AN: The song is 'I'll Be Home For Christmas.' Artie surprises Sam by coming home for Christmas.
Artie glanced at his watch impatiently. Although he knew it wouldn't make the plane fly any faster, he couldn't help but feel anxious. The shooting for his latest movie had gone over schedule and he had to catch a later flight home. He wanted to be home for Christmas this year but hadn't been sure if he would make it. He had told Sam to count on him not making it so they wouldn't get their hopes up if things didn't work out. However, they had gotten done soon enough that he should be able to make it home on time. He didn't tell Sam though, since he wanted it to be a surprise.
Sam wasn't too happy when he went to bed that night. It was Christmas in the morning and once again, Artie was stuck somewhere else – he didn't exactly remember where but all he knew was that he wasn't with him. Now it looked like he would be stuck celebrating another Christmas on his own. Artie had said to not plan on him being home in time and since he hadn't gotten a phone call from him, he had to assume the worst. He felt more than a little put out that Artie hadn't even found the time to call him and let him know that he wouldn't be making it home for sure. He unplugged all the lights and went to bed in a bad mood.
Eventually, Artie's plane did land and he was able to make his way home. He caught a taxi from the airport and by the time it pulled up in front of his house, the light from the dawn was already peaking through the clouds. Since he had gotten a decent amount of sleep on the plane, Artie wasn't really tired yet – this was good though because he had stuff to do before morning truly came. He made his way into the house as quietly as possible and left his luggage by the door so he didn't have to go into his room and possibly disturb Sam.
He arranged the presents that Sam had gotten for him under the tree. It was nice to know that this year he would be able to open them with Sam in the same room as him. He also got to work plugging in the lights, starting a fire, and even got the stuff set up in the kitchen to make pancakes. He hooked his iPod up and put on some Christmas music at a low volume. For a finishing touch, he grabbed a gift bow off one of the packages and stuck it on his shoulder. Now all he had to do was wait for Sam to get up.
Sam woke up feeling a bit disoriented. He felt upset for some reason and it took him a moment to realize why. It was Christmas morning – and Artie wasn't there again. He seriously considered just crawling back into bed and not coming out until the next morning but hunger won out, along with the fact that he and Artie would probably be Skyping as they opened their presents again. Grumpily, he made his way out of bed.
He paused in the hallway though as he became more aware. If he didn't know better, he could almost swear that he heard music playing – and it sounded like the fire was going. He knew he put it out the night before but he hurried his pace just in case. He stopped short though when he entered the living room.
Artie was sitting in front of the tree. The tree that was lit up; there was Christmas music playing softly and the fire was crackling away merrily. But Artie was there – and that was all that Sam could see. Sitting there with a silly bow stuck to his sweater and that maddeningly cute smile on his face and his eyes twinkling behind his glasses, looking a little tired.
"Merry Christmas Sam," he said softly. Sam stood there dumbstruck for another moment before coming to his senses and throwing himself at Artie. The two embraced for a few minutes as Sam took in the fact that it was really Artie, he was really there, they were going to have Christmas together, and this was really happening.
"You came home for Christmas," was all that Sam could say. Artie just nodded in reply.