Blast from the Past Chapter 7

Daniel opened the door. The house was empty. There was a note from Erin hanging on the refrigerator.

Daniel,

Casey has asked me to take the children for the night. She is with Sam, Carly and Tessa. If you want my opinion, although that seems unlikely considering the circumstances, you should probably call Rinaldi's to find out if she will need a ride home.

Erin.

Wade couldn't help but grin. "You realize that by tomorrow morning, the female half of the population of Hope is going to be pissed at the male half."

"Oh, shut up," Daniel said. He opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, twisted off the cap, tossed it across the room and downed half the contents in one long gulp.

"Whoa, take it easy, big brother," Wade replied. "If Casey is getting wasted, shouldn't you keep your wits about you, so that you can get her home?"

"Why? She's a big girl. Let her find her own damn way home!" the archaeologist growled.

"You really want her to do that?" Wade asked softly. "Admit it, Daniel, she and Sam have every right to be angry. My guess is they're more hurt than angry, although they might not realize that."

Daniel lowered the beer bottle before taking the second drink he had intended to take. He shook his head. "Feel like going to Rinaldi's?"

Before the men could get out of the door the phone rang. It was Jack. Demanding to know if Daniel had any idea where his wife was. Within five minutes all of the husbands were heading toward the tavern. It seemed that a battle of the sexes was about to begin.

Casey took another nacho. "I mean, here I was, thinking that when they asked me what I thought about something, they really cared what I thought! Silly me!"

"I do not understand why they would ask you to attend these meetings, and ask for your input, if they no intention of actually listening to you," Tessa said frowning.

"It was just to keep us thinking that we were part of the decision making process," Sam replied. She finished off her beer.

"I need a drink," Casey muttered. She looked up, waved at the man behind the bar. "John, bring me a tray would you, and glasses for my friends as well."

"You got it, Casey," the bartender replied. He bit back his grin. Normally when the beautiful blonde came in, it was because she was hurting. Tonight she and her equally attractive blonde friend had hit the door like a freight train, with enough angry vibes shooting from both of them to silence any comments that the men who sat at the bar might have made. Five minutes later another blonde and a brunette walked in and joined the two blondes. Those four women were so pissed off that sparks were igniting the air above them! He carried a tray with a bottle of tequila, a plate of limes, two salt shakers, and four shot glasses to the table. "Here you go, ladies," he said, carefully unloading the tray. He moved quickly back to the bar. He was Immortal, and he had learned much in almost a thousand years. He knew well enough to keep a fair distance between himself and angry women.

Casey poured the clear alcohol into the glasses, licked her hand and salted it. "To a giant step backward in the fight for equality!"

"To men, as egotistical as any damned Goa'uld!" Casey said, lifting her glass again.

Tessa wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "To husbands determined to keep their women home and in the kitchen!"

"I mentioned to Mac that I was really tired the other night, would he mind making dinner. He said I wouldn't be so tired if I just stayed home and took care of Richie."

"He did," Tessa replied, her eyes blazing with anger. "I am working hard to get the gallery ready to open. I appreciate that Amanda is willing to watch Richie for me so that I can work. Some of my sculptures are quite large, and I get tired after working on them for several hours. Yet, I should give up my own work because he doesn't want to make dinner one night out of the week?"

Carly shook her head. "I am quite lucky that Teal'c finds nothing wrong with me owning and running my own business." She frowned slightly. "Although he did say that he preferred that I be home when he arrived home. That it was only proper that a woman greet her husband."

"Yeah, you know what," Casey said. "I want a freaking wife! Somebody to cook and clean and do all the laundry and grocery shopping! I work as hard as he does! We go home, he's done for the night. My second day is just beginning!" She refused to admit to the fact that, more often than not, immediately after snuggle time, Daniel was working in his den on the dozens of miscellaneous translations that always seemed to be needed. Nor did she want to think about how much he did help around the house!

"I hear that!" Sam said, nodding vigorously. "I'm in charge of keeping everything done in the house. And he bitches when he has to mow the yard once a week!"

"Oh, yeah!" Another round of drinks. And another. On top of the two beers each woman had already consumed, they were quickly starting to feel the results.

"You know," Casey said, pouring the next round, "about the only thing that he's good for is scratching my itches."

Sam giggled. "And you have a lot of itches." The women burst into giggles. "They sneak into the supply closet at least three times a week," she whispered to Tessa and Carly.

"Is Daniel still as…needy…as he was when you first returned?" Carly asked, remembering the conversation she had had with him.

"I knew that the Fire burned hotly for you and Daniel," Tessa said, wide-eyed. "And I knew that he was…needy…after your return, but, goodness Casey!"

"Hey, neither one of us is made of soap. We aren't going to wear the parts out," Casey quipped, her green eyes dancing, bringing yet another round of laughter. "Besides, I know that every one of you has gone through the Ceremony of Fire. I'm betting you all do it at least once a day!"

Three sets of eyes gleamed, three faces blushed. "Okay, but you and Daniel are still way more active than the rest of us!" Sam argued.

"I dunno, Sam. I hear that a certain general and a certain colonel still hit the lake at least twice a week!"

Casey giggled. "That's why he comes back and heads straight to the cafeteria!" The laughter that moved around the table caught the attention of everyone in the bar.

Tessa sighed. "I will admit that most mornings Mac is in the mood. And most nights."

Sam frowned, toyed with her glass. "You know, I hate to admit this, but the guys might be right about letting Camulus return to his palace."

