Reallllly Big Fluff!
Title: Family Gathering--"Slice of Life" series
Author: elfcat255
Fandom: X-files/SG-1
Challenger: ncruuk
Challenge: Scully/anyone, small town America, clown costume
Disclaimer: No ownership, simply fluff.
AN: Hmmm..X-files timeline somewhere close to the beginning...SG-1 doesn't matter they live in my world..heh..it's amazing what a prompt can pull out of my head.
A special thanks to my beta merfilly and to geonncannon for supplying me with Janet's bio written by Teryl herself.
Now...grab a drink and some snacks...cause it's a loooong one...(over 6000 words)come meet the Fraiser clan with a special guest star. Enjoy!( if you like it ..there will be more)
Dana Scully sat in the driver’s seat of her car, cursing her partner. Yes, she was cursing Mulder, not the car that had just broken down with an odd clanking, gurgle noise then a huge billowing of smoke from under the hood. She let her head fall forward onto the steering wheel where she proceeded to curse more, letting it thud against the wheel. Sitting back up she wondered how she let him talk her into these wild goose chases, this one being a search for mysterious crop circles in the wheat fields of Iowa. They were supposed to meet up in the small town of Pleasant Valley, which according to her map was at least another hour away, by car.
With a deep sigh, she opened her door, rising from her seat she stood, looking around her surroundings. Wheat fields…for as far as the eye could see nothing but wheat. Reaching back into the car she found her cell phone, standing up once more, she flipped it open, “Dammit!”
She slammed the phone down onto the roof of the car, no reception. This earned Mulder more curses. She reached down, popping the hood lock and then walked around to the front of the car. Raising the hood, she waved away the smoke, which was beginning to stop pouring from the motor. Looking over the engine she soon realized she had no idea what to look for, broken bodies she could fix; with broken engines, she was not so lucky. Lowering the hood she walked back around to the drivers’ seat, sitting on the edge, she lay back across the front seat and let loose a frustrated yell, “Mulder, you are so dead when I find you!”
She gave up after about a half an hour of walking around the car with her cell phone extended as she tried to find a receptive spot; her only hope now was maybe someone would drive by and offer to help. However, that hope was beginning to feel futile since she had seen hardly any traffic the entire time she had driven this stretch of highway. Peering into the distance, she noticed the glint of sun on metal; a vehicle was approaching, finally. She walked around and climbed up on the trunk, sitting there she hoped they would stop.
Sure enough, the approaching vehicle began to slow down as it reached her, the driver pulled over to the side a few feet behind her car. Dana saw there were two women in the front seat and they appeared to be discussing something, after a couple of minutes the driver opened her door, stepping out she asked, “Need some help?”
“Yes please, my car died,” answered Dana, smiling at the tall blonde woman.
“Okay let me grab some tools, and I’ll take a look at it,” The blonde woman replied as she reached down, popping her trunk open. The woman walked around to the trunk and reappeared a few seconds later with a small tool kit in hand.
The blonde woman walked up to Dana, “Hi…my name’s Sam Carter,” she said holding out her empty hand.
“Dana Scully…thank you so much for stopping,” Dana replied shaking Sam’s hand, “I was beginning to think I would be stuck out here forever.”
“No problem…I have a knack for rescuing damsels-in-distress,” Sam replied grinning as she glanced back towards her car. “Let’s see if I can find the problem.”
They walked around to the front of the broken down car, Sam lifted the hood, placing the tool kit on the manifold she began to look over the engine. In the meantime Dana stood back while Sam checked over the engine; looking back at Sam’s car she noticed the passenger was watching them closely. Trying not to stare back, Dana focused on the car in front of her.
“Here’s your problem,” Sam said from underneath the hood. “You’ve lost a belt, which got caught up in the fan blade and caused it to break too.”
Dana moved forward until she could see what Sam was pointing out, “That’s bad, huh?” she asked.
“Yep…see this, the broken blade also cut your radiator hose,” Sam commented, holding up the cut piece of hose.
Just then, they heard another voice, “Pipsqueak, you better back away from my woman!”
Dana was startled into bumping her head on the raised hood, “What the hell?” she said rubbing her head, no one had called her that since med school. Turning around she faced the direction the voice had come from, “Jan…Janet Fraiser?”
“I thought that was you…Dana!” Janet yelled out as the two women rushed forward to hug.
Sam peered out from around the hood, a confused look on her face as she watched her partner and the other woman hug and then start giggling like schoolchildren. ’Hmmm…now what were the odds that they would pull over to help someone and Janet knew them?’ she thought, ‘Especially in the middle of nowhere, Iowa.’
Sam gathered her tools back up, replacing them in the kit, she lowered the hood until the catch clicked and then walked around to where the two women were talking at warp speed it seemed. Both women favored the other Sam noticed, they were of equal height and build almost; the only difference between the two was that Janet’s hair was more of an auburn shade than red. Standing there, she waited for them to notice her. Seeing that it would not happen anytime soon, she cleared her throat, catching Janet’s attention.
“Oh Sam, I’m sorry; Dana and I were friends in med school. We haven’t seen each other in years,” Janet said to her partner as she reached out her hand to Sam.
Sam took her hand, allowing Janet to pull her over to stand next to her, “I gathered that from your reactions to one another, “ Sam remarked, “Guess it was a good thing we stopped to help her huh?”
Dana watched the two women talk, ‘Janet had told her to back away from her woman‘, she thought. ‘Well I guess she finally admitted some things to herself.’
Smiling at the two women Dana made the comment, “Well it was very good for me, since according to Sam, my car is pretty much screwed.”
Janet looked up at Sam, “You mean you can’t fix it?” she said, playfully shoving her hip into Sam.
“Nope…even I can’t build spare parts out of thin air,” she replied, returning the shove.
“Well then…Dana would you like a ride into town? We’re headed for Pleasant Valley to visit my brother Scott and his family, you’re welcome to tag along,” Janet said to her friend.
“Actually that is perfect, I’m supposed to meet up with my partner there…if I can find him.” Dana said, smiling at the two women.
“Partner?” asked Janet, a confused look on her face.
Knowing that Janet would continue with the questions Sam said, “Well let’s get back on the road ladies, grab your stuff out of the car Dana; I’ll put it in our trunk and you two can play catch up in the back seat on the way to town.”
“Good idea Sam,” said Dana as she went to remove her belongings from the vehicle, after a few minutes she returned, handing her bags to Sam who put them in the trunk of her Volvo.
Janet and Dana climbed into the backseat while Sam sat down behind the wheel, “Okay ladies, you play twenty questions while I play chauffer,” Sam quipped.
Janet leaned forward until her face was alongside her partners, she whispered into Sam’s ear, “Thank You…I love you.” Janet punctuated the love you with a kiss on the cheek, before she once more settled back into the seat next to Dana.
Sam blushed, looking over her shoulder at Janet she just winked, as she started the car then pulled it back onto the road driving away from Dana‘s car, their journey underway once more.
****************
For the next forty-five minutes, Sam listened, mostly to the radio but every now and then, her attention tuned into catching bits and pieces of the two women’s conversation. She had already learned the two had not seen each other since Janet graduated from med school, that Dana was not a practicing physician but that she worked for the FBI, and that she was still single. Sam still did not understand exactly what Dana did at the FBI but she was sure Janet would fill her in on all the details. Concentrating on the road once more, she turned up the music a bit to drown out the conversation.
Having caught each other up on basics, the two women began to get a bit more personal with their questions. “So…you and Sam huh? Guess you decided to come over to the dark side,” Dana said grinning playfully.
