The usual disclaimers apply – they aren't mine, no money, and so forth. Set in any early season. Enjoy!

Of Christmas Dreams and Weary Teams

########## The Team ##################

"DanielJackson, I do not understand this Christmas story. How can there have been a star in the east?"

"Well, Teal'c," Daniel replied unenthusiastically, "there just was. Uh, Sam, wasn't there some sort of astrological phenomena?"

"Actually, Daniel," Jack chimed in, "they believe it was three planets in opposition and a nearby comet thrown in for good measure." Carter grimaced but said nothing.

"And how could there have been only three wise men, DanielJackson? To discern the real god from false gods? It is also impossible to birth a child without sexual relations."

"Teal'c…how about we discuss the meaning of Christmas instead?" Sam asked wearily.

Teal'c nodded his head. "As you wish, Major Carter." And the long dusty trek back to stargate on P3X…whatever continued.

########## Jack ##################

Jack sighed as his down quilt enveloped him and his head sank just the right depth into his pillow. God, it was good to be home. And to be alone for a bit. A small chuckle escaped when he thought about Carter's reaction to his explanation about the star in the east…his thoughts drifted as he faded off to sleep.

"Teal'c! Get those donkeys loaded up! Daniel! Forget the weeds, let's move out! There it is! We've got to go, now!"

"They're herbs, Jack, not weeds! Frankincense, and myrrh, and…."

"Yeah, yeah, right, Daniel. Let's go!"

"O'Neill. We must have gifts if we are to honor this infant. It is so written."

"Fine, bring gifts. Just remember your staff weapon. Kid or not, that's a Ga'ould ship landing, and we can't let it happen tonight! Not on Christmas Eve! Let's move out, campers!"

Teal'c climbed on his donkey, and discovered that his feet still touched the ground. "O'Neill, what is the purpose of this mount, if I must walk at the same time?"

"How the heck should I know? Just…bend your knees or something or you'll slow the poor thing down." Jack kicked his mount forward, again, grumbling. "If it's even possible to go any slower."

########## Daniel ##################

Daniel sneezed and grabbed a Kleenex from his bedside nightstand. Oh, man, he'd have to dust his apartment soon, or he just wouldn't be able to breath. For now, though, he compromised: he opened the windows in his bedroom before he flopped on the bed, hoping that the fresh air would dilute the dust. Actually, as much as he really liked Teal'c, it was good to have some peace. The traffic and the ringing of bells lured him to sleep.

It was cool and quiet in the dirty stable, and one of the shepherds stood silently near the door. Daniel wrapped his cloak around a shivering young woman, hard in labor. "It's ok, take it easy, everything will be fine."

The women moaned quietly. "The child, it must be born - you must protect it. You must promise me."

"Everything will be fine, my love. Push now, it will be born soon….Here it comes! A boy!" And Daniel handed a fine young baby to his mother.

The shepherds rejoiced and sang quite a bit off key, particularly the one with the baseball cap; and the one near the door had a golden tattoo on his forehead and was carrying the strangest crook. And where did it say that women were shepherds in this time period? Strange, all of it, but, hey, they were well intentioned, and they ran out to spread the good news and left them alone.

Daniel smiled again at the proud mother, and her face dissolved into Sha're's.

"Sha're," he whispered, "you? Our child? The Christ child…?"

"Not ours, Dan'iel," she replied, "good bye, my love…."

Daniel blinked; and then the haresis child was held in Ammonet's arms.

########## Sam ##################

Sam ignored the chime from the dryer; heck, what were a few wrinkles? She would have sent the laundry out, as usual, except that then she would have run out of socks, and she really didn't want to deal with another pair of two-day-old socks. That happened enough on missions. But what did wrinkles matter, anyway? It was Christmas! Besides, the couch was so cozy….and she was so relaxed….

A messenger scurried through the Royal Laboratory.

"Oh, great and learned astrologist, the King requires your presence, you must attend," sarcastically proclaimed the messenger, sweeping off his hat and offering an exaggerated bow.

Sam didn't even look up. "Go away, can't you see that I'm busy? This experiment won't wait. And I'm an astrophysicist, not an astrologer."

"Whatever," said the messenger, who now looked and sounded very much like a very bored Colonel O'Neill wearing a court jester hat and slippers with bells. "It doesn't matter. It's an order anyway. King Herod wants you, right now." Sam shrugged and followed along, watching the messenger trip over his royal slippers occasionally.

The King motioned them toward his throne, which suspiciously looked like a high-back office chair. "Glad you could join us, Learned Astrologer…."

"Astrophysicist," Sam interrupted.

"Astrologer, you're the closest thing I have to an astrologer, and it is written that I need an astrologer, so you're it," the King declared. "We have a situation. A holy child is born this very day, as Isaiah has written it. We need to find the child, so that we may worship him. But who among us can find him?"

