Author: Geonn

Email: neil_j_miser@yahoo.com

Rating: NC17

Pairings: Sam/Janet

Category: Romance, First Time

Disclaimer: These folks don't belong to me. I stole them from MGM's toybox without asking their mommies for permission. I promise to return them more or less unscathed.

Archive: Yes, just let me know where it'll be.

Spoilers: "Cold Lazarus"

Dedicated to: joran and dz_crasher for helping me through my computer virus woes.

Summary: An earthquake, of sorts, in Janet's life...

Banner made by the lovely joran :D

I. Tremors

Animals can always tell when an earthquake is coming. Subtle changes in atmosphere, a slight difference in the ground beneath their feet and they go berserk while their human companions moved on, blissfully unaware, until the ground actually began to tremble. The actual earthquake was the final act, the culminations of months, sometimes years of build-up. For the first time in her life, Janet felt the tremors beginning. She ignored them, and what they meant, for as long as she could. Denied what she felt. What she knew to be truth. In the end, the last straw was dinner with friends.

The three of them were seated at a table in the corner, big enough for six but occupied by only three. Sam had her back to the door and wore a red turtleneck and tight black jeans that went with the leather jacket hanging from the back of her chair. A black motorcycle helmet was tucked under the table, as if peeking out at the other diners. Janet sat across from her, wearing a white blouse, unbuttoned at the very top, and a knee-length skirt. Teal'c was between them, in a black v-neck shirt and blazer. He looked like a security officer, his tipped-forward beret adding to the mystery of the man.

It was the six-month anniversary of Daniel Jackson's return from Abydos and the effective start of the SGC. Jack had put the entire dinner together, including the reservations, and Sam had invited Janet to join them on the evening. Come the night of the dinner, Daniel was holed in his lab with a trunk-full of artifacts brought back from one of SG-4's missions. He poked his head out long enough to tell the others to 'have a good time' and then dove back in.

After getting over the ironic aspect of the guest-of-honor being absent, Sam had arrived at the restaurant and been informed Colonel O'Neill had left a message for them. Sara had called and, in light of their eased relationship, he had gone. Sam's initial thought had been to cancel the whole thing, but Janet was already on the way. She'd gone to the trouble of picking Teal'c up at the base, which meant if the evening was cancelled she'd have to drive him all the way back before heading home. Why let a perfectly good evening go to waste? So, when Janet had arrived, they'd taken their reserved table and made a vow to make Jack and Daniel regret cancelling.

Janet looked up from her menu to pick up her ice tea and inadvertantly found herself looking at Sam; the brightness of her eyes, the upward curve of her for-once painted lips as she found something amusing on the menu... She regretted the fact that the captain had worn a turtleneck, for her throat was a thing of beauty. The first time she'd seen Sam was when SG-1 returned from a mission battered and bruised. Fortunately, Sam hadn't had very much in the way of injuries.

Janet's first real memory of the blonde was priceless. Sam had been sitting on the edge of the exam bed, her shoulders hunched, her hair hanging limply in front of her eyes. Janet had stepped before her, touching the blonde's chin and gently angling her head up until their eyes met. That was the first tremor; one gloved hand on the side of Sam's face, the fingers of the other propping her chin up. Janet felt the tremor the instant their eyes locked and it had hardly died down since.

She tamped it down as much as she could, focused on moving out of her transition apartment (transition sounded so much better than 'post-divorce' or 'after-marriage'), focused on familiarizing herself with alien anatomy (well... you know, not like that), focused on getting used to her new office with no windows. Subterranean was not one of Janet's favorite words...

But how do you fully ignore someone that makes a little piece of your heart quiver like an earthquake?

The waiter wandered by and they ordered, Sam pointing out something that she thought Teal'c would find particularly enjoyable. Six months on Earth hadn't really given him time to pick his favorite salad dressing. When they finished ordering, Sam handed the menus to the waiter and clasped her hands in front of her. "So, Colonel O'Neill had a date with a woman, Daniel had a date with a rock... I don't know who is more pathetic, them or us."

Janet smiled. "I refuse to answer on the grounds it may incriminate me."

Sam chuckled and Janet tilted her head. Sam always chuckled. Or smiled at a joke. Or simply rolled her eyes. Janet pondered for a moment, wondering what a full-fledged Samantha Carter laugh sounded like. "At least Teal'c has an excuse," Janet continued, mostly to get off the uncomfortable train of thinking she'd almost gone down. "I mean, you and I... we're two attractive, available women. What excuse do we have to be free for Saturday night?"

