DISCLAIMER: The story, and characters and anything and everything else concerning SG: SG1 belong to MGM, Gekko, Secret Productions etc, they are so not mine and no money is being made from this and no copyright infringement is intended, absolutely none what so ever.
DEDICATED: to my own beloved angelic, of whom I adore very much.
ARCHIVE: Only with the permission of the author.

A New Affinity
By Elizabeth Carter

"Ever thought about tomorrow?" Janet asked the tall blonde next to her as they gathered hot dogs from a vender that had decided to monopolize on the swarm of children and their parents milling about the brightly hued plastic playground.

"Tomorrow? I am not due for a mission for three weeks, you know that."

"Hon I know you're chomping at the bit to go back out there. My super hero girlfriend."

Sam snickered. "I wouldn't go as far as to say that."

"What the super hero bit or girlfriend?" Janet urged though she knew the truth. She loved this slightly playful side of her Sam that rose its head from time to time. It was a nice switch from the ever pristine soldier she was on base. "Not in for the spandex look… you know you could give Angelina Jolie or Holly Berry a run for the money.....maybe very tight leather is your thing."

Sam giggled, "Would you stop!" She leaned over and took Janet's lips with her own in a demanding kiss. The blonde felt her heart flutter, soaring each time she kissed this wonderful tiny woman. The kiss deepened as Sam reached around and took the back of Janet's neck and kneaded the soft flesh covered by downy hair. She knew immediately how that single arousing touch would affect her lover.

She was awarded with a moan of pure pleasure from Janet. Only the need for oxygen parted them. And for a moment Janet was indeed quite breathless.

"As for tomorrow I have a few projects on the table I want to do." Sam was now talking, but it took Janet a moment to catch up to the conversation having just had the breath kissed right out of her "And of course a report to hand into General O'Neill." Sam sat down on the bench near the woman she was in love with. "There's not much to talk about."

The petite doctor sighed heavily and played with her lunch unconsciously mimicking her lover's actions. Who had gone back to toying with her own meal. "No I don't mean tomorrow, tomorrow. I meant the future."

"Janet you're deliberately being vague." Sam prompted.

"You didn't leave." Janet said. "You wouldn't leave me on P3X-666, and you weren't frightened off when we nearly lost each other."

"You didn't run away when I stalked you as Cavegirl-Carter that first year." Sam grinned. "Janet you know how I feel about you. I am not leaving"

Janet bit her lip and swallowed hard, "That's good because....." she pulled out a small black velvet box and opened it. Within was a delicate Celtic designed golden engagement ring with a tasteful diamond held in heart shaped faceting held by two hands that were a part of the gold braiding of the band.

Sam's doe eyes widened even further and she swallowed hard. "Oh! Oh Wow!" she couldn't take her eyes off of the ring, "Oh..."She was too stunned, too astonished to do much more. "Oh Janet."

"I know this is huge...but........I've never been so sure of something in all of my life, Sam. I know you. I know you'll need time."

'Time..."Sam parroted.

"To think about it." Janet sighed, "I know its okay, I'll wait for however long it takes."

"Janet I need time to think...." Sam hadn't realized that she had nearly repeated everything her lover had spoken.

Sam was almost shocked when she felt Janet's hand reach out and touch her arm. "Whatever you decide, however long it takes you Sammy-bear, know this single truth. The truth of how much I love you." Janet rose from the bench carrying her uneaten hotdog and softly kissed Sam's lips, demanding nothing, accepting little more than a cursory response. "Take all the time you need."

Sam was still sitting upon the bench several hours later, her eyes never lifting from the ring, her thoughts a hurricane of awe, wonder fear and longing. Too many doubts, too many impetuous yearnings all a chaotic storm within her.

Days later that chaos would still linger within her mind. She was vaguely aware of the conversation before her. Apparently a friend of Teal'c's was having relationship issues and he had come to his friends for advice.

'I'm need of advice myself. How can I tell Teal'c anything about relationships when I don't know where I want to go with mine? I love Janet so much......I can't imagine my life without her, but I live alone, I don't need anyone to complete me...."

"...they marry off the corpses of their daughters." Daniel was once more explaining anthropological parallels and comparisons.

