The Prophecy (ch 8/28)
Title: The Prophecy
Author: dhamphir
Fandom: SG-1 (AU)
Pairing: Sam/Janet (implied), Janet/OFC
Rating: eventually NC17
Summary: Months after Janet Fraiser is lost on P3X-666 the Asgard inform SG-1 they must go through the stargate on mission... to fulfill an Ancient prophecy. They find something they never expected.
Spoilers/Timeline: AU. Starts immediately after Heroes II, so anything before then is fair game. However, since this is AU canon may or may not be followed.
Archive: Only with permission
Disclaimer: Stargate and its characters belong to MGM and Gekko, not me. No copyright infringement intended, no money being made.
A/N1: Special thanks to oxfordshoes2 for the beta!
Chapter 8
Kris decided to help Janet out. She tapped the DAT she was using and looked something up before she opened the front door, startling both women. Janet’s date gave her a not-so-welcome look, while Janet gave her one of relief.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Janet, but I’ve been waiting for you to get home. A patient is here to see you.”
Janet tensed and immediately slipped into ‘doctor mode.’ “What’s wrong?”
“It seems to be a severe case of acute dysphoria of the splenius capitis.”
Janet’s eyes lit up when she realized exactly what Kris was saying. She turned to her date, “I’m sorry, I have to go. This is serious.”
“Will it take long? I could wait.”
“No, you should go. A case like this will take many, many hours. If it becomes critical, it could even require surgery.” She looked at Kris. “Now, let’s see to my patient,” she said as she marched into the house ahead of her roommate.
Kris closed the door behind herself and then peeked out the window to make sure Janet’s date had indeed left. Once the coast was clear she turned around.
“The splenius capitis, huh?” Janet said with an amused smirk.
“Okay, I admit it - I had to look it up. But it worked, didn’t it?”
Janet smiled, plopped down on the couch, and kicked off her shoes. “Yeah, it did. It took me a second though, I had to stop and remember my basic anatomy.”
Kris got them both a cold drink and joined Janet on the couch. “Well, you’re the one who thought she was a pain in the neck.”
“Actually, I thought she was a pain in a different part of the anatomy,” the doctor said with a chuckle. Janet stopped and looked at her roommate. “How did you know?”
Kris took a deep breath and let it out. “Remember, I can be empathic with people I’m close to. I could sense your... shall we say, desperation. I knew you were not eager for the date to continue, so I thought I’d help you out with an easy exit.”
“Thanks for your help,” Janet said with a smile. She paused in thought before continuing. “So, can you always tell what I’m feeling?”
Kris looked her in the eyes. “No. I probably could tell more often if I were to consciously put effort into it, but I don’t. When I do sense something, it’s usually when your emotions are particularly strong... like tonight. Your ‘discomfort’ with your date was just radiating off of you in waves.”
Janet took a few moments to absorb what her roommate said. “So why don’t you put effort into it?”
The admiral took a slow breath before answering. “It would be considered impolite, an invasion of privacy. The first and foremost principles the Areth hold dear are the privacy of the individual and the sanctity of certain bonds. It’s why we don’t initiate a mind-touch without permission.”
“And it’s through the mind-touch that you’re able to communicate telepathically?”
Kris nodded. “There are different levels of the mind-touch. Some only brush against another’s thoughts, while others are very intimate. The most intimate mind-touch though is the one shared between those that are bonded as mates.”
“Like you and Lena,” Janet said softly.
She again nodded. “But even a mind-touch not as intimate as the one shared between mates can be a pleasant experience and good way to exchange a lot of information.”
They sat in silence for several moments as Janet sipped her drink. It was clear she was thinking. Finally she set her drink down on the coffee table and turned to Kris. “Will you mind-touch with me?”
Kris was completely surprised by her request and didn’t know what to say. When she didn’t say anything, the doctor spoke again.
“You don’t have to, of course. I understand if you don’t want to...”
The admiral finally found her voice. “No, no. It’s not that. It’s just that most people - most Humans - are so apprehensive about the mind-touch, about telepathy in general. It’s not a request that’s made very frequently. You just took me by surprise.”
Janet smiled. “Well, I’m not most people. I worked as the Chief Medical Officer of the SGC and now as a doctor here on Jidiri. I’ve seen enough to know there’s so much we Humans don’t know.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “And we’re friends; I trust you, Kris.”
Kris nodded. “Okay.” She moved closer to her on the couch. “Try to relax and don’t fight it. This will not be an intrusive mind-touch; anything you want to keep private will remain so and you’ll be able to end it if you choose to.” She held out her hand and Janet trustingly placed her hand in Kris’s. “Look into my eyes... and relax,” she said with a smile and gave Janet’s hand a gentle squeeze.
She found Janet’s mind to very open and receptive to hers. Janet shared many thoughts and memories... of Cassandra, Sam, her parents and brothers, and her career. In turn, Kris shared her thoughts and memories of her adoptive mother, her childhood, and Lena. Several minutes passed in what felt like only a few moments. Kris gently backed away from the touch.
Janet opened her eyes, not knowing when she’d closed them, feeling a bit awestruck. “Wow,” she softly breathed.
