by Natalie Williams
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own anything. Farscape belongs to a lot of other nice people who won’t sue me for writing this, right?
ARCHIVE: My site and... just ask me.
SUMMARY: John gets a little melancholy during the Christmas season.
AUTHOR’S NOTES: Okay, this is most *definitely* not my best work. But the Muses are working with me again, and that’s all that matters. Also, ignore any inconsistencies. It’s pure fluff, written for enjoyment (hopefully) not accuracy.
*****
“Merry Christmas, Dad. I know, it would be just a little before the actual day... I think. I’m never sure anymore. The days all kind of run together up here. It’s weird, you know? I was never really a fan of Christmas. It never really mattered much to me when I was down there. It was more of a hassle than anything else. But up here, I’d just about kill to see ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ one more time. Or see one of those Salvation Army Santas ringing that bell in my ear every time I pass by. I don’t know if there’s anything like that where I am. Wherever I am. And even if there was something like that here, I doubt anyone I’m with would care.”
*****
“John?”
He looked up, as if he’d just noticed she had joined him on the terrace. “Hey,” he said, sounding a little surprised.
Zhaan sat next to him. “What is it?” she asked him, knowing that something was wrong. He had been distant like this for a while now, which was unlike him.
John shrugged almost imperceptibly. “A little homesick, I guess,” he said, setting down that tape recorder of his.
“Why now?” she wondered. “You seemed to be all right.”
“I think it’s just timing. It’s the holiday season back on Earth.”
Zhaan paused for a second. She had heard about some of his Earth customs, but didn’t recall hearing about this before. “You have a holiday season?” she inquired.
“Yeah. It’s just something we do down there,” he said a little wistfully. “Everyone’s got this holiday cheer, and good will towards men thing going. As long as you’re nowhere near a toy store around Christmas.”
“I understand you miss your world,” Zhaan told him. “We all do.”
He smiled. “I know. I wish that made me feel better, but I know. Thanks, Zhaan,” he said, and got up to leave.
*****
“There he is.”
At that, John turned around to see D’Argo and Aeryn headed over to him through the crowd. “Where did you get off to?” asked Aeryn. “We were looking all over for you.”
“I had to pick something up,” John said, hiding his earlier purchase behind his back. “Find everything okay?”
“We have enough supplies to return to Moya,” said D’Argo, already leading the way out of there.
As the trio wove through the aisles of the trade district, he heard Aeryn said, “What is it that you’re humming?”
He paused, not even realizing that he had been doing it. “It’s called Jingle Bells,” he said.
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Jingle Bells,” she repeated slowly, shooting him another one of those ‘huh?’ looks.
“Yeah, it’s a Christmas carol.”
That unintentionally vague explanation just brought D’Argo into it. The Luxan turned his head to him, looking about- if not more- confused than their female companion. “And what is that?” he asked.
“Every year we have Christmas. It’s the biggest holiday of the year on Earth. Or least least to the people that celebrate it. And we have songs for them,” John said. He saw D’Argo and Aeryn’s faces, and knew he was making absolutely no sense to them. That wasn’t a surprise.
“And those are Christmas carols,” Aeryn said.
“Yeah.”
“Jingle Bells.”
“Is one of them, yes,” he said.
She shook her head. “This is very odd.”
“Christmas carols are nothing. I didn’t even mention Santa Claus,” he said, realizing belatedly that he probably should have given a one-word answer and shut up.
“What is a Santa Claus?” asked D’Argo.
“Okay, this is gonna sound stupid. It’s a story we tell kids. A fat guy in red drops down your chimney on Christmas Eve to leave presents under the tree.”
“Tree?”
John decided not to get into that. If Christmas carols were beyond them, he wouldn’t even attempt to explain decorating a shrubbery.
“How can one man deliver presents to everyone on the planet?” Aeryn asked.
“He doesn’t. There is no Santa Claus. It’s just a story.”
“And you tell the children of your planet this?” D’Argo said.
“Yes.”
“Why? he asked.
“I have no idea.” Scary thing was, he had wondered that himself.
“So why are you humming this... carol?” Aeryn wondered.
“It’s been stuck in my head all damn day,” John said. “Although if you want, I could entertain you both with my dazzling rendition of ‘Grandma got run over by a reindeer.’”
“Please don’t,” growled D’Argo.
Aeryn blinked. “Reindeer?”
*****
He knew he’d interrupted her conditioning, but he also knew that Aeryn didn’t seem to mind so much anymore. At times, he thought maybe she even welcomed the interruption. “Aeryn?”
She stood, pivoting toward him on her heel. “Hello,” she said, not sounding very surprised.
“Well, there’s no tree or egg nog or Rudolph, but I’m upholding one tradition,” John said, and held out his hand.
Aeryn moved closer. John was holding an object, not quite solid, wrapped in a green cloth that he’d gotten at the commerce planet. It wasn’t wrapping paper, but it would have to do.
She peered at the object, then looked at him, a mix of curiosity and suspicion visible on her face. “What is it?” she asked.
“It’s a Christmas present,” he said.
Another pause, and John punctuated his last sentence with, “For you.”
“Why?”
John shrugged, trying to hide a smile. “Just because.”
Aeryn slowly took the object, and sat on the floor. John sat across from her, watching her study the still-wrapped gift. She got the cloth covering off, and raised her eyebrows at him when she saw what it was.
John shrugged. “I figure this way you don’t have to swipe mine.”
“They were not yours,” Aeryn said, but he saw that smile flash briefly across her face.
He smiled at her, not getting into this again. “Merry Christmas, Aeryn,” he said, and left her alone, wishing all the while there was some way for him to introduce her to mistletoe...
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