Title: For The Person Who Has Everything

Author: Geonn

Email: neil_j_miser@yahoo.com

Rating: PG

Pairings: Sam/Janet

Category: Humor, Holiday

Website: www.realmoftheshadow.com/geonn.htm

Disclaimer: These folks don't belong to me. I stole them from MGM's toybox without asking their mommies for permission. I promise to return them more or less unscathed.

Spoilers: "Cold Lazarus," "Forever In A Day"

Archive: Yes, just let me know where it'll be.

Notes: In the section marked "Tuesday, December 24, 2002," take special notice of the first letter of each paragraph. ;-D For those of you interested in this sort of thing, while writing this I listened to the "Time-Life Treasury of Christmas" collection. Also, I listened to a few songs from the Barenaked Ladies Greatest Hits, but I don't think it carried through too much in the story :-D

Tuesday, December 24, 2002. 4:30pm.

"Maybe it was in the box we gave to Goodwill," Janet suggested, craning her neck to look around the corpse of a 13-inch TV that blocked her view of the attic. She stretched her hand out and pushed aside a light cardboard box marked KITCHEN and coughed at the cloud of dust it raised. Below her, Sam was standing at the bottom of the ladder, pretending she wasn't enjoying the view provided by Janet's attic exploration. "When did you last see it?"

Even faced with Janet's rear-end displayed in black-and-white checked pants, Sam was able to clearly remember. "December thirtieth of last year. That's when we put it back up here. And we wouldn't give a box marked 'ornaments' to Goodwill." She sighed. "It has to be up there."

Rummaging through a box she had pulled closer to the attic access ladder, Janet sighed, "Well, I'm not seeing it." She pushed the box aside and scanned the dark space she had poked her head into. "We really need to think about cleaning this place up, Sam. It's a mess in here."

"Really? I wonder whose fault *that* is, Miss Pack Rat."

"You are the one who refuses to throw away anything electronic because you think the spark can be resurrected by some Radio Shack miracle." She moved up one rung and squinted into the darkness. "Okay. I'm going to snoop around the west corner."

Climbing onto the bottom rung, Sam said, "We wouldn't have stored it over there, Janet. It's too out-of-the-way. If it's anywhere, it's right by where the Christmas tree was stored last year." She started after the brunette, not eager to spend more time than necessary in the cramped attic space. The object of their excavation was an angel tree-topper that Janet had received from her mother nearly a decade earlier.

Halfway up the ladder, Sam was halted by Janet's voice. "Got it!" The doctor scrambled back to the small opening and smiled down at Sam. "Hey. Here it is." She brushed something away from her cheek and left a dark sooty residue as she pulled open the cardboard box. Sam climbed the rest of the way up, remaining perched as Janet had been minutes earlier.

Remnants of gift-wrapping had served as protection for the breakable ornaments kept inside the box. Each Christmas tree bauble had been lovingly wrapped and carefully placed alongside it's counterparts. Janet unwrapped one and smiled at it. "Cassandra. 1997," she read from the orange ball. "Her first Christmas on Earth... God, it's so beautiful."

Instead of waiting until they got downstairs, they began their search for the angel. Sam unwrapped a few ordinary ornaments and laid them on the floor next to the access door. She leaned on the ladder, helping Janet search for their tree topper. The stack was getting extremely thin when Sam asked, "You sure it's in here, hun?"

"Sure? I'm positive. We've checked every other box we have." She shook her head. "No, it's in here. Otherwise, we'll have to use a star on top of our tree and break my mother's tradition." Picking up a lumpy, rectangular package, she pulled back the torn paper and yelped in triumph. "Got it! Mama's angel!" She turned to show Sam her treasure; a small angel with golden hair, holding her harp in both hands and lowering her head in prayer.

"Mama's angel," Sam repeated, smiling at her lover's exuberance. "That's great, hon." She looked around the dark attic and said, "Now... if you don't mind, can we get out of here? Attics creep me out."

As Sam turned to leave, her elbow brushed one of the ornaments she had unwrapped and laid next to the access. Janet looked up in time to see the glittery bulb topple over the side. "No!" the brunette cried. Sam tried to grab for the ornament, but her precarious angle on the ladder kept her from moving too far. Janet grabbed a handful of Sam's sweater in an effort to keep the blonde from plummeting after the falling ball.

Sam and Janet both watched the bulb fall to the floor in slow motion. Their attic access was located in the garage, which meant there would be no soft carpeting at the bottom of this tumble. In an explosion of glass and glitter, the bulb ended it's journey with a misleadingly quiet 'snap.'

Flying down the ladder, her paralysis passed, Sam knelt next to the shattered remains. As Janet climbed down the ladder after her, the brunette said, "Please tell me it wasn't Cassie's. Please, please, *please*..."

"Relax," Sam said softly, gathering up the shards. "It was the one I gave you last year."

"Oh, no!" Janet said, joining the blonde on the floor and staring at the crescent-shaped shards in horror. "No, Sam, I'm so sorry." She gently rested her hand over Sam's, covering the shards the blonde had already picked up. "I really did love it. Will you buy me a new one?"

"Mais oui," Sam chuckled. She put her hand over Janet's and said, "This might not be such a bad thing, after all. My mother once told me about a little something we could do in this situation. Make a wish."

Grinning, the horror of the moment past, Janet asked, "What? Make a wish?"

