as Janet heard her breathing become slow and steady, Cassie’s soft whisper reached her ears.

"Thanks for adopting me, Mom."

Janet felt tears prick the back of her eyes. "It was my pleasure, honey."

When the girl in her arms was asleep, Janet considered moving to her own bed. She tried to sit up, but Cassie’s hand holding tightly to hers, refused to let her go. More than happy to remain where she was, the doctor cleared her mind and let sleep overtake her.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Though he was instantly wide awake, the Jaffa didn’t open his eyes. His training with Bra’tac had given him the ability to strike down an assailant without the use of his sight. His ears were honed to the sounds of his unfamiliar surroundings, searching for who or what had awoken him. For a few tense seconds he heard nothing, not even the sound of his own breathing and then there it was. A scratching noise emanating from beyond the kitchen.

Stealthily Teal’c rose to investigate. When he entered the kitchen the scratching stopped. It had not sounded like a large creature. Perhaps Daniel Jackson had a rat problem. He stood in the center of the room and waited. A few seconds later the scrabbling started again and Teal’c was able to pin point its position. It was coming from the other side of the back door. He peeked through the paned window to see a pale gray bundle of fluff in the moonlight; recognized it as the female canine belonging to Annika Jackson.

Hathor must have sensed his presence because she backed up a ways and her black eyes blinked up at him. She gave a little yip at seeing him.

"Go home," Teal’c spoke through the door. "Daniel Jackson and Annika Jackson now permanently reside next door." He pointed with his finger across the yard. He was told that the canines of this world could be quite intelligent. O’Neill insisted that his best friend as a child had been a golden retriever named ‘Lucky’, and that he had had many a conversation with the hound. Teal’c doubted the validity of such a statement, however the pup did seem to understand. The gray head turned in the direction of the Jacksons’ house then swung back to gaze back at him as though to say ‘I know that’. Then she scampered forward and began scratching at the door again, clearly wanting to be let in.

Teal’c stepped away from the door, hoping that if the dog could not see him, she would give up. Five minutes later the scratching had not stopped. Instead it was accompanied by a series of whines. Another five minutes and the whines turned into pitiful little howls.

How, he wondered, could something so small make so much noise? With a resigned sigh the Jaffa opened the door. Hathor sat back on her rump and gazed pleadingly up at him.

"I am not one of your owners," he firmly reminded her.

She gave a tiny tail wag in response.

"You do not belong here." He gave her his most serious ‘First Prime’ look that sent most people running in the opposite direction.

Unfazed, Hathor gave another tail wag.

Teal’c tried a different tactic. He bent down to give her a pat, then turned her around and gently shoved her towards the neighboring house. "Go home."

He closed the door then ducked out of the puppy’s line of sight, holding his breath to see if she would listen. There was a minute of silence and then the howling started up again. The warrior contemplated his options. Could only come up with one that would allow him to get any sort of sleep for the remainder of the night.

Reluctantly he opened the door once again and glared at the dog. "You are as stubborn as your owners."

Black eyes blinked angelically.

The six foot, battle hardened warrior and tiny pup stared at each other in a Mexican standoff. And it was the six foot, battle hardened warrior who was the first to cave. Teal’c stepped aside and Hathor scampered in, dancing excited circles around his feet. "Annika Jackson chose a fitting name for you," he muttered, bending down to scratch her behind the ears. The Goa’uld Hathor had had a bewitching effect on all men on base. This pet appeared to possess the same capabilities. "But do not think you shall be…" Before he could finish, Hathor dashed from the room and down the hall into the main bedroom. Teal’c followed the dog, ending his sentence. "…Sleeping on the bed."

Hathor it seemed had other plans. She had already jumped up onto the mattress and planted herself dead center. Her fluffy head rested innocently on her front paws, tail wiggling in delight.

