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It was almost midnight by the time they returned home. Music had continued to thump from the jukebox, and when they'd finished eating, Casey had talked Daniel into dancing with her again. To the hoots and cheers of those watching, she'd taught him how to do some Dirty Dancing. Which was what had led to their quick exit from the restaurant…again to the laughter and cheers of the people around them…straight to the apartment and bed. Well, not actually to the bed. They'd barely made it through the door before they were undressing one another. Daniel had taken her right there in the entry, holding her against the wall, her body wrapped around his. When they did finally manage to make it to the bedroom, Casey had taken control, driven him out of his mind, riding him with complete abandon until they were both crying out in ecstasy.

Cuddled together in the afterglow of their lovemaking, they'd talked. Daniel had soothed her worries about the wedding, and the cost thereof. Had made her promise to try and stop looking at the price tags first, to choose exactly what she wanted. Had given his promise that he'd help her to procure the loan she wanted. And had finally elicited an agreement from her that any costs above and beyond what her loan was for, he would pay.

She stared out the French door, watched the few lights that were still on, twinkling in the darkness. Daniel was wrapped around her, keeping her warm, keeping her safe. She could feel his breath against her neck. In that quiet time, the early hours of the morning, she relived every moment from the time she'd opened the apartment door to find the most beautiful man she'd ever seen standing there, to just a few minutes ago, and the soft touch of his goodnight kiss. After carefully examining those wonderful, precious moments…the pain of being separated for just two days, the excitement of flying to Denver; moving to Silver Springs to be with him; all of the things he'd bought for her, done for her…the simple joy of sledding…the fascination of working at the SGC…the fun of cooking together, cleaning up the kitchen together…playing chess…or sitting in his office, in the new overstuffed chair he'd purchased just for her, so she could sit comfortably and read while he worked – reading not romance novels, but mission reports…learning two new and alien languages…the ecstasy of holding him, making love to him…Casey decided that she'd never been this happy. She closed her eyes. Tried to fight back the feeling that something was about to happen; something that was going to threaten this precious, newfound feeling. She drifted to sleep, still fighting what she knew to be inevitable.

The shrill ringing of the phone echoed in the apartment, brought the lovers from their carefree slumber. Daniel rolled to his side, reached for the annoying instrument, brought the receiver to his ear. "Hullo?"

Dead line.

He frowned, put the handset back in the cradle. Only to have the phone start ringing again. "Hello?"

"You think you're smart. Know so damned much. That you're tough. Think you're tough enough to keep that little slut of yours in line? That's how you have to treat women like her, you know. Rough. Bet she likes it rough, doesn't she? A little slap along with the tickle, right? Does she like it when you pound your cock into her-"

Daniel slammed the phone down. Sergeant White was drunk, but he recognized the voice. He looked over at Casey; her green eyes were wide and full of fear.

"Tell me that wasn't Kenny," she whispered hoarsely.

He pulled her close, hugged her tightly. "It wasn't, I swear."

"Then it was that Mark-whatever." She shuddered violently. "He's going to try to hurt us…me…you," she whispered.

Oh hell, that did not sound good. "Can you see how, or when?" he asked gently.

She shook her head. "No. Only that he's going to do something."

He bit back a curse. "He was drunk. He probably won't even remember calling here," he said, trying to reassure her. "Come on, let's go back to sleep."

She snuggled close, once again pushing the feelings of disquiet away. Until she knew exactly how or when or where this man was going to strike, there was nothing she could do, nothing Daniel could do. She could only hope that she'd have some warning, some sense of what was going to happen before it did.

Daniel pulled her close, held her tightly. Getting White thrown off the base and out of the Marine Corp probably wouldn't be the smartest thing he could do right now, not if the guy was already determined to get revenge on him. He had no clue what the Marine had against him; how or when he might have angered the man. But somehow he'd done so. He was still puzzled by the attack on him just before Thanksgiving. It had happened twice right after he'd returned from Abydos. After awhile, he'd managed to learn enough about self-defense, had been in enough battles against the Goa'uld that he'd believed that the men he worked with, fought beside, could see that he was every bit as tough as they were. He closed his eyes. Even after five years, apparently that wasn't true.

The latest attack had come after SG-1 had been on a mission that had gone sour on them immediately. Marine 2 and 3 were sent in to rescue them. There had been one hell of a firefight on the way to the 'gate. Three Marines had been wounded. But every one of the Tau'ri had made it back safely through the Stargate. Not quite a week later, on his way to the commissary to get more coffee during a late night session working on translations, someone had tossed a blanket over his head. His hands had been tied, and he'd been taken out of the mountain, and to one of the 'warehouses' used for training.