"Exactly. A wish. Mom told me that Christmas ornaments weren't just ordinary balls of glass and glitter. They held Christmas magic, which is why people started putting them on trees. I know you're a skeptic, but..." She shook her head. "It was something my mom and I would share. Dad was always clutzy around Christmas, so something *always* got broke. The rule was you don't reveal what you wished unless it comes true." Shrugging, embarrassed, she quickly added, "You don't have to do it, if you don't want..."

"Oh, I want," Janet smiled. "What's the harm in making a little wish?" She closed her eyes and licked her lips. "Are you making a wish, too?" Sam nodded and squeezed Janet's hand. They knelt together, their hands closed and clasped around what Melanie Carter had claimed was more than just ordinary glass and glitter. After a few moments of silence, Janet said, "I'm done. Now what do we do?"

"Now," Sam said, rising to her feet and helping Janet up as well, "now we go to the kitchen and eat Christmas cookies until we're too fat to go through the Stargate on dangerous missions."

"Neat," Janet grinned, wrapping an arm around Sam's waist. She carried the angel in her free hand, wondering if the wish she had just made had come true the first time she kissed Samantha Carter.

---

Wednesday, December 25, 2002. 6:43am.

"Ho, ho, ho," Sam groaned against Janet's throat.

Janet smiled and opened her eyes, pressing her palm to her lover's face and peering down. The mop of Sam's blonde hair was hidden by the Santa Claus hat she had worn the night before, a prop in one of their rare role-playing games. Sam, of course, had been Santa and Janet had been the little girl who had been naughty. Sam crawled up on the mattress to look Janet in the eye. "Merry Christmas," the brunette whispered against Sam's lips.

Snuggling closer to the warmth of Janet's body, Sam returned the sentiment with an added, "Why's it so cold up here?"

"Dunno. Furnace might be off."

"Why would the furnace be off?"

Janet shrugged. "Too early to think." There was a light mewling sound, followed by a low cough. Janet chuckled and said, "What was *that*?"

"I..." Sam sat up. "I thought it was you."

As Janet sat up, she noticed something different about their bedroom. A clock that had been on the west wall now stood on the east wall, where Janet had always considered a better place for it. Had Sam moved it in the night? Never mind. There were more important issues to worry about. Like the bassinet at the foot of their bed. The bassinet with the moving blankets. "Sam," Janet whispered needlessly, since the blonde had seen the same thing.

"What is that?"

Janet shook her head slowly. "It's a baby bassinet. What's it doing *here*? I-I-I thought if someone abandoned a baby, they did it on the doorstep. Right? T-they don't break in and put the baby in the bedroom." She shook her head, remembering fairy tales about the stork delivering babies right to their parents nurseries. Janet threw the blankets aside, pulling on a pair of flannel shorts and a t-shirt, her eyes never leaving the blue trim of the gently swinging basket.

Sam wrapped the sheet around herself and climbed off the opposite side of the bed, working her feet into her slippers. The women came together at the foot of the bed, peering down into the basket. A tired, pink face stared up at them, springs of black hair curling away from his face. He blinked sparkling blue eyes, then yawned melodramatically. Sam pulled the Santa hat from her head and dropped it on the mattress, just to have something to do with her hands.

"His name is Jacob," Janet said quietly, unsure of how she knew that. "Jacob Patrick Fraiser. He's... our son."

"Our son?!" Sam asked, eyes widening. Upon closer inspection, however, it was true that this child had Sam's eyes and Janet's nose. The blonde reached down and the baby wrapped one tiny hand around her index finger. She gasped, turning to look at her lover. "Where the hell did we get a baby? HOW the hell did we have a baby?"

Janet pressed her hand to her forehead. "It's medically impossible." She turned, then blinked at what she saw. "Sam... you're..." she waved her hand at the blonde's chest, not believing what she saw. A spot of wetness had appeared on the sheet, just over where Sam's nipples were. "You're lactating," Janet finally managed. "And I think Jake is hungry."

As Sam looked down at herself, her face grew just as shocked as it would if she had seen manly pecs and chest hair. "I gave birth to him. Jacob is my child... and you're the fath..." She closed her eyes. "This is just too bizarre." She turned a slow circle, scanning the bedroom. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this where Rod Serling walks in and talks to the camera?"

Janet's reply was cut off by a sharp knocking at the door. Both women jumped and turned to look at the closed door. Janet cleared her throat, afraid of who might be on the other side. This morning, it could be anyone or anything. "Yes?" Janet asked.

The thankfully familiar voice of Cassandra filtered through from the hallway. "You two gonna sleep all day or what? C'mon, it's present time!"

"Be right down," Janet promised. As their daughter's footsteps retreated down the hall, she turned to Sam and exhaled slowly. "Cassie is here. At-at least there's that."

Sam had picked up Jacob and was sitting on the edge of the bed. His tiny hands were groping her, eager for his breakfast. "Janet," the blonde said, watching the tiny boy's mouth open and close. "You're going to have to help me out here..."

Janet nodded and proceeded to tutor Sam in the fine art of breast-feeding.

---

After Jacob had finished his meal, Sam and Janet had dressed as they normally would have on Christmas morning; reindeer sweaters, jeans, wool socks. Sam nestled their son against her breast and followed Janet downstairs, still marveling at what they had just experienced. Sam had breast-fed their *son*. Not a baby. Not a surrogate child. *Theirs.*

In the living room, Cassandra was sitting next to the tree, distributing presents. Janet frowned, noticing there was almost three times as many as there had been the day before. Cassandra stood as soon as she saw Sam, extending her hands. "Lemme hold 'im. Please?"

