Where Were You - Chapter 8
Title: Where were you Chapter 8
Pairing: Rodney/Keller, Ronon/Keller, kind of both, but… well, there can be only one
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Neither the show nor the characters belong to me, they belong to FOX. Nonetheless, I love to borrow them from time to time.
Summary: She’d made her decision for a very good reason - at least that was what she’d told herself. But suddenly, she realized that maybe she had been wrong.
Warnings: some fluff, because it was about time ;)
AN: A big thanks to my wonderful beta-reader mfaerie32. I would totally screw up without her. Apart from that, it looks like I’m getting better that is quicker in updating. Go me!
Jennifer’s heart skipped a beat as his lips suddenly crashed down on hers. It wasn’t exactly how she’d pictured their first kiss to be, in fact, she wasn’t even sure she should let it happen. It had only been four days since she’d broken up with Rodney. It wasn’t fair to him to be kissing Ronon at the moment…was it?
On the other hand, Ronon had been one of the reasons she’d broken up with Rodney in the first place, and the scientist knew it. Besides, it wasn’t like Rodney and she had been seeing each other for long, it had only been a few months, so…
‘Jennifer, would you for once in your life stop thinking and just enjoy this!’ her mind screamed.
When she felt his tongue beg for entrance, she eagerly parted her lips and then groaned at the skill he possessed. He tasted of coffee and smelled of guns, which was an odd combination, but at the same time so very sexy.
To him, her taste was sweet, like honey, which only made him want more, resulting in him unconsciously sliding his hands to her back to pull her closer and deepen the kiss. This of course allowed his body to gain more contact with hers, explaining the unrepressed low growl that escaped his throat.
Until recently, he had spent years building walls around his emotions and heart, determined not to let anyone breach them for fear of being hurt again. But ever since they had been trapped in the infirmary, he had wondered what might have been if they had not been interrupted.
It had been a long time since he’d last kissed a woman like this. The moment his lips met hers, all other worries disappeared from his mind. And now that he knew what he had been missing, he couldn’t help but feel remorse for the months they’d lost. If only he had dared telling her the truth right away.
He now knew that it had been the right choice to give her the present in person. Even the decision to finally open up to her had simply felt…right.
Jennifer knew that this was the best kiss she’d ever had, and mentally cursed the missed opportunity from that day in the infirmary. She began to feel dizzy from how warm and strong and…perfect he felt. Jennifer couldn’t help but feel that kissing him, being in that moment with him; was exactly where she was meant to be.
When the world stopped revolving, well stopped revolving around everything except for the tall Satedan that was currently kissing her senseless, they broke apart for air, both panting heavily.
“Wow,” Jennifer whispered, leaning her forehead against his.
“Yeah,” Ronon agreed, his hand still resting on her neck as he kissed her forehead.
“That was definitely the best first kiss I have ever had,” she whispered, afraid of speaking too loud and ruining the moment. “Actually, I think it was the best kiss in general I’ve ever had.”
“I know what you mean,” he said with a chuckle. “We should have done that sooner.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “I hope I won’t have to wait another six months for your next attempt to kiss me then,” she murmured.
Ronon chuckled, placing a finger under her chin. “No, definitely not,” he whispered, before capturing her lips once again.
This time, the kiss was softer, slower, but no less perfect. Jennifer felt the butterflies multiply in her stomach, and couldn’t help but wonder where this was leading.
“You know what’s sad about all this, though,” she whispered. “That it took such a tragedy for me to finally see what kind of man you really are.”
“I wish I’d never told you I wasn’t interested,” he admitted.
“Me, too,” she simply replied.
“Yet here we are,” he told her, smirking. “This has to mean something, don’t you think?”
“Like we were always meant to be?” she offered.
“Yeah,” he nodded, pulling her closer. “Looks like the universe had a plan for us after all.”
For a moment, they both remained silent, as Jennifer burrowed her face into his chest, enjoying the closeness of being wrapped in his arms, and finally not feeling guilty about it. She hoped that he was right, and that they really were meant to be, because she knew she wanted this to last.
“You know, on a planet not far from here, there’s this nice, cozy restaurant, and I’ve heard they serve the best food in the whole galaxy,” Ronon’s deep voice interrupted the silence. “Do you have plans for tomorrow?”
Jennifer raised her head to grin at him. “Are you asking me out?”
He nodded and then smirked. “I figured it would be safe to ask after a kiss like that.”
Giggling, Jennifer snuggled up against him again. “True. I’d love to go out with you,” she replied. “But I hope there’s no dress code, because I fear my wardrobe is lacking for such an occasion.”
“We could go to the market beforehand,” he suggested. “I could pick out something for you again.”
She opened her mouth to decline, but reconsidered. She had to admit that she would like to have him pick out something for her again, and wondered briefly if that was odd.
She tried to repress a yawn, but the day had been too long, and as much as she wanted to spend the rest of the night cuddled with Ronon, kissing him more, she didn’t think she could stay awake much longer.
“I should probably go,” he offered, not moving a single inch. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow after work.”
“You know, you could…stay here,” she mumbled not daring to meet his eyes.
Ronon frowned, not sure what she might be implying. “Are you sure you…want this?”
“No, I…I didn’t mean…I meant we don’t have to…” she stuttered, wondering how he could always make her trip over words. “You could just…stay, you know. I mean, it’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before. I just…don’t want you to go.”
“I understand,” he said with a smile, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll get us something for dinner.”
“That sounds great,” she replied, reluctantly pulling away from his arms. “I’ll take a shower in the meantime.”
Nodding, Ronon left her room.
Fortunately, he always ate for three people, so no one cared about his overloaded tray. Unfortunately, he passed John and Teyla on his way back out of the cafeteria.
