Disclaimer: Stargate & SG-1 belong to lots of other people and entities. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise to give them back when I'm done. :)
Notes: Sometimes you don't see the forest for the trees. S/D pairing. Happy, fluffy feelings ahead. This one is un-beta'd…all mistakes are mine.
Not Today
Autumn, 1998
Today was a special day in the Fraiser household. It was Cassie's first thanksgiving dinner, her first Earth holiday and everyone was there to help celebrate it with her. After the early dinner was done, Janet found herself in the kitchen, cleaning up with Teal'c helping her load the dishes. Daniel and Jack played a round of speed chess, with the last piece of pumpkin pie going to the winner.
Sam and Cassie sat curled up together on the couch, looking through Janet's childhood photo albums.
"Sam, can I ask you a question?" Cassie asked as she idly leafed through the pages.
"Sure kiddo. Shoot."
"When is Daniel going to marry you?"
"Oh sweetie…um, Daniel is already married," Sam said gently.
"He is? Are you sure? How come I've never met his wife before?" Cassie asked, disappointment in her voice.
"Oh…it's, I mean, um…it's one of those things we're not supposed to talk about."
"But Daniel loves you," she insisted.
Sam laughed lightly as she reached over to give Cassie a hug.
"He does, and I love him. But we're just really good friends. He loves his wife, Sha're, very, very much. Maybe one day soon you'll get to meet her and then you can see how much in love they are."
They both looked over as Daniel exclaimed, sounding positively gleeful.
"Ha! Checkmate in three!"
"You cheated!" shouted Jack.
Daniel stood and quickly snatched up the last piece of pie, taking large forkful and stuffing it in his mouth.
"Thore loother, Jack," he mumbled through a mouthful, stifling a giggle as he chewed.
Jack gave him a puppy-dog stare and Daniel couldn't help but offer him half the pie. Sam couldn't help a laugh as she watched her two friends go at it.
Summer, 2000
Today was the first day of Cassie's summer vacation. Janet had rented a house on the lake and invited Sam, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c over to spend the weekend. Janet was inside, preparing the salad for lunch as Teal'c helped make the sandwiches. Jack had brought a box kite and had enlisted Daniel's help to put it together.
Sam and Cassie sprawled on a large blanket thrown on the grass, underneath a shady spot as they pored over magazines and discussed the merits of each and which should become Cassie's latest heart-throb.
"Sam, can I ask you a question?" Cassie asked.
"Sure kiddo, shoot? Turn around so I can do your back."
Sam sat up, picked up a bottle of sunscreen and began to apply it on Cassie's fair skin.
They watched as Jack began to argue with Daniel, gesticulating wildly as he pointed to the partially built kite on the ground and jabbed his finger up in the air as if to emphasize something. Jack shook his head and turned to walk back to the house.
"Is Daniel sad about Sha're dying?"
"Yeah sweetie, he is. But he's been very brave and tries not to show it."
"Want to know what I think?" Cassie asked. She reached behind her and handed Sam her hairbrush even as she started to undo her ponytail with the other hand.
"What?"
Sam took the offered brush and began pulling it through Cassie's honey-gold, shoulder length hair.
"I think if he married you he wouldn't be so sad."
Sam's hand paused in mid brush.
"Now Cassie, that's just silly. Daniel and I are friends."
"But he loves you."
"Yes and he loves you too. We're family. We all love each other. See? Would Jack do that to Daniel if he didn't love him?"
Sam couldn't hold back her laughter as she watched Jack sneak up behind Daniel and placed a handful of muddy sand down the back of his pants.
Winter, 2006
Cassie was back from University for Christmas break and was spending her two weeks with Sam. Christmas dinner was to be at Jack's house this year and they arrived early so they could make the most of the day. The house smelled wonderful as the scents of cooking and the Christmas tree made it feel like home. Teal'c was busy in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the apple pie he was making for desert. Jack and Daniel sat in front of the TV, tearing into a box that contained the latest video game console. Sam and Cassie sat at the dining room table, looking through a course catalog as Sam tried to help Cassie decide which classes to sign up for next semester.
