SGA Fic: Better to Ask Forgiveness
Title: Better to Ask Forgiveness
Author: caroly_214
Rating: PG
Pairings: Sparky
Spoilers: None
Summary: For the spdf_weekly prompt: bowling. This was originally very different, but Elizabeth changed her mind after I wrote the first draft, so I had to rewrite it. But she’s happy with the way it turned out, and so am I! :-) Many thanks to daisycm83 for the beta.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
John looked down at her from his perch on her desk with those huge puppy eyes of his and Elizabeth immediately felt herself begin to melt. She knew she should be firm with him, but something about John made him nearly impossible to resist. Maybe it was whatever he put in his hair to make it defy gravity. In any case, she’d long ago learned to give in to him on the minor things so that she had a chance of winning on the important things.
“Why not, Elizabeth? It’d be good for morale, and it’s exercise.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Exercise? John, all you do is roll a ball down an aisle. That is not exercise. It’s just an excuse to get together and drink beer.”
She nearly started laughing when he had the gall to look hurt. The stage lost a great (comic) actor when John Sheppard joined the military.
“First, it’s a lane, not an ‘aisle.’ And second, of course it’s about getting together and drinking! We don’t have enough group activities here. We need to increase camaraderie, make everyone buddies.” He was using his best earnest expression coupled with his big puppy dog eyes, and of course it was working perfectly in making her want to do whatever he wanted. If anyone on Earth found out how easily he manipulated her, she’d be a laughingstock.
Shaking her head in amusement and resignation, she said, “Fine, John. You want a bowling alley, go ahead and build your bowling alley. But don’t let it interfere with your duties,” she finished, arching her eyebrow at him.
“But, Elizabeth, I thought one of my duties was seeing to the welfare of the expedition members. So I think this should become my main duty right now.”
Elizabeth glared at him. If there was one thing she’d perfected over the years, it was how to glare. She really should write a manual, Glaring for Idiots, or something stupid like that. It would probably make a fortune, and then she could retire to some deserted island and hire John’s services as an errand boy.
“Don’t push your luck, John.” He began to pout, but Elizabeth just started laughing and shooed him off her desk. “Go build your bowling alley. I have work to do.”
Elizabeth thought he’d be overjoyed to finally have permission to build the silly thing, but instead of jumping up and leaving her office, he didn’t move, a guilty expression on his face.
“Well….”
It wasn’t hard to summon a stern look to her face. A couple years of dealing with John and Rodney had led her to perfect the stern look. Perhaps she could include stern looks in her Glaring for Idiots book.
“What have you done, John?” she asked.
He fidgeted a moment, looking down and playing with one of the figures on her desk before she took in away from him and firmly placed it back in its spot.
“John,” she said, a warning in her voice.
He finally looked up, and Elizabeth discovered that he really could look adorable, no matter what the expression on his face. Right now, he looked like a little kid who got caught with his hands in the cookie jar, and it was all she could do not to smile at the sight.
“You ever hear that phrase, ‘it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission?’”
Elizabeth leaned back, subjecting him to the full force of her glare. John had the good grace to look abashed. “What did you do, John?” she asked, knowing full well what he had done, but wanting to make him squirm a little before letting him off the hook.
John looked at her hopefully, and Elizabeth guessed he was happy she hadn’t bitten his head off yet. “You wanna come see our new bowling alley? It’s not quite done, but there’s enough there that we could play a game.”
He really was adorable when he was like this, but Elizabeth was leader of Atlantis, and she wasn’t going to let up until John learned his lesson. “You built a bowling alley without my permission?”
John froze. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad. But it’s not, really.”
She held her glare a few more seconds, then said, “Don’t do it again, John.” Deciding John had learned his lesson for now, Elizabeth shook her head and gave John a wry smile. John noticeably relaxed when he realized the worst was over.
“So, are you gonna come and see?” he asked eagerly. It was truly amazing how quickly John bounced back after being (mildly) chastised. Perhaps whatever he put in his hair added the extra bounce.
She smiled tiredly at him, turning her attention back to her laptop. “Maybe later, John. I have a lot of work to do.”
He leaned forward to get her attention and smugly said, “I think you don’t want to play because you know I’ll beat you.”
“I’m sure you would, John,” she replied distractedly, trying to find the place in the report she had lost when John came in.
“What do you mean?” John asked, clearly confused. He hadn’t expected her to concede the point.
“I mean, I’m sure you’d beat me. I’ve never bowled before, so I doubt I’d be very good.”
John’s jaw dropped. “You’ve never bowled before? We have to fix that.” He reached over and took her hands in hers, pulling her out from behind her desk.
