DISCLAIMER: Atlantis, Elizabeth Weir, Laura Cadman and all the other characters are the property of Sci-Fi and MGM. I just borrowed them for fun. The song is "Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop" from Landon Pigg.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wrote this stuck in my bed because of a very very nasty flu virus. So don't hold me responsible for any madness in it! I just like the item Cadman/Weir. Thanks to my wonderful beta Kelly for all the nice work she does!
SPOILERS: All of Atlantis until the latest season, except that in my universe they retrieved Elizabeth because Torri Higginson's wish to quit was never granted...Mwahaha...Sorry.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Atlantis by Night
By Acey
Week 1
Elizabeth Weir was a city girl. She had lived most of her adult life in the buzz of cities and diplomacy. While that didn't, in itself, make her a city person, she was definitely at ease in urban environments. Diplomats rarely met in the middle of nowhere, after all.
And then, there was also the fact that she was a professor at Georgetown, one of the oldest and most prized universities in the country, located near the center of one of the world's most important diplomacy centers. She had also spent a lot of time living in New York City, near the United Nations, and was definitely at ease in those circles, in an Upper East Side kind of way.
Yes, she was that kind of girl. From an uptight family, the kind of family that made you feel like you had to be in the middle of everything, she was raised with the highest education old money could give a person.
Which was why she was not a small city kind of girl. Small city, small thing, small people, that was not her thing. That was why she was so at ease being in charge of this mission: because being the leader of this was like being in the buzz, in the center of everything.
All of those people she would direct, all of those people depending on her. Yes, she was in the middle of everything.
And sometimes, she felt lonely. She would walk through the city, at night, and try to imagine it like it was a century ago, when the Wraiths weren't threatening their lives.
She tried to imagine the days when Atlantis was alive and buzzing. She could figure the chatter, the laughter, the love...Well, she could imagine how a human city would react, but truth was...She had no idea about how the Ancients would.
She smiled at that. Even without that information, she could fill the empty hallways, piers, and streets with her own world. She knew there was some kind of theater somewhere, an opera of some sort...She could just picture herself, walking through the streets, after a show, walking hands in hands with...With who exactly? Simon? No...
He had let go of her, and truth was she had let go of him a while ago. She didn't think she even had feelings for him anymore. She didn't know who she would be walking with through the amazing city.
Atlantis truly was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, the metal and the sea meshing perfectly to create the grace of the city. It was almost like it was born to be here, like the sea had created the city. She could imagine people flowing through the streets like an autumn in New York, the breeze slightly playing with her hair...
An autumn in Atlantis...
Laura Cadman was a country girl. She liked to be outside, she liked to feel the breeze, and run in the grass. She liked the birds and the sweat that you could catch running through a corn field.
She liked Atlantis because the city was floating like a port in the sea, graceful as a tree, beautiful as a sunset. When she was bored, she walked through the city. It was not the rural set she was looking for, but there was a kind of savage beauty in it, and the sight of the sea was calming her nerves.
She paced through the city, imagining when the city was peaceful and not in constant danger. When the sun and the breeze were not merely breaks between violence, but the actual life.
She could picture it, the serene nights, like a ranch after dawn, only with a lot more metal. Yet, the city was surging from the sea like it actually belonged there. That was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
She wasn't an electronic geek, nor a diplomat speaking 5 or 6 languages fluently. She wasn't a physics nerd, nor a fancy alien. Nope. She was good ol' Lieutenant Cadman, born and raised in the old US of A. She wasn't essential in this mission, like Elizabeth, but, still, she felt good about being a part of it.
Turning around the corner, she walked calmly outside. She was at Pier 3, south of the city, and the sea was quietly licking the feet of the massive construction, soothing her nerves.
Elizabeth felt watched, but it didn't worry her. It wasn't creepy. Instinctively, she knew this was a friend. She didn't really want to see anybody, so she didn't turn around. She smiled though, thinking that the city was starting to rub some of its inner peace onto her, because she wasn't reacting to being spied upon.
Laura stepped back into the shadows. Elizabeth Weir was here. She looked tense, so tense that Laura felt a pull and almost started to walk toward her, but she restrained herself. She could feel that Atlantis's unfathomable leader didn't want to be disturbed. So, she just watched as the other woman hugged herself to protect her body against the hint of a cold.
The great, hard leader of Atlantis seemed so alone...So fragile.
