<<Previous  | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>

The echo of a ringing phone shattered the quiet of the room. The occupants of the bed began to stir. One hand reached out from under the blanket and grabbed the receiver. "Hullo?" asked a very not-awake voice.

"Doctor Jackson?"

Daniel forced his eyes open when a familiar voice filled his ear. His voice was raspy with sleep as he croaked out the name that went with the voice. "Walter?"

"Yes, sir. Doctor, we have a situation at the SGC. General Hammond has requested SG-1’s presence."

Wiping his free hand over his face, he bit back a moan. The first day off they’d had in almost two weeks, and it looked as if they’d spend it at the SGC anyway. "Yeah, okay. Give us about thirty minutes or so," Daniel replied sleepily.

"Yes, sir. I’ll inform the general you’re on your way."

The click in his ear told him the call had been terminated. It took three tries to get the receiver back into the cradle. He rolled to his side. "Casey?"

"It’s my day off. I am not getting out of this bed." Casey’s voice was muffled by the fact that she had buried her head beneath her pillow the minute the sound of the phone filtered through to her brain.

"General Hammond wants us on the base ASAP. Apparently they have a ‘situation’," Daniel said, yawning widely.

The pillow shifted to the side, and one green eye peeked sleepily up at him. "Are we the only team at the SGC? No, we are not. Why can’t he call someone else?" Casey asked grumpily.

Daniel couldn’t help but grin, slipping his hand beneath the covers and running it over the smooth skin of her back. "Because, Angel, SG-1 is most adept at handling ‘situations’."

"Probably because we get our asses into ‘situations’ on a weekly basis," she muttered.

He chuckled. "Let’s go, Case. We need to get showered."

The pillow moved until both eyes were looking up at him beseechingly. "Pike’s Perk? I’m not going to be ‘handling’ anything without coffee."

"I promise."

Casey tossed the blankets back, and crawled out of bed, complaining beneath her breath about the inconsideration of the person or persons who were interfering with her day off.

Twenty minutes later – showered, dressed, and mostly awake – Daniel eased the jeep out of the driveway; grinning as Casey continued to grumble as she pulled her still damp hair back into a ponytail.

"If this isn’t a major crisis…as in some Goa’uld going completely bat-shit crazy and getting ready to attack Earth…wait, we have a weapon to take care of that, and we don’t have to be there for that…this better be an ‘end of the friggin’ world’ type emergency." She tossed the just formed ponytail over her shoulder. "If it’s not, I’m lodging a protest about being disturbed on my day off."

"Think it will help?" He was doing his best not to laugh out loud.

"Probably not," she sighed. "Next time we have a day off, we’re not staying in Silver Springs. We’re going anywhere that’s far enough away from the SGC that they won’t be able to expect us in less than twenty-four hours."

"But if we only have one day off-" Daniel interrupted.

Casey held her hand up. "Don’t screw up my rant with details."

Losing his battle, Daniel roared with laughter.

After a quick stop at the nearest Pike’s Perk coffee stand…where extra large cups of strong coffee were ordered…the couple was headed for the highway that would take them to Cheyenne Mountain. Happenstance put Jack’s Ford F250 ahead of them at the security gate.

Once parked, the four members of SG-1 were walking toward the bus stop together when Teal’c’s Toyota Tacoma whipped into the parking lot, and into his assigned parking spot. They waited for the large man to join them.

"So, any idea what’s going on?" Daniel asked Jack.

"Not a clue," Jack replied. "Walter only said there was a ‘situation’ and the general wants us here."

"I believe Janet Fraiser may be in danger," Teal’c said quietly as he approached.

Casey studied his face. "So what’s going on, Big Guy?"

Teal’c shook his head. "I do not know. However, Janet called-" He broke off, his gaze moving to the mountain in front of them. He took a deep breath. "Janet Fraiser called me not more that twenty minutes ago, begging for me to come to the infirmary."

"You were at her house?" Jack asked. It was the only logical place the Jaffa would have been if he wasn’t on base.

