Author: MegTDJ
Category: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: McKay/Weir; Sheppard/Weir (more or less...)
Spoilers: None
Summary: Elizabeth's got a boyfriend, but who could it be?
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis, its universe and its characters are not mine. The story itself is, however, so please don't archive without my permission.
Warning: Don't be fooled by the "Sheppard/Weir" label. I added that on for safety's sake, but this is definitely a McKay/Weir fic.
Author's notes: If you're a Sheppard/Weir shipper in any way, shape, or form, I think it's best that you don't read this.
This is hopefully my one and only 'bash-another-ship-to-further-my-own' fic, and believe me, it surprised me more than it could possibly surprise anyone else, LOL! I hate this kind of fic as a general rule, but the plot bunny bit my ankle and wouldn't let go. I blame it on all the Sheppard/Weir shippers who keep telling me they feel sorry for Rodney for having a crush on Elizabeth because he'll just end up disappointed in the long run, and all those stories I've read/heard of where Rodney is the one slighted in the much-loved Atlantis love triangle. All I can say is... poor Sheppard. ;)
By the way, the latest edition of The Lowdown aired as I was writing it, so I managed to fit a Torri Higginson quote in here. If you saw the show, you'll know what I mean when you get to it. ;)
Disbelief
He still couldn't believe it.
In all the years since graduating high school and joining the Air Force, John could only think of one, maybe two women who had turned him down, and at the time he'd figured that was because those particular two women hadn't really known him. Not that he had a huge ego or anything - he just seemed to attract women like a magnet, and once they got to know him, a short but very satisfying relationship inevitably followed.
Being turned down to his face was something very rare indeed.
"I'm sorry, John. I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression, so if I have, I'm so very, very sorry. The thing is... I'm already involved with someone."
"Someone back on Earth?"
"Well... I was... but I'm talking about here, on Atlantis. I really am flattered that you're interested in me, it just... it isn't possible. I'm sorry."
With that, she had walked away, leaving him staring off into space with his mouth hanging open.
Someone on Atlantis was involved with Elizabeth Weir? Someone who was not John Sheppard?! How could he not have known about this?
For the next day or so, he had watched Elizabeth like a hawk, studying the behaviour of the men around her closely. He started keeping a mental checklist of all the eligible men on Atlantis, checking them off one by one as he saw that she barely gave them a second glance. It wasn't long before his list had been whittled down to such absurd candidates as Lt. Ford, Dr. Zelenka, and McKay. He was starting to think maybe he should expand his scope to include the eligible women on Atlantis, too.
Until he sat down to eat his dinner in the mess hall on the second evening.
He was late for the meal as far as the normal scheduling went, so there were very few people left in the mess hall when he got there. It seemed that everybody left was one of the scientist types who ate slow because they had their nose buried in a book or some kind of report.
Except Rodney. He was sitting in his usual spot, staring at his plate and stabbing his mashed potatoes with a fork. He obviously had something on his mind, and seemed to be in a rather foul mood, so John kept his distance. He sat down at a table in the far corner of the room and started to eat.
Before long, John's attention was drawn to the doorway as someone walked very gracefully into the room. It was Elizabeth, so of course, his eyes never left her as she came in and made her way over to the food counter. To his surprise, however, she never got that far. As soon as she saw Rodney, a soft smile appeared on her face, and she headed in his direction.
John narrowed his eyes as he watched the scene play out. Surely he was seeing things. Elizabeth and Rodney? Couldn't be.
Could it?
He leaned forward in his chair as Elizabeth came up behind Rodney. The guy just sat there still poking at his food, oblivious to the fact that the loveliest creature in existence was heading his way. That pretty much proved that there was nothing between them... right?
His heart sank down into his boots as Elizabeth stopped right behind Rodney's chair and bent down to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Rodney's face brightened about a million watts, and he turned his face towards her with a smile.
Crap. It looked like it was true. She'd turned him down because she'd rather be with Rodney 'Smart Ass' McKay. Where was the justice in that?
He strained his ears trying to hear what they were saying, but it was pointless. He could see that their mouths were moving, but he was even too far away to lip read. After they'd exchanged a few words, Elizabeth stood up straight, gave Rodney's shoulders a squeeze, and then walked over to the food counter.
