Absolution by featherjean
Title: Absolution
Author: featherjean
Pairing: John/Elizabeth
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,349
Spoilers: None
Summary: An insult must be rectified.
Notes: I swear it was going to be gen. And then it wasn't. This could have been much longer, but I wanted to keep it close to the "word limit." First sga_flashfic submission! I love challenges. :D
Elizabeth Weir surveyed the four people seated with her at the conference room table, assessing their moods. Sheppard seemed almost restless, as though he didn’t know what he felt - and was avoiding figuring it out. McKay was clearly uncomfortable, if his constant fidgeting was any indication. Ford was patently embarrassed, but with an edge of anger. Teyla mostly seemed resigned, though her eyes kept flicking over to Ford.
Elizabeth fixed her gaze to Sheppard. “Major, your team was due to spend the night with the Jacarians. What happened?”
The major shifted, crossing his arms across his chest. “They kicked us out,” he said by way of explanation.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, waiting for more information. When it wasn’t forthcoming, she pressed with, “Why?”
Sheppard didn’t look at his team, but his eyes didn’t meet hers, either. “Apparently, we offended them.”
When no further information followed, she nearly sighed. This is like pulling teeth. “How?” she asked, keeping the edge of impatience out of her voice (she hoped).
Sheppard grimaced, glancing over to McKay, who took a breath but seemed unable to speak. Ford looked like he was trying his best to be invisible. Finally, Teyla came to their rescue.
“The Jacarians are a very… sexual people,” she said delicately. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, her heart sinking. The Athosian woman continued. “We had noticed it in their artwork, which is widely displayed throughout the city. Unfortunately, we did not understand how deeply a part of their culture it is.”
Sheppard took up the tale. “After dinner - we were eating in this big hall - “entertainers” came in. We thought they were dancers, or at least, I did.” He shook his head. “They weren’t.”
“I see,” Elizabeth murmured. It wasn’t the strangest custom she’d heard of, but she didn’t blame her team for their discomfort. “And the insult?” she had to ask.
“I left.” Ford finally spoke. He raised his head, and Elizabeth saw the emotions clashing in his eyes: guilt, embarrassment, defiance. They choked his voice. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I couldn’t just sit there and watch that!”
“I know, and I don’t blame you for that,” Elizabeth reassured him swiftly. “If something offends you, you have every right to get away from it.” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully so as not to insult the young man. “We will still continue to have dealings with these people, but I think I can excuse you from further contact.” She held up a hand to stop his automatic protest. “It’s my job to see that my people are appropriately distributed. I’d rather have you here, doing something you’re comfortable with.”
Ford’s shoulders slumped, out of defeat or relief or some combination of the two. “Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly.
Elizabeth nodded, satisfied. “Good.” She smiled, gently suggesting, “Why don’t you go get some rest?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said again, rising. He left without a glance at his teammates.
Elizabeth turned back to Sheppard, eyebrows raised.
The major shrugged. “After he got up and left, the Jacarians got upset. We were ushered out, and it was made clear we were no longer welcome. I tried to calm them down, but anything I said seemed to make it worse.”
Elizabeth forbore to comment on that. Instead, she asked, “Do you think they’ll be open to further negotiations? For that matter, do you think an alliance is still worth pursuing?”
“Oh, definitely.” McKay spoke for the first time. He’d stopped fidgeting, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes for any length of time. “They’re, um, very friendly, for the most part.”
“Friendly. I’m sure they are.”
Sheppard gave the scientist an exasperated look. “If you can get them calmed down, they’d be good to have on our side,” he said to Elizabeth.
She nodded, satisfied. “Okay, then. We’re going back.”
“We?” He automatically started to protest, but quieted down at a look from Elizabeth.
“Let’s go.”
**
They sat at a table with the Jacarian diplomatic delegation. McKay had begged off returning to the planet, for whatever reason, so Elizabeth and Sheppard were on their own. Elizabeth immediately took charge of the meeting.
“First, let me say that I am deeply sorry that my officer offended you. He is young and very firm in some of his beliefs - which are very different from yours. I would hope that you would not hold that against him, or us.”
Ekjara, the lead Jacarian delegate, looked troubled. “Do you share his beliefs?”
Elizabeth smiled slightly. “I pride myself on being flexible. I learned long ago that what works for one culture doesn’t necessarily work for another, and who am I to say what’s right or wrong?”
Ekjara, looking convinced, conferred with his compatriots. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, hoping she hid her satisfaction well. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Sheppard’s impressed look. She felt a warm glow at that despite herself.
Ekjara caught her attention again. “We understand the situation, and we would be glad to continue negotiations. However…” He sighed. “I would be content to leave it at that, but some feel that the insult must somehow be corrected.”
Elizabeth leaned forward. “What can we do?”
The Jacarian man looked surprised. “Well, ideally, the one who committed the offense would be the one to clear it.”
