"Ok, so why are we going to Addy's apartment again?" Daniel asked Cam from the passenger seat of his truck, "Not that I have anything against her place, but it's small."

"Because Sam and Jack are away doing some of their bureaucratic bullshit, Teal'c's with Rya'c because that damn baby is going to come anytime, and Vala is doing more of her little spy game they've got her doing. Addy said we might as well come over and throw back a few," the colonel added, Daniel shrugging.

At least they weren't going to try to cram everyone onto Adrienne's couch.

Daniel gazed ahead just as the light turned green and Cam accelerated, barreling his way through Friday evening D.C. traffic, tapping the steering wheel to the beat of some country song.

Adrienne was right; this was truly terrible music. He'd almost rather hear that god awful rap of hers than this.

Almost.

"What's up with you two anyway? The other week, at movie night? It's like you're inseparable now," Cam pried, a sly grin on his face.

"We're not inseparable; we just have a lot in common. She's easy to talk to, and, finally, I have another archaeologist to talk to," Daniel explained, "And, in case you haven't noticed, the woman can fall asleep anywhere. She would have fallen asleep across Teal'c if he'd been sitting by her." His stomach rumbled, distracting him from his defense of recent events. First, everyone wanted them to be friends. Now that they were, it was a constant source of harassment, garnering the two of them a variety of nicknames that neither Daniel nor Adrienne were a fan of.

He couldn't win.

And then there was Vala, who had her own theories.

Glancing at the clock on the dash he saw it was 6:30 p.m. A thought flashed in his head and he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"Who you callin?" Cam asked as he peeked over at the screen.

"The Italian place by Ad's. I'm not eating carrot sticks all night," Daniel replied, holding up his finger to silence Cam, ordering an obscene amount of pizza and sides. From the driver's seat the colonel laughed, glad that at least one of them thought of it. He also decided not to mention that Daniel had memorized the phone numbers of eateries near Adrienne's apartment.

Because oh no; they weren't inseparable, and, as Daniel had stressed earlier today, they were not together.

Or were they?

Cam honestly wasn't sure.

For two people that really seemed to hate each other from the moment they met, they had become fast friends, fast inseparable friends in a way that he had never seen Daniel behave with anyone before. Addy didn't act like "one of the guys" with Daniel, like she was with the rest of the male staff members, because when you're "one of the guys", you don't fall asleep cuddled together on the sofa. On the other hand, they didn't appear to be romantically involved either; Adrienne wasn't flirtatious with Daniel in the least.

To be honest, she didn't seem interested; in him or anyone else...

"When's it gonna be ready?" he asked Daniel as his stomach rumbled.

"15 minutes, plenty of time," the archaeologist answered.

From the text he had received this morning, Cam was informed that they were supposed to be at Adrienne's at seven. But, he knew, and Daniel had already joked, that if they arrived at seven she probably wouldn't be ready for them anyway.

Adrienne didn't operate on time even in her own home. She often stressed in New Orleans; early was rude, on time was early, and late was expected.

Only Vala seemed to think that made sense.

Shocker.

Cam chuckled to himself, continuing his drive.

At 7:05, early by Adrienne's reasoning, the two men pulled into the guest parking of the Cajun's apartment complex, shocked that she answered the door, fully dressed, in real clothes and not athletic gear, and ready to party. There was a smell emanating from the open door as she greeted them, the pair peering around her to see she had laid out an entire spread of Mexican food and beer.

She made a face at their pizza and breadstick boxes, glaring sharply at Daniel.

"I know this is your doin', Indy," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You have no faith in me."

Daniel didn't say a word; he'd been caught red handed.

He felt himself flush.

"Maybe I just anticipated your menu and decided I wanted to offer an alternative."

"And that's not just as rude how?"

Shrugging, Daniel tried to flash a goofy grin, walking the food to the kitchen to slide it into her oven to keep warm. From the other room he heard Cameron already lauding their host on her Mexican spread. Daniel opened the top box and slid out a breadstick, allowing Cam a private moment with Adrienne that he could harass her about later.

He lived for being able to torment her.

Right as his aching stomach was about to thank him for satisfying the hunger, he felt arms on his shoulders and a face appeared beside his. He paused the breadstick that was headed to his mouth in front of his face.

"I go to all this trouble to get Mexican food, to get junk food, and ya in here sneakin' contraband," Adrienne teased, smirking. His face reddened. Sighing, he started to put the breadstick back in the box, when she giggled, mussing his hair with her hand.

"Wow, Indy, I'm just playing with ya. Bring that stuff out to the table. I think John and Teyla might come by; I called them on my way home. Plus, you boys can down a pizza each; I've seen it done," she smiled, stood, and walked over to the wine cabinet, examining it closely.

Relieved she wasn't angry, or at least as angry as his stomach was right at this moment, Daniel grabbed the pizza boxes and started to head back out to the white plastic table. It looked like Adrienne had purchased it just to have people over, sparkling new and smelling of fresh plastic, which given her proclivity for wanting to make everyone as comfortable as possible in every way, he wouldn't be surprised if it was.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, "There's a tub of beer out there, that, shockingly, you bought."

Adrienne made a face, her dark eyes scanning the drawers carefully.

"You don't drink beer, smartass. And, as a good hostess, I took that into account," she stated. "Plus, I'm deciding how crazy this little night of ours should get."

She put her hand on her hips as she finished her sentence, her words trailing a bit as she scanned the insane amount of alcohol displayed in front of them. Laughing, Daniel moved the pizza boxes aside and leaned over her shoulder, peering into the cabinet.

"Ad, you're your own personal cult of Dionysus. You know that, right?" he joked as his assistant frowned.

"Hush cooyon," she grumbled, reaching to move him out of her line of sight; her line of sight apparently to his good buddy.

"Cam!" she shouted. "Crashing or leaving?"

Daniel gawked at her, surprised at the discovery that he wasn't the only person that slept here from time to time, at least the only person of the male persuasion. He knew Vala went home with Adrienne on some weekends, especially weekends that involved clearance sales at Potomac Mills or the outlets, but Cam?

He honestly didn't know what to make of it.

Pushing past him as if he wasn't there, the colonel in question walked into the kitchen area, setting his forearm on Adrienne's shoulder to peer into her shrine of booze.

"Depends. Whatcha thinkin'?" he asked, glancing over at her. Smiling evilly, and clicking her tongue ring against her teeth, Adrienne produced a bottle of aged Tequila, dancing it in the air.

Cam's reaction was instant.

"Crashing. Jackson, you'll need to call a taxi," he declared in celebration, turning to head back for the food, again, as if this was a normal occurrence.

Daniel couldn't quite explain what was going on inside of his stomach now, but it certainly wasn't hunger…

"So... I'm not your only couch squatter?" he inquired, curious, cocking his head in their fearless leader's direction, their fearless leader who was already piling a plate full of tacos and supreme pizza that he must have grabbed when Daniel had been paying attention to Adrienne's wine selection.

"Don't worry shug," she replied, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek quickly, "You'll always be my favorite." Just as fast, she turned on her heels, fishing some more items out of the cabinet.

Her favorite?

What was that supposed to mean?

In his latest state of Adrienne confusion, Daniel took the rest of the pizza boxes out to the table as he saw Cameron heading to the front door.

He answers her door?

I don't answer her door…

Why do I even care?

Shaking his head, he opened the boxes to arrange the food in an inviting manner when he heard John and Teyla entering behind them. He noted that Torrin wasn't with them, thankfully if his assistant was pulling out the hard liquor, so he assumed Teyla had gotten a sitter for the occasion.

This was turning into quite the little event; food, alcohol, babysitters, overnight stays?

He thought this was going to be substituted movie night?

Cameron was directing them to the table and showing them the food spread when Adrienne came out, bottles of tequila and margarita mix in hand. She said something to Cameron about salt on the counter and, nodding, he went back into the kitchen to acquire it.

Wow, he's really making himself at home, Daniel thought. He's just hosting this thing like it's his party too.

Was this his party too?

He felt himself pushed aside for a second time as Cameron came out, small green tub of margarita salt in hand.

"Earth to Daniel," and there was a gentle touch at his back, "ya gonna get some food or just stand here?" Adrienne asked with a smile, and an expression, as if she was checking to see if he was alright.

"Oh yeah, sorry," he shook his head, grabbing some pizza before taking a step aside toward the burritos.

"Good idea on the pizza," she whispered quickly as he stepped away, giving him a wink and backing up to allow Teyla and John to fill their plates.

Everyone served themselves and gathered around the center table in her living room where Daniel was fully expecting a movie, but instead Adrienne came out with a board game, something called Scattergories. Lately when they hung out they seemed to be watching a movie, or a documentary or playing Scrabble, or talking about work, or going to a lecture…

They did spend a lot of time together.

Jack hadn't been exaggerating the other morning at breakfast when he had joked with Daniel about he and Adrienne's relationship.

Well, all except for calling his Cajun assistant "the little woman."

That was just absurd.

He shook off the thought and made his way to the couch.

Sitting down, beside him he noted, Adrienne explained the rules and he was relieved it was a word game and not a drinking game or something else that would make him look like a complete idiot. In fact, he thought this should be a fairly easy game to play…

John creamed the mess out of him and everyone else; creamed him so badly that he could just feel the teasing that was to come in the lab next week from his dear "Robin".

He knew that something along the lines of "Indy I thought ya be the greatest linguist in the history of the world" would be her mantra for the week.

All the while, Cam just kept telling Adrienne how smart she was, how good at the game she was, among other compliments and comments, despite the fact that she had about the same number of points as Daniel. He found it to be exceedingly annoying and started to wonder if this was how Adrienne felt about Vala and the way she acted around him, or used to act around him. He had started to notice as well, the lap sitting, the sexual comments and, his assistant had been right, so he had gotten her to lay off.

