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She opened her eyes slowly. This time there wasn't as much pain associated with the movement. Her vision was clear, and she looked around the room. The man with the short blonde hair was sitting beside her, his fingers wrapped firmly around hers. His other arm was on the bed as well, his head resting on it. She wasn't sure, but she thought he was sleeping.

"Well, good morning!"

The voice was soft; trying, she supposed, to keep from waking the man. The words made more sense today than they had...whenever it was that she'd been awake. She smiled.

"Let's take a look and see how you're doing," Janet continued. She did a cursory exam, noted that all of Casey's responses and vitals were perfectly normal. If she could get her memory back...

"Hungry," Casey said, her stomach tightening slightly.

"I'll bet you are," Janet smiled. "I'll have a breakfast tray brought up right away."

She nodded. "You're welcome."

Janet grinned. "Thank you," she said.

"Okay."

Janet walked to the phone, called the commissary, placed an order for breakfast, and then moved back to the blonde's side. "Casey, I'm going to ask you a few questions. Now, I don't want you to worry if you can't answer them. All right?"

"Okay." She had no clue what the woman was talking about, but she was nice, her smile was warm and friendly, and she felt very safe here. Wherever 'here' was.

"Good. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?"

Remember? What the hell did that mean? Re-mem-ber...re-mem-ber...Nope. No clue. She frowned. So much sand...and it had been hot..."Sand," she said softly.

"You remember sand?"

Hmm...was that what she was doing? Re-mem-ber? "Sand. Hot," Casey said, waving her hand in front of her face.

Janet immediately put her hand on the young woman's forehead. "Are you hot now?"

Casey shook her head. "Sand. Hot. Running. Sand."

Jack, Sam, and Teal'c came into the room, moving as quietly as possible, remaining in the shadows. The link that seemed to connect the team, that link that bound them heart to heart, had drawn them there. They needed to be there with Casey almost as much as Daniel did. And they needed to be there for him, as well.

"All right, you were running, in sand and it was hot," Janet said.

Yep, that sounded right. Why couldn't she say it that way? "Wrong?"

"I have it wrong, that's not what happened?"

It struck her that she was understanding exactly what the woman was saying. But she couldn't seem to put the words together in the correct order to respond. What was wrong with her? Something wasn't working the way it was supposed to...her mind...She frowned...something about her mind...She tapped her forehead. "Wrong."

Daniel had awakened, and was watching quietly. And wishing that the horrible hammering in his head would stop.

"Something is wrong, is that what you're saying?" Janet asked.

Casey nodded.

"Yes, sweetie, something is wrong. But don't worry, you'll be right as rain in no time!" I hope, Janet added silently. Without knowing what had happened, she was guessing at best.

"Re-mem-ber more?"

"You want me to ask you more questions?"

She nodded again.

"All right. Do you know where you are?"

"Here."

Jack snickered. Grinned when Casey looked over at him. Felt his heart nearly give out with relief when she grinned in return.

Janet giggled as well. "You're being a smart aleck."

"Funny," Casey said, her smile going wider.

"Yes, you think you're funny," Janet smiled. "Where is here, Casey?"

"Beats me."

"Do you know who I am?"

Casey studied the woman. Pulled her lip between her teeth when nothing, no information at all, seemed to be available to her. She finally shook her head.

"That's okay, don't worry about it for now. Your breakfast should be here in just a few minutes. I want to add a vitamin supplement to your IV. You've lost weight, and I'm concerned about that. I'll be right back."

Janet had no more left the room than an airman walked in, carrying a tray heaped with food. The entire base was aware by now that Casey was back. She was awake, and had lost her memory and too much weight. The cooks in the commissary kitchen had put every favorite that they could think of on the tray.

Daniel rose to his feet, the smell of the food causing his stomach to roll in protest. "I'll be right back," he whispered, not daring to speak any louder for fear of making his head crack open. He gave Casey a weak smile, squeezed her fingers, then hurried for the door.

Casey frowned. Something bothered her about the way the man looked...as if he were...ill. He was special...important to her. She wasn't sure how she knew that, only that she did. She pointed toward the door. "Wrong?"

Jack grinned again. "He's hung over. I found him at O'Malley's doing a bit of drinking."

The frown deepened. Something felt so...not right...about that! Did the man make himself ill? Was this something the man did often? "Wrong?"

Jack pushed his hands into his pockets. "He's been going crazy, needing to find you. Missing you. Worrying about you. Last night...last night it all sort of crashed down on him. You're back, but not all the way. And he's worried."

