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Chapter 1

Casey had pulled on her BDU, was tying her boots when Sam dropped onto the bench beside her.

"You're looking…relaxed," the older blonde teased. She bumped her shoulder playfully against the younger woman's.

She grinned. "Oh, yeah."

"So how was your Saturday night?"

"Eight times, girlfriend. That doesn't count making love that morning, or when we woke up later."

"You're kidding!" Sam's eyes grew wide. "I know he missed you, but sheesh!"

"Hey, my sexy hornball has been getting a piece every morning and every night since I…uh…came home!" Casey giggled.

Sam giggled as well. "The two of you have always had a rather…active…love life. Guess it's just a bit more so now. He'll slack off a bit once you've been home awhile," she predicted.

"I don't know, Sam," Casey replied, shaking her head. "I can't explain it. Things are…different now. Between Daniel and me, I mean."

"Not different bad, I hope," Sam said immediately.

She shook her head. "No…if things were any better for us, I'm not sure I could survive it. I don't know how to describe what I feel…how much I need him…want him. I mean, I've always needed and wanted him…it's just…more. The love…" Casey shook her head again. "Can't be in love any more than we are. And he seems to be able to almost read my mind now. He knows what I'm thinking most of the time. Which I'm not so sure I like," she declared. Her boots were tied. She grabbed her hairbrush and an elastic hair-band; sighed heavily. "It was always difficult to hide things from him, he's always known me so well. Now it's even more of a challenge."

"What would you ever have to hide from Daniel?" Sam asked. Her own boots were tied, and she grabbed her pack, filled it with the clothes and toiletries she would need on this mission if they were to stay overnight…or longer.

Casey finished filling her own pack, zipped it shut. "Fears. Things that hide in the deepest part of my mind…my heart. Things that I don't want hurting him," she replied softly.

Sam turned to look at her best friend. Suspected what some of those fears were. Wished she could convince her young friend that they were unfounded. "I take it that he found out about something?"

She nodded. "He was so angry at first…I thought it was because-" she broke off, lowered her eyes. She could still see the anger…the frustration…the love…in those incredible blue eyes when she had admitted one of the fears that haunted her. Could remember his declaration of love, word for word. "Let's just say that I have no doubt that the man loves me. Not even when the fears are trying to convince me otherwise."

The blonde colonel smiled. "Whenever you start doubting, just ask anyone around you. Daniel is so in love with you that he can't see straight. As much as you love him, Case, he loves you. Maybe even more."

"I don't think that's possible," the young Immortal replied.

A grin covered Sam's face. "Everybody around here can see how in love the two of you are. Maybe it's the whole 'Chosen' thing. Whatever it is, I don't think there is a love like yours anywhere in the universe. Except for Jack and me," she teased.

Casey grinned. "I do love that hornball archaeologist."

"Eight times, huh?" Sam asked as she led the way to the door.

"Yep. Eight times. We stayed up and watched the sun come up. When we went to bed, he started snoring and didn't stop until I woke him up to go to my parent's house."

Sam laughed. "Wore him out, did you?"

Green eyes laughed and danced. "Oh, yeah!'

A  A  A  A  A  A

Duncan couldn't hold back the grin as he walked into the conference room. It felt damned good to have SG-1 back on the mission roster, all of them working together in the mountain once again. It was great to have Jack offering his much needed and welcome advice, to see Casey's smiling face, hear her gentle laughter, to watch Teal'c intimidate some of the younger military members with just his mere presence. Hearing Sam and Daniel discussing some research project that he couldn't really understand. Yep, things were looking good for SGC Gamma.

The team looked up when the Highlander walked in. Smiles lit every face, greeting him as he sat down at the head of the long, narrow table.

"Okay, Daniel, what do you have for us?" Duncan asked.

Daniel opened his folder, arranged his notes. "Their language is a very old, very unique variant of Egyptian. I could understand enough that I'm fairly confident that we're expected. I listened to all of the recordings the MALP took. We could have a bit of a problem."

Every person around the table began to tense up. "What kind of problem, Danny?" Jack asked.

"Remember how the US government refused to acknowledge the existence of UFO's, or any extra-terrestrial life?" He watched as the team and Duncan nodded. "I think we're walking into the same sort of situation. The four people we have seen are working in secret. What we thought was a museum is some sort of hide-away. These people, with the help of at least three others, have been very quietly collecting every bit of evidence, every bit of information about their arrival on P5X-197. They're convinced that they aren't indigenous to their planet. From what I could understand, and what little was said, the majority of the people on that planet have no clue about their origins. And it seems that the government wants to keep it that way."

