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�John?� Elizabeth called softly as the doors closed again. He didn�t respond, so she said his name again, a little louder. That got his attention and he turned to face her, offering an affectionate smile in response to her welcome. �I thought we were meeting in the Mess,� she said when she saw John relaxing in the big overstuffed chair that he had taken over as his own whenever he was in her quarters. Which they usually were since it was bigger than his and, to be perfectly honest, the Johnny Cash poster that John had hanging over his bed creeped Elizabeth out a bit.
�We were. At eight,� John said, marking his page in War and Peace and putting the book down.
Elizabeth cringed. Over an hour later. Not a record by any means, but definitely not good girlfriend behaviour. �Oh, god, I�m sorry, John. I thought we were meeting at nine,� she said earnestly. She dropped her jacket on the end of her bed. �Great. I thought I was going to be the bad girlfriend for being a few minutes late,� she muttered. �Why didn�t you radio me?� she asked as she crossed the room and crawled into John�s lap, snuggling into his embrace.
�Because then I�d be the nagging boyfriend,� John said, smiling against her neck.
�Did you eat?� Elizabeth asked as John began dropping kisses up and down her neck.
�Don�t want food,� John whispered against her skin.
Elizabeth laughed. �That wasn�t my question,� she said even as she angled her head so that John had easier access to the spot behind her ear. Whenever he touched her there, even if it was just when he tucked her hair behind her ear and his fingers accidentally�or maybe not so accidentally, considering that John knew how that spot affected her�brushed against it, her toes curled and any resistance she may have had melted away like an ice cube on hot pavement. John chuckled softly at how her words and her actions contradicted each other.
Just when Elizabeth was rapidly approaching the point where she was all for skipping dinner in favour of continuing what John had started to it�s conclusion, suddenly and against her wishes, Carson�s voice began echoing in her head, chastising her about her plummeting iron levels, about days on end that she would live on coffee alone, about how her body could only take so much neglect before it rebelled against her. And how John wasn�t much better sometimes.
�John, I�m hungry,� Elizabeth said, reluctantly pulling back from his ministrations. She affected a slight pout and made her eyes wide and guileless, knowing, with some satisfaction, that he would do anything she asked of him when she gave him that look.
Letting his forehead drop to Elizabeth�s shoulder John sighed. �To the mess?� he questioned. Elizabeth nodded and got up, twining their fingers together and pulling John with her.
John stumbled twice on the way to the door and Elizabeth stopped and looked at him carefully. There were dark circles under his eyes, his shoulders were slumped slightly, his eyes were slightly glassy and unfocused, and he was wavering slightly on his feet. Raising her free hand to cup his cheek she tilted his head so that his eyes met hers. �You were asleep when I came in, weren�t you?� she asked gently.
�Not intentionally. I just sat down to wait for you. Next thing I know you�re here waking me up,� John said apologetically.
Softening, Elizabeth mentally went over what she knew John had done that day. A four-hour long mission stemming from a supposed lead on Ford that came up empty, followed by several hours training new members of the expedition, a trip to the Mainland with Teyla to help find a lost Athosian boy that took another four hours of hiking through the dense forest of the Mainland, and, on top of all that, his regular duties around the City. Add to that the fact that she knew he hadn�t been sleeping well lately, nightmares of alternate outcomes of the siege on Atlantis having been haunting him ever since they returned from Earth, and Elizabeth could understand why he looked like he was about to fall asleep standing up.
Changing directions, Elizabeth pulled John over towards the bed. She gently helped undress him and urged him to get under the covers without a word. Once he was tucked in she pressed a kiss to his forehead. �I�m just going to grab a quick bite. You want me to bring you anything back?� she asked as she ran her fingers through his thick hair. John shook his head and mumbled something about not feeling all that hungry in a sleep-thickened voice.