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Suggested
Rating: for young
adult and older readers
Category: Daniel/Janet romance
Setting: Season 8
Synopsis: Response to Fic Challenge # 8 –
What happens when Daniel eats the last of Janet’s chocolate stash?
Author’s
Comments: A bit of
frivolity and fun – what do you expect from a story that involves
chocolate? There are some sexual
situations in this story, but nothing beyond PG-13. Oh, and I’ve set it in season 8
just because of the age/situation of Cassandra. But obviously this doesn’t fit
in the “canon” of Stargate since Janet’s obviously not
dead. <g>
DISCLAIMER: All
publicly recognizable characters and places (the Stargate SG-1 stuff)
are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created
for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was
intended. Previously unrecognized
characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living
or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
DON’T MESS WITH A WOMAN AND HER CHOCOLATE!
- by
Michelle Lunsford (June 2004)
Janet
Frasier made her way toward the cafeteria, meandering down the hall
completely on autopilot. So far
it had been one of those kinds of
weeks, beginning when Cassandra had called late Sunday night. It seemed that after a month at
university the first genuine case of homesickness was kicking in and her
daughter was having a rough time of it.
Logically Janet knew that Cassie would be fine – she’d
made instant friends with her roommate, was enjoying her classes and doing
well in her studies, and had plenty to keep her occupied both academically
and socially. But that
didn’t prevent the mother in Janet from fretting over the
situation. She’d talked on
the phone with her daughter for a couple of hours that night and had barely
gotten to sleep when an emergency call came from the SGC.
She’d
gone immediately to the base to find that the infirmary was pretty much Grand
Central Station – and so it remained for most of the next two
days. She’d finally managed
to get away late Tuesday afternoon only to have her car break down on her,
resulting in most of Tuesday evening being spent at the shop of her auto
mechanic. She’d dragged
home late that night to find one of the neighborhood dogs had gotten into the
trash. After finally getting that
mess cleaned up she’d attempted to heat up some leftovers only to have
her microwave choose that moment to expire.
Wednesday
proved to be one endless stream of briefings, debriefings, and other sundry
meetings. She’d opted to
stay on base that night but hadn’t slept well because it seemed the
powers that be had decided it was time for some unannounced security drills.
Thursday
she’d had to actually go off world to assist with a medical situation
involving one of the members of SG-12.
It had been a quick trip – just over twenty-four hours Earth
time – but was enough to throw her internal clock out of whack.
It was
finally Friday, and she was scheduled to have the weekend off. ‘Although it wouldn’t
surprise me if some crisis arose between now and then,’ she thought
ruefully. Not that it
mattered. She knew she’d be
spending most of the weekend getting her house in order. With all that had been happening this
week she’d barely had time to breeze in and out of her personal abode. She was now three weeks behind in her
normal routine of cleaning. There
was a long list of errands she needed to run and she hadn’t been to the
grocery in over a week.
There was
no denying that as Janet walked into the SGC cafeteria she was tired,
irritable, and pretty much out of sorts.
She helped herself to a tray, only half paying attention to what she
was selecting. She was hungry,
but didn’t exactly feel like eating.
‘What
I really need is some
chocolate,’ Janet sighed to herself. Her hopes rose slightly as she made
her way toward the desert section of the line, only to come crashing down
when all she spotted was the usual offerings of Jell-O, fruit, and apple pie.
“Crap!”
she muttered under her breath, scuffling towards one of the smaller tables in
the corner and collapsing in her chair.
She ate her lunch in silence, all the while seething over her
disappointment. She knew there
wasn’t really anywhere else on base to find any chocolate, and was
beginning to convince herself that the cafeteria’s lack of the
delightful confection was surely a conspiracy when she suddenly remembered
her own personal and very private stash.
But even
as she felt a stirring of elation she recalled that the last time she’d
dipped into her small stock pile it was nearly depleted. And with her busy schedule she’d
hardly had time to replenish the supply.
Still, as she considered, Janet was fairly certain there were at least
two Hershey’s Kisses still safely tucked away in the lower drawer of
her desk. ‘Not much, but it
will have to do,’ she reassured herself.
Finishing
the rest of her meal quickly, Janet made the return trip to her office with a
growing sense of anticipation.
Reason told her she was being a bit silly, to get so worked up over a
couple small bits of chocolate.
