This is a kind of belated Christmas chapter, if you will.

Debbie418uk2 - LOL The last chapter wasn't the Christmas one. I have tons of winter ideas, I just need the muse to finish them. Unfortunately, my muse is circling frantically the Twilight book series and movie at the moment.

E. Nagrom - Yes, Elizabeth is quite perceptive at times. Especially when it comes to one of her friends/someone she cares about.

Jasminesmommy - Yep, I agree.

Puddle-Jumper38 - Oh trust me, I've got dozens of stories in the works, most of which are currently Twilight-oriented, though I'm still working on SGA fics whenever I get a muse.

Thanks for sticking with me, everyone. Merry Christmas (I was half tempted to say Merry Kiss-my-ass, but that doesn't seem appropriate... I need to hurt my friend for putting that in my head, LOL!).

This is basically quick and to the point. My muse wanted to go a dozen different ways and I couldn't really focus on it long enough to do a very good job.

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(John's POV)

"Hey Rodney, have you seen Major Lorne?" I stood at his laboratory door and panted for breath. "I've been looking for him all over."

"He's gone to P4M-881, why?" Rodney looked up from his computer and raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you just come from a marathon or something?"

I shook my head, took a deep breath and held it for a moment, before letting it out as a loud sigh and walking forward. "Nah, Elizabeth sent me looking for him. Something about getting my Christmas tree?"

"Oh, yeah, your Christmas tree."

"What about it?"

Rodney looked back down at his computer and began typing again. "Well, he went to get it. Took his team to the winter wonderland that is P4M-881. As long as they can avoid the snow imps, they should be fine."

"Uh, Rodney?" I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms over my chest, trying to figure out why we hadn't just asked the SGC to send us a Christmas tree from earth. When I asked him that very question, he stared at me like I'd grown a second head.

"This was faster, obviously. I thought timing was everything." Rodney finally sighed and looked up from his computer once again. "Look, you're going to keep questioning me and not let me get any work done until the Major's team gets back, aren't you? I have diagnostics and stuff to run."

"It's Christmas, Rodney. Elizabeth ordered us all to have the day off. You can do the diagnostics tomorrow, ok?" I walked forward and perched at the end of his desk, knowing he hated it when I did that. "Come on, there's turkey, and I'm not talking the instant turkey sandwiches."

Immediately, Rodney's face lit up. "Really? Well, I guess I could take a break for a short while."

I waited patiently while Rodney closed up his laptop and exited his office. Following behind him, I only detoured when I got a call Lorne had returned with a huge Christmas tree. Apparently Rodney wasn't as excited about it as I was, and he muttered something about allergies to pine as he stalked off in one direction, leaving me to head to the control room alone.

(A Few Hours Later, Normal POV)

John entered the lunch room with Rodney close on his heel. The said physicist had a turkey drumstick hanging out of his mouth and a bottle of beer in one hand as he tried to explain the problem with the tree.

"Would you swallow first, then try explaining it?" John finally snapped after being dragged across Atlantis from a smaller, more private party with Lieutenant Megan Meyer. "The tree's…what?" He was only half paying attention even as his mind snapped to about a dozen ways to effectively deal with the problem and get back to the private party before it was over.

Rodney swallowed his food and frowned. "I was saying two marines reported the tree…" He frowned a moment and shrugged. "Moving. Well, more like writhing, but they said moving."

"It's probably just the wind." John frowned deeply as he entered the lunch room. He looked around and frowned. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with it. Stay here." He walked forward and stood right at the base of the massive tree. For a moment, John was struck at just how huge the tree was, and he paused to admire the easily ten foot tall tree. Then he reached forward and ran a hand over the red garland that was wrapped along the bottom branches.

Nothing.

"See?" John reached out further and stuck his hand into the branches. He shook one and raised an eyebrow when he pulled his hand back and nothing happened again. Turning to Rodney, he raised his hands a little and shrugged. Then he frowned as Rodney's eyes got really huge. "What?" He half turned to the tree, only to freeze.

There was a buzzing sound. It started off so faint it sounded a lot like a breeze rushing through leaves. But it got louder, quickly, and soon was deafening. Turning to the tree fully, his eyes widened as he saw a swarm of black insects flying around the top of the tree.

"Oh, you're kidding me!" He took a step back as the buzzing got louder and more and more bugs seemed to join the swarm. They looked like black ants, only bigger, and with wings. Whatever they were, they had huge stingers. "I hate bugs!"

John took a quick step back and looked over his shoulder to see Rodney had dropped his food and drink, and was staring in growing horror at the swarm of insects. Turning back, he spun to run when suddenly, the swarm began to dive at him, and John swore loudly as he raised his hands to cover his head. He felt a lot of sharp pains all over his arms, face and chest, and he ran away from the tree, barely aware of Rodney's voice screaming for a security team and medical team to their location.

There were more painful stings, and John stumbled as a vibrating sense ran up his legs and arms. His body was beginning to tingle painfully, only pausing long enough to register another sting. He was stung in places no man should ever be stung, and he screamed as he ran.

He felt something wrap around his arms and body, and heard what sounded like stunners. A door opened and he was ushered through it, and then it closed again. The tingling got worse as his body slowly went numb. His legs gave out, and he was aware of a strong set of arms catching him as he began to fall. His throat was screaming in agony, even as his head pounded along with it.

"John!"

