Chapter Text
Elizabeth couldn’t believe it, it was impossible; here she was at the height of a social party with her mother only paces from her attempting to talk a few men into approach her, her friends around her making idle conversation and in front of her eyes… was something unbelievable.
Her eyes wondered over him, his military issue boots, dark green pants with many pockets covering what she imagined would be strong muscled legs and thighs. His waist met a black military issue t-shirt and she could see the form of his torso and rippling pecks.
Above all this glorious body was jet black scruffy hair and brilliant green eyes.
Breathtaking.
Behind her a few girls she had been talking with began to giggle, and she turned to look at them seeing them pointing at the man and making snide comments about his appearance. He did stand out, a military man in the midst of a well dressed social event.
She felt flushed, he was more than just taking her breath away as she turned back to watch him approach the drinks table and talk up a flute of champagne. He was seriously turning her on, she wanted to run her fingers over his chest, feel him shudder at her touch, feel the strength of his arms wrapped around her, feel him deep inside her.
She suppressed as shudder and turned back to her friends who, in the time she had watched him down his drink and return the flute, had noticed her scrutinising him.
Elizabeth moved away from the other girls and wandered over to her mother who was standing in amongst three men; she excused her mother and pulled her to one side.
“Please remind me why I’m here again,” Elizabeth asked, she had no desire to be here to begin with, and now that her friends had seen her fixate on one man, she had a feeling it was only a matter of time before her dear mother would hear of it.
“You need to find a man, Elizabeth.”
“I have a man, mom, Simon,” she said exasperated at her mother’s constant demand to find a particular someone.
“He’s not right for you, dear,” she said smiling even though she knew Elizabeth would roll her eyes, “and don’t roll your eyes at me, you know I only want the best for you. Now stay here, I’m going to go and find Colin, he should be here by now.”
Elizabeth watched as her remaining parent moved away before she turned and spotted the scruffy man again, he was strolling along the food table in her direction and she suddenly realised she was the end of the table where he would end up. She wanted to move, but couldn’t bring herself to do so, he was drawing nearer and her breath hitched as he picked up a piece of cheese and turned to smile at her.
“Hi,” he said with a slightly sly smile. He looked around quickly and Elizabeth did the same.
She took in the men who were watching her; as expected and caught sight of the three other women in the midst of the party, her friends who had seen her eyeing this man moments before. They were looking at him in a way that only too clearly that he was worth nothing.
Looking back at him Elizabeth forced a smiled onto her face that she hoped look natural, and replied with a simple; “Hi.”
“So, erm, good party,” he tried, his downcast face showing that he’d seen the disapproval of the girls. “Food could be better,” he said honestly and Elizabeth chuckled at him.
“I know, the caterer isn’t very good. I have no idea why my mother uses them,” she replied and looked to her right to catch a glare from her mum.
“Your mother?” he questioned with a quirked eyebrow. “This social accosting is for you?” he smiled smugly at the notion.
“I’m afraid so,” she said looking down and pulling herself in close as if she wanted to hide under the table. “How exactly did you find yourself here?” she said turning the table on him, so to speak.
“I got dragged along last minute by a mate,” he said looking around for his friend, “Colin Dunlap, you probably know him, he hates these thing.”
“Yeah, I know him, my mom has a habit of trying to get us talking, she hasn’t quite got the idea that he’s at the wrong party.”
“Wrong party,” he chuckled, “that’s the understatement of the century. Although, he’s probably having more fun talking to the guys than you are.”
“Elizabeth,” her mother called from beside a young and very uncomfortable looking man. She waved her daughter over and turned back to talk to the person at her side.
“Excuse me,” Elizabeth said to him. “I guess I need to go put on my usual show with Colin for a while.”
“It was nice to meet you,” he said reaching his hand out to shake hers, “Elizabeth,” he added as she took hold of his hand.
His strong grip was going to playing on her mind for a while; she could just feel it, as she moved away from the stranger and over to the familiarity of her mother and the man responsible for bringing him and her current discomfort.
“Elizabeth,” her mother started with a smile she knew only too well, “you remember Colin,” her smile brightened and as Elizabeth returned an equally as bright smile to the man, her mother pinched her arm and moved away.
“I see you meet my latest drag along,” Colin started, leaning in close to her. “I thought he might turn a few heads with his lack of ‘style’,” he added and offered his arm to Elizabeth.
“He’s done that alright,” she took his offered arm and moved through the crowd, not noticing as her mother approached the military clad man. “Where did you find him, and are there more like him there?”
Colin let out a short laugh, before turning to lead Elizabeth to a bench swing they could sit on.
“I’ve unfortunately known that one since I was a kid,” Colin offered nodding in his friend’s direction. “His name is John Sheppard, and he joined the air force to annoy his dad, something he likes to do on a regular basis.”
“I think he’s being warned to stay away from me,” Elizabeth said watching the exchange between John and her mother, mostly her mother though.
“That just makes him all the more irresistible to you, doesn’t it?”
Elizabeth turned abruptly to Colin with a look of shock on her face, she opened her mouth to respond to his implication, but words failed to find their way past her teeth.
“I saw you Elizabeth,” he continued, “before he had even approached you, you were blushing, you were in fact looking for a scape-goat,” Colin leaned in close to whisper to her as her eyes drifted back to the scruffy man she could now put a name to. “He likes the unobtainable too.”
As the party came to a close several hours later, Elizabeth found herself sitting glumly in the bench swing watching as her mother bid farewell to the men and few friends Elizabeth had invited. She was beginning to wonder if she would ever see an end to parties like these. She always seemed to find the same men at them, and the same faces being pushed her way.
Colin had stayed with her, as he often did, for a majority of the day and told her many things about his friend, but eventually her mum had butted in and separated them insisting that time was needed to be spent with other party goers.
As a result, she found that whenever she could pry herself from one man, her somewhat pushy parent was there instantly with another, giving Elizabeth no time at all to reach Captain John Sheppard.
She wanted to see him again, get to know him beyond what Colin had told her, but it was virtually impossible and as she watched Colin drag the man from the food table as the caterers began to clean up, she watched her last attempt slipping towards the gate.
As Colin and John reached the gate however, they parted. John stepping through the gate and out of sight and Colin looking hopefully around the remaining people for a moment until he set his eyes on her. She climbed to her feet as he approached and watched his face brighten.
“I had considered giving this to your mom to pass on,” he said stopping a few feet from her, “but I didn’t want to risk that she would read it before handing it over.”
Elizabeth let out an involuntary snort; it was precisely what her dear mother would do. She reached out and took the slip of paper from her friends hand and delicately unfolded it.
Friday 19:00
Monte's Trattoria, Greenwich Village
It was accompanied by cell number that she didn’t recognise.
“The cell number is John’s,” Colin explained. “In case you can’t make it,” he added with a devious smile and turned to walk away.
“Colin,” she said her eyes still fixed on the note, “thank you.”