Title: November
29, 1942
Author:
CN Winters
Fandom:
Xena Fanfiction, Xena fanfic, Xena fan fiction, Xena and
Gabrielle fanfiction, Xena fiction
Rating:
Disclaimers:
You already know that Janice and Mel are not mine. This fan
fiction however is however. It involves no sex but it does
involve two women in love so if that’s a problem then I
suggest you find a good general story to read. This is NOT the
sequel to ‘Magic of Egypt’. I just couldn’t get this
little story outta my head so I put it on paper. Muses are
funny that way – they strike hard and usually without rhyme
or reason<G>.
Synopsis: It's
Mel's birthday and she's not happy that Janice forgot.
Feedback:
Feel free to send any comments to cnwinters71@yahoo.com but I
warn you now that outright bashing will get you nowhere. As
always, thanks for reading.
November 29,
1942
Mel was boot stompin’ mad!
She gave plenty of hints. How can a doctor be so dense is
beyond me, Mel grumbled silently to herself. Janice
Covington – DOCTOR Janice Covington, Mel corrected
herself as she clomped to her tent. Demeanor hard as nails.
Head as think as redwood.
Quickly, Mel ducked inside
the flap, but she soon froze.
A man was dressed in a white
tux pouring champagne into a crystal flute glass.
"Ahhh, Miss Pappas.
Please, have a seat."
Slowly, Mel walked over,
taking in the scene – a white silk tablecloth covered a card
table; china plates and bowls lined up neatly next to polished
silverware.
"What the... ?"
"Dr. Covington has
requested that she join you for dinner this evening. Shall I
go fetch her now?" he asked in his thick, Mediterranean
accent.
Mel didn’t answer. Her
mind was too busy trying to catch up to her eyes. Suddenly,
she realized she needed to respond to his question.
"Yes, of course,"
she said quietly.
Without delay the man left.
Mel was busy smelling the fresh cut roses that were on the
middle of the table in a vase (which they found on this latest
dig). She didn’t hear Janice outside. The archeologist paid
the man and added that he was ‘free to go’.
Mel was playing with a rose
petal when she heard a familiar voice ask, "Do you know
how difficult it is to find roses in this part of the
world?"
Mel smiled long before
seeing the face. "No. Tell me," she replied, not
turning around yet.
"Not easy, let me tell
ya..." Mel, who wore a huge smile, then turned to face
Janice. The archeologist added, "but seeing that smile
makes it all worth while."
Janice losed the distance
between them. Casually, she picked up a glass and handed it to
Mel. Only then did she get one for herself.
"Happy Birthday,
Mel," she said in a toast.
The southern belle looked
like she was about to cry.
"Hey! What’s
wrong?" Janice asked sympathetically. "If you
don’t like the damn flowers I’ll get rid of them,"
Janice teased.
Mel gave a half-hearted
grin. "The flowers are beautiful," she insisted.
"All this is beautiful... I just feel bad."
"Why?" Janice
pondered aloud.
"Because I spent the
day cursin’ ya – thinkin’ ya forgot... But ya didn’t
forget. In fact, it’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done
for me."
Janice reached into her
trouser pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Mel blew her
nose and wiped her eyes.
"Feel better?"
Janice asked with a caring grin.
Mel giggled in embarrassment
and nodded. "I’ve been waitin’ years for someone –
some man – to give me a night like this. I never expected it
would be you."
Janice was unsure of how to
compute this admission so she downed her glass of champagne to
buy herself some time.
"You’re a special
lady, Mel," the archeologist said as friendly as
possible. "You deserve special things now and then."
Mel felt herself blush. Now
it was her turn to down her glass. Janice reached for the
bottle and refilled both their flutes. It was then that Mel
saw the markings on the bottle.
"Oh my Janice! How much
did you spend on this evening?"
"The champagne was
nothing compared to the... chicken!"
Upon pausing, Janice lifted
the silver serving tray cover to reveal Mel’s favorite –
country friend chicken. "I’m not sure which was more
difficult to get – those flowers or this damn bird!"
she added in a laugh.
Mel giggled, but soon
started to tear up again at Janice’s generosity.
"Oh no!" Janice
pushed in a mock threat. "You are NOT gonna start again.
I won’t let ya."
With that, Janice turned on
the radio to the Armed Services Network playing some favorites
from ‘The Hit Parade’. Content with the dining music, she
turned to Mel. "Now we eat!" she informed the
southern belle.
Being ever the gallant
hostess, Janice pulled out Mel’s chair for her. Once Mel was
comfortably seated, Janice leaned down to the translator's ear
and softly, sultry tone asked, "Breast or thigh?"
