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Daniel peeked between the wooden slats of the mini-blinds. Holy shit! There was at least three feet of snow out there! "That's fine, Lydia. You stay inside and keep warm."

"Jack-"

"Don't start Daniel. You need to eat. Did you have dinner last night?"

The two Jacksons exchanged a look. Food had been the last thing on their minds as they battled the demons that haunted them, and satiated the desire that burned so hot in both of them.

"I rest my case. I know for a fact that you didn't have anything yesterday but what Janet had sent up after Casey woke up," Jack pointed out. "Eat. I need both of you in top condition for this mission."

Daniel dropped back onto his chair. And tucked into the plate of waffles with gusto. Even if they weren't Casey's. He was hungrier than he'd realized. He grinned inwardly. A couple of good rounds of lovin' and a good night's sleep would do that to a man!

A  A  A  A  A  A

The black van was parked in front of the house when they turned into the driveway. Daniel glanced at Casey, saw the look of fear that flashed in her eyes. "It's okay, babe," he said softly.

"If they've touched Grandma Rose's china or crystal, I'll kill them!" she hissed.

He grinned. He was tempted to hand the 9mm to her. Thought better of it. She was pissed off, and in a 'shoot-first-ask-questions-later' mood. "Let's go see how bad it is."

When they got out of the Jeep, the side door of the van opened, and four men stepped out.

"That's far enough," Daniel said. He pulled the front of his coat back, let the men see that he was armed.

"What do you want?" Casey demanded, standing at Daniel's side.

He glanced down at her. If they couldn't see that she was livid, they were complete morons.

"We...uh...There was a tip...er...report; we had to follow it up," one of them men said.

Casey cocked her head sideways, totally missed the grin that lit up Daniel's face. "The Director is totally hacked at you guys. And your boss." She looked up at her husband. "Seems somebody was bucking for a promotion, and took action without getting the permission necessary."

The four men gaped at the slender blonde. "Yeah, well..." the speaker mumbled, then shook his head. "We just got yelled at by the President of the United States!" He personally was not at all happy that the first time he spoke to that man was to listen to a tirade about the fact that this group of people was doing classified work, and were American heroes!

She giggled. "Then he took me seriously when I said I'd castrate any goon I found in my house!"

Daniel snorted, covered his mouth to laugh. The four agents couldn't have looked any more shocked than they did at that moment. "Why don't you guys head on out of here. Before my wife gets upset. Oh, and next time our names come up, talk to Agent Ed Hutchins."

"Tell him I said hello," Casey added. "Agent Hutchins is a good man. Knows his stuff!"

Once again Daniel was gnawing the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing in the faces of the dumbstruck agents.

The four men scrambled to get back into the van. Fishtailed dangerously as they tried to speed away down the snow covered street.

She looked up as more snow began to fall. "I hope there's still snow when we get back. You promised me a trip to Grant Park to sled."

He chuckled. "I get my waffles first."

"I promise."

"Well, if Tem thought this would keep us out of his hair, he's in for a surprise, isn't he?" Daniel said, as he led her into the house.

"A big one. I guess Kinsey either didn't watch the news when Cassie and I were brought home, or he forgot." She tossed her coat onto one of the bar chairs, headed toward the bedroom.

Daniel frowned. "Or he knew that the FBI wouldn't hold us."

She stopped, looked up at him. "You think he could deliberately lie to Tem?"

"Depends on how much control Tem really has on him."

"Daniel, the Kinsey I saw was barely human. He wasn't much more than the animal Tem appears to be treating him as. I doubt that any conscious thought about...betrayal...is possible."

The frown deepened. "So, will Tem have Kinsey with him?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't think so, at least, not until he's ready to leave." She dropped onto the bed. "I hate this."

He sat down beside her. Laced his fingers with hers. "Hate what, Angel?"

She looked up at him. "The last time we went off looking for a ship, or ships, some pretty nasty things happened. I don't think..." she shuddered. "I can't go through it again," she whispered.

