AN: Because no good thing ever comes by itself. You know, I never would have even noticed the pun potential of that sentence until I started reading this stuff.

Spoilers: Rite of Passage

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

Rating: R, Daniel/Janet

Summary: Dinner would be great.

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Anything

She was almost positive that this was not what he had meant. The thought crossed her mind for the first time when she shoved his pajama bottoms out of her way and had been banished almost immediately by his teasing tongue and fingers at her breasts. She could always claim that the first time had been a fluke, brought about by her exhaustion and despair and his overwhelming decency. But not this time. This time she had shown up on his doorstep at one o’clock in the morning with no intention of leaving until she’d had him.

She’d woken up languidly, somehow aware that she was in her own bed. Her fingers reached out for the warmth of him, knowing he must lie beside her. They found only her own rumpled sheets.

This time, at least, they had made it to the bed. His bed was king-size, and the sheets were dark blue. Lying naked in the middle of it, she felt like she was drowning and she wanted very much to lose herself in something good after what had happened in the Mountain today. She could not remember which of them had had the presence of mind to remove his glasses, or even if he’d been wearing them when he answered the door, but they were gone. His eyes were locked on her face. She moaned and closed her eyes, unable to bear the intensity of his gaze as he thrust into her.

Her eyes flashed open, panicked, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him. He sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall, an inscrutable expression on her face.

She felt her climax begin, and she moved slightly underneath him, re-angling her hips to meet his. When he moved again, he hit her exactly right and her sudden groan echoed through his bedroom. She put her arms around him and pulled him as close to her as she could, not making any real difference, but needing as much of him as possible at once.

“Hey,” he said, smiling slightly.

“Hey,” she replied in a voice that barely quavered.

I, uh,” he stuttered. “I – I am supposed to be at a meeting in, uh, half an hour.”

She had been ordered not to return until the following day. He was on his feet now, sliding towards the door, avoiding her gaze.

“Daniel?” she called after him. He looked at her. “Thank you.”

With a cry half scream and half gasp she came. He kissed her with surprising softness and then drove into her one last time before he climaxed himself. He sighed into her shoulder, and suddenly everything was very quiet. Technically, this fell under the category of ‘anything’, but she couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. When he moved away, she followed him, burrowing into his shoulder and resting one hand upon his chest.

And that had been it. For days, he’d said nothing beyond the necessary daily pleasantries and avoided the infirmary as much as he could. But in briefings or in the mess hall, while their friends talked on obliviously, she’d caught him staring at her, as though trying to figure out who she was and what on earth she had done with Janet Fraiser.

“Daniel?” she said, her breathing returned to normal, but her heart still pounded in her chest.

“Mhmm,” he replied softly.

“You know this isn’t just…” she faltered. “This isn’t just sex.”

“I’d hoped, yeah.”

“I just – ”

“I know.”

“So if you need – anything…”

“Thanks.” She had to get away from him. Now. Now or she would break down just so he would take her in his arms and hold her. It was the first time in days he’d actually spoken right to her, touched her, but she needed to be there for Cassie right now. So she fled.

“What do you want?” he asked, threading his fingers into her hair.

“Everything.” She shivered and he pulled the blankets closer around them. “I was afraid I’d really screwed up. After – last time.”

“I hate to be the cynical realist, but you’re 5’2’’. I’m betting it’s been a while since you physically forced anyone to do anything.” She laughed and found the courage to trace her fingers across his chest. “Come over for dinner tomorrow?”

She raised her head and gaped at him. “How do you do that?”

“Well,” he said, his face betraying no hint of amusement. “It will probably involve a trip to the grocery store.”

“Not that.”

Moving slowly, he pulled her face down to his and began to kiss her. It was a quieter kiss than the others they’d shared, but he showed her a depth of passion she had not counted on ever finding. She felt herself unravel in his arms as a surge of emotions flooded into the void that had been eating her up for weeks now. When he finally released her, she hovered millimetres above his face, both of them grinning like lunatics.

God what a day. She had failed to save her daughter, drugged an innocent bystander, almost killed a sentient, though thoroughly evil, being and disobeyed several direct orders. She looked at the clock. It was 12:30 and Cassie was asleep. Everyone had gone, and she was supposed to go home to her empty house and sleep, comforted only by the knowledge that tomorrow could not be any worse than today. Or whatever day it was.

12:31.

He had said anything.

“Dinner would be great.”

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AN: Yes, I admit it. I use time travel to cheat in fics. Sue me. Or, you know, don’t. You won’t get much anyway. Really, I couldn’t think of any other way to do it that did not involve a really long conversation and frankly, this series is not going to have a lot of conversation.

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