Atlantis fic!

[icepixie]

Sheppard/Weir fic, 'cause they're just so cute. And a pun for the title, 'cause I've been hanging around Nick too long.


TITLE: Getting to the Pointe
AUTHOR: Icepixie
DISCLAIMER: Er, not mine. MGM and all those other little companies own the characters and premise. I'm just playing the sandbox. If you sue, you'll get my college tuition bills.
FEEDBACK/ARCHIVING: You want to archive this? Woo-hoo! Be my guest. Just let me know where it's going: author1[at]comcast[dot]net. All feedback will be accepted and happily responded to at that address as well!
RATING: PG
CATEGORIES: Humor, Sheppard/Weir friendship and UST
SUMMARY: John and Elizabeth are very drunk. John uses this to his advantage.
NOTES: This was inspired by the allusion to the talent show in an untitled piece that mylittleredgirl posted to john_elizabeth, and the ensuing discussion thereof.

* * *

She wasn't exactly sure how they'd gotten on the subject of her years of ballet. More than likely, it had something to do with the fact that they had each consumed two glasses of Athosian wine, which, as they had been warned, was quite a bit stronger than it felt at first.

But they'd meandered their way to that topic over the past several hours they'd spent sitting on the couch in her quarters (their excuse of going over staff evaluations had been discarded about halfway through the first glass), and unfortunately, Elizabeth Weir got quite talkative when she was tipsy. "I had seven years as a kid, then I did two years of pointe. But I got too involved with schoolwork in high school and had to drop it," she explained. "We did *The Nutcracker* every year. I got to be a snow crystal and a lead flower my first year on pointe. It was very exciting."

She noticed at some point during her monologue that the corner of John's mouth was quirking up in the way that indicated he was extremely amused, generally at her expense. "What?" she asked.

The quirk expanded into a full-fledged grin. "I'm just imagining you in a pink tutu."

"I never wore a tutu." She was very confident, if the slightest bit slurred. "Oh, wait. Actually, I did have to wear one for my first recital." Now why had she admitted that? What the hell was in this wine, the Athosian version of truth serum?

He was still grinning. "You realize that now I have to make every effort to get ahold of your family photo album."

"Remind me never to invite you over to my parents' house."

John feigned surprise. "I didn't realize we were getting that serious. You want me to meet your parents?"

"John..." She tried to punch him, but missed the mark and hit the couch a little to the right of his shoulder. While she was processing the fact that her motor skills were not up to their usual snuff, John took the opportunity to snake a hand around to her stomach and begin tickling her. "Augh! Dammit!" She tried to squirm away from his fingers, but succeeded only in sliding off to the left, until she was nearly horizontal. As soon as possible, she was going to have to get Lieutenant Ford or Markham or *someone* to teach her basic hand-to-hand combat. This was ridiculous. It wasn't even very consoling to think that, due to their size difference, she was probably drunker than John, even with all her experience at remaining alert and coherent after a few drinks at the dinners that were inevitably associated with the treaty negotiations she'd been part of in the past.

Finally, just when she thought she was, quite literally, about to bust a gut laughing, he quit tickling her. He allowed her a second to catch her breath before saying, "So can I count on you to do some kind of dance thing for the talent show?"

Oh, yeah. *That* was how they'd gotten on the subject of ballet. "No way. I haven't done any dance in years. And ballet shoes didn't exactly make my short list of things to bring with me."

"You could use socks. My little sister did sometimes."
He looked so completely guileless that she knew he was hiding something. "And why did she do that?"

"'Cause I hid her shoes." Damn that grin. It was far too infectious, especially when it was less than a foot away as he leaned over her on the couch. "Come on," he wheedled. Elizabeth felt another flash of sympathy for parents and elementary school teachers--this job had taught her far more than she ever wanted to know about keeping children, or adults who acted like children, in line.

"Forget it, John. You are not roping me into this."

He gave her a contemplative look. "Really?" Before she could react, he attacked her aching torso again.

"Ahh! Augh! All right, all right!" *Definitely* getting someone to teach her hand-to-hand. John Sheppard deserved the mother of all ass-kickings for this.

His hands stopped moving around as soon as she agreed. "I knew I could convince you."

"You...bastard..." she wheezed. "This was only possible because I'm not anything resembling sober at the moment."

"I know." One day, she was going to wipe that smirk off his face... He sat up and held out a hand. Not without suspicion, she took the outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her back up. They sat there a minute, their shoulders barely brushing, before John stood, stretching like a cat. "I should probably go."

"Trying to save yourself before I get up enough energy to kick your ass for that underhanded trick?"

"Something like that. Also, there's that briefing at 0800 tomorrow that you seem so insistent that I be a part of..."

Dammit, she'd forgotten about that. Now she was going to have to deal with Sheppard *and* McKay early in the morning, with what promised to be a terrific hangover. Some days just weren't fair. She contemplated standing up as well, but her body decided for her that it would far rather stay seated on the couch. She didn't argue.

