X-treme Convention 2
by John O'Connor
URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asj/john/xtreme02.php
Summary: The convention has some unexpected surprises and highlights
After a very filling buffet breakfast in the hotel's Wayfaring Tree, Janet drove her entourage into downtown Vancouver. Not being too familiar with the area, they drove around for a while then headed back to Richmond. After they learned more about the city, they'd definitely make a return trip
Back at the hotel, they debated what to do until the con registration opened. Finally, since it was a warm, sunny day, they decided to head to the dyke that encircled the island
As they walked along the river, Cassie excitedly pointed out a seaplane as it came in to land on the North Arm of the Fraser. "Look! That is so cool! Can we fly on one?"
"I dunno. If they're charters, maybe," Sam replied. "But that's also the way a lot of people go up the coast, I think."
A few minutes later, another seaplane came in with a much larger 747 beyond it making it's landing at Vancouver International across the river. "Man, I wish I had my camera!" Cassie exclaimed
They came to the point looking out over the water at the mouth of the Fraser. They rested for a few moments on a convenient park bench
"You know, I could see this being an 'X-Files' location," Sam observed. Glancing around, they only saw an old house to the south, hidden by trees and the extreme western end of the airport
"Yeah, looks isolated enough. You'd never know a town was so close."
"Look," Cassie said, pointing out towards the water. Slowly making it's way to the north was a large cargo container ship. "What's that?"
Sam explained how commerce moved across the oceans as they sat in the sun. The teen, having almost no experience with oceans or seas, had plenty of questions.
After watching the freighter move towards Vancouver's port, they decided to head back to the hotel. As they neared the hotel, Sam mused, "Wonder how far we walked?"
"A couple of miles at least. Good thing we're in condition," Janet added
"I'm beat," Cassandra announced, belying her mother's statement
Once in the lobby, Sam noted the registration table was open. "I'll get us all registered and meet you up in the room."
"Okay. Thanks Sam."
At the table, Sam smiled and said, "I believe you have three reservations under Carter."
"Okay," a young woman in X-treme fatigues acknowledged. "Those VIP or..."
"VIP."
"Sam Carter?"
Sam nodded, "That's me."
"And what are the other names?"
"Fraiser. Janet and Cassie. Or maybe I put it under Cassandra."
"Nope, Cassie. Here you go. And here at three kits. Enjoy yourself."
"We will. Thanks."
Sam checked the itinerary. Nothing really that night There was a pre-con party at a Vancouver night spot but she hadn't signed up for that since Cassie was only sixteen. The next thing was tomorrow morning. Several panels the first day and a cocktail party, this one for all ages, that evening. There were panels the next few days as well as photo and autograph sessions
Heading up to the room, Sam was already analyzing the schedule to optimize Cassie's time. She wasn't paying attention and almost ran into Jim Barrents. He was with a young lady and a teenaged girl
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I wasn't..."
"No harm, no foul. Sam, this is my friend Krista and her daughter Mina. Mina, Kris, this is Sam Carter. She's here for the con with her friend Cassandra. She's your age too."
"Cool," Mina said. Sam shook her hand in greeting
"I'm Krista."
"Hi, I'm Sam. Nice to meet you," Sam shook her hand as well. Looking at Jim and Krista, she thought they seemed to make a nice couple. 'Good thing I'm not the type to interfere or this could become a cheesy romance-movie weekend.'
After greetings were exchanged, Jim said, "We're about to get these two tardies registered."
Sam glanced at the table, "Looks like a good time to do that. I'm heading up to the room now to confer with my 'people'.
"See ya 'round."
Back in the room, Sam mentioned meeting their new acquaintance. Janet mentioned his offer of the night before - she had neglected to mention that part at breakfast - and Cassie jumped at it
"Can I? That would be so cool. We'd be good. I promise!"
"We'll see."
"Cool." Cassie whispered to Sam, "That means yes."
* * * * * *
After a dinner of burgers and fries at the Turtle, Cassie went off to see the Barnett girls and see what mischief they could get into. Sam and Janet moved over to the bar for a couple of after-dinner drinks
"How can you drink beer after that big-ass burger?" Janet asked
"Metabolism," Sam replied, sipping from her pint
"So, this has been fun so far." Sam nodded, glancing up at the big screen TV. "Are you planning on doing much with the con itself?"
"No. I'd like to see Martin, see how he's doing but the show itself? Nah."
"Cass expects you to be with her at every session," Janet said
"No. Not since she met the Three Musketeers. They'll be fine."
