Author's Note: I suppose this would really belong more in SG-1s fic, but: a) it takes place in Atlantis and during Atlantis' season 4 timeline, and b) I wanted to write a holiday fic in here to make up for the 3 weeks going without a new episode, and this story's been on my mind for a while. I hope you like it! This is pretty much my first shipper fic, so reviews would be nice for this one!

Christmas

'Caribou' was the first thought that came to mind that morning when Sam turned the corner into the main hallway to join the group of holiday-goers on their way to the 'gate room. There were so many people, flooding through the narrow corridors like an endless bobbing mass…

On the one hand, she was glad that everyone had still remembered holiday spirit in the midst of recent events, but on the other hand, she had decided to stay because someone had to run the city while everyone was off celebrating—the wraith and replicators didn't care if they were ruining Christmas for everybody. And look at the number of people that were leaving! The city would only have about 3 people left by the time it cleared out. What would happen if there was an attack in the meantime?

But she wasn't going to deny anyone the right to see their families over the holidays and she wasn't going to be spending them worrying about the destruction of the city either—that prophecy had already been proven a mistake. Most people would be back after Christmas day anyways—they knew how important their jobs were.

Inhaling deeply, she stepped into the stampede and began maneuvering her way to the front. Everyone seemed rather cheery, and at least a dozen people bid her a "good morning" or "Merry Christmas, Colonel" on her way through the maze, which was a pleasant change.

Smiling at the passing faces she couldn't recognize and returning well wishes, she finally spotted a familiar head bobbing up and down in the crowd, and she pursued it.

"Jennifer!" she called, and the young woman spun around so fast she nearly knocked a man over with the large bag slung over her shoulder.

"Oh! Hey, Colonel!" she called back, slightly out of breath from the long trek with the heavy load; but none the less she was wearing a jovial smile like everyone else in the crowd.

"Here, let me help you with that…" Sam offered, relieving her of the bag and effortlessly draping it over her own shoulder. "And I thought I told you to call me Sam?"

"Right, sorry…"

Sam smiled approvingly and began to walk alongside the doctor.

"You're not coming?" Jennifer asked, noting the absence of any of the Colonel's own belongings.

Sam shrugged. "Nah, someone's got to stick around and make sure the city doesn't blow up."

"Right…" the doctor responded, though she still wondered if Carter had any family back on Earth—it seemed like she did.

"What about you? What do you have planned?" Sam asked, curious.

Jennifer smiled in appreciation of her interest. "I'm going to go visit my dad," she told her. "…have a nice, quiet celebration; just the two of us."

"That sounds nice."

"Yeah." She considered asking Sam what she had planned, but then remembered that she wouldn't be going home for Christmas, and thought better of it. She cleared her throat after a short silence. "Have any idea what anyone else is doing?" she asked instead.

"Umm, let's see…" Sam looked towards the ceiling, taking a brief moment to think about it. "McKay is going home to visit his sister; from what I heard, Major Lorne is holding some big holiday bash at his house, Zelenka is going to see his family—apparently they're having some weird Czech thing… and Sheppard is going to stay here and teach Ronan and Teyla about Christmas traditions."

Jennifer nodded, impressed with the variety of celebrations being held and the Colonel's knowledge of them. "Sounds like fun," she said, pondering the last one.

Sam gave an amused grin. "Oh yeah, I can see it now…" she said, imagining the two alien's reactions to John's explanation of the significance of a Christmas tree.

Reaching the 'gate room, the crowd dispersed themselves throughout the room and Sam and Jennifer were pushed to the front.

Sam looked up at Chuck, the 'gate technician, who was out of uniform like everyone else and supporting bags of his own. She smiled encouragingly at him and nodded.

"Go ahead, Chuck!" she said, and he smiled back before beginning to dial.

But before the 'gate engaged, it started to spin in the opposite direction and the technician looked up at his monitor. Sam waited expectantly as he reported the incoming wormhole.

"It's Earth!" he called over the crowd, and Sam nodded for him to patch her in as the 'gate engaged.

"Atlantis, this is O'Neill, out, wishing you all the happiest of holidays from the Milky Way Galaxy," Jack chimed over the loud speakers.

