John cringed as he heard a muffled curse coming from the bushes, just five metres from where he stood.
This was not looking good.
Rodney and Ronon were the same distance in the other direction. In an out of character bonding session, they were giggling. Giggling like schoolgirls as they sat under a tree. Giggling. Interspersed with pointing, staring and whispering. All of it at his expense.
John shot them what he thought was a look of authority, which only served to make them laugh more.
He turned to Teyla, giving her a plaintive look. "She's going to be mad for a while, isn't she?" he whispered.
Teyla merely raised an eyebrow.
Clearly he was understating the seriousness of the situation.
John let out a breath, watching the condensation, which only made him feel worse. It was cold. Elizabeth was going to be very cold. And very unhappy, if the latest muttering from the patch of trees was anything to go by.
"So how mad?" he asked softly.
"I believe," Teyla told him with a smirk, "you will have a lot of work to do to .. get back in her good books, I believe is the term you use."
John groaned. "It wasn't my fault," he said a little louder than he intended.
The giggling from Rodney and Ronon only got louder, McKay virtually rolling on the forest floor, and murmuring "Not his fault?" between bursts of laughter.
Teyla gifted him another raised eyebrow, daring him to continue.
"Well, it wasn't!"
"John," she said sweetly but firmly, "you do not honestly believe that."
He rolled his eyes. "I was trying to make her laugh. She had a rough negotiation."
"True," Teyla conceded "however tickling her as she stood on the banks of a frozen river was not a good idea."
"I wasn't tickling her!" he protested, as a thud was heard from the bushes, "I was..."
"You were poking her in the ribs!" Rodney laughed.
"And flirting," Rononn added, "Dude, that's not a good idea on an icy riverbank."
John closed his eyes, screwing up his face in frustration. "I was not flirting. And it's not like I knew she was going to fall through the ice!"
He looked from Ronon to Rodney, and Rodney to Teyla, all of them suddenly giving him looks that told him in no uncertain terms that they thought he was fooling himself.
"And people think I'm clueless," Rodney muttered.
"McKay, shut the hell up," John said angrily, "it's not funny."
Ronon thumped McKay on the arm, "Ignore him," he told the scientist, "he's just pissed that he's going to..."
Whatever he was going to stay fell to the silence of the forest as Elizabeth Weir stepped out from behind the trees.
All eyes fell on the leader of the city, so dwarfed by an assortment of John and Rodney's spare clothing.
McKay stood up quickly, "About time," he told her, "how long does it take to change your clothes? We're all freezing here."
"Rodney!" Teyla reprimanded.
"Well, she took forever!"
Elizabeth stepped towards Rodney, looking him in the eye. "Ever tried to change out of your clothes while soaking wet and then put on someone else's clothing while still soaking wet?" she asked.
McKay shook his head, not daring to answer when she looked so furious.
"I didn't think so," she snapped, walking off in the direction of the Stargate, leaving no question that she wanted to get that 10 kilometre trip over with as soon as possible.
Ronon shot Sheppard a sympathetic look, before rushing off into the darkness after Weir, making sure she didn't get into any more trouble.
John looked to the heavens, sighing in frustration. "I'm in the doghouse, aren't I?"
Teyla gave him a curious look, while Rodney nodded enthusiatically.
"So... chocolate?" John asked.
"At the very least," Teyla told him with a smile.
"Flowers?"
"I'd be making friends with the botanists if I was you," Rodney advised, before moving off to follow Elizabeth and Ronon.
Teyla offered him a smile, before following Rodney into the darkness.
John sighed, and made to follow his friends. He had ten kilometres of walking during which to plan a suitable apology...
This was not looking good.
Rodney and Ronon were the same distance in the other direction. In an out of character bonding session, they were giggling. Giggling like schoolgirls as they sat under a tree. Giggling. Interspersed with pointing, staring and whispering. All of it at his expense.
John shot them what he thought was a look of authority, which only served to make them laugh more.
He turned to Teyla, giving her a plaintive look. "She's going to be mad for a while, isn't she?" he whispered.
Teyla merely raised an eyebrow.
Clearly he was understating the seriousness of the situation.
John let out a breath, watching the condensation, which only made him feel worse. It was cold. Elizabeth was going to be very cold. And very unhappy, if the latest muttering from the patch of trees was anything to go by.
"So how mad?" he asked softly.
"I believe," Teyla told him with a smirk, "you will have a lot of work to do to .. get back in her good books, I believe is the term you use."
John groaned. "It wasn't my fault," he said a little louder than he intended.
The giggling from Rodney and Ronon only got louder, McKay virtually rolling on the forest floor, and murmuring "Not his fault?" between bursts of laughter.
Teyla gifted him another raised eyebrow, daring him to continue.
"Well, it wasn't!"
"John," she said sweetly but firmly, "you do not honestly believe that."
He rolled his eyes. "I was trying to make her laugh. She had a rough negotiation."
"True," Teyla conceded "however tickling her as she stood on the banks of a frozen river was not a good idea."
"I wasn't tickling her!" he protested, as a thud was heard from the bushes, "I was..."
"You were poking her in the ribs!" Rodney laughed.
"And flirting," Rononn added, "Dude, that's not a good idea on an icy riverbank."
John closed his eyes, screwing up his face in frustration. "I was not flirting. And it's not like I knew she was going to fall through the ice!"
He looked from Ronon to Rodney, and Rodney to Teyla, all of them suddenly giving him looks that told him in no uncertain terms that they thought he was fooling himself.
"And people think I'm clueless," Rodney muttered.
"McKay, shut the hell up," John said angrily, "it's not funny."
Ronon thumped McKay on the arm, "Ignore him," he told the scientist, "he's just pissed that he's going to..."
Whatever he was going to stay fell to the silence of the forest as Elizabeth Weir stepped out from behind the trees.
All eyes fell on the leader of the city, so dwarfed by an assortment of John and Rodney's spare clothing.
McKay stood up quickly, "About time," he told her, "how long does it take to change your clothes? We're all freezing here."
"Rodney!" Teyla reprimanded.
"Well, she took forever!"
Elizabeth stepped towards Rodney, looking him in the eye. "Ever tried to change out of your clothes while soaking wet and then put on someone else's clothing while still soaking wet?" she asked.
McKay shook his head, not daring to answer when she looked so furious.
"I didn't think so," she snapped, walking off in the direction of the Stargate, leaving no question that she wanted to get that 10 kilometre trip over with as soon as possible.
Ronon shot Sheppard a sympathetic look, before rushing off into the darkness after Weir, making sure she didn't get into any more trouble.
John looked to the heavens, sighing in frustration. "I'm in the doghouse, aren't I?"
Teyla gave him a curious look, while Rodney nodded enthusiatically.
"So... chocolate?" John asked.
"At the very least," Teyla told him with a smile.
"Flowers?"
"I'd be making friends with the botanists if I was you," Rodney advised, before moving off to follow Elizabeth and Ronon.
Teyla offered him a smile, before following Rodney into the darkness.
John sighed, and made to follow his friends. He had ten kilometres of walking during which to plan a suitable apology...