The dress was not what she had expected. The dark green chiffon had been paired with a light slip, which clung to her body as if made for it. An off the shoulder floor length dress, it was suave and a little more daring than what she was used to.
Elizabeth Weir looked herself up and down in the mirror. Her brunette curls pulled up into a messy do, tendrils of hair already escaping the confines. Her makeup had been applied to accentuate her green eyes, she looked like a picture of perfection. Elizabeth had enough experience to know just what she had to do to make herself presentable.
Sighing to herself she reached out and plucked her handbag off a nearby chair and made her way out of the room, navigating her way down the curling staircase to her awaiting parents.
As the CEO and major shareholder of Pegasus Technologies, Nicolas Weir was well renowned and extremely wealthy. He was tough and ruthless when it came to business but his techniques worked as Pegasus Technologies was phenomenally successful.
Her father stood at the bottom of the stairs proud and stiff just as she had expected him to. Nicolas Weir had never been the affectionate type and Elizabeth had learned to live with it. Glancing from her father to her mother, she couldn't believe how different they actually were. Penelope Weir stood elegantly in a full-length black silk dress and smiled warmly at her daughter. Her mother was a warm, caring person who stayed in her husbands shadow, supporting him from the sideline.
"Elizabeth! Honey, you look gorgeous." Penelope greeted her daughter with a small hug.
"Thank you." she responded automatically.
"Shall we go?" her father questioned.
After nodding an agreement, they walked outside. The driver opened the car door and waited until all three family members were seated before setting out for there destination.
Elizabeth sighed and glanced out the tinted window, it was going to be a long night.
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Elizabeth hated these charity balls. She knew that they were extremely beneficial but hated that they were so monotonous, nothing ever happened. Her father donated extreme amounts of money to various different charities each year, the ball being held tonight was one of those. All she was ever expected to do was attend various social events, representing both the company and her family.
Arriving at the venue, her family had stopped and posed for the paparazzi. Smiling as the dutiful daughter must, it was empty and plastered on for the cameras. Nobody would ever know the difference.
Moving inside she took in the ballroom, magnificent chandeliers provided the light, soft music drifted from the orchestra playing and tables dotted around the room were set in only the finest china.
'Why did I come this time?' she questioned herself. She knew the answer of course was that her father had pleaded with her, citing that it was her duty to attend. Over the next week, he had planned for the family to attend another benefit and she was not really looking forward to it.
In the beginning, she had loved these balls. The orchestra had wowed her, the chance to put her language skills to practice had tested her and the fine selection of food had impressed her...at first. The fact of the matter was that it never changed. The music was always the same and the people were the same type as always. She craved change and a new opportunity to test herself.
This charity ball in particular was invitation only, meaning only the elite were here. Elizabeth reached out and grabbed a champagne flute off a passing waiter; gulping the whole lot down she decided that she felt better. Her mother and father were talking to some people across the far side of the room and that left her by herself to wander. Glancing around the room slowly she noticed that nearly every eligible male here was at least ten years older than herself, there were of course numerous daughters like herself in attendance. 'Always the same,' she smirked to herself. Someone calling her name knocked Elizabeth out of her reverie.
"Elizabeth? Elizabeth Weir?"
Turning she saw a familiar stocky figure making his way towards her.
"Rodney." she greeted with her first genuine smile of the night. "It's great to see you!"
"You too! You look nice by the way." Rodney told her.
Rodney McKay worked for Pegasus Technologies. He was brilliant but very unsociable and slightly neurotic. Only rare occasions had him pulling himself away from his work and attending functions. She had always liked his quirky sense of humor and the way that he was arrogant without meaning to be. Rodney was a breath of fresh air to her otherwise monotonous lifestyle.
Elizabeth's mind wandered as Rodney chatted away. Her eyes scanned slowly around until they locked onto another pair across the room. The pair of eyes staring into hers belonged to someone she couldn't ever remember seeing before. Standing with a group of dignitaries the man though staring openly at her was still managing to hold a conversation with his companions. Dressed in what looked like an extremely expensive tuxedo he seemed unaffected by the wealth around him. Elizabeth knew that meant one of two things. Either he was rolling in money and did not like to show it or he did not seem to think money mattered. Deciding on the latter she broke the link between them and returned to what Rodney was saying.
"…so I think that it should be on the market within three months."
Elizabeth nodded knowing immediately that he was talking about Pegasus' new product. Pegasus Technologies was a company that took experimental work and aimed at making it a reality. At present, Rodney and the other leading scientists were working on a product that could revolutionize the way people travel. The majority of the team working on achieving the production of this product were locked away for secrecy reasons.
"Radek," Rodney called out before suddenly moving away, turning back he said quickly.
"Elizabeth I'm going over there." he pointed indicating where the man Radek was currently standing. Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders and watched as he moved off. She couldn't wait for this event to be over. She was grateful for the comfortable life she had been given but the limitations placed on her stopped her pursuing her desired career.
