Stargate: Atlantis
15 April 2006
For Cedara, chocolate ice cream - Teyla/Elizabeth
The
onlookers let out a surprised buzz when the Daedelus crew rolled tubs
past them. The resupply run had almost become a public holiday,
scientists and military alike scorning work in favor of anticipation.
Doctor
Weir was there to supervise (or possibly to mark especially favored
items) and Teyla was there to observe her new comrades differences once
again. Sergeant Flinkman, the mess hall overseer, gestured at the
scrum, warning them to stand back.
“You’ll get it at dinner, not before,” he said.
Teyla looked at Weir and raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“Oh Teyla,” Weir replied. “You’ll love Haagen-Dazs chocolate.”
For Flatlanddan, Something to do with Beckett. Bonus points if you include ice cream/cookies
Afternoon
tea was not negotiable, although Carson did make exceptions for medical
emergencies. The balcony near the infirmary had acquired a small table
and chairs, and he bustled out with a tray of provisions.
Athosian
tea wasn’t Darjeeling or Earl Grey, but it was tasty enough. Dr.
Corrigan proved a surprising hand at baking. He waved off compliments
about his ability to substitute ingredients with an airy, “This is
nothing compared to making flatbread on P59-273.”
The small
group settled in to sip their tea and eat their shortbread. Maintaining
a gloss of civilization amidst chaos lifted morale, after all.
For Tigerlady, Elizabeth with (and can be gennish 'with') Lorne, Radek, Teyla, or Ronon
Sheppard
and McKay stormed out of the lab, arguing over something Elizabeth
couldn’t quite determine -- the odds of meeting this latest threat
through science or which actor made the best James Bond?
She rubbed at her forehead and sighed.
Beside her, Radek pushed his glasses up his nose. “Children, yes?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Toddlers, even.”
“Who haven’t had a nap or a snack!” Radek was grinning now too.
“And who never get told no.”
“We shall have to make sure they don’t decide to draw on the walls with crayon,” Radek said.
Their giggles weren’t dignified, but they were needed.
For Rivier, SGA and something about weapons, please. Like the taste / touch / sight / sound / smell of them
The
Beretta slides into his palm and before he can think, he’s pulled the
trigger. Twice. The Wraith collapses, Teyla sits up behind him, and
Sheppard can breathe again.
Fucking space vampires. Sheppard hates them. Bob here’s only useful if he tells what he knows. Wraith don’t respond to please.
Sheppard
pulls the trigger again and again and again, correcting for recoil
automatically. The stench of cordite wisps into his nose, mingled with
Wraith.
He can hear his mouth saying words, demanding answers, but all he can feel is the weight of the gun in his hand. Time to reload.
For Akira, Elizabeth and Radek on Earth
No matter what time they went, there would be crowds. The trick was to wait until they thinned enough to get a good view.
Elizabeth couldn’t help her coo of delight. The baby panda was the cutest thing she’d ever seen, and he was climbing a tree.
Radek wasn’t looking at the panda. Radek was looking at Elizabeth, a fond grin quirking the corners of his mouth.
“You
don’t know how long we waited,” she murmured. The zoo had been empty
and sad (like Atlantis when they arrived) after Ling-Ling and
Hsing-Hsing died.
“I think I do know.”
Elizabeth smiled.
For 20thcenturyvole, Rodney/John, a morning
Three
moons hung low in the dawn sky, all smaller than Earth’s guardian.
Sheppard poked at their fire – taking last watch meant he mixed up the
coffee. For all that Rodney proclaimed a love for MREs, he curled up
his nose at instant coffee. And Sheppard needed the caffeine too.
Teyla
and Ford both woke at first light. Sheppard had to go into their tent
to wake Rodney. Moans and groans and grumbles met his efforts.
Sheppard
would give it another five minutes then get ruthless. For now, he waved
the mug around, hoping wafted fragrance would do the trick.
12 June 2006
For Rivier, hands in pockets (McKay/Sheppard)
John always notices, even if he doesn't react: fabric pulled tight over a luscious ass.
But this time they're alone, and Rodney demands, "What?!" when he sees the quirked corner of John's mouth.
