So, this is my second dip into the realm of Sparky and it's such a different feeling to be the writer instead of the reader for once. What started out as a string of random goings-on turned into a bit of fluffy story, surely not extremely original in theme, but small aspects of life in Atlantis that nonetheless simply could have been. I know that many of these pieces may seem short and not deeply insightful, but they're meant to be tidbits, quick and true. Nearing the end, I had to include some more apparent emotion, so I hope you'll forgive the varying lengths and depths of each piece. Also, I make no claims that my humor is funny. ;) That's up to you. Honestly, this is just my experiment to find out what you, as readers and writers, see in my writing. Fluffy though it may be, I hope that you can drop me a message about my style, characterization, and generally what you would like to see in general fiction concerning your favorite characters, no matter what length the story may be. Thanks for your time. :)

Isabel

Elizabeth would never forget the day she told John Sheppard that she was pregnant.

She bit back a laugh when she realized that breaking the news while he was eating his turkey sandwich was probably a bad idea. First he sort of choked and then, upon resuscitating himself by downing half his water bottle, he stared at her, not quite sure if this was just her way of amusing herself after a hard day's work.

She sighed. She had gotten over the shock and regret of it all two weeks ago, when she had found out for herself. There had been tears, denial, and finally acceptance, the irony being that this scenario usually took place when one found out that he or she was terminally ill, not when expecting a newborn child.

"I.. uh.." John stuttered, clearly not wanting to comprehend what he'd just heard. "That means you have.. because we.." his mouth tried to form certain words and he made waving gestures with his hands, but his eyes pleaded for her to finish.

"I'm afraid so," she replied calmly from her seat at the mess hall table.

They had been seeing each other regularly for the past few months and sometimes one thing just led to another, especially after those times when one of them had been faced with a near-death experience. During this time, their relationship was kept under wraps, as they wanted to keep their professional lives separate from the private, for more or less obvious reasons.

"I.. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she eyed him as she took his hand in hers and rubbed it with her thumb reassuringly, "but I was waiting for the right time."

"Elizabeth, that's.. that's-"

"Sheppard! There you are. I was wondering who took the last piece of pie. Oh, hello Elizabeth," Rodney acknowledged her cheerfully as he sat down at the table, oblivious to the very personal conversation that had been taking place.

John glanced wearily at his partner before being spoken to by Rodney once again.

"You know, I think there should be more variety when it comes to the dessert on this base. Sometimes the apple strudel just doesn't offer the same gastric satisfaction after so many days in a row, you know?" Rodney held a fork in the air with a piece of pastry stuck to the end of it. Receiving no response, he eyed his superiors suspiciously. "What? Sheppard, is there something I should know about? Don't tell me you pressed a button on one of my machines and something went horribly wrong."

"Why would I do that?" John scowled.

"Well, it's just a guess," Rodney retorted with another bite of his strudel.

"Nope, keep trying," John responded, suppressing the urge to push him out of his chair just for being there.

"Elizabeth? I don't suppose you could fill me in on what the dear colonel is clearly keeping from me?"

Elizabeth sighed again. "It's not something I want everyone to be concerned with right now," she said, hoping he'd take the hint not to prod any further.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, leave me out of the loop."

"It's not that we don't want you to know, but, well..." Elizabeth stopped helplessly.

"Well, it's not like you're pregnant or something," he joked.

Silence.

"You're PREGNANT?!" Rodney yelped.

Every face in the mess hall was looking at them, something which John and Elizabeth had realized too late as they yelled, "RODNEY!!!"

It didn't take long for word about Elizabeth's fragile state to spread around the base after the mess hall incident. At first, she, as well as John, held the innate fear of losing the respect of everyone they knew, but was quickly relieved by the overwhelming amount of support thrown at them by the base personnel.

"How nice of them," she'd told John, although she pretty much summed it up to no one wanting their beloved city handed over to the military any time soon, thus being the reason for the lack of complaints – not that she minded, of course.

* * *

Some people did feel generally pleased about the whole situation. Teyla was delighted that there would soon be a new addition to Atlantis and was the first to consult with others about plans for the baby shower. Ronan was just glad that Teyla was now off-limits to Sheppard.

* * *

The only person still seemingly shocked by the entire ordeal was Dr. McKay. Elizabeth shamefully took amusement in watching Rodney squirm every time he got within ten feet of either her or her second-in-command, as if he'd never heard of anyone being pregnant before. With John, however, watching the scientist was just pure fun.

