Tegan Chronicles

Loving Tegan 1

Friday evening SG1 stepped back through the Stargate and Tegan went to find a phone as soon as Paige finished her post mission physical.

"Hello?"

"'ello." Tegan smiled at Janet's voice it had been a long week."

"How'd it go?"

"Fine."

"You heading home?"

"Yeah I think so." Her smile deepened. "Did Cassie make it back alright?" "She did, and she brought company. My parents flew up for the week."

"Well then, do you want me to stop by and get Shadow on my way home?"

"I'd actually like for you to go to dinner with us."

"They just got in, spend sometime with them. Maybe I can meet them briefly tonight and we'll do dinner another time."

"Are you avoiding eating?"

"I'm not avoiding anything," she paused. "In fact why don't you all come to dinner at my place tomorrow?"

"I was going to invite you for pot roast on Sunday."

"That'll look suspicious." Tegan rolled the coiled phone cord around her finger.

"Are you calling from my office?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "but we should finish this conversation in person. I need to shower and change before I stop by to get Shadow, is that alright?"

"Its fine, they ate a late lunch."

"I'll see you soon then." She waited for Janet to say goodbye before hanging up.

"So where were we?" Tegan asked when Janet and Shadow met her in the driveway.

"You were saying it would look suspicious." Janet raised an eyebrow, "and you inviting us for dinner isn't?"

"I like to cook." She shrugged before squatting to scratch Shadow behind the ears. "Was he good?"

"He missed you." She nodded as Tegan looked up at her. "I missed you. Oh, Cassandra told my parents I'm in love."

"With me?"

"No they haven't a clue, but as soon as dad saw me he knew she was right."

"I assume that's a problem." She stood back up.

"I don't care what they think."

"Yes you do." Tegan knew Janet was close to her family.

"Come to dinner." Janet asked one last time, changing the subject.

Tegan shook her head as Cassie ran out the door. "Tegan!"

"Let me know about tomorrow," Tegan said in a low breath before turning to the teen running toward her. "Cass, how was your trip?"

"It was a lot of fun." Cassie enveloped her in a big hug as Mr. and Mrs. Fraiser walked down the sidewalk.

"You must be Tegan, Cassandra talks about you and Sam all the time."

"Yes." Tegan took his outstretched hand and shook it firmly.

"Tegan this is my mom and my dad." Janet introduced them, "Mom, dad, Tegan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"Why don't you come to dinner with us?" Mrs. Fraiser extended the invitation.

"Actually, I already asked her." Janet spoke before Tegan could reply. "She just got back from a week long mission and says she's tired."

Tegan nodded her regrets.

"But she's invited us to dinner at her place tomorrow night."

"We don't want to be a bother."

"It would actually be my pleasure Mrs. Fraiser. I love to cook and rarely get the chance."

"Then we'd love too." Janet's mom graciously smiled.

Tegan rubbed her hand over her face. "I hate to leave just as the party is getting started, but it's been a long week and my bed is calling my name."

"Don't forget to eat." Janet sounded like a mother talking to her child.

"I'm going to pick up a salad and baked potato from Wendy's drive thru." She opened her door and waited for Shadow to climb in. "Seven tomorrow night?"

Janet nodded.

"This is just wonderful." Janet's mom raved over the rice with chicken in a cream based broth, topped with Chinese noodles, pineapple, almonds and sprinkled with fresh coconut shavings. "What's it called again?"

"Hawaiian haystacks, and thank you." Tegan smiled modestly. "I can write down the recipe if you'd like."

She nodded.

"So," Janet's dad spoke around a mouthful of food, "Tell us a little about your family."

"My team at work is pretty much my family, and of course Cassie." She winked across the table.

"What about your parents?"

"Dad." Janet gave him a smoldering look.

"My mom died in childbirth." Tegan pushed her plate back a hair, just enough that Janet knew she was finished eating.

"What about your father?"

"Harold!"

"What Jeanine, I'm just making small talk." He looked back at Tegan expectantly, ignoring both his wife and Janet.

Rather than give him the long drawn out answer, of not knowing who her real father was, she nonchalantly replied, "He's serving time for trying to kill me." She acted like it was an everyday occurrence as she slid her chair back. "I've got key lime pie for dessert."

"Sounds good," Janet stood up, "Can I help?"

"I don't want any, thank you." Cassie announced.

"I made you a batch of chocolate chip cookies." Tegan mirrored Cassie's grin.

"You're going to spoil her." Janet followed her into the kitchen.

"Everyone else does."

"Honestly Harold, do you always have to make a scene?" Jeanine's voice could be heard through the walls.

"Do you think they know?" Tegan kept her voice low so it couldn't be overheard.

"I told you before," Janet kissed her cheek; "I don't care."

"What would they say?"

"That I was crazy. That you had seduced me."

"Seriously Janet." Tegan cut the pie. "I don't want to come between you and your family."

"You didn't eat much tonight." Janet changed the subject as she put forks on the first two plates.

Tegan shrugged as she finished putting the pie on saucers before balancing two of them and a plate of cookies and followed Janet back to the dinning room.

Janet gave her parents the slices of pie she was holding before taking her own from Tegan. Cassie had already relieved her of the cookie plate.

"You only need three of those Cassandra."

When she didn't complain, Tegan smiled. "I've got a whole container you can take with you, but you have to share."

"Thanks." Cassie's smile crowded her features.

"So, Kiser," Harold started questioning again. "Is that German?"

"It is, but the line goes so far back I'm not sure how much German is left. My mother was Irish. Her family immigrated here when she was five, so I at least know some of her heritage. Maybe our ancestors were neighbors."

"What was her maiden name?" Jeanine asked before Harold could.

"McAllister, the same as my middle name." She looked over at Janet when she felt a hand on her knee.

"There are some McAllister's in Scotland," Harold finished off his pie. "My great grandfather came to America with a McAllister when they were eighteen, and they went into business together."

"Interesting." Tegan pretended to be curious while trying to ignore the drumming of Janet's fingers on her thigh.

"Yeah, it's a small world." Harold pushed his plate away. "Everything was delicious."

"Thank you."

"You'll have to come to dinner tomorrow night, Janet and I are cooking." Jeanine extended the invitation. "Actually I'm just over dessert, coconut cake."

"From scratch," Janet added as she pulled her hand away and picked up her drink.

"What time are we going to Mark's?" Harold asked.

"Mac's," Janet corrected. "Not until about nine thirty, Sam's going to come by the house around nine."

"You're not…" Tegan frowned.

"Oh come on, you're the best entertainment in town tonight."

"You're forgetting Paige, and I doubt we're the best. Certainly the cats in the back alley do just as well." Tegan stood up and started clearing the table. "I've got coffee brewing if anyone wants it."

Janet and her mother started helping.

"I've got these don't worry about it."

"It'll go faster if we lend a hand," Jeanine insisted.