Title: It Must Have Been The Mistletoe.
Rating/Genre: PG-13 (just in case)/Romance & Fluff
Characters: Sparky, but several others get to play
Pairing: John and Elizabeth (Sparky)
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis, I am just a fan, no copyright infringement intended. I also do not own the song "It Must Have Been the Mistletoe" by Barbra Streisand.
Summary: What could their first Christmas in Atlantis have in store for the them? Read to find out.
Author's notes: This is my first attempt at a Stargate Atlantis fanfiction so please be kind. The idea of this story came to me when I first heard the song "It Must Have Been the Mistletoe" by Barbra Streisand. I recommend that you listen to the song when you're reading the story. I would like to use the opportunity and thank my wonderful beta (airbear23 on LJ) for betaing my first fanfic, I really appreciate your help and I would also like to thank my cousin (dangerous47 on LJ) for her help as well. Enjoy. Please leave a replay if you like the story.
It was a beautiful evening in Atlantis. It was Christmas and everyone was at the dance in the beautiful city. Elizabeth had come up with the idea of the dance, to boost the spirit of her people. The gate room had been decorated by the off world teams (yes, Rodney too) so it could be used as a ballroom for the evening. All of Atlantis had been heavily decorated. Christmas lights hung all around the city and nearly every doorway had mistletoe hanging above it.
Despite the fact that many of the expedition members would have preferred to spend the holidays at home with their families, Christmas music blasted from the speakers and people were dancing, talking and just enjoying the evening.
Rodney, Carson, Teyla and Ronon were seated at one table, enjoying each other's company and talking about the latest rumor going around Atlantis.
"I can just feel it. Something is going to happen between them tonight," Carson said to the others in his Scottish accent. "I have placed a bet on that."
"Yeah, me too," Rodney said as he raised his hand to the back of his neck to scratch himself. "Who knows? Anything could happen tonight, we will just have to wait and see."
John walked through the doorway of the ballroom. He was dressed up in his formal wear that he used for special occasions like this, not his BDU's and regular black T-Shirt underneath his buttoned down team shirt. His hair was messy like it always was. John walked further into the room and caught sight of his teammates. He made his way across the room to where they were all sitting, causing the group to immediately stop talking.
"Hey guys," John greeted them. "What were you talking about? From the looks on your faces it must have been really interesting," John asked them as he took a seat next to Carson.
"What? Oh..uh...nothing special," Carson said in a hurry. "We were just talking about the..." he didn't get to finish his sentence as Rodney cut him off.
"...Christmas decorations."
"Okay," John said, not convinced that he was telling the truth. "Well, I've got to admit we did a pretty good job. It looks nice." John told them, while he tried to tame his hair a little, but like always it never stayed down for more than a few seconds.
After chatting for awhile longer, Ronon got up from his seat and offered Teyla his hand, asking if she wanted to dance. She accepted the offer with pleasure and rose to head for the dance floor, hand-in-hand with Ronon.
"They would make a great couple," Carson remarked to the others as they watched the pair dance.
"I agree," John replied. "They would make a great couple."
John scanned the ballroom with his bright green eyes until he caught sight of the woman he was looking for. He smiled to himself as he stood.
"See you guys later," he said to Carson and Rodney who were in the middle of a conversation. He began to make his way across to the other end of the room where she was standing.
"I see you made it," John spoke, causing her to turn.
"Well, I finished all my paperwork so I decided to come to the party and have a little fun. Besides it is Christmas Eve." Elizabeth replied.
"It's good to hear that you are finally taking my nagging seriously." He told her, with more care in his voice than he maybe would admit to because he probably cared a lot more about Elizabeth, than he could admit... even to himself.
Elizabeth just smiled at John's statement. Deep down she knew he cared for her, she also knew that she cared for him deeply. She didn't care to ponder what her life would be like if she didn't have her trustworthy colonel at her side. No matter what, he was always there for her when she needed someone to talk to. She was the leader of Atlantis, and with that job came a lot of responsibilities, which in turn, created a lot of inner conflicts she needed to talk through with someone.
"I like the dress." he complimented her as he looked her up and down.
Elizabeth was clad in a beautiful, elegant, red evening gown that was gathered at her side and had a sash with a silver beaded trim. It revealed one bare shoulder, one shoulder having a rather wide strap over it and also showed a bit of her cleavage, though not too much. It fit her slender body perfectly. Elizabeth felt herself blush and smiled shyly before thanking him.
"You don't look too bad yourself, John," she commented back earning her one of his charming smiles.
After they had been talking for awhile, John made his move. Looking her in the eye, he brought his hand up to hers and asked gently, "May I have this dance?"
Elizabeth was surprised at first, but she couldn't turn him down and so she smiled at him instead.
"Does that mean yes?" John teased her.
Elizabeth just gave him a look and said, "Yes, John I accept," as she took his outstretched hand, allowing him to lead her out to the dance floor.
Across the room, Rodney and Carson spotted John and Elizabeth heading for the dance floor.
"Hey, look at that. Now is our chance to put our ingenious plan into motion," Rodney said to Carson.
