Daniel & Adrienne #54 - Greener Grasses

“So, I think since this planet seems to be uninhabited it’s safe to take the entire team,” Sam addressed the group looking specifically at Daniel, who was already frowning, avoiding eye contact with his fiancee. 

“Told you,” Adrienne said, not bothering to hide her satisfaction from their friends, as she leaned back in her chair pleased with herself.  Grumbling, as he had been for days since this mission was first announced, Daniel shot a look at Adrienne and back at Sam, clearly not in agreement. 

“I’ve got plenty that needs to be done here Sam, plenty, we’re way behind in our database work. I think that just me, Teal’c, Cameron and Vala will be sufficient,” Daniel tried once more, an elbow violently jabbing his stomach from his left not deterring his argument for a moment.

“Daniel, there are a lot of ruins to be covered, so I want to send the entire team, of which Adrienne is a part. Jack’s going as well; it’s all hands on deck so to speak.  That way we have plenty of muscle and you have plenty of help,” Sam declared confidently, resting her case and closing the folder symbolically.  Scanned the room, Daniel tried to read the faces of his comrades, desperately, searching for support but no one wanted to take a side either way.  What Adrienne could and could not do while pregnant was the new feud on M-level, one that had begun the day Adrienne was released from the infirmary, too early in Daniel’s opinion, and continued, daily, as they adjusted to their new reality, a reality in which they were engaged and Adrienne was the current holding facility of Daniel’s future offspring. The collective group remained silent, as Adrienne knew they would, giving her a window to stand from the table and take her leave, a bright smile across her face. Pausing at the door, she glanced over at Sam winking at her, the rest of the team slipping out behind her in awkward silence. 

Daniel waited to scold her until they were back in the lab.  Shutting the door behind them, he clicked the remote to the cameras, not wanting Woolsey or any other curious eyes to have access to their private conversations. 

“Ad, I’m not trying to start a fight here, I’m not,” Daniel started, carefully, as he approached, gently pulling her into an embrace, “I just don’t feel comfortable with you going off world in your condition.” She’d come right into his arms, as always, but the words ‘your condition’ made Adrienne pulled back a little, giving him the same face as she had given him in the briefing. It was her new pet peeve, referring to her pregnancy as her ‘condition’ so for a moment he thought she was going to rage out in that strange swamp speak he barely understood, but she didn’t. Instead she took a breath and  looked him in the eyes, the eyes that always melted her heart, reaching her palm to his face, kissing him softly.

“Sha I don’t want us, the baby, anything to stand in the way of what I want to do.  I love you so much but please don’t make me sacrifice myself in the process,”  she said resting her arms around his shoulders, “I’m not even showing yet.  It Anubis hadn’t -” she continued but Daniel made a face at the name so Adrienne rephrased, throwing her hands in front of her face and shaking them, halting his protest.  

“Were it not for that we wouldn’t even have known, why would I have taken a test?” Adrienne said, letting go of him and he sighed, looking to the floor to break their eye contact. 

“I know, I know. Adrienne I just worry, I, I don’t want anything to happen to either of you,” he whispered, reaching out again for her waist, setting his hand lightly where he knew his child to be. She let him stand like that for a moment, knowing he couldn’t feel anything but that emotionally it made him better, before trying to step away as he quickly ran his hand down her arm, halting her exit by clasping her hand.  

“Cameras are off,” he whispered. 

“You’re awful,” she replied but didn’t escape, letting his lips work their way slowly down her neck, “and I’d like to point out that Dr. Lam said I could go on the mission in the very same conversation in which she said we could safely have sex.” 

“You made me that way,” he retorted, his hands slipping to her waist, “and you just said that you didn’t want the baby to interfere in what we normally do,” he moved his fingers to the top of her pants, “and this is something we normally do.....” 

*****

I win. 

Not surprised.  You’re his weakness. Let me guess how...

No, not me ;); but he’s going to hover. That I don’t think I can prevent.

Which will be annoying. At least that’s normal. 

I can’t help it. He cares, I should probably be happy for that. 

Ugh, I can’t believe you’re carrying his baby. You know you’re just reproducing boring, right?

Shut up, see you at the gate. 

Adrienne had waited until Daniel left to text Vala her victory, trying to avoid yet another tiff they had from time to time: Vala’s interference in their relationship. Granted, Vala had moved on, showing up in their room to whine to Adrienne about Ronon at least every other day, but Daniel still glared at her when she was around and discussing anything with Adrienne that he couldn’t hear. Adrienne knew he was still a little upset about getting punched in the face. To top it off, while her friends had remained silent in the briefing room there was a clear divide amongst them when it came to Adrienne leaving the base.  The men had taken Daniel’s side, thinking that with the Anubis threat and Adrienne’s pregnancy, she should stay in the lab, especially since there had been no evidence one way or the other that Anubis had tried Daniel’s dialing sequence. The women, including Sam had fallen in behind her, claiming that as long as Dr. Lam cleared her for duty that Adrienne was fit to continue, her danger on a mission no more perilous then a morning commute in D.C. In the end there was one person whose opinion really mattered: Sam, who also kept Woolsey in check, reminding him how long Teyla had been allowed to participate in operational activities while pregnant. Still smiling that her little seduce your significant other plan had worked, Adrienne set her cell phone onto her desk and began to pack up her things preparing for the mission.  

*****

Daniel knocked at the door to Jack’s office opening it when there was no answer to find Jack was on the phone, standing, rolling his eyes pointing to the seat in front of his desk once he noticed his visitor. Shaking his head, Daniel walked over, remaining standing. 

“Yes, I know, the Joint Chiefs. It’s just a short mission, and if the President wants me to keep up with what’s going on down there I need to be more involved especially if we are going to have to deal with Anubis all over again.  My thoughts exactly.  As soon as I return. Take care,” Jack said, semiprofessionally Daniel noted, hanging up the phone before looking at his friend, a look of sheer annoyance on his face. 

“Just somebody’s little assistant worried that I’m going to embarrass somebody else in front of the powers that be.  Me going along on missions with you guys has not been received very well, only slightly better than you giving out nine chevron codes to that jackal headed asshole,” Jack answered, taking his seat, Daniel mimicking his movement from across the rest. 

“Something about assistants huh?” he joked, raising his eyebrows. Daniel opened his mouth to speak, feeling that was the perfect segway to his request, but Jack put up his hand, leaning over the desk onto his elbows.  

“Don’t even try; I’m not going against Sam on this.  If she thinks Dr. Perky’s fine to go then Dr. Perky’s fine to go.  One thing you’ll learn about marriage my friend, you have to figure out when you need to pick your battles.  This is not one of those times,” Jack explained, Daniel screwing up his face this not being what he wanted to hear. 

“It’s my child too and Adrienne has removed me entirely from the equation,” Daniel whined, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned back in the chair, clearly pouting. Jack smiled, wondering if his friend had any idea how ridiculous he looked pouting right now like a child himself.   

“Stop enjoying this so much,” Daniel added, cutting his eyes as Jack leaned back into his desk chair laughing. 

“What’s not to enjoy? I was right about Dr. Perky, you fell for that little girl hook, line and sinker.  And then you knocked her up and had to slap a ring on her.  I have enough material to harass you with until the day I die,” Jack teased, still laughing. 

“I was going to ask her to marry me Jack, you know that, I was just working out the details,” Daniel defended, Jack laughing even harder.

