The Deep End 2/4
Hello! Here is the second part of The Deep End.
This part is rated PG-13. A higher rated version of this chapter will be posted later this evening.
~ ^ ~
Finally, she gave in and called his mother. Surely she would have some insight into what to get John. He hadn't said much when she asked for his mother's number, claiming that she just wanted to know if there was anything special she could bring when she arrived. If he didn't believe her, he didn't let her know.
After a lengthy (John had mentioned that his mother loved to talk) yet incredibly pleasant conversation with Jill Sheppard, Elizabeth felt much better concerning John's gift. After talking about it, Jill volunteered to help Elizabeth out by mailing her a keepsake that John hadn't brought out to California with him. The second part of John's gift would have to be an IOU until they actually went on sale, but she was pretty certain that John would be okay with waiting for USC season tickets. She had also offered to bring some of the bread that her mother always used to make before New Year's, since it would be easy to bring on the plane with her. So technically, the reason she gave John for calling was true.
Jill must have sent her everything almost immediately after they got off the phone. Elizabeth had the package no more than three days later, which meant that she was able to get John's present together in time to give it to him on their last night together before he left.
"Don't open it early," she warned, placing the wrapped box in his carry-on bag. She knew he would, despite the innocent face he gave her. She had taken care of that, too. He would see a note if he peeked.
She leaned over his other bag, poking through it. John pushed away her hands, keeping her from refolding his underwear. She smirked, catching his waist and poking him in the side. Instead of continuing to stand, she lowered herself onto the comforter of his bed, sitting Indian-style and waiting.
"You're going to peek, I know you will," she sing-songed, leaning back on her hands.
"I probably will," he admitted. "Can I open part of it on Christmas Eve, then?"
"I'll think about it."
John tossed another shirt in his bag, glancing at it quickly before planting his hands on either side of her hips and leaning into her face. She broke into an easy grin.
"Intimidation won't work, John."
He nodded, matching her smile with a mega grin of his own. He moved a bit closer, murmuring, "I was going to try sex, but if you want to play it that way, we can."
Elizabeth laughed, letting him push her down onto his pillows and hover above her. He covered her face with noisy kisses.
"Okay, okay, you win. One part. Christmas Eve. But you have to call me before you open it."
"Excellent," he replied, tugging her collar away from her body and kissing her neck. She twisted her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth up to hers.
"You should be packing."
"I can pack tomorrow," he replied, distracted.
Grinning, she shifted into his hands. Her movement caused his bag to teeter precariously.
"Your present will break if it falls on the floor. Finish packing and then we can finish here," she ordered.
John's forehead landed on her arm.
"Okay, fine, fine. Don't move," he stood up, moving much faster than he had been before she had made her promise.
"I won't." She smiled indulgently, lifting herself up on her elbows to watch him. He went back to his dresser for more clothing and she was able to see what fooling around with John did to her appearance. Flushed cheeks, reddened lips, mussed hair, and askew clothing.
"You're going to be at the airport, right?"
"When you get in? Of course - I wouldn't make you try to find your way to my mom's alone. Not in December anyway. It's a really nice drive in the spring, though."
"Okay."
John added a few more items to his bag and moved it down to the floor by his closet. Straightening up and turning to face her, he couldn't contain the lascivious grin.
"That looks good."
She rolled her eyes.
Looking around his room, John hit the lights so that only the lamp on the bedside table illuminated the room. They both blinked as their eyes adjusted.
"I feel like there should be music."
"I could sing?" Elizabeth offered innocently.
"I want you to wail, Elizabeth, but not in that way."
He ducked the pillow she chucked at him and stalked over to the side of the bed. She giggled, crooking a finger at him to draw him closer. He sat and the dip from his weight caused her to slide toward him. She expected him to tickle her in revenge, as he was wont to do, but instead his fingers dove into her hair, swirling around and generally causing her to shriek.
"I'm never going to be able to brush this now."
"You won't have to worry about it till morning, relax," John said flippantly, already attempting to detangle her hair. After a particularly ungentle tug, she shied away.
"Sorry," John apologized, smoothing what he could. Elizabeth shook her head, indicating that it didn't matter, and cupped his cheeks. Unwittingly, her thumbs started to rub gentle circles, eliciting soft rasping sounds from his stubble.
Suddenly, six days without him seemed to stretch into forever. She swallowed, knowing it was an illusion, and a silly one at that. They had gone without seeing each other for multiple days plenty of times, but this felt different somehow. Maybe it was because of the closeness they shared. Maybe it was because she'd spent so much time looking for his gift that the disappointment of not getting to see him open it was beginning to hit her.
Or maybe it was because she hadn't felt this strongly for anyone in her recent past, and she wanted to be with him as much as possible. She had gone past the point of schoolgirl crush. She had even moved past thinking of John as another man that she had dated. She had blurted out a request for him to move in with her without any sort of prior thought, and that fact alone told her much. She loved him.
