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Most of the Immortals on Gamma had lived in the US at some point in time, and knew about the various holidays. With so many SG teams and staff and their families, and the some of the families of the Prometheus and Phoenix crews living in Hope, it had been decided that the town would observe those holidays. So it was that Thanksgiving was upon them.

Casey was basting the huge turkey that took up the entire lower oven while Daniel tried to get Emily into her dress.

"Casey!"

She grinned and closed the oven door. That was a distress call if ever she had heard one. She hurried into Emily’s room, stopped at the door and laughed. He had the dress, or at least part of it, over her head. The top layer of the dress was tulle, and it was still wrapped around her ears. One arm was in one sleeve, but the tulle had somehow become wadded up in the other sleeve.

"It’s not funny," he said. "It would help if she’d hold still, and if this thing wasn’t in…parts!"

"Yes it is funny, and if you’d just…here…I’ll do it," she giggled. She pulled the dress off of Emily, then shook it gently, smoothed the tulle down. She put her hand inside and then pulled it down over the baby’s head. One arm at a time in the sleeves and the dress was on.

Daniel shook his head. "How’d you do that?"

Casey laughed again. "Guess you have to be a girl to understand the finer points of tulle layered dresses."

"I still think it’s too much. She’ll have cereal and fruit all over it," he replied. Fruit, the baby food variety, had just recently become a part of her diet.

"It’s beautiful and Duncan and Tessa bought it for her, I want them to see her in it. She’s growing so fast that today is probably the only time she’ll actually get to wear it," Casey said. She was pulling white leotards with rows of ruffles on the fanny up over the chubby little legs. "Can you get her shoes on?"

"Ha ha. Funny," he said, reaching for the tiny black patent Mary Janes.

She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Just wait until she’s putting on that prom dress, Dad."

He jerked. "Prom? My baby girl?"

She laughed again. "Brush her hair and put this headband on her," she said, laying it on the dresser where he could reach it. "I’m going to go get me ready. If the timer on the oven goes off, take the pie out and sit it on the trivet that’s already on the counter."

"Okay." He had the shoes on, and was working on getting the fine, blonde hair combed. It was actually getting long enough to brush now. He picked up the headband, put the bow on her forehead and slipped it around her head. It took Emily all of three seconds to pull it off. "Come on, Princess, help Daddy out. If you don’t wear that, Mommy will think it’s because I can’t get it on." He put it on her again. Off it came. On. Off. On. Off. "You win Princess," He sighed. He picked her up and carried her, and the headband, into the kitchen.

When Casey came out of their bedroom, he did a double take. She had on a dress the same deep green as her eyes, low cut in front, revealing an ample amount of her cleavage. The skirt didn’t come down much more than an inch or two past her hips, and when she turned around for him, the back was lower than that of her black dress. The fitted sleeves accented her shapely arms. "Wow," he said softly. "Uh…that’s…wow," he repeated.

She giggled. "Tessa thought you’d like it." Casey was notorious for shopping online, and a few days prior a house full of women had done just that. He had sought refuge with Jack that night. Several dozen packages had arrived, via the Stargate, only two days ago. "Where’s her headband?"

Daniel grinned. "If you can get the Princess to wear it, be my guest." He held it out to her. She slipped it over Emily’s head, then held it there while she tried to get it off. After a few seconds, the baby left it alone. "You didn’t tell me to do the holding part," he grumbled accusingly.

"Oh, sweetheart, I love you," she said, giggling hysterically.

He put Emily into the walker they had just purchased, watched as she took off toward the bookcases. He sighed and followed her. "Leave Daddy’s books alone, Princess. At least until you can read them." He pushed the playpen against the shelves, pulled the rocking chair back so that she couldn’t get around it. She looked up at him and squealed her disapproval. "Tough. You can’t have everything you want." He picked up several of her toys, including a bedraggled looking stuffed dragon, and put them on the tray of the walker.

Casey was putting the finishing touches on the table.

It seemed that everybody had decided to arrive at the same time. It was joyous confusion as Sam and Jack came in, toting all of Evvie’s required equipment, followed by Aaron and Erin, and Duncan and Tessa. All of the women were carrying some sort of casserole dish, adding to the already ample amount of food that Casey had prepared.

Duncan pulled Emily out of the walker the minute he found her. By the bookcases. Behind the rocking chair. Tessa was delighted that she was in the dress they had bought for her.

"I still wish Teal'c would have waited until tomorrow to go see his son," Casey sighed as they sat down at the table. "It’s just not…right…without him."

"Carlotta is convinced that Kar’yn will have her baby any day now, and Teal'c wants to be there for the birth of his grandchild. Can’t blame him," Sam shrugged. "I miss him too, Case."

Emily was sitting between her father and grandfather, an arrangement that Casey wasn’t so sure was a good idea. She watched as Aaron fed her mashed, candied sweet potatoes from his plate. She shook her head. It wasn’t going to kill her. And the little hungry bird impression she was doing was keeping everyone entertained. Emily smiled up at Daniel, pointed a little finger at him, and began to jabber. "Dadadada…Daddee!"

Daniel grinned, kissed her finger, and fed her some of his own sweet potatoes. "That’s right, Princess, Daddy."

"Daddee!" She was rewarded with another mouthful of the very sweet, sweet potatoes.

Casey giggled. "Yeah, the Princess there has Daddy wrapped around her little finger."

Sam chortled, then nodded at Jack, who had Evvie cradled against his shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean. She can’t even work up to a good cry before he’s jumping to pick her up."

"Fathers will always be wrapped around their daughter’s fingers," Erin smiled, looking at Aaron.

"I do believe that is the way it is supposed to be," Aaron smiled in return. He winked at his daughter. He would do anything for her, and she knew it. He felt his heart swell with love, and thankfulness that she was in his life.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Casey dropped down onto the bed. The day had been a wonderful success. Emily was sound asleep, after suffering a tummy-ache, no doubt from all the sweet potatoes and pumpkin from the pie that she had been fed.

Daniel had his legs up, a legal pad against them, a reference book at his side, writing away.

"What are you working on?" she asked, stretching out beside him.

"Hmm?"

"What are you working on?" she repeated.

"Oh, I was just thinking about fathers and daughters. I was doing some research into different cultures regarding father/daughter relationships."

She smiled. "How about doing that research tomorrow. I have something else for you to research tonight."

He looked up at her, still in ‘scientist’ mode. "Oh? What?"

She pulled her teddy off, tossed it onto his writing pad.

"Now that’s some interesting research," he said with a grin. He tossed the teddy aside, put the notepad and book on the floor. "Come here, you."

She snuggled into his arms, her breasts pressed against his chest.

"Don’t think I’ve ever had a more interesting research…subject," he grinned, running his hand up and down her back.

"Really, doctor?"

"Really. I think I’m going to need to do some hands on investigation." He eased her to her back, began to make love to her breasts.

"Hey, you said hands on, you didn’t say anything about mouths," she teased.

"Turn off the light, Case. Let me love you," he said softly. She did, and so did he.

Forty-five minutes later she was laying on top of him, still breathing hard, his arms holding her closely. Her hands moved softly, slowly up and down his arms. "That was absolutely amazing. You certainly are thorough with your…investigations!"

He chuckled. "Love you, Angel."

"Love you, too, sweetheart."

It had taken time for him to finally rid himself of the guilt, and of the images of a black-haired Goa’uld. It had taken a lot of love from the only woman who would ever hold his heart. Her love was healing him, even as his was healing her battered heart. Theirs was ever a strong love, a deep love. They had both learned to have faith in that love. They drifted to sleep, secure in that love.

THE END

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