Cronelight
by Blade

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Required bumph: They're not mine. Vignette, established relationship (Janet/Teal'c), just romance and stargazing ("moongazing"??). No swearing, nor nothing to frighten the horses. Enjoy. Feedback appreciated.

Minor tiny spoiler for "Hathor", and I think that's it. Unless, of course, you've never heard of Cassandra Fraiser? ;->

Many thanks to Rebecca Crane for her invaluable beta-ing. ;-]

"Cronelight" by Blade, January 2000

On the slope of Cheyenne Mountain there was a lookout post, more scenic than military in this age of computer imaging and radar. Seated close on the wooden bench in the open air of this lookout post were two people: a large form and a tiny one, both wearing parkas, toques and gloves against the frosty stillness of the winter air.

"There! See? It's almost fully into the shadow. There's just a sliver ...", an excited female voice was explaining.

A deep male voice answered, "What gives it its reddish colouration?"

"Sam tells me the rustiness comes from the effect of the Earth's atmosphere, as light passes by us -- it's *our* shadow, after all, falling on the moon. 'We are grey; we stand between the candle and the light." There was laughter in her voice. "Where did I put those binoculars?"

"Babylon 5?", her companion questioned the obvious quotation. He reached past her to the other side of the bench and retrieved her errant binoculars.

The woman chuckled, "Yes, Babylon 5. You and Cassandra will be keeping up with Jack's snappy patter in no time, at this rate." She shook her head fondly.  "Movies I certainly don't mind watching with you two, but sitting through playing catch-up on a five-year series? I'll leave that to people with more free time and energy than I ever have!"

"Cassandra assimilates these references far more readily than I. She seems to have a strong grasp of the sort of things O'Neil wishes to quote."

"Remember, she's also exposed to this sort of thing all day at school -- you have to sound right to fit in at junior high. She's a quick learner, though. Like you."

"In the case of learning to follow this 'snappy patter' O'Neil uses, it is merely self defence."

There was a tiny note of -- what? -- longsuffering resignation in his voice that made her turn and playfully cuff his arm. "You say that as if understanding Jack is the hardest thing you do on mission!"

"Some days, it is."

He was rewarded with her laughter ringing through the quiet of the mountainside. They settled back on the bench and looked up at the sky; she moved a bit closer to him, for warmth as much as anything else.

"I have read that in Earth's past, there was great unrest, great fear at times of eclipse."

"Yes, invisible monsters eating the sun or moon." She fiddled with the focus on the binoculars, then brought them to her eyes and craned her neck upwards. After a moment she sighed in frustration, then grinned slyly at her companion. He raised one eyebrow in question.

Instead of answering, she rose from her seat, brushed a kiss across his cheek in passing, and went around the bench to stand behind him. "Janet?" he queried.

He felt her body lean up against his back, then she braced her elbows on his shoulders and her chin on the top of his head. "All the better to see you with, grandma," she said in a distracted tone. He decided she was addressing the moon.

"Besides," Janet added after a few moments, "this is a lot warmer, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed. However I believe we would find it difficult to comfortably reverse our positions."

Her voice breathed huskily in his ear, "Why? We haven't had any problems with that so far ..."

Turning easily, he slipped one arm around Janet and smoothly lifted her over the backless bench and onto his lap. She happily put her arms around his neck, and they forgot about the eclipse for a few minutes.

When they came up for air, the world was darker, the stars brighter.  Janet turned in Teal'c's grasp until she was facing forward as before -- but this time she was sitting on him instead of the bench, his arms still wrapping her warmly.

Looking up again at the moon, a deep brown now, she frowned. Then she whispered, "Dancing in the Crone's Light ... that's what she meant!"

"Of whom do you speak?"

Janet shook her head a little to clear the odd thought, then leaned back so that she and Teal'c were cheek to cheek, still gazing at the moon. "I had a Wiccan roommate my final year in medicine. Old nature religion, very much in tune with the turn of the seasons and cycles of the moon. We watched a lunar eclipse together one summer night. Selene told me she treasured eclipses of the moon because they showed her all aspects of the moon goddess in one night."

She shifted a little, snuggling further into his warm embrace. "To the Wicca, the full moon represents the Mother aspect of the triple goddess, full and pregnant, you see? The new crescent moon is the Maiden goddess, like the bow of the young huntress. The old crescent is the Crone, the old wise woman who is past childbearing years, but who is a figure of guidance, crowned with knowledge. And the dark of the moon is the Dark Goddess, the warrior woman, although sometimes she's confused with the Crone, too. 'Dancing in the Crone's Light' was dancing in the light of the dark moon, but I never understood how that could be, since during the dark of the moon, the moon and sun are in the same part of the sky."

She paused, considering her next words. "Selene said that, as med students, we needed to be aware of all aspects of the goddess in us: huntress, mother, wise one and warrior. 'Though I think she went into obstetrics because she loved the Mother goddess so much." Janet smiled at that, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Remembering Selene, I feel like I've mostly followed the Crone: some days I feel like the wise old woman of the mountain, healing and scolding and watching over all these children playing soldier!"

Sitting forward a bit, she turned to look at Teal'c, waiting until he turned his eyes from the eclipse's progress to regard her in the dim light. "But you've inspired me to find my warrior woman side. Any other man I've known made me feel weak and helpless and smothered with his protection." She smiled and shook her head wonderingly, "Somehow, you make me feel protected without feeling stifled. Around you, I feel like I can be a warrior, too." Leaning in close, she whispered, "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

"Not since the beginning of the eclipse, no." His understated smile made her grin turn wicked, and she captured his mouth in a burning kiss.

Abruptly, Janet broke away and looked skyward. "How far along is it now?" She exclaimed, "Look, the shadow's starting to pass! There's a tiny crescent of white showing again."

Teal'c pulled her gently back against his chest and held her warmly as they both looked upward. "Janet, every aspect of this moon goddess is familiar to me through observing you. You watch over the personnel of the SGC with the strict wisdom of a matriarch. You are a nurturing mother to Cassandra.  You have shown great courage as a warrior, when we faced Hathor within the Complex, and many times since. You are a huntress who seeks tirelessly for solutions to new diseases. However, ultimately you are Janet, and you have become precious to me."

She turned misty eyes to his, and whispered, "Let's go inside and get warm."

One eyebrow raised, and one corner of his mouth quirked almost imperceptibly. "But I am not cold."

"Oh?"

Janet suddenly slipped form his lap, scooped up a handful of snow, and flung it in Teal'c's face. As he rose liquidly to his feet, she was away, giggling like a schoolgirl, slithering down the path toward the entry to the mountain. He gave her a second or two head start, then lit off in pursuit.

A few minutes later, the guard on duty cleared them through into Cheyenne Mountain. He wondered idly why these two no-nonsense senior members of the SGC were both covered with snow on a moonlit night. As the door closed behind them, he thought he heard soft feminine laughter. No, perhaps better not to wonder about some things, he decided, and turned his attention back to his duty.

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