"Then he opened fire."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "And did he actually…?"
"No, no. The rabbit got away, much to Ronon's fury," Sheppard said. "I think he spooked it just about as bad as it spooked him."
She laughed, and he smiled back. "Well, I'm glad you seem to have some amount of influence on him. He doesn't seem so… untamed in your presence."
He shrugged. "You just gotta talk to him like a normal guy. He is a normal guy, he just happens to also be able to kill people with his pinky."
She smiled, but it didn't last long. He noticed immediately when it began to fade. "Ronon's jangled nerves aside, I actually need to talk to you about something."
Sheppard straightened up in his chair. "I'm all ears."
She pressed her lips together, feeling a sense of embarrassment and guilt for what she had to do. "Colonel Caldwell told me he informed you about Lieutenant Cooper's impending promotion."
He nodded. "Yeah, good for her. Don't get a lot of navy recruits around here. A commander will have a little more knowledge on heading a ship, even if it is in space."
Elizabeth gave a hesitant nod. "Yes, well… don't go telling her about the promotion just yet."
His brow furrowed. "Why? Planning a surprise party?"
"No…. We're just… holding off for now."
Now he was really confused. "Why? I thought she was ready. That whole thing with keeping Atlantis together when-"
"We are fully aware of her skills and achievements," she said quickly. "However, she has been a bit emotionally compromised lately and-"
"Emotionally compromised? What, because practically dying shouldn't have traumatized her? She's functioning way better than most people would be."
"But the fact remains that she's not functioning well enough," Elizabeth insisted gently. "She's prone to panic attacks now, we can't have that happen if she is in control of a vessel."
"She's fine," Sheppard said. Cooper deserved a promotion more than almost anyone he knew. He wasn't gonna let a few jitters ruin everything for her.
But then he looked more carefully at Elizabeth and he knew there was something she wasn't saying. "This is about the chamber thing, isn't it?" he asked. Before she could answer, he shook his head. "You think there's something wrong with her, don't you?"
"No, I-"
"Trust me, I've been around her enough to know there's nothing different. A little more freaked out than usual, maybe, but that's normal. She's not compromised."
Elizabeth straightened her posture, looking Sheppard in the eye. "Regardless, it is not your decision to make. I'm seeing a potential problem and I'm avoiding it. I was not asking your permission, I was informing you so you wouldn't get Lieutenant Cooper's hopes up."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. From his perspective - which saw a lot more of Cooper than Elizabeth did - Cooper was completely ready to take the title of lieutenant commander. And he thought Atlantis' leader was being unfair by not taking his word into account. But she outranked him, and there was nothing he could do. "Fine," he said with irritation. "I won't say anything. We have a mission tomorrow. You can see how reliable Cooper is then." He got out of his chair and left the office, not looking back.
Elizabeth sighed, watching him go. She wondered how long this secret would torture her. There was no way she could reasonably promote Cooper, possessed as she was. Regardless of Ayallah swearing her peaceful intent, Elizabeth couldn't take chances. She was already taking a huge risk by keeping the secret in the first place. She wished desperately she could tell John, but she was afraid that, when she did, he might see Cooper as compromised, too. And she knew from experience that when the colonel sidelined a team member, it could hurt them worse than she ever could. For now, she just had to let things play out and hope for the best.
. . .
There was a heavy thud as Cooper was pinned to the floor, her arm twisted painfully behind her back. "Ah, uncle, uncle!" she cried.
Ronon let go, stepping back. "Uncle?"
She rolled over, regaining her breath. "It's an Earth thing. It kind of means 'I surrender.'"
He reached down and pulled her up, still looking confused. "You should never surrender."
She laughed. "I do if it gets you to not break my arm."
He rolled his shoulders. "Alright. Wanna go again? I guarantee you won't make me say uncle."
She shook her head. "I don't doubt that, you walking sack of muscle and rage. But sure, I'll go again."
