Leather and Speed - Part Three
Title: Leather and Speed
Author: Tittamiire
Fandom: SG1
Rating: PG13
Word Count: Total about 17,400
Categories: AU, First Time.
Summary: In this alternate universe SG1 are a sidecar racing team at the TT (Tourist Trophy) races on the Isle of Man. Janet, a Doctor there with St John, meets Sam for the first time when things don't quite go as planned.
Author note 1: I challenged myself to write Sam and Janet with sidecars on the Isle of Man for this ficathon. It was quite tricky and involved changing some nationalities to get it to work in universe. I hope it isn't too OOC for people.
Author note 2: It's rushed, which I apologise for. Life snuck up on me. I beg humbly for apologies and I will get it properly finished, betad and uploaded after the ficathon.
Practice week passed without further mishaps at their corners. There were the usual breakdowns and people not making the corner, but nothing that Janet needed to get involved in. Another sidecar rig came off in one of the practices and two riders had spills, but nothing serious.
Friday night before the racing started on Saturday was the Marshals' supper. The Marshals' Association put on dinner once per set of races and something that resembled entertainment. That afternoon Sam sent Janet a text, asking if she was going. Janet said she was and, if Sam was, she'd see her there.
Janet spotted Sam's blonde hair and exchanged smiles with her and the rest of her team as they snuck into the marshal's supper long after the suppossed start time and just as the chief marshal was going up on stage to announce the actual start.
She made a mental note to go over and say hello after they'd had food, which would be soon as the buffet was just being announced as open, which the chief marshal, knowing his audience, did promptly. Janet was sitting at the medic's table so she ordered Gary forward to carve a path through the crowd of hungry marshals all also heading to the buffet tables around the room.
The food was good. She, Gary and Matt (Sharon couldn't make it), discussed the days racing with some of the other medics and shared horror stories that made one of the younger volunteers pale slightly.
After they'd eaten there was a video on screen of some of the highlights of practice week set to music, there was some impressive footage and Janet was enjoying it when she felt a hand on her shoulder and Sam whispered in her ear, 'Come with me.' A hand slid down her arm where it rested on the table and took hold of her hand.
Janet went with her. Sam led the way through the tables and out of the hall.
'Where are we going?' Janet asked in a whisper once they were in the corridor.
'Shh,' Sam said, glancing back and picking up the pace.
Janet glanced back, half expecting to see someone chasing them. There wasn't anyone, but she was still nearly at a jog when they burst out of the main doors to the building and into the gardens in front.
The night was cool. Sam pulled up sharply and inhaled deeply. 'I love the smell of the sea,' she said. 'Want to go for a walk along the prom?'
'Why the sharp exit?'
'Oh, they were about to try and get me up on stage for an interview,' Sam said, gesturing back to the hall.
They started walking away from the hall, far less hurried than their exit now that they were out. Janet noticed Sam still had hold of her hand.
'And that's bad?' She asked.
'Oh yes. Very bad. There would be umming and aahing and hundreds of people staring at me. Daniel is way better at that stuff than me. Give me a conference hall full of academics and a paper and I'm fine, but the thought of getting up on stage in there terrified me. You know some of those guys have been racers before they were marshals and some people have been marshaling for fifty years? I'm so new I'm still getting my knee sliders nice and scuffed.'
'You're an academic as well as an RAF Officer?' Janet asked.
Sam looked embarassed and swung her hand slightly, swinging Janet's with it.
They walked out of the entrance to the gardens and onto the sea front. It was heaving with people in the bars that lined the road. They crossed over onto the prom proper and began to stroll away from the large crowd in the beer tent, letting the sounds of people, music and fairground rides fade.
'So you've kidnapped me?' Janet said.
'Temporarily,' Sam said, with a smile, 'but you seem to be a willing victim.
'I'm just a sucker to any attractive woman telling me to go with them. If anyone did ever want to actually kidnap me they'd just have to send Uma Thurman round.'
Sam gave a quiet laugh, 'You should talk to Jack about that.'
'Not your type?' Janet asked.
Sam wrinkled her nose to indicate that no, Uma Thurman wasn't her type. She swung her hand again in time to their steps.
'So, are you gay?' Sam asked after a pause.
'Yup. You?'
'Yeah,' Sam replied. 'I just wanted to check. Didn't want to misread anything.'
'Nah, your gaydar is accurate on this occassion.'
Sam squeezed her hand and tugged her over to the railing. 'There's a ferry out there,' she said, pointing. 'It looks just like a block of lights floating on the water. Kinda spooky with the bit of mist that's come down.'
Janet put her arms on the railings and leant forward against them, watching the ferry. Sam put an arm around her shoulder.
'And there's the lighthouse,' Janet said, pointing. She looked along the prom and around the bay and the lights and then shivered slightly.
'It's a shame you didn't kidnap my jacket,' she commented, rubbing her upper arms briskly.
Sam moved behind her and wrapped her arms around here. 'This better?'
Janet smiled and leant back into her, resting her own arms on top of Sam's and squeezing slightly.
'I'll take that as a yes,' Sam said.
She was warm behind her, not quite warm enough to banish the chill of the evening air, but Janet was enjoying the hug too much to move for now.
They stayed like that for a while, gazing out at the lights around the bay and the sea and listening to the slightly distant sounds of the town.
