There's Always Tomorrow
The Daedalus was quiet, most of her crew gone, and that's just how Hermiod liked it. He worked the Asgard interface as if he were a concert pianist, his hands automatically knowing where each control was placed without needing visual confirmation. With the ship docked on Atlantis' east pier, there wasn't much to do so he took the opportunity to run diagnostics and make some minor yet very necessary repairs.
So involved in his work was he that he barely noticed when Lyndsey Novak entered until she began humming then singing. Most of her attention was on the tablet in her hands. "It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old, of angels bending near the Earth to touch their harps of gold. 'Peace on the Earth good will to...'"
"Dr. Novak?"
"Oh! Hermiod, you (hic) startled me."
The small gray figure bowed his head. "I apologize. What is that you were just doing?"
"Um, I'm finishing a report for Colonel Caldwell. He wants it on his desk before I leave to get ready for the party." (hic)
The Asgard blinked slowly. "No, the…sounds you were making with your vocal apparatus."
"Oh! I was singing a, uh, Christmas carol. 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear'." (hic)
"Please explain. What is Christmas?"
His dark eyes watched her as she set the tablet aside and leaned on the edge of the control console. "Christmas is the day set aside to commemorate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. December 25th, tomorrow."
"I have heard Dr. McKay utter the name Jesus Christ on several occasions. He seems to employ it in the same way he does 'oh, crap'."
Lyndsey covered her mouth with a hand when she snorted out loud. "That's a, uh, whole different can of worms you do NOT want to open up." She sighed. "Not only do we celebrate the birth of Christ, we have the legend of Santa Claus who is said to bring toys and gifts to the homes of good boys and girls." She decided not to try to explain elves, flying reindeer, the North Pole and coming down chimneys. "In the northern hemisphere of Earth where I'm from, it's winter right now so many of the songs are about snow."
"May I ask, would you…sing one of these songs for me?"
Her ordinary features brightened making her glow. "Of course. What would you like to hear? Something spiritual, funny, poignant, upbeat, solemn?"
"What is the genre of the one you were singing before?"
"Um, spiritual."
Hermiod blinked as he thought about the choices Lyndsey had given him. "I would like to hear…poignant."
Scrunching her face in thought, Lyndsey considered and discarded most of the songs she knew because Hermiod might not understand them and explaining destroys the mood. Then she remembered one of her favorite Christmas shows. One of the songs from the soundtrack would be perfect. She stood up straight, her hands at her sides, cleared her throat and began to sing.
There's always tomorrow,
For dreams to come true,
Believe in your dreams
Come what may.
By the time she'd reached the third line his eyes had drifted closed, head swaying side to side in time with the music and his hands had stilled on the console before him.
There's always tomorrow,
With so much to do,
And so little time in a day.
We all pretend
The rainbow has an end
And you'll be there my friend someday.
There's always tomorrow,
For dreams to come true,
Tomorrow is not far away.
We all pretend,
The rainbow has an end,
And you'll be there my friend someday.
There's always tomorrow,
For dreams to come true,
Tomorrow is not far away.
The last note faded away and she watched him waiting for his reaction. Finally, his eyes opened and he focused on her again. "Thank you, Dr. Novak. You have an…extraordinarily beautiful voice." The woman who'd never once been told she was even pretty smiled brightly in gratitude. "Perhaps later you will entertain me with one of the…funny ones."
"I'd be glad to. And call me Lyndsey."
Hermiod inclined his head. "Lyndsey."
They both went back to work and she continued to hum the melody. When her report was complete, she looked over at the Asgard and his mouth was turned up in what she knew to be his version of a smile. As she left the engineering deck, she smiled again. She and Hermiod had just had a defining friendship moment and that pleased her immensely. After all, you can't have too many friends, especially at Christmas time.
Fini
A/N: "There's Always Tomorrow" was written by Johnny Marks and performed by Janet Orenstein in the 1964 animated classic "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."