That
almost deserves a full grin, but John manages stoicism. "They drill
that out of us," John says, gesturing at Rodney's hips. "Well, they try
to," John qualifies.
Rodney looks down, baffled. His head rises, pugnacious, ready to ask for clarification.
John places his forefinger over Rodney's lips, greatly daring even if the balcony is deserted.
"No hands in pockets," John whispers confidingly, then steals a kiss.
For Le Mousquetaire, lost scene from Epiphany (McKay/Sheppard)
"No more MALPs-on-a-stick," Rodney decreed when they reached Sheppard's quarters.
Sheppard
snorted. "Yeah." He rubbed at his face and thought of a real razor. A
mirror. Water that didn't need to be boiled over a fire. God, he loved
civilization.
Before he could make his way to the bathroom (the bathroom!),
Sheppard was accosted by a limpet-like Rodney, who hugged with the same
single-minded intensity he brought to solving scientific mysteries.
Sheppard stood, frozen for a second, then relaxed into the embrace.
"Don't do that again," Rodney said.
"I won't." Sheppard tucked his nose into Rodney's neck. "I missed you."
For Alyse, something to do with 'you are the loop' (Weir/Zelenka)
He
made her smile, Elizabeth came to understand, and sought him out for
more than scientific consultations while Rodney was away.
Radek would look at her, hair wild and eyes kind, and stress melted away from her spine.
They
shared tea together in the mess hall, and she led their conversation
away from the approaching Wraith to time spent in Europe. Radek had a
way of relating anecdotes, vivid enough for her to picture and a
welcome escape.
She tried to repay him with tales of Byzantine negotiations, the foibles of nations writ small by zany diplomats.
Happiness grew, slowly.
14 August 2006
For Rivier, redeem Rodney's dignity
The
latest crisis was over, and all Rodney could do was sit in a stupor. It
had been too close, again, and he’d really thought they’d all die in
screaming agony.
“Hey, come on,” Sheppard said, trying to get Rodney to stand with an urging hand to his shoulder.
“I think I’ll just sit here for a while,” Rodney said.
“Nah,
we need food.” Sheppard sounded unaffected by everything. “I heard
they’ve got meatloaf – isn’t that one of your favorites?”
Rodney nodded but didn’t move.
“Come on, Rodney,” Sheppard said. “After the way you saved us all, you deserve it.”
For Slippyslope, Rodney being stealthy
Life-signs detector clutched in his hand, Rodney slipped through corridors like a ghost.
This project was too important for interruptions, and maintaining secrecy was vital to its success.
Zelenka had suspicions, but Rodney distracted him with gossip about Elizabeth’s morning tea breaks with Teyla.
Ronon
was a bigger worry, but Sheppard had some new training scheme and
enlisted Ronon to beat up on the Marines, nicely occupying them both.
At
last, Rodney made it to his destination, closed the door behind him,
turned on the lights, and went to inspect the almost-completed personal
jetpack.
Sheppard’s birthday present would be legendary.
For Carolyn Claire, post-John-talks-about-his-feelings
The
Daedalus hummed a quiet song barely audible in sick bay. Ronon lay on
his stomach, head cradled by a pillow. He was loopy from the good
drugs, and slept.
Sheppard sat next to the bed, grateful they’d
arrived in time. He’d promised Ronon that he’d be safe from the Wraith,
and the past few days had played out like a nightmare instead.
To
see Sateda, broken high-rises and charred debris, illuminated Ronon’s
character. Everything he’d lost, everything he’d survived during his
years as a Runner – Sheppard clenched his hands into fists and prepared
to hold watch until Ronon woke.
For Mousewitchy, Teyla, widows/widowers
Harvest
time, and the crops hung heavy in the fields. Life was so strange now,
Athosians turned farmers after centuries of hiding their presence from
the Wraith.
Teyla had grown up learning when and how to gather linzat fruits from amidst a thicket, the quickest ways to trap the hirsa and the reclin.
Halling stood beside her, watching Jinto examine the seedheads of this wheat.
“His mother would be proud,” Teyla said, remembering
Willa’s sweet smile and the love she’d always shown her
family.
“She would,” Halling agreed, and called Jinto back to discover when they could begin to reap.