He'd wondered why they were taking him upstairs, then decided that it was to his advantage that they were. He faked tripping, butted his head as hard as he could against the man he could feel beside him, pushed back against whoever was behind him, and then lunged forward. None of the men had expected the attack, and he managed to get the blanket off of his head. He'd stared at the men; they'd stared back, shocked expressions on their faces. The man who had been behind him had fallen down the stairs, cursing and swearing at him the entire time.

Mark White had not been witness to the look of cold fury that had filled cerulean blue eyes. Had not seen the defiant jut of the chin. The others had, and realized that Dr. Daniel Jackson would not be an easy man to take down. He'd suffered too much at the hands of the Goa'uld to be afraid of human bullies, and it showed. Was blatantly obvious to all but the one man who lay on his back at the bottom of the stairs.

The men simply abandoned him at the warehouse, running out together. One of them had had to drag Sergeant Mark White out of the building. It had taken time to get his hands free, and Daniel had been grateful that they'd left the blanket. It kept him warm, or mostly warm, on the long walk back to the SGC. Jack arrived at the same time that Daniel finally managed to walk through the first gate, and saw him, and the bruise on his jaw. He'd demanded to know what had happened and Daniel replied truthfully that someone had intended to have a blanket party. The young archaeologist had refused to answer when the older man had demanded to know who was involved. General Hammond had had no better luck getting the information out of him. Daniel already knew that to say anything would only mean retaliation. And it would be done quietly, off base; he'd never have proof of who it was, and there was always the chance that the next time he wouldn't survive.

Determination settled over him. It was one thing for the pricks to threaten him. It was something else entirely for Casey to be in danger. He'd see to it that if she wasn't with him, she was with one of his teammates at all times. And he'd kill any man who dared to hurt her.

A   A   A   A   A   A

The sun was shining across the bed when Casey opened her eyes. Daniel was snoring softly beside her, laying on his side, facing away from her. She frowned. For the first time she hadn't awakened wrapped around him, or he wrapped around her. The thought that something had...subdued...his passion for her was like ice water over her heart. She wondered what the man who had called the night before had said, before Daniel had slammed the phone down. He'd lain awake for some time afterwards; she knew, because she'd been awake as well.

She slipped from the bed, grabbed her robe and headed for the living room. She sat down on the sofa, pulled her legs up, rested her cheek on her knee. Tried to force the worry from her mind. Just because Daniel wasn't wrapped around me when I woke up is no reason to panic, she chided herself. And she had been facing him, close to his back. She knew that they shifted and turned in the night. She shook her head mentally. She was so accustomed to things going wrong, being…bad, that accepting the fact that her life had changed for the better was difficult. She was just being silly and paranoid. Oh, goddess, if anything happens to ruin this beautiful new life I'll just curl up and die!

The beautifully carved wooden chess pieces were still where they'd left them Thursday evening. She enjoyed the game, and Daniel told her she was learning quickly. She studied it, trying to decide what her next move should be. Put her finger on the Knight.

"Move that one, and you'll expose your Queen," a voice said softly.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she replied. She took her finger off the chess piece.

Daniel sat down beside her. "You practically ran out of the bedroom. Are you all right?"

"I thought you were asleep," she replied.

"I was, until I felt you get out of bed."

She frowned. She'd tried to move slowly, so that she wouldn't disturb him. Evidently she hadn't been as careful as she thought. She tightened her arms around her legs. Sat stiffly as he moved his hand over her back.

"Talk to me, Casey," he implored softly.

"About what?"

"Whatever it is that has you worried, or scared," he said.

She shook her head slightly. "I'm okay."

He studied her for a minute. "I love you."

Casey looked at him, his eyes. Saw the love there. "I love you," she whispered.

"Is this about that phone call this morning?"

She started to deny it, then nodded.

"Honey, he was drunk, probably doesn't even remember calling here. It's nothing to worry about."

"He said…things…about me, didn't he? Things that bother you…make you wonder about me." Now that she put the feelings into words, her anxiety began to make sense – to both of them.

"What he said was nothing more than the ramblings of a drunk," Daniel insisted. "I know you, Case, and I know what a sweet, incredible woman you are. Nothing that anyone says can ever change that, or the way I feel about you."

