Is a response to the following challenge that was posted up at the teyney yahoogroup (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teyney/?yguid=163069837)
The Atlanteans, whether high/drunk/bored, one night play spin the bottle/truth or dare/*twister*/strip 'I've never...' (where one person says something they've never done, and everyone who has, has to take off an article of clothing.
###
It was late at night, on what would have been Christmas eve. There'd been a joyous party they'd organised but most of those in attendance had already gone to bed. The only ones left were the heavy drinkers: those who had the most to drink about or who could take the most. Unsurprisingly a number of important members of Atlantis were there. Those who held a lot of responsibility.
Elizabeth giggled at John's suggestion, wondering why she had allowed herself to get so drunk.
Then she remembered it was Athosian wine, like their tea many times stronger than the earth variants. She'd started off at a meager one cup, and by the time that was finished, like many others she had gone on to another, thinking `what would it hurt?' Probably a lot in the morning.
Looking around the circle she spotted all the members of AR-1. Sheppard sat on her left, Teyla across the circle with Ford, Rodney looking miserable on Teyla's other side.
She frowned deeply at the thought that he would be sad. Everyone else was happy but she saw at once he was drinking to forget rather than to simply let go. But he had let go, he wasn't hiding his depression under sarcastic comments, he just sat, lonely, staring in his empty cup.
John clapped his hands together, gathering attention and tried to communicate the idea he'd shared with her a moment ago.
"How about a game, people," he exclaimed, standing up, lording over them playfully.
There were murmurs of approval.
"Everyone know `I never...'?"
She zoned out as John explained the rules to the few who'd never played it. Rodney watched John intently as he spoke but she felt like it was just an excuse not to carry on as he had before, just a distraction from his own thoughts.
The rules were simple and practically everyone had heard of it: one person says something they have never done and others remove clothing if they have. She would be surprised if he hadn't heard of it.
She tuned back into the main conversation as Sheppard finished his instructions.
"Ok, Zelenka, how `bout you go first, just to make sure everyone understands the game.
The Czech rewarded him with an evil grin and looked around, catching both Bates' and Rodney's eyes curiously before confidently proclaiming, "I have never slept with one of my professors or someone of higher rank."
It was certainly an interesting first admittance - not that Zelenka was saying he had done it, but it did force out those who had, betraying their secrets if they would admit to them. Easier to undress than to have to say it out loud, that was what made it so fun and simple. That and the fact that it was something you played when drunk and lacking enough sense not to do so.
She looked around the circle, seeing Bates and Simpson and another scientist remove their party hats.
Zelenka watched Rodney for a few seconds afterward, she noticed, seemingly waiting, but he didn't do anything, at which the other scientist looked put out. Zelenka obviously expected Rodney to admit to that. She wondered what Rodney had told the Czech.
But she found John pointing at her for the next question.
"I have never been skinny dipping."
It was a fairly tame one, with only her, Rodney and Kline not taking anything off. She felt a little prim for never indulging in the activity and told herself she'd have to remedy that sometime soon, before it got too late to be able to.
There were a few random and innocuous 'questions' after that that flew past her.
Ford said "I've never slept with a woman older than myself," at which half the room including Rodney and even Simpson took their next item off. However, Simpson was the only woman to take an item off, which raised eyebrows among most of the men, including Ford and Bates who both looked at the scientist a bit more appreciatively.
Elizabeth had just rolled her eyes at that before they moved on to Simpson's statement,
"I never cheated on a test."
Sheppard looked quite sheepish at this, removing his third item of clothing, down to his plain vest. She looked at him for an answer and he shrugged it off. She'd have to get it out of him some other time.
Now it was his turn though and he stared off into the distance for a minute before putting out his statement. He looked pointedly at Rodney as he said it.
"I've never been in love with my best friend."
She caught the stare between the two men, Rodney looking unnaturally vengeful as he removed his shirt, now down to his bare chest. Despite being a scientist he wasn't flabby at all, though she mused it may have been the months of arduous work going on missions that had improved his physique.
She shook herself out of it, blushing, knowing that a few others had seen her admiring Rodney. Rodney himself didn't acknowledge it, not even amusingly. She saw that Teyla had also taken off another piece, one of her bracelets. It was lucky for Teyla that she had a great number of them on her wrists tonight, while some other members of the circle, like Rodney, hadn't really been wearing much to start with. She wondered which best friend Teyla was in love with, if it was even something in the present tense, for the Athosian seemed to hold the rest of AR-1 as her equal best friends.
Teyla's turn was next. "I have never been promised in marriage."
A lot of people started to take something off, including John, Carson and Rodney. Whilst she knew from personal records that John was longtime divorced and Carson tragically widowed, she could only assume that Rodney had been engaged at one time, something that would not be recorded. It was quite a surprise to learn these things. She found she was enjoying this game for a variety of reasons.
She watched John, who was now down to vest, trousers, shoes and socks and a radio he'd still carried along to a social situation. He struggled with his watch strap a little and she saw his eyes narrow, becoming annoyed at something across from him.
"Hey, hey, McKay, you can't count socks as individual items."
"Why not? Teyla's got bracelets and she's taking them off one at a time," queried the tense Canadian.
"That's different, you don't have to put more than one bracelet on but socks are plural.You put the on together so you take both of them off in one go, just like earrings. Everyone knows that," Sheppard looked around to see others nodding in agreement.
