Chapter 2

Major Nikki Klaus stood in the elevator sporting her dress blues with slacks as she reported for duty in Star Gate Command. She wasn't sure what the SGC did but knew it was top secret and Sam pulled a few strings to get her assigned. The elevator paused halfway down. The door slid open.

Dr. Daniel Jackson stood holding a big brown box sporting green battle dress. He requested. "Can you hold the door, Major?"

Nikki pressed the button holding the door open. She instantly was able to tell who Daniel was. She knew his name and his last Christmas gift from Santa was the notebook. She acted like she didn't know him at all.

Daniel stepped on. "Thanks for that." He looked upon her fine features, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He gave a smile. "New here?"

"I am." she nodded.

He noticed the name badge. "Major Klaus." he read.

"That's correct." she confirmed.

"German heritage, huh?" he asked.

"Ja." she stated.

"Oh," he became intrigued. "Willkommen im SGC." he welcomed her.

"Gracious." she spoke Spanish.

"You are poly lingual." he assessed.

She nodded. "I speak seven thousand, one hundred languages."

"That's every known language in the world today." Daniel gasped.

"Oui." she nodded gritting her teeth and pinching her lips together.

"You coming in to translate?" he wondered.

"No," she shook her head. "My friend Sam got me in. I'm not really sure what I will be doing." she confessed.

"Sam Carter?" he asked.

She confirmed. "We went to the academy together. She's my friend, Dr. Jackson."

Daniel paused and asked. "How did you know my name?"

She made up an excuse. "It's on your uniform."

He glanced down at his name badge. He then pressed. "How did you know my title?"

"Your lack any insignia." she informed. She then made up an excuse. "I took a best guess."

"Huh." he wasn't sure. Maybe Sam told her about him and she was messing with him a bit. Seven thousand languages was an insane number.

The lift came the floor and the door slid open. Sam stood waiting for Nikki. She cheered excited. "Nikki."

Daniel paused. "Nikki Klaus?" he found the name comical.

Nikki stepped off first followed by Daniel. She greeted her old friend. "Sam." She hugged her in an unusual move for an officer.

Sam was giddy to see her friend. She introduced. "Nikki. Meet Daniel Jackson. He's a good friend of mine."

"We met in the elevator." Daniel spouted.

Nikki repeated. "We met in the elevator." She then asked. "What am I here to do, Sam?"

"Come with me." she told her.

Daniel would have gone back to his office but instead decided to come along still carrying his box as he wanted to know if she really spoke every language on Earth. He followed Sam and Nikki to the Gate Room.

Sam smiled at her friend as they walked into the room. "This is called a Star Gate. It's a portal to other planets."

Nikki asked. "Other planets?"

"That's right." Sam beamed.

She asked. "Are there humans on other planet?"

"There is." Sam confirmed.

She winced. "Kids?"

She nodded. "Of course." She found the reaction was not what she assumed. Nikki seemed worried. "You okay?"

"Whatever you do. Do not tell my dad about this." she insisted.

Surprised she asked. "Why don't you want me to tell Nick?"

"He will want to give Christmas gifts to every kid out there and he barely keeps up with demand here." she told her. She was most serious as her father, Santa Clause himself would want to go off world to deliver gift to kids.

Sam laughed not realizing Nick was the real Santa Clause. She soothed. "I'm sure it won't come to that."

"Do not underestimate him." she warned.

"Hah-ha." Sam laughed.

Jack soon walked into the Gate Room upon realizing a new Major was due to come into base. He spied Sam with the new face and Daniel standing behind the pair holding a box. He approached. "Carter." he looked to Nikki. "Klaus." He smirked as he found her name amusing.

Instantly, Nikki knew who he was an his last Christmas gift that Jack received as a child from Santa. It was right after losing his grandfather and he was stressed as a young boy. Nikki could see the gift in her mind. She noted more to herself as she spoke out loud. "A fire truck with a ladder."

