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 My Friend, Danny

It had been a long day. Doctor Mike Loughlin sighed as he closed the books he’d been using for references. Finished typing the questions for the test he was going to surprise his students with the next day. It was his way of determining whether he was reaching the young people who filled his classroom each day…or if he was missing the mark, and losing their interest and attention. He was certain that his students wouldn’t appreciate his attempt to ‘fine tune’ his teaching methods. Then again, he hadn’t been hired to make them happy. He’d been hired to teach them.

A knock on his office door brought his head up. He wasn’t really in the mood to deal with anyone, not even his TAs. With another sigh, he finished saving the document, and sent it to be printed. "It’s open," he called. His attention remained fixed on what he was doing.

"Are you still working? It’s after seven!" The intruder walked into the room, stopping in front of the cluttered desk.

Mike looked up at the owner of the soft voice and grinned broadly.

Tall and willowy, her brown hair brushing her shoulders, her hazel eyes smiling as warmly as her lips, the interloper folded her arms. She waited patiently for his response.

He’d feared that Bernie…Doctor Bernadette Watson, archaeologist…was going to leave him right after having Doctor Daniel Jackson and his friends help with a dig right there in Washington state. Not that the group was there long…a night and a day, actually. He hadn’t let her know he’d been aware of the letter she’d given Daniel; would never admit that he’d read it. He’d also known that Daniel was crazy in love with his beautiful wife, and anything that might have happened between the younger man and Bernie had been lost in the years that had passed.

He hadn’t argued with her when she’d insisted on leaving for a dig in Central America as soon as they’d used up their time on that mountain near Wenepo. She wanted, she told him, to do work that dealt with her own specialty. There hadn’t been any actual discussion on the issue, but, it seemed as if their relationship was over. He’d been crushed. When Mike found himself called upon to stand in for a speaker at an archaeological convention in Chicago, he’d met up with Daniel and Casey. In fact, they’d flown to Chicago specifically for his presentation. Casey had assured him that Bernie loved him. The little spark of hope that he’d refused to acknowledge began to burn brighter.

And then, three weeks after that convention, Bernie had called. To his surprise, she’d asked him to join her. She’d greeted him warmly when he’d arrived at the camp, accompanied by one of the other archaeologists who had made the trip into town to pick up supplies as well as their visitor. The first night he’d been at the camp, Bernie had made love to him. They’d spent their days digging…and talking. She’d confessed that when she’d left Washington, she’d still loved Daniel. Then she told him that she loved him, and asked if he still loved her. He’d assured her that he did. Mike didn’t know what had happened, what had changed in Bernie’s heart and mind. All he knew was that the specter of Daniel Jackson no longer hovered between them. Her love belonged to him now. He gave himself a mental shake and corralled his meandering thoughts. "Just finished," he said, answering her question.

"Good. I’m more than ready to go home. If I have to listen to one more excuse about why the paper that’s due tomorrow ‘isn’t finished yet’, I’m going to scream," Bernie declared.

Mike grinned. ‘Rough day, huh?"

Bernie dropped down onto the chair in front of his desk. "I don’t know if it’s just me, if I’m getting old or something, or these kids don’t seem to be prepared for college life at all."

"I don’t think you’re getting old. Well, not too old," Mike teased.

"Remember, Professor, you’re older than I am," Bernie retorted, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

Mike grinned again, then leaned back in his chair. "I know what you mean, Berns. I had a young lady tell me that there were three books on the reading list that she refused to read. I asked her why. I thought maybe there was something in the content that she was objecting to. She told me, and I quote, ‘I looked at them, and they’re over five hundred pages long. It will take forever to read them’."

"Oh for the love of Quetzalcoatl!" Bernie exclaimed.

"Yeah, apparently if it’s more than two hundred and eighty characters, it’s ‘too long’," Mike sighed. "It doesn’t help that I’ve had to add five books to the list just to introduce them to history they should have learned in high school."

"I don’t blame the teachers in the high schools…much," Bernie said. "They’re stuck teaching kids with a curriculum meant to appease politicians and helicopter parents, not offer an actual education."

