A/N: I changed my pen name for several reasons, but rest assured, I'm still me. :)

Disclaimer: Not my characters.

A/N: While Christmas 2012 is over, I found this little story rattling around in my head and thought I'd post it. I was inspired by the song I Saw Three Ships Go Sailing By. Of course the minute I heard ship, my mind went to Jack and Sam. So, we have 3 ships that sail by and one that might not.

The first chapter is a bit longer than the others. I'm hoping to have them up soon.

This has not been beta'd. All mistakes are mine. Reviews appreciated.

Christmas 2002-O'Malley's

Sam stood near Janet, a drink in her hand and listened to the sound of excited holiday chatter all around her. The SGC had decided two years ago that a Christmas party was definitely something they needed and so here she was at her third one feeling depressed as ever. It's not that she didn't have holiday plans, she was flying out tomorrow to stay with her brother Mark and his wife and kids, but as much as she loved them, it wasn't what she really wanted to do for the holidays. Her eyes roamed around the private room at the back of the bar as if they were just casually observing, but she was looking for one person in particular. She actually knew exactly where he was, but looking straight to him was not the wisest move she could make. He was her CO and completely off limits. Still, she could look. When her eyes finally stopped on him, it was all she could do not to sigh. He was listening, or probably not, to Siler, who was clearly going on about something he'd repaired or invented or blown up. Siler did a lot of all three. Jack suddenly looked at her and caught her eye, she thought she saw something there, but looked away before she could over analyze it and tried not to blush.

Siler was making Jack's head hurt. It's not that he didn't like Siler, he really did. Siler had been a big help during that whole Ancients-knowledge-downloaded-into-his-head thing and Siler was pretty damn good at blowing stuff up, which was always a plus in Jack's book, but right now Siler was being a damn nuisance. Jack thought desperately looking around for some way of escape. He was just about to point something out to Siler that would hopefully send the Sargent scurrying off to tell his tale to someone else when he felt eyes on him. Big, crystal blue, beautiful eyes. The second they landed on him, he knew it without having to look up. Carter. He brought his gaze to hers. The room went silent for him as he gazed across the room. Carter. Gorgeous, sexy, completely off limits, Carter. Some days he hated his life. Especially those days where he had to be in close proximity to Carter and not be allowed to touch her. So, pretty much every day. He felt he could stare at her all night, but she quickly snapped her eyes away. Damn. He tried to think of a reason to go talk to her, but his muddled brain couldn't come up with a single thing.

"Colonel, Sargent Siler," smiled Jonas coming up to them. He was wearing another one of his goofy grins. Jonas smiled at everything and his very first Christmas party was no exception. In the beginning it grated on Jack in a million ways, but Jonas had proven himself several times, so Jack just resigned himself to days of goofy grins and left it alone.

"Jonas," Jack said in reply, noting the traces of several different shades of lipstick on his face. "Enjoying yourself are you?"

Jack didn't think that was possible, but Jonas's grin got even bigger. Of course they do say that whole thing about Christmas and miracles and blah, blah, blah. Jonas's smile looked like it might have been slightly encouraged by alcohol. He'd not gotten used to it yet (he'd said the stuff in Kelowna was nothing compared to Earth) and seemed more than a bit tipsy. Jack wondered if he should be worried. Jonas couldn't drive yet, despite Teal'c giving him lessons, so Jack knew he'd get back to the SGC safely. He'd have a hell of a hangover tomorrow though. Jona was wearing a red hat that had a piece of mistletoe on top and was taking as much advantage of it as he could. Not that any of the women seemed to object.

"So, Jack, how's it going?"

"Good Jonas. You?"

Jonas looked around. "Who would have thought so many women would have been willing to kiss me? I mean, I haven't had a whole lot of trouble before, but this mistletoe is like magic. If I'd known, I'd have been wearing a hat covered in the stuff every day. Why don't you have any on? I've got extra. I could loan you some." He reached up to pull off a sprig and hand it to Jack.

Siler chuckled, but quickly stopped at Jack's look. "I'm good Jonas. Wouldn't want to take all the ladies away from you. I've heard many of them like gray hair, you know and there would be no one left for you. I just couldn't do that to you."

Jonas gave him a surprisingly sober look. "I know someone who likes gray hair." He glanced back at the corner of the room where Sam stood with Janet.

"Um, Jonas, Siler here was just telling me about a way he's thought up to boost the power in the um…what was it again, Siler?" Jack asked.

"The power core to the…" Siler started, but was cut off by Jack.