Mel promptly choked on her
champagne she was sipping.
Janice smiled.
Perhaps she’s being
catching all the ‘subtext’ comments I’ve been throwing
at her in recent months, Janice considered silently.
"Are you okay?"
she asked aloud, patting Mel on the back.
Mel nodded and managed a
weak, "Thank you."
"So what’s it going
to be?" Janice asked again.
"Do you have any
legs?" Mel said gingerly.
"I’ve got two,"
Janice whispered before pulling away. A cocky grin hung on her
face.
The archeologist could feel
Mel’s eyes following her as she walked over to the serving
tray. Carefully, she put the two legs on Mel’s plate and
served her a side of black eyed peas – another of Mel’s
favorites.
As Janice sat down, she
could feel Mel’s stare still heavy upon her.
"What?" Janice
finally asked, meeting the intense eye contact.
"You," Mel said
pointedly. "Ya never cease to amaze me, Janice
Covington."
"Is that a good
thing?" Janice replied with her smug grin in place.
"It is tonight,"
Mel said coyly, with a twinkle in her eye.
Janice looked perplexed.
"You mean it isn’t always good?" she asked.
Mel sighed. "Let’s
just say there’s been times when ya’ve scared the life
outta me," Mel giggled.
"Like when?"
Janice argued playfully.
"Ohhh... Like the time
ya decided to see if that rope bridge in Africa was still
functional."
"It wasn’t,"
Janice said casually. "But I only had to climb 30 feet up
that rock ledge."
"Or the time ya decided
to ski... the Alps... on a piece of sheet metal."
"Come on now! You said
it was fun... until we had to find a way to stop," Janice
finished in a guilty whisper.
Mel grinned, but she
didn’t give up. "How about that time in Italy? Ya know,
when ya walked up to that Nazi and told him that – let me
make sure I say this right," Mel stopped trying to put on
her best Yankee voice, " ‘Since I’m part of the
‘master race’ I know for a fact that Hitler is the
illegitimate child of Satan himself’."
Janice laughed aloud. That
was a good one, she remembered.
"Did I lie?!"
Janice argued. "Besides... we out ran him," she
added in her sly grin. "Admit it, Mel. Your life would be
very boring without me around. And deep down inside, you love
to break the rules as much as I do."
Mel gave a sheepish grin as
her response.
"Thought so,"
Janice teased triumphantly.
Mel went back to her meal,
as did Janice. Of course it was sheer torture for the
honey-haired woman as she watched her partner/translator of
three years. Mel would lick her fingers now and again. Janice
was helpless to watch the digits ducking inside the moist
cavern of Mel’s mouth. So helpless that on two separate
occasions she dropped the piece of chicken she was eating.
As they finished, Janice
rose and leaned over the table. She offered the southerner her
hand.
"Might I have this
dance, Miss Pappas," Janice asked playfully.
"Dinner... Drinks...
And now dancing," Mel teased. "If I didn’t know
any better I might think you were trying to seduce me,"
Mel blurted; promptly tensing up. She didn’t intend to make
her growing suspicions vocal, but now it was out there.
Covington for her part was
plotting her response. So she’s not as blind as I
thought.
"Seduction implies
corrupting someone into something they wouldn’t want to
do," Janice observed. "I know you love to break the rules,
Mel, but I would never make you do anything you didn’t want
to do."
Mel grinned, but Janice
could sense a sadness underneath it. She looked...
disappointed?... that she wasn’t being seduced. Janice was
unsure what it all meant, but she would play it by ear
tonight.
Slowly, Mel stood up and
their bodies came together. Janice lightly rested her head on
Mel’s bosom as they swayed back and forth. Aside from the
light, intoxicating perfume and velvet softness of Mel’s
barely exposed flesh. Janice noticed something else –
Mel’s heart rate. It seemed to race out of control.
It had grown too quiet in
the tent, so Janice whispered, "This is nice. It’s been
years since I’ve danced," the archeologist confessed.
"I know what ya
mean," Mel agreed. "Last time I danced was with
Jimmy Burgton at a college ball in ’39."
Mel giggled at the memory.
"What?" Janice
asked.
Mel looked down and met
Janice’s eyes. "My feet hurt for a week." She
smiled. "You’re a much better dancer than him."
Janice pondered Mel’s
comments and considered her answer. Oh what the Hell,
she decided.
"Did your heart pound
as fast for him as it’s pounding now?" Janice smiled.
Mel’s expression fell.
