Assuming
Author: wanderingsmith
May 2008
Summary: Sometimes being protective first... can lead to
embarrassment... (EG)
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: I ain't got no money, and nobody'd be daft enough to pay me
for this.
AN: Just read lone_pyramid's encouraging drabble Wednesday
morning and had a flash of vision.. which then kept going on... :)
muse peeked back in! yay! and thank you lone_pyramid!
"John!"
About to knock on the door, John froze, eyes widening at the
not-quite-shout from within the room. Quickly pulling his knife out of
his boot, he made Atlantis open the door; not stopping to route the
fear-adrenaline by his brain.
Eyes scanning the room for danger as he swung in, keeping his back to
the wall next to the door, he froze again. This time in permanent
shock. Standing there in an aborted attack posture as his delinquent
brain finally got the upper hand and closed the door before pointing
out his mistake to him.
Why would Elizabeth shout his name when she had no reason to think he
would be *anywhere* near? She would have comm'ed him if he was needed,
or shouted 'help'.
'Idiot.'
And now, thanks to the lack of door-slamming-on-wall from Atlantis'
technology and Elizabeth's current... lack of attention... He was in
her room. Without her having invited him. At a time when she would
definitely *never* have invited him!
And he just *knew* that the second he so much as 'thought' of sneaking
back out the door she would immediately open her eyes and see him.
'Shit.'
She sighed softly, relaxing. Her hand sliding back to the bed.
'Double shit.'
'Come on brain, gimme a plan. Any plan!' His eyes were fixed on her as
he desperately tried to make himself be brilliant. Refusing to wonder
what 'he whom he would *not* bring here' would do in *this* situation.
Just as her alarm beeped and she sighed again, he came up with one weak
plan. He closed his eyes.
---------------------------------
Elizabeth rolled to slap the alarm off, opening her eyes as she
automatically started going over her schedule for the day. Her mouth
dropped open in shock when she saw John standing, back to the wall,
with his knife at the ready. "*John*??"
As he jerked at her shout, she noticed that his eyes were closed too.
"Yeah, see, *that*'s what I heard when I went to knock on your door. I
swear! I thought you were under attack. I never thought you..."
Slowly sitting up, feeling nerveless from shock, she stared at him as
he swallowed whatever he'd been about to say. Her skin goosebumped as
she realized that even though his eyes were closed *now*...
Oh. My. God. How could she have forgotten what she'd been doing moments
ago. She shivered again, this time feeling it right where her finger
had been when he... Oh god. When he walked in on her. Masturbating.
Saying his name. She groaned in embarrassment, covering her eyes with
her hands. Allowing herself just one minute to be the frozen maiden.
"Elizabeth?"
Well *that* minute was up. Elizabeth straightened, pulling on every
inch of self-confidence she possessed to brazen this out.
At least it was John. As much as he would tease her when they were
alone... oh would he *ever* tease her. At least she didn't have to
worry about this changing his professional attitude.
She looked at him, still standing immobile, and her roving eye betrayed
her again. Well. She'd spend the day hot and bothered, but she had
ammunition to keep him from teasing her.
"Yes, colonel?" She got up and walked to the bathroom as she spoke.
"Err, you... I..."
Elizabeth was grinning as she listened to him stutter. "I'm going to
have a shower. You can tell me why you were at my door when I'm done.
Which usually takes ten minutes, by the way... you look like you need a
little privacy yourself..."
--------------------------------
John groaned, banging his head back on the wall. He'd hoped she
wouldn't notice, somehow.
When he heard the shower start, he half-opened one eye to see if it was
really safe. Well, *that* had gone better than he'd expected, he
thought as he put his knife back in its sheath. Elizabeth wasn't mad at
him and he wasn't under arrest. She'd already taken back the teasing
rights but she'd left him time to keep from further embarrassing
himself.
Speaking of that, he stared at the... open... door to the bathroom with
a faint smile as he undid his zipper. Whether she was inviting him to
look or planning to spy herself... he stayed where he was.
His mind's eye was seeing her naked, flushed body arching on the bed.
Replaying exactly how she'd said *his* name. Seeing her fingers moving
quickly; right where he wanted to be...
His eyes closed as he finished, not registering the lack of shower
noise at first. Not until he started to straighten, opening his eyes as
he pulled a tissue from his pocket. And met affectionate eyes in the
hazy bathroom mirror.
Elizabeth hadn't consciously planned to leave the door open. Or to look
in the mirror; though looking away didn't occur to her either. But when
his soft green eyes met hers, neither of them was denying the interest
they had in each other. Denying that they would both be quite capable
of 'accidentally' trying to catch each other in a private moment.
She was as familiar with his caring smile as with her own. Knew he
would close his eyes to let her leave the bathroom with her dubious
privacy intact even before he did it.
She stepped out, gathering her clothe as she spoke, "So why *were* you
at my door, John?"
He grinned, "To wheedle you into going for breakfast with me."
She chuckled, "Well... I do have an appetite..." She laughed out loud
at having managed to make him choke aloud. "I'm sorry, John. You really
*are* too easy, you know."
John rolled his eyes behind his lids, "Oddly enough Elizabeth, you're
the only person who would think that. Which I'd feel worse about if you
weren't a master negotiator, leaving poor old *me* at a hell of a
disadvantage."
She walked up to him on silent, socked feet, grinning at the
disgruntled tone. "I'm decent. You can go clean up if you'd like." When
he opened his eyes, and before she changed her mind, she raised herself
on tiptoes, balancing on his shoulders to kiss his cheek quickly.
His arms coming around her waist kept her from immediately moving away;
pulled her a great deal nearer than she usually let herself be. When he
just held her silently, a light quirk to his lips, she let herself
follow the implied... request or permission, she wasn't sure which. She
relaxed and rested on him.
John held his breath as she settled on him, unhurriedly wrapping his
arms around her and tucking his chin on her temple. Of all the twisted
paths his life had taken, the one that had led them here was suddenly,
completely, worth it. "How long do you think we can keep this up,
Elizabeth?"
One of her hands stroked his chest, "As long as we want to continue
caring for Atlantis. You know that, John."
He sighed, wishing he'd believed that this conversation would happen
and had come up with some good arguments before now.
But he hadn't. He pulled her closer, settling for what he could have.
Elizabeth in his life, a job he was good at and where he could help
her, and the hope that one day he'd come up with the words to convince
her that those things didn't have to keep them waking apart.
AN2: there are about
5 places I thought this would close off... but it just kept going and
going, just like the bunny (eg). And many thanks to the friends who
reminded me why I like to write. ;) you're the best, ladies
Goto Sequel: Drinking games
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