Major Samantha Carter stared up into the dark sky. The stars above her were alien to her and although it was an experience Sam had gone through quite often during the past years, she was still suprised by the feelings those twinklings light avoked in her. Sam searched between the bright spots for the one she knew best. Like every time when they spent a night on an alien planet.
"More to the west"
Jack O'Neill stepped out of the darkness into the light of the fire. Sighing he sat down and closed his eyes. Sam stared at him in surprise.
"What is more to the west, Sir?"
Jack grinned, but kept his eyes closed. The fire threw flickering red shadows on his tired features.
"Earth. More to the west, just on the left to the red star, approximately at 10 o'clock."
Sam shook her head. "How did you know I was looking for earth, Sir?"
Jack sighed and stretched his hands out, the heat of the fire bringing back life into his cold fingers. The nights on P3whatever were bittercold. Still with his eyes closed he answered.
"Because that's a human thing. That's the way we are. The farther we move away from home, the more powerful the urge to return home gets."
Sam laughed. "I didn't know you were a philosopher, Sir."
Jack shook his head. Sam waited for a typical O'Neill-remark in answer to her comment. But it never came.
"No philosopher, just someone who has been farther away from home than was good for him."
Sam thought about his words und studied his face. Jack's eyes were still closed. He looked tired and not even the red shadows dancing all over his body could mask the unhealthy grey colour of his skin. Dark shadows had spread under his eyes and across his forehead paraded a wound that was not even 24 hours old.
"Where's the rest?", Jack asked. Sam pointed over her shoulder to a spot in the darkness. "Jonas is asleep and Teal'c is Kel'no'reeming."
"And why are you still up, Carter?"
Sam shrugged, but realised that he couldn't see the gesture. "I don't know. I am tired, but somehow ... I don't know." Lost in thought she picked up a small branch and started drawing small circles into the earth.
Jack stretched his back and blinked. His eyes had been closed for such a long time that it took some time for him to get used to the scene that presented itself to him. The fire-wood was cracking and the flames sent small grey clouds into the air. Around the fire complete darkness ruled. O'Neill was not even able to see the trees that were pretecting their resting place. Across the fire, encircled by the soft light of the campfire sat his 2IC and drew circles on the ground. Jack watched her in silence. Bruises darkened the normally light skin on her face, visible memories of falling down a hill this afternoon. Jack had to smile as he saw how much concentration Sam put into everything, even when she was lost in thought. The circles she drew on the ground were almost perfect. Suddenly she stopped and looked at her left arm, a frown forming on her face.
"What's wrong, Carter?"
Sam shook her head. "Nothing. Just a scratch, I haven't noticed before."
To prove that it was indeed nothing to worry about she stretched out her arm. But her actions had the exact opposite effect on her commanding officer. Jack reached for his backpack and got up. He stepped around the fire and sat down next to her.
"Give me your arm, Carter."
"Sir, it's nothing, really", Sam said, but the fact that she flinched when he touched the wound neutralized her words. Jack shook his head. "This little "Nothing" can get really nasty, Carter, if we don't take care of it." He opened the first-aid-kit and started treating Sam's wounded arm. When he had finally wrapped a bandage around the injured part of her wound, he leaned back and looked at his handiwork with pride.
"There you go. Fraiser coulnd't have done it better."
Sam nodded laughing. "Janet would be proud of you, Sir."
Jack sighed. "Thanks for the compliment, but to be honest, Carter, right now I'd rather be wrapping presents than your arm."
A shadow flashed across her features and she stared into the fire. "Dad is on earth right now. Isn't that ironic? The first time in three year, that my father is home for christmas and then I'm not there to celebrate it with him. It's not fair."
"It isn't, Carter, it isn't", Jack mumbled and brought his hands a little closer to the fire. The cold was slowly making its was through his jacket and Jack raised his head and stared into the sky, expecting to see the first snowflakes drifting towards him.
"I wonder if they are white like on earth."
"Sir?"
"The snowflakes these approaching clouds no doubt carry with them."
"Sir, snow is always white, that's because of the structure of the crystal...."
"Ah, Carter! Stop it! No lectures tonight, okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
She followed his gaze and looked up at the night-sky. Suddenly she smiled. "I see it."
"What?"
"The sun. Our sun."
Jack grinned. "And if you look a liiiiittttttlle closer you can see Santa and his sleigh rushing by."
"But Santa won't be on active duty until christmas, Sir." Sam replied. Without looking at her, Jack said: "Take a look at your watch, Carter."
Sam blinked and followed O'Neill's order. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But that's impossible."
"We've been on the run for days, no wonder we lost track of time."
Sam shook her head. "Christmas. It's really christmas."
She put her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. "What I wouldn't give to be home right now. I'd be sitting on the sofa nect to Dad and I'd be looking look at the tree . . ."
". . . and there would be a plate of cookies on the table and the stereo would play all these songs that sound horrible all year, except for this one night. . ."
" . . and there's laughter in the air and outside the snow is falling . . ."
" . . . which is really not a problem for us, because the fire in the fire-place is warm and the walls are thick."
