Conversations, Chapter 3

Major John Sheppard is walking around one of the lower levels of Atlantis. Not too many people venture down there and he wants some time alone to think.

He had spent the night on the mainland with the Athosians, but came back very early this morning when one of the Atlantis team members had burned himself and needed to come back to base. He could have gotten a few more hours of sleep in his quarters, but there was still something was bugging him about the conflict of the past week. He knew Elizabeth walked around a lot when she needed to think, so he thought he'd give it a try.

Okay. So what's bugging you?

Everyone here thinks there's something going on between Teyla and me.

Cut to the chase Sheppard. You know everyone thinks you're sleeping together.

But we're not.

Why the hell not?

That question he didn't have an answer to. Teyla was one of the most attractive women he'd ever met. They had connected in the first second of knowing each other. But that connection was turning more into a brother-sister friendship than anything else. Their friendship was important to him.

That's never stopped you before.

Which was true. He'd ruined a good number of friendships in the past for women much less attractive than Teyla. But this was different. They were in another galaxy with very few friends and couldn't afford to lose the ones they had. Maybe that was it.

Maybe you're just getting old.

Maybe I just need more than a warm body next to me in bed to make me happy.

Uh-oh. Is that maturity I see? Next thing I know, you'll be talking about spending the rest of your life with someone.

Maybe he was getting old because that really didn't sound too bad. Maybe seeing what had happened to Sumner and then having that bug stuck in his neck had put things in perspective. He knew it sounded cliché, but maybe he needed more than just attraction these days to define a relationship.

I can hear all my ex-girlfriends laughing now.

He hadn't really dated around too much back on Earth. But he was a pilot and flyboys did have a reputation to uphold. He'd had his share of women and more than a few had wanted something more than a fling. But until now, he hadn't been ready to invest in anything long term. And even now he wasn't 100% sure what he wanted.

What do you want?

He wanted to know what it felt like to be madly in love with someone. To have someone in his life he would do anything for. Someone he longed to see first thing in the morning and be his last thought at night. He wanted that little sizzle when they touched. The bang when they...

"Umph!"

"Oh!

John suddenly finds himself staring up at the ceiling.

Well that was actually more of a crash than a bang.

He looks down to see his legs tangled up with another pair of slim, definitely female legs. His eyes follow them up to a pair of running shorts and then to the rest of a sweaty looking Elizabeth Weir. He's about to make an un-funny quip about literally running into her when she sits up and rubs the back of her head.

"Ow."

He is up and crouching next to her in a flash. He somehow managed to keep from hitting his head during the fall, but she had clearly hit hers. The floors of Atlantis were beautiful. The scientist hadn't figured out exactly what the material was, but it looked and felt like marble. All in all, not a good surface to be smacking your head against.

"You okay?"

Her eyes are closed in pain, but she opens one eye to look up at him.

"Fancy running into you down here."

He throws his head back and laughs at that. He looks back down to see her grinning at him with both her eyes open this time. Hey eyes look clear so he knows that she's not severely hurt.

"You must have hit your head pretty hard to be making bad jokes like that."

"You only wish you would have said it first."

Knowing that the floor must be a little cold in just a pair of running shorts, John stands and helps her up. She stands, but isn't quite steady on her feet. He was expecting that and is prepared when she sways toward him. His hands move from her elbows to her waist as he steadies her.

"Whoa there."

John is suddenly very aware that this is one of the few times he has seen her out of the standard uniform. In those running shorts and sports top, her waist looks impossibly small for someone that's almost as tall as him. Her cheeks are flushed from her run and she looks a little less poised than she normally does. Her lips part slightly as she looks up at him with wide eyes. With his hands on her waist and hers lightly gripping his forearms, all he needs to do is pull her a little closer...

"Thanks."

Elizabeth takes a step back, moving away from his embrace and he suddenly feels a little colder than he did earlier.

"My pleasure."

They stand there, a few feet apart, wondering what the hell that was and how they can get out of this uncomfortable situation. Sheppard recovers first.

"Are you sure your head's okay? We could take you over to Beckett. I know he's up anyway."

"No!"

Her response was a little too fast for him to ignore.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the infirmary, are you?"

His smile gets wider when she blushes.

"Of course not. But I'm fine. There's really no need for me to see Beckett."

"If you say so."

The twinkle in his eyes tells her that this isn't the last she's going to hear about this.

"I'm just going to go back to my quarters."

Weir turns and walks away quickly, but Sheppard jogs to catch up with her.

"At least let me make sure you get back okay."

"That's really not necessary Major."

"It's no problem."

He can see her roll her eyes and it only makes his grin wider.

"If you insist."

"Oh, I insist."

Weir glances over at him and he flashes her one of his killer smiles. He's had women walk across crowded bars to meet him with just that smile. She only shakes her head and keeps walking. But he saw her eyes widen a little in surprise, so he knows he got some reaction.

They don't say anything else for the rest of the walk to her quarters. When they get there, she walks through the open door, turns, and finds him leaning against the doorway.

"Thank you."

"Like I said earlier, my pleasure."

John takes a quick step forward and reaches out to touch the back of Elizabeth's head. She can't hide her grimace of pain when he finds the tender area. He slowly moves his hand to lightly rest against the side of her neck. She's left breathless by the true concern reflected in his eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the infirmary and get that checked out?"

"I'm sure." She gives him a small smile meant to reassure him.

"Okay. But promise that you'll go if you get dizzy again."

"I promise."

He drops his arm and walks backward through the door. He flashes her another smile and a shiver runs through her. He just catches a glimpse of her wrapping her arms around herself as the door closes. Turning away from the closed door, he starts to whistle happily on the way to get a few more hours of sleep.

He knows what he wants now. And he's nothing if not persistent.