One for the Jack and Sam fans in the crowd....and for those of you who are wondering where this is going....wait for it...and for anyone worried about the rating and the implications...trust me... :)

He arrived at the barracks at 10:30; per her usual she stepped out onto the porch as he pulled up. On this cold and snowy night she had opted for another form fitting sweater, this one was a v-neck with a bit of a plunge, on top of a fitted black skirt and her black boots again, with her slim black wool coat. She was displaying her figure more freely now, he thought.

Back at the apartment, she set her bag down and took off her jacket and boots, while he poured them a glass of champagne. Daniel had turned off all of the lights except for the tree and a few candles; they both preferred the soft warmth of this lighting. They sat on the couch, sipping the champagne, enjoying the last of the little tree with its lights on and listening to the jazz and blues station in the background.

As the hour of midnight approached, Daniel turned on the television, listening to the low level of the mindless chatter as they prepared to count down the seconds to the New Year. Their first glass already empty, he poured them another glass of champagne to toast the New Year.

As they sat together, Daniel reclined in the corner of the couch, Jennifer next to him. He nonchalantly put his arm around her. She leaned against him, enjoying his closeness and the feel of his arm encircling her. The clock on the television clicked down to 1; the streets were wild with partygoers. Outside the apartment building, they could hear the distant sounds of reveling, even though it was bitterly cold and snowy out.

They turned to each other, clinking their raised glasses. "Well, Happy New Year, Lieutenant Hailey," Daniel said in his most authoritative and condescending voice.

Jennifer smiled. "Happy New Year, Dr. Jackson," she replied, unable to resist the sultry tone that naturally crept its way into her voice, despite the formal address. They drained their glasses together; Jennifer felt the bubbles go up her nose and she sat up suddenly, waving her hand in front of her, as she set her glass down on the table.

"Oh, my," she said, a surprised look on her face. "That tickles," she said.

Daniel chuckled. "Well, now, catch your breath there, lieutenant," he said jovially.

She giggled. He really liked the sound of her laugh. It made him feel warm inside. He looked at her with a sudden feeling of tenderness. In this light she looked particularly lovely.

"Thank you, Jennifer," he said softly.

She looked at him, questioningly. "For what?" she asked, still clearing her air passages from the inadvertent dousing they had received.

He looked around the room, and gestured at the tree and the glasses. "For this," he said.

She still looked a bit perplexed.

He gazed at her for a moment before he spoke further. He sat up from his reclining position in the corner of the couch, setting his own glass on the table. "For spending the holidays with me, I guess," he finished, a note of question in his own voice. He wasn't really sure for what; he just knew that he was grateful to her for how he felt at that very moment.

She smiled at him, the beautiful warm smile he liked so much. Closer to her now, he leaned over and captured her mouth with his own, kissing her gently, repeatedly. She tasted of the champagne that they had been drinking; a wonderful flavor, he decided.

Her response to his kisses was getting gradually bolder. She leaned into him, one of her hands resting on his thigh, fingers slowly caressing his leg, the other had found its way up and around, massaging his back. She opened her mouth slightly under the gentle pressure of his.

The soft requests of her tongue against his lips lit a fire inside of him. He deepened the kiss in response; his passion fueled by the champagne and her receptiveness, he pulled her into his arms, onto his lap, almost fiercely. He felt a sudden, overwhelming desire to explore her, to feel her in her entirety.

Whoa there, feller, maybe you should think about this for a minute, a voice urged him quietly over the ranting instructions of his own body.

The way in which Daniel suddenly held her scared her, enthralled her. Scared her because it would be so easy to just throw away all reason and control, giving in to the feelings that she was having and the emotions she was experiencing; enthralled her in all the ways she had ever imagined it might.

So what are we doing here, she wondered, knowing that she had been open to this possibility when she had suggested spending New Year's together. But we're both responsible adults and that step shouldn't be just a frenzied free for all, a small voice reminded her.

Their inner voices having spoken at the same time, they broke their passionate embrace. As if by mutual understanding, she slid off his lap, back onto the couch. They looked at each other, breathless after their kiss, this time with the look of intention that such a kiss usually evokes. Daniel leaned back, sighing, and put his arm around her again; she leaned back against him.

"Jennifer," said Daniel, slowly, seriously, "If anything were to ever happen between us, y'know, beyond this," he said, gesturing at the couch and at the two of them, disheveled and breathless, "I want it to be because we both want to, and not just because I'm a big dumb male or because we got carried away one night. I mean, getting carried away wouldn't be so bad, but…" he sighed, realizing that he was beginning to ramble, and not really sure where these particular thoughts were going.

He turned then, looking at her, his blue eyes as serious as she'd ever seen them. "It would be so easy to lose control with you, and that scares me. I never, ever want to do anything that we might regret later."

She looked at him, the sincerity of what he was saying unmistakable; that it matched her thoughts intrigued her, charmed her.

