Trying To Find Atlantis by ShipperWriter
I wrote this a long time ago ... cringes ... then I saw an Elizabeth (leaning towards Sparky) vid on YT that motivated me to post it. So here goes nothing!
Elizabeth had suggested using a day of low activities to provide a little education about Earth legends involving the elusive city, Atlantis. It was mostly for the benefit of Teyla and Ronan - and for John's imagination, she silently added after thinking about it.
John had been the first to begin offering suggestions about what to do before Elizabeth had even asked if it was a good idea. He first suggested watching the film that Disney had made a couple of years back about Atlantis. She had remembered watching it back on Earth with her sibling's children and it seemed very accurate.
At first, though, Elizabeth considered objecting to it, recalling that the lead female character had a slight resemblance to Teyla. But thinking again about it, she realized that the lead male, Milo, looked exactly like Dr. Daniel Jackson - and nothing like Lt. Col. John Sheppard, she reflected with a satisfactory smile.
One of the scientists, whose favorite variety of music was country and western, suggested that they analyze the lyrics from a song called "Like Trying to Find Atlantis." All the female team members on Atlantis agreed that it was a terrific way to illustrate the place of Atlantis in Earth mythology. The song was making the point that "trying to find the perfect man is like trying to find Atlantis". As Elizabeth pondered it, she realized that the reason why all the women had quickly supported using that particular song was that nearly all of them were single. They needed to commiserate with others who understood perfectly.
Having only two suggestions, it wasn't hard for Elizabeth to establish a time for the "educational activities." She decided that the movie would be shown at 7:00PM so that everyone could enjoy it. But since all the women could relate to the song, they all immediately were called to the mess, escorting Teyla among them. Everyone dispersed from Elizabeth's office except a dark haired, handsome man standing in the corner.
She looked at him, curious. "Need something else, John?"
He shrugged. "No. Just thought I'd go to your 'meeting' with you."
Amused, she asked, "You are aware that the group consists entirely of women?"
"I've designated myself the spy."
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Well, we never have had all the women on Atlantis meeting together at one time in a mass crowd." She put everything on her desk in order, very quickly, and then stood up, walking towards John. "I suppose that we might need security, just in case."
John smiled and inclined his head to her. "Thank you, ma'am."
She rolled her eyes and walked out, John next to her. "I believe that Carson is compiling some information about the actual legends of Atlantis. I want to find a way to work it in, maybe before the movie."
"Would it help any to add information from, maybe say, the Goa'uld, and their conceptions of the Lost City?"
"It would. Also, any data we have stored from the Ancients. They built this city; it only makes sense to include that as well."
John tilted his head. "Well, if you'll excuse me, it appears I have some homework to do," he said, excusing himself with a childish frown.
Elizabeth laughed as he walked away.
Elizabeth poured a small glass of wine and began to take a sip, but abruptly she set it down on the counter and walked to the balcony. It was 12:15 in the morning. She and John had continued to talk after the movie was finished. He made a few jokes about the movie and she laughed, but after that they fell to a silence. It was occurring more often than she had realized. Elizabeth had stood up, excused herself to her room, and began walking away.
She could feel John's eyes on the back of her head, following her through the chairs, through the corridors, into the secrecy of her room. She had looked at the clock. 9:36, it read. And she sat by herself, thinking.
She thought how ironic it was. When she came to Atlantis, she had been in a relationship with Simon, who she thought was the most wonderful man on Earth. Truth be told, he was a very good person. But he wasn't perfect. Nobody was.
But in her eyes, John matched it better than anybody. That's why the song had been so ironic. "Trying to find the perfect man is like trying to find Atlantis," she said aloud to herself.
She hadn't been the one trying to find Atlantis. Altogether, they didn't have to work that hard. Atlantis had pretty much fallen into their laps. And then, in a remote spot in Antarctica, John Sheppard had sat down in a chair . . . and fallen into her lap as well. It had turned out to be a two-for-one deal. At least, to Elizabeth. She got the command of the Lost City of Atlantis . . . and she got the perfect man.
Her door rang. She sighed, then went inside to the door. She stood before it, allowing it to open.
John was standing, leaning against a wall, but he stood upright when he saw her. "You got out pretty quickly."
"What are you still doing up?"
He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Just kept staring at the ceiling, thinking, and then I got up and started walking around."
"How did you know that I was still up?"
"Saw the light on your balcony."
"Oh."
They stood silently for a moment, and then John said, "Honestly, it's after midnight, probably should be in bed. Sorry, I'll let you go."
"Don't."
