Something To Talk About

By ShipperWriter

Rating: PG

Genre: Drama, Romance, little MusicFic

Warnings: Spoilers for Season 4

Challenges: None

Series: None

Chapters: 5

Completed: It is now...

Summary: Gossip turns up rumors about a relationship, and Sam Carter asks John Sheppard to take care of it. It leads to guitar playing and a relationship blooming . . .

A/N : I'm a Trip/T'Pol, Jack/Sam, Grissom/Sara, Rodney/Jennifer (McKeller), and John/Elizabeth shipper. Means? I pick all the doomed relationships and write stories to straighten them out!

This is my first John/Elizabeth fanfic that I've published, and I hope ya'll like it! It's definitely AU: Elizabeth did survive and is still on Atlantis, but the new leader is Col. Sam Carter.

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Chapter One - "Concerns"

It was almost 1700 hours in Atlantis, yet the stack of papers on Samantha Carter's new desk hadn't lessened any. She began to wonder if people were actually coming in and adding papers. She leaned back a little in her chair and reflected on the generals who had held command at the SGC, silently wondering how they hadn't lost their sanity.

George Hammond was on the verge of retiring, yet the Stargate program kept him in. Jack O'Neill -- she went ahead and crossed him off the list. He had lost his sanity, she thought, slightly smiling. But he had managed to go from a carefree colonel to a cautious general within a short period of time, but never loosing the qualities that made him Jack O'Neill. Hank Landry was still in command back at the SGC, keeping an eye out on Carter's old team.

As she looked at the piles and piles of mission reports and the schedule of teams due to go offworld, she smacked herself mentally for ever leaving. She had a newfound sympathy for what her former commanders had gone through. But she was stuck.

She sighed and began to tackle the shortest pile of reports when she saw a familiar figure standing at her door.

"Dr. Weir."

Elizabeth Weir smiled at her, despite the elephant in the room. "Elizabeth."

Sam smiled back, still trying to break the ice. "Elizabeth. Anything I can do for you?"

"No, no," the former leader said, walking into the office and taking a chair softly. "I actually came to see how you're getting along. You're been involved in this program a lot longer than myself, but one thing stays the same. Changes are never easy."

"Yeah, you're right. It's definitely different from the SGC, you know, living in a different universe, carrying lemons 24/7, all that."

Elizabeth laughed. "I can imagine, in your position, having Rodney in the next galaxy was a pro to staying at the SGC."

"Coming to Atlantis wasn't my first choice," Sam admitted frankly. "I really do miss it. My team, going off world, it still feels like home for me. When they gave me the orders, I thought that coming here would be fun and exciting, a good time for change, but now . . . I'm reconsidering."

"Do you think Jack would allow you to come back?"

"Ja -- General O'Neill would recall me back to Earth in an instant, but because of the IOA, everyone feels that it's best for me to stay here for the time being. I can get along with the military and scientists smoothly. It's only one year, at the least." Sam closed the folder that was flat on her desk and looked squarely at Elizabeth. "Can I ask you a question, in all seriousness?"

"Of course."

"Do you resent me for taking your place?"

Elizabeth was surprised to hear the other woman ask that. "No, no, I don't. I can't speak for others in the city, but I don't resent you in any way. Actually, I was starting to feel like my position here was more of a good show than it was a leadership."

"Really?" Sam's eyebrows rose. "Why?"

"When Colonel Ellis came and launched the strike on the Replicators' planet, I felt like all the decisions had been made without consulting me or getting my opinion on the matter. I was going to step down, but then the accident . . ."

The discussion paused for a moment. And then Sam asked quietly, "When they sent me to oversee things, you didn't submit a resignation. If you were planning on it, then why didn't you, even while you were sick?"

"A good friend came to see me in the infirmary. I told them what I was going to do. And he told me that this was still my city. That all the good relationships we had with other planets were because of me. That I had made this city alive again. So I decided to fight. I'm fine with the arrangements right now, but at the end of the year I will petition the IOA and Jack for leadership of Atlantis once again."

Sam had to smile at her. She had overcome a serious, possibly life-threatening injury and still was determined to take back what was rightfully hers. "I will gladly support your decision."

And with that, the elephant flew out the window.

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About ten minutes after Elizabeth left, Sam had finished two piles of paperwork and was starting to tackle the third and last one when she heard a knock on her door. Almost afraid it was Rodney McKay, she ignored it for a moment until she heard him say, "Sam, you have a minute?"

"Sure, John, come in. Just finishing up."

Lt. Colonel John Sheppard walked into her office and sat down in a chair, slumping back. "Everything all right?"

"It's fine. What do you need?"

John started laughing, making Sam smile, feeling a little embarrassed. "What?"

"You must be really tired."

"Yeah. The coffee machine in the cafeteria broke and so far, the only one I can seem to find is in Rodney McKay's lab."

John nodded. "And we're probably out of lemons, too, huh?"

Sam cracked a grin. "No, I have some. Just not enough to overpower him. Anyhow, what does that have to do with you coming here?"

"Well, you asked me to see you when I got a free moment."

"Oh, I guess I did. About what . . . oh yeah." Sam pushed a pile of papers aside and looked intently at John. "Being the leader of Atlantis for the time being, I'm responsible for the military as well as the 'geeks'." John smiled. "But seriously. I'm also responsible for the general morality. When people raise concerns, they need to be addressed immediately."

"English, please?"

"Okay, that was the formal speech I have to give you. So now I can be blunt." Sam leaned forward and crossed her arms. "People are talking, specifically, about two people on base, one of whom is directly under my command. I need to find a way to resolve the rumors."

"Well, first off. What exactly are the rumors about?"

"They're saying that these two people are having a relationship. Which, in itself, is okay, but the circumstances surrounding it could lead to bad consequences." Sam proceeded to elaborate, discreetly, about the two people involved and the situation. "Honestly, I really don't know what's going on, and I don't want this to get to the IOA and then lead to anything . . . threatening, so any information that you can give me would be really helpful."

John leaned back in his seat and gave it some serious thought. "If you'll allow me to do some research, I'll get back to you with a way to resolve this."

"All right. That's fine. Try to let me know something by tomorrow morning."

John nodded, stood up and left the room.

TBC