Merry Christmas (Couldn’t Miss This One This Year)

 

Author: Jess

 

Rating: I’ll stick with PG-13 for now.

 

Archive: Anywhere, just let me know where it’s going and keep my name on it.

 

Subjects: S/D friendship, smarm, holiday

 

Summary: A snowstorm prevents SG-1 from spending Christmas Eve all together, and Sam and Daniel decide to make the most of it.

 

Spoilers: Anything up to Holiday is fair game.

 

Season: Late S2, sometime before One False Step

 

Disclaimer: I am making no money off of this.  None of the characters belong to me; they belong to MGM/Showtime/SciFi, Double Secret Productions and Gekko Film Corp.  This story is copyrighted December, 2004 and may not be used or altered without the express permission of the author. 

 

A/N: The title of this story comes from the early 1980s pop song “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses.  The lyrics belong to songwriter Chris Butler.  This little piece of holiday fluff just came to me as I was putting up Christmas tree decorations and listening to the radio.  Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension is the title of a real book, written by Michio Kaku.  I thought something along these lines would be right up Sam’s alley.  Last but not least, the poem “If I Could” was written by Sandra Lewis Pringle.  A big thanks to Beth for the Beta!  Happy Holidays to everyone and a happy, healthy New Year!

 

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"Bah, humbug!" No, that's too strong 
 
'Cause it is my favorite holiday 
 
But all this year's been a busy blur 
 
Don't think I have the energy 

 

Sam smiled and sung along to the radio as she wrapped presents.  One of the local stations was playing nonstop Christmas music quite appropriately, since it was Christmas Eve.  It was a very familiar song, once she’d heard since she was in her late teens, and it seemed it had played on the radio in some capacity just about every year. 

 

She took a break from singing and giggled, as the lyrics actually seemed to hit a bit close to home.  This year had been a busy blur.  When it started, Daniel had been transported to an alternate reality where Earth was under attack by the Goa’uld, and he had come back with important information to prevent an attack in this reality.  That was followed by Senator Kinsey threatening to shut the program down, which resulted in SG-1 defying orders to thwart an attack by Apophis. 

 

Not much later, Sam got into an interesting predicament herself when a Tok’ra symbiote named Jolinar took over her body.  The whole experience was so different and unique to Sam, and the fact that Jolinar died to save her … well, the altruistic action really gave her a whole new perspective.  She continued to experience Jolinar’s memories, and she realized she would never be the same. 

 

Some time later, those memories were put to good use when an alliance with the Tok’ra was formed, and it was special to her personally because they were able to save her father, Jacob, from death by cancer.  She hadn’t had a particularly good relationship with him, but when she learned he was dying, everything changed.  She was so grateful that they were able to help him, blending him with the Tok’ra Selmak.  She smiled as she thought back to a week ago, when Jacob paid them a little visit to wish them all a Merry Christmas.  It was one of the best surprises she’d ever had.  Even though she wasn’t going to be able to spend Christmas with him, it was just wonderful spending some quality time together.  She hadn’t seen him since he had first been blended with Selmak.

 

In between, many other incidents took place.  She and the rest of SG-1 had been imprisoned on the planet Hadante and managed to release a “destroyer of worlds” out into the galaxy.  They had then been trapped in a virtual reality where they were forced to relive painful events in their lives by a maddening individual who went by the name The Keeper.  In her case, she was made to witness the death of Daniel’s parents at the New York Museum of Art.  She couldn’t bear to see Daniel relive the pain and agony he had experienced when he was just a little boy, and if she had her way she would have undoubtedly kicked the Keeper’s ass.

 

Then there was the time that Daniel became addicted to a sarcophagus.  Sam shuddered slightly as she recounted the events that led up to his predicament.  He had been beguiled by a conniving princess who had a crush on him, and used the rest of SG-1 to keep Daniel addicted so he would stay with her.  She shook her head when she remembered that awful time in the naquada mines as they waited for Daniel to negotiate their release.  She remembered how…almost jealous she felt when she saw him kissing Shyla as they were about to dial home.  She remembered how frightened she was when she witnessed Daniel’s irrational behavior upon their return to Earth, and when he became even more screwed up due to his withdrawal symptoms.

