The Games People Play Chapter 31--A New Tradition
Title: A New Tradition
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU It seemed that while there were many shared elements involved in the celebration of Christmas, individual households developed their own unique traditions. Some of them were endearing, some intriguing, and some were simply odd.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1500 words
Category: Humor
Pairings/Characters: Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack, team friendship, the beginnings of Cam/Carolyn if you want to see it.
A/N: Part 31 of The Games People Play. The series follows current canon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. Takes place on Christmas Eve. Written for fic101. I'd also like to thank sweetiemissy, janetlin, and maevebran for sharing their family traditions with me to help make this fic possible. I wasn't able to use everyting, but I think you'll see bits from everyone. And yeah, Sam got the wreath of candles on her head. :P
A New Tradition
Since Vala couldn't be induced to sleep once she actually had the puppy, the whole team took part in setting up food and water dishes in the kitchen, then Jack rather pointedly introduced the dog to the copious amounts of newspaper that he had spread by the door. Once this was accomplished, the entire group made its way into the living room, with the puppy instantly attaching himself to Vala and scampering after her. When she slid onto the couch beside Daniel, her new friend jumped up on her leg, letting out a plaintive whine.
"Well, you know who your Mommy is already, don't you?" she grinned as she scooped him into her lap.
"Hey, Jackson," Cam laughed. "Does that make you DoggyDaddy?"
"I…don't think so," Daniel said slowly.
Vala, who was in the process of having her face washed by the over-excited puppy, turned to him with a delighted laugh. "Oh, Daniel, you're not jealous of this adorable little thing, are you?"
"No," he replied. "But I don't exactly think I'm ready for joint custody of a dog, either."
"Well, what are you planning to do with him if my father doesn't let Vala keep him on base?" Carolyn arched an eyebrow.
"That's…a very good question," Daniel bit his lip.
"What?" Vala's eyes widened. "Oh, Daniel, how could you give him to me without clearing it with General Landry?"
"Vala, if worse came to worst, I did plan on keeping him at my apartment," Daniel promised, then his brow furrowed as he watched the two of them. "I was just hoping that we wouldn't have to go that route."
"Well, me too," she said with a pout, hugging the puppy against her chest.
"DoggyDaddy," declared Cam.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
"Oh, come on you guys, cut it out," Sam laughed. "Hey, Vala, what are you going to name him?"
Vala looked up at her friend in surprise. Then she gave the puppy a long, speculative look. "That is a very good question. What do you think, boy?"
His response was a playful yip and another round of licking. Vala laughed and pulled her face back, holding him in front of her. He stretched his head forward, touching his wet little nose against hers, and she grinned again.
"Yes, you and I are going to get along famously, aren't we? But we do have to name you," she said mock-sternly.
"Snoopy seems apt," Jack spoke up with a cynical half-smile.
"Snoopy is entirely too obvious for a beagle," Vala shook her head.
"I believe he should be called Spike," remarked Teal'c gravely.
"That's it! Snoopy's brother! Muscles, you're brilliant!" Vala nodded eagerly. The Jaffa inclined his head in acknowledgement, the faintest trace of a smile touching his lips. Vala turned the wriggling puppy in her hands, presenting him to the rest of the team. "Everyone, meet Spike. SG-1's new mascot!"
"He's gonna need team badges," Cam said.
"Oh, and a cute little vest," Vala added.
"I think you can find something like that at PETCO," Sam spoke up.
"C'mon, Carter," Jack sighed. "Don't encourage 'em."
"Why not?" Sam arched her eyebrow.
"'Cause next they'll wanna take the dog through the 'Gate," Jack replied.
"Now there's an idea," Vala laughed, bending to set the dog on the floor again. She gave him a little pat. "Go and play."
"Just don't let him eat the tinsel," advised Carolyn.
"Eat it?" Vala's eyes widened.
"When I was a kid, we had a St. Bernard who used to eat tinsel off of the tree. Actually, he would have eaten the tree if he had the chance," the doctor explained.
