Although I am a Keller/Ronon shipper, I thought pairing her with John would be fun as well. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
"Seriously, come on." Sheppard muttered, avoiding two new nurses that came on the Daedlus. He didn't know their names and, quite frankly, didn't care. The women had been turning up exactly the same time he ate in the mess hall for the last week. They hadn't approached him yet, but they always waited for him to sit and then strategically sat as close to his table as possible.
Ronon didn't stop shoveling in his food. "What?" He looked up as Sheppard groaned. Looking over at the two women sitting at the table next to them, Ronon turned and smiled at him. "What did Rodney call them? Your fan club?"
Suddenly feeling hopeful, Sheppard wondered out loud. "Maybe I'm imagining it. I wonder if they aren't looking at me and are looking over you instead."
Laughing, Ronon shook his head. "Nope. They follow you around Atlantis even when I'm not there." Still grinning, he reached over and patted his friend's back. "Check this out. Look over and see if what they do. I'm going to go get more of those french fry things."
As Ronon walked across the hall, Sheppard held his head down muttering "Am I really reverting back to high school?"
"You know," Atlantis CMO Jennifer Keller grinned and looked down at him and sat with her own tray. "Talking to yourself is a red flag. What's going on, colonel?"
The doctor seemed to be more relaxed at Atlantis compared to her first few months here. Sheppard knew she didn't feel confident when Beckett's fate made her the CMO, but the woman had definitely began to fill the big shoes of Carson. She had opened up won the hearts of many people on Atlantis, as well as a few men from his own team if rumor served correctly. Rumors had been swirling about her linked to both Rodney and Ronon. Sheppard decided not to get involved, but wondered what came of all that.
He genuinely liked the doctor. She was the real deal, both in the infirmary and outside. The only problem he had with her was she just ran into the worst luck off world. Between him and Lorne, they usually flipped a coin and money was often exchanged on missions involving her.
Getting back to reality, he sighed. 'Nothing. Ronon is just proving a point." Sitting up, he looked at her. "Tell me, doc, are the two women behind me drooling over Ronon walking across the room?"
Jennifer sat up straighter, grinning. She leaned over to look around Sheppard at the women. Eyes widening, she looked surprised. "Yeah, big no on the following Ronon part. They're glaring at me. What the heck did I do?"
Scowling, Sheppard nodded. "Great." He looked up to see Ronon returning with another mountain of food.
"Hey Jen," Ronon smiled. He sat down next to her, grinning, and leaned over towards Sheppard. "Looks like I was right?"
"What exactly is going on with you two?" Keller laughed, beginning to eat her chicken salad.
Sheppard held up a hand and warned Ronon with a look not to say anything. Looking serious for a split second, Ronon met Sheppard's glare and leaned over to whisper into Jennifer's ear. He watched the couple, wondering if they were together. Ronon certainly hadn't said anything about it. Jennifer's laughter brought him back to reality.
"Seriously, colonel, don't you know you're the number one guy around here with the ladies?" Jennifer whispered, chuckling at Sheppard's horrified look.
Amused, Ronon stopped eating. "Did I make the list?"
"Of course. You're the second. I think you would be first, to be quite honest, but I think there are a few women that are still scared of you." Keller bumped into him, grinning. "Don't worry, maybe Sheppard here will find himself in love with one of his admirers over here. Then he'll be demoted from the list and you'll get his spot."
"I don't think so," Sheppard said, pushing away his tray. "I've taken myself off the market, completely. It's not worth the trouble."
Jennifer was only half listening. Ronon followed her eyes and snorted. "The doctor has her own problems." He was amused that she was trying to hide her body away from the doorway by trying to hide besides his.
"Lovely. Just lovely." She said, about to get her tray and leave. "I thought I timed this better." Ronon tugged her down, earning a glare.
"What?" Sheppard asked, confused.
Jennifer tilted her head towards a group of men who just entered the mess hall. "That officer over there. Huggins?" She said, talking so that her lips didn't move in case he spotted her and somehow picked up what she was saying. "He's asked me out twice. Both times I made excuses, but I think turning him down a third time will just be rude."
Enjoying that someone else was on the hot seat, Sheppard glanced innocently over at him. "What not just go out with him?"