He put his arm around her, pulled her close. "You won't, Casey. I promise."

Casey turned slightly, wrapped her arms around his neck, clung to him. "I love you."

"I love you, Angel," he whispered. Much love, he thought, remembering her eyes as they whispered in the isolation room. Much, much love.

A  A  A  A  A  A

A stop at the local Walgreen's was necessary; Casey had intended to make the stop during their weekend off. Her premonition had sent them on a mission instead. She hurried down each aisle, totally unaware of the admiring glances tossed her way by two clerks and three customers. Didn't realize that her Husband was watching...appreciating her ass with every step she took.

He used to hate to have to run errands, do grocery shopping. Casey made everything...enjoyable. Grocery shopping could be downright fun with her...their discussions about the products lively and entertaining. He loved the way her eyes would widen, and light up, the soft sighs she gave if he pulled her into his arms to dance to a favorite song playing on the speakers overhead. Before her, he wouldn't have conceived of doing something like that. Now...it was as natural as breathing to do anything that allowed him to hold her, to see that smile, to make her happy. Daniel carried the hand basket, content to watch her vacillate between four different types of shampoo. He preferred her 'regular' brand and fragrance, it just...blended...with that sweet floral and vanilla scent that was naturally her.

"What do you think? Nectarines and coral flower, or berry tea and orange leaves?" she asked, holding up a bottle of each.

"What's wrong with the stuff you normally use?"

She smiled. "I just wanted to try something new."

He shrugged. "Whichever you want," he said, noncommittally. He wasn't opposed to change. Really he wasn't. He just knew what he liked. Why mess with something that was already good? But if she wanted something new, he wasn't about to stand in her way. At least, not concerning shampoo.

The bottle of Herbal Essence with white nectarines and pink coral flowers went into the basket. "If you don't like this, I'll go back to the chamomile and honey," she said.

He grinned. Well, now, that worked, didn't it? "Okay by me," he replied.

Toothpaste, deodorant for each of them, a bottle of nail polish, a package of cotton balls, and a nail file went into the basket as well. Sam had told her that the flight was long, so she decided to grab a book. She glanced up into amused blue eyes when she grabbed a 'bodice ripper', complete with the handsome hero groping the beautiful heroine on the cover, and dropped it into the basket.

Daniel checked his watch. "Gotta move it, babe."

"I'm ready," she said. She slipped her arm around his waist as they walked to the checkout counter. The weight of his arm around her shoulders was comforting, in many ways.

They tucked the needed items into their luggage, the book went into her purse, then Daniel aimed the jeep for the base. The snow was falling heavier, limiting visibility, which in turn made the drive to the base slower than it had been earlier that morning. "This reminds me of the day I brought you to Silver Springs," he said softly.

A lot had happened since that day. That day she'd learned about the SGC and the battle against the Goa'uld...and she'd joined that battle. Had married the man she loved more than life itself in the most beautiful ceremony that she could ever have imagined. She'd died. Become Immortal. Had left Silver Springs convinced that Daniel had reunited with a long 'lost' love. Moved into her first real 'home'. Been kidnapped. Watched Daniel face down her adoptive mother, said things she'd needed to say as well. Been captured and nearly turned into a Goa'uld slave...permanently. That was a hell of a lot to cram into ten months! "That seems like a life time ago," she replied. 

"Sometimes. Sometimes it feels like just a moment ago."

"Do you think we'll be back in time for Thanksgiving?"

That particular holiday just two weeks away. He knew that she'd planned dinner for the team. It would be their first 'major' holiday together. "I hope so," he said softly.

"Me, too." Her voice was wistful. "I've never been able to fix Thanksgiving dinner before. I was...am...looking forward to it."

He lifted her fingers to his lips. "With luck, we'll be here."

