Thanks so much for the lovely reviews I've had for this, I hope you'll be pleased to know I have at least two more chapters planned out (I have a tendency to write long fics!)

Moments Like This

Chapter 2 – Flirtations

Morning sunlight streaming through her uncovered window woke Elizabeth the following morning, a light pounding of an impending headache greeting her. In her semi-conscious state she reached out, expecting there to be a warm body in bed next to her, but her arm found nothing but undisturbed sheets. A strong feeling of disappointment filled her senses as she rolled over, away from the bright sunlight forcing her back to reality.

'It was just a dream.'

She'd not had a dream so vivid in years, and of such real detail, leaving her with feelings of regret and discontent when she woke to find none of it was real. She shook herself mentally, some of the images replaying in bits as the sensations invoked within her subconscious dissipated. Opening one eye reluctantly, she found it was half an hour past the time her alarm usually went off, leaving her with only forty-five minutes until her first briefing.

By the time she'd showered, found a red shirt and usual BDU bottoms to wear, a headache had fully formed between her eyes. Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder if this was payback for the wonderful dream she shouldn't have been enjoying so much last night. Pulling a comb through her still-damp hair, she rearranged the bed sheets half-heartedly into a semi-neat state, idly wondering if John was up yet. Unable to find her jacket, she strode quickly from her room, determined to make use of the twenty minutes she had left by getting back to the reports John had dragged her from the previous evening.

"Elizabeth!"

Turning to see her 2IC break into a jog to catch up to her, Elizabeth smiled at him, wondering what trouble he was planning to cause her today. "Morning, John. It's a bit early for you, isn't it?"

She held his gaze as he studied her, the dark green of his eyes reminding her of the less-than-professional dalliance they'd enjoyed in her dream the previous night. "You sleep okay?" His baritone voice caring, as he frowned slightly, making Elizabeth absolutely positive she was blushing.

"Better than usual actually." She replied honestly, rubbing her bare forearms against the mild chill of the corridor. "What about you?"

"Slept like the dead."

Elizabeth glared at him. "Please don't use that expression."

He sent her a cheeky grin, apologising without even sounding like he meant it, before placing a hand on her back to propel her in the opposite direction of her office. "Come on, I'll treat you to breakfast."

"John, I don't have time. There's a meeting in ten minutes and then I have all those reports you dragged me from last night." As she said it, the realisation of how she must have gotten back to her room last night suddenly dawned on her. "I fell asleep on you, didn't I?"

"Chick flicks generally have that effect on me too." He replied, reluctantly moving his hand from her back to the pocket in his navy BDUs trousers.

"And thank you for taking me back to my room, it was very kind of you." She told him sincerely, a part of her brain taunting her that she'd slept through, rather than enjoyed, the experience of John carrying her back to her room.

His expressive eyes were on her again, studying her face with a mischievous smirk on his lips. "Not a problem. I never mind getting a beautiful woman into bed."

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to work out if he was being sarcastic, before he reached out his hand to touch her arm in a placating gesture.

"Relax, Liz. You're too easy to tease."

Fighting between the inclinations to stick her tongue out at him and kissing the boyish smirk from his face, she shook her head lightly to rid herself of her treacherous thoughts. "Sorry, John, I have a headache and it makes me bad company."

"I don't believe that for a second. But headaches need food, so come on, mess hall, lets go." His hand was on her back again, overpowering her resistance with the strength in his arm.

"Major," Elizabeth stopped him, grasping his wrist and using her commanding tone of voice to show she wouldn't be persuaded this time. "I really can't this morning."

John stood back from her, crossing his arms over his broad chest and wearing a stubborn expression. She really hated it when he did that. When he faced her, his lovely hazel eyes gazing at her like she was the authority on all his actions, she felt so guilty for turning him down. It was those eyes that had convinced her to let him follow through on so many of his seemly insane ideas; purely on the basis she couldn't not trust his judgement. "Okay, fine. I'll bring you something while you get started on those reports. How's that?"

She mimicked his stance, folding her arms and raised an eyebrow as she looked at him with a suspicious gleam in her eyes. "Is there something going on here I don't know about?"

He rewarded her with his infamous smirk, beginning to stride away the way he came. "Nope, nothing at all. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

What exactly he was up to she couldn't fathom, but she was touched he cared enough to bring her breakfast. "John!" She called to him before he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, smiling as he turned. "I'd love some of that Althosian tea if they have any."

He grinned, before calling back to her; "What the lady wants, the lady gets!"

As he disappeared from sight, Elizabeth shook her head, a smile still on her face as she wondered what she'd done to deserve John Sheppard in her life.


Her first meeting had had to be rescheduled due to the scientists who were involved being at a 'near-breakthrough, critical point' in their research, which left her with another few hours to catch up on her paperwork before a midday meeting with one of the expedition teams. Picking up where she'd left off the previous evening, she began to type; unaware of the observant eyes watching her subtly from across the control room.

John stood leaning on the railings overlooking the Stargate, allowing him to study Elizabeth for a few minutes as she worked on her laptop. When he'd seen her in the corridor a little while ago he'd been astounded by how much healthier she looked, just from a decent night's sleep. Last night had been so different for him, feeling like for the first time he'd truly connected with her, rather than exchange moderately flirty banter until he was shooed away. Albeit with that pretty smile she only seemed to send him, the one that said she tolerated his antics, but wouldn't let him see she enjoyed his teasing. It was that smile he aimed to achieve every time he saw her, purely on a platonic level, he told himself. There was nothing wrong with making a friend smile, was there?

Holding the two paper cups of hot liquid, as well as the bag of pastry-like breakfast foods he'd acquired from the kitchen, he headed into her office, just in time to catch her rubbing her forehead with a pained frown on her delicate face.