Sam glanced at Janet and shrugged imperceptibly as she handed Jacob over to their daughter. She then motioned to the kitchen and mouthed that she would be right back. Janet nodded and sat down, watching as Cassie said good-morning to the baby. Something... was wrong. Janet chewed her lip and asked, "Cassandra? Is there something different about you?"

The girl barely looked up. "No."

"You didn't... do your make-up different? Or... your hair?"

"I'm not wearing make-up... I got my hair cut on, like, the first. You all right, mom?"

Janet nodded, deciding it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Maybe there *weren't* more presents under the tree. And maybe she and Sam had just forgotten they were new parents to a baby boy.

Okay, that last one was unlikely.

"Janet? Honey? Come here. Please. Now!"

Janet was on her feet in an instant, dashing into the kitchen to see what was wrong. "Sam? What's is it?" The blonde was holding a calendar, apparently having thumbed through most of the months and stopping on August. Janet pressed against Sam's side and peered down. "What is it?" she asked, scanning the page. On the ninth day of August, someone had written 'CASSIE 11 B-Day!" in red pen.

"What?" Janet asked, brow furrowing in utter confusion. That had to be what looked different; instead of appearing to be seventeen, the girl in the living room was eleven. Six years younger than the Cassie they knew. With a different birthday. Janet swallowed sharply and looked up at Sam. "How could Cassandra be eleven? Why did her birthday change?"

Sam's hands were shaking. "Because... Jacob isn't our first child?"

Janet swallowed and turned, looking through the pass-through into the living room. "Cassie is our daughter? Our... our true daughter? We..." She paused, eyes widening. "*I* gave birth to her. O-on August 9, 1991. Ten hours of labor. You-you were right beside me the entire time. Holding my hand. God, my God, what is going *on*?" She turned and saw Sam slumped over the sink, running cold water into her hands and splashing it onto her face. "Sam?"

The blonde turned, her face burning and her eyes red with tears. "I'm sorry, Janet."

"Sorry?"

"I... I did this."

Janet closed the distance between them. "What? H-how?"

She indicated the closed garage door. "The ornament. The wish. I... I wished for the perfect world. Apparently... apparently two kids is a part of that. I'm sorry."

That was a lot to absorb in a few minutes time. Janet leaned against the counter, staring at the fridge. The hum that it had once emitted, signaling that it was on it's last legs, was silent. Even their appliances were perfect. "Sam... if you *did* do this... it's partially my fault." She closed her eyes, unable to believe she was admitting a broken ornament had forever changed the world. "I didn't want to make some silly wish that I didn't even believe would come true. So instead, I wished that whatever *you* wished would come true."

Sam's jaw dropped in shock or surprise or both, and she turned back to the sink. After a few moments of stunned silence, she made a sound that resembled a cough or hack. She repeated the noise, this time allowing it to erupt into a full-fledged laugh. She covered her mouth and turned to face Janet, leaning against the sink. Janet tried to keep her composure, but couldn't help herself. She laughed, shaking her head and moving to Sam's side. The two women embraced, holding each other as if to contain the humor that was exploding out of them.

Wednesday, December 25, 2002. 7:50am.

Janet lifted her head from Sam's shoulder, brushing aside the tears her laughing fit had produced. "What's wrong with us?" she asked.

"We're two utterly insane individuals with the power to proactively change the universe on a whim. What makes you think there's something wrong with us?" Sam chuckled and shook her head. "This has to be a dream." She pinched Janet's rear and, when the brunette jumped and released a yelp, the blonde deduced, "Nope. Not a dream."

The brunette thumped Sam's arm and said, "Okay. So it's not a dream. So... so... what? We're living this now? A baby and Cassandra as our biological daughter? I would assume this means that O'Neill and Hammond and everyone else know about us. Kind of hard to hide a child, I'd imagine."

Cassandra came in from the living room, Jacob squirming against her young chest. "He... wants one of you. Or food. Or something."

Sam took the baby from the girl and said, "I'll take him. You want to finish divvying up the presents?"

"Sure!" Cassie said, darting out of the room.

As soon as Sam had him in her arms, Jacob quieted considerably. He sighed, looking up at her with wide, trusting eyes as she curved one finger over his cheek. "He just wanted his momma," Sam whispered, rocking him gently. "Didn't you?" she chuckled.

Janet was forced to blink back tears that had nothing to do with hysteria. When Sam saw her, Janet answered the unspoken question in her blue eyes. "Look at you," Janet said, smiling brightly. "You're... so... you're a *mom*." She walked up to Sam and kissed her softly, careful not to disturb Jacob.

"Not so early, please. I don't think I can take it." Both women turned, startled by the new, male voice. Jacob Carter, the elder, stood in the entryway to the pantry, a suitcase under one arm and a valise in his hand. He placed them on the kitchen floor and peeled off his baseball cap, smiling at his daughter and her lover. "How's my namesake this morning?"

Sam looked down at the baby. "Good. He's... just a little cranky when he gets away from mom."

"Just like you," Jacob said. He crossed the kitchen. To Janet, he said, "Jan, you're looking as lovely as ever." He pecked her on the cheek, then turned to his daughter. "Now. Relinquish the child to the grandpa!"

