TITLE: Are You Jealous
AUTHOR: Miss Mon
CATEGORY: Angst/Romance
SUMMARY: will a party help two people see what's in front of them
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: tiny one for Sunday and the latter half of season 3 in general
SEASON: late season 3
ARCHIVE:
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. The people who own the show and the characters own them not me; I'm just having some fun with them.
A/N: I wasn't sure about Mike Branton's profession so I just wrote that he was an anthropologist, so if it is incorrect I apologise. Also, the character of Lila Williams is my creation.
A/N 2: I know it's been awhile since I last posted a story but after a very turbulent year I'm surprised I haven't ended up with more angsty posts. This one's just a little bit angsty with a whole lotta fluff. Read and enjoy and as always reviews are wanted and appreciated :)
Are You Jealous?
John and Elizabeth were at a party celebrating on New Athos with a heap of the Atlantis personnel.
John was jealous of Elizabeth's relationship with Mike Branton and was trying to get Elizabeth to go out with him; he chose to take Dr Lila Williams, one of the new botanists, as his date in order to make Elizabeth jealous
John asked Dr Williams to come with him to the garden party on New Athos in order to celebrate the coming of the Autumn Solstice. Following the entertainment by the locals, primarily singing various prayers to the gods for a good festival.
"Elizabeth. Did you happen to see who's here? Teyla asked
"Who?" Elizabeth replied
"Sheppard with Lila Williams." Ronon replied
"Oh. Is she his... girlfriend? Elizabeth asked
"Kirk doesn't have girlfriends, he has dates" Rodney said, using air quotes when saying dates.
Elizabeth looked around for Mike Branton, the man who just recently became her
boyfriend "Mike?"
"Yes, Coming" Mike replied as he approached Elizabeth "Well, the camera's all ready to go, so... "
"Great". Elizabeth replied "Let's go this way". She said as she pointed to the edge of the village where there were gardens for those who wanted to take a stroll
"You did very well with your speech Elizabeth. Very charming" Mike complemented her
"Oh, thank you" Elizabeth replied
"Wait, wait, wait. The light is perfect" Mike said as he took out his camera
"What? "
"Just one more, please" he asked
"Please, no more pictures" She pleaded while she laughed
"Come on, please. One more"
"It's very flattering, but..."
"Elizabeth, one more picture"
"I'm feeling shy, come on" Elizabeth replied as she was still laughing before she spots John and Lila coming from the opposite direction
John had been taking Lila for a stroll through the gardens, in an effort to flaunt her in Elizabeth's sight to create jealousy. When they accidentally-on-purpose met Mike and Elizabeth, he realized his provocation had worked. Elizabeth was incredibly jealous. John could hardly contain his joy.
"Hello. I don't think we have met. I'm Mike Branton" Mike said as he held his hand out to Lila
"Oh, hello." Doctor Lila Williams" She replied as she shook it
"Pleasure"
"Lila" Elizabeth greeted
"Doctor Weir"
"Hello" Elizabeth greeted John
"Hello" the four of them stood around in silence for a short period of time until "Lila and I were just discussing one of her achievements before coming to Atlantis, she received a Kennedy scholarship" John bragged
"John, please"
"Why not brag? You're an amazing woman"
"Lila, congratulations. You know, Mike has a PhD in anthropology from Harvard" Elizabeth boasted
"Oh, really? That's wonderful"
"Fantastic. Lila was in the Peace Corps" John claimed
"Really? Mike spent four months in Bangladesh studying the bark of an Indica tree"
"Lila single-handedly..."
"Mike..." Lila tried to say
"Lila is actually trying to say something." Elizabeth comments "Yes, Lila?"
"Mike, would you like to get a drink? I have a feeling they're going to start a "My horse is bigger than your horse" run"
"I would absolutely love to. Excuse us" Mike and Lila walked off with Mike saying to Lila "You know, Elizabeth actually owns a horse"
"Oh, really?" Lila replied as they left
Once alone, however, neither could think of exactly what to say. Then John said to Elizabeth, John shifted on his feet before saying "Fantastic party the Athosians threw"
"It is" Elizabeth agreed
"You two make such a lovely couple" He commented
"We do. Thanks"
"It's a shame you're not attracted to him" He stated and was thrilled when she said casually "I know, it..." before realizing what his actual words had been. John walked away, grinning and Elizabeth ran after him.
"You... I... Come back here" When she caught up with him to made him listen, she said, "You... you can't just say something like that and walk away. I will have you know that I am very attracted to Mike"
"Well, obviously."
"I am. He's... We are perfect for each other. He understands me"
"Oh, what passion!" John mocked her gently. "But I didn't hear you mention love."
"You are so jealous!" she drawled while whipping out the fan that the Athosians had given her for the occasion, knowing that she had the upper hand.
"Why would I be jealous of Mike?" John asked with a bit of spite in his voice "He could end up spending the rest of his life with you."
That statement made Elizabeth snap "I hate you!" she said, hitting him with the fan.
Without thinking, he grabbed out a spare power bar from his vest and slapped her shoulder with it. "I hate YOU."
"I hated you first!"
He looked at her standing in front of him with a flushed face and stormy eyes as she glared up at him. Unable to resist her appeal any longer, John pulled her close and kissed her. He was thrilled to feel her instant response as she wound her arms around his neck and pressed against him. He deepened the kiss and with a gasp of outrage, Elizabeth pushed back, retreating from him around the pond, obviously upset by the feelings she had revealed to him.
"Wait. What are you doing? What is wrong with you? You can't just go around kissing people. Particularly not people who are in a relationship."
