Remember the Time- Michael Jackson

Janet POV

31 December 2011

Janet sat on the porch of Daniel's condo, soon to be their condo, watching fireworks. It wasn't quite dark yet, but his neighbors were obviously the impatient type. Jack and Cass had used it as an excuse to light their own. She wasn't fooled, Cass only wanted to start early so she could go meet her friends without guilt. Her boyfriend had been welcome to join them, but Cass had given them some false line about why he couldn't make it.

In reality she was lucky her daughter had come at all; their relationship was strained at best. A fact which saddened her; however, she had made her bed and she was going to be happy laying in it. A muffled pop and soon a green parachute trooper was floating towards her; she snatched him from the air. Brown eyes stared at the green man in her hands absently, something about it nagged at her. The sound of the sliding glass door opening broke her from her reverie. "Jan, you want a glass of wine?" She nodded at Daniel who handed her a glass of the red she had brought over.

He took a seat on the couch beside her and she snuggled into his shoulder. "Jack and Cam said they would help move your stuff in if we sprang for pizza." "I don't have much." "That's why they're willing," he quipped. A laugh caught her attention as the goofballs below attached a bottle rocket to an old RC car Jack had brought over for just this purpose. Janet reached over and grabbed her new camera (a x-mas present from Daniel) and took a snapshot. She pulled back and looked at the digital screen, Daniel looking over her shoulder. "That's a keeper for sure. It'll go well with those other one's I found." The red head looked up sharply, "what other ones?" "I found them in my coffee table."

He ran in and came back with a small photo binder. Janet smiled as she opened it to see a picture of Daniel dressed as Hawkman for a Halloween party. He was gesturing with his mace at someone off camera. "Hey Danny-boy, come watch this," called a certain general officer from below. "Uh-oh," they responded simultaneously causing Daniel to run off to overt whatever crises was in the making. Janet continued flipping the pictures of different holidays and gatherings pausing at some and shaking her head at others. There was one of Col O'Neill as Santa with Daniel as his elf and Teal'c with a red nose. In another Cassie was painting Sam's face and making an absolute mess of it. A nice group photo of SG-1 plus the Frazier women (and that damn dog) filled her with a sense of wistful longing.

But there was one picture in particular that caught her eye: she was sitting between Sam's legs with her shoulder against Sam's chest and her head pressed against the blonde's shoulder, both laughing for all they were worth. They were covered in mud in a pumpkin patch and she would guess that they had fallen and were having trouble getting up, based on the state of them. The picture below it was of her and Cass carving pumpkins, but it was Sam in the background that made her catch her breath. She had this soft look in her eye and a contented smile on her face, as she gazed on the pair carving away.

Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and Janet quickly flipped the page feeling inexplicably guilty. It was just Cassandra, she had picked up the green toy from the table and was turning it over in her hands smiling fondly. The flipping of the page had drawn Cass's attention to the album bringing her closer. She ran her finger over a picture of her, Jack, Teal'c and Sam all laying on their bellies playing (in Teal'c and Jack's cases 'strategizing') with a couple of green parachute men. "I remember that day. I was so impatient to light the fireworks that Uncle Jack went out and bought a ton of these guys. We lit off the fireworks and chased these guys into the neighbor's yard. We played with them 'til long after it got dark." They fell silent looking at the picture. "I wish I had been there. You look so happy." Cassie sighed, "I was happy, I had my whole family surrounding me. Mom was the one behind the camera….Well I have to go, Janet, I'm meeting up with some friends before midnight strikes." "Have fun, be safe. I love you." "…I love you, too."

Janet heaved a sigh while closing the book. The pictures hadn't helped like she thought they would. They just highlighted the memories she was missing and the pain her daughter was feeling now. The guys joined her on the porch quietly enjoying the evening. The silence was broken by Jack's phone ringing and he went inside to take it. Janet followed him in to put the book back in the coffee table drawer; that's when a thought struck her. Where was her husband? Cassie had said she had her whole family around her, but it was just SG-1 in the pictures. In the whole binder she had only seen one man she didn't know personally, and that was Jonas Quinn. From mission and medical reports she knew he had been a member of SG-1 for a time. So where was her husband at all these events? Was he an absentee husband? But why would Cassandra be crushed by the divorce if that were the case? Had Daniel's pictures been rifled through as well? It didn't look like it.

Her train of thought was derailed when she saw Colonel O'Neill's (oops General's) gray pallor. He hung up with an "I'll be right there." "That was the base; there has been an attack on the Phoenix."

For those of you asking why the hell doesn't Janet see what's right in front of her face, remember: 1) No one refuted the use of husband and she hasn't picked up on the gender neutrality of spouse. 2)Don't Ask, Don't Tell was only repealed 20 September 2011 meaning it's Sam's special status as an 'ambassador' of the Tok'Ra which allowed them to be together in the first place w/o consequences. 3)D'nial ain't only a river in Egypt