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The elevator doors opened. Casey let out a sigh of relief when four heavily armed Marines stepped out.

"No sign of intruders on this level?" one of the men asked.

Janet stood up. "No. What's going on?"

"TERs take down the shields. We're wiping them out," the man replied with a grin. "We have five more levels to check, then we're heading back down. Better keep on your toes, just in case."

"We will," the diminutive doctor replied, accepting one of the TERs. "Okay, let's just relax a little bit. But not too much," she warned.

Casey was frantic to know if Daniel was safe. She took the radio that had been by her side and keyed it. "Daniel? Can you hear me?"

"Casey, this is General Hammond. SG-1 was just taken captive. We can't see if they're still in the 'gate room, or if they've been taken out."

Before anyone could stop her, Casey was on the elevator. Heading for level twenty-eight. She was too angry to be frightened. She had one thought on her mind. "Not with my man you don't!" she hissed to the empty car.

Her temper at full boil, she was firing as soon as the elevator doors opened. Half a dozen Jaffa went down. She glanced around. This one, I think, she thought, running down one of the gray hallways. She sighed when she saw the wide, thick door that was used to seal off the 'gate room. She fired at the Jaffa who were leaving the control room, heading in the same direction she was.

A   A   A   A   A   A

"General Hammond, this is Doctor Fraiser. Casey just headed down, probably to the 'gate room. She's nine kinds of pissed. You might want to send some back up, sir."

In the storage room that had been hastily converted to an emergency command center, George Hammond bit back a laugh. Turned to watch the screens of the four laptop computers that had been plugged into the monitoring system and were once again providing images of the control room and the 'gate room. This was something he didn't want to miss!

A   A   A   A   A   A

Anuket was standing near Daniel, running her hand over his face. "You will-" weapons fire drew her attention to the open doorway. She frowned when she watched three Jaffa fall. Before she could get halfway to the door, a slender blonde stepped into the room.

"Anuket, I presume," Casey hissed. Without another word she opened fire. She barely noticed when Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and Daniel hit the floor. Her anger focused on anything moving and metal, she continued to fire until Jaffa were running up the ramp in an attempt to escape. She followed them, firing into the event horizon.

Two SG teams raced into the room, weapons ready. Looked around, amusement filling their eyes, the sight bringing grins to every face.  Two of the men untied the members of SG-1.

Jack sat up. "Do not piss off that skinny little blonde! She'll kick your ass!"

Daniel grinned. "That's my Tiger!"

Casey walked back down the ramp. "Is it over?" she asked, her face pale.

"You tell us," Sam teased.

"Really, is it over?" Casey repeated.

"It's over, Case," Jack grinned.

"Good." She handed the empty P-90 to Teal'c, who happened to be standing the closest to her. Smiled at Daniel. Then fainted.

General Hammond ran into the room, saw Casey in Daniel' arms. "What happened?"

"She kicked their asses, sir! She was shooting at anything that moved, so we very wisely hit the floor. She followed them up the ramp, emptied the weapon, walked back down here, handed said empty weapon to T, there, and fainted," Jack reported.

The general chuckled. "You need to talk to her about running into a situation she's not sure about. Not that any of you have ever done that."

Every member of the team had the decency to blush. "No, sir, not us, never," Jack replied, his eyes twinkling.

"Take her up to the infirmary. Have Doctor Fraiser check her out." He turned to the two teams who stood waiting. "Get this mess cleaned up."

"Where do you want them?"

The general looked up at the control room. "Walter, can you redial the last address?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do it. Send 'em home. Send that one," he said, pointing to Anuket, "to Area 51." With that, he left the 'gate room and headed for his office.

A   A   A   A   A   A

Casey opened her eyes slowly. Wished that the pounding between her eyes would stop.

"Hey, babe," Daniel said, smiling down at her.

"Hey," she replied, smiling weakly.

"Well, Annie Oakley's back with us," Janet teased quietly. "I hear you took down your first Goa'uld today."

Images of what had happened, what she'd done, flashed through her mind. "I think I'm gonna be sick," she murmured.

Janet grabbed a pan, held long blonde hair back as the young woman leaned over the side of the bed and relinquished the contents of her stomach. "It's okay, honey," Janet said soothingly. "It's called the 'after battle shakes'. It happens to all of us. We run on adrenaline, and then when the threat is gone, the adrenaline makes us shaky, and sometimes nauseous."

Daniel handed her a glass of water. She rinsed her mouth, spit, then laid back in the bed. "So that explains the killer headache, too?"

The dark haired doctor smiled. "Yep. I'll add a pain-killer to your I.V."

"Can't I just take a couple of aspirin and go home?"

"Not just yet," Janet replied. She looked at Daniel, then back at her young friend. "I take it that you didn't like the idea of Anuket making Daniel her Consort, huh?"