"Oy!" Jack sighed. "Which means we could be risking the start of a war between a group of people and their government?"

The young archaeologist nodded. "It's very possible. The four people who have been…monitoring…the MALP seemed eager to talk to me. If I understood them correctly, there are others they want us to meet as well when we arrive. I don't think any of them are with the government."

"So what do we do?" Sam asked, a frown on her face. "I’m not in favor of starting any civil wars."

"Nor am I," Duncan admitted. "Casey, tell me something," he said gently.

Casey smiled, closed her eyes, laced her fingers with Daniel's. She reached out, clinging tightly to the gentle presence that always offered safety, comfort. "Whoever those people are, it's a very small, secret group. I don't think they're quite ready to go public with what they've learned about their Stargate. They're very curious, and their society is just beginning to reach toward the stars…um…they look like…must be satellites. Probes maybe. They've sent a couple out to examine the two planets nearest to them, and their moons. The Stargate…only a few…very few know about the Stargate. I don't think they understand what it is."

"We've already told them to expect us," Daniel reminded the team. "Kyle said a message came through this morning - they were asking if there was anything special that we required for our safety. That was when he had dialed up to check the status of the room around the 'gate. There wasn't anyone in the room, same as all of the other times. The…noise…sounds…of the 'gate opening alert them, I guess. Anyway, they rushed in, realized the camera was on, and relayed the message. They seem pretty anxious to meet us."

"Okay, we go through, meet with them, then what?" Jack asked.

"Maybe we can just explain to them that they're not ready for 'gate travel?" Casey suggested.

Jack snorted. "Sure, then we can sound just like the Asgard, and the Nox, and the Tollan, and all the other 'older' civilizations that insisted we had no business using our 'gate."

Sam nodded her agreement. "They have as much right to use their 'gate as we have to use ours."

"But we figured out our 'gate on our own, without outside help," Daniel reminded them.

"All the more reason to go, explain things to them, warn them about the nasty things that wait out there," Jack insisted. "How much trouble could we have avoided if someone had just given us a hint about what was out there?"

Daniel frowned, but nodded his understanding.

"Besides, we don't know what technologies they might have," Sam added. "It's possible that they have other advances that would be beneficial to us."

Duncan sat back, watched, listened. This was SG-1 at their best. Analyzing the situation carefully, already accepting that the mission was a go; concentrating on making that mission a successful one. Extrapolating from the information available, using experience to interpret what they had. Taking every known fact, examining it, searching for the right thing to do.

"What if we offered to help them set up their own Stargate program, offer them the addresses of planets we already know to be safe?" Casey suggested. "We are the ones with the list of planets, so far we haven't found anyone else with such knowledge, and Anubis destroyed the Abydos Cartouche when he took out Abydos. We could give them other addresses later. These people certainly can't protect themselves from the Goa'uld, and I hate to think of them running into the snakes before they're ready."

Jack sat back and chewed on the top of his pen. "Gives us a chance to protect them without totally cutting them out of the game," he said slowly, nodding slightly.

"They'll be able to explore, we'll just…guide them…for awhile," Daniel said. "We don't have the right to hold them back if they somehow discover other addresses. But I don't think we should be too quick to offer all of our knowledge to them."

"Now I know how Narim felt," Sam said softly, shaking her head slightly. "It's a big responsibility, isn't it? Finding a group of people on the verge of reaching out to the stars, not at all prepared for what's out there. Knowing that too much knowledge too soon could be catastrophic for them."

"How about we just go meet with them, see what they have to offer, and not make any promises of trade until we're sure that they can handle it," Jack said.

The rest of the team nodded their agreement. "We can say hello, and then tell them that we aren't authorized to enter into any agreements with them or their government," Casey suggested. While not technically true, it would offer the team a way to avoid offending or upsetting any possible allies they could be meeting.

"So far every civilization that we've encountered has been…primitive, or just entering their own industrial age…and most already know about the Goa'uld; or they're already as advanced or more advanced than we are, and know about the Goa'uld," Daniel said. He sighed heavily. "This is the first time we've encountered a group like this."

"Remember, they could still be far more advanced than we realize," Sam warned. "We've seen that before."

"Or at least more advanced in some way," Jack said. He turned to Duncan. "I think we should go say hello, check things out. Decide what to do after we have more info."

Duncan nodded. "Are the other teams lined up for the rest of the week?" he asked his Second-in-Command.

