Suggested Rating: for teen and older readers

Category: fluff – extreme fluff – with a wee bit o’ angst thrown in

Setting: Shortly after The Curse, season 4

Synopsis: Janet and Sam’s impromptu girls’ night gets interrupted

Author’s Comments: I’m still trying to figure out where this one came from… seriously. I think my writing it was nothing more than some form of stress relief, mixed with my wanting an excuse to allow Janet a little squee time. How a moment of angst worked its way in, I’ll never know – if it was my muse’s attempt to sneak in something that actually resembled a plot, then it failed miserably, I fear. In other words, read this one for nothing more than mindless diversion folks – that’s about all you’re going to get. Thanks upon thanks to my faithful beta-reader, Sonia.

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.

TO SQUEE, OR NOT TO SQUEE

- by Michelle Lunsford (September 2004)

“So,” Sam began as she took the bowl of chocolate ice cream Janet offered, “Is Cassie enjoying summer art camp?”

“Seems to be,” Janet replied, plopping onto the sofa beside her friend. “I got a letter from her yesterday. There were hints of homesickness if you wanted to read between the lines, but for the most part it sounded like she was having a blast.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I know you were a little anxious about her being away from home for so long.”

Janet nodded as she downed a bite of ice cream. Her daughter had been going on sleepovers for years, but this was the first time the teen would be gone for two weeks straight. Janet had been pleased that Cassie was one of only a few nationwide who’d been chosen for the prestigious art camp, but she’d also been apprehensive about the girl being on her own. The letter she’d received in the mail yesterday morning had gone a long way towards easing her worries.

“You’re welcome to read the letter if you’d like,” Janet offered. She pointed with her spoon. “It should be on the end table by that chair over there.”

“Thanks,” Sam replied, placing her barely-eaten dessert aside as she stood. “I’ll take you up on that.”

“And while you’re reading, I’ll get the next movie set up.” Janet stood and reached for the pair of DVDs they’d rented.

She had the disc in the player and was waiting for the menu to come up when Sam suddenly interrupted, “So, Janet, is this your latest reading material?”

Janet spun around to find her friend standing by the end table, holding up a tattered paperback and wearing a rather cheeky expression.

Oh crap, Janet thought. I forgot about leaving that there.

“Funny, I never took you for the Harlequin type,” Sam went on, glancing down at the cover.

“I’m not,” Janet defended. “And if you look closely you’ll see it’s not a Harlequin.”

Sam eyed her skeptically. “Okay, so it’s not the specific trademark, but it’s clearly the style. Honestly Janet, what are you doing reading this trash?”

Janet sighed. Don’t think I’m going to get out of this one easily, she silently mused. “Okay, you’re right,” she began, returning to her spot on the sofa. “I’m not the Harlequin type. In fact, I hate romance books. Their contrived plot lines and tawdry vocabulary tend to leave me rolling my eyes and laughing at the absurdity of it all. But I recently purchased a box of used books at a garage sale, in anticipation of some personal reading time while Cassie was away. That just happened to be one of the paperbacks in the box.”

“So if you hate romance books, why did you bother reading this one?” Sam asked, turning the book over in her hands.

Janet’s mind raced as she considered a plausible excuse. But as she watched her friend’s eyes rove over the back cover she knew the answer would be obvious soon enough.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Sam looked up, a devilish gleam in her eye.

Janet feigned an innocent smile and shrugged as Sam returned her attention to the script on the book cover.

“The leading man is an archaeologist, and his name is Daniel Richardson?” Sam grinned as she met Janet’s gaze again. “Please tell me he’s not a linguist too.”

“Not exactly,” Janet answered, relieved that Sam’s attitude toward this coincidence appeared more amused than suspicious. “He does know how to read a couple of languages of the time period he studies, but it’s not as if he’s fluent in twenty-seven languages.” She finished off the last bite of her ice cream before throwing the final punch. “But he is a tall, well-built character with brownish-blond hair and amazing blue eyes.”

Sam laughed aloud. “Oh, this is priceless.” She fanned through the pages. “So, is it any good?”

“Of course not,” Janet replied, pushing the play button on her DVD remote before dropping it onto the sofa beside her. “It’s your typical trashy romance.” She waited a couple of heartbeats, wondering if she should add the final comment that was currently running through her mind. Oh, why not go for broke? she thought roguishly. Tucking her legs underneath her she playfully added, “But I still had fun reading it.”

“Wait just a minute,” Sam exclaimed. Stepping toward the couch she grabbed the discarded remote and jabbed the stop button.

“What?” Janet donned her best ingenuous expression. “I thought you wanted to watch the next movie.”

“And miss a chance to talk gossip with you?” Sam chided. “Not a chance.”

