It was a rainy day and all of the Gate teams were enjoying mandatory time off. Katie Brown, Cordelia Brody and Janice Perkins were sitting on the top row of bleachers in the big gymnasium watching a 'Geeks vs. Grunts' basketball game. In the spirit of team unity, the teams were four apiece. It was supposed to be all military versus all science teams, but many of the Gate teams signed up en masse so many of the teams ended up mixed. Right now, it was Lorne's team versus Dr. Alaki and his geology department. The geeks gave a good showing, but Lorne and his team had a bit of an edge.
Only somewhat interested in the game, Cordelia let her eyes wander. She watched Lorne for a bit, noting the Major's grace and athleticism. Her gaze passed over the rest of the players, stopping on each for just a moment before moving on to the spectators. Here again, her gaze roved, never stopping on any one person for too long.
After Lorne's team won, she noticed the next teams due onto the court waiting while housekeeping dried the floor. This time, both teams were Gate teams: Saunders' team versus Rollins'. Saunders and his team hit the floor first; the blond lieutenant cut a nice figure in shorts and a muscle shirt. Cordelia noticed many of the female personnel watching him as he warmed up. The other members of his team, Sgt. Morgan, Cpl. Stetson and Dr. Henry also garnered attention but not as much as Saunders.
Janice turned to Katie. "Have you ever noticed how many officers could do quite well as models? Take Saunders for instance; if he walked over to any of a number of the women in this city and asked for a date, he'd probably start a fight. Lorne is another one; I've noticed several of the nurses heavily checking him out when he's in the infirmary or mess hall. There are others as well, such as…" The rest of her list was cut short by an announcement from Chuck, who was serving as emcee for the games.
"Due to the unforeseen circumstances of being caught in a typhoon, Captain Rollins and his team will not be playing today as they all have colds. Instead, Colonel Sheppard and his team will be taking their place."
Sound arose from the stands. There were a number of sighs of disappointment that Rollins and his team wouldn't be playing, but most of the sound was cheering, which was directed at Sheppard and his team who had just stepped onto the floor. The entire team definitely deserved the appreciation. His dreadlocks pulled back, Ronon was bare-chested and wore shorts instead of his usual leather pants. Dressed in khaki shorts, Rodney had on a blue t-shirt with 'Property of US Air Force' written on it that Sheppard had given him for his birthday as a gag gift. Teyla's blue tank top and cream capri pants nicely set off her figure. And then there was Sheppard. He had on a faded black t-shirt, black BDU shorts and an old pair of running shoes, yet he moved like he was wearing a Hugo Boss original. The attention level peaked, and Cordelia noticed a number of the women brushing their hair and checking their makeup in hopes of catching the Colonel's eye. She pointed it out to Janice.
Beside her, Janice chuckled. "Cordelia, you do realize that you just straightened your blouse and brushed your hair, right?"
Startled that she had been caught, Cordelia blushed. "I…I…It needed to be straightened – this shirt rides up and my hair was messy."
Waving away the feeble attempt at an excuse, Janice turned her attention to the warm-ups on the court below.
Katie looked over at her friend. Cordelia's attention was riveted on Colonel Sheppard. "If you'd like, I'll see if I can get Rodney to help arrange a date for you with Colonel Sheppard."
Cordelia sat up straight. "Really? You would do that for me?"
Katie blushed at her friend's enthusiasm. "Rodney owes me after that last date we went on. I'll simply tell him that if he wants another date that he has to get the Colonel to go out with you for an evening."
Cordelia clapped her hands together. "Oh, that would be wonderful!"
Katie smiled. "Now, I can't promise, but I will see what I can do."
As they stepped onto the court, John Sheppard was doing his best to ignore the covert and not so covert looks coming his way from the stands.
Glancing around, McKay smiled. "Well, Captain Kirk, looks like your fan club is out in force today."
Sheppard glanced up and glared at Rodney. "Bite me. You want 'em, you can have 'em." His glare was missed by Rodney, but seen by Teyla, who smiled back, acknowledging his discomfort.
The game went great. Saunders team made them work for it, but the outcome was almost inevitable. Basketball was a sport that Rodney was actually good at. His geekiness served as a distraction, allowing him to pass or guard for the shooters. John was their center. He wasn't the tallest, but he had the most experience and was the most agile. Ronon could beat him on speed and the big Satedan could jump, but John had an edge – he had played in college and knew a lot of dirty tricks. Ronon tended to rely on his size and try to bull through. Teyla played well, but she tended to shoot from the outside because being in a mash-up under the net made her want to hit someone.
The Daedalus was due to arrive that evening so after the game they cleaned up, had lunch then headed off to different duties. Teyla had to assist Elizabeth with background information on some prospective trading partners. Rodney returned to his lab, Ronon went to the gym and John ensconced himself in his office to double check the manifests of inbound and outbound material and personnel.
Once the Daedalus landed, Ronon met John and they went to the East Pier to oversee the unloading. Lorne joined them there and the trio kept everything running smoothly. Lorne took charge of the incoming troops, taking them to the section known as 'Military Country' to start their orientation. Even though they were SGC veterans, Pegasus was a whole different ballgame from the Milky Way.
While the transfer of personnel and supplies was going on, Rodney remained in his lab to review the most recent finds. He was deep in the data when Katie walked in bearing a tray with a couple of mugs and a plate with fresh cookies.
"Rodney, I brought some treats." Katie sang out as she entered his lab.
Rodney looked up, slightly startled. "Katie?"
Katie smiled, her dimples showing. "Of course. Who else would show up with fresh cookies and coffee?"
"Shep… never mind." He grabbed a mug and some cookies. "Mmmm… these are great."
While they munched on the cookies, Katie told him about the newest plant species they had been analyzing in the labs.
While she talked, Rodney was trying to get his nerve up. When she wound down about the newest variety of something related to a begonia, he decided to just blurt it out.
"Katie, would you go out with me again?"
Katie was surprised it had taken him this long to ask.
"Of course, Rodney, I'd love to get together for dinner again, but this time just you and me."
Rodney stammered out a response. "Um…uh…um…great! Uh…when?"
Katie smiled. "How about Wednesday evening? I'll make us dinner again."
He reached over to hug her.
"Uh, uh, not yet. There's a condition."
Rodney ground to a halt. "What condition?"
"You have to get Colonel Sheppard to go out with a friend of mine on a date."
Rodney stared at her. "Which friend?" For all he teased Sheppard about his womanizing, Rodney knew better. Other than his brief fling with Chaya, Sheppard had been too busy protecting the city.
"Cordelia Brody."