Reflections
by Nike




E-MAIL: nikejohnston@hotmail.com
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Cassie's thoughts.
CATEGORY: D&J, est. relationship, Cassie's POV
SPOILERS: None
SEASON/SEQUEL: Sequel to 'The Prophet' and 'Axiom', Third story in the 'Prophet' series.
STATUS: Complete
DISCLAIMER: "All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This one's a little longer than previous chapters. What can I say? I got carried away....
*~*~*~* denotes the start and end of the 'flashback'
Thanks to Kat, the ever-wonderful beta ;)
Oh, Bry-yn? TAG!
FEEDBACK: Come on, I need the encouragement. 0:)
They say that prophets have often spoken their visions of the future while in a state of great joy, often induced by music or dancing. As I stare around the crowded hall, thronged with familiar faces - laughing, crying, embracing, dancing to the beat of the band in the corner - I fight to suppress my grin. If what they say is true, at this moment I should be able to predict the exact date of the end of the universe itself.

I turn around, and catch my reflection in one of the mirrors that line the walls of the area designated the dancefloor. It bounces back from the opposite side of the hall, echoing infinitely; my image receding further and further back, indefinitely multiplied. As I stare, thousands of Cassandras matching my gaze, I feel a sudden chill. They say history repeats itself. How many other young women will experience a fate similar to mine? How many already have? The prophet Cassandra herself was dragged from her sanctuary in the temple of Athena after the fall of Troy, and was killed soon after. So what lies in store for me, as I stand here, on the brink of a new life, so many changes ready to sweep me away in their relentless tide?

***

The first morning, it felt strange. Despite the fact I knew they were seeing each other, that they had been for a while, and the fact I was grown-up enough to know that adult relationships involved more than hand-holding, it was still weird.

I was sure I could handle it perfectly well. It had never occurred to me that I might feel a little awkward in this new situation. I mean, it was *Daniel*, not some complete stranger.

I hadn't been *expecting* him, that was the problem. So when, at breakfast, there was one extra person involved, it came as a surprise. It was actually quite funny, watching Daniel squirm under my best chaperone's stare. When he spoke to Janet, he would constantly turn slightly to meet my unwavering gaze. I wasn't trying to be bratty. It was just a little unsettling. Janet had never had a boyfriend since I came to stay, and I suppose it's lucky it *was* Daniel, that he already knew me and Mom well, and wasn't going to up and run at the first sign of resistance from 'the daughter'.

SG-1 was on stand-down, so he had a week or so off, and since there were no big casualties at the SGC during that week, Janet was home every night too. We spent most of the time together, doing typical, every-day, family-type things. I knew it was a ploy to get me used to having Daniel around, to make me feel more included in their relationship. It worked, though, I have to admit. By the fourth morning, the sight of Daniel traipsing downstairs - hair ruffled, glasses slightly askew - no longer bothered me at all.

The change in Janet was remarkable, and perhaps that's what cemented my already-positive feelings about their relationship. Before, she had seemed a little nervous, on tenterhooks with me, worried as to how I would react in the long term. Now she was totally relaxed, and enjoying herself more than I'd ever seen before. It was infectious; I couldn't spend any great deal of time around her and *not* be delighted for them, if only because Janet was so thrilled herself. Having Daniel properly in her life filled a void somewhere. Something that had been missing for so long. Having that closeness, that special kind of secrecy, that love and affection... she transformed from the cheerful but brusque doctor I'd know to a mellower, younger, and above all happier woman. Don't get me wrong, she hadn't been entirely discontented before, and she'd never shown me anything but the most unconditional love. Perhaps that's why I didn't feel in any way threatened by Daniel. She was still my mother. She'd just acquired another parent for me along the way.

That week passed quickly, and so did the following weeks, then months. In almost no time at all, close to a year slipped past, and their relationship continued to grow. Arguments were occasional, and never particularly serious. There were, however, times rife with concern, when SG-1 failed to return from a mission on time, or Daniel went missing on one of the alien planets...