"I was. I had just begun to put together the new shelving unit she purchased for her study." Teal’c stepped up and into the bus as soon as it stopped and the door opened.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Teal’c, it’s not even nine o’clock in the morning. On a Saturday. Why were you up so early?"

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Teal’c’s cheek twitched noticeably. "Janet Fraiser was called in earlier…near six a.m. Apparently one of the teams returned to the SGC with several refugees. I know nothing more about what is happening."

Jack glanced at the resident seer. "Getting any vibes on the voodoo radio?"

Casey shook her head. "Sorry, boss. All quiet on that front."

The older man sighed with obvious relief. "That’s good. That means it’s not a three alarm emergency."

"It better friggin’ be," Casey mumbled under her breath, causing her husband to snicker softly.

"Could this be a group that SG-1 has met before, and they’ve asked for us?" Sam asked, settling into the seat beside Jack.

"Could be," Jack allowed.

"Makes sense, too," Daniel added.

The bus stopped in front of the massive blast door that could seal the mountain away from the rest of the world in the wake of an emergency. The fact that the door was wide open was proof that whatever the threat was, it wasn’t a major emergency to the SGC or the world beyond the secret facility. By the time the team was stepping into the elevator on level eleven, however, they knew something was definitely up…the guards at both security check-points had informed them that the general was waiting for them on level twenty-one.

General Hammond was pacing the corridor outside of the infirmary when the five members of SG-1 emerged from the lift. Four armed security officers were standing nearby.

The team approached the infirmary door…which was closed. That alone was an oddity. Unless the beds were all occupied and Janet had determined those patients needed complete peace and quiet, the door was always open.

"So, what’s going on, sir?" Jack asked immediately.

General Hammond shook his head. "I’m not totally certain. Doctor Frasier called me shortly after six this morning to report that SG-18 arrived with a group of people from a planet that had just been struck by a very large meteor, requesting immediate assistance for the refugees. I arrived here just before seven to start the process of finding these folks a new home. Then, about thirty minutes ago, she called my office, and insisted that no one should enter the infirmary. She then informed me that she had called Teal’c, and that she was certain he could handle the problem. I came down here to see what was happening. By the time I arrived, Doctor Fraiser had cleared everyone, including the medical personnel, from the infirmary. She slammed the door closed…then…well…it sounded like all hell was breaking loose," the general explained.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And you needed us because…?"

"Because if there’s a problem, and Doctor Fraiser believes Teal’c can handle it, I figured it would be best to have SG-1 together," Hammond replied unabashedly.

Five faces broke into wide smiles. SG-1’s ‘magic’ was legendary among those who worked in the concrete bunker known as Stargate Command. Everyone also knew that the only way that magic seemed to kick-in was when the team was together. Obviously the OIC was hoping that magic would be useful for whatever situation the SGC was now facing.

Casey glanced around. "Where are the refugees now?"

Hammond sighed. "I had the medical personnel escort them to the commissary on level twenty-six."

"Well, let’s see what’s going on," Jack said. He patted Teal’c’s shoulder. "Doc called you, Big Guy. Take the lead."

Alerted to the fact that something was most certainly wrong, Teal’c opened the door cautiously and stepped into the infirmary, Jack immediately behind him. When nothing happened, Daniel slipped into the room. Again…nothing. Sam and Casey eased in, standing directly behind the men. The team looked around the room, then exchanged nervous glances. It looked as if the infirmary had exploded. Beds were overturned, mattresses on the floor, bedding strung from one end of the room to the other. Drawers in every storage cart were opened, and the contents scattered across the floor.

"Uh…Napoleon?" Jack called.

Janet stuck her head out of her office, her hair mussed, her eyes slightly wild. "What?"

"What the hell happened?" Jack demanded.

"Where is it?" Janet asked, her voice wavering slightly, her eyes darting around the room.

"Where is what?"

A low growl echoed softly. It seemed to be coming from the far corner of the room, behind one of the overturned beds, where the mattress had landed on its edge in front of the frame.

"What was that?" Sam asked, her eyes going wide.

