She had a smile on her face, but there was something wrong, and he could sense it immediately, as he sat across from her at the huge banquet table.
John tried to catch Elizabeth's eye, managing to do so for just a fraction of a second before she turned away, self conscious. He knew her well enough to see right through her facade, and she knew it.
He sighed softly to himself, and turned his attention back to the bride and groom. To Kasumi and Jarron.
Kasumi had changed from her traditional white wedding Kimono into a much more colourful version in reds and golds, reflecting the tone of the entire ceremony.
Jarron, was in traditional Athosian wedding clothing, and the mix of the two made for a unique experience.
The Japanese munitions expert, and the Athosian botanist. A match made in Atlantis, and a match nobody saw coming.
Their wedding was the first, and to say Elizabeth had been surprised when they'd told her nervously of their plans would have been an understatement. She'd granted her permission for the service, of course, but her unease with the situation was so obvious that John had spoken to her at the time.
She'd raised concerns that more people would want to marry, and babies would be next, and their situation was so dangerous that she didn't know if she could allow people to get themselves into a position where they had so much to lose. So much to mourn should things go wrong.
John had assured her that everything would work out. That just because two people had paired up, didn't mean everyone would. It was then she had brought up couples he hadn't even known about.
Watching her now, he could see there were two levels to her fear. The fear for her people, and the fear for herself.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth shivered in the cool night air of the Athosian settlement. She'd arrived with a shawl, which she'd oh so conveniently left in the jumper. To retrieve it now, she'd have to find John or Ronon to walk her there. Regardless of the fact they were in safe territory, she knew the military commander of Atlantis would have her head if she wandered off on her own.
She settled for closing her eyes, inhaling the fragrant night air, and willing herself not to feel cold. She felt at peace, or relatively so, at the edge of the settlement, away from prying eyes. Away from the celebrations that continued loudly nearby.
Elizabeth was startled by a sudden brush of fabric on her shoulders, opening her eyes immedately.
It was John of course. She knew he'd been watching her for much of the night. Knew he was concerned from the few times she allowed him eye contact. Now here he was, playing the knight in shining armour, and laying his warm, soft jacket over her shoulders.
She mumbled her thanks as he rubbed her shoulders in a bid to warm her up.
"You know, I'll never understand why women go for fashion over comfort," he whispered in her ear. "not that I'm complaining, because that's a great dress..."
He urged her to sit, placing himself beside her on the soft ground.
"It's not very practical," she admitted, smoothing down the skirt of the silky sage coloured dress as it was lifted by a particularly pesky breeze.
"Still, much prettier than uniform red and work boots."
She allowed herself a laugh at that. "Maybe I should wear this around the office then," she teased.
"Maybe," he replied softly, allowing them a few moments of silence before adding "are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
Elizabeth turned, startled that he would be so direct. "Nothing," she insisted. "Nothing's wrong."
"Come on, 'Lizabeth," he tried, gently, "you going to tell me you're the kind of girl who always cries at weddings, because I don't believe that."
Her frustration with this line of questioning was obvious. "I wasn't crying," she insisted.
"No, but you weren't exactly jumping for joy, either."
From the light of two nearby lanterns, John could see she'd gone into lockdown mode. He was going to get nothing more from her, unless she chose to volunteer the information.
He closed his eyes, wished he'd taken a different approach, and then allowed himself to get caught up in the silence that settled between them.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Do you miss it?"
John opened his eyes, startled. He'd been resting his eyes, settled on the ground beside Elizabeth for about twenty minutes now. "Miss what?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Marriage... being married. Do you miss it?"
He struggled for words. Struggled to decide whether he did miss it or not. "I don't know... sometimes, I guess."
She nodded. "What's it like? Being married."
John laughed at that, "You lived with Simon for how long, a year?" he waited for her nod, before continuing "that's about as long as my marriage lasted. It's the same thing."
"I don't think so," she muttered. "did I tell you that when we went back to Earth, he fooled me into thinking we still had something only to tell me later that he couldn't come with me because he'd found someone else?"
John was shocked. He'd long wondered what exactly went on on Earth, what it was that led to Elizabeth making an unscheduled return to the SGC to stay in quarters next to his.
"He's an idiot."
"But I told him to move on when I left, I only have myself to blame."
