Title: Dirt
Rating: T
Pairing: SJ
F.type: OneShot
Summary: Cassie plots to save a wrecked relationship in her greenhouse.
In my SG'verse, Janet never died, Pete never existed, and Cassie hasn't been completely dropped by the show. Welcome, and make sure to wipe your feet on the mat.
o...O...o
Cassie watched through the window, slightly amazed herself as Janet laid into the General, paragon of angry diminutiveness.
Then again, the young woman thought to herself, he may just deserve it.
She certainly thought so.
After all, making one Samantha Carter cry was not only extremely hard, but deserved the heaviest punishment womankind could lay on someone.
One jackass named General Jack O'Neill had managed to do it.
As Cassie looked down and realized she had been biting her dirt-covered fingernails, she wondered how Jack and Sam had gotten so distant. Sure, he had transferred to Washington two years ago, and they hadn't seen him in seven months- but hadn't there been that nebulous 'thing' between them?
Listening to her adopted mother slicing the Black Ops with harsh words, she heard Janet berate him about abandoning Sam.
Now what could that mean? Did he stay out of touch with her for that long? I'm sure it has something to do with their relationship, or Mom wouldn't have dragged him to our house.
A moment later, Cas began to smile.
Oh, yes.
The water-can thumped onto the greenhouse's floor as she dusted off her hands and began to put her plan into action.
o...O...o
"Mom? Are you done yelling at Jack yet?"
Glancing up at the redhead looking around the corner, Janet paused and shot a scathing look at the General. He had the grace to look a bit more than embarrassed, flinching away from the petite doctor appropriately.
"Yes, Cassie. Do you want to talk to him?"
"Uh huh!" Darting into the kitchen as if she were ten again, instead of twenty, she grabbed O'Neill's hand and grinned. "C'mon- I want to show you my plants!" With that Cas dragged him out to the door, Dr. Frasier following bemusedly.
o...O...o
"And these are my lilies- aren't they great?"
"Uh… yeah. Sure. So, how've you been, Cas?"
"Great. School's okay; I'm studying to be an engineer. Now, this one won first place in the local competition, and I'm hoping to take it to states…"
Jack looked helplessly at the woman standing against the doorway. He mouthed a soundless 'Help', at which Janet smothered a laugh. A sudden silence was followed by the sound of another pot being put down.
"And this…" There was unashamed pride in Cassie's voice as she looked lovingly down at the flowering plant. "Is my baby."
"Ah…" Struggling for words, he seized on the closest topic. "It looks… pretty…"
D'oh! But she smiled.
"Yes, it is, isn't it? However, it's very fragile."
"Really?" Now he was interested, leaning down to peer at the beautiful blossoms.
"Mm-hmm. See, it needs attention; not just the occasional watering or pruning, like most of these guys. Every other day or so, individual, loving attention. I forgot about it once, for a month, and when I remembered it was already dead."
Jack blinked.
"Dead? But then how…?"
Cassie grinned tenderly down at said plant.
"When it dies, it sends off a small bulb that's like a copy of the original plant. If you catch it in time, you can coax it to grow. Sure, it made look a little different, and it'll never be the first plant- but sometimes the second one can be far more beautiful."
A second passed as she looked up into Jack's eyes, toes crossed for luck.
"People- and relationships- are kinda like that too."
He stared at her for a moment; and then the gears finally began to turn in his head, eyes widening slightly as Jack realized exactly how much of an asshole he had been. Before the General could say or do anything, Cassie turned, clipped a red rose that was just beginning to bloom, and handed it to him with all the dignity and solemnity of a king entrusting his knight with the utmost important of missions.
"Go on."
And he was gone.
When the sounds of the pickup had faded, Janet turned back to her adopted daughter and lifted an eyebrow.
"How'd you know?"
Cas smirked.
"Well, you weren't exactly being quiet… and besides, haven't you ever heard the expression, 'gardeners know all the dirt' ?"
...the end...