little ficpost: "Stronger Every Day"
Title: "Stronger Every Day"
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: Weir by herself, with Sheppard/Weir overtones
Rating: G
Spoilers: Through "Letters From Pegasus"
Notes: For mylittleredgirl, who needed fluff. This can quite accurately be called indulgence fic. It was inspired by her default icon (image behind the cut), made by liminalliz.
Summary: Elizabeth's work is never done; at the end of a long day tiny duties continue to assault her.
Stronger Every Day
When Elizabeth Weir stood up at the end of the day, she could feel tension flowing out of her, dripping through her arms down onto her desk, where it would stay, quiet and insidious, lurking on her desk, ready to infiltrate her defenses as soon as she started work the next morning. But now it was evening, and the stresses of each hour were sufficient thereto. Without bothering to clean up her desk, she left her office and made her way through the city, greeting its inhabitants with smiles and personal questions about the work they were doing. There was Rodney, wound as tightly as she was, with a question about energy allocations. There was Lieutenant Ford, leaning over a balcony and staring into nowhere. She put her hand on his shoulder gently.
"All right, Lieutenant?"
"Oh, yes ma'am. Just -- just thinking."
She smiled a little, patted his shoulder awkwardly, and continued on her rounds.
"Elizabeth!"
"John?"
"Just the woman I was looking for."
"What do you want?"
He winked almost imperceptibly. It might have been a twitch.. "We think you're working too hard," he said. "When the Wraith get here, you'll want to be at your strongest. You should get some rest."
"Oh? Is that so? And where do you propose I find the time to spare for this much-needed rest?"
He shrugged. "You're smart. You can figure something out."
She laughed at that, and reached for his hand in a tiny moment of weakness. He wrapped chapped fingers around her hand, squeezed gently, then let her go. Only half a second of contact, and immediately she was terrified, but a quick glance confirmed that they were alone, so she relaxed into another smile, a genuine one this time.
"'Night, Doctor."
"Good night, Major," she said, and watched him saunter off.
There were other tasks to be attended to -- there always were -- but she chose to ignore them for now, and found her way, exhausted, to the tiny suite of rooms that was her only refuge from the chaotic demands of the city. Her personal clock told her it was nighttime, but the city wouldn't sleep. Rodney might lie down for a brief nap in an hour or two, but she knew of at least three scientists who had gotten even less sleep than he. She was lucky that she could lie down for a good six and a half hours every night, relax into dreamless sleep.
Before she slipped out of her day clothes, though, Elizabeth sat on the edge of her bed and reached under her pillow, where she found her carefully rationed sheaf of stationary and an expensive pen, a gift on her last birthday before coming to Atlantis.
At first the letters had been addressed to Simon, but after they'd sent their messages to Earth, she'd felt more removed than ever from him. She could never give him her notes; he would never know about the work she was doing. Even if she did get home, did get the clearance to tell him everything, he wouldn't understand. He hadn't lived it. He couldn't know. She no longer wrote to Simon, but she did write, every night, in a tiny, cramped hand, to ensure that her paper would last a long time. Hand writing her journal, meticulous and neat, every night-- it kept her sane.
On days like today, it's hard to think of anything good, let alone five things, but even as we prepare for siege, there are plenty of small joys:
1. Teyla brought food from the mainland. The Athosians have bountiful fruit trees, and they were generous enough to share with us. Fresh fruit for breakfast to go with instant coffee: a rare treat. Sweet, juicy, apple-like fruits called kiyas, and a tough, nutty fruit called timmas. Both were delicious, and put everyone who ate with us in a good mood for the rest of the day.
2. I felt so much calmer today when intervening between Drs. Mendoza and Kline. I was trained for this kind of conflict management, although between nations, not individuals! It's sometimes hard to remember that there are things I'm good at, since so many of my duties are so a field from what I was expecting. Still, I think Madelyn and Ruben are both feeling better after we cleared the air, which will make our biological research go so much smoother.
3. A small thing, but I took a small break midday to breathe the fresh air, and was reminded once again how much I love our city, floating above this poor, abandoned planet -- the planet our friends are working to revitalize. Looking at our world, I cannot help but love it. This is why we fight.
4. I have the chance to rest tonight, for which I should be infinitely grateful. If it were possible to believe in God, I would thank Him for the hardworking scientists and soldiers who work round the clock to defend our city, especially for Rodney and for John. God, what would I do without them, without all my people -- my friends?
5. And on the subject of John -- well, even here, I shouldn't be too -- no, I will mention it. We met after I left my office today, and he told me to relax. I am so grateful that we have this much, even though, goodness knows, it's not enough. But he touched my hand, and he told me to sleep, and that will keep me going through another day. A day that begins only five hours from now, so I will finish this quickly.