John rested a hand on her back, "You did the honourable thing, Elizabeth, what he did.. if you'd told me that night, I would have gone around there and given him a black eye he'd still be feeling months later."
"Then it's lucky I didn't tell you," Elizabeth answered, "otherwise you'd be locked up somewhere in Colorado instead of being here now."
John was about to move them back to the banquet when Elizabeth interupted his thoughts.
"Would you ever get married again?"
"Uh.. sure. If she was the right person."
"But you thought your wife was the right person, otherwise you'd never have married her" Elizabeth countered.
John shrugged, "Yeah, but I was a lot younger. I used different criteria... "
"Such as?"
"Well, you know how it is when you're younger... these days friendship and respect are pretty high on my list, instead of how long her legs are.."
Elizabeth laughed.
"How about you?" he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head, "Not possible."
"Not possible? Elizabeth, you're smart, you're strong, you're beautiful.."
"I'm the leader. It would be poor form for me to get involved with anyone here."
"You're a civilian. There's no regulation against it."
"No," she agreed, "there's not. But it's ethically wrong."
"It's not," John insisted. "you're entitled to love as much as anyone else here. And I know for a fact there's not a man on the base who'd say no to you... well, except maybe Johnson and Braxton, but they're..."
"A couple," she finished.
"Yeah. You know.. don't ask, don't tell..." he laughed softly. "I know nothing. But the point is, people love you, people care about you... don't close yourself off just because you sit in the big office."
Elizabeth let out a sign, nodding. "Maybe.."
"No man in his right mind would say no to you, Elizabeth, trust me on that. The man of your dreams could be right in front of you."
She allowed herself a glance at him before a commotion started up as Rodney and Radek tripped over themselves in front of them.
"Or not..." John whispered in her ear before both burst out laughing.
Rodney shot them a disgusted glare. "What's so funny? You two want to deal with the drunken Czech? No? I didn't think so..."
He nudged the fallen scientist in the side with one boot, forcing Zelenka to groan and stagger to his feet.
John rested an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder, pulling her closer as they laughed and watched the scientists stumble off in the direction of the jumper.
"I think we can take those two off the list. You have way too much class for them."
Elizabeth smiled at that, allowing herself to relax against her military commander.
John tried to catch Elizabeth's eye, managing to do so for just a fraction of a second before she turned away, self conscious. He knew her well enough to see right through her facade, and she knew it.
He sighed softly to himself, and turned his attention back to the bride and groom. To Kasumi and Jarron.
Kasumi had changed from her traditional white wedding Kimono into a much more colourful version in reds and golds, reflecting the tone of the entire ceremony.
Jarron, was in traditional Athosian wedding clothing, and the mix of the two made for a unique experience.
The Japanese munitions expert, and the Athosian botanist. A match made in Atlantis, and a match nobody saw coming.
Their wedding was the first, and to say Elizabeth had been surprised when they'd told her nervously of their plans would have been an understatement. She'd granted her permission for the service, of course, but her unease with the situation was so obvious that John had spoken to her at the time.
She'd raised concerns that more people would want to marry, and babies would be next, and their situation was so dangerous that she didn't know if she could allow people to get themselves into a position where they had so much to lose. So much to mourn should things go wrong.
John had assured her that everything would work out. That just because two people had paired up, didn't mean everyone would. It was then she had brought up couples he hadn't even known about.
Watching her now, he could see there were two levels to her fear. The fear for her people, and the fear for herself.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth shivered in the cool night air of the Athosian settlement. She'd arrived with a shawl, which she'd oh so conveniently left in the jumper. To retrieve it now, she'd have to find John or Ronon to walk her there. Regardless of the fact they were in safe territory, she knew the military commander of Atlantis would have her head if she wandered off on her own.
She settled for closing her eyes, inhaling the fragrant night air, and willing herself not to feel cold. She felt at peace, or relatively so, at the edge of the settlement, away from prying eyes. Away from the celebrations that continued loudly nearby.
Elizabeth was startled by a sudden brush of fabric on her shoulders, opening her eyes immedately.
It was John of course. She knew he'd been watching her for much of the night. Knew he was concerned from the few times she allowed him eye contact. Now here he was, playing the knight in shining armour, and laying his warm, soft jacket over her shoulders.
She mumbled her thanks as he rubbed her shoulders in a bid to warm her up.