 

Then there was the rest of the year:  meeting the real Thor on Cimmeria, Jack being nearly impaled by an alien orb, Teal’c’s son being brainwashed by Apophis and then sometime later Teal’c himself being near death from alien insect venom, the missing Touchstone from Madrona and the whole time dilation incident with the black hole, the Colonel having knowledge of the Ancients downloaded into his brain, the death (well, temporary, anyway) of Apophis …

 

Wow, that covered a lot of territory, and she still didn’t get up to the events that occurred just a few weeks ago.  Daniel had switched minds and bodies with an elderly man named Ma’chello, and was near death as they scrambled to locate the alien on the streets of Colorado Springs.  To make matters worse, Jack and Teal’c had also switched during their retrieval of the machine responsible for the whole fiasco.  Sam had nearly made herself crazy trying to figure out the machine and how to calibrate it so that everyone could be switched back.  Luckily, her efforts were not for naught, and Ma’chello provided her with a clue.  They had been through so much that General Hammond decided to give them all three weeks of down time.

 

Sam blinked a few tears as she remembered how they had nearly lost Daniel.  Tearful at his bedside, she had begged him not to die on her.  Almost as if he heard her, he became conscious again and greeted her with facetious words: “It’s nice to know you don’t just like me for my looks.”

 

Sam grinned and began to giggle as she remembered that statement.  It was as if Daniel knew her better than anyone else could, as if they shared a deep bond that couldn’t be matched by anyone else at the SGC.  It was almost as if they were kindred spirits.

 

 

So deck those halls, trim those trees 
 
Raise up cups of Christmas cheer, 
 
I just need to catch my breath, 
 

Christmas by myself this year.

 

 

She definitely felt as though she needed to catch her breath, but she wasn’t going to be spending Christmas by herself, at least not Christmas Eve.  The rest of SG-1 was due to arrive at 7:30 for a little Christmas Eve dinner, dessert and exchanging gifts.  Sam had made a few snacks and had a small turkey in the oven, and she had spent the morning baking some cookies and pies.  Someone was going to be bringing eggnog, but she had bought some ingredients to make punch and a bottle of red wine just in case.

 

She paused in the present-wrapping and looked nervously at her watch.  It was about five minutes after seven.  She glanced at the window and noticed that some flurries had kicked up.  She hadn’t paid much attention to the weather report, but she hoped it wasn’t going to snow too hard.  She wouldn’t mind a white Christmas, but she didn’t want any of her friends to have trouble getting here.

 

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! 
 
But I think I'll miss this one this year. 
 
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! 
 
But I think I'll miss this one this year.

 

 

She went back to wrapping the gifts, and took notice of what she had bought for each of them.  Jack, the lover of astronomy, was getting Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe.  Teal’c was getting a Star Wars t-shirt.  He had seen the movie for the first time not long ago, and it had quickly become his favorite.  Sam grinned, as she was sure he would appreciate it. 

 

Forget it, it's cold, it's getting late, 
 
Trudge on home to celebrate 
 
In a quiet way, unwind 
 
Doing Christmas right this time. 

 

 

She looked thoughtfully down at the gifts she had picked out for Daniel.  One was a handsome looking journal with a tan, leather cover and images of hieroglyphs.  The other was a National Geographic DVD on ancient Egypt and secrets of the pharaohs.  She grinned, as she couldn’t wait to see Daniel’s face when he saw it.  It had aired on television close to a year ago, and he had told her how he couldn’t wait to see it.  As the two of them were suiting up for a mission, he had gone into great detail about it.  Not that Sam was all that interested in it, but she enjoyed watching him get excited whenever he discussed something about which he was so passionate. 

 

Unfortunately he had forgotten to set his VCR, and she remembered how disappointed he was.  Jack’s teasing didn’t help matters, of course. The program was released on DVD about a month ago, and as she was browsing through the video store, she immediately thought of him.  She thought it would make the perfect Christmas gift and she couldn’t wait to see his face when he opened it.

