A/N: Sorry it's taken me awhile to post these last few chapters and thanks for your patience. I know this one is short, but trust me, it will become more interesting next chappie.
Elizabeth stood, shocked, and unable to use those little things called her vocal cords. However, she soon, once again, was able to speak, "Really?"
"Yeah. You didn't know? Yell at Rodney for a little bit for me, 'kay?"
"Sure. How'd you find out?" She had only assumed their relationship had started when hers and Rodney's had, but she could be wrong. Still, that was an alarmingly short amount of time…..
"Well, the Athosians have some sort of ultra-sound device-thingie and they can see right away. It's slightly unnerving but, hey…It's exciting!"
"Yes, it is! Congrats! How's Teyla holding up?"
"She's doing fine, actually. She's really happy. I expect by now Rodney's filled you in on the party?" Elizabeth looked up at Rodney, who was trying very hard to stare anywhere but at her.
"No, but he will soon."
"Good. Well, off to gloat to Kavanagh and Bates," she could hear the wink in his voice, "don't forget to spread the word. Night."
"Night," Elizabeth echoed and tapped off her earpiece, turning to Rodney.
"So, a party?" she prompted, crossing her arms and leaning against the balcony.
"Yeah, for Teyla and John. Mostly for Teyla, though. It's a kind of Jack and Jill baby shower thing."
"Oh, that's nice. I'm assuming there's gifts, drinks, cake and whatnot?"
"Yeah. And, it's also what we would call a 'black-tie affair.' Y'know, tuxes and gowns and such stuff."
"Lucky me, I brought my Oscar De La Renta just in case." Rodney glanced at her, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Yes, well, I prefer D+G myself," he teased, putting on a fake British accent. Not a very good one, but he was trying. Elizabeth raised her eyebrows teasingly.
"You know D+G? And other designers?" He feigned a hurt expression, not very convincingly.
"Of course. I had a psychotic, fashion-obsessed mother and she passed the gene on to my sister. And I….well, there were some days when I had nothing better to do than listen to them yammer on and on about this fashion thing and that and what a load of nonsense!" Elizabeth lowered one eyebrow, but kept the other raised amusedly.
"One of those things is a family trait." She grinned at his cute confusion and then understanding. Her grin faded, however, at the fleeting hurt puppy dog look on his face. He covered it up quickly, though, when he realized she had seen it. He laughed bitterly, sarcastically.
"Yes, I should've seen that coming." He turned back to the ocean, his old look of bitter distaste returning. She hadn't seen that look in a while; since they had gotten together, actually. Guilt flooded her like the horrible Storm had almost flooded Atlantis.
"Hey," she said softly, stepping up to him and putting her hand on his arm. He jerked slightly at the contact and she remembered that it was this arm had been split in half by Kolya during that same Storm. "I'm sorry; I was joking." He didn't respond, even with some snarky comment or another, which was totally of out character for him. "C'mon, let's go inside. It's cold out." He turned on his heel and strode to the warm interior, leaving her out in the cold, shocked. And saddened. And to complete her mood, it started to rain. AND she was wearing a white sweater. Muttering expletives under breath, she ran quickly inside. Rodney was sitting in her chair, looking at some book or another with a weird expression on his face. She could usually read him so well, but this…. "I'll be right out," she told him from her bedroom, changing into a comfy cami and her cords.
She took a deep steadying breath, wondering if she should put some more mascara on, hers was smudged, when she remembered that it was Rodney. This was a man who had seen her sopping wet, with no or little make-up on for an hour or more. Sighing, she made her way into the main "living area."
"Hey," she said, in what she hoped was a relatively calm voice. He looked up sharply and for a minute there was nothing but the calming, though slightly ominous, sound of the rain outside. Then he returned the greeting and a relived sigh fell from her lips. "So….whatcha looking at?" She strode over to him, puzzled at his guilty face.
"Uh, nothing." He hastily dropped the book he had been poring? over to the side, but not quickly enough. She grabbed it before it hit the floor and glanced at what she was holding. Her journal. She looked back at him quickly, barely registering his sheepish expression that she usually loved so much, then opened to a page that had been carelessly bent. She flushed as she read the entry for the day:
Okay, I need a shot or something! Today has been….intriguing, to say the least. Things have been happening; inevitable things I couldn't stop if I tried. Not that I haven't tried, I really have, it's just too damn impossible. The Wraith are becoming more powerful and they've been further educated on our tactics. That effectively means harder to kill. Every day, more and more good people are dying under my command. And every day, it's getting harder and harder to send these people to their deaths.
Although, I do have some relatively good news. Well, sort of. Y'see, I overheard John and Rodney bickering; by chance, I assure you. While this in itself isn't new or remarkable, I did manage to hear some of their convo. John was saying something about, and I quote, Rodney's apparent attraction to me. Yup, me. So I now finally know it's not just me, but the question remains: What should I do about it? The answer also stays the same: Nothing. So, like I said, relatively.
I gotta sleep. I'm gonna need more than Stoli and a good night's sleep to deal with tomorrow. Trouble abounds.
Lizzy.
Elizabeth closed the book, rubbing her eyes. Why? Why her journal? Why not Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights or even one those trashy romance novels she happened to smuggle into Atlantis? Any of those would be fine options. Just not her journal. Thank God he hadn't read one of the juicier entries. Crap. Her eyes flew open and locked on his, while her cheeks went up a few Crayola notches.
"Don't worry, I didn't read anything totally private. I just saw it lying there," he gestured to the space by her seat, "And it looked intriguing so I picked it up and-" Elizabeth held up a hand, looking affectionately down on the man seated in front of her. There was a slightly awkward silence as she put the journal down and walked over to the area that served as a kitchen.
"You want some hot chocolate or tea or something. I've got Swiss Mix. But no coffee for you." They smiled at each other appreciatively, enjoying the private joke. Their recent thing was that Rodney was way too hyper with coffee in him, he had vowed to try and give up coffee. But only on nights when he was off, or when he didn't have to fix something important and save the galaxy.
They made small talk about which was better: Swiss Mix or the moss-colored Athosian kind which Rodney swore was not chocolate, but, in fact, the grasses and herbs native to Athos. The joking and laughing came to a slow stop as each sipped their drinks. Elizabeth watched Rodney as he stroked the rim of his mug with his thumb meditatively; Rodney watched as she stared out the window, into the dark, dark night, with the peaceful cascading water all around.
"So," he finally said, drawing the word out. Elizabeth knew better than to ask; she just sat, waiting for him to continue. "Are we okay?" He gestured between the two of them and then to where the journal lay, undisturbed by their chit-chat.
"Yeah, we're good."
Notes: Okay, next time on What Can Be Said: get ready for one heck of a party complete with drinking, drunken singing and...something else. Hopefully, it won't take me as long to get the next one up. Or you will all just have to suffer. Sorry. :-) Reviews are my chocolate, my oxygen, my coffee, so please give them to me. Thank you.