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 My Friend Danny

Daniel walked into his office, the folder containing his notes from the morning meeting in his hand. He heaved a sigh, and tossed the folder onto his desk. Another sigh escaped when half of the notes scattered over the top of work already spread out. He dropped down onto his chair, let his head fall back and closed his eyes. He hadn’t suspected anything out of the ordinary when Doctor Nichols had requested a ‘private’ meeting with him as the others left the commons room, headed for their own offices and work spaces. He’d even thought that perhaps the archaeologist was going to ask about more ‘off-world’ excursions for the group of scientists who worked in the Archaeological Department of the SGC. He’d overheard a few conversations on the subject. However, the discussion had been nothing like he’d expected. I should have expected it, he thought. After what Craig told us during the meeting, I should have expected it.

"So, Craig is leaving?" Casey said, looking over at her Husband. She tapped her temple when he raised his eyebrows. "All I picked up is that he’s leaving."

"Yep. Retiring," Daniel replied.

"I can’t say I’m surprised," Casey murmured. She was still reeling from the older man’s revelation during the morning staff meeting. Why didn’t he tell us?

"I just wish he’d have told us when it happened," Daniel said, his own voice soft, unknowingly echoing aloud his wife’s thoughts. It had come as a shock to learn that Doctor Nichols – one of the foremost experts on Native American tribes, and a valued member of the department – had suffered a heart attack as a result of the invasion of the SGC by the Goa’uld System Lord Kali. It hadn’t, the older archaeologist had insisted, been a serious heart attack. But he’d spent three days in the hospital, nonetheless. And hadn’t once said a word to any of his coworkers.

"I do, too. We could have at least sent flowers. He’s had Janet take a look at him, right?"

Daniel nodded. "He said that she offered to repair any damage-" He broke off and shook his head.

"But he refused," Casey finished.

"Yep. Something about not being able to ‘cheat’ when so many men around him were suffering from heart attacks, and didn’t have the benefit of alien technology to repair the damage to their hearts."

"He’s just being stubborn," Casey huffed. "Other men aren’t working in a secret facility, caught up in a war with the Goa’uld."

It was impossible not to smile. His Wife would find any justification to make the people who worked within the stone and concrete walls of Stargate Command heroes. Not, he mused silently, that I disagree. She’s got a point.

"Maybe we should talk to his wife about it," the seer suggested.

"Casey-"

"Everything we do is classified top secret," she sighed. "I know."

"Anyway, he and his wife agreed that retirement was probably in his best interest," Daniel said.

Casey tugged her lip between her teeth. When the reality of the situation began to settle in her brain, she was tempted to push that reality away. As much as she wanted to do so, the facts were, unfortunately, facts. Ignoring those facts wouldn’t change them. This just sucks, she thought grumpily. "There’s a record of his heart attack," she said slowly giving voice to the thoughts bouncing in her head. "Records of the time he spent in the hospital. Probably x-rays and blood tests and stress tests as well."

Daniel remained silent, understanding that she was dealing with her feelings of helplessness. And coming to the same conclusion he had already reached.

"If Janet used any of the alien technology we have to repair the damage, anyone from the outside who decided to run tests on him would want to know what happened. We couldn’t use the excuse of secret military medical experiments. Not for something like this."

"I agree. We’re just lucky that Rachel’s doctor wasn’t curious enough to pursue the matter," Daniel said, referring to Jack’s sister. Who was now cancer free due to the efforts of Casey, Sam Carter, and Janet Fraiser…and a Goa’uld healing device. He ignored the thought that his power as The One had been needed to complete the healing. He also ignored the momentary panic that always arose whenever he thought about that day, and what the results could have been had they been caught with an alien device outside of the SGC.

"Janet was surprised when the reports and images the oncologist had taken of Rachel arrived." That package, Casey recalled, had also included a letter requesting any available information about the ‘trial procedures’. Janet had simply replied that all information was classified, and she was unable to respond to his request. Thankfully, the doctor had dropped the subject…Janet knew that for sure, because General Hammond had tasked Gary Franklin and his team to monitor the doctor until they could be sure he wasn’t attempting to learn more about the ‘procedure’ through other means. In the months since the incident, the doctor had made no further inquiries from anyone.

Daniel frowned slightly. "Is your Dad still monitoring her doctor?"

Casey shook her head. "Nope. He had Lucky and Dancer follow him around for a couple of weeks, just in case. Daddy said that the doctor seemed to accept what Janet had told him."