Sam's phone beeped. She ignored it.
Janet shifted in Sam's embrace, turning her head so she could look up at Sam, who looked back and smiled slightly. She turned all the way so she was facing her and, tentatively, pushed up on her toes to kiss her.
Sam bent down to return to kiss and pulled her closer. Janet pushed back, deepening the kiss and sliding her arms around Sam's waist.
They kissed slowly, savouring that first kiss, and, equally, aware that they were in public.
Someone honked a horn. Janet jumped and peered past Sam, who laughed lightly and hugged her.
'Maybe the prom isn't the best spot for a snog,' she said, rocking Janet gently.
'We could find a bar or you could come back to my campsite for a few. There'll be people around, we could have a drink,' Janet said.
'Your campsite sounds good. I'm not going back home til I'm sure my team aren't going to lynch me for running off and leaving them to face the hall fall of expectant marshals without me.'
Janet rolled her eyes, 'We wouldn't have done anything other than listen. Folks like it when they get to hear from riders. You lot are why we're standing out on the roads in the first place.'
'Okay, maybe it wouldn't have been that bad. I still left my team to it, which is reason enough to hide.'
'Ah, but I left my helmet and jacket in the hall,' Janet said. 'I'm pretty sure they'll get suspicious if they see me sneak in.'
'Hmm. What about your friend, the guy, Matt is his name? Would he smuggle them out to us?'
'Worth a go, but you'll still have to get a taxi because I haven't got a spare helmet.'
'That's fine, get hold of him.'
XXXX
Forty minutes later, they were back at Janet's campsite. Well, Janet had been back for a few minutes and was waiting for Sam's taxi to deposit her at the entrance to the farm.
She bounded out of the back of the car after it stopped and over to Janet, who was sittng on the top of the fence near the entrance.
'Hey,' she said brightly.
'Hey, come on, some of the rest of the denizens are over here having a few bevvies.'
'So, like every other night on every other campsite then?' Sam asked.
'Yup,' Janet hopped down off the fence. She slipped her hand into Sam's, gave it a squeeze and started up the path to the tents.
'Daniel texted me. He was checking I was okay, but I could almost hear Jack in the background being pissed.'
'Ah'
'I told them I was fine and that I'd run off with a gorgeous woman.'
Janet gave a slightly embarassed laugh.
'So, this is everyone,' she said as she wandered up to the nice sized group around the barbecue. 'Everyone, this is Sam,' she said, to the group, some of whom paid attention, some of whom were loudly engrossed in their own loud conversations.
'So, in more detail, we've got Beezer, Al, Pete, Phil and Phil's missus Kath, they're Brits and three tents down from me. We've got Karl, Saal, Johannes, and Matthais, they're from Holland. We've got a French couple, Claude and Sylvie, I think they were travelling with some other French people, but booked onto the wrong site. However, that doesn't seem to have stopped them. Then I don't really know that lot over there, they must have arrived this afternoon.'
'Busy,' Sam commented.
'It's a popular campsite,' Janet said, indicating a folding chair and sitting down herself.
'Yup,' Sam said, grinning. She took a seat on the other chair and looked around.
'So, this still preferable to facing the music back at the supper?'
'Oh yes,' Sam said with a satisfied sigh.
'Drink?' Janet asked, holding out a can. 'I brought a few up from my tent before you arrived.'
'Thanks, just one. Like to keep away from the alcohol during race week,' Sam explained.
'Probably smart that,' Janet said, handing a can across and opening one herself.
'So, Sam?' Beezer said, wandering over. 'As is number 56 in the sidecars?'
Sam nodded, looking slightly nervous.
'Cool,' Beezer said enthusiastically, pulling up a camping chair. 'So what do you think about them only racing 600s in the sidecars? I mean, I know it's been a long time since they banned thous, but they did that because they were going "too fast" and now the 600s are topping the speeds the thous managed.'
'Um,' Sam said, looking slightly stunned. 'It's my first season racing. I don't remember thous every being raced. I know the 600s are racing right at the limit and I know the roads aren't that wide. Perhaps sticking with the 600s is safer?' She suggested tentatively.
'Roads aren't wide is right,' Janet said. 'Three sidecars coming towards you near abreast is a terrifying sight from Ballacraine. Three solos are bad enough, but the sidecar rigs are another matter.'
'Ah, it's exciting,' Al said. 'Can't blame the riders for pushing it. Right?'
'Pushing it right into the bales,' Beezer said, gesturing to Sam.
'Geez, does an announcement go out when someone embarasses themselves on the course?' Sam protested.
'Pretty much,' Janet said. 'TT coverage on the radio.'
Sam scowled slightly.
'Ah, we're all just passionate fans of all thing bike,' Janet said, patting Sam on the arm.
She feigned a more indignant frown.
'Dangerous business anyway love,' Al said. 'Your driver was never going to make that corner. You did a decent a job as anyone could have done keeping that rig down as long as you did.'
Janet smiled slightly, as Sam relaxed.
'Oil problems,' Sam said, repeating the explaination. 'These machines are right on the edge of their performance, it doesn't take much to throw everything out.'
