FanFic100: #095 New Year
Why is it that he just agreed to go and look for Lieutenant Cadman if he had been the one she seems to have fled from whenever he entered a room? Not that he could blame her for that after what happened at the Christmas party, but… couldn’t she have done that just a little less obviously? And anyway, it wasn’t even a real kiss, just a peck on each other’s cheek, followed by furious blushing on both sides and alternatively snickering, applauding and wolf whistling from their audience.
And why the hell did he just let Sergeant Meyers turn him into the errand boy? Probably because deep down he had been wanting to talk to Lieutenant Cadman the whole evening and had been a little worried about her. Laura Cadman leaving for the balcony in the last 30 minutes of the old year, just when things are starting to get interesting? That is a reason to be worried.
Silently sighing he steps onto the balcony and steps beside her. For a moment she’s so focused on the sea that she doesn’t even notice him, and so he clears his throats and gives his best to sound conversationally when he says, “You know… if I didn’t know better I’d say you’ve been avoiding me ever since that party.”
Her first reaction is to jump a little and stare at him, looking a lot like she’s ready to bolt. But then obviously her pride had won and she takes great care to try and look unfazed by his sudden appearance. “Sorry to tell you, but no, I’ve not been avoiding you. I was rather… avoiding the party.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Hope you don’t mind me asking, but… why?” Because he really found the party okay, and that’s saying a lot.
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, you mean because I’m such a notorious party animal?” He can’t hold back an apologetic grin.
“Yeah, well…”
“Okay, okay, I do have that reputation for a reason.” He wants to tell her it’s not a bad reputation per se, but she continues after throwing a short look over her shoulder inside the room, “It’s just… someone inside there was getting a little on my nerves.” A short look of disgust passes over her face, almost faint enough that he might have missed it if he had blinked in that exact moment. The whole thing… makes him want to find whoever was giving her a hard time and make sure he or she won’t be a guest at any Atlantis party for the next six months. At least.
“Hope it wasn’t me.” He wants to make light of the whole thing, but a part of him… is actually afraid she might say yes, it was him. It’s the same part that can’t stop thinking of the way she looked in the snow bank and the way she’d tried to comfort him on the balcony… and of course that dreadful set-up under the mistletoe.
She takes a short moment, and he’s shocked at how strong the part in him is that wants her to dispel all his doubts. Then, she gives him a short smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes and says, “No, don’t worry. It’s… nothing big. Just…” She looks a lot like she debates whether to tell him or not, and it does take a little effort not to rush her. “It’s just Dr. Herreira obviously trying to secure his first in line position for the obligatory New Year’s Eve kiss. He’s been pretty… clear in his intentions.”
He throws a look back and just as if on cue catches the Portuguese’s eyes. Holy… you could think Herreira just caught him making out with his wife or something. And yeah, now that she said it… he remembers having noticed Herreira intruding into her personal space a couple of times. He’d assumed she didn’t mind but that had been mainly because he hadn’t wanted to watch her and other men too closely. But now that he knows she was just being polite… “Lieutenant… just remember, if he did anything…”
“No, no, it’s okay, sir. Thank you for the offer, but… I can handle things like that myself. I could always handle things like that myself.” Actually, he wasn’t just suggesting doing something about Herreira because he was trying to be nice or because he believes she can’t defend herself, but because it’s his job to make sure no one harasses his soldiers. He wants to tell her so, but she beats him to it, “Hey, I would have come to you or Colonel Sheppard if it would have had gotten out of hand. And don’t worry I really can take care of myself. Herreira is no big fish.” Then what is a big fish, he wants to ask, but is afraid that this would really be prying.
Granted, he told her a lot about himself just a few days ago, but he thinks that he just doesn’t have her very easy way of making other people talk. He’d just be way too clumsy and maybe chase her off with asking about something as highly personal as past experiences with sexual harassment. Still… he wants to add something, but suddenly people start counting down back in the mess hall.
Ten.
They look at each other and find themselves… pursing their lips. Again. He feels awfully reminded of that very embarrassing scene under the mistletoe.
Eight.
He knows he should stop staring at her, but again he finds himself captivated by the velvet brown eyes. What is it about these eyes, he wonders.
Five.
She bits her lip. Obviously something just came to her mind. He’d love to know what exactly…
Four.
And sooner than he thought his wish is being granted. “Okay, so, yes, I have been avoiding you.”
Three.
He manages to raise his eyebrow and look casual. “Any specific reason?”
Two.
For a short moment, she looks away. Then, “Yeah, well, every time I saw you I was afraid I’d end up doing this.”
One.
Doing what, he wants to ask, but suddenly there’s a chorus of “Zero!” coming from the mess hall and before he knows it he feels her lips on his. Holy… He doesn’t hear the cheering and the laughing, because inside of him there’s a whole lot of other cheering going on. He knows he should break this up - dammit, a minute ago they were talking about sexual harassment among co-workers - but it just feels so good.
Until she breaks it up, that is. For a moment he fears she might be showing him another part of her reputation - the one that has to do with being a little explosion-happy - but then he sees her face lighting up in a smile that looks a little surprised. He wants to say something, although he doesn’t quite know if it’s an apology or something else, but again she beats him to it. “Happy new year… sir.”
“Yep, the Lieutenant’s taking the words right out of my mouth.” As if burned, they automatically put more than a foot’s distance between them and throw a glare towards the entrance. There, the one that’s probably to blame for all of this is standing and pretending to look sheepish. “Oh… excuse me… I wasn’t intruding on anything, was I?”
He wants to tell the Sergeant that he damn well did and that he should stop his meddling and mind his own business, but a look at Lieutenant… Laura Cadman stops his train of thought. He can still feel her lips on his, but the most unsettling thing is that he wouldn’t mind feeling that again. And again. And… again. He suppresses a sigh. Just another time when his initial impulse to bust Meyers back to Private is overruled by the somewhat frustrating insight that his Sergeant actually knew what he wanted earlier than he did.
“No, we were just… talking.” Talking my ass, the Sergeant’s face seems to say, but he knows when to shut up.
“Of course, sir. Anyway… I just wanted to, you know, wish you a happy new year and everything. And now I’ll just… go back inside and… mind my own business.” With that, Meyers disappears inside, too fast for him to say anything more. What the…? He looks beside him again and just sees the last remainders of what must have been a very vicious glare. Whoa. He makes a mental note never to do anything that could make her look like this at him.
But then the look passes and she turns back to him. He rubs his neck, at first unsure of what to say, but then… he finds the words quite easily. “Alright… where were we? Oh yes…”