Visions of Sugarplums
By Tracy
Summary: Jack gets delayed on the way to Daniel's Christmas party
Season: Seven/Eight
Spoiler(s): "Grace" "Affinity"
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Rating: PG
Archive: Yes, please
Feedback: YES PLEASE!
Author's notes: Something a co-worker said about things going wrong at Christmas inspired this. Oh, and I realize this is really, really corny, but it's Christmas time, and when is corny more appropriate, I ask you?
Disclaimer: The wonderful people from SG-1 are not mine, sadly, but MGM does own them, and I promise them I'm just borrowing them for a little while. No profit will be made on this, ever.
SJSJSJSJSJ
"I don't wanna go to this stupid Christmas party," Jack mumbled under his breath. Walter Harriman had come into his office for the third time in the last hour to remind him about the party at Daniel's house, but Jack stubbornly remained at his desk. The last time Walter had dared venture into his office, Jack had all but growled at him. Walter had held up his hands in a placating manner and confessed that Colonel Carter had made him promise to get Jack going by 1900 hours—or else.
"Or else, what?" Jack asked.
Walter shuddered in an exaggerated manner. "I don't let myself think about it, sir."
Jack sighed and dropped his pen on his desk in defeat. Christmas was not his favorite time of year. Oh, it used to be, he used to just love Christmas and all that came with it, but ever since Charlie died it was just too painful. It was as if all the wounds he carried were freshly ripped open at Christmas time. He mostly just tried to avoid it as much as possible, and his team mostly respected that, but not this year. This year Daniel had insisted he come to his house for a party. "Just think of it as the four of us just getting together. We haven't done that in a really long time, Jack. Come on. We hardly ever see you anymore."
Despite himself Jack had agreed. Of course, that was when it was about four weeks away, and he really didn't have to deal with it. Now the evening was here, and he'd rather deal with a mountain of paperwork than go to Daniel's tonight. Maybe if it was really just going to be the four of them it would be okay, he could ignore all the Christmas trappings and just enjoy being with his team again, but now that Daniel was dating Sara, she'd be there (oh boy, Christmas with Osiris, just what he wanted), and Pete would be there. Liked he wanted to sit around and watch Pete attach himself to Sam all night like a leach, watching the two of them flaunt their engagement, kissing under the mistletoe, and make googly eyes at each other. Ack. All in all, it looked like an evening he'd rather skip. Where was an unauthorized off-world activation when you needed one?
Just then Walter stuck his head in the door one more time. Walter, Jack decided, was braver than he looked. Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair, before Walter could say anything, Jack pointed a warning finger at him and uttered, "Ah! Don't say it."
Walter sighed and looked heavenward. "Sir, with all due respect…"
Apparently Harriman feared Carter more than he feared Jack. Jack was impressed. Jack made a mental note to ask Sam what she'd threatened him with the next time he saw her—without Pete, that is.
Jack held up a hand. "Okay, okay, I give up. I'm going already."
Walter looked relieved. "Thank You, sir."
Jack locked up his desk, grabbed his coat and with a sigh made his way toward the elevator.
SJSJSJSJSJSJ
"Gah!" Jack leaned over to try another radio station. Wasn't anyone NOT playing Christmas music? The final straw was when the station that had previously been reading the news of the blizzard that had enveloped the area broke out into "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas."
As he was fiddling with the radio, the bottle of wine he'd brought with him to give to Daniel rolled onto the floor. Cursing under his breath, he unbuckled the seat belt and leaned across the seat to retrieve the bottle from the floor, holding the steering wheel with one hand and trying to keep an eye on the snow covered roads at the same time. Just as he got hold of the bottle, a deer suddenly ran into the road. A big deer, antlers and all. Jack sat up quickly and hit the brakes hard, wrenching the wheel to the right in order to avoid the animal. The deer safely ran to the left, and Jack's truck slid on the snow and slammed into the side of an embankment. Jack's head and body impacted with the steering wheel so hard he saw stars and then blackness reached up to surround him.
After a few minutes painful consciousness returned. He groaned and tried to sit up, but he was pretty certain the ribs he'd broken several months ago had snapped again, and it was a toss-up what hurt worse, his ribs or his head. "Just had to undo the seatbelt, didn't ya, O'Neill?" he muttered. Something warm was running into his eye and he reached up to touch it, finding blood on his fingers.
Little sparkles started to invade his line of vision, and as they took over he muttered, "Yeah, Merry freakin' Christmas," and blacked out again.
SJSJSJSJSJ
Sam looked at her watch and sighed in frustration. Taking her cell phone out of her pocket, she slipped into Daniel's kitchen where it was quieter and hit a number on her speed dial.
"Walter? He's still there, isn't he?
"The General? No, ma'am, he left here about an hour ago."
Sam frowned. "He did? He's not here yet." The worry she suddenly felt was reflected in her voice.
"Well, I can't vouch for where he went, but he did leave the base. Maybe he just went home."
"Maybe. I'll try him there. Thanks, Walter."
