Making it Right

by TX549

A mission gone bad affects Sam. Can the guys make it right for her?

The pair dodged through the woods. His arm around her, supporting her weight.

"Sir, I am sorry, but I am slowing you down. Let me hide in the brush and you go on."

"Please, Major, use that wonderful brain of yours a moment. Enlighten me as to any point in our history together that makes you think I would do that." He said grimly as they trudged along. He was hurting, and knew he was hurting her by dragging her along at this pace. He had to find a place to hole up, and soon.

The major sighed. She knew it was not going to happen, but she had to try. She at least wanted him to have a chance to escape. Now they were both risking their lives due to her injury. She felt him shift then she was unceremoniously thrown to the ground with a painful grunt as he turned and there was a trade of weapons fire. She rolled over as he reached down and pulled her up to her feet and wrapped his arm around her. "Time to go."

After another two hours, they had moved to the base of the mountains. He stopped to allow her to catch her breath and rest. He knew it would be dark soon, and he needed to shelter them for the night. It would only be a matter of time before there rest of his team got reinforcements to come get them. He looked around. There. He moved her to a tree and helped her down. He pulled his P90 off and handed it to her. "Hold this; anything comes, cover yourself while I check on something. Be right back." Without thinking about it, he placed a gently hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze and was gone.

She looked around and was frustrated. She felt so useless. She was the one who hurt herself and now her team got separated and she and her CO were on the run because they could not keep up. To top it off, she should be home about to celebrate. She felt her eyes water and the frustration grew, but she refused to give. She wiped her eyes and studied the terrain for signs of anyone approaching. Suddenly her CO was beside her again. Damn, how the hell did he move so quietly?

"Easy" He said, feeling her tense, "Just me. I found us a cozy spot for the night." He pointed, "About 100 feet that way."

"Sounds good, let's go." She noticed he shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"You are going to have to trust me to lift you a few feet, you okay with that?" He asked.

Despite herself, she smiled. "I think I can handle that."

He smiled back and helped up after taking the weapon. When they got to the area he had pointed to she could see a small ledge about five feet up. "I am going to lift you to that ledge; those rocks form a small lip, almost like a natural light blind. Behind it is a cave. Not the Hilton or anything, but will keep us off the ground and hide us."

She looked at him "Sounds fine, how do you want to do this?"

He kneeled down "On my shoulders Major. Then I will stand. Move to the ledge and into the cave."

"Colonel, your knees will not take my weight."

"Don't argue, and you don't weigh that much." He said.

She sighed. She knew by his tone, arguing would not help. She moved and straddled his shoulders. "Ready, sir"

As he stood, she winced as she heard his knees pop. She moved and climbed onto the ledge quickly to take the weight off. She crawled away from the lip to allow him to come up.

After a moment she peered over "Sir?"

"Get inside. I will be back in a moment. I need to get some stuff"

Before she could say anything, he was gone. About thirty minutes later, she heard him climbing up. She watched then turned and she noticed he had a rope in his hand. He pulled up the rope to reveal brush he had bundled up. He then set about covering the entrance to make it look like a natural cover. Then he came into the cave. He removed his pack. She saw he had tied more on there. Looked like pine branches. He laid them on the floor like a mat, and then pointed. "Move onto them."

She scooted over onto the mat of pine needle. She had to admit, it was much warmer than the cave floor.

He took out his first aid kid and looked at her. He began to look her over and noted cuts and bruises. He then simply said "Ankle"

"Sir…" But after seeing the look in his face she slid her foot over. He poked gently and she hissed in pain when he tried to move it. He looked at her. "Obviously I am no Frasier, but I think it may be bad sprain, but there is a possibility of some fractures. I am going to leave your boot on because if I take it off, it will swell and we will never get it back on." He started to remove his blouse top.

"What are you doing?"

Smirking, he said "Don't get your hopes up Carter, I am only going to use it for a wrap."

He noticed she turned pink and he grinned as he wrapped his shirt tightly around her ankle and boot, using two sticks as mini braces.

"There, it won't last too long, but should help keep it stable."

He reached over and grabbed his first aid kid. He cleaned several cuts and put ointment on them to prevent infection.

"There you go, best I could do."

"I am sure it is fine sir." She said. Her voice betrayed her irritation.

"Sam, I am sorry. I did not mean to let this happen. I know you wanted…"

She sighed. "It's not your fault sir. I was there when you tried to get them to delay it," And her eyes narrowed at him, "I also know you tried to get Hammond to let you three go without me." Her tone was full of accusation. She watched him shift uncomfortably.

"Well, you know, I was trying…" He started. His eyes showed how uncomfortable he really was. She thought about how far there relationship had gone now. At first, he made decisions, and that was that, she followed them. Now, he included her in a lot of his decisions, and she had noticed that he honestly tried to take into account the effect on his team. Not that he had not always cared and protected them, but he was more tolerant of Daniel wanting to poke around rocks, her wanting to study technology. He had also become much more forceful about ensuring they got their deserved downtime. He didn't know she knew, but it was well known in the SGC that he had put a stop to the random dumping of needs and wants on her and Daniel. Projects that required their help were vetted through him, to ensure the two experts were not overwhelmed. In fact, she knew that a few of the other scientist were downright fearful to approach her with projects unless they were sure she was not busy.

He still was in charge. He was still the CO. He still made decisions and she still followed them. Well, honestly, she mostly followed them. The last few months to a year, she had noticed he allowed her a lot more latitude than she was sure he would anyone else about disagreeing with him and was even tolerant when she got cheeky with him. For her part, she made sure she never did that around other members of the SGC, and sometimes not in front of the other teammates. She would never do that to him. But it did make her feel good to know that he put that much faith in her and that he valued her opinion. Hell, she had to admit, she felt good that he allowed her to tease and sometimes flirt as long as it was done low key as well.

"Sir, I know. But you know I would never allow you guys to off without me. You should not have tried. But I appreciate it." She smiled. Then she grinned at him. "Besides, you usually need me to get you out of whatever jam comes up from Daniel touching something or you sticking you head in a device"

He winced at that. "True. But this was supposed to be easy, in and out. No problems and I knew this was the first time you were going to spend the holidays with your brother in a long time."

She looked down. "Well, since when does anything go smoothly for us?"

"True also." He replied

"But I still reserve the right to torture Daniel when we get home." She added with an impish grin

"Oh, I will help."

She giggled at that.

"I wish we could light a fire, Sam to keep you warm, but I am afraid to risk it. You will just have to go with thermal blankets, okay?" He said.

