I...have...RETURNED!
Merry Christmas All! Aria-Wolfstar here! Happy holidays, and a Merry Christmas!

Now, this is not my most favorite fic that I've written!, and it's unedited, but I wanted it up in time for the holidays. Flames accepted, as usual, and please, feel confident enough to leave a flame with a screen name, I'm not going to bite your head off! (I promise!)

Let me know what you think, it's a little sappy, I know!

XxX

The Gift

XxX

Sam stood in front of the mirror and ran her hands down her red dress, smoothing out the wrinkles that had popped up. Her hands jerked at the hemline, one side of which was an inch above the knee (the other side cascaded down smoothly to her mid shin), pulling the dress into a more snug position on her hip. Her fingers flicked across the material of the neckline, which, being a strapless, was under her shoulders, and debated on if this sort of style was appropriate for just another Cheyenne Mountain Christmas party.

She let out a small stream of air through her nostrils, raised her chin, and straightened her back, dropping her arms until they crossed in front of her chest defiently. There was no reason she shouldn't wear it the annual party.

Stalking away from her mirror, she went over to her closet, grabbed a soft, fur coated shoulder-wrap, and left the room. As she approached her front door, she grabbed her keys and dainty black purse, lying right next to each other, and stopped. Lying right next to her bag was a red box, tied up with a gorgeous white bow.

For what seemed like ages, but in reality was only seconds, she stared at the box, her mind working furiously, and her heart beating rapidly. Should she take the gift with her? After all, there was no saying if he would be there or not…after all, he'd have to be traveling from Washington. No, he probably wouldn't be there, she decided, and with a shake of her head left the room through the front door, closing the oak wood with a harsh click.

A few moments later, the doorknob turned, and Sam stalked back in and grabbed the box with one hand, holding it close to her for a moment as if it was a precious child. With a sigh of happiness and a smile that had worked its way onto her lips, Sam left her house for a second time, thinking, maybe he will show up.

xXx

Sam's entrance to the party was well met. As she walked into the room, her friends and colleges, most of them, such as Daniel, already drunk or halfway there, yelled out her name in friendly greeting. Laughing, she smiled at them all and made her way over to the refreshments table, where Daniel was standing holding what was likely only his second beer, and Teal'c was casting a wary eye at his drunken friend.

"Hey guys," Sam said cheerfully, allowing a wine goblet to be pressed into her hands by Daniel.

Teal'c nodded his greeting, and Daniel waved drunkenly. Sam shook her head at him, then turned to Teal'c. "How's the night been, so far?"

"It has gone well, Colonel Carter. General Hammond showed up not long ago."

Sam raised her eyebrows over her drink. "Did he, now?"

"Indeed."

They lapsed into silence for a moment, and Sam couldn't help but to flick her eyes around the room, glancing around for him. If Hammond had made it, there was no reason he shouldn't have.

"SG-1, good to see you."

Sam spun to the voice, and a smile broadened across her face as she snapped her free hand into a salute. "Good to see you too, sir." Teal'c nodded beside her, and Daniel did his best to keep a straight face.

General Hammond returned the smile. "At ease, Colonel."

Sam dropped her hand to her side, still smiling slightly. "Can I get you a drink, sir?"

"That'd be great, Colonel, thank you."

As Sam reached over to the table to grab a goblet of wine, she asked, "So do you miss the SG-C, sir?"

Hammond accepted the goblet from her and gave a slight grimace. "You have no idea."

For the next five minutes, Sam found herself enjoying the conversation with Hammond, until he was pulled away by other members of the SG-C who wanted to reconnect with their old general. A few minutes after that, Dr. Lam came to pull Daniel away, and Teal'c excused himself to make a few rounds of his own before leaving to see his son over the Tau'ri holiday break, leaving Sam alone at the table.

Heaving a sigh, she walked slowly over to the food, gazing on all of the different entrees before finally landing on the chips and salsa. She plucked a chip from its bowl and dipped it cautiously into the green dip. She popped the dip-laden chip into her mouth, and chewed slowly. Shrugging in acceptance of the flavor, she reached for another chip.

"Carter, how many times do I have to tell you not to double dip?"

Sam forced the chip down her throat. "I wasn't, I swea…" she spun around to face the one who was speaking to her, and found herself jumping into a salute. "Sir!"

O'Neill waved his hand at her impatiently, grimacing slightly. "At ease, Carter," he said.

Sam couldn't help the grin that spread across her face, no matter how much control she had over her emotions. It took all of her restraint not to throw her arms around him as she said, "You made it."

Jack grinned, and Sam felt her heart strings twang. "How could I not?"

Shrugging, they fell into a comfortable silence. As Sam took a sip of her wine, she suddenly remembered what lie in her purse. Sheepishly, she put the goblet she was holding down and reached into her purse to pull out the object. She saw O'Neill follow her movements with her eyes, and look at her curiously when she handed it to him.

"For you, sir. Merry Christmas."

Taking it cautiously, his eyebrows knitted together, he looked up at her. "Carter I…" he stopped when he saw the look she was giving him, a mix of pleading and fear. He smiled. "Thanks, Carter."

She nodded, and a slight smile tugged at her lips as well. He thumbed the edge of the paper, going to open it, when she stopped him.

"Not here, sir. Later."

His eyes wide, he looked up at her, eyebrows raised. But, again, at her look, he shrugged and nodded and slipped the gift into his jacket pocket. Knowing Carter, he wouldn't be able to get anymore information out of her without putting her on the spot. Instead, he found a comfortable subject. "So…how goes SG-1?"

xXx

Jack opened the door to his house and sighed heavily. Kicking off his shoes he walked into his room and flopped onto the bed. Rolling over onto his back, he crossed his hands over his chest and closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep, until his hand found a bulge in his jacket. Sitting up, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the gift that Sam had given him earlier.