"We made plans with friends," Sam said. "That precedes dating, right?"

"Right," Janet agreed.

"I mean, I know you probably had to turn down dozens of heartbroken fellas."

"Oh, at least three dozen," Janet said, widening her eyes and pursing her lips.

Sam nodded. "Yeaaah, poor guys. I mean, my phone has not stopped ringing."

Teal'c spoke up. "If you would prefer the company of another, perhaps it would be best to reschedule..."

Sam put a hand on Teal'c's. "Don't even think of leaving," she warned. He nodded slightly and Sam patted his wrist. "Good boy."

Janet stared at Sam's hand. It was still laying next to Teal'c's. She had just patted him. She felt something burning, some thought, some... jealousy? Sam had touched Teal'c, so what? It wasn't like she had grabbed him and started kissing him. She surprised herself with that image, feeling a sudden and inexplicable anger towards the Jaffa. Sam wasn't hers. Sam wasn't even gay. 'Hell,' Janet thought. 'I'm not gay.' She shook her head and took another sip of her ice tea.

When their salads arrived, Sam was regaling them with a story about her adventures on her bike. "...So, of course the cop thinks he's hit the jackpot; hot blonde - pardon my ego - in leather, on a bike, middle of the night. He thinks he's going to get laid." This last part was said as the waiter approached, his widening eyes revealing that he'd heard at least part of the story. Sam paused, leaning back to allow him to place their bowls. He paused, reluctant to leave a story that involved Sam and getting laid.

As Sam continued with the story - she let the cop think there was a modicum of a chance until he started to write the ticket - Janet felt the twinge return. Who was this cop? And that waiter, what... did he think that by overhearing a story he'd have a chance to get with Sam, too? Janet was surprised by her reaction and covered it by piercing a small tomato on her fork. She swirled it through the ranch dressing, lifting her eyes to watch Sam as she spoke.

Sam was a very good speaker; she looked her audience in the eye when she told a story. She would look at Teal'c, locking him in, letting him know that she was speaking TO HIM, then would shift to Janet. And when those baby blues locked on chocolate brown, tremors began and didn't end until they reached her toenails. Janet licked her lips, ridding them of dressing, and straightened in her seat.

During one of her eye-to-eyes with Teal'c, she noticed a speck of lettuce stuck to his chin. She giggled and shook her head. "Hold on... Teal'c?" She reached up and plucked the leaf away. Holding it up for inspection, she said, "This part goes into your mouth. Open up."

Teal'c reluctantly parted his lips and Sam put the lettuce inside. He closed his lips and inadvertantly caught her finger. Sam gasped in mock-horror and said, "Ack, Jaffa are cannibals!" She wiped her hands on a napkin and said, "Seriously, Teal'c, next time you want to eat me..." Her face flushed as she realized what she'd said and she put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, God..."

"I did not intend to eat you, Captain Carter," Teal'c assured her.

Janet was burning with envy. She swallowed her mouthful of now rancid-tasting salad and dabbed her mouth. "If you'll excuse me..." She was up and away from the table in seconds, hurrying to the ladies' room.

Once inside the tile-and-steel sanctuary, Janet turned to the sink and tried to run the water. Damned motion detector faucets foiled her attempt. They'd been installed to conserve water... didn't they know that sometimes people just needed to have water running? She sighed and settled for wetting a napkin. She pressed it to her hot forehead and leaned against the wall, steadying her breathing.

Was she embarrassed by her reaction? Or was the hot face, the flushed feeling, something more? She took a trembling sigh, demanding that she not cry. What the hell was there to cry about? She wiped her face several times, then opened her purse to reapply the smeared make-up. "God, what's wrong with you?" she asked.

Her answer was a tremble in her chest.

"Stop that," she demanded of it.

The door opened and Sam stepped in, glancing at the stalls before she spotted Janet at the sink. "Janet, hey," she said, stepping inside and letting the door swing shut. "Look, I... I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Janet asked turning to face her friend.

"I think I did something or said something to offend you. I'm sorry, it's a... curse. Growing up with my brother and my Dad, being 'one of the boys' for the majority of my life, I sometimes get carried away..." She looked down at the floor. Janet was wearing heels whereas Sam had on boots. The easier to ride her bike with. She nervously covered her left foot with her right, biting her bottom lip. "I'm sorry."

