The Deep End 4/4
Hey all! This is the final part of 'The Deep End'. It's a little shorter than the other parts, but I felt like it should stand on its own after last part. Thank you all, so much for reading and sticking with me through this series. I've got more to come, don't worry!
This part is rated PG-13.
~ ^ ~
Her trip out to Wisconsin had taken far too long. The flight from Los Angeles hadn't been bad, despite the early hour of her departure. Her layover and plane change in Denver marked the beginning of problems. Bad weather cropped up around the airport almost as soon as they had landed, and so her connecting flight was delayed nearly two hours. The time spent sitting on the first flight, combined with the frustration of only having the concourse to walk during the delay was enough to leave her feeling irritable, travel-weary, and more than ready to reach her destination. Once the weather cleared up and they were on her way, she felt better, but landing in Madison was possibly the sweetest feeling she had ever experienced. Of course, given their tardiness, they had to sit on the tarmac of what hadn't seemed like a large airport upon first glance, while one of the 13 gates was cleared for them. They were ready to disembark fifteen minutes later.
On slightly shaky legs, she made her way into the concourse. Though she hadn't had to go outside yet, she could feel the frostiness of the wind as she left the plane. Despite having looked at the weather before leaving LA, she was not prepared for the cold. Rubbing her hands down her arms once, she shifted her carry on bag and looked for the way to baggage claim. Once she had her bags, she planned to call John. She had called him from Denver and warned him of how late they would be, so he wasn't sitting around the airport - though she was certain he could find something to amuse himself with here.
She collected her rolling suitcase and moved over to the side of the baggage claim area, reaching into her bag for her phone. She had turned it back on once they were on the ground, but hadn't looked at it since then. She flipped the cover open intending to hit two on speed dial and call John, but he beat her to it.
"Hey."
"You're on the ground?"
"And at baggage claim. Where are you?" she asked, pulling her bag out of the way of an obviously harried passenger.
"I'm running late. I'll be there soon, though."
"Oh, okay. Where should I go to wait for you? If you're not too far away I can go outside."
"I'll be able to pull up by the side door, I think. Door 8."
Gathering her things, Elizabeth nodded into the phone. "I'm heading over there now."
"You don't need to go outside just yet; I'm still not close enough. If you want, you can wait in the area between the doors."
"Okay," she agreed, shifting her bag on her shoulder and moving toward the first of the automatic doors. "How much longer do you think you'll be? It's kind of chilly in here."
"Oh, about three seconds."
Elizabeth nearly dropped her phone in surprise. "Jerk."
John grinned, hanging up the phone and closing the gap between them. His hands cupped her cheeks and he rubbed chilled thumbs across her lips. Her own hands wound into his hair, pulling his head down to hers before he could offer more than the tentative, "Hi."
Not for the first time, she was glad for the habit of brushing her teeth immediately after getting off a plane. After three cups of coffee, two cans of Diet Coke, and the cheese cracker snack, the only thing John would have wanted to do with her would have been shake her hand if not for her travel toothbrush and tube of Aquafresh. It was a process she had begun after spending twenty-two straight hours on a plane only to be greeted by more dignitaries. On diplomatic excursions, even fresh breath made a difference.
The dart of John's tongue against her top lip reminded her of why she had launched on that train of thought in the first place. He tasted and smelled good and fresh, obviously he had showered and shaved before coming to pick her up. Despite her minty-fresh breath, she still felt rumpled and grimy compared to him. Somehow, he didn't seem to notice as his hands moved down her back and he pulled her closer. She ignored the burning in her lungs in order to continue kissing him hello.
Her eyes began to water before she finally pushed him away. His grin was contagious and she slapped his shoulder lightly. "That was a dirty trick. What would you have done if I'd gone outside?"
"You wouldn't have, 'cause I've been here since before you came down the escalator."
Elizabeth pursed her lips and shook her head. "To think I actually missed you."
John kissed her softly once more. "I missed you, too."
The soft giggle caused Elizabeth to back up. "You haven't learned to throw your voice, have you?"
"Not lately," John replied, smirking. He loosened his arms from round her waist and reached back, peeling a giggling dark-haired child from his leg. "This is probably the monster you heard. Elizabeth, this is Caitlyn, my niece. Caitlyn, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, realizing that they had been practically groping each other in the presence of a child. John shrugged once in response to her glare. Caitlyn, oblivious to their silent battle of wills, giggled and reached out, hugging Elizabeth's waist.
"Hi."