"I'm fine sir."

"Sam tomorrow is Christmas Eve, you got screwed out of your plans because I could not get this mission delayed, for now, no one is here, I think we can drop the sir."

She looked down again. She felt his finger gently move under her chin and tilt her head back up. "Okay?" He asked

"Yes si… Yes Jack"

"Better." He dug in his pack and pulled out a thermal blanket, and reached over to hers and got another out. He then gave her a small wink and reached back into his and pulled out a small pouch of some kind. She looked at him curiously as he unfolded it, and removed a valve and began to blow air into it.

He smiled when done and handed her the small, blow up pillow. "You complained last time about the hard ground"

She blushed, touched that he had gone to the trouble to obtain and pack a blow up pillow for her. "Thank you…Jack." She let her hand rest on his a little longer than necessary when taking the pillow.

He reached over and grabbed his pack and slid it over. "Lay down, I am going to put this under your foot."

She nodded and moved to lay down when she realized she had a problem. Dammit. I wonder if I can ignore it. She knew she would not be able to. She felt her face flush yet again when she looked up. "Jack, I kind of have a problem."

He looked at her intensely. "What, did I miss an injury?" Concern was evident in his voice as he looked her over head to toe.

She reached out and placed a hand on his arm to calm him. "No. I wish actually. I kind of have to go…" Her voice faded.

"Go where?"

She looked down and muttered.

"I'm sorry?"

"I have to pee Jack" she said.

He visibly relaxed. "Oh, is that all? Okay. Hold on a moment." He scooted the entrance to the cave and looked around a moment. He came back and held out his hand, "Okay, let's go to the edge"

He helped her to the edge. He then took the rope and fastened a harness and wrapped it around her. "I am going to lower you. Do not use your bad foot. Let me know when you are set on the ground. She nodded and scooted over to the edge.

After he lowered her down, he climbed down and helped walk to the nearest brush. "Umm, you going to be okay to do this?"

She frowned. She honestly was not sure about being able to balance. "If I can't, well, guess you will know more about me than you ever wanted."

"Wouldn't say that" He said, and then realized what he had said. This time it was his turn blush. He turned around and said "I will wait" He moved off to give her some privacy.

She managed to do her business and get back upright. She thought about hobbling to him and realized it probably would not be worth the ass chewing he would give her. "Okay, Jack" Somehow this situation screamed omitting sir, no matter how natural it was.

He came back, looped his arm around her and helped back to the ledge. He kneeled as before. After getting her back, and getting himself up, he again helped her get situated. She was exhausted and it was catching up fast. She realized he had asked her a question.

"I am sorry, what?" she asked, yawning.

"I asked if you are okay to try and sleep."

"Yes, I think so." She said

Jack heard her sniffle. He looked over and realized she had traces of moisture running down her cheeks. He gently reached up and wiped them with his thumb. "Sam, tell me what's wrong."

At first she didn't say anything. He moved over and wrapped his arms around her. She turned to his chest and let the tears fall. "I am just so damn tired. Every time I think we catch a break, something else. Now this. My first Christmas with my family in years, the first Christmas I was actually going to be able to sit down and enjoy a Christmas in three years at all, and now I am going to miss it. Miss it because we got caught on a rock, and I tripped and caused us not to be able to make it back to the gate."

He didn't say anything; he just held her and stroked her hair. He suspected that there was more to it, but he knew she just needed to get it out of her system. The least he could do is let her. Be here for her, and then get her home.

After a few minutes, she shifted. She looked up at him. "Thank you."

"Always." He said.

He helped her lay down on the mat of pines.

He made sure she was completely covered by the blanket, and then lay down beside her. Without thinking, she scooted close to him, leaving no space between their bodies. He looked at her, their faces now very close. Her eyes had closed, and her breathing becoming more stable. "Goodnight Sam"

"Goodnight Jack" She leaned up and brushed her lips against his, and then settled back down to sleep, leaving an extremely stunned Jack.

She's just tired he thought. He closed his eyes, trying to push the excitement the light kiss had given him.

He awoke suddenly. Why? He felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked down and realized Sam had turned in her sleep to cuddle up against him, her head now on his chest with her arm across him, holding onto his shirt. He listened without moving. He heard no noise. Nothing. He closed his eyes again. When he woke up next, it was early morning. Sam was still cuddled into him, sleeping on his chest. He had at some point and time wrapped his arm around her. He tried to move out from under her. She gripped him tightly and whimpered slightly in her sleep. He reached up and gently stroked her hair. She relaxed. He then began to lightly rub her back with his fingertips. She moaned quietly, shifted and stretched to give him more access. He then took the air pillow placed it under her head.

"Jack" she murmured.

"Still here, Sam" he whispered quietly into her ear. She was quiet. He scooted close to the cave mouth and peeked over. He saw several people walking around. He cursed the fact that in their hurry, they could not cover their tracks better. But the closer they had gotten to the mountain; the ground had gotten rockier, so there should not be a good trail to follow. He slowly toggled the safety on the P90 just in case. The men poked around a while longer and moved off down the mountain side. He waited until he was sure they were gone. He watched a while longer, and then moved back into the cave.

Sam began to stir. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her and keep her from waking up startled. Slowly her eyes opened, and she realized she was looking into his caring brown eyes.

"Hi" she said softly.

"Good morning." He removed his hand and moved and began to dig out some things from his pack.

As he was working, she thought about last night. She had been so exhausted; she had pretty much fallen asleep on him. She vaguely remembered talking, then…Wait…Oh my God, did I really kiss him goodnight or was that a dream? She groaned slightly.

She realized he had stopped to look at her curiously. She smiled at him. He waited a moment and went back to getting out items out of the pack. He was being nice, listening to her complain, comforting her. It had just felt so natural. God she was an idiot. She knew that while they had agreed to lock away their feelings, they were there, near the surface. Last night was a perfect example. When they shared a tent off-world, they both managed to end up right next to each other, scooting together during the night. And occasionally, cuddled up to him and waking up sleeping on his chest or shoulder. Even rarer, she had woken to find his arm wrapped around her. Nothing had ever been said, and it had never gone further, but no effort had been made to deal with it either. It was their private comfort item. Enjoyed by both, but never spoken of. And now she had crossed the line in an exhausted moment of non-thinking.

She sighed. "Sir?" She saw him wince. "Jack?" She corrected.

He turned. "Yeah, Sam?"

