The Twelve Days of Christmas (3/12) – Jenny L- rating G

For disclaimers etc see part 0:

12 Days of Christmas pt 3; Stay

Day 3 – Wednesday 15th December

***
Baby if you've got to go away
I don't think I can take the pain
Won't you stay another day
Oh, don't leave me alone like this
Don't say it's the final kiss
Won't you stay another day
***

`Jen I've left the report on your desk.'

`Thanks' Hailey barely looked up from the computer program she was
engrossed in to acknowledge the tech who had placed the papers on
her desk. She was so involved that she didn't see next two people
who entered the room either.

`Hailey'

`Sir!' Hailey shot to her feet at the General's amused voice, `I'm
sorry I didn't see you arrive.'

`Relax Hailey' Jack had to fight a smile, Jennifer Hailey reminded
him so much of an early Carter. `I just bought you a visitor.'

It was then that Hailey noticed the other person in the room and her
stomach did a flip flop. She had successfully managed to avoid Paul
Davis for the days he had already been on base (she'd only had to
sneak into the store cupboard twice) and she was planning to
continue hiding until he left on Christmas Eve.

`Major Davis needs to be updated on all the science projects that
are ongoing in the SGC. With Colonel Carter busy planning for her
wedding I thought that you could show him around.' Jack worked very
hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

`Of course sir' Hailey tried not to blush as O'Neill left her alone
with Paul.

`Major, if you'd like to follow me this is where……' Hailey continued
but Davis started to tune her out, enjoying watching her. Over the
past few days he had come to the conclusion that maybe she did
remember what had happened last Christmas, the real giveaway had
been when he caught her diving into a stationery cupboard – he knew
getting a new pen was exciting but the speed with which she moved
was overkill.

`Jennifer, you can look at me.'

`What? I mean pardon, I mean, I'm sorry sir.' Hailey was nervous.

`We shared one kiss, that no one knows about and I'm retiring
anyway. You are allowed to look me in the eye.'

`Shh!' Hailey commanded before forgetting all protocol and shoving
Davis through the nearest private door, which turned out to be yet
another stationery cupboard. `You can't say that sir, what if
someone hears? You could be caught marshalled.'

`And yet I won't be court marshalled for being caught in a closet
with a junior officer?' Davis looked down at the woman who was
pushed against him.

`It doesn't matter. We have to agree on a plan, no one can ever know
what happened, we can't talk about it ever, or even think about it
and it must never, ever happen again.' Hailey specified, her words
getting faster and faster as she got more and more nervous.

`Okay.' Paul shrugged in the darkness.

`Okay. That's it! Just okay.' Jennifer protested.

`Except for this.' Davis leant down and pressed a gentle kiss to her
lips before sneaking out of the cupboard leaving a thoroughly
breathless junior officer behind him.

***
Don't you know we've come too far now
Just to go and try to throw it all away
Thought I heard you say you love me
That your love was gonna be here to stay
I've only just begun to know you
All I can say, is won't you stay,
Just one more day
***

`Jay it's your turn, what has Pete got today?' Chloe asked the
question just as Jay walked into the green lab wall. Yesterday he
had been very excited about his latest invention, this time it was
designed specifically for General O'Neill. They were goggles that
filtered out the trees so you couldn't see them, bound to improve
Jack's mood on off world missions. The problem, as Jay was just
discovering, was that if you filtered the trees out of your vision
then you tended to walk to in to them.

`What do you want Chloe?' Jay pushed the glasses up onto his head
and held a tissue to his bleeding nose.

`It's your turn to pick the day's Pete has.'

Jay glanced wildly around the room looking for inspiration, he had
forgotten about the game but it was his turn and it was one of the
ways he was using to persuade his therapist that he was
participating in base activities and getting a more normal social
life.

`Umm… Pete has….. diarrheoa and vomiting. That would make him really
attractive to Samantha. He would get half way down the aisle and
then run screaming in the other direction. I…' Jay paused. `Jack
would nobly offer to stand in and him and Sam would live happily
ever after.'

