Prompt: Kids
Kids
John/Elizabeth
PG
AN: I've been out of the Atlantis scene for a while so hopefully this doesn't suck hardcore.
This was a prompt by drewandian.
For the millionth time that day, it crossed John Sheppard’s mind.
They’re just kids.
That’s not true. Not entirely. They looked like kids, acted like kids and nothing about them seemed threatening. Still, he’d done what was best for the city.
So why did he feel so damn guilty?
Sheppard made his way down the long hall toward the holding rooms. It had been three years since Elizabeth had sacrificed herself to save them. Three years of searching for her. Three years of wishing...he didn’t even go there. He needed his head clear if he was going to do this. Everything could turn out fine but the alternative was enough to have him on edge.
John touched the ancient panel and the door opened to show a set of four cells. All were occupied but only one interested him and it contained a single person. He stepped inside and let the door shut behind him but he stayed at the entrance, just staring at her.
Elizabeth Weir was sitting on the cot in her cell, legs pulled up with her arms wrapped around them to make herself look as small as possible. She just stared straight ahead and only when one of the children from the other cells seemed upset did she look at anything but the wall.
It was really her, at least the her they’d left behind. Not the copy they’d ran into. Not some other twisted version of her he’d seen many times in nightmares. Rodney had checked, Beckett had checked, twice. It was their Elizabeth.
His Elizabeth.
Sheppard took a deep breath and started towards her cell. Before he’d even gotten half way she looked his way and the smile she gave him nearly made him stumble.
“John...” She slowly unfurled herself and walked as close as she could get to the energy beams that served as bars. He stopped a few feet away from her. “I was hoping you’d come see me.”
“Elizabeth, I’m sorry about all this but--”
“I understand, John. If I were in your place, I’d have done the same thing.”
John ran a hand through his hair and glanced around at the other cells finally noticing the children seemed to be hanging on their every word.
“Why're they doin’ that?”
Elizabeth chuckled under her breath. “The nanites...they don’t ‘talk’ to each other but they can glean information from each other. They know you’re the one who will decide if they get released or not.”
He turned to look at the cell behind him and a small blonde haired girl was staring up at him. She couldn’t have been more than five or six. “When will we get to play?” John’s chest tightened and he stumbled on his words. “Um, I think...well you see...”
“Soon, Heather. Just try and be patient, ok? Remember what I told you?” Elizabeth’s voice was soothing.
The little girl nodded and went back to the other few children sharing her cell. John turned back to Elizabeth. “What did you tell them?”
She dropped her head, breaking eye contact with him. He wasn’t sure she would answer him but she did, quietly. “I told them stories about you. How many times you rescued the team, the city. How good of a pilot you are...how much I love you.”
Sheppard ran his eyes up and down her figure. Dear God, it was her.
When he didn’t say anything she risked looking back at him. They just stared at each other, no one saying anything but feeling three years of separation.
John never broke eye contact with her as he spoke.
“Rodney?”
“Yeah, I’m here and actually kinda busy so if you could--”
“Open the cells in section 391.”
“What? Elizabeth’s section? Are you crazy? Test or no tests, even if it is her the nanites will--”
“I don’t give a damn about the nanites. Open the cells.”
John heard only silence and then finally. “Tell her I said welcome back.”
The energy bars popped and then went dark causing the overhead lighting to kick in. All the children slowly moved into a group, still nervous and looking around.
Elizabeth stepped closer to John but waited to see what he would do. She’d been gone a long time and she wasn’t exactly the same person.
She shouldn’t have doubted him.
John pulled her close to him and dropped his head to her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him just as tightly. “I searched, I searched everywhere.” The pain in his voice caused her eyes to water. “I know you did, John. I know.”
He would have been content to just stand there and hold her to make up for every day he hadn’t got the chance but a small tug at the end of his jacket made him let go of Elizabeth. He didn’t let go completely, though, leaving one arm wrapped tight around her waist. Looking down at the distraction, he saw it was the same blonde haired girl from before.
“Can we play now?”
John looked back up at Elizabeth and gently ran a few fingers through her hair, moving it away from her face. “Yeah, yeah we can go play now.”
