Christmas Eve in the Snow

Posted on Sun Jan 12th, 2025 @ 11:58pm by Lieutenant JG Malcolm Beckett M.D. & Lieutenant Eirly Andersen

1,467 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Happy Holidays
Location: Holodeck 4
Timeline: 1945 hrs, December 24th, 2389

Eirly made all the necessary checks to ensure that the surprise she had planned for Malcolm was going according to plan. Hopefully this would be the first time he'd ever experienced something like it, and she really hoped that he was going to like it. Of course, the present she had gotten him for Christmas had nothing on this, so she hoped he liked that as well.

The outfit for the night was a casual pair of fitted high-waisted blue jeans, a loose-fitting singlet and a lightweight cardigan to go with it. Light makeup and softly curled hair completed the look. So basically, the usual for her. Her feet followed the well-known path to his quarters where she pressed the chime and simply waited.

Malcolm called the words "Come in," to trigger the door to open, but was already on his feet on his way to greet her there. He'd thrown on a dark crew neck shirt with a maroon knit bomber style jacket.

"You look amazing," Malcolm commented as he tried not to stare. He leaned forward to give her a kiss on the lips. "Merry Christmas Eve."

Eirly grinned into the kiss as she stepped into his quarters, "Merry Christmas Eve to you too." Looking around his quarters as she did, Eirly noticed that they could do with a few homely touches and knew instantly her present would be like a centrepiece, "I hope you're ready for the surprise I've got in store for you."

"I hope it's not anything you worked too hard on. I'm still worried I didn't do enough for you," Malcolm replied.

"I promise I didn't, it's simply an experience that I hope you're going to love as much as I do," She couldn't stress to him enough that he didn't have to go all out for her. Taking his hand, "Are you ready?"

"I don't need to bring anything do I? Then I'm ready," Malcolm replied.

Ten minutes later, they had eventually made it through the quiet corridors to the holodecks and Eirly led them to a stop out the front of the fourth one before turning to Malcolm, "Okay. The only rules I have for this surprise is that you brace yourself and close your eyes before you step in." She giggled and added, "I don't want you getting a shock from it."

"Okay, eyes closed. And consider me braced," Malcolm said. He then opened one eye and peeked her before closing it.

Eirly laughed again as she pressed the commands and opened up the holodeck program, taking Malcolm's hand and walking inside. The program materialised and automatically changed them both into warm winter clothes. The sight, however was the most spectacular thing to behold.

"Open your eyes, Mal." Eirly said with a smile as she took it all in.

Malcolm jumped a bit when his clothes were suddenly thicker and more snug around his body, not expecting to be changed like that. He then looked around.

The sky was dark and without a moon so the multitudes of stars were visible for miles in each direction, the blazingly white snow covering the landscape was thick and powdery with no signs of imperfections, and fir and pine trees dotted the landscape around them. The building just off to the side of where they were standing was shaped like an igloo with thick black outlined glass panels covering the dome section. Light was coming from within, signalling that it would be nice and warm.

"Welcome to Kakslauttanen, one of my most favourite places to visit. Do you like it?" Eirly asked.

"It's beautiful here. Where is it?" He asked.

"Iceland. About 100km from the capital, Reykjavik," Eirly replied, noting she still had a hold of his hand and giving him a smile before dropping it to move away and twirl around before coming back to look at him, "It's not the real thing, of course, but the next best thing."

"So what do we do now that we're here?" Malcolm asked. "Make snow angels or?" He looked at her wondering what was next.

"There's so much we can do!" Eirly said excitedly, "If you really wanted, we could just have our own little getaway and stay indoors in the igloo and watch the Northern Lights near midnight, or we can go reindeer or sled dog sledding, or given that it's Christmas, we can go to Santa's Home." She shrugged. "Your choice. Whatever you want to do, it's up to you."

"How much time do we have?" Malcolm asked. "I've never been reindeer sledding and it does sound like a right Christmas Eve thing to do."

"We have until midnight, so a little under four hours." Eirly replied as she took his hand, and they trudged through the snow toward where there were reindeer and sleds available, "Can I just admit something though? I... I've only ever done this once, and a reindeer tried to eat my hand, thinking it was a carrot" she laughed.

"It is a holoprogram. Can't we just tell the computer to have them not try to snack on us while we're here?" Malcolm teased.

"Yes, that would make sense, wouldn't it?" Eirly retorted with a simple look on her face and playing into the dumb blonde monika. As they walked over, an older man was already hitching a reindeer up to the sled and getting in it himself while he waited for Eirly and Malcolm. "You ready?" she asked as she hesitantly put her hand on the flank of one of the reindeer but immediately took it away again when it moved.

Malcolm fought back a laugh, though he wasn't trying to make fun of her at all, he found the scene cute. "They won't hurt ya, lass. They are vegetarians," he said stroking one by the ears. "Remind me of horses."

"Oh, I know they're vegetarian, doesn't mean I'm still not apprehensive about them," She poked out her tongue in response as she stepped onto the sled. "Kas's horse bit me as a kid, so I'm not a fan of them either. Unless you can change my mind?"

Malcolm got into the sled next to her. "I don't think I can erase the traumatic memories of ornery animals. But, if you respect their space, learn their language. I'm sure this might sound crazy to you. Hard to show you on a holodeck as well."

"Oh, I get what you're saying. Wait until you meet the rest of my family: they're all horse whisperers. I'm the odd one out with being a dog whisperer," she linked her arm through his as they both settled in and the sled driver clipped the reins to push the reindeer forward. Soon they were off at a slow trot, not too fast, but a comfortable speed, "I have been meaning to ask though, have you got a place of your own back on Earth or somewhere else?"

"Do I keep a second home somewhere? No, I don't. At least not yet," Malcolm replied. "I had a flat in medical school, but when I went and got my first posting, I just put what I couldn't take with me in storage. Seemed a waste to keep it up."

"But what about when you do eventually go home?" Eirly queried, thinking back to her own place in London. "Or would you go back to your family home? I could see you with a rustic little cabin out in the Highlands somewhere."

"Well, this is my home for the foreseeable future. Don't see a point in getting a cabin, I'd never be able to use," Malcolm said. "If I ever get reassigned to a smaller ship stationed out of somewhere that might be worth look into getting a place, then I'm sure I'd find something. But I dunnae ken when or where that'd be right now. As far as physician assignments in Starfleet, I'll be low man for a least a few more years."

"Then, if we ever get to go back near home, there is a flat in London that my best friend, Mia and I bought together a few years back. It's nothing flash, just two bedrooms with a nice view overlooking a small park," Eirly smiled at the memory of the last time she was there, "Other than that, the ship is my home for the foreseeable future too. And you know I'll still love you either way, even if I do outrank you, right?" She bit her bottom lip as she teased him.

"Well that's good, because I imagine you'll always outrank me, lass." Malcolm leaned in to kiss her as the sled took a sharp turn causing them both to feel the harsh sway of being pulled making them laugh as they held on to brace themselves.

~tbc~

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