“Well now that female Daniel is all preggo you’ve had to speed things up so you don’t look like a total ass, I get that. Alright, if you’ve only come down here to bitch about women, christ is that funny to say to you, I’ve got things to do before our little adventure,” Jack said, reaching over to grab the phone once more.  Frowning, Daniel stood and began to leave when Jack set the receiver down, clearing his throat. 

“Did you try.....?” Jack asked, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head downward.  

“Yeah,” Daniel answered, “It didn’t work.”  

“Poor technique my friend, poor technique,” Jack choked out between laughs, grabbing the phone and bringing it to his ear before Daniel could reply.

******

Adrienne stood in front of the mirror, naked, staring at her stomach.  There was still no sign that she was pregnant at all, no protrusion, no bump, nothing, in fact if it weren’t for the confirmation from the doctor and the light wiggle deep inside, one would have never known that Dr. Adrienne Rowan would soon be the mother to Dr. Daniel Jackson’s child. 

It was all so weird, so strange, to think there was a person inside, a person that she had felt move. It had been just a few days since she noticed the fluttering, vibrating and tickling from the inside. Surreal, that was the best way to describe it; after everything that they had been through, both together and on their life’s journey to find one another, not only were she and Daniel engaged but his baby, a part of him, was growing inside of her.  They hadn’t been careless, she had been on birth control since she was sixteen, but it hadn’t worked, here she was, pregnant, unmarried, everything she had been expected to be. At least her clothes still fit, at least he loved her, and she did have a ring. 

She reached down to grab her travel uniform and panties to slip them on, stepping into each carefully, the pants last, dragging the waistband to her hips, her gaze back at the mirror. 

“At least my boobs will get bigger,” she joked to her reflection, sighing as she continued to get dressed. 

*****

The entire contingent of SG1, past and present, met at the gate: Jack O’Neill, Samantha Carter-O’Neill, Daniel Jackson, Teal’c, Cameron Mitchell, Vala Mal Doran and Adrienne Rowan, soon to be Adrienne Jackson or so Daniel hoped.  Adrienne was still holding out, arguing that she wanted to use the name she had used for publishing her dissertation among other papers, but Daniel knew this was more fear of becoming like her family, so he decided not to fight.  Armed with iPad and ready to go, Adrienne cued up the information needed, looking to Daniel as the leader of the expedition, her eyes bright for all of their darkness with a hint of warning that he had better not treat her like his cute little pregnant woman. Smiling, reading the slight tension between the couple,  Sam turned to her husband before she could be caught giggling at Daniel. 

“Now that you’ve mastered the fine art of escaping your desk I have to worry about you all over again,” she said sweetly and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing their foreheads together. 

“You could come.  You have before.  You just don’t like to relinquish control,” he teased, starting to pull away when Vala marched up to both of them, ripping them apart. 

“I have to watch you two get all goopy and now I have to watch those two,” she said, pointing to Daniel and Adrienne, who were standing side by side but making no contact, “blah blah gross cut it the fuck out.” Laughing, Cam looked behind himself to order Walter to dial the gate while Jack kissed Sam goodbye and turned to join his old team.  

*****

“Have I mentioned today that I hate heat and what’s it called when it’s wet?” Vala started complaining about 25 feet from the gate, as per normal, cocking her head back to whine over her shoulder.

“Humidity,” Cameron offered as she nodded her head, pulling uncomfortably at her uniform and continuing to wine.  

“Yeah, humidity. I think Addy seeks out planets that are hot just because she can’t handle the cold,” Vala added, glaring evilly at her friend. 

“I plead the fifth,” Adrienne answered, walking and reading at the same time, nearly walking into Cam who caught her, directing her to step to her left and walk in a straight line. Daniel, however, who was leading the group, glanced over his shoulder directly at Vala.   

“Actually, I picked this one myself.  The entire temple complex is amazingly in tact for its age and I really think that this might give us some more insight into the motives the ancients had for not only their colonization methods but their true dispute with the Ori as well. We still have a lot of questions that have yet to be answered on both fronts,” Daniel explained, pausing to allow Adrienne to catch up. 

“In other words, don’t mess with my woman,” Jack declared, not even trying to hide his laughter.  

“Indeed,” Teal’c concurred as the group marched on.  

*****

The temple, which looked eerily like the Parthenon, was about a four hour hike away at the base of a volcano, a rather large volcano, reminding Jack of evil Latin teachers from middle school. 

“I know that this isn’t your normal area of expertise Daniel, but are you sure that damn thing isn’t going to blow up?” Jack asked, yelling so that Daniel and Dr. Perky would stop their damn sprint forward and take a moment to consider his question. 

“DanielJackson would have refused to let AdrienneRowan go if the chance remained for the volcano to erupt,” Teal’c replied and Jack made a face, noting that Daniel hadn’t even slowed down.  

“Yeah, we don’t matter a damn bit but insert cute assistant and future nerd spawn and suddenly all precautions are taken,” Jack declared, walking to help Cameron set up camp, muttering along the way about not being a damn boy scout. Adrienne, the cute assistant in question, proceeded straight for the temple, her dark eyes scanning the iPad, her own person mini computers, when she felt a gentle grab to her wrist. Laughing, she spoke without looking back.  

“There was a time in our relationship where I would be pinning your ass to the ground right about now sha,” she said in jest and Daniel pulled her back and against him, bringing his cheek to hers and pecking her lightly.

“Why the hurry ja-wer?” he asked.  

“I want to see what’s in there; we’ve been worrying about the scarier aspects of work for a while, I’ve missed this,” she replied but leaned back into him letting him hold her.  It was easier to get him to give in this way and to be honest being pregnant only made her hunger for his touch more, despite his initial protests. That had been a funny conversation. Sensing her need, he went to kiss her again and reply with something smart when they were both pushed forward by Vala, folder and legal pad in hand with a pen tucked at her ear.  

“Gross, nasty, stop it.  Didn’t you already cause enough trouble with that kind of behavior,” she said, pointing the folder at Adrienne abdomen, turning and heading for the temple.  

“When did she get to be so work oriented?” Adrienne asked, half joking as Daniel stepped away, realizing he had forgotten himself. 

“The moment she realized you won,” he replied, following Vala into the building, cutting his eyes over his shoulder at his fiancee who just giggled, her eyes back on the iPad. 

*****

“Hey Indy, come here a sec!” Adrienne shouted across the main entry hall, peering back at the scribbles of ancient written on the wall, rereading the section over again.  So odd, she thought to herself, this was the last thing they had expected to find. Noting that he hadn’t joined her, quite honestly she was shocked he wasn’t physically attached to her person the moment that she said Indy, she looked back over her shoulder to see that Daniel wasn’t in the same room anymore, Vala herself having moved farther away as well.  Teal’c, who had joined them about an hour ago, was no where to be seen leaving Adrienne alone in the main chamber. Surprised, pleasantly not to be hovered over, Adrienne squeezed her radio button at her shoulder, holding a finger in place on the wall to mark her spot. 

“Hey, sha, could you come take a look at this?” she asked, but heard nothing but static in reply.  Frustrated, of course he’s no where to be found when she really found something, she gazed back again in the direction of the other rooms, clearing her throat.  

“DANIEL!!!” Adrienne screamed at the top of her lungs, not wanting to lose her place in the translation going to find him.  She heard something drop in the distance and running in her direction, looking over her shoulder again to see Daniel racing toward her a panicked look on his face.  Sliding to a halt beside her, he reached for her shoulders, turning her, scanning her from head to toe, his focus right at her middle. 

