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Title: Other Women Fandom: Stargate Atlantis Pairing: John/Elizabeth UST/friendship; mentions John/others Rating: PG Genre: Introspection Spoilers: Through "The Tower" Word count: 462 Summary: It doesn't bother her anymore. Author's notes: For fanfic100 prompt #23 - Lovers. My prompt table. Elizabeth knew about them, of course. He wasn’t one to boast – not about women, at least – but she would sometimes hear his teammates ribbing him about his conquests. And they were numerous. First had been Chaya, the Ancient woman who had left the planet she was sworn to protect because she wanted to learn more about him. He insisted that he didn’t sleep with her but, when pressed, admitted to some form of intimacy. That had been several months after their arrival in Atlantis. He was by no means the only one in the expedition to give in to temptation in those days. The isolation from Earth had taken its toll. Most people turned to someone within the expedition, though there was one young pilot who had fallen head-over-heels for an Athosian woman. Naturally, John was the only one pursued by an Ancient. The coming of the Wraith and the reestablished contact with Earth distracted everyone from romantic pursuits. It was only when things settled down that John started earning the unofficial title of “Playboy of Atlantis.” He didn’t dally with any of the expedition members, but it seemed that anyone off-world was fair game. There was Neera, the Wraith worshipper who got a little too friendly in the name of gathering information. He swore he didn’t take the bait. Then there was Teer, who had seen him in a vision and “waited” for him. She got what she wanted from him and ascended. Next was Mara, who wanted him to keep her people safe – and to secure her inheritance. John had been more than happy to turn her down (eventually), but Elizabeth suspected he’d only done so because he didn’t like the idea of getting married. And so the list went. A farmer’s daughter, a woman he literally pulled from a burning building, an Amazon-like warrior who wanted to keep him as a pet. Elizabeth knew about them all. She had no claim on him, no right to be jealous. And she wasn't, now. She had long since realized something, something that made jealousy pointless: He always came back. No matter what happened off-world, he would be there, smiling at her, bringing her coffee, making amusing comments only she could hear, standing with her on the balcony enjoying the morning. A thousand small things, all of which meant more to her than who he slept with. Those women only had him for a single night. She had his days, and his friendship. There were those who would say she had the worse end of the bargain, but she knew better. Maybe one day he would grow up and stop fooling around, but she wasn’t holding her breath. If it happened, wonderful; if not, well, she was content with what she had.