"Umm, if I did anything that made you uncomfortable last night…"

"Sam, I hardly think uncomfortable is the work I would use. Don't worry about it. And if you must know, I thought it was really…pleasant." He finished, but refused to look her in the eye. He went back to what he was doing.

Sam blushed slightly. It had been pleasant, and she was positive that was why she had slept so well. She looked up as he handed her a cup of hot coffee he had made over the sterno stove.

"Thank you" She said, eyes wide in appreciation.

"Welcome" he said as he began to pack up the stove and supplies. After he had everything packed up he pulled out his first aid kit. He came over to her. "Time for your morning checkup."

"Jack…" She started to whine.

"Wow, now I know you have been hanging around me too long." He said. "We have to keep these clean, and I need to check the wrap and splint on your foot. We have about forty minutes until the SGC is supposed to try and contact us. I want to be ready to move."

He didn't wait for her to answer; he just started checking her over. He reapplied ointment and clean bandages, and checked her foot where he had wrapped and put a mini-splint on it. He then ensured her pack was ready to go. He had already checked his P90 and M-9 to ensure it was good to go. They sat in silence a few moments. She had moved to lean against him. He looked over. "Sam, I am sorry about your holiday plans. I know you and Mark have not had the best of times lately, and this was a chance…"

She laid her head on his shoulder. "It's okay. Besides, I am spending Christmas Eve with you. Can't really beat that." She watched as a slight blush climbed up his features. She realized she had no idea what he did for Christmas. They had Christmas time a couple of times as a team when they had not been off-world, but it had usually been at Sam's, and it dawned on her that he came, brought food and presents, helped clean up, then usually left without much talking. He seemed content to watch his team, but he was distant. She had spent last Christmas with Janet and Cassie and Daniel and Teal'c had stopped by, but the Colonel said he had already made his plans. She wondered. "Jack, what were your plans for Christmas?" She felt him tense.

"You know me Carter, love a good holiday."

"That was not an answer" She said pointedly.

"Well, since you were supposed to be gone, I had told Daniel he and Teal'c could come by. You know Daniel doesn't have any family left, so I kind of been giving him a place to go."

Sam thought about that. She knew that Jack missed his son most around family holidays. Had he been alone every holiday since Charlie died? "It's sweet of you to do that, you know."

"Yeah, well, it's not bad, except the tree."

"The tree?"

"Yeah, the first Christmas, the one when he came back from Abydos, he looked so heartbroken there was no tree. So now, if I know he is coming over, I have tree. He is such a little kid some times." He said with a smirk.

She intertwined her arm with his. "Last year when you said you had plans, you went to your cabin and spent it alone, didn't you?"

She saw him sag a little. "Yeah. Once I knew you guys had someplace to be. Last year was really hard for some reason. It really got to me not having…" His voice trailed off.

She squeezed his hand in hers, then brought it up and kissed the back of it. Nothing more need be said. But she made a vow that he would never be alone on Christmas again.

At the designated time, Jack switched on his radio and listened. If nothing came across in fifteen minutes, they would see if they could get closer to the gate, and wait for the next attempt in an hour. With about five minutes left, he heard a slight noise; it took him a second to place it, and then realized that it was a UAV. About that time his radio crackled. "SG1 Niner, this is Hammond"

He keyed his mike "Sir this is SG1 Niner, two pax, one mobile, one IA. We can hear the UAV, unable to see." He knew that Hammond would now know close to where they were by correlating the position of the UAV to the map. He also would know that one of them was injured.

"SG1 niner, we copy. Be advised, we are planning on sending SGs 5 and 6 through"

"Sir, recommend wait six zero mike, reestablish contact. We will be ready."

"Understood, Hammond out." Hammond understood Jack was going to move them closer to the gate to limit their exposure to a chance of attack.

He looked at Sam. "Ready?" He asked as he grabbed the rope to lower her down.

As they set out, Jack led them on a slightly different path back to the gate. He tried not to push Sam as hard this time in order not to make her ankle worse. After about forty five minutes, she realized he had them to where they could see the gate. There were a few of the local villagers guarding the gate, carrying their primitive firearms. Their MALP sat at the base of the gate. Surprisingly the locals has paid it little mind. They hid in the brush. Jack took his canteen out and gave it to Carter. She took a drink and handed it back. "What do you think sir?

"I think if they lob a few stun grenades through, it will give them time to come through. They will not be nearly as effective in the open, but I doubt these people have seen things like that. Once they start, you and I will move to the gate."

The gate started to spool. The six locals guarding the gate looked at each other, and then raised their weapons. The whirlpool formed. A few moments later, Jack's radio crackled. "SG1 Niner, this is Hammond. Do we have a go?"

"Sir, this is SG1 Nine, be advised, six, repeat, six armed hostiles approximately twenty feet from gate. Recommend smoke and flash. I will divert thirty seconds after that."

Jack heard the UAV move over the area. It had been circling on automatic, and now that contact was reestablished the SGC had moved it over to take a look around the gate.

"Copy that Jack, standby ten count."

Jack pulled out a grenade and pulled the pin and held it. Ten seconds later, small objects shot out of the gate and landed almost at the feet of the locals. The smoke bombs and explosions went off seconds later. The locals were shocked and confused. Jack keyed his mike as he stood up and threw his grenade as hard as he could behind the locals. "Go!" he yelled into the mike. His grenade went off, forcing the locals to duck and look behind them and the SG teams poured from the gate. They used Zats to stun the locals. Jack scooped up Sam and all but carried her to the gate. It was over in seconds.

Teal'c saw them first and moved to help with Sam. As the gate shut down to allow them to dial back out, Daniel came running to them.

"O'Neill, Major Carter, are you well?" Teal'c asked.

Sam noticed Jack did not relinquish his hold on her.

"I am fine. Carter's got a bum foot. Get these people and the MALP out of here. That much commotion is going to draw attention." He moved them to the gate as the MALP crawled up the ramp and into the vortex. The UAV had just skidded to a stop in the grass and was picked up by two members of the SGC teams and carried through the gate. Jack helped Sam up the steps and shots rang out. He turned to place himself between her and the shooting and stepped to the vortex. He heard SG5 providing cover fire.

Sam felt him flinch just as they went through.

They stepped off the ramp and walked down, him still carrying her. He looked at Hammond, then back to the gate as Teal'c and Daniel came flying through and bounced off the ramp. They were quickly followed by the remaining SGC members.

"Close it" Hammond called out.

They watched the iris close. The gate disengaged

The medical teams began to walk over to them. Jack ignored them. "Permission to escort Major Carter to the infirmary?"

