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As the days had passed, memories of her life with Daniel…from the time they had returned from PX3-695, after the first 'failed' attempt to bond her and Duncan, until Daniel's death on Beta…remained in her memory for the most part, although some of the details were no longer clear. Memories of her time with Duncan were, however, still crystal clear in her mind. She told Daniel that they hadn’t had a party for their first anniversary, but she wanted one this time. Daniel liked the idea, eager to use the grill they had just purchased from a Do-It-Yourself box store.

Casey was going over her grocery list one more time. Daniel was still shaving, having showered after she had. They had learned from experience not to shower together on mornings when they had to be at the base, they were invariably late if they did. They had missed almost half of a mission briefing once. Three teams were going on a search-and-destroy mission, including SG-1. Everyone in the room had grinned when they finally arrived. Jack hadn’t made a comment, although he was clearly displeased. He simply continued from where he had been interrupted. They had never been late again.

"Okay, we’ll pick up a couple of chickens, some hamburger, hotdogs, buns, potatoes so I can make potato salad, chips, dip, cookies, watermelon…what else?"

Daniel dried his face and put on his glasses. "Why not just look around when we get to the store?"

Casey made a face. "Last time we did that we got everything but what we needed. But, since I have most of what we’ll need on the list, I think we can risk it," she grinned.

He kissed her, then glanced at his watch. "Let’s go babe, Sam’s waiting."

Unable to come up with a joke on this morning, Casey kept the guards entertained with a series of "Confucius says…" one-liners while she, Daniel and Sam signed in.

She parted company with her husband and their friend on the twenty-first level, where she went to work with Teal'c. Jack had put Teal'c in charge of physical fitness training for a group of ‘cadets’, military personnel from every branch who had qualified for and been accepted into the SGC program. Teal'c had enlisted Casey to help him. As soon as she was in her sweats, she entered the newly designed gym. Teal'c nodded to her, and then told the cadets to watch carefully. He informed them that they would be expected to do flawlessly the routine that Casey was about to demonstrate to them. Casey’s routine was one that she and Teal'c had worked out, using various exercise methods and movements, as well as some of the martial arts movements that Duncan had taught her, and movements from Teal'c’s training. It was exhausting, but it would build the stamina and strength that these people would need to be on SGC teams.

For effect, Casey was doing the routine to music. She and Teal'c, who was fast becoming a fan of rock-n-roll, had spent the previous day burning a DVD of all the songs she would need, in the order she would need them. It was a forty-five-minute workout, and by the time she was finished, she was coated with a fine sheen of perspiration, and every cadet in the room was panicked. It was an intricate mix of moves, and every man and woman sitting on the floor in front of her was sure they would never be able to learn it all. The next two hours or so were spent breaking the routine down into its various elements, and teaching those elements to the cadets. By lunchtime, she was ready for a shower and food.

A   A   A   A   A   A

Casey put her tray on the table, and sat down across from Jack. "Hi, Jack. How’s your day going?" She pushed her still shower-damp hair off her shoulder and took a bite of her sandwich.

Jack grinned, and swallowed his pie before answering. "I think I’m gonna like this Immortal thing. Got a bad paper cut this morning, and before I could get a really good rant going, it was gone," he grinned.

Casey giggled.

"Daniel Jackson...here? You must be kidding!" a female voice asked loudly.

Casey looked around. A group of biologists were sitting at a table nearby, one of them a brash-looking redhead she didn’t recall ever having seen before.

"Oh, my god," the woman was saying. "I knew him in college! What a geek! The first time I ever laid eyes on him was at a frat party. I don’t know what he was even doing there, but anyway, he’d had a couple of beers, and was putting the moves on this girl, or rather, trying to put the moves on her…well, later I heard her saying that when he tried to kiss her it was absolutely pathetic." The woman laughed, not noticing that she was laughing alone.

Others in the commissary were throwing apprehensive looks in Casey’s direction. Casey felt her blood run icy cold, then hot as fire. She carefully put her fork beside her chocolate cake, and stood up.

"Uh oh," Jack murmured to himself. He sat back to watch. He’d step in, of course, if things got out of hand. But for now, he was willing to be entertained.

Casey walked over to the table where the woman was sitting, slammed her hands out on it, and leaned toward the woman. "You might want to lower your voice a bit. It tends to carry."

The woman looked up at her, startled, and then grinned. "Well, from what I’ve been told, secrets are safe here!" She giggled at her own wit, looking around at the faces of her co-workers. They were all looking at Casey with something akin to fear in their eyes.