That snapped Sam's thoughts back to the present. "That's horrible!" She was aghast and took no time to cover her appalling feelings. A society so desperate not to have a single female in their company they marry off her corpse?

"The Grooms are paid off very well." Daniel said almost defensively.

"You know we live alone and expect to be self sustaining like we don't need anyone but every TV show, every commercial every magazine depicts our lives as not complete unless we are involved in a perfect romantic partnership, that doesn't exist in reality any way. Its an impossible expectation!" Sam roared out her flustered voice rising to a near angry tone.

Her words so shocked her friends that they couldn't help but stare at her.

"Sam...so how's things?" Daniel prompted feeling that something was obviously off.

"I thought we were talking about Teal'c's friend?" Sam skirted the inquest. She wasn't prepared to talk about the proposal yet. It was still to large for her to take in.

"I thought we were." Daniel answered, now more than curious as to the mercurial reaction in the blonde.

"So Teal'c how do Jaffa handle relationships." Sam turned the conversation away from her.

"A bond-brake is common. One partner must request it of the other, and the other grants it."

"But what if that doesn't work?" Sam wanted to know.

"Then there is a call for a weapon." Teal'c was deadpan straight.

"I gotta get some work done in the lab." Sam rose and excused herself, behind her the two men carried the expression of absolute befuddlement.

"What was that?" Daniel asked his friend.

Teal'c shrugged his thickly muscled shoulders. "I do not know, DanielJackson but I do believe Colonel Carter is concerned about something very personal."

"You don't think she and Janet are ......fighting?" Daniel surely hoped that was not the case.

"Perhaps something has occurred between them, but Colonel Carter and Doctor Fraiser are not reacting like my friend Krista or other females I know." Teal'c frowned 'Of course Dray'ak had that same distracted look upon her face when I asked her to be my mate........' Teal'c slowly smiled. "I do not think they are in an altercation DanielJackson, I do however believe that our friends need only time to solve their dilemma."

"I hope so." Daniel shook his head. "Sam's all in a fog and Janet is all mechanical...like she's on autopilot."


It would be a little later that same week and Sam found herself starring into the cubed bits of blue jello. With a spoon she had slowly started to take each cube out of the plumed dessert glass flute and set it upon the tray before her until each cube was in a single file line. She then took a bit of the whipped-cream so that each cube had its own little white cap. With her spoon she shoved and pushed the cubes once more until the single file line was now a ring.

"Colonel?" Hailey asked as she sat near the troubled blonde. "Are you okay ma'am?"

"Huh?" Sam asked ungracefully and looked up to see a matching pair of blue eyes studying her. Her protégée of course would be the only one brazen enough to call the Colonel on her distracted demeanor. She was not however the only one to be concerned for the unnerved and always unflappable Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Carter.

"I asked if you were okay." Jennifer repeated. "I am sure that the General will have SG1 going through the Gate soon. Doc Fraiser doesn't have anyone grounded for medical reasons."

"Doc Fraiser?" Sam frowned she was positive she had said nothing to anyone about the proposal. So why was Jennifer Hailey asking about Janet?

"Yeah you know... Doctor Janet Fraiser our one and only Goddess of Mercy. Irreplaceable as far as all the teams are concerned. Especially since the Lockdown incident.......well that and ..well. You Know Where........"

No one on base could bring themselves to speak of P3X-666. It was the SGC's 'You Know Who' just like in the Harry Potter books. Often referenced too but never outwardly spoken of unless your name happened to be Fraiser or Carter.

"Yes...a goddess......" Sam murmured. "No its… Not that."

"Well sticking around base can get pretty boring sometimes with no wild plants taking the place over or......footholds or bitching diplomats. I know SG1 is used to a lot of action."

"Its not boredom, Lieutenant." Sam responded. "I have a....." she stopped. "Nothing." Sam rose leaving a very stymied junior officer behind and a ring of blue jello cubes. Hands shoved into the deep pockets of her BDU's the lanky blonde made her way back to her lab. Perhaps paper work would distract her.

Until her hand came in contact with the small box she had in her pocket. The lights in her lab were burning at half power as she sat down in front of her laptop pouring over files and files of data but not truly assimilating the information.

