Just a little shippy new years piece for you all. Happy 2005!
Spoilers: None
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She scanned the room with her eyes. It was fairly obvious to him who she was looking for.
Rodney stood by the buffet table, full plate in one hand and a mug in his other. A smirk shone through despite his full mouth and he eagerly chewed, a quip ready for one of his colleagues.
Sheppard didn't recognise the two women, knowing only that they were scientists Rodney worked with.
He glanced back to Elizabeth who was surreptitiously watching the man as he choked out the comment to the scientists standing around him.
John was drawn back to the scene by Carson's laugh.
"He's quick ta tell us he's genius at everything but he ain't smart with women." said the Scotsman with a sad chuckle.
The previously friendly conversation had turned sour, one of them slapping the bemused chief scientific officer on the cheek and the second one walking off glaring at him as she followed her companion.
Elizabeth didn't seem to be watching anymore but john knew better. There was barely a moment she wasn't looking out for Rodney but she chose now not to show it, walking over to Halling and the Athosians instead of to her friend.
Rodney stood, eyes downcast thoughtfully and regretful and he took a mean swig from the mug, glugging down the entire contents. Not an easy feat by any means, he thought as he sniffed at the Athosian moonshine in his own cup.
"How you doing buddy?" said the Major overly friendly, as he strode up with Carson in tow.
He stared back resentfully because he knew both the men had witnessed his mistaken joke to Laura.He didn't like her that much but it still hurt, particularly the sting on his flesh which he would have spent a few minutes rubbing if not for the numbing affect the alcohol had.
It was quite strong and he probably shouldn't have downed it without having a full stomach, how he usually drank on.
He sulked, avoiding their eyes but catching the cautious concerned glances that passed between his two closest friends.
Ignoring them he reached over to scoop his mug into the designated punch bowl, receiving disapproving looks when he put away another half of the pale pink liquid.
"What?!" he asked angrily, before pushing past through them and making his way into the crowd.
###
The party was in full swing, though she herself hadn't had much to drink, preferring to observe neutrally. Well ok, she didn't prefer to do that but it was her duty to be a responsible leader, she set the example along with the other figure heads. Though no one really expected too much from John, his childish charm being one of his redeeming qualities. Carson and Rodney were usually well behaved, Carson livelier for the most parts. In fact Carson was across the room teaching the highland jig merrily and recounting the words to Auld Lang Syne to a few people.
Rodney was no where to be seen, which upset her, she'd been hoping to find out what had happened earlier but didn't want to touch the issue too soon after the event.
She spotted John, his attention on the large group at the back, with half amusement half embarrassment. This she knew she'd need to see, whatever it was.
As she got closer, she heard Ford's excited voice shouting out "Left foot green."There was a squeak of a young woman followed by a thud and some mild swearing.
She was more intrigued by the sounds.
The crowd parted as she came to it and she found herself watching an several intertwined people struggling to stay up. An man's blue jeaned arse pointing haughtily in the air. It was hard to tell who was in there but they all seemed to be having fun playing the game, Twister she recalled from the last party they'd had. It had been Aiden's one personal item and got dragged out at many celebrations - birthdays mainly.
"Right hand blue."
There was some scuffling as the individuals rearranged themselves, the five people fighting over the available dots.
"Argh!" cried out an all too familiar voice. Rodney fell over off the mat, defeated and clutching his strained back with one hand, eyes screwed up in pain.
Surprised that it had been him, embarassed at checking out his butt, she never the less proffered a hand to him, helping him up from his prone position on the floor.
His hand accepted hers, closing around it tightly. He got up, catching his breath and smiling at her, on the verge of laughter and tears simultaneously.
He hobbled to the tables with her, her hand supporting his back gently.
He wheezed a bit sat down, resting his arms against his knees, bent over a little to stop it. Even then he looked insanely happy, smiling freely at her.
"Having fun?" she asked.
"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" he replied boisterously, eyes searching the room for something, "Can I get some more of the moonshine?"
"Don't you think you've had enough" was the stern reply from Sheppard, who'd snuck up behind them without either noticing. She blushed slightly, turning her heads away from them, knowing it had been because she'd been paying too much attention to Rodney.
"No." was the simple defiant answer from Rodney, who was pouting beautifully with it.
She swallowed a smile, trying to remain serious.
"How many have you had? One, two, three... six? Stop me when I get it right" said Sheppard, arms crossed and in a rare lecturing mood.
"Does it matter, I'm happy, you should be happy that I'm happy, everyone should be this happy...."
John raised his eyebrows at this, looking over to her knowingly.
Rodney rambled on a bit to himself, muttering less than coherently.
She took a deep breathe, resigned to agreeing with John, no matter how cute the man was when drunk.
Rodney sat there unusually tranquil, looking up innocently at them, his gorgeous blue eyes revealed under his lashes at the angle. But he also swayed as he sat, inebriated far beyond his usual level.
It was quite unlike him to get more than vaguely tipsy, being that he usually ate enough to balance out any consumed drinks. It occurred to her that he'd have to want to be this drunk, but why?
She turned to John, nodding. "I'll take him back to his quarters, make sure he gets there ok."
"You sure? It's getting pretty close to midnight, you might miss the fun."
She glanced at the again pouting Rodney, sitting there adorably in his blue jeans, jumper and shirt.It was his casual dress but the best version of it, indicating he had been making an effort and coupled with the earlier mishap she could almost guess what this was about.
"I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun ourselves, won't we Rodney." she said as she tugged his arm. Trying to pry him out of the chair. Sheppard raised one eyebrow at her comment, taking it the only way he liked to. She glared at him not particularly meaning it, more annoyed that Rodney wasn't budging.
