Waking
“Waking”
By December21st
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir
Warnings: Sexual situations, violence and character death.
Summary: Twelve reasons Elizabeth Weir wakes up in the middle of the night. Series of 100-word drabbles.
A/N: I posted this a while ago on Atlantica, Command Dynamics, and FanFiction.Net, and now I present it to you. This requires a bit of explanation. I decided to challenge myself by writing a series of drabbles, each 100 words, each starting with Elizabeth waking up in the middle of the night. I tried to write a variety of genres (fluff, suspense, action, etc.) with varying degrees of success. So give it a try. Nominated for the 2006 Stargate Fan Awards.
Chapter 1: Alone
Elizabeth woke. The sound of rain splattering against her window shouldn’t have woken her, but it did. In the darkness, she rose quietly from her bed and padded softly to the window, gazing over the slumbering city. She didn’t usually mind waking up alone, but something about rain over the ocean made always her feel inexplicably sad. As though she were all alone in the world. Not exactly original, she thought wryly, but still true. Elizabeth considered going back to bed, but for now she was content to stand and watch the rain running down her window like falling tears.
Chapter 2: John
Elizabeth woke. She was immediately aware of the decidedly male presence snuggled against her. Memories skittered back - they’d been in the village on M3X-278. There had been a feast last night, with an old woman muttering something about destiny. Then … a haze of incense, the smell of overripe oranges, and suddenly she and John were stumbling towards his room. Knowing they shouldn’t but unable to stop. Shedding clothes, they’d spent what seemed like hours exploring lips and fingers and bodies, entwined in a fiery passion. Now John stirred at her side, and with his touch, she was lost …
Chapter 3: Crying
Elizabeth woke. Katherine Weir, at three months old, hadn’t slept through the night yet, and was bawling her need for food. Elizabeth shuffled to the crib, groggily lifting the infant to her breast. Kit had already caused enough chaos in her short life. Starting with a surprise pregnancy, then a hearing where both Elizabeth and John had very nearly lost their jobs, but for Rodney handing the magistrate a thick file containing the resignations of three-quarters of the personnel on Atlantis. And finally, a promise to grow old together from the sleep-deprived Colonel currently clasping a pillow over his head.
Chapter 4: Bound
Elizabeth woke. Her head hurt. She was tied to a chair in a dusty storeroom. One of the scientists, a blonde man with vague eyes (what was his name?) stood nearby, watching her with unsettling intensity. He started talking quietly - about their love, how they were destined for each other. If he couldn’t have her … Her blood ran cold when she saw the knife. He pressed against her, holding the cold blade to her throat. Then a spot of blood appeared just over his left eye, the knife clattering from his lifeless hand as John lowered his gun.
Chapter 5: Stasis
Elizabeth woke. She was in a modified stasis chamber, in one of the labs. She didn’t recognize any of the people in the room, although they all wore Atlantis uniforms.
“She’s awake!” a young man standing by her shouted.
“Thirty seconds!” a petite blonde informed them anxiously.
“Almost there!” yelled a leggy brunette who seemed to be trying to fix the console attached to the chamber.
“Mom, didn’t anyone ever teach you not to play with time machines?” the young man smiled.
“Fifteen seconds!”
“Got it!” the brunette called out.
“Mom, it’s important, tell Dad …”
Then Elizabeth was gone.
Chapter 6: Infirmary
Elizabeth woke. The last thing she remembered was an explosion. Thunder, acrid smoke, blaring alarms. John’s desperate reassurances as he carried her to safety. Then nothing. Now she could see two hands covering her own, barely visible in the soft light of the infirmary. The larger hand was John’s, a plain gold band safely where she had placed it over two years ago. The smaller hand was Kit’s, faint traces of bright yellow rub-on daisies decorating her tiny fingernails. Although he was sleeping, John firmly held their daughter. Kit carefully reached her hand out to touch Elizabeth’s cheek and smiled.
Chapter 7: Alarms
Elizabeth woke. Alarms were sounding loudly. Never a good sign. She and John both reached for radios in unison while quickly donning uniforms. The panicked guard in the gate room was using phrases like “incoming wormhole” and “battle cruiser” in the same sentence. She tried to calm him, to get some idea of what was happening. As they rushed to the control room, an explosion thundered overhead, causing the lights to dim. Zelenka got on the radio, calmly discussing concerns of “shield integrity” and “variable explosive penetration.” (What did that even mean?) It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 8: Shouting
Elizabeth woke. Someone was shouting at her. A quick movement by her side left a warm spot where John had been. A loud thud and a dry comment from the floor indicated that he hadn’t succeeded. The shouting man was Mern, an old enemy that John insisted had watched too many pirate movies. Mern was rambling about the fabulous lost treasures of Atlantis, but Elizabeth was very carefully not looking at the figure of five-year-old Kit cautiously sneaking past the door. Kit knew how to find Teyla and Ronon’s quarters, and then … maybe they’d make Mern walk the plank.
