Part 2 because it's too many characters. They still haven't changed that?!
Spoiler:
• “You don’t need to protect me.”
John looked up from his desk as Rodney walked in the room. "Sorry, what?"
"You don't need to protect me," he repeated, sitting down in one of the chairs. "If Elizabeth doesn't want to see me, just tell me."
Sheppard sighed, then clicked the pen and reclined in his office chair. "She doesn't want to see any of us, Rodney. I've been trying to get ahold of her and it's like she's not even home."
"Well, maybe she's out of town or something."
"No, she's here. I've seen her."
"I thought you just said that you hadn't been able to contact her."
"I did. That doesn't mean I didn't do a little recon."
"Wha -- you've been spying on Elizabeth?"
"No, I--" John stopped short and glared up at Rodney. "That's not what I said. I said I've been doing a little recon. I went to stop by her place the other day. Her car was outside. One of her neighbors walked out. I asked if they had seen Elizabeth, and he told me that aside from an accidental bump in the hallway, he never saw her." John sighed, then stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "She's not just avoiding us, McKay. She's hiding from the world."
Rodney frowned, crossing his arms as he waved a finger at Sheppard. "No, no. Elizabeth has too much to offer to just hide away like that. She should be lecturing, or teaching at the university, or ... something!"
John shrugged. "We were all flooded with offers when we came back. It's not like being a hermit was Elizabeth's only choice. But it's what she chose, and it's what we have to respect."
"She's just wasting her life. How can you just sit back and let her do that?"
"McKay, let it go," John said softly.
Rodney grumbled something and walked out of John's office.
John waited until Rodney cleared the corridor, then fished his cell phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his messages, then hit the call button.
It went to voicemail, just like every other time he had called her.
• “You can’t protect me.”
She blinked at him. "Well, it doesn't exactly look like you have a choice."
John lay on the ground, a handkerchief in his hand as he wiped sweat away from a cut on his brow. He had hit his head on the ground hard enough that he was seeing three of everything, blood and sweat was dripping into his eye, and a wound just above his knee was making it impossible for him to stand.
So Elizabeth was standing in front of him, holding his gun a little uncomfortably.
"This is so not a good idea."
"Hey, the moment that you only see one of me, you're more than welcome to have your weapon back. But if another one of those creatures comes back, I would prefer that someone with 20/20 vision be doing the aiming."
She had only gone on this mission to fill in for Teyla, who was comfortably resting in the infirmary after a particularly nasty strain of Pegasus influenza, as Carson had taken to calling it. It was a routine meet and greet that went south when extremely aggressive creatures that resembled llamas standing on hind legs attacked them on the way into town.
Rodney and Ronon had gotten separated from them, but Elizabeth wasn't worried about their safety. Neither of them had been injured.
John, on the other hand, could barely crawl to safety.
She had taken his gun after observing that the Wraith stunners seemed to have no impact on them. After seeing how aggressively they came after them when they didn't even confront them, Elizabeth wasn't going to take any chances.
"You remember what I taught you?" John asked, biting his lip in obvious discomfort.
"I don't like guns," she replied, clicking the safety off. "That doesn't mean I don't know how to use one."
"Not sure what scares me more: the fact that you actually have used guns or the fact you're holding one."
She heard a twig snap outside and she held a finger to her lips, motioning for silence. John tried propping himself up as much as he could. Elizabeth slowly raised the gun, pointing it squarely at the entrance.
A tall shadow appeared on the cave wall and she spread her lips, bracing herself.
When the figure began to look less like an evil llama and more like a certain Satedan, she called out, "Ronon?"
"Doctor Weir?"
"Elizabeth! Oh my God!" Rodney exclaimed, primarily in relief and lastly in horror when he saw the gun still aimed at his head.
John smiled wryly. "Huh. Found another way to freak out McKay. Awesome."
• “Have you ever wanted to hate someone?”
Elizabeth looked up from the infirmary report she was reviewing. "I don't follow."
"Have you ever wanted to hate someone? But you couldn't?" John repeated, sitting down in the chair, running his hands over his face.
"Not particularly. Hate is such a strong word." She shrugged. "There was that one professor in college, though. Forcing us to write a ten page paper during orientation class can incite feelings of rage."
"I've been trying my best to suppress it, but I'm having a hard time keeping it up."
She sighed. Closing her tablet and pushing it to the side, she clasped her hands on the desk. "What's wrong?"
"Larasle. He's been here for less than a day, and I'm already writing my resignation."
"Surely it can't be that bad."
"Surely it can. He's being demanding, patronizing, and commandeering. And I really want to hate him."
"But you don't?"
"I can't," he replied simply. "Knowing what his people have gone through, surviving Wraith attacks for generations, how he's managed to keep his people safe, it makes me want to hug him. And then he tells Teyla to draw him a bath."
Elizabeth smiled. "Just get through one more day. He'll be going home tomorrow."
"He better be. I don't care if he personally carved a cave to save his people; if he asks me to bring him breakfast again, I'm throwing his body over the side of the pier."
"Before or after you write your resignation?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Not sure yet."
