I just realized that I never did the whole introductory thing in the first chapter so here it is, a day late and a dollar short (as my dad would say):

This one is set about a year after "The Assistant", which I'm sure most of you have already figured out, and it's not exactly cannon because let's face it SG-1 never has downtime, but for right now they do.

Some bits of Boston have been changed because I can't remember the layout exactly and I'm a little too busy right now to get out my tourist map. Forgive me for the altering - Harvard is pretty much the same, though.

They don't belong to me, so please don't sue. Thanks :-)

It was just after eight on Friday morning when they arrived on campus and parked behind Jefferson and Lyman, where the Physics Department was located. Aeda took his hand as they walked across Oxford Street and towards the Peabody Museum, which would house the conference over the next couple of days. It was the first time she'd showed him that kind of public affection and he looked at her in surprise.

"What?" she asked, smiling.

The early spring sun was bringing out the red highlights in her hair and on impulse he brushed some of the curls from her face. "Nothing," he said and squeezed her hand.

His keynote speech would be at one, just after the opening luncheon. Aeda had two classes between now and then and had cancelled her afternoon sessions so she could attend his speech and whatever else he wanted to go listen in on. His plan was to hole up in her office, go over his notes, and try to remember just why he'd agreed to do this in the first place.

They reached the front entrance and he opened the door for her. She headed towards the back and turned left down a hallway. He followed her and they stopped in front of a glass-paned door, much like hers, with the name "Dr. Karen Jefferson" stenciled in black letters. Aeda knocked and when a soft voice called "come in" she opened the door and stepped into the office.

"Goodness, Aeda, you're four hours early," the stout, gray-haired woman behind the desk said with what sounded like mock distress. "You're lucky I'm even dressed."

Aeda smiled. "Perhaps you should consider going home every once in awhile."

"My husband likes the solitude, or so he tells me." She stood and came around to stand in front of Daniel and Aeda. "This must be the illustrious Dr. Daniel Jackson." She held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Jackson."

He accepted her hand. "Please, call me Daniel."

"Well, then, Daniel, call me Karen. I abhor professionalism between colleagues - seems ridiculous." She smiled at Aeda. "Don't I, dear?"

"She does. As well as children, snow, and the Yankees."

Dr. Jefferson laughed and patted Aeda on the arm. "Yes, but snow is beginning to grow on me." She went back around her desk and motioned for the two of them to occupy the chairs opposite her. "I've heard some interesting things about you, Daniel," she said as soon as they were seated.

Daniel's defenses rose. "I should probably tell you that my early career was wasted," he said slowly.

She shrugged. "So was mine, for that matter. I spent it in China believing I was doing the US government a great deal of harm, working with a communist nation,when no one even knew I was there. We all do foolish things in youth and who knows? Maybe aliens really did use the pyramids as landing pads. You could be on to something." Her smile was extremely mischevious for an older woman.

He decided at that moment thatshe was one of his favorite people. When he looked over at Aeda, she smiled serenely at him .

"Aeda tells me that you work for the Air Force now."

He nodded. "I do, in Colorado."

"Anything exciting?"

He glanced again at Aeda, and smiled as she repressed a slight giggle. "Not really. It's some basic identification and recovery work; sometimes a dig will open up overseas. I've been doing some diplomatic work recently, which is interesting."

Dr. Jefferson smiled widely. "In other words, it's all very hush-hush and you'd have to kill me if you told me."

He grinned. "Precisely."

"I like him," she said to Aeda.

"Me too," Aeda replied.

When Dr. Jefferson looked at him, he did what he thought was appropriate. He smiled widely and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Okay, now that we've met, I'm going to throw you out of my office so I can prepare for the luncheon. I am going to be surrounded by ten intelligent people with extraordinarily different ideas of what's actually important in Egyptology." She pointed to her hair. "Twenty-five years of that is why my hair is this lovely color."

They stood, said they'd see her in a bit, and headed back the way they'd come. As they approached Jefferson and Lyman, Daniel's cell phone rang. He flipped it open as they walked into Lyman.

"Hello?" he said.

"Jackson, where the hell are you?" Cameron Mitchell's voice shouted into his ear. "I've been looking for you all morning, at least for the last hour or so."

He frowned. "I'm in Boston," he said, then quickly added, "visiting my sister."

Aeda's eyes widened and a smile slowly quirked her lips. "Sister?" she asked.

He covered the receiver while Cameron ranted about not having enough players to start a pick-up game of basketball. "I'll explain later, I promise."

"When are you coming back?" Cameron asked.

"Sunday night."

"Oh." He shouted something to someone and then came back to the phone. "Uh,General O'Neillwas looking for you. Something about pie and philosophical discussion."

"I completely forgot that he was coming this weekend." He stopped for a moment. "Wait, pie and philosophical discussion?"

"That's what he said."

"That can't be good." He watched Aeda explain to the front desk womanthat he was, in fact, her guest and that she did, in fact, have him registered. He loved it when she got frustrated – her cheeks got pink and her hair frizzed just enough to make her look a little crazy. "Look, I'm about to meet my sister for breakfast. I'll call when I get back in on Sunday."

"You owe me a game of basketball."

"Whatever you say, Shaq." He closed the phone and met up with Aeda inside the building. She handed him a brightly colored VISITOR badge, which he attachedto his lapel as they walkeddown a series of hallways to heroffice.

"Your sister?" she asked as soon as they were insideand the door was shut.

He frowned. "I had to tell Cameron something."

"How about 'I'm speaking at a conference', or, and stop me if this sounds too crazy, 'I'm visiting the woman I love'?" Her wide smile told him she found it amusing.

"He's nosy. He'd want more details andtelling him that you're my sister is easier to explain than telling him you're my..."

"Girlfriend?"

"I hate that word."

She grinned. "So do I. How about red hot lover?"

He actually blushed. "Aeda, that's even worse."

Her grin widened. "So what happens if I visit and meet up with him?" she asked, coming close enough to him that he could smell her shampoo. Cinnamon – her hair had always smelled of cinnamon.

"At that point,I'll tell him."

She straightened his tie, thought better or it, and used it to pull him closer. "Whatever you say, big brother," she said.

"Oh, that's just plain –" She smothered his retort with a kiss, wrinkling both his tie and his shirt in the process. When she pulled away, he finished his sentence. "Wrong."

"You're very easy to fluster lately."

"Yes, well, you do have a wonderful habit of kissing me at inopportune times."

She laughed. "Yeah, it's a gift."