Title: The Best Kind of Crazy
Rating: T
Summary: Oh, the amount of havoc one little DVD can wreak… But at least Les Misérables havoc is fun! Sheyla, with a hint of McWeir.
Disclaimer: I own neither Atlantis nor the genius of Les Misérables… mores the pity.
My school recently put on Les Mis. I went to see it on Thursday night (I got home at 11:30, with a Physics exam the next day… oops). And I fell in love – it was SO AMAZING! And I'm still in a Sheyla mood, so this little piece of craziness fell out. And I'm toying with the idea of writing more, but its doubtful.
And if you haven't seen Les Mis, I advise you too a) go see it as soon as possible, or b) go download some of the songs – they're amazing! Do You Hear The People Sing? is fantastic!
Okay, enough obsessing!
R&R is much appreciated… and enjoy!
The Best Kind of Crazy
John eyed the DVD being brandished under his nose by one Rodney McKay doubtfully. "Are you sure?" he asked, crossing his arms almost-defensively across his chest.
McKay's eyes rolled on automatic. "Of course I'm sure," he replied with a long-suffering air. "Les Misérables, it's a classic!"
John chewed his lip.
A look of shock and almost-horror crossed Rodney's features. He gaped at Sheppard. "You have seen Les Mis before, right?"
The Colonel shot the scientist a withering glance. "Of course I've seen it," he replied bitingly. "I'm just not sure it's a good idea to show a tape-recording of a West End performance."
"What's wrong with the West End?" Rodney asked, apparently genuinely confused. "West End's good!"
John rolled his eyes. "Nothing wrong with the West End," he replied. "But, y'know. I want Teyla and Ronon to get the best of it. And a DVD doesn't really give you the…" He gesticulated wildly, searching for the right word.
"Atmosphere?" Elizabeth offered, smirking at the two bickering men in her office.
"Yeah!"
Weir leaned forward, resting clasped hands on her desk. "Well Colonel," she said slowly. "Do you really want Colonel Caldwell to have to ship the entire cast of Les Mis out to Atlantis?"
"No!"
"Well, Teyla and Ronon will have to do with a DVD."
John sulked. "Fine."
Elizabeth pushed back from her desk and stood up. "Eight tonight then, gentlemen." She smiled and stepped out of her office, Rodney in tow.
Sheppard rolled his eyes, again, and wandered out.
---------
"Les miserables?" Ronon didn't quite get the pronunciation down.
"Yeah," John replied, smiling. "Les Misérables! It's an Earth classic. You've gotta watch!"
Ronon and Teyla exchanged a tolerant glance, one that John silently dubbed the confused-natives-in-arms look. He'd seen it a hell of a lot since Ronon joined the team.
"Come on!" he wheedled. "Please? You'll like it, I know you will!"
Ronon's nose wrinkled. "You said it's a romance."
"Not just a romance!" Rodney chipped in. He was still clutching the DVD case – the image of Cosette on the front cover looked distinctly squished. John knew exactly how much the scientist had had to pay Novak on board the Daedalus to sneak him a copy – it reached into triple figures, apparently, and that had just confused Sheppard as to why Rodney would pay so much. He was beginning to see just how much the usually-cynically sarcastic scientist loved Les Mis. Kinda scary, actually.
Ronon still looked doubtful, despite McKay's enthusiasm, but exchanged another natives-in-arms look with Teyla, and acquiesced. Reluctantly.
Rodney almost squeaked. John looked at him in astonishment. The scientist bounced happily, and then scampered off, presumably to wave his prize around the labs. The geeks on-base were not only all massive sci-fi addicts (Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, Doctor Who… all were common after-dinner discussions for lab-coated techs, and had been the subjects of rather heated brawls) but were all apparently Les Misérables aficionados as well. Very worrying.
Ronon retained his vaguely confused expression, glanced over at John and Teyla, and left, shaking his head.
