Fic: And the Snowflakes fell down like little Angles
Rated: PG-13
Genres: Romance & Fluff
Warnings: None
Challenges: Written for the Sparky Advent Calendar 2010
Chapters: 1
Completed: Yes
Word count: 3965
Summary: John has planned the most perfect date.
Note: Many thanks to my wonderful beta muses_mistress, who also created a bonus cover for the story. *bows for my Mistress* ;-)
With pleasure John leaned against the railing, observing Elizabeth at work. He liked watching her busy but not overly stressed. The past week had been quiet. There weren’t any important missions that had gotten in the way of their usual routine. However, he had some fun when he accompanied Teyla on a trade mission. That visit had ended up a little bit unexpected, but for the first time, in a good way. Despite the fact that Teyla had been with him and that she, Carson, Rodney and Ronon where in on his current plot, none of them knew exactly what had happened on that mission.
John took a breath and removed a red lace scarf from his vest. He imagined how Elizabeth would react to the surprise and could already picture her face. She on the other hand, was still engrossed in her work and totally unaware he had been watching her for several minutes now. Not even for a split second had her eyes had left the screen, telling him she was reading or studying something interesting. With a push John straightened and moved to the door. “Here,” he said tossing a red scarf at Elizabeth after entering her office.
There was a smirk plastered to his face, making Elizabeth wonder what he was up to. She lifted the red fabric from her desk, inspecting it and observing John at the same time. “What are you up to?” She critically asked.
“You’ll find out.” He paused. “If you trust me.”
“Hmm.” She pursed her lips in concentration. The soft satin and color gave her some kinky ideas, but she couldn’t be sure that was his intent. “A scarf?” she asked.
John grinned and sat down on the corner of her desk. He licked his lips and watched her carefully. “Blindfold.”
Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat. Over the past two years, mostly in the last few months, she had learned enough of him to know he was creative in his ways of surprising her. Today was no exception. She felt a tingle inside her stomach. It was the same tingle that she had known for those two years, but only recently allowed to emerge from the depth of her heart. They had been turning around each other for so long, but not anymore. She smiled and remembered how wonderful it felt when they both confessed their feeling and even better that their friends supported them. From that point on their relationship had grown and it wasn’t long before they had shared intimate moments. So far everything had stayed conventional and neither one had spoken about more spicy things so far. Not that she minded, but the blindfold was a quite sudden and not so subtle hint.
“John,” She started, the red cloth gripped tight in her hand. She took a deep breath. “Don’t get me wrong here, but I think we should first have a talk about where we’re heading with our relation. Not to mention any boundaries. We haven’t been together that long. I have very strong feelings for you and I’m certainly open to experiments, but I think we should talk about it before…” She held the scarf up and nodded, “doing things we both might be rushing in to.”
John turned his head, his smirk still present “Well I wasn’t actually referring to that, but I don’t mind changing plans.” The look in Elizabeth’s eyes turned darker, adding more fuel to John’s pleasure.
“You let me ramble on for no reason.”
“I promise I won’t do anything you won’t like or we will both regret.” John gloated.
Elizabeth felt like a school girl in love, coming up with premature conclusions. Again John had found a way to playfully surprise her. “That’s all the information I get?”
“For now. Meet me in the Gateroom at nineteen hundred hours tonight and don’t forget to bring that along.” He nodded at Elizabeth’s hand.
John stood up and walked to the door when Elizabeth asked another one of her favorite questions. “What am I supposed to wear?”
“Anything.” He turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse of her sitting bewildered at her desk. He loved playing with her.
~~***~~
Quickly John ran down the hallway towards the Gateroom. Apparently Rodney and Zelenka had been in each other’s hair again, making Rodney forget to notify him the moment Elizabeth was ready. She was early and now he was late. On some things Elizabeth was so predictable, but maybe that is what was so attractive about her. She added extra stability to his position. She made him long to return to Atlantis during each and every mission. She was full of joy and could always make him smile. Sometimes he really wondered why it had taken so long for them to end up at this point. However, at this point he didn’t care why, but was simply glad they were together now. And tonight would be extra special. He had planned the perfect date.
With a thud John landed at the bottom of the stairs. Elizabeth instantly turned around and smiled. “You know I’m never late.”
John smiled and gave Rodney a short glare before asking her, “Ready?”
Elizabeth nodded and held her jacket questioning up. “I think so.”
“Good. Let’s go.” John nodded upwards and on command Rodney started punching the buttons. After the sixth button he stopped and waited for John, who walked up to Elizabeth. He reached for the red scarf and calmly took it from her hand. Without a word he carefully placed it over her eyes and started to tie a knot behind her head. He was very careful not to mess up her beautiful curls. Tension was growing and he could sense it. So to comfort her he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Trust me.”
