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FOR AULD LANG SYNE
Sam heard the low hum of her furnace at 0500, right on schedule courtesy of the automatic timer, but instead of thinking that in thirty minutes she’d have to get up, she smiled and snuggled a bit deeper under the covers. It was New Year’s Eve, she didn’t have to get up and go into work, she could laze around all day if she wanted, because she didn’t have anywhere to go or anything to do. She smiled again, at least nowhere to go until that evening when she was going to the Colonel’s house—no, she corrected herself, she was going to Jack’s house and the two of them were going to usher in the new year together.
The decision to spend the evening with him had been frighteningly easy and by the almost comical look of shock on his face when she’d said ‘yes’, she knew he had been almost as surprised as her. She’d stopped by his office on the twenty-third; ostensibly to check out with him since he was acting base commander while Hammond was away for the holidays, but mostly just so she could see him and wish him a Merry Christmas before she flew out to spend Christmas with her brother and his family. When she thought back now, she couldn’t quite remember how New Year’s Eve made it into their conversation, maybe it had started when he’d asked her when she’d be back in town and then something about how Reynolds was covering the SGC for that holiday, when he’d suddenly blurted out his invitation.
For whatever reason, she didn’t even stop to think about the potential consequences of her answer and immediately accepted his invitation. With a cheery Merry Christmas, she left his office and the base, firmly pushing any doubts aside. She’d been too busy with her family over Christmas to worry about New Year’s Eve and it wasn’t until the flight home that she really started to think about what she had done by accepting his invitation—what they had both done. It was both terrifying and exciting to even contemplate the true meaning of his casual invitation and her acceptance. Maybe it was a by-product of all the changes and stresses of the last year, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t imagine spending another year with her feelings for him locked inside that room and if this was her chance, she was going to take it.
Maybe the evening would be nothing but a nice time spent by two friends welcoming in the new year but then again, it might be the culmination—and the beginning—of something so much more. With that very pleasant thought on her mind, Sam drifted back off to sleep, dreaming of the evening to come.
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Jack squinted through the fogged up window of his truck, turning the defroster up higher, warm air blasting into the cab, the lightly falling snow melted as soon as it hit the windshield. The was a lot of traffic, but the roads weren’t too bad and even the crowded parking lot of the local super market wasn’t going to ruin his day, because he had New Year’s Eve plans. Grinning to himself, Jack gave up on finding a parking spot close to the entrance of the store and settled for one on the periphery of the lot. He’d been grinning a lot since that day last week when Sam had stopped by his office and on some crazy, wild impulse he’d asked her over for New Year’s Eve and evidently on an equally wild and crazy impulse, she’d said yes.
In the intervening days, he’d tried to think of crazier things that he’d done and while he’d had his share of wild adventures, nothing came remotely close to spending an evening alone with Sam Carter, especially one as ripe with possibilities as New Year’s Eve. Oh hell, it could be any damn evening and there would be possibilities. He’d always been a risk taker, but never with her. He didn’t analyze it too closely, but even he had to acknowledge that maybe after everything that had happened to him…to them really, since Daniel’s death, had finally found him willing to take this particular risk.
He normally wouldn’t dream of going grocery shopping on a day before a big holiday, but Sam was coming over and a New Year’s even celebration required items he normally didn’t keep on hand, so braving all the other last-minute shoppers, Jack made his way to the store. The place was busy, lines at every check-out counter, holiday music still playing from the overhead speakers.
Snagging one of the remaining carts, Jack started down the nearest aisle, swerving to avoid an elderly woman using her cart as more of a walker than a grocery cart. Evidently his plan to avoid the crowds by going out in the morning had failed, he could only imagine the chaos the afternoon and evening would bring. Every few steps there were more carts and more people, but he knew what he wanted and navigated the crowded store with ease, that was until he reached the liquor department.
Beer he could do blindfolded, but as he stood blocking the aisle with his cart and studying the multitude of sparkling wines available, Jack O’Neill felt intimidated. There was an impatient cough from behind him and a frazzled looking woman with a toddler in her shopping cart smack dab in front of him. Aware the situation could turn bloody at any minute, Jack grimaced, and hoping for the best, grabbed the closest bottle and made his way through the maze of shoppers to the front of the store and the crowded check-out lines.
What seemed to be an excruciatingly long time later, Jack finally wheeled his grocery cart out of the store. One look at the heavily falling snow had him abandoning his cart right there; grabbing the half-a-dozen grocery bags and lowering his head to the oncoming wind, he trudged through the accumulating snow to his truck. The wind and snow stung his cheeks and he was beginning to wish he had his heavy winter parka on when he finally reached the truck. Enough snow had accumulated on the windshield that he had to brush it off before he could leave and with the heater and defroster running on high, Jack left the still crowded parking lot and headed for home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Sam finally got up around ten a.m. she had been excited to see the snow falling. Christmas in San Diego was nice, but there wasn’t a lot of snow on those sandy beaches and a little snow for New Year’s Eve was welcome. By two p.m. she wasn’t at all excited, in fact she was downright worried. The ‘occasional snow flurries’ predicted by the local news weather anchorman had turned into a full-fledged blizzard in a little less than four hours. Blizzard warnings were in effect for the entire Colorado Springs area, wind gusts had been clocked up to fifty miles per hour at the airport and visibility was hovering at less than half a mile.
