John Sheppard arrives for his session on her couch looking bright eyed and bushy tailed. Zoe envies his alertness, as it is far too early for her to actually be awake and functioning…especially without coffee. In fact, she's almost finished preparing her French Press when he arrives and she makes a mental note that for all his faults, he seems to have impeccable timing.
'Morning, Doc,' he says as he sits down.
'Coffee?' she asks as she pours herself a cup. He shakes his head and she wonders if his hair just does that naturally or if he spends hours making it look that messy. She takes her cup with her and sits down on the couch opposite him, sips at the warm blend of spices. She says nothing, just lets him take his time, and after a few minutes she can see the quiet is making him visibly uncomfortable.
'I thought you were supposed to talk,' he says.
She quirks her head to the side, smiles slightly. 'I don't remember that being in the psychologists' handbook, but my copy is a little outdated. I'll have to check later.'
He frowns a little. 'You're really different from other psychologists.'
'How many have you known?' she asks, settling in for the session, her mug still in her hands and her attention focused solely on him.
He shrugs. 'A few. They were all a little strange.'
'And I'm not?' she asks, smiling fully this time.
He grins. 'Definitely not in the same way.' He studies her for a minute. 'Is it weird, talking with me while you're dating one of my officers?'
She shakes her head. 'Why would it be? You and I talk on a regular basis, we just happen to talk about different things while we're outside this office.'
'Baseball probably isn't a good topic for a psychological session,' he says with a grin.
Zoe shrugs. 'If that's what you'd like to talk about, then let me start by stating I'm a Red Sox fan and I will banish you from my office immediately if you use the words 'A Rod' and 'God save the Yankees' in any of your sentences.'
He laughs outright and shakes his head. 'A Red Sox fan. What on earth do you see in my Cubs loving second in command?'
Zoe smiles but says nothing. She tries to steer the topic of conversation away from her relationship with Evan. These sessions are never meant to be about her personal life – they're meant for the client's issues and need to discuss things.
But, because he started it…
'Tell me about Doctor Weir,' she says and watches his relaxed posture instantly stiffen.
'What about her?' he asks and she's reminded of a petulant teenager. His arms are crossed and his tone of voice is defensive. She knows she's struck and nerve and were he anyone else, she'd change the subject, but part of her wants to know why he's like he is.
'Well, I've heard the rumors. If there's any truth to them at all, then losing her must have been devastating for you.'
He stares at her for a minute and then stands.
'I've got a meeting with some scientists in ten minutes. Good talking to you, Doc.'
She nods and watches him go. She stays where she is on the couch, coffee mug still in hand. She takes a sip of it and thinks that maybe, just maybe, John Sheppard isn't as much Captain Kirk and bravado as he'd have the world believe.