John Sheppard rang the doorbell and waited. Eyeing the snow-covered surroundings, he shivered and hiked up his collar. Living off world for more than a year, he was no longer acclimatized to the snowy cold of Earth's wintry regions. As a child he used to love this time of a year and even though he didn't get much snow at Christmas where he grew up, he still loved it.

"Just a second!" a very familiar voice shouted out, followed by barking as it neared the front door. Just the sound of her voice made his palms start sweating and his heart beat just a little bit faster in his chest.

Then, the door swung open and there she was, more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair up in a lazy bun with hair locks framing her face, dressed in a pair of grey sweats and baby pink t-shirt, leaning on her crutch. The last time he saw her off to her mother's house was in a wheelchair after that damn Asuran beam hit near the control room, the force of it sending her backwards across the room. Permanent spinal cord damage, they had said. Yet she was standing there before his very eyes, and he couldn't help but stare.

A wet poking feeling brought him out of his musings and he looked down to see Sedge nudging his leg with her nose. John smiled and crouched down to scratch the animal affectionately behind her ears while her tail wagged happily. Gazing up he grinned and stood to look at Elizabeth. Her expression was one of pure joy and he can't remember seeing it on her face.

"John!" Next thing he knew, she closed the distance between them and flung herself into his arms, catching him off guard so they nearly tumbled backwards. Forgotten, her crutch clattered to the ground, promptly scaring off Sedge, who ran to the back of the house. He chuckled and held onto her tightly, not believing she was there like this with him. Over a year since he saw her.

It had been more than a year since he had to leave her in that stupid wheelchair on the patio, a few tears slipping down her cheeks as he said his goodbyes and promised her to come back soon. That was the hardest thing in his life to do. Leaving her like that, leaving her behind while he returned to the Pegasus Galaxy.

"Hey." His arms tightened around her, the goofy smile still on his lips. Then she withdrew from his arms and leaned against the doorframe to take the weight off her injured leg while he retrieved her crutch from the ground.

"Come on in." She made space for him and walked to the corridor, and he watched as she moved with ease. "I didn't know you were granted a leave."

"I wasn't at first. I persuaded them." He grinned at her widely and she chuckled.

"So basically you nagged and nagged until they couldn't stand you."

"Something like that, yeah." He chuckled.

"Elizabeth? Who is it?" A female voice sounded from the back of the house. Then an elderly woman appeared in the hallway and walked over to them with Sedge in tow. "John! What a pleasant surprise. You don't call, you don't write..." She teased and he blushed. In truth, Elizabeth’s Mom knew he’d been writing to her daughter when time permitted but couldn't resist teasing him. Now John knew where Elizabeth got that talent for making him stutter like an idiot.

"Hello, Mrs. Weir." He shook her hand and smiled at her warmly. "We kind of don't have telephone where I'm stationed."

"You're staying longer or just visiting?"

"Actually, I'm on leave until New Years." He watched Elizabeth from the corner of his eye and was pleased to find her smiling at him.

"Perfect. Where are you staying?"

"About to check into the hotel downtown...."

"Nonsense. We have plenty of space. You can stay in the guestroom."

"But-" John started to protest.

"Trust me John,” Elizabeth cut him off, “you're not going to win this one."

Still reluctant, he continued, "It's Christmas and I don't want to intrude."

"You're not. Besides, it's going to be only Elizabeth and me anyway. The rest of the kids are in Europe for the remainder of the year. You're very welcome to join us."

Elizabeth looked at him expectantly, her face unreadable. He sighed inwardly, knowing that without their invitation he'd be spending Christmas alone. Another talent Elizabeth gained from her mother, the art of persuasion. And here he thought he was good at it.

"Thank you." He smiled warmly and the two women beamed at him. "I should get my bags from the car then."

"Wonderful. I'm going to make some tea." Mrs. Weir said and hurried to the kitchen.

John opened the front door, tumbling slightly when Sedge ran past him and onto the front yard, jumping around in the snow. Behind him, Elizabeth laughed and he turned his head and smiled; it was good to see her like that, relaxed and happy. He went outside to retrieve his bags from the truck of his rented car and with a smile watched as Sedge rolled about in the snow with delight.

