fic: Making Up the Past [5/6]
Mar. 3rd, 2008 11:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
renisanzTITLE: Making Up the Past [Part 5]
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."
CATEGORY: romance/drama (Ronon/Keller)
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: Written for thechoc_fic February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline. This story turned into a monster, and it's actually meant to be a combination of two of the prompts.
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."
CATEGORY: romance/drama (Ronon/Keller)
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: Written for the
choc_fic February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline. This story turned into a monster, and it's actually meant to be a combination of two of the prompts.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Making Up the Past - Pt. 4
Jennifer was awakened by the distinctive beeping of Ronon's alarm. Though she felt rested from the nap, she really didn't want to get up. She had quickly grown fond of having Ronon as a pillow and wanted to savor every moment she got.
Ronon silenced the alarm, but had yet to move to get up. He seemed rather comfortable as well.
She felt his mouth against the top of her head. “Time to get some food,” he murmured. As if on cue his stomach rumbled in agreement. Jennifer laughed heartily, lifting her head from where it had been resting on his chest to look up at his handsome face.
“Can your stomach wait five more minutes,” Jennifer groaned, rolling away from Ronon to stretch.
Jennifer didn't miss the mischievous gleam that appeared in Ronon's eyes at her request.
“What? You got something better than food in mind?”
Jennifer felt her throat grow dry as her cheeks warmed under the implication. “Uhm. . . no, not exactly.” She hated that he could make her blush so easily.
Ronon smirked at her in return, leaning down closer. For a split second Jen wondered if her breath was acceptable, but then his lips were on hers. He brought his hand around her waist, gently urging her body closer, and she acquiesced.
Jennifer only meant to pull away briefly just to catch her breath, but as Ronon attempted to continue the kiss, she felt her stomach lurch. “Oh my God,” Jennifer choked.
“What is it?” She saw Ronon's brow furrow in confusion.
Her stomach revolted once more, and it was all Jennifer could do to swallow back the bile as she shoved Ronon away, scrambled over him and off of the bed. This was the first time she was thankful for her quarters being so small, because it took merely a few stumbling steps before she was in the bathroom, finally able to allow the contents of her stomach to eject into the toilet. The fact that she had not actually thrown up on Ronon—something that she never have been able to live down no matter much he would have tried to reassure her—was a small comfort over the embarrassment she felt at him having to hear her wretch over the commode. Had she really eaten that much for breakfast?
Thankfully, the vomiting spell was over quickly. Jennifer leaned back away from the toilet and against the wall, her eyes closed.
“You ok?” She pushed her hair back away from her eyes and looked up to see Ronon standing warily in the doorway.
“I'm fine.” Jennifer smiled weakly. “Nausea is a common symptom of pregnancy. I'm just kinda surprised it hadn't occurred until now. Great timing, right?”
“Yeah.” Ronon allowed a small smile. “Didn't know you could move that fast.” He sounded genuinely impressed by her flight skills. He chuckled, coming to kneel down in front of her.
“Oh thanks,” Jennifer laughed, nudging his shoulder. “I'm sure you appreciate me not vomiting all over you.”
“Yeah. Thanks for that.” Ronon brought up a hand to gently stroke her hair. “You sure you're ok?”
“Yes. I'm fine,” she reassured him.
Ronon nodded.
“I don't have much of an appetite now, though,” she confessed.
“Me either.” Ronon agreed.
Jennifer rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “Well, I still need to eat something. I'll just have to eat smaller meals from now on. So, we can still go get lunch.” She indicated for Ronon to get up, and he pulled her up as well. “Give me a minute to freshen up, and then we can head to the mess.”.
“Sounds good,” he said. Jennifer was heartened when Ronon leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead before exiting the bathroom.
Jennifer waved her hand over the door crystals, closing the door behind him. As she finally dared to take in her appearance in the mirror, she sighed. She could not wait to rinse the taste of vomit from her mouth and run a brush though the mess of her hair. As she swished the mint-flavored Listerine around her mouth, she let her mind rove over the events of the morning. Now it was barely past noon.