Teal’c gave up. He didn’t even try to remove her, just shuffled between the sheets. This was not a situation he had considered when he was deciding to purchase Daniel Jackson’s house. If he were going to share his bed with anyone, it would be with a woman, not a pet. He wasn’t aware of his hand reaching out to pat the now sleeping dog. However…she did not take up much room… The tiny body nuzzled against his leg. And was it not a proven scientific fact that the owners of dogs suffered from lower stress levels? Perhaps it was worth experimenting with the theory. His life was not exactly stress free, and since he was no longer able to kelnoreem as he once had, he had been missing that inner peace the deep meditation had provided. Should Hathor decide she wanted to reside by night with him, he would give the arrangement a trial period to determine if there were any beneficial effects. With his hand resting on Hathor’s soft fur, Teal’c drifted off to sleep.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Wrapped in the wonderful warmth of Daniel’s arms, she tried to go back to sleep. Yesterday had been emotionally draining and today would be physically taxing, she knew she needed as much rest as possible. It was a pity that her brain refused to comply. Thoughts of the spy, the mission and the weapon kept churning around her dreams. She wouldn’t have minded if the dreams were premonitions, but annoyingly they were of the everyday variety. Annika snuck a peek at her husband’s face relaxed in slumber, and gave a slightly envious sigh. She had yet to master the art of nodding off to sleep at the drop of a hat like the rest of SG-1. Apparently, so she was told, the skill would come with time. Until then, she was ‘on her own’ so to speak. Normally a bout of lovemaking was more than enough to tire her out until the alarm sounded. And last night had been way beyond normal. Now she was officially Mrs Daniel Jackson. They had meticulously explored their ‘marriage contract’, examining every delectable inch and sealed the deal in duplicate. Yet for whatever reason her brain was now wide awake. Careful not to disturb Daniel, she slid from their bed and trotted downstairs.

Before meeting Daniel, when a tumble between the sheets hadn’t been an option, she would spend the night working on her next sugar creation or on a competition piece if she was up to date with her orders. The act of kneading and molding the sugar paste into whatever figure was required, took all of her focus, clearing her thoughts of everything else. Though she was no longer a cake decorator, Annika hoped that she could adapt the ‘ritual’.

Flicking on the light and the radio, turning the volume down low, she studied the pantry for a source of inspiration. Hmmm…what scrumptious morsel can I dream up?…Something sweet… Her gaze landed on a packet of marshmallows. A good start… Chocolate. That’s a must… Corn kernels. Gods yes! Janet and Teal’c had created a definite craving for popcorn. She pulled out the ingredients, then tugged open the freezer. Began rifling through the frozen packets. I know there’s some…Yes! Her fingers closed around a bag tucked into the icy corner, and pulled out the trimmings of a vanilla pound cake she’d kept for making truffles. She could work with that.

Putting the cake in the microwave to defrost, Annika then washed her hands and slipped on her apron. It was done out of habit, mainly for hygienic purposes and because she knew beyond a doubt that she was a messy cook. Humming to the music, she hunted around for the pots and pans she’d need, and began her sweet concoction. While the white chocolate melted in the double boiler, she crumbled the pound cake, adding in the apricot jam. After careful consideration she changed the prerequisite brandy to raspberry liqueur, poured in the now silky smooth chocolate and mixed to form a solid paste. As she rolled the mixture into ping-pong sized balls, she could feel her head begin to clear, the tension ease from her shoulders. Doing something so unrelated to work, made the problems of the SGC drift (temporarily) away. Her humming turned into quiet singing as she cleared a shelf in the fridge for the truffles to set, and moved on to the next stage of her made up recipe.

With the sound of the kernels popping an irregular beat to the music, Annika slow melted the marshmallows, then poured it over the air popped corn, stirring until all the white puffs were coated in the sticky syrup. After making sure the sugar had cooled enough to handle, she took a truffle and added an outside layer of the popcorn mix, compacting it with her palms. Once all of the truffles had been done she melted more chocolate, this time dark, thinking the rich bitterness would be a needed contrast to the sweetness it would encase. Tempering the thick liquid, she carefully dipped in the popcorn balls one by one and placed them on trays lined with greaseproof paper to set.

So absorbed in her work, she didn’t noticed Daniel leaning in the shadowed doorway, silently watching her. He’d woken up when he rolled over in his sleep, seeking the soft warmth of her body, only to find the coolness of the empty sheets beside him. Catching the soft glow of light downstairs, he’d pulled on boxer shorts and headed down, wondering what was keeping his wife awake at four o’clock in the morning. Had she had another disturbing vision?

He expected to find her in a serious mood so it surprised him to see the kitchen bench tops covered in used pots and pans and Annika singing along to the radio, rolling balls of popcorn. Daniel paused at the threshold, relishing the happy, content smile on her face, the way her apron, looped over her neck and tied snuggly around her hips, outlined her body. When she turned around to the stovetop he couldn’t stop his grin. It seemed that the urge for this midnight baking session had been so strong that she hadn’t stopped to put on any clothes. All his lovely wife was wearing at the moment was the apron, a few splatters of chocolate and a wickedly indulgent smile. It was delightfully erotic to see her bare derrière wiggling in time to the music.

