Challenge #138 fic: Desperately Seeking Susan. John/Rodney. G.
Title: Desperately Seeking Susan
Author: velocitygrass
Pairing: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: G
Warnings/Content notes: ( skip) None of the standard warnings apply
Spoilers: vague season 4
Word count: 1421
Summary: When his date leaves Rodney at an exhibit she suggested in the first place, he meets a young girl with a lot of curiosity, a little sister, and a dark-haired, handsome uncle.
Note: Also available at AO3. Another story featuring Susan Sheppard because I don't get tired of her and Rodney interacting. There's also a Claire cameo ;)
Desperately Seeking Susan
"Which makes this an interest anecdote at best, but not a prediction, let alone visionary," Rodney finished, waiting for Annette to agree with his irrefutable argument.
Annette only watched him. Rodney was about to repeat what he'd said when she stopped him, saying, "I need to be...somewhere not here."
"Oh," Rodney said. "You didn't mention that you had other plans for today."
"You didn't mention that your idea of a date was judging the scientific accuracy of historic paintings which were obviously picked to spark interest, not to serve as a text book," Annette said. "Goodbye, Rodney. I'm sure you're a great guy. Just not for me." She gave him a quick smile and then made an equally quick exit.
Rodney stared after her. He had no idea what had just happened. It had been Annette's idea to go to the museum on their date and take a look at the exhibit "Visions of Science-Predictors of the Future in the Past". Surely the purpose of that had been to pick apart the tenuous-if it existed at all-relation to science depicted in the paintings.
"What's wrong with this one?"
Rodney turned to the source of the voice, a young girl with dark hair in a garish purple dress, who was pointing at the next image in the exhibition.
Rodney looked left and right, but there didn't seem to be an adult with her.
"What's wrong with this one?" she repeated. "If the others are wrong, this one must be too."
"It doesn't have to be, but as a matter of fact," he started into an explanation about the scientific failure in the next image and the girl listened intently. Rodney was pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to grasp what he'd said, but she nodded, then went on.
"And this one?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Where are your parents?" Rodney asked.
"They're on their second honeymoon in Paris," she answered.
"I'm sure you're here with someone," Rodney said, because she certainly didn't look old enough to take a trip to the museum alone.
"Of course I am, silly. My Uncle John took me and my sister."
Rodney frowned. Nobody called him silly without getting at least a glare. "Where is your Uncle John?"
"Oh, he was looking for a place to change Claire," the girl said, obviously unconcerned.
"So you just walked off?" Rodney asked.
"I don't know where the changing room is," she said with a shrug. "Then I heard you yell at the lady and came over."
"I wasn't yelling at her," Rodney said.
The girl gave him a look.
"I was merely explaining to her that it's disingenuous to attribute some kind of precognitive power to something that is obviously coincidence."
"You like long words, don't you?" the girl asked.
Rodney frowned again. "Don't you think your uncle is looking for you?"
"No. We set up a meeting place if we get lost," the girl said.
"Well, don't you want to go there?" Rodney asked.
"But we're not finished!" she said, pointing at the rest of the paintings in the exhibit.
"Since when have you been following me?" Rodney asked.
The girl walked back from where they'd come from, going past several paintings into the previous room until she stopped and pointed at one. "This one," she said with a smile.
It must have been at least half an hour since he'd left the stop, probably more. "I'm sure your uncle is looking for you." The last thing that he wanted after his failure of a date was having to face a hysterical uncle who'd accuse him of kidnapping his niece.
"Okay, but we have to come back here, so you can explain the rest," the girl said. When Rodney didn't say anything, she crossed her arms and pouted.
"Okay, fine," he said.
She smiled widely and started walking away. "Are you coming?" she asked when he didn't immediately follow.
"Apparently," he said under his breath, then went after her.
When they approached a large mounted bear, a loud "Susan!" rang through the hall, and the girl was snatched into the arms of a dark-haired man who was also carrying a crying toddler.
The girl-Susan-turned to Rodney, looking slightly annoyed. "I'm fine, Uncle John," she said, padding the man on the back.
The man pulled back. "Where did you go? I told you not to walk too far."
"I was right here!" she said. "In the museum," she added after a moment.
Her uncle gave her a stern look, but obviously relief won out, and he gave her a another quick hug, before saying, "We can go home now."
"No, we can't," Susan said, stepping closer to Rodney. "We have to finish the paintings. Rodney is telling me all that's wrong with them."
Susan's uncle turned to Rodney as if he was seeing him for the first time.
"Uhm," Rodney said. "I just...I was here on a date, but she- Well, that's neither here nor there. Your niece started following me. I didn't even notice until my date left and I, uhm...showed her one more painting, but then I insisted that she meet you first."
"You promised we'd look at the rest," Susan said, taking his hand.
Her uncle turned from her back to Rodney.
"She refused to go," Rodney said defensively.
