Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own any part of Stargate Atlantis, nor do I know the people who do, but I'm not making any money off of this. It's for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: For those of you reading Ariadne's Tears I apologize for the lack of updates. Real life and writer's block are to blame. Not to fear though, I'm still working on it and am planning to update soon.
He didn't understand how someone like her could love someone like him. She was graceful, witty, compassionate and brilliant. He was cocky, impulsive, impatient, and a bit of a rebel at times. Everything about her was beautiful, the way she talked, the way she moved. With her smoky brown curls, crystal green eyes and gentle smile she was easily one of the most attractive women he'd ever seen; though she seemed to be blissfully unaware of the fact.
He'd seen the way other men looked at her, but she never acknowledged them, either because she chose to ignore their interest or because she simply didn't notice. For whatever reason, he was the one she focused on, the one she'd chosen to let in, the one she'd given her heart to. Sometimes he had to pinch himself to rule out the possibility it was all a dream. Other times he would watch her, memorizing the curve of her face, her perfect nose, the way her hair fell, just in case she disappeared. Every once in a while she would catch him and her big lovely eyes would meet his, radiating emotion. In their depths he could read that she couldn't live without him and it made him catch his breath.
Once, when they were out on their balcony watching a sunset, he had asked why she loved him. With the sun's dying rays casting a glow over her features, she'd turned to look at him, surprised. "Because it would be impossible not to." He hadn't understood her answer then and he still didn't. He could think of half a dozen reasons off the top of his head for her not to love him. Another half dozen would come if he thought about it, making it seem impossible to even like him, let alone care about him.
He'd known from the beginning that she was out of his league, that he wasn't good enough for her. He had been shocked when she had come to him and told him, voice shaking with anxiety and feeling, that he had become more than just her colleague, more than just her military commander, more than her closest friend even. The fact that SHE was nervous around HIM had thrown him for a loop. He feared for the day when she would realize how unworthy he was, the day when the love he saw in her eyes was directed at someone else; yet at the same time, he knew he wouldn't stand in her way. He would let her go without uttering a single work.
Until that day came however, he was going to spend every moment he had with her as though it were his last, enjoying the feel of her hand in his, the sound of her musical laughter and the sight of that special smile, the one she reserved only for him.