She was scarier than he'd thought she'd be.
Rodney had visited several of the huts around the smaller waterfall before realizing Sheppard might have meant the larger one, and as luck would have it, the first door he knocked on this time was answered by a tall woman with wavy blonde-brown hair, blue eyes and the un-friendliest look he'd ever seen.
This might have been attributed to the gun she was holding.
"What?" Alice asked, and if she sounded aggressive, it was only because she'd been interrupted cleaning her guns. It was her private, relaxing time. She didn't like being interrupted, least of all by a nerdy-looking guy whose hairline looked as if it had seen better days. Fuller days, anyway.
"Er," Rodney said. He hesitated. Might as well get on with it, then. "Are you Alice?"
"Yes," Alice answered. She peered at him. "Wait, you're John's friend, aren't you? I've seen you before." She relaxed, imperceptibly. Now she knew who he was she could guess at why he was here. But that didn't make her much happier about it.
Rodney nodded, and swallowed. "Um," he said. He wasn't sure how to go about this whole...situation. He had come here, ostensibly, to work out Alice's intentions towards his best friend, but it occurred to him as he stared at her and she ran a cloth over the barrel of her gun that she might not tell him. "Can I...talk to you for a minute? It's about Sheppard. John, I mean."
Alice looked amused. Wasn't it the man who usually got interrogated when he entered a relationship with a woman? Then she looked slightly worried. Was it a relationship? Neither of them had really talked about it in those terms. Still, having his best friend come around to 'talk' to her was a pretty fucking good indication. "Okay," she said, leaning against the doorframe. "Talk."
Not exactly majorly promising, but better than a 'Go away'. Rodney steeled himself. "See, the thing about John is...the thing about John is, he's kind of...I suppose you'd call him 'emotionally challenged'," he decided. "He's not good with relationships. Women in general, really. The four years we were on Atlantis he never held down one single stable relationship. Also, he's been married once, and, well, you can see how that turned out." He paused to draw a breath and evaluate Alice's reaction. She hadn't so much as moved or blinked through the whole spiel. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is-"
"You're trying to warn me." Alice spoke so suddenly Rodney nearly jumped. "I get it. You're trying to warn me not to hurt him, and try to scare me off at the same time." She smiled a little. "I get what you're trying to do - McKay, wasn't it? - but trust me. I'm the last person who needs warning. As for the scaring part, well...you're not doing a very good job so far."
Looking torn, Rodney hesitated again. This hadn't as gone as well as he'd hoped, but it had gone about as well as he expected. "Okay," he said. "I just thought I should...say something."
"And now you have," Alice said. She softened a little. "I'm sure John would appreciate what you're trying to do," she said, in a slightly gentler voice. But only slightly. "But let us work out the details, okay?" If there was an 'us'.
Rodney nodded. "Right," he said, straightening up. He took a step back. "I'll see you around?"
Alice was already closing the door. "Maybe," she said with the ghost of a smile, an instant before it shut, and she went back to cleaning her guns in a slightly more thoughtful mood than usual.
This might have been attributed to the gun she was holding.
"What?" Alice asked, and if she sounded aggressive, it was only because she'd been interrupted cleaning her guns. It was her private, relaxing time. She didn't like being interrupted, least of all by a nerdy-looking guy whose hairline looked as if it had seen better days. Fuller days, anyway.
"Er," Rodney said. He hesitated. Might as well get on with it, then. "Are you Alice?"
"Yes," Alice answered. She peered at him. "Wait, you're John's friend, aren't you? I've seen you before." She relaxed, imperceptibly. Now she knew who he was she could guess at why he was here. But that didn't make her much happier about it.
Rodney nodded, and swallowed. "Um," he said. He wasn't sure how to go about this whole...situation. He had come here, ostensibly, to work out Alice's intentions towards his best friend, but it occurred to him as he stared at her and she ran a cloth over the barrel of her gun that she might not tell him. "Can I...talk to you for a minute? It's about Sheppard. John, I mean."
Alice looked amused. Wasn't it the man who usually got interrogated when he entered a relationship with a woman? Then she looked slightly worried. Was it a relationship? Neither of them had really talked about it in those terms. Still, having his best friend come around to 'talk' to her was a pretty fucking good indication. "Okay," she said, leaning against the doorframe. "Talk."
Not exactly majorly promising, but better than a 'Go away'. Rodney steeled himself. "See, the thing about John is...the thing about John is, he's kind of...I suppose you'd call him 'emotionally challenged'," he decided. "He's not good with relationships. Women in general, really. The four years we were on Atlantis he never held down one single stable relationship. Also, he's been married once, and, well, you can see how that turned out." He paused to draw a breath and evaluate Alice's reaction. She hadn't so much as moved or blinked through the whole spiel. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is-"
"You're trying to warn me." Alice spoke so suddenly Rodney nearly jumped. "I get it. You're trying to warn me not to hurt him, and try to scare me off at the same time." She smiled a little. "I get what you're trying to do - McKay, wasn't it? - but trust me. I'm the last person who needs warning. As for the scaring part, well...you're not doing a very good job so far."
Looking torn, Rodney hesitated again. This hadn't as gone as well as he'd hoped, but it had gone about as well as he expected. "Okay," he said. "I just thought I should...say something."
"And now you have," Alice said. She softened a little. "I'm sure John would appreciate what you're trying to do," she said, in a slightly gentler voice. But only slightly. "But let us work out the details, okay?" If there was an 'us'.
Rodney nodded. "Right," he said, straightening up. He took a step back. "I'll see you around?"
Alice was already closing the door. "Maybe," she said with the ghost of a smile, an instant before it shut, and she went back to cleaning her guns in a slightly more thoughtful mood than usual.