McKay dozed in Jeannie's favorite chair in front of the fireplace, his stomach growling from his meager Christmas Eve meal; to this day he could't bring himself to choke down more then a few bites of Caleb's vegetarian dinners. At least they'd had normal cookies and hot chocolate. And Madison had forced her misshapen creations covered in sprinkles and icing on him until Jeannie had finally rescued him and sent the little girl to bed. He wondered again how his sister had managed to convince him to come home for Christmas. Christmas had to be McKay's least favorite holiday. When he had been Madison's age he had fully believed every story about Santa that there was; but science had soon dominated, and reality had triumphed over fiction. He had been crushed when he reached the point in his life--- far before his sister or any of their friends--- where he begun to analyze things with logic and realized that Santa was a myth. And it was that same time--- he was about 10 years old--- that he had started to notice all the problems in his family and in other people; his life was no longer confined to the blissful days of ignorance where he cared about nothing more then if they were going to talk about spaceships in school, or if his mom would have cookies waiting when he came home. He missed those days terribly he almost wished that he could go back; be young and innocent and learn at the same rate as normal people. He had grown up too fast.
A log popped in the fire, and he woke with a start. He rubbed at his blurry eyes, and was startled to see Madsion standing in front of him, her wide eyes looking sweet and innocent.
"What are you still doing up?" he asked, glancing around. "Didn't your mommy put you to bed hours ago?" she nodded. "Then why aren't you?"
"I can't sleep," she said simply. He stuttered for a minute, having no idea how to talk to her even though she was his niece. He sighed.
"Neither can I." Madison seemed to take that as an invatation, because she climbed up into his lap and snuggled close to him. He patted her back awkwardly, and felt her sigh. He closed his eyes and started to drift off again.
"Do you think that Santa is going to come soon, Uncle Meredith?" she asked suddenly. He began to tell her not to be absurd; that Santa wasn't real. But her trusting eyes, staring up at him ready to believe whatever he said, broke him. He smiled.
"Not if you're still awake, silly."
"I have something for you," she said, seeming to accept his answer. "I made it extra special because I knew you were coming."
"Really?"
"Mhm." Madison nodded importantly and pulled an oddly wrapped present from the pocket of her bathrobe. She presented it to him as if she was giving him the most important piece of technology in the world. At least, that's how McKay's scientific mind interpretted it.
He accepted it, and pulled away the messy, colorful wrapping to reveal a home-made book with a cardboard cover decorated with blue Garfield wrapping paper. He opened it and looked at the pictures that Madison had drawn. One was of a man with what he guessed was a computer. Another had a big orange crystal. He flipped through the rest of the pictures. There were about 15 in all. And in at least six of them, there was a man standing next to a bright blue circle. The last one was the same man, standing next to the blue circle, with a little girl and another man and a woman.
"That's me and you and Mommy and Daddy," she explained when he looked up. "After you fix the jewels and save the day, and you take us all home and we're safe again." he was amazed.
"Did you make this?" he asked. She nodded.
"Mommy tells me storied, and I like them to be about you. She says that you're the smartest man ever; and that you make things work, and you fly spaceships and you keep us safe. You're my hero." In an uncharacteristic display of emotion and affection he wrapped his arms around her tightly in a hug, incredibly touched. Eventually he realized that she was asleep, and he carried her back to her bedroom and tucked her in, much as he remembered his mother doing for him and Jeannie every night when they were young.
He turned to go, and nearly screamed in fright when he saw Jeannie standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe.
"She begs for stories about you," she said softly. "She wants to hear all about her Uncle Meredith who's been to space."
"What?!"
"Relax, I haven't told her about the city or anything like that; just that you've been to space." McKay breathed a sigh of relief.
"She really likes me?"
"Of course. You're her uncle; kids don't care about your mistakes; they forgive them and move on. She doesn't care that you weren't around when she was younger. She's so excited to know you now; and she loves to hear stories about how you fix the space station or find power jewels and save the day. And she doen't even know that they're true."
"I can't believe that she cares; I mean, she's six! For little girls, people like me are the weird uncles." Jeannie smiled and put her arm around his waist in a half-hug.
"Mer, you're her hero." she paused. "And she couldn't have picked a better one." He was speechless. Jeannie laughed.
