Disclaimer: I do not own SGA or any of the characters.
A/N: A very short Christmas piece about Rodney rediscovering Christmas
"Good mission?" Jennifer asked John's team in the infirmary.
"No. It was eight hours of watching him Kirking it with the locals." McKay said glaring at Sheppard.
"I was not Kirking it. I was being polite." John countered. "Something you could try in the future." He added looking at McKay.
"You were Kirking it. The only thing that was missing was you tearing your shirt."
"Looked like Adrene wanted to do that." Ronon shrugged.
"Not helping buddy." John shot back at the Satedan.
"Apart from becoming friendly with the locals anything I need to know about?" Jennifer asked.
"Nope. Not even a paper cut." John said.
"I have a blister." Rodney pointed out.
"A blister?" Jennifer asked.
"Yes. It's vey painful. I'm worried it'll get infected."
"Fine I'll look at it. If the rest of you are okay you're free to go."
"Thanks doc. Don't forget to use the big needle on him." John grinned hopping of the gurney.
"Big needle?" Rodney asked.
"The new Tetanus shot." John said. "Really big needle." He added before leaving with the rest of the team.
"He's joking." Jennifer assured Rodney. "Take off your boot and sock and I'll have a look."
"Is there a new shot?" Rodney probed.
"If there is no one has told me." Jennifer smiled before looking at Rodney's foot, barely able to see the blister.
"Is it bad?"
"You'll live." Jennifer said. "I'll get a dressing." She added, knowing a bandage would help make Rodney feel better. As she applied the dressing Rodney asked.
"So anything happen round here whilst we were gone."
"No. But I do have a surprise for you."
"You do? What?"
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise." Jennifer pointed out. "But I can show you. Just give me a minute." She added as she finished off the dressing. "I'll be back in a moment. Put your boot back on."
When she returned empty handed Rodney looked confused.
"It's not here. It's in our quarters."
"Really?" Rodney asked smiling.
"Not that kind of surprise." Jennifer said taking Rodney's hand asking. "Ready?"
"Sure."
As they walked down the corridor Rodney asked. "You going to give me a clue?"
"No."
"Not even a small one?"
"No."
"A tiny one?"
"Rodney we are ten seconds away from our quarters."
"I still like he sound of that. Our quarters so much less clinical than your quarters or my quarters." Rodney said as they reached the door. Pausing in front of it Jennifer looked at Rodney and said beaming.
"Here we are."
"Just go in?" Rodney asked, not sure why Jennifer was so happy.
"Just go in." Jennifer confirmed opening the doors allowing Rodney to see the room.
"What the hell happened to my quarters?" He asked seeing it covered in Christmas decorations.
"Christmas." Jennifer said succinctly, her smile beginning to waver.
"Why? Why would you bling up my room. You know I don't do the Christmas nonsense." Rodney said.
"I thought we could make it special for us this year. But if you hate it this much I'll take them down." Jennifer said clearly upset.
"Good. I'm going to get something to eat." Rodney said leaving a dejected Jennifer alone.
-00-
"Something wrong?" John asked. "The doc didn't take your blister seriously."
"Apparently my girlfriend has lost her mind or thinks she is dating someone else."
"Why?" John asked, not really sure if he wanted to know.
"She has ruined my quarters."
"I thought they were now joint quarters." John said.
"Fine our quarters. She covered it all things Christmassy and thought I'd like it. I mean really she's meant to be a woman of science. Christmas? Why on Earth would I want my room surrounded in tat celebrating a religious festival that's date was so unimportant they moved it to align themselves with a pagan festival."
"You'd have preferred Isaac Newton memorabilia?" John questioned.
"I'd have preferred nothing."
"You hate Christmas that much McGrinch?"
"Of course I do. Only turkeys hate it less. Why would I want to be reminded of being dragged to see extended family and spending the day being completely bored as everyone argued?"
"Where is Jennifer now?" Teyla asked.
"Taking it down."
"Oh, Rodney." Teyla said shaking her head.
"What?"
"Christmas means a great deal to Jennifer. It reminds her of her family and happy times from her childhood."
"It does?"
"Yes, she often speaks of the family Christmases' and the time she spent with her family. Christmas was the last big occasion she spent with her mother before she died." Teyla explained.
