Vala's First Christmas
It was supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year; at least that's what everyone at the SGC told her. Thus far, the only changes she could see were the ridiculously outlandish decorations (really, who decorates a tree?) and how positively giddy everyone seemed to be. "Christmas spirit" was in the air, whatever the hell that meant. She kept getting confused between that spirit and the ones from the story Daniel had told her about the three ghosts of Christmas.
He had tried to explain the holiday to her on several occasions. It sounded nice, what with people giving her gifts and all, but did she really have to give other people gifts, too? That sounded ridiculous, everyone giving things to each other. What kind of holidays did they celebrate on Earth anyway? She liked the idea of birthdays much better. She couldn't wait for it to be hers, all those presents just for her. But this Christmas thing came first.
So she tried to listen, but most days she was distracted by the thought of other things. Like a certain Lt. Colonel who happened to walk by them at just the right time or sit at their table during lunch, completely distracting the alien from all things besides the beautiful blonde she had known very intimately once. And only once, for the following morning it had been awkward and both women had mutually decided to never mention it again, much to the dismay of at least one.
And so . . . Christmas. Sam was hosting it this year and seemed rather excited about it. It was all she and Daniel could talk about whenever they were together, making Vala feel rather left out. She tried to ask Cameron about it, but his responses seemed even more cryptic than Daniel's. This holiday had more rituals than any she could recall celebrating before. And considering she had stayed on many different planets at differing times in their cycles, she had many from which to choose.
"So this obese man attired in a red garment actually slides down a chimney on this Eve you spoke of?" Vala asked Daniel politely, and waited as patiently as she could for a response, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet in front of him.
The near-sighted man smiled and shook his head back and forth as he studied the report in his hand, his eyes darting from it to the woman quickly. "No," he answered lightly, the entire subject seemingly rather amusing to him. "It's something humans tell their children so that the kids will behave. Santa doesn't really exist."
"Before your species met the Goa'uld, you thought that your ancient gods didn't exist," Vala replied, quick to follow him down the hallway, almost skipping beside him.
"Good point," Daniel replied with a shake of his head, grin still plastered to his face. "But we didn't have people telling us the story was made up, either. See, the legend of Santa Claus is really based on a man who lived centuries ago. . ." Even without Sam as a distraction, Vala knew enough to tune her friend out and just walk away as he continued to ramble.
Christmas Day arrived along with Daniel at the door to her room, a happy smile draped from one ear to the other. She opened the door and couldn't help return his smile with one of her own broad grins. He looked at her curiously, his eyebrows raised, and she could tell he was trying hard not to laugh.
"All right," she said, hands finding her hips as she regarded her friend closely. "What's so funny?"
He burst out laughing and had to lean against the wall for support, his whole body shaking with laughter. After he had calmed down a little, he shook his head and asked as evenly as he could, "What is that?"
"What is what?"
"That costume. What are you wearing?"
She looked down at her outfit. There were funny little elf shoes on her feet and red tights that disappeared under a tiny green mini-skirt that barely covered her backside. Her matching green shirt was skin tight and dipped low, showing more of her cleavage than Daniel's lower half was accustomed to. And to top off the outfit was a red elf hat perched on her raven colored head. Her blue eyes darted back to Daniel as she replied innocently, "What? Is something wrong with it?"
He bit back another bout of laughter. "No . . . it's just not . . ." he sighed and shook his head again. "Are you ready to go?"
She nodded, picking up a bag full of presents and shutting the door behind them. Grinning like mad, Daniel watched her and remarked lightly, "Now you really look the part."
She beamed. "Thank you."
If Vala had thought to bring a camera to the party, she would have liked to snap a picture as soon as Sam opened the door. The host of the party began to greet her guests, but before she could even utter a syllable, she noticed Vala's outfit. It was rather noticeable since Vala had conveniently forgotten to close her jacket, despite the cold. And it seemed as if the words were taken right out of Sam's mouth, probably the first time that had happened, the alien mused to herself, a triumphant grin finding its way onto her face.
"Merry Christmas, Sam," Daniel greeted his team member with an amused smile, stepping over the door threshold and pulling Sam into a hug, distracting her from Vala's unusual outfit.
She nodded into Daniel's neck and whispered, "Thank you," in his ear, followed by a louder, "Merry Christmas to you, too, Daniel." They pulled apart and the archeologist moved further into the house.