Al and Beezer were hanging on her every word. Sam went on to talk about their rig, how they'd got it, the different set up they'd tried and how they were really happy with this one, except the problem with the oil. Others came over. They debated four strokes, versus two strokes, classes in the TT, the extreme advantage the factory teams always had and Janet slowly edged her chair closer to Sam's until their knees were touching and she could hold her hand.
Eventually though, she was yawning.
'I'm going to turn in,' she said to Sam in a moment where neither of them were talking while the others were arguing about something. 'You can stay, or we can call you a taxi, it is up to you,' she said in a low voice.
Sam had leant into hear her, she moved and kissed Janet once on the lips. 'Okay if I stay?'
Janet smiled and went to reply, but was interuppted by a wolf-whistle from Pete.
She rolled her eyes instead. 'C'mon, lets leave the apes,' she said more loudly. They obliged by making monkey noises and pretending to groom each other for tics as Janet and Sam left the circle of warm light and chairs.
Janet unzipped the tent and reached in to turn on the electric lantern hanging from the top of the two man tent.
'Welcome to my humble abode,' she said, gesturing the let Sam crawl in ahead of her. She waited while she removed her boots and then followed her, crouching in the entrance to remove her own boots before crawling into the inner tent.
She lay on the air bed and reached out to zip up the outer tent and then the inner tent.
'Not much, but it's home for two weeks,' she said.
'It's fine,' Sam said, leaning in to kiss Janet lightly and then pulling back to shed her jacket and then pull her jumper up over her head, snagging her t shirt with it and pulling it up slightly.
'Geez woman,' Janet said, reaching out and stopping Sam's shirt from sliding back down her side. She had been watching appreciatively, now she was concerned.
Sam glanced down at her side and pulled a face. 'I said I was bruised.'
'No, you said, "just bruised" this isn't "just" anything,' She cocked her head, looking at the extensive, but fading, bruising covering most of Sam's side.
'No broken bones and I did twenty press ups to get cleared by the medical officer.'
'You did twenty press ups on that, what, two hours after you'd done it?' Janet said.
'It's nothing,' Sam said, removing Janet's hand and tugging her shirt back down. 'Really.'
Janet shook her head.
'Racers are mental,' she commented. 'Let me look at your wrist,' she said, scooping Sam's arm up and seeing the same degree of old bruising fading around her wrist and forearm. She looked up the arm, and pushed Sam's sleeve up to reveal more bruising on her upper arm and shoulder.
'Yup, racers are mental,' Janet repeated.
Sam kissed her, pushing her gently and willingly down onto the airbed.
'Are you trying to distract me with kissing?' Janet asked, even as she lay back gently.
'Is it working?' Sam whispered.
Janet kissed her back by way of answer, sliding her arm around Sam to pull her onto the airbed with her. Sam came willingly, lying alongside Janet and continuing to kiss her. She put a hand to her jaw gently, fingertips barely touching Janet's jaw bone as she kissed her.
'Wait,' Janet said, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder to stop her.
'Huh?' Sam said, pulling back and looking at her.
'There is a campsite full of bikers out there and only nylon between us and them. I really don't want to give them something to listen to.'
Sam gave a quiet groan and dropped her head onto Janet's shoulder.
Janet rubbed her back affectionately and kissed her chastely on the cheek.
'And I've still got my leathers on,' she went on.
Sam rolled off her and looked down to confirm that yes, Janet did indeed have her leathers on still.
'So, sleep then? No way I am getting my wicked way with you?' Sam said.
'No.' Janet said. 'And you have a race tomorrow. You need to get up early and back to the paddock before your team has both our heads.' Janet was stripping off her leathers as she spoke, tugging them off her feet and kicking them to the bottom of the tent out of the way.
'It's in the afternoon. And I'll probably sleep better here where I don't need to listen to Jack and my Dad snore.'
'Just me snore,' Janet teased.
'Uh oh, and it's too late to rethink this plan,' Sam joked, pulling at her own jeans and kicking her socks off.
'I'm sure you don't make any embarassing noises in your sleep,' Janet said, unfastening her bra and pulling it out from under her t shirt.
'Oh no, I am demure and ladylike and pure as the driven snow, even in sleep,' Sam said, removing her own bra. She lay back down on the airbed in her t shirt and knickers.
Janet shuffled, moving close to her, but trying not to knock either of them off the airbed. She threw the opened out sleeping bag over the both of them.
'And like to spend your spare time travelling at over a hundred miles an hour on public roads,' Janet commented.
'But I don't snore,' Sam said as she rolled onto her side to tuck her head into Janet's shoulder.
Janet chuckled quietly, 'Okay?'
Sam nodded against her shoulder and so Janet reached up and turned the lamp off.
'This has turned out to be a great evening,' Sam said, sliding her hand across Janet's stomach to hug her in the dark.
'Mmhmm,' Janet agreed.
Sam slid her hand up over Janet's t shirt and let it rest on her breast.
'And you're hot,' Sam went on.
Janet kissed her, softly, but stilled Sam's hand.
'Go to sleep Sam,' she whispered.
Sam gave a resigned sigh. 'Night,' she whispered.
XXXX
Janet tried not to disturb the sleeping woman when she woke up in the morning, but without success.
'Sorry for waking you,' she whispered when she returned from the bathroom to see that the outer tent was unzipped and a sleepy Sam was looking out from the airbed.