"Dr. McKay, I'd like to see you in my office," Elizabeth requested into her headset as John made himself comfortable leaning on the side of her desk.

Rodney soon arrived, attention focused on his tablet. "Elizabeth, I think you'll be quite happy to know that this Ancient technology could be beneficial to- oh, it's you," Rodney stopped as he noticed John's presence.

"Rodney, is that how you're always gonna greet me from now on?" John asked, feigning hurt but showing an undeniable smirk.

"No.. well yes, I mean," Rodney was fidgeting with something on his jacket sleeve, "it's just all very sort of weird, you know?"

"Enlighten me."

"Every time I see you two together it's like I'm looking at my parents. So many memories that gave me nightmares when I was just a kid.. like that time I came home early from school and they were-"

"McKay, I don't think this is what you're being paid for to tell me, is it?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrow at her chief scientist. Whoever said a pregnant woman wasn't bound to have mood swings?

Rodney wanted to remark something along the lines of "Oh, and you're being paid to get knocked up?" but thought better of it. John smirked again. He cursed mentally. 'Damn him.'

Mondays on Atlantis were no different than those on Earth, but this particular one would be made especially brutal by a visitor from a certain organization that Elizabeth had grown to detest.

"Ah, Mr. Woolsey, welcome back to Atlantis," Elizabeth made the effort to smile from where she stood atop the steps in the gate room.

All she received was a "Hmph" from the balding man and a look at her belly, which had grown more noticeably after the first four months.

'Was that a grimace, Mr. Woolsey?' Elizabeth thought as she watched him scribble something down in his already open notebook. 'Well, that's alright. I don't like you either, and nor does my unborn child.' She rubbed her stomach tenderly. 'Congratulations, little one, you've made your first enemy!'

Needless to say, there was no official fraternization rule on Atlantis that threatened to throw the leader and the military commanders' careers out the window, so Elizabeth decided to take whatever the IOA hurled at her with dignity – and then move on. Since she had come to Atlantis, she had changed dramatically. She' learned how to handle some of the toughest negotiations in the history of her home planet and then she had come face-to-face with a whole new slew of bad guys in the Pegasus Galaxy. It's no wonder she could handle a baby.

* * *

John had also changed from the man he once was when he'd first stepped through the gate. Knowing full well that making sacrifices was an essential aspect of someone of his position, he took care to always do what was necessary for the good of everyone else. Therefore, while Elizabeth was off having fun with her morning sickness, sitting through meetings with scientists, whose presentations were about as enthralling as watching a hamster repeatedly fail at running on a wheel, was simply no exception. Lucky him.

"Do you want to know the baby's gender?" Elizabeth forced her gaze away from the slimy blue gel that Dr. Keller was pushing around on her stomach. It looked disgusting, but it suddenly conjured a craving for blue jello.

"Uh, did you say gender?" Elizabeth pushed thoughts of food out of her mind as she propped herself on her elbows to get a look at her ultrasound. "We wanted it to be a surprise."

"Then don't look at the screen if you don't want to know yet," Jennifer quickly turned the monitor around and smiled.

"I guess I didn't think it would be so obvious. Still not quite used to this baby stuff," Elizabeth grinned slightly. She looked at her stomach expectantly, as if hoping it would do something extraordinary.

"Well, I'm happy to report that your child is growing in perfect condition and it looks like the next four months should be smooth sailing from here," Jennifer switched the machine off and cleaned off the gelatinous remains. "Are you getting the eight hours of sleep you need every night?"

"Well, about that.." Elizabeth faltered, suddenly wishing that doctors weren't so nosy.

"Elizabeth," Jennifer eyed her patient sternly, "work to do or not, that child can only be healthy as long as you're healthy."

"But-"

"No buts. It's past ten. Now sleep," she pointed to the door as she helped her off the bed. "Doctor's orders."

"Aye aye," Elizabeth smiled back as she headed out of the infirmary, knowing full well where her destination wouldn't be.

She wasn't sure if she ought to be doing this, but she tried to push the thought out of her mind. Would it be worth sleeping in for another hour and missing valuable time in the morning to work? All those reports, the eight o'clock meeting, the debriefing soon after... It was already past midnight. Should she just retrace her steps and forget about it?

'Ugh. No one's ever experienced this much self-conflict over a stupid muffin as me,' Elizabeth grumbled inwardly. Clad in her specially-imported-from-Earth red satin maternity pajamas and matching robe, Elizabeth decided she couldn't handle the cravings any longer and hastily made for the mess hall. She quietly found her way to the dessert bar and grabbed the first muffin she saw. A split-second later she took another one, just in case.