Herod looked at Sam. "I need you, the smartest of the smart, to lead this search and destroy….err, detect…mission. Find the child and bring him to me, immediately."

Sam was exasperated. "Why is this so urgent? I have important and timely experiments underway in my Royal Laboratory. Won't this keep a few days?"

"NO!" Herod leapt to his feet. "NO! You will find and bring the child to me NOW!"

"I don't think so," Sam sighed. "First, I don't know where the kid is. Second, my socks are wrinkled. Lastly, I really don't want to get involved. OK?"

King Herod's eyes glowed and his voice echoed deeply as he extended his open hand. "You will regret your decision…"

"You know," muttered the messenger to Sam, "I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"I know what you mean," she whispered back. "I don't think he's being totally honest."

"I will know! I will have that child!" And a beam of light launched from the jewel in the palm of his hand toward Sam's forehead…

########## Interludes ##################

The Christmas sunshine streamed in the window and warmed her face. Sam bolted awake, bathed in sweat. No, not again, not the ribbon device – the Ashrak was enough, no more, no more. She shivered, and then indulged in a long, hot shower.

##

The alarm blared and startled O'Neill awake. He instinctively swatted it across the room and swung his feet to the floor.

My first chance for weeks to sleep in, and I forget to turn that thing off, he berated himself. Idiot.

He ran his hands through his hair. Man, what a night. If I didn't know better, I'd swear I didn't get any sleep at all. It seems like….no, I don't know what it seems like. Oh, for cryin' out loud, maybe it was good that I forgot to turn the alarm off!

He showered and shaved and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater. A quick breakfast didn't settle his restlessness, and he grabbed his jacket and headed out for a walk. A long walk, he thought, a very long walk, to nowhere in particular. Even if I am still a bit stiff from the last long walk on P3X-whatever.

##

The doorbell buzzed and Daniel pulled the pillow over his head.

"Go away!" he groaned. Ahh, Sha're…why now, why Christmas, why another dream? I thought I had closure, I thought I finally found peace….

The doorbell buzzed again. "DanielJackson?"

Teal'c. Daniel rolled to his feet and half-heartedly pulled the blanket around him, not having a clue where his robe was. If he even still had one. It didn't matter.

He stumbled to the door and opened it. "Teal'c, make some coffee, ok? I'll be ready to go in a few minutes."

Teal'c nodded, not understanding a word that Daniel had mumbled but understanding the sentiment, and he was content to wait until his friend had found his bearings.

########## The Team ##################

A church? Jack couldn't believe that he had stopped walking in front of a church. He hadn't been in a church or a chapel since…anyway. Christmas songs whispered from the building and tore at his heart, and he turned smartly around and promptly crashed into someone.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," he apologized, catching the young women's elbow to steady her. "I am so sorry. Are you all right?"

Sam looked in shock at the ape that had almost knocked her off of her feet. "Colonel?"

"Carter?"

"I'm fine, Sir, no problem. What are you doing here?"

"Just knocking people down on my way home," he quipped. "You?"

"Ahhh….I don't know, either, I was driving and just sort of stopped…."

"Jack! Sam! Hey, am I glad to see you!" Daniel's voice carried across the yard. He walked up, accompanied by Teal'c. "What are you guys doing here?"

A moment of uncomfortable silence hung over them.

"Well," Jack offered, thinking that the truth was so outrageous that no one would believe him, "I had a dream that the star in the east was a Go'auld mother ship landing. Came to church to get the story straight."

Sam and Daniel starred at him. "A joke," Jack added lamely, "it's a joke."

"Actually," Sam murmured, "I had a dream that King Herod was Apophis."

"No kidding?" Jack was astonished.

"And I dreamt that the Christ Child was a haresis," Daniel added.

"And I did not experience any dreams, but DanielJackson offered to show me a Tauri Christmas ceremony today."

They stared at each other for another long, long moment.

"Well, I'm not into churches, but since it's an education for Teal'c…" Jack put one arm around Daniel's shoulders and the other across Sam's and started them toward the entrance.

"I agree, Sir. A matter of cultural diversity," Sam confirmed.

"Absolutely. I wouldn't want him to have an unbalanced perspective," Jack continued, pushing Daniel a bit sideways and making him stumble.

Sam giggled. "You were pretty unbalanced as Herod's messenger, Sir, with bells on your slippers."

"Oh, yeah?" Jack pretended to glare. "Well, you should have seen Teal'c on a donkey, and Daniel collecting weeds!"

"Herbs, Jack, they had to be herbs…." Daniel responded absent-mindedly. Their laughter refocused him. "And I sure hope that you guys can sing better than you did in my dream, or they're gonna throw us all out!"

And their laughter carried the Christmas spirit forward into another season.