Author: Dragonland
Email: PG-13
Summary: Jack shows up to Sam's party to finish what he started.
Classifications: Christmas fic Part 2/2
Spoilers: None, but placed in late season 8-early 9
Archive: SJD, heliopolis
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me and either does the show, which is okay because I couldn't afford it anyway. But I get to play with them for free.
A Christmas Carol Stargate Edition Part 2 By Dragonland
The SGC was all aflutter with Christmas spirit. Rumors of the General running through the halls with only his boxers and a t-shirt spread like wildfire in the famed rumor mill. Naturally, Jack paid no mind. Christmas music played over the intercom system throughout the halls. His mood had brightened significantly since his visit with Sam. While he was walking to the elevator, he caught Daniel on his way out.
"Jack!" he called out.
"Oh, hi Daniel," he replied.
"I was just leaving. Sam said you changed your mind about the party. Is it true?"
"Yep."
"Great. So why all this change of heart?"
"It's a long story, Daniel. Just be happy I'm happy."
"Okay. Sam's place at 8:30. You're going casual, right?"
"Isn't that the theme every year?"
"You never read your memos do you?"
"No. They're a waste of paper."
"Oh. Well, this year Sam wanted it to be a bit more formal. I think she wanted an excuse to go out and buy a dress."
Jack laughed. "The only dress I've seen Carter wear is her blues. Aside from the few times she wore those skirts. So this is a suit and tie event?"
"Well..." he paused. "Actually more like… Tuxedo. Event."
"Seriously?"
"Yep."
"And how many people are showing up in those clown suits?"
"Well, Teal'c and I have ours. I don't know about the others she invited. But the invitation said something about formal dress."
"I hate suits."
"Well, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Come on, she deserves to see us look good for her just once. It won't kill you."
"Can't I show up in blues?"
"That's tacky Jack."
"I'm not going out to rent a tux, Daniel. It would be like a hundred and fifty dollars and on Christmas Eve? I'll stick to my blues and hopefully I make it through the first security checkpoints. I am a General, you know."
"Well, it's the thought that counts, I guess. See you tonight Jack."
"Bye Daniel."
The elevator took him topside where he got into his truck. A light snow dusted the road and the landscape to give it a cheery glow. He couldn't remember when he was in such a happy mood. Then he remembered. Carter. Sam. She's the one who made him like this. Giving him such a happy-go-lucky personality. It almost made him sick. His sarcastic, bitter attitude that protected his soft interior was roughly pushed away whenever she was around. He couldn't be mean or terrible around her, and when he was, he beat himself up for hurting the one and only person that made him truly happy. Making a quick pit stop to his home, he showered quickly and changed. He threw on a little cologne for good luck and was out the door in twenty minutes. Then he remembered that Sam hadn't told him about the formal part of the party. He nervously wondered if she left anything else out. Taking out his phone, he gave Daniel a last minute phone call.
"Daniel Jackson," he answered.
"Daniel, was I supposed to bring anything?" he asked.
"Uhh, no. But let me ask Sam if she needs anything. Sam, do you need anything before Jack gets here?"
"Just himself," she replied, her voice muffled through all the noise of the party.
"Translation, Daniel?"
"She says just hurry up and get here! We're about to play some games."
"Okay, be there in ten."
"We'll leave the light on for you."
It seemed he couldn't get there fast enough. The street she lived on was lined with cars attending her party. He pulled down his suit coat and put his hat on his head. Adjusting himself for the last time, he knocked confidently on her door.
"Sir! Come on in," she said welcoming him in.
He was stunned. She looked dashing. Her hair was feathered seductively. The black cocktail dress she wore hugged all of her curves. Her makeup was gorgeous. Nothing over the top, but she wore red lipstick. He always wondered what she would look like in red lipstick.
"Carter. Wow. You look great," he sputtered out.
She blushed gracefully and bowed her head. "Thank you, Sir. You look good yourself."
"Well, it's the best I could scrounge up on short notice."
"I'm really glad you're here. We're about to get started on a game of Catch Phrase."
"Never heard of it."
"They're about to pick teams. Don't let them know you don't know anything."
"Who's the team captains?"
"Daniel and Siler."
"…I pick Colonel Carter," Siler called out.
"Damn," Daniel cursed. "Okay, I pick Cassie!"
"General O'Neill," he asked, "Will you be on our team?"
"Alright, just don't expect much out of me."
"I won't Sir."
Jack gave him a menacing glare.
He gulped and cleared his throat. "I was kidding, General O'Neill, Sir."
The General cleared away his façade and smiled. "Don't worry about it Siler. I'm not one who is easily offended."
The game started and Jack showed a natural ability to decipher what the person was describing. After three rounds of the game and a few beers, people began heading home. It was after midnight when all but Daniel, Teal'c and Jack were left. Sam scurried around the house picking up bottles and plates scattered around. Jack and Teal'c were at the sink washing dishes while Daniel sat on her couch singing "Jingle Bell Rock" for the twentieth time that night, very off-key.
"Daniel…" Jack said.
"…that's the Jingle bell, that's the Jingle Bell ROCK!" he sung out drunken stupor.
"Daniel. Shut up or pass out already!" Jack teased.
"I've had too much to drink," he slurred.