"I repeat," Jack said, slightly irritated, "what the hell happened here?"

"SG-18 brought a group of refugees back. Twenty or so," Janet said, stepping carefully from her office and making a beeline for Teal’c. She sought comfort in his arms. "One of the children had a large…dog. Or at least that’s what we thought it was. The damned thing went crazy. When I was trying to do an exam on the little boy…that…animal…lost its mind, and started attacking everyone and everything. We managed to get everyone out with no one getting bit…but…" she shrugged, and waved a hand toward the chaos.

Casey cocked her head sideways. "It’s not a regular dog."

"No shit!" Janet declared. Her cheeks went rosy; she shook her head. "Sorry, Casey."

"No problem," Casey smiled, catching the woman’s hand and giving it a squeeze. "But, you tried to make the ‘dog’ go to the corner and sit right?"

"Well, yes," Janet admitted.

A frown settled on the seer’s face. "I don’t think the others understand either. The little boy…did he say anything?"

"He’s mute," Janet informed her.

"Aha! That makes perfect sense!" Casey whirled back toward the corner of the room, took a step toward the overturned bed. A low growl resulted.

"Casey-" Daniel grabbed her arm.

"It’s all right, Daniel," Casey said softly. She pulled free, took another step. "You don’t need to be afraid. We won’t hurt you. My friend…my friends…didn’t understand. The little boy…he can’t tell them about you. That’s why you trust him. That’s why you’re his friend. You…you protect him. You allow the others…his parents…to believe you’re just an animal. But…you didn’t know what was going on, who these strange people are; you were trying to protect yourself and your little friend…and then they took the boy. You were looking for the boy, right?"

Another growl…less threatening than the others had been.

"What’s the boy’s name?" Casey asked.

"Not sure," Janet admitted.

"Find him. Get him back here," the seer said softly, her gaze slightly unfocused. She blinked, then looked back at the corner of the room.

"On it." Janet turned toward the corridor and took off in a jog. Teal’c was right behind her.

"Casey? Wanna let the rest of the class in on whatever is going on?" Jack asked apprehensively…he was also watching the corner of the room.

"It’s not a dog. Identical in appearance, but not a dog. More like…not quite human, but not just an animal either," she explained, examining the images she was seeing. "Very protective. When the…uh…creature…chooses to become close to a human, it becomes very protective. I think this…creature…and that little boy are bonded."

A furry snout poked above the bed frame, sniffing carefully. Slowly the face moved into view. It did look very much like a dog. But the intelligence in the gold eyes observing them was striking, and left three of the observers more than a little spooked.

"Hello!" Casey said, smiling brightly. "I’m Casey. I work here. This is my friend Jack, he’s one of the men in charge here," she said, putting her hand on Jack’s arm. She moved to stand next to Sam. Put her hand on the colonel’s shoulder. "This is Sam. She’s my friend, and she’s a very brilliant scientist." She moved again, this time taking Daniel’s hand. "This is Daniel. My mate. He’s a brilliant scientist, as well, although his field of study is different than Sam’s. The woman who was here, who was examining the boy…she was trying to help him…her name is Janet. She’s my friend, and she’s a doctor…er…a healer. And the Big Guy, he’s a Jaffa who turned against the System Lord he was enslaved to. He’s my friend, too." Casey moved back to stand in front of the overturned bed.

The creature began to move out from behind the frame. As large as the giant Newfoundland, similar in appearance to a Tibetan Mastiff – just as furry…and a deep shade of mahogany – the animal inched toward the woman who had been speaking.

Casey knelt down, holding out her hand, not totally unaware that her CO and her Husband were about to jump out of their skin over her actions. "I won’t hurt you. You poor thing, you’re so scared."

The creature sniffed her hand, licked it cautiously. Sighed with contentment when the fingers of that hand began to gently massage behind one ear.

"You’re in a facility known as the SGC. On a planet called Earth," Casey continued, speaking softly. "The people you were with…they were brought here in order to protect them, and save them. At least it wasn’t a freaking Goa’uld," she muttered, hoping that the fact that there were no snakes involved in the current predicament meant she would be able to enjoy the remainder of her day off.