Snug in her cozy house, Sam paced the hallway from the front door to the kitchen and back again like a caged tiger. Every time she reached the front door, she’d peer out again, always greeted by the same sight—snow and more falling snow, mixed in with the blowing snow. What little sun there had been earlier in the day had disappeared beneath the heavy storm clouds as the gigantic winter storm—the weather forecaster’s words, not hers—blew in from Canada and parts north.
Once she’d looked out the front window, she’d walk back towards the kitchen, pausing only to check the local TV stations, but the forecast never changed. Winds and blowing snow, two to three foot accumulation expected in the city, three to four feet expected in the outlying communities and mountains, blizzard warning in effect until six p.m. on New Year’s Day. Stay indoors, stay off the roads, no unnecessary travel. She had the damn forecast memorized.
She thought about phoning Jack, and then wondered why he hadn’t called her, but maybe he didn’t know it was snowing. Yeah right, she thought dispiritedly, like he wouldn’t notice the wind howling and blowing around his house. Pausing at the front door again, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass, her breath condensing almost immediately on the window pane. Closing her eyes, she fought back the feeling of despair that had been slowly building inside of her since she’d first heard the word ‘blizzard’. Rationally, she knew it wasn’t the end of the world if they didn’t get to spend New Year’s Eve together, but there was that other part of her that feared if they lost this opportunity, the door would slam shut and everything would be shut back in that room.
Taking a deep breath, Sam lifted her head and looked out at the blowing snow; she could barely see the house across the street. A car slowly made its way down the street, its headlights barely visible, its rear-end fishtailing slightly when it turned the corner. Suddenly reaching a decision, Sam hurried to her bedroom, and grabbing her duffel out of the closet, started gathering the items she’d need. Blizzard or not, she wasn’t spending this New Year’s Eve alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jonas tried to concentrate on translating the hieroglyphs, but his attention kept wandering. He had planned on catching up on his work during the holiday slow-down, but instead had found himself caught up in all the excitement and extracurricular activities. The base was like its own little community and the personnel on duty over Christmas seemed to have gone out of their way to make Christmas a special occasion—even Colonel O’Neill, who seemed deliberately oblivious to the holiday spirit that had invaded the SGC.
And then there had been the unexpected invitation to spend New Year’s Day at the Colonel’s house, evidently a tradition he had established with Teal’c, and Jonas had been thrilled to be included in the day’s activities. While Teal’c and Sam seemed to have accepted him as a full member of the team, he still wasn’t sure about O’Neill and he hoped the invitation signaled the Colonel’s acceptance of him. And besides, it was a new year and the New Year, on Earth as well as Kelowna, was all about new beginnings.
Kelowna didn’t really have a comparable holiday to Christmas, but they did have an extensive celebration of the New Year that lasted over several days. As best as Jonas could tell, besides the customary ringing out of the old and ringing in of the new, New Year’s celebrations at his new home consisted of parties, eating and sporting events. When he’d made inquiries of various base personnel, it was always a variation of that general theme, and his research confirmed the observation.
However, it appeared Colonel Reynolds supported a more subdued approach to the holiday for base personnel on duty, even though Jonas had been the recipient of a whispered invitation to Sergeant Siler’s annual base New Year’s Eve party. When he’d asked Teal’c if he about it, the Jaffa had merely frowned and replied in his silkiest voice that the ‘hooch’ served by Siler did not agree with his prim’ta. Jonas figured he’d check out Siler’s party, but as an observer, as he’d already made other plans.
He wasn’t exactly sure how typical of a traditional new year’s celebration it would be, but when he’d found out Lieutenant Bonnie Rush was going to be on duty, he planned to stop by the infirmary around midnight with hot chocolate—complete with the mini-marshmallows Teal’c insisted were the primary reason to drink the beverage—and cookies. Jonas had already checked that morning and there was only one patient, Lieutenant Dobbs, recovering from a bad case of alien poison ivy. He hoped his plan would be received well by the attractive nurse; she was nice and had always shown (what he hoped) was more than a professional interest in his well-being.
So, all-in-all, Jonas would have to say his first Christmas, and hopefully New Year’s, on Earth had been exceedingly pleasant. And even though he had plenty to occupy his time, the day seemed liked it was dragging. He focused his wandering attention once more on the video of the hieroglyphs he’d made on PR6-928. The picture quality was good, but it felt like something was missing, maybe he’d better check the video against the charcoal rubbings he’d made.
