Waiting At Home

By: Annsgcfan

A/N: This is set during the middle of Season 8 about a year after the events of Heroes, Part II. There is one person waiting for SG-1 to arrive home. One person that will be affected the most if they don't make it back.

Spoiler: Hero's, some aspects to Season 8.

A/N: Thanks so much to Mandy for Beta reading the story and offering suggestions and encouragement!!

She was sitting in the window sill staring off into the night sky. Her head was resting against the cool glass. The old Air Force sweatshirt and sweatpants she had claimed as her own a couple years ago kept her warm. The campus lights below limited the number of stars she could see. She couldn't help, but wonder where they were. Were they safe? Were they in the middle of the worst gun battle they had seen since … well, since last year? Had someone else fallen, been taken captive, stranded on some far off planet? Or were they on their way home?

Sam always called her when the mission was over. At first it was because Sam was her legal guardian until she went off to college. Now she was in her first year of college and she made Sam promise she would continue to call after every mission. Sam had mixed feelings about it, but after she explained the not knowing was much worse. Sam finally conceded.

She couldn't believe it had only been a year ago when life was so much simpler. Of course at the time, she didn't think so. The pressures to keep her grades up to get into a good college when all she really wanted to do was hang out with her friends and enjoy life. After all she knew what it was like to lose everything in an instant. She couldn't get her mom to understand that. She had lost her friends, family; heck the whole planet was all gone except for her. Yeah she knew the chances of that happening again were about a billion to one, or maybe more, Sam could tell her the exact number.

It doesn't really matter now though, because she is the one that it happened to … again.

No, the whole planet wasn't lost this time. She didn't have any aunt's, uncles, or grandparents the state would recognize. She did have godparents in Sam and Jack. Daniel and Teal'c were like uncles to her and General Hammond and Sam's father were as close to a grandfather she had ever known.

Still, she had to wonder how long that would last. Daniel had already died a couple of times, of course he always came back, but what about next time. Would he choose to come back next time?

Jack was gone for several months'. They couldn't even tell her where he was or why he was missing. Sam didn't lie to her though. So she knew there was a possibility he may not come back. Of course he did, and now he is running the SGC. But having an office and very limited offworld travel didn't guarantee safety. No … her mom had proven that.

Teal'c would eventually go back to live on Chulak with his own son and fiancée when the war was finally over. She just hoped the war would be over sooner rather than later. Teal'c deserved to be happy. Still she would miss him if he ever left.

And then there was Sam. She's the leader of SG-1 now. She was proud of her. She knew her mom would be too. She had always worked toward leading her own team and what better team then SG-1. She always put her team first. But now as leader, did that mean she would die for them, die for the mission, and die for the greater cause? Of course she would. It's what Cassie loved … and hated most about Sam.

Who was she kidding; Jack, Teal'c and Daniel would all do the same thing. She admired all of them for it, but she couldn't help the anger. What about her? What about those at home waiting for them to come back?

They were all she had left … and it scared her.

They didn't have safe jobs. There is no such thing at the SGC. They faced danger every day. It was just a matter of time.

A matter of time before someone came to her dorm room with red and tear swollen eyes. Forcing a smile hoping to mask the utter loss they were hiding underneath. Bearing yet more bad news that would send her life spiraling once again off its axis.

Maybe that's why she chose a college so far away from home.

Maybe they wouldn't come.

She knew she was being ridicules, but then again when have fears ever been logical.

Of course, her plan backfired. She still feared another visit from a member of her "adoptive" family, but now she also feared every time the phone rang. Or when it didn't ring, meaning they were late coming home, like tonight.

She hugged her arms to keep from shivering. Not sure if it's the cool night air or her thoughts causing her to shiver.

She looked over at the offending object on her desk willing it to ring, but not sure if she really wanted to know why they hadn't called.

Seeing her physics book open on her desk, reminded her of more equations to memorize and theories to learn before next week's exam. If she didn't pass this exam, she would have to drop the course or risk failing. Yeah her failing physics would be laughable if it wasn't true. Sam was always a huge influence in her life. It would be hard to face Sam and explain why she had to drop that class. But, she didn't need that mark on her school record if she was still thinking about medical school. Which she wasn't even sure she wanted to do anymore.

She just couldn't concentrate anymore. She wished she could go back to when her biggest worry was what to wear for the party this weekend, or getting the attention of the cute guy in one of her classes.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She wanted to go back to when she could talk to her mom.