"I know. It seems that every year, more kids show up in college classes woefully unprepared," Mike said. "I spend half the damned semester trying to teach them what they should already know, and then there’s not enough time to cover all of the information I need to cover for the course. I figure the best I can do is add the books to the reading list and insist that they’re read in the first three weeks. And I know these kids have other courses and other reading to do." He shook his head. "I’m beginning to think that a basic history course should be a prerequisite to my 101 courses."

"Have you talked to Alan about it?"

Alan Sturgess was probably the most arrogant, poorly educated archaeologist Mike had ever met. Sturgess was as ignorant of most history as the freshman students coming into his classes. How Sturgess had managed to get his doctorate was a complete mystery to him. The politics of the university was the only explanation for his position as the head of the department. "I tried. Apparently if I were a professor worthy of the title, I’d be able to teach it all in fifteen weeks. I can barely teach my course material in fifteen weeks!"

Pushing herself to her feet, Bernie offered the man in front of her a smile. "How about we go home, and forget about staff meetings, administration politics, and student stupidity."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Mike said. He turned off his computer, rose to his feet, and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.

As she always did, Casey gave a soft sigh as she walked through the door. "I am so glad to be home," she declared.

"Me, too," Daniel murmured.

It had been one of those days. It had started out with the routine Monday morning ‘all hands’ briefing. During which it had been announced that yet another delay would prevent the newest 302 from joining the Daedalus and Prometheus in protecting the planet. While the reason for the delay was exciting – the Tegerians had offered scientific equipment that needed to be installed and connected to the computer system – it was still a delay.

That meeting had been followed by six pre-mission team briefings, three of which both Jacksons had been required to attend. While the briefings weren’t an issue, it was unusual for the two of them to be called to so many in a single day. Which had interfered with work both had been trying to do. Then the entire computer system on level eighteen had gone down. Sam and Siler still hadn’t figure out why by the time the couple had left, although all the computers were functioning once again. However, all the work that had been in progress was lost.

Casey dropped the grocery bag she was carrying onto the kitchen island. Daniel did the same with the two he was holding. She immediately began pulling fresh vegetables from the bag, took them to the sink and began to wash them.

Daniel grinned, and pulled out the frozen pizza that they had decided would do for dinner. He checked the box, and then set the oven temperature. Located the pizza stone they had just recently purchased, and slid it onto the oven rack. When the oven was hot enough, the pizza stone would be ready.

Opening the cabinet door, frowning when she couldn’t see what she was searching for, she glanced over her shoulder. "Do you think SG-11 will be okay? I mean, I know I didn’t sense anything…" She paused. "I just hope they understand what I was trying to tell them. The society they’re about to visit is very strict. Just one perceived infraction of their laws…" She shivered.

"You were very…concise," Daniel grinned. "I think the ‘pretend you’re in the principal’s office and don’t do anything without explicit permission’ was pretty straightforward."

"Ha ha. It was the best analogy I could come up with," Casey retorted. She opened another cabinet door, then another.

"Relax, Case. The team will be fine. They know to be extra careful. Dishwasher, babe," Daniel said, noting what his wife was doing.

"Thanks." She grabbed the bowl, and began tearing the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and dropping them into it.

Daniel leaned against the island. "Need any help?"

"You could start chopping the green onions, and slice the radishes."

"Got it." He grabbed the new cutting board, purchased at the same time as the pizza stone, and began to slice the veggies.

Casey was busy cleaning and cutting the bell peppers on her beloved grandmother’s ancient cutting board. She was certain it made the veggies cut on it taste better. After the day they’d had, she wanted something to totally take her mind off of anything and everything SGC. She mentally began going through the titles of the movies in the entertainment cabinet. She sighed softly.

He looked over at her; raised an eyebrow. "Case?"

She gave a small shrug. "Just in the mood to put the SGC, and all of the annoyances of working there out of my mind for a bit."

The oven beeped to announce it had reached the chosen temperature. Daniel slid the pizza onto the stone, then set the timer. With that task was completed, he slid his arms around his wife’s waist.