Janet punched her in the shoulder, “Watch it Pipsqueak…there’s nothing dark about Sam,” she joked.
“I‘m just kidding…what happened to that guy you dated towards the end of school?” asked Dana.
“Ugh…don’t remind me; that was the worst decision of my life. I ended up marrying him and spending three years regretting the whole thing. He was such a chauvinistic pig and a bastard too,” replied Janet, “I’m much happier with Sam now.”
“Uh huh…I tried to tell you that in school, but no…you wouldn’t listen,” Dana said smugly, “how did you two meet? How long have you been together?”
“We work together actually, that’s how we met,” Janet answered, “I’m CMO at the base we were both assigned to, we’ve been together for almost eight years and we have an adopted daughter, her name is Cassandra.”
“A daughter…Well, you always wanted a child, that’s good. What about the whole ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ thing, isn’t your relationship frowned upon?” Dana asked, looking confused.
“Oh…everyone knows we are a couple; we’re too important to kick out; especially Sam. She’s one of the leading minds in astrophysics in the U.S. if not the world. They couldn’t survive without her sometimes it seems,” Janet commented proudly.
“Really…what exactly do you two do with the Air Force anyway? Dana asked curiously.
Steering Dana away from that question Janet quickly asked, “So what were you going to Pleasant Valley for again?”
Dana realized she was not going to get an answer to her question so she played along, “Another one of my partner’s wild goose chases,” she groaned, “he suspects recent crop circle formations were caused by UFO activity.” Expecting Janet to laugh at that comment Dana was surprised to see her just nod her head and gesture for Dana to continue.
“What no laughter or confused look?” Dana asked her friend.
“Oh you’d be surprised at just what both Sam and I am open to; I take it this X-files department you’re a part of has something to do with unexplained phenomena,” Janet calmly stated.
“Yes…actually it’s the whole reason it was formed,” replied Dana, just as she was about to question Janet on her knowledge of said phenomena Sam spoke up.
“Well ladies…welcome to Pleasant Valley,” commented Sam as they drove past the sign announcing that you had now entered the town.
Dana looked out the window and saw the beginnings of what she could only describe as a small town America; the roadway they drove down turned into the town’s main street, which contained all sorts of stores on both sides. She even saw a barbershop (with a pole in front of it) and a drug store advertising a working soda fountain. She turned to Janet, “Where are we…Mayberry?”
Janet laughed aloud at the comment, “No…but it really is as far away from the big city as possible. Scott always said he wanted to live someplace quiet.”
“We should be at Scott’s in a few minutes, you can use his phone to call a tow truck for your car, Dana; I’m afraid cell phone use around here is still sort of iffy,” Sam said to their red-haired passenger.
“That would be great Sam,” turning back to face Janet she asked, “So…is this just a visit or is something special?”
“Special occasion actually, Jeffrey’s twins are turning six today and this year the get together is at Scott’s; my entire family will be there and you’re more than welcome to stay if you need to. Mom would love to see you again,” answered Janet with a smile.
Sam turned onto a side street that led into an idyllic neighborhood of houses complete with well-manicured yards, many surrounded by white picket fences. She soon slowed down and turned into the driveway of one of the homes.
“Well ladies…we have reached our destination; please feel free to exit the vehicle, be sure to tip your driver on the way out though,” Sam said with a smile as she glanced in the mirror at the two women in the backseat.
Both Janet and Dana smiled back at her, then Dana gave Janet a questioning look, she cocked her head at her friend and grinned evilly; Janet grinned back, winking at Dana and they both moved forward each planting a quick a kiss on Sam’s cheek. Dana leaned back to watch Sam’s reaction while Janet stayed in her position.
“Was that tip satisfactory enough? Janet asked her blushing partner.
“Umm…yeah, a little unexpected but quite satisfactory,” Sam replied as she turned to give Janet a strange look, clearing her throat, she continued, “We better get out before we get swamped by rug rats.”
As the three women exited the Volvo, they could hear the voices of children, growing louder by the second. Dana watched as six boys of varying ages and height came barreling around the corner of the house, “Aunt Sam! Aunt Jan! You made it!” the refrain came from several of them at once.
Dana watched on as the four eldest soon tackled Sam, swarming over her and knocking the tall woman to the ground, while the two youngest and smallest ran to Janet.
Sam rolled around in the grass, latching onto each child and tickling them unmercifully; soon they all calmed down, collapsing into a big pile, with the smallest of the four sitting on Sam, “Got ya!” He yelled out.
“Josh! Get off your Aunt before you break her!” a voice called out from the house.
“Awww…Gram, if we break her Aunt Jan will fix her!” Josh hollered back.
“Come on guys…she’s right, besides your Aunt Jan has to fix me to often anyway, let’s give her a break this weekend,” Sam laughed at the look the youngest boy was giving her, “Come on Josh, get up; you can carry my laptop into the house.”
This made the young boy smile widely, jumping up, he ran over to stand by the car, giving a hug to Janet who stood watching the spectacle that always happened when they visited while all the kids were there.
Dana walked over to stand next to Janet, “Do they always do that?” she asked her grinning friend.
“Uh huh…every time they see her; she’s as much a kid as they are sometimes,” Janet replied with a laugh. “Although we may need to curb the habit when these two get big enough to tussle with the group.” She made this comment while ruffling the hair of the two twin boys who were stuck to her like glue.
Sam struggled to rise from the ground, she still had a kid attached to her neck. “Michael…enough, we’ll play more soon, let me get our things settled,” Sam told the boy using a stern tone with him.
Michael sighed, “Okay…did you bring it?” he whispered in her ear before letting go of her neck.
She turned her head, frowning at him and whispering back, “Shhh…you’ll get me in trouble, our secret remember?” He grinned and nodded, making a zipping motion across his lips. “Good boy…now let go.”
With her body now free of children Sam walked to the car and opened the trunk up, beginning to remove their luggage she called out, “Cadets…front and center!”
All of the boys ran to line up behind her, even the twins. Sam began handing each one a bag according to size. They waited as she opened the back door and pulled out her laptop case, this she passed to Josh, who held onto it proudly.
“All right cadets, march…you know where they go,” Sam ordered the line of boys. “And don’t throw them down, I want to see each piece placed on the bed when I walk in the room!” she called out as boys marched single file towards the house.
Grinning she walked to stand next to Janet, throwing an arm around her shoulders Sam pulled her close, “Remind me again why we don’t have any more kids,” she said playfully as she leant down and gave Janet a kiss.
Janet laughed, looking up at her partner she replied, “Because after watching that birth video you didn’t want to go through labor and you couldn’t bear having to watch me do it.”
“Oh yeah…that’s why,” Sam commented, pulling her closer into a side hug.
“Well…come on Dana, let’s get you to a phone and then you can meet the rest of the Fraiser clan,” Janet said as she pulled her friend into the hug. The three women walked side by side up the walk, separating only to enter the open door.
************************
Upon entering the house Dana could tell there was an over abundance of male children present at all times. Scattered about the entryway and living room were various articles of sports equipment, comic books, shoes and other clothing. Looking into the living room she spotted the largest screened TV she’d seen in awhile, scattered on the floor below it were two different game systems and a huge selection of games.
Janet pulled her close whispering, “That’s really the reason they love Sam so much; she gives them cool video games.”
“I heard that, Janet, and it’s not the only reason they love me,” Sam replied, sticking her tongue out at her partner. Janet reached forward, pinching her in the side.
“Owww….Kate! Your daughter is picking on me!” Sam called out as she sprinted away from the two women.
