Hello everyone and happy holidays. First the disclaimer I do not own Stargate Atlantis or Clive Cussler's NUMA. The character Alex Ramsey is currently on loan, if you like her I would suggest reading some of Reefgirl's stories. I need to thank several people at the international conference I attended for teaching me about random holiday traditions through out the world and transatlantic flights for giving me the time to write. Oh, and lastly this story is dedicated to nwfairy as a cookie for figuring out my question in another story. I think that covers everything. Enjoy.
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Someone should have picked up on it. After all Dr. Elizabeth Weir had been humming Christmas Carols for close to two weeks and she had just changed her computer password to humbug. Now all of the senior staff had found themselves sitting around a table confused.
"Anyone know what this is about?" Dr. Rebecca Thomason, know as Bec and leader of the Hydrology, Oceanography, and Geology-HOG Team, stifled a yawn. "This is some people's night."
"You say that every time we have a meeting?" Dr. Julio Perez, Anthropology team leader.
"You always have the meeting during the day." Bec retorted.
"She has a point." Dr. Ryan Eaton, Astronomy, mumbled head still down on the table.
"You probably should wake up a bit." Dr. Avril Blancheflour, Botany, said with sympathy.
Dr. Weir came in Major Sheppard and Dr. Mckay trailing in her wake the later looked flustered. They took their normal places at the head of the table and sat down and the scientist quieted.
"You all know that I have called you here for something. I know most of you were not happy to be pulled from your research," She glanced at Eaton looking blurrily up at her, "or sleep. We are here to perform a mission. A top secret mission, and for it to succeed everyone is going to have to play a part." Weir paused for effect and glanced at the top members of her crew. Most looked confused, Mckay just looked grumpy. "I have already shared the plan with Dr. Mckay and Major Sheppard. They have agreed it will be important to improve morale and we have worked out assignments for all of you. Major Sheppard will be telling you your assignments."
"What exactly is this for?" Eaton asked blurrily.
"We are supposed to throw a Christmas party." Mckay blurted out.
"What!?" Kavanagh was frustrated.
"I know it is a complete waste of time." Mckay was just getting started
"I think it is a good idea." Dr. Kate Heightmeyer, the resident psychologist, said brightly.
"Of course you would think it would be a great idea. That is your job you're a psychologist…"
"Mckay, quit it. Let's just get this meeting over with and with as little arguing as possible." Bec felt like slamming her head on the table.
"Dr." Mckay said sternly, he wanted to argue. Maybe he could get out of this absurd mess.
"Mckay." This time Elizabeth said sternly. Rodney got the point and went back to sulking. "Now we will get back to assigning duties."
Sheppard picked up the talking; his demeanor showed he found the whole thing humorous. "Okay, let's start splitting up the assignments. We will be splitting into groups. First the tree group, Dr. Avril Blancheflour will be in charge of picking a planet to collect the tree, I will figure out a way to get the tree smuggled on Atlantis, and Dr. Perez (Anthropology) is in charge of directing the decorating of the tree." People started to shift in there seats. "Please no complaints until we finished. Next group is the wider decorations of the jumper bay, we have decided that would be the best place to hold the party is the jumper bay lots of space and easy to seal off. Now, Dr. Ragnimar (Biology) and Radek will direct decorating. Entertainment will be directed by Dr. Heightmeyer and Dr. Grodin. Food will be done by Dr. Beckett and Chef Ramsey. Dr. Eaton and Kavanagh will be in charge of fireworks. Lastly Mckay and Dr. Thomason will be in charge of organizing the presents. Dr. Weir and Teyla will both help you get the supplies you need."
People were starting to grumble but Elizabeth didn't give them a chance to complain. "That is not all. Even though each of you are in charge of a duty, that is not enough to complete this project. Everyone will have to help out with two of the other teams, plus you have to get presents for your entire team. Lastly no one outside the people currently in this room can know about this. I know this mission is difficult, but I am confident that we will be able to pull this off successfully. You are dismissed."
Most people were slow to get up looking at Weir in mild confusion. They had been given too much information too quickly and they were trying to let it sink in while Dr. Elizabeth Weir walked out of the briefing room and down the hallway towards her office.
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How do you go Christmas shopping in the Pegasus Galaxy? Ryan Eaton was trying to figure out how he was going to get five gifts. When he thought about it, he knew he had it simple. He only had to worry about getting gifts for the smallest team on Atlantis. That was probably the reason he was assigned to work with Kavanagh. People thought he had things easy, that and the fact he had done a lot of playing with rockets. An idea floated through his head. He needed to talk to Teyla. What colors of yarn did the Athosians make?
