DISCLAIMER: No profit is intended in the writing of this story. Stargate – SG1 and its characters are the property of Metro Goldwyn Mayer.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
BETA: Athaena28.
The First Time – Second Step
By Olli
"Whoa!"
Janet stumbled forward as she stepped out of the Gate on to P1X-465.
"Whoa!"
She turned back and stared at the Gate. Janet couldn't explain what had happened to her. She couldn't explain what she had felt during the trip. It was... It was like…
"Whoa!"
"Yeah, doc. That describes it perfectly."
Slowly Janet turned and looked at Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c. They stood in front of the Stargate platform. The Colonel grinned widely; Teal'c stood there like a statue -- his staff weapon beside him and, on his face, the slightest hint of a smirk.
Suddenly Janet's eyes widened. As she looked behind the Colonel and Teal'c she saw… blue trees! She realized what had happened to her. She had walked through the Stargate for the first time. She had set foot on another planet -- a planet with blue trees.
Blue trees? How? … Why?
Janet looked up and saw a golden-yellow sun like the one on earth. She looked back at the trees. Why are the trees blue? She asked herself again. She had to get her hands on one of those trees.
She had to…
She should…
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. Sam stepped beside her. "Come on, Janet. We have a bit of a walk to camp."
"Yeah, doc. On the way is more than enough time for 'Whoas'," O'Neill chimed in. He nudged Teal'c with his elbow. "It's the same thing every time we take a rookie through the gate, isn't it, T?"
Teal'c lifted his eyebrow. "Indeed, O'Neill," he said in his dark and monotonous voice.
O'Neill shrugged his shoulders and turned. He marched away, crossed the meadow where the Stargate was located and disappeared between the trees. Teal'c was right behind him.
Sam pushed Janet slightly forward. "Come on. There is a lot more to see around here."
They left the platform and followed the two men. Sam watched Janet out of the corner of her eye. Janet's head turned from left to right and back again. She tried to absorb every little detail. As they arrived at the edge of the forest, Janet stood in silent awe in front of one of those blue trees. There wasn't one trunk, this tree had at last three and it seemed, to Janet, like a crooked old man leaning on a stick. The trunk was slightly blue with crumbled bark, furrows and some scratches. Just over Janet's head the trunk parted into a tangle of branches. From every branch hung some kind of white… fur? Or was it some kind of cobweb? Janet lifted her hand and touched the white streaks. They looked like fur but they felt like feathers. The tree wasn't choking under this white 'fur' like trees on earth sometimes did when they were buried under mistletoe. It seemed to be a part of the tree. Janet couldn't describe it. She looked around and saw this… fur on every tree in sight. All the trees looked like some kind of willow from a Salvador Dali painting.
"That is…? What is this?" Janet asked and turned to Sam.
Sam smiled. She had watched in silence while Janet examined the tree. Janet's expression of pure wonder and fascination was indescribable. As she'd touched the tree with the tip of her fingers, it seemed to Sam that Janet would touch a newborn child in the same way. It was an expression of pure, innocent wonder.
"At last you're over the 'Whoa!' phase," Sam teased.
Janet stared for a moment then laughed. This whole thing was incredible!
"There's Teal'c. And I've had examples of alien plants and animals under my microscope. But this is…"
"Real?" Sam still smiled at Janet.
Janet turned on her heel. She looked in every direction and inhaled deeply. "Yes. It's real."
Together they walked through the forest towards the camp.
At the camp Daniel greeted them. "Hi Janet! How was the trip?"
Janet smiled at the young archaeologist. "It was great."
"Whoa?"
"Whoa!"
"I know what you mean," Daniel smiled.
Janet walked over to the campfire. To the left and right of the fire, a few metres apart, stood a tent. The bigger one was obviously for the men, the smaller one had to be for Sam and her, she thought. Around the fire were several blue trunks. O'Neill and Teal'c sat on two of them. Janet dropped her backpack and plopped down next to the big Jaffa. She smiled at him and turned to O'Neill. "So Colonel, what's my assignment?"
Sam and Daniel sat down as well as O'Neill answered. "Well doc. Your job is getting used to it."
"Used to it, Sir?"
"Yep. The general thought it was time for you to go off world. It is better you get used to it now then during some crisis."
Sam leaned a forward and put her elbows on her knees. "There is nothing stranger than these trees on this planet. No predators. No Goa'uld. It is perfect for a first gate experience."
