A/N - Sorry it's been so long. If anyone is still interested this is mostly just fluff and nonsense, but I'm in a fluff kind of mood.

Chapter 23

It was a lazy afternoon. The sun was warm and the air stirred occasionally to gently ruffle the bright splash of fall leaves that surrounded the pond. The breeze made the pines whisper as their needles rubbed together. Insects buzzed and went about their business. The sounds of nature were encompassing and calming, spreading peace and tranquility. Cassie took a deep breath. She felt like if she could take a deep enough breath, that peace would sweep through her and seep into her tissue and bone – an inhaled medicine that could ease and heal the ache of loss.

She allowed herself to dwell on the loss for long moments. Cassie'd been avoiding dwelling for too long. She'd elevated avoidance to an art form and had paid dearly for the effort. Unconsciously, she'd mirrored Jack's technique of steadfastly refusing to acknowledge and deal with the pain. She been younger then and hadn't realized the miserable truth that evasion created a compounding effect. Cassie was sure Sam could work out an equation that would explain how pain, grief and despair raised themselves to multiple powers when ignored. The thought made Cassie snort a short laugh. Jack hadn't been the only one from whom she'd learned the Fine Art of Avoidance. Sam was ranked pretty high in the Art, as well.

A soft touch on her shoulder brought Cassie from her musings. She looked up to see Daniel smiling down at her. He held two glasses of iced tea and silently offered one to her before he settled himself next to her. "You okay?"

So typically Daniel. Always concerned. It made Cassie smile. She was very fortunate to have this family. Odd as they all were, they were perfect together.

"I'm doing better. Being here with everyone is helping. I've spent a long time trying to pretend everything was alright."

"You don't have to pretend with us, you know." Daniel's blue eyes were bright and pinned her for a moment before he turned forward and allowed the intensity to soften. "We've all been there Cass."

Cassie took a sip of her tea, and looked at her hands, taking a moment to reflect that he was right. All of them had experienced more loss and pain than anyone ought to bear. "I know. I think I was trying so hard to be strong, I didn't realize . . . " Cassie trailed off, unsure how to voice what she'd been thinking.

"How much worse it is in the long run?" Daniel picked it up for her, his voice quiet with the certainty of experience.

Cassie glanced at him. Daniel's eyes were unfocused and stared blankly at a memory she couldn't see. "Yeah."

Silence hung between them for a moment before Daniel gathered himself and glanced at her. "We've all been there Cass. We've all spent time trying to avoid what must inevitably be faced. Real strength isn't found in avoiding the demons, but in learning to live with them."

The mood between them had darkened considerably and Cassie wasn't yet ready to delve deeper. She extended her arms and bowed her head between them, "So sayeth the wise Ancient?" she intoned as she swept toward Daniel in a bow. She had a smirk plastered on her face when she came back up.

Daniel grimaced but changed to a smile as he leaned toward her and nudged Cassie with his shoulder. "Only Ascended, not an Ancient, Squirt. Jack's the one with the Ancient gene."

They both looked across a small section of lake where Sam and Jack were lounging on the deck, pretending to fish. Daniel speculated that Jack had stopped actually baiting the hooks after they saw the fish jump, since neither had caught a thing, despite hours of seeming effort.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Cassie tried for lightness in her voice, but the truth was, she was terribly concerned. She'd wanted them together for years and had seriously begun plotting ideas for Pete's demise. But now they were together she worried they wouldn't stay together. If Daniel and Teal'c were like older brothers or uncles she'd never had, Sam and Jack were her last remaining mom and dad.

"You can't worry for them Cass. Do I think they're be okay? Yeah, I think they'll be okay. They've got a lot to sort out and it won't be easy. Sam needs to learn to see Jack as her equal, even though he'll still be a superior officer." Daniel's face turned introspective and his voice carried a note of sadness. "Jack will need to learn to believe he's worthy of her. It won't be easy for either of them. They've got to work out how to separate their personal and professional lives. But they'll do it because neither of them can live without the other." Daniel stood and held his had out to her. "Now c'mon. It's getting late. Let's go see what Teal'c's going to whip up for dinner."

Cassie smiled and took Daniel's hand. She felt a lightness enter her spirit, a little of her grief take flight and scatter. They'd not talked about Janet, but Cassie felt peaceful and content. Her stomach grumbled. Food sounded like a good idea. She allowed Daniel to pull her to her feet and linked her arm in his as they walked toward the cabin.

Jack and Sam sat quite close, poles forgotten in slack hands. They had spent the afternoon in comfortable silence, both taking joy in the simple pleasure of being together. Occasionally a line would be reeled in and recast; glances and intimate smiles exchanged. Their silent communication, always so clearly understood in the matters of work and the field, was being honed and refined to include their new intimacy. Allowing all that had once been hidden behind disciplined masks of professionalism to shine and blaze freely across their faces. Both had spent the afternoon giddy from the freedom.

Jack glanced toward the sky, measuring the sun's position. His stomach grumbled a loud complaint and Sam smiled. "Getting hungry?" The question was rhetorical, but Jack couldn't resist a sarcastic, "Ya think?" He stood and pulled Sam up into his arms, the thought of food momentarily forgotten as he caressed Sam's lips with his thumbs before kissing her. After a few moments he drew back, ducking his head to her shoulder as he stroked his fingers through Sam's hair, soothing. "She'll be okay, Sam." He had seen her glance, felt the slight tension in her body.

Sam sighed and squeezed. She could hide nothing from him. No one could read her like Jack. He held her for a moment longer then drew back and grinned down at her. "So . . . now that she knows, there's no sense in sleeping apart, is there?" He almost, almost, looked like an eager puppy. His grin was sexy as hell and any resistance Sam might have had gave way. She laughed and kissed him, turned as she took his hand to lead him toward the cabin. "I'll think about it . . ."

Jack's grin faded as her words sank in – "Hey!" but Sam was already sprinting toward the porch, laughing.