He watched as she melted a bowl of white chocolate then separated the liquid into four small bowls. With practiced ease she mixed in a few drops of food coloring to each bowl and spooned the now brightly colored chocolate into piping bags. As she piped a rainbow of color over the dark popcorn balls, Daniel was once again struck by how happy she looked. Did Annika miss the simple life of baking cakes? When the worst she had to deal with was the life and death choice of chocolate cake versus mud, or ivory over cream? Did she regret learning of the Goa’uld and all the other threats that plagued Earth? Things she would never have known if they hadn’t met.

Annika drizzled the bright blue chocolate over the last of the exotic truffles and with her index finger scooped the runoff from the end of the nozzle. Licking her finger clean she felt a trickle of worry beneath her heart. Her head automatically swiveled up to the bedroom above before she realized the sensation was coming from across the room. She saw Daniel leaning in the door jam, his hair ruffled from sleep and looking damned sexy in just his boxer shorts. She flashed him a bright smile. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you."

"You didn’t. Your not being there is what woke me."

"I couldn’t sleep," she shrugged, licking off another drop of chocolate from her thumb. "Been there long?"

"A while."

"Why didn’t you say something?"

"I was enjoying the view." He pushed off from the jam, and made a closer inspection of the trays. "What are they by the way?"

"My own recipe. RCPTs. Raspberry chocolate popcorn truffles."

"You realize that if we eat them all, then I’m going to spent the next month in the gym working them off."

"I was going to take them to the base. Thought a little bit of colored sweetness would liven up the mess menu." She felt that tug of worry again. "Or not, if you think it’s a bad idea."

"I’m sure it would be greatly appreciated."

"So, what’s this?" She gently sent back the emotion that had her confused.

For a moment it looked like he wasn’t going to answer then he gave a small sigh. "You just looked so happy and content making them."

Her violet eyes were bewildered. "So…?"

"Do you regret me coming into your life?" he blurted.

"What?"

"If you’d never met me, you wouldn’t know about the Goa’uld and the SGC, wouldn’t have the pressure and risks that go with that knowledge…"

"Daniel, I’m not in the habit of marrying my regrets."

"But before me, your life was…easy and carefree by comparison."

"Yes, it was easy and carefree to a point, but I wouldn’t change one minute of my time with you." She looped her arms around his neck, leaning over the kitchen island so their faces were less than a inch apart. "Meeting you made me realize just how much I was missing in my life. Loving you and having you love me is something I would never want to live without, and if that means having to fight every snakehead in the galaxy, then I say bring it on."

The kiss she gave him banished any doubts he had. He lost himself in the softness of her lips, loving the ripple of desire that shot through his body, the gentle cascade of her love through their bond that threatened to turn his knees to jell-o every time he felt it, the trickle of velvet sliding coolly down his back…Whoa, what the hell? He pulled away and confused violet eyes stared back at him.

"What’s the matter?"

"Something cold and wet." He clasped her forearms and drew them off his shoulders, all the while feeling that cold strip continue to spread, only this time up his body.

Their bewilderment cleared when they saw what was gripped in Annika’s hand. It was the piping bag and the chocolate was oozing from the nozzle, painting a blue trail on Daniel’s tanned skin. It took only a second for the night air to cool the warm paste.

A mischievous gleam lit up her eyes. "Can’t let good chocolate go to waste now." She stepped around the island so she was behind him. Resting her hands on his shoulder, her tongue darted out to lick the sweet line. Sensuously her mouth followed the chocolate path until she had cleaned it from his skin.

Daniel felt her hot breath against him, the languorous swirl of her tongue over his back muscles and another muscle a little further down began to pay avid attention. One of Annika’s hands moved down his side to his front, embracing him from behind as those hot lips traveled upwards once again. He didn’t notice that the piping bag was still in her other hand until more of the chocolate hit his skin, this time dribbling down his torso.

"Oops, I’ve done it again."

Her husky whisper in his ear sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine.

"Are you going to clean that up too?" He gasped as the hand already wrapped around his chest slid up to smear the chocolate over his pectorals.

"You can bet on it," she breathed, squirting another dollop.

Daniel let himself be turned around so his wife could ‘tidy up’ the ‘mess’ she’d created. Her tongue caressed his skin, lips closing around his nipple to suck the chocolate off.

