DISCLAIMER: Stargate and characters are the property of MGM, Gekko, etc. No infringement of copyright intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The CSI companion piece can be found HERE
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Valentine's Card
By Debbie
It was the February 14th, 2004, Valentine's Day. Major Samantha Carter strolled into her laboratory deep in thought. She realized that she maybe wasn't the number one girl in this place, but she had expected at least one Valentine card. Had she really been that successful at deterring Graham Simmons, Walter Davies, Jack O'Neill, et al? Smiling to herself at her stupid melancholy, she looked over towards her desk, not really expecting to see anything. Why would she? It wasn't as if she had plucked up enough courage to send anything to the object of her own affections.
To Sam's amused surprise, however, there was a slim peach colored envelope propped up against her desk-light. Glancing around and seeing she was alone, she examined the envelope. The envelope was written in a non-descript, full-bodied style made with firm pen strokes, similar to the Lucinda handwriting style found in computer documents. Laughing to herself at her automatic investigative style, she realized the writing was unrecognizable to her. The card wasn't obviously from her known acquaintances, yet how had it arrived on her desk with no postage mark, unless hand delivered? Still alone, she opened the envelope carefully, pulling out a plain card decorated with two hearts and nothing more. She opened the card and seeing no signature settled back to read.
To SamBe My Valentine.
Jell-O is something that makes you happy, especially when it is blue. You are something that makes me happy, but not when you are blue. We spend so many happy times together that sadness really hits below the belt. I hate it when you are sad and I hate it when I am sad.
As I always am whenever you go offworld. Being sad is not a medical condition that can be treated, it is a symptom of my loving you and not being able to tell you so.
Nowhere else in this world, I believe, are there two people who care for each other as much as we do, and yet we have never voiced this feeling out loud. We are friends like no other. What we share is beyond special, but I yearn for more. I want you to be mine, Samantha Carter, not only as a friend, but as a lover and a soulmate.
Everyday we share only makes me want you more. Sometimes I think you share my feelings and sometimes it appears that there is another standing in our way. We have something very special Sam and we must never let it go. Yesterday, I heard these words in a song by the wonderfully appropriate Indigo Girls. I want to share some of them with you now, and then, maybe later, share the whole song with you. These words make up the chorus and they *are* us, Sam, they could have been written just for us. We have the power to be what we want to be. Read them and see...
So we're okay,
We're fine.
Baby I'm here to stop your crying,
Chase all the ghosts from your head.
I'm stronger than the monster beneath your bed,
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart.
We'll look at them together then we'll take them apart.
Adding up the total of a love that's true
Multiply life by the power of twoToday, at last, I want you to truly know how I feel about you. I want you to know just how much you mean to me, that I cannot live without you, that I love you from the depths of my being. Just that I love you. If you can work out my not too subtle clues and you feel anything at all for me too, please meet me top-side at 10.00am. I want to take you to a park and walk beside you, only you. Afterwards we can share a private time at another of our joint loves, Luigi's. The table is booked; all I need is you. Please come to me, Samantha.
I guess the only thing left to say is, 'Who am I?'
Sam looked up from her Valentine card to see if anyone was observing her. She was thankful there was no one in sight. She thought long and hard about the beautiful words in front of her. Somebody had it good for her, but who, and was it who she wanted it to be. She considered the options. The logistics of the card's delivery allowed only for a member of the SGC. It was obviously somebody who was reasonably close to her considering all the references to friendship and time together. But whom?
Until recently, Sam would have been hoping this message was from Jack O'Neill. Now, she wasn't sure. Just lately she had become enamored with another. Somebody so unapproachable she had not even dared think about it. Her new love was even more unapproachable than Jack. Sam knew in her own heart that this other was the only one who commanded this degree of feeling in herself, but this card couldn't be from her, could it? She was pretty sure the answer was staring her in the face. The card mentioned reading the clues contained within, so it was just a matter of elimination. Hopefully, she could then let the sender down gently, while she worked up the courage to confess her adoration for a certain diminutive doctor. She began to consider the possibilities.
Teal'c? 'As I always am whenever you go off world.' The intonation of that one line sounded like Teal'c but she really didn't think peach envelopes and pretty song words were his forte. No, this was definitely too subtle and romantic for him. Teal'c would be more likely to just admit his thoughts as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Anyway, she thought, Teal'c has a 'thing' for Janet. She crossed him off her mental list.
Daniel? 'We are friends like no other', 'We spend so many happy times together', are words that might come from Daniel. He was her dear friend and he did know about her passion for blue Jell-O. But romantic notions? She didn't think so. He was her 'brother' in actions if not in name, so no, she crossed him off, too.
So, to Jack? Reading between the lines, this letter felt like Jack but didn't feel like Jack. There was something not quite right about it all. The fun was there, Jell-O. The seriousness was there, 'Nowhere else in this world, I believe, are there two people who care for each other as much as we do, and yet we have never voiced this feeling out loud'. This last sentence was definitely her and Jack, but Sam now knew her feelings weren't of the romantic type. They were of the 'best friend, older brother' type, and she believed Jack also knew this. No, she really did believe that both Jack and herself had given up the stupid notion of being anything other than friends, so a definite mental no.
