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Daniel opened the door of the diner, ushered his family inside. Took note of the looks of interest tossed in his wife's direction from a group of men sitting at the counter. Followed in quick succession by disappointment when they realized the beautiful blonde woman was the mother of the two children, and wife of the geek. Yeah, he still thought of himself as geek. That came from a lifetime of actually…well…being one. That he no longer fit the stereotype - hadn't for many years, not since the first time he walked through the Stargate, god almost twenty years ago! - didn't matter. And it was damned near impossible not to stick out his chest and strut through the large dining room, following the waitress as she led them to a booth. He could feel their eyes on him as he walked behind his wife and kids. That's right, he thought proudly. She's mine. And we made these kids, her and me! How awesome is that, huh?

Nicholas crawled onto the bench seat, grabbed at the menus that his mother promptly pulled from his grasping little fingers, then bounced his way to the wall, looked up at Casey and grinned. "Eat now?"

"In just a bit, Little Man," she promised.

The waitress brought the requested booster seats, and with a bit of coaxing, managed to get Nicholas onto his. She smiled at the family, then left once again, this time to fetch glasses of water.

Casey sat down, pulled the paper place mat away from Nicholas for the time being, as well as the napkin wrapped flatware. She raised an eyebrow in Daniel's direction.

"Nicholas, sit down and quit grabbing at things," he said firmly.

The little boy settled into his seat. "'Ungry!"

"Me, too, Little man," Daniel replied with a grin and a wink. "This won't be as good as what Mommy makes, but it will be okay."

"If it's not a as good, why will we eat here?" Emily asked immediately.

"Because Mommy worked hard today, and she's tired," Daniel replied.

"She cook-ded all day. Why we don't eat that?"

Casey giggled. "Baby, I made casseroles all day, for the freezer. So that we have something for dinner when Mommy and Daddy get home from work, and we're really tired," she explained.

Emily cocked her head. "I like cass'roles. They taste good."

Daniel grinned at his wife. "Yeah, they do. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice that we're making for you," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, what sacrifice? You're getting dinner, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but it's not your cooking," he pointed out.

"Uh huh." She bit back the smile that threatened to spread across her face, instead began to study the menu. "Nicholas, would you like to have a corn dog and french-fries?

"Dot dog!" he said enthusiastically, bobbing his blonde head up and down.

"Emmie, they have chicken strips, do you want that, or a corn dog?" she asked her daughter.

"What you have, Mommy?"

"I haven't decided yet, Baby," she replied, giving a quick glance at the entrees that were offered. The chicken fried steak sounded good. But so did the barbecue beef sandwich. And the hot turkey sandwich.

The little girl thought for a moment. "Chicken strips," she finally decided.

The waitress had returned, sat glasses of water down in front of each of them, smiled again, and took her electronic pad in hand. The order would reflect on the monitor in the kitchen as soon as she keyed it in. "Have you decided, or do you need a few more minutes?"

Daniel glanced at Casey. "I think we're ready. We need a child's corn dog meal, a child's chicken strips meal, and two glasses of milk. I'd like the T-bone, medium rare, with the garlic mashed potatoes."

"Soup or salad?" the woman asked.

"Um…what's the soup today?"

"Split pea."

He nodded. "Sounds good. Bring a pot of coffee. Two cups."

Another nod, then attention focused on Casey. "Ma'am?"

"I'll have the barbecue beef sandwich, coleslaw instead of fries, and can I get a small salad as well?"

"Yes, ma'am. What type of dressing?"

"Ranch." Casey looked at her children. "Is it possible to take a small salad and divide it between two plates?"

"Not a problem. Ranch on it as well?"

Casey smiled up at the woman. "Yes, please."

"Okay, I'll be back with the coffee and milk," the waitress replied, gathering the menus.

"So when will we be leaving?" Casey asked.

Daniel grinned. "Day after tomorrow." He looked down at his daughter. "Feel like going on a dig, Emmie?"

Blue eyes lit up. "I go on a mission-job with you, Daddy?" she asked, almost breathless with excitement.

His grin widened. "Yep. You and Nicholas both."

"What will I find?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "Emmie, I have no idea. But it will be fun to look and see what we can find, won't it?"

His daughter nodded enthusiastically. "I'm a Ark'lo'gist, just like you, Daddy!"

"Just like me, Princess," he said softly. Wondered again if his parents were witness to the wonder of watching a third, well, fourth technically, generation of archaeologists emerge in the family.

Carrying a large tray, the waitress delivered the milk, coffee and two cups, as well as one bowl of split pea soup and three salads. 