"Yeah, yeah, the power core. Siler, I'm sure Jonas would find that fascinating."

Jonas tilted his head to the side. "I'm sure I would. Why don't we go talk about Sargent Siler?" Jack thought maybe Jonas wasn't as drunk as he'd first guessed.

"O'Neill," Teal'c had walked up behind him without making a sound.

"Dammit, T. How do you do that? You must weight at least two hundred and twenty five pounds…"

"Two hundred fifty," Teal'c corrected him.

"Okay, two fifty, plus we should account for a pound or two for Junior," Jack said referring to the symbiote Teal'c carried. "So, how do you move like that?"

"Ninja training," Teal'c said with his usual straight face.

Jack's eyes widened. "T, did you just make a joke?"

"I believe I did."

Jack slapped him on the back. "Well, good for you! It's about time. So, how are you enjoying the party?"

Teal'c pursed his lips ever so slightly. "I am indeed enjoying myself O'Neill. I still find this Christmas of yours an odd celebration, but I appreciate the importance of it to your people."

"That's the spirit T. Really get into it."

"Major Carter is looking especially attractive this evening, do you not agree?"

Jack nearly choked on the sip he had just taken. "Something you want to tell me T? You gotta thing for Carter, now?"

"I do not. I was merely making conversation. Does it disturb you that another man would find Major Carter attractive, O'Neill?" He turned his shrewd eyes to Jack.

Jack would never admit it out loud, but he did find it disturbing. Carter was…well, not his, but still. She was…something and no one else had better look at her with anything other than respect. When she wore clothes like the ones she had on tonight though, he was certain there was more than one man fantasizing about his 2IC. Damn them. Of course if he were being honest, he'd been having fantasies for longer than he cared to count. He was certain she would feature prominently in his fantasies tonight wearing tight black satin pants and a sparkly red tank top that showed off her figure rather well and that pair of ridiculously high heels. He loved her in heels. He usually saw her in combat boots, but when she wore heels, he was sure his blood pressure shot up. He thanked his lucky stars every time he was hooked up to those damn machines in the infirmary that Carter didn't wear heels at the SGC. The monitors would go on overload and he'd have the whole medical staff descend on him in seconds.

"O'Neill. O'Neill," Teal'c repeated.

Jack shook his head. "What? Oh, uh, no. No it doesn't bother me in the least."

Teal'c didn't respond, but raised his eyebrow in a way that Jack knew meant he didn't believe Jack for one second.

"So," Janet said, noting where Sam's eyes had been. "Colonel O'Neill is looking quite handsome this evening."

Sam glared at her. Janet was less than subtle. And she was also wrong. Colonel O'Neill didn't look handsome, he looked devastatingly delicious. She didn't say this to Janet of course, though Janet probably knew exactly what she was thinking. "Janet, I've got to get out of here."

Janet put a hand on her arm. "Sam, don't be ridiculous. You can't keep running away, you know."

"Actually, I can," was her reply. "Besides, I have an early flight tomorrow. I really should go."

Janet gave her a pitying look and Sam hated it. She hated that there was nothing she could do except keep pushing herself to deny how she felt. Janet wrapped her arms around Sam and gave her a brief hug. "Have a good trip. Call us when you get there. You know how Cassie worries."

Sam smiled at that. "I will. Merry Christmas, Janet." She turned to the door making sure her eyes never looked toward the Colonel. Wrapping herself up in her coat and scarf, she felt through the pockets for her gloves. "Great," she said when she couldn't find them. "Frozen fingers it is."

Jack knew the minute Sam left the room. He didn't have to see her go to know. He just felt her absence. He finished off his drink and set the glass down. There was no reason to stay, so he headed towards the door himself, but made sure there was enough time between them leaving that it wouldn't be suspicious. He hated it. Hated feeling out of sorts and hated not being able to be with her without everyone speculating that there was something going on. There wasn't, the UCMJ prevented that, but still, people talked.

As Jack reached the door, Teal'c found him. "Something I can do for you?" Jack asked.

"Indeed there is, O'Neill. Major Carter left her gloves behind."

Jack tilted his head. "And?"

"And she may need them for her trip. It would be kind of you to take them to her."

"Why can't you do it?" The thought of going to Sam's house, even on such a simple errand was almost too much.

Teal'c tilted his head toward Jones, who was being kissed by yet another member of the SGC staff. "I would O'Neill, but someone has to take Jonas back to the mountain. As I am the only one returning tonight, it is I who must. Major Carter's house is in the opposite direction. It would be easier for you."

