The Long Way Home

Chapter Eleven: Break

And I salute you for your courage
And I applaud your perseverance
And I embrace you for your faith

In the face of adversarial forces

Alanis Morissette - Surrender

They were on the pier near the Southern side of the city. Their feet were in the small river that ran from the main area of the city out to the sea. The water was fresh and clean, feeling ultimately soothing upon their skin as their legs paddled lightly in the flow of the water. The sun felt glorious upon Cass's pale skin as her and Carson sat side by side with their jeans rolled up to their knees. Their sneakers were placed neatly side by side in between them as they sat enjoying the rare quietness of a bright sunny day.

After The Entity had been neutralized or rather tricked through the Stargate by a surprising act of courage on the part of Doctor Rodney McKay Carson had decided the two of them needed a break. They had left the night shift supervisor in charge of the Infirmary while they enjoyed a rare day off. They were still in contact if needed, their comms attached to their ears. Cass admitted she liked the comms lot better than the pager she'd been forced to carry during her initial training in the E.R.

"I can't believe you found this spot." Cass said to Carson, leaning back on her hands and tilting her face up towards the sun.

"Aye, I used to do this with my brothers and sisters back home in a little brook where we used to live in Scotland." Carson told her with a smile on his wholesome features.

There were many reasons that Cass liked Carson Beckett but the first one was the fact he made her feel completely at home. He was patient and kind, never making her feel stupid when she asked him to explain some of the advanced technology that they were working with. Admittedly Cass was used to working with more basic implements so she felt spoiled by the amazing amount of tech they had at their disposal.

The friendship that had developed between her and Carson over the past nine months had taken on a more sibling mentality than she had previously expected. Cass had never had an older brother, but she had always wanted one, her sister had tried her best but there was something to be said about having someone to guide you through life's pitfalls.

Cass was used to relying on people in a professional capacity, her job depended on a certain level of trust between her and her team mates. She had never rewarded them with the same kind of bond that she shared with Carson. The truth was she could trust the soldiers she had worked with previously with her life but never with herself.

"What about you? Any siblings?" Carson asked, watching the ripples of the water as he paddled his feet.

"I have a sister back in New York, she lives there with her her two kids, a boy and girl." Cass found herself confiding. "Annabel and Nicky."

"Aw so you have a niece and a nephew." Carson said with a knowing smile. "You must miss them, I miss mine furiously."

"I do miss them but they enjoy it when I drop back every now and then." Cass revealed, running a hand through her loose dark hair. "The way I figure it I'm trying to help make the world a better place for their future or rather I am helping the people who can do that."

At the time when he had recruited Cass, he had been simply content that he had an apt and experienced field medic on his team. She was the best fit for this expedition and her resourcefulness knew no bounds. Circumstance had brought her to his door almost two years ago and he hadn't looked back since.

The tarmac was hot, in fact it was so hot that Carson could swear that it was sizzling beneath the soles of his shoes. He had never gotten used to the heat in California, it bore down on him, dry and unrelenting as he stood on the airstrip of the military base awaiting the passengers to disembark from the cargo plane in front of him.