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To Elvis, Or Not To Elvis 

Chapter 4

They were staying at her house for the night. Sam had wanted to finish reading one of the books she'd just purchased, hoping to find something useful for the ATV project. Jack hadn't complained, just told her he'd find something to amuse himself while she read.

She dropped onto the sofa beside Jack. His attention was on the television, and whatever movie he was watching. "Got a minute?"

He looked into sapphire blue eyes, and immediately lost track of everything that was happening around him. It's a good thing she doesn't look at me like that on missions! Fumbling fingers managed to find the mute button on the remote. "For you? Always."

"Casey said something earlier, that I've been thinking about," Sam said softly.

That could be just about anything, knowing Radar, Jack thought. "Okay."

"She said that my wedding is the most important day of my life."

I'm gonna put her on latrine duty if I have to wear a freakin' monkey suit. "Can't argue with that."

"Then she said, our wedding should be whatever we want. That whatever we do, it should be something fun."

"Fun is good." You're lucky, Radar. Jack studied the woman beside him. Reached out and brushed his fingers against her cheek. "Have something in mind?"

Sam smiled, leaned automatically into the gentle caress. "Not yet. But...well, I just wanted to know if you were open to something...unusual. And fun."

"Always," he replied immediately, waggling his eyebrows.

"For getting married," she clarified with a chuckle.

"That, too. Whatever you want, Sam."

With a nod and a smile, she cuddled close to Jack's side. "So what are you watching?"

"Huh?" He turned is attention to the TV. "Some disaster movie. Some big asteroid on its way to hit Earth."

"Armageddon?"

"Well, if not, then close enough, the majority of the planet will be destroyed."

Sam chuckled again. Jack could be funny even when he wasn't trying to be. One of the traits she loved about him. "No, is the name of the movie 'Armageddon'?"

"Beats me." He turned the volume back on, and they settled in to watch the remainder of the movie. Which, according to his fiancée, wasn't 'Armageddon'.

A A A A A A

They'd made love…it had been playful and satisfying. Sam sighed happily as she shifted slightly, moving her leg over Jack's. "We could always have our honeymoon first," she said softly.

Jack grinned. The arm around her slender shoulders tightened slightly. "I like the sound of that."

She raised up enough to put one arm on his chest, and rested her chin on her wrist. "It's just that we have the time off now, and we might not later."

"Excellent point. So where do you want to go?"

"We only have a few days…"

"There's always Las Vegas," he suggested.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" she asked softly.

"It was. Good for the whole team. We needed that time. Radar and Danny had gone through so much, and in such a short amount of time."

"I know." She frowned slightly. "You know, we could just get married there."

"I thought Vegas was the divorce capital of the world," he teased.

"Just as many marriages happen there," she replied.

"I've heard that, too. Sam, whatever you want is fine with me. Just as long as it makes us legally man and wife."

The smile that covered her face lit the room. "I like the sound of that."

"Us being legal, or us being man and wife?"

She giggled. "Both. But particularly the 'man and wife' part."

"Yeah, does have a nice ring to it."

"I could do some checking, after we meet with General Vidrine."

"I'll put it in your capable hands," he grinned. He pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, the smile fading. "Seriously, Sam, whatever you want is okay by me."

"Good. I promise, you'll enjoy it."

"Ya know, we should have one of those Elvis impersonators do the service. That would be a hoot."

She tossed the idea around in her head. "Now that would be…unusual." Casey's words continued to circle in her mind. A wedding in Las Vegas with Elvis presiding certainly qualified as 'fun'! "I'll see what I can find."

"Cool. Until then, maybe we can think of something else to do," he said suggestively.

"Have something in mind?"

"Oh, a thing or two." He gently pulled her up, so that her lips could meet with his.

It was a beautiful spring Sunday. Part of the reason that he'd agreed to take temporary command of the SGC was due to the fact that the duty would begin on a weekend. Even the always busy, usually chaotic Stargate Command managed to find quiet time on Sundays, when the only personnel on duty were security, essential monitoring stations, and two SG teams, in case of emergencies.

General Vidrine and Major Davis stepped off the elevator onto level twenty-seven. Both men were familiar with the facility. The general had only been to the SGC twice: once during a trip to see the F302 in action. Unknown to him at the time, the 'disaster' that had followed the test flight was par for the course for the people of Stargate Command. He still wondered just how the Tok'ra who had blended with General Jacob Carter had been able to save O'Neill and Teal'c. A 'middle of space' rescue couldn't have been easy!

