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Title: Merry Christmas Fandom: Stargate Atlantis Pairing: John/Elizabeth, with hints of Ronon/Teyla and Ford/Other ;) Rating: PG Spoilers: General knowledge of season 2 Season: 2i -- my imaginary season 2 in which Ford's storyline didn't happen. Word count: 3,168 Author's note: I wanted desperately to finish this for Christmas, I succeeded! :D And it happens to fit the fanfic100 prompt of "Christmas" (fancy that). For Cathey. ;) Thanks to her and Megan for the read-through! I hope everyone has very very happy (and safe) holidays! Their first year in Atlantis, Christmas had come while they were still reeling from the combined blows of the hurricane and the Genii attack. Everyone threw themselves into the holidays with a zeal bordering on mania, full of the knowledge that everything could have been lost. The party that resulted was talked about for months, as the addition of alcohol and dancing to the mix had made even the quietest people go a little wild. John Sheppard hadn’t participated in the revelry that year. He’d volunteered instead to ferry people back and forth from the mainland, which meant that even when he was in the city, he couldn’t drink. Which was, in his opinion, all for the best. He was still recovering from recent events, maybe more than anyone else, and he knew that if he touched a drink, one of two things would happen: he’d spend the night dwelling on the sheer number of men and women he’d killed that day, or he’d corner Elizabeth and express just how very happy he was that she was alive. Abstaining seemed like the only choice that didn’t involve completely embarrassing himself. This year, though, there was no such problem. He had no intention to forgo the party, and every intention of enjoying himself. The common area of the city was decked out in holiday spirit – all the relevant holidays, not just Christmas. Boughs of holly (or something resembling it), tinsel of every color, and little cardboard menorahs adorned the walls, while wreaths hung from every closed door. Garland was wrapped around chair bases, desk legs, columns, railings… pretty much anything that it could be wrapped around. John was a little worried, entering the control room, that the Stargate would be so attired, but fortunately it was bare. He stepped across the bridge to Elizabeth’s office and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe. “Hey.” She was seated at the desk, as usual, tapping at something on her tablet. She glanced up, flashing him a warm smile. “Hey.” “Going to the party?” He tried for a casual tone – it was no big deal if she went or not, he told himself, but he hoped she was going. She didn’t let her hair down often enough, in his opinion. “Mmhm.” A hint of a smile danced on her lips. “Are you here to be my escort?” “Well, I am going in that direction,” he said off-handedly. Her smile widened. “Well, just let me finish…” She looked down, signed her name and set the tablet aside. “Done,” she declared, sounding satisfied. Rising, she gave him a mischievous little grin. “Let’s go have fun.” John felt his own smile turn roguish. “Let’s.” He stepped aside to let her precede him out of the room. Entirely because he was a gentleman, of course. It was just a happy coincidence that it gave him a chance to admire her without being terribly obvious. She was wearing a dressier version of her everyday outfit – black, slinky-looking pants, instead of the usual grey, and a long-sleeved red top that hugged her in all the right places. Still professional, but definitely sexy. She turned her head and arched an eyebrow at him. Not wanting to be caught staring – though he had the feeling she knew that that’s exactly what he’d been doing – he said the first thing that came to mind. “Nice decorations.” He silently cursed himself as the other eyebrow went up. Well, that came out wrong. He waved a hand, trying to indicate the garland, tinsel, etc, that surrounded them. “Mm.” She let him have the out, though her smirk lingered. “It was Lieutenant Ford’s idea, actually.” “Ford? Really?” They’d waved to the folks manning the control room and were walking through the hallway towards the ballroom where the party was taking place. Elizabeth nodded, reaching up to touch one of the strands of garland as they passed. “He seemed eager to do it, so I let him. I think he’s trying to impress a girl,” she confided with suppressed amusement. John grinned. “That little engineer, I bet. Cathey. He talks about her a lot.” “Well, I wish him luck,” Elizabeth said with a smile. They reached the ballroom and stepped through the double doors. The room