"Granted"

Jack walked past the medics and helped Sam walk to the medical bay. On the way she glanced to make sure it was just them in the hallway. "You could have let the medics take me Jack."

He smiled. "I told you I would get you home. That includes door to door service."

"Thank you Jack."

"Always"

They arrived in the infirmary where Frasier was waiting to receive the casualties if any. She had been informed at least one SG1 member was injured. She was not surprised. She had already threatened to have their names permanently placarded above the beds.

"Foot Doc." Jack said as Janet pointed to a bed. He guided Sam over and actually lifted her and put her on the bed. "I tried to splint it best I could, but I was afraid to take the boot off in the field. She has numerous cuts and scrapes. Worst one in on her right arm. Ointment and bandages."

Janet walked up as Jack forced Sam to lie down. "Well, I think we can fix her up. That does not sound as bad as she usually comes back."

"Hey…" Sam started to protest.

"Sam, I will be back in moment to check on you." Jack said as he turned to leave.

Janet's sharp eye caught it during his attempted escape. "Hold it right there Colonel!"

He stopped and turned to look at her. She walked over and pointed to his ribs. His shirt was torn, and blood had dripped down soaking the shirt. Frasier took his arm and led him to the bed.

"It's fine Doc, just a scratch. See to Carter." He saw Sam looking at him with concern in her eyes. She moved to get up.

Janet did not even look at her. "Sam, you get off that bed and I will have you restrained. Lay down!" She continued cutting away at Jack's shirt. To him she said "Sir, please, give me your weapon."

He looked down, then unclipped his P90 and handed it to her, then moved to unclip the harness and take it off. About that time Teal'c and Daniel came in. Daniel had a small bandage on his forehead. Jack looked up.

"Daniel?"

"Ramp"

"Oh"

"You would think the Air Force could afford to put some rubber mats down. What happened to you two?" Daniel asked.

"Well…" He paused as he caught Carter shifting to get a better look at his wound.

Janet saw this and lost her patience. "Daniel, make yourself useful and take these weapons out of my infirmary. Teal'c stand there and hold her down if you have to while I work on Colonel O'Neill. Now move."

Everyone looked at her, then Daniel walked over and picked up the P90, clearing the weapon and removing the magazine out of habit. He walked over and held his hand out and Jack placed the M-9 in it. Daniel cleared it and the magazine as he walked out muttering something about grumpy doctors.

Teal'c, as usual said nothing. He had no desire to tangle with the petite doctor when her mood was obviously foul already. Even he had his limits on combat. He walked to Carter and placed a hand on her shoulder until she sighed and lay back down.

Frasier turned to Jack and began to examine him. "Sir, this is not a scratch, this is a bullet wound."

She moved to walk to a cabinet of supplies. She looked at Teal'c. "If he so much as moves, Teal'c, zat his ass." She then walked to the cabinet.

"I will Doctor Frasier."

"She was joking Teal'c." Jack said.

Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow. "I am not positive of that O'Neill, and unlike you, I have no desire to be on Doctor Frasier's bad side, I will follow her instructions."

"Scaredy Cat" O'Neill said. He merely got a raised eyebrow in response.

Janet came back over with some supplies. "Want to explain this, sir?"

"After they came through to get us, when we were coming back, some of their reinforcements fired on us. Carter and I were on the raised platform, so we were obvious targets. I guess I got it then."

Sam spoke up. "You mean when you moved in front of me to cover me with your body." She made no effort to hide her irritation from her voice.

Jack looked to see raised eyebrows on both Teal'c and Janet from Carter's tone. He sighed. He foresaw another private ass chewing in his future. And he knew because it was her, he would take it, and she knew because it was her, he would let her.

Janet cleaned the wound, examined it. "You got lucky, sir. Looks like a graze. Few stitches should set you up." As she began stitching it up, Daniel came back in. He looked at Sam; saw the irritation on her face. He then looked to the usual cause for her being irritated and saw Janet sewing a long cut along his rib cage. "Still forgetting to duck?"

"Daniel" Jack said with warning.

"Uhh, General Hammond said to come see him when you are released. We are planning a debrief in about thirty minutes."

"Okay, if I get out of here I will be there, otherwise, tell him I will stop by and talk to him personally." He glanced at Sam and then back at Daniel. He grabbed a note pad from his vest that Frasier had laid on the bed beside him. He wrote something on the note and handed it to Daniel who looked at him, but pocketed the note. He then left.

Janet finished up Jack and he began to slide off the bed. "Oh no sir. Now I get to give your shot of antibiotics." She said with and evil grin.

Jack groaned as she picked up the needle.

Janet removed Jack's makeshift wrap and then cut the laces on Sam's boot. She looked up at Sam. "I'm sorry, Sweetie, this will hurt when I pull it off."

Sam nodded. Jack moved closer and stuck his hand in hers. She looked up and smiled.

As Janet removed the boot, Sam hissed in pain and squeezed Jack's hand.

Janet examined the foot and ankle. "Well, looks like a really bad sprain, but I want an MRI."

"Janet, really?" Sam whined.

"Carter, listen to Doc Frasier. She knows what's best." Jack said.

Janet's eyebrow did a very good Teal'c impersonation.

Sam just looked at him with a sour face. "Hi pot, I'm kettle"

Jack smirked.

"Sir, it will be a few minutes for me to set it up. I will be right back if you don't mind staying…" She knew she would not even have had to ask, but she felt she should, and she was sure if given to her own devices, Sam would squirm out of the bed and try and escape. She had gotten more and more like the Colonel as time went on.

"I got her Doc. She will not leave the bed."

As Janet walked off, Teal'c looked at them both. "I will take my leave of you and attend the debrief. I will explain to General Hammond you are detained in the infirmary."

"Thanks T"

Teal'c inclined his head and left.

"Sir, you do not have to stay. If you do not go to debrief, you will just have to stay longer to talk to the general." Sam said.

Jack walked over to the sink and ran some hot water. He came back carrying a cloth.

"Sam, I got nowhere to be but here with you." He reached out and wiped her face with the cloth, cleaning dirt off her face.

She smiled. Again, a sign of how far their relationship had progressed. He had not even given a second thought to what would normally be a semi-intimate act between two people. He just wanted to help her. He looked at her face to appraise his work.

"Wow Carter, under all that dirt, still a beauty."

She felt her face flush. "Thank you sir."

He turned to take the rag back to the sink.

When he came back he could see she was deep in thought. "What's wrong Sam?"