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How do you create a Christmas dinner with limited supplies, no real sugar, top secret and a doctor as your assistant? What was Weir thinking? Head Chef Alex Ramsey was whisking a large bowl of eggs for breakfast the following morning. She was a bit surprised when Dr. Beckett somehow managed to get into the kitchen and behind her.
"Sorry, didn frighten ya lass, did I?" Beckett looked embarrassed. "I just thought it would be a good idea to ask you what you wanted help with."
"It is okay; you just startled me a bit." Alex put down the bowl. "Alex Ramsey," she put her out for Beckett to shake. "But just call me Alex. Do you have any experience cooking Dr. Beckett?"
"Carson, call me Carson lov, and yes I have had done a fair bit of cooking. My mum insisted that I learn how to cook properly while at med school."
"Well I have a list of the ingredients we have enough of to use for the party. We will make another list of things we need to purchase. Any ideas of food we should make? I mean the we are cooking holiday specialties for people from two galaxies, close to seventeen countries, and I have discovered you could almost consider each state in the U.S. there own country with their cultural differences."
"There is one recipe that jumps out to me."
"And what would that be." Alex was getting quite found of the Scottish doctor. He was someone she could work with.
"Gingerbread, my mum taught me how to make it and I know the recipe by heart."
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The way Mckay and Bec decided to prepare the presents was the department heads would drop them off to Mckay in his office or quarters because they all could make an excuse to go visit him. The Mckay would stay late and hand off the presents when Bec would come pick up them up. That worked fine for the first bit, but as more and more people brought in presents and Sheppard started bringing in the gifts for the military personal Bec had to start making two or three trips a night to Mckay's office or quarters. Rumors started to fly.
One morning early Tim Hendricks, an ex-Navy SEAL and second in command of the HOG Team, dragged Bec into the Infirmary. Apparently she had nearly passed out while reading the annual Christmas story to her team. It was a tradition a NUMA ships and Bec figured that a space ship counted. It turned out that she was just feeling dizzy and stuffed up from a bad head cold. Dr. Beckett decided that she needed a day or so of bed rest then if she was feeling better she could go back to light duty.
That evening Mckay came wandering into the HOG Team lab looking annoyed. Tim explained sharply that Bec was in her quarters sick. Mckay looked a little shocked and was spotted soon after at Bec's quarters. After a few visits everyone was convinced the rumors were true. Dr. Rodney Mckay had fallen in love with Dr. Rebecca Thomason.
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Dr. Heightmeyer was happily working on the on the Christmas program. She had worked with Teyla to bring several Athosian children to help with a Christmas play. She also had convinced Carl Ragnimar to tell Christmas stories from Spain and Zelenka to dress up like Santa Claus. Kavanagh would be reading a copy of the "Grinch that Stole Christmas" that she had found in the computer program. She had also pulled Rebecca Thomason into being Saint Lucia and Eaton and Avirl to be in her procession. She was quite pleased with herself, with a few more days to go to Christmas and she would be heading to main land to organize the children for the play. It was almost like the Christmases that she remembered when she was young when he lived in Montana happily building snowmen in the wind swept landscape.
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How do you smuggle a Christmas tree onto Atlantis? Sheppard thought as he piloted the jumper above a mountainous planet. Dr. Avril Blancheflour was talking nonstop beside him.
"…I really think that this is the right planet to find a nice tall Christmas tree. Like one of the white firs. Maybe we can also collect branches for making wreaths and something that can substitute for the holly and the mistletoe. Does that sound okay?" Avril was excited to finally get out of Atlantis and onto another planet.
"That is fine." Sheppard said his mouth on audio pilot. "Hey, Dr. Blancheflour have you given any thought about I how we are going to do this without, him, noticing?" The world Sheppard motioned to the back jumper. The door is closed but Avril knows what he is taking about.
"You mean Ford. No I really didn't think about that. I was just supposed to find the tree not get it home. Why don't you ask Rodney once we get there? He usually has some plan for anything. I am sure he has some sort of cloaking device or something you could attach to the tree."
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Sheppard had to give it to him; Mckay really came up with a bizarre this time. Not that John was enjoying it, but it would get the tree into Atlantis. "Mckay, have you had any luck getting the door open."
"I told you to be quite up there. I am trying to work back here." Mckay said grumpily.
"Is there anyway we could help?" Ford asked getting board in the front section.
"No, we just need to get back to Atlantis. The one tool that I need to open the door is back at Atlantis. As soon as I get it you will be out of there in no time."
