Cassandra Fraiser was getting her books from her locker for the first class of the day.  Her best friend Rose was chatting away about the prom dress that her mom just bought for her.  As Cassie turned to go, she was blocked by three boys.

 

“I’ve been looking for you, Cassie,” Tyler stated.

 

“Well, I haven’t been exactly hiding Ty,” she shot back coolly.

 

Taking her arm and pulling her away from the others, he dropped his voice to a soft whisper, “I’m really, really sorry about the thing at the movie theater, Cass.  Please… go with me to the prom?”

 

Cassie glanced over his shoulder at his friends.  They were huddled together with smirks plainly etched on their faces, watching the exchange between her and Tyler.  Considering for a moment, she turned back to the boy in front of her.

 

“Sorry, Ty.  I have a date for the prom.  You’ll just have to find someone else.  Or go with your buddies over there,” she tilted her head towards his friends, “but we are through.”

 

She turned to leave when Tyler grabbed her arm.  With a flash of anger in his eyes he growled, “Who is he?”

 

Yanking her arm free, Cassie shoved him away from her, “None of your business.”

 

“Come on, Cass,” he tried to block her way again.  “I said I was sorry.  Doesn’t that count for something?”

 

Cassie regarded him, “It would… if I thought you really were.  But judging by the infantile grins on your friends faces, I’m guessing you have just lost a bet.”  Side stepping the boy she added, “Go and play your little games with an underclassman.  We’re finished.”

 

Taking Rose’s arm, Cassandra strode away confidently.  Once the two girls turned a corner, Rose stopped her friend.

 

“Who are you going with, Cass?” she asked.

 

With a warm smile and a dreamy look, Cassie whispered, “It’s a surprise.”

 

***

 

Neither Sam nor Daniel woke up in time for work.  In fact, when they did wake up, it was too embarrassed looks at each other and someone pounding on her door.

 

“Carter!” O’Neill yelled as he ravaged the door with his fist again.

 

Groaning, Sam untangled herself from Daniel’s arms.  She stumbled to the door and opened it.  The look that Jack gave her was priceless.  Taking in her current state with a quick glance, he cocked an eyebrow at her.

 

“Carter?  Did we miss the alarm this morning?”

 

Running her hands through her hair and yawning, she mumbled something incoherent.  Then Jack saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Daniel stiffly rise from the couch in a similar state as his 2IC.

 

Pushing his way into her house, O’Neill walked up to the stretching archeologist.  “Daniel,” he said in the tone of voice that always put the younger man on edge, “what’cha doin’?”

 

Daniel regarded his C.O. for a moment.  Glancing over Jack’s shoulder he caught Sam’s eye.  She shrugged with a wicked grin on her face.

 

“Jack,” he answered in an equally edge inducing tone.  “Sam was helping me with plans for Cassie’s prom.”

 

“Ah!” the colonel poked Daniel in the ribs, “Giving you pointers was she?  Teaching you to dance?  Maybe… reminding you how very, VERY young Cassandra is.  Impressionable teenager and all that?”

 

“You’re an ass!  What are you doing here anyway?  A simple call would’ve sufficed,” Daniel growled.

 

“Well now, as this is my 2IC’s house, and as I have a standing invitation from said 2IC, the way I see it, I don’t have to answer to you!”

 

As Daniel opened his mouth to retort, Sam moved in between the two men.  “Look you two.  No alpha male circling in MY house.  Daniel, why don’t you start the coffee.  Sir, have a seat.  I’m going to get a shower.”

 

She left with both them men staring at her six.  When they noticed what each other was doing, they quickly turned away.  Daniel headed for the kitchen to make coffee and Jack began to fold up the blanket his teammates had been using.

 

When Sam came back into the room, Daniel handed her a cup of coffee and then headed for the shower himself.  She walked to the living room and sat down opposite her C.O.

 

Looking sheepishly at him she murmured, “Sorry, sir.  We were up late and I forgot to set my alarm.”

 

“Mmmm… I see.” he answered.  “You guys get him all squared away with the plans?”

 

Sam smiled and handed the list they made over to him.  As he glanced at it, his eyebrow inched higher up his forehead.  He looked back at Carter.

 

“And… Daniel is going to do all this?” he asked incredulously.

 

Sam nodded, “It took some arm twisting, but yeah… he’s going to do all this.”

 

When Daniel came back into the room, clean and awake, he noticed his teammates going over the list.  Shoulders hunched and hands deep in his pockets, he went over to them.

 

“Look, ah… Jack…” he started.

 

“Aht…” O’Neill held up a finger to stop the linguist from continuing.  “You and Carter can have the day off.  But only so she can help you get all this done before,” he paused looking up at Daniel, “when is this thing anyway?”

 

“Um… this Saturday.”

 

Jack nodded, then continued, “Okay, it’s Wednesday and we have a mission tomorrow, so you two need to get this done today.  The briefing is at 08:30 and it’s just your run of the mill sort of thing, but we will be off planet overnight.  I’ll let General Hammond know what the both of you, are doing.  I’m sure he’ll be okay with you having a day off.  He was pretty amused when he found out about Cassie’s prom date.”

 

With that, he winked at Daniel, who went red and sank into a chair.

 

“Thanks, sir,” Carter said.  “I’ll make sure we get everything done today.  I want Cassie to have a great prom.”

 

“We all do, Carter,” Jack stated as he stood up to leave, “but in the end… it’ll be the crimson archeologist that’ll have to provide.”

