knight to queen

The first thing Elizabeth notices is that she's freezing cold and her head feels like wet sand. She sits up, her stomach rolling and the pier tilting slightly. With a groan, she manages to sit up. That's when she notices the second thing.

She's as naked as the day she was born. Elizabeth looks down at herself and gasps, crawling back until she finds a cold wall to lean against and hide in the shade. She looks around and finds no clothes, her headset gone.

She looks down at herself, doing an inventory of how she feels. A little groggy, but otherwise pain free and glad she'd shaved her legs earlier.

She slowly gets up, one arm across her breasts and a hand covering the triangle of hair between her legs. Come to Pegasus and get to reenact the birth of Venus, she thinks.

Elizabeth makes her way back inside, wondering how the hell she's supposed to explain this naked detour in her day.

She tip-toes down a corridor, because no one would notice her nakedness that way. She could slap her own head if it didn't mean flashing the city.

"Dr. Weir."

Elizabeth swallows and stops when she hears Ronon's voice from behind. Well, it seems he's already gotten a good view from back there, there's no point in being coy now. Besides, she figures she's still a leader and to lead means to deal (she'd read that somewhere actually). She'd just have to swallow her pride.

Elizabeth takes a deep breath and turns around, still modestly covering herself.

Ronon's not so modest and also utterly naked, except for his very large weapon. Boy was that weapon large. No wonder John always had his eye on it. It wasn't the only large thing, of course.

Ronon gave a nod. "You okay?"

Elizabeth suddenly realizes what it must be like to be Rodney McKay and have people ask stupid questions, because... okay? Not so much.

"Ronon, we're naked," Elizabeth explains.

Ronon nods. "Yeah. Noticed that."

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Elizabeth asks, trying not to look at Ronon's... things.

Ronon steps closer and, god, he's so naked and his skin looks so soft and honied and he looks as though someone has carved him from stone and not mention he's so...so perfectly...proportionate.

Way more proportionate than Simon.

"Uh..." Ronon starts. "Dr. Weir?"

"Huh?" Elizabeth asks.

"You're kind of staring," Ronon says matter-of-factly.

Elizabeth closes her eyes and sighs. And so far she's been doing so well proving to these people that she's not a complete dork.

"I'm sorry, it's just... hard," Elizabeth says.

Ronon smiles and nods, looking away as Elizabeth feels her whole body blush.

"I mean the situation," she says, sternly. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I saw Teyla. She thinks it's got something to do with an Ancient device McKay was checking out. Stuff just started disappearing."

Elizabeth nods. "Right. Well, let's see if we can fix this situation before it gets out of hand."

"We're naked," Ronon says.

"And in light of that fact I think I'll be slightly pessimistic about the possibility of things getting worse. After you," Elizabeth says, gesturing ahead to the corridor.

Ronon gives a smirk that shows he's been hanging around John too long. "You know, if you walk right behind me, no one'll see you."

Elizabeth stiffens. To lead means to deal, right? Right.

Elizabeth lets her hands drop to her sides, her cheeks warm... all of them. She looks Ronon in the eyes (and maybe a littler lower too). "How about you follow me?"

Ronon smiles, his eyes locked on hers as he gives a shrug. "Okay."

"Good," Elizabeth says. "Let's go fix this."

She walks on ahead, Ronon's feet making slapping sounds against the floor as he follows and Elizabeth trying not to grow accustomed to walking naked through the city of the Ancients.

Ronon watches the Atlanteans closely. They're very entertaining. He's beginning to see why they spend time watching themselves on the TV box. He figures that when you have a planet of people that can live without the threat of a culling, it leaves them with a lot of time to fill and ways to make their lives more complicated.

On football night, a whole bunch of them get together to watch recordings of historic games where men with armor throw something made from an animal skin at each other. Ronon imagines a planet of Sheppards, all of them jumping out of their seats when some guy throws something at some other guy and they cross some white line and do some strange dance to celebrate.

The hockey's not so bad and one of the things that puts a smile on McKay's face. Also, the players sometimes try to kill each other, which livens things up.

At first, Ronon can't understand why Weir bothers to turn up to these evenings. She's one of the few women that do. But he begins to notice that rather than watch the games, she watches the people, laughs when they do, smiles when they get too caught up in the action and spends a few minutes talking to people who aren't completely fixated on the game.

She's not there for the entertainment, or even the bonding. She's just a good leader, one that gives a shit.

He sees her around the city too. He wouldn't be surprised if she knew the name of every single person. She smiles and nods at every person that walks past. Paying attention when she's stopped to talk. She doesn't hold back on showing the relief when teams in trouble come home, or looking worried when they don't. There's a reason why everyone respects her.

It takes him a while to figure out that he's gone from watching the Atlanteans to watching one Atlantean. That his eyes automatically follow her where she goes. That somehow, when they're in the same room, he finds himself standing close by.