Cadman remembered that time where they had been on a mission on whatever that planet was. Sheppard had taken her aside and told her: "Protect Dr. Weir with everything you have....Give your life if you have to." He didn't really need to say that. Everybody would have gladly given his or her life for her. And when she was kidnapped, they all had been completely upset about this.
After a while, Laura left, a smile etched on her face, mirroring the one Elizabeth was wearing.
The feeling of being watched stopped and, sure enough, when she turned, there was only the breeze and shadows behind her. She walked calmly back to her quarters. Whoever this was knew well enough to leave her alone, respected her enough not to make it known, because nobody changed their behavior toward her after that night.
Week 2
The second night Laura saw Elizabeth on the pier. A scientific mission was away, monopolizing the thoughts of McKay, Zelenka, and all the geeks. She had gone along, but had found herself terribly bored after two days. So, she had asked permission to go 'home' from Sheppard, and he had granted her permission.
Now that she was 'home', she felt restless. She had tried to run, but to no avail. So, here she was walking through the hallways at night.
She saw Elizabeth getting out of her quarters and instinctively dodged so that the leader couldn't see her. She didn't know why, but she followed the leader, knowing perfectly where the woman was headed.
If she had stopped five minutes to think about what she was doing, she would have said that she felt at peace outside, seeing that side of Elizabeth.
That probably also had a lot to do with the admiration she felt toward the older woman-but then, on Atlantis, who wasn't in total awe of the leader, except McKay and Cavanaugh, but those two were creeps anyway. It also had something to do with the utter contentment she felt there, watching Elizabeth in silence.
One tagging the other, they ended up at the exact pier, the Weir pier as Laura had begun calling it.
Elizabeth felt the presence again. She heard the light shuffle and, again, the person stopped. She felt comfortable enough with this situation. Whoever this was, they weren't freaking her out.
Once again, after a while, the person turned around and left.
Only this time, but Laura had no way of knowing it, the feeling of contentment was shared and two people slept better that night.
Week 3
After that, it was a while before Elizabeth felt that person observing her again. She guessed that whoever it was had grown bored with observing her. She was out again today, thanking the skies that her team made it back almost unharmed and definitely alive.
There it was, the light feeling of warmth again, the sensation that she was being protected. That had become a routine and she sent a silent thank you to this person who was watching over her every time she felt bad or sad.
Laura was sent on an away-mission the day after, so she didn't stay long, but she stayed long enough to see the smile slowly creeping onto Elizabeth's face and it made her feel better. The other woman looked so vulnerable like this that Laura ached to protect her, but she knew that Elizabeth came here to be alone and she respected that need.
So, she just turned away like she did every time and went back to bed. And when she woke up the next day, she felt focused and rested like she rarely had those last days. This was a good thing, as she would learn rather quickly in the mission, because she ended up in the infirmary with a broken leg and Elizabeth speaking to her.
That night, she went to the pier again and, sure enough, Elizabeth was there. After a while, satisfied that the woman was okay, she came back to her quarters and crashed on her bed.
Elizabeth smiled at the footsteps...So here they came again. By now, Weir had reduced the number of suspects. It had to be someone of her close entourage, because the others were afraid of Weir. McKay and Sheppard would probably have interrupted her. Ronon was not the type of guy to do that. Zelenka wasn't courageous enough.
That left Cadman and Teyla. It had to be one of them, because the person wasn't there most of the days those two were on missions. A small shuffle interrupted her musings and, once again, the person turned to go, limping away.
Week 4
A couple of weeks later found Elizabeth on an away-mission. It was routine and they even ended up having fun for once. All because of an idea Teyla had.
"Why don't we make a fire and sing around it? I think you, Terran, call that a 'bond-fire'. It seems to be a pretty popular thing to do on Earth."
Everyone protested, not willing to give up their dignity, but silently giving the cheers to Teyla for an idea like this. After more formal protestations, they all ended up singing around the fire when Elizabeth answered:
"Why not?"
Around 1.30PM, Teyla retreated to her tent, as did McKay and Ronon. Sheppard was left talking with the new doctor and Weir. Cadman was silently observing the three of them interacting, and, after a while, she just slipped away. Elizabeth saw her and followed the lieutenant.
Not that Sheppard really minded being left alone with their new doctor...Elizabeth laughed...He was so predictable sometimes.
After a little walk, she found herself near the beach, the moon making it look like a fairy tale. Cadman was there, looking at the sea, hugging a cup of something hot in her hands. She had a thermos by her side and was looking quite happy.
"Hello, Dr. Weir."
Elizabeth almost jumped in surprise:
"How did you know it was me?"
