Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
A/N: Just two things: Remember, they don't know it's a guy and second, I don't know if the planet has seasons like summer and winter but in this little story it has, okay?!^^ (I didn't read this over as much as I would have liked to, so don't shoot me for any obvious mistakes)
Love your reviews, keep them coming!^^
4. Spooky Flowers In A Winter Wonderland
Rodney couldn't see Sheppards face but it was like the whole room was suddenly full of tension, making it hard to breath.
'Why now?' he thought furiously, while he still gaped at the flowers and the note to his feet.
When Sheppard had strolled into his lab and asked him about yesterday, Rodney had immediately sensed that there was more to it than just blunt curiosity, although he couldn't put a finger on it. So he had used this chance to erase his earlier mistake and told Sheppard that the whole thing was fake, just a joke. Suddenly Sheppard had seemed more concerned than curious and he'd found himself happy and uncomfortable with this notion at the same time. Lunch would have been the perfect opportunity to distract the Colonel from this rather embarrassing topic, but just as he thought he'd made it, he'd almost tripped over these stupid flowers.
'God' he thought 'is the whole universe out to get me?'
Before he could make a move, Sheppard bent down and picked them up, carrying them to the table in the center of the room.
'He looks like he's carrying a bomb' Rodney thought wryly before he realized that he should probably protest. "Hey!" he yelled after closing the door again "Don't you think this is a bit invasive?" He tried to snap the piece of paper out of Sheppards hands but he just ducked away from his grip while continuing to unfold the note.
"Come on McKay, you said so yourself: it's just a joke."
Due to his own growing agitation, Rodney missed the strain in Sheppards voice, despite the teasing words.
Rodney couldn't believe that he allowed Sheppard to read the note. Sure he had tried to wrest it from him, but he had to admit that he hadn't tried too hard. If he really wanted to he could prevent it form happening, mostly because Sheppard wasn't the type of guy, who would invade his privacy without his consent.
No, fact was, he slowly began to feel anxious about this whole thing. Not that he found it impossible for someone to like him in a romantic way. Okay, so he wasn't the most pleasant person to be around with and he did his best to let everyone know that, but the time on Atlantis had shown him that there were people who still liked him and that he was even able to establish relationships with others without needing to completely change himself.
So when something like this would have been unbelievable for him just a few years ago, now it didn't surprise him as much as he thought it would.
No, what worried him was the shape this thing took on.
Whoever had sent him the flowers must have done so in the few minutes when he had talked to Sheppard. He twitched with uneasiness when he considered that this someone had maybe even eavesdropped without their knowledge.
It made him feel vulnerable and exposed and he didn't like that. Not at all.
So, although his expression showed annoyance he was rather relieved to see that Sheppard took matters into his own hands. When the Colonel told him it was harmless he was sure he would at least feel not nearly as paranoid as he did right now.
After all, Sheppard was the military guy and would recognize a wicked soul when he saw one.
But instead of his paranoia it was his momentary relief that vanished the longer he watched Sheppard's gradually darkening expression.
That was so not a good sign.
"What is it Sheppard?" Sheppard didn't seem to hear him and was still fixated on the message. "Colonel?" he tried again with a hint of impatience in his voice.
Nothing.
"John!"
That got him finally a reaction and hazel eyes teared themselves from the paper and settled on him.
Rodney felt a weird mix of embarrassment and excitement over calling the Colonel by his first name, something he was still unused to do. John just stared at him with an unreadable expression and Rodney began to feel self-concious under the intense gaze.
"What's wrong?" As if he didn't already know what was wrong if the note was even roughly like the first one.
After a few moments Sheppard visibly snapped out of whatever had a hold of him and looked slightly chagrined back to the note.
"Well, you were right." At Rodneys questioning look he continued "That's quite... 'direct'."
Rodney felt the heat creep up his collar and suddenly wished he hadn't let Sheppard read the note, uneasy feeling or not.
"I-I told you." God this was humiliating. "So it's just a joke, right?" And he so did not plead.
John shot him a reassuring grin. "I'm quite sure it is. But if you'll feel better I could look at the video footage for this corridor so we will now for sure who's the wisecracker."
"You know Colonel, sometimes you are smarter than you look."
"Geez, thank you Rodney."
Rodney let the sarcastic remark wash over him. The little insult had been necessary because...damn, why hadn't he thought of that? Wasn't he supposed to be the genius here? Besides, it was one thing to admire the man, but another to let him solve his personal problems, especially problems of this kind.