"Oh," Vala frowned softly. "Well, you listen to Doctor Lam, Spike. No eating tinsel."
Spike spent the next hour or so exploring the cabin and its occupants. He did snuffle his way over to the tree once or twice but was willing to leave it alone after only the second reprimand. Once he'd satisfied himself that he had smelled every reachable corner and exhausted his interest in playing tug-of war with Teal'c--or more accurately, being dragged across the floor by Teal'c while holding one end of a green, squeaky rubber newspaper--he returned to Vala, this time managing to scramble onto the couch by himself.
He curled up in her lap, and she looked down at him with a smile, then returned her attention to the anecdotes that her teammates were sharing. It seemed that while there were many shared elements involved in the celebration of Christmas, individual households developed their own unique traditions. Some of them were endearing, some intriguing, and some were simply odd.
"The whole family used to go to my grandma's," Cam was saying. "We'd get there Christmas Eve and all us cousins would stay up all night--"
"Kinda like this?" Jack remarked.
"Yeah, 'cept if we got caught, we'd get yelled at," he smirked. "Anyway, 'bout five AM, we'd all sneak down and try to snatch the stockings."
"What did you get in them?" asked Sam.
"Candy, mostly. Few little things. Oh, and we always had $3.41," Cam replied.
"Three dollars and forty-one cents?" Sam repeated, raising her eyebrows. "Why?"
"I got a great-aunt who lived in Canada," Cam grinned. "Every year she used to send us one each coin. A toonie, a loonie, a quarter, dime, nickel and penny. Comes up to $3.41"
"Wait a minute," Jack frowned. "Canada's got money called a loony?"
"Loonie, Jack," Daniel corrected.
"That's what I said," the general replied.
"L-o-o-n-i-e," explained Daniel. "It's a one-dollar coin. A toonie is two dollars."
"Daniel, why do you know that?" Jack asked.
"He speaks how many languages?" Sam pointed out. "Somehow, I don't think it's too much of a stretch for him to have at least some knowledge of currencies."
"Well, I always said he was a storehouse of useless information," Jack shrugged.
Daniel rubbed his eyes. "Okay, c'mon, somebody else, let's hear a Christmas tradition. Sam! Vala's never heard yours."
"Well, my mother's family was Swedish, so we celebrated St. Lucia's Day on December 13th," Sam said with a faintly wistful smile. "It's a religious feast day in honor of a Christian martyr…"
"Martyr?" Vala's eyes widened.
"Christianity has a lot of those," Jack said.
"Early Christians tended to either persecute or be persecuted for their beliefs, depending on the particular era and region," explained Daniel.
"Oh, I see," Vala frowned.
"Anyway, St. Lucia's Day was sort of seen as the 'official' beginning of the Christmas season. Before my mom died, she'd make St. Lucia buns the night before. Then, I got to dress in a white robe and wear a wreath of candles on my head, and bring coffee and St. Lucia buns to my parents."
"Candles on your head?" repeated Vala.
"The light was supposed to represent the fire that refused to take Lucia's life," Sam related.
"But wasn't it dangerous?" Vala asked.
"They weren't real candles, just plastic with tiny light bulbs. The whole wreath was battery operated. I always wanted real candles, but I guess I was lucky to even have the fakes. My mom would get up early and help me get dressed and get everything ready. Then she'd go back to bed so I could bring breakfast in to them," Sam related. "Then, as far as Christmas itself, we had a tradition about the stockings and the tree. The house was decorated, of course, and all the rest of the ornaments went onto the tree as soon as we bought them, but the angel didn't go onto the top of the tree until Christmas Eve night. Then, just before bed, Mark and I would hang our stockings."
"Well, that's lovely," Vala grinned. Then she looked hopefully around at the rest of the group. "Who next?"
"Doc, how 'bout you?" Cam asked Carolyn.