He held out his arms and Sam laid the baby in them. Jacob grinned at Jacob, both of them looking like they were awed by what they were seeing. Sam chuckled and looked up in time to see a flash of gold in the pantry. Her smile faded as she craned her neck and saw someone else coming in from the garage. She was wearing a red sweatervest over a pink blouse, her hair gray instead of blonde. She was lugging two suitcases, both of them apparently bulging with baggage, and turned to look into the kitchen. "Don't worry, Jake," she said, sighing melodramatically. "I can handle the rest of the bags myself."

Sam was frozen, her blue eyes wide in shock or horror or both. Finally, she managed one word: "Mom?"

The woman turned and smiled at Sam, her brow furrowing when she saw her daughter's expression. "Hello, Samantha. What's wrong?"

"I-I... I..." Sam couldn't speak. She looked at Janet and saw understanding on her lover's face. "I... Mom..." Unable to stop herself, Sam collapsed against Janet.

---

"She's waking up." That was Jacob Carter (the non-infant).

"Get her some water." Colonel O'Neill. When had he arrived? No matter.

"Sam? Sweety?" Janet.

Sam reached out for the last speaker, closing her hand around the doctor's thumb. She managed to open her eyes and saw a worried circle of friends in her vision. "I fell down," she whispered.

Jacob chuckled. "Yeah. You did. How're you feeling, baby?"

She fought to sit up and felt Janet supporting her. She clung to the petite brunette like a life preserver, watching as the guests around her lurched like they were aboard a troubled vessel. "I'm good. Just a li'l exhausted."

"Geez, Doc," O'Neill said. "What'd you do to her last night?"

"HEY!" Jacob snapped. "Her father is sitting *right* here, O'Neill."

The colonel muttered an apology and Sam found a smile. "Dad, help me up." He took one hand while Janet took the other. While unconscious, someone had put a wad of jacket under her head to serve as a pillow and Janet's sweater was draped over her chest. Sam handed the sweater back to her lover, aware that the brunette's upper body was currently clad in nothing more than a thin white t-shirt.

As Janet worked her way back into the sweater, Jacob handed Sam a glass of water. She sipped it and, through the chill it brought, realized something. What if the fall had taken her out of the perfect world she had just been in? "Where," she scanned the crowd. "Where's..."

"I have Jacob, don't worry," a female voice said. Sam turned and saw her mother - her LIVING mother! - cradling Jacob to her breast, worried lines marking her face. "Sam, what was that? Are you sure you're okay?"

Sam nodded, unable to stop a fresh flow of tears from falling. "Mom... c-can I talk to you in private?"

Janet approached the elder Carter and took the baby from her. "I'll be in the living room," she said. Jacob, Jack O'Neill and Sarah O'Neill (who had, apparently, never separated in this reality) followed her through the door, leaving mother and daughter alone. Sam just stared at her mother, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. "Mom," she whispered in awe.

"Sam," Melanie grinned, mocking her daughter's awed tone. "What's gotten into you today?"

Melanie Carter had died in a car accident when Sam was fourteen. At the time of her death, she had still been a young woman. The woman standing before Sam now had aged considerably, which was to be expected. Life tended to go on... Lines marked her eyes and the corners of her mouth and her once blonde hair had gone gray. But she was still the most beautiful person Sam had ever seen.

She brushed a tear away and approached her mother, resting her hands on her shoulders. "Mom... what if I told you something... so unbelievable... so miraculous..." She closed her eyes, trying to speak through her tears. "You wouldn't believe me. But I want you... to know... that you being here means so, so much to me. I love you, Mom." She collapsed in tears, embracing her mother tightly. She grabbed handfuls of the older woman's sweater, as if letting go would make this dream end.

Melanie patted Sam's hair gently, then whispered, "Is it Janet?"

"What?"

"Are you... unhappy? You seem so good together."

Sam managed a chuckle and pulled back. "No, Mom. Janet and I are... spectacular." She brushed some hair from her mother's eyes and said, "Wanna go see Jacob and Cassie?"

"YES!" Melanie said, eyebrows shooting up. "As long as you're okay."

"I'm amazing, Mom. I just... was overwhelmed when I saw you were here."

Melanie looped an arm around Sam's waist and said, "WELL. In that case, I'll make it a point to stop by more often. I couldn't *buy* that kind of a welcome." She pecked Sam on the cheek and they went into the living room together.

Janet was sitting in her favorite armchair (which, apparently, was part of the perfect world) with Jacob playing in her lap. Sam reluctantly released her mother and curled up, squeezing in next to Janet and offering her hand for the baby to play with. Leaning over, Janet whispered, "Your mom."

"I know," she smiled, pressing her lips to Janet's ear. Janet rubbed Sam's thigh as the blonde scanned the room.

Jack and Sarah O'Neill sat on the couch, both of them holding large gifts they hadn't opened yet. Jack was too busy talking with Jacob about some game or another and Sarah was finishing off a piece of coffee cake. She waved when she saw Sam looking at her and the blonde returned it. 'I guess we're friendly in this world...' Cassandra was sitting on the edge of the fireplace with an opened jigsaw puzzle, working on it with a boy that Sam didn't recognize...

Charlie. Sam couldn't hide her gasp when she realized that Cassie was playing with O'Neill's deceased son. Janet tightened her hold on Sam's hand and leaned in again. "I know. They're in such puppy love. It's so cute..." She grinned. "They're about the same age, even. Convenient, eh?"