Standing, he took a moment to stretch and then paused, his attention immediately caught by the image on his television monitor. A man, wearing a heavy parka and holding a microphone stood in a parking lot, heavy snow falling all around him. Reaching for the remote, Jonas turned up the volume.
“—the snow accumulation is expected to be anywhere from two to four feet by the time the storm ends. We’re already received reports of drifts up to twelve feet—”
“Jonas Quinn.”
At the sound of Teal’c’s voice, Jonas muted the volume. “Have you see this?” he asked, gesturing towards the TV where the picture showed more footage of the storm, complete with a blizzard warning scrolling across the bottom of the screen. “It’s incredible!”
Teal’c nodded solemnly. “We are in the midst of a blizzard.”
“Right!” He’d studied Earth’s weather patterns and particularly those common to Colorado Springs. “Blowing snow, sustained wind of thirty-five miles per hour and limited visibility.” Jonas looked back at the television, fascinated by the weather forecast. “Incredible! The wind chill is minus eleven.”
“That is indeed cold.”
“I’ll say,” Jonas added enthusiastically. “We had the occasional snowfall on Kelowna, but nothing of this magnitude. I mean,” he studied the words scrolling across TV screen, “they’re actually going to close businesses!”
Teal’c nodded and added with just the slightest hint of disdain in his voice. “It is not uncommon for the Tau’ri to close businesses and schools when the weather is this severe, yet they think nothing of pursuing recreational activities in the snow.”
Jonas wondered briefly what Teal’c had against winter sports, but then the text of the blizzard warning caught his attention and he frowned, reading the message as it scrolled across the bottom of the screen. “The blizzard warning is in effect until tomorrow afternoon!”
“You appear concerned.”
“This is my first New Year’s on Earth.” Jonas sighed and wondered whether Lieutenant Rush would still be on duty for the overnight shift in the infirmary. “I had some plans….” He let his voice trail off.
Teal’c nodded. “I would not be concerned if I were you, Jonas Quinn. Colonel Reynolds kept all duty personnel on base after the first weather forecast came through early this morning.”
“So she’s still here?”
“Rest assured, Jonas Quinn. Lieutenant Rush will be on duty tonight.”
“Well, that’s good.” Jonas felt a rush of relief, he’d be able to bring in the New Year according to plan. But that still left the other part of the whole New Year’s celebration—New Year’s Day. “What about tomorrow? Colonel O’Neill invited us to his house to watch all the football games. How will we get there if we’re snowed in?”
“I have been giving the matter some thought, Jonas Quinn.” Teal’c smiled his confident smile. “I believe Sergeant Siler will be able to assist us.”
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“This is Sam Carter, please leave a message.”
Jack gritted his teeth as the phone message played in his ear. Where the hell was she? Punching a few more buttons on his phone, he called her cell again, almost growling in frustration when it went directly to her voicemail—yet again. There was a raging blizzard outside, he couldn’t reach Sam on the phone and he was starting to get worried.
Standing by his front window, Jack watched while the snow swirled and blew around his house, drifts already forming along his porch. The wind howled, the ice and snow crystals beat against the windows, the double-paned glass doing its best to keep the cold out but he could swear he still felt a draft. He had a fire going in the fire place and if even the direst predictions of electricity outage and being snowed-in for several days actually transpired, he’d be in good shape. His cupboards were full, the emergency generator was gassed up and ready to go and he had enough wood to last all winter. Hell, he thought grumpily, he even had champagne.
Dammit, where was she?
The only place he hadn’t tried was the base. “You scientists,” he muttered, calling her lab number. The phone started ringing and he felt his frustration increase with every ring that went unanswered when the faint glow of light through the falling snow outside his window caught his eye. Ending the phone call, he squinted against the gloom and blowing snow, trying to see the source of the light.
Crap, it was a car. Which one of his crazy neighbors was out in the worst blizzard in over ten years? The car drew closer, creeping at a snail’s pace up the road to his house. He could see the windshield wipers working frantically to keep ahead of the snow with minimal success. Some people were just crazy, he decided, turning away from the window when the car’s headlight suddenly swung around and he realized the driver had pulled into his driveway.
Still frowning, but now curious, Jack watched as the driver, all bundled up against the weather, got out of the car, picked up what looked like a backpack and began trudging through the knee deep snow, and even deeper drifts, towards the house. Something about the mystery person struggling to the house through the wind and blowing snow was very familiar. And when she reached the front porch—because there was no doubt it was a she—Jack knew the identity of his visitor.
Going immediately to the front door, he opened it and Sam tumbled in, snow and wind blowing in behind her. Quickly shutting the door, Jack just looked at her in amazement as she let the backpack drop to the floor, unwound the muffler from around her neck and lowered the fur-trimmed hood of her parka.