Elizabeth swallowed. She knew she could trust him, but a tingle moved around in her stomach. She was excited, curious and even a little nervous about John’s plan. She knew John would never do anything to make her feel uncomfortable, but her falling in love with him sometimes blurred the rational thought. She shivered and felt his strong hands wrapping around her and taking the jacket from her hand.
“I love you.”
His whisper made her feel weak and lean into his comfort. She smiled and heard the last chevron being dialed. Only a second later the wormhole formed and John guided her gently towards the Stargate. At least that’s what she extrapolated from the direction they were going, because she couldn’t see anything.
“Ready?” John asked.
Elizabeth nodded and enjoyed the tingle that had spread to every inch of her body. Together with John she stepped forward into the wormhole and emerged in a cold environment. The scent was also very different from Atlantis. She smelt trees and a cold winter air. Quickly she was wrapped into a thick warm jacket and while John was closing it, she let out a breath. She knew her breath turned into mist from the temperature difference. So far the surprise date was good. She tried hard not to picture her surroundings in her mind, but several romantic sceneries did form. Satisfied, she took a deep breath again and grinned. John was good in remembering details about what she liked and she loved snow and winter.
A sudden stroke along her cheek caught her off guard and she felt her legs tremble. Her breathing hitched and when his lips gently touched hers she pressed herself into his arms. The kiss was sweet, strong, manly, scrubby, deep, longing, passionate but most of all it initiated a safe familiar feeling. The kiss made her head buzz and let the dark world spin around her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. She wanted the contact, needed it. For minutes they kissed and nibbled. He smelt so good and having him nearby made her forget about the blindfold. He was there to protect her. He would keep her safe.
“Hmm, if you keep on kissing me like this I might not take the blindfold off,” Elizabeth said with a smile and let John go. She licked her lips, still tasting John’s presence. She waited in silence for almost a minute. Meanwhile, her smile grew and she guessed John’s did too. He was testing her patience, but she was strong. He knew that.
John gave in and carefully took Elizabeth by her arm. “Small steps.” She nodded as he led her away from the Stargate. The gate was standing in the middle of a small circular clearing, with only a few paths leading away from it. Patiently he led her towards the narrowest path that started at the beginning of the forest. Most of the pine trees nearby were immensely tall and measured at least seven feet around.
If he wasn’t one hundred percent sure this planet was Wraith free the forest would have had him on edge. However, the Lady he had spoken too had assured him no Wraith had stepped onto the planet in thousands of years. Teyla had confirmed this story and therefore he had set the plan in motion. She and Ronon had checked the planet and found it safe. Meanwhile on Atlantis Carson and Rodney had done their part and helped him prepare things without Elizabeth finding out. John smiled, remembering the surprised look on her face. This was already a perfect evening and if things went as expected it would only get better. Slowly they walked the path and he could feel Elizabeth’s rapid pulse rate. He wouldn’t keep her in the dark for much longer.
Elizabeth heard the soft snow crunch under her shoes and felt her feet sink in the thick layer. Part of her wanted to rip the blindfold from her face and see. However, the other part enjoyed the mystery.
“Wait,” John whispered.
His voice was calm, letting her know there was nothing to worry about. He had always been protective about her and his team, but maybe it started to tend towards over protection. However, she could still tolerate it and would certainly let him know if he crossed a boundary.
Elizabeth felt a snowflake land on her lip. Instantly it melted and the tiny drop of water ran from her lower lip down to the pit above her chin. There it evaporated and returned to the flow of water. She leaned her head to John when he started to undo the knot behind her head. “Thank you.” She breathed and let her lips brush his cheek.
John hummed pleased and removed the blindfold.
Elizabeth had her eyes still shut and didn’t dare to look. A few silent seconds passed. A small squeeze in her hand made her take a deep breath and finally she opened her eyes. “Oh,” She gasped, standing midway the dimly lit path, tall pine trees flanking each side. However, that was not the most impressive thing her eyes spotted. At the end of the path stood a small beautifully lit gazebo. Its delicate stone pillars were entangled by a rose bush growing up onto the dome. The large snow-white flowers lit up from the dark green leaves. The small dome over the gazebo was covered in snow and a gothic like figurine watched from the top down the path they were standing on. Hundreds of small lights in the gazebo, plants and trees around made her stop breathing for a moment.