John looked up from his desk as Rodney walked in the room. "Sorry, what?"
"You don't need to protect me," he repeated, sitting down in one of the chairs. "If Elizabeth doesn't want to see me, just tell me."
Sheppard sighed, then clicked the pen and reclined in his office chair. "She doesn't want to see any of us, Rodney. I've been trying to get ahold of her and it's like she's not even home."
"Well, maybe she's out of town or something."
"No, she's here. I've seen her."
"I thought you just said that you hadn't been able to contact her."
"I did. That doesn't mean I didn't do a little recon."
"Wha -- you've been spying on Elizabeth?"
"No, I--" John stopped short and glared up at Rodney. "That's not what I said. I said I've been doing a little recon. I went to stop by her place the other day. Her car was outside. One of her neighbors walked out. I asked if they had seen Elizabeth, and he told me that aside from an accidental bump in the hallway, he never saw her." John sighed, then stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "She's not just avoiding us, McKay. She's hiding from the world."
Rodney frowned, crossing his arms as he waved a finger at Sheppard. "No, no. Elizabeth has too much to offer to just hide away like that. She should be lecturing, or teaching at the university, or ... something!"
John shrugged. "We were all flooded with offers when we came back. It's not like being a hermit was Elizabeth's only choice. But it's what she chose, and it's what we have to respect."
"She's just wasting her life. How can you just sit back and let her do that?"
"McKay, let it go," John said softly.
Rodney grumbled something and walked out of John's office.
John waited until Rodney cleared the corridor, then fished his cell phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his messages, then hit the call button.
It went to voicemail, just like every other time he had called her.
• “You can’t protect me.”
She blinked at him. "Well, it doesn't exactly look like you have a choice."
John lay on the ground, a handkerchief in his hand as he wiped sweat away from a cut on his brow. He had hit his head on the ground hard enough that he was seeing three of everything, blood and sweat was dripping into his eye, and a wound just above his knee was making it impossible for him to stand.
So Elizabeth was standing in front of him, holding his gun a little uncomfortably.
"This is so not a good idea."
"Hey, the moment that you only see one of me, you're more than welcome to have your weapon back. But if another one of those creatures comes back, I would prefer that someone with 20/20 vision be doing the aiming."
She had only gone on this mission to fill in for Teyla, who was comfortably resting in the infirmary after a particularly nasty strain of Pegasus influenza, as Carson had taken to calling it. It was a routine meet and greet that went south when extremely aggressive creatures that resembled llamas standing on hind legs attacked them on the way into town.
Rodney and Ronon had gotten separated from them, but Elizabeth wasn't worried about their safety. Neither of them had been injured.
John, on the other hand, could barely crawl to safety.
She had taken his gun after observing that the Wraith stunners seemed to have no impact on them. After seeing how aggressively they came after them when they didn't even confront them, Elizabeth wasn't going to take any chances.
"You remember what I taught you?" John asked, biting his lip in obvious discomfort.
"I don't like guns," she replied, clicking the safety off. "That doesn't mean I don't know how to use one."
"Not sure what scares me more: the fact that you actually have used guns or the fact you're holding one."
She heard a twig snap outside and she held a finger to her lips, motioning for silence. John tried propping himself up as much as he could. Elizabeth slowly raised the gun, pointing it squarely at the entrance.
A tall shadow appeared on the cave wall and she spread her lips, bracing herself.
When the figure began to look less like an evil llama and more like a certain Satedan, she called out, "Ronon?"
"Doctor Weir?"
"Elizabeth! Oh my God!" Rodney exclaimed, primarily in relief and lastly in horror when he saw the gun still aimed at his head.
John smiled wryly. "Huh. Found another way to freak out McKay. Awesome."
• “Have you ever wanted to hate someone?”
Elizabeth looked up from the infirmary report she was reviewing. "I don't follow."
"Have you ever wanted to hate someone? But you couldn't?" John repeated, sitting down in the chair, running his hands over his face.
"Not particularly. Hate is such a strong word." She shrugged. "There was that one professor in college, though. Forcing us to write a ten page paper during orientation class can incite feelings of rage."
"I've been trying my best to suppress it, but I'm having a hard time keeping it up."
She sighed. Closing her tablet and pushing it to the side, she clasped her hands on the desk. "What's wrong?"
"Larasle. He's been here for less than a day, and I'm already writing my resignation."
"Surely it can't be that bad."
"Surely it can. He's being demanding, patronizing, and commandeering. And I really want to hate him."
"But you don't?"
"I can't," he replied simply. "Knowing what his people have gone through, surviving Wraith attacks for generations, how he's managed to keep his people safe, it makes me want to hug him. And then he tells Teyla to draw him a bath."
Elizabeth smiled. "Just get through one more day. He'll be going home tomorrow."
"He better be. I don't care if he personally carved a cave to save his people; if he asks me to bring him breakfast again, I'm throwing his body over the side of the pier."
"Before or after you write your resignation?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Not sure yet."
I tell you Teal'c, hockey is the coolest game on Earth!
Did you not say it is played on ice, O'Neill?
Comment