“Are you out of your mind?” He almost yelled the question at her, worry and concern over-riding his relief at seeing her.
Her cheeks and nose were flushed pink, the snow trapped in her hair already starting to melt in the warm house. Her blue eyes dimmed slightly at his tone, but she replied mildly enough. “I thought we were spending the evening together.”
Almost completely disarmed by her answer, Jack took several steps back, watching in delight and disbelief while she continued to shed her layers. She had actually driven all the way from her house to his in a blizzard, just to be with him? His current mood was conflicted, to say the least. He was both mad as hell that she had taken such risk and inordinately pleased that she would do something so reckless for him. But most of all, he was really glad to see her, even cold and now dripping with melting snow, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Well, yeah,” he finally answered, automatically taking her parka when she handed it to him. “I’m just surprised to see you, what with the raging blizzard and all.” She smiled serenely and he added, “I tried calling you.” Juggling her parka, he held up his phone, still clutched in his hand as evidence.
“I didn’t want to miss our evening.”
It was a flimsy excuse at best and even though he was pleased by her answer, Jack felt compelled to point out the obvious. “What if we get snowed in?”
Sam picked up her backpack. “Not a problem.”
She looked poised and sounded confident, but Jack could see the uncertainty lurking in her eyes. This wasn’t exactly what he’d expected when he’d invited her over, but it was the stuff his fantasies were made of…. His lips curved in a slow smile. “I have champagne.”
“Well then, I guess we’ve got all contingencies covered.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The electricity went out exactly three hours later, just as they were sitting down to dinner. The initial awkwardness over her unexpected arrival as an overnight guest had evaporated as rapidly as the snow she had tracked in the house. His house was a snug and cozy refuge from the storm, the roaring fire and familiar chatter from the football commentators on the TV all helping her to feel right at home and not worrying how the evening was going to end.
Even helping to prepare dinner had an ease and familiarity to it, no doubt due to all the meals they’d fixed and shared off world, especially with the luxury of a full kitchen at their disposal. Jack had initially balked when she had followed him into the kitchen, claiming she was his guest, so she had stayed out of the way at first, until gradually she found herself dicing onions and eventually stirring the stock pot simmering with Jack’s special chili.
“I hope you don’t mind something simple,” Jack had said when he first started pulling the ingredients together, piling onions, garlic, red peppers, and canned tomatoes on the kitchen counter. “I was going to grill steaks but….” He’d shrugged and gestured towards the patio doors, just off the dining room, where the snow was drifted up almost to the door knob. “Chili seemed like a better option.”
“It’s perfect,” she told him, fascinated with this domestic side of him. It shouldn’t have surprised her that cooking with him was as easy as going into battle with him, both of them working comfortably together, side-by-side, in the kitchen. The mouth-watering smells of simmering chili and boxed cornbread baking in the oven filled the kitchen and Sam couldn’t wait to try them both.
And then just when everything was ready, the lights flickered ominously for several seconds before going out completely, plunging the house into darkness. Sam stopped immediately, stuck halfway between the kitchen and the dining room table with two full bowls of chili in her hands. “Jack?”
“Hang on,” he called from the dining room. She heard some movement and then the soft hiss of a match and she could see him, lighting the candles already on table. “There,” he said, grinning at her. “I’ve got a generator, but I’d like to save it….”
“No, this is all right,” she reassured him, carefully setting the bowls down at the table. “This is more ro—”. She caught herself and cringed inwardly when she added lamely, “er, nicer.” His knowing smile did nothing to reassure her and she cleared her throat. “I’ll just get the cornbread.”
“You do that.”
His low chuckle followed her into the kitchen and she felt an answering warmth swirl low in her belly. Her hands were trembling slightly when she picked up the plate of cornbread and for the first time since she’d gotten into her car in the middle of a raging blizzard and driven to his house, she wondered at her sanity. Taking a deep breath, she quelled her momentary panic and returned to the dining room, cornbread in hand.
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“This is delicious!”
Jack sat back, taking a drink of his beer and watching Sam eat. He was oftentimes amazed at her healthy appetite and this night was no exception, as she finished her chili. “It’s an old family recipe,” he told her. The candlelight bathed the dining room in a soft glow; he could still hear the wind and figured if he opened the curtains, he’d find the snow piled even higher. But he didn’t care, he couldn’t think of anyone better to be snowed in with than Sam.
“Do you want some more?” he asked, pushing his chair back from the table.
“No, this is plenty,” she replied. “I’ll just have one more piece of cornbread.”
He pushed back his chair, smiling as she smeared the cornbread with butter. “I’ll just clear these bowls away.” Picking up the two bowls, he went to the kitchen, loading the dishes into the dishwasher by the light of an oil lamp. Returning to the dining room, he picked up the almost empty plate of cornbread when he noticed Sam wrap her arms around herself, shivering slightly.