Elizabeth had reached her arm out to his, but it touched his waist instead. As he turned around, she felt the muscles move in his abdomen, silently feeling elated. Much quieter, she repeated, "Don't let me go." A tear had slid down her cheek and with the silence in the room she could almost hear it splash on the floor.
John's eyes narrowed. He moved closer to her. He picked up her hand and held it for a moment. Then his right hand came up from his side and gently touched her cheek. "I'm not letting you go," he quietly whispered as she began moving backwards into her room. The door shut behind him.
Elizabeth didn't know who had made the first move, but within moments his T-shirt was lying over a chair, he was kissing her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him move. He brought his mouth back up to match hers, kissing her gently but multiple times at once. Her robe slid off her shoulders, and she gasped. There was a cold rush of air in the room.
"The balcony . . ."
John looked up. "What about it?"
"I left the doors open. That cold front is supposed to be coming through tonight."
"Leave the doors open." He bent his head and kissed her, right at the juncture of her neck and shoulders, and she shivered. He took a step back and grasped her hand softly. He led her to the bed, pulling back the covers and allowing her to settle in. He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her.
She gave him a puzzled glance. "Are you leaving?"
"Only if you want me to."
She looked up at him, more determined, and said, "Don't."
John smiled and leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. He slid under the covers next to her, gently putting his arm underneath her and holding her. Her back was against his chest, and she felt their breaths of air fall into sync. He stayed awake for a long time, waiting for her to fall asleep. She stayed awake a long time, waiting to see if he kept true to his word.
She blinked her eyes open and saw the light piercing the room. Her alarm was blaring. She reached a hand over and turned it off. It was morning. The cold front had passed and the warmth was heating the city. Elizabeth squinted, and then rolled over.
She didn't see John's face.
She saw his feet.
"Gotcha." He laughed.
She sighed, and then looked to the end of the bed. John had propped himself up on a pillow and was watching her intently. "Sleep good?"
"Mmm. The best I have in a while."
John chuckled. "Good." He crawled back over the blankets as Elizabeth lay flat on the bed. He straddled over her. "So tell me something, Elizabeth. Do you think that it's possible for a man and a woman who are very different to fall in love?"
"We're living in a different galaxy. I'd say anything's possible."
"Good. Because I think I'm in love with somebody on base who's very different compared to me."
"Oh, really? Might I ask, who?"
John lowered his head, kissing the side of her neck again. "Someone you know very well. The person that I just spent the night with."
"Without sex, might I add."
"Yes, you may. And that's my point." He turned over and lay next to her on the bed. As they both stared at the ceiling, he said, "Every relationship in my life with a woman had always gotten screwed up. Almost, everyone. The only ones that are still stable are the ones that I haven't had sex with. I think that I don't want to make love to you . . . at least, not yet." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and quickly added, "If that's okay with you."
Elizabeth grinned, and then rolled over on top of him, catching him by surprise. "I'm really a laid back person."
"Then why am I the one laying back?" he wondered as she brought her mouth down to match his. She started laughing, and he continued along with it as she covered her mouth, but failed to cover the grin that had swept ear to ear.
And then her communicator went off. She could hear Rodney McKay's voice flow through the room. "McKay to Dr. Weir. Sorry, are you even awake yet? Well, if you aren't you wouldn't respond anyway, but if you are because I woke you up you probably would reply and bite my head off because you haven't had any coffee and ex cetera, ex cetera. Anyhow, if you are awake, in any case, I was trying to find John. He's kinda . . . well, disappeared. So have you seen him?"
Elizabeth reached over for her communicator. John reached up to stop her. "Don't," he warned in a whisper.
She shook her head at him playfully, and then responded with her professional voice. "I haven't seen Colonel Sheppard this morning."
"Oh, you're awake! Okay, well, umm, I tried his communicator but he's not picking up, so-"
"Rodney!"
"Elizabeth?"
"I'm still in bed."
"Oh. OHH! I'm so sorry, I just guessed that . . . anyway, I'll see you at the briefing, so sorry to interrupt." The communicator clicked off, Elizabeth tossed it on the night stand and John leaned on his elbow, staring at her.
"I can't believe you just lied."
"What do you mean?"
He smirked. "I'm right here!"
She smiled brightly at him. "I told Rodney that I hadn't seen Colonel Sheppard this morning. However, I have seen John."
John grinned back at her. "Oh, geez, I'm already rubbing off on you!"
Elizabeth crawled to the end of the bed and wrapped John's arms around her. "How did this happen?"
He kissed her brown wavy hair and sighed contentedly. "What does that mean?"
"I mean, us. We're from two different worlds, John, yet we're perfectly happy together. How is that?"
Behind her, John smiled. "Miracles happen."
FIN