Fic - Twas the Night
Title: 'Twas the Night
Author" padawan_aneiki
Rating/Pairing: G/None
Characters: John and Rodney
Summary: Response to the holiday challenge
‘Twas the Night
“McKay...” John Sheppard scrunched his face into an expression of disbelief. “Just what are you doing?” The lieutenant colonel slipped into the science lab, which at this hour was devoid of staff save its department head, who was seated at a table on a stool looking a little more than frustrated.
Rodney McKay glanced up from his current project and scowled. “If you’re going to insist on prowling the hallways at ungodly hours, the least you could do it refrain from sneaking up on innocent bystanders going about their business,” he grumbled, before bending his head back to the table, a pair of scissors in hand.
“Hey, I was just trying to see what had you so occupied that you missed movie night,” Sheppard shrugged loosely as he came further in and glanced at the project McKay was laboring over. “You skipped ‘A Christmas Story’ for...what is this?”
The table was a mess, covered in snippets and shreds of wrapping paper and probably almost as much scotch tape. Several mangled bows and probably a yard in ribbon was scattered around. Rodney snorted as he started cutting a swath of red wrapping paper. “What does it look like, Colonel? I’m wrapping Madison’s Christmas presents.”
A dark eyebrow shot upward in askance as John surveyed the disaster area. “Uh huh. Degree in physics and engineering, and this is the best you can do?” he chided lightly, which only earned him a death glare from the scientist in question. “What are these, anyway?” John picked up one of the as-yet-to-be-wrapped ‘presents,’ ignoring the protest from Rodney as he did so.
“Just a few...souvenirs from P8M-6X5,” Rodney shrugged as he reached for the one John currently perused.
“What every little girl dreams of,” Sheppard commented off-handedly, “A ceramic...what is this, a flower pot?” McKay rolled his eyes and stabbed a finger toward the table, where a lid sat to one side.
“For almost-Mensa, you’re not very observant,” he snarked and reached once again for the item in John’s hands. “It’s a jar and for your information, I was going to fill it up with some cookies and the last of my chocolate stash, thank you very much.”
That brought on a chuckle from the lieutenant-colonel, who finally handed over the jar, and then nudged the physicist’s shoulder. “Well, okay, but you’re missing out on some really good eggnog. Somebody brought back some twelve-year-old rum and half of your department is buzzed already,” he kidded. “If I were you, I’d go get some and then give this a try.”
“Are you insane?” Rodney reached for some tape. John handed him the roll and grinned.
“Couldn’t look any worse than it does right now,” he observed and the patented McKay glare was leveled at him again before the tape was made use of, after a fashion. He watched a moment longer, the eyebrow quirking upward again. “Rodney,” he tried once more, “C’mon. Most everybody is down in the mess and Dr. Brown’s standing under the mistletoe wondering where you are.”
That brought Rodney’s head up, blue eyes at once both inquisitive and delighted. “She is?”
“Yeah, she is. This can wait until later. There’s still almost a week ‘til Christmas.”
Rodney looked over the table. “Well...” he hedged, then shrugged. “I guess as long as it’s all out of the way before tomorrow morning, I could take a few minutes.”
The two of them headed off for the mess hall, where someone had strung up some Christmas lights although no one had gone as far as to bring back a fake tree from Earth; things were always far too uncertain in Pegasus for such indulgences, John supposed, but there was a festive air and someone had baked sugar cookies and there was the-very smooth-eggnog and some punch. A boom box was playing Christmas music and there was even some dancing carrying on.
No one could blame them for needing to unwind; between losing Carson and Elizabeth, and even the familiarity of Atlantis’ homeworld, there had been too many losses, too much pain, too many sacrifices. And maybe it was more like a tropical holiday on this world, where the climate was temperate and not at all wintry, but it was a sliver of the familiar, the music, the eggnog, even the fake mistletoe in the corner. It was a reminder of all they fought for here, against the Wraith, the Replicators. It was a reminder of home.
