Author's note: I happened to finish Jake's campaign right on Christmas. Could there be a better timing? ^_^ It coincidentally snowed the same day I was introduced to their snow chapter and that was fun.

Let me know what you think of the story!

Wishes Converge

Sherry sighed and sunk deeper into her recliner. She was texting on her phone to Claire while snuggled up with a mug of hot cocoa. The holidays were here and Christmas meant Claire was away with relatives. Chris had even managed to go with her despite his BSAA duties.

Sherry was envious. Claire had the chance to spend time with her brother for Christmas.

So how are the little rascals? Sherry messaged to her close friend. Claire had told her this particular set of relatives had a huge family.

Monsters. They're hyperactive and way too sugared up. Claire punctuated her sentence with a smiley face.

Monsters. Sherry would never forget the abominations last year in China and Europe. Grotesque, dripping appendages, scaly skin... She tried to purge the horrific images from her mind. Not the thing to think about during this festive season.

The glow of her phone screen matched the twinkling lights on her mini tree. Sherry found comfort in the colored lights, bright and flickering. Perched on the coffee table, the tree was its centerpiece.

Didn't you bring them candy as gifts? Sherry recalled Claire had mentioned it before leaving on her trip.

Just a couple bags. Bad move.

Sherry imagined the brunette sighing. At the prompt of gifts, Sherry typed. Did you pass one to Leon before going?

Of course. I snuck a bag through all the high security. He was jumping for joy, I'll tell ya.

Letting out a giggle at the mature Leon doing such a thing, Sherry smiled. She still remembered those years ago when his auburn hair was identical in color to Claire's. His hair color, among other things, had changed about him.

But his caring for people's welfare never did. Leon had wished the two ladies a merry Christmas over a phone conference. His busy schedule didn't give him many vacation days, but he made the effort to spread some holiday cheer the best he could.

Well, havoc, anyway. Creating chaos between her, Claire and Chris had been the looniest conversation Sherry took part in.

Leon had prefaced the talk with "spending special time with Claire" as Chris listened in, knowing that would get a rise out of the soldier. Everyone but Chris was in on the joke and Sherry found it so hard not to blow her cover as she pretended to side with the "couple" to fuel the loud arguing. Somehow, the topic of Santa and a motorized sleigh entered in the middle.

How's Jake? The question popped up on the screen.

Sherry paused. The two of them texted often, usually when Jake was between missions. On sporadic occasions, he'd even send messages while in the middle of one. She called him insane for doing so, but in his casual way he assured her he wasn't actually in a firefight while texting, as if this weren't obvious.

On rarer occasions, Jake and she chatted on the phone. Tried to, anyway. Sherry tended to converse with his voice mail. At first, she always hung up before his greeting message finished, convinced he only used his phone to check the time. Nearly every time she called he wasn't there.

As she wanted to hear from him more and more, she let the greetings reach to the end and left chatter in her wake. Jake would respond eventually and Sherry took delight in receiving his calls. Why, just some hours earlier he said he had taken another assignment.

But she missed him. As Jake didn't usually have much opportunity to sit down and talk for hours, Sherry couldn't really confirm if he felt the same. He was the lone type, always moving from one situation to another without overly attaching himself to the emotions for any event.

Sherry stared at his name, black font on white background. Claire was fine. Leon was, too. Chris, who she heard about peripherally from Claire, was doing well. So Jake must also be well.

And Sherry typed those words. Jake is doing great.

Claire and Sherry spent a couple minutes longer idly chatting before Claire had to go.

Sherry peered out the window at the blanket of snow frosting the streets and rooftops. She needed an afghan. She had a perfect one with squiggles that she used every year during these cold months.

She fetched it out of the hallway closet and shook it open. She draped it around her neck when a knock on the front door sounded.

Telemarketers. She rolled her eyes. They were coming around so often with the holidays.

Sherry opened the door. For an unbelieving instant, she thought her eyes betrayed her. Jake stood on the doorstep, snow dusting his heavy coat. She didn't say anything. Couldn't because she was speechless from his unexpected arrival. He was supposed to be somewhere else.

Jake then smiled. The cockiness in the slight curve in his mouth reminded Sherry of their first meeting.

"You gonna let me freeze out here, super girl?"

A rush of tangled emotions threw her forward. The afghan flew back onto the floor when her arms wrapped around his waist. His quick breath indicated his surprise. The mixing swirl of home heat and frigid wind made her shiver, but she didn't care. "Hi, Jake!"

"Hmm, good solution. I don't mind." His strong arms lightly squeezed around her shoulders in response.

"Merry Christmas!" they uttered simultaneously. They chuckled.

A blast of icy snow in her hair made her squeak at the cold. She reluctantly let go to invite him in. Sherry nudged shut the door. She had to bite her lip to contain her excitement, impatiently waiting for Jake to settle in before peppering him with questions. He could at least have a minute to take his coat off.

Jake could tell, as his grin widened further. Deliberately, he removed his coat and scarf with the ease of a very relaxed person. He kneeled to work on the laces on his boots, leisurely picking one eyelet after another.

