Sorry for the long delay in getting this. I had to send my computer in for repairs though it turns out it wasn't broken and I wasted a lot of my money.
Anyways...
Come all ye lost
Dive into moss
I hope that my sanity covers the cost
To remove the stain of my love
Paper maché
-Damien Rice, I Remember
"You're younger than me."
Ronon looked at Elizabeth in confusion at her sudden statement as they walked down to the Gateroom to wait the arrival of the Avarians. "So?"
"I never thought I'd be one of those women."
"What women?"
"Cradle robbers."
"You rob cradles?"
"Well, not literally."
"Then what do you mean?"
"Younger men. I never thought I'd be..." Here, Elizabeth hesitated. She wasn't sure how to describe her "relationship" with Ronon. They weren't dating, they weren't having sex, they weren't even kissing, but they were "together". "...with younger men."
Ronon grinned. "Colonel Sheppard told me that it is considered fashionable to do so on Earth."
"Only if you're rich and famous. Otherwise, cradle-robber."
"I don't find the idea of you robbing my cradle to be remotely unpleasant."
Elizabeth burst out laughing, garnering several glances from the others as she and Ronon joined them near the stairs. "When will the Avarians arrive?"
John smiled at the sight of his commander so happy for once. More often than not, she looked wan and tired. Making sure Atlantis and its entire people were safe and happy as they can be was more taxing than anyone wanted to admit. "Any minute. We just got a communiqué from Lorne saying he was about to dial up."
Elizabeth nodded, and everyone quickly realigned themselves on the stairs. It was an unconscious thing, a setting of the stage. Elizabeth above the rest, and then John and usually Rodney, and below them Dr. Beckett, Ronon, and Teyla. However, today, Ronon displaced Rodney, and took the stair below and to the right of Elizabeth. Needless to say, everyone noticed and shuffled it back to talk about later.
Elizabeth smiled as Ronon glared at Colonel Sheppard, daring him to say something. Finally, the non-verbal pissing match was over and they unspokenly agreed to share the step beneath Elizabeth, and by extension, Elizabeth.
"Colonel Sheppard, are the security teams in place?"
John nodded. "They're at the four major entrances to the rest of the city. The Avarians should be limited to the section their quarters are in and the main parts of Atlantis. Why all the distrust? They say they're happy to be our allies."
Elizabeth smiled a bit, that peculiar smile that tells everyone that she's seeing something they're not. "They're quite eager to be our allies. I've just got a feeling on this one."
Finally, the gate started to dial up, and everyone instinctively stiffened. Elizabeth tried to look leader-like, but not too intimidating. Ronon actually managed to look intimidating, but not leader-like (read SOLDIER). Teyla, Rodney, and Beckett just looked like themselves, leaving the posturing to those above them. John just tried to keep his eyes of Teyla's ass (though if Ronon's snort says anything, he wasn't doing a good job).
Finally, Lorne and his team stepped through the gate, immediately moving to the side to allow the Avarians the "grand view" (also taking another step in the large dramatic plan of introduction to Atlantis that had somehow been formed unconsciously). Elizabeth smiled, and stepped down a step, now firmly between the two pillars of John and Ronon (both a visual intimidation and a security measure), drawing the Avarians' attention to her. With a smile, she gestured around the cavernous room. "Welcome to Atlantis."
The meet and greet went off without a hitch. Along with Colonel Sheppard's team, Dr. Weir gave a tour of the main city, ending with a lunch in the cafeteria. Since the Avarians were human, there were no special food preparations to be had, and the lunch was rather casual and relaxed. Most people managed to ignore that Ronon sat next to Elizabeth, inordinately close. The Avarians took notice, and with significant glances at one another, did not comment.
When Elizabeth rose to go see Dr. Beckett, who had asked her and Teyla to join him in the medical lab when they were finished, the Avarians watched. Ronon and John saw, but weren't sure what to make of it. They each made a note to tell Elizabeth later, and forgot about it.
Elsewhere, Elizabeth and Teyla were nervously making their way down to the medical lab. Several times one or both would stop, shake her head, then walk on. Finally, Teyla broke the silence.
"You don't think..."
"No. I don't think we're..."
"Are you sure, because that would be..."
"Interesting, to say the least," Elizabeth replied with a tight smile. Together, with a smile of friendship between them, they stepped into Dr. Beckett's office and shut the door.
Short, I know, but another chapter tomorrow...