Ronon starts to wonder why Sheppard or McKay haven't made their move on Weir and done this dating thing. He wonders if either of them have Teyla on their minds and whether he should beat the crap out of them if they do. Though, Teyla would probably beat the crap out of him if he did that.

His thoughts move to the actual act of dating. He has no idea how he would go to Weir and voice his intentions. Or he has an idea and he's pretty sure Weir would have Teyla kick his ass through the gate.

Seven years. Seven years is a long time. He vaguely remembers that women smell nice. Much nicer than men. And he remembers that they're soft to the touch and don't chase you from planet to planet trying to kill you. Well, not all of them.

The saddest thing of all is that he only has the Atlanteans to learn the dating thing from and they don't seem too good at it. In one week he sees one of the scientists being slapped by a woman he's seeing, a red-eyed Marine whose relationship failed and a pile of burning clothes on the south pier as an act of revenge against an unfaithful lover. To use a Sheppard word, these people suck at dating.

He watches Sheppard's approach to women a lot. He can't help but think that Sheppard's approach to women is to act like one. To lounge, loose-limbed and boneless, making eyes and having a mouth that pouts. If Sheppard had all the female parts Ronon likes, Ronon would probably take a shot at him.

Not that any of the pouting or lounging seems to work, because Sheppard spends a lot of time on the shooting range, hitting perfect targets. From his own experience, Ronon knows how much a lack of sex improves your aim.

Then there's McKay. His approach to women is all over the place. One minute he's nervous and seems to have no idea what his mouth is saying and the next minute he seems to forget that there's a woman close by because he's too busy talking about his personal feats.

At the same time, if there's a woman brave enough to like him, he has no idea she's even there. No wonder there are TV boxes on Earth. With people like these, storytelling through books, theater or song and dance just wouldn't work.

Ronon thinks about going to Teyla, asking for her advice to avoid having to join Sheppard on the shooting range or like McKay, just forget that he was even trying to impress a woman. However, the fear that Teyla will laugh at him makes him change his mind.

He goes to someone else. Someone who seems to look at everyone in Atlantis in a manner that suggests he thinks they're all crazy.

“You mean you want to ask someone out,” Lorne says flatly, his face not looking surprised. Not looking like anything actually.

Ronon shrugs. “Yeah.”

“And you need my help because?”

“I don't know the ways of your people,” Ronon says.

Lorne eyes him with interest. “Anyone I know?”

“Yeah,” Ronon says.

Lorne waits, obviously for more information. He doesn't get it and makes a face. “You doing that silent thing or just not answering my question?”

“Both.”

Lorne gets over being 'kept out of the loop' and tells Ronon that generally Earth women want a man to be sensitive, but not a wimp. Strong, but not an ape man. To believe in gender equality, but to open the damn car door every now and then and pick up the check at dinner. And sometimes, they like to marry you and promise to share your burdens, which includes taking half of everything when they leave.

Lorne's a complicated man and completely useless.

Ronon goes to the only person he can think will be of any help.

“Hi,” he says, sitting down opposite her in the mess.

Weir smiles. “Ronon. Hey.”

“I need to ask you something,” he says.

Weir puts aside her small computer and focuses all her attention on him. “Okay. Go ahead.”

“Earth customs,” Ronon says as a way of an introduction into the topic. “Say if I wanted to get to know you better, how do I do that?”

Weir's mouth quirks into a small smile. “Oh, I see. Well, um, you could come to me and ask me if I'd like to maybe have a drink with you, have dinner with you and obviously use those opportunities to get to know me better.”

“A date,” Ronon says.

Weir looks a little surprised. “Yes, a date. I see you've already done a little research.”

Ronon smiles a little. The Atlanteans really do think everyone outside their own galaxy is pretty stupid. “Yeah. A little.”

“Well, that's what dating's essentially about. Getting to know people, seeing if you like them. Your people must have some kind of similar practices.”

“Sure,” Ronon says with a nod.

Weir smiles and leans in. “So, exactly who do you want to get to know better?”

Ronon leans, looking serious about sharing his secret. “I'll tell you later.”

Then he gets up, Weir smiling at him with a shake of the head, completely oblivious to the fact that his eyes spend so much time stuck in her direction.

Maybe he'll tell her about that over dinner sometime.

Elizabeth has always set a high standard for herself. She's worked hard, really pushed herself and that's why she gets to be in Pegasus. That's why she gets to be in the lost city of Atlantis. When people use words like 'living the dream', they really have no idea what they're talking about.

It's like being queen, sometimes. She'll slowly stride out of her office and look over the balcony as her people go in and out of the stargate. Sure, it's frightening being responsible for the lives of so many, but somehow the euphoria of just being here, in this amazing city, it makes her forget the danger and the fear. More people might die. Tomorrow the Wraith could come, and she could die too. They could all die.

