Written In The Stars

Author: Geonn

Email: neil_j_miser@yahoo.com

Rating: PG

Pairings: Sam/Janet

Category: Romance

Website: www.realmoftheshadow.com/geonn.htm

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.

Notes: This story is dedicated to someone. They know who, I know who... that's really all that matters, right? ;-D

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

Summary: A simple conversation in the middle of the night.

Special Thanks to Hl for the banner.


Janet woke and sat up in bed, rubbing her sleep-bleary eyes with the backs of her hands and blinking at the clock. It took a few seconds for the blurred red image to finally coalesce into the shapes of numbers. Three minutes past three. She looked to her right and saw that the other side of the king-sized bed was empty, the sheets unrumpled and the pillow untouched. With a sigh, she threw the blankets aside and slipped out of bed, putting on a pair of house shoes and finding her frayed robe. She left the bedroom and headed quietly downstairs.

Her house was cold and she tucked her arms against her side, wondering if she'd maybe left a door or window open before going to bed. As she passed the living room window, she spotted movement outside and pushed back the curtain. Someone was sitting on one of the beach chairs, looking up at the sky. She smiled and picked up her coat, pulling it on and going outside. "Hey," she said to the blonde.

"Morning," her visitor whispered. She was looking up at the sky, trying to make smoke rings with the condensation of her breath. "You ever wonder why we can see our own breath?"

Janet shrugged and sat in the chair opposite the tall blonde. "I don't know. Uh, water molecules, condensation, the cold..."

"Not the scientific reason," she chided. "*Why* do we see our own breath?"

The brunette exhaled and watched the blue gray plume of her breath rise and twirl through the night air. "A stream of consciousness," the blonde whispered. "You just exhaled the very thing you'll die without. There it goes," she said, following the fast-disappearing trail with her finger.

Deciding to change the subject, Janet said, "What are you doing out here? It's freezing cold?"

The other woman ignored the question, but apparently agreed to a change of subject. "You're so skeptical."

Janet blinked. "I am?"

"Yep," she said, nodding. "You don't believe in anything. Ghosts, psychics, fate. You don't believe in that. Right?"

"Guilty as charged," Janet said. "I don't believe in any of that stuff."

"Then why am *I* here?"

Janet frowned and tilted her head to the side. "W-what do you mean?"

The blonde shrugged and turned her gaze back to the sky. "What do you believe in?"

Janet tried to figure out where she was going with this and couldn't. "Um... well..."

"Do you believe in family?"

"Yes."

"God?"

Janet hesitated, playing with the tie of her robe for a moment, then said, "Yes, I actually do."

"Love?"

Again, she hesitated. "You remember hearing about my marriage, right? I think I believe in love, but... I'm not sure. It's like trying to believe in books after living three years with an illiterate."

"Soul mates?"

That caught Janet by surprise. She leaned back and looked up at the sky and exhaled, again watching the balloon of her breath rise and tumble towards the moon. After a moment, the question was repeated. "Do you believe in soul mates, Janet?"

"What's a soul mate?" Janet asked. "Something made up for romance novels or smaltzy romantic comedies with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? No, I don't believe in soul mates. I don't think there's one specific person out there in the world I'm supposed to be with. I think there are several, dozens that you could be more than happy with."

"More than happy with, yes. But not perfect."

"Another thing I don't believe in," Janet said. "Perfection."

The blonde laughed. "Ironic, coming from a perfectionist."

"I am not!" the brunette argued. "I just... like things done a certain way."

They sat in silence for a moment. "I believe in all that stuff. Family, God, romance, soul mates, everything. And I've been told I'm a relatively down to earth person. I guess the difference between you and me is that... when I see one of those Meg Ryan movies where she falls in love with the guy, I actually think that could happen. I think it's possible. Serendipity happens."

"Okay, let's discuss that. Serendipity. I'm willing to concede it happens occasionally. Very rarely. But people also win the lottery. People get hit by lightning. Does that mean that I should sit around and wait for either of those things to happen?"

A dog wandered into Janet's backyard, the price she paid for not having an actual fence. It walked over to the lawn chairs and stared at her, ignoring the blonde. "Shoo," Janet said, playfully kicking at it with the toe of her shoe. "Go on, get."

The blonde was quiet for a while, staring up at the stars. "You're right, I suppose. Soul mates don't meet up very often. And if they do, who's to say they even realize it?" Janet looked up at that. "Just because you're meant to be with someone doesn't mean that you automatically realize it. Or what if your soul mate did *believe* in soul mates and moved on?" She shrugged. "Maybe I shouldn't even think about it."