She must have been there for hours because it came as quite a shock to her when she heard a noise coming from the hallway.

Jack rapped on the metal of the lab's threshold gaining Sam's attention. Her blue eyes seemed even bluer or was it his imagination? Still standing at the door the silver haired general opened his arms wide and stared at the blonde. "I never thought I'd hear myself saying these words... but I NEED that report."

Sam blinked. If possible her blue eyes widened even farther, looking very much like a doe caught in the headlights of an oncoming Mac Semi truck. "Report! Oh right..um..um..." she scurried, shifting through the files on table top, she was becoming even more desperate as O'Neill approached her. "Umm if I can just get my notes." She sank, she was so out of sorts that the report had completely slipped her mind. That had never happened before! She was always on top of her game. Always on task often times so far ahead of everything that future weeks even months of work already done. "Sir, I can have it for you by tomorrow morning." She felt her stomach turn sour. She had never failed to make her reports or complete a task. Never.

Jack saw at once that Carter's reaction was going to go into a full blown panic attack. Her anxiety was so high and so thick he thought for a moment he might choke on it, and of course he'd have to answer to Doc as to the way Carter's blood pressure was through the roof. He had no desire for very large needles jabbing him in the backside anytime soon.

"It is tomorrow." Jack looked at his watch.

The flustered blond copied the action to confirm that yes indeed it was well past midnight. "Oh..right." Had she really been here in her lab for the last nine hours? No wonder she was famished! She hadn't eaten anything since the jello at lunch. Oh wait she didn't actually eat the jello.

"Carter..It was a joke. I don't need that report." Jack shook his head, it was no fun teasing Carter when she wasn't firing on all cylinders. She was far too sleep deprived, as if she hadn't slept for the past two weeks. This whole mess with Teal'c and the OSA must really been eating at her. Hell Jack thought she looks like she dropped a few pounds as well. 'Like she can afford to. Okay next stop the Doc to tell her to yell at Carter for self-neglect. Yet again...'

"Then why did you..." Carter frowned a bit perturbed at the way the general had sent her heart rate up for missing her deadline for her paperwork.

"I wanted to know what's up with you. You haven't tried to confuse me with Science Babble for the last few days. And that's sending up red flags for me."

Sam bit her lower lip and pulled out a black velvet box.

"Oh!" he opened it up and took a look at the delicate gold and diamond ring that was perfectly suited for Sam's tastes. "You know people generally wear these on their fingers."

"I haven't' said yes."

"And yet you haven't said no."

"I told ...her I needed time to think about it."

"Okay." Jack shrugged.

"That was two weeks ago." Sam delivered wincing

Dark eyes widened in mild shock.

"For years I lived my life in my work always assuming that I'd have a life...."

"Outside work?" Jack prompted.

"Marriage?" Sam shook her head "Every time we go through the Gate to some unexplored planet we take a risk that we may never come back. I mean is that really being fair to the ones we love?"

"Janet is stationed here too, I think she understands the risks." Jack countered.

"And what about kids?" Sam shot back.

"What about them?" Jack shrugged.

"What do I take maternity and come back? Do I drop the baby off at daycare before I go through the Gate to some unexplored planet in the Crab Nebula?"

"Carter there are those on the Base that have families."

"What about you sir? If things had been different." Of course she was alluding to Charlie's accidental shooting. For a moment not a sound passed between them.

Jack sighed and swallowed. His dark eyes looking into the wide bright eyes of his Second in Command. "I wouldn't be here."

Sam's blue eyes landed on the box. "And sir, ... SG1 and you...are the only ones who know the truth about Janet and I. The Military isn't exactly friendly on......well on the whole Don't ask don't tell....we could never be public......never say........"

"And that would be different from all the secretes you have now how? Deep Space Radar Telemetry for NORAD? Or Cassie's origins. So what if you have to keep it a secret? Hell you could end up retiring off world with a whole planet of Xenas and Taliah-Amazon-Jaffa-chicks and well you know." He smirked. "Carter.....Sam.....it's not that complicated. Its just making......it official. Well as official as you two are allowed at the moment, but.......I did order you to get a life."

"Yes sir." Sam smiled, feeling a bit more relaxed than she had in weeks.