“Ad, are you alright? Do you feel ok? Are you in pain? I knew I should have made you work right with me,” he started to grill her, his hand sliding up her bicep and rising to her cheek but she pushed him back laughing.  

“Chill Indy, I just wanted you to read this, it’s odd, it reminds me of that dream machine. I’m fine, trust me, I’m not going to let anything happen to either of us, ok?” Adrienne replied, reaching out to squeeze his arms seeing that he was already frowning at her. 

“Fine, but for future reference, screaming my name as loud as you can is usually reserved for emergencies, especially when my kid is concerned,” he fussed.  

“Whatever, read this,” she said, returning her attention to the wall, disregarding his reference to the baby as his kid. Calmer, Daniel leaned over her shoulder scanning along with her finger as she ran it lightly across the stone.  

“And through the prayers to the gods and total loyalty to their wisdom and teachings are we able to achieve our greatest dreams and desires,” Daniel read the line as Adrienne tracked for him, peering back to gauge his reaction.  

“Is that what you needed me to read?” he asked and Adrienne nodded, seeing that he clearly was not having the same thoughts as she. 

“Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” Adrienne led and Daniel looked at the wall once more, bending forward and resting his chin on her shoulder as he wrapped right arm around her dragging his finger along the carved text. 

“Yes, it sounds like every other religion we encounter ja-wer,” he whispered in her ear moments later, pecking her cheek lightly but she pushed him away, her cajun eyes glaring at him in warning. 

“Stop patronizing me because I’m pregnant,” she fussed, turning and pointing again. Standing, Daniel humored her, reading the line a third time, slowly, clearly and out loud so she knew that he was really considering her comment. 

“Ja-wer, I see what you’re talking about, it does sound like the dream machine, but there are no instructions to do anything other than believe.  I’m not patronizing you, but we, well lately Vala, usually finds a button of some sort...” he replied, Adrienne scoffing at the simplicity of his argument.  

“Oh, since the Ori needed a button,” she retorted, throwing up her hands in frustration. Shrugging Daniel scanned the text yet again, peeking over the top of his glasses at her scowl. 

“Touché,”he admitted, “make a note and take some pictures.  We can look at it side by side with the images from the dream machine when we get back.”  Pleased to be listened to, and that he wasn’t clinging onto her like he had been doing earlier, Adrienne nodded, holding the iPad up to take the requested pictures.  

*****

After three hours Daniel decided to call it quits for dinner giving him time to go over the diagrams with Adrienne for creating a better plan of attack in the morning. Other than Adrienne’s discovery, there had been nothing there that they didn’t already know, which as Adrienne had said, was disappointing given that this was their first mission of genuine exploration in a long time. His mismatched team of aliens plus future wife didn’t complain, especially Adrienne who he knew was starving.  She ate pretty much all of the time now; he found it funny.  As they left the temple Daniel saw that Jack and Cam had set up a small camp area, no tents, but bags out in the open around a fire, despite Jack’s constant jokes about how they had all become boy scouts.

“Mitchell, what’s to eat?” Jack asked as he saw Cameron reach into his bag, pulling out something and popping it into his mouth as Daniel and Adrienne took a seat on two sleeping bags doing much the same. 

“Powerbars, some beef jerky and I think Addy’s got some food,” Cameron responded, cocking his head at Adrienne, who in turn was making a face of concern. 

“Cough it up Dr. Perky,” Jack requested, leaning over to reach for her satchel, which she jerked away, scowling, her foot defensively in the air.  

“Nuh uh, mine. Did you forget whose child I’m carrying? I am eating for five not two,” she replied, shaking her head and laughing as Daniel glared at her over his glasses, an open PowerBar in hand. 

“Why doesn’t anyone think of food for these things,” Jack complained, deciding his best course of action was to not argue with a pregnant woman, reaching out for the jerky Cameron was offering.  Annoyed, and starving, he chewed it slowly, trying to imagine it was a roast beef sandwich with all the trimmings, lettuce, tomato, Au jois, warm bread.  He opened his mouth to pull off another chunk of jerky, actually tasting the warm meat as it caressed his tongue lightly, the flavor of roast beef, an MGM Roast Beef, those fantastic horrible for you sandwiches he hid from Sam on his day’s off. Proud he was able to conjure such a fantasy Jack savored it slowly, pretending he wasn’t sitting hear listening to his comrades chew on Powerbars or Daniel’s offspring oven nibble her way through her rabbit food. 

“O’Neill, where in the hell did you get that sandwich?!” he heard Cameron demanding from beside him.  About to open his mouth to swear at the colonel for disturbing his daydream, he cut his eyes and saw as he was turning to look at Cameron the exact sandwich he had visualized in his hand.  His jaw dropped as he held it in front of himself, completely mystified. 

“O’neill,” Teal’c bellowed, “Where did you get real food?” Mouth still ajar, Jack took his gaze slowly to his large Jaffa friend, shaking his head. 

“Ya got me.  I was just sitting here thinking how you weirdoes don’t bother with food other than Dr. Health Nut over there and poof, sandwich,” Jack answered as he looked up to see everyone staring at him.  Muttering in French, Adrienne glanced over at Daniel a panicked look on her face who responded likewise, reaching back behind where the couple was seated.

“If you two are speaking French that’s not a good sign,”  Jack said, grimacing, a worried look on his face as he held the sandwich at a distance like a dirty sock.  Still yammering on to his equally annoying geek sweetheart, Daniel pulled the bag into his lap opening it and pulling out Adrienne’s little tech gadget, quickly running his finger along the screen.

“Put the sandwich down Jack,” Daniel ordered seriously, his eyes wide behind his glasses as he pointed at the mysterious food item, Adrienne reaching over into his lap and grabbing the iPad.  

“Uh, shug, he’s not kidding,” Adrienne agreed, looking up to join Daniel in his gaze, the two of them looking eerily alike at that very second. Creeped out even more by the glare the two archaeologists were giving him, Jack slowly set his surprise roast beef sandwich onto the ground in front of him as Daniel looked back at Adrienne before scanning the group. 

“Nobody wish for anything, nobody.  No matter how bad you want something to eat, drink, sleep, nothing, is that clear?” Daniel ordered, getting a flood of nods in the affirmative except for Vala who was already rolling her eyes. 

“What’s going on Glasses? Did you and Addy release a Genie?”  she inquired, her face back to that serious look she had today making Adrienne really question what had gotten into her. 

“Not exactly, but I think I just figured out why this world in uninhabited,” he replied standing from their bag and walking the iPad over to Jack. 

*****

“That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth!” Jack yelled as Daniel tried to explain, “You mean to tell me that these bastards just wished themselves away!?!” Daniel opened his mouth to respond when Teal’c stepped up for him, understanding what the archaeologist was trying to say.

“O’Neill, DanielJackson is saying that the people let their heart’s desire consume them,” Teal’c restated, Jack turning to make a face at him.  

‘Thank you oh wise scholar,” he retorted sarcastically, his head whipping back to Daniel, “so you think i just poisoned myself?” he asked, smart remarks turning into genuine concern as he was quickly regretting his decision to tag along on yet another mission.  

“I have no idea what you did, but I think we need to get you and that sandwich back to the SGC and get off of this planet before anyone else can wish for anything less manageable,” he answered, peeking back to see if Adrienne had anticipated his next request and indeed she had, holding up a specimen bag at him, full of Roast Beef Sandwich.  

“Bagged and tagged my love!” she announced cheerily, shaking the bag and tossing it into her satchel. 