“John,” she protested half-heartedly. Truth be told, it was late and she could use a break. But she wasn’t about to give in easily. He’d be insufferable for a week - it not more - if she gave in quickly.
“Come on, Lizzie. It’ll be fun. I can teach you.” For a moment, Elizabeth considered ordering him never to call her ‘Lizzie’ again, but decided against it. In the mood he was in, it would only amuse him and make him use the hated nickname more. She looked back at the reports on her desk. John tugged on her hands to get her attention back. “Please,” he begged.
Elizabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, hiding that she really was looking forward to this. It had been a long time since she’d been able to relax and have fun.
John’s face lit up with delight. “Great,” he said, practically skipping as he dragged her out of her office. Elizabeth just started laughing as she yelled over her shoulder that she’d be back later.
***
“John, are you sure this is the way to bowl?” Elizabeth asked skeptically, a bowling ball dangling from her right hand. John was standing close behind her, his body nearly spooning up against hers, his right hand covering hers.
“Of course, I’m sure, Elizabeth. I am the expert here.” Because he was behind her, she felt, rather than saw, him shake his head. “I still can’t believe you’ve never been bowling.”
Despite herself, Elizabeth found herself growing defensive. “It’s not as if I had a deprived childhood, John. I’ve done a lot of things, just not bowling.”
“But Elizabeth, bowling is the one true All-American sport.”
Twisting her head so she could see his face, she cocked an eyebrow. “That’s odd, John. I’d have thought for sure you’d have thought football was the ‘one true All-American sport.’”
John smirked back at her. “Nope. Football transcends nationalities and species. It’s the one true universal sport. Even Ronon and Teyla like it.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned away from John. When he was being like this, it was better to ignore him and move on. “Fine, John. Now, are you going to teach me to bowl, or are you just going to talk about how great football is all night?”
It was amazing, but she could feel him pout, even though she couldn’t see him. The man truly was a master. “But, Lizzie,” he whined, “Football is great.”
Shaking her head in exasperation - and plotting her revenge over his repeated use of a despised nickname - Elizabeth turned to face him once again. “I’m sure it is, John, and if you’re really lucky, maybe one day I’ll let you try to convince me of that.” She ignored the sudden hopeful expression on his face as she continued, “But you brought me down here to teach me how to bowl, and I want to learn. So stop talking and teach!” Despite her stern words, she was grinning at him. She knew he was just playing to rile her up, and she had to admit, she enjoyed verbally sparring with him.
John pouted again and said, “Fine.” He turned her around and fitted himself against her back, one hand covering her hand holding the bowling ball, the other resting on her waist.
“Remember what I told you?” he asked, his breath hot on her ear. Elizabeth shivered and decided to have Rodney look at the environmental controls for this room as soon as they finished the lesson.
“The goal is to knock down the pins with the ball. It’s not that hard to understand, John.”
His tone was impish as he responded, “Just checking. You sometimes have trouble with the simpler things.”
Elizabeth started to turn around, her eyebrow at the ready to put him in his place, but John’s hand on her waist kept her in place.
“Temper, temper, Elizabeth,” he said, his voice soft and his tone teasing. “That’s hardly a way to relax. Now, just follow my movements.”
John started to move, guiding her body to follow him. His right hand swung her arm back as he whispered, “Move forward,” into her ear. She took large steps, just as he’d done in his earlier demonstration, and let his arm swing hers forward. “Now, let go,” he said, and she let the ball fly.
She watched as the ball rolled swiftly down the center of the lane, trying to ignore the warm presence too close behind her. But when the ball knocked down all of the pins, she grinned in triumph and turned to crow her victory at John.
But when she turned, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“What’s this,” she whispered, not sure how to react to this new development. She knew she should be upset with him, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be so. Instead, she was curious and a little excited.
“This is another one of those simple things you have trouble with,” he answered with the slightest hint of teasing in his voice. His eyes searched hers for a moment, then he leaned down towards her. Elizabeth’s eyes fluttered shut at his approach, and despite expecting it, she gasped as his lips brushed against hers.
He broke away from the kiss and grinned at her. “So, how do you like bowling?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him and teased, “Is that what we’re calling it now? ‘Bowling?’”
Although Elizabeth wouldn’t have thought it possible, John’s grin widened. “Of course. Why do you think I built this without your knowledge and dragged you down here?”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, she found herself being thoroughly kissed. When they broke for air several minutes later, Elizabeth smiled.
“It was a nice plan, John, but there’s something you should know.”
John frowned, confused. “What?”
Elizabeth smirked. “I knew about the bowling alley the whole time. I just decided to let you have you fun.” She laughed at his confused expression then leaned forward and kissed him. Yes, she definitely liked bowling.