Janet smiled and touched Sam's shoulder. "You don't have anything to apologize for," Janet assured her. "I was being stupid, I... I shouldn't have run off like that. I'm sorry."

"We're a couple of sorry ladies," Sam chuckled.

"Well, a sorry lady and a sorry tomboy," Janet said.

Sam's eyes widened in mock horror and she slugged Janet playfully in the shoulder. "You better watch it, runt!"

Janet smiled. This is what settled the tremor a bit; talking with Sam, being with her, being the sole focus of her attention. "You know, you and I should go out sometime," Janet's tongue said before her brain could veto the idea. "Just the two of us. Get to know each other off-base."

"I'd really like that," Sam said, genuinely pleased at the thought. She stepped forward and embraced Janet, holding her tight. Janet buried her face against Sam's shoulder, smelling the subtle hint of perfume on the other woman. 'Not quite a total tomboy, are we?' the brunette mused. They pulled back and Sam innocently pecked Janet on the cheek. Janet tilted her head and caught Sam on the lips for the return.

The kiss was brief. The kiss was one that, if placed into a category, could've been placed into a "friends-who-haven't-seen-each-other-in-a-long-time" position and no one would question it. Lip contact lasted approximately .012 seconds. In that time, the tremor inside of Janet tipped the Richter scale at 9-point-8. Sam and Janet stepped apart after the "innocent" kiss and looked at each other for a minute.

Janet felt stupid for letting herself do that.

Sam was confused, her mind racing, wondering if Janet had meant to do that... and if she had felt the same thing during it. After a long moment of silence, both of their minds running fast enough to power entire towns if they had been hooked up right, Sam finally said, "Ah... I'm free on Wednesday if you... wanted to get together then."

"Wednesday," Janet said.

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded, looking down at her feet again. Ugly boots. She focused on Janet's feet instead.

"Wednesday," Janet repeated. "Wednesday is good for me."

Sam looked up, eyes wet with tears and wide with hope. When those eyes met Janet's, the brunette's inner earthquake soared off the Richter scale.

II. The Earth Moves

She wore a shirt that had once been part of one of her husband's suits, open at the collar and the bottom. It had been a last-minute outfit and, not blessed with the dignity of a bra or undershirt, her nipples stood proudly on display in the cold night air pouring over her through the open front door. She tugged the hem of the shirt down, attempting to cover her bare legs as she tilted her head to one side, watching the woman on her front porch shuffle her feet nervously. "What are you doing here?" Janet repeated, when an answer didn't seem to be forthcoming. It wasn't spoken harshly; just out of curiousity.

After all, it wasn't every day a beautiful blonde showed up on your doorstep at three in the morning with a six-pack of beer.

Sam raised her eyes and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sorry I woke you."

"No, it's okay," Janet said. "Cassandra is at the base for the night. I was just tossing and turning anyway." Sam nodded. It wasn't unusual for the teen to take quarters on the base for a night; every now and then she got overwhelmed and asked to be closer to the Stargate. Janet didn't mind it, understood the reasoning behind it, but she still had trouble sleeping knowing her young adopted daughter was sleeping under another roof.

Sam stepped forward and said, "I just... I guess I thought we could hang out. Maybe get a movie on Pay Per View." She winced and said, "I'm not suggesting... you know, adult fare." She blushed and said, "You know, forget it..."

"Sam," Janet said, stepping out of the house and into the cold night. "Wait, I don't want to forget it."

The blonde turned. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Come on in."

Sam returned to the porch, standing before Janet for a minute before she accepted the invitation into the house. Janet smiled as the blonde passed, smelling the other woman's perfume. She followed Sam into the house and closed the front door, turning on the light in the front hallway. Sam had been in her house dozens of times as a guest, as a 'secret' date, as a friend. Those encounters had never gone farther than a kiss... except for that once.

Janet blushed remembering it; waking to find herself on the couch, Sam laying on top of her, pleasantly crushed beneath the taller woman's weight, her lips sticking to a few of Sam's stray hairs. She had taken a few moments to enjoy the moment before she had roused Sam.

But tonight... a surprise visit at three in the morning? In Janet's experience, there was little to be done in this situation. And Pay Per View was low on the list. Sam stood at the edge of the entry hall, still dangling the six-pack from her right hand. Janet walked up behind the blonde and molded her hand to Sam's, easing her fingers through the cardboard holder and easing the pack away. She set it on the floor, then pressed her nose to the back of Sam's neck.

Sam's hair was cut short, only a few errant clumps graced her neck, but Janet could still smell the shampoo... she could still find the lingering aroma of Sam's body lotion. As her arms went around Sam's waist, as she grabbed her own wrist and held Sam close, she parted her lips and - through no will of her own - flicked her tongue out. She licked the back of Sam's neck; a quick pass of wetness against warm flesh. Sam shuddered.

Janet flattened her hands over Sam's stomach and the taller woman turned, looking down at Janet. "I don't want to watch TV," Sam whispered.

"No?" Janet breathed, moving her hands to Sam's shoulders.

"No."

Janet rose onto her toes and kissed the point of Sam's chin. She loved kissing Sam. It was the highlight of the date; when they would turn to each other, when they would smile, when they would lean towards each other with that knowing little giggle. Their first kiss had been accidental, their second had been wanton and dripping with desire. But they always stopped with the kissing. It never went farther than light, over-the-clothes groping.

Tonight, that would change.

Janet kissed the line of Sam's jaw, nibbling on the taller woman's earlobe as she pushed her back against the wall. Their lips met and Janet's tongue ventured forth. It met resistance at Sam's mouth, but they parted and the play was joined. The two tongues dueled, fenced, played, toyed, battled. Janet moved her hands from Sam's shoulders, pushing off the leather jacket as they moved. Sam moaned and used her right hand to fling the coat towards the living room. She closed her lips around Janet's tongue and held it, forcing Janet to wrench her head back to free herself.

Sam's hand went up into the mop of uncombed brown hair and tightened, pulling Janet's head back. Her neck exposed, Janet gasped in horror as Sam dove. Warm lips found a pulsing vein and suckled, tongue sweeping, breath pluming around the exposed column. Janet whimpered and lowered her head, kissing Sam's temple as the blonde strove to create a hickey. "Don't you dare," Janet breathed. "I can't wear turtlenecks to work like you can..."

Sam raised her head. "I guess I'll have to give you a hickey someplace else, then."

"Someplace where my uniform can hide it."

"Janet..." Sam said softly. "Are we..."

"Sam, shh," Janet said. She kissed Sam's lips softly, her hands framing the blonde's angelic face. When she broke the kiss, she said, "Unbutton my shirt."

"You're naked underneath it," Sam pointed out, feeling stupid as soon as she said the words.

"Unbutton my shirt," Janet repeated.

Sam's trembling hands moved to Janet's collar, sliding down to the first button that Janet had bothered with. She raised it slightly, angling the fabric just enough so it could slip through the hole. It came free and the material seemed to sag majestically. Sam swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Two more buttons to go. Sam licked her lips, praying for a little moisture to venture north, and moved her hand down to the middle button. Her fingertips brushed Janet's chest and the brunette shuddered.

She looked into Janet's eyes as she undid the other two buttons. She knew if she watched Janet be exposed inch-by-inch, she would've lost her will. Not to mention any and all cognitive abilities. Janet kept her eyes locked on Sam's, tracing the desire she found there. As the last button fell through it's hole, Janet breathed, "I want you."

A tremor worked it's way through Sam's body and Janet smiled.

"Janet," Sam whispered.

"Shh," Janet said. She touched her lips to the soft skin beneath Sam's right ear and stepped forward, pressing her body against Sam's. The blonde closed her eyes and felt as Janet's hands removed the unbuttoned shirt. It hit the floor with a thunderous roar... at least, that's how Sam heard it. A pair of slender arms wrapped around her waist and she was suddenly aware of a naked Janet pressed against her body.

After holding each other for a moment, Janet stepped back and revealed herself to Sam. Blue eyes widened, lips parted, and Sam felt another much-needed round of moisture travel from her mouth to join the rest of the party somewhere South. Janet's body was not perfection, which made it as close to perfect as Sam could've imagined. A scar traced the bottom of the subtle bulge of her stomach. She wasn't shaved, or even trimmed. She had tan lines, naturally, that were practically glaring in the harsh light of the entry hall.

Janet lowered her eyes and brought her feet together, nervous before Sam. "You..."

"Janet," Sam whispered. "Janet, Janet, Janet."

