Disclaimer: Not my characters, just having fun with them.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated.
This has not been beta'd so all mistakes are mine
Christmas 2003-O'Malley's
Sam watched the people around her. Daniel, happy to be back among the corporeal, she suppose, was laughing at something Janet said. Sam wondered why she'd never thought about them as a couple. They were both single, smart and attractive. She'd have to think on it. Her eyes shifted to the opposite side of the room. Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond were sitting at a table drinking beer and talking. The Colonel looked relaxed. She hadn't seen him relaxed in a long time and she wanted to stare at him. It probably wasn't a good idea though. She sighed and went to find Teal'c. He could distract her from her thoughts on the Colonel.
"Major Carter, you are looking quite attractive this evening," Teal'c said as she walked up to him. He was standing in a corner observing the merriment around him. While he could certainly take part in it, Sam was sure he was probably having more fun watching everyone else.
She smiled, gazing out over the crowd. "Thank you. You're looking rather dashing yourself. I always loved a man in a fedora."
Teal'c inclined his head. "You do not look as though you are enjoying yourself Major Carter."
Damn Teal'c and his Jedi mind reading abilities. He had a knack for always knowing when something was wrong with one of his team, and while it was endearing, Sam thought it was also incredibly annoying if she happened to be on the receiving end. "No, I guess I'm just a little tired. Been a busy week. You know that though."
"Indeed I do." They had spent much of the week in negotiations with an advanced race for weapons technologies and the talks had not gone well. Mostly because Jack told their leader he was an ass. While they all agreed it was entirely true, they also agreed it probably wasn't wise of Jack to point it out at a dinner in their honor. After soothing many ruffled feathers, Daniel managed to get things back on track, but it had been trying on all of them.
Sam sat down her almost full glass. "I think I'm just going to head home. See you on Monday?"
Teal'c dipped his head again. "You will, Major Carter. Drive with care."
Jack watched Teal'c and Carter while trying to pay attention to whatever General Hammond was saying. He was probably failing miserably, but Hammond likely wouldn't care. He was used to Jack. Carter wore a skirt this year and Jack was hard pressed not to salivate. It was a short skirt. Not too short, but short enough and combined with her heels (again with the heels!) her legs looked like they were about 6 feet long and Jack had the urge to explore every glorious inch of them. He shook his head to clear it of the image of Carter's legs. That path did not lead to no good. At least not by Air Force regs. He watched as she scanned the room. Her eyes locked with his briefly before she turned and left the party. The brightness left with her.
Teal'c sat in a chair by Jack. "O'Neill. General Hammond."
"Teal'c," Hammond said. "Enjoying the party?"
Jack slapped Teal'c on the back. "Of course he is, Sir. Teal'c loves Christmas, don'tcha pal?"
"I have come to enjoy your holiday, O'Neill. There are still things I do not understand, such as what the birth of a child has to do with a decorated tree and a portly man who sneaks into your home to deliver gifts, but I have come to look forward to it each year."
"Way to break it down T. Maybe you could play Santa at next year's party!" Jack said.
"Are suggesting that I am overweight, O'Neill? I do not believe I, in any way, resemble your Santa Clause."
General Hammond laughed. "He's right there, Jack. I resemble Santa far more than Teal'c."
"But T, think how much fun it would be. I would even sit in your lap."
"I look forward to it, O'Neill." Teal'c looked down at his hands. He held up a silver spangled scarf. "It seems I am still in possession of Major Carter's scarf. Dr. Frasier gave it to me to give to Major Carter and it seems I have forgotten."
Jack looked over at the scarf in his hands. He had an itch to bury his face in it. He was certain it smelled like Carter. "She leave?" Jack asked, like he didn't know the answer.
Teal'c gave him a small smile. "Indeed, she did. Perhaps you could drop it off on your way home, O'Neill?"
Jack's mouth moved like a fish before he caught himself. "I'm sure you can just hang onto it until Monday, T."
"Perhaps, O'Neill. Or perhaps I shall see if Major Bautel can drop it off."
Red. Jack saw red. Not Christmas red, but hot, angry red. Major Bautel, who was on SG-12, had been hanging around Carter far more than was necessary in Jack's opinion. Bautel was relatively good looking, Jack grudgingly acknowledged, and close to Carter in age, which he, himself, was not, but Bautel was a snake. Jack had no proof of course, but he could just tell. He certainly didn't want Carter getting to close to him. He reached out and took the scarf with more force than he probably needed to. "No, I'll take it."
Teal'c inclined his head and stood. "General Hammond, O'Neill."
Jack and Hammond watched the large man walk away. "I still don't know how he's so damn graceful." Jack commented.
"Wish I moved half as gracefully," Hammond said. "Hell, I wish I was in half as good a shape as him too."
