<<Previous  | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>

Jack leaned back in his chair. "Casey, that was incredible."

"I agree," Sam said, also pushing slightly away from the table.

Teal'c was working on his third helping of the lasagna. "It is indeed good, Casey Webster."

She smiled. "Thanks. I hope you left room for dessert. I baked an angel food cake, and I have strawberries to put on it."

Daniel groaned. "That’s going to have to wait, babe. I couldn’t hold dessert right now if my life depended on it."

"You’re definitely going to need a work-out regimen, if this is typical of the way she cooks," Jack told his young friend.

"I know. Yeah, this is typical. She even said the sauce wasn’t as good this time," Daniel replied.

"Well, it’s not. I’ve made better."

Sam shook her head slightly. "I’m not sure I could survive better."

"A toast to my beautiful fiancée and her incredible culinary talents," Daniel said, a smile on his face.

SG-1 lifted their glasses in salute to her, bringing a blush to her cheeks.

She was pulling her lip between her teeth. She had been meaning to ask Daniel this question for a couple of weeks now, but had been too…not afraid…but certainly timid. Perhaps with Sam and Jack and Teal'c here…

Daniel noticed what she was doing. "What’s wrong, babe?"

She picked up her fork, toyed with the food that remained on her plate. "I…uh…I heard about this club…downtown…some of the SF’s were talking about it…and…if you don’t want to go I’ll understand…I just thought it would be fun…I mean, I love to dance…but if you don’t want to, that’s okay…"

Daniel smiled. "What’s the name of this place?"

"The Underground," she said softly.

"What do you say, guys? Shall we go work some of this food off?"

Sam grinned. "I haven’t gone out in ages, sounds like fun."

Jack looked at the faces around the table. "Oh, what the hell. I’ll just go have a couple of beers."

Teal'c looked at Daniel. "I too would like to see this establishment."

"Looks like you’re going out, babe." He couldn’t help but grin when she jumped up from her seat and gave him a hug.

"I’ll get the kitchen cleaned up, and then I’ll go get ready," she said, her eyes shining.

Sam was already on her feet. "You go, we’ll take care of this. It’s the least we can do after all the cooking you did today."

Casey looked at Daniel, saw his smile and nod, and dashed to the bedroom. When she emerged twenty minutes later, he almost dropped the bottle of wine he was holding, ready to pour the last of it for Sam.

She was wearing a short black skirt, Daniel was fairly certain it was the one she had been wearing when she had gone out with him the first night, and a little black, lace-up bustier, which showed off her beautiful cleavage. A little red bolero jacket, and red stilettos with thin ankle straps completed her outfit. The only jewelry she wore was her engagement ring and tiny diamond stud earrings that Kelley had given her for Christmas. She had touched up her make-up; her eye shadow smoky, giving her eyes a more sexual allure. Her lip-gloss was red, accentuating her full lower lip.

"Wow!" Jack said softly. He glanced at Daniel and almost laughed out loud.

"I need to go change again, don’t I?" she said softly, misinterpreting the look in his eyes as disapproval. She silently berated herself. Daniel and his friends were more refined than the people she knew and hung out with. She was sure he was embarrassed by her appearance, and cringed from that knowledge.

He shook his head, still not capable of speech. He had occasionally gone to clubs. He had watched women who looked like this; beautiful, sexy, alluring, and had been shot down every time he approached one of them.

Sam giggled. Daniel had confided in her about his lack of success with women one night when they were exhausted from working on their individual projects. They had gone to IHOP and drank coffee and talked until dawn. She knew that he was thinking about the clubs he had been to in the past. "You look terrific, Casey."

Casey tried to smile, the action barely lifting one side of her mouth, and certainly not lighting her eyes the way it normally did. "I’m sorry," she whispered, looking into his blue eyes, still not understanding what she was seeing there. She turned and fled back down the hallway.

Before she had the bolero jacket off strong arms wrapped around her from behind. "I’m so sorry, Daniel," she whispered.

"For what, babe?"

"I didn’t mean to embarrass you in front of your friends," she replied.

"Huh?"

"I saw the look in your eyes…you were-"

"Completely blown away," he said, cutting her off. "Casey you look…so damned sexy! I was thinking about the clubs I’ve gone to in the past, seeing women as beautiful as you, getting shot down before I even got past hello…and here you are, standing in front of me, my ring on your finger, love for me in your eyes…it just…blew me away," he explained quietly. "I don’t understand how you think I’d be embarrassed. Because I’m not. I love you, babe. You’re so damned beautiful. By the way, Jack thinks you’re hot, Sam says you look great."