"Two recons, neither look like we'll find much, but the MALPs picked up traces of naquadah on both planets. The third is a joint mission with one of Jonas' teams. Seems they've found the hide-out of one of Penatil's little Goa'uld minions. This snake provides a lot of support for Penny, so they're gonna take it out. Shouldn't be a hard mission…simple in-and-out, but we have more experience in this type of operation, and Jonas wants our help," Jack reported. He was silently wishing that SG-1 was going on the joint mission. Meet-n-greets were usually a pain in the ass. But Daniel was the whiz kid when it came to languages and cultures. He was the only one on Gamma who would be able to communicate with these people.

Duncan nodded, then looked over at Casey. "Talk to me, honey. What's out there?"

She smiled, laced her fingers with Daniel's and closed her eyes. "Nothing for the recons…the mission with Jonas…don't trust the spy that gave them the info. He's…duplicity, I’m getting lots of duplicity. It could be a set-up. As for our mission…" she cocked her head sideways. "Just curiosity…lots of curiosity," she replied. She opened her eyes.

The dark haired man nodded. "Okay, team. You have a go. Let's keep this visit to less than three hours. I'll expect either a report, or your return three hours after embarkation."

Heads nodded around him. "All right, campers, let's get ready to go," Jack said.

"I'll see you in the armory. I'm going to check with Kyle, see if there's anything new to add," Duncan told them. He stood to his feet, smiled at the people he called friends…family…the best SG team in existence, the first SG team to be created, then left the room.

Daniel gathered his notes, turned to face his wife. "You're sure that there isn't anything else?"

Casey gave him a hard look. "Daniel Jackson, when have I ever withheld information?"

Jack was grinning. He knew exactly how worried Daniel was about going through the 'gate again. He could even understand it. But the young archaeologist had just said the wrong thing. This could be very entertaining! He tried to look disinterested after Sam punched him on the shoulder.

The young man rolled his eyes. "That is not what I meant!"

"Then what exactly did you mean?" Her eyes were flashing now, the Fire was dancing in those green depths.

"I just meant, is there anything that you wouldn't normally…pay attention to…that maybe we should know about?" When she had failed to 'pay attention' to that poking when it first started, the entire mission to PY2 498 had gone to hell…for everybody. Daniel wasn't about to back down. This was the first mission the team had been on since losing Casey and Teal'c. That fact was not lost on his Wife. He watched the flames die down in those beautiful green eyes, saw them replaced by love, concern.

"I don't think so." She reached for his hand, once again laced her fingers with his. She reached out, searched, listened, waited to see if that poking in the back of her mind was present. She shook her head. "Nothing…just that they're curious. I don't know what I might pick up once we get there," she added.

Daniel raised her fingers to his lips. "Thanks, Angel," he said softly. Was rewarded with one of her zillion-watt smiles.

"You're welcome," she replied, just as softly.

"Well, now that we know it's okay," Jack said, grinning at his two best friends, "let's get the pre-mission exam over with."

A  A  A  A  A  A

Jack led the way to the infirmary. Dr. Montigue was just finishing with SG-6, the team going to Langara to join up with Jonas and his team. "Good luck, major," he said, nodding at Evan Parker. "Kick some Goa'uld ass."

The dark face lit up with a smile. "As much ass as we can, general."

"Kick a little for me," Casey said, waving to Tony, Texas, and Trenton as they walked toward the door.

"I'll be sure to put your name on the bottom of my boot," Tony promised.

She giggled, waved again, and settled onto one of the beds, waiting to have her vitals taken, and the cursory examination that was required before walking through the 'gate. She watched as the blonde nurse, Ellie, she thought was the woman's name, glanced longingly at Daniel, then hurried toward Teal'c. She bit back a smile.

"I'll take care of Teal'c," one of the other nurses said, having arrived at his side first. That nurse glanced around the room. "You can take care of Casey."

The blonde nurse blanched visibly. She refused to look at Daniel as she walked by him. She didn't know how much he remembered of the night he had told her so succinctly that he wasn't interested in her, or her unwanted advances; he had been very drunk. She, however, remembered every word; could recall the anger, the pain in his beautiful blue eyes. A glance at his wife told her that Casey knew all about the encounter. She blushed deeply. She dropped the blood pressure cuff, then pinched the young Immortal's finger with the pulse monitor, had to re-adjust it twice.

"Is there a problem here?" Dr. Montigue asked quietly, having watched the entire episode.

Casey smiled. "Not that I'm aware of," she replied. Daniel had told her what he remembered about that night at Rinaldi's, which wasn't much. Jack had told her what had happened, and what had been said. As far as she was concerned, the entire matter was over, done with, and not worth worrying about.

Ellie refused to look at her patient. She didn't look at the doctor. Nor did she reply.

