Tis’ The Season

Title: Tis’ The Season

Author: Suz W.

Feedback: Let me know your thoughts!

Spoilers: After Out Of Mind and Into the Fire (episode tag)

Rating: PG

Category: S/J Friendship

Summary: Jack and Sam rediscover Christmas together.

Disclaimer: All publicity recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended.

Copyright: The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Copyrighted on November 24, 2003, by Suzanne R. Whitmarsh.

Author’s Notes: This story follows “A Snowy Adventure (part 2)”. It contains more spoilers from the episodes listed above than normal, so be careful if you haven’t already seen them.

Dedication: To Lynn, Olivia, LeeLoo, Jenny, Allison, Lilly, and Allie—your continued support of my writing has kept me going strong. Your friendship and encouragement helps to motivate the writer that I am still discovering. In this Christmas season, there is so much to be grateful for, and so many blessings to remember. I remember each of you! And to all those devoted to Sam and Jack! I hope that this holiday season will bring each of you the joys, miracles, dreams, blessings, family, friends, and fun that is Christmas! May we always remember the reason for the season!

It had been a long five hours since their return through the Stargate from their last mission. Having been held prisoner for three weeks on Hathor’s planet had done nothing to help the time pass faster. The amount of paper work that had piled up in his absence was enough to cover his entire desk, with extra to spare. And of course, the three-hour de-briefing had to have been a record.

‘For crying out loud,’ Jack grumbled to himself as he walked down the deserted hallway towards his office. ‘It’s Christmas Eve. You’d think that Santa Clause could have paid us a visit and at least given us the gift of a shorter de-briefing.’ Hearing his own throaty grumble being echoed down the corridor, he sighed heavily. ‘Quit complaining, Jack. It’s not like you have any special plans for tonight anyway.’

In fact, it seemed the whole base had been deserted. Only a light staff had been on duty upon their return through the Gate, and though the General had wanted to leave immediately himself, he insisted on getting the details of their ordeal first before leaving to go spend time with his family. He had felt more apart of this mission than others before now, since he himself had assisted Teal’c in their subsequent rescue. Jack had to admit to himself as he continued towards his office that he had been very impressed at Hammond’s conviction at getting them back. He didn’t know many Generals who would have gone to those lengths in order to see a team under his command return safely.

As he rounded the corner, a light coming from Sam’s lab caught his attention. He was sure he was the only one left that wasn’t scheduled to be on the upcoming night shift. ‘Maybe she left a light on,’ Jack thought to himself. As he walked into the doorway, he stopped short, amazed to find her completely absorbed into something she was working on.

He cleared his throat. “Hey, Carter, what’s up? I’m surprised that you’re still here. You don’t want Santa to skip your house because you aren’t there to lay out the milk and cookies.”

Sam softly laughed, giving him a warm smile. “Hey, Colonel. I don’t think you have to worry about that. Santa probably wouldn’t eat my cookies anyway. Remember, I’m not exactly the expert in the kitchen.”

Jack smiled at her as he walked closer, coming to a stop at the edge of her counter. He leaned over it, resting comfortably on his arms. His fingers found a pencil lying in front of them, and they picked it up and started twirling it absentmindedly as he looked up at her. “Oh now, Carter, don’t say that. I can specifically remember that you managed to make a pretty darn good apple pie.” Jack’s memory floated back a few months to when he had paid her a visit after she had been on a leave of absence from the SGC, due to her infestation by Jolinar. He had decided to lift her spirits by trying to learn how to cook together. They had a great time together, and despite the mess in her kitchen, had managed to make a really good meal. Jack treasured those kinds of memories, for anytime he got to spend with Sam outside the base was special to him. He knew he was just making things worse for himself, but he was long past he point of denying to himself that he hadn’t fallen for her. She got to him in a way no one else in his life ever had.

Sam smiled at the same memories that Jack was remembering. “Well, that’s a little different. I had your help with that.” They looked at each other briefly before Sam went on. “If you don’t mind me asking, Sir, what are you still doing here?”