"That’s good news," Daniel sighed. He scooped up his notes, stuffed them back into the folder, and stuck the folder beneath two books. He rearranged the other folders on his desk. Moved his coffee mug from one side of the desk to the other, then back. Lined his pencils according to size, noting that three of them needed to be sharpened.

She watched her husband; noted that he was shifting the things on his desk without actually being aware of doing so. Which meant he was deep in thought about something. Most probably the task of finding someone to fill the now empty position in the department. "So, are you going to replace Craig?" Casey asked softly.

"I dunno. We have Adam, Beth, and Lee. And Jonas and Nyan have been incredible assets to the department," he admitted.

Doctors Craig Nichols, Adam Warnke, Leanna Izett, and Beth Meyers were archaeologists who had joined the SGC not quite a year earlier. Jonas had been assigned to the Archaeological Department of the SGC as soon as he had arrived from his home planet of Kelowna. Nyan – who had escaped his home planet of Bedrosia after helping Teal’c free Jack, Sam, and Daniel from the people determined to kill them to keep the secret of the Stargate – had been assigned to Area 51. He had only just been brought into the SGC to work in the department with the other archaeologists.

"It’s totally up to you," Casey said. "We lost Cam, and we’re losing Craig. And you’ve said that Craig’s knowledge of Native American tribes is priceless, given the number of Native ‘tribes’ we’re finding out there." She waved her hand toward the ceiling.

Daniel glanced over at his wife. He hadn’t noticed any of the tell-tale signs of her having a ‘download’, although it seemed that just as often information was dumped into her head without warning. "Case?"

"Hmm?"

"Anything particular you want to tell me?"

"About what?"

"About replacing Craig?"

"Nothing on the psychic radio," she replied.

"Okay…what about personal opinions. Any of those I should know about?"

She heaved a sigh. "It’s just…even with what feels like a full staff, we’re still running circles around ourselves, trying to get through everything that the teams bring back."

He had to admit the truth of her statement. "I thought sending all of the…non-essential…artifacts to Area 51 would help."

Casey snorted. "Two semi-trailers full of stuff. We still have two levels of rooms filled with artifacts that we need to finish studying."

"I know."

"Well, you can decide if you want to bring someone else in any time."

"True," Daniel said, sighing again. "The hard part is finding someone willing to sign all the disclosure agreements, and be willing to work in secrecy."

"If I recall, it wasn’t easy to convince Craig or Leanna. You went to visit them in person to convince them to join the SGC."

"True."

"Beth told me that as soon as she received your letter, she was determined to find out what was going on," Casey grinned.

Casey giggled. "Well…you were!"

"I’m certainly glad she’s here," Daniel admitted. "She’s been a godsend."

"Yes, she has," Casey agreed. Beth Meyers-Hammond was not only a skilled archaeologist, her organizational abilities were definitely a boon to the growing department.

A familiar brown-and-silver head poked into the room. "Hey, campers!"

Daniel smiled. "Hey, Jack."

"Sam wants to go to Sonic for lunch. Interested?"

Casey was already on her feet, grabbing her purse strap from the back of her chair. "Hell, yes!"

Daniel rose to his feet as well. "Looks like we’re interested."

"What about Janet and Teal’c?" Casey asked.

"Janet is busy with a couple of patients right now. She told Teal’c to grab something for her and bring it back," Jack said.

The young seer nodded her approval.

The three teammates stepped into the corridor, and headed for the elevator.

"General Hammond sent me a memo. Something about one of the doctors on this floor retiring?" Jack said, watching Daniel carefully.

"Doctor Nichols," Daniel replied. "Craig Nichols."

"Remember Kali’s little visit?" Casey asked, sliding her pass through the reader.

"Not ringing any bells," Jack’s face was a picture of innocence.

"Demented bitch who wanted Daniel for her consort, while Doctor Weir was visiting," Casey said; knowing full well the colonel remembered…but playing along with his ‘absent-minded military grunt’ facade.

"Ah, yes. That was a stressful afternoon," Jack replied, with his usual cocky grin. That had been one of the most terrifying events he could remember, at least at the SGC. That afternoon had revealed just how exposed the secret base had been with a working, unguarded and unlocked ring transport on level twenty-four. The doors of the elevator opened, and he motioned for the seer to go first. He followed Daniel into the car, pushed the button to take them to level eleven.

"Yeah, a little too stressful," Casey sighed. "Craig had a heart attack that night."

"Oh, hell," Jack hissed.