"Ford, stop bothering Mckay. We will be back at Atlantis in a few minutes."
"Yes, Major." Ford sat quietly, still stewing over the fact that he had been stuck in the front of the jumper for close to two hours. Unknown to him, Teyla, Mckay and Avril had used that time to move a large tree and several other plant specimens for decorating the walls with.
"Coming up to the gate, would you dial it, Ford?"
Ford reached down and dialed the gate. "Connection made."
"Enter IDC." After seeing Ford enter it the radio cracked into life.
"Jumper 4 why are you arriving earlier then expected?" It was Weir.
"We had a bit of problem with one of the doors." Sheppard replied.
"Do you need assistance?"
"No, Mckay says that the problem needs a specific tool but is easy to repair. He would like Zelenka sent up with his tool box."
"Will do, Weir out."
"Roger that, Sheppard out."
Sheppard flew threw the wormhole and after waving quickly to Dr. Weir he headed up the Jumper Bay. Zelenka was standing there with the tool box along with Grodin. He parked the jumper and waited for the group in the back to hide the tree and open the door. He wasn't disappointed, a few minutes later the door slid open revealing an empty back compartment. Ford left quickly. He was sick of the jumper by this point and wanted to be out of sight of it. That was a relief to everyone. After all it was almost time to start decorating.
"Mckay what did you do?"
"What?" Rodney looked at Sheppard confused.
"Mckay, how did you jam the door?"
"Oh, I took the crystals out."
"That it?"
"What do you mean 'that it.' I had to change the wiring so you couldn't open it from your side, and you really didn't give me much time to come up with a better plan so what do expect?"
"Nothing. I knew you would come up with something."
"What do you mean you knew that I would come up with something?"
"You always do." Mckay was preparing a retort for that when Zelenka came up to the two.
"I am sorry to interrupt you two, but you have a new mission."
"What?" Mckay replied annoyed.
"Dr. Heightmeyer is on the main land with Teyla planning some of the entertainment. You have to pick up the entertainment. Yes that means you both will be flying a jumper." Zelenka turned for either could protest, not that Sheppard would have, but Mckay well Mckay would argue about just about anything.
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Kate Hieghtmeyer began to realize that organizing the play was going to take longer then she had thought and was going to require several adult helpers. Teyla, the sweet heart, had volunteered to help with the angels and she stated that she believed that Sheppard would be willing to help with the shepherds. Then every boy in the group had a great desire to be a shepherd. Finally she had cast every child in a part and started going through the play when well another jumper landed and everyone dropped their props and ran to greet it.
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"I can't make anything without processed sugar!" Alex was frustrated with her lack of cooking staff. She had a sent them off early to enjoy Christmas Eve. Now she had Dr. Julio Perez attempting to make bread sculpture with sweet bread and Dr. Beckett, Carson she corrected herself, was turning out huge batches of gingerbread.
"It will be fine." Carson tried to comfort her.
"It still doesn't make me fill any better."
"Let me worry about the desserts, start making the main dishes."
"Fine." And Alex went back to cooking the large quantities of food and prepping all of the meat and potato like tubers for the lunch. "But you are going to have to find someone to help decorate your cookies."
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Why does everyone have to do there Christmas shopping at the last minute? Bec was wrapping all of the gifts with the strange wrapping paper that Weir had picked up on some planet. Unfortunately that planet had not discovered tape yet, and the strange glue was not cutting it. She could understand if it was Eaton bring things at the last moment after all he had made his own gifts, but he had brought by the gifts about a week ago. No it had to be everyone else. Three more of these evil things to go. A knock on the door stopped her stewing. She got up from the floor in front of the closet, walked to the door, and opened it to find Dr. Perez flustered.
"What is wrong Julio?"
"Um, well I need to find someone who as has any experience decorating food."
"Oh, Dr. Beckett."
"Yes." Was Dr. Perez simple reply and that explained everything to Bec.
"Has he light anything on fire yet."
"No not yet."
"Good. That means that I can finish wrapping. Tell him I will be up in ten minutes." With that Bec closed the door and went back to trying to wrap the last of the presents.
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"Okay everyone we are going to get into the jumpers and travel to Atlantis. Once we get there we will practice the play and some of the older ones can help decorate. Then a snack time and bed for a while. Everyone understand?" Excited mumbles met Heightmeyer. "Good into the jumper with everyone." She turned her attention to the three pilots before her. "Thank you so much this will really bring the Christmas spirit to everyone." Then entered one of the jumpers, leaving Mckay to lament.
"What did I get myself into?"