“Well, after our nice long de-briefing, I figured that I would try to dive into the paperwork that Hathor so graciously generated for me. Three weeks of being imprisoned by a Goa’uld tends to do that.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Sam said, her memory flashing back to the last three weeks of their lives, though they could only remember part of it, since the rest had been spent being cryogenically frozen. Not wanting to rehash those memories just yet, she snapped her thoughts back to the present. “Where are Daniel and Teal’c?”

Jack shook his head and smiled at her. “Carter, you do remember that it’s Christmas Eve, right? I mean, most people tend to want to go home on a night like this.” Jack could see that his attempt at sarcasm had not gone over well. Giving her a half apologetic smile, he went on. “Daniel high-tailed it out of here right after the de-briefing, mumbling something about a yearly get together with some old college pals. Teal’c’s back on Chulak for a few days. I guess it didn’t take him long to figure out that most people around here like to forget about work during this time of year. With apparently the exception of you and me.”

Sam gave him a sad smile and looked down at her desk. “Yeah, well, I just didn’t feel much like celebrating. I mean, what’s the point. My dad’s off world somewhere, and since we didn’t get back until today, I can’t make it out to my brother’s house in time to celebrate with them. So, I figured instead of sitting at home looking at an undecorated house, I’d just work on one of the many projects I’ve been needing to get to.”

Jack felt like a heel. He could see that he had managed to force her to remember the fact that she wasn’t having a traditional Christmas this year. Without her family around, she really couldn’t. Jack gently put down the pencil he’d been playing with and reached out, placing a hand on her arm. When she looked up at him, he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Sam shook her head, hoping to drive away the tightness in her throat. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. What about you?”

Jack gave her a smile. “Well, truth is, I haven’t really celebrated Christmas since Charlie died. I just didn’t see the fun in it anymore. So, each year, I rather find a nice hockey game on TV, accompanied by several good, cold beers, or I drown myself in work. Hence, why I’m here now.”

“I guess I need to be the one apologizing now. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” Sam gave him a sympathetic smile before reaching down to straighten her desk. Not that it needed straightening. It’s just that Jack made her heart pound a little faster every time he came near, and this tended to make her habits a little more nervous. And even though this drove her nuts, she secretly loved it. It made her feel like a schoolgirl all over again, a very happy one at that. It gave her mind the chance to forget about all of the things that ran through it on a daily basis, and just focus on the fact that she was crazy about this man.

Jack watched as she quietly shuffled through papers he knew she really wasn’t seeing. Her hair and skin glowed under the light from her lamp. He knew that he could stand there forever and just watch her. Suddenly, he had an idea. “Hey, I’ve got it. I just found the perfect assignment for you and I to complete tonight.”

Sam looked at him warily. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing going on for the next few days here.”

Jack gave her a playful smile. “Oh, I’m not talking about staying on base. We’re not going to both sit here, wallowing in self pity, while I have a perfectly good house that needs decorating.”

Sam rolled her eyes at him. “Jack, it’s Christmas Eve. Don’t you think it’s a little late to be decorating?”

“Not in the least. Heck, some people even make it their personal tradition not to decorate their tree until tonight. And I refuse to sit back and watch both of us work away the night when we can have some fun together.”

Sam smiled at Jack as he explained his reasoning to her. His face just got more handsome every time he got excited about something. It seemed to light up her lab, and his enthusiasm was infectious. “Oh, I don’t know, Jack, I have all these things to do…”

“Carter, don’t make me order you to do this. It will take away some of the fun in being spontaneous. Besides, what will Santa think when he comes to my house and doesn’t have a tree to leave all those presents under?” Jack was looking at her with shining eyes.

“Well, do you have a tree?” Sam could feel herself being easily swayed.

“No problem. A stop at a local Christmas tree lot will take care of that. And as for decorations, well, like I said, it’s been awhile since I’ve done this, but I’m pretty sure I have a few boxes stored in the attic somewhere.” Jack waited for her answer, feeling excited for the first time in a long time about doing something for Christmas. And besides that, he wanted to do this for her. She deserved a good Christmas, especially since she was use to them. He didn’t want to see sad all night long because she was missing her family. He just wanted to make her happy; doing so made him happy.