Three things I did well today...
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: Weir by herself, with Sheppard/Weir overtones
Rating: G
Spoilers: Through "Letters From Pegasus"
Notes: For mylittleredgirl, who needed fluff. This can quite accurately be called indulgence fic. It was inspired by her default icon (image behind the cut), made by liminalliz.
Summary: Elizabeth's work is never done; at the end of a long day tiny duties continue to assault her.
Stronger Every Day
When Elizabeth Weir stood up at the end of the day, she could feel tension flowing out of her, dripping through her arms down onto her desk, where it would stay, quiet and insidious, lurking on her desk, ready to infiltrate her defenses as soon as she started work the next morning. But now it was evening, and the stresses of each hour were sufficient thereto. Without bothering to clean up her desk, she left her office and made her way through the city, greeting its inhabitants with smiles and personal questions about the work they were doing. There was Rodney, wound as tightly as she was, with a question about energy allocations. There was Lieutenant Ford, leaning over a balcony and staring into nowhere. She put her hand on his shoulder gently.
"All right, Lieutenant?"
"Oh, yes ma'am. Just -- just thinking."
She smiled a little, patted his shoulder awkwardly, and continued on her rounds.
"Elizabeth!"
"John?"
"Just the woman I was looking for."
"What do you want?"
He winked almost imperceptibly. It might have been a twitch.. "We think you're working too hard," he said. "When the Wraith get here, you'll want to be at your strongest. You should get some rest."
"Oh? Is that so? And where do you propose I find the time to spare for this much-needed rest?"
He shrugged. "You're smart. You can figure something out."
She laughed at that, and reached for his hand in a tiny moment of weakness. He wrapped chapped fingers around her hand, squeezed gently, then let her go. Only half a second of contact, and immediately she was terrified, but a quick glance confirmed that they were alone, so she relaxed into another smile, a genuine one this time.
"'Night, Doctor."
"Good night, Major," she said, and watched him saunter off.
There were other tasks to be attended to -- there always were -- but she chose to ignore them for now, and found her way, exhausted, to the tiny suite of rooms that was her only refuge from the chaotic demands of the city. Her personal clock told her it was nighttime, but the city wouldn't sleep. Rodney might lie down for a brief nap in an hour or two, but she knew of at least three scientists who had gotten even less sleep than he. She was lucky that she could lie down for a good six and a half hours every night, relax into dreamless sleep.
Before she slipped out of her day clothes, though, Elizabeth sat on the edge of her bed and reached under her pillow, where she found her carefully rationed sheaf of stationary and an expensive pen, a gift on her last birthday before coming to Atlantis.
At first the letters had been addressed to Simon, but after they'd sent their messages to Earth, she'd felt more removed than ever from him. She could never give him her notes; he would never know about the work she was doing. Even if she did get home, did get the clearance to tell him everything, he wouldn't understand. He hadn't lived it. He couldn't know. She no longer wrote to Simon, but she did write, every night, in a tiny, cramped hand, to ensure that her paper would last a long time. Hand writing her journal, meticulous and neat, every night-- it kept her sane.
On days like today, it's hard to think of anything good, let alone five things, but even as we prepare for siege, there are plenty of small joys:
1. Teyla brought food from the mainland. The Athosians have bountiful fruit trees, and they were generous enough to share with us. Fresh fruit for breakfast to go with instant coffee: a rare treat. Sweet, juicy, apple-like fruits called kiyas, and a tough, nutty fruit called timmas. Both were delicious, and put everyone who ate with us in a good mood for the rest of the day.
2. I felt so much calmer today when intervening between Drs. Mendoza and Kline. I was trained for this kind of conflict management, although between nations, not individuals! It's sometimes hard to remember that there are things I'm good at, since so many of my duties are so a field from what I was expecting. Still, I think Madelyn and Ruben are both feeling better after we cleared the air, which will make our biological research go so much smoother.
3. A small thing, but I took a small break midday to breathe the fresh air, and was reminded once again how much I love our city, floating above this poor, abandoned planet -- the planet our friends are working to revitalize. Looking at our world, I cannot help but love it. This is why we fight.
4. I have the chance to rest tonight, for which I should be infinitely grateful. If it were possible to believe in God, I would thank Him for the hardworking scientists and soldiers who work round the clock to defend our city, especially for Rodney and for John. God, what would I do without them, without all my people -- my friends?
5. And on the subject of John -- well, even here, I shouldn't be too -- no, I will mention it. We met after I left my office today, and he told me to relax. I am so grateful that we have this much, even though, goodness knows, it's not enough. But he touched my hand, and he told me to sleep, and that will keep me going through another day. A day that begins only five hours from now, so I will finish this quickly.
Three things I did well today...