Passages in Life
Passages in Life
by Lena Smith
TITLE: Passages in Life
AUTHOR: Lena Smith
EMAIL: tailkinker@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Angst, Romance, Added Scenes to Rite of Passage
CONTENT WARNINGS:
RATING: G
SEASON/SERIES: 5
SPOILERS: Rite of Passage, Singularity
SUMMARY: Janet discovers new passages in her life.
ARCHIVE: Shipperworld, DJArchive, Heliopolis
STATUS: Complete
PARINGS: Dan/Janet
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended and nothing is being made. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Copyright 2001
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Feedback is greatly appreciated (especially if you like it J
). I would like to thank my Beta Readers: Wilma, Stacey, Shannon, and Jo. Your encouragement has meant a tremendous amount to me. Snippet of "Say It Now" by Luther Vandross used without permission. Don't be mad Luther, I just love that CD!!
DEDICATION: To everyone who loves romance, whatever the pairing
Dr. Janet Fraiser wearily trudged out to her car. The ordeal was finally over. Cassie was recovering and Nirrti, that bitch, was gone. Janet leaned against the door, trying to build up the strength to open it and drive home. Home. Janet shook her head. It had been over a week since she'd been home. They had rushed Cassie to the infirmary when she collapsed. Janet doubted that they had even turned the lights off. Getting in her car, she thought about her daughter, asleep in the mountain. When Janet had come to Cheyenne Mountain she was divorced, not considering the idea of children. Then Cassie came into her life, hurting; her family, her village had been destroyed by Nirrti. The child touched her heart. They were so happy when the adoption went through. Janet knew she loved Cassie, she just never realized how much until this week. Now she was going home to get clothes to bring her daughter home day after tomorrow. She just had to get away from the base for a little bit.
Janet pulled into her driveway and was surprised to see Daniel's car there. She went into the house, wondering why he was there. The CD player was on, playing the discs she and Sam had selected the night of Cassie's birthday.
"Daniel? Daniel?"
"Out here, Janet. I'm just feeding the dog." His voice came through the back door screen.
Oh God! The dog! She'd forgotten all about the poor animal. She ran to the door hoping he was ok.
"Is he ok?! I'd forgotten about him!!" Janet said with alarm.
Daniel came through the door, smiling at her. "Don't worry, Janet. I've come past every night to check on things. Um ... I got the key from Sam." A look of concern furrowed his brow. "That was ok, wasn't it?"
Janet smiled and gave him a quick hug. "Of course!" She paused and looked up at him. "Thank you. I really appreciate you taking care of everything."
Daniel smiled down at her softly. "No problem. You had more important things on your mind." He guided her over to the couch. "Why don't you sit down here and relax and I'll get us a glass of wine. You need it after today." He brushed his hand across her shoulder tenderly.
"Thanks, Daniel." She said quietly. Her shoulder tingled where he had brushed against it. She listened to him getting out the glasses and the wine. She had always found his presence comforting. God knows, she needed that comfort tonight. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the couch, trying to let some of the tension seep out of her body.
Daniel stopped at the doorway and looked at her. She looked so small and vulnerable, sitting there. He cast his mind back to this afternoon. She had not been vulnerable then. Janet may be small but Daniel knew she had tremendous strength of will. The sight of her, aiming the gun at Nirrti, fighting for her child with every ounce of her being, was terribly moving for Daniel. Here was a woman, raising a child that was not her own and fighting for her with the ferocity of a wild animal. He had often wished for that kind of love after his parents had been killed. To see Janet display that love toward her daughter filled his heart. He had felt so helpless during the ordeal. This afternoon, when he held Janet's hand in the hallway of the infirmary, he finally realized how much she meant to him. Daniel shook his head. He'd never expected to fall in love again after Sha're died, let alone with someone he considered just a good friend. It had happened so gradually that he never realized it until he'd wanted to take her in his arms in that hallway and comfort her, protect her.
Janet listened. He had started to walk into the room and stopped. As exhausted as she was, she was so aware of his presence. He always had this effect on her. She often wondered if he ever saw her a woman instead of a co-worker or friend. She thought back to their conversation in the hallway. Daniel was never a "touchy-feely" kind of person. When he had taken her hand, she'd felt a jolt of electricity down to her toes. She caught her breath. Just before they separated, his thumb had caressed her palm! She'd been so focused on Cassie she hadn't really realized it before. Was it ... possible? She heard him take a step and raised her head to watch him. He was smiling at her with such incredible tenderness. She thought her heart was going to stop beating then and there.
