X-treme Convention 3

by John O'Connor

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asj/john/xtreme03.php
Summary: Sam is startled to learn something more about her best friend

"Ms. Reese, in episode 105, you were out of phase and could pass through walls and doors. What kept you from falling through the floor?"

Yolanda Reese squinted into the darkened audience at the questioner then nodded, "I was wondering how long it would take until that question was asked..." The audience chuckled along with her.

She walked across the stage, decorated with a fake Ring and some other props making it look like some alien lab. All the props had been supplied by Bridge Studios. The production people were really making an effort to make the con memorable.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. I asked and they told me they'd get back to me and here we are. Now, Major Monroe would have some gobbledy-gook answer involving dimensional ratios or some such garbage but I'm just not sure.

"Next question?"

"Yes, I was wondering..." A young brunette stood near the front and took the proffered microphone, "What's the relationship between you and Doctor Cole? In a very short time, you two seem to be very close."

"Me? Or Monroe?" Yolanda asked with a smile.

"Uh, Monroe, of course," the girl answered with a small giggle.

"Well, Stacy and Lucy are colleagues. Best friends I suppose. It's not been said in the studio but I'm hopeful there will be more developments in the next season."

From the back came a shout, "Are they lovers?"

"Uh, well...I don't know if...the network, even a cable one, is ready for that."

"What about Xena and Gaby?" came another shout.

"Please. I'm happy you're all so into the show, but can we stick to the method we've been using? It's worked pretty well the past day and a half. Okay?

"Now, before I go on to the next question, I suppose I need to talk about this.

"The show is about humans exploring the universe, not their libidos... Well, except for, maybe, Colonel Danning." The crowd laughs. "I wouldn't mind if Stacey got some action but I don't think it'll be with the good doctor. Okay, next question?"

The Q&A session went on for another forty minutes.

Sam's mind wandered back to the evening before.

* * *

After walking in and seeing her best friend cuddling with the woman on the stage, she had gone to the Turtle and parked herself at the bar, drinking for several hours.

Around 8, Sam left the Turtle, went to the restroom right outside and splashed water on her face. Then she headed towards the other end of the hotel where the con was going on. She had promised Cassie she'd be there for the cocktail party.

When she got to the rooms, there were already a lot of people inside. She moved into the room, went to one of the mini-bars set up and got a beer then went in search of her friends.

"Sam! Over here!"

Sam looked and saw Cass with her new friends. "Hey, Short Stuff! You been having fun?"

"Oh yeah! This is great! I'm having a blast. I'm so glad you and Mom brought me."

Sam returned the teenager's hug as she greeted Jim, Krista and Mina. Looking around, she saw one of the twins looking at some props on display near the back wall and the other looking over the various displays of hors d'oerves.

'How do they tell which one is which?' Sam thought.

"You seen Mom?" Cassie asked.

Sam started then shook her head, "No. Not recently." At least that wasn't a lie. It had been several hours since she'd seen the lovely nude backside of her best friend in bed with another woman.

Lovely? Did she just think of Janet's ass as lovely?

Before Sam's thoughts got any more confused, Jim asked, "So Sam, you a football fan?"

"Uh, what? Football? A little I guess." Sam shook her head, "Sorry, you caught me offguard. Yeah, I like football. Not a rabid fan or anything."

"Any particular team? Broncos or someone else?"

"I guess if there's any team I would root for it's the Redskins since I lived in the DC area for several years." Sam smiled, "Lemme guess, you're a Packer fan?"

"What gave me away?" Jim laughed.

Krista snickered, "Might be the Green Bay pin, the Packers lanyard, all the damned shirts...

"At least he left the Cheesehead hat at home," she said to Sam.

"What about you Krista?"

"Me? Lifelong Packer fan. Since before Jimbo here even moved to Green Bay. His family came to town from..." she shuddered exaggeratedly, "Minneapolis. Damned Vikings. I had to take him under my wing in grade school and teach him what he needed to know so he wouldn't get his ass kicked."

"She did a great job," Jim added. "Thanks to her, I live, eat, and breathe the Pack during football season."

Sam smiled and decided this party would be fun after all.

About an hour later, Cass said, "Sam! Look! Mom's here..."

Sam looked up to see Yolanda Reese coming in behind her friend.

"Holy shit! That's Yolanda Reese!"

"Cassandra!" Sam said sharply.

"Sorry," the teen replied in a small voice. "It's just that..."

"That's okay. Hey, I'm going to the ladies room. I'll see you guys later."

Sam left through another door. She wasn't ready to deal with the concept of Janet having sex with a woman. And she definitely wasn't ready to see that woman either.

She found herself in Bartholomew's watching hockey news on the big screen TV and drinking some excellent single malt scotch.