“As his superior, I would take his place, if that’s acceptable,” Elizabeth said.
“It is.”
Sheppard sat bolt upright. “But you don’t even know what you’ll have to do!”
Elizabeth glanced at him, her look firmly telling him to be quiet. Looking back at Ekjara, she gestured for him to continue.
The Jacarian shrugged. “To make up for walking out of a performance, you agree to perform in the next night’s entertainment.”
Elizabeth was too skilled a diplomat to show any reaction. Beside her, Sheppard choked, but mercifully kept his mouth shut. Carefully, she asked, “With whom?”
“Me.”
Her head snapped around so fast she was afraid she’d get whiplash. So much for keeping his mouth shut. “John?” She hated that her voice shook with her surprise, with the sudden and unexpected rush of feelings that overtook her.
“That is acceptable.” Elizabeth barely heard Ekjara’s agreement. She just stared at the major, her friend, her partner.
He looked back at her steadily. “I’m not letting any of them touch you.” His voice was low, the statement matter-of-fact.
“We need to discuss this. Privately.” She addressed her words to Ekjara, but her gaze never left Sheppard’s.
But when they were alone, she suddenly clammed up. What could she say to his offer? No, not offer. Insistence. She saw in his eyes that he wouldn’t yield - though she suspected he would if she indicated that she didn’t want him.
And that, she realized, wasn’t true. She did want him.
“I - ” She spoke without thinking, nearly betraying her thoughts before she choked off the words. After a moment longer, she asked, “Why?”
He took a breath. “It’s bad enough, thinking of them watching you. The thought of you with any - any of them…” He pressed his lips together. “The thought of you with anyone else tears me up.”
His honesty stunned her. For a long moment, she stared at him, unable to speak. Then he started to pull away, taking her silence as rejection. She couldn’t let him think that, so she did the only thing she could.
She kissed him.
One of his hands was buried in her hair by the time they parted. She rested her forehead on his, catching her breath. She couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could he.
A chuckle escaped him. “So I guess you don’t object.”
“Mm, no.” She ran her fingers through his hair, and he relaxed into it, practically purring. Talk about distracting. She dragged her thoughts back to the problem at hand. “You do realize they’ll be watching us, right?” she asked, fighting back a sudden blush.
He lifted his head to look into her eyes. His smile was tender. “I somehow don’t think I’ll have a problem forgetting they’re there.”
What could she do but kiss him again?
~ End ~
Author: featherjean
Pairing: John/Elizabeth
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,349
Spoilers: None
Summary: An insult must be rectified.
Notes: I swear it was going to be gen. And then it wasn't. This could have been much longer, but I wanted to keep it close to the "word limit." First sga_flashfic submission! I love challenges. :D
Elizabeth Weir surveyed the four people seated with her at the conference room table, assessing their moods. Sheppard seemed almost restless, as though he didn’t know what he felt - and was avoiding figuring it out. McKay was clearly uncomfortable, if his constant fidgeting was any indication. Ford was patently embarrassed, but with an edge of anger. Teyla mostly seemed resigned, though her eyes kept flicking over to Ford.
Elizabeth fixed her gaze to Sheppard. “Major, your team was due to spend the night with the Jacarians. What happened?”
The major shifted, crossing his arms across his chest. “They kicked us out,” he said by way of explanation.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, waiting for more information. When it wasn’t forthcoming, she pressed with, “Why?”
Sheppard didn’t look at his team, but his eyes didn’t meet hers, either. “Apparently, we offended them.”
When no further information followed, she nearly sighed. This is like pulling teeth. “How?” she asked, keeping the edge of impatience out of her voice (she hoped).
Sheppard grimaced, glancing over to McKay, who took a breath but seemed unable to speak. Ford looked like he was trying his best to be invisible. Finally, Teyla came to their rescue.
“The Jacarians are a very… sexual people,” she said delicately. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, her heart sinking. The Athosian woman continued. “We had noticed it in their artwork, which is widely displayed throughout the city. Unfortunately, we did not understand how deeply a part of their culture it is.”
Sheppard took up the tale. “After dinner - we were eating in this big hall - “entertainers” came in. We thought they were dancers, or at least, I did.” He shook his head. “They weren’t.”
“I see,” Elizabeth murmured. It wasn’t the strangest custom she’d heard of, but she didn’t blame her team for their discomfort. “And the insult?” she had to ask.
“I left.” Ford finally spoke. He raised his head, and Elizabeth saw the emotions clashing in his eyes: guilt, embarrassment, defiance. They choked his voice. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I couldn’t just sit there and watch that!”
“I know, and I don’t blame you for that,” Elizabeth reassured him swiftly. “If something offends you, you have every right to get away from it.” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully so as not to insult the young man. “We will still continue to have dealings with these people, but I think I can excuse you from further contact.” She held up a hand to stop his automatic protest. “It’s my job to see that my people are appropriately distributed. I’d rather have you here, doing something you’re comfortable with.”