“What do you mean?” Janet asked as her friend settled herself onto the other end of the sofa.

Sam leaned forward slightly, grinning conspiratorially as she held up the paperback. “I mean I want to know why my best friend is suddenly inclined to read a romance novel about an archaeologist named Daniel.”

So much for her seeing this as merely an amusing coincidence, Janet thought. Reaching out to take the book from her friend’s hand she answered, “Honestly Sam, it’s nothing. I needed something to read, and found the similarities of name and occupation intriguing enough to give the book a try. That’s all.”

She opened the drawer of the table at her end of the sofa and put the book inside, closing the drawer with a sense of finality. In the few seconds of silence that followed, Janet couldn’t help but wonder if her argument might have been a bit more convincing had she been able to actually look her friend in the eye as she’d said it.

“I see,” Sam said, picking up her bowl.

Sam stirred absently at the half-melted ice cream before taking another bite, but Janet knew her friend’s seemingly casual manner was in no way a sign that she’d been let off the hook.

“Still, are you sure that’s all there was to it?” Sam finally asked. She waved her spoon at Janet. “I mean, I know you. And despite your voracious appetite for reading, you never bother to finish a book you actually don’t enjoy. So maybe the coincidence of name was enough to make you start reading, but what kept you going? Surely you’re not going to tell me it was the contrived plots and tawdry vocabulary?”

Janet groaned inwardly. Yes, you do know me Sam, and obviously all too well. Her gaze automatically dropped to her lap, where her fingers were now busy in a subtle dance of nervous twiddling. “You’re right,” she admitted softly. “The book was flat out awful – normally I never would have finished beyond the first couple chapters.” Gathering a bit of courage she forced herself to look up and meet Sam’s inquisitive gaze. “But I never expected…”

“What?” Sam spoke into the heavy silence.

“Nothing,” Janet huffed in exasperation, reaching for the DVD remote again. “I’m just being silly, fabricating things in my own imagination.”

Sam reached out and placed a hand on her arm, halting her. “No, really Janet,” she said, her demeanor suddenly serious. “You can tell me, no matter what it is.”

Janet sighed. Truth be told, what had begun as an innocent diversion had developed into something of a problem, and Janet hadn’t realized until that moment just how much she’d wanted to confide in someone about it.

“I never expected that stupid book would result in such crazy notions as I’ve had the past few days,” Janet confessed, shaking her head slightly.

Sam remained silent, watching her, and Janet appreciated that her friend was allowing her to express this in her own way, in her own time. Attempting to gather her thoughts, she took a deep breath and went on.

“I did begin reading the book out of some kind of frivolous amusement. The story was predictable from the very first chapter, but I was entertained enough by the character having that name to keep reading. Before long – and mind you, this started merely in fun – I found myself comparing the fictitious person in the story with the real person.”

Sam nodded as she swallowed the last of her ice cream. “I can see how that would be easy enough to do.”

“The only problem is…” Janet paused, suddenly feeling the need to fidget again. But meeting Sam’s gaze she saw only encouraging support in response. “The only problem is it wasn’t long before I found myself substituting the fictitious person in the story with the real person.”

Sam’s eyebrows rose a fraction. “Oh.”

Janet shifted uncomfortably. “Of course, it started to have an affect on my perception of him.”

“By him you mean…?”

Janet nodded ruefully. “Yes. The real person.”

Sam blinked. “Oh,” she said again.

“It wasn’t anything significant at first – just little things. Like I realized I was watching him more often than usual, and looking at him differently, noticing things I’d never noticed before.” She sighed in resignation. “It wasn’t until a couple of days ago that I suspected it was developing into something more.”

Sam pulled up her legs, propping her bare feet against one of the sofa cushions as she wrapped her arms around her knees. “How so?”

Janet considered, recalling some of the times during the past week that she’d surreptitiously studied Daniel. “Well – and I think this is something I’ve always been aware of, but it’s only just now really struck me – he has certain facial expressions, and mannerisms that are so… so distinctively him. And I’ve been finding myself intrigued by just listening to him talk. I mean, sure, I’ve always known he was terribly intelligent, but he also has this wicked sense of humor.” She knew she was growing more animated, but she couldn’t help it. “And… well, let’s face it – the man is very good-looking.”

Sam’s voice was on the verge of being giggly as she said, “Oh, do tell.”

“Yeah. Guess now I understand just what Cassie means when she says something is squee worthy.” Then realizing what she’d just said, Janet looked chagrined and chuckled. “Good grief – do I sound as much like an infatuated teen as I think I do?”

“Not really,” Sam replied. She eyed her cautiously before eventually asking, “So is that what this is – some innocent infatuation?”