Janet reached out to touch the blonde's hair, but their chairs were too far apart. "I'm sorry." She looked at her hand and let it drop to the patio. "I never said I don't believe in love. I've been in love before. Deep love."

"Yeah?"

Janet nodded. "Yeah. But I've always gotten over it, eventually. For all the tears I cried and all the... the ice cream I ate when we broke up, I always decided it was for the best in the end. That's why I'm saying I don't believe in soul mates."

"That's like saying no one ever gets hit by lightning because *you've* never been hit by lightning. What about your parents?"

She smiled and leaned back, looking at the stars again and wondering what time it was. "My Mom and Dad met in elementary school. Kindegarten. Her maiden name was Franklin and he was Fraiser, so they were right next to each other. Best friends. Grew up, went to high school and got lockers together - *asked* for lockers together, it wasn't fate. Eventually Daddy looked at Momma and decided she was the one for him. They've been together ever since."

The blonde shook her head, smiling. "How could you tell a story like that and not believe in soul mates? You're the product of soul mates!"

Janet shrugged. "Or they spent so much time around each other that they grew accustomed to each other. Or, what, you think that the stars in the sky arranged for my parents to have similar last names and conspired to put them in the same class? I don't read my horoscope, either."

The blonde turned and put her feet on the ground, facing Janet. "I'm not asking you to read your horoscope. I don't think the stars themselves have mystical powers... All I'm asking you to do is accept the possibility that there *is* a *chance* that every person has a perfect mate out there looking and waiting for them. Can you believe that?"

Janet looked at her for a minute, then sat up. "I can believe that."

"Can you believe that... your soul mate could arrive at any minute?"

Janet smiled. "I definitely hope so."

The blonde smiled. "Okay. That's all I ask."

Janet stood and said, "You really believe in all this stuff about... soul mates and fate, don't you?" The other woman nodded. "Do you think you're mine?"

A smile spread over the blonde's lips and she looked up. "I'm here, aren't I? I think it's a pretty good bet."

Janet smiled. "Good. Are you... are you gonna come upstairs?"

"In a minute."

The blonde leaned back and stared at the stars, in pretty much the same position she'd been in when Janet came downstairs. Janet exhaled and ran a hand through her wind-tusseled hair and headed for the backdoor. She went inside, climbed the stairs and climbed back under the covers. Three-thirty. Seemed like she had been outside a lot longer...

---

Janet Fraiser woke up the next morning and got ready for work. She pulled her uniform from the dry cleaner's bag and dressed as reverently as possible; her father had taught her all about respecting the uniform of any United States military branch. Of course, he hadn't exactly expected his little girl to WEAR one... he had probably just expected her to iron her husband's.

Once she was dressed, she checked her make-up and put on a long overcoat. Then she drove to Cheyenne Mountain. There was a bit of a disturbance at the front gate when one of the men didn't recognize her ID or her face, but it was cleared up quickly and she was waved forward to the parking garage. Leaving her car, she went to the elevators and rode allllll the way down to Level 28 where she was supposed to have a meeting with General Hammond.

She found him in the briefing room with four other people. The General stood. "Dr. Fraiser." Two of the other people present stood and turned, but Janet didn't pay much attention to them. Hammond stuck out his hand and said, "I'd like to welcome you to Cheyenne Mountain and the SGC." A large barrier was covering the window on one side of the room. Perhaps keeping the fabled Stargate out of sight?

Janet turned to the other people present and tried to stifle a gasp when she saw the female. It was the blonde that had been visiting her dreams so often! The ghostly soul mate! "I'd like to introduce you to the premiere exploration team, designated SG-1. Dr. Janet Fraiser, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Captain Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c."

Janet nodded to them all, but took Sam's hand first. It made sense, seeing as she was the closest, but she wanted to make sure the other woman was real. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"The pleasure is ours," Jack said, obviously eyeing the petite doctor. She didn't notice. "How about checking out the infirmary? I give a killer tour..."

"Actually, Jack, we still have to go over the technical aspects of your next mission."

Jack winced and dropped back into his seat. "D'oh..."

"Well, Sir," Sam said. "I could show her to the Med Center. I mean... I *have* been over all of this before."

Jack gave her a look reminscent of high school jocks who loathed the geeks who had actually done their homework. Janet had actually been one of those geeks. Hammond, however, agreed. Sam stepped to one side and motioned towards the elevators. "Right this way," she said.

When they got into the elevator, Janet bit her bottom lip and looked over at Sam for a long moment. Finally, she said, "Can I call you Sam?"

"Huh? Oh. Oh, yeah. Sure. If I can call you Janet."

"You can," Janet said, nodding. "Can I ask you something, Sam?"

"Of course."

"Do you believe in soul mates?"

~END~


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