The second visit had been a result of the 'incident' on a planet that had a significant amount of naquadah. The mines had been abandoned by the Goa'uld, for good reason, the humans would learn. The planet was inhabited by Unas who had expelled the Goa'uld, and refused to be subjugated by anyone else. The general shook his head mentally as he followed the major. Doctor Jackson had insisted that they needed to respect the indigenous people and their belief that the mines were sacred. According to Colonel Edwards, who had been in charge of the mining operation, Jackson was the biggest pain-in-the-ass he'd ever met. The general tended to agree. However, both men acknowledged that the archaeologist had not only brought to an end the 'hostilities' that had occurred, but had managed to make a deal with the Unas that had them working the mines. From the reports he'd seen, those creatures were making it the most profitable of all the off-world mines the SGC, and thus the Pentagon, was operating.

On the top of General Hammond's desk were two folders, clearly marked, one for each of the visiting officers. Vidrine settled into the chair behind the desk, and began to scan the information.

"Well, if we're lucky, none of the teams out right now will run into any trouble," Major Davis said quietly, reading the notes in his folder.

"If we're lucky. According to this, Hammond has all teams set up to revisit known worlds as part of treaty agreements, or working on PT requirements," Vidrine replied.

"Yes, sir. There are three teams that are due to renew their weapons qualifications as well," Davis said.

Vidrine looked up at the major. "So, think we'll have a nice, quiet assignment?"

Major Paul Davis had been around the SGC enough to know the odds of an uneventful stay at the SGC were right up there with the odds of being struck by lightning. "Not a chance, sir."

The general gave a wry smile. "I was afraid of that. Well, George and SG-1 are only going to be gone for five days. Surely we can prevent the SGC from being taken over or falling apart for that length of time."

"Here's hoping," Davis sighed. He continued to study the contents of the folder in his hand.

"George left us invaluable information. He also made a note that things change around here minute by minute. He suggested talking to Walter to get the 'full scoop' as soon as we arrived," Vidrine said, noting the look of resignation on the major's face.

"Walter does seem to have his finger on the pulse of the SGC," Davis nodded. "He always knows the best betting pools, as well."

"Betting on a military base is illegal, Major," Vidrine said, his eyes on the notes in front of him.

"Yes, sir."

"How much have you won?"

"Couple of hundred, all told," Davis replied.

"I hear Major Louis Ferretti is the man who runs the betting pools."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, shall we see how profitable this trip will be?"

The major chuckled at the wide grin that had stolen over the general's face. "Yes, sir!"

The team had worked the day after returning to Colorado (even though it was Saturday, and they weren't on the weekend-duty roster,) to finish up any projects, or put them into capable hands before leaving for vacation. General Hammond had been there as well, finishing up his own work before starting his well deserved vacation. He'd asked the team to postpone their leave by two days, so that they could be present for the Monday morning briefing…in fact he'd requested that Jack run the meeting for General Vidrine. He also requested that Daniel and Sam give the visiting general a short run-down of the ongoing projects of their individual departments, knowing that hearing it from the department heads would be more informative than the simple written notes he'd left. The team had agreed, willing to assist General Vidrine; and for the fact that they wouldn't be required to return to the SGC until the following Monday, thus getting out of their assigned weekend duty.

After the full staff briefing, Daniel had called a department meeting. All of Casey's research, and any relevant mission reports, had been organized as she worked on the database. Beth was adamant about keeping all of the information together, and easily available. Thus, the new group of filing cabinets in storage room B. It seemed that the good Doctor Meyers was finally going to succeed in implementing an actual filing system for the archaeological level…in spite of Daniel's preference for his 'piling' system. The 'new' system was discussed, and approved. Casey and Cam Balinsky had snickered through half the meeting, to the amusement of their co-workers, and the annoyance of the head of the department.

Casey huffed a sigh as she carried a load of manila folders to the storage room. Complained mentally about the amount of paperwork she waded through on an almost daily basis. It was, she decided, a toss-up on which was worse: hiking for miles with a full pack, or dealing with the mountains of paperwork.

She hadn't been working long, when the thought occurred to her that she hadn't done any actual filing since she'd arrived at the SGC. It had been a routine part of her day at Hightower Containers. "Goddess, I hated that job," she muttered.