"She was going to do what?" Casey sat up quickly, moaned, put a hand to her head and dropped back onto the pillow. "Dig her up, I want to shoot her again!"

Daniel chuckled. "I’m so proud of you, Case. And if you ever do anything like that again, I swear to god I'll turn you over my knee and spank your ass!"

"Hey, it all worked out," she protested weakly.

"Yeah, this time," Jack said, walking toward the bed. Sam and Teal' were behind him. "You did good, Casey. But Daniel is right, don't ever charge into a room like that again unless you know what you're facing."

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," she said feebly.

Sam grinned. "Well, your reputation has been made around here, that's for sure."

Casey rolled her eyes. Regretted it instantly. "I knew two things at the time…that bitch had taken you all prisoner, and she was getting ready to leave. I had one option. Take her out."

Jack grinned. "Lucky for us you're on our side."

General Hammond entered the room. "So, I see Annie Oakley is awake."

"Annie Oakley?" That was the second time she'd been called that.

"She was part of Wild Bill Hickcock's Wild West Show," the general explained. "She was a crack markswoman. Quite an entertainer."

"The only reason I hit anything is because a P-90 puts out 900 rounds a minute. At that rate something has to hit the target!" Casey said, shrugging slightly.

"Hey, you paid attention!" Jack said, slightly surprised. He'd been in charge of the training for several of the civilians who worked in the mountain. None of them had paid much attention to what he'd told them. Including the man to whose hand she was clinging. Daniel had learned, rather quickly, with experience.

"I thought that was why you were telling me all of that stuff," Casey countered, "So I'd know it!"

"Yeah, but…you listened!"

She smiled.

"Okay, I think Casey should get some rest. Daniel, she'll be ready to leave when you are later this afternoon," Janet said.

He nodded. Leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep, Angel. I'll be down to get you after while."

She nodded, closed her eyes, drifted back to sleep. Mostly because Janet had put a mild sedative in her IV as well as a painkiller.

Janet pulled the curtain closed around the bed.

"She's really all right?" Daniel asked, concern all over his handsome face.

"She's fine, Daniel. I saw sparks fly from those green eyes, and she was on that elevator before anyone could stop her," Janet replied. "I hear she took down about a dozen Jaffa."

Jack chuckled. "I think a couple of them died from sheer terror."

General Hammond smiled. "I reviewed the security tapes of the incident. She was firing as soon as the elevator doors opened. Then she put her back to the wall, moved down the hallway, took out another group that came out of the control room. She was already firing when she hit that doorway. You taught her well, colonel."

The colonel smiled. "Yeah, well, she listens, sir."

"Sir, considering what just happened today, I think Casey is as ready to go off-world as any trained recruit," Sam said.

"I agree, Major," the general replied. "Briefing in the conference room oh-nine-hundred tomorrow." With a wide smile, the man turned and headed back for his office. And the stack of paperwork that the morning's incident had generated, knowing that his second in command would deal with making sure that there'd be no repeat of the morning's events.

"Yes!" Jack said, grinning broadly. "Danny, I heard that there were some rocks that need your attention. Something about a translation for SG-9?"

"I’m almost finished with it."

"Well, get all the way finished with it," Jack said. "Carter, I want you to find a way to make sure that what happened this morning never happens again. Come up with a doohickey that will disrupt power sources before they can get through the iris."

Sam smiled. That task had technically already been done. "Yes, sir."

"Teal'c, don't you have some recruits in the gym to go scare?"

The large man raised an eyebrow. "I do not."

"Well then, come with me. We're going to be confiscating all of those weapons. I need some help making sure they all work."

With a slight bow of his head, Teal'c followed the gray haired man down the corridor. Janet watched the team head off toward the elevator, shook her head and grinned, and went back to her own paperwork.

A   A   A   A   A   A

Daniel was on his way to get another cup of coffee. Heard voices before he turned the corner in the corridor.

"So anyway, she comes charging into the room, not even checking to see how many friendlies were in the line of fire, and just starts shooting everything to shit," the male voice said, disgust evident in every word. "Hell, she damned near took out SG-1!"

"That's not what I heard," another male voice said. "I heard that she did know that they were there, that she knew they'd hit the floor as soon as they heard weapons fire, and she took that Goa'uld bitch out as soon as she could. Besides, didn't you hear? Hammond put her on SG-1."

"Oh, that just sucks!" the first man said. "How many qualified people have been waiting for a chance to get on that team, and then this little bitch comes sashaying in and gets the spot?"

"Hey, she's greasing Jackson's pole. That's what qualified her," a third voice said.

"Yeah, probably greasing Hammond's and O'Neill's too," the first speaker snorted.

"She can grease my pole any time she wants," the third man laughed.

The three stopped short when they came around the corner. Daniel's eyes were blazing with anger.