Marjorie “Kate” Fraiser stuck her head through a doorway and yelled, “Janet Elizabeth Fraiser…how many times do I have to tell stop picking on Sam; you’ll give your brothers ideas and their wives will hurt you for it!”
Janet turned to Dana and rolled her eyes, “Yes Mother!” she answered then burst into giggles.
Dana joined her in the giggle fit, “Is it normally like this?” she asked once the fit subsided.
“Oh yeah…come on I’ll re-introduce you to Mom; you met her at graduation didn’t you?” she asked as they walked to the room Sam disappeared into.
“I think so, but it’s been over ten years Jan; surely she doesn’t remember me,” replied Dana.
“She has a mind like a steel trap; I bet she remembers you,” remarked Janet as they walked into the room which turned out to be the kitchen.
Dana stood beside Janet, taking in the new faces in the room; besides Kate and Sam there were two other women present, one was about Sam’s height, but a little more slender with long brunette hair tied up in a ponytail; the other was closer to her and Janet’s height and build with short, curly blonde hair.
Kate was busy shooing Sam away from picking at a huge cake sitting on the center island, looking up as the two women entered the kitchen she gave her daughter a big smile, “Hello there sweetheart,” her mother said as she walked over to them and engulfed Janet in a hug, “Now…whose this? You didn’t say anything about bringing a guest the last time we spoke.”
“We picked her up off the side of the road Kate,” quipped Sam.
Janet shot Sam an annoyed look and then answered her mother, “Take a good look at her Mom, does her face jog any memories?”
Kate stepped away from her daughter, scrutinizing Dana’s appearance, tapping her chin with one finger she replied, “Hmmm…let me see.”
Dana was beginning to feel like a lab specimen, what with all the attention focused on her, “Hello Mrs. Fraiser,” she said to the woman.
Kate’s face lit up, “Dana Scully! It’s been years since I had to tell you not to call me that; it’s Kate, now come here and give me hug,” Janet’s mother exclaimed.
Dana moved forward to be engulfed in a hug like the one Janet received, ending the hug she said, “They really did pick me up off the side of the road,” she laughed, “and I’m glad, I would have missed this opportunity if they hadn’t.”
“Now you two come over here, sit down and tell us the whole story; Samantha Carter if you don’t get your fingers away from that cake I’m going to cut them off,” Kate grabbed Sam by the shirt sleeve and placed her in a chair; turning to Janet she asked playfully, ”Didn’t you feed her before you got here?”
All the women burst out laughing at the look of exasperation Janet gave her partner; Sam just shrugged and grinned back.
Dana was soon introduced to the other two women, the brunette was Sarah, Scott’s wife, the mother of the four older boys who had swarmed Sam earlier; the blonde, Allison, was the wife of Janet’s other brother Jeffery and the mother of the twins.
Soon they were listening as Dana and Janet explained the chance meeting of the two friends, along with catching Kate up with some of Dana’s history since she had last seen her. As Dana watched Janet and her mother talk it was easy for her to see what Janet would look like in another twenty years; they could be twins if they had been the same age.
Just then a mini storm of children burst through the doorway, they soon halted though when they caught the look on their grandmother’s face, “Gentlemen, this is not a race course; you walk in the house; is this understood,” she admonished them. Six heads nodding and muttering 'yes' Gram’s was the only answer received.
“Dana these are my grandsons: Michael, James, Franklin, Joshua, Sutton and Robert; each boy waved and said hello as his name was called. Dana waved at the boys and said hello back to them. Michael walked calmly over to Sam, pulling her sleeve until she leaned over; he whispered something in her ear. Listening closely to the whispered words Sam grinned, turning to the women she said, “Excuse me ladies…I have to go inspect the cadets work.”
Michael took her hand pulling her out of the chair, towards the door, the rest of the boys following calmly behind them.
“Well now that they are occupied I suggest we finish with the party preparations,” commented Kate.
As the women began finishing with their interrupted work, Janet led Dana down the hallway to the study where she could use a phone in relative quiet. After Janet looked up a local towing service for her to use, she left Dana to make her phone calls.
Dana phoned the tow service first, giving the man all the information he need to find her rental car, she told him she would be by in the morning to discuss the repairs. After hanging up from that conversation she then began dialing Mulder’s cell phone. She waited patiently while the phone rang, after the eighth ring he finally picked up, answering in a sleepy tone.
“Mulder…where are you?” she asked, waiting for his answer.
“Kansas…why are you in Kansas, when you were supposed to meet me in Pleasant Valley, Iowa?” growled Dana.
She listened as he explained the reports from Iowa about crop circles had turned out to be hoaxes; just some drunken kids playing a prank he said. He then asked if she was going to meet him in Topeka.
“No…I think you can handle this on your own; I’ve had enough wild gooses chases for one weekend, thank you very much; besides my car broke down.” she told him.
“No…I can get it fixed and yes I have a place to stay; In fact the people who stopped to help turned out to be old friends, so I’m staying with them for the weekend. I’ll see you back at the Bureau on Monday,” she stated in an aggravated tone and proceeded to hang up on him.
***************************
Meanwhile, after leaving Dana to use the phone Janet returned to the kitchen to help her mother and sister-in-laws with the rest of the preparations. She began to chop up vegetables for the salad when she realized the house was very quiet, almost to quiet actually.
“Mom? Where are Sam and the boys?” she asked.
“Oh they filed out of here not long after you took Dana to the study; I believe they went to the garage,” replied Kate.
Janet nodded, “Okay then she’ll keep them occupied. Where are Dad and his shadows?”
Kate grinned at Janet’s use of her brothers’ childhood nickname, “They went to the supermarket. You know how your father is about his steaks, they have to be just right,” commented Kate, rolling her eyes at her husbands quirks.
Janet laughed at her mother as she walked over to the sink to wash some carrots; looking out the open window she could see into the garage, where the group of boys crowded around what she assumed was Sam. Suddenly there was a loud popping noise and a bright flash, and then all the boys began jumping up and down, cheering loudly. Shaking her head, Janet set down the carrots, looking at the other women she said, “Excuse me ladies, I think I need to go check on what’s happening in the garage.”
Dana came back into the kitchen and before Janet could walk out the back door, she spoke up, “Wait for me Jan, I’ll go with you.”
“What’s up?” Dana asked as they walked towards the garage.
“I have a feeling Sam brought one of her gadgets to show the boys; I’m sure it’s nothing dangerous but with Sam you can never tell,” replied Janet shrugging her shoulders.
Reaching the open doorway, they found the group of boys huddled around Sam and an odd-looking assortment of mechanical parts. Sam looked up at the new arrivals and sighed, looking at the boys she quietly told them, “Okay guys that’s enough for now, why don’t you go play in the yard while I talk to your Aunt Jan.”
A chorus of awes and groans met her but they all got up and walked away to go play with no further arguments. Sam stood up and waited for Janet to speak; surely, she would not get into to much trouble with Dana standing there also.
Janet stood with her arms crossed looking at her partner, but Dana knelt down to get a closer look at Sam’s gadget; looking up at Sam she asked, “What is all this?”
Ignoring the look she was receiving from Janet, Sam knelt down next to the gadget and began spouting technical terms trying to explain what the device was. Dana listened closely but soon became lost as Sam’s explanation went over her head.
“Okay, enough technical talk; what does it do?” Dana asked, stopping Sam in the middle of her explanation.
“It’s a mini-laser torch,” a grinning Sam replied.
“Laser? You brought a laser to show a group of children; Samantha Carter what were you thinking!” Janet blurted out finally.