"He never told us." Daniel’s voice was tinged with a hint of anger. Anger that someone he worked with…who technically worked for him…had felt unable to talk to him about something so important.

Casey cocked her head slightly, then looked up into troubled blue eyes. "He didn’t want to worry you," she said softly.

Daniel snorted. "He still should have told me."

"Anyway, Craig and his wife discussed the matter and decided it would be best for his health if he retires," Casey said.

"This is when all the secrecy can be a real pain in the ass," Daniel complained.

"Sure…knowing that it’s not just a stressful job, but that her husband is in danger from attack by aliens is gonna make it better," Jack said gently.

Daniel started slightly. "I…wow…I hadn’t thought about that. I guess…" He paused, then shook his head slightly. "I suppose it’s better for loved ones to not have all the details."

"Especially for a job like ours," Jack agreed. "There are reasons for military secrets. That’s one of them."

Daniel nodded his understanding.

Both Sam and Teal’c were waiting for them when they stepped onto level eleven. The team signed out, then took the elevator to the first level. They made their way through the rough, stone cavern to the concrete entry, and managed to catch the bus to the parking lot without having to wait.

They were walking toward Jack’s truck when Casey stopped mid-step, her head tilted slightly.

Sam was the first to notice that the seer wasn’t with them when she reached for the door handle. "Casey?" 

Daniel turned around, then hurried to his Wife’s side. "Case?"

Green-eyes, slightly unfocused, looked up at him. "There’s a replacement for Craig. A ‘perfect’ replacement."

"Who?" Daniel asked gently.

"You know who it is."

"That’s not much help," Daniel grumped.

Casey blinked twice. "What?"

"You just told me that there’s a perfect replacement for Craig. And that I know who it is," Daniel replied.

"Well, when you figure it out, tell me will ya?" The seer looked sky-ward. "I am going to come find you and deal with this problem if you don’t knock it off!"

"Go get ‘em, Tiger," Daniel grinned. "C’mon. Let’s go get lunch."

The ride to the drive-in restaurant was spent discussing Doctor Nichols’ upcoming departure, and the reason he was retiring. Daniel was able to vent his…frustration…that the older man hadn’t told him sooner.

"I’m not an ogre," Daniel declared sharply. "Craig should have told me about this right away. I could have seen to it that he was given lighter duty for awhile. I certainly wouldn’t have sent him along with a team to another planet!"

"Maybe that’s what he was worried about, Daniel," Sam said gently. "He knew that you, and the others in your department, would have tried to protect him. Maybe…maybe he wanted to spend his last few weeks as a working archaeologist doing just that. And how exciting was it for him to be able to work on a dig on another planet? Something that only a handful of archaeologists in the world have been able to do."

He heaved a sigh. "You’re right. Still, it-"

"It hurts, because it feels as if he didn’t trust you," Casey interjected softly. She wrapped her fingers around her husband’s hand.

Blue eyes locked with green. He nodded slowly. "That’s it."

"He trusted you, Danny," Jack said. "He also knows you well enough to know that you’re the kind of man who puts the well-being of those around him above anything and everything else."

Teal’c weighed in on the subject. "Indeed. His desire to work as he had before prohibited him from allowing you to protect him."

"In a nutshell, T-man," Jack nodded.

He couldn’t help but smile. His teammates, Daniel decided, were always ready and willing to offer advice, help…and words of wisdom…when he needed it most. "Thanks," he said, his voice low.

"That’s what we’re here for, Danny," Jack replied, his voice quiet as well.

"So, when is Doctor Nichols leaving?" Sam asked.

"I told him that, given the circumstances, there was no need for a two-week notice," Daniel responded. "He’s got a couple of projects he wants to finish, so his last day will be next Friday."

"I’ll talk to General Hammond," Jack mused. "We should have a party for him…wish him well in his retirement."

"I thought I’d just have a get-together for the department," Daniel admitted.

Jack shrugged. "Up to you. But there are a lot of folks in the SGC alive and well because of the information you and your group give out. Several treaties that wouldn’t have been signed if not for your input."

Daniel shook his head. Once again his best friend was proving to be much more aware of what happened around him than he pretended. Jack was far more observant, far more knowledgeable than he let on. Jack was, Daniel decided, a very accomplished actor. Far too many people around him took him for the grumpy grunt he masqueraded as being. "Thanks, Jack. I thought-" He broke off. Glanced at his wife, then gave his attention once again to his friend. "Do you suppose we could do a pot-luck?"

Perking up, Jack nodded enthusiastically. "That’s a great idea. Always a lot of good food at a pot-luck."

"This is about wishing Craig well on his retirement," Daniel said drolly.

"It will be. Nothing says we can’t do that with good food," Jack replied.

"Maybe you could ask Major Whitmore to bake a cake," Casey suggested, offering a cheeky smile.

"Brilliant idea, Radar!" Jack said enthusiastically.

"Gee, ya think?" Daniel muttered. He gave a quiet ‘oomph’ when his wife poked him in the ribs with her elbow. "What?"

"It is a brilliant idea," Casey told him. "We can have a cake that says something like, ‘the SGC wishes you well’."

"Don’t all retirement parties have cakes like that?" Sam teased Daniel.

The archaeologist grinned. "Well, now that you mention it…I think they do."

"Okay, so as soon as we get back to the base, you and Radar can make arrangements with Major Whitmore, and I’ll get a memo out about the pot-luck," Jack said.

"You?" Sam quirked an eye-brow at her husband. "Don’t you mean you’ll have Colonel Reynolds do it?"

"I tell him, he does it…same thing," Jack retorted.

"Not hardly," Sam argued.

Casey’s green eyes twinkled. "Let Colonel Reynolds do it, Sam. Then the memo will have no typos, and leave no questions as to what’s really going on."

"Oh, you’re just a laugh a minute," Jack groused. He pulled into a parking stall, and turned in his seat to look at the young seer. "I’ll make sure you’re at the end of the line for the food and the cake!"

"I’ll just bring whatever I want, and eat in Daniel’s office in that case," Casey tossed back.

"Like your potato salad?" Daniel asked, his cheek twitching as he tried not to grin at Jack.

"And cookies. And probably some barbecue meatballs," Casey added.

Jack frowned. "You wouldn’t."

"In a heartbeat."

"You’re annoying."

"So you keep telling me."

"Well…stop it."

"And give up watching you get annoyed? I don’t think so."

"You are so annoying!"

"Yeah, you mentioned that before."

"Perhaps we could order our meals now?" Teal’c interrupted, his voice slightly louder than usual.

"I suppose we could," Jack allowed. He glanced at Casey and grinned. "Notice that we irk them sooner every time?"

"I did notice that," Casey giggled.

"You two are real laugh riot," Daniel grumbled. "Let’s order. I’m hungry."

It was nearly three that afternoon when Daniel realized just who Casey had been referring to as the ‘perfect’ replacement for Craig. "I think I’m going to write a letter to Mike," he said, watching Casey work on a report. Something about the tools she had ‘examined’ after Sam had declared she had no idea what they were or what they were for. Photos of the devices were spread across her desk, each marked with a number for identification.

"Sounds good," she murmured.

He couldn’t help but smile. Glancing around his desk, he found a memo from a few days prior. Wadded it up, and tossed it, hitting his wife on the top of her head. The paper bounced to her desk in front of her.

"Seriously?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, just before she launched the scrunched paper back at him.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Something about a letter."

"Well, you heard part of it," he chuckled.

"So what did you say?"

"That I’m thinking about sending a letter to Mike. Ask if he’d be willing to work for the SGC; he’d be a real asset."

Casey sat back in her chair. "Do you think he’d be willing?"

"I dunno."

"Well, at least you don’t have to explain the SGC, he already knows about it," Casey said.

Daniel shrugged. "Which is why I think I’m gonna send him a letter to offer him a position here."

She nodded, then went back to her interrupted report.

Daniel watched her for a few more minutes, then sighed and pulled out two reports he needed to finish. They were for teams who would be embarking the next day on missions to planets where the inhabitants appeared to be related to the Sherpas of the Himalayan mountains…or at least the Tibetan ancestors of the Sherpas. The answer to how the two almost identical groups had come to be on two different planets was part of what the teams were searching for. No doubt a Goa’uld was involved. Which one was another question to be answered. For one moment he wished SG-1 was going on the mission. He could put the departure of one of Level 18’s archaeologists out of his mind…at least for a day or so.

"Do you still want to stop by Piggly-Wiggly after work?" Casey asked, pouring the last of coffee into Daniel’s mug. A glance at the clock prevented her from starting another pot. It was half past four, and if she were lucky, she’d be able to get Daniel to leave soon.

"Sure," was the indifferent reply.

