Stargate Atlantis: Season's Greetings3
Ghost of Christmas Future
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
The continual repetition normally would have irritated the hell out of John Sheppard, but since it was his little daughter who was calling him with such insistence and excitement he didn't mind. A smile spread across his handsome face even as an annoyed one displayed itself across Rodney McKay's and both men turned from the console they had been studying.
A little girl was half running, half toddling towards them, a wobbly burst of energy in pink and lilac. Her dark curls bounced around her rosy face and the wide-eyed expression on it. She careened to a stop, nearly falling and giggled as her father knelt and caught her. "DADDY!" she shrieked in triumph.
John laughed, planted a kiss on her forehead to make her giggle again. "PRINCESS!" he echoed her jubilant noise, making Rodney snort. "What is it, Ems? Has Santa Claus arrived yet?"
"No, daddy! Santy Claus don't get here 'til two days!" Emily Sheppard held up two fingers for emphasis, little face screwed in a serious expression very reminiscent of her father.
"Oh. That's right," John said, glancing at Rodney. The physicist glared a warning, but he smiled as the little girl glanced at him.
"Hi Unca Rod!"
"Hi girly!" he responded. "Can we get back to work now, John? We have to initialize all of these systems before we can begin a citywide—"
"In a minute, Rodney." John turned his attention back to his daughter. "Now, Ems, what is it? Weren't you with mommy?"
"Yes, daddy, I with mommy but mommy busy so she send me to Maggie and I want my daddy so I see daddy now can we play dolly and have tea now daddy like the Engwish do?"
Rodney was smirking, trying not to laugh as John's glare hit him even before he spoke. "By all means, John, go play dolly and have tea with your daughter and let the scientists work."
"Ha ha." John stood, sweeping the little girl up his in arms. "I see. Well, Ems, daddy is busy too, trying to explain all this city stuff to Uncle Rodney."
"That's rich, coming from you," Rodney joked.
"Daddy," she pouted, lower lip stuck out endearingly, "I wanna play dolly and have tea. Can we? Pwease. Pwease, pwease!"
"Later, honey. Here." He set down the little girl. "Go play dolly with Maggie, all right? Tell her it's a direct order. Then we can have tea. Go on, now."
"Okay, daddy! TEA TEA TEA!" She clambered away from him, breaking into a run. "MAGGIE!" she shrieked, catching sight of the older woman who always helped with the children.
"Looks like you dodged a bullet there, Sheppard, but I bet you play one mean game of dolly and then you ow!" Rodney recoiled from the smack to the back of his head.
"Ha ha. Let's finish this, shall we? As you have heard I have a tea date later today."
Rodney shook his head and returned his attention to the console. "At least with Seamus and Johnny you don't have to have tea."
"No, we go on beer runs when Moira isn't looking," John jested. He looked at the console, but found himself thinking about his wife. He touched a panel, closed his eyes and felt the soft hum of the city responding to his touch, to his thoughts. With his advanced abilities powerful ATA gene he easily located her in one of the newer bio labs that had been recently discovered in the northern quadrant of Atlantis.
"John? Are you going to help me do this or take a nap?"
John opened his eyes. "Yeah, let's do this. Then I want to see what Moira is up to."
"Working like we should be. You know, I think it is absolutely hilarious that Emily would rather play dolly with you than with her. And as for having tea, well…"
"Yes, it's freaking hilarious," John snapped, but he smiled, shaking his head. "It's because you scientists are no fun."
"Nonsense! Science is fun!"
"Yeah, tons of fun. Let's do this, Scrooge," John sulked, causing Rodney to smile.
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Moira Sheppard was deep in concentration. She was perched on a stool, leaning towards a microscope and a data pad. She was frowning, eyes darting from one instrument to the other. She shook her head and bit her lower lip as she inputted more information. She peered into the lens to see minute cells dancing on a slide, viscous globs of red and amber that collided and merged, collided and fought. She sighed, eyed the scrolling data on the screen. Lines of code and letters and numbers in long chains that blurred to her staring gaze until she blinked. Something brushed her cheek and she vacantly swiped at the air, more intent on the screen. Another brush and she swatted, suspecting an insect or a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail. Another slither of softness tickling and she waved her hand in the air, irritated now.
She whirled on the stool. "What the fuck was…oh."
John smiled at her ire and indignation, trying not to laugh at her reaction. He stood, holding a sprig of mistletoe above her head. The spray of greenery was dotted with white and a red ribbon. "Language, doctor! 'Tis the season, you know."
Moira smiled at her husband, but scowled. "The season for what? For you to irritate me, sweetie? "
"Hilarious, Moira. Well? Mistletoe." He glanced up at the plant, back to her. His green eyes sparkling with merriment and a darker, more sensuous interest as his gaze perused her white lab coat that covered her curves.
Moira smirked, but grew serious, deciding to tease him despite how deliciously unkempt he looked. Stubble shadowed his handsome face and his long-sleeved black shirt had a zipper that was just begging to be pulled down to reveal more than the teasing glimpse of chest hair it so far was offering. Black pants drew the eyes down his long legs to the double holster around his thigh, then to his black boots. "You know, colonel, that mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant that feeds off its host tree and certain species are known to be poisonous and the berries are—"
"Enough, doctor! Damn you scientists take the fun out of everything!" he snapped, annoyed. "Just once can you forget all that scientific claptrap and just enjoy the—" The rest was lost as Moira sprang from her seat and engulfed him in a hug as her lips caught his.
