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The Quik-Stop was right off the highway. He'd be able to see any and all vehicles that went past. He could barely keep his hands from shaking as he began to pump gas. Went inside for a large cup of coffee and a box of powdered donuts. Casey loved the damned things. He turned the jeep to face the highway, sat and sipped his coffee. Waited impatiently.

There it was! Red eighteen wheeler, sleeper cab…He started the engine, did his best to keep from squealing tires as he pulled back onto the highway. A glance in his rearview mirror alerted him to Harry Maybourne's presence. He watched as the white Ford sped around him, and toward the truck. He stepped on the gas, kept up. Watched as Harry passed the truck.

How the hell was he supposed to stop that truck? And would the driver stop? He sped up, passed the truck, then began to slow down. Picked up his cellphone when it began to ring.

"She's on that truck."

"How do I stop it?"

"That, Doctor Jackson, is your problem."

"Well…thanks…for everything."

"You're welcome. You know how to find me."

Before Daniel could reply, the line went dead. He saw Harry pass him, going in the opposite direction. Probably heading back to Wyoming. Harry had a personal vendetta against Kinsey. Jack had told him that he didn't know why, only that it had to do with the NID, and Harry's less than favorable exit from that organization.

He glanced in his rearview mirror. The truck was flashing its lights.

Casey sat up. Opened the curtains. Watched as Daniel passed the truck. "That's him! That's Daniel!" she said excitedly.

Cassie sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What's going on?"

"That's Daniel!" Casey replied, nearly bouncing on the bed.

"Flash your lights, son," Dutch said quietly. "See if you can't get his attention. Put the turn signal on as well. If he gets the message he'll pull over."

"If he don't?" Slim asked.

"Well then, we'll ease around him, and then slow down," Dutch replied with a grin.

The trucker had turned on his turn signal…did he want to pull over? Daniel grinned. Casey must have seen him! He tapped his brakes three times, just enough to light up the brake lights. Turned on his turn signal, and began slowing down.

The big rig was right behind him when both vehicles were finally stopped on the side of the road.

The passenger door opened, and an older man climbed down. "Daniel Jackson?"

"That's me," Daniel replied. He grinned when Casey jumped down from the cab, raced toward him. He caught her, pulled her close, held her tightly.

"I knew you'd find me," she whispered, clinging to his neck.

Cassie had jumped down out of the truck as well. "Hey, Daniel."

"Hey, Cassie."

"Well, Miss, if you're okay now, we got a schedule to keep," Dutch said. The woman was beautiful, but with that light shining so bright in her eyes, she was down right unforgettable!

Daniel reached for his wallet. "Let me give you something-"

Dutch held up a large, callused hand. "You just see to it that their daddy don't hurt them anymore, and we'll call it even." He climbed back into the truck, and with a wave, the big rig slowly pulled away.

"Say what?" Daniel said finally, still staring after the eighteen wheeler.

"It was all Cassie's doing," Casey giggled.

"You were the one who started the whole 'I'm-running-away-from-an-over-bearing-father routine'," Cassie argued.

"Yes, overbearing. You were the one who turned him into Chester-the-Molester!"

Cassie squealed with laughter.

Daniel stared at them. "Explain what's going on. Slowly."

"Can we get going? I’m starving," Casey said. "I'd like to stop somewhere and take a shower, too. I don't suppose you brought-"

"In the back, Angel," Daniel said softly, pushing a lock of hair over her shoulder.

"I love you," Casey sighed.

Cassie was already climbing into the back seat. "Let's go!"

With a grin, Daniel opened the door for Casey, kissed her when he fastened her seatbelt, then hurried around the front of the jeep. "Okay," he said, putting the vehicle into gear. "Tell me about this mythical, overbearing, molesting father of yours."

Between bouts of giggles, the two began to fill him in on their stop at the diner for a bite to eat. The laughter died as they told him about what they had gone through, from the moment the woman had pulled the gun on them, until they had left the ranch house, bound for Cheyenne.

"We have to stay hidden, at least for awhile," Casey said softly. "Until we know that Kinsey is…dealt with."

"I'm sure there's a tap on our phone. It's possible they know about Houston," Daniel said.

"What about New Mexico?" Casey asked.