"Hey Sedge!" He called out and the dog 's ears perked up and she ran towards him. Together they went back to the house, where Elizabeth was standing in the doorway watching them. Once they were inside, John reached into his bag pocket. "Look what I have for you, Sedge!" He pulled out a dog chewing bone and Sedge bounced around, waggling her tail. He gave it to her and she ran off.

"C'mon, I'll show you your room." Elizabeth said and led him to the stairs.

"Should you be...?"

"It's ok, John. Don't worry." To his amazement she tackled the stairs without any difficulty and led him through the cozy hallway to the last door on the right side. "Here you go. My room is the opposite one, mom's bedroom is downstairs and there's another guest room down the hall. The bathroom is there." She pointed to mentioned rooms in the hall. They entered the spacious guest room and he marveled at the comfort it displayed. Elizabeth sat down on the bed and John placed his bags at the foot of the bed and set down beside her.

"How is that possible?" He motioned towards her legs. She smiled at him brightly.

"Guess the doctors were wrong. I've been regularly visiting my physiotherapy, and then one day I woke up and could feel my legs, even though I couldn't move them much. It wasn’t much longer and I was able to walk again. I sprained my ankle when I had one of my weaker moments, hence the crutch."

"It's good to see you back on your own feet."

"How are you doing? How is everyone doing?"

"We're good." He smiled at her genuinely. "We miss you though."

"I miss you too. How's Colonel Carter?" Suddenly John's shoes became fascinating as he studied them. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "John?"

"It's fine. We've had quite a few disagreements but we're trying to get on with each other." He sighed but looked at her again. "Any chance of you coming back?" Elizabeth shook her head sadly.

"No. They said they have no use for me in the city at the moment, and honestly, no surprise since it was unofficially militarized."

"And in other words, they know they screwed up. Some of our allies don't want to talk to us. You belong there as a leader, Elizabeth." She smiled at him and took his hand in hers.

"Let it go, John."

The look on her face brooked no argument, and he finally relented, for now, "You're right,” he said with a smile, “It's Christmas after all." Playfully, he nudged her with his shoulder. "Now tell me, are there any special Weir Christmas traditions I should know about?"

With a mischievous grin she answered, “Well, I'm baking cookies on Saturday."

"Didn't know you could cook."

"You don't know a lot of things about me." She leaned forward and grinned before standing up and sauntering down to the kitchen. He grinned and shook his head.

*******

And just like she promised, in the late morning of Christmas Eve he watched as she made the dough for the cookies, Sedge sitting beside her and watching curiously. He grinned at the sight and his mind conjured up images of two small children with unruly hair and green eyes running around her and the dog. He shook his head to clear it and found Elizabeth looking at him with interest.

"Why are you grinning, mister?" John made a noncommittal sound and shrugged not really wanting to divulge the real reason he was grinning. She narrowed her eyes and took the spoon out of the bowl with the dough. "Are you laughing at my cooking abilities?"

"No, why would I do that? You haven't given me a reason to....yet." She knew he was teasing, but she pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow.

"You asked for it." Before he could react, a spoonful of flour landed on his black shirt, right in the middle of his chest. Eyebrows raised menacingly, he eyed her with a devilish smile spreading across his face.

"This means war." He stalked over to her but before he could grab her, she hobbled around the counter with a squeal. He made a move to chase after her and she ran away (as fast as she could without leaning on her sprained ankle), deliberately slowing his pace to give her a small head start. They were both laughing hard.

Suddenly Elizabeth tripped and that sent her straight into John, who caught her just in time. Unable to see her face from this angle, he worried for a moment that the shaking of her shoulders might be caused by re-injuring her already bad ankle or if she was just laughing. Withdrawing back a bit so he could look at her, he could see her trying to stifle a laugh, albeit unsuccessfully. Relieved, he joined her and they laughed, unable to talk.

They both calmed down, and she could feel his heart beating fast where her palm rested on his chest. She looked up at him and grinned and he noticed a smudge of flour on her cheek. He brushed it away with his fingers but his hand didn't move from her cheek, instead he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers tentatively. He pulled away just a fraction to see Elizabeth looking at him, her lips moist and parted. So he kissed her again, this time bolder, yet still soft, slow and loving. Her hands shifted from his chest to rest around his hips and his hands cupped her face as they kissed. The kiss came to a natural end and they looked at each other before John looked at her questioningly.

"What?"

