AN: I hope everyone had a good Ramadan. ;) Thanks to lyssie for the beta
Spoilers: None, really.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis.
Part the Second: In which an alien win the Nobel Prize for Peace
John stood on the balcony of one of the nicest hotels in Oslo holding a cup of coffee in his hands and wearing a set of pajamas that could only just be called ratty. Later in the day, he would don a dress uniform that was polished so brightly it was probably visible from the moon, but for now he was content to be completely outshone by his surroundings.
"Come inside before someone sees you, John!" Elizabeth called from inside the room.
"No one can see me up here," he replied.
"Have you never heard of a telephoto lens?" she demanded. "Put on something decent or drink your coffee in here with me."
He rolled his eyes. Elizabeth was taking this far too seriously. Yes, it was the Nobel Prize for Peace, and yes, for the first time in history it was being awarded to someone who was not from Earth, but he was almost positive that no one cared what his taste in pajamas was. Still, he knew when to admit defeat, so he headed back inside.
Elizabeth was perched on one of the chairs in their suite. She was wearing a somewhat newer set of his pajamas, and they were far too big for her, but he didn't mind looking at them. She was drinking coffee as well and reading a newspaper that he was pretty sure was written in French, though it was hard to be sure from across the room.
"Are we still famous?" he asked lightly. She rewarded him with a scathing glare.
Since the revelation of the Stargate Program five years ago, they had both become minor celebrities. Teyla's nomination had only made them more famous on the world stage. Although Elizabeth and Teyla had brokered the United Worlds treaty together in the Pegasus galaxy, the other woman's extension of the agreement to include Earth was what won her the prize. John knew Elizabeth wouldn't mind. She was too focused on her political career to feel overlooked.
She was also, John decided, too focused on the newspaper.
He set his coffee down and moved to stand behind her. His fingers moved across her neck and she rolled her head to the side. The newspaper went slack in her hands, and he watched carefully in case he needed to rescue her coffee cup from a similar fate.
"John," she protested half-heartedly.
He ignored her. Her hair was much longer now, and most of it was free of the knot she'd tied it up in when she got out of bed this morning. He pushed it away to expose the spot on her neck that always made her react. She set the cup down at that point, and he knew he'd won. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck, smiling when she shivered.
"Do you have to do that now?" She was only complaining out of habit.
"Well, if I try anything after you've started to get dress you'll yell at me for mussing you," he pointed out in his most reasonable tone.
She turned and looked up at him, a smile hovering around the corner of her lips. He took it for the invitation she intended and bent to kiss her. Too late, he realized the impracticality of how he was standing when, in an attempt to reach her chin he accidentally knocked over the lamp.
"Do not laugh at me," he said, trying not to smile.
"Make me," she replied, mirroring his own smirk back at him.
He did.
finis
Gravity_Not_Included, September 19, 2009