Jack paused for a moment. "Um…what?"

She stated. "You got a red fire truck with a white ladder the Christmas that your grandfather passed."

His head shot back. "How did you know that?"

"I'm a Klaus." she shrugged. She looked to Sam. "I need to report in to General Hammond."

"This way." she motioned. She noticed Jack's shocked face and wondered if it was a lucky guess or if maybe Nikki had some kind of gift.

Soon, Sam led Nikki up the stairs and to the Control Room. Sergeant Walter Harriman sat at the controls. She decided to introduce her friends. "Walter." she smiled. "I want you to meet my friend, Major Nikki Klaus." She turned, "Nikki this is Walter. He kind of keeps everything together here. He runs the Gate."

Nikki took one look at Walter and recalled him immediately. He was the child that snuck into the bag and hitched a ride to the North Pole and her father had to return. "Not you." she muttered.

Walter remembered his adventure from his childhood. He grinned at her. "It wasn't a dream. Was it?"

"Dream?" Sam asked confused.

Walter told her. "When I was a little kid, I dreamed that Santa Clause came to my house and I found his magic bag and climbed in it. I was looking for more toys. Santa lifted me and the bag and took me with him. When I got to the North Pole, Santa found me and had his daughter take care of me while I was there until he could bring me back home in his sleigh. I woke up in my bed and I thought it must have been a dream."

Nikki muttered. "My brother was supposed to watch the bag."

"What?" Jack asked.

Walter insisted. "You babysat me at the North Pole when I was a little kid."

She gave a deep sigh. "It was a dream. That never happened. You dreamed it."

"No I didn't." Walter insisted.

She shook her head. "Fine! I had to watch you when you were a kid because the elves scared you. They are not good with kids." She then asked miffed. "Do you still believe in Santa?"

"I never stopped." he cheered. "I know I was there."

"Son of a…" she complained. For it would much easier if he forgot and no longer believed. She changed the subject. "I need to report for duty. Where do I find General Hammond?"

Walter pointed amused. "In there. Hey, can I ask you a question, Major?"

Annoyed she asked. "What?"

"Which reindeer did we brush down? Was it Comet?"

"Prancer." she stated. "Comet got into the hard apple cider…"

He laughed. "That's right. He got drunk."

"I have to report in." she stated and walked by him before Walter could expose more.

Daniel was still holding his box. He stated. "I was going to go to my lab but this just got very interesting." He walked into the briefing room.

Jack asked baffled. "Comet got drunk?"

Walter recalled. "Ever try to catch a flying drunk reindeer?"

"No!" he shook his head wondering of Walter was jesting.

He stated. "It's not easy."

Sam walked through wondering if Nikki and Walter were playing some kind of joke and maybe they were simply friends.

Jack followed with visions of a drunk reindeer in his mind.

Briefing Room

Nikki soon found General Hammond's office. She came to attention. "Major Klaus reporting for duty." She gave a salute. Upon laying eyes on George Hammond she saw his last gift from Santa as well when he too was a small child. His last gift was a cowboy hat with matching vest and spurs for his boots.

Hammond smiled upon the Major. "At ease, Major Klaus." He stood up. "We will be having a briefing with SG-1. You should join." he motioned for her to sit down.

Nikki complied and found herself sitting at the table beside Sam. Daniel sat across along with Jack. A new face entered the room. One she never saw before. She did not read any last gifts on Teal'c.

The Jaffa took a seat at the table with a large mug of coffee. He looked upon the new major.

Sam spoke. "Nikki, this is Teal'c. He's Jaffa. He's from another planet."

She quickly figured that was the reason she could not read him. She studied him for a moment. Reaching for his past from some unknown source. "Nice to meet you." she stated pleasantly.