Annika could feel the thumping of his heart through her lips as she teased his nipple, then traced a path across his smooth chest to pay equal attention to the other side. Heard his quick intake of breath when she squeezed the piping bag sending another stream of chocolate over the washboard ripple of his stomach. She teased the area of skin just below his ribcage, her fingers slipping under the elastic of his boxers to slide them down before the sticky river could stain them.

Daniel’s breath hitched in his throat as the tiny rivulet traveled down to cascade over the base of his shaft and beyond. The chocolate that had previously cooled in the night air was now kept warm by the growing heat raging through his body. The knowledge that wherever the chocolate pooled was soon to be followed by Annika’s lips heightened his senses so that he was aware of every little trickle and runoff.

She could sense his anticipation of what was to come as she moved down his belly, by the involuntary twitching of his muscles wherever she roamed. She lightly brushed her lips over the chocolate on his pubic bone and he gave a groan of longing when she halted her descent and reversed her progress going back up his torso, leaving kiss shaped stamps of blue. "A Hansel and Gretel trail to find my way back," she murmured, kissing the base of his neck.

"Funny, you didn’t seem lost to me."

"Not lost, only making a detour." She dropped kisses along his jaw before capturing his mouth with hers.

He responded eagerly, his lips gentle yet fervid, sucking the traces of chocolate coating her lips. His tongue danced with hers, tasting the mix of the confection and the sugary taste that was uniquely her own. He loved kissing her; it was one of his favorite hobbies. Loved the contradictory pattern of confident sexy vixen and the almost shy inquisitiveness of a woman being kissed for the first time. No matter how many kisses they had shared, every time was like a fireworks display erupting through him. He could quite happily indulge in this for hours.

With his focus temporarily waylaid by their kiss, Annika gave another squeeze of the piping bag, her experience of using the tool in its more traditional manner making the chocolate flow in a continuous rope precisely where she wanted it.

He moaned when he felt the warm drizzle spiraling around his erect member. Though he was reluctant to relinquish the wonderful exploration of her mouth, he knew that after she nibbled her way down the path she’d left, another experience, equally delectable, was going to occur.

After a final soul searing kiss, Annika retraced her way down. Kneeling before him, she paused only a second, her hands traveling down his back to tenderly cup his backside. The tip of her tongue peeked out. Mischievously she took great care to only touch the thin chocolate pattern she had created, flattening the pipe of sweetness, never straying to his hot skin.

Daniel struggled to hold himself still, loving the exquisite torture of having that sticky millimeter barrier denying what his throbbing member craved; of feeling her breath caress him with the promise of what was to come. "You’re going to pay for this," he warned huskily.

Her eyes locked with his, violet pools of wicked desire. "I’m counting on it." She kept eye contact as her tongue spiraled back up from his base, the desire that darkened his blue orbs made her own body tingle with ardor. Swirling around the tip of his shaft she licked off the drops of pre-cum that had begun to seep out. "Mmmm, chocolate and cream, what a delectable combination."

His chuckle at her cheeky comment turned into a satisfied moan as she finally closed her lips around him. Sweet Gods, how did I get so lucky to have found such a woman? His hips unconsciously bucked forward at the sensual touch of her fingers nestling in the curly hair of his groin, gently massaging his twin spheres that were aching with need. Trust Annika to turn an everyday foodstuff into an erotic toy. He’d never look at chocolate the same way again! But what really turned him on was the molten desire in her eyes, the love that poured from her with every caress she bestowed on him. He didn’t need anything except a single smile from her to send his hormones raging, but it sure did make it interesting wondering just what she would come up with next.

Annika couldn’t stop her smile as she indulged in the ‘dessert’ she’d concocted, although, she couldn’t take credit for this idea. She’d read about it in a steamy romance years ago. Her previous lovers hadn’t been sexually adventurous and back then she hadn’t had the confidence to suggest it to them. Her sexual ‘liberation’ hadn’t really emerged until she met Daniel. With him she never felt the need to curb her desire, and she knew if given the chance, Daniel would play out any fantasy she may have and never make her feel like it was wrong or perverted. Just as she would do the same for him. The velvety rod of steel in her mouth hardened even more at her sensual ministrations, and she relaxed her throat, taking him down deeper. Fingers entwined within her hair, not exerting any pressure, just to feel the silky strands, to touch her. His other hand dropped down her shoulder, caressing the back of her neck, and a ripple of fire coursed through her body. The slight change in his breathing alerted her that Daniel was close to cumming and she sucked just a little harder, drew him in a tad deeper, and with her name on his lips his creamy essence exploded down her throat.