Who else could it be from? It couldn't be General Hammond, could it? Logically she knew that answer was "No." He was her 'Godfather,' for cryin'-out-loud. Since her dad had gone off world with the Tok'ra, he was to all intents and purposes her father. So definitely a no, she surmised.
Which left only one other person in her close team to be accounted for. Janet. The object of Sam's own affections. 'It really couldn't be her, could it? I couldn't be so lucky, could I?' thought Sam to herself. Janet had never shown any inclination towards attraction for the same sex. She loved Sam, of that the major was sure, but as a 'lover' rather than as a 'friend', she didn't know. Yet, that was what the card confessed to. As a science boff, used to puzzling around Goa'uld conundrums, Sam thought she really ought to be able to decipher the clues. She read the card again.
Janet knew about her obsession for blue Jell-O, often bringing her a bowl whenever she was recovering in Janet's infirmary. Wait. The infirmary? She checked back to the second paragraph, 'Being sad is not a medical condition that can be treated, it is a symptom of my loving you and not being able to tell you so'. The medical allusion was a rather large coincidence. And what else did that say? 'I am sad when you go off world.' The guys usually went off world with her, however Janet usually remained behind. Things were beginning to fall into place.
What about the 'wonderfully appropriate Indigo Girls lyrics'? There had to be a clue there. Dredging something from the recesses of her mind about their lifestyles, she pulled up the Indigo Girls' website. Yes, it was definitely coming together.
Sam began to worry that she was fitting the clues to the answer that she wanted. After all, she really didn't want to frighten Janet away with any declarations if she was completely off-base. Then she spotted it. The first word in each paragraph was written in a slightly bolder style, spelling JANET. The sender of this wonderful Valentine was indeed Janet Fraiser.
Sam blushed and felt the heat race through her body. Janet wanted her! Her hope had come true. Now, all she had to do was follow through on the invitation, and convince Janet that she wanted the same. But, something as carefully planned as this card deserved something more romantic than just turning up for a walk of all things. She immediately picked up the phone to make an urgent call.
Meanwhile, Janet Fraiser was also sitting at her desk, deep in thought. Her mind was awhirl with what she had done. How could she have been so stupid as to send a semi anonymous Valentine to Samantha Carter? What would she do if Sam worked out the sender? What would she do if, as Janet really believed, Sam really did share her feelings? At least now her feelings would be out in the open and maybe she could try and become more than 'just good friends' with the blonde she had come to adore.
She wondered what might transpire in the next few hours. Would she get a visit from Sam? Would she and the blonde share a walk? Would they attempt any kind of relationship? Would Sam have nothing more to do with her? Would Sam even realize it was Janet that had sent the card? As she pondered these innumerable questions she heard a gentle knock on the door. It was Sergeant Davies. He popped his head around the door and handed Janet a bouquet of yellow roses. With a knowing smile he turned on his heel and left. Janet looked at the flowers in amazement. They were yellow, but tipped with a fringe of red. She opened the attached envelope slowly. Inside was a slim card with sturdy handwriting on it, Sam's. It said,
J.Yellow roses mean friendship. Yellow roses fringed with red mean something beyond friendship. I guess I want you as much as you appear to want me. Meet me at the car in 10 minutes.
S.
Glancing at her watch, Janet smiled. It was just like Sam to try and wrest the initiative, changing the time of their meeting to her own choice. Janet was not going to argue. She cleared her desk and made her way out into the bright daylight.
Standing by Janet's car was a grinning Sam Carter wearing the pair of denims that always made Janet smile. She was amazed Sam cared enough about this day to change into her civvies. Janet's heart melted at the Cheshire cat grin on Sam's face, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the way Sam looked at her. The tall blonde woman devoured the gorgeous redhead from head to toe with her eyes as she walked gracefully towards her. At the car Sam took a hold of Janet's hands and squeezed them tight. She whispered, "Thank you."
Janet squeezed back and let her hands ride up Sam's forearms. She whispered back, "No, thank you." Pushing Sam towards the car she said in a husky voice, "Shall we go?"
The two women climbed into the car. They shared a look. As Janet turned the engine to leave, she rested her hand lightly on the denim-clad thigh beside her, drawing Sam's gaze back to the doctor's face. The redhead shyly glanced around then leant over towards Sam murmuring a gentle, "May I?" Her lips were inches from Sam's, near enough that the major could feel the warmth of her breath. Sam shivered but offered no resistance to what she knew was coming next. Sam held her breath in the anticipation of finally feeling those wonderful lips on her own. The smaller woman leant in to share a sweet, gentle, unassuming, first kiss. It was everything a first kiss should be; warm, welcoming, loving, a promise of more to come. Janet pulled back gently and squeezed the thigh she was still holding. She was amazed that this gorgeous woman was willing to forego her military upbringing to see where things would go. Janet clasped the hand tightly and pulled out into the traffic. Sharing another smile, the two ladies drove off to their Valentine promise.
The End