Rhythms

Rating: 15
Pairing: Sam/Janet
Spoilers: Fair Game, Frozen
Notes: thanks to the many people who have read this and commented

She stood by the bar, swigging cold beer from a bottle and letting the loud,
thumping music invade her consciousness. Her body swaying without thought to
the almost primal rhythms.  She couldn't think when she'd last been to a place
like this. It wasn't anytime lately, not even back in Washington.

Lost in her thoughts, she tensed slightly in surprise, when a cool smooth hand
snaked into hers.

She looked around, and slightly down, at the shorter woman, whose hand now held
her own.  

***

"Hey, are you doing anything tonight?"
"Uh... No."
"Fancy a girl's night out?"
"Uh... Maybe. What did you have in mind?"
"Catch a film, have some food. There's a new Indonesian restaurant downtown 
that could be interesting." 
"Uh... OK.  Never had Indonesian." 
"OK. I'll catch you when my shift's over.  We can start the weekend in style."
"Uh... weekend?"
"It's Friday, Sam."
"Oh. Oh, sure. I knew that, Janet. Yes. Uh... See you later, then."
"Great!"

***

The night had contained new experiences for the blonde woman, and familiar ones
with a new twist.  She and Janet had occasionally spent free time together
before, but there was something different, and surprising, about this evening
that she couldn't pinpoint.  She decided, however, that it definitely wasn't
unpleasant.

She felt another tug on her hand, and realized she'd been wool gathering.  The
brunette's eyes sparkled mischievously at the slightly dazed and confused look
on her friend's face, but tugged her hand gently again as much to stifle the
question forming as to urge her on.

***

"See anything you fancy?"
"Um, Janet, I have no idea about this menu.  I'm at the point of just picking
something random and hoping it's not as bad as some of the stuff I've had on
missions."
"Do you trust me?"
"What?! Oh, of course."
"Ok, then we'll have..."

***

The food had been wonderful.  Janet had made choices for Sam to deliberately
complimented her own food, producing a hedonistic meal which Sam felt she would
dream of on distant, barren planets, where MRE's were the only sustenance.

Trusting Janet instinctively, the blonde allowed herself to be led through the
crowds and out into the small space reserved for dancing.  On realising what
had occurred, Sam glanced around briefly, to take stock of the location and
fight her shock at what Janet had done, which was quickly followed by surprise
that her friend was obviously relatively recently practiced.  To cover her
churning emotions, she closed her eyes and tried let her body find the rhythm
of the throbbing music.  

Janet watched as the blonde found a space on the dance floor.  She hadn't been
sure that Sam would acquiesce to this, and was somewhat surprised to see her
throw herself so wholeheartedly into the rhythms of the music.  However, it
gave her the chance to observe her friend in an unguarded moment and without so
much of the usual risk of discovery.  

***

"Captain Carter?!"
"Yes, er... Captain?"
"Indeed. I'm Janet Fraiser, the new CMO. I've heard quite a lot about you, it's 
nice to finally meet you."
"Ah... Sam Carter, SG -1.  Pleased to meet you.  You seem to know who I am 
already."
"Your name comes up quite a bit in the orientation details."
"Oh, fame at last."
"That, and I've been assigned as SG-1's personal physician."
"Oh... I think the Colonel will be pleased to lose Warner."
"Oh, really?"
"Oh... Er..."
"You know, flagship team, flagship medical care"
"Sounds good to me."
"So? are you free right now?  I've got to go through the mission reports as 
well as your medical records, but it would be nice to hear about them first 
hand.  The reports can be a bit?"
"Dry?"
"Quite."
"I've got some time while my simulation runs.  Can I interest you in a coffee?
I can't offer Starbucks, but it's mostly harmless."
"Do you want my medical opinion on that?"

***

Behind her eyelids, Major Samantha Carter, PhD. was quietly wondering what the
hell she was doing.  She hadn't danced in years. In fact, probably not since
her brief rebellious period in high school, when she'd discovered beer and
bikes, but the music had been totally different back then.  

Sure she'd spent occasional nights since then in bars and sometimes in clubs;
you had to do that to be 'one of the guys' in a bunch of flyboys.  You had to
be able to drink and swagger, tell tall tales and boast of your exploits, know
how to play pool and how to stick up for yourself and your friends.  But she'd
grown up in the packs of military brats who inhabited the bases their parents
worked on and she knew how to do all these things.  Camaraderie she could do,
friendship took a lot more effort.

***

"Congratulations? Major Carter."
"Hey, Janet. Thanks."
"Well, there wasn't much chance to say it before."
"You mean with aliens abducting Colonel O'Neill, treaty negotiations, fixing up
hurt Goa'uld and finding renegade ones?  Yeah, it's been a bit hectic."
"Can I interest you in a celebration dinner?"
"Er?"
"I might have mentioned to Cassie that you'd been promoted?"
"Oh?"
"And she wants to give her favourite Major a big hug... and a party."
"Oh. Wow. A party, you say?"
"Well, we'll see about that.  You'll come over then?"
"Sure thing. You couldn't keep me away."

***

Feeling that she was sufficiently in tune with the tempo and beat of the music
to let her body go with the flow, she opened her eyes... and was rewarded with
the sight of the doctor, flushed and obviously enjoying the chance to let her
passionate side out to play.  

Sam's grasp of the rhythm left her completely.

***