Can't Fight This Feelin'

[drewandian]

John pulled away from Elizabeth, cupping her cheek with his hand, stroking it lightly with his thumb.  Holding her gaze, John moved his hand down her neck and brought it to rest on her shoulder, his fingers toying with the skinny strap of her top.

“Whose idea was this?” he asked, tugging the strap gently.


“Ah, Vala’s responsible for that. But I’m pretty certain she had lots of help.” Elizabeth answered, flushing slightly at the feel of his fingers brushing against her shoulder.

“Remind me to thank her.” John trailed his hand down Elizabeth’s arm and took her hand in his.  “So? Now what?”

“Well, we should probably go back in there.” Elizabeth grimaced at the thought of facing everyone after that kiss on the dance floor.

“OR” John started “we could just leave and deal with them tomorrow when they can’t say anything.” He finished hopefully.

“Yeah that would be good…” Elizabeth’s voice trailed off. “Except that the keys are inside.” She finished, gesturing at the car.

“Crap!” John muttered.  He let go of Elizabeth’s hand with a sigh. “Well…let’s get this over with.”  They climbed out of the car, John coming around to meet Elizabeth and kissing her softly.  “Ready?” he asked quietly.  Elizabeth took a deep breath and nodded.

“As I’ll ever be.”  She whispered.

They walked through the door hand in hand, both trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone.  As they drew closer to their friends, John fell back and pushed Elizabeth on ahead of him.

“Coward!” she hissed, shooting him a dirty look over her shoulder.  He shrugged his shoulders and winked at her.  She bit back a smile and shook her head, determined to simply get to her seat and her drink.  She figured that if she got a few more drinks down she’d be ready to handle all the questions she knew were coming.  She sat down with a relieved sigh and shivered slightly as John trailed his fingers across her shoulders and upper back on the way to his seat.  Their eyes met and she smiled softly, blushing when he winked at her again.

“Havin’ fun kids?” Jack asked, settling back into his chair and winking across the table at John and Elizabeth.  Elizabeth snickered softly and dropped her gaze to her drink, wrapping her hands around the glass to avoid taking John’s hand in her own.  She wasn’t sure she was really ready to show off the direction their relationship had taken.

“Of course, I should’ve thought of that before making out with him on the dance floor” she thought to herself, flushing.

“Great time, sir!” John answered cheekily.

“Well this is just great!” grumbled Rodney. “I guess now we’ll be treated to hand-holding in the control room and kisses goodbye at the gate.” He took a long sip of his beer.

“No!” Elizabeth’s head whipped around to look at Rodney.  “I can assure you that there will not be any of that!” she exclaimed, her face flushing bright red.

“Gee….you really know how to make a guy feel good about himself, Elizabeth!” John teased, draping an arm around her shoulders.  He frowned when he felt her tense a little.

“Sorry” she mumbled, looking at him sheepishly and trying to relax. “Look…we’ve already figured out that most -if not all- of you had something to do with this.” She gestured to herself and John. “But this can’t go any further than this group.  I think it’d be better if the IOA didn’t catch wind of this.  And it changes nothing about how the city is run.” Elizabeth looked around the table, meeting everyone’s eye in turn.  “What goes on between me and John is just that…between me and John.”  She finished, challenging anyone to disagree.

Everyone nodded in silent agreement, almost afraid to disagree.  Everyone except Vala.

“Elizabeth, darling, you’ve got to lighten up a bit!” Vala argued. “Besides, I saw you two out there - now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’ll bet you can’t keep your hands off of each other - no matter where you are!”

Elizabeth started to shake her head.

“I don’t know, Dr. Weir.  Vala may have a point there.” John challenged, his eyes twinkling.

“Oh, you’re not that irresistible, Colonel Sheppard.” She retorted, earning a chuckle from the group.

“That sounds like a challenge to me, John.” Vala said, egging them on.

“You’re on, Elizabeth.  I bet I can break you in a month.” John wagered.

“Not a chance.” She answered. “But, it’ll be fun to see you try.” She smirked at him.

“Oh, this is not going to end well!” Carson muttered under his breath.

John chuckled lightly and excused himself from the table, heading to the bar for another beer and a refill for Elizabeth.  He stopped by the juke box on his way back, and returned to the table with a devious twinkle in his eye.

