End and Means, Chapter 6

Major John Sheppard surfaces slowly from sleep into consciousness. He becomes aware of the warm body next to him and smiles. They have shifted in their sleep and Elizabeth is now wrapped tightly in his arms. Her head is resting on his shoulder with one hand lightly on his chest and the other at his hip.

I could get used to waking up like this.

Don't get ahead of yourself there, buddy.

His hold tightens around Elizabeth and she snuggles a little deeper into his embrace.

John sighs, remembering how she mentally pulled away from him earlier. Then he remembers his own inability to handle her being sick in the infirmary. He isn't used to dealing with women for too long after the chase.

Oh come one. You've barely dealt with having to remember the women's names for longer than a few hours.

This is going to be very different.

Well, duh.

She trusts me.

I guess nobody's perfect.

I'm going to need to be her friend, too.

Yes John, women are good for being more than a quick roll in the hay.

I don't think she wants to be chased.

Anything worth having is worth fighting for.

I'm gonna need to be patient.

Not your strong suit, but it's doable.

I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

Probably not. But I think that decision has already been made.

John looks over at the woman sleeping in his arms. She is even more beautiful in her sleep. The worry lines are gone, kept at bay by what he hopes are good dreams.

Yeah. There's no backing out now.

Just don't blow this.

Not sure I can promise that, even to myself.

Then try not to blow it too badly.

Elizabeth starts to stir in his arms. Before she is fully awake, he uses the opportunity to kiss the tip of her nose. He'll have to be satisfied with that for now. When he really does kiss her for the first time, he wants her fully conscious and aware of her actions.

Her eyes open to meet his. She isn't quite sure where she is.

"Morning, Sleepy Head."

He knows when she realizes how their bodies are positioned because her eyes open wide before she starts to pull away from him. It takes all of his willpower not to tighten his hold and kiss her senseless. Instead, he lets her sit up and lays back with his arms behind his head. She is nervously trying to smooth down her clothes and hair.

"Is it really morning?"

"No, but it is getting dark and I'm a lot less warm than I was earlier."

He grins when she blushes.

"So we should go?"

"Yeah, it's time to return to reality."

They get up and pack the blanket back in the duffel. He sees her take one final look at their little piece of paradise before she follows him up the rear ramp. She lets out a little sigh as the jumper lifts off the ground.

"Good day?" John asks.

"Great day."

"I'm glad."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but it's clear that you spent some time planning this for me. Why?"

"Two reasons. One, I felt guilty."

"Guilty about what?"

"Not realizing you were working too hard. That you were sick."

"There's nothing for you to feel guilty about. Nobody else noticed either."

"Maybe that's true. But I still felt like I let you down."

"Okay. And reason two?"

"I've kinda been avoiding the infirmary."

"I noticed that. I thought you were still angry about our little yelling match."

"That wasn't it. But you can add the pre-collapse argument to the list of why I felt guilty."

"So why were you avoiding me?"

"Because the whole you-almost-dying thing freaked me out a little."

"It's not like you've never done it."

"Yeah, but it's apparently harder to be the worrier than the worry-ee."

"Does that mean you're going to try harder not to end up in the infirmary yourself?"

"Doubt it."

"Didn't think so."

"By the time I realized that I was being a jerk by not visiting, I figured that it would take something big to make it up to you."

"You didn't have to. But I'm glad you did."

"Me too."

They sit in comfortable silence for the rest of the trip back to Atlantis. It's a slower flight since he's reluctant to end their day together. By the time he lands the jumper in the bay, it is fully dark and the hallways back to her quarters are deserted. They stand just outside her door.

"I'm glad nobody saw us."

"How come?"

"I don't want too many questions about where we've been."

"You're not planning on reporting the location of the island?"

"Nope, that's our little secret."

"Oh."

Elizabeth places her palm on the sensor and the door opens. She takes a half step into the doorway and turns back to him. Placing her hands on his shoulders for balance, she reaches up and brushes a light kiss on his cheek.

"You're a good friend John. Thank you."

She drops her arms, takes a step back, and the door closes between them.

John stands in the hall for a while, staring at the closed door. A slow grin spreads across his face as he finally turns toward his own quarters.

Friends. He could do that...for now at least.

The End

Sorry if this isn't how some of you wanted this story to end. I don't want to get too ahead of the show's storyline. I want to see what they do about Simon in the upcoming episode "Home".

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and encouraged me to keep going with this story. I have a random piece of fluff started, but I'm not sure if I'll get it out before I go on vacation next week. Thanks again and I promise I'll have more stuff for the Weir/Sheppard shippers out there soon.