Originally posted by ShipperWriter
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Ficlet present!!!
Again, this takes place during what could be S7 of SGA-R. Basic premise: they found Elizabeth. She got IOA'd on Earth for six months. She just came home to Atlantis.
Again, this takes place during what could be S7 of SGA-R. Basic premise: they found Elizabeth. She got IOA'd on Earth for six months. She just came home to Atlantis.
Spoiler:
Although she was glad to be home, Elizabeth Weir didn’t want to be overwhelmed with the entire population of Atlantis welcoming her back at once. She was sure that, by now, news of her arrival had spread already.
So when Jennifer Keller had finished her examination, Elizabeth asked John to take her to her quarters. He had readily agreed and ushered her out of the infirmary.
He guided her around a familiar corridor and she was shocked, pleasantly, to find that her quarters were not a spare set of VIP quarters that had been reassigned to her.
It was her old room. Her old bed. Her old desk. Her old tapestries that she had received after a fruitful trading mission.
And her old Athosian pot, sitting on her night stand.
She turned to John, a bewildered smile on her face. “How did you--?”
He shrugged, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door frame. “Teyla cleared out your office and your quarters. Most of your stuff that you had brought from Earth was sent back to your mother. Other objects that you’d gotten here in the neighborhood were put in storage. And I never put your room back on the lodgings roster. Just didn’t seem right for anyone else to have it.”
Elizabeth nodded as she slowly paced around her room. Considering how neatly everything had been put back in its place, she assumed that Teyla had done it.
John cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, leave you to get reacquainted.”
“Actually, John,” she said, turning around slowly, “there’s one more place I would like to go before I settle in.”
“Where?”
She smiled.
-------------
“I’ve missed this.”
They were standing on the balcony just outside the control room. Elizabeth leaned forward against the railing, and John lifted his foot to the first rung. The breeze blew across her face, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sunshine on her skin which was a little pale for her taste.
“Yeah,” John agreed, narrowing his eyes at some storm clouds on the horizon. “Weather’s great this time of year.”
“We’re floating near the planet’s equator. When is the weather not nice?” she asked with a laugh.
He glanced sideways at her, then went back to inspecting the view. “I imagine you didn’t make it outside that much when you were on Earth.”
She shook her head. “Most of the time was spent determining if the nanites were really gone. Once they realized that there was no trace of them, I was allowed a little time out.”
“Again, not much?”
She shook her head. “Not enough. That’s for sure. So what’s this planet like?”
“Average, run-of-the-mill Pegasus planet. Mostly water. No Stargate on the mainland.”
“And none of our enemies know about it, right?”
John smirked. “Wouldn’t that be nice.”
Elizabeth smiled as she sighed. “It’s good to be back.”
John nodded and glanced her way. “It’s good to have you back,” he agreed.
She chuckled, dipping her head to the side. “Even if I don’t get my old office back.”
He tried to repress a smirk, ultimately failing. “As much as I would like for you to be the boss again, Woolsey’s been doing a really good job. The IOA’s actually been staying off our backs.”
“For once,” she muttered.
As they stood there, exchanging occasional words, and staring off into the distance, Elizabeth began to feel that John was coming back too. The person he had been ever since they found her had been a far cry from the young major that she had managed to recruit all those years ago.
Granted, she understood why. Life in this part of the galaxy was stressful.
And having reincarnations of your dead friend popping up every so often did not help matters.
But this was her. And she was home.
John spoke again, breaking the silence. “So Woolsey suggested -- and General O’Neill agreed -- that we might be able to create a position of ‘first contact specialist’, or something along those lines.”
“I thought that was Teyla’s job,” she joked wryly.
John shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, Teyla’s great at bonding with the locals. And she’ll continue to be a part of my team. Unless she gets pregnant again.” He looked slightly worried, but before Elizabeth could say anything he continued. “The first contact specialist would probably be off world with us as well.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. “So no more desk job for me? Drats. I really enjoyed only seeing anyone when something was about to go catastrophically wrong.”
John saw the humor behind her words and couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re serious about this?” she asked, pulling away from the railing.
“Yeah.” He imitated her, drawing back as well.
“What if I say no?”
John stuffed his hands in his pockets and scoffed in amusement. “You won’t. Besides, you’re the only person we’re offering the job to.”
She nodded in a manner that conveyed touché.
“You don’t have to say yes immediately. Take some time to settle back in, and find me when you’re ready.”
Elizabeth looked up. Green eyes met hazel for the first time in what felt like years, but the trust and understanding was still there. She was glad for it; if it had permanently been removed, she didn’t think it would be possible to come home.
She nodded at him, and he began to make his way towards the sliding doors that led back into the control room.
“John?”
“Yeah?” he asked, turning back around just as the doors opened.
She paused for a moment, biting her lip. “If I say yes … will I have to carry a weapon?”
John nodded, gritting his teeth. “If you’re going off world, yeah.”
Elizabeth groaned in consternation.
