Title: 10 to 1

Author: Geonn

Email: neil_j_miser@yahoo.com

Rating: PG

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

Summary: Janet walks through her house while everyone else sleeps.

The noise hadn't even been very loud; just a momentary clang of metal on metal. Janet's eyes opened slowly, focusing on the beautiful face laying just a few inches away. Samantha Carter's eyelids fluttered as the major dreamt, undaunted by the clatter outside. Janet raised herself gently out of bed, careful not to wake the sleeping blonde as she slid off of the mattress and padded barefoot to the window. She pulled the curtain back slightly, peeking outside. Rich, the retired marine that lived across the street, was in his garage working on a broken-down truck that hadn't worked since Janet had moved in.

Shivering slightly, she realized how cold it was in the bedroom. She had originally planned to go to bed in her usual flannel nightgown, but Sam had changed the plans. Now all that stood between her and nudity was the pair of simple white panties that she had pulled on right before drifting off. Sam murmured slightly in her sleep, rolling over so that her back was to Janet.

Quietly, the doctor pulled a shawl off the foot of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, slipping quietly out of the bedroom and into the dark hallway. It was eight steps to Cassie's bedroom door. In the few years since the girl's arrival on this world, Janet had become an incredibly protective mother. Funny, she thought, how before Cassandra she had never even thought of having kids. But she wouldn't trade it for anything.

She turned the knob quietly, peeking into the bedroom. Enlightened by the street light outside the window, she could see Cassie sprawled facedown on the mattress, her arm hanging limply over the side of the bed. She snored slightly, kicking at the blankets that were bunched around her legs. Janet stepped into the room, gently tugging the blanket up so that it reached the girl's shoulders. "G'night, Cass," she whispered. Stepping back in the hallway and closing the door behind her, she walked down the stairs thinking about her family upstairs. From her parent's constant bickering to her disastrous marriage, she had practically given up the idea that a happy family was possible. But now, she shared a bed with someone who she loved unconditionally, and knew loved her too. She had a daughter that she loved more than life itself sleeping down the hall.

She was in the living room now, looking at the pictures that lined the mantle. The first one was of Jack O'Neill and Cassandra, playing in the park with the dog he had bought her. There were several others of Sam and Janet together, although none of them showing how close the two really were. She didn't think O'Neill and the others would cause problems, but she wanted to be safe, just in case. She touched the smiling face of Sam Carter in the picture of the recent Fourth of July celebration. Janet smiled, feeling the warmth in her heart at the thought that this woman - this beautiful, intelligent, funny woman - actually loved her.

Moving through the living room, she flipped on the kitchen light and opened the refridgerator door, peering at the contents. Picking up a half-eaten candy bar, she unwrapped it and walked back to the living room, sitting in the semi-darkness. A videotape case was laying open on the floor, the cassette resting in the VCR. Only a few hours ago, they had been enthralled with the Bruce Willis film. After it ended, Cass and Sam debated how the SGC would change if Sam were 'unbreakable' like the character in the movie. Sam claimed it wouldn't take much since she was pretty darn unbreakable as it is.

That thought darkened Janet's mind for a moment. The thought of Sam *needing* to be unbreakable frightened her. She didn't want to, but she started thinking about all the times Sam had been hurt in the line of duty. She always managed to come back, but... luck only lasted so long. Finishing off the candy bar, she dropped the wrapper in the garbage and turned off the kitchen light before heading back upstairs.

Sliding under the covers, she snuggled against Sam's back and wrapped her arm's around the blonde's waist. "Janet?"

"Shh," she whispered, nuzzling Sam's neck. "Go back to sleep..."

Sam rolled over so they were face to face, their lips mere centimeters apart. "Something wrong?"

Janet shook her head, kissing her lover as she rested her head on the pillow. "Not a thing," she promised. Sam rested her forehead against Janet's and drifted back to sleep.

From the corner of her eye, Janet could see the clock on the nightstand. It was ten to one. Janet kissed Sam once more before closing her own eyes.