Sam could see how much this meant to him, and now knowing that he hadn’t shown this kind of enthusiasm for Christmas since Charlie died, who was she to turn him down. And it sounded like a lot of fun; spending time with Jack always turned out to be adventurous. Their ski trip and subsequent accident had happened only a week before their last mission, and she had really enjoyed herself. Of course the accident hadn’t been much fun, but Jack had taken care of her, nursing her back to health. She would never be able to show him enough gratitude for that. And though they hadn’t talked much about the whole ordeal once they had been rescued, Sam could tell that something had happened when she had been delirious with a fever. What that was, she didn’t know, but she was determined to find out. She didn’t want to press him, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She could only hope that by spending more time with him, she would eventually be able to get him to tell her what happened.

Realizing that she had left him without an answer, she gave him a quick, apologetic smile. “Well, I guess we’d better go give a lonely Christmas tree a home. It sounds like fun.”

Jack stood up and gave her a big grin. “Great! Let’s get going! If we start early enough, we may even have enough time to try our hand at baking those Christmas cookies that Santa is expecting.”

Sam laughed and stood up. Shutting off her light, she grabbed her keys and headed out of her lab, locking it behind her. They headed to Jack’s office so he could grab his coat and keys, and five minutes later, they were headed to the surface, both suddenly anxious to experience the Christmas spirit.

Jack pulled into his driveway while Sam parked her car on the street. Houses all around them glimmered warmly with strings of Christmas lights. The yard next door displayed a group of brightly lit deer, which moved their heads up and down in a friendly greeting. And down the street, a group of carolers could be heard singing the old, familiar tunes that made the meaning of Christmas that much more special.

They unload the pine tree that they had found at one of the local tree lots, and Sam held open the door as Jack haphazardly pushed it through the door. She couldn’t help but laugh as she watched him trying to maneuver the tree around his furniture. She had offered her assistance, but Jack had stubbornly told her he could do it himself. As he made his was around the couch, Jack forgot about the small end table that sat to the side of it. He rammed the tree into the table, and the force of the hit made him lose his grip on the tree. Tumbling forward, he fell headfirst into the tree, and rolled off.

“Oh, for crying out loud! Stupid table!” Jack picked himself up off the floor and kicked the leg of the table in frustration. Hearing a familiar female laugh, he turned around to see Sam trying to control a fit of laughter at his expense. “Well, I’m glad that once again, I’ve managed to amuse you!”

Sam tried to control her laughter, and walked over to Jack. “I’m really sorry,” she said, though not sincerely enough to be believable. “Are you okay?”

“Fine! Thanks for the concern.” Jack was trying to stay mad, but it was impossible when he was around her. She had an affect on him that prevented him from staying mad for long. “Why are you still laughing?” Jack felt a smile tugging at his lips.

“Well,” Sam said, giving him a silly grin, “it’s just that…well, you have pine needles stuck all over your hair.”

Jack’s hands went to his head. Immediately, his hands came into contact with a mass of pine needles. “Great! Well, here’s an idea! Why don’t we just decorate my head!”

“Oh, don’t be such a big baby,” Sam said, still quietly laughing. “Here, let me help. Hold still.”

Jack held his breath as she drew close enough to reach up into his hair and gently start picking out pine needles. Her fingers ran softly through his hair, sending chills down his spine. Closing his eyes briefly, he tried to control the feeling that was ravaging his soul.

Sam loved the feel of his hair between her fingers. It was so soft and silky, as streaks of silver and gray played in the light at her touch. She suddenly realized how close they were, and felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. Drawing back, she looked at him. “There. I think I got most of them.” Their eyes locked and each of them held their breath without knowing it. After a moment, Sam blinked, bringing the world back, and looked down at her hands. “Well, let me go throw these away and then I’ll help you set up that tree before anymore furniture gets abused.”

