My Lover

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

For two days, all Rosalie did was study the artifacts her team had found in the Ancient outpost and it is fair to say that if she sees another artifact in front of her, she is going to scream. She needs to clear her head. Maybe if she does, she'll be able to see what has been slipping through her fingers.

Rosalie had ran into Ronon the night before and had asked him if he was up to spar with her the next morning. When Ronon agreed, and as she walked to her quarters, she started worrying that that might've been a bad idea.

After all, Ronon is a skilled fighter who still fights on a more or less regular basis, while the last time Rosalie actually fought was on the day she had ended up saving him along with the rest of Sheppard's team. The day that changed her whole life.

Punching the bag in the gym, Rosalie still wonders if this is a good idea. She knows she can ask Ronon to go easy on her, but after everything she has been through, it feels as if she is selling herself short, not to mention she is sure Ronon will never fully respect her if she does.

The doors of the gym open and Rosalie stops hitting the bag, looking over her shoulder expecting to see Ronon walk in. Instead, Sheppard's there and looks just as surprised to see her as she him.

-"Hey Doc. What's up?" - He smiles at her, getting a smile in return.

-"Hey Sheppard. Not much. Just waiting for Ronon so we can spar. You know you can call me Rosie, right? I mean, I did save your ass, so..."

-"Sorry, force of habit. I'm never living that down, am I?"

-"Nope." - Rosalie gives him a wicked smirk, and he knows that no matter how much time passes, she will always tease him about it.

-"Well, wanna spar with me while you wait?"

-"Sure, I could use the warm up."

Rosalie hears Sheppard laugh at the little jab. Sure, he's no Ronon, but she has seen him fight, and she knows he can give her a run for her money. Maybe sparring with Sheppard will be a good thing, a good way for her to get back into the swing of things.

They take their places across from each other, on opposite sides of the mat. Sheppard attacks first, trying to grab her legs and throw her on the mat, but Rosalie easily dodges his attack and counters with a quick kick to the back of his legs, making him kneel in front of her.

Sheppard recovers quickly and throws a punch straight to her face, but again, Rosalie is faster and blocks it, before punching his ribs twice in a row, making him stumble back gasping for air. Rosalie doesn't give him time to recover, though, launching herself at him to tackle him, but he's quicker than she expected and steps aside, leaving her grabbing the air where he used to be standing.

Rosalie has to admit, it feels good to be fighting again. To get her strength back. She doesn't miss having to fight for her life, but this, well, this she can do. Sparring with Sheppard is almost as muscle memory, she can block and attack him with the same easiness that she used to have while on the run.

It only took a second of distraction for her to suddenly be pinned down under Sheppard. Looking up at Sheppard, she is about to make a smart ass comment when the doors open and in comes Ronon.

When he sees them, he has a smirk on his lips and asks if he's interrupting something. Rosalie can't wait to wipe that smirk off his face, but when she looks at Sheppard, she sees him confused. Wanting to take advantage of that, she quickly flips him over and pins him under her, hearing a "humpft" coming from him as he hit the mat.

-"Never let your guard down, Colonel." - She teases, before standing up and walking back to her bag to grab her water bottle, leaving a confused and defeated Sheppard laying on the floor.

Ronon's laugh fills the small gym as he reaches a hand to Sheppard to help him up from the floor. Rosalie hears Sheppard's chuckle joining Ronon's laugh before telling her that next time he'll get her, before grabbing his things and leaving.

-"You okay?" - Ronon asks her, still chuckling at the look of defeat on Sheppard's face.

-"Fine."

-"Did you have to go that hard on him?"

-"Hey, it was his idea. To be honest, I thought I was gonna have a harder time keeping up with him than I actually did. Not my fault if I ended up kicking his ass. Although, I do have to thank you for the distraction." - Rosalie smiles, proud of herself.

-"You're welcome."

-"You ready?"

-"You want me to go easy on you?"

-"Did you hear those words coming out of my mouth?" - Rosalie sees the Satedan shake his head, smiling. -"That's what I thought."

Rosalie watches Ronon take his place across from her on the mat, shaking his head and laughing. She has to admit, the Satedan might be an intimidating man, but she can see that there's a kindness to him that she's sure he doesn't allow many people to see.

Their tentative friendship only became what it is now thanks to both Sheppard and Evan. After they both talked to him, Ronon stopped constantly watching her every move. It was clear to her back then that he didn't trust her, even if she saved his life.

But after that conversation with Sheppard and Evan, Ronon seemed to relax a bit around her, even if he still doesn't completely trusts her. When she asked him to spar, she was sure he was going to say no, and was happily surprised when he agreed. The invite to spar was her "olive branch" and it seems that he might be finally ready to accept it.