"What did he say?"

Daniel shook his head. "It's not worth repeating."

"That bad, huh?"

He smiled. "Actually, I doubt if it's nearly as bad as what you think it is."

"So tell me, and then I'll quit thinking about it."

"Nope. You can just stop thinking about it."

"Please?"

"No. Because it would hurt you. I won't do that. It's not worth repeating, it's not worth getting upset over."

She studied him. Saw the quiet resolution in his eyes. He'd protect her, even when doing so might anger her. That's love, baby, she thought to herself, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Even if she hadn't awakened with him wrapped around her, as had become the norm.

Daniel watched her eyes. Watched the love fill those green depths as if floodgates had been opened. Felt the love surge and swell in his own heart in response.

"I didn't strip for you last night. I promise, tonight I will." The lust that flared in his eyes sent shivers up her spine. "Just so I know, you're not angry with me, are you?"

"No! What would give you that idea?"

She shook her head, lowered her eyes.

Daniel cupped her chin with his hand. Forced her to look at him. "Casey?"

"It's silly," she whispered.

"I doubt it. Or you wouldn't have asked me that. Talk to me, honey."

"It's just that…well…" She tried to lower her eyes. He lifted her chin higher. Kept his beautiful blue eyes locked with hers. "When I woke up this morning…you…well…you were turned away from me."

He let go of her chin, pulled her into his arms. "It wasn't intentional, Angel."

She moved away from him, went to stand by the window. "It's no big deal. I told you it was silly. Stupid really. You can't control what you do in your sleep!"

No, I can't, he thought. But for you I can damned sure try! She'd been rejected so many times, on so many levels, in so many ways, that she expected it; looked for it, found it in every movement, every word, every nuance. For the first time he understood just how fragile she was. How the abuse she'd suffered had left her so deeply wounded. It would take time for her to understand that he loved her, and would never turn her away. He stood up, walked up behind her. Wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I love you. Please, don't ever doubt that."

She turned in his arms, put her head on his shoulder, slid her arms around his waist. "It's not so easy for me," she admitted softly.

"I know, Angel. I'll help you, anyway that I can."

Casey looked up at him, studied him. She could tell this man anything…everything. "I guess I'm a little scared," she admitted.

"Of what?" he asked gently.

"Of either waking up and finding out that this has all been a beautiful dream, or having something happen to ruin everything," she said softly.

"I know what you mean," he replied. Somehow, admitting his fears to her was as easy…as natural…as breathing.

"You're afraid too?" Her eyes were wide, full of disbelief.

"I've had happiness once before in my life, and had it ripped away from me. I never thought I could be – would be – happy again. I never expected to find you, Angel. Never even dreamed about looking for my Destiny. Until I was thrown into a future, alternate reality. If not for that Casey, I'd still be alone, lonely," he said.

"And I'd be the same," she whispered. She thought about how lonely she'd been before Daniel had arrived on her doorstep, then shivered violently.

"Angel?"

"I just…" She sagged against him as the images flashed through her mind, images of what might have been…what her fate would have been had Daniel not had the courage to fly to Tacoma, to knock on her door.

He scooped her into his arms, carried her to the sofa, sat down, cuddled her close. "What's wrong?"

"Just…if you hadn't flown to Tacoma on Monday…by Wednesday Kenny would have…" she shivered again. Had it not been for Daniel, and General Hammond, the man who had terrorized her would have made it through that door, and would have victimized her for days, until he tired of her. She was unable to see whether or not he would have left her dead.

Daniel didn't need a picture drawn for him. He understood exactly what she was telling him. He felt a shiver go up his own spine. He pulled her closer, held tightly to her. "You're safe with me, Angel. I'll protect you," he whispered. Smiled when her arms locked tighter around his neck. Determined again that he'd do anything he had to do in order to keep that promise.

Safe. For the first time in her life she really felt safe. Had no doubt that Daniel would indeed protect her, from whatever threat…dangers lay before them. Once again the love she felt from him washed over her. "What would you like for breakfast?" she asked softly.

"I dunno. How about we take a shower and go to IHOP," he suggested.

"Getting tired of homemade food?" she teased.

He pulled her tighter against his chest. "No way! We…the team…sometimes we get together on Sundays for brunch. I could give them a call," he offered.

"That sounds like fun," she agreed.

Hopefully he'd get a chance to talk to his teammates alone for a few minutes. To let them know what was going on. "Okay, go get the water warmed up. I'll be right in."

