Taking The Cake

by Geonn

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asg/geonn1/takingth.php
Summary: Janet explores a wedding supply store and gets some ideas.
Info: Based on a real life cake topper: http://www.weddingcollectibles.com/images/D/les%201.jpg

Janet couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard, or been so irresponsible. Getting drunk and falling asleep on a hotel room couch was not the behavior of a forty-something professional mother to a teenager. Due to her guilt about keeping so much of her life secret, she hadn't spoken to Debra. But when Deb called and invited Janet to be her bridesmaid, it was like the years melted away. She was the twenty-two year old medical student who could stay up all night and drink with abandon.

She took two weeks vacation and flew out for the wedding prep, an excuse to get reacquainted with her friends before the big day. The night she arrived, she collapsed in her hotel room without bothering to get undressed. She managed to get her shoes off, but her socks would have to wait. After her body stopped protesting its age, and she stopped chuckling at her behavior, she fished her cell phone out of her pocket. It was late in Washington, but still early in Colorado Springs, so she dialed Sam's number and rearranged the pillows against the headboard.

There were only two rings before Sam said, "I was waiting."

"Hi. Sorry. We went a little crazy today."

"Strip clubs?" Sam guessed. "Did you get a lap dance?"

Janet's cheeks colored. "No," she said, although the subject was brought up during a discussion of bachelorette parties. "There's only one Sam I want gyrating on my lap, and she's far too far away from me for that. I wish you could have come."

"Yeah. But... well..."

"I know," Janet said. They had gone through all the reasons before Janet left. Sam would have loved to revisit DC, as it was her home for several years during the infancy of the Stargate project, but it just wasn't feasible. SG-1 might be needed, Cassandra couldn't be pulled out of school and needed someone there for her. Plus the fact Janet wasn't out to her friends. She felt like she could show up with Sam, introduce her as her partner, and everything would be fine, but she wouldn't do that to Deb. The weekend was about her, and the wedding. Coming out could wait. Of course, that meant two weeks away from Sam.

"Poor baby," Sam said, chuckling. "I don't like being on this side of the equation, by the way. Sitting at home, wondering where you are and what you're doing. You go through this every time I go away?"

"Pretty much," Janet said. She closed her eyes, the hotel bed far too soft for her concentration. She shifted on the mattress and said, "What did you do all day?"

"I..."

Janet smiled. "Did you leave the garage at all?"

"I had dinner with Cassandra. And... I watched the news."

Janet chuckled. "How's the bike?"

"Fine. Just fine. When you come back, I'll give you a ride."

"I'd like that."

Sam laughed. "Wow, you must be homesick."

"I'm you-sick."

"Aw," Sam said. "You sound exhausted, baby. Another big day tomorrow?"

"Mm," Janet said, pressing her thumb against the hollow between her left eye and her nose. "They're mad women, I swear. I should probably go. But I really wanted to hear your voice before I went to bed."

"Same here. I love you, Janet."

"Love you, too, Sam. Sleep well."

"You too, babe. Good night."

Janet hung up and forced herself to roll out of bed to get undressed.

#

By the next day, young Janet was back. She woke groggy and grumpy, but five minutes with Michelle and Paula in the hotel lobby rejuvenated her. By the time they left to go shopping, Janet in the middle with her arms linked around the other bridesmaids' elbows, she had forgotten all about her exhaustion the night before. They went to a dress fitting, laughing at the hideous bow that clung to their right shoulders, and came up with ridiculous occasions where they would use the dresses again.

When they got to the cake shop, Janet's face was hurting from laughter. She couldn't stop smiling, and clung to Paula's arm as they walked into the shop. Michelle, who was capable of being coherent and professional, went to the counter to discuss the order, while Janet and Paula tried to maintain decorum as they browsed through the shop. Janet found a display of cake toppers and bent closer to the case to look at them all.

There was an amazing variety. She thought the toppers were basically one size fit all, with only the hair color changing. But there were police officers, firefighters, cartoon characters - Janet laughed out loud when she saw the Homer and Marge Simpson ones. She found a risqué topper of a bride with her legs wrapped around her husband's waist, kissing him hard. Janet raised an eyebrow at the bride's exposed thigh and garter; trying to picture her mother's reaction to seeing that on top of a wedding cake. "Shameful. Hardly appropriate," Janet snapped under her breath, her voice twanging with her mother's deep south accent.

