Love, Heartache, and New Beginnings
Prologue: The Anniversary
The mission had come to an end and the team was headed to the Stargate. Rodney paused for a moment and regarded the flowers that filled the field in front of the Stargate. He came to a decision and picked a small bouquet of pink flowers before following the team to the gate. John frowned when he saw the flowers in Rodney's hand but said nothing. A look of worry flashed in John's eyes as he speculated if Rodney was planning on leaving him. They had only been a couple for a short while and he was still uncertain of his place in Rodney's heart.
They stepped through the gate and quickly gave Elizabeth a summary of what had happened on the planet. Once the debriefing was over, Rodney disappeared through the doors. John frowned again, they usually went together for their after mission check-ups with Carson together and then hung out for a bit afterward. He wondered what was going on.
John finally finished his paperwork for the day. He headed out of his office, looking for something to do. A few minutes later he ran into Teyla in the halls. "Hey, Teyla! What's up?"
"Ah, hello John, you're bored aren't you?" She looked at him with a knowing smile on her face. "Maybe you should practice your meditation like Rodney's doing."
"Rodney's meditating?"
"Well, I assume so. He did borrow some scented candles from me." Teyla tilted her head, regarding John with concern. "What is wrong, John?"
"Nothing's wrong, Teyla," John replied, flashing her one of his easy going smiles before leaving her in the hall.
John glared at the floor angrily as he walked away. After what Teyla said he wondered who it was that Rodney was seeing behind his back. The flowers and scented candles had all the earmarks of a romantic date.
He walked into his quarters, throwing himself onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He rapidly went through all the possible candidates of who Rodney was replacing him with. He got up abruptly; he had to know who it was. He grabbed his Life Signs Detector and asked Atlantis which life sign was Rodney's. He left his quarters and headed to the North Pier.
John slipped through the door and headed toward Rodney's location. He paused, steeling himself to face a romantic picnic scene and then rounded the corner. There was no picnic.
All there were two lit candles, a vase with the flowers and a picture. Rodney was sitting in front of the picture, a sad look on his face. John looked at the picture; it was of a beautiful, young woman with long, curly red hair and sparkling, blue eyes. She was smiling joyfully at whoever was taking her picture. From her smile and the look in her eyes, John could tell she was in love with the photographer. John walked up behind Rodney. "Rodney?"
"John."
"Who is she?"
"My wife."
"You're married?"
"Not anymore. She died a few years ago of leukemia." He looked over his shoulder at John and smiled sadly. "Today is the anniversary of her death."
"I see," John sat down behind Rodney, wrapping his arms around him. "Tell me about her."
Rodney sighed and began to talk, "I remember the first day I met her . . ."
TBC