A  A  A  A  A  A

General Hammond was waiting for the team. The question of getting a passport for Casey came up at the briefing. The OIC of the SGC reached for the red telephone. Made his request.

She filled out the paperwork that the State Department faxed to the Mountain; Sergeant Harriman took her photo, and faxed it back. Her passport would be waiting at the terminal at the Bolling Air Force base, hand carried by a courier who would meet her there. From Bolling they'd fly to the Ramstein Air Force base in Germany, then on to the base in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Once in Riyadh, they'd take the van that Jack had already made arrangements for, and drive into Cairo, hopefully arriving in Egypt without Tem being aware of their presence.

"It's nice knowing the President of the United States," she giggled, when she was told that his intervention had expedited the passport process, cutting it from days to hours.

"I want Tem found quickly, people, before he can kill anyone, certainly before he can leave this planet," the general said, issuing the order for them to do whatever they had to do in order to stop the Goa'uld from escaping. It would be impossible to hide another ship taking off from the desert near the Giza plateau. There were still too many questions being asked about Osiris's escape. Even though most of the attention focused on the area was that of amateurs, it would be enough to expose the Stargate program. And right now, the people of planet Earth just weren't ready for the truth.

A  A  A  A  A  A

She didn't know that the helicopter that waited for them on the tarmac at Peterson was an MH-60G Pave Hawk. Had anyone told her, she wouldn't have cared. What she did care about was the fact that it was a helicopter. Flying in a plane was still new enough to her that she continued to be nervous. Getting into that...thing...and flying all the way to DC was not on her list of 'things-I-want-to-do-before-I-die'. In every movie she could recall seeing, helicopters did not fly in weather like this. If they did, they crashed. She turned frightened eyes toward Daniel.

"It's okay, Angel," he whispered reassuringly. Teal'c had seen her face as well. Daniel sat on one side of her, the Jaffa on the other, cocooning her between them, 'protecting' her from the doors and the wide windows. Jack and Sam sat across from them.

She dutifully put on the helmet, adjusted the mouthpiece of her radio. "Just so you know, if I die from a heart attack on this thing, I'm going to haunt you all!"

Jack grinned. "I'll look forward to it!"

She leaned over and swatted at him. Realized that for a moment, she'd completely forgotten where she was. She looked at Daniel. "Tell me about Egypt," she said. Giggled when she heard Jack's moan of complaint through the headset.

Daniel smiled, and launched into a detailed account of all of his digs in that desert country. He pulled out the maps of the area he'd brought along, and the team began to plan the specifics of their mission. He kept one hand around hers the entire time, noting that as they became more involved in planning, the tremors that he could feel eased considerably.

Tem would most certainly be heading to Giza, Daniel theorized; Osiris had gone there, to a small, hidden pyramid. The pyramid temple that Osiris had fled to had been less than five miles from the far side of the 'forbidden zone', as Daniel called it. Not quite fifty miles from Giza. The desert was a large place, and archaeologists had barely scratched the surface when it came to discovering all of its hidden secrets. The area where the Stargate had been found, twenty miles from the Pyramids of Giza, had been more or less deemed off limits, if not technically, then certainly by the numerous rumors and stories told of the small valley. Daniel suspected that the US government and military had more influence over those stories than the Egyptians themselves; although the few requests, less than a dozen, to dig in that area after 1928 had been refused by the Egyptian officials.

His had been one of the requests that had been denied, and as far as he knew, was the last request that had been made to dig there. At the time he'd received news of the refusal, he'd had no idea that the Stargate existed. What he'd discovered, in a small, obscure temple in the Valley of the Kings that only a handful of archaeologists deemed important enough to even walk through, had sent him on a search in Giza, where he discovered more to support his theory, although none of the 'mainstream' academicians would even consider the translations of what he'd found. There had been references to other 'sacred places', or, in his mind...in keeping with his theory...landing pyramids. They were 'minor', according to the texts he'd found, probably meaning small. And all were within, or on the borders, of that 'forbidden zone'. How ironic that the very government that discouraged any digging in the area was now sending him there, with their full blessing.