"Merry Christmas, Vala. You certainly dressed for the occasion, didn't you?" Sam greeted the strangely dressed woman on her doorstep and stepped aside to let her inside.
Vala shrugged as she moved closer and shoved the bag she was carrying into Sam's arms. "Daniel said you'd know what to do with these," she informed the surprised woman before shrugging off her coat and tossing it on top of the gifts. "Oh, hello Colonel Mitchell," Vala greeted the man before leaving Sam alone in the doorway with her arms full.
"Hey, Vala, you wore the outfit! Good," Cameron replied as he took her hand and twirled her around to get a full view. Vala felt a shiver run up her spine as his eyes passed over her body. Well, at least she wouldn't be alone this holiday, even if she couldn't be with the one she wanted to be.
As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice when two new people entered the room. One person she recognized quite well and smiled her greetings in the tall dark man's direction. He raised his glass filled with a cream-colored liquid and dipped his head slightly in her direction. The other person she didn't recall ever seeing before, but there was something familiar about the younger woman with long, light brown hair that was hugging Daniel and laughing about something he had said.
The girl turned and made her way over to the older woman, sticking out her hand as she did. "Hi," she said, a genuine smile gracing her pretty features. "You must be Vala. I'm Cassie, Sam's adopted daughter."
This made sense to the alien, who now remembered several pictures that lined the mantle behind her of this girl at various ages with Sam and another woman Vala had never met. She reached out and took the offered hand, shaking it firmly. "It's very nice to finally meet you," she replied with a smile.
"Jack will be happy he's not the only one who dressed up this Christmas," Cassie remarked, giggling slightly as they dropped hands.
Confusion fell over Vala's face as she regarded the girl carefully, dark eyebrows dropping toward blue depths. "I'm sorry, I don't quite catch your drift," the alien replied, not understanding the girl's statement.
She didn't have to wait long for the explanation. A man entered the room, dressed in a large red suit with a matching hat and black combat boots. He definitely had a pillow stuffed in the waistband of the pants and there was a white beard attached to his face. But as decked out as he was, Vala still recognized the man as one she had met not too long ago at another celebration. He was none other than General Jack O'Neill, the very man Sam had been pining for when she and Vala had spent the night together.
Jack walked over to where Cassie and Vala stood, a small smile forming underneath the white mass on his face. Shaking his head, he commented loudly, "Ho, ho, ho! It looks as if Santa's got a little helper this year."
Cameron, who apparently had drank too much of that cream colored drink (Vala had decided it was most certainly alcoholic and wanted some as soon as possible), lost all control at this point. He burst out into uncontrollable laughter and had to excuse himself from the room while the laughing fit continued.
Finally Sam entered the room, carrying a tray of the same drink the others had been holding. Vala and Jack each took one, the man downing his in one sip. The alien eyed the glass suspiciously before tasting it slowly. Jack, Sam, and Cassie all watched her to see what the response would be. Her grin returning, Vala quickly swallowed the rest and turned to her friends. "What's that called?" she asked excitedly. "It's rather good."
Sam laughed and replied as she took the empty cups, "It's called eggnog. It's a traditional Christmas drink."
"I don't think you've had enough, Carter," Jack commented as he slipped an arm around the blonde beside him and pulled her to him. "You should have more," he whispered before dipping his head down and kissing her, much to the surprise of the alien woman. If she had still been drinking, there would have most likely been eggnog all over the couple before her.
In the haze that had suddenly surrounded her, Vala could hear someone laughing. She finally came to the conclusion, the fog lifting, that it was Cassie, who was smacking Jack's arm and causing him to end the kiss. Vala decided she loved the girl in that instant, but her head still spun from the shock she'd just received.
"Okay, Jack, that certainly gives to meaning to 'I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus.' Please don't do that again while in the suit. It gives me the creeps," Cassie begged the man, even though she was still holding back a laugh. She turned slightly toward Vala. "That's a Christmas song. Someone actually thought 'I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus" would be a good topic for a song. I find it a little disturbing."
Vala nodded. "As do I," she replied, her intense gaze never leaving Sam's face. Very aware of the attention trained on her, a blush crept up the blonde's fair skin, contrasting brightly with her light hair.