This place was so much more breathtaking then any image that had popped into her head. She turned to John and saw him smile. Emotions took control of her, making her swallow against the lump in her throat. She couldn’t speak and couldn’t find the words to describe the beauty of this place.
John saw her take in every detail and knew it was hard to describe what this place exactly was. The only thing he knew was that from legend this place had been a save heaven and the most romantic place to visit with a loved one. He leaned in and wrapped Elizabeth in his arms. “Shh,” he soothed softly and rubbed her back until she controlled her breathing again. “Beautiful isn’t it?”
“Yes,” she whispered with glittering eyes. Discreetly she rubbed her eyes and pulled her lips tight. She took another breath and put a smile on her face. She was happy and this surprise was so romantic. John certainly was the romantic type, once you got to know him. However, for the outsiders he usually kept on his playful and flirty style. Therefore this location was astonishing to her. She couldn’t be happier.
“Shall we?” John waved towards the gazebo and led Elizabeth foward. From the corner of his eyes he watched her and spotted sparkles in her eyes. He too took a deep breath. She was the love of his life. He had felt it the first second he met her, but had locked it away for so long. For so long he had drawn a thick line between work and his private feelings. And for ever so long had it been difficult not to cross the line. For so long he enjoyed the tease, the flirt, making her laugh and he even cherished their fights. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She was the better half of him.
Together they stepped into the gazebo, making Elizabeth’s smile widen. She clasped her hand for her mouth when she saw the picnic basket in style with small white roses and leave wrappings. On the floor lay a white down-filled quilt with delicate silver stitching and right next to it stood a bottle of Champagne accompanied with two glasses in a pile of snow.
“John,” She exclaimed. “You’re crazy. You shouldn’t have done this.” She turned on her axis and embraced him in a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He kissed her on her forehead and gestured for them to sit down.
Elizabeth sat down and felt blissful. This was by far the best surprise she had ever received. And this place seemed to come from a magical fairytale, so pretty and serene. “I don’t know what to say,” she stammered.
“Then don’t,” John replied. He took the two glasses and filled them with Champagne. “Here” He handed her the glass and watched carefully for her reaction. Her eyes scouted along the pillars and he knew she would try to read the figures engraved in them. “It contains the names and stories of the ancient gods these people believed in. I got a book with the details.” He smiled and reached in the picnic basket.
Elizabeth saw John lift a mid size book out. The cover was made from crackled black leather with fine silver engravings, similar to the stitching of the quilt. He handed her the book and she noticed it was lighter then she expected. Suspiciously her eyes narrowed. She eyed John who had a wide smirk on his face.
“Something wrong?” He asked.
In return Elizabeth glanced along the book cover and weighed it by size estimation. Was she paranoid or overreacting? She took a deep breath and licked her lips. The overwhelming amount of beautiful things had taken her off guard, but now her logic strangely kicked in and she was anxious to find out why the book was much lighter than it should be.
“Open it,” John said.
Only to torture herself, she lingered for a second, but then finally opened the book. There was her answer. On the inside there wasn’t the regular paper, but the sheets were made of a transparent foil. The engravings were made in silver and she recognized John’s handwriting underneath. “Love’s Sage of the Everlasting Winter” She titled her head and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Your welcome.”
Carefully Elizabeth turned the thin pages and made the silver engraving on the page underneath lighting up. There was a lot of text, which she couldn’t decipher. However, she wasn’t afraid she wouldn’t be able to learn the language. She fanned the book pages and was amazed by the technology to make the characters light up. The silver glow radiated and added to the magical dream she found herself in. “John, this is such a wonderful gift. I am still speechless and don’t know what I did to deserve this.”
John smiled. He paused and tried to piece a sentence together in his head. “I love you,” Was all that he managed to get out. Quickly he lifted his glass and took a sip of the Champagne. “When I saw the book I knew it would be the perfect gift. And yes, today seems like an ordinary day and in fact it is. It’s no anniversary of any kind, but it felt like the right moment to plan this date.”
Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled and the stir inside her body abruptly surfaced. She placed her hand on his cheek and stared deep in his eyes. “That’s part of why I love you.” Seductively she initiated a kiss, which was welcomed by John. It felt good to have his arm wrapped around her and their lips making contact.
In harmony the two of them lay down on the quilt and more of their bodies became entangled into the other. Tenderly John kissed her forehead, cheek, nose, mouth, chin and neck. Every inch of her skin tasted sweet. His hands roamed freely along her body and he heard her softly moan from his touches. All the time his eyes were wide open, observing her, learning the reactions of his actions. When he lifted his weight she opened her eyes and they locked onto his. “I have one more thing to show you.” He swallowed and nodded sideways.