They hadn't been in the air long when they left behind the dark clouds and the blowing snow. Casey gave a deep sigh of relief. At least the weather wouldn't be a factor if they crashed, she thought.

A  A  A  A  A  A

It was early evening when the helicopter touched down on the tarmac of Bolling AFB. The team hustled inside, it was cold and rainy in the greater DC area. Cups of coffee were purchased, the hot beverage sipped gratefully. They handed the orders that had been typed out at the SGC to a young man behind the counter; loaded their luggage onto a cart just before two Airmen pushed it out to load the bags onto the waiting plane, when a man wearing a dark suit and an open black trench coat approached Casey.

"Mrs. Jackson?"

"Yes?" She whirled around, gave the man a smile.

Jack flinched. He was still trying to make Casey understand that it was best to not give any personal information until she knew who she was talking to. That included letting strange men know that they had the right name! He sighed mentally. At least Daniel and he and Teal'c were with her.

The man stopped for a second; the dazzling smile the beautiful woman flashed at him had left him momentarily speechless.

Yep, that's right, Daniel thought, with a bit of amusement, as he noted the man's reaction to his Wife. A smile from her makes your brain stop working and every drop of blood in your body head straight south.

"Uh...yeah...um...I have your passport," he stammered, trying to smile back. Feeling as if he were in junior high again, talking to the most popular girl in the school. Who, at the time, had been Debbie Warnhoff. He didn't think that Debbie could hold a candle to this woman.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Casey said, flashing another smile.

Daniel watched the man stare at his Wife for a few more seconds. It was hard to keep from grinning. 

"You planned on giving it to her, right?" Jack asked, his cheek twitching. He was enjoying the man's distraction as well. Casey wasn't just a damned talented seer. She was a secret weapon that would keep Goa'uld off guard long enough for the rest of the team to take his snake ass out! Or any other bad guy, for that matter.

The man visibly shook himself, looked over at Jack. "What? Oh, yes, of course." He reached into his coat pocket. "I need to see ID, and there is a form you'll need to sign," he said.

With a nod, Casey began to dig in her purse for her wallet.

The man took the time to examine Sam while he waited, although he did it furtively...she was military, and could probably kick his ass if she wanted to. Something he had no clue that the slender blonde could do as well. He had no idea what sort of Special Ops this group was in, but how those three men could work with two women that beautiful and not be driven to complete distraction was beyond him!

"Hope you don't have to be back right away," Daniel said, grinning at the man, who grinned in return.

"I hope they'll hold our flight," Jack deadpanned.

"Oh, you two are just a laugh a minute," Casey groused. She handed her cellphone, and keys, makeup bag, a bottle of water, and small flashlight to her husband, who juggled the items carefully in his hands. "Found it!" she said triumphantly, holding up the leather wallet. She pulled out her driver's license, and for good measure, put her military ID card with it. Her SGC ID card, along with those of her teammates, was safely tucked into the safe box at the Level 11 security check post.

The man carefully examined each, compared her signature on those cards to the one that had been faxed and was now on her passport. "Looks good to me," he said with a smile. He produced the form from his pocket, offered her a pen, watched her sign her name to the piece of paper that she'd pressed against the tall black man's back. Again he examined the signature. With a satisfied nod, he handed her the passport, her license and ID. "Have a nice day."

"Thanks, you too," she replied. She didn't even noticed that Daniel had dumped all of her things back into her purse. "Wow. A passport! I never thought I'd need one of these!"

Her companions grinned as she examined each and every empty page. She put her driver's license back into the wallet, dropped it and her ID tag into her purse. When she'd have done the same with her newly procured passport, Daniel pulled it from her fingers. Put it in the inside pocket of his coat, next to his own. "Hey!" she protested.

