SGA Fic: Make New Friends (Inquisition)
Nov. 6th, 2008 08:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
erdaTitle: Make New Friends
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
keefaq
Word count: 1174
Pairing: None
Disclaimer: Transformative work
Summary:It's time for John to move on. Woolsey helps him.
Tag for 5.13: Inquisition
Written for the Season Five Tagathon at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sga_episodefic
A/N:gaffsie wanted some John/Woolsey interaction but my John and Woolsey don't seem to have much to say to each other, so Woolsey ended up talking to Teyla. Sorry about that. Anyway, stop complaining, I know you already got this fine John/Woolsey story from busaikko
Richard had tried to switch his to do list over to a word document, but it just didn’t give him the same satisfaction as paper and pen, so after a few weeks he’d gone back to keeping track of his goals in a small spiral bound notebook. He pulled it out of his pocket now, as he did many times every day. Glancing at it frequently kept him focused. He’d broken this large task down into a number of sub tasks and all but one of them were lined through with the red pen that was so satisfying to use.
He glanced down at the heading.
“Arrange ways for ALL staff to rest and relax in order to avoid burn out”
Under it he’d broken down the staff into different departments, ending with a row of individuals who were of particular importance and who tended to be under the most stress. He’d thought Dr. McKay would be his biggest challenge, but he’d actually been one of the first names to be crossed off. McKay’s relationship with Dr. Keller had gotten him to slow down and take quite a bit of time off for fun and relaxation.
There was only one name left on the list now, and he had high hopes that that name would soon be red lined also.
Richard could barely hear Teyla’s “Come in” over the wailing of the baby, and she didn’t turn around from where she was leaning over Torren, changing his diaper as he waved his arms and legs wildly in protest. “What is it?” she asked him as she picked the squalling baby up and began walking around the room, bouncing him gently and making soft soothing noises over his tiny head.
Richard hesitated. “Perhaps this isn’t a good time,” he said.
She shot him a disgusted look. “It is as good a time as any.” She seemed to realize her tone had been less than friendly, and made an obvious effort to smile. Richard looked around for somewhere to sit, but Teyla suddenly shoved Torren into his arms. “You seem to like each other,” she said, dropping into the chair that he had been about to take himself, leaving him to circle the room with the baby, who did suddenly quiet down, staring up at him in fascination. His daily time with Torren (decrease stress on Teyla by taking the baby out every day) had gotten them used to each other.
“What is on your mind, Mr. Woolsey?” Teyla asked. She brushed her hair back from her face. He’d never seen her look so untidy.
He looked around for somewhere to put the baby, then glanced at Teyla, who didn’t look ready to take him back. He decided to get right to the point. “Back on the planet, when I first arrived, the council allowed me to observe one of their sessions with Colonel Sheppard. I was somewhat surprised at the attitude he took toward the trial.”
“How is that?” Teyla had produced a broad toothed comb and was smoothing out her hair.
“I was under the impression that Colonel Sheppard felt deeply his responsibility to your galaxy due to his actions in waking the wraith, and other unfortunate things that have transpired during his time here. Yet he seemed not to take the charges very seriously.”
“Mr. Woolsey,” Teyla said. He turned away from her obvious impatience, looking down at the baby to avoid her insightful gaze. “I have heard this so many times now. Colonel Sheppard is not responsible for awakening the wraith. He knew nothing about them. It was I who led him into the abandoned city, knowing full well the stories of my people that clearly warned us against going there. It was I who carelessly lost the necklace my father had given me, the necklace he had told me to guard with all my vigilance. I was never to take it off, yet carelessly I laid it aside in the caves one day and couldn’t remember where I had placed it when I was ready to return home. If I had listened to my father and kept the necklace on, Colonel Sheppard would never have been able to activate it. And if I had heeded the warnings of the elders and refused to take your people into the abandoned city, the wraith might still sleep.”
It was the longest speech he’d ever heard from Teyla, all said in an angry rush, and when she finished she ran weary hands over her face as if the telling had taken a lot out of her.
“Surely you don’t blame yourself?” Richard asked.
