Author's Note

Time machine now stopping eight days ago ... last stop for today I think :) I should have said when I posted the first of today's chapters that I do actually have a plan for this for each chapter with all the advents written as well, so not quite making it up off the top of my head! Sorry for any errors ... thanks for reading.

December 13th

It hadn't taken Jennifer long to realise she'd go nuts without something constructive to do. Three days in a confined space would feel like a lot longer if she spent all of it sitting in her quarters or the Mess worrying about Evan. Since she wasn't military and knew nothing about the Daedalus, the Asgard, or anything useful to running the ship, she ended up in the ship's infirmary a few hours into the first day on board.

The small facility was run very competently by Doctor Brian Clark – he didn't need another doctor assisting, especially not one looking for a distraction to take her mind off personal troubles. Jennifer was therefore beyond grateful that he'd barely blinked an eye when she'd all but begged him for something – anything – to do. The independent assessment of inventory and patient files he'd assigned her was interesting enough to be absorbing while still leaving some mental space to think when she felt the need.

Late in her second day on board the Daedalus she was still in the infirmary, ignoring Brian's comment that she didn't need to finish everything in three days. She'd already read and laughed over Evan's advent message for that day, unable to help the smile that came whenever his words floated to the surface of her thoughts.

"Number 13 on a list would be considered unlucky except there could never be anything unlucky in my life if you say yes."

Who knew Evan Lorne could be so charming? Well, she knew of course – she'd spent a year getting to know the man – and yet he still continued to surprise her.

"Doc?"

Jennifer looked up to see John Sheppard standing in the doorway. He'd become involved in the internal workings on the Daedalus and she hadn't spent a great deal of time with him since they'd arrived. The others either – everyone finding something useful to do since it seemed none of them were capable of just sitting back with their feet up to enjoy the journey. Aside from meal times most of Jennifer's time had been solitary but not in a way that added to her troubles.

"Colonel," she smiled, straightening as he approached. "Okay, I'm not liking your expression. Did something happen?"

"No … well yes, but nothing as bad as I can see you're starting to think," John replied. "We picked up a convoy of Wraith Hive ships – they're smack in the middle of our path to Olesia."

"And?"

"And we have to divert around them, outside of their sensor range," Sheppard continued.

"How long will that take?" Jennifer frowned, her shoulders slumping.

"It'll add a day to our trip," John admitted. "We'll do what we can to get some of that time back but …,"

"But Evan and the others will be stuck on Olesia for another day," Jennifer concluded glumly.

"We can't risk being detected by the Wraith, not with the Asuran directive to destroy them," John reminded her unnecessarily. "That many Wraith in one place is sure to attract the replicators, sooner or later."

"And knowing our luck it'll be five minutes after we get there," Jennifer tried to joke. "I understand Colonel. Evan wouldn't want us to risk anyone's safety to get there faster."

"Exactly," John smiled, pleased to have gotten through delivering bad news relatively unscathed. "You keeping busy?" he asked, glancing around the infirmary curiously.

"Annual audit," she offered, smiling slightly when he winced. "Always much more fun when you're the one doing the audit instead of being audited."

"Well … sounds interesting," he said with a lack of sincerity that would have had her laughing in better times. "I'll ah … I'll leave you to it. We'll see you in an hour or so for dinner?"

"I'll be there," Jennifer agreed.

John nodded, turning and making his way back to the door.

"John," Jennifer called out. "Thanks for telling me personally," she said when he turned back to look at her.

"No problem," he replied, throwing her a casual half salute before disappearing out the door.

Shaking her head, Jennifer sighed. "You do know how to predict them," she thought, deciding this habit of Evan's of tapping into daily events had to stop, especially when it revolved around bad luck. "How about an advent on how you enjoy every minute we spend together?" she muttered, sure that if there was one like that it would be the first one that didn't come true.

With another sigh she pushed the addition of more time until she saw Evan again to the back of her mind. He was okay – she clung to that thought above all others, sure that if he wasn't, somehow she'd know.