'I'd have woken up anyway,' Sam explained, stretching, but not moving from under the sleeping bag. She watched closely while Janet rummaged and retrieved clean underwear and a t shirt from her bag.
'I'm going to shower. Tea and stuff is in the porch,' Janet explained. 'Help yourself.'
'Can I help myself to you?' Sam asked.
Janet rolled her eyes and left her.
When she came back a still rather dishevelled Sam was sitting at the camping stove and pouring hot water carefully into a pair of mugs.
'Found your tea,' Sam said.
'Marvellous,' Janet said, taking a seat on the other camping chair.
'I found the oats too. Porridge for breakfast?'
'You can visit my tent more often if you're going to cook me breakfast,' Janet said, picking her mug up from the grass and blowing at the steam.
Sam stretched and rubbed at her neck with one hand, 'Nuh uh. I gave up a perfectly good bed last night. I must like you.'
'Ah, but I was your sanctuary from the media horde and the wrath of your team mates.'
Sam pulled a face, 'Yeah. Maybe if I turn up with cake and win Jack over the rest of them will forgive me for legging it.'
'It sounds like it could work. Cake is always a good idea.'
'Lemon and lime suits you by the way,' Sam said, with a smirk.
Janet rolled her eyes, 'It's a uniform. You get to wear a nice blue, I get lemon and lime.'
Sam smiled to herself as she dolloped some of the porridge into a bowl and handed it to Janet.
There was a rustling from the tent next to Janet's and a sleepy looking Matt stuck his head out, 'Blurgmle,' he muttered, squinting at them.
'Somebody have a few beers last night?' Janet asked in a sweet voice.
Matt grunted and dissapearing back into the tent.
'He going to make it?' Sam asked.
'He always does,' Janet said.
Sam glanced at her watch and then turned her attention to her porridge, 'Really need to get back to the paddock.'
Janet nodded, 'And I need to get him to Ballacraine,' she said, nodding to the other tent.
'Good luck,' Sam said.
Sam left and Janet shouted affectionate abuse at Matt's tent until he actually got up. They made it to Ballacraine just before the roads closed and Matt promptly went off in search of a sausage butty for breakfast.
Janet sat down, grinning herself. It was going to be a good day.
It was. The racing started with a solo race, followed by the sidecars later.
Races were different. Janet stood up nearer the corner and watched more closely. During the races the riders were, well, racing, which meant more aggressive braking, tighter corners, dangerous overtaking and generally much higher chances of Janet being called upon to do something.
One of the solos always braked with such aggression that he fishtailed and Janet always expected it to go to a full blown tank slapper. He saved it every lap, but she had her heart in her mouth each time. A fair few picked the flowers from the corner as they went past and accelerated up the hill with the petals and stalks trailing from their right foot peg. That always made her nervous as well.
Still, they were okay at their corner and the airmed didn't have to go out at all.
Janet breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the solos and then chilled out with the others before the first sidecar race of the week.
That went well too. She was right by the bales this time, checking through each of the riders and very pleased to see Sam and Jack when they reached their corner. They'd made up a place already by the time they reached them, which was promising and they took Ballacraine corner with style. Janet grinned and Matt elbowed her with a knowing smile himself.
They came in twentieth at the end of the race. A solid result. Janet texted her congratulations to them and then headed to the pub with the guys.
XXXX
Sunday passed in a blur. It was Mad Sunday and Janet, as a qualified Doctor, was on hand to boost the numbers of the local emergency services. Mad Sunday, was, well, mad. The TT course was closed to normal traffic, made one way and opened up to anyone who wanted to ride round it at race speeds.
A lot of people wanted to ride round at race speeds and not all of them had enough ability to do so. She worked hard tending to mostly more minor injuries in one of the temporary stations and watched the Airmed fly back and forth overhead ferrying the more seriously injured to Nobles Hospital.
It was the one day of the fortnight where she never turned the radio on to listen to the news bulletins. She didn't want to know how many men, because it was almost always all men, had thrown their lives away this year emulating their heros.
Monday was another race day with two solo races. It was harder work than usual as the start was delayed because of bad weather on Ramsey as the morning sea fog refused to shift. There was a rain shower and they spent a lot of time sheltering under the trees. Bikes couldn't race in the rain. Slicks couldn't grip on the wet surface and rain tyres would be shredded in less than a lap. So they drank tea and ate sandwiches and abused each other affectonately.
The rain cleared up and then the two solo races of the day were crammed into what was left of the closed road time. It was manic, more so at race central than at their corner, but even that was busy. Some of the riders seemed to have left details out of their prep in the sudden rush to get started and a fair few retired at their corner.
Someone came off at the Veranda, but not seriously and otherwise the races were okay. Janet was glad when the day was over. She was tired, cold and wet.
Tuesday she and Matt went to Castle Rushen. They always made sure they had one day without bikes in it when they visited and tried to do something touristy. The castle was fun and they'd never been before. They spent the day looking round it, bought sandwiches and walked along the shore joking with each other.
Janet texted Sam, suggesting meeting up that evening if she wanted to.
Sam texted back that Jack had had a brilliant idea and now they had a lot of work to do, but she was sorry, maybe they could do something Wednesday evening. Janet suspected the brilliant was sarcasm and left it, feeling slightly sad.