Teal'c had been behaving and not acting like he was in super hero mode: the talk Danny had had with the big guy must have worked. Though Danny said T-Man had been teaching the girl martial arts for the past two weeks, still he wasn't playing the hero. No more muggers in the park with old men or pit bulls...so no more shit from stuffed shirts from the vegetable soup government agencies. And Jack was pleased to discover he didn't have to hunt down Fraiser and wonder why she was acting all robodoc. Everything was making sense to the silver haired general, and the SGC knew a few days of peace.

Well peace couldn't last forever. Teal'c was now wanted for murder and kidnapping and Jack was forced to send out his black-ops team to bring Teal'c back lest the darker-side of OCA come hunting down the former first prime.

Even as Sam thought she had come to a decision to become engaged to Janet, Teal'cs issues with the OCA became larger. He had been apprehended for kidnapping and murder. Now her mind shifted from the personal to professional. In an instant she had gone from flustered Sam to cool-minded Colonel Carter. Contacting her brother's old buddy who was a homicide detective on the Colorado Springs P.D. Sam had convinced the goofy man to play CSI with her to prove the allegations against Teal'c were a set up.

Which they were. Even the coroner's report said someone of a much smaller build and strength had killed Mr. Asshole Boyfriend. And with Daniel MIA the OCA seemed to back off, perhaps knowing or instinctively knowing something else was going on. There wasn't a soul on base that didn't immediately think of the Trust of rogue NID agents.


For two week since that day in the park, Doctor Janet Fraiser had gone onto autopilot. Her love for Sam her Sam was so deep and so real that it was unfathomable that there had ever been anyone before Samantha Carter. The love was so profound it defied death, even the powers that be that seemed intent on destroying them. Did they not know about cosmic destiny? The universe may conspire to force lovers apart when they were bound to each other, but Janet had defied the odds and lived, and Sam had defied the powers that be and brought back the love of her life.

Janet closed her eyes recalling the moments following her awaking from the darkness of death. She was of course concerned for her patient and the mission and Sam. Sam had suffered a minor stroke because of the healing device but now the blonde was in perfect health.

'She's just perfect.' Janet mused.

"Doctor?" Alicia touched Janet on the arm. "I have the blood work from SG6,...." the nurse stopped. "Doctor are you alright?"

Janet didn't seem to hear the head nurses's question. She couldn't stop thinking about what she shared with Sam. She knew her girlfriend loved her but that was a far cry from being willing to spend the rest of one's life together. It was a large thing to ask of anyone. It had been two weeks since the day in the park, two weeks Sam had spent in deep thought about considering to ....do ...what ?

Sam hadn't known that Janet had spent two weeks thinking about marrying Sam, two weeks spent deciding if she was going to buy the ring and two more weeks in debating whether or not to propose after the ring was purchased. It was why she didn't begrudge her statuesque lover the two weeks she was taking to make up her mind.

Janet knew Sam was a deeply lost in thought, so much so the blonde milled around the labs in a kind of dry haze. What concerned the doctor was the lack of enthusiasm the newly promoted Colonel was displaying. So concerned for Sam, Janet had gone on automatic. She was just as compassionate to those entering the infirmary as she had ever been.

"Doctor?" Alicia called her attention once more.

"Yes?" Janet shook her head focusing on the head nurse acting surprised to see her as if Alicia had simply beamed down in front of her using a Ring-Transport, and Janet only now just realized it.

Alicia had never seen Doctor Fraiser so preoccupied since Cassandra had been in the infirmary dying. "Ma'am is everything okay? Is something wrong with Cassandra?"

"Huh?" Janet frowned. "Oh..No Cassie is fine, she's enjoying college life." Janet realized just how concerned her staff was for her. Obviously Alicia being the head nurse had been elected to find out what was troubling their beloved physician. "I am just waiting on some news." The tiny woman tried to sound confident.

"Good news I hope." Alicia encouraged.

"So do I." Janet smiled detached.

"Maybe this listlessness on the Base is catching, something is in the atmosphere."

The Doctor's ears perked up, she pinned her nurse with her dark eyes, "What do you mean?"