"Junior keeping you up?"

"Wha-?" Elizabeth whirled around, "Oh, John, you scared me."

"I can tell," he smirked. "I don't know about you, but I think eating too much sugar is gonna induce bad habits for the baby."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather I be cranky with a lack of concentration in the morning due to lack of sleep?" She smiled. "Because I'm sure I could find someone to blame for being the cause of those circumstances."

"Well, I suppose you've got me there," John said, hands up in surrender and faking a wince.

Elizabeth smiled, taking in John's scruffy, but cute as always, appearance in his grey sweats and black t-shirt. Anyone who thought that John was a military man of steel had obviously never seen him in his 'just-woken-up-and-still-in-pajamas' state.

"Looks like you've been asleep. Were you hungry?" Elizabeth leaned on the counter as she held up a muffin.

"Actually, I dunno why, but I just had the strangest feeling that you'd be down here tonight," he smiled his irresistible smile of his.

"What, are your spidey senses tingling?" she giggled, if only to take pleasure in teasing him.

John stepped closer. He put one hand on the counter behind Elizabeth and the other on her cheek. "It was more like... this."

She drew in a small breath and forgot about the food. "John.." she whispered as he pressed her against the counter.

"You're not the only one who's been craving tonight," he whispered softly as he brushed his lips across her ear.

"John, we shouldn't be doing this.." she breathed, feeling his hand running through her hair. "Not here."

"It's alright, no one will see us," John murmured. He moved his other arm around her waist and before she could say another word, he kissed her gently on the lips. She gave in.

Elizabeth felt content being held in her lover's arms. They refrained from showering each other with affection in front of the other personnel each day and they didn't yet share a bedroom, but in these moments, pockets of time that they each so willingly snatched from the roar of everyday life, the man and woman with the greatest weights on their shoulders as the leaders of this expedition were able to slow down and give each other the reassurance that came in three simple words.

"I love you," John said as they touched foreheads. "Both of you."

Elizabeth smiled, eyes still closed from the kiss. "We love you too," she replied before he kissed her again, this time more deeply.

"Oh dear God," a voice came from behind them.

Their heads shot up.

"I come in here looking for a little something to make my stomach feel better and what do I find?" Rodney folded his arms and glared at John. "Now I just feel worse."

"Don't worry Rodney, we can take this to another room if it bothers you that much," John tried not to smirk as Rodney gaped in disbelief. Elizabeth merely rolled her eyes.

"Oh, that is just... did I not just say that I felt worse than I did before? Honestly!" he gave John the evil eye before turning around again.

"Hey Rodney, I think you've found your color," John called from behind.

"What?"

"Pink. It suits you."

Rodney looked down at his pajamas. "They are not pink. They're salmon."

"Just like a fish."

"No, like an armadillo," Rodney replied sarcastically.

"It's still a pastel."

"So?"

"Just making sure your manhood is still intact."

"So, when are you two planning on getting married?" a curious General Jack O'Neill asked as he looked at John and Elizabeth, plainly attempting not to smirk.

"It's good to see you too, General," Elizabeth gave a little smile as she tried to ignore the gaze of everyone in the SGC control room.

"Colonel," Jack nodded.

"General," John met his eyes only briefly, knowing that whatever was going through the man's mind would be better off not discussed.

* * *

"Thanks for taking the time to come with us today. You didn't have to," John stated to the overly-relaxed looking general next to him.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just doing my job. We're your escorts, remember?" Jack glanced at him.

'Self-proclaimed,' John added inwardly.

"And I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd spend a little downtime with my intergalactic homies. Besides, Sam had this crazy little idea that you guys might need some things from Earth and that you might want some help finding things from the shopping list."

"Of course."

"So..." Jack drew out the word until it sounded like "sue." "You never answered my question," he said, looking at John from behind his shades again.

John briefly wondered why the man wore them inside a public building. Could someone in the mall have a vendetta against him?

"Which question was that?"

"You know. You, her," Jack nodded toward Elizabeth, "marriage?" He made the quotey signs with his fingers.

Surprised, John said quietly, "I don't' think we're getting married." He looked straight ahead at the mother-to-be as he said this.

"Really. That's a shame. And I was so looking forward to your stag party," Jack raised an eyebrow and they continued to walk in silence. "Scared?" he asked with what may have possibly been an expression of sympathy.

"As hell," John mumbled, trying to summon a fragment of the confidence that Elizabeth seemed to have attained from the very beginning.