"Wore-eed?"

"He's afraid that if you don't remember him, you won't like him when you get to know him," Jack said softly. He didn't know how much Casey would recall about this conversation later, or how much she could understand at the moment. But he needed her to know that Daniel wasn't the type of man to hit a bar whenever things got rough. "He has the occasional beer, or glass of wine, but Daniel isn't a drinker. He doesn't hide in a bottle of booze, or a pill bottle, to get through tough times. Last night was...last night was...unusual."

Okay, so making himself ill wasn't a regular thing. It never had been, she understood that. And once again rolled her eyes mentally. More bits and pieces seemed to be floating around, waiting for her to put them into the correct order. And she had no idea what order that was, or even where to begin! It was annoying the hell out of her!

"He's really happy that you're back home," Jack told her. "We can all see it in his eyes."

She stared out the door where the man had disappeared. He had such beautiful eyes. Such beautiful blue eyes. So familiar...they made her feel...safe...and something else, something she didn't have a name for, couldn't explain. She shook her head. "Blue eyes," she said. Not even certain herself what it meant.

Sam stepped forward. "Blue eyes?"

"Blue eyes," Casey nodded.

"When Ba'al had Casey the last time, and was using the ker'nish'ta, she said the only thing she could remember for certain were blue eyes, and how she always felt safe looking into them," Sam said quietly to her teammates. She turned back to Casey. "Blue eyes...helped you?"

Once again she struggled to understand the words. The tall blonde had said something that was poking at her...she needed to hear it again. She pointed to the woman, then to her own mouth.

"I have no idea what she's saying, or wanting," Sam admitted.

Nodding, Casey pointed to Sam once again, and then to her mouth.

"Perhaps she wishes you to continue speaking, Major Carter," Teal'c said.

Casey shook her head. Once more pointed to the blonde woman, and then her own mouth.

"Repeat what you said, Major," Jack said, watching his young friend.

"Blue eyes helped you?" Sam said again.

Was that what had happened? She pointed to her mouth.

"Blue eyes helped you?"

Suddenly, blue eyes danced in her memory, just the way she'd seen them...warm and full of love...the same eyes she'd looked into when she'd awakened the first time. "Yes!" she nearly shouted. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Jack chuckled. "Okay, so we know that Daniel was able to help her, or at least memories of him-"

"What is going on?" Janet asked, hurrying into the room.

"Seems like Danny's blue eyes haunted Casey this time around, too," Jack explained.

"I see. Well, let's stop talking for now. You need to eat, young lady," she told Casey.

Casey looked at the food. Okay, this should be easy enough. But it wasn't! She reached out and gingerly touched the stack of pancakes. They were warm, and drenched with maple syrup...although she wasn't aware of what they were, or what was on them. She looked at her finger. Brought it to her mouth and carefully tasted the sticky substance. Oh, that was good! "Yes!" she beamed happily.

Daniel had returned, looking a bit better after washing his face with cold water. His Immortality was taking care of the residual effects of his unaccustomed drinking binge. He was carrying a cup of strong, dark coffee, to ward off the last vestiges of the hangover.

She stared at the cup. That smell...it was familiar...she knew that smell! "Mine?"

He couldn't help but grin. "Not this cup, Angel. I'll go get you a cup-"

"No!" She didn't want him to leave. It was important that he stayed with her. He'd help her with...with whatever this stuff was. She wasn't even going to try to figure out exactly how she knew that. At this point, she wasn't going to question anything!

"How about if I get that coffee for you," Jack offered.

"Yes!"

Daniel started to sit down in the chair.

"No," she said softly.

He looked up at her. Smiled when she touched the pancakes then offered her finger. He carefully licked off the syrup. Their first breakfast together as husband and wife, in the hotel in Denver, had included him licking syrup off of her fingers. And whipped cream from...Nope, don't go there, bucko, his brain warned him. When she looked at the food, and then back up at him, the frustration she was feeling bright in her eyes, he suddenly understood. Jack was right...somehow, on some level, Casey was remembering him. Still had feelings for him...and understood that he'd do anything for her. "How about I help you with that?" he asked softly.

She gave a sigh of relief. "Yes."

He sat down beside her, smiled when she scooted just a bit to make more room for him, obviously wanting him closer. His heart was pounding in his chest. Could it be possible that even though her memory was gone...or if not gone, the access to it was being inhibited...that their love was something that went beyond memory? All he knew, all he cared about, was the fact that she wanted him close to her. Wanted him to help her. One step at a time. One day at a time. "Looks like you have enough to feed the Marines," he teased, giving her a smile. His heart did flip-flops when she smiled back.