"Breakfast as promised." Placing the food on her desk, he set the large cup of the requested tea down in front of her, savouring the grateful smile she sent his way. Taking it as an invitation to hang around a while longer, he sat himself in one of the chairs across from her, grasping his own cup. "And this morning we have a delightful selection of baked goods, devised by the wonderful chef and scientist known as Deterio."

Elizabeth laughed lightly at him, sipping her tea and enjoying the warm liquid's calming flavour. "Were you a market seller at any time, John?"

"Nope, just one of my many talents." He replied smugly, knowing from the faint pink blush tainting her cheeks that his subtle implication had been understood. She smiled back nevertheless, plucking a small pastry from the bag.

"You know these are pretty good. I don't remember Deterio having anything remotely chef-related on his CV when I picked him for this expedition." She brushed her mouth with the back of her hand, sweeping the sugar and crumbs left from the flaky pastry off her face.

John watched her with an amused smirk adorning his lips, before reaching forward to catch a spot of jam that had ended up on her nose. With images from her dream still fresh in her mind, Elizabeth thought for a second he was leaning in to kiss her, before berating herself for her unprofessional thoughts. Forcing a shy smile to her lips, she rubbed lightly at her aching head, wishing she wasn't prone to headaches.

John didn't miss her momentarily pained expression. "That headache still bothering you?"

She sighed, sitting back in her chair and rubbing the back of her neck. "It's nothing a nice hot bath wouldn't fix."

"So go take one, I'll tell the guys the meeting will be an hour late." His caring green eyes fixed on her, his face completely serious.

"It's a good idea, John," she began, touched at his concern. "But I can't postpone a meeting just so I can go take a bath."

The stubborn expression she'd seen earlier was back on his handsome face, leaning forward with an influential sparkle in his eyes. "Why not? It's take a bath or I'll take you to see Beckett."

"John- "

"Liz, you wouldn't have breakfast because of work, you can at least have a break when you're not feeling well." Refusing to back down, he watched her consider how best to argue her point.

"There's another problem with your wonderful idea, John, unless you know where there's a free bath tub in Atlantis?" She folded her arms across her chest, a triumphant smirk creeping onto her lips.

"You don't have one in your bathroom?"

Her smile faltered as she saw his surprise. "You do?"

"Its more of a Jacuzzi actually." He told her enticingly, finishing his tea and aiming his empty cup at the bin in the corner. "Has bubbles and everything."

"That'll teach me to ask Bates to assign me a room rather than choose one myself." She told him with a bemused smile.

"Well you can always use mine… bathtub that is." He offered playfully, leaning forward to rest both forearms on her desk, smirking suggestively at her.

Elizabeth mirrored his movement, her face mere inches from his as she locked her green eyes to his hazel ones, her own smile devilish. "Maybe I'll just order you out of that room and make it mine, Major. I am in charge after all."

Struggling to stop his gaze dropping to her lips, he feigned a hurt expression. "You wouldn't do such a thing."

She shrugged her shoulders absently, her eyes never leaving his. "Maybe I would. A girl needs a bath tub once in a while, it's relaxing."

"Well seeing as how this bath tub is actually a Jacuzzi, it falls under a completely different design purpose."

"Is that so?"

"It being of ancient design too, I imagine it is no ordinary hot tub. Care to try it out?" Despite his flirty tone, he didn't realise how the suggestion sounded until he'd said it.

"Like I said, Major," She shot back, her mouth still curved in a coquettish smirk of her own. "I'm in charge here, I can do what I like should I choose to."

John swore he saw he gaze drop to his lips momentarily, fuelling his mischievous behaviour further. "Is that personally as well as professionally?"

At first she looked stunned, and John's mind reeled as he suspected he'd offended her, but she reverted back to her seductive smile within seconds. As she opened her mouth to retaliate, Rodney charged into the office, destroying the playful atmosphere.

"Morning, morning, what'd I miss while my valuable attention was elsewhere?" He asked the second he was through the door, ignoring the death stare he was receiving from his teammate.

"Great timing as usual, McKay." John shot at him, leaning back in his chair and hoping Elizabeth would get rid of him so he could continue with their oh-so-interesting conversation. He watched her clasp her fingers together atop her desk, the mask of professionalism John had broken through only minutes ago now firmly back in place as she smiled politely at McKay.

"Did I interrupt something?" The scientist asked, not sounding the least bit concerned.

"No, Major Sheppard was just trying to convince me to play hooky this morning." Elizabeth explained with an amused smile as her gaze switched between the men and back again.

"Hooky?"

"Hooky, Rodney. As in take the morning off." Sheppard filled in for him, his tone less than patient.

"Thank you, Major. I'm perfectly aware of its meaning."

"Didn't sound like it."

"Gentlemen." Elizabeth interrupted, her long-suffering tone familiar to both of them by now. John got the distinct impression that times like this were when Elizabeth felt like a schoolteacher, given that she'd told him as much once, during one of his many verbal battles with Rodney McKay. That probably hadn't been the best time to make a crack about imagining her as a schoolteacher more than once before then, and for a slight woman she had surprising arm strength. He'd sported that bruise for a week.

McKay invited himself in, filling them in on what was happening on the mainland and helping himself to the other spare chair opposite Elizabeth's desk. John tilted his head back, already feeling the inevitable exasperation that always accompanied Rodney's presence. When it appeared the Canadian wasn't about to let up on his report, John righted himself, just in time to catch Elizabeth gazing at him subtly over the rim of her cup as she sipped her tea. He grinned at her, wondering what she was thinking. Seeing she'd been caught, she shifted her eyes back to McKay, a pretty pink rising on her cheeks that he was sure was a blush.


Also thank you for the suggestions for scenarios – I'll definitely get them in somewhere:D