She took the baby back from him and adjusted his blanket unnecessarily. “I am sure Colonel Sheppard did not take the charges lightly, Mr. Woolsey. You must have noticed that he is not an easy man to understand.”
“Yes, I have,” Richard replied. He glanced at the chair Teyla had vacated, but it seemed rude to sit. “I think the Colonel has been under a tremendous strain. He hasn’t taken the changes in his team very well, especially in regards to Dr. McKay’s new relationship. I think-”
“We’ve spoken of this before,” Teyla interrupted. “If you are concerned about Colonel Sheppard, perhaps you should try to hurry your project along.”
He knew he’d pushed too hard, and the conversation was clearly over. He wouldn’t get anything else out of Teyla, having touched on her fiercely protective attitude toward Sheppard’s privacy, even though he doubted there was anyone in Atlantis and damn few in the Stargate program as a whole, after that incident with Wallace and Sheppard’s wraith, who was unaware of Sheppard’s devotion to McKay. Still, Teyla was probably right. An after dinner drink and cigar were not going to be sufficient interventions for relieving the Colonel’s stress. He needed to complete his plan as quickly as possible.
Even with the pressure he brought to bear to hurry things along, and Dr. McKay’s willingness to put aside his other projects to help, it was a good six weeks before he and the Colonel were finally able to try things out. He could tell Sheppard was impressed even before he spoke. “When you invited me down here,” Sheppard said, gazing out across the tidy green surface stretched out all around them. “I was expecting you’d set up a driving range or something.”
“It’s a full 18 hole course,” Richard couldn’t help saying proudly.
Sheppard grabbed his clubs and headed after his ball. “But we have to walk?” he asked.
Richard could see Sheppard’s mouth turn up slightly at the corners and knew he was being ribbed. “Dr. McKay said you were sure to complain, and I should tell you he’s working on it,” he answered, following Sheppard across the fairway, and Sheppard laughed, perhaps the first genuine laugh he’d heard from the man since he’d taken over on Atlantis. The mention of McKay didn’t seem to upset him, and Richard hoped that indicated that Sheppard was ready to move on to new relationships.
Author:
keefaqWord count: 1174
Pairing: None
Disclaimer: Transformative work
Summary:It's time for John to move on. Woolsey helps him.
Tag for 5.13: Inquisition
Written for the Season Five Tagathon at
sga_episodeficA/N:
gaffsie wanted some John/Woolsey interaction but my John and Woolsey don't seem to have much to say to each other, so Woolsey ended up talking to Teyla. Sorry about that. Anyway, stop complaining, I know you already got this fine John/Woolsey story from busaikkoRichard had tried to switch his to do list over to a word document, but it just didn’t give him the same satisfaction as paper and pen, so after a few weeks he’d gone back to keeping track of his goals in a small spiral bound notebook. He pulled it out of his pocket now, as he did many times every day. Glancing at it frequently kept him focused. He’d broken this large task down into a number of sub tasks and all but one of them were lined through with the red pen that was so satisfying to use.
He glanced down at the heading.
“Arrange ways for ALL staff to rest and relax in order to avoid burn out”
Under it he’d broken down the staff into different departments, ending with a row of individuals who were of particular importance and who tended to be under the most stress. He’d thought Dr. McKay would be his biggest challenge, but he’d actually been one of the first names to be crossed off. McKay’s relationship with Dr. Keller had gotten him to slow down and take quite a bit of time off for fun and relaxation.
There was only one name left on the list now, and he had high hopes that that name would soon be red lined also.
Richard could barely hear Teyla’s “Come in” over the wailing of the baby, and she didn’t turn around from where she was leaning over Torren, changing his diaper as he waved his arms and legs wildly in protest. “What is it?” she asked him as she picked the squalling baby up and began walking around the room, bouncing him gently and making soft soothing noises over his tiny head.
Richard hesitated. “Perhaps this isn’t a good time,” he said.