“I thought they would find it interesting and cool?” she replied a bit sheepishly.
“Dana would you please excuse us for a few minutes.” Janet stated in a serious tone.
“Umm…yeah sure, I need to change anyway; were did my bags disappear to, Sam?” she asked standing up.
“They are with our things; just ask one of the boys, they’ll show you to our room,” Sam replied, her eyes never leaving the face of her partner.
Dana nodded and left the garage to enlist the aid of one of Janet’s nephews. She hoped Janet was not too hard on Sam; she would hate for the weekend to be ruined by them fighting about something, especially since she was looking forward to spending more time with them.
After Dana walked out of the garage Sam began to gather up the various parts of machinery, ignoring the upset woman in front of her, after she had placed all the parts back in the case she stood up and faced Janet. She waited patiently for Janet to begin speaking.
“Did you bring this from the base?” asked Janet.
“No…it was something I was working on at home; I just thought they would find it interesting. Michael had expressed an interest in science, so I thought I’d show him what was possible if he studied hard,” explained Sam as she moved closer to stand next to her partner.
“Couldn’t you have found something less dangerous to show him, what if it had exploded or something?” Janet asked sighing heavily.
“I made sure it worked properly before I even thought about bringing it, Janet; I would never bring something to show them that was dangerous, honest,” Sam answered, pulling Janet close she kissed the top of her partner’s head, “I’m sorry if I upset you, next time I’ll let you know what I’m up to.”
Janet pulled Sam to her in a hug, “I’m sorry I got upset; I just heard the pop, saw that flash and then you said laser and I freaked,” Janet said her voice muffled by Sam’s chest.
“It’s okay…hey let’s go check on Dana and I’m sure your Mom needs some help getting finished. I’ll put this back in the car, where it will stay for the weekend.” Sam said as she picked up the case and led Janet from the garage.
Janet returned to the kitchen while Sam put the laser back in her car; she found that Dana had returned from changing and was now helping to prepare food. Walking over to the counter where Dana stood, she picked up the discarded carrots and began chopping. Dana watched her closely, seeing that Janet did not seem as tension filled as before when she had left them in the garage.
“Is everything okay with you two?” Dana whispered to her friend.
“Yeah…everything’s okay I just overreacted,” replied Janet.
“Good…you know, I’m still waiting for that explanation as to what you two actually do for a living,” Dana commented grinning at Janet.
Sam had walked up behind them, hearing Dana’s comment she stuck her head in between the two women, “If she told you then I’d have to shoot you,” she remarked with a broad smile.
Janet moved backwards pushing Sam away, “Go make yourself useful; get the grill started.”
Sam reached forward, grabbing a piece of carrot, “Yes ma’am”, she said giving Janet a salute as she backed away from the two women.
With Sam was occupied with grill duty, the other women finished their tasks. Just in time it seemed according to the noise raised by the boys, Janet glanced out the door to see her father and brothers walk into the backyard; their arms full of grocery bags.
“Mom, Dad and the guys are back…it looks like they bought out the whole meat section of the store,” Janet commented to her mother.
“I wouldn’t put it past your father dear,” Kate sighed. “That man gets carried away when he shops for anything.”
Jameson Fraiser walked into the kitchen from the back yard, seeing his daughter he gave her a big smile, “Janie! How’s my girl doing?” he asked, setting down the bags so he could give her a hug.
Hugging her father, “Just fine Dad…did you buy enough food?” she asked joking with him.
“Well since I see an extra face here, I guess I did,” he laughed.
Janet quickly introduced her father to Dana, giving him the short version of how she had come to be there. Shaking Dana’s hand he stated, “Any friend of Janet’s is welcome, the more the merrier I always say.”
“Thank you sir, I’m enjoying meeting your family,” replied Dana.
Turning back to Janet he asked,” And where is my granddaughter this weekend?”
“Cassie has finals this next week Dad, she knew if she came with us the boys would never let her study; she said to tell you hello and that she would see you at the next gathering,” Janet told her father.
“Alright then; school always comes first. Well ladies…let’s get this party started, why don’t we move into the backyard.” Jameson said to the gathered women.
They began moving different foodstuffs to the picnic tables located in the backyard. Dana watched Janet get picked up and hugged by each brother, who towered over the small woman; after finishing with the greetings Janet waved her over to introduce to them. After that, Dana wandered over to the grill where it seemed Janet’s father was trying to explain the intricacies of the perfect steak to Sam.
Sam shot her a help me look as she walked up to the two. Grinning Dana grabbed Sam’s hand to pull her away, “Excuse us sir, Janet needs Sam for something,” she stated dragging the woman away from the speech.
“Thank you so much. He does that to me every time I try and help with the cooking,” explained Sam.
The two women strolled over to the patio where Janet was sitting, having finished with bringing the food out, “Well I see Dana rescued you from Dad,” she laughed.
Sam laughed, “Yep…I should know better by now then to try and grill with your father around.”
Before the three women could start up a conversation Janet’s father announced in a loud voice that the food was ready. They rose to find seats at one of the tables as he began passing out plates with huge steaks on them. Everyone settled down to enjoy all the food. Little snippets of conversation floated around Dana, mostly involving stories about past gatherings or what everyone was up to now with their lives.
After everyone finished with their meals, the women drifted over to the patio to relax while the boys began playing a game of football with the men. Dana looked around, noticing Sam had disappeared she leaned towards Janet who was sitting beside her, “Where did Sam go?” she asked.
Janet just grinned, “You’ll find out soon.”
Seeing that she was not going to get an answer, Dana settled back in the lounge chair, she was really enjoying being surrounded by Janet’s family. It was making her wish she could finally meet that special woman and settle down herself. She was really starting to get tired of working on the X-files, all the drama and dead ends were becoming monotonous.
Just then, she heard a voice singing the Happy Birthday song, Dana turned in her chair to see who she assumed was Sam, walking out of the kitchen carrying a cake lit with six candles. She assumed it was Sam because she was the only one missing, but it was hard to tell since the person was dressed in a full clown suit, make-up, wig, shoes…the works.
Turning back around she stared at Janet who just nodded and grinned, “Yes that’s Sam.”
Dana gave her a confused look as Janet went on to explain how Sam began the whole clown routine, “It all started on Michael’s sixth birthday, Scott wanted a clown for the party but they couldn’t find one; Sam volunteered and the tradition has stuck. On every boy’s sixth birthday she dresses up in the clown suit and plays ringmaster for the party activities,” Janet explained to her confused friend.
Dan watched as the twins ran up to their Aunt, laughing and jumping around her. Sam placed the cake on the table and bent down pulling both of the boys into a hug. Letting go she pushed them towards the cake where they blew out the candles and waited as she cut slices of cake for them. Soon everyone had a piece of cake, each finding a place to sit and enjoy his or her treat. Sam walked over to sit by Dana and Janet, who leaned over and gave her a kiss.
“Good job babe,” Janet quipped.
“ Thank you…I’m kind of sad that this is the last year I get to do this…well at least until one of your brothers decides they want another kid,” a grinning Sam replied.
“Well I think that is up to Sarah and Allison not them,” laughed Janet.
“You two sure are full of surprises…I’m so glad you found me on the side of the road,” Dana commented laughing with them, “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
“Oh this is just the beginning,” Janet told her friend, “we have the whole weekend to play.”
Dana leaned back in her chair to enjoy her cake, watching the family enjoy themselves. Yes…definitely a good thing she had run into Janet again, she needed a weekend like this and who knows maybe she would actually get that answer as to what the two women did for a living before the weekend was over.
