Title: Twist of Fate
Author: Keegan Paige
Disclaimer: Hmmm….let me check, nope, still don't own Atlantis or the wonderful characters.
A/N: Okay, wow, this is so different from what I usually write. It's kinda fluffy, which scares me a bit. The idea for this story just wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to write it. I know it's not my style, but please try to enjoy it anyway. Big thanks to my beta, SGangeL.

A perfect day on Atlantis was near impossible to find, so it was extremely surprising when Elizabeth found that nothing at all had gone wrong. Not a single thing broke in Rodney McKay's lab, there had been no unexpected Wraith attack, Ronon didn't scare anyone, Teyla spent a peaceful day with the Athosians, John Sheppard returned home from a mission without a scratch, and Elizabeth herself hadn't become overwhelmed with her work, just to name a few of the day's fortunate events. Yet, she had an irritating feeling that something wasn't right. In the middle of all this turmoil, how could a day like this possibly exist? Suspicious, she found herself recapping the day's events. And still she found nothing.

About to give up the search she checked her watch for the time. Instead her eyes landed on the date. Instantly she remembered. By god, that was it. How could she have forgotten? Wasn't it supposed to be the happiest day of her life? Wonderful, Elizabeth thought sarcastically, rubbing her temple. She wished she could rub away the memory. Sighing, she silently cursed for letting herself get suspicious. Ready to leave her office, she tried to push her feelings aside when she saw a certain Lt. Colonel walking her way.

"Elizabeth." A remarkably chipper John Sheppard greeted her with a trademark grin.

"John." She replied with her own shy expression, doing her best to hide her emotions.

"Pretty nice day, huh?" He asked as they walked side by side to their favorite 'hideout'.

"It would seem so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." She casually brushed off his question as they reached their destination. A perfect night sky welcomed them to Atlantis' most beautiful balcony view.

"Of course it's something."

Elizabeth glanced to her side, noticing John's new position close beside her at the edge of the railing. John titled his head to the side, catching her eye. She gave him a quizzical look in return.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elizabeth teased.

"Okay. One, that's my line. Two, there's always a meaning behind your words. Three, the fact that you don't want to talk about it tells me something's definitely wrong."

"Nice analysis, Colonel."

"Thank you, Dr. Now, what's bothering you?"

"John, I'm fine."

"Come on Elizabeth, I know you."

All this time they hadn't lost eye contact, but now Elizabeth pulled away. She turned to lean her back on the nearby pillar, crossing her arms over her chest. Letting out a short breath, she turned her face away, avoiding his stare. Her behavior was strange and it worried him. She was obviously torn up over something and the fact that nothing was wrong in Atlantis brought him to one conclusion, what ever problem she was having was personal.

John turned sideways while leaning on the rail. "You don't have to tell me anything, if you don't want to. But if you do, I'm here."

"I know you are. Thank you."

Figuring it was now or never Elizabeth snuck a glace towards the sky then began,

"I was going to get married today." She said quietly, though John heard it quite clear.

"You…you're engaged?" He asked in a worried tone.

"I was when I left for Atlantis."

"So you're still…"

"No." She said shaking her head side to side with a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth."

"It's alright. It's not like you had anything to do with it." She said apologetically; finally able to look at him again.

"I know….still. Uh…what happened?" John's curiosity took over, not surprisingly. It wasn't surprising that she had no problem answering his question, either. She completely trusted him.

"He found someone while I was away. I really can't blame him, though. When your fiancé leaves for another galaxy with no promise of coming back, what are you supposed to do?"

"Wait for them." He said agitated.

John's mind raced the minute he heard the news. How could some one just up leave a woman like Elizabeth Weir? Okay, so maybe that hadn't been exactly what happened. She did have a point with the whole leaving the galaxy gig, but still, it angered him that some one so close to her could leave her like that. She had been engaged, for god sakes. Of course you wait, what was that man's problem….

"It's not that simple, John." Elizabeth's voice pulled him back.

"I would have waited for you…and any man who wouldn't is crazy." John didn't hesitate to say what he was feeling.

"I guess I could take that as a compliment." She paused, taking his past experiences with women in to account.

Had she really heard him right? John Sheppard admitting that he'd wait for a girl without a second thought. And the fact that they were talking about her made her wonder even more about his confession. She knew that he cared about her, but to what extent?

"Hmm, you'd wait?" She asked curiously, lifting an eyebrow and taking a chance.

He knew that she had probably just run through the list of temporary women he'd been with since coming on this mission and he hated it. He didn't want her to think of him that way because he was different now. So when he answered her question it was wholeheartedly.

"Elizabeth, I could never leave you." His voice was assertive as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She relaxed the instant she felt his warm and comforting touch. For what felt like an eternity, they stood starring at each other with questioning eyes.

And then it happened; as short and simple as it was, it had to be the most emotionally driven kiss either one of them had ever experienced. It was also the sweetest. Neither one of them knew who had actually kissed whom first, but at moment that wasn't an issue. They found themselves at loss for words, silently wishing that they hadn't stopped as they looked opposite ways. John couldn't bring himself to remove his hand from Elizabeth's shoulder but it didn't bother her, considering that her arms were unmoved from their position hanging loosely around his neck.

A second later it didn't matter because their lips covered each others once again. Much more passionate than the first one and longer lasting, it satisfied both of their momentary needs.

"Mmm…Elizabeth?" John murmured when they finally broke for air and from each others grasps.

"Y-yes, John?" Elizabeth was shocked; she had no idea what to do and it actually frightened her.

"We weren't supposed to do that, were we?"

"Probably not."

They were still standing close to each other, allowing them to almost be lured into resuming their recent…activity. Fighting the temptation this time, they continued in their quiet exchange.

"I don't regret it." John thought out loud, hoping she felt the same.

"Neither do I."

There was a long pause as a silence fell between them. How could they explain what had just happened? Did it mean something, or had they just felt sorry for each other and needed an escape? There we so many questions and not enough answers. John added another one to the list when he broke their silence.

"What do we do now?"

"You're asking me, John?"

"Well you're in charge, Elizabeth; you're supposed to know what to do."

"And you're the leading military commander, Colonel."

"I really don't think this is a military situation, Dr. Look, can we just figure this out later?"

"Why, is there something-"

"Yes!" John grabbed her, covering her mouth with his in a fast paced motion. It was almost too hard to keep up with him, but soon they found a matching rhythm. He let his hands rest on her waist allowing him to pull her farther into the embrace. In response she cupped his face having one thing certain. She was falling for him and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it. Then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to….

"Do you need to be alone?" John said eventually when they separated from their embrace.

"I think….no, not really." She gave in.

"Good, 'cause I wasn't gonna leave anyway." He joked, capturing her hand and making her smile.

She couldn't believe that he had that power over her. No one had ever been able to make her surrender with just one look. She made deals with nations for god sakes, she had to be tough, build strong walls. But it was just so damn hard to resist him…. and his charming qualities; especially that grin he was giving her. The irony of the matter was that she loved every minute of it. Speaking of irony, Elizabeth decided it had in fact turned out to be the perfect day in Atlantis.

A/N: Please tell me how I did, it would help me immensely. Thanks.