So How Did I Meet Your Mom Again?15
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters or story lines. No infringement is intended upon anyone or any subsidiary connected to Stargate: Atlantis or its parent series, Stargate: SG-1 or Stargate The Movie. I'm poor, you'll get nothing out of me!
Summary: When the team discovers McKay's future daughter living with their trading partners, the search is on for the mother because his daughter will have to be conceived in 16 months or cease to exist. No pressure, right?
Rating: PG for language.
Warnings: Possibly some adult situations or at least ideas.
Category: Friendship/Romance/Humor
Author note: I expect some butt kissing! I just had to completely rewrite this stupid chapter so now I have like alternate versions. If you want the original, email me and I'll send it as an attachment, otherwise, enjoy cause this one took twice as long!
Rodney walked back into his lab in a daze. Was John right? Am I in love? I mean, yeah, she's easy to talk to, she's smart enough to understand what I'm saying, she's got the best sense of humor, not to mention she's beautiful. At this point his thoughts had taken on a noticeable dreamy quality. And when she walks into a room it's like time stops, just for her. Rodney stopped that train of thought before it could get out of hand and continue endlessly. But can I see myself with her in 10 years though? He wondered. Yes. The answer took him by surprise. Oh wow, I am in love!
He wasn't sure what to do with this new information. Just thinking of her made his chest tight and want to rush out of the lab to find her and tell her. Be smart, Rodney. You don't want to suffocate her. I know, he thought, I'll ask her on another date and try to find out how she feels about me.
For the next half hour, he sat in front of an Ancient device while staring out into space with a silly grin on his face as he practiced saying I love her in his head. Every time he said it, he felt closer and closer to exploding with the knowledge. I really love her!
He might have even continued to do nothing else for the rest of the day, until Kavanaugh came in and scoffed when he saw Rodney, mumbling about lovesick puppies and how he should have gotten the job. That seemed to snap him out of his stupor long enough to at least pretend to fiddle with the Ancient tennis ball, although the silly grin never left his face.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAlex sat at a table in the cafeteria with a full tray of food that she was picking at, her thoughts too troubled to allow her to eat. It's not like we have to break up or anything, right? I mean, neither one of us is in too deep just yet, and who knows, maybe, over time, we actually will fall in love.
She knew she cared for Rodney deeply, but did she love him? She wasn't sure. Yeah, they got along great, and their date had been something out of the movies, and she loved spending time with Rodney. Even when he wasn't there, thoughts of Rodney would fill her head at the oddest moments since their date. Like getting mashed potatoes for lunch yesterday, she thought of how he had tried to build a 3-D model of Atlantis for her to show her where the power couplings were located by using peas. She smiled at the memory. He's so sweet. And when he's excited, he gets the cutest look on his face, I just want to kiss him. Woah! Where had that thought come from? she wondered.
Well, she didn't have to do anything about the Rodney situation for a while, right? They hadn't reached the point of no return by saying those three words, right? Alex felt relieved. She was probably worrying for no reason. Rodney didn't feel that way about her and probably wouldn't for quite some time if she knew anything about guys and commitments. That gave her more than enough time to fall in love if they were meant to be.
She smiled. I can't believe I got so worked up over nothing.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Rodney had tired of forcing himself not to go looking for Lexi after dinner came and passed. All right. He thought. I've waited long enough. Now, I'm going to ask her out on another date.
With resolve on his face, and confidence in his heart ever since he had realized he loved her, he left to find Lexi. It took him 15 minutes of asking around before he finally got frustrated enough to use the comm. He spoke into it as professionally as he could, aware that other people would hear the broadcast. "Lt. Taylor, can I get a 10-forward on your position."
There was silence for a moment before an amused voice came back on, "Sitting slouched, with my legs stretched out in front of me." Was that laughter he could hear coming over the comm.? He smiled at her answer and went to reply when she came back on with a fake stage whisper, "So what's your position, Rodney? And what are you wearing, Major Lorne wants to know." She added this last part after Rodney heard Major Lorne himself ask in the background. So much for professionalism.
"Uhhh." He came back on the comm., not sure what he should answer or even if he should. Lexi saved him from the dilemma by saying with a teasing voice, "Follow the noise that's coming down the hall from the game room."
Extremely curious, Rodney headed off in that direction.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIWhen he arrived, to his great surprise, it looked like the soldier's poker night had gone insane. Most of the soldiers were sitting, or leaning against the walls watching the 5 soldiers in the center of the room. There, sat Lexi, Col. Sheppard, Major Lorne, Ronan and a Hispanic, female Lt. All in varying states of inebriation.