Ford’s shoulders slumped, out of defeat or relief or some combination of the two. “Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly.
Elizabeth nodded, satisfied. “Good.” She smiled, gently suggesting, “Why don’t you go get some rest?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said again, rising. He left without a glance at his teammates.
Elizabeth turned back to Sheppard, eyebrows raised.
The major shrugged. “After he got up and left, the Jacarians got upset. We were ushered out, and it was made clear we were no longer welcome. I tried to calm them down, but anything I said seemed to make it worse.”
Elizabeth forbore to comment on that. Instead, she asked, “Do you think they’ll be open to further negotiations? For that matter, do you think an alliance is still worth pursuing?”
“Oh, definitely.” McKay spoke for the first time. He’d stopped fidgeting, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes for any length of time. “They’re, um, very friendly, for the most part.”
“Friendly. I’m sure they are.”
Sheppard gave the scientist an exasperated look. “If you can get them calmed down, they’d be good to have on our side,” he said to Elizabeth.
She nodded, satisfied. “Okay, then. We’re going back.”
“We?” He automatically started to protest, but quieted down at a look from Elizabeth.
“Let’s go.”
**
They sat at a table with the Jacarian diplomatic delegation. McKay had begged off returning to the planet, for whatever reason, so Elizabeth and Sheppard were on their own. Elizabeth immediately took charge of the meeting.
“First, let me say that I am deeply sorry that my officer offended you. He is young and very firm in some of his beliefs - which are very different from yours. I would hope that you would not hold that against him, or us.”
Ekjara, the lead Jacarian delegate, looked troubled. “Do you share his beliefs?”
Elizabeth smiled slightly. “I pride myself on being flexible. I learned long ago that what works for one culture doesn’t necessarily work for another, and who am I to say what’s right or wrong?”
Ekjara, looking convinced, conferred with his compatriots. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, hoping she hid her satisfaction well. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Sheppard’s impressed look. She felt a warm glow at that despite herself.
Ekjara caught her attention again. “We understand the situation, and we would be glad to continue negotiations. However…” He sighed. “I would be content to leave it at that, but some feel that the insult must somehow be corrected.”
Elizabeth leaned forward. “What can we do?”
The Jacarian man looked surprised. “Well, ideally, the one who committed the offense would be the one to clear it.”
“As his superior, I would take his place, if that’s acceptable,” Elizabeth said.
“It is.”
Sheppard sat bolt upright. “But you don’t even know what you’ll have to do!”
Elizabeth glanced at him, her look firmly telling him to be quiet. Looking back at Ekjara, she gestured for him to continue.
The Jacarian shrugged. “To make up for walking out of a performance, you agree to perform in the next night’s entertainment.”
Elizabeth was too skilled a diplomat to show any reaction. Beside her, Sheppard choked, but mercifully kept his mouth shut. Carefully, she asked, “With whom?”
“Me.”
Her head snapped around so fast she was afraid she’d get whiplash. So much for keeping his mouth shut. “John?” She hated that her voice shook with her surprise, with the sudden and unexpected rush of feelings that overtook her.
“That is acceptable.” Elizabeth barely heard Ekjara’s agreement. She just stared at the major, her friend, her partner.
He looked back at her steadily. “I’m not letting any of them touch you.” His voice was low, the statement matter-of-fact.
“We need to discuss this. Privately.” She addressed her words to Ekjara, but her gaze never left Sheppard’s.
But when they were alone, she suddenly clammed up. What could she say to his offer? No, not offer. Insistence. She saw in his eyes that he wouldn’t yield - though she suspected he would if she indicated that she didn’t want him.
And that, she realized, wasn’t true. She did want him.
“I - ” She spoke without thinking, nearly betraying her thoughts before she choked off the words. After a moment longer, she asked, “Why?”
He took a breath. “It’s bad enough, thinking of them watching you. The thought of you with any - any of them…” He pressed his lips together. “The thought of you with anyone else tears me up.”
His honesty stunned her. For a long moment, she stared at him, unable to speak. Then he started to pull away, taking her silence as rejection. She couldn’t let him think that, so she did the only thing she could.
She kissed him.
One of his hands was buried in her hair by the time they parted. She rested her forehead on his, catching her breath. She couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could he.
A chuckle escaped him. “So I guess you don’t object.”
“Mm, no.” She ran her fingers through his hair, and he relaxed into it, practically purring. Talk about distracting. She dragged her thoughts back to the problem at hand. “You do realize they’ll be watching us, right?” she asked, fighting back a sudden blush.
He lifted his head to look into her eyes. His smile was tender. “I somehow don’t think I’ll have a problem forgetting they’re there.”
What could she do but kiss him again?
~ End ~