Note: I sent out a few holiday cards with fic thingies (aka of varying length, but all short) requested by some friends and thought I'd share them today, in case my cards haven't arrived yet and to spread some holiday cheer around... Enjoy! 🙂
Bones: Booth/Brennan | CSI: Sara/Gil | Firefly: Mal/Inara - Kaylee/Mal/Inara | Lord of the Rings: Merry/Pippin - Hobbits | Lotrips: Dom/Elijah | Sherlock Holmes: Holmes/Watson | Stargate Atlantis: McKay/Sheppard
Lotrips AU: Through the Desert ficlet
Sara had always known that Gil wasn't very big on holidays, especially not one so fraught with memories of his Catholic childhood. Therefore, when, on their first Christmas together in Gil's flat, she woke in the morning to the sound of Frank Sinatra crooning holiday carols, and she walked into the living room to find a small but nicely decorated tree and a widely smiling Gil, it felt like the best gift she'd ever gotten.
The first Christmas after Miranda felt all wrong. Mal found himself even missing Book's sermons, but more hurtful was to see the shadows in Zoe's eyes. Kaylee and Simon did their best to spread cheer, but it was not much more than a halfhearted attempt, and River seemed to retreat back into her head somewhat. Therefore, when Mal found himself knocking on Inara's door late one night, he expected nothing but maybe a less depressing reason to be mad at the world. However, all teasing remarks were forgotten when he saw the tears in Inara's eyes as she opened – and Mal discovered that not much had ever felt quite as right as stepping inside and taking her in his arms.
It had started one Christmas evening, when Mal had been feeling a bit grumpy. Book's sermon, albeit short, had bent him so out of shape that he'd neglected to thank Kaylee for the lovely dinner, which led him to her door late in the night, not able to bear the thought of having hurt the lovely mechanic's feelings. However, Kaylee turned out not to be alone, and Mal almost managed to retreat unnoticed – until Kaylee's sleepy voice called out to him, and Inara's dark eyes conveyed a silent challenge. Shrugging, Mal figured there was more than one way to apologize.
It was the night before Yule, and little Faramir hadn't been able to sleep for excitement about the next day. The parties at Uncle Merry's were always the best! Faramir's tummy rumbled, and he climbed out of bed, intent on grabbing a bite to eat in the kitchens. Everything was quiet, and he felt very grown up being the only one awake. However, as he passed Uncle Merry's study, he saw a light and heard a soft voice. Curious, Faramir tiptoed to the half-open door and peeked in. It was Uncle Meriadoc himself, together with Faramir's father Peregrin – however, they did not really look like the Master and the Thain right now. They were curled up together in a big armchair, and Merry read something from a great big book. Faramir's dad seemed captivated, resting his head on Uncle Merry's shoulder as if he'd done it a million times. Sometimes Merry's hand would move from the page to Pippin's knee, but he never stopped reading, and Faramir felt the peace of the scene calm his overexcited mind. Forgetting all about his tummy, he finally tore himself away and went back to bed. His dreams were warm and sweet that night.
It was snowing outside, lovely big flakes that covered the ground like a fluffy white blanket. Pippin pressed his nose against the window of Bag End's coziest living room, where he was lazing about after a nice big meal with Frodo and Merry. Occasionally they could hear Bilbo muttering in his study, the sound mingling with the crackling of the fire Merry had lit before burying his nose in a book on herblore. A sudden knock on the door made the three start, and Frodo got up with a small groan, knowing that nothing short of an earthquake would get Bilbo to leave his writing be. When he returned, he had Sam in tow, dripping on the carpet as the snow he was covered in began to melt. Pippin went to the kitchen, and the four of them settled down for a mid-afternoon snack as the snow kept falling softly.
Even after several years in California and Hawaii, and although he loved warm weather, Dom could never get used to the climate in December. There was just something deeply wrong about being able to go outside in a t-shirt when everything was decorated with gaudy Santa Clauses and fake Christmas trees. However, when he got off the plane in L.A. and saw Elijah standing behind the Gate, wearing a huge grin and a t-shirt sporting Rudolph with a giant red nose, his holiday gloom disappeared. Dom yelled "Ho! Ho! Ho!" and launched himself at Lij, suddenly feeling very Christmassy indeed.
Watson counted himself lucky to have celebrated many joyous Christmas days in his time. However, the memory he treasured most (and rarely talked about) was of one particular Christmas morning, when he had woken from the sweet sound of Christmas carols, played by a violinist who usually scorned such sentimentalities.
John Sheppard blamed Elizabeth's grandmother. After all, it was her eggnogg recipe that had resulted in the unfortunate encounter with Rodney under the mistletoe. Maybe, if John was lucky, Rodney wouldn't remember anything the next day. Maybe, if he was extraordinarily lucky, John wouldn't remember anything – especially not Rodney's taste.
And something extra for everyone...
This is part of my Through the Desert AU, but set further along the timeline, when Dominic and William are no longer in the desert and have become lovers.
William did not cope with the cold well, and Dominic did his best to keep him warm. He'd been outside to gather firewood several times, making William accompany him to keep his blood moving, but now the snow was piling up and soon they'd be trapped in the house until the weather changed. They had enough food, and water was not a problem as long as they kept the fire going to melt ice, so Dominic knew they would survive– still, he couldn't help but worry that William would get sick so far away from the desert.
"Stop being such a motherhen, Dominic!"
William's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Dominic realized that he'd been pacing around the room, ignoring William who was curled up in front of the fireplace. The nose that was peeking out of a blanket was red, but William's green eyes were clear and sparkling with amusement.
"Instead of worrying about something you can't change, why don't you leave the weather up to the Mother and come join me here where it's warm and cozy…"
Dominic grinned and happily complied, slipping inside the blanket where William's arms were open and waiting for him. Soon William's skin felt warm against Dominic's.
Later, Dominic's head was resting on William's chest and he was playing with the band on William's right wrist, his fingers idly tracing the familiar lines in the leather. As William spoke, Dominic could feel his voice rumble against his ear: "You know what today is, mi piran? It's the longest night of the year. Soon winter will be over and we can get back to work building our new life. Together, the way it is supposed to be."
Dominic smiled and lifted William's hand to his face, kissing his palm gently. He was not worried anymore.
Happy holidays!