Her breasts were palm-sized, capped by tight rose-colored nipples that were erect for Sam's viewing pleasure. Her pale flesh looked like poured milk and Sam wondered if the tanned parts tasted like chocolate. Her hair was uncombed from bed, standing in random spikes and curls and tangles.

Janet averted her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm not... beautiful..."

"No," Sam stepped forward and looped her arms under Janet's, lifting the beautiful, frail creature and kissing her hard. Janet groaned against Sam's mouth and her legs instinctively wrapped around Sam's waist. Sam cradled her lover, feeling a warm heat against her stomach, and pressed Janet's back against the wall. "You're gorgeous," Sam mouthed against Janet's skin. She didn't taste like chocolate. She tasted like Janet. Janet naked, sweaty and against a wall. It was the most exquisite thing Sam had ever tasted.

She lightly nibbled on Janet's shoulder and then looked up into the other woman's eyes. "I want to make love to you, Janet."

Janet's response was a quiet sound that resembled, "Oo-u-ah," as her lips closed around Sam's extended tongue. They kissed, they rubbed against each other, the wall shook with their exertions. As they kissed, rubbed, shook, Janet and Sam took turns in loosening the many catches on Sam's clothing. A button here, a zipper there. Sam's shirt had three buttons undone, the collar already pushed down over her shoulders to reveal the cups of her bra. Her jeans were drooping to her knees, revealing her white panties. Janet worked a bare thigh between Sam's leg and felt the heat she longed for.

With a groan, Janet pushed Sam's head from her neck and said, "Stop, stop, hold on..."

"Janet," Sam said with anguish not known to many people.

"Not permanently," Janet assured her with a kiss. "Just stop for... this second. We h-have to get to bed."

"Bed?" Sam demanded. Wetness and heat and hormones demanded otherwise. "No... too far."

Janet brushed Sam's face and said, "Sweetheart. Bed."

Sam closed her eyes, visibly trembling as she lowered Janet to the floor. "Bed," she nodded. They kissed again, Sam's hands finding Janet's breasts and squeezing possessively before she stepped back. Janet took a shaky breath and looked at Sam's bra, the cups of which had been pushed down to reveal two erect, rosy nipples. Janet's mouth watered at the sight of them, but she reined herself in.

Sam shed the barely-attached clothing, leaving her underwear in place. She then took Janet's hand and swept her thumb over the knuckles. Janet squeezed Sam's hand and led her up the stairs to her bedroom.

---

Upstairs, Janet threw back the comforter and sat on the edge of the bed, drawing Sam in. They kissed, Sam standing and Janet sitting, their bodies angled to the other's comfort. Janet touched Sam wherever she could, feeling the heat from the other woman's body. Heat that was for her. Janet shuddered as Sam - a beautiful woman, an unattainable woman, a goddess - lowered her to the mattress. "Oh, Janet," Sam whispered.

Janet felt a few tears slip free and closed her eyes, letting her other senses fill in the blanks.

Her ears picked up the hushed, fevered panting as Sam explored.

Her nose smelled Sam's arousal.

Her lips still tasted the lips of her friend.

And her skin... her skin burned where it was touched, a burn she wanted repeated every night for the rest of her life. "Touch me, Sam," Janet said, unsure if she actually spoke aloud. Seconds later, a plume of warm breath washed over her inner thigh and Janet whimpered. Lips followed and Janet pressed her fist against her cheek. She was breathing so hard her lips were puffing out with each exhale, her eyes screwed tightly shut. Vision would enhance the sensations too far... would push her over the edge. She slipped two fingers into her mouth, sucking them.

Sam's mouth was on Janet's lips in the kind of kiss she'd hardly ever experienced. Janet groaned, a low and keening sound, as she felt a tongue there, where her husband had seldom wanted to venture. Her experiences with oral sex had been lackluster, to say the least, but this simple touch blew them all out of the water. Sparks shot from her toes. A tongue was inside of her. Sam's tongue.

"Samantha," Janet whispered.

"Mm, Janet."

Janet was weeping openly now, thrusting against Sam's lips. The bed was shaking with her thrashing and Sam was simply holding on for the ride. Janet was sweetness personified; it was Sam's new all-time favorite taste. Two lips, glistening with juices, served with a side of thigh and a generous helping of sauce. She used the flat of her tongue to gather as much of the juices as she could, the dish beneath her quaking like mad. Perched atop her meal was a meek little bud, peeking out to see what all the commotion was. Sam kissed it and took it into her mouth and Janet cried out.