“Are you cold?”
She flashed him a smile, her eyes gleaming in the candlelight. “Just a little.”
All the various options raced through his mind. He could start the generator, but he really did prefer to keep it as a last resort. The house was well-insulated and while the pipes wouldn’t freeze, he knew the outside temperature was predicted to drop below zero and the warmest place in the house was going to be in the living room with the fire.
“Why don’t you go into the living room? Warm up by the fire while I finish cleaning up.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, even as she stood up and started sidling past him towards the warmth of the living room.
“I’m sure,” he told her, his eyes lingering on the gentle sway of her hips when she walked away. Making quick work of the remaining dishes, Jack pondered getting the champagne out, but after checking his watch, decided it was still too early. Plenty of time yet for strawberries and champagne. But until then...Jack grabbed a flashlight and detoured via the hall closet, digging out the Scrabble game from the top shelf.
Playing Scrabble hadn’t been part of his original plan for the evening, but then, he decided with a wry smile, heading back to the warmth of the living room and Sam, nothing had been going to plan since she had shown up at his front door covered with snow.
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At precisely a quarter to midnight, Jonas made his way to the infirmary, carrying a tray with his offering of hot chocolate and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. It was quiet on level twenty-one, at least compared to the MALP storage room on level twenty-five, which was mysteriously vacant of MALPs and filled with almost everyone on base, even Colonel Reynolds, at Siler’s evidently not-so-secret New Year’s Eve Bash. Much to his surprised, Teal’c had been at the party, evidently the only people absent were the gate technician on duty, the two SFs on guard in the Gateroom, the ailing Lieutenant Dobbs and the object of his late-night visit, Lieutenant Rush.
He’d only stayed long enough to exchange New Year’s greetings with the people he knew, which after living on base for so long ended up being almost everyone there, and take a sip of Siler’s home-made punch, a deceptively innocent looking alcoholic beverage that had burned a fiery trail down his gullet and settled warmly in his stomach. It had been a fascinating glimpse of his adopted culture; there was a wide-screen television with the New Year’s Eve celebration from Times Square on the screen, music blared from the overhead speakers and people were dancing—probably under the influence of Siler’s hooch—and an impressive array of food and snacks.
The festive atmosphere and throng of happy people filled Jonas with an almost sad nostalgia for past New Year’s celebrations on his home world. And if he hadn’t already had more important plans, he might have been tempted to linger. Pushing aside his momentary homesickness, he slipped unnoticed out of the room. He’d miss the party, but as the situation currently stood, the opportunity for a holiday celebration with the attractive Lieutenant Rush was something he couldn’t pass up.
The infirmary was quiet and dim, a sharp contrast to the controlled mayhem of the party. In the main room, curtains sheltered the far corner where Dobbs presumably slept; Jonas followed the soft glow of light from the adjacent office, hoping to find his goal. Stepping into the open doorway, he smiled broadly when Lieutenant Rush looked up with what he hoped was a pleased smile on her face. Setting the tray on the corner of the desk, he said quietly, “Happy New Year.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam put the lid on the Scrabble box and put it on the bottom shelf of the nearest end table. Above the crackle and hiss of flames in the fireplace she could still hear the wind and sounds of the storm. By her calculations, it had been snowing for almost twelve hours now. She was curious about how much snow there was on the ground, but not curious enough to get up and leave the warmth of the fire.
Taking the opportunity opened by Jack’s foray to the kitchen, she straightened out the various cushions, pillows and blankets surrounding her on the floor in front of the fire. The room was snug and cozy, lit by the fire, candles and oil lamps perched on all the various horizontal surfaces. As the evening—and the Scrabble games—progressed, they’d eventually been surrounded by an eclectic assortment of pillows, cushions, afghans and blankets.
Shifting slightly, Sam tucked a nicely plush throw around her legs and gazed at the fire; she sighed softly, feeling remarkable content. It felt natural to be here with him maybe it was the familiarity engendered by the faux ‘camping’ in his living room, reminiscent of evenings spent off world, sitting around a campfire.
Or maybe it just was that the time was finally right.
After everything that had happened since Daniel’s death, she was pretty much past caring about the right or wrong of loving her commanding officer. His importance in her life had transcended that role years earlier and she wanted more. She knew she tended to over think things, but Daniel’s death and Jack’s own brush with death earlier that year had merely reinforced her resolve that it was time for things to be different. She wasn’t one who made New Year’s resolutions, but she was going to make an exception this year.
Lost in her thoughts, Sam didn’t realize Jack had returned until she heard him clear his throat. Twisting around, she saw him standing at the entry to the room. Her breath caught as she was once again reminded of how handsome he was. The candlelight flickered softly, his silver hair gleaming in the light, his eyes were dark and intense, the look on his face so intimate, she felt herself shiver.
“Happy New Year.” He stepped further into the room and she smiled, sitting up straighter.
