Sam and Janet Evening

The best part about having a day off, Samantha Carter reflected as she rang Janet Frasier's doorbell, was spending the night before hanging out with your best friend.

"Hey, Sam, come on in," Janet said as she opened the door. "Cassie's spending the night with a friend, too, so we've got the place to ourselves. Did you bring the DVDs?"

Sam grinned and held up the box of discs. "Of course I did. Have you ever known me to forget about anything Star Trek? Especially-" She stopped and sniffed the air. "Is that popcorn? With extra butter? And you a doctor? I was expecting, like, tofu salad or something."

Janet laughed as she took the heaping bowl from the kitchen counter and set it on the coffee table in the living room. "A little junk food now and then can't hurt. It's actually somewhat therapeutic." She turned to Sam. "So which season did you bring?"

"Two. Some of the best of Deep Space Nine is in Season Two."

Janet raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? 'In Purgatory's Shadow' and 'By Inferno's Light' are both in Season Five. 'What You Leave Behind' is the series finale-"

"'Move Along Home', 'The Jem'Hadar', 'Crossover', and 'Invasive Procedures' are all second-season episodes," Sam pointed out.

"Really? I thought 'Invasive Procedures' was the Season Six finale. Isn't it the one where Jadzia dies?"

Sam shook her head and clapped her friend on the back as they sat down on the couch. "You're getting your episodes confused, Janet."

"Well, you're the one who follows plot. I watch for character development."

"You would."

"Oh, that was so sweet! That's my favorite scene in all of DS9. It never fails to make me cry."

Janet nodded. "That's why I thought this episode was later in the series. Bashir isn't usually that mature so early on."

Sam stared at her friend. "Harsh! I thought he was your favorite character!"

"He is. But it's the truth. He grows up a lot over the course of the series."

"Point."

"That's why I like DS9. The characters are so human. They're believable."

Sam agreed. "Yeah. Some of them remind me of people I know."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, Commander Sisko is every inch General Hammond. Odo kind of reminds me of Jack. I've always thought Kira Nerys was a lot like me, but with a much bigger chip on her shoulder. And towards the end of the series, and especially during medical emergencies, Julian Bashir reminds me of you."

"Actually, he always makes me think of Daniel."

Sam took one look at her friend's face and burst out laughing. "Janet, you're blushing!"

The doctor looked as if she'd gotten caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "Well..."

"Now it all makes sense!" Sam crowed. "The way you grin every time you mention his name... the way you avoid looking in his eyes... the expression on your face when he comes into the infirmary wounded..."

"Sam, stop!"

"...The way you won't let any other doctor treat him... Janet, I think you're in love with Daniel!"

Janet managed to mostly suppress what threatened to be an ear-to-ear smile, and wound up with a lopsided grin. "Guilty. But don't tell anyone!"

Sam whispered conspiratorially into her friend's ear. "Well, I'm convinced he has feelings for you, too."

Janet pulled back and shook her head. "I don't know... He hasn't asked me out or anything. In fact, he's been kind of avoiding me lately..."

"Oh, c'mon, Janet! You know how shy he is. And you know as well as I do that Daniel Jackson, sweet as he is, has no idea how to court a woman. That's one of the things we all love about him." Sam turned off the TV and pulled Janet toward the phone. "In fact, you're going to call him right now and invite him to dinner tomorrow night."

"No, Sam, I can't-"

"You can and you will." Sam pulled the phone off the hook and started dialing.

"What are you doing!"

"What do you think I'm doing? Here, it's ringing." She handed the phone to Janet.

"Hello?" came the voice on the other end.

"Um, hi, Daniel, it's Janet. Uh, are you, um, doing anything tomorrow night?"

Sam covered her eyes and shook her head. You're as clueless as he is, she mouthed.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Would you, um, would you like to come to my place for dinner tomorrow night?" The words came out in a rush.

There was a moment of silence, during which Janet's heartbeat pounded in her ears. Then Daniel finally said, "I'd love to!" She could hear the smile in his voice. "What time?"

"Is six-thirty okay?"

"Sure. I'll see you then."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"'Bye."

Janet's knees buckled as she hung up, and she had to lean against the wall to remain standing.