16/12/11 entry - Presents
Title: Presents
Author: xakliaaeryn
Summary: Elizabeth gives John an early Christmas present.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None.
Beta: None, all mistakes are mine.
Author's notes: Written for 16th December entry of 2011 Sparky Advent Calender. Please leave feedback, hopefully it's ok, coz I could do with some kind of pick me up atm. :-)
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Twas the night before Christmas,
When all through the city not a creature was stirring.
Only John Sheppard as he opened his can of beer and collapsed heavily on the couch with a deep sigh.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In the hopes that St Nicholas would be there.
Well, they were hung on what passed for a chimney in Atlantis, which resembled more of an ornamental niche on the far wall of the living quarters. And St Nicholas had taken the form of Rodney McKay earlier on in the evening.
The children were nestled,
All snug in their beds.
While visions of sugar plums
Danced in their heads.
In fact, most of the children who now resided on Atlantis had been absolutely exhausted after they were able to meet Santa in the mess hall earlier. After running around, playing, then meeting Santa, the children had started dropping from tiredness and slowly the mess hall crowd had thinned out. But as much as John wanted to stay behind to rib Rodney about his Santa Claus impression he needed to get back to his quarters.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief,
And I in my cap,
Had just settle our brains
For a long winter’s nap.
Well, he had a can, not a cap. And Elizabeth’s ‘kerchief these days was their three year old daughter’s favourite blanket. He turned his head to see her quietly leaving their daughter’s room and closing the door. He gazed at her happily as she made her way over to him, said blanket tossed over her left shoulder, the serenity that exuded from her as she settled next to him seemed to overtake him and he slung his arm around her shoulders as she curled up against him. Taking a deep sigh, he felt her relax, stretching her arm around him as she snuggled in to his shoulder.
“Do you miss snow?” she asked suddenly, not moving from her position.
He tried to crane his neck down to look at her oddly, but her face was hidden so he settled back and took a sip of his beer. “Not really,” he replied, dropping his head back against the back of the couch. “Why? Do you?”
“Yeah,” she nuzzled further in to his neck. “I always had an image in my head,” she told him quietly, and he could hear the naughty turn in her voice, could feel her lips curling into a smile against his skin and her hand fisting in his t-shirt as she carried on. “Ever since we started dating, I wanted to have a picture of us kissing in the snow. The ground would be covered as far as the eye could,” she slipped her hand down his chest and he sighed happily against her hair, eyes closed and letting her do what she wanted. “The trees would be half covered in snow too, and there’s a snowman with a little carrot for a nose in the back ground,” her hand slipped under his shirt and moved upwards.
“And coal for eyes?” he teased quietly. “Do we even have coal on this planet?”
“I’ll get it shipped in,” she told him, stroking her hand over his chest before moving to straddle him and look him directly in the eye.
“Are you all wrapped up warm in woolly gloves, hat and scarf?” he goaded her with a self-satisfied grin on his face.
“Would you like that?” she asked in a sexy voice and placed the blanket on the end of the couch as she leaned in to lay kisses along his neck.
“I’ll take you in anything, but I prefer you in nothing.”
“Pun intended?”
“Hey, you know what I’m like,” he joked, her kisses moving up to his cheek. “That’s how we ended up with Kayla, remember?” He felt her press her cheek to his and hum in response, before sitting up and taking a deep breath, hands still resting on his chest.
“You know, in Finland, they traditionally open their presents on Christmas Eve,” she watched her own fingers as they played with his t-shirt. “Would you like to open one of yours now?” He gazed up at her. Something was off with her this evening, she had been more distant than usual, he’d caught her once or twice gazing off into space in between laughing his ass off at Rodney.
“Hey, you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she smiled. “So? Do you want one?” He quirked a smile at her, still feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but nodded hesitantly. She took his can of beer from his hand and placed it on the coffee table behind her, stilling his complaint with a glare he knew very well indeed. She settled herself a bit better on his lap, causing him to groan and close his eyes in pleasure, and when he opened them he saw her watching him while biting her lip. She nodded slightly before grabbing the hem of her t-shirt and pulling it up over her head, dropping it on the couch next to him, shifting in to his touch as he ran his hands over her upper body only to settle on her hips. She took hold of one of his hands from her hip, making sure he was watching her hands and dragged it up and across her abdomen to rest on her stomach.
He looked up at her, eyes wide with wonder, as his thumb gently stroked back and forth over the bare skin of her stomach. She gave a tiny nod, confirming the question she saw in his eyes. It used to scare her how easily they could silently communicate with each other, but she had quickly realised the benefits of having a second in command who was that in sync with her. She raked her fingers through his hair, watching it spring up in her hand’s wake. She watched as the shock subsided and the look of joy and wonder replaced it. Carson had told them after Kayla had been born that their chances of having another child was slim to none due to complications with their first pregnancy, and since then, John had come to accept that Kayla may very well be his only child. They hadn’t even been trying for a second child, but he had been on a particularly harrowing mission some weeks ago and they had been rather…enthusiastic in their reunion.
She watched him look down at his hand, and Elizabeth couldn’t imagine a being happier than she was in this moment.
“Our Christmas miracle,” he murmured.
*_*_*_*_*
luv
K