"You think I ought to let her stay with the girls?"
"It's your decision." Janet looked at Sam closely, waiting for her to continue. "But, I think it'd be good for Cass. And it's not like we won't see her or hear from her. Not so long as we control the money..."
Janet laughed at the evil look on Sam's face. "Okay. Too late tonight but tomorrow night, I think you'll be in your own bed."
"Okay," Sam said, wondering why she wasn't happier about that
* * * * * *
The panels the first day were some guest stars and some production people. None of the major stars who were to attend the show were scheduled.
That didn't mean some didn't show up.
Shortly after lunch, Yolanda Reese came into the hotel quietly. She had her hair tied up under a Mariners baseball cap and wraparound sunglasses. Surprisingly, the disguise worked.
As she strolled through the dealer room and sat towards the back at a couple of panels, she was again surprised at how popular the show was. It didn't make sense to her that a show as goofy as "Wormhole X-treme" was so popular. Maybe the goofiness was part of it
Lannie had made her feelings known in the production meetings that occurred after the show was picked up for a second season. She wanted more character development for herself and the other members of her 'team': X-1. While Colonel Danning was the central character and Nick was the star, a show couldn't rely on one character for the entire run. Even Nick's earlier show "McReynolds" had a strong supporting cast
Her badgering seemed to work, Martin Lloyd promised he was going to see what he could do to get her a shot at writing an episode. She knew the main reason Martin wanted to help her and it was much more earthy than altruistic. And he knew better. Everyone on the show knew about her and her life. Hard to keep secrets like that in a mini-Hollywood like Vancouver
After the first writers panel, she quietly left and headed for the main lobby of the hotel. She had no clear idea of what she wanted but it wasn't to be found in a dark conference room
Just outside the dealer room, she saw a cute little brunette talking to a teenager. The teen obviously wanted to be somewhere else as she kept looking down the hallway. Finally the brunette - her mother? - nodded and let the girl dash off with a parting, "No running!"
"Hi!" Lannie said, immediately regretting how lame it sounded
"Hello."
"So what do you think of the con?" More insipid small talk but she got a glimpse of the woman's big brown eyes and seemed to lose track of herself for a moment
"My kid is," the other woman replied, gesturing down the hall where the teen had disappeared
"Your daughter?"
The brunette nodded, "Yep."
Lannie smiled, "You don't look like someone who could have a teenaged daughter."
"Thank you," the woman said, her face breaking into a dazzling smile. "I'm Janet. Janet Fraiser. That was my adopted daughter, Cassie."
"Ah...adopted. That explains it. Hi, I'm Lannie."
The two shook hands and Lannie decided to see if she could keep this going. "I was wondering if you'd like to go get a drink or coffee?"
"You know, that sounds like a great idea. There's the Turtle lounge or this place," Janet gestured towards a dark bar called Bartholomew's they were passing
"There's also a place across the street, that way, that is quiet too."
"The corner Irish place? Sounds good. Let's go," Lannie said.
Once inside the pub, Lannie felt better. The chances of someone here knowing her were quite a bit less than in the middle of a con for her show
Finding a quiet table, they sat, ordered, and then started to chat
"So, Janet, where are you from?"
"All over. I was an Army brat. Then, once I got my medical degree, I joined the Air Force. Been to Washington, Atlanta, Florida, Kuwait, back to Washington, and now Colorado Springs."
"Air Force? We had an officer on the set from Colorado for a few weeks early in production."
Janet nodded, "That was Jack O'Neill. He's a colonel there. His second in command is my best friend, Samantha Carter. She's somewhere around here."
"Jack's a nice guy. Bit of a neanderthal at times but, compared to Nick..." Lannie clapped her hand over her mouth, she just realized that she pretty much told this lovely creature who she was. Twice
"It's okay. I knew who you were. My daughter loves the show. I wasn't going to say anything unless you brought it up. And, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay."
"Thanks. I was trying to go incognito today. It was sort of an internal bet with myself. I guess I lost. So, since you know who I am, I can ditch this cap and...let my hair down, as cliche as that sounds."
She pulled the old cap off, pulled a couple of bobby pins out and shook her head. Her dark hair, longer than it was in the show's first season, cascaded to her shoulders.
Janet fought the urge to gasp at the site. She hadn't reacted to a woman this quickly before. At least, not since Med School..
