Chapter Sixteen:
Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain
Elizabeth watched the man in front of her cower from her wrath.
His face was controlled in fear. Elizabeth grinned, pulling the trigger of her gun, once, twice, she watched him fall to the floor.
He groaned and Elizabeth paused.
Dead bodies groan?
Flipping him over, she jumped at the smile on his face.
"You can't kill me THAT easily." He said sneering. Suddenly his gun came from nowhere, and she was dead.
Game over.
She sighed and hit the man sitting beside her on the head. John yelled out.
"Ow!" He screeched, "What was that for?"
Elizabeth shook her head, dumping the control for the 'Xbox' on the ground.
"That was for killing me." She hit him over the head again, "And that, was for making me play this stupid game in the first place!"
Jack, sitting behind them with Sam, called out.
"Hey! No fair! I let you guys play my games, sit in my office chairs…and look how you repay me! By insulting my game system?"
Elizabeth frowned and stood up, walking over to the chairs by Sam and sitting down.
John followed suit.
"Any news on getting us squatters back home?" He asked, casually, looking past Elizabeth. Sam shuffled slightly in her wheel chair.
"I've been working on the machine…in between …other…things." John smiled at her supportively, and she continued. "But by the looks of it, it's fried. I can repair it with time…and mobility."
She stopped and glared at the chair beneath her.
Jack placed a hand on her arm. She looked up.
"Don't rush things," He warned, "Your no help to anyone if you over work yourself."
"Yeah," Elizabeth picked up on the conversation, glaring at John for bringing it up in the first place; "We need you now more then ever to take your time. And," She stopped and thought for a minute, "Kate and I have been meaning to ask you at a convenient time, and to tell you the truth this looks as great as any –" She re tracked her ramblings. "-we were wondering if you'd care to accept out invitation for a girls night out. A movie…dinner…facial…you know, what usual…err…people do."
Sam stopped and looked at her.
"I don't…I don't feel comfortable in-"
Elizabeth changed track again.
"That's okay! We can have a girls night in! Some movies…popcorn…"
Sam grinned gratefully.
"Thanks it sounds great."
John looked from one to the other.
"Can I come?" He asked, as Sam and Elizabeth giggled. Jack raised his eyebrow.
"The female species only I'm afraid." Elizabeth said comfortingly, a smile hiding her laughter.
John sighed.
"Damn. So no women in short shorts?"
Jack, the only one in the room besides John to have watched the Simpson's, laughed.
Elizabeth stared at Sam and shrugged.
That night, after Jack had replenished Sam's food supplies at her house (With Sam's money and approval), Sam arrived back at her small house, Elizabeth and Kate turning up soon after, both carrying movies and bags of popcorn.
"So…" Elizabeth said, looking around sitting on the couch, "Nice place."
Sam wheeled herself into the room and sighed.
"It was where my parents lived when they first got together." She picked up a photo from behind her and rubbed her thumb against the picture of her smiling mother and father.
Kate and Elizabeth glanced at each other.
"Where are your parents?" Elizabeth asked quietly.
Sam looked down.
"My mother died when I was a kid, my dad died this year."
Elizabeth felt her mouth pop open.
"Jacob Carter, the Tok'ra died?"
Sam looked down and nodded. Elizabeth swallowed this new piece of information. But they weren't here to find out about Sam's past. They had organized this to cheer them all up.
"So," Kate said, grinning, "Which movie first, 'A Cinderella story', or 'Love Actually'?"
Sam and Elizabeth pondered for a second.
"A Cinderella story." They said on cue, they grinned. Kate stood up and reached to a small bag of her things. She brought out a bottle of wine.
They all grinned like the cat who had just caught the mouse.
One bottle of wine, three Bacardi's and a bottle of tequila, A Cinderella story, Love actually and The Phantom of the Opera later, Elizabeth, Sam and Kate were well past the level of drunk, and now all sitting on the floor (including Sam) giggling at jokes.
"So," Kate hiccupped, "Elizabeth, how long have you and John been together hic?"
Elizabeth counted on her fingers.
"A-about four months I think…" She grinned, a large drunken grin, "I love him."
Kate and Sam grinned too.
Elizabeth turned to Sam.
"So how long have you loved Jack..?"
Sam shook her head, a finger rising to her lips.
"Uh huh! You're not getting that hic one outta me!"
Kate prodded.
"C'mon! Tell hic us!"
Sam shrugged.
"Seven years." She said, shaking her head. Kate and Elizabeth's mouths opened simultaneously.
"You loved him in secret for seven hic years?"
Sam nodded sadly.
Shaking her head, as if to clear out the cobwebs, Sam turned her attention to Kate.
"How long you loved McKay?"
Kate frowned.
"We started d-dating a while ago…a few months…" She grinned, "I love him."
They all giggled.