Alicia shifted from foot to foot. "Well take SG1 for instance. The whole team is sulking. Maybe its just that for two weeks they've been Earth-side." Alicia knew she was treading on unsteady ground now, it was common knowledge that almost .no everyone favored SG1, the doctor included. "Colonel Carter is out of sorts too. That's why I wondered if it might be Cassie. Or something as easy as empty-nest syndrome. But then considering what is happening to Teal'c it's understandable." The nurse shrugged helplessly. "This is SG1, Doctor. They always win. Colonel Carter will find Doctor Jackson and help Teal'c."

The missing archeologist and the drama surrounding Teal'c was as good a reason to use for the cause of her distraction. "I know," She smiled warmly now. "I know." Touching the nurse on the shoulder, Janet moved past the young lieutenant excusing herself as she did. She had this sudden and dire need to take in fresh air, to breathe something more than the filtrated scrubbed air of the complex.

Reaching the top level of the mountain complex Janet headed down the secluded road so that she could take in the rather sophisticated view of Cheyenne Mountain.

"Janet?" Sam turned about when she had heard the sound of gravel cracking underfoot.

"Sam" the petite woman smiled in seeing the woman she loved. Indeed she felt her entire soul take flight.

Janet couldn't help but feel her heart pound hard against her breastbone thinking perhaps that Sam had come to a decision at last and had come top-side to figure out how best to soften the blow for her answer was no. Swallowing hard shoving the fear aside, Janet approached the statuesque blonde numbly. The desire to turn and run was so strong. She didn't want to hear 'no.'

"I...I....still need time.' Sam said disjointedly.

"It's okay," Janet smiled, "Take all the time you need." she sighed almost loudly, more time to think wasn't a no. She could live with giving more time to her lover, as much as she needed.

"I didn't come up here looking for you actually."

"Oh." Sam almost sounded disappointed.

"I came up here for the same reason you did, babe."

"Fresh air." Sam supplied.

"Right." Janet nodded.

Moving on automatic Sam did what made her feel comfortable, safe and whole. She moved behind Janet and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and rested her cheek on the brunette's head. She loved the feeling of her lover in her arms.

"So what did you and that detective buddy of yours find?" Janet asked.

"We traced pizza parlors that deliver." Sam answered.

"What?"

"Shannahan said stake outs weren't healthy diets. We traced surrounding pizza places that had a sudden new customer that order frequent deliveries."

Janet turned in the arms that were holding her, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know I thought it was a long shot too."

"So what did you did out 'CSI' Carter?" Janet teased as she nipped a quick kiss of the blonde's cheek

"Well Shannahan is more a 'Law and Order' sort of guy, not a cool CSI. Besides he'd look silly in Sara's or Catherine's leathers. But we did some cool CSI-ie things. Fingerprints in Krista's apartment came back negative for Teal'c at least by the wall. The Crime-lab of our PD, found that Teal'c was in the Kitchen and it supports what Teal'c said he often had to fix the plumbing in the girl's apartment."

"I didn't know Teal'c knew anything about plumbing." Janet gave a puzzled look. "What else did you find out?"

Sam told her about the tripod indentations and the fact the abandoned apartment across the way had an excellent view of both apartments and the street below. Teal'c sixth-sense that he was being watched and followed was dead on. That the attack didn't happen as the crime-photo suggested. The boyfriend was killed else where and dragged to the wall to support the idea someone larger and stronger than said boyfriend killed the man. Only that wasn't the case.

"I saw the autopsy reports." Janet said, "The general pulled some strings so that I could take a look. The Colorado Springs PD seems to think making friends with the Air Force is a good idea. Anyway I fully agree with that the examining doctor declared. Teal'c did not kill this man, the blunt force trauma to the vic's trachea was due to a smaller force. I wished that Daniel had only waited until he went off half-cocked where ever he went.......God it pisses me off that Teal'c did so much for this world and unselfishly yet our government won't afford the man his enabling basic rights. You as much proved he was set up ....undoubtedly by one vegetable soup agency so another comes down on him and grounds Teal'c to the SGC! It's not fair."

