Quietus

Episode tag to "Death Knell"

Through the window, Cassie watches Sam hobble towards the house on crutches. From what her mom has told her, Sam had barely made it out of this mission alive, and she looks like it. Cassie has seen Sam after some of her worst moments: overtaken by Jolinar, overwritten by an alien entity, kidnapped and almost killed by Adrian Conrad. From what she knows, every time it looked like they had lost her, Jack somehow saved her life. Just like this time. And not only had he brought her back, once again, he had risked his own life to save hers. As these thoughts stampede through Cassie's head, her eyes fall onto the guy next to Sam—Pete. She's meet him once before. For a pizza and a movie and was only glad that you don't have conversations in a movie theater.

"She brought Pete," Cassie says when Janet passes her with a tray full of snacks and drinks.

"It's her boyfriend."

"Yeaaah," Cassie drags the word into an unconvinced length. She's about to jump up to open the door when she spots Jack getting out of his car. He hesitates for a moment when he discovers Sam and the cop on their way to the house. Pete is dry-nursing Sam, looking at her with concerned puppy eyes, walking by her side with both hands ready to catch her should she stumble. Cassie smirks when she notices Sam's annoyed expression. She can't hear what Sam is saying, but it looks very much like a harsh 'I'm fine, Pete.'

Yeah, gotta learn that Pete, Cassie thinks and has to smile when Jack smirks too and heads towards Sam. Cassie doesn't want to miss this part of the conversation, so she gets up and runs to the door.

"...these seem pretty handy for kicking some Goa'Uld butt." Cassie hears Jack say when she opens the door. Sam is smiling at him and Pete, well Pete looks like anyone who has no idea what is going on between Sam and Jack.

"Hey birthday girl," Jack says and pulls Cassie into his arms.

"Hey Jack," Cassie mumbles into his broad chest then pushes away from him to wrap Sam in a hug.

"I'm so glad you are okay."

Cassie's impetus hug sends Sam to falter, but Pete is right there, grabbing her arm.

"Be careful," he says, but Sam disregards him and pulls Cassie back into an embrace.

"Happy Birthday, Cas."

Sam is still in Cassie's arms when Cassie turns to Jack and says, "Thanks for saving her. I knew you would bring her back."

Sam stiffens in Cassie's arms, and her head turns to lock eyes with Jack. He is unusually quiet and just smiles a soft smile that is not at all direct to Cassie but to Sam. Emotions cross his face for a brief second before he disguised them with one of his bad jokes.

Cassie feels rebellious today. She can't help but be annoyed by the presence of Pete. She and Teal'c might be from a different planet, but Pete is the real alien here. He makes goofy jokes, not even Sam laughs about—and she does laugh about Jack's dad jokes.

"Enjoying your birthday?" Pete is suddenly next to her, smiling as if he's staring in a toothpaste commercial. She can hardly stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Yes, it's nice to have SG-1 around."

"So you're an alien, huh?" Pete asks, ignoring her dig.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"That's pretty cool."

Cassie lifts her eyebrows and takes an annoyed breath. This becoming-friends-thing is just not going to work. She looks out of the window, thinking about excusing herself with the argument that Jack needs help with the grilling when she spots Sam heading out to the backyard.

"Do you love her?" Cassie doesn't know where this is coming from, but seeing Sam and Jack out there and knowing that Pete is here, makes her angry.

"Sam? We, uh, we've only been dating for a couple of weeks, but…" And then his smile grows even brighter, and he says with a proud voice, "Yes, wow, yes I do." He looks at Cassie as if she's now his best friend and ally, but he's betting on the wrong horse here.

Standing with his back to the window, Pete can't see how Jack and Sam exchange a quick smile, and then she allows him to give her hand down the steps. This is real trust, Cassie thinks and then says, "Would risk your life for her? That kinda love?"

Sam says something, and Jack turns back to look at the house, then back to Sam and hands her his beer. She smiles thankfully and grabs a quick sip. Right, she's still on all sorts of drugs, and her mom probably likes Pete because he makes sure Sam follows all medical orders.

"Uh… yeah…" Pete says while Cassie soaks up the interaction happening behind his back. Jack steps in front of her, shielding her from the view, and Cassie is pretty sure Sam is taking another swig from his beer before she hands it back to him, and he moves back to the bbq as if nothing has happened.

"I mean, not just saying it. Would you not leave her side when she is trapped in a house that is going to explode, and you can get out, but she can't, and there's no way you can save her?"

Cassie's inquiries are making Pete nervous. He sways from one foot to the other, and Cassie almost feels sorry when she notices the flush that is creeping up his neck.

"Uh…" Pete stammers, but before he can form a sentence, Cassie raises the ante. "Or spending months doing nothing else but finding a way of bringing her back when she gets lost?"

"I guess…"

"Or risk your career for her sake?"

"You are pretty protective of Sam."

Cassie just smiles. Not so much about Pete's answer, but about the look Jack gives Sam, one that makes her flush, and she's several feet away from Cassie, and Cassie can still see it.