He handed her the glass and sat down beside her. Janet looked at the surface of the wine for a moment before she took a sip. The cold, soothing liquid felt wonderfully relaxing as it started a warmth in the pit of her stomach. "MMmmmmm," Janet murmured as she put the glass against her forehead. "I needed this after this horrible week."
"I don't doubt that. You were amazing." Daniel said quietly.
Janet sat there, thinking. Finally, she said, "I scared myself today. I've never thought of myself as a violent person, but I was going to hurt Nirrti deliberately. If she hadn't agreed to cure Cassie, I was going to shoot her. Just to wound her, to convince her I was serious. But if Cassie had died," Janet's voice choked, "I would have killed her. I never thought I could do that but I WAS prepared to kill her. My God, Daniel. I'm a doctor. I'm supposed to save lives, not take them." Janet started to sob.
Daniel removed the wineglass from her hand and drew her to him. One arm was around her shoulders, the other hand gently stroking the beautiful auburn hair of the woman he'd come to love. Softly he said, "You were a mother fighting for your child. There's nothing wrong with that. Only a real mother would risk so much. Believe me, no one has any doubts about how much you love Cassie. Not after this. And no one faults you for doing everything you had to do to save her. Truth be told, I think Hammond admired you for what you did. It did give him the trump card he needed." Daniel thought back to Hammond telling Nirrti, "I should remind you, the woman holding the gun on you is Cassandra's mother." "You did what you had to do, Janet. Don't beat yourself up for that." He held her as she cried. "Shh, baby. It's ok. It's just all the stress you've been under. Shhh, honey. Everything's just fine." He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
Janet had no idea how long he held her like that as she cried. Slowly, her tears subsided and she listened to the whispered endearments and felt the gentle ... loving? ... kisses he gave her. She felt safe in his arms, cherished. Janet listened quietly as she heard Luther Vandross's satiny voice come from the stereo.
It's a shame that I found out the hard way
And it ain't the same
'Cause you never ever got to hear me say I love you
'Cause I waited too late
So oh, I've got to tell everybody
Don't make the same mistake
It's all right to say I love you out loud
And it's all good so don't you keep it inside
Let it out do it today no no no
Don't you wait, cause it just might be too late
To say I love you
Janet felt Daniel's hand caress her face and gently turn her so he could look into her eyes. Slowly he closed the distance between them. "He's right," Daniel breathed as his lips brushed hers. Janet's eyes closed as she felt his lips tease hers. "Oh God, I don't believe this is happening," she thought. She moaned and opened to his questing tongue. Daniel rejoiced at her response. He felt her tremble beneath his hands. Slowly, he ended the kiss. "I love you."
Janet looked at him, her fingertips caressed his cheek, ran across his lips. "Oh Daniel," she whispered, " I love you so much."
They sat there on the couch for several hours, just touching and kissing each other. They slowly discovered how to please each other and the actual depth of their feelings.
Janet was resting in Daniel's arms as they finished their wine. She sighed. "I need to get Cassie's clothes and get back to the base. I want to be there if she wakes up."
Daniel hugged her and said, "Ok, I'll make sure everything's straightened up and locked up, then I'll drive you back. You're too tired to make the drive." He kissed her again. "I want to make sure you're ok, ya know?" He grinned.
Janet smiled. "OK."
They met back at the front door. Daniel put his arm around her and opened the door. "Let's go see our daughter."
Janet stood there frozen, looking at him. "Our daughter?"
Daniel laughed softly and bent down to kiss her. "Oh yeah. I'm warning you right now, lady. I plan on marrying you." With that he led her down the steps and to his car.
Janet watched Daniel as he drove. She could not believe everything that had happened to her in the space of one week. She had discovered the absolute depth of her love for Cassie and exactly what she was capable of doing when she had no choice. Now a new passage in her life was opening that she never expected. She wondered what else life had in store for her.
~Fin~
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Lena Smith
Heliopolis Main Archive
A Stargate: SG-1 Fanfiction Site
Passages In Life
by Lena SmithSite Navigation
Support Heliopolis