"I know Janet" Sam agreed. She had always believed her beloved was not unlike the soft breeze of a Spring Morn, but that wind could turn into a torrential terrible hurricane. And who could withstand such winds, especially when it was justifiable righteous anger. "Daniel offered to allow Teal'c to stay with him whenever he wanted."

Janet felt her body to relax, she had to have known that SG1 would not allow one of their own to be mistreated, that they would beat the odds as they always have. On that note the tiny doctor decided now was the time to bring up a subject that would stir Sam's controlled posture.

"I'm going with you and the extraction team when you go after Daniel and the girl."

"Janet...." Sam's body became stiff. A flash of terror rippled through her mind. "You can't! It's not safe."

Janet at one time would have been deeply insulted and angered at the coddling and over-protection. She was just as capable a solider as anyone on base including the charismatic Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter. However there wasn't a soul on the base that wasn't extremely protective of their Doctor Fraiser. In fact Janet had to pull the CMO trump card enable to force O'Neill to allow her to go after Daniel for emergency medical aid. And she had to do so under very exacting restrictions. She was not to leave the armored vehicle until given the all-clear.

Sam's fear was justified, ever since the incident on P3X-666 her lover was terrified of losing her again. She had risked suffering a minor stroke just to bring Janet back from the dead. Sam and Cassie could never suffer the pain of losing their Janet again. Ever.

Janet turned in her lovers arms studying the clear blue eyes. "Sam, I am going. I promise you I'll stay well away from the threat of danger until the all-clear is given. And hopefully I won't even have to offer assistance. Sammy I love the fact you want to keep me safe and protected. But you have to let me live too. You can't shelter me forever, Honey." Janet traced the eloquent lines of Sam's angular cheek bone before she placed a soft kiss upon the lips. She pulled away slightly her own dark eyes drawing the taller woman into her gaze. "You have to let me live." she repeated. "You have given me the room to do what I have to do. For years I have trusted you to go into a wormhole to the unknown worlds beyond, facing unknown dangers and unknown elements, because it is what you do. I have to ask you to give that same respect to me. Sometimes the dangers you can't save me from because sometimes they are microscopic. But the dangers are no less real. And sometimes the dangers are very clear and very visible like going into a hot-spot. I'm in the military Sam I know that as much as you do."

Janet took both of her hands and placed them on either side of her lover's face. "Sammy we place our lives at risk every time that Gate is open. Whether we have teams going out or coming back. The threat of viral infection, alien plants taking over everything, Goa'uld or the odd energy-spikes that would overload the Gate or falling asteroids. But we both understand the risks because we are soldiers, Sam. But the risks are ours to take. And they are mine to take."

Sam had always thought it not fair of her going through the Gate, facing the dangers leaving Janet and Cassandra behind to worry. She never considered the shoe would be on the other foot Sam never thought she would be the one waiting for her lover to come back from danger because it was duty.

Until now.

"Can you do that for me Sammy?" Janet asked, her chocolate eyes searching deep into the pools of blue.

"Yes." Sam nodded.

"You know its not really that different from any other EMT going in for emergency care." Janet said trying to ease her lover.

"No I mean YES." Sam emphasized

"Yes as in....yes?" Janet was clearly astounded and thrilled.

"Yes." Sam's face lit up into a full blown Carter-grin.

"You don't need more time?" Janet was still in shock. She wanted to make sure, Sam was so positive. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears she could scarcely believe the words she was hearing.

"No." Sam was still grinning widely

"So no as in....and ......" Janet urged.

"Yes." Sam's smile brightened the night sky for the stars paled in the Cheshire smile.

"You're sure?" Janet held Sam tightly.

"Yes!" Sam laughed out of the sheer thrill she was feeling.

"Therefore..." Janet thought she might be dreaming! Sam was saying yes to the engagement this beautiful wonderful woman was going to be her wife!

"Yes!" Sam felt her heart beating faster and faster. "YES!"

Janet pulled Sam away from prying eyes, her hands trailing down Sam's sides as her lips pressed hard against the blonde's. The doctor's hands rested upon her lovers hips to the cheeks of her ass as her tongue sought permission to enter her fiancee's mouth. They would only have moments before duty brought them back under the mountain. But in this single moment the Earth stood still and the stars themselves blazed forth in celebration of two lovers becoming one.

The End

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