“Champagne?” she asked, when he set the tray he carried down on the coffee table. “With chocolates and strawberries?”
He looked almost embarrassed and she felt her heart melt even more. He shrugged, trying to look casual. “It is New Year’s Eve,” he said, kneeling down next to her.
“It’s perfect,” she reassured him. And it was. Nothing could be more perfect than this night, blizzard and all. Sitting back, she watched while he uncorked the bottle with a satisfying pop and poured the bubbling wine into two crystal glasses.
“Is it midnight?” She took the stem he handed her, their fingers briefly touching.
“Almost.” Jack picked up his glass and held it out; she followed his lead, touching the rim of her glass to his. She waited for him to make a toast, their eyes meeting and holding over the champagne. The look on his face was one she’d never seen before, one of cautious hope instead of the silent longing that tortured her dreams. She tried to smile, to reassure him, but the words caught in her throat and she couldn’t…so she waited.
“Happy New Year,” he finally mumbled. His gaze slipped from hers; the moment passing away right in front of her.
Sam’s stomach lurched and she nodded mutely, taking a sip of her champagne. He barely took a drink of his and she started to panic. He was so close she could smell him, feel the warmth emanating from him, yet there might as well have been a force shield between them. Stalling for time, she picked up one of the strawberries and dunked it in her champagne before taking a bite of the juicy red fruit. It was delicious and she couldn’t help but moan softly. That caught his attention and he looked at her again. She chewed slowly and then deliberately licked her fingers, not missing the way his eyes suddenly narrowed. He wanted her…she wanted him. The barriers standing between them weren’t insurmountable and she had just made her one and only resolution for the New Year.
Feeling more confident, she studied the strawberries again as if choosing the most perfect one to eat next was the most important thing in her life. Selecting another plump berry, she looked at him. “If it makes any difference, I’ll say yes.”
The sudden flash of desire in his eyes produced a corresponding flush deep inside Sam and acting on that desire, she held out the strawberry to him. She didn’t hand it to him, but held it delicately between her fingers up to his lips. For one brief moment she thought he was going to turn away, but then he seemed to relax, his lips twitching in a half smile.
“You don’t know the question.”
“Oh, I have a pretty good idea,” she murmured, waiting patiently until he opened his mouth and he took a bite. She watched him chew for a moment, and then with a wicked grin, she finished off the strawberry herself, tossing the greenery of the stem onto the tray.
Jack’s eyes gleamed and he reached for the delicacies on the coffee table, picking up the champagne stems and handing hers back to her. Sam looked at him with puzzled eyes, once more taking the glass. “Shall we try this again?” he said.
She nodded and waited, the fire crackled and popped; the wind howled around the house, but she barely heard, her attention totally focused on Jack.
“To new beginnings.”
“To unlocking the door,” she murmured. His eyes darkened and when his head dipped slightly, she knew he understood the reference. Taking a sip of the champagne, she set her glass back down and with deliberate care, took his glass out of his unresisting fingers. They were so close now, she scarcely had to move to touch him and she let hands rest lightly against his chest before gliding them slowly up to his shoulders and then to his face.
To actually touch him, to feel the warmth of his skin beneath her hands, the slight stubble on his cheeks rough against her fingers, was a heady sensation, more potent than the champagne they’d shared. His eyes were steady and filled with a tenderness that she suspected would be her undoing. She kept her eyes open as long as she could, until his face was the only thing she could see and when their lips met, she let her eyes drift shut.
Sam had only the vaguest memories of kissing him before; he’d tasted of soap and surprise that had barely registered in the midst of her virus-induced need. She’d watched him kiss another her and could only imagine what it felt like, filled as she was with an uneasy jealousy and longing for the link—however tenuous—Doctor Carter had with him. But really, nothing in her vague memories or her most secret fantasies was even close to the reality.
This time he tasted of strawberries and champagne, and she was sure she had kissed him just as eagerly when she was infected with that virus, but her whole memory of that time was fuzzy. It was definitely better this time, because she was in complete control of her faculties and it still amazed her that just his mere presence was enough to overwhelm her. His arms slid around her and she sighed softly, sinking into his embrace. And then she felt herself sinking more, her arms closing around his shoulders as he slowly lowered them both to the floor.
Thank goodness for all the pillows and blankets she thought hazily, her fingers drifting lazily through his hair as his lips trailed kisses down her throat. She arched her neck, granting him easier access, a frisson of pleasure racing through her when his teeth nipped lightly at the sensitive skin. The caution she’d sensed from Jack all evening and her own insecurities over the quantum possibilities of spending New Year’s Eve with him vaporized the moment she stopped thinking and started feeling.
And it felt so good.
