Meant To Be 8

My Hero

by SJSlashfan

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sjslashfan/meantt08.php
Summary: Cassie settles in, but fears she may have lost yet another parent when Sam and the colonel fail to return with the others from a mission.

"What's a birthday?" Cassie asked in response to Sam's question.

"A birthday?" Sam was surprised she didn't know. "Well, a birthday is a celebration of the day you were born. Every year, on that day, you celebrate. People give you cards, and gifts, and make a fuss of you. Didn't you celebrate your birthday on Hanka?"

Cassie shook her head. "No," she said. "We didn't do anything like that at all. We always had a celebration when it was time for the harvest, but that was everybody. We never celebrated birth. Except when the baby arrives, then everyone is real happy." Cassie looked sad as she remembered how things were on her home planet.

Sam smiled gently. "I'll bet everybody was real happy when you were born," she said. "I'm sorry, Cass, I didn't mean to make you sad."

"That's okay," Cassie said. "Sometimes it's nice to remember."

"That's good, honey," Sam gave her a warm hug.

= = =

"We're gonna have to put something on this form," Sam said, as she peered gloomily at the huge sheaf of paperwork in front of her. "She doesn't know when her birthday is and, even if she did, the Hankan calendar is so different to Earth's. Each month is 42 days long, and there are 14 months in a year. But we have to put something if the Air Force are gonna be able to get us the right papers for her."

"She said she was coming up to her eighth summer, right?" Janet could see that Sam was worried about their daughter.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"So how old would that make her in Earth years?" Janet asked. "You're the one that's good with numbers," she smiled.

"Around 11," Sam said.

"Well I have an idea," Janet suggested. "Let's have an eleventh birthday party for her soon. Let's get the guys over, and Sharon and Cora and the kids. And General Hammond might bring his granddaughters Tessa and Kayla. Cassie needs to socialize with Earth kids, so that she gets used to them. We could make it a real special day for her."

Sam brightened. "Do you think she'd like that?" she asked.

Janet smiled. "What kid doesn't like a birthday party?" she said. "Though we don't want to startle her, we should give her some warning."

Sam looked at the calendar on the wall. "How about the middle of next month?" she suggested. "July 12th? It falls on a Saturday. And the weather should be good, so maybe we could have a barbecue."

"That would please the colonel," Janet smiled again. "C'mon, let's go tell her together, huh?"

= = =

"That was a perfect day," Janet said as she lay in Sam's arms on the couch late in the evening of Cassie's birthday, Angus the dog snoozing happily on her front.

"It really was, wasn't it?" Sam agreed. "Did you see her face when we gave her the bike?" she asked.

Janet smiled fondly. The look of delight on their daughter's face was something she would never forget. "It was good to make her happy, wasn't it baby?" she said.

Sam hugged her as best as she could from behind. "Yeah," she said dreamily. "Poor Cass has had so much sadness in her life so far, it was real good just to see her having so much fun."

"Mikey thinks she's great too, huh?" Janet said. "I think he may have a bit of a crush."

Sam pretended to pout. "I thought I was Mikey's crush," she stuck out her bottom lip comically. "Does that mean he doesn't love me any more?" she tried not to laugh.

"You'll always be his number one, Sam," Janet smiled in return. "Anybody who can fix his trains will always be up there!"

Sam laughed. "Just so long as I'm not being sidelined for a younger woman," she said with a grin. "Hey," she nudged Janet gently. "You know what would make this day even more perfect?"

"Nothing could," Janet replied firmly. "It's been wonderful. All day. And," she said, her voice hitching slightly at the memory, "Cassie called me 'Mom' earlier, did you hear her?"

"I sure did," Sam smiled. "That's who you are to her now, honey, you're her Mom. She loves you."

"She loves you too, baby," Janet turned in Sam's hold, wriggling so that she was facing her, taking care not to wake the sleeping Angus. She kissed Sam softly. "And she's not the only one," she kissed her again.

"You mean Mikey, huh?" Sam teased.

Janet let out a peal of laughter. "I was thinking of Angus actually," she joked.