"Which job?"

She started, looked over at the door to see Daniel leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, watching her with a look of adoration on his face. His expression caused her heart to flutter, and brought a smile to her lips. "Hightower. I haven't done filing like this since I worked there."

"So was it the filing, or the job that you hated?"

"The job. Filing never bothered me. Well, except when I'd find half the files in the wrong places. Heidi Williams was the dumbest woman I've ever met," Casey replied. "Apparently she never learned the alphabet. She'd stuff folders in the damnedest places."

His lips twitched slightly. "Blonde?"

"Oh, you're just a laugh a minute, smartass. Plain old brown hair, actually. Although she claimed to be a redhead. Everyone in the office knew she colored her hair. Clairol 6R Light Auburn. Or so Kelley said. She saw Heidi at Walgreens once, and Heidi was trying to hide the box - like anyone believed she was a 'true red' to begin with. I mean, the brown roots were a giveaway." She rolled her eyes. "And apparently she didn't think anyone noticed. She didn't bother to-"

Daniel watched her, the blush that colored her cheeks. "Didn't bother to what?"

Again green eyes rolled heavenward. "She was a bit of an…exhibitionist. She… Well…it's really kinda disgusting."

"It's okay, Angel, you don't have to tell me. Even though I'm damned curious now," he admitted with a shy smile.

She flashed a smile in return. Walked to the door, peeked up and down the corridor. Pulled him into the room, then closed the door.

"Now I’m really intrigued," Daniel teased.

"Heidi used to leave the stall door open when she was…well…you know."

Daniel nodded his understanding.

"She told one of the girls she shaved…completely. But the day I went in and-" Again her cheeks went crimson.

"I take it you caught a glimpse or two?" Daniel asked gently.

"Not intentionally. But she was definitely not completely shaved, and not a true redhead. Maybe she just needed to shave again or something," Casey added, frowning slightly.

He chuckled.

"It always seemed that she was very popular with the men in the company, from both the office and the warehouse," she continued. "And whenever I saw her at the Blue Gull, she was always with someone, sometimes two or three guys." Casey took a deep breath, then shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I was always a little…envious, even though I knew what she was doing to be so popular. Kelley and I actually saw her giving a guy a blow job in the parking lot at Hightower!"

"Casey, a woman like that is…she's a…well…" Daniel rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "There's just no delicate way of putting it. Women like that are sluts, Angel."

"I know. I was still a bit jealous, I guess. I mean…I was a virgin…I couldn't even let a guy kiss me."

"You told me there was a reason for that," he said softly, reaching out to cup her cheek. Simply because he couldn't be this close and not touch her.

She nodded, slid her hands up his chest, locked them behind his neck. "No other man touched my heart, my soul. Only you," she whispered.

"Only me," he sighed, just before his lips captured hers. Kissing his Wife was one of the greatest pleasures of his life. He had every intention of indulging for as long as possible…

The door opened, whacking Daniel in the back. He stumbled forward, into Casey. She toppled backwards against the filing cabinets.

"Oops," Jack said when he stuck his head around the door. Grinned from ear to ear. "Sorry."

"You have the worst timing," Daniel muttered, regaining his feet, making certain that Casey was all right.

"Just stopped by to see if Radar was up for a cup of coffee," Jack said, obviously not at all repentant for interrupting the couple.

"Sure," Casey replied. "Gonna come with us, Stud Muffin?"

"I'm waiting for a fax. I'll come down as soon as I get it," he promised.

Jack motioned that Casey should precede him off the elevator. "So, you and Danny have plans for your week off?"

"We've discussed a couple of things. We might go to Denver for a couple of days. What about you and Sam?"

"We're thinking about heading to Vegas," Jack replied. "Might get married there."

"Really? When did you decide that?" The full impact of what he'd said hit her full on. She whirled around to face him. "Get married there? Seriously? How in the world did Las Vegas come up?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"It came up in conversation…it just sorta…happened," Jack said, following the slender seer into the commissary.

Casey heaved a sigh, rolled her eyes. "You had to have been discussing getting married…seriously, how did you decide on Vegas?"

"Honestly, Radar, I don't remember exactly how it came up." Jack shrugged nonchalantly.

She'd been listening to the radio earlier in the day as she worked. One of the conversations between the deejays had made her laugh out loud. She wasn't sure there was any factual basis for the comments, didn't think the 'study' had been real, but it had been funny…Casey turned to examine the man behind her for a moment, green eyes flashing with humor. "Gee, it must be true then."

