Stargate Atlantis fan fiction: The Thought That Counts
Title: The Thought That Counts
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Type: Generic. Weir, Sheppard, Ronon, Rodney, Lorne, Carson, Heightmeyer. Borderline John/Elizabeth. Sorry alasse_fae :D
Rating: G
Note: OK, 1.08am. Still at the office, but I think the docs are almost ready.... Like I just mentioned, this is my Holding Scribble or Interim Scribble while I wrestle with Scribbler's Block. Unbeta'd because I have one eye on the pending documents. :D
"I agree that this is a serious problem, Dr Weir," Teyla said gravely. "I wish that I could be of more assistance".
"You're making a big deal out of nothing," Ronon said laconically. He was slouched carelessly in his seat, his long legs extended in front of him as he studied Elizabeth who paced around the room.
"Thank you for your input, Ronon," Elizabeth said sarcastically.
"You're welcome," he drawled, grinning at her in his typical enigmatic manner.
"Lord only knows what it will be next," Elizabeth muttered, running a hand through her hair distractedly. She stared absently at the array of positively hideous clay figurines on her desk.
"Is that like a voodoo doll?" Rodney asked.
"It's from our last mission off world," Lorne explained. "The villagers considers them love tokens".
"What? You visited the Village of the Damned?" Rodney demanded, staring at the ugly figurine with undisguised horror in his eyes.
"Eye of the beholder, Rodney," Carson reminded him.
"Yes - and your point is what exactly?" Rodney demanded. "These are my eyes and they say that this thing is ugly - ergo, it's an objective fact that it is ugly!"
"They do say that it's the thought that counts," Carson reminded Elizabeth.
"Spare us the clichés, Carson," Rodney begged him.
"That person didn't have to deal with this," Elizabeth said handing Carson a misshapen, hand-woven bag that had a vile profusion of colours and resembled a disembowelled rodent of sorts. Carson blanched.
"Well, each culture has a different concept of artistic merit," Carson tried to hide his revulsion as he hastily dropped the bag onto Elizabeth's table and staring at it as if it might leap up and devour his brain.
"Communication is the key," Dr Heightmeyer urged Elizabeth. "You need to be direct - no more beating about the bush. It's unfair to be emotionally deceitful," she said earnestly.
"She used one of his gifts as an urn for her dead ashes, I'm not sure how much more direct you can get about not liking a present," Rodney said, looking incredulous.
"It was a thoughtful gift," Elizabeth protested. "And I appreciated it, it's just that ..."
"'My god my eyes, my eyes, was more like it," Rodney said sardonically.
"All right, you're not helping," Elizabeth said irritably, shaking her head at the assembled Atlantis team.
"For my part, I find it rather touching that Colonel Sheppard takes the time to bring you back gift and souvenirs," Teyla reminded her gently.
Elizabeth looked guilty. "But .. the shrunken head of that strange animal?"
"I think that might have been because you mentioned that you had an interest in anthropological artefacts," Beckett interpolated, a faintly apologetic look in his eyes.
"Does it still give you nightmares?" Dr Heightmeyer asked Elizabeth sympathetically.
"Only if I ate meat for dinner," Elizabeth told her.
"That's good to hear".
Elizabeth sighed. "I do feel bad. When John caught me burning that painting he gave me, I had to lie and tell him it accidentally caught on fire".
"That was a shame," Lorne said with feeling. "Because the replacement painting he gave you was ten times worse".
"I know, she gave it to me," Rodney said sourly.
"You said you like it!" Elizabeth protested.
"OK, one day you need to learn the concept of what is known as sarcasm," Rodney told her.
The door opened and Sheppard stepped inside, looking battered and bruised. "Sorry I'm late, I had to - "
"That's fine," Elizabeth interrupted him, smiling at him warmly despite her anxiety. Sheppard had his hand behind his back. The team all craned their heads simultaneously in a very unsubtle manner in an attempt to catch sight of whatever object it was that Sheppard was hiding out of view. "That was a close one - I'm just glad you're back safely," Elizabeth told him.
"What's it going to be now? A Wraith head-yoyo?" Rodney muttered sotto-voce and then oofed as Teyla elbowed him in the ribs sharply.
"That makes the two of us," Sheppard said, raising one eyebrow in a puzzled fashion as he glanced around the room at the occupants who were all staring at him in an ill-mannered almost mesmerised fashion. "Uh - I miss something?" he asked, looking perplexed.
"No, we were all waiting for you," Elizabeth told him brightly.