"You didn't let me finish," Sam reminded her.

"Finish what?" Janet asked.

"Finish telling you how we could make this day even more perfect," Sam grinned.

"Well then, how could we... oh," Janet smiled broadly. "I think I know what you're thinking, Captain Carter. You're thinking maybe we could finish the day the same way we started it," she remembered back with a grin to their passionate love-making session at 5am that morning.

Sam grinned back. "Something like that," she said. "Maybe even better."

"Better?" Janet asked. "I think you'll find it doesn't get much better than this morning, baby," she ran her hand down Sam's cheek.

"Is that a challenge Dr Fraiser?" Sam asked, a distinct twinkle in her eye.

"Are you gonna take it on?" Janet replied, her eyes darkening with lust.

"Just you try and stop me," Sam's voice became husky.

= = =

"Well," Janet gasped hours later. "When you're right, you're right," she tried to calm her breathing.

Sam grinned widely, and kissed Janet thoroughly. "You should know never to argue with an astrophysicist," she said, her voice equally ragged.

"I love you Sam," Janet said, suddenly serious.

"Right back at ya," Sam said. "You've changed my life Jan. You and Cassie. Never leave me, huh?" she suddenly looked panicked at the thought.

"I'll always be here, Sam," Janet said. "For as long as the sun continues to rise. And even after that, I'll be with you. By your side. Loving you." She snuggled into Sam's side.

= = =

"How long will you be gone?" Janet knew her voice sounded whiny. She hated it when Sam went away, but this time it seemed worse. She realized her trepidation was partly due to the fact that this was the first overnight mission Sam had had to go on since Cassandra had come into their lives.

"Two nights, three maximum," Sam reassured her. "According to our data, P4A-771 is inhabited, and there's evidence of some high-level technology. It's really just a meet-and-greet, should be fine."

"We'll miss you," Janet tried to pull herself together, as Cassandra entered their kitchen.

"Why will we miss her Mom?" Cassie asked. "Are you going somewhere Sam?" she looked concerned.

"It's nothing to worry about honey," Sam said in a reassuring tone. "We have a mission, is all. I'll be back by Wednesday, Thursday at the very latest. And we're taking you bowling on Friday, you've gotta know I'm gonna be here for that!" she grinned at Cassie. "I need you to help me beat your Mom, she's a demon at the bowling alley."

Cassie looked incredulous. "Mom is?" she asked. "But she's so little!"

"Watch what you say, young lady," Janet's tone was mock. "I may be small, but I'm deadly. Just ask Sam."

Sam smiled and nodded. "She's not kidding, Cass. I asked her to bowl with me against the guys when I was first getting to know her. I really just wanted an excuse to spend time with her. And she was amazing. I don't think the colonel thought women could bowl until he saw your Mom in action. He revised his opinion pretty fast."

Janet grinned. "See what a romantic Sam is?" she teased. "First date, she takes me to a bowling alley."

"It wasn't a date!" Sam protested. "The bowling was before I plucked up the courage to ask you on a date. I can be romantic when I want to be," she winked at Janet.

Janet swallowed and looked away, trying not to blush. "It's true, Cass," she said, "nobody is more romantic than Sam. Not in the ways that count."

= = =

"You be good for your Mom, huh, squirt?" Sam gave Cassie a big hug. For the time being, Cassie was coming into the mountain with them, and spent much of the day in Janet's office, painting and reading, while she got acclimatized to life on Earth. She would start school at the beginning of the next semester, so Sam and Janet were taking advantage of the weeks before to try and get her used to the way things were done on Earth.

"I will, Sam, I swear," Cassie said solemnly. "I'll miss you."

"I'll be home before you know it," Sam reassured her. She turned to Janet. "You be good too, Jan," she teased gently. "Cassie will tell me if you start inviting strange women into the house!"

Janet gave a small smile. "Do you really have to go?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Sam looked closely at her. "Is something wrong, baby?" she asked, concerned. "Don't you feel good? I could talk to the colonel about maybe missing this mission if you need me?"