"Look, Doctor…" Casey glanced at the woman’s name tag, "Harris. You might want to watch what you say about Doctor Jackson around here. He’s a hero, in case you didn’t know."

The woman burst into giggles. "Daniel Jackson? That geek? Please! Listen, Private whoever-you-are," she said, taking in Casey’s BDU in a glance, not noticing the name above the pocket, "My conversations are none of your business."

"They are when you’re talking loudly enough that everybody in the room can hear you. And they sure as hell are when you’re talking about my Husband!" Casey said, her voice shaking with rage. "Daniel is the smartest man in this mountain! There wouldn't even be an SGC if not for him! He speaks twenty-seven languages, reads sixty-five, and knows everything there is to know about every ancient culture there has ever been! Listen, cupcake, I don’t know what Daniel was like in college. But I do know that if you hadn’t had your head so far up your ass, you might have gotten a chance to know him, and found out what a wonderful man he is! Let me tell you something else, sister; Daniel kisses just fine! It makes me wet to just think about the way he kisses! One touch from him and my eyes roll back into my head. We don’t have double-paned windows just to save energy…it’s to keep the neighbors from hearing me scream when he brings me to orgasm...again and again! If I ever hear you say another derogatory word about him, I’ll rip your tongue out of your friggin’ head. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Doctor?"

The woman gulped, looking around at her colleagues for support. None of them would meet her eyes. "Perfectly," she mumbled.

Casey was suddenly aware of the absolute silence in the room. She looked around. Every eye was on her. Her words echoed in her ears. Blushing furiously, she slammed through the door.

Jack grinned. "Daniel, you dog."

A mere hour later Doctor Daniel Jackson was heading to the commissary for a much-needed cup of coffee. Several nurses, who were standing in a huddle whispering, watched him pass, then burst into giggles. Three Airmen looked at him as he walked by, something in their eyes that he couldn’t fathom.

He had just picked up his coffee when two Marines approached him.

"Uh, Doctor Jackson, sir?" one of the young men asked nervously.

"What can I do for you…uh…Murphy?" Daniel asked, reading the name on the man’s uniform.

"Uh, well sir, we were wondering, could you give us a couple of tips? Like do you have a special technique, certain moves you do in a certain order, what?"

Daniel’s eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"It’s just that, well, sir-"

"Ah, Daniel, there you are," Jack’s voice called from the end of the corridor.

The Marines exchanged a glance and hurriedly excused themselves, not eager for a confrontation with the base C.O., no matter how much they longed to know the secrets of making a woman scream in bed.

Jack was grinning from ear to ear. He slapped the confused younger man on the shoulder. "Daniel, you dog you!"

"Jack, what is going on around here?" Daniel asked, watching as the Marines glanced back at him, then disappeared around the corner.

"Danny, my boy, this is something you have to see, or rather, hear, for yourself." Jack took Daniel to the control booth in the gate room. He looked at Sergeant Harriman. "Got that surveillance tape from lunch, Walter?"

The technician grinned and nodded, glancing sideways at Daniel.

"Let ‘er roll, then," Jack said.

Daniel watched in silence, the audio of the tape crystal clear. It had most probably been enhanced. He felt his cheeks burning. He glanced at Jack, who was watching him, his grin even wider now. His soul was soaring that Casey thought so highly of his lovemaking prowess. It also touched him at how quickly she had risen to his defense. However, Casey’s words had been extremely implicit, and having such intimate…details…now public knowledge left him a little embarrassed.

"Didn’t know ya had it in ya, Space Monkey," Jack teased.

"Uh…yeah. Whatever. Look, I need to find-" Daniel mumbled.

"She’s in the gym. Teal'c said she’s been beating the hell out of anything and everything in sight." He grabbed Daniel’s arm as the man walked past him, the grin gone. "Go easy on her, Daniel. She was really pissed off when she confronted Doctor Harris. I don’t think she intended to say what she did. But obviously she loves you enough to let this woman know exactly what she missed out on," Jack said. He wasn’t a brilliant man perhaps, but he knew how to read people.

Daniel nodded.  Strode out of the control room with purpose in each step.

Casey was drenched in sweat, her tank top clinging to her body. How could she have been so stupid? She had only meant to let that damned woman know that she didn’t appreciate the rude comments about Daniel. She had never intended to let so much of their private life come to light. Daniel was going to be furious! She was already hearing the remarks being made. Several of the SF’s who had come in to work out had looked at her, and then began whispering among themselves. The rumor mill in the SGC was notorious for its speed. By now the entire base knew of her outburst. She began beating the bag again, its leather slick with her blood and sweat.

