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“I hate it here.” John told Rodney from his office phone, his laptop open, papers scattered around his desk.
“I thought you wanted to stay at the SGC…save the galaxy from bad guys, that sort of thing.” Rodney contradicted, “Listen, I have a lot to set up here at Area 51. They’ve given me my own department, compliments of General O’Neill’s recommendations. Can you believe it? My own department! And anyone I want working under me. Of course, I chose Radek first thing…”
“Ya know, that’s great, Rodney. I’m very happy for you,” John sighed, missing him already.
“Really? Because you don’t sound very happy…hello…John…you there? Hmm, must’ve got cut off.”
Rodney looked at his cell, frowning. He sat down at a nearby chair in a busy lab, assistants moving equipment around.
“Rodney,” Radek interrupted, a box in his hand, “Where do you want this –”
Rodney held up a hand, “Not now…I’m thinking…”
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John shifted uncomfortably in the conference room. A young lieutenant was staring at him and he couldn’t even remember her name. Johnston? Maybe. General Landry had assigned a few of the younger recruits to fill out his team. He hadn’t taken to any of them.
Things just weren’t the same without Ronon, Teyla…especially Rodney. Funnily enough, his heart ached for Rodney worst of all. But that was silly. Rodney wasn’t even that far away. He was in Nevada only one state over from Colorado. But John couldn’t help feeling like he was on another planet.
He swallowed down his feelings and thoughts and finished the meeting. The young lieutenant came up to him afterwards and awkwardly handed him a medallion with a man’s image reading St. Christopher.
“This is for you, Sir. You said your mother was Catholic and both my parents were Atheists so I don’t have a use for it.” She smiled at him and he tried to smile back.
“Oh, it’s nice…um…thanks…” John shifted, nervously. He should know her name. This was embarrassing.
“It’s Kingston, Sir. Lieutenant Emily Kingston. The image is St. Christopher, the patron saint of safe journeys. Thought it might, ya know, bring you good luck or something like that.” She bowed her head suddenly embarrassed.
“Oh, yeah, thanks,” John smiled at her, oddly touched, “Guess I could use a little luck. Although, personally, I’d rather get back to flying. Never had much luck on the ground….only in the air. Anyway, we’d better get geared up. Thanks, um, Kingston.”
“You’re welcome, Sir.”
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The next morning a package came for John in the mail. There was no return address. Weird.
John opened it up. It was a model airplane - an F-302, no less. But who was it from? He pretended to fly it through the air and smiled to himself. Airplanes always made him happy.
Then he frowned. Then he sighed.
Kingston.
This was inappropriate. Well, maybe he could keep it. After all, he only suspected her. He’d have to interrogate her to actually prove it was from her and he just didn’t feel like it.
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“I still hate it here.”
“What? Why? Did something happen? You didn’t engage the Ori, did you? Oh god.” Rodney’s worry came through loud and clear in his voice.
“No, I didn’t engage the Ori, Rodney,” John sounded annoyed. He nervously fidgeted with the F-302 model but couldn’t tell Rodney. Not until he found out who it was from. “You don’t have to worry about me –”
“Who said I was worried about you? It’s just I’m not there to, ya know, watch your back and if anything ever happened to you because some dumbass flyboy tripped over his two left feet, I’ll, I just, it would be nice if I could be there instead because –”
“You miss me?” John interrupted.
“What? No! We talk like this all the time.” Rodney misdirected.
“Oh,” John sounded extremely forlorn.
“How’s your team doing anyway? Anyone interesting?” Rodney probed.
“They’re fine.”
“Anything happen on missions I should know about? How are those going?”
“Going fine.” John sounded sadder with each passing sentence.
“Um, John, you okay?”
“I’m fine, Rodney! I just…I don’t know, thought maybe we should have dinner or something. What do you think?”
“Oh, dinner. Hmm. The earliest I’m free is two weeks from now. Will that work?”
“Two weeks?” John sounded disappointed.
“So, that doesn’t work?”
“It’s fine…”
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The next morning, yet another package from an unknown sender arrived for John. Another model airplane. This time an F-16. Kingston again! She was crossing a line here with all these gifts. He set it on his desk next to the F-302 and smiled at them in spite of himself.
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“Dinner is still a week away, Rodney. I’ve been thinking, maybe about heading down there…tomorrow. We could have lunch, you could show me your new stuff. What do ya say?”
“Oh, um, tomorrow’s no good. We’ve got a new batch of green scientists coming in and Radek’s very worried about training them. They’ve never even seen an alien before, much less a Stargate. Only computer simulations. It’s all very pathetic. They’d be thrilled to see the real thing. Anyway, tomorrow’s no good. How about the day after?”
John sighed heavily, “The day after’s no good for me. Got to go on a recon mission.”
“A mission? It’s not too dangerous, I hope.” Rodney was worried again.
“Nope, just checking in on a planet that used to be under Goa’uld rule to see if everything’s on the up and up.
“Jesus Christ, Rodney! We’re never gonna see each other at this rate. You’re busy, I’m busy. You can’t tell me this doesn’t bother you…even a little.”
“Us not getting to see each other until this weekend? Bother me? Maybe a little. But I have so much to do here, it’ll go by fast. You’ll see.”
“Hasn’t so far…I miss you, Rodney,” John almost whimpered, “Do you…miss me too?”
“Hmm? Miss you?...oh! Radek’s here with those training simulations…gotta go. Talk soon.” Rodney hung up.
John glared at his phone, then glanced over at his planes and while still seated, began whirling them around the room making airplane noises to himself. It helped, oddly enough.
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The next morning yet another package arrived for him. It was a small silver plane. It was beautiful. But this was getting out of hand.
“Kingston!” John took her aside in the hall, “Listen, I appreciate the St. Christopher medallion and the F-302 model and the F-16 but after a while a guy gets to thinking these might be inappropriate gestures from a subordinate. I told you I like flying but that doesn’t mean –”
“I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kingston seemed genuinely stunned,
“I only gave you the St. Chris medallion because a friend gave it to me. But I didn’t have a use for it. I haven’t been giving you model planes.”
“Oh…” John felt a rush of heat coming into his cheeks and his eartips burned. “Sorry, Lieutenant. I assumed…sorry.”
He ran off before she could respond.
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This scene takes place after they all were called to the SGC during dinner. John and Rodney share a cab and Rodney gets John’s attention.
“So, did you like the model planes I sent you? You never said.” Rodney’s wide blue eyes looked at him expectantly.
John broke into a grin, “Those were from you?”
“Yeah, I, um, didn’t want you to feel down and you seemed really upset and I couldn’t be there for you -”
John leaned in and kissed him, interrupting his ramblings. At last he pulled away and took Rodney’s hand, beaming at him.
“What?” Rodney asked.
“You said you didn’t but I knew it! I knew you did.”
“Did what?” Rodney’s mouth hung open.
John’s eyes squinted in satisfaction, “You missed me after all.”