Janet’s gaze wandered momentarily as she grew somber again. “I think so.” She inhaled slowly and looked her friend directly in the eye. “But my worry is it might develop into something more than that.” If it hasn’t already, a little voice added in her mind.

“Okay,” Sam said thoughtfully. “Is that necessarily a bad thing?”

“I don’t know,” Janet confessed with a tiny shrug. “Although that is something I’ve been thinking about lately, trying to assess the pros and cons, as it were.”

“And what have you come up with?”

“Well, there are certainly a lot worse men I could consider developing feelings for. But the fact that we work together complicates things, especially considering I’m his doctor,” Janet pointed out. “There’s also the fact that any potential feelings could be a strictly one-way scenario. And when I think about possibly altering our friendship… if things didn’t work out then I’d hate to lose that.”

“All good arguments,” Sam agreed.

Janet waited, but her friend didn’t seem inclined to continue. “What – no words of wisdom? No insightful advice?”

“I’m not sure I’m the best resource when it comes to romantic advice, Janet.” Sam’s tone was light, but there was a hint of melancholy behind it.

Janet smiled and gave Sam’s arm a supportive squeeze.

“Although, regardless of how far any of this could develop, I don’t think you’d have to worry about losing your friendship with him, or even damaging it beyond repair for that matter.” Sam smiled knowingly. “That’s just not Daniel’s way.”

“You’re probably right,” Janet agreed. “It would just be helpful if I had a better idea whether or not such an idea was even worth the risk.”

Suddenly her friend shifted in her seat, tapping her fingers against the top of her leg as a contemplative expression crossed her features.

“What?” Janet asked.

“I just thought of something,” Sam replied. “About something Daniel said during our last mission.”

“What?” Janet questioned again, aware that her tone had become entirely too eager.

“It was almost time for my shift at watch, but since I was already awake I decided to relieve Daniel a little early. We ended up talking for a while before he went to bed, and one of the things we talked about was our recent encounter with Osiris.”

Janet nodded. She recalled the events from a few weeks ago, when Daniel had visited Chicago for the funeral of his former professor, all too well.

“We didn’t discuss anything serious,” Sam continued. “I mean, I know the death of his colleague and Sarah’s being taken as a host was hard on him, but we weren’t really discussing those kinds of issues.”

“Then what were you talking about?” Janet asked curiously.

“Actually, he’d been thinking about how being in Egypt again had brought up so many old memories, both pleasant and not.” Sam paused and a slight smile tugged at her mouth. “But what just came to me was that he’d also made a comment about you.”

It was all Janet could do to refrain from bouncing across the sofa toward her friend. “Really! What did he say?”

“He said something about how he knew it was in large part due to you that Doctor Raynor had pulled through. Which isn’t that out of the ordinary, because we’re all pretty accustomed to singing your praises,” Sam said with a wink. “But he went on to say that he’d been really impressed with how you handled that entire situation – not just the medical part, but the whole ordeal.” She paused, and Janet noticed her expression became slightly suggestive before adding, “And then he made this off the wall comment about noticing that your hair had grown out rather long.”

Janet blinked. “He actually said that?”

“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time. It was almost oh-three thirty after all, and he was about half asleep by then. But now that I remember it, it just strikes me as a very out of the ordinary thing for him to say.”

Janet considered, wondering what to make of it herself. But after a few minutes mental debating she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head sharply. “No! I am not going to allow myself to even go there!”

“Go where?” Sam queried, clearly at a loss.

Janet opened her eyes to meet her friend’s gaze. “I’m not going to start jumping to conclusions, or imagining implied innuendos in every little thing. It’s bad enough that this has already started having an affect on my dreams.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “You had a dream about Daniel?”

Janet inwardly cringed. Oh man, I really hadn’t intended to let that slip. “Afraid so,” she answered aloud, knowing it was too late to attempt back pedaling. “I’m sure it was just some cruel trick of my subconscious, played out because of my reading that silly book in the first place and mixed with my apprehensions about Cassie being away at camp this week.”

“So what was the dream about?”

Janet sighed in acquiescence. “We were on a mission, or so it seemed, because we were off-world. I’m sure all of SG-1 was there, although for some reason Daniel and I were alone. We were sitting around a camp fire. I was dressed in an SGC uniform and Daniel was dressed in the typical green BDU pants and black tee.” She couldn’t fight the smile that crept across her features as she added, “And I distinctly recall that he wasn’t wearing the jacket. But the strange part is we weren’t keeping watch, or doing anything else that seemed in any way remotely related to being on an off-world mission. In fact, we were making and eating smores.”

Sam unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a chuckle. “Smores?”

“Yep, smores. It was very odd.”

“No kidding,” Sam said, grinning broadly.