"Yes," she smiled.

Daniel pointed to each item, told her what it was. Picked up the fork, explained it, and then began to feed her. After each bite he asked her if she wanted to hold the fork, each time she shook her head. Something told him that she was quite capable of doing so. But he wasn't about to argue. He'd do whatever she asked of him, as long as she loved him...even if she wasn't yet fully aware of that love.

She pushed the forkful of pancake toward his mouth. He needed to eat as well, of this she was certain. He looked as if he'd lost weight. She rolled her eyes mentally. Having only bits and pieces of information, of knowledge, was going to drive her crazy. She began to insist that he take every other bite. Which he seemed willing to do.

Janet watched from the doorway. "It's there...it's all there. She just has to access it," she said softly to Sam and Teal'c. "Her responses are encouraging. Do either of you have anything planned for today?"

"No, not really, why?" Sam asked.

"Nor do I have anything that requires my immediate attention," Teal'c said.

"I want all of you to spend as much time with her as you can. Talk about anything, everything. Something will trigger her memory. I'm certain of it," Janet told them. More certain than she'd ever been of anything in her life. She wouldn't tell them about the dream she'd had the night before. At least, not yet. But she was fairly certain that it had been Miss Eloise she'd seen. Standing beside a river. Well, what should have been a river. The water was golden, she could see that it had been very carefully dammed. It was important that the water be released. She had to tear down that dam...she just didn't know how to do it. The 'interpretation' of the dream had come to her while she'd readied the new IV bag. All they had to do was break the dam...and the memories in Casey's blonde head would come pouring back, right where they belonged.

Jack returned with a cup of coffee. "Real stuff, not that fancy-schmancy stuff Space Monkey drinks," he said, handing it to Casey with a grin.

"Coffee."

"Yep, coffee."

"You hate that stuff," Daniel said, feeling just a bit guilty. Maybe if he could convince her that she really didn't like it, they wouldn't have to keep a can of plain old Maxwell House in the pantry. Daniel Jackson, he scolded himself sternly, you are a coffee snob!

"Wrong?" she asked, confusion in her eyes, a frown on her face.

Daniel shook his head. "No, Angel, you're not wrong. But I was. Drink your coffee," he said, giving her a sheepish smile.

Okay, he was wrong. About what? She took a sip. The coffee was hot, but not so hot that burned her tongue. Yep, this she remembered! Closed her eyes as she sipped again.

Sam motioned for the two men, one sitting on the bed, the other standing beside it, to join her and Teal'c in the hallway. When Daniel stood to his feet, Casey's hand grabbed for his, her eyes wide with fear. "Wrong?"

That look of panic tugged at his heart. He smile reassuringly. Caressed her cheek, his heart jumping for joy when she pushed her beautiful face against his palm. "Nothing's wrong, Angel. I'll be right back...I promise."

"You're welcome," she said.

He chuckled. "No...you say 'thank you'. I say 'you're welcome'."

"Thank you," she intoned obediently.

"You're welcome." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, joined his friends in the corridor. "What's up?"

"Janet wants us to stay with her today, talk to her about anything and everything. If we can hit on something that will trigger her memory..."

Bits of the conversation he'd had with Jack the night before filtered back into his mind. "It's possible that while she was...missing...she was on the astral plane," Daniel said softly. "I don't think that the Ascended would have done this to her. Someone else, possibly."

"But if she'd been on that plane, couldn't the Ascended have prevented her from being hurt?" Sam asked.

Daniel shook his head. "That would still be considered 'interfering' and that's something they can't do."

Teal'c frowned. "Casey Jackson guided you in your battle with Anubis, forcing him to flee from his human form; something that those among the Ascended wished to see happen. If they were able to destroy Anubis, I do not believe they would allow her to be permanently harmed."

"I'm not even going to pretend to understand this astro-turf stuff. But I have to agree with Teal'c. They might not have been able to interfere, but I'll put money on the fact that they found a way to protect her," Jack said.

"It's possible that her memory loss is a way of protecting her," Sam pointed out. "We have no idea what she's been through."

The three men frowned deeply at this suggestion, none of them willing to examine too closely the thoughts that accompanied Sam's remark. All of them fought visions of the various forms of torture that Casey could have been subjected to.

"For now, let's just do what Janet's asked. She seemed confident that it would help," Sam said.