John watched carefully. The football was lined up…the opposition ready to pounce at any moment. Up it went, soaring high…and through the goal posts. John cheered, grabbing more popcorn from the bowl next to him.
Jack did the same.
"I can't believe I missed such great games…" John said, grinning. Jack returned the grin.
Rodney was sitting in the corner chair of the rec room, carefully reading. Without Kate around, he had nowhere to go. Teyla and Ford had gone out to see Earth, John, after the events of the last time they returned 'home' which turned out to be faked, declined, deciding to rather to spend his time catching up on TV.
Teyla looked at Ford, his mouth surrounded by this…ice cream. Ford grinned at her, and Teyla couldn't help but laugh. While going shopping in the fake earth with John had been fun, she had to admit, Aiden was much better at entertaining her with his jokes and infectious laughter.
He had taken her to a…a 'Fair', so far the had traveled on a 'moon ride' (Teyla had become confused, and asked once they were off why weren't they on the moon yet), and the Lieutenant had even won her a large fake bear in a shooting competition. (Teyla had wondered why the guns were filled with water…).
But as much as Teyla loved their time out there, she couldn't ignore the small nagging feeling in her stomach. When Aiden smiled at her, his eyes twinkling in the light, and she couldn't help but grin…she felt it. Back on the main land, they called it 'Munwai', on Atlantis and Earth they had called it 'Love'. She had talked to Kate about her feelings during their sessions, and Teyla tried to remember the advice.
.:FLASHBACK:.
"Just remember Teyla," Kate said gently, picking up her water and taking a drink, "Feelings are what makes you human. It's unnatural to hide them all the time, it does damage to you, and the people around you. What I suggest, is that you go and talk with Aiden. Become his friend. And if you still feel the same way, tell him how you feel. You never know, he just might feel the same way about you!"
.:END FLASHBACK:.
Teyla grinned. Well, she had become his friend, right? Well, perhaps it was time to show him how she felt.
Ford stuttered slightly. He was asking her if she wanted balloons, pointing to the floating spheres. She nodded slightly, and whilst he was getting her one, she quickly planned what she was going to say.
He returned with blue and yellow 'balloons'.
"Ford…"
"Teyla…" They spoke on cue. Ford laughed, Teyla indicating he should go first. He coughed.
"Teyla, I-I wanted to tell you since we first came out here…cause I really like you, your great. I met you and my world seemed to brighten. I-I was shy cause I thought you were with John…and I just wanted you to know, I really like you. I really, really like you. And by that I mean I really, really, really, really-" He was cut off as Teyla pressed her lips against his.
She felt him grin.
As he wrapped his arms around her middle, swinging her around.
"Okay," He said, placing her back down. "I was lying." Teyla felt her heart tighten, "I love you." He continued, grinning. Teyla kissed him again.
And again.
Back in Sam's living room, a groan was heard. Sam opened her eyes, looking around to see Elizabeth and Kate, both of them passed out, lying on the floor. A headache was throbbing in her temples, as Sam looked at her watch and realised it was well past noon. She had slept right though therapy. She glanced at her legs, they were hurting badly, as she pulled up her pant leg to look, and she sighed at all the stitches and dried blood keeping it all together. Obviously one or two of her stitches had split from being asleep on the floor, legs bent.
Pulling herself over to her wheel chair, she painfully climbed on, sighing at the effort. She wheeled herself into the kitchen, picking aspirin and keys.
A minute later, Elizabeth joined her, her clothes rumpled and she was holding her head.
"Oww…" She whispered, leaning against the table. Noticing Sam had thrown in her direction the packet of medicine, she swallowed a couple dry.
She looked up and something clicked.
"Oh god," She whispered, walking over to where Sam had picked up her keys, "You slept right through therapy! And you had to get into the chair by yourself! I'm so sorry!"
Sam glared.
"I'm fine." She snapped. Did everyone have to act like she was poor and pathetic or something?
Elizabeth nodded.
"Where you off to?" She said nonchalantly.
Sam sighed.
"A couple of my stitches pulled loose during the night."
Elizabeth looked guilty all over again.
Sam softened slightly.
"I'm sorry, don't worry about it. Nothing serious about it. I had fun last night. Thanks for getting my mind off my own misery. I'm just sorry I haven't found a way to get you back yet."
Elizabeth sighed.
"It doesn't really matter. You'll get us there one way or another." She whispered as Sam wheeled near the door, "We won't tell anyone about Jack." She whispered.
It amazed Elizabeth about Sam's strength. How could she live with hidden love for over seven years? Her and John were together and she couldn't imagine it any other way.
Sam grinned,
"Thanks Elizabeth."
Liz nodded. A horn beeped outside.
"I'll be back later. Sorry to leave you and Kate here like this…"
Elizabeth waved it off,
"We don't mind, really."
And Elizabeth watched as Sam wheeled herself out the door. This woman had the hardest life of all.
Ttfn!
