"Mum," Cassie called out as she came in the door. Throwing her school books onto the hall table, she ran her hands through her long hair, lifting the weight off her neck then massaging her scalp. She could feel the beginnings of a headache forming behind her eyes. The French assignment she’d been working on all week was due tomorrow and she still had hours of work to have it finished on time. In the past she would have called Daniel for help. Grief hit her unexpectedly, tears filling her eyes. "Damn," she said quietly, "I miss him."
Cassie sighed, wiping her eyes with her fingers then rolled her neck. She made her way through the house, finding it strangely silent though she knew her mother was home as her car was parked in the driveway.
"Cassie." There was something in Janet’s tone that had Cassie turning to the kitchen doorway startled. A hand went to her chest. She instinctively knew something had happened.
"Mum?" The tears still swimming in her eyes fell onto her cheeks unchecked.
Without a word Janet moved forward to hug her daughter. Cassie felt her heart jump as she noticed the tremors running through the woman she was holding. The last time her mother had been like this was when she told Cassie Daniel had died, well . . . ascended but it amounted to the same thing – he was gone.
"Cassie." Janet pushed her back to arms length. "Daniel’s back," she choked out.
Stunned disbelief filled Cassie. The words seemed to echo through her head. More tears filled her eyes to roll down her cheeks. ‘Back?"
"Descended." Janet confirmed smiling through her tears and the two women fell into each others arm crying and laughing.
After several minutes they pulled apart, each finding a handkerchief to wipe away the tears. "What happened?" Cassie asked, still holding her mother’s hand like a lifeline.
"SG-1 went to a planet on a mission and found Daniel there. Descended, flesh and blood. He didn’t remember them, doesn’t remember anything. We’re guessing he’s being punished by Oma for interfering on Abydos."
Cassie remembered that horrible night when Janet had come home and told her of the fate of the Abydonians, they’d cried in each other’s arms, huddled in the dark. Prior to this the two women had secretly held out hope Daniel would descend as they knew Orlin had but, with what had happened, that had then seemed hopeless.
"He doesn’t remember anything?" Cassie repeated. "Not even me?" Cassie asked with a cheeky grin.
"Sorry." Janet smiled and the women hugged again.
"When can I see him?" Cassie pulled back to eagerly ask the question uppermost in her mind.
"Cassie," Janet led her daughter into the lounge room and they sat side by side on the sofa. Janet turned to hold Cassie’s hands in hers. "We have to give him some space. See what he remembers on his own. He can’t even leave the mountain yet."
"How long before he can?" All Cassie’s excitement was clear in her tone and Janet couldn’t hold back a grin.
"Honey, it’s too early to tell." Janet squeezed the hands she held in hers, marveling for a moment how much they had grown from the first time she’d held them. Where had the years gone? "We just have to be patient."
Cassie took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as a radiant smile transformed her face. "The main thing is that he’s back. I can wait."
Later than evening, after her French assignment was completed and ready to hand in, Cassie sat upon her bed, a photo album opened before her. She hadn’t been able to even look at these photos for the past year. Now her eyes reacquainted themselves with the precious images laid out on the colorful pages.
She ran a trembling finger over a beloved face, surrounded by longer hair than Daniel had worn in years, and thought of the bond the two of them had formed almost from the beginning. Both orphans, both more intelligent than their peers, both struggling to find their niche in the world in which fate had placed them.
Daniel, at times, still seemed so young. He and Cassie had developed a complicated relationship – sometimes uncle and niece, other times older brother and younger sister and, at the best times, good and close friends.
It was through Daniel Cassie had discovered her interest in languages and was now focused on a career as a linguist, hopefully one day working for the UN. ‘Or,’ she thought with a smile, ‘on an SG team going to other planets.’
As Cassie had grown up she’d watched Daniel grow too, losing a lot of the innocence that he’d had when she’d first met him. After losing his wife he’d shut himself away. Cassie, only being fourteen at the time, wanted to comfort him but didn’t know how. She was somewhat relieved when her mother had told her she’d seen Daniel speaking with General Hammond. Both men had lost their wives and Janet explained this shared connection would help the general get through to their favorite archaeologist.
And it had. It took long months but eventually Daniel had returned to them. A sadder, older and wiser Daniel but Cassie loved him just the same.
"How do I look?" Cassie asked Janet as she walked down the stairs. Her stomach was tied in knots with nerves, even though she kept telling herself it was silly to be so nervous just because she was going to see Daniel for the first time since he had descended. She had been on tenterhooks for the past two weeks, waiting and hoping she’d be allowed to see him soon.
Janet bit her lip as she surveyed the young woman before her. "You look so grown up."
"They’ll be here in a moment, don’t make me cry," Cassie begged glancing in the hall mirror to check her hair was staying where she wanted it to.
The doorbell sounded and Cassie caught her breath. ‘Be calm’, she told herself as she watched Janet walk towards the door. ‘Daniel doesn’t need some female he doesn’t even remember hysterically crying all over him.’
Janet opened the door and Cassie’s breath caught as she saw Daniel standing on the porch with Jack, Sam and Teal’c hovering over his shoulder. His eyes, those beautiful blue eyes she’d missed so much, moved past Janet to fall onto Cassie, they moved over her face, then widened in recognition.
Then he smiled. "Cassie." The name said almost inaudibly but loud enough for the young woman to forget all her poise and run the last few steps down the hall and fling herself into Daniel’s arms.
"I’ve missed you so much, Daniel," she muffled into his neck, tears closing her throat, as his arms closed around her. "Welcome back."
Author’s Notes: This is the 8th story in the series – each story stands alone and each deals with Daniel’s return from a different POV. Thanks to DebA for this story idea and to Aloysius for her, as always, wonderful beta and Jill for the name – The Schoolgirl and The Scholar just sounded too kinky!
© November, 2003 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.