Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once: I don't own any of the characters and I'm not making money off of doing this. This is simply for fun.
Note: Thanks for all your comments and input... you guys get me going.: Well here's another one. Hope you enjoy it!
Present Day (December 17th, 2008)
"So, are you bringing a date?" Marie Ko asks Laura Cadman over the phone. Laura had called Marie to confirm that she is going to make it to the wedding week.
"Nah. Not this time." Laura says with a snort. "I'm swearing off men for a while."
"Ha! Yeah like that's ever going to happen." Marie says "What happened this time."
"Oh, you know, same old thing. They're intimidated by the fact that I'm S.W.A.T." Laura says as she flips through the channels looking for something interesting to watch.
"Well why don't you just date someone who's kind of in the same line of work as you do." She suggests as she sips her wine, sitting out on her patio watching the stars. "I know!" She began excitedly. "Ev invited a few of his buddies from the bureau. You can have your pick."
"Marie, I work with guys like them. No offense, but I'm sick of guys like them." Laura says to her. "If you were in my place, and you weren't marrying Evan, would you consider dating any of the doctors you work with."
"Hell no."
"See? That's what I'm saying, I would just like to have a normal date with a normal guy, who wouldn't be intimidated by what I do and who isn't also doing the same thing." As Laura clicks on the remote repeatedly, she stops and then goes back a few channels. "Hey, are you in front of the TV?"
"No. Why?" Marie asks.
"Well, Rodney McKay is being interviewed right now." Laura says.
"Yeah? He's gonna be at the wedding, too.
"I know. Jeannie, his little sister, and I still keep in touch." Listening a little bit to Rodney's interview. "Hmmm, he's actually a lot cuter now than before."
"I'm sorry. What?!" Marie asks incredulously.
"He is. You know, in that cute nerdy kind of way. Looks like he lost a bit of weight. He was really chubby back in high school." She says with a smile.
"He's balding." Marie plainly states.
"So?" Laura says. "My dad's a bit bald on top. And my mom thinks he's handsome."
"He's not your type Laura." Marie tells her.
"It's been a long time, Marie. He could change."
"He's still a hypochondriac." Marie reminds her.
"Hahaha! Jeannie did mention that." Laughing, Laura finally admits "Yeah, I would never be able to handle that."
"Didn't he ask you to be his prom date."
"Yup." Laura says.
Flashback to a week after the After Party (April 2008):
Hiding under the bleachers, Laura and Marie are sitting on the grass smoking cigarettes. Through the space of the benches, they watch the football team practice.
"Hey there's Evan." Laura points out. "Damn, I didn't know he had a six pack. No wonder you drool every time he walks past your locker."
"I sooo do not drool."
"Yeah, you do." Laura says. "In fact, your eyes go all starry and big. I can't blame you." She lets out a puff of smoke "He is one of the hottest guys in atlantis."
"It's not even that." Marie tells her. "In the entire Atlantis history, Evan was the first Sophomore to ever be selected as one of the Elite Atlantis Program, last year. Nobody has ever accomplished that." She sighs.
"Ah yes, Evan the artist." Laura says "He is good. Football player slash JROTC cadet slash artist." And then adds. "Isn't he like going out with Kate Heightmeyer?"
"Yeah, who can compete with that? Evan, a junior, dating an upperclassman." Marie says wistfully. "And it's hard not to like her. She's just so genuinely nice, it's sickening."
"Tell me about it… half of the guys here are in love with her. And there are times you just want to like ugh…" Laura says as she makes a gesture of strangling "… and then she looks at you and smiles and her eyes are kinda saying 'I'm the nicest girl in the whole wide world, please love me!' kind of way."
"Kinda like Katie Brown. Just a genuinely nice person." Marie says.
"Hey, maybe all Katherines are nice people." Laura suggests.
"Is Katie's real name Katherine?" Marie asks.
"You know, I'm ashamed to admit that I've known her since grade school and have no fucking idea." Laura says with a laugh. "Oh hey look who's coming this way." She says with a nod towards Ronon who's striding towards their direction. Taking two steps at a time, he walks up the bleachers and sits down on the last row. Laura tries to take a peek at who he's talking to. "Interesting." She says out loud.
"What?" Marie asks her.
"Ronon Dex is flirting with Jennifer Keller." Laura says, amused.