"You enjoyed it. You want to kiss again?" John asked as he followed her around the pond He couldn't help but smile ruefully at the contrast between the vibrant, passionate Elizabeth he had held just moments before, and this prim, annoyed and obviously uncomfortable Elizabeth who faced him now.
"Well, l...No! Stop trying to confuse me"
"What's confusing about a kiss?"
"You're just trying to make me like you so that I won't want to date Mike and so that you can say I told you so. Oh!"
"Well, maybe I am" Then he drew her close again, thinking how good she felt in his arms. He knew she couldn't possibly miss his obvious signs of arousal, and could tell that she was aroused as well. "and...maybe I just like kissing you"
"You... You stay away from me" Elizabeth yelled as she tried to get out of his embrace, and in her struggles, she toppled them both into the pond.
Sputtering and regaining her feet, Elizabeth grabbed her fan, brushing away the streams of water running down her face from her hair. "Elizabeth" John pleaded
"You know what? I have an idea," she said to him icily. "Why don't you go underwater and I'll count to a million?"
"Elizabeth!" he called after her, but she ignored him and strode off, without turning back.
Sighing, John splashed his way out of the pond as well. He wasn't sure he had done the smartest thing by antagonizing her like that ... KISSING her like that! Now he could think of nothing but how wonderful she had felt in his arms, how responsive, how sweet ... He only hoped she'd at least talk to him again sometime!
Elizabeth was heading back to the party when she saw Rodney, Ronon and Teyla, they took one look at her and Rodney was the only one to ask "Do I want to know?"
"I don't think so" she replied before asking "Teyla is it possible for me to borrow some clothes so I will not catch a cold"
"Of course Doctor Weir, if you will follow me" Teyla replied leaving the guys there.
"Hey, you seen Sheppard?"
"No why?"
"Well Mike and Lila are over there getting a drink so I'm just wondering..." Rodney stopped
"There he is" Ronon turned around and saw that John was dripping wet
"Buddy, what happened?"
"I fell into a pond"
"I fell into a pond" Elizabeth told Teyla as she was given a towel and some clothes to change into
"How did you manage that?" Teyla asked as Elizabeth ducked behind a curtain to allow for some privacy
"It was John's fault, we got into an argument and the next thing I know we're both swimming! He's just being a pain in the ass about this whole thing with Mike and I don't understand why. He's my friend, he should be happy for me but he's just being a pain"
Teyla, knowing that there was more to the story than what Elizabeth said, asked "What do you think of Doctor Williams?"
Elizabeth poked her head around the curtain "What?"
"What do you think of her?"
"I don't think my opinion of her would be classified as something that is important"
"Ok, what do you think of her and Colonel Sheppard being together?"
"It's ridiculous" Elizabeth exclaimed before saying "I mean that if that's what he wants then so be it" Teyla did not miss the hint of jealousy in Elizabeth's voice but before she could comment Rodney and John walked into the tent.
"Hey Teyla, is it possible for Sheppard to get some clothes, apparently he fell into a fountain"
"Of course Doctor McKay, will you come with me to Halling's tent and we'll grab them"
"Sure" Rodney replied before following her out. John just stood in the tent with the towel around his shoulders, trying to dry himself off the best he could. He took his vest, jacket, shirt, shoes, socks and pants off and draped them over the furniture in order to allow for them to dry. John heard a rustling behind him and turned to find Elizabeth in a traditional Athosian dress. After a few moments of staring John cleared his throat
"You look amazing in that dress"
"Thank you" Elizabeth replied, blushing furiously "what are you doing here?"
"Teyla and Rodney are getting me some clothes as well, apparently I need them"
"Yes, I suppose it's not every day you go swimming in a pond and drag your boss along for the ride, is it?" Elizabeth commented with a hint of anger in her voice.
"That was just as much your fault as it was mine"
"You are full of it, that's not true, I recall that you actually grabbed me and you fell first and dragged me down with you"
"Well maybe if you listened to me..." John started before Elizabeth cut him off.
"Listen to you what? Insult my relationship? Tell me what I'm supposedly feeling? Than kiss me on top of it? Whatever you were trying to do, that wasn't the way to go about it"
"What do you think I was trying to do?"
"How the hell should I know? Do I look like I have a sign saying 'John Sheppard's personal mind reader?' If you're really that desperate for me to know what you were doing than why don't you tell me or better yet show me" Elizabeth demanded, even though she had no clue as to what she was getting herself into.
"Which would you prefer?"
"I don't really care alright, I've had it with this whole thing and you acting like a spoilt five year old when it comes to my rela..." Elizabeth was cut off by John placing his lips over hers. After breaking the kiss John said "I love you Elizabeth, I have since the moment I met you, I can't even describe the depth of my feelings – it took seeing you in the arms of another man for me to realize it"
"Why? Why now? Why not months or even years ago?" Elizabeth asked
"I guess that this is the first time I felt like I could truly lose you and I didn't want that to happen"
"Oh John" Elizabeth replied before kissing him again
Meanwhile outside the tent...
"Shouldn't we go in and give these clothes to Sheppard?"
"I don't think that he'll want you to do that at the moment" Teyla replied as she stepped back from the entrance to the tent
"Why not?"
"Colonel Sheppard is currently kissing Doctor Weir"
"What!?"
"Rodney, lower your voice, we do not want to alarm them, we will leave the clothes at the entrance for them and we will need to keep Mike Branton and Lila Williams distracted so that they are not discovered"
Teyla and Rodney than left John and Elizabeth in the tent locked in a passionate embrace.