Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's Note: This was written for the Sparky Advent Calendar on john_elizabeth for Day 24. I hope you'll all enjoy it! Many thanks to my beta, csiangel!
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They didn't celebrate Christmas nor any other holiday in Atlantis. There were so many nationalities and religions that it was just impossible to cater for everyone, and so it was decided early on that they wouldn't celebrate any holiday. To compensate, Elizabeth made sure that those who wanted to celebrate Christmas could go back to Earth every couple of years.
And this was why she found herself on Earth, on her mother's doorstep, on Christmas Eve. John had noticed that while she allowed their people to be with their families on this day, she would always keep herself out of the rotation. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with her own family, but she had always put her people first, and it was no different in this matter.
She had tried protesting when he told her that she was going back to Earth this year, but he wouldn't listen. He had just promised her that he would keep their City and their people safe until her return. He wouldn't accept no for an answer, and she had reluctantly packed a bag, and had made her way towards the Gate. He had been there, making sure that she would go through it and not find an excuse at the last second to stay.
The moment her mother opened the door and Elizabeth saw first the surprise and then the happiness on her face, she was glad that John had all but pushed her through the Gate. The two women hugged on the threshold before her mother pulled her inside. There, she proceeded to hug her again, and Elizabeth happily returned it. They hadn't seen each other in months, and even though they regularly communicated via e-mails, it wasn't the same as being together.
"I thought you couldn't come for Christmas because of your work?" her mother asked, leading her towards the kitchen.
"Someone convinced me that things wouldn't fall apart if I took a few days off."
"Would this someone be John Sheppard by any chance?"
Her question surprised Elizabeth. She had told her about her friends and colleagues, John included, but for her mother to guess right on her first try was strange. She was starting to suspect that something else was going on and her mother's next words confirmed it.
"A package arrived for you a couple of days ago with John Sheppard as a sender. I found it strange that one of your colleagues would send you something here when he knows where to find you. I understand why he did that, now."
"John is quite surprising, sometimes," Elizabeth said, shaking her head.
She wondered what he would have done if she had dragged her feet even more, or something had happened and she had had to stay in Atlantis. She had no doubt that he would have found a plan B; John was nothing if not resourceful.
"Why don't you go change into more comfortable clothes while I get some tea ready for us?" her mother suggested, eyeing the business suit Elizabeth was wearing.
Kissing her mother's cheek, Elizabeth grabbed her bag from the hallway and went upstairs to what had once been her room. It was still very much her room, but since she had left for college, she hadn't spent more than a few nights a year here. It was like coming home, and yet, it was not. This house, this room had been her home from her infancy to her late teens, but it wasn't anymore. But she still felt at home when she was under her mother's roof.
As she looked around the room, her eyes fell on a picture of her and her parents taken on her graduation day. Her cap long gone, she was standing between her parents, the three of them smiling proudly at the camera. She picked up the frame, her fingers lingering on her father's face. More than any other time of the year, she was missing him at Christmas. This had always been his holiday. He had always embodied the Christmas spirit in their family. The first Christmas after his passing had been difficult on both mother and daughter, but they had kept alive the traditions he had put in place in their house, if only to honour his memory.
She put the picture back down, and opened her bag to get some clothes to change into. Her mother would start wondering what was taking her so long, even though Elizabeth wouldn't be surprised if she just knew. She had a knack for always knowing everything that was going on under her roof. It made surprising her quite difficult, but Elizabeth and her father had always risen up to the challenge.
When she reached the living-room, her mother wasn't there yet. She went to the Christmas tree and knelt down. She saw that the present she had sent her mother was there among other packages. She noticed one package with her name on it in John's distinctive handwriting. She picked it up, quite curious as to what it contained.
"It's not time for the presents, yet," her mother's voice came from behind her, startling her.
"I know," Elizabeth replied, putting the package back where she had found it.
"Come sit beside me, and tell me what you can about your life."
In a not-so-subtle way, Elizabeth's mother reminded her that there were some parts of her life that were classified. She wished she could tell her about all the wonderful planets, cultures and people that she had met. She wanted to tell her about Atlantis, her home. But she couldn't.
There were still some, non-classified things she could tell her, and even though it wasn't enough, it was still something.
She decided to start with the story of Rodney, Radek and the children of M7G-677. She could leave out the part where it happened on another planet, and it would still be funny.
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Elizabeth came back to Atlantis on the day after Christmas. She was glad to see it was still standing. There was no visible damage, but she would still read the hour by hour report to be certain that nothing serious happened when she was away. It wasn't that she didn't trust John with their City, she did, but she also knew what kind of trouble he could get into when on his own.
The smile on Chuck's face when she walked past his station reassured her even more. She put her things down in her office, and noticed that John's data pad was there, but that he was nowhere in sight. She walked back out of her office, and stopped beside Chuck.
"Have you seen Colonel Sheppard?" she asked.
"He's on the balcony, Doctor. And welcome back."
"Thank you. It's good to be home."
And it really was, Elizabeth thought as she walked towards the balcony doors. Even if she was gone only a couple of days, she had missed the City and her people. As much as she had loved spending the past two days with her mother, Earth wasn't her home anymore: Atlantis was.
The balcony doors slid open before her, and she saw John leaning against the railing. He didn't turn in her direction when she stepped outside, but she had no doubt that he knew she was there. She went to stand beside him and mimicked his position. With her shoulder she nudged his, and he nudged her back.
"You were right for pushing me to go," she said, turning her head to look at him.
"You had a good time?"
"I did. But I missed our City. I missed you," she added, lowering her voice.
It was something that they never talked about, but it was there. They might choose to ignore it, but they both knew it existed. But for the well-being of Atlantis, they knew they couldn't do anything about it. Not yet, anyway.
But today, on the day after Christmas, just for a few hours, she felt like they could indulge. And in a way, he was the one who started it all.
"Thank you, for your present," she said, and he finally turned towards her.
"Did you like it?"
"What do you think?" she replied with a cheeky smile.
"I think you did," he said, as he finally noticed his present around her neck. "You didn't think it was... too much?" he asked, visibly worried.
"I certainly didn't expect it, but no, it's not. Did you get mine?" she asked.
"Yes. I don't know how you did it, but this signed football is one of my most precious possessions, now. But really, how did you do it?"
"I know someone, who knows someone...," she trailed off.
"Thank you," he said, before passing a hand through his hair and messing it up, as a sign of nervousness. "Well, I should probably get back to work."
"I should too."
But first, there was something she wanted to do and that she knew she couldn't put off any longer. If she did, she might never do it, and she would end up regretting it. She put a hand on his arm to stop him as he was about to turn away from her. Before he could say or do anything, she leaned up and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. It wasn't quite a real kiss, but it wasn't just a friendly kiss on the cheek either.
When she pulled away, she expected to see surprise and confusion in his eyes, but she only saw something she refused to name there. She released his arm, and he left, but not before squeezing her hand.
She turned back towards the ocean as the door closed behind him. It was good to be home, even if it wasn't Christmas anymore.
Fin.