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Entry tags:
fic: SGA, Weir/Sheppard, Adrift in a Sea of Possibilities, PG13
disclaimer: not mine
rating: PG13; length: 2500 or so.
spoilers: through season three. AU.
pairing: Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard
beta reading:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anr was a marvelous, fabulous person who was subjected to a fic I needed to finish.
notes: written forhope_tang for the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
swficathon, who wanted an episode fix-it. I think this might cover it. I had to marathon large hunks of season three, as I hadn't seen it for a while.
Adrift in a Sea of Possibilities
by ALC Punk!
It had been a ridiculously stupid thing to do, walking near windows while there was still a chance the replicator beam would slice through the closing shield. Elizabeth had had no excuse other than her need to see her city rise as it flew through the atmosphere, breaking into space.
John hadn't had to say it was stupid, of course. He'd just made... noises. And given her the occasional look that said he wasn't happy about something, though that might also have been because the drive had shut down, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere.
"You were lucky," Keller said, her hands busy with the tubes feeding into Elizabeth.
"I'm lying in an infirmary bed; I'm not sure I'd count that as lucky."
The doctor half-smiled at her, then turned serious, "One of the technicians is in critical condition, and if Ronon hadn't--"
"I know," Elizabeth interrupted, her gaze turning to the bed where Ronon was suffering one of Keller's minions to stitch the cuts in his arm. "I'd be far worse."
She didn't want to think about that. If Ronon hadn't already been tackling her, knocking her to the ground when the replicators' beam had sliced through the shield, she would have still be standing and taken the full brunt of the shattered glass and metal in the face. As it was, they'd been thrown down the stairs and covered in more cuts and bruises than she could count. She'd also bruised and wrenched her ankle against one of the rail supports, unfortunately.
"He has good instincts," she murmured.
"Thank goodness for us." Flashing Elizabeth a cheerful smile, Keller turned away to deal with another patient.
-=-
Four days hadn't made the situation all that much better. Elizabeth itched where her scrapes were healing, and getting around Atlantis on crutches wasn't the easiest of tasks. Luckily, she could sit at her temporary desk and finish off the mountains of paperwork that had been caused by the injuries, loss of life, and need for construction materials for the new windows above the gateroom. Her office was currently off-limits, leaving her in a conference room with a large table serving as her desk. The surface was too large: even with the piles of paper and hastily scribbled notes, she wouldn't fill it--not unless they were out here for a lot longer.
They were still stuck in what felt like the middle of nowhere, with the scientists scrambling to get enough power to the drive to get them to a habitable planet. There'd been no contact from the Apollo or Earth. Elizabeth assumed they were being searched for, though.
Since they needed the control room in one piece, Elizabeth had authorized Radek to assemble a team (of those not needed in the drive repairs) to pull apart some of the lesser used sections of Atlantis for the materials they needed. The windows were currently sheets of plastic, but the marines that Lorne had detailed were making decent time on putting the framework back together and making certain the balcony and adjacent structures were sound.
"You really should be off your feet more."
Elizabeth shook herself free of her thoughts and looked up at John Sheppard, leaning casually in her doorway. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. "When was the last time you slept?"
He shook his head and came into her office, circling her table and leaning against it with a sigh as he looked down at her. "We weren't talking about me, Elizabeth. We were talking about you and staying off your feet."
Tilting her head, she tried for a smile, amused at his mother-henning. "I'm fine, John. I'm staying off my feet and getting protein and rest, just like the doctor ordered." Mostly. She ate because Chuck was dilligent at bringing in meals for her, and she slept when the exhaustion was too much. She was worried about taking pain pills, in case there was another crisis she needed to be clear-headed.
"You, on the other hand, look like hell," she continued, her gaze turning serious.
"Thanks." He didn't sound pleased, but he also didn't move, staying there with his hip against the table, looking at her with something unfathomable in his eyes.
She was silent as she looked up at him. It was the first time they hadn't had other people rushing around, handing over reports, making complaints, asking for orders, and Elizabeth took a guess as to what was going through his mind. He couldn't relax, but he could think about more than just the immediate worries and their plans for the future. "I didn't die."
"No."
"Neither did you. And Atlantis is safe."
"Mostly." He twitched his lips into something vaguely like a smile. "Time for the next crisis?"
"Something like that." With a sigh, she turned back to her work. "I'm still waiting on those performance reviews, you know."
"Elizabeth."
She met his eyes, and for a moment the quality of the silence changed. Then she murmured, "You should get some rest."
"Yeah. Yeah, I should."