She spit the mouthwash into the sink and then paused to stare at her reflection once more. “I guess it's going to be one of those days,” she sighed.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The mess hall was buzzing with the usual crowd for noontime. While Ronon finished loading his tray up with a sampling of practically everything on the menu, Jennifer scanned the cafeteria floor for suitable seating. After her previous bout with nausea she opted for a table out on the balcony, where she would have access to the fresh, salty air. It would also give them a chance to talk of private matters without fear of anyone overhearing.
As Jennifer made her way to a table, she noticed that Dr. Pedersen was seated on the balcony as well. She caught his eye, and he smiled and waved. He gestured for her to come join him, but he suddenly stopped short. Jennifer didn't have to look behind her as she felt Ronon's warmth behind her.
“Where ya wanna sit?”
“Uhm, here's fine,” she said, putting her tray down at the nearest empty table. She made a point to sit with her back facing away from Marc, as she felt very self-conscious at the moment. She wanted to tell Ronon that she had made an appointment to have an ultra-sound done, she just couldn't figure out how to bring it up. Would he want to go with her? She wanted to be keep her pregnancy a secret as long as possible. However, Ronon showing up to accompany her to have tests done was sure to raise questions. Why was everything so complicated all of a sudden?
“What's wrong?”
Jen was abruptly brought out of her musing by Ronon's expression of concern. She jerked her head up to meet his questioning gaze. She didn't want to say 'nothing,' but she didn't know what else to say. “Nothing.”
“You sure?” He wasn't at all convinced.
Jennifer sighed,biting her lip in indecision. She had promised Ronon that she would trust him; that meant being honest with him no matter what. “Well. . . .as you know, today I went by my office to access my test results.”
Ronon took a bite of his turkey sandwich and nodded.
“Well, Dr. Pedersen approached me to talk more about my test results. . . “
Ronon brow furrowed, but he waited for her to continue.
“So. . . he knows about my condition.” She said the last word in nearly a whisper.
Ronon nodded again. “Uh-huh.” By his tone, Jennifer could tell that he knew that this was not all there was to the story.
Jennifer decided to stick to the pertinent details. Somehow she figured the he-has-a-crush-on-me-but-offered-to-help-out story was not the best place to start. “He hasn't informed anyone else about it, and he said he'd help out if I wanted to have some more test done, discreetly, of course. So I made an appointment to have an ultrasound later this evening. I didn't know if you wanted to go or not. . . I mean, if you wanted to, that's ok, I guess, but if not. . .”
Jennifer felt her cheeks growing warm and her pulse beginning to race. She had long since stopped looking Ronon in the eye, and instead, preferred to concentrate on nervously picking her nails. A large tanned hand covered hers, and she looked up once more into kind, hazel-brown eyes.
“Do you want me to go with you?” He was leaving the decision up to her.
“Yes, but. . .”
“I don't have a problem getting in the infirmary without you seeing me,” he smiled. “I think I can work something out.”
Jennifer felt her nervousness slowly calm at his teasing. Yes, he had managed to scare the bejesus out of her on many an occasion when she had been absorbed in a task in the infirmary only to look up to find him looming over her, usually bleeding.
She relished feel of his hand around hers, his thumb caressing the back of her fingers as he waited for her reply. “Yeah. I suppose you can,” she agreed.
“Plus, I think Dr. Pedersen likes you,” Ronon mumbled, looking over her left shoulder. She didn't have to turn around to know he was staring at her smitten colleague. How did he know these things? Jennifer did not even try to deny it as the blush she felt in her cheeks had already given her away. “You think so?”
Ronon finally turned his gaze back to Jennifer. “Yeah. I see how he looks at you.”
“And how's that?” Jennifer was genuinely curious.
Ronon considered his response for a moment. “Like he wants you.”
What? Jennifer was slightly startled by his directness.
“I mean, he looks like he's trying to decide something. Whether or not to talk to you, or what to say.” Jennifer could tell Ronon was not used to explaining such things, but she found it very interesting to hear him tell it. “That's one of the reasons I finally decided to make a move.”
