Spoilers: Major Spoilers for Rising, Part 2.
Disclaimer: It's not mine, please don't sue. I have lint in my pockets, but that's about it.
A/N: I was thinking about the events in Rising, and this idea came from nowhere and demanded to be written. :)
As always, I thank my Lord Jesus Christ for his incredible mercy and grace, and his many blessings.
I hope you enjoy this, and please let me know what you think!
Mortal Coil
Major John Sheppard was standing in front of Elizabeth's desk at parade rest, straight-backed and staring at a point directly over her left shoulder.
He looked more like a soldier in that moment than he had in all of their admittedly-brief acquaintance, and Elizabeth knew that whatever he needed to discuss with her was incredibly serious. She'd guessed that much when he'd asked to give his mission report in her office, instead of in the conference room, but if she'd had any doubts, his stance now erased them.
"Major?" she prompted, concerned.
He didn't answer right away, apparently bracing himself, though for what, she wasn't sure.
"Colonel Sumner is dead," he said at last.
The blunt