"Hi there," Elizabeth replied, patting the child's head lightly. "Thank you very much for coming to pick me up with your Uncle John. He gets lost around these places."
Caitlyn nodded. "He likes planes," she agreed.
Elizabeth grinned. "Did you know he flies planes?"
Caitlyn's eyes widened and she tossed her head back to look at John. "Reeeaaalllly?"
Both adults laughed. "Yep. Come on; let's get you home. It's just about your nap time."
Caitlyn grumbled, but released Elizabeth's waist, latching onto her hand almost immediately. The adults shared a look and John nodded, passing Elizabeth the keys to his rental car while he carried her bags. They barely spoke as they made their way through the parking lot. After getting Caitlyn settled in the backseat, Elizabeth passed the keys back to John and slid into the passenger side, waiting for him to get into the car.
Apparently, he had had a plan, because he breathed a sigh of relief when Caitlyn drifted to sleep minutes after putting the car in gear. She raised an eyebrow and shot a questioning look his way.
"She can't help but fall asleep in the car. Her mom said to let her get settled in and then go, ‘cause she'll be out like a light."
"Ah. So you got babysitting duty today?"
"Actually she begged to come. I'm not sure she believed you were real."
Elizabeth laughed. "Have you been caught making up girlfriends before?"
"No," he replied just a little too quickly to be believed.
"Uh-huh."
"Bite me."
"Not with your niece in the car."
Both of them dissolved into immature giggles. Elizabeth glanced back quickly at Caitlyn, but the little girl was still out cold.
"Have I said thank you yet?" John drew her attention back to the front.
"For what?"
"Coming out here, getting my mom off my back, the photo, USC season tickets, the usual," John shrugged. She smirked.
"You didn't cry, did you?"
He turned, sticking his tongue out at her.
"You're welcome. And since we're on the subject of thank yous, thank you for the lessons. When can I start?"
"Any time. Just look at your schedule. If you want it to be with me, we can probably just schedule weekends from here on out. If you're too afraid you might be tempted to join the mile high club with me, Dan handles scheduling."
She nodded. "Okay. I'll think about it."
He nodded as well, turning his attention back to the road. She bit her lip, wanting to say more about his gift, but knowing it would probably be better left for when they weren't out on a road lined with snow banks that John might drive into in his shock. Though, if the house was still as packed as John swore it was, they might not get another chance to discuss it without the prying ears and eyes of his family. She looked down at her hands, nervously wringing her fingers together and rubbing her knuckles.
"Cold?" John asked, reaching over first to turn up the heat and then to clasp his hand over hers. She suspected he had been waiting for an excuse to hold her hand since they'd gotten in the car.
"Not anymore," she fibbed, squeezing his fingers.
Seeing that they were turning into a neighborhood, she took a deep breath: now or never.
"If you're wondering, I didn't steal your bed while you've been gone. Though it was only because Ronon wouldn't help me carry it."
John snickered, turning down another long street.
"He was tired that day. But he's going to help me take it when I get back. I suppose you'll be following soon after?"
She was glad that he was already stopped when he faced her. If they'd been moving, he probably would have hit the brakes and left skid marks. The panic faded after a couple minutes, and he swallowed, nodding.
"Okay."
"Okay?" she asked, brushing her thumb over his knuckles soothingly.
He nodded again, looking and sounding more confident when he replied, "Yep. Okay."
Elizabeth smiled. "Okay," she repeated.
John smiled almost shyly back, turning back to the road and continuing to his mother's house.
"But your microwave has to go," he insisted, turning to shoot her a gleeful smile.
"What's wrong with my microwave?"
"It's older than Teyla!"
"No it isn't," she asserted, grinning. "It's meant to look vintage. And just because you can't work it doesn't mean it's old."
"Mine is so much better. It's bigger, too."
"Doesn't it stay with your apartment?"
John opened his mouth, shutting it again quickly as he realized she was right. "Fine. We'll get a new microwave."
She simply shook her head, laughing silently. A quick squeeze from his hand told her that he was kidding, mostly, if she had even been worried about something so absurd. He pulled into his mother's driveway, putting the car in park. Instead of turning it off, he unbuckled his seat belt and slid closer to her. With a sly grin, he tilted his head sideways, leaning in to kiss her. Smirking affectionately, she kissed him back.
"Your mom's watching, isn't she?"
"Yep."
"I don't know why I put up with you," she sighed, rolling her eyes and clubbing his cheek tenderly.
He simply smiled. They both knew.
