(no subject)
CHRISTMAS FIC!
Title: Stolen Moments
Author: Angel of Fire SG1
Summary: Some moments are given and other's you have to take, but what does it really matter when it comes to Christmas?
Spoilers: General season 2
Pairings: Sheppard/Weir - some Cadman/Beckett
Stolen Moments: Part One
John stopped at the door of Elizabeth’s office. Usually he’d enter and make himself comfortable, but at that current moment in time she was moving around the room quickly, gathering things.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, curious.
She jumped and then closed her eyes before looking up at him. “Sorry, you scared me.”
“I noticed…” he replied, entering the room.
She returned to gathering things and threw them all into a bag, before grabbing her laptop and shoving that in its bag too.
“I have to go back to Earth,” she said, answering his earlier question.
“Some kind of emergency?”
Elizabeth stopped and looked at him, as if she’d suddenly realised he was actually there, then she frowned. “My uncle died, the funeral’s on Thursday and I’d like to be there.”
“Oh…you OK?”
“I’m fine,” Elizabeth replied, grabbing her bags. “But I have a flight to catch back on Earth…I’ve left Caldwell in charge, I thought that would make him happy, sorry but you’re going to have to deal with him for a few days…”
He watched her for a few moments. She wasn’t fine, he could see through that comment straight away.
“I’ll come,” he said, not entirely sure where the offer came from.
“What?” she thought about it for a few moments. “John you don’t have to do that…”
“Sure I do,” he replied, smiling softly. “I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Once I’m in Utrecht I’ll be with my cousin and aunt,” she said.
“Where?”
“The Netherlands…my Uncle had to move there for business when I was about twelve…”
“Well that’s a long flight so if you want company the offer is there…” he folded his arms and lent against the doorway.
She paused, watching him for a few moments. He could see her mind working, trying to picture the situation back on Earth, then she smiled slightly. “I’d appreciate that.”
“I’ll meet you at the ‘gate in ten minutes.”
As he walked quickly towards his quarters to grab a bag he wondered what exactly had possessed him to volunteer to return to Earth with her. He didn’t miss the place - although occasionally he thought he wouldn’t mind going to a football match - and he had no friends or relatives back home.
Maybe that was why he wanted to go. It was less than a week before Christmas and a lot of the Atlantis personnel had returned to Earth to spend time with their families…even Rodney had gone home to spend time with his sister. Carson had taken Laura Cadman home to introduce her to his mother and the city was running on a lot less people than it usually did.
Yet he had resigned himself to spending another Christmas away from the world, his only contentment being that he was able to spend that time with Elizabeth. When he’d heard her say she had to go back to Earth he’d found that one good thing about this time of year being taken away from him.
So now he was going back to Earth with her. He felt bad, knowing she was upset and all he could think about was not wanting to spend another Christmas by himself.
~*~
He wanted to come with her. John Sheppard never ceased to surprise her. She couldn’t say she wasn’t grateful, but she was confused why he would want to come to her Uncle’s funeral. It didn’t even cross her mind that he could be homesick, because she knew better of him, but whatever the reason he wanted to come was it escaped her.
She looked up as he wandered towards her.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I was ready ten minutes ago…” she raised an eyebrow at him and smiled slightly.
“Then shall we head out?” he asked, and she didn’t miss the look of concern in his eyes that his smile couldn’t mask.
She turned to the technician, someone unfamiliar to her who had been sent to help out while everyone was back on Earth. He dialled Earth and pressed the button, sending through the Atlantis IDC to the SGC.
John grabbed his backpack, swinging it onto his back, and watched as Elizabeth did the same. She walked ahead of him and through the gate.
Arriving at the SGC was always strange to her, it was somewhere she’d spent a couple of months of her life, yet now it seemed so foreign. Standing at the bottom of the gate was an even stranger site.
“General O’Neill,” she greeted, hearing John come through the gate behind her.
“Dr Weir,” he looked past her, raising one eyebrow. “I see you brought a friend…”
John was suddenly standing next to her. “Greetings General.”
“Maj…Lt Colonel,” Jack corrected himself, then turned his attention back to Elizabeth. “We should get going…I take it he’s going with you?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said before John could interrupt with anything else.
“Good you’re booked on an empty flight then,” Jack said.
Elizabeth sensed he didn’t like John being there and wondered why. Maybe he disapproved of the military commander joining her on a personal trip, or maybe he thought it was stupid for them both to leave Atlantis. Maybe he just didn’t like John…although she’d never had that impression before.
~*~
John stared out the window at the lights below him. He’d forgotten how boring, slow and uncomfortable normal flying was - especially when it was in the dark. Puddlejumper’s were by far the superior mode of transport in his mind, but he could hardly bring one of those back and start flying around the planet in it.
He sat back in his chair and stared at the screen in front of him, which was informing him that they were currently six hours from their destination. Elizabeth’s screen was dark and she was asleep next to him. He was glad she’d managed sleeping, because since they’d left the SGC she’d been incredibly quiet and he was worried.
He knew death hit her harder than she let on. He’d watched her put on a brave face, and then tear herself up over the loss of men back in her office. She would never talk about it. But this was different, because it was her own relative, one who’d obviously been close to her.
Without thinking about it he reached down and picked up the supplied blanket, ripping open the plastic and placing it over the sleeping woman. She grabbed it with one hand and pulled it around her, attempting to turn over. When that didn’t work she somehow found John’s shoulder, resting her head on that.
He smiled slightly. Just at that moment the air hostess pushed the trolley past. “Food or drink?”
“Just water thanks,” John replied.
“And your wife?” she asked, handing him a cup of water.
John paused for a second, not sure how to respond to that. His wife? Well, he supposed, it did sort of look that way. “She’ll be fine,” he smiled at the air hostess.
“I’ll come back later then,” she said, smiling and moving onto the next row.
Wife. When he was younger he’d always imagined that by the time he was forty he’d be married with children, that forty was old and if he didn’t have a family by then it was never going to happen. Of course, now he was nearing that age, he knew better - but he also knew that there was an age he’d reach when it wouldn’t be possible anymore.
Looking down at Elizabeth he wondered for a moment if it was even a possibility that some day, just maybe, she could be his wife. He certainly wouldn’t mind, but he was sure that there was some rules, somewhere, that forbid them from seeing each other.
He shook his mind clear and looked back out the window at the flashing lights of the wingtip in front of him. She was his boss and the leader of Atlantis - what would she want dating him anyway?
He tried to push the thoughts away, flicking on the TV and finding a movie to watch, but the whole time there was still the thought in the back of his mind. If he didn’t care about her in that way, why was he here?
~*~
When Elizabeth woke she found herself sleeping on the shoulder of John Sheppard, his head resting against hers as he slept. For a moment she panicked, hoping no one had seen them, before realising that it didn’t matter. They were on Earth and far away from anything relating to the Stargate or the military. No one was there to judge their relationship.
So not wanting to wake him she remained in the position, closing her eyes again. Sleep always made things pass faster anyway. But instead of sleeping she found herself distracted by the physical contact with John. The familiar smell rose into her nostrils from much closer that usual and she could feel his shoulder rise and fall with each breath.
Opening her eyes, hoping that it would distract her other senses, she wondered again why he had offered to come with her. She was tired, not worn out from the flight, but from the overwhelming feeling of sadness at the loss of her uncle. She had spent most summer’s after he’d moved in Europe with her Uncle and cousin, her parents not liking the idea of summer camps and choosing to send her to other relatives instead.
She hadn’t seen her Uncle for a few years now, but he had been by far her favourite relative. On the way to the airport Jack had informed her that he’d died of a heart attack at the early hours of Sunday morning, her cousin, Luke, had contacted Simon who had then called the SGC. She had an open invitation to stay with Luke and his wife, she hoped that held up for John as well because she had a feeling he wouldn’t be going anywhere without her for a while.
She felt her heart swell at the knowledge he was there for her, that he’d literally followed her across the galaxy to make sure she’d be OK - at least that’s why she assumed he was there, she couldn’t think of anything else.
