Title: Enemy Action
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Author: Rose Wilde-Irish
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Sparky, Weir/Zelenka
Summary: Zelenka speaks to Weir.
Notes: Slight spoilers forHot Zone.
"Radek, are you sure nothing's wrong?" Elizabeth regarded him with a suspicious eye, thinking he seemed a little more remote than usual.
It took a moment for her words to penetrate. "Hmm?" he said, pushing back from the railing and looking from the sea to her. "Oh. Ne, nothing is...wrong, exactly."
"But there's something bothering you." It wasn't a question. Their little chats had become habit, and Elizabeth was now fully aware of the signs of different moods in her friend.
He flashed his quick, bright smile, raising an answering one of her own. She wondered if it were possible not to enjoy a smile of his. "It's nothing. A...personal matter. And compared with the problems we're facing..." His voice trailed off as he stared out to sea again, eyes dark and troubled.
Elizabeth laid a comforting hand over his. "I understand if you don't wish to discuss it, but really...just because it's personal doesn't mean it doesn't get to you." She smiled back at him, noted how he seemed to brighten like a plant in the sun. He smiled again, a lopsided one this time, with a little more substance behind it. His thumb reached around to give her hand atop his a slight squeeze before withdrawing it.
"Atlantis is truly blessed, Elizabeth," he said, and she couldn't help but notice that he I still /I blushed slightly when he used her name, "because we have not only capable leader but a good person in charge, as well."
It was her turn to blush. Radek Zelenka was a puzzle she was enjoying putting together, full of contradictions and seeming impossibilities. This man before her was willing to go toe-to-toe with a wired and annoyed I McKay /I , despite his mild demeanor. He'd faced certain death with quiet dignity during the nanovirus scare, and had impressed her on numerous occasions since. It was a fine line to walk, between professional and personal, especially knowing the way he felt about her.
If it wasn't for the very real concern she had for his feelings, it would be a great ego boost. As it was, she enjoyed his company far more than she should, knowing what she did.
"Thank you, Radek," she said, warmly. "Ah...it isn't something that might complicate the next staff meeting, or the next crisis, is it?"
His eyes got a slight glazed over look that she recognized from many dealings with the science contingent. Her words had triggered something…some connection within him, and now his attention was focused elsewhere. She smothered a smile, knowing he probably wouldn't have noticed (or at least called attention to it while the thoughts were firing rapidly, anyway). "No," he said, distracted. "No, I don't think this person would be so petty as to engage in...anything unseemly."
He gave a distracted smile, eyes clicking into focus on her, and sighed. "In any case, I must go. I have a theorem to test...thank you for your company, Elizabeth. I promise, I will not allow my…personal problems to interfer." Again he smiled, reminding her of how radically his face changed to reflect his moods. She smiled and nodded as well to him.
He nodded as well, and left, muttering quietly in Czech., "Ačkoliv Jsem přesvědčen o až k nestihnout vlak do bitva proti člen určitý hrozný Člověk vyšší hodnosti." She'd turned away from him as he moved, but the last little bit made her spin and stare.
The Czech she recognized was limited, but she was certain she'd heard the equivalent of "Major"...
Her lips thinned as she considered, not liking one bit any of the explanations her mind came up with.
Perhaps it was time to get to the bottom of this.
fin