Chapter 9: Kicking
Elizabeth woke. Ow. The baby was kicking again. She patted her burgeoning belly, telling him to go back to sleep. Only a few more weeks, then he could be born. Then everyone would stop worrying about her, having another baby later in life than was really recommended. She wasn’t worried. Ow. Unless John’s progeny succeeded in breaking a rib. Carson assured her that an active baby was a good sign. Only now it would take her forever to get back to sleep. Ow. Well, if she had to be awake … she reached over to wake up the baby’s father.
Chapter 10: Something
Elizabeth woke. She was halfway under a desk, and the lights were still out. Something burbled in the darkness, and she froze. Earlier, unable to sleep, she’d been going to her office when she found the control room dark. Then something big had walloped her across the room. Her radio was broken. The console with the alarm was twenty feet away. She limped a few feet, pausing as something slithered nearby, upsetting a chair. Hobbling towards the console, she neared the railing. On the lower level, something huge writhed disturbingly. After it died, they still didn’t know what it was.
Chapter 11: Thunder
Elizabeth woke. A flash of lightning was followed immediately by another peal of thunder. A gust of wind howled past. The storm had finally arrived. John’s arm was draped lightly over her, and he was snoring softly. Married eight years now and he still made her heart skip a beat. The mattress bowed as a silent figure inserted itself between husband and wife, soon joined by a second. The bed was crowded with both Matthew and Kit joining them, but Elizabeth smiled contentedly as John’s eyes twinkled at her over their children’s heads. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 12: Alone Again
Elizabeth woke. Something was missing … then memory and grief washed over her. John was dead. She would never again wake to his warmth at her side, his tender kisses, his ready smile. They wouldn’t grow old together. In the darkness, she rose quietly from her bed and padded softly to the doorway of their children’s room. She watched Kit and Matthew sleep, comforted that they could - if only briefly - forget their father was gone. Elizabeth considered going back to bed, but for now she was content to stand and feel the tears running down her face like falling rain.
Edited to remove whining about not getting any reviews.
By December21st
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir
Warnings: Sexual situations, violence and character death.
Summary: Twelve reasons Elizabeth Weir wakes up in the middle of the night. Series of 100-word drabbles.
A/N: I posted this a while ago on Atlantica, Command Dynamics, and FanFiction.Net, and now I present it to you. This requires a bit of explanation. I decided to challenge myself by writing a series of drabbles, each 100 words, each starting with Elizabeth waking up in the middle of the night. I tried to write a variety of genres (fluff, suspense, action, etc.) with varying degrees of success. So give it a try. Nominated for the 2006 Stargate Fan Awards.
Chapter 1: Alone
Elizabeth woke. The sound of rain splattering against her window shouldn’t have woken her, but it did. In the darkness, she rose quietly from her bed and padded softly to the window, gazing over the slumbering city. She didn’t usually mind waking up alone, but something about rain over the ocean made always her feel inexplicably sad. As though she were all alone in the world. Not exactly original, she thought wryly, but still true. Elizabeth considered going back to bed, but for now she was content to stand and watch the rain running down her window like falling tears.
Chapter 2: John
Elizabeth woke. She was immediately aware of the decidedly male presence snuggled against her. Memories skittered back - they’d been in the village on M3X-278. There had been a feast last night, with an old woman muttering something about destiny. Then … a haze of incense, the smell of overripe oranges, and suddenly she and John were stumbling towards his room. Knowing they shouldn’t but unable to stop. Shedding clothes, they’d spent what seemed like hours exploring lips and fingers and bodies, entwined in a fiery passion. Now John stirred at her side, and with his touch, she was lost …
Chapter 3: Crying
Elizabeth woke. Katherine Weir, at three months old, hadn’t slept through the night yet, and was bawling her need for food. Elizabeth shuffled to the crib, groggily lifting the infant to her breast. Kit had already caused enough chaos in her short life. Starting with a surprise pregnancy, then a hearing where both Elizabeth and John had very nearly lost their jobs, but for Rodney handing the magistrate a thick file containing the resignations of three-quarters of the personnel on Atlantis. And finally, a promise to grow old together from the sleep-deprived Colonel currently clasping a pillow over his head.