"Well, let me see. It's Christmas Eve, and I am supposed to be landing in thirty minutes and I have not even been able to call my brother and have him yell at me yet again for being part of the military establishment that ruins holidays. Oh, and now, because of me, you will be spending god knows how long with the general explaining how you drug your klutzy second in command all over hell's half acre to avoid a bunch of pissed of locals who thought we were invaders of some sort. And let's not add that the general should be home with his grandchildren and Janet should be home with Cassie, but because of me, everyone is stuck here. On Christmas Eve!" She had gotten more frustrated during her rant, and tears had come to her eyes. Jack was positive it was a half and half mix of pissed off and sad at the same time.

He looked around and saw they were still the only two in the infirmary. He reached moved over and sat half on the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her. After a moment, she grabbed his shirt and turned her face to her chest. Neither noticed Janet standing by the doorway, giving them their privacy and ensuring no one else walked in on them.

After a few minutes, Jack felt Sam relax against him. He slowly moved back. He kissed the top of her head, and then released her. He held out the now lukewarm rag. She smiled and wiped her face with it. "Thank you, Jack."

"No problem." He said as he took the rag. He stopped when she grabbed his hand.

"I mean for everything. You always take care of me. You are always there for me."

He smiled and said "And I always will be".

Janet walked back in pushing a wheel chair. "Time for your MRI."

As Sam scooted to the edge of the bed, Jack reached over, lifted her, and put her in the chair. He noticed Janet had a smirk on her face.

Jack pushed the wheel chair down the hall. When they got to the room Janet took over, telling the "Colonel, sorry sir, your stop."

He nodded and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I will be back in a few minutes to check on you, okay?"

Jack stopped by the locker room. He quickly used his key on Sam's lock. He and Sam had long ago traded keys for the locks on their lockers as a means of ensuring they had a secure way of leaving notes they wanted to remain personal. He then turned and hurried upstairs. He found Teal'c and Daniel sitting in the conference room waiting on him. Daniel looked up.

"The brief ended a few minutes ago. How are you and Sam?"

Jack could tell Daniel was genuinely concerned about his teammates. "I am fine, stitches. Sam is getting her MRI. But there is a bigger issue with her. I think we, as her family here, are the ones to help." He reached and took out his wallet and handed Daniel his credit card. He outlined his plan, and gave Daniel the list he had made while waiting on Sam to wake up on the planet. "Not a lot of time guys. You in?"

"Absolutely Jack"

"Indeed"

They both took off as Jack walked into to see Hammond. He did not want the General to miss out on grandkid time any more than he already had. "General, we got attacked, Carter tripped and fell, sprained her ankle. We could not keep up with Daniel and Teal'c. I ordered them to the gate, led Carter off a different direction. We holed up for the night, and you know the rest. I took a graze from a bullet on the way back, I am fine, and Carter is getting her MRI. I will have a full report in your inbox in two days."

Hammond looked in surprise as the rapid fire report from O'Neill. "Jack?"

"Sir, it's Christmas Eve. Enough people have missed family time due to us. Go see your grandkids, enjoy it."

Hammond smiled. He suspected there was more going on here than he knew, although he had a strong idea who the principle cast involved was. "Okay Jack, I will just do that. You have a Merry Christmas."

"You too sir." Jack turned and started to walk out.

"Oh, Jack be sure and take good care of Major Carter."

"I will sir" he replied before his brain caught up. Doh! Can't believe I fell for that. He refused to look back. If he had he would have seen a huge smile on Hammond's face.

"Gothca Jack" Hammond said as Jack disappeared.

Jack took out Sam's cell phone and dug through the address book. He winced to himself at the invasion, but if things worked out, he didn't think she would mind. He found the number he wanted and called.

Later Jack came back in the infirmary to find Sam sitting on the bed, foot in a walking cast, while Janet cleaned her cuts. He smiled. "Doc, how is she?"

"Well, very bad sprain and some stretched ligaments. She will be earth bound for a while, and if she knows what is good for her, she will use the crutches I give her for the next few days."

Jack tried hard to hide his grin at Sam's pout. He must not have been succeeding as Sam shot him an irritated look that showed revenge would be hers.

"Uh, Doc, Hammond is going home, provided I give him a quick summary of the medical. Can I get to write me something up real quick?"

Janet looked at him in surprise, but something in his tone made her agree. "Sure. Sam, be right back."

As they got into the office Jack laid a piece of paper on her keyboard. She realized that by bending over to read it she looked like she was typing through the window. She read the note, and forced herself not to smile. She had to admit, the man was frustrating, but she loved him to death for the efforts he made to take care of her best friend. She grabbed the note and stuffed into her drawer and looked at him "I can do that" As she walked out. Jack followed.

Janet finished up dressing Sam's wounds and then gave her a serious look. "Sam, I hate to do this, but we both know how you are. You have a choice, you can stay here, overnight, and I will watch you and help you, or you can see if someone will come to your house and stay with you, but the point is, you will not be up running around on that foot."

Jack took that as his cue. "Uh, Doc, would it be acceptable for her to come to my place? I can watch her and make sure she behaves."

Sam's face went from crestfallen and irritation to complete shock.

Janet looked as if she was giving the pros and cons serious thought. "Yes, Colonel, I will accept that, provided I have your word, you will make sure she rests and relaxes and stays off the foot the next few days."

"Done" He said, grabbing the wheel chair.

"Sir, I can't…" Sam began

"Carter, no argument. Besides, beats the infirmary all night." He reached up to help her down.

"I have crutches." She protested.

"This will be faster." He said grabbing her and placing her in the wheel chair.

Sam was sure she was being schemed against, but had yet to figure out what was going on. Jack wheeled her to the locker room and got their things from his locker and hers. He put them in a back pack and put it on. Sam realized how ridiculous they probably looked going down the hall with him wheeling her while she held crutches.

When they got topside, Jack left her just inside the entrance and brought his truck up. And SF wheeled Sam out. He then got out to help her in the truck while the SF collapsed the wheel chair.

After wishing the SF a Merry Christmas they drove off. Jack stopped at her house and said "Hold on a moment while I check your house and get you a few items." He was gone before she could answer. Next stop was the pharmacy.

They arrived at his house and he got the chair out and helped her out. He wheeled her to the door, opened it and got her inside. After he got her on the couch, he went back out and to his truck and got his bag and her crutches. He looked at her.

"Doc said a glass of wine would be okay for you provided you kept it just one." He said.