Author: elfcat255
Fandom: X-files/SG-1
Challenger: ncruuk
Challenge: Scully/anyone, small town America, clown costume
Disclaimer: No ownership, simply fluff.
AN: Hmmm..X-files timeline somewhere close to the beginning...SG-1 doesn't matter they live in my world..heh..it's amazing what a prompt can pull out of my head.
A special thanks to my beta merfilly and to geonncannon for supplying me with Janet's bio written by Teryl herself.
Now...grab a drink and some snacks...cause it's a loooong one...(over 6000 words)come meet the Fraiser clan with a special guest star. Enjoy!( if you like it ..there will be more)
Dana Scully sat in the driver’s seat of her car, cursing her partner. Yes, she was cursing Mulder, not the car that had just broken down with an odd clanking, gurgle noise then a huge billowing of smoke from under the hood. She let her head fall forward onto the steering wheel where she proceeded to curse more, letting it thud against the wheel. Sitting back up she wondered how she let him talk her into these wild goose chases, this one being a search for mysterious crop circles in the wheat fields of Iowa. They were supposed to meet up in the small town of Pleasant Valley, which according to her map was at least another hour away, by car.
With a deep sigh, she opened her door, rising from her seat she stood, looking around her surroundings. Wheat fields…for as far as the eye could see nothing but wheat. Reaching back into the car she found her cell phone, standing up once more, she flipped it open, “Dammit!”
She slammed the phone down onto the roof of the car, no reception. This earned Mulder more curses. She reached down, popping the hood lock and then walked around to the front of the car. Raising the hood, she waved away the smoke, which was beginning to stop pouring from the motor. Looking over the engine she soon realized she had no idea what to look for, broken bodies she could fix; with broken engines, she was not so lucky. Lowering the hood she walked back around to the drivers’ seat, sitting on the edge, she lay back across the front seat and let loose a frustrated yell, “Mulder, you are so dead when I find you!”
She gave up after about a half an hour of walking around the car with her cell phone extended as she tried to find a receptive spot; her only hope now was maybe someone would drive by and offer to help. However, that hope was beginning to feel futile since she had seen hardly any traffic the entire time she had driven this stretch of highway. Peering into the distance, she noticed the glint of sun on metal; a vehicle was approaching, finally. She walked around and climbed up on the trunk, sitting there she hoped they would stop.
Sure enough, the approaching vehicle began to slow down as it reached her, the driver pulled over to the side a few feet behind her car. Dana saw there were two women in the front seat and they appeared to be discussing something, after a couple of minutes the driver opened her door, stepping out she asked, “Need some help?”
“Yes please, my car died,” answered Dana, smiling at the tall blonde woman.
“Okay let me grab some tools, and I’ll take a look at it,” The blonde woman replied as she reached down, popping her trunk open. The woman walked around to the trunk and reappeared a few seconds later with a small tool kit in hand.
The blonde woman walked up to Dana, “Hi…my name’s Sam Carter,” she said holding out her empty hand.
“Dana Scully…thank you so much for stopping,” Dana replied shaking Sam’s hand, “I was beginning to think I would be stuck out here forever.”
“No problem…I have a knack for rescuing damsels-in-distress,” Sam replied grinning as she glanced back towards her car. “Let’s see if I can find the problem.”
They walked around to the front of the broken down car, Sam lifted the hood, placing the tool kit on the manifold she began to look over the engine. In the meantime Dana stood back while Sam checked over the engine; looking back at Sam’s car she noticed the passenger was watching them closely. Trying not to stare back, Dana focused on the car in front of her.
“Here’s your problem,” Sam said from underneath the hood. “You’ve lost a belt, which got caught up in the fan blade and caused it to break too.”
Dana moved forward until she could see what Sam was pointing out, “That’s bad, huh?” she asked.
“Yep…see this, the broken blade also cut your radiator hose,” Sam commented, holding up the cut piece of hose.
Just then, they heard another voice, “Pipsqueak, you better back away from my woman!”
Dana was startled into bumping her head on the raised hood, “What the hell?” she said rubbing her head, no one had called her that since med school. Turning around she faced the direction the voice had come from, “Jan…Janet Fraiser?”
“I thought that was you…Dana!” Janet yelled out as the two women rushed forward to hug.
Sam peered out from around the hood, a confused look on her face as she watched her partner and the other woman hug and then start giggling like schoolchildren. ’Hmmm…now what were the odds that they would pull over to help someone and Janet knew them?’ she thought, ‘Especially in the middle of nowhere, Iowa.’
Sam gathered her tools back up, replacing them in the kit, she lowered the hood until the catch clicked and then walked around to where the two women were talking at warp speed it seemed. Both women favored the other Sam noticed, they were of equal height and build almost; the only difference between the two was that Janet’s hair was more of an auburn shade than red. Standing there, she waited for them to notice her. Seeing that it would not happen anytime soon, she cleared her throat, catching Janet’s attention.
“Oh Sam, I’m sorry; Dana and I were friends in med school. We haven’t seen each other in years,” Janet said to her partner as she reached out her hand to Sam.
Sam took her hand, allowing Janet to pull her over to stand next to her, “I gathered that from your reactions to one another, “ Sam remarked, “Guess it was a good thing we stopped to help her huh?”
Dana watched the two women talk, ‘Janet had told her to back away from her woman‘, she thought. ‘Well I guess she finally admitted some things to herself.’
Smiling at the two women Dana made the comment, “Well it was very good for me, since according to Sam, my car is pretty much screwed.”
Janet looked up at Sam, “You mean you can’t fix it?” she said, playfully shoving her hip into Sam.
“Nope…even I can’t build spare parts out of thin air,” she replied, returning the shove.
“Well then…Dana would you like a ride into town? We’re headed for Pleasant Valley to visit my brother Scott and his family, you’re welcome to tag along,” Janet said to her friend.
“Actually that is perfect, I’m supposed to meet up with my partner there…if I can find him.” Dana said, smiling at the two women.
“Partner?” asked Janet, a confused look on her face.
Knowing that Janet would continue with the questions Sam said, “Well let’s get back on the road ladies, grab your stuff out of the car Dana; I’ll put it in our trunk and you two can play catch up in the back seat on the way to town.”
“Good idea Sam,” said Dana as she went to remove her belongings from the vehicle, after a few minutes she returned, handing her bags to Sam who put them in the trunk of her Volvo.
Janet and Dana climbed into the backseat while Sam sat down behind the wheel, “Okay ladies, you play twenty questions while I play chauffer,” Sam quipped.
Janet leaned forward until her face was alongside her partners, she whispered into Sam’s ear, “Thank You…I love you.” Janet punctuated the love you with a kiss on the cheek, before she once more settled back into the seat next to Dana.
Sam blushed, looking over her shoulder at Janet she just winked, as she started the car then pulled it back onto the road driving away from Dana‘s car, their journey underway once more.
****************
For the next forty-five minutes, Sam listened, mostly to the radio but every now and then, her attention tuned into catching bits and pieces of the two women’s conversation. She had already learned the two had not seen each other since Janet graduated from med school, that Dana was not a practicing physician but that she worked for the FBI, and that she was still single. Sam still did not understand exactly what Dana did at the FBI but she was sure Janet would fill her in on all the details. Concentrating on the road once more, she turned up the music a bit to drown out the conversation.
Having caught each other up on basics, the two women began to get a bit more personal with their questions. “So…you and Sam huh? Guess you decided to come over to the dark side,” Dana said grinning playfully.
