Despite the Night by AC1

[Report This]
- Text Size +

Story Notes: Email: acheek@home.com

Pairings: Sam/Jack UST (just a teeny bit)

Category: Holiday fic, SJ2002 Christmas Challenge

Season/Sequel info: Sixth season

Spoilers: tiny spoilers for Shadow Play, nothing significant

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Author’s Notes: The 2002 Christmas Challenge for the Sam and Jack list was as follows. The fic must
-- start with the phrase, "What do you mean, that’s not allowed?"
-- contain no mention of "regulations"
-- contain lots of tinsel
-- have Jonas as a member of SG-1
-- have a Sam and Jack kiss

This was a Christmas challenge, but I tinkered with it and made it into a Winter Solstice story. The poem quoted in the fic is "Approaching Solstice" by Patricia Monaghan. Thanks to Clara and Ann for the beta reads. Feedback is loved and appreciated, please send some. Dedicated to those in the fandom who march to the beat of a different goddess. :) Happy Yule. Copyright December 2002, A. Cheek.

"What do you mean, that’s not allowed?"

General George Hammond stifled the urge to roll his eyes and glared at Sergeant Davis before the man could even think about sniggering. "Son," he explained to Jonas Quinn, "it’s not traditional for members of the same sex to kiss each other under the mistletoe."

"Oh. Does that fall under the ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ rule?" Jonas asked in puzzlement.

"No, not really," Hammond replied, silently vowing to catch and kill the culprit who’d hung the offending foliage in the control room. "I’m surprised, Mr. Quinn. If you read about the tradition of mistletoe at Christmas, how could you possibly not know that it was--"

"Oh, I didn’t read about it," Jonas assured him earnestly. "I overheard some personnel talking about it. I can see why I alarmed you, General. Sorry." Picking up his mug of tea, he headed for the stairs. "I’ll go look up some information about it on the Internet."

"You do that," Hammond muttered, nodding pleasantly as the departing man smiled. Then, turning to Davis, who was rapidly turning purple with the effort not to burst out laughing, he said in a low tone, "There will be no mention of this on the base grapevine, Sergeant. Understood?"

Davis lost his battle. "Yes, sir," he gasped out before laughing so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.

* * * *

Hammond looked down the conference room table at the members of SG-1, who looked much better since they’d had showers than when they’d returned through the gate two hours before. "I’ll expect your reports by next Thursday," he told them, pushing his chair back and standing. "Dismissed."

"Um, actually, while all of you are here, there’s something I wanted to ask you," Jonas announced.

"What’s that, Jonas?" Major Carter asked distractedly, gathering her papers into a tidy pile.

His grin was uncertain. "I’m going to have a small dinner in my quarters this Saturday," he told them. "I was hoping all of you could attend."

"What’s the occasion?" Colonel O’Neill asked in an offhand voice.

"Yule."

"Yu?"

"No, Colonel. Yule, or the winter solstice. I did some research on various winter holidays, and it was the closest thing I found to the Festival of Renewal that my family celebrated on Kelowna at this time of year."

Teal’c took pity on Jonas, who was beginning to look as though he wished he hadn’t said anything. "It would be an honor to share in this celebration, Jonas Quinn. I am certain all of us will enjoy it very much." His sharp glance at the rest of his teammates brooked no argument.

"That sounds nice," Sam told Jonas. "Should we bring anything?"

"That won’t be necessary," he assured her. "The mess hall staff is letting me use a corner of the kitchen to prepare the meal. If you could meet at my quarters about 1900, that would be great."

"Son," General Hammond said gently, "I’m very glad you invited me, but on Saturday night I promised my granddaughters that I’d drive them around their neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights."

"Oh." The younger man looked disappointed for a moment, then brightened. "What if we met earlier, say 1600 hours?"

Hammond smiled. "Then I’ll be happy to be here." He pushed his chair back against the table. "Anything else?" Everyone shook their heads. "Dismissed."

* * * *

Jack paced back and forth in front of Jonas’ quarters. He could be on his way to Minnesota by now. His vacation time had been piling up, and he enjoyed his cabin in the wintertime, even if he’d never particularly cared for ice fishing. Then again, maybe he’d just laze around his house for a few days. He’d gotten that new Simpson’s DVD...

"Sir," Sam greeted him brightly as she walked down the hall. "No one else is here yet?"

"Nope. From what I hear, Teal’c is helping Jonas get the food from the mess, and they’ll be a while yet. Did you see the General on your way in?"

"Yes, sir, we rode down together on the elevator," Sam replied, shrugging off her coat and draping it over her arm. She pulled at the clinging material of her sweater in irritation. "Damned static electricity."

Jack carefully didn’t respond, and just as carefully did not look. He was getting older, and he knew from experience that Major Samantha Carter in slinky sweaters did things to his blood pressure that just weren’t good.

