Author's Note- I've actually had this idea in my head since May. It's short mini fics about 12 things that Jack gave Sam while she was away in Atlantis. Super fluffy! Maybe I'll throw in an angsty one…you never know!
Huge thanks to my beta Twilight506 (Yes, I hear the collective gasps that I finally got myself a beta.) I'll be surprised if she survives the bateing of such a fluffy fic!
The Heart Longs for Home
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…
Colonel Samantha Carter leaned up against the side of the window in her quarters that overlooked the city of Atlantis. The stars and moons glowed brightly in the darkness of night, but somehow they didn't seem as bright as the ones in the Milky Way. As much as she loved her job and as much as she loved the people, this wasn't home. Her heart and home belonged wherever a certain gray haired General happened to be.
Sam closed her eyes. Christmas was in less than two weeks and some of the members of the expedition had opted to go back to Earth and spend time with their families. She, however, did not have that option. She freely admitted to herself that she wouldn't really trust someone else with her position here, even for a few days. The Pegasus galaxy was quiet for the moment, but she knew that could change in an instant. She needed to remain here.
Her heart longed for home though. It longed for him, for the feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers, for the feel of his soft gray hair as she ran her fingers through it.
They'd been together for over ten years, first as friends and officers, and then as lovers. It seemed wrong that she would spend Christmas without him. She tried not to think of how long it had been since she'd seen his chocolate brown eyes light up.
She crossed her arms around her, as if to protect her heart from the longing and dull, throbbing pain. It wasn't working.
A knock on the door startled her out of her musings.
"Come in," she called.
A plastic tub appeared first in the doorway and she recognized the form of Colonel John Sheppard behind it.
"A package came in for you with the last shipment of supplies from Earth," he stated.
Sam's eye brows scrunched in confusion at the tub. She hadn't requested anything from Earth…
"I'll just leave that with you then." He smirked at her.
"Uh…right. Thanks, John," she stammered.
He sent her a small wave and then walked out of her quarters. Sam moved quickly over to the tub and took off the lid. Her confusion intensified as she glanced at the multiple packages wrapped in brown wrapping paper, a piece of paper with a number on each one. Resting on each of them was a paper case holding a single DVD. She picked it up, and after glancing with confusion at the packages, she went over to her laptop and popped it in.
She clicked the play button and her heart leapt into her throat at the surroundings in the video. She'd recognize that apartment anywhere…
"Oh for crying out loud!" a voice mumbled off camera and Sam grinned. She'd know that voice anywhere.
A frustrated looking General walked into the picture and sat down on the chair.
"Hi, Carter! I hope this thing is working…only took me five tries to figure out how to turn it on. You do not want to know how long it took me to figure out to make it record," he grumbled.
"Anyway, I'm assuming you're looking at the tub wondering what on earth is in there. Well, you know how I love clichés…and there's that old Christmas song with the 12 days of Christmas…and I thought I'd send you 12 things to remind you of home. You do miss this old solider, right? Haven't found any cute alien men while you were in the Pegasus galaxy have you?" he teased with a lift of his eyebrow.
"More than you know," she whispered to the computer screen.
"You can only open one package a day…start with one. There's a note to go with each," he said as he waved a finger at her to make a point.
"I…uh…miss you, Sam. Stay safe, alright? Love ya. Merry Christmas!" He smiled at the camera before getting up and moving in front of it to turn it off.
She smiled at the blank screen before walking over to the tub and pulled out the package on top, labeled with a one. She carefully unwrapped the paper and her stomach grumbled when she saw what it was.
A four-pack snack pack of blue Jell-O, with a spoon taped to the top. She groaned softly at her favorite indulgence treat. He knew exactly how much she loved this and she figured he also had a pretty good idea that she didn't get it much. The note attached to it was short and read, 'The red is still better.' Taking the spoon she dug into one of the cups and let her eyes travel once more over to the plastic tub. Curiosity made her wonder what else he could have put in there for her, but she knew she'd find out in the coming days.
Unfortunately, there was only one thing she truly wanted and the chances were slim to none that she'd be able to see the man she loved for Christmas.
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Author's Note- Inspiration for this came from the song, 'The 12 days of Christmas', so if you haven't heard of it try searching for it on youtube. A chapter will be posted every day between now and Christmas. Thanks so much for reading and if you liked it let me know!
Edit- It's been brought to my attention that the 12 days of Christmas aren't until after Christmas, D'oh! But considering I have the ending all planned out...I'll just have to go with this. Sorry if that turns anyone off!