"Well, you should be," Jack stated matter-of-factly. "I suspect Woolsey had a few choice words to say about it?"

"Not so much in the way of words as there were disapproving shakes of the head."

"I daresay that you stood your ground, then? Defended Elizabeth's honor?" Jack almost laughed. John's expression was priceless.

John finally replied, "Yeah, you know, I just showed him 'round a bit, updated him with news on the Wraith and our power supply, and asked if he had any suggestions for naming the baby."

"Atta boy!" Jack slapped him on the shoulder. "You see? The time you've spent with me has served you well."

"Yes sir," John smiled.

* * *

"I distinctly remember you saying we were shopping for the baby, yet a lot of this stuff seems awfully mature to me," John speculated, trying to see between the loads he was carrying.

"These clothes are important, John. Since I obviously can't fit into what I usually wear, I need at least a week's worth of things to use while I'm working," Elizabeth finished from behind her mountain of bags.

"Wait, don't tell me you're gonna need a new set of this stuff a month from now," John gaped at her in disbelief. She simply gave him an apologetic smile.

"Well, it looks like you two had a good time," a distinctive voice sounded in front of them.

"Vala, it's good to see you," Elizabeth greeted. "And yes, we've been pretty busy today," she indicated at her purchases.

"That's not what I meant," Vala smirked with a wink.

"John, if I see any more of that blue goop, I swear by the powers of the Ancients that I am going to vomit," Elizabeth stared at the bowls of blue gelatin covering her desk.

"But you just asked for it ten minutes ago."

"Ten minutes ago my hormones were on overdrive and right now the last thing I need in front of me is something that reminds me of that damn... that ocean," Elizabeth paced with fingers pressed to her forehead.

"I thought the ocean normally calmed you down."

"John, I have a baby inside of me," Elizabeth said very slowly, as if spelling out a word for a child. "Right now, doing paperwork is more relaxing than sleeping, I have to take more trips to the ladies' room now than I've ever had to in the past year, my back hurts more when I sit than when I walk, and the little things that used to annoy me now drive me up the wall. I can't imagine that you have any idea of my current feelings about what's NORMAL!" she cried out, wide-eyed, showing the teensiest bit of exasperation.

"Okay.. okay," John backed away slowly, used to this response with hands up as usual. "Is there anything else I can do? A massage?"

"Actually, I've suddenly had this powerful craving for some carrot cake."

He heaved a sigh, mostly to himself of course. Just a few more weeks...

Elizabeth woke with a start. The night air was cool and the only sounds to be heard were the ocean's never-ending waves. Yet something was amiss. Groggily, she felt for her lamp switch and winced at the bright light. She tried to sit upright and suddenly felt uncomfortable. Something was wet.

Groaning, Elizabeth pushed herself off the bed, but almost fell back again as a sudden surge of pain shot through her abdomen. She gasped.

"Damn! Oh my God," she cursed while searching for her headset, which had fallen to the floor somewhere. Having found the device, she made her way across the room and faltered again, clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. She waved her hand to open her door, peered down the long hallway, and thought better of it.

"John," she hissed into the headpiece, fighting the urge to sit down again. "John!"

"'Lizabeth?" a static, sleepy voice answered.

"John, I need to get to the infirmary right now and I can't... I'm having trouble here!" she gasped, trying not to yell from exasperation. She could hear shuffling sounds on the other side.

"Stay there, I'm coming."

"Definitely not a problem," she thought to herself.

Every minute felt like an hour until the messy-haired, wide-eyed colonel ran into her room.

"Elizabeth! What's wrong?" John supported her with his arms.

"My water broke. I need to see Keller," Elizabeth demanded. She reached for her headset, but was stopped by John.

"I'll take care of it. You just focus on walking." John slowly led her through the dark corridors toward the infirmary, which seemed miles away. He gave a small chuckle as they walked.

"Something funny?" Elizabeth pinned him with an infamous Dr. Weir glare. How dare he laugh at her while she was in so much pain.

"No, 'course not," John was quick to respond. Too quick.

"I don't believe you," she snapped.

"It's just... I was right. It's just like in the movies. The baby is always born at the most awkward time, never when people aren't doing anything, waiting for something to happen."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience," she grumbled.

"No, it's not like that! I just meant it's kinda like a scenario written by someone in a novel. Funny."

She rolled her eyes. "Some sense of humor this writer has."

"JOHN! I want this baby OUT of me!" Elizabeth made futile attempts at getting out of the hospital bed while being pushed back by the military commander.

"Not yet, not yet," John repeated as he looked around for Keller, whom he had called back at Elizabeth's room.