Jennifer lifted a brow in intrigue at Ronon's confession, and could not help when her mouth dropped open slightly. She was about to ask more about what 'making a move' had entailed, but was interrupted by the sound of a tray clattering down on the opposite side of the table.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” Rodney McKay nodded briefly to them both before plopping down beside Ronon. He immediately began devouring his lunch. “You know,” he started around a mouthful of blue Jell-O, “it is such a relief they finally got this back on the menu.” He gestured with cup.
Ronon responded by rolling his eyes, reluctantly sliding his hand from Jennifer's as he leaned back in his chair.
Jennifer barely stifled an amused laugh. “I guess so,” she humored Rodney. “I'm partial to the red, myself.” As she took a sip of her soda, she looked at looked at Ronon over the rim of the glass and gave him a small smile, which he returned. Rodney remained oblivious to the exchange.
Jennifer's smile faded as a strong meaty aroma assaulted her senses. She looked to see Rodney had finished off his first cup of Jell-O (he had gotten 3 servings), and moved on to—she looked at his plate trying to discern it—Salisbury steak.
Ronon noticed the change in her demeanor. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I think. The smell of that steak is just making me nauseous all of a sudden.”
Rodney seemed to take offense at that. “Hey, this isn't that bad at all.” He seemed to reflect for a moment. “You know,” he gestured with his fork. “My little sister, Jeanie, loves this. When she was pregnant she couldn't stand the stuff.”
Jennifer choked on the swallow of 7-Up she had been drinking to calm her stomach. Ronon made a move to aid her, but she raised her hand giving him a pointed look. “I'm ok,” she coughed. But she wasn't. The coughing spell only seemed to aggravate her nausea more. She had barely started on her lunch and really was not up for another vomiting smell. She rested a hand over her stomach and took a series of deep breath in an effort to quell her rebelling intestines.
As Rodney took in this whole exchange, the hand holding, Ronon's concern for Jennifer, her nausea, a light bulb finally clicked on. “Wait. . .you're not . . . are you?”
Jennifer's out shot open at his observation. She could feel that damned blush rising in her cheeks.
The small, good-natured smile that had been playing on Rodney's mouth faded when Jennifer failed to refute his speculation. Now fully alert to the situation, he caught her eyes as they darted to Ronon. After a moment he said, “Oh my God. You two?!”
“McKay!” Ronon hissed in a tone that told Rodney to quite down.
“But when did you. . .”
“None of your business,” Ronon growled.
“I know that,” Rodney snapped. Jennifer was amazed at how the scientist remained unfazed by the glare Ronon was burning into the side of his face. “I mean. . . You two. . .wow. Huh.”
Rodney's voice softened, as he focused on Jennifer. “I just mean to say. . . I mean, really, are you alright? I'm really sorry about the food and—“
“It's ok, Rodney.” Jennifer assured him. “I think the wind has changed, so it's not that bad anymore.” She held his gaze, and after a moment, he nodded. Jennifer thought it was sweet how accommodating McKay was attempting to be. He really had come a long way with his social skills.
“Anyway,” she lowered her voice. “I—we would really appreciate it if you kept this quiet for the time being.” She looked at Ronon to see an unreadable expression on his face other than that he was listening. Apparently he had decided to let her handle this.
“Oh. No problem. Mum's the word,” Rodney smiled nervously. He slid his chair back and got up from the table, grabbing his tray. “I think I'll leave you two now. I have a potentially ground-breaking experiment running, and I left Miko to monitor things, so I want to get back in case something goes wrong that only I can fix. You know how it is.”
“I really don't,” Ronon murmured.
Rodney shot him an annoyed look, but turned a cordial nod to Jennifer before picking up his tray and leaving.
Once Rodney was fas enough way Jennifer sighed heavily, rubbing her hands over her eyes. At the rate they were going the entire base would know by the end of the week, if not today.
“Hey. . . “ She looked up into the limpid hazel of Ronon's eyes. He didn't say anything, just reached for her hand, laying his it across the table palm up. She hesitated for only a moment, and then slid her fingers into into the cup of his hand, relishing the warm that radiated has his fingers closed around hers.
He looked at her barely touched lunch. “You done?”
“Yeah, I suppose so. Don't have much of an appetite.”
Ronon nodded in understanding.
