Well a little over nine years after it started, this story is finally complete!
Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed this story over the years. I don't honestly have any reason as to why it's taken so long, so all I can do is apologise and hope you like the final chapter!
Many many thanks to hlndncr for beta-ing this at such short notice, you are a lifesaver!
Jack's suggestion of strip poker hadn't gone down too well, after being stared out by Carter for even suggesting it, they'd returned to sitting in awkward silence, until Jack got up and left the room suddenly.
"Sir?"
"Just checking something Carter."
Sam stayed put as she heard Jack crash and clatter around in a cupboard. There was a noise akin to an ironing board falling over, followed by some soft cursing on Jack's part. Much grumbling and pulling at things later, Jack pried open the back door of the cabin and tried to head outside.
Sam got up and made her way to the living room's back window, and watched with a measure of amusement as Jack tried to make his way through the three and half feet of snow that had accumulated so far.
"Is he going to try going fishing?" she wondered out loud.
Jack however was not going fishing, instead he began edging out onto the frozen surface of his pond which seemed to be pretty much ice-free.
"Oh no, he's even stupider than that," Sam grumbled, watching intently in case Jack fell through the ice.
She watched as Jack walked carefully towards the centre of the pond, occasionally kicking at the ice as he went. Once in the middle, he shifted his weight about, testing the strength of the ice, and seemingly satisfied, he walked back to the edge.
Sam shook her head at her former CO, going to meet him at the back door as Jack ambled through the snow.
"What shoe size are you Carter?"
"Sir?"
"What size?"
"Nine."
"Perfect," he grinned, holding up a dusty canvas bag, "Put these on!"
Sam opened the bag to find an old paid of ice skates.
"Whose are these?"
"Does it matter?"
"They're anonymous skates."
"And what would you be wearing at a public rink?"
"Good point."
"Can you skate?" Jack asked Sam.
"Well I can go in a straight line...sorta."
A few minutes later and Jack had managed to line part of the edge of the pond with a variety of torches, lanterns and tea lights as the light had began to dip, and Sam hesitantly stepped foot on the ice.
She wasn't confident in the slightest, and was somewhat relieved when Jack skated over to her, and held her hands, leading her further onto the ice.
"You can skate," she stated.
"Used to play Hockey a few eons ago," he smiled.
"I used to not skate at all if I could help it," Sam smirked, "I was never very good."
"It just takes practice."
Sam wobbled a little, and a second later Jack's hand was at her waist, steadying her.
"Just relax a little Sam," he gave her a reassuring smile.
Within a few minutes Sam and Jack were skating a simple circle around pond. Every so often the pond's resident fish would appear on the other side of the ice as if it were watching.
"I think this is as close as I'll get to that damn fish," Jack mused.
"Think of it as a pet sir,"
Jack smiled again before looking into Sam's eyes, "Can we lose the sir for a while?"
"I think I can manage that," she winked at him.
They continued skating for a while, and the longer they did it, the more Sam's confidence grew, and she skated solo for a little while before reaching for Jack's hand once more, and he didn't seem to mind.
The silence was amiable, and Sam was loathe to break it, but what Jack had said earlier about his uncle was playing on her mind.
"So what did your uncle do?" she blurted out before she could stop herself, "I mean...if you're okay talking about it."
Jack's skating slowed, and he came to a gentle stop, looking intently at the ice for a several seconds.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"No no, it's okay...It's just been a long time.
"My uncle was a drunk. I was never allowed near him when I was little, but when I got to my teens he seemed to sober up. He and my dad started talking again, and he and my aunt started coming around to the house more often. I had a cousin James, couple of years older than me, and it was great getting to know him...He was that little bit older and it made him seem like the coolest cousin ever. We used to go fishing, or play hockey and we just goofed around and became really good friends
"But my uncle's sobriety didn't last, and when he started drinking again, he started getting violent. One night he hit my aunt, and my cousin intervened...and my uncle shot him. Just a single shot, but apparently James was dead before he hit the ground.
"To this day I struggle to accept that someone who I have blood in common with could do something so senseless, so evil...It got worse after Charlie, knowing that my uncle had inflicted that level of pain on his family for no reason...It just defies...It just...I dunno...I don't know Carter."
"I'm so sorry Jack," Sam said softly, "I can't imagine what that was like...Maybe now you're uncle's gone you'll be able to move on."
"I hope so Carter...I seem to keep getting 'stuck' in life."
Sam gave Jack a funny look, "How so?"
"Well...for the best part of a decade I'd go out, visit other planets, save the world and then always go home to the same house, eat the same food, go to the same bar...Watch the Simpsons...Just no change whatsoever really...Same as me coming up here to brood and mull over things that happened decades ago...
"Same as me knowing exactly how I feel about you Sam, and even now that we're not in the same chain of command anymore, I still can't seem to make anything happen between us."
Sam's heart stopped beating in her chest. Had Jack really just admitted that to her?