"If you’d rather go straight home-"

"Casey, I just said we’ll go to the store," Daniel snapped. He cringed as the words hit the air, the biting tone echoing around him. Watched with dismay as his Wife took a full step away from him. "I’m sorry," he whispered, reaching slowly for her hand.

She put the pot back onto the heating unit of the coffee maker and switched it off. Taking the hand that reached for her, she stepped closer and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. "Craig’s announcement has really thrown you for a loop, hasn’t it?" Casey asked softly.

Daniel closed his eyes, taking comfort from the soft caresses of her hand. "I guess so," he admitted. "I just…I mean…" He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "When I first arrived at the SGC, I was one of a dozen archaeologists. Bottom of the ladder," he added, with a self-conscious smile. "Then, I figured out what the coverstone meant, what it really said. We went on that mission and…Jack told me that they mothballed the place after he and the others made their final report."

He rose to his feet and began to pace what walking space there was in his office. "When I came back after…after Apophis attacked, the only thing that mattered to me was finding Sha’re. But…with so many teams going out, and all of the things they were finding…" Daniel shook his head, his eyes filled with the memories of the first months after returning to Earth. "It was so amazing," he said softly. "The Pentagon sent military archaeologists to the SGC because of all those finds."

"All of those discoveries had to be so very exciting," Casey said.

"Exciting… fascinating…overwhelming," Daniel agreed. "Every time SG-1 went through the ‘gate, my goal was to find something that would help me find Sha’re, find a way to bring her home. At least, for the first few months, probably the first year. Then…" He leaned against the work table that took up most of the middle of the room. "When I went back to Abydos, a year after I’d left, to tell Kasuf that I’d failed…"

Casey waited for him to continue. She walked to where he stood and leaned against the table beside him, and put her arm around his shoulders. "And found Sha’re, pregnant. How did you put that? ‘Big as a house’?" she teased gently.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Something like that. I was so happy to see her, and at the same time, I was so damned angry. At her, at myself for being angry at her, hating Apophis so much I wanted to rip him apart with my bare hands…I just wanted to bring her home."

She remained silent. Whatever was bothering Daniel had nothing to do with Sha’re, and everything to do with the fact that one of the archaeologists he’d brought into the SGC was leaving, and not under the most pleasant of circumstances.

Daniel took a deep breath. "I guess because I had two more degrees in the field, General Hammond put me in charge of what he called the ‘Archaeological Department’."

"Now known as the Level 18 Crew,’ Casey quipped, hoping to bring a real smile to her husband’s face.

The smile he gave was larger than the first, but still not the smile his Wife had been hoping for. "I knew Robert…Robert Rothman…would be a great asset. He’d been my assistant for a couple of years when I was still doing work for Doctor Jordan. We got along well, worked together well, he was smart and intuitive…"

"And suffered allergies just like you," she giggled. She had laughed when Daniel had told her about Robert, and how the two of them would by tissues buy the case in the spring.

This time Daniel chuckled. "No one would have believed me about him being a decathlon champ…twice…if I hadn’t had proof. Apparently after Robert left college he never ran, jumped, or did any sort of sports again. I mean, I’d noticed he’d put on a few pounds when he got here, but…" He stopped, shook his head. "Robert died because of me."

"No, he did not," Casey said firmly. "He died because of the friggin’ Goa’uld." She planted herself in front of her husband. Wrapped her hands around his face and held his gaze with her own. "Robert died because a Goa’uld crawled inside him. No doubt he was more than willing to die rather than have that snake controlling him."

"Cam-"

"Cam died because of the Goa’uld as well, Daniel," Casey replied. "Those bastards attacked, he saved you and Janet."

Daniel wrapped his arms around the slender body in front of him. Grabbed at the comfort she was offering. "At least Craig didn’t die," he said, his voice muffled as he pushed his face against her neck.

"No, he didn’t." She held tightly, her arms locked around his neck. "A very brilliant, very handsome archaeologist once told me that working here is a risk. That sometimes bad things happen, and good people die. It’s not fair. It’s not easy to deal with. But it’s the life we’ve chosen."

He remembered the discussion he’d had with her – after they’d returned to the safety of their home – the day after Randy Taylor, a Special Forces officer on SG-3, had been killed. He’d been doing his best to assuage her guilt over not seeing the man’s death before the teams had left on that particular mission. "Brilliant and handsome, huh?"

"Mmm-hmm. Total package deal. I hit the jackpot, baby."

His response to her comment was to return her hug tightly. "Well, Craig is going to retire and live to a ripe old age," Daniel sighed.