"Casey?"

She dropped her hands, wincing a bit as the broken skin healed…again…and turned around. Daniel was standing behind her. He stood looking at her, his eyes veiled. She hadn’t a clue what he was thinking. From his posture, both hands deep in his pockets, his shoulders hunched forward ever so slightly, she didn’t think he was happy. "Uh, hi."

They stood looking at each other for a minute or two.

"So, you…uh…heard?" Casey asked. She blushed, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

Daniel noted the flush, bit back a smile. "Oh, yeah. I’ve heard. Do you have any idea how many Marines are asking for my secrets?"

Casey turned away from him, put her forehead on the leather bag and closed her eyes. "Daniel, I’m so sorry. I just…she made me so mad…I never intended…she was making you sound like…I was just so damned mad!" She jumped when she felt his hand on her waist.

"Do you know how it makes a man feel when the woman he loves thinks…" he paused, then grinned. "Thinks he’s better than chocolate?"

She smiled. "No, how does it make a man feel?"

"Like he could take on all the System Lords single-handedly. It makes a man proud to know that he pleases the woman he loves in bed," he said softly.

Casey turned around, put her arms around his neck. "Oh," she breathed, "he more than pleases her. She’s in awe of his power over her."

"And he’s in awe of her power over him," he whispered in reply. He pushed a strand of her long hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Are you? I know that this embarrassed you. Hell, it embarrassed me! I never intended…but when she said what she did about the way you kiss…"

Daniel bit back another smile at the flash of anger in her green eyes. "I’m fine, babe. I’ve never had Marines asking me for advice with women before. I kinda like it."

Casey giggled.

He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I’ll be finished in a couple of hours. Do you still want to stop at the grocery store on the way home?"

She nodded. "I’ll meet you in your office."

He patted her hip, then turned to leave.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, babe."

A   A   A   A   A   A

The supermarket was crowded. Daniel was pushing the cart, Casey reading her list and marking off each item as it went into the metal basket. A sudden, intense pain between her eyes made her gasp out loud. Immediately, almost instinctively, her eyes began to search around her, trying to determine where the "buzz" was coming from.

He was standing at the end of the aisle. A medium sized man, average looks. He was staring at her. He waited until Daniel had stepped away from her side to approach her. "I am Roger Simmons."

"Uh, Casey Jackson."

"Where do you wish to meet?"

"We don’t have to do this."

"It is what Immortals do."

"Actually, the Game isn’t what Immortals are supposed to be doing at all," she replied.

The man laughed. "You will meet me tonight, or I will follow you until I catch you in more…suitable…environs."

Casey’s heart leapt into her throat. She hadn’t picked up the sword Duncan had given her since they had returned from PX3-695, after the aborted Ceremony of Fire. But she knew that this man would do exactly as he said. "Where, and when?"

"In the park near the Oakdale Industrial Center. Midnight."

Casey knew the place. She nodded. She watched as he disappeared among the other shoppers. Her heart was pounding against her ribs.

Daniel was returning, his arms loaded with a variety of hamburger and hotdog buns. "Do you think this will be enough? The shelves were looking a little bare, so I figured I’d better get what I could now." He dropped them into the cart. He looked at her, took in her pale cheeks. "Babe? Are you all right?"

Casey turned fear-dulled eyes to him. "I’ve just been challenged," she said softly.

Surprise widened his blue eyes. "What? You aren’t going. You are not doing this."

"I have to, Daniel. If I don’t, he’ll just follow me. Eventually he’ll catch me somewhere, and there won’t be anyone around, and we’ll fight. Better to do it now, and get it over with. That’s what Duncan taught me."

Daniel bit down on the comment he was about to make. "When is this supposed to happen, and where?" he asked instead.

"Tonight, over at the new industrial park."

He nodded. "I’m going with you."

"No, Daniel, no one is supposed to interfere."

"Casey, the Game isn’t even legitimate. I am damn sure not going to let you go fight some guy alone! I’m going with you, and that’s final."

A part of her was relieved that Daniel would be at her side. Another was terrified that if the man killed her, he would then do so to Daniel as well. And some small detail about the entire encounter was beginning to tickle at her mind.