"Did you know there will be twelve teams out next week?"

"Really?" He knew she’d had a meeting with General Hammond late in the afternoon.

"Yep. I think General Hammond is a bit concerned about it. He said that’s the largest number of teams who have been out at one time since he’s been at the SGC. And Lou said the general was the one who commissioned all the teams."

Having half of the SG teams out of the mountain at one time meant that any of those SG teams could be in danger at any moment. While Casey was able to give the teams an idea of what they would be facing, things could and did change. Nothing, she said repeatedly, was written in stone. No wonder she was feeling on edge! It was bad enough when six or seven teams were out at once…but twelve teams?

"Fortunately, it looks like the majority of them are looking at a very boring twenty-four to forty-eight hour missions," Casey grinned. "I told General Hammond maybe we should start issuing card decks for the teams heading out, just in case they get too bored."

Daniel chuckled. "What did he say to that?"

"Well, he laughed, and said he’d take it under consideration. Three is going out, and they’re going to be pretty bored while Rick Driscoll is doing a study of several rock formations. Apparently, the formations could be indicative of naquadah. The lieutenant is looking forward to the mission, the rest of the team, not so much."

Daniel snickered. It was common for any scientist assigned to an SG team to be excited about possible finds on each mission. The military personnel, however, weren’t as enthused. Lieutenant Driscoll just happened to be a geologist. Just like Cam…he turned his head slightly, not wanting his wife to see any pain that might reflect on his face.

"So, there will be card playing," Casey continued. "Lou is determined to figure out how Kid keeps beating him."

"Kid is beating Lou in poker?" Daniel asked incredulously. Major Ferretti was known as the SGC card shark. "I wonder how?"

Casey giggled. "It’s not that difficult. Lou tends to get this really bored look on his face when he has a good hand. Tries to look like he’s falling asleep if the hand is really good. And he starts grumbling about anything and everything if he has a super good hand."

With a frown, Daniel began to call up memories of playing poker with the Marine. In spite of his careful examination of those games, he couldn’t remember for certain if he’d noticed any of the things Casey had pointed out. It did, however, explain how she’d managed to win so many hands against Ferretti!

"Don’t tell anyone," Casey said softly. "Lou takes his poker seriously. I’d hate for him to start losing all the time because we can read his face and body language. And…just to let you know…Jack does the same thing."

It was impossible not to laugh at that tidbit of information. "I’ll try to keep that in mind."

"In mind is okay. Just don’t talk about it," Casey shrugged.

The timer beeped, and Daniel pulled the pizza from the oven. He took two plates and two salad bowls from the cupboard as Casey finished tossing the vinaigrette into the salad. They sat down to eat, their discussion focused on the amount of work the next day would hold for everyone on level eighteen, as all the day’s lost data and multiple reports were redone. Hopefully the computer system for the level wouldn’t crash again.

Mike followed Bernie into the apartment. Dropped his coat onto one of the chairs beside the table, and began to sort through the mail he’d picked up from their mailbox. Tossed the bills aside, and glanced at a few of the ads.

"Anything interesting?"

"Not so far." He continued tossing envelopes and flyers onto the table. He paused when he came across a letter-sized envelope with a Colorado return address. "Hello!"

"What?" Bernie walked up behind him, slipped her arms around his waist.

"A letter from Daniel." His heart shuddered when he felt her body stiffen behind him.

"Jackson?"

"Yep."

Bernie peeked over his shoulder. "Gonna read it?"

"Guess I should, huh?"

"Yes, you should. I’m ordering Chinese for dinner, is that all right?"

"That’s fine," Mike relied absently. He turned the letter over in his hand several times.

Bernie watched for a moment. She could see the worry…the fear…in Mike’s brown eyes. Reaching up slowly, she caressed his cheek. "He’s crazy in love with his wife. I’ve moved on from a silly…I’ve moved on from my obsession with him. I’m here – with you – because this is where I want to be," she said softly.

Mike dropped the letter onto the table with the rest of the mail, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "I love you, you know that, right?"