Sam nodded and continued her search. "Who else is coming?"

"I don't know. From the presents under the tree, I'd say at least three more people. But--"

The doorbell interrupted her and Sam squirmed out of her small seat, heading for the front door. The bell rang again as she pulled the door open... and stared slack-jawed at who was on the doorstep.

"Hey, Sam," Daniel Jackson said, smiling broadly. Surrounded by the white expanse of snow that covered Janet's street (and, presumably all of Colorado Springs), he still looked like the glowing presence that she had last seen him as. He was carrying a huge Dillard's bag that was filled with wrapped presents. Snow was falling all around him, fogging his glasses. After a few seconds, he shrugged and said, "You... planning to invite us in?"

"Oh." She stepped aside. "Yeah, sure, come on--" Wait. Us? He stepped inside, stomping his feet on the entry mat to rid his boots of snow. Sam leaned out the door and saw someone in the car, pulling out more presents and stacking them in her arms. Though her face was obscured by a scarf, Sam knew exactly who it was. "Sha're."

Daniel looked up, then followed Sam's gaze. "Yeah. You'd think she would be used to snow by now, but..."

She turned and grabbed Daniel's leather jacket, as if to make sure he was real. He *had* ascended, hadn't he? And those people... those glowing people... had special powers, right? She leaned in and whispered, "Daniel? Did you do this?"

He frowned, looking into the house. "Do... what? Did Jack pull something?"

Sha're joined them in the doorway, shaking herself free of snowflakes. She was carrying a bag as large as Daniel's but hers was only half as full. Her hair, which had been long and curled when Sam knew her, had been cut and styled into an attractive bob. She smiled at Sam and excused herself as she ducked into the living room. "No," Sam said, watching Sha're disappear through the door. "Jack didn't do anything."

He shrugged, then asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Let me help you with your gifts."

---

Janet looked up as Daniel walked in, her jaw beginning a slow descent to the floor. Sam returned to her small space on the chair and kissed Janet softly to cover her gaping expression. Huddled again, Janet whispered, "He's here! And Sha're is alive!"

"And our biological daughter Cassie is dating Colonel O'Neill's dead son. This is a weird place, but it's growing on me."

Daniel was distributing gifts to the O'Neill family (what an odd concept) and Sha're was kneeling next to Cassie and Charlie. She helped them a little with their puzzle, then turned and waved at Sam and Janet. The women returned the wave, then Janet gasped. Another brief moment of clarity had been visited upon her. She pressed her lips to Sam's ear and said, "She goes by Shari when she's on Earth. She and Daniel have been legally married for five years. She works in the infirmary as a nurse..." She closed her eyes. "I just... all of a sudden... *knew* that."

Sam shrugged. "I get those flashes, too..."

Janet scanned the room, then realized something. "Oh." When Sam turned to look at her, Janet spoke in a stage-whisper. "I'm a little parched. Want to go get something to drink?"

"Sure," Sam said, standing up. Janet handed Jacob to Sarah and she followed Sam into the kitchen. Alone again, Janet said, "Teal'c and Jonas won't be here."

"How do you know?"

Janet sighed. "Why did Teal'c join us?"

Sam shrugged. "Well... he was in service to a false god. Enslaved... to do..." She closed her eyes. "In a perfect world, there would be no slavery and there would be no evil Goa'ulds running around." She made the next logical leap on her own. "And Jonas came over to our side because his world was creating a naquadriah weapon and had caused Daniel to be exposed to a lethal dose of radiation."

"Which obviously never happened."

"A perfect world without two of our friends. I guess... nothing can ever be completely perfect, huh?"

Janet shrugged. "Well... I know *one* thing that's perfect." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sam softly, the kiss quickly evolving into an all-out war between lips and tongues.

As Sam's hands slipped under Janet's sweater, Jack O'Neill said, "Ah, gotcha!" They broke apart as O'Neill called into the living room, "You owe me ten bucks, Jackson! It *was* a cover." He waggled his empty punch glass at them as he passed them, opening the fridge and looking inside. "Sorry to break it up, ladies. Feel free to pretend I'm not here."

Sam smirked, then realized she and Janet were in a loving embrace in Colonel O'Neill's presence. She tightened her grip on the brunette and pressed her lips to the doctor's forehead. "Why's that? You like to watch, Sir?"

Janet could barely contain her chuckle. "Gets his jollies watching his friends make-out. Sicko."

"Pervert," Sam added.

O'Neill popped a beer can, pouring it over the ice in his glass. "Never claimed to be otherwise, ladies. Carter, I think your hands were on the doc's butt. Doc, I believe your tongue was in Carter's mouth. Proceed."

Sam laughed and pushed Janet towards the door. "You are depraved."

He held his hands out palm up and said, "C'mon, how long have you known me?"

---

Cassandra got a chemistry set and a handful of DVDs she had been asking for. As Sam watched the girl unwrap these gifts, she keenly recalled shopping for, purchasing and wrapping the gifts. What frightened her was she didn't know if she had bought them for *this* Cassandra or for the seventeen-year-old version they'd been raising yesterday. Janet had bought Jack a CD of 30 #1 Elvis Hits (Sam checked the back and saw that 'Blue Christmas' and 'Viva Las Vegas' were on this version and deduced that it *was* a perfect world). Melanie got a scrapbook of Sam and Janet, with pictures added of Jacob the second and Cassandra.