It soared through Janet's body, it lit her nerves on fire, it made her hair stand on end, it made her skin feel like it was too small for her body and it made her more than herself. It exploded from somewhere deep within her and it made the entire world become her. She and Sam were the entire universe. They were stars, they were nebulas, galaxies were born and died at the touch of Sam's tongue between her thighs.

When things folded and she became still on the mattress, she felt Sam on top of her. She felt Sam's lips on hers and she made a point to touch Sam everywhere. When she could speak, she breathed, "Oh. That was an orgasm..."

"Was it good?" Sam whispered, lips on Janet's bare shoulder.

Janet raised her head and put her hand on the clasp of Sam's bra. "Here," she said, undoing the undergarment. "Let me show you."

III. Aftershocks

Janet blinked at a wrinkled expanse of white, trying to focus on the threads in the pillowcase. Something shifted on the edge of the bed and she made a conscious effort not to look. She knew who it was... she knew what they were doing. They were getting ready to leave.

It was almost dawn, the sun peeking through the windows and casting enough light for her overnight guest to move around. She heard zippers being pulled, fabric being smoothed and boots being laced. She heard a quiet cough and pressed her face against the pillow as she awaited the "Last night was great" as her new lover slipped out the door. Sam moved from her side of the bed and, a few seconds later, Janet felt the mattress sag behind her. Two fingers moved through her hair, parting it and revealing her face. "Hey," Sam whispered. "You're awake."

Janet rolled onto her back, pulling the sheet up to cover her breasts. "Mm-hmm."

"Get up. I want to go for a walk."

"What?"

"Yeah, come on... I'll wait for you to get ready."

Janet frowned, but sat up and let the sheet fall from her body. "O-okay. Just, ah, give me a few minutes?"

Sam lifted her eyes from Janet's exposed body and nodded, licking her lips distractedly. "Yeah. I'll, uh, I'll be downstairs."

---

Janet's back yard was just barely big enough for her porch and a small garden along the back of the house, but the lack of space was more than made up for in the huge park that butted up against her property. Janet led the way out of the house, letting Sam pull the door closed, and stood on the edge of the ditch that separated her back yard from the park. She stuck her hands into the pockets of her pullover, looking out over the early morning. Dew was still glistening on the grass in the park; a light fog obscured the monkey bars and made the baseball field all but invisible.

Sam came up behind Janet, lightly touching the other woman's shoulder as she moved past. She smiled at Janet and effortlessly leapt across the narrow ditch. She landed on the other side with a thud, her booys slipping a little in the mud. She smiled and extended a hand to Janet. "Come on. I'll help you."

Janet nervously eyed the ditch, knowing she'd never made it across on her own in the past. There was a narrow footbridge just a couple feet to her right. She glanced at it and started to tell Sam she'd just walk across, when she saw Sam's eyes. Wide. Sparkling. She reached out, touching Sam's fingers with her own and, taking a deep breath, leapt across the ditch. Sam's fingers closed around Janet's and she pulled the petite brunette the rest of the way.

When she landed, Janet stumbled into Sam, pressing against her side and inadvertantly steadying herself with a hand on Sam's breast. She looked up into the smile of her lover and said, "Thank you."

"Hey," Sam shrugged. "You helped me take a leap of faith last night... I owed you one."

She bent down and lightly brushed Janet's lips.

Janet shuddered and pressed herself tighter to Sam. "I love starting the day with you."

Sam kissed Janet's temple and took her hand, guiding her towards the center of the park. Janet pressed against Sam, feeling the blonde's warmth through her sweater. She loved being this close to Sam. Not just in proximity, but after what they had shared the night before. Being around a Sam she had slept with felt different than being around a Sam she was just in love with. She liked the feeling, liked the way it made her face relax into a smile. She kissed Sam's shoulder as they crossed the gravel-strewn playground.

As they passed under the monkey bars, Sam took her hand from Janet's and she jumped. Her gloved hands closed around two separate bars and she swung back and forth for a moment, her boots dangling inches from the ground. She giggled down at Janet and said, "I love monkey bars."

Janet stuck her hands into her pockets, suddenly feeling the cold, and smiled up at her. "You look like a little kid."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Janet said. "I love seeing this side of you."