“Okay,” Elizabeth said, letting John help her up. Together they walked out the back of the gazebo, where a small curling path along a few trees started.
“It’s not far,” John said and picked the scarf back from his pocket.
Elizabeth widened her eyes. “You are kidding me, right?” The only response she got was John shaking his head and holding the blindfold up. Reluctantly, but obediently she turned her head and let him tie the blindfold around her head again. “This better be good.”
“I promise,” he whispered softly in her ear. In addition he played with her senses by gliding his hands along her body. The most powerful spot he had discovered a few weeks back was her spine. When he ran his fingers down adding the right amount of pressure she would instantly relax and fall into his arms. Teasingly he tried this maneuverer today and caught her the second her legs gave in. She hummed teasingly, making him reward her with nibbling her neck. “Ready?”
“Yes.” She stopped leaning into John and waited for him to guide her. With small steps they moved forward and on several occasions he pulled her in another direction, making her lose track of how far they had moved or in what direction. Her curiosity grew as a soft tinkling sound got stronger and more frequent, but she refrained from asking questions.
After a few more minutes walking John stopped her and without the dreadful waiting he started to undo the tie. “Don’t make any sudden moves or you’ll disrupt the balance.”
The satin fabric slid along her face down and she felt John’s hands on her shoulders. “Oh my,” she gasped. There were crystal bubbles everywhere, on the ground, in the trees and even floating in the air. Her eyes scanned the area and she noticed that they were standing on a narrow strip of ground branching out through what seemed to be a lake. “This is beautiful.”
“I know,” John said and slowly lifted his hands. With his finger he reached out for a bubble and pushed it towards other bubbles. As the bubble touched another it made a soft ringing sound, making Elizabeth smile up to him.
“Amazing,” she said. More questions about this planet formed in her head, but she put them away for later. This was not the moment to ask them. This was the moment to enjoy the wonders happening in front of her. Slowly she reached out her hand and let a bubble touch her skin. It was as light as air, but much warmer then everything around them.
“Want to see a real cool trick?” Skillfully he moved past her and took a few steps forward.
“Careful, don’t fall into the water.” She warned him right before he jumped and reached out for a piece red lace floating in the air.
He missed and landed empty handed on the ground. With a frown on his face he turned to her. “Let’s try it again.”
Elizabeth chuckled “Careful.”
John took a step forward and lifted his body in the air. His hand caught hold of the lace, followed by the tinkling sound of bubbles bumping into each other. “Got it.”
Elizabeth was entertained when he almost slipped over a bubble during his landing, but luckily he managed to keep his balance. Her eyes followed the lace up, but she still didn’t saw where it led.
“Here you go,” John said, handing her the lace. “It’s all yours.”
With a smile she accepted the lace and gently pulled at it. Above her she heard bubbles bounce and ring. Each bubble had a unique sound, compositing a friendly melody. “How long is this?”
John heaved his shoulders, “Not sure, ten or maybe twelve feet.”
Elizabeth was almost too nervous to find out what was at the other end. She wasn’t even sure why she felt this way. It could have been the place, the moment or as simple as John’s teasing expression. He was enjoying this moment, but she also spotted a hint of caution. Maybe that caution was what kept her from quickly pulling the lace. She couldn’t pin point what was on John’s mind that made him cautious. She certainly had no time to find out and placed the question in the same compartment as all her other questions about tonight. With a firm pull she gained several feet of the lace. No matter how many bubbles bounced into each other, the sounds they made remained as pretty as before.
She pulled again and looked up to see the bubble the lace was attached too. “John?” She stammered when she spotted a small red box floating inside the bubble.
On queue he moved forward and stared deep in her eyes. He helped her pull the bubble down and with the tip of his knife broke the icy thin crystal. With his other hand he caught the red box. “Elizabeth, I’m complete in love with you.” In the middle of the bubbles he lowered onto one knee and stared up to see a perplex Elizabeth stand in front of him. However, the smile on her face spread from ear to ear. “Will you marry me?”
Her heart and breathing stopped for a few seconds. Even in her most intimate of fantasies she would have never guessed this would happen so soon and so romantically. A lump was forming and she had to swallow hard. “Yes,” she breathed.
John got back onto his feet and got a silver ring with a small engraved bubble out. “You can read the inscription later Mrs Elizabeth Sheppard.” He announced her before he slid the ring onto her finger.
“It’s perfect,” she embraced him in a hug just as it started snowing. For minutes they stood in silence. This place, this evening was more then perfect. A tear slipped from her eye while John kissed her tenderly. And the snowflakes fell down like little angles.
