'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
Elizabeth liked to take a walk through the city just before bed each night. She thought of it as doing her rounds, ensuring that all was well in her domain before she slept. There were a lot of nights when it was impossible due to one crisis or another, but this was Christmas Eve and she had a good feeling about it this year.
Most of her people would spend Christmas in the city. She was sure that the IOC and SGC would protest, but she did not want Boxing Day funerals. Not this year. All routine exploration and reconnaissance missions had been cancelled where possible and the only other people off base were two teams providing food and medical help to worlds that had been culled a few weeks ago. Cancelling aid missions would have gone against the entire spirit of Christmas and Elizabeth refused to do that this year.
She still remembered their first Christmas, when power and food had been critical and Christmas had crept up and surprised everyone. That year the decorations had been greenery from the mainland and gifts had been tiny luxuries hidden away for emergencies. Everyone had considered Christmas to be an emergency that year.
This year Elizabeth smiled at the mixture of decorations around the halls; garland sparkled in the lights everywhere that it could be twined and mixed with sprigs of greenery and berries from the mainland. An enterprising someone had even hung gold baubles from overhead pipes. It seemed like the base had gone Christmas crazy this year.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
Many of the staff quarters had name tags hanging over the doors, stencilled in red on thin strips of wood, as though people were afraid that Santa Claus might not be able to find them otherwise. There were no chimneys here for him to climb down, but Elizabeth was certain that a being as magical as Saint Nick had no need of such mundane things as chimneys if he existed.
As that thought passed through her mind, Elizabeth heard the far off sound of bells. She frowned. Bells in Atlantis? Sleigh bells?
Elizabeth hurried down the hallway towards the sound, but the bells faded away and there was nothing there when she reached the corner.
Hearing things was definitely a cause for concern yet her hand hesitated over the radio. She could call Carson, have him do a full work-up and spoil his Christmas Eve, or she could wait. After all, it could be her imagination.
Decision made, Elizabeth resumed her stroll through the hallways and corridors of Atlantis. She smiled at people she passed and wished them a happy Christmas, enjoying the look of surprised pleasure when she remembered the names of people she rarely even saw, never mind interacted with. It was something that she had noticed about the good commanders that she had seen: they remembered people's names. She would never be a military leader, didn't want to be, but there were a few tricks that she had picked up along the way.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
Elizabeth was passing one of the science labs when she caught a flicker of dark green and white just disappearing around a corner ahead. Without a thought she ran towards it, her heart racing, but again the corridor was empty when she rounded the corner.
This time her hand hesitated longer over the radio, wondering whether this was really something that should be reported. After all, it could all be down to a lively imagination and the season. It might even have been down to the glass of eggnog that she had shared with her senior staff earlier in the evening: Radek had looked just a tiny bit smug as he handed the mugs around.
Partway along the next corridor, Elizabeth saw something that made her stop and pull back, holding her breath and hoping that nobody had heard her.
John Sheppard, who had spent most of the evening bickering with Rodney about something that had happened on their last missions that she definitely did not want to know about, was standing at Rodney's door wearing a Santa hat. Even more surprisingly, when Rodney's door opened a hand emerged and pulled John into the room before he could do more than give a startled squawk.
The door slid shut behind him and Elizabeth dared to release a breath. She raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and smiled.
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
The corridors became more populous as she neared the communal areas of the city. There were always a few people in these areas at night, keeping the city safe, but on this night there were people carrying presents or weaving drunkenly towards their quarters. More than a few wore Santa hats or reindeer antlers and there was much calling of Merry Christmas. It was the happiest she had seen her people for months.
There was a light in the large lounge that the senior staff had adopted for the season as 'their' place. Elizabeth peeked through the door and grinned.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
Teyla sat beneath the large decorated tree in the corner of the lounge with gifts scattered around her. The paper glittered enticingly and she was holding one small package against her ear.