She flipped her brown hair over her shoulder, a smile tugging at her lips. "I think it’s been mentioned a time or two." She leaned up and gently kissed him. "I love you, too."

The archaeologist grinned, then picked up the letter. "I want Moo Goo Gai Pan."

"Got it." Bernie picked up her phone, searched for the number she wanted, then went into the kitchen to place the call.

Mike opened the envelope and took out a single sheet of paper. A business card fell to the table. He absently picked it up, already reading the familiar handwriting.

"Dear Mike," the letter began. "I know hearing from me is probably a bit of a shock. I’ve wanted to keep in touch, but life around here is pretty hectic."

"No kidding," Mike muttered beneath his breath. He was still dealing with everything he’d learned from Daniel in that cave near Wenepo. That had been at least two years prior; even now trying to wrap his mind around what Daniel – and his friends – had told him and his dig team that day… Nope, not going to think about it right now!

Bernie came back into the room. Took in the shocked look on her lover’s face and began to panic. "Mike, are you okay?"

He shook himself mentally. Then began to grin. "You’ll never guess who just offered me a job!"

She stared at the letter still in his hand. "Daniel?"

Mike grinned. "Yep."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep," he replied, his grin going wider.

"And?"

"It’s a way off of this ridiculous merry-go-round of unprepared students, campus politics, and general dissatisfaction with my life," Mike said quietly.

"I know you’ve been unhappy-" Bernie stopped, then grinned broadly. "I know you’ve been wanting to do real work, like that dig in Arizona you keep planning."

Excitement danced in his eyes. "This is a chance at something different, Berns. Something…something big."

Bernie tugged her lip between her teeth. "So…" she asked, praying that her voice wouldn’t betray her. She had, she decided, grown up, and accepted what she’d been given; had stopped pining for what she would never have. She’d gotten her life together, was happy…actually, very happy…with Mike. Oh, he was still a pain in the ass at times. Their love life was…satisfactory; Mike might not be imaginative in the bedroom, but he did keep her satisfied. He was still rough around the edges, or at lease more than most of the men she knew, but still… She knew Mike loved her. He treated her with love and respect. She could talk to him about anything. While their relationship might not be considered ‘passionate’, if fulfilled her needs. She had a friend she could count on. A lover she could turn to. Yes, she was happy. And damn it, she didn’t want anything to screw things up!

"I’m gonna call him," Mike said, holding up the business card. "I’m also going to tell him that it has to be a two-for-one deal. He hires you as well, or I won’t work for him."

She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. That’s proof he loves you, she told herself. "Thanks," she replied softly.

Mike glanced at the clock. "Any idea what time it is in Colorado?"

"They’re an hour ahead of us."

"Right. Eight-thirty their time." With a wide grin, Mike grabbed his phone, checked the numbers, than began dialing.

As soon as dinner was over, Casey unloaded the clean dishes from the dishwasher, and started reloading it with the dinner dishes. Daniel dealt with the day’s mail, then went to the living room to set up the movie.

"Any preferences?"

"Not really," she replied truthfully.

His own mood being rather random, he literally just opened the drawer where the DVDs were stored, grabbed one, and put it into the player. Casey was settling beside him just minutes after he’d made himself comfortable.

One of their favorite movies began to play. It had become a favorite mostly because they enjoyed arguing over whether it was an action film, or a romantic comedy. His wife wasn’t, she had informed him, a Tom Cruise fan, but the movie, ‘Knight and Day’ was one she thoroughly enjoyed. And it was, she insisted, a rom-com. Daniel wasn’t sure how she could call it that, considering all the intense action in the film. But it was fun to disagree over it, and watch and enjoy it together.

Daniel hit the pause button on the remote. "Did I just hear one of the cell phones?"

"Dunno, I didn’t hear it," Casey replied.

Before he could restart the DVD, he heard the distinct tone of an ‘anonymous’ call on his phone.

"Probably just a telemarketer," Casey grumped. Then cocked her head sideways. "Better grab it, Stud Muffin."

He jumped to his feet and dashed to the bedroom, where both his and Casey’s cell phones rested in their chargers. He grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Danny!"