“What are you up to now, John Sheppard?” Elizabeth whispered as John sat back down.  He smiled slyly and silently handed Elizabeth her drink.  He raised his beer to her and took a long pull from the bottle.  The group settled back into quiet conversation.  Occasionally a couple would pair off and go dance - Daniel allowing himself to be dragged away again by Vala; Sam and Jack followed them, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to be together.

Elizabeth tried to focus on the conversation she was having with Cam, but John’s hand on her knee, fingers gently rubbing her thigh, made it difficult.  She shifted in her seat, hoping no one would notice.  John shot her an amused look and slid his hand higher on her thigh.  Elizabeth gasped, earning her a raised eyebrow and a smirk from Cam.  She tossed back the last of her drink and excused herself, heading to the bar for a refill.  She glanced back at the table and felt a rush when John’s eyes met hers; she felt the air sizzle around her.  She turned to find that Teyla had joined her at the bar.

“I think you may have your work cut out for you, Elizabeth.” Teyla said with a gleam in her eye.

Elizabeth nodded and ordered shots for herself and Teyla. “Oh, I know.” She answered, handing Teyla her drink. “But this is not a battle I intend to lose!” she threw back the shot, picked up her drink and headed back to the table with Teyla. “He can have his fun now,” she said softly, “but as soon as we set foot on Atlantis, he’s going to have to work for it!” Teyla met Elizabeth’s amused smile with one of her own and couldn’t help but feel a little badly for John - he had no idea what he was getting himself into!

Elizabeth set her drink on the table and took John’s hand.  “Come dance with me!” she demanded, pulling him out of his chair, a ‘come hither’ expression on her face.

They made their way to the dance floor and Elizabeth pulled John tight to her, wrapping her arms around his neck.  She had a feeling that she might regret this later, but the three drinks and the shot she’d had were making her feel bold.  Tomorrow, in the conference room, it would be business as usual; tonight, it was time to have a little fun!

She pressed her body to his, rotating her hips a tiny bit in time to the music.  She smirked when John groaned softly.  She met his eyes and her breath caught when she saw the fire that smoldered just below the surface.  Sparks burned hot between them; she could feel the electricity crackling all around them.  John licked his lips anxiously; Elizabeth realized that she was holding her breath and exhaled shakily.

The song playing on the juke box changed and John chuckled.  “Finally!” he murmured, looking at Elizabeth with a gleam in his eyes.  She suddenly had a feeling that John had just raised the stakes and her heart started beating wildly.  She laughed when she realized what song he had chosen.

“REO Speedwagon?!” she asked with a giggle. “Really?”

“Well, it worked for me in high school!” he shrugged, flashing her a grin.  She couldn’t help but grin back as she shook her head.  “ ‘Course, I’ve learned a few things since then.” He growled, putting his hands on her bottom and pulling her flush against him.  She gasped again and felt her face flush pink.  John’s eyes followed the flush as it worked its way down her neck and chest.  He swallowed hard at the thought of just how far down the flush went and licked his lips again.

“I can't fight this feeling any longer.
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow.
What started out as friendship,
Has grown stronger.
I only wish I had the strength to let it show.”

He smirked at the words and brought his right hand up to cup Elizabeth’s face.  John kissed her softly on the lips, pulling back before she had a chance to really kiss him back.  Fire blazed in Elizabeth’s eyes as she leaned into him, trying to kiss him back.  He shook his head at her and ran his thumb over her lips.  She shuddered at his touch and drew another deep breath as his hand traveled down her neck and across her collar bone.  He traced the top of her low cut tank top with his finger, her breath speeding up, her skin on fire.  John held her eyes with his, almost challenging her to look away.  She held his gaze defiantly and tried to slow her breathing.

“I really do need to remember to thank Vala.” He whispered, his voice rough.  Elizabeth bit her lip, her breath catching in her throat as his other hand found its way under her shirt, coming to rest on her lower back.

Elizabeth’s hands found their way to the short hair at the nape of his neck, her fingers brushing his skin, his breathing quickening.  He shivered involuntarily and she smirked at him.