When she and her mom would laugh about something Daniel had done, Teal'c had said or Jack had said and done. They laughed when Sam, the genius at just about everything failed in the kitchen. Cooking was certainly not her forte.

She wanted to go back to the time when she would wake up at midnight and find her mom still sitting at her desk studying someone's medical charts when she was supposed to be sleeping.

She wanted to go back to a time when her mom would come home just to have dinner with her and return to the mountain after they ate.

She wanted to wake up to the smell of bacon and eggs on the mornings when her mom wasn't scheduled to work. She knew it meant long chats about how she was and what she had planned for the next couple of days.

She didn't know how she did it, but her mom always knew where she was and when she got home. It didn't matter if she was at work or not. Cassie would almost swear she or Jack had a couple of SF's following her. She wouldn't put it past either of them.

She remembered a time she and her best friend Shelly tested that theory only to have her mom arrive just when they were sneaking out of the house past Ms. Winters who stayed with her when her mom had to work. Of course it proved her theory or at least the two weeks she was grounded convinced her.

A small chuckle escaped from her lips. Then she realized she was smiling. Not a big smile, but still a half hearted grin. A memory of her mom, that didn't cause tears. Was she healing? She knew this was the first step. She had after all been through this before.

Cassie went over to her desk and picked up the picture of SG-1, her mom and General Hammond … her family.

A sad smile crossed her lips and a sole tear escaped. She loved them and missed them, but she knew they would look after one another. They had for many years and if God called them home then she would grieve and mourn their loss, but she also knew what her mom use to say when she was going through this the first time… God will never give you more than you can handle. He'll be there for you and He will send others to help carry your load. It was true the first time when SG-1 came to her planet, saved her, gave her a home and a family.

Ringing pulled her from her thoughts. She looked down at the phone only an arm length away and her heart leapt in her chest. Fear and hope both running through her. She took a deep breath.

"Hello?" She said a little shaky.

"Cass, hon. It's me. Sorry it's so late, we just got back. We're fine, Daniel insisted on staying for a local … party." Cassie knew they weren't on a secure line, so details were limited.

"I'm glad you guys are okay, Sam."

"Listen we have been granted a couple of days leave. The General is sooooo graciously offering to us after our latest … uh … since all the overtime we have been putting in." Sam amended.

Cassie heard a protest in the background, which meant SG-1, was still in the room with Sam. She smiled at the banter now going on between Jack and Daniel.

"Anyways, I thought we would see if you were up for a little company."

Cassie was ecstatic about having them come visit her, but they would ask about her classes and then she would have to explain she wasn't doing so well.

She hesitated a little too long. Sam spoke up causing Jack and Daniel to stop their argument. "Of course we understand if you're too busy. I know your first year at college can be pretty tough."

Then the thought of not seeing them was much worse especially, after the last hour she spent waiting for them to call. "No, no. That's okay. I would love to see you guys. When do you think you'll be here?"

"The General will have a plane ready for us in the morning. We should be there about 9:30…."

Than Cassie heard in the background, "Carter, tomorrow's Saturday, college kids don't get up that early on Saturday."

Cassie could imagine Sam giving Jack the look.

"Oh don't tell me you spent all those hours in your lab even in college?"

Sam must have smiled, because she could hear Jack continue. "Of-for-crying-out-loud."

Daniel jumped in on the conversation as well. "Well, Jack not everyone …"

"Oh don't tell me you too? You're both a bad influences on her. It looks like I have to go just to make sure she has a little fun mixed in with all those classes."

"Jack, I had fun …" Daniel continued, but Sam came back on the phone laughing drowning out Daniel's reply. "Well Cassie, the General seems to think that's too early, so how about 13:00 or 13:30? Is that too early?"

"Now that's more like it." Jack called out from the background.

Cassie laughed. Oh how she missed them. "1:00 is fine. I'll meet you at the airport."

"Okay. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay Sam, I'll see tomorrow. Bye." Cassie hung up and crawled into bed with a smile. Yes, there was still that fear of losing them, of that phone call giving her bad news. She couldn't explain it, but she just had the feeling something bad was going to happen again. It didn't happen today, and wasn't going to happen tomorrow. So tonight, she could sleep … because they were home.

A/N: Dedicated to my grandmother who I miss dearly. I still hear your laughter and the memories that now bring smiles instead of tears.