was at least as big as the jumper bay, and currently it was stuffed nearly to capacity with people, food, and decorations. The latter were much the same as those through the rest of the populated areas of the city, though with the addition of brightly colored streamers some brave souls had strung from the 20’ high ceiling. There was also a large Christmas tree in one corner of the room, which surprised John until he realized that someone must have requested an artificial tree be brought back from Earth. They hadn’t seen any similar trees so far in the Pegasus galaxy, and there was no way Caldwell would have let someone bring – and tend – a massive live Christmas tree on the Daedalus all the way back to Atlantis. In fact, the Daedalus was probably to thank for most of the decorations, plus much of the food. Not to mention the people – while the initial expedition to Atlantis had been fairly large, contact with Earth meant that even more people could come. And come they had, in numbers apparently larger than John had thought. “Do all these people really live in Atlantis?” he muttered to Elizabeth. She smiled up at him, quirking an eyebrow. “Some are from the Daedalus and some are Athosian, but other than that, yes.” He nodded, looking around. “Nice to see everyone getting along,” he remarked. Not much mingling was going on yet, but he guessed that as the night went on, that would change. They were quickly accosted by a group of scientists intent on embroiling Elizabeth in their current argument over whose project was more ground-breaking. Not John’s idea of party talk, but Elizabeth didn’t seem to mind. She smiled and nodded, interjecting appropriate comments here and there. Seeing that she was in her element, John didn’t feel guilty excusing himself when he got a wave from a knot of Marines standing nearby. The talk there was better – swapping tales of Christmases in the field. Conversations like that tended to turn maudlin, calling up the memory (and reality) of being away from home, so when that threatened, the group broke up, with a couple of the guys leaving in search of dance partners. Elizabeth was nowhere in John’s line of sight – the room was too crowded to see everywhere at once – so he took the opportunity to head off in search of refreshments. He found a table with eggnog and served himself a cup, then glanced around again, this time spotting Elizabeth. She was chatting with a group of Athosians nearby, so he headed that direction. He was halfway there when a young voice called out, “Sheppard!” He turned around. “Jinto!” The young Athosian boy was surrounded by other children, all of whom were grinning up at John. “Kids! I didn’t realize you were here this year.” Jinto nodded eagerly. “When my father told me about the party last year, I begged him to let me come.” “We all did,” piped up a little girl beside him. Jinto nodded. “And it’s great! Though I don’t really know what we’re celebrating.” John grinned. “Well, then I’ll just have to fill you in.” He spotted a few chairs lining the wall and gestured for the kids to follow him. He was well into the story of Christmas when he noticed Teyla and Ford standing nearby, listening. He enlisted the lieutenant’s help in fielding the barrage of questions that came after the story ended, then left him explaining Santa Claus while John and Teyla took their leave. “I had not heard the full story before,” Teyla remarked as they meandered through the room. “It is a fascinating tale. And you tell it well,” she added with an inclination of her head. “Well, thank you,” John replied, feeling faintly smug. “I’m always glad to spread intercultural understanding.” “Of course.” Her suppressed smile suggested she doubted that very much. John affected hurt. “Hey, I might not be the world’s best diplomat, but I’m pretty good at the personal stuff. Like dancing, for instance.” They’d reached the dance floor, and he held out an arm to her. “Ever dance with an Earth man before?” It sounded so much like a pick-up line that he suddenly wondered just how strong that eggnog he’d drank had been. Fortunately, if Teyla interpreted it that way, she kept it to herself. She smiled warmly at him and placed a hand on his arm. “I have, but I am certain you will be a much more talented partner.” He gave her a look and she laughed at him as she followed him onto the floor. Either she’d had an excellent teacher before or she just had natural talent. Either way, the woman knew how to move. John felt a lot of eyes on them as they danced. He couldn’t blame them for watching her. She was wearing an Athosian outfit consisting of a long, slit skirt and a midriff-baring