"Do you think you would regret it?" she asked in a curious voice, head tilted to one side, studying him.

He looked at her, as if he was looking right through her, she thought. He gazed at her steadily for a second and then answered.

"Really, the only way I think I could ever regret it is if you did," he said.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. They looked at each other. Then there was urgent knocking on the door; low voices could be heard outside.

Daniel went over to the door, and looked through the peephole. Sam was standing there, a rather out of it looking Jack draped over her shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder at Jennifer; she had gotten up off the couch and straightened her sweater and was running her fingers through her hair. He opened the door.

"Daniel, I need your help," Sam began, almost frantic.

Just then Jack looked up and blew softly in the Major's ear. She pretended not to notice. He looked over and noticed Daniel, his eyes glassy and unfocused.

"Hey there, Danny boy, wanna make it a three-some? I bet she's got that sweet little tank top number on underneath," Jack said, words barely making it out of his mouth. He was trying to put the hand that was around Sam's neck down the front of her shirt; she efficiently moved the hand.

"Can we come in?" Sam asked.

"Uh, well," Daniel stuttered. He glanced over his shoulder again. Jennifer was leaning on the back of the couch, arms crossed, trying to stifle a giggle at the exchange she had just overheard. Daniel looked at his friend; he obviously needed help.

"Uh, sure, fine, come on in," he said, stepping back from the doorway. Sam pushed Colonel O'Neill through the doorway, and he fell into the apartment. Jennifer expertly caught him as he was falling, keeping him from hitting the polished hardwood floor.

"Oh, God, uh, hi, Lieutenant Hailey," Sam stammered, startled at the sight of the younger, still slightly disheveled officer. She turned to Daniel. "Daniel, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you had company," she said apologetically, a worried look in her eyes.

"Hey there, Lieutenant, how are you?" the sodden voice of Colonel O'Neill reached them just then. "Hey, y'know, you're really a pretty girl with your hair down…what are you doing for the rest of your life?"

Jack was sopping wet and very cold; Jennifer's soldier training kicked in. "I haven't really decided, sir," she answered the question. "Why don't we talk about it over here on the couch?" she said to him lightly, guiding him to the couch.

"Sam, what on Earth happened to him?" Daniel said with concern. Jack really wasn't a drinker; he'd never seen him that soused, nor that lecherous.

Sam sighed. "We were having a New Year's Eve drink down at O'Malley's; his traditional is a double bourbon with a beer chaser and all of a sudden, he started acting like…like…this," she finished exasperatedly, waving a hand at him. Jennifer had expertly deposited the seemingly drunk officer on the couch.

Sam continued. "So, I called Janet and she said she'd switched him to a new drug to fight the remnants of that virus he contracted in Antarctica from Ayiana – it tends to act up in the cold weather," Sam added matter of factly.

"Anyway, since the dosage and times were different, she warned him he shouldn't take too many or it might make him act funny. When I told her what happened and how he was acting, she told me that it was definitely side effects from double doses of the drug and mixing it with alcohol," Sam finished, sounding almost exhausted from the struggle she'd had with him.

"He fell in the snow bank while I was trying to drag him out of O'Malley's, then he wanted to have a snowball fight. I tried to drive him home, but you saw how he was acting; I almost got into an accident and tonight's not a good night to be out on the road with a lecherous officer in your vehicle," Sam said with a note of frustration.

She looked at Daniel, then glanced over at Jennifer, who was now preoccupied with the Colonel, doing exactly what she didn't notice right away. "I'm so sorry to barge in on you, especially since you've got company, but is there anyway you could take care of him tonight? Janet says he'll be okay if he sleeps it off, then gets back on his regular dosage tomorrow," Sam added, hoping this would help her case.

Daniel looked down at the floor, creasing his brow in that frown he got when he didn't like the answer he was getting to a puzzle that he had been confronted with.

Sam looked over again at Lieutenant Hailey and Jack; noticing what they were doing, she grinned. "I think the decision's already been made for you, Daniel," she said, motioning towards them with a nod. Daniel turned around.

Jennifer had taken over while Sam and Daniel had been talking. She had put more than her fair share of drunken cadets to bed back at the academy, and subsequently in the barracks. If I had a dime for every proposition I'd been offered under those circumstances, she thought, I could retire.

She had fetched a pair of dry socks, some sweats and a t-shirt from Daniel's dresser, along with a pillow from the bed. She was taking off Jack's wet clothing; indifferent and efficient, but gently, speaking softly to him as she helped him into the dry ones.

"Lieutenant, do you think it's really appropriate for you to be undressing me?" he asked in a drunken voice. "Major Carter might get really mad," he said with a child like look of wonder and fear on his face. "She really loves me, y'know," he slurred with a confident, knowing, tone.

"I'm sure she'll understand, sir," Jennifer replied, softly but firmly. "We need to get you into some dry ones; that's what she'd do," Jennifer suggested quietly.