Genres: Romance & Fluff
Warnings: None
Challenges: Written for the Sparky Advent Calendar 2010
Chapters: 1
Completed: Yes
Word count: 3965
Summary: John has planned the most perfect date.
Note: Many thanks to my wonderful beta muses_mistress, who also created a bonus cover for the story. *bows for my Mistress* ;-)
With pleasure John leaned against the railing, observing Elizabeth at work. He liked watching her busy but not overly stressed. The past week had been quiet. There weren’t any important missions that had gotten in the way of their usual routine. However, he had some fun when he accompanied Teyla on a trade mission. That visit had ended up a little bit unexpected, but for the first time, in a good way. Despite the fact that Teyla had been with him and that she, Carson, Rodney and Ronon where in on his current plot, none of them knew exactly what had happened on that mission.
John took a breath and removed a red lace scarf from his vest. He imagined how Elizabeth would react to the surprise and could already picture her face. She on the other hand, was still engrossed in her work and totally unaware he had been watching her for several minutes now. Not even for a split second had her eyes had left the screen, telling him she was reading or studying something interesting. With a push John straightened and moved to the door. “Here,” he said tossing a red scarf at Elizabeth after entering her office.
There was a smirk plastered to his face, making Elizabeth wonder what he was up to. She lifted the red fabric from her desk, inspecting it and observing John at the same time. “What are you up to?” She critically asked.
“You’ll find out.” He paused. “If you trust me.”
“Hmm.” She pursed her lips in concentration. The soft satin and color gave her some kinky ideas, but she couldn’t be sure that was his intent. “A scarf?” she asked.
John grinned and sat down on the corner of her desk. He licked his lips and watched her carefully. “Blindfold.”
Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat. Over the past two years, mostly in the last few months, she had learned enough of him to know he was creative in his ways of surprising her. Today was no exception. She felt a tingle inside her stomach. It was the same tingle that she had known for those two years, but only recently allowed to emerge from the depth of her heart. They had been turning around each other for so long, but not anymore. She smiled and remembered how wonderful it felt when they both confessed their feeling and even better that their friends supported them. From that point on their relationship had grown and it wasn’t long before they had shared intimate moments. So far everything had stayed conventional and neither one had spoken about more spicy things so far. Not that she minded, but the blindfold was a quite sudden and not so subtle hint.
“John,” She started, the red cloth gripped tight in her hand. She took a deep breath. “Don’t get me wrong here, but I think we should first have a talk about where we’re heading with our relation. Not to mention any boundaries. We haven’t been together that long. I have very strong feelings for you and I’m certainly open to experiments, but I think we should talk about it before…” She held the scarf up and nodded, “doing things we both might be rushing in to.”
John turned his head, his smirk still present “Well I wasn’t actually referring to that, but I don’t mind changing plans.” The look in Elizabeth’s eyes turned darker, adding more fuel to John’s pleasure.
“You let me ramble on for no reason.”
“I promise I won’t do anything you won’t like or we will both regret.” John gloated.
Elizabeth felt like a school girl in love, coming up with premature conclusions. Again John had found a way to playfully surprise her. “That’s all the information I get?”
“For now. Meet me in the Gateroom at nineteen hundred hours tonight and don’t forget to bring that along.” He nodded at Elizabeth’s hand.
John stood up and walked to the door when Elizabeth asked another one of her favorite questions. “What am I supposed to wear?”
“Anything.” He turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse of her sitting bewildered at her desk. He loved playing with her.
~~***~~
Quickly John ran down the hallway towards the Gateroom. Apparently Rodney and Zelenka had been in each other’s hair again, making Rodney forget to notify him the moment Elizabeth was ready. She was early and now he was late. On some things Elizabeth was so predictable, but maybe that is what was so attractive about her. She added extra stability to his position. She made him long to return to Atlantis during each and every mission. She was full of joy and could always make him smile. Sometimes he really wondered why it had taken so long for them to end up at this point. However, at this point he didn’t care why, but was simply glad they were together now. And tonight would be extra special. He had planned the perfect date.
With a thud John landed at the bottom of the stairs. Elizabeth instantly turned around and smiled. “You know I’m never late.”
John smiled and gave Rodney a short glare before asking her, “Ready?”
Elizabeth nodded and held her jacket questioning up. “I think so.”
“Good. Let’s go.” John nodded upwards and on command Rodney started punching the buttons. After the sixth button he stopped and waited for John, who walked up to Elizabeth. He reached for the red scarf and calmly took it from her hand. Without a word he carefully placed it over her eyes and started to tie a knot behind her head. He was very careful not to mess up her beautiful curls. Tension was growing and he could sense it. So to comfort her he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Trust me.”