She tried Jack's home number but got the answering machine. Frowning she went back into the living room and pulled Daniel aside.
"What's up Sam?" Daniel could see the concern on her face.
"I called the mountain. Jack left over an hour ago."
Daniel shrugged. "Well, he made no secret of the fact that he really wasn't in a festive mood. Maybe he just went home."
"I tried that. All I got was the answering machine."
"Sam, just because he didn't answer the phone doesn't mean he wasn't there," Daniel said patiently.
Sam nodded, chewing on her lower lip. "I know, but I just have a bad feeling about this. It's snowing pretty hard out there."
"Did you try his pager or cell phone?"
She hadn't even thought about that. She dialed Jack's cell phone and it rang four times before it was answered. She almost sighed in relief before she realized who's voice she was hearing.
"Walter?"
"Yes, ma'am. Apparently the General forgot his phone and pager. They're here on his desk."
"Great. Just great. Listen Walter, I'm going to trace the route from here back to the mountain. If I don't find General O'Neill I might need you to call the authorities."
Walter now sounded concerned. "Okay, keep in touch."
"Does Jack's truck have GPS?" Daniel asked.
"It does not." Teal'c appeared behind Daniel. "He has expressed his desire for such an item on the next vehicle he purchases."
"Okay, that does it. I'm going to follow the route back to the mountain. I'll let you know if I find anything." Sam was already pulling on her coat.
"You're not going without us," Daniel's voice was firm. He called Sara over, told her what was going on, and asked her to watch things until they got back."
Sara looked concerned. "Don't worry about things here, I'll take care of it, and I'll call if I hear from the General." Daniel nodded and kissed her quickly before following Sam and Teal'c out the door.
SJSJSJSJSJ
Consciousness returned with the sound of something thumping in Jack's ear. He raised his head and groaned at the pain that followed. The snow had almost completely covered his truck by now, and he couldn't see out the windows. He cut the lights to save the battery, and killed the engine. All he needed right now on top of everything else was carbon monoxide poisoning. The thumping resumed again on the passenger window and he could just see a hand in a mitten pounding on the glass.
He leaned across the seat and pushed open the passenger door. A little girl of about seven or eight crawled in, pulled the door shut and sat shivering beside him.
"What on earth are you doing out here?" Jack demanded.
The child looked at him solemnly. "Looking for my mommy and daddy." After a minute she gestured toward him and said, "You bumped your head."
"Yeah, I sure did. Jack reached into the back of the truck and pulled out the towel he kept in the back seat, trying to ignore the objection of his ribs. He dabbed the towel against his head and winced at stinging it caused. He looked over at the girl. She had long, curly light brown hair, and blue eyes. Her hair was covered by a multi-colored hat that matched her mittens and she had on a lavender coat. She was wearing jeans and had white rubber boots on her feet. Her cheeks were bright red from the cold. She surveyed him for a moment and then said, "All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again."
"You got that right," Jack concurred. "So, how did you get separated from your mommy and daddy?" He really wasn't in any condition to help this kid out, but what was he going to do? Cast her back out into the storm?
The girl shrugged. "I'm lost."
"Do you live around here?" How did this kid get out into a major snow storm in the middle of a highway on Christmas Eve?
In answer she merely shrugged again.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Grace."
"Grace. That's a pretty name."
"My mommy gave it to me."
"Well, glad to meet you, Grace, I'm Jack."
"I know." She grinned confidently at him. Jack frowned. Had he told her that already?
"You're parents must be pretty worried about you."
"I've been looking and looking for them."
Jack nodded, and the sparkles behind his eyes returned. He shook his head trying to stave off unconsciousness again. He'd scare the kid to death if he passed out now.
"So," he looked for something to say to keep Grace calm. "What do you want for Christmas?"
Grace looked thoughtful for a moment "Just to be with my mommy and daddy again."
"Were you in a car accident like me?"
She shook her head. "No. Mommy went to a party and daddy had to work."
"And where were you?"
She looked at him silently for a moment and began to recite: "'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…"
The buzzing in Jack's head was getting louder, so he figured it was understandable that this conversation was making no sense.
"You didn't run away from home did you?"
"You can never run away from yourself." Grace said, sounding for all the world like that Harsesis kid, Jack thought.
"True enough," Jack conceded.
"Were you going home to your family tonight?" Grace asked.
Jack shook his head. "I don't have a family. I was on my way to a party I didn't really want to go to."
"Why not?" Grace turned her head toward him, eyes wide. "Aren't parties fun?"
"I guess so, but Christmas just makes me sad, so it's not fun for me."
"Why would Christmas make you sad?" Grace's voice was very soft.
"I, uh, once, a long time ago I had a family. I had a son named Charlie, and he loved Christmas. Charlie," Jack paused to clear his throat, "Charlie died almost nine years ago, and ever since then Christmas has made me sad."
Grace looked concerned. "But your Charlie wouldn't want you to be sad at Christmas time, he wouldn't want you to be alone. He'd want you to be with all the people who care about you. Weren't your friends going to be at the party?"