Part Four
Author: Tittamiire
Fandom: SG1
Rating: PG13
Word Count: Total about 17,400
Categories: AU, First Time.
Summary: In this alternate universe SG1 are a sidecar racing team at the TT (Tourist Trophy) races on the Isle of Man. Janet, a Doctor there with St John, meets Sam for the first time when things don't quite go as planned.
Author note 1: I challenged myself to write Sam and Janet with sidecars on the Isle of Man for this ficathon. It was quite tricky and involved changing some nationalities to get it to work in universe. I hope it isn't too OOC for people.
Author note 2: It's rushed, which I apologise for. Life snuck up on me. I beg humbly for apologies and I will get it properly finished, betad and uploaded after the ficathon.
Practice week passed without further mishaps at their corners. There were the usual breakdowns and people not making the corner, but nothing that Janet needed to get involved in. Another sidecar rig came off in one of the practices and two riders had spills, but nothing serious.
Friday night before the racing started on Saturday was the Marshals' supper. The Marshals' Association put on dinner once per set of races and something that resembled entertainment. That afternoon Sam sent Janet a text, asking if she was going. Janet said she was and, if Sam was, she'd see her there.
Janet spotted Sam's blonde hair and exchanged smiles with her and the rest of her team as they snuck into the marshal's supper long after the suppossed start time and just as the chief marshal was going up on stage to announce the actual start.
She made a mental note to go over and say hello after they'd had food, which would be soon as the buffet was just being announced as open, which the chief marshal, knowing his audience, did promptly. Janet was sitting at the medic's table so she ordered Gary forward to carve a path through the crowd of hungry marshals all also heading to the buffet tables around the room.
The food was good. She, Gary and Matt (Sharon couldn't make it), discussed the days racing with some of the other medics and shared horror stories that made one of the younger volunteers pale slightly.
After they'd eaten there was a video on screen of some of the highlights of practice week set to music, there was some impressive footage and Janet was enjoying it when she felt a hand on her shoulder and Sam whispered in her ear, 'Come with me.' A hand slid down her arm where it rested on the table and took hold of her hand.
Janet went with her. Sam led the way through the tables and out of the hall.
'Where are we going?' Janet asked in a whisper once they were in the corridor.
'Shh,' Sam said, glancing back and picking up the pace.
Janet glanced back, half expecting to see someone chasing them. There wasn't anyone, but she was still nearly at a jog when they burst out of the main doors to the building and into the gardens in front.
The night was cool. Sam pulled up sharply and inhaled deeply. 'I love the smell of the sea,' she said. 'Want to go for a walk along the prom?'
'Why the sharp exit?'
'Oh, they were about to try and get me up on stage for an interview,' Sam said, gesturing back to the hall.
They started walking away from the hall, far less hurried than their exit now that they were out. Janet noticed Sam still had hold of her hand.
'And that's bad?' She asked.
'Oh yes. Very bad. There would be umming and aahing and hundreds of people staring at me. Daniel is way better at that stuff than me. Give me a conference hall full of academics and a paper and I'm fine, but the thought of getting up on stage in there terrified me. You know some of those guys have been racers before they were marshals and some people have been marshaling for fifty years? I'm so new I'm still getting my knee sliders nice and scuffed.'
'You're an academic as well as an RAF Officer?' Janet asked.
Sam looked embarassed and swung her hand slightly, swinging Janet's with it.
They walked out of the entrance to the gardens and onto the sea front. It was heaving with people in the bars that lined the road. They crossed over onto the prom proper and began to stroll away from the large crowd in the beer tent, letting the sounds of people, music and fairground rides fade.
'So you've kidnapped me?' Janet said.
'Temporarily,' Sam said, with a smile, 'but you seem to be a willing victim.
'I'm just a sucker to any attractive woman telling me to go with them. If anyone did ever want to actually kidnap me they'd just have to send Uma Thurman round.'
Sam gave a quiet laugh, 'You should talk to Jack about that.'
'Not your type?' Janet asked.
Sam wrinkled her nose to indicate that no, Uma Thurman wasn't her type. She swung her hand again in time to their steps.
'So, are you gay?' Sam asked after a pause.
'Yup. You?'
'Yeah,' Sam replied. 'I just wanted to check. Didn't want to misread anything.'
'Nah, your gaydar is accurate on this occassion.'
Sam squeezed her hand and tugged her over to the railing. 'There's a ferry out there,' she said, pointing. 'It looks just like a block of lights floating on the water. Kinda spooky with the bit of mist that's come down.'
Janet put her arms on the railings and leant forward against them, watching the ferry. Sam put an arm around her shoulder.
'And there's the lighthouse,' Janet said, pointing. She looked along the prom and around the bay and the lights and then shivered slightly.
'It's a shame you didn't kidnap my jacket,' she commented, rubbing her upper arms briskly.
Sam moved behind her and wrapped her arms around here. 'This better?'
Janet smiled and leant back into her, resting her own arms on top of Sam's and squeezing slightly.
'I'll take that as a yes,' Sam said.
She was warm behind her, not quite warm enough to banish the chill of the evening air, but Janet was enjoying the hug too much to move for now.
They stayed like that for a while, gazing out at the lights around the bay and the sea and listening to the slightly distant sounds of the town.