 

She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard the doorbell ring.  She applied one last piece of tape and looked down at her watch.  It was only ten minutes after seven.  Who could be here so early?  She was sure she had told them seven-thirty. 

 

She quickly glanced out the window and caught sight of Daniel’s Ford Explorer.  A smile spread across her face.  She shut the radio off, quickly put the presents underneath her small Christmas tree, and headed for the door. 

 

The open door revealed Daniel wearing a navy blue, zippered fleece pullover over his usual plaid, flannel shirt.  He had a large shopping bag in his right hand and a brown paper bag in his left.  A few snowflakes dotted his glasses and his shaggy, light brown hair, and it made him look endearing.

 

“Hey,” Sam greeted him as she smiled broadly.

 

Daniel smiled back shyly and set the shopping bag down as he took a moment to push his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose.

 

“Ah…am I early?” he asked.

 

“Only about twenty minutes,” she grinned.

 

Daniel shrugged.

 

“I wanted to get over here before the snow got any worse,” he said grimly.

 

Sam nodded as she took the shopping bag from him and stepped aside so he could enter.

 

“Mmm, something smells good,” he noted as he looked around and took a deep breath.

 

“Yeah, I’ve got a turkey cooking in there, as well as some hors d’oeuvres … starters …whatever you want to call them,” she said as a faint blush crept over her cheeks.

 

“Sounds good,” he smiled.

 

Sam’s eyes met his and she nodded, returning his smile.  He stared at her for a moment before noticing the brown paper bag he was still carrying.

 

“Oh, ah…here’s some eggnog,” he said as he pulled a beige thermos from the bag and handed it to her.  “I made it myself.”

 

Sam smiled.  “Really? How thoughtful of you, Daniel.”

 

“Oh, no, it was nothing,” he shrugged.  “I figured you were cooking dinner and everything, and it was the least I could do.  I mean, how would it look if I just showed up with nothing?”  He chuckled nervously.

 

Sam giggled slightly and headed toward the kitchen, placing the thermos on top of the counter for the time being.  She opened the oven door and peered inside to check on the turkey.

 

“Well, I figure we should be set to eat in about a half hour,” she said as she exited the kitchen and made her way toward the living room where Daniel made himself at home on the couch.  “Hopefully Colonel O’Neill and Teal’c will be here by then.”

 

Daniel nodded and turned toward the window. 

 

“They’d better be.  The snow is starting to come down heavier,” he noted.

 

Sam looked out the window and frowned.  The snow was coming down at a steadier pace, and was really beginning to stick to the road. 

 

She turned back to Daniel.

 

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

 

“Ah…no, that’s okay,” he replied.  “I’ll wait to have the eggnog.”

 

He gave her a quick, little smile, which caused her to giggle.

 

“I guess we can start on the light noshes while we’re waiting for them,” she said as she headed toward the kitchen. 

 

“Oh, yeah, let’s see what you have,” Daniel said eagerly.

 

She returned with a few trays of food, which she placed on the coffee table in front of him. 

 

“Uh…these are cheese puffs,” she began, pointing to some pastries on one of the trays.  “These are sun dried tomato and feta pinwheels, and this is garlic toast topped with bruschetta and mozzarella cheese.”

 

Daniel raised his eyebrows, surprised at the selection that Sam had whipped up.  He didn’t expect her to go all out just for him, Jack and Teal’c.  He reached for a cheese puff.

 

“Mmm…this is very good, Sam,” he said as he began to munch on it.

 

Sam beamed.  “Thanks.  I haven’t really done much entertaining, so I have to admit I found most of the recipes online.”  She blushed a bit.

 

“No big problem,” Daniel assured her.  “It tastes great and that’s all that matters.”

 

“Oh, gee, thanks,” she said sarcastically.

 

Daniel smiled and patted her on the shoulder, causing her to giggle once more.

 

He reached for another cheese puff, and then began munching on the bruschetta toast. 


”This is really good, Sam,” he exclaimed between bites.