"That would be nice, s…Jack"

He left and brought her the wine. He then got a fire going in the fire place. He looked at her. "Be right back, okay?"

She nodded.

About 10 minutes later he was back. He had showered and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. He took her now empty wine glass and set it down. He held out a hand. Looking at him curiously, she took it as he helped up and handed her crutches and led to the stairs. He stopped. He looked like he was contemplating the stairs and crutches. She was about to ask when she scooped her into his arms. She let out a squeal as the crutches felt to the floor.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing?"

He carried her up to the master bedroom and set her down. "Wait here." He went back down and grabbed the crutches and then came back into the room. He disappeared for moment in the bathroom, and she heard running water. He came back out a few moments later. "I am going to help you take your boot off, so let me know if it hurts, okay?" He reached down and gently removed the boot.

"Jack, what are you doing?" she asked gently.

"Getting you set up so you can take a bath." He answered.

He then helped her into the bathroom. She noticed that he had placed a small stool at the end of the tub. He pointed. "Put your foot on that to keep it out of the water. I used your bubble stuff from your house." He turned and pointed to the counter. Your clothes, and if you prefer, some sweats I think would fit you."

She smiled, her eyes watery. He was battle hardened, and lost more than any three people should. Most people saw the crass, flippant, hard Jack O'Neill, but she was seeing the sweet, kind, caring Jack O'Neill who was doing the best he could to take care of her and comfort her. Without thinking she reached out and hugged him. His arms wrapped around her, making her feel so safe and warm. She felt him kiss the top of her head.

"Sam, probably need to get started while the water is hot." He said.

She nodded. He looked at her. She realized he was nervous.

"Uh, can you, you know, get out of those, and into there?"

She looked. Truthfully, she was not sure. "Tell you what, stay outside the door, if I can't I can call you."

He nodded and moved to the door, pulling it behind him. It took her a moment to get out of clothes, but she managed. Getting in the tub proved trickier since she had to keep her foot wrap dry. Janet had insisted the tight wrap had to stay on for a few days to help control and swelling down. She finally managed that. She soon found herself relaxing in the tub. She had not realized how much this would help her. She scrubbed off with the washcloths Jack has set out for her. She just sat and soaked then. She began to relax more and started to nod off. A knock at the door brought her out of it.

"Sam, you have been in there a while. You did not fall asleep did you?" Jack's concerned voice called out.

"Almost. Going to get out now."

"Okay."

She tried to figure out how to get out and realized that presented more of an issue trying to climb out and keep her foot dry. Crap. She tried a few things and realized she was going to have to ask for help. "Jack?"

"Yeah Sam. You okay?"

"umm, I think…" She knew her face must be beet red.

"Need help?"

"Yes"

The door opened and Jack came in. He was studiously looking at the wall two feet above her. He kneeled down in front of the tub. "Put your arms around my neck."

She noticed he had not looked down. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt him place his arms under her. She felt him tense and he closed his eyes a moment, and then lifted. She suppressed a sigh at how good his arms felt against her naked skin. I am going to lose it if this lasts much longer. Two careers gone because I rape my CO.

He lifted her and placed her butt on the edge of the tub. She swung her legs over and set her feet on the floor. Before she could remove her hands, he placed his hands around her and stood, pulling her to a standing position. He was now looking into her eyes. She tilted her head. She was willing to give him anything at this point. If he took the next step, she knew there would be no attempt to stop it. She would give into him willingly and fully. She saw the struggle in his eyes. His eyes shifted and he sighed. "You think you are okay?"

She knew he was trying to be protective and not push her into something that could risk their careers. Due to their closeness, there was no doubt in her mind the reaction he was having to her. She knew he was struggling. She pulled his head down and until their lips met. At first he was tense, then the he tightened his hold on her and the kiss deepened. She felt his tongue probe and she opened her mouth to give him access.

They finally came up for air. "Wow, that was…" He said.

"It certainly was." She said. "Merry Christmas Jack."

He smiled. "Merry Christmas Sam." In what was the hardest decision he ever made, he stepped back, studiously not looking down. "I better let you get dressed before I can't stop myself."

She blushed at the admission. Although she had known they still had deep feelings for each other; that was closest he had come to admitting it a long time. "Okay, I will be ready in a moment, and Jack, for the record, loss of control is a two way street."

He moved back to the door and walked through. He could not resist, his eyes finally gave in and glanced down. She did nothing to hide from it. He stepped out the door quickly.

She toweled off and put on a pair of underwear. She decided to put on a pair of his sweats. Refreshed and comfortable, she took a couple of deep breaths to calm her libido and then called out "Okay Jack."

He came in and she noticed he again had eyes high. "It's fine Jack, I am dressed." She smiled when he looked at her. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her and helped her to the bedroom, setting her down on the bed.

"You will sleep in here, since it is closest to the bathroom." He said

She was surprised, and then looked around. She saw he had placed a glass of water on the nightstand, and had her crutches propped by the headboard. She looked back up at him. "Where will you be?"

"Spare room or couch" He said casually.

"Jack, I will not kick you out of your own bed, in your own house." She stated firmly.

He looked at the door then back to her. "Uh, well…"

"Jack, we sleep in the same tent, hell, we sometime cuddle at night and you know it. Neither one of us admits it, but we seem to get drawn to each other." Her tone softened. "It's Christmas, Jack. Consider this your present to me, okay?"

He looked into her blue eyes. He knew he could get lost in those eyes. "Okay Sam. Let me help you into bed. I have to run downstairs and take care of some things, and I will be right back."

She scooted off the bed and stood while he pulled the covers back. She got back into bed and she snuggled in as he covered her up. He leaned down and kissed her head. "Be right back."

He went down stairs and made sure things were off, fireplace screen was in place, and on the way back, turned on the small lamp by the entranceway. He placed a note by the lamp. He went back up stairs.

He went into the bathroom and changed into sweatpants. The then gently crawled into bed so as not to disturb Sam. As soon as he lay down, she scooted to him. He noticed her eyes were open. He moved his arm and she cuddled into him lay her head on his shoulder. She then reached up and kissed him. Not as passionate as earlier, but by no means chaste. She scooted back down and placed her head on his shoulder again. "Good night, Jack."

He wrapped his arm around her. "Goodnight Sam."

Around 0230 he woke up. Sam was sleeping. In fact, she was almost snoring. He eased out of bed, using an extra pillow he had stashed by the bed to switch her head from his shoulder. She settled into the pillow but did not wake. He waited another five minutes to make sure she stayed asleep, and then got up. He pulled the door closed behind him. A few minutes later his partners in crime showed up.