"Huh? What's true?" Trying to keep up with Casey during a conversation was often an exercise in mental frustration, Jack thought.

"I heard on the radio that good sex can affect the memory…it can make you forgetful. Sam must be doing something right," Casey teased.

For a moment, Jack stared at the slender blonde. Another thought flew through his mind, brought a grin to his face wider than hers. "Yeah, what's your excuse? I don't think Daniel's forgotten anything about...anything."

It took a few seconds for the meaning of his comment to click in her mind. When it did, she aimed a punch for Jack's shoulder, which he deftly avoided. "That is so not funny! And I'll have you know that the sex Daniel and I have is out of this world!"

"Yeah, but he still remembers stuff!" Jack called after her as she marched toward the table that held the coffee urn and stack of mugs.

"Bite me, Jack," she huffed.

Daniel wandered into the commissary, caught the look of irritation that his Wife tossed at his best friend. "What's going on?"

"Hey, Danny! Do you remember the first time you came in here?" Jack asked, his brown eyes twinkling, his gaze darting to Casey, and then back to the archaeologist.

"Yeah, Catherine Langford brought me down here for lunch, after giving me a tour of the place," Daniel replied, more than a bit curious as to what was going on…and how the details of his first visit to the commissary fit in with the current conversation.

"See, told ya so," Jack taunted the slender seer.

"I repeat, bite me, Jack," Casey grumped.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked a second time.

"Seems that Radar heard that good sex negatively affects the memory. I can't remember exactly how the whole thing about 'Vegas came up," Jack explained, his cheek twitching noticeably. "Which thus speaks for itself. You, however, have never forgotten anything. Which means-"

"Don't say it, Jack," Daniel warned, glaring slightly at the older man. Thought for just a moment about what Jack had said...the exact wording of the explanation. Grinned broadly. "Apparently incredible sex doesn't muddle up the brain," he said smugly.

Casey blinked at her Husband, then giggled. "Yeah, take that!" she crowed, tossing a defiant look at her CO.

"Hey, you started it!" Jack protested.

"So, maybe you should be the one trying harder," Casey taunted. "I mean, there's good, and then," she walked to where Daniel stood, wrapped her arms around his waist, "there's incredible. And let me tell you, I know incredible!"

Daniel's arm went around her shoulders automatically. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yep, incredible. Phenomenal. Curls my toes. Makes me damned near suffer spontaneous combustion."

Jack couldn't help but shiver at the declaration. Had no doubt, given the few details he did have about Daniel and Casey's love life, that 'incredible' was an apt description of what the two shared. "You two haven't cornered the market on great sex, ya know," he grumped.

"I dunno...your memory is shot, Daniel can remember everything..." Casey said, shrugging her shoulders, returning her attention to fetching coffee. She filled three mugs, carried two back to where Jack and Daniel were standing.

"Radar, you're annoying," Jack huffed, accepting the mug of coffee from her.

"So you keep telling me." She handed the other to her Husband.

"Wait a minute," Daniel said, one of Jack's comments finally clicking in his mind. "Vegas? What about Las Vegas?"

"Apparently Jack and Sam are getting married there," Casey said, taking the other mug of coffee for herself.

"Really? Sounds…fun," Daniel replied.

"That's what I thought," a voice said cheerfully. Sam entered the room, grabbed a cup of coffee, then sat down with her friends. "It was your idea," she said to Casey.

"Me?" Casey squeaked. "I never said anything about getting married in Las Vegas!"

Sam grinned. "No, you didn't. But you did say it should be something fun, something we don't have to plan."

"But…Vegas?" Casey was obviously not convinced the idea was a good one.

"Why not?" Sam countered.

Casey looked at her friend for a moment. She fully understood Sam's reasons for not wanting to plan a wedding; for wanting to forgo a formal, traditional wedding. While she would forever declare to anyone who would listen that Sam would be absolutely stunning wearing a beautiful white dress, walking down the aisle to the man she'd loved for so long, she would do her best to be as supportive of her best friend as possible. She had, Casey realized, been at least partially responsible for the idea. Something fun. Getting married in Las Vegas could certainly be fun. "Good point."

"So, we're all going to Vegas?" Daniel asked, just naturally assuming that Jack and Sam would want their 'family of the heart' near when they exchanged their vows..

