Cassie wasn't sure what woke her.

The dying embers of the fire cast a reddish glow over the stone walls, distorting the pictures painted there with shadows.

She stared sightlessly at the ornate ceiling before letting her gaze slip to the sleeping bodies of SG1 around her in the semi-darkness of the room. Teal'c was missing and she guessed he was keeping watch. She wondered briefly how she'd gotten to her bed and blushed as she realised Daniel must have carried her.

Poor Daniel.

She gazed at the slumbering form of Sam beside her. In the dark, with Sam asleep, it was all too easy to pretend that everything was fine with the other woman; pretend that she knew who Cassie was and that she loved her.

Her heart ached a little and Cassie wet her lips a little. She closed her eyes, intending to fall back into sleep.

Beside her, Sam gave a sleepy moan and Cassie's eyes flew open again.

Sam's face was creased with pain; she was in the throes of a nightmare. Cassie was suddenly aware that she could somehow feel the edges of it; the skittering panic, the terror.

Cassie looked towards the foot of her sleeping bag and the bulky form of the dragon. It lifted its head and gazed at her as though confirming her unspoken question whether it was responsible for the emotional amplification and her being able to feel Sam's nightmare.

And just as suddenly as she had felt the nightmare, a balm of peace and warmth from the baby dragon encompassed her. She could feel Sam responding too; sliding back into deeper sleep.

'Good boy.' Cassie whispered at the dragon. He had soothed Sam's nightmare. It lowered its head.

She wondered at what horrors Sam had dreamed about; Cassie knew Sam had experienced enough for real for many of them to come back and haunt her in the night. The faint memory of Not Sam, of the Goa'uld - Tok'ra - threatening her in her Mom's office flitted through Cassie's head; of Sam curled up devastated in an infirmary bed and so sad.

Cassie stretched out a hand and wrapped it around Sam's.

She closed her eyes again and slept.

It was morning when she woke next. Daniel directed her to the bathroom and Cassie indulged in a long wash in the bathing pool. She dried off and dressed in clean jeans and t-shirt, surprised at how much better just getting clean could make her feel. She grimaced at her pink skin. She'd caught the sun the day before and it was sore to the touch. She slatered on moisturiser in the hope it would help alleviate the worst of it. She secured her wet hair into a ponytail and wandered back into the main room.

The dragon padded up to say hello before it wandered away, curling up in a corner to sleep. Sam was back by the brazier. She was scribbling again. Jack and Daniel sat beside her, eating breakfast. Cassie joined them. Daniel made her a plate of some reconstituted eggs mixed with some starchy vegetable that tasted like potato. She wasn't surprised to learn Mitchell, Teal'c and Rya'c had left early on a hunting expedition. When she had finished eating, Daniel poured her some coffee and handed her the mug.

She inhaled the bitter aroma and wished again for her espresso machine. 'I miss real coffee.'

'You should have seen Daniel in the third week.' Jack said dryly. 'It wasn't pretty.'

Daniel shot him a look but conceded with a wry smile. 'At least this is something like the real thing.'

Cassie smiled at him apologetically. 'Sorry about falling asleep on you last night.'

'You were exhausted.' Jack commented. His long fingers tapped at the metal mug he held. His gaze speared hers. 'Mitchell said you got snagged by a dragon?'

Cassie shrugged. 'I'm fine.' She hid her face by taking another sip of her coffee. She didn't really want to talk about the terrifying minutes in the grip of the dragon. She knew Jack would react badly and she decided it was best not to encourage him to think the worst of the dragons given the baby dragon was still around. She cast her mind about for a distraction. 'So,' she said brightly, 'when do you want me to heal you?'

Jack gave her a knowing look. Apparently she wasn't getting away with it that easy. 'Mitchell also said something about you facing down Kitana and her crew?'

'Well, not me so much as Vala.' Cassie waved a hand dismissively. 'She handled it really.'

Daniel looked over at her with amusement. 'I can imagine how that went.'

'She was brilliant.' Cassie said with fervour. 'She just bamboozled Kitana into agreeing to what we wanted.'

'She's good at that.' Daniel said dryly.

Cassie smiled at him. 'I still can't believe we found you.'

'I can't believe you found us either.' Jack agreed caustically.

'Jack.' Daniel cautioned.

'Daniel.'

Cassie cleared her throat hurriedly. 'So: healing?'

Both men stared at each other for a long moment before they turned to her.

'Carter first.' Jack said firmly.

'OK with me.' Cassie agreed. Her eyes settled on Sam. She seemed unaffected by the nightmare and disturbed sleep, but equally as uninterested in anything other than the journal as she had been the day before. Cassie swallowed her disappointment; she couldn't deny she had woken hoping that Sam would miraculously recognise her. She really hoped the healing device would work on Sam's injury.

'Where do you want her?' Daniel asked, setting aside his crockery to assist them.

'Stretched out on her sleeping bag?' Cassie suggested. She didn't think it made a difference but Sam might as well be comfortable.

It took all three of them to coax Sam into giving up her scribbling and lying down on the bag. Sam muttered under her breath, shifting restlessly. Her fingers continue to scribble even though she was without pen and paper.

'She's not happy.' Daniel noted uneasily. He looked at Jack. The silent question of whether they were doing the right thing, what Sam herself would want, hovered in the air.

Jack grimaced. 'If this works she can yell at us all she wants.' He determined. He nodded at Cassie to go ahead.

Cassie took out the healing device and knelt beside her. She closed her eyes and thought of Sam; of hearing her voice for the first time and the way Sam had reassured her, how Sam had held her hand when she had walked through the Stargate for the first time...