"Well, when I was little, whether my dad was home or not, we used to spend Christmas Eve with his family. My grandma would always make boulabaise--a tomato based broth with fish, clams, and scallops in it. If Dad was home, he and I used to have this sort of mad shopping frenzy that night. He was usually behind on his shopping, and I'd say I was "taking him". I don't even remember how it got started."
"Well, somebody had to make sure there was a present under the tree for your mom, right?" Cam laughed.
"That's what I thought anyway," Carolyn agreed. "So, then, Christmas morning, before we opened the presents, the youngest kid there who could read always got to read the Christmas story from Luke 2 in the Bible."
"About the baby king?" Vala asked.
"Yeah," nodded Carolyn. "There are actually other versions of the story in the Bible, written by different authors, but that's the one people think of."
"It's the one Linus read in the Christmas special too, Vala," Daniel spoke up.
"Oh, we should watch that!" she exclaimed. "Spike will love it!"
"I don't think Spike's gonna care too much about Charlie Brown," Daniel said.
"Of course he will. You just watch. You brought the DVD, didn't you?" she asked.
"Yeah," he smiled indulgently. "It's in the car."
"Well, go and get it, darling!" Vala urged. "We can make it part of our new Christmas tradition. Every year, the team has to spend Christmas Eve here, and after Daniel gives me a present, we all have to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas."
Daniel buried his face in his hands, and the room erupted with laugher. "After I give you a present," he sighed.
"Well, you're the one who gave me Spike," Vala pointed out. "It wouldn't be the same otherwise."
"Right," he shook his head. As he pushed himself to his feet, the puppy suddenly raised his head from Vala's lap. Daniel grabbed his coat from where he'd left it on the arm of the couch, and by the time he'd taken two steps toward the doorway, Spike had sprung to the ground. The dog trotted eagerly after him as he walked to the door, remaining firmly at his heel all the way out to the car.
Watching from the window, the rest of SG-1 turned to one another and shared a grin. Cam nodded knowingly and said again, "DoggyDaddy."
"Indeed," the rest of the team laughed.
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU It seemed that while there were many shared elements involved in the celebration of Christmas, individual households developed their own unique traditions. Some of them were endearing, some intriguing, and some were simply odd.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1500 words
Category: Humor
Pairings/Characters: Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack, team friendship, the beginnings of Cam/Carolyn if you want to see it.
A/N: Part 31 of The Games People Play. The series follows current canon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. Takes place on Christmas Eve. Written for fic101. I'd also like to thank sweetiemissy, janetlin, and maevebran for sharing their family traditions with me to help make this fic possible. I wasn't able to use everyting, but I think you'll see bits from everyone. And yeah, Sam got the wreath of candles on her head. :P
A New Tradition
Since Vala couldn't be induced to sleep once she actually had the puppy, the whole team took part in setting up food and water dishes in the kitchen, then Jack rather pointedly introduced the dog to the copious amounts of newspaper that he had spread by the door. Once this was accomplished, the entire group made its way into the living room, with the puppy instantly attaching himself to Vala and scampering after her. When she slid onto the couch beside Daniel, her new friend jumped up on her leg, letting out a plaintive whine.
"Well, you know who your Mommy is already, don't you?" she grinned as she scooped him into her lap.
"Hey, Jackson," Cam laughed. "Does that make you DoggyDaddy?"
"I…don't think so," Daniel said slowly.
Vala, who was in the process of having her face washed by the over-excited puppy, turned to him with a delighted laugh. "Oh, Daniel, you're not jealous of this adorable little thing, are you?"
"No," he replied. "But I don't exactly think I'm ready for joint custody of a dog, either."
"Well, what are you planning to do with him if my father doesn't let Vala keep him on base?" Carolyn arched an eyebrow.
"That's…a very good question," Daniel bit his lip.
"What?" Vala's eyes widened. "Oh, Daniel, how could you give him to me without clearing it with General Landry?"
