Janet Fraiser was nervous, excited, and extremely curious as she sat in her car in the parking lot of the restaurant. She was so nervous she arrived fifteen minutes early. Nervous because it was her first date in quite some time. Excited because it was her first date in quite some time. Curious about whom this secret admirer of hers was and why he chose this particular restaurant.
The restaurant was Luigi's Italian Cuisine. A family operated Restaurant. Only the finest Italian Restaurant in town, hell in the state as far as Janet was concerned. It was her favorite restaurant. A place she and Cassie would dine at least two or three times a month. A place where Sam always brought Janet for her Birthday.
A place where she should feel comfortable because the owner was a dear friend and knew her well. Only today, she wasn't comfortable. She was a nervous wreck. She knew nothing about her secret admirer. Nothing other than the fact the he knew a few things about her.
Picking her all time favorite restaurant not only hinted that he knew her but that he had taste and style, which ruled out ALL the single men at the SGC. Only one problem, her secret admirer left his gifts at the SGC.
It happened Monday morning.
It was the beginning of the longest week of the year for Janet. Why? Friday was Valentine's Day. She was single with no prospect of going on a date...ever. Sam was going out with Pete, so there would be no ladies night of stuffing their faces with Ice Cream. Even Cassie had a boyfriend, much to the apprehension of Janet, and was going on a double date with some classmates.
When Janet arrived at the SGC she was already depressed. She literally had to drag herself into her office.
Only to be quite surprised!
On her desk sat a small white box, not much bigger than her hand, with a purple ribbon tied neatly around it. At first, she thought it might be for someone else, but the note said it was for her, from a secret admirer. She noticed that whoever wrote it had fine penmanship, which ruled out most men she knew.
Whoever it was also picked her favorite color for the ribbon. To say it was her favorite was actually an understatement. Janet LOVED the color purple.
Picking up the box, she saw no markings of any kind. Nothing to indicate where it came from. Curious, she opened it. Inside and neatly wrapped in purple tissue paper was a small glass butterfly with its wings fully extended.
She gasped.
She LOVED butterflies too! This particular butterfly was special; the glass was tinted purple. She had never scene anything like it before and realized it must have been custom made.
The rest of her Monday was spent trying to figure out who on Earth would know purple was her favorite color and that she loved butterflies. That is, at least someone other than Sam or Cassie.
Perhaps Sam blabbed. Janet just hoped that if Sam did spilled the beans she didn't mention anything about the butterfly tattoo Janet had on the small of her back.
Only the more Janet thought about it the more she realized that Sam wouldn't do that. Especially not to any of the men at the SGC. They weren't even interested in Janet anyway. They were too scared of her and her needles.
Really, she only jabbed them hard when the deserved it!
There was one brave soul out there with the courage to make a gesture towards her. True it was a little cowardly not coming up to her and telling her to her face. But it was still a gesture. One she believed was romantic. She never had a secret admirer before!
That night, Janet fell asleep with a small smile on her face while she was looking at the purple glass butterfly on her bedside table. And smiled again when she woke up to see it wasn't a figment of her imagination.
If she had any doubts about it being real or not, they were gone the moment she arrived in her office early Tuesday morning.
Again, a box was on her desk.
This time the box was a little bigger and purple. The ribbon was white. Inside, another glass butterfly. This time the butterfly appeared to be at rest on a mushroom. And again, the glass was tinted purple.
Now she was dying to know who her secret admirer was. So at lunch she mentioned the whole thing to Sam and showed the butterfly she received that morning. Sam gasped and was just as surprised as Janet had been about it.
Right then, Janet saw that Sam knew nothing about the secret admirer or the butterflies. Sam was a terrible liar. She was too good a person for that.
Even Daniel, whom Janet actually thought might be the secret admirer, was sincere. Hell, he was excited for Janet and encouraged her to live in the moment and enjoy it for as long as she could.
Only Jack, the ass, had brought her down by saying something stupid about a man she hadn't even met. At which point Janet stormed off. He was quick to chase her down and apologize to her. Then added that the butterfly thing was kind of 'cool' and romantic.
Wednesday there was nothing on her desk. Janet felt a little disappointed and dejected. She believed that her admirer had witnessed her little tiff yesterday or had heard about it. Thus were scared off. She did have a temper sometimes. But by the end of the day she was depressed, grateful to be heading out.