Janet punched her in the shoulder, “Watch it Pipsqueak…there’s nothing dark about Sam,” she joked.
“I‘m just kidding…what happened to that guy you dated towards the end of school?” asked Dana.
“Ugh…don’t remind me; that was the worst decision of my life. I ended up marrying him and spending three years regretting the whole thing. He was such a chauvinistic pig and a bastard too,” replied Janet, “I’m much happier with Sam now.”
“Uh huh…I tried to tell you that in school, but no…you wouldn’t listen,” Dana said smugly, “how did you two meet? How long have you been together?”
“We work together actually, that’s how we met,” Janet answered, “I’m CMO at the base we were both assigned to, we’ve been together for almost eight years and we have an adopted daughter, her name is Cassandra.”
“A daughter…Well, you always wanted a child, that’s good. What about the whole ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ thing, isn’t your relationship frowned upon?” Dana asked, looking confused.
“Oh…everyone knows we are a couple; we’re too important to kick out; especially Sam. She’s one of the leading minds in astrophysics in the U.S. if not the world. They couldn’t survive without her sometimes it seems,” Janet commented proudly.
“Really…what exactly do you two do with the Air Force anyway? Dana asked curiously.
Steering Dana away from that question Janet quickly asked, “So what were you going to Pleasant Valley for again?”
Dana realized she was not going to get an answer to her question so she played along, “Another one of my partner’s wild goose chases,” she groaned, “he suspects recent crop circle formations were caused by UFO activity.” Expecting Janet to laugh at that comment Dana was surprised to see her just nod her head and gesture for Dana to continue.
“What no laughter or confused look?” Dana asked her friend.
“Oh you’d be surprised at just what both Sam and I am open to; I take it this X-files department you’re a part of has something to do with unexplained phenomena,” Janet calmly stated.
“Yes…actually it’s the whole reason it was formed,” replied Dana, just as she was about to question Janet on her knowledge of said phenomena Sam spoke up.
“Well ladies…welcome to Pleasant Valley,” commented Sam as they drove past the sign announcing that you had now entered the town.
Dana looked out the window and saw the beginnings of what she could only describe as a small town America; the roadway they drove down turned into the town’s main street, which contained all sorts of stores on both sides. She even saw a barbershop (with a pole in front of it) and a drug store advertising a working soda fountain. She turned to Janet, “Where are we…Mayberry?”
Janet laughed aloud at the comment, “No…but it really is as far away from the big city as possible. Scott always said he wanted to live someplace quiet.”
“We should be at Scott’s in a few minutes, you can use his phone to call a tow truck for your car, Dana; I’m afraid cell phone use around here is still sort of iffy,” Sam said to their red-haired passenger.
“That would be great Sam,” turning back to face Janet she asked, “So…is this just a visit or is something special?”
“Special occasion actually, Jeffrey’s twins are turning six today and this year the get together is at Scott’s; my entire family will be there and you’re more than welcome to stay if you need to. Mom would love to see you again,” answered Janet with a smile.
Sam turned onto a side street that led into an idyllic neighborhood of houses complete with well-manicured yards, many surrounded by white picket fences. She soon slowed down and turned into the driveway of one of the homes.
“Well ladies…we have reached our destination; please feel free to exit the vehicle, be sure to tip your driver on the way out though,” Sam said with a smile as she glanced in the mirror at the two women in the backseat.
Both Janet and Dana smiled back at her, then Dana gave Janet a questioning look, she cocked her head at her friend and grinned evilly; Janet grinned back, winking at Dana and they both moved forward each planting a quick a kiss on Sam’s cheek. Dana leaned back to watch Sam’s reaction while Janet stayed in her position.
“Was that tip satisfactory enough? Janet asked her blushing partner.
“Umm…yeah, a little unexpected but quite satisfactory,” Sam replied as she turned to give Janet a strange look, clearing her throat, she continued, “We better get out before we get swamped by rug rats.”
As the three women exited the Volvo, they could hear the voices of children, growing louder by the second. Dana watched as six boys of varying ages and height came barreling around the corner of the house, “Aunt Sam! Aunt Jan! You made it!” the refrain came from several of them at once.
Dana watched on as the four eldest soon tackled Sam, swarming over her and knocking the tall woman to the ground, while the two youngest and smallest ran to Janet.
Sam rolled around in the grass, latching onto each child and tickling them unmercifully; soon they all calmed down, collapsing into a big pile, with the smallest of the four sitting on Sam, “Got ya!” He yelled out.
“Josh! Get off your Aunt before you break her!” a voice called out from the house.
“Awww…Gram, if we break her Aunt Jan will fix her!” Josh hollered back.
“Come on guys…she’s right, besides your Aunt Jan has to fix me to often anyway, let’s give her a break this weekend,” Sam laughed at the look the youngest boy was giving her, “Come on Josh, get up; you can carry my laptop into the house.”
This made the young boy smile widely, jumping up, he ran over to stand by the car, giving a hug to Janet who stood watching the spectacle that always happened when they visited while all the kids were there.
Dana walked over to stand next to Janet, “Do they always do that?” she asked her grinning friend.
“Uh huh…every time they see her; she’s as much a kid as they are sometimes,” Janet replied with a laugh. “Although we may need to curb the habit when these two get big enough to tussle with the group.” She made this comment while ruffling the hair of the two twin boys who were stuck to her like glue.
Sam struggled to rise from the ground, she still had a kid attached to her neck. “Michael…enough, we’ll play more soon, let me get our things settled,” Sam told the boy using a stern tone with him.
Michael sighed, “Okay…did you bring it?” he whispered in her ear before letting go of her neck.
She turned her head, frowning at him and whispering back, “Shhh…you’ll get me in trouble, our secret remember?” He grinned and nodded, making a zipping motion across his lips. “Good boy…now let go.”
With her body now free of children Sam walked to the car and opened the trunk up, beginning to remove their luggage she called out, “Cadets…front and center!”
All of the boys ran to line up behind her, even the twins. Sam began handing each one a bag according to size. They waited as she opened the back door and pulled out her laptop case, this she passed to Josh, who held onto it proudly.
“All right cadets, march…you know where they go,” Sam ordered the line of boys. “And don’t throw them down, I want to see each piece placed on the bed when I walk in the room!” she called out as boys marched single file towards the house.
Grinning she walked to stand next to Janet, throwing an arm around her shoulders Sam pulled her close, “Remind me again why we don’t have any more kids,” she said playfully as she leant down and gave Janet a kiss.
Janet laughed, looking up at her partner she replied, “Because after watching that birth video you didn’t want to go through labor and you couldn’t bear having to watch me do it.”
“Oh yeah…that’s why,” Sam commented, pulling her closer into a side hug.
“Well…come on Dana, let’s get you to a phone and then you can meet the rest of the Fraiser clan,” Janet said as she pulled her friend into the hug. The three women walked side by side up the walk, separating only to enter the open door.
************************
Upon entering the house Dana could tell there was an over abundance of male children present at all times. Scattered about the entryway and living room were various articles of sports equipment, comic books, shoes and other clothing. Looking into the living room she spotted the largest screened TV she’d seen in awhile, scattered on the floor below it were two different game systems and a huge selection of games.
Janet pulled her close whispering, “That’s really the reason they love Sam so much; she gives them cool video games.”
“I heard that, Janet, and it’s not the only reason they love me,” Sam replied, sticking her tongue out at her partner. Janet reached forward, pinching her in the side.
“Owww….Kate! Your daughter is picking on me!” Sam called out as she sprinted away from the two women.