She shot him a disgusted look. “It is as good a time as any.” She seemed to realize her tone had been less than friendly, and made an obvious effort to smile. Richard looked around for somewhere to sit, but Teyla suddenly shoved Torren into his arms. “You seem to like each other,” she said, dropping into the chair that he had been about to take himself, leaving him to circle the room with the baby, who did suddenly quiet down, staring up at him in fascination. His daily time with Torren (decrease stress on Teyla by taking the baby out every day) had gotten them used to each other.
“What is on your mind, Mr. Woolsey?” Teyla asked. She brushed her hair back from her face. He’d never seen her look so untidy.
He looked around for somewhere to put the baby, then glanced at Teyla, who didn’t look ready to take him back. He decided to get right to the point. “Back on the planet, when I first arrived, the council allowed me to observe one of their sessions with Colonel Sheppard. I was somewhat surprised at the attitude he took toward the trial.”
“How is that?” Teyla had produced a broad toothed comb and was smoothing out her hair.
“I was under the impression that Colonel Sheppard felt deeply his responsibility to your galaxy due to his actions in waking the wraith, and other unfortunate things that have transpired during his time here. Yet he seemed not to take the charges very seriously.”
“Mr. Woolsey,” Teyla said. He turned away from her obvious impatience, looking down at the baby to avoid her insightful gaze. “I have heard this so many times now. Colonel Sheppard is not responsible for awakening the wraith. He knew nothing about them. It was I who led him into the abandoned city, knowing full well the stories of my people that clearly warned us against going there. It was I who carelessly lost the necklace my father had given me, the necklace he had told me to guard with all my vigilance. I was never to take it off, yet carelessly I laid it aside in the caves one day and couldn’t remember where I had placed it when I was ready to return home. If I had listened to my father and kept the necklace on, Colonel Sheppard would never have been able to activate it. And if I had heeded the warnings of the elders and refused to take your people into the abandoned city, the wraith might still sleep.”
It was the longest speech he’d ever heard from Teyla, all said in an angry rush, and when she finished she ran weary hands over her face as if the telling had taken a lot out of her.
“Surely you don’t blame yourself?” Richard asked.
She took the baby back from him and adjusted his blanket unnecessarily. “I am sure Colonel Sheppard did not take the charges lightly, Mr. Woolsey. You must have noticed that he is not an easy man to understand.”
“Yes, I have,” Richard replied. He glanced at the chair Teyla had vacated, but it seemed rude to sit. “I think the Colonel has been under a tremendous strain. He hasn’t taken the changes in his team very well, especially in regards to Dr. McKay’s new relationship. I think-”
“We’ve spoken of this before,” Teyla interrupted. “If you are concerned about Colonel Sheppard, perhaps you should try to hurry your project along.”
He knew he’d pushed too hard, and the conversation was clearly over. He wouldn’t get anything else out of Teyla, having touched on her fiercely protective attitude toward Sheppard’s privacy, even though he doubted there was anyone in Atlantis and damn few in the Stargate program as a whole, after that incident with Wallace and Sheppard’s wraith, who was unaware of Sheppard’s devotion to McKay. Still, Teyla was probably right. An after dinner drink and cigar were not going to be sufficient interventions for relieving the Colonel’s stress. He needed to complete his plan as quickly as possible.
Even with the pressure he brought to bear to hurry things along, and Dr. McKay’s willingness to put aside his other projects to help, it was a good six weeks before he and the Colonel were finally able to try things out. He could tell Sheppard was impressed even before he spoke. “When you invited me down here,” Sheppard said, gazing out across the tidy green surface stretched out all around them. “I was expecting you’d set up a driving range or something.”
“It’s a full 18 hole course,” Richard couldn’t help saying proudly.
Sheppard grabbed his clubs and headed after his ball. “But we have to walk?” he asked.
Richard could see Sheppard’s mouth turn up slightly at the corners and knew he was being ribbed. “Dr. McKay said you were sure to complain, and I should tell you he’s working on it,” he answered, following Sheppard across the fairway, and Sheppard laughed, perhaps the first genuine laugh he’d heard from the man since he’d taken over on Atlantis. The mention of McKay didn’t seem to upset him, and Richard hoped that indicated that Sheppard was ready to move on to new relationships.