After about an hour, Janet came in, looking worried, "Sam?!? Where have you been? I tried to call you earlier but..."

"I guess I turned muh phone off. Sorry."

"Are you drunk?"

"Not yet. Mebbe soon." Sam rubbed her eyes, "Oops...mebbe I yam..."

"Come with me. We're going to get you food and some non-alcoholic beverages. I don't want Cassie to see you like this."

"Cass..." Sam hadn't considered the teen seeing her plastered. "Oh God."

"Sam, what is the problem? What's wrong?"

"Nuthin's wrong, Jan."

Janet looked as Sam, she knew the woman beside her and knew she'd talk when she was ready. "Okay. Let's just go and get some dinner."

"A’righty," Sam replied as she slid off the stool. "Thanks Jenny," she said to the bartender, leaving two loons on the bar.

"Four dollars for a tip?"

"She's good," Sam smiled, winking.

Janet rolled her eyes. "Okay, the car's out here. We're going for a drive then, when your head's clearer, we're eating."

On the way out, Sam said, "I talked to the man'ger at th' Tur'le earlier. She's not related to wha's-her name. But everyone keeps asking." Sam looked at Janet hard, "Ya know? You kinna look like her too..."

Later, when Sam's head was slowly pounding, they returned to the room. She had eaten and kept the food down, the Gatorade Janet made her drink helped rehydrate her and the aspirin seemed to keep her head from being too painful.

But when it came time to go to bed, Sam stared at the other bed. The one Janet and Yolanda Reese had shared.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

Sam sat on her bed and held her head in her hands. "Janet?" she muttered between her fingers.

"Yes?"

"I'm...I'm sorry. Thank you. I don't deserve you. I'm a rotten friend."

Janet laughed, "Yeah, you got that right!" Then, seeing Sam was serious, she said, "Sam, there's something wrong. I know you. You can tell me. But I also know you enough to know you'll tell me when you're ready. Just go to sleep. We'll get breakfast tomorrow and go from there."

"You are a good friend. You're my best friend." Sam stood, holding her head - sudden movements were the only real time she felt the pain - and hugged the shorter brunette. "I love you."

"Sam, let's get some sleep. Cassie will be along bright and early for breakfast."

Sam lay down but, even with all the alcohol she had consumed, did not fall asleep.

* * *

Back to the here and now, Sam looked up and saw the stage emcee, a British fan with his own X-treme costume, come out to thank Yolanda and to introduce the next guest, Doug Anderson.

Sam whispered to Cassie, "I'm going to out for a bit. You gonna be okay?"

"Sure, I'll hang with Ashley, Allie, and Mina. That okay?"

Sam patted her leg and quietly left the room. She wanted to see Janet and, if she got the nerve, ask about what she'd seen the afternoon before. But, before she had a chance, she came face to face with Yolanda Reese.

"Oh, excuse me!" Sam said as she tried to get out of the star's way. Up close, she could see why Jack O'Neill kept going on about her after he returned from Bridge Studios. And why Janet...

"No, it's my fault. You must be Sam. Janet told me about you. You both work with Jack O'Neill at NORAD?"

"Uh, yeah. We do. He's my C.O."

"Must be nice to get out of uniform for a change," Yolanda said with a smile.

"For you too," Sam replied.

"I'd love a chance to chat with you. Maybe we could meet later? There's the Foggy Dew next door?"

"Uh, well...I guess so."

"Great! How 'bout six?"

"Okay, sounds good." What was she doing? Meeting her best friend's... What? Lover? For drinks?

"I may be a little late, depends on how the autograph session runs."

"I understand," Sam nodded. "See y...see you then."

* * * * * *

As Sam made her way to the room, her thoughts were a jumble. She still couldn't get the image of Janet lying naked on their bed. In the arms of a TV star. A female TV star.

And her mind's eye kept focusing on the doctor's nicely curved, bare ass.

Now, less than twenty-four hours later, she was meeting the female TV star for drinks. Was the woman a player? If she hit on Sam, that'd be the only explanation.

And what made her think this actress was going to hit on her? Maybe the woman wanted to know more about Janet... Or Jack?

As she fumbled with her key card, Sam wondered for the umpteenth time why she came up here in the first place. She could be home, safely working in her lab and getting a lot more relaxation than she had since... Well, since yesterday afternoon.

* * * * * *

Janet walked down the corridor outside the dealer's room, glancing inside quickly. She was sure Sam was somewhere around.

Entering the room, she saw several people at the various tables looking over the various stills and other "Wormhole X-Treme" merchandise.

There was a table with various free US Air Force items available, lanyards, keychains, pins... She grabbed some lanyards to replace the strings around their necks that held their con badges.

Across the way, she saw a table covered with stuffed animals. She'd noticed this before and was curious what the deal was.