But considering how her week had gone she had no qualms in telling
reason to take a hike. Entering
her sanctuary Janet closed the door behind her and went eagerly to the
desk. She opened the bottom
drawer, reached to the back where she kept the treasure trove and pulled
out... an empty bag.
Her heart
sank. “No!” she moaned
pitifully before ransacking the drawer in an attempt to find the missing
chocolate. Several moments later
she had a fine little mess on the floor near her desk, but no Hershey’s
Kisses. She slumped into a
sitting position on the floor, fighting the sudden urge to cry.
‘No,’
she told herself, ‘don’t be ridiculous. Yes, you’ve had a difficult week
but it’s only a little candy – don’t get all hysterical on
me now.’
She
sighed, staring at the empty bag on the floor beside her. ‘Maybe you should go talk to
Daniel,’ a little voice in the back of her mind suggested.
Janet
groaned. ‘I’m not so
sure that’s such a good idea,’ she silently answered.
Despite
the horrible week she’d had Janet also had to admit that it was pretty
much icing on a cake she’d been subconsciously baking for the past
month or so. She knew her
marriage to Daniel this past summer, just before Cassie had headed off to
school, was one of the best things that had ever happened to her. She loved him, loved being his wife,
and was truly happy with the idea of spending the rest of her life with him.
However,
Janet had been single for quite a while before falling hard and heavy for her
adored archaeologist, and adjusting to living in the same house with another
man again had proven to be more than she’d anticipated. She’d been young and naïve
in her first marriage, less set in her ways. There were far too many aspects of
sharing a home with another adult that she’d completely forgotten about
since then.
Sighing again
Janet reminded herself not to be unfair in her assessment. Daniel was certainly having to make
his own share of adjustments.
After all, the only other time he’d been married it wasn’t
exactly the two-bedroom home kind of arrangement. She knew this was proving a bit
difficult for both of them, and as a result they were currently going through
a somewhat tense period as they learned to live with one another, and with
each other’s personal quirks – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
“Regardless,”
Janet complained aloud to herself, “I need to get up off this floor and
stop feeling sorry for myself.”
No, it certainly wouldn’t look good if someone walked in on her
now.
She
cleaned her mess and reconsidered her earlier idea. Despite the slightly strained
situation of her home life, Daniel had been doing his best to be
accommodating. Janet had to
concede that of the two of them, she was proving to be the most resistant to
making any changes in lifestyle and habit. ‘Maybe I will go talk to
him,’ she considered.
‘If nothing else, he’s usually able to cheer me up a
bit.’
She
checked in at the infirmary to make certain she wasn’t needed and then
headed to Daniel’s lab. She
found him engrossed in one of his latest translations and finally had to poke
him in the shoulder when he failed to notice her.
“Oh,
hi,” he said absently, barely glancing up at her.
“Hello
yourself,” Janet replied, crossing her arms and fixing him with a stern
look.
Daniel’s
expression suddenly went guilty as he glanced at his watch. “Oh no – were we supposed
to meet for lunch? Did I
forget?”
“No,
no” Janet replied, giving him a reassuring pat on the arm. “I just came by to say hello,
that’s all.”
“Oh,”
Daniel said, clearly relieved. He
smiled, offering her his full attention.
“Well then, do you want to go for lunch?”
Janet
shook her head. “Already
ate. But since you brought it
up…” she gave him a meaningful look as she waved her hand at the
collection of open books, journals, and papers on his desk.
“What?”
Daniel asked, attempting to look innocent. “Are you trying to imply that I
haven’t eaten anything?”
Janet
arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms again.
“Okay,
okay,” Daniel admitted.
“So I only grabbed a piece of toast and cup of coffee for
breakfast.”
“That’s
it?” Janet inquired, her tone appropriately remonstrative.
“Um…”
Daniel looked apologetic as his gaze fell away. He spied something amid the chaos of
his desk and suddenly reached for it.
“Wait – I also had these, just a short while
ago.” Displaying what Janet
had labeled his puppy-dog-expression, Daniel held up two small pieces of
silver paper and waved them slightly.
Janet
peered at the unmistakable candy wrappers, her eyes narrowing as realization
set in. All the weight of her
horrible experiences this week, and particularly the recent disappointment
she’d felt in her office, came flooding over her as she slowly bit out
her next few words. “Where
did you get those?”