Elizabeth swallowed. She knew she could trust him, but a tingle moved around in her stomach. She was excited, curious and even a little nervous about John’s plan. She knew John would never do anything to make her feel uncomfortable, but her falling in love with him sometimes blurred the rational thought. She shivered and felt his strong hands wrapping around her and taking the jacket from her hand.
“I love you.”
His whisper made her feel weak and lean into his comfort. She smiled and heard the last chevron being dialed. Only a second later the wormhole formed and John guided her gently towards the Stargate. At least that’s what she extrapolated from the direction they were going, because she couldn’t see anything.
“Ready?” John asked.
Elizabeth nodded and enjoyed the tingle that had spread to every inch of her body. Together with John she stepped forward into the wormhole and emerged in a cold environment. The scent was also very different from Atlantis. She smelt trees and a cold winter air. Quickly she was wrapped into a thick warm jacket and while John was closing it, she let out a breath. She knew her breath turned into mist from the temperature difference. So far the surprise date was good. She tried hard not to picture her surroundings in her mind, but several romantic sceneries did form. Satisfied, she took a deep breath again and grinned. John was good in remembering details about what she liked and she loved snow and winter.
A sudden stroke along her cheek caught her off guard and she felt her legs tremble. Her breathing hitched and when his lips gently touched hers she pressed herself into his arms. The kiss was sweet, strong, manly, scrubby, deep, longing, passionate but most of all it initiated a safe familiar feeling. The kiss made her head buzz and let the dark world spin around her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. She wanted the contact, needed it. For minutes they kissed and nibbled. He smelt so good and having him nearby made her forget about the blindfold. He was there to protect her. He would keep her safe.
“Hmm, if you keep on kissing me like this I might not take the blindfold off,” Elizabeth said with a smile and let John go. She licked her lips, still tasting John’s presence. She waited in silence for almost a minute. Meanwhile, her smile grew and she guessed John’s did too. He was testing her patience, but she was strong. He knew that.
John gave in and carefully took Elizabeth by her arm. “Small steps.” She nodded as he led her away from the Stargate. The gate was standing in the middle of a small circular clearing, with only a few paths leading away from it. Patiently he led her towards the narrowest path that started at the beginning of the forest. Most of the pine trees nearby were immensely tall and measured at least seven feet around.
If he wasn’t one hundred percent sure this planet was Wraith free the forest would have had him on edge. However, the Lady he had spoken too had assured him no Wraith had stepped onto the planet in thousands of years. Teyla had confirmed this story and therefore he had set the plan in motion. She and Ronon had checked the planet and found it safe. Meanwhile on Atlantis Carson and Rodney had done their part and helped him prepare things without Elizabeth finding out. John smiled, remembering the surprised look on her face. This was already a perfect evening and if things went as expected it would only get better. Slowly they walked the path and he could feel Elizabeth’s rapid pulse rate. He wouldn’t keep her in the dark for much longer.
Elizabeth heard the soft snow crunch under her shoes and felt her feet sink in the thick layer. Part of her wanted to rip the blindfold from her face and see. However, the other part enjoyed the mystery.
“Wait,” John whispered.
His voice was calm, letting her know there was nothing to worry about. He had always been protective about her and his team, but maybe it started to tend towards over protection. However, she could still tolerate it and would certainly let him know if he crossed a boundary.
Elizabeth felt a snowflake land on her lip. Instantly it melted and the tiny drop of water ran from her lower lip down to the pit above her chin. There it evaporated and returned to the flow of water. She leaned her head to John when he started to undo the knot behind her head. “Thank you.” She breathed and let her lips brush his cheek.
John hummed pleased and removed the blindfold.
Elizabeth had her eyes still shut and didn’t dare to look. A few silent seconds passed. A small squeeze in her hand made her take a deep breath and finally she opened her eyes. “Oh,” She gasped, standing midway the dimly lit path, tall pine trees flanking each side. However, that was not the most impressive thing her eyes spotted. At the end of the path stood a small beautifully lit gazebo. Its delicate stone pillars were entangled by a rose bush growing up onto the dome. The large snow-white flowers lit up from the dark green leaves. The small dome over the gazebo was covered in snow and a gothic like figurine watched from the top down the path they were standing on. Hundreds of small lights in the gazebo, plants and trees around made her stop breathing for a moment.
This place was so much more breathtaking then any image that had popped into her head. She turned to John and saw him smile. Emotions took control of her, making her swallow against the lump in her throat. She couldn’t speak and couldn’t find the words to describe the beauty of this place.