Shaking her head, she and Lannie talked about the show and how popular it had become. They laughed at Lannie's tales of bloopers and some of the practical jokes played on the set. Janet shared some of her own stories, heavily edited to avoid any mention of Stargates, wormholes, or alien cultures
Before long she told her new friend about her marriage and how she still regretted it
"Did you love him?"
"Not really. I think I hoped I would come to love him. And that is definitely no way to go into something like that."
"Have you been in love?"
Janet blushed slightly, "Yes, twice. Once in school and..." Her voice faded out
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lannie asked.
Janet shook her head. "I don't think so."
Lannie nodded, "I understand, I think. I have some secrets like that myself. Well, they aren't exactly secrets anymore."
Janet raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. If Lannie wanted to tell her, fine. If not, that's was just as good
"I don't want to shock you or... First, let me tell you this. I'm gay." When Janet nodded with a small accepting smile, Lannie went on, "I've accepted it since I was a teenager. I never 'came out' then of course. I had some friends, very supportive friends, who knew. And I think Mom knew but I just never asked her
"Anyway, when I was in college I had my first and only encounter with a man. I was in denial then and trying to fit in. It wasn't the same and at that point I decided to stop trying to hide who and what I was."
"That had to take guts."
"It did but there was a campus group for gays and bisexuals. They made me realize that there was nothing wrong with me. If there was anything wrong it was society and society's attitude
"I have never denied my lifestyle since. That's not to say I go out and proclaim it every chance I get. I'm no Ellen or kd lang." Janet smiled and nodded. "But, I no longer deny it."
"Has it hurt you? Professionally or personally?"
"Yes to both. But it has helped too. I'm stronger and more independent than I ever imagined myself when I was a kid. And the studios are more willing to hire gays just to look like we're as good as Hollywood. Not that Hollywood is as open as people up here believe but..."
"Good thing you don't have my job," Janet laughed
"Yes, I guess it must be very difficult for you," Lannie replied
"Wha...for me? No, you're wrong. I'm not... Just because my marriage didn't work out... Not everyone who gets a divorce is gay."
"I know. But I also know what I heard. You've mentioned this woman Sam quite a lot. I gathered you must be..."
"Very close friends," Janet interrupted quickly. Too quickly? "She and I are best friends."
"Okay. I'm sorry. If I offended you or..."
Janet sat quietly for a minute, staring at the table. In a quiet voice, she muttered, "What's the old saying about denial?"
"About it not just being a river in Egypt?" Janet nodded. "Sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Janet looked at the woman in the seat next to her. Looked hard but saw nothing but support and friendship. She came to a monumental decision at that moment. She finally nodded and cleared her throat
"I've never told anyone about this before," Janet began, her eyes watching her fingers twining together
Lannie covered Janet's hands with her own and squeezed gently, "You don't have to, you know."
The doctor nodded again and looked up
"Several years before I had even imagined anything like my career, I was in Medical School at Johns Hopkins. It was demanding and challenging and I loved every minute of it
"But I also enjoyed the infrequent breaks and took every opportunity to get out of Baltimore to the Atlantic shore or the rare trip to New York. On one extended break, my roommate Kim and I headed up there for a Star Trek convention. Kim was a die-hard Trekkie
"We got a relatively cheap room near the hotel hosting the con and spent the weekend with people in home-made Federation uniforms or Klingon battle armor. We attended panels or discussions with various stars and guest stars from the original series and the movies that had been made - this was before any of the other series. We watched special screenings of the original pilot, "The Cage" and other episodes. And we spent several hours each day in one of the bars in the hotel or nearby
"The second night of the show, we returned to our room and I was commenting on how slinky some of the alien costumes were. Kim looked at me and floored me when she said, 'I'd love to see you in that shiny crossover suit.'
"The costume was a replica of one in an old episode called 'The Gamers of Tribbles' or something like that. It left little to the imagination, a lot of flesh exposed on the sides and the back of the woman wearing it. The girl was fairly busty and most of her...boobs were showing
"I just shook my head and said something like, 'No way. I could never... Wait, you'd like to see me in that?'
"Then Kim dropped a blockbuster when she walked over to me, nodding. In a husky whisper, she said, 'I'd like to see you in it then get you out of it.'
"I guess I let the vodka I'd been drinking earlier do my thinking for me. I stared at her and realized how beautiful she was. I grabbed Kim and kissed her hard We stood and kissed, then sat and kissed, then lay in the bed and kissed. The kisses ranged from deep sensuous kisses to harsh wet kisses to soft gentle kisses
"The next morning, we woke up and stared at each other. Both of us were mortified about what the other would say until I took a chance, reached over and touched Kim's cheek."