Jack looked over at his best friend. He'd been honored to stand beside Daniel when the young archaeologist and Casey had vowed themselves to one another. He couldn't imagine doing something as important as marrying Sam without Daniel at his side. "Yep. All of us."

"Do you think Janet can get time off?" Casey asked.

"I don't see why not," Sam replied. "General Hammond has all of the teams either on friendly planets, on downtime, or working on projects here in the mountain."

"That should keep things quiet around here while the general is on vacation," Daniel mused.

"Let's hope so," Jack said.

"So," Casey smiled, reaching for Sam's hand. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Sam grinned. "I've already reserved seats on a flight for all of us, and booked rooms."

"Efficient, isn't she?" Jack asked proudly, his grin as wide as his fiancée's.

"Very," Casey giggled.

"I've even found a wedding chapel," Sam announced.

"Really?" Casey said, her mind conjuring up images of the tacky little chapels they'd seen during the time they'd spent in Las Vegas as a team.

"Wedding chapel?" Jack croaked. He had assumed that they would simply go to the JP in Las Vegas.

"Mmm-hmm." Sapphire blue eyes danced. "You wanted Elvis to preside over the wedding, remember?"

"Elvis?" Casey said, somewhat weakly.

"I found a place online, the 'Graceland Wedding Chapel'." Sam pulled a sheet of printer paper from her pocket, handed it to her fiancé. "I thought the Blue Hawaii package sounded like the most fun."

Daniel frowned. "Blue Hawaii?"

"It was one of the movies Elvis did," Sam explained. "The impersonator will be wearing the same outfit Elvis wore in the movie. Apparently there was a wedding scene in the movie. I haven't actually seen it," she confessed. "We can get flowers, pictures…and Elvis sings for us. Tell me that doesn’t sound like fun!"

Casey's green eyes had gone wide. "It sounds tacky!"

Three pairs of eyes focused on her.

"Oh, shit," she murmured contritely. "I'm sorry, Sam. It's just…" She paused. She'd seen a couple of Elvis Presley movies. As a result, she'd found a CD that contained thirty of the King's most popular songs. "Wait, Elvis sings?"

Sam's grin returned. "Yep…he sings as he escorts the bride down the aisle, and then he performs the ceremony."

"I repeat, tacky," Casey said. This time her eyes were twinkling as brightly as Sam's. "You can't get more fun than tacky!"

"We get silk leis, and I was thinking, if it's a Hawaiian theme, the guys could wear those bright floral shirts and Bermuda shorts."

"Shorts?" Jack asked, looking up from the paper he'd been studying. "No monkey suits?"

Sam chuckled. "No monkey suits."

"What about us?" Casey asked.

"Haven't thought about that," Sam admitted.

"Sarongs. We should go totally native…barefoot and everything," Casey declared.

"That's a fantastic idea," Sam agreed enthusiastically.

"Barefoot?" Jack looked from Casey to Sam and back again. "Barefoot?"

"You wouldn't have to take your shoes off until we got to the chapel," Sam assured him.

Daniel began to laugh. "You have to admit, Jack, this wedding really does fit in with the entire saga of the relationship between you and Sam. Five years of denying your feelings for each other, even to yourselves, then suddenly being told the rules were being changed so you could be together."

"Thanks to one very gutsy blonde seer," Sam interjected, winking broadly at Casey.

Jack chuckled as well. "When you think about our lives in general around here, yeah, the whole thing does fit, doesn't it? Is this guy at least a decent impersonator?"

"From the videos I was able to see, yes," Sam replied.

"Does it really matter? I mean, we don't have to have perfection. We just need the guy to give us the feel of having Elvis there, that will be funny enough," Casey said.

"True," Jack admitted. "Well, Colonel, looks like we're getting married in Vegas." He shuddered mentally at addressing Sam as 'colonel'. It was a sharp reminder that he was now 'General' O'Neill. He gave another mental shudder.

"We can get our marriage license there. We just need ID and sixty bucks cash. No blood tests, no waiting," Sam said.

"Sweet!"

"I already checked, and the bureau hours are eight a.m. to midnight, seven days a week."

"So, as soon as we get in, we get the license," Jack said. "Are you sure the Blue Hawaii wedding package is the one you want?"

Sam nodded.

"Let's go make a call," he said quietly.

"We can just arrange it online," Sam pointed out.