He took a needed moment to be sure his knees wouldn’t buckle from the blessed release of his love, and coaxed Annika to her feet, his mouth laying claim to hers. He backed her towards the kitchen table, hands tantalizingly skimming down her sides before coming to rest on her naked derrière. Her arms snaked around his neck, holding him closer to her, deepening their kiss. One of his fingers caressed the crevice of those soft but firm mounds, and he delighted in the shiver that coursed through her. His other hand tugged at the bow holding her apron closed. "As sexy as this little outfit is, it’s time for it to come off."

She placed tiny kisses along his jaw and neck. "An apron’s not sexy."

"It is when it’s the only thing covering your beautiful body," he contradicted, working the ties free and unhooking the neck strap to let it fall to the floor. His hands shifted back to his preferred spot around her backside, dipping a little lower to pick her up and seat her on top of the table. A husky chuckle bubbled from her that never failed to wreak havoc with his body. "What?"

"Since I’ve met you I’ve learnt not to put any vases or knick knacks on the table." Annika let him guide her back so she was lying on the wooden top, her legs dangling over the edge.

"You’re the perfect center piece." Daniel leant over to partake of her full lips, relishing the now triple combination of chocolate, her sweetness and his own essence still lingering in her mouth. It was just a few extra minutes of pure indulgence before beginning his own mission to send her over the edge.

"Could cause a bit of a stir at a dinner party." She spoke between kisses.

He drew away, plucking the piping bag from her grasp. "Well, we do have the reputation of being unconventional." He perused her nakedness, deciding where to start, not realizing that his eyes darkened with desire and a kind of excitement like a kid with a new toy. He chose the flat expanse of her belly.

Annika quivered when the first line of chocolate hit her hot skin, and then another and another. It took a few seconds for her brain to comprehend that Daniel wasn’t drawing idle patterns. She lifted her head to see his face a mask of concentration, though a cheeky grin played on his lips. Looked down at her body and saw he had drawn a symbol. If she had to hazard a guess she’d say it was Ancient. "What’s it say?"

Blue eyes twinkled down at her. "Something," he evaded, adding the last dash to the glyph ‘wife’. That word was becoming one of his favorites in any language, as long as it was his wife. He started on another two that he particularly liked, ‘hearts entwined’.

"Oh, that’s so no fair!" she protested, feeling a new drizzle of chocolate on her ribcage.

"Consider it incentive to learn Ancient," he teased, turning his attention to her voluptuous breasts. He took his time, first piping a symbol over her left breast, then another in the smooth dip of her cleavage and a third on her right. It was rather clichéd, to ‘label’ them the ‘Twin Mounts of Sheba’, (he’d switched languages to the archaic form of Arabic,) but as the legend foretold they marked the path to King Solomon’s treasure and there was no greater treasure than the love that Annika bestowed upon him. He added an extra large dollop over her rosy nipples, for he planned to spend extra time suckling those small nubs. She squirmed as he trickled a squiggle on the sensitive underside of her breast, causing the meaning of the ‘symbol’ to change. "Oops, made a mistake." Daniel dipped his head, his tongue licking the errant line, clean. "Damn, smudged the rest of it too." His mouth closed around the soft mound, gently sucking the sugary error away, taking extra care to make sure that every tiny bit was removed from the taut pearl he lolled between his lips.

Unbidden, Annika’s back arched off the table at the arduous nibbling of her husband. When his teeth lightly grazed her nipple a fission of fire pooled between her legs, eliciting a soft mew of yearning from her throat. Her hands reached up to hold Daniel where he was, but anticipating the involuntary action his fingers wrapped around her wrists, pinning them to her side. "Nuh uh, you’ll smudge the rest."

She could feel his smile against her skin as he continued to tease her past the point of incoherence. Oh, Gods, he’s going to make me go insane! And she knew he had barely gotten started. By the time he finished with her she’d be like a firecracker set to explode!

The sight of her writhing beneath him was stirring his own body into arousal again. He released the nub from his mouth that was now a hard little pebble, and her moan of frustration almost made him give in and continue that wonderful exploration, but he hadn’t finished his ‘notes’ just yet. He rewrote the word he’d just erased, then moved down her body, placing feather light kisses down her side. He nudged her legs apart, tracing a line over her hip with his hand not holding the piping bag, to the juncture of her thigh. "Do you think you could hold still for a second?" he enquired innocently.