Janet shook her head. "I'm being dumb," she said. "I'm just gonna miss you, that's all. I'm fine, honey, truly I am. We all are. Me, Cass, Angus. We'll be waiting for you when you get back."

Sam took her in her arms. "As long as you're sure," she said gently. "You know how much I love you, huh?" she asked. "All of you?" she looked pointedly at Cassie who smiled and nodded. She kissed Janet tenderly on the lips. "I'll see you in a couple of days," she said, as she left Janet's office.

= = =

"Daniel must've misdialed," a shaken Sam said to the colonel. Where the hell were they? This didn't look like the SGC, it was more like an ice planet. "We have supplies for three days, we can stretch that," she explained to the colonel. "I just need to find the DHD, get us out of here."

"We are gonna get out of here, Captain," O'Neill said. "That's an order."

"Yes sir," Sam replied, trying to sound confident, and tamping down the fear that clawed at her heart.

= = =

"What in the hell do you mean?" Janet's voice was icy with fear. "How could you and Daniel be here if she and the colonel aren't?" She was relieved that Cassandra was in the commissary and wasn't there to hear bad news about Sam. "So where is she?" Janet demanded.

"I do not know, Dr Fraiser," Teal'c replied in a respectful tone. "But please be aware that we will do all that we can to locate both Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill."

"Have they sent a probe?" Janet asked sharply.

"They are not able to do so," Teal'c explained. "The Stargate is inoperational. I believe Sergeant Siler is attending to it. He will carry out the repairs as quickly as possible."

Janet tried to keep control of her breathing, realizing that she was becoming light-headed. Teal'c guided her gently into a chair. "She can't be missing," Janet whispered. "She can't."

"We will do all in our power to ensure that Captain Carter is restored to you," Teal'c sounded calm and confident.

= = =

"Mommy!" Cassie screamed as she woke herself from a nightmare that night.

Janet ran into her bedroom, and put her arms round the sobbing child. "Shh," she said softly. "Shh, honey. You're okay now. It was a bad dream. It's all over now." Janet had reluctantly decided to take Cassie home that evening. Siler told her that it would be at least 14 hours until the Stargate was operational again and, though her every instinct screamed at her that she should be as near Sam as she possibly could be, she knew that it would be better for Cassie if they came back home. There was nothing they could do at the mountain. And they had all sworn to call her if there were any developments at all. So Janet reluctantly headed home with their daughter. She had been relieved when she went in to check on Cassie when she made her own way to be at 1am to see that the child was apparently sleeping peacefully. But now, at 3am, she had woken in fear. The poor girl had already lost two parents, Janet thought to herself; neither of them could bear it if she lost a third.

"I'm scared Mom. What if we never see her again?" Cassie asked.

"We can't think like that," Janet said. "We have to believe she's okay. We know that she's gonna do everything she possibly can to get back to us. And she's real smart, Cass, never forget that," Janet tried to reassure both her daughter and herself. "If anybody can do it, she can."

= = =

"It's only been two days," Daniel's voice was gentle. "Sam and Jack can take care of themselves, Janet. They're seasoned soldiers. She'll be fine, Janet. I'm sure of it."

= = =

"Antarctica?" Janet was incredulous. "They've been on Earth all this time?"

"That's what we think," Daniel told her.

"When do we leave?" Janet demanded. "I can be ready in ten minutes. Half hour if I need all the med kit."

"A truck is taking us to the airfield in half an hour. Full medical equipment will be available at McMurdo. They might even have located them by the time we get there," General Hammond told Janet. "They have a medical team on standby, but I told them we'd likely be taking our own doctor, is that right Dr Fraiser?"

"Damned straight it is," Janet's mouth was set in a firm line.

= = =

"Cassie, sweetie, I need you to stay with Sharon and Cora and the kids, just for a couple of days until I bring Sam back, okay?" Janet explained to her daughter.

"I understand Mom," Cassie said. "You should get ready. I'll see you both when you get back," she tried to keep her voice steady.

