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Erin hugged Daniel as soon as he was in the door. She already had Emily’s things together, the portable crib and the playpen were already in their car. Aaron looked at the young man, knew that this mission had been difficult; could see in his eyes that it had cost him greatly. He knew more about what the mission had required now, knew what had been expected of his son-in-law. He worried about what the information would do to his daughter. She had been through so much already, to have to deal with the knowledge that her husband had been expected to bed another woman, a Goa’uld at that, was not going to be easy on her.

Emily was thrilled to see her father. It had been ten days, and in her little world, that was a very long time.

Daniel held his daughter close, breathed in the sweet baby smell of her, listened to her jabber. He kissed her again and again. He wanted to keep her home, near him, but he understood that he and Casey had some things to work out. He only hoped that this mission hadn’t cost him more than it was worth. His life with Casey, with Emily, was everything to him.

When they were alone, Casey looked at him. "Get those damned things off," she said, referring to the clothes that Neferteri had given him.

He didn’t hesitate, he stripped right there in the living room. He took the crystals from the pocket, laid them on the coffee table.

Casey picked up the clothes, tossed them into the fireplace, took a match from the box on the mantel and tossed it on top of them. Satisfied that they were burning, she turned around to look at him. The sight of his naked body took her breath away, and she watched as her gaze aroused him. "Go take a shower. You still stink of her."

He didn’t say a word as he turned and walked to the bathroom. 

She was leaning against the dresser that stood between the two pedestal sinks when he stepped out of the shower. She said nothing as he dried himself with the towel that she handed him.

"I’m sorry, babe," he said softly. The words sounded lame, pitiful, to his ears. His heart was pounding in his chest again.

She shook her head. She had vented her anger, the frustration, in the gate room. She slowly pulled off her clothes. "Don’t talk, just love me," she whispered, tears standing in her eyes. "You say you love me. I need you to show me, I need to feel the Fire."

With a moan he pulled her close, his body rock hard the instant it came in contact with her soft, warm skin. The flames began to shoot up and down his spine. "Do you feel it, Angel?" he asked softly.

She nodded, her body burning, the fire so hot that she felt as if she would burst into flames. "Take the fire, Daniel, take the fire from me," she whispered.

He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He put her on the bed, stretched out beside her.

"Did you…worship her?" she asked.

"No. I didn’t touch her, except to…kiss…her. She put my hands on her…chest…once, but I just pulled them away, leaned on them while…I…" his voice trailed off. He watched her eyes, his heart ripped to shreds when he saw the flash of pain there.

"Did she…worship you?"

"No."

Casey looked into his eyes. "That’s what I would call masturbation in a willing body." She reached up and traced a trembling finger over his lips, down his chin to his throat, down his chest. He shivered at her touch, the contact setting his skin on fire. Her lips followed the path her fingers had taken. She gently pushed him onto his back, trailed her fingers and lips down his chest, his belly, to his rigid shaft. She took him into her mouth, heard him gasp. She tried not to think about him with Neferteri. Tried to block out the images of him moving on top of that bitch. She focused on the incredible taste of him, the wonderful smell of him, how amazing he felt in her mouth. Images of other nights, and days together, began to fill her mind, sending the flames higher. She worked her tongue around him, reclaiming his body. When he would have pulled away she shook her head. "You are…this…is mine. It belongs to me!" she whispered fiercely, tears on her cheeks. She positioned herself, took him as deep into her throat as she was able, began to swallow. Within seconds he was moaning, and gave her what she demanded of him.

She began to kiss her way back up. "This is mine," she whispered, kissing across his belly. "This is mine," she said, kissing his chest, running her tongue over his nipples. She took his hands, kissed each one gently, licked each finger. "These belong to me!" She moved to his shoulders, kissed her way from one to the other. "These are mine, no one else’s!" She moved back to his lips, looked into his eyes. "You are mine! You, all of you, belongs to me!" She kissed him, claiming him, branding him with her fire as her own.