The doctor watched briefly as the nurse took Casey's blood pressure, three times, then forgot to take a temp and record the pulse reading. He shook his head, brushed her aside, and finished the routine vitals examine himself. After checking her over, he declared Casey ready to go through the Stargate.

"Daniel," Dr. Montigue said in greeting as he approached the young man. He looked over the report of the archaeologist's vitals, checked his heartbeat. He glanced again at Ellie. The nurse was wiping the equipment used on Casey with sterile pads.

"Doctor," Daniel replied.

"Any idea what that was all about?"

Daniel studied the short man. He had a feeling that Dr. Montigue had already heard about the outburst at Rinaldi's. The rumor mill at SGC Gamma was just as efficient, perhaps even faster, than the one in Cheyenne Mountain had been. "Yep."

"Is it going to be a problem?"

"I don't think so. Just as long as she stays away from me," the young archaeologist said. Casey hadn't said anything, but he realized now, after their conversation on Saturday night about the incident at Rinaldi's, that the way the nurse had always flirted with him had bothered her. He wasn't about to let a woman he had absolutely no feelings about, one way or the other, hurt his Wife.

The gray-haired doctor nodded. "I'll make a note of it. I'll see to it that she doesn't work with Casey, as well."

He glanced over at the woman. She looked miserable. Daniel felt a bit guilty about having spoken so harshly to her. Yet, the woman had flirted with him unabashedly since his arrival on Gamma, in front of Casey, no less. She had let him know several times that she was available for whatever he might want from her. She had always made her comments in a joking manner, but her eyes had told him that she was serious about her offers. It had become irritating when she had tried to flirt with him while Casey was in his arms, unconscious and battling Nergal. He hadn't believed the woman could be so crass as to do such a thing. But she had. He wondered briefly if this woman would turn out to be another Betsy Harris. He shivered slightly, and sent up a prayer that the nurse was saner than that. "Thanks, Doc," he said.

Casey was waiting for him in the corridor. "She's totally embarrassed," she said softly.

"She should be," Daniel replied.

She looked up at him. "It's hard to love someone who doesn't even realize you exist."

He understood that predicament. Had been there himself a time or two. "Yeah, it is. But I won't let her hurt you," he replied.

She smiled. Knew that he would take any and all steps he thought necessary to protect her heart from being shattered the way it had been because of Neferteri, and Ishtar. Which in turn reflected his deep love for her. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he whispered in return. He put his arm around her shoulders, led her to the armory.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Duncan was waiting for them in the armory as promised. The MALP showed that there were seven people waiting, anxiously it appeared, for their arrival. "It seems they're taking to heart the warning Kyle sent earlier for them to stand away from the Stargate when the chevrons began engaging," he told Daniel. "They're as far to the other side of the room as they can get."

Daniel nodded. "Good. They didn’t see what happened when the 'gate opened for the MALP, they ran into the room just seconds after it started through. They haven't been in proximity the times we've opened the 'gate to watch or talk to them. So they have no idea what to expect. Sure didn't want any of them killed."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, that could put a real damper on getting acquainted."

Casey handed her Husband the hairbrush, loaded her own P90 as he quickly braided her hair. "Not to mention making us feel like crap," she said softly.

"That's for sure," Sam said.

Teal'c pulled his staff weapon from its place in the locker. "It would indeed be unfortunate. They would learn quickly to respect the power of the Chappa'ai, however."

Casey giggled. "Oh, so not funny!"

A fleeting smile flickered over the large man's dark features. "If it was not funny, Casey Jackson, then why did you laugh?"

By now the entire team was laughing. "You're just bad, T," Casey complained good-naturedly.

"Not according to Carlotta." Without another word the Jaffa left the room.

"Oh, I can't believe he just said that!" Casey exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"You've been a bad influence, Case," Daniel replied, his cheek twitching.

"Me?" she squeaked. "Jack isn't exactly Mr. Subtle!"

"Hey, I have never taught the Big Guy anything like that!" Jack objected. He was still chuckling over Teal'c's parting shot.

Sam was giggling as well. "I think Carly has been a bigger influence than any of us," she said.

Duncan grinned. "I'd have to agree, Sam. Okay, team, time to move out."

A  A  A  A  A  A

The 'gate stood regally, the event horizon glimmering brightly. Each member of SG-1 dealt silently with their own thoughts about going through the blue, shimmering circle for the first time in two months, remembering the heart-wrenching results of their last mission.

"Let's go, campers," Jack said softly, leading the way up the ramp.

'Love you, Angel.'

'Love you, Stud Muffin.'

'If you feel anything, tell me, please, Babe.'

'I promise.'

Daniel walked beside his Wife. No way was he letting her out of his sight this time!

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