"Uh…Doctor Jackson," the first man said.

"Gentlemen," Daniel said tightly. Recognized two of the men from a cold November night, and the warehouse where his 'blanket party' had been held..

"Uh…we, uh…we were…uh," the third man stammered.

"I heard what you were just…doing," Daniel said. He flexed his shoulders slightly.

"We meant no disrespect," the third man said nervously.

"It certainly didn't sound that way," he replied.

"Look, Doctor Jackson, you have to know that people are going to…talk; and be a bit upset to find out that your girlfriend took a spot on SG-1. Especially when other people have been trying for years to get on the team," the first speaker said.

"There has never been an opening on SG-1," Daniel said coldly. "My fiancée is on the team because General Hammond believes that she has skills that can give us an edge."

"The psychic thing," the second speaker mumbled.

"I believe it was her intervention that kept SG-7 alive," Daniel said.

A member of that very lucky team, the man's face turned red, he lowered his eyes. "Yes, sir," he admitted.

"Doctor Jackson!" Major Ferretti walked toward the men. "Something wrong?"

Daniel spared a look at the man beside him. "Just catching up on the latest gossip in the mountain," he replied.

"Really? Guess I haven't heard it," the older man said, stepping next to the young archaeologist, his body language screaming that he was an ally, a friend of Dr. Jackson's.

"Seems that the rumor is going around that the reason Casey is on SG-1 is because she's - how did they so delicately put that? Oh, yes, she's 'greasing my pole'. Rumor also has it that she's 'greasing Hammond's and O'Neill's poles, too'," he said. His voice was low, calm. Anyone who knew him realized that this meant that the good doctor was just seconds from exploding.

"You don't say?" Ferretti said.

"Yep. Seems that's the latest," Daniel replied.

"Well now, I just don't think that's appropriate," Ferretti said. "I do believe that we should nip this rumor in the bud. I also think these gentlemen should apologize for speaking about Ms. Webster that way."

Daniel gave another glance at the man beside him. He found that he had friends in the damnedest places, sometimes! "I think that would be appropriate."

"I, uh…apologize," the second man said hurriedly.

"Me, too," said the third man. He remembered all to well nearly going over the railing when a blanket covered Daniel Jackson had attacked his attackers. If the man had been able to do that much tied up, then with those fists of his free, the discomfort would undoubtedly be greater.

Daniel stared at the first man. "Oh, Major, did you hear that Sergeant White was arrested last night?"

"Now that I heard about," the older man grinned. "About damned time, too."

The first man started. "I…uh…I apologize," he said quickly. Wondered if Mark had opened his big mouth about who'd been a participant in the blanket party.

"Now hear this," Ferretti said, his voice low and threatening, "if I hear any more shit like that about Ms. Webster, heads will roll, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the men chorused.

"Good. Now get the hell out of my way!" He watched until the men were no longer in sight. "Don't worry, Doc. It won't happen again."

Daniel nodded. "Why?" he asked softly. Both men knew that Ferretti understood exactly what he was asking.

"You're one hell of a good man, Doc. More balls than most Marines. I respect that. Hell, I admire that. And…well, you've suffered long enough. Your first wife, hell, that never should have happened. If I'd been faster, paying closer attention, maybe I could have stopped that asshole from taking her," the man replied just as softly.

His eyes went wide. The Abydonians who had been in the temple had told him how the Marines who had accompanied O'Neill had tried desperately to stop Apophis, and how they'd saved three others from being taken. Major Ferretti and his men had been severely wounded for their efforts, two of them had died. In spite of his own serious wounds, Ferretti had been able to see, and remember, the address Apophis had used when he dialed out. Had the major attempted anything more, he would have been killed, and then the team would have never found Sha're on Chulak. They wouldn't have met Teal'c... "There was nothing you could have done!"

Louis Ferretti looked hard at the young man. "Nothing you could have done, either."

He shrugged. "Feels like I should have…I should have at least been there," he said, his voice barely audible.

"Then you'd have been killed too. And the SGC never would have gotten off the ground."

Blue eyes went wider.

"We all know that it's your brains that pulled the whole damned thing together. You're the one that kept this place going when Kinsey was shutting us down." He put his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Next time some asshole comes at you with a blanket, let me know. You have friends around here, Doc." With a pat on that broad back, Ferretti continued on his way.

Daniel stood, stunned. Then smiled. What the hell could happen next to make the day any more bizarre? He walked the rest of the way to the commissary feeling better about being at the SGC than he had in months.

A   A   A   A   A   A

Casey rolled to her side, opened her eyes. Well, at least the headache was gone. She sat up, looked around, heaved a sigh. As long as she was here, she might as well talk to Janet about the question that had come up in her mind earlier that morning, right after she realized she'd started her period.