"Enjoy this little camping trip, Janet, and relax." Daniel smiled broadly.
"Even if there is no need for a night watch Doctor Fraiser, I will remain on watch tonight, so you can spend your first night undisturbed on this planet." Teal'c again lifted his eyebrow and looked at Janet.
Janet smiled at him. "Thank you, Mr. Teal'c… er, I mean Teal'c? Is that right?"
"Indeed it is, Doctor Fraiser."
"You know big fella, you do this eyebrow lifting thingy even better than Mr. Spock." O'Neill declared, as he stood up and walked over to his backpack. He kneeled down and rummaged through his pack.
Teal'c looked questioningly at Sam, Janet and Daniel. "I do not believe there is a member of the SGC with the name 'Spock'? Is he newly assigned?"
Daniel pressed his hands to his mouth as he choked back laughter.
Sam and Janet giggled like two schoolgirls.
Teal'c looked even more curious.
"Hey? What's so funny about baked beans in tomato sauce?" O'Neill asked, holding up five cans, as he sat down on his trunk. It's a good ol' camping tradition."
After they finished their traditional camp dinner all five sat around the campfire. Sam, Daniel, and O'Neill told Janet about Gate travelling and the planets they had visited. Even Teal'c, not generally known for his conversational skills, chipped in with a couple of stories.
Janet envied them. She envied what they had seen, what they had discovered and – she had to admit it – she envied them the thrill. She also envied the bond these four people had. But after an hour of talking, laughing and roasting marshmallows, Janet didn't felt as much like an outsider anymore. She felt accepted into this little circle.
And, Janet recognized something else. The glances Sam directed to her, from time to time, and the little smiles, which seemed too private in this group of five… Janet hesitated. Could she call these four people friends? Sam? Of course. And, O'Neill, Teal'c and Daniel? Yes, Janet decided, they were her friends. And even for a group of friends, the smiles Sam sent her way were just a little too friendly. But, on the other hand, Janet had to admit she liked how Sam smiled at her and the sparkle in her eyes…
Sam couldn't resist. Again and again her eyes found Janet's. There was this… feeling deep inside her. It had been there for a long time and Sam had fought it, had tried to ignore it. She couldn't. Never before had she felt like this. For no one else. It felt like butterflies in her stomach. Never, ever had she felt butterflies. From the first moment she met her, Sam liked her. She liked Janet's determination, her professionalism and her sense of humour. She liked to spent time with her. And one day she had realized that… She couldn't allow it!
After another hour O'Neill stood up and stretched. He yawned aloud. "Don't know what y'all are going to do but I'm calling it a night. This old man needs his sleep. Ladies, Daniel, Teal'c. G'night."
Janet looked at her watch. On earth it would be 0130. But here…? She yawned. Her body was still on earth time. "That's a good idea." Janet stood up, as well, and arched her back. Actually, it was her butt that ached because she was supposed to sit in upholstered chairs not on trunks.
Sam disappeared into the forest; she had to use the facilities she'd said. Janet could imagine what these facilities looked like. She grabbed her backpack and walked over to the tent she would share with Sam. Janet knelt down in front of the tent, took her sleeping bag out of her backpack and put it inside the tent. Sam's was already there. Janet peered inside. Since basic training she'd wondered how she'd change clothes in this little… She sighed. She had done it before she could do it now. She crawled in and peeled off her clothes. The flack jacket, she had taken off hours ago, was now followed by her BDU and, after a small struggle, her boots. She then sat on her sleeping bag in panties and a tee shirt. The flap, which covered the entrance to the tent, moved and Sam crawled in.
"Do you want to go to the 'fresher…? It's free now," Sam joked.
"Maybe later."
Sam had taken off her boots and BDU blouse outside. Her tee shirt, trousers and socks were all that remained. Now she took off her trousers and socks too. Janet watched her and decided the next time she would do it like Sam had.
Sam slipped into her sleeping bag and Janet did the same.
As they lay on their backs, Sam spoke again. "What do you think?"
"It's one of the most exciting experiences I've ever had."
Sam sat up and propped her head in her hand. "Just 'one' of the most exciting…? I think Gate travel is the most exciting…"
Janet turned her head and looked at Sam. She grinned. "I can remember one or two experiences I've had I would describe in the same way." She wiggled her eyebrows as her grin widened.
"Oh!" Sam's face turned beet red and she lay back down.
"Good night, Sam."
"Night, Janet."
The End