Jennifer hissed. "I don't want to. I enjoy being single. I don't want any complicated drama in my life right now. Especially with having a position that I didn't really expect to have when I joined Atlantis. I have enough to deal with as it is to add more things on my plate."
"Well, then just tell him that." Sheppard shrugged, eying her.
Rolling her eyes, Jennifer lowered her voice. "Oh yeah, you're doing a great job with the blond twins behind me. Why not take your own advice?"
"Well, maybe they'll think you're with Ronon." Sheppard glanced slyly at them. "Speaking of which..."
Ronon spoke up. "We're just friends."
"But we did think about it for about a minute when we were looked up in that room during the quarantine," Jennifer said, patting Ronon's back. "It ends up that we like each other too much to do that to ourselves and ruin a good friendship."
"Awwww." Sheppard said, sarcastically. "Well, they don't know that. One look at Chewey here and Huggins won't get ten feet near you."
Scowling, Jennifer shook her head. "No luck there. Lorne gave it away that we were just friends."
Looking at the clock, Ronon ate the last of his food. "Gotta run. I'm late for a training session."
As soon as Ronon stood up, Jennifer groaned. "I've been spotted." Panicking, she pleaded to John. "Help!"
"Hey, doctor Jen!" Huggins called over to her. Not really noticing Sheppard across from her, he walked over to the table. "I know for a fact, thanks to a few nurses over at the next table, that you're not on tonight in the infirmary. How about we grab a movie and some popcorn?"
Keller looked at him for a moment. Sheppard thought to himself that the poor woman looked like a panicked deer caught in a stream of headlights in the middle of the road. Forming an idea in his head, he decided to bail her out.
"Sorry, captain." Sheppard spoke, shocking both Jennifer and Captain Huggins. "The lady is spoken for tonight. We have a date."
Huggins eyes widened when he heard Sheppard speak. "Colonel! I'm sorry..." He sputtered. "I didn't realize that you were here.... and dating the doctor."
"Well, son." Sheppard, said, enjoying Jennifer's reaction and thrilled that Huggin's boisterous voice was carrying over to the next table. With a quick glance, he saw the looks of disappointment on the women's face. "It actually just happened today. It's our first date. Plan on taking Jen up to the observatory. Rodney said he would lend us some binoculars so we can take advantage of the clear night we'll have tonight."
Huggins began to back away from the table to rejoin his group. "Sorry, sir. Er... Dr. Keller."
Jennifer closed her mouth and watched him return to his table. Turning back to Sheppard, she finally spoke. "You... are a complete genius." She said, absolutely thrilled that she was off the hook.
Finishing up his food, Sheppard grinned. "I know. But now," he said, in a low conspiring voice. "We need to follow through on it if we're going to fool anyone. Are you really free tonight?"
Nodding, she picked up her tray and followed him out of the hall. "Yeah, I'm done at 5."
"Good. I'll pick you up around 6. Don't worry about food, I'll get it." Sheppard said, relieved that he may have dodged the ladies for awhile.
Jennifer glanced sideways at him, embarrassed to ask what was on her mind. "Look," she began, hesitantly. "We're agreeing just to do this for the sake of appearance... nothing else, right?"
"Absolutely." Sheppard understood where she was going. "I have absolutely no interest in anything more than being friends, know that for a fact, doc. No offense."
She grinned. "None taken." Jennifer headed down the opposite hall towards the infirmary. "Again, thanks."
"What?" Teyla and Ronon both said later on in the training room, looking at John like he lost his mind.
"I said," John grinned. "The doctor and I are going on a date tonight." He was enjoying their shock. Laughing, he gave in and let them in on the secret. "So we're really not going on a date. Just going through the motions for appearance sake."
Teyla frowned. "John, I don't think this is going to work." Looking at him seriously, she shook her head. "What happens next week, when this man, or this group of ladies for that matter, don't see you guys together as often?"
He shrugged. "We'll just have to make sure we're seen together. No big deal." Checking his watch, he stood. "Speaking of which, I need to go swing by the infirmary and flirt with the doctor a little before we go."
Ronon watched his friend leave. "This is going to be weird."
Teyla agreed. "I don't think the two of them have thought this out."