“Alright people, you heard Jackson, it wouldn’t be an SG-1 mission without something going to hell. Strike camp! I don’t want anymore weird wishes coming true that we can’t just toss into a Ziploc bag!” he ordered, not a soul questioning the bloodless look on General O’Neill’s possibly poisoned face. 

*****

“So, do you think Daniel’s right?” Vala hung back, whispering to Adrienne who was walking at the back of the group, her stomach starting to regret trying to down the rest of her dinner as they were packing up camp.  Jack, Daniel and Cameron were in the lead, Daniel trying to explain to Jack exactly what he and Adrienne had found in an effort convince him that the chances of him being poisoned by his juicy wish were low, that it probably was just what it seemed to be, a roast beef sandwich. Cameron, on the other hand, had already moved onto the other possible repercussions of the situation, asking Daniel if this was an area that needed to be guarded and possibly reexamined via satellite, images of Anubis in one piece coming down and wishing himself an army of clones with a longer expiration date. Stopping to fake a dry heave, although it wasn’t going to take much to fake considering the way she was feeling right now, Adrienne pulled her back a bit so even Teal’c could not hear, peeking up to check once more to insure that she would not be heard. 

“Yeah, and that’s what is freaking me out.  I mean, think about it mon ami, we send the wrong team through here and they wish for dinosaurs and poof, we’re all of a sudden in Jurassic Park,” Adrienne whispered, Vala nodding emphatically. 

“That’s a scary damn movie.  But how in the hell does this work? I mean, I want a Porsche so bad I can taste it but here we are walking to the gate rather than blasting by the boys,” she added.  

“There’s got to be more than that, like maybe you think it is a need or something, you have convinced yourself you have to have it.  I mean, you want that Porsche, but you don’t need it enough to focus on it. Plus, there was a lot of equations on the wall, things we were just too tired to go over, it was too overwhelming, we didn’t get a chance to look. Maybe it takes a certain amount of true desire to conjure up a car,” Adrienne offered, Vala laughing, hoping to hide the fear that was crawling through her insides, the fear that she would think the wrong thing, desire something that would cause more harm than good, or worse, send Ronon hurdling through the wormhole into this mess.   

“Then I better get to wishing because I really want that damn car!” she joked as they continued to walk on.  

****

The pop made Daniel turn around.  It was a strange noise, surrounding them, encapsulating them, sounding only seconds before a flash of light that seemed to come from the sun itself. Cameron came to a halt dead in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat, feeling a presence behind him and hot breath at his neck. Knowing in that very instant what had happened the colonel turned slowly, staring shocked beside himself up at a large quarter horse ready and waiting for his comments.  

“I think that one’s on me!” he shouted, reaching up the grab the mane of the surprisingly tame beast, as Adrienne and Teal’c, the two team members closest to him, back slowly away. 

“If I don’t get to eat that sandwich then Mitchell doesn’t get to ride Silver over there,” Jack pointed out, showing concern in his own way Daniel knew. Walking over to his co-leader, Daniel moved to examine the docile animal closer as Cam automatically took a defensive position, wanting to explain before he was told that he screwed up. 

“Look man, I tried, but I just got this overwhelming image of myself riding on horseback back to the gate, it’s been a long hike, a rough week, it just popped into my head,” Cameron explained but Daniel didn’t argue, simply shaking his head and sighing, circling to gain attention of the group. 

“Seems we can’t even let our minds wander for a moment,” he said to himself as much as the others, an idea popping into his head. 

“Try willing it away,”  Daniel suggested, wondering if the terror in the colonel’s eyes would qualify enough for desire and send the horse from whence it came. Nodding, Cameron closed his eyes, Daniel almost stopping him to point out that really wasn’t how it had been done before, but he figured the effort was the same, Cam opening his eyes and groaning that his steed was still standing, staring down at him. 

“Was it supposed to do something?” Vala asked, striding up behind Daniel and throwing her arm on his shoulder, sarcasm dripping from her voice. 

“Shut up,” Daniel replied, frowning, trying to recall what Adrienne had made him read on that wall and the similar passage he had found in his own section. 

“Well genius, what now? You can’t expect us to just shut off our damn brains and we’ve still got another two hours of hiking ahead of us,” Jack inquired and Daniel scanned the group, looking to see if anyone else appeared different, dragging, maybe having some predetermined reason for their particular wishes to come true. 

“Ok, it seems to fixate on a desire that is just close enough to be a need so far, Jack’s hunger, Cam’s exhaustion.  Let’s try another approach.  As soon as you get an image in your head like Cameron, think of something else, something so unimportant that it could never be misconstrued as a true desire,” Daniel instructed, but Adrienne, iPad in hand with the photos they had both taken, raised her hand.  

“Excuse me, sha, do you think that’s such a great idea? What if it’s not the actual object upon which we are fixating but the emotional tie that we attach to it? In that case, we would be simply displacing our desire for one logical item for one significantly less appropriate,” she argued, trying to find the exact line about desire, Jack glaring at her as she spoke. 

“What the fuck, can I get a translation for that, that’s YOU speak?” he shouted looking at the two of them.   

“What Adrienne is saying is that she thinks anything we fixate on will be fair game,” Daniel explained to Jack, turning back to Adrienne ignoring Jack’s further muttering, “but we’re not zen masters ja-wer. Don’t you think it’s going to be difficult to clear our minds, especially in a non-meditative position?”  

“Ok, fine, we’ll go with your plan, but when Teal’c thinks up da gah damn Death Star, donna come cryin’ tah me,” she said, letting her accent slip and her hormones take over, walking carefully around Cameron’s newly arrived steed.  Continuing her pursuit of the gate, Adrienne soldiered on despite the ache in her head and her stomach, waves a nausea races over her. She wanted to get back sooner than later especially with the sun beginning to set, but more importantly to her own bed, even if it was their on base contraption.

*****

Adrienne found out that between the heat, humidity, anxiety and crazy mood swings she was unable to play Zen master herself for very long, especially now that the sun had set. It had gone down well over thirty minutes ago, sinking teasingly in the distance right behind where she knew the gate lay ahead, just out of reach. She was getting tired, she got tired more easily now, and she wanted to sleep, but the thought scared her. What if sleep meant a coma or something that could harm the baby? What if wishing to feel better herself meant that the baby was taken away from her? For all of the years that she hadn’t wanted to be a mother, to have her own family, the thought of losing this precious gift that she would share with Daniel more than she could bare. Quickly, panicking, she tried to think of something ridiculous, anything stupid that would not be something she could emotionally attach herself to.  

“Who in the fuck are you people?” Adrienne heard a voice behind her the moment the pop and light subsided, a very familiar voice, and the sound of Zat guns being activated.  She spun around to see all of her teammates pointing the guns at a figure in the near distance, a tall figure, a tall blond figure, a tall blond Viking figure.  Quick as lightening he dashed and grabbed Vala, bringing his fangs to her neck as he looked up growling before biting. 

“Talk or I eat,” he demanded, bringing the teeth closer to her pale throat but unfazed, at least by the vampire currently threatening Vala, Daniel glared at his fiancee, his face drawn into a scowl.  

“Are you kidding me Ad? You’re pregnant with my child, MY child, and HE is what you think up!?!” Daniel screamed,  Vala still trapped, painfully, Eric Northman’s arms. 

“Little help over here, please,” she requested as Daniel and Adrienne continued to ignore her.  