"Vala, if worse came to worst, I did plan on keeping him at my apartment," Daniel promised, then his brow furrowed as he watched the two of them. "I was just hoping that we wouldn't have to go that route."
"Well, me too," she said with a pout, hugging the puppy against her chest.
"DoggyDaddy," declared Cam.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
"Oh, come on you guys, cut it out," Sam laughed. "Hey, Vala, what are you going to name him?"
Vala looked up at her friend in surprise. Then she gave the puppy a long, speculative look. "That is a very good question. What do you think, boy?"
His response was a playful yip and another round of licking. Vala laughed and pulled her face back, holding him in front of her. He stretched his head forward, touching his wet little nose against hers, and she grinned again.
"Yes, you and I are going to get along famously, aren't we? But we do have to name you," she said mock-sternly.
"Snoopy seems apt," Jack spoke up with a cynical half-smile.
"Snoopy is entirely too obvious for a beagle," Vala shook her head.
"I believe he should be called Spike," remarked Teal'c gravely.
"That's it! Snoopy's brother! Muscles, you're brilliant!" Vala nodded eagerly. The Jaffa inclined his head in acknowledgement, the faintest trace of a smile touching his lips. Vala turned the wriggling puppy in her hands, presenting him to the rest of the team. "Everyone, meet Spike. SG-1's new mascot!"
"He's gonna need team badges," Cam said.
"Oh, and a cute little vest," Vala added.
"I think you can find something like that at PETCO," Sam spoke up.
"C'mon, Carter," Jack sighed. "Don't encourage 'em."
"Why not?" Sam arched her eyebrow.
"'Cause next they'll wanna take the dog through the 'Gate," Jack replied.
"Now there's an idea," Vala laughed, bending to set the dog on the floor again. She gave him a little pat. "Go and play."
"Just don't let him eat the tinsel," advised Carolyn.
"Eat it?" Vala's eyes widened.
"When I was a kid, we had a St. Bernard who used to eat tinsel off of the tree. Actually, he would have eaten the tree if he had the chance," the doctor explained.
"Oh," Vala frowned softly. "Well, you listen to Doctor Lam, Spike. No eating tinsel."
Spike spent the next hour or so exploring the cabin and its occupants. He did snuffle his way over to the tree once or twice but was willing to leave it alone after only the second reprimand. Once he'd satisfied himself that he had smelled every reachable corner and exhausted his interest in playing tug-of war with Teal'c--or more accurately, being dragged across the floor by Teal'c while holding one end of a green, squeaky rubber newspaper--he returned to Vala, this time managing to scramble onto the couch by himself.
He curled up in her lap, and she looked down at him with a smile, then returned her attention to the anecdotes that her teammates were sharing. It seemed that while there were many shared elements involved in the celebration of Christmas, individual households developed their own unique traditions. Some of them were endearing, some intriguing, and some were simply odd.
"The whole family used to go to my grandma's," Cam was saying. "We'd get there Christmas Eve and all us cousins would stay up all night--"
"Kinda like this?" Jack remarked.
"Yeah, 'cept if we got caught, we'd get yelled at," he smirked. "Anyway, 'bout five AM, we'd all sneak down and try to snatch the stockings."
"What did you get in them?" asked Sam.
"Candy, mostly. Few little things. Oh, and we always had $3.41," Cam replied.
"Three dollars and forty-one cents?" Sam repeated, raising her eyebrows. "Why?"
"I got a great-aunt who lived in Canada," Cam grinned. "Every year she used to send us one each coin. A toonie, a loonie, a quarter, dime, nickel and penny. Comes up to $3.41"
"Wait a minute," Jack frowned. "Canada's got money called a loony?"
"Loonie, Jack," Daniel corrected.
"That's what I said," the general replied.
"L-o-o-n-i-e," explained Daniel. "It's a one-dollar coin. A toonie is two dollars."
"Daniel, why do you know that?" Jack asked.
"He speaks how many languages?" Sam pointed out. "Somehow, I don't think it's too much of a stretch for him to have at least some knowledge of currencies."
