“What do you mean, you can’t make a decision right now? I thought you were ready!”
Laura shrugged, keeping her focus on her canvas. It was Paint and Sip night on the West Pier with the girls, something she looked forward to every month. And while the camaraderie was the big part of it, she also liked seeing how well she could do with the painting project.
“Did something happen?” Amelia asked. She liked to use big, broad strokes on her canvases, which usually ended up looking very abstract.
“Mercury is in retrograde,” Laura explained.
She felt four pairs of eyes on her and looked up. “What?”
“I do not know what that means,” Teyla said.
Miko jumped into explain. “It’s an astrology thing. Mercury is one of our planets in the Milky Way galaxy, and it goes into retrograde three times a year.”
Amelia snorted. “You do realize we’re in another galaxy, Cadman. Mercury hardly applies.”
Teyla still looked confused. “The movement of a planet dictates whether or not you can accept a date with Dr. Beckett?”
“It’s a very mystical thing,” Laura replied. “And making big life decisions during Mercury’s retrograde could be disastrous. I really like Carson. I don’t want to tank it with him.”
“Anyone need a top off?” Lorne asked, holding up the bottle of ruus wine. He was the one who coordinated the monthly Paint and Sip parties, since he had a love of art that he enjoyed sharing.
Laura downed the rest of the wine in her glass in one go and held it out for a refill. “Don’t be stingy, sir.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Lorne replied with a grin.
It was never a hardship to appreciate those dimples, and Laura was glad the man was gay because otherwise she might have gotten herself in trouble making a play for her CO.
“Unsolicited advice,” Lorne said as he poured. “You both like each other, you’ve been moving in that direction for a while…is it really a decision you’re making now? Or are you second-guessing a decision you already made?”
“Oooh,” Miko said appreciatively. “He’s got you there, Laura.”
“Major Evan Lorne. Artist. Wine peddler. Advisor to the lovelorn,” Amelia said, laughing.
Teyla declined a refill on her wine. “I believe you and Dr. Beckett are a good match. You should follow your heart, and not planetary rotations.”
It sounded so logical when Teyla said it. Laura sighed and jabbed her paint brush at her canvas. Maybe she was second-guessing. Carson was so intellectual, in addition to ridiculously handsome. And that accent! He ticked a lot of boxes for Laura, but she had to admit she was a tiny bit intimidated.
“You don’t have to make a lifetime commitment, you know,” Amelia said. “It’s just a date.”
“He’s nice.” Miko squinted at her canvas. She was using the smallest possible brush for a variation on pointillism. “If you decide it’s not going to work, he won’t harass you about it.”
Amelia nodded. “We’d kick his ass otherwise.”
“Female power!” Teyla declared, holding her wine glass aloft.
“Female power!” the rest of them echoed, laughing.
“And you’re all cut off from the wine.” Lorne shook his head, grinning.
“Okay,” Laura said. “Screw Mercury. I’m doing it!”
Fill: Laura + Amelia + Teyla + Miko + Evan
Laura shrugged, keeping her focus on her canvas. It was Paint and Sip night on the West Pier with the girls, something she looked forward to every month. And while the camaraderie was the big part of it, she also liked seeing how well she could do with the painting project.
“Did something happen?” Amelia asked. She liked to use big, broad strokes on her canvases, which usually ended up looking very abstract.
“Mercury is in retrograde,” Laura explained.
She felt four pairs of eyes on her and looked up. “What?”
“I do not know what that means,” Teyla said.
Miko jumped into explain. “It’s an astrology thing. Mercury is one of our planets in the Milky Way galaxy, and it goes into retrograde three times a year.”
Amelia snorted. “You do realize we’re in another galaxy, Cadman. Mercury hardly applies.”
Teyla still looked confused. “The movement of a planet dictates whether or not you can accept a date with Dr. Beckett?”
“It’s a very mystical thing,” Laura replied. “And making big life decisions during Mercury’s retrograde could be disastrous. I really like Carson. I don’t want to tank it with him.”
“Anyone need a top off?” Lorne asked, holding up the bottle of ruus wine. He was the one who coordinated the monthly Paint and Sip parties, since he had a love of art that he enjoyed sharing.
Laura downed the rest of the wine in her glass in one go and held it out for a refill. “Don’t be stingy, sir.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Lorne replied with a grin.
It was never a hardship to appreciate those dimples, and Laura was glad the man was gay because otherwise she might have gotten herself in trouble making a play for her CO.
“Unsolicited advice,” Lorne said as he poured. “You both like each other, you’ve been moving in that direction for a while…is it really a decision you’re making now? Or are you second-guessing a decision you already made?”
“Oooh,” Miko said appreciatively. “He’s got you there, Laura.”
“Major Evan Lorne. Artist. Wine peddler. Advisor to the lovelorn,” Amelia said, laughing.
Teyla declined a refill on her wine. “I believe you and Dr. Beckett are a good match. You should follow your heart, and not planetary rotations.”
It sounded so logical when Teyla said it. Laura sighed and jabbed her paint brush at her canvas. Maybe she was second-guessing. Carson was so intellectual, in addition to ridiculously handsome. And that accent! He ticked a lot of boxes for Laura, but she had to admit she was a tiny bit intimidated.
“You don’t have to make a lifetime commitment, you know,” Amelia said. “It’s just a date.”
“He’s nice.” Miko squinted at her canvas. She was using the smallest possible brush for a variation on pointillism. “If you decide it’s not going to work, he won’t harass you about it.”
Amelia nodded. “We’d kick his ass otherwise.”
“Female power!” Teyla declared, holding her wine glass aloft.
“Female power!” the rest of them echoed, laughing.
“And you’re all cut off from the wine.” Lorne shook his head, grinning.
“Okay,” Laura said. “Screw Mercury. I’m doing it!”
“I’ll drink to that,” Miko said.