Cross-posted to john_elizabeth
Author: caroly_214
Rating: PG
Pairings: Sparky
Spoilers: None
Summary: For the spdf_weekly prompt: bowling. This was originally very different, but Elizabeth changed her mind after I wrote the first draft, so I had to rewrite it. But she’s happy with the way it turned out, and so am I! :-) Many thanks to daisycm83 for the beta.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
John looked down at her from his perch on her desk with those huge puppy eyes of his and Elizabeth immediately felt herself begin to melt. She knew she should be firm with him, but something about John made him nearly impossible to resist. Maybe it was whatever he put in his hair to make it defy gravity. In any case, she’d long ago learned to give in to him on the minor things so that she had a chance of winning on the important things.
“Why not, Elizabeth? It’d be good for morale, and it’s exercise.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Exercise? John, all you do is roll a ball down an aisle. That is not exercise. It’s just an excuse to get together and drink beer.”
She nearly started laughing when he had the gall to look hurt. The stage lost a great (comic) actor when John Sheppard joined the military.
“First, it’s a lane, not an ‘aisle.’ And second, of course it’s about getting together and drinking! We don’t have enough group activities here. We need to increase camaraderie, make everyone buddies.” He was using his best earnest expression coupled with his big puppy dog eyes, and of course it was working perfectly in making her want to do whatever he wanted. If anyone on Earth found out how easily he manipulated her, she’d be a laughingstock.
Shaking her head in amusement and resignation, she said, “Fine, John. You want a bowling alley, go ahead and build your bowling alley. But don’t let it interfere with your duties,” she finished, arching her eyebrow at him.
“But, Elizabeth, I thought one of my duties was seeing to the welfare of the expedition members. So I think this should become my main duty right now.”
Elizabeth glared at him. If there was one thing she’d perfected over the years, it was how to glare. She really should write a manual, Glaring for Idiots, or something stupid like that. It would probably make a fortune, and then she could retire to some deserted island and hire John’s services as an errand boy.
“Don’t push your luck, John.” He began to pout, but Elizabeth just started laughing and shooed him off her desk. “Go build your bowling alley. I have work to do.”
Elizabeth thought he’d be overjoyed to finally have permission to build the silly thing, but instead of jumping up and leaving her office, he didn’t move, a guilty expression on his face.
“Well….”
It wasn’t hard to summon a stern look to her face. A couple years of dealing with John and Rodney had led her to perfect the stern look. Perhaps she could include stern looks in her Glaring for Idiots book.
“What have you done, John?” she asked.
He fidgeted a moment, looking down and playing with one of the figures on her desk before she took in away from him and firmly placed it back in its spot.
“John,” she said, a warning in her voice.
He finally looked up, and Elizabeth discovered that he really could look adorable, no matter what the expression on his face. Right now, he looked like a little kid who got caught with his hands in the cookie jar, and it was all she could do not to smile at the sight.
“You ever hear that phrase, ‘it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission?’”
Elizabeth leaned back, subjecting him to the full force of her glare. John had the good grace to look abashed. “What did you do, John?” she asked, knowing full well what he had done, but wanting to make him squirm a little before letting him off the hook.
John looked at her hopefully, and Elizabeth guessed he was happy she hadn’t bitten his head off yet. “You wanna come see our new bowling alley? It’s not quite done, but there’s enough there that we could play a game.”
He really was adorable when he was like this, but Elizabeth was leader of Atlantis, and she wasn’t going to let up until John learned his lesson. “You built a bowling alley without my permission?”
John froze. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad. But it’s not, really.”
She held her glare a few more seconds, then said, “Don’t do it again, John.” Deciding John had learned his lesson for now, Elizabeth shook her head and gave John a wry smile. John noticeably relaxed when he realized the worst was over.
“So, are you gonna come and see?” he asked eagerly. It was truly amazing how quickly John bounced back after being (mildly) chastised. Perhaps whatever he put in his hair added the extra bounce.
She smiled tiredly at him, turning her attention back to her laptop. “Maybe later, John. I have a lot of work to do.”
He leaned forward to get her attention and smugly said, “I think you don’t want to play because you know I’ll beat you.”
“I’m sure you would, John,” she replied distractedly, trying to find the place in the report she had lost when John came in.
“What do you mean?” John asked, clearly confused. He hadn’t expected her to concede the point.
“I mean, I’m sure you’d beat me. I’ve never bowled before, so I doubt I’d be very good.”
John’s jaw dropped. “You’ve never bowled before? We have to fix that.” He reached over and took her hands in hers, pulling her out from behind her desk.
