Author's Note: I originally wanted to make this part of "Finding What Is" (my monthly Sheppard/Teyla story), but the ending wouldn't come out, so I let it sit. I found it again the other day; and thus I bring it to you now. Mostly from Elizabeth's POV, which is new for me. But I hope you like it :). Please review!
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Movie Nights
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It was movie night.
Elizabeth loved movie night with Sheppard's team. Depending on who picked the movie, it was sometimes a little intense for her taste; but she loved being with them. She loved to hear Rodney shush them at all the parts that he liked best, to watch the popcorn wars that often ensued when John and Ronon decided to act out a particularly frightening battle scene. She loved watching John and Rodney stumble over their words as they tried to explain some earth reference to Ronon or Teyla, who often teased their friends by pretending that they did not understand long after the point had reached them. She loved the sense of family that seemed to surround them whenever they were together.
And yes, she admitted to herself, she liked playing match-maker to John and Teyla.
It had started out innocently enough. They had all noticed that something was going on between them; and they all expected them to eventually be together. And one night, in an unusual moment of playfulness, she had suggested that they play truth or dare. Sheppard's face had been priceless.
"What are we, twelve?" he'd asked her. She'd just grinned and said that if he didn't like it after the first question, then they would stop. He'd decided to humor her, and she had chosen to be devious.
"Truth or dare," she asked him.
"Dare," he'd replied, with his 'I'm humoring you so that we can get this over with' voice. Elizabeth had glanced around, and her grin had widened when she saw Teyla, sitting innocently on the floor with her back against the couch. She turned back to Sheppard, who was taking a large sip of his drink.
"I dare you two to kiss," she said. John choked on his drink, and Teyla managed to look confused and horrified and interested all at the same time.
"You really are twelve!" John had managed to get out.
"What, are you too wimpy for one little kiss?" Rodney had teased. Sheppard and Teyla had both refused, and their team-mates had continued to harass them until finally they had agreed, just to shut them up. John had leaned over, and cupped Teyla's face with one hand, and kissed her. It had lasted longer than any of their friends had expected, and Elizabeth hadn't been able to keep from looking triumphant. That little twelve year old girl that Sheppard had accused in her was loving this.
From then on, they had refused to play any more truth or dare.
Elizabeth's plan had only worked once, but that didn't stop her from match-making. She continued to try to bring them together, Ronon and McKay eventually catching on and going right along with her. And this movie night was no exception.
They had purposefully gotten there a bit early, so that when Sheppard and Teyla arrived the only available seats were next to each other on the couch. A bit awkwardly, both guessing what their friends were doing but neither one willing to call them out on it, they sat down, and for a while they were able to pretend that everything was fine. But eventually...
"Truth or dare?" Ronon suggested evilly. John and Teyla both turned horrified eyes to him.
"Are you kidding?" John spluttered. "I thouht that we agreed we weren't doing that anymore."
"But I liked it. It's not often that I get to see a kiss like that; I want an encour." Teyla blushed scarlet, and John was turning about five different shades of red.
"You are-" he couldn't come up with an appropriate response; come to think of it, he couldn't even think straight...
"Seeing what you two should have all along?" Elizabeth quiped. With more speed and force than he'd intended, he grabbed a pillow, and with one smooth motion he reached around Teyla and struck her with it. Elizabeth laughed; okay, so maybe they wouldn't be lucky tonight, but soon... and until then, that twelve-year-old girl sure liked pillow fights.
The point of whatever movie they were watching was quickly lost, drowned out by the war that they had started. So whent they had calmed down, they decided that it was pointless to continue, and that they should really just go to bed. Elizabeth and Rodney were the first to leave, with Ronon following almost immediately. But they waited outside the door for their friends, still hoping for something. And they were not disappointed.
"I am so sorry about that," John was saying to Teyla. But she shook her head, brushing it off.
"It is not a problem," she said softly.
"I don't know why they're hazing us."
"They want to live vicariously through us," she said, mischief brightening her eyes. "Because that really was an amazing kiss." John agreed, wholeheartedly.
"I love you," he said instead, lowering his face down to kiss her again, long and lingering. Outside the door, in the shadows of the darkened hallway, their friends quietly congradulated themselves, pleased to know that their friends would admit it to each other, if not to them. It wasn't like something like that could stay a secret for very much longer, anyways.
From then on they never mentioned truth or dare again, but Elizabeth and Ronon and Rodney found excuses to skip the movie nights, or leave early; leaving their friends alone together in the team lounge. They still did spy sometimes; after all that it had taken for them to get those two together, they deserved to see the fruit of their labor. They never caught them doing anymore than kissing; but Rodney reveled in "accidentally" feeding false information to those who followed the betting pool, knowing that when all was said and done he would be absolutely right about everything.
By the time anyone else found out about their relationship, Rodney McKay was a very rich man.
Fin.
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A/N: I really had fun writing this story; I liked writing Elizabeth not so much the serious, never-smiles leader and showing more of the inner twelve year-old girl that remains in all women, no matter their age. And I love making the team play match-maker ;)