For Tenshinya, something about Zelenka
The
option to take leave on Earth was offered to every member of the
Atlantis expedition. Whether or not they took it depended on many
things: marital status, dedication to research, stress levels.
Radek
Zelenka declined vacation when the memo arrived in his inbox. It didn’t
take much thought; the round trip on the Daedalus lasted almost six
weeks, with two weeks Earth-side. His parents were dead, his marriage
collapsed even before the Soviet Union and Radek’s flight to the West.
His sister’s brood of heathens was no draw.
Atlantis had become home. He liked it here and would stay.
For Walter, Sheppard and knives
After Ronon and
Ford twitted him aboard the hive ship, Sheppard began sliding a knife
into his right boot. He also practiced with throwing knives, specially
weighted to fly straight and true.
He preferred guns (he
preferred surface-to-air missiles, really), but sometimes they jammed.
A blade gave otherwise bare hands more ability to harm.
Sheppard
knew Rodney looked upon him as some sort of military savant, but John
understood that he was too frequently overmatched and unprepared. He’d
fight until death to protect Atlantis, and if a second knife allowed
him to hold out one minute more, he’d take it.
9 January 2007
150 words, based on a line by Alyse
Radek doubted he would have noticed, except they were so blatant
about it. Huddling together during breakfast and dinner, long walks
through cleared corridors, fluttering eyelashes – they wouldn't know
discretion if it walked up and bit them on the nose.
The
Saturday evening cocktail party swirled around Radek, and he took a sip
of his beer. It was nice to have access to Earth brands again, even if
some people (McNab the Marxist reactionary) complained about consumer
capitalism spreading to Pegasus. Radek had grown up under communism; he
loved the glut of goods.
As did somebody else, if he judged
the squeals emitting from the corner right. Miko was jumping up and
down, a small box clutched in her hand. That new Major who wasn't Lorne
stood in front of her, smiling like he'd just won the lottery.
Ah, love. At least now they'd stop thinking they were fooling anybody.
Based on a line by Alyse
Daffy
grins adorned the local's faces at the meet-and-greet. Rodney gritted
his teeth and forced a tight smile. Would Sheppard never admit that the
power readings over the hill were far more important than these yokels?
Military.
Teyla cooed over a baby some crone presented for inspection.
Sheppard was now flirting with a nubile maiden – irate relatives to follow, no doubt.
Oh, and there went Ronon snacking on what looked like a Satsuma. Lovely.
This planet would kill Rodney, who tried to study power distribution curves and abstain from yelling.
Was he the only one not out of his skull?
22 January 2007
For DJ Fanboy, Sheppard and Ronon at the movies
"Oh, hey," Sheppard said. "This one is cool."
Ronon raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
"No,
really," Sheppard insisted. "These aliens come to Earth and pretend to
be friendly, but they're really lizards who want to eat people."
"Eat people?" Ronon asked.
"Yeah, and there are freedom fighters and World War II parallels –"
Ronon interrupted, "You have tales of aliens eating people and you still came here?"
"Well, yeah," Sheppard said, surprised. "If it's not aliens, it's monsters in the forest or strangers with candy."
Ronon reflected on the delights of candy for a moment. Candy. Wraith.
These people were crazy.
[Sheppard is referring to V; see below]
For The Grrrl, Lorne and cupcakes [I abandoned word count – this ended up at 225 words]
Dr. Bliss ("No, really. My parents are insane.")
Harper loved to bake. Flour, sugar, leavening, flavoring – she tried
all sorts of combinations every week. She thought cupcakes were the
perfect baking form – small and delectable, capable of infinite
variations.
Now that she was in Atlantis, in the Pegasus Galaxy,
her weekly baking ritual was more challenging, but she was determined
to continue. The kitchen kept her sane through her graduate program in
chemistry; shadowy Wraith and Replicators would have to submit to the
power of her mixing spoon too.
Plus, handing out cupcakes made her popular with cute guys who had limited dating options.
Take
Major Lorne over there – clean-cut, all-American, smart, able to defend
the city against all comers. Talk about luscious. And he had a weakness
for cupcakes, if she could trust the way he nabbed one after another
from the tray she set out in the mess hall.