"Well, I don't see the doctor walking alone through the woods after what happened to her and Sheppard would either have signaled himself or be much more discreet."
Elizabeth laughed:
"Fair enough."
Cadman showed her the thermos and asked:
"You want some?"
"Depends on what it is."
"Don't be fearful, Doctor. A little trust goes a long way, you know."
She pushed the cup in Weir's hands, and Elizabeth mock-toasted to her. She drank a small amount blowing on the steaming liquid. It felt velvety, sweet, and so rich she could feel every nerve-ending tingle inside of her.
That was amazing.
"What is this?"
"To tell you the truth, nobody knows its name. The geek squad called it 'hot orange juice' because some of them had tasted a stuff that was similar in France and Germany."
Laura smiled at the amazement in Elizabeth's eyes and kept on talking:
"They say it is structurally a twin to hot orange juice with honey, and what seems to be cinnamon sticks, ginger, anis flowers, and a sticky substance that is a close match to honey. They assured me it is perfectly innocuous."
"And quite good too."
"More than you think. It is apparently an excellent way to fight the flu."
"Are they really sure it's safe?"
Laura rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Dr. Weir. They would never let me have a whole thermos if they weren't sure."
"You're right."
They sat there in companionable silence for a while, each enjoying the presence of the other, when Weir said:
"Elizabeth."
Laura stared at her, lost:
"Sorry?"
"It's Elizabeth. Not Dr. Weir."
The Lieutenant smiled and presented her hand to Elizabeth:
"Nice meeting you, Elizabeth. I am Laura. So...Want to tell me what the hell you're doing on this beautiful, but God-forsaken, planet?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm watching the stars."
Laura looked at the sky and cushioning her head with her arms, she decided to lie there. Elizabeth imitated her. When they were done settling, Laura said softly:
"Yeah...They are quite beautiful, aren't they?"
"Yes, indeed. Laura, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did, I think."
"Seriously."
"Allright, go on."
"Why did you choose to come back to Atlantis? I mean, on Earth you could have your own team."
The soldier thought about it for a moment, and answered softly:
"For a lot of reasons, but mainly because this is the most beautiful place to be, and I am in love with this place."
"Me too."
Week 5
The next time Elizabeth was outside, she had a thermos of that thing they had found on the away mission. She heard the slight shuffling and this time, she asked:
"Why don't you come outside, Laura?"
Cadman laughed her rich and velvety laugh and came to sit near Elizabeth.
"God...I am supposed to be the master of stealth...How long have you known it was me?"
"A while ago, actually. I was down to two suspects, either you or Teyla, but that day you broke your leg, you started coming almost every night and you were limping, so I guessed it was you."
"Go figure...So much for hiding."
She blushed slightly and looked at the older woman:
"Do you mind? That I..."
"No, I don't, and I didn't. It made me feel...I don't know...Safe."
Elizabeth blushed at the admission.
"Thank you for that feeling. I rarely feel like that."
And that is how their nightly meetings started. They never planned anything, but they would show up at the pier and the other would be there, waiting with a thermos or a bottle of something or another, even food, sometimes, for a midnight snack. They had an uncanny talent for planning their nights at just the right moment.
Each time, the discussion was about something else. Their family, their friends, love, life on Earth, what they would do when all of this is finished, the Wraiths vanquished and a colony established.
One night, it was getting closer to winter, and they actually had a small fire going.
Elizabeth spoke first, after the usual salutations:
"It's getting darker and colder."
"Yes...I know."
"On Earth, it would probably be a little bit harsher, at least in Georgetown."
"In Colorado as well. Not that I would really see the seasons, inside that big chunk of rock. Which is why I prefer Atlantis-I am outside, I can breathe."
"Does it have something to do with freedom?"
"Maybe...I don't know."
Laura stopped for a while.
"I definitely would like to have children when we are done with the Wraiths-I know it is not exactly a reasonable thing to do out there, in an unknown galaxy...But I don't know..."
"Yeah, sometimes I feel like that too. I feel like I would love to have children running around, like when the Athosians were living here."
They sighed in perfect synchronism and that made them smile.
"I suppose we are not the kind of person to have children..."
Elizabeth laughed at that.
"Yeah, probably...It would require finding someone crazy enough to support us and let us run around the galaxy."
They were silent for a long time after that. Elizabeth started to shiver and, without thinking, Laura drew her closer and started rubbing her arms to bring warmth back in them.
Elizabeth shivered a little more, but this time it wasn't the cold...
