Summary: Elizabeth is on the Daedalus, coming back from a trip to Earth
Rating: K
Category: General/Romance
Pairing: Caldweir
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis belong to MGM, SciFi, and anybody I forgot. I'm borrowing some characters for a while, and this storyline is mine.
Beta: Self
Timeline: After Long Goodbye and before Coup D'Etat. I only saw as far as Long Goodbye I'm ignoring the last 4 episodes of Season 2. Also, Simon and Elizabeth were married.
Elizabeth sat in the galley of the Daedalus, watching the starlines streak past, leaving Earth far behind with all her fears. She had nothing left there anymore – her father had passed away long ago, and her mother had died a few years before Elizabeth entered the Stargate program. Simon was out of her life as well; her reason for going back on this run was to finalize their divorce. She'd given Simon almost everything, and taken her money with her. Atlantis was her home now.
She was so deeply caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the new person in the room – until he slid two cookies and a mug of hot chocolate under her nose. Startled, she looked up to see a pair of eyes the same dark color as the drink, their expression a mix of concern and…something.
"Colonel, I'm not all that familiar with military food, but I'm pretty sure chocolate chip cookies aren't on the menu." Elizabeth said, breaking their silence. The commander of the Daedalus smiled, taking the seat across from her.
"They aren't. But if you eat them within a few days, they keep just fine in a plastic bag." Elizabeth arched an eyebrow
"You bake, Colonel?" Caldwell laughed.
"I wouldn't torture you. There's a bakery across the street from my apartment, and while Atlantis's food is okay, it's sometimes nice to have food that's not military or from another galaxy," it was Elizabeth's turn to smile, and they sat and ate for a few minutes before she spoke again.
"If you don't mind me asking, what brought you up here? You don't seem the insomniac type," Caldwell suddenly looked like he'd been caught red-handed at something. He hesitated for a second before meeting her eyes.
"It's a small ship, and rumors travel pretty quickly. I heard your name mentioned a few times along with a couple of words that…I took it you cut a few ties, and when I passed by I thought you might enjoy some company. I have heard that you are a bit of an insomniac, though." Part of her was amused at his embarrassment over his admission, and another part was glad for his presence and concern.
"Comes with the territory," she said, and he nodded. Neither said anything else, but Elizabeth soon found herself yawning. Caldwell silently rose and walked her to her cabin, his hand on her back to ensure she didn't stumble. As she drifted off to sleep she realized that when had any other man tried to help her, she'd have snapped and told them she was fine on her own. But she never told Caldwell to move.
So? What'd you think? I have ideas to continue, let me know if I should. I welcome grammatical and other constructive criticism, but please don't flame the pairing.