Jack smiled at her, grateful for the lighter moment. “Haha, very funny. Don’t trip on the stairs and spill those all over yourself.” As Sam turned back and gave him an eye roll and a smile, he flashed back to when the electricity had gone out during that fall storm, and she had just happened to be carrying cheesecake. After tripping down his stairs, she ended up wearing their dessert. He smiled to himself and turned back to the tree, picking it up and moving it to the corner of the room.

Twenty minutes later, Jack had managed to climb up to his attic and dust off two boxes containing Christmas items. He had also found the tree stand he knew he had put up there somewhere. Coming back into the living room, Sam had found some Christmas music on the radio, and had it playing softly in the background. Seeing her waiting for him in his living room gave his heart a happy leap. After getting the tree positioned into it’s stand, they began to sort through the ornaments in the boxes.

Jack picked up a ceramic ornament that was in the shape of a star. Holding it between his hands, he smiled. “I remember when Charlie came home from school with this one year. His art class had been making ceramic ornaments all week, and he was so proud when he handed it to me. He said this way, I’d always have a star from the sky on our tree.”

Sam hung the ornament that she had in her hand on a tree branch, and looked back at him. He had become silent, and she could see that his eyes glistened a little more in the light. Not knowing how far to intrude, she reached over and placed her hand over his that held the ornament. “I’m sorry Jack. If this is too much for you, we don’t have to do it.”

Jack sniffed and blinked quickly. “No, I’m fine. I just haven’t looked at these since…he died.”

Sam smiled warmly at him. “Well, it’s a beautiful ornament. I bet he made it because he knew how much you love looking at the stars in the sky. And I know how proud he would be of you now. After all, you get to travel through the stars on practically a daily basis.”

Jack took his free hand and covered hers that held his other hand. “Thanks, Sam. That means a lot. What do you say we hang his ornament together? After all, you travel with me.”

Sam didn’t protest. She didn’t know if that was the reason he wanted her to hang it with him, or if it was because he didn’t have the strength to do it on his own, but she didn’t ask. Standing up, they walked over to the tree and hung the star carefully near the top of the tree. They continued to decorate the tree, with Jack telling stories about nearly every ornament. And with each story, Sam felt closer to him. They laughed, and then would have a serious moment, and then would laugh again.

Once they had hung the last ornament, they stood back to admire the beautiful tree. It held so many precious memories, old and new. After a while, Jack looked over at Sam. They had turned the lights out temporarily to get the full effect of the glowing tree, and Jack was amazed at how the multi-colored lights reflected off her eyes, skin, and soft smile, making her even more beautiful than he thought possible. Trying to control his thoughts, he looked back at the tree and smiled.

“Well, now I’m spoiled. We’re going to have to make this a yearly tradition. I know you have a family and all, but maybe we can find one night to do it. It just wouldn’t be the same without you.” Jack looked at her with hope in his face.

“I would love to. And actually the family obligation stopped being so obligatory quite a few years ago. My brother and I aren’t that close anymore. We sort of lost touch with each other after my Mom died. And as for my Dad, well, you know his new status. I seriously doubt I will see him each year. I’m sure Selmac has her own traditions that she likes to follow.” Sam sighed softly and looked at him. “So, it sounds like we can plan on it.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jack said, his heart singing a happy tune. “No one should be without someone around the holidays. I guess tonight has reminded me of that.”

They lost themselves in each other’s eyes momentarily. Christmas had found both of them again, and neither one of them ever wanted to lose it again. After a few moments, Jack smiled and walked over to the light switch, flicking it on a low setting. He walked over to the window and peered out. A smile slowly appeared on his face, and he turned around, grinning at her.

Sam couldn’t help but smile back at him. “What mischief is going through your mind now, Jack. You’re not contemplating teepeeing another tree house are you?”

Jack laughed at the memory of their recent Halloween prank on those obnoxious kids that lived a few houses down from Sam. “No, but we are going to have to go outside.”

“What! Why? It’s freezing out there!” Sam protested.