Rodney scowled at the unwritten rule he'd hoped to avoid.
"Yeah, well, I suggest you let me count them separately unless you happen to have a perverse need to see me naked. I only have four items even if I count both my socks."
Elizabeth looked up calculating as were several other people. Two socks, his trousers and...
"Are you counting your watch?" asked the quick thinking Zelenka.
Rodney looked shifty before finally answering somewhat reluctantly, "Yes."
She felt confused for a second before realizing that meant all he had was socks, trousers and a watch; and nothing else.
Sheppard grimaced at the thought, adding the comment he couldn't resist. "Nice to see you taking your military role seriously, but that's really not necessary, you know."
McKay looked exasperated and embarrassed, trying to explain as several women looked at him very intently.
"It's washing day and I got caught short. It could happen to anyone, besides, it more hygienic than wearing mucky boxers."
That seemed to be the limit on too much information for Sheppard. "Moving swiftly on, Bates, it's your turn."
Bates hummed and hawed over his go for a while leaving them to move on to Hartford, the shy anthropologist.
"I never killed anyone."
It wasn't the kind of statement anyone had wanted to hear, several of the group sobering up at it. There wasn't a military person there who didn't take something off. Teyla, Zelenka and Rodney joined in too. Rodney looked extraordinarily pained to take of his last sock. She couldn't exactly empathise with him, she'd never even been forced to defend herself. While she found herself unhappy for those who were preoccupied with removing an item she also felt a little curious about how this would turn out. This meant Rodney was left with only two items and there were three more people to go through.
Back to Bates who had finally thought of something, going for the controversial.
"I have never kissed someone of the same sex."
Simpson removed her shoes, which made Elizabeth think that Bates had only said that to find out for sure what Simpson had done.
But to Bates surprise and distaste, Zelenka removed his watch rather proudly. Elizabeth smiled, pleased Bates had got more than he bargained for in using that card.
Now only two more questions to go and two items left on Rodney.
Yearley smiled politely at them, choosing a more everyday comment, "I've never been to the Eiffel tower."
Neither apparently had many others but Rodney was one of the unfortunately traveled ones, undoing his watch and adding it to his pile of clothes behind him. Leaving him with only one item and the only one to lose the game if it came to that, all depending on the next person's statement.
"Well Carson, the fate of this game is upon you," John announced to the bemused Scotsman.
The doctor looked over at Rodney sympathetically, struggling to come up with something absurd enough that the astrophysicist wouldn't have tried it.
"I've never had my nose pierced," he stated with a triumph.
Everyone turned to Rodney who sat hunched over in his beige trousers. His eyes flickered along the circle before he stood up bravely, moving to unbutton his flies.
At which point Sheppard got up, stopping him, hands on his shoulders "No need for that McKay, you lose, but you don't have to prove anything," before turning back to everyone.
"Game's over, why don't we all get back to bed so we stand a chance of getting up in the morning."
Elizabeth swore she heard a few groans at John ending the display but ignored them, walking over to accompany her friend.
He looked rather shaken but at least wasn't in such a bad mood as he had been before the game.
It certainly had been revealing, even if the final revelation hadn't come.
"Your nose huh?"
He looked annoyed that she'd brought up his losing topic. "It was the 80's and I was a teenager."
She smirked back at him,replying,"That applies to most of the expedition members, but they never had their noses pierced."
He squinted at her, further annoyed she was good at getting the details out of him so easily. "I was a punk," he said as he picked up his clothes, only bothering to put his shirt on loosely.
She didn't look like she believed it though, as she raised an eyebrow.
"It was to impress some girl, okay?"
She followed him out of the room, walking by his side. "Must have been some girl for you to do that."
"No, I was just young and foolish and had a nose infection for several months afterwards. Put me her right off me."
They stopped at the door, allowing others past them, almost the only ones left. John slipped past them and nodded, waving as he strolled off.
Rodney waved back, a small smile evident, obviously grateful for the man's intervention at the end of the game.
"I was a little surprised you'd never been skinny dipping, Rodney. I imagined you'd have gotten up to a lot in your youth, though granted nose piercing wasn't something I'd imagined."
"What can I say, I'm not much of a risk taker except in that one instance."
She stood waiting for him to say something, watching him watching her, an easy silence between them.
"I wasn't surprised you'd never been skinny dipping."
"Oh really?" she asked feigning offense at the comment.
"Not one of your answers surprised me in the least; I know you well," was his smug reply.
"Perhaps a little too well." She smiled devilishly as she walked off backwards before turning to jog away.
"Hey Elizabeth where are you going? Your quarters aren't that way."
He looked thoroughly confused as he asked her that. Just what she intended.
"It's a nice night, moonlight and stars. Thought I might take a dip off the west pier," she tossed back at him.
He stared at her, catching on and grinning back, understanding and matching her dare.
"I'll think I'll join you. Wouldn't be fit for the leader of Atlantis to go anywhere without an escort," he said as he caught up to her and wrapped his arm around her protectively.
She smiled, feeling pleased with herself and looked into his happy face with satisfaction, knowing she was well on her way to remedying both their problems.
Then she tore away from his grasp, shouting out, "Bet you can't beat me there. Last one on the pier has to strip in front of the other."
She ran off grinning broadly because she'd been the fastest track runner at her high school and she knew full well who'd be the last one there.
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