"Where is Major Carter, anyway? Yoo-hoo, Sam, where'd you go?" He was trying to look around the room, but Jennifer deftly kept his attention on the matter of getting into the dry clothes she had procured for him. "Y'know Lieutenant, I really love Major Carter," he said in a wobbly voice.

"That's nice sir," she said gently.

"No, I mean I really do," he said with all the sincerity a drunk can usually muster.

"That's nice, sir," she repeated gently. "Maybe you should sleep on that thought," she said, encouraging him gently with her hand to lie down on the couch. She laid the blanket over him and smiled at him.

"Now I know what Daniel sees in you, Lieutenant," he slurred gently. "You're really beautiful," he smiled at her, eyes not quite focusing.

"Thank you, sir," she replied softly.

"Good night, Lieutenant," Jack said sleepily, yawning now. He closed his eyes.

"Good night, sir," she replied softly, tucking the blanket around him.

Daniel and Sam watched from the doorway; Daniel was impressed with the gentleness and efficiency with which she had managed his best friend, her senior officer. Sam was equally impressed; the young lieutenant had handled the situation with dexterity, aplomb and discretion. She's really quite an officer, Sam thought, pleased.

Jennifer walked back over to the doorway where Daniel and Sam were standing. She grinned at the looks on their faces; they seemed almost in awe of her.

"Thanks, Lieutenant; I really appreciate this," Sam smiled at her, with mixed notes of gratitude and admiration in her voice.

"Sam, are you still here?" came a groggy voice from the direction of the couch. "Yoo-hoo, Sam, I love you," the voice called out.

Sam grimaced and looked towards the couch. "Well, that's my cue," she said in a hushed voice. She looked at Jennifer. "Happy New Year, Lieutenant," she said jovially, and reached over and gave the girl a quick hug. "Thanks again," she said as she stepped back.

Jennifer smiled, touched at the sudden display of affection. "Happy New Year to you, Major," she said in equally hushed tones, not wanting to rouse the Colonel again.
Sam gave Daniel a hug and wished him a Happy New Year. The groggy voice from the couch started to call again, and she ducked out, closing the door quietly behind her. Under other circumstances, it would have been exactly what she wanted to hear, but it had a different flavor under chemical influence. Still, it gave her a warm feeling inside, having heard the truth about his feelings for her.

As the door shut behind Sam, Daniel and Jennifer looked around the apartment, assessing the current situation. Jack was fast asleep on the couch, the only comfortable sleeping space left was the bed. They look at each other and then towards the bedroom. After the discussion that had occurred right before Jack and Sam had arrived, this seemed even more awkward, the obvious question unspoken between them.

"Well, sleeping on the floor can't be any worse than the ground of any planet I've passed the night on," Daniel said, resigning himself to the seemingly obvious choice.

Jennifer looked at him. "That's not necessary for my sake," she said evenly, looking directly at him. "It's plenty big enough for us both," she continued in a practical voice. Then her face softened, her soldier's practicality melting for a moment. "Unless you'd be uncomfortable," she added gently, looking down at the floor, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

He looked at her, in that moment appreciating the mix of her soldier's practicality and the warmth he knew was behind it all. "No, I wouldn't be," he said quietly. It might be kind of nice, he thought to himself, just having someone else there for a change.

She went over to the bedroom and pulled down the covers of the bed, completely in charge again. She ducked into the bathroom and changed into some sweats she had packed in her bag in a moment of contingency planning. Nothing too enticing about that, she decided. That's good.

She returned to the bedroom, Daniel had also changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He sat on the side of the bed facing the door, and smiled at her as she returned. She looked cute in her sweats, like a little girl, he decided. That ought to keep us both safe tonight, he thought to himself.

She walked over to the side of the bed nearest the balcony. She sat down and turned out the bedside light. She eased herself barely under the covers, and lay down, somewhat stiffly. In the dark she heard Daniel also slide under the covers and lay down. As her eyes got used to the dim light from the street, she could see that it was snowing outside.

"It's snowing again," she said, quietly. "It's always so beautiful to watch," she added, turning on her side so that she could see it. She heard him turn on his side, but she couldn't tell which way.

"You're right," he suddenly said. "It is beautiful." He looked at her small form under the covers and had a sudden urge to hold her. "You're beautiful," he said softly, reaching out and rubbing her exposed arm lightly, affectionately.

Jennifer's instinct took over; she reached up and took his hand, pulling his arm around her and moving a bit closer to him, so that he was holding her around the middle. "This is beautiful," she said quietly. He could almost hear her smiling. "Thank you, Daniel," she said in a thoughtful tone.

Now it was his turn to be puzzled by the question. "For what?" he asked.

"For this," she said, waving around the room, and towards the window. "For asking me to spend the holidays with you," she answered quietly.

Daniel cuddled closer to her. "Happy New Year, Jennifer," he said sleepily.

"Good night, Daniel," she said. "Happy New Year to you, too."