"I thought this was the part when you start telling me we shouldn't do this."

"Of course." She grinned at him. "But that doesn't mean I want to end this yet." And with that, she pulled him to her and kissed him again. Sedge came running towards them and barked. Elizabeth waved her away, her mouth never leaving his. He groaned, his hands resting on Elizabeth's hips, his fingers encountering bare skin as her shirt shifted upwards. A sound of footsteps made them jump apart; Elizabeth picking up the bowl with the cookie dough and tried to calm her erratic breathing and John quickly swiped at his shirt to remove the flour and just in time as Mrs. Weir rounded the corner.

"Good morning, sleepyheads." She greeted them with a smile, which they promptly returned.

"I was almost afraid you wouldn't get up today. I went to the market to get some fresh groceries." John jumped up from the stool at the counter and helped Lauren with the shopping bags.

While they put the groceries away, Lauren noticed how John always seemed to have the right grocery so he could reach around Elizabeth. She pretended not to notice as they looked at each other and smiled or how his hand rested at the small of her back. And she would never tell either of them what she's just witnessed a few minutes ago.

*****

Christmas Day

With the dinner gone, their stomachs full and the dishes washed, Lauren bid John and Elizabeth goodnight. The pair sat on a couch in the living room, Sedge snoring happily between them, and watched as the flames played in the fireplace.

"'Lizabeth?"

"Hmm?" She let her head fall to the headrest and turned to watch him shuffle closer to her. Then leaning forward to brush his lips against hers softly.

Breaking, Elizabeth gazed downward suddenly afraid to meet his eyes, “We really shouldn't be doing this."

"Why not?" When she still didn’t meet his questioning gaze, he put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up to catch her green eyes. “Talk to me.”

"Because you're leaving in less than two weeks”

"So you think that goodbye will be easier if we don't get involved?" Before she could speak up, he continued. "It was hard enough to leave you behind the first time. Do you think my feelings for you were different back then?" She swallowed uneasily around the knot in her throat and shook her head.

"But I may never see you again." He sighed and slid to the ground right in front of her.

"I know. But I'd rather die knowing I tried to make it work than regret living, knowing I didn't do anything about it."

"You're right, John. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be. I'm pretty freaked out too." He grinned like a schoolboy and she giggled. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her to the floor next to him. He studied her for a moment until she tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrow. "I'm going to kiss you now."

That was all the warning she got. Split second later his lips were on hers, urgent and demanding, threatening to rid her of sanity. When he coaxed her mouth to open with his tongue, she moaned and he responded, pulling her closer to him, until his back was against the couch and she was straddling his lap. Her hands slid into his hair while his rested lightly on her waist. He didn't want to rush her, not wanting to screw up.

They jumped apart when they heard a snort coming from Sedge, and Elizabeth chuckled as she collapsed against his chest and he just grinned and let his head fall backwards against the sofa. Sedge ran off to the direction of the kitchen and Elizabeth lifted her head from John's shoulder and smiled at him, her eyes twinkling. The glow of the fire illuminated her hair and face and to him she couldn't be more beautiful. He pulled her into another kiss, this time light.


"It's late." She said when they parted. "We should go to bed." He chuckled and she hit him. "Our respective beds, Mister."

"I didn't say anything." He kissed her forehead and she climbed off him and both stood up, linking their hands together, their fingers intertwining as the walked up the stairs to the bedroom area.

"Goodnight Elizabeth." He spoke softly and quietly, tucking one strand of hair behind her ear, kissing her briefly.

"Goodnight." She smiled at him and went to her room as he went to his with a stupid grin on his face.

******

The smell of coffee and cinnamon woke him up, and after performing his morning routine he went to the kitchen, only to find Elizabeth leaning against the counter, eating a cinnamon roll and drinking her coffee with her back towards him.

Noting her back to him, he approached quietly and put his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. The fact that she wasn't startled convinced him they were very attuned to each other and could sense the other's presence. Elizabeth smiled and turned in his arms, kissing him briefly. She tasted like cinnamon and coffee and he loved that taste.

Deepening the kiss he propped his arms on the counter behind her, bringing there bodies flush against each other. She moaned into his mouth and one of his hands pressed against the small of her back, pulling her closer still. Her hand was resting on his hip and the other was idly making patters on his shoulder, making him shiver.