*~*~*~*

Only two months had passed before we hit our first major milestone. SG-1 had been sent out on 'routine exploration' - the details given to me were hazy, I only had limited clearance within the program, brought about by my 'alien' status - and had failed to return. At the time, Janet and I were at the Academy Hospital. She was working and I, having nothing to do for the weekend, was making myself as helpful as possible around her office. When the telephone rang, she answered it absentmindedly, her concentration focused on a file in front of her. Within a few seconds, the file lay forgotten and her attention was riveted to the caller. The distress in her voice was clear, as she snapped questions at the mouthpiece. Where? When? How long ago? She declared that she'd come straight over to the base, and with nowhere else to go at such short notice, I followed her.

I was politely confined to the infirmary, while Janet rushed off to General Hammond's office. She had been anxious the whole way over to the Mountain, though she tried to hide it, assuring me everything was fine, that she was sure it was nothing to worry about. But she still paced the infirmary, her head snapping up every time an airman travelled up to speak to her, only to be heart-wrenchingly disappointed when there was no news. A few hours later, when the voice over the PA announced incoming travellers, and the klaxons sounded, she fled to the Gateroom, barely remembering to order a team of medics to follow her. I sat silent and still in her office, forgotten in the clamour and mounting tension. Daniel had been through some terrible experiences, I knew, but SG-1 had always been able to get themselves out of whatever trouble they had already gotten themselves into. A short while later, Sam, Jack and Teal'c were led into the infirmary, though I only got a glimpse of them as the passed by then half-open office doorway before they were ushered away. I doubt they even noticed me at all. Janet followed in their wake, her face tight, features schooled into a controlled expression, but even from my position I could sense the fear and bitter disappointment that radiated from her. I knew instantly that Daniel had not returned with the others.

The following few hours were fraught with worry, tensions at the breaking point. There was a loud, angry argument which erupted from the main infirmary, during which I could hear Jack's furiously determined voice demanding they return to find Daniel, supported by Teal'c and Sam, and General Hammond's clipped words as he informed them that they were in no condition to go anywhere. I couldn't tell if he authorised a rescue mission: a sudden cessation of noise and echoing footsteps leading away from the infirmary signalled to me the discussion was over. And so I sat waiting, frightened and forgotten, alone in Janet's dim retreat. It was a long while later that she returned, pale and tired, and for a few moments she looked at me in bewilderment before realisation flooded her features.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."

She enfolded me in her arms, murmuring her regrets at leaving me alone for so long without any word, and I returned the embrace, suspecting she needed the contact more than I did at that moment. I felt a few tears slide down her cheek where it rested next to my hair, and I closed my eyes, holding onto her fiercely to try to remove some of the pain in her eyes; pain I knew would never be expelled until Daniel returned to us.

When she pulled back, wiping her eyes, she explained that SG-1 had been taken by surprise and Daniel had been captured on a planet supposedly uninhabited. The General had sent another two teams through, fully armed, to look for him. She turned away slightly, shivering. They'd find him soon, she told me, but her voice betrayed her own doubt and despair. I reached out and touched her arm, and she looked back at me, squeezing my hand briefly, before rising sharply and declaring that she had to get back to work, seeking my assurances that I'd be alright. I nodded, and she left, leaving me once again alone in the room, surrounded by a permeating feeling of hopelessness.

Barely three hours later, the rescue team returned. As I heard them filter into the infirmary, I crept over to the crack between the door and its frame. Four unfamiliar faces drifted by, listless and weary, before a fifth figure - clothes rumpled, glasses cracked and face streaked with mud traipsed wearily past. I heard Janet's cry of surprise, she had remained in the infirmary this time, claiming she needed to see to her patients but, I suspected, truthfully to hide from the sympathetic glances and curious eyes of the SGC. Through the small slice of space, I saw her whirl around from Sam's bedside and run to him, flinging herself into his arms and embracing him almost ferociously, as he clung tightly to her, whispering soothingly in an unsteady voice. She pulled back a little, and I saw her stare up at him, slight disbelief written across her face, reaching up a hand to touch his cheek as if to reassure herself that she was not hallucinating, that her imagination was not playing a cruel trick on her. Then she raised herself up a little and kissed him gently. I smiled, and moved back from the doorframe. Later there would be an argument, borne from the tensions of the past few hours, tears of relief to release barely controlled emotions, apologies and comforts...but for that moment, that embrace, that kiss, was all that mattered.