A   A   A   A   A   A

The buildings at the industrial park were dark, half of them not completely finished. There was a wide expanse of grass and trees near the center. She could barely see him in the light given off by the quarter moon. Daniel had agreed to wait in the car. He hadn’t told her that he had snuck a pair of night vision goggles from the base, in order to see exactly what was happening. Nor had he let her know that he had brought along a gun. If this man tried to kill Casey, he would shoot him, and let Casey finish the job. He didn’t give a damn about any "rules", especially in a Game that they knew to be erroneous. His only concern was the safety of his Wife.

Casey had gone to the base and practiced her sword work. She was rusty, but it came back to her. She had worked until she was comfortable that she remembered all of her training.

Now she heaved a sigh, and approached the man.

"There can be only one," he said, and he immediately launched into an attack.

Casey defended herself, but it was soon evident that the man was a superior swordsman. She was retreating with every swing of her blade. "Watch my moves," she heard Duncan say, "try to figure out what I’m going to do. Watch my face and eyes as well as my sword." She watched the man feint to the left, but he glanced to the right. She stepped to the right. And scored first blood.

"Not quite the child Immortal that I had believed," Simmons said. He slashed out, and cut her across the stomach.

The pain wasn’t as great as she had feared, not at first. But she knew that the more she bled, the weaker she would become.

"Step into the swing, prevent me from completing my move," she heard Duncan instruct her. She obeyed. Then, there it was. The opening she needed. She thrust her sword into the man, amazed that there seemed to be no resistance at all from his body.

Simmons fell to his knees, a look of total surprise on his face.

"We don’t have to do this," she said, panting.

"Kill me now, or by all that is Holy, I will kill you," he growled, already raising his sword.

Tears in her eyes, she lifted her sword. "May God forgive me," she whispered. She brought the sword down, and severed the man’s head from his body.

Exhausted from the fight, Casey let her head drop forward. Her sword slipped from weary fingers. She watched as the blue fog began to crawl over the ground towards her.

"Concentrate on who you are, keep pulling memories of your life into the front of your mind as quickly as you can. Repeat your name over and over as you do that," Methos had told her...his voice echoed his warning in her mind. "And when the power begins to enter you, push it down with all your might."

Casey took a breath, and abruptly felt herself pulled into another battle. Images and memories not her own flashed through her brain at a frightening speed. She could feel someone, something, struggling to take control. She pushed it back, concentrating on her name…Daniel…her love for him. The war that waged within her became more desperate. The electricity that flew around her body was causing pain. She started screaming as the fog began to wrap itself around her body and constrict her, squeezing ever harder and harder. Without warning the battle was over. She had won. She dropped to her knees on the ground.

When it was over she was breathless, and nearly unconscious. She had told Daniel not to touch her, not sure exactly what would happen between them if he did. She remembered Methos’ warning. She remembered the references to uncontrollable sexual urges. She’d had enough of that dealing with the Fire, she didn’t need to deal with more. She could feel his presence hovering near her.

"Casey? Babe, are you okay?" His voice was filled with worry.

She managed to nod.

Daniel bent down and picked up her sword. He carefully wiped the blade and put it in the case he had carried with him from the car. "Can you get up?"

"I think so." With difficulty, Casey stood to her feet. They walked back to the car in silence. She drifted to sleep on the ride home.

"Babe? We’re home." Daniel said. He reached out to her, forgetting about her warning not to touch her, and gently caressed her cheek. He felt a sudden, overpowering lust fill his body. Casey was looking at him, the same lust reflected in her green eyes.

They barely made it through the door before Daniel slammed her against the wall, his mouth taking hers roughly. His hands began ravaging her breasts, bruising the tender skin. He began to rip at her clothes. They stepped away from one another long enough to strip, their mouths locked together, their breathing already labored and filling the house with its sound. He threw her to the floor, then dropped down beside her, entering her body in one violent thrust. She cried out, the sound inflaming him all the more. Her fingernails were raking down his back, leaving welts that rose quickly. He pounded into her, heedless of her cries. She was wrapped around him now, biting his shoulder and neck, drawing blood in places. He threw his head back and cried out as he came, the pulsing of his member almost painful.

As the haze that had come over him lifted, Daniel was horrified at what he had just done. "Oh, god, babe…are you okay? I didn’t hurt you?"

"I’m okay, I…I…needed you to do that, I needed you to… be…that way," she whispered. She pulled him back into her arms.

They lay on the floor, touching each other, caressing those places where just minutes before they had been bruising one another. The passion built again, but this time the need was not as violent.

Eventually they made it to the bed, where they made love twice more, the urgent need for each other not yet satiated. It was near dawn when they finally fell asleep, curled in one another’s arms.

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