Fic: What Lorne Saw [1/1]
Title: What Lorne Saw (or The Search For the AWOL Leaders of Atlantis)
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-13.
Pairing: John/Elizabeth (Sparky!!)
Summary/Prompt: Written for the prompt 'Lorne' for my Sparktober Bingo Card.
AN: My Sparky muse has deserted me, but I had to give it one last go for the final day of Sparktober!! This is what happened as a result :)
****
It wasn't unusual for the leaders of the Atlantis Expedition to go AWOL at the same time. Not that they were really AWOL, Major Lorne told himself, neither would neglect their duties or responsibilities like that.
They were just... sometimes... very difficult to find.
And it wasn't as if they were always together when they were missing, either. Not always. Lorne couldn't count the number of times he'd been looking for one of them only for them both to appear as if by magic - from different directions, of course
He walked through the city, occasionally trying to reach one or both of his absent commanding officers through his headset, accepting the knowing glances through in his direction with a helpless shrug
He'd already checked the Jumper Bay, and found McKay and Zelenka arguing over what was the best way to integrate their latest invention with the Ancient technology of the Jumper. He'd left them to it, glad they'd been too busy trying to get him on side to ask what he'd originally been looking for. McKay and Zelenka weren't the most discreet of individuals and the last thing he - or Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir - wanted was for the two scientists to join the search and include them in one of their never-ending 'debates'.
He'd gone to the gym, thinking that maybe Doctor Weir had convinced the Colonel to give her some more self-defence tips in preparation for her next off-world mission. Not that John would let her leave Atlantis without a very good reason or a good fight but Lorne knew that if Elizabeth *had* to go off-world, the Colonel would prefer it if she was well prepared
Instead of the command duo, Lorne found Ronan and Teyla sparring on the mats. He stood and watched them for a few moments, more than a little envious at the fluidity of their movements and at their ability to hold their own against one another it was like a dance, choreographed down to the last detail; a dance he'd never be so well-versed in but Lorne comforted himself with the knowledge that he'd been trained by the best to be the best back home on Earth.
Only the best were selected to join the Atlantis Expedition, after all; chosen by the two leaders he was searching for.
Neither Teyla nor Ronan could suggest where the two missing leaders could be but Lorne thought he saw Ronan smirk and Teyla smile knowingly in the reflective surface of the door as he turned his back on them.
Maybe they knew and weren't telling; it didn't matter. He was determined to find them regardless.
His next stop had been the mess hall, and he'd grabbed a cup of coffee to see him through his quest. There'd been no sign of John or Elizabeth but Doctor Heightmeyer had promised she'd let them know he was looking for them if she saw them before he did.
Rapidly running out of ideas, Lorne tried the infirmary next, knowing it was possible that the Colonel for some reason ended up there and Doctor Weir would be checking he was doing okay or vice-versa. And if the civilian half of the command team had mentioned she had so much as a slight headache, the military half would have marched her to Doctor Beckett's domain without a second thought.
Doctor Carson Beckett seemed to be struggling not to grin throughout their conversation but insisted in his softly lilting way that he hadn't seen either of them all day but if Lorne should find them, would he mind reminding Elizabeth that her routine medical was coming up so could she make an appointment soon?
Lorne shook his head and returned to the command centre at the heart of the city, glancing through the glass windows into Doctor Weir's office just in case they'd somehow snuck by him.
They hadn't and, short of checking each of their quarters - again - he'd run out of ideas. Unless...
Staring at the doors to the balcony, Lorne found himself wondering why he hadn't thought of it sooner. It was well known amongst the expedition members that the balcony was Doctor Weir's favourite place to go to think and it wouldn't be the first time she and the Colonel had taken to the balcony to discuss something in private.
His strides determined, something in his gut telling him he was on the right track, Lorne walked up to the doors and stepped over the threshold as soon as they'd parted silently to permit him entry.
And then he stopped.
Froze mid-step.
The couple on the balcony didn't notice him. Lorne was sure they wouldn't even have noticed a Wraith dart if it'd flown by.
He found himself staring until he realised just what he was staring at and forced himself to look away... only to find himself staring again.
The Colonel had the Doctor pressed against the wall at the far side of the balcony but it didn't look like she was protesting. One of her hands had slipped under his shirt and the other was threaded through his hair. Their legs were tangled together and their eyes were closed as they continued to kiss, oblivious to their audience.
Lorne eventually got his body to move and backed away from the amorous leaders of Atlantis. He kept going until he was back in the main building, the doors sliding shut in front of him, cutting off his view.
He didn't know how long he was standing there but eventually, one of the technical officers noticed and approached him.
"Major Lorne? Are you okay?"
He blinked, the spell broken, and looked at her with what he was sure was a dumbstruck expression on his face. "Sure. Yeah. Okay. I mean, I'm okay." His voice was slightly higher pitched than normal but he thought he covered it well.
"If you're still looking for Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard, I could just pass on a message for you?" The technician offered helpfully.
Lorne shook his head - both in answer and in an attempt at keeping the image of them from replaying in his mind. "No, it's fine. Thanks, though." He smiled at the technician, who nodded and returned to her post.
Casting one more glance at the closed balcony doors before walking resolutely in the opposite direction, Lorne told himself it didn't matter. He'd simply pretend he hadn't seen what it was he'd seen and pretend, if asked by either of them, that he hadn't been looking for them.
