Title: Love and War
Author's Notes: This was written for the Secret Santa challenge in Beya. And just a warning, this story is more fluffy than cotton candy.

Words had been exchanged. The lines had been drawn. Sides had been chosen.

The war was on.

John and Teyla were running, trying to get some distance between them and their pursuers. A thick layer off snow, combined with the uneven terrain of the forest, made their escape slow. Fortunately, those that were following them were unable to gain any ground either.

Finally, several yards ahead, John saw a large tree they could hide from their enemy. Teyla was still several feet behind him, allowing him to lead her to a safe place. This had better work, he thought.

Just as he approached the back of the tree, he grabbed Teyla, pulling her into hiding with him. He held her body close to his. "Did we lose them?" he whispered, his heavy breathing tickling her ear.

"No," she said. "They are close."

Releasing his hold on Teyla, he knelt down to the ground. "Keep an eye out for them. I need to get things ready."

Teyla nodded as she carefully scanned the wooded area. It should be easy to spot them, dark figures in the white landscape. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw movement behind an area covered with many trees. "John, I believe I have found them."

He stood up, dusting the snow off his gloves. "Where?"

She motioned to the east. "About twenty feet away, behind those trees."

He nodded. "All right, I'll take watch. Everything should be ready." Sheppard waited for the first shot to be fired. This was always the part of combat he hated the most, not knowing who was going to get off the first shot. His senses were heightened, trying to give him some kind of clue as to what the enemy was doing.

Carefully tucked away behind the tree that was offering them protection, Sheppard couldn't see exactly where their adversary had gone without giving away his position. It was getting colder by the minute. He was thankful for the foresight to bring the proper clothing. Had they been wearing their normal gear, they would have been forced to retreat to the gate.

He glanced at Teyla, her nose already pink from the cold.

"Are you ready?" he whispered.

She nodded, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. "I hope we have enough to protect ourselves," she said quietly.

He looked at the arsenal by her feet. "It should be enough. Just don't hesitate to fire. We'll get more ammo if we need it."

Carefully, he turned his head, facing the direction that Teyla thought she saw them. As soon as he did, a white ball flew over his head. "You missed!" he yelled, taunting. "I thought you could do better than that."

A snowball in his face was the only response he got.

Soft laughter filled his ears. He looked down and saw Teyla unsuccessfully trying to hide the smile on her face. Despite such a beautiful sight, he frowned at Teyla. "Hey! Whose side are you on? Get throwing those snowballs!"

Before she grabbed one, she softly ran her gloved hand over his face, brushing off the snow. The skin that had been stinging with cold now was burning with warmth. "I will avenge you," she said solemnly, though there was a twinkle in her eye.

Swiftly, she took John's place, finding the tree the others had hidden behind. To her left, she saw the top of Rodney's head. Her instincts took over and she released the snowball at him.

"Ow!" she heard him yell.

As she ducked back down, Sheppard took her place, hurling several snowballs in his direction. "Take that, McKay!" he yelled, smiling.

Another snowball hit John, this time in the chest. The impact caused the snowball to break apart, landing mostly in Teyla's hair. He kneeled down next to her. "Isn't this fun?" he asked.

To her, snow was not very pleasant. On Athos, it hardly snowed. She would much rather be in the warm sun, feeling the breeze run over her skin rather than be stuck in such a cold environment, feeling the wet snow in her hair.

Still, there was something that warmed her heart about seeing the colonel so relaxed. His child like enthusiasm was contagious. Despite her discomfort, she found herself grinning too.

"I am enjoying myself," she answered truthfully.

"Good," John said softly. His eyes trailed down her face to her lips. She was his snow angel, he thought. Without thinking about what he was doing, he began leaning down to kiss her. Before he could get halfway there, a loud booming voice interrupted them.

"Sheppard! Are you going to hide like a coward?" Ronon asked from across the field.

He looked at her apologetically. "Looks like we'll have to take a rain check."

"Allow me to take care of that," she said mischievously. Grabbing several snowballs, she stood up and started throwing them in the direction of Ronon's voice.

Sheppard heard several thuds as the snowballs had hit their target.

When she had dispersed all of her snowballs, she sat down next to him, this time closer than before. "I believe Ronon will be busy for a while getting the snow out of his hair."

What a woman, he thought as she leaned into him. Seconds later, her lips touched his. Suddenly the snowball fight was the last thing on John's mind. As he continued to kiss her, he wondered why he had waited so long to kiss her again. It was obvious her lips were meant to be his.

John ran his hand through her hair. She returned the gesture by grabbing the back of his head, pulling him closer to her.

He heard a sound of someone approaching. Though he knew they were about to get caught making out, John didn't make any effort to stop. Neither did Teyla. In fact, he thought, maybe if someone did see them, he would leave them alone. Without stopping the kiss, Teyla reached down and grabbed a snowball, hurling it towards the intruder.

"Come on, you guys! Ronon wants to get back to Atlantis," Rodney complained as the snowball hit his leg. "Sheppard! Teyla! What are you guys--" He stopped as he saw the two of them kissing. He frowned at Sheppard. "Great. I'm sure you had this all planned out from the moment you suggested the snowball fight. I'm going back to Atlantis," Rodney grumbled.

As he stormed away, Teyla broke off the kiss. "Perhaps we, too, should return to Atlantis."

"But…" John stammered.

"It is quite cold out here and I was hoping you could help me to feel warm again," she said with a flirty smile.

Without warning, he scooped her up from the ground and started running. "Keep that gate open, McKay!" he yelled, making Teyla laugh again.

The End.