Momento En El Tiempo by Sesa Woruban
Author's Notes: Well, here it is. This is possibly my last ever Stargate SG-1 fic. I've had a blast but I can't see me writing any more. This series has been good fun, I've learned a lot about writing and it's been nice to write for a new pairing. Thank you to Morgan )O( and Jerie for wonderful betaing.
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This is just a story of a moment in time.
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Hot...
Soft...
Smooth...
Sweet...
Supple...
Strong.
---
"Janet? I... I need to see you... tonight."
Janet recognized the voice immediately and found that she took comfort in it. In her mind she traveled down the line to where she imagined Sam to be. She pictured her at home curled up on her plush sofa perhaps in her PJs and the thought of being there as well calmed her and restored some of her energy. However, it also reminded her of where she was and of her responsibilities.
"Sam, it's great to hear your voice."
An expectant, almost nervous silence crackled at the other end of the line. Janet continued talking into the void.
"Look, you don't know how much I'd like to see you... but I-"
"Uh, no, really, it's fine. I didn't think that you would-"
Sam interrupted talking as if the world's fate depended on her getting to the end of the sentence in record time. Janet found herself breaking Sam's flow in mid sentence in a calm, authoritative voice that she used on troublesome patients.
"Sam, this is *not* a brush off. It's-"
"Oh, no, that's just fine, I'm just being stupid. Sor-"
"Sam!"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"... okay."
Despite the nightmare day she'd had, Janet indulged herself with a brief smile before she found herself drawn back to her grey, depressing surroundings.
"Look, it's just been a really tough day. I can't talk about it now but... where are you?"
"In the Motel de Amor, off exit 101 of I-25."
Janet raised her eyebrows, "Motel de Amor?!"
"Uh, yeah..." Sam giggled.
Sam giggled? Janet couldn't help but assume it was nerves. This was a whole new Sam Carter that Janet hadn't seen before.
She kinda liked it.
And she kinda liked the idea of holing up with one stunning, giggling blonde for the night in 'the motel of love' as well. However, she was still hesitant to take it so far so fast.
"Look, Cassie wasn't expecting me home tonight anyway, but the day from hell still hasn't gone back to where it came from..."
For an instant, a silent movie of the action surrounding Catherine Tiller flat-lined ripped through her thoughts and it made the decision for her.
"I don't know when I'm going to be finished but... I'd like to come see you when I'm done?"
"Uh, yeah, if you're sure, I mean, you don't have to, I was just-"
"Sam, you're not gonna start rambling again, are you?" - although I love it and it's just what I need right now, she thought privately.
"Sorry."
Janet's lips curled upwards for the second time in 5 minutes and she turned as someone knocked on the door to her office.
"Look, I have to go, what room are you in?... Come in!"
"Uh... okay, I'm in room 69."
Janet almost choked, confusing Nurse Kennedy who'd just pushed the door ajar.
"And I guess you're not joking..."
"Er... no."
Janet could actually hear the grin forming at the other end of the line. The absurdity of the situation seemed to be giving Sam back her confidence.
"Okay, someone's here now, so... speak to you soon, okay?"
"I'll be here."
"Bye."
"See you soon."
---
White...
Neon...
Bright...
Fresh...
Open...
Free.
---
It was 2330 before Janet finally felt ready to leave the mountain. There was still paperwork to do, but there was always paperwork to do and she knew that, despite wanting to stay, her presence was starting to bug the hell out of the night-shift team.
She'd been driving for 20 minutes before she realized that the decision to go to Sam's motel rather than home had, apparently, already been made. She was pushing down I-25 in driving rain but despite the long shift and her earlier exhaustion, she felt awake and excited; her driving had an easy fluidity to it as if she could see and react to everything a split second before it happened.
It was past midnight when she finally pulled up under the gaudy red neon sign of the motel. Without taking a moment to think, her body got her out of the car and up to the door marked with a grey number '69' highlighted under a flickering florescent bulb. Right until the moment when she watched her hand at the end of a rain-soaked sleeve knock on the door, she felt calm and as if she did this all the time. It was only in the twenty seconds that she waited for an answer the realization of what she was about to do and the resultant adrenalin really kicked in. After an eternity when her heart seemed to beat a day's worth, the door opened to reveal the slim, bleary-eyed, half-dressed form of one Major Samantha Carter.
"Yeah?"
"Sam?"
The transformation when Sam saw who was standing at her door was instantaneous; Sam woke up and practically danced.
"Janet! You're here! I didn't think that... you sounded... I mean..."
Janet watched as Sam, perhaps spotting that she was verbally heading off into the sunset again, stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Janet found herself wanting to just take that final step forward and kiss Sam right then and there in the doorway. But it was something that she'd been thinking about for so long and a momentary hesitation meant the moment was lost.
When, Sam opened her eyes, Janet was still standing expectantly in the rain. Sam found a calm almost business-like tone with which to greet her again. Janet wondered if she'd just been practicing it in her head.
"Janet, it's great to see you. Come in; you're getting soaked."
As Janet moved into the relative warmth of the little room, decorated not-so-tastefully in browns, Sam obviously run out of calm, practiced sentences.
"I fell asleep, I didn't know if you were going to come. Would you like to get some food? This place sells great tapas. Or we could head over to the bar for a drink? I know the manager-"
Damnit, Janet knew that she didn't just drive 40 miles for a drink.
"Actually, what I really want to do is kiss you."
That stopped Sam instantly and she somehow managed to create a look of wanton shock with a little confusion thrown in for good measure. Janet took it as a positive - and adorable - sign and took the last step forward. Their respective height difference was minimal with Sam standing barefoot on the rough carpet. Janet took a moment to study the flushed face so close to hers. She knew that this was the last time it would just be the face of a friend.