The animal growled.

"You don’t like the Goa’uld, either?"

The head moved back and forth, another growl came from its throat.

"Yeah, we’re fighting them. Killed a few of them. One day, we’ll manage to destroy them all."

A small yip, and it looked as if the creature were smiling.

"Yeah, we’ll party for weeks when that happens," Casey giggled.

The creature’s tail began wagging enthusiastically, sending anything that was near shooting toward the walls.

The sound of rustling from the doorway brought Casey to her feet; then a small body launched into the room. Arms went around the massive neck of the creature, which in turn buried its nose against the child’s back.

"This is Jo’sef," Janet said, her smile a bit shaky. She remained behind Teal’c as much as possible.

"This is…" Casey turned back to the creature, studied it for just a moment. "This is Behemiel."

"Uh huh," Jack said, obviously waiting for a full explanation.

"He…communicates…telepathically. Well, sorta," Casey said. "And only with those he fully trusts. Like Jo’sef." She ran her hand over the boy’s head, smiled when the child beamed up at her.

"How do you ‘sorta’ communicate telepathically?" Jack demanded to know.

"It’s difficult to explain. He’s alien, and his brain is different-" Casey broke off. She shook her head, and heaved a sigh. "It’s really difficult to explain," she repeated.

"How about we just accept that he…er…Behemiel…can communicate, and leave it at that," Daniel suggested calmly, before Jack could respond.

Behemiel put a paw on Casey’s arm, then swung his massive head to look at Janet.

Casey smiled. "Janet, he says he’s sorry for scaring you. He was scared, and angry that the boy…er…Jo’sef…had been taken away from him. Apparently, he’s not been away from Jo’sef since they…bonded…as friends."

Janet managed a small smile. "I understand. Fear and anger can make us react in ways we normally wouldn’t."

The creature gave a little yip.

"Okay, if this thing communicates with his mind, how can he understand what we’re saying?" Jack asked.

Casey frowned slightly. "It’s sort of like…you speak English, but you can understand Goa’uld."

Jack’s brow furrowed. "I suppose that makes sense."

"So…now what do we do?" Sam asked. She was standing behind Jack, and although she trusted Casey implicitly, she wasn’t about to extend that trust to a creature the size of a small pony. A small pony with powerful jaws and sharp teeth.

General Hammond, having heard the voices, had entered the infirmary. "The plan was to find a new planet for the refugees."

"Now that we know that Behemiel isn’t a threat to anyone, can we go home?" Casey asked hopefully.

General Hammond smiled. "That depends on whether or not Behemiel will choose to…communicate…with someone else."

The huge creature stood up, walked slowly toward Janet. Sat down beside her, and looked up.

A puzzled frown crossed Janet’s face…then she smiled. "Yes, I can ‘hear’ you."

Casey grinned from ear to ear.

The petite doctor smiled again. "Behemiel says that right now he’d like to take a long nap. Apparently it’s been a very trying day. And since I’d like Jo’sef to rest as well, I think they’ll both be sleeping for awhile."

"We’ll help you get this cleaned up," Sam said, already starting to pick up the scattered medical supplies.

Jack and Teal’c righted one of the bed frames, and put a mattress on it.

"Let me get this bed made up, and you and Jo’sef can take that nap," Janet told Behemiel. She quickly gathered clean linens from a nearby cabinet, and had the bed made up in less than five minutes. She patted the mattress. "Come on up."

Behemiel jumped onto the bed. Seemed to nod with approval when Daniel lifted the little boy onto the bed beside him.

Jo’sef made himself comfortable, and Behemiel curled his body around the child. Both sighed deeply, and within what seemed to be seconds, were both sound asleep.

It took just over an hour to have the infirmary back in shape. And the boy and his companion slept through it all.

General Hammond sent word to SG-18, and the other refugees were returned to the infirmary. Doctor Warnke and the medical staff on duty for the day returned as well. The general gave orders that the families were to be given quarters to rest in while he and Colonel Harrison searched for a suitable planet.