Reluctantly they parted and Elizabeth beamed up at him. "Good morning."

"Good morning indeed." He grinned and pressed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her from his arms and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Elizabeth's mom walked into the kitchen, dressed in winter coat. "Good morning. Elizabeth, I'm going over to Jennings, like we agreed. Happy New Year in advance." She moved to kiss Elizabeth on cheek and to John's surprise did the same to him. "You two behave." Lauren raised an eyebrow at them and grinned.

"Yes, Mom." She walked off and once they heard the door shut, Elizabeth turned to him.

"You think she may suspect something?" John asked her and looped his arms around her waist.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she did." She smiled at him and kissed him lightly. "What's the program for today?"

"Hmmm....we could build a snowman." He grinned and tightened his hold on her. "Lots of making out I hope. Then I'm cooking dinner."

"Sounds like a plan." He moved in to kiss her but she ducked her head, grinning at his pout.

"But first you can take Sedge for a walk, I really can't with my ankle. Thanks." She gave him a small peck on lips as she withdrew from him. Playfully petulant, he sulked, grabbing his coat and Sedge's leash, calling the dog who came running towards him with a bark and together they walked outside.

As midnight slowly approached, they were lounging in the living room, just enjoying each other's company as they watched The Princess Bride on DVD, cuddled close together, John's arm resting against the back of the couch while Elizabeth's head lay on his shoulder.

"I should get the champagne."

"I'm not getting stoned with you today. Besides I can't drink alcohol with the antibiotics I'm taking."

"Okay." John said and kissed her forehead. Elizabeth looked up at him with a soft smile and he couldn't resist dipping down and capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss. She moaned as he pushed her back on the couch so she was lying on her back with him hovering over her. The kiss deepened and grew in intensity, their hands touching new places. They never went further than making out like this, so when her hands slipped beneath his shirt and tugged at it, he lost his balance and they landed on the floor with a 'thump', John on his back, both of them laughing. Elizabeth straddled his waist, looking down on him with admiration on her face, her hair falling around her face. He cupped her cheek and smiled lazily at her.

"You're beautiful." She smiled down at him and leaned down to kiss him again, tugging his shirt up. He stopped her with his hands on hers. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She breathed and he pulled her down, crushing her lips against his.

*******
A few days later

"I'll be back before you know it." John reassured Elizabeth, hugging her tightly.

"You better." She smiled at him, though the sadness in her eyes betrayed her. "Say hi to the rest for me okay?"

"Of course." He grinned and cupped her face, kissing her hungrily. "You take care of yourself for me, okay?"

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?" She grinned but her eyes were glazed with tears. One tears slipped down her cheek and he brushed it away quickly with his thumb.

"Shh, don't cry." She leaned into his touch and sighed.

"You should get going. They'll be waiting for you." After kissing her one more time, John withdrew from her reluctantly

"Yeah. I'll see you soon." Elizabeth just nodded and watched as John got into the car and gave her a small wave before drove away. She stood there several more minutes after he was out of her sight and then walked back into the house, shutting the door behind her, feeling like the world had caved in on her.

*****

Few months later

The incessant loud noise woke Elizabeth up. Reaching blindly for her clock to turn off the alarm, she realized it was not her alarm. It was the phone. Groggily, she crawled out of bed, put her robe on, before going downstairs to pick it up.

"Hello?" She answered, her voice still hoarse from sleep.

"Sorry to wake you up, Doc." A familiar voice sounded through the receiver.

"General O'Neill, to what do I owe the honor of such an early morning call?" She asked, suddenly feeling anxious. Early morning calls weren't usually the ones with good news. Her stomach knotted in fear. Her heart thudded in her chest and she held her breath. "Did something happen?"

"No, everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you I had a nice talk with the IOA representatives and the President yesterday. Due to recent events and your improved condition, we decided that your presence will be more essential in the Pegasus Galaxy than in the Milky Way."

"Really?"

"Yes. Congratulations, Elizabeth."

"Thank you, General."

"The Daedalus leaves in 4 weeks for Atlantis. Think you'll be ready by then?"

"Definitely." She grinned into the receiver.

"Excellent. If there are any problems or complications, let me know."

"Of course, General, thank you." She bid him goodbye and hung up, feeling light-headed. Suddenly her stomach turned and she ran to the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet, retching. Vaguely she heard her mom call out to her from behind the door.