Sam grinned and clicked the speaker on her radio. "General, sir," she greeted. "It's good to hear from you."

"You too, Carter," he said, cheerfully. "How are things in the good old Pegasus Galaxy?"

"Good, sir; we were just about to send the holiday shipment through," she added as she paced across the front row.

"That's good to hear. Actually we were just about to send a little holiday shipment through ourselves," he said.

Sam raised an eyebrow and then shook her head at the General's ever present good humor. She nodded up to Chuck and he lowered the shield.

"Alright, sir, go ahead," she said, a suspicious tone in her voice.

Several moments later, the shipment was received as 4 people stepped through the wormhole. Sam gasped as she automatically recognized the faces of the other members of SG-1.

Vala, wearing a cozy sweater and a red and green striped scarf, quickly lit up upon finding her friend's face in the crowd, and she dashed the short distance to her.

Jennifer's eyes widened at the oncoming woman and she quickly side stepped out of her path, just as she made an attempted leap at Sam. Sam moved just quick enough to avoid being knocked over, and Vala instead wrapped her arms around her waist, sliding a short distance from the momentum and circling around her.

"Sam!"

"Vala!" Sam shouted back, still too shocked to do anything more then pat the woman on the head while she squeezed the life out of her.

Once they had made their exchange and Vala released her, the three men came to greet her wearing equally wide smiles. Teal'c, sporting a bright red Santa Claus hat, bowed his head, and Cam hugged her so tightly she was lifted off the ground several inches.

She very much would have liked to appear professional in greeting her 'colleagues', but, what the hell? It was Christmas. She could hug her friends if she wanted to.

She was still staring into the wormhole in shock when Cam finally put her down and allowed her to regain her balance.

"Jack… what the hell…?" she said, forgetting all need to be respectful towards her superior officer.

"I had nothing to do with it," was all he said before the wormhole disengaged and Chuck resumed the dialing sequence.

She pulled her team to the side and eyed them with total disbelief. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked ecstatically, giving Teal'c and Daniel quick hugs.

"What, you're not happy to see us?" Cam asked cheerfully.

"You didn't get me a present did you…?" Vala added.

"You could have at least told me you were coming!" she said with an uncontrollable smile, ignoring her friend's last comment.

The wormhole engaged and people began stepping through the 'gate.

"Umm… Sam?"

Sam turned around to find that Jennifer had broken away from the crowd and was giving her a hopelessly confused look.

"Oh, sorry… Jennifer, this is Cam, Teal'c, Daniel, and Vala," she introduced, motioning towards each member of her team.

Daniel reached out a hand and she shook it enthusiastically. "Oh my gosh, you're SG-1!" she established. "Colonel Carter's told me so much about you!"

"Did she tell you…?" Vala began, but Sam cleared her throat and cut her off.

"And this," she motioned towards the young doctor. "Is Dr. Keller; I've told you about her," she said, and Daniel lit up in recognition.

"Oh, right! You're the new CMO! It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, and Keller couldn't hold back the blush that crept into her face. She nodded appreciatively, then turned towards Sam and shrugged.

"Alright, I guess I better get going," she decided, readjusting the hold on her bag.

Sam smiled and embraced the woman unexpectantly. "Alright, have fun!" she ordered, and Keller nodded in response before stepping into the wormhole.

"It's a fountain pen…" Sam established the next morning when everyone was gathered in her office, opening presents.

"Ah…" Vala exclaimed, snatching the pen Sam had just opened out of her hand. "So you would assume upon first glance."

Sam gave her a frightened look and the men in the room exchanged amused glances, while Teyla simply leaned in closer to get a better look.

"It is actually…" she fiddled with it some until she had screwed the cap off the butt and was tipping tiny green and white pellets into her hand. "A tic tac dispenser," she exclaimed proudly, handing the pen back to Sam.

Sam frowned at it for a few moments, trying to think of all the possible uses she might have for such a device in the city of Atlantis.

Finally, she smiled and looked back up at Vala. "Thank you," she said, placing the gift on top of the book Daniel had given her and the incents from Teal'c, and then standing up to hug the woman.

"Hey, if she got little candies in hers how come I got the one that farts?" Cam asked, taking out the pen that resembled a finger and pulling it to demonstrate the sound effect.

"'Cause you are a fart, Mitchell," Sam said flatly.

Cam glared at her and everyone else grinned in amusement. Vala giggled at the remark.

"What can I say, Cameron? It made me think of you," she admitted, and even Sheppard choked on his coffee.

"Shut up, Sheppard," Cam said, turning to glare at the other man. "Everyone got you socks."

John's grin was wiped off his face and he swallowed hard, glaring back at his old friend while Teyla and Ronan shuffled their feet awkwardly.

Sam smiled in amusement, and finally broke the silence. "Alright; I'd better start cleaning up. I've still got a ton of paperwork to get finished…" she explained, beginning to collect empty mugs.

"Sam, its Christmas! Can't you stop working for just 5 minutes?" Daniel pleaded, refusing to surrender his nearly empty coffee mug. Sam put her hands on her hips and frowned at the man's stubbornness.

"Yeah, I thought General O'Neill ordered you to get a life?" Cam added, and then hid his face in a sports magazine when Sam gave him the look. Jack was the only one that was allowed to insult her on a daily basis.

"Have you seen McKay's reports?" she asked in disbelief.

"Screw McKay," John intervened. "I thought you said you've already been over that stuff anyways?"

"Alright, I'll admit; there's still some important stuff in there I need to take a look at," she explained, but still no one looked convinced. "It shouldn't take too long. I thought you guys were going to go play golf anyways?" she added, earning a glare from Ronan that told her she had just been added to his hit list.

"Ugh… not golf!" Vala moaned, throwing her head back in disgust.

"You said you liked golf," Cam said, offended.

"In what alternate reality?"

"Umm… that's ok, Vala. We'll go check out the city," Daniel interrupted, seizing her arm and rushing out of the room before anyone could object.

"Huh… guess it's just us then," Cam observed, and Teyla and Ronan sighed, seeing they lost their opportunity to make up an excuse. "You sure you don't want to come?" he asked, turning back towards Sam in the doorway.

Sam only smiled. She could recite a long list of things she would rather be doing, but only if he asked. Even fishing sounded more appealing right now.

"Ok…" he said, taking the hint and trailing John and the others out of the room.

Despite her promises, Sam was still in her office by the end of the day. She was surprised when a large mass descended onto her desk, covering the papers she had been scribbling on, (using her new pen).

She lifted it, studying the foreign object. It was a big gray trench coat—Teal'c's coat, she realized. She looked up at the figure looming over her questioningly.

"Come on," Cam said with a potent smile. "We're going out."

"Ok, seriously, where are we going?" Sam asked for about the fifth time.

"It's a surprise, Sam. Don't ruin it."

Sam sighed. She wasn't good with surprises, but she supposed they could talk in the mean time.

"So…" she began. "What've I missed?"

"You mean since leaving the SGC?" he asked. It was a casual tone of voice but still, the question made Sam wince.

"Yeah…"

"Well," he began. "I can't say you've missed much mission-wise."

"Really? I would've expected you to get more action now I wasn't around to fix everything," she teased, and Cam elbowed her playfully.

"Nah," he said. "Probably the most exciting mission thus far was the one where Jackson got bitten by a salamander."

"Ooh," Sam exclaimed, making a pained expression. "Was he alright?"

"Yeah. He had orange spots for a week, but he got through it."

Sam grinned at the image.

"So what else?" she continued. "What have you been getting up to outside of work?"

"Umm, Teal'c is experimenting with new do's," he explained, pausing when Sam sniggered in amusement. "Oh! Daniel finally asked Vala out."

Sam raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked, impressed. "How'd it go?"

"Great, actually. They've already scheduled a second date; tonight I think."

Sam's response was cut off when it appeared they had reached their destination, and Cam ran his hand over the scanner and the doors opened onto a balcony. The wind outside was chilly and Sam pulled the jacket tighter around herself while she made her way over to the railing.

"Oh my…"

They seemed to be at the highest point of the entire city, and looking down on it they could see that every tower was lit up and reflecting beautiful streams of golden light on the water. Double moons brightened the dark sky which was speckled as far as the eye could see with bright white stars.

