John groaned as he rolled over, his legs tangling in the sheets. He didn't want to get up, despite the promise he'd made to himself the night before, and for a couple of minutes, he thought about just going back to sleep. The damage had already been done, though, and he threw the covers back with a sigh.

It only took him a few minutes to slip on his clothes and running shoes. He left the light off in the bathroom, not looking too closely at the man who walked beside him in the mirror. Sliding a careless hand through his hair, he walked out of his room and into the empty hallway outside.

Except that it wasn't empty. A young woman was walking past just as he stepped out, pausing and turning her head to regard him. She was pretty, with an amused twist tugging at the corner of her mouth. Her long blonde hair was swept up into a ponytail, and he couldn't help but notice how toned her legs were. He vaguely remembered seeing her around Atlantis, but he couldn't quite place her, or put a name to the face.

"Going for a run?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nah. I just like waltzing through the corridors in my workout clothes. Very freeing."

Her tone caught him off-guard, but he couldn't help but nod in appreciation. "I have to say, the sarcasm is a breath of fresh air this early in the morning."

"I'm a fan of starting the day off right."

"Any chance you'd like some company?"

She looked him up and down. "Think you can keep up?"

"I can certainly hold my own."

She thought for a moment and then nodded, stretching out a slender hand. "Danni."

"John."

Danni smirked. "I know. You ready?"

He made a sweeping gesture with his left hand. "Lead on."

"So," he said after a minute of silent walking. "You know who I am?"

"The infamous Colonel Sheppard," she replied. "I hope you're not expecting me to cut you any slack because of that."

"Infamous?" he asked, pouting slightly. "Not exactly the word I would have chosen."

Danni shrugged. "If the shoe fits."

John narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not one to build up a guy's ego, are you?"

"Like you need it."

The smile on her face softened her words, and he found himself oddly comfortable with her. It was different from the banter he had with Elizabeth or McKay, but it felt somehow familiar. He opened his mouth to ask her where exactly she worked in Atlantis, but they had reached their destination, and she turned to look at him with a smirk.

"Ready?"

A dozen comebacks came to mind, but he just settled for a cheeky grin as they began to run.

He was late. That really wasn't anything new, but he wasn't usually sweating and breathing heavily as he rushed into the conference room and slid into his seat. His run with Danni had been a hell of a lot harder than he'd been expecting, and he hadn't had enough time to shower. There were plenty of women on the expedition who liked to run, but John was fairly certain there weren't any who could keep up with him for such a long time at such a hard pace.

The worst part was that he had his suspicions about Danni holding back a little.

Rodney rolled his eyes as John sat down. "So nice of you to grace us with your presence." He wrinkled his nose. "You could have showered first, though."

"Good morning to you, too, Rodney."

He turned to Elizabeth, who seemed ready to start the meeting – though he caught the eyebrow she quirked at his appearance – but Rodney wasn't about to let it go.

"Seriously," he whined. "I realize that the fraternization rules have been lifted, but do you really need to flaunt –"

John turned to give him a hard look. "I was running, McKay."

"Oh, is that the term for it?"

He turned back, his mouth open, fully prepared to hit back, when a throat cleared behind him.

"Gentlemen," Elizabeth said firmly. "Focus."

Getting back at McKay was going to have to wait. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Elizabeth, a tight smile on his face.

"Good morning, Elizabeth."

Her expression told him quite clearly that she didn't buy his tone. "Good morning. Are you ready to pay attention now?"

His smile widened, and he winked. "I'm all ears."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Good. Because you're going off-world."

John perked up at that, just like he always did when he found out he was going off on an adventure. "Where to?"

"M4Z-837," Rodney said, all business now.

"Do they have a ZPM?" Teyla asked.

"No. As much as I stress the importance of ZPMs, there are apparently other reasons to visit places as well. Or so Elizabeth tells me."

She sighed, but didn't rise to the bait. "We're simply looking for more allies against the Wraith," she explained. "It looks as though there's a civilized society on the planet, so I'd like your team to check it out." Her mouth twisted up into a faint smirk. "Hopefully without causing any interplanetary conflicts."

John's face took on a hurt expression. "I hope you're not suggesting that I get into trouble on a regular basis, Elizabeth."

"I'm sure she was only expressing her concern for your well-being, Colonel," Teyla said diplomatically. Everyone could see the glint in her eye, though.

"Exactly," Elizabeth replied. "Thank you, Teyla."

"Not a problem. I have already requested that Ronon refrain from starting any fights."

John glanced over at his friend. "You starting to get the feeling that we're dogs on a short leash?"

Ronon shrugged, folding his arms across his chest. "I've gotten pretty good at breaking those."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth stood up. "Go. Stay out of trouble. And let us know what you find. We need allies, gentlemen."

Everyone filed out of the room, John dallying until he was the last one. Turning to Elizabeth, he met her eyes with a serious expression, letting her know that he understood the importance of the mission. When he saw the grateful and trusting look she returned, he smiled at her.

"I really was just running."

She rolled her eyes. "Get moving, Colonel."

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."