Chloe leaned back into my embrace as we both sighed at the same time. It was so nice. If I had a choice between chasing Jaffa on any planet in the world or being right here in this moment with Chloe, Chloe would win any day. After everything that happened with Avenger, it's just really great to sit here and relax with the only person outside of my family to whom I have ever truly felt close to. I mean, the whole thing with Colonel O'Neill and the rest of SG1 was just my own fantasy. I realize that now. You could say that Avenger has made me realize a lot of things. First and foremost, it has made me realize that there is a beautiful woman that cares for me and truly understands me, better than I understand myself. And yet, I know almost nothing about her. Who knew there was such an amazing person under the glasses and lab coat?

"Tell me more about yourself." I softly whispered.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything. I want to know your hopes, your fears, what makes you happy, what makes you angry, your favorite childhood memories, what kind of books you read, what kind of movies and TV shows you like, your favorite color, your religious and political beliefs, your life's story. I want to know everything about you, and yet, fifty years from now, I still want to feel like I am just getting to know you."

"Okay, where should we start?"

"Besides giggling on your cell phone with your sister and hanging out with me, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

Chloe laughed. "Not that I've had much of that recently, just kidding. Well, I like to go to plays and orchestra concerts. Also….." Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet. She ran to her large duffle bag in Jack's room. When she came out, she was carrying a small case.

"I didn't see that when you were packing."

"Yea, well, I snuck it in there." She opened the case to reveal an old but well-maintained flute. "Wait a minute… I don't want to wake your parents."

"They're both really heavy sleepers. Besides, we are on the other end of the house from them. Come on, I wanna hear you play."

"All right." She started taking pieces out of the case and putting them together. "It may not sound all that good. Remember, I haven't had much time to practice in quite a while."

"I'm sure it will sound just fine." I coaxed. She licked her lips before starting to play Bavarian Lullaby. I started to sing along.

"I didn't realize that tune had lyrics." She said when the song was over.

"Grandpa Felger used to sing that song."

"You have a good voice."

"Thank you. You play really well."

"Well, I was a double math and music major. It was a very common major combination. In fact, we had our own nickname: the M&Ms."

I couldn't help but laugh at that one. "I like it. You know, I have a Ph.D. in Music."

"So it's astrophysics, music, what, and what?"

"Theology and history."

"Interesting combination. I can see the astrophysics and theology, but-"

"Theology was kinda just to humor Dad. Actually, it was the only way that he was willing to put me through grad school at all."

"And what about music and history?"

"I had a band when I was in high school called the Eager Geeks. I was the drummer, since they thought I'd be too clumsy to handle anything else. We drifted after graduation, but I always had a desire to rekindle that aspect of my life."

"Omigosh, a friend once gave me a cassette tape of a group called the Eager Geeks. I never listened to it, but I never quite dug up the nerve to throw it out. I just have this thing about throwing out gifts. The title of one of the songs always amused me though. I think it was called Thumping Mud."

"Interesting. I wrote that song."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's so cool. Wow! I feel like I've gotten to know you better in just these past two days than I have the entire time we worked together in that lab."

"I know the feeling. In some ways, I feel like I've known you all my life. And yet, it's like I'm meeting you for the first time."

"Oh, Jay, that is so sweet." I blushed as she scooted closer and leaned up against me again, letting out a small shiver.

"Are you cold?"

"Not anymore. Ah, this is so nice."

"Yea, but I know of a couple things that would make it even nicer." I got out from under her and walked into the garage to get some firewood. Once I had the fire lit, I went back to my room to get the bottle of wine that I had in my duffle bag, then it was off to the kitchen for two cups.

"Just don't tell my parents, okay? They would totally flip." He said as he opened the bottle and poured the wine.

"All right." An hour later, we were both quite tipsy.

"I think I'm drunk." Chloe said.

"We're both drunk." I added as I topped up my glass. "More?"

"Please. So, what exactly happened with that midterm lab?"

"Promise not to laugh?" I poured what was left into her glass.

"Okay."

I took a huge gulp of my wine. "Well, we were supposed to find the boiling points of both HCL and water. Part of the lab was to slowly add water to see if it would affect the boiling time and how much the effect would be. Well, I got the labels mixed up and accidentally poured HCL into the boiling water. A huge mushroom cloud covered the classroom, and the corner of my worksheet got into the flame. Not realizing what had happened, I set my worksheet on a stack of Mr. Hoffman's papers. In an attempt to save the apparatus, I spilled HCL onto the already burning pile. Next thing I know, all the other students are in the hall, and the classroom is just one big inferno."

Chloe was all over the floor, laughing so hard that she had trouble breathing. "I'm so sorry, Jay," She said when she could finally speak. "but that is just way too funny."

"But you promised."

"Just think of it as revenge for this afternoon."

"It wasn't my idea that you come out of your room topless."

"No, but you could have handed me a t-shirt."

"But what would have been the fun in that?" We both got very quiet. "Anyway, I really should have gotten out of science then and there. Everybody's lives would have been so much easier."

"I still disagree, Jay. Like I said last week, you're a brilliant scientist."

"Yeah, I'm brilliant at screwing things up. Now you, on the other hand, you're the brilliant one in this outfit. After all, Avenger was originally your idea. I just added the parts that turned it from a masterpiece to a master catastrophe."

"That was Ba'al's doing, remember?"

"I should have thought to prevent something like that from happening."

"How?"

"I don't know. I just think there was something that could have been done."

"And if I'm such a great scientist, why was I just a lab assistant?"

"Your age and lack of experience. I'm sure that if you had the opportunity to mature at SGC, you could have given Major Carter a serious run for her money."

"I doubt it."

"Oh come on. You know how old she was when she got her Ph.D.? 31. Huge difference between 31 and 22. Besides, she has been at SGC for seven years, and you hadn't even been on the scene six months."

"Major Carter wasn't home schooled, either."

"You were home schooled?"

"Yea."

"So were all the kids home schooled or just you?"

"Zoe, Jay, and I. Basically, all the adopted kids except Amy. It started out as a way to get us all caught up without using special ed, but then, before we knew it, we were so far ahead of our peers that my parents decided we were better off staying with home school. With all the emotional problems we had at the time, we kinda needed the extra attention. They tried to get the biological kids involved too, but all of them preferred going to school with their friends. Besides, my mom always said she liked having that extra time with the adopted kids."

"That makes sense. But anyway, I'm starting to just get sick of science all together. The way I feel right now, if I see another test tube again, it will be too soon. And I really don't want to put on another lab coat again, even if it's just for Halloween."

"You don't really mean that, Jay, and you know it. You're a scientist. It's a part of who you are. Just like me, you live and breathe science. Jay Felger not wanting to be a scientist anymore would be like Picasso not wanting to be an artist anymore or Mozart not wanting to be a musician anymore."

"Oh, Chloe, if only everyone saw me the way you do."

"First and foremost, you need to start seeing yourself that way."

"You know, when we first met, I was extremely attracted to you."

"Really?"

"Really. But then with the way you acted toward me, I started to think that I had better chances with Major Carter."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you were always so critical of me, and I guess I took it to mean that you didn't care for me the same way I cared for you. Remember the first day Major Carter was working with us, and we were running that simulation?"

Chloe nodded her head. "I wanted so badly to hug you."

"I know, but if we had hugged, I probably would have never let you go."

Chloe looked over at the clock. "Good gracious, it's four am. I need to go to bed. Good night, Jay."

"Good night, Chloe. I love you."

Chloe smiled. "I love you, too, Jay."