“Maybe Ronon will let you borrow his stunner. That way, you can shut McKay up.” And with something that looked suspiciously like a wink, he left her on the balcony.
A smile crept along her lips as she turned back to face the ocean.
Maybe a little change was a good thing.
So when Jennifer Keller had finished her examination, Elizabeth asked John to take her to her quarters. He had readily agreed and ushered her out of the infirmary.
He guided her around a familiar corridor and she was shocked, pleasantly, to find that her quarters were not a spare set of VIP quarters that had been reassigned to her.
It was her old room. Her old bed. Her old desk. Her old tapestries that she had received after a fruitful trading mission.
And her old Athosian pot, sitting on her night stand.
She turned to John, a bewildered smile on her face. “How did you--?”
He shrugged, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door frame. “Teyla cleared out your office and your quarters. Most of your stuff that you had brought from Earth was sent back to your mother. Other objects that you’d gotten here in the neighborhood were put in storage. And I never put your room back on the lodgings roster. Just didn’t seem right for anyone else to have it.”
Elizabeth nodded as she slowly paced around her room. Considering how neatly everything had been put back in its place, she assumed that Teyla had done it.
John cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, leave you to get reacquainted.”
“Actually, John,” she said, turning around slowly, “there’s one more place I would like to go before I settle in.”
“Where?”
She smiled.
-------------
“I’ve missed this.”
They were standing on the balcony just outside the control room. Elizabeth leaned forward against the railing, and John lifted his foot to the first rung. The breeze blew across her face, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sunshine on her skin which was a little pale for her taste.
“Yeah,” John agreed, narrowing his eyes at some storm clouds on the horizon. “Weather’s great this time of year.”
“We’re floating near the planet’s equator. When is the weather not nice?” she asked with a laugh.
He glanced sideways at her, then went back to inspecting the view. “I imagine you didn’t make it outside that much when you were on Earth.”
She shook her head. “Most of the time was spent determining if the nanites were really gone. Once they realized that there was no trace of them, I was allowed a little time out.”
“Again, not much?”
She shook her head. “Not enough. That’s for sure. So what’s this planet like?”
“Average, run-of-the-mill Pegasus planet. Mostly water. No Stargate on the mainland.”
“And none of our enemies know about it, right?”
John smirked. “Wouldn’t that be nice.”
Elizabeth smiled as she sighed. “It’s good to be back.”
John nodded and glanced her way. “It’s good to have you back,” he agreed.
She chuckled, dipping her head to the side. “Even if I don’t get my old office back.”
He tried to repress a smirk, ultimately failing. “As much as I would like for you to be the boss again, Woolsey’s been doing a really good job. The IOA’s actually been staying off our backs.”
“For once,” she muttered.
As they stood there, exchanging occasional words, and staring off into the distance, Elizabeth began to feel that John was coming back too. The person he had been ever since they found her had been a far cry from the young major that she had managed to recruit all those years ago.
Granted, she understood why. Life in this part of the galaxy was stressful.
And having reincarnations of your dead friend popping up every so often did not help matters.
But this was her. And she was home.
John spoke again, breaking the silence. “So Woolsey suggested -- and General O’Neill agreed -- that we might be able to create a position of ‘first contact specialist’, or something along those lines.”
“I thought that was Teyla’s job,” she joked wryly.
John shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, Teyla’s great at bonding with the locals. And she’ll continue to be a part of my team. Unless she gets pregnant again.” He looked slightly worried, but before Elizabeth could say anything he continued. “The first contact specialist would probably be off world with us as well.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. “So no more desk job for me? Drats. I really enjoyed only seeing anyone when something was about to go catastrophically wrong.”
John saw the humor behind her words and couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re serious about this?” she asked, pulling away from the railing.
“Yeah.” He imitated her, drawing back as well.
“What if I say no?”
John stuffed his hands in his pockets and scoffed in amusement. “You won’t. Besides, you’re the only person we’re offering the job to.”
She nodded in a manner that conveyed touché.
“You don’t have to say yes immediately. Take some time to settle back in, and find me when you’re ready.”
Elizabeth looked up. Green eyes met hazel for the first time in what felt like years, but the trust and understanding was still there. She was glad for it; if it had permanently been removed, she didn’t think it would be possible to come home.
She nodded at him, and he began to make his way towards the sliding doors that led back into the control room.
“John?”
“Yeah?” he asked, turning back around just as the doors opened.
She paused for a moment, biting her lip. “If I say yes … will I have to carry a weapon?”
John nodded, gritting his teeth. “If you’re going off world, yeah.”
Elizabeth groaned in consternation.
“Maybe Ronon will let you borrow his stunner. That way, you can shut McKay up.” And with something that looked suspiciously like a wink, he left her on the balcony.
A smile crept along her lips as she turned back to face the ocean.
Maybe a little change was a good thing.
And this one, “You won’t. Besides, you’re the only person we’re offering the job to.” made me LOL. It's a government "set aside" which you'll only get if you understand the US government contract system.
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