Teyla raised one eyebrow at John. "Why is Doctor McKay so excited about this… Les Misérables?" she inquired. She got the French accent down perfectly, oddly.
John shrugged. "Like I said, it's a classic of Earth theatre," he explained. "And Rodney seems to be kinda… fond of it." He leaned against the table beside her, fingers brushing on the hard edge.
"And you?" Teyla observed. "You like this play as well?" Her hand slipped into his: he lightly squeezed her fingers.
"Oh yeah!" John exclaimed happily. "We did the School Edition in high school — everyone went Les Mis mad for about four months." He smirked at her. "I played a guy called Marius, and Les Misérables—" he rolled the 'r' extravagantly "—has been a secret love ever since."
Teyla smiled. "I cannot imagine you in a play," she stated lightly.
John — mock-offended — reared up. "Hey! I resent that. I made a very good Marius, thank you very much."
She frowned, thumb tracing patterns on the back of his hand. "Who is 'Marius'?"
He winked and lightly kissed her cheek. "You'll see."
---------
"No popcorn?" Teyla asked.
John shook his head. "Popcorn's for films. You can't watch Les Mis and eat popcorn." His lip curled, and Teyla laughed. "What?" She shook her head. "What?!"
He was interrupted by a loud cough. Rodney was bouncing. Again. "Ladies and… gentlemen!" Rodney eyed Ronon dubiously on the last word, before (at Elizabeth's hissed "Get on with it!"), got on with it. But not without the obligatory fanfare. "I present to you… Les Misérables!"
Teyla snuggled against John's side. "Will he be like this all night?" she murmured laughingly, her hair brushing his cheek.
He grinned. "Oh yeah," he whispered back. "I might get like that later on – Elizabeth too!"
Teyla smiled. "Ronon and I will do our best to restrain you," she confided. He laughed and snaked his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
The lights dimmed, and the projector flickered into life, a very-nearly-squealing Rodney at the controls. John settled back, Teyla curled up against him, as strains of familiar music seeped into Atlantis, and a familiar grin stretched his lips.
---------
It was vaguely surprising to John that he could still remember all the words, after all this time. He echoed At The End of The Day perfectly, albeit in a whisper. No one else noticed – Rodney and Elizabeth were sat side-by-side, almost salivating. Teyla was completely enraptured, and even Ronon was watching intently as the characters rounded on one of their own, casting her out even though she had to provide for her daughter. John was vaguely pleased as he saw Teyla's mouth harden to a thin line at the injustice.
Evidently, Les Mis doesn't lose its relevance a galaxy away, John mused. He smiled almost-sadly, and watched the woman curled into his side. Teyla's gaze followed Fantine on-screen faithfully, her dark eyes introspective.
John smiled.
And then Lovely Ladies started up.
Ronon's mouth dropped open, in a not-unhappy fashion, and Teyla jerked up in amazement. Rodney and Elizabeth were unaffected, and John fought back the urge to snicker. Yes, he reflected. Having prostitutes sashaying around the stage in high school had that affect, too.
He settled back into the seat and listened to the music, and watched Teyla. His fingers absently twirled through her hair as her gaze remained focused on Les Misérables. John smiled and turned back to the screen, once more losing himself in the story, and the music. He was beginning to remember exactly why he had loved this play so much.
His grin grew, and he nudged Teyla as a familiar character appeared. "That's Marius," he whispered to her. "Watch him."
She, apparently, ignored him.
He grinned, and leaned back, letting himself listen. Until he heard a very familiar song.
He hissed sharply and jerked upright, his gaze immediately snatched away from Teyla and riveted back to the screen. She glanced up at him. "John?" she whispered, frowning.
He frantically beckoned back at the screen, grinning wildly. "Listen!"
And this time, there were three voices murmuring along, word-perfect, to Do You Hear The People Sing?
John grinned. He couldn't help it.
