Notes: Woah! Wasn’t expecting a response like that! Thanks so much, everybody! Glad you liked it! Here’s the shippy ending; starts just before the ending of the original. Merry Christmas!

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"That’s all you’re getting, Major," she teased, shocked when she heard clapping below them and found most of her staff staring up.

"Spoilsport," John replied, ever so softly, "Come on," he took her hand.

"Where’re we-" Elizabeth began, but fell silent on seeing he was returning to the balcony. Once outside, they stood side by side, in silence, just leaning on the railings and gazing out across the ocean for several minutes. She smiled, "Did you really cut down that tree yourself?"

"The team helped," he grinned, "But yeah. There’s not exactly somewhere you can just drive by and pick up a tree, even with a puddle jumper. Would’ve been a lot easier if you’d have let me take one of those, by the way."

"You never asked!" she laughed.

"I knew if I asked you’d keep asking questions and demand to know why and then I’d have to tell you and you’d never let me go…"

"I might’ve done…" she protested.

John shot her a look that said it all.

"Okay, fine, I wouldn’t have let you out of my sight…" she trailed off, "Wait, wait, a second…you took a puddle jumper out the other day to the mainland…"

"Yeah, to check on the Athosians…"

"Really…"

"Yeah…" he glanced away for a moment, suddenly grinning, "Thoroughly confused them with the concept of Christmas."

"Teyla seems to get getting into it…" Elizabeth smiled.

"Yeah, but like she has a choice!"

"True."

Sheppard seemed content to stare out at the ocean for a few more minutes, despite the cold air, "…Okay…real reason I went to the mainland…" he produced a small box from his pocket and held it out to her, only looking across at her for a second, then back at the ocean.

Elizabeth stared and slowly reached for the box, "…I…you…Christmas…we weren’t…"

"I know. I lied."

"You aren’t allowed to lie!" she smiled.

John raised an eyebrow, "Try enforcing that rule," he dared.

She simply grinned at him and opened the box. Inside sat a smooth blue pendant, in the shape of a water droplet, with the symbol for Earth in the centre, in what she presumed was silver, "…You…where…?"

"Athosians. Again. I’ll admit I don’t know what the blue is. But I said blue and they found blue," he shrugged.

She kept staring at the pendant, "…I love it…" she traced a finger over the central symbol, "So either way, this is home…" Elizabeth said softly. She snapped the box shut, "…Thank you, John."

John half smiled in the general way men do when they don’t want women to know they’re ecstatic that that they’ve made the other happy, "No problem. Glad you like it," he grinned, again, "Do I get a proper kiss now?"

She glared up at him, one hand on her hip, "You might have, had you not said that," she couldn’t keep the grin off her own face.

"Know to keep quiet next time then, don’t I?"

Her hand moved from her hip to his shoulder, drawing him closer, "…You should’ve known to keep quiet this time…" she said softly. Yet just when she thought she was in control, she was somewhat shocked as he leaned in and kissed her. For a moment, she considered stepping away, but all thoughts of that course of action were shoved aside as she felt his arms around her, drawing her still closer to him. She pulled away for a moment and just gazed at him, whilst he tried to judge the expression on her face.

Frowning, John began to release her, "Eliza-"

She silenced him by kissing him hungrily, leaving no doubt as to how she felt about his impromptu actions. Arms sliding around his neck, she almost dropped the box containing the pendant, so caught up their kiss. Eventually they both had to part for air, breathless.

"I-" he began.

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head, "You should know better than to surprise me by now, John Sheppard."

"Me surprise you?" he breathed, staring.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again, softly, "Merry Christmas?" she tried, innocently.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" he teased, grinning.

"Pretty much," Elizabeth smiled up at him.

"Well in that case…" he lowered his head to hers and caught her lips in a lingering kiss. John then stepped away, leaving her frowning after him, "Dance?"

She laughed quietly, "There’s no music."

"Who needs music?" John held out one hand.

She put her hand in his, "Maybe you should hum loudly."

"Maybe you should," he countered.

"I don’t think so," Elizabeth nestled herself close to him, arms tightly around him, one hand still clutching the small box.

He folded her into his arms with a smile, "Not bad for a first Christmas," he said softly, unable to keep the laughter from his voice.

"Not at all…" she replied, head resting on his chest.

Safe.

Home.

Elizabeth Weir gazed across the water, "…Merry Christmas, Atlantis…"

-

Fin