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"Beckett will you get out of my way." Bec had made was in front of the stove heating a pot of honey.
"Yes, leave the decorating to the women." Alex added from her place in front of the a large pair of bird which were most likely the substitute for turkeys. "Where did you learn how use honey to decorate pastries anyway?"
"4-H." Bec said unenthusiastically.
"You learned to cook in the club what was your specialty?"
"Um, I ended up giving myself third degree burns and they wouldn't let me back in the kitchen for a few years. I learned it in the history club. Honey was use as frosting in the pioneer days."
"Have you done this before, right?" Alex was starting to get worried for her food.
"Yes, I wanted to see if it worked, plus when I was young my father raised bee hives and we had lots of honey."
"That is great, but you might want to hurry it up." Julio peeked back into the kitchen. "We have a whole bunch of kid landing in the Jumper Bay, and we will want a tray of cookies to keep them quiet."
"Tray on the left, the one with the gingerbread men decorated with raisins." Bec motioned at the large plate.
"Drop it off, and come back." Alex added as Dr. Perez headed out of the door.
"Why?"
"I have got a large pot of 'potatoes' that need peeling." Alex smiled sweetly as Dr. Perez walked out and down the hall wondering how he got dragged into cooking.
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Get me out of this jumper, Mckay thought as Teyla was trying to run interference with the kids. Two of which were getting motion sick even though internal dampeners should have prevented that problem. That is why I can't stand kids. They are worst then scientists, never able to keep still and quiet. Luckily for everyone they were approaching Atlantis and were almost ready to land.
"Can you be quiet down back there? Someone flying up here." Mckay grumped.
"Mckay how much farther?" Teyla question a not so happy child in here arms.
"We are landing now." Mckay mumble back as they started to swoop towards the tallest tower on Atlantis the computer took over and brought them safely into the bay. Mckay almost sighed with relief as all of the children practically tumbled out of the jumper quickly gathering around Dr. Perez who was holding a large plate of cookies. "Thanks" Mckay mumbled as he grabbed a cookie and headed to get some sleep.
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After a successful run through the Christmas pageant, all of the children were excitedly decorating everything in sight. The tree decorated in record time even though it was slightly lop sided, and one side was much more covered then the other. Streamers were strung at child's height. Radek, Perez, and Ragnimar were practically babysitting. They ran after all of the them trying to stop them from breaking the decorations that they had made. Zelenka's glass ordainments were a lost cause though.
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Bright an early Christmas morning the senior staff was exhausted and the rest of Atlantis started waking up to the sound of Christmas Carols and the smell of fresh baked breads. Breakfast was served and Bec dressed in white scrubs and wearing candles on a wreath on her head brought rolls to those on duty.
The next big event happened a lunch when Zelenka/Santa Claus passed out presents. But the program that night got the most people excited. It started with the Bec/Saint Lucia in a procession through the halls followed by the Zelenka/Santa. Radek passed out the presents. The Then all of the children in the Christmas pageant, lastly the rest of the population of Atlantis followed them through the halls.
It was a wondrous event, though most people had to try to keep from laughing while Sheppard attempted to shepherd the shepherds on stage. Then it was the storytelling and fireworks. Sometime during the festivities some of Zelenka home brewed moonshine made the rounds. It was time to play.
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The party was a hit. Everyone was enjoying it, but soon people started to wonder where all the senior staff was. It was Ford and Tim Hendricks who figured it out. There was muffled snoring coming from one of the far jumpers. When the peeked inside of it they saw Mckay sprawled out on one of the benches, snoring. In the front compartment leaning on the dash board Sheppard was also sleeping. On the floor behind the passage seat Bec Thomason was curled up like a cat. Lastly Heightmeyer, Avril, and Alex were scattered around the rest of the jumper, dead to the world.
"That was a really good party. Wouldn't you agree, Tim?" Ford was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"You have something scheming in that mind of yours don't you?" Tim smiled back.
"I was just think how long do you think you it took them to plan this. Two week?"
"Three, at least."
"How long until New Year's?"
"A week why? Oh, hm, you know we ought to talk to the second in command in chemistry?" Tim's mind was also busy.
"Why?"
"Just that he happens to be an expert in explosives, life's goal is to find the recipe of Greek Fire."
"Fireworks?"
"Fireworks." Tim said decisively as they began to make plans.
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Author's note-I hope you enjoyed the story, well of to playing Santa. I am sure there are many of you doing the same. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Second Author's note-I know this is a bit late for Christmas, but I kind off got cut of from the internet because of weather. Sorry.