Look at him peel
the paper away from sponge, hold the cupcake up to his mouth, inhale
deeply. Bliss swore she saw a hint of tongue before he took a bite, and
then his face transformed into an expression of pure pleasure.
Bliss
wanted to see that expression again. And she didn't want a cupcake to
be the cause. It was a good thing she liked a challenge. Lorne wouldn't
know what hit him.
For Sithdragn, Carson and Teyla
Phantoms Linger
Dr.
Beckett's hands were gentle on Teyla's thigh as he cleaned the wound,
but she couldn't stop her hiss of pain as he probed the neat edge left
by the bullet.
He looked up, worried, and Teyla nodded at him
to continue. Beckett pattered about tissue damage and muscles, but she
could see the regret in his eyes at the loss of Barroso.
"Everyone was affected," she ventured.
Beckett's mouth turned down at the corners. "Not like me," he said. "I could have saved him."
McKay groaned across the clearing. A final tuck of her bandage, and Beckett was gone.
For The Spike, Team, Teyla pov on her boys
"Look at the snow." Rodney sounded dismayed.
"Canadian," John said sagely. "Wuss."
Teyla smirked and settled in to watch their antics.
"Isn't that a cold place?" Ronon asked, knowing the answer.
"Yes,"
Rodney said, "but I spent a good portion of my life in the desert.
Sand. Hot." His face fell further, probably contemplating their walk
back to the gate.
"This barely counts as snow." Ronon rumbled, sure.
"I don't know." John lacked conviction.
"Our feet will get wet," Rodney said, downcast.
Enough. "And then we will be back in Atlantis, warm and dry," Teyla told them, and started walking.
For Cedara, Zelenka and Sheppard - stolen chocolate
John looked down, startled. "Where did you get this?"
Chocolate
was a precious commodity, smuggled in personal belongings and traded
fiercely for favors and even more valuable items, like alcohol. John
had thought Dr. Biro had cornered the market.
"I have my ways."
Zelenka's accented voice sounded even more mysterious than usual. "I
thought you might give to McKay. He is sulking."
John didn't think that McKay needed any gifts, not after the way he'd treated Chaya. Okay, so she was an Ancient. McKay had still been rude to a guest.
"Make my life easier, Major." Zelenka was earnest. "Please."
For Serial Karma, ring, gale, tower, billow
The central tower of Atlantis rang like a bell as the gale hit, weather worse than any since the storm.
Elizabeth
looked up, startled at the mellow chime vibrating through her bones. So
many mysteries yet to be solved, but this one worried her. What if
there were structural problems?
McKay reported soon enough that the city was safe.
Elizabeth journeyed up to the top of the tower to see for herself.
Rain lashed the crystal windows, billowing sheets driven by the wind.
Exhilaration rose inside Elizabeth at nature's fury. Atlantis had survived millennia; this challenge would be met too.
For Plum, Lorne/Novak, body painting [vague spoilers for Sunday]
The
brush tickled, Lorne was surprised to note. For all the times he'd
dipped bristles into oils and daubed them on canvas, it had taken one
slightly offbeat scientist to come up with this brilliant idea.
Lindsay giggled at the way he flinched, and Lorne schooled himself to stillness. He had promised.
The
melted chocolate felt warm at first, but quickly cooled. Lindsay was
decorating his arm at the moment, but she'd looked him over with narrow
eyes earlier, like she was organizing her plan of attack.
The brush moved to his ribs, delicate.
Oh yeah, he's in serious trouble.
For Overnighter, John/Rodney, bonding in the downtime
After enduring yet another viewing of the famed Hail Mary pass, Rodney's had enough.
"Why do we always end up watching football?" he demands of Sheppard, who sits there looking content.
Sheppard implies that Rodney's an idiot with a raised eyebrow. "Because it's the best game ever?"
"Harrumph." Rodney knows he should be able to think of a counter-example, but the brutal slog stunned him into insensibility.
Maybe the way to win is changing the playing field.
"Did I tell you about this thing Bates' exploration team found?"
Sheppard takes the bait, and Rodney follows him to the labs, smirking.
15 July 2007
For DJ Fanboy, John has a brief run-in with Woolsey after the Replicator Incident
John stands on his favorite balcony, marveling at the control tower's
swift restoration. Replicators aren't all bad – who knew?