"Well, if you'd been carrying a snake in your gut for a hundred or so years, you might be. I personally think I'd rather be in less than perfect shape."
Hammond looked over at Jack. "There is that, I suppose." He heaved his considerable self from his chair. "Seeing as I'm not in the best of shape, I should probably be getting my old bones home."
Jack stood. "Me too, Sir." He and Hammond made the rounds of goodbyes, though Jack's were less enthusiastic and friendly, and walked out to the parking lot together.
"You okay, to drive, son?" Hammond asked.
"Only had one, Sir. Right as rain." Jack got into his truck, pulled out of the parking lot and turned towards Carter's house. He looked down at the scarf sitting on the seat next to him. He picked it up and inhaled. Carter's scent enveloped him and he let out a heavy sigh. Carter rarely wore perfume, but he knew the one she did. It was always the same; a light floral that wasn't overpowering, and mingled with her own natural body chemicals to create something that was uniquely her. He could smell the same perfume on a hundred different women, but none would smell exactly like Carter. Probably because no other woman was exactly like Carter.
Jack sat in the drive staring at her house. There were lights on in the front and he could see her shadow pass a window. She had probably already changed into something more comfortable and would look more like the Carter he knew than the one who was given many appreciative looks in the bar. Not that she didn't always look like a knockout to him, but some men might not appreciate how amazing she looked trudging around in dirty BDU's, with her hair plastered to her head and sweat running down her face as they hid from Jaffa.
He stepped out of the truck and walked through the snow, that had begun falling some time ago and was now coating the ground and roads, to her door. The porch light was on and she had even put strands of Christmas lights around the columns. Knocking on the door, he waited and tried not to look like a seventeen-year-old waiting on his first date.
"Sir," she said in surprise, opening the door. "What are you doing here?"
Jack smiled. "You know, you said those exact same words last year. Only then you'd forgotten your gloves." He held up her scarf. "This year you seem to have forgotten this. I'm afraid you're getting forgetful in your old age."
"Oh, thanks, Sir." Sam took the scarf and cocked her head to the side. "Um, you wanna come in?"
Thinking back to last year, Jack knew he shouldn't take her up on her offer. He did anyway. "Sure."
They sat in her living room, sipping on cold beers, while Sam flipped through TV stations until she landed on a repeat of It's a Wonderful Life. They watched for a few minutes when Sam said quietly, "Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you'd made different choices?"
Jack regarded at her thoughtfully before responding. "More than you know, Carter." He wondered what life would be like if he'd met her at a different time or if he retired. Would they have a chance?
Something in his voice sent a shiver through Sam's body. She wondered what he would change if he could. She wondered where they might be if she had come to the SGC as a civilian or what it would be like if one of them left the military. She knew that was impossible for both of them though. They loved their jobs and until the Goa'uld were defeated she just didn't see either of them giving it up. She let out a sorrowful sigh. Once it was over, if it were over, would they have a chance? She wanted to ask; needed to know if she was waiting on something that was never going to happen, but knew the answer could crush her, so she held her tongue.
Jack wondered what was going through her mind. He wasn't so sure he wanted to know. It was undoubtedly better that he didn't. "I should get going."
"Oh, um okay. You don't have to. I mean, I'm not doing anything." Sam tried to keep the desperation out of her voice, but feared she was failing.
He shook his head. "Thanks, but, it's starting to snow pretty heavily and I should get home before I end up having to spend the night with you."
That sentence sent Sam's imagination into overdrive. Jack O'Neill spending the night with her was more appealing than he would ever know. "Yeah, I guess so."
They walked to the door where he put on his coat and pulled on his boots. He stood as she opened the door. He looked up and noticed that hanging just over Sam's head was a small bunch of mistletoe. Oh, the temptation. Sam caught his gaze and followed it upward. A blush spread over her cheeks.
"Teal'c came by and hung that," she explained still looking at the small bunch. "He said it would bring me luck should a handsome man come to my door. Too bad that rarely happens."
"What about me?"
Sam snapped her eyes to his. "What about you?"
"Do I count? You know, as a handsome man?"
She couldn't speak, so she jut nodded her head as Jack leaned slowly in. Her eyes fluttered shut and she felt his mouth press against the corner of hers in a warm, all too brief kiss. She opened her eyes and stared at him with a wistful expression.
"See you Monday, Carter." Jack smiled as he opened the door.
Sam watched him walk down the sidewalk, hands tucked in his pocket, head down against the snow. She thought she heard him whistling. She wasn't sure if she was thrilled or disappointed.
Jack wanted to shout in both joy and frustration as he left Carter's house. The small contact had given him a high, but also made him want more. Still, she didn't pull away or look repulsed, which gave him hope for the future.
TBC
