Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. No profit is made from this.
A/N: This is set mid-ish way through season 5 of Atlantis and is a crossover with SG1.
A/N: A huge thank you to Bailey1ak for all your help with this story.
"Doc." Sheppard said strolling over to the workbench that Jennifer was sitting at.
"Colonel." Jennifer said looking up from her screen. "Something I can do for you?" She asked quickly scanning his body for signs of trauma.
"Yeah, I have a favour to ask."
"Sounds ominous." Jennifer replied.
"Perhaps we can meet up later to discuss it?" He suggested.
"Later?"
"Yeah, tonight maybe."
"I can't tonight." Jennifer said apologetically.
"You can't?"
"Nope. I have plans."
"You do?" Sheppard asked, not concealing his surprise.
"Is there a reason I can't have plans?" Jennifer asked, her tone bordering on the defensive.
"No, I didn't mean that." Sheppard answered quickly. "I just meant that your evenings normally involve staying in the infirmary, not having plans." He went on. Feeling he was quickly digging himself into a hole he stopped, then asked. "It's not a date is it?"
"Am I not allowed to date?" Jennifer asked irritably.
"No I mean yes. No, wait I mean no. I mean of course you're allowed to date. " He said wincing. "Okay, this is going badly."
"What gives you that impression?" Jennifer threw back.
"Can I start again?" John asked throwing a smile.
"Go ahead."
"Thanks. You remember that formal Woolsey was talking about at the last staff meeting?"
"The one back on Earth on Friday?"
"Yeah, well apparently I have to go."
"And you want me to write you a medical note to get you out of it?" Jennifer guessed.
"I hadn't thought of that." Sheppard said after a brief pause. "Will you?"
"No."
"Because of the conversation I screwed up a minute ago?"
"No. Because it would be unethical." Jennifer replied, a hint of irritability detectable in her voice again.
"Right." Sheppard said. "Actually what I wanted was to ask you was if you'd come with me?"
"To a formal event you don't want to go to?"
"Umm yes."
"Why me? There are plenty of women out there who'd love to go with you." Jennifer pointed out.
"Woolsey said I had to take someone from the senior staff team."
"Rodney turn you down?" Jennifer asked.
"Funny." Sheppard replied. "While I could take Rodney, I'd prefer someone who is female."
"So you're asking me on a date?"
"No." Sheppard said very quickly. "Look I need to take someone from the team and you are as normal as a scientist comes."
"I'm curious, how long did you have to rehearse this conversation to fit so many insults into such a short space?"
"Would bribery work at this stage?" Sheppard tried.
"Bribery?" Jennifer asked.
"I'll buy you the dress, the hair, the makeup, the shoes." John offered.
"You are trying to buy me?"
"Look doc, I would really like you to come with me to this formal. So much so that I have persuaded Woolsey to give you a weeks leave on Earth after the formal, including you getting beamed to Chippewa Falls."
"I really don't like work formals." Jennifer said, but Sheppard could detect a chink in her resolve.
"Well that's something we have in common. We'd go as late as possible, we'd drink, we'd leave as soon as possible." John said. "Then you get to see your family."
"Ok." Jennifer conceded, suddenly feeling nostalgic for home.
"Really?" Sheppard asked, half surprised she agreed.
"Really, but you owe me big time."
"Thanks doc." Sheppard smiled, relieved.
-00-
"What are you so happy about?" McKay asked as Sheppard sat down at the table. "Have you got out of the formal?"
"Nope."
"Then?"
"I've got the doc to agree to go with me."
"Jennifer?" McKay asked surprised.
"Yeah."
"As in Jennifer Keller?"
"Yes."
"She agreed to be your date?"
"She did." Sheppard replied.
"Typical." McKay mumbled through his cheesecake.
"Something wrong Rodney?"
"Why would anything be wrong?"
"Well you're glaring at your cheesecake." Sheppard pointed out, starting to guess what the problem was.
"I'm not glaring at my cheesecake."
"Yeah you are." Ronon commented.
"Look Rodney." Sheppard said calmly, making sure that Ronon was also listening. "The doc is coming with me as a favour and I had to bribe her. It's not like it's a date."
"Yet."
"What's that meant to mean?" Sheppard asked scrunching his eyebrows.
"When we go off world it never starts as a date, but at the end of an evening in a castle when you wake next to a naked princess-"
"She threw herself at me and nothing happened." John defended himself. "It's very brotherly of you to look out for the doc, but there is nothing to worry about. I do not think of the doc in that way."
"What way would that be?" Teyla asked.
"As anything more than a colleague and friend."
"Doesn't mean you won't try Kirking it."
"McKay. Firstly, Kirk is a noun not a verb and secondly my intentions are completely honourable."
"What intentions are honourable?" Jennifer asked sitting down next to Teyla.
"All of them." John said looking innocent. As Jennifer looked at him cynically and Rodney glared at him Teyla commented.
"John mentioned you agreed to go back to Earth for the formal."
"Only because he's arranged for me to spend some time with my dad."
"Suck up." McKay muttered.
"So you are not looking forward to the formal then?" Teyla asked.
"No. I'd rather try my luck off world." Jennifer answered, before looking at John. "No offence."
"None taken. Mind you, if you bring your luck with you it could make the evening more interesting."
"I think I'll stick with dull." Jennifer replied.
"Dull sounds good." McKay agreed. "Here's to having a really dull evening."
"Thank you." Jennifer said. "I think."
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Chapter 2 should go up tomorrow.