His secret heart throb investigating his secret admirer... he didn't think that would be a good idea.
"Thank you Colonel, but I can do that myself."
"No backtalk Rodney!" Sheppard said and before Rodney could object he was standing in the open doorway and shot him this stupid, yet somehow adorable flyboy grin. "I'll handle this and you work your little science-magic until I get back."
Rodney just stared at the door even long after it was closed again.
"Science-magic?" he muttered "How the hell can science be magic?"
He failed to surpress a smile at the warm feeling that flowed through him at the knowledge that Sheppard cared enough for his well being to sacrifice some of his free time for him. And if you are into a straight person you'll take what you get.
And exactly that was the reason why Rodney McKay didn't chase after John Sheppard, but instead seated himself, content that the problem got taken care of, and continued to work.
After just a few minutes he was so engrossed in his new project that he totally forgot that the note was still in Sheppards hands and that he himself hadn't even glanced at it.
While Rodney worked in his lab, John Sheppard made his way through the hallways of Atlantis.
Those who met and greeted him never would have thought that under the smile and casual stride raged a storm of different and altogether confusing emotions. Nobody notized the way his right hand was buried in his pocket, so nobody could have possibly seen how exactly this hand clenched a piece of paper in its fist.
Only when he rounded a corner which led to a more remote part of the city he let the mask fall.
Agonizingly slow he extracted the note from his pocket and could do nothing but stare at it with a dangerous expression on his face, while he leaned back against the wall, hidden in shadows.
To say that he was confused would have been the understatement of the year.
The note was certainly quite straightforward in what the author saw in and thought about Rodney but what confused him was more the way he himself had reacted to its contents.
His eyes once more roamed over some of the heated highlights; 'broad shoulders'... 'luscious mouth'... 'piercing blue eyes' and again (although he couldn't know that) the 'fine ass'.
And again he felt himself grow hot and short of breath. Especially when his thoughts turned back to the point when he had finally teared his eyes off those words and had looked at Rodney instead. And his surprise when suddenly he had seen all that: the broad shoulders, a slightly crooked mouth and his ocean blue eyes he'd never even noticed. It was like someone had suddenly lifted a curtain from his eyes and all he could do was stare, stare, stare and wonder why he wanted Rodney to turn around so he could see a certain part of his backside too. It wasn't Rodneys call but exactly that thought that had him snap out of it and trying to cover up his little slip as best as he could.
Now he felt annoyed and oddly panicked at once.
Annoyed, because someone had noticed McKay in a way he, his best friend, hadn't and that he had needed this someone to point all those qualities out to him. And panicky, because he couldn't help but think that this 'Scientist's Lover' was damn right with everything and that he couldn't banish the picture of Rodney, standing in the middle of all those acient machines, skin a little bit flushed lips partly open below those blue, blue eyes.
Sheppard shaked his head as if he could also shake off the memory.
What the hell was wrong with him? So he had noticed that Rodney was actually a pretty good looking guy, but that didn't explain in the slightest why he had suddenly felt the urge to leave the lab (and Rodney), afraid something could happen they both would regret later on.
And he absolutely didn't want to think about what this "something" was. Absolutely not!
When he heard people coming his way, he hid the note in his pocket and set out for the gate room. This time his pace was fast and determined and this time he didn't waste time for smiles and greetings.
His confusing thoughts about Rodney hadn't been the only reason for his abrupt departure; he had sensed that Rodney was troubled about this whole incident even thought he had tried to literally "wave" it off and to appear unafraid.
John didn't like a troubled Rodney. Not at all. So he would find this secret admirer and tell her to stay the hell away from his scientist.
And if that sounded possessive, he didn't really care.
"What do you mean, there is nothing?" Sheppard asked minutes later, trying to sound calmer than he felt.
"Just what I said," the gate technican replied while replaying the video footage once more, "whoever did this must have replaced the few minutes you search with an earlier recording of this floor."
And indeed, the minutes after Sheppard entered the lab showed nothing but an empty floor before suddenly, just seconds before Rodney stumbled over them, the flowers appear out of nothing on the threshold.
Sheppard growled darkly after he watched the video for a fourth time. There was nothing, not even a suspicious shadow, just nothing! The recording was timed perfectly: if you didn't search for it, you would have missed the bunch, lying partly hidden behind the small door frame, just the peduncles sticking out.