Casey watched as Janet examined patients. Once the doctor was satisfied that the refugees were in good health, other than a few bumps and bruises, she allowed SFs to escort them to the rooms they would call home for the next few hours…or days if the search for a new planet took longer than expected. "So, can we go home now?"

Jack grinned. On their way out the night before, Casey had been rather succinct in her desire for at least the weekend off, and that she wasn’t stepping foot in to the SGC until Monday morning. "Yes, McGrumpy, you can go home. You and the Space Monkey can take the rest of the weekend."

"Good. And since I’ve been here for…" Casey grabbed Daniel’s wrist and checked his watch, "two had a half hours, we’ll see you around ten or so."

"Nope."

She heaved a sigh. "Why not?"

"Monday morning all-hands meeting? You know…the meeting we have every Monday morning?" the general replied.

"Beth can report whatever updates need to be handed out for the Archaeological Department," Casey responded without hesitation.

Jack looked at Daniel. "Anything really important going on?"

Daniel shrugged. "Not really. We’re still trying to get all of the artifacts that have been brought in sorted and tagged…can’t even start trying to examine anything until that’s done."

"What about all of video you have of that ziggy-thing?"

"All we’ve found is the same story, over and over again," Daniel sighed. "In pretty much every language of the people represented on those tiles on the outside. There are several that seem to be ‘as told by’ stories…as if they were dictated. But…nothing different."

"That is just weird," Jack complained.

"I know," Daniel agreed. "Without references to…well, anything…there’s nothing we can do for further study."

The older man turned to Casey. "Unless you get a download or something, we’ll see you in the commissary for lunch Monday. Eleven-thirty. Good enough?"

Casey threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thanks, Jack!"

Jack grinned, and hugged the seer in return. "You’re welcome."

Wrapping her arm around her Husband’s waist, Casey tugged him toward the elevator. "I suppose you need to stop by your office and leave a note or ten for Beth?"

Daniel slid his badge through the reader beside the elevator door. "I can give her a call this afternoon."

"Good." The sooner she could get Daniel out of the mountain, the less likely it would be that her Husband would decide there was a project that needed his immediate attention.

"Casey!"

The slender seer turned around. Janet was hurrying toward her.

"Thank you. If you hadn’t been able to figure out what was going on…I don’t know what might have happened," Janet said, reaching for her friend’s hand.

Casey smiled. "You’re welcome. And it might not be a bad idea to have a long conversation with Behemiel. I’m betting he can tell you a lot about those people. Including things they might not be so eager to admit to."

Janet frowned. "Are you sensing something?"

"No…just…they’re good people…they’re very generous people. But they prefer to keep to themselves. They need to understand that with the Goa’uld roaming around, they need good, strong allies. And they need to be introduced to Behemiel. It’s important that they understand he’s not ‘just an animal’, but a sentient creature."

"I’ll do my best," Janet smiled.

"If anyone can get through to them, you can," Casey smiled in return.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Janet smiled. "Have good weekend." The petite doctor turned, ready to walk back into the infirmary.

"We will. Try to grab a few hours for yourself," Casey said.

Janet chuckled. "Yeah, that’ll happen. I’m stuck here until those people are settled safely somewhere else."

"Then demand time off next week," Casey suggested.

"I just might do that," Janet replied. She gave a wave, and hurried back to where Teal’c stood waiting patiently for her.

The Jaffa gave a nod and a smile when Casey fluttered her fingers in his direction.

The elevator doors opened, and the Jacksons stepped into the car. "Since we’re already dressed and out, how about breakfast at IHOP," Daniel suggested.

"That’s a great idea. Then, we’ll go home, lock all the doors and windows, and pretend we’re not there."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Daniel grinned.

Being Saturday morning…and lunch was still at over an hour away…the restaurant was filled with older couples and families eager to take advantage of the weekend breakfast specials. Which meant that Daniel and Casey were going to be waiting for a table.

"I should still be at home in bed, asleep," Casey grumped quietly.