-=-
It was Teyla who had suggested solar energy. They weren't close to a planetary system, but the residual radiation from countless stars had been easy to collect, once Rodney had stopped complaining about the modifications he would need to make. It took another day and a half to gather enough energy before they were able to jump to a destination. Everyone breathed easier with an atmosphere surrounding them again.
With the shield down and a planet beneath them, they were able to dial Earth and contact the Apollo from there. She would be making her way to Atlantis as soon as they'd finished their final repairs, Colonel Ellis hadn't wanted to risk his crew on the journey.
Elizabeth was trying not to worry about the IOA, or the probable result of their reports regarding the replicators that were still at large in the Pegasus galaxy. Instead, she was standing on one of the lower balconies, one that was easily accessable for a woman on crutches.
The breeze from the ocean had a different tang to it. Elizabeth closed her eyes, breathing it in and trying to taste the difference. The sunlight was slowly falling down into the west, gilding the gentle waves when she finally cared to look. Another breath and she felt more of the troubles of the last week fall away.
Her crutches were next to her, leaning like sentinels awaiting a task.
She knew he was there before he spoke.
"You could have died."
Elizabeth continued staring at the ocean.
When she didn't answer, he moved up to the railing, leaning against it and watching the sun slide the rest of the way under the sea, the colors going from blues to pinks to reds. Once it was dark, the stars coming out, he sighed.
"Every time you go out," she said, "you might die. I've had to learn to deal with that."
"It's not the same--"
"Yes it is," she replied before laughing and glancing at him. "Did you come out here to argue or enjoy the view?"
John shrugged and promptly replied, "Both."
Since he was looking at her, Elizabeth opened her mouth to mock his sense of direction but found she couldn't. The way his eyes were simply staring at her made her swallow. "I didn't die."
"Not this time, no."
"John--" she started to say before she stopped. Words weren't going to work, not this time. For some reason, she needed to reassure him as much as she needed her own sort of reassurance. Moving, she reached up and cupped his cheek; she was careful, giving him time to stop her if he wanted to.
But he didn't, his head bending and his mouth meeting hers as she let her fingers slide back into his hair.
It was a stupid idea, kissing her military commander. But with her ankle starting to throb from standing too long and her skin still itching from the abraisions, it felt almost right. She had almost died, the shattered windows and damaged structures of the control tower had shown her that when she'd gone up to visit them and get her things from her office earlier in the day.
She pulled back after a moment, leaning her head against his shoulder and just remembering how to breathe. She could smell him, mixed with the tang of the sea. A heady combination that would once have made her giggle.
"Uh..."
"Don't." Her hand came up, covering his mouth. "I should, uh, get back to quarters. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."
It was awkward to step back from him, but she kept her balance, not wanting to see the look on his face. She didn't know what it would be, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know. She considered babbling an apology at him for taking advantage, but that would be ridiculous and make her feel even more like an idiot.
"Hey--" His hands closed on her arms, stopping her.
"Colonel," she said, suddenly striving for formality, even as she wanted nothing more than to lean back into him. Just for an instant. It was nice to be held.
"Elizabeth."
He kissed her, hands skimming up her arms to cup her face. It wasn't the hesitant, exploring brush of lips she'd offered, and Elizabeth steadied herself against him, hands on his waist, and kissed him back.
A year ago, she wouldn't have allowed it. Maybe even two weeks ago, she wouldn't have allowed it. But there were limits to her patience, and even if Colonel Ellis walked out onto the balcony right at that moment, she didn't care. She was allowing herself to feel something, to take something, even if she wouldn't be allowed to keep it.
John pulled back from her mouth, leaning his forehead against hers. "So."
"It's a bad idea." From all sorts of standpoints. Tactically, this made them more vulnerable in a hostage situation. Professionally, this could destroy their careers. Elizabeth didn't move, hands staying on his waist.
"So we stop."
"No." She tilted her head, looking at him. "We take it slow, we make sure this isn't going to impact--"
He kissed her again, mouth hard and demanding. Elizabeth shifted closer, hands sliding up his sides and around his back, holding him as close as she could, kissing him back.
"We don't stop," he murmured. "What happens?"
She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "My ankle hurts. Can we continue this somewhere there's seating?"
Before he could answer, an alarm blared, "Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard to the control room."
-=-
Four days later, Elizabeth limped back to her quarters after a new crisis had been averted. Her crutches were being used by one of the marines, since his leg was worse than hers. And as long as Keller didn't notice how often she was on her feet, it was all good. Once, Elizabeth had been a model patient, but with her responsibilities piling up, she'd started skimping on pampering herself.
"You shouldn't be walking on your ankle," John said, his tone mild before he caught her hand and pulled her arm over his shoulder, his own sliding around her waist and giving her some stability.
