-1The personnel, especially one of the pilots best friends, Rodney Mckay, in the Control Tower of McGuire Air Force Base let their jaws drop to the ground as they watched a F-35 Lightning II speed by, doing barrel rolls and several other dangerous stunts, too close to the tower in their opinion.

Damn, this thing handles like a dream! Lt. Colonel John Sheppard thought to himself as he aced another barrel roll. Control was trying to talk to him, but he wasn't paying attention to what they were trying to say. Flying put him in his own world.

And he wasn't ready to go back to reality yet.

"Sheppard!! Do you copy?!"

"Roger, Control. I copy."

"What the hell do you think you're doing up there, Sheppard?!"

"Oh, just havin' a little fun, sir." John smirked.

"You best get your ass down here, Sheppard." The commander restrained himself from smiling.

"Copy that, sir." John chuckled to himself as he brought the bird down.

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John marched in the lunch line slowly behind everyone else and grabbed one of the last turkey sandwiches. Rodney stormed up behind him.

"What is the matter with you!!!"

"Well, they're out of apple pie-" John said, knowing it would provoke his hi-strung friend even more.

"I'm serious!! You are gonna get yourself killed!!"

"Yeah, yeah. Same ol', same ol'. Different day."

"I'm tell-img mffuu-" Rodney began his next sentence as John stuffed a shiny red apple in his mouth.

"Cool it, McKay. I haven't died yet."

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John carried his tray over to sit were another friend, Dr. Carson Beckett, the base medic, had already begun his lunch.

"So-" Carson smiled up at John. "I here you almost needed my assistance this morning."

"Oh, come on, I wasn't even close to crashing, I do it all the time, you know that-"

"Of course I know that! I wasn't talking about that- I was talking about when the Commander got a hold of you." Carson grinned. They laughed together and continued eating their lunch. After a few minutes, Rodney joined them, visibly grumpy about their merriment without him, or worse, about him.

Suddenly, a soothing and familiar scent wafted across John's nostrils. He turned around in his seat, and sure enough, there she was, walking straight towards them.

Elizabeth Weir.

The only thing that got him higher than flying. She made his heart beat faster and soar higher than the jet he'd test driven that morning. They'd hit it off the moment they met. She had a way of making him happier, and ground him the way no one else had ever been able to do. Not that he wasn't happy, just…she made him…happier. A feeling he couldn't even begin to describe.

She walked closer to them still, and his heart began to beat faster, and faster, and faster…

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Elizabeth entered the mess hall. She scanned the room for the man she was looking for…and then she spotted his unmistakable hair. She began to walk towards him.

John Sheppard.

The only person who made her heart skip a beat. She had fallen for him the moment they met. He had a way of making her laugh the way no one else could. His smile made her melt into a puddle on the floor and just the sight of him rendered her speechless. How could someone make you feel so small and vulnerable, but yet so empowered and invincible at the same time? She had no idea, but she did know that he was the only person who'd ever made her feel that way before.

He turned around and looked at her.

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat. She mentally shook all of her feelings about John off. After all, she had a job to do. She was the base's lawyer, and so until her business was done, John was her client, however much it pained her to hold back their relationship even more.

Although she knew the news she had to give him would most definitely change whatever relationship they may have had-forever.

She finally got to his table after what seemed like eons.

"John…"

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"Hey, Liz…" John smiled at her.

"Um…" She glanced at Rodney and Carson. "Can we, maybe, speak privately in my office?"