Daniel
swallowed audibly, his expression clearly communicating that he knew
something had gone terribly wrong.
“I uh… that is…”
“Daniel…”
Janet warned in her harshest no nonsense tone.
“I
was looking for a band aid in your desk and found them in the bottom
drawer,” Daniel confessed in one hurried breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would
mind.”
Her
husband’s tone was genuinely contrite, but at the moment Janet
didn’t care. This was it
– the proverbial straw. She
stared at him incredulously.
“Didn’t think I would mind?” Her voice rose with each
syllable. “Didn’t
think I would mind?”
Daniel
blinked and worked his mouth, clearly at a loss of how to respond.
Janet
took a deep breath, released it in a quick huff, and then took another. She held up her hands, her fingers
stretched taut as she fought against the urge to strangle something. She closed her eyes, her lips clamping
in a tight line as she struggled not to loose control. After several seconds she finally met
Daniel’s gaze again.
“Just…”
she began, but realized it was useless.
She didn’t know what she really wanted to say, but knew that
whatever came out of her mouth right now would only be hurtful and
she’d regret it later.
“Argh!” she finally blurted, throwing up her hands in
frustration. Then, spinning on
her heel, she marched out of the room.
She spent
the majority of her afternoon either simmering over her anger at Daniel or
else taking it out on anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path. She’d managed to apologize to
most of the infirmary staff, but long before her shift was over she’d
noticed that everyone was avoiding her.
By the time Janet finally got in her car to drive home that evening
she felt absolutely miserable, particularly when she considered some of the
thoughts she’d entertained about her husband.
Before
leaving she had more or less decided to go and apologize to him. But when she went in search of Daniel
she found his lab deserted. She
looked for his car in the parking lot but it was nowhere to be seen, and
she’d concluded that he’d probably headed home already.
‘Or
else he’s snuck off to have a quiet bite to eat somewhere,’ she
reflected sadly. She certainly
couldn’t blame him for not wanting to be in her company right now. Things hadn’t exactly been the
best between them lately, what with the tension at home. And they’d come mighty close to
getting into full-blown arguments on several occasions recently.
‘I
just hope he doesn’t stay out too late,’ she sighed. She really wanted to talk to him
before going to bed tonight, but she planed to take a relaxing bath once she
got home and wasn’t sure how long she’d actually be able to
remain awake after that.
Pulling
into the drive she felt her spirits sink even further. She didn’t spy Daniel’s
car and the house was dark except for the porch light. Dragging herself from the driver’s
seat she trudged up the walk and onto the porch. She unlocked the door, slipped inside,
and reached for the hall light.
The first
thing that registered in Janet’s senses was the smell. She sniffed the air, trying to place
the scent. Tomatoes and spices…
something Italian, she finally decided.
Her curiosity fully engaged now, she eased out of her coat, placed it
and her purse in the closet, and headed down the hall. The soft strains of romantic music
being played by a string quartet became discernable and as she rounded the
corner into the den Janet felt the breath catch in her throat.
A
candle-lit dinner was set up at the table, and additional candles flickered
from various places around the room.
The largest bouquet of red roses Janet had ever seen was on one of the
end tables beside the sofa. A
fire crackled enticingly in the fireplace. The music she’d detected earlier
was coming from the stereo, and beside it stood her husband, dressed in jeans
and a blue knit sweater.
He looked
at her, his expression tender but a little unsure. “Hey,” he said, his tone
warm and inviting.
Janet
blinked, not quite believing what she was seeing. “Daniel?” She waved a hand toward the elaborate
set-up. “What is all
this?”
Daniel
shrugged slightly before moving to close the distance between them. “This is my humble attempt at an
apology,” he replied.
“An
apology?” She blinked again
as he came to a stop in front of her.
He nodded
and purposefully met her gaze.
“Yes, an apology,” he answered, taking her hands in
his. “Janet, I know things
have been a bit strained between us lately.”
Janet
sighed and nodded in agreement.
But she could feel that her negative emotions were already beginning
to ebb. ‘I never can stay
mad at him when he’s being genuinely
remorseful,’ she thought.
“Adjusting
to married life has been… well, it’s been more difficult than I
anticipated,” Daniel went on.