"Goodnight, Meredith." She left him standing there in the middle of Madison's room. And feeling very guilty that he hadn't gotten her something nearly so special as her gift had been. But then he had an idea. He ran back into the livingroom, hoping desperately that General Landry wouldn't mind his midnight call. Or the favor that he was about to ask him.
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About 15 minutes later, he woke up his sister, telling her that he had a Christmas surprise for her and Madison and even Caleb. Tired but curious, she woke her husband and her daughter and took them into the living room where Mckay waited.
"Okay, Madison, I just talked to Santa, and he said that you have been extra especially good this year; so he's going to let you see him!"
"Really?!" Madison's high squeal nearly drowned out her mother's "Meredith, what did you do?"
"Prepare to be amazed!" He wondered if Jeannie noticed he talked into a radio in his ear. But that hardly mattered. A second later, there was a bright flare of light directly in front of the fireplace; and when it cleared, Santa stood in their livingroom. Madison shrieked in delight and launched herself into the red-suited figure, almost making him stumble backwards into the fire with the force of her hug.
"Ho ho ho!" General Landry said from under his fake white beard. "Merry Christmas, Madison!" Over her head he shot Mckay a glare that said that he was lucky it was Christmas and that Madison was there.
"Thank you so so so so much!" she added a few more so's for good measure. Then she asked him the only question that anyone would have really expected from her.
"Do you have any presents for me?" He laughed.
"You don't get to see any of your presents until Christmas morning," he said. "Except this." He cupped his hands and blew into them. When he opened them, he was holding a tiny box.
"You can keep it by your bed, but you can't open it until tomorrow," he cautioned. She nodded solomly, and "Santa" straightened and laughed.
"Now I have to go; there are thousands more children to deliver to tonight. But I do wish you a truely merry Christmas. Ho ho ho!" there was another bright flash, and he was gone.
"It was really Santa!" Madsion danced around the room, holding the precious box to her chest.
"You'd better go to sleep if you want to get the rest of your presents," Caleb cautioned; and took her back to her room for the third time that night. Jeannie stayed behind, looking at McKay and seeming unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"How did you get General Landry to dress up in a Santa suit?" she asked. "Should I be worried about htis?"
"Oh, no; of course not. But I happen to know that he's very serious about family and second chances and all that; and since this is mine he didn't mind helping out." Jeannie hugged him; a real, sister hug.
"Thank you, Meredith. You just made her year."
"Well isn't that part of my book?" he held up Madison's gift. "I always save the day!" She laughed and whacked him lightly in the forhead.
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Christmas morning dawned white and beautiful; and Madsion woke everyone at 6:30 sharp to open presents. Jeannie was surprised when he presented her and Caleb with a portrait of her family.
"How'd you get that?"
"About half a years salary," he joked, a little embarassed. "And a merciful friend."
"You really are taking this whole "family" thng seriously, aren't you?" was all she said. But she couldn't hide her smile.
After presents Jeannie and Caleb had worked together and made a REAL breakfast. They had invited Colonel Sheppard and Jennifer, who were on earth for Christmas, to spend the holiday at their house; claiming that it was the least that they could do for them. McKay was delighted to find that there was a vegetarian side and a side with what he called "normal" food, like bacon and sausage and things like that. it was a huge success.
"Thank you so much for making this," Jennifer said, looking at Jeannie. She shrugged and smiled.
"I'm glad that you could come; I cann't thank you guys enough for all that you've done."
"Pass the sausage, please," McKay mumbled to Sheppard through a mouthful of eggs and bacon. Beautiful, crispy bacon. Sheppard grinned as he passed the plate.
"Whatever you say, Meredith," he teased. McKay glared at him, but didn't correct him in front of Madison. The last night had made a huge impression on him.
"I have a story," Madison announced suddenly, looking around the table.
"Go ahead," Caleb encouraged. The little girl smiled.
"Once upon a time there was an uncle. And he was the bestest uncle in the whole world. He was friends with Santa and he always saved the day, and he had a really really big family; and a niece that was his favorite person in the whole world! The end."
Fin.
A/N: This is (obviously) a Christmas story; but I have to post something to fill the void while I try to fix the computer that has all my current stuff. I hope you enjoy it :O) despite the incorrect season in which I post it in.