 

Sam laughed.  “Thanks.  Try not to fill up, though.  We still have the turkey, and you’d better leave room for dessert, too.”

 

“Ooh, that’s right!” he suddenly remarked.  “What do you have??”

 

Sam grinned as Daniel sat on the edge of the couch, pleading like a little kid and looking up at her with wonder in his eyes.

 

“I’m not going to tell you,” she said as she grinned wickedly.

 

“Oh, come on!” Daniel pouted.  “Just one little hint? Please??”

 

Sam sighed, as she didn’t know how much more of Daniel’s whining she could take.

 

“Okay!” she gave in.  “I made a cherry pie, some sugar cookies and a sweet German chocolate pie.”

 

Daniel waggled his eyebrows and grinned broadly.  The word “chocolate” was all he needed to hear.

 

“But it’s for later!” she reminded him.  “And lay off those appetizers.  There won’t be any left for Teal’c and the Colonel.”

 

Daniel nodded and waited until Sam went back in the kitchen before taking another piece of bruschetta toast and sticking it in his mouth.  

 

**********************************************************

 

Sam was just taking the turkey out of the oven when the phone rang.  She cursed under her breath as she nearly dropped the turkey.

 

“Should I get that?” Daniel called out to her from the living room.

 

“Please,” Sam nodded to him as she stuck her head out of the kitchen.

 

Daniel nodded and wiped his hands on his khakis before picking up the receiver.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Daniel?” Jack’s voice asked curiously.

 

“Oh, hi, Jack,” Daniel answered, still munching on an appetizer.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“I was about to ask you the same question,” Daniel returned.  “You and Teal’c are still coming, aren’t you?”

 

“Yeah.  I just got held up a bit with paperwork,” he sighed. 

 

“You better get over here quick, Jack.  The snow is getting heavier.”

 

“I know, Daniel…”

 

“Not only that, but the appetizers will be gone soon.  These bruschetta things are really good –“

 

Bru-what?”

 

“Never mind,” Daniel laughed giddily once he had swallowed the food.

 

“Did you get a head-start on that eggnog?” Jack asked suspiciously.

 

Daniel stopped laughing abruptly and rolled his eyes.

 

“No.  You’d better get here quick all the same, Jack.  I think Sam’s taking the turkey out now.”

 

“Tell Carter you can start without us,” Jack said after a beat.  “I want to pick something up before we head over to her place.”

 

“Ah … like what, Jack?” Daniel asked curiously.

 

“Geez, do I have to tell you everything?? I want to stop home to pick up some dessert.  I got a Yule Log from the grocery store this morning…”

 

“A Yule Log??” Daniel chuckled incredulously.

 

“Goodbye, Daniel,” Jack said in a sing-song manner before he hung up.

 

Daniel shook his head and chuckled to himself.  He was about to reach for another piece of the bruschetta toast when Sam entered the room, oven mitts on her hands.  He quickly drew his hand back.

 

“Who was that?” she asked.

 

“Oh, ah … Jack,” Daniel replied.  “He said he got busy with some paperwork and was planning on stopping at home before coming here.”

 

“Oh …”

 

“He also said we could start without him and Teal’c,” Daniel continued.

 

Sam looked at him for a moment before nodding and going back to the kitchen to get the turkey ready.

 

“Need any help in there?” Daniel called.

 

“Uh… yeah, maybe you could help me carve the turkey while I get the vegetables?” she called back.

 

“Okay,” Daniel answered.  He made his way into the kitchen and found Sam standing over the turkey with a large knife.

 

She turned and smiled before handing the knife to him.

 

“Looks good,” Daniel said.

 

“Thanks.”

 

He began carving up the small turkey as she reached for the gravy, and then began spooning the vegetables into several bowls.  Once he had carved enough turkey, he gathered up the plate as Sam led the way into her small dining room.

 

Daniel’s eyes widened as he noticed how everything looked.  The table was covered with a lacy red and green tablecloth, what appeared to be Sam’s best set of china, and alternating red and green cloth napkins.  Two tall, slender red candles sat in the middle of the table, waiting to be lit.

 

Daniel set the plate of turkey down, and Sam lit the candles.

 

“Wow, you really went all out,” he said, just a bit surprised.

 

Sam smiled.  “Hey, you guys are my family, and you deserve the best,” she replied.

 

Daniel smiled back.

 

“Well, I’m sure Jack and Teal’c will appreciate it, too.”

 

Sam nodded.  “That is, if they get here,” she said sounding a bit concerned.  She looked down at her watch and discovered it was twenty minutes after eight.

 

She headed back toward the kitchen, and grabbed the gravy boat, cranberry sauce, and bowls of mashed potatoes, corn and string beans.  Daniel took notice of her balancing act on the way back to the table, and he immediately got up and went over to help her.

 

“Thanks,” she giggled sheepishly as he took the bowls of mashed potatoes and string beans from her.

 

He nodded and set them down near the turkey.

 

“Go on, sit down and help yourself,” she said as she gestured toward the food.

 

“Not until you do,” he answered, his eyes twinkling.

 

Sam grinned and shook her head.

 

“I just want to get one last thing,” she said before heading back to the kitchen.

 

 Daniel nodded, sat himself down and began picking at the plate of turkey.  A few seconds later, Sam emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of red wine.

 

“I was hoping to save this for when Teal’c and the Colonel arrived, but there’s no telling when they’ll get here, and I don’t really have anything else to drink, so…”

 

Daniel watched her as she grabbed the seat at the head of the table, on his right, and gestured for the wine glass that was set out for him.  He picked it up and handed it to her after she popped the cork.

 

She poured a glass of wine for him and for herself, before replacing the cork with a wine stopper.

 

“I’d like to make a toast,” she announced, just as he was about to bring the glass up to his lips. 

 

He looked at her curiously.

 

“To us … uh, I mean, to friendship, to one unforgettable year as SG-1, and to many more great years together.”

 

Daniel smiled and nodded.  “To us,” he said. 

 

They clinked glasses and partook of the wine before getting started on the food.  Sam felt a bit bad that Jack and Teal’c were missing out, and she hoped they would arrive soon.  Still, having a nice, candlelit Christmas Eve dinner with Daniel was something magical.

 

******************************************

 

“That turkey was really good, Sam,” Daniel remarked as he helped her put the leftover food away.

 

“Thanks,” she smiled.  “For a minute there I was getting worried that you wouldn’t save any for the Colonel and Teal’c.”

 

“Oh, no, they’ve got a bit of the white meat and most of the dark meat,” he assured her.

 

Sam looked at him amusedly as he began wrapping the leftovers up.  He had definitely stayed away from the turkey legs, as he knew they were Jack’s favorite.

 

“I don’t know how you can eat so much and not gain a pound.  I’m envious.”

 

Daniel shrugged innocently before he went back to helping her put everything away.

 

“So, when’s dessert?” he asked eagerly.

 

“Already?” she said incredulously.  “Give me a break, we just finished eating!  We’re going to save the dessert for when Teal’c and Colonel O’Neill arrive, and that’s it.”

 

“What if they don’t show up?” Daniel whined.

 

“What makes you think they won’t show up?” she challenged. 

 

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing once again.  Sam picked up the phone while Daniel put the leftover cranberry sauce in a container and put it back inside the fridge.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey, Carter,” Jack answered.

 

“Sir, where are you?” Sam asked, a bit of concern in her voice.

 

“Carter, we’re off-duty,” he scolded.

 

“Sorry,” she answered, flustered.  “Jack, where are you?”

 

She winced a bit, as calling him by his first name still sounded a bit weird even after she’d known him for almost two years.

 

“That’s a bit of a problem,” he sighed.  “I’m here at home with Teal’c, and we’re just about snowed in.”

 

“What?” Sam asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

 

“Look out the window, Carter.”

 

Sam put the receiver down and headed out to the living room.

 

“Sam?” Daniel asked curiously, looking up from the fridge.

 

She pulled the blinds aside and gasped when she noticed the blizzard-like conditions.  A blanket of snow several feet thick had covered her front lawn, and the roads seemed impassable. 

 

“Sir?” she turned back to the phone. “Were we supposed to get a blizzard today?”

 

“Heard something about a few inches, but I guess the track of the storm shifted or something.”

 

“Oh.  Well, I’ll save the dessert for when you and Teal’c get here,” she said, undeterred.

 

“I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere, Carter,” Jack said grimly.

 

Daniel watched as Sam’s face fell.

 

 “Just save us a piece of pie.  We’ll all chow down together at the SGC after this blizzard thingy subsides.”

 

“Okay, Sir,” she sighed. 

 

“Merry Christmas, Carter,” he said genially.

 

“Merry Christmas to you too, Sir,” she returned.

 

“Merry Christmas, Jack!” Daniel raised his voice as he headed over toward Sam.

 

“Oh, for cryin’ out loud,” Jack sighed.  “Merry Christmas, Daniel,” he said as Sam aimed the receiver at Daniel so he could hear.

 

“Wish Teal’c a Merry Christmas for us, too, Sir,” Sam continued.

 

“You’re kidding, right?” Jack said after a beat.

 

Sam giggled.  “Take it easy,” she said before hanging up the phone.

 

“So, from what I gathered, Jack and Teal’c can’t make it?” Daniel asked as she turned back toward him.

 

“Yeah,” she nodded.  “He said the roads are nearly impassable and they’re basically snowed in.  He doesn’t think they’ll be able to make it here tonight.”

 

“That’s too bad,” Daniel sighed.  “To be fair, though, who knew we were getting a blizzard?”

 

Sam shook her head.  “I don’t know.  I thought we were only getting an inch or two at the most.  Just goes to show that anything can happen, I guess.”

 

Daniel nodded.

 

“Oh, well, at least we’ll have a white Christmas,” she continued as they headed back into the living room and sat together on the couch.

 

“That’s true,” Daniel said quietly.

 

They both turned toward the window, watching the snow fall softly.

 

“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve experienced a white Christmas?” Daniel asked as he turned toward Sam.

 

Sam studied his face and shook her head.

 

“I think it was maybe once about 25 years ago.  When I was very young, I was always accompanying my parents on digs in Egypt and so forth, so we always had a dry, hot, sandy Christmas.”

 

Sam smiled sadly at him.

 

“Then, not long after they died, we did have a white Christmas one year, but being that my foster parents never had any time for me, I couldn’t enjoy it,” he said, his voice thick with regret as he bowed his head and averted his eyes.

 

Sam’s smile faded and she blinked a few tears.

 

“Daniel, I’m sorry.  I had no idea,” she said softly.

 

He looked back up at her, and upon witnessing the caring, understanding look in her eyes, a little smile graced his lips.

 

“That’s okay.  Having great friends like Jack and Teal’c … and, most importantly, like you, Sam, really makes a difference.”

 

She smiled at him broadly before giving him a little hug and patting him on the shoulder.

 

“So, feel like opening any presents?” she suddenly asked, her eyes lit up.

 

“I guess it won’t be the same without Jack or Teal’c around, but it couldn’t hurt to open the gifts we got for each other,” he said.

 

“Great,” she smiled.  She headed over to the Christmas tree and grabbed the present she had marked for Daniel.  He grabbed his large shopping bag, nearly sticking his head into it completely in search of Sam’s gift.

 

Sam sat back down on the couch next to Daniel and gave him his gift.

 

“Thanks,” he said shyly.

 

She nodded as he began carefully tearing at the wrapping paper.  A slight smile spread across his face as he uncovered the journal.

 

“Ooh, nice,” he remarked as he flipped through the blank pages and studied the cover.  “Hmm, let me try to figure out what this says...”  He squinted as he attempted to decipher the hieroglyphs on the cover.

 

Sam rolled her eyes and started to giggle.  “I can’t believe you’re doing this.  Actually… yes I can,” she said after a beat.

