Spoilers: 'Real World'

Fic based on the line "Listen when I say, when I say it's real" from AFI's 'Summer Shudder'.


Elizabeth Weir sat on the floor, leaning up against the railing of the balcony overlooking the ocean Atlantis rested atop of. She had her eyes closed, listening to the waves crash far below her high perch. It was one of the few things that kept her sane through everything. Just to be able to sit by herself, outside, with no one rushing past her, or interrupting her in her office, or telling her that Atlantis was facing certain doom.

The corners of her mouth lifted in a small smile. Impending doom, indeed. Atlantis seemed to be a magnet for that sort of thing. But, somehow, they managed to scrape their way through each time. And the day that they didn't….She didn't want to think about that day. It had already come too close to her for her comfort. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about that time, just barely a week ago. She still caught herself being uncertain; not believing that this was really happening. What if this was really just all her imagination and she was locked in that small, white room?

She pulled her legs up to her chest and opened her eyes. Setting her chin on top of her knees, she looked out over the city before her. How could it not be real? Doubt kept filling her mind, and she wasn't sure if she could keep leading the people of Atlantis if she was distrustful of her own mind, whether the city was reality or not.

"Hey."

Elizabeth jerked her head around to look at who had spoken. She smiled at the man who stood in front of the door at the other end of the balcony. "Hello, Colonel."

Sheppard walked over and sat down next to her, bring his knees up slightly and resting his arms on them. "Having fun?" She smiled and looked back to the ocean before speaking. "Just thinking."

"Ah." He paused and looked down at his hands. "You know, you're not alone here." She turned to look at him, confusion drawing her eyebrows together. Sheppard continued, still looking at his hands. "You can—" he lifted his face up to look at the sky "—you have friends here, Elizabeth. You can talk to us. I know that what you're going through is hard; not being sure of yourself; not wanting to say thing wrong thing in front of the wrong person; not being sure about what is actually happening."

She was staring down at her clasped hands, afraid to look up. She felt his gaze turn toward her when he continued. "But listen—" she looked up at him and their eyes met "—listen when I say that this is reality." He put his hand over hers. "That this is real."