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With all of the formal proceedings out of the way, people began mingling and dancing again. The food like always had been exquisite but she hadn't really appreciated it. Her thoughts were elsewhere, will her eyes had been continuously searching for the mysterious man she had locked gazes with earlier. She hadn't found him but it didn't really irk her.
The night was moving on rather quickly and she hoped her father would come and collect her soon. Nicolas Weir was surround by a group of gentleman who all seemed to be congratulating him on his rather generous donation. Elizabeth knew that once he had boosted his ego enough that they would be leaving.
"Now what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" a voice behind her drawled into her ear. Turning quickly, Elizabeth eyes took in the man now standing in front of her. Elizabeth knew it was the man from across the room, if she had found him magnetic that far away he was now devastating. His dark hair spiked out at all angles leaving her wondering whether it was naturally like that or something he deliberately did. Hazel eyes meshed with green and the gaze was intense.
"Now don't tell me you actually get women with that line?" she questioned with a smirk.
"Is it working?" he quipped back.
"Not a chance!" she laughed.
"John." he told her extending his hand. She looked at him questioning whether to give him her name or not.
"Elizabeth." she said, also extending her hand. He gripped it and shook it slightly before letting it drop. The slight contact sent a jolt flowing through her skin and her eyes shot straight to his but she could not tell if he had been affected. John had his head tilted slightly to the side and the look in his eyes was a questioning one.
"You know what?" he asked suddenly.
She shook her head.
"As much as green suits you, you would look much better in red." he drawled.
"Is that so?" Elizabeth questioned him, raising one of her eyebrows.
"Mmm." he nodded.
"Well I'm sorry I couldn't accommodate you." She retorted. Deciding to get away from him before he unsettled her anymore, she turned away from him abruptly and started to walk. Elizabeth hadn't walked far before she felt a hand grab her wrist.
"Dance with me?" John asked quietly. He could see she was about to decline, "Just one dance?"
She looked up at him, "Not tonight."
He dropped her arm and stared at her curiously. She wished she knew just what was going on inside that head but decided she was better off not knowing. Before walking off, she heard him say, "Maybe some other time?"
"Maybe." She shrugged not committing herself to anything.
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John watched her go. Never before had his attention been spurned and it made him determined that the next time they met he would get her to dance.
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Several days had passed since the charity ball and her meeting with the mysterious John. Elizabeth was again at a social event, this time though it was a state dinner given by the recently elected Governor.
Wearing a simple black cocktail dress, Elizabeth had opted to wear minimal jewelry. Her hair was free this evening, curling around her shoulders. The past few days had moved slowly and Elizabeth was contemplating approaching her father for the opportunity to expand her wings. She had held off on the talk, knowing in her heart that he would probably refuse her. She would push her point, as she was a grown woman who had extreme interest in languages, politics and mediating. The dinner tonight was a lot more appealing to her because of those interests. Elizabeth had already enlightened several of the guests about where she stood in regards to the Middle East and they had praised her thoughtful opinions.
She'd decided she had needed a drink and was currently leaning against a pillar sipping champagne. The sound of a tongue clucking from behind her, had her whirling around to see where the noise was coming from. To her surprise, John stood there smiling at her.
He was again decked out in formal wear, this time though it was a suit and tie.
"Red. You should have listened." He clucked his tongue again.
"I don't need your fashion opinions." She told him sharply. Elizabeth couldn't understand why she felt she needed to be on the defensive around this man.
"Dance with me?" he posed the question from the other night again.
"Okay." She replied against her better judgment.
Grabbing her hand Elizabeth let John lead her onto the dance floor where other couples were also taking advantage of the orchestra. Elizabeth had always loved dancing to an orchestra; the instruments seemed to create a magic bubble where nothing else seems to matter.
Waltzing around the floor, Elizabeth felt strange. John was holding her closer than she had anticipated and this was leading to a myriad of problems. She was noticing things, she didn't normally notice when dancing with other men. Looking up at John, she noticed the slight stubble covering his skin and the intoxicating aftershave wafting up her nose. This had been a bad idea.
As if sensing her distraction, John looked down at her. "Are you okay?" he murmured. After watching her nod an answer he pulled her closer until her head was on his shoulder. 'This is wrong,' Elizabeth thought, but why did it feel right? How could you feel this reaction to a man you barely know. She didn't know John, she didn't even know his last name. However, It didn't seem to matter as they swayed to the music.
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Across the room, a pair of eyes were narrowing in on the couple slowly becoming oblivious to their surroundings. Lifting his arm and giving a click, his personal bodyguard soon appeared at his side.
"Ronon, I want you to do everything in your power to keep John Sheppard away from Elizabeth." the man ordered in a steely unrelenting voice.
"Keep her safe, out of harms way even if that means reminding Sheppard who he is and the responsibilities and duties he has." the man finished.
Ronon looked from his boss to the couple on the dance floor suddenly understanding Nicolas Weir's urgency. Nicolas had noticed Sheppard's presence at the charity ball but had chosen to ignore it as his daughter had spurned the young man. The same couldn't be said for this time.
"Yes Sir." Ronon replied gruffly, racking his mind for ideas before heading towards the one woman that could put a stop to this.
TBC