DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, Showtime, Gekko etc. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Originally written for the even angels LJ community.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: Grace.
Revelations
By kimly
She imagined her under the slanting shadows of the last sun, feral and primitive. It was so easy and almost fitting to picture her naked and tanned, body glistening with the sweat from her workout, standing ankle deep in sand at the edge of the water. Staff resting across the small of her back, held fast by her elbows; twisting at her waist, slowly bringing her breathing back to her normal rate.
In actuality, Janet didn't need to imagine such a wonderful sight, not any more. Almost a year ago Sam had approached Teal'c to learn how to use staff weapon in close combat situations, not just as an alien gun. For months they practiced in the SGC's gym. During that time, Sam retro-engineered the weapon, recreating her own with the same dimensions, weight and balance as the original but without the firepower. And where Teal'c's was engraved with the symbolism of the System Lords and the Jaffa, Sam painstakingly replaced the glyphs with markings of her world and her life.
Janet had asked her, after one of her late Saturday afternoon workouts, as they were sitting in the Fraiser living room, what some of the symbols meant. Sam showed her the ciphers for her military life and her academic life, the ones for her family: her mother, Cassandra, Janet. But she avoided a complex series deep within the butt end of the staff. Janet had looked at her quizzically as Sam ran her fingers reverently over the carvings. 'Soon' was all Sam said, pleading with a look for understanding. Janet just smiled and stood taking Sam's gaze with her as she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as she would do to Cassie before heading to the kitchen to make her family dinner.
So, weekends that she wasn't off world, Sam would practice at Janet's. At first she worked out in full fatigues; wanting to prepare herself for the constriction and weight of her actual jump gear. As the weeks moved deeper into spring, the flack vest was the first to go, leaving the Major in a standard black t-shirt. Another few weeks and the boots and socks were also omitted. Finally, the week before summer, the shirt was also history. Janet didn't think she would ever see anything as stunning as Samantha Carter welding a staff weapon in a pair of fatigue pants belted low on her hips, barefoot and from the waist up, wearing only a standard issue black sports bra. Oh, she was wrong.
That Sam's life was in danger on some random mission was not new nor unique. That upon her return from the nebula she requested to use her accrued vacation time was very new and rather unique; even more so when she quietly asked Janet to accompany her. Something in Sam's plea touched Janet so deeply she finally agreed to an extended leave of absence and the ire of her commanding officer to join her friend at a secluded island retreat.
After a week, Sam led Janet to the deck and a low padded bench. She seated her comfortably before kneeling at her feet. She showed her the base of her staff explaining her hopes and dreams inscribed in the metal. Her life and Janet's intertwined; as parents, as friends, as lovers. She couldn't chance letting any more time pass, hiding her feelings for her best friend. They talked long into the night admitting their hopes and fears.
As the sun lightened the eastern sky, the pair made love for the first time on the same padded bench where Sam confessed she was only living half a life without Janet by her side. Knowing the love she had for Janet was returned seemingly freed a part of Samantha Carter she never realize was suppressed. The melancholy she usually felt when thinking about her personal life simply evaporated.
Later that afternoon, Sam nuzzled Janet behind a convenient ear, whispering she was going to workout down on the beach. Janet turned in her arms and kissed her before searching her eyes for some sign that Sam was running from their new relationship. She only found her friend and a renewed supply of restless energy. Sam stole another quick kiss before tugging a half shirt over her head and stepping into a pair of shorts before jogging out of their room.
The days passed pretty much the same way: mornings walking on the beach, just talking, deepening their bond; afternoons spent making love in the bungalow or on the beach, in the water; and in late afternoon, while Janet created some new masterpiece for dinner, Sam practiced.
The day Janet realized Sam had taken to working out topless, she almost sliced her finger clear off, she was so distracted by the sight. Dinners became later affairs as Janet abandoned all pretense of cooking and simply curled up on their padded bench to study her lover. The sun and various physical drills did wonderful things to Sam's physique: defining her waist, shoulders and legs while turning her skin a wonderful bronze.
As mesmerizing as it was to watch Sam's already fit body become more sculpted, it was the changes in her attitude and outlook, the serenity of her soul, that Janet found most beautiful. She never expect her desires to become flesh and surely never expected Sam to be so demonstrative. Love no longer spoke quietly.
The End