“Hey, man, how’s it going?” John asked, silently offering Ronon the seat next to him.
“Um…good,” he replied, not sure how to tell them that he had different plans, without telling them what those plans might be.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” John frowned at him. “Take a seat already.”
“I…um…you know, not today,” he simply said, turning to leave.
“Aw, don’t tell me a certain doctor is keeping you from having dinner with us,” John teased with a chuckle.
Ronon grumbled. Usually, he would have just walked away, pretending he hadn’t heard him. But he didn’t want Jennifer to be the subject of the latest Atlantis gossip; not in her current situation, anyway.
So he turned around, smirking. “Just didn’t want to interrupt anything is all,” he replied, nodding his head in Teyla’s direction, and then disappearing before John could say anything in return.
“Do you think he’s spending the evening with Jennifer?” John asked Teyla, stunned by Ronon’s unexpected answer.
“I think it is none of our business,” Teyla answered with a smile, before taking another bite of her meal.
John sighed. It was too bad. Not that he was actually interested in anyone’s sex life here on Atlantis. But Ronon and Keller were simply made for each other. Even he could see that.
“They will figure it out, eventually,” Teyla interrupted his thoughts. “Trust me. If the universe wants them to be together, they will be together.”
John frowned. “I’ve seen too many people end up with the wrong guy or girl to really believe that.”
“Are any of them still together?” Teyla asked.
John looked at her. “I don’t…no, I don’t think so.”
Smiling, Teyla put a hand on his arm. “See, that is what I mean.”
John opened his mouth to object, but had to silently admit that he honestly couldn’t think of a response. “I really hope you’re right, you know,” he finally whispered, smiling back at her.
Feeling his implication hit a bit too close to home, Teyla quickly broke the contact between them.
John cleared his throat. “I just think they’re meant for each other,” he mumbled, picking at his own meal. “So I think they should be together.”
“Now that they have acknowledged their feelings, I believe there is a high possibility that they will be,” she replied, causing him to grin.
His expression became serious again though, as his eyes fell upon the person who had just gotten his dinner. “And there’s our next problem,” he mumbled.
Teyla raised an eyebrow at this, before following his gaze and sighing. Getting Ronon and Jennifer to finally admit their feelings for each other had been one thing. Helping Rodney deal with the new situation might be too much even for her.
Rodney was scanning the room for a possible seat when he saw John and Teyla sitting in a corner near the exit. He considered pretending he hadn’t seen them, but then straightened and walked over to their table. He couldn’t avoid everyone forever; at least not if he wanted to keep working here.
“Hey,” he greeted somewhat insecurely.
“Hey, Rodney,” John greeted back. “Take a seat.”
He mumbled a thanks and sat down opposite of his two teammates.
For a long moment, nothing but silence surrounded the table, until finally Teyla began to speak. “How is that new software working out for you, Rodney?”
“It works,” was all he replied.
John and Teyla exchanged a look.
“Come on, is that all you have to say about it?” John prodded.
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
John shook his head. “How long are you going to be monosyllabic? It’s… just not you.”
Rodney sighed. “I just can’t believe I screwed up…again,” he finally said. To be honest, he hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone about him and Jen; least of all to John Sheppard, but he had to admit that he really could use some advice.
“You know, sometimes it just…doesn’t fit,” John offered. “And you…have to learn to let it go.”
“What would you know about it?” Rodney grumbled.
John shrugged. “I wasn’t the one filing for the divorce.”
Rodney opened his mouth, but closed it again. “Do you still talk to her?”
“Nah,” John grimaced. “I avoided her after that.” Seeing Rodney’s reaction, he quickly added, “But the divorce was nasty and she’s a real pain in the ass.”
Rodney just nodded.
Sighing, Teyla decided that maybe it was time to try and reason with Rodney.
“You know, it was not easy for Jennifer to make this decision,” Teyla explained to him. “But…recent events made her realize that…she’s interested in someone else.”
“You mean the fact that I haven’t been there for her when I should have been,” Rodney said with a snort. “I get that, okay? I just…can’t help asking myself if she’s been…interested in…that someone else right from the beginning, you know?”
“Does it really matter?” Teyla asked with a warm smile. “Even if she had been interested in Ronon already, she had chosen you.”
“Yeah, it just didn’t work out,” John added, giving the other man an encouraging smile.
“Because I couldn’t make it work,” he said with a sigh. “I was just…wondering if…well, if she would have given me another chance if not for Ronon?”
“Maybe you guys just weren’t…meant to be,” John offered. “And if that’s the case, there’s nothing you can do about it, I guess.”
“Yeah, but…what do I do now?” Rodney mumbled.
John sighed. He obviously didn’t get the point. “Rodney, there’s nothing…”
Teyla interrupted him by putting a hand on his arm again. “Rodney, you can’t avoid Jennifer or Ronon forever,” she said calmly. “So I guess you will have to find a way to…get along with them despite…all this.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t go on any missions for the time being,” he suggested, looking expectantly at John.
Sheppard shrugged. “If you’re asking for some time off, that’s fine with me. But Teyla’s right, you can’t avoid them both forever.”
“I know,” Rodney sighed. “And I know it was entirely my fault, but I can’t help but feel…”
“Disappointed?” John offered.
“No, not really,” he mumbled. “I guess…piqued was the word I was looking for.”
Teyla raised an eyebrow at John.
He just shook his head, telling her she shouldn’t ask about his choice of words.
Rodney shoved a spoonful of Jell-O into his mouth and then muttered, “I mean seriously, of all people…Ronon? Sure, he’s good looking, but…does she really think he can hold a candle to me?”
John grinned at that. “Don’t worry, Rodney, you’ll get over it.”