"I don't know, Angel. It wouldn't take much to find out about that."

"I won't put those people in harm's way," Casey said adamantly.

"If they think we're heading south, why don't we just go north?" Cassie asked from the backseat.

Casey and Daniel exchanged a glance. "Figures the kid would come up with the perfect solution," Casey said dryly.

Daniel grinned. "Okay, how far north?"

"I haven't been on a road trip, ever," Casey said slowly. "I don't suppose we could just…drive…and see where we end up?"

"Sounds interesting," Daniel replied. "If either of you see something that you'd like to stop and investigate, let me know. Lots of history in this part of the country."

"I've had all the history I want for awhile, thanks," Cassie said, shuddering slightly.

Daniel glanced at the teenager in the rearview mirror. "It's all right, Cassie. We don't have to stop anywhere at all if you don't want to."

"Can I call my mom?" Cassie asked.

Casey took the phone from the center console and handed it to the teenager. "Keep it very short, Cass. And don't say anything about where we are."

"Duh." The teenager looked contrite. "Sorry."

"It's okay. We're all a bit stressed right now," Casey said softly.

Cassie dialed the phone. "Mom? I'm okay. I'll see you soon. Love you. Don't cry, Mommy. Bye."

A   A   A   A   A   A

Sitting at her desk in the infirmary in Cheyenne Mountain, Janet replaced the receiver. Crossed her arms, lowered her head to rest on them, and gave in to the tears she had been holding in check. Her daughter was alive and well. And was with two of the best friends she'd ever had. Cassie was as safe as she could be, given the circumstances.

A   A   A   A   A   A

When they reached Dalhart, Texas, Daniel stopped at the Holiday Inn Express. Check-in time was two p.m. The woman behind the desk informed him that several rooms were vacant, however, and began to fill out the paperwork to rent him a room. They were in luck, two connecting rooms were available. Flashing the smile that had kept alien leaders from killing the team, Daniel accepted the room key-cards. Went back to the Jeep, found a place to park that was near the entrance where the rooms were located.

"Yes, a shower!" Cassie said excitedly.

"I hear that!" Casey agreed.

Cassie grabbed her suitcase, hurried toward the door of the hotel, thrilled at the thought of having her own room.

Daniel grinned as he watched her. "She's taking all of this well."

"Considering what happened, yes she is," Casey said softly.

He glanced at his wife. Understood that more had happened than they had told him. "What?"

"In the room," Casey whispered, as three people walked past them, luggage in hand, ready to check out.

This was going to be bad. He could feel it. After making certain that the door to the corridor in Cassie's room was securely locked and bolted, and that the adjoining doors were unlocked, Daniel pulled Casey down on the bed beside him. "What happened?"

"When Cassie was…escaping…the guard was…" She sighed. "Cassie told me that she managed to get the leather straps loose enough to slip one hand out of. She unfastened the rest, got off of the operating table they had her restrained on. She knew she needed a weapon, so she found a scalpel. The guy they had watching her was sitting in the reception area, outside of the operating room. He was…um…jerking off...when Cassie first saw him. She was…watching him…when he got the call from the others that they were leaving. I heard the opposite side of the conversation, things had gotten…hot…I guess, and they knew that Kinsey would let them take the fall for all of it, so they decided to just…leave. Before Cassie's guard was to be picked up by the others, he…um…decided that he wanted to…um…"

"Oh, god," Daniel murmured.

"Cassie fought him, cut his arm badly from what I understand. Then, he grabbed her, pulled her close, she still had the scalpel in her hand…and she stabbed him. Not on purpose. It was an accident. I told her that she did everything right, she defended herself the best that she could. I didn't go into the clinic…something told me not to."

Daniel nodded. "Good. If they can't find any of your prints there, they can't tie you to it."

"I'm afraid our prints are all over that house, or mine anyway," she admitted.

"I'm not worried about it. You were kidnapped, Case," he said softly. He reached out and cupped her cheek. "You're okay?"

"I'm with you," she replied, pressing her face against the warm, strong hand that gently caressed her. "Can't get any better than that."

He smiled. "I nearly lost my mind worrying about you."