"So, tell me about Richard," Sam leaned over and whispered.
"Nothing to say…we've gone out a couple of times," Cassie blushed.
"A couple?"
"Ok…we go out most weekends," Cassie said with a grin, ducking her head.
"He's around a lot whenever I call you," Sam chided.
"Well, yes…we um, ok, yes, we spend a lot of our free time together."
"So I take it this is serious?"
Cassie rolled her eyes and laughed.
"C'mon Sam…we've only been dating 6 months. Um…I really think I um…"
"Love him?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Well, that's great. Only one thing though…when do we get to meet him?"
"We're planning on going on a cruise to Cancun. I was hoping maybe you could all come up and join us during spring break," Cassie said with a grin as she gave Sam a sidelong glance.
Sam chuckled, then leaned into Cassie and offered her a hug.
"I don't think we could get Jack to go, but Daniel will come with me for sure."
They looked over at the raised voices coming from the television.
"C'mon, Jack. That does not go there. You're going to short it out or something," Daniel said. "Let me read those instructions again."
"What we need is for Carter to finish her girl talk and get over here and set this thing up," Jack snorted.
"Leave Sam alone and give me those instructions already!" Daniel chided as he leaned over and tried to snatch the paper from Jack's hands.
Watching them for a moment Cassie turned to Sam.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure kiddo. Anything. What's up?"
Sam took a drink of her soda, smiling.
"Do you think Daniel loves you?"
Caught by surprise by the question, she choked on her drink. She cleared her throat as she considered the question and answered truthfully.
"Well of course he does. He loves all of us. We're family, you know that."
"You guys ever, you know…done the nasty?" Cassie grinned as she asked.
"Cassie!" Sam blushed.
Jack perked up at the sound of Sam's voice.
"Hey Carter, want to come over here and give us a hand? Daniel can't understand the instructions in English and is now trying to figure it out by reading it in Hebrew."
"Ah…no…sorry. Cassie and I are still having our girl talk."
"You guys are more than welcome to join us. We're talking about very interesting things," Cassie said with a giggle.
Sam kicked her leg under the table and Cassie didn't bother to hold back her laughter. Daniel poked Jack in the arm to get his attention.
"Ok, you've been putting the cables in wrong. I told you," Daniel said.
"Well?" Cassie asked as she leaned in close to Sam.
"That young lady, is none of your business. But to answer your question, no. Daniel is my friend…that's all."
"Want to know what I think?" Cassie asked, innocently.
"I'm afraid to ask…" Sam groaned.
"I think he ought to marry you."
"Cassie…you realize you've been saying this since you were about 12 years old. I think you're fixated or something…"
"I just know I'm right," Cassie said with an impish grin.
Spring, 2010
Janet's old house had been rented for the years Cassie was away at college. Married now, she and her husband Richard, had moved in and brought most of the items out of storage. Sam, Jack, Teal'c and Daniel had helped with the move, so the house was pretty much settled in by the time Cassie gave birth to her first daughter. They'd invited Sam, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c over for a quiet Memorial Day get together at the house.
Sam watched wistfully as Daniel juggled the sweet baby in his arms. A cloth diaper draped over one shoulder, he gently patted the newborns back to coax a burp out of her tiny form.
"He'd make a great dad," She said softly, a smile playing on her lips.
"Between him and Jack, I'd say they are both pretty good dad's already," Cassie said happily as she folded the last of the baby's laundry. She looked over at the men and smiled as she watched Jack and Teal'c standing on either side of her husband. They took turns talking to him and she had no doubt they were passing along some good fatherly advice. Daniel began to sway the baby in his arms, grinning down at her.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking," Sam said as she reached over to Cassie and gave her hand a squeeze.
"And you're not too shabby on the mom front, either, you know," Cassie said as she returned the gentle grasp.
"You're mom would be so happy right now," Sam said as she lowered her gaze. A wistful memory of her long dead friend Janet came to mind along with a pang of regret.