“I was trying to think of something absurd to protect your child asshole!” Adrienne shouted back, Eric looked up confused at all of them.  

“Stop bickering!! How did I get here!?! Who are you people!?!” he shouted, pulling Vala up forcefully, “I will eat her I swear!!”  Fuming, Daniel looked over at him and closed his eyes, making the same ridiculous face he had seem Cameron make earlier. A blond waitress appeared behind where Eric was holding Vala the very instantly the light dimmed enough for Adrienne to comfortably open her eyes once more, opening her mouth to force a yawn in an effort to pop her ears. 

“Wha en da world?!” she shouted, her thick Louisiana drawl sounding much like when Adrienne got angry, creepily so, Adrienne really had been dead on with their little nicknames, and Eric looked back at her, dropping Vala to the ground.

“Sookie!” he rushed to the woman, pulling her into his arms, arms she curled into without hesitation, a happy couple, unlike the future Jackson’s standing in front of them,  Adrienne glaring at Daniel.  

“What the hell Daniel!?!?” she spat, pointing her finger at Sookie, the very beautiful, very single, ver un-pregnant star of her favorite show.   

“THAT was intentional, to protect my child!” he shouted back and looked at the two cable TV characters, “Now if two will go run off and find some snow covered bed in the woods, we would appreciate it,” Daniel suggested but the Eric character just stepped in front of Sookie. 

“Who are you people?” he asked again and surprisingly, in a way that despite her anger at him just seconds before was really starting to turn Adrienne on, damn hormones, Daniel stared the tall fierce immortal down, intent on defending his family. 

“We’re the people that are supposed to be here; you’re not. We don’t know how you got here or how to send you back where you came from,” Daniel explained, tempering his voice at the end, not wanting to enrage their visitor but simply explain their situation. Disregarding Daniel’s suggestion, the blond man grabbed his companion’s arm, dragging her protectively closer. 

“Then we stay with you; if you brought us here then you’re going to have to find a way to send us back,” Eric declared.  Resigning himself to the fact that he was going to have to spend at least until they figured this out with the only other man that his fiancee would easily leave him for, Daniel turned back to look at Jack and Cameron, hoping that either of them had some sort of epiphany, when the pop, the light, the ominous signal of another wish granted shook their world and he heard a loud joyous shout before he could even asked what had happened. 

“Addy it works!!!” Vala was shouting, jumping up and down in front of a large brown headed man rippled in muscles, “Apparently I wanted a real man more than a Porsche!!” Recognizing Vala’s wish in an instant, Eric bared his fangs, pulling Sookie to his body.  

“Werewolf!” he declared. 

“Put your damn teeth back I thought we were over that by now,” the man declared in a thick southern accent, it occurring to Daniel for the first time why Adrienne liked this show so much; they talked like her.  Fed up, his body language making that quite clear, his fists balled, storming over to Daniel, Jack threw up his hands in frustration, coming to a halt in front of the archaeologist. 

“Didn’t we do this before? Didn’t you guys already live in Dr. Perky TV Land?” he asked, looking over at Cameron who was about to speak when the sound of a laser activating erupted behind him, so loud that one could just barely make out the familiar pop preceding the flash of light.  Unsure of what could have drowned out that noise, everyone took some sort of defensive position, all of their fears the same, that this was Anubis and Daniel had been wrong, the dialing sequence did not rid them of him forever except for Sookie who ran right over to Eric, whining and begging for help. His first concern her safety, Daniel grabbed Adrienne and pulled her to the ground.  

“You, who thinks that almost all programming degrades women, emulate her!?!” he hissed, bewildered by rational.

“No, I actually like Pam better,”  she replied, flatly, frowning right back. 

“What is this place?” a robotic, metallic voice boomed from the same direction as the laser sound, a question of confusion rather than confrontation.  It was voice that Adrienne easily recognized as should her very annoyed and annoyingly overprotective significant other, who was nearly pinning her to the ground.  

“AdrienneRowan, I have not conjured the Death Star but have succeeded in doing better!” Teal’c declared happily, and Adrienne had to laugh, she shouldn’t have, Daniel’s glare confirming that instantly, but she really didn’t think there was a way that this situation could get any more ridiculous. 

“T, what in the hell is wrong with you? That’s fuckin’ Darth Vader!” Jack exclaimed.  

“Yes O’Neill, but since he is truly AnakinSkywalker I shall convince him that there is still good in him,” Teal’c declared, approaching the sword wielding villain, a man on a mission. Fuming, terror quickly replaced with fiery rage, Jack stood now facing Daniel.  

“Ok, remember when I said you were crazy earlier, about how these people died?  Well, you’re not.  Dr. Perky and Vala are wishing for fictional men, Teal’c wants to save Darth Vader’s goddam soul and Cameron wants to play Lone Ranger.  All I wanted was a god damn sandwich!?! Can we make it stop?!” Jack screamed, storming up to Daniel as if he could do anything about it at all, another loud pop behind flash causing Daniel to turn around in a panic out of concern for Adrienne rather than explain to Jack yet again that he had no idea what was happening. When the brightness faded Adrienne was just standing there, a smile a pure satisfaction plastered across her face as she pointed at Jack, raising her eyebrows. Slowly, hoping he wasn’t reading her face correctly, even though he knew Adrienne better than Adrienne knew Adrienne, Daniel turned to see Jack standing there, his breath heaving with rage, the blood vessel in his forehead throbbing, duct tape over his mouth. 

“See why we Southerners keep that around? Works for everything. Now that that’s taken care of, any ideas Indy?” she asked, crossing her arms.  Frustrated that no one seemed to be taking this seriously, including his supposed life partner, Daniel grabbed her arm, continuing their march to the gate, not bothering to see if anyone was following. 

“Ow Indy! What gives?” she asked, jerking away and rubbing her wrist, her feelings hurt more than the slightly stronger than normal twist of skin.  

“What gives is that everyone has lost their damn mind AND I have no clue what is going on AND that’s my kid in there!” he shouted, pointing at her stomach but she made a face at him, daring him with those voodoo, yes that was the word for when she got like this, voodoo eyes of hers. 

“Fine! Fine! Let’s go to the gate, I’ll go back and crawl into bed and leave my future husband here to figure this out on his own ahn just ‘ope ta Gawd dat ‘ee doesn’t get killed en da process. Alhors pas, dat’ll be gud fa mah, aye cahn jus mouter foux!” she shouted back, Daniel not even bothering to translate that not French made up nonsense that she spoke, reaching out again and pulling his future wife to the gate. 

“Jason!” they both heard Sookie shout, after yet another pop and flash, stopping their argument and turning around slowly to see Vala standing smiling to greet a buff blond headed redneck boy who was staring, blankly, yet very confused at his imaginary sister. 

“I can see what Pam’s issue with her is, I can’t even get Alcide in my fantasy and my boobs are much better!” Vala declared, sashaying over to Jason, the old Vala back, the one Adrienne had thought long since abandoned.  

“You two finished? In case you’ve forgotten we’ve got a bit of a situation here! That goes for all of you! We’re going to head to the gate, send Addy through to see if Carolyn, Jen or somebody can figure out what in the hell is going on while the rest of us stay here and wait. THAT is the plan, that, so stop conjuring shit up!” Cameron declared to the group, forgetting about this co-leader bullshit that occasionally put Daniel in charge. 

