Author's Notes: This story is basically complete with 6 chapters total. The final chapters I will try and get posted on Dec. 31. Why? You'll find out as you read! Written for the LJ Beya Secret Elf Exchange 2012, this was my little gift to the incredible Wedjatqi. I sincerely hope she enjoys it.

.

Don't Tell Me Tomorrow

by: firedew

.

Chapter 1

.

It was a simple question, one that never should have thrown him the way it did, but John Sheppard found himself flatfooted and needing to buy himself some time. Trying to be smooth, John reached for the dinner roll on his tray, took an unnecessarily large bite and with a triumphant glint in his eye, let a shrug do his talking for him. An annoyed eye roll from Rodney and a barely audible chuckle from Ronon gave him the satisfaction—and more importantly, the time—he needed to come up with an answer he could live with.

The mess hall was buzzing. After a few weeks in the San Francisco Bay and the harrowing task of moving Atlantis further out into the Pacific under a jury rigged power supply, things had hardly slowed down at all. The IOA had rapidly become a pain in the ass, although that had come as no surprise to anyone. Every other week, there was another very important foreign dignitary wishing to see the mythical city, and as it's keepers, they were expected to roll out the red carpet for each one. A new wave of scientists had arrived quickly, most of them eager to dig into the heaps of relics left behind by the Ancients. Armed with a little training, noble motives, and the innocence of the uninitiated, they went tromping through the many unexplored areas of the city, giving Mr. Woolsey, John, and their escorts a few more gray hairs in the process. And as the conflict with the Lucian Alliance had escalated, John found himself, his team, and countless others under his command being pressed into what was rapidly starting to resemble another all out war.

Finally, Mr. Woolsey had put his foot down with the IOA and the SGC, a bold move that John hadn't seen coming and gave the man all the credit in the world for taking. After a long separation from home, some of them for years with only the occasional reprieve, the people stationed on Atlantis were overdue some leave. They had more than earned it and they deserved it. And since the holidays had been coming up, the timing couldn't have been better.

Leaves for everyone had been split into shifts. Some had gone over the Thanksgiving holidays. Others had gotten the two weeks before Christmas and were now returning home with new memories and filling the mess hall with stories of going sledding with the nieces and nephews, going a little heavy on the eggnog, and one side-splitting story about the breaking of a wishbone gone terribly wrong. The tales left John feeling conflicted. He was glad to see everyone had had a wonderful time. There was a renewed energy in the city again. Reconnecting with home and family had done wonders to recharge everyone's batteries. But on the flip side, it set rolling an insidious pang of regret that had been curling in his stomach for at least a year and a half. And if John was being honest with himself, a lot longer.

"So, where are you going?" Rodney snidely repeated the question.

John arched his eyebrow and ducked the question again. "What does it matter where I'm going? Don't you have enough to worry about already?"

Going with the last rotation of personnel, John and his team were leaving in a few days. New Years' Eve and the two weeks following belonged to them and Rodney had plans to go with Keller. To Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. To meet her father.

"What's to worry about?" the high-strung physicist replied, suspiciously blasé about the whole thing.

"You really think you're ready for this? Meeting the parents is kind of a big step, McKay."

"I think I can handle it." Rodney shifted in his chair. "After all, I'm … I'm very serious about Jennifer."

John casually leaned back in his chair. "Glad to hear it, Rodney, because usually once the whole parent thing is out of the way, that's when they usually start throwing around the 'm' word."

"M? Um … Mm-merchandise? You think she'll want to go shopping?"

Caught off-guard, John nearly tipped his chair backward as a sudden burst of laughter pealed from his throat.

"Makeout?" Rodney tried again, this time with an almost too innocent timber in his voice.

"No," Ronon muttered.

Rodney picked up a grape off of his tray and tossed it at the dumbstruck warrior. It pinged off Ronon's chest harmlessly, but the move earned McKay a less than impressed arch of the eyebrow. "I know he's talking about 'marriage'!" Rodney said indignantly. "Honestly. Does everyone around here think I'm completely oblivious?"

Sheppard and Ronon answered in concert. "Yes."