Sam dropped and Janet took her hand from her pocket. Her hand fit against Sam's in an already-familiar way as they continued walking through the park. They walked in silence, nothing really important to say and nothing to point out. Janet rested her head on Sam's shoulder and the blonde squeezed her hand in reply. As the baseball field fence came into view, Janet smiled and said, "See the field?" Sam nodded. "I'll race ya." She freed her hand from Sam's and broke into a run.

Glancing back a few times, she saw Sam gaining on her; the benefit of longer legs. Janet was huffing and puffing by the time she heard Sam's heavy footfalls right behind her and she cried out in defeat. A pair of arms appeared on either side of her and Sam squeezed, holding tight to Janet's torso and wrestling the brunette to the ground. Janet's cries turned into laughs as Sam's hands wriggled their way under the hem of Janet's pullover and tickled her belly. "Stop! You win!"

"I win!" Sam said, gritting her teeth playfully. "I win!" She laid on top of Janet, their faces lined up perfectly. Sam took a deep breath, looking down at Janet. The brunette wasn't wearing any make-up and her hair was tucked under a baseball cap. Her eyes were still a little puffy from sleep. On either side of her head, the dew in the grass picked up the rising sun and glinted like a billion suns buried in the ground. Janet glowed. Sam brushed her lover's cheek and whispered, "I win."

Janet smiled up at Sam and said, "Victory kiss?"

Sam lowered her head and very lightly touched her mouth to Janet's.

"I win, too," Janet whispered when they parted.

"We have to pick up Cassandra at the base," Sam reminded her.

"In two hours. Want to go back to bed?"

Sam kissed Janet's chin and said, "I'd like that." She stood, helping Janet stand and brushing her off (Janet grinned as Sam swept a hand over the muddy parts of Janet's body, wondering how her ass could've gotten that dirty). As they walked back toward the house, Janet said, "I'm going to kiss you again."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

After a few seconds of silence, Janet chuckled and said, "Any schedule for making good on that promise?"

Sam turned. "Not really. Just... every time I kiss you, I want you to know that I'm going to kiss you again sometime."

"There will always be another kiss waiting, eh?"

Sam smiled. "Definitely."

"I can live with that," Janet assured her, rising onto her toes to kiss Sam's lips. "Come on," she said. "Let's go back inside."

This time, they took the bridge across the ditch. Once inside, they went upstairs and Janet loved Sam like Sam had loved her the night before. When they finished and had showered away the scent of what they'd done, they lay naked on top of the covers, holding each other as the morning ran on.

When it came time to pick up Cassandra, they got out of bed and got dressed, neither speaking but both smiling. Dressed, standing in the front door, made up for their respective days, Janet was reluctant to let Sam go. She held the corner of Sam's coat between her thumb and forefinger, playing with it as she delayed going to her car. "I'll see you at the base?"

"Most likely," Sam said. "I'll find a reason to go to the infirmary... nothing dangerous, though."

Janet smiled. "And... tonight?"

"Tonight?" Sam repeated.

"Dinner. To tell Cassandra."

Sam's heart leapt and her face flushed. "So... this is going to be... regular?"

"I was hoping so," Janet admitted, unable to look into Sam's eyes. She instead focused on the piece of leather between her fingertips. "If you'd prefer we end it here, I'd underst--"

The rest of her words were swallowed by Sam's lips. The blonde pressed Janet against the front door, hands on her hips to hold her in place. When she broke the kiss, Sam said, "I want to come over for dinner tonight to tell Cassandra that we're in love."

"We're in love?" Janet breathed.

"I am." She touched Janet's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you," Janet said, crying without shame.

Sam stepped back. "I'll see you tonight."

Janet nodded and reluctantly let Sam leave. She watched as she walked down the driveway and straddled her bike, easing the helmet onto her unruly blonde hair. She started the engine, the bulbous head of the helmet turning to face Janet once more before waving. Janet returned the wave and then, on impulse, blew a kiss at the retreating leather back. She hugged herself, watching the intersection long after Sam's bike had vanished around the corner.

She scanned the neighborhood, slightly more alive than it had been during their initial exit from the house. Had anyone seen the kiss? Had anyone seen Sam's bike parked outside the entire night? She decided she didn't care one bit, making sure the front door was locked before she trotted down to her car to go pick up her daughter.