Meet The Parents
by John O'Connor
Disclaimer:  Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the
property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom,
 MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko 
Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes
only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright
 infringement is intended. The original characters,
situations, and story are the property of the author.

Rated PG-13

"Janet, calm down.  The house is fine."
"I am calm.  I just...wanna make a good impression."
"Yeah, well this guy better make a good impression on
me or..."
"Sam, just 'cause you were right about Dominic doesn't
mean you know all there is to know about men.  You're
not exactly an expert," Janet said, a smile taking the
sting out of her words.
"Look who's talking - Ms. Divorcee 1996..."
"Sam!" Janet glared at her friend and lover.
Sam, a look of personal horror on her face, said, "I'm
sorry Janet.  I'm so sorry.  That was...mean and...
God, I'm sorry."
Janet nodded.  "We're both on edge.  Let's just sit
and be quiet for a few minutes."
Sam nodded.  Ever since Cassandra started seeing this
Ronnie, they'd been worried.  It was the first really
serious relationship their 'little' girl had been in
since she and Dominic broke up on the eve of the
Senior Prom.
Now, Cassie was bringing Ronnie home to meet her
parents and said parents were edgier than if Apophis
was in a parking orbit over the house.
"What do you think he's like?" Sam finally asked.
"Well, I'd guess he's smart and funny.  Those seem to
be the qualities she always liked in boys before."
"Yeah, except Dominic," Sam ground out the last.  She
was still angry with the young man after all this
time.  But then, she had been the one to see him
kissing another girl at the mall while he and Cassie
were going steady.
"Sam, I don't think we have to worry about that.  Cass
learns from her mistakes.  She's pretty smart, our
little girl."
Sam smiled, "Just don't call her that."
"Especially around her beau..." Janet added.
"You know, after the whole Dominic thing, Jack wanted
to be here.  I had to promise to introduce him to this
kid later just to keep him out of this."
"He loves her too, Sam."
"I know.  And so does Daniel.  And Teal'c.  And
Hammond.  And..."
"Most of the mountain.  I know, Sam."
"God, why am I being like this?  I'm stating the
obvious and acting irrational.  And, worse yet, I'm
pissing off the woman I love."
Janet smiled and took Sam's hand, "Maybe so, but
remember what happens when we make up..."
Sam smiled back, growling lecherously.
"Not now.  They'll be here soon."
Janet got up and walked to the front window, opening
the drapes again.
"You think we're doing the right thing, letting them
sleep in the same room?"
Sam came up and hugged Janet from behind, "Yes.  She's
over 21.  I mean, if your parents were okay with us,
and that's a lot different than this, we should be
okay with this."
"Are you?"
The simple question stunned Sam.  She had no idea what
to say.  Was she?  Or were her suspicions given too
free a rein in her mind?  She, like Janet, didn't want
to think of the little girl they saved on Hanka as an
adult in the first place, much less a sexually active
adult.
But, the fact of the matter was that she was.  Cassie
had told them on her last visit home at Christmas that
she was no longer a virgin.  The two older women cried
that night but had to accept it.  And, as Janet
pointed out, she waited longer than either of her
mothers to have sex.
"Sam, are you okay with this?" Janet turned in Sam's
arms as she asked the question again.
Sam blinked and looked into the loveliest brown eyes
in existence.  Finally she said, "I don't know.  I
guess I have to be though."
"Yeah, I feel that way too, Sweetie.  It's hard to
accept that she's an adult now."
"How did your mom handle your coming of age and
meeting your future ex?"
"Well, the marriage was a mistake from the get-go but,
after warning me once, she never said anything
negative about it again.  Not even an 'I told you
so'."
Sam nodded and smiled.  She loved Janet's mother
almost as much as her own.
"Mom was supportive though.  Once I decided I had made
the mistake, she was there for me.  And once I came to
my senses, she was there for me too.  Guess I need to
remember that, huh?"
"We both do."
They both looked out the window as a car drove by.
Their hearts were racing every time they heard an
engine.  Sam decided this was the most nerve-wracking
event she'd ever dealt with.