“John,” she protested half-heartedly. Truth be told, it was late and she could use a break. But she wasn’t about to give in easily. He’d be insufferable for a week - it not more - if she gave in quickly.
“Come on, Lizzie. It’ll be fun. I can teach you.” For a moment, Elizabeth considered ordering him never to call her ‘Lizzie’ again, but decided against it. In the mood he was in, it would only amuse him and make him use the hated nickname more. She looked back at the reports on her desk. John tugged on her hands to get her attention back. “Please,” he begged.
Elizabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, hiding that she really was looking forward to this. It had been a long time since she’d been able to relax and have fun.
John’s face lit up with delight. “Great,” he said, practically skipping as he dragged her out of her office. Elizabeth just started laughing as she yelled over her shoulder that she’d be back later.
***
“John, are you sure this is the way to bowl?” Elizabeth asked skeptically, a bowling ball dangling from her right hand. John was standing close behind her, his body nearly spooning up against hers, his right hand covering hers.
“Of course, I’m sure, Elizabeth. I am the expert here.” Because he was behind her, she felt, rather than saw, him shake his head. “I still can’t believe you’ve never been bowling.”
Despite herself, Elizabeth found herself growing defensive. “It’s not as if I had a deprived childhood, John. I’ve done a lot of things, just not bowling.”
“But Elizabeth, bowling is the one true All-American sport.”
Twisting her head so she could see his face, she cocked an eyebrow. “That’s odd, John. I’d have thought for sure you’d have thought football was the ‘one true All-American sport.’”
John smirked back at her. “Nope. Football transcends nationalities and species. It’s the one true universal sport. Even Ronon and Teyla like it.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned away from John. When he was being like this, it was better to ignore him and move on. “Fine, John. Now, are you going to teach me to bowl, or are you just going to talk about how great football is all night?”
It was amazing, but she could feel him pout, even though she couldn’t see him. The man truly was a master. “But, Lizzie,” he whined, “Football is great.”
Shaking her head in exasperation - and plotting her revenge over his repeated use of a despised nickname - Elizabeth turned to face him once again. “I’m sure it is, John, and if you’re really lucky, maybe one day I’ll let you try to convince me of that.” She ignored the sudden hopeful expression on his face as she continued, “But you brought me down here to teach me how to bowl, and I want to learn. So stop talking and teach!” Despite her stern words, she was grinning at him. She knew he was just playing to rile her up, and she had to admit, she enjoyed verbally sparring with him.
John pouted again and said, “Fine.” He turned her around and fitted himself against her back, one hand covering her hand holding the bowling ball, the other resting on her waist.
“Remember what I told you?” he asked, his breath hot on her ear. Elizabeth shivered and decided to have Rodney look at the environmental controls for this room as soon as they finished the lesson.
“The goal is to knock down the pins with the ball. It’s not that hard to understand, John.”
His tone was impish as he responded, “Just checking. You sometimes have trouble with the simpler things.”
Elizabeth started to turn around, her eyebrow at the ready to put him in his place, but John’s hand on her waist kept her in place.
“Temper, temper, Elizabeth,” he said, his voice soft and his tone teasing. “That’s hardly a way to relax. Now, just follow my movements.”
John started to move, guiding her body to follow him. His right hand swung her arm back as he whispered, “Move forward,” into her ear. She took large steps, just as he’d done in his earlier demonstration, and let his arm swing hers forward. “Now, let go,” he said, and she let the ball fly.
She watched as the ball rolled swiftly down the center of the lane, trying to ignore the warm presence too close behind her. But when the ball knocked down all of the pins, she grinned in triumph and turned to crow her victory at John.
But when she turned, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“What’s this,” she whispered, not sure how to react to this new development. She knew she should be upset with him, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be so. Instead, she was curious and a little excited.
“This is another one of those simple things you have trouble with,” he answered with the slightest hint of teasing in his voice. His eyes searched hers for a moment, then he leaned down towards her. Elizabeth’s eyes fluttered shut at his approach, and despite expecting it, she gasped as his lips brushed against hers.
He broke away from the kiss and grinned at her. “So, how do you like bowling?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him and teased, “Is that what we’re calling it now? ‘Bowling?’”
Although Elizabeth wouldn’t have thought it possible, John’s grin widened. “Of course. Why do you think I built this without your knowledge and dragged you down here?”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, she found herself being thoroughly kissed. When they broke for air several minutes later, Elizabeth smiled.
“It was a nice plan, John, but there’s something you should know.”
John frowned, confused. “What?”
Elizabeth smirked. “I knew about the bowling alley the whole time. I just decided to let you have you fun.” She laughed at his confused expression then leaned forward and kissed him. Yes, she definitely liked bowling.
Cross-posted to john_elizabeth