Little did she know that the feelings that were running through her veins at this moment were exactly the same running through Cadman's blood.
Week 6
The month of October found them on the pier again. This time, in addition to the fire, they had afghans to keep them warm. But it still wasn't warm enough for Elizabeth and, again without thinking, Laura drew her closer, covering the leader with her own afghan. Elizabeth protested:
"You are going to freeze to death!"
Laura laughed, dismissing the idea, and played it tough:
"Nah...I am hotter that you are..."
She blushed deeply and stuttered delightfully over her words:
"Uh...That wasn't what I meant...You are...I didn't mean to say...Help here, please?"
Mocking Laura, Elizabeth said:
"Mmmh...I think you were doing perfectly fine by yourself, digging your own grave. So, you think you're hotter than I am?"
Laura let out a small breath, asking the Gods for mercy, and added softly, looking at her feet:
"No, I am not...You are the most beautiful woman I know around here."
Elizabeth fell silent, and looked pensively at the younger woman, but shaking the warmth that had settled in her stomach, she called out to Cadman:
"Come on, come here, charmer. You are going to freeze to death."
They shared the two afghans for the rest of the night, Elizabeth pressed lightly against Laura's warmer body.
Deeper in October, the weather had started to be too cold to stand being outside, so they had relocated in a room that was at the top of one of the highest towers of the city overlooking the ocean. Nobody ever came here. Maybe because it was a remote area and you had to actually want to go there to end up in the room.
They had gone from midnight snacks to full midnight dinners. Wine, candles, and soft music along with picnic blankets covering the ground completed their nights. Dr. Keller was starting to worry about the fact that they didn't eat a correct dinner, and over their apparent lack of sleep sometimes.
But when they were called to the infirmary, they refused to say anything and Keller tried to make them talk, but the only thing she could gather was that it had something to do with the two of them, because the whole time they were speaking softly to each other and smiling that secret smile.
If Keller hadn't known otherwise, she would have sworn that those two were deeply in love.
I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you
Yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down
I want to come too
I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you
No one understands me quite like you do
Through all of the shadowy corners of me
Week 7
The mission that they had been assigned was quite simple, really: protect Weir while the leader was away, off-world, negotiating an agreement with a race they had found two months ago.
Cadman had asked to be sent on the mission. She wasn't really needed, but she was already going stir crazy imagining Elizabeth off-world without her.
When they had gone through the gate, the two of them had looked at each other with that secret smile they had. It was like a code, saying "I'm okay, and I will be as long as you're here with me."
Only, it hadn't turned out the way Cadman had planned. During the night, she had woken up unexpectedly, her heart constricting. She didn't know why...Elizabeth...She had to get up and get to the other woman. She didn't know why, but she had to.
So she got up and ran to Elizabeth's tent...Only to find it empty. She walked through the camp, trying to find the leader and when she couldn't, she remembered the small spot they had seen earlier and the comment Elizabeth had made about it. Cadman ran back to her tent, grabbed her gun and her torch, and turned around. As fast as she could, she made it to the small pond. There was a blanket and candles there.
Laura almost sighed in relief. That's when she saw it, the small pendant that Elizabeth had started to wear after her kidnapping. It was a small, emerald-looking stone that Laura had found on an away-mission and brought back to the leader.
The clasp was broken, the only hint of a fight. They must have taken her by surprise. She circled the pond, her heart beating loudly, and saw the trail. It was fresh.
Cadman pondered her actions for a while. She should get the others, she didn't know how many assailants she was facing, and she definitely should call for reinforcements before leaving.
And then she pictured Elizabeth, alone, frightened, maybe beaten...That last thought was almost unbearable and the words Sheppard had told her a while ago echoed in her head: if need be, die for her...She didn't need Sheppard's orders to do that. She would give her life gladly for Elizabeth to be all right.
She radioed her position to Sheppard and, while he was shouting at her to stay put and wait for them, she marked the direction she was going, to leave them a trail, and took off, ignoring her superior screaming into her radio.
She swore to herself, to whoever was in charge out there, and to Elizabeth, that she would rescue the other woman, so that they could have more late nights together.
I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while I never knew
I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while I never knew
The forest was dark, and her progression was harder and harder as fatigue was showing more and more, making her dizzy.
She walked and ran for about six hours, before she finally reached the outer side of a camp. She knew she was tired, but she was driven by the anxious thought that something could happen to Elizabeth.