"I promise you this.  If that guy isn't the sweetheart
of the world, I'll make his life a living hell."
"Sam!  What are you?  Robert DeNiro?  Wanna get a
polygraph machine too?"
"Can I?" Sam laughed.
"We'll see..." Janet responded with her own chuckle.
Sam walked over to the television, picked up the TV
Guide on top, glanced at it and threw it back on the
set.  "What time were they supposed to be here?"
"Soon.  Don't worry, I already have the highway patrol
number memorized in case they're too late..."
Sam snorted, "Yeah, but seriously, shouldn't they be
here by now?"
"Sam, need I remind you that it's a long way from
Lincoln?"
Cassie, who was studying engineering at Northwestern
University, was driving with Ronnie from Chicago back
to Colorado Springs with an overnight stop in Lincoln,
Nebraska.  They were on Spring Break at the university
and Cassandra decided to forego the near-ritualistic
trip to Florida to come home and see her mothers.  And
to bring her current love.
When asked why they were driving, Cassie said she just
enjoyed seeing the countryside.  The farmlands
reminded her of her home planet (on a much larger
scale).
"So, how long does it take to get here from Lincoln?
I mean, it's Nebraska, for God's sake!"
"Then they go through the Denver area..." Janet
reminded her.
Sam nodded and wandered around the front room, picking
up the sports section of the paper then tossing it on
the coffee table.  She did the same with several
magazines, tossing them haphazardly on the table
without really looking at them.
"Sam, I just straightened up the coffee table."
"Sorry," Sam replied sheepishly as she cleaned up her
clutter.
"What if this Ron guy doesn't approve of us?"
Janet shook her head, saying, "Cassie wouldn't give
anyone like that the time of day.  Much less..."
Janet sniffed, her eyes brimming with tears, "Oh Sam,
our little girl IS all grown up!"
"Ssh, honey.  It's okay.  She's still our daughter."
Sam held her lover tightly as Janet sniffled.
"Thanks, Sam."  Janet kissed her lightly, "I'll be
okay.  I'm just getting used to the idea that she's an
adult."
"Me too.  I thought when she went to school, I was
ready for it.  Guess I wasn't."
"It'll be nice to have her home for a week."
They were on Spring Break at the university and
Cassandra decided to forego the near-ritualistic trip
to Florida to come home and see her mothers.  And to
bring her current love.
"Yep," Sam said.  "But if Ronnie isn't all he should
be, I'll pack him up and ship him back."
Janet rolled her eyes.  While neither of them went in
for the male role in their relationship, when it came
to Cassie, Sam almost invariably took the father
position.  Undoubtedly because her father was so
strong-willed.
"Oh!  Oh!  Sit down!" Janet exclaimed, flapping her
hands.  "She's pulling up!"
"Janet?"
"Well, just get away from the window.  We can't look
anxious!" Janet said in a rush as she pulled Sam
towards the entryway.
"So, did you see Ronnie?" Sam asked.
"No, just a shadow.  The sun was bouncing off the
windshield a little.  She has got to wash that car."
"Easy, Janet, she just drove about a thousand miles.
Stop jumping around," Sam said, tugging on Janet's
arm.
"I'm trying but I wanna meet this special person..."
"Me too."
The front door opened and Cassandra walked in.  She
set her bag down and grabbed her mothers in a group
hug.  "I'm so glad to be home.  I missed you both."
"We missed you too, kiddo," Sam whispered.
"Love you, baby," Janet said.
The sound of a throat being discretely cleared
prompted Cassie to pull back.  She stepped back and
put her arm around the waist of the newcomer and said,
"Sam, Mom, this is Ronnie Stevens."
Both women were struck speechless.  Ronnie Stevens was
not at all what they had expected.
Ronnie Stevens was a girl.

The silence was deafening.
Not one of the four women standing in the foyer of the
Fraiser house uttered a word.  The unnerving quiet
seemed to last an eternity until...
"Hey?  Mom?  Sam?  Wanna say hello or something?"
"I...I have no..."  Janet words stumbled to a halt.
"Holy Hannah!" was all Sam could come up with.
"Oka-ay then.  Mom, Sam, this is Veronica Stevens."
