It had been an horrible night for Rosalie. She spent the night tossing and turning, her mind playing all these different scenarios regarding her situation with Evan, and none of them had ended well.
She rubs her hand down her face, in an attempt to wake up as she walks out of her room, only to run into Sheppard, who smiles at her.
-"Morning."
-"Morning, Sheppard. What you're doing here?" - Rosalie returns the smile.
-"Well, I figured that we could have breakfast together, and maybe talk a bit?"
-"If you want to talk about yesterday, there isn't much more to say. But if you wanna eat and tell me what you and your team have been up to, then I'm all for it."
-"I'll take it. I just figured you could use a friend after our talk yesterday."
-"I appreciate that, but I just wanna put that behind and focus on the future."
-"Copy that."
They walked side by side to the mess hall, Rosalie thinking that she truly has found a family there. After getting their food and finding a place to sit, Sheppard asks her what she has planned for the day, stuffing a fork full of pancakes in his mouth, making Rosalie laugh.
Rosalie tells him that she has a lot of artifacts she needs to go through and asks him the same question. Sheppard is going to stay in the city, not too eager to go off-world that day. Rosalie wonders how many times has she heard him say that and then ended up seeing him and his team go through the gate because something happened.
Their conversation is cut short when Sheppard is called to the Gate Room urgently. Rosalie shakes her head in amusement, knowing that this was bound to happen. Sheppard asks her if she's up for having lunch together and when she tells him to find her when he's back in the city, she feels his hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
Watching him run to the Gate Room, Rosalie can't help but compare her friendship with Sheppard to her friendship with Daniel. They are both like older brothers to her, knowing exactly what to say when she needs to hear it, even if she doesn't want to hear it. And at the same time, sometimes she has to be the bigger sister, even if she's younger than them. Not by much, mind you, but still…
Shaking her head, chuckling, Rosalie thinks that, when down to it, she could easily compare all of her friendships she had at Stargate Command with the ones she now has in Atlantis, and that gives her a sense of peace and belonging. And she is beyond thankful for it. But there is one friendship that doesn't have comparison and that is the one with Evan.
Their friendship was forged in fire, having gone through hell together, and while she did more than enjoy the little agreement they had, she knows that if she lets her heart take the lead, she will end up heartbroken and losing her best friend. She can't do that, not now, not ever.
What Rosalie doesn't realize is that, just as she and Sheppard had said their goodbyes, Evan had walked in the mess hall and saw just how comfortable they were with each other, leaving him with a hole in his heart and the wrong impression.
What Rosalie doesn't also see is the look of sadness in his eyes, as he thinks that that should've been him with her and not Sheppard, just before he is also called to the Gate Room by Weir. Maybe if she had, she had thought twice about her decision, but now is too late to go back. Or so she believes.