While John and Elizabeth had been talking, Rodney came up with what he felt was an excellent idea. He told Carson about it and they put a little plan together, in hopes of lighting some sparks between their two leaders.
It was a simple plan. Rodney and Carson both rushed up from their chairs and went to their places. Rodney headed for the lighting control panel and Carson went to the DJ to request the perfect song for John and Elizabeth. Carson gave Rodney his signal and Rodney dimmed the lights in the room, adding a more romantic atmosphere. The chandeliers, high above, cast a dreamy glow on everything.
John led Elizabeth to the center of the dance floor, and then gently pulled her in close to his body. Elizabeth felt his hand come around her waist as he rested his head on her bare shoulder. She felt a shiver of delight go down her spine at his touch as she brought her arms around his neck, letting her head rest against his shoulder. The music had become slower and more intimate and together they moved gracefully across the dance floor, in perfect time with the music.
It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire, the falling snow
The magic in the frosty air
That feeling everywhere
It must have been the pretty lights
That glistened in the silent night
It may be just the stars so bright
That shined above you
Our first Christmas
More than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, Saint Nicholas had his fingers crossed
That we would fall in love!
It could have been the holiday,
The midnight ride upon sleigh
The countryside all dressed in white
The crazy snowball fight!
It could have been the steeple bell
That wrapped us up in its spell
It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
Our first Christmas more than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, St. Nicholas must have know that kiss
Would lead to all of this!!
It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire, the falling snow
The magic in the frosty air
That made me love you!
On Christmas Eve our wish came true
That I would fall in love with you
It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
It must have been the mistletoe!
It must have been the mistletoe!
One kiss to know
I love you so.
Elizabeth and John were so close to each other that they could feel the racing of both of their hearts. It was a wonderful. They slow-danced to the song with their eyes closed, enjoying the closeness as if they were the only ones on the dance floor. John took in the sweet scent of her perfume.
Something else was lingering in the air too. This moment was perfect and the lyrics to the song made their moment even more special. Elizabeth put her head closer to John's neck, and felt his grip tighten on her waist, pulling her even closer. The song continued and they were in their own little world.
On one side of the room Rodney, Carson, Teyla and Ronon all sat in their chairs enjoying the sight of their two leaders dancing. It was obvious to all of them that John and Elizabeth cared deeply for each other.
"This is such a beautiful sight," Teyla said to her friends.
"Yes, it is and they deserve to be together," Carson agreed with her.
Everyone agreed, but the SGC regulations banned that kind of relationship.
" Well I say to hell with the rules. We're in another galaxy; things are different here. If the SGC wants to make a big deal out of it, they'll have to go through us first," Rodney declared.
"Well said, lad, well said," Carson told Rodney as he gave him a pat on the back.
"I can't imagine anyone else as the leader of Atlantis and as our team leader. They are good people and they always do their jobs. I sense that if something changes in their relationship tonight, it won't have any effect on how they do their jobs," Teyla said to them.
John and Elizabeth danced in silence to the song, just enjoying their moment. Neither of them was paying attention to the mistletoe hanging straight over them.
On Christmas Eve our wish came true
That I would fall in love with you
It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
It must have been the mistletoe!
It must have been the mistletoe!
One kiss to know
I love you so.
Elizabeth and John heard the song end but continued to hold each other close. They didn't care if anyone saw them. This was their moment. When they broke from their embrace they noticed the mistletoe hanging above them.
They stared at the mistletoe above them before returning their gazes to each other. Their bright green eyes sparkled from the dim glow of the lights as they held an entire conversation with their eyes. Their eyes revealed love and a desire to be with each other. They smiled as John leaned in for a kiss and Elizabeth met him halfway. The kiss was gentle at first, but soon deepened as they lost themselves in the moment.
In the background they could hear people cheer and whistle around them. Out of breath, they finally broke apart.
"It's about bloody time," Carson joked to John and Elizabeth as they came walking hand in hand from the dance floor.
"Yes, yes, it was sickeningly sweet," Rodney snarked. "But just so you know we'll support you if the SGC gets their BDU's in a twist," Rodney said to them.
John and Elizabeth were overwhelmed by the support. "Thank you all. This has been a wonderful evening," Elizabeth said to them as she changed position to link her arm with John's.
"Merry Christmas to you all," John said as he and Elizabeth started to walk away, heading for their balcony.
It was beautiful outside. Snow covered every part of Atlantis and the stars shone above them in the night sky. John was the first to break the silence. "It's beautiful out here tonight," he breathed.
"Yes, it is," she replied as she let her head rest against his shoulder.
They stayed like that for a while. When John felt Elizabeth shiver from the cool air he took his jacket off and put it around her. "This is the best Christmas that I have ever had," John whispered to her. "I love you Elizabeth."
"I love you too," she returned into his ear before they were locked in a tight embrace. When they broke from the embrace they shared a passionate kiss.
"You're the best Christmas present that I've ever gotten," John said to her with a smile on his face when they broke from their kiss.
"And you're mine," Elizabeth said to him as she felt his strong arms come around her and lift her up from the ground and spin her around. The delighted laughter from John and Elizabeth echoed around the balcony. They both knew that this was the beginning of something wonderful. This was one example of what the magic of Christmas could do.
THE END