“And I know I haven’t necessarily been making it any
easier for you. But I don’t
think I’d realized just how much it was bothering you until this
afternoon, when you came to see me in my lab.”
Janet
glanced away, suddenly feeling very foolish for having gotten so upset
earlier. She felt a gentle
tugging on her chin as Daniel pulled her face up to look at him.
“Sweetheart,
I’m sorry for taking the last of your chocolate,” he said
sincerely. “It was
thoughtless and terribly inconsiderate of me.”
After
everything else that had happened, his heartfelt confession was enough to
finally push her past the breaking point.
“Oh
Daniel,” she sobbed, practically throwing herself against him as she
buried her face in his chest. Her
words tumbled out in a mad rush.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I haven’t been making things
easy for you either, during this adjustment period. And I shouldn’t have gotten so
upset at you today, but it’s just been such a terrible week, so much
has gone wrong and it’s been so very busy and then SG-1 was off-world
most of the week too and so I couldn’t even come and talk to you, and
then today I just felt so tired and
irritable and all I wanted was some chocolate and so when I found you’d
eaten what little I had it was just too much for me to handle anymore.”
She
inhaled sharply, having somehow managed to get all her frustration out in one
breath. She was a bit surprised
to note she wasn’t crying, although she was shaking slightly. Then she realized that at some point
in her long tirade Daniel had slipped his arms around her. He was gently stroking her back and
had lightly rested his chin on top of her head in that comforting gesture
he’d developed that always communicated to her I’m here.
“A
bad week, huh?” he asked softly.
Janet
nodded against his chest.
“Well,
it’s all over, and I’m here now,” he said soothingly.
She
turned her head so she could look up at him. “I’m sorry.”
He smiled
warmly. “Hey, I thought
that was my line.”
Janet
grinned in spite of herself.
“How about we call it even?”
“Deal,”
he replied, kissing her on the forehead.
“Now, come and eat, and tell me all about this terrible week
you’ve had.”
They
settled at the table and Janet began to unload. The food was delicious. Daniel listened attentively – he
even promised to help her with the housework and errands she had planned for
the weekend – and by the time the meal was finished Janet had to admit
she felt much better.
“Do
you want me to help you clear the table?” she asked when Daniel stood
and began gathering the dishes.
“Absolutely
not,” he replied, smiling slightly. Taking her hand he made a show of
formally escorting her to the sofa.
“You are to sit here and rest. I won’t be a minute.”
Slipping
off her shoes, Janet settled into a comfortable position on the sofa. The fire crackled and danced in the
fireplace and as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes Janet listened
to the sounds of her husband cleaning up in the kitchen, finally allowing the
last bits of her tension to slip away.
“Not
going to sleep on me, are you?”
The
gentle teasing of Daniel’s voice caused Janet to stir and she blinked
as her eyes opened. She
didn’t think she’d drifted off, but seeing the sight before her
she couldn’t be too sure.
Daniel had apparently finished in the kitchen. The coffee table had been moved and a
blanket was now spread on the floor before the fireplace. It also looked as if Daniel had
managed to retrieve every pillow in the house as they too were scattered
around the floor.
She
glanced up at him, her eyes silently seeking an explanation.
Daniel
simply smiled – that warm and slightly provocative smile she knew he
revealed only to her. He pointed
to the blanket and said, “On your stomach, if you please.”
Janet’s
eyes widened slightly as her eyebrows shot up.
He shook
a finger at her in mock severity.
“That’s an order, Doctor.”
Janet
smiled at his sudden playfulness as she got on the floor and stretched out on
her stomach. She grabbed one of
the nearby pillows and positioned it underneath her head, and as Daniel
situated himself near her feet she silently wondered what exactly he had in
mind.
‘A
massage!’ she silently exclaimed when she felt him take one foot and
begin to methodically knead it.
Her mind automatically searched, attempting to recall when was the
last time he’d bestowed this particular attention on her. ‘Oh my,’ she thought as
the memory fell into place.
‘He’s not done that since our honeymoon.’ A smile pulled at the corner of her
mouth as she also recalled exactly how that particular session of
ministrations had ended up and she firmly told herself that no matter how
tired she was she absolutely would not
fall asleep now.