"Not surprising. You have one drink and your system goes wild. You wouldn't have made it one day in the Air Force."
"I'm an archeologist, on a team known as SG-1!"
"Teal'c, smother him and put us all out of our misery."
"Will that not kill him?" he asked.
"Don't do it long enough to kill him, just enough to shut him up."
"I will take him home. I think he has had enough of what you call 'holiday spirit'. Come Daniel Jackson."
"We can't! We have to stay and protect Jack! He can't be alone with… you know…"
Jack's merry disposition dropped. "Since when? I've been alone with her plenty of times. Hell, we sleep in the same tent off-world for seven years!"
"I'm sorry, Jack. Sometimes people say stupid things when they're DRUNK!"
"Get him out of here."
"I do not understand why humans drink. It alters your behavior and makes you say things you may regret."
"I don't know, Teal'c."
"I will make sure he gets home safely."
"Thanks."
He bowed his head in his traditional way and led Daniel out the door.
Sam was listening into their conversation from the hallway silently. It was very unlike Daniel to get so drunk especially during her holiday party. She was hurt that he would speak so disrespectfully to Jack, knowing that he had shown nothing but extreme reserve and respect for her since he realized what he felt for her. She stepped out of the hall to find Jack hand washing the dishes, grumbling and throwing them around noisily.
"Hey," she said gently.
"Hey."
"I'm really glad you could make it."
"Yeah. Well, I'd better get out of your hair. It is getting late."
He dried his hands off and began walking to the coat rack.
"Wait. Why are you leaving?"
"Because… I shouldn't be here."
"Jack, I heard what Daniel had to say. I am an adult. Whatever happens between us is between consenting adults."
"It's not that. We're not normal adults. We're in the Air Force and held by different standards. I couldn't handle the thought of people saying things about you, doubting your moral character."
"What kind of things?"
"Hateful things. Like you slept your way to the top. You've earned every rank advancement given to you. I would hate to see people slander your good name. It pisses me off just thinking about it."
"I've thought about it myself. I've worked hard. But nothing I've done could replace the feelings that I have when I'm with you. I'm not saying that I don't care what people say about me. Self-image is important. I want to try this. If you want to wait, I'm okay with that also."
"Sam. I want you to know that I do love you. I just want to make sure- I want to do this right."
"That's impossible. The thought of us together isn't right. I don't care, though. Things are changing. We're running out of time Jack. Life is slipping us by and if we don't intervene, it will be too late."
"So… what to do?"
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"That no matter what happens in the next year, we'll get together. If not exclusively, just as friends."
"Why do you say that?"
"They're taking me to R&D at Area 51. You know they don't ask, more like assign and you say yes."
"Sam?"
"I thought you knew. You had to sign me away. I was surprised you didn't come and talk to me about it. I thought for sure… That doesn't matter anymore. I'm gone in a month."
He put his head in his hand and sighed. This wasn't how this was supposed to end up. He was supposed to retire and run the base as a civilian. He was going to ask her to marry him in front of the glowing Stargate. She'd say yes and he would dip her into the kiss she didn't remember. That obviously wasn't going to happen. He'd asked Hammond to put in a favor for him only to find that that old scoundrel was retiring himself.
"Sam, if we're in the spirit of bearing secrets, I've got one of my own. George wants me in DC. They'll have another General running the base within four months. Hammond's retiring and he expects me to take over for him. Like you, I don't have a choice. You'd think being a General would give you some power. These stars mean nothing. I'm their puppet. I would've never done it if I knew what it was really like."
"DC? Wow," is all she could say.
"I'm getting promoted, though. They think by doing that, it makes it okay to rip me away from the things I love here."
"Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you know what this means?"
"We'll be thousands of miles away from each other?" he responded sarcastically.
"Besides that. We won't be in direct chain of command, Jack."
The cloud of despair slowly began to dissipate. A small smile formed on his worn face. She took him by the hands and led him to her living room. He sat down on her couch with a quiet thump. She sat down next to him, holding onto him softly.
"I don't have much to offer you, Sam. I'm no spring chicken. But I love you. And I will treat you the best that I know how. We can try the long-distance thing. We've been light-years away from each other before. Nevada and Washington aren't really that far away."
"You can use that General status to jump a plane and see me… But seriously, I know it won't be easy."
"Sam? Are we going to set-up relationship rules?"
She chuckled briefly. "I've never heard of that. Care to enlighten?"
"The rules? That's what our whole life is based on."
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take a page out of your book and take it by the daily. We've got something special and I don't want to let rules prohibit us from doing something that we want to do. That's what got us into this mess in the first place."
"Right you are. That's why I have you, my better half to confer with. So…"
"Yeah?"
"Since we've got this figured out, where do you want me to go tonight?"
She sat in contemplation for a few minutes. "You're still in charge of the SGC. I'm still commander of SG-1. You're right. You'd better go home. But believe me when I say that I wish I could ask you to stay. It wouldn't be right."
He smiled shortly and stood up. "You made the right decision, Colonel. There's always tomorrow. He bent down and placed a kiss on her quivering lips. "I promise I won't let DC get in the way. Now that I know how you feel I will act on it."
"The only thing that I hate is that I have to wait. We both know how we feel."
"It will work out. Trust me."
"I always do."
"Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"I promise."
FIN
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