“Two can play at this game.” She whispered.  She rotated her hips again, just enough to illicit an immediate response from his body.  He growled lightly, his right hand lightly passing over her breast, coming to rest on her hip.  His fingers dug into her hip, just firmly enough to stop her movements. She moaned light at the brief contact, her eyes fluttering closed against her will.  Everyone seemed to disappear - it was just the two of them, the music pulsing around them, her heart beating frantically against her ribs.  She knew she would always relate this song to these feelings and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that had been John’s intention all along.  She couldn’t bring herself to care about that much now, and filed it away for later consideration.  Elizabeth found herself not caring much about anything other than the feel of his hands on her, his lean, toned body pressed against her soft, slender one.  She breathed in deeply, drowning in his scent, her eyes opening slowly, as though she was waking from a long, deep sleep.  Her bright green eyes found his hazel ones and she was overwhelmed by what she saw there.  Raw, fiery passion, burning so hot she could almost feel the heat.  She shuddered at the thought of just what that look meant.  She knew how John was when he felt strongly about something and she found the thought of that fire and passion focused solely on her incredibly erotic.  She felt her body respond so strongly that it was almost unbearable and she found herself clinging desperately to John.

“You’re an incredible negotiator and smart as hell, but this is one game you’re gonna lose.” He whispered in her ear, grinding his hips into her.  Her breath caught when she felt his erection against her.

“Oh, we’ll see about that.” She answered quietly, nibbling his earlobe.  She claimed his mouth with hers, kissing him with a heat that surprised even her.

His hand made its way up from her hip, coming to rest on her ribcage, his thumb absently caressing the underside of her breast.  Their kiss deepened, seeming to go on forever.

“Um, guys?” Vala’s voice broke through the haze of their passion. “You ah, might wanna think about getting a room . . .”she whispered loudly.  John and Elizabeth finally broke apart, both breathing heavily.  Elizabeth bit her lower lip as John chuckled lightly.

“Best idea I’ve heard all night!” he answered cheekily, taking Elizabeth by the hand and leading her back to the table.  He grabbed her keys while she threw back the last of her drink, her hand shaking as she set the glass back down.  She tried to ignore the snickers and mumbled comments of her friends and determinedly avoided meeting anyone’s eyes.  She’d deal with them all later, right now her thoughts were focused on getting somewhere where she and John could be alone; by the look in his eye, she was pretty sure he felt the same way.  They mumbled hurried goodbyes and John took Elizabeth’s hand again, practically dragging her to the parking lot, much to their friends’ amusement.

They made their way to Elizabeth’s car and got in.  Elizabeth rested her head on the head rest and tried to catch her breath.  She could feel the heat radiating off of John and could hear him breathing heavily beside her.

“Now what?” John asked breathlessly.  “We can’t go back to the SGC - all the security checks just might kill me!”  He reached over and tangled his fingers into hers.

She grimaced at the thought of the SGC with all its cameras.  “No, we definitely can’t go there.” She groaned inwardly at the idea of a motel - it made this all seem very . . . cheap . . . somehow.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  “Think, Elizabeth, think!” she thought.  She could feel John fidgeting impatiently beside her.

There was a loud, sharp rap on John’s window and they both jumped.  John turned to see Daniel standing beside the car, a twinkle in his eye.  John opened his window.

“I, uh, was thinking I’d stay at the SGC tonight - I’ve gotta take Vala and Teal’c back there anyway.” He tossed a set of keys to John. “My apartment’s not far from here, “ he continued, handing John a napkin with directions scrawled on it.  “You can thank me later.” Daniel smirked and waved goodbye as he headed back to the bar.

Elizabeth met John’s gaze, a slightly panicked look crossing her face. “Oh God,” she thought, “this is really going to happen!”  She suddenly found it difficult to breath and she trembled slightly.

“Elizabeth?” John asked quietly, putting his hand on hers and squeezing tightly.

“I’m . . . I’m  Ok . . . “ she answered breathlessly.  “Let’s just get out of here, OK?” She took her hand from his as he shifted the car into drive, Elizabeth reading the directions to Daniel’s off of the napkin.  The closer they got to Daniel’s apartment, the smaller the car felt; the more she felt aware of John; the harder it got to breathe.  All of her nerves tingled in anticipation of his hands and mouth on her, of his body over hers, until she thought she couldn’t take it anymore.  John put his hand on her thigh, fidgeting somewhat nervously with the hem of her skirt and brushing the inside of her thigh with his fingers.  He chanced a quick glance at her and sped up, driving the last few blocks to Daniel’s as quickly as he dared.  They hurried up to his apartment, John’s hands shaking a little as he tried to unlock the door.