"It's beautiful…" she remarked.

"I thought you'd like it," Cam said proudly, leaning against the railing beside her. "Shepp and I found this place when we were out looking for the best spot to hit a ball from."

Sam smiled. Several minutes passed in comfortable silence while Sam gazed out at the sea. Cam looked over at her with a concerned look in his eyes.

"You ok? You seem kind of quiet," he observed.

"What? Oh, no I'm fine."

Cam continued to stare at her and she met his gaze.

"Really."

When it became too difficult to lock eyes with the man anymore, she looked back out on the water.

"…I just missed you guys so much," she finally admitted. "I can't believe you're here and… you're going to be leaving tomorrow."

Cam frowned and stepped in closer to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer, warming her. She smiled appreciatively and rested her head on his shoulder. She had thought maybe concentrating on work would take her mind off her friends being here, and then it wouldn't hurt so much to see them leave, but she had been wrong about that. It only made her feel guilty for not spending the short time she had with them.

Cam sighed into her hair and began reaching into his front pocket, making Sam lift her head. "I got you something," he said, withdrawing a tiny black box.

She stared at it suspiciously and drew her hands from the warmth of her pockets so she could take the gift.

"…Actually, it's from all of us really…" he clarified. "But it was my idea."

Looking down at the tiny package again, Sam carefully removed the lid. Inside was a large locket. It had a silver ring around the outside with tiny engravings in it and a beautiful cerulean stone in the center. Gently lifting it by the chain, she smiled. It was a miniature Stargate.

"Open it," Cam directed, and Sam searched his face some kind of clue before she did so.

On one side was a glazed photograph. It was the one taken on Daniel's birthday last year; where Vala was tooting on a party favor and Sam was lighting the candles on the cake. Daniel's face was three shades of red, Cam was laughing at him and Teal'c… well Teal'c was just standing there, but the cone shaped party hat on his head always made Sam giggle. On the opposite side, 4 signatures were inscribed around the words: FOREVER SG-1.

Sam's smile softened and she ran her thumb fondly over the words.

"You like it?" Cam asked hopefully.

Sam's smile broadened and she looked up at him, hair being blown into her face by the wind currents. She reached into the pocket of the oversized trench coat and pulled out the Santa Claus hat that had been stuffed in there by the Jaffa when he had grown tired of it. She ironed it out quickly with her hand and then pulled it over his head with a playful glint in her eyes.

"I love it."

"So, just so we're clear… there is no such thing as Santa Claus?" Vala clarified disappointment evident in her voice.

"Well, I suppose it depends on your perspective," Daniel explained, thoughtfully. "Like I said, it started out as a story—the tale of Saint Nicolas, and then we incorporated it into our culture; telling children stories of Santa Claus and the North Pole…"

"So it's not real?" Vala interrupted.

Daniel sighed. "No, Vala. It's not real."

Vala pouted momentarily while Daniel ran his hand over the scanner to open the door.

"Then I suppose now you're going to tell me there's no such thing as a tooth fairy…" she began as they stepped out onto the balcony, but Daniel suddenly stopped in his tracks, seizing Vala's arm and pulling her roughly back through the doorway.

It had only been a moment's glance, a quick flash while Daniel hauled her from the scene—but Vala was sure she had seen Sam kissing Santa Claus.

After her friends had left, Sam sat in her darkened office by the light of her desk lamp, her feet propped comfortably on the stack of papers she had long abandoned, and stared down at her locket.

This was the only time she took it off; when she wanted to look at it. She knew it had probably been inexpensive, (she would have killed them if they spent too much money on her) but it was a treasure to her now. The words were a comfort to read and the picture never failed to brighten her mood.

She turned it in her hand thoughtfully, and then noticed something for the first time: On the back side of the locket, on the very bottom, engraved into the surface, was a tiny scribble. To most, the signature would be incomprehensible, but she knew that handwriting anywhere.

"Jack."

Author's Note (again): Ok, I don't really like writing things that are out of context with actual timelines, (cuz I know Sam's going to end up w/ Jack) but that doesn't stop me from being a Sam/Cam shipper . So this was just written assuming Sam had gotten together with Cam instead.