It was almost week later before any of them saw Dr. Artanis again. Avoiding her could only last so long and Daniel had put off the request for another assistant for as long as he could. His previous assistant had gotten married and decided to become a stay-at-home mother almost a month ago and now he was getting desperate. With resignation, he went to her office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." she said and he entered. It was a tiny office by comparison to his, but it somehow had a nice, homey feeling to it. There was a small overstuffed sofa on one side, a light blanket splashing a bit of color over the back. On top of the cabinets (wooden, not metal, he noted) were a few small knick-knacks and pictures. There was one of a small girl, probably Dr. Artanis, with an older man. There was no doubt that this must be her father, she looked just like him. Another picture was a school photo of a young man, perhaps 17 or 18, smiling brightly.

"You favor him." Daniel said, seeing the boy's bright blue eyes and dark hair.

"That's John, my brother." She replied.

"Older or younger?"

"Older, by about a year and a half. That is an old picture. It sounds silly, but he will always be that age to me, though." She said and he turned to look at her.

"Um, I have a request." He said, handing her the formal proposal. He hated having to do it, he had never had to before, but General Hammond was insistent that they follow the rules to the letter. She took the folder and flipped it open, scanning through it quickly.

"An assistant?" she asked and he nodded.

"I had one before, but she is gone now- married. I really need another." He explained, wondering why he was doing such a thing. The report should tell her enough, but he had this feeling of needing to defend himself- to fill the time with talk. He didn't care for it too much. She read a little deeper into the file, then nodded and signed her name at the bottom of the page, handing it back afterward.

"Here you go! You just need General Hammond to sign off on it since it involves hiring someone new to the program." She said and he was slightly taken aback.

"That's it? I thought you would say no."

"Of course I wouldn't. You need an assistant- heck, with all the work you have, you could probably used 10 assistants! I can't swing that, of course, but one is completely justified." She said, then looked at the file in his hands thoughtfully. "Actually, if I can work a few things out, I may be able to swing for one more, if you would like."

"Another?" he asked, dumbfounded, and she smiled.

"Well, don't get your hopes up just yet, but I will see what I can swing." She replied and he nodded.

"Great, yeah! No problem. Do I need you to sign off on who I choose?" he asked.

"Well, technically, yes, but as long as they clear the background check and everything, I will let you make that call." She said and he nodded again.

"Okay, well, I will let you know as soon as I find someone. So…um, bye….and thanks." He said and she smiled at him as he left.

"So, what did she say?" Sam asked once Daniel returned to her office. She, Jack, and Teal'c were in there waiting for him after sending him to face Dr. Artanis.

"Well, she approved my request for another assistant, and she said she may be able to swing for another one somewhere down the line."

"What? Really? She didn't turn you down or deny anything?" Sam asked and Daniel shook his head.

"Nope."

"Did she say that she has to approve of your choice?" Jack asked.

"Yes, she does, technically, but she said that as long as they pass the background check, she would trust my decision."

"I don't believe it. There's a catch…somewhere."

"I didn't get that feeling, Jack." Daniel denied.

"Yeah, well…We'll see." Jack replied.

"Whatever. I have to go have General Hammond sign off on this, so I will catch you guys later." Daniel shrugged and left the room.

That evening, Daniel was pulling a late shift and was in desperate need of coffee. Heading down to the commissary, the smell of food also enticed his stomach into awakening, and he grabbed a couple of sandwiches and some pie. Looking around the room, he saw it was nearly empty. In the back corner, however, sat one lone figure, hunched in a seat, snoring quietly. He almost turned and left her to her obviously impromptu nap, but something drew him over to her table. Setting his plates down, he retrieved two cups of coffee and a few packs of sugar and cream. He set them down beside his plate of food, careful not to splash any on her folders, and gently shook her.

"Hey, wake up." He said quietly and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hmm? Oh, Dr. Jackson…hi." She said, stifling a yawn as she stretched in her chair. She must have been there for a while, considering the popping he heard.

"Hi. I, um, brought you some coffee." He said and she smiled dreamily at the cup in front of her.

"Oh, thank you. That was kind of you."

"Well, it is the least I could do after you approved a new assistant for me." He said and sat down to his food.

"Oh, that wasn't anything. You asked for a new assistant, not a new stargate." She said. They sat in sompfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the midnight (or, rather, 1:00 am) snack. Suddenly, she frowned, and asked, "Dr. Jackson, can I ask you something?"

"If you call me 'Daniel'." He replied and she nodded, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Daniel, why does Kinsey hate you all so much? I mean, I know that the program costs a TON, but that doesn't affect his budget any. And I know he doesn't care about the taxpayer's any more than the Goauld do. So, why does he have it out for the SGC, and more importantly, your team specifically?" she asked and he sighed, setting down his sandwich.

"It is a power thing. Kinsey is upset that he doesn't hold the power over the SGC, and he thinks that it is a complete waste of money and time. As for us, well, we don't put up with his crap and, in Jack's case, he specifically goes against anything he says. He is a pompous ass." Daniel said and Chris nodded.

"I can see that. Cant say I disagree with your views on him." She said and it was his turn to frown at her.

"So, why did he hire you exactly? He is usually good for at least one thing- picking other asses to work for him."

"Well, I don't think I am an ass." She laughed. "But, he thinks that I am, I guess. He really has it out for your guys. He wants me to follow you around, writing down everything and anything that you say or do, then send it back to him."

"He will twist our words and actions so that people misconstrue something and sooner or later, we are out and shut down." Daniel surmised.

"Probably. I didn't get that much detail, really. But, there is another person who factors into this equation: the President had to agree to send me here. He seems to have a lot of confidence in me, at least." She said and Daniel nodded, finishing up his coffee and standing.

"I sincerely hope that his confidence isn't unfounded." He said. " Good night, Dr. Artanis."

"Chris." She corrected and he nodded.

"Chris."