It was Casey's turn to frown. "Because he'll be more likely to step out of line, and then we can sort of step on him," she said softly. Something stirred in the back of her mind. But the booze prevented her from noticing it.

"What if it was one of those last second ideas? Maybe it was even decided after we'd already left on the Persephone."

Sam shrugged. "Maybe it just didn't seem like a big deal. That they weren't trying to hide anything, it just wasn't…a big deal."

Casey took another drink, thought about what Sam had said. "I guess they didn't figure it would piss us off to find out about it. You know they wouldn't have done it if they knew it would make us angry. Not intentionally."

The blonde colonel nodded. She began to giggle. "Maybe they didn't tell us because we're too anxious to use Cammy, and they were feeling sorry for him!"

Once again the laughter that erupted from the group of women had the other patrons smiling. John grinned, carried a new bottle of tequila to the table to replace the now empty one. Whatever they had been angry over, it was gone now.

"I don't," Tessa sulked. "Although I guess I should remember that Mac was just as tired as I was that night. I should have suggested take-out."

"Teal'c was raised in a culture where women were subservient. He is quite…progressive, when compared to his Jaffa friends, even his son," Carly admitted.

"It's the pits when we do this, you know," Casey said with a deep sigh. "We have a nice, hot rage going against them…and then we have to deal with the friggin' facts, and face reality, and then we wind up forgiving them."

The door to the tavern slammed open. Five men walked into the room, looked around, four of them glared at the women who sat around the table in the corner, and dropped down onto chairs around another table.

Casey giggled so hard she squeaked. Which made a pair of cerulean blue eyes focus on her for a brief moment. "Always!"

Tessa shook her head. "Nope. We flirt with them. As if we've never seen them before."

More giggles. When the men looked over, they were surprised by shy looks and smiles. And more giggles.

"I have no idea," Jack admitted, frowning slightly. He glanced at Sam. She looked at him, smiled, quickly lowered her eyes, then glanced up at him again. He felt his pulse begin to race.

Daniel looked over at Casey. He could see the blush from where he sat, watched that shy smile pull at her lips before she dropped her gaze back down to the glass in her hand. His heart did flip-flops in his chest.

Wade watched the men watching their wives, and the shy, seductive smiles and looks they received in return. And nearly laughed out loud. "Excuse me." He stood up, dropped some change into the jukebox, selected a half dozen songs. When the Eagles "I Can't tell you Why" began to play, he walked over to the table where the women sat. "Pardon me, I couldn't help but notice you lovely ladies sitting here alone. Mind if I join you?"

Wade led her to the area in front of the jukebox that served as the dance floor. "They have no idea what you're up to."

She couldn't control the giggle this time, and she laid her head on his shoulder as she laughed. "Is he watching?"

Although it had not been planned, three of the men sitting at the bar had watched Wade approach the table of women. When the beautiful young blonde agreed to dance with him, it inspired them to at least try. Soon all four of the women were dancing. Their husbands watching, growing more frustrated by the minute. The women continued to toss those shy glances and seductive smiles in their direction.

The song changed to "Lady", by Styx. Wade pulled Casey closer. "He hasn't decided whether to come pound me into the floor, pull you into his arms, or leave," he whispered.

She glanced at her husband. His blue eyes were full of Fire. She smiled at him, barely letting her eyes meet his before she looked down at the floor again. Wade was turning them slowly, and she couldn't see Daniel now. Suddenly she was being pulled away from Wade, and into a familiar embrace.

"Took you long enough," Wade teased, just before he headed back to the table. He leaned over to whisper in his brother's ear. "I'll be staying in the barracks tonight."

Daniel grinned, winked, nodded. He pulled Casey tighter into his embrace. "So am I forgiven?"

"I got pissy before heard all of the details. I guess-" she pulled her lip between her teeth.

"Your feelings were hurt that you weren't included in the decision making process," Daniel said softly.

"I guess…I guess I sort of considered Camulus my responsibility…my prisoner, and it ticked me off that you guys didn't…ask me…before you took him."

"Hey, I was the one who insisted that you guys should trust him. I was the one who was bonding with him. I just-"

"Babe, we all expect him to screw us over. We got Ptah out of the way and Kinsey in secure lock-up on our base. Anything we get after this will be icing on the cake," Daniel said.

She looked up at him, locked her hands behind his neck. "So no worries about being executed if he screws us over?"

"Jack and Teal'c and I were almost out of the door when Methos asked what would happen to his territory if they killed Ptah, and then whisked Camulus back here."

"One of the other System Lords would have moved in. Not to mention that his Jaffa would have been damned confused," she said. Again something stirred in the back of her brain.

Daniel nodded. "So, Duncan told him to do what he thought was best, and we'd talk when they got back."

She nodded. "Makes sense. If he steps out of line, we get to step on him," she said, repeating what she had told Sam.

"And that will only work as long as he cares about what happens to me," she pointed out.

"Don't sell yourself short, Angel. No longer than you were near him, it was enough to keep you on his mind."

"If he was really in love with her, that's going to be awhile," Daniel said. "If he was with her for a substantial amount of time, he's going to be grieving for some time to come."

Daniel shook his head. "Casey, if he held her, and screamed and cried, he's not going to get over her that quickly, that easily."

"Mmmhmm." She glanced around. Yep. All was well. Sam and Jack were already on their way out of the door. "Let me get my purse and pay my tab."

She smiled when it appeared that he wasn't going to say anything else. If he still felt guilty about her not knowing the plan with Camulus, well, maybe it would keep him from doing anything stupid in the future. Well, hope springs eternal, she thought, giggling to herself.