Title: The Dignitary and the Airman

Rating: PG

Summary: Pre-Atlantis. Dr. Weir is taken hostage in the Middle East and on the rescue mission, a certain pilot comes along and saves her.

Pairing: John/Elizabeth, Sparky

Author's Note: This came to me while watching the news one night and reflecting on the biography of Jessica Lynch.

Waiting was always the hardest part of these missions. It was unnerving to think of what could be happening to the team. There was one guy left in the helicopter with him, to keep watch. He needed to be reading in case something went wrong.

Their mission was simple. A United Nations dignitary had been captured by Al Qaeda. They had received several messages from her captures and were ready to bring her home. John didn't know how many times he'd watched the videos they had received at the briefing; a hundred, maybe two. He couldn't get the image of the woman with chocolate brown hair and green eyes out of his head.

They said her name was Elizabeth Weir. That she had a doctorate in political science and she taught at Georgetown. John absorbed these facts like a sponge and as the hour reached closer he played them over and over to remember who he was saving.

His thoughts were interrupted when the doors burst open and the rescue team jumped into the helicopter with a limp looking woman. He heard the woman cry out in pain as they placed her on the gurney.

"Get us out of here Major," one of the men commanded as he turned his attention to the woman.

John followed the order and the helicopter flew took off.

He watched her sleep. It had been three days since her rescue. The doctors at the German hospital had bandaged her wounded and reconstructed her knee. The bastards that captured her had shattered it. It was going to take some physical therapy before she went into any negotiations again.

She couldn't retain a conscious state for long. The doctors had given her sedatives and in the moments that she was conscious she didn't know what she wasn't aware of what was happening around her. John was there the last time she woke up. He saw her attempt to move her legs only to met with a hiss. It pained him to see her this way.

"Simon," a rusty voice said. It took a moment for John to realize where it was coming from. He stepped towards her and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb her knee. "Simon is that you?"

"Who's Simon?" John asked.

He realized his mistake immediately as terror spread across her face and she attempted to twist away from him only to be met with more pain.

"Please," she pleaded with him. "Don't hurt me."

"Hurt you?" he whispered. "It's okay, you're safe." His hand found hers and he held it tenderly. "You're at a hospital in Germany. You have been for a couple of days now."

"Where's Simon?" she asked. "I want to talk to him."

"Who's Simon," he asked. "Is he someone back home?"

"He's…he's…"she stated before falling back into her drug induced sleep.

John went back to the hospital two days later. He couldn't explain how he felt but he felt an attraction to her. Maybe it was just because she was a damsel in distress that needed saving, or maybe it was just her. Maybe he felt something that she didn't realize yet. Or maybe it was just what he was constructing around her.

He reached the door to her room to find it empty. The bed made with clean sheets and the towels folded neatly. There was a nurse in the room cleaning the tray table.

"Excuse me miss," he said, the nurse looked up. "Do you know what happened to Dr. Weir?"

"The military take her to helicopter," said the nurse. "They said they bring her home."

"When was this?"

"Not long ago," she said.

"Thank you," John said as he left the room and walked out of the hospital. Back to the base for him. Back to the base where he would think about Dr. Weir until he was back in the states.

5 Years Later…

"Dr. Weir," Carson said as he poked his head into the room. "You're gonna want to come see this."

Elizabeth ran out of the room. Well, run wasn't really the right term. It was more or less one the border of a walk and a jog. She couldn't run very well for any long period of time since she was taken by Al Qaeda. They had busted her kneecap and it had taken the better part of a year for to be able to walk without assistance, let alone jog.

She reached the control chair to see someone reclining in it. He had activated the chair. As she walked closer she recognized some of the features. It was strange. It was like she'd seen him before.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"I said don't touch anything," General O'Neil said to the man in the chair.

Elizabeth continued to stare at his face, like she was trying to place him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew that their paths had crossed before.

"I…I just sat down," said the man.

"Major…think of where we are in the solar system," said Dr. McKay.

A holographic map sprouted up and the team looked up in awe.

"Did I do that?" the man asked." His voice sounded familiar.

It was then that she realized he was looking at her as well. Did he recognize her too? Did he know something that she didn't? Unnerved by the sudden intervention of fate Elizabeth left the room, her knee was acting up again. Causing her to wince in pain as she limped over to the office.

"Elizabeth are you okay?" Dr. Jackson asked as he entered the office behind her.

"Yeah, it's just…my knee," Elizabeth said.

"Here, sit down," said Dr. Jackson as he helped her to the chair and elevated her knee on a crate that was sitting in the corner of the room,

"Thank you," Elizabeth said. A slight pause hung between them. "Can you send in the Major in about five minutes?"

"Sure," Dr. Jackson said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth said. "This happens once in a while."

"Come in," Dr. Weir responded to the knock on the door to the office. Her knee was feeling better and she was able to stand for a short period of time.

"You wanted to see me?" the Major asked as he entered.

"Yes, Major," said Elizabeth. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"What?" asked Major Sheppard.

"You look familiar to me. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"What did you say you're name was?"

"I didn't," Elizabeth said. "Dr. Elizabeth Weir."

"Oh my god," said John. "I was with you in Germany when you were recovering from Al Qaeda. I wanted to see you before you left but I didn't know they were airlifting you."

"Wait…you were there, in Germany?"

"Yes. In fact I was the pilot that airlifted you to Germany," said Sheppard.

"I remember now," said Elizabeth. "I told myself it was a dream. After the doctors listed all the drugs that I had been on, I didn't believe myself."

"You weren't coherent. You kept asking to see someone named Simon," said John. Elizabeth blushed at the mention of her significant other. "Do you mind if I ask who he is?"

"My boyfriend," said Elizabeth. "We've been together for sometime now."

"I figured," sighed John. "How's your knee?"

"It acts up once in while, but the doctors didn't think I would be able to walk without a cane," said Elizabeth as she remembered the looks that her doctors had given her when she pushed herself during physical therapy. She had been determined to prove them wrong and now she was walking again. "So I guess I'm doing pretty well."

"That's good to hear," John muttered. This was awkward, they had met five years ago and he barely knew her but here she was again. Right in front of him. A pause hung between them. "Is that all?"

"No, actually, I wanted to ask…" her voice trailed off. "Would you consider coming to Pegasus with the rest of my expedition."

-END-