She looked down at his hand laying on the armrest, so close to hers. She wanted to reach across and place hers above it, but she couldn’t make her hand move. Instead she realised she was subconsciously fighting the urge to go to the bathroom. Seeing it was free she slowly moved John over and removed her head from his shoulder.
When she got back he was still asleep, now leaning against the wall. She smiled, thinking how cute he was as he slept, and sat back down in her chair, flicking on the screen to see where they were.
“Excuse me miss, did you want breakfast before we begin our descent?”
She looked up at the air hostess. “No thanks, I wouldn’t mind some water though?”
“Ah, just like your husband I see,” she said, handing her a plastic cup of water.
Elizabeth looked at the air hostess in surprise. “Excuse me?”
She nodded towards John. “He only wanted a glass of water as well.”
“Oh he’s not my husband,” Elizabeth denied instantly.
“Oh…I’m sorry - it’s just earlier I referred to you as his wife and he didn’t correct me.”
“Did he now?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and glanced at John, amused by this.
The air hostess left and she returned to watching the screen. After a few moments there was a ding and the captain’s voice came over the PA announcing they were beginning their descent. John jerked awake next to her and sat up.
“Your wife?” Elizabeth asked.
He looked at her in confusion. “What?”
“The air hostess seemed to be under the impression that we were married,” she narrowed her eyes at him, but smiled.
“Oh…that…well it could be amusing couldn’t it? We could tell your relatives I’m your husband and see if they believe us,” John wasn’t smiling but the mischievous spark in his eye betrayed him.
She hit him on the arm and flicked the TV screen off. “They’re not stupid, John.”
~*~
John watched as Elizabeth hugged her cousin. He had to admit that he was a nice looking guy, curly brown hair and blue eyes - and he could clearly see the family resemblance between the two of them. They talked for a few moments seriously, probably about Elizabeth’s Uncle, and then Elizabeth smiled and turned towards John, signalling for him to join them.
John walked over, pushing the trolley with their bags on it.
“Luke Weir this is John Sheppard,” Elizabeth smiled as she said it.
Now he felt like her husband. Luke held out a hand and John shook it.
“Nice to meet you,” Luke said in a clear American accent - one he’d obviously kept when his parents migrated.
“Likewise,” John said, meaning it, he liked this guy.
“So are you two…”
“No,” they both said, too fast.
“We work together,” Elizabeth explained.
“I see…well John you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you want - but we only have one spare bed so I guess you’re going to have to sleep on the sofa,” Luke said.
“I’ve slept in worse places,” John smiled at Elizabeth, wondering if she would tell her family he was Air Force.
He knew about her past, how she’d argued against the military and against weapons, and he was sure her family would need a large amount of explaining as to why she’d brought a military man with her to her uncle’s funeral.
She smiled back and then turned to Luke. “John’s in the Air Force.”
“Oh?” Luke looked shocked, that was the only way to explain it, then he said something in what John assumed was Dutch.
“Later,” Elizabeth replied.
The three of them headed towards the car, Elizabeth and Luke walking ahead and catching up and John trailing behind them pushing the luggage. He didn’t mind, he was sure there would be a lot of questions from relatives later about who he was and why Elizabeth was associating with him, at least if she explain that to Luke now he’d have to face less questions.
But then again he’d also have to check with Elizabeth what their cover story was. They had planned to make one up on the flight but it had slipped their minds entirely.
The car trip took them just over an hour in the traffic, but finally they pulled up at a nice-looking townhouse. There were Christmas lights wrapped around a tree out the front, and more in the shapes of stars in the front window. Something about the whole situation made John feel very at home.
The door opened and a two year old came running out and grabbed Luke’s leg as he pulled John’s bag out of the back of the car. A woman appeared after him, a baby in her arms, she said something in Dutch and Elizabeth turned around.
“Isabelle!” Elizabeth said, walking over and hugging her, avoiding squashing the baby.
Isabelle then asked her something and Elizabeth replied with a smile and held her arms out. Isabelle handed her the baby which Elizabeth held for a total of five seconds before it began crying. Her eyes widening slightly she handed the baby back to it’s mother and it seemed happy again.
More conversation he didn’t understand and they were all disappearing inside. John grabbed his bag and Luke took Elizabeth’s and they headed into the house.
“How old?” John asked, nodding at the small boy running in front of them.
“Pieter’s second birthday was three weeks ago and Jessica is five months,” Luke looked proud. “You got any kids?”
“No, never been married,” he replied.
“Social life’s not so great in Antarctica?” Luke asked.
So that’s where Elizabeth had told him they lived. “Not really.”
“Wouldn’t imagine so…just leave your bag here we’ll move everything upstairs later, come and meet Isabelle,” Luke lead him through a door into the living room. “Coffee?”
“Sounds good,” John replied.
“Elizabeth, coffee?” Luke asked.
“Yes please!” Elizabeth sounded far too enthusiastic about the prospect of coffee.
He stood and watched her again. She was happy, he realised. He’d come along expecting her to be upset but here she was looking the happiest he’d seen her in months. Suddenly he felt stupid for having offered to come with her, but he didn’t regret it, the alternative was much worse.
Jessica burst into tears and Isabelle jumped up to attend to her. John sat down next to Elizabeth.
“Antarctica huh?” he said.
“Well I didn’t think the Pegasus Galaxy would go down too well…” Elizabeth responded. “At least it explains how we know each other.”
“What else did you tell them?”
“You’re a pilot and you live on the base where I was stationed to lead a scientific expedition to do with ancient cultures,” she smiled.
“So not so far from the truth,” John responded.
“I’m going to help Luke with the coffee,” Elizabeth said, jumping up and heading to the kitchen.
Isabelle came and sat down on the chair next to the sofa. “Hello John…I am glad to meet you, if you will excuse my English it’s my second language.”
“Well you speak it well,” John replied.
“Thank you,” Isabelle smiled at him. “So why did you come?”
“Well it’s Christmas, and Antarctica is cold and miserable and all my friends had already left for a couple of weeks, so I thought I’d accompany Elizabeth on her long trip…always better to have company right?”
“Of course,” she smiled knowingly before continuing. “And you also care for her and were worried about her?”
John paused. “Well she’s my friend…”
“And also more?”
Any response John might have conjured up was interrupted by the arrival of the coffee, but he wondered himself what his response would have been. As Elizabeth sat back down next to him he wondered if the world was trying to tell him something - because it was the second time that day that someone had mistaken them for a couple…
~*~
Because she’d gone to sleep far too early the night before Elizabeth found herself waking up at five in the morning. Unable to get back to sleep she made her way downstairs to the kitchen to find herself some coffee.
She’d forgotten how much she liked Luke, they hadn’t seen each other for five years now - since his wedding. They’d always got on well as kids, one of the reason’s her parents had seen it fit to send her to visit once a year, and they were the same age.
That made her realise exactly what she was missing in her life - although it was some consolation that her cousin knew nothing of alien races and other galaxies. But she’d always wanted a family, a husband and children - maybe a dog - and now she was beginning to wonder if her leading of the Atlantis expedition had taken that opportunity away from her.
Her mind landed on Simon. Luke had contacted him - she wondered what he’d said. Maybe he’d pretended that they were still together, it would explain Luke’s surprise at seeing John - or maybe he had been rude and only agreed to contact the SGC because it was for a funeral.
For so long she had believe that when they finally found a way to get back to Earth she would go home and find Simon waiting for her, missing her. In her mind he would run over and hug her and tell her he wanted her to stay, he would have bought her a present and he would cook her a nice meal. Instead he’d been unpleasantly shocked to see her and no matter what she’d tried he refused to come with her to Atlantis.
Because he was seeing someone else. She’d only sent the tape what…a month before? Two at the most. She had expected him to wait maybe just a bit longer - but to her it seemed he had met this person not too long after she had left.
“You’re up early.”
She spun around to find John standing behind her, dressed in pyjama pants and a white t-shirt, yawning. “Your hair’s messier than normal.”
He frowned and ran his hand through his hair. “Well it hasn’t had time to wake up yet.”
Elizabeth grinned innocently and sat down with her coffee. John walked over to the counter and made himself one before joining her at the table.