“Yep, and, it’s snowing!”

“So?”

“So,” Jack said lightheartedly, “I remember someone telling me that it was a tradition to build a snowman with one of the first snowfalls every year, and since we seem to be building on old traditions tonight, why stop with the tree! Are you up for it?”

Sam hesitated for only a moment. She couldn’t say no when he looked at her like that. “Sure, why not!”

After suiting up for the cold, they bounded out Jack’s front door and found themselves in snow that went up to the middle of their shins. The night was beautiful. Delicate snowflakes drifted down slowly from the sky, landing gently on the already blanketed white ground. The air was still, except for an occasional brush of breeze that caused the crystal snowflakes to dance in the night air, swirling down in a glistening light, reflecting off the warm light pouring out of Jack’s front windows. As Sam and Jack stood admiring the peace that surrounded them, the snow gradually began to accumulate on their hair, eyelashes, and coats.

Jack looked at Sam, noticing how her cheeks had turned to a perfect pink, and smiled. “So, are you ready to build the best snowman ever!”

“Yes, sir!” Sam gave him a playful salute and bent down, compacting a small ball of snow, and started rolling it. Jack did the same thing, suddenly feeling like he was a young boy again.

“So, do you have a special way of making a snowman? You said that you always made one with your Dad.” Jack was enjoying getting to know Sam on such a personal level.

“Not really. I just usually tried to get the balls to the exact mathematical portion that they needed to be, in order for each of them to fit just right. Do you have a measuring tape lying around?”

Jack stopped his rolling motion and just looked at her, stunned.

Sam caught his look. “What?”

Jack tried to keep himself from realizing that she was probably one of the nerds in school that he use to make fun of. Smiling at her, he shook his head. “Yes, I have one, and NO, you may not use it. Sam, it’s a snowman, not a science project. I can see that I need to corrupt your traditional snowman building way of thinking.” When Sam just stared at him, he went on. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, Carter, it’s okay, really. You’re going to help me build the best lop-sided snowman this state has seen, and we may even dress him up!”

Sam blinked and smiled at his scolding. She hadn’t realized until that moment that maybe she didn’t know how to really have fun. Jack was beginning to show her that. So for the next 30 minutes, they rolled the snow together into three unequally proportioned balls of snow, placing one on top of the other until they had their first snowman. Sam was having so much fun that she even amazed herself in thinking that their lop-sided snowman was better than any she’d ever made before. As she stood admiring it, Jack ran into the garage, emerging a few minutes later with a few things in his hands, one of which was a fishing pole.

Sam looked at him with a curious grin. “A fishing pole? Is this an O’Neill tradition?”

Jack smiled at her. “Not really, but I just thought that we could add the personal touch to him. Hence, the fishing gear! Every good snowman needs a good fishing hat and pole.” Demonstrating, he placed the hat on the snowman, and positioned the pole so that it stood up against the stick that was used for one of the arms of the snowman. Stepping back, he looked it over and smiled contently.

“Well, I must say, Jack, you’ve definitely given me a new way of looking at building snowmen.” Sam smiled at him, enjoying herself.

Seeing her suddenly shiver, he took one last look at their masterpiece. “Well, how ‘bout we head indoors before each of us become frozen ourselves!”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

They headed indoors, and Jack led the way to the kitchen. Looking at the clock, he found that it was already 2200 hours. “Well, we still have time to throw some cookies into the oven for Santa, if you’re game. I’ve got the refrigerated cookie dough, so we don’t have to worry about actually trying out skill at a recipe.” Jack didn’t want the evening to end just yet, and he hoped that she felt the same way.

Sam, hoping to find another reason to stay, happily agreed. Cutting up the cookie dough, they placed them into the oven after it had been pre-heated. They sat down at the kitchen table and waited for the cookies to be done. Drinking hot coffee to warm the chill in their bones that they’d gotten while playing in the snow, they talked and laughed, reminiscing about the evening that had just played out. It felt so natural, so real, so right, for both of them.

