DISCLAIMER: Stargate Atlantis and its characters are the property of MGM, Showtime, Gekko etc. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: 'Duet'.

The Hottest Places in Hell
By Geonn

 

The temperature had been steadily rising for the past eight days. McKay and Zelenka had been monitoring the weather and had assured everyone it was nothing more sinister than the advent of summer. Still, it would be nice if it was something they could point a team of scientists at and say "Stop this." She'd been in Africa during the hottest day of the year and had survived countless Florida summer vacations. She wasn't sure if this was worse or if the past experience had just been dulled in memory. Either way, she was on fire.

She had left her office early, taking her laptop to her quarters. Alone, she had stripped down to her gray tank top, opened the balcony door and poured herself a tall glass of lemonade. It barely helped take the edge off. She finished going over Sheppard's latest report and pushed away from the desk. If she didn't get some relief, she was going to melt into a puddle right then and there. She stripped out of her clothes and went to the bathroom.

Ostensibly, she had chosen these quarters because of their proximity to the control room. While true, her ulterior motive had come into play when she saw the bathroom. The gorgeous, fully-equipped bathroom with a tub wide enough for two people. Not that she'd ever had a guest; she was far too stingy for that. She loved filling the tub as high as it could go without spilling when she got in and spend twenty or thirty minutes just soaking. It was as close as she got to a hobby on this job and she relished it.

She turned on the small portable CD player next to the tub and classical violin music began to fill the room. She had stripped down to her panties, the tub half-full, when the door chime sounded. "Damn," she said. She pulled on a robe as she crossed the main room. "Who is it?"

"Lieutenant Cadman."

Elizabeth opened the door and forced a smile. "Lieutenant. What can I do for you?"

Laura was wearing her uniform, but the shirt underneath had a distinct ring of sweat around it. Her hair looked lank, her skin flushed and sweaty. She looked down at Elizabeth's robe and said, "Oh. Chuck told me you were working from your quarters, so I... I should go."

"No," Elizabeth said. "What did you need?"

Laura stepped into the room and let the door close behind her. "I just wanted to double-check some of these maintenance schedules." She turned her head towards the bathroom door and said, "Is that...?"

"The bath. Just a second." She hurried to the bathroom and turned off the faucet. When she turned around, Laura was standing in the doorway staring at the half-filled tub with undisguised lust.

She swallowed and realized Elizabeth was looking at her. "I... this is... I just have a cramped little shower stall that I can barely turn around in." She smirked and said, "The perks of being the expedition leader, huh?"

And just like that, Elizabeth felt ashamed. She wasn't alone in the heat, she wasn't the only one suffering. But as far as she knew, she was the only one with a tub like this. She was the only one who could actually use a bubble bath to find a bit of relief. She said, "Lieutenant, you obviously need the relief. Why don't you take this bath and I'll look over your schedules."

"Oh, I couldn't impose."

"I insist. The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who don't share their vices."

Laura laughed and looked longingly at the high crest of bubbles waiting in the tub. "I'm still on duty..."

"I'll write you a note," Elizabeth said. "Please. Enjoy it."

Laura finally relented and said, "Well. If you insist..."

She started to undress before Elizabeth had even left the room, a sure sign of how desperate she'd been for relief. Elizabeth picked up the computer pad Laura had been carrying and scanned the schedules. She made a few marks, shifted one of Zelenka's men who she knew hadn't had a day off in a while and signed the bottom of the file. "This looks efficient," Elizabeth called.

"I've always been a fan of efficiency," Laura called from the bathroom. After a moment, she said, "Dr. Weir?"

"Yes?" Elizabeth said, walking to the bathroom door to hear her better.

"Is there a hand cloth or something? I want to get some of this dried sweat off of me, if..."

"Oh, yes," Elizabeth said. She stepped into the room and knelt beside the tub. She pulled a cloth and a loofah from within and handed them to Laura. It was only then that she realized Laura was naked, her breasts barely covered by a film of bubbles. She'd put her hair up, the ends dark from where she'd let it touch the water. Elizabeth handed over the sponge and washcloth and smiled. "That should do."