“Did I wake you?” Elizabeth asked.
“Sort of. I was lying awake pretending to myself that there was still a chance of sleeping,” John replied. “But then I heard someone in here and figured it must be you. Trust me, the kids crying was much more distracting.”
“I didn’t even know they had children until yesterday, I feel like a horrible cousin,” Elizabeth replied.
“Well in all seriousness you were in another galaxy,” John responded. “It’s a tad hard to contact people.”
They both fell silent for a moment. Elizabeth watched her friend as he sat, one knee bent and leaning against the table and the other foot placed firmly on the ground, and wondered if he ever thought about families, about children.
“It makes me realise what we’re missing out on,” she said finally.
“I know what you mean…but I keep telling myself we’re doing something more important, and there’s no way we can have children on Atlantis, the risk is too high with the Wraith,” John replied.
“I do the same…but there’s always the ‘what if’…what if we beat the Wraith? Will we stay on Atlantis or come back here? Will we populate the city or abandon it - there’s so much we don’t know…I mean what if we’re ninety by the time the Wraith are defeated…then we’ll never have the chance to…” she stopped, suddenly realising exactly how much of her fears and hopes she was revealing to John. “Nevermind.”
He stared at her for a few moments. “Hey…you’ll have that chance Elizabeth.”
“I thought I did,” she said after a few moments silence. “I did have that chance. But I thought he’d always be there so I went to Atlantis, thinking stupidly he’d still be here when I got home. But he wasn’t. He was already seeing someone else…”
John frowned, obviously unaware of her past life. “Who?”
“His name’s Simon…we were going out for years, it was only a matter of time before he proposed. I just assumed it would be him, I never thought about it any further - I never considered that it wouldn’t be, I just…assumed…and now he’s gone and so is that chance.”
“That chance isn’t gone.”
She looked up at his eyes, seeing something there for a moment that scared her. Did he mean that in the way she thought he did? Was that why he was here? Or was she just imagining things? John was her friend, her good friend, her very attractive, good looking friend, but that was it. Right?
She knew if she believed that she would be lying to herself, but she had to believe it. For the sake of the city, for the sake of the war and for her own sake. Because if she didn’t believe it that would mean something she didn’t want to face.
~*~
He watched her holding her coffee mug, knees drawn up and feet resting on her chair. She was dressed already in jeans and a black woollen sweater, but she wore no make up and her hair was yet to be brushed. He liked her like that, it meant he could look past her as a leader and see the woman underneath.
“So what did you want to do today?” she asked, changing the subject.
He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “What day is it?”
“Wednesday,” she replied.
“And the funeral’s tomorrow?”
She paused for a moment, looking as though she’d forgotten for a moment why they were there. “Yes.”
“Then don’t you just want to take a day off and rest?” he asked, then before she had time to respond he stood up. “Come on, the sofa’s more comfortable and we can watch TV in there.”
The two of them left their empty coffee mugs behind and walked back into the living room. John gathered his blankets up and threw them behind the sofa, making room for Elizabeth to sit down. He turned on the TV at the power and then joined her, flicking through the channels.
He flicked straight past one and then it clicked what he’d just seen. Turning the channel back a big grin spread onto his face.
“Football!” he said.
“I wouldn’t call it that around here…” Elizabeth smiled at him.
“Can I watch?” he asked, not even stopping to wonder why American sport was playing on a TV in Europe.
“Sure, go ahead,” she settled back into the couch, curling her legs up next to her.
John was happy - they didn’t have to do anything today, he could watch his sport. But somehow he found himself watching Elizabeth again; she was staring at the TV in confusion.
“I don’t understand,” she said after a few minutes.
“Elizabeth, how many times do I have to explain it?”
“They run with the ball?”
“There’s a sta…Elizabeth…you know perfectly well how this works I saw you explain it to Ronon!”
She grinned at him. “Maybe.”
He grabbed his pillow and hit her over the head with it. Obviously prepared for the attack she grabbed the other end and pulled hard, he lost his grip on it and suddenly he was being beaten up by a pillow.
“Elizabeth that’s not fair I’m defenceless!”
“You started it,” she replied as he tried to grab for the pillow.
He found himself lying down, completely weaponless, so reaching to the ground he found his hand land on something soft. Pulling it back up he found himself holding a cushion.
“Aha!” he said, getting Elizabeth on the side.
“Hey! No fair,” she said.
“It’s perfectly fair,” he tried to respond, but it was muffled by a pillow.
Suddenly he found himself slipping off the couch, not wanting to go down alone he grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her with him, her landing on the ground first. Managing to avoid squashing her he wasn’t quite able to avoid landing on top of her. One more hit from the pillow came from behind his head and then she seemed to lose control of her grip because the pillow fell to the ground.
Suddenly her reason for losing her concentration became very apparent to him as he lost his own. She was lying beneath him, their faces incredibly close to each other thanks to her last hit on the back of his head. He could feel her breath against his mouth and he knew exactly what he wanted to do - but he also knew he shouldn’t.
He could see fear in her eyes, but it was accompanied by something else - anticipation. She wanted him to kiss her as much as he wanted to do so. For some reason he hadn’t expected that, hadn’t believed that she would ever want this.
He leant down further, closing the gap between them till it was barely a centimetre. Again he paused, should he or shouldn’t he? Maybe he should let her move the final distance, but then again maybe she was waiting for him to…
From upstairs a loud screaming cry started. He pulled away, suddenly drawn back to reality as he heard footsteps crossing the floor upstairs above him. He watched as Elizabeth sat up and moved back onto the couch, he followed, sitting as far away from her as possible and gluing his eyes to the TV.
~*~
Isabelle came down the stairs with Jessica in her arms. Noticing the two coffee mugs on the table she walked into the living room.
“Morning,” she said, smiling.
“Morning,” Elizabeth replied, and John smiled.
Her first impression was they were sitting incredibly far apart. And seemed to wish they could get even further away from each other. Not to mention the tension in the room was as obvious as broad daylight.
Jessica started crying again and she put her down in her stroller. After a few moments she fell silent - ready to sleep again.
“So you are up early,” Isabelle said, trying to make conversation.
John seemed very involved in whatever sport it was playing on the television.
“We went to bed early,” Elizabeth replied.
“True,” Isabelle responded.
OK she wasn’t going to get conversation out of either of them, so instead she stood up.
“Anyone for coffee?” she asked.
“No thanks,” they both replied.
“OK then,” Isabelle made her way into the kitchen, wondering exactly what was going on between them.
~*~
He could see how uncomfortable she was about this. Not that he blamed her - funeral’s were never fun. But this time she looked particularly unsettled, and continued glancing at the front row.
He followed her line of sight which landed on an older man sitting there.
“Who’s that?” he asked quietly.
“No one,” Elizabeth replied shortly.
He knew continuing that line of questioning would be a really bad idea - but still she continued glancing in that man’s direction. The man didn’t glance back once but John got the impression he knew perfectly well that Elizabeth kept looking at him.
About halfway through the funeral the man stood up and took his place behind the microphone, began making a speech. Of course this was all in another language so John had absolutely no idea what any of them were talking about.
He glanced down at the program. The man’s name was David Weir. It shouldn’t mean anything special to him, everyone here had the last name ‘Weir’, but for some reason the name stuck out at him. It couldn’t possibly be…?
The man sat back down and the funeral came to an end. As they all followed the casket out to the cemetery at the back of the church John could tell Elizabeth was trying to keep up a strong front, even though everyone around them was crying. He reached across and took her hand as they entered the cold.
She squeezed it, thanking him silently.
They watched as the body was lowered into the crowded cemetery. Instead of watching the man he watched Elizabeth. She was biting her lip and he could see her eyes watering, so letting go of her hand he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. She leant into him willingly, slipping her arm around his waist.
If it hadn’t been that particular situation John was sure he would be enjoying the moment far too much, but he couldn’t allow himself the pleasure at that time. Maybe later.
After he was buried and a few more words were spoken they walked back slowly to Luke’s car. Elizabeth’s arm was still around his waist, so he kept his arm around her shoulder - not entirely sure they should feel so comfortable in the situation. But they did.
