Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, never have, never will. Don't sue me. I'm poor.

Rating: A big giant G for nothing your five-year-old shouldn't see.

Warnings: SLASH! But hey, what do I write that's not, lately? And it's sappy. Very, very sappy.

Pairing: Harlan/Radu (the usual)

Summary: Harlan holds a Christmas party.

A/N: This is for everyone who's reading "Unless You Dream of Me" and anxiously wanting more. I'm making progress on that, I promise. Here, however, is a little Christmas cookie to tide you over. ^_~




Mistletoe

Harlan gazed around him with a sense of pride. In only a few hours, the Team Room had been utterly transformed. There were twinkling lights strung along the walls and across the ceiling. In one corner stood an alien evergreen, reasonably similar to a blue spruce, decorated with ornaments made from various odds and ends from around the ship. On a small table by the door lay plates of sugar cookies and fudge, together with a bowl of punch and seven cups. Harlan grinned and tapped out a sequence on his compupad that had Christmas carols sounding over the room's speakers.

All this, of course, was secondary to the most important bit of kit: dangling from the ceiling above the couch, its berries gleaming white among drooping green leaves, was a sprig of mistletoe. Rosie had found it inexplicably wound around one of the trees in the hydroponics bay, and Harlan had all but pounced upon the opportunity it presented.

He called up the time on his compupad. Not long now.

As if on cue, the jumptubes - bedecked with garlands of greenery and red ribbons - hummed and spat out the reason for the mistletoe, who blinked and gazed around in confusion. "Harlan, what - what is all this?"

Harlan grinned. "This, Radu, is a Christmas party. Have a seat; I'll explain once everyone gets here."

"Okay..." Radu sat down on the couch - and was thoroughly startled when Harlan promptly plopped down next to him. "Harlan, what - ?"

"It's tradition," was all the explanation he received before Harlan's lips covered his.

The kiss was soft and slow and sweet, and when it ended Harlan was perched astride Radu's lap, hands tangled in his hair and grinning down at him. Radu was flushed and smiling shyly.

A discreet cough had them both looking toward the door, where stood the entire remainder of the crew, Goddard, Davenport and Thelma. Staring at them.

Harlan just shrugged and grinned all the harder. "Mistletoe," he said simply, pointing.

The party lasted long into the night, and a good time was had by all.