It was very awkward to witness this here tonight, the flirting, and Cam wasn't even saying anything remotely sexual…

The game ended and his assistant's beloved exercise partner, of course, reached over to clean up the boards and cards. Standing, Adrienne rushed over to the table and returned with the two bottles from earlier in her hands.

Daniel guessed it was part two of her party plan.

"Upside down Margaritas!" she declared, peering at him with that wink again. "Indy first!"

With a bright smile on her face, she motioned for Daniel to join her, where she was setting a chair down in front of her dining room table; some position of authority in this drinking extravaganza of hers it seemed. He stood, slightly pleased that she called him over rather than Cameron and walked to the chair. He sat down and looked back at her, awaiting instructions.

"It's time for some fun, shug. Lick ya hand," she ordered, a devilish grin across her face.

"Honestly?" he asked, wondering if she was indeed serious, since he thought he knew what she had up her sleeve. He did listen to her, despite her shock at that little revelation, and remembered everything she told him, especially the crazier things about herself and her life pre-SGC.

"Just do it. Stop arguin' with me!" she spat back.

He caught Cam grinning out of the corner of his eye, a comment about Daniel's being a lightweight surely on his tongue. So, doing as he was told, he licked the top of his hand near his thumb and glanced back to Adrienne so she knew he was ready.

"Now, tilt ya head back," she ordered.

Yep, it was just what he thought it was. And he didn't argue. He just tilted back as requested, hoping his glasses would stay on his face.

"Ok, you're gonna lick the salt off of your hand and then open your mouth. I pour. You shake and swallow. Got it?" Adrienne spat out the directions, as if letting your friends toss alcohol down your throat was the most natural thing in the world.

"I know what this is," he mused with a grin. "This is that crazy stuff you did in college. You told me about it when we played that Monty Python drinking game of yours."

Adrienne smiled, confirming his suspicion.

What had he gotten himself into?

"Nice memory. Just do it, trust me," she continued, reaching behind herself to pour two glasses of liquid and steadied herself behind him, counting off in French.

"Un, deux, trois…" and Adrienne watched as the most brilliant man she knew licked salt off of his hand and tossed back his head, ready for her alcoholic insanity. She poured carefully into his mouth the mix and the liquor and he did as he was told, bringing his head up quickly and shaking.

"Woah," he coughed out as he finished swallowing, barely. This was far different than they had done before. The strength of this liquor was something he had not experienced in a long time.

"Yeah, give it a sec. The rush'll hit ya soon," Adrienne replied, setting her hands on his shoulders, waiting for said rush. It didn't take long. She was able to feel him move underneath her hands. It had hit him and the look on his face up at her was confirmation of the same.

"I like chocolate shots better," he declared and stood from the chair, slowly, shaking his head again as the first tinges of alcohol began to move through his system.

Smirk gone, Cam stared at the two of them amazed, his face in a state of confusion.

"You guys have done shots before?" he asked. "Together?"

Adrienne simply laughed.

"Yea, we played the Monty Python and the Holy Grail game. Indy actually made it through intermission! Well, sorta," she chuckled, peeking over at him. "Right after intermission, he passed out on my floor. I shoulda taken pictures," she added with another wink in his direction, motioning John over to go next since Cameron was talking.

The colonel didn't seem too thrilled by her response. At least, that is what it looked like to Daniel, disappointment in his face leading him to assume that his assistant and his good buddy hadn't played that particular game before.

Eat that Cam, Daniel said to himself and went to sit back on the sofa, watching as John was set up for his shot.

Why do I care? he questioned, forcing the thoughts aside to watch John's reaction to Adrienne's special drink.

They continued like this for a while and Daniel decided to take another shot, because it wasn't so bad after all. Cam, in an attempt to prove his drinking prowess, took more than Daniel could count. Adrienne shot a couple herself, but not many, as Cameron kept rushing to pour before anyone else could; not that anyone was racing him to it, but based on his behavior, you would have thought they were.

Alright, I'm not imagining things; this is really getting annoying, Daniel thought. But, he didn't try to step in to pour. He just sat back and let Cam run the show.

Laughing and talking in between shots, they partied well into the night, having a general good time, enjoying an evening of no work drama and no worries.

Eventually the food was gone, including Daniel's pizza run, and Adrienne had put the tequila away, a silent signal that it was time to shut down the party.

Teyla declined an invitation to stay, citing Cassie Frasier's inability to stay the night with Torrin, and bid the group a farewell, thanking Adrienne for her invitation.

Adrienne was glad they came; it was nice to have two other people on base who could be good friends of the opposite sex with nothing else between them than friendship. It made her feel like she and Daniel weren't so strange after all, despite what Vala kept insisting. Since the archaeological assistant's invitation to movie night, Vala spent nearly every moment of their time together asking Adrienne when she was gonna "make her move" since "Daniel didn't seem to mind you cuddling up to him."

It was annoying.

Why didn't anyone understand how happy she was to not only no longer be fighting with her boss, but how long it had been since she had someone to talk to about her work? In fact, other than a few professors that she had been close to and kept in touch with for personal reasons, she had never really had another person who understood what she did and what she loved until Daniel; not even her dad, who himself was a mathematician.

It was just nice to finally have that.

Turning from the door as she shut it behind the pair of Atlantis friends, Adrienne noted that Cam had already started to lay down on the sofa. So, naturally, she dashed down the hall and grabbed him some extra linens and tossed them onto his head. She figured she'd let him try to assemble the sofa, drunk, and let him fall on the floor a few times before she offered to help.

It'd serve him right for overdoing it tonight, even though he was quite funny, open and relaxed like this. He knew better than to drink that much.

Adrienne made her way to the kitchen and the mass of dishes that lay before her, and let Cam learn a lesson he should have probably learned in college. She barely noticed when Daniel entered, a bit tipsy himself, rubbing his face under his glasses.

"Ad, have you seen my cell phone?" he asked, his speech slightly slurred. Trying not to giggle at him, Adrienne reached up on top of her fridge, grabbing it and passing it over.

"Who ya callin?'" she inquired, reaching back to fill the dishwasher with plates.

"A cab," he replied, trying to figure out how to use the iPhone Adrienne had insisted that he get with a few tequila shots in him.

Damn thing was hard enough to operate sober.

Of course, the latest peer pressure he had succumbed to had to be from Adrienne; and it had to be to buy this damned impossible telephone that made no sense and wasn't intuitive in the least. At least, not as intuitive as Ancient or Asgard technology, which he vastly preferred to this nonsense. He heard her laugh and felt the gadget removed from his grasp.

"Thanks, I'm still trying to figure out how to use that thing," he said, as Adrienne set the phone back on the fridge. Daniel screwed up his face into a frown.

"Don't call a cab. That's a waste of money" she said. "Just stay."

Daniel cocked his head back at the entrance to the kitchen, shaking it in the negative.

Ooh, head shaking. Bad idea, he scolded himself.

"Cam's claimed my spot," he corrected. He winced in pain and wondered then if maybe Adrienne had something else in mind that he was unaware of, since she had offered for Teyla and John to stay as well. But, again she laughed as she shut off the water and reached for a dish towel.

"Don't be such a coo-yon. You can sleep with me," Adrienne replied, continuing to clean, as if it were the most normal thing in the world; to invite a male friend to bed with you.

Daniel, on the other hand, panicked.

"What?" he asked, making sure he heard correctly. But, his assistant's expression wasn't changing.

"Daniel, stop being insane. We're adults and we sit in either your bed or mine one base watching movies, until I usually fall asleep, so, I mean, I think we can handle it. You look like hell and I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor," she said with a shrug.

Ok, he thought, she did have a point.

"And I am not Vala," she added, "Trust me; you're not gonna wake up to me undressing you."

She wasn't wrong.

Daniel paused for a moment, not having any idea as to what the proper response would be.

In the bed?

With her?

He started to try to analyze the situation, but forced himself to stop. This was Adrienne, he told himself. There's nothing to analyze. She's just what she seems: nice and no games. She's not going to do anything, say anything, try anything, or do anything to make him feel uncomfortable - unless she was trying to play a trick on him. In which case, he really needed to be worrying more about his retaliation than about her trying to "jump" him.

Decision made, he looked back at her, just to check one last time.

"Are you sure?" he clarified, seeing that apparently she was since she was loading wine glasses into the sink, not one smirk or smile.

Not one flirtatious glance.

She was just focused on her task at hand, washing the dishes.

"Oh yeah, no big deal, I'm pretty wired still. So, you go crash. I'm gonna clean in here, decompress and then I'll worry about sleep when the urge hits me," she replied, peering over at him as she scrubbed, "Cam may harass you about it later, but he's so sloshed right now he's got no room to talk about anyone doing anything."

Frozen in her kitchen, trying to determine if it was the tequila making him actually consider doing this, he just stood there, staring at her.

Feeling his gaze on her, she laughed and pointed at the phone.

"Lawd shug, if it's going to bother ya that much, call a cab. I was just offerin'. But, at least have some tea while ya wait to get picked up if ya leave," she said simply and began to wash the shot glasses.

He stood there, thinking it over. So much for decision made…

He didn't want to look like an idiot or a prude for that matter. They had a good thing going here and he didn't want to set their friendship back, offending her when she clearly meant nothing by it.

Ok Daniel, he coached himself. Let's do this.

"No, it's not bothering me, I just didn't want to impose," he covered, walking forward to start helping her with the dishes.

Smiling softly, she glanced over at him and pushed his hand away.

"Seriously, for as loud as I am normally, when I have a night like this I need to decompress. Head to bed. I'll be there eventually," she replied. Her tone sent his insides into fits. She was so calm, so casual, as if they did this every night.