He grinned. He felt that was an apt description and might ask her to repeat it later so he could use it for introductions. He allowed her to go first, seeing as he'd beaten her last time, and he was pleased to see her execute a move he'd taught her. He was less pleased that it worked. Her knee came up into his forehead as he ducked, and when he tried to flip her with an arm under her bent knee, she threw her arms out and flipped back to her feet.
"You're learning."
"I pay attention."
And he agreed with that sentiment. Since she decided she was brave enough to spar with Ronon, she had picked up the odd move here and there. And he admired her attitude, though he thought maybe she chose to submit too soon sometimes. Ever since he'd met her, he'd seen that she refused to push past her limits. Lucky for her, pushing limits was Ronon's specialty.
"Okay, you win!" she called. He had her suspended over the mat, both arms in his grip and twisted painfully.
"I haven't won yet, you haven't hit the floor," he told her.
"I'm about to!"
"Not if you get out of my grip."
"Yeah, and how do you suggest I do that?"
"You figure it out."
She stared at the floor, finding that it was very hard to breath in this position. He'd probably wait all day for her to make a move. She couldn't break his hold like this, but she could throw him off balance. It would hurt for both of them, but no pain, no gain. She lifted her feet off the floor, forcing Ronon to take on all her weight. Normally, he would be able to do that with ease, but in his current position, it caused him to tip over. They both hit the floor, and that's when his grip broke. She rolled away, regaining her feet and assuming a fighting position.
"See?" he said, getting up. "You give up too soon." He grabbed a few poles from the rack and threw one at her. She wasn't so good at these, but she caught it and prepared for battle.
A battle which didn't last very long. She wasn't exactly winning when, one wrong move and an uppercut later, she was flat on her back with a bleeding head wound.
"Sorry," Ronon said.
"It's fine," she said tightly, a hand clamped to her forehead.
"Maybe you should have cried uncle."
She couldn't tell if he was making fun of her or offering genuine advice. Probably the former. She got unsteadily to her feet, stumbling a bit on her way to the door. "Do you need me to help you?" he asked.
"No, I'm fine," she said, waving him off as he left the room.
Ronon felt a little embarrassed. Yes, he liked pushing limits. But the lieutenant wasn't nearly as strong as he was and maybe he could have gone a little easier.
Sheppard caught up with Cooper as she was making her way to the infirmary. He noticed the blood and pale complexion straight away. "Cooper! You okay?" he asked, jogging up to her.
"Seeing stars, sir."
"Ronon get you?"
She nodded and allowed him to pry her hand away from her head. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Yeah, got you pretty good. How about I make sure you get to the infirmary?"
"That's very kind of you, sir."
He put a hand on her shoulder and began walking with her, hoping she wouldn't pass out or anything along the way. She seemed alright, however, aside from the bloody wound. "You've been… alright, haven't you?"
"Aside from the odd bumps and bruises, sir, I've been fine."
"I mean, I know you're fine, but since the whole chamber escapade people have been a little…." He paused, wondering how best to word it. "Confused."
She looked at him. "Confused? Are people talking about me, sir? What do they say?"
He shook his head. "No, no, nothing bad. All good things, all good things."
She didn't look convinced.
"Really, no, it's just…. Well, you were kind of half dead, Cooper. And then you were fine. And then the Wraith wanting the site for themselves, it looks a little…. I mean, put yourself in their shoes, they're-"
"How about walking in my shoes, sir," she said, stopping so she could look at him. "I didn't ask for this, I don't know what's going on. I'm just as scared as the rest of them."
That was not a comforting reply. But he'd bothered her enough, so he thought it might be tactful to drop the subject.
They arrived at the infirmary in silence, where Carson immediately made a noise of disapproval. "Lieutenant, there is no 'Frequent Patient' card for me to stamp. You don't get a prize for being here all the time."
She forced a grin. "Can't blame a girl for trying."
"Actually, I can." He turned to Sheppard. "You need to keep a better eye on her, I'm only human."
"I can't make any promises," he said, handing her off to the doctor.