To her surprise there were two boxes on the front seat of her car. Both the same size. One white, the other purple. And inside each was a purple tinted glass butterfly. One male and the other female. Or that's what she guessed when one was a little bigger than the other was. Both in full flight form.
Sitting there in the darkness, Janet wept happy tears as she giggled. This guy was romantic and could break into her car without leaving a mark on it. Despite the fact that she should have been a little scared of the idea that he could get into her car without a key, her heart was soaring too high to care.
By Thursday, when Janet arrived to work, she was smiling and energetic. She was anxious to see what would be on her desk or perhaps in her car. Once in her office, there was no box on her desk but there was an envelope. Of course, it was purple.
After taking her seat behind her desk, Janet quickly opened the envelope. There was no card like she had been expecting. Instead, there was handwritten letter and a business card. Before reading the letter, Janet attempted to figure out whose writing it was but kept coming up with blanks. She didn't recognize it. Turning over the business card she saw the time of eight o'clock in the evening.
Not wanting to be disturbed, Janet quickly closed and locked her office door then sat down on her couch with her fresh cup of coffee and read her letter.
Dearest Janet,
I sincerely hope you loved the butterflies. I understand they are a passion of yours, as is the color purple. Also, I hope I didn't over do it with the purple. I got a little carried away there, sorry.
Please, forgive me for approaching you this way. I've been out of the game for a little while and wasn't sure how to approach you. A little voice in my head suggested the butterflies. The color was my idea.
If you're not entirely put off by the idea of a secret admirer, please accept my invitation for dinner reservations tomorrow night. Enclosed is a business card of the Restaurant and the time. Hand it to the maitre d' and he'll seat you at a designated table for two.
With Great Affection and Deep Admiration,
X
Janet looked down at the business card. Her stomach was fluttering with excitement or nerves, or both. It was difficult to differentiate the two.
Five minutes to eight.
After a deep breath, Janet finally opened her door to exit her car. Only she wasn't paying attention when she opened the door and nearly knocked a man down with it.
"Oh, my God…I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed quickly getting out of the vehicle.
"Don't worry, ma'am," the man said as he smoothed out his suit.
"General Carter?"
"Oh, Hello Dr. Fraiser," he smiled looking at her.
"General, I'm so sorry! Are you alright…I didn't mean…I wasn't looking…"
"Doc, I'm fine," he insisted with a warm smile. "I'm just a little nervous about my date! But otherwise I'm fine, no harm done."
"You…have a date?" she asked slowly.
"Hard to believe, I know!" he chuckled. "This is the first date I've been on in…nearly twenty years! I think that's why I'm nervous. What about you, Doc? You seem nervous too."
"I am, a little," she shyly admitted. "I've never met this guy. I don't even know his name."
"Ooo, sounds like you have a secret admirer!" he teased.
"What about you?" she asked, trying hard not to blush.
"She's one of Sam's neighbors," he explained with this far away look. "I saw her one day…wow, I knew I had to get to know her. Of course, it took me a while to get the courage to ask her out. I'm just so relieved she said yes. Still nervous though. I'm not sure I remember how to treat a lady during a meal…it's been quite some time!"
"Shower her with compliments," Janet smiled and she saw him blush slightly.
"She's so beautiful, my legs feel like jelly! I just hope my mouth doesn't turn to mush too! That's why I got here early…I need a drink to calm my nerves."
Looking around, Janet noticed no one was around, "Isn't Selmak helping?"
"Hell no! He's just as nervous!" Jacob laughed making her laugh too.
"Well, I better let you go then," she smiled. "It was a pleasure talking with you General."
"Please, call me Jacob. At least while we're not at the SGC."
"I'll call you Jacob if you quit calling me doc."
"Deal!" he smiled. "Hope you have a good time…doc!"
Janet giggled as he quickly walked towards the restaurant. He nearly slipped on some ice, just managing to keep his balance which made her laugh loudly. He turned smiling at her then gave her a wave.
"Oh! Crap!" she exclaimed after looking at her watch.
It was eight! Janet quickly checked herself out to see that everything was fine. Then she grabbed her purse, locked her car, then hurried along, making sure to avoid the icy patch on the ground.
"Janet, my girl!" a big guy with thick curly black hair named Tony called the moment she stepped inside the door.
"Hi Tony," she smiled going to him to embrace, like they always did.