John gasped for breath as he was lifted off the ground and placed on what felt like a big bed. He swallowed heavily, but it didn't feel like it went down his throat. No, he felt something warm dribbling down the side of his face.

"Get that oxygen mask on his face, now! We have to move; his throat's closing up!" There was silence for a second, even as John felt himself being moved. "Damn it! This is Carson; I want the infirmary set up for an emergency tracheotomy a.s.a.p!"

"What happened?" Teyla's voice was panicked.

John couldn't see. He struggled to hear the response, but it was like trying to hear through water. Everything went from extremely hot to extremely cold and everything hurt. The voices faded away into nothingness, along with the light. Darkness overwhelmed him.

(Infirmary)

"Did you get rid of the damn things?!" Carson paced in the infirmary after having to set up several emergency tracheotomies. "I hope not!" He glared at the startled looks he got. "I need an untainted sample of the venom they use, and I need it quickly."

Ronon and Teyla nodded, even as Lorne registered the patients who were currently on life support. The poor Major looked like someone had just kicked his puppy; the guilt on his face was overwhelming.

"We'll get it, doc. We had to stun half the swarm, and the rest retreated into their…nest." Ronon turned to Teyla. "Let's go." They swiftly left the room before the tree could be fully dismantled and left Lorne alone with Carson.

"Will they be alright, doc?"

"Aye, I dunno. They've all taken a lot of stings and whatever this venom is, it's potent. It caused severe reactions quite similar to allergic reactions. It caused their throats to swell up and their bodies to pump too much adrenaline. They're fine for the time being, but the longer the venom stays in their bodies, the worse the symptoms will get." Carson looked at the five people situated around the infirmary, in various stages of swelling.

One had massive hives all over their face and arms, Another was red and swollen horribly. John was the worst off, being the one who was stung the most and had the venom coursing through his veins longest.

"Can it be fatal?"

Carson sighed and hesitated a moment before nodding. "Aye, lad. That it can. That's why I need the sample of their venom quickly." Someone's heart monitor began beeping warningly and Carson rushed over to John even as it stopped beeping and began emitting one long pulse. "Damn it! We're losing him!" he began pumping on John's chest, even as he got a nurse to check the air tube in his throat, to make sure it wasn't plugged.

Ronon and Teyla chose that time to show up, and as soon as Carson saw them, he waved the nurse to take over. "Just keep pumping." He instructed firmly as he turned and raced towards the Athosian and Satedan. "Do you have it?!"

Teyla's eyes were wide as she stared at John's too still form, and the nurse pumping on his chest. Ronon held out his hands with about half a dozen unmoving flying ants in them and promptly dumped them into the uncomfortable doctor's hands.

"Doctor! We've got him!" The nurse checked John's pulse, even as the monitor beeped weakly.

"Alright, keep an eye on him, I'll be back as soon as possible." He turned and ran into a back room, and the infirmary was silent as the nurse went from patient to patient, keeping her eye on John the most.

Again, the heart monitor stopped, but in keeping up the chest pumps, the nurse managed to revive him. This time, the monitor kept beeping warningly, showing her his heart wasn't recovering as it should be. "Doctor…" She checked the tube in his throat and frowned. "Dr. Beckett!"

Carson rushed out of the room a few moments later with a syringe and injected it into the IV in John's arm. He watched the heart monitor warily even as the others all crowded around closely.

Everyone was watching John so carefully, no one seemed to notice that Elizabeth had entered the room. Her eyes widened at the warning tone of the heart monitor, and her face paled as she realized who was in the bed. She had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing at the horror of what happened hit her.

Then, the monitor started beeping regularly and Carson let out a very loud sigh of relief. "That was too close!" He groaned, grabbing the nurse and rushing into the back room with her. "Help me prepare the antidotes for everyone else!"

"What happened?" Elizabeth's voice was so quiet in the room, but everyone turned to her in surprise.

(Conference Room, Normal POV)

"Only Lorne could be sent to grab a Christmas tree and come back with the alien equivalent of a nest of very nasty flying ants." John shuddered and scratched at his arm, glaring at anyone who dared to open their mouths about the welts all over his skin. "That seriously wasn't pleasant."

"Well, I gave him sentry duty over the tree as his team took it back to the planet." Elizabeth gave a bit of a look. "Of course, we made sure the bugs were all stunned, first, but I'm sure the…worry, is there."

Rodney remained quiet but nodded as he stared around the room. "What're we doing about the whole Christmas party idea?"

"We'll still have it." Elizabeth smiled, then winced as John cursed and began scratching his arms. "There just won't be a tree."

The conference was pretty quick, and a little less boring with John's colorful language as the itching of the healing hives got on his nerves. As they left the room, the team agreed to meet up at the party, and split up. John made a b-line to his room, and when he opened the door, he groaned in irritation.

"I should have expected this." He muttered as he walked into the room. He glared at his bed and began thinking of safe revenge plans as he took in the calamine lotion-covered bed in front of him. Each bottle had a tag. There was one from Rodney -the biggest one at that- one from Radek, one from Elizabeth; then there were several from some of his other friends… Then there were two strange bottles he didn't recognize, but he was pretty sure they were alien equivalents to calamine lotion. One was from Ronon, and another from Teyla.

With a sigh, John shook his head and went to his comfy chair, grabbing his copy of 'War and Peace' as he went.

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Hope you like it.

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi