The Twelve Days of Christmas (2/12) – Jenny L- rating G

For disclaimers etc see part 0:

A/N: I'm sure you guys all know this anyway but just incase it is a
weird British thing, Charades – a game traditionally played on
Christmas day here. Involves acting out the name of something and
getting your team mates to guess from your mime. Thanks for all the
feedback.


12 Days of Christmas pt 2; Last Christmas

Day 2 – Tuesday 14th December 2004

***
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, You gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
***

`Pete has…. A boil on his nose.' There was a communal groan around
the room at today's injury. Sergeant Jones who had come up with the
scenario may have been vain enough that a boil would stop him
attending his own wedding but somehow no one thought it would work
with Pete.

`Seriously guys think about it. He would try and burst the boil and
then it would get all red and swollen and the Colonel would take one
look at it and run, right into the arms of the General.'

`Okay, okay, we'll give you that one.' Listening to Jones crow about
his topic of choice was marginally better than listening to him
whinge all day about how he couldn't think of anything and how they
were all so unfair to him. Besides it would be quite fun drawing a
big red spot on the nose of the life size dummy that had been
brought in to represent Pete, even if the dummy was starting to
resemble a character in a bad Halloween movie.

***
Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance but you still catch my eye
***

Jennifer Hailey strolled down the corridor of level 20 humming a
Christmas carol. All in all her year wasn't going badly, she had
gotten over that tiny, insignificant blip at last years Christmas
party when she had kissed a senior officer and then propositioned
him. She felt it was unfair that he had claimed she was drunk, okay
so she had been pleasantly merry, it didn't mean that she didn't
know what she was doing. She certainly knew that the kiss was hot,
even if she hadn't remembered that he was a senior officer. It had
been the ultimate embarrassment when he had blushed and guided her
gently to a taxi. Alone.

Still this year *was* going to better. She wasn't going to drink
anything, or kiss anyone. She was going to be strong and single.
Somebody had to be next years SGC female of the year after her
mentor got married.

***
Tell me baby do you recognise me?
Well it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me
***

After a day spent in meetings updating General O'Neill on everything
that was happening in Washington Paul Davis was ready for a break.
The General had not been in the best of moods, that much was
obvious. Although Jack had tried his best to give the topic all his
attention politics wasn't his thing and most of what Davis had to
say would be useless.

As he rode the elevator to the surface Davis could stop a small
smile that crept across his face. He had seriously good memories of
this elevator. It was probably the first and only time that he had
ever been propositioned by a beautiful woman. It was definitely the
first time he had ever had a kiss like that. It was just a shame
that Hailey had been a junior officer and too drunk to ever remember
it happening. Still at least he got to keep the memories which
floated back to him when he was least expecting it.

***
(Happy Christmas!) I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying "I Love You" I meant it
***

`O'Neill something appears to be troubling you.' Teal'c made the
statement with characteristic lack of expression.

`It's nothing T. Things, people, are changing. You and me are
getting old and I don't seem to be going anywhere while everyone
else is.'

Teal'c inclined his head to listen to what his friend was saying,
surprised by how descriptive Jack was being.

`Do you consider me to be too old?'

`No, I didn't mean that. I just meant….' Jack trailed off for a
moment. `You could be a grandpa soon, especially if Ryac and Karyn
keep going the way they have been. I caught them in the briefing
room making out like they hadn't seen each other in a year.'

`I will speak to my son.' Teal'c grimaced, he thought his son had
been taught better, even if was secretly pleased to see how happy
Ryac had become.

`Nah, don't worry about it. I remember what it is like to be a newly
wed. And we're gonna have Carter there soon as well.' Teal'c could
hear the barely concealed bitterness in Jack's voice and wondered if
the drinks that the old SG1 were having together tonight were such a
wise course. The Tauri would never learn about alcohol. Teal'c just
hoped that there wouldn't be too many pieces to pick up tomorrow
morning.

***
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now I know you'd fool me again
A crowded room, friends with tired eyes
I'm hiding from you and your soul of ice
My God I thought you were someone to rely on
Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
***

Checking that his gun was in the right place was a natural nervous
reaction for a cop with as many years experience as Pete had. The
fact that the thing that was making Pete nervous had nothing to do
with police work made no difference.

Sam, his Sam, was going out with her team mates, her former team
leader included. These days Pete lived in eternal fear that Jack
O'Neill would get his head out of his rear end long enough to tell
Sam that he loved her. If it ever happened Pete knew who would be
left with the broken heart, he just loved her too much to call her
on it and so lived on a wing and a prayer hoping that it never
happened.

He was ever grateful for the fact that a woman as smart as Sam was
couldn't see what was right in front of her, that the man she was
marrying wasn't the really the man she felt the most for. Pete had
given in to being second, he knew she liked him maybe even loved
him, just not as much O'Neill. It was good enough, she was willing
to try and it had to be good enough.