Conversation focused on the upcoming 'mission'. Casey could sense Daniel's excitement. Not just because of the dig, and the potential finds that waited for them. But because his children would be with him as well. His blue eyes were dancing with as much excitement as that which filled Emily's eyes, the eyes that were so much like his. Once again the thought, the wish, that they could walk away from his destiny as The Chosen moved through her mind. She quickly chided herself for such selfish thoughts. Daniel was The Chosen because of the incredible man that he was. It wasn't fair for her to wish away something so important, something that was his destiny, just because it was inconvenient for her. Inconvenient. Yeah. Right. More like life altering, heart wrenching, gut twisting agony. Since he had become the champion of every human being in the galaxy, although only a handful were aware of the fact, their lives had been one crisis, one disaster, one heart breaking episode after another.

"Penny for them," Daniel said softly, watching the emotions that played over the delicate features of her sweet face, reflected in those emerald pools, worried about the sadness that flashed there.

She smiled. "Not even worth half of that. If we're taking ATV's, how are we going to take all the equipment and supplies we'll need?"

"The Phoenix is in orbit. Sam and I will get the coordinates to the area we want to examine, and the stuff will be ringed up to the ship, then down to that spot. We'll only have to carry what we need for the trip there. When we're ready to come back, the Phoenix will pick up and bring home whatever we need them to," he replied.

That he was hoping there would be crates of artifacts needing to be picked up was clear in his eyes. "I hope so, too," she said softly.

He smiled. The woman could read him like a book. How good, or bad, that particular fact was always seemed to depend on the situation. Right now, it was a good thing. Emily wanted to taste his soup, so he obligingly offered a spoonful to her. He chuckled when she told him that it was 'very 'specially good', knowing it meant that he would wind up sharing it with her. Just like he wound up sharing things with her mother. Such as chocolate pudding at the base commissary. Casey refused to take a bowl of the stuff for herself, but if he happened to choose chocolate, it was a guarantee that she'd eat at least half of it, all the while declaring she only wanted a 'taste'. Not that he minded at all. That he had someone to share with was such a joy that it filled him to overflowing.

Meals arrived, and they spent the time discussing what they would need to take. Casey agreed to get dig kits and the excavation tools required for a dig into the specially designed crates, as well as the recording equipment that they would hopefully need; Daniel would see to the other myriad of details that were common for such a mission. Because it was basically an archaeological dig, he would be in command of the team, for all intents and purposes. Jack had the final say, of course, but he would, as always, sit back and let Daniel lead where he wanted everyone to go. That the team could shift focus so easily, follow the directions of whoever was in charge with no question was one of the things that made SG-1 unique among all of the SG teams, mortal and Immortal. There was a definite chain of command. But that chain could be in flux and never interfere with the intended, required results. Years of working together made them function almost as if they were one entity. A thing of beauty, Jack always said. They had all heard the comments from other team CO's who had witnessed SG-1 in action. The comments were that watching SG-1 work together was always impressive.

A  A  A  A  A  A

After snuggle time, Casey did a few loads of laundry in preparation of the trip, while Daniel worked in his den, trying to finish up several translations that would be needed during their absence. He sighed as he put a stack of photos of Ancient cuneiform in a pile. He'd have Stef take a look at them while the team was away. Stephanie Miller had taken it upon herself to learn Ancient, and the young woman was becoming quite proficient in translating the language. Daniel had spent an entire afternoon talking with her, found her insatiable appetite for knowledge a familiar one. She had shyly asked him about his journals, admitting that she had begun keeping them for each assignment she was given, noting her thoughts, ideas and frustrations in each one. He had encouraged her to continue to do so, telling her that it was often while writing down his thoughts that answers to perplexing problems would reveal themselves to him. Just days after Camulus had killed himself, while working in the Center, Casey watched the young woman for a few minutes, and cocked her head to the side.

"She's going to leave us," Casey had said quietly, sadly.

Daniel remembered the feeling of loss that had settled over him. Replacing that young woman would be damned difficult. "When?" he had asked his wife.

"I don't know for sure," had been the reply. "But soon."

He tossed down his pen, took his glasses off and rubbed his hands over his face. Soft hands began to massage his neck and shoulders. He jumped slightly at the first gentle touch; not even aware she was in the room. "That feels good," he said.

"You've been sitting here working for nearly three hours. Ready to come to bed?"

He grinned up at her. "I dunno. What happens if I do?"

She smiled at him. "You'll just have to come with me and find out."

"Now that sounds downright intriguing. Will I like it?"

"I'm sure you will," she conceded.

He stood up, pulled her into his embrace. "I'm sure I will too," he whispered, just before his mouth claimed hers. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to their bedroom. She made love to him with all of the love and enthusiasm she always did. And, hell yes, he liked it!