Jack watched Sam laugh at the things he was saying. He couldn’t remember another Christmas Eve where he’d been so relaxed, so himself. Sara had always tolerated his love of sarcasm, but he tried to keep it to a minimum because he knew that she didn’t truly find it funny all the time. But that wasn’t the case with Sam. He never felt like he couldn’t be himself around her, never felt like she was judging him. It wasn’t hard for him to understand how easily he had allowed himself to fall for her. The only problem was that he couldn’t do anything about it. That part of the equation was slowly tearing him apart.

It was becoming more difficult on missions to keep his wits about him. Constantly concerned for her safety, he had decided that the best way to handle that issue was to keep her as close to him as possible. On their last mission, he had wanted to die himself when he was told that she, along with the rest of his team, was dead. He couldn’t imagine going on without her. And, when he figured out that she was still alive, the joy that had filled his heart had actually scared him.

He had been terrified for her when he discovered Hathor attempting to kill Sam with the ribbon device after she had freed him from the chamber. Despite how cold and stiff his body was, the adrenaline that rushed through him at seeing her in troubled propelled him out of the chamber. She had come back for him, had saved him, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her if he could help it. Using his hate for Hathor to propel him forward, he had grabbed her, and threw her over the side of the platform to her death into the cold cryogenic liquid below them. After taking a few breaths, he looked behind him, only to find Sam unconscious on the floor. Not knowing if he had gotten to Hathor in time to save Sam, he frantically reached down for her, calling her name in desperation a second time, pulling her up to him when she didn’t answer. He remembered the overwhelming relief that had flooded his body when she came to and appeared to be okay. Not caring about regulations but only that she was alive (and that he was freezing), he took her in his arms, holding her tighter than he’d ever done before.

The timer dinged, bringing him back to reality. They got up and took the cookies out of the oven, each taking a few to enjoy for themselves while they were still hot. Sam watched Jack with a light heart as he munched hungrily on one of his cookies. It amazed her at how much joy this man had brought into her life. She had never really felt so alive. Her life had always been so serious. She was always planning her next step, mapping out the ways to get there. But with Jack, she found herself able to enjoy the moments that came with living, showing her that life could be so much more than meticulous planning and accomplishments. That it was okay to just be Sam, with no other expectations attached.

She had been so afraid of losing him when she was forced to watch Hathor implant that Goa’uld into him. She wanted to strike out at her for trying to destroy the one person who had been able to show her a lighter side to life. More than that, she remembered the pain that had come with her implantation, and she wanted to spare him from that. Using the generator as her excuse to Colonel Maypiece, she went back into the compound not only to blow up the generator, but also to find Jack, and hopefully save him, though she didn’t know how. Upon discovering that an undercover Tok’ra had managed to stop the blending, her heart raced with anticipation and hope as she opened the chamber and found that Jack was truly Jack. The next thing she could remember was feeling Jack’s hands on her arms, and felt the warm strength in his embrace. As he shivered in her arms, she held onto him for dear life, thankful to even have the chance to do so.

An hour later, Sam found herself saying goodbye to Jack. Not wanting to leave, but not having an excuse to stay, they each gave the other a warm smile to fill their dreams that night. As Sam walked to her car, she thought about the evening she had just had, and how much fun it had been. The wind had picked up, but the snow had stopped. Brushing off her windshield with her gloved hand, she looked up at the clearing night sky. The stars twinkled brightly in the heavens, and she thought of the star ornament that they had hung on the tree together. Finding a star that appeared brighter than the rest, she smiled.

“I promise you, Charlie,” Sam whispered into the night air. “I will do my best to keep your Dad as happy as he makes me.” Taking in a deep breath of cold air, she continued. “I usually don’t place many wishes upon the stars. But you’ve inspired me tonight. So, maybe you could give your Dad a nudge in my direction, if you think his heart is ready. I don’t know if it would work, but I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge.”

As Sam got into her car and started to drive away, she didn’t know if it was wishful thinking, or just the magic that Christmas can bring, but her heart suddenly told her she was going to get the chance to make her wish come true.

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