Going over, she saw the table was staffed by four young women in lab coats and fatigues with some homemade badges. Two wore camo floppy hats decorated with small stuffed animals.

"Hi! Wanna adopt a stuffy?" said a girl with AJ on her name tag.

"I guess. What's it all for?"

"Michelle Charters," the girl started then sighed dramatically, "is a big fan of stuffed animals. So, in her honor we decided to start collecting them to give to area children's hospitals and children's wards."

"What a great idea!" Janet said. "So, what do I have to do?"

"Here, just fill this out and for a modest fee, you're name is attached to one of these poor 'homeless' stuffies. Kim? You have those extra tags?"

Another young woman looked up from a smaller table behind the big table, "Almost. Just putting the last stamps on them."

"Or," another of the 'medics' whose badge said Shatterpath interjected, "you can bring your own stuffies. The more the merrier. They just have to be new - no hand-me-downs or anything."

Janet nodded, she understood the need to avoid the potential sanitary problems with old, used toys.

"I think I'll do both."

"Great!" a young redhead whose tag read Kat replied happily. "It's all tax free. We can even give you a receipt for your own taxes if you'd like."

"And, I have a few friends somewhere around here that I may have to coerce into this too."

"That's fantastic. We'll take any and all help," Kim said, waving an ink stamp dramatically.

After leaving the Stuffy Guard table, Janet went to another and looked at some 8x10 shots of Lannie. The woman had been such a help to her, both for the physical release (Janet blushed slightly at her own thoughts), but even moreso at listening. Even though nothing was resolved, Janet felt so much better after getting all that off her chest.

Definitely getting a picture of hers signed.

A young couple came up to the table to look at some of the other pictures. From the slight accent, Janet was sure they were from the southern Midwest.

"John, is Nick Marlowe gonna be here?"

"No. Sorry, Trace. He doesn't do cons. But Doug Anderson is and I think Raymond Gunne will be too."

Janet glanced at them out of the corner of her eye. She'd seen them around the con. Young and in love. She sighed inwardly, she really missed that.

As she moved on, she heard Trace say, "John! Why do want a signed picture of that...woman?"

Looking back, she saw he was holding a black and white of Michelle Charters.

"Tracy, why do you want one of Marlowe?" her boyfriend countered. They both laughed at themselves and Janet walked on, a more audible sigh coming from her this time.

Down the side corridor to the Minori Rooms, she saw Cassie and her new friends. "He-ey! Having fun?"

"Yeah, Mom. Thanks a lot. This is so cool."

"Seen our favorite major around?"

"She took off after Yolanda Reese was on. Said she was going out for a bit. Want me to call her?" Cass held up her cell.

Janet shook her head, "No, it's not that important. Just curious."

"Okay. We're gonna go grab something to eat then get in the autograph line. We missed lunch." Cass started to move away then stopped, "Wanna join us?"

"No. Go have fun. We'll meet up for the dinner later. Okay?"

"Yeah. Uh, Mom? Can I bid on something in the auction tomorrow night?"

"Got any money?" Janet teased.

"Uh, about thirty dollars..." Cassie replied in a quiet voice.

"Thirty?!? We gave you almost a hundred yesterday. Did you go to the mall again?"

"NO! But the stuffed animal collection..." Cassie motioned towards the dealer room.

From where they stood, they could see the Stuffy Guard table. The young couple Janet had seen a few moments before were there now. Apparently John had done something good as Tracy had her arms wrapped around him. Janet had to smile at the scene.

"Never mind. We'll discuss it later." Janet knew she'd never bring it up except to tell Cassie how proud the girl made her. "Go eat. If you see Sam, just tell her I'll see her later."

"Okay, cool."

Janet gazed in the small, glassed-in room where the auction items were on display. There were props, signed photos, signed scripts, and even signed uniform items. What in particular did her daughter have her eye on?

"Excuse me," came from behind her.

Janet turned to see a young woman about her height with an armload trying to juggle a key.

"Can I help?"

"Oh great! Thanks. If you can just hold this plaque and..." The girl, her name tag said Michelle, handed Janet a couple of items and managed to unlock the door to the display room. Turning around, Janet saw she had a Marine Corps lanyard for her badges and a baseball cap from the Make-A-Wish foundation.

"Thanks a lot."

"Michelle, are all these for the auction tomorrow?"

"No. There's a series of silent auctions through out the con. There are sheets over there for silent auctions."

Janet went over and looked at the sheets. Several had bids from Cassandra for signed collectors cards and other memorabilia.

Remembering how much Kim had wanted a 'real' phaser, she began to understand Cassie's fascination.

Then, smiling, she considered she had her own personal souvenir of the weekend. Just needed to get a picture signed.

Then, whistling tunelessly, Janet went off to the mall to pick up some stuffed animals too.