Susan's uncle looked between them again, then sighed and said, "All right, if you promised."
"Obviously, if you need to-" Rodney began only to be interrupted by Susan.
"You promised!" Then she started dragging him back to the exhibit.
Her uncle followed, trying to place Susan's sister, who'd gone from crying to sleepy after the return of Susan, in a stroller. That attempt was met with protest, however, so Uncle John kept her in his arms and pushed the stroller after Susan and Rodney.
On Susan's insistence, Rodney explained what was wrong with each of the paintings in the exhibit. He still didn't think she was able to follow, but her uncle obviously was. When he pointed out an additional inaccuracy that Rodney hadn't even thought of, Rodney couldn't help taking a closer look at the man.
His hair looked absolutely ridiculous, but Rodney couldn't deny that he was attractive, and he'd proven himself not to be an idiot. "So, are you looking after your nieces alone or is there someone to help?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
John's look told him that he'd probably missed the mark.
"He doesn't need help," Susan said.
Rodney thought about the scene earlier, but refrained from commenting on that. "So you're all alone," he added in hope of an answer to what he really wanted to know.
"He's here with us," Susan said, frowning.
"I think Rodney means if I'm married or in a relationship," John said, smirking.
Rodney flushed but didn't deny it.
"Uncle John doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment," Susan said.
Rodney couldn't help the pleased smile that spread over his face. Not that this meant that anything was going to happen between them necessarily.
They continued on until they reached the last of the paintings in the exhibit.
"That was very...interesting," John said with a smile that suggested he wasn't only talking about what Rodney had said.
Rodney flushed again.
"Don't you want to thank Rodney for his time?" John asked Susan.
"Thank you, Rodney," Susan said. "You should come with us when we go to the zoo next weekend."
Rodney looked at John.
"If you have time," John said quietly, rocking Susan's sister who was all but asleep by now.
"Sure," Rodney heard himself saying. He didn't have any idea if he had plans for next weekend, but he didn't want to miss a chance to meet them again.
~~
Rodney didn't know that hanging out with two kids could be so much fun. Though he enjoyed himself even more when a week after their visit to the zoo he went out with John alone, and the day after, when they stayed in. After that they didn't stick to weekends and started seeing each other as often as they could-alone and sometimes with the kids.
Even years later, Susan was incredibly proud that she'd found Rodney for John. Rodney never told her it was as much coincidence that they ended up as a couple as the science that was implied in the paintings of the exhibit.
After all, this particular coincidence enriched his life as much as science.
Author: velocitygrass
Pairing: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: G
Warnings/Content notes: ( skip) None of the standard warnings apply
Spoilers: vague season 4
Word count: 1421
Summary: When his date leaves Rodney at an exhibit she suggested in the first place, he meets a young girl with a lot of curiosity, a little sister, and a dark-haired, handsome uncle.
Note: Also available at AO3. Another story featuring Susan Sheppard because I don't get tired of her and Rodney interacting. There's also a Claire cameo ;)
Desperately Seeking Susan
"Which makes this an interest anecdote at best, but not a prediction, let alone visionary," Rodney finished, waiting for Annette to agree with his irrefutable argument.
Annette only watched him. Rodney was about to repeat what he'd said when she stopped him, saying, "I need to be...somewhere not here."
"Oh," Rodney said. "You didn't mention that you had other plans for today."
"You didn't mention that your idea of a date was judging the scientific accuracy of historic paintings which were obviously picked to spark interest, not to serve as a text book," Annette said. "Goodbye, Rodney. I'm sure you're a great guy. Just not for me." She gave him a quick smile and then made an equally quick exit.
Rodney stared after her. He had no idea what had just happened. It had been Annette's idea to go to the museum on their date and take a look at the exhibit "Visions of Science-Predictors of the Future in the Past". Surely the purpose of that had been to pick apart the tenuous-if it existed at all-relation to science depicted in the paintings.
"What's wrong with this one?"
Rodney turned to the source of the voice, a young girl with dark hair in a garish purple dress, who was pointing at the next image in the exhibition.
Rodney looked left and right, but there didn't seem to be an adult with her.
"What's wrong with this one?" she repeated. "If the others are wrong, this one must be too."
"It doesn't have to be, but as a matter of fact," he started into an explanation about the scientific failure in the next image and the girl listened intently. Rodney was pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to grasp what he'd said, but she nodded, then went on.
"And this one?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Where are your parents?" Rodney asked.
"They're on their second honeymoon in Paris," she answered.
"I'm sure you're here with someone," Rodney said, because she certainly didn't look old enough to take a trip to the museum alone.
"Of course I am, silly. My Uncle John took me and my sister."
Rodney frowned. Nobody called him silly without getting at least a glare. "Where is your Uncle John?"
"Oh, he was looking for a place to change Claire," the girl said, obviously unconcerned.
"So you just walked off?" Rodney asked.