"It's better than doing nothing," Daniel replied. And he'd had his fill of that particular malady. He turned to go back into the room, stopped and looked over his shoulder at his friends. "Thanks for being here...for both of us."

"That's what friends are for," Jack said, reaching out and squeezing Daniel's shoulder. He dropped his arm around Sam, looked up at Teal'c. "Okay, let's go give Radar the run down of what she's missed the past couple of months."

For the next three hours, the team told her of their search for her. Told her of her first days in Cheyenne Mountain, of their missions, their vacations...answering questions that she asked, each one sounding more and more like the Casey they all knew and loved.

They were laughing about the Fourth of July barbecue when General Hammond tapped lightly on the door. "Doctor Fraiser informed me this morning that Casey had awakened, I'm sorry it took so long for me to make it up here."

"Thank you," Casey said, looking at Daniel immediately for approval.

He grinned. "I think the phrase you're looking for is, 'I understand'."

"But I don't!"

Jack snickered.

General Hammond chuckled as well. "I've been on the phone with the president. I've managed to buy the teams a few more days. Those already on missions will have down time when they return, all those still on base will catch up with paper work, and make certain all PT and weapons training requirements are met," he informed them.

Okay, not understanding that at all, she thought. "Why?"

"Because, young lady, no one wants to step through the Stargate without your approval."

"It's okay," she said promptly.

The comment evoked more chuckles. "Not until you've 'searched', to see if there are any potential hazards that might be lurking."

Damn it! Just when she thought she was getting a handle on things! How could she see anything that they couldn't see? An odd poking began in the back of her mind. And there was something very familiar about it. She frowned as she examined what she could remember...more images, sounds, feelings were beginning to move forward, demanding her attention, seeking to be put back into place. Almost as if they were slipping past something. That thought deepened her frown. Slipping past what? An injury of some sort? The poking continued. And a feeling that soon she'd understand settled over her. She wondered briefly if she'd always been an impatient person...because the wait for things to be right again was getting on her nerves.

A  A  A  A  A  A

After General Hammond's brief visit, Casey shifted again on the bed. Daniel was still sitting beside her, she'd been unwilling to let him move, she leaned against him, trying to find a comfortable position. The fact that doing so made her heart patter against her ribs only added to her discomfort. "Numb butt," she complained.

Daniel grinned. "Yeah, you always complain about that when you're in the infirmary."

"Better beds, then,"

Jack chortled. "I'll tell Doc that you've made a request."

She looked at Daniel. Smiled in return when his lips curved upward. Daniel. And Jack, and Sam, and Teal'c. She knew their names. Didn't actually remember them, but she knew their names now. "I want out."

"I'll see if Janet will let you take a stroll through the corridors," Daniel replied. As he had before, when he stood up, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

The idea of leaving the room, which had been her entire world since waking up, had her shaking with excitement...and trepidation. What was out there? Was there anything that might help her break through the blackness that seemed to fill her mind? Would she at last be able to put all of the pieces back together?

He watched, smirking at the look of frustration on her face. He had already set into motion the events that would lead to the demise of The One. So simple, really. Just plant a few interesting marks on a wall in a temple on the verge of collapse. Once the human stepped inside, eager to examine the text, he'd be buried alive. It would be a matter of guiding a few of the falling stones to make certain that even if his body was recovered, the man known as Daniel Jackson would never breathe again. He had every intention of snatching him before The Others could reach him. How amusing it would be to have The One as his personal slave! Satisfied that all was going as he'd planned, he moved away.

She smiled. He had yet to learn that the best laid plans were often for naught. Already the young seer suspected...was beginning to push at the mental block that trapped her memories. The moment that it was breached, there was no doubt what the results would be. With a final glance, she moved away as well. She had to make certain that there were no misunderstandings among those she dwelt with. Once the parameters were set in place, she'd be free to 'interpret' the request as she saw fit. She'd always pushed the boundaries, pushed the limits of the Rules. There was no need to step back now!

A  A  A  A  A  A

Daniel couldn't help but smile as she clung to him, walking slowly, her eyes moving constantly, taking in everything she saw. "Would you like to go to my office?"

"Yes!"

He chuckled at the excited look in her green eyes. "This way, My Lady," he grinned.

She stopped. Looked at him. My Lady. There was something...familiar...about those words. She shivered. Something...not good. "Wrong," she whispered.

"What?" He frowned. Didn't like the look of fear that had flashed over her face. When she touched his lips, he understood that she wanted him to repeat what he'd said. "This way?"