Daniel grinned from ear to ear. "Mike!"

"I got the most interesting letter today," Mike continued.

"Do tell," Daniel replied. He sat down on the side of the bed.

"I want to let you know I’m interested. But…there’s a catch."

He felt his heart drop. "And that catch is?" Daniel asked.

"You’ll have to hire Bernie as well. It’s both of us, or neither of us."

Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle. "That’s a catch I can live with."

"So, what do we do?"

"I’ve already spoken to the general about you. I’ll need to get permission to hire Bernie as well, but, given the situation…I’m assuming that this ‘catch’ means the two of you are happily together?"

"Very happily," Mike responded, grinning at Bernie as she watched him. His heart fluttered in his chest when she grinned in return and winked at him.

"Congratulations! I’ll just let the general know. I’d already approached him about hiring as many as four more archaeologists, or two archaeologists and a couple of anthropologists. I don’t see any problems with getting you and Bernie down here."

"Okay."

"I’ll call as soon as I know for sure. Then, the two of you jump on a plane, and come to Colorado Springs for a little visit, and a tour. There will be more forms to sign."

"Not a problem," Mike assured him.

"Great," Daniel said. "I’ll talk to you sometime tomorrow."

"Sounds good. I’ll go ahead and start making arrangements for a few days of vacation, and get my resignation written up."

"Just curious…did they offer you tenure this year?" Daniel could hear the heartfelt sigh on the other end of the line.

"Nope. Three years in a row. And they offered tenure to one of the professors who’s only been on the staff for two years."

"That sucks," Daniel commiserated.

"Yeah, that’s what Bernie said. We’d already been discussing trying to find a grant or two to do some research."

"Anything specific?"

"No…we hadn’t actually discussed it that far. I sorta had an idea about going to Arizona, but…Now…I think I’d be more interested in working for you."

"With me," Daniel said quietly.

"Hey, aren’t you the head of the department?"

"Well, yeah…but…I don’t…I work with the people here."

"I know you do, Danny," Mike said just as quietly. "So, let me know when to book that flight!"

"Will do."

"Talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye." Daniel tapped the phone to disconnect the call. He hurried back to the great room, still grinning broadly. "Hey, Case, guess what?"

The slender blonde looked up when he dropped onto the sofa beside her. Noted the excitement in the cerulean blue eyes she loved. "You won the lottery?"

"Better."

"Better than winning the lottery? Doubtful," Casey quipped. Which earned her a tickle from her husband.

"That was Mike. He and Bernie are going to work at the SGC!" He could barely hold back his excitement. It had been years since he’d worked on a project with Mike…the thought of working with his one time ‘mentor’ made his smile even wider.

Green eyes went wide. "When did this happen?"

"I told you I was going to write a letter to Mike and offer him a job," Daniel reminded his wife.

"You told me you were seriously considering it. You never said anything about actually doing it," she countered.

"Really?" He frowned, trying to remember the conversation he’d had with her regarding the issue. He definitely recalled talking to her about it, both of them working at their desks…he’d started a draft of the letter he wanted to send later that afternoon…"Huh. Could have sworn I told you."

"Well, you didn’t. So…that was Mike on the phone?"

"Yep. He and Bernie are together now."

"I thought they were together when we were on that dig on Washington," Casey pointed out dryly.

"Yeah…well," He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess…well, seeing me…"

Casey gave a soft smile. "She was hoping to pick up where the two of you had left off…or at least investigate what might be. As I recall, she gave you a letter telling you she loved you."

"Yes, she did. Right after Mike and his crew finished that dig, Bernie headed to a dig in Central America. I think Mike mentioned Guatemala."

"I remember Mike telling us about that when we saw him in Chicago. That had to have hurt him," Casey murmured sympathetically.

"Well, apparently it all worked out. Mike said he won’t work here if Bernie can’t. He wouldn’t make that a condition if the two of them weren’t together."

"I told him she’d be in touch with him."

"I remember that," Daniel smiled. "Seems you were right."

"Well, you said Mike is an expert on Native Americans, and Bernie’s specialty is the Aztecs."