Chapter 4: Bound
Elizabeth woke. Her head hurt. She was tied to a chair in a dusty storeroom. One of the scientists, a blonde man with vague eyes (what was his name?) stood nearby, watching her with unsettling intensity. He started talking quietly - about their love, how they were destined for each other. If he couldn’t have her … Her blood ran cold when she saw the knife. He pressed against her, holding the cold blade to her throat. Then a spot of blood appeared just over his left eye, the knife clattering from his lifeless hand as John lowered his gun.
Chapter 5: Stasis
Elizabeth woke. She was in a modified stasis chamber, in one of the labs. She didn’t recognize any of the people in the room, although they all wore Atlantis uniforms.
“She’s awake!” a young man standing by her shouted.
“Thirty seconds!” a petite blonde informed them anxiously.
“Almost there!” yelled a leggy brunette who seemed to be trying to fix the console attached to the chamber.
“Mom, didn’t anyone ever teach you not to play with time machines?” the young man smiled.
“Fifteen seconds!”
“Got it!” the brunette called out.
“Mom, it’s important, tell Dad …”
Then Elizabeth was gone.
Chapter 6: Infirmary
Elizabeth woke. The last thing she remembered was an explosion. Thunder, acrid smoke, blaring alarms. John’s desperate reassurances as he carried her to safety. Then nothing. Now she could see two hands covering her own, barely visible in the soft light of the infirmary. The larger hand was John’s, a plain gold band safely where she had placed it over two years ago. The smaller hand was Kit’s, faint traces of bright yellow rub-on daisies decorating her tiny fingernails. Although he was sleeping, John firmly held their daughter. Kit carefully reached her hand out to touch Elizabeth’s cheek and smiled.
Chapter 7: Alarms
Elizabeth woke. Alarms were sounding loudly. Never a good sign. She and John both reached for radios in unison while quickly donning uniforms. The panicked guard in the gate room was using phrases like “incoming wormhole” and “battle cruiser” in the same sentence. She tried to calm him, to get some idea of what was happening. As they rushed to the control room, an explosion thundered overhead, causing the lights to dim. Zelenka got on the radio, calmly discussing concerns of “shield integrity” and “variable explosive penetration.” (What did that even mean?) It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 8: Shouting
Elizabeth woke. Someone was shouting at her. A quick movement by her side left a warm spot where John had been. A loud thud and a dry comment from the floor indicated that he hadn’t succeeded. The shouting man was Mern, an old enemy that John insisted had watched too many pirate movies. Mern was rambling about the fabulous lost treasures of Atlantis, but Elizabeth was very carefully not looking at the figure of five-year-old Kit cautiously sneaking past the door. Kit knew how to find Teyla and Ronon’s quarters, and then … maybe they’d make Mern walk the plank.
Chapter 9: Kicking
Elizabeth woke. Ow. The baby was kicking again. She patted her burgeoning belly, telling him to go back to sleep. Only a few more weeks, then he could be born. Then everyone would stop worrying about her, having another baby later in life than was really recommended. She wasn’t worried. Ow. Unless John’s progeny succeeded in breaking a rib. Carson assured her that an active baby was a good sign. Only now it would take her forever to get back to sleep. Ow. Well, if she had to be awake … she reached over to wake up the baby’s father.
Chapter 10: Something
Elizabeth woke. She was halfway under a desk, and the lights were still out. Something burbled in the darkness, and she froze. Earlier, unable to sleep, she’d been going to her office when she found the control room dark. Then something big had walloped her across the room. Her radio was broken. The console with the alarm was twenty feet away. She limped a few feet, pausing as something slithered nearby, upsetting a chair. Hobbling towards the console, she neared the railing. On the lower level, something huge writhed disturbingly. After it died, they still didn’t know what it was.
Chapter 11: Thunder
Elizabeth woke. A flash of lightning was followed immediately by another peal of thunder. A gust of wind howled past. The storm had finally arrived. John’s arm was draped lightly over her, and he was snoring softly. Married eight years now and he still made her heart skip a beat. The mattress bowed as a silent figure inserted itself between husband and wife, soon joined by a second. The bed was crowded with both Matthew and Kit joining them, but Elizabeth smiled contentedly as John’s eyes twinkled at her over their children’s heads. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 12: Alone Again
Elizabeth woke. Something was missing … then memory and grief washed over her. John was dead. She would never again wake to his warmth at her side, his tender kisses, his ready smile. They wouldn’t grow old together. In the darkness, she rose quietly from her bed and padded softly to the doorway of their children’s room. She watched Kit and Matthew sleep, comforted that they could - if only briefly - forget their father was gone. Elizabeth considered going back to bed, but for now she was content to stand and feel the tears running down her face like falling rain.
Edited to remove whining about not getting any reviews.