Rodney watched her every move, just as John was watching his. One hint of an ulterior motive in the guy, and he'd be eating through his nose. He was somewhat disappointed when he saw that the look on Rodney's face was full of awe and respect rather than anything... well, less honourable. He'd sort of been looking forward to beating the crap out of him.
Elizabeth soon returned to Rodney's table with a tray of food and sat down next to him, pulling her chair over until their arms were almost touching. John couldn't keep from grinding his teeth at the sight. Why was Rodney the lucky bastard who had managed to earn Elizabeth's attention? What did Rodney have that John didn't?
The longer he sat there watching them eating and chatting comfortably together, the clearer it became to him - they were friends. That wasn't all it was, of course, but it was painfully obvious to him that the core of their relationship was that they genuinely liked each other. That was something that he and Elizabeth had never really managed to attain. Sure, they did like each other, but for some reason they always seemed to be on opposite ends of any argument that cropped up. She and Rodney had some kind of deeper understanding that he would never be able to achieve with her.
He'd known it deep down ever since he'd first met them in Antarctica, but he'd been trying not to admit it to himself ever since. Elizabeth found Rodney's sarcasm and arrogance amusing... he respected her leadership in a way that he never did anyone else's... she trusted his judgment and his opinions on what should be done in any given circumstance... she was the only one who had the ability to calm him down and listen to reason whenever he went off on one of his wild tangents... whenever one was speaking, the other was listening with rapt attention... they were forever quoting each other...
Damn. They were in love with each other. Now that he was really thinking about it, they'd probably been in love with each other since they'd come here.
John swallowed hard as he heard Rodney's laughter echoing through the nearly empty mess hall. He'd never heard Rodney laugh like that before.
Then Elizabeth joined in, and finally John couldn't take any more. He rose from his chair, leaving his half-eaten meal behind, and marched straight over to the door.
"Major Sheppard?"
He stopped and turned to look over at the lovebirds when he heard Elizabeth calling his name. "Yeah?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were here," she said. "We were just talking about your latest mission. Would you like to join us?"
He studied her closely for any sign that she was mocking him, but the offer seemed to be genuine.
Before he had a chance to answer, Rodney kicked the chair across the table from him so that it moved back a bit. "Yeah," he said. "Pull up a chair."
John pulled the chair out further and slowly sat down. "Don't mind if I do."
He was quite proud of himself for keeping up his end of the conversation for the next ten minutes or so, despite his overwhelming desire to run as far away from these two as possible. They just looked so damned happy together that it was making him slightly nauseous.
At first they talked about their mission, but then the conversation turned onto other things, like their lives back on Earth and their hopes for the future. During a brief lull, John said before he could really think about the wisdom of such a remark, "So, what is it that you see in this guy, anyway?"
Rodney and Elizabeth fell silent, glancing at each other as some kind of psychic communication went on. Elizabeth had an impish look on her face as she turned back to John.
"I think it's something about the belly," she said, reaching her hand out at lightning speed to tickle Rodney's stomach.
Rodney's jaw dropped and he swatted her hand away in indignation. "Hey!"
Elizabeth laughed and took his face in her hands. "I'm sorry," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I just couldn't resist."
Rodney looked like he was about to head into a sulk. "Don't you have a real answer?" he asked.
Elizabeth grew serious then, gazing at him with such a soft expression on her face that it made John's heart ache. She sighed and took hold of Rodney's hand. "I think I just... see him," she said. Then she looked over at John again. "You know?"
One look at the glow on Rodney's face, and John did know. She brought out the best in him, that's for sure. "Yeah," he said. "I think I do." He took a deep breath and then stood up. "I've gotta get going, but I guess I'll see you guys bright and early at tomorrow's briefing."
Elizabeth smiled up at him. "Goodnight, John."
"Yeah, goodnight, Major."
John didn't look back as he left the mess hall, but their soft voices and gentle laughter accompanied him all the way down the hall.
He still couldn't believe it... but at the same time, it seemed somehow to make perfect sense.