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She opened her eyes. His heart was pounding beneath her ear, his skin clammy, his breath coming in gasps. He was having it again. The nightmare that she couldn’t get into, the one that had been plaguing him for a week now. She took his hand, tried yet again to see what was hurting him, felt herself pushed away. She began to run her fingers gently over his face, through his hair. "Daniel? Sweetheart, wake up, you’re having a bad dream," she said softly, kissing his cheek, his jaw. "Come on, Daniel, wake up." She reached over him to turn on the lamp beside the bed.

He tossed his head from side to side.

"Daniel, please wake up!"

He heard her voice, focused on it, climbed out of the darkness, moved toward the light that was her.

"Daniel? You’re starting to scare me, my love," she whispered, her hand still softly caressing him. Her own heart was beginning to pound. Each time he had the nightmare, it became more difficult to wake him. The fear that one night she would be unable to do so gripped her tightly. "Sweetheart? Please wake up!"

"Casey?" He opened his eyes, looked at her, drank in the delicate features of her face, the bright light of love that reflected in her eyes, the concern in the green depths. "You’re all right?" His fingers were already moving over her face, as if the tactile input was necessary to reinforce what his eyes were seeing.

She frowned slightly. Again he seemed startled to find her beside him, and healthy. "I’m fine, My Heart. The question is, are you all right?"

He pulled his hand back, rubbed it over his face. He had been having the nightmare again. The one so horrible that he didn’t dare let her see it. The one so real he woke up confused and still wracked with pain. "I’m okay, babe."

She sat up, looked down at his face, still pale from whatever images and feelings and demons he had been facing…fighting. "No, you aren’t. Daniel, this is the sixth night in a row."

He rolled to his side facing her, his hand holding hers tightly. His thumb moved back and forth over her knuckles. He was still shaking; images, feelings from the nightmare still playing in his mind.

"Daniel, why won’t you let me help you?" she asked softly.

He shook his head. "I can’t, babe. I can’t do that to you," he replied, his voice quiet, haunted.

"Daniel, it’s only a dream…a bad one, but a dream…nothing real. It can’t hurt me. Besides, you’ll be right there with me. Together we can beat this thing…whatever it is. I’m stronger than I look, you know."

Again he shook his head. His heart was still pounding, still aching from his loss, even though he was looking at her, holding her hand, talking to her. The need to touch her, taste her, feel her responses to his body, nearly overwhelmed him. "Need to hold you, Angel," he said softly.

She gave a small smile. Each time she woke him from the nightmare, his need to reassure himself that she was all right resulted in them making love. He held her so tightly, made love to her so desperately that she knew that something bad, something…devastating…was haunting him. And that it centered around her. She leaned over and kissed him. "I’m right here, my love. Let me hold you."

He gently pushed her to her back, kissing her as if he hadn’t kissed her in days…weeks…months…His heart soared at each response, beat faster as her tongue moved into his mouth to taste him, caress him, comfort him. He sought refuge in her body, making love to her breasts until they were both breathless with desire. His tongue teased her sensitive navel, tugged at that tiny platinum ring…the soft sounds of pleasure she made making him ache with need. His mouth left a moist trail to the sweet flesh between her thighs. His body trembled as he settled himself between her legs. She was running her fingers through his hair as he began to worship her.

Casey closed her eyes as the sensations that his tongue, his lips, his mouth were creating washed over her in waves of pleasure. Maybe…just maybe this time he would allow her…"Let me taste you, Daniel, please?"

He shook his head, moved up and gently entered her body. "Not this time, Angel," was all he would say.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him, held him close as he moved inside her, taking her along with him on that ride of ecstasy. She used those inner muscles to hold him, caress him, take him where he needed, wanted to go.

He had moved a hand between them, caressed her until she was moaning. He felt her thighs begin to quiver, smiled against her hair when that sweet whimper filled her throat. He began to pound into her as she cried out, his own release only seconds behind hers. He rolled to his back, held her in his arms.

She crossed her arms on his chest, put her chin on her wrist and looked at him. "Daniel Jackson, you are going to tell me what’s going on, or I’m going to stay right here!"

Daniel smiled at her. "I could handle staying here like this." He watched her eyes flash with anger. Then watched them fill with concern, and love. Deep, strong love.

"Do you trust me?" she asked softly.

"With my life, my heart, my body and my soul," he responded just as softly. He was running his hand through her hair.

"Then let me help you. I promise, if it gets too…intense, I’ll…leave."

"Case…it’s…how can you handle it when it’s tearing me up?"

"Because I know it’s not real. Please, you’ve fought all my demons, healed all of my hurts, please let me help you," she pleaded.

He looked at her for several long seconds. Finally he nodded.

She snuggled down against him, and waited. She knew that as soon as sleep claimed him, so would the nightmare. She didn’t have long to wait. When she took his hand, she nearly cried out loud at the images, the feelings of pain and anguish that rushed over her.

She looked around, found him in a padded room, tears in his eyes, looking at…her. She watched her dream self, watched and understood that this woman was alive in body only. She put a hand on his arm, turned him to face her. "That’s not me, Daniel. I’m here. I’m okay. See?" She walked to where the dream Casey cowered in the corner, pushed a hand through her until the figure disappeared.

Daniel frowned. "I don’t understand…"

Images of what had happened to this dream version of her danced in front of both of them, the violence of the abuse took her breath away. "It’s a dream, Daniel. Not real. What you saw, what you have…experienced, endured…never happened." She took his hands, held them both tightly against her chest. "I’m here. Nothing has happened to me. None of…that… happened to me. It’s only a nightmare."

His eyes locked with hers, he nodded slowly. "Not real?"

"No, Sweetheart. None of it is real," she replied.

He turned to look at the now empty room. "Not real," he repeated.

"No. Not real, my sweet Daniel. Come with me," she said, leading him out of the building into the sunshine of Gamma.

With a gasp, he woke up. She was still laying on top of him. He loved the feel of her body against his, the weight making her real and warm and alive. His arms tightened around her. He felt the wetness of tears against his chest. "Babe?"

"Oh, Daniel! It was so…awful!" She leaned up and kissed him. "Why didn’t you let me help you sooner?" Her hands were gripping his biceps. "Why did you keep doing that to yourself?"

"I don’t know, babe. It was so…it felt so…"

"I know," she said softly. "But it’s not." She laid her head back down on his shoulder. Something was prodding at the back of her mind. "Daniel…why…why won’t you let me…worship you?"

He shrugged. "It just…I didn’t want you to feel…pressured…after…" he broke off. "Guess that damn nightmare was affecting me more than I thought. Because…Zinder…was the last one you…"

"Oh, Sweetheart," she said softly. "I’m going to kill that slimy bastard," she whispered fiercely.

He smiled. "Have to catch him first."

"Oh, I will!" she vowed. "And then I’m going to kill him slowly for what he’s done to you."

Now Daniel laughed. "Actually, babe, he hasn’t done anything to me. It was you who suffered at his hand in my dream."

She shook her head stubbornly. "You wouldn’t have had that dream if not for him. He’ll die just for that."

He tightened his arms around her, the ferocity of her anger and love touching his very soul. "Love you, Angel."

"Love you, too, Sweetheart."

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