"I’m not guaranteeing anything!" she gasped, as the warmth of his breath blew over her moist well.

Daniel did his best to concentrate on his task, but seeing her already slick with ever growing desire was proving quite the distraction. While his left hand danced around the edges of her wet opening, his right drew out the final symbols along the creamy skin of her inner thighs. Continuing on with his ‘naming process‘, he carefully piped out the words ‘Gates to Paradise’.

"You writing the Great American Novel down there?" she demanded hoarsely. His head peeked up at her, his eyes hungry with ardor. The way he licked his lips in anticipation told her he had finished his ’story’.

He rose, surveying his artwork, then satisfied he had dotted all the Ts and Is, proceeded to clean off every last morsel, starting with those succulent breasts he had sampled earlier. Oh, this is heaven! Feeling the woman of his dreams press into his touch, hearing those delightful little whimpers and gasps as he playfully suckled her breasts, the way her hands combed through his hair as she held him close, this time not allowing him to move away from her. Not that he had any intention of doing that, it was time to indulge in the sweetness that was his wife.

Daniel’s tongue dipped into the tiny hollow of her belly button on his way back down her body, and he felt her muscles tense in expectancy of where he was heading. However he wasn’t through with his exploration quite yet. The chocolate coating her inner thighs had the wonderful topping of her nectar that was now flowing from her. He eagerly lapped up every last drop, though he purposefully steered clear of her hot well, tormenting her with a feathery caress of her curls and the whisper of his breath.

"Please! Please, PLEASE, Daniel!" she begged raggedly, "Let me cum!" Annika was barely coherent, all she could think of was the tight almost aching need that was begging for release. Release that only Daniel could give her, that he was taking such wicked delight in denying her.

He heard the raw need in her voice and he finally slipped his tongue between her slick folds. She bucked towards him with a cry of rapture. His lips sucked at the hooded nub drawing it out to swirl his tongue over it. His index finger slid easily inside her and her muscles contracted around it, pulling it in as far as he could go. He sensed the prelude to her orgasm, the subtle shift in the way her thighs flexed against his face, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

"Oh, Gods, yessss!"

Her entire body rocked with power of her climax, pulsing through their bond, sending the message loud and clear to his now throbbing shaft. He straightened up, leaning over her to capture her lush lips with his. Her legs wrapped around him and he sank into her honey pot. The aftershocks of her orgasm rippled over his buried member, causing his own moan of ecstasy. He thrust into her, again and again, and she ground her hips against his, meeting him thrust for thrust. There was no more teasing, no thought of taking this union slow, they had pushed each other beyond endurance and now they were both yearning to reach the final pinnacle of their love making.

Riding on the shockwave of her first release, Annika felt the quick build up of a second one coming hot and fast. Daniel’s long and solid rod of velvet steel pounded into her, filling her to the point of bursting, rubbing the g-spot that had always eluded her previous lovers. The friction of his body against her swollen nub that had been sated only a mere few minutes ago, tingling with renewed need; the hoarse breathing of Daniel as his own desire grew to fevered pitch; all of these sensations coalescing into a mind shattering explosion. Daniel’s hold on her tightened at the same time, his body stiffened and his hot creamy life force pulsed into her.

For a few long seconds all that could be heard was the ragged sound of their lungs sucking in much needed air.

Annika clung limply to him, barely noticing that she was supporting him as much as he was her. He placed soft tiny kisses to the nape of her neck as their hearts slowed to their normal rhythm.

Eventually Daniel spoke. "So do you think you can sleep now?"

She nodded into his neck. "Could drop off right here."

"Our bed’s a tad more comfortable," he pointed out, though he made no sign of moving.

"Uh huh." Her only movement was to snuggle into his embrace, her eyes fluttering closed.

Daniel gave her a gentle shake. "Hey, isn’t it supposed to be the man who drops instantly to sleep?"

"I’m not a traditionalist," she half yawned.

With a low chuckle he scooped her off the table and for the second time that night he carried her to their bedroom. Before he reached the top of the stairs, Annika had nodded off. A happy smile on his lips, he tucked her under the blankets and then curled up next to her. Within seconds the rather sticky but entirely satisfied husband was softly snoring, with his equally sticky and satisfied wife in his arms.