In fact it felt more than comfortable, for the first time since they’d left Atlantis, John was glad he’d come. He felt like this was the reason, and as he watched Elizabeth let go of him and get into the car he felt a sense of protectiveness wash over him. He knew she would be OK, even as he watched her staring blankly out the window of the car.
Isabelle drove them to the relative’s house that everyone was gathering at because Luke wasn’t quite in the right state to drive. They’d left the children with a babysitter for the day.
When they reached the house John recognised the man standing out the front as David Weir, the man who’d made the speech. As Elizabeth’s eyes fell on him she seemed to stiffen and her expression went very blank.
They got out of the car and the man greeted Luke and Isabelle before turning to them.
“Elizabeth,” he said, in a clear American accent.
Remaining silent for a moment she stared at the man. “Hi Dad.”
So he was right.
“Do I get a hug?”
He watched her facial expression soften slightly and she hugged her father. When she pulled back he was smiling.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Good actually,” she replied. “And you?”
“Busy,” he replied, then his attention shifted to John. “Who’s this? Where’s Simon?”
“That’s a long story…” then she turned to John. “This is Lt Colonel John Sheppard.”
“Army?” the look on his face was one of shock.
“Air Force,” John replied, walking forward and shaking his hand. “I fly helicopters around Antarctica…nothing special.”
“Antarctica?” David looked back at his daughter, raising an eyebrow in the same manor she did.
“I’ll explain later,” she replied, quickly.
“So are you two…”
“No,” she cut him off. “Maybe we should go inside it’s cold.”
“How can you be cold? You live in Antarctica,” he reminded her.
John could see the irritation forming on her face. He wondered why things were so awkward between them, but figured he’d just ask Elizabeth later. The three of them made their way inside where a large group of people speaking in two different languages were sitting around laughing and talking about anything and everything.
He sat down next to some random woman who offered him coffee and before he knew it David was sitting next to him.
“So why are you here? Really?” David asked.
“I don’t follow, sir,” he said, not entirely sure why he let ‘sir’ slip out.
If her father was anything like she used to be he was sure he wouldn’t appreciate any form of military habits. He didn’t even seem to notice, but he got that expression he’d seen Elizabeth wear so many times - the one that said ‘you know exactly what I’m talking about and don’t pretend otherwise’.
They really were related.
“What made you come all the way up here from Antarctica for the funeral of a man you’ve never met?”
“I had to fly Elizabeth to New Zealand to catch her plane so I figured why not take a holiday at the same time,” he lied.
“And you two work together?” David looked really suspicious.
Damn father’s why did they have to be so inquisitive all the time.
“Yes. She’s the commander of a research base down there and I fly the helicopters,” he replied.
It was a half truth.
“I see.”
He really wasn’t falling for it. John was thankful when a small girl handed him a plate with an extremely large piece of cake on it, interrupting the conversation. Elizabeth finally sat down next to him on the opposite side of the father.
Now he felt like he was in the middle of something. He had no idea what that something was, but he could feel it. The tension was almost visible.
“Commander of a research base, huh?” David asked, over John.
Elizabeth looked at John and then at her father. “Yes. For two years now.”
“Why the change in careers?” he asked, now seeming genuinely curious - not so suspicious.
“The President asked me personally. So I accepted,” Elizabeth replied. “Figured I could use a change.”
“And that’s why you and Simon broke up?” he asked.
John cringed. Why did people keep bringing Simon up? They must have been together for a hell of a long time if everyone kept talking about it. He wondered why they weren’t just married if he was all everyone kept making him out to be.
“I offered him a position on the base, he didn’t want it,” Elizabeth replied. “So we went our separate ways.”
She had? So far she’d stuck pretty close to the truth - the only lie being that they lived in Antarctica - although he was sure the Pegasus Galaxy would take a hell of a lot more explaining. Not to mention security clearance…
~*~
She hadn’t expected him to be here - although it made perfect sense, it was his brother. But she hadn’t been prepared. Maybe if she’d known she wouldn’t have let John come with her - she knew her father knew her better than anyone else. He’d know perfectly well that John wasn’t just some pilot who came along for a holiday.
“Excuse me,” John said, standing up. “Where’s the bathroom?”
Luke pointed him in the right direction and he disappeared.
“So truthfully, why’s he here?” Dad asked.
Elizabeth turned to him. “Because he’s my friend and I asked him to come.”
“He wants a lot more than friendship if he’s willing to fly across the planet for you.”
“And since when did you care?”
A few people stopped to look at them and she suddenly became very aware of how loud she was talking. Lowering her voice she turned her attention back to her slice of cake.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“I deserved that,” he replied. “But Elizabeth, listen to me when I tell you, the look I saw on that man’s face at the funeral when you were upset. He cares about you as a lot more than a friend.”
With that he stood up and walked off, leaving Elizabeth to stare at her plate in surprise. She hadn’t seen her father for what…four years? Five years? And here he was telling her John cared about her when he’d only seen them together for a total of half an hour.
He had no right.
Before she could get properly mad John sat back down next to her. “Where’s he going?”
“Who cares,” she responded, then regretted it. “Sorry - he just has a talent for irritating me.”
“I noticed,” John replied.
She looked up at him and then instantly looked away again. There was that look. The one her father had noticed instantly. His eyes seemed to bore into her and read her like a book. She could see into him when he looked at her like that, could see how he felt. And her father was right - he hadn’t followed her across the universe because he was her friend.
~*~
“Your own composition?” Elizabeth asked in surprised delight.
Luke nodded happily. “The music conservatorium is performing it on Friday - tomorrow - night…Would you like to come?”
“Of course I’d like to come!” she replied, really happy for her cousin.
He’d been trying to get his own concert going for years now - and here was his big chance. Luke and Isabelle had met while studying at the music conservatorium themselves, she was a singing teacher now and he conducted the orchestra.
But this was his big chance to move onto higher things.
“Great,” Luke grinned. “Oh, by the way, when are you needed back in Antarctica?”
“Not until after Christmas - unless I get a call stating otherwise.”
“Great, well you and John are both welcome to stay as long as you like. As long as you don’t mind crying babies.”
“They’re no problem,” Elizabeth replied.
It was almost midnight, and the two of them were still up watching ‘Love Actually’ on TV. It was one of the DVD’s that was constantly circling Atlantis, and somehow watching it reminded Elizabeth of her home. It felt like forever since she’d seen the ocean.
Somehow she’d never thought she’d miss a large mass of water, but she did. Especially at night when she was used to hearing it. Earth wasn’t home anymore, and that was strange to her.
Luke paused for a moment. “I missed having you around Elizabeth, you should visit more often.”
“I wish I could…” she replied. “But it’s difficult - what with the location of my work and everything.”
“I can imagine. What’s it like living in such isolation?”
“It’s…different…but you get used to it. We’re all really close - even people who’d normally hate each other…”
“Like you and John?” Luke asked.
Well actually she’d been thinking of Rodney and John…
“I suppose,” she replied.
“You know how weird it is to us right? That you turned up here with an Air Force officer? After all those years of protesting against the military, it’s like you turning up with Hitler or something.”
“I’ve come to realise not everything the military does is bad - I still don’t agree with the majority of their operations on Earth, but their officers are human…most of them anyway,” she admitted.
“On Earth?”
She managed not to flinch at her own mistake, instead turning to her cousin and smiling. “Sometimes living so far away from the rest of the world it feels like we live on another planet. So we refer to the rest of the planet as ‘Earth’.”
“Interesting,” Luke fell for it.
Phew.
“He’s a good guy,” Luke said.
“Who?”
“John…I like him.”
“I’m glad,” Elizabeth replied, confused.
Was everyone on the planet trying to set them up?
He left it at that, but Elizabeth knew exactly what he was thinking. The same thing her father thought - the same thing everyone thought. She wondered if it was the same on Atlantis. Did people watch them walking around together and suspect something else was going on? She knew they’d never say anything back there because they knew how utterly and completely inappropriate of them that would be.
But that never stopped people from thinking it.