She just wanted the older woman back safe and sound, in her arms, on that pier, talking to her with her green eyes shining. At that thought, she had a moment of weakness, her tears threatening to take the best of her, but she shook her head. She couldn't afford to be weak now. First, save Elizabeth. Then she could crumble down.
She ran silently around the makeshift camp, trying to locate Elizabeth.
Here she was, cuffed to a tree. She didn't seemed harmed, but a closer look revealed two marks on her left cheek and blood trailing down from her right brow. Laura felt anger build up in her chest.
She breathed deeply to calm herself. Now was not the time to act stupidly. At least the other woman seemed intact in majority. The night was starting to recede and the leader's raptors were probably going to leave soon.
Against her best whishes, though, she couldn't find an opening. A couple of people were always looking after Elizabeth. At dawn, they started moving again. It couldn't have been more than forty minutes since they had stopped.
They started to walk, when one of them, their leaders probably, asked them to stop.
Cadman heard a rumble and a couple of guys, ugly looking, riding what looked like horses came in view. The leader of the walking troop welcomed them with apparent joy.
They settled everything on horses, one of them taking Elizabeth behind him. Laura was desperate...She was going to lose them if they rode! She took a quick decision and ran ahead on the trail. In her experience, that kind of galloping troop always had a couple of warriors at least a hundred feet behind them to protect themselves from any surprises.
'C'mon, please...' Laura prayed silently that her decision was the right one.
She almost jumped on the horse where Elizabeth was when the older woman passed under her tree, but she couldn't take that kind of risk.
She pumped her fist in victory when, after a very distressing wait, a lone rider trotted under her tree. She jumped on the horse, and rolled on the ground with the warrior.
"Kallohe'tal!"
The language wasn't something she had ever heard, but she didn't care. After a snort, she answered the ugly man:
"Yeah, I am happy to see you too. Whatever..."
He succeeded in cutting her arm lightly with his small roman looking sword, but she disarmed him and knocked him out in less than ten minutes, helped by the fact that adrenaline was flowing through her veins. Miraculously, the horse had stayed there. She jumped on it and tried to think about her next move.
They rode for almost a day and a half. By then, the Atlantis team should be well behind them. Her radio was out of transmission and she didn't care anyway-she wouldn't have turned her horse back even if God himself had ordered her to.
She stopped short of the camp and left her horse attached to a tree. They wouldn't miss their guy for another hour...At least, that was what she hoped.
Apparently, he wasn't missed at all, because, after they had settled for the night, they started to drink and fell, one after the other, rather heavily on the ground. A feral smile spread on Cadman's face each time one of them made it to the ground.
Except a sturdy guy, almost all of them were asleep-which made sense since they were pretty much two or three days ahead of Sheppard and the others and, for all they knew, the Oleysians, who had welcomed the Atlantis team, were pacific people and wouldn't pursue them.
The guy looked pretty interested in Weir too and fury was starting to run through Cadman's veins. This one was going to pay for all the other pigs. But, before that, she had to do something.
She came silently to the side of the horses and, patting one on the head, she calmed it and talked to it until it let her lead him to hers without as much as a fight. She led the two horses a little bit away and came back. She silently drew the C4 from her backpack and set up some around the camp. She also took care of the horses by opening the makeshift gate and detaching them.
Then, she spotted Elizabeth trying to escape the restless warrior sitting on her thighs. That was about when the rational lieutenant lost it. With a muffled cry of fury, she launched herself at the sturdy, ugly man and without as much as a blink of an eye, she planted the short sword she had taken from his mate into his shoulder.
He looked at her, vaguely surprised, and she told him softly:
"Never EVER touch that woman again."
He wouldn't die from the cut, but he promptly fainted from the loss of blood. Laura didn't even look back and ran to Elizabeth's side.
"Elizabeth, it's me..."
She was speaking softly as she could, because, amazingly enough, her wrestle with the warrior hadn't alerted anybody in the camp. She freed the wrists of the older woman and cut the gag that was on her mouth. Elizabeth threw herself in Laura's arms, not sobbing, but Laura could sense the cost of that toughness.
"Thank God. I knew you would come...Don't ask me how, but I knew you would."
"Maybe because we always come to rescue your ass, Elizabeth..."
Elizabeth smiled, almost against herself, and said softly:
"I am so sorry. It was stupid of me to go out there, without anybody, and no gun.'
Laura looked at her and said:
"Yes, it was. But I saw the pond and what you did...It was...It was beautiful."
She lifted Elizabeth up and, without thinking, she kissed her lightly and said with urgency:
"C'mon, we have to go before those brutes wake up."
