Yeah it's been forever since I've updated anything, and I know I'm behind on multiple stories, but grad school is kicking my butt. I just finished up with my second clinical placement (two more to go before I graduate next year!) but I have another semester starting next week. Who knows how frequently I'll still be able to update, but I love writing and still want to finish all of my stories. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
July 1999
They'd been having a great day so far. Janet had to do monthly rounds at the Academy hospital, so Cassie had gotten to spend the day with Sam. She had roped Daniel into their plans—they had gone out to have lunch and then had gone to the movies to see The Iron Giant. Cassie thought she was being clever by picking a movie about a robot from an alien planet, but she hadn't planned on crying. She was a little gratified to see that Sam and Daniel looked equally as emotional by the end of the movie, so she knew it wasn't just her. It might not have been Jack's sort of movie, but he still would have watched with her with only minimal complaints. Cassie had a feeling that Teal'c would have loved the movie as well, so she knew she was going to have to bust it out at the next SG-1/Frasier movie night.
After that, they had gone to pick up some books at Daniel's favorite used bookstore. Daniel and Cassie had even conned Sam into picking up milkshakes, and Cassie had convinced Daniel to call Jack and see if he could come over for dinner, and to pick up Teal'c from the SGC on his way.
Now, Jack was manning the grill with Teal'c standing watch, to ensure that the cheeseburgers and hotdogs didn't get charred to a crisp. Sam had asked Cassie to come into the house and gather paper plates, utensils, and napkins so that they could eat dinner outside. What Cassie had missed, however, was the look that Sam sent Daniel's way, so that he knew to follow them into the house. When Cassie had turned around and saw Sam and Daniel standing in the kitchen, with equally concerned but compassionate looks on their faces, she knew that something was up.
"Hey, Cass. We need to have a chat."
Cassie huffed out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Like any other twelve year old, she did not enjoy hearing the words "we need to have a chat." Those words were generally followed by some long, lecture-type discussion that always left her feeling a little antsy.
Cassie's chats also came with a special caveat—whenever her mother, or Sam, or Jack, or General Hammond said those words to her and had that look on their faces, it meant that there was something alien-related they needed her to know about. And the fact that she had Daniel backing her up meant that something really serious was going on.
Sam and Daniel were leaning against the counters by the sink the Frasier kitchen. Cassie sighed again, pulled a soda out of the fridge, popped the top on the can, and then leaned on the kitchen island opposite the sink, waiting for them to start. Something big must have happened on one of their previous missions for them to have that look on their faces.
Neither Sam nor Daniel said anything for several long moments. They kept swapping pointed looks with one another, in a way that siblings tended to do—that whole "you start," "no, you start," sort of way. Cassie let them go like that for another few moments, mostly because it was so amusing to watch. They looked like they were about to start elbowing one another at any moment.
Finally taking pity on them, Cassie said, "Well, you guys might as well get on with it."
Daniel patted Sam's shoulder and gave her his patent encouragement look. Sam ran her hand through her hair and leaned down so she was eye-level with Cassie. "There's some side-effects from the Naquadah in our systems," she said bluntly.
Cassie thought on this for a long moment. She couldn't say that she was very surprised at that revelation—there had been many discussions on how the naquadah might affect her and Sam. Cassie didn't feel that she was any different, though, which she felt was the most important thing. Most times, she even forgot that she was an alien from another planet. She felt like a normal girl more often than not and at twelve years old, that was important for her.
"Confirmed side effects? Not just theoretical ones?" Cassie finally asked.
Sam smiled at her, knowing that she had picked up those words from hearing Sam and Daniel talk about their professions so often. Leaning into the science made things a little easier to understand, as Sam knew all too well.
"Confirmed side effects," Sam told her. "We can use Goa'uld technology."
Cassie wrinkled her nose and tried to ignore the little jump of fear she felt in her heart. "I don't want to use Goa'uld technology," she said immediately. Despite her best efforts, she could feel her heart beat faster in her chest and her palms grow sweaty. "I don't," she said again, as though the conviction in her voice could change this newly discovered ability by sheer force of will.
"Oh, sweetie." Sam wrapped her arm around Cassie's shoulder and pulled her into her side, hugging her. Daniel rubbed Cassie's back, and she closed her eyes and just let them comfort her. Cassie had always done her very best to put on a brave face, but sometimes, she was just a twelve year old girl who needed someone to lean on.
As Cassie did her best to fight back tears, Sam and Daniel exchanged a look; they understood each other completely now, following the conversation that had started on Cimmeria. Out of all the Goa'uld technology they had come across over the past couple of years, the healing device certainly had the most potential in actually doing good for the SGC, instead of causing some sort of destruction.
Sam, though, was the only person who could actually use it, and they weren't going to ask her to leave her position on the SGC's flagship team and as the Stargate's foremost expert just so she could start healing people who came back from injured from missions. They had no idea what kind of side effects constantly using a device like that might cause, and there were all sorts of ethical issues in a situation like that to begin with.
Looking at the way Cassie was trying to hide her face now, however, made Daniel rethink his original opinion at the first implication of using the healing device. Because now Cassie was the second person on Earth who might be able to use the healing device, and she was only twelve years old. The Goa'uld had destroyed her life, her people, her whole planet, and the thought of subjecting her to anything involving them made Daniel's stomach twist.