"I felt so stupid! I should have realized that anything relating to Lincoln was threat! But I only…saw…the Lincoln Memorial, and like a fool I thought it was the only place we'd be in danger," she said, in a self-disparaging tone.

"Don't blame yourself, Angel. It would have been much worse if you hadn't let us know that something was going to happen."

"How? Cassie and I were still kidnapped…that teenaged girl killed a man during an escape attempt! It never should have happened, wouldn't have happened if I had just paid closer attention," Casey insisted.

He pulled her into his arms, held her tightly. "You did everything you could. If I remember correctly, the only real…warning…you received was to stay clear of the Lincoln Memorial, right?"

She nodded, clinging to his broad shoulders, breathing deeply of his familiar, masculine scent, taking the comfort he so lovingly offered.

"You did the best you could with the information you had. Don't you dare blame yourself for any of this. One person is to blame. And that person is Robert Kinsey."

She shuddered slightly. "I'm so worried about Cassie," she whispered.

"I know, Angel. This is going to be hard for her to deal with when all of the excitement dies down, and she's not running on adrenaline."

"I know."

Further discussion wasn't possible, because a soft knock on the door interrupted. "I'm getting into the shower now," Cassie announced, poking her head around the door. "Then can we get something to eat? I'm starving!"

Daniel and Casey both smiled. "Let me get my shower taken. Then we'll find somewhere for breakfast," Casey replied.

"You can look through the phone book for someplace while we're taking our showers," Cassie told Daniel.

He  raised an eyebrow. "Getting bossy in your old age, aren't you?"

Cassie giggled. "Just trying to save time." She disappeared into her own room.

"She's survived a lot," Daniel said quietly. "She'll survive this as well."

"That makes her a survivor," Casey mused.

"Like an incredibly gorgeous blonde I know."

Slender shoulders moved up and down. "Sometimes, you just don't have any other choices."

"Keep that in mind, babe," he said quietly.

Casey pulled herself to her feet. "It'll be wonderful to be clean again!" She opened her suitcase, sorted through the clothes, grabbed her toiletry bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

Daniel grinned. He hadn't had a shower since yesterday morning, either. He grabbed his own ditty bag, and followed his wife. Cassie would just have to wait for them to find a restaurant.

She jumped slightly when Daniel stepped into the shower behind her. "Daniel!"

"Hey, Gorgeous." His hands went to her breasts. "How are my beauties today?"

As always, she giggled, felt the tingles of excitement when he gently kissed each pink tip. "Package deal, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," he grinned. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, placed tiny kisses on her jaw, her cheek, working his way to those sweet lips. Once the combination had been worked, he pushed into her mouth, sighing softly at her sweet taste. He took from her, until her own need demanded that she take what she needed from him. He shivered when her tongue moved over his, moved deeper into his mouth.

So good. He tasted so good! Safe in his arms once again, she could lose herself in the taste of him, the comfort of his arms. Allow the feeling of his naked body pressing against hers to ignite the fire that burned in both of them. Her body arched toward him as his hands continued to massage and squeeze her breasts, his thumbs rolling back and forth over her hard nipples. "We have to hurry," she whispered.

"I know," he whispered in reply. He gently turned her around, pushed her hair over one shoulder, his mouth going to her neck. He nudged his thigh between her legs, pressed against hers, felt her move those slender limbs farther apart. Reaching between them, he guided his aching cock to that sweet, moist flesh, pushed gently against her, felt himself slide into paradise. He moaned softly.

Her moan echoed with his as she pushed back against him. She was well aware of the fact that later he would need to get his 'fix' of her. But for now, this would satisfy the need that was roaring through her. She sighed when his fingers found and began to caress her swollen nub, the other hand back on her breasts, moving back and forth.

It didn't take long for both of them to quietly cry out their release, waves of pleasure moving over both of them. They gently washed one another, Daniel lovingly shampooed Casey's long hair. Closed his eyes as Casey washed his short dark-blond hair.

Casey was drying her hair, Daniel was shaving, when Cassie knocked on the connecting door. "Come in," Casey called.

The teenager stuck her head into the room. "Took you two long enough!"

She couldn't help but grin. "Thirty minutes."

"Try forty-five," Cassie retorted. She dropped onto the bed. "So I suppose you haven't found a place for us to eat?"

Daniel grinned behind the foam on his face. "Telephone book is on the desk. Help yourself."

With a pained sigh, Cassie crossed the room to get the book, flopped back onto the bed. It struck her then that Daniel was standing at the sink wearing only his jeans. He was bare-chested and bare footed, and for the first time she realized just how sexy that was. She barely suppressed a shiver. How could Casey look at him and not want to…well, not want to?

She'd been watching the teenager's eyes. Realized that she was seeing Daniel not just as the man she had a crush on, but as a sexual being, someone who aroused feelings of…desire. Casey smiled when those innocent brown eyes glanced in her direction. When Cassie had admitted what she had witnessed the 'guard' doing, it had embarrassed the young woman, even though she knew that the girl needed to talk about it in order to deal with what she had seen. Now, Casey thought, Cassie knows just what that particular...appendage...looks like.  Whether Cassie wanted it to or not, it was going to stir some feelings she had never had to deal with before. For a few seconds she wondered if the teenager was speculating about what Daniel looked like naked. Bit back giggle. No matter what the young woman imagined, it would never be as good as reality!

Cassie opened the phone book, tried to force the images of that man's hand and his erection and how he had looked as he masturbated from her mind. Knew that when she was alone, she would be indulging in a bit of 'self-love'. That's what she had seen it referred to on the internet. Her best friend Julie had a computer in her bedroom, and the two girls had visited several sites that fully and explicitly covered the subject.

"Find anything yet?" Daniel asked, wiping the remainder of shaving cream from his face. He grabbed his tee shirt, pulled it onto his broad shoulders and over his wide chest, unaware that the innocent actions were affecting both women in the room. Casey was his Wife. Cassie was just a little girl, in his mind.

"Um…not yet," Cassie replied, her breath a bit short.

Casey almost laughed out loud at the look of concern on Daniel's face. He had no clue that Cassie had lost a lot of her innocence in the time she had been held captive. She was still a virgin, thank god; she would have no lasting scars that rape would have left on her heart and soul. "Is there anything like an IHOP or Denny's nearby?"

The teenager focused on the yellow pages in front of her. "Nope. There's a Sonic and a Subway."

"For breakfast?" Casey asked.

"Sonic has breakfast stuff," Cassie insisted.

Daniel grinned. Casey loved Sonic. "Admit it, babe, you want to go there as much as she does."

She tried for several minutes to hold out, finally giggled. "Let's go. I'd love to have a sausage and egg burrito."

The teenager froze when she watched Daniel tuck his 9mm into the back of his jeans. "Daniel?"

"We're on the run, Cassie," the man said gently. "We can't take any risks."

Casey had tucked the 'borrowed' .38 into the back of her own jeans. "It's not something we do lightly, Cass, trust me."

Daniel frowned when Casey turned around and grabbed her sweater. "Where did you get that?"

"From the ranch house. I'm going to send it back as soon as all of this is over," Casey replied. She pulled her lip between her teeth. "We were unarmed, in a dangerous situation, I had no idea if those people would come back…"

"It's okay, Angel, I understand. We'll make sure it gets back to the owner," he said softly. He pulled his windbreaker on. "Let's go get something to eat."

For just a little while Cassie had been able to convince herself that this…side trip…was part of the vacation her mother had promised. Seeing her mom's best friends arming themselves had forced reality to come crashing back down around her. She began to shake. "I killed him!"

"Oh, god," Casey murmured, reaching for the young woman just as she collapsed.

Daniel picked Cassie up, put her on the bed. "Casey told me what happened. You were protecting yourself, Cassie. You had to protect yourself."

"He…he…he had…his…thing…it was hard…and he wanted…and he grabbed for me… and…and…" Cassie sobbed.

He wrapped his arms around the distraught teenager. "Shh, it's okay, honey. Everything is all right now."

"He was a criminal, Cassie. We have no idea how many people he's hurt. He was going to hurt you, don't you ever forget that. He was going to take something precious from you. He didn't leave you any options, baby. You had to protect yourself," Casey said, repeating what Daniel had said.

"Will I go to prison?"

"No, Cassie, you won't go to prison."

"I'll have a police record."