He could see empty bottles of what looked like moonshine littering the floor and 5 shot glasses on the table. Col. Sheppard was grinning stupidly, but hadn't lost all control just yet as he wasn't slurring too badly so far. Major Lorne on the other hand was three sheets to the wind and laughing so hard he was falling out his chair, so Ronan, who looked a lot looser than normal, had to keep grabbing him by his vest and pulling him back up. Lexi and the other Lt. looked buzzed, but nothing more. And Rodney soon found out why.
Every time one of them won a hand, the winner had to take a shot to even the field. Lexi and the Lt. barely had any chips left, so that explained why weren't completely drunk.
No one had seen Rodney enter, so he took a position near the wall to watch, with a very amused grin on his face. He had never seen his friends drink before and was curious as to what stupid things they might do.
Lexi was very obviously cheating, which was why so many people were laughing. She would lean over and actually squint at either Col. Sheppard's or Major Lorne's hand, at one point even grabbing Sheppard's hand to hold it still while she looked. The two men were too drunk to realize or care anymore as she steadily started winning back her money, but also drinking more.
Rodney decided to intervene before she got too drunk and he wouldn't be able to ask her out like he had been planning. Plus, he really didn't relish holding her hair while she barfed.
He walked up to the table with the intent of leaving with her, but when she saw him, she shoved Lorne out of his seat where he fell to the floor and promptly passed out. Patting the chair with a grin, she turned back to cheating off of Sheppard who was just now starting to realize what she was doing. Rodney sat down and was immediately given Lorne's hand.
This was how Rodney had gotten roped into playing the best hands of poker in his life and swearing off liquor for as long as he lived.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRodney woke up the next morning to barfing sounds not too far away. As his senses finally returned to him, he realized he was in the infirmary and the barfing sounds were coming from Col. Sheppard who looked decidedly green as he filled a bucket two beds over. Beckett was standing next to him, rubbing his back as he turned his stomach inside out.
The Hispanic Lt. from the night before was in the bed between his and John's and was blissfully unconscious. Rodney turned over on the bed and spotted Lexi sitting up on the bed next to his and looking like she had the migraine from hell, and on her other side was Major Lorne, who a nurse was cleaning vomit off of while he slept.
Rodney felt very shitty himself. His head was pounding and his stomach felt queasy, although he didn't think he'd have to barf. Someone kill me now! He thought with a groan as he rubbed his face. Dropping his hand, he saw Lexi smiling at him carefully as if unsure if smiling would make her head explode. Rodney noticed she had an IV in her hand.
"How are you feeling?" She whispered with a wince.
Rodney groaned in response as he turned to lay on his back. "What happened last night?" he asked himself aloud.
"You played one of the best games of poker in your life. Although to be honest, we were all considerably drunk when you joined us so it wasn't really a fair match."
Rodney smiled, as more memories of the night before returned. I won like $200. He leaned back on his side to look at her.
"You don't look so bad." He said.
She glared. "That's because I didn't win one hand after you joined the table. You're splitting your winnings you know." She said matter of factly.
Rodney smiled. Now or never. "I'll split my winnings with you, if.." He put his finger to his lips and thought hard, just as she done the week before. "You go out on a date with me."
Alex looked a little surprised at his request for a moment, then, slowly smiling she said, "You're on. Just tell me when and where." Giving him an exaggerated wink and holding her finger up in the universal gesture of shhh she disconnected her IV and slowly walked out the door on tiptoes while Carson was still distracted and nurse had her back turned.
When John finally stopped emptying his stomach and laid back down exhausted, Carson saw that Rodney was awake and rushed over with another bucket.
"Ugh. Don't need that." Rodney said disdainfully.
Carson humored him, putting the bucket within reach. "If I were you lad, I'd at least pretend to be barfing in it when Weir comes down ta talk to you all. Maybe she'll be lenient since you're all so miserable." Suddenly Carson's eyes got wide, "Wait a minute, where the lass? Nurse? Where is Taylor?" He said looking around the floor as if expecting to find her there.
Rodney just smiled. It was so worth it.
Author's Note: I was planning on having this chapter be about their next date and the all the drama of it, but I've decided to do a few more bonding moments between them and I thought the idea of drunk poker night was too funny to not write. Tell me what you think!