Still holding Cassie, Sam reached over and squeezed Daniel's arm. She knew that his main thought had been about Sha're, about what it would have meant to have someone that could heal her if they ever figured out a way to remove Amaunet from her body. Daniel was someone who had experienced profound loss in his life, and was constantly looking for ways to relieve that pain. Sam understood that Daniel dove headfirst into the concept of the healing device, holding on to it like a beacon of hope. Something like that could have changed all of their lives—Sam's mother, Jack's son, Teal'c's father—but that was in the past, and it was set. The future, and what might happen to Sha're, was still uncertain.
Daniel smiled at Sam, understanding her wordless communication. He ducked down and tried to catch Cassie's eye. "Hey, you know what, Cass? You're on Earth, and you're safe now. No one is ever going to ask you to use Goa'uld technology, and no one is going force you to do something you don't want to do."
"We wanted you to know," Sam continued. "Because it's important for you to know about changes that might happen to you." If anyone knew what it was like to be unsure of what your body might do next, it was Sam. Her experience with Jolinar was still rather fresh in her mind, even though it happened over a year ago. It seemed like every time she turned around while off-world, she was finding something out new about herself because of Jolinar.
Sam didn't want that for Cassie, but with the Naquadah that had remained as the bomb had dissolved in Cassie's system, it was something that they all had to keep in mind. The changes Sam found out about herself could affect Cassie as well, and Sam didn't want to the young girl to be surprised by anything that may happen. The more that they could keep Cassie informed, the better prepared they would be.
Cassie took a deep, shuddering breath. "I just want to be a kid," she said in a quiet voice.
Daniel, having gotten a grip on his emotions, squeezed Cassie's shoulder. "You are a kid," he assured her. "And you've had to deal with some pretty big stuff."
"But we're here for you," Sam reminded Cassie. "Me, and Daniel, and the Colonel, and Teal'c, your mom, and everyone else at the SGC. We're here for you, we'll protect you, and we'll teach you. We'll work it out. Together."
Cassie pulled back and stared at Sam for a long moment, her eyes entirely too knowing for a girl of twelve years old. Sam smiled back reassuringly, trying to convey as much positivity as possible. There were a lot of unknowns in this situation, ones that Sam was more equipped to deal with, as an adult, officer, and scientist. Whether they liked it or not, there were going to be surprises—and likely, a lot of them—over the upcoming years. Sam was confident that they could keep their promise to Cassie, though. They would protect her, no matter what.
"Okay, Sam," Cassie finally said. She smiled up at Daniel too, knowing that both he and Sam would never lie to her. They hadn't before, and they certainly wouldn't start now.
In that incredibly resilient way that children had, Cassie took another deep breath, shook herself a little bit, and smiled brightly. "Can I go now? I want to tell Teal'c about the movie!"
They sent Cassie off, standing in the kitchen and looking out the window as she ran outside and started babbling to Teal'c and Jack a mile a minute. Neither Sam nor Daniel moved, standing in a slightly tense silence for several long moments.
"You're still worried, aren't you?" Daniel finally asked.
Sam sent Daniel a small smile. She should have known that by now, Daniel could read her like a book. "We still don't know what kind of effect Naquadah fully has on the human body," she said. "It's hard not to be concerned."
"Janet said that both you and Cassie are in perfect health, though. Right?"
"Yeah, for now." Sam shrugged her shoulders, watching as Janet entered the backyard with Doc on a leash and a bag full of groceries. She always insisted that Jack didn't have enough side dishes for the dinners, as you couldn't make a full meal based on meat and chips. Cassie squealed excitedly and ran to hug her mother, then bent down to pet her dog. She looked just like a kid again, like she wasn't from a different planet and didn't have to deal with aliens messing with her life.
"But Nirrti did experiments on her and while that bomb dissolved and is no longer causing any problems, god only knows what else she might have done." Sam sighed. "I just hate that it's a waiting game."
Daniel squeezed Sam's arm and thought about how much pressure Sam put on herself. She knew what she could do, especially now since they discovered that Sam could use Goa'uld technology that otherwise wouldn't be accessible to them. Daniel knew that Sam didn't know this, but Jack and General Hammond had gone out of their way and called in quite a few favors to make sure Sam didn't become a lab rat at the NID. They had all rallied around Cassie for the same reason. With the might of the entire SGC behind them, no one would get to Cassie and Sam.
"We'll figure it out," Daniel said, with more confidence than he probably had a right to feel. But they had been in some tight spots before, and somehow, everything had worked out. Daniel had to believe that at the end of the day, Cassie would be alright.
Sam thought for a long moment, probably thinking of a million different factors and a million and one different outcomes. She looked out the window again, and watched the little family she had somehow become a part of—Janet harassing Jack by the grill, Teal'c studiously making sure nothing was actually getting burnt, and Cassie and Doc running around the backyard. Finally, she smiled at Daniel giving him a hug from the side.
"Yeah," she finally said. "Yeah, I think we will."
I have to imagine that there were multiple conversations about alien-related things and how Cassie will grow up, and how it all might affect her life, and I wanted to touch on it here. Of course, this is a precursor to "Rite of Passage." As always, thank you for reading!