"Well, it just so happens that Jennifer and I have already discussed the subject and we've both agreed that we're not quite there yet. This trip is just a … a breaking of the ice, as it were. A simple introduction. I'll talk to her father and then we'll have a nice no-pressure vacation."

"Sounds very … nice, Rodney. And very mature, for you," John congratulated him. "But, just to be clear—she agreed or you agreed?"

Rodney stared back at John, perplexed. "What difference does it make?"

"Oh, yeah. This trip is gonna go well." John dug back into his dinner.

"I don't know why you're both so worried about me. I'm not the one going with his girlfriend to the devil's sauna, where marriages are quick and divorces even quicker," Rodney mumbled pointedly with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "If anyone's in danger of going off and coming back married, it's Ronon. Not me. Who spends New Year's in Las Vegas, anyway?"

"Amelia," Ronon growled.

"Rumor has it she grew up there and I'll bet it's a great place to ring in New Year's. Probably a helluva fireworks show," John added thoughtfully. No. He couldn't see himself spending more than a day or two in Vegas, let alone his entire leave. But in light of the paperwork that had been done legitimizing Ronon's existence on Earth, McKay had a point. He nudged Ronon with an elbow. "I did warn you about all the little wedding chapels though, didn't I?"

"Yup. Along with 'no decking hotel security'..."

John amended his earlier statement. " … or anyone else for that matter … "

Ronon grinned as he continued reciting the rules of engagement for his vacation with Banks. "Avoid anyone handing out leaflets … "

"You're probably better off avoiding street level altogether."

"And wear sunscreen," Ronon finished.

John shot him a confused look. "I didn't tell you that."

"No, O wise one, that was me," Rodney chimed in. "The sun there is ridiculous."

"It's December."

"Like that matters. I'm just trying to help Ronon avoid spending his leave looking like a sun-dried tomato."

John was about to let another wisecrack fly, but he stopped short. Over Rodney's shoulder, Teyla had cut a path through the noisy crowd, leaning to one side and moving awkwardly. TJ's tiny fingers were latched onto hers as he wobbled along beside her, eyes gleaming widely as he stared up, fascinated by all the people surrounding him. John smiled. Walking was a skill the toddler was still perfecting, but he couldn't have been prouder if he had been the boy's father. If only he'd had the guts to tell her …

Teyla scanned the room, presumably to see if her friends were there yet, and caught him eying her. The radiant smile that appeared both lit him up and stung inside. Kanaan was there hovering noiselessly behind her, completing the picture of a happy family. His gaze dropped away. She was gone and no amount of wishful thinking on his part was going to change things. The little Athosian family got in line to get their meal for the evening and suddenly, John wasn't hungry anymore. He cleared away the heavy feeling growing in his throat. He hadn't even lost her. She'd never been his in the first place and that fact hurt more than he could stomach.

"Enough with the secrets, Sheppard. Two weeks to yourself and all that combat pay burning a hole in your pocket … Let me guess, you're spending your two weeks buried in a pile of half-witted, bikini-clad supermodels?"

John managed to put on a smile. "Not a bad idea, McKay." He'd rather spend his two weeks on a tropical beach somewhere, alone, riding the waves and soaking up the sun, but for once, he didn't mind the Kirk comments. The idea had it's appeal. No self-respecting womanizer would spend over a year of their life nursing a broken heart.

Shaking his head, the scientist gruffly said, "Fine. Don't tell me where your going. I guess we can just swap stories when we get back. I'll regale you with my harrowing journey into the world of fine dining in small town Wisconsin, Ronon will finally answer that timeless question and tell us what happens when a Satedan meets a hooker for the first time, and you can tell us all about the new STD you've picked up. Should be fun."

"Actually, Rodney … " John said with a last a glance to Teyla. Kanaan was carrying her tray while she had scooped up TJ, cradling him in her arms. They were headed their way. John picked up his tray and stood up. " … I think I'm gonna spend my leave at my brother's place. I, sort of, owe him and his family a visit and … I, uh, need some time to think. I'll see you guys later."

John hustled out of the mess hall. Rodney asked across the table, "What wasthat about?"

Ronon stared back at him, his mouth curled in chagrin. No matter how he protested to the contrary, Rodney was oblivious.