A few vague spoilers for 'Duet'
Later that afternoon, John found his spirits lifting at the thought of showing Rhianna the proposed site for the doca to breed. He couldn't quite work out why spending time with her was so appealing. He hardly knew her, and despite everything that McKay said about love life, he was usually more under control than this.
Still, despite the fact he gave himself a stern talking to, John was still grinning widely when he met up with Rhianna at the appointed time.
"So tell me more about these little critters?" he asked her, indicating the sleeping doca in her arms.
"We came across them on our wanderings," Rhianna told him, as they walked along the corridors towards the proposed site. "Or they found us." She smiled down at her pet, who stirred slightly then settled down further. "It is a mutually pleasurable relationship. We feed them and look after them, and they give us their company and their love."
"I had a dog when I was a boy," John admitted. "He followed me everywhere, in all the adventures I had. We shared a lot of fun times."
"The doca are very easy friends to have," Rhianna continued. "The only thing they really ask is for their privacy when breeding."
"And I think we have found just the spot for that," John said eagerly. "I checked it out early, and it looks perfect for them."
"Why, thank you, Colonel Sheppard," Rhianna said, giving him a bright smile. The little creature in her arms looked up and seemed to add its thanks too, with a sound somewhere between a meow and a bark.
John laughed and reached out to stroke the little bundle of fur. The doca responded by licking his fingers. It was a slightly strange sensation; the doca had a rough tongue, like a cat but it also felt good.
"Okay," John said. "Here we are." He looked round the room that they had only recently discovered. It was similar to many of the other rooms found in their exploration; a warm comfortable looking room. There was no furniture but it was spacious and the lighting, which had come on at a thought, was soft and welcoming.
Rhianna looked round carefully, examining each corner and checking out various storage spaces. Her doca also examined the room carefully, making various sounds as it discovered a new feature.
"This will do perfectly," Rhianna said eventually, turning to John with a big smile. "This is exactly what we need."
"I was wondering," John started hesitantly. "I, well, if you would like, I was thinking..."
He trailed off, for once unsure of himself. Rhianna looked at him with a mixture of amusement and admiration. She reached up her hand to the side of his face and touched his cheek. Suddenly, John was sure of what he was going to say.
"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? The Mess Hall is doing a special meal to welcome you guys."
"That would be wonderful," Rhianna said, smiling widely. "Until then, keep thinking those sweet thoughts of yours."
As she left, John gazed after her, a huge smile on his face.
oOoOo
Tollany was waiting for Rhianna when she returned to their room. Two other women were with her.
"How did it go?" she asked as soon as the other woman appeared.
"Very well," Rhianna replied, a self-satisfied grin on her face. "These people are ridiculously easy to persuade. An occasional smile and warm gesture and they'll do anything."
"And of course, with our brand of 'persuasion', they don't stand a chance," Tollany said, her grin verging on evil.
"Colonel Sheppard has invited me to dinner this evening," Rhianna reported further.
"Excellent," Tollany replied. "I am having dinner with Major Lorne."
"That just leaves Dr Beckett," Rhianna responded.
"I have not been able to meet him in private as yet," one of the other women reported. "I am planning to engineer a meeting this evening."
"Very good," Tollany said. "Let us concentrate on these three first, and then expand our operations to include others with the Blood of Ancients once we have secured them."
oOoOo
Later that evening, as Carson entered the Mess Hall, he was struck by the strange atmosphere. The Mess Hall was usually a busy, bustling place, where people grabbed a table, gulped down their food and then left to go about their daily business.
But that evening the atmosphere was calm and peaceful. The lighting seemed more subdued and the noise level certainly was. The chefs had promised a special evening to welcome their new visitors to Atlantis. Looking round more carefully, Carson noticed that several of the new Athosians were there, eating in the company of the expedition personnel.
Major Lorne was sitting with Tollany in one of the secluded tables. They were both laughing. As Carson watched, Lorne picked up a piece of food and held it up to Tollany's lips. She smiled then bit into the food, her eyes never leaving his.
Carson sighed. He worried sometimes about the people on the expedition. They were, after all, normal adult humans, with ordinary human needs. But living in such an isolated community could cause problems. And when you introduced strangers into the mix, then the results could be explosive at times. Still Tollany seemed like a nice lass, and he didn't begrudge Lorne his chance to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman.
Suddenly, a big smile creased his face as he saw Laura, sitting by herself in one of the secluded corners. Quickly picking the food he wanted, he went over to her, still smiling.
"Is this seat taken?" he asked.
"Well," Laura replied with a cheeky grin. "I was keeping it for Rodney, but if you insist."
Carson laughed. "Is he still avoiding you?"
"When ever possible," Laura confirmed. "I'm not sure what worries him most, the fact that he's seen my thoughts, or I've seen his."
"I think forcing him to kiss me might have been the clincher," Carson teased her gently.
"Ah," she said reaching over and patting his cheek, "but it was worth it."
In the far corner of the dimly lit Mess Hall, one of the Athosian arrivals was sitting by herself. Her eyes hadn't left Carson from the time he had entered the Mess Hall. She let out a hiss that was not very human when she saw him make a bee-line for Laura. As she watched, they flirted with the relaxed air of an established couple.
"This could cause a problem," she said quietly to herself.
At that moment, Rodney walked into the Mess Hall. He had been so caught up in the mystery of the power fluctuation he'd missed the memo about the meal. He stopped abruptly at the door, peering round the room as his eyes took a moment to adjust to the subdued lighting.
He noticed Lorne and Tollany, and then let out a sigh of resignation. In another part of the Mess Hall, Sheppard was sitting with Rhianna. He was in full-flirt mode. Rodney had seen it in operation on a number of occasions during their missions. It rarely ended happily for the colonel.
John was sitting as close as possible to Rhianna, his knee brushing against her's looking deeply into her eyes as he told her a story that made her giggle with delight. She reached out and patted his cheek her eyes falling to his lips were full of anticipation.
Rodney let out another sigh, and looked around further. Carson and Cadman were in their usual spot, and he tended to avoid dining with his friend when Cadman was there. There were too many embarrassing memories and she knew just how to tease him. That's what happened when you let a female into your brain.
Looking around he noticed Teyla and Ronon sitting over by one of the windows. They looked uncomfortable in the romantic setting, and seemed not sure whether to stay or leave. It struck Rodney as odd, that Teyla had not spent a lot of time with the new Athosians. She had gone to the mainland to tell Halling of their find and been back most of the day but had chosen to work out in the gym with Ronon and some of the other military-types rather than spend time with her new people.
Rodney generally found the female of the species difficult to understand – even more so since Laura Cadman had shared his body for a few chaotic days – but he still would have expected more of a reaction from Teyla. He was about to head over to join his team mates when he spotted one of the new Athosian women sitting on her own.
Glancing round and noticing that everyone else was paired off, he thought he might as well chance his luck. Putting his best smile on his face, he approached the woman.
"Is anyone sitting here?" he asked as pleasantly as he could.
"Obviously not," she replied, rather grumpily.
"Would it be okay if I joined you?" Rodney tried again.
"Sit here if you wish," the woman replied. "I am leaving in any case."
With that, she left, leaving poor Rodney with a stunned look on his face.
"I know I don't usually have much luck with women," he said, muttering to himself, "but that must be a record, even for me."
He sat down, dropping his tray on the table with a clatter.
Radek had just come in and came over to join him. "You are alone?" he asked.
"Well obviously," Rodney replied, sarcasm firmly in place.
"If you are in that sort of mood, I will go somewhere else to eat," Radek replied, with an edge to his voice.
"Oh, sit down," Rodney responded. "You won't find another table where there isn't someone all loved up."
"You sound rather bitter there, Rodney," Radek said, a slight smile on his face.
"And why should I be bitter?" Rodney asked. "Why should I care if in this supposedly enlightened age women can't see past the pretty boy military types and appreciate someone who at least has enough brain cells to put a nuclear device together?"
"I am sure that such a topic would get women falling at your feet," Radek replied, still smiling.
"What topic is that?" Elizabeth Weir asked, as she approached the table.
"Nuclear physics," Rodney replied.
"I think you two should brush up on your romantic technique," Elizabeth said. "Saying that there does seem to be rather a lot of romance doing the rounds at the moment."
"Sickening, isn't it?" Rodney asked, looking out over the tables with a resentful air.
"Never mind, Rodney," Elizabeth said, teasingly. "I'm sure we can find a brilliant nuclear physicist somewhere for you."
"Ah, but the problem is, Elizabeth," Radek responded, a twinkle in his eye, "once they are found, they tend to get lost again, very quickly."
Rodney looked on grumpily as his two companions laughed at his expense.
Seeing the discontented look settle on his face, Elizabeth reached over and covered his hand. "Never mind, Rodney," she said trying to reassure him. "We appreciate you, even if the rest of the female population on Atlantis doesn't."
Rodney's only response was a grunt, as he attacked the food on his plate doing his best to ignore the rest of the diners in the Mess Hall.
