Early Days
There was something enticing about this time of year. Oh, there was the pain of processing dozens of holiday leave requests, as well as the nightmare of by accosted by commercialized decorations every time you go to the store when all you want is a quart of milk, but Jack still couldn't bring himself to actually hate Christmas. Call it his sentimentality, or some lasting remnant of goodwill left over from when he still had Charlie and Sara, but Jack actually liked Christmas.
Even the stale halls of the SGC seemed to vibrate with cheer, and for weeks the commissary walls had been festooned with garlands of fake pine and cutouts of merry snowmen for weeks now. And tonight, on Christmas Eve itself, the base was operating on a skeleton crew, with no teams off-world. Jack had offered to babysit the place for the General, who promptly accepted in order to go visit his young granddaughters. It was an easy sacrifice.
But as the hours passed, Jack realized that the whole "not a creature was stirring" thing was overrated. Boredom was never his forte, and tonight his lack of anything interest was sharp and nagging. Like a shirt tag. His usual distractions were a no-go; his yo-yo had busted a string, and the Gameboy's sound was wonky.
Walking the halls had seemed a viable solution at the time, but he hadn't taken into account that there was nothing to see. No one in the control room except Walter, no one in the commissary except Brad the janitor—who glared at anyone who even thought about walking on his wet floors. But when he went to check in on Teal'c, he hesitated when he heard a distinctly un-Jaffa voice emanating from behind the closed door. He paused at the door, leaning his ear close to the metal surface to hear more clearly. Was that…? It was Carter.
Carter was supposed to have been gone hours ago. Jack knew that for a fact, because one: he'd ordered her to not work the whole night, and two: he'd checked her labs early that afternoon and had been happy to see them dark and empty. An amused indignation gripped him by the gut, and he rode the impulse by lifting his fist and rapping his knuckles sharply against the door.
Barely giving Teal'c time to deliver a booming, "You are permitted to enter!", Jack pushed the door open in the hopes of catching his team members off-guard. His eyes were immediately drawn to Carter, who was perched cross-legged beside the Jaffa on the bunk, her socked feet hidden beneath her thighs. Her boots stood at attention under the cot, laces tucked and soles together. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes sparkled above gently curving lips spread in the remnants of a smile.
Teal'c sat beside her. His features were solemn as always, but the relaxed set of his shoulders belied his comfort with his warm atmosphere of the room. On the far wall a television stood on a roll-away cart, scrolling with the black and white credits of a film just ended.
"Evening, campers," he greeted casually, refraining from entering the room fully. His hand remained on the doorknob to facilitate a hasty retreat if necessary.
"Good evening, sir," Carter returned.
Teal'c tilted his chin. "O'Neill."
Nothing else was said. In the silence, Jack's brows slowly lifted.
His fingers tapped against the door frame. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked finally.
A sneaky glance was shared between the Captain and Jaffa. A fresh smile threatened to send Carter into a fit of giggles, and a merry twinkle shone in Teal'c's eye.
"Captain Carter is educating me in the ways of your Taur'i holiday," Teal'c responded. "It is most intriguing."
"Teal'c asked me a few questions this week, sir," Carter supplied. "I thought it might be fun to share a little of the culture with him. The decorations in the commissary don't really do it justice."
Jack saw the small Christmas tree sitting on the chest of drawers against the wall. He nodded towards it. "And that…?"
"I brought it from home, sir. I thought it might spruce the place up a bit." Jack grinned at the play of words, a gesture she matched as she lifted a small cookie pan. A lonesome little man lay flat on its crumb-dotted surface, trimmed with thin lines of white icing.
Jack eyed it, but refrained from snatching it right then and there. "Let me guess, Daniel had a hand in this?" There was no way the man couldn't not be involved. He must have been slavering at the chance to educate a willing student.
"Daniel Jackson has gone to procure sustenance, O'Neill. He mentioned snacks, and a beverage known as… eggnog."
"Ah." Jack lifted his chin in acknowledgement. He wasn't much a fan of the stuff himself, but he couldn't deny it was a classic. His eyes caught on the television screen, which was now black. "Grinch?" he asked, glancing towards Carter.
A blonde head shook no. "Rudolf," she corrected. "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was actually next on our list, sir, if you'd like to join us."
Jack shrugged, feigning disinterest. But he was silently pleased that she felt comfortable enough to ask him. He was well aware that most commanding officers kept a professional distance. They didn't do movie nights. And this kind of setting in particular might be too intimate for a normal team, but with an astrophysicist, a Jaffa, and a man who'd lived the past year on an alien planet, SG-1 was far from normal.
With a bright smile, Jack entered the room fully, closing the door behind him. "I might be able to stay for little Cindy Lou," he sighed, settling himself down in the lone free chair in the room—no doubt Daniel's chair, he acknowledged gleefully.
"Who is Cindy Lou?" queried Teal'c.
"You got it, Teal'c," Jack replied smartly, pointing enthusiastically. "Don't let anyone say you're not a quick study."
He pretended not to notice the glower of confusion that Teal'c leveled at him before turning to Carter. The Captain patted the Jaffa's knee in reassurance. "The people in the Grinch are known as Whos, Teal'c. Cindy Lou is one of them…"
Jack sat back in his chair, listening gladly to the easy tones of his team. A brief battle of wills ensued when Daniel returned, but Jack emerged the victor when the younger man finally settled next to his teammates on the narrow cot. The film's Seussical rhymes were punctuated by the occasional question from Teal'c, which Daniel first began to answer. But when a simple response turned into a long-winded spiel about allegories and what-not, it was Carter the Jaffa turned to, who provided insight with her typical efficiency.
To Jack, it gave form to the easy camaraderie that had developed between them. He'd been on teams where this level of comfort hadn't been found even after years of working together. This, this unusual cast of characters, had found a common rhythm, and Jack knew better than to take it for granted. Even if it meant he would be known as the C.O. who didn't have proper boundaries, he would be a part of it.
When the movie ended, Jack knew he had to return to his post. He got to his feet with a sigh, and casually snatched up the last little gingerbread man as a consolation prize. He eyes the perfectly rounded head with a hungry eye, only to pause when his Jaffa friend spoke up.
"You must consume the legs first, O'Neill," Teal'c informed him. "Gingerbread men are notorious for fleeing those who would eat them."
Sam blushed, her blue eyes meeting Jack's gaze guiltily. Daniel elbowed her surreptitiously, and Jack managed to swallow a smile. It looked like someone had been having fun with the unsuspecting Jaffa. But if she expected Jack to chide her for it, she had another think coming. Jack's only response was to bite off the cookie's bottom half, grinning with crumb-covered lips. He was rewarded with a broad Carter-smile.
"They're teaching you well, Teal'c," he said past the spicy cookie. "You better take notes, so you don't forget for next year."
"Indeed."
Jack nodded, then popped the second half of the cookie into his mouth. He waved his goodbye, and moved to leave. Halfway out the door, he paused. He turned back, meeting three pairs of eyes with a warm nod. "Merry Christmas, guys."
Another of Carter's smiles dazzled him. "Merry Christmas, Colonel."
"Merry Christmas, Jack."
"And a Happy New Year, O'Neill."
Jack smiled, and closed the door behind him. The restless energy that had filled him before had passed, leaving him content and ready to face long night ahead. And not just the night, but all the days that would follow. Teal'c had it right, thinking ahead to New Year's Eve. The future had a lot in store for them; a lot had already come to them, and it was only early days yet.