| Sleepless John drifted up slowly from sleep, his brain automatically cataloguing information before he was even awake enough to process it. He was on his stomach; from his left came a faint clicking sound and too much light, considering he knew that it had to be pretty late. Cracking open an eye, he squinted until he could make out the shape of Elizabeth beside him, sitting with her back against the headboard and her knees drawn up to help support the little hand-held� thingy she used for her reports. He raised his head just enough to see the chronometer, confirming that it was, in fact, late -- and recalling that she�d been up before dawn that morning. �Hey,� he said, nudging her hip gently. �Isn�t it past your bed time?� His voice was rough with sleep. Elizabeth blinked but didn�t appear to be startled by his sudden question. �Did I wake you?� she asked, putting aside whatever she�d been working on. �No,� he answered truthfully. It wasn�t unusual for him to wake up in the middle of the night, although most of the time he just rolled over and went back to sleep. But he didn�t mind waking up to Elizabeth. Especially when she was wearing nothing but his t-shirt. He really didn�t understand how it was possible for a woman dressed in nothing but his worn USAF shirt to look so sexy, but he had no complaints. �Why are you still up? It�s almost 0200.� She glanced away. �I�ve still got some reports to finish.� John shifted, awake enough now to be concerned. Since being relieved as commander of Atlantis a few days ago, she�d been going through all of the old reports for Colonel Caldwell. �They�ll wait �til morning,� he told her, turning on his side to face her and reaching over to capture her left hand in his own. �You need sleep, Liz.� She wrinkled her nose at him - she didn�t especially like the nickname - but he knew he would get away with it because it was late and because she�d spent six nights running in his bed, which told him more about how she was handling the Wraith attack and her sudden demotion than any of the conversations he�d tried to have with her. �I can�t sleep.� He tugged on her hand. �But you need a break. Put the reports away.� Elizabeth sighed but did as he requested, putting her reports on the bedside table and turning off the light before settling under the covers, her back to him. John wasted no time in pulling her back against him, an arm around her waist and a leg tangled with hers. He really liked having her in his bed. �Why can�t you sleep?� he asked. He knew he should just leave it alone, but he was worried about her. Truth be told, he hadn�t let a woman get under his skin like this since Becca Haldeman had refused his ring and broke his twenty-four-year-old heart. She hadn�t been willing to take on the stress of being a military wife, and he couldn�t see himself as anything but an Air Force pilot. Becca had been a quick-minded, independent, green-eyed brunette too. John had spent a lot of time recently very carefully not thinking about the similarities. �I can�t stop thinking about everything.� Her voice was quiet, barely discernible over the noise of the ocean outside his open window. �There�s a surprise,� he teased gently; he�d been telling her for months that she worried too much. The muscles beneath his hand twitched and he knew she was amused, if only slightly. �Close your eyes,� he told her, serious now. �Focus on your breathing, and stop thinking about everything else. We�ll take care of it tomorrow.� Elizabeth grasped the hand that rested on her stomach and entwined their fingers together, bringing them to rest just below her chin. �Thank you, John,� she murmured, and he knew what it cost her to say those words. He kissed her cotton-clad shoulder. �Any time, Liz.� --end-- back to Atlantis fanfic |