"Really? I didn't know that." He said starting to feel guilty.
"She's been talking about Christmas for weeks." Teyla went on.
"But she's never joined in the seasonal stupidity before." McKay pointed out.
"I believe that is because in previous years it made her homesick. She said this was the first time she felt like celebrating it since she got here. And that she finally felt she had someone special to share it with." Teyla explained as Ronon commented
"Looks like you ruined it."
"What are you the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future?" Rodney asked feeling more and more guilty.
"Look Rodney, it's not my place to say anything, but." John started. "If Christmas means that much to the doc shouldn't you make an effort? If you have bad memories make new ones."
"New ones?"
"Yes, do something special that's worth celebrating."
"Not such a bad idea." McKay mulled.
"If Jennifer will ever speak to you again." Ronon pointed out.
"I've screwed up." Rodney agreed. "I need a plan to make things right."
"And apologise?" John suggested.
"Yes that too. But I need your help."
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" John asked.
"It's risk free, well almost risk free." Rodney said.
"See it is the almost I don't like." John countered.
"Please?" Rodney asked. "Jennifer is the best thing to have happened to me. I want to make this right."
"Fine. What do you need?" John conceded.
"I need you to take a Jumper to the main land and help me cut down a tree. I then need you to hover the Jumper outside my window so I can get the tree into the room without Jennifer knowing."
"Woolsey's not going to like me hovering a Jumper that close to the city." John pointed out.
"So it's win-win." Rodney stated. "Meanwhile I need you to be a distraction." He added looking at Ronon and Teyla.
"How?"
"Well you could talk about Torren and you could get injured." McKay suggested looking from Teyla to Ronon.
"You want Ronon to injure himself?" John asked.
"Not badly. Just something requiring a few stitches should do it."
"No." John said. "The tree part of the plan is fine, but I'm not having Ronon injured just so you can make amends."
"But-"
"No buts." John said sternly.
"I'm sure we can come up with something." Teyla said. "When do you want us to occupy Jennifer?"
"In about an hour, for as long as possible."
-00-
Several hours later Jennifer walked wearily back to her shared quarters, regretting having given up claim to her own room. As she reached the door she saw Rodney hover nervously outside.
"It's okay. I took them down, you can go in." She said.
"I wanted to apologise." Rodney said. "I didn't mean to upset you. I never realised it meant so much to you."
"I know." Jennifer said walking up to the door.
"It's just Christmas was never that good for me. Jeannie, she loved it. She was always the centre of attention. Our parents always boasted about her achievements, never mine. I guess I was a little jealous of her. Then there were the rows. I mean my family made the Simpsons look completely functional. By the end of the day no one was speaking to anyone else. I guess it tainted the holiday for me."
"I understand." Jennifer said, with no trace of the jubilation she had displayed earlier in the day.
"But that doesn't mean we can't have a good Christmas and many more good Christmases. So I want to apologise and start again."
"Start again?"
"Probably easier if you go inside." He said opening the door.
As the door opened Jennifer was greeted with a smell that was almost like Christmas trees from Earth, following her nose she saw in the corner a fir type tree, complete with decorations.
"You got a tree? How?"
"I'm a genius." Rodney shrugged. "Smuggling a tree in is one of the easier tasks I have completed.
"It's beautiful." Jennifer said walking towards it.
"So I wanted to do something special so we both have good memories of Christmas."
"Getting a tree in here is special. Thank you." Jennifer said, looking round the room noticing that Rodney had put her decorations back up.
"The tree is actually an apology for how I behaved. The something special is something else." He said, starting to fidget. His words causing Jennifer to turn towards him. "I know I can be a jerk at times and I don't always put you as first as I should, but I love you and I can change. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. So will you marry me?" He asked pulling out a small box containing a ring. When Jennifer remained silent he said. "I should have gone down on my knees shouldn't I? I was worried about my cartilage so didn't, but you're right I should do this properly." He started to babble only to feel Jennifer's hands on his cheeks moments before she kissed him.
When she finally pulled back Rodney asked.
"Just to clarify is that a yes?"
"Yes Rodney, it's a yes." She said, kissing him again.