Despite the comfort of Ronon's touch, Jennifer was still becoming overwhelmed by their situation. She felt a lump growing in her throat and found it hard to speak. “I, uhm,” she swallowed hard. “I'll take the rest of this food with me to snack on later.”
“Ok, let's go.” Ronon got up and collected his tray and then moved around to Jennifer's side of the table. He reached up to pick up her tray then stopped short and tapped his ear. Someone was contacting him on his radio. “Ronon here.” He waited a moment, listening to the person on the other end. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. “I'll be right there.”
He turned to Jennifer, indecision reading all over his features.
“What is it?” Jennifer asked.
“He gestured for her to start walking as he began to talk. “An unscheduled mission. Lorne's team's an hour overdue with their check-in. Sheppard wants us to get prepped to check it out.”
Without thinking Jennifer felt compelled to prepare to handle anyone who could be injured. Then she remembered she was off duty. “I hope everything is alright.”
“Yeah. Better safe than sorry,” he shrugged.
“You going back to your room?” Ronon asked after she's picked up a to-go box for her leftover lunch.
She looked up at him and nodded.
“I'll walk you.”
“Oh, you don't have to.”
“I know. I want to.”
Jennifer beamed at him in appreciation. She had expected Ronon to hurry off to his assignment once they left the mess hall, but she was extremely touched by how considerate a person Ronon had been through all of this. Still she had unanswered questions that she just couldn't find the right moment to ask. She knew that she needed to talk things over with him sooner, rather than another two months down the road.
They reached Jennifer's quarters, and Jennifer turned to bid Ronon farewell. “I guess I'll see you later tonight. . .For my appointment?”
“Yeah. Look, if I don't get back in time for whatever reason, just go ahead, ok?”
A year ago, Jennifer would have wondered why Ronon had told her such a thing. However, experience had taught her that things tended to take a turn for the worse whenever Sheppard's team went out on what was supposed to be a 'simple' mission.
“Alright. Just try to come back in one piece.”
“I'll try.” He smirked, then pulled her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head then released her. Before he moved away, tugged his shirt, pulling him down to her. Normally, she would be self-conscious about such public displays of affection, but those concerns seemed rather pointless now. Plus, she wanted to make up for their interruption earlier.
The kiss was reserved, yet affectionate. She savored the feel of his lips against hers, warm and soft. He pulled away, but she found herself wanting more of him. She barely remembered they were in the hallway outside of her room. Reluctantly released the hold she had on his shirt.
“I do have a job to go to, ya know.” Though he was being serious, he couldn't help but smile down at her.
“I know,” she sighed.
“I'll see you later,” Ronon said, stroking her hair. It was a promise, she knew. He looked her over one last time, seemingly to make sure she was, in fact, alright before turning to head to the briefing.
TBC
Making Up the Past - Pt. 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: One person teammate down, two more to go. It's late/early (2:49AM) and my brain is kinda fried with writing this chapter. Your thoughts on it are much appreciated. I really do take your comments into account when writing. Though I have a specific story to tell, I do want it to be entertaining as well.
I'm just going to have to stop saying what the next chapter is going to be about, because it never quite turns out that way. I end up surprised just like you guys. : ) I didn't expect the pace of the story to slow down this much. I had at least three scenes in mind for this chapter, but only got two long ones out. Actually, I could have written the third scene, but I don't think it goes along with the tone of this chapter. I'm really excited to write it though, if that tells you anything about it. :D The quote in the summary—""There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."—will finally be explained.
Thank you to Rac80 for being a beta and giving me the idea for the scene with Rodney. That was an extremely big help. Thanks totardiscalling84 for the encouragement and insightful comments. I really appreciate rhaddict's criticisms from the get go, which helped me be more mindful of typos. :) Duchess67, journeyman07, penguinopus, CatherineRabbb, albtb, SingingShooter and everyone else who continues to read this.