---------
For the first time, John found himself sympathising with Eponine. He had gotten a pretty potent taste of apparently-unrequited love. He'd only recently found out that the one he loved, loved him back. His heart still hurt when he thought of that.
He watched Teyla, accepting the bittersweet memories of love and loss.
The familiar strains of A Heart Full of Love crept into his awareness, and Teyla looked up at him. He smiled gently and brought his other hand up, stroking his thumb gently across her cheek. I love you, he mouthed, slowly and clearly.
She shuddered slightly, dark eyes holding his, and reached up, firmly pulling his lips down to hers. He bit back a groan, and slid his arms around her slender body, crushing her tight to him as he drowned in her.
And then Elizabeth squeaked.
John and Teyla broke apart, startled. And then Sheppard started to snicker, which promptly set Ronon off.
Elizabeth was sat avidly on the floor, legs crossed, eyes wide, hands pressed to her mouth, literally shaking with glee. John looked up at the screen, at the touching forms of Marius and Cosette. "John?" Teyla asked softly, confused, as Ronon snickered on.
"They just kissed," John replied, smiling at her. "And Elizabeth… squeaked."
"Squeaked?"
"Apparently so—"
"Sshh!" Rodney hissed irritably.
John and Ronon exchanged a glance, and Satedan reluctantly turned back to the screen. Sheppard looked down at Teyla, who was smiling ever so slightly. Then her smiled turned predatory and she yanked him down again.
Rodney spun around in irritation as the last bars of the song trickled out of the speakers. "Will you two stop it and watch!"
---------
Teyla was quiet and still as the five of them watched the massacre at the barricade. John pulled her closer to him and her head dipped down to rest against his chest. He watched Gavroche's death with a stony expression – this was the only part of Les Mis he didn't enjoy so much. He never liked it when the characters died without finishing the lyrics, and the street kid's death was the worst of the lot. He didn't know entirely why, but it always seemed to affect him. He swiped ineffectually at his eyes.
He felt Teyla's arms sneak around his waist as the melancholy strains of Empty Chairs At Empty Tables swayed around them. His heart lurched with empathy, and he pulled her into a tight hug. He had a pretty good idea what was going through her mind – she'd lost too many of her people not to be affected by Marius's lonely soliloquy. He silently kicked himself for not thinking about that sooner.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.
He felt her smile against his neck, as her tears simultaneously dampened his skin. "It was not your fault," she murmured back, barely speaking.
He closed his eyes, and let a solitary tear trickle down his cheek – the result of the sorrow of the music, Teyla's grief for her people, and his own pained memories.
---------
The last triumphant note of the final rendition of Do You Hear The People Sing? faded away, and the room was silent.
Elizabeth let out a long breath. "I'd forgotten," she said slowly, "just how much I love that musical."
Ronon nodded in thoughtful agreement. "Not as bad as I thought it might be," he replied gruffly. John bit the inside of his cheek. Indomitable rock Ronon Dex; moved by Les Misérables…?
John shook his head. Nah.
Rodney, however, was a different matter. The scientist was in floods of tears with a massive grin plastered across his features. The Colonel rolled his eyes. "Oh God," he moaned.
Elizabeth shot him a pointed glance, and helped Rodney to his feet. "Ronon," she grunted as McKay almost flopped face-forward on the floor, "give me a hand here!" The Satedan obliged, and the three of them hobbled out of the room, Elizabeth absently waving to John and Teyla as they left.
Sheppard pulled Teyla into his lap. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, rubbing her back in slow circles.
She nodded slightly. "Why did they do it?" she asked him softly.
"Who?"
"The students. At the barricade. They did not have to die. Why did they choose to?"
"Ah." John bit his lip, and then smiled. "To fight for their people," he replied. "To stand up for themselves, and set an example for others, even if they had to die for it." He lightly kissed her hair. "Sound familiar?"