Cassie turned to her traveling companion and said,
"Ronnie, this is my mom, Janet Fraiser.  And the tall
one with the goofy look on her face is my other mom,
Sam Carter."  The last was said with a teasing smile
on Cassie’s face.
Barely daring to look up, Ronnie Stevens muttered,
"Pleased to meet you."
Janet snorted and turned into the living room.  Sam
still stood transfixed for a long moment as Cassie
sailed by her.
"Mom?  What's the matter?"
"You have to ask?" Janet said, her voice rising with
every word.
"Yes.  I do."
"Samantha!  Get in here now!" Janet called.
Sam blinked and muttered, "Uh, I have to...uh, go in
there..."  She gestured blankly to the rear then
turned away from the newcomer.
"I knew this was a bad idea," Ronnie said to herself.
Ronnie thought it prudent to remain in the foyer.
Fortunately there was a decorative bench she could sit
on as she listened to the two-way argument in the
front room.  An argument that quickly escalated into a
three-way one.  Much as she tried to tune it out,
fragments came through.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"...about your future?"
"Is this some kind of joke or..."
"...love her!"
"Sam?  Some help here..."
"..any career choice..."
"You should talk!  What about the Air Force?"
"Damn it, Cassandra!  This isn't what I wanted..."
"...YOU know it's wrong?!?  Why?"
"Janet, maybe we should..."
That last was said quietly but the momentary lull made
it quite audible to Ronnie.  This was going so badly.
And her Cassie was in the middle...
Sam walked out, a hard look on her face as she headed
for the front door.  Without looking at the distraught
girl on the bench, she beckoned with her finger,
saying, "You.  With me."
Ronnie decided to heed the old cliche' about
discretion and followed the tall blonde outside and
into a late model Volkswagen Passat.
Not a word was said for the fifteen-minute drive.
Ronnie wasn't sure whether to be relieved or anxious.
* * *
Sam glanced occasionally at her passenger.  The girl
was cute she supposed.  Shoulder-length, straight
brown hair.  Large eyes.  A slightly Romanesque nose
that fit her face perfectly.  A slight overbite, the
kind most people consider sexy.
'Could be worse.  She could be some kinda
stereotypical domineering trucker-type,' Sam thought.
‘Or Dominic.’
She pulled up to a small, discrete bar west of town in
the foothills.  She looked directly at the girl and
said, "Let's get a drink."
Ronnie nodded but kept quiet.
"Wait.  You are twenty-one, right?"
"Uh, twenty-two actually."
"Okay, let's go."
Sam got out of the car and waited by the front door of
the tavern for the younger woman.  She held the door
open and followed Ronnie into the dim interior.
"Beer?" Sam asked.
"Please."
"Glass?"  Ronnie shook her head.
"Okay.  Get a booth."  Sam nodded towards the wall as
she headed for the bar.
Ronnie found a booth and sat down.  As her eyes
adjusted to the lighting, she noticed the place.  It
was a bar in a western motif.  'Big surprise there,'
she thought.
As she looked further, she saw a dance floor, a small
stage, and very few people.  But it was early.
"So," Sam said as she set a bottle down in front of
the girl.
Ronnie looked up and hazarded a smile.  "Guess I
wasn't what you expected."
As soon as she said it, she wished she could take the
words back.
Sam's eyes flashed at her in the dimness.  The voice
was surprisingly calm though, "No.  Not at all.  Why
didn't she..."
* * *
"...tell us?" Janet asked.
Relieved that the shouting was over and Janet was
willing to talk, Cassie smiled sadly and said,
"Because I was afraid of how you'd react."
"But bringing a girl here like this wasn't a problem?"
  The sarcasm was thick in Janet's voice.
"I...I thought if you met her, you'd be okay with it."
"But to just spring it on us like this?  And poor Sam.
  She's still pissed at Dominic.  You think this was
fair to her?"
Cassie shook her head.  "No, I..."
Looking up at her adopted mother, Cassie blinked back
tears and had to swallow several times before she
could say anything.
"I never expected to fall in love..."
* * *
"...with another girl.  It just sort of happened."