The temperature may have been below zero outside but it was nice and toasty in Jack’s arms; though it was doubtful she would have felt the cold anyway when all she could feel was the perfect rightness of being in his arms. She shivered, but not from the cool air, her body responding automatically to his persuasive touch, her hands gliding across smooth flesh and warm muscles. Snug and cozy in their nest of blankets in front of the fireplace, their clothing disappeared in a flurry of eager hands; the flames flickered and the firelight danced joyfully across the two bodies soon to be entwined as one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack was used to waking up in unusual surroundings; after all he’d spent the majority of his adult life in the Air force and the last six years in the Stargate program, where unusual surrounds were the norm. It was not his usual good fortune however to wake on his living room floor with a beautiful—and naked—blonde snuggled in his arms. This particular scenario was one usually found exclusively in his dreams. Not wanting to disturb the still sleeping woman, Jack peered cautiously out from under the blankets covering him and Sam.
The air surrounding their make-shift bed was cool and crisp; feeble sunlight filtered bravely through the partially closed blinds, the candles had guttered into nothingness, the oil lamp had also burned out and the fire was nothing but a pile of glowing coals. Jack reluctantly eased out of Sam’s arms, keeping her covered with the blankets and careful to disturb her as little as possible. He grinned happily even when his body protested a night spent on the floor; the assault of the cold air quickly had him tugging on his discarded clothing from the night before.
Once dressed, his first course of action was to add more wood to the fire, the dry wood igniting easily from the hot coals. Confident the fire would soon fill the room with heat, Jack pulled the screen back into place and stood for a moment, absorbing the growing warmth. The only part of Sam visible was the top of her head, blonde curls spilling out from under the blankets. Jack smiled again, sure if he saw his face in a mirror he’d be appalled at what was sure to be the sappy look on his face. He felt good, in fact he felt great, better than he’d felt in a very long time. And it was all because of Sam.
Reaching down, he gently stroked her hair, before carefully stepping over her and making his way to the kitchen. No matter how good he felt after a night where all his dreams had come true, he still needed coffee. Of course, coffee meant turning on the generator, but unless he could persuade Sam to spend the entire day curled up under blankets in front of the fire, he’d need to turn it on anyway. Not expecting any change, on the way to the garage Jack performed a cursory check of the electricity by flipping the light switch in the dining room with no results.
It felt like it was barely above freezing in the attached garage, Jack’s breath visible with a wispy puff each time he exhaled and he realized belatedly he really should have put some socks on before venturing into the garage. But since his feet were already freezing, he didn’t see any reason to put off his mission while he searched for socks. Primed and ready to go, the generator turned over on the first try and Jack quickly headed back into the relative warmth of the house.
In the kitchen, the gentle hum of the refrigerator greeted him and it was only a moment before he heard the low rumbled that signaled the furnace had kicked on. Not wasting anymore time, Jack filled the coffee maker with water and coffee and flipped the switch, the gurgle of the water running through the machine joining the other ambient morning sounds. His feet were warming up, so instead of finding his socks, Jack opened the kitchen curtains. The sun shone bravely through the scattering of hazy clouds still in the sky, turning his backyard into a glittering wonderland.
The trees were covered with snow, the boughs of the pine trees burdened down with layers of white. Snow was drifted as high as the railing around the deck and as far as he could see, everything was covered with a blanket of white. It was beautiful and he figured at this particular moment he was the luckiest bastard in the universe, snowed in as he was with the woman of his dreams. Speaking of which…he heard the sound of shuffling feet and then said woman’s arms closed around him, her cold hands worming their way under his sweatshirt.
“Good morning,” she murmured huskily, her head resting against his shoulder.
Jack was glad he couldn’t see his reflection in the window, because no doubt his face still held that sappy-looking grin that seemed permanently plastered on his face. “Good morning to you too,” he replied, folding his arms over hers and enjoying the warm weight of her pressed against him. “Coffee will be ready in a minute.”
“Mmm…nice.”
“Sleep okay?”
Her arms tightened fractionally around him and she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “Best I’ve slept in months.”
“Good.” He tried, but failed, to keep the smug tone out of his voice. She didn’t seem to mind though, if her answering chuckle was any indication.
“I see you turned the generator on.”
He shrugged slightly. “Just because we’re snowed in doesn’t mean we have to be uncomfortable.”
“Ah, so that explains why we slept on the floor last night.”
Jack felt his smile fade and he turned in her arms; leaning back against the counter, he wrapped his arms around her. Even with her hair all tousled and wearing the same clothes she’d had on yesterday, she still looked gorgeous. Unfortunately, he knew some things often looked different in the cold light of day than they did in the warm glow of candlelight. “Do you have any regrets?”
Her eyes were steady and such a clear blue, Jack felt like he could drown in them. And her voice was equally steady and clear when she finally answered his question. “No. None at all.”
He didn’t think he had been worried, but the relief that filled him with her answer was almost dizzying. But all he murmured was “Good,” as he lowered his head to kiss her. Her mouth opened immediately to his and he deepened the kiss, coffee and blizzards all forgotten in the incredible wonder of their newfound closeness.