She reached out, taking his hand and pulling him up. He followed like a child, a beaming smile on his face as they departed, waving and calling out goodbye's to several people they passed on the way out, who smiled back at his grinning form. He seemed to have been making many more friends tonight, not hiding his emotions behind so much sarcasm as he had drank up.
She'd seen him only an hour before, not managing to get to him and going off to busy herself talking to others.
She hadn't known it had been because he'd been drinking so freely but he'd appeared genuinely cheerful, laughing heartily as some one else's joke for a change instead of giving in to his automated humour that he'd built up long ago as a defense.
And as she walked slowly and steadily with his arm around her shoulder she felt like she was closer to the real Rodney McKay now than she ever was.
Some people were angry drunks, or petty and likely to exaggerate but he was unusual, it seemed to bring out that core of him he went so far to protect, to conceal from everyone. She wished he wouldn't do that as much because he was very sweet like this. He gazed at her giddily smiling and not paying any attention to what in their way, nor walking she thought, as he stumbled bringing her down with him.
She got up quickly but found him still slumped at the wall, acting like a clown, rather in a stupor with a bright grin.
She tried to get him up but he laughed, not helping her efforts any.
She scowled at him, actually cross, getting sick of having to baby him.
His looked suddenly less innocent, eyes taking on a different quality.
"You look pretty when you're angry." he drawled in a tone she had never heard from him that made her feel something else, a feeling she had never related to him.
"And nice in red." he added pointing his finger upwards to her top, losing the sly tone and going back to his previous childish innocence.
"I wear red everyday" she said annoyed and gathering his arm around her shoulder once more but giving him time to push himself up.
He steadied him body against hers as he got up and she blushed at the intense stare that met her as his face closed in towards hers and as he replied quietly "Exactly."
His blue eyes didn't move from her green ones, simply watching her, before she broke the moment by trudging them both along the corridor.
"Here we are" she said cheerfully to the now groggy Rodney.
He staggered through, with her, collapsing onto the bed face first.
She watched with a wry grin, he'd pay for this tomorrow with a hangover from hell she thought grimly.
But for now he was inordinately happy, having turned his face to watch her once again. It was beginning to unnerve here how he seemed to want to know her reaction to everything tonight, as he'd watched her at every little weird question he'd asked or random quotes from his past.
She walked on over, sitting him up carefully and undoing his shirt buttons.
"Better get you into bed, you're gonna want to sleep this off I'm sure."
"Care to join me?" he said cheekily, grinning a little manically too.
She couldn't believe her ears. Not sure which was most odd, to hear him say it or that he had said it.She did a double take looking back to his face, distracted from her task, shirt only half off.
It was the second clich thing he'd said whilst they'd been alone and she was more than sure he was flirting with her, not too unusual for their banter but he'd never been that direct before, it bordered on something inappropriate. If not for the fact he was staring at her mock naively and about to giggle.
She wanted to stare back at him and pretend to be offended but she couldn't stay angry, or even act so, when he looked at her like that. Carefree and open, joking without the heavy mask of sarcasm or irony.
Only then she noticed something about the way he was looking at her, his gaze flickering between her eyes and her lips as she undid the last button and motioned for him to remove it.
He flung it across the room dramatically, looking back to her expectantly.
"Oh, no. You can handle the rest yourself mister."
He pouted for at least the third time that evening.
"You should have thought of this before getting trashed on Athosian wine." she said chastising him for his actions, folding her arms across her chest resolutely.
Elizabeth was about to walk out when he began on the problem himself, getting tangled up in his t shirt.She stifled a laugh as he fumbled around, arms flailing, one still stuck inside. Coming to his aide, sitting down by his side, she removed his shirt easily, finding herself quickly embraced in a grateful bear hug that caught her off guard. His strong arms laced around her, oddly comforting.
Finding it impossible to extract herself she let him hug her out, which took longer than she'd have thought.
They sat there for a minute, only able to pat him on the back, not breaking the silence.
Wondering what was going on in his overwhelmed mind.
Then they heard the voices, the countdown for New Years.
Grodin's strong voice booming out over everyone's else on the comms system.
10..........
He pulled away from a fraction her, arms still holding her near to him but not forcing her.
9.........
She felt his hand wipe back her hair from her face, touching across her cheek tenderly.
8........
The same hand trailing down around her neck, finding its place resting on the back of her head.
7.......
His eyes rested on her lips as he circled his thumb on her sensitive skin on her neck
6......
His other hand pulling her closer, at which he found no resistance
5.....
She started to say something but found the words dying, her brain freezing, unable of rational thought
4....
Finally his eyes returned to hers, a passion flaring in their dark depths
3...
He leant in with no hesitation, as the countdown reached its end
2..
She thought she heard him whisper something right beforehand, the words lost in the noises.
1.
Cheers erupted, shouts of 'Happy New Year' and the beginning of the traditional song heard in the background.
But they were barely anything to her as she felt his lips meet hers, something that had been unexpected until seconds ago.
And just as quickly she felt his warmth recede, having lasted a few precious moments, a new years eve kiss she realised. Traditional, a little fun, but having opened up far more for her than mere pleasantness, seeing in their new year with sparks that shouldn't have been there, tempted by his plush gentle kiss, far more delicate than th words that came form the same mouth.
And now he landed back on the bed, already half asleep at the diagonal angle, a beautiful smile on his face as he lay there.
She touched her lips, remembering silently what had just happened and then simply left quietly, only pausing to cover his half clothed body with a blanket and wondering whether he'd remember.
###
Happy 2005!
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