Kris smiled. “That’s as good a description as I’ve ever heard.”
Janet took a few slow breaths, trying to fully grasp what she’d just experienced. “And you said that was not a deep mind-touch?”
She nodded. “There are deeper, more intimate, touches. During this one only the thoughts and memories that you consciously chose to bring forward and share were accessible to me. During deeper ones thoughts from the subconscious and even emotions can be shared. It can be very intimate and pleasurable for both parties.” She paused for a beat. “There’s also a mind-touch that is for interrogation purposes where information is forcibly taken. It’s... not a pleasant experience for either party.” She was barely able to suppress a shudder.
Janet didn’t miss it though. “I take it you’ve been a party to that kind of mind-touch.”
Kris took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Unfortunately... from both sides. It’s extremely unpleasant.”
The doctor reached out and took Kris’s hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Want to talk about it?”
Kris closed her eyes and shook her head. “Maybe some other time.” She opened her eyes and looked into the Janet’s. “Tonight’s been too special to ruin with talk of unpleasant things.”
Janet smiled brightly. “It has been a special night - at least the part I’ve spent with you.” She received an answering smile.
Suddenly, both women felt quite tired and decided to call it a night. After Janet was changed into her pajamas she knocked on Kris’s bedroom door.
“Come in.”
Kris was sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard. Janet walked over and sat on the side of the bad, facing her. “About tonight... I want to thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Like you said, we’re friends.”
“Yes... but I know it was the first time you touched someone’s mind since... Lena died.”
“How...” She swallowed painfully around the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat.
“You shared your thoughts with me, too... remember?”
She nodded.
“So I know how big of a step it was for you.” She placed her hand over Kris’s and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you, for trusting me.” Janet stood and placed a kiss on her friend’s temple before turning to go.
“Janet?”
The doctor turned back. She didn’t need to ask what was on her friend’s mind; she could see it in her eyes. She simply nodded and slipped into the bed as Kris scooted over to make room.
~~~
When Kris woke up before dawn, she found herself snuggled up against Janet’s back with her arm around her. Her hand was clutched in the doctor’s and tucked up against the center of Janet’s chest, their fingers interlaced. It was an intimate embrace and felt good, but it was completely platonic. She didn’t want to disturb Janet so she simply closed her eyes and started to drift back to sleep. Just before Kris dozed off she felt her hand squeezed by Janet as she snuggled back against her. She squeezed Janet’s hand back and drifted back to sleep.
When she woke up later in the morning they were in the same position. She could tell Janet was still sleeping, so Kris carefully eased her hand from the doctor’s and her arm from around her. She then silently slipped out of bed. She went into the kitchen and began to fix breakfast.
When Janet woke up she immediately missed the warmth and comfort of being held. She knew her housemate had been feeling particularly vulnerable the night before. When they had shared the mind-touch Janet suspected that Kris had shared more of herself than she realized; however, even without the mind-touch Janet would have known what the woman was feeling - it was evident in her impossibly dark eyes.
Janet had noticed over the past year or so, that Kris’s eyes had become more and more expressive, more and more revealing. Her demeanor became less guarded and more open as she acclimated to their new home. Despite the fact that they dropped their ranks from the beginning, she could see a clear a difference between the woman who first arrived on Jidiri - Admiral Kay - and the woman she now shared a house with - Kris. They had been on Jidiri for about a year and half, and they had yet to find anything to indicate it wasn’t exactly what it appeared to be... a utopia.
Of course Janet missed her daughter, her family, and her friends on Earth... but life on Jidiri was good. There was no violence, no crime of any kind; no prejudice; no poverty; no discord. If she wanted or needed anything it was available at no cost. There was no ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ to contend with since there was no materialism or avarice. People, be they Human or alien, would do anything to help another out without a second thought.
There was a peacefulness that had settled in Janet’s heart and mind, and evidenced by the almost constant and easy smile she now wore.
Janet drew in a deep breath and her mouth watered at the wonderful aroma wafting through the house. She got up, went to the bathroom, and headed to the kitchen. She found Kris in process of setting breakfast on the table.
“You’ve got great timing. I was just going to wake you.”
“Smells wonderful.”
They both sat and started eating.
After breakfast they dressed and parted for the day, going to their respective jobs.
There was an outdoor concert in the park that evening. Janet and Kris both had declined more than one invitation from potential suitors because they had decided that they wanted to just enjoy the evening together as friends.
~~~
During her last class of the day, an advanced class, Kris wrenched her back and tore a couple of muscles. So once she dismissed her class she stretched out on one of the mats and entered into a healing meditation.
Janet got off work earlier than she expected and decided to go by Kris’s school instead of going straight home. She entered and saw her roommate lying flat on her back on a mat. She became concerned though when Kris didn’t respond when she called her name. Janet rushed to her side, slipping into full ‘doctor mode,’ and checked her breathing and for a pulse. When she didn’t detect either she raised her fist to bring it down on her chest.
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Chapters 9/10
ch 1| ch 2| ch 3| ch 4| ch 5| ch 6| ch 7|