Marjorie “Kate” Fraiser stuck her head through a doorway and yelled, “Janet Elizabeth Fraiser…how many times do I have to tell stop picking on Sam; you’ll give your brothers ideas and their wives will hurt you for it!”
Janet turned to Dana and rolled her eyes, “Yes Mother!” she answered then burst into giggles.
Dana joined her in the giggle fit, “Is it normally like this?” she asked once the fit subsided.
“Oh yeah…come on I’ll re-introduce you to Mom; you met her at graduation didn’t you?” she asked as they walked to the room Sam disappeared into.
“I think so, but it’s been over ten years Jan; surely she doesn’t remember me,” replied Dana.
“She has a mind like a steel trap; I bet she remembers you,” remarked Janet as they walked into the room which turned out to be the kitchen.
Dana stood beside Janet, taking in the new faces in the room; besides Kate and Sam there were two other women present, one was about Sam’s height, but a little more slender with long brunette hair tied up in a ponytail; the other was closer to her and Janet’s height and build with short, curly blonde hair.
Kate was busy shooing Sam away from picking at a huge cake sitting on the center island, looking up as the two women entered the kitchen she gave her daughter a big smile, “Hello there sweetheart,” her mother said as she walked over to them and engulfed Janet in a hug, “Now…whose this? You didn’t say anything about bringing a guest the last time we spoke.”
“We picked her up off the side of the road Kate,” quipped Sam.
Janet shot Sam an annoyed look and then answered her mother, “Take a good look at her Mom, does her face jog any memories?”
Kate stepped away from her daughter, scrutinizing Dana’s appearance, tapping her chin with one finger she replied, “Hmmm…let me see.”
Dana was beginning to feel like a lab specimen, what with all the attention focused on her, “Hello Mrs. Fraiser,” she said to the woman.
Kate’s face lit up, “Dana Scully! It’s been years since I had to tell you not to call me that; it’s Kate, now come here and give me hug,” Janet’s mother exclaimed.
Dana moved forward to be engulfed in a hug like the one Janet received, ending the hug she said, “They really did pick me up off the side of the road,” she laughed, “and I’m glad, I would have missed this opportunity if they hadn’t.”
“Now you two come over here, sit down and tell us the whole story; Samantha Carter if you don’t get your fingers away from that cake I’m going to cut them off,” Kate grabbed Sam by the shirt sleeve and placed her in a chair; turning to Janet she asked playfully, ”Didn’t you feed her before you got here?”
All the women burst out laughing at the look of exasperation Janet gave her partner; Sam just shrugged and grinned back.
Dana was soon introduced to the other two women, the brunette was Sarah, Scott’s wife, the mother of the four older boys who had swarmed Sam earlier; the blonde, Allison, was the wife of Janet’s other brother Jeffery and the mother of the twins.
Soon they were listening as Dana and Janet explained the chance meeting of the two friends, along with catching Kate up with some of Dana’s history since she had last seen her. As Dana watched Janet and her mother talk it was easy for her to see what Janet would look like in another twenty years; they could be twins if they had been the same age.
Just then a mini storm of children burst through the doorway, they soon halted though when they caught the look on their grandmother’s face, “Gentlemen, this is not a race course; you walk in the house; is this understood,” she admonished them. Six heads nodding and muttering 'yes' Gram’s was the only answer received.
“Dana these are my grandsons: Michael, James, Franklin, Joshua, Sutton and Robert; each boy waved and said hello as his name was called. Dana waved at the boys and said hello back to them. Michael walked calmly over to Sam, pulling her sleeve until she leaned over; he whispered something in her ear. Listening closely to the whispered words Sam grinned, turning to the women she said, “Excuse me ladies…I have to go inspect the cadets work.”
Michael took her hand pulling her out of the chair, towards the door, the rest of the boys following calmly behind them.
“Well now that they are occupied I suggest we finish with the party preparations,” commented Kate.
As the women began finishing with their interrupted work, Janet led Dana down the hallway to the study where she could use a phone in relative quiet. After Janet looked up a local towing service for her to use, she left Dana to make her phone calls.
Dana phoned the tow service first, giving the man all the information he need to find her rental car, she told him she would be by in the morning to discuss the repairs. After hanging up from that conversation she then began dialing Mulder’s cell phone. She waited patiently while the phone rang, after the eighth ring he finally picked up, answering in a sleepy tone.
“Mulder…where are you?” she asked, waiting for his answer.
“Kansas…why are you in Kansas, when you were supposed to meet me in Pleasant Valley, Iowa?” growled Dana.
She listened as he explained the reports from Iowa about crop circles had turned out to be hoaxes; just some drunken kids playing a prank he said. He then asked if she was going to meet him in Topeka.
“No…I think you can handle this on your own; I’ve had enough wild gooses chases for one weekend, thank you very much; besides my car broke down.” she told him.
“No…I can get it fixed and yes I have a place to stay; In fact the people who stopped to help turned out to be old friends, so I’m staying with them for the weekend. I’ll see you back at the Bureau on Monday,” she stated in an aggravated tone and proceeded to hang up on him.
***************************
Meanwhile, after leaving Dana to use the phone Janet returned to the kitchen to help her mother and sister-in-laws with the rest of the preparations. She began to chop up vegetables for the salad when she realized the house was very quiet, almost to quiet actually.
“Mom? Where are Sam and the boys?” she asked.
“Oh they filed out of here not long after you took Dana to the study; I believe they went to the garage,” replied Kate.
Janet nodded, “Okay then she’ll keep them occupied. Where are Dad and his shadows?”
Kate grinned at Janet’s use of her brothers’ childhood nickname, “They went to the supermarket. You know how your father is about his steaks, they have to be just right,” commented Kate, rolling her eyes at her husbands quirks.
Janet laughed at her mother as she walked over to the sink to wash some carrots; looking out the open window she could see into the garage, where the group of boys crowded around what she assumed was Sam. Suddenly there was a loud popping noise and a bright flash, and then all the boys began jumping up and down, cheering loudly. Shaking her head, Janet set down the carrots, looking at the other women she said, “Excuse me ladies, I think I need to go check on what’s happening in the garage.”
Dana came back into the kitchen and before Janet could walk out the back door, she spoke up, “Wait for me Jan, I’ll go with you.”
“What’s up?” Dana asked as they walked towards the garage.
“I have a feeling Sam brought one of her gadgets to show the boys; I’m sure it’s nothing dangerous but with Sam you can never tell,” replied Janet shrugging her shoulders.
Reaching the open doorway, they found the group of boys huddled around Sam and an odd-looking assortment of mechanical parts. Sam looked up at the new arrivals and sighed, looking at the boys she quietly told them, “Okay guys that’s enough for now, why don’t you go play in the yard while I talk to your Aunt Jan.”
A chorus of awes and groans met her but they all got up and walked away to go play with no further arguments. Sam stood up and waited for Janet to speak; surely, she would not get into to much trouble with Dana standing there also.
Janet stood with her arms crossed looking at her partner, but Dana knelt down to get a closer look at Sam’s gadget; looking up at Sam she asked, “What is all this?”
Ignoring the look she was receiving from Janet, Sam knelt down next to the gadget and began spouting technical terms trying to explain what the device was. Dana listened closely but soon became lost as Sam’s explanation went over her head.
“Okay, enough technical talk; what does it do?” Dana asked, stopping Sam in the middle of her explanation.
“It’s a mini-laser torch,” a grinning Sam replied.
“Laser? You brought a laser to show a group of children; Samantha Carter what were you thinking!” Janet blurted out finally.