"You look like you've got a 50 million dollar question that requires asking." Laughter infused in Jake's eyes as his boots slipped off.

"How did you get away from your job?" Sherry blurted out, wanting to find out as badly as a kid wanted to open a Christmas gift. This was one present that couldn't stay a mystery.

Jake, scooping her blanket in his grasp, stood. The broadness of his shoulders struck a nostalgic pang in Sherry.

"Get away? I finished it."

"That was fast." Sherry couldn't have asked for a better treat this month.

An impish crook of Jake's eyebrows followed with, "Special mission. It didn't take long at all. I happened to be in the neighborhood."

The furtive way his eyes darted away from hers gave Sherry pause. She let the issue go, wanting to revel in his presence.

He had leaned up over the months. The crew-cut on top of his head had grown in a bit. Not by much to make a drastic visual change, though.

Sherry must have pondered for too long, as Jake canted his head to draw her attention. She only had a blink's moment before Jake playfully tossed the fabric right over her head.

"Hey!" Sherry couldn't see anything else but darkness.

She felt a tap on top of her head. "C'mon, babe, where are those lightning-fast reflexes?"

"It's my day off." With a fling of her arms, Sherry shot the blanket back at Jake, expecting to hit his face.

"Wha-ha!" Jake whipped his arm down and batted the flying blanket, thwarting her plan. He exulted with pumped fists in the air.

Shaking her head, Sherry pushed her messy hair out of her eyes. His reflexes were as good as they ever have been.

She walked in the direction of the kitchen. Gesturing toward the living room, she said, "Have a seat. I'll bring you a hot drink of the gods in a minute."

"How can I turn that down? Mmm." Sherry heard Jake say as he went to sit.

Taking out a mug from a cabinet, Sherry began humming as she prepared to make another piping hot cup of cocoa. She fiddled with the stove to boil water and rummaged through more cabinets to find ingredients.

Marshmallows were around here somewhere. Sherry hadn't used any for her drink and she couldn't remember where the bag was. Normally she slurped the chocolate straight.

"C'mon, I know you've gotta be on one of these shelves." Sherry pulled open a snack drawer. Nothing. Trying a closet of mishmashed items, she took a good long peruse at the overstuffed shelves. Pasta packages, dried fruit, some jars of pickles and olives; she pushed these aside as she poked in her head for a better look. Was it bad some of these things looked unfamiliar?

She checked upwards and ran a hand across the edge of the highest shelf. She couldn't see past the first row of items. She never could get in to the very depths of this shelf unless she dragged a chair over.

"I really should chuck some of this stuff out- oh yes!" Sherry's fingertips skimmed the corner of the marshmallow bag. Just her luck it got tossed closer to the back than the front. She rose onto her toes, groping for it. She was going to get it without assistance.

Her calves burned as the plastic bag kept teasing her with its nearness. She could do this, she could do this.

Her fingers kept slipping on the plastic. The bag bunched the more she pried at it, slowly giving her a better grip.

At last, her palm seized the bag. Her calves chose to give out and she stumbled back.

Sherry yelped and tried to grab the shelf. She missed. She would have fallen to the floor were it not for a pair of steady arms around her the waist.

She sighed in relief and patted Jake's chest. "Thanks. I didn't think finding stuff could be so perilous."

"Hey, no problem." Jake nodded.

Jake didn't let her go right away. He kept staring down, his intense blue eyes taking in the details of her face. She began to flush when he didn't stop.

"D-Did you want something?" While liking their close contact, Sherry sensed Jake had something to say.

His throat bobbed. A nervous twitch settled between his brows. Jake suddenly gathered her in a hug, fierce and wordless.

Sherry froze. His gesture felt almost desperate, like he had to do it and hold on. The pounding of his heartbeat surprised Sherry.

Maybe Jake had thought of her more than she initially assumed. She returned his squeeze.

"God, I wish I did this sooner." Jake barely whispered his lament.

What he meant, Sherry wasn't exactly sure. Holding her? Visiting? But he didn't need to elaborate; his message was the same as hers: "I missed you, too."

Jake pulled away, his eyes bright. "Tell me everything you've been up to, 'k? I wanna hear it all."

Sherry felt a happy swoop. "You've got to do the same."

"Deal." He cleared his throat. "Y'know that job I finished amazingly quick? It wasn't a paid thing."

"Oh?" Jake had told her stories of taking on less than lucrative jobs.

"Getting here was the job. I lied; it took forever. You live in a maze, girl. All these homes look alike when they're frosted over."

Sherry burst out laughing. Jake took the marshmallow bag she handed to him.

He glanced at it. "Erm..."

"Yes?" His expression towards the confection wasn't overly enthusiastic.

"Got any apple cider?"

His fruit of choice. Of course. "Yeah, but..." She pointed at the infernally high shelf.

"This really is my lucky day."

As Sherry saw Jake pawing through foodstuffs in search of his beloved beverage of choice, she thought the same thing.

- THE END -