 

If Daniel’s face got any redder, Sam was sure his hair would catch fire.

 

“You two kids have fun today,” Jack said with a mischievous grin.

 

***

 

The whole morning was spent on the phone making reservations.  Daniel relented and called the French restaurant that Sam had found.  Then he secured the limo.

 

After lunch, Sam had made him an appointment to be fitted for a tux.  Grumbling all the way there, Daniel was in a thoroughly bad mood when they arrived.

 

“Give it a rest, Daniel.” She chided him. “Didn’t you wear a tux to your prom?”

 

“Sam… I was 15.” He moaned, “And a geek to boot.”

 

As they walked into the tuxedo store, Daniel turned to her and asked, “What did you wear to your prom?”

 

Blushing, Sam avoided the question by grabbing the nearest salesman.

 

“Excuse me,” she looked back at Daniel and grinned.  “Hi, we have an appointment.  It’s for him,” she pulled the reluctant archeologist over to her, “to be fitted for a tux.”

 

“Of course!” the man replied over excitedly, “What and when is the event?”

 

“Prom and Saturday,” Sam replied with a smile.

 

“Excellent!”  The salesman beamed, “Do we have a color scheme to work with?” he asked Daniel.

 

“Ah…”

 

Sam jumped in to help, “his date’s dress is a light shade of lavender.  And I think…” she continued sizing her embarrassed friend up, “he needs something that will bring out the color of his eyes.”

 

Daniel turned six shades of red.  Stuffing his hands in his pockets and rocking on the balls of his feet, he whined, “Saaaaaammmmm…”

 

The flirtations tailor clapped his hands and began to prowl around Daniel, making him very uncomfortable.

 

“Mmm… mmm… mmm,” the man murmured, “nice form.  And very well muscled…”

 

As he went around to Daniel’s back, the man sighed, bring his hands to his heart.  Looking over to Sam he smiled wickedly, “We must accentuate this ass!”

 

The peals of laughter from the major echoed throughout the store.  Daniel wanted to sink into the floor.  Taking both friends by the hand, the salesman led them to the fitting rooms.

 

“My name is Pyotr, and I will be doing all the alterations,” he said as he began to measure the uncomfortable linguist.  “Lucky me!” he added with a lilt in his voice.

 

Daniel was the poster child for the forlorn.  He scowled at Sam, who in turn, grinned at him.  She was having way too much fun with this.

 

Just as he was about to say so, Pyotr dropped down to measure Daniel’s inseam.  Caught by surprise, he jumped about a mile.

 

With a leering smile, the tailor asked, “Which side do you dress?”

 

Daniel stared at him with a blank look, “Huh?”

 

Rolling his eyes, the man asked again, “On which side do you dress?  Left or right?”

 

Blinking at him, Daniel shrugged, “I… I, I don’t know what you mean.”

 

Pyotr looked over to Sam, who was writhing in fits of silent giggles.  He turned back to his subject and asked more succinctly.

 

“On which side do you place this…” he sighed lovingly as he gazed at Daniel’s groin, “most impressive bulge?”

 

Sam had to leave the room.  She was roaring with laughter to the point of tears.

 

Daniel was mortified.  If it wouldn’t break Cassie’s heart, he would call this whole prom thing off.

 

Closing his eyes, trying to disappear, he mumbled to the tailor, “Ah… to the left… I guess.”

 

***

 

When Daniel was finished with his humiliating fitting, he paid the deposit and went to find his ‘ex’ friend.  As he walked out of the store, Sam was leaning on her car, holding a large cup of coffee out as a peace offering.

 

“Sorry, Daniel,” she smiled but didn’t really look all that remorseful.

 

Taking the coffee from her, he glared mildly, “not a word to ANYone about this,” he growled.

 

She mimed zipping her lips and locking them.  Then she handed the pretend key to Daniel with a grin.  He just stared at her with a scowl.

 

“Come on,” Sam latched onto his arm and dragged him down the street.  “One more thing to do, then you’re free… that is until Saturday night.”

 

He groaned as he fell into step with her. “Where to now?”

 

“Florist.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“It won’t be bad, Daniel.  We just have to pick out a corsage and a boutonnière.  Then we can grab a bite to eat.  My treat.”

 

With a weary grin, he nodded his acceptance.

 

***

 

After dinner, Daniel had Sam drop him off at his house.  With a mission the next morning, he wanted to get a good night’s sleep, if there was such a thing in his life.  Sam told him she would pick him at 06:00 and then waved goodbye.

 

Walking into his living room, he fell onto his sofa.  Exhausted, both physically and mentally, he could’ve gone to sleep there and then.  However, his mind would not let him be, and he knew he had to prepare for tomorrow’s briefing.

 

As he pushed himself up and headed to his office, he had a flitting thought of how he could maybe get out of this prom thing.  It really wasn’t unusual for him to get hurt on away missions… maybe…

 

“You’re pathetic, Daniel Jackson!” he berated himself.  “Just suck it up and get it over with.  Cassie is worth all this misery.  AND… you could’ve told her no.”

 

With that thought, he thudded his head against the door to his office.  Besides,

this mission was a ‘meet and greet’, not one where shooting takes place all that

often. He tapped his laptop to life and proceeded to check his emails.  The first

one he opened let him know this was not going to be fun.  There were

pictures of different condoms, a go directly to jail card, an article on the

death of a child molester in jail, and last but not least; an ad for Viagra.  He

began to think ofjust how he could get hurt on a ‘meet and greet’ mission

after all.