She smiled, just slightly. "My people's situation is different," she pointed out. "Our home was destroyed – we had nowhere to go but Atlantis."
"But you didn't have to join my team," John countered. "You don't have to stand up to the Wraith, anymore than Enjolras and the others had to stand up for the poor. But they did." He pulled away from her slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "And so did you." He wiped the last dampness away from the corners of her eyes and gently kissed her.
She rested her hands on his shoulders, her knees either side of his thighs. She regarded him thoughtfully. "I believe I must take back my earlier assessment," she said.
He blinked. "Huh?"
Teyla smiled. "I can quite imagine you as Marius."
His features relaxed into a smile. "Told you."
She nodded pensively. "Perhaps we should suggest to Rodney that he put on a performance of Les Misérables for Atlantis. I am sure that he could be persuaded to cast you as Marius."
John smirked and pulled her closer. "Just as long as you're my Cosette," he murmured softly, ghosting a kiss across her lips.
Teyla's eyes sparkled. "Perhaps." She smiled. "But you would have to prove to me that you are capable of singing."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "How exactly would I have to do that?"
---------
Radek Zelenka rolled over in bed as a familiar voice suddenly blared out over the intercom. Singing a very familiar song.
He sat bolt upright in bed, and listened, gobsmacked.
"Do you hear the people sing," Colonel Sheppard belted out, in a surprisingly good tenor. "singing a song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there's a life about to start when tomorrow comes!"
"Les Misérables?" Radek questioned, French accent impeccable, mildly incredulous.
Sheppard stopped mid-verse, and snorted over the comm, presumably at something someone said to him. Zelenka listened, intrigued. "Right, Atlantis," the Colonel greeted. "You should all know what that was from. And you should also be aware that that was a dare. I'm not going to be doing any more solos over the intercom, so don't ask!"
Radek rolled his eyes and lay back in bed, intending to sleep for what was left of the night.
"Oh, and by the way? Rodney left his new Les Mis DVD in the player. Just to let you know." The intercom clicked off.
Zelenka scrambled out of bed and bolted for the door, still in his pyjamas.
---------
Elizabeth shook her head in despair. "Only you could spark a fight at midnight over a bootlegged copy of Les Mis," she berated John. "And that's not a good thing!"
He shrugged. "Well, y'know. It was a dare. Blame Teyla."
Weir didn't get a chance to respond, because Rodney burst into her office, grinning like a loon. Oh, what now?
"Elizabeth!" McKay exclaimed. "Will you be my Fantine?"
She blinked in surprise. "What?"
John scratched his nose. "Strange proposition. Unique."
Rodney was bouncing and grinning again. "I made another deal with Novak!" he answered excitedly. "The scripts and score for Les Mis is being shipped over with the next lot of supplies from the Daedalus!" John grinned behind McKay and Weir fought the temptation to drop her head into her hands and groan. Loudly. "Marius and Cosette are sorted – Sheppard and Teyla agreed—" Weir raised her eyebrows at John and mouthed Marius?: he merely shrugged "—Carson wants to play Javert, Cadman wants Eponine, Zelenka's got his eye on Gavroche and I think I'd make a good Valjean…"
"Rodney."
"Will you play Fantine? Please?"
Weir exchanged a despairing glance with John. "We've unleashed a monster."
John smirked and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hey, he's your scientist."
"Atlantis is gonna go crazy," Elizabeth moaned.
"Atlantis is already crazy," John pointed out. He grinned. "And at least Les Misérables crazy is the best kind of crazy."
"You sure?"
He nodded. "Definitely."
"Will you? Will you?" Rodney was still bouncing.
She threw up her hands. "Fine! I'll play Fantine!"
McKay skipped. Actually skipped. Weir made a mental note to ask Carson to find something to calm the scientist down. "Rehearsals start Monday!" he squeaked and ran out.
"Best kind of crazy?" Elizabeth asked John wearily.
He grinned. "Oh yeah."
--end--