The Library
Title: The Library
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: McKay/Weir
Spoilers: None really.
Summery: This is an AU fic set in a library.
Disclaimer: Fanfic should not be taken seriously.
Notes: This is for million_moments. Actually, this is her idea and she gave me most of the little bits of information for the fic. So really, this is her fic. I just wrote it.
"Nice."
Elizabeth was on her knees, bent forward, trying to force a Kathy Reich novel into the bottom shelf when she heard his voice, heard that smug satisfaction that told her he was enjoying the view of her ass in her black pants and had been doing so for sometime. She knew she should be annoyed about that but never really felt it when he was around. Even if she made out that she did.
As quickly as she could, she straightened up and stood, turning around on her toes to face him with her hands on her hips, an annoyed look plastered on her face that she didn’t really mean. He was leaning against a shelf, a smirk on his face, his tie loose around his neck.
"Good morning Rodney." He pushed himself off the shelf.
"Busy?"
"A little, you know Mondays always are." She dropped the book onto the trolley and they walked out of the stack together, heading towards the main desk where they could speak without whispering. Elizabeth was always asking people to keep their voices down and it would do no good to set a bad example by chatting away in the stacks and Rodney knew that, following her diligently. At the desk Carson was sat with his head in a medical journal and a cup of coffee in his hand, not even looking up when she slipped behind it. Rodney remained on the other side, leaning towards her.
"John was late as usual," she said, suddenly at a loss for conversation. His eyes were on her, watching her carefully and he didn’t look like he was about to say anything himself. The library was what they spoke about most days, because that’s what they had in common. Though she was sure there was more than that. Than books.
"Why this time?"
"Army Reserves strike again." She leant on the counter, "I don’t mind really, he does a good job."
"When he’s here."
"When he’s here." She smiled. "How was your weekend?"
Sometimes they spoke about things out of the box too, sometimes but she found it hard to get to that personal level with him. Not that Rodney seemed to have the same trouble, you just had to get him started.
"Same old. I’m still in the book club."
"Really? They voted to keep you?"
"No, Kavanaugh walked out in protest."
"I’m sure you’ll miss the little twerp."
"Shame you can’t ban him from the library."
"I tried." She tried not to laugh, or to smile but he saw it and smiled back. To break the moment and the humour, she reached over and pulled the pile of books on the counter top towards her. She looked at them and realised they were all Rodney’s returned.
"I can’t believe you’ve finished all these books already." Her tone was disbelieving and she began to scan them into the system, "Anyone would think you were trying to impress me." One by one the books went onto a trolley, Rodney watching her hands the entire time, making her feel a little self conscious about them.
About her hands? That was ridiculous.
"Is is my fault I was blessed with the ability to speed read?" She looked away from the monitor to smile at him.
"What are you going to do once the school term starts again?"
"Read less?" He grinned and she tried not to laugh again, "and come here during my free periods. God I hope I have some smart students this year."
"Instead of just smart-ass students?"
"Exactly."
"Maybe you should teach college physics."
"I tried that. I found the students just as idiotic."
"I’m sure it’s not that bad."
"No, it’s worse." He pushed himself off the desk and straightened up again. "I’m going to find some more books."
"Try Kathy Reichs." said, a definite grin on her face this time, knowing what his answer would be.
"No, I’m not reading Kathy Reichs."
"Suit yourself." She watching him wander back into the book shelves and out of her sight. She knew eventually she would read what she recommended, she daren’t mention any of the other books she’d told him to read and he had done, out of curiosity at least, and had loved. He made her smile like that, his awkward stubbornness and arrogant confidence. She also knew that when the the new school term started, and he started teaching high school physics again, she would probably see more of him. He’d been a regular in her library for almost three years now and some things never changed. He always came looking for her when he came him, always stayed for a chat with her. Always made her smile.
Some things never changed.
Like John’s ‘buddy’ Ronan from the Army Reserves turning up every lunch time and dragging him away for well over an hour. Good thing this wasn’t a national library somewhere. Good thing she liked John so much.