John let Elizabeth in first, and had barely closed the door behind him when she pulled him to her, kissing him with a fire and passion that rivaled his own.  The keys slid from his fingers, falling to the floor with a clatter, as his hands wound themselves in her brown curls, holding her to him.  She moaned into his mouth, her body melting into his.

She pulled away when the need to breathe became too great, her eyes wide in shock, her breathing fast and shallow.  She backed away from him and pressed her hands to her belly, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

“I’m sorry . . .” she apologized breathlessly.  “I . . . I . . .don’t usually . . . “ she trailed off helplessly, backing away from him again.

His eyes softened and he closed the space she put between them, taking her hands in his.

“Elizabeth, “ he started softly. “You don’t ever have to apologize for your passion when you’re with me.  It’s ok to let go; to feel; you don’t always have to be so cool and calm.  It’s ok to lose control.” She swallowed hard and nodded, her eyes still wide, hands trembling in his.  She drew a shaky breath and bit her lower lip.  John pulled her into his arms gently and rubbed her back.  He felt her  relax into him and she tucked her face into the crook of his neck.

“Everybody OK now?” he teased.  He frowned slightly when he felt her shake her head, a few of her tears wetting his neck.  “Hey, “ he said softly, “What’s wrong?” he frowned again when she tightened her grip on him, not saying anything.  “Elizabeth?  Talk to me…” he coaxed gently.

“I’m all right.”  She mumbled into his neck.  “Just . . . just a little overwhelmed.  It’s just too much…too much, too fast.” She was speaking so quietly that he had to strain to hear her.  “It’s more…more than I expected.  More fire, more passion, more . . . “ she searched for the right word. “feelings…than I expected.  I’m falling, John, and that scares the hell out of me.  No matter how hard I try, there is no way I can talk myself out of this.”

John moved his hands to Elizabeth’s shoulders and pulled her back far enough to make eye contact.  He cupped her face with his hands, rubbing her tears away with his thumbs.  In the time he had known her,  John had never seen Elizabeth fall apart.  He’d seen her reign in her feelings, pushing them deep down inside, always the stoic leader, there to get a job done, never letting herself feel anything too deeply or too strongly.  He knew she did that for self-preservation; he knew all too well how it hurt when you lost a member of your team.  He also knew that they both deserved this chance. It was their time and he was determined to do whatever it took to reassure her, to make her know that she was safe with him.

“Hey…it’s ok.  Let yourself fall, Elizabeth.  I’ll catch you…I’ve been ready to catch you for a while now.”  Her eyes widened at what his words implied, the realization that she wasn’t alone in all of this washing over her.

“It’s my job to protect you, to keep you safe - nothing’s changed.  And I think it’s about damn time we stop dancing around this.  There are so many other things we’re fighting - this is one fight I can’t fight anymore!” John finished, his voice laced with frustration. “Don’t try to negotiate your way out of this.  Don’t write us off without at least giving us a chance!”

Elizabeth tried to lower her eyes from his; the intensity in his making it hard for her to catch her breath.  John put a finger under her chin, keeping her face tilted upward, her eyes on his.  They stood like that for what seemed an eternity, his eyes burning with desire his feelings written clearly on his face.  He was done hiding from her.  Nothing else mattered, nothing but his moment right here, right now.

Elizabeth realized that Jack was right; she couldn’t let her failed relationship with Simon keep her from giving this relationship a chance.  She realized that John was right too.  She was so tired of fighting, of not allowing anything good in her life.  It was time for her to stop fighting these feelings, she agreed.

She brought her hands up to frame his face and slowly brought her lips to his, kissing him tenderly at first, her passion growing quickly; the kiss intensified, robbing her of much-needed air.  She broke the kiss, pulling back from him, gasping.

Her hands tangled in his messy hair, pulling his lips to hers again.  “Don’t break me.” She whispered against his lips, her voice raw with passion.

“Never.” He groaned in response, his hands at her hips, bunching up her shirt and caressing the soft skin underneath.  The thought that he could never truly keep that promise crossed his mind, but he pushed it way; he knew that she understood the reality of their jobs and the chance they were taking.