Tony Luigi owned the Restaurant. He was like a grandfather to all his loyal customers. And he treated everyone with the same love and affection. And he was a great cook!
"There's a patch of ice outside, you might want to take care of it," she smiled.
"My son Anthony is already taking care of it. A gentleman informed me right away," Tony smiled. "So, would you like your favorite table? Where's Cassie?"
"Cassie's on a date. And I'm supposed to give this to you," she said handing him the business card.
A huge smile split Tony's face.
"I am so happy for you my dear!" he said, nearly squeezing the life out of her. "So many times I see you here without a man. It's not good for a lovely woman such as yourself to be alone."
"So, have you seen him?" she asked trying not to appear too curious.
"No, sorry my dear. I promised on the head of my sons and daughters that I would not reveal who he was to you, even if you asked. Now, come…come! Follow me! We have a special table for you and your fellow. I don't use this room that often, but he insisted."
Janet followed Tony through the maze of tables and people to a door marked 'Private'. Tony opened the door to reveal a small private room with a table set for two and candle lit. There were lots of candle but not too many. Just enough to light the room for two people.
"Come, sit…sit!" Tony smiled excitedly. "Here, let me take your coat. Theresa will be her in a moment to see if you need anything."
"Thank you Tony," she smiled settling into the chair.
Then she was alone. It was quiet in the room. The sound of the people barely penetrated the walls. Janet also noticed that she was purposely seated with her back to the door.
Whoever this guy was, he was crafty and seemed to think of everything to prevent her from discovering who he was.
The door opened.
"Janet, I'm so happy to see you!" Theresa cheered bringing in a bottle of Janet's favorite wine.
"It's good to see you Theresa. How's little Michael?"
"Not little anymore!" Theresa said making Janet laugh. "Enough about my family. I'm to give you a message, from your fellow. He's running a few minutes late due to the fresh snow on the ground and will be here shortly. He asked that I bring you your wine…"
"I'll wait until he arrives," Janet replied stopping Theresa from pouring the wine into the glasses.
"Very well. You must have impressed him very much. He and Papa spent two hours in here going over the details and the menu. Papa was skeptical at first about this fellow, but then he mentioned your name and how everything had to be perfect for you. He even followed a few of Papa's suggestions."
"So, you met him too?"
"No, I saw him but I can't tell you anything. Papa gave his word and we can't break that promise. It would be bad luck…for you! Now, if you will excuse me."
Janet smiled to herself. 'Everything had to be perfect' for her! Wow! No man ever made such a gesture to her. She couldn't wait to meet him.
When the door opened, Janet froze in her seat and held her breath. This had to be him. Had to be. But she wasn't going to turn her head to look, no matter how badly she wanted to.
'Let him come to me,' she reminded herself, letting the air out of her lungs very slowly.
The door closed. But there was definitely another presence in the room. There was a long moment before he moved.
"I'm glad you made it Janet," he whispered into her ear.
His lips were warm as they briefly brushed her cheek. His gently scented cologne filled her nose.
Then Janet watched in total disbelief as he then sat down in the seat across from her.
"Jacob?"
"Yeah, it's me," he said in a bashful way, so unlike the confident Jacob Carter she always saw.
"But you said you were on a date with Sam's neighbor!"
"Well…in a way, you are. Albeit you're ten blocks away but…it's a big neighborhood," he smiled.
"The first date in twenty years?"
"Little while when you're a Tok'ra."
"And Selmak was the little voice in your head," she said shaking her head.
"Janet," he sighed reaching across and taking her hand in his.
His hand was so big compared to hers as it enveloped hers. It was warm. It was a strong hand, Janet could tell. But at the moment it was very affectionate and tender as it held hers.
"I know this is a shock," he continued. "If this…if I make you feel uncomfortable, you can ask me to leave. My feelings won't be hurt. The last thing I want is for you to be uncomfortable."
"Jacob…" she smiled, making him raise his eyebrows. "Pour the wine."
His smile widened and his whole face lit up. As he poured the wine, Janet felt those butterflies in her stomach as they quickly fluttered about. And suddenly she couldn't meet his penetrating gaze. She felt the heat rush into her cheeks and ears. Her hand reached up to cover her cheek as she smiled bashfully.
