Author's Note: I based this on the Season 1 finale "The Seige, Part Two". Also spoilers for "The Seige, Part Three", "Runner", "Duet", and "Trinity". It takes place after the events of "Trinity". Enjoy!

A Friendly Drink

Dr. Elizabeth Weir sighed as she departed the briefing room, glad that the meeting was finally over. She hated having to talk with the IOA, but it was a necessary evil. Tomorrow, she would board the Daedalus and begin the three-week journey back to Atlantis, and she couldn't wait.

"Ma'am!" a familiar voice called as she reached the elevator. She turned around to see one of the 'gate techs heading for her.

"What can I do for you, Walter?" she asked.

"You got a call while you were in the meeting. Colonel Everett would like to see you."

* * * * *

Elizabeth smiled as she pulled into a parking spot at O'Malley's, remembering a story that Daniel Jackson had once told her about a fight that SG-1 had once started here while under the influence of alien armbands. While she was surprised at the location Everett had suggested, she had not been surprised to get his message.

After their rocky start, the Marine colonel and she had developed a surprisingly good friendship. She'd visited him several times in both Atlantis' and the SGC's infirmary following his injury and subsequent relocation back to Earth. Once she'd returned to the City of the Ancients, they reverted to e-mails sent whenever the 'gate was activated. She knew that he had been allowed to return to duty, but worked mostly with SG trainees and rarely went off-world anymore. In the latest message, he'd promised to buy her that drink he owed her the next time she was on-planet.

Her current (unscheduled) trip to Earth had been prompted by Rodney's destroying five-sixths of a solar system. Even with that result, the IOA still wanted to know if Project Arcturus was a viable option. (Even though Elizabeth had spent most of her adult life working with politicians, this group still managed to make her want to bang her head against a wall.) On arriving, Elizabeth had sought out Everett, but had been informed that he was on vacation. She suspected that Walter had called him though; it was just the kind of thing the Sergeant would do.

While her thoughts had been wandering, her feet had carried her out of the car and into the bar. Blinking in the dim light, she looked around.

"Elizabeth!"

The sound of her name drew her attention to a high table a little off to the side. Sitting in one of the tall chairs that surrounded it was Colonel Everett.

Smiling, Elizabeth headed over. "Dillon," she greeted him, shaking the offered hand. He was looking much better than the last time she had seen him: While the Wraith had definitely taken away years, he'd been in such good shape before that that he was doing much better than Dr. Beckett had originally predicted. "It's good to see you again."

"You too," he responded, motioning to the other chair. "I was surprised to hear that you were back in town."

"I hadn't planned on it," Elizabeth explained as she sat. "But an experiment gone wrong caused a bit of a problem."

"I heard." Elizabeth was surprised to see a slight smile on Dillon's face. "McKay's overconfidence finally got the better of him."

"Unfortunately," Elizabeth sighed. She started to say something else, but was cut off by the appearance of a waitress.

"What can I get you, ma'am?" the young lady asked.

"Rolling Rock," Elizabeth responded promptly. While she didn't drink often, she still enjoyed a good beer every now and then. "Thanks."

The waitress nodded and looked at Everett. "Anything else for you?"

Dillon shook his head. "I'm good, thanks." As if to demonstrate, he lifted his glass and took a sip.

As the waitress moved off, the colonel turned back to Elizabeth. "Aside from McKay, how are things going?"

"Well, you may have heard that we lost Ford."

Dillon nodded his head. "I was sorry to hear that. He was a good soldier."

"Colonel Sheppard maintains that he's still out there," Elizabeth said. "But I don't know."

"It's hard when a member of the team goes missing," Dillon acknowledged. "The not knowing is worse than anything else."

Elizabeth nodded. "The good news is that we have a new member, Ronon, who's survived on his own for seven years. Then there was the whole body-sharing fiasco with McKay and Lt. Cadman…" She trailed off, grinning at Dillon's shudder. "And most recently, we found a civilization that sacrificed its criminals and other ne'er-do-wells to prevent feeding on the general population."

"So another typical week in Pegasus," Dillon summarized as he downed the last of his drink and smiled at her.

While she knew that no one would know what they were talking about, it still bothered Elizabeth to hear the name of another galaxy spoken aloud in public. She steered the conversation away from work, asking about Dillon's family and vacation plans. They traded stories of travels past for a good half hour. "I hear you leave tomorrow," Dillon commented, finishing his second drink.

Elizabeth nodded, also finishing her drink. "I should get back to the base; we leave at 6:30."

"Why so early?"

"Colonel Caldwell wants to. He believes that the sooner he leaves the sooner he can come back and help against threats closer to home."

Dillon nodded. "I doubt that one ship can make that much of a difference, but it's a nice thought." He stood as Elizabeth did, offering his hand. "It was good to see you again, Elizabeth."

"You too, Dillon. Thanks for the drink." Elizabeth took his hand and shook.

"Not a problem. After all, I owed you."

Smiling, Elizabeth nodded to show that the debt had been paid before turning around and exiting back into the bright sunlight.