"We won't have time for you to look for it when we pass through customs," he told her, biting back his grin at the flash of anger that filled those amazing green eyes.

"You are so not funny," she grumbled.

The announcement was made that the flight to Ramstein was ready to board. The team followed the dozen other military personnel who were taking the flight as well. A few would be getting off at the stop in Germany. The remaining half dozen or so would continue on to Riyadh. She'd been to the Caribbean. She'd never thought to go there in her lifetime, either! Now, here she was, getting ready to leave the country,  to fly all the way across the ocean for the first time ever.

Jack had managed to arrange for the team to have the 'bulkhead seats', which faced the wall that separated the passenger compartment from the cockpit, with no seats in front of them. There was slightly more leg room in these rows, and the men would definitely need it, especially Teal'c. Jack and Sam were sitting on one side of the narrow aisle, with Teal'c, Daniel and Casey on the other. Daniel had brought along his travel chess set, and he and the Jaffa were engaged in a game by the time the plane taxied and took off. Casey and Sam were both reading, although Sam was reading a technical manual, an attempt to 'catch up' with what had been happening in the world of astrophysics.

Just after midnight, the Airmen who were the flight attendants announced that due to the low number of passengers, they'd allow each person to have a 'row' of seats to sleep on. Teal'c and Sam moved to the rows just behind their teammates. Daniel switched seats with Casey, urging her to lay back against him. After sleeping in trenches, or among ruins, or even Goa'uld prison cells on board the enemy ships, the team was able to sleep just about anywhere. They also opted to have at least one of them 'on watch' while the others slept. It wasn't a conscious decision, they didn't discuss it. Jack remained awake, working on crossword puzzles, while his 'kids' slept. Two hours later Daniel was awake again, and Jack dozed off. If any of the other passengers or the crew noticed, not one word was said.

A  A  A  A  A  A

They'd switched seats once again, Daniel was lying against her, his head on her shoulder, his broad back against her chest. One slender leg was pressed against the backs of the seats, his body against it, the other she'd managed to wrap around him, her foot resting on his thigh. She was almost finished with her book. Sam was awake and reading as well.

"What a rip off," Casey huffed quietly, closing the book with a snap.

"Hmm?" Sam asked, looking over at her friend.

"This book...it just...ends. The author just sends the couple off into the sunset, but doesn't tie up half a dozen loose ends with other characters. And he's supposedly on the run from the law...are they going to run forever?" she complained.

Sam smiled. "Maybe the author has plans to continue the story," she suggested.

"Possible, I suppose." She shifted slightly. Ran her hand absently over Daniel's chest.

The blonde major closed her book, set it aside. "So how are you...feeling?"

Casey smiled. "Very...contented, at the moment."

"This I can see," Sam replied, smiling in return. She was feeling pretty contented too, with Jack leaning against her while he slept. "So...nothing bothering you?"

She shook her head. "After all that happened, you'd think I'd be haunted. But...I can remember the first few hours...then it's just...it's like blurry photos, only...I can't explain it. There just isn't anything there. I know I could feel the emotions involved, at least, at first. Now...nothing. I mean, I know what happened, but there aren't any memories there to corroborate those...facts."

"I think that's a very good thing," Sam smiled.

She gave a small, sad smile. "I guess. I mean, I'm glad I won't have to deal with all of...that. But Daniel..." She sighed. "Goddess, what he's had to put up with!"

Sam's smile faded. "We were worried about him for awhile," she admitted. "He was beside himself wanting...needing to get to you. The first couple of days on that..." she glanced around, decided that Casey understood what she was saying. "Jack was certain he was going to get us captured."

"I just wonder how much more he can deal with. It's been a hell of a year so far. When will he reach the point that he just won't be able to handle the...drama? The pain?"

"If you're asking when he's going to walk away from you, I don't think you're going to have to worry," Sam replied, her smile returning. "Daniel is a forever kind of guy. When he said until death do you part, he meant it."

