Hours & Minutes

Author: Geonn

Rating: R

Pairings: Sam/Janet

Category: Romance

Disclaimer: Not mine. None of it. I even borrowed the letters that make up the words.

Series: The Ampersand Series

Notes: Just a little distraction between the big, long stories that comprise this series. Other than the description of a certain event and the mention of Dr. Roth near the end, it could be a stand-alone.

Summary: Janet waits for Sam. And waits. And waits.

7:56pm.
Janet carefully placed one plate in front of each high-backed chair and checked her watch. She dimmed the lights, allowing the softly-burning candles to illuminate the dining room. She carefully smoothed the black velvet dress against her stomach, reaching up and touching her earrings to make sure she made the right choice. Satisfied that she had, she went to the kitchen and found the steaming plate containing the entree.

As she served the dinner onto each plate, she checked her watch once more. Everything was going according to plan.

8:10pm.
Ten minutes was nothing, Janet finally decided. Traffic, or maybe something had happened on the planet that required a little extra explanation during the briefing. Janet steepled her fingers in front of her, staring across at the empty seat across from her. Her foot tapped nervously against the leg of her chair, her high heels having long since been kicked off. With a sigh, she checked her watch one more time.

8:25pm.
Janet angrily scooped some potatoes off of her plate, moving it to her lips as she glared at the empty space across from her. The potatoes were now merely warm, but at least they weren't cold. She chewed thoughtfully, then cut a small part off her fish and speared it with her fork.

8:40pm.
The garbage disposal roared as the fish, mashed potatoes and peas were poured into it, Janet Fraiser angrily holding down the button longer than necessary. When she finally released it, the blades were merely spinning and chopping against air. She moved back from the sink, going to the dining room and retrieving the serving dishes. She tossed the serving spoons, forks and knives into the dishwasher, slamming the door shut as she dumped the remnants of a romantic dinner into the disposal.

She leaned on the button again.

9:30pm.
Janet curled her legs underneath herself, staring at the flickering TV screen. NBC was airing a repeat of a new show, "Crossing Jordan," but she was barely paying attention to the storyline. As the show went to commercial, Janet angrily looked at the clock on the wall. Her velvet dress was gone, returned to the dry cleaner bag from whence it came and replaced by a pair of ratty sweats. She stood, moving to the kitchen to get a bottle of water before the show came back.

When she dropped back onto the couch, the bag sitting two cushions away caught her eye. 'Where *are* you, Sam?'

10:24pm.
The far wall of the living room suddenly lit up with the passing glare of headlights. Janet sat up, rubbing her eyes and moving to the front window to look outside. The teenager who lived across the street had just come home and was using their driveway to turn himself around. He saw her in the window and offered a wave. She returned it, sighing and looking down the street. As she returned to the couch, she began to wonder if maybe something had happened to her lover. Something serious.

Due to the constant contact with less-advanced races, the teams never carried cell phones on missions. Besides, if Sam were still off-world, there's no service in the world offering those kinds of areas. She picked up the phone and dialed the SGC.

"Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Facility, how may I assist you?" came the static voice on the other end.

"Fraiser, Janet." She gave the woman her serial number and access number and was quickly connected to Sergeant Siler's phone.

"Siler here," he said.

"Sergeant Siler... it's Dr. Fraiser. Um... I was wondering if something happened to SG-1?"

There was a pause. "Not that I know of. They came back on schedule... left right after the briefing."

Janet was fuming now. "Thanks, Dan." She hung up and moved to the kitchen.

10:54pm.
"And now... the number one reason Osama Bin Laden lives in a cave...."

Janet paced nervously, ignoring both Letterman and his top ten list. She was about to go upstairs and call it a night when she heard loud thunder moving down the road. She tensed, listening and expecting to hear the bike speed past. A lone headlight shone through the front window, cutting the same path the neighbor kid's car had earlier. Janet moved to the kitchen, flipping the light on as she went. She leaned on the counter, staring at the door that led to the garage.

She heard Sam moving around outside, silently urging the blonde to hurry up. Finally, the door swung open and the blonde came in, running her hands through her hair. She smiled when she saw the brunette, moving to the fridge. "Hey, Janet." She opened the door, peering in.

"There's nothing to eat in there," Janet informed her.

"Oh. Okay," Sam said, closing the door. She went to the cupboards and pulled one open, searching for something canned to heat up. "Hey, uh... do we still have those peas?"

Janet resisted the urge to launch herself at the taller woman. "No. We, ah, we don't. I used them earlier tonight."

Sam nodded, moving on. "Ah, I'll just make a grilled cheese."

Janet stomped her foot on the ground. "You don't even... you didn't... Damn it, Sam, where were you?!"

Both women stood frozen for a moment. The only sound was that of Letterman's audience laughing uproariously at one of his jokes. Sam blinked, trying to figure out why her wife was so angry. "I... I-I was at O'Malley's. With O'Neill and Daniel and Teal'c. Janet, what's wrong?"

Janet laughed mirthlessly. "At O'Malley's. With O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c." She shook her head and turned, going back into the living room, muttering, "Unbelieveable."

Sam followed her, glancing at the table and seeing two placemats and the remnants of two half-burned candles. She froze. "Oh, Janet... Oh, did you have something planned?"

"Something planned?!" Janet snapped, turning around. "I can't believe you, Sam! Do you... do you even *know* what tonight is?"

Sam closed her eyes, obviously searching for the right answer. "Uh..."

Janet threw her hands up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You mean in bed, right?"

