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Daniel stood at the counter in the jewelry store, looking at the earrings that the clerk assured him that Casey had been looking at the day before.

"She seemed particularly interested in this pair," the young woman said, pulling a pair of opal earrings from the display tray.

He looked at them. "You’re sure she liked these?"

The young woman looked down at the counter, then back up into beautiful blue eyes. "She…she said that you might be coming in here today. A tall, handsome man with dark blonde hair and…incredible blue eyes. The picture you showed me is the woman I spoke with for some time yesterday. She left a list of the things she liked." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

He grinned. It was just like her to be at least one step ahead of him. He took paper and looked at it. Yep, the opals were on the list. "Okay. Do you wrap gifts here?"

"Yes, sir, we do," the young woman nodded.

"Okay, I’ll take the opal earrings, and those gold bangle bracelets. Twelve of them." Those would look good on her wrists when she was dancing for him, he decided.

"Yes, sir!" The clerk beamed, and began to gather the items together. She took them to the back, wrapped each box carefully, then brought the two gifts back out. She sat them on the counter beside her as she ran his credit card through the machine. Her eyes widened at the flag that instantly came up on her computer screen. "Uh…sir…these items are available at a twenty percent discount."

"No kidding? That’s great!" Daniel said, smiling at her.

The woman felt as if her heart was going to beat it’s way out of her chest as she looked into those eyes. He is indeed handsome, she thought. That Tau’ri woman was certainly lucky.

"So, what else is on sale?" Daniel asked.

"Uh…for you sir, twenty percent off of anything in the store."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Orders from the Langaran government. You are a Hero of Langara, sir. You are to be shown all the respect and honor befitting such a Hero."

He looked over at Jack and Duncan. "Did you hear that? We’re heroes here."

Jack grinned. "At least somebody somewhere appreciates us!"

The clerk looked back at Daniel. "Is there something else you wished to look at?"

Daniel smiled and shook his head. "Not this trip, thanks."

The men finished their business in the jewelry store and were heading back to the hotel. They were scheduled to meet their wives for an early dinner, and then they were going to a Kelownan ballet. The news of their expected presence had already been reported in the local newspaper. There were even three photos, one of the entire group, taken sometime during the dinner they shared their first night in the city, and then two of the women shopping. One was a close-up of Casey as she was making a purchase in one of the toy stores. She was smiling…laughing actually, her face alight with happiness. She looked positively radiant in it. Daniel had already contacted the newspaper for a copy of the original photograph. He wanted it for his office.

A  A  A  A  A  A

There were three matching notes for the men when they arrived back at the hotel. Their wives were taking advantage of the salon services that the hotel offered, and would meet their husbands in the dining room.

Duncan and Jack began to joke about what transformations might be taking place. Daniel frowned. "She’d better not cut her hair," he grumbled.

"Daniel, my friend, she’s going to do whatever it is that she wants to do," Duncan grinned. "She’s a woman, and that’s just the way they are."

He took a shower, pulled on his suit, fought with his tie, found the cufflinks she had packed for him, worrying the entire time that she would cut the beautiful blonde silk that he loved so much. An inch or two…okay, he could handle that. But any more, and he'd be…pissed, that’s what he’d be.

He waited at the bar with Jack and Duncan, watching the door. He nearly dropped his bottle of beer when he saw her. She was wearing that little green dress, the one that drove him crazy. He could see that her makeup had been carefully applied. But her hair! Her beautiful hair! It was short now…shorter than Sam’s! He didn’t say a word. He put down his beer, glared at her as he passed her, and walked out the door and toward the elevators.

"Daniel, wait!" she called

He refused to acknowledge her.

"Shit, he’s really pissed!" she said, her eyes wide. Duncan and Jack were both staring at her. "Oh, chill!" she said crossly. "It’s friggin’ wig!" She looked over at Tessa and Sam. "I told you this was a really, really bad idea." She turned on her heel and followed Daniel to the elevators.

"We just thought a change would be fun," Tessa said softly, tears in her eyes. "We should have listened when she said that even wearing the wig would upset him."

Sam nodded, tears in her own eyes. "We’ll wait until they come back down. He’ll calm down once he finds out that she didn’t really cut it."

Jack and Duncan shook their heads, took their wives into the bar to wait.

Casey opened the door slowly. "Daniel-"

"Why?" he asked, his voice full of anger. "You know I love…loved...your hair long!"

She looked at him for a moment. "Yes, I know. But it is my hair, on my head."

He turned his back to her, looked out the window into the street below. "Guess what I think or like doesn’t mean a damned thing to you then, huh?"

"Daniel, that’s not true." She pulled the wig off, shook out her hair, ran her hands through it. "Please, my heart, look at me. Please?"

His back stiffened. "I’ve already seen what you did. I don’t really want to look at you right now."

She gasped. "Turn your ass around this instant before I drop kick you through that window!" she demanded, her own temper lit now.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. She could demand and threaten all she wanted. She'd hurt him by doing this. She knew it.

She studied him for a minute. "I don’t understand. It’s just hair."

"It’s more than that, Casey. I asked you not to cut it before. I told you I love…loved it, and why. It…my opinion…what I like or want, doesn’t seem to matter to you."

Her eyes widened. It was his tone of voice, not his words, that finally alerted her to what was wrong, to the hurt he was feeling. She walked over to him, put her hand on his sleeve. "That’s not true! Please Daniel, look at me."

He continued to stare down into the street. She forced herself between him and the window. He gasped. "What…but…"

She smiled. "A wig. Tessa and Sam thought I needed a change. I told them that you would be really pissed, and then the hairdresser suggested just trying on a wig…and when I did, it looked kind of cute…and then…oh, Daniel, I never would have really cut it without talking to you first!"

He reached out and filled his hands with the long blonde silk, held it to his face. "Thank you, Angel."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Would you braid it for me? It would look better that way with this dress."

"Love to, babe." He hugged her tightly, dropped a kiss on her cheek.

She nearly ran to the bathroom and grabbed her brush and the green ribbon she wanted him to tie it with.

He brushed her hair, for a minute just letting it fall through his fingers. He began to braid it, his fingers experienced at the job by now. "I’m sorry babe, it was such a shock…I was pissed …and hurt."

"It’s okay. I did let her cut about an inch off of the bottom, just to even it up. At least now you know I really will never cut it, not short, without your express approval and permission."

He thought about that for a minute. "That makes me sound like…an ogre."

She smiled. "No, Sweetheart. Just a man who loves me, and my hair, and is sort of resistant to change."

He chuckled. "So, the wig…did you buy it?"

"No, I told the hairdresser I probably wouldn’t have it more than an hour or so. I can take it back to her on the way back down for dinner."

The braid was finished, and he carefully tied the ribbon around the end. "You look fantastic, babe. You’re gorgeous. Beautiful. Breathtaking."

"Thank you, kind sir. You’re looking beautiful yourself," she said, her hands toying with the lapels of his jacket. "We’d better get going," she said softly.

"Yep." He was nuzzling her neck.

"We’ll wind up in bed if we don’t." Her arms were around him, pulling him closer. She felt his arms tighten around her waist.

"True." His lips were leaving a trail from her jaw to her chin, his tongue teased that spot behind her ear.

"We’re guests of the Mayor and his wife tonight, we have to be there." She shivered, pushing her body closer to his.

"Duncan can deal with it. Jack and Sam are there." His hands were on her ass, kneading the firm globes gently.

"Daniel, we really have to go." She kissed his chin and pulled away from him.

"Later, I want you on top of me. I want you hair to hide us from the world," he whispered.

"I promise," she whispered in return.

A  A  A  A  A  A

When they entered the bar not quite twenty minutes later, both couples stood to greet them.

"Daniel, it was really my idea," Tessa said apologetically. "I’m really sorry. I had no idea that you would be so upset." She shook her head, dropped her gaze. "That’s not exactly true, Casey told us that you would be. We…I pushed her to at least try the wig."

"She did look cute in it, although I don’t think you noticed," Sam said, trying to smile.

Daniel looked at them, then smiled. "It’s okay. I forgive you."

Duncan signaled to the maitre d’, and they were led to their table. "I have to admit, Casey, I prefer it long myself."

"Me, too," Jack said. "Maybe it’s just because that’s the only way I’ve ever seen you wear your hair."

Casey glanced at Duncan. She had cut it once, although not quite as short, when she had first left Beta with him. He had taken her to a salon, encouraged her to let the hairdresser find something ‘new’ for her, to fit her new life with him. His eyes told her that he was remembering as well. "Daniel likes it long, and that’s the only reason I need to keep it this way," she said softly. His fingers tightened around hers.

"So does anybody have any idea what this ballet that we’re going to see is about?" Sam asked. The disaster had been averted, and the evening could now go on.

"Something about a woman who is trying to save her world, and the man who is both her enemy and her lover," Tessa said.

"That sounds…interesting." Jack said, his voice suggesting that it didn’t.

"Sounds like a wild time in bed to me," Casey giggled. "Imagine having your enemy as your lover!" A face flashed before her eyes, and she shivered. "Then again, maybe not," she added in almost a whisper.

Daniel had seen the look in her eyes, that haunted look she had had after the mission with Ba’al. He lifted her fingers to his lips. "Let it go, babe," he said softly.

"Case, are you okay?" Sam asked. She had also seen the look, and knew its cause.

Casey smiled, lifted her glass of wine to her lips. "Fine," she said, then sipped the amber liquid.

Daniel let his hand move back and forth over the back of her shoulders for just a moment, until he felt the tension pass.

They were studying their menus, the women discussing what sounded the best, when three young women approached the table.

"Excuse us, we do not mean to interrupt…but, please…we must know - are you the Tau’ri who are visiting from Gamma?"

Duncan nodded. "We are."

Each of them produced a pen and a small booklet. The group could see pictures of SG-1 on the front. "Please, may we have your autographs?" She shoved the booklet and pen at Daniel, her glance barely lighting on Casey.

Daniel looked surprised, but took the offered items and signed his name on the bottom. He handed it to Casey. She looked up at the young woman. The Kelownan didn’t look thrilled, but she said nothing. Casey signed her name next to Daniel’s, then handed the booklet to Duncan.

He passed it to Jack. "I’m only the President of Gamma, not part of SG-1," he said with a grin.

"Please, I’d like your autograph as well," the young woman insisted.

Jack had signed his name, grinned and handed it back to Duncan who signed it and handed it to Sam.

The waiter arrived to take their orders just as they were signing the last booklet, and wishing the young women well.

"That was weird," Sam said, watching as they went back to their table, giggling and comparing their autographed pages.

"Hey, we got twenty percent off at the jewelry store because we’re considered Heroes of Langara," Jack said.

"Wish I’d have known about that, I would have asked for something more expensive," Sam teased.

Their dinner arrived, served with elegance and grace, the food as visually appealing as it was delicious.

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