Oddly, there was no last desperate panic or moment of doubt.
Their first kiss was full of uncertainty. Despite all the signals she'd been given, not least of all the letter, she wanted to be sure that this was what Sam wanted. However, it wasn't long before both of them broke down any last internal doubts and the kiss deepened. Sam wound her arms around the waist of Janet and pulled her closer. Janet found her hand moving into Sam's hair. The clean short strands were a little damp and on the periphery of her senses, she could smell the fresh soapy shampoo. As the kiss hardened, they found themselves stumbling back towards the bed and they had to pull away before one of them tripped. When Janet stepped back and looked into Sam's eyes, they were dark with shock and desire.
Sam's voice was breathy when she finally spoke.
"Wow!"
Janet's smile turned into a grin.
"I guess that was the first-"
"Oh, yeah!".
It appeared that the only thing Sam could do apart from single syllable words was take a step back and collapse onto the bed.
"You know, I really didn't think you were going to come."
Janet resisted the urge to make the crude reply.
"Well, it was hard not to after that letter."
Despite the intense kiss they had just shared, Janet watched a blush rise on Sam´s neck and cheeks. However, the grin that accompanied it suggested that it wasn't a blush of embarrassment.
"I didn't know what you'd do or say. I guess I knew it was more a gamble on our friendship than on my career. I trust you completely."
A quiet, happy peace descended over them and the dimly lit room for a few moments. They just watched each other almost as if for the first time. Janet's thoughts were surprisingly empty. She just felt this overwhelming sense of calm.
Finally, it was Sam who broke the silence with a sigh and spoke.
"So, the tapas in the bar really is great..."
With the initial release and awkwardness out of the way, Janet started to pay attention to the rest of her body. She was actually pretty hungry and acquiesced.
"Sure, let's go eat... although you may want to put a few more layers on first."
---
Warm...
Rich...
Salty...
Tasty...
Yours...
Ours.
---
They crossed the cold, wet parking lot at a dash and found themselves inside a cosy bar/restaurant. A short man in his late 30s with a soft face and mischievous eyes came over and Sam introduced him, "Janet, meet Juan." as if he were family.
"Buenas noches, mis amigas. ¿Qué tal?"
Janet watched amazed as Sam responded.
"Muy bien, Juan, ¿Y tú?"
"Bien, bien. ¿Y quien es está bonita mujer?"
Sam blushed a little but spoke conspiratorially.
"Una amiga, pero espero una novia."
A brief look of surprise was followed by a happy glint in his eyes.
"Ah, si, si, buena suete, Sam."
Janet recovered only after Juan had seated them in a little booth at the back. She spoke over the cheesy Mexican music playing quietly from hidden speakers.
"You speak Spanish? What did you say to him? What did he say back? It's really, um, sexy."
"I just picked up a little from when I was a kid. When mom died, dad hired a lady who was originally from Mexico to help out around the house. Ursula was like a second mother to me, Juan's her son-in-law... and, it's sexy?"
"Oh yeah."
They held each other's gaze for a fraction of a moment and then Janet found herself hiding a little behind her menu as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks... and elsewhere.
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Breathless...
Excited...
Wishful...
Hopeful...
Exhilarated...
Soon...
Now.
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They stayed talking until almost 2am. Just past midnight, when they were the last ones left, Juan had brought them the bill, murmuring something into Sam's ear that Janet didn't catch. They'd paid and he'd just told them how to switch the lights off and lock the door when they left.
Both of them had chatted like they always did when they went out on girlie nights. For Janet, it was reassuring to know that they could hold onto everything they had as friends yet have the tantalizing promise of more. She wondered if Sam noticed the extra layer of expectation and heat that laced their conversations. She would find herself making flirtateous comments or holding Sam's gaze for an extra moment. She'd missed the illicit thrill that it gave her, especially when she found that her advances were being reciprocated.
Eventually, exhaustion won and they left the darkened restaurant together. The rain had disappeared and the constellations were easy to make out. Janet watched Sam stop in the middle of the lot and stare up at the sky; the moon made her face glow.
"It's amazing to think that this time tomorrow, I'm going to be looking up at a completely different night sky."
Janet found herself moved to hold the moment in the here and now.
"Well, I figure we still have at least 5 hours until we need to think about that."
With the door to Sam's room a few steps away, Janet watched as Sam spoke while remaining apparently fascinated by the North Star.
"I don't know if you want to stay or-"
"-I want to stay, Sam." She waited for Sam to tear her eyes away from the stars and look at her. "I've wanted to for a while now."
Sam couldn't hide her sigh as she put the key in the lock of the door and silently let Janet in. In the darkness and peace of the room, Janet asked Sam what Juan had said to her when he'd brought the bill.
"Esta es la historia que sucedió en un momento en el tiempo. This is just a story of a moment in time."
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This is just a story of a moment in time. It could end with a night of passion, palms pressed to flesh, nails through hair, mouths to mouths. Two women could lie there after, feeling the perspiration running in rivulets over their flushed skin reddened further by the neon of the outside world.
It could end in quiet reflection, two friends nearly lovers relaxed in each other's embrace watching the sun rise over the hills, the dawn light playing over their warm bodies.
Either way, it doesn't matter. A woman lies naked feeling the fresh dawn breeze blow across her stomach. Next to her, a serene, beautiful blonde moves a little in a her sleep; her hand strokes the woman's thigh as she dreams. In the cool of the early morning air, thoughts and feelings from the last twelve hours flash into her mind like words cascading down a page.
This is just a story of a moment in time.
~FINIS~