The tall brunette shook her head and finally switched her attention to the girl beside her. "I'm sorry, Cassie, suddenly this corner isn't as fun as it was a few minutes ago," she offered quickly before stepping around her three friends, going to stand next to Cameron. He smiled and slipped another glass of eggnog into the alien's hand, which she took with a nod of thanks. "Keep them coming," she whispered into his ear, watching the hostess out of the corner of her eye.
Sam swallowed hard and forced a small smile onto her face, waving off her boyfriend and her daughter as she turned back toward the kitchen. They watched as she left the room before their vision became trained on the other woman who had just left their small circle. Vala's gaze quickly moved to the man standing beside her, talking about some Christmas he had celebrated in the past, and she sipped innocently on her drink.
Seated comfortably on the sofa, Vala found herself alone in the living room, watching as the fire danced merrily in the fireplace. She mused over the events of the evening, a small smile forming on her face as she surveyed the wreckage of the room, wrapping paper everywhere. It had certainly been fun ripping open the presents and hearing the sounds of her friends doing the same. She had been wrong – giving the presents had been almost as fun as receiving. She loved watching the looks on her friend's faces when they opened the presents she had selected for them. Okay, maybe staying on this planet had affected her in some ways.
She sighed and reaching up, dragged the goofy elf hat from her head. The evening had not turned out as she had imagined, starting with the stupid outfit Cameron had insisted that she wear. He hadn't even worn anything similar, just a pair of nice khakis and a button-down red shirt. But she had ignored that issue, thinking that perhaps later he would make her embarrassment worth her while. Instead, he had all but passed out on the couch beside her, eggnog still in hand. She reached over and gently slipped it from his hand, bringing it to her own lips, even though she knew it would take much more to actually inebriate her alien physiology.
Sam entered the room and grinned lopsidedly in the direction of her team leader. "Is this your version of drinking someone under the table?"
Huffing, Vala shook her head and contemplated throwing her drink at her hostess before her brain cleared, and she thought better of it. "No, I believe it's much more fun to drink someone into bed," she retorted. Whoops, maybe not so clear headed as she thought.
This comment stopped the blonde in her tracks, hand poised over the trash bag she carried, crumpled wrapping paper gripped a little too tightly in her fist. Taking a deep, calming breath, she turned to the woman seated on the couch and responded quietly in low tones, "Is there something you'd like to say to me, Vala?"
"Puh," the alien returned, rolling her eyes as she stood up carefully and glared at the blonde woman. "As if you care," she spat, tilting slightly on her way toward the kitchen, thoughts now intent on finding Daniel and her way out of the house. And it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't seen Daniel in quite a while. Where had that man wandered off to this time?
A slightly hurt expression fell over Sam's face as she moved to stand between Vala and her escape route. "I thought we decided not to talk about that night again."
Vala shook her head, her slightly mussed hair flying in all directions. "No, you decided. I stood by and watched, thinking I was once again being pushed to the side. And you know what? I was right. You're back with your precious general now, what do you need me for?" she retorted, her own cheeks darkening with the emotion they betrayed. She hated being anywhere near drunk – she began being honest, and that was a side of herself she wasn't exactly comfortable with.
Shock settled delicately over Sam's features, but before she could answer, a very sleepy and drunk man roused himself from the couch and caught their attention quite easily. "Hey, you two are under the mistletoe," he slurred, cocking his head slightly to the side as a devious grin snaked its way onto his face.
"What's a mistletoe?" Vala scowled, cutting her eyes in the direction of her friend still sitting. Apparently her anger extended to him as well now, but she really wasn't sure why.
Licking her lips and stepping back, Sam drew in a deep breath. "It's a Christmas tradition, too. If two people are caught standing beneath it, they have to kiss." She sighed. "Cam, is this your idea of a joke?"
He shook his head. "Nope. I didn't put it there."
"Then who did?" Sam wondered aloud.
Cameron shrugged. "I dunno. Try asking your boyfriend. Seems like something he'd do." His face broke out into a huge grin. "Right now, my Christmas wish is to see you two ladies kiss," he added, rubbing his hands together as he watched them with great interest.
Vala shook her head back and forth, waving a hand at the man. "Cameron, I really don't think Sam wants to-"
Before her sentence was even finished, there were lips covering hers, cutting off whatever she was about to say. Surprise flooded her, but she replied with pure instinct, gladly responding with equal vigor, wrapping her hands around Sam's neck, pulling the woman closer. She moaned when the blonde slipped a tongue past her willing lips and pushed her body up against the nearest wall.