*~*~*~*

It wasn't the last time such an event occurred, but with each new threat, each new crisis, their relationship only strengthened, until it was hardly questionable that it would be anything but permanent. Daniel had all but moved in with us, more of his archaeological 'junk' residing in our house than in his apartment. He would spend less and less time at his own home, until finally it became just a place to store his books. So, when I was shepherded out of the house for the night to stay at my best friend's house, it came as no great surprise the next afternoon when, upon my homecoming, Janet asked me to sit down and talk with her. Her face was serious, but I could see the barely controlled excitement in her eyes. As I knew, she began, she and Daniel had been together for a while now, and they loved each other very much. I nodded, knowing what was to come, but allowing her to take her own time to explain, perhaps coming to terms with it herself. Last night, she told me, when I'd been away, she and Daniel had talked for a long while about their relationship. The discussion had turned to the future, what lay in store for them, and for all of us, as a family.

He'd asked her to marry him.

She'd said 'yes'.

Janet watched me carefully, her eyes at once excited and anxious, trying to ascertain my reaction. I sat quietly for a few moments. Daniel, I knew, already loved me as his own daughter, and I couldn't imagine better parents than him and Janet. And he evidently loved her more than anything in the world. I'd seen it grow over the past year, racing from strength to strength. They'd become increasingly happier in a way I'd never imagined possible. When I last saw General Hammond, I heard him remark quietly that she looked 'radiant', and I couldn't possibly disagree. They were good together, they'd settled into their relationship, comfortable and content with each other in such a short while, yet the little touches, the secretive smiles, the flirtations and the quick, knowing glances had never gone away. Sometimes it seemed like they were right back at the beginning, when everything was new and unexplored. They loved each other deeply, and I knew that the romance would never fade from their lives, as it did for so many others. I knew.

So I smiled. I launched myself up from my position on the sofa, nearly bowling my mother over as I hugged her tightly. She grinned ecstatically, and began to laugh breathlessly, her elation finally getting the better of her, and it was the most wonderful sound I've ever heard, bright and infectious. And that's how Daniel found us when he entered the living room, his slight hesitance replaced by an incredulous smile, as he took in the sight of us, sprawled on the floor, hugging fiercely and giggling helplessly.

***

Which is why I stand here, after weeks of preparation, laughter, nerves and excitement. Daniel and Janet are mingling, working their way around the reception hall, enjoying the attention and congratulations they're receiving on a truly unforgettable day. I was speechless when I saw her this morning in her wedding dress, the white silk hugging her figure, her hair swept up, loose strands caressing her neck. She was, at that moment, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, and I don't think anyone will ever compare to her again in my eyes. I know they won't in Daniel's. He's grinning broadly, shaking hands, one arm wrapped firmly 'round her waist as they move through the crowd. And the glances, the smiles, the touches...they're still there, in full view today.

So I stand, caught between two mirrors, staring at my own reflection. The changes have begun, and from here my future will take a fresh course, a new path. Who knows what lies ahead of us from here? I gaze at the glass, the future stretching before me, the past echoing from behind and a thousand Cassandras, a thousand chances, a thousand possibilities, gaze back at me. Then, suddenly, the Cassandras blink in unison, and the spell is broken. I shake my head, run my fingers through my tousled hair, brush my hands over the smooth material of my dress, straightening the skirt...then turn away, walking towards my family and friends, beckoning to me from the centre of the hall. And in the mirror lingers only the ghost of a reflection.

~Finis~

Copyright (c) March 2001 Nike A. Johnston

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