"Elizabeth? You okay? I'm coming in."

"No." She protested weakly but her mom had already entered the bathroom. Elizabeth slid down to the floor and rested her head against the cool tiles. Lauren put her hand on Elizabeth's forehead.

"Hmm, you don't have a fever. What was the call about? Did something happen to John?"

"No, at least I hope not. They want me back, Mom." Lauren acknowledged this with a nod and studied Elizabeth carefully and brushed her hair from her face.

"Sweetheart, are you pregnant?" Elizabeth eyes snapped to Lauren's and she realized her mother knew all along about her and John. Elizabeth got up from the ground with the help of Lauren, her legs feeling wobbly. She gripped the edge of the basin and waited until her world stopped spinning. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"No, I can't...I mean...I'm on the pill..." Another wave of nausea hit her stomach but she fought it back.

"These thing don't work 100% every time." Elizabeth sighed and her eyes strayed downwards to her flat stomach.

"I'll make an appointment with Dr. Lewis, with some luck she'll take me in today."

"The sooner the better." She watched as Elizabeth brushed her teeth and washed her face.

"Are they going to make you stay here?" Elizabeth's face fell. She was excited to go back to Atlantis but when her mom voiced her concern, the excitement faded. What was she going to do if she was pregnant? Would they let her into Atlantis? And most importantly, how would she tell John?

*****

Four weeks later she boarded the Daedalus, and was greeted warmly by the personnel and Colonel Caldwell. She sat in the commissary; her hands clasped around the hot mug of chocolate and watched the blue lights of hyperspace. Just under a day she'll be back in the city and she couldn't fall asleep if she tried.

Finally, as the ship dropped out of hyperspace and were nearing Atlantis, she allowed herself a few hours of shuteye.

*****

"Atlantis, this is Caldwell on board of the Daedalus."

"Welcome back to Atlantis, we've been expecting you." Colonel Carter's voice sounded through the comm.

"Permission to beam down a few expedition members to the gateroom?"

"Permission granted, Colonel, beam away."

Elizabeth felt a little bit dizzy as she was beamed down among the personnel but she put it down to the lack of sleep. A cheer echoed around the gateroom when the people she's worked with for 3 years saw her. Colonel Carter went down the stairs to greet her with a warm smile, shaking her hand. "It's good to have you back, Doctor Weir."

"Thank you, Colonel, it's good to be back."

"Hey, what's the commotion ab-" John bounded into the gateroom and stopped dead in his tracks, seeing Elizabeth." He blinked, once, twice before his feet closed the distance between them and hugged her fiercely. "'Liz'beth..." He pulled back and kissed her desperately, both of them blocking out the sounds of catcalls and more cheers. They parted and he grinned at her widely. "I had no idea you were coming."

"Nice surprise, huh?"

"Oh definitely." He grinned and kissed her again.

*****

Later that evening they sat on John's bed, cuddled close together, their hands linked.

"I'm so glad you're here." John said and kissed the top of her head.

"Me too." She looked up at him and smiled, kissing him lightly. "John, I-I have to tell you something." He straightened up and looked at her in worry.

"What is it?" He asked softly, his concern evident in his voice.

"I...I'm pregnant." He stared. Then blinked. And then stuttered:

"But I thought you said..."

"Yeah. Apparently the doctor forgot to tell me the antibiotics for my ankle lowered the effectiveness of the pill." She bit her lip.

"So I'm going to be a father?" He asked with amazement in his voice and Elizabeth nodded. "I love you." He confessed silently and embraced her tightly. She beamed at him and pulled his head down to claim his mouth in a deep kiss.

"I love you too, John." They kissed for what seemed like an eternity before John pulled back abruptly.

"One last thing...they allowed you to come here?"

"Yeah. I told General O'Neill and the IOA and they decided that Atlantis personnel shouldn't really put their lives on hold until the Wraith and other threats are gone. Atlantis was unofficially made a colony." He grinned at her and placed his hand on her slightly curved belly.

"And when this little one is born, I'm going to make an honest woman of you, Dr. Elizabeth Sheppard." She giggled and asked:

"Is that your subtle question whether I want to marry you?"

"Not so subtle, huh?"

"No, not really."

"So what are you saying?"

"Yes."

THE END