Janice silently wished she could take back the words. Mel,
without comment, stepped from Janice’s embrace. The two
women stood perfectly still, staring at each other.
"Maybe we should call
it a night," Mel suggested. The translator knew she
couldn’t trust herself any longer.
Janice stared at Mel taking
in the jittery, southern belle with great interest.
"I’m sorry Mel if I
offended you in any way. I was only... ", trying to
seduce you... confessing my love... "I
was only trying to show you a good time for your
birthday," Janice finally concluded.
Mel’s shoulders slumped as
Janice turned to leave. She was despondent. Janice went to all
this work and she had managed to ruin it with one nervous
sentence.
"Janice! Wait!"
Mel said walking over to her.
Janice did as Mel requested
and waited for Mel to continue.
"It’s not you Janice.
It’s me," Mel began. "Sometimes I hear ya say
things and I get these... confusin’ feelings."
Mel didn’t continue –
she turned her back and walked to the dining/card table.
Janice KNEW. Her gut
instinct, which was never wrong (well, hardly ever wrong),
told her just what those feelings were.
"What kind of
feelings?" Janice asked softly. She wanted to be a gentle
with the belle, but she was still going to force the issue.
"Funny feelings,"
Mel whispered like a guilty child.
This is gonna be harder
than I thought, Janice figured silently.
"Mel?" Janice
called softly.
Mel wouldn’t turn around
or respond so Janice walked over. She turned the raven-haired
beauty around to face her.
"Please look at
me," Janice ordered softly. Janice took a deep breath. Now
or never, she told herself. "Do you... desire me? I
mean not like a friend, but ... like Jimmy ‘Whatshisface’?"
Mel blushed and
grinned.
"No, Janice," the
belle answered.
Janice tried to keep her
expression in tact – there was still a chance they could
keep their friendship if she revealed nothing in her own
heart. After all, she was just making an assumption, right?
She thought that Mel wanted her romantically – that’s all.
Wasn’t that a correct and true point? They could go on
working happily with each other—no one the wiser to
anything. Mel’s voice however, brought Janice back from her
thoughts.
"I don’t desire you
like Jimmy. I desire you much more."
After she finished, Mel felt
herself tear up. This was it. She prepared herself for
Janice’s disgust and slew of insults she thought she would
receive. The more she thought, the more wet her eyes
became.
"I’m sorry," Mel
said turning away from Janice again.
She missed Janice’s sly
grin. But what she did catch was Janice’s voice begin to
sing with the radio.
"If they asked me, I
could write a book... about the way you walk and whisper and
look... I could write a preface on how we met... so the world
would never forget... And the secret meaning of the plot... is
just to tell them that I love you a lot. And the world
discovers as my book ends... how to make... two lovers... of
friends."
No one spoke for long
seconds. Slowly, Mel turned around and faced Janice.
"Janice, you mean
you-."
Mel didn’t get to finish.
Janice seized her lips with a passionate, yet gentle kiss. She
didn’t want to seem to harsh, but she wanted Mel to
understand the point perfectly clear. The translator got it
– she basked in the delicate texture as she savored the
taste.
When Janice began to pull
away, Mel captured the archeologists face on her hands drawing
her back into another round of kisses – this time they were
just as passionate, but more firm and assured.
After a few moments, Janice
pulled away unsteadily.
"We can’t keep
kissing like this and expect to stay upright," Janice
chuckled.
"Then let’s get
horizontal." Mel grinned, stroking a piece of wayward
hair behind Janice’s ear.
Janice felt her jaw drop,
but quickly regained herself. "No. Not yet," Janice
found her voice saying, ignoring her loins. "Not that I
wouldn’t love to. Nothing would bring me greater pleasure
than to... GIVE you pleasure," she added.
She took Mel by the hand and
walked to the tents flap. "I think we should take things
slow... We’ve waited this long. We can wait a bit longer...
Is that alright with you, Mel?"
"That’s fine,
Janice," Mel said sincerely. "I’ll wait as long as
it takes."
"Oh, don’t
worry," Janice said with a hearty chuckle. "It
won’t be much longer. I guarantee."
Mel smiled again as Janice
stood on her tiptoes. She placed an affectionate, soul binding
kiss on Mel’s cheek.
"Happy Birthday again,
Mel," the archeologist said as she began to leave.
"Thank you for making
it the best one so far in 30 years," Mel answered
sincerely.
Without further words,
Janice walked from Mel’s tent. Mel, touched her cheek where
Janice had just kissed it.
Happy Birthday, Mel
thought affectionately. Happy birthday indeed!
The End
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