"Well, you look like you feel better," Janet smiled, approaching the bed.

She returned that warm smile. "I do. Um…" she looked around. "I need to talk to you about something."

Her instincts telling her that this was going to be a conversation of a personal nature, Janet moved closer. "Okay, what?"

"Birth control."

The petite doctor grinned. "I take it that condoms aren't a part of your lovemaking routine?"

She shook her head. "Please don't tell me we have to start using them!"

"Okay, I won't. I'm going to put you on the Depo-Provera shots. That's what almost all of the female SF's here use. Sam uses it too. I'll give you a pamphlet about it. Be sure to note the side effects, and let me know if you suffer from any of them."

Casey nodded.

"I'll be right back."

Daniel walked into the infirmary just as Janet was injecting Casey. He hurried to the bed. "What's wrong?" he demanded to know.

Casey giggled. "Just protecting you, Stud Muffin."

He frowned. "From what?"

"Unplanned, surprise pregnancy."

The frown deepened. "This is safe?"

Janet laughed. "Yes, Daniel, it's safe. I was just telling Casey that just about every woman who works in the mountain takes the shots."

"You're sure?" he asked softly.

Casey pulled her lip between her teeth.

Janet took note of the sign. "I'll be right back," she said, leaving the couple alone.

"She already gave me the shot," Casey said, not looking at him.

Daniel put a finger under her chin, brought her face up. "I just want to know you're doing this for you."

Now it was Casey's turn to frown. "I don't understand," she said softly.

"If you want to start a family right away, that's okay with me," he said quietly. "If you want to wait, that's okay, too."

"You don't have a preference?"

He smiled. "I want to have kids, someday. I want to watch my baby grow inside you. I want to be a father. Someday."

She smiled. "Then we're on the same page. I'm not ready yet. I want time alone with you first."

He leaned over and kissed her. "So how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Painkillers took care of everything, even the cramping," she replied.

Cramping? Oh, yeah. She'd started her period. At least she won't be sitting in a tent with three old women for the next five days; you'll at least be able to talk to her and hug her and hold her and kiss her, his brain told him. "That's good," he replied. "Ready to go home?"

"Oh, yeah!"

He grinned. 

Janet had approached slowly. "So everything is okay?"

"Everything is just wonderful," Casey replied. She lifted Daniel's hand to her cheek. When he cupped her face, she turned her head slightly, kissed his palm.

Oh, so not fair! he thought, feeling that soft caress up and down his spine. Deep breath, Danny, she's not trying to turn you on. Just trying to let you know she loves you!

"Looks that way to me. You can go, but I want you to take it easy for a couple of days. Shock can be a nasty thing to shake, sometimes," Janet warned. "I'm going to let you go get dressed," she said. She looked at Daniel, gave a subtle nod of her head.

"I'll be waiting over here," he said softly.

Casey nodded, took the clothes that Jill handed her, then, with the nurse's help, went into the nearby restroom to dress.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Daniel asked, his voice slightly panicked..

Janet smiled. "Daniel, calm down! She's fine. But I do mean it about her taking it easy."

"No problem. We'll pick up something for dinner on the way home."

"I'm going to ask a very personal question," Janet said.

Daniel braced himself. "What?"

"Casey told me she started her period this morning."

"Yeah, so?"

"Daniel, have you…not made love any day, since the two of you have been together?"

He couldn't help but grin. "No."

Janet smiled. "I take it that it's not if you make love during the day, but how many times?"

"Something like that."

"I have the feeling that Casey is going to insist on giving you…relief."

"Probably."

"Don't let her. Not tonight. I wasn't kidding about shock. She went into shock, Daniel, that's why she fainted. She had the shakes so bad when she woke up the first time I almost had to have her tied to the bed."

He frowned. He'd been getting his own check up at that moment. He'd heard Janet talking to her, although he'd never heard her reply. "Was she even coherent when she woke up the first time?"

"Not really. I was lucky that she recognized me. Every muscle in her body had tightened. That's why I gave her a sedative. Her body needed to just relax completely for awhile. I know she loves you. And I know you love her. Don't let her…work herself up."

"No problem," he murmured. Now, his brain asked, how are you going to convince her that you really don't want one of those amazing blowjobs? He sighed mentally. Tell her the truth, he replied.

Janet patted his arm. "You'll survive, I promise."

"Maybe," he grinned.

"You're bad, Daniel," Janet teased.

"Not according to Casey."

The doctor burst into giggles. "You are too funny. Take her home. Talk her into taking a nice, long warm bath. Try and get her to go to bed early. Without hanky panky."

"I can hold her, right?"

Janet smiled. "Absolutely."

With a nod, Daniel walked back to wait beside the bed where Casey had spent the afternoon.

As long as he could hold her, everything would be all right. For both of them.

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