Sam took the scrapbook from her mother and held it in her lap so Janet could also see it. There were loads of pictures in the book, at least thirty pages worth. Janet paused on the pictures showing Sam right after Jacob's birth and couldn't hide her tears. Melanie saw Janet crying and excused herself, brought to tears of her own by this display of affection. Sam smiled and brushed her mother's hand as she left the room.

Cassandra and Charlie went outside to make snowmen and snow angels. Jack and Sarah followed them to 'chaperon.' Daniel was fully engrossed with the encyclopedias that Janet had gotten him and Sha're (or Shari, as everyone seemed to be calling her) fell asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sam and Janet were content to continue thumbing through photos of forgotten moments when Melanie called from the kitchen, "When is the turkey getting here?"

"Jack showed up, like, two hours ago," Daniel called back. Sha're woke up long enough to slug him for that. "Shouldn't be long. Maybe they're caught in traffic or something."

Janet frowned. They? She scanned the living room, trying to figure out who was missing. They had called General Hammond and he was entertaining at his home with his granddaughters and his wife. Teal'c and Jonas wouldn't be on Earth... Who else was missing? Kawalsky? Feretti? Janet glanced at Sam, seeing the same questions written on her face, and decided to focus on the pictures.

Janet holding baby Cassandra and crying into the camera. Sam and Janet holding hands in front of a lake while their family and friends looked on. Cassandra taking shaky first steps while Sam loomed in the background with what appeared to be a video camera. Sam asleep on the couch with Cassandra laying on her chest. "I don't want to give this back to your mom," Janet admitted.

Sam smiled and said, "I know the feeling."

A loud banging rose from the front hall. Melanie entered from the kitchen, waving at Sam and Janet to stay seated as she trotted to the hallway. A few seconds later, the mystery guests were let in and Sam heard them banging their boots against the welcome mat. "There's more in the car," one said.

Janet craned her neck, looking as best she could to the front door. She *had* heard correctly. "Teal'c!" she said, eyes widening as she saw the Jaffa was indeed the bringer of the turkey. She and Sam both stood and went down the hall to greet him. He smiled and offered a bow as he handed the turkey (which was still in a blue and white cooking pan) to Melanie. Behind him, Jonas entered from the porch, his face obscured by a parka hood, goggles and a scarf. But it was him.

The Kelownan carried a large plate of what might have been stuffing with one hand, cradling a plastic-covered bowl of peas with the other. Teal'c helped him with his burden and he turned and disappeared outside once again. Janet smiled. "You're the bringer of our dinner, I assume?"

"It would seem so," Teal'c said, bending down to kiss her cheek. "How are you today, Janet?"

She blinked, a bit shocked by the way he spoke. Not altogether different, but... not the same either. "I'm fine, Teal'c. Just fine."

"Samantha," he said, kissing his teammate. "And Jacob?"

Sam indicated over her shoulder. "One Jacob got sleepy and the other Jacob took him up for a nap. I think they both ended up asleep, though." She chuckled and took the plates from him. "C'mon in. Have a seat. Open presents."

Teal'c slapped his hands together and, in an expressly non-Teal'c-like voice said, "Ahh, presents!" He brushed past them, going into the living room where his gifts awaited. Jonas returned, this time carrying bags of gifts. "Janet. Sam."

"Hey, Jonas," Janet said. "Anything left in the car that we can help you with?"

"Not a thing," he smiled. Jonas smiling. Some things never change. "I think I heard you say something about... presents?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Janet said, "Come on, I'll show you. Sam, can you handle things in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, sure. G'head and open presents. Keep your mitts off mine, though." She kissed Janet softly and whispered, "Love you."

"Love you, too," Janet replied. "Notice how mushy we are today?"

Sam shrugged, backing towards the kitchen. "We're not *too* mushy. I'd say our level of mushiness is... uh... perfect."

"Perfect," Janet repeated, rolling her eyes as she fell into step behind the retreating blonde.

Wednesday, December 25, 2002. 8:27pm

In a development Janet could never have forseen, Teal'c was an amazing cook. The Teal'c she had known yesterday had lived most of his Earth-based life in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain, depending on cooks and servers to provide him with meals. Whenever he went out, whether to restaurants or to someone's house, they were always the ones making dinner. Janet made a point to compliment him on everything she tasted; the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the cornbread, everything was simply devine.

Charlie and Cassandra, being the only two children present, were allowed to sit at the table with the rest of the adults. Jack O'Neill, however, received several threats promising that he would sit alone at the children's table without too much provocation. Promising to behave, O'Neill settled in with Sarah on one side and Daniel on the other. Jacob came downstairs, vehemently denying that he had fallen asleep (despite his two-and-a-half hour absence) and sat between Melanie and Sam at the table. Sam was sitting on the corner, with Janet at the head (after all, it *was* her house!). The two women occasionally clasped hands under the table, smiling at each other over their meal.

The kids flanked the end of the table opposite Janet's seat. Teal'c sat between them, as he was apparently their favorite uncle. To Sam and Janet's surprise, he actually told jokes and laughed with them as they ate.

After dinner was finished and the dishes disposed in the sink until tomorrow, they retired to the living room in time to find an uninvited guest had snuck in. He stood next to the tree, kneeling down and rummaging in his bag as if taking inventory. Sam grabbed a handful of the intruder's red felt jacket and said, "Stop right there, you thief!"