Accepting her answer, and trying to push away other stupid thoughts that were creeping up into his head, alcohol induced he was sure, what a crazy fantasy to be with Adrienne, that's just insane, Daniel just nodded and went to her room, wondering if he could actually go to sleep in there or just worry until he passed out.

He had seen her bedroom before. She'd given him the entire Dr. Adrienne Rowan apartment tour ages ago when they first started hanging out. But, its sheer tackiness never ceased to amaze him.

The entire room easily could have been the movie set of some Greek epic, from floor to ceiling. The walls were painted a deep red. Not quite blood red; more like royal burgundy, trimmed at the top by gold stenciled accents of the Greek key pattern. She had painted these herself one weekend. He remembered her looking up stencil patterns online in the lab, insisting that she had finished all of her work before beginning to virtually decorate her apartment.

Her furniture was all antique and it was obvious that she had taken much care in selecting pieces that looked like they would have come from a Roman Villa; off-white, carved with fluting, some even depicting mythology. In the far left corner was a large Grecian Red Amphora, which Adrienne used as an umbrella holder. And her dresser, positioned at the foot of her bed was carved with the birth of Aphrodite on the front of the drawers, which surprised Daniel considering her overall aversion to anything even remotely romantic.

Any free space left on the walls was decorated with various pieces of art each of which looked as if they could have very well been stolen from a dig site or at least the British Museum. Either way he hoped neither was true, though were she to take something from the British Museum she would only cite that she was continuing their unethical practices; a lecture he had heard cross her lips on more than one occasion.

And then there was her bed.

It was a dark canopy bed, made of wormwood giving it a feel of age that Daniel knew was not the case; she had ordered it just for this apartment. Fully curtained in sheer purple fabric, the color of Roman royalty, her bed was the centerpiece of the entire display, bold and imposing over the rest of the room.

Sighing, Daniel walked over to the side, pulling back the curtain to enter, not bothering to tie it into the gold tasseled cord that was at each corner. There, as he remembered, he saw her purple, burgundy and gold satin bedspread over what he knew was under there, deep purple satin sheets.

This was how she lived and how she slept and yet she made fun of Vala's over the top attitude?

At least, when it came to decorating, it was the pot calling the kettle black.

"How in the hell does she sleep in this?" Daniel said out loud as he kicked off his shoes and crawled into the bed, leaving his jeans on and trying to get comfortable without slipping onto the floor.

Adrienne shut down the kitchen and put the rest of the dishes away, not bothering to look over at the clock to see what time it was. She was finally tired and craving her bed. Walking out into the main area to lock up the apartment, she noticed Cameron sliding off of the sofa, mumbling in his sleep. She let out a sigh, sliding the deadbolt into place and walking over to the coach, pulling off the colonel's boots to shove him to the best of her ability back onto the furniture. He was heavy and complained when she moved him, so she just gave up, covering him with the blanket she had collected from her closet and took herself to bed.

It was pitch black in her room and Adrienne assumed that Daniel was already asleep. She was glad for it. He really looked wiped out tonight, and he was unusually quiet. So she hoped, between the drinks and having a real place to sleep, that he could get some rest.

Tiptoeing quietly to her dresser, Adrienne pulled out some pajama pants, changed into them, and tossed her old clothes into the hamper. Trying to stay quiet, she knew how horrible his sleeping habits were and she didn't want to wake him, she inched her way to her customary side of the queen sized bed, pulling back the curtain and crawling in.

Sitting right on something, hard, warm, alive.

Sitting right on Daniel, who was sleeping in her spot, startling her so badly that she cascaded right into the floor.

"Adrienne, what are you doing?" Daniel shouted out, jolted awake himself, his assistant on the floor laughing hysterically from not only exhaustion but the sheer ridiculousness of the entire situation.

"Jumpin' ya. I lied," she couldn't resist, barely choking out her answer as she kept laughing, her head between her knees.

"Just a tip then, sitting on a man's chest is not generally how women go about it," he mumbled, a smartass even half asleep, shuffling around in the bed. Her nightstand light clicked on and she saw that Daniel was sitting up, looking at her with that damn Daniel frown of his plastered across his face.

From the floor, Adrienne just continued her giggling, rolling her eyes at his expression.

"I usually sleep there, remember? Away from the door? I'm just tryin' to crash. Scoot ya tchew ova," Adrienne said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Daniel felt like an idiot. He should have remembered that odd habit in particular. He needed to ask her about it. Maybe. She never really seemed to want to talk about it…

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to throw you," he said instead, as Adrienne stood, scrambling into the covers.

"Yea, I'm fine. My stomach just hurts from laughin'," she said, fluffing her pillow before laying down.

"I'm glad I amuse you," he said, rolling back onto his back, Adrienne sucking in some more tears as she tried to contain another round of giggles. "That or you're covering for the jumping. In which case, your cover is as bad as your attempt."

"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Indy. Ya betta shut dat damn mouf of ya's before I make ya sleep where I fell, " she said, nary an accent cover, and started to toss to get comfortable.

Now he was laughing.

"Shutting up now," he muttered, reserving comment about her little ritual. She turned off the lamp, reaching behind herself once more to squeeze his bicep.

Comforted that this was going to be alright, that nothing was going to happen, he let himself fall back asleep.

Adrienne thought she heard ringing in the distance, but it stopped. So, she just scooted herself deeper under the covers and back toward the warmth behind her, pulling them tightly over her shoulders and feeling a squeeze at her waist. Eric was oddly warm tonight, but she was going to take advantage of that, let him hold her before he decided that he needed to get back to work...

More than anything Daniel hated to be awakened by the phone; especially when he was sleeping so well. He never got to sleep this well. He was comfortable, warm, relaxed. But, that stupid phone kept ringing.

He tried to ignore it, mushing his face into the pillow and scooting closer to the warm spot in the bed…

The ringing continued, most likely meaning that it was important.

Dammit.

"Hello?" Daniel answered groggily, having reached for the old style corded phone on the nightstand. It was further away than he had expected, one of his pillows having moved in front of his body.

Damn this was a big pillow…but comfortable.

He threw his leg over it, hoping the call was a wrong number so he could stay in this amazingly comfortable position.

Having no idea what time it was, but knowing he was exhausted, he cursed in his head. He wanted nothing more than to cuddle back down and go to sleep.

"Daniel?" Sam asked, surprised, on the other line.

Sam calling before the sun rose was never a good sign. But, he wasn't sure why she sounded so shocked.

"Yeah," he replied, still half asleep. He held onto the pillow for dear life, as though it could save him from whatever she was going to say.

He was exhausted. What in the hell had he been working on before bed?

He thought he heard Sam saying something in the background and a man laugh. It was Jack's laugh, and Daniel was getting seriously annoyed now. This had better not be some kind of joke.

"Where's Adrienne?" Sam continued. He could hear her laughing now, trying to contain herself.

What was going on?

Frustrated, he let his head come to rest on the pillow in front of him, the receiver still to his ear.

"I don't know. At her apartment," Daniel answered with an attitude in his voice. He was her friend, not her keeper. But, Sam seemed to completely disregard his tone, now laughing even harder. "Try calling her. THERE."

"Daniel," Sam continued, roaring into the phone. "Do you know where you are?"

"Eric, ya heavy. Get offa me..." a voice mumbled from underneath him, before he could reply. It was a familiar voice, his assistant's voice, coming from his head. She rolled over, pushing him off of where he had practically been laying on her, only to bury herself in his chest, her arm grasping his waist.

Dammit...

Of course it hadn't been a pillow.

Rolling his eyes, Daniel sat up quickly and slipped away from her still reaching grasp, left leg cascading off the side of the bed.

He was in Adrienne's bed.

And he remembered everything; the party, the shots, the invitation to this very spot...

Of course Sam had to call. And with Jack's goading, she was going to jump to some crazy conclusion.

He knew this was a mistake. He should have just called a cab. And how in the world had he gotten himself into a position where he was nearly on top of her?

This is gonna be fun to deal with.

"Hold on," was all he said, delaying the inevitable. He reached over, shoving Adrienne's shoulder as she slept on her side, still reaching out for him.

I don't have to tell her, he thought. She can just think that Sam called. That should be enough embarrassment…

Coming to, slowly, and rubbing her hand across her face, his assistant opened her eyes.

"Wha?" she questioned, sitting up and looking over at him. Her eyes were glazed.

"Phone," he answered, quickly removing himself from the uncomfortable situation. He immediately rushed from the bed, straight for the bathroom.

He knew this was a bad idea. Why did he agree to this?

Confused, Adrienne brought the phone to her ear. "Ello?"

"Addy, is there something you need to tell me?" Sam asked on the other line.

Adrienne sat up, rubbing her face in bewilderment, and glanced around the room for whatever might be wrong.

"I donna tink so. Wha time is it?" the Cajun inquired, noting the lack of light in the room and the darkness outside her window. She remembered that she had left her cell phone in the kitchen, on top of the fridge beside Daniel's.

"It's 4am. Why is Daniel answering your phone and in your bed?" Sam answered, beginning her interrogation without missing a beat.

Adrienne finally registered what had happened, and how this might look. Her stomach sank.

This was worse than falling asleep on his arm at movie night.

Way worse.

She needed to think fast.

"Because, Cam stole the sofa," she replied matter-of-factly, hoping her words and tone would convey the message.

It must have. Sam stopped laughing and cleared her throat.

"Oh," she responded, remembering their lunch conversation by the sound of it. "You had a party! That's right! Did everyone stay over?"

"Just a little one. John and Teyla left about midnight. She didn't wanna leave Torrin. And Cam was knocked out at twelve thirty. Daniel shortly after," she was starting to stammer, her head repeating: I told Daniel he could sleep with me. What was I thinking? "He looked like he didn't feel well, so I didn't want him to sleep on the floor or head home alone, just in case. So, I sent him here. Then I cleaned up a bit and was in bed by one or so," Adrienne explained, hoping it was enough. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

Poor Daniel, she thought to herself. I need to go find him and make sure he's alright.