Elizabeth cleared her throat and Teyla jumped, just catching the present before she dropped it. The guilty look that she threw Elizabeth made the other woman laugh.
"Teyla?" Elizabeth said, trying to swallow her chuckles.
Teyla carefully put the package down next to her and met Elizabeth's eyes. "It is not traditional among Athosians to conceal gifts within paper. I find this custom most . . . ah . . ."
"Frustrating?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Exciting," Teyla corrected. "The gifts are much more intriguing when wrapped in this way."
Elizabeth's wide smile, so rare that her face muscles almost seemed to ache from it, cleared the guilt from Teyla's face.
"Generations of children have felt the same way," Elizabeth said. "I suspect most adults are the same, we just hide it better."
"Your traditions are often strange, Elizabeth, but we Athosians do enjoy this one," Teyla said, smiling serenely.
"You will put them all back, won't you?" Elizabeth said.
"Of course," Teyla said looking almost offended before her expression melted into a smile again. "I will be going to bed in a few minutes. Will you be joining the midnight celebration?"
"I will," Elizabeth said. "In fact, it's just about to start so I should be on my way. Happy Christmas."
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
The midnight carol concert took place in the mess and had been inaugurated on their first Christmas in the Pegasus galaxy. There would be a short Mass afterwards for the religious members of the staff, but the carols were a festive way to start the day for everyone no matter their conviction and Elizabeth made a point of attending.
The mess was packed by the time she arrived and she took a place near the back. That first year, there had been no instruments and they had only sung the carols that people could remember the words for. This year there was a small orchestra on the dais that had been set up at the front and a young lieutenant immediately offered to share his song sheet with her. Elizabeth's would never be a great singer, but she could hold a tune and most of the carols were so traditional that she hardly needed to glance at the words. A few of the more musically inclined in the group sang the descant and the entire effect was beautiful.
Oh Come, All Ye Faithful rang through the mess with passion and echoed through the corridors of Atlantis. Someone from Rodney's science team had set up a feed from the mess to the control room where the small skeleton staff hummed along and smiled as the people gathered in the mess sang The First Noel. The sound of joyful, mostly harmonious singing floated across the ocean and into the night, drowning out the faint sound of delicate hooves on a rooftop above the Jumper bay.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
Elizabeth did not stay for the Mass after the carol concert. She always felt that taking Communion just because it was Christmas when she no longer knew if she believed in the Christian God would be disrespectful for those who did believe. The chaplain said a short prayer at the end of the concert that she dutifully closed her eyes for, fervently hoping that his prayers for peace would come to pass, and then the orchestra struck up a merry rendition of Jingle Bells as they streamed out of the mess.
There was much hugging and laughter as people separated into groups and couples and drifted away. Elizabeth stayed to shake hands and wish people a happy Christmas until everyone had gone and then she turned towards her quarters. The city was safe and although Christmas Day was only a few minutes old, she had a feeling that today would be a good day.
Her quarters were lit only by one low light in the corner. Elizabeth raised an eye at the crumbs on the plate where a pile of mince pies had sat earlier and the lumpy shape of two filled stockings. She was absolutely certain that she had not filled either: all her presents were sitting under the tree in the lounge.
Of course, it was entirely possible that the pies had been eaten and the stockings provided by the lump in the middle of Elizabeth's bed.
Elizabeth shed her uniform and slid into the bed, wrapping herself around the delightfully warm shape of a naked Teyla. She kissed Teyla's lips, tasting mint but no mince pies, and was rewarded with a hand snaking around her waist and pulling her closer.
"Did you enjoy your singing?" Teyla asked sleepily.
"I did," Elizabeth said.
"That is good," Teyla said, already half asleep again. "Merry Christmas, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth kissed her lover and settled to sleep, certain now that this would be a wonderful Christmas.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
High above the city, unheard by anyone but birds and stars, the sound of deep jolly laughter and sleigh bells echoed across the water.