“Of course, it was also rather… romantic,” Janet admitted. Especially when I offered him that one smore to eat and he licked the melted chocolate off my fingers, she added to herself.

“Well, if the current look on your face is anything to go by,” Sam commented, “then I’d guess it was a good deal more than simply romantic. Are you sure you didn’t do anything other than eat smores?”

Janet felt her cheeks flush with warmth. “Well, it wasn’t exactly that kind of a dream,” she asserted. “Although…”

“Although what?” Sam egged her on.

“It’s curious – I can remember we were talking about all kinds of things, and yet I can’t recall anything that was actually said. But one thing I do remember is at one point Daniel had just said something that made me laugh. He was smiling too, but then as we continued to look at one another his expression became very intense.” Janet felt a tiny fluttering in her stomach just at the mere memory of that piercing blue gaze. “And then he leaned forward – I just knew he was going to kiss me…”

Sam waved her hand encouragingly. “Yes – and?”

Janet sighed. “And then my stupid alarm clock went off.”

As if on cue, the doorbell suddenly rang and both women started. They exchanged wary glances before Janet cast a quick look at the clock. It was a little after nine, which wasn’t all that late, particularly for a Friday night. But she certainly wasn’t expecting anyone.

“I can’t imagine who’s here at this hour,” Janet said as she rose from the couch. She made her way to the door and, looking through the peep-hole, found three very familiar faces.

“Surprise!” Jack O’Neill intoned as she opened the door.

“Colonel, what in the world are you doing here? I thought you guys were going to party it up while watching the big game,” Janet threw back at him the excuse he’d given when she and Sam had come up with the impromptu plan earlier that afternoon of them all going out for dinner at O’Malley’s.

“Well, actually we were,” O’Neill replied. “But then we started thinking about how rude it was of us to exclude you two ladies, when you were so kind as to invite us all out for dinner tonight.”

She could tell the colonel was attempting to put on the charm, but she wasn’t buying it. Crossing her arms she fixed him with her best no-nonsense stare and said, “Oh really?”

She had to give him credit. He actually managed to meet her stare for all of three seconds.

“Okay, so the cable went out at my house, just before half-time, and we decided to drop by and watch the rest of the game here,” Jack admitted.

Janet eyed him suspiciously. “We?”

Jack’s expression was as close to a physical flinching as Janet had ever seen. “Okay. So I decided it. Teal’c made his usual round of completely logical arguments as to why we shouldn’t, but I told him that since he was staying the night at my house instead of on base, he had to play by my rules. And Daniel protested, even going so far as to offer we all go to his apartment to watch the game, but I happen to know that not only do you have a bigger TV, your place is also closer by a good twenty minutes.”

That sounds more like the real story, she mused. But she still refused to budge, staring him down in bold – if somewhat playful – silence.

“We brought our own beer,” Jack finally offered, smiling as he suddenly displayed a six pack.

Teal’c moved forward slightly and held out a brown paper bag. “We have also brought microwaveable popping corn and a wide selection of bite sized chocolate candies.” He titled his head slightly before adding, “As a peace offering.”

“I see,” Janet replied dryly. Stretching slightly on tip toes, she peered over O’Neill’s shoulder to where Daniel was apparently attempting to hide behind the older man.

“Um, don’t look at me.” He shrugged, even while managing to keep his arms crossed across his chest – a gesture that Janet had to admit she found extremely endearing. “I’m just the designated driver.”

Sighing heavily in feigned irritation, she stepped aside and waved them in. “Alright, come on in, you sorry lot.” She took the bag from Teal’c as he stepped past. “Make yourselves at home.”

They wasted no time in taking her up on the offer of hospitality, and before long Janet found herself in the kitchen making popcorn and fixing drinks. Not that she really minded. Although she enjoyed spending time with Sam, they’d not had any definite plans for the evening other than hanging out together. Even both films they’d rented at the video store were ones they’d already seen before. And she wasn’t going to complain about the strange circumstance that had just resulted in allowing her to spend some off-duty time with Daniel. Based on the couple of covert looks Sam had shot her way, Janet figured her friend wasn’t too upset about the alteration in circumstances either.

Bearing a large tray loaded with several plastic bowls full of popcorn, some glasses, and a variety of sodas and water, Janet made her way back into the den. She distributed the refreshments and, once everyone was settled, did a quick inventory.

Daniel and Sam had taken up opposite ends of the sofa. O’Neill was between them, although he’d chosen to actually sit on the floor. Teal’c was occupying the oversized recliner that sat beside the sofa, as it was pretty much the only seat in her den that accommodated him comfortably. That left the smaller chair, off to one side by the end table where Sam had accidentally found the romance novel earlier. It was Janet’s favorite chair, but it didn’t afford a good view of the television. And she figured that as long as they were all going to be here a while, she might as well try to enjoy the game with them.

Well, guess I’ll bring a chair from the dining room, she thought, and was just turning to head that direction when she heard Sam’s voice.

“Come on, Janet – there’s room here in the middle for you.”

Janet halted mid-step and met her friend’s gaze. But if Sam was attempting some kind of subtle matchmaker game here, her expression gave nothing away.

“Or at least there will be if Jack gets out of the way,” Daniel interjected. When the colonel, totally engrossed in the action playing out on the TV screen, remained oblivious to the suggestion, Daniel nudged him in the shoulder with his knee. “Hey Jack, move over and make room for your hostess.”

After a couple more pokes from Daniel’s knee, O’Neill finally got the message and slid over to occupy the empty spot of floor on the other side of Sam. There was nothing for it now but to take the offered seat.

Once she sat down, Daniel leaned in slightly and said, “I’m really sorry about us barging in on you like this.”

Janet felt nearly overwhelmed by his proximity, but she tried to meet his gaze and appear casual. “It’s really not a problem. Sam and I weren’t doing anything special.”

He fixed her with what she’d come to term his you wouldn’t lie to me, would you? look and said, “You’re sure?”

“Of course,” she replied, smiling. “You know you’re always welcome here.”

“I know, but--”

She held up a hand, stalling him. Although she found his sense of graciousness rather charming, Janet had to admit that sometimes he could push an issue too far. “Really Daniel, it’s okay. Now, just share your popcorn with me and all will be forgiven.”

He smiled then, apparently accepting her absolution, and Janet felt that distinctive fluttering in her stomach again. She took a handful of popcorn from his bowl and turned her attention toward the game in an effort to get control of her bearings again.

Conversation passed back and forth between her guests as the game ensued. She and Daniel shared random comments – about the game, or work, or Cassandra – and it wasn’t long before Janet felt comfortable enough to slip into her new habit of furtively studying him.

He was dressed in well-worn jeans and a long-sleeve button up. In his typical style, the cuffs on the sleeves had been undone and rolled half-way up his forearm. And, she happily noted, the blue stripes in the shirt were doing an excellent job of bringing out the color of his eyes.

He seemed relaxed and genuinely happy, being here in her home among friends, and Janet relished the occasional smiles she caught from him. In particular she found a secretive pleasure in watching him purposefully, albeit good-naturedly, rile Jack by choosing to root for the opposing team.

But eventually it became clear that Jack’s favored team was indeed going to win, and Daniel ceased his taunting. And as the others became more interested in the game, she noticed that Daniel slowly began to withdraw from the activities going on around him, until eventually he’d drifted off to sleep.

It didn’t really surprise her. Earlier he’d made mention of working straight through last night in an attempt to finish a translation project he’d been working on – an act for which she’d appropriately scolded him. And so she simply let him rest, content to watch him in peaceful slumber, even as his companions whooped and carried on around him. Once the game ended – with Jack’s team victorious – the others finally noticed their friend’s current condition.

“You mean he actually slept through most of the fourth quarter?” Jack asked, his tone reflecting disbelief. “Even with us yelling and cheering the whole time?”

Janet nodded. “He said something about pulling an all-nighter last night, so I’m guessing it just finally caught up with him.”

The colonel gazed down at his friend sympathetically. “Kind of a shame to have to wake him.”

“Then don’t,” Sam suddenly interrupted. When everyone turned to look at her she added, “I didn’t have anything to drink tonight, Colonel. I can drive you and Teal’c home, and then Daniel can drive himself after he wakes up.”

O’Neill seemed to deliberate on this, and for a moment Janet wondered if the implications of what Sam had suggested were fully registering with their commanding officer. Although, she reminded herself, technically there was nothing untoward in Sam’s plan. It wouldn’t be the first time that one or more members of SG-1 had crashed at her house. But it would be the first time Daniel had slept there, alone, her internal reason pointed out. And in light of her musings of late, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to send Sam a silent expression of thanks for all this, or bop her upside the head for it instead.

“Are you suggesting we just leave him here?” O’Neill finally asked, his tone hinting that this was perhaps some grievous faux pas.

Janet couldn’t help being amused at his sudden concern for etiquette, especially in light of how he’d been the one to drag them all over to her house uninvited in the first place. “It’s okay, Colonel,” she assured. “Remember, I’m raising a teenage daughter from another planet. I think I can handle one sleeping archaeologist.”

The matter evidently settled now, they quickly helped Janet with clean-up and made their good-byes. Before beginning her personal night-time routine, Janet fetched a blanket and extra pillow from her bedroom. Back in the den she paused, uncertain what to do. It looked like Daniel was sleeping soundly, but he wasn’t exactly in the most comfortable position. She knew if he stayed like that, he’d have some protesting muscles in the morning. After a few seconds arguing with herself, Janet finally decided she’d simply have to wake him.

“Daniel?” She shook him gently, then again with a bit more force. “Daniel, I’m sorry but you need to wake up for a minute.”

His eyes slowly opened and his gaze flitted around the room, as if attempting to figure out where he was. Awareness eventually registered but his voice was clearly laced with grogginess when he spoke. “Sorry, I must have dozed off.”

“Yeah, you did,” Janet confirmed, smiling slightly. She watched as Daniel raised his arms and languidly stretched the full length of his body. Sensing a flush in her cheeks, she quickly averted her gaze, searching for anything on which to redirect her focus. “No one wanted to wake you and so Sam offered to drive the colonel and Teal’c home.”

“Ah. Then I should probably head home as well.”

“But you’re sleeping here,” she blurted. Quickly turning back to face him, Janet found that her guest had stood and she was now staring point blank at his chest. Glancing up she saw him looking at her quizzically and she suddenly realized how her outburst must have sounded. “I mean, you’re welcome to stay,” she hastily amended. “You don’t have to drive home right now if you don’t want to.” Janet could feel her heart rate rising and wondered why she was increasingly feeling like an awkward schoolgirl. Forcing herself to find some sense of normalcy she instinctively turned to her medical training. “In fact, as your doctor, I insist on it. I don’t like the idea of you driving this late at night when you’re not fully alert.”

“I don’t want to impose,” Daniel replied.

Janet simply shook her head at his protest. “It’s not an imposition. Besides,” she pointed at the blanket and pillow she’d dropped in the nearby chair. “I’ve already gotten out the stuff to make your bed.” To further emphasize her point, she picked up the blanket and began unfolding it.

“Alright,” he conceded, reaching to take the blanket from her hands. “But please don’t make any more fuss over me. I can make my own bed, and you need your rest just as much as I do.” He smiled and made a shooing motion with his hand. “So just go on. Simply because Cassie’s away doesn’t mean you need to play mother hen.”

Janet smiled in return. Mother hen isn’t exactly the role I was contemplating. Pushing that daring notion aside, she bid her guest good night and escaped to the privacy of her room. She then concentrated on her bedtime routine, hoping that it might rein in her increasingly errant thoughts. But when she finally lay down, her mind continually returned to the fact that the man she was seriously in danger of developing feelings of affection toward was currently sleeping on her sofa. It’s going to be a long night, she thought.

She’d scarcely managed to drift off into a light sleep when the cries began.

“No!”

She bolted upright, fully alert, ears straining to determine if she’d imagined the sound or not.

“Please, no – no!”

She threw back the covers but as her feet hit the floor Janet reconsidered. Obviously Daniel was in the middle of some unpleasant dream. But would rushing in to wake him be the best thing to do?

“Please… she’s not… no – NO!”

The chilling wail echoing from the other room was finally enough to force her decision. Janet grabbed her robe, pulling it on even as she hurried down the hall into the den. She flicked on the nearest table lamp and saw Daniel, tossing fitfully on the couch. He was tangled up in the blanket and his cries continued to punctuate the silence.

She wasted no time in moving to his side. Reaching for his shoulders she gave him a good hard shake. “Daniel! It’s just a dream.” She shook him again. “Daniel, wake up!”

It took a couple more tries, but eventually his flailing stopped and he jerked upright. His eyes darted around the room before ultimately settling on her, and Janet felt the breath catch in her throat at the desperate anguish she saw there.

“Janet?” His tone was shaky and uncertain.

“I’m here,” she answered, aware her own voice wasn’t much better than his had been. “You were having a bad dream.”

“A… a dream?” He searched her face, and slowly his expression began to ease into one of recognition and relief.

“That’s right,” she reassured, taking a step back. “But it’s over now.” Her voice may have gotten stronger, but now she could feel the beginnings of aftereffects from the adrenaline that had surged through her body. Already her hands were beginning to shake, and Janet knew she had to find something useful to do. “I’ll… I’ll go get you something to drink.”

Not waiting for an answer she hurried to the kitchen. Once in the solitude of those familiar surroundings she willed her mind to focus. Taking deep, steadying breaths, Janet managed to fill a glass with water from the fridge. By the time she returned, she felt more in control.

It appeared Daniel had made use of her absence to run through his own calming techniques. He’d extricated himself from the blanket, and it now lay in a hastily folded bundle at one end of the sofa. He was sitting at the opposite end, his bare feet resting solidly on the floor. His clothes were rumpled, and his hair was sticking up every which way, but he’d found and donned his glasses. In the dim shadows cast by the lamp light, Janet though he looked even more handsome than ever.

