CHAPTER ONE – WHICH BEACH?

His eyes cracked open. Salt tinged his lips and his skin and he felt the heat of the sun scorch his face. Shut his eyes again to keep out the painful light. Opened his mind to try and recall where the hell he was. No clues. Nothing. Nada.

Groaning now, he rolled over and was rewarded with a faceful of sand. Hot sand, and promptly spat it out. Experimentally he pushed his hands against the sand, attempting to push his body upright, the hot sun now at his back and not burning relentlessly on his face. A small amount of success and he was at least on all fours now, the dizziness that had pushed him down to the sand, threatening to overwhelm him again.

Crap Sheppard... just what the hell have you gotten yourself into this time...?

It took a good ten minutes, at least by his somewhat ineffectual calculations, to get to a standing position and it was not fully upright. He had to bend slightly, resting his hands on his knees and keep his head slightly lowered. The feel on the sun on his face, against his head was pounding and relentless and he wanted nothing more right now than to throw up, hell – curl up and die.

Think Sheppard... where are you? What is the last thing you remember...?

Can one's brain hurt? John didn't actually think so, although it seemed to be the case right now. He struggled to recall the last lucid moment he had had. And groaned again. It hovered, just on the edge of his conciousness and he used every bit of mental strength he had to bring it forward into the light.

The stargate... I stepped through the stargate. With Ronon and Teyla. Rodney? Yes, Rodney too. Routine mission... energy spikes found on P8T198, Rodney wanted to check it out. We stepped through the stargate... damn... what happened after we stepped through the stargate...?

He took some experimentally deep breaths, pushing down the nausea and the dizziness and was now able to fully stand and take some account of his surroundings and any injuries he might be harbouring.

I stepped through the stargate with my team...so where are they? Why am I the only one here? And this is not the planet we stepped through to. This is not P8T198. It was cold... wide open plains, rocky, and cold... so cold. What the hell?

He was standing on a beach, white sand shifting off into the distance, unbroken by buildings, humans, or anything as far as he could tell. Just white sand. The beach looked like any other beach found on earth, eerily so and if he shut his eyes he could imagine that he was on a deserted island, surfboard tucked comfortably under his arm and with the smell of the salty sea air, could visualise the rolling blue breakers that launched themselves smoothly toward shore, waiting for him to ride out and tame them. Palm trees waving in the island breeze, hot sun burning down, coconut oil and smooth skin...

I can't be back on earth. I stepped through the damn stargate. This must be a dream.. that's it! I'm dreaming... I got bored waiting for Rodney to do his thing, went back to the gate and took a nap... and now here I am. Got sick of the damn cold on that planet, so conjured up something much more pleasant... except... why do I feel like crap? Like I just got the crap beat out of me? What the hell is going on?

"Do you need assistance.? Do you want me to get you to a hospital?" The voice came from off to his left, where the white sand was broken only by the line of palm trees. He turned his head sharply and cursed softly. Not a good idea. He had been in the sun for too long, and this perhaps explained the dizziness and feeling of general nausea.

"Who are you and where the hell am I?" Tact was not always a factor present in Colonel John Sheppard, particularly when offworld on alien planets. He tended to forget that while those that knew him well, were perhaps a little more... lenient towards his somewhat irreverent attitude to things, people that did not know him were a little taken back and sometimes upset when spoken to as though they were immediately assumed to be the enemy. Which, in most cases with Colonel John Sheppard, they were.

"Perhaps if you were a little more polite I would be more inclined to give you an immediate answer. Your attitude and your manners certainly leave little to be desired. I did not mean to startle you, simply wished to find out whether you needed assistance. If you don't require my help, just say so, and I will leave."

Damn, she sounds like some prissy school marm type. Can't you keep your mouth shut Sheppard, if you've got nothing good to say? Gets you in trouble every time, that mouth of yours. Play nice with the lady, and maybe she'll tell you what you want to know and help you get out of here!

"Please, I'm sorry if I seemed rude. I have no idea where I am at the moment. I came through the gate with my team, and the planet we dialled into was certainly not this one. It was cold, and lots of rocks... lots of rocks. Nothing like this. I don't know how I got from there to here." He found himself moving towards where he had heard her voice, waiting until she spoke again. When she did, her voice was surprised and more than just a little curious.

"You speak differently. Are you of sound mind? You speak of gates and planets as though you are delusional. I will take you to the hospital. They will be able to assist you." He heard also, a little fear in her voice and confusion began to spread in his own mind.

"Please, can you tell me where I am. Perhaps I have had some sort of accident and am suffering from memory loss. I just need to know where I am..." Something wasn't right here... she sounded genuinely confused as to the way he was speaking, and while that in itself was not altogether unusual with some of the different cultures they had come in contact with here in the Pegasus galaxy, this one seemed different, not different alien, but more like his own world. And something dark and a little wrong crept up his spine.

"I'm on earth, aren't I. There is no stargate here, is there? And you no doubt think I have lost my mind... damn, and I'm not surprised. I might just have done..." John ran a hand somewhat roughly through his dark spikey hair, causing it to stand up in disarray, then ran his hand down his cheeks feeling the rough stubble that grew there. Glancing down at his clothes, he saw that he was indeed in the base BDU's he had left with earlier that day, and was still outfitted in the tactical vest. His hand involuntarily reached up to where his weapon, his beloved P90 would normally be secured and he groaned when he found it was no longer there.

"I think perhaps you have a touch of sunstroke. It is very hot today, and it would appear that you have been lying out in it for some time before I discovered you." She stepped out of the bushes now at the same time as he heard a sound that he had not heard for some time. The barking of a small dog and squinting against the bright sunlight, he saw a small white terrier running along the sand and saw also, that it carried a ball, obviously bringing it back to his mistress. The woman who was just stepping out of the bushes and into the sand.

He stared. Hell, he couldn't help it. She was stunning and brought to mind the big screen goddesses of long ago, curvy figure in full swimsuit, no bikini for this woman. Her dark wavy hair was cut shoulder length and curled atractively in long waves, framing a lovely face with high slightly rounded cheekbones above which sat inquisitive blue eyes. Perhaps he did have a touch of sunstroke, because to him she looked like one of those lovely beach girls from the 1960's, when figures were meant to be touched and admired, not stick thin and unattractively bony. He moved towards her, mindful of the small dog who had now reached him and sniffed at his feet, dropping the ball hopefully.

Putting his hand out he attempted a smile, and find that it didn't make his headache any worse. "I'm Colonel John Sheppard, and just for the record, I don't think I'm crazy. Something happened between where I left from this morning and where I've gotten to now. And I need to figure out what that is..."

She took his hand, hers felt soft and tiny in his. He squeezed gently then released it, looking down into those crystalline blue eyes that stared back at him unblinkingly.

"I am Gina – and as to what happened to you? Perhaps if we were to take some shade and get you a cold drink, your head would allow the memories to come back of their own accord. I see by your clothes and your title that you are military, so perhaps you have come from the base on the other island. There is both an airforce and a naval base there. Maybe you have been involved in some sort of manoevers and something went wrong?"

Nail on the head sweetheart. Something went terribly wrong. Naval and airforce base on another island. This place is familiar .. somehow. I know I've been here before, but it is slightly different. If I didn't know better, I would think I was in Hawaii... but perhaps, not today's Hawaii. And this rather stunning woman in front of me? That hairstyle and that figure...not to mention the swimsuit. Certainly not what you'd find on earth today. Aah Rodney. I need you my friend. Seems like I managed to open another portal... one that led back to earth, but back in time. Aaah crap...!