top, both dyed a deep red. It was an outfit guaranteed to turn heads. Of course, John looked pretty good, too, if he did say so himself. He was wearing black pants, nicer than the ones that were part of the uniform – more comfortable, too, actually – and a long-sleeved, open-collared black knit shirt. All black was a little severe for Christmas, but he liked it, so he wasn’t sure he cared. Plus, he’d been told by enough women that he looked good in black, so he’d gone with it. He was glad he’d done so, since he was surrounded by so many good-looking women. Many of whom were eying him now, though not as many as were watching Teyla with unconcealed envy. Someone else who was watching caught John’s eye, and he suppressed a smile. Leaning close to Teyla’s ear, he murmured, “Ronon looks ready to throttle me.” Teyla smiled. “He will learn,” she said enigmatically. When the song ended, he relinquished her to Major Lorne, who swept her away with a grin. Ronon’s glower discouraged conversation, so John headed for the food table. Not surprisingly, McKay was standing there, plate of goodies in his hand. “This food is delicious,” Rodney mumbled by way of greeting. “And merry Christmas to you, too, Rodney.” John smirked at him, snagging a cracker with some sort of spread from the table. McKay swallowed and nodded. “Merry Christmas. Enjoying the party?” “I am.” John filled a cup with eggnog and sipped it. “Good. So am I, surprisingly. I don’t tend to like parties, as a general rule. Holidays, either, for that matter. I suppose it’s because I never had anyone to really share them with.” He had that little smile that was almost a grimace, the one he always got when he talked about his social life (or lack thereof). He wanted people to think he was okay, but he was no good at hiding the hurt of it. John hated to see that look. “Well, you’re among friends now,” he said, raising his glass to him, “and believe me when I say, it wouldn’t be the same without you.” Rodney was flattered and flustered. “Well. Um. Thank you, Colonel. And… likewise.” John nodded nonchalantly, sipping at his eggnog. He was saved having to find a verbal response by the appearance of Dr. Zelenka, who wanted McKay to help him berate some young and foolhardy scientist. McKay was never one to pass up an opportunity like that, so he followed the Czech off with the briefest of “good nights” to John. The colonel watched him go with amusement, then glanced around the room. Elizabeth was nearby talking to Caldwell, so John grabbed another cup of eggnog and headed their way. Caldwell spotted him first. “Colonel Sheppard. Merry Christmas.” “Merry Christmas.” John nodded to Caldwell, then offered the second cup of eggnog to Elizabeth, who accepted with a surprised smile. “I was just thanking the colonel for bringing the food and decorations,” she said after taking a sip of her drink. John added his thanks. “Especially the tree – it just wouldn’t be Christmas without it.” “Well, I’m glad to provide,” Caldwell said graciously. “I hope we’re not taking you away from family,” Elizabeth said, brow creased. Caldwell shook his head shortly. “No, not me. I’d probably be with my parents if I was on Earth, but they’re both ex-military, so they know the life. As for my crew, I let as many as I could spare stay back this time, if they wanted to. This trip was seen as something of a milk run, though obviously we don’t relax any time we’re making the journey. There’s always too much that could go wrong.” John nodded. “All the more reason to enjoy the holidays, I think,” he said, gesturing to the room with his glass. “Absolutely.” Caldwell’s eyes roamed the crowd. “And in that spirit, I think I’ll leave shortly. People tend to feel more free to enjoy themselves without their bosses around.” The last he directed at John. The younger man nodded, privately surprised at the friendliness of the comment. In the past, it would have been phrased as, or at least toned as, an order. John wasn’t sure if this was a new leaf for the colonel, or if it was just the influence of the relaxed atmosphere. Time would tell, he thought. Elizabeth had agreed with Caldwell’s comment and the two exchanged a few more words while John ruminated. As he pulled himself back to the conversation, Caldwell was making his farewells, and John and Elizabeth were shortly alone. “We should probably leave soon, too,” she commented, gazing around. “Not that our being here is keeping people from relaxing entirely,” she said, smiling and nodding towards the dance floor, where Ford was dancing so close to a little brunette, John was surprised they could breathe. “Looks like he got