***
Baby if you've got to go away
I don't think I can take the pain
Won't you stay another day
Oh don't leave me alone like this
Won't you say it's the final kiss
Won't you stay another day

I touch your hand while you are sleeping
And hold your hand,
don't understand what's going on.
Good times return to haunt me,
Though it's for you,
All that I do seems to be wrong.
***

`Hi honey – I'm home' Sam called out as she stepped through the
front door, wincing at how bad the line sounded to her. Still she
had promised to make the best of things with Pete and that was what
she was going to do.

`You're in a good mood tonight.' Pete commented as he gave her a
brief kiss.

`It's just nice to see Dad.' A smile appeared on Sam's face, a smile
that didn't quite reach her eyes. Dad had come to dinner with Pete
yesterday and Sam knew that although her father couldn't find
anything in particular to disapprove of he still didn't like Pete.
She hadn't realized until yesterday that even Jacob wanted her to
marry Jack, it seemed like the whole world was conspiring against
her and her new found `happiness'.

`I've got a suggestion Sam.' Sam looked up at her fiancee who was
starting to sound nervous. `How would you feel about moving the
wedding forward?'

`To when? And why?' Sam was genuinely interested about why this had
been bought up now.

`I was thinking Christmas Eve. I know it's soon but then we could
guarantee that your father would be there, we could even use the SGC
Christmas party as our reception so all your friends could be
there.' Pete looked at Sam hopefully, the closer the wedding the
came the more he was nervous about waiting. Once she was married to
him she would be his and hopefully O'Neill would be relegated to the
past forever.

The thought that ran through Sam's mind was `could she really do
it?' When there had been no wedding date it was easy to deny the
existence of the marriage, setting the wedding for nine days time
was a huge commitment and was going to make the whole thing real.
And yet that was what she wanted, wasn't it? She had been fooling
herself with her feelings for Jack for the past nine years; the call
to Sara had proved that. It was time to move on, time to let go of
the things standing in the way of her happiness and getting married
to a man who actually loved her would achieve that.

`Yes. I'll marry you on Christmas Eve.' Sam said totally convinced
of her decision. Well almost convinced, anyway.

***
Baby if you've got to go away,
I don't think I can take the pain,
Won't you stay another day
Oh, don't leave me alone like this
Don't say it's the final kiss
Won't you stay another day
***

General Hammond sat at the table in the bar and looked across at his
old friend, Jacob, thinking back over everything they had been
through together from Vietnam to the stargate. Some things changed
and some things, like friendship, never changed.

`You know I always expected that Jack O'Neill would end up my son in
law.' Jacob raised his beer as Selmak revolted at the taste; this
would be his only drink of the evening so he was going to make the
most of it.

George was about to give a standard rejection of the statement but
changed his mind, Jacob deserved the truth and he certainly wasn't
going to report anyone involved.

`You know the first time I saw the two of them together I
contemplated having her transferred to Kawalsky's team but dismissed
anything I thought I saw as my own imagination. Over time it just
got too hard to split them up, they work so well together. I suppose
it was selfish on my part, after everything they've given they
deserved a chance at happiness.' George took another sip of his beer
and contemplated the relationship he had seen grow and develop to
the point where even he had contributed to the betting pool on their
wedding date.

`Don't beat yourself up George, they wouldn't have thanked you for
splitting them up. You know when I first worked out that they were
in love? It was Anise and that stupid machine. I knew because Sam
came to me and apologized for letting me down. I was so angry that
she might be ruining in her career that I told her to forget any
unprofessional feelings and focus on the job. What sort of life did
that encourage?' Jacob was starting to get melancholy and was
ignoring Selmak who was trying to point out all the good things that
had happened between then and now. `I've got my reward, she's
marrying a man I don't think will ever be good enough for her.'

`There is nothing too bad about Shanahan, I had him checked out for
you. But O'Neill is trying to retire again and I think this time
they will let him, the president in good conscience can't refuse. I
had to sign the paperwork yesterday so it will be official any day
now. It's a shame we are going to loose him over this.' George
finished off his beer and Jacob pushed his half full one towards
him, Selmak was threatening hosticide if he consumed anymore.

`What are Jack's plans?'

`He said he was going to fish. Fish and eat cake.'


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