John saw her take in every detail and knew it was hard to describe what this place exactly was. The only thing he knew was that from legend this place had been a save heaven and the most romantic place to visit with a loved one. He leaned in and wrapped Elizabeth in his arms. “Shh,” he soothed softly and rubbed her back until she controlled her breathing again. “Beautiful isn’t it?”
“Yes,” she whispered with glittering eyes. Discreetly she rubbed her eyes and pulled her lips tight. She took another breath and put a smile on her face. She was happy and this surprise was so romantic. John certainly was the romantic type, once you got to know him. However, for the outsiders he usually kept on his playful and flirty style. Therefore this location was astonishing to her. She couldn’t be happier.
“Shall we?” John waved towards the gazebo and led Elizabeth foward. From the corner of his eyes he watched her and spotted sparkles in her eyes. He too took a deep breath. She was the love of his life. He had felt it the first second he met her, but had locked it away for so long. For so long he had drawn a thick line between work and his private feelings. And for ever so long had it been difficult not to cross the line. For so long he enjoyed the tease, the flirt, making her laugh and he even cherished their fights. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She was the better half of him.
Together they stepped into the gazebo, making Elizabeth’s smile widen. She clasped her hand for her mouth when she saw the picnic basket in style with small white roses and leave wrappings. On the floor lay a white down-filled quilt with delicate silver stitching and right next to it stood a bottle of Champagne accompanied with two glasses in a pile of snow.
“John,” She exclaimed. “You’re crazy. You shouldn’t have done this.” She turned on her axis and embraced him in a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He kissed her on her forehead and gestured for them to sit down.
Elizabeth sat down and felt blissful. This was by far the best surprise she had ever received. And this place seemed to come from a magical fairytale, so pretty and serene. “I don’t know what to say,” she stammered.
“Then don’t,” John replied. He took the two glasses and filled them with Champagne. “Here” He handed her the glass and watched carefully for her reaction. Her eyes scouted along the pillars and he knew she would try to read the figures engraved in them. “It contains the names and stories of the ancient gods these people believed in. I got a book with the details.” He smiled and reached in the picnic basket.
Elizabeth saw John lift a mid size book out. The cover was made from crackled black leather with fine silver engravings, similar to the stitching of the quilt. He handed her the book and she noticed it was lighter then she expected. Suspiciously her eyes narrowed. She eyed John who had a wide smirk on his face.
“Something wrong?” He asked.
In return Elizabeth glanced along the book cover and weighed it by size estimation. Was she paranoid or overreacting? She took a deep breath and licked her lips. The overwhelming amount of beautiful things had taken her off guard, but now her logic strangely kicked in and she was anxious to find out why the book was much lighter than it should be.
“Open it,” John said.
Only to torture herself, she lingered for a second, but then finally opened the book. There was her answer. On the inside there wasn’t the regular paper, but the sheets were made of a transparent foil. The engravings were made in silver and she recognized John’s handwriting underneath. “Love’s Sage of the Everlasting Winter” She titled her head and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Your welcome.”
Carefully Elizabeth turned the thin pages and made the silver engraving on the page underneath lighting up. There was a lot of text, which she couldn’t decipher. However, she wasn’t afraid she wouldn’t be able to learn the language. She fanned the book pages and was amazed by the technology to make the characters light up. The silver glow radiated and added to the magical dream she found herself in. “John, this is such a wonderful gift. I am still speechless and don’t know what I did to deserve this.”
John smiled. He paused and tried to piece a sentence together in his head. “I love you,” Was all that he managed to get out. Quickly he lifted his glass and took a sip of the Champagne. “When I saw the book I knew it would be the perfect gift. And yes, today seems like an ordinary day and in fact it is. It’s no anniversary of any kind, but it felt like the right moment to plan this date.”
Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled and the stir inside her body abruptly surfaced. She placed her hand on his cheek and stared deep in his eyes. “That’s part of why I love you.” Seductively she initiated a kiss, which was welcomed by John. It felt good to have his arm wrapped around her and their lips making contact.
In harmony the two of them lay down on the quilt and more of their bodies became entangled into the other. Tenderly John kissed her forehead, cheek, nose, mouth, chin and neck. Every inch of her skin tasted sweet. His hands roamed freely along her body and he heard her softly moan from his touches. All the time his eyes were wide open, observing her, learning the reactions of his actions. When he lifted his weight she opened her eyes and they locked onto his. “I have one more thing to show you.” He swallowed and nodded sideways.