Part Two
Title: Stolen Moments
Author: Angel of Fire SG1
Summary: Some moments are given and other's you have to take, but what does it really matter when it comes to Christmas?
Spoilers: General season 2
Pairings: Sheppard/Weir - some Cadman/Beckett
Stolen Moments: Part One
John stopped at the door of Elizabeth’s office. Usually he’d enter and make himself comfortable, but at that current moment in time she was moving around the room quickly, gathering things.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, curious.
She jumped and then closed her eyes before looking up at him. “Sorry, you scared me.”
“I noticed…” he replied, entering the room.
She returned to gathering things and threw them all into a bag, before grabbing her laptop and shoving that in its bag too.
“I have to go back to Earth,” she said, answering his earlier question.
“Some kind of emergency?”
Elizabeth stopped and looked at him, as if she’d suddenly realised he was actually there, then she frowned. “My uncle died, the funeral’s on Thursday and I’d like to be there.”
“Oh…you OK?”
“I’m fine,” Elizabeth replied, grabbing her bags. “But I have a flight to catch back on Earth…I’ve left Caldwell in charge, I thought that would make him happy, sorry but you’re going to have to deal with him for a few days…”
He watched her for a few moments. She wasn’t fine, he could see through that comment straight away.
“I’ll come,” he said, not entirely sure where the offer came from.
“What?” she thought about it for a few moments. “John you don’t have to do that…”
“Sure I do,” he replied, smiling softly. “I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Once I’m in Utrecht I’ll be with my cousin and aunt,” she said.
“Where?”
“The Netherlands…my Uncle had to move there for business when I was about twelve…”
“Well that’s a long flight so if you want company the offer is there…” he folded his arms and lent against the doorway.
She paused, watching him for a few moments. He could see her mind working, trying to picture the situation back on Earth, then she smiled slightly. “I’d appreciate that.”
“I’ll meet you at the ‘gate in ten minutes.”
As he walked quickly towards his quarters to grab a bag he wondered what exactly had possessed him to volunteer to return to Earth with her. He didn’t miss the place - although occasionally he thought he wouldn’t mind going to a football match - and he had no friends or relatives back home.
Maybe that was why he wanted to go. It was less than a week before Christmas and a lot of the Atlantis personnel had returned to Earth to spend time with their families…even Rodney had gone home to spend time with his sister. Carson had taken Laura Cadman home to introduce her to his mother and the city was running on a lot less people than it usually did.
Yet he had resigned himself to spending another Christmas away from the world, his only contentment being that he was able to spend that time with Elizabeth. When he’d heard her say she had to go back to Earth he’d found that one good thing about this time of year being taken away from him.
So now he was going back to Earth with her. He felt bad, knowing she was upset and all he could think about was not wanting to spend another Christmas by himself.
~*~
He wanted to come with her. John Sheppard never ceased to surprise her. She couldn’t say she wasn’t grateful, but she was confused why he would want to come to her Uncle’s funeral. It didn’t even cross her mind that he could be homesick, because she knew better of him, but whatever the reason he wanted to come was it escaped her.
She looked up as he wandered towards her.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I was ready ten minutes ago…” she raised an eyebrow at him and smiled slightly.
“Then shall we head out?” he asked, and she didn’t miss the look of concern in his eyes that his smile couldn’t mask.
She turned to the technician, someone unfamiliar to her who had been sent to help out while everyone was back on Earth. He dialled Earth and pressed the button, sending through the Atlantis IDC to the SGC.
John grabbed his backpack, swinging it onto his back, and watched as Elizabeth did the same. She walked ahead of him and through the gate.
Arriving at the SGC was always strange to her, it was somewhere she’d spent a couple of months of her life, yet now it seemed so foreign. Standing at the bottom of the gate was an even stranger site.
“General O’Neill,” she greeted, hearing John come through the gate behind her.
“Dr Weir,” he looked past her, raising one eyebrow. “I see you brought a friend…”
John was suddenly standing next to her. “Greetings General.”
“Maj…Lt Colonel,” Jack corrected himself, then turned his attention back to Elizabeth. “We should get going…I take it he’s going with you?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said before John could interrupt with anything else.
“Good you’re booked on an empty flight then,” Jack said.
Elizabeth sensed he didn’t like John being there and wondered why. Maybe he disapproved of the military commander joining her on a personal trip, or maybe he thought it was stupid for them both to leave Atlantis. Maybe he just didn’t like John…although she’d never had that impression before.
~*~
John stared out the window at the lights below him. He’d forgotten how boring, slow and uncomfortable normal flying was - especially when it was in the dark. Puddlejumper’s were by far the superior mode of transport in his mind, but he could hardly bring one of those back and start flying around the planet in it.
He sat back in his chair and stared at the screen in front of him, which was informing him that they were currently six hours from their destination. Elizabeth’s screen was dark and she was asleep next to him. He was glad she’d managed sleeping, because since they’d left the SGC she’d been incredibly quiet and he was worried.
He knew death hit her harder than she let on. He’d watched her put on a brave face, and then tear herself up over the loss of men back in her office. She would never talk about it. But this was different, because it was her own relative, one who’d obviously been close to her.
Without thinking about it he reached down and picked up the supplied blanket, ripping open the plastic and placing it over the sleeping woman. She grabbed it with one hand and pulled it around her, attempting to turn over. When that didn’t work she somehow found John’s shoulder, resting her head on that.
He smiled slightly. Just at that moment the air hostess pushed the trolley past. “Food or drink?”
“Just water thanks,” John replied.
“And your wife?” she asked, handing him a cup of water.
John paused for a second, not sure how to respond to that. His wife? Well, he supposed, it did sort of look that way. “She’ll be fine,” he smiled at the air hostess.
“I’ll come back later then,” she said, smiling and moving onto the next row.
Wife. When he was younger he’d always imagined that by the time he was forty he’d be married with children, that forty was old and if he didn’t have a family by then it was never going to happen. Of course, now he was nearing that age, he knew better - but he also knew that there was an age he’d reach when it wouldn’t be possible anymore.
Looking down at Elizabeth he wondered for a moment if it was even a possibility that some day, just maybe, she could be his wife. He certainly wouldn’t mind, but he was sure that there was some rules, somewhere, that forbid them from seeing each other.
He shook his mind clear and looked back out the window at the flashing lights of the wingtip in front of him. She was his boss and the leader of Atlantis - what would she want dating him anyway?
He tried to push the thoughts away, flicking on the TV and finding a movie to watch, but the whole time there was still the thought in the back of his mind. If he didn’t care about her in that way, why was he here?
~*~
When Elizabeth woke she found herself sleeping on the shoulder of John Sheppard, his head resting against hers as he slept. For a moment she panicked, hoping no one had seen them, before realising that it didn’t matter. They were on Earth and far away from anything relating to the Stargate or the military. No one was there to judge their relationship.
So not wanting to wake him she remained in the position, closing her eyes again. Sleep always made things pass faster anyway. But instead of sleeping she found herself distracted by the physical contact with John. The familiar smell rose into her nostrils from much closer that usual and she could feel his shoulder rise and fall with each breath.
Opening her eyes, hoping that it would distract her other senses, she wondered again why he had offered to come with her. She was tired, not worn out from the flight, but from the overwhelming feeling of sadness at the loss of her uncle. She had spent most summer’s after he’d moved in Europe with her Uncle and cousin, her parents not liking the idea of summer camps and choosing to send her to other relatives instead.
She hadn’t seen her Uncle for a few years now, but he had been by far her favourite relative. On the way to the airport Jack had informed her that he’d died of a heart attack at the early hours of Sunday morning, her cousin, Luke, had contacted Simon who had then called the SGC. She had an open invitation to stay with Luke and his wife, she hoped that held up for John as well because she had a feeling he wouldn’t be going anywhere without her for a while.
She felt her heart swell at the knowledge he was there for her, that he’d literally followed her across the galaxy to make sure she’d be OK - at least that’s why she assumed he was there, she couldn’t think of anything else.