“I brought some water,” she said, holding out the glass.

His fingers brushed against hers as he took it and for a split second their eyes met. The air seemed instantly charged and Janet felt her heart begin to race all over again. Reason told her to make some polite comment, to simply make certain that he was okay, and then retreat to the safety of her own bedroom. But she couldn’t seem to make her feet move – they were rooted where she stood in front of him.

Daniel downed nearly half the glass in one gulp. He leaned forward slightly, but didn’t look up at her when he spoke. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“It’s alright,” she answered. She waited a couple of heartbeats before asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

She noticed his fingers tensed slightly around the glass, but he shook his head. “It wasn’t anything serious. Just a bad combination of an overactive subconscious, and lack of sleep during too many previous nights.”

That caught her attention and Janet found herself reflexively taking a step forward. “You haven’t been sleeping well?”

He waited several seconds before answering. “It’s not anything to worry about.”

“But I do worry, Daniel. How can I not?” The softness in her tone came out much differently than the doctoral concern she’d been attempting to convey and Daniel glanced up at her then, his eyes silently questioning. “You were crying out, in your sleep,” she finally replied.

Daniel eased back, sighing heavily as his eyes drifted shut for a moment. He took another drink and then sat the glass aside before meeting her gaze again. “I’m sorry. I hope that didn’t startle you.”

Janet shook her head but couldn’t fight the urge to draw her robe around her a little tighter.

“In the dream I was back in Egypt,” he explained. “We all were. Osiris was there too. Only this time… this time it was you she had under the hand device.”

Janet swallowed against a lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. Daniel was still gazing up at her, unfaltering, but a hint of that torment she’d seen when he’d first awoken was being reflected in his eyes. When he finally spoke again she heard that same suffering in his words.

“She was killing you, Janet. And I tried to stop her, but I-I...” His voice broke as he forced out the words. “I couldn’t move… I-I couldn’t get to you.”

The desperation of his confession tore at her heart, and Janet immediately sat beside him. “It’s alright,” she said, reaching for his hand. “It was just a dream – a horrible dream. But that’s all.” She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “And I’m here, Daniel. I’m right here.”

She felt a wonderful sense of warmth as Daniel squeezed her hand in response.

“Yes,” he breathed, his gaze drifting toward their clasped hands. “You’re here.”

The sensation of warmth flooded over her again as Daniel began to gently stroke her hand with his thumb.

“Seems like you’re always there for me, Janet,” he went on, his voice surprisingly tender. “You’re there to be the one who understands me, or sometimes just to listen. You always take care of me.” He looked up, his eyes catching her own in a gaze so powerful that Janet felt as if her entire world suddenly became focused into that one moment. “What would I do without you?” he whispered.

Her mind reeled. What is he saying? How am I supposed to take this? Logic told her it was nothing more than the praise of a friend. Sure, they were both still a bit tense from the adrenaline induced frenzy that had followed his dream, but she couldn’t afford to allow her recent romantic notions to influence her, making false assumptions regarding his words.

“That’s very sweet of you to say, Daniel,” she replied, amazed at the steadiness of her voice. But she knew such calmness wouldn’t last. The deafening pounding of her heart would see to that. Grasping for some way to bring levity to a situation that was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Janet opted to play it off as nonchalant as she could. “But you don’t have to worry. I’ll be here to keep taking care of you. After all, I’m your doctor – it’s what I do.”

Daniel smiled slightly in return, but there was an undeniable tinge of sadness behind it. “Right. You’re my doctor,” he sighed, averting his gaze as he quietly pulled his hand from hers.

His response only served to heighten Janet’s unease. A part of her was fairly bouncing where she sat, but reason maintained a stronger hold. She dare not give in to such imagined implications.

And yet… even reason dictates that I have to push this, she thought. I have to know if this is something real, or all just wishful thinking.

“I hope I’m more than just your doctor,” she said softly, carefully watching for his reaction.

“Of course,” Daniel quickly replied. He turned to face her again, his expression apologetic. “I didn’t mean to imply that…”

She forced herself to meet his gaze. “Then what exactly are you meaning to imply?”

The seconds felt interminably long, and Janet briefly wondered if at any moment she might wake to find she was in the midst of her own bizarre dream.

Daniel pulled off his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “This is not exactly how I imagined this playing out.”

Janet felt a shiver crawl up her back and fought the urge to fidget. “Imagine what playing out?”

Repositioning his spectacles, Daniel sighed heavily. “Oh, pretty much everything from the moment we went to Egypt and I began to realize that you were a lot more than just a capable doctor, or even a capable Air Force major.” There was an almost flippant tenor to his tone, but the look in his eyes told Janet otherwise.