Janet let a soft smile creep across her face, "We didn't get to the con that day until late afternoon. And our affair continued for the rest of that term and into the next. It ended only when Kim rotated to a different program and a different school."
She took a deep breath and finished, "She was the first big love of my life
"Shortly after that, I made the biggest mistake of my life and suffered for it for three years. Until the Air Force and..."
Shutting off her brain at the image of Sam, she turned to Lannie and tried to joke, "That's the story of my sole fling with the wild side."
"Whatever happened to Kim?"
"When it ended, we both cried and promised we'd get together but our schedules never meshed. When I joined the Air Force, any relationship was out of the question
"We exchanged Christmas cards up until a year or so ago. As far as I know, she's living in Chicago, in a committed relationship with some woman named Courtney, a blonde." Janet grinned, "She has a thing for blondes, my hair was kinda blond when we were..."
Lannie smiled
"Do you miss that?"
Janet looked up, confusion in her eyes, "What? Miss the love? Of course. We were very happy together. The sex? Yes, it was wonderful. Soft and sensuous, hot and sweaty..." Janet's face reddened, "I...I can't believe I just said that."
"Don't worry." Lannie squeezed Janet's hands again. "Don't you want that again?"
"The sex? Or the love? Well, yes to both. But..."
"I can't guarantee the love, not like you had with Kim, but I think you'll be happy with the sex," Lannie said
"Wh... Are you asking me to go to bed with you?"
"If you want to."
"It's been so long...since I was with anyone."
"Then I'd be honored to be the one to reintroduce you to the joys of sex."
Janet looked into the distance. She had only a few lovers in her life, of both sexes and no one at all in the past several years. She was excited by Lannie's offer. And the woman was extremely attractive.
"Janet? Is there someone else? If so, just say the word and I'll walk away."
"There could be but... No strings?"
"None, unless you want them."
"I've never done anything like this before. You know, a one night stand. But...I think I want to."
"Think?"
Janet laughed, "Yes. I do want to do this." She took Lannie's hands this time and squeezed them, her eyes locked on the actress' eyes
"Just let me make sure the coast is clear," Janet said as she pulled out her cell phone
* * * * * *
Sam's phone vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out and answered, "Carter."
"Hey, Sam. What are you up to?"
"Just roaming the con. Some of the production people are up next. Wanna see if Martin's here and say hello. You?"
"I was thinking of...taking a nap."
"Go right ahead. I'll be down here for a while. Cassie hasn't left her seat except to use the bathroom so she won't be a problem. But I'll mention it to her. And maybe hang the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door as a reminder to her."
"Thanks Sam. I'll buzz you in a while."
"Cool. Sounds like a plan."
* * * * * *
"All systems go," Janet said, slipping her cell into her pocket
"You're sure?"
Janet took Lannie's hand and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am."
"Okay, let's go."
Coming in through one of the outer entrances, they managed to avoid the lobby and any unwanted encounters. Fortunately, the elevator and corridor were clear too
Once the elevator doors closed, Lannie took Janet in her arms and kissed her. Janet, surprised but pleased, returned the pressure of Lannie's lips against hers
The door pinged open and they pulled apart. Janet leaned out then walked into the mini-lobby in front of the elevators. Taking Lannie's hand, she led the actress to her room
Once in the room, Lannie took Janet's other hand and they shared another soft kiss. This one heated up rapidly and Janet moaned when she felt Lannie's moist tongue
"If you ever want to stop, just tell me."
"I don't want to," Janet said as she kissed Lannie, her tongue sliding into the woman's mouth
* * * * * *
About two hours later, Sam quietly used her key card to open the door. She just wanted to get some gum from the dresser and didn't want to disturb Janet's nap
Practically tiptoeing in, she glanced at the bed. She felt herself do a stereotypical double-take when she saw the occupants
Janet was laying on her side, her body naked as the day she was born, and cuddled up spoon-fashion with an equally naked Yolanda Reese!
What the hell?!?
Sam stood rooted to the spot near the dresser, not even breathing until she heard Janet mutter something in her sleep
Blinking and shaking her head, Sam took a deep breath and quickly left the room, carefully closing the door behind her. When she heard the latch click, she slumped against the far wall of the hallway, staring sightlessly at the door to their room
What the hell was going on? Janet was gay? How could she not tell her? How could she not see her best friend was..
Sam staggered back to her feet and headed towards the lobby. She needed a drink
Next: X-treme Convention 3