Making Up the Past - Pt. 4
A daydreamer
With eyes that make you melt
He lends his coat for shelter
Plus he's there for you when he shouldn't be
But he stays all the same
Waits for you
Then sees you through
—“Daydreamer” by ADELE
With eyes that make you melt
He lends his coat for shelter
Plus he's there for you when he shouldn't be
But he stays all the same
Waits for you
Then sees you through
—“Daydreamer” by ADELE
Jennifer was awakened by the distinctive beeping of Ronon's alarm. Though she felt rested from the nap, she really didn't want to get up. She had quickly grown fond of having Ronon as a pillow and wanted to savor every moment she got.
Ronon silenced the alarm, but had yet to move to get up. He seemed rather comfortable as well.
She felt his mouth against the top of her head. “Time to get some food,” he murmured. As if on cue his stomach rumbled in agreement. Jennifer laughed heartily, lifting her head from where it had been resting on his chest to look up at his handsome face.
“Can your stomach wait five more minutes,” Jennifer groaned, rolling away from Ronon to stretch.
Jennifer didn't miss the mischievous gleam that appeared in Ronon's eyes at her request.
“What? You got something better than food in mind?”
Jennifer felt her throat grow dry as her cheeks warmed under the implication. “Uhm. . . no, not exactly.” She hated that he could make her blush so easily.
Ronon smirked at her in return, leaning down closer. For a split second Jen wondered if her breath was acceptable, but then his lips were on hers. He brought his hand around her waist, gently urging her body closer, and she acquiesced.
Jennifer only meant to pull away briefly just to catch her breath, but as Ronon attempted to continue the kiss, she felt her stomach lurch. “Oh my God,” Jennifer choked.
“What is it?” She saw Ronon's brow furrow in confusion.
Her stomach revolted once more, and it was all Jennifer could do to swallow back the bile as she shoved Ronon away, scrambled over him and off of the bed. This was the first time she was thankful for her quarters being so small, because it took merely a few stumbling steps before she was in the bathroom, finally able to allow the contents of her stomach to eject into the toilet. The fact that she had not actually thrown up on Ronon—something that she never have been able to live down no matter much he would have tried to reassure her—was a small comfort over the embarrassment she felt at him having to hear her wretch over the commode. Had she really eaten that much for breakfast?
Thankfully, the vomiting spell was over quickly. Jennifer leaned back away from the toilet and against the wall, her eyes closed.
“You ok?” She pushed her hair back away from her eyes and looked up to see Ronon standing warily in the doorway.
“I'm fine.” Jennifer smiled weakly. “Nausea is a common symptom of pregnancy. I'm just kinda surprised it hadn't occurred until now. Great timing, right?”
“Yeah.” Ronon allowed a small smile. “Didn't know you could move that fast.” He sounded genuinely impressed by her flight skills. He chuckled, coming to kneel down in front of her.
“Oh thanks,” Jennifer laughed, nudging his shoulder. “I'm sure you appreciate me not vomiting all over you.”
“Yeah. Thanks for that.” Ronon brought up a hand to gently stroke her hair. “You sure you're ok?”
“Yes. I'm fine,” she reassured him.
Ronon nodded.
“I don't have much of an appetite now, though,” she confessed.
“Me either.” Ronon agreed.
Jennifer rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “Well, I still need to eat something. I'll just have to eat smaller meals from now on. So, we can still go get lunch.” She indicated for Ronon to get up, and he pulled her up as well. “Give me a minute to freshen up, and then we can head to the mess.”.
“Sounds good,” he said. Jennifer was heartened when Ronon leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead before exiting the bathroom.
Jennifer waved her hand over the door crystals, closing the door behind him. As she finally dared to take in her appearance in the mirror, she sighed. She could not wait to rinse the taste of vomit from her mouth and run a brush though the mess of her hair. As she swished the mint-flavored Listerine around her mouth, she let her mind rove over the events of the morning. Now it was barely past noon.
She spit the mouthwash into the sink and then paused to stare at her reflection once more. “I guess it's going to be one of those days,” she sighed.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The mess hall was buzzing with the usual crowd for noontime. While Ronon finished loading his tray up with a sampling of practically everything on the menu, Jennifer scanned the cafeteria floor for suitable seating. After her previous bout with nausea she opted for a table out on the balcony, where she would have access to the fresh, salty air. It would also give them a chance to talk of private matters without fear of anyone overhearing.