She blinked, seeing him again as if for the first time. Her thumbs were still moving on his chin and cheeks. He wasn't exactly smiling, but he wasn't unhappy. His eyes were confused, but still held the same mischievous glint as always.
Elizabeth smiled, closing the distance between them and whispering kisses across his lips. When John's confusion wore off, they moved together, deepening the kiss and pressing closer. Her hands moved from his cheeks around to the back of his head and then down his back, lightly scratching at each stop.
Later, when John tried to move, she mewled in protest and he decided to stay. He was heavy, but she couldn't help but want to feel him. It would be six long, lonely days before she would even get the chance to kiss him again; she wanted to savor this. Her arms tightened around him, making broad, sweeping passes over his back and through his hair. John murmured in contentment.
"G'night, ‘Lizabeth."
"Good night," she whispered back, turning her head and kissing his temple. "Love you."
"Mmmhmm," he replied, nodding against her shoulder.
He was out cold by the time her hands stilled. Swallowing a chuckle, she squirmed, making herself comfortable. Once settled, she followed him to sleep quickly.
~ ^ ~
Over the next couple of days, she was too distracted with finalizing things at work to really ponder John's absence. For the most part, she had the office to herself, although Rodney was still working in one of the research labs at the end of the hall. By Thursday, even Rodney was gone. That was the last straw, and Elizabeth grudgingly went home too, where she helped Teyla start preparations for Christmas dinner. Neither of them were particularly good cooks, but every year they did their best to make an appetizing Christmas supper. Sometimes they succeeded; sometimes they didn't, and (much to Simon's dismay) ended up at the local buffet restaurant. This year they would be trying extra hard, given that Ronon would be with them as well. Although if Teyla were to be believed, Ronon would eat just about anything and think it was delicious.
John hadn't called since the night he landed. She was happier about that than she should have been, frankly. When she dropped him off at the airport, the feelings of sadness had returned and she ended up desperately trying not to cry. She made a joke out of it, claiming to be allergic to ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ but John knew she was fibbing. Even as he walked through the security checkpoint, she wished she had gone with him.
Now, though, after some time and distance, she was feeling much more like herself. Not the lovesick nitwit she had felt like when John left. As such, she was feeling much more stable when he called on Christmas Eve.
"Even Rodney's gone," she told him, shifting in the armchair and reaching for her eggnog.
John chuckled, "I wonder it he's finally made up with his sister."
"He has a sister? You mean he wasn't hatched?" she blurted, the brandy having loosened her tongue to almost embarrassing proportions. John's full-belly laugh spread warmth throughout her, and she felt a little better about having said it.
"Now, Elizabeth, even hatchlings have siblings. They come from the egg next to them after all."
She giggled, taking another sip of her drink.
"I'm just glad you took yesterday off, this week has been stressful enough for you."
"I'm just glad that everything got filed, or I'd still be working."
"I'm sure Ronon could have been convinced to escort you from your office were that the case."
Shaking her head, she replied, "I'm sure that would have been an interesting sight, but I'm glad you passed on that particular method for getting me to leave work."
She heard the rustle of paper and knew that he was holding her gift in anticipation.
"Go ahead," she acquiesced, rolling her eyes. Never let it be said that John Sheppard didn't have a little bit of kid left in him.
He must have made it to her first note, warning him of the consequences for peeking, because he laughed. His murmur that she knew him so well was low, deep, and just a tad more attractive than he probably meant for it to be. It warmed her down to her toes to hear him laugh again when he made it to the gift.
"Is this a hint?"
She had taken Rodney's advice and bought him an instructional booklet for the guitar, as well as an electronic tuner and metronome. As much heart as John put into his playing, he definitely needed some instruction.
"Kind of, yeah."
"Thank you. I know I need it."
"You're welcome."
She had opted not to open any of the gifts he'd sprinkled under her tree, and so they spent the next few minutes discussing how John would go back to his quest to teach himself the guitar. Eventually John sighed, and the look at her watch confirmed that it was closing in on eleven for him.
"I should go. I'm on story time and Santa watch tonight."
Elizabeth nodded, forgetting momentarily that he couldn't see her. "Have fun."
"I will. Tonight's selection is 'The Night Before Christmas', my favorite."
"You say that about everything that's mostly pictures," she teased.
"If I wasn't sure you'd take me seriously, I'd tell you not to quit your day job, Elizabeth."
"I'm sure I could be persuaded."
"Where can I sign up?"
"Oh there's a wait list."
"There better not be."
"You'll just have to wait and see," she replied breathily, grinning into the receiver. "I thought you were going."
"I was."
"You should go read your story."
"Yeah."
"Good night, John."
"I- Good night," he hung up almost immediately, and she couldn't help but wonder what he had started to say.