Sam nodded as she took a swallow before saying, "I
know.  It was a surprise to me too.  Wait...  Cassie
told you about Janet and I?"
Ronnie smiled, "Oh yeah.  She can't stop talking about
you two.  She's very lucky to get such great parents,
considering her past."
Sam looked up quickly, "Her past?"
"Yeah, her parents being killed in that fire in
Toronto and then not knowing where she might end up."
"Oh," Sam replied with a suppressed sigh of relief.
"She said you two were both straight until you found
each other.  It's kinda the same with us."
Regardless of how angry she was at the trick her
daughter had foisted on them, and the anger she felt,
Sam also felt herself warming to the girl across the
table.  She didn’t realize her anger was rapidly
abating as well.
"How did you two..."
* * *
"...meet?  Where?"
"It was at a club in Evanston.  Ronnie is the lead
singer of a band.   She also is pretty good with a
guitar.  Her younger brother plays the drums and a
couple of friends play bass and keyboards.
"Anyway, I went with some friends cuz we heard they
were pretty good.  At first, I didn't like it.  Too
pop, ya know?  But then, after the second or third
break, they started playing more alternative stuff
and...  Well, you know how I am now that I've outgrown
that 'bubble-gum-and-Clearasil' junk."
Janet nodded and smiled at her own phrase coming from
her daughter.  "Yeah, I was so happy not to hear that
boy band cr...stuff anymore."
Smiling, Cassie went on, "Anyway, I went over to talk
to the folks in the band during a break and..."
* * *
"...we ended up spending the rest of the evening
talking.  Well, outside of the last set we played.
After the bar closed, we went to an International
House Of Pancakes near my place on the North Side...in
the city."
"It was always Denny's for me for late night munchies.
  Unless there was a White Castle nearby," Sam
interjected.
"Well, I always liked IHOP and the booths are more
comfortable there than at a White Castle - easier to
talk.  Anyway, we ended up talking until the sun was
rising over the towers along the lake.  I drove her
home and..."
* * *
"...I asked her if she had plans for that night.
Figured I'd catch some sleep and we'd go out
bar-hopping."
"Cassandra, that's not..."
"Mom, please?  You know I don't drink very much.  I
just like hanging out with my friends and dancing once
in a while."
Janet nodded her acceptance.
"I didn't plan on anything.  I just thought maybe I
had a new friend.  But we connected, you know?  It
was..."
* * *
"...like something very special.  I didn't want to
admit it but there was something there.
"At IHOP, when she handed me a syrup container, our
fingers brushed and I felt a...little shock.  I wrote
it off to static electricity - it was January after
all.
"When Cassie asked me to meet her that night, I
agreed.  I think, maybe deep inside, I knew what I was
getting into but I wouldn't admit it."
"How did you know she felt the same way?" Sam asked,
seriously intrigued.
With a disarming smile, Ronnie asked, "How did you?"
"Touche'," Sam replied.  "Nerve-wracking, wasn't it?"
"Yeah.  I guess it might've been easier if one or both
of us had been gay in the first place..."
Sam shook her head, "I don't think so.  At least not
as much as you think.  Not according to Gloria over
there."
"Hmm?"  Ronnie's eyes followed Sam's to the bar and
the young woman behind it.  Surprised, Ronnie asked,
"She's gay?"
"Yup.  This is an...alternative lifestyles joint."
Sam saw the brief look in the girl's eye and added, "I
was coming here long before I even thought of a girl
as desirable.  It was just a place I stumbled upon
where I could let my hair down."
"So to speak," Ronnie laughed.
Sam's fingers brushed her short bangs as she responded
with a wry grin, "Exactly.  Actually, Janet says I'm
kinda dense about things and this sort of proves it.
I had come here about three times before I realized
there the girls were always with the girls and the
guys were always with the guys."
Ronnie and Sam shared a laugh, both feeling closer to
the other as a result.
"So you were telling me about your first date."
"Well, it wasn't a date.  Just friends..."
* * *
"...getting together."
"And?" Janet prompted, not sure she wanted an answer.