She kissed him, then pulled herself to her feet. She missed the look of quiet resolve that crossed over his features as he watched her walk toward the hallway.

Daniel grabbed the phone. Dialed one of three very familiar numbers. "Jack? Yeah. IHOP, an hour?…yeah, look, we need to talk…Well, it's about Casey…No, no, nothing like that!…Look, I just need to make sure that one of us is with her at all times…Let's just say that one of the guys from the blanket party in November is getting a little out of control…No, if I do that, it will just be worse. As long as he's still in the Corp there are ways to control him…You have to promise me that you won't say anything to General Hammond…Promise, Jack!…Sergeant Mark White…Yeah, he called here this morning, had some very unkind things to say about her…Thanks, Jack…Yeah, about an hour. Can you call Sam and Teal'c?…Thanks. See you shortly." He put the receiver back in the cradle. Smiled grimly. If Jack and Teal'c were watching his back, he could protect Casey. Maybe this time he wouldn't fuck up. At least there were no Goa'uld involved!

Casey was standing under the water when Daniel stepped into the shower behind her. She smiled when she felt his hands move over her hips, up her sides to cup her breasts. The smile widened when he pushed his hips against her, giving her a feel of the erection that rose from between his legs. She turned around, slipped one arm around his neck, the other hand closing around that swollen flesh. "Good morning," she whispered.

He grinned. "Good morning." He hissed a sigh when her fingers began to tease him. He slid his fingers between her thighs, stroked her until he felt that sweet honey flowing. "Wrap around me, Angel," he whispered.

She obeyed, wrapping both arms around his neck. When she felt his hands on her ass, she wrapped one leg around his hips, waited until he lifted her slightly to wrap the other one around him.

"Give me a hand, babe," he whispered. Sighed when her hand moved between them, guided his throbbing shaft between her glistening folds. He lowered her slightly, felt her body close around him like a fist. He pushed her gently against the wall, felt her back arch away from the cold tile, pressing her breasts against his chest, the feeling of those hard pink nipples near his own sending thrills up and down his spine. Using the wall to hold her steady, he began to thrust up into her. Her fingers were moving over that swollen nub that gave her such pleasure. "Make it good," he whispered in her ear, just before his tongue invaded it.

She shivered as his mouth moved from her ear to her neck. She lowered her head, began to suckle on the muscle behind his ear, her mouth mirroring everything that his did to her. The sensations were incredible as they pleasured one another, made love to one another. She shivered when he nipped at her shoulder, felt the response in her body flow directly to the core of her being.

When she began to move her mouth over him in response to what he was doing, he could feel himself get harder. He'd never had a woman do to him what Casey could do! Not only was she his Destiny, it seemed that they had a connection on more than just the emotional and spiritual plane. Their bodies were finely tuned to and for one another. As if they'd indeed been made for each other, and no one else.

Casey loved having him inside her, loved the feeling of being so very full. She massaged him, using her inner muscles, reveled in the deep, hard throbs that he made each time she clamped them around his turgid length. Her fingers moved in that oh so familiar way, and too soon she was at the top of the mountain, ready to leap over the edge.

He smiled against her neck when he felt her thighs begin to quiver. She tried to hold it back, but that sweet whimper filled her throat. "Do it, Case, come for me," he whispered.

She let go and threw herself into the abyss, riding the waves of pleasure as they washed over her. "Daniel!"

He loved how she cried out his name, her voice low and breathless. The contractions of her well around his rigid manhood made the need to drive into her more intense. His arms began to raise and lower her as he thrust, pushing her down onto his hard cock as far as he could. She was still working those muscles around him, clamping down and holding him. It felt so damned good! When she started suckling his neck, the stimulation was enough to send him over the edge. He cried out her name, and emptied himself into her welcoming body.

She could feel every pulse that sent his creamy love deep into her well. She wrapped her arms and legs tighter around his body, clinging to him as he came down from his high. "Feel better?"

"Much, thank you. How about you?"

"I'm feeling just fine, thanks."

He grinned. "Let's get washed up. The guys and Sam will be waiting." He waited until he was sure that she had both feet firmly on the tile floor before letting go of her. Lowered his head and kissed her, a 'thank-you' for what she'd just given him.

A   A   A   A   A   A

Sam, Jack, and Teal'c were indeed waiting for them, sipping coffee, or tea in Teal'c's case, in one of the large corner booths. All three grinned as the couple walked in arm in arm.

"So how did all of the planning go?" Sam asked eagerly.