Thankfully Theresa came in before Janet's entire face turned bright red. Then, if Janet wasn't already taken aback by Jacob, he surprised her again. He spoke to Theresa, in Italian. Apparently he was rather fluent in the language as he spoke quickly without stumbling over the words. Janet was impressed, as was Theresa.
"Janet," Theresa whispered in Janet's ear. "You had better keep this one! He speaks better Italian than my Papa!"
Janet giggled then quickly took a sip of her wine to compose herself.
"What did she say?" he asked.
"That you speak better Italian than Tony!"
"I picked it up," he said shrugging his shoulders. "As a very young pilot, I was stationed in Europe. During leave, I visited Italy. Often! It's also where I took Sam's mother for our honeymoon. Out of all the languages, Italian is the most romantic."
"Jacob Carter, THE toughest two star General in the Air Force is a romantic?" Janet asked shaking her head. "I never would have guessed!"
Now it was Jacob's turn to blush and he really turned a shade of bright red that made Janet laugh uncontrollably.
"What can I say? You bring out the romantic side of me," he smiled boldly.
Janet was relaxed. Finally. No nervousness. Only the excitement of being on a date with a kind and honorable man. Who had a knack to surprise her over and over again. Well, she shouldn't really be surprised, she didn't really know him. But he knew some important things about her.
"How…"
"Sam. Not directly though," he insisted. "She brought me here for my birthday last year and mentioned it was your favorite restaurant. While shopping for my granddaughter, I was holding this lovely purple dress with butterflies on it. Sam cheerfully mentioned that you would have loved the dress because of the color and the butterflies. The food and wine, Tony told me."
"So, what exactly are we eating for dinner?"
"Well…you seemed to have three different favorites, so I ordered all three. That way you could chose whatever you wanted," he smiled.
"Did you think of everything?"
Jacob hesitated, then smiled tapping the side of his head, "I had a little help. But most of it was me."
Janet smiled. Something she was doing for nearly the entire two and a half hours they were in the Restaurant. Jacob was nothing like she imagined. He had a quick whit. Was quick to laugh at himself for being embarrassed. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He was an extremely smart man. And he never took his dark penetrating eyes from her the whole time.
Every so often, Janet felt herself blushing from his gaze. She couldn't help it. He made her feel like she was the only woman on Earth. And more importantly, he made her feel beautiful. Which he commented on…repeatedly!
And Janet found herself telling him things she never told anyone, even Sam. Jacob listened intently to her every word, as if every single word was life for him. Her reward, he revealed things to her he had not shared with anyone.
After their table was cleared away, Janet started giggling.
"What?" he asked softly.
"To think…I almost knock you down with my car door," she smiled.
"You surprised me more than anything! Selmak was telling me to act naturally! I'm like: HOW?" he said making her laugh even more. "You have no idea how hard that was for me! I meant what I said about my legs turning to jelly! If Selmak wasn't in there, I would have passed out because I forgot to breathe!"
"I hardly noticed," Janet said truthfully.
There was a long moment of silence as she stared at him. She sighed. She didn't want to admit it, but she could tell their evening was coming to a close.
"We should probably go," she suggested.
"Wait here, I'll take care of the bill and get your coat," he smiled as he got to his feet.
On his way by, he paused and quickly kissed her cheek.
"I've had a wonderful time Janet Fraiser," he whispered.
Janet was quick to grab his hand.
"Me too," she smiled up at him, gently squeezing his hand. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," he smiled.
Then he was gone, only to return a few minutes later with her coat, as promised. Always the gentleman, he assisted her with putting it on. He even held the door open for her so they could leave the room.
"Ah, I trust everything went well?" Tony asked with his jubilant smile.
"Yes, it did," Janet sighed giving him a hug. "Thank you."
"And you, Sir. Your cab will be here in a few minutes," Tony told Jacob as they two men shook hands.
"Cab?" Janet questioned.
"I'm returning to the base," Jacob said.
"At this hour. The mountain roads aren't safe," Janet insisted.
"I don't have a choice, Janet. Don't worry, I'll be fine," he smiled escorting her out the door. "Sam's busy. George gave me a ride to town but he's spending his evening with his family."
"Jacob, the lady is right," Tony said following them. "The roads are not safe. They tend to get icy."
"Then…then I'll stay at a hotel."
"No. I have a spare bedroom," Janet insisted. "I don't see why you can't stay at my house."
"Janet, I don't want to impose," he sincerely said. "I can stay at…"
"No."