Cassie could feel the healing light flow through her but she knew it wasn't working even before she opened her eyes. The device couldn't heal what had happened to Sam. Cassie slumped back onto her heels. She didn't want to look up and see the disappointment in Jack's and Daniel's eyes.

'It didn't work.' Daniel said quietly.

Cassie shook her head. 'I'm not certain, I mean, Vala might be able to help her - she has more experience of using the healing device than I do but...I think, whatever's wrong with her,' she swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat, 'I think the injury is just too great to be healed by the device.'

Jack got to his feet. 'You did your best.'

She heard his footsteps walk away and when she looked up he was gone from the room.

Daniel tried to smile at her but when he couldn't muster one up he turned back to Sam. 'Come on, Sam. You can get up now.'

He helped her off the sleeping bag and back to the brazier, settling her down with her note book. Sam gave a happy murmur and started writing quickly; her attention completely focused on whatever numbers and equations were running through her head.

Cassie wandered back over to the fire, uncertain of what to do; what to say.

'Can you stay with her?' Daniel asked, straightening and stretching to ease out the kinks in his muscles. 'I want to check on Jack.'

Cassie grabbed hold of his hand before he could leave. 'Let me go.' It was evident he and Jack were butting heads and while she knew that was just part of who they were, she didn't think Jack was going to appreciate another lecture on how the dragons weren't to blame for what had happened to Sam.

Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he slowly nodded in agreement. 'He usually sits out on the top of the steps.'

Cassie patted his shoulder and made for the door. She followed the passageway back out into the bright sunlight and blinked madly as her eyes adjusted. The heat drenched her in sweat within seconds and lightly scorched her sensitive skin.

Jack hadn't gone far; he sat on the top step of the staircase exactly where Daniel had said he would be. His face was set in harsh lines; an impassive mask of granite that wasn't exactly welcoming; his sunglasses an extra barrier between him and the rest of the world.

She walked over and sat beside him anyway. She didn't speak for a long time, breathing in the scented air and looking out at the vast landscape with its green carpet of jungle and brilliantly blue sky.

The dragon had followed her out and it sniffed around the top of the staircase before running down into the empty forum below. She tracked it as it chased around around a small bird and a scampering creature of some sort. It seemed happy to be out in the air.

'I'm sorry.' Cassie said eventually.

'Not your fault.' Jack shifted, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands in front of him. His jaw tensed.

'It's not your fault either.' Cassie remarked. She hooked her arm around his and leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder.

Jack didn't reply and Cassie knew he wouldn't confide in her. She hugged his arm and hoped he'd accept her comfort. There was a long pause when she thought he wasn't going to before he moved and slid a hand over hers.

'Doc would have been very proud of you.' Jack murmured.

Cassie closed her eyes to hide her tears. 'I miss her so much.'

Jack gave a huff of agreement.

Her Mom would have known how to have helped Sam, Cassie mused. She would have been able to reassure Jack because her Mom had always known how to do that. She had been a wonderful doctor.

'Of course your Mom would also have had a conniption fit at you being off-world on a mission putting yourself in danger to save us.' Jack said conversationally.

Cassie couldn't prevent the laugh that bubbled up and escaped her, because it was too true. 'Are you planning on having a conniption fit on her behalf?' She asked, amused as she remembered his greeting the night before and his words at the fire over breakfast.

'Nah.' Jack bumped her shoulder with his own. 'I'll leave that to Carter.'

There it was again, Cassie thought; Jack's absolute certainty that Sam would make it through OK. She wondered whether he was just in denial or whether he needed to believe it to offset his own guilt and fear over what had happened.

'We should go back inside so I can heal your ribs.' Cassie suggested.

Jack nodded but he didn't move. He pointed at the dragon. 'You know it could be a Goa'uld.'

He sensed the naquadah too, Cassie realised. He hardly ever spoke of the time that he had been a Tok'ra host but it had left him with the same physiological legacies as Sam even if he usually denied it.

'It's not.' Cassie said, confidently. 'I doubt a Goa'uld would want a baby dragon for a host.'

Jack didn't look convinced. 'Either way, you know we can't take Puff home with us.'

Cassie looked at him askance. 'Puff?' She spluttered.

Jack smirked. 'Teal'c named it this morning.'

'Puff?' She repeated indignant. Her little dragon was so not a Puff. Maybe a Drake or Draco; she'd been playing with the name Marmaduke – but he was definitely not a Puff. Cassie pressed her lips together. She'd talk with Teal'c later. 'Weren't you the one who told me every kid had to have a dog?'

'It's not a dog.' Jack pointed out exasperated.

'Maybe every kid has to have a dragon.' Cassie retorted. 'It's like an alien rule.'

Jack's eyes narrowed on her. 'When did you become such a smart-ass?'

'I was taught by the best.' Cassie said, primly, trying to keep the smile off her face.

Jack's chest puffed out proudly. 'So you were.'

'Mom was a wonderful smart-ass.' Cassie said cheekily.

Jack's mouth fell open a little before he slammed it shut and wagged his finger at her. 'Oh you are so going to pay.'

Cassie giggled. After all the stress and worry of the previous weeks, the light-heartedness of their exchange had her almost giddy. She hugged Jack. 'I was really worried about you.' The admission slipped from her lips before she could call it back.

Jack tightened his grip on her. 'We're OK.'

Cassie let herself be comforted for another moment before she moved. 'Come on.'

She knew she could heal Jack and maybe, just maybe, it would make them both feel better about not healing Sam.