“Are we clear?!!” he shouted, not receiving an answer from any of his teammates, not even so much as a glance in his direction, “We’re going back to the gate and we’re going to try to get all of you back where you belong!!!”  That, however, got everyone’s attention, each member of SG-1 and each of their surprise visitors turning to face him, Cameron’s face breaking out into a strange and confusing grin. 

“Words cannot express how cool it is that Darth Vader just took an order from me,” he joked, the absurdity of it all taking over, and Adrienne smiled, her temper cooling again, grateful for the joke. Not amused, Daniel just started walking to the gate, grabbing Adrienne’s arm again.  

“Come on, he says that you’re going through too, let’s go,” he pointed out as he pulled, and this time Adrienne didn’t argue.  

*****

Vala and Jason Stackhouse hit it off instantly, so much so that Cameron had to keep going back to make sure they did not deviate from the path, Adrienne clearly warning him what kind of person that Jason was, on the show at least. Somehow Teal’c had convinced Darth Vader that there were other options than following the Emperor and began to explain to him how the Jaffa had rejected the Go’ould, the large Sith Lord following behind appearing to be listening intently. Adrienne had removed Jack’s tape, happily ripping it from his mouth, but surprisingly he didn’t lash out at her, as Daniel had prepared for, fearing he’d have to jump in, but rather stewed in silence for most of the walk back.  Sookie and Eric remained close together most of the walk with Daniel shooting evil glances in the vampire’s direction still angry over him being Adrienne’s conjuring.  Adrienne, angry with Daniel for treating her like an invalid had chosen to walk behind with Alcide, who was obviously upset at Sookie’s clinging to Eric.  They seemed to be having a nice conversation about the southern part of the US and that wasn’t doing much for Daniel’s mood either.  It was such an uncomfortable disaster that Cameron was relieved when the gate came into sight.  Grinning, he started to turn to address the group when that now familiar boom echoed around them, the light flashing around his face, illuminating it for the group like a scene from a horror film. There was a loud thud, much too loud and much to close, the colonel spinning on his heels.

The gate was on it’s side, completely upended, the base ripped completely from the ground. Cameron’s eyes widened, furious, he had had it and he turned to face the group, his cheeks flushed with rage. 

“Who in the FUCK did that!!!!” he screamed at the group and they all froze not a one of them moving. The boom echoed again, the flash momentarily blinding the silent crowd, and a Hatak appeared from thin air, floating itself carefully to the ground. Smiling, Teal’c looked over at Darth Vader. 

“Since you are such a talented pilot already I am sure you will find the flying of the Hatak to be quite simple,” Teal’c explained and the two men approached the vessel, without another word to the group. Throwing up his hands, having no idea why everyone had just completely lost their minds, Cameron moved to stop them, shouting as he walked. 

“Teal’c, do not tell me that you crashed the gate to give Darth Vader flying lessons!?!” Cameron demanded.  

“I did no such thing CameronMitchell. However until the gate is repaired I plan to pass the time with my new ally,” Teal’c answered calmly as he ushered Darth Vader past their glaring leader. Trying to frantically figure out what to do, Cameron scanned the group. Daniel and Jack were standing at the overturned gate, arguing loudly about how to handle fixing it, Daniel pointing back every so often at Adrienne, who was sitting on the ground with Alcide completely disregarding Daniel’s existence.  The other two TV show characters seemed to be in an argument of their own and Vala had disappeared completely, Cameron fairly certain he knew why as her little conjuring was gone as well.  He felt a nuzzle behind him and turned, feeling his horse at his side, shaking his head as he turned.

“I just thought you up buddy and you’re behaving better than my friends,”  he sighed as he pet the animal, walking back toward the gate, figuring that maybe the general and Daniel could come up with something. 

“Just think of a goddam crane Daniel! It shouldn’t be that fuckin hard!” Jack was swearing at him, evidently not as calm as Cameron had hoped. Standing back, he watched as Daniel closed his eyes but nothing appeared, the archaeologist's eyes shooting open and cutting through the lens of his glasses back at his friend. 

“I have no idea what a crane looks like Jack, it has to been something you can visualize!” Daniel shouted back.  

“Where in the hell did you come up with that? Now you tell us? Little late huh Daniel? So, what you’re telling me is that you’ve figured out how to stop it and you can’t and all I’m getting out of you are some fuckin books!?!?!” Jack shouted again, closing his own eyes tightly, but nothing happened.  

“I thought you knew so much about the more masculine side of life Jack,” Daniel spat the moment that Jack opened his eyes. 

“Go to hell Daniel,” Jack replied, Cameron turning to find help elsewhere. 

*****

“I think he’s just trying to show that he cares,” Alcide said gently as Adrienne sighed, reaching for her abdomen as the flutters began, a little wilder than before. 

“I know he is, I know, and he’s pretty amazing, but I spent so long just trying to prove to him that I was a capable individual that knew what I was doing and now that I’m pregnant I’m just having to do that all over again.  He hovers, acts like I have no idea what I’m doing, like I’m not competent enough to make an intelligent decision when it comes to our baby,” Adrienne admitted, quietly, letting out another breath of desperation. Trying to be supportive, the Were reached over and put his arm around her shoulder.  

“You’re probably misinterpreting it.  He seems a bit, well, riled up, maybe that’s just his personality.  I think he’s lucky to have a woman with her head on her shoulders like you agreeing to marry him in the first place,”  Alcide continued as Adrienne looked up at her fiancee, screaming away at Jack and beating at the gate.  

“Oh yeah,” she replied, “Very lucky...” 

*****

“These people are insane. And what in the hell is that rock circle that fell down that they are all bitchin about?” Sookie inquired, glancing over at Eric.  

“I don’t know and I have no cell service here at all. Does this look like fairyland to you?” Eric asked, searching for answers, scanning the screaming people standing beside that very large rock circle, noting that Alcide was comforting someone who seemed to be the focal point of the younger of the two screaming men.

“Are you hungry?” Sookie continued, her eyes darting around the area while her mind tried to shut out the loud screaming thoughts of these strange individuals.

“Only for you,” he replied smoothly, bringing his lips perilously close to her neck, his fangs erect. 

“Then we’re not in fairy land. And Jesus, tell me Jason is not trying to fuck that woman!?!”  Sookie spat, pulling away and standing to start hunting around for her brother.  

*****

Cameron gave up trying to talk to Jack and Daniel.  They just kept blaming each other for being unable to get the gate upright again and after Jack’s insistence that Daniel could not conjure up one tool if he tried Daniel did just that. He conjured up a catapult and threaten to shoot Jack off into the distance.  Sighing, Cam walked over to Adrienne, who seemed to be having some major crisis about the status of she and Daniel’s relationship with a man who seemed very willing to listen. As he approached he heard her talking about how Daniel didn’t even think she should be working at all and that he seemed more concerned now about his offspring than her.  Not wanting to be anywhere near that conversation, Cameron changed direction in search of Vala, who he found easily and decided just as easily that she was in no position to talk, just not in the way he expected. Vala was sprawled across the blond’s lap, whining loudly about Ronon Dex and how he didn’t even notice that she was alive. Teal’c was gone, or at least not on the ground, the Hatak with he and his hero zooming around the sky.  His friends, his team falling apart around him, Cameron just sank to the ground, the horse walking up to join him.  