The next morning Sam woke up. She was lying with her head on Jack's chest, her arm across him, clinging to his shirt. She had also looped her leg over his so she was practically lying on top of him. His arm was around her, and his other hand on hers that was clinging to his shirt. God I could wake up like this every day and be so incredibly happy. She looked over at the clock and saw it was 0745. Realizing she had no intention of abandoning the feeling she had, sleeping with Jack, wrapped in the warmth and safety he provided, she closed her eyes again. She woke up again. The clock told her an hour had passed. She looked up at Jack to see him watching her. "Hi there." She said softly.

"Good morning" He said. "Merry Christmas"

"Merry Christmas, Jack" She replied.

"Did you sleep okay?" He asked.

"I think better than I have in months. You?"

"Oh yeah, but the best part was waking up to you. Can't see anything better than that." He replied.

She blushed. His comment was so unguarded it surprised her. "Thank you, but I think my waking up to you was better."

"Call it a tie?"

"Works for me."

"How about I get up, get dressed, help you to the bathroom, and then fix you some breakfast?"

"I would like that." She said smiling, and then her expression changed.

"What's wrong Sam?"

"I forgot to call Mark last night. He probably waited at the airport. I bet he called all night. He is going to be so mad."

"Well, how about you call him in a minute. I will sit with you while you do."

She looked hesitant, but knew it was inevitable. "Okay."

He slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

"Jack?"

He stopped and turned.

"For future reference, you had your peek last night. Rest assured I will get mine." She said with a wicked grin.

He blushed, looked her right in the eye. "I truly would love nothing more." He then walked into the restroom. He came back out and helped her walk to the restroom. Once he was sure she was situated, he went back into the room to change. He changed and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yes, Jack?"

"I have fresh sweats here if you would rather wear them. Might be easier." He said.

"Okay bring them in."

He opened the door a crack and set them on the counter and closed the door. A few moments later he heard her call him. He came and knocked. "Sam?"

"Ready to come back out." As she opened the door, she was surprised to see Jack wearing nice khaki pants and a nice button down shirt. Her eyebrows rose.

"Thought I might try and look nice for you on Christmas" He said sheepishly.

She looked him head to toe. Oh yes you do. "Uh, you look very handsome, Jack, but I think I am way underdressed."

"No you are not, besides, you will have a hard time with your boot in real pants. I want you to be comfortable. And let's be honest, you would look great in a burlap bag." He stated.

She blushed deeply. She definitely liked him with his guard down, but it sure was making it hard on her not to grab him and show how she really felt. He got her to the bed and helped fasten the boot onto her leg. He then held out his hand. She took it and stood up. She reached over and grabbed her crutches. He smiled and she followed him to the door. At the stairwell, he turned to her.

"Jack, you cannot keep carrying me up and down the stairs. It is too much. Here." She said, as she leaned the crutches against wall. She then gripped the hand rail tightly and waved her arm, indicating he should move closer. He moved in and she wrapped her arm around him. He wrapped his arm tightly around her.

They moved down the stair case. It was awkward, at first, but they quickly got it down with him supporting her bad side completely. They got to the bottom and she stopped in shock. "Holy Hannah!"

There were decorations everywhere, and in the living room a large, decorated tree stood in corner, presents under it. Garland was hanging from the ceiling, and ribbon tied on door knobs. Various other decorations added to the touch.

Her eyes were wide in shock as she looked at him.

"Merry Christmas Sam. I am sorry you had to have it here, but I hope you like it."

"When did you do this?"

"Early this morning. While you slept. Daniel and Teal'c came by early this morning and we set everything up."

She looked at him in amazement. "What made you…?"

"You. I wanted you to have a good Christmas. Even if you have to spend it here instead of with your family."

She turned and hugged him tightly. "You are a wonderful man Jack, and I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate the effort you put in for me." She then reached up and kissed him.

When they broke the kiss, she was surprised to see he was blushing. "I better get your crutches. You want to sit in the living room?"

"Where are you going to be?"

"In the kitchen, Sweetheart. That is usually where breakfast is prepared."

She enjoyed the tingly warmth the casual way he threw the name out there gave her. "Then I want to go with you in the kitchen."

He helped her to the kitchen and with his frowning help; she hopped up on the cabinet. He put on some coffee for her and then filled a glass with water, opened a bag on the counter, opened the bottle and gave her prescription and the water. While she took her pills, she watched him pull stuff out for breakfast. She couldn't believe how easy it was to let him take care of her like he was. She had been so independent her whole life, but yet, with him, it was so easy to give in and let him take control. As he went around getting the breakfast together he suddenly stopped. He turned and walked into the living room. He reached into the bag he had thrown their stuff into and pulled her phone and brought to her.

She sighed. I guess is time to face the music. She looked at the phone and was surprised to find only one missed call from her brother. She dialed. "Hey Mark, it's Sam. Look, I am sorry…Merry Christmas to you too. I am sorry about not making it, I kind of had an accident…no, I am fine now, but on crutches for a few days. No, it wasn't bad; in fact it was my being clumsy, which made it worse. I know. I promise I will make it up to you. No, I couldn't go home without someone to watch me so I am at Colonel O'Neill's. Yes, he is my boss. When did you develop a sense of humor? No, he brought me here because it was that or stay in the hospital overnight and he didn't want to have me do that on Christmas Eve. Yes, I will tell him. No, I understand completely. You go, spend time with your family. And Mark, thanks for being so understanding. Love you too. Bye."

Jack was putting eggs on a plate. "Didn't sound too bad." He said.

She looked at her phone strangely. "I think I am in the twilight zone because that didn't even sound like my brother. He wasn't even mad. Just wanted to know if I was okay. Said to tell you thank you for taking care of me."

"Oh, well, it's my job." He smiled. He held out his arms. "Come on down. Time to eat."

She hopped off the counter with his help and he guided her to the table. He went back and got the food and plates. He then went back and got her coffee. They sat down to eat. As they ate, she looked at him. "Jack?'

"Yes."

"Thank you for being so wonderful and doing all of this for me. I really appreciate it."

"You are welcome."

Just as soon as he said it the doorbell rang. Jack up, bent over and kissed her cheek, and then walked to the door. He came back in followed by Teal'c and Daniel. Sam's smile got even bigger as her teammates took turns getting hugs and cheek kisses.

Jack indicated the table. "Plenty of food, and I can make more."