"Thank you," Laura said, her fingers brushing Elizabeth's. When Elizabeth stood, Laura said, "Wait, before you go... I feel like I forced you out of your bath. You look miserable. No offense."

"None taken," Elizabeth smiled.

Laura gestured. "The bath is big enough for two without it being weird. Right?"

Elizabeth wanted to argue, but the chance to finally get her bath was too much to turn away. "Yes," she said. "I think so. Close your eyes." Laura did her one better, bringing both hands up to cover her eyes. Elizabeth shed the robe, slid her panties down her legs and stepped into the tub. She sank down, stifling a groan as the cold water wrapped around her calves. She slid her feet down, inadvertently starting to slip between Laura's legs. "Oops." She moved her feet to one side and sat down, scooping up a handful of bubbles and making sure her breasts were covered. "Okay. Decent again."

Laura opened her eyes and smiled. "Not so bad, is it?"

"No," Elizabeth said. She smiled and said, "Do you do this often?"

"What? Take a bath with my commanding officer? No, not exactly."

Elizabeth smiled. "I meant more the... take baths with other women."

Laura hesitated. "Off the record?"

"Of course."

Laura shifted under the water and Elizabeth's eyes were drawn to the way the bubbles moved across her chest. She bit her bottom lip and forced herself to focus on what Laura was saying. "There were times in college when I felt an urge. When I would look at my boyfriend's sister and think, 'Hm.' But that was as far as it went until I came to Atlantis."

"What changed?"

"When I was in Rodney's body. I was walking around Atlantis, day in and day out, having all these... physical reactions to women."

It was Elizabeth's turn to squirm.

"I thought it would stop when I got my own body back, but it hasn't."

"You're still having these... physical reactions?"

"Not exactly the same," Laura said. "But similar. It's... like a phantom limb."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Oh."

Laura winced. "Too much information?"

"No," Elizabeth said. She smiled nervously and said, "Good analogy, though."

"Sorry."

"But you're okay with this?"

Laura arched an eyebrow. "I'm fine with this."

Elizabeth's smile relaxed and she sank lower. She felt her thigh slide along Laura's calf and shivered involuntarily. Laura shifted and pressed her leg firmly against Elizabeth's. Their eyes met and Elizabeth smiled. "So?" Laura said. "I answered your question... how about you? Are you often naked in the company of women?"

"Still off the record?"

"We're sitting in a bubble bath together, Doctor," Laura said. "There is nothing on-the-record about this."

Elizabeth smiled and shifted again. Her thigh brushed Laura's knee and she didn't pull it back. "There was a woman I was... close to. I wouldn't call it love, but we found comfort in one another."

"You mean sex," Laura said.

Elizabeth smirked, but didn't confirm or deny.

"Well? Who was it?"

"I can't say."

Laura's eyes brightened. "Someone I would know, then. Teyla?"

"It's no one on Atlantis."

"Colonel Carter?" The brief look of shock on Elizabeth's face was enough "Seriously? God, you have to tell me everything."

"Ah-ah," Elizabeth said. "We're doing a question apiece, right? It's my turn. When you were in Rodney's body, did you...?"

"Explore?"

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow.

Laura leaned against the curve of the tub, stretching her arms out to rest on the edge. Elizabeth wondered if she had any idea what the pose did for her breasts and decided not to say anything for fear she would move. "He... um, I... we were about to fall asleep the first night when his mind started to focus on Katie Brown. And... well, before you know it... physical reaction."

"And you took advantage of it?"

"Hey, he was in charge at the moment. I was just along for the ride."

Elizabeth slid lower, letting her head rest on the edge of the tub. "Mm. I can't imagine experiencing sex as a man..."

"Well, if my experience is anything to go by? We get the better side of it."

Elizabeth grinned.

"Okay, my turn. You and Colonel Carter..."

Elizabeth sighed and smiled. "We were drunk. It was a 'getting to know you' sort of thing at her house and I... was really forward."

"What did you do?"

"I pressed my foot between her legs while she was giving me a foot rub."

Laura's leg slid over Elizabeth's and her foot settled between Elizabeth's thighs. Elizabeth looked into Laura's eyes and put her hands under the water. She held the foot between both hands and rubbed the heel against her. "Like this," she said.