"We met up, had a couple of drinks then left the rest
of the group and walked around campus talking.  We
ended up at a small coffee shop and sat."
"More talking?"
Cassie grinned, "Yeah.  We got to really know each
other.  It was the beginning of a beautiful
friendship."
"'Casablanca'?"
"Yep, we saw it at a revival theatre in Wrigleyville
last week.
"Anyway, we felt ourselves becoming very close very
fast.  But it wasn't scary like with a boy.  We just
thought we were friends."
"But..."
"Every time we touched or brushed against each other,
I felt a tingle.  It was pleasant but unnerving.  I
mean, I was always..."
* * *
"...straight.  I never even experimented with kissing
my girl friends.  Just took my chances with boys."
"Same with me.  And Janet," Sam offered.
"Nothing more happened.  We just got together a few
times a week and talked on the phone a lot more than
that.  We talked about class, our lives and families.
Boys hardly ever came up, though.  We really got to
know each other.  We really became good friends.  I
don't think there's anyone else who knows as much
about me as Cassie does.  We became best friends, long
before..."
"You became..."  As she tried to finish the other's
sentence, Sam found she desperately had to clear her
throat.  She took a swallow of her beer, signaled for
another, and cleared her throat again.  "Uh, you
became..."
"Intimate," Ronnie finished for her.
Another throat-clearing, then Sam nodded.  "Uh, yeah.
That..."
Ronnie smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry.  I know
this is an awful lot to take in.  I begged her to talk
to you before we met but she insisted that it was
okay.  And she wanted..."
* * *
"...to tell you face to face.  This isn't the kind of
thing I thought we could talk about over the phone."
Janet nodded, "I...I guess I understand."
"But after you and Sam came out to Grandma and
Granddad, I thought you'd understand."
"Did you purposely lead us on with the ambiguity.  I
mean, her name is fairly generic."
"No, Mom. Kind of like you and Sam, I always just
think of her as Ronnie.  I'm the..."
* * *
"...only one who calls me that.  My given name is
Veronica but I usually go by Ron.  Only Mom and Cassie
call me Ronnie."
"Janet is just about the only person who uses my full
name without getting skinned alive."  Sam smiled and
added, "I guess I just like how it sounds coming from
her."
"Exactly.  When anyone else calls me Ronnie, or
Veronica, all I can think of are Archie comics."
"There was the character on 'Cheers'..." Sam offered.
Ronnie laughed, "Yeah, a neurotic bar owner."
"So do I call you Ron or Ronnie?"
A relieved smile lit up the younger woman's face, "I
prefer Ron but if Ronnie is okay too."
Sam cocked an eyebrow, "So I'm among the privileged
few?"
Ronnie smiled then asked, "So, do you prefer Major or
Ms. Carter?"
"Please!  You're trying to age me too fast.  It's Sam.
  Please call me Sam."
"Thank you."
"So, Ron, what are your career plans?"
"I'm studying architecture.  When I was little, we
took the walking tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes
in Oak Park and I decided then and there that I was
going to make my mark in that field too."
"So music is a hobby then?"
"Oh yeah.  It's a way to get out, make a few bucks,
and meet people.  But if someone came along with a
multi-million dollar contract..."
"You'd think about it."
Ronnie tossed her head back and laughed, "Oh yeah!
But, in the meantime, I'm studying design and...  Oh,
Cassie is a big..."
* * *
"...help her with some of the engineering she needs to
know.  But she's pretty good at that too."
Cassie's face, which lit up whenever she talked of her
Ronnie, became solemn.  "Mom?  Are you going to be
okay with this?"
"I...I don't know.  It's too soon to say...  I hope
so.  It'd be hypocritical if I just automatically
condemn you for this."
"Mom, she's really the best thing that's happened to
me...since you adopted me."  Cassie leaned over and
hugged Janet, her head resting on the older woman's
shoulder.  "She's my best friend.  We were so close
before that when...it happened, it just happened."
"Like Sam and I..."
"Oh Mom, if only we could be half as happy as you
are..."
"I hope so too, darling.  But, I think you will be."
Janet kissed the top of her daughter's head gently.