Janet could see how brave she was being. "You're amazing," she told Cassie, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'll call you, I swear. As soon as we find her and we know she's gonna be okay."

"I love you Mom," Cassie said. "Tell Sam I love her too."

"I will," Janet's voice cracked. "I will."

= = =

As she was lowered into the crevasse, Janet was terrified of what she would find. Sam and the colonel had been trapped for close on four days, and the temperature was well below freezing. She knew Sam was a trained officer, but the conditions were savage.

As the team set up bright flashlights, Janet caught a glimpse of something. She ran, skidding over the icy ground, and her heart leapt as she saw the unmistakeable shape of Sam and Jack O'Neill, huddled together. The colonel was mostly underneath Sam, and Janet could see that Sam was trying to shield him from the cold with her own body. Surely nobody could survive that? With great trepidation, she tore off her glove and pressed her hand to Sam's neck, almost flinching at the cold flesh. She felt a heartbeat! It was weak and slow, but unmistakably there. Then, miraculously, Sam's eyes fluttered open. "Dreaming?" Sam croaked.

"No baby," Janet said, running her hand gently down Sam's face. "It's not a dream. I'm here, we're all here. We're gonna get you out of here. You're both gonna be fine." She called for blankets and a stretcher, and supervised as Sam was carefully swaddled in warm blankets and lifted into the basket stretcher. A second doctor from McMurdo attended to O'Neill.

Janet immediately fitted an IV to Sam. Sam's eyes opened again. "Colonel...," her voice was barely audible, "he's bleeding internally," her eyes shut again as if in pain.

"We know, baby," Janet soothed. "Don't worry, he's going to be alright. And so are you sweetie, so are you."

= = =

In the event, it was almost a week before Janet judged it safe to transport Sam back to the SGC. Sam's core body temperature had fallen significantly further than the colonel's, due entirely to Sam's attempts to protect him, at the expense of her own safety. Janet kept her on warmed air for two days, as her temperature slowly began to rise. She slept for much of the time, and seemed very disoriented when she awoke.

"I'm sorry, honey," Janet explained to Cassie on the 'phone during her daily call. "I swear to you she's gonna be okay. But she's real tired right now, and a bit confused. I don't want to stress her any further by getting her to talk on the 'phone. She asked after you though, one of the first things she said. She loves you so much, Cass, we both do. Tomorrow she should be able to talk. Can you wait one more day?"

"Okay," Cassie said. "Tell her I love her, huh? And you too Mom. Angus and I are missing you both."

"Are you okay at Sharon and Cora's?" Janet asked.

"Yeah," Cassie said. "They've been real nice to me. And Mikey loves playing with Angus. We're okay Mom."

"I love you Cassie," Janet said. "You're very brave."

"That's what Sam said," Cassie was suddenly moved to tears.

"She was right," Janet replied.

= = =

"Hey," Janet smiled as Sam opened her eyes on the fifth day. "You're looking better," she said.

Sam grimaced. "I feel like shit," she said succinctly, her voice hoarse.

"I know, sweetie, we're doing what we can to make you feel better. You've had a real bad time Sam, but it's all over now," Janet kept her voice soft.

"The colonel?" Sam looked concerned.

"He's fine," Janet took her hand and interlaced her fingers with her own. "Doin' better than you, in fact. You took real good care of him, baby. He's in the next room, giving the nurses a hard time. He wanted to come in here, see how you're doing. Only the threat of the extra-large needles deterred him. And the promise that he could come see you tomorrow."

Sam's eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't get him out of there," she whispered. "And then... I gave up. I'm so sorry, Jan. I gave up."

Janet brought Sam's fingers to her lips and kissed them softly. "You did get him out, honey. If it hadn't been for you, they would never have detected the tremor and worked out where you were. And you did all that you could, you really did. You've got the bruises to prove it too," Janet winced in sympathy at the memory of the terrible purpling marks all over Sam's body. "You were a true hero. The colonel says so himself."

"I'm no hero," Sam tried not to cry.

Janet kissed her softly on the lips. "You're my hero," she said. "You always will be."

Next: Duty Bound