“I think I’ve figured out Jackson’s little theory.  If you can make every wish or desire come to life, why bother with anything else? The perfect meal, done. Man of your dreams, right before your eyes. Your idol, welcome aboard. Why leave, just stay until your every desire consumes you completely....” Cameron sighed, realizing that he was talking to a horse, pulling up the grass and reaching behind his shoulder, feeding his companion. He wished he could figure out a way out of this, it seemed that all of his friends had gone crazy in one way or the other, the larger the wishes the crazier the behavior. Glancing back over at the gate, the colonel noted that Jack had now conjured up what looked like part of the Odyssey transporter system and Daniel was standing beside some clear casing with Adrienne locked inside of it, screaming at him, her werewolf friend now reaching for Daniel’s throat.  The Hatak swooped overhead just barely drowning out the sound of Adrienne pounding on the side of the box, Cam now noticing that her entire torso was wrapped in bubble wrap.

“Adrienne calm down, please,” Daniel was pleading, “I can’t control it, please, my brain is coming up with insanity, please, I don’t want to hurt the baby.” His eyes were frantic as Adrienne fell to her knees inside her prison, crying softly into her hands while Alcide, no longer worrying with Daniel, was trying to pry apart the back walls of the container. 

“I wonder what in the hell that temple said, exactly, what those damn pictures that Addy took had in them,” Cam stood, scanning the ground looking for Adrienne’s satchel and finding it instantly, lying on the floor of the case, the cajun archaeologist digging through it frantically. He started to approach, wanting her to take it out and hold it up for he and Daniel to read, but when she removed a marker scrawling on the inside of the glass as she cried, a message that read “Why don’t you trust me?” Cam froze. Standing there is disbelief, Jack now having conjured a rocket launcher, the Go’ould ship soaring, Vala still missing, Daniel was now on his knees, palms and face to the glass, plastic, whatever it was, the floor of the container gone, replaced by a feather bed and padding on three of the four walls. 

“There has got to be a way out of this,” Cameron said aloud, trying to remember if he had overhead Daniel and Adrienne talking about anything in English.  All he could remember was them babbling on in French like they did, sitting there on their sleeping bags in front of that temple, that one that made Adrienne scream like a little girl in delight because it looked so much like the one in Greece.  He stood there, trying to ignore the swoop of the ship, the swears from Jack, the insane screaming of Daniel, the banging of Adrienne and Alcide’s fist on the walls when there was a pop and a flash. Dreading what he was going to see when he looked up, Cam directed his gaze slowly, relief washing over him as he caught sight of the latest incarnation. Right in front of him was the temple, or a replica, or something, he wasn’t sure what, but he leapt to his feet.

“Daniel, you think you can stop freaking out over there, come back here and read this again?” Cameron yelled, hoping that this version had something like the two were reading before. Shaking his head, Daniel looked away from his fiancee and the werewolf, his face brightening at the sight. Without a word, he ran over to Cameron, so quickly he was out of breath when he arrived.

“That’s the first good thing anyone has come up with since this whole fiasco began,” Daniel complimented, holding his head and grunting.

“Cam, I need you to go stand by Adrienne, watch her, make sure nothing happens to her please,” he added, standing by the doorway, squinting and squeezing his temple. His friend stood there confused, Daniel throwing up his hands to shoo him on, talking as he headed inside. 

“Less rational, it makes you less rational, the bigger or greater the wish the more of your common sense it takes. I need to focus, please watch Adrienne,” he pleaded, his eyes wide with fear, ‘I’m afraid of what I will think up next...” Nodding, Cameron dashed back to Adrienne while Daniel rushed to where she had been before, his finger frantically tracking the text. 

“And through the prayers to the gods and total loyalty to their wisdom and teachings are we able to achieve our greatest dreams and desires,” he began, going into the part that he had not read himself, what he had Adrienne photograph, thinking of Adrienne again, was she hurt, she was crying, was the baby alright, what if she lost the baby...

“Focus dammit!!”  he screamed, forcing his eyes closed and reaching under his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose before continuing.  

“The gods have gifted those who have given their hearts fully and granted them what they have desired, to join us,” Daniel read, speaking out loud as if Adrienne was right there.  

“It’s looks like this simpler group figured out how to take this little wishing gift and use it to ascend themselves.  My guess is my old friends weren’t too thrilled with that little development and probably annihilated the society,” Daniel explained to no one, noticing the silence, remembering that Adrienne was not right beside him, he needed her beside him, he needed her beside him forever, he should have gotten a preacher then and there he should have married her right there in that cafeteria....

“DANIEL!!!” he heard screaming from outside, “THERE IS A VERY CONFUSED  PREIST OUT HERE!!!

“Come on Daniel, do this, do this for her, for your friends. For you,” he spoke to his unborn child, leaning back over his shoulder. 

“CAM!!” he screamed, “I need your help!” There was noise outside, apologies, and running, the colonel racing to his side. 

“Please tell me that you’ve figured out a way out of this?” he asked, looking back over his shoulder, hoots and other noises coming from the outside. 

“What was that?” Daniel asked, Cam swallowing. 

“The Amazons, like those crazy Greek ladies. Addy seems to think they need to teach you a lesson on women’s rights...” he answered, Daniel peering around his shoulder and closing his eyes. Again with the pop and the flash and Cam checked behind him to see two large bronze skinned women encased in ice. 

“Alright, I think it was an experiment; the Gou’ld weren’t the only ones to toy with humans.  Give them this power, tell them if they were good little children that it would work and see what happens.  As far as leaving it turned on, which it seems that they did, I have no idea, maybe something else came up or maybe they were waiting for a group like us to stumble upon it and see how we’d react,” he said the last word as he looked back over his shoulder but Cam didn’t need a visual to remember what was happening. As he had dashed inside he had finally caught sight of Vala who was leaning into her fictional boy toy’s lap and he sat back against a tree, chatting to Eric and Sookie like they were old friends.  He had left Jack conjuring up all manner of things, looking like he was just testing his ability to do so.  Adrienne was still inside her box, he knew, adding to her wish for the large warrior women an array of weapons which she was setting up to blast the sides down while her new friend was trying to pry her out from the bottom.  All the while Teal’c and his hero had not touched down for one moment, still swooping around them. 

“I think we failed,” Daniel admitted, a pop, flash and clang directing both men’s gazes to the ground, a pair of wedding rings bouncing lightly on the stone. 

“You think?” Cameron retorted, “Ok, so a solution?” Daniel looked back at the wall and mouthed some things to himself, Cam hearing a blast from outside, fearing the worst. 

“It reads like we can just wish all of this away. But I tried, especially with the gate.  As long as even one of us desires one of these things more than what they really have, then we’re, well, screwed,” he replied. Frowning, Cam, stormed out of the temple, determination on his face. Since this entire mess started with Jack, Cameron approached him first, collecting himself before he spoke. 

“General, look, next mission you can pack the food.  MRE’s, Subway sandwiches, hell I will hunt and cook you fresh frickkin meat myself.  Is it worth all of this insanity? Just wish for this damn Powerbar,” he pulled one out of his jacket, “and no more food, no more stupid things you’re trying to conjure up just to screw with Jackson.  Don’t you want to get home to Sam?” Cameron asked, Jack scowling the entire speech.

“I’m not a child Mitchell, of course I want to get home to my wife.  At this point I’d eat dirt just to get to her,”  Jack countered, the first rational desire he had had all day.  The words crossed his lips, believable words,  everything around him disappearing. From the corner of his eye, Cam could hear Adrienne beating on the case waving an empty plastic baggie, her head bobbing up and down with excitement. Smiling, Daniel was right, it was the difference between wanting something and understanding what you already had, Cam jogged up to the plastic pressing his face close so that Adrienne could hear him. 