Nope. That wasn't the part that had sent fingers of fear up and down her spine.

"My Lady?"

She shivered again. That was it! "Wrong," she said firmly.

"That was what you were called when you were being held prisoner on Ba'al's ship. He'd taken you as his consort," Daniel explained softly. "Shanda and Nutesh called you 'My Lady'. They called you that out of respect. And love," he added, knowing full well that both former slaves of Ba'al had been totally charmed by his Wife.

She shook her head. "Wrong."

"Okay, we can drop that for now," he conceded.

Needing the reassurance of his touch, not understanding as of yet just why, she took his hand, placed it on her cheek. Closed her eyes and pressed against his palm.

His heart sped up, hope rushed through him like waves overtaking the shore. He instinctively realized that this was her way of finding...of taking comfort. Even if she didn't remember him, or their life together, he was able to comfort her. That she wasn't hesitant to 'ask', with her words or her actions, made the hope pounding in his heart grow ever stronger. His fingers gently caressed her face. "It's okay, Angel. I'm right here. I'm not going to let anything happen."

Now that she understood! Her hands were wrapped around his arm, she moved closer, the warmth of his body against hers sending messages to her brain that were momentarily lost. "Okay."

"Now, to my office. And no smartass comments about it being messy."

"Okay," she replied, smiling at the grin on his face.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of all of the artifacts that cluttered the work table, and the shelves that lined the walls. She moved around the room, examining each piece, although her hands remained at her sides. When she reached a group of fertility statues, she frowned. There was something...

He watched her as she carefully, hesitantly reach out and touch the head of one of the statues. Those clay figures had been in his office when she'd first come to the mountain with him. She'd declared them absolutely hideous, and that they'd obviously been made by a man with 'size issues'.

Casey looked up at him, gave him a smile. "Ugly."

Daniel laughed out loud. "Yeah, you've said that before."

She moved on, stopping to look at one of the tablets. She knew this! She was certain she did!

"That's the first tablet you were able to decipher," Daniel said softly.

Her fingers moved over the marks that had been so carefully inscribed into the wet clay. "So much," she sighed.

He frowned. "You've forgotten so much?"

She shook her head. "So much...hard...so much...important."

It was like trying to learn a new language. Only there weren't any familiar root words to listen for, to use as a guide. "It was hard work to make that tablet," he said slowly. "And it was important to those who made and used that tablet." It just happened to be the civil laws for the city where the tablet had been discovered.

"Yes," she said, flashing a smile.

His return smile was automatic. "Would you like to go look at the 'gate?"

She nodded eagerly. "Whoosh!"

"That's what it sounds like," he agreed. Her comment was just one more that told him that everything was there. She just needed to find a way to get to it.

The klaxons chose that moment to roar to life, the beacons in the corridor flashing red against the walls. Casey dropped to the floor, put her hands over her ears. Her heart was pounding with fear. Alarms! No! If there were alarms, it meant she'd be caught!

Daniel was at her side in an instant, pulling her shaking body into his arms. "It's okay, Casey," he whispered. "It's okay. One of the teams is coming back," he explained.

"No! No! I won't go! Don't let him take me!" she begged.

"No one is going to hurt you, babe. No one is going to take you from me, I promise. Shh, it's all right, we'll just sit here," he crooned softly. "Just you and me, right here."

Her arms went around his neck. As long as she was with Daniel, everything would be okay. She snuggled closer, sighed contentedly when his arms tightened around her. "Okay."

"Yes, Angel, everything is okay," he whispered. He closed his eyes. Allowed himself to savor the feeling of having her in his arms, holding her tightly; the consolation of feeling her arms around him.

It wasn't until the klaxons went silent, the red beacons stilled that Casey finally loosened her grip. "Okay?"

"Everything is okay," he assured her.

She really didn't want to move. Sitting there on the floor, wrapped in his arms, she'd felt safer, happier than she had in...in a very long time. Once again images and feelings flittered through her mind, all moving too quickly for her so focus on any of them. Damn it! I'm going to figure this all out if it's the last thing I do! She allowed Daniel to pull her to her feet...although she didn't immediately move away from him. Nor did he seem in any hurry to let her go. She frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're...you're...um...special," she said softly.

He smiled. "Only in your eyes."

"We're...we're different."

"How?"

"You hold my hand. Jack doesn't do that, Sam doesn't do that, Teal'c doesn't do that...Janet only holds it when she puts that squeezy thing on my arm."

"Ah," Daniel said, understanding her confusion. "You're my Wife. I'm your husband. Do you know...recognize...those words?"