"How drunk is Cam?" was Sam's next question, giving Adrienne the excuse she needed to check on her probably mortified friend.

Covering the receiver of the phone with her palm, she shouted out into the open room.

"Indy! Can I get a status report on Mitchell?!"

She heard him mutter something from across the way and saw her bedroom door open, his silhouette leaving.

At least he didn't retreat from the room. But, it looked as if he had gone to the bathroom.

Adrienne hoped he hadn't gone there to hide.

There was a glimmer of light as his figure re-entered the room, the shadow of his hand passing through his hair.

"Passed out. But, he did respond slightly to my kicking him," Daniel answered. He came back over to the bed and turned on the nightstand light. Adrienne pointed beside herself and he sat down, much to her relief. She figured the damage had been done.

"We can move him if we have to, but he shouldn't operate any machinery. Is everything alright?" Adrienne asked, leaning her head over onto Daniel's shoulder, trying to gauge his current state. He let out a sigh and didn't shrug away, so Adrienne figured they were alright. She reached over to slip her free hand into his, squeezing it lightly.

"The baby's coming. Teal'c wants everyone to gate to Chulac to be there for the birthing ceremony. I was going down my contact list and, fortunately, your little party is going to save me some phone calls. Can you get them moving and get down here?" Sam explained. Adrienne, in her half-asleep state, nodded as if the general was right there.

"Yeah. Give us a bit, but we can."

"TELL DANIEL TO MAKE SURE TO PUT UNDERWEAR BACK ON!" Jack was yelling in the background. Sam scolded him as Daniel's head dropped into his hands.

"Sure Sam. We're moving," Adrienne muttered with a sigh. She sat up and leaned across Daniel to hang up the phone, peeking up at him.

"What now?" he asked, trying to push out of his head the expression he knew was on Jack's face as he had shouted through the phone line. "It's the middle of the night. Do I even wanna know?"

"We're being summoned to Chulac. Teal'c's gonna be a grandpa," Adrienne answered. It was forced cheer, as while she was indeed happy for Teal'c, she was also completely exhausted.

Nodding, Daniel stood. If there was one thing that would get him out of bed when he was this tired, it was a celebration of life for his dear friend. Well, that and to wake up cuddling one of his friends in his arms. He was still trying to deal with that internally as he stood.

Why did I do that?

I haven't...I mean...in a...what's going on with me?

He was heading back out to attempt to reason with a most likely still inebriated Cam when he felt a hand at his wrist.

"Indy, you ok?" he turned to see Adrienne sitting on her bed, those deep eyes of hers twinkling in the dim light of the lamp. It had taken him a while to see through the jokes and sarcasm, but he was starting to read her face. She was thinking exactly what he had been thinking; that this might have been a bad idea.

"I'm fine. We're adults. Let them think what they want," he lied deftly, knowing full well that he would have to play damage control later. But, his words had the intended effect, the worry leaving her face and softening her stare.

"I, uh...was, uh...dreaming about Eric, wasn't I?" she asked now, stammering. Daniel's cheeks flushed.

Might as well tell her…

"Yeah. And, well... I'm sorry that I, was, well, it was accidental. I wasn't...I just…" he tried to sputter out. He could tell by the look in her dark brown eyes that she knew exactly what had happened; exactly how close and how intimate they had been lying together.

"We both were. S'ok. We were just wiped. No harm done," she assured him. Her fingers slid into his palm, squeezing his hand.

"Can you get Cameron? We can take his truck. I'll find his keys," Daniel replied, pulling away from her grasp. He trudged sleepily to the door, a part of him guilty for wanting to get back into bed, just as he was before the phone call…

It took both Daniel and Adrienne to get the colonel moving and out of the door. He was whining, still very asleep, and still very "sauced" as Adrienne so delicately put it. Tossing him in the passenger side quickly, they slammed the door shut, just in time for him to slump himself over to the side. There was no way they could take their friend in this state walking into the SGC; not that he could really walk anyway. So, Adrienne convinced Daniel to stop at 7-11 to get some energy drinks in an attempt to revive him fully.

Sitting in between her two friends, Adrienne rode backwards, trying to coax Cam into taking the energy shot and then sipping some tea. He wasn't very cooperative; much to her extreme annoyance Daniel could tell. She grabbed the shoulders of his t-shirt and slammed him back into an upright position.

"Cameron Mitchell, ya listen ta me! Teal'c needs us. Ya FRIEND! Naw, sit ya stupid redneck ass up. Chug this right now, before I force it down ya gullet!" she shouted at him; her southern accent so thick on the word "gullet" that Daniel had to contain his laughter.

Cam opened his eyes, finally, and jerked the shot from her hand. He chugged it and tossed the bottle aside before laying his head back against the glass and grumbling back at her.

Satisfied, but still relatively angry, Adrienne huffed loudly as she slammed herself into her seat beside him.

"I hate when adults act like children," she spat, frowning and staring ahead.

Refraining from pointing out a few of the more ironic elements of that statement, Daniel hid his laughter by clearing his throat, focusing on the road ahead.

When they arrived, Sam and Jack were waiting for them at the gate, impatiently Daniel could tell on Jack's part. But, there was really only so fast they could get Cam moving, without causing him to vomit all over the SGC floor; which he had begun threatening he would do the moment Daniel pulled the truck into a space. Adrienne pulled him along and sat him down in a fold-out chair while Walter dialed. She stepped over to talk to Sam as Jack walked right over to Daniel, leaning in close to his ear.

"I'm proud of you. You're learning," he said, elbowing his friend in the side. "Just keep it quiet. Things like that aren't supposed to be going on."

Daniel shook his head.

"See, this is why I should've called a cab. Nothing happened. She was doing dishes when I went to sleep. While Cameron was...inebriated. On the sofa. I went to SLEEP," he retorted, annoyed.

Of course Jack would turn this into something it wasn't. Daniel would expect nothing less.

"And this, my friend, is why you shall remain alone until the day you die," Jack replied, joking Daniel knew, patting him on the arm and gazing out toward the event horizon.

Not feeling up to an argument at a few minutes past five in the morning, Daniel shook his head, his thoughts were now back on waking up with his arm wrapped around his assistant. He wasn't normally a cuddler.

Usually it was the other way around.

Or not at all because it was stupid and inappropriate and she was his assistant...

What in the hell was going on with him...

Trying to push the thoughts aside, Daniel returned to Adrienne's side, aiding her in hoisting the now less belligerent Cameron through the glittering pool.

"The time is near," was the first thing Daniel heard before he could look up, Teal'c's loud voice resonating all around them.

"Come, come," he urged, ushering his friends down the ramp and to the direction of the city, lit by candle lamps and other simplicities that one would not expect given their understanding of Goa'uld technology. When Daniel was finally able to look up, shoving Cam's arm further down his shoulder, he noted Teal'c was dressed in robes like he had never seen before, a deep blood red trimmed in gold and silver, with long flowing sleeves and a large hood. The Jaffa himself looked very tired, as if he hadn't slept in a few days, and Daniel could only assume that the birthing process was a long and involved one that he had to remain awake to attend.

As he walked away, Daniel could see dirt stains all over the robe, possibly because his old friend had been kneeling or practicing some other form of meditation. Daniel was about to ask when Cam shoved himself away, bending over, heaving onto the ground. Sighing out, annoyed, the archaeologist leaned over to help, when he felt a tug at his arm. He turned to see Adrienne pulling him aside.

"Let him get it out first. He's one of those 'leave me alone' drunks. I can tell," she grumbled, darting a glare in Cameron's direction, before continuing, "So, what exactly happen here? Of everything I've read, there's no mention of Jaffa birthing rituals; only comin' of age ceremonies," she whispered, continuing to ignore Cam's coughs and sputters.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I know that, during the war with the Goa'uld, there was a dramatic decrease in births, as is to be expected. So, I've never really had an opportunity to experience a birthing ceremony," he answered, a quick shrug in conclusion. Clearly disappointed, Adrienne just nodded and kept walking. Her mind was in its typical overdrive, despite the hour.

Honestly, that woman's brain never seemed to quit.

Teal'c had been gone from base for days, the Cajun was calculating as she walked away from her friends; ever since Bra'tac had sent word that Kar'yn had gone into labor.

Days, at least two if not three, and the baby was just now coming.

Yet another reason to not have children, Adrienne thought, running any recollections she had of Jaffa birthing ceremonies through her head.

"T?" Jack asked as they walked on, ahead of everyone but his wife, who was trailing along quietly. "Is this gonna be ass nasty? I don't do...well...I didn't even watch my own kid being born."

"It is no more than watching a man die," Teal'c replied coolly. "I know you have watched a man die, O'Neill."

"Yeah. But, uh...never mind buddy. Walk on," Jack muttered, still concerned. Sam reached over and clasped his hand, squeezing it lightly.

Walking beside Adrienne, who had her iPod out - how in the world she remembered to bring that thing and what she had on it he would never know - Daniel looked up at his friends, happy every time he saw them together. Suddenly, he remembered Cam, who was walking along, in silence, staggering slightly as the energy drinks began to kick in slowly, falling further and further behind.

"Can you check on him?" Daniel slowed, cocking his thumb back in the direction of Cam, trotting along behind them.

"You check on 'im, Indy," she answered, having had enough of dealing with him on the ride to base. Not ready to volunteer himself, Daniel fished in his pocket, forcing a smile.

"Flip a coin?" he offered, hoping that he wouldn't be stuck with the task; especially if Cam was going to be bent over and puking every few feet like he had been so far.