"Yeah, they were, but…"
"You should go be with your friends." Grace had a worried expression on her face.
"Well, if I hadn't had this little accident, I guess I'd be there now." He winced as he tried to adjust his position and his ribs protested. "I guess my friends will have to have the party without me."
Grace thought about this and then turned to him with a smile. "They're coming. You're friends are coming to find you."
She touched his hand and something like electricity ran through his body. He knew he was going to pass out again. As the blackness surrounded him he managed to say, "Grace, don't worry, it's okay…" Grace leaned into him and as he lost consciousness he could have sworn he heard her say, "I know, daddy."
SJSJSJSJSJ
Sam nervously touched the place where the engagement ring used to be on her finger. One of the reasons she wanted Jack to come to the party was that she was finally going to tell him after three weeks that she'd given Pete back his ring. Now all she could do was worry about what had become of him.
"We have been back and forth across this area three times, Colonel Carter, should we not call the authorities now?" Teal'c asked.
"We will, Teal'c, I just want to go back over this area once more and we can make the call." They were all trying to search the darkness for any sign of Jack's truck, but the snow had covered up any signs of skidding, and most of the cars they'd seen in the nearby ditches were buried in the snow, making them indistinguishable from the landscape.
Suddenly, Daniel, who was doing double duty driving and looking, put on the brakes. "There!" The lights of a vehicle could be seen through the snow in a ditch off to their right.
They piled out of Daniel's truck and made their way over to the wreck. Sam was first to the driver's side and pushed the snow aside with her gloved hands. "It's him! He's hurt! Daniel call 911!
SJSJSJSJSJSJ
Jack's return to consciousness was like floating to the surface of a very deep, dark lake. He could tell the pain was still there, but it seemed very far away, and he knew what that meant. Painkillers. He could hear a steady beeping and knew that meant--he was in the hospital. Something heavy lay on his chest.
He groaned and muttered, "Grace", and opened his eyes.
Yep, he was in the infirmary on the mountain, and a blonde head lay on his chest. Sam. She was asleep with one arm across him protectively. It was her left hand, he noticed, without the engagement ring. He smiled and lifted his hand to stroke her hair.
The curtain surrounding his bed was pulled back and Daniel and Teal'c appeared carrying coffee cups.
"Jack. You're awake. How are you feeling?" Daniel asked as Sam raised her head and looked at him blearily,.
"Like I'm floating about a foot off this bed." His voice came weakly.
"Ah, well, that would be the painkillers." Daniel handed Sam one of the cups of coffee and she sat back and took a sip. "Well, you'll do anything to avoid Christmas parties, and Christmas itself, I might add, won't you?"
Jack smiled slightly and shook his head. "What day is it?"
"The 26th, about 0700."
"Ah."
"Did you get Grace home to her family?" Jack asked.
They all looked at him blankly. "Grace?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, the kid that was with me in the truck."
They all looked at each other for a moment. "Jack," Daniel said patiently. "You were alone in the truck."
"No, no, this little girl appeared after the wreck. She was lost…"
"Wait a minute," Sam put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Was this little girl about, oh, seven or eight, curly light brown hair, blue eyes…."
"Yeah, yeah that's her. Did you see her?"
"Well, yeah, but not this time," Sam admitted.
"What?" Jack was confused and his head had started to ache again.
Sam patted his arm. "We'll talk later."
"So, Jack, how'd you end up in that ditch?" Daniel asked.
He told them the whole story about the wine bottle and the deer, and how Grace had appeared at his window.
"Well, it's a good thing you left your lights on or we would have never seen the truck," Sam interjected.
Jack looked at her for a moment in puzzlement. "I turned those lights off--to save the battery."
They all looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
SJSJSJSJSJSJ
ONE YEAR LATER"I don't wanna go to this stupid Christmas party," Jack muttered.
Sam rolled over and smiled at him. "I know, but Sara and Daniel's baby is due any day now, and they want to see everyone." In the year since the last Christmas party, Daniel and Sara had married and gotten pregnant, and Jack and Sam had resolved their relationship, Jack had retired and was running the SGC as a civilian, Jack and Sam had moved in together, gotten married and were just a couple of months behind Sara and Daniel in getting pregnant
He kissed her softly on the mouth and admitted, "Mrs. O'Neill, I'd much rather stay here in bed with you."
"Mmm, me, too. It's snowing out there, and it's much warmer here in bed."
He put a hand protectively on her stomach. "The baby would much rather stay here in bed, too."
Sam grinned. "You think so? Now, I got the impression she was going to be a party girl." The ultra-sound had shown they were going to have a baby girl in a few months, and they were both thrilled.
"Mmm, maybe. So, I've got no choice here, eh?"
Sam stroked his cheek. "Nope, sorry, we really need to make an appearance."
"Five more minutes? He asked hopefully.
"Okay, five more minutes." Sam nestled back against him, and he held her to him, nuzzling her neck.
"Gracie, I think you've found your mommy and daddy at last," he whispered softly, and closed his eyes.
Fin