 

“You know me all too well,” he said jokingly.  “Thanks, Sam.  This will come in handy as another expedition journal.”  He gave her a small kiss on the cheek, which made her blush just a bit.

 

“That’s not all,” she said.

 

Daniel looked at her curiously for a moment before he tore the rest of the wrapping paper off.  His eyes widened when he saw the DVD and his face immediately lit up.

 

“I don’t believe this!” he exclaimed.  “Sam, how did you know?”

 

“You only told me about it a hundred million times,” she teased.

 

Daniel looked at her gratefully before he grabbed her and kissed her hard on the lips.  A look of surprise came over Sam’s face after he let her go.

 

“Ah … sorry,” he said quietly as his cheeks flamed. 

 

Sam grinned widely as she noticed him blushing.  It made him look so endearing, almost like an embarrassed little boy.

 

“Seriously, though, I have been looking for this documentary for a long time,” he continued once he had recovered.  “I missed it back when it was on TV and I had no idea it was coming out on DVD.  Thanks so much, Sam.”

 

“You’re welcome, Daniel,” she answered as he hugged her.

 

He reached behind his back and handed her a present … actually two presents, both wrapped and held together by scotch tape.

 

“Now, open yours,” he said eagerly.

 

He watched her closely as she tore the wrapping paper off the first, larger gift.  It turned out to be a book, and Sam looked at the cover with deep interest. 

 

“Oh my gosh,” she murmured.  Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension.”

 

Daniel smiled as she turned it over and read the notes on the back cover.

 

“Daniel, this is … wow, this is really amazing,” she exclaimed.

 

“I thought you would like it,” he smiled.

 

“You know me all too well,” she said, repeating his earlier statement.  She leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, and giggled slightly as he beamed.

 

“Open the other one,” he said.

 

She opened the smaller gift, and once she had gotten all the paper off, her jaw dropped.  It was a small plaque with a painting of mountains and a lake, with a faint rainbow between the two.  Over the painting were the words of a poem:

 

If I Could 
 
If I could catch a rainbow
 
I would do it just for you 
 
And share with you its beauty 
 
On the days you're feeling blue 
 
If I could build a mountain 
 
You could call your very own 
 
A place to find serenity 
 
A place to be alone 
 
If I could take your troubles 
 
I would toss them in the sea
 
But all these things I'm finding 
 
Are impossible for me, 
 
I cannot build a mountain 
 
Or catch a rainbow fair 
 
But let me be what I know best 
 
A friend that's always there.

 

 

Sam blinked tears as she finished reading the poem.  She looked at Daniel and noticed the sweet smile he was giving her.

 

“Daniel, this is beautiful,” she said, her voice wavering.  “I think this is the sweetest gift anyone has ever given me.  Thank you.”

 

Daniel’s smile broadened as she hugged him fiercely.

 

“Maybe it’s best that we didn’t wait for the Colonel and Teal’c before opening our gifts,” she said after they stepped out of their embrace.

 

Daniel looked at her curiously.

 

“They wouldn’t understand us sitting over our presents to each other like and grinning like a couple of moon-faced idiots,” she giggled sheepishly.

 

Daniel laughed.  “Not to mention Jack would probably torment me over the way I reacted to that DVD for months and months.”

 

Sam laughed alongside him.  After they calmed down, they decided to have some of the dessert while watching Daniel’s new DVD.  Once the program had ended, they spent the rest of the night looking out the window and watching the snow fall gracefully.  Daniel’s Explorer was just about buried, but he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so it wasn’t a big concern to him. 

 

As they stared out the window, they began to think about the gifts they had exchanged.  They really seemed to know each other very well, better than anyone else from the SGC.  The fact that they knew and respected each other’s interests, and would provide something that no one else could, said a lot about their relationship.  Perhaps they really were kindred spirits.

 

 

 

Then suddenly we laughed and laughed
 
Caught on to what was happening
 
That Christmas magic's brought this tale 
 
To a very happy ending! 
 
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! 
 
Couldn't miss this one this year! 
 
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! 
 
Couldn't miss this one this year!

 

 

~* THE END *~