A  A  A  A  A  A

Casey made a list, going over it nearly a dozen times before she was satisfied that she hadn't forgotten anything. Most of what she needed was in the warehouse, which was actually the basement floor of the Center. She bounced down the stairs, she would take the elevator back up, the equipment that was needed would require three crates. But she always preferred taking the stairs whenever possible. Too many unpleasant memories of confinement in small places, she supposed.

List in hand, she began gathering the picks, shovels, axes, extra brushes, as well as filtering screens, and piled them on one of the available carts. Cataloging equipment was kept in one of the closets, which were not actually closets at all, but small rooms crammed with heavily loaded shelves. Extra disks for the cameras were in a box, on the bottom shelf. In the back. With a groan of displeasure, she got down on her knees, was practically lying on the floor reaching for two of the boxes that seemed to have been shoved as far back as possible. Why were they down here? They were usually up on the third or fourth shelf. Probably extras, she thought, glancing up. She added ordering more of the boxes of disks to the running list in her head of all that she had to accomplish today.

"See, I told you," a male voice said softly. "Nobody here. We're all alone."

"Well, as long as the boss and his lady don't find out about this closet, it will always be ours," another male voice said.

Casey froze. Should she make something fall, let the men know that she was there? Before she could make the decision, she heard the telltale sounds of kissing. She smiled. She had always known that the two men loved each other. She just hadn't been aware that they were…involved. The smile dissipated into a frown. What should she do? Staying here seemed so…wrong! She glanced up. The sight of the two men holding each other, caressing each other so gently took her breath away. She tried to look away, but the sight was just too tempting.

You are not a damned voyeur, she told herself firmly. Just turn your back and close your eyes! Keep quiet and let them have their time together! But try as she might, she could not tear her eyes away from the two men and the love that they were beginning to make.

Terry smiled, carefully unbuttoned Mike's shirt, let his hands move up and down over the strong chest. His fingers toyed with the thick mat of hair that covered the pectoral muscles, tugged at hard, flat brown nipples.

Mike was smiling as well, his hands on Terry's shoulders, letting his lover touch him in whatever way the man wanted. Knew that Terry would tease him, taunt him into doing exactly what he wanted. He slid his hands down the chest of the man he loved, had loved for nearly seventy years now. Although neither had acknowledged or admitted it until twenty years ago. Fingers shaking with desire unbuttoned the bright red shirt, moved against smooth skin. He knew what Terry liked, and leaned down to suckle on hard brown nipples.

"Oh, yes, babe," Terry hissed, letting his head drop back.

"How much time?" Mike's voice was strained with desire.

"Just a few minutes, babe, I'm sorry," Terry replied. "I have to get the rest of those translations to Daniel before two."

"A few minutes will be enough." The two men moved apart long enough to strip, their hands reaching out to touch, caress each other. When they were naked, Terry settled onto the floor on his back. Mike moved into position above him, and then they began to orally pleasure one another.

Casey watched, feeling like an ass, and yet, she was feeling privileged at the same time. She wondered if she and Daniel had the same look of love, of lust in their eyes when they made love. Figured that they probably did.

She had never seen, well, not in person anyway, an uncircumcised penis. Mike was cut, and although average in length, the girth was impressive. Terry wasn't cut, and she watched as Mike pushed his tongue beneath the skin of the long, slender cock, resulting in a shiver she could see, a soft moan she could hear.

Low moans and heavy breathing filled the air. Mike pulled away from the mouth that was about to send him over the edge, the mouth that had done so many times. "I want to be inside you," he whispered.

Terry smiled, opened his arms. "Then take me, lover," he whispered.

Mike pushed the man's legs against his chest, putting that puckered brown opening in the perfect position for penetration. His cock...hard, red and throbbing...was still covered with saliva. He pushed gently, gasped when he began to slide into his lover's body. "Oh, god yes," he groaned.

Terry's hand began to move over his own hard shaft, all the while begging Mike to love him. The rhythmic sound of Mike's hips against his own filled the air, turned him on as much as the feeling of that sweet fat cock in his ass. "Take me, babe. Take it from me. Fill my ass with your spunk," he whispered.

"You like it when I shove my cock in your ass, don't you?" Mike asked, panting as he pushed hard and deep with each stroke.

"Yes! Yes! I love it! Take me, babe, love me!" Terry moaned.

Casey could feel the warmth that settled between her thighs. As soon as she could get out of here, without either man knowing she had witnessed their lovemaking, she was calling Daniel for a little afternoon delight of her own!

"Hurry babe, gotta hurry," Terry urged.