"I see," Laura said. Her voice was low, her skin flushed.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and moved her hips against Laura's foot. "Fuck," she breathed. "I can't believe I'm doing this again..."

Laura pulled her foot back and Elizabeth opened her eyes in protest. She watched as Laura shifted and rose onto her knees. The bubbles fell away, cascading down her breasts as if they were appearing through the clouds. Laura's body was outstanding; fit and toned in the way one would expect from a Marine. Her stomach was flat and taut, the muscles in her arms flexing as she used the edge of the tub to lower herself onto Elizabeth's lap. Elizabeth closed her eyes as Laura's lips touched hers.

Laura settled on Elizabeth's lap and their kiss deepened, evolving from a tentative to a powerful exploration of each other. Elizabeth pushed her hands up Laura's belly, cupped her breasts and felt the hard nipples against her palm. She squeezed and moaned in concert with Laura, both of them squirming in the sea of bubbles.

Laura slid forward, her knees rising underneath Elizabeth's arms. Elizabeth pulled back from Laura's mouth with a gasp and looked into her eyes. "What are we doing?"

"Fucking," Laura said. Her hair was in her eyes, her lips parted as she panted. She looked down at Elizabeth's chest and said, "Should we stop?"

"Probably," Elizabeth said, taking Laura's mouth again. When they came apart again, Elizabeth groaned, "Oh, God."

"There are hot places in hell for this, too..."

Elizabeth whimpered and kissed Laura's throat. She slid her tongue along the throbbing pulse and nipped at the warm skin. Laura's weight felt so good on top of her, Laura's lips soft against her temple. Elizabeth traced circles around Laura's hard nipples, pinching them and rolling them between her thumb and forefinger.

Laura leaned back and Elizabeth took the chance to really look at her, to see her body in all its glory. She bit her bottom lip as she made bubble-bath trails across Laura's naked chest. The soapy water trailed down the pale skin, gathering around her nipples to turn them into snow-capped peaks. Laura's belly button was of interest, a tight little dimple surrounded by light skin. Elizabeth wanted it in her mouth, wanted to lave that dimple with her tongue.

First things first, though. She shifted her hips and brought one leg up, pressing it against Laura's center. Laura gasped and lowered her chin to her chest, her eyes finding Elizabeth's through her bangs. Laura put her hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and slid forward, sliding along Elizabeth's wet thigh. Her breath caught in her throat and her legs tightened around Elizabeth's. Elizabeth put her hands on Laura's ass, squeezed tight and pulled the Marine closer.

"Oh, God," Laura breathed. She moved her hands to Elizabeth's breasts and squeezed. She rocked her hips, the water sloshing around them as she thrust forward. When Laura finally slowed and collapsed against her, Elizabeth stroked Laura's hair and kissed the curve of her shoulder. Laura kissed her way back to Elizabeth's lips, following the line of her neck, then the sharp line of her jaw before capturing her mouth in a slow, meandering kiss.

When they parted, Laura pulled back and looked into Elizabeth's eyes. "We shouldn't have done that."

Elizabeth smiled sadly. "Sam said the same thing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And we ended up being... very unpleasant to one another for a long time. We didn't make amends until it was almost too late." She slid her hands down Laura's naked back, memorizing the way her muscles felt, the softness as Laura's skin slid against her fingertips. "We wasted a lot of time."

Laura's breath was speeding up, her lower lip trembling until she caught it with her teeth.

"So we could call this a one-time thing. Go our separate ways, act awkwardly around one another until we can't take it anymore and end up doing it again anyway."

"Or?" Laura said.

Elizabeth smiled and pushed Laura back. As she wrapped her legs around Laura's waist under the water, Elizabeth trailed her fingers across Laura's lips and said, "We could cut out the middle man."

"It does... sound more, ugh, efficient," Laura admitted, and then groaned as Elizabeth ground against her.

Elizabeth bit the tip of her tongue and bent down. She spoke against Laura's mouth and said, "I've always been a fan of efficient..."

Laura laughed as she was pushed deeper into the bubbles.

The End

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