As Jennifer made her way to a table, she noticed that Dr. Pedersen was seated on the balcony as well. She caught his eye, and he smiled and waved. He gestured for her to come join him, but he suddenly stopped short. Jennifer didn't have to look behind her as she felt Ronon's warmth behind her.
“Where ya wanna sit?”
“Uhm, here's fine,” she said, putting her tray down at the nearest empty table. She made a point to sit with her back facing away from Marc, as she felt very self-conscious at the moment. She wanted to tell Ronon that she had made an appointment to have an ultra-sound done, she just couldn't figure out how to bring it up. Would he want to go with her? She wanted to be keep her pregnancy a secret as long as possible. However, Ronon showing up to accompany her to have tests done was sure to raise questions. Why was everything so complicated all of a sudden?
“What's wrong?”
Jen was abruptly brought out of her musing by Ronon's expression of concern. She jerked her head up to meet his questioning gaze. She didn't want to say 'nothing,' but she didn't know what else to say. “Nothing.”
“You sure?” He wasn't at all convinced.
Jennifer sighed,biting her lip in indecision. She had promised Ronon that she would trust him; that meant being honest with him no matter what. “Well. . . .as you know, today I went by my office to access my test results.”
Ronon took a bite of his turkey sandwich and nodded.
“Well, Dr. Pedersen approached me to talk more about my test results. . . “
Ronon brow furrowed, but he waited for her to continue.
“So. . . he knows about my condition.” She said the last word in nearly a whisper.
Ronon nodded again. “Uh-huh.” By his tone, Jennifer could tell that he knew that this was not all there was to the story.
Jennifer decided to stick to the pertinent details. Somehow she figured the he-has-a-crush-on-me-but-offered-to-help-out story was not the best place to start. “He hasn't informed anyone else about it, and he said he'd help out if I wanted to have some more test done, discreetly, of course. So I made an appointment to have an ultrasound later this evening. I didn't know if you wanted to go or not. . . I mean, if you wanted to, that's ok, I guess, but if not. . .”
Jennifer felt her cheeks growing warm and her pulse beginning to race. She had long since stopped looking Ronon in the eye, and instead, preferred to concentrate on nervously picking her nails. A large tanned hand covered hers, and she looked up once more into kind, hazel-brown eyes.
“Do you want me to go with you?” He was leaving the decision up to her.
“Yes, but. . .”
“I don't have a problem getting in the infirmary without you seeing me,” he smiled. “I think I can work something out.”
Jennifer felt her nervousness slowly calm at his teasing. Yes, he had managed to scare the bejesus out of her on many an occasion when she had been absorbed in a task in the infirmary only to look up to find him looming over her, usually bleeding.
She relished feel of his hand around hers, his thumb caressing the back of her fingers as he waited for her reply. “Yeah. I suppose you can,” she agreed.
“Plus, I think Dr. Pedersen likes you,” Ronon mumbled, looking over her left shoulder. She didn't have to turn around to know he was staring at her smitten colleague. How did he know these things? Jennifer did not even try to deny it as the blush she felt in her cheeks had already given her away. “You think so?”
Ronon finally turned his gaze back to Jennifer. “Yeah. I see how he looks at you.”
“And how's that?” Jennifer was genuinely curious.
Ronon considered his response for a moment. “Like he wants you.”
What? Jennifer was slightly startled by his directness.
“I mean, he looks like he's trying to decide something. Whether or not to talk to you, or what to say.” Jennifer could tell Ronon was not used to explaining such things, but she found it very interesting to hear him tell it. “That's one of the reasons I finally decided to make a move.”
Jennifer lifted a brow in intrigue at Ronon's confession, and could not help when her mouth dropped open slightly. She was about to ask more about what 'making a move' had entailed, but was interrupted by the sound of a tray clattering down on the opposite side of the table.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” Rodney McKay nodded briefly to them both before plopping down beside Ronon. He immediately began devouring his lunch. “You know,” he started around a mouthful of blue Jell-O, “it is such a relief they finally got this back on the menu.” He gestured with cup.
Ronon responded by rolling his eyes, reluctantly sliding his hand from Jennifer's as he leaned back in his chair.