***
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
(Gave you my heart)
A man undercover but you tore me apart
Next year
I'll give it to someone, I'll give it to someone special
***

Daniel Jackson was never going to be allowed to suggest a game ever
again. Jack did not understand why he had agreed to play Charades,
especially as he was paired with Teal'c. Possibly the six bottles of
beer and few glass of whisky he had consumed could be included in
the reason, but god dammit he was entitled to get a little drunk.
The love of his life – yes he had finally admitted it to himself –
was getting married and it wasn't to him.

He groaned as Sam correctly guessed `Alien' from Daniel's repeated
pointing at Teal'c. They always got the easy ones. Jack looked down
at his card and stood up.

`Game's over. Carter and Danny boy win.' There was no way that an
air force General was going to make monkey impressions – even if he
had been given King Kong in charades.

`I'm getting more beer from the garage, anybody want one?' There was
a round of negatives and Jack walked off alone noting that things
were just starting to get more than a little fuzzy, not a good sign
when you had as a high an alcohol tolerance as he did. As Jack
entered the garage he kicked his foot against an old box, the box
that had only recently come down from the attic, the box that had
contained all the stuff that reminded him of Sara.

In his drunken state the word `Sara' echoed around Jack's head. Sara
would know what to do. Sara always had better ideas than him. This
not being the first time that Jack had phoned Sara while drunk he
had the number stored in his head, it wasn't a long time before he
reached the kitchen phone and got an answer.

`Sara O'Neill' Sara still hadn't changed her name – it was pretty
much the last living link she had with her son.

`It's Jack.'

`Jack' she sounded surprised and a little groggy. `It's two in the
morning. Why are you calling me?'

Jack felt a little guilty not having noticed how much time had
passed, but not so guilty that he wouldn't finish the call.

`Sam'

`You are drunk, aren't you?' Sara didn't need to see him or smell
his breath, she just knew, she always knew.

`Maybe. Can I still talk to you?' Jack knew there was no point in
denying it.

`Go on then. What has happened with Sam now?'

`I'm not going to the wedding, Sara.'

`Why not?' Sara asked, well aware of who Sam was and why her wedding
was important.

A loud crash in the living room momentarily distracted Jack but
Daniel shouted that everything was okay and Jack forgot about it.

`She doesn't want to invite me. I found a note on her desk saying
invite Jack with big question marks.'

`The first thing I would say is, are you the only Jack she knows?
But if it is you Jack then I think you have to accept it. Maybe it
is hard for her to have you at her wedding, if you care so much for
her then do you really want to make her wedding day even more
difficult? I think you are going to have to let go if you want to
keep any of the bond you share.' Sara O'Neill sighed; giving love
advice to her drunk ex-husband at 2am was not something she had ever
planned on doing. A small part of Sara was jealous that Jack was
clearly in love with another woman, but the bigger part was just
glad that he was able to move on, even if it was to a woman that
didn't share his feelings.

`But I don't want to let go of us'

`Go to bed Jack. You'll feel differently in the morning.'

`Love you Sara.' Jack mumbled and hung the phone up.

***
I thought you were someone special
gave you my heart
I'll give it to someone, I'll give it to someone
last christmas I gave you my heart
you gave it away
I'll give it to someone,I'll give it to someone?
***

`Sam I think you had better check on Jack. He's been gone for a wh…
whi… a long time.' Sam rolled her eyes, glad that she was the only
one going to drive home tonight. `He's pretty intoxci…whated' Daniel
burst into giggles at his drunk speak and Sam knew it was time to go
home.

`Okay Daniel I'll go check.' A warm glow flowed through Sam, tonight
had been the closest they had come to being the old SG1 in a long
time, only her upcoming wedding and Jack's mood making things
different. She started to make her way out to the garage when she
saw Jack standing in the kitchen with the cordless phone pressed to
his ear.

Reaching the kitchen doorway the first words she heard were;

`I'm not going to the wedding Sara.' Her heart unaccountably sunk as
she found out that Jack was still in contact with his ex-wife.

A loud crash caused when Daniel managed to fall over the sofa trying
to stand up distracted Sam from hearing Jack's next words but she
heard the following line oh so clearly.

`But I don't want to give up on us.'

And the even more damming;

`Love you Sara.'

Not even the sight of Daniel with the triple cheese pizza he had
landed on stuck to his forehead could raise a smile in Sam at that
instant. She just mumbled a quick `goodbye' and hurried out telling
the boys to get some sleep.

Sam knew she was about to get married, she should be glad that Jack
had somebody to love. But did this mean that all of the last nine
years had been a façade? Had all her feelings been one sided? There
was only one thing she could do, throw herself with everything she
could give into her relationship with Pete. He loved her; they would
have a future together.


I'd love feedback if you feel so inclined…......... Jenny L
bray_4_amber@...