She looked down at his hand laying on the armrest, so close to hers. She wanted to reach across and place hers above it, but she couldn’t make her hand move. Instead she realised she was subconsciously fighting the urge to go to the bathroom. Seeing it was free she slowly moved John over and removed her head from his shoulder.
When she got back he was still asleep, now leaning against the wall. She smiled, thinking how cute he was as he slept, and sat back down in her chair, flicking on the screen to see where they were.
“Excuse me miss, did you want breakfast before we begin our descent?”
She looked up at the air hostess. “No thanks, I wouldn’t mind some water though?”
“Ah, just like your husband I see,” she said, handing her a plastic cup of water.
Elizabeth looked at the air hostess in surprise. “Excuse me?”
She nodded towards John. “He only wanted a glass of water as well.”
“Oh he’s not my husband,” Elizabeth denied instantly.
“Oh…I’m sorry - it’s just earlier I referred to you as his wife and he didn’t correct me.”
“Did he now?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and glanced at John, amused by this.
The air hostess left and she returned to watching the screen. After a few moments there was a ding and the captain’s voice came over the PA announcing they were beginning their descent. John jerked awake next to her and sat up.
“Your wife?” Elizabeth asked.
He looked at her in confusion. “What?”
“The air hostess seemed to be under the impression that we were married,” she narrowed her eyes at him, but smiled.
“Oh…that…well it could be amusing couldn’t it? We could tell your relatives I’m your husband and see if they believe us,” John wasn’t smiling but the mischievous spark in his eye betrayed him.
She hit him on the arm and flicked the TV screen off. “They’re not stupid, John.”
~*~
John watched as Elizabeth hugged her cousin. He had to admit that he was a nice looking guy, curly brown hair and blue eyes - and he could clearly see the family resemblance between the two of them. They talked for a few moments seriously, probably about Elizabeth’s Uncle, and then Elizabeth smiled and turned towards John, signalling for him to join them.
John walked over, pushing the trolley with their bags on it.
“Luke Weir this is John Sheppard,” Elizabeth smiled as she said it.
Now he felt like her husband. Luke held out a hand and John shook it.
“Nice to meet you,” Luke said in a clear American accent - one he’d obviously kept when his parents migrated.
“Likewise,” John said, meaning it, he liked this guy.
“So are you two…”
“No,” they both said, too fast.
“We work together,” Elizabeth explained.
“I see…well John you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you want - but we only have one spare bed so I guess you’re going to have to sleep on the sofa,” Luke said.
“I’ve slept in worse places,” John smiled at Elizabeth, wondering if she would tell her family he was Air Force.
He knew about her past, how she’d argued against the military and against weapons, and he was sure her family would need a large amount of explaining as to why she’d brought a military man with her to her uncle’s funeral.
She smiled back and then turned to Luke. “John’s in the Air Force.”
“Oh?” Luke looked shocked, that was the only way to explain it, then he said something in what John assumed was Dutch.
“Later,” Elizabeth replied.
The three of them headed towards the car, Elizabeth and Luke walking ahead and catching up and John trailing behind them pushing the luggage. He didn’t mind, he was sure there would be a lot of questions from relatives later about who he was and why Elizabeth was associating with him, at least if she explain that to Luke now he’d have to face less questions.
But then again he’d also have to check with Elizabeth what their cover story was. They had planned to make one up on the flight but it had slipped their minds entirely.
The car trip took them just over an hour in the traffic, but finally they pulled up at a nice-looking townhouse. There were Christmas lights wrapped around a tree out the front, and more in the shapes of stars in the front window. Something about the whole situation made John feel very at home.
The door opened and a two year old came running out and grabbed Luke’s leg as he pulled John’s bag out of the back of the car. A woman appeared after him, a baby in her arms, she said something in Dutch and Elizabeth turned around.
“Isabelle!” Elizabeth said, walking over and hugging her, avoiding squashing the baby.
Isabelle then asked her something and Elizabeth replied with a smile and held her arms out. Isabelle handed her the baby which Elizabeth held for a total of five seconds before it began crying. Her eyes widening slightly she handed the baby back to it’s mother and it seemed happy again.
More conversation he didn’t understand and they were all disappearing inside. John grabbed his bag and Luke took Elizabeth’s and they headed into the house.
“How old?” John asked, nodding at the small boy running in front of them.
“Pieter’s second birthday was three weeks ago and Jessica is five months,” Luke looked proud. “You got any kids?”
“No, never been married,” he replied.
“Social life’s not so great in Antarctica?” Luke asked.
So that’s where Elizabeth had told him they lived. “Not really.”
“Wouldn’t imagine so…just leave your bag here we’ll move everything upstairs later, come and meet Isabelle,” Luke lead him through a door into the living room. “Coffee?”
“Sounds good,” John replied.
“Elizabeth, coffee?” Luke asked.
“Yes please!” Elizabeth sounded far too enthusiastic about the prospect of coffee.
He stood and watched her again. She was happy, he realised. He’d come along expecting her to be upset but here she was looking the happiest he’d seen her in months. Suddenly he felt stupid for having offered to come with her, but he didn’t regret it, the alternative was much worse.
Jessica burst into tears and Isabelle jumped up to attend to her. John sat down next to Elizabeth.
“Antarctica huh?” he said.
“Well I didn’t think the Pegasus Galaxy would go down too well…” Elizabeth responded. “At least it explains how we know each other.”
“What else did you tell them?”
“You’re a pilot and you live on the base where I was stationed to lead a scientific expedition to do with ancient cultures,” she smiled.
“So not so far from the truth,” John responded.
“I’m going to help Luke with the coffee,” Elizabeth said, jumping up and heading to the kitchen.
Isabelle came and sat down on the chair next to the sofa. “Hello John…I am glad to meet you, if you will excuse my English it’s my second language.”
“Well you speak it well,” John replied.
“Thank you,” Isabelle smiled at him. “So why did you come?”
“Well it’s Christmas, and Antarctica is cold and miserable and all my friends had already left for a couple of weeks, so I thought I’d accompany Elizabeth on her long trip…always better to have company right?”
“Of course,” she smiled knowingly before continuing. “And you also care for her and were worried about her?”
John paused. “Well she’s my friend…”
“And also more?”
Any response John might have conjured up was interrupted by the arrival of the coffee, but he wondered himself what his response would have been. As Elizabeth sat back down next to him he wondered if the world was trying to tell him something - because it was the second time that day that someone had mistaken them for a couple…
~*~
Because she’d gone to sleep far too early the night before Elizabeth found herself waking up at five in the morning. Unable to get back to sleep she made her way downstairs to the kitchen to find herself some coffee.
She’d forgotten how much she liked Luke, they hadn’t seen each other for five years now - since his wedding. They’d always got on well as kids, one of the reason’s her parents had seen it fit to send her to visit once a year, and they were the same age.
That made her realise exactly what she was missing in her life - although it was some consolation that her cousin knew nothing of alien races and other galaxies. But she’d always wanted a family, a husband and children - maybe a dog - and now she was beginning to wonder if her leading of the Atlantis expedition had taken that opportunity away from her.
Her mind landed on Simon. Luke had contacted him - she wondered what he’d said. Maybe he’d pretended that they were still together, it would explain Luke’s surprise at seeing John - or maybe he had been rude and only agreed to contact the SGC because it was for a funeral.
For so long she had believe that when they finally found a way to get back to Earth she would go home and find Simon waiting for her, missing her. In her mind he would run over and hug her and tell her he wanted her to stay, he would have bought her a present and he would cook her a nice meal. Instead he’d been unpleasantly shocked to see her and no matter what she’d tried he refused to come with her to Atlantis.
Because he was seeing someone else. She’d only sent the tape what…a month before? Two at the most. She had expected him to wait maybe just a bit longer - but to her it seemed he had met this person not too long after she had left.
“You’re up early.”
She spun around to find John standing behind her, dressed in pyjama pants and a white t-shirt, yawning. “Your hair’s messier than normal.”
He frowned and ran his hand through his hair. “Well it hasn’t had time to wake up yet.”
Elizabeth grinned innocently and sat down with her coffee. John walked over to the counter and made himself one before joining her at the table.