Santa Claus rose, lifting his green mittens in surrender. "I give! I give!" he said, his jolly voice noticeably twinged with a Texan accent. "I'm sorry, but I actually got a little behind this year, you know. Thought I could sneak in a few presents before y'all got done eating." He smiled at Cassandra and Charlie, both of whom were just slightly young enough to wonder if this presentation was for real. "Now... I believe there's a brand-new fella around here that I have yet to meet. Where could I find Jacob Fraiser?"

"I'll get him," Janet said, brushing Sam's arm as she passed. Sam smiled and looked once more at General Hamm... I mean, Santa. "What kept you so long?"

He shrugged, "You know how it is with reindeer, my dear. Two houses and then a stop for a potty break. Two houses, then stop for a potty break."

Charlie giggled. Jack said, "Yeah, Santa. *ALL* those breaks were for the reindeer."

Santa glared at the colonel. "Santa's good friends with the man who makes your schedule, O'Neill."

Jack rolled his eyes and smiled at his wife. "I can't win tonight."

Sam returned with their bundle of joy, handing him over to the man in the red suit. "Ooh, my," Santa whispered, looking down at him. "He is a cute one. Hello, little Jacob. Santa brought you some presents... want to see some of 'em?" He knelt down and Daniel opened the bag to reveal what lay inside. "I got you a baseball glove, for when you're a little older. And here's a nice stuffed turtle." He handed the animal to Jacob, who snatched it away and stared at it with awestruck blue eyes.

When Santa rose again, handing Jacob back to Sam, Janet leaned in and pecked him through his scratchy beard. "Thank you, Santa."

"Any time," he said, his voice a whisper. "Now... would one of you beautiful ladies care to escort me to my transportation?" He extended a hand to Cassie. "For instance, the most beautiful woman here?"

Cassandra took his hand and asked, a bit skeptical, "Your reindeer are outside?"

He glanced at Sam. "Oh, they got a little tired after running all over last night. I had to borrow someone's truck. I hope you're not disappointed."

She shrugged and shook her head that she wasn't. Janet excused herself and followed them to the door. Santa kissed the top of Cassandra's head and the girl went back inside to see what he had left for her. Alone, Janet smiled at her CO. "You did *not* have to do that."

"I know, I know. I could've let Jack do it, but I couldn't stop seeing him asking you and Major Carter to sit on his lap." He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Take care of your family, doctor. I'll see you on the 28th?"

She nodded. "Okay. Kiss your family for me."

He wished her good-bye, walking through the snow to his reindeer-free transport and climbing into the heated interior. The real Santa was a fool if he was still flying around in an open-air sleigh... Janet waved again before closing the door and returning to her party. Jack was distributing the latest flow of gifts while everyone else began the task of unwrapping them. Teal'c and Jonas stood at Janet's CD player, examining her Christmas selection.

After watching for a moment, Janet turned away and went upstairs to find where Sam had disappeared to.

---

"You're missing the party," Janet said, walking to Sam's rocking chair.

She had removed her sweater to reveal the buttoned blouse. The buttons were half-way undone and Jacob was nestled against her breast, suckling hungrily. "His tummy was grumbling," she said softly, stroking his cheek as he sucked. Janet put a hand on top of Sam's head and knelt next to the rocking chair, watching. "Did you thank General Hammond?"

Janet nodded.

Sam returned her gaze to the baby. "I can't believe all of this. I can't believe today... Mom. Charlie. Cass. Most importantly," she indicated her arms. "And one thing that didn't change." She smiled at Janet, eyes sparkling with tears. "This is a perfect world and we're... you and I... we're still..."

"That realization wasn't lost on me, either," Janet admitted, smiling back. "Quite an endorsement for our relationship, wouldn't you say?"

"The best." Sam looked down. "I'm just... so scared that..." She closed her eyes. "I keep waiting for it to end."

"I know, sweetheart," Janet whispered. "I guess we just... enjoy it until it does end. *If* it has to end. This could be permanent, you know."

Sam looked up, meeting Janet's gaze again. "You think?"

Janet shrugged. "Who knows? It's not like there's any way to tell if this has happened before. What if... someone wished over a broken ornament in 1969 that man would walk on the moon? Or-or what if Catherine Langford wished over a broken ornament that someone, somewhere would solve the Gate? It's... impossible to tell when the world has been changed." Suddenly, Sam laughed. Janet furrowed her brow, but didn't lose her smile. "What?" she asked.

"I was just... I was thinking about that Simpson's episode where Homer went back in time. He-he stepped on some bug or something and when he went back to his own time, Flanders was the ruler of the world." She laughed, then explained, "And none of the rest of the Simpsons knew anything had changed."

"Ah," Janet said. "The woman *does* have a point."

Sam stroked Jacob's hair and blinked away her tears. Finally, she said, "I hope someday, if everything *does* go back to normal, I hope we're able to celebrate with our friends like this."

"Me too," Janet whispered. Jacob pulled back, smacking his lips. Janet laughed and said, "He gets that from you."

Sam pulled Janet in for a kiss. When they pulled away, the blonde smacked her lips and said, "Yummy." She adjusted the baby and rested him against her shoulder, gently tapping him between his shoulder blades. Janet watched as Sam burped their child, then helped her put him back in his crib. As Sam tucked the blankets around his tiny body, she whispered, "19 days."

"Hm?"