"They’ll be a huge asset."

"Yes, they will be."

"Okay, that’s SGC stuff," Casey said firmly. "We’ll deal with it tomorrow. Right now we’re at home, watching a movie. No more talking about work."

Daniel wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders and drew her close. "Right. This is our time."

Casey snuggled closer, and clicked the pause button on the remote, starting the movie where they had stopped it.

"Roy, you don’t seem happy to see me…"

Casey giggled. "He’s happy. Just a bit busy with the bad guys."

Daniel laughed. "Yeah…but he does the right thing…he lets her know how he feels."

They laughed as the scene progressed, pushing all thoughts of work, the SGC, and new co-workers out of their minds.

General Hammond listened carefully as Daniel explained to him that not only was Doctor Michael Loughlin willing to join the SGC, but apparently his partner – an archaeologist as well – was also willing to take up Doctor Jackson’s offer of employment.

"They’ve already signed non-disclosure forms…we really didn’t have a choice, given what we found in those caves," Daniel said. "The totem pole was even more…explicit."

"I recall analyses on what you’d discovered. I received a report on them," Hammond said. He opened one of the folders on his desk. He skimmed the first few paragraphs of the summary page. "Apparently, when one of the agents involved in watching them followed them into a local tavern and tried to engage the two in a conversation about the SGC, neither would respond to his questions. In fact, Doctor Loughlin suggested that the man stop watching so much television; that he was certain he’d seen a ‘B-grade movie’ with the same plot."

"Guess playing all those badly made sci-fi movies really does have merit," Daniel mused.

"So it would seem," Hammond smiled. "There was also a bit of discussion between Doctors Loughlin and Watson concerning their disbelief that the man had anything to do with the government." General Hammond read for a moment, and then laughed softly. "Doctor Watson intimated that the agent was a ‘loser who still lived in mommy’s basement, and believed every quack conspiracy theory to be found on the ‘net’."

Daniel chuckled. "That sounds like Bernie."

"How soon can they arrive?"

"I talked to Mike last night. He’s arranging a few days away from his current position, and is waiting for my call," Daniel replied.

General Hammond signed two forms that had been laying on his desk in front of him. "You have permission to make that phone call, Doctor Jackson."

"Thank you, sir."

"I look forward to meeting your friends."

Daniel smiled. "I think you’ll like them, sir."

"I’m sure I will. Dismissed."

Daniel nodded, then hurried to his office. He had a call to make!

Sam was on the elevator when the doors opened. "Oh! Hi, Daniel!"

"Hi, Sam. Report for the general?" he asked, nodding at the folder in her hand.

"Update on the new naquadah generator. It’s ready to connect to the power grid. I just need his permission to make the switch."

"He’s going to be thrilled to have the SGC totally off the grid," Daniel said.

"I know. Makes me happy, too. It’s one less thing the Oversight Committee can bitch about," Sam replied.

"Will you have to take everything off line?"

"I shouldn’t. I’ll let you know if that changes."

"Fair enough. Talk to you later."

Sam smiled and nodded, then hurried toward the general’s office, a noticeable bounce in her step.

With a smile of his own, Daniel stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for level eighteen. And thought about how nice it would be to work with his old friend once again.

Casey was searching through the filing cabinets in the storage room when her husband stuck his head into the room, after finding his office…their office…empty.

"Looking for something specific?"

She looked up and into warm, blue eyes. Which were twinkling with mirth. "I think so."

The answer surprised him. He’d been expecting a smart-aleck comment about her actions being obvious. Intrigued, he stepped into the room. "You think so?"

The slender seer tossed blonde hair over her shoulder, and heaved a sigh. "I know I’ve read about it…him…I think it’s a him…I’m assuming that if it’s a Goa’uld, and I know it is, there’s something here about him. I checked the database, but nothing…I mean, I didn’t see a name that fit."

He frowned slightly. "Download?"

She nodded, then went back to sorting through the files.

Damn it! I wasn’t here for her! He hated not being with her when she was inundated with images and sounds; information that often left her shaking and upset. "I’m sorry," he murmured.