what he wanted,” John said, watching with amusement as the girl stole a kiss. Elizabeth smiled, then laughed. “I think Teyla’s about to, too.” Teyla had been dancing with every man who asked, while Ronon looked on with an increasingly bad temper. Now, though, his scowl had been replaced by a somewhat perplexed look as he finally approached her himself. They talked for a moment, then she smiled and pulled him onto the dance floor. “Ronon, dancing,” Elizabeth said wonderingly. “I wouldn’t have thought.” “I’m not sure he’d appreciate it if we stayed to watch…” “Mm. True.” John had had just enough to drink that he reached out and took her hand, tugging gently on it. “C’mon. Let’s go.” She’d had enough that she laced her fingers through his. “Lead on,” she said with a soft smile. They wandered through the decorated hallways, which were blessedly quiet after the crowded ballroom. John felt tension in his shoulders seep away, tension he wasn’t even consciously aware of. He could handle large groups and big parties, but the press of people got to him after a while. This, being alone with Elizabeth in a quiet city, was much nicer. They walked in companionable silence for a while, clasped hands swinging between them. Elizabeth eventually started talking, not breaking the silence so much as adding to it. She told him about Christmases when she was home, about her parents and older brother and the cousins that came to visit, about the food and the decorations and the snow. John was content to listen to her soft voice, enjoying the glimpse into her history. She so rarely shared personal details with him. Neither of them said much, if he was honest. The here and now commanded so much of their attention that there wasn’t much time for reminiscing. That they had the opportunity now was a blessing. They completed a circuit and found themselves back in the hallway towards the control room. John was reluctant to end their time alone, a sentiment Elizabeth seemed to share. She twitched their linked hands to get his attention, indicating the door to the balcony with a questioning look. John smiled and nodded his agreement. The air that greeted them when she opened the door was cool but not cold – it was about mid-fall in Atlantis, though even winter was mild compared to the ones John remembered from his childhood. Elizabeth slid her fingers from his and preceded him outside. John paused in the doorway, watching her. Beyond the balcony railing were moonlit towers, and beyond that, nothing but ocean and the star-dusted sky. All he could see was Elizabeth, the city, and the sky, and if they weren’t hers already, he would have given them to her in a heartbeat. The Pegasus galaxy as a Christmas present. He’d have to get rid of the Wraith first, he thought, smiling to himself. She turned her head and caught his gaze. He didn’t know what she could see in his expression, but she turned fully to face him with a smile that was almost shy. Then her eyes slid upwards and her expression changed. One eyebrow arched, prompting John to wonder what he’d done wrong. He looked up, following her gaze. Directly above his head hung a sprig of mistletoe. John straightened self-consciously, licking his lips. He hadn’t seen that there. Of course, there was no telling if Elizabeth would believe that. He met her eyes and offered a sheepish grin. The smile he got in return nearly knocked him off his feet. Open and sweet, with a side of sexy. He licked his lips again, unconsciously, his eyes riveted on her as she walked slowly towards him. She stopped just in front of him, still smiling, her gaze still locked onto his. Her left hand came up to lay on his cheek, and he bent his head, suddenly eager. She met him halfway, pressing her mouth to his, warm and soft. His hands found her waist and, meeting no resistance, slid around to hold her. They eventually broke the kiss, pulling apart by a matter of inches. He relished the feel of having her so close, of her arms around his neck, of her fingers twined through his hair. Holding her like this, he could feel the muscles in her back starting to tense – he guessed she’d started thinking about the possible consequences of what had just happened – so he bumped her nose with his. “Merry Christmas,” he murmured, unable to repress the goofy grin that had been threatening. She smiled in return, which had been his goal. “Merry Christmas,” she replied, laying her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on the top of her head and closed his eyes, knowing that this moment was the best Christmas present he’d had in a long, long time, and it would be one he would savor for years.