Disclaimer: I don't own them. Never have, never will. -sigh-
John Sheppard was one of the few people left in the commissary. Most of the residents of Atlantis had either gone to bed or had already started their graveyard shift. He sat with booted feet propped up on a table, nursing a weak cup of coffee. He absent-mindedly tapped his fingers against the metal mug, watching two people across the room.
One of the scientists appeared to be on a late-night date with a woman John recognized as one of Carson's Nurse Ratched wannabes. The two were sitting close together, their fingers entwined, talking quietly. It wasn't an unusual scene; John had noticed many people having similar private moments lately. With the Wraith no longer such an imminent and overwhelming threat (though, John noted wryly,nowhere nearas extinct as he would have liked them), moments of normality had begun seeping into the city. He knew that after five years of living in Atlantis, it would be hard to ever return to Earth and expect to have even a quasi-normal relationship with anyone who had not experienced the same things as him.
He knew he wasn't the only one who felt this way. Carson had been spending a lot of time lately with an Athosian woman, a close friend of Teyla's, and there were even rumors about Bates sneaking off with some blonde scientist.
John sighed. Then there was the complicated situation that was his and Teyla's relationship…
And Rodney, was, well…Rodney. John didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that they didn't have restraining orders in the Pegasus Galaxy.
That just left the clandestine Dr. Weir…if monetary value meant anything here, he'd stake a hefty chunk on the fact that she was seeing somebody. He'd done a small amount of snooping but had come up with nothing other than an even stronger feeling that she was hiding something and it was a doozy.
John was positive it had something to do with her personal life. It hadn't escaped his notice that she had stopped staying in her office till all hours of the night and almost never spent the night on her makeshift couch. Lately, too, there had been a few times when she had disappeared without telling anyone where she was going. It was never for long—half an hour here, an hour there—nothing to raise alarm, but suspicious nonetheless.
He hadn't told anyone his theories just yet, and he certainly hadn't confronted Elizabeth about it. He grinned to himself, picturing that conversation: "So, Elizabeth, doing anyone new lately?"
Technically, it wasn't any of business, but, he reasoned, as that had never stopped him before, he certainly wasn't going to change his habits now.
He set his empty cup down on the table and cupped his hands behind his head. Finding out this sort of information was so much easier when he was younger and the girls his age kept diaries. He vaguely wondered if Elizabeth had ever kept a diary. The thought was somewhat laughable—he couldn't quite imagine her as anything but the confident, self-assured diplomat who could easily be your best friend or your worst enemy; a vision of her as an angsty, doubt-ridden teenager just didn't jive with that.
Dear Diary: OMG, that Kavanagh is such a slimeball, and what is with that ponytail? Why are Teyla and Kate always whispering together when I walk by? I wonder if I'll get asked to the Athosian Harvest Celebration?
John chuckled softly, imagining the tales of Atlantis angst that Elizabeth's diary might contain. Sadly, she didn't seem like the diary kind.
He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further, he was sure. This was going to be a challenge. Good thing there was nothing he loved so much as a challenge. He might need to recruit some help…but if it meant increasing his chances of finding out the truth, it was worth not being the only one who broke the news.
He grinned and shot up out of his chair, startling the lovebirds. He waved to them cheerfully and jogged away to his quarters. The sooner he got to sleep, the sooner it would be morning and he could begin Operation Dating Game.
Yeah, he'd have to work on the name.
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A/N: To all of you who are fans of my other WIP, A New Arrival, I haven't given up on it, just mixing things up a bit. Hope you like this one as well! The next chapter will have many of our favorite characters on the hunt for the truth…Reviews are always welcome! Oh, and I mean no offense by the diary comments—these are John's opinions, not my own.:)