“I thought they would find it interesting and cool?” she replied a bit sheepishly.
“Dana would you please excuse us for a few minutes.” Janet stated in a serious tone.
“Umm…yeah sure, I need to change anyway; were did my bags disappear to, Sam?” she asked standing up.
“They are with our things; just ask one of the boys, they’ll show you to our room,” Sam replied, her eyes never leaving the face of her partner.
Dana nodded and left the garage to enlist the aid of one of Janet’s nephews. She hoped Janet was not too hard on Sam; she would hate for the weekend to be ruined by them fighting about something, especially since she was looking forward to spending more time with them.
After Dana walked out of the garage Sam began to gather up the various parts of machinery, ignoring the upset woman in front of her, after she had placed all the parts back in the case she stood up and faced Janet. She waited patiently for Janet to begin speaking.
“Did you bring this from the base?” asked Janet.
“No…it was something I was working on at home; I just thought they would find it interesting. Michael had expressed an interest in science, so I thought I’d show him what was possible if he studied hard,” explained Sam as she moved closer to stand next to her partner.
“Couldn’t you have found something less dangerous to show him, what if it had exploded or something?” Janet asked sighing heavily.
“I made sure it worked properly before I even thought about bringing it, Janet; I would never bring something to show them that was dangerous, honest,” Sam answered, pulling Janet close she kissed the top of her partner’s head, “I’m sorry if I upset you, next time I’ll let you know what I’m up to.”
Janet pulled Sam to her in a hug, “I’m sorry I got upset; I just heard the pop, saw that flash and then you said laser and I freaked,” Janet said her voice muffled by Sam’s chest.
“It’s okay…hey let’s go check on Dana and I’m sure your Mom needs some help getting finished. I’ll put this back in the car, where it will stay for the weekend.” Sam said as she picked up the case and led Janet from the garage.
Janet returned to the kitchen while Sam put the laser back in her car; she found that Dana had returned from changing and was now helping to prepare food. Walking over to the counter where Dana stood, she picked up the discarded carrots and began chopping. Dana watched her closely, seeing that Janet did not seem as tension filled as before when she had left them in the garage.
“Is everything okay with you two?” Dana whispered to her friend.
“Yeah…everything’s okay I just overreacted,” replied Janet.
“Good…you know, I’m still waiting for that explanation as to what you two actually do for a living,” Dana commented grinning at Janet.
Sam had walked up behind them, hearing Dana’s comment she stuck her head in between the two women, “If she told you then I’d have to shoot you,” she remarked with a broad smile.
Janet moved backwards pushing Sam away, “Go make yourself useful; get the grill started.”
Sam reached forward, grabbing a piece of carrot, “Yes ma’am”, she said giving Janet a salute as she backed away from the two women.
With Sam was occupied with grill duty, the other women finished their tasks. Just in time it seemed according to the noise raised by the boys, Janet glanced out the door to see her father and brothers walk into the backyard; their arms full of grocery bags.
“Mom, Dad and the guys are back…it looks like they bought out the whole meat section of the store,” Janet commented to her mother.
“I wouldn’t put it past your father dear,” Kate sighed. “That man gets carried away when he shops for anything.”
Jameson Fraiser walked into the kitchen from the back yard, seeing his daughter he gave her a big smile, “Janie! How’s my girl doing?” he asked, setting down the bags so he could give her a hug.
Hugging her father, “Just fine Dad…did you buy enough food?” she asked joking with him.
“Well since I see an extra face here, I guess I did,” he laughed.
Janet quickly introduced her father to Dana, giving him the short version of how she had come to be there. Shaking Dana’s hand he stated, “Any friend of Janet’s is welcome, the more the merrier I always say.”
“Thank you sir, I’m enjoying meeting your family,” replied Dana.
Turning back to Janet he asked,” And where is my granddaughter this weekend?”
“Cassie has finals this next week Dad, she knew if she came with us the boys would never let her study; she said to tell you hello and that she would see you at the next gathering,” Janet told her father.
“Alright then; school always comes first. Well ladies…let’s get this party started, why don’t we move into the backyard.” Jameson said to the gathered women.
They began moving different foodstuffs to the picnic tables located in the backyard. Dana watched Janet get picked up and hugged by each brother, who towered over the small woman; after finishing with the greetings Janet waved her over to introduce to them. After that, Dana wandered over to the grill where it seemed Janet’s father was trying to explain the intricacies of the perfect steak to Sam.
Sam shot her a help me look as she walked up to the two. Grinning Dana grabbed Sam’s hand to pull her away, “Excuse us sir, Janet needs Sam for something,” she stated dragging the woman away from the speech.
“Thank you so much. He does that to me every time I try and help with the cooking,” explained Sam.
The two women strolled over to the patio where Janet was sitting, having finished with bringing the food out, “Well I see Dana rescued you from Dad,” she laughed.
Sam laughed, “Yep…I should know better by now then to try and grill with your father around.”
Before the three women could start up a conversation Janet’s father announced in a loud voice that the food was ready. They rose to find seats at one of the tables as he began passing out plates with huge steaks on them. Everyone settled down to enjoy all the food. Little snippets of conversation floated around Dana, mostly involving stories about past gatherings or what everyone was up to now with their lives.
After everyone finished with their meals, the women drifted over to the patio to relax while the boys began playing a game of football with the men. Dana looked around, noticing Sam had disappeared she leaned towards Janet who was sitting beside her, “Where did Sam go?” she asked.
Janet just grinned, “You’ll find out soon.”
Seeing that she was not going to get an answer, Dana settled back in the lounge chair, she was really enjoying being surrounded by Janet’s family. It was making her wish she could finally meet that special woman and settle down herself. She was really starting to get tired of working on the X-files, all the drama and dead ends were becoming monotonous.
Just then, she heard a voice singing the Happy Birthday song, Dana turned in her chair to see who she assumed was Sam, walking out of the kitchen carrying a cake lit with six candles. She assumed it was Sam because she was the only one missing, but it was hard to tell since the person was dressed in a full clown suit, make-up, wig, shoes…the works.
Turning back around she stared at Janet who just nodded and grinned, “Yes that’s Sam.”
Dana gave her a confused look as Janet went on to explain how Sam began the whole clown routine, “It all started on Michael’s sixth birthday, Scott wanted a clown for the party but they couldn’t find one; Sam volunteered and the tradition has stuck. On every boy’s sixth birthday she dresses up in the clown suit and plays ringmaster for the party activities,” Janet explained to her confused friend.
Dan watched as the twins ran up to their Aunt, laughing and jumping around her. Sam placed the cake on the table and bent down pulling both of the boys into a hug. Letting go she pushed them towards the cake where they blew out the candles and waited as she cut slices of cake for them. Soon everyone had a piece of cake, each finding a place to sit and enjoy his or her treat. Sam walked over to sit by Dana and Janet, who leaned over and gave her a kiss.
“Good job babe,” Janet quipped.
“ Thank you…I’m kind of sad that this is the last year I get to do this…well at least until one of your brothers decides they want another kid,” a grinning Sam replied.
“Well I think that is up to Sarah and Allison not them,” laughed Janet.
“You two sure are full of surprises…I’m so glad you found me on the side of the road,” Dana commented laughing with them, “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
“Oh this is just the beginning,” Janet told her friend, “we have the whole weekend to play.”
Dana leaned back in her chair to enjoy her cake, watching the family enjoy themselves. Yes…definitely a good thing she had run into Janet again, she needed a weekend like this and who knows maybe she would actually get that answer as to what the two women did for a living before the weekend was over.