As the retired Air Force Colonel walked through the deparment store a sense of bitterness washed over him. This was his 5th christmas alone. The team gave up trying to get him out of the house 9 years ago. This year Daniel and Vala would be celebrating with the twins, Aaron and Adam, and Teal'c would be visiting Ryac and his new grandson.
Everywhere he looked there were small familys getting ready for Christmas with last minute shopping and visiting Santa. Christmas Eve. It only marked another year for him. another year without her. Finally choosing a small bear for his niece Amy who would be visiting boxing day after much pushing from her mother Cassandra he began to make his way to the tills.
Just as his turn to be served came a samll girl pushed in front of him, she had bright, blonde hair that passed her shoulders and as she turned to him he saw two of the biggest, blue eyes he had seen in years. "Sorry mister." She looked about 11 but the tear trails down each side of her face made her seem younger. Turning back to the cashier she spoke to both the man at the till and the ex-colonel, "Sir I wanna buy these shoes, for my momma, please." She said handing a small pair of red shoes over the counter. Looking down, the man who used to call himself O'Neill before he faded away, saw the young girls clothing was very thin and seemed old, she didn't look like she had much money but here she was trying to buy a pair of shoes that from the price tag didn't seem cheap.
Sniffing the little girl continued, "It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size... Please." Then she began to dig through her pockets pulling out handfuls of coins. The cashier looked at her but seeing the tears growing he began to count the pennies. After what seemed like an eternity of hearing the young child hold in sobs the cashier looked up with a sad look on his face.
He began in a deep voice, barely looking at the child, "Sorry, there's not enough here," gesturing to the pile of change. The samll girl began frantically searching her pockets for any spare change she foirgot to hand over. A few moments later she turned to O'Neill and started in a quiet voice, "Momma always made Christmas special for me so most years she didn't have a gift. Sir, what am I gonna do, I promise her she'd have these shoes...?"
Maybe it was the way she said sir, or tears threatening to fall or maybe he just felt bad for the small girl. Either way he pulled out his wallet and paid the remainder of the money. The girls eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face and O'Neill swore he would never foget the look on her face when he looked down and said, "Well then wont your momma look great."
The cashier behan to busy himself with tendering to the gift when the little girl leaned over the counter, "Could you hurry, sir, Doctor says there's not much time. You see she's been sick for quite a while and I know these shoes would make her smile... I want her to look beautiful if momma meets Jesus tonight," she trailed off quietly toward the end.
As the cashier handed her the box she bid both of them a 'Merry Christmas' with big, fat tears roling down each cheek and ran out of the store. O'Neill looked at the small stuffed bear in his hand and after a few seconds gave it to a young mother holding a crying baby and ran after the girl. "Wait. Come back," he yelled to the retreating figure zooming past the choir on the street corner.
Surpising both of them the young girl stopped. "I'll take you home in my car. It'll be faster," called O'Neill. Looking up at the adult she only just met she cocked her her head quizzically, "Momma said not to trust strangers...but I need to get home fast... Okay then, but we gotta hurry," she replied following him to the truck parked a couple of feet away.
"I'm Grace," smiled the young girl as she hopped into the pasenger seat, "What's your name?" The name Gace meant something, he knew it did. He just couldn't remember what, "I'm Jack, now where's your house?" Facing the older man she smiled, this man was helping her and her momma, they'd been alone for as long as she could remember, it was nice. Especially seeing as she didn't remeber ever having a dad. "It's just down here, Sir, you gotta go left..."
Ten minuets later the pair appeared at a small house with a pond in the back the Jack could only just see from the reflection of Christmas lights. Grace had already run out of the car and so Jack followed her through the open door. Stopping to look at the photos hung up outside of the room Grace ran into he couldn't believe his eyes. this was cliché and Jack O'Neill hated cliché's.
"Momma? Momma, wake up. I got'em. Look, I did, I got'em for you," Grace cried holding onto the figure lying on the bed, trying to rouse her mother from her sleeping state. Meanwhile Jack was outside staring at photographs he thought he'd never see, the first was of a group of people standing together at a bar smiling, it was taken 14 years ago at O'Malleys. He knew this because he had a copy on the exact same photograph at his cabin. Then there was one from 13 years ago, Jacob was also in the photograph they'd just finished a particularly hard mission but thankfully the all made it back alive, even if the odds had been against them.
Then the were some more recent photographs on the wall, Grace and her mother and some of just Grace. Jack finally reached the door just as Graces mother was waking up and saw a photograph on her bedside table, the exact same photograph that Jack kept underneath his pillow. It was taken just before she disappeared, a few months after the ancient accident. Neither of them new the photo was being taken so they were stood slightly closer together than neccesary and smiling at each other.
"Look, momma. I got you the shoes I promised. There here," Grace said and with trembling hands she placed each red shoe on its corresponding foot swiping away at the tears inbetween. Finally, her mother proped herself up using her elbows whilst minding not to catch the oxygen tubes accross her face. "Thanks honey," she replied looking at her daughter, her voice hoarse due too not being used. Staring at the young girl that had caused so much trouble in her life she couldn't help but smile, she only withed Graces father could see her now. She thought that the drugs the doctor had given her were too strong because now she apppeared to be hallucinating. He couldn't be there, she left him 12 years ago.
Jack stood in the doorway barely moving, hardly daring to breath fearing he might wake up and loose the one person he needed the most, that he still dreamed of everynight. After Grace put both shoes on her mother feet she walked towards Jack and hugged him around his middle tightly, "Thank you for helping me and my momma, Sir, thank you for everything."
Now she knew she wasn't dreaming, if Grace could see him too then he must be real. The image of her daughter hugging her father for the first time was blurred by tears brimming and ready to fall.
Jack wasnt going to question how this happened, he met this young girl who brought him to the woman he lost, the woman who stole his heart what seemed a lifetime ago. He had a chance to see her one last time. Graces mother. She used to be so strong but now she seemed so frail, so small. She really was ill and yet Grace was still fighting to make her happy. "Hello Sir," called the woman on the bed.
Somehow no other reply seemed appropriate, so he just said what he always did in these occassions, smiled back and replied to the woman he hadn't seen in over 12 years, the woman that still held his heart, "You too, Carter."
This story was inspired by the song "Christmas Shoes" By NEWSONG, I urge you to listen to it. Thank you for taking the time to read this as it's my first ever fanfic so please tell me what you think, Happy Holidays.