"Just a little snow?" Elizabeth's eyebrow arched sharply as she regarded John.

"I didn't realize the roads had potholes the size of tanks, Elizabeth. You could have warned me it was a rocky road to your mother's house, not that that shouldn't have been a given."

"I wouldn't know. I always take the train to Virginia when I visit my mother." She bit down on her lip to suppress her smile. "The train you didn't think would make it there on time."

She realized it would be impossible to stay upset with him for. Adorned in a leather jacket, well worn jeans, and boots, it was entirely too easy to forget that he was off limits when he wasn't in uniform. She'd seen him out of uniform plenty of times, but this ensemble was a serious assault to Elizabeth's defenses, especially when paired with that tantalizing cologne. She'd never known him to wear cologne before and, god help her, she prayed he never dared to wear it on Atlantis once they returned.

He leaned against the back of his rented Jeep Cherokee and, if Santa asked right now, John Sheppard would be exactly what she'd hope to find under her tree for Christmas. Snow dusted his unruly hair and fell in great drifts covering everything around, including the roads. She glanced beyond John and sighed.

The tow truck his Jeep was attached to had one bench seat in the cab. The coming ride into town was going to be entirely too close for her comfort. Things were quickly snowballing out of control she thought, wincing over her choice of words. She eyed a nearby snow drift mischievously, but just as she made a move towards, it the tow truck driver began clearing his throat.

"Ah, if you two are ready we're all set. I've called the garage and they are waiting for us."

John pushed away from the jeep, his forehead crinkled as he stepped closer. "Looks like the axel is broke Elizabeth."

"Of course it is." Elizabeth shook her head. Her mother was going to be furious. She was going to be late for the first family Christmas dinner she'd managed to be in town for in over two years.

John took her hand and pulled her along towards the truck.

The ten minute drive seemed to go on forever. John's arm stretched around her possessively, tucking her close against her side and away from the driver. Elizabeth practically gasped with relief when they arrived. John helped her step out of the truck, steadying her waist when she wavered. His cologne and the heat from his sheer proximity had left her reeling.

John spoke quietly with the driver while she concentrated on deep breaths, slowly taking in her surroundings. As the haze cleared, her eyes finally focused on the snowy scene around her.

"John, that is not a car shop." Elizabeth tugged his jacket drawing him closer. "That is a hotel!"

"Technically, it's the Garden Motor Inn." John forced his best fake smile upon his face. "Their rooms are individual cottages. They're kind of cool, from what I hear. Very retro."

"Cool? Did you get hit in the head when the axel broke? Why are we at a…motor inn instead of the car shop?"

Elizabeth threw a look at the tow truck driver who was smiling broadly at her distress. The tow truck driver retreated under her glare and she turned back to John.

John leaned closer. "Elizabeth, its Christmas Eve. The shop closed an hour ago." His voice practically a whisper.

"So we'll call a car rental agency." Elizabeth decided.

"We're at least an hour from the nearest city with a rental agency. We're two hours from your mother's. We can call her and ruin her Christmas or…."

Elizabeth's heart rolled over in her chest. "Or we visit the Garden Motor Inn?"

"You got it." He tentatively reached out touching her hand. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

She numbly nodded and began trudging through the snow to get her bags. She'd made her wish to Santa just a minute too soon. Of course, she wasn't sure if her room at the Motor Inn even had a Christmas tree…

The clerk at the Garden Motor Inn eyed them carefully. He had bleached spike hair and seemed out of place in his uniform, a sweater vest and a button down long sleeved shirt. He shoved his sleeves up to his elbows revealing layers of colorful tattoos. He fell silent for several minutes looking at the dusty book before him and frowned.

"So, like, I've got bad news."

He sounded like a surfer dude as portrayed in all the 80's movies. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. It's the great cliché. You've only got one room with one king sized bed. I bet it's the honeymoon suite." She pulled out her wallet, thumbing for dollar bills. "Does the bed have one of those machines you put quarters in and it-"

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth shrugged away John's shock at her boldness, but she hadn't missed how his eyes had lit up in mischievous delight at her words. If he enjoyed that, she had a feeling he wasn't going to be disappointed tonight. She was tired, hungry and cold. Not to mention off duty. If she was going to be stuck at the Motor Inn, she ought to be able to have a little fun.

The clerk cleared his throat. "Well, we're pretty full. Like because of the storm, you know. There's one chalet left, but it is a two bedroom unit. Would that be suitable for your needs?"

Elizabeth's eyebrow's popped high. That was a loaded statement if ever she'd heard one. It hadn't been two weeks since the last time her lips had unwillingly found their way onto to John's and this clerk wanted to know if it would suit their needs. He had no idea how fiercely they'd each been fighting those needs.

She glanced at John, his eyes locked onto hers, scorching her with his questioning gaze. The cold outside was instantly forgotten, her skin seemed to suddenly burn with desire. No. The voice within her warned. No, no, no…

"Yes." John tore his eyes from Elizabeth and slid his credit card across the counter. "That will be fine."

Elizabeth sighed softly, realizing they really didn't have a choice. The clerk slid their chalet key back along with John's credit card. It was a real key, metal, not a plastic keycard. She didn't even know real room keys existed anymore. Vaguely, she wondered if she should get some change while she was there, just in case. She was willing to bet money that her bed had that little coin machine that made the bed-

"Elizabeth. Coming?" John was looking at her like she was crazy as she pulled the dollar bills from her wallet.

Maybe it was the cold, it was definitely doing something to her brain. She desperately missed the mild breezes from her balcony on Atlantis. She tucked the money back in her pockets and followed John back out into the blustery, snowy winds. All around them were deep snow drifts tempting her with sweet revenge for getting them snowbound. John was ahead of her on the path the their rooms, he had both of their bags in his hands. Swiftly, she shaped a snowball between her hands and launched it towards his head.

"What the hell?" He swiveled around and spotted her guilty face. A devilish grin crossed his face and she felt sure he'd begun instantly plotting revenge. He dropped their bags and darted back towards her.

She squealed in mock terror just as he tackled her into a great swell of snow. He fell atop her, his arms taking the weight of his body. Her laughter was so rich, she could hardly recognize the sound in her ears. Her own laughter shouldn't be a foreign sound, she mused. She deserved a life, she deserved…love. John settled his body lower and her laughter fell away. Her breath caught and her nerves rioted from the pressure of his body against her own in all the right places. His lips had parted sensually and descended towards her own.

His nose brushed hers, snowflakes dusting both of their bodies. Her hands grasped the side of his head, pulling him crashing into her lips.

A/N: OK Cheesy I know, but cheesy is can be bliss too! I promised something more lighthearted after posting the first chapter of Honor the Fallen and here it is.