Jacob shut his mouth. Blinked at her a couple of times. Then smiled wide.
"That's one of the things that attracted me to you. You don't take crap from anyone! Very well, Janet. Tony, cancel the cab. I'm sure we'll be seeing you sometime in the future."
"The near future, I hope," Tony smiled patting Jacob on the back.
Jacob tucked Janet's arm into his as they walked towards her car. Only, he walked her around to the passenger side.
"Jacob…"
"Janet, you've been drinking. I was going to suggest you take a cab too…"
"But you've been drinking too!"
"True, but I have my own personal alcohol inhibitor! Selmak keeps me sober…at all times!"
"That doesn't sound like fun," Janet smiled.
"No, it's not," Jacob said looking somewhat annoyed by that fact.
Janet laughed handing him the keys.
As he drove, she studies his features, much like she did in the restaurant. The lines on his face told her he was an older man. An experienced man. The look in his eyes told her he was full of life, with every intention of living in each moment. Probably because, Selmak made him feel younger than he actually was.
One day ago, if someone asked her what she thought of Jacob Carter, she would have said he was an arrogant, opinionated man, who was somewhat emotionally closed off. But Janet saw nothing of that man sitting beside her or during the entire evening. This Jacob was every bit the kind of man any woman would want to be with. He was courteous, attentive, and thoughtful.
"It's this street, right?" he asked turning the car right from the stop sign.
"Yes, half way down the block on the left," she replied.
"Excuse, me but…what will your daughter think about having an overnight guest?"
"She's spending the night with her best friend."
"Oh," he said, then Janet saw a devilish smile grow on his face.
'What have I gotten myself into?' she thought to herself as he pulled the car into her driveway. 'Do you know what you're getting yourself into? God, I hope so!'
"Here, you go," he smiled handing her the keys. "Wait…I'll get your door!"
Janet smiled as he hurried around the car and opened her door. His hand gently held her arm as she exited the car. After closing the door, his arm wrapped around her and she leaned against him as they walked up the walkway to her front door.
Inside, Janet saw she had a message on her machine. It should be from Cassie. It better be from Cassie. Janet was in too much of a good mood and didn't want Cassie to piss her off. She loved Cassie with all of her heart but some times she liked to test Janet's temper.
"There are hangers in the closet there," Janet said handing Jacob her coat.
She pushed the button on the answering machine as she watched him put their coats in the small hallway closet before returning to her.
"Mom, you there…pick up! Pick up the phone Mom! Ah…well, it's ten. I made to Kathy's by my curfew time….Mom, are you there…No, she's not picking up! I've been with Mom for four years now, I've never seen her go out on a date before! It took her two hours to decide what to wear! (giggling) Maybe she got lucky"
Janet quickly hit the stop button and turned bright red. She knew Jacob heard because his hand was covering his mouth as he was attempting to suppress a smile. Then they both burst into laughter.
"Kids say the damnedest things," he smiled taking her hand in his.
"Yes, they do," she agreed.
"I forgot one thing, Janet. I hope you can forgive me," he said reaching into his pant pocket. "Happy Valentine's Day."
Janet smiled, gently taking the glass heart with Cupid's Arrow through it from his opened hand. And, of course, the heart was purple.
"Thank you Jacob," she sighed, enclosing her fingers around the heart. "It's very beautiful."
His head hesitantly moved towards hers. His eyes, posing a question to her. He was giving her the chance to move away if she so desired.
Janet reached up and pulled him down, affectionately pressing her lips against his.
She had been waiting for this moment since they left the Restaurant. Wondering if he was ever going to kiss her. Perhaps she rushed it a little. But Jacob didn't seem to mind, judging by the way that his arms pulled her body tightly against his.
Even as he kissed he was a gentleman. No groping her intimate areas, no tongue being thrust down her throat. And when their tongues did touch, it was tender and electric. Janet felt her knees turning to jelly and those butterflies were moving in such a frenzy inside her stomach.
Even when their lips finally parted, she felt like he was holding her up because her legs were too weak to support her. This wasn't what she imagined at the beginning of the week.
It was better.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Jacob," she whispered caressing his face.
Janet smiled. Without saying a word, she reached down and took hold of his hand. Their eyes never left each other as she led him upstairs. With each step upwards, Janet saw that devilish smile of his slowly return.