By the
time her husband made his way up to her shoulders Janet had to admit she was
both fully relaxed and fully aroused.
She felt the light touch of his lips as he kissed the back of her neck
and decided that this particular massage was now finished, rather he was or
not. She sat up and turned to
face him, intent on returning some of the delightful attentions he’d so
kindly bestowed on her. But then
she saw him shake his head, another amorous smile playing on his face as he
stood up.
“Wait
right there,” he explained, turning and heading for the kitchen.
Janet
sat, unsuccessfully attempting to be patient as her mind ran with the myriad
possibilities. But when Daniel finally
returned, the revelation of his plan caught her so by surprise that she
actually laughed out loud.
“You
little devil,” she flirtatiously taunted, gazing up at him and the
silver tray he carried in both hands.
It was loaded, nearly to overflowing, with a mound of Hershey’s
Kisses.
“There’s
more where this came from,” he said, carefully setting the tray on the
floor beside their blanket.
“Some of which is intended to replenish your supply at
work.” He smiled as he sat
down beside her. “But I
figure I could use this to start paying back what I owe you now.”
Janet
leaned forward and kissed him.
“I love you,” she said, her eyes shining.
He gave
her a playful tap on the nose with the tip of his finger. “I love you too. Now turn around, please.”
Janet was
beyond the point of wanting to ask for clarifications now and immediately did
as she was told. As Daniel
positioned himself behind her his intentions became apparent, and soon Janet
was happily nestled between his legs, her back to his chest and her own legs
stretched out in front of her.
“Comfy?”
Daniel asked. His breath was warm
against her ear and Janet reflexively felt a shiver run up her spine.
“Very,”
she answered, resting her hands on top of his thighs.
From the
corner of her eye Janet saw him reach for one of the small pieces of
candy. He stretched both arms
around her and very slowly and deliberately began to unwrap it.
“I’ll
confess that I don’t really understand the unique fascination that
women have for chocolate,” he said. He crumbled the silver foil between
his fingers and sat it aside before holding the chocolate kiss in front of
her temptingly. “But I do
know one thing.”
Janet
turned her head slightly, so she could see his face. “What’s that?” she
asked.
Daniel
smiled. “That if it makes
you happy…” he carefully placed the candy in her mouth before
continuing, “then it makes me happy.”
The sweet
chocolate flavor melted on her tongue even as Daniel began placing light
kisses along the side of her neck.
She swallowed and sighed appreciatively, reminded once again how
pleasantly surprised she’d been to discover that this enthusiastic
archaeologist she’d married had quite the talent for enticement. But, she had to admit, she was
beginning to feel her own resolve weaken in light of his constant attentions.
“Daniel,”
she began, and noticed her voice was a little breathless. But before she could say more her
husband quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
“I
believe the amount owed was two
pieces of chocolate,” he said, giving her a look full of meaning.
‘Oh,
he’s just torturing me on purpose now,’ Janet thought with mild
amusement. But she nodded and
faced forward again, forcing herself to wait while he unwrapped a second
piece. It was no sooner in her
mouth than Daniel returned to trailing kisses, this time on the opposite side
of her neck.
After
several seconds he paused and whispered softly in her ear. “Would you like more?”
‘Payback
time,’ Janet reflected triumphantly as she turned her head to see
him. “Oh, most
definitely,” she replied aloud, grinning roguishly. “But not chocolate.”
Reaching up she buried her hand in his hair and pulled his face down,
meeting his lips in a hungry kiss.
He succumbed immediately and before long they were equally challenging
one another in a delightful game of give and take.
“You
know,” Daniel began when they finally pulled apart for breath. “There are certain parts of this
adjusting to married life that I quite like.”
‘Oh
indeed,’ Janet silently agreed as a light laugh escaped her lips. She met his eyes, knowing the emotion
and desire she saw there was being reflected in her own gaze as well. “Daniel,” she said.
“Yes?”
He brushed another light kiss across her mouth.
She
smiled coyly at him. “You
hereby have my permission to raid my chocolate stash, whenever you
want.”
“I
love you, Janet,” Daniel breathed as he pulled her with him to the
floor.
Janet
opened her mouth to reply but was prevented when her husband covered it with
another kiss. ‘I love you
too, Daniel,’ she thought as she happily returned the gesture. ‘I love you too.’
~ END ~
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