Title: Christmas Wishes
Author: KellethMetheus
Spoilers: none
Category: Drama
Summary: A little snap of Christmas for our Clone and Cassie in season 8.
Disclaimer: Not mine never will be not matter how much I wish it otherwise.
Warnings: None
Challenge use the words attic, vicious, apron and shower but never did get the bonus phrase in there. "I don't want to drive an egg."
Thanks to TigerlillyBrown for looking over this one.
~0o0o0~
Jon O'Neill, Jack's duplicate, leaned on the kitchen doorway watching Cassandra Fraiser make pies. She didn't seem to notice that he was there as she wiped her hands on her apron and tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear. It was shorter now that the two of them were at the Academy, but she was still amazing to look at.
She had come over early from Sam's house to make some of the preparations for Christmas dinner, which Cassie was in charge of this year because Sam wasn't home. Both she and Pete were in Denver at the Shanahan house for the season, having a merry Christmas while those that stayed had to watch Jack viciously self-destruct.
Until now, all of Cassie's Christmases were a happy, jolly time, but this year it wasn't shaping up to be, at least so far. Early last spring, Janet had been killed while off world, and Sam was getting married to someone who wasn't Jack.
This meant instead of the jolly, fun-loving Jack, the man she thought of as a father was grumpy, sullen, and prone to drink his way through too many bottles of Guinness on the nights he didn't have to be at the SGC the next day.
Both he and Cassie had been off for winter break from the Academy for a few days. He'd tried to keep her away from the house to give Jack time to stop being stupid, but that hadn't worked. Now it was time to snap Jack out of his funk and make sure that Cassie had a merry Christmas. It was going to start with decorating the tree he and Cassie had picked out yesterday. That meant he had to get the decorations from the attic.
Somewhere in the house the shower turned on, telling Jon he was running out of time to execute his plan. Stepping into the kitchen, he said, "Cassie, I want to show you something. He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen over to the window in the living room. The sun was shining and the snow was lightly falling.
Then from his pocket he drew out a small box. "I'm not supposed to buy you a ring yet, but I wanted to give you this. I know I can't drive away all the darkness in your life but I need –" he stopped and drew a breath as he opened it to show a Claddagh ring on a chain. It was silver with trinity knots clasping the heart. It was modeled after one that was in my family for years. "This is my promise to you, Cassie. When we're done at the Academy, we'll do it right, but for now I want you to know what this is between us. I love you and I want to share my life with you today, tomorrow, always," Jon told her, feeling a little overwhelmed himself.
Cassie looked over at Jon as tears filled her eyes. "I don't know what to say. It's beautiful," she told him as she reached up and touched his cheek. "I love you so much, Jon. Thank you. Will you put it on?" she asked, gathering her hair.
Jon gently lifted the chain and put it around her neck, kissing the back of it before closing the clasp. She spun around in his arms and softly kissed his lips and then laid her head down on his heart. Jon wrapped his arms around her, grateful to be loved.
Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas.