Based on a prompt skykissedwindknight for the Holiday Fic Battle at the Terra Nova Fic Challenge comm on LJ - tn_ficchallenge[dot]livejournal[dot]com, come join us!

The prompt was: It's a something of a colony wide challenge, to see if one can catch Lieutenant Washington under the mistletoe. Unfortunately, she knows where all of them are placed. Except one.

Over the years in Terra Nova, she'd had more than her fair share of nature in her quarters. They're not completely sealed, air-tight containers and as a result bugs and birds could make their way inside if they found the appropriate weak spot.

There'd never been anything quite like this before, though.

She stared at the sprig of mistletoe accusingly as it dangled from the ceiling just inside her home. It had been placed carefully so as to catch on the top of the door as it opened, alerting her to its presence.

She was normally so damn careful too. Ever since a routine survey had discovered the plant out into the jungle close to their third Terra Novan Christmas, it had become a yearly effort to catch her under it. As the most senior female in the command structure it was the closest the soldiers could get to playing a prank on her without some resulting physical harm. Truth be told, she almost found it… enjoyable to successfully dodge their attempts year after year.

Mark had actually managed to catch her out last year, placing a sprig over her desk when she'd been out on a mission. She'd been so exhausted when she got back that she hadn't even noticed it, but unfortunately just as Mark came to revel in his besting of her, Nathaniel had approached with a datapad for her to review.

She'd remained seated as he showed her whatever it had been that she had to see, and Mark had rushed into her office to find them so. He had looked between the pair of them and then above them and nearly bitten his lip clean through to stop his laughter.

Alicia had just rolled her eyes at Mark and taken the datapad from Nathaniel, expecting him to leave without commenting. Which he did.

After leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Mark had waited until he was certain the older man was out of earshot before he completely fell apart, laughing so hard that he had to lean up against the wall for support.

"Your face!" He'd managed before the laughter over took him again.

Alicia had forced her hands to clench around the datapad to resist the urge to place a hand over her cheek. She'd still been able to feel the scratch of his beard, had known that she'd probably never looked more stunned at anything in her life, her brain flat out refusing to work quickly enough to process everything that had just happened.

"You want something, Reynolds?" She'd managed eventually, her voice calmer than her racing mind.

He'd straightened, a lazy smile still playing on his lips as he caught his breath. "No ma'am. Just checking in."

"You're clearly not busy enough then. I'll see you tomorrow for latrine duty." She'd said, looking away from him but still catching his poorly-disguised crestfallen expression. "And not a damn word to anyone, Mark."

There were only two people in the colony who she allowed to enter her quarters without her permission, and from the punishment Mark had received for his troubles last year, she doubted he would dare.

And then she spotted her intruder, seated quite happily on her sofa.

"Commander." She said, remaining in the doorway.

He stood and ambled towards her, thumbs tucked through belt loops. "Wash! Fancy seeing you here."

"It's my house sir." She said.

"So it is. And look what's also here." He said, nodding up at the ceiling. "Wonder how that got there."

Alicia stood her ground, not quite underneath the mistletoe, hands on her hips. She didn't speak, only glared.

"You've got to come in some time, Wash." He grinned. "And I've got to leave."

Alicia raised an eyebrow and stepped backwards, out of the doorway. With an exaggerated sweep of her arm, she indicated that he was free to leave. "After you, sir."

He remained rooted to the spot, same irritating little smirk on his face. "Ladies first." He retorted and she scowled. It had been far too long a day for this nonsense.

She realised if she relented now it was giving him a win he didn't deserve. But at the same time, one he possibly wasn't expecting. He'd caught her by surprise a year earlier, maybe she could do the same.

She rolled her eyes in her practiced 'you're such a pain in the ass but it would be insubordination to tell you so' manner, walked through the door and straight up to him. She lifted her heels to gain a little extra height and leaned in to press a light kiss to his cheek.

Unfortunately, he was one step ahead of her - as usual. She noticed the twinkle of mischief in his eye after she had committed to the movement, and just as her lips were about to make contact he turned his head, pressing his mouth firmly against hers.

She let out a little noise of surprise and her hands came up to clutch at his upper arms without her conscious permission. His muscles flexed as his arms came around her to rest just decently high enough on her lower back and she groaned against his lips - she'd always loved his arms and damn him, he knew it.

In for an inch, in for a mile. She thought, opening her mouth under his to run her tongue teasingly across his lips. For once she actually managed to do something he didn't expect, if his pleased chuckle was anything to go by, and she raised her leg to kick her front door closed as she deepened the kiss.

She pressed her weight against him to make him stumble backwards into the wall, hands moving up to cup the sides of his face as his own moved downwards.

"No mistletoe over here, Wash." He said, when they broke apart.

She nuzzled her nose against his, quickly capturing his lips to remove his all too pleased with himself smile.

"Oh shut up." She said. And made him.