Let Adrienne deal with her hungover secret admirer. Give her a real taste of Cameron, he thought, pausing.

What is wrong with me?

"Only if I can see it first. I don't trust ya. I know ya too well," she smiled, breaking his thoughts, thankfully. Daniel reached in his pocket and pulled out a quarter, turning it between his fingers at her request, even though she was just teasing him, making sure to do it slowly and dramatically.

Adrienne rolled her eyes.

"Heads or Tails?" he asked.

"Tails," she responded. She had a feeling how this was gonna go anyway.

Daniel flipped the quarter into the air, caught it in one hand, and flipped it onto the back of the other. Adrienne held her breath for a second, not wanting to deal with Cameron in this state - not wanting to deal with anyone in this state - as Daniel slowly moved his palm away.

"Heads," he said, smiling brightly. "Have fun, Ad."

Laughing, he jogged ahead to catch up to Sam and Jack.

"Bon rien," she muttered, knowing that was exactly what was gonna happen. She was already plotting her revenge as she walked back to Cam.

"Hey handsome. How ya feelin'?" she asked sweetly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He still smelled like tequila, and it was making her slightly ill. She held it together for his sake, willing herself into caretaker mode.

"Awful. What in the hell did you do to me?" he asked, heaving again but able to calm it with a breath.

Laughing, his running buddy brought him upright, supporting his back with her palm.

"I thought ya went to college, Colonel Mitchell," Adrienne played. But, he didn't seem too playful right now, glaring up at her with a grimace on his face.

"In college we drank beer. Like normal folks," he retorted as Adrienne patted him on the back.

"Sure… Come on," she redirected. She fully planned on teasing him about this later. "Let's go see what insanity Teal'c has in store for us."

It was indeed insanity.

They heard Kar'yn screaming before the town came into sight and at her scream, Teal'c threw his arms up and began to chant something in Goa'uld, turning to face the group and rouse them to do the same. Confused, Cam looked over at Adrienne, knowing he was supposed to say something but not exactly sure what.

"It's fast, but I'll try. Remember, I'm still learnin'," she said. She began to translate, since she knew Cam would want to know first what he was saying before he said it.

"Bring it to the light, to the light of our world. Gods bless this child and bring it to the light of our world," Adrienne translated, attempting to calm her accent as much as possible. She was concentrating hard on what Teal'c was saying, his words spilling out in a rapid stream of an ancient alien language. "Sandworm'', as Jack liked to call it, was not something Adrienne knew very well other than the journals that Daniel had given her.

"He's goin' pretty fast, but I think that's the jist of it. Sounds like an invitation to come to us; to be born or something," Adrienne explained. Cameron smiled, reaching for her shoulder.

"Girl, you never cease to amaze me," he muttered through the pain of a headache. Adrienne blushed at his compliment, turning away so he couldn't see. Before she could reply, they heard loud shouting ahead; shouting of the General Jack O'Neill sort.

"You two better get your asses moving! Kar'yn's gonna pop this kid out!" Jack was standing outside of a doorway, yelling. Daniel and Sam were nowhere in sight, so Adrienne assumed that they were already inside when she heard Kar'yn scream again. Squeezing Cameron's arm, the archaeologist led him gently into the house. Her heart was racing, as if she was entering some sort of Halloween attraction. The shrieks of pain coming from the poor woman in the throes of labor sent chills down her spine. Jack bobbed and weaved as he led them through the beautiful house, laid out as a labyrinth of rooms and passageways, into a back ceremonial chamber.

The room itself was dim, lit only by large candles set up all around on chairs, tables, shelves, even some along the floor, which made it hard to make out the etchings and paintings on the walls, but to Adrienne they looked like paintings of landscapes and foliage native to the planet. There was a thin pad in the middle of the room, where in an even thinner linen robe which left little to the imagination, was Kar'yn, Ry'ac's very pregnant, very labored wife. In a flash of shame, Adrienne felt bad for the poor woman's dignity but assumed it was just part of the ritual, reminding herself that the Jaffa were anything but modest.

The expectant father himself was leaning precariously on his knees with Kar'yn laying against him, chanting the same chant Teal'c had been reciting outside while Ishta knelt at Kar'yn's feet, obviously there to deliver the baby. Crouching beside her was Sam, trying to help, rubbing Kar'yn's leg gently and whispering soothing things in her direction.

Sensing that this may be a little too much for her hung-over friend, Adrienne led Cameron over to the wall, propping him up against it carefully before hurrying over to Daniel's side.

"Is everything goin' ok?" she asked but before Daniel could answer her Ishta was shouting in her direction.

"AdrienneRowan, come. We are in need of your assistance," the Jaffa woman ordered, not making eye contact with Adrienne, or any of the men she was standing with for that matter, her gaze locked on Kar'yn's convulsing abdomen.

Uncertain as to why she was being called, Adrienne looked back to Daniel confused and worried.

"It appears that all of the women participate in the delivery and we chant. Are you alright with this?" Daniel asked, whispering the last question, making sure Adrienne was up to the challenge. She nodded in agreement, her face taking on the stoic quality it did when there was a task to be accomplished.

"No, that's fine, it's only blood, right?" Adrienne looked back at Sam, rocking and soothing the poor young woman. She seemed to know what she was doing; for someone whom, according to Daniel, had yet to experience a Jaffa birth herself.

She hadn't lied to Daniel; Adrienne was used to gross things. After dealing with her father for years, this was nothing.

She just hadn't expected that at 5:30 in the morning, after tequila shots, she would be helping deliver a baby, in a candlelit room, with an audience and zero medical equipment.

It looked as though Daniel was reading her mind, scanning the room himself for something more sanitary than a mat and some bare hands, but she knew there was nothing. Accepting the situation for what it was, Adrienne touched him lightly on the shoulder in an effort to assure him and walked over to the women, where Ishta, finally making eye contact with the normally feisty cajun woman, pointed to their patient and immediately began to bark orders.

"I am pulling. You and SamanthaONeill will need to allow her to push her feet against you," she commanded with authority.

Orders understood, Adrienne knelt at Kar'yn's right foot, taking it into her hands and resting it against her thigh. There was another contraction, the poor woman's body convulsing, and Kar'yn let out a scream, pushing forcefully against Sam and Adrienne while Ishta was reaching between her legs, searching for any sign of the baby.

Surprised by the small woman's strength, Adrienne tried to brace herself a bit better; Kar'yn was pushing much harder than expected. She could hear the men chanting as she held on, Daniel's voice almost as loud as Teal'c's. Remarkably, it had an almost soothing effect on her, making her question whether it really was a prayer to whatever gods that they may still believe in or whether it was just designed to calm the mother, or perhaps even the crowd. In an instant, almost as quickly as it started, Kar'yn relaxed and the contraction was over and eerily calm, Ishta peered over at Sam, not removing her hands from under the folds on thin linen.

"It is soon. I feel the child," she stated.

Taking a break herself, the beautiful Jaffa woman slung her long blond hair over her shoulder and signaled that both Adrienne and Sam could rest, for the time being. Sam resumed rubbing Kar'yn's leg lightly while Adrienne sat back on her heels. Looking up to see what Daniel was doing now, her mind racing with about a thousand anthropological discussions she wanted to have with him about this very ritual, the Cajun noticed that the men had taken a seated position, one in which they appeared to be preparing to Kelnareen.

Jack, in particular, looked rather uncomfortable.

Before Adrienne could make eye contact with Daniel, both to check on him and let him know she was alright, Kar'yn shouted out again, her screams ratcheting through Adrienne's skull. Squinting to force away the piercing sound, Adrienne got to her knees as Sam was doing the same, to brace themselves as Kar'yn began pushing once more. Ishta reached out and then threw her head back, wailing like a mad woman.

"The head comes!" she shouted, more like a war cry than an announcement of birth, and her cries were soon drowned out as Teal'c and Ry'ac both began to chant more furiously, Daniel joining them once he was able to match the rhythm of their song. Glancing over at one another in a complete state of confusion, Jack and Cam were trying to figure out what to do but that didn't seem to matter, the baby was coming, and it was coming right now. A severity in her glance, Ishta focused her attention on Kar'yn, glaring at the young Jaffa, who was screaming and sweating, holding onto to Ry'ac for dear life.

"Push Kar'yn," she ordered, the young woman pursing her lips in pain. Nodding, Kar'yn grunted and threw back her head, shrieking and pushing, her shouts so loud one could almost feel the walls shaking all around them. There was power in not only her screams, but in her petite frame as well. Sam and Adrienne were forced to near-standing to provide a counter to Kar'yn's pushing, during which Teal'c and company continued chanting.

The mood in the room changed, Ishta screaming, swearing in Goa'uld, and Adrienne could tell something was wrong as the warrior woman stopped her chanting and called for Teal'c to come and assist her in the delivery, at least that was what Adrienne gathered to the best of her translation ability. Rising, but continuing to chant, Teal'c grabbed Cam from the wall to accompany him, pushing Sam out of the way and motioning for Cameron to take Adrienne's place at Kar'yn's left foot. Without questioning, the archaeologist scooted over, trying to get out of the way, but felt herself being pulled back in the direction of the birth as Ishta was dragging Adrienne to her side.

"The child is great, my friends, I need assistance," Ishta stated, calmer than before, though her eyes conveyed some fear that no amount of training could hide. Sam and Adrienne looked at one other, understanding that Ishta needed help pulling the child through and they were going to be the ones expected to do it. Together they reached underneath the fabric and in between the legs of the weak and whimpering woman, feeling for the infant. Surprisingly, Sam pulled her hands back as soon as she came in contact with flesh, having discovered her limit in this but Adrienne had dealt with far worse in cancer ward after cancer ward with her father.

This was life, while Adrienne was used to death, and despite the blood and gore she felt oozing around her fingers, she welcomed the sensation of helping to bring good into the world.