"Uhm, well...I turned up for Christmas with you because you kept calling me. You got me into bed – in a manner of speaking – And now we're out here skating together on a candlelit pond on Christmas Day...Hey we're even holding hands," she grinned at him.
"And I'm opening up to you..Fairly certain that's new too." Jack said quietly.
"Yeah," Sam smiled, knowing she should say something more elaborate, but no words were forthcoming.
Jack seemed to misinterpret Sam's lack of a response, and pulled his hand from hers, looking at the slippery ground rather sheepishly.
"It's getting a little dark, wanna head back inside?" he said a little crestfallen, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"I'd...I'd actually like to stay out here a little while longer," she smiled at him, extending her hand once more, "and maybe try and make something happen," she said hopefully.
The look Jack gave her at that comment took her breath away. She'd never seen that depth of feeling in his deep brown eyes before, but he seemed to get the message that she was definitely interested.
"Okay," he responded simply, and they started skating again.
Sam was a lot more confident now, but she noticed how nervous Jack had gotten, only risking little stolen glances her way. She'd never imagined he'd be so shy in love.
In love.
She repeated those words in her head a few times, allowing a giddy grin to wash over her features, and then she took the opportunity to interlace her fingers with his.
They skated some more, deviating from their simple loop, and Sam soon found herself being spun around by Jack whilst miraculously keeping her balance – for a while.
After being spun a few times Sam lost her footing and slipped, before stumbling into Jack, her head suddenly fell back onto his chest, and their positioning seemed to bring back memories of that morning.
"Sorry," she said, helping her get steady on her feet again, but Sam remained as close to Jack as she could, leaning her weight on him a little.
Their eyes met, and for a moment they were lost in each other, not noticing the cold or the dark, or anything else.
"I love you," Jack all but whispered.
Sam gave Jack the biggest grin she possibly could before responding.
"I love you too."
Both parties, still lost in each other let out little giggles of happiness and nerves, before slowly meeting in a tentative kiss.
As they made contact, Sam felt her world explode – they'd kissed before, but never like this. A feeling of pure love washed over her and she felt it right down to the her fingers and toes.
Jack kissed her slowly and deliberately, savouring every second they were together, before pulling away slowly, bringing a hand up to cradle her face.
"I think I'm ready to go back inside now," she told him, a look of mischief on her features.
The next two days were two that Sam would never forget. They didn't care about the state of the cabin, and they managed to make the food last with relative ease. And the lack of heating certainly wasn't a problem! Instead they spent the time lost in each other, relishing the chance to get to know each other on the level they'd both wanted to for so long.
It felt like they'd both finally woken up to what their lives could be if they were together, and they'd both agreed there was no going back.
This was definitely the real thing, not over-evolved crushes from being allowed to look but-not-touch for so many years, and they'd both taken every opportunity to make that clear while at the cabin.
But they couldn't stay at the cabin forever, so on the 27th they each packed a small bag, and headed out into the remainder of the snow, most of which had melted. They walked arm and arm as much as they could, except for where the ground was too slippery or uneven, and after an hour or two they arrived in town.
"I'd better phone the SGC," Sam told Jack as she noticed a payphone, "but..."
"But what?"
"What do I tell them?"
"I know we're not in a chain of command anymore, but people are still going to talk about us," Sam voiced her worry over her first cup of coffee in days.
"We don't owe anyone an explanation," Jack smiled, reaching for Sam's free hand.
"Good...because I'd like to keep this our little secret...at least for a little while," she winked at him.
"That seems a little naughty," he replied, giving her a knowing grin, "Could be interesting though...I could see how many excuses I can manufacture to visit Colorado Springs before anyone at the Pentagon figures it out."
"So we keep this quiet and work-related complication free for a little while then?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Jack concurred.
A few minutes later Sam and Jack stood at a payphone outside a gas station.
"Yeah I know I was supposed to call when I got here Daniel," Sam sighed, "There was a power outage and we got snowed in...No, Christmas was still lovely...No we weren't cold...Yes we passed the time no problem! Uh, we went skating on the pond, played cards, just did stuff to pass the time...Yes we're still talking," she screwed her face up at Daniel's comment "Yes, he did drive me insane a little," Sam grinned at Jack.
Jack couldn't help but cough and then chuckle at Sam's double entendre.
"If the Air Force wants to get us home, that'd be great...You've got our location, great...Speak to you soon Daniel."
Sam put down the receiver and looked at Jack.
"There that wasn't so bad? Was it?" he chuckled.
"It was quite fun actually," she gave Jack an innocent look before continuing, "They need us to walk to somewhere remote then they'll beam us both to the SGC."
"Good, I know a little spot just back up the road."
As they neared their beaming spot, they moved away from each other.
"We going to be okay, Sir?" she asked using his title, suddenly nervous.
"Yahsureyoubetcha," he smiled at her reassuringly.
And as they felt the Asgard beam envelop them, she looked his way in time to see him mouthing "I love you," once more.
For the first time in a long time, everything was definitely going to be okay – better than in fact!