Suddenly there was a loud noise from behind them. They regretfully broke the contact long enough to turn and see Cameron had fallen from his position onto the floor, shock running rampant over his face. His mouth hung open, but he didn't appear to be hurt as he continued to stare up at the two women. They giggled, but didn't detangle from each other's arms.
Probably responding to the crash, Daniel, Jack, Cassie, and Teal'c came running into the room. They noticed Cameron first, but he quickly picked himself off the floor and deposited his body back onto the sofa as gracefully as he could manage in the state he was in. Then the four newcomers turned to face the cause of his fall.
Confusion fell over Jack's expression as he witnessed his girlfriend in the arms of another woman. He took a step closer, but before he could utter a word, Cassie remarked, definite surprise lacing her tone, "Well, that's certainly not something anyone wrote a song about."
Daniel bit his lip and motioned at Teal'c, who grabbed the girl's left arm while Daniel grabbed her right. Together they lifted and carried the protesting girl from the room. Cameron was quick to follow, sensing what was to come would not be pleasant.
Sam pivoted in Vala's arms, assuming a protective stance in front of the alien woman. "Jack," she began, but really didn't know where to go from there, speechlessness becoming her enemy for the second time that night.
"Carter," he replied with a carefully guarded tone as he resumed walking toward the women. "What's going on?"
"Why does he call you that?" Vala asked, but her grip tightened on Sam's arms as she caught the glare Jack sent her way when the words left her mouth.
Shaking her head, the blonde took a deep breath. "He calls me that out of habit, Vala. We worked together for so long, he's so used to having me as his second that he still hasn't adjusted to the idea of me as a girlfriend yet." Another deep breath. "And maybe he shouldn't get used to it. Maybe we shouldn't have dated in the first place."
He stopped walking, confusion once again falling over his features. "What are you saying, Carter?"
"I'm saying that you treated me like crap, and I still dated you. I'm saying that when you call me by my last name it tells me that you still think of me more as a coworker than a lover." She could feel Vala cringe behind her as she voiced the last word. Still she continued, "I've shared a bed with you, Jack. For God's sake, call me Sam or at least Samantha."
"Sam, I didn't mean-" he started.
"No, Jack," she whispered, stepping closer to Vala, feeling the warmth of the brunette's body bleeding into hers, filling her with strength. "We're through. Vala's right. You and I aren't meant to be."
He shook his head, his face turning to one of anger, one she had seen many times before and had learned enough to stay away during its rare appearances. "And you and that hussy are? Does she keep her knees shut for anyone, Carter? How do you think you can have a relationship with that woman?"
"Somehow I don't think that's any of your business, sir," she returned hotly, her eyes darting toward the door. "I think maybe you should take Daniel and go," she whispered, and Vala could have sworn she saw tears shimmering in the blonde's blue eyes.
"Sam," he whispered, stepping closer.
She shook her head and closed her eyes, turning her head to the side. "Just go, Jack," she replied softly.
Vala watched as the man turned around, yanked the pillow out from underneath his shirt and deposited it unceremoniously onto the couch before leaving the room. The alien woman let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding before and turned her attention to the woman still in her arms. "You okay?" she asked quietly.
Opening her arms, Sam turned once more to face the woman behind her and smiled a little. "So tell me," she began, ignoring the woman's question as she prepared to ask one of her own, "How long have you wanted to be with me?"
Only slightly surprised by the question, Vala shrugged and fought the upward pull of her own lips. "Oh, you thought I wanted to be with you? That's why you broke up with that handsome man? I'm sorry to disappoint you, sweetie, but I'm really not interested in you at all," she replied, losing the battle with her lips as they pulled into a grin.
Sam shook her head and leaned closer, placing a tender kiss on the woman's lips before moving her own to Vala's ear. "Liar," she whispered, her breath tickling Vala's earlobe and causing her to shiver.
Vala began to laugh and soon Sam joined her, the pair still wrapped in each other's arms. Looking up, the alien woman's eyes finally found the green pieces of leaves hanging from the ceiling. "I like this mistletoe, can we leave it up all year?"
Sam laughed and nodded. "Sure, nothing wrong with having Christmas spirit all year round," she replied with a smile.
"Nothing wrong at all," Vala replied as she closed the distance between them and pulled Sam's lips to hers, suddenly thinking how wonderful a holiday Christmas was after all.