Ishta smiled in approval, seeing that Adrienne was up to the task, and reached inside the smaller woman's body the best she could, ordering Kar'yn to push once more. More screaming, grunting and pressure, the Jaffa was pushing the best that she could when she felt it, warm, wet skin in her palms, a shoulder, a tiny armpit…

…and life.

"Push!" Adrienne shouted, excited, her screams echoing over the rest of the room, getting lost in the moment and pulling the baby frantically toward her. There was more yelling, Ishta, ordering in Goa'uld that Kar'yn push and Adrienne felt pressure, a shift in the child as she pulled and suddenly, there was nothing pushing against her, she was free, falling backward, the child slipping from her grasp. Shoved aside, Adrienne fell onto her butt, crab-walking out of the way as the blonde Jaffa woman reached out, taking the baby fully into her hands. Ry'ac was suddenly behind her, a huge knife in hand, reaching for the cord, his chanting different this time and his face that of a proud papa.

Relief washed over her.

It was done.

As Adrienne went to stand, her feet flew out from under her, sending her cascading into another pile of warmth; which, upon investigation, wasn't afterbirth, or another maternal fluid. It was vomit. Quickly examining herself, she saw that her jeans were covered in blood and amniotic fluid, as were her hands. And the puke, which she quickly ascertained had come from Cameron, who she could see throwing up in the corner, was on the seat of her pants and the bottom of her shirt. She wanted to scream, thoroughly disgusted by the entire scene, when she felt hands under her arms and with a quick glance saw that Daniel and Jack were pulling her upright.

"Come on Dr. Perky," Jack said, "Outta the way."

Once she was on her feet, he relinquished her to Daniel and went to check on his wife, who had somehow managed to avoid the majority of the gore. Adrienne looked back over just in time to see Ishta delivering the afterbirth, and that was it. It was too much. She had reached her limit.

Trying not to be ill herself, she peered over at Daniel, her eyes pleading for reprieve.

"We are officially at the point where I'm not ok. So, can ya tell me where the bathroom is?" she pleaded. Daniel nodded quickly in agreement.

"No problem. Let's get you cleaned up," he replied sweetly, taking her by the arm and leading her from the room.

Happy to be out of the room and the scene unfolding, previous birthing experience or not, Daniel weaved through the maze-like pattern of interconnected rooms and slight hallways, not relinquishing her arm for a second. The house was once Teal'c's when he was first prime and Daniel had been here many times since, so he knew he would find the bathing area at the back of the domicile.

"You alright?" he asked once they were out of sight and sound of anyone else. His assistant shrugged.

"Yeah," she muttered, going to stuff hands into her pockets, only to quickly change her mind on that little gesture. "I really wanna get cleaned up. But, that was cool."

"Falling in Cam's vomit?" he joked, then indicated she turn to her right.

"No, ya cooyon," she shoved him, eyes rolling. "Delivering the baby. I kinda delivered that baby."

"No kinda," he corrected,"You DID deliver the baby. I don't think Robin ever did that…"

"Nope. Not that I recall," she beamed with pride. "But, Worf did."

"Who's Worf?" Daniel asked, confused, as he stepped ahead of her, opening the door.

"Star Trek, Next Gen," she sighed out, "Never seen that either?"

"Not that I paid attention to…" he laughed, splaying his hands for her to enter ahead of him.

The bathroom was very similar to an ancient Egyptian bath; a large pool with fountains in the center. The sides of the room were flanked with golden tables, home to various perfumes, soaps and make-up, a spread so lavish Adrienne thought she was in a burial chamber or a temple to the gods. Over to one side there was a spigot which Adrienne hoped functioned like a shower, which considering the rest of Goa'uld technology, one would think they could at least create a shower-like bathing system. Unsure, she looked back at Daniel for help, since he was still standing there for some reason, presumably to offer assistance.

"Does this work like I think it does?" she asked, worried but hopeful.

"Yeah," he said, getting down on his knees and leaning over the tub, turning a very ornate knob, sitting back on his heels. Much to her relief, water came shooting out all around it, turning the pool into a shower bath combination of cycling water rather than a stagnant pool, warm she could tell with a touch, inviting her aching and filthy body to relax and enter.

Which brought her to her next problem.

"Thanks. Uh...can ya find me some clothes Indy, please?" she asked. He nodded, glad that she didn't ask him to help remove the disgusting articles from her body. The smell was just awful and he couldn't imagine having to help her peel them off of her skin.

The thought made his skin crawl, and made him slightly nervous all at the same time.

"Sure. I saw the room that Teal'c uses when he stays on Chulac. He's bound to have something Earth-like in there. T-shirt and drawstring shorts if I can find them?" he asked, starting for the door and to his escape, planning on locking it behind him to give her privacy.

She nodded appreciatively.

"You're my hero," she joked, turning her back to begin peeling off the very disgusting jeans that she was wearing. As he stepped through the doorway, Daniel heard a zip from behind and then the wet suction of moist denim from skin, making his stomach turn.

It's too damn early in the morning for this, he thought, pulling the door closed behind him.

Jack caught Daniel in Teal'c's room as he dug through a large trunk of assorted garments, tossing robes and shirts behind him. Glad to have finally found his old friend, the general walked right up behind him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"There you are. I've been hunting around this damn maze looking for you; well, you and your shadow. It's a girl by the way. Not sure if Dr. Perky caught that before she went ass first into Cam's dinner," Jack said, Daniel didn't bother to look back as he dug deeper into the trunk.

"That's great. Have they picked a name yet?" Daniel asked, finally finding an SG t-shirt, albeit too large for Adrienne, amidst the Jaffa robes.

Maybe, she can do something with this, he thought, pulling it out and tossing it aside.

"No. Apparently the kid goes without a name for three months or some damn nonsense, and then he's going to drag us all back here for some more chanting," Jack answered, pausing to watch Daniel root around in Tealc's things. "And what are you doing anyway?"

The archaeologist didn't stop his search. He did, however, cock his head slightly to answer his friend, somewhat acknowledging his rudely stated question.

"I'm trying to find Adrienne some clothes. She's bathing now to get off everything she managed to get on herself in the past few hours," Daniel answered matter of factly, as if getting his assistant clean clothes was a normal occurrence.

Smiling slyly, Jack knelt down beside him, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they were alone.

"And you're gonna invite yourself into that tub, aren't you? Everyone's occupied…" Jack whispered.

Daniel glared at him. He knew he should have expected the comment, given the circumstances, and rolled his eyes.

"Give it up, Jack. She's my assistant and we're just friends," Daniel replied. He had finally decided on a large purple wrap that Adrienne could probably fold into some kind of skirt. He tossed it over his shoulder and stood, closing the trunk.

Shaking his head, Jack stood as well.

"Come on, Daniel. Really? You can't be telling me that you haven't thought of it. For crying out loud, you're with her almost every damn second of the day. You aren't trying to figure what it would take? Honestly?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

Pushing past, Daniel walked over to where he had thrown the t-shirt over onto the bed, adding that to the wrap and making his way for the door, stopping only to answer Jack.

"Jack, to repeat, she's my assistant, and my friend. That's as far as it goes. That's as far as it will go. Now, I need to get these to get back to her before she starts wandering around here and gets herself lost," Daniel explained, turning for the door.

"Uh huh. And that's why we're getting clean clothes for her and drawing her a bath. After waking up in the bed with her. You keep telling yourself that Daniel. Let's see how this all plays out," Jack taunted and left the room, on his way to the excitement down the hall.

Rolling his eyes and trying to push away the image from just a few hours ago, Adrienne nestled so very close to him, Daniel found his way back to the bathroom, knocking lightly on the door when he arrived.

"It's open," he heard her voice from the other side, reaching for the knob to find it was indeed unlocked. He pushed the door open, entering the bathroom, and there she was, tightly wrapped in a towel of sorts, sitting patiently waiting for him on a large stone bench. She looked much better, color back in her face and was smiling again, the look he was used to.

"Huge t-shirt and some kind of wrap. Best I could do," he stepped forward, handing his find over to her, apologizing. Taking them, she held each piece out, determining what would work, cocking her head over to a pile on the floor.

"Thanks. I think I'm gonna burn those," she indicated, making a disgusted face of her own. Daniel laughed but didn't volunteer to pick them up; she could burn those all by herself.

She scrunched up her face again, playfully this time, standing to get dressed, reaching to undo the towel.

Oh dear lord she's…

Panicking, he started to leave but she motioned for him to stop, shaking her head at the misunderstanding.

"Sorry Indy, I wasn't thinking. Just turn around, please, don't leave. It took so many turns to get here, I'm not sure if I can find my way back," she said, pausing the removal of her towel, forgetting herself for a moment.

Friend or not, Addy, you need to remember he's male, she scolded herself for acting before thinking.

And you woke up in his arms this morning.

Which looking back was more comforting than awkward…

Focus Addy, focus.

"Yeah, it's a lot like a maze... almost as if they took a three story house and just crammed it all into one floor," Daniel replied, relieved that was the only reason she wanted him to stay and turned around as she requested.

Clear from his line of sight, Adrienne tossed the towel onto the bench, starting with the t-shirt, which, as expected fit her like a dress, a dress much too short, which considering that she almost sent Daniel into the stratosphere a moment ago, she didn't think that would be a wise selection. She took it off and tossed it aside for the time being, hoping to make a sarong type dress out of the large piece of fabric he had brought her as well. Kneeling onto the cold tile, she began to fold.

"Is it so big because he was first prime?" she asked, curious as to how he had obtained such a large home and hoping to take Daniel's clearly anxious mind off of what was happening behind him. It worked, he stopped shoving his hands nervously into his pockets to shrug slightly before answering.

"I believe so. Actually, no, I'm certain that when I met his ex-wife she said just that," Daniel answered.