"You know, I'll never understand why women go for fashion over comfort," he whispered in her ear. "not that I'm complaining, because that's a great dress..."
He urged her to sit, placing himself beside her on the soft ground.
"It's not very practical," she admitted, smoothing down the skirt of the silky sage coloured dress as it was lifted by a particularly pesky breeze.
"Still, much prettier than uniform red and work boots."
She allowed herself a laugh at that. "Maybe I should wear this around the office then," she teased.
"Maybe," he replied softly, allowing them a few moments of silence before adding "are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
Elizabeth turned, startled that he would be so direct. "Nothing," she insisted. "Nothing's wrong."
"Come on, 'Lizabeth," he tried, gently, "you going to tell me you're the kind of girl who always cries at weddings, because I don't believe that."
Her frustration with this line of questioning was obvious. "I wasn't crying," she insisted.
"No, but you weren't exactly jumping for joy, either."
From the light of two nearby lanterns, John could see she'd gone into lockdown mode. He was going to get nothing more from her, unless she chose to volunteer the information.
He closed his eyes, wished he'd taken a different approach, and then allowed himself to get caught up in the silence that settled between them.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Do you miss it?"
John opened his eyes, startled. He'd been resting his eyes, settled on the ground beside Elizabeth for about twenty minutes now. "Miss what?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Marriage... being married. Do you miss it?"
He struggled for words. Struggled to decide whether he did miss it or not. "I don't know... sometimes, I guess."
She nodded. "What's it like? Being married."
John laughed at that, "You lived with Simon for how long, a year?" he waited for her nod, before continuing "that's about as long as my marriage lasted. It's the same thing."
"I don't think so," she muttered. "did I tell you that when we went back to Earth, he fooled me into thinking we still had something only to tell me later that he couldn't come with me because he'd found someone else?"
John was shocked. He'd long wondered what exactly went on on Earth, what it was that led to Elizabeth making an unscheduled return to the SGC to stay in quarters next to his.
"He's an idiot."
"But I told him to move on when I left, I only have myself to blame."
John rested a hand on her back, "You did the honourable thing, Elizabeth, what he did.. if you'd told me that night, I would have gone around there and given him a black eye he'd still be feeling months later."
"Then it's lucky I didn't tell you," Elizabeth answered, "otherwise you'd be locked up somewhere in Colorado instead of being here now."
John was about to move them back to the banquet when Elizabeth interupted his thoughts.
"Would you ever get married again?"
"Uh.. sure. If she was the right person."
"But you thought your wife was the right person, otherwise you'd never have married her" Elizabeth countered.
John shrugged, "Yeah, but I was a lot younger. I used different criteria... "
"Such as?"
"Well, you know how it is when you're younger... these days friendship and respect are pretty high on my list, instead of how long her legs are.."
Elizabeth laughed.
"How about you?" he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head, "Not possible."
"Not possible? Elizabeth, you're smart, you're strong, you're beautiful.."
"I'm the leader. It would be poor form for me to get involved with anyone here."
"You're a civilian. There's no regulation against it."
"No," she agreed, "there's not. But it's ethically wrong."
"It's not," John insisted. "you're entitled to love as much as anyone else here. And I know for a fact there's not a man on the base who'd say no to you... well, except maybe Johnson and Braxton, but they're..."
"A couple," she finished.
"Yeah. You know.. don't ask, don't tell..." he laughed softly. "I know nothing. But the point is, people love you, people care about you... don't close yourself off just because you sit in the big office."
Elizabeth let out a sign, nodding. "Maybe.."
"No man in his right mind would say no to you, Elizabeth, trust me on that. The man of your dreams could be right in front of you."
She allowed herself a glance at him before a commotion started up as Rodney and Radek tripped over themselves in front of them.
"Or not..." John whispered in her ear before both burst out laughing.
Rodney shot them a disgusted glare. "What's so funny? You two want to deal with the drunken Czech? No? I didn't think so..."
He nudged the fallen scientist in the side with one boot, forcing Zelenka to groan and stagger to his feet.
John rested an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder, pulling her closer as they laughed and watched the scientists stumble off in the direction of the jumper.
"I think we can take those two off the list. You have way too much class for them."
Elizabeth smiled at that, allowing herself to relax against her military commander.