Author: Vicky
Category: general, romance
Summary: it's their first day back in Atlantis
Season/Sequel: season 3, third instalment in my Sedge's Adventures in Atlantis series
Spoilers: a slight one from Intruder (2-02)
Rating: K
Archives: my website, others ask please, I never refuse
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author’s Note: here it is finally, the third instalment of the series. It took a long time but it's there, so enjoy! Once more many many thanks to my wonderful beta, Jaclyn!
1. Meeting in a park 2. Going home Sedge's Adventures in Atlantis:
First day
After an 18 days trip, the Daedalus finally landed on Atlantis east pier. The old team members were all happy to be home and started leaving the ship as soon as they could. The new members though seemed to have some apprehension; a whole new world was opening up to them and some had still not realized it. John, Elizabeth and Sedge were among the last ones to leave the Daedalus, the military leader immediately taking a deep ocean breath.
"Finally!" he exclaimed. "I truly thought we were going to stay there indefinitely."
"Don't you think you're overreacting, John?"
"Hey, at least I'm not the one who can't sleep without the sound of the ocean!"
"I'll never live that one down, huh?"
"I don't think so. So, when do you want to take Sedge to the mainland?" he asked her as they were walking towards the living area.
"I really don't know. I think it'll depend on how high the pile of files on my desk is. Probably not in the next few days, I'd say."
"Do you want me to take her if you don't have time?"
"Don't you have work of your own, Colonel?" she teased him, knowing his reluctance to do paperwork. "I'll think about it and I might take you up on your offer if I can't go by the end of the week."
By the time they arrived at her quarters, John had already tried to talk Elizabeth into taking the next day off several times. Though the idea of being outside for a whole day appealed to her, she knew she couldn't. She was gone for more than a month and it was time to go back to work; even though she hadn't really stopped doing so while on Earth or during the trip.
Bidding their goodbyes, John went for his own quarters and Elizabeth entered hers with Sedge after promising him that she'd join him in the commissary for dinner. Sighing and dropping her bags on the floor, she felt, not for the first time, that she was finally home. John might have been right; maybe Earth was never their real world, maybe it was here they always meant to be. Sitting on the bed, she watched as Sedge circled the room, learning her new surroundings. She knew it would take some time for her dog to adapt to her new home, but she would never regret taking up on John's advice and asking the President for pets.
During the whole trip, she saw people acting differently; they were more open with each other. When she took Sedge to the room set up for the crew's pets, she found out more about some of her personnel. With all these thoughts in her mind, she started unpacking, leaving Sedge to explore the entire room.
"Ok," she said half an hour later after having put her bags away, "I think it's time to get some work done. Sedge," she called her dog who by now was lying on the floor by the bed.
Together they went to the control tower, being stopped once by Carson and Laura who wanted to meet Sedge. She couldn't help but chuckle when Laura asked if she could take Sedge one day just to annoy Rodney. When she arrived in the control centre, she saw that Caldwell was already waiting for her in her office; she sighed wondering what he could want to discuss that he hadn't had time to do so during their trip.
"You wanted to see me, Colonel?"
She sat down on her chair, Sedge at her side and crossed her arms on the desk. When she entered the office, she immediately noticed that her desk was cleared of files and made a mental note to ask Chuck about it later. She raised an eyebrow when a minute later the Colonel still hadn't said a word. And when he did speak, she was surprised by his words.
"I was wrong."
"About?" she asked, not knowing what he meant.
"About the pets. You were right; during the trip I saw that everybody was more cheerful."
"And you were right too when you said that having pets could hamper us in a critical situation. But I considered this problem before asking the President for the permission, and like I told you before we embarked on the Daedalus, it'll be my problem."
"Anyway, I don't remember if I told you since before, but your dog is beautiful. And she seems calm too compared to some other pets. I always thought that cats slept through most of the day."
"I think Rodney's cat is like him when it comes to stressful situations," she smiled, remembering what happened during the trip. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Colonel, I have work to do, though I don't know where it is."
"I'll leave you to it, if you ever find it," he added with a smile, leaving her office.
She followed him out of her office, Sedge on her heels, and scanned the control room for the gate technician. She saw him working on a console in the far side of the room and headed towards him.
"Sergeant."
"Welcome back, Doctor Weir. Did you need something?"
"Yes. I thought I'd have files waiting for me on my desk but I've found none…"
"Major Lorne sent you a summary of each and every report since you left via the intranet. He thought that you might appreciate the fact to not have a load of work for your first day back."
"And he was right. Thank you, sergeant."
Elizabeth went back to her office and searched for the said files in her data pad. She blessed the Major's thoughtfulness when she saw the amount of summary he sent her. Surely the scientists were busy when they weren't there, and she silently congratulated herself for having ordered the exploration teams to stay in Atlantis.
She spent the next three hours reading them and when she raised her head, rubbing her tired eyes, she decided she had to find a way to thank Lorne. She looked down to see that Sedge was still lying at her feet, waiting for her to be finished.
"Come on, Sedge," she said standing up, "it's time to go for a walk."
Passing by the control room, Elizabeth told the technician to contact her on the radio if they needed her. They went on the balcony to seek some fresh air and for Sedge to relieve herself. With her dog sitting beside her, Elizabeth watched the sun set in the Lantean Ocean for the first time in over a month and for the nth time that day realized how much she missed the place; soon, the night would settle, the City lights shining in it.
She was brought out from her thoughts by the door sliding open behind her. She didn't acknowledge the visitor, waiting for them to identify themselves. Without a word, they came to the railing and leaned against it, patting Sedge's head.
"I thought you were going to join me at the commissary."
"And I thought you'd already be there."
"I was; I was waiting for you by the doors but when I saw you were late, I decided to come and get you instead."
"Sorry, I wanted to finish reading the summary of the reports Lorne made for me."
"Ok, he definitely has a crush on you!"
"What?" she exclaimed, turning her whole body to face him.
"Oh come on, don’t tell me you never noticed that all the men of the base have a crush on you?"
"Are you serious?" she squeaked, more than surprised by his statement.
"Of course! You know you should pay more attention sometimes."
She stayed silent for a few minutes, processing what he just told her. Though, when he saw the smile forming on her lips, John knew he was in for trouble.
"So… 'all the men of the base'," she quoted him.
It was his turn to be silent; he didn't know what to add to what she said. Instead, he smiled back to her before turning back to the ocean. Between them, Sedge was looking towards the ocean, taking in her new world, her new life.
"It's good to be home," Elizabeth said after a moment.
"Yeah."
"You know what they say; 'home is where the heart is'."
"Yeah, and yours belongs to Atlantis."
"Among other things…"
Fini… for now
I hope you liked it! You know what I like though, huh?
X-posted to:
john_elizabeth,
lostcityfound,
sedgefans