A/N: Chapter 7 of ?
It Must Have Been the Mistletoe
Christmas Eve
The Christmas Party
Marie stopped outside Tommy Stackhouse's door and called on her years as a nurse to keep herself calm. He'd surprised her by asking her to go to the staff Christmas party with him. Partially because she thought he was dating someone. Now here she was in front of his door rethinking her decision.
She'd seen the Marine Lieutenant in the Infirmary on more than a few occasions. His team was injured offworld almost as often as Sheppard's team though not as severely. Tonight, however, Tommy had been injured after the mission in his own room. Once Carson had examined his wrist, she'd wrapped it for him and gave him a couple of mild painkillers.
Brushing her hands down the front of her simple black scooped necked long sleeved dress, she took a deep breath and touched the chime. Thankfully, the door opened before she could lose her nerve because he looked, she almost reached up to check for drool, amazing out of uniform. He was wearing grey slacks and a blue and white Christmas sweater with snowflakes on the front making his dark eyes look even darker.
He smiled. "Hi."
"Hi. Hey, we match." She pointed out his sweater and her snowflake earrings and necklace.
"Yeah." He gestured and extended his right arm.
Marie hooked her hand into the crook of his elbow liking the feel of the sweater's softness against her fingers. She tightened her hold as they stepped into the transporter.
Tommy and Marie entered the party which was already in full swing. The band was playing a rousing version of Jingle Bell Rock and Marie bobbed her head in time with the beat. The Christmas tree was all lit up with lights, ornaments and a blazing star on top. Red, green, silver and gold in abundance on the staff as well as the walls and tables of the Rec Room. The smell of food rose above the noise making Marie's stomach grumble. Beside, Tommy's grumbled too and they laughed.
After serving themselves cups of hot Wassail to start with, they found a table to share with a group of Tommy's Marine buddies and their dates. Going around the table, they all shared their stories of how they'd come to Atlantis.
Tommy told how he was just in the right place at the right time to get a posting at Stargate Command then again when they asked for volunteers to join the Atlantis expedition, each one getting a personal thank you from Elizabeth Weir.
Marie's story was much the same. She'd been a nurse working with Carson Beckett when he was tapped to be the CMO for the expedition. He'd actually come to her home to ask her to join him on this one of the greatest adventures any Earth human had ever been on and never regretted even one day she'd spent in Pegasus.
Eventually, Tommy asked Marie to dance holding her close as they swayed to the sweet voice of Barbara Mandrell.
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 known that kiss
Would lead to all of this!
It must have been the mistletoe
As the song neared the end, Tommy looked up to see that they were beneath one of the many sprigs of greenery mentioned. Placing his hands on Marie's waist, he pulled her close and kissed her. Her arms went around his neck and she kissed him back with restrained enthusiasm. They were in public after all. Marie started laughing when Tommy's buddies started catcalling and whistling. He aimed a glare in their direction then kissed her again for good measure.
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!
Christmas Eve
The Christmas Party
One Year Later
The Daedalus was docked on the east pier and her crew had been invited to spend Christmas on Atlantis so this year's Christmas party was a riotous affair, even more so than usual.
Tommy Stackhouse was on the dance floor with Marie Cho. They'd been together for exactly one year and tonight they were enjoying just being in each other's arms. Across the room, they saw another couple dancing.
"Is that a strange match, or what?" Tommy nodded at Carson Beckett dancing with Laura Cadman.
"No stranger than us. Opposites do attract after all."
"True." Tommy pulled Marie closer and she put her head on his shoulder as they continued to dance. When the song ended, he checked the time and drew her over to stand under a specific decoration hung from the ceiling. At exactly midnight, he dropped to one knee. "I'm not much for fancy words and flowery phrases so I'll make this simple. Marie Cho, love of my life, please do me the honor of marrying me."
Marie looked down at his face filled with hope and love. Tears welled up but didn't fall. "Yes, I will." She pulled back to allow him to slip the ring on her finger then threw her arms around him again. He picked her up and did a slow spin. Applause went around the room and their friends surged forward to congratulate them.
Our first Christmas more than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, St. Nicholas must have known 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!
END
A/N: The lyrics to "It Must Have Been the Mistletoe" were written by Barbara Mandrell.