Disclaimer: I don't own Atlantis, Carter, Todd or Christmas or many other things I'd like to be able to call mine...
How to Explain Christmas to a Wraith.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
As Todd turned his head slightly to look down at the human female who stood beside him, a smile of recognition immediately broke across his face.
"Colonel Carter," he purred. "What a pleasant surprise. I am not really sure why I am here either. I asked Colonel Sheppard about this festival called Christmas and rather than give me an explanation he suggested that I come to this party to see for myself." The smile morphed to a cheeky grin. "I had to promise to behave myself though."
"And are you?" Sam met his humour with a smile of her own.
"Of course," Todd looked slightly hurt. "Even wraith do not abuse another's hospitality by feeding on the other guests unless there is a very good reason for doing so."
He seemed disappointed she thought he might break such a promise and turned back to watch the party goers.
Sam raised her eyebrows at this unexpected display of wraith sensitivity but just nodded her head in response.
"Don't Wraith have festivals?" she asked, genuinely interested in the answer.
Now that his gaze was no longer on her face, she took the opportunity to look more closely at this alien who had crossed her path before. The chiselled profile typified wraith arrogance as he watched the party with the curious manner of an anthropologist who had just found some new tribe of beings to study.
"Yes we do, but nothing that involves wearing badly-fitting red suits and badly-made false hair and beards," Todd declared as his gaze settled back on Sam's face.
"Ah, that's Santa,' she smiled. "He's really here for the children."
Todd narrowed his eyes, looking around the room for some of these smaller humans. "But there are no children here, Colonel."
Shrugging her shoulders, Sam did not really have an adequate response to this observation. "No, but adults like getting presents too."
"Ahh," Todd grunted with a slight nod of his head. "So I have heard."
For some unfathomable reason, perhaps it was the sensitivity he had just shown, Sam suddenly wondered if Todd would feel left out by not getting a gift.
"Well, if I'd known you were going to be here I would have brought something for you."
"That is very kind of you but I think I would probably be classified as 'difficult to buy for'." Todd replied sardonically.
Sam nodded, wondering where he'd heard the term, but not curious enough to ask.
"I heard my guards use the term," Todd murmured seemingly to no-one in particular.
Faced with such a vivid reminder of how easily wraith could read thoughts, Sam made a mental note to be more careful but then realised he would probably have heard that too.
So they stood in silence for several seconds. Todd continued looking around while Sam wondered how she had come to be explaining Christmas to an alien.
The silence was broken when Todd waved his hand, taking in the large Christmas tree that dominated one corner of the room and the mistletoe hanging above one of the doors out to the balcony.
"It seems to involve a considerable amount of foliage. Is there a reason for that?"
"That's the Christmas tree, usually a conifer..."
Todd bent his smiling face towards Sam. "Yes, I can recognise a conifer when I see one Colonel, they grow on many wraith worlds too."
The reply, like the smile, was slightly condescending but Sam carried on with her explanation regardless.
"...it's another tradition that goes back hundreds of years, we decorate them with toys and candies, put lights on them and people put gifts underneath them."
"Ahh," Todd's gaze returned to the man in the red suit. "The same gifts that Doctor McKay is now handing out?"
"Yes," Sam replied, trying to keep a straight face.
The mere thought of Rodney McKay playing Santa was bizarre to say the least and, while she had absolutely no idea how he could have been persuaded to do it, she suspected John Sheppard probably had a hand in it somehow. But she was no longer in command of Atlantis so whatever that persuasion had involved was none of her business.
Todd's voice brought her back from her thoughts and she saw him point towards the mistletoe. "Why is that foliage hanging there and why are people stopping underneath it?"
Okay, Sam thought, this explanation might be a little more difficult. "That's mistletoe. It's another old custom that you stop and kiss someone when you meet them under a mistletoe branch. You haven't been outside on to the balcony then?"
Todd growled softly and glanced down at her out the corner of his eyes. "Yes, I have but no-one stopped to kiss me." Again his face broke into a wide smile, this time one that deliberately displayed his two neat rows of small sharp teeth. "I think the teeth may be a little intimidating?"
Sam nodded in agreement. "Hmmm, I can see how that might happen."
Silence again settled between this oddly matched couple until Todd finally turned to face Sam again. "So, Colonel Carter, would you care to walk outside with me?"
Sam took a deep breath. She hadn't seen that coming. Or had she? Turning to face this strange alien she looked deep into his eyes and saw no malice, just humour mixed with a dash of challenge.
"More wraith humour?" she asked as she looked around to see if anyone was watching them.
Todd merely shrugged his shoulders as the cheeky little grin reappeared.
Well, she'd certainly done some unusual things during her time wandering through space, what difference was one more unique experience going to make. "Okay, but you'd better keep behaving yourself."
"Trust me Colonel," Todd murmured softly as he followed her towards the door. "I know exactly how to behave myself."