"Well, I always said he was a storehouse of useless information," Jack shrugged.
Daniel rubbed his eyes. "Okay, c'mon, somebody else, let's hear a Christmas tradition. Sam! Vala's never heard yours."
"Well, my mother's family was Swedish, so we celebrated St. Lucia's Day on December 13th," Sam said with a faintly wistful smile. "It's a religious feast day in honor of a Christian martyr…"
"Martyr?" Vala's eyes widened.
"Christianity has a lot of those," Jack said.
"Early Christians tended to either persecute or be persecuted for their beliefs, depending on the particular era and region," explained Daniel.
"Oh, I see," Vala frowned.
"Anyway, St. Lucia's Day was sort of seen as the 'official' beginning of the Christmas season. Before my mom died, she'd make St. Lucia buns the night before. Then, I got to dress in a white robe and wear a wreath of candles on my head, and bring coffee and St. Lucia buns to my parents."
"Candles on your head?" repeated Vala.
"The light was supposed to represent the fire that refused to take Lucia's life," Sam related.
"But wasn't it dangerous?" Vala asked.
"They weren't real candles, just plastic with tiny light bulbs. The whole wreath was battery operated. I always wanted real candles, but I guess I was lucky to even have the fakes. My mom would get up early and help me get dressed and get everything ready. Then she'd go back to bed so I could bring breakfast in to them," Sam related. "Then, as far as Christmas itself, we had a tradition about the stockings and the tree. The house was decorated, of course, and all the rest of the ornaments went onto the tree as soon as we bought them, but the angel didn't go onto the top of the tree until Christmas Eve night. Then, just before bed, Mark and I would hang our stockings."
"Well, that's lovely," Vala grinned. Then she looked hopefully around at the rest of the group. "Who next?"
"Doc, how 'bout you?" Cam asked Carolyn.
"Well, when I was little, whether my dad was home or not, we used to spend Christmas Eve with his family. My grandma would always make boulabaise--a tomato based broth with fish, clams, and scallops in it. If Dad was home, he and I used to have this sort of mad shopping frenzy that night. He was usually behind on his shopping, and I'd say I was "taking him". I don't even remember how it got started."
"Well, somebody had to make sure there was a present under the tree for your mom, right?" Cam laughed.
"That's what I thought anyway," Carolyn agreed. "So, then, Christmas morning, before we opened the presents, the youngest kid there who could read always got to read the Christmas story from Luke 2 in the Bible."
"About the baby king?" Vala asked.
"Yeah," nodded Carolyn. "There are actually other versions of the story in the Bible, written by different authors, but that's the one people think of."
"It's the one Linus read in the Christmas special too, Vala," Daniel spoke up.
"Oh, we should watch that!" she exclaimed. "Spike will love it!"
"I don't think Spike's gonna care too much about Charlie Brown," Daniel said.
"Of course he will. You just watch. You brought the DVD, didn't you?" she asked.
"Yeah," he smiled indulgently. "It's in the car."
"Well, go and get it, darling!" Vala urged. "We can make it part of our new Christmas tradition. Every year, the team has to spend Christmas Eve here, and after Daniel gives me a present, we all have to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas."
Daniel buried his face in his hands, and the room erupted with laugher. "After I give you a present," he sighed.
"Well, you're the one who gave me Spike," Vala pointed out. "It wouldn't be the same otherwise."
"Right," he shook his head. As he pushed himself to his feet, the puppy suddenly raised his head from Vala's lap. Daniel grabbed his coat from where he'd left it on the arm of the couch, and by the time he'd taken two steps toward the doorway, Spike had sprung to the ground. The dog trotted eagerly after him as he walked to the door, remaining firmly at his heel all the way out to the car.
Watching from the window, the rest of SG-1 turned to one another and shared a grin. Cam nodded knowingly and said again, "DoggyDaddy."
"Indeed," the rest of the team laughed.