Prompt # 086: Choices

Note: Set after "Critical Mass"; Season 2, SGA.

It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

-J. K. Rowling

Elizabeth sat alone at a table in the Mess Hall, idly picking at a late-night bowl of soup as she mulled over the day's events. Had she been wrong to allow Ronon even to think of torturing Kavanagh? God knew the bespectacled scientist had the social graces of a wet and wounded cat, but for a few moments during her second interrogation of him, he had seemed to let his guard down for a moment and let his inner feelings show through. There had been annoyance, to be sure, but an odd undercurrent of worry. Whether it was for himself or someone else, though, she wasn't sure.

Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head slightly. At least no one had been hurt. Kavanagh had fainted before Ronon had even touched him, which was somehow relieving to her. The encoded messages that Kavanagh had sent had said almost the same thing: Get somewhere safe. Bomb on Atlantis. Be safe.

The last one to a Doctor Rice, however, had had an addendum: Brooks- don't worry about me; I'll be fine. They probably won't let me help out with the bomb problem, but somehow I suspect that's alright. It's a hell of a way to spend our seven-year anniversary (yes, I know we've already celebrated, but still), but when have we ever had a normal life together, right? The Daedalus is coming back to Atlantis soon; I don't know when I'll see you again, but after all this is over and done with, I think I'm going to need a good night's sleep and a drink, preferably both in your company. I love you. Stay safe.

--

'May I join you, Doctor Weir?'

Elizabeth looked up from her soup to see a woman dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans standing at the other side of the table, her wavy brown hair falling loose around her face. She had a look of direct Greek ancestry to her, and was probably about the same height as Elizabeth, should the Expedition leader decide to stand up.

'Hmm? Oh, sure, go right ahead.' Elizabeth said finally, trying to place a name to the woman's face.

'Thanks.' The woman sat down, brushing a lock of hair out of her light brown eyes. 'It's been a hell of a day, hasn't it?' she said conversationally, stirring her own bowl of soup with a spoon to even out the ambient temperature of the liquid. Elizabeth blinked, slightly startled at the woman's turn-of-phrase. It was probably a coincidence that she had used almost the exact same words as Kavanagh had.

'Yes, it has been,' Elizabeth replied, taking a sip of her soup and trying to place the woman among the various faces of the Expedition's staff. She had a vague recollection of seeing her dining companion elbow-deep in the innards of MALPs or FREDs, but couldn't for the life of her remember her name.

'I know this sounds odd, but what's your name?' Elizabeth said finally after a few minutes of silence. 'I feel like I should know it, but…' she trailed off exasperatedly.

The other woman smiled slightly. 'It's Brooks. Doctor Brooks Rice. I'm the head of the Robotics Department. I maintain and repair the MALPs and FREDs when they need to be. I've been here since the beginning of the Expedition.'

'I knew you looked familiar, it's just that-' Elizabeth broke off, memory rising up like a hippo breaking the surface of the Nile. 'Did you say "Rice"?'

Brooks carefully set down her spoon. 'Yes, I did,' she replied, a soft sigh to her voice. One hand vaguely rubbed at the back of her neck before dropping back to the table. 'And I suspect you have some questions regarding a certain message that was sent to me earlier today.'

'Yes, I do.' Elizabeth confirmed. Brooks nodded and then leaned back in her chair, eyes half-closed as she contemplated what to tell Elizabeth.

'Alright, go ahead, then. Ask your questions. I'll answer, but only if I get to ask you a few after you're finished.'

'Fair enough. How well do you know Doctor Kavanagh?'

Brooks smiled. 'Fairly well, I should think. We've been married for seven years. Today's our anniversary. Next question.'

Elizabeth was taken aback by this information. 'You're married? How? Why?'

'I'll count those as one question. Yes, we're married. As for the how, we met at the SGC, dated for about a year, and then got married. The why should be pretty easy to understand, I think.' Brooks shrugged. 'Anything else?'

Elizabeth was confused. 'You've seen how he acts around other people, especially authority figures. How do you justify that?'

Brooks frowned, her brow furrowing slightly. 'I don't. It's part of his nature- or at least, the one he shows to the world in general. It's my turn for questions.'

Elizabeth sighed. 'Fine. Ask away.'

'Do you know his first name?'

This non-sequitur threw Elizabeth, but she tried to regain her composure. 'It starts with a "P", doesn't it? Paul or Peter, right?'