But look at this place. A city of secrets, hope and survivors.

One of them is looking at her right now. He's a surly fellow sometimes and at other times he has wickedly mischievous eyes. Right now, he's standing behind Sheppard and looking up at her.

Elizabeth smiles and looks away from Ronon. How old is he under the unruly hair anyway? He can't be much older than Ford. He has that youthful arrogance about him, the one where boys call themselves men. Yet...

Elizabeth shakes her head and smiles at herself. Today is just one of those days where you notice that almost everyone looks just a bit too appealing. Sheppard's neck looks long and pale, shamefully unmarked. Rodney's flushed face and happy smile make his mouth look regretfully unkissed. Ronon's golden skin and drunken eyes are lighting a fire on somone's stove a billion miles away, right now.

Teyla's new top is really pretty.

Elizabeth tells her that before the briefing, through which Rodney speaks at a million miles an hour, only allowing John the odd moment of comment and smirk, while Teyla gives somewhat doting looks and Ronon just watches.

Their eyes catch each other a few times, while he sits there with his cheek resting against his palm, pale eyes blinking at her. He catches her look and his mouth twitches in a smile that makes Elizabeth's cheeks warm. She gives him a small frown and turns back to Rodney who is mocking John for some reason.

Briefing over, Elizabeth walks out like the grown up that she is and doesn't sneak a peak at Ronon as he follows Sheppard down the stairs, Rodney in front of them as he explains something to Teyla with what can only be described as hand puppets. Teyla smiles at him very fondly and Elizabeth has to wonder exactly how unkissed that mouth of Rodney's is.

Unfortunately, while she's wondering, her eyes have travelled to Ronon's behind and he's turned back and caught her eyes. Elizabeth freezes for a split-second, moves left when she intends to go right and then turns around and walks into Chuck.

She gives him a smile and pat on the arm, walking past him and into her office where she sits down and tries not to slink down under her desk as she rolls her eyes. Queen? More like Queen Dork.

Queen Dork finishs off writing and reviewing some reports before leaving her office later than she's supposed to, as usual. She's hungry, but the mess seems too far away, whereas her sleepy head appreciates how much nearer her quarters are.

Elizabeth decides on sleep and heads down a pretty corridor with water filled columns that cast a green hue. She stops, staring at one of the columns and the bubbles floating to the top, wondering exactly what the hell these things do and where those bubbles disappear to.

"Hi."

Elizabeth spins around with a gasp to see Ronon standing there like he's just now shot out of the ground. "Ronon."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he says.

Elizabeth nods and offers a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Thinking about going for a run. Then I saw you."

"Oh," Elizabeth say with a nod, taking a quick look at the numerous strings of beads around his wrist. "Did you want to talk about something?"

"You're watching me," he says, cutting to the chase, looking amused.

Elizabeth gives him a smile reserved for silly people. "Sorry?"

"I saw you watching me," he says with a shrug.

Elizabeth raises her eyebrows and looks around, replying evenly, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

Ronon smiles. "Okay."

Elizabeth smiles back. "Well, goodnight then."

Ronon turns around and starts walking away and Elizabeth berates herself as her eyes drift down down doobie doobie down down...yeah. She sighs.

Ronon turns around swiftly so she's suddenly staring at his crotch. Elizabeth blinks and squeezes the bridge of her nose.

"You were doing it just then," Ronon says, approaching her.

"I had something in my eye actually," Elizabeth says with a smile. Oh yeah, she really did have something in her eye.

Ronon shrugs. "I don't mind."

"Ronon-"

"I kind of like it."

"This isn't-"

"I kind of like you too."

"I really don't-"

"I watch you too sometimes."

"Look-"

"I think you're really hot."

"Ronon!" Elizabeth snaps. "Really? You think I'm hot?"

Ronon nods sincerely.

"Oh," Elizabeth says. "Not that it's a good thing, Ronon. Not all women appreciate being thought of in that way. We're much more than just bodies."

"You have a great body."

Elizabeth closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Thank you."

"Can I kiss you?"

"No!"

"Why not? You don't like me?"

Elizabeth takes a good look at Ronon getting that feeling she often has when approaching a tub of Rocky Road. She knows it'll taste good, but ultimately, it's probably a bad idea.

Elizabeth purses her lips and nods. "It's really not that simple."

Ronon frowns. "It isn't?"

Elizabeth gives him a small smile. "No."

Ronon's eyes seeme to turn just that little bit more sulky. "Okay."

"Okay, then," Elizabeth replies. "In that case, goodnight."

Ronon backs away, but with an odd smile on his face. "Be watching you."

Elizabeth smiles. "Goodnight, Ronon."

Ronon smirks and turns around, breaking into a run, Elizabeth watching that lean form of his with a sigh as he disappears.

- the end -