“Rodney!” Katie Brown was indeed waiting, if not under the mistletoe, not too far away from the area where the impromptu dance floor had been created. She was wearing a pretty green dress that accentuated her eyes-and her figure-quite nicely, and her hair was swept up prettily. Even Ronon and Teyla were there, and John snorted a little to think that they were probably learning more about Earth customs and traditions than they’d ever wanted to know.
No one noticed exactly when the lieutenant colonel slipped away from the festivities.
When Rodney entered his lab the next morning, the Christmas-wrapping debacle completely forgotten, it was to find each of his items neatly wrapped, bedecked with bows and the mess from the night before entirely cleaned up. There was even one box he knew was not his, although it was wrapped and tagged for Madison, right along with the jar that, from the weight when he lifted it, had been filled. The tags on his gifts were left blank for him to fill in, but the one on the unknown box simply said, “To Madison from Santa Claus” in neat print. He didn’t have time to ponder; everything had to be loaded up so that the rotation crew going back to Earth could take the gifts with them to arrive in time.
It wasn’t until Christmas Eve, when an email popped up in Rodney’s in-box from Jeannie, that he understood:
Mer, thanks for the...interesting Christmas presents. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the idea of where you get these things, or what they’re really supposed to be, but Madison has practically inhaled three pieces of the chocolate you sent already, and Kaleb has found the...uh...paperweight useful.
Oh, and tell Colonel Sheppard thank you for the gift he sent Madison; she loves the home-made doll and carries it with her all over the place. Where did he ever find that? I can’t quite tell Madison that Santa Claus lives in another galaxy now, can I?
We’re really sorry you can’t get away for the holiday, but at least this year I understand the whys and the wherefores. Take care of yourself, Mer; we love you. Merry Christmas....Jeannie, Kaleb and Madison.
Therefore, when Christmas morning rolled around in the Pegasus Galaxy, so it was when John Sheppard woke up before dawn, it was to find a glass of milk and a plate of cookies sitting outside his door.
Author" padawan_aneiki
Rating/Pairing: G/None
Characters: John and Rodney
Summary: Response to the holiday challenge
‘Twas the Night
“McKay...” John Sheppard scrunched his face into an expression of disbelief. “Just what are you doing?” The lieutenant colonel slipped into the science lab, which at this hour was devoid of staff save its department head, who was seated at a table on a stool looking a little more than frustrated.
Rodney McKay glanced up from his current project and scowled. “If you’re going to insist on prowling the hallways at ungodly hours, the least you could do it refrain from sneaking up on innocent bystanders going about their business,” he grumbled, before bending his head back to the table, a pair of scissors in hand.
“Hey, I was just trying to see what had you so occupied that you missed movie night,” Sheppard shrugged loosely as he came further in and glanced at the project McKay was laboring over. “You skipped ‘A Christmas Story’ for...what is this?”
The table was a mess, covered in snippets and shreds of wrapping paper and probably almost as much scotch tape. Several mangled bows and probably a yard in ribbon was scattered around. Rodney snorted as he started cutting a swath of red wrapping paper. “What does it look like, Colonel? I’m wrapping Madison’s Christmas presents.”
A dark eyebrow shot upward in askance as John surveyed the disaster area. “Uh huh. Degree in physics and engineering, and this is the best you can do?” he chided lightly, which only earned him a death glare from the scientist in question. “What are these, anyway?” John picked up one of the as-yet-to-be-wrapped ‘presents,’ ignoring the protest from Rodney as he did so.
“Just a few...souvenirs from P8M-6X5,” Rodney shrugged as he reached for the one John currently perused.
“What every little girl dreams of,” Sheppard commented off-handedly, “A ceramic...what is this, a flower pot?” McKay rolled his eyes and stabbed a finger toward the table, where a lid sat to one side.
“For almost-Mensa, you’re not very observant,” he snarked and reached once again for the item in John’s hands. “It’s a jar and for your information, I was going to fill it up with some cookies and the last of my chocolate stash, thank you very much.”