"Thank you, Colonel."
He was silent for so long, they had reached her doorway before he spoke. Elizabeth expected him to say a quick good night and go.
"Have you changed your mind?"
Now was not the time for any sort of discussion, even if she was planning to be up for several more hours, correlating data and reports on her laptop. Elizabeth opened her mouth to tell him that and found that she couldn't. "I have work to do." As though avoiding the question would make it go away.
"That would be yes, then." He carefully released her, stepping away and leaving her standing on her own. "I need to sleep for that mission in the morning."
"John." She was holding the doorjamb, keeping herself steady and on both feet as she looked at him. "I haven't changed my mind."
"Oh."
For another long moment, they looked at each other, then Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Are you still going off to sleep, Colonel, or are we standing here all night?"
"Sleep," he said, but he moved towards her, not stopping except to catch her by the waist and lift her as he walked into her quarters.
If she'd been fifteen, she might have squealed and said something ridiculous. But Elizabeth was far too old for that, and beside, kissing him was far more effective. He managed to close the door before being entirely distracted.
-=-
"That was taking it slow?"
"Well, that second time was," Elizabeth teased, tracing a finger along his arm.
John was draped against her back, with his arm over her. They were both even more tired than before, though Elizabeth was now feeling on edge, almost like she'd had another cup of coffee. Her nerves jangled at the slightest sound from the city as it shifted with the swells in the ocean, rocking just enough that those who were on Atlantis for a time rather forgot what solid ground was like and felt rather off when they visited Earth or distant planets.
A rumbling chuckle came from him and he kissed her shoulder. "You should sleep."
"You're the one with a mission in the morning." Now more awake than ever, she sighed and pulled free of him, moving to sit up. Her laptop and the makeshift laptop tray settled on her lap before he realized what she was doing. There were reports to read, after all.
"Aren't you sleepy?"
"Not really." She logged in and started accessing the files she needed from the Atlantis servers.
"Oh. I am."
"Then sleep," was her reply, moving her hand to stroke though his hair.
He sighed and shifted, tucking his head next to her hip.
Elizabeth continued her reading, listening as his breathing evened out. Eventually, she almost forgot he was there until she finished her work and closed the laptop. Settling down next to him again, she smiled a little, then closed her eyes.
She could still taste the difference in the air here, feel a slight nip to it that said the winter here might be worse than previously expected. But with John's warmth at her back, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
-f-
rating: PG13; length: 2500 or so.
spoilers: through season three. AU.
pairing: Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard
beta reading:
anr was a marvelous, fabulous person who was subjected to a fic I needed to finish.notes: written for
hope_tang for the swficathon, who wanted an episode fix-it. I think this might cover it. I had to marathon large hunks of season three, as I hadn't seen it for a while. Adrift in a Sea of Possibilities
by ALC Punk!
It had been a ridiculously stupid thing to do, walking near windows while there was still a chance the replicator beam would slice through the closing shield. Elizabeth had had no excuse other than her need to see her city rise as it flew through the atmosphere, breaking into space.
John hadn't had to say it was stupid, of course. He'd just made... noises. And given her the occasional look that said he wasn't happy about something, though that might also have been because the drive had shut down, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere.
"You were lucky," Keller said, her hands busy with the tubes feeding into Elizabeth.
"I'm lying in an infirmary bed; I'm not sure I'd count that as lucky."
The doctor half-smiled at her, then turned serious, "One of the technicians is in critical condition, and if Ronon hadn't--"
"I know," Elizabeth interrupted, her gaze turning to the bed where Ronon was suffering one of Keller's minions to stitch the cuts in his arm. "I'd be far worse."
She didn't want to think about that. If Ronon hadn't already been tackling her, knocking her to the ground when the replicators' beam had sliced through the shield, she would have still be standing and taken the full brunt of the shattered glass and metal in the face. As it was, they'd been thrown down the stairs and covered in more cuts and bruises than she could count. She'd also bruised and wrenched her ankle against one of the rail supports, unfortunately.
"He has good instincts," she murmured.
"Thank goodness for us." Flashing Elizabeth a cheerful smile, Keller turned away to deal with another patient.
-=-
Four days hadn't made the situation all that much better. Elizabeth itched where her scrapes were healing, and getting around Atlantis on crutches wasn't the easiest of tasks. Luckily, she could sit at her temporary desk and finish off the mountains of paperwork that had been caused by the injuries, loss of life, and need for construction materials for the new windows above the gateroom. Her office was currently off-limits, leaving her in a conference room with a large table serving as her desk. The surface was too large: even with the piles of paper and hastily scribbled notes, she wouldn't fill it--not unless they were out here for a lot longer.