Jack let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, give me the damn things and I'll drop them by on my way."

Teal'c inclined his head and handed over the soft leather gloves.

Sitting in his truck outside of Carter's house, Jack had the urge to leave the gloves on the stoop and get out of there as fast as possible. That was cowardly though, and if there was one thing Jack O'Neill wasn't, it was a coward. He jumped out into the cold and made his way to the front door. It took another 5 minutes for him to actually ring the bell. It would have taken longer if it weren't so cold.

He could hear her steps in the hall and pasted on a smile when the door opened.

"Sir," Sam said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Jack looked appreciatively at her for a beat. She had changed clothes and now wore only a soft pair of lounge pants and a tank top. God, how he loved her in tank tops. He snapped his eyes back to hers, but not before she realized where he was looking. "You, um, you forgot your gloves," he said lamely, holding them up. "Teal'c thought you might need them. You know, for your trip."

"I'm going to San Francisco, Sir. I think I'll be fine without them, but thank you."

"Oh, of course." Teal'c had to have know that.

"Would you like to come in? I'm all packed and was just going to have a beer. You could join me." Sam gestured to the room down the hall.

Jack knew it was a bad idea to drink alone with his 2IC and was completely surprised when he said, "Sure. Why not?" He hung his coat and scarf on a hook by the door, followed her down the small hallway and sat in the living room. Sam handed him a beer she'd just pulled out of the refrigerator and sat down by him. He opened the beer and realized he had nothing to say.

Sam took a sip and looked around the room. The Colonel had rarely been to her house and almost never alone, especially not at night. She had nothing to say. The silence was becoming uncomfortable.

"So," he said at the same moment she did. They laughed and the strange tension was broken.

"So," he said again. "California. Looking forward to it?"

Sam shrugged. "I guess. It's still a bit odd with Mark and I, but we're working on it. I kind of feel like an intruder in their family, you know?"

Having no family of his own any more, Jack could sympathize in a way. He had been invited to several people's homes over the years for the holidays and had even taken up a few, but always felt like an outsider. After a while, he turned them down, citing other plans, even if he had none. "Yeah," he said softly.

Sam wondered how he felt about the holidays since Charlie's death. They had never spoken of Charlie, of course, but still, she thought it must be a difficult time for him. She briefly considered asking, but tossed it aside. "What are your plans, Sir?"

Jack stretched his leg out and propped one booted foot on her coffee table. Sometimes the cold was damn hard on his bad knee. "Oh, you know me, Carter. I'll probably roast some chestnuts on the open fire, let Jack Frost nip at my nose, sing some Yuletide carols."

She smiled sadly and before she realized it, placed her hand on top of his and wove her fingers in. "I'm sorry you'll be alone, Sir."

The touch sent an involuntary shiver through him. He squeezed her hand lightly. "Thanks, Carter."

They sat for a while their hands still clasped, neither knowing what to say. Jack had the insane idea to ask her to fly with him to Minnesota, but dismissed it. She already had plans with her family and would probably turn him down even if she didn't, just like all the other times he'd invited her.

Sam didn't know what to do. She was holding Colonel O'Neill's hand. Okay, not exactly holding his hand, but their fingers were intertwined and it was a heady feeling. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He was in silhouette, but turned the moment he felt her gaze. Sam's breath caught as she turned toward him and saw him leaned slightly toward her. He was going to kiss her. Her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip and she felt herself sway into him. Their eyes locked. Their lips were inches away.

Her phone rang and they snapped apart like two teenagers caught by the school principal. Jack sat up and pulled his hand from hers. Sam simply stared at him. Her answering machine picked up.

"Hey, Sam. It's Mark. I just wanted to make sure you were all set for your flight. I guess you're still out, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Jack stood. "I should go."

"Um, yeah. I guess." Sam followed him to the door and watched as he walked to his truck. Her heart was racing. They had almost kissed and even the almost was better than she had ever envisioned. And yet, it hadn't happened. She closed the door and turned the lock when his taillights were no longer visible and took a shaky breath, cursing and thanking Mark all at the same time.

Jack wanted to drive his truck into the nearest tree. The mere touch of Carter's hand had nearly caused him to break many rules and that scared him. She was a weakness and he knew it. He should have her reassigned to another team. He didn't need a real reason. Hammond would accept it and Carter would be hurt, but she would understand. If she weren't on his team though, he wouldn't be able to protect her or know that she was okay. He wouldn't be able to see her every day and that was not something he was willing to give up. He'd just have to learn to deal with it. Even if it killed him. Merry Christmas indeed.