That brought on a chuckle from the lieutenant-colonel, who finally handed over the jar, and then nudged the physicist’s shoulder. “Well, okay, but you’re missing out on some really good eggnog. Somebody brought back some twelve-year-old rum and half of your department is buzzed already,” he kidded. “If I were you, I’d go get some and then give this a try.”
“Are you insane?” Rodney reached for some tape. John handed him the roll and grinned.
“Couldn’t look any worse than it does right now,” he observed and the patented McKay glare was leveled at him again before the tape was made use of, after a fashion. He watched a moment longer, the eyebrow quirking upward again. “Rodney,” he tried once more, “C’mon. Most everybody is down in the mess and Dr. Brown’s standing under the mistletoe wondering where you are.”
That brought Rodney’s head up, blue eyes at once both inquisitive and delighted. “She is?”
“Yeah, she is. This can wait until later. There’s still almost a week ‘til Christmas.”
Rodney looked over the table. “Well...” he hedged, then shrugged. “I guess as long as it’s all out of the way before tomorrow morning, I could take a few minutes.”
The two of them headed off for the mess hall, where someone had strung up some Christmas lights although no one had gone as far as to bring back a fake tree from Earth; things were always far too uncertain in Pegasus for such indulgences, John supposed, but there was a festive air and someone had baked sugar cookies and there was the-very smooth-eggnog and some punch. A boom box was playing Christmas music and there was even some dancing carrying on.
No one could blame them for needing to unwind; between losing Carson and Elizabeth, and even the familiarity of Atlantis’ homeworld, there had been too many losses, too much pain, too many sacrifices. And maybe it was more like a tropical holiday on this world, where the climate was temperate and not at all wintry, but it was a sliver of the familiar, the music, the eggnog, even the fake mistletoe in the corner. It was a reminder of all they fought for here, against the Wraith, the Replicators. It was a reminder of home.
“Rodney!” Katie Brown was indeed waiting, if not under the mistletoe, not too far away from the area where the impromptu dance floor had been created. She was wearing a pretty green dress that accentuated her eyes-and her figure-quite nicely, and her hair was swept up prettily. Even Ronon and Teyla were there, and John snorted a little to think that they were probably learning more about Earth customs and traditions than they’d ever wanted to know.
No one noticed exactly when the lieutenant colonel slipped away from the festivities.
When Rodney entered his lab the next morning, the Christmas-wrapping debacle completely forgotten, it was to find each of his items neatly wrapped, bedecked with bows and the mess from the night before entirely cleaned up. There was even one box he knew was not his, although it was wrapped and tagged for Madison, right along with the jar that, from the weight when he lifted it, had been filled. The tags on his gifts were left blank for him to fill in, but the one on the unknown box simply said, “To Madison from Santa Claus” in neat print. He didn’t have time to ponder; everything had to be loaded up so that the rotation crew going back to Earth could take the gifts with them to arrive in time.
It wasn’t until Christmas Eve, when an email popped up in Rodney’s in-box from Jeannie, that he understood:
Mer, thanks for the...interesting Christmas presents. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the idea of where you get these things, or what they’re really supposed to be, but Madison has practically inhaled three pieces of the chocolate you sent already, and Kaleb has found the...uh...paperweight useful.
Oh, and tell Colonel Sheppard thank you for the gift he sent Madison; she loves the home-made doll and carries it with her all over the place. Where did he ever find that? I can’t quite tell Madison that Santa Claus lives in another galaxy now, can I?
We’re really sorry you can’t get away for the holiday, but at least this year I understand the whys and the wherefores. Take care of yourself, Mer; we love you. Merry Christmas....Jeannie, Kaleb and Madison.
Therefore, when Christmas morning rolled around in the Pegasus Galaxy, so it was when John Sheppard woke up before dawn, it was to find a glass of milk and a plate of cookies sitting outside his door.