Elizabeth let Laura drag her through the forest, amazed at her tingling lips. Did the younger woman even realize what she did? Elizabeth would have bet she didn't.
But now wasn't the moment to debate the implications of that. She ran alongside Laura to their horses when, suddenly, the air behind her lit up with fire and explosions from the camp. Laura laughed at her stunned look and said:
"Ooops! Did I forget to mention that I put C4 everywhere around the camp?"
"You are an explosion maniac."
"Yes, ma'am. Now, jump on that horse and let's go before they gather their horses back and chase us."
Before long, they met up with Sheppard's team, in hot pursuit.
Sheppard yelled at her from across the river they were following:
"Cadman! You are the most irresponsible person I have ever had under my command! Are you okay?"
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir!"
In the end, Sheppard was so happy to see them both in good shape that he just let her off the hook about her behavior. But he took Elizabeth apart, and told her quietly:
"Listen Elizabeth...I care very much about both of you, but you have to speak to Laura...What she did today-she didn't react like she was trained to. In the end, it was the right thing to do, but she won't be that lucky always. I think...I think she would have been very sad if you had been killed."
Elizabeth laughed at him and patted him on the arm:
"Is that your way of giving us your permission, John?"
"It is my way of saying that everybody should claim what little happiness we can here. But, in the meantime, she's out of your missions."
The leader looked thoughtful for a moment and told him:
"You know what, John...I don't think you could prevent her from protecting me even if you wanted to..."
"Yes, that's what I thought...Great, just what I need..."
And he left, mumbling about love and stupidity.
Week 8
It was a good week before they could speak. With all the missions and diplomacy going around, Elizabeth had to wait before going to 'their' room again.
Laura was there, candles lit and shivering a little under the afghan covering her. She was wearing a blouse and jeans, and her red Chucks were a big difference from her usual military issued boots. Elizabeth stopped in the door for a moment, contemplating the younger woman.
I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you
Yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine
Now I'm shining too
Because oh because
I've fallen quite hard over you
"Are you going to stay there for the whole night, or are you going to join me?"
"I don't know...I might stay here."
"Why?"
Elizabeth contemplated her words carefully and said:
"Because I'm scared."
"Of me?"
The brunette walked to Laura and sat behind her, drawing the other woman close, and traced soothing pattern on the soldier's shoulder.
"Not really."
Laura sighed and turned:
"Listen, if it's about what happened at the camp, we can act like nothing happened, okay? I was under a lot of stress. Let's blame this on the adrenaline."
Elizabeth stared at Laura's eyes. They were beautiful, shining with tears and vulnerability. And suddenly, Dr. Weir and Elizabeth were both home again and whole again...And they both knew why they had done something so stupid like walk around unprotected in a forest.
"I wanted you to come-to the pond I mean-I had all of this prepared-I don't think I even knew where all of this was going..."
The younger woman took Elizabeth in her arms and hugged her tightly.
"It doesn't have to go anywhere you know. I am just so glad that you are back and safe-I couldn't bare the idea of you hurt. I think the only thing that prevented me from killing that...Pig...Is the fact that you were here. I know how you hate when we have to kill, and that you despise violence-I didn't want you to look at me like I was a monster."
"Never. I'd never do that...For a while in the forest, I wished you would kill all of them, to tell you the truth-but you wouldn't be Laura Cadman if you had."
Reluctantly, Elizabeth got out of the warm embrace, only a little, and told Laura softly:
"The Laura Cadman I value and appreciate..."
And then, Laura knew the other woman was going to kiss her:
"And love too."
Laura didn't know what had made her the dizziest, the declaration of love or the kiss. Weir's tongue was inside her mouth, stroking lightly, caressing her own tongue, and that was the best kiss she had ever experienced in her whole life.
After a while, they stopped, and Laura said softly, stroking Elizabeth's hair:
"I love you, Elizabeth Weir."
"And I you, Laura Cadman."
They smiled at each other sweetly and Elizabeth pushed Laura lightly back on the blankets spread on the ground.
And between sweet words and promises, they found their way to each other, under the moon of what had truly become 'their' home.
If I didn't know you, I'd rather not know
If I couldn't have you, I'd rather be alone
I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while I never knew
I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while, I never knew
All of the while, all of the while
It was you
At that moment, neither of them could find anything more beautiful and truly amazing that the city that had seen their love grow...
For once, Atlantis looked the same for them: the place where a city and a country girl had found their soul mate.
The End