Fic: The Right Thing To Do by miera
SPOILERS FOR "CRITICAL MASS"
Title: The Right Thing to Do
Archive: Wraithbait, Coffeeslash
Date: January 21, 2006
Rating: PG
Pairings: none/gen
Main characters: Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard
Summary: Elizabeth's thoughts during the last scene of "Critical Mass."
Warnings: none
Sequel to: none
Beta: none. All mistakes mine.
Spoilers: Critical Mass and all that came before
Disclaimer: The boys and girls of "Stargate: Atlantis" belong to a lot of people who are not me. No harm intended, just some not-for-profit fun.
Author's Notes: Was thinking about the contrast between Elizabeth's approach to things and John's. Also about Kavanagh's accusations during the episode.
Feedback: Is like peanut butter and chocolate together.
***
"You did what you had to do."
It's not easy for him.
Elizabeth knows, after all this time, that anyone who thinks John Sheppard goes blithely and merrily on his way after making a gut-wrenching choice is a fool.
The look on his face, an expression she's seen numerous times in the months since their arrival in the city, told her everything. John's thoughts may often be concealed, but his emotions are usually close to the surface.
He carries the memories of every hard choice. He lives with every single decision he's made. He probably retraces his steps sometimes, but John's not much of a might-have-been person. There is a right thing to do, and sometimes a wrong thing to do, in each situation. Whether it's comfortable or safe or morally correct doesn't matter, just the right and the wrong.
Not like her. She makes her choices as best she can and then goes back and rethinks them. Pulls her reasoning apart and contemplates the what ifs and questions herself, sometimes mercilessly, about what she could have done differently.
John doesn't do that. She hates and envies him sometimes.
It's not easy for him, but from her vantage point, it seems simpler.
When he disobeyed orders, it was because he saw a choice between right and wrong and John always chooses what he believes is the right thing to do.
It's the reason why she can work with him, why she can accept his occasional blatant disobedience, where the military couldn't. The military cares about what a soldier is supposed to do. Following orders is the only right choice for them. John doesn't operate that way.
Neither does she, when it comes down to it.
Kavanagh was right. She does let her emotions guide her. But someone like Kavanagh didn't understand that rationality isn't enough. A leader needs instincts and emotions. A leader of a crew as motley as the Atlantis expedition isn't going to survive wrangling all these scientists and military personnel - not to mention John Sheppard - by cold logic.
It was illogical to let John go after Sumner, Teyla and the others when they were taken by the Wraith, given the odds against their success.
It was illogical to send a rescue team out after John, Rodney, Abrams and Gaul, despite not receiving a distress call yet.
It was illogical for one lone woman to climb into a stasis chamber for 10,000 years to try and save her people and her future self.
She hadn't bothered trying to explain that to Kavanagh, though. He was never going to understand.
No one but John, Rodney and Ronon knew she had agreed to let a member of her team be tortured for information. And Caldwell, of course. The irony was logic had been on her side in that decision. It was her morals - her emotions - that had qualms about using violence on one of her own people in violation of almost everything she had ever believed in.
Without her scruples, there was no objection to what she had agreed to. John, Ronon, and even Rodney, certainly weren't going to voice one.
A right thing and a wrong thing. The right thing was to do whatever was necessary to keep the city from being destroyed. The right thing was to confront harshly any threat to their safety, whether the threat was external or one of their own.
The right thing to do was ensure their survival. By whatever means were available.
"How are we any different?"
***
Title: The Right Thing to Do
Archive: Wraithbait, Coffeeslash
Date: January 21, 2006
Rating: PG
Pairings: none/gen
Main characters: Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard
Summary: Elizabeth's thoughts during the last scene of "Critical Mass."
Warnings: none
Sequel to: none
Beta: none. All mistakes mine.
Spoilers: Critical Mass and all that came before
Disclaimer: The boys and girls of "Stargate: Atlantis" belong to a lot of people who are not me. No harm intended, just some not-for-profit fun.
Author's Notes: Was thinking about the contrast between Elizabeth's approach to things and John's. Also about Kavanagh's accusations during the episode.
Feedback: Is like peanut butter and chocolate together.
***
"You did what you had to do."
It's not easy for him.
Elizabeth knows, after all this time, that anyone who thinks John Sheppard goes blithely and merrily on his way after making a gut-wrenching choice is a fool.
The look on his face, an expression she's seen numerous times in the months since their arrival in the city, told her everything. John's thoughts may often be concealed, but his emotions are usually close to the surface.
He carries the memories of every hard choice. He lives with every single decision he's made. He probably retraces his steps sometimes, but John's not much of a might-have-been person. There is a right thing to do, and sometimes a wrong thing to do, in each situation. Whether it's comfortable or safe or morally correct doesn't matter, just the right and the wrong.
Not like her. She makes her choices as best she can and then goes back and rethinks them. Pulls her reasoning apart and contemplates the what ifs and questions herself, sometimes mercilessly, about what she could have done differently.
John doesn't do that. She hates and envies him sometimes.
It's not easy for him, but from her vantage point, it seems simpler.
When he disobeyed orders, it was because he saw a choice between right and wrong and John always chooses what he believes is the right thing to do.
It's the reason why she can work with him, why she can accept his occasional blatant disobedience, where the military couldn't. The military cares about what a soldier is supposed to do. Following orders is the only right choice for them. John doesn't operate that way.
Neither does she, when it comes down to it.
Kavanagh was right. She does let her emotions guide her. But someone like Kavanagh didn't understand that rationality isn't enough. A leader needs instincts and emotions. A leader of a crew as motley as the Atlantis expedition isn't going to survive wrangling all these scientists and military personnel - not to mention John Sheppard - by cold logic.
It was illogical to let John go after Sumner, Teyla and the others when they were taken by the Wraith, given the odds against their success.
It was illogical to send a rescue team out after John, Rodney, Abrams and Gaul, despite not receiving a distress call yet.
It was illogical for one lone woman to climb into a stasis chamber for 10,000 years to try and save her people and her future self.
She hadn't bothered trying to explain that to Kavanagh, though. He was never going to understand.
No one but John, Rodney and Ronon knew she had agreed to let a member of her team be tortured for information. And Caldwell, of course. The irony was logic had been on her side in that decision. It was her morals - her emotions - that had qualms about using violence on one of her own people in violation of almost everything she had ever believed in.
Without her scruples, there was no objection to what she had agreed to. John, Ronon, and even Rodney, certainly weren't going to voice one.
A right thing and a wrong thing. The right thing was to do whatever was necessary to keep the city from being destroyed. The right thing was to confront harshly any threat to their safety, whether the threat was external or one of their own.
The right thing to do was ensure their survival. By whatever means were available.
"How are we any different?"
***