They sat there quietly, the young adult once again a
small, frightened child being held by the woman who
had come to love her as if the girl were her own
natural daughter.
Looking up finally, Janet said, "It's getting late.
Where are they?  They should be..."
* * *
"...heading home," Sam suggested.
"Yes.  I guess I need to see where I stand..."
Sam reached across the table and patted Ronnie's hand,
surprising herself as much as the younger woman.  The
words that came out amazed the blonde scientist as
well.  But they were from the heart so she let them
go, something Janet had finally been able to get her
to do.
"As far as I'm concerned, you're standing okay."  Sam
smiled.  "You aren't quite what we expected but then
again, neither was Janet when I told Dad.  Or me when
she told her parents.
"But, I see you really care for our girl.  And from
her attitude in our little spat, she really cares for
you.  C'mon, let's go home."
Ronnie rose and walked with Sam to the bar.  She
offered to pay but Sam waved her off.
Gloria smirked and said, "Sam, this isn't the best
place to bring your new girlfriend."
"Bite me, Glo," Sam laughed.  "Actually, this is Ron.
She's Cassie new friend."
"Hi, I'm Gloria.  Stop in sometime before you leave
and the first one's on the house."
Ron nodded and smiled.  Maybe she could bring her lady
here?
As they pulled out, Ronnie asked, only half-joking,
"You think Doctor Fraiser will allow me in the house?"
"I think so.  Remember, I have some pull there."
They drove in silence for a mile or so, much more
comfortable silence than the trip out of town.
Finally, Ronnie said, "This is beautiful country."
Sam nodded, "In the fall, the colors...  You should
have Cass take you further up the mountains.  You grew
up in Illinois?"
"Yeah, northern, flat-as-a-pancake Illinois.  Lived
there..."
* * *
"...all her life.  She knows that area so well.  And
she loves it there.  I'm starting to love it too."
Janet, standing at the stove, looked over her
shoulder.  "You might stay?" she asked in a quiet
voice.
"I don't know.  Depends on what Ronnie wants to do.
And where I can get a job..."
Mother and daughter continued to talk as they finished
preparations for dinner.  As they spent time together,
and Cass told Janet about her love, the older woman
felt herself warming even more to the idea.
Sam and Ronnie arrived a few minutes later and Janet
took the girl's hands in hers, "I am so sorry.  I hope
you will forgive me."
Ronnie smiled, "Nothing to forgive.  I'm sorry I was
such a shock."
"Well, you are welcome here.  C'mon, dinner's ready."
As they finished up the last of Lasagna ala Fraiser,
Cassie said, "After we eat, I'll help Ronnie get
settled in my room."
Janet sputtered but silently counted to ten before
saying anything.  By then, she realized how foolish it
would be to make them sleep in separate rooms.  Her
mother never did that when she and Sam visited and
Janet was damned if she'd be bested by her mother.
* * *
Later that night, Sam cuddled with the love of her
life.  They were whispering as they both tried to hear
anything from across the hall.  Not that either would
admit to eavesdropping, even unconsciously.
"I like her.  I think she and Cass are a cute couple,"
Sam said, nuzzling Janet's ear.
"You think they'll stay together?"
"Who knows?  We barely did and it's a bit easier out
there now.  Well, outside of the military."
"I just don't want to see her hurt or hindered by
this..."
"Jan, they live in Chicago.  It's one of the most
gay-friendly cities in the country.  It'll be fine."
"It might be a phase..."
"Yeah, I thought the same thing about you before..."
Janet turned her head up, kissing the hollow of Sam's
neck, "Before what...?"
"Before we made love..."
* * *
"...the first time.  And I'm almost as scared now."
"Why hon?  Cause it's my old bed in my old room?
Cause my moms are asleep across the hall?  Or are you
getting tired of me?"
"Never, my alien princess."
"Ssh.  I told them I didn't tell you."
"Me too.  But it's kinda cool having an alien for a
lover.  A little bonus..."
Giggles followed briefly.
In only a few more minutes, the four women under the
Fraiser roof were asleep.  Each was cuddled in the
arms of the one they loved most in the world.
 (c) John O'Conner

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