Title: An Angel Earned His Wings
Rating: T
Timeline: Christmas Eve 2009
Summary: just a short Christmas fic. A visitor shows up at Sam's. Obviously JS.
I don't own WaT and its characters. I'm just playing with them.
A/N: this is just a short Christmas fic to wind my mind. Thanks are due to Diane, Ruth and Sharon, who helped me write this and they are supporting me in my 'big project', LOL. A special thanks to Irene, who tries to understand my crazy ideas.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!!
An Angel Earned His Wings
24th December 2009
Samantha's apartment
Samantha had left from work early without attending the office Christmas party, just to let Marcela, Finn's sitter, go home in time to set the Christmas Eve dinner for her family. A message from her mother on the answering machine greeted her arrival at home. Patricia Spade was not going to spend the holiday with her daughter and her grandson. A sigh of relief had been Sam's reaction. Then a look at all the bags full of food worsened her mood. She offered Marcela some of the food, but she refused. What would she do with all those foodstuffs?
Finn, asking for her attention, made her mood turn quickly to the happy side again. He was in the suit Marcela insisted she make him wear. He looked like a little Santa's helper – a red sweater with Santa smiling, a green vest matching his pants and furred slippers. Sam could not help a smile. He pouted and was rubbing his eyes. He was definitely tired and Samantha knew that was not good news.
It took an hour to make him eat and another hour to tuck him into his bed. When she finally succeeded, she was exhausted. She collected Finn's toys from the floor and put them in their basket. Then she arranged all the presents she and her friends had bought for her son under the Christmas tree. Samantha sighed -- she still had to clean up the kitchen. The couch was there, just beside her. It was so tempting! Another step and she could lie down there, take her quilt and surf through the channels to look for some sloppy Christmas movie. Just when she was going to give in, there was a knock on the door. She was not waiting for anyone. She looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was past 8 PM. She took a mental note of where she left her gun and went to the door. She looked through the peephole to see an uncomfortable Jack looking at his feet. She took a moment to hide her surprise and opened the door.
"Hey."
"Hey, you. Come in." She kept the door open for him.
Jack had a large transparent plastic bag from which you could easily guess what there was inside. The bears, airplanes and balls printed on the red paper left no guesswork as to whom the gift was intended.
"I took Hanna to the airport. I was going home and I thought I could drop this off to you." He handed the bag to her. "It's for Finn. Don't worry, Hanna helped me choose it." A smile reached his eyes.
Samantha smiled too. "You didn't have to." She took the box out of the bag and laid it under the decorated tree. Then she realized Jack was still wearing his coat. "Give me your coat. Is it still raining? Do you want something to drink?"
"And Brian? Where is he?" Jack asked as he slipped off of his heavy coat.
"I think he is somewhere in Utah. Scotch?" She took care of his garment and went toward the cupboard. She took two glasses and waited for his answer.
"Yeah. Um… I feel like I lost some pieces." Jack was confused.
"Let's take a seat on the couch." She handed Jack his glass and sat at a safe distance from him. "It didn't work out. We tried. I tried, really. He looked like much more at ease than me. But in the long run, I don't think it would be the best solution for Finn. Or maybe I've been just selfish, I don't know." She took a sip of her drink. The strong liquid burned her throat.
"Didn't you head out from the office early because your mother was going to come from Kenosha?" Jack knew when he had to change subject. She had already told him everything she was willing to share.
"There has been a last minute change in my Mom's plans." Samantha rolled her eyes. "Go figure! She went on a cruise to the Caribbean with her new neighbor. Not that I'm sad she won't be here."
A slight lifting at the corner of his mouth conveyed his amusement. He knew too well what the relationship between Sam and her mother was.
"Excuse me." A soft noise coming from the bedroom made Sam go to check on her son.
She took a look at Finn from the bedroom door. He was probably just dreaming. Her son was the best thing life could give her, even with all the complications that had come with him. She smiled looking at him sleeping peacefully. She left the door ajar and went back to sit on the couch.
Jack was looking around while sipping his scotch. He realized the Christmas tree had the decorations they had bought together the year before. His mind went back to the first Christmas they spent together. It was so far in time – in another life…
It was her first Christmas in the MPU and they were stuck in the office because of a case. It was not hard to say Maria was furious. They worked all night to take back home a father to his family. It was just before dawn when they found his dead body. That was the first time he was not happy to go spend the holiday with his family. He didn't want to leave Samantha alone. Jack brought her where they could see the sun rising. Life went on. There would be other people to find. They had done their work. Not every case was bound to have a happy ending, even if they did their best. She asked if he had really done that for her or for himself. She could easily read him already then.
He couldn't know then how much that Christmas would have influenced their future.
Samantha brought him back to reality. He didn't realize she was back in the room. "Jack? A penny for your thoughts."
"Sorry, the tree reminded me of the past."
"Your daughters? Decorating the tree was a 'family tradition'? Or maybe a happy memory of them unwrapping their gifts?"
"Not really. I was thinking about us." He took the last sip from his glass and placed it down on the coffee table. He regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. It was so easy to let the wall fall when he was with her. During the last year, the balance in their relationship had changed; nevertheless, he was still not ready to open their personal 'Pandora's box'. "I see even you has been sucked into the holiday spirit." He nodded toward the fully decorated tree.
"Oh, that. Really Marcela did it." Her mind was racing. Her smile was hiding her surprise. Why was Jack really there? What prompted his visit?
"Right. Not even your son can make you feel the Christmas spirit." He shook his head, smiling.
"Maybe next year. Finn could help me decorate the apartment. Do it alone, it's not fun." She was fishing. She was looking for Jack's eyes. She didn't want to misunderstand. The previous year they decorated the tree together. Jack had insisted a child could not stay in a house without a Christmas tree. He was there… in her apartment. Even if he thought Brian and her mother would be there. And he was making comments about her decorated tree and thinking about them---as a couple?!
Sam could feel a headache growing. She was not ready to talk about them. She pinched her nose in the attempt to clear her mind. She sighed, careful to not spill out her drink on the couch. "I'm exhausted tonight. I don't know exactly why you're here."
Jack took the glass from her hand and put it on the coffee table near his.
"Come here," he said, patting his hand on the couch.
She moved near him. He gently grabbed her shoulders and helped her turn until her back was facing him. He started rubbing her temples with small circles, then as he felt her relax, he went slowly down to her shoulders, just brushing the delicate skin of her neck.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"If you start this---I might not want you to stop…"
"It's my Christmas gift, honey. You are the one who will set a stop." His voice was just a whisper. His lips caressed her neck and that sensitive spot just behind her ear.
She closed her eyes again, savoring the moment. She knew it would not last, but why couldn't she believe in the magic of Christmas just for once?
One of the little bells on the tree rang.
An angel earned his wings, her grandmother used to say. She turned toward her man.
"Happy Christmas," Jack told her with his raspy voice. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, tracking her profile down to her neck.
Her eyes, dark with passion, were asking him not to stop.
His hands now buried in her hair as he leaned in, finally covering her lips with his own.
As she savored his kiss, Samantha realized this was going to be a lovely Christmas after all.