Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show.
Author's Note: This is my first-ever Stargate Atlantis fanfiction, and I have thus decided to start easy... this is going to be just a little insight on what the team does when they are not discovering other planets, pretty unspectacular in a Hollywood sense. Nothing will explode or be shot. Probably. But there will be some Shakespeare and Austen - oh, and it starts with McWeir. The Sheyla part later on is dedicated to Furlingsarekittens as a special request – hope you like it!
Rating: Not quite sure, but PG-13 to be on the safe side...
Chapter 2: ... And come to your senses
It was Rodney's turn, and he started reading the chapter. They had been reading Mansfield Park after Sense and Sensibility, having agreed to save their absolute favourite, Pride and Prejudice, to the last.
Elizabeth liked the way Rodney would be calmer whenever he read these texts out. "No comparison to normal – day behaviour, when he is basically stressed and annoying. He always thinks that there is not enough time" she thought, slightly absent – minded before returning her thoughts on the story. Soon enough, they both were captured by the melody the words gave to Rodney's voice...
"I only entreat everybody to believe that exactly at the time when it was quite natural that it should be so, and not a week earlier, Edmund ceased to care about Miss Crawford, and became as anxious to marry Fanny as Fanny herself could desire." Rodney read, and both sat pondering the meaning for a minute without being aware of it. Such truth – and each wondered if they should ever come to that time when everything would appear to be perfectly natural and the only sensible thing to be expected... Rodney felt weak, wondering how he could suppose that Liz would ever feel for him the way he felt for her.
"Lizzie, would you do me the honour of reading the rest?" he managed to ask, and accepting this task under the condition of never again being called "Lizzie", she took the book and read the last two pages in her beautiful voice, until softly ending with the remark "Finis".
"That is so beautiful" both of them sighed, slowly returning from England to Atlantis, passing two centuries. However, Atlantis also had its needs, and the time to part and to get back into reality had come. Rodney got up, yawning a bit, the comfort of the couch having made him sleepy. Elizabeth walked him to the door, and just before opening, she embraced him, whispering: "Thank you again for the flowers..." " You are very welcome, I assure you" he replied. The door opened, and he exited and strolled towards his labs.
This was the moment John Sheppard had been waiting for – admittedly, for over 2 hours. Pondering over what the Doctor had been doing in Doctor Weir's quarters, he followed the scientist along the hallways. It was evident that there was a rather strong friendship between the two, despite Rodney's all-too-often ill-tempered humour and Elizabeth's fixation on professionalism - both of them were in the lead of a whole lot of people, and such a position certainly required a rather strong character. But the two of them a couple? "Impossible", he thought, being sure that either would have told him. Plus, they take their responsibilities far too serious. "Wait a minute, "he thought to himself, "I am myself ranking military now... Leader in that sense." This short interval of self-betrayal vanished momentarily, as he had long realized that he loved Teyla, leader of the Athosians...
A loud "Major Sheppard" exclaimed by said leading scientist rapidly brought him back to reality "why are following me?" "Oh, Rodney, nice to see you", John replied rather lamely, trying to look innocent. "What do you want?" the scientist asked, flustered by the evident confusion the major was in.
"Well, actually, hmmm... ok, let's put it this way... Ford and I saw you earlier this afternoon with a rose bouquet. "He finally muttered. "Spying on scientist, or what do you call it?" Rodney snapped. John blinked shortly, before admitting embarrassedly: "Actually, I wanted to ask where you got them from?" "What do you need flowers for?" Rodney asked, before realization dawned on his face and he was able to answer. "Oh, I see...you are lucky I am in good mood... come along."
On the way to the device, John admitted his plans: he had invited Teyla to a romantic dinner "in order to bring her terrestrial culture a bit closer – and I need some flowers for decoration reasons." "Tinned food, how romantic is that? " Rodney exclaimed, before John acknowledged that his idea of a menu had indeed been a bit more exclusive. "I asked some of the other Athosians what she liked, and made sure we would have it in stock – I was thinking I might use the cooking deice we found in one the rooms last Monday." "You know how to cook Athosian food?" Rodney inquired, disbelief clearly showing on his face. "In fact, Halling was to come over with someone else to help me – wouldn't you like to join us?" John admitted, before grinning and adding: "You might learn something new even to you." "Well, Dinner is a very good idea – though maybe I need to change the menu a bit, "Rodney answered, imagining a table for two, candles lit, the incredible view from one of the balconies and an Atlantian sunset ... and Lizzie and him..."Let's go produce the flowers, to have time to prepare the rest..." "Rodney, you know what?" "Hmm?"
"This could be the beginning of a wonderful friendship!"
Finis