John/Elizabeth
PG
AN: I've been out of the Atlantis scene for a while so hopefully this doesn't suck hardcore.
This was a prompt by drewandian.
For the millionth time that day, it crossed John Sheppard’s mind.
They’re just kids.
That’s not true. Not entirely. They looked like kids, acted like kids and nothing about them seemed threatening. Still, he’d done what was best for the city.
So why did he feel so damn guilty?
Sheppard made his way down the long hall toward the holding rooms. It had been three years since Elizabeth had sacrificed herself to save them. Three years of searching for her. Three years of wishing...he didn’t even go there. He needed his head clear if he was going to do this. Everything could turn out fine but the alternative was enough to have him on edge.
John touched the ancient panel and the door opened to show a set of four cells. All were occupied but only one interested him and it contained a single person. He stepped inside and let the door shut behind him but he stayed at the entrance, just staring at her.
Elizabeth Weir was sitting on the cot in her cell, legs pulled up with her arms wrapped around them to make herself look as small as possible. She just stared straight ahead and only when one of the children from the other cells seemed upset did she look at anything but the wall.
It was really her, at least the her they’d left behind. Not the copy they’d ran into. Not some other twisted version of her he’d seen many times in nightmares. Rodney had checked, Beckett had checked, twice. It was their Elizabeth.
His Elizabeth.
Sheppard took a deep breath and started towards her cell. Before he’d even gotten half way she looked his way and the smile she gave him nearly made him stumble.
“John...” She slowly unfurled herself and walked as close as she could get to the energy beams that served as bars. He stopped a few feet away from her. “I was hoping you’d come see me.”
“Elizabeth, I’m sorry about all this but--”
“I understand, John. If I were in your place, I’d have done the same thing.”
John ran a hand through his hair and glanced around at the other cells finally noticing the children seemed to be hanging on their every word.
“Why're they doin’ that?”
Elizabeth chuckled under her breath. “The nanites...they don’t ‘talk’ to each other but they can glean information from each other. They know you’re the one who will decide if they get released or not.”
He turned to look at the cell behind him and a small blonde haired girl was staring up at him. She couldn’t have been more than five or six. “When will we get to play?” John’s chest tightened and he stumbled on his words. “Um, I think...well you see...”
“Soon, Heather. Just try and be patient, ok? Remember what I told you?” Elizabeth’s voice was soothing.
The little girl nodded and went back to the other few children sharing her cell. John turned back to Elizabeth. “What did you tell them?”
She dropped her head, breaking eye contact with him. He wasn’t sure she would answer him but she did, quietly. “I told them stories about you. How many times you rescued the team, the city. How good of a pilot you are...how much I love you.”
Sheppard ran his eyes up and down her figure. Dear God, it was her.
When he didn’t say anything she risked looking back at him. They just stared at each other, no one saying anything but feeling three years of separation.
John never broke eye contact with her as he spoke.
“Rodney?”
“Yeah, I’m here and actually kinda busy so if you could--”
“Open the cells in section 391.”
“What? Elizabeth’s section? Are you crazy? Test or no tests, even if it is her the nanites will--”
“I don’t give a damn about the nanites. Open the cells.”
John heard only silence and then finally. “Tell her I said welcome back.”
The energy bars popped and then went dark causing the overhead lighting to kick in. All the children slowly moved into a group, still nervous and looking around.
Elizabeth stepped closer to John but waited to see what he would do. She’d been gone a long time and she wasn’t exactly the same person.
She shouldn’t have doubted him.
John pulled her close to him and dropped his head to her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him just as tightly. “I searched, I searched everywhere.” The pain in his voice caused her eyes to water. “I know you did, John. I know.”
He would have been content to just stand there and hold her to make up for every day he hadn’t got the chance but a small tug at the end of his jacket made him let go of Elizabeth. He didn’t let go completely, though, leaving one arm wrapped tight around her waist. Looking down at the distraction, he saw it was the same blonde haired girl from before.
“Can we play now?”
John looked back up at Elizabeth and gently ran a few fingers through her hair, moving it away from her face. “Yeah, yeah we can go play now.”