Effectively silenced John enjoyed the kiss as their mouths entwined and their tongues danced, teased and twirled. He dropped the mistletoe to grab her and pull her against his body, pressing her along his as his cock happily jerked in his pants. John's hands slid down to firmly grab her rear under the lab coat and to squeeze and squeeze until she yelped in protest and broke the kiss.
"John!" she scolded, squirming but his hold was quite firm, gentling but keeping her pressed to him. She splayed her hands on his chest, pushing but he was immovable.
John smiled. "That's better, baby. You know how sexy you are in that lab coat so you better give it up and give it up now for your military commander."
"Is that so, sweetie? Is that a direct order, colonel?"
"Yes." He kissed her, but looked past her at the data pad. "What are you working on down here and why aren't you upstairs decorating our rooms?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question, sweetie, although it is very obvious what you are doing down there. Naughty colonel."
He chuckled, meeting her gaze. "Yeah, very naughty, baby. Well?"
"I've been studying the data we have on those aliens and I just want to make sure of my findings because they are quite…astonishing."
"Yeah, don't remind me. And?"
"And I've been comparing what little we have to Wraith DNA and so far they are not even closely related…except possibly in.."
"In?" he prompted. "Well, baby, make it quick because we don't have much time. In about..." he glanced at his watch, "an hour I have a very important tea date."
"Emily," Moira said, smiled. "I wouldn't want to intrude upon that, colonel."
"You are about to be intruded on so finish your sentence so we can have sex already," he grumbled, shifting along her.
She smiled at his ire. "Fuck you are hot when you are pissed, John. I mean…damn!"
"In?"
"Yes, as soon as you drop your pants."
He laughed. "No! Your sentence!"
"My…oh!" She thought a moment, squirming along him to feel his erection pressing, pressing. She kissed him, playfully tugging at the zipper on his shirt. "In the human DNA. It's not human but close…I can't be sure because I only have limited data and no samples but it does look interesting."
"So those things aren't human…or are they?"
"I don't know. I said I don't have enough data yet but I can postulate that they are—"
"Mommy! Mommy!" Two little boys ran into the room. The older stopped, staring at the towering man standing in front of his mother, but the younger continued, undeterred. "Daddy! Daddy, daddy, whatcha doin;?"
John smiled, knelt to meet his son's gaze. "Hey, sport. Whatcha doin'?" he drawled in the game of words between them. He gestured and the older boy neared quickly, smiling.
Seamus Sheppard laughed. "Nuttin' daddy. I was helping Johnny dec'rate tree!"
"I bet you were, sport. I am going to help mommy do some decorating too."
"And yourself," Moira quipped. She stepped round and knelt to her sons. "What is it, Seamus? Did Uncle Carson send you?"
"Yes, mommy. He got the data you sent and he gave me a candy cane!" Seamus held up the half-eaten remains of the peppermint cane.
"He did, did he? Hmm…I was planning to do some sucking of my own…or your mother was."
"John!" Moira elbowed him as he grinned at her.
"I got one too but I ate it!" Johnny Sheppard announced.
"Daddy, daddy…is, is Uncle Cars Santy Claus?" the little boy asked in complete seriousness.
John considered, tilting his head. "Hmm…he could be, come to think of it, buddy. He's quite jolly and likes to give you presents, doesn't he? Ah. He doesn't wear red or have a beard though. And he's not as round as Santa, not like Uncle Rodney is."
"John!" Moira elbowed him again. "No, honey. Uncle Carson is not Santa. Your father here, though, was once an elf." She playfully tugged his ear.
"Moira!" He scolded, glaring at her as mother and sons laughed. "You are so getting a spanking on that pert little ass!"
"Daddy, daddy, where Santy Claus?"
John stood as did Moira. "Well, sport, Santa Claus is on his way, never fear. We can track him on the city scanners in two days. Gee, I hope he doesn't get lost or anything."
"Santy get lost? Daddy?" Seamus asked, staring up at his father as he tugged his leg.
"John, stop teasing him. No, honey, Santa won't get lost. Rudolph will lead the way, like in the story, remember?"
"Oh. Yes, mommy! Red nose!"
"Daddy, daddy, I heard there is no Santa Claus," Johnny said in all seriousness, little brows furrowed.
"What?" Seamus asked in shock.
"Of course there's a Santa Claus, darling," Moira assured, glancing at John.
"Mommy, I heard adults talking and they say there's no such thing as Santa Claus!" Johnny repeated, as if considering the notion. He eyed his father. "Daddy, is that true?"
"Daddy?" Seamus echoed, tears forming as he was about to cry.
John was silent. He looked at Moira who was watching him, love in her gaze, letting him make the decision. He looked at his sons. They were both staring at him, miniature versions of himself waiting with both suspicion and trepidation. Finally John smiled at them.
"Of course there's a Santa Claus," he assured in a firm voice, causing the little boys to relax and to smile. "How could there not be? Who else is going to deliver all those presents to good little boys, if there are any here?"
"Daddy!" the boys chorused, giggling.
"Who else is going to eat those cookies you boys leave out on Christmas Eve…except for Uncle Rodney, of course." The boys laughed. John stood, ruffled their hair. "Now run along and don't you listen to any of that nonsense! Santa Claus does exist, and he will be here in two days to prove it, all right?"
"Okay, daddy!" The boys laughed, hugged him, hugged their mother and ran from the room, talking excitedly.
Moira smiled, kissed her husband. "I'm glad you gave them that, John. At least for a few more years."
"Yeah…so am I. Let's go." His arm encircled her and he led her to join the festivities.