We returned to the house a couple of hours later. All of the muscles from my waist down were as sore as all hell, but I was beginning to feel less like I had let Sheppard down. He had spent most of the ride telling me stories about his early days in the Air Force. Most of his stories were light-hearted, but looking back on them now, I realise that most of his jokes were simply covering up several unpleasant incidents, getting his units to forget that they were in shit with those higher up.
I collapsed on my bed once we entered the house, exhausted, but not able to sleep. Sheppard walked in a couple of minutes later and started laughing.
"You comfortable?"
I just grumble at him, before pulling the pillow out from beneath my face, and tossing it blindly at him. He just starts laughing harder. A moment later I can feel Sheppard fiddling with the laces on my boots, before pulling them off. He then puts one hand on my hip and the other on my shoulder before rolling me over onto my back. I keep my face buried into my remaining pillow, eventually ending up with it resting on my face. A hand appears in my field of vision as Sheppard tries to remove the pillow from my grasp. After a momentary struggle, he lets go. I lay there confused for a moment, before letting out a squawk. The bastard just hit me with my other pillow! I roll off the other side of my bed, grab my pillow and lash out at him. Within seconds, a full scale pillow fight broke out. Within seconds we were throwing pillows at each other. The fight lasted for about five minutes, until one of the pillows that Sheppard had thrown knocked the remains of the muesli bar I had eaten that morning off the chest of draws. I went to throw another pillow at him, but the look that he threw at me stopped me short. He walked over to where the bar had fallen and picked it up.
"Please tell me that you ate more than just this for breakfast."
It was a rhetorical question, Sheppard already knew the answer. I could tell from his expression. I just looked at the ground.
"You do eat more than this in Atlantis, don't you?"
I shrug, not really knowing how to answer the question. I do eat more than that for breakfast, but not often. Breakfast for me is generally just a mug of black coffee made so strong you could stand a spoon up in it. When I'm going off world, or am off world, I make sure I eat something, but most of the time it isn't much. A muesli bar, a power bar, something small like that.
"I guess Keller doesn't know, does she?"
I shake my head, and Sheppard sighs. He slings an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in the direction of the kitchen.
Once there I get pushed down onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar, while Sheppard starts preparing lunch. Not long after, a mug is pushed in front of me.
"Hot chocolate, sir?"
"Yup. It has less caffeine in it so you should be able to sleep better tonight."
I repress a groan. Some of my CO's in the past have attempted to correct my eating habits, none have succeeded. I should save Sheppard the effort, and just tell him it won't work. I'm about to tell him when he cuts in.
"I don't care what arguments you have against it. I am going to work with you to change this, and if you don't cooperate with me I'll just tell Keller, and let her deal with it."
I glare at him. I've been taking care of myself since I left home at fifteen, I don't need my CO interfering now. He puts a plate in front of me.
"Now eat."
It's an order, and was delivered that tone of voice which tells me that I don't want to disobey. I pick up by fork and begin to eat. It actually tastes quite good.
Once I've finished, I look over at Sheppard, who has a look of extreme amusement on his face.
"What are we doing for the rest of the day?"
"I thought I'd leave that up for you to decide."
"Is there anyway to explore the property without having to walk or ride one of those infernal creatures?"
He looks at me and laughs.
"I have just the thing."
The two men walk from the house to a small shed. Sheppard's apparent amusement is just a cover for the concern he is feeling for his XO. That his eating habits hadn't been picked up, despite being on base for four years now, is worrying. Sheppard hopes that this holiday may convince Lorne that no-one on Atlantis is going to attempt to destroy his career if he slips up even slightly. He is also beginning to wonder about what must have happened that would convince Lorne that no CO is to be trusted.