They were still stuck in what felt like the middle of nowhere, with the scientists scrambling to get enough power to the drive to get them to a habitable planet. There'd been no contact from the Apollo or Earth. Elizabeth assumed they were being searched for, though.
Since they needed the control room in one piece, Elizabeth had authorized Radek to assemble a team (of those not needed in the drive repairs) to pull apart some of the lesser used sections of Atlantis for the materials they needed. The windows were currently sheets of plastic, but the marines that Lorne had detailed were making decent time on putting the framework back together and making certain the balcony and adjacent structures were sound.
"You really should be off your feet more."
Elizabeth shook herself free of her thoughts and looked up at John Sheppard, leaning casually in her doorway. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. "When was the last time you slept?"
He shook his head and came into her office, circling her table and leaning against it with a sigh as he looked down at her. "We weren't talking about me, Elizabeth. We were talking about you and staying off your feet."
Tilting her head, she tried for a smile, amused at his mother-henning. "I'm fine, John. I'm staying off my feet and getting protein and rest, just like the doctor ordered." Mostly. She ate because Chuck was dilligent at bringing in meals for her, and she slept when the exhaustion was too much. She was worried about taking pain pills, in case there was another crisis she needed to be clear-headed.
"You, on the other hand, look like hell," she continued, her gaze turning serious.
"Thanks." He didn't sound pleased, but he also didn't move, staying there with his hip against the table, looking at her with something unfathomable in his eyes.
She was silent as she looked up at him. It was the first time they hadn't had other people rushing around, handing over reports, making complaints, asking for orders, and Elizabeth took a guess as to what was going through his mind. He couldn't relax, but he could think about more than just the immediate worries and their plans for the future. "I didn't die."
"No."
"Neither did you. And Atlantis is safe."
"Mostly." He twitched his lips into something vaguely like a smile. "Time for the next crisis?"
"Something like that." With a sigh, she turned back to her work. "I'm still waiting on those performance reviews, you know."
"Elizabeth."
She met his eyes, and for a moment the quality of the silence changed. Then she murmured, "You should get some rest."
"Yeah. Yeah, I should."
-=-
It was Teyla who had suggested solar energy. They weren't close to a planetary system, but the residual radiation from countless stars had been easy to collect, once Rodney had stopped complaining about the modifications he would need to make. It took another day and a half to gather enough energy before they were able to jump to a destination. Everyone breathed easier with an atmosphere surrounding them again.
With the shield down and a planet beneath them, they were able to dial Earth and contact the Apollo from there. She would be making her way to Atlantis as soon as they'd finished their final repairs, Colonel Ellis hadn't wanted to risk his crew on the journey.
Elizabeth was trying not to worry about the IOA, or the probable result of their reports regarding the replicators that were still at large in the Pegasus galaxy. Instead, she was standing on one of the lower balconies, one that was easily accessable for a woman on crutches.
The breeze from the ocean had a different tang to it. Elizabeth closed her eyes, breathing it in and trying to taste the difference. The sunlight was slowly falling down into the west, gilding the gentle waves when she finally cared to look. Another breath and she felt more of the troubles of the last week fall away.
Her crutches were next to her, leaning like sentinels awaiting a task.
She knew he was there before he spoke.
"You could have died."
Elizabeth continued staring at the ocean.
When she didn't answer, he moved up to the railing, leaning against it and watching the sun slide the rest of the way under the sea, the colors going from blues to pinks to reds. Once it was dark, the stars coming out, he sighed.
"Every time you go out," she said, "you might die. I've had to learn to deal with that."
"It's not the same--"
"Yes it is," she replied before laughing and glancing at him. "Did you come out here to argue or enjoy the view?"
John shrugged and promptly replied, "Both."
Since he was looking at her, Elizabeth opened her mouth to mock his sense of direction but found she couldn't. The way his eyes were simply staring at her made her swallow. "I didn't die."
"Not this time, no."
"John--" she started to say before she stopped. Words weren't going to work, not this time. For some reason, she needed to reassure him as much as she needed her own sort of reassurance. Moving, she reached up and cupped his cheek; she was careful, giving him time to stop her if he wanted to.
But he didn't, his head bending and his mouth meeting hers as she let her fingers slide back into his hair.
It was a stupid idea, kissing her military commander. But with her ankle starting to throb from standing too long and her skin still itching from the abraisions, it felt almost right. She had almost died, the shattered windows and damaged structures of the control tower had shown her that when she'd gone up to visit them and get her things from her office earlier in the day.
She pulled back after a moment, leaning her head against his shoulder and just remembering how to breathe. She could smell him, mixed with the tang of the sea. A heady combination that would once have made her giggle.