"We’ll take a nap this afternoon," Daniel said, not even attempting to hide his grin.

"That’s not the same as getting to sleep in."

"True."

Casey looked around, then heaved a sigh. "I have my grocery list. I made it out last night."

"It’s in your purse?"

"Yep."

"You will be able to find it, right?" Daniel teased.

Green eyes narrowed. "Yes, I’ll be able to find it."

He chuckled at her response. "So, what you’re saying, in order to ruin the rest of the day, is that as long as we’re out, we might as well go to Piggly-Wiggly after we eat."

"Then we won’t have to leave the house for the rest of the weekend," Casey said firmly. "Let me rephrase that…we aren’t going to leave the house for the rest of the weekend."

Daniel put his arm around his Wife’s shoulders, tugged her close. "And if we get a call from the base?"

"We ignore it."

"What if you get a download?"

"I ignore it."

"Okay, breakfast, then a trip to the store…this isn’t going to take all afternoon is it?"

"Nope. We should be in and out in an hour or less," Casey replied.

"Okay," Daniel said.

"And when we get home, the cell phones go off, the landline gets unplugged, I’m closing the curtains, and I’m not answering the door to anyone," Casey declared.

"What if it’s the mailman with a letter you have to sign for?"

Casey looked up at her husband. "Then he’d better find a way to get my signature on Monday. I am not opening that door."

"What if-" Daniel started, willing to continue to playing ‘devil’s advocate’.

"No ‘what ifs’," Casey insisted, cutting off any further comments from her Husband. "The phones are out of commission, the curtains are closed, the doors are locked, and the rest of the world can just live without us for the next forty-eight hours."

The determination in her voice had Daniel chortling. There was no doubt in his mind that if whoever was responsible for his Wife’s ‘downloads’ was crazy enough to try to send something through before Monday morning, she’d search every level of existence to find the Being who dared to interfere with her weekend, and then she’d get pissy. The mental image of his wife doing to the astral plane what she’d done to Zeus’s ship had him snickering a bit louder.

The smiling hostess approached them, and led them to a small table for two.

Breakfast, a quick trip to the grocery store, and home, Casey thought. And determinedly pushed away any and every thought about what might happen between eating her French toast at IHOP and lunch at the commissary on Monday.

The trip to Piggly Wiggly had been blessedly uneventful. And quick, Daniel thought. He adjusted his arm around Casey’s shoulders, lazily watched an older sedan driving sedately down the street.

"It’s been so long since we’ve done this," Casey sighed contentedly.

"Yes, it has," Daniel agreed. In fact, he was hard pressed to remember the last time they’d been able to cuddle on the porch swing, swaying gently back and forth, just relaxing and watching the world go by.

"Sometimes, I think we need to schedule time to just do nothing."

He couldn’t help but chuckle. "It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?"

As much as she enjoyed working at the SGC, there were also times she’d gladly walk away from all of it. They no more than put the fire out from one crisis when another erupted. And then another. The fact that SG-1 was the premier team – made up of the most talented, experienced people who worked in the SGC – meant that they were given the most difficult missions; the ‘save-the-planet/universe-again’ missions. The constant pressure to succeed was often as difficult to bear as the weight of pulling off another miracle to save the planet or the universe. "You know, it’s a wonder any of us are actually still sane."

"No arguing with that. There are days I wonder if I’m really as sane as I think I am," Daniel replied, his thumb moving gently against her shoulder.

"If we’re worried about our sanity, doesn’t that prove we’re still sane?"

Daniel shrugged nonchalantly. "Beats me. I would think that only a sane person would be cognizant enough to worry about their sanity. A crazy person would no doubt insist that he or she was sane and never have one doubt about their sanity. But a rational person, someone who is still mentally balanced…yeah, they…we…are the ones who question whether or not we’re still playing with a full deck."

Casey giggled. "Then I’d say we’re both still playing with a full deck."

"Lights are on and we’re home," Daniel chuckled.

"We have all our tacos on our combo plates."

"All the bricks we need for a full load."