End of Part 2
Part 3
This part is rated PG-13. A higher rated version of this chapter will be posted later this evening.
~ ^ ~
Finally, she gave in and called his mother. Surely she would have some insight into what to get John. He hadn't said much when she asked for his mother's number, claiming that she just wanted to know if there was anything special she could bring when she arrived. If he didn't believe her, he didn't let her know.
After a lengthy (John had mentioned that his mother loved to talk) yet incredibly pleasant conversation with Jill Sheppard, Elizabeth felt much better concerning John's gift. After talking about it, Jill volunteered to help Elizabeth out by mailing her a keepsake that John hadn't brought out to California with him. The second part of John's gift would have to be an IOU until they actually went on sale, but she was pretty certain that John would be okay with waiting for USC season tickets. She had also offered to bring some of the bread that her mother always used to make before New Year's, since it would be easy to bring on the plane with her. So technically, the reason she gave John for calling was true.
Jill must have sent her everything almost immediately after they got off the phone. Elizabeth had the package no more than three days later, which meant that she was able to get John's present together in time to give it to him on their last night together before he left.
"Don't open it early," she warned, placing the wrapped box in his carry-on bag. She knew he would, despite the innocent face he gave her. She had taken care of that, too. He would see a note if he peeked.
She leaned over his other bag, poking through it. John pushed away her hands, keeping her from refolding his underwear. She smirked, catching his waist and poking him in the side. Instead of continuing to stand, she lowered herself onto the comforter of his bed, sitting Indian-style and waiting.
"You're going to peek, I know you will," she sing-songed, leaning back on her hands.
"I probably will," he admitted. "Can I open part of it on Christmas Eve, then?"
"I'll think about it."
John tossed another shirt in his bag, glancing at it quickly before planting his hands on either side of her hips and leaning into her face. She broke into an easy grin.
"Intimidation won't work, John."
He nodded, matching her smile with a mega grin of his own. He moved a bit closer, murmuring, "I was going to try sex, but if you want to play it that way, we can."
Elizabeth laughed, letting him push her down onto his pillows and hover above her. He covered her face with noisy kisses.
"Okay, okay, you win. One part. Christmas Eve. But you have to call me before you open it."
"Excellent," he replied, tugging her collar away from her body and kissing her neck. She twisted her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth up to hers.
"You should be packing."
"I can pack tomorrow," he replied, distracted.
Grinning, she shifted into his hands. Her movement caused his bag to teeter precariously.
"Your present will break if it falls on the floor. Finish packing and then we can finish here," she ordered.
John's forehead landed on her arm.
"Okay, fine, fine. Don't move," he stood up, moving much faster than he had been before she had made her promise.
"I won't." She smiled indulgently, lifting herself up on her elbows to watch him. He went back to his dresser for more clothing and she was able to see what fooling around with John did to her appearance. Flushed cheeks, reddened lips, mussed hair, and askew clothing.
"You're going to be at the airport, right?"
"When you get in? Of course - I wouldn't make you try to find your way to my mom's alone. Not in December anyway. It's a really nice drive in the spring, though."
"Okay."
John added a few more items to his bag and moved it down to the floor by his closet. Straightening up and turning to face her, he couldn't contain the lascivious grin.
"That looks good."
She rolled her eyes.
Looking around his room, John hit the lights so that only the lamp on the bedside table illuminated the room. They both blinked as their eyes adjusted.
"I feel like there should be music."
"I could sing?" Elizabeth offered innocently.
"I want you to wail, Elizabeth, but not in that way."
He ducked the pillow she chucked at him and stalked over to the side of the bed. She giggled, crooking a finger at him to draw him closer. He sat and the dip from his weight caused her to slide toward him. She expected him to tickle her in revenge, as he was wont to do, but instead his fingers dove into her hair, swirling around and generally causing her to shriek.
"I'm never going to be able to brush this now."
"You won't have to worry about it till morning, relax," John said flippantly, already attempting to detangle her hair. After a particularly ungentle tug, she shied away.
"Sorry," John apologized, smoothing what he could. Elizabeth shook her head, indicating that it didn't matter, and cupped his cheeks. Unwittingly, her thumbs started to rub gentle circles, eliciting soft rasping sounds from his stubble.
Suddenly, six days without him seemed to stretch into forever. She swallowed, knowing it was an illusion, and a silly one at that. They had gone without seeing each other for multiple days plenty of times, but this felt different somehow. Maybe it was because of the closeness they shared. Maybe it was because she'd spent so much time looking for his gift that the disappointment of not getting to see him open it was beginning to hit her.
Or maybe it was because she hadn't felt this strongly for anyone in her recent past, and she wanted to be with him as much as possible. She had gone past the point of schoolgirl crush. She had even moved past thinking of John as another man that she had dated. She had blurted out a request for him to move in with her without any sort of prior thought, and that fact alone told her much. She loved him.
