xfirefly9x

Title: Other Side Of The Universe
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Elizabeth/Chuck
Prompt: #004 Insomnia
Word Count: 409
Rating: G
Summary: Sleep is a world on the other side of the universe.
Notes: Written for

2x5obsessions. June 29.

Sleep is a world on the other side of the universe. Unreachable doesn’t begin to describe it. It’s a fairy tale she heard in her childhood that’s losing its meaning more and more with each passing day. It’s the shadow of a thought gone before it has fully developed.

She lets out a sigh and sits up in bed. Might as well use the time to do something productive, she decides. Socked feet hit the floor. She moves through the darkened room, collecting clothes suitable for venturing out into the city and slips them on. Moments later, torchlight tunnels through the hall, guiding her to her destination. She arrives in record time and without a thought, flips on her laptop.

Her arms curl around her middle as she waits for it to load. Sucking her lower lip into her mouth, she stares off into the distance.

“Dr Weir?” The voice is quiet and filled with uncertainty.

Glancing around, she casts her gaze towards her office door. Shrouded in shadow, Chuck watches her with dark eyes. “Hey. Hi. I saw you come in. Are you okay?”

“Oh, Chuck,” she says. “What are you doing up so late?”

“Late shift,” he says quickly. “You know how it is.”

“Right. Of course.” The screen of her laptop brightens and requests a password. “I should warn you, we may be seeing a lot of each other in future.”

“Oh?”

“Trouble sleeping,” she admits. “I find it helps to work in such cases.”

“Tire yourself out,” Chuck says with a nod.

“Exactly.”

There’s a beeping sound from her laptop. Offering Chuck a small smile, she reaches across and types in her password. That done, she leans back in her chair and clasps her hands together. She breathes in deeply and then exhales. “How are you at Solitaire?”

“Solitaire? I love that game.”

Colour floods the screen; a photo of Sedge curled up in a basket appears. Desktop icons follow shortly after. She directs the mouse to the one for Solitaire and clicks it open. “Is everything running smoothly with the city?”

“It is, yes,” Chuck confirms.

“Well you’ve very welcome to join me if you’d like to take a break. I could use a bit of competition.” She smiles and her eyes glint playfully. “If anything comes up we’ll both be here to get it sorted.”

Lips curling into a grin, Chuck walks over and pulls a chair up next to hers. “You’re on.”