His hands tremble slightly, adrenaline crash still better than coming down from meds post-mission in Afghanistan.
A pointed cough makes John turn, and there's Woolsey, more rumpled than technocrat.
"You're lucky," Woolsey states, all priss and sourness, "that General O'Neill has a history of venturing off against orders."
John's
eyebrows defied gravity while reading SG-1 mission reports. Not that
his future had even crossed his mind when planning this craziness.
"I know," John says.
Nothing mattered then except getting Atlantis back.
For The Grrrl, post-Tao of Rodney [double drabble, McKay/Sheppard]
The balcony was sheltered and cozy, perfect for breaks.
"We wouldn't have been good,"
Sheppard said out of the blue. "If you'd --" he ran a hand over his
hair, arm brushing against Rodney's sleeve. "If you'd died. Or
ascended."
Rodney blinked at Sheppard, startled.
"Either way," Sheppard continued, grim and determined, "we wouldn't have been good."
Rodney's mouth opened and closed while he tried to catch up with the conversation.
Finally -- "Like you're one to talk!" Sheppard was so far ahead in the "almost died" sweepstakes that Rodney was almost offended that he was bringing this up.
Rodney asked, "How many times have you --" and of course Sheppard had to interrupt.
"That's different," he said.
Their eyes met, and Rodney's pulse accelerated to zoom. Greatly daring, his fingers drifted to Sheppard's collarbone.
"No," Rodney said. "It's not."
Sheppard
glanced down and away toward the floor of the balcony, and Rodney drank
in the line of his profile, the curve of his eyelashes.
"It
is," Sheppard said, looking back at Rodney, and then their lips met and
the argument disappeared in a rush of heat and wonder and, "Oh my God,
what were you waiting for?"
For Tenshinya, Teyla and her father
"Now," Papa told her very seriously, "you must be sure to mind your manners with the Trehar."
Teyla
nodded and held onto his hand a little tighter. It was her first trip
through the Ring of the Ancestors and she wanted to make her papa proud.
He stopped before the plinth, and Teyla went up on her tip-toes to watch the sequence.
The Ring flared blue and magic, and she started to smile so hard her cheeks ached.
"The Ancestors gave us a great gift, eh my love?"
"Oh, yes," Teyla said, and they walked through the shimmering veil together.
For Trobadora, Teyla and Bates
Teyla did not like the way Sergeant Bates watched her.
The
expression on his face was always set and bitter, as if he wanted to
toss her through the Ring of the Ancestors with her people.
Never mind that Major Sheppard and Doctor Weir were convinced of her value to the city.
Never mind that they would have starved were it not for her trading skills and her contacts.
Never mind that the Wraith plaguing their earlier missions had not been Teyla's doing.
Sergeant Bates continued to watch her.
Teyla's blood began to simmer.
He needed to learn better manners.
1 November 2007
For Roaringmice, Teyla and Ronon
"We became friends." A stark statement of fact, eliding all the difficulties between Teyla and Elizabeth when they first met.
Ronon's eyes held steady. "I know."
Teyla closed hers. "And now we are to forget her? I am accustomed to those lost to the Wraith, but–" Her voice broke.
Ronon took Teyla's hand, a silent reassurance.
"Was there nothing you could do? To help her?"
He shook his head. "The Replicators--" he started.
"But Rodney? He couldn't?"
"No. And she told us to go."
She had known the answer, but it didn't make the empty office hurt less.
For Wojelah, Teyla's introduction to Greek Mythology
"So you do not believe in the Ancestors?" Teyla asked, bewildered.
"There are many, many gods worshipped on Earth," Dr. Grodin replied. "My favorites are the Olympians, from Greece."
"How do you show your devotion?"
"Oh,
I don't. Not like that. It's just – the stories are marvelous.
Conflict, adventure, human weaknesses made into epic cycles."
"Adonis," Dumais said, grinning. "Greek gods are the ideal of male gorgeousness. Get Peter to show you."
Teyla blinked.
"Greece is the birthplace of Western civilization," Grodin said. "And the source of the Atlantis myth."
Now that was interesting. "Perhaps you could tell me more?"
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