“Did I wake you?” Elizabeth asked.
“Sort of. I was lying awake pretending to myself that there was still a chance of sleeping,” John replied. “But then I heard someone in here and figured it must be you. Trust me, the kids crying was much more distracting.”
“I didn’t even know they had children until yesterday, I feel like a horrible cousin,” Elizabeth replied.
“Well in all seriousness you were in another galaxy,” John responded. “It’s a tad hard to contact people.”
They both fell silent for a moment. Elizabeth watched her friend as he sat, one knee bent and leaning against the table and the other foot placed firmly on the ground, and wondered if he ever thought about families, about children.
“It makes me realise what we’re missing out on,” she said finally.
“I know what you mean…but I keep telling myself we’re doing something more important, and there’s no way we can have children on Atlantis, the risk is too high with the Wraith,” John replied.
“I do the same…but there’s always the ‘what if’…what if we beat the Wraith? Will we stay on Atlantis or come back here? Will we populate the city or abandon it - there’s so much we don’t know…I mean what if we’re ninety by the time the Wraith are defeated…then we’ll never have the chance to…” she stopped, suddenly realising exactly how much of her fears and hopes she was revealing to John. “Nevermind.”
He stared at her for a few moments. “Hey…you’ll have that chance Elizabeth.”
“I thought I did,” she said after a few moments silence. “I did have that chance. But I thought he’d always be there so I went to Atlantis, thinking stupidly he’d still be here when I got home. But he wasn’t. He was already seeing someone else…”
John frowned, obviously unaware of her past life. “Who?”
“His name’s Simon…we were going out for years, it was only a matter of time before he proposed. I just assumed it would be him, I never thought about it any further - I never considered that it wouldn’t be, I just…assumed…and now he’s gone and so is that chance.”
“That chance isn’t gone.”
She looked up at his eyes, seeing something there for a moment that scared her. Did he mean that in the way she thought he did? Was that why he was here? Or was she just imagining things? John was her friend, her good friend, her very attractive, good looking friend, but that was it. Right?
She knew if she believed that she would be lying to herself, but she had to believe it. For the sake of the city, for the sake of the war and for her own sake. Because if she didn’t believe it that would mean something she didn’t want to face.
~*~
He watched her holding her coffee mug, knees drawn up and feet resting on her chair. She was dressed already in jeans and a black woollen sweater, but she wore no make up and her hair was yet to be brushed. He liked her like that, it meant he could look past her as a leader and see the woman underneath.
“So what did you want to do today?” she asked, changing the subject.
He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “What day is it?”
“Wednesday,” she replied.
“And the funeral’s tomorrow?”
She paused for a moment, looking as though she’d forgotten for a moment why they were there. “Yes.”
“Then don’t you just want to take a day off and rest?” he asked, then before she had time to respond he stood up. “Come on, the sofa’s more comfortable and we can watch TV in there.”
The two of them left their empty coffee mugs behind and walked back into the living room. John gathered his blankets up and threw them behind the sofa, making room for Elizabeth to sit down. He turned on the TV at the power and then joined her, flicking through the channels.
He flicked straight past one and then it clicked what he’d just seen. Turning the channel back a big grin spread onto his face.
“Football!” he said.
“I wouldn’t call it that around here…” Elizabeth smiled at him.
“Can I watch?” he asked, not even stopping to wonder why American sport was playing on a TV in Europe.
“Sure, go ahead,” she settled back into the couch, curling her legs up next to her.
John was happy - they didn’t have to do anything today, he could watch his sport. But somehow he found himself watching Elizabeth again; she was staring at the TV in confusion.
“I don’t understand,” she said after a few minutes.
“Elizabeth, how many times do I have to explain it?”
“They run with the ball?”
“There’s a sta…Elizabeth…you know perfectly well how this works I saw you explain it to Ronon!”
She grinned at him. “Maybe.”
He grabbed his pillow and hit her over the head with it. Obviously prepared for the attack she grabbed the other end and pulled hard, he lost his grip on it and suddenly he was being beaten up by a pillow.
“Elizabeth that’s not fair I’m defenceless!”
“You started it,” she replied as he tried to grab for the pillow.
He found himself lying down, completely weaponless, so reaching to the ground he found his hand land on something soft. Pulling it back up he found himself holding a cushion.
“Aha!” he said, getting Elizabeth on the side.
“Hey! No fair,” she said.
“It’s perfectly fair,” he tried to respond, but it was muffled by a pillow.
Suddenly he found himself slipping off the couch, not wanting to go down alone he grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her with him, her landing on the ground first. Managing to avoid squashing her he wasn’t quite able to avoid landing on top of her. One more hit from the pillow came from behind his head and then she seemed to lose control of her grip because the pillow fell to the ground.
Suddenly her reason for losing her concentration became very apparent to him as he lost his own. She was lying beneath him, their faces incredibly close to each other thanks to her last hit on the back of his head. He could feel her breath against his mouth and he knew exactly what he wanted to do - but he also knew he shouldn’t.
He could see fear in her eyes, but it was accompanied by something else - anticipation. She wanted him to kiss her as much as he wanted to do so. For some reason he hadn’t expected that, hadn’t believed that she would ever want this.
He leant down further, closing the gap between them till it was barely a centimetre. Again he paused, should he or shouldn’t he? Maybe he should let her move the final distance, but then again maybe she was waiting for him to…
From upstairs a loud screaming cry started. He pulled away, suddenly drawn back to reality as he heard footsteps crossing the floor upstairs above him. He watched as Elizabeth sat up and moved back onto the couch, he followed, sitting as far away from her as possible and gluing his eyes to the TV.
~*~
Isabelle came down the stairs with Jessica in her arms. Noticing the two coffee mugs on the table she walked into the living room.
“Morning,” she said, smiling.
“Morning,” Elizabeth replied, and John smiled.
Her first impression was they were sitting incredibly far apart. And seemed to wish they could get even further away from each other. Not to mention the tension in the room was as obvious as broad daylight.
Jessica started crying again and she put her down in her stroller. After a few moments she fell silent - ready to sleep again.
“So you are up early,” Isabelle said, trying to make conversation.
John seemed very involved in whatever sport it was playing on the television.
“We went to bed early,” Elizabeth replied.
“True,” Isabelle responded.
OK she wasn’t going to get conversation out of either of them, so instead she stood up.
“Anyone for coffee?” she asked.
“No thanks,” they both replied.
“OK then,” Isabelle made her way into the kitchen, wondering exactly what was going on between them.
~*~
He could see how uncomfortable she was about this. Not that he blamed her - funeral’s were never fun. But this time she looked particularly unsettled, and continued glancing at the front row.
He followed her line of sight which landed on an older man sitting there.
“Who’s that?” he asked quietly.
“No one,” Elizabeth replied shortly.
He knew continuing that line of questioning would be a really bad idea - but still she continued glancing in that man’s direction. The man didn’t glance back once but John got the impression he knew perfectly well that Elizabeth kept looking at him.
About halfway through the funeral the man stood up and took his place behind the microphone, began making a speech. Of course this was all in another language so John had absolutely no idea what any of them were talking about.
He glanced down at the program. The man’s name was David Weir. It shouldn’t mean anything special to him, everyone here had the last name ‘Weir’, but for some reason the name stuck out at him. It couldn’t possibly be…?
The man sat back down and the funeral came to an end. As they all followed the casket out to the cemetery at the back of the church John could tell Elizabeth was trying to keep up a strong front, even though everyone around them was crying. He reached across and took her hand as they entered the cold.
She squeezed it, thanking him silently.
They watched as the body was lowered into the crowded cemetery. Instead of watching the man he watched Elizabeth. She was biting her lip and he could see her eyes watering, so letting go of her hand he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. She leant into him willingly, slipping her arm around his waist.
If it hadn’t been that particular situation John was sure he would be enjoying the moment far too much, but he couldn’t allow himself the pleasure at that time. Maybe later.
After he was buried and a few more words were spoken they walked back slowly to Luke’s car. Elizabeth’s arm was still around his waist, so he kept his arm around her shoulder - not entirely sure they should feel so comfortable in the situation. But they did.
