Cowboys and Colonels
Title: COWBOYS AND COLONELS
Author: stella_pegasi
Rating: PG, Gen
Character(s): John Sheppard, Evan Lorne
Spoilers: Tag to S4: Tabula Rasa
Word count: 699
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary: Boys just want to be cowboys.
Written for stargateland's Ray, A Guy Who Buys Some Twinkies song lyric challenge. Song chosen: Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys. sung by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
YouTube Vid of Willie and Waylon
COWBOYS AND COLONELS
By stella_pegasi
John Sheppard leaned back, his feet resting on the wire railing that enclosed the mess hall patio. Dr. Keller had released him from the infirmary during the afternoon, restricting him to quarters, but near midnight, after several hours of being sequestered, he decided he needed a change of scenery and some fresh air. On a whim, he grabbed his guitar and headed for the mess hall, with its outdoor patio and an endless supply of coffee.
The night sky was clear; a balmy breeze carried salty spray across the patio, as Sheppard finished his second cup of coffee. His thoughts remained a bit fuzzy, a residual effect of the Kirsan fever that had spread through Atlantis. He sighed deeply; a freaking Pegasus childhood disease had cost lives, and would have cost more if Teyla and Ronon hadn't been immune, and known that the cure was a weed, the Enchuri plant. Now Atlantis' crew was attempting to pick up the pieces but everything felt surreal; at least, that was how it felt to him. Absently, he sat the empty mug behind him on the table and reached for his guitar.
Sheppard strummed softly, not even aware of the song he was playing. He had resisted bringing the guitar out of his quarters before, not wanting to reveal that part of himself, but for some reason, he felt a need to play. The music just seemed to flow from his fingers, and the lyrics began to play in his head,
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks…
"Colonel…I didn't know you played the guitar."
Sheppard's head snapped around to find Evan Lorne standing next to him, "Major…I see Keller let you out of her dungeon as well."
"Yes, sir; said to rest in my quarters, but I was too keyed up to stay put."
"Sit down; you still feeling the effects of the stimulants?"
"Yeah, my skin is tingling, but I'm better. Hell of a few days, sir."
"You could say that."
"That song…Waylon and Willie's 'Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys?'"
Sheppard nodded and strummed a few more bars. Lorne continued, "Love me some Waylon and Willie. When did you start playing the guitar, sir?"
"When I was about twelve; ended up spending a summer on a cattle ranch in Wyoming. One of the hands played guitar; at night, we'd sit around a roaring campfire, and he would entertain us. I thought it would be cool to play and asked him to teach me."
"That sounds like fun, spending a summer on a ranch."
Sheppard scoffed, "My father's idea of punishment for what he considered my insolence. I went to work on a cattle ranch while he and my brother went to Europe. I'm pretty certain I had more fun than they did, but I never let my father know."
"I always wanted to do that, hang around a cattle ranch. Loved westerns when I was a kid; pestered my parents for a horse."
"Did you get one?" Sheppard continued to strum the guitar strings.
"Uh…no…they reminded me that it was a bit hard to keep a horse on a hill in San Francisco."
"They had a point."
"I recognize that now but then…I was pissed. How about you, did you like westerns?"
"Never missed reruns of Maverick and High Chaparral, loved those two shows. Always fancied myself as a cowboy, riding a horse off into the sunset," he sighed, "There are still days when I think I might like to be a cowboy when I grow up. I thought about it simply to make my father angry. However, the Air Force won out, and I still pissed him off."
"But isn't that what we are, colonel, cowboys?"
"Why do you think that?"
Lorne snickered, "Well, we sure aren't 'doctors and lawyers and such.' We carry 'six-shooters, ride horses, if you can imagine jumpers as horses, and we chase Wraith, 'the rustlers. Kind of makes us cowboys, don’t you think?"
Sheppard played a few more bars, then replied, "Yeah…I think we might just be cowboys, after all."
New Atlantia's twin visible moons chased each other across the sky, as Sheppard continued to play the guitar, while he and Lorne gazed at the Atlantis skyline dreaming of being cowboys.
Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
They'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold
And they'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levi's each night begins a new day
And if you don't understand him and he don't die young
He'll probably just ride away
Song Lyrics Here
Author: stella_pegasi
Rating: PG, Gen
Character(s): John Sheppard, Evan Lorne
Spoilers: Tag to S4: Tabula Rasa
Word count: 699
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary: Boys just want to be cowboys.
Written for stargateland's Ray, A Guy Who Buys Some Twinkies song lyric challenge. Song chosen: Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys. sung by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
YouTube Vid of Willie and Waylon
COWBOYS AND COLONELS
By stella_pegasi
John Sheppard leaned back, his feet resting on the wire railing that enclosed the mess hall patio. Dr. Keller had released him from the infirmary during the afternoon, restricting him to quarters, but near midnight, after several hours of being sequestered, he decided he needed a change of scenery and some fresh air. On a whim, he grabbed his guitar and headed for the mess hall, with its outdoor patio and an endless supply of coffee.
The night sky was clear; a balmy breeze carried salty spray across the patio, as Sheppard finished his second cup of coffee. His thoughts remained a bit fuzzy, a residual effect of the Kirsan fever that had spread through Atlantis. He sighed deeply; a freaking Pegasus childhood disease had cost lives, and would have cost more if Teyla and Ronon hadn't been immune, and known that the cure was a weed, the Enchuri plant. Now Atlantis' crew was attempting to pick up the pieces but everything felt surreal; at least, that was how it felt to him. Absently, he sat the empty mug behind him on the table and reached for his guitar.
Sheppard strummed softly, not even aware of the song he was playing. He had resisted bringing the guitar out of his quarters before, not wanting to reveal that part of himself, but for some reason, he felt a need to play. The music just seemed to flow from his fingers, and the lyrics began to play in his head,
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks…
"Colonel…I didn't know you played the guitar."
Sheppard's head snapped around to find Evan Lorne standing next to him, "Major…I see Keller let you out of her dungeon as well."
"Yes, sir; said to rest in my quarters, but I was too keyed up to stay put."
"Sit down; you still feeling the effects of the stimulants?"
"Yeah, my skin is tingling, but I'm better. Hell of a few days, sir."
"You could say that."
"That song…Waylon and Willie's 'Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys?'"
Sheppard nodded and strummed a few more bars. Lorne continued, "Love me some Waylon and Willie. When did you start playing the guitar, sir?"
"When I was about twelve; ended up spending a summer on a cattle ranch in Wyoming. One of the hands played guitar; at night, we'd sit around a roaring campfire, and he would entertain us. I thought it would be cool to play and asked him to teach me."
"That sounds like fun, spending a summer on a ranch."
Sheppard scoffed, "My father's idea of punishment for what he considered my insolence. I went to work on a cattle ranch while he and my brother went to Europe. I'm pretty certain I had more fun than they did, but I never let my father know."
"I always wanted to do that, hang around a cattle ranch. Loved westerns when I was a kid; pestered my parents for a horse."
"Did you get one?" Sheppard continued to strum the guitar strings.
"Uh…no…they reminded me that it was a bit hard to keep a horse on a hill in San Francisco."
"They had a point."
"I recognize that now but then…I was pissed. How about you, did you like westerns?"
"Never missed reruns of Maverick and High Chaparral, loved those two shows. Always fancied myself as a cowboy, riding a horse off into the sunset," he sighed, "There are still days when I think I might like to be a cowboy when I grow up. I thought about it simply to make my father angry. However, the Air Force won out, and I still pissed him off."
"But isn't that what we are, colonel, cowboys?"
"Why do you think that?"
Lorne snickered, "Well, we sure aren't 'doctors and lawyers and such.' We carry 'six-shooters, ride horses, if you can imagine jumpers as horses, and we chase Wraith, 'the rustlers. Kind of makes us cowboys, don’t you think?"
Sheppard played a few more bars, then replied, "Yeah…I think we might just be cowboys, after all."
New Atlantia's twin visible moons chased each other across the sky, as Sheppard continued to play the guitar, while he and Lorne gazed at the Atlantis skyline dreaming of being cowboys.
Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
They'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold
And they'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levi's each night begins a new day
And if you don't understand him and he don't die young
He'll probably just ride away
Song Lyrics Here