"Well, I want to make sure that the details are right…better to talk to a real person for that," Jack replied.

"He's got a good point," Casey nodded.

Jack took a final sip of coffee. "We'll see you two later. We have a wedding to plan."

Casey's eyes darted to Sam. Noted with relief that she was grinning from ear to ear. Apparently making plans for a wedding chapel ceremony in Las Vegas where Elvis would preside wasn't as daunting a task…and had little chance of resembling the events the blonde scientist had attempted to plan before. "Yeah, should take all of fifteen minutes."

"Ten, if I'm lucky," Jack quipped.

"We'll go online and look for the shirts and sarongs later," Casey said, looking up at Sam.

"Glad you offered! I know you do a lot of shopping online-"

Daniel snickered, tried to look penitent when the two women glanced at him. Casey had earned a reputation for being an online 'shop-a-holic'. Not that she really was…or that he cared. He did, however, enjoy teasing her about that reputation.

"Yeah, yuk it up," Casey muttered.

Sam chuckled as well. "I trust you to be able to find what we want in a reasonable amount of time."

"Define 'reasonable amount of time'," Casey said.

"Couple of hours?" Sam said hopefully.

"Piece of cake," Casey replied. She grinned up at her friend. "You realize you just planned your entire wedding in about five minutes."

"Cool, huh?" Sam laughed.

"Very!"

"Oh…hey…would you mind giving Janet a heads up while we take care of this?"

"Not a problem," Casey promised. "I'll go tell her right now."

"I'll let Teal'c know," Daniel said.

"Now that's the way to get things done," Jack grinned. "Let's go. Gotta get this done so nobody else horns in on our time."

Sam chuckled. "I figure we'll have to take whatever time is available."

"Works for me. Later, Jacksons."

Casey and Daniel watched their best friends walk out the door, arm in arm. "I'm so happy for them," Casey sighed.

"Even if they're having a 'tacky' Vegas wedding?" Daniel teased.

"I have to admit, I was shocked at first. But it really does sound like a lot of fun. And did you see how excited Sam was about it? She doesn't even realize that she's planning a wedding. It's all about having fun for her…and she's having it," Casey said softly.

"Yes, she is. And you were the one to give her that idea."

"I'll never live that down, will I?"

"Nope."

"Swell. When Janet and Teal'c get married, I'm keeping my mouth shut," Casey declared. Ignored her Husband's laughter.

Casey and Sam had arranged to meet at the Jackson home immediately after their duty shift had ended. The slender seer had insisted that time was of the essence, if they were going to have the items before leaving for Vegas. She'd even warned Sam that it might be a requirement to pay for overnight shipping. Sam hadn't blinked an eye at that information, assuring her best friend that any expenses for the wedding were perfectly acceptable, and that since they had room reservations, the packages could be sent to the hotel.

She sorted through the list of links that had resulted from a search for Hawaiian shirts. "Okay, let's see what this store offers," she said, clicking on one of the links, opening it in a new window.

The images of men wearing brightly colored shirts, the huge flora instantly recognizable, sent Sam into a fit of giggles. "I'm not sure I can even picture Jack in one of those."

Giggling at the thought of her CO and friend in one of the shirts, Casey clicked for a closer view. "You know what we should do? Find your sarong first. Then, whatever color you wear, Jack should wear something that compliments it."

Sam nodded. "I like that idea. We can do the same thing for you and Daniel, and for Teal'c and Janet."

"Oh, by the way, Janet went into hysterics at the idea of an Elvis wedding. I thought she was gonna hyperventilate," Casey grinned. "When she could breath, she said she thought it was absolutely perfect. And that she'd been having trouble seeing Jack in his Dress Whites, going through a traditional military wedding."

Sam scrunched up her nose. "Military wedding? No thanks."

"I've heard they're all the rage among the officers ranks," Casey teased.

Munching on a chip from the bowl that Casey had brought into the room, Sam shook her head. "Mostly among the very young brides who love to wear their husband's rank. They're so damned arrogant, and usually their husbands are lowly lieutenants. Those women totally tick me off."

"I guess I've never met any of that particular breed," Casey admitted. The wives of the men she worked with in the SGC were all friendly, and not at all arrogant.

"Consider yourself lucky," Sam declared.