* * * * * *

Sam sat at the Foggy Dew's bar nursing a pint of Canadian. She still wasn't sure why she was here. What if this Reese is a player? What if the actress...?

Sam glanced up and knew she'd soon find out. Yolanda Reese walked in and waved.

"Hi, Sam. I can call you Sam?"

"Hi yourself. Sam is fine."

"Please, call me Lannie. All my friends do. So what are you drinking?"

"Canadian draft," Sam said.

"Sounds good."

After getting her draft, Lannie suggested they sit at a booth. Sam agreed and they moved away from the small early evening crowd.

"This place can get busy in the evenings but it's early yet," Lannie said. "So, how's the con been for you? Enjoying yourself?"

Sam nodded, "Well, I... To be honest, I was curious more because of Jack O'Neill's involvement in the early days... I don't really watch the show or..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. If I wasn't on it, I don't know if I'd bother. We're trying to change that... You know, make the show more serious. It's kinda goofy now."

Sam smiled. "And jiggly."

"Yeah, they do like scantily dressed alien women..." Lannie smiled and nodded her head, "Not that I'm complaining."

Sam looked up sharply, surprised at the woman’s openness.

"It's no big secret up here. I've been out for a couple of years now. In a place like Vancouver, there's not a lot of room to stay in the closet if you like going out and doing things."

"Oh, I see. Is that why your response to an early question was so ambiguous?"

"Yeah, I'd like to open the doors to gays on TV. It helps in the real world. That's not a problem is it?"

"No. Not for me. I really don't care what someone does or who they... As long as it works for you – and no one gets hurt - that's all that matters."

"Thank you," Lannie said in a quiet voice as she placed her hand on Sam's arm. She smiled and withdrew when she felt the blonde stiffen slightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to come on to you. Not that I wouldn't love to see..." Lannie shook her head, "Sorry. Sometimes I don't think before I talk."

Sam managed a weak smile, "That's okay. I know what you mean."

"Okay, cards on the table. Sam, I think you are a beautiful, sexy woman. I would love to ravish you within an inch of your life. But..."

Sam waited silently, secretly pleased that this woman desired her.

Before more could be said, a waitress came up, "Need anything?"

Sam nodded, "Two more please."

"Thanks, Sam."

"My pleasure, Lannie. So, uh, you left off at a 'but'?"

"I know you were in the room after Janet and I..."

"What?" Sam sputtered, somehow, amazingly, without spewing any of her beer.

"I saw you in the mirror. I waited to see what you would do. I guess I didn't expect you to just walk out..."

"Did you expect me to join you?" Sam asked, an angry subtone in her voice.

"No. Not that it wouldn't have been fun, but no. I expected you to scream or yell or... I don't really know what."

"Sorry I disappointed you!"

"Not at all. But I wanted to talk to you about this...thing. Janet and I...we met here early yesterday. We got to talking and eventually you came up in her conversation. Meanwhile, my gaydar was pinging big time.

"I took a chance and we had a wonderful, fun, one-time-only romp." Seeing the angry look on Sam's face, Lannie held up her hand, "I didn't take advantage of her, if that's what you're thinking. We both knew, at the time, that it was a one-time thing. That doesn't make it any less important to me.

"If things were different, I could easily fall in love with Janet. But, our careers - especially yours, our homes, just about everything says no."

"Okay. So your point is that you and Janet had a one-night...or afternoon stand. And that means what to me?"

"Sam, you really have no idea?" Sam just looked at the other woman. "She's in love with you."

"Wh...what?" Sam asked in a whisper.

"Yesterday, when we... She called out to you. Twice."

"I...I'm sorry..."

Lannie smiled, "No, it's okay. We talked for a while afterwards. She really does love you. I was just a convenient..."

"She loves me?"

Lannie smiled the smile that had legions of fans at her feet. "Yes."

"But, I never even knew she... I'm not that way..."

"Maybe not. But Sam, I think everyone, even my ultra-macho costar, is bi to one degree or another.

"Regardless, what Janet and I had was special. But what you have is even more special. A thousand times more special. You have her heart."

Sam sat there speechless. Lannie sat quietly, wondering if she had helped or hurt the relationship between these two beautiful women.

Finally, she glanced at her watch and said, "Sam, I'm sorry if anything I said upset you. That was not my intention. Not at all. And please don't blame Janet for anything. She'd probably kill me if she knew what I told you.

"I have to go. I want to freshen up before the banquet tonight. I..." Lannie stood up, "Maybe I'll see you there. Thanks for the beer."

Sam nodded, her face expressionless as Lannie made her way out of the bar.

A few moments later the waitress came over with a new pint, "She ordered it for you."

"Thank you," Sam managed to say.

"Is...is everything okay?"

"I don't know..." Sam shook her head.

Next: X-treme Convention 4