The doctor was still in her night clothes when she rushed into the infirmary.

"Doc, she's going into labor," he said quickly, his nervousness apparent.

Jennifer moved past him and made to comfort the panting woman, who looked as though she were ready to kick something.

"Elizabeth? You've been having contractions?"

"Yes, two already. And my water broke."

Jennifer's forehead creased with concern. Elizabeth looked at her expectantly and John began to pace in front of the bed. "Elizabeth, you're not due until a week from now, but since the contractions are coming in so fast, I..." she looked around. The other two exchanged glances.

John sidled up to the doctor. "Um, hey, so how long until she actually starts to, you know...?"

"Since I didn't break her water for her to induce the labor, she should hopefully deliver within the next eight hours. This is going to be a very taxing time for Elizabeth so she'll need all your support, okay?"

"That's right, John. You helped create this. You're going to experience this with me," the pregnant woman stated with the air of a threat in her voice.

* * *

"Is holding her hand a good idea?" John asked a calm-looking Teyla as she perched herself near Elizabeth's bedside.

"Not if you value it as a significant bodily structure, colonel," she replied evenly.

"She'd crush it," Ronon smirked as John struggled to find a way to make Elizabeth more comfortable.

"After... six... hours... of this... what could be worse?" Elizabeth huffed at her companions. "Teyla? Now may be... a little late to ask... but how did you feel... having your baby?"

"Well, as Rodney was the only one with me at the time, the experience was not pleasant. Without any medical assistance, it felt as though I were pushing a... a grapefruit through a straw. Yes, that is how I would put it."

"Thank you, Teyla," John said, gritting his teeth.

At that moment Elizabeth knew. "Oh God! It's coming!"

The room was suddenly in a commotion and everyone cleared a path for Jennifer to get through.

"Elizabeth, I want you to push! Breathe and push!"

"Oh.. my.. no... I can't!" Elizabeth screamed, sweat rolling down her face, eyes shut.

"Come on! Push!" Jennifer repeated.

"You can do this, Elizabeth, keep breathing," Teyla intoned.

"Hey! What's all the commotion down here? Was there a wraith attack while I was asleep or something?"

Everyone turned to see Rodney walk in, clearly frustrated and still half asleep.

"I'm having my baby... Rodney... if you don't mind," Elizabeth managed between breaths.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no," Rodney jumped back. "Not again. I already went through this with Teyla!"

"Which is why your support would be beneficial," Teyla added quickly. He became very red in the face.

"Fine, but don't make me do any of the baby-catching."

"You know... that's fine... by me," Elizabeth huffed, giving another big push.

Jennifer's eyes widened. "Here comes the head! Keep pushing!"

Elizabeth's wails were enough to wake the rest of the base from its Sunday morning slumber.

"She's so beautiful," Elizabeth gazed fondly at her daughter, who was wrapped in a small pink towel and secured in her arms.

"She looks like her mother," John murmured, kissing Elizabeth's forehead and gazing at the newborn.

"What is her name?" Teyla questioned, mesmerized by the child's vivid green eyes.

"Uh... that's yet to be decided, actually," John mumbled.

The curious looks they received did not go unnoticed.

"Personally, I think it should be something close to her mother's."

"Why do you think that?" Elizabeth looked up at him.

"Because I care for you so deeply," he grinned.

"Oh, how sweet," Rodney rolled his eyes. "Well, congratulations on the new addition to the family and good luck with the names. I've got work to do so just call me when it's all over."

"Not so fast, McKay. You can go once you've suggested a name," John smirked.

"You really want McKay naming your baby?" Ronon asked bluntly.

"Hey! I resent that," Rodney shot back. "You want a name that's similar to Elizabeth's? Fine. How about... Isabel? That's Elizabeth in Spanish." He glanced around and was met with silence.

"Rodney, you amaze me. You speak another language?" John asked incredulously.

"Well, I didn't get where I am today by learning ancient Egyptian, like some people," he retorted, turning on his heel. "Now, I do believe my work here is done."

The salt-tinged air and rhythmic pulse of the ocean's waves felt from the balcony served to calm Elizabeth's nerves. Tomorrow was the day. One she hadn't planned on in a long while.

"If it helps, I'm a little nervous too," John's voice came from behind and she turned to find five-month-old Isabel in his arms.

"Yeah... But I have this little feeling that we're going to get through it," she smiled and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"So, ready to get married?" he smiled back.

"Bring it on."

FIN

Thanks for reading. Please review if you have time. :)