Jennifer barely stifled an amused laugh. “I guess so,” she humored Rodney. “I'm partial to the red, myself.” As she took a sip of her soda, she looked at looked at Ronon over the rim of the glass and gave him a small smile, which he returned. Rodney remained oblivious to the exchange.
Jennifer's smile faded as a strong meaty aroma assaulted her senses. She looked to see Rodney had finished off his first cup of Jell-O (he had gotten 3 servings), and moved on to—she looked at his plate trying to discern it—Salisbury steak.
Ronon noticed the change in her demeanor. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I think. The smell of that steak is just making me nauseous all of a sudden.”
Rodney seemed to take offense at that. “Hey, this isn't that bad at all.” He seemed to reflect for a moment. “You know,” he gestured with his fork. “My little sister, Jeanie, loves this. When she was pregnant she couldn't stand the stuff.”
Jennifer choked on the swallow of 7-Up she had been drinking to calm her stomach. Ronon made a move to aid her, but she raised her hand giving him a pointed look. “I'm ok,” she coughed. But she wasn't. The coughing spell only seemed to aggravate her nausea more. She had barely started on her lunch and really was not up for another vomiting smell. She rested a hand over her stomach and took a series of deep breath in an effort to quell her rebelling intestines.
As Rodney took in this whole exchange, the hand holding, Ronon's concern for Jennifer, her nausea, a light bulb finally clicked on. “Wait. . .you're not . . . are you?”
Jennifer's out shot open at his observation. She could feel that damned blush rising in her cheeks.
The small, good-natured smile that had been playing on Rodney's mouth faded when Jennifer failed to refute his speculation. Now fully alert to the situation, he caught her eyes as they darted to Ronon. After a moment he said, “Oh my God. You two?!”
“McKay!” Ronon hissed in a tone that told Rodney to quite down.
“But when did you. . .”
“None of your business,” Ronon growled.
“I know that,” Rodney snapped. Jennifer was amazed at how the scientist remained unfazed by the glare Ronon was burning into the side of his face. “I mean. . . You two. . .wow. Huh.”
Rodney's voice softened, as he focused on Jennifer. “I just mean to say. . . I mean, really, are you alright? I'm really sorry about the food and—“
“It's ok, Rodney.” Jennifer assured him. “I think the wind has changed, so it's not that bad anymore.” She held his gaze, and after a moment, he nodded. Jennifer thought it was sweet how accommodating McKay was attempting to be. He really had come a long way with his social skills.
“Anyway,” she lowered her voice. “I—we would really appreciate it if you kept this quiet for the time being.” She looked at Ronon to see an unreadable expression on his face other than that he was listening. Apparently he had decided to let her handle this.
“Oh. No problem. Mum's the word,” Rodney smiled nervously. He slid his chair back and got up from the table, grabbing his tray. “I think I'll leave you two now. I have a potentially ground-breaking experiment running, and I left Miko to monitor things, so I want to get back in case something goes wrong that only I can fix. You know how it is.”
“I really don't,” Ronon murmured.
Rodney shot him an annoyed look, but turned a cordial nod to Jennifer before picking up his tray and leaving.
Once Rodney was fas enough way Jennifer sighed heavily, rubbing her hands over her eyes. At the rate they were going the entire base would know by the end of the week, if not today.
“Hey. . . “ She looked up into the limpid hazel of Ronon's eyes. He didn't say anything, just reached for her hand, laying his it across the table palm up. She hesitated for only a moment, and then slid her fingers into into the cup of his hand, relishing the warm that radiated has his fingers closed around hers.
He looked at her barely touched lunch. “You done?”
“Yeah, I suppose so. Don't have much of an appetite.”
Ronon nodded in understanding.
Despite the comfort of Ronon's touch, Jennifer was still becoming overwhelmed by their situation. She felt a lump growing in her throat and found it hard to speak. “I, uhm,” she swallowed hard. “I'll take the rest of this food with me to snack on later.”
“Ok, let's go.” Ronon got up and collected his tray and then moved around to Jennifer's side of the table. He reached up to pick up her tray then stopped short and tapped his ear. Someone was contacting him on his radio. “Ronon here.” He waited a moment, listening to the person on the other end. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. “I'll be right there.”