He was at the door and had activated the motion sensor that opened it already when she said, "Good night, John. Sleep well. Take lots of aspirin."

He chuckled in the dim light from the hallway. "You too. Good night, Elizabeth."

As the door closed behind him, it occurred to Elizabeth that this was one of the rare times John had used her first name; perhaps that, along with the wine, helped account for the warm feeling that was spreading through her limbs as she sank back into the couch and closed her eyes.

A thought that she knew she would not be subscribing to come morning and sobriety flitted across her brain: it might be fun to warm up and see what she remembered from what had once been a large part of her life. She smiled a wistful smile that quickly turned mischievous. It would be even more fun to get revenge on John. She would have to devote her full attention to that at some point tomorrow, she decided as she drifted off into sleep.

*End*

Comments

[rensong.livejournal.com]

I was actually thinking gymnastics, but I can see where ballet might have simular effects. And hee, very cute! All your Sheppard/Weir stuff is making me seriously consider adding one of those communities to my friends list, even though I have enough trouble keeping up with it as it is. :) (I still haven't checked my f-list since I got back from Hawaii... I am such a bad LJer. :) )

[icepixie]

I was actually thinking gymnastics, but I can see where ballet might have simular effects.

What does gymnastics do to your body? Seems to me you'd be constantly sort of perky with gymnastics, like cheerleading or something. Ballet makes you fluid.

And hee, very cute! All your Sheppard/Weir stuff is making me seriously consider adding one of those communities to my friends list, even though I have enough trouble keeping up with it as it is. :)

john_elizabeth!! Join! Is fun!

[rensong.livejournal.com]

Gymnastics can be perky, but mostly it's a lot about balance and posture - legs straight, toes pointed, standing tall and elevated with your back straight and chin up. It's all about grace and flow, especially on the floor routines, because along with all the jumping and tumbling, just as much dance has to be incorporated into any routine on floor or beam. Granted, cheerleaders might toss in a few jumps and flips into their pep-rally, but they focus more on the bouncy "we gotta be peppy and fun and bounce our boobs a lot!" while actual gymnastics focuses on flowing physical the physical tumbling and jumping together with the more subtile art of dance. If you get the chance, I recommend watching some of the floor routines for the Olympic girls gymnastics team when it starts in a few weeks, then you might see what I'm talking about. It really is a lot more then running and jumping and twirling (albe it those are mighty fun. ;) )

And sorry if I sounded bratty and stuck up... I've been involved in gymnastics in some way, shape, or form pretty much all my life (participated in the sport until roughly the time I could walk until I was about 13 and then managed off and on after that and helped my mom where I could, who has coached it for as long as I can remember), so I'm kinda one-sided on the subject. :)

john_elizabeth!! Join! Is fun!

I seriously am this || close to at least adding it to my friends list... So far I'm resisting, but I dunno how much longer my willpower will hold out. :D

[rensong.livejournal.com]

ya know, they really should make an option where you can edit comments. Cut out one of the extra "physical"s in the "...while actual gymnastics..." sentence and change one of the "until"s to a "since" or "from" in my gymnastics participation sentence... I only got up an hour or so ago and I don't think my brain has quite caught up. :)

[icepixie]

I've been following some gymnastics discussions on figure skating lists and message boards, and they're always complaining about how the dancing is "forced," and that the ladies shouldn't have to do their floor routines to music when the men don't, and about how none of the gymnasts have any kind of musicality and just look stupid trying to dance as well as tumble. I haven't watched gymnastics in years, so I have no opinion. I can imagine how it would be less jerky and perky than cheerleading, though. But I dunno...Lizzie seems to have more of the toned-all-over body type of a former ballet student than the toned-all-over-but-bulgier-muscles-in-some-places body type that I remember from when I did watch gymnastics.

I seriously am this || close to at least adding it to my friends list... So far I'm resisting, but I dunno how much longer my willpower will hold out. :D

Joooooooooiiiiiiiinnnnnnn... Really, it's only been averaging one or two posts per day. It won't take up much room!

[rensong.livejournal.com]

It does look rather forced sometimes with gymnists who haven't figured out how to make it all flow together, but I've seen routines where it's hard to tell whether the gymnists is doing a dance routine or a gymnastics routine because it all goes together so well. It depends a lot on how good (or bad, which would probably be how I would look if I ever attempted to get back into the sport. ;) ) he/she is at the sport.

And as with you and gymnastics, I know next to nothing about dance/ballet, so her posture might be due to ballet for all I know... I'm just more familier with gymnastics, so that's what I figured. :)

[icepixie]

I'll have to watch the gym. coverage during the Olympics.

And as with you and gymnastics, I know next to nothing about dance/ballet, so her posture might be due to ballet for all I know...

Whereas I know entirely too much about ballet and various other forms of dance. ;) In some of the promo shots, she's standing like she has permanent turnout...your feet face outward from straight in front of you, but it starts at the hip. That and the general grace with which she moves was what gave me the idea that she'd taken ballet.