“You see,” he went on, “I don’t know if you intended this or not, but practically everything you did on that mission revealed to me what a truly amazing woman you are. You’re intelligent, brave, and resourceful.” He became increasingly animated, his speech slowly accelerating with every word. “But you also have this fantastic sense of wonder – I saw it in the way you took in all the new sights, and continually bombarded me with questions about things once the threat of the mission was finally over. And – really, this was the most surprising thing of all, because I can’t for the life of me figure out why it never dawned on me before – you have got to be one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever had the privilege to know. Is it any wonder I haven’t been sleeping well, when every time I close my eyes I keep seeing you, your hair down and bouncing around your shoulders, and wearing that adorable little khaki colored cap on your head?”

When Daniel finally paused for breath, Janet found she had to remind her own body to breathe as well. Although she’d sat there, hoping that all the intimations were genuinely leading up to this, the reality of actually hearing his confession had pretty much floored her. And she was certain the surprise she felt was written all over her face in one alarmingly stunned expression.

“Um, I know I just dumped a huge load on you,” Daniel slowly began into the heavy silence. “And doing so in the middle of the night, after we’ve both been startled out of our sleep, was probably among one of the worst ways I could have accomplished it, but I’d be very grateful if you could just say something…”

Janet shook her head in an attempt to clear her jumbled thoughts. When she finally opened her mouth to speak, what tumbled out wasn’t exactly the stellar response she’d anticipated. “I… I, ah, don’t suppose the term squee means anything to you?”

Daniel’s eyebrows arched. “Squee?”

“Never mind,” she answered, simply relieved to have found the power of speech again. “I need to show you something.”

Reaching across to the end table, she opened the draw and pulled out the familiar paperback. Without another word she handed it to Daniel. She then watched the interesting spectacle of expressions that worked their way across his face as he read first the title, and then the back cover.

Daniel glanced up at her, his eyes reflecting a strange combination of hesitance and expectation. “Um, I really don’t want to make the mistake of coming to an incorrect assumption here, so I’m just going to play dumb and ask out right – is there supposed to be something significant about this?”

“Significant about the book itself? No – it’s your typical trashy romance,” Janet replied, delighted to find she could still maintain some semblance of a casual composure. “The only significance lies in the completely unanticipated result that occurred when a certain doctor read it, even knowing she would hate it, simply because the name and occupation of the male character was the same as this guy she happened to know.”

“I see,” Daniel said. He glanced down at the book, then back up to her again. “Okay, that’s not entirely true. I think I see. But, if it’s not too much bother, could you be a little more specific, just so I can be sure?”

Janet smiled. Oh, don’t worry – it’s no bother at all. Leaning forward, she reached up to gently stroke his cheek. The warmth of his skin was far better than her imagination had ever speculated, but even that paled in comparison to the sensation that jolted through her when she pressed her lips to his in a soft, simple kiss. She felt his surprise, expressed in a momentary tension of hesitancy, and then relished in the pleasure of his eager response. Her fingers found their way to the nape of his neck, delightfully dancing through the close cropped hair there. She would have gladly continued, ad infinitum, except that eventually her brain began pestering her about decreasing levels of oxygen.

She pulled back and for several seconds all they could manage was to stare at one another. When Daniel finally spoke, Janet happily noted that his tone was still a little breathless.

“Well, I guess that clears that up.”

Janet smiled affectionately. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

Daniel reached out, tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ear before burying his fingers into her hair and ever so slowly running them through the full length of long tresses. Janet, noticing the look of utter contentment on his face that resulted, raised one eyebrow inquisitively.

“Sorry,” he said, smiling impishly. “It’s just that I’ve wanted to do that for the longest time now.”

“Well then, next time I need someone to work out the tangles after it’s been wound up on my head all day long, I know who to call.” Janet tried to smile, but as the final rush of emotion ebbed from her system she was overcome by a yawn.

“And I should let you get back to bed,” Daniel said.

Janet nodded as she stood. Reaching for the blanket, she unfolded it and spread it across him. “No more bad dreams,” she said softly, placing a light kiss on his forehead.

“No more,” he agreed, touching her hair once more before settling back against the cushions. “Good night, Janet.”

“Night.” She turned to go, but Daniel’s voice halted her just as she reached the doorway.

“Janet?”

“Yes?”

She saw his head appear over the back of the sofa as he turned to look her direction.

“I was wondering if perhaps – that is, if you didn’t already have plans – if maybe we could… do something tomorrow… something together.”

“I’d like that.” She waited until he lay down again before switching off the lamp. Then with one final glance over her shoulder, she headed for her own room. I’d like that very, very much.

~ END ~

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