"I don't know where the changing room is," she said with a shrug. "Then I heard you yell at the lady and came over."
"I wasn't yelling at her," Rodney said.
The girl gave him a look.
"I was merely explaining to her that it's disingenuous to attribute some kind of precognitive power to something that is obviously coincidence."
"You like long words, don't you?" the girl asked.
Rodney frowned again. "Don't you think your uncle is looking for you?"
"No. We set up a meeting place if we get lost," the girl said.
"Well, don't you want to go there?" Rodney asked.
"But we're not finished!" she said, pointing at the rest of the paintings in the exhibit.
"Since when have you been following me?" Rodney asked.
The girl walked back from where they'd come from, going past several paintings into the previous room until she stopped and pointed at one. "This one," she said with a smile.
It must have been at least half an hour since he'd left the stop, probably more. "I'm sure your uncle is looking for you." The last thing that he wanted after his failure of a date was having to face a hysterical uncle who'd accuse him of kidnapping his niece.
"Okay, but we have to come back here, so you can explain the rest," the girl said. When Rodney didn't say anything, she crossed her arms and pouted.
"Okay, fine," he said.
She smiled widely and started walking away. "Are you coming?" she asked when he didn't immediately follow.
"Apparently," he said under his breath, then went after her.
When they approached a large mounted bear, a loud "Susan!" rang through the hall, and the girl was snatched into the arms of a dark-haired man who was also carrying a crying toddler.
The girl-Susan-turned to Rodney, looking slightly annoyed. "I'm fine, Uncle John," she said, padding the man on the back.
The man pulled back. "Where did you go? I told you not to walk too far."
"I was right here!" she said. "In the museum," she added after a moment.
Her uncle gave her a stern look, but obviously relief won out, and he gave her a another quick hug, before saying, "We can go home now."
"No, we can't," Susan said, stepping closer to Rodney. "We have to finish the paintings. Rodney is telling me all that's wrong with them."
Susan's uncle turned to Rodney as if he was seeing him for the first time.
"Uhm," Rodney said. "I just...I was here on a date, but she- Well, that's neither here nor there. Your niece started following me. I didn't even notice until my date left and I, uhm...showed her one more painting, but then I insisted that she meet you first."
"You promised we'd look at the rest," Susan said, taking his hand.
Her uncle turned from her back to Rodney.
"She refused to go," Rodney said defensively.
Susan's uncle looked between them again, then sighed and said, "All right, if you promised."
"Obviously, if you need to-" Rodney began only to be interrupted by Susan.
"You promised!" Then she started dragging him back to the exhibit.
Her uncle followed, trying to place Susan's sister, who'd gone from crying to sleepy after the return of Susan, in a stroller. That attempt was met with protest, however, so Uncle John kept her in his arms and pushed the stroller after Susan and Rodney.
On Susan's insistence, Rodney explained what was wrong with each of the paintings in the exhibit. He still didn't think she was able to follow, but her uncle obviously was. When he pointed out an additional inaccuracy that Rodney hadn't even thought of, Rodney couldn't help taking a closer look at the man.
His hair looked absolutely ridiculous, but Rodney couldn't deny that he was attractive, and he'd proven himself not to be an idiot. "So, are you looking after your nieces alone or is there someone to help?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
John's look told him that he'd probably missed the mark.
"He doesn't need help," Susan said.
Rodney thought about the scene earlier, but refrained from commenting on that. "So you're all alone," he added in hope of an answer to what he really wanted to know.
"He's here with us," Susan said, frowning.
"I think Rodney means if I'm married or in a relationship," John said, smirking.
Rodney flushed but didn't deny it.
"Uncle John doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment," Susan said.
Rodney couldn't help the pleased smile that spread over his face. Not that this meant that anything was going to happen between them necessarily.
They continued on until they reached the last of the paintings in the exhibit.
"That was very...interesting," John said with a smile that suggested he wasn't only talking about what Rodney had said.
Rodney flushed again.
"Don't you want to thank Rodney for his time?" John asked Susan.
"Thank you, Rodney," Susan said. "You should come with us when we go to the zoo next weekend."
Rodney looked at John.
"If you have time," John said quietly, rocking Susan's sister who was all but asleep by now.
"Sure," Rodney heard himself saying. He didn't have any idea if he had plans for next weekend, but he didn't want to miss a chance to meet them again.
~~
Rodney didn't know that hanging out with two kids could be so much fun. Though he enjoyed himself even more when a week after their visit to the zoo he went out with John alone, and the day after, when they stayed in. After that they didn't stick to weekends and started seeing each other as often as they could-alone and sometimes with the kids.
Even years later, Susan was incredibly proud that she'd found Rodney for John. Rodney never told her it was as much coincidence that they ended up as a couple as the science that was implied in the paintings of the exhibit.
After all, this particular coincidence enriched his life as much as science.