Brooks shook her head. 'Wrong. It's Nathaniel. Nate to his friends and family, Nathan to those acquaintances outside of work.' She corrected. 'The SGC made an error when recording his name early on in his career. Second question. Have you made any effort to actually get to know him? The fact that you don't actually know his name doesn't go far in that field, but I'm willing to overlook that since it's a common mistake.'

'I can't say that I have,' Elizabeth began, choosing her words carefully. 'Though he hasn't made any effort to get to know me very well.'

'Fair enough,' Brooks said, nodding in acquiescence. 'Third question: What made you choose Nate as the prime suspect for the Trust agent? I understand he hasn't been the most sociable of people, but he hasn't actually done anything traitorous to deserve that level of suspicion.'

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably in her seat, acutely aware of Brooks' level and steady gaze. It would've almost been better if Brooks had been waving her hands about and shouting, but this quiet and calm line of questioning was starting to unnerve Elizabeth. Even though she was an experienced diplomat and knew how to deal with people, this was just a bit too much, even for her. Luckily for her, though, Carson came into the Mess Hall at that moment, looking around for something- or someone. When he spotted Brooks and Elizabeth, he came over, a tired smile on his face.

'Hullo, Brooks, Elizabeth. What're you two up to?' he asked, flopping down in a nearby chair.

'Nothing much, Carson. Just chatting.' Brooks said, getting up. 'I've actually got to get going; it's past my bedtime, and I've got lots to do in the morning. Good night, Doctor Weir. Goodnight, Carson.'

''Night, Brooks. Sleep well.' Carson replied. He and Elizabeth watched her go, and Elizabeth sighed wearily when she was out of sight and earshot.

'Something wrong?' Carson asked.

'Just some uncomfortable thoughts, is all. I've been asking myself the whole day if I was right in authorizing Ronon to use any means necessary to retrieve the access codes from Kavanagh, and then I find out that..' Elizabeth trailed off, shaking her head. 'It doesn't matter. What's done is done.'

Carson regarded her for a moment, and then sighed. 'I take it you deciphered the messages Doctor Kavanagh sent, and to whom he sent them?' he asked.

'Yes. One to you, one to Corporal Mackenzie, and one to Doctor Rice.' Elizabeth said. 'The one that interested me the most was Doctor Rice's.'

Carson nodded, a half-smile curving his lips. 'I bet it did,' he said. 'Was that what you were talking about with Brooks? The message, I mean?'

'That, among other things.' She paused for a moment. 'Alright, I have to know. Did you know that Doctor Kavanagh was married?'

'Yes, I did.'

Elizabeth blinked. 'You knew?'

'Of course. I'm their doctor. It's in their medical files under "Next-of-Kin". Besides, they're some of my friends. I think you'd be surprised to see what kind of a person Nate truly is, especially once you get past the prickly shell and really get to know him. He and Brooks are one of the happier couples I've seen, even with the hectic lives we lead.' Carson looked thoughtful. 'It's a wonder that this hasn't come up before, but they've always been rather private people.'

'I'd say.'

---

When Brooks returned to the quarters she shared with Nate, she found him standing on the small balcony that was attached to the "living room" portion of their family-sized quarters. She joined him there, looking up at the stars that were both still so alien and so familiar at the same time.

'How're you doing?' she asked finally, turning her head to look at him.

He sighed. 'Better than I was. I could still use a drink, but I think that can wait.'

'It's probably for the best that it does.' Brooks leaned against Nate, and he wrapped an arm around her. Brooks could feel the tension slowly draining out of her husband, drifting away on the sea-scented breeze.

'Yeah, you're probably right.' Nate said after a minute. 'Let's go inside. The Daedalus is leaving the day after tomorrow; Major Marks is going to be commanding the ship until Colonel Caldwell is back on his feet again.'

After they went inside and the door slid shut behind them, they started to get ready for bed. 'By the way, what took you so long? I thought you were just going to get something to eat and then come back.' Nate said as Brooks finished brushing her teeth.

'I ran into a few people.' Brooks replied after spitting out the toothpaste. 'It's nothing major. I chatted for a little bit and then came back here.'

'Oh. Well, that's alright, then.' Nate said, shrugging slightly before starting to brush his own teeth. When he'd finished with that, he joined Brooks in their bed, getting under the covers and sighing in relief. 'It's been a hell of a day.' He said, taking off his glasses and setting them on the bedside table.

'Yes, it has.' With that, Brooks turned out the light, and the quiet darkness filled the room.