Originally posted by Southern Red
View Post
Now I promised a fic. It's a bit more subtle than I intended but this is what my fingers typed. It's a tag for Conversion.
Spoiler:
John Sheppard paused for a moment as the balcony doors swished open and wiped his suddenly sweaty palms down the sides of his pants. His Atlantis apology tour was about to come to an end thankfully. One more, hell the most important, mea culpa to go and he was done. None of the others had made him quite as nervous as this one though. He had started with the easy ones figuring that he needed to touch base at least with pretty much everyone in the city in one way or another from the Marines under his command right through the medical staff and culminating with a personal moment with each member of his team. Teyla had been the hardest. The tiny little remaining speck of discomfort in his presence that still lingered told him that a simple apology wasn't going to be enough to wipe the memory of how he had suddenly turned into something she didn't recognize and attacked her in a way that she neither welcomed nor understood. He figured he'd have to let her kick his ass a couple of times when sparring to regain their old sense of camaraderie.
After all that was done and he had killed way too much time pretending that he needed to review schedules and read a few mission reports, he had gone in search of Elizabeth. Of course he knew where to find her. At this time of the evening, just as the moon rose and the breeze off the ocean started to carry the tang of sea life and a hint of a nip toward the walls of the city, she liked to stand in her favorite spot on the balcony outside the control room and just breathe. That's where she was now, and he knew that she knew he was there by the sudden straightening of her shoulders.
Not able to delay any longer, John sauntered across the balcony and stopped next to her without speaking. Elizabeth turned only her head toward him in welcome and smiled at his casual attire.
“Still off duty, I see,” she remarked.
“ 'Fraid so.” John licked his lips and joined her in gazing out to sea. Finally when the silence stretched between them, he sighed and took a deep breath.
“I've been going around apologizing to everyone for all the trouble I caused,” he blurted. “I guess now it's your turn.”
“John.” She waved her hand to stop him.
“No, Elizabeth, I have to finish this.” Another deep breath and he was ready to continue.
“I hurt you. For that I can never forgive myself but I just want you to know that it was the last thing I wanted to have happen.”
A light touch to her throat was the only indication that she remembered what he had done to her and then she was vigorously shaking her head. “No John. You stopped that creature you were becoming from hurting me. Don't you see that?”
John leaned both hands on the railing, unable to meet her eyes. “No, actually I don't see that. I could have...”
“But you didn't,” she interrupted. “You didn't and that's the last I want to hear of it.”
Elizabeth tentatively put a gentle hand on his arm unsure of how he would react. The touch seemed to relax him a bit and he turned fully toward her. “You know you are the last person that I would ever cause harm. You know that, right.”
She nodded and kept her hand on the soft fabric of his shirt. The muscle beneath seemed to be relaxing more every second along with the tense look on his face.
John wasn't sure where the courage to say the next words came from but he figured the apology had gone so well he didn't have much to lose. “I...uh...also want to thank you for trusting me and staying with me when you must have known how dangerous I was.”
Elizabeth dropped her hand and caught his eyes with hers. “Leaving you to face that alone was not an option. I don't know what I would have done if...”
Now it was his turn to interrupt. “But it didn't. I'm 100% John Sheppard again such as he is.”
Elizabeth laughed a little at his self deprecation. “And I'd like to keep him that way please.”
“Oh and thanks also for pretty much ignoring everything I said during that whole time because I, you know, wasn't exactly lucid most of the time...”
“John.”
“Yeah.”
“You're babbling.”
He stopped as if to consider the possibility before continuing. “Well that's a first. So we're good?”
“I'd say we're good.”
John shot her his patented grin and leaned his shoulder against hers as they both turned to gaze out at the moon rising over the water. “You know your bedside manner actually improved a bit there toward the end.”
“Really? You think so?”
John glanced sideways at her and back out at the ocean. “Definitely. Next time should be a lot better.”
“Next time? There had better not be a next time.” Elizabeth wound down when she glanced up at him and saw the teasing glint in his eyes. Yep he was definitely 100% John Sheppard again.
After all that was done and he had killed way too much time pretending that he needed to review schedules and read a few mission reports, he had gone in search of Elizabeth. Of course he knew where to find her. At this time of the evening, just as the moon rose and the breeze off the ocean started to carry the tang of sea life and a hint of a nip toward the walls of the city, she liked to stand in her favorite spot on the balcony outside the control room and just breathe. That's where she was now, and he knew that she knew he was there by the sudden straightening of her shoulders.
Not able to delay any longer, John sauntered across the balcony and stopped next to her without speaking. Elizabeth turned only her head toward him in welcome and smiled at his casual attire.
“Still off duty, I see,” she remarked.
“ 'Fraid so.” John licked his lips and joined her in gazing out to sea. Finally when the silence stretched between them, he sighed and took a deep breath.
“I've been going around apologizing to everyone for all the trouble I caused,” he blurted. “I guess now it's your turn.”
“John.” She waved her hand to stop him.
“No, Elizabeth, I have to finish this.” Another deep breath and he was ready to continue.
“I hurt you. For that I can never forgive myself but I just want you to know that it was the last thing I wanted to have happen.”
A light touch to her throat was the only indication that she remembered what he had done to her and then she was vigorously shaking her head. “No John. You stopped that creature you were becoming from hurting me. Don't you see that?”
John leaned both hands on the railing, unable to meet her eyes. “No, actually I don't see that. I could have...”
“But you didn't,” she interrupted. “You didn't and that's the last I want to hear of it.”
Elizabeth tentatively put a gentle hand on his arm unsure of how he would react. The touch seemed to relax him a bit and he turned fully toward her. “You know you are the last person that I would ever cause harm. You know that, right.”
She nodded and kept her hand on the soft fabric of his shirt. The muscle beneath seemed to be relaxing more every second along with the tense look on his face.
John wasn't sure where the courage to say the next words came from but he figured the apology had gone so well he didn't have much to lose. “I...uh...also want to thank you for trusting me and staying with me when you must have known how dangerous I was.”
Elizabeth dropped her hand and caught his eyes with hers. “Leaving you to face that alone was not an option. I don't know what I would have done if...”
Now it was his turn to interrupt. “But it didn't. I'm 100% John Sheppard again such as he is.”
Elizabeth laughed a little at his self deprecation. “And I'd like to keep him that way please.”
“Oh and thanks also for pretty much ignoring everything I said during that whole time because I, you know, wasn't exactly lucid most of the time...”
“John.”
“Yeah.”
“You're babbling.”
He stopped as if to consider the possibility before continuing. “Well that's a first. So we're good?”
“I'd say we're good.”
John shot her his patented grin and leaned his shoulder against hers as they both turned to gaze out at the moon rising over the water. “You know your bedside manner actually improved a bit there toward the end.”
“Really? You think so?”
John glanced sideways at her and back out at the ocean. “Definitely. Next time should be a lot better.”
“Next time? There had better not be a next time.” Elizabeth wound down when she glanced up at him and saw the teasing glint in his eyes. Yep he was definitely 100% John Sheppard again.
Yay! SR This is a great end scene! Good combo of serious and lightly flirty.
Thanks for sharing...And, I'm similar to Killdeer - I often don't have the time during the day to contribute to the incredible episode discussions, but I love reading them while I'm trying to down my lunch and before I go back to work. Lately, all I've been good for is the occasional fly-by picspam package.
Hmmm....maybe I'll have to go quickly scan my sparky photo collection and drop off a gift....
Naturally, mine are naughty. 
Comment