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"What is that?" Trance peered up curiously at the small green sprig hanging by a red ribbon just inside the doorway to Command.
Harper was busy folding up the ladder he'd used to hang it. "Mistletoe," he answered. "It's an old Earth tradition on Christmas..." He trailed off and looked around as he thought of how to explain it.
Trance waited patiently. Tyr rolled his eyes from the weapons station where he was reading. Rev Bem and Beka merely continued to work, though Beka smiled indulgently.
"You know, the day they celebrated... the Divine, and hope and peace and joy and all that." Harper grinned, moving back to comfortable territory. "When two people step under the mistletoe at the same time, they kiss."
"The Divine?" Rev Bem asked, doing that verbal eye raise thing he'd perfected before he'd known Harper a year.
"Uh, yeah. Sort of. Anyway." Harper rubbed the back of his neck.
Trance screwed up her mouth in puzzlement. "I'm not sure what kissing has to do with all those things."
"It's..." Harper gestured vaguely, then sighed and dropped his hand. "Kinda hard to explain, I guess."
"I approve." Tyr closed his book.
"You do?" Harper asked skeptically.
"Not of your sentimental claptrap," Tyr stated in typical Tyr fashion, "but of celebrating that we are alive in such a fashion."
Beka snorted amusement. "I will never in a million million years celebrate with either of you under the mistletoe."
"Youch. Nzeitchean heartbreaker." Harper sounded half admiring, half chiding.
Tyr rolled his eyes as Rev Bem pointed out, "I believe she rejected both of you."
"She's an equal opportunity heartbreaker," Trance said, eyes wide.
"Au contraire. I never thought she would kiss me." Harper grinned at Beka. "Later, boss."
Before he could step out, the doors slid open for Rommie and Dylan to enter Command.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Beka stopped them with raised hands and a grin. "You're under the mistletoe."
"The what?" Dylan looked up, startled.
Rommie looked longsuffering as she stopped in the doorway and waited for them to hash it out.
"Harper."
"How'd you know it was me, boss?" Harper caught Beka's look. "I mean, other boss."
"This is a professional war ship," Dylan began.
"It's Christmas!"
"And no one celebrates it but you," Dylan pointed out and began to step further into Command.
Harper slid in front, both hands up to stop him.
"Sorry, Dylan." Beka smiled in faux apologeticness. "Christmas on the Maru. Daddy always brought home gifts for the little kiddies."
"It's tradition," Trance added helpfully.
Dylan sighed and looked at Rommie, who shrugged an eyebrow. He leaned over and pecked her cheek.
"All right. Stations."
"Cheat," Harper muttered.
Later in the machine shop, Harper was working on his mechanical sleigh for a proper Santa display. "I'm the only one who celebrates Christmas, my—"
"Harper!" Trance's voice chimed from the doorway. "Can you come here for a minute?"
"Anything for you, your purpleness."
He set his welder down and headed over only to get startled as she drew him into the doorway and kissed him softly.
She smiled. "I thought you should get one mistletoe kiss."
He looked up, startled, to see another red-ribboned sprig, then looked back at Trance, who looked cheerfully self-satisfied.
"So um... Just one?"
Trance shook her head affectionately at him and headed back in the direction of hydroponics.