Author's Notes~ For my friend & Sister, enjoy being rescued by your hero :)
The sound of gunfire rings out through the air; she looks around frantically, not knowing which way to go. Her red hair wisps around her face as she turns, she catches his eye and he nods. They move forward, but she stops short as another gunshot is heard, then a searing pain tears through her body from her shoulder and she drops to her knees, her gun clatters to the floor and her hand is pressed to her shoulder.
"No!" He yells, raising his gun and firing in the direction the lone shot had come from. A yell echoes down the hall, the sound of footsteps getting closer. He runs the three steps to her side and bends to look at her shoulder, a look of anger flashing in his green eyes. He helps her to her feet and they make it only a few steps when she winces and grabs for her arm again. He sees the tears in her glistening blue eyes and pulls her into his arms, gently hugging her. The footsteps grow louder; he slips an arm underneath her legs, keeping the other at her back, and lifts her right off her feet.
"I will kill whoever shot you. I promise you that," His green eyes take on a cold, steely shine as he moves swiftly through the halls. Footsteps from both directions approach now; he thinks for a brief second and ducks through a door into an empty room. He sets her down gently against the wall opposite the door and goes to close it behind them. Back at her side a moment later, he unzips his jacket, pulling off the black tee shirt he has underneath and ripping the shirt into strips, field bandaging her wound to stop the bleeding.
He pulls his jacket and his TAC vest back on, and she finds herself wishing he hadn't; she'd liked the view of his bare chest, but she knew he had to suit up again if he was to get them out of there.
"Don't go…" She whispers more to herself than to him, she knows he will be back, but she still wishes he didn't have to leave her in the first place. She reaches her hand up to stroke his cheek and he lays his own hand over hers, pressing it to his face. She can see he wants to stay as much as she wants him to, but both of them know that he has to go.
While he is on his knees at her side, he puts the handgun into her hand and wraps her fingers around it.
"I will be back. I love you and I will be back for you," He doesn't want to leave her, but he must. He plants a gentle kiss on her forehead and picks up his P-90 from the floor as he stands up. He looks back at her one last time, offering a reassuring smile as he steps out of the room and closes the door behind him.
When he is gone, she clutches the gun with both hands, trying to ignore the stinging, searing pain from the roughly bandaged bullet wound in her shoulder. She wishes that she could have gone with him, but she knows that she would only slow him down at this point, so she sits against the wall where he left her, and she feels the tears begin to well up in her eyes, whether from the pain or from his having to leave, she isn't altogether sure. She knows in her heart that he will return, but she hopes he won't get injured in the process.
She can hear gunshots, the sound of his P-90 firing, running footsteps…it all begins to blur into one as she drifts in and out of consciousness, still clutching the handgun between her hands.
He is shooting his way through what feels like an army, his thoughts on only one thing. He must find and kill whoever shot her. He fights his way through the crowd of men, Genii soldiers, shooting until the last man falls. He is alone in the empty hallway now, he breathes a sigh of relief and turns to make his way back to her side.
As he runs back towards the door, a figure steps out of the dark. Keiva. He lifts his gun, staring her down. This is the woman who threatened his lover; she is the one behind the attacks and the kidnappings. She must be stopped.
"I had a feeling you were behind this," He snarls, taking aim. She gives him a dark smile, her eyes sparkle dangerously, and Shep's finger goes for the trigger, ready to shoot her. At the last split second, he decides that he doesn't want her death to be swift and painless, but rather slow and painful. She should know the pain she caused to his pretty redhead, so he moves the gun and fires a single shot.
"What is this about, Sheppard? You had me in your sights and didn't kill me. I'm beginning to think you're going soft on me, boy!" She hisses, but her face grows pale and she collapses to the ground. Satisfied that Keiva is no threat for the moment, Shep finishes his run down the hallway to the room where he had left his beautiful redhead sitting against a wall, clutching a gun in her hand.
She is drifting out of consciousness as the door bangs open and she sees him bending over her, but she is too exhausted to say a word, so instead she loosens her fingers and lets the gun fall from her grip. She knows she is safe as she stares into his gentle green eyes.
He strokes the hair from her pale face and slips his arms beneath her still form, lifting her easily. He settles her in his arms so that her head is resting against his shoulder, his muscular arms holding her body against his. Her last memory is his lips touching her forehead once more as he carries her out the door. Darkness fills her vision and consumes her, and she doesn't try to resist this time.
He holds her close as he walks through the building, looking in every direction to make sure that there is no threat as he rounds each corner on his way back to the jumper. Inside the jumper, her sister waits in the pilot's seat, prepared to fly them home to Atlantis. As she powers up the Jumper, Shep sits down on one of the side benches, holding his lover still close to him. He refuses to let go of her now that they are safe.
At the touch of his lips on hers, her smoky blue eyes flicker open and he smiles down at her. Right then, she knows that all will be well, and she smiles weakly up at him. He strokes the hair from her face once more as he stares into her eyes.
"I promised you that I would come back for you, and I have. We're going home," he places a hand on her cheek, cupping her face in his hand, "I love you, and I could never stand to lose you."