They laughed quietly together, snuggled a bit closer, and continued to watch the neighborhood around them.

The kitchen door at the Wilson house creaked open, then slammed shut. Beaverton, the Wilson’s dog, bounded into the front yard. As soon as he realized that Daniel and Casey were on the porch, he began to bark with excitement, racing to the fence and pressing his nose through the gaps in the slats.

"Hey, Beaverton, how ya doin’?" Daniel asked the dog playfully.

"Hi, Beaverton," Casey smiled. "Gonna catch that squirrel today?"

Satisfied that his presence had been acknowledged, Beaverton gave a yip, then trotted to the other side of the yard.

"Someday," she said softly.

"Someday?" Daniel asked, his voice low. He was certain he knew what she was about to say.

"Someday we’ll be home every night. And every weekend. And we can have a dog and a cat and…and kids," Casey said wistfully.

"Someday," he agreed quietly. He didn’t know whether to congratulate himself for his accurate insight to his Wife’s thoughts, or feel as disappointed as she sounded over the fact that any sort of ‘normal’ life was not going to happen for them any time soon. Someday. And that someday seems much too far way, he thought dolefully.

She heaved a sigh. "Until then, I can take out my frustration on the Goa’uld. After all, it’s their fault we have the schedule we do."

"Very true."

"I’d say that Ba’al is the absolute worst, but I haven’t actually met all of the Goa’uld yet. He’s annoying as hell, but he might not be the worst. Just the most annoying."

Daniel snickered. "He’s annoying, all right. Although I also found Apophis to be very particularly annoying. And infuriating. That damned snake just would not stay down when we knocked him on his ass." Seeing the end of Apophis had offered a bit of solace to his heart and soul as he mourned for Sha’re; giving him a sense of having avenged her.

"But you managed to rid the universe of him," Casey said, cuddling closer to his side.

He wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulders. "Yes, we did. We’ll get rid of Ba’al, too."

"I can’t wait to screw up his plans with the news that his clone is alive and screwing up his plans," Casey giggled, referring to the conversation the team had held in Daniel’s office just before leaving for the weekend. "I want a photo of his face. We’ll hang it on the Dead Goa’uld wall. Then we’ll invite a few of those minor System Lords to a little meeting. March them right through that corridor. I’ve already suggested to Leanna that we put all the Goa’uld we know about up there, with sticky notes that say ‘date of death pending’."

"She asked me about it," Daniel laughed. "I told her I thought it was a great idea. Jack loved it, too. Teal’c thought it would be a most appropriate way to keep track of all of the System Lords."

Casey giggled again. "We’ve got to figure out a way to get at least a few of them to the SGC to see our wall. You know they’ll spread the word."

"If they stop to look at how many Goa’uld – minor and major System Lords – we’ve already killed, that should make them think," Daniel agreed.

"Or," Casey said, suddenly frowning, "make them band together against us."

"Egos, Case. Their egos will never allow them to believe that they could be in peril from us. We’re just Tau’ri. Nothing more than slaves in their minds," Daniel reminded her. "They’ll warn each other, but privately assure themselves that the Goa’uld who fell to us were fools, or idiots, or whatever derogatory term they use. Which means that they’ll do nothing collectively." He frowned slightly. "I’m betting Kali would be a bit concerned. I managed to convince her that we Tau’ri aren’t just slaves. But the others? Nah, their egos will have them believing that there’s no way we can get near them, let alone kill them."

"True. I sure can’t wait to put the date of Ba’al’s death on that wall," she declared quietly.

"Me, either. Hey…I’m getting hungry."

"Me, too. I’ll fix that smoked rope sausage with some veggies. It’s quick and easy."

"Sounds good to me." Reluctantly, Daniel pulled his arm from his Wife’s shoulders and stood to his feet. He stretched slightly. Smiled when her arm went around his waist as she led him toward the door. They’d had the requisite conversation about the SGC and the Goa’uld. For the rest of the evening, and hopefully for the rest of the weekend, they could totally ignore that aspect of their lives.

<<Previous  | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>

  .