John put his hands on the small of her back and pulled her closer.  Elizabeth moaned his name, deepening their kiss, her tongue seeking entrance to his mouth almost urgently.  Her fingers tangled into his hair, pressing his mouth to hers.  She could feel herself spiraling out of control, his kisses making her dizzy, and she just let go.  She stopped fighting all the feelings that she was not supposed to have and melted into him.

She moved her hands to his chest, fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, finally getting them open and pushing it away.  She ran her hands over his chest, her fingers tangling in his chest hair.

He moaned her name and moved to kiss her neck and shoulder, nibbling gently on her creamy skin.  He gathered her shirt in his hands and pulled it over her head.  He paused to take in the sight of her lacy black bra against her fair skin.

“God you’re beautiful.” He murmured, smirking when she blushed, the flush traveling down her chest.

“Are you gonna just stand there ogling me all night?” she asked cheekily, grinning at the sight of his smirk sliding off his face.  Her eyes widened and her mouth formed an ‘O’ in surprise when the smirk was replaced with a dark, lusty look.  He swooped down, taking her lips with his, kissing her fiercely and taking her breath away.  Her hands worked frantically at his button as she hurriedly tried to remove all the barriers between them.  He toed off his shoes, while she pushed his pants and boxers away, their lips never breaking contact.

His hands roamed all over her body, teasing her skin with feather light touches.  She in turn ran her hands down his chest and abdomen, stopping to wrap her hand around him, stroking slowly.  He moaned her name, his hips bucking slightly at her touch.  She gasped as his hands ghosted over her lace-covered breasts, moving around to her back to unclasp and remove her bra.  She shivered as he pushed the rest of her clothes away, dropping kisses down her neck.

Elizabeth gasped again, trying to catch her breath.  “Wait…not…not…here!” she said breathlessly.

“You’re right.” He agreed, casting a quick glance around the room.  Making an educated guess about where to find a bedroom, John scooped Elizabeth up into his arms and carried her, as she protested, down the hall.

“This’ll work.” He grunted, pushing his way into a bedroom he desperately hoped was not Daniel’s and placed Elizabeth onto the bed.  He stepped back and looked at her, taking his time, enjoying the sight of her stretched out on the bed; her skin glowing, reddish-brown curls spread on the pillow, green eyes gleaming with passion.  She felt herself flush under his scrutiny briefly, before taking in the sight of him standing above her.

“C’mere” she murmured, reaching a hand out to him and pulling him down beside her.  She turned her face to his, kissing him tenderly, the earlier fire giving way to gentleness.  She ran her hands lightly over his body, exploring, learning everything she could about him.  John shuddered involuntarily at her touch and deepened their kiss, tracing Elizabeth’s lover lip with the tip of his tongue.  She could feel his smirk against her lips as she gasped and pulled him closer.

She rolled to her back, pulling John with her, moving to let him settle himself between her legs.  They both hissed and Elizabeth’s eyes widened at the initial contact this created, gasping as he slowly entered her.  She rocked her hips against him, moaning his name when he filled her completely.

He began to move, slowly at first, speeding up as the fire within him burned hotter.  He held her gaze with his, reveling at the fire that smoldered in her bright green eyes.

“John!” she whispered, barely able to catch her breath.  Her eyes fluttered closed as the tension began to build low in her belly.

“Elizabeth, look at me!” John whispered roughly.  She fought to keep her eyes open, keeping eye contact with him as her release crashed over her in waves.  She felt his body go tense with his own release, still fighting to keep her eyes on his.  John dropped his forehead to Elizabeth’s and struggled to catch his breath.  Elizabeth shifted under him and he lifted his head, concern filling his hazel eyes.

“Are you OK?” he asked softly.  She chuckled lightly and nodded her head.

“I am more than OK.” She quipped, kissing him lightly.  John grinned widely and rolled over to his side, resting his hand on Elizabeth’s stomach.

“Yeah…I thought so!” he said cheekily.  Elizabeth rolled her eyes and bit back a giggle.

“You’re still not that irresistible, fly boy!” she retorted, rolling over to snuggle closer to his side, her head resting on his shoulder.

“Oh, we’ll see about that, Doctor!” he murmured, dropping a kiss in her hair and drifting off to sleep, Elizabeth held in his tender embrace.

Can't Fight This Feeling Pt 2