Just want to say thanks to everyone who is following the story, I'm glad you're enjoying it :D
On Atlantis the reports from the day had been sent to Earth and the e-mails, both personnel and professional had been received on Atlantis and distributed.
Elizabeth had just logged on to check hers when John burst in smiling wildly. "What are you so happy about?" she asked him, raised a delicate eyebrow.
"You haven't read your e-mails yet have you Liz?" he said, sprawling in the chair opposite her.
She shook her head. "Why? What's been sent?"
"Take a look for yourself," he said with a smirk.
Elizabeth looked back at her laptop and brought up her e-mails. She had a few but she guessed the one John wanted her to read was the one from General O'Neill, which had a time stamp that said it had been written and sent late that afternoon.
Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard,
I have had a meeting with the President and he has said that you will have no problems from the Air Force concerning whatever relationship you care to pursue, as long as you can remain professional and are still able to make the hard decisions.
I will be arriving at some point tomorrow morning. I look forward to seeing you then.
General O'Neill
Elizabeth laughed as she read the bit about him arriving before she looked up at John. She smiled at him and he smiled back. They had both been a little worried about what might have happened when Earth found out about their little misadventure with the machine.
"We're in the clear," John said, "As long as our work is the same as before."
Elizabeth nodded and skimmed the e-mail again before saying, "I wonder how the General explained his and Colonel Carter's situation? His e-mail doesn't give anything away except he's going to get here tomorrow."
"Maybe he said he'd wake her up but take it no further," John muttered.
Elizabeth shook her head, "I honestly don't think either of them would want that, let alone be able to do that, ten years is a long time to wait for anything."
"Maybe he retired," John mused, as he nodded in agreement with what Elizabeth had said, he wouldn't have wanted to go back to the way things were before with Liz, and he had only known her two years.
"I don't know," Elizabeth said with a shrug, "But we'll find out tomorrow."
John nodded and stood, "I'll go and tell SG1 that the General will be arriving tomorrow."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement and mentally said, Are we sleeping in the same bed again tonight?
It had been five days since he had woken and they had spent every night together in either of their quarters.
John smiled at her and replied in the same fashion, Are you going to ask everyday Liz?
I wasn't sure if this was too quick for you, we went from colleagues and friends to whatever we are now pretty much over night, Elizabeth answered.
John walked over to her and kissed her soundly on the lips when he sent through their mental link, I love you Liz, more than I have ever loved anyone before. As long as it's ok with you I'm not going to bed without you again.
He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. Elizabeth smiled at him and said aloud, "I can live with that." Then she added, half joking, "We could always just move in together."
John smiled at her, "While I do like the sound of that immensely, maybe not quite yet."
Elizabeth nodded and smiled before angling her head and capturing his lips in a chaste kiss before leaning back in her chair. "Now go and tell SG1 that the General is arriving sometime tomorrow morning."
John gave her a mock salute before spinning on his heels and leaving a quietly laughing Elizabeth to look through the rest of her e-mails.
John quickly arrived in the infirmary and made his way over to the bed where Sam lay. She was in a different position than before so that she didn't get bed sores. Teal'c and Cam were both sat by the bed and John had to admire how tightly knit this team was, he knew from his own observations and Carson's that Sam had not been left alone, even for a few seconds. As he got closer Cam looked up from whatever he had been doing and said, "Hello Colonel Sheppard."
"Colonel Mitchel, Teal'c," John greeted in return. Teal'c inclined his head as John continued, "General O'Neill will be arriving some time tomorrow morning."
Cam smiled at him while Teal'c inclined his head once more and said, "That is indeed joyous news."
John nodded and looked around the empty infirmary before asking, "So anything interesting happen in here today?"
Cam shrugged, "One of the marines came in with a couple of busted fingers from a rather intensive sparring session with a friend, and that's about it."
John nodded, "Well I'll leave you to it."
He made his way back towards the door and walked into Daniel and Vala who had just arrived. Daniel was carrying some notebooks while Vala had some photos, so he guessed they were going to relieve Teal'c and Cam. He smiled at them but didn't say anything; he knew that Cam and Teal'c would tell them about Jack's planned arrival time.
They smiled back before returning to whatever conversation, or argument, they were having.
He heard the four of them greet each other and then Cam tell them what was happening tomorrow. He headed towards the mess, mentally asking Elizabeth if she would rather join him in the mess or if she would prefer for him to bring some food up to her office.