DISCLAIMER: SG-1 its characters belong to B.W, J.G. and MGM. No copyright infringement intended, no money be made.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the result of a prompt given to me by ml_spikie in this post. She supplied the first line.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Worth It
By Dhamphir
Not knowing what else to do to save Janet, Sam suddenly found herself saying, "You can't have her, she's mine!"
Surprised, shock, astonishment... and anger.
Widening eyes turned toward her and a bubble of silence filled the air around them. Time seemed to expand, stretch, slow down, and then stand still. Her words having the effect of a shot heard around the world. What would happen now? It could have been the bravest thing she'd ever done, or dumbest. Did she just save the day? Or did she just commit suicide? Sam could hear her breath and pulse loudly echoing in her ears... which didn't seem right since she felt like she couldn't breathe and her heart had stopped beating.
It was true: Her life did pass in front of her eyes... at least her life since she'd met Janet.
She saw that very first smile when they were introduced on Janet's first day at the SGC.
She saw Janet in battle gear, bravely facing down Hathor.
She saw the woman become a mother when a scared, traumatized orphan needed a new home.
She saw the doctor save countless lives.
She saw the friend that had been there to lend an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, a hug to calm her.
She saw the mother that was willing to sacrifice everything to save her daughter.
She saw the person that always reminded her to slow down, to eat, to take care of herself.
She saw the person that knew her secrets and sorrows, her hopes and dreams.
She saw the larger than life hero cut down by a staff weapon blast... and the changed woman that survived Death's touch.
She saw the one person that made her feel happy, content, loved.
She saw the woman she was in love with, but had never told.
She saw home, in every sense of the word.
And she saw Janet's reaction when cornered and confronted tonight; saw her lost, deer-in-the-headlights expression.
"What the fu–"
"What?!"
"Carter!"
Time seemed to snap back into place and Sam took a deep, steadying breath. Except for their little corner of the room, the party-goers continued the revelry, oblivious to the heart-stopping drama taking place.
O'Neill grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her away a few feet. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he hissed.
Sam squared her shoulders and met her commanding officer's hard gaze. "Publicly declaring my love for Janet."
"Are you trying to commit professional suicide?"
"No, sir. But he has to know there are boundaries, and he just crossed one."
"So you make up something like this?"
"Who said anything about making something up?" she replied and arched her brow defiantly. She wasn't going to back down, not where Janet was concerned. She owed her that much.
The man glared at Janet as O'Neill dragged the blonde away. "You've got be kidding me! There's no way–"
"And what makes you so sure?" Janet snapped.
"Her – I believe she feels that way. But not you."
She arched a brow. "Why not? Sam has been closer to me than anyone for years. She helped raise my daughter. She's the one that's always been there for me. And, you'll not find anyone smarter, or more beautiful."
"Except for you. I love you and I want to be with you. I want to sleep with you and wake up with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"And if for no other reason, that's exactly why there could never be anything between us."
"What?"
"Everything you just said was about what you want. Sam puts me first, not herself." With that she started to walk away. But he grabbed her arm.
"Janet!"
"I said no!"
Both Sam and the colonel turned at Janet's exclamation.
"Let go of Dr. Fraiser," resonated Teal'c's voice as he approached from behind.
Janet jerked her arm free and walked up to Sam. "Let's get out of here, Sam."
"Sure." Sam put her arm around Janet's shoulders and guided her out of the building.
Jack glared at the man. "What the hell do you think you were doing?"
"I'm in love with her," he replied.
"Get over it."
Teal'c's hand clamped onto his shoulder. "Dr. Fraiser is not yours to pursue. I would be very displeased if she were caused any distress."
Outside Sam and Janet walked along the path until it opened up into the garden. They sat on one of the carved stone benches.
"Are you okay, Janet?"
"Yeah. I'm just... surprised as hell. I never saw that coming."
"I didn't either." Sam paused before continuing. "Listen, about what I said, I just couldn't think of anything el–"
"It's okay, Sam. I appreciate your help. I just hope you don't get into any trouble for what you said."
"I won't. But even if I did, it would be worth it."
A silence fell over them, but it wasn't necessarily an uncomfortable one. Both of them were thinking about what had happened.
As Janet reviewed what she'd told Daniel about Sam she realized every word had been the truth. "Sam?"
"What?"
"Have you ever thought about... us?"
After defiantly facing down her commanding officer it should have been easy to talk to Janet, but Sam felt her stomach do a flip-flop. However, in for a penny, in for a pound. She looked her friend in the eyes. "Yes, I have."
"But you've never said anything."
Sam shrugged. "I never thought you were interested."
"In women? Or in you?"
"Either."
"Fair enough." She took a steadying breath. "What if I was interested?"
"In women? Or in me?" Sam couldn't resist replying with a small smile. She was rewarded with a bright smile and quiet chuckle.
"Well, I don't see anyone else here. So, what if I was interested in you?" Janet said with a smile.
"Janet, I've loved you – been in love with you – for a long time. I'd be thrilled if you were interesting in me."
Janet reached up and gently cupped Sam's cheek and gazed into her blue eyes. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize, but I'm more than interested in you. I love you, too." She leaned in and pressed her lips to Sam's lips.
The End