Sam's phone beeped. She ignored it.
Janet shifted in Sam's embrace, turning her head so she could look up at Sam, who looked back and smiled slightly. She turned all the way so she was facing her and, tentatively, pushed up on her toes to kiss her.
Sam bent down to return to kiss and pulled her closer. Janet pushed back, deepening the kiss and sliding her arms around Sam's waist.
They kissed slowly, savouring that first kiss, and, equally, aware that they were in public.
Someone honked a horn. Janet jumped and peered past Sam, who laughed lightly and hugged her.
'Maybe the prom isn't the best spot for a snog,' she said, rocking Janet gently.
'We could find a bar or you could come back to my campsite for a few. There'll be people around, we could have a drink,' Janet said.
'Your campsite sounds good. I'm not going back home til I'm sure my team aren't going to lynch me for running off and leaving them to face the hall fall of expectant marshals without me.'
Janet rolled her eyes, 'We wouldn't have done anything other than listen. Folks like it when they get to hear from riders. You lot are why we're standing out on the roads in the first place.'
'Okay, maybe it wouldn't have been that bad. I still left my team to it, which is reason enough to hide.'
'Ah, but I left my helmet and jacket in the hall,' Janet said. 'I'm pretty sure they'll get suspicious if they see me sneak in.'
'Hmm. What about your friend, the guy, Matt is his name? Would he smuggle them out to us?'
'Worth a go, but you'll still have to get a taxi because I haven't got a spare helmet.'
'That's fine, get hold of him.'
XXXX
Forty minutes later, they were back at Janet's campsite. Well, Janet had been back for a few minutes and was waiting for Sam's taxi to deposit her at the entrance to the farm.
She bounded out of the back of the car after it stopped and over to Janet, who was sittng on the top of the fence near the entrance.
'Hey,' she said brightly.
'Hey, come on, some of the rest of the denizens are over here having a few bevvies.'
'So, like every other night on every other campsite then?' Sam asked.
'Yup,' Janet hopped down off the fence. She slipped her hand into Sam's, gave it a squeeze and started up the path to the tents.
'Daniel texted me. He was checking I was okay, but I could almost hear Jack in the background being pissed.'
'Ah'
'I told them I was fine and that I'd run off with a gorgeous woman.'
Janet gave a slightly embarassed laugh.
'So, this is everyone,' she said as she wandered up to the nice sized group around the barbecue. 'Everyone, this is Sam,' she said, to the group, some of whom paid attention, some of whom were loudly engrossed in their own loud conversations.
'So, in more detail, we've got Beezer, Al, Pete, Phil and Phil's missus Kath, they're Brits and three tents down from me. We've got Karl, Saal, Johannes, and Matthais, they're from Holland. We've got a French couple, Claude and Sylvie, I think they were travelling with some other French people, but booked onto the wrong site. However, that doesn't seem to have stopped them. Then I don't really know that lot over there, they must have arrived this afternoon.'
'Busy,' Sam commented.
'It's a popular campsite,' Janet said, indicating a folding chair and sitting down herself.
'Yup,' Sam said, grinning. She took a seat on the other chair and looked around.
'So, this still preferable to facing the music back at the supper?'
'Oh yes,' Sam said with a satisfied sigh.
'Drink?' Janet asked, holding out a can. 'I brought a few up from my tent before you arrived.'
'Thanks, just one. Like to keep away from the alcohol during race week,' Sam explained.
'Probably smart that,' Janet said, handing a can across and opening one herself.
'So, Sam?' Beezer said, wandering over. 'As is number 56 in the sidecars?'
Sam nodded, looking slightly nervous.
'Cool,' Beezer said enthusiastically, pulling up a camping chair. 'So what do you think about them only racing 600s in the sidecars? I mean, I know it's been a long time since they banned thous, but they did that because they were going "too fast" and now the 600s are topping the speeds the thous managed.'
'Um,' Sam said, looking slightly stunned. 'It's my first season racing. I don't remember thous every being raced. I know the 600s are racing right at the limit and I know the roads aren't that wide. Perhaps sticking with the 600s is safer?' She suggested tentatively.
'Roads aren't wide is right,' Janet said. 'Three sidecars coming towards you near abreast is a terrifying sight from Ballacraine. Three solos are bad enough, but the sidecar rigs are another matter.'
'Ah, it's exciting,' Al said. 'Can't blame the riders for pushing it. Right?'
'Pushing it right into the bales,' Beezer said, gesturing to Sam.
'Geez, does an announcement go out when someone embarasses themselves on the course?' Sam protested.
'Pretty much,' Janet said. 'TT coverage on the radio.'
Sam scowled slightly.
'Ah, we're all just passionate fans of all thing bike,' Janet said, patting Sam on the arm.
She feigned a more indignant frown.
'Dangerous business anyway love,' Al said. 'Your driver was never going to make that corner. You did a decent a job as anyone could have done keeping that rig down as long as you did.'
Janet smiled slightly, as Sam relaxed.
'Oil problems,' Sam said, repeating the explaination. 'These machines are right on the edge of their performance, it doesn't take much to throw everything out.'