"Yes, this is true," Teyla added.
"Yes, be afraid," Rodney muttered and stepped out of the way before Teyla's elbow could make contact with his ribs again but Ronon helpfully stuck out one leg, causing Rodney to flail for a moment as he staggered.
"Very mature," Rodney said in irritation as he settled down on the table next to Teyla again.
John glanced around again and then shrugged. "I got you these," he said. Everyone took a deep breath and stared with shocked fascination as he held out a small bouquet of brightly coloured flowers.
"Are they poisonous?" Lorne asked.
"Environmental pollutants perhaps?" Carson asked eying them closely.
"Maybe they're carnivorous - eat your brain?" Rodney suggested.
"They'll be dead in a day anyway," Ronon shrugged although he was grinning broadly at Sheppard's stupefaction.
"They're a lovely gesture," Dr Heightmeyer interjected.
"Wildflowers," Teyla added, nodding with approval.
Elizabeth took them and stared at Sheppard with astonishment in her eyes. "John .... they're .... beautiful," she said, wonderment in her voice.
"Well you don't need to sound so surprised," he told her. "Have these guys been smoking weed or something?"
Elizabeth shook her head and touched the wildflowers with a fingertip. "Thank you," she told him, smiling.
"Well. You're welcome," he said, inclining his head in a slightly self-conscious manner. "What's wrong?" he demanded as Elizabeth began to sneeze violently.
"I believe Elizabeth may be allergic to the flowers," Carson said, reaching out to take the flowers from Elizabeth with a very regretful air.
"But I've never been allergic before," Elizabeth protested a little nasally through a violent sneeze at the same time Sheppard exclaimed,"Crap!"
"I'm sorry," he muttered, handing her a handkerchief to mop her streaming eyes.
Elizabeth smiled, aware that her nose and eyes were by now probably extremely red.
"Anyone ever tell you that you're kind of cute when you're sneezy?" he asked her. The expression in his eyes warmed her, as did the disarmingly tender way he reached out to brush the hair from her face after she sneezed again. "Really sorry for giving you an allergen," he told her ruefully.
"It's ok John - it's the thought that counts".
"Now you're giving me platitudes," he protested, but he was smiling.
"I mean it," she told him and as she smiled back, she realised that she really did mean it.
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Type: Generic. Weir, Sheppard, Ronon, Rodney, Lorne, Carson, Heightmeyer. Borderline John/Elizabeth. Sorry alasse_fae :D
Rating: G
Note: OK, 1.08am. Still at the office, but I think the docs are almost ready.... Like I just mentioned, this is my Holding Scribble or Interim Scribble while I wrestle with Scribbler's Block. Unbeta'd because I have one eye on the pending documents. :D
"I agree that this is a serious problem, Dr Weir," Teyla said gravely. "I wish that I could be of more assistance".
"You're making a big deal out of nothing," Ronon said laconically. He was slouched carelessly in his seat, his long legs extended in front of him as he studied Elizabeth who paced around the room.
"Thank you for your input, Ronon," Elizabeth said sarcastically.
"You're welcome," he drawled, grinning at her in his typical enigmatic manner.
"Lord only knows what it will be next," Elizabeth muttered, running a hand through her hair distractedly. She stared absently at the array of positively hideous clay figurines on her desk.
"Is that like a voodoo doll?" Rodney asked.
"It's from our last mission off world," Lorne explained. "The villagers considers them love tokens".
"What? You visited the Village of the Damned?" Rodney demanded, staring at the ugly figurine with undisguised horror in his eyes.
"Eye of the beholder, Rodney," Carson reminded him.
"Yes - and your point is what exactly?" Rodney demanded. "These are my eyes and they say that this thing is ugly - ergo, it's an objective fact that it is ugly!"
"They do say that it's the thought that counts," Carson reminded Elizabeth.
"Spare us the clichés, Carson," Rodney begged him.
"That person didn't have to deal with this," Elizabeth said handing Carson a misshapen, hand-woven bag that had a vile profusion of colours and resembled a disembowelled rodent of sorts. Carson blanched.
"Well, each culture has a different concept of artistic merit," Carson tried to hide his revulsion as he hastily dropped the bag onto Elizabeth's table and staring at it as if it might leap up and devour his brain.
"Communication is the key," Dr Heightmeyer urged Elizabeth. "You need to be direct - no more beating about the bush. It's unfair to be emotionally deceitful," she said earnestly.