"So, she's not dead?" Adrienne inquired further, finding the shape she wanted and folding furiously.

"No, she is. They were no longer together by the time I met her. It still upset him though," Daniel answered, not wanting to give up too much of Teal'c's personal information; it was one thing to spill his own guts to Adrienne, something he seemed to do now on about a daily basis, but it was quite another to spill someone else's.

"I'm good," he heard her say and turned back around hoping she really was and there Adrienne stood, wearing the large purple wrap as a dress, wrapped once around her middle and tied behind her neck.

Her hair was still wet and she had no make-up on, but she was still absolutely lovely.

Stop it, he told himself. What in the hell is wrong with you?

"Sorry to ask. That was probably nosy," she continued, sensing his tone. "Teal'c's a great guy, but he keeps a lot to himself. Like someone else I know..." She added the last part looking at Daniel. She leaned down to collect the t-shirt, handing it back to him and walking over to the pile of mess, kneeling to carefully wrap her dirty clothes into the cleaner parts.

"You can't say that anymore. I tell you everything," he protested a bit, until his own words finally sunk in.

He did tell her everything; or nearly everything, especially since that night in that tent, which now, seemed so long ago.

Just a few days ago, he'd given her nearly an entire run-down of his graduate school experience. The two compared notes on who had the worst time with fellow school-mates or at dig sites.

She'd given him the win; Egypt was far hotter and much more dangerous than Crete.

Thing was, though, she was right. In fact, she was the only person he had really talked to in years. She'd proven herself trustworthy and he felt better talking to her. Still, there were just some things that, good friend or not, were none of her business. Or anyone else's.

And then there were some things that he never wanted to speak of again.

Those things he just pushed aside, forcing his gaze back at his assistant.

"Uh huh. We'll see how it goes down next time we play 20Q. Now shug, can you show me to the burn pile, please," she teased, lifting the wad of clothing closer to his nose. The odor of bodily fluids hit him like a slap in the face. He reached to cover his nose, turning his head upward, and pushing the pile away. In an effort to avoid helping her any longer, at least in dealing with that lovely mess of fabric, he had started to walk away when Adrienne grabbed his arm.

"Daniel, listen, we're pretty good friends now, right?" she asked, her expression serious, her beautiful dark eyes full of worry. They really were; they really had gotten close lately, closer than he ever thought was possible, not only with her, but with anyone for that matter.

Close enough where he really wasn't upset about this morning, in the least.

"Yeah, of course we are, I just said I tell you everything," he tried to joke, reading the concern in her face, "What's wrong?"

"I just need ya to promise me something," she took a breath before continuing, "If we're still friends when, or if, dear God if, I ever marry someone and decide to have a kid, and again this is a huge if, please, please, please make sure it's nothin' like that. No matter who I marry, even if I fall in love with some god damn space prince, ok? The birth of my child should be a private thing between my husband and I, not a chantin' gore fest with our entire friend circle. Promise me?" she inquired sincerely, but Daniel was already laughing about halfway through her speech. Frustrated that her request had not been taken seriously, Adrienne made a face at him.

"What's so funny?" she hissed, not thinking her concerns were something to be laughed at but Daniel just laughed harder, bringing his hand to his face.

"You," he choked out in between gasps for air, "you as someone's wife, or," he breathed in again, "better yet, a parent."

Saying it out loud made him laugh even harder.

"I hate you Daniel Anthony," she spat and stormed out of the room, her boss and dear friend following close behind her, still laughing.

When they got back to the ceremonial room Sam was outside, waiting for them, her finger to her lips indicating they stay quiet.

"She's asleep and Teal'c and Ishta are preparing some other ceremony for Ry'ac, her and the baby. Jack says we can go home," she said, looking at the clothes in Adrienne's hand, reaching out and taking them without question.

"I'll have these washed on base as soon as we get back. Your jeans cost too much to trash them," Sam said smiling, remembering the shopping trips Adrienne had made with her and Vala.

Thankful, the Cajun nodded and let go of the clothes reluctantly, feeling bad with someone as high ranking as Sam taking her dirty laundry, but maybe that was part of being a member of the team, and belonging.

Together, in the direction of the rising sun and the Stargate in the distance, they started the walk back.

"Is the baby healthy?" Daniel asked Sam once they were out of the earshot of the house, not wanting to cause anyone any undue alarm.

"Yea, according to Ishta, but I think I'm going to send Carolyn over just to check, just in case. It's a new era for the Jaffa, one in which their parents don't carry symbiotes. We'll need to keep an eye on her," Sam said as she continued her stride.

Adrienne was quiet for a bit, not knowing enough about childbirth or new babies, until she had an idea, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.

"Sam, ya wearing your watch?" she asked, her eyes widening in excitement.

"Of course, it's 9 am our time, why?" she answered but Adrienne just smiled, breaking out into a mad dash for the gate.

"Ad, where are you going?" Daniel yelled after her, puzzled by her sprint.

"To the mall!" she shouted behind, racing ahead to the DHD.

Teal'c returned home three days later, just as he had assured Jack, calling his friend down to his quarters to explain his role in the naming ceremony. Daniel couldn't wait to hear what that entailed, nor could he wait to accompany Jack to film the entire ordeal, the free Jaffa and their rituals never ceased to amaze him. Looking up from his computer, he saw Adrienne out of the corner of his eye, standing on the center table, hanging a large banner across the center of the room.

"Ad this isn't low key," Daniel said, earning him a scowl and some muttered Cajun swears.

"Yes it is. I changed it from the mess didn't I? And besides, aren't ya the one telling me all of the time that Teal'c and Vala and Dex like these little earth experiences. Well, a baby shower is an earth experience," Adrienne retorted as she pinned the corner to the ceiling tile, cutting her eyes down at him a second time.

"I thought baby showers were for the mother?" Daniel asked rhetorically, knowing her answer already, standing and walking over to the small white plastic card table Adrienne had brought from her apartment, decorated with a rather large spread of food. Sensing his motion, she shot him a glance just as his hand reached out for the plate of cookies, cookies he knew she bought from the amazing bakery down the street from her place.

"Touch those and die," she said and without a beat defended her party, "and one Kar'yn cannot leave because of THEIR traditions and two, ya didn't grow up in New Orlins; we do things a bit different there, ya know?"

Daniel smiled, mostly at her pronunciation of New Orleans, but also at her insistence for normalcy. Over the years they had all gotten so used to the insane that sometimes they forgot the little things, birthdays, anniversaries, but Adrienne refused to. In fact, she kept a sheet of paper taped behind her desk with everyone's birthday listed, including Jack's. She had even given Vala a birthday, Halloween as a playful joke between the women, shocked that she didn't have one she remembered.

"Do you need any help?" he asked, letting her have her fun. She hopped down from the table and stood back to examine the room, peeking back over her shoulder at Daniel.

"Nope, I got it Indy!" she replied, dancing past him to the phone, dialing a few numbers with a smile.

"Cam, yeah, it's ready. See ya in five."

Smiling as she set the phone back into its cradle, Adrienne scanned the room one final time, while Daniel, seeing his chance, walked over casually to the table, reaching slowly to steal a cookie.

Scowling, but not even looking up, Adrienne smacked his hand lightning fast, returning her arms to a cross at her chest.

Teal'c wasn't sure what AdrienneRowan and DanielJackson could possibly need him for in the lab, since both of them could read Goa'uld and AdrienneRowan was not likely to summon him to the lab; she would usually just hunt around for the answers that she wanted and track him down wherever he was. ColonelMitchell, however, was quite insistent that he come, so he put down his training equipment and followed, hoping there was nothing amiss.

When they arrived, Teal'c noted that the door to the lab was closed, which was also strange, since DanielJackson always made a point to leave it open. ColonelMitchell did not seem to notice this however, stepping forward to knock as Teal'c cocked his head at his friend, looking at him strangely, wondering why he wasn't just entering the lab like normal.

Without a word from the other side, the door opened slowly.

The first thing the great warrior noticed was the huge banner hanging across lab, plastered with an image of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader that read "Luke, I am your grandfather," and a smaller banner attached to the bottom which said "Congrats!" Standing behind the center table and another white table, both of which were covered in Earth party food were SamanthaONeill, JackONeill, DanielJackson and AdrienneRowan, a box in her hands.

"Congrats grandps!" she declared as she marched forward, handing him the box and stepping back to the group. Puzzled by the gesture the Jaffa carefully opened the container, keenly aware that every eye in the room was watching. Setting the lid on the table, he reached slowly inside, past piles of thin pink colored paper until he felt a wad of fabric. Frowning, he pulled out the mass of cloth, which upon careful examination seemed to be Taur'i baby clothes, very familiar looking Taur'i baby clothes…

Coming to the realization as to what was in his hands, he looked up again at AdrienneRowan, who was nearly bursting with excitement.

"AdrienneRowan, this infant garment resembles the dress that PrincessLeia wore in Star Wars," he stated plainly.

"Yes! Keep digging! There is one for every outfit that Carrie Fisher wore in the entire series! Except for slave Leia; Daniel didn't think that was appropriate," Adrienne explained, pointing cheerfully inside the box, hoping that Teal'c understood this was a group gift.

Confused, Jack leaned over to Daniel.

"This is what we chipped in for? For your girlfriend to buy the kid a geek wardrobe?" but Sam elbowed him before Daniel could answer, directing the rest of SG-1 over to the party.

There was a knock at the door to Daniel's apartment, surprising him as he placed his finger inside the spine of his book. He wasn't expecting anyone, but he had a feeling as to who was on the other side, the only person who would come over, unannounced, this late in the evening. Tucking the book over onto the side table, he stood and made his way to the door, opening it and sure enough, there was Adrienne, take-out in hand.