"Probably. I just hope he doesn’t turn into one of those grumpy old men who yell at kids to get off their lawns."

Daniel laughed. "I can’t see that happening. He’s more apt to have the kids digging in the yard with him, just in case there just might be something interesting buried there."

A tap on the open door announced the arrival of the topic of their conversation. Craig poked his head into the room. "Not interrupting anything, am I?" he asked, a wide smile on his face.

"Not yet," Casey replied cheekily…jumped when Daniel pinched her waist.

"No, you’re not," Daniel said. "Come on in."

The older man stepped into the room. "I just wanted to apologize," Craig said directly.

"Apologize?" Daniel frowned, adjusting his glasses; something he often did when perplexed, although he was completely unaware of that fact. His Wife, however, was aware of it, and had taken note of his reaction.

"I dropped one hell of a bombshell on you this morning. I…I should have talked to you sooner about…about my heart attack. And I should have done so in private. But it seemed like there was always some emergency or crises that needed our attention, or more specifically, your attention. It just seemed I could never find the right time," Craig admitted.

"Life at the SGC," Daniel sighed. "We all suffer from it."

"I just didn’t want you to think that I was hiding it from you. I wasn’t." Craig frowned slightly. "At least, not consciously."

"I’m just glad you were honest with me about the reason you’re retiring," Daniel relied.

"To be honest, Daniel, I’ve toyed with the idea of retiring before. Not since I got here," Craig smiled. "But I’m not as young as I used to be. Digs are becoming a…well, a challenge…for me. My knees just don’t want to cooperate any longer."

"I understand," Daniel said quietly. To be physically unable to work on a dig site was probably the most feared…and hated…aspect of growing older as an archaeologist.

"Cindy has been wanting to travel. She wants to buy an RV and see the US." Craig said. "I’ve spent time all over the country, learning what I could, finding what I could. But I never really experienced the sights around me, didn’t take time to appreciate the beauty of this country. I’ve grown fond of the idea of loading up an RV and heading out, getting to know my own backyard, as it were."

"Sounds like a wonderful time," Casey offered.

"I think so, too." Craig smiled wider.

Daniel grinned. "So what you’re really saying is, you’re using the excuse of a little heart attack to quit working and head out on the open road."

Craig roared with laughter. "Ah, shoot, you figured it out!"

He planted a kiss on his wife’s forehead, then moved away from her. Daniel offered his hand to his colleague. "Craig, I wish you all the best. And…thank you. This…this little chat means a lot to me."

Craig took the offered hand and shook it vigorously. "Thank you, Daniel, for offering me a peek at the universe that not many people will ever see. It’s been a very amazing year. Well, technically six weeks shy of a year." He smiled, his eyes lighting up slightly. "I’ll treasure every moment, every memory."

"Send us a postcard once in awhile, so we know what you’re up to."

"I’ll do that."

"Um…we thought we’d have a little ‘going away’ get together next Friday," Daniel continued.

"Thank you. Should I bring anything?"

"Yourself and a big appetite," Casey smiled.

"Oh, I can do that!" Craig chuckled. He clapped his hands, then rubbed them together vigorously. "Well, I’m going to head home. I’ll see you tomorrow."

"We’ll be here," Daniel grinned. He watched as the older man walked away, returned the wave when Craig stopped and waved goodbye from the door.

Casey noticed Daniel’s shoulders straighten. Craig’s appearance wasn’t just a coincidence…conjured because of their discussion. Not in her mind. It was miracle. Craig had offered Daniel the explanation, and the reassurances of his leadership, that he’d needed.

"So, ready to go grocery shopping?" Daniel asked, turning to face his Wife.

"Yep. I don’t suppose we could stop at Sonic first? Then I won’t be hungry and apt to buy anything and everything that looks good."

"Sonic? Twice in one day? How about Olive Garden?"

"Even better," she smiled.

"Got your list?"

"In my purse."

"Maybe you’ll find it before we actually get to the store," Daniel teased.

"Watch it, buster. I’ll shove you into my purse if you keep it up."

"No way! Jack would never be able to find me!"

In spite of her attempt to appear offended, Casey burst into giggles. "My purse isn’t that bad!"

"No, it’s not ‘that’ bad. But it’s bad enough." He ducked the swing she made at him, managed to slip behind her and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her arms pinned at her sides. "We’ll get physical later," he whispered in her ear. Delighted at the shiver that moved her from head to foot.

"I’ll hold you to that," she whispered in return.

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