"And Teal'c?"

Daniel grinned. "Teal'c thinks you’re hot, too."

She smiled. "Are you sure you want to go out?"

"Yeah, I do."

She put her arms around him, hugged him. "I’m going to ride with Sam. I’ll see you there," she said, winking at him. She went back down the hallway, whispered to her new best friend, and the two women left together, giggling as they walked out the door.

"They’re up to something," Jack said, grinning. "Teal'c, you can ride with me. We’ll see you there, Daniel."

The young archaeologist nodded. He glanced down at his khakis and sweater. Nope. Not tonight. He went to the bedroom, pulled out his black suit. She'd mentioned being anxious to see him in it. So tonight, she was going to.

A   A   A   A   A   A

Sam and Casey were sitting at the bar when Jack and Teal'c arrived. Sam suggested that the two men get a table for later, told them she would join them as soon as Daniel arrived.

Already Casey had been approached at least a half dozen times, sweetly smiling and shaking her head no at each offer of a drink, or request for a dance. When a young man approached her, to the hoots of several of the men around him, she quietly accepted his hand and went to the dance floor with him. Billy Idol was screaming about 'Mony, Mony', and soon Casey was gyrating to the music, the smile on her face wide and genuine.

"Holy shit!" one of the men was saying, his eyes on the beautiful blonde who was dancing, as Daniel approached the bar. Sam ignored him, except for the slight nod toward the dance floor. He turned and looked, watched her moving, felt his body go hard.

When the dance was over, she thanked the young man, who was still dumbstruck that such a beauty would have danced with him, and returned to where Sam sat guarding her seat and purse.

"So, Beautiful, you must be desperate for a man if you’ll dance with a geek like that," a strapping blonde with a conceited smile said, pushing between her and the man next to her. That man took the hint and left.

She looked him over. "He was sweet and unpretentious, and had more class in his little finger than you’ll ever have in your entire over-pumped body." She turned away from him, let her eyes travel over the people who sat at the bar. Her heart jumped when she saw him. Oh, god, he was absolutely devastating in that suit! She smiled shyly at him, overcome with the knowledge that this handsome man loved her!

The blonde man had given a snort of displeasure, then turned to Sam. "What about you, sweetie? I’ll bet you appreciate a real man," he said.

"Yeah, I do. If you see one, send him over," Sam replied.

Casey giggled. She glanced over to where Daniel was sitting, giggled again and blushed when he winked at her.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he picked up his drink and made his way over to her.

Sam smiled at him, and let him take her seat; she took Casey’s purse with her and made her way to the table where Jack and Teal'c were waiting.

He looked at Casey again, taking note of the other men who were doing the same thing. He leaned close to talk to her over the music that was reverberating around them. "Hi, sexy," he said, smiling at her.

"Hi, handsome." She giggled.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For this…for…letting me live out a dream…a fantasy."

She gave him a smile that threatened to make him too hard to walk. "I intend to make every one of your fantasies come true, Daniel. Every one of them."

Savage Garden was singing now about truly, madly deeply loving her. He offered her his hand, led her to the dance floor. He pulled her close, one hand holding hers, the other arm around her narrow waist.

She slipped her arm around his neck, put her head on his shoulder as they danced. "Daniel?"

"What, babe?"

"Do you have any idea how good you look?"

He chuckled. "Me?"

"Yes, you! Sweetheart, I keep telling you that you’re a handsome hunk of archaeologist. There are some women on the other side of the room watching you. If I have to drop them, I will," she said, smiling up at him.

He laughed. "I doubt that they’re watching me."

"I don’t."

The music ended and they made their way to the table where the rest of the team sat. Drinks were ordered around, and they discussed the merits of the club. Casey was surprised that she was so willing to leave after not more than an hour. As much as she loved to dance, suddenly this wasn’t the place she wanted to do it. She wanted to be in the apartment, just Daniel and her, slow dancing in the living room.

By mutual agreement, the group said their good-byes. When they arrived home, Casey found a soft jazz radio station, and led Daniel to the balcony. They danced under the stars, holding one another closely. She said good-bye completely to the life she had lived before. The only thing she needed was to be in his arms.

<<Previous  | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>