She blinked, seeing him again as if for the first time. Her thumbs were still moving on his chin and cheeks. He wasn't exactly smiling, but he wasn't unhappy. His eyes were confused, but still held the same mischievous glint as always.
Elizabeth smiled, closing the distance between them and whispering kisses across his lips. When John's confusion wore off, they moved together, deepening the kiss and pressing closer. Her hands moved from his cheeks around to the back of his head and then down his back, lightly scratching at each stop.
Later, when John tried to move, she mewled in protest and he decided to stay. He was heavy, but she couldn't help but want to feel him. It would be six long, lonely days before she would even get the chance to kiss him again; she wanted to savor this. Her arms tightened around him, making broad, sweeping passes over his back and through his hair. John murmured in contentment.
"G'night, ‘Lizabeth."
"Good night," she whispered back, turning her head and kissing his temple. "Love you."
"Mmmhmm," he replied, nodding against her shoulder.
He was out cold by the time her hands stilled. Swallowing a chuckle, she squirmed, making herself comfortable. Once settled, she followed him to sleep quickly.
~ ^ ~
Over the next couple of days, she was too distracted with finalizing things at work to really ponder John's absence. For the most part, she had the office to herself, although Rodney was still working in one of the research labs at the end of the hall. By Thursday, even Rodney was gone. That was the last straw, and Elizabeth grudgingly went home too, where she helped Teyla start preparations for Christmas dinner. Neither of them were particularly good cooks, but every year they did their best to make an appetizing Christmas supper. Sometimes they succeeded; sometimes they didn't, and (much to Simon's dismay) ended up at the local buffet restaurant. This year they would be trying extra hard, given that Ronon would be with them as well. Although if Teyla were to be believed, Ronon would eat just about anything and think it was delicious.
John hadn't called since the night he landed. She was happier about that than she should have been, frankly. When she dropped him off at the airport, the feelings of sadness had returned and she ended up desperately trying not to cry. She made a joke out of it, claiming to be allergic to ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ but John knew she was fibbing. Even as he walked through the security checkpoint, she wished she had gone with him.
Now, though, after some time and distance, she was feeling much more like herself. Not the lovesick nitwit she had felt like when John left. As such, she was feeling much more stable when he called on Christmas Eve.
"Even Rodney's gone," she told him, shifting in the armchair and reaching for her eggnog.
John chuckled, "I wonder it he's finally made up with his sister."
"He has a sister? You mean he wasn't hatched?" she blurted, the brandy having loosened her tongue to almost embarrassing proportions. John's full-belly laugh spread warmth throughout her, and she felt a little better about having said it.
"Now, Elizabeth, even hatchlings have siblings. They come from the egg next to them after all."
She giggled, taking another sip of her drink.
"I'm just glad you took yesterday off, this week has been stressful enough for you."
"I'm just glad that everything got filed, or I'd still be working."
"I'm sure Ronon could have been convinced to escort you from your office were that the case."
Shaking her head, she replied, "I'm sure that would have been an interesting sight, but I'm glad you passed on that particular method for getting me to leave work."
She heard the rustle of paper and knew that he was holding her gift in anticipation.
"Go ahead," she acquiesced, rolling her eyes. Never let it be said that John Sheppard didn't have a little bit of kid left in him.
He must have made it to her first note, warning him of the consequences for peeking, because he laughed. His murmur that she knew him so well was low, deep, and just a tad more attractive than he probably meant for it to be. It warmed her down to her toes to hear him laugh again when he made it to the gift.
"Is this a hint?"
She had taken Rodney's advice and bought him an instructional booklet for the guitar, as well as an electronic tuner and metronome. As much heart as John put into his playing, he definitely needed some instruction.
"Kind of, yeah."
"Thank you. I know I need it."
"You're welcome."
She had opted not to open any of the gifts he'd sprinkled under her tree, and so they spent the next few minutes discussing how John would go back to his quest to teach himself the guitar. Eventually John sighed, and the look at her watch confirmed that it was closing in on eleven for him.
"I should go. I'm on story time and Santa watch tonight."
Elizabeth nodded, forgetting momentarily that he couldn't see her. "Have fun."
"I will. Tonight's selection is 'The Night Before Christmas', my favorite."
"You say that about everything that's mostly pictures," she teased.
"If I wasn't sure you'd take me seriously, I'd tell you not to quit your day job, Elizabeth."
"I'm sure I could be persuaded."
"Where can I sign up?"
"Oh there's a wait list."
"There better not be."
"You'll just have to wait and see," she replied breathily, grinning into the receiver. "I thought you were going."
"I was."
"You should go read your story."
"Yeah."
"Good night, John."
"I- Good night," he hung up almost immediately, and she couldn't help but wonder what he had started to say.
End of Part 2
Part 3