Al and Beezer were hanging on her every word. Sam went on to talk about their rig, how they'd got it, the different set up they'd tried and how they were really happy with this one, except the problem with the oil. Others came over. They debated four strokes, versus two strokes, classes in the TT, the extreme advantage the factory teams always had and Janet slowly edged her chair closer to Sam's until their knees were touching and she could hold her hand.
Eventually though, she was yawning.
'I'm going to turn in,' she said to Sam in a moment where neither of them were talking while the others were arguing about something. 'You can stay, or we can call you a taxi, it is up to you,' she said in a low voice.
Sam had leant into hear her, she moved and kissed Janet once on the lips. 'Okay if I stay?'
Janet smiled and went to reply, but was interuppted by a wolf-whistle from Pete.
She rolled her eyes instead. 'C'mon, lets leave the apes,' she said more loudly. They obliged by making monkey noises and pretending to groom each other for tics as Janet and Sam left the circle of warm light and chairs.
Janet unzipped the tent and reached in to turn on the electric lantern hanging from the top of the two man tent.
'Welcome to my humble abode,' she said, gesturing the let Sam crawl in ahead of her. She waited while she removed her boots and then followed her, crouching in the entrance to remove her own boots before crawling into the inner tent.
She lay on the air bed and reached out to zip up the outer tent and then the inner tent.
'Not much, but it's home for two weeks,' she said.
'It's fine,' Sam said, leaning in to kiss Janet lightly and then pulling back to shed her jacket and then pull her jumper up over her head, snagging her t shirt with it and pulling it up slightly.
'Geez woman,' Janet said, reaching out and stopping Sam's shirt from sliding back down her side. She had been watching appreciatively, now she was concerned.
Sam glanced down at her side and pulled a face. 'I said I was bruised.'
'No, you said, "just bruised" this isn't "just" anything,' She cocked her head, looking at the extensive, but fading, bruising covering most of Sam's side.
'No broken bones and I did twenty press ups to get cleared by the medical officer.'
'You did twenty press ups on that, what, two hours after you'd done it?' Janet said.
'It's nothing,' Sam said, removing Janet's hand and tugging her shirt back down. 'Really.'
Janet shook her head.
'Racers are mental,' she commented. 'Let me look at your wrist,' she said, scooping Sam's arm up and seeing the same degree of old bruising fading around her wrist and forearm. She looked up the arm, and pushed Sam's sleeve up to reveal more bruising on her upper arm and shoulder.
'Yup, racers are mental,' Janet repeated.
Sam kissed her, pushing her gently and willingly down onto the airbed.
'Are you trying to distract me with kissing?' Janet asked, even as she lay back gently.
'Is it working?' Sam whispered.
Janet kissed her back by way of answer, sliding her arm around Sam to pull her onto the airbed with her. Sam came willingly, lying alongside Janet and continuing to kiss her. She put a hand to her jaw gently, fingertips barely touching Janet's jaw bone as she kissed her.
'Wait,' Janet said, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder to stop her.
'Huh?' Sam said, pulling back and looking at her.
'There is a campsite full of bikers out there and only nylon between us and them. I really don't want to give them something to listen to.'
Sam gave a quiet groan and dropped her head onto Janet's shoulder.
Janet rubbed her back affectionately and kissed her chastely on the cheek.
'And I've still got my leathers on,' she went on.
Sam rolled off her and looked down to confirm that yes, Janet did indeed have her leathers on still.
'So, sleep then? No way I am getting my wicked way with you?' Sam said.
'No.' Janet said. 'And you have a race tomorrow. You need to get up early and back to the paddock before your team has both our heads.' Janet was stripping off her leathers as she spoke, tugging them off her feet and kicking them to the bottom of the tent out of the way.
'It's in the afternoon. And I'll probably sleep better here where I don't need to listen to Jack and my Dad snore.'
'Just me snore,' Janet teased.
'Uh oh, and it's too late to rethink this plan,' Sam joked, pulling at her own jeans and kicking her socks off.
'I'm sure you don't make any embarassing noises in your sleep,' Janet said, unfastening her bra and pulling it out from under her t shirt.
'Oh no, I am demure and ladylike and pure as the driven snow, even in sleep,' Sam said, removing her own bra. She lay back down on the airbed in her t shirt and knickers.
Janet shuffled, moving close to her, but trying not to knock either of them off the airbed. She threw the opened out sleeping bag over the both of them.
'And like to spend your spare time travelling at over a hundred miles an hour on public roads,' Janet commented.
'But I don't snore,' Sam said as she rolled onto her side to tuck her head into Janet's shoulder.
Janet chuckled quietly, 'Okay?'
Sam nodded against her shoulder and so Janet reached up and turned the lamp off.
'This has turned out to be a great evening,' Sam said, sliding her hand across Janet's stomach to hug her in the dark.
'Mmhmm,' Janet agreed.
Sam slid her hand up over Janet's t shirt and let it rest on her breast.
'And you're hot,' Sam went on.
Janet kissed her, softly, but stilled Sam's hand.
'Go to sleep Sam,' she whispered.
Sam gave a resigned sigh. 'Night,' she whispered.
XXXX
Janet tried not to disturb the sleeping woman when she woke up in the morning, but without success.
'Sorry for waking you,' she whispered when she returned from the bathroom to see that the outer tent was unzipped and a sleepy Sam was looking out from the airbed.