Don't open it here, sir.

He looked at the present curiously, then slid it onto the nightstand. Later. He was just…so…tired now…

A few moments later, still awake, he grunted and rolled over onto his side, finding himself staring at the white ribbon and red paper of the gift. Sighing in defeat, he slid up in his bed and grabbed the package from his nightstand.

Turning it to his side, he slid his nail under the tape and opened it gently, sliding the bow and the paper off of what appeared to be a box. As the box, plain and simple white, was stripped of it's paper, he slowly eased the lid open and placed it off to the side. Pushing aside with his finger a few flaps of red tissue paper and gazed at the object underneath.

For a moment, he sat, dumbstruck, looking at the object. Was she really…giving this to him? With shaking fingers, he pulled out the thin piece of golden metal, and ran his thumb along the jagged edges. Closing his eyes, he folded his hand in a fist around the key, and took a deep breath.

She had given him a key to her house. Was this her way of saying…

His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he reached for the phone. Although most stores in the area were already closed, there was one connection he had that had told him, years ago, that he would open at any time, just for Jack. He knew what he had to do.

Thumbing the buttons on the phone with one hand, keeping the key carefully in the other, and sat frozen as the phone rang. Finally, the other end picked up, and Jack heard a groggy, "'ello?"

"Dave, it's O'Neill. Are you closed for the day yet?"

There was a pause. "O'Neill, it's almost midnight, of course I'm closed. Why?"

"Does your offer still stand?"

Suddenly, the voice on the other side was very much awake. "You're finally going to do it?"

"Yes, I think I am."

"Then, yes, my offer still stands. See you in ten." There was a click as the line went dead. Without regret, Jack pushed himself off of his comfortable bed, pulled on his boots, and was out the door.

Within five minutes he was standing at the back door of the store, his foot tapping the ground impatiently and his breath misting in a fog around him as he waited. The beam of headlights appeared behind him, and he turned with a smile to the car pulling up behind him. The driver got out and approached him, and clapped his hands before leading him inside.

XxX

O'Neill stood in front of the door, once more running his thumb over the sliver of metal he was holding. Taking a deep breath, he injected the key into the lock and turned it, breathing out a relieved sigh as the key twisted and the doorknob turned, allowing him the access to Carter's house.

Gently, he slid in through the door, and closed it behind him. Slipping off his shoes and shrugging out of his coat, he made his way down the hallways, to Sam's room. Smiling as he eased her door open, and saw her sleeping peacefully under the covers, he placed the box on the table next to her.

Grinning again, he let himself fall into the chair by the foot of her bed, and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

XxX

Sam felt herself drift into consciousness before she opened her eyes. As she realized that it was Christmas morn, she felt her heart soar. Reached blind, she fumbled for her alarm clock. Her fingers enclosed around an unfamiliar object, and she blinked her eyes open.

Puzzled, she grabbed the box that she was holding and sat up, pushing herself up against the back of the bed.

"Morning, Sam," a gruff voice said, startling her.

Snapping her head up, she gathered her blankets in her hand and pulled them up to her chest. "Sir?"

"Sam?"

A shy smile wormed its way onto her lips. "You opened my gift, sir?"

He nodded, and the pair of them lapsed into silence for a moment. Then, ending the silence, O'Neill spoke, gesturing to the object in Sam's hand as he did so. "Well? Aren't you going to open it?"

A tinge of red framing her cheeks, Sam carefully worked the hinge on the box open, gasping in surprise when she saw the contents resting on the inside. She looked up to O'Neill, her eyes pleading that she was experiencing reality.

Crossing the distance to her bed, O'Neill sat down beside her and took the box from her hands, pulling the contents out and holding it up in front of her. "Carter, you know how I am with speeches, but I've been thinking lately, what, with me not quite being your commanding officer anymore what would you say if…" trailing off, he gently grabbed her left hand, slowly slipping the sparkling diamond ring onto her finger as he gazed into her eyes, watching for any sign of resistance. After the ring was fully on her finger, he ventured for a shy smile, hopping to prod a response.

Tears dripping out of her eyes, Sam glanced down at the ring on her finger, then back up to O'Neill. She could tell that her delayed reaction was worrisome for him, and, with a sob, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his neck as she nodded wordlessly into his shoulder. Large, gently hands clasped around her head, stroking her hair, and lips descended upon her forehead. Masculine thumbs swiped at her cheeks and tipped her head back, and for a moment, the pair gazed into each others eyes before enclosing their lips within one another's.

As they stayed in each others strong embrace, O'Neill whisked a strand of hair away from Carter's ear. Bending down, he whispered, "Merry Christmas, Sam."

Pulling him tighter, Sam replied, "Merry Christmas, Jack….I love you."

And as the sun peeked up above the horizon, promising a bright future ahead, Jack, tears streaming down his rough face, leaned his forehead against Sam's, and in the moment before he took her lips once more, he said, "I love you too…"

XxX

So what did you think!?

To all my regulars (you know who you are!) (and anyone else reading, but you may not be as interested!)– I hope you liked this as you liked my other works that I've so appreciated you reviewing! If this wasn't as good as the others, I apoligize, it was written at a different time! I have a new story formulating, though, being based on a book I'm reading, it may take a while to write! Haha, hope you stick with me! (It will probably be called "Dear Jack…" but I'm not sure if it'll even be written!)

Love ya all lots!

Happy holidays everyone!

-Aria