"Things have...changed. A few days in a subterranean temple saw to that ," Casey pointed out softly. "Forever is a long time."

"He loves you, Casey. That will never change."

She forced a smile. "Does that come with a money back guarantee?"

The comment was made light-heartedly. But Sam could sense the fear that hovered just beneath the surface. She'd known Daniel Jackson for six years now. Had watched him search for Sha're, even though he'd known in his heart of hearts that he'd never get her back, not the way she had been. Had held him while he cried as he admitted to that knowledge. Had watched him grieve for the Abydonian woman for two years. And the love that reflected in his eyes for the slender blonde who'd turned his world upside down was so much...deeper...stronger...than anything she'd seen in his eyes for Sha're. "Absolutely," she said softly. "Lifetime warranty as well."

Casey thought about the response for a moment. Understood that Sam was drawing on the experiences with, and observations of Daniel during the years she'd known him. "Thanks. I needed to hear that," she said, her voice soft and low.

"Should've just asked," Daniel said quietly. He opened his eyes, looked up at her. "Forever, Angel."

She smiled. "Forever," she whispered in return.

A  A  A  A  A  A

There was enough time between flights to go to the mess hall for a hot meal. Dressed in jeans and sweaters, Casey and Sam were a big hit with the dozens of single young men stationed at the Ramstein Air Force base. Cat calls and wolf whistles filled the air when Casey stepped into the dining room. Jack was muttering beneath his breath about flying 'out of uniform', and vowed it wouldn't happen again. When the men closest to the table saw the diamonds flashing on Casey's hand, disappointed whispers moved over the room in waves.

"Better watch your back, Danny," Jack teased, glancing around at the faces that continued to watch the slender blonde.

The young man looked around as well. "Yeah, no doubt."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! Like there's a man in this room who could even come close to my Stud Muffin? I think not!"

Daniel's cheeks flushed, but he couldn't hide the look of delight that filled his eyes.

She glanced sideways at the man she loved, a wicked little smile playing with the corners of her lips. "I'd drop kick the first one who tried to lay a finger on him," she said firmly. "Teal'c has been teaching me some very interesting techniques. I'd like to try them out on a real target."

"I believe that while you are 'trying out the new techniques', Daniel Jackson would be asserting his position as your Beloved," Teal'c said, his eyes never leaving his plate of food.

"Really?" Casey asked. "Just how would he be doing that?"

"Drop kicking every man who approached you," the Jaffa replied, without missing a beat.

The team erupted into gales of laughter, drawing attention to their table once again. "Teal'c, you've been working on your sense of humor," Jack chuckled.

"Indeed. I found it necessary," the large man replied.

"Necessary?" Sam asked, wondering if it was safe to take a sip of her coffee.

"Casey Jackson is most mischievous. A sense of humor is required when working with her."

"Me?" she squealed. "I am not mischievous!"

"You most certainly are," the Jaffa insisted.

While her teammates and Husband continued to laugh, Casey stared at Teal'c. Who gave her an innocent stare in return. "You just wait, brother. I am so going to get you for that!"

"I will be prepared. I still have the buckets that I used the last time that you 'got me'," Teal'c replied easily.

Jack chuckled. "I wish I could have seen you chasing him with that bucket, dripping wet and madder than a hornet. Siler said it was priceless."

Teal'c grinned broadly. "I believe I repaid Casey Jackson in shovels for her bombardment of my person with water filled balloons."

Once again peals of laughter had those around them watching, and grinning as well. "It's spades, Teal'c," Daniel gasped. "You paid her back in spades."

One eyebrow went up. "Is that not what I said?"

Casey began to squeak as she laughed. Which sent most of the men in the room into fits of laughter. Jack wiped his eyes. Watched 'his kids' as they continued to laugh. They'd just been through hell. Again. And just like always, they were back, stronger than ever, ready to take on the worst that the snakes could throw at them.

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