“What the hell?” Jack’s head jerked up at the harsh roar of an engine, or two or three, shattering the quiet intimacy of their snow-bound haven. Sam didn’t move, looking all soft and rumpled and exceedingly smug in his arms and Jack groaned, deciding to ignore whatever was going on in his backyard for the sweet lure of her kisses. And then someone pounded on the patio door.
“This had better be good,” Jack growled. Sam laughed softly, keeping her arms around him while he shuffled from the kitchen into the dining room. Drawing the curtains with more force than was really necessary, Jack wasn’t sure who he expected to see standing in hip-deep snow on his deck, so all he could was stare open-mouthed through the glass doors at Teal’c and Jonas.
“What the hell?” he murmured again.
Sam chuckled again, clearly amused. “You did invite them over today, didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah,” he muttered, slipping out of her arms. “But…it’s a blizzard!” Opening the patio door, he jumped back as frigid air and snow immediately spilled into the room, along with Jonas and Teal’c.
“Happy New Year!”
“O’Neill, Major Carter.”
“Sam! Colonel! Happy New Year”
Jack decided Sam, along with their unexpected visitors, all sounded way too enthusiastic with their New Year’s greetings. Struggling to shut the patio door again and cursing softly under his breath with every footstep that brought his still bare feet into contact with snow, Jack finally managed to get the door shut and stop the infiltration of frigid air and snow.
Jonas was talking eagerly, his words flying so fast Jack could barely understand him. Sam laughed and smiled, nodding as her arms filled with scarves, hats, gloves and snowsuits as the two men divested themselves of their winter gear. “How the hell did you get here?” Jack interjected when Jonas paused to catch his breath.
“Snowmobile.”
Jack chose to ignore the almost condescending tone in the Jaffa’s voice. Of course, how else, he decided irritably, automatically taking the armful of now damp winter gear that Sam handed him. And sure enough, parked out on his snow-covered lawn was a snowmobile. A loud roar filled the air again and they all looked out the window, Jonas and Teal’c waving at the figure perched on a second snowmobile just at the tree line on Jack’s property.
“Who’s that?” Sam asked.
“Siler,” Jack growled, it only taking him a moment to recognize the lanky sergeant, before he sat back down on the snowmobile and with a throaty growl from the engine, roared down the hill and out of sight.
“Indeed.”
“Isn’t it great?” Jonas added, either ignoring or oblivious to the glower on Jack’s face and the amusement on Sam’s. “The snowmobiles are equipped with GPS technology. Did you know it’s less than five miles here from the base as….” Jonas paused, apparently at a loss for words, something Jack couldn’t quite believe.
“As the crow flies, Jonas Quinn.”
“That’s the phrase! And quite an accurate one.” Jonas grinned. “We came over the mountains and through the woods.”
“Right, right,” Jack interrupted. “I get it.”
“Was there a river?” Sam asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Jack snorted. “Don’t encourage them!”
“Did I not tell you that O’Neill would have electricity?” Teal’c disappeared into the living room, Jonas right on his heels. Like Jonas, Teal’c appeared to be oblivious or more than likely, was deliberately ignoring him.
“I’m going to get some coffee,” Jack declared, when he heard the sound of the TV from the other room. Dumping the armful of outerwear he still held on the dining room table, he stalked to the kitchen. Moments later, he had just reached up into the cabinet for a coffee mug, when he felt Sam’s arms close a round him.
“You don’t really mind, do you?”
“No,” he said, setting the mug down on the counter. Shifting in her arms, he turned around and found her smiling tenderly at him. “I don’t.” And he meant it. Looping his arms around her, Jack pulled Sam close and nuzzled her ear. Looking over her shoulder, he could just see into the living room. Jonas, and part of Teal’c, were visible and though he couldn’t see the TV screen, he could hear enough to deduce they had found one of the New Year’s Day parades.
Satisfied that they wouldn’t be interrupted—at least in the next sixty seconds or so, Jack leaned back slightly and lightly caressed Sam’s cheek. “My new year has already gotten off to a great start, I can afford to be generous.”
“Can you now?”
“Sure.” And then he grinned. “Besides, we have a snowmobile now. If worse comes to worse we can always leave them here and go to your place.”
Her laughter sparkled. “That’s what I love about you, always with a plan B.”
Jack’s breath caught and he stared at her. He’d heard what she said, but did it really mean what he hoped? Raising an eyebrow, he asked as casually as he could, “Love?”
This time, she caressed his check, her fingertips feather light against his skin. “Always.”
His eyes darkened and heedless of their company or the sounds of a marching band now blaring out of his living room, Jack lowered his head and before capturing her lips in a possessive kiss murmured, “Then it’s going to be a very good year.”
THE END