And that they were understaffed. Carson only worked part-time while he was in medical school and Radek only worked Saturdays. The rest of the week he worked in a lab at the university and only worked here at all to save up money for his doctorate. His motives aside, he couldn’t do any more hours, Carson wanted to do less and none of the people who had responded to the ads had been suitable.
Or suitably dressed.
Sensing the post lunch lull starting she left Carson to man the desk and read his journal and wandered into the stacks in the direction Rodney had taken.
She found him in the Q to R section, looking at the very novel she had abandoned when he’d come to find her earlier.
"Busted."
"I was just trying to see what it was you liked about it so much." Rodney waved the book at her, his thumb marking a page. "This has sex in it."
"Just a little." She replied in a whisper. She leant back against the trolley and sighed, her smile disssapreaing.
"What’s up?" He asked, his voice in the same whisper.
"I don’t know. Frustrated I think."
"Bored?" She didn’t reply, didn’t move. "Library life not exciting enough for you?"
"I don’t know." She repeated. "Haven’t you ever felt like you should be doing something else? Something more?"
"My sister would certainly think so."
"Sister?"
"Jeannie thinks I’m wasting my brains just teaching."
"What does she do?"
"I have no idea. We haven’t spoken for four years." There was the tiniest hint of sadness in his voice but Elizabeth caught it, even in a whisper. She realised that she’d actually learnt something about him for the first time today that didn’t have to do with books or jobs or annoying students. He missed his sister.
He shrugged and the sadness was gone.
"Maybe you just need a boyfriend again." He said smiling "You didn’t feel like this when you were with whats-his-name."
"Simon, and no I didn’t." Maybe they did touch on personal things, and she just didn’t realise, because she couldn’t remember ever discussing Simon with him. But then, John could be a gossip.
"Maybe I could," he paused and Elizabeth was thrown off guard at the lack of confidence in his voice as he spoke without whispering.
"Excuse me." He was interrupted and they both turned to see a young woman with brown hair standing at the end of the bookshelf. "There was no one at the desk."
"Sorry." Rodney’s sentence was left unsaid and she hesitated before walking up the stack to the woman, looking at him one last time, the smile gone all of a sudden, confidence too. She turned away from him and walked up to the desk, slipping behind the counter as she had done before and smiling. "How can I help?"
"I would like to join the library."
"You need a photo I.D and a recent bill with your address on, no older than three months." The women rooted around in the canvas bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out an A4 piece of paper, passing it to Elizabeth. She read the name and date, while the woman fished out her purse. Teyla Emmagan. Her drivers license landed on the desk and Elizabeth picked it up, checking it briefly. "Perfect." Teyla smiled at her and she entered the information into the computer system, her fingers flying over the keys and only stopping when she saw Rodney walk up to the desk, six books in his arms, Carson standing up to serve him. He smiled at her and she smiled back, annoyed that he wasn’t going to wait to finish their conversation. Finish what he was going to say. She was actually annoyed this time, even though he was giving her his cutest smile.
Damn, when did Rodney have a cute smile, she thought.
She slowed down, typing a little slower and willing Carson to work faster. She printed out a little card for Teyla and hesitated a moment. Glancing sideways she watched Carson stamp Rodney’s final book.
"I’ll just go laminate this." She said, waving the little card in the air. Rodney walked past the desk and past her.
"I’ll see you later Elizabeth." He smiled at her and kept walking out of the library, leaving her frowning with the little card in her hand. She turned back to Teyla and forced out a smile.
"One minute."
*****
Teyla Emmagan left with three books on American History, no one else joined the library, more regulars came and went but none caught her attention or conversation. Rodney didn’t return.
Tuesday passed without incident as it always did. The quiet day, though that was saying something considering she worked in a library.
Maybe that was the problem. Maybe it was too quiet here. Five years ago, when she had first taken the position, she had enjoyed the silence and the peace it had offered her. Working in a school library before that, it had never been completely silent like it could at the public library. She could never get the students to be quiet. There were always whispers and stifled giggles, life surrounded by books and she missed that. Maybe that’s why Rodney continued to work at a school. Five years on and it was too quiet here.