General Hammond took his seat at the head of the table. He started. "I trust Major Carter will debrief you fully on the Gate and your job here, Major Klaus. Now, it is the holiday and we did receive a request from NORAD asking for volunteers to fill in for NORAD Track Santa this year. Myself and Walter have volunteered. I was hoping to add a few names." He looked expectantly at his flagship team.

Sam stated. "I already signed up, sir. Nikki and I both did."

"Very good." he replied and then looked at Jack.

He let out a sigh. "I'll do it."

Hammond then looked to Daniel. "Civilians are welcomed to volunteer, Dr. Jackson."

Daniel sat a bit perplexed. "NORAD Tracks Santa? What is that?" he wondered for he was not familiar.

Sam explained. "It's a computer program we run for the kids that will virtually track Santa Clause on his run around the world for twenty four hours. Volunteers man the phones to talk to kids when they call asking where Santa is." She then encouraged. "It's a lot of fun, Daniel. Sign up."

"I think I have better things to do with my time than play some silly game." he rebutted.

Sam gave him a disappointed look. "It's for the kids."

"I don't have any kids." he reminded her.

Jack quipped. "That you know of."

Daniel insisted. "I'm not wasting my time on that."

Jack teased. "Santa might bring you a lump of coal."

He rolled his eyes. "I never got into the Santa thing and never got a lump of coal."

Nikki stated. "You got a leather-bound notebook when your parents died."

Daniel paused and looked at her. "I did get a leather-bound notebook when my folks died. The foster home gave it to me." he assumed. He then cocked his head. "How did you know that?"

"I'm a Klaus." she excused. "Christmas is our gig." She then stated. "Sam got a Matt Mason doll, Colonel O'Neill got a red fire truck, Walter got the trip of a life time and General Hammond got a cowboy hat, matching vest and metal spurs."

Hammond recalled. "I did get a cowboy hat, matching vest and spurs one year. The year my dog died."

She mentioned. "Most gifts come from parents, guardians, grand parents, and so on. But if the child is having a very difficult year, they get a special gift from Santa."

Teal'c sat observing. He was most interested in what Nikki had to say.

Daniel asked. "And how would you even know that? Providing there really is some fat guy running around in a big red sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer that deliver gifts to kids."

"The reindeer are not tiny." she countered.

He challenged. "Are you saying that Santa Clause is real, Major?"

She shook her head. "No! Santa Clause is a commercialized character. Saint Nicolas was real and so are his decedents."

Walter walked into the room with a file in hand. He handed it to Hammond. "The NORAD Tracks Santa sign up sheet, sir."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Hammond stated.

Sam spoke. "Walter. You said you met the real Santa as a child. What was he like?"

He stated. "He didn't look like Santa we think of. He wore a red suit, no beard and was bald. Little on the heavy side but not like the character. He was nice. Least…that's what I remember."

Daniel asked. "And what was his secret workshop in the north pole like?"

"I didn't see a lot of that." he replied. "I was a little kid and I wasn't supposed to be there. I remember the elves were huge. Like six foot tall. I mainly waited in the stable until he was able to bring me back home."

Hammond looked upon Walter. "Sergeant?"

He explained. "When I was a little kid, I went to the north pole and met Santa and his family, the elves and the reindeer. I know how it sounds and I don't talk about it. My parents told me it was a dream and I thought it was until now."

"Why do you think it was not a dream?" Teal'c asked him.

He explained. "She's Santa's daughter and she stayed with me in the stables." he pointed to Nikki. "His kids can all do magic too. The reindeer can really fly and so can the sleigh."

All eyes fell on Nikki. She asked. "Is it really that hard to believe in Santa? You guys got a Star Gate." she then made a plea. "Please, do not tell my dad about that Gate. He will want to see it and go through it and help little kids on other planets."

Jack wondered if the claims were an elaborate joke. He challenged. "You take us to the north pole to see Santa and then we will decide if he should know about the Gate."

"It's right before Christmas. Our busiest time of the year." she countered.

He insisted. "I want to meet your dad."

"I will ask for permission." she sighed.