She moved down the row, pausing to admire the topper of a bride holding a frog in one hand, puckering up to kiss it. She muttered, "Should have had that one at my first wedding. If only he hadn't stayed in frog form..." She was about to check and see if Michelle was ready to go when she spotted a separate section. She blinked, pressed her lips together, and stepped closer to the display case.

Janet had always assumed gay and lesbian couples had to mix and match their cake toppers, buying the pieces separately and then just combining them. She had never seen any that were designed to be used for that purpose. But here they were. Two brides facing one another, hands joined under a bouquet of flowers. Two men in tuxes, one of them sporting a rainbow boutonnière. A groom kneeling on top of the cake, reaching to help the other groom who was climbing up from the next lowest layer.

She was about to turn away when she saw it. Two brides standing close together, arms around each other, heads tilted as they kissed. Janet touched the glass with two fingers. She was transfixed by the sight. The carvings looked exactly like her and Sam.

The blonde wore a suit, her hair cut short and wavy. The brunette was in a classic backless gown, her hair up and held with a clip. The resemblance was so damn close, she couldn't look away.

"These cake toppers are hilarious!" Paula said, coming up behind Janet and breaking her reverie. "Look at this one. They can custom-make faces for the statues. Maybe Keith and I will do that." Janet tried to pretend she had been looking at the sports-related statues, but Paula's eye went to the gay and lesbian toppers. "Ooh, look at these. Is same-sex marriage even legal in DC?"

"Uh, I-I don't know," Janet said. She was suddenly sober and looking for a way to make a fast escape.

Paula was methodically examining the little statues. "The detail is amazing. It's really cool they're supplying these. Probably do a boffo business."

"Probably," Janet said.

"You know," Paula said, "it would be a good way to tell your parents that you're gay. Just show up and plop a cake on the table. That way you get the information out there, plus there's cake."

Janet chuckled.

"And there's a chance your parents wouldn't even be surprised. Parents can be very astute. They don't need to be told when they walk in on their daughter making out with a girl who came over on a 'study date.'"

Janet frowned and glanced at Paula. "Uh..."

Paula touched Janet's elbow and squeezed. She looked down at the topper Janet had been staring at, smiled, and said, "That one looks like you." She winked and moved off to help Michelle with the order specifications. Janet watched Paula go and then spotted another clerk across the store. She waved the girl down and, she asked, "Can I have something delivered?"

#

Janet dropped her bag next to the door and sighed. "Honey, I'm home," she whispered, rolling her shoulders as she kicked off her shoes. It was wonderful to be home, peaceful and relaxing as soon as her socks sank into the carpet. She walked to the couch, dropped down, and considered taking a long nap to recover from flying halfway across the country. The bachelorette party, the wedding, the reception, the tearful goodbyes at the airport and promises to call, text, email, whatever to keep in close contact with each other and this time they mean it. She had been fine when she was in the thick of the insanity, but now it felt like every reserve of energy she had was depleted.

The worst part was that the day before she was due to come home, SG-1 got a mission. Sam called to let her know, offering to request leave so she'd be home for Janet. But Janet told her to go ahead, it would be nice to come home to a quiet house to relax and deflate from her trip. She was already regretting the decision.

She finally got up the strength to get off the couch and go to the kitchen in search of sustenance. She hoped her Ben & Jerry's had survived two weeks unprotected with Sam in the house, but she was doubtful. She rubbed her neck, opened the fridge, and took a step back in surprise.

A store-bought cake was on the top shelf of the fridge, protected by plastic. The cake topper statuettes were standing in the middle of the vanilla frosting, turned to show the women's profiles. A post-it was stuck to the side of the plastic, with Sam's distinctive handwriting in black Sharpie. "Is this a hint? I'm free in June."

Janet took the post-it from the plastic and smiled down at it, then smiled at the cake. She had to admit, the statuettes did look very appropriate in her fridge. Maybe it was fate. Maybe finding the topper in the store had been the universe nudging her along. She bit her bottom lip, tapping the post-it against her palm.

"June, huh? Well. We'll see, Samantha." She shut the fridge door, her quest for snacks foiled by thoughts of a summer wedding. She chuckled and left the kitchen. She apparently had some research to do.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Please check out my website for information about my novels!