'I'd have woken up anyway,' Sam explained, stretching, but not moving from under the sleeping bag. She watched closely while Janet rummaged and retrieved clean underwear and a t shirt from her bag.
'I'm going to shower. Tea and stuff is in the porch,' Janet explained. 'Help yourself.'
'Can I help myself to you?' Sam asked.
Janet rolled her eyes and left her.
When she came back a still rather dishevelled Sam was sitting at the camping stove and pouring hot water carefully into a pair of mugs.
'Found your tea,' Sam said.
'Marvellous,' Janet said, taking a seat on the other camping chair.
'I found the oats too. Porridge for breakfast?'
'You can visit my tent more often if you're going to cook me breakfast,' Janet said, picking her mug up from the grass and blowing at the steam.
Sam stretched and rubbed at her neck with one hand, 'Nuh uh. I gave up a perfectly good bed last night. I must like you.'
'Ah, but I was your sanctuary from the media horde and the wrath of your team mates.'
Sam pulled a face, 'Yeah. Maybe if I turn up with cake and win Jack over the rest of them will forgive me for legging it.'
'It sounds like it could work. Cake is always a good idea.'
'Lemon and lime suits you by the way,' Sam said, with a smirk.
Janet rolled her eyes, 'It's a uniform. You get to wear a nice blue, I get lemon and lime.'
Sam smiled to herself as she dolloped some of the porridge into a bowl and handed it to Janet.
There was a rustling from the tent next to Janet's and a sleepy looking Matt stuck his head out, 'Blurgmle,' he muttered, squinting at them.
'Somebody have a few beers last night?' Janet asked in a sweet voice.
Matt grunted and dissapearing back into the tent.
'He going to make it?' Sam asked.
'He always does,' Janet said.
Sam glanced at her watch and then turned her attention to her porridge, 'Really need to get back to the paddock.'
Janet nodded, 'And I need to get him to Ballacraine,' she said, nodding to the other tent.
'Good luck,' Sam said.
Sam left and Janet shouted affectionate abuse at Matt's tent until he actually got up. They made it to Ballacraine just before the roads closed and Matt promptly went off in search of a sausage butty for breakfast.
Janet sat down, grinning herself. It was going to be a good day.
It was. The racing started with a solo race, followed by the sidecars later.
Races were different. Janet stood up nearer the corner and watched more closely. During the races the riders were, well, racing, which meant more aggressive braking, tighter corners, dangerous overtaking and generally much higher chances of Janet being called upon to do something.
One of the solos always braked with such aggression that he fishtailed and Janet always expected it to go to a full blown tank slapper. He saved it every lap, but she had her heart in her mouth each time. A fair few picked the flowers from the corner as they went past and accelerated up the hill with the petals and stalks trailing from their right foot peg. That always made her nervous as well.
Still, they were okay at their corner and the airmed didn't have to go out at all.
Janet breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the solos and then chilled out with the others before the first sidecar race of the week.
That went well too. She was right by the bales this time, checking through each of the riders and very pleased to see Sam and Jack when they reached their corner. They'd made up a place already by the time they reached them, which was promising and they took Ballacraine corner with style. Janet grinned and Matt elbowed her with a knowing smile himself.
They came in twentieth at the end of the race. A solid result. Janet texted her congratulations to them and then headed to the pub with the guys.
XXXX
Sunday passed in a blur. It was Mad Sunday and Janet, as a qualified Doctor, was on hand to boost the numbers of the local emergency services. Mad Sunday, was, well, mad. The TT course was closed to normal traffic, made one way and opened up to anyone who wanted to ride round it at race speeds.
A lot of people wanted to ride round at race speeds and not all of them had enough ability to do so. She worked hard tending to mostly more minor injuries in one of the temporary stations and watched the Airmed fly back and forth overhead ferrying the more seriously injured to Nobles Hospital.
It was the one day of the fortnight where she never turned the radio on to listen to the news bulletins. She didn't want to know how many men, because it was almost always all men, had thrown their lives away this year emulating their heros.
Monday was another race day with two solo races. It was harder work than usual as the start was delayed because of bad weather on Ramsey as the morning sea fog refused to shift. There was a rain shower and they spent a lot of time sheltering under the trees. Bikes couldn't race in the rain. Slicks couldn't grip on the wet surface and rain tyres would be shredded in less than a lap. So they drank tea and ate sandwiches and abused each other affectonately.
The rain cleared up and then the two solo races of the day were crammed into what was left of the closed road time. It was manic, more so at race central than at their corner, but even that was busy. Some of the riders seemed to have left details out of their prep in the sudden rush to get started and a fair few retired at their corner.
Someone came off at the Veranda, but not seriously and otherwise the races were okay. Janet was glad when the day was over. She was tired, cold and wet.
Tuesday she and Matt went to Castle Rushen. They always made sure they had one day without bikes in it when they visited and tried to do something touristy. The castle was fun and they'd never been before. They spent the day looking round it, bought sandwiches and walked along the shore joking with each other.
Janet texted Sam, suggesting meeting up that evening if she wanted to.
Sam texted back that Jack had had a brilliant idea and now they had a lot of work to do, but she was sorry, maybe they could do something Wednesday evening. Janet suspected the brilliant was sarcasm and left it, feeling slightly sad.
Part Four