He couldn’t help but smile as she reclaimed him, inch by inch. He rolled her to her back, kissed her jaw, her throat, pressed his face between her breasts, breathed deep of her sweet scent. "God, I’ve missed you, babe," he whispered.

"No more than I missed you," she replied softly. 

He winced at the implication of her words. Began to make love to her breasts, doing as he had done the morning before he had left, taking his time, tasting, licking, nibbling every inch of those beautiful orbs and their sweet dusky rose nipples. He moved down, kissing, tasting her. He nuzzled the dark blonde curls, then lowered his head to worship her…the feel, the taste, the smell so right, so sweet. He slid his fingers into her. She was wet and hot. He watched her eyes, watched as the love filled them. As the fire filled them. She reached down to run her fingers through his hair. He flicked his tongue over her, licked her folds carefully. "Do you like that, babe?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"You are the only altar, babe. I worship only at your altar," he said softly. He returned his mouth to her body, bringing her ever closer to her orgasm. He could feel her thighs begin to quiver. He moved up, slowly entered her. He was on his outstretched arms. He saw the look that flashed in her eyes. He lowered himself, supporting his weight on his forearms. "Only you, Case," he whispered in her ear, "I love only you…worship only you…want only you…need only you. I burn for you, babe, and only you." He began to move slowly, felt her body grasp and squeeze and hold him.

Her hips were rocking against him, and soon that beloved whimper filled her throat, until she cried out his name. "Give me what's mine, Daniel, give me what belongs only to me," she whispered.

He increased his pace, thrusting harder, deeper, filling her completely. It didn’t take long until he was crying out, her name on his lips, emptying himself into her beautiful body.

He put his arm under her hips and rolled them over, held her close, one hand behind her neck, the other on the small of her back.

"Did you hold her?"

"No, babe. I…did what I had to do, then got up and took a bath. I couldn’t stand to have the…smell of her…on me," he replied. He grinned. "She actually told me that she was disappointed the first two times, but that I improved greatly after that."

"But you said that the Tok’ra…" Casey stopped, then giggled. She was running her hands up and down his arms. "When you slept with her, really sleeping I mean…"

"Nope. Didn’t do that. Told her that I couldn’t sleep next to her. Let her think whatever she wanted to about it. She didn’t force the issue. Although she did start sleeping in the same room with me, on a separate bed."

"Daniel?"

"What, Angel?"

"Let’s never, ever talk about her again."

"Babe, nothing would make me happier." He tightened his hold on her, began moving one hand slowly up and down the satiny skin of her back. "I missed you, thought about you all the time, wondered what you were doing, what Emily was doing. And kept telling myself I had to do it to protect you and her."

"Did you find out what we need to know?"

"Yep. The information on those crystals should help a lot. The plans for Anubis’s new ship are there. As well as information on his ‘Kull’ warriors. We might have the chance to destroy the laboratory where they're created…the real one, this time. He’s almost set to take on Ba’al and Morrigan - right now they’re the most powerful System Lords, other than him."

She remained quiet for a few minutes.

"Babe? Penny for them," he said softly.

"I guess the information you found was worth fucking her a couple of times for, huh?"

"I thought we weren’t going to talk about her ever again."

She forced a smile. "Okay, I won’t talk about it." 

Something in her voice let him know that she would still be thinking about it, however. He pulled her closer, held her tighter, his heart breaking at what he had done to her. "I don’t know how to make this up to you, babe. Tell me what to do. Shoot me if it will make you feel better. Hit me. Scream at me. Whatever it takes to get us back to where we were."

Casey thought about what he was saying. "Daniel, do you love me?"

"Yes! Oh, Angel, yes I love you! I have never, ever stopped loving you, not for one second!"

"And I have never, ever stopped loving you. I think we’re where we always were."

"Not with…her…between us," he replied.

"Give me time, sweetheart. A couple of days to get used to the idea. Once I can see it objectively, I’ll be okay."

He kissed the side of her head. "Love you, my star."

"Love you, my heart."

He closed his eyes and let her softly spoken words wrap themselves around his worried heart. She was in his arms, she loved him, and with luck, someday she would be able to forgive him.

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