The brunette stopped, turning. "Oh, no. I mean tomorrow. You'll be employing the services of the couch tonight."

"The couch? Janet, come on, don't be ridiculous. If it was something important, I'm sure I would have remembered it."

They were silent again. Dave and Paul's on-air banter seemed tailored to fill the uncomfortable void. Sam turned, hitting the power button of the TV and sending the room into total silence.

Janet quietly said, "If it was something... important... you would have remembered?"

"Of course, Janet."

There were tears in the brunette's eyes. She turned away from the blonde, moving to the sack that was sitting on the end of the couch. She spilled the contents out, then tossed something at Sam. The blonde caught it, unfolding it and trying to make sense of why this was causing Janet so much pain. "It's... a white t-shirt, Janet. What, did I forget to do the laundry?"

"It's not *a* white t-shirt, Sam! It's *the* white t-shirt." She picked up a pair of jeans. "And these are *the* jeans... the clothes you wore on a rainy night exactly 4 years and six months ago! The clothes you wore... the clothes you wore the first time we made love. Tonight was our anniversary."

Sam's eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat.

"You were off-world for our real anniversary, so I suggested we wait until the six-month mark. But since it's not important, I guess I can just go to bed." She dropped the jeans, shaking her head as she moved to the stairs.

"Janet..."

"Don't, Sam," the brunette warned, heading upstairs. "You know where the extra linens are." She shut off the hall light as she disappeared up the stairs, leaving Sam in total darkness.

3:14am.
Sam was still sitting on the couch, the t-shirt and jeans draped over her knees. 'How could I have let her down like this?' Sam asked herself. 'How could I... betray her this way?' She folded the clothes and placed them back into the bag. She took a deep breath and headed for the stairs, ready to fight her way into bed if she needed to. She couldn't be this far from Janet after hurting her so bad.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she turned on the hall light so she could see where she was going. The bedroom door opened at that instant and Janet stepped out, eyes and cheeks wet. Both were frozen. Sam lowered her eyes and whispered, "I am so sorry. I... I have no excuse for hurting you this way. Please, let me make it up to you."

"No, Sam, I... I shouldn't have expected you to remember the six-month mark. You've been so busy at work and... and with all of your duties. I should've just told you to be home early tonight."

Sam stepped closer. "It's not your fault, Janet. You told me tonight was special, but I forgot."

"I was being stubborn..." Janet shook her head, reaching up to touch Sam's face.

Sam nuzzled Janet's fingers. "I was selfish..."

"We were both wrong," Sam conceded.

Janet pulled back. "Well, then... why are we standing in the hall?"

Sam grinned. "We have an anniversary to celebrate."

Janet returned the smile, her eyes sparkling as she backed into the bedroom. She lightly entwined her fingers with Sam's, pulling the blonde inside. Once they were in the bedroom, Sam closed the door and turned the lock. Janet whispered, "Cassie is at her friend's house for a sleepover."

"Oh," Sam said. "Can I stay here for a sleepover?"

Janet chuckled. "Only if you're a very good girl."

Sam sighed. "I guess that's a no." She turned and headed for the door. Janet grabbed her lover around the waist, spinning the taller woman around and passionately kissing her lips. Sam closed her eyes and whispered against Janet's mouth, "I thought you said I had to be a good girl..."

"Screw the good girl," Janet laughed.

Sam shrugged and said, "Whatever you say, Good Girl." She grabbed the hem of Janet's t-shirt and lifted it over the brunette's head.

7:43am.
Sam looked up, wiping her mouth and glaring at the window. "God... Janet, the sun is up."

Janet lifted her head from the pillow. "What? Oh, what time is it?" She picked up the alarm clock, reading the red digits in disbelief. "Oh, God... I have to be at work in 17 minutes..."

Sam slipped from between Janet's legs, kissing her way up the doctor's petite form. "Too bad we didn't get any sleep last night." She nibbled on Janet's lower lip, then rested her blonde head on the brunette's left breast. Janet absently stroked her wife's hair, staring up at the ceiling texture. "I'm sorry I went so crazy last night," she finally said.

Sam cupped her lover's face, kissing her lovingly. "I never want to hurt you like that again. I am so... so... sorry."

Janet returned the kiss, pausing to slip her tongue across Sam's teeth. "I love you, Sam. You can never hurt me. At least, nothing bad enough a night of passion won't fix."

Sam sighed. "That's your answer for everything."

"Are you complaining?"

"Hell, no!" Sam laughed.

Janet rolled her eyes, covering her face. "This isn't getting me ready for work."

Sam sat up, pulling Janet with her. "C'mon, sweetheart. We'll take a shower together and then I'll call in late for you while you get dressed. Deal?"

"Deal," Janet agreed. She followed the sway of the blonde's hips into the bathroom, deciding it would be a fairly interesting shower...

8:59am.
Sam twisted the phone cord around one finger. When she finally got an answer, she nervously said, "Uh, General Hammond? Dr. Fraiser is running a bit late. There was a... an accident in the shower."

"Accident?" Janet said, wiggling her hips into a blue uniform skirt. "That was no accident, missy! That was a malicious seduction and you know it!" She held her hands up. "Look! I'm a prune!"

Sam stifled a laugh as she cradled the phone to her ear. "Yes, Sir. She'll be in ASAP. And, ah, thank Dr. Roth for filling in until she gets there."

When the blonde hung up, she turned and watched Janet pull on her uniform blouse. "So," she said, eyeing the small tie that went with Janet's uniform. "Same thing, next year?"

"You bet," the doctor winked. "I can hardly wait."

End