"She used one of his gifts as an urn for her dead ashes, I'm not sure how much more direct you can get about not liking a present," Rodney said, looking incredulous.
"It was a thoughtful gift," Elizabeth protested. "And I appreciated it, it's just that ..."
"'My god my eyes, my eyes, was more like it," Rodney said sardonically.
"All right, you're not helping," Elizabeth said irritably, shaking her head at the assembled Atlantis team.
"For my part, I find it rather touching that Colonel Sheppard takes the time to bring you back gift and souvenirs," Teyla reminded her gently.
Elizabeth looked guilty. "But .. the shrunken head of that strange animal?"
"I think that might have been because you mentioned that you had an interest in anthropological artefacts," Beckett interpolated, a faintly apologetic look in his eyes.
"Does it still give you nightmares?" Dr Heightmeyer asked Elizabeth sympathetically.
"Only if I ate meat for dinner," Elizabeth told her.
"That's good to hear".
Elizabeth sighed. "I do feel bad. When John caught me burning that painting he gave me, I had to lie and tell him it accidentally caught on fire".
"That was a shame," Lorne said with feeling. "Because the replacement painting he gave you was ten times worse".
"I know, she gave it to me," Rodney said sourly.
"You said you like it!" Elizabeth protested.
"OK, one day you need to learn the concept of what is known as sarcasm," Rodney told her.
The door opened and Sheppard stepped inside, looking battered and bruised. "Sorry I'm late, I had to - "
"That's fine," Elizabeth interrupted him, smiling at him warmly despite her anxiety. Sheppard had his hand behind his back. The team all craned their heads simultaneously in a very unsubtle manner in an attempt to catch sight of whatever object it was that Sheppard was hiding out of view. "That was a close one - I'm just glad you're back safely," Elizabeth told him.
"What's it going to be now? A Wraith head-yoyo?" Rodney muttered sotto-voce and then oofed as Teyla elbowed him in the ribs sharply.
"That makes the two of us," Sheppard said, raising one eyebrow in a puzzled fashion as he glanced around the room at the occupants who were all staring at him in an ill-mannered almost mesmerised fashion. "Uh - I miss something?" he asked, looking perplexed.
"No, we were all waiting for you," Elizabeth told him brightly.
"Yes, this is true," Teyla added.
"Yes, be afraid," Rodney muttered and stepped out of the way before Teyla's elbow could make contact with his ribs again but Ronon helpfully stuck out one leg, causing Rodney to flail for a moment as he staggered.
"Very mature," Rodney said in irritation as he settled down on the table next to Teyla again.
John glanced around again and then shrugged. "I got you these," he said. Everyone took a deep breath and stared with shocked fascination as he held out a small bouquet of brightly coloured flowers.
"Are they poisonous?" Lorne asked.
"Environmental pollutants perhaps?" Carson asked eying them closely.
"Maybe they're carnivorous - eat your brain?" Rodney suggested.
"They'll be dead in a day anyway," Ronon shrugged although he was grinning broadly at Sheppard's stupefaction.
"They're a lovely gesture," Dr Heightmeyer interjected.
"Wildflowers," Teyla added, nodding with approval.
Elizabeth took them and stared at Sheppard with astonishment in her eyes. "John .... they're .... beautiful," she said, wonderment in her voice.
"Well you don't need to sound so surprised," he told her. "Have these guys been smoking weed or something?"
Elizabeth shook her head and touched the wildflowers with a fingertip. "Thank you," she told him, smiling.
"Well. You're welcome," he said, inclining his head in a slightly self-conscious manner. "What's wrong?" he demanded as Elizabeth began to sneeze violently.
"I believe Elizabeth may be allergic to the flowers," Carson said, reaching out to take the flowers from Elizabeth with a very regretful air.
"But I've never been allergic before," Elizabeth protested a little nasally through a violent sneeze at the same time Sheppard exclaimed,"Crap!"
"I'm sorry," he muttered, handing her a handkerchief to mop her streaming eyes.
Elizabeth smiled, aware that her nose and eyes were by now probably extremely red.
"Anyone ever tell you that you're kind of cute when you're sneezy?" he asked her. The expression in his eyes warmed her, as did the disarmingly tender way he reached out to brush the hair from her face after she sneezed again. "Really sorry for giving you an allergen," he told her ruefully.
"It's ok John - it's the thought that counts".
"Now you're giving me platitudes," he protested, but he was smiling.
"I mean it," she told him and as she smiled back, she realised that she really did mean it.