Sorry all, stupid rookie mistake. It might help if I published the final version, not the first draft. Really only typos and editing to let story flow better, no changes to the core story elements.

Spoilers. Excerpt from the Storm and The Eye credit to Martin Gero and excerpt from Sanctuary credit to Alan Brennert. I know Ronan was not a member of the team yet, but hopefully you will understand this choice and forgive me.

I have a YouTube playlist of songs I listened to while writing this. You can check it out at: /user/ZandrasAshes

The Storm Rages On Within

Elizabeth tried to escape the voices of John Sheppard and Koyla grinding against her ears. She didn't even know where John was in the vast city, didn't know if he'd been injured. He'd never let Koyla know if he was. She imagined the worst each time the radio fell silent. She looked up and met Rodney's eyes, shared his fear. With the switch to the grounding station damaged, they were running out of time to save Atlantis. If they even survived the Genii incursion.

"Say Goodbye to Dr. Weir"

Time seemed to slow as Koyla's words stabbed into her mind. The beating of her heart became painful, erratic. Just months ago, she could indulge in the Sunday paper at her favorite coffee shop. Now she would die in this ancient city she had come to love, to call home. Die with regrets. Her mind raced with streaming thoughts of so many complicated threads of her life, and the echoes of the words that always caught in her throat. They would now go unspoken forever, she had waited too long. She closed her eyes to find the image of John reflected in her eyelids. The tiniest ember of hope remaining within her began to flicker back to life as she concentrated on his face.

John fired a single shot striking Kolya, missing Elizabeth by a breath. Koyla lost his grasp on Elizabeth and fell backwards into the event horizon. Relief washed over his body, She was alive and still here on Atlantis. He watched her stumbled forwards away from the Gate before falling to the floor again, staring up at John in shock.

As the Gate closed down, John felt his body propelled toward her. Something prodded his memory; he called over his shoulder. "Find Teyla and Beckett! Make sure that's all of them." He hurried towards Elizabeth, stunned and frozen before him. "Sorry about that. I had to, uh ... you okay?"

She shook her head, still breathless with shock. "No."

The look in Elizabeth's eyes broke down the weak remaining resistance within him. The pounding of his heart throbbed against his ears. The fleeting feeling of relief burned off his body like steam as a heat flared within him. He had come too close to losing her. A loud noise roused John back to alertness.

"You will be. Come on." John grabbed her hand. His skin prickled unsettlingly from the contact of her hand clutching his fiercely. He needed to get her somewhere safer. He pulled her into a run, up the stairs into the control room.

John shook his head, trying to clear his mind. The crisis was far from over, he needed to focus. But his emotions spilled over as he stared at Elizabeth. Her hand had been freezing, her soaked clothing clung to her painfully thin frame. She looked pale and fragile. He couldn't let her out of his sight. Like a magnet, her body seemed to call to his own, drawing him closer and closer. He was painfully aware that he was standing much too close.

After the storm ceased, John forced the familiar banter out, forced himself to joke about scheduling vacation during the next storm. He forced his feet to walk away. The image of her standing alone on her balcony stayed with him, blinding him with guilt for leaving her side.

It had grown dark by the time he returned to see her. These feelings were his problem; he couldn't punish her for them. She needed his friendship as much as he needed hers. He couldn't abandon that friendship today of all days. If he wasn't strong enough to quell what he was feeling, he knew he was strong enough to endure.

Peter stared at him with relief when John reached the control room, nodding towards the balcony. "We haven't seen her since you left."

John's face tightened as he ploughed through her office onto the balcony. His jaw clenched when he spotted her. She was tucked beneath a column, sitting compressed with her knees to her chest, her fingers laced tightly together around her legs.

She hadn't changed out of her water soaked clothes. She had pulled off drenched socks and boots, tossed aside the water laden jacket. She now only wore a tank top and her pants, both still damp. He hurried to sit beside her, wrapping his arm around her frozen shoulder. Her face nestled against his shoulder, which quickly dampened with her tears. Her body was shaking from her silent sobs. They'd all been crazy to leave her alone. He'd known better, if he hadn't let his damn feelings in the way, she wouldn't have been alone.

"John, Koyla………….I."

He pried her gently from her perch, settling her in front of him, her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, hoping to warm her. Her fragile body felt so cold, her skin almost clammy. She turned sideways, practically ending up in his lap as she twisted back towards him, tucking her face back into his neck. Her tears and soft breath brushed against his throat provoking a primal pain from deep inside. They almost lost her.

He looked sharply up towards the darkened sky blinking. One silent tear had escaped his eye, trickling raggedly down his face before mixing with her own on his neck.

"Elizabeth?" John asked after several more excruciating moments. "Elizabeth?"

Her body continued to shudder, her skin still frozen to his touch. He tapped the radio, cursing himself for allowing her to fall so far.

"Carson? Can you meet me on the balcony outside Dr. Weir's office? Elizabeth's in shock."

"Aye, on my way."

"And Carson, if anyone asks, this is a virus. She was out in the cold rain all day."

"Understood, try to warm her up and get her comfortable. She'll be fine Major."

John groaned wondering how he could possibly get any closer to keep her any warmer. Elizabeth's eyelashes fluttered against his throat as she heard the sound, her eyes emerging finally to meet his. Her sobs began to subside and her gaze turned questioning. He realized he had begun stroking her bare arms up and down with his hands.

"Got to warm you up, Carson's on the way." John tried to explain. Elizabeth seemed dazed, unsure how she'd come to be nestled beneath his arms, against his lap. She continued staring numbly at him. He moved one hand to her face, brushing back a tendril of her hair.

"Uhm" Carson cleared his throat as he stumbled onto the intimate scene.

John was beyond caring what anyone thought and Elizabeth didn't seem to register his arrival. John tried to move out of her grasp so Carson could get to her, but she clung tighter, her nails digging into his skin.

"It's okay Major, leave her be." Carson said as he draped a blanket around Elizabeth's back. She nestled in to John again, resting her head against his chest. Carson pulled out her arm to check vitals.

"I should have kept an eye on her after all that happened today. I should have insisted she come to the infirmary. We need to get her there now." Carson said.

"W all should have kept an eye on her. What exactly is the treatment for shock?"

"Simple actually, rest and a warm bed. An IV of fluids to rehydrate her wouldn't hurt." Carson said.

"No reason that can't be done in her quarters, I'll stay with her, let you know if something changes." Elizabeth would not want everyone to know the event had traumatized her. If she had to stay in the infirmary, the entire crew of Atlantis would know by morning. They could not know Elizabeth had faltered, they needed her strength now more than ever.

Carson's head bobbed as he looked back and forth between John and Elizabeth. "Aye." He finally agreed.

They pulled her to her feet without resistance. John pulled her arm around his waist, before wrapping his own around her in support. "Elizabeth, they need to see you walk out of here. We can't carry you."

She somehow managed, though the bulk of her small frame pressed against John for support.

"Fever. From the rain." Carson said as they passed.

En route, Carson called a nurse to meet them in Elizabeth's quarters. As John and Carson waited outside, she helped Elizabeth slip into clean and dry clothes and into bed. When she left, they entered and Carson set up the IV. Elizabeth was already fading off to sleep.

John settled into a chair across the room, nodding to Carson as he left.