Title: "Happy 'Mothers' Day' from your boys"
Author: CptnSuz
Rating: K
Summary: To make up for angering Dr. Weir, the guys on Sheppard's team decide to give her a 'Mothers' Day' present.
Spoilerage: none
Beta Kudos To: n/a - Let this be a surprise for Asdeed!
Disclaimer: I make no claims of ownership on Stargate Atlantis or its characters. No infringements intended.
"Hey Major, guess what today is!"
John Sheppard sighed and shifted the straps of his tac-vest for seemingly the millionth time as they hiked back to the gate. He wasn't in a particularly pleasant mood after spending the morning traversing seven miles only to find no sign of Teyla's alpine trading partners. He let out another sighed and responded, "I don't know, Ford. What is today?"
"Well, if we were back home, it would be Mothers' Day."
"Oh." There was a long pause, then Sheppard added, "My mom's dead."
"I'm sorry, sir. Mine is too, but I always got my grandmother a present."
Sheppard shrugged at the chatty enthusiasm the young lieutenant was showing. Even McKay had stopped grousing sometime ago and was now plodding along silently beside Teyla.
Presents were good if you had something to give, and someone to give it to. Neither of which really applied. It wasn't like they had their mothers there in Atlantis, telling them to call and check in, worrying about them making it home safe, exasperated when they didn't play nice with others…
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Lieutenant?"
"I think I am, sir." Ford grinned back at him.
"You know, we should probably include McKay." Sheppard turned his head to yell back at the scientist, "McKay, what do you think?"
"I'm not participating in your Hallmark holiday."
"Ah, come on!" Ford replied.
"Yeah, McKay, how many of your hare-brained ideas has she signed off on since we got here?" Sheppard prodded. McKay opened his mouth to refute, but the major continued, "Besides you're the one who needs to be in her good graces after yesterday."
"Hmm, if I recall correctly, which I do, she was quite mad at you two also," McKay sniped.
group flashback
"Give me back my computer!!"
"Come over here and get it," Sheppard taunted.
"Fine!" The scientist strode over, but giving Sheppard just enough time to stand and hold the laptop over his head. He twisted and turned to prevent McKay getting a good grasp on it as he jumped pathetically for the item just out of reach.
That didn't last long; the man wasn't stupid. He climbed up onto the conference table to gain a significant height advantage. Sheppard stepped onto one of the wheelie chairs, shifting his weight to move the chair around the space between table and wall to avoid McKay. Still, it wasn't working too well.
"Ford, a little help here?" Sheppard shouted, scooting the chair away again. The lieutenant finished his current bout of laughter at the hilarious situation, then advanced on the scientist with the grapefruit-like fruit he had save from breakfast.
"Hey Dr. McKay," he waved the quasi-grapefruit at him.
"You wouldn't!" The horrified scientist glanced back and forth, trying to determine if he could risk the citrus in order to get back his computer.
Finally, just at the moment the door opened, McKay lunged for his computer. Missing that, he careened into Sheppard, causing the chair to tip over and they both toppled ungracefully to the floor. In the process of which tipping and flailing, the quasi-grapefruit was propelled from Ford's hand, hitting the person in the doorway with a smack before falling to the floor as well.
Leaning down and picking up both the laptop and the quasi-grapefruit, Elizabeth Weir frowned at the men of Sheppard's team. They looked at her sheepishly as they picked themselves up, and Ford righted the chair. She still glared at them, then opened her mouth to deliver a scathing tirade, ending with a snapping command for them to sit down for the meeting and a comment about 'why she had to act as mother all the time.'
"Yeah, it should be from all of us," Sheppard resounded, "But what?"
"How about flowers?" Ford waved at the flora of the meadow they were passing through.
"Brilliant."
They paused for a few minutes to collect the bouquet. Meanwhile, McKay flopped down to sit and tried to explain to a curious Teyla why they need a specific day of the year on which honor mothers, grandmothers and other maternal figures in one's life. Flowers picked, Sheppard and Ford returned and thrust the floral spray at the scientist.
"What? I thought these were for Elizabeth!"
"They are."
"Well then why are you giving them to me?"
"Because, Rodney," Sheppard's voice grated on his first name, "It is a surprise. We have to hide them when we go through the gate. And you are the only one who is wearing a pack."
Glowering at them, McKay carefully tucked the oh-so-heavy bunch of flowers into his backpack.
"What are we going to put them in?" Ford asked as they continued on their return journey.
"That's a good question," Sheppard replied, "Maybe Teyla has a vase we can borrow." Turning again, "Hey Teyla!"
Later
Weir was still fuming when they got back. She stood at the base of the stairs, arms crossed and asked, "Well?" in a clipped tone.
"Nothing," Sheppard replied, as he and his team began to divest themselves of their off-world gear. "Their camp was long deserted."
"It is possible they moved to another world. Perhaps one less visited by the Wraith," Teyla added.
"Hmm." Weir gave a small acknowledging tone to the Athosian woman, then focused her sights on McKay. "You seemed quite attached to your pack, Dr. McKay."
The team inwardly cringed at the use of McKay's title (a sure sign Weir was still peeved at them), and watched to see what the scientist would do.
"Oh." McKay looked down at the backpack he had refused to relinquish from his arms as if he were seeing it for the first time. Renewing his encircling grip, he looked back up, avoiding eye contact with the expedition leader, "I'm just very fond of my things. I don't care much for other people handling them." He shot a glance over at Sheppard, and the major had to give McKay credit for how he'd played it out because Dr. Weir bought it. With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, the expedition leader trotted back up the stairs, and the team peeled away and headed through the doors on the side of the gateroom to go change.
Later
After meetings, and promised visits to labs, and dinner, it was moving into evening by the time Weir returned to her office. Mind preoccupied, she slid her laptop into its dock, not even noticing the big arrangement of flowers until she was standing right in front of it. Then she paused; even from a few feet away the blooms had a heady fragrance. Espying the little piece of folded paper beside the vase, Weir picked it up and read the brief statement. "Happy 'Mothers' Day' from your boys" along with the three tiny scribbled signatures. She smiled.
A discrete, attention-getting cough brought her glaze forward again, and she smiled at the three men watching expectantly, and from a safe distance, back in the control room: Ford with his baseball cap and boyish grin, McKay nervously clutching his computer, and Sheppard with hands shoved in his pockets smiling cheekily back at her.
Smelling the flowers again, Weir gave "her boys" a gracious nod and settled back to work. The three men gave a collective sigh.
"When should we tell her we need the vase back?" McKay asked quietly.
They turned away, and Sheppard replied, "Not for a while…"
AN: Think about it – Weir is totally the mom of Atlantis. I just hope I never have kids as troublesome as Sheppard et al.!