Besides, he thought ruefully, it wasn't as if he could even remember why he'd been looking for them in the first place...
****
End.
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-13.
Pairing: John/Elizabeth (Sparky!!)
Summary/Prompt: Written for the prompt 'Lorne' for my Sparktober Bingo Card.
AN: My Sparky muse has deserted me, but I had to give it one last go for the final day of Sparktober!! This is what happened as a result :)
****
It wasn't unusual for the leaders of the Atlantis Expedition to go AWOL at the same time. Not that they were really AWOL, Major Lorne told himself, neither would neglect their duties or responsibilities like that.
They were just... sometimes... very difficult to find.
And it wasn't as if they were always together when they were missing, either. Not always. Lorne couldn't count the number of times he'd been looking for one of them only for them both to appear as if by magic - from different directions, of course
He walked through the city, occasionally trying to reach one or both of his absent commanding officers through his headset, accepting the knowing glances through in his direction with a helpless shrug
He'd already checked the Jumper Bay, and found McKay and Zelenka arguing over what was the best way to integrate their latest invention with the Ancient technology of the Jumper. He'd left them to it, glad they'd been too busy trying to get him on side to ask what he'd originally been looking for. McKay and Zelenka weren't the most discreet of individuals and the last thing he - or Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir - wanted was for the two scientists to join the search and include them in one of their never-ending 'debates'.
He'd gone to the gym, thinking that maybe Doctor Weir had convinced the Colonel to give her some more self-defence tips in preparation for her next off-world mission. Not that John would let her leave Atlantis without a very good reason or a good fight but Lorne knew that if Elizabeth *had* to go off-world, the Colonel would prefer it if she was well prepared
Instead of the command duo, Lorne found Ronan and Teyla sparring on the mats. He stood and watched them for a few moments, more than a little envious at the fluidity of their movements and at their ability to hold their own against one another it was like a dance, choreographed down to the last detail; a dance he'd never be so well-versed in but Lorne comforted himself with the knowledge that he'd been trained by the best to be the best back home on Earth.
Only the best were selected to join the Atlantis Expedition, after all; chosen by the two leaders he was searching for.
Neither Teyla nor Ronan could suggest where the two missing leaders could be but Lorne thought he saw Ronan smirk and Teyla smile knowingly in the reflective surface of the door as he turned his back on them.
Maybe they knew and weren't telling; it didn't matter. He was determined to find them regardless.
His next stop had been the mess hall, and he'd grabbed a cup of coffee to see him through his quest. There'd been no sign of John or Elizabeth but Doctor Heightmeyer had promised she'd let them know he was looking for them if she saw them before he did.
Rapidly running out of ideas, Lorne tried the infirmary next, knowing it was possible that the Colonel for some reason ended up there and Doctor Weir would be checking he was doing okay or vice-versa. And if the civilian half of the command team had mentioned she had so much as a slight headache, the military half would have marched her to Doctor Beckett's domain without a second thought.
Doctor Carson Beckett seemed to be struggling not to grin throughout their conversation but insisted in his softly lilting way that he hadn't seen either of them all day but if Lorne should find them, would he mind reminding Elizabeth that her routine medical was coming up so could she make an appointment soon?
Lorne shook his head and returned to the command centre at the heart of the city, glancing through the glass windows into Doctor Weir's office just in case they'd somehow snuck by him.
They hadn't and, short of checking each of their quarters - again - he'd run out of ideas. Unless...
Staring at the doors to the balcony, Lorne found himself wondering why he hadn't thought of it sooner. It was well known amongst the expedition members that the balcony was Doctor Weir's favourite place to go to think and it wouldn't be the first time she and the Colonel had taken to the balcony to discuss something in private.
His strides determined, something in his gut telling him he was on the right track, Lorne walked up to the doors and stepped over the threshold as soon as they'd parted silently to permit him entry.
And then he stopped.
Froze mid-step.
The couple on the balcony didn't notice him. Lorne was sure they wouldn't even have noticed a Wraith dart if it'd flown by.
He found himself staring until he realised just what he was staring at and forced himself to look away... only to find himself staring again.
The Colonel had the Doctor pressed against the wall at the far side of the balcony but it didn't look like she was protesting. One of her hands had slipped under his shirt and the other was threaded through his hair. Their legs were tangled together and their eyes were closed as they continued to kiss, oblivious to their audience.
Lorne eventually got his body to move and backed away from the amorous leaders of Atlantis. He kept going until he was back in the main building, the doors sliding shut in front of him, cutting off his view.
He didn't know how long he was standing there but eventually, one of the technical officers noticed and approached him.
"Major Lorne? Are you okay?"
He blinked, the spell broken, and looked at her with what he was sure was a dumbstruck expression on his face. "Sure. Yeah. Okay. I mean, I'm okay." His voice was slightly higher pitched than normal but he thought he covered it well.
"If you're still looking for Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard, I could just pass on a message for you?" The technician offered helpfully.
Lorne shook his head - both in answer and in an attempt at keeping the image of them from replaying in his mind. "No, it's fine. Thanks, though." He smiled at the technician, who nodded and returned to her post.
Casting one more glance at the closed balcony doors before walking resolutely in the opposite direction, Lorne told himself it didn't matter. He'd simply pretend he hadn't seen what it was he'd seen and pretend, if asked by either of them, that he hadn't been looking for them.
Besides, he thought ruefully, it wasn't as if he could even remember why he'd been looking for them in the first place...
****
End.