In fact it felt more than comfortable, for the first time since they’d left Atlantis, John was glad he’d come. He felt like this was the reason, and as he watched Elizabeth let go of him and get into the car he felt a sense of protectiveness wash over him. He knew she would be OK, even as he watched her staring blankly out the window of the car.
Isabelle drove them to the relative’s house that everyone was gathering at because Luke wasn’t quite in the right state to drive. They’d left the children with a babysitter for the day.
When they reached the house John recognised the man standing out the front as David Weir, the man who’d made the speech. As Elizabeth’s eyes fell on him she seemed to stiffen and her expression went very blank.
They got out of the car and the man greeted Luke and Isabelle before turning to them.
“Elizabeth,” he said, in a clear American accent.
Remaining silent for a moment she stared at the man. “Hi Dad.”
So he was right.
“Do I get a hug?”
He watched her facial expression soften slightly and she hugged her father. When she pulled back he was smiling.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Good actually,” she replied. “And you?”
“Busy,” he replied, then his attention shifted to John. “Who’s this? Where’s Simon?”
“That’s a long story…” then she turned to John. “This is Lt Colonel John Sheppard.”
“Army?” the look on his face was one of shock.
“Air Force,” John replied, walking forward and shaking his hand. “I fly helicopters around Antarctica…nothing special.”
“Antarctica?” David looked back at his daughter, raising an eyebrow in the same manor she did.
“I’ll explain later,” she replied, quickly.
“So are you two…”
“No,” she cut him off. “Maybe we should go inside it’s cold.”
“How can you be cold? You live in Antarctica,” he reminded her.
John could see the irritation forming on her face. He wondered why things were so awkward between them, but figured he’d just ask Elizabeth later. The three of them made their way inside where a large group of people speaking in two different languages were sitting around laughing and talking about anything and everything.
He sat down next to some random woman who offered him coffee and before he knew it David was sitting next to him.
“So why are you here? Really?” David asked.
“I don’t follow, sir,” he said, not entirely sure why he let ‘sir’ slip out.
If her father was anything like she used to be he was sure he wouldn’t appreciate any form of military habits. He didn’t even seem to notice, but he got that expression he’d seen Elizabeth wear so many times - the one that said ‘you know exactly what I’m talking about and don’t pretend otherwise’.
They really were related.
“What made you come all the way up here from Antarctica for the funeral of a man you’ve never met?”
“I had to fly Elizabeth to New Zealand to catch her plane so I figured why not take a holiday at the same time,” he lied.
“And you two work together?” David looked really suspicious.
Damn father’s why did they have to be so inquisitive all the time.
“Yes. She’s the commander of a research base down there and I fly the helicopters,” he replied.
It was a half truth.
“I see.”
He really wasn’t falling for it. John was thankful when a small girl handed him a plate with an extremely large piece of cake on it, interrupting the conversation. Elizabeth finally sat down next to him on the opposite side of the father.
Now he felt like he was in the middle of something. He had no idea what that something was, but he could feel it. The tension was almost visible.
“Commander of a research base, huh?” David asked, over John.
Elizabeth looked at John and then at her father. “Yes. For two years now.”
“Why the change in careers?” he asked, now seeming genuinely curious - not so suspicious.
“The President asked me personally. So I accepted,” Elizabeth replied. “Figured I could use a change.”
“And that’s why you and Simon broke up?” he asked.
John cringed. Why did people keep bringing Simon up? They must have been together for a hell of a long time if everyone kept talking about it. He wondered why they weren’t just married if he was all everyone kept making him out to be.
“I offered him a position on the base, he didn’t want it,” Elizabeth replied. “So we went our separate ways.”
She had? So far she’d stuck pretty close to the truth - the only lie being that they lived in Antarctica - although he was sure the Pegasus Galaxy would take a hell of a lot more explaining. Not to mention security clearance…
~*~
She hadn’t expected him to be here - although it made perfect sense, it was his brother. But she hadn’t been prepared. Maybe if she’d known she wouldn’t have let John come with her - she knew her father knew her better than anyone else. He’d know perfectly well that John wasn’t just some pilot who came along for a holiday.
“Excuse me,” John said, standing up. “Where’s the bathroom?”
Luke pointed him in the right direction and he disappeared.
“So truthfully, why’s he here?” Dad asked.
Elizabeth turned to him. “Because he’s my friend and I asked him to come.”
“He wants a lot more than friendship if he’s willing to fly across the planet for you.”
“And since when did you care?”
A few people stopped to look at them and she suddenly became very aware of how loud she was talking. Lowering her voice she turned her attention back to her slice of cake.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“I deserved that,” he replied. “But Elizabeth, listen to me when I tell you, the look I saw on that man’s face at the funeral when you were upset. He cares about you as a lot more than a friend.”
With that he stood up and walked off, leaving Elizabeth to stare at her plate in surprise. She hadn’t seen her father for what…four years? Five years? And here he was telling her John cared about her when he’d only seen them together for a total of half an hour.
He had no right.
Before she could get properly mad John sat back down next to her. “Where’s he going?”
“Who cares,” she responded, then regretted it. “Sorry - he just has a talent for irritating me.”
“I noticed,” John replied.
She looked up at him and then instantly looked away again. There was that look. The one her father had noticed instantly. His eyes seemed to bore into her and read her like a book. She could see into him when he looked at her like that, could see how he felt. And her father was right - he hadn’t followed her across the universe because he was her friend.
~*~
“Your own composition?” Elizabeth asked in surprised delight.
Luke nodded happily. “The music conservatorium is performing it on Friday - tomorrow - night…Would you like to come?”
“Of course I’d like to come!” she replied, really happy for her cousin.
He’d been trying to get his own concert going for years now - and here was his big chance. Luke and Isabelle had met while studying at the music conservatorium themselves, she was a singing teacher now and he conducted the orchestra.
But this was his big chance to move onto higher things.
“Great,” Luke grinned. “Oh, by the way, when are you needed back in Antarctica?”
“Not until after Christmas - unless I get a call stating otherwise.”
“Great, well you and John are both welcome to stay as long as you like. As long as you don’t mind crying babies.”
“They’re no problem,” Elizabeth replied.
It was almost midnight, and the two of them were still up watching ‘Love Actually’ on TV. It was one of the DVD’s that was constantly circling Atlantis, and somehow watching it reminded Elizabeth of her home. It felt like forever since she’d seen the ocean.
Somehow she’d never thought she’d miss a large mass of water, but she did. Especially at night when she was used to hearing it. Earth wasn’t home anymore, and that was strange to her.
Luke paused for a moment. “I missed having you around Elizabeth, you should visit more often.”
“I wish I could…” she replied. “But it’s difficult - what with the location of my work and everything.”
“I can imagine. What’s it like living in such isolation?”
“It’s…different…but you get used to it. We’re all really close - even people who’d normally hate each other…”
“Like you and John?” Luke asked.
Well actually she’d been thinking of Rodney and John…
“I suppose,” she replied.
“You know how weird it is to us right? That you turned up here with an Air Force officer? After all those years of protesting against the military, it’s like you turning up with Hitler or something.”
“I’ve come to realise not everything the military does is bad - I still don’t agree with the majority of their operations on Earth, but their officers are human…most of them anyway,” she admitted.
“On Earth?”
She managed not to flinch at her own mistake, instead turning to her cousin and smiling. “Sometimes living so far away from the rest of the world it feels like we live on another planet. So we refer to the rest of the planet as ‘Earth’.”
“Interesting,” Luke fell for it.
Phew.
“He’s a good guy,” Luke said.
“Who?”
“John…I like him.”
“I’m glad,” Elizabeth replied, confused.
Was everyone on the planet trying to set them up?
He left it at that, but Elizabeth knew exactly what he was thinking. The same thing her father thought - the same thing everyone thought. She wondered if it was the same on Atlantis. Did people watch them walking around together and suspect something else was going on? She knew they’d never say anything back there because they knew how utterly and completely inappropriate of them that would be.
But that never stopped people from thinking it.
Part Two