Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? I mean, you know they're not mine, right?
Notes: This is an answer to the Christmas challenge.
Please read and review.
TINSEL AND MISTLETOE
"What do you mean, it's not allowed?" Jonas asked, puzzled.
Colonel Jack O'Neill sighed in exasperation. He was just about to start yelling when his second in command opened the door and he sighed in relief, Great, Jonas listened to her. She could explain it to him.
He turned to her and started talking before she could say anything. "Explain it to him would you, Major. Tell him why it's not allowed."
Major Samantha Carter was puzzled. "What are you talking about, Colonel?"
He turned back around and waved his arm. "Tell him why he's not allowed to do that!"
Sam took her first look at the room and burst out laughing. Jonas had covered every surface in Jack's office with tinsel. There was so much of it you could hardly see the furniture.
Jack glared at her. "Are you laughing, Carter?"
She managed to stop laughing but she couldn't help smiling. "No, Sir." She said, attempting to keep a straight face.
Jonas was still confused. "Sam," he said plaintively. "Why am I not allowed to put tinsel in Colonel O'Neill's office? I've put it up everywhere else."
Jack growled and Sam realised she had better get Jonas out of there before he lost his temper completely. "I'll tell you later, Jonas. Right now, Janet needs to see you in the infirmary for your physical."
Jonas sighed and left the office. Sam smiled; she could hear him muttering about nobody else minding as he walked down the corridor. Jack was still staring in shock at his tinsel covered office.
"It's not that bad, Sir." When he still didn't say anything she continued. "You could always take it down."
He sighed and sat down behind his desk, then jumped back up when he sat down on decoration that Jonas had left in his chair. Sam started laughing again.
Jack glared at her. "Carter!" he said warningly.
It didn't work this time though, she just kept laughing. Jack couldn't pretend to stay mad at her for long. She was just too beautiful when she laughed and soon he was laughing as well.
After a while, they got themselves under control and Jack sat down behind his desk. He took one more look around the office and shook his head. "I swear, he's worse than Daniel."
Sam smiled sadly. "Oh no he's not. Remember that Christmas we came in and found he'd strung twinkle lights all over the gateroom?"
Jack nodded. "Daniel wasn't on the top of the General's favourite person list that year, that's for sure."
"I don't think he was as mad as he made out. I saw him about ten minutes later and he was grinning and muttering about never knowing what we were going to get up to next." She sighed and sat down in the chair opposite his desk.
Jack looked at her with concern. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she said without looking at him. Jack didn't say anything; he knew she would talk to him when she was ready. "I just miss him, Jack."
"I know you do. I miss him as well. Jonas is okay, but he's no Daniel."
Sam smiled and then started crying. Jack was out of his chair in an instant and dropped to his knees on the floor beside her chair.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Come on, Sam. Please don't cry."
"I'm sorry, I can't help it. I just wish he was here."
Jack smiled. "Don't you know he never left? Not really."
Sam shook her head. "He died, Jack."
"That doesn't mean he's gone." He reached up to wipe away the tears still falling down her face, then took her hand and kissed the palm. Sam felt a jolt at the contact of his lips against her skin. He held her hand against his heart so she could feel it beating. "As long as we remember him in here, he'll always be with us."
Sam didn't say anything, she could barely breathe. She wondered if her heart was beating as fast as Jack's and thought it must have been. She reach over and touched his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, just before softly kissing him.
At the touch of her lips, Jack heartbeat sped up. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but they were the best few seconds of his life. He looked up at her smiling face and suddenly noticed something he hadn't seen before.
"Sam," he said softly. "Look up."
Sam was confused. "What?"
Jack smiled. "Look at the ceiling."
She looked up and smiled. Hanging right above their heads was the biggest bunch of mistletoe she had ever seen.
Jack pulled her to her feet so that they stood beneath it and put his arms around her. He was pleasantly surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Merry Christmas, Sam."
Sam didn't get a chance to answer him because he was kissing her. All the things they had wanted to say to each other for so long but never been able to were in that first kiss. It was sweet and gentle and the best kiss of Sam's life.
When they finally broke the kiss, they were both smiling. Then Jack saw a puzzled expression appear on Sam's face. "What?" he asked.
She shook her head. "It's nothing." She looked up at the mistletoe. "I was just wondering, how did Jonas get that up there? I mean, do you see a ladder anywhere around here?"
"I don't know how he got it up there and I don't care. I'm just grateful he did." He leant down and kissed her again.
Sam smiled. Just as Jack kissed her for the second time she could have sworn she heard Daniel laughing and she knew that Jack was right. Daniel was always with them and he was happy. She also thought she knew who had put the mistletoe there.
"Merry Christmas, Daniel" was her last coherent thought for quite a while.