"Let's see what we can find for sarongs…"

Daniel listened to the excited chatter as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He'd been kicked out of his den for the duration of the search for wedding attire for the bride, groom, and wedding party. Since he had the time to just relax, he took the book he'd been reading, Huckleberry Finn as a matter of fact, and settled onto the sofa. Grinned at the squeal of excitement from his Wife, and the absolutely joyful laughter of his best friend.

The more he thought about it…and considering that the subject had been all Casey could talk about on the drive home, putting it in the forefront of his mind…the wedding in Las Vegas was about as typical for Jack as he could expect. He knew about the small wedding that Jack and Sara had had…held in the office of the Justice of the Peace, so that paperwork could be completed, allowing her to accompany then Captain Jack O'Neill to Germany and his duty station there. And Jack had confided in him, not long after he and Sam had been given permission to be together, that whatever Sam wanted was fine with him.

A smile tugged at his lips. If Sam had wanted a huge, traditional affair with several hundred guests, a dozen or more attendants, and 'morning suits' - the severely formal style of tuxedo for the men of the wedding party – Jack wouldn't have blinked an eye. No doubt the military man would have complained endlessly and loudly to his male friends. But he'd have never uttered a word of that complaint to his bride.

Daniel thought about his own wedding. It had been small. Simple. Elegant. A memory he'd treasure forever. He closed his eyes, could see Casey walking down the aisle toward him…so damned beautiful that he'd had difficulty breathing as he'd watched her approach. The soft smile…her eyes so full of love and excitement that they'd sparkled like rare and precious emeralds.

The fact that Casey had actually chosen the dress she had…the beautifully beaded, lace-covered sheath that she'd eyed during the planning stages of the wedding…still surprised him. He'd been thrilled to see that she'd picked what she really wanted, rather than 'settling' for what she felt she could afford. No doubt Janet and Sam had been influential in that decision, and he'd be forever grateful to them for that unsolicited help. It had been his intent that Casey have the wedding of her dreams. And, it seemed, he'd succeeded.

Without questioning the desire, Daniel put down the leather-bound book he'd been attempting to read. Went to the oak cabinet and opened the storage compartment beneath the artifact filled shelves. Located the white, satin-covered photo album.

Settled cross-legged on the floor, he began to thumb through the pages. He remembered the photographer taking the photos of him, Jack, and Teal'c. Loved looking at the photos of Casey and her attendants, Janet and Sam. "So beautiful," he murmured, the tip of his index finger tracing his Wife's jaw in one closeup photo.

Jack looked at the slip of paper held between his fingers. Yep, this was the place. Janet was just pulling into a parking spot three away from him. He smiled and waved. When he'd made his decision, a chat with Daniel had convinced him that 'toughing it out' wasn't necessary. That they were tortured more than enough to prove that they were 'macho'.

He had to admit, the thought of dealing with the…discomfort…had been the reason he'd hesitated. He'd been through it once. And what he was doing this time…well, it was going to be much more involved than just a simple Special Ops symbol.

Taking a deep breath, the part of him that insisted he was man enough to go through the procedure without any sort of 'help' quietly resigned to the part that said no pain was good. He had far too many memories of being beaten, and the mind-numbing pain of being tortured. No need to add what was supposed to be something positive to that group.

"Hello, General."

I hate that. Maybe I'm wussing out because I'm a general now. "Doc."

"Ready to do this?"

"Yep."

Janet Fraiser was adept at reading people. "It's not a cop-out, Jack," she said gently. "Why suffer if there's no need to?"

"Right."

"Sam is going to be so surprised," Janet said, leading the way to the door of the establishment.

"Probably. Just hope she appreciates it," Jack replied.

Looking up into worried brown eyes, Janet smiled. "She's going to be blown away by it, I promise."

"Gonna hold ya to that, Doc," Jack said, his customary grin sliding back into place. He followed the petite physician through the door.

"Hiya, Mike!" Janet said brightly.

"Janet! And you must be Jack," the curvy brunette smiled, craning her neck to look up at the tall man.

"That's me," Jack acknowledged.

"Well, let's discuss exactly what it is that you want," Mike 'Michelangelo' said, reaching for a drawing pad.

"Well, I want something like what Sam has," Jack replied.

"Very doable," Mike nodded. She led the two back to one of the private rooms. "This will probably take a couple of hours."

"Not a problem," Jack assured the woman. This was, he thought, probably the most unusual wedding gift Sam would receive. But it would certainly be a visible representation of how much he loved her, wouldn't it?

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