'Kinda spooky...'
"Who could do something like that? The scientists?" Sheppard tried even harder to stay calm, not allowing himself just yet to acknowledge the growing pit of dread in his gut.
"Certainly!" the technican sounded openly intrigued, not understanding why the Colonel made such a fuss over some flowers and more so, why someone would manipulate a video just to deliver them undetected. "But so could everyone else, if they just took their time to learn it. Those programs are not as complex as you would think, so yeah everybody could have done this." Almost like an afterthought he added "Even the military ones."
'Well shit.'
"And you can't trace it or something like that?"
"No, I'm afraid I can't. This person just had to copy some footage, nothing that would require a login or unique code. If you could bring me the computer from where it was done, I could probably do something, but otherwise I fear there is no way."
John nodded curtly and wondered what he should do next.
There was no way he would give up now, not after all this concealment and misleading. If the video would have shown some petite scientist, gingerly arranging her gift, he would have believed that 'Scientist's Lover" was just like any other secret admirer: a little bit shy and insecure but nonetheless harmless despite her kinda extreme choice of words in her messages (as you say: still waters run deep), but this person went to great lengths to avoid that anyone could find out her identity and even sabotaged equipment to maintain this.
If his instincts hadn't told him so already, he would now know that this was in no way harmless or innocent but something serious. Something that could spin out of control if he didn't stop it, as fast as he could. He knew he had to do something and not just as the chief of security, but also as a friend.
"John, is everything alright?"
He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed how Weir had sneaked up on him. He realized that he was still standing in front of the now blank computer screen. The technican had long since departed, unnerved by the Colonel's thoughtful stare and convinced that he was no longer needed.
The head of Atlantis watched him in concern and he couldn't help but think that this was the second time today a woman had surprised and jerked him out of his daydreaming. 'What a great head of security you are.' he thought wryly.
"Yes everything is fine Elizebeth."
Dr. Weir narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you sure? You looked quite troubled. Something I should know about?"
'Should she?' John asked himself. As the head of Atlantis she probably wanted to know that there was someone our there, messing with the footage and sending flowers with rather creepy notes attached to her head of the science departement. But on the other hand, Rodney had looked mighty humiliated after John had read the note. And to be honest, if it would have been John with the potentional stalker, he wouldn't want much more people than necessary to know about it either. Furthermore, if he did this right, he was pretty confident that this whole situation could still end quiet and uneventful, maybe with a good talk or, if that didn't help, with a day or two in the brig for messing with militay equipment. 'And' John thought 'for making Rodney edgy'. But that wouldn't stand in the report.
So he decided to let this matter stay in the family, namely Ronon and Teyla who he had to debrief later that day (even if Rodney wouldn't like this) and answered with the best innocent smile he could muster: "No, there is nothing, don't worry." Suddenly an idea hit him. "I was just wondering if there had been recent trips to the Athosian settlement?"
Elizabeth eyed him some more moments before exhaling an exasperated sigh: "John we discussed this during the briefing, two weeks ago. Major Higgins and his team will visit the settlement for the next couple of weeks on a daily basis to help them prepare their homes for the winter. It was Teylas request to provide a team and you backed her up, remember?"
'And again, well shit!'
Sure he remembered...now.
Teyla had tried for days to convince her people to accept their help, but when the day had come to present her idea at the briefing she'd had doubts, if she could really ask for a team in times when the Wratih could attack every minute, so Sheppard had jumped in and convinced everyone (even Teyla) that they could indeed take the risk. Gosh, it had been such a pain in the ass to coordinate the shedule to be able to spare a team on this, and then he forgot.
"Yeah sure I remember Elizabeth. What do you think of me?" he grinned sheepishly and made an escape before Elizabeth could answer or question him further.
He, once again, strolled through Atlantis, his heart a bit lighter. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. The flowers (he had to ask Teyla after their name) were as beautiful as they were short-lived when picked. Whoever sent Rodney those things on a daily basis, and he was sure there would be another bunch tomorrow, had to get them on a daily basis from the mainland himself.
Major Higgins team. SGA-9, if he wasn't mistaken.
A predatory smile played on Sheppards lips. Time to grab Rodney and the others and take a look at the members of team 9.
A/N:
Next chapter tomorrow, but just because it will be a short one...OH and has anyone an idea for the name of the flowers? I'm bad with names...^^
Again, thanks for your reviews, they mean a lot to me, InsaneMelon