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�Yeah, well, that�s nice for you. You don�t have to worry about getting your legs waxed,� Elizabeth said bitterly, once again wondering what procedure Teyla used to keep her legs smooth in her skirts that were slit clear to the hip and if it was anywhere near as painful as the waxing session she had scheduled herself for in two hours time.
�And hopefully I never will,� John replied.
Elizabeth laughed, an honest-to-god laugh, something she hadn�t allowed herself to do in far too long, and, not for the first time, she thanked whatever divine being had brought John Sheppard into her life. He was the only person who could make her smile most days, a true smile, not the polite one she had mastered over years of diplomatic missions and dealing with various politicians, and she could think of very few genuinely happy memories in the past ten months or so that didn�t include John in some way.
�Thank you,� she said, the smile still on her face but her laughter gone, for the moment at least. She knew that she didn�t have to explain what she was thanking him for. She knew that he would know automatically.
�Anytime,� John said, and Elizabeth�s smile brightened because she could actually hear the corresponding smile coming across in John�s voice. �So how are the meetings going, seriously?� John asked. �Samantha said something about Landry being pleased, but she didn�t have time to go into specifics before she headed off with Doctor Jackson and the big guy.�
Though she noted that John had used Daniel�s salutation despite the archaeologist�s instance that just Daniel was fine, and that, though she had seen John and Teal�c sparring in the SGC�s gym, he had called him �the big guy�, while referring to Sam Carter, a superior officer, as �Samantha�, Elizabeth refused to allow the niggling thoughts, the ones that had plagued her since she put the dots together and realized that John had named his plane after Colonel Carter, to really dig in. She was actually starting to take on a more cheerful outlook on the rest of the day, if only because things were going well in her meetings so far and, at least for the next few hours, John was staying on Earth and therefore it was unlikely that he would get himself in any way injured, kidnapped, beaten, or killed, and Elizabeth wasn�t about to let go of that cheerful outlook, not when she had several hours of politicians and military types trying to live vicariously through her adventures�and misadventures�in the Pegasus Galaxy to look forward to.
�The meetings are going well. So far we�ve managed to get approval for increased funding for scientific research for both bases, as well as most of the weapons and armaments that you and Lieutenant Ford cited in your report as viable defences against our new enemies,� Elizabeth said, uttering the last part softer so that no one overheard her. The boutique was empty other than herself and Twenty-Something, and the blonde was on the other side of the store with a wheeled rack that already had several dresses hanging off of it, but, still, she was cautious. �General O�Neill and I still have a few more days of back-to-back meetings, plus the work we�re going to have to do tonight to gain more allies on various governments� appropriations committees, but so far this trip has been a success.�
�Leg waxing notwithstanding,� John deadpanned.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, even though there was nearly two thousand kilometres between them and John had no way of knowing that she was glaring at him.
�Look, I�ve gotta go. Rodney and I are going to head into town; some of our orders have come in, but we�ve got to pick them up in person, the Air Force didn�t want to foot the bill for delivery on top of all our other �petty needs�,� John said. Elizabeth could tell he was rolling his eyes�he had when she had first told him about how the Brass thought that the list of music, movies, sporting equipment, video games, and games was a bunch of whining and the petty needs of the Atlantis expedition would not be met. Thankfully General Landry, and probably General O�Neill as well, Elizabeth surmised, judging by the amount of hockey and fishing paraphernalia had been requisitioned, had managed to work it so that almost all of the �petty needs� of the Atlantis expedition were met. The subscriptions to several magazines had been vetoed, as well as the request for an air hockey table�Elizabeth wasn�t sure who had put that one on the list, but she had to say she wasn�t sad to see that it was vetoed; there was not that much room in their designated recreational areas, though, she supposed, more areas could be designated for recreation once they checked more of the city over with their new members and the ZPM. �I�m probably going to head to a bookstore while Rodney makes sure all the tech crap is up to snuff. Any requests? Keep in mind I refuse to purchase any bodice rippers for you�you�ll have to stock up on those for yourself.