A/N: Last holiday one-shot, I promise. Well. Until next year anyway ; ) John explains Christmas to Ronon, and Teyla receives an unexpected gift.
A/N2: Alex is Reefgirl's. Lydia is BiteMeTechie's. I really shouldn't have to tell you that, you should know by now. Thanks guys, I love working with 'em!
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"So this kid just randomly gets born and everyone thinks he's some sort of prophet?" the big man asked skeptically.
The man sitting opposite him, smaller but well built, sighed in exasperation. "No, Ronon, he didn't 'just randomly get born' he got born because God needed someone to tell everyone about being peaceful and nice to one another."
Ronon still looked unconvinced. "So he got born, he talked about peace and love, he got stuck to a pole and now everyone on Earth believes he's some sort of God incarnate?"
"Well not everyone on Earth, there are lots of other religions, but this holiday got started because of him." John amended.
"Christmas." The disbelief was still clearly evident in Ronon's voice.
"Yep. Jesus Christ, Christmas, you get the pattern?"
"So Jesus Christ gets reborn as this man in red who goes around breaking into people's houses?" Ronon asked hopefully. He thought he was finally getting somewhere in understanding this strange holiday, but John's vehement headshake killed that idea.
"No, no, Santa Claus is a completely different person. And he doesn't 'break in' . . . well I guess he sort of does . . . wait . . . no, he doesn't, people want him to come in, because he gives them presents."
Ronon nodded in comprehension, although in reality he had no idea what the hell John was talking about. John saw this, and sighed.
"Okay. Starting over. Forget everything I've just told you," he said, "and I'll try to explain it better."
This time, Ronon nodded more enthusiastically. Forgetting confusing things was one of his specialties.
John sighed again, marshalling his thoughts. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "So. On one night every winter, each house on Earth gets a visit from Santa Claus. He lives on the northermost continent on the planet, and spends the rest of the year making gifts for everyone. Kids leave out food for him so that he'll come back the next year. He puts the presents under a decorated tree that everyone puts up in their house, and the next morning the kids open the presents and play around and everyone has a good time."
Ronon nodded again. He was starting to get the gist of the process, and was quite intrigued by the gift-giving. He asked for more clarification on this point, and John seemed happy to move to a subject he was more well-versed in.
"Santa's not the only one who gives gifts. Most people give something to their friends and family members, sometimes their co-workers and bosses too. No, it doesn't have to be directly related to Christmas," he continued in answer to Ronon's query. "It could just be something the person wanted or needed."
Ronon left his friend with a lot on his mind. This Christmas business seemed to have a lot in common with the Earth tradition of St. Valentine's day, which Lt. Cadman had explained to him months before.
It was only an hour later, when he and John were on their daily run through the city and were passing the training room, that the idea for the perfect Christmas gift came to Ronon, and who it would be for.
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Teyla left for the training room early that morning, wanting to stretch before she taught her class. She went over to the window-seat to pick up her Bantos rods, but paused as she saw a piece of paper stuck under them. She picked it up, unfolded it, and read:
Go to lunch early today. Say hi to Alex for me.
Bewildered, Teyla stuck the note in her pocket and forced her mind to her class, but her mind was in turmoil.
Ten minutes before she would have usually gone to lunch, Teyla went into the kitchens in search of the friendly head chef. She found her in a corner of the expansive room, chopping vegetables, and smiled in greeting.
"Hallo there Teyla dear, how are you?" Alex said warmly.
"I am well," Teyla inclined her head. "And you?"
"Oh this and that, same as always." Alex chuckled, then snapped her fingers and continued, "I knew I was forgetting something! Here you are, love." She handed Teyla a piece of paper identical to the first. "and don't go asking me who it's from cause I promised 'im I wouldn't say."
Teyla thanked her friend and walked into the hall to read the note.
Glad to see you again, Teyla. How about after lunch you go see Dr. McKay? He should be in Dr. Winter's lab.
Teyla smiled. She could see now that she was in for a bit of a treasure hunt.
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"You idiot, how many times to I have to tell you to stay away from my notes!" the irate voice of Lydia Winter screeched.
"I didn't touch your notes!" the equally enraged voice of Rodney McKay countered.
Teyla stood in the doorway of the lab, wondering whether to risk her life and interrupt the "conversation" or not.
"You did too touch my notes, you've scribbled all over them, I'd recognize that chickn scratch anywhere!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did t--oh hello there Teyla."
Teyla grinned at the flustered scientists and stepped farther into the room. She inclined her head in greeting and said, "I hope I am not . . . interrupting anything."
"No, no, of course not, we were just . . . discussing some . . . anomalies . . . in our data." Dr. Winter said, running a hand through already frazzled hair. "Did you need something?"
"Of course she needed something, why else would she have come into this hell-hole?" Rodney quipped as he started shoving papers around on top of a desk. "I have a box for you Teyla, if I can find it in this mess," the last part of this was directed at Dr. Winter. She bristled.
"Oh, like it's any worse than your office, McKay. You couldn't find an elephant in that place if it were bright orange."
Now McKay bristled, but stubbornly stuck to his task of searching through the stacks of papers and file folders. After a minute, he made a triumphant noise and held up a small box, covered in gold paper with a red ribbon.
"Here you are Teyla. And I don't know who it's from," he added quickly, seeing that she was about to ask. She sighed, nodded, and thanked him, leaving quickly to open the box in private. As she turned the corner, she could hear raised voices coming from the lab she had just left, and smiled.
"My office is a hell of a lot cleaner than yours, you couldn't find ANYTHING in this dump!"
"It's not a dump!"
"Yes it is!"
"No it's not!"
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In the safety of her quarters, Teyla sat down on her bed and unwrapped the box. She gasped at what she saw inside. It was a pendant neckace, a silver chain with a medium-sized jade green stone, but looking at it made the eyes water and the mind boggle. It was carved into intricate swirls and patterns that gave it the illusion of movement. She put the necklace on and went to the mirror. It was truly a beautiful gift.
Going back to her bed, Teyla noticed that there was another note in the box. She unfolded it excitedly, and read:
Hello again Teyla. Would you care to join me for dinner this evening? If so, I will be on the balcony to the west side of the Gateroom at 1900 hours. I hope to see you there.
Teyla clasped the note to her chest and laughed happily. She whispered, "I will be there" and went to find something to wear.
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In the necklace and a green dress borrowed from Lt. Cadman, Teyla arrived at the balcony at 1857 hours, and was absolutely shocked at the sight that met her eyes. A table was set for two, with candles and roses as centerpieces. The moonlit ocean as a background made the scene a very romantic one.
Teyla saw another folded note on one of the plates, and immediately skipped over to read it. There were only two words, but they made her smile and laugh out loud.
Merry Christmas.
She felt a presence behind her, and turned around. She laughed again. "I should have known," she told Ronon as she stood on tiptoe to kiss him. She felt him smile as he kissed her back.
They stood together for a minute before he broke away and said, "Would you care to sit down, m'lady?"
She smiled at him again, a sight that warmed his body throughout, and inclined her head. "I would be honored, kind sir."
He escorted her over to the table and pulled her chair out for her. Once she sat down he went to his own seat, and they sat, ate, talked, and laughed through the rest of the night.
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When Ronon woke up the next morning and saw Teyla asleep in his arms, he thought to himself that he had received the very best Christmas present he could have wished for.
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A/N: -sighs- They certainly work well together, don't they? That's the last Christmas 'fic I'll be writing this year, Happy Holidays to everyone, best wishes for a 2007, and I'm going to go watch my newly received STARGÅTE SG-1 Season Five DVD's now.