Maybe Rodney was right, maybe she just needed someone to share it all with again. The stories about alcoholics asleep in the children’s section, kids making out in non-fiction. Except she shared that with Rodney now, didn’t she. Just in whispers and not over wine.
Did Rodney drink wine? Did he drink at all?
She was definitely frustrated that she didn’t know more about him because she wanted to know more about him.
By Thursday she was no closer to knowing what it was she was missing in her life, except now she wasn’t sure if she was happy with her current job. Maybe it was time for a change.
She loved books and had a passion for information but shelving really didn’t so that much for her. Forcing thick novels into already stuffed shelves was not her idea of fun. It was even worse with hardbacks, they couldn’t be squeezed into a space, though she tried, just in case something had changed meaning they could. She was scared this made her boring and she could be doing more than this.
She could be writing the books.
That thought hadn’t occurred to her before and she stopped to think about it, visibly jumping when Rodney came up to her, standing close and whispering ‘hey’ into her ear. She whirled around to face him and was caught out by the look on his face. He was smiling but he wasn’t looking smug, more…nervous.
"Hey."
"Didn’t mean to scare you," he whispered. He was still standing quite close to her and when he realised it he took a quick step back. "Sorry." She wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for the shock or for his proximity but she told him it was okay anyway.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine, are you?"
"Fine."
So they had established things were fine and she wasn’t sure why things were awkward between them, except that she felt a little uncomfortable because she had been thinking about his smile and his unfinished sentence and had been trying to figure out what he was going to say to her on Monday. The silence stretched on and it wasn’t until someone at the other end of the library had a coughing fit that either spoke.
"I thought about what you said."
"Oh right?" The smug smile was back, his confidence regained. She was irritated by it suddenly but still strangely attracted to it. To him.
Damn.
"And?"
"Maybe you’re right."
"I usually am." She ignored that.
"Maybe I need someone new in my life." She smiled at him. "Start…dating, or whatever." She didn’t date, that wasn’t her but he wasn’t to know and it was all a bluff. She would have him finish his sentence.
"Or I could take you out?" He said. "Be that person, then I wouldn’t have to read so much." She laughed, clasping her hand over her mouth at the noise.
"I’d miss you here though."
"But you’d see me at other times and I could see you in clothes other than the white shirt and black pants. Like a skirt maybe."
"I don’t wear skirts often."
"Oh." He seemed genuinely disappointed in that and she smiled again. "So I could take you out."
"Or you could kiss me now."
"Here?" She took a step towards him and he didn’t move, didn’t react until her lips were on his, jolting him into action. His hands gripped her shoulders and he pushed her back against the bookshelves, kissing her back hard.
This was very wrong, she thought, good, but very wrong. She had thrown out two couples this week for making out in her stacks and now she was doing the same but Rodney was a surprisingly good kisser and she really didn’t want to stop.
"Am I going to have to throw you out of your own library?" The voice stopped them both in their tracks and still leaning against one another and the books shelf, they turned their heads to see John standing at the end of the row of books, grinning at them.
"Do you mind?" Rodney said in an annoyed tone. Elizabeth started to laugh, a little hysterical.
"Well I don’t, but Dozy Woolsey might."
"He’s here?" She pushed Rodney away from her hard and straightened her blouse out.
"I didn’t say that. I just said he might mind."
"John." She said in an exasperated tone. He grinned at them.
"Could you go now?" Rodney asked, in the same annoyed tone as before.
"Okay, but if you knock any books off I’m not re-shelving them."
"John." He gave his boss one last grin and disappeared round the corner. "We shouldn’t have done that." She turned back to Rodney.
"We could run away together."
"So we can make out."
"No, to get away from John." She walked away from him and out of the stacks, not looking back to see if he followed, knowing he always did anyway.
"No need, you can take me out, and I’ll tell you what he and Ronan have been up to in the micro film room."
"Sounds interesting." She smiled at that, it was.
"Then maybe you can help me decide what to write about?"
"You want to write?" He fell into step beside her.
"I think so."
"Just don’t write first person crime thrillers." She smiled.
"What about sex?"
"I’d read that."
Merry Christmas Melanie.