Mike began to move faster, then suddenly threw back his head and moaned loudly. At the same time, Terry's cock began to spew, sending the results of his orgasm over his chest. With a smile, Mike leaned over and licked him clean. "Let's go, babe. Arlen is waiting for that box. Nobody is down here, we can just carry our clothes to the restroom and clean up." The two men kissed for a few more minutes, then left the closet, and their silent witness.

She moved quietly, waited until she heard the door of the men's restroom close. She heaved a sigh, then ran towards the stairs. She put the boxes she needed on top of the worktable, trying to make as much noise as possible. The tools that she had gathered earlier were still on the cart beside the elevator door. Oh, she thought in sudden understanding. This is why they thought they were alone. It wasn't unusual for the tools to be there, either not yet put away, or waiting to be picked up by whatever team was going to need them. She carried them to the table, dropped them noisily.

The two men emerged from the bathroom, although Terry seemed to wait a few minutes before coming out. "Hey, Casey!" Mike said, a wide smile on his face.

Casey hoped that she wasn't blushing when she looked up at the man. "Hey, Mike. Do we have any number nine brushes?"

He walked over to the shelf where boxes of varied sized brushes were kept. "Three. Guess you'd better order more. We don't use them often, but it seems like we wear them out quickly when we do."

She nodded.

He hadn't missed the slight flush that colored her cheeks. He frowned mentally. The light had been on when they went into the closet…he didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or laugh. Without a doubt the beautiful young woman had been in the closet with them. And she hadn't said a word, or made a sound. If she had watched them, he knew that she would never say anything about it. She would pretend it never happened. And being Casey, all she would have seen would have been the love, not the sex. He smiled at her. "I hear that the whole family is going on this dig."

Casey could sense that the man suspected she had been witness to what had just happened. Neither of them would ever speak about it. But mentally she thanked him for allowing her to witness the love that he and Terry shared. Wondered for a moment if those who had watched her and Daniel together had felt the same feeling of awe. "Yep." She giggled. "Daniel is walking on air over the whole thing. Of course, if Nicholas gets to dig out there, he'll probably start digging in the yard again."

Mike laughed. Everyone in the Center knew about the exploits of the Jackson children. They had all heard Daniel grumbling about having to fill in the holes that his son had dug. "I'd say that means that archaeology is in the boy's blood."

"I'd say you're right!" Casey agreed. She smiled when Terry approached. That man too was suddenly suspecting. She heaved a sigh. "Well, I need to get all of this together. If either of you happen to see Daniel, send his ass down here. He can lift the heavy stuff!"

"What do you need lifted, Case? We can do it for you," Terry offered. He, like Mike, knew that if Casey knew about them, she would never say a word. They didn't exactly hide their relationship. On Gamma there was no need to do so. Love between two consenting adults was never frowned upon in Hope. But years of being discreet on Earth were hard to shake. So, they continued to be lovers quietly, privately, not flaunting their love or their relationship.

"Well, if I get all of this stuff packed, there is no way I can get them onto the cart," she admitted.

"Okay, so let's get packed, and we'll load the cart for you," Mike said.

The three began to put the shovels, picks and axes into the carefully designed boxes, each tool fitting snuggly into a plastic holder, chatting easily about the upcoming mission, and the excitement of seeing parts of Gamma that hadn't been seen by a human for possibly hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years. Twenty minutes later, the boxes were locked and on the cart, ready to go into the elevator.

Mike and Terry exchanged a glance, grinned at one another. "Just remember, Case, that closet is ours," Mike said, his eyes smiling at her.

Her cheeks went crimson. "I'll remember," she replied. "Just stay out of the office supplies closet."

The two men chuckled, and walked up the steps, holding hands, their fingers laced together.

She smiled as she watched them. 'Daniel?'

'Right here, babe.'

'Are you really, really busy?'

Sitting in his office in the mountain, looking over the email he had typed, writing out a list of things that needed to be done or finished while he was away, Daniel sat back in his chair. He could feel her eagerness. 'Why?'

'Oh, nothing really. Just wondered if you had a few minutes to meet me in the supply closet.' She certainly hoped he did. Otherwise she would be reduced to a few minutes in the ladies room upstairs, trying to calm the Fire that was burning.

'Give me ten, and I'll meet you there.'

She smiled, sighed with happiness. 'I'll be there.'

Fifteen minutes later she was kneeling in front of her Husband, nearly frantic with the need to taste him, touch him, please him; be touched by him, pleased by him. It didn't take him long to send her flying among the stars when he knelt in front of her after she had blown his mind. He would never know just what had set his sweet Angel on Fire.

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