"Hey," he said and didn't invite her in, just stepped back trying to figure out why she was here, "it's late. Is everything ok?"

"I need you, now," she replied as she stormed through the threshold, her face drawn up into a scowl. Daniel shut the door confused, his heart racing a little at her words and insistence, yet, rather than throw herself at him, or near him for that matter, she handed him her cell phone and took the food to the living room, talking back at him over her shoulder.

"If Cam calls, just tell him you had to have me over to work on something. Please," she begged as she sat on the sofa, opening the lid to the pizza box, grabbing herself a slice.

Laughing, Daniel tossed her phone onto his coffee table, shutting the front door behind him.

"Why…"

He had to hear this one.

Here was Adrienne, avoiding Cameron, her "good buddy," who had made himself home at her apartment, by hiding at his.

Removing the pizza from its advance to her mouth, she made a face, sighing and slouching further into his couch.

"He wanted to take me line-dancing. I'd rather rip out my eyeballs," she said as he walked to join her, plopping down beside her on the sofa.

"So what exactly makes you want to rip out your eyes, going out with Cam or line-dancing?" Daniel asked, curious as to her answer, his stomach that knot of nerves again that it had been the last time they spent time together, the party, watching his old friend race around Adrienne's apartment like he was supposed to be there.

"I'm not discussin' this with ya smart ass, just be thankful I bought junk food with me, ok?" she pointed back to the boxes, stuffing the slice into her face.

"I am," he laughed, grabbing a slice, "anytime you're not trying to force-feed me carrots is a win on my part."

"And I'm staying here, hiding really. I left a bag in Apollo," she added, "if that's ok."

His stomach fluttered. She hadn't done that before, stay at his place for the night, he'd had her over a few times but she always left…

"What's wrong?" she asked before he could answer, "Ya have a look."

"A look?"

"Yeah…" she led, "you have a few looks, variations on tha Daniel frown…"

"And this look tells you…" he joked, reaching for a slice.

That somethin' ain't right with somethin' I just said, and considerin' that I just declared that I'm crashin' here let's go with that," she had caught him, so he shrugged.

"Just a change, not used to a woman staying here is all," he admitted as he grabbed another piece.

"If that's not ok Indy, I can go, I'm sorry…"

Daniel shook his head.

"You're fine, like I said, just not used to it. It's been a while," he stammered, not sure what to say, she wasn't his girlfriend, though that seemed what Jack was going to be referring to her as from now on, but he liked her here and there was no harm in what they were doing, was there?

"As long as I can avoid people at your place as necessary," he added before his brain could explode in over analysis or Adrienne could ask the details of "been a while"…

"Like Vala?" his assistant inquired with a smile, kicking off her tennis shoes and making herself comfortable on the sofa.

Too late, here it goes…

"Yeah," he muttered, stuffing food uncomfortably into his mouth, "Especially Vala. Not sure if I told you, but we kinda used to date."

Best to rip this off like a band-aid since he had no idea whatsoever what Vala had said to her.

"Oh I know," she replied quickly.

"No," he clarified, swallowing, "I mean, well, I'm not sure, Ad, it was more than that…"

Adrienne just laughed.

"I know…" she repeated, Daniel setting the slice into the box lid, shaking his head.

"No, no, you don't understand. I know you read the mission file, and I'm sure she's told you something, but when we got the Asgard database, we were trapped in that time loop on the Odyssey and …."

"….and ya shacked up with her for your entire life there," Adrienne finished simply, "I know."

"You knew THAT?" he clarified as she nodded.

"Yeah…"

"Oh," he whispered quietly, confused, "I thought you'd give me a harder time about that if you knew."

"No," she countered with a shrug, "why would I?"

"Because for one, you live to torment me and two, you're friends with her and I'm not currently participating in such activities at the present time," he answered with another shrug, his eyes downcast as he finished.

"Daniel, it's one thing to tease about ya poor eatin' habits, it's another to tease about matters of the heart. What the two of you do, that's your choice. I don't know what happened on that ship and apparently none of y'all know either. Something amazing, anomalous, just anything could have happened that ya'll don't remember to cause that to be the outcome, but you have no way of knowing what," she reasoned, his argument, what felt like they could have been his very words to Vala, like Adrienne had been there, making him sit up and shake his head.

"But logically speaking shouldn't that mean it happens here? Given it's the same people?" he gave her Vala's own argument, just to see…

"Not necessarily," she piped up, "I mean think about my life if I hadn't gotten on that plane? If I hadn't applied to the Smithsonian? I mighta actually have married Joshua, not that there's anything wrong with that, he's a very nice man, but different world, different context, ya know? Circumstances change, life changes, sometimes our entire world changes in ways we can't control," she argued, sensibly, nearly exactly how he felt about the entire situation.

"You really believe that?" he asked, unsure, letting his insecurities out with her yet again, something he seemed to be doing a lot lately.

"Of course I do," she put down her food, giving him her complete attention, "I would never lie to you."

No, she wouldn't, he thought, feeling guilty that she came over here to whine to HIM, to garner HIS support, and he was turning this entire conversation into something about himself, but he couldn't help it, he could just talk to her…

"So you don't think I'm a complete and total pig?"

"Did you sleep with her only to ditch her once you got back?"

"No," he shot back, shaking his head, "I would never do that to a person, that's…"

"What a pig would do," she finished for him, "Ergo, ya NOT a pig. In fact, it's even less of a pig if ya makin' sure NOT to lead her on if ya don't have any feelins' for her."

Daniel sighed.

Vala had come by today, after returning from her mission, stopping by the lab when Adrienne was running. Daniel assumed she wanted to check on Teal'c and the baby, see how everyone was doing, but no, she hadn't.

Evidently, she'd had some revelation about when they had first met on the Prometheus and how it meant they needed to be together, and try again.

Which is why Daniel had been hiding out at home tonight, avoiding this very topic with her, when, ironically, his assistant had shown up on his doorstep to hide out as well.

"See," he kept talking, might as well, she was listening, "she's back on her, that something's wrong with her, that if she fixes herself we can try again, but it's not her, it's… it's me."

"Ok," Adrienne responded, "So it's you. Do ya wanna talk about it?"

Yeah, he thought, I do, but he didn't say that, simply diving in, "Like I said, I don't remember anything that happened. Not a damn thing Ad."

"I know shug…"

"But what I do know is that she…" he paused, taking a breath, wow he had never told anyone this, ever, and here he was, spilling his guts out to Adrienne, "That there had to have been something there in the beginning, had to be. I'm not gonna lie, she's a very attractive woman, who is attracted to me, why I have no idea, and what man wouldn't respond to that and I didn't for so many years, and then I just did, why, why did I, what happened, because with what I feel right now it doesn't make any sense…"

"I don't know what to tell ya Daniel…"

"And that's what I'm saying," he concluded, "It was FIFTY YEARS and now nothing. There's got to be something wrong with ME."

"So ya don't have any feelings for her?" the Cajun clarified.

"Not a one," he spat angrily, not at the lack of feelings but at the lack of understanding as to what had happened, "not a damn one and it makes NO sense."

A soft smile on her face, Adrienne reached over to his leg, squeezing it gently, "That's ok shug, it's alright. I don't understand why you're apologizing for feelins, a person can't help what they feel, at all. You've done nothin' wrong."

Daniel sighed, considering her words. She was right, he had been very clear and open with Vala, there was not a thing he had hidden from her, even when she had screamed at him, and cried, but he hadn't led her on for one moment. He couldn't help it, the emptiness that he now felt towards her, romantically at least, and he had been very careful with her, with everyone really. Things had changed, so many things changed for him, the emotional fallout once the time on the Odyssey was reversed, the landing of Atlantis in San Francisco Bay and the stranding of the crew here, the Destiny, the attack of Cheyenne, his world falling apart…

He wasn't even sure how he felt about himself anymore, much less how he felt about anyone else.

Except for the woman sitting right in front of him, her hand on his leg, her dark beautiful eyes gazing up at him concerned.

She was one of the best friends he had ever had…

"I guess you're right," he admitted, as there was really nothing else to say, and his stomach was giving him fits, his heart racing, "Can you explain that to her?" he joked in an effort to dispel his thoughts, his confusion…

Adrienne laughed.

"It's gonna take a lot more than explainin' for her to understand," Adrienne said, pausing and pulling her hand away, "did ya ever consider that maybe she doesn't have real feelins for ya, that ya just a safe option?"

That made Daniel laugh.

"A safe option?" he chuckled, "You do realize that both of the women I was in a serious relationship and the last person that tried to be my assistant died. You're lucky to be here in one piece."

Adrienne shook her head, "No, no not safe like that, hell, you've gotten me in more trouble than any other working relationship in my entire life," she paused, licking her lip nervously, "I mean that you're loyal, to a fault and you're kind and carin' and considerate. Even if a woman didn't know what she wanted in a man you've got every attribute to at least treat her right," another pause, and a shrug, "Maybe that's what she's looking for."

The memory hit him, of seeing Adrienne with Ronon on the monitors talking about how he deserved better. For as crazy as she was, sitting here, fiddling with her lip ring, she was one of the sweetest people he had ever met.

"That's really nice of you to say," was all he could muster out, his heart threatening to leap from his chest.

"Well, it's true," she said, standing, "Friends don't lie to one another. Hell, you didn't even like me and you stuck up for me, on more than one occasion. I think that says a lot about ya."

Daniel just looked down at the floor.

"Ok, so you can hide from your ex-girlfriend at my place and I can hide from my redneck bestie at yours, I think that's a fair trade," she teased, cocking her thumb at the kitchen, "got any wine?"

He smiled, standing to join her.

"Dear God I hope so," he laughed, leading her into the kitchen.

Yeah, he thought, she can stay, I just need to make sure I keep to my side.