"Would you rather die than be without her?" Cassie says, firing the lethal bullet she has saved for the end. Cassie knows nothing about what happened during the Zar'Tarc testing. She doesn't know that Jack had uttered almost this sentence in front of Sam, Teal'c, and her mom. She doesn't know that 'I rather die than lose Carter,' still holds the same truth for Jack as all those years ago. And yet she knows. Thanks to the unclouded view of the world, only kids can have.

Pete clears his throat, blinks nervously, and searches for an answer when Janet comes to his rescue. "Cassie, can you give me a hand here?"

Cassie throws Pete an innocent smile and follows her mom into the kitchen, where Janet starts sticking candles into a big birthday cake.

"Isn't that supposed to be a surprise?" Cassie asks and launches herself up to sit on the counter, her feet dangling.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I overheard your conversation."

"I'm just getting to know Pete," Cassie says casually.

"Oh, so you're not trying to scare him away?" Janet throws her a knowing look.

"He's not right for Sam."

"That's not your decision to make."

"Oh, common mom. She doesn't love him. Not like she …"

"Cassie!"

"I'm not blind. And neither are you. The way she tries to not look at him. The way he tries to not look at her? They are always risking their lives for each other. You said yourself that she wouldn't have made it back if it weren't for Jack and Teal'c."

"They are her team."

"Yada Yada."

"You're spending too much time with Colonel O'Neill, young lady."

"That's why I know that he loves her."

"Cassie, you've gotta stop talking like this. It can get them into serious trouble. If the wrong person hears you and thinks they are breaking the rules—which they are not..."

"Those rules are stupid."

"They are there for a reason."

"Rules need to adapt to changing times. I bet there were no rules that allowed adopting an alien girl before me. And then what you thought you knew changed, and now you're my mom."

"That's different."

"So you admit that if it weren't for the rules, they would be together."

"Cassie!"

The doors swing open, and Sam pokes her head in. "The meat is well burnt, and the Colonel is getting annoying about cake."

"We're coming," Janet answers and ushers Sam and Cassie out of the kitchen. Before Cassie leaves the room, she turns around and throws Janet a look that says something like 'See!'

Charred meats have been eaten, and everyone is on their second piece of cake, and they lounge in the living room. When Sam actually allows Pete to feed her a spoon of his cake, Cassie decides it's time to continue her mission.

"Have Sam told you the best stories about the SGC yet? My favorite story is still the one when everyone was infected by that alien virus that made you turn neanderthal."

Everyone, even Pete, chuckles about that memory. Not knowing what attack Cassie is launching next. She says, "I always try to imagine how Jack reacted when Sam tried to seduce him." Cassie laughs, and her comment has, at least when it comes to Pete, the intended effect. He's suddenly paler than before, and his eyes jump to Sam, who flushes slightly.

"Oh, those old stories, they happened way before your time. How do you even know that?" Jack says and looks at Janet, who lifts her hand and shakes her hand.

"Sam told me," Cassie says, and this time Jack reacts just the way she hoped for. He looks at Sam and raises his eyebrows to that look he only has for her. Daniel, oblivious to the underlying dynamics—sometimes Cassie wonders why Janet calls him the 'people guy'—says, "I didn't like that one. To me, the parallel universes are the most interesting. The concept of other us..."

"Parallel Universes?" Pete says, a bit overly excited for switching the topic.

"Yeah, we've encountered two. One time I got sent to one that was about to be destroyed by the Goa'Ulds, and the second time an alternate Sam came into our universe."

"Two of you?" Pete says with a flirty tone.

"Weren't Sam and Jack married in both of those universes?" Cassandra says nonchalantly, watching from the corner of her eyes how that new information hits the cop.

"We seriously have to discuss your clearance. You know way too much for your own sake," Jack says

"Daniel told me."

"But it was never meant to leave your mouth." Daniel rolls his eyes and pokes Cassie in the side. With excitement, she watches the irritated glances Pete is letting wander between Sam and Jack, who pretend nothing unusual has happened.

A phone starts to beep, and Jack gets up and answers with his usual snappy greeting. He's headed for the door but turns around, and with an eyebrow wiggle signals Sam that's she needs to hear that.

"You can use my bedroom," Janet says and nods to the back of the house, where Sam and Jack disappear to.

Cassie has a hard time containing her excitement over the pure ironic coincidences the universe has provided. Pete just learned that Sam had tried to seduce Jack, then that they've been married in several universes, and now they are headed to Janet's bedroom.

When they come back minutes later, Sam unceremonious accepts Jack's hand to get down the two steps that separate the hallway from the living room. It's a gesture so small and yet has a significant impact on Pete. Something in him switches, and the easiness that always surrounds him becomes heavy. And then Cassies sees it: he knows. He can feel that Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter are more to each other than teammates, and the only thing keeping them apart is the Air Force.

Sam says something to Pete. Something about an emergency at base where she and the Colonel are required. He smiles, and the sadness disappears. He also knows that her job is the most important thing for her, and if she chooses to come home afterward to him, just the way she is promising right now, then he is okay with whatever is locked away for this other man.

Big thanks to dpdp, marcyfoot and ConnieN for all the support and comments. Love to read what you all think—that keeps me writing.