"Uh..."
"Don't." Her hand came up, covering his mouth. "I should, uh, get back to quarters. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."
It was awkward to step back from him, but she kept her balance, not wanting to see the look on his face. She didn't know what it would be, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know. She considered babbling an apology at him for taking advantage, but that would be ridiculous and make her feel even more like an idiot.
"Hey--" His hands closed on her arms, stopping her.
"Colonel," she said, suddenly striving for formality, even as she wanted nothing more than to lean back into him. Just for an instant. It was nice to be held.
"Elizabeth."
He kissed her, hands skimming up her arms to cup her face. It wasn't the hesitant, exploring brush of lips she'd offered, and Elizabeth steadied herself against him, hands on his waist, and kissed him back.
A year ago, she wouldn't have allowed it. Maybe even two weeks ago, she wouldn't have allowed it. But there were limits to her patience, and even if Colonel Ellis walked out onto the balcony right at that moment, she didn't care. She was allowing herself to feel something, to take something, even if she wouldn't be allowed to keep it.
John pulled back from her mouth, leaning his forehead against hers. "So."
"It's a bad idea." From all sorts of standpoints. Tactically, this made them more vulnerable in a hostage situation. Professionally, this could destroy their careers. Elizabeth didn't move, hands staying on his waist.
"So we stop."
"No." She tilted her head, looking at him. "We take it slow, we make sure this isn't going to impact--"
He kissed her again, mouth hard and demanding. Elizabeth shifted closer, hands sliding up his sides and around his back, holding him as close as she could, kissing him back.
"We don't stop," he murmured. "What happens?"
She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "My ankle hurts. Can we continue this somewhere there's seating?"
Before he could answer, an alarm blared, "Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard to the control room."
-=-
Four days later, Elizabeth limped back to her quarters after a new crisis had been averted. Her crutches were being used by one of the marines, since his leg was worse than hers. And as long as Keller didn't notice how often she was on her feet, it was all good. Once, Elizabeth had been a model patient, but with her responsibilities piling up, she'd started skimping on pampering herself.
"You shouldn't be walking on your ankle," John said, his tone mild before he caught her hand and pulled her arm over his shoulder, his own sliding around her waist and giving her some stability.
"Thank you, Colonel."
He was silent for so long, they had reached her doorway before he spoke. Elizabeth expected him to say a quick good night and go.
"Have you changed your mind?"
Now was not the time for any sort of discussion, even if she was planning to be up for several more hours, correlating data and reports on her laptop. Elizabeth opened her mouth to tell him that and found that she couldn't. "I have work to do." As though avoiding the question would make it go away.
"That would be yes, then." He carefully released her, stepping away and leaving her standing on her own. "I need to sleep for that mission in the morning."
"John." She was holding the doorjamb, keeping herself steady and on both feet as she looked at him. "I haven't changed my mind."
"Oh."
For another long moment, they looked at each other, then Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Are you still going off to sleep, Colonel, or are we standing here all night?"
"Sleep," he said, but he moved towards her, not stopping except to catch her by the waist and lift her as he walked into her quarters.
If she'd been fifteen, she might have squealed and said something ridiculous. But Elizabeth was far too old for that, and beside, kissing him was far more effective. He managed to close the door before being entirely distracted.
-=-
"That was taking it slow?"
"Well, that second time was," Elizabeth teased, tracing a finger along his arm.
John was draped against her back, with his arm over her. They were both even more tired than before, though Elizabeth was now feeling on edge, almost like she'd had another cup of coffee. Her nerves jangled at the slightest sound from the city as it shifted with the swells in the ocean, rocking just enough that those who were on Atlantis for a time rather forgot what solid ground was like and felt rather off when they visited Earth or distant planets.
A rumbling chuckle came from him and he kissed her shoulder. "You should sleep."
"You're the one with a mission in the morning." Now more awake than ever, she sighed and pulled free of him, moving to sit up. Her laptop and the makeshift laptop tray settled on her lap before he realized what she was doing. There were reports to read, after all.
"Aren't you sleepy?"
"Not really." She logged in and started accessing the files she needed from the Atlantis servers.
"Oh. I am."
"Then sleep," was her reply, moving her hand to stroke though his hair.
He sighed and shifted, tucking his head next to her hip.
Elizabeth continued her reading, listening as his breathing evened out. Eventually, she almost forgot he was there until she finished her work and closed the laptop. Settling down next to him again, she smiled a little, then closed her eyes.
She could still taste the difference in the air here, feel a slight nip to it that said the winter here might be worse than previously expected. But with John's warmth at her back, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
-f-