END
Notes: As always, thanks to my Pool!fic Muse (and Human Collaborator Flunkie!), featherjean, for being there for the flailing, and the ranting, and generally being a lovely muse and sounding board! *tackle*
This part is rated PG-13.
~ ^ ~
Her trip out to Wisconsin had taken far too long. The flight from Los Angeles hadn't been bad, despite the early hour of her departure. Her layover and plane change in Denver marked the beginning of problems. Bad weather cropped up around the airport almost as soon as they had landed, and so her connecting flight was delayed nearly two hours. The time spent sitting on the first flight, combined with the frustration of only having the concourse to walk during the delay was enough to leave her feeling irritable, travel-weary, and more than ready to reach her destination. Once the weather cleared up and they were on her way, she felt better, but landing in Madison was possibly the sweetest feeling she had ever experienced. Of course, given their tardiness, they had to sit on the tarmac of what hadn't seemed like a large airport upon first glance, while one of the 13 gates was cleared for them. They were ready to disembark fifteen minutes later.
On slightly shaky legs, she made her way into the concourse. Though she hadn't had to go outside yet, she could feel the frostiness of the wind as she left the plane. Despite having looked at the weather before leaving LA, she was not prepared for the cold. Rubbing her hands down her arms once, she shifted her carry on bag and looked for the way to baggage claim. Once she had her bags, she planned to call John. She had called him from Denver and warned him of how late they would be, so he wasn't sitting around the airport - though she was certain he could find something to amuse himself with here.
She collected her rolling suitcase and moved over to the side of the baggage claim area, reaching into her bag for her phone. She had turned it back on once they were on the ground, but hadn't looked at it since then. She flipped the cover open intending to hit two on speed dial and call John, but he beat her to it.
"Hey."
"You're on the ground?"
"And at baggage claim. Where are you?" she asked, pulling her bag out of the way of an obviously harried passenger.
"I'm running late. I'll be there soon, though."
"Oh, okay. Where should I go to wait for you? If you're not too far away I can go outside."
"I'll be able to pull up by the side door, I think. Door 8."
Gathering her things, Elizabeth nodded into the phone. "I'm heading over there now."
"You don't need to go outside just yet; I'm still not close enough. If you want, you can wait in the area between the doors."
"Okay," she agreed, shifting her bag on her shoulder and moving toward the first of the automatic doors. "How much longer do you think you'll be? It's kind of chilly in here."
"Oh, about three seconds."
Elizabeth nearly dropped her phone in surprise. "Jerk."
John grinned, hanging up the phone and closing the gap between them. His hands cupped her cheeks and he rubbed chilled thumbs across her lips. Her own hands wound into his hair, pulling his head down to hers before he could offer more than the tentative, "Hi."
Not for the first time, she was glad for the habit of brushing her teeth immediately after getting off a plane. After three cups of coffee, two cans of Diet Coke, and the cheese cracker snack, the only thing John would have wanted to do with her would have been shake her hand if not for her travel toothbrush and tube of Aquafresh. It was a process she had begun after spending twenty-two straight hours on a plane only to be greeted by more dignitaries. On diplomatic excursions, even fresh breath made a difference.
The dart of John's tongue against her top lip reminded her of why she had launched on that train of thought in the first place. He tasted and smelled good and fresh, obviously he had showered and shaved before coming to pick her up. Despite her minty-fresh breath, she still felt rumpled and grimy compared to him. Somehow, he didn't seem to notice as his hands moved down her back and he pulled her closer. She ignored the burning in her lungs in order to continue kissing him hello.
Her eyes began to water before she finally pushed him away. His grin was contagious and she slapped his shoulder lightly. "That was a dirty trick. What would you have done if I'd gone outside?"
"You wouldn't have, 'cause I've been here since before you came down the escalator."
Elizabeth pursed her lips and shook her head. "To think I actually missed you."
John kissed her softly once more. "I missed you, too."
The soft giggle caused Elizabeth to back up. "You haven't learned to throw your voice, have you?"
"Not lately," John replied, smirking. He loosened his arms from round her waist and reached back, peeling a giggling dark-haired child from his leg. "This is probably the monster you heard. Elizabeth, this is Caitlyn, my niece. Caitlyn, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, realizing that they had been practically groping each other in the presence of a child. John shrugged once in response to her glare. Caitlyn, oblivious to their silent battle of wills, giggled and reached out, hugging Elizabeth's waist.
"Hi."
"Hi there," Elizabeth replied, patting the child's head lightly. "Thank you very much for coming to pick me up with your Uncle John. He gets lost around these places."