“Okay,” Elizabeth said, letting John help her up. Together they walked out the back of the gazebo, where a small curling path along a few trees started.
“It’s not far,” John said and picked the scarf back from his pocket.
Elizabeth widened her eyes. “You are kidding me, right?” The only response she got was John shaking his head and holding the blindfold up. Reluctantly, but obediently she turned her head and let him tie the blindfold around her head again. “This better be good.”
“I promise,” he whispered softly in her ear. In addition he played with her senses by gliding his hands along her body. The most powerful spot he had discovered a few weeks back was her spine. When he ran his fingers down adding the right amount of pressure she would instantly relax and fall into his arms. Teasingly he tried this maneuverer today and caught her the second her legs gave in. She hummed teasingly, making him reward her with nibbling her neck. “Ready?”
“Yes.” She stopped leaning into John and waited for him to guide her. With small steps they moved forward and on several occasions he pulled her in another direction, making her lose track of how far they had moved or in what direction. Her curiosity grew as a soft tinkling sound got stronger and more frequent, but she refrained from asking questions.
After a few more minutes walking John stopped her and without the dreadful waiting he started to undo the tie. “Don’t make any sudden moves or you’ll disrupt the balance.”
The satin fabric slid along her face down and she felt John’s hands on her shoulders. “Oh my,” she gasped. There were crystal bubbles everywhere, on the ground, in the trees and even floating in the air. Her eyes scanned the area and she noticed that they were standing on a narrow strip of ground branching out through what seemed to be a lake. “This is beautiful.”
“I know,” John said and slowly lifted his hands. With his finger he reached out for a bubble and pushed it towards other bubbles. As the bubble touched another it made a soft ringing sound, making Elizabeth smile up to him.
“Amazing,” she said. More questions about this planet formed in her head, but she put them away for later. This was not the moment to ask them. This was the moment to enjoy the wonders happening in front of her. Slowly she reached out her hand and let a bubble touch her skin. It was as light as air, but much warmer then everything around them.
“Want to see a real cool trick?” Skillfully he moved past her and took a few steps forward.
“Careful, don’t fall into the water.” She warned him right before he jumped and reached out for a piece red lace floating in the air.
He missed and landed empty handed on the ground. With a frown on his face he turned to her. “Let’s try it again.”
Elizabeth chuckled “Careful.”
John took a step forward and lifted his body in the air. His hand caught hold of the lace, followed by the tinkling sound of bubbles bumping into each other. “Got it.”
Elizabeth was entertained when he almost slipped over a bubble during his landing, but luckily he managed to keep his balance. Her eyes followed the lace up, but she still didn’t saw where it led.
“Here you go,” John said, handing her the lace. “It’s all yours.”
With a smile she accepted the lace and gently pulled at it. Above her she heard bubbles bounce and ring. Each bubble had a unique sound, compositing a friendly melody. “How long is this?”
John heaved his shoulders, “Not sure, ten or maybe twelve feet.”
Elizabeth was almost too nervous to find out what was at the other end. She wasn’t even sure why she felt this way. It could have been the place, the moment or as simple as John’s teasing expression. He was enjoying this moment, but she also spotted a hint of caution. Maybe that caution was what kept her from quickly pulling the lace. She couldn’t pin point what was on John’s mind that made him cautious. She certainly had no time to find out and placed the question in the same compartment as all her other questions about tonight. With a firm pull she gained several feet of the lace. No matter how many bubbles bounced into each other, the sounds they made remained as pretty as before.
She pulled again and looked up to see the bubble the lace was attached too. “John?” She stammered when she spotted a small red box floating inside the bubble.
On queue he moved forward and stared deep in her eyes. He helped her pull the bubble down and with the tip of his knife broke the icy thin crystal. With his other hand he caught the red box. “Elizabeth, I’m complete in love with you.” In the middle of the bubbles he lowered onto one knee and stared up to see a perplex Elizabeth stand in front of him. However, the smile on her face spread from ear to ear. “Will you marry me?”
Her heart and breathing stopped for a few seconds. Even in her most intimate of fantasies she would have never guessed this would happen so soon and so romantically. A lump was forming and she had to swallow hard. “Yes,” she breathed.
John got back onto his feet and got a silver ring with a small engraved bubble out. “You can read the inscription later Mrs Elizabeth Sheppard.” He announced her before he slid the ring onto her finger.
“It’s perfect,” she embraced him in a hug just as it started snowing. For minutes they stood in silence. This place, this evening was more then perfect. A tear slipped from her eye while John kissed her tenderly. And the snowflakes fell down like little angles.