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Somewhere between taking stock of the damage caused by the Genii strike team and preparing to contact the rest of the Atlantis expedition on the Minarean homeworld, John pointed out that she was shaking.
"Elizabeth," he called quietly, lightly grasping her arm, and she jumped, startled. "You spent an hour outside in the middle of a hurricane -- you're still soaking wet. If you won't take a break then go change into some dry clothes at least."
Elizabeth sighed, wishing she could do just that. "There's too much to do. Besides, we can't leave the control room until the storm's passed."
"Not true." Rodney paused on his way by, obviously having overheard at least part of their conversation. "The shield has enough power to last for at least the next thirty minutes, at which point the eye of the storm will pass overhead and provide us with approximately ten minutes of sunny skies. I wouldn't be gone for more than half an hour, though, just in case." Elizabeth watched as his attention was drawn to another part of the control room. "Ford! Are you trying to kill us all? Then maybe you could refrain from touching that button with the big do not touch sign next to it...."
Elizabeth smiled almost reluctantly as McKay rushed off with the energy of someone running purely on adrenaline.
"You see? Go." John's soft tone drew her attention back to him. "We can't start damage repair or bring the others back until the storm has completely passed and there's nothing for you to do right now that can't be done by anyone else. We'll manage to survive without you for half an hour."
If she'd had more energy she probably would have taken offense at him telling her she wasn't needed; but as it was, she conceded his point and reluctantly left for her quarters.
Five minutes later, Elizabeth was standing in the shower with the water turned as hot as she could stand it, letting the heat of the water and steam leach the chill out of her bones. She would have preferred to soak in a bath but apparently the Ancients hadn't been big on submerging themselves in water; so far, there wasn't a bathtub to be found on Atlantis.
She turned her face into the spray and let its warmth soak into her, instinctively knowing that whatever coldness remained wouldn't be washed away by something as simple as water. She foresaw a few sleepless nights ahead.
"Elizabeth?"
The soft voice made her jump; thankfully the shower floors were slip-resistant. "John," she answered, turning her head to the side, though she didn't actually look at him. It was only a few seconds before a pair of arms wrapped themselves loosely around her, a naked body pressed against her back. Tired as she was, she let herself lean into him. "Won't the others wonder where you are?"
"I told them I was doing a quick recon in case we missed some of Kolya's men." One hand flattened against her stomach; the other circled over her hip.
"You've been hovering," she half-accused, tilting her head back to rest against his shoulder, eyes closed. "You haven't been more than two feet away since you shot Kolya. People are going to notice."
The hand on her hip moved up and his arm rested across her collarbone, holding her more securely against him. "They've all got their own things to worry about; no one's paying any attention to us."
Like earlier, she was too tired to argue with him; whatever her team had or hadn't seen, it was too late to worry about it now.
Elizabeth turned, resting her forehead against his chest and slipping her arms around his waist and reaching up to grasp at his water-slicked shoulders. She was, strangely, afraid to look at him; this change in their relationship was still new and undefined and what they were doing here, now, was unnervingly intimate.
"We'd better go or we're gonna get fried," John eventually murmured, lips close to her ear, and she nodded reluctantly.
She started to pull away, surprised enough when he cupped her face in both hands that she looked up and met his gaze. The seriousness with which he watched her made Elizabeth feel suddenly heated. "You will be okay," he told her, repeating the words he'd said barely an hour ago, and waited until she nodded before he released her face. With a lingering kiss to her forehead, he turned and left without another word. Elizabeth watched as he exited the shower, disappearing into her quarters with towel in hand.
She waited a minute longer before shutting off the shower and walking slowly into her bedroom, where she found John had already gone from her quarters and fresh, dry clothes laid out for her on the bed. She smiled at the sight.
Dressed, warm, and dry, Elizabeth Weir walked out of her room, once more ready to take on the challenge of running Atlantis.
--end--