Daniel shook his head. "I doubt it. Considering that a very powerful United States Senator is behind all of this, I doubt that anything will happen. And this guy was scum, Cassie. He helped to kidnap you and Casey. Nobody is going to miss him."

The tremors finally stopped. "You've had to kill people before, haven't you?" Cassie asked him.

He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Yes, unfortunately. It's not something I like doing, I'm not proud of it. But sometimes, Cass, the bad guys just don't give us any other choices. Killing Goa'uld is just killing…snakes…monsters. They don't even count. It bothers me to kill Jaffa, because those men – those people – are slaves... unwilling slaves. Casey is right, this guy was a criminal. He made his decisions long ago, Cassie. He chose to be where he was, doing what he was doing. He was going to hurt you. You did what you had to do."

"Still hungry?" Casey asked softly.

Cassie nodded. "Is that…wrong?"

"No, Cassie, it's not wrong. You're just learning how to deal with the harsh facts of real life. I wish that you hadn't had to learn that lesson so soon. If I'd been smarter, you wouldn't have," Casey replied.

Brown eyes went wide. "I was the one that begged you to go see the Ford Theater! I knew that Lincoln was assassinated there! When Paul pointed out that it was a memorial to Lincoln, I should have understood, but I kept insisting I wanted to see it," the teenager responded.

Casey hugged the young woman. "I guess we were both a little off on our judgment that day. We got caught up in the excitement of sightseeing in Washington DC."

"Didn't get to see much," Cassie grumbled.

Daniel laughed. "Next trip."

"I doubt if Mom will let me anywhere near the place again," the teenager complained.

"Oh, I don't know. There will be hearings again in a couple of years," Daniel said, smiling at her. "And I promise, Kinsey won't be there."

A slight shiver moved over her once more, before Cassie took a deep breath. "Okay, freak out time is over. I’m okay, honest."

Twenty minutes later they were sitting in the drive-in, and had placed their orders. They agreed to spend the rest of the day and the night at the hotel, then would move on the next morning. They also agreed that calling from payphones, using the device Harry Maybourne had given Daniel, would be the safest way to let their friends and family know that they were still all right, and keep them informed on what was happening.

"I hate that you're missing school," Casey said, finishing off her burrito.

"I'm not. It's so boring right now. I learned that stuff last year, why do we have to do it again this year?"

"It's just refresher," Daniel pointed out.

"I'm refreshed already," the teenager groused. "Besides, nobody in my class has ever been on a road trip!"

Casey giggled. "We'll have to stop and get munchies. I hear they're mandatory for road trips."

"Oh, yeah!" Cassie agreed, high-fiving the beautiful woman.

Daniel couldn't help but laugh. This 'road-trip' promised to be interesting. While driving back to the hotel he spotted a phone booth. He stopped, attached the scrambler, and called Jack's office.

A   A   A   A   A   A

"O'Neill," Jack said gruffly. He'd spent the morning trying to locate any possible dig sites in Egypt that could be used as a cover for Daniel's absence. He'd already deflected two calls from Detective Jennings. He knew that the man suspected, but as long as the Air Force was intercepting calls coming in to Daniel, there wasn't anything the detective could do. It didn't hurt to have the President of the United States backing his CO, either.

"Hey, Jack."

"Danny!"

"They're okay."

"You've…uh…seen 'em?"

"Looking at them right now," Daniel replied. He winked at his Wife. Loved the way she blushed, and her green eyes dropped for just a few seconds.

"Good. Ideas?"

"I'll keep moving. You'll hear from me again tomorrow."

"I'll be here."

"Any news?"

"Harry called. He said that Kinsey is probably at the ranch house. He didn't have any more than that."

"Maybe tomorrow."

"Maybe."

"One kidnapper is down. That needs to be…dealt with."

"Got it. I'll talk to Harry about it."

"Okay. Later."

"Later." Jack sat back. One body. Casey must have managed to take one out somehow. That would explain how she was able to get free, and get Cassie out of there. He shook his head. Pissing off that skinny blonde was a very dangerous thing to do! He couldn't help but grin. Maybe they should just turn her loose on Kinsey. He wouldn't last thirty seconds. That was a pleasant thought to contemplate.

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