Husband? Had a very nice ring to it, but nope, not a clue. She shook her head.

"A year and five months ago, give or take a day or two, the team went on a mission."

"Team?"

"SG-1. Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and I. You're part of that team now. But at the time of this particular mission, you were still in Tacoma."

She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"We got tossed into an alternate reality, about twelve years into our future. I met...me...or at least my alternate self. And his wife, Casey. She told me about you, well, he did, too. And she gave me a letter to give to you when I got home. Which we did, just barely."

"What did the letter say?"

He smiled. "I don't know. You've never shown me."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Jack helped me to see that I really should go to Tacoma, to find you. So I did. I fell in love with you the minute you opened that door," he sighed.

"I liked you, too?"

Daniel chuckled. "I think so. Pretty sure you did, because you spent the night with me. You'd never spent the night with a man before."

Something about that nudged at her...again it seemed so familiar it was frustrating. "Then what happened?"

"We made love...incredible, mind-blowing love. I had to leave the next day...you saw Jack, Sam, and Teal'c in danger."

"How?"

"You're a seer, Casey. You have an amazing gift. Anyway, as soon as I got back, I called you, got a plane ticket, and you flew to Denver. We were married on February twenty-second. We'd just celebrated our first anniversary the day before we went on our last mission together. You were kidnapped by a slave trader. Ba'al had hired him to find you. Take you from me."

"You're my Husband?"

"All yours," he replied.

Now that brought up some very nice feelings. All hers. This handsome, kind, gentle man was hers. All mine. She couldn't help but smile. "Good."

"Glad you think so," he grinned. He slowly moved away from her, noted with not a little satisfaction that she didn't appear any too eager to let go. He watched her eyes, could sense that she was struggling, fighting to regain all that she'd lost. If he could just find the right thing, the right place, or sound to jog her memory, to help her move past whatever was keeping her mind in shadows, everything would be just the way it should be. He was certain of that fact. Maybe the SGC wasn't what she needed...maybe she needed something more...personal. "Would you like to go home? If Janet will let you?"

"Home?" Another word that brought feelings of warmth...safety...happiness. "Home sounds nice," she said softly.

"Let's go see what Janet has to say about it." He laced his fingers with hers, and led her out of the room. She hesitated at the doorway, peeked around the corner before stepping into the corridor.

There was no one around. They'd seen a few people on their way to his office, Daniel had told her who they were, what their names were. Everyone she'd met so far seemed excited to see her. She had no clue why, but she'd be the first to admit it left her with a warm feeling. Different than the warmth she felt with Daniel. But very nice.

Janet was sitting at her desk when the couple walked in. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that their hands were tightly entwined. "Hey, you two. Coming back for a rest?"

"Actually, I was wondering what you thought of the idea of letting Casey go home," Daniel said.

The petite doctor leaned back in her chair. Studied the hopeful looks on both faces. "I think it sounds like a great idea," she replied. "I think being in more...familiar...surroundings is exactly what she needs."

He hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath until it hissed from his lungs in a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Janet."

"You're welcome." She turned her attention to the slender blonde. "You still need to rest. Plenty of sleep. No skipping meals."

"Okay," Casey replied. She didn't fully understand the instructions, but she was sure that Daniel did. He'd see to it that she didn't do anything...bad. That thought gave her pause. When had she done anything bad? What had she done that had been 'bad'? Disobeyed...she'd disobeyed someone...he'd been so angry, and then he'd hurt her...She glanced sideways at Daniel. No, it hadn't been him. Everything within her assured her that only with Daniel was she safe, that he had never, and would never hurt her, or allow her to be hurt, not if he could prevent it. Which sparked another thought. Whatever had happened to her, had happened because he'd been unable to prevent it. Because it had to happen. Yet another thought that left her with more questions than answers.

Sam had been hovering near the infirmary, waiting for the two to return from their 'stroll' through the SGC. She was more than willing to take Casey to the locker room and help her dress, assisting the seer with putting on the street clothes she'd worn to the base that early morning nearly three months earlier.

Dressed in jeans and a sweater, boots on her feet, her coat over her arm, Casey followed Sam to Daniel's office. When his face lit up as they entered, she felt her heart hammer with excitement. He liked seeing her...she knew that. While she'd been dressing, following Sam's gentle instructions, the tall major had told her that Daniel loved her very much. Of all the words she'd learned, that one was the most beautiful of all. Love. He loved her. He loved her. How utterly amazing was that?

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