He turned to Jennifer, indecision reading all over his features.
“What is it?” Jennifer asked.
“He gestured for her to start walking as he began to talk. “An unscheduled mission. Lorne's team's an hour overdue with their check-in. Sheppard wants us to get prepped to check it out.”
Without thinking Jennifer felt compelled to prepare to handle anyone who could be injured. Then she remembered she was off duty. “I hope everything is alright.”
“Yeah. Better safe than sorry,” he shrugged.
“You going back to your room?” Ronon asked after she's picked up a to-go box for her leftover lunch.
She looked up at him and nodded.
“I'll walk you.”
“Oh, you don't have to.”
“I know. I want to.”
Jennifer beamed at him in appreciation. She had expected Ronon to hurry off to his assignment once they left the mess hall, but she was extremely touched by how considerate a person Ronon had been through all of this. Still she had unanswered questions that she just couldn't find the right moment to ask. She knew that she needed to talk things over with him sooner, rather than another two months down the road.
They reached Jennifer's quarters, and Jennifer turned to bid Ronon farewell. “I guess I'll see you later tonight. . .For my appointment?”
“Yeah. Look, if I don't get back in time for whatever reason, just go ahead, ok?”
A year ago, Jennifer would have wondered why Ronon had told her such a thing. However, experience had taught her that things tended to take a turn for the worse whenever Sheppard's team went out on what was supposed to be a 'simple' mission.
“Alright. Just try to come back in one piece.”
“I'll try.” He smirked, then pulled her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head then released her. Before he moved away, tugged his shirt, pulling him down to her. Normally, she would be self-conscious about such public displays of affection, but those concerns seemed rather pointless now. Plus, she wanted to make up for their interruption earlier.
The kiss was reserved, yet affectionate. She savored the feel of his lips against hers, warm and soft. He pulled away, but she found herself wanting more of him. She barely remembered they were in the hallway outside of her room. Reluctantly released the hold she had on his shirt.
“I do have a job to go to, ya know.” Though he was being serious, he couldn't help but smile down at her.
“I know,” she sighed.
“I'll see you later,” Ronon said, stroking her hair. It was a promise, she knew. He looked her over one last time, seemingly to make sure she was, in fact, alright before turning to head to the briefing.
TBC
Making Up the Past - Pt. 6
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A/N: One person teammate down, two more to go. It's late/early (2:49AM) and my brain is kinda fried with writing this chapter. Your thoughts on it are much appreciated. I really do take your comments into account when writing. Though I have a specific story to tell, I do want it to be entertaining as well.
I'm just going to have to stop saying what the next chapter is going to be about, because it never quite turns out that way. I end up surprised just like you guys. : ) I didn't expect the pace of the story to slow down this much. I had at least three scenes in mind for this chapter, but only got two long ones out. Actually, I could have written the third scene, but I don't think it goes along with the tone of this chapter. I'm really excited to write it though, if that tells you anything about it. :D The quote in the summary—""There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."—will finally be explained.
Thank you to Rac80 for being a beta and giving me the idea for the scene with Rodney. That was an extremely big help. Thanks to
tardiscalling84 for the encouragement and insightful comments. I really appreciate rhaddict's criticisms from the get go, which helped me be more mindful of typos. :) Duchess67, journeyman07, penguinopus, CatherineRabbb, albtb, SingingShooter and everyone else who continues to read this.
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Oh yay!
Date: 2008-03-04 06:28 am (UTC)Is the next chapter Teyla finding out? I could see her coming across Jenn and noticing that something was wrong...
Thanks for the lovely story!
Re: Oh yay!
Date: 2008-03-04 06:53 am (UTC)Newbie question
Date: 2008-03-04 06:34 am (UTC)Re: Newbie question
Date: 2008-03-04 06:48 am (UTC)Scratch that, there is a way. I just enabled it on my profile options so you can view it now. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-05 08:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-20 11:52 pm (UTC)Okay, I so should be in bed for like 2 hours or so already but I have to read the last chapter first!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 04:27 am (UTC)Good point. I suppose that's what this whole story is about. :)