Author's Notes ~ This little fiction is a birthday gift for the same friend I've written the entire Mystery Lover series & What About Shep? for. Do enjoy it, Luv! :)

The Dress

She slips into the slim black dress, her sister zips it up her back, and both stand looking in the mirror. Finally, she will wear this dress for the right person. She adjusts the shoulder strap, moves the side slit so it lays closed. The dress is amazing. Next will be her make up. Reddish toned lipstick, some pale pink and silver at the eyes, just a bit, and mascara for the eyelashes.

Her sister turns her to look, slips a pretty silver clip with a butterfly on one side into her glossy red hair, pinning one side back from her face and letting the other side hang just framing the side of her face, and adjusts her bangs, smiles at the outcome. Lil' Sis is proud of her style sense, proud that her older sister looks so lovely. Sis takes her own necklace and clips it around her sister's neck once more. She steps into the black heels, pulls her shawl tight around her shoulders-at this point, Lil' Sis adjusts the shawl, showing just enough of the dress-and picks up her handbag. She is ready. Lil' Sis walks her out to the door, hugs her gently, and opens the door with the wave of a hand.

The Suit

On the other side of the city, he sits on the edge of their bed, his friend straightens his tie and jacket, looks him up and down. He squirms, the tie at his neck will drive him mad, but for her, it'll be worth it. He is thinking of her, what she will look like all dressed up, and this time it will be for him alone. With a final tug on the tie and straightening of the jacket, his friend blinks his blue eyes and nods his approval.

He steps out of his room, walks down the hall, runs his fingers through his unruly hair and nearly turns back. He has been with her for months now, but they never had a true first date like this. He feels like a teenage boy, getting ready for the prom, nervous about whether she would like his suit, wondering how she would look. Before he knows it, he has crossed the city and stands outside her door. He reaches out to knock, hears a giggle from inside, and knows that her sister is there, helping her to get ready. He knocks lightly, waiting for her to come to the door.

The Reveal

The door slides open, she steps into his line of sight, the dress swaying just right to reveal the split up the side, and she stands in the doorway, awaiting his reaction. Lil' Sis stands just behind her, watching him for a reaction, a smile spread across her face.

Outside the door, his mouth falls open at the sight of her, and Lil' Sis winks at him. He snaps to attention, but continues staring at his beautiful red headed lover. She got all dressed up like this for him, and only for him. He notices the split in the side of the dress, but gracefully, he refrains from reacting too suddenly to the split and moves his focus back to her face. Her hair is framing her face, shining in the light that is coming from the room behind her, and the diamond butterfly in her hair catches the light, sparkling.

"You look...amazing..." He finally gets the words out, and the tie is feeling far too snug at his neck. He twitches to try to loosen the tie, to no avail, and then he moves toward her. He gathers her in a hug, sees the lipstick on her lips, but ignores it and kisses her anyway. Lil' Sis, still watching from the doorway, thanks the Ancients that she remembered to give her the waterproof, Long lasting lipstick that will not rub off on his face.

"Remember, I am only a call away if you need me," Lil' Sis whispers as she slips back into her quarters, the door sliding shut behind her. He nods to Lil' Sis as she walks by. She smiles at Lil' Sis, acknowledging her whisper, and they set off for their date.

The Date

He leads her through the city, to a quiet balcony on one of the most beautiful spires of the city. There is a table, set for two, with two candles lit atop it and a bunch of a dozen red roses in the center. He pulls out her chair, helps her sit down, and then he sits opposite her. He presses a button on a comm link cleverly hidden in his pocket, the signal for dinner to begin. A young marine walks in with a tray balanced on one hand, containing two lovely porcelain plates (where had he gotten porcelain on Atlantis?) of perfectly seared scollops. She smells her favorite meal, before she even sees the plates, and she wonders. How does he know?

They sit, enjoying their food and a glass of proper red wine (must have been from Earth), and he can't help but stare at her. With the suns setting behind her, the light glinting off her hair and the silver clip she wears in it, he thinks she could be an angel. His very own angel, perhaps. He smiles at her, and she smiles back at him, as they finish their dinner.

He stands up first, takes her hand to lead her once again. He walks to their joined quarters; waves a hand over the panel to open the door, and leads her inside. Unlike the first time they came here, the lights are dimmed to about half brightness and there are roses scattered around the room, soft music playing in the background (which she notes, is one of her favorite songs). As she's looking around, she notices two wine glasses and a fresh bottle of wine on the nightstand, and then she feels his hands on her waist.

"Shall we, my love?" He whispers in her ear, and she nods slightly, turning to face him. Before she can think, his lips touch hers, and the burning passion spreads through her body, making her want more. Her hands are buried in his hair, his arms are wrapped around her, and they kiss like this for a few moments, losing themselves in each other.

He unwraps the shawl from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor along with his suit jacket, and she reaches up to loosen his tie, slipping it off his neck. The tie lands draped over a nearby chair, and is soon followed by his shirt as she wordlessly works to unbutton it, her hands stumbling over the buttons in her passionate rush. She can feel his hands on her back, looking for the zipper on her dress, to pull it down and reveal her bare skin.

As they move to the bed, she steps out of her heels, the dress slipping off next and landing on top of the shoes, and he kicks off his own shoes, letting her reach to unbuckle his belt before his pants join the jumble of dress and shoes on the floor. In mere moments, he settles back on the bed, pulling her over to lie atop him, and kisses her deeply once more, before the burning passion takes over once more, enveloping them both, and finishing their first date in the best possible way.

Morning Whispers

The following morning, he awakes first, looking lovingly at his redheaded lover. She sleeps peacefully, a small smile on her lips and her cheeks still holding a pink blush even though she's been sleeping for hours. He still has one arm wrapped around her, and her head rests on his bare chest. His other hand, he brings up and gently strokes the hair out of her face before pulling the blanket up just a bit, to cover her sleeping form a bit more. She stirs a bit and her big blue eyes blink up at him, locking on his shining green eyes.

She runs a sleepy hand down his bare chest, her hand gently caressing the most recent scar until he reaches out and stops her, bringing her hand up to press it to his face. She smiles, still mostly asleep, and his arms both wrap around her, hugging her body against his. She can feel how she fits against the curves of his body, as if it was meant to be. There, they sit as the suns rise over the city spires, bathing the room in rosy pink and golden sunlight.

Just a little bit later, she sits up and finds herself alone in the bed, the smell of bacon and eggs and freshly brewed coffee wafting across to her nose. She notices a bathrobe hung over the foot of the bed and wraps it around her body, tying it shut most of the way. She makes her way out of the bedroom to the kitchen table, shaking her hair from her sparkling blue eyes, as he comes from the stove, also clad in a bathrobe, and places a second plate of bacon and eggs on the table.

She smiles up at him and he embraces her, pulling her close for one more kiss. She looks into his eyes as they separate, and she whispers for only his ears to hear, "I love you, John Sheppard."

He replies in kind, a whisper of "I love you" filling her ears as they take their places at the table. This may have been their first proper date, but it has always been clear to them both that they are truly meant to be.