"Hmm? Sorry for what?"

"Not being here for you."

Her head flew up, and her gaze locked with his. "Daniel Jackson! You can not be expected to be with me every second of every day! And that’s the only way to not miss the occasional download."

Daniel couldn’t help but smile. "Would sure be fun if I could be," he retorted, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Casey burst into giggles. "It wasn’t even anything specific. Just this odd…" She paused, put her hands on her hips, and frowned slightly. "It’s not an odd ‘feeling’, exactly. You know how you can be doing something, and a word or a phrase can make you think of something totally unrelated?"

He nodded.

"Well, that’s what this is like. Except, I can’t remember the exact name. I just picked up a couple of things about him. It seems so familiar…I have no idea how important it is; at least it’s not important right now. But I know I’ve read about it somewhere!"

"Could it be in a mission file? Maybe from a mission that happened before you arrived here?"

Green eyes went slightly unfocused.

"Case?"

"He’s a minor Goa’uld," she said softly. "And he’s not in the database, at least, not yet. He’s not a System Lord, or even a high ranking Goa’uld."

"Okay."

She blinked, then focused once again on her husband. "I think I need to go through the mission files." She pushed the filing cabinet drawer closed. "I do hope I get an idea of the bastard’s name soon. I am not going through eight years of reports!"

Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle. "I could sit with you, and try to remember every minor Goa’uld we’ve come across."

"I might take you up on that offer!" She followed him into his office. "So, what did General Hammond say?"

"They’ve already been given clearance, and he said he’s looking forward to meeting them," Daniel reported.

"Good!"

"I’m going to call Mike right now."

"Tell him hello for me." She settled at her desk. And began to call up mission reports. She’d start with the reports from SG-1. The premier team had more experience with minor Goa’uld. Or so it seemed to her…

Busy reading an essay on the reasons for the First and Second Ptolemaic wars, Bernie jumped slightly when the phone beside her began to ring. It was Mike’s phone. And he was, at that moment, in the shower. She put one hand over her pounding heart, and picked the phone up with the other. "Hello?"

"Oh…uh…hi, Bernie," a surprised voice said.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah."

"Hi!" Bernie smiled, and wanted to pat herself on the back when she realized that the breathless feeling that had assailed her when she’d seen Daniel for the first time in Wenepo failed to materialize. In fact, she felt…well, it was nice to hear his voice, she supposed. But nothing more than that.

"Is Mike around?" Daniel’s voice was almost hesitant.

"He’s in the shower."

"Oh, well, since this involves you as well…tell him that the two of you need to pack your bags and get on a plane for Colorado Springs."

"Really? That’s great!" Bernie was surprised at how excited she really was to know that she and Mike would be able to walk away from the university and do actual field work again. At least, that’s what she assumed they would be doing.

"Let me know when your flight will be coming in. If I can’t pick you up, someone from the base will be there."

"Okay," Bernie said.

"I’d like it if you could get here sometime tomorrow," Daniel said.

"We’ll do our best," Bernie promised.

"That’s all I can ask. I’ll be waiting for your call."

"As soon as we have the flight number and time, one of us will call you."

"Make it my cell phone. Guaranteed to get the message that way."

"Will do."

"Okay, then. Talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye, Daniel."

"Bye, Bernie."

Just over thirteen hundred miles away, sitting in his office, Daniel blew out his breath. From what Mike had said, he and Bernie were very happy together. That could only mean she’d gotten over him, right? The conversation had been civil; Bernie had even sounded a little bit excited. He rubbed both hands over his face. Casey had said that Bernie was in love with Mike. And, Mike had been insistent that Bernie come with him. Daniel nodded to himself. It seemed that whatever feelings Bernie had harbored for him were gone. He was more than a little relieved at that thought.

Mike emerged from the bathroom, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. "Did I hear the phone?"

"Yep," Bernie replied. "Daniel says to get a flight booked, and let him know when we’ll be there."

Grinning from ear to ear, Mike picked up his phone. "Let’s see how soon we can get to Colorado Springs."

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