"Are you sure?" Marie asks as she gets up from her position to take a peek too. "I think she's been tutoring him."
"Well I know that… but today is different." Laura says. "Her face is beet-red, and he's staring at her with puppy dog eyes, like he's in love or something.
"Jennifer Keller blushes all the time, and I heard Teyla in the locker room a few months ago saying that he's been that way ever since she moved here last year." As Marie watches the pair, she does notice that it's much different from when she sees them together at the library or under the big elm tree over by the cafeteria. Today there's a little bit of touching. Ronon just tucked a few stray hairs behind Jennifer's ear, and has a big goofy grin on his face. "That's so sweet."
"Told you!" Laura smugly says. As she turns around to look at Marie. Her eyes widen. "Shit! Shit!
"What?!" Marie asks frantically looking over her shoulder to where Laura had been staring.
"Woolsey!" They say simultaneously. stubbing out their cigarettes they start running the other direction and then emerge from the bleachers and bump into Rodney McKay and Radek Zalenka causing all of them to fall to the ground.
"Umph!" Rodney says. "Watch where you're…" And then falters when he sees that it's Laura. "Oh it's you." Laura just cocks her eyebrow. "I mean that I've been looking for you. I mean, we've been looking for both of you."
"Yeah? Why?" Laura asks as she gets up and then helping Marie to her feet.
"I was… well, we wanted to ask both of you to the prom." Rodney says, kicking Radek's shoe, and then nodding towards the girls.
"Ah yes. The prom. Do you want to go with us?" Radek says, seemingly bored. Rodney warns him silently with his eyes.
"Uh I can't. Sorry." Marie says quickly. "My parents won't allow it."
"Hm. Is it the Japanese thing?" Radek asks insensitively.
"Yes, it's the Japanese thing." She replies sarcastically.
Then, unaffected, Rodney turns to Laura. "And what about…"
"Can't either." She interjects.
Rodney kicks Radek again. Radek then asks her "Well, would you go with me then?"
"Didn't I just say that I can't?" Laura incredulously asks.
"Well you're not Japanese so…" Rodney begins to say.
"Terrence already asked me. I said yes."
"Bates?" Rodney asks.
"Yes."
"Shit." Rodney curses, looking more worried than disappointed.
"Why? What's wrong?" Laura asks.
"Uh, nothing." Rodney replies, tugging Radek to follow him, as they back away and then run.
"What was that all about?" Marie asks.
"Just Rodney being Rodney." A voice from behind them says. As they turn around they find John and Lorne standing behind them. Marie blushes then mumbles an excuse to leave and walks away quickly, leaving Laura giggling. When she turns around she sees the amused expressions on Evan and John's faces. And then John asks her "Have you been smoking?"
Back to the Present Day:
"Hahaha!" Marie is laughing as they remember that day. "I still can't figure out what that was all about."
"And do you remember Radek's face back then?" Laura asks.
"How can I forget?" Marie says with a snort. "It was like some invisible person was twisting his arm to ask me to go with him. I didn't know back then if I should have been insulted." She says as she finishes her wine off. "And to think that he's happily married with two kids already."
"It's funny…" Laura begins. "…that you were so into Evan back then. You couldn't form a single sentence whenever he was around. And now, here you are, two months away from marrying him."
"God, when Jennifer told me she was setting me up on my 'dream blind date' four years ago, I never imagined that it would be him."
"She patched him up at the hospital you both were working at, right?" Laura says.
"Yup. She and I, along with Carson. But the day she ran into him, I was off duty and visiting my parents." Marie says. "She remembered that I told her I was so into him in high school. So she set us up. I think that's one of the reasons why Ev is so protective of her, besides the fact that she's my best friend." Marie explains. "A few nights ago, John was here. We both almost got into a fight for the hundredth time."
"Let me guess. Jennifer and Ronon." Laura says.
"It's inevitable. We're best friends, and Ronon has been poker buddies with Ev for years." Marie tells her. "Ronon is a great guy. He's never even brought up the subject of Jennifer. But whenever her name is mentioned you can see his eyes just get so sad."
"How come he's never asked you where she is." Laura asks Marie.
"He tried once. But I told him that I couldn't tell him."
"Poor Ronon."
"Poor Jennifer." Marie also says.
TBC.