Caitlyn nodded. "He likes planes," she agreed.
Elizabeth grinned. "Did you know he flies planes?"
Caitlyn's eyes widened and she tossed her head back to look at John. "Reeeaaalllly?"
Both adults laughed. "Yep. Come on; let's get you home. It's just about your nap time."
Caitlyn grumbled, but released Elizabeth's waist, latching onto her hand almost immediately. The adults shared a look and John nodded, passing Elizabeth the keys to his rental car while he carried her bags. They barely spoke as they made their way through the parking lot. After getting Caitlyn settled in the backseat, Elizabeth passed the keys back to John and slid into the passenger side, waiting for him to get into the car.
Apparently, he had had a plan, because he breathed a sigh of relief when Caitlyn drifted to sleep minutes after putting the car in gear. She raised an eyebrow and shot a questioning look his way.
"She can't help but fall asleep in the car. Her mom said to let her get settled in and then go, ‘cause she'll be out like a light."
"Ah. So you got babysitting duty today?"
"Actually she begged to come. I'm not sure she believed you were real."
Elizabeth laughed. "Have you been caught making up girlfriends before?"
"No," he replied just a little too quickly to be believed.
"Uh-huh."
"Bite me."
"Not with your niece in the car."
Both of them dissolved into immature giggles. Elizabeth glanced back quickly at Caitlyn, but the little girl was still out cold.
"Have I said thank you yet?" John drew her attention back to the front.
"For what?"
"Coming out here, getting my mom off my back, the photo, USC season tickets, the usual," John shrugged. She smirked.
"You didn't cry, did you?"
He turned, sticking his tongue out at her.
"You're welcome. And since we're on the subject of thank yous, thank you for the lessons. When can I start?"
"Any time. Just look at your schedule. If you want it to be with me, we can probably just schedule weekends from here on out. If you're too afraid you might be tempted to join the mile high club with me, Dan handles scheduling."
She nodded. "Okay. I'll think about it."
He nodded as well, turning his attention back to the road. She bit her lip, wanting to say more about his gift, but knowing it would probably be better left for when they weren't out on a road lined with snow banks that John might drive into in his shock. Though, if the house was still as packed as John swore it was, they might not get another chance to discuss it without the prying ears and eyes of his family. She looked down at her hands, nervously wringing her fingers together and rubbing her knuckles.
"Cold?" John asked, reaching over first to turn up the heat and then to clasp his hand over hers. She suspected he had been waiting for an excuse to hold her hand since they'd gotten in the car.
"Not anymore," she fibbed, squeezing his fingers.
Seeing that they were turning into a neighborhood, she took a deep breath: now or never.
"If you're wondering, I didn't steal your bed while you've been gone. Though it was only because Ronon wouldn't help me carry it."
John snickered, turning down another long street.
"He was tired that day. But he's going to help me take it when I get back. I suppose you'll be following soon after?"
She was glad that he was already stopped when he faced her. If they'd been moving, he probably would have hit the brakes and left skid marks. The panic faded after a couple minutes, and he swallowed, nodding.
"Okay."
"Okay?" she asked, brushing her thumb over his knuckles soothingly.
He nodded again, looking and sounding more confident when he replied, "Yep. Okay."
Elizabeth smiled. "Okay," she repeated.
John smiled almost shyly back, turning back to the road and continuing to his mother's house.
"But your microwave has to go," he insisted, turning to shoot her a gleeful smile.
"What's wrong with my microwave?"
"It's older than Teyla!"
"No it isn't," she asserted, grinning. "It's meant to look vintage. And just because you can't work it doesn't mean it's old."
"Mine is so much better. It's bigger, too."
"Doesn't it stay with your apartment?"
John opened his mouth, shutting it again quickly as he realized she was right. "Fine. We'll get a new microwave."
She simply shook her head, laughing silently. A quick squeeze from his hand told her that he was kidding, mostly, if she had even been worried about something so absurd. He pulled into his mother's driveway, putting the car in park. Instead of turning it off, he unbuckled his seat belt and slid closer to her. With a sly grin, he tilted his head sideways, leaning in to kiss her. Smirking affectionately, she kissed him back.
"Your mom's watching, isn't she?"
"Yep."
"I don't know why I put up with you," she sighed, rolling her eyes and clubbing his cheek tenderly.
He simply smiled. They both knew.
END
Notes: As always, thanks to my Pool!fic Muse (and Human Collaborator Flunkie!), featherjean, for being there for the flailing, and the ranting, and generally being a lovely muse and sounding board! *tackle*