"Major, Colonel," General Hammond called out. "Good to see both of you. Teal’c and Jonas are on their way, and by the aromas coming from the food cart, I expect we’re in for a fine meal." He joined them in front of the doorway. "I hope tonight isn’t cutting into any holiday plans you might have," he told them in a softer voice.

"No, sir," Sam assured him. "My brother and his family are spending Christmas with Susan’s parents. I don’t know yet if Dad will be able to come visit, so Doctor Fraiser and Cassandra will be coming over for dinner and a movie marathon. What about you, Colonel?"

"Ah, my plans are a bit up in the air at the moment," he hedged. "If all else fails, I have a standing invitation at Mrs. Gutierrez’ house."

"Coming through!" Jonas called out from the down hall, Teal’c at his heels at a more dignified pace.

The three others obligingly stepped aside as Jonas proudly wheeled the food cart into his modest quarters. "Come in!" he urged them excitedly.

"Wow. That’s some... um," Sam said, her eyes wide.

"Lovely tinsel, son," Hammond rescued the Major. "Where did you find such interesting colors?"

Jonas smiled ever more brightly. "There’s this amazing store where every item only costs a dollar. I couldn’t believe what a big selection they had!" He sighed happily. "We never had anything like this on Kelowna."

While Jonas busied himself in serving the food, Jack looked around the man’s sparse quarters and winced slightly. Gold rope tinsel, green tinsel, silver icicles, purple tinsel, and a particularly jarring garland of white tinsel tinged with iridescent green all graced the walls. The effect was spectacular, he had to admit, but it was spectacularly bad, which probably hadn’t been Jonas’ intention. Still, it could have been worse. Jonas could have had those little reindeer statues that were ubiquitous in Jack’s neighborhood.

"O’Neill," Teal’c’s low voice snapped Jack back to reality. "Assist me in lighting the candles." He handed Jack a small box of matches.

"Jonas, you said the winter solstice was similar to a holiday you celebrated in Kelowna," Sam said while helping serve the food onto the awaiting plates. "What did you do?"

"Ah. Well, Kelownan society is almost completely secular," Jonas took on an unconscious lecturing tone. "But my father was a follower of the old religion, and we always had a feast on the Festival of Renewal."

"No false gods?" Jack asked wryly.

"No. A goddess and god, actually, who were the manifest spirits of our planet. We celebrated the fact that the days would once again grow longer, and that spring would come again. Kelowna is quite close to the southern pole," he explained, "so you can see why it would be such a big deal to us. My father always told my sisters and me that even in the depths of winter, the seeds of spring were present. It was the promise that the cycle of life always continued. It’s autumn in Kelowna now," he continued, a frown flickering across his face. "But I thought this would be nice."

"It looks delicious," Hammond smiled. "Is there anything else we need to do before eating?"

"Yes, actually." Jonas looked downcast for a moment. "Traditionally, my father would recite the blessing to the goddess and god."

"Let’s hear it," Jack prodded him quietly.

"I can’t," Jonas said unhappily. "It’s only supposed to be recited at the Festival of Renewal, and only by the eldest family member." He left unspoken the fact that when the time of the festival next arrived, his country might be all but destroyed. "But," he brightened, "when I was doing my research on winter holidays, I did find a poem about the solstice that I liked very much." He picked up a piece of paper and held it out to Teal’c. "Will you read it?"

Teal’c scanned the writing and nodded contemplatively. "I shall perform this ritual gladly, Jonas Quinn," he told his friend solemnly. Standing even more straight, he cleared his throat, and spoke in his rich, deep voice.

"Yes, friends, the darkness wins, but these
short days so celebrate light

today the lemon sunrise lasted a few
hours until sunset, all day the snow

glowed pink and purple in the trees.
This is not a time of black and white,

my friends, outside us. Among us, too,
let’s sing what winter forces us to know:

Joy and color bloom despite the night.
We measure warmth by love, not by degrees."

"Thank you, Teal’c," Jonas smiled, and pulled out his chair, waiting for his guests to sit down. "Shall we eat?"

* * * *

"Thank you, Jonas," Sam smiled. "This was fun."

"I’m glad you could make it, Sam," her teammate replied. "Are you leaving?" At her nod, he waved. "See you on Thursday."

As she opened the door, Jonas called her name again. "Oh, Sam?"

"What?"

"Look up."

Sam did as instructed, and cringed at the sight of a sprig of mistletoe taped to the door frame. "I did some more research," Jonas said to General Hammond.

"Okay. You got me," she groused good-naturedly, accepting a quick kiss on the cheek. She turned once more to go.

"Not so fast, Major Carter," General Hammond scolded her. He gave her a brief peck on the other cheek. "If Jacob comes through the Stargate, I’ll call you right away."

"Thank you, sir," she said, starting to grin as Teal’c in turn kissed her.

"It is my hope you have a wonderful holiday, Major Carter," he said, squeezing her hand, then slipping past her out the door, with a final nod of farewell to everyone else.