"I know. Being a mom now myself, it makes me feel closer to her somehow," Cassie said with a sigh, but almost in the same breath, she smiled broadly. "C'mon. Let's get something to drink." She stood and pulled Sam towards the kitchen. "I think that ice tea should be ready. Too bad it's a rainy day today. I guess pizza instead of barbeque isn't such a bad thing."
They settled on the table after Cassie poured them each a mug of coffee.
"So how's work going?" Cassie asked.
"Oh, you know, the usual. I'm still heading up the research team. It's been nice because I have all these assistants and now I get to keep my finger on all the big projects."
"And Daniel's still at the SGC?" Cassie prompted.
"You know he is, silly."
"Yeah, I know. You ever wonder why he never took up that teaching job in Cambridge?"
"As if he'd ever leave the SGC…" Sam scoffed.
Cassie smiled knowingly.
"Right. As if he'd ever leave you."
Sam took a deep breath as Cassie caught her off guard.
"Not this again, Cassie. You know-
"I know what I see…and honestly, I don't know why you two don't at least move in together."
Sam stared at Cassie for a long while, rescued when the baby wailed and the men came running. Cassie smiled and took the baby from Daniel, cooing to her softly. Sam watched as Daniel carefully handed the tiny bundle to her mother, and smiled as he beamed at her, looking almost like a proud papa himself.
Move in together, Cassie said…as if they weren't practically already. Little things, like the nights she would spend at his place, when her plumbing went on the fritz or after a movie marathon left her too sleepy to drive home. Nights when he'd come over to her house for the company as he worked away on some report or other, borrowing her computer and internet access when his was on the fritz.
The more she thought about the little things, the more it all seemed to add up. What would Cassie say if she knew he already had a closet full of stuff at her place and she had a dresser full of her own things at his? And yes, she would admit it to herself the occasional sex was good…really good…stress relief, they called it. They didn't usually talk about it afterwards…God. What they had was so easy. So comfortable. They were friends. Did it have to be more?
Sam stepped out of the kitchen and watched as Jack and Daniel attempted to put together the infant swing that was Jack's gift to the baby. Her gaze strayed from Jack to Teal'c and finally settled on Daniel. These men she considered her family, closer to her than her own brother. But always, her gaze drifted to back to Daniel and she realized something she never understood had a name. It took her a few moments before she reached over to Richard and whispered something into his ear. He smiled and disappeared into the kitchen, returning momentarily with wine glasses and a bottle of wine tucked under his arm. Sam cheerfully helped him distribute the glasses. As Richard filled the last glass, Sam stood and cleared her throat.
"Hey…if I could have your attention for a minute."
Everyone looked up as Sam lifted her glass. "I'd like to present a toast."
Cassie grinned as she breastfed the baby from the sofa.
"Hope you don't mind, the baby started without waiting."
Sam grinned at her as she lifted her glass.
"First off, I'd like to make a toast to baby Janet and to her beautiful mom, Cassie, the woman who so clearly saw for many, many years, what I was too blind to see."
Cassie's eyes went wide open and her smile slowly spread as she watched Sam walk up to Daniel. Before Sam could think twice about it, she reached over, grabbed Daniel and pulled herself up to him for a kiss. Daniel blinked in surprise, a slow flush spread on his cheeks as he leaned into the kiss. He placed his free hand around her waist to stop her from pulling away. Sam broke off the kiss and looked up at him, wearing a grin from ear to ear and stared into his eyes.
"Doctor Daniel Jackson, I think you should know that I love you. Will you marry me?"
Cassie let out a loud crow. "Yes!" Her exuberance inadvertently frightened the baby and she immediately cuddled the tiny bundle.
Jack watched his two friends, momentarily stunned and then let out a loud laugh.
"Well, it's about damn time!"
Richard slapped Jack across the shoulders as he laughed.
"He hasn't said yes yet!"
"Indeed!" Teal'c smiled broadly as he arched an eyebrow.
Daniel appeared stunned. Sam continued to stare into his eyes, smiling as she placed a hand lightly on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her palm. A strong heart. A good heart. Her heart now, she knew, as he reached up to grasp her hand and press it tight against his chest. He favored her with his best smile, leaned over and brushed his lips against hers before he answered.
"Yes."
A beginning