Teal' and Daniel sat down as Jack brought in a cup of coffee for Daniel and huge glass of orange juice for Teal'c.

"Guys, I really appreciate you coming over and setting all this up. I can't thank you enough." Sam said.

"You need not thank us Major Carter. We would do anything for you. You are the same as a sister to me." Teal'c said.

Sam's eyes watered.

"Yeah, it was kind of me that pushed that last trip, and well, you would not have missed your time with the family if it had not been for that." Daniel said.

They sat, ate, and joked, and then when everyone was full, Jack insisted they all move to the living room. They all got situated, and Jack started handing out presents. Sam noticed he seemed to much more open and willing to be a participant this year as opposed to sitting back and letting his teammates enjoy it. She smiled at him and leaned up against him. Neither Teal'c nor Daniel said anything about how close they sat, or the fact Jack had his arm draped over her shoulder.

Jack said, "Hold on, I think there is one more here." He reached down beside the end table and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Sam. She looked at him curiously and opened the envelope. In it she found a note and a ticket.

'Sam, enjoy the time with your family, love Jack'. The ticket was for a first class seat to San Diego.

"Jack, you shouldn't have done this"

"Least I could do. And your leave has already been approved"

"Jack, even my ticket wasn't first class. That is expensive" She protested.

"Eh, you will need room to keep your foot up I am sure." He said.

Daniel and Teal'c just watched the exchange. Finally Daniel cleared his throat. Jack and Sam looked at him. "Sam, if you want an excuse to thank him…" He pointed up.

Both Jack and Sam looked up and saw mistletoe hanging about their heads. Jack looked back at her, into her beautiful blue eyes. She was staring into his. She gave a wicked grin only he could see. Their lips met.

If Daniel and Teal'c had expected one of the chaste kisses they had, on occasion seen them exchange, they could not have been more shocked. This was very deep and meaningful. Neither one noticed the bright flash. After a while Daniel said "Guys…rooms… upstairs"

They broke apart and she giggled. Then they both looked at Daniel.

"Daniel, you cannot tell me you did not put that mistletoe there not knowing that this couch is always where Jack and I sit when we are here"

Daniel just smirked. "I might have decided it was time you to have a chance to air out some feelings."

Sam knew then that while her brother and his family were family by blood and she loved them, these three were family by bond. They have faced life and death together, carried each other, stood by each other, and watched over each other. These people were her family too. And they always will be.

Four days later, Jack was helping Sam at the airport. He was pulling her luggage with one hand and walking with his other arm wrapped around her, ostentatiously to support her weak foot, but they knew that was not the full reason. They had all stayed at Jack's until yesterday, letting her and Jack has one last night together. Janet and Cassie had stopped by, and Janet had blessed her not using crutches but keeping the boot on. Jack made her give her solemn word to not overdue it. Although Jack normally would have felt guilty about it, he used his military credentials and Presidential Security Authorization to be allowed to escort Sam directly to the gate. They sat, arm in arm, her leaning her head against his shoulder until her plane began boarding. He helped her up. She turned and looked at him.

"I will meet you her in a week, okay?" He said.

"Okay Jack. And Jack, thank you for making this one of the best holidays I can remember."

"You are welcome Sam"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into kiss. Despite being in public, he did not even hesitate to kiss her back. She then whispered in his ear "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Always Sam, always."

He watched as she hobbled down the ramp. He waited until he saw the plane push back and then he started to leave. The gate attendant finished closing up the gate. She walked over to him. "You wife is a beautiful woman. Looks like you have something special."

Jack kept looking out the window. "Oh, she is not my wife. Not yet. But I certainly hope to change that in time." He smiled as he walked off.

Sam landed at San Diego and hobbled off the plane. If she had not given her word to Jack, she would have ditched the boot, but after all he had done, she could never do that. She saw Mark and his family as she came out of the secure area toward the baggage claim. Surprising her, he walked up and gave her a hug. "Hi there Sammy"

"Hi Mark." She looked at him suspiciously. He smiled. Then he looked at her quizzically. "He didn't tell you did he?"

"Who tell me what?" Sam asked.

"Your boss called Christmas Eve. He told us you got hurt. He called while you were having your MRI done. He was so distraught over you getting hurt on that team building exercise. Said it was all his fault. He even admitted straight out he messed up by allowing your team to go. Said you should have waited. He even offered to buy us tickets to come see you. The whole family." Mark said. "Not every day that a full bird colonel calls up and apologizes and tries to make amends."

Sam listened as she hugged her sister-in-law and nieces. "Well, Colonel O'Neill is a little different that the average colonel."

"Well, this one sounds special. Bringing you home so you did not have to stay in the infirmary. Calling us to let us know what is going on and then making sure you still got to come out. The man definitely sounds like he cares about his people." Her sister-in-law said.

"Oh, he does. He does indeed" Sam said, heart full of fond memories as they walked out of the airport.

Years later, a little girl was looking at a picture on the shelf. "Mommy, who is this?"

Her mother walked over to look "Sweetheart that is your mother and father. That was what we consider our first real Christmas together."

"You had short hair then."

"Yes I did."

"And Daddy had more than one color!"

Her mother laughed. "Yes, that was before your father's hair turned completely silver."

"You two were kissing."

"Well, your father had just given your mother a very special gift. And there was mistletoe hanging above us."

"Oh."

That picture is special to your Mother and Father. She reached took the picture down. She guided her daughter to the couch. "Your father and I used to work together, so we couldn't express our feelings for each other. We had this Christmas here, where we had a chance to do that."

Her daughter was looking at her intently.

"Anyway, a lot of things happened and work and other….things… got in the way. Then one day, when your father and I had just about given up on being together, your Uncle Daniel arranged for your father and I to meet at a very nice restaurant in Washington D.C. where your father worked. We each thought we were meeting Uncle Daniel. We got there and then the waiter brought us a package with our names on it and in it was this picture."

She opened the frame. On the back of the picture it was written 'You guys have wasted enough time. No more excuses. Enjoy what you both have and share it with each other again.'

"Uncle Daniel wrote that?"

"Yes he did" came a voice from the hallway.

"Daddy!" the little girl ran to her father's arms.

"How are the two most beautiful women in the world?"

Sam walked over and kissed him. "We are good. Just getting ready to get Jacob up. He is probably ready to eat."

"Oh good" Jack said as he followed his wife down the hall. He watched as Sam picked up Jacob from the crib. He smiled brightly.

Sam looked at him as she got ready to nurse. "What are you grinning about?'

"I love you Sam"

"I love you to Jack"