“Addy, you alright?” he shouted and Adrienne nodded her head yes opening her mouth to speak, but between the case itself and the padding surround the cajun, he couldn’t hear one word that was coming out of her mouth. 

“Fine then just listen? Now, I heard your bullshit excuse about conjuring that man over there. Really? You want to give Daniel reasons to be neurotic?” Cameron demanded and Adrienne just looked down, a part of her knowing that a real alternate wish would have been for something stupid, not her fictional crush. Glancing behind him to make sure they were as alone as they could be, the werewolf having ventured back over to his company, the priest sitting quietly by the DHD. Solemn, Cam leaned closer, making eye contact with his friend. 

“Girl, I feel ya, ok, I do.  You and Daniel dating, fine, but now you’re stuck with him, baby, marriage and you can’t just be you anymore, be on your own. I get that.  No one says you have to marry him just because you’re having his kid, you two are good enough friends that you could make it work if you’re not ready” Cameron said but Adrienne shook her head, speaking words that he could not hear. Instead, what he did hear was a pop and a shriek and looked behind him discovering that Eric the vampire was gone, the blocks of ice containing the pair of women vanished, the weapons at her feet gone. There was a beating on the side of the case, Adrienne holding up her left hand, pointing to her engagement ring. 

“I love Daniel,” she mouthed slowly, “more than anything. I DO want to marry him.”  

“That’s what I thought,” he answered, turning his back to her and grabbing his radio.  

“T, hey buddy, you ‘bout done up there? Daniel’s figured out how to solve this mess. Just say good-bye to Darth Vader, wish yourself right back down here. It’s a story T, a story, and as shitty as things are right now on the council, Darth Vader’s not Ry’ac or your grand daughter. Is it worth never seeing them again? Come on down, we can head home and go get some beers or something,” Cameron said and clicked off the radio, hoping this strategy would continue to work. There was a pop, the flash and Cameron felt a hand on his shoulder.  

“I expect you shall buy the beers Cameron Mitchell,”  Teal’c said smiling.  

“As many as you want,” he replied, feeling considerably more confident as walked over to Vala, who was trying to calm the blond waitress with the stupid name.  Crossing his arms across his chest, he decided to take a different approach with the most unique of his friends. 

“Vala,  I’m not pleading with you.  You wanted friends, you got us. Period.  Are these people better than us? Are we that bad? Are you that pissed that Addy and Daniel ended up together? Hell, ya got a mystery man to let you lay all over him and what did you do? I heard you, you laid there whining about Ronon. So, just pick your poison, who are the important people in your life, because I just need know whether or not you’re coming back with us,”  Cameron lectured, refusing to uncross his arms or look away.  Lips pursed, Vala looked back at her TV fantasy group, scanning each of them carefully, before glancing back at Cameron, defeat in her face. 

“I really hate you guys sometimes, especially you,” she admitted in her own way that he was exactly right, Alcide and Jason disappearing into thin air leaving the tall woman smiling slightly.  Leaning over, Cam kissed her cheek, bringing his lips to her ear.

“You should tell Dex, I’m pretty damn sure he has no clue,” he assured her, squeezing her bicep. The end in sight, Cam spun confidently on his heels, starting back for Daniel and the temple.  Halfway there he heard his trusty steed approach him, having forgotten about the horse, only one of two wishes he had. Sighing, Cameron stopped and put his hand on the beast’s neck, scratching underneath its mane. 

“Buddy, if I could keep you and take you through that gate I would.  You can’t buy a horse this good at home.  But at the same time, I’d like a home to go back to, and I kinda love the life I have there,” Cam spoke to the horse as if it understood him, lifting his hand away, light flashing, the beast disappearing with a pop.  Noting that he really needed to look into getting a horse he could stable nearby as soon as he was home, he trudged on, finding Daniel sitting in the doorway of the temple, staring out toward where his fiancee was sitting on the white feather bed in the very protected, padded case.  

“Everyone else is clear except for you Daniel.  Your turn to try,” Cameron said, the temple, the colonel’s last wish, disappearing from behind his friend. Standing, Daniel dusted off his pants and closed his eyes, a pop, a flash and Cam heard Vala scream something like ‘Later bitch’ so he assumed that the waitress was gone. Turning back to the gate, he saw that it was still laying over on its side and Adrienne still sitting quietly in her clear prison, a confused holy man sitting nearby. Daniel looked over at it, at Adrienne, at everything he had conjured, concentrating but nothing happened. Understanding, seeing it in his friend’s desperate gazed, Cameron took a step forward, placing his hand on Daniel’s shoulder.  

“Daniel you can’t keep her locked away.  If you’re going to marry her you’ll have to trust her judgement, not just in the lab but in your family as well.  She’s a smart and capable woman and you need to lay off of her a bit,” Cameron said, as non-confrontational as possible.  

“I’ve lost too much already,” Daniel answered, not looking at the colonel, just staring away at the woman he loved. 

“I think you’ve finally hit the jackpot.  Just sit back and enjoy life for once instead of worrying what it will bring next,” Cameron continued, Daniel pulling away, striking up the hill, breaking into a run, quickly making it to the box and too Adrienne. Kneeling so he was at her level, Daniel knocked on the glass making Adrienne look up to meet his gaze. 

“I love you and I’d die without you, but I love our child to and if anything happened to him or her, it would tear me apart. So, I love you both, and I just want to protect you. I never thought you couldn’t do this, actually, I think you’re going to be an amazing mother,” Daniel admitted, reaching his palm to the barrier, “but I can’t lock you away. I trust you Ad, I trust us and I want you here with me, not hidden away.” It seemed simultaneous this time, the pop, the flash and he felt her warmth, her arms wrapped around him, her lips on his own, kissing him slowly. 

Daniel didn’t even notice when the wormhole formed behind them, the gate upright, Jack dialing home, as he had no intention of removing himself from Adrienne’s lips. 

*****

“Why aren’t you packed?” Daniel asked as he entered the lab after his meeting with Sam, the hunt for ZPMs resuming with the Anubis front still quiet. 

“It’s just a simple scouting mission, right? If there’s a ZPM there great, if not head back home? I think I’ll sit this one out, go chill with Sam while I wait for you to get back,” she answered, no tone in her voice, a slight smile on her face as she walked over to her desk, grabbing her satchel to toss across her chest. 

“Adrienne, I told you I was going to lay off. Please don’t punish me,” he pleaded, turning her by her shoulders to face him, bringing his palm to her cheek but she shook her head, leaning to peck him lightly. 

“I’m not punishing you silly, I’m listening to you. I’m looking out for the baby and not just myself. I was a little sick this morning and there’s fluttering like crazy; I can’t concentrate with that,” she admitted, Daniel’s eye lighting up as he reached gently for her abdomen. 

“Strong enough for me to feel yet?” he asked, excited, but she shook her head, yet again, her smile turning into a frown. 

“Sorry sha, not yet, maybe when you get back,” she answered, leaning up to kiss him passionately.

“Have fun and come back to me,” she requested as they broke away from a kiss neither of them wanted to end. 

“I always do,” he replied, grabbing his bag from where he had set it beside the door. Tossing it over his shoulder, he started to walk to the door, pausing to look back over his shoulder. 

“I love you ja-wer, and you too little one,”  he said from the doorway, a tender smile across his face. 

“We love you too daddy,” she teased, resting her hand on her stomach.

Smiling, her words lingering in his mind, Daniel left, for the first time in a long time, without her.