Disclaimer: I don't own the concepts, I don't own the characters, I make no money, I make no sense and I get no sleep, though on a positive note I absolutely love feedback (in other words, please review).

Warning: this story is a sequel to Under Alien Skies - Propagation, if you've read that story you know what this is about, if you haven't this probably won't make much sense and you should be warned that this story deals with adult issues including rape.

Timeline: this takes place roughly ten days after Propagation.

Under Alien Skies - Girls' Night Out... err... In
Chapter 1: A Bug's Life
(Sam's POV)

Okay, so I have a different jailer for the night. I know I shouldn't be thinking of it in those terms but the truth is that over the last ten days or so I actually got used to having Daniel around and I'm not too sure how I feel about this latest change. I mean, Janet is my friend but it's taken me this long to get Daniel to stop pushing, unfortunately tonight is a 'girl's night out'... or it would be if we were actually going anywhere. Our plan for the evening is not exactly my idea of fun, not really, but when Cassie called at the last moment to say that she had been invited to a sleepover at a friend's house, Janet called me to ask how I felt about the possibility of giving Daniel the night off from his babysitting duties and I couldn't quite bring myself to say 'no'... and now here we are and I'm wondering how I got myself into this mess in the first place.

Right now the popcorn is ready, Schroedinger is on the prowl for a lap --though apparently he still hasn't made up his mind as to whether it's going to be mine or Janet's tonight-- and we are getting ready to kill a couple of hours watching a fluffy, mindless, chick flick... or at least that's the theory. Unfortunately I can't quite shake the feeling that there's something else going on here and that's what's got me more than a little on edge. I may be a bit paranoid but I can't help but fear that Janet has something up her sleeve... and I suspect that --whatever it is that she is up to-- it's not going to be fun.

The thing is that even though I know she means well --that is definitely not the question-- ever since she found out what happened in Simarka, Janet's been trying just a little too hard to 'help me'... and what I'd really, really like right now --what I really need-- is to have my friend back. All I want to do is to be able to relax and hang out with her without feeling like I'm under a microscope but somehow I don't see that happening any time soon. Of course, I admit that maybe I've been trying a little too hard to get her to understand that I'm fine and that may actually be contributing to the problem.

Well, it's not like we get that many chances to have a night just for the two of us so maybe it won't be so bad... and maybe, if I tell that to myself often enough, I'll even get myself to believe it. The truth is that I've never been very good at this whole girlie thing, it's just never been me --and I suspect it's never really been Janet either-- but sometimes it's nice to pretend. The problem is that, thinking of the movie we are about to see, I can't help but wonder if maybe we aren't pushing it a little too far here, if maybe we aren't going for something just a tad too mindless. I have to say that a romantic comedy wouldn't have been my first choice, not even for a girls' night out, however --seeing how choosing the movie was up to Janet tonight-- there really wasn't anything I could do about it.

We've been watching this thing for less than half an hour and I'm growing increasingly nervous here. I don't know what's going on, not really, but there's no denying the fact that right now Janet seems to be more interested in watching me than in watching the movie and that is not a good thing. This is exactly the kind of scenario I had been dreading but I can't quite figure out just what she is seeing, what she's looking for... and --as long as I don't know what she's gunning for-- I won't be able to figure out how to counter her.

I mean, I know I'm probably just being paranoid but I can't help but feel like I'm walking straight into a trap here and that that trap is about to snap shut. Unfortunately --as long as I don't know exactly what it is that Janet is up to-- I can't afford to confront her about it either. Sure, she is making me nervous but somehow I get the feeling that I really want to pretend that everything is just fine, that I am totally oblivious to the fact that she's watching me like a hawk. I may be feeling like a bug under a microscope here but, the way I see it, as long as I keep my cool there is still a chance that things will turn out fine, that she won't say anything. It's basic common sense. As long as I keep quiet and pretend not to notice then there's a chance that she won't openly bring it up --whatever it happens to be-- but if I were to call her on it then I'd really be in trouble.

Well, if nothing else wondering about Janet's attitude and petting Schroedinger --who has finally decided to settle for my lap-- are a couple of nice excuses not to pay too much attention to what's going on on screen. What can I say, I've never really been one for romantic comedies, though I can certainly understand why Janet --who has suddenly found herself raising Cassie-- may be itching for a chance to watch something that is not rated PG. The thing is that by now I've lost track of just how many times I've seen this movie. Okay, so maybe not this movie in particular but honestly, with the kind of money script writers get paid, you'd think that maybe they could be bothered to come up with a new idea every hundred years or so!

Of course, now that I think about it, maybe it's better this way. I mean, at least this way I don't have to pay too much attention to what's going on on screen and yet I'll still be able to comment on it once we are done not watching it because, let's face it, that's exactly what we are doing. We are not watching the movie here, we are watching each other and I have no idea as to why... though maybe I should at least try to pretend to be paying attention, especially if I don't want Janet to call me on it.

I know I'm in trouble as soon as Janet hits the stop button mid movie. The problem is that even though I've been suspecting that she had some sort of ulterior motive even before we sat down to watch this thing, I still don't have a clue as to what it is that she is up to.

"Sam, we need to talk," she says and something about the finality of her tone makes me wince.

"I was watching that," I say, trying to stall for a little bit longer.

"No, you weren't," she challenges, not that I'm particularly surprised by the fact that she actually noticed.

"I was," I insist. "I mean, I admit that romantic comedies aren't usually my cup of tea but..."

"So that's why you weren't really paying much attention to the screen?" she asks, feigning innocence and that is not good. The problem is that Janet can be damned devious when she wants to be and that means I have to tread carefully, very carefully.

"No, I was wondering why you keep staring at me," I say, hoping that a partial truth will get me out of this one.

"Is that so?" she asks, making it clear that she is not buying it.

"What are you getting at?" I ask, deciding that maybe my best bet under the circumstances is to go on the offensive.

"I think you know," she replies.

"No, I don't," I say, and I really mean it. I have no idea of what she is up to, even if I have a nagging feeling that whatever it is I'm not going to like it.

"Sam, why aren't you watching the movie?" asks Janet, point blank.

"I already told you, romantic comedies are not really my thing. I mean, I keep trying to watch them but it's not really a kind of movie I've ever really enjoyed. Besides, all these movies are so alike that I already know what's going to happen next as far as the plot goes and how the whole thing ends so..."

"Is that so?" she interrupts.

"Yes, that and the fact that I feel like I'm under a microscope here and that is making me uncomfortable," I admit, hoping to guilt Janet into dropping it.

"I'm not buying it, Sam," says Janet, not taking her eyes off of me.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not me watching you that's making you uncomfortable here... or at least it's not just that," she says.

"So what is it?"

"You know what it is."

"Okay, that's news to me," I say, deeply relieved by the fact that I don't even have to lie about that one.

"You are not going to admit it, are you?" she asks.

"I don't know, I might if I had the slightest clue as to what it is that you want me to admit to in the first place," I growl, coming dangerously close to losing my temper.

"How about the fact that you are all but cringing each time there's as much as a kiss on screen?"

"No, I'm not," I say.

"Yes you are, Sam."

"So that was your big experiment?" I challenge, more than a little fed up with the whole situation.

"It's not an experiment... and me calling you on it is not what this is all about."

"Really?" I ask, not really believing a word she is saying.

"Really."

"And you weren't planning on watching me like a hawk before you pushed for us to watch this particular movie?" I ask.

"Okay, so maybe that did have something to do with it," she admits, "but I was hoping to be worrying about nothing. What I've seen here tonight, it's not nothing."

"You are blowing this out of proportion," I tell her.

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are... and honestly, if you wanted to make a point I could have suggested about a dozen better options than this one, you know? Maybe we could have looked for a romantic movie I could possibly have hoped to enjoy in the first place."

"It's not about the movie, Sam, and you know it," says Janet, refusing to back down.

"Maybe, but let me tell you that the fact that the plot hasn't exactly caught my attention is not really helping matters here."

"That may be true, but the fact that you have a problem has nothing to do with the plot."

"Maybe not, but let's face it, that plot has some holes that are big enough to fly a C-17 through them."

"It's not about the plot, Sam, and will you please stop trying to change the subject."

"I thought the subject was the movie and the fact that it sucks... or at least that's why we were supposed to be here," I say, trying to shift the focus back to Janet's deception.

"You are not going to make this easy, are you?" she asks, sounding almost resigned.

"Make what easy?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"What, you are asking why I'm not eager to go along with your attempt at making a federal case out of basically nothing?" I push back.

"It's not nothing, Sam, and you know it."

"Whatever, can we go back to watching the movie now?" I ask, even though I know it's not going to happen.

Author's note: Okay, that's the beginning of the first sequel. I know this is kind of off to a slow start, please bear with me here.

Alec