"Nineteen days," Sam whispered. "He was born on December 7. He's not even three weeks old yet, Janet."

The doctor moved back and ran her hands down Sam's stomach. "You are in incredible shape."

"That's just it." Sam's voice didn't raise out of a whisper, as if she were afraid too much noise would shatter this reality. "I didn't give birth to Jacob. The woman, this universe's Samantha Carter had your baby. This universe's Janet Fraiser sired it. We don't belong here."

Janet looked down at the baby. "You think... that... we displaced the Sam and Janet that deserve this reality? You don't think *we* deserve it?"

Sam took a shaky breath. "I don't know."

Janet pulled Sam to her and kissed her softly, letting her lips and tongue do the convincing. Finally, she pulled back and brushed her thumb over the blonde's bottom lip. "The Sam and Janet in this reality... they're us. We're them. But... if this *is* just a one-day thing..." She shrugged. "We'll always have Colorado Springs."

Sam smiled. "You always make me smile," she said. "How do you do that?"

"I'm extremely talented and you find me utterly irresistable."

Jacob sneezed. Sam laughed and motioned at him. "What he said."

---

"Okay, folks, you don't have to go home, but you can*not* stay here." Janet waved towards the front door. "We have kids to put to bed and wrapping paper to clean up and if you're not helping you're in the way."

Jack helped Sarah into her coat and said, "Sheesh, you could've just asked us to please leave."

"I tried that," Janet said. "Around ten o'clock."

Jack smiled and kissed her cheek. "See ya, Doc. See you, Carter. Say g'night to Cass for me."

Daniel was next in the procession, struggling with the zipper of his parka. "Hey, Sam. Janet." He tried again to snag it, but the pull kept snagging on cloth. "I, uh, I... it was a great party. I cleaned up most of the stuff on the couch, but, uh..."

"We'll get the rest," Sam assured him. "Thanks, Daniel." She kissed him on the cheek, then said, "It was really great seeing you tonight."

He smiled, a bit confused by what she had said. Sha're came up behind him, rolled her eyes and brushed his hands away from the zipper. With one deft movement, she grabbed the pull and yanked it up. To Janet, she said, "He lives with them all his life. I master them in five years."

"It's not entirely his fault," Janet said. "It's buttons' fault. And Velcro is to blame for his untied shoes."

Daniel rolled his eyes and ushered his wife into the blizzard, thanking the ladies again for the party. Teal'c and Jonas, who were apparently joined at the hip in this reality, left next. Teal'c said good-bye to Janet, and Jonas to Sam, then they switched. Finally, Sam closed the door and went back into the living room. Janet rubbed her forehead, sweeping her hand around to the base of her skull as she watched Jacob and Melanie pull the couch out. "You guys, we really don't mind the couch. We insist you take the bed."

"Non and sense," Jacob said. "What kind of man kicks his daughter out of bed on Christmas?" He screwed his face up and said, "That came out very, very wrong."

Melanie laughed and said, "You girls take the bed. It's closer to your son anyway."

Sam walked to the bed and hugged her mother, kissing her cheek and rubbing her back before pulling away. "I'm glad you're staying tonight, Mom. It... just means so much to me that you're here."

"Honey," she smiled. "I was just here for Thanksgiving. I kind of thought you got sick of us that weekend."

"Never," Sam admitted. "See you in the morning?"

Jacob kicked off his sandals. "Definitely. I'll be cooking my ever-famous choco-chip pancakes and bacon strips."

"He means 'infamous,'" Melanie clarified. "Have a nice night, Sam. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom. Love you, Dad."

"Love you, kiddo."

Janet laced her fingers with Sam's and led her upstairs. They lay together in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling as they waited for sleep to come to them. Finally, Sam asked, "When do you think it'll happen? I-If it does happen, I mean."

"I don't know. I think... maybe when we're asleep."

Sam scoffed. "Like I'm supposed to fall asleep." She exhaled slowly. "Okay. Okay, we just need to close our eyes and stop talking and it'll happen eventually, right? And when we wake up... we'll find out if this is permanent or just a silly dream."

"Not silly," Janet clarified. "Not silly at all." She yawned, then said, "Come 'ere." Sam curled against Janet's side, closing her eyes as Janet threaded her hair. "We'll just have to wait until we get too tired to keep our eyes open."

"Yeah," Sam whispered. "Shouldn't take too long."

Ten minutes later, both women were already snoring softly.

Thursday, December 26, 2002. 7:08am.

Sam woke first. Instead of looking around, investigating or doing anything to reveal if their perfect world still existed, she just stared at the woman in front of her. Janet's eyelids danced with her dreams, her lower lip occasionally trembling or pulling away from her top lip to murmur quietly. Finally, Sam pressed her lips to Janet's closed eye and felt the eyelashes flutter against her chin. Janet sat up slowly, looking at Sam but nothing else. "Hi," the brunette whispered. "Have you--"

"No," Sam said. "I wanted us to find out together." She took Janet's hand and squeezed. "How do we find out if it was real or not?"

"Jacob. He'll be at the foot of the bed if it was real."

Sam suddenly realized what Janet was saying and smiled. "It *was* real. You remember it, I remember it, so... it was real."

"I guess it was," Janet said, face flushed with excitement. "So... the question remains... are we still there?"

"One way to find out. On three?"

Janet nodded. "One."

"Two," Sam provided.

Together, they said, "Three," and turned their heads to look at the foot of their bed.

End