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Daniel had finally managed to get time alone. He'd been thinking about her, calling to her, but she wasn’t responding. Either she was so hurt, so angry that she was ignoring him, or she was too far away. He figured it was probably the former. As long as he lived he would never forget the hurt, the raw pain that had filled her eyes when she had looked at him in that throne room. He fought down the panic and the pain that wrenched his heart. He was going to try again today, and everyday, until she answered him. "Casey? Angel, please, please talk to me!"

'Daniel?' Was that hope in her voice? Oh, god, let it be hope!

He closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. "Yes, babe, it’s me. I love you," he whispered.

'Even without the Fire?' Now there was hesitation…fear…doubt. He could feel the emotions as strongly as he could hear her words.

"What?" Without the Fire? What's she talking about?

'Duncan told me that Neferteri has the drug that counteracts the Fire. That that was why you were willing to go to…her.'

He couldn’t help it, he laughed out loud. As if the Fire was the only thing that made him love her! Fire or no Fire, his heart, his mind, his body, his soul, all belonged to her.

'What’s so damned funny?'

"Babe, there is no such drug. If you don’t believe me, ask your folks. I’ll wait."

'I’m…uh…not with them.'

"Where are you?"

'PY2-498.'

His heart constricted. That was the planet they had been married on, the planet where they had spent their honeymoon. Something's wrong. Something is very wrong. "Any special reason?"

There was a slight pause before she answered. 'I was hoping I’d stay drowned.'

Oh, god! He dropped to his knees. He'd known she was hurt. Knew she’d be angry as well. But why would she be…Hasn’t Jack told her about the mission by now? "Angel, do you love me?"

'You know I do. I always will.'

"Do you trust me?"

'With my heart, mind, body and soul.'

He closed his eyes, relief rocking through him. "Casey, listen to me. I love you. I burn for you, Angel, have always burned for you, will always burn for you. I ache for you right now, babe. Even without the Fire, I’d still love you, still need you. I want you to go to Jack and Duncan. Tell them we talked. Tell them to fill you in."

'Okay.'

"Casey?"

'Yes?'

"Love you, Angel." There was another pause, for a minute he was afraid that she wasn’t going to reply.

'Love you too, sweetheart.'

He smiled. "I have to go, babe. I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to talk to you again."

'Okay. Be careful.'

"I will, My Star."

'You’d better be. Because when I see you again, I’m going to kill you.'

"I know, babe." He grinned. He deserved it. He’d suffer whatever punishment she deemed fit to inflict on him for what had happened. Just as long as she loved him.

A  A  A  A  A  A

She was sitting on the beach, rearranging her pack. She had awakened on the warm sand, screamed her frustration. After two days of crying, two days of finally coming to terms with what had happened, she was going home. She had a baby girl to think about, take care of. It would be difficult to go on without…him. The first thing she would do was move. She couldn’t stay in that house. Not without…him. Then…then she would take one day at a time. She had her parents, she knew that they loved her, would help her. It wouldn’t be easy, knowing that…he…was out there, alive and well, holding, loving another woman - a freakin’ Goa’uld no less…she shook her head. Don’t think about him. Never think about him. Think only of Emily. Live only for Emily. Emily was her only reason for living, now.

'Casey? Angel, please, please talk to me!'

Her heart jumped into her throat, her hands began to shake, her body trembled as his voice echoed in her head. "Daniel?"

'Yes, babe, it’s me. I love you.'

She closed her eyes. He sounded…right. Sounded the same as he had when he had talked to her like this the first time. Did she dare hope that even though he no longer burned for her, he might still love her? "Even without the Fire?"

'What?' He almost sounded…confused.

"Duncan told me that Neferteri has the drug that counteracts the Fire. That that was why you were willing to go to…her." She heard him laughing. "What’s so damned funny?"

'Babe, there is no such drug. If you don’t believe me, ask your folks. I’ll wait.'

No such drug? Damned straight she was going to ask her parents! She should have been smart enough to ask them about it in the first place. But she had been so wracked with grief that it hadn’t occurred to her. And she never would have suspected Duncan of lying to her. She was going to kill him! Again! "I’m…uh…not with them."

'Where are you?'

"PY2-498."

'Any special reason?' His voice was soft, it caressed her heart.

She closed her eyes when she thought of what she had done; how full of anger and grief she had been. It frightened her now. The thought that she had nearly left Emily brought new pain to her heart. "I was hoping I’d stay drowned."

'Angel, do you love me?' There was something in his voice…Fear?

"You know I do. I always will." No matter what happened, even if he did leave her, she would always love him. For her, there would never be another. She would always belong to him.

'Do you trust me?'

"With my heart, mind, body and soul." That hadn’t changed either. Not even after seeing him in that throne room, his arms around that Goa'uld bitch, kissing her. Her heart, her soul, still believed in him.

'Casey, listen to me. I love you. I burn for you, Angel, have always burned for you, will always burn for you. I ache for you right now, babe. Even without the Fire, I’d still love you, still need you. I want you to go to Jack and Duncan. Tell them we talked. Tell them to fill you in.'

"Okay." Fill her in on what?

'Casey?'

"Yes?"

'Love you, Angel.'

She felt the tears fall onto her cheeks. She could hear the love in his voice, could feel it. She wasn’t dreaming, he really did still love her! "Love you too, sweetheart." Oh, how wonderful it felt to be telling him that, knowing that she hadn’t lost him!

'I have to go, babe. I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to talk to you again.'

"Okay. Be careful."

'I will, My Star.'

The relief that he still loved her, had never stopped loving her, had never lost the fire, was being overridden by the anger that he had let her go through the hell that she had. Did he have any idea what he had put her through? There were some other men that were going to pay as well! "You’d better be. Because when I see you again, I’m going to kill you." 

'I know, babe.'

She could feel the ‘disconnect’, knew that he wouldn’t be talking to her any more, at least not for awhile. She made sure that her 9mm was fully loaded, grabbed her gear, punched in the code for Gamma, and strode through the ‘gate. She was really, really pissed off.

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