Jonas turned to begin tidying up the remains of the meal, and Sam schooled her features to perfect nonchalance as the Colonel approached her.

"Tradition, hmm?" he asked.

"Apparently," she laughed, mindful of Hammond’s presence in the room.

"Merry Christmas, Carter," he said softly, as they each brushed a gentle kiss on the other’s cheek. "Give Cassie a hug from me."

"I’ll do that, sir," she smiled, as they both walked into the hallway.

* * * *

"So, son," Hammond said as he moved across the room, snuffing candles as he went, "what are your plans for your time off?"

"Well," Jonas said thoughtfully, "There’s always research to keep me busy. And if we get much more snow, Lieutenant Sandersen said she’d teach me how to go snow shoeing."

Hammond smiled. Sandersen’s love of winter sports was well know throughout the SGC. Looking at the garish tinsel decorating the barren room, he paused. "I’ll be picking up my granddaughters soon so they can see the lights."

Jonas nodded. "I haven’t been off the base in the evening recently, but I did see some pictures on the Internet. Some of the effects were ingenious! I thought about trying to put some lights up in my room, but Sergeant Siler said I could blow a fuse if I wasn’t careful. So I just went with tinsel instead."

"It is very colorful," Hammond allowed. He turned to leave, then paused again. "Would you care to come with us tonight? If you were careful to not say too much about never having seen Christmas lights before--"

"So your granddaughters won’t know I’m not from Earth," Jonas completed the sentence. He placed an empty tray on the cart with a clatter. "I’ll get my coat, General."

* * * *

Jack shivered as he fumbled for his keys in the darkened parking lot. The temperature, already below freezing during the day, had dropped another 10 degrees at least. Upon finding the keys in his jacket pocket, he promptly dropped them, and they landed under the vehicle. Muttering curses to himself, he crouched down to retrieve them.

"Sir? You okay?"

He didn’t look up. "Fine, Carter. Just dropped my keys. My knees aren’t too happy with me at the moment, but I’ll survive."

He heard her open her car door and climb inside. "Have you found them yet?"

Just then his fingers brushed across the jumbled mass of metal. "Yeah, Carter. Got them."

"Okay, sir. Take care, it’s freezing tonight!"

"Yeah," he responded thoughtfully. *We measure warmth by love, not by degrees.* "It’s not that bad. See you Thursday."

Climbing into his truck, he started the engine and let it warm up for a minute while he fastened his seat belt and pulled on some gloves. Although more snow was predicted early in the week, tonight was clear and cold, and the full moon filled the sky with light.

Life continues, he mused to himself as he began driving home. In the midst of cold and darkness, there was always hope. Well, tonight hadn’t been the holiday he’d grown up with, but it had been nice. In spite of the tinsel. Carter had looked happy tonight, he realized. So often he was used to seeing her buried in work, or using humor only as a defense against impending crisis. To see his perpetually tense second in command actually looking relaxed was nothing short of amazing. And Teal’c had recognized in Jonas the same exile’s longing for home that filled his heart. All in all, it had been a good evening.

*Even in the depths of winter, the seeds of spring are present.* His current situation was somewhat bleak, there was no getting around that. And there was no guarantee that he’d survive to see it improve. But... there was always a but, Jack knew. Even after all his experiences, he wasn’t able to completely kick the habit of having hope for the future.

He wouldn’t be part of the SGC forever. The mild throbbing in his knee was a firm reminder in that regard. And he and Hammond had been purposely giving Carter more command responsibilities -- soon it would be time for her to lead her own team, possibly with a promotion as well. It was even possible that he’d step down for her to lead SG-1.

Jack knew the score. He was ultimately replaceable at the SGC, and he was getting older. But if he could live long enough to be able to retire, there was always the promise of the future. And the chance that Carter... that *Sam* might want to share that future with him.

A second spring? He kept his feelings for her under careful guard, and sometimes he wondered if she still cared for him in return. But remembering the warm, shy smile she’d given him after he kissed her this evening, a part of him rejoiced that it wasn’t entirely against the odds.

* * * *

"Look at that one, Grandpa!" a voice from the back seat called.

Hammond slowed the car to a snail’s pace, and glanced into the back seat. Tessa had already fallen asleep, but Kayla had her nose pressed against the window, eyes wide with wonder.

"It’s great," Jonas agreed. "I like the reindeer."

"Me, too," she giggled. "Oh, look! Two houses up! They’ve got the icicle lights! Those are my favorite!"

Hammond turned his attention back to the road, smiling happily. "We’ll go down a few more streets and then call it a night," he told his passengers.

"Okay," Kayla agreed, yawning.

"This is wonderful, General," Jonas said quietly. "Much better than the pictures I saw." He turned his head to look at another brightly lit house, then smiled wistfully. "Merry Christmas, sir."

"You’re welcome, son. Happy Yule."

--fin

End Notes: and happy holidays!

Table of Contents | Reviews - 0 |

[Report This]

You must login (register) to review.