"I had no clue how many details were involved!" Casey exclaimed. "I have an appointment week after next to go to Denver to try on dresses, and if you and Janet can come along, you can try on your dresses."

"Our dresses?"

Casey grinned. "Yep. You know, that whole bridesmaid thing?"

Sam giggled. "If you try and put me into one of those frilly, poufy things, I'll shoot you!"

"How do you feel about strapless sheaths?"

"Oooo...sexy!" Sam grinned. "So, details!"

Daniel grinned, waited until he was sure that the two women were totally involved in their conversation. "I don't want Casey left alone," he said quietly.

Jack nodded. "I understand. We'll be there with you, Daniel. Every step of the way."

"Indeed," Teal'c said, nodding slowly, his response evidence that Jack had told him what had happened.

"If you'd just talk to Hammond, tell him who the assholes who jumped you are, he could take care of things within the system," Jack said.

Daniel gave a snort of disgust. "Yeah, and then they retaliate off base. If it were just me, I wouldn't care. They could give it their best shot. But I won't risk Casey."

Jack studied the young man. "Is that what happened before?"

The archaeologist stared out the window for a minute. "I never knew that a bar of soap could hurt so much," he finally admitted.

The older man hissed a breath. A bar of soap wrapped in towel made a dangerous, painful weapon, and left absolutely no marks on the victim. "They did this at your place, didn't they?"

"Why do you think I moved?" Daniel asked, shrugging slightly. After the attack, being in the loft apartment had been too difficult. He'd relived every moment of the beating each time he walked through the door.

"Goddamn it, Daniel! You should have told me!" Jack growled. He glanced at the two women, who were still talking about the wedding.

"So you could have done what? Got the shit beat out of me again? Look, I managed to take two of them down before the others tackled me," Daniel said. "I didn't go down easy, not like they thought I would."

Jack shook his head. "This is not acceptable. I don't like the fact that a group of assholes is beating on one of the men under my command. That's a bad situation all the way around. I really don't like it that my best friend is being harassed like this. I'll take care of it," he said firmly.

"Jack-" Daniel started to object.

"I said I'll take care of it, Daniel," Jack repeated.

With a resigned sigh, the younger man nodded.

"So, now that you've taken care of that, are you ready to order?" Casey asked softly.

He jerked, looked over at her. Saw the love in her eyes. Could feel her anguish over what had happened to him. "It wasn't that bad," he said softly.

"No, it was worse than you're letting on," she replied. She cocked her head sideways. "You were hurt so badly that you finally went to the ER. Told them you fell down a flight of stairs."

His three teammates started, stared at him. He grinned slowly. "There's no way to keep anything hidden from you, is there?"

She smiled. "No. So don't even think about developing a wandering eye!"

"Never," he swore, taking her hand and raising it to his lips.

"Daniel Jackson, if you ever pull something like that again, I'll kick your ass!" Sam said vehemently, tears forming in her eyes. She'd seen Daniel wounded in battle, had seen him battered and bruised after being tortured. To think of him being hurt by a group of men who were supposed to be their backup made her angry. "You're not a kid putting up with the school bully!"

"That's right, Daniel," Jack said, upset to learn that his best friend had been so badly hurt, and he hadn't known about it. "Like I said, this isn't something that can be allowed to continue. You might not be the only guy being victimized."

The thought that someone else might be suffering the same treatment brought him up short. He'd suffered worse at the hands of the Goa'uld, and other alien civilizations, who – for some reason or other – viewed the members of SG-1 as a threat, that was true. It didn't make the abuse at the hands of Marines and Air Force SF's any easier to deal with. And there was the possibility that other victims weren't as able to deal with the attacks. Most probably other scientists who worked in the Mountain. Others who didn't have the experiences, the training, that he had. "Okay, do what you have to do," he said softly.

"In the meantime, I don't want either of you alone," Jack said. He looked over at Teal'c. "Feel like playing bodyguard?"

"I would be most happy to do so," the large man replied.

Casey looked around at the people she was with. Felt the love that they had for one another. "Hearts entwined," she said softly.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"The four of you…your hearts are entwined. More than friends. Stronger than family," she replied.

The teammates exchanged glances. Four hearts admitted to the fact that Casey was right. None of them knew exactly how, or when it had happened. But at some point in time, they'd become almost extensions of one another; still unique individuals, but a part of something special, something…grand. Something so rare that even the gods sat up and took notice when it happened.

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