"There's a knock on the door and Janet and Cassie are standing in front of the door . . ."
". . . and while your rescue them from the cold, Dad and I are fighting over the last cookie, which in return causes Teal'c to raise an eyebrow in dissaproval and interfere by snatching the cookie before we can . . ."
"Meanwhile Cassie is running to the tree, to see if there are any presents for her. . . "
" . . .which is the case, because we sort of expected this surprise- visit . . ."
". . .exactly, always be prepared for anything . . ."
" . . .even for an odd smell coming from the kitchen?"
"I think I should take a look at the food in the oven and so I motion for Janet to follow me . . ."
". . .which we all notice with relief, because . . ."
"Hey, no jokes, about my cooking-skills on christmas, Sir."
"Wouldn't dream of it, especially not, while we're sitting around the table and start eating. The bird tastes great, Carter. Really"
"Thank you, Sir."
"While we eat, Cassie tells this really stupid Santa-joke to Teal'c . . ."
" . . . the one about being claus-trophobic?"
"That one. Anyway, Teal'c looks very strange for a moment and then starts to burst into laughter . . ."
". . . which causes Janet to almost choke on the piece of potato she just put into her mouth and we all loose it and start laughing."
"After dinner we return to the living-room and . . ."
". . .on the way back Jonas notices the mistletoe above the door . . ."
" . . .which our very happy Jaffa-friend notices and remarks . . ."
"I believe it is about time to teach JonasQuinn about the tradtions concerning this celebration."
Jack laughed at Sam's almost-perfect Teal'c-impression and looked at her. She still stared into the fire and he knew that she didn't see the flames or the wood or the smoke rising in the air. She saw what he had seen only a second ago: Herself, him and all of their friends and family at the imaginary christmas party. At that moment her eyes shone and all the pain and exhaustion that had clouded them before had disappeared. Jack felt a comforting warmth spreading over his heart and sould, while he looked at her. Sam felt his gaze on her and lifted her head to look at him questioningly.
"And then?"
Jack lowered his voice a little. "Well, you know Jonas, he always has to get to the bottom of things and so Janet decides that explaining this little christmas-custom has to involve a little demonstration."
Jack fell silent, his gaze fixed on Sam's eyes. She looked puzzled for a moment, then her expression changed, when she understood. Without looking away she continued, her voice almost not more then a whisper in the night. "And of course she needs volonteers for her little demonstration . . ."
Jack swallowed hard and hoped that his voice would not crack. "Remind me to get her a nice post-christmas-thank-you present when all this is over. . . "
". . .so?"
" . . so we slowly walk over to the door and stop under the mistletoe, while Janet starts explaining the history of this costum to Jonas."
"Which is?"
"I have no clue whatsoever. I can't hear her, because my heart is beating pretty loud right now. By the way, where's your Dad?"
"I have no clue, I don't think there are any people in this room except for us. Are there?"
"I'd say no, but I can hear Cassie chuckle and I have to grin, because this is suuuuch a cliche."
"You volonteered, Sir, remember?"
"Maybe, I honestly don't remember, because I have a hard time thinking at all right now."
"Me too."
Silence spread over the camp-site. Jack and Sam sat next to each other, their gazes locked not only in this world and moment, but also in their own world, in which they stood underneath the mistletoe. Jack was the first to break the silence
"So we both look up to make sure that we are actually standing beneath a mistletoe."
". . .and as we tilt our heads back down . . .
"I move a little closer to you and . . "
The world around Sam disappeared. The camp-fire. The cold. The dark. Gone. Instead there was the smell of christmas. There were her friends, her family. She could feel their presence all around her. But more than that she felt the presence of the man standing in front of her. Sam closed her eyes, as Jack's lips touched her own. The kiss was soft and light and didn't take more than a few seconds, but for Sam it lasted an eternity. When she opened her eyes again the room and the mistletoe were gone and she was once again sitting under an alien sky. Jack had fallen silent and when she finally looked at him, she saw that his eyes were closed. A content smile was resting on his face. Sam took his hand and squeezed it gently. Jack blinked and looked at her in surprise.
"Thanks. Thanks for a wonderful christmas party."
"Even though it was only an imaginary one? Which by the way is not over yet."
Sam laughed and looked at him "I would never have thought that I could feel so at home even though I am spending christmas under foreign stars. Thanks."
"Dito."
"Sir?"
"Yes, Carter?"
"The party? What happens next?"
"Well, first of all I retreat from the room using the lame but effctive excuse, that we need more logs for the fire, because Dad is giving me his best death-glare and on top of that Jonas decides that he has to try this costum for himself and . . ."
Laughter drifted across the darkness on a planet where never anyone had celebrated anything before. Until tonight. Until two human beings brought memories of joy, gingerbread, christmas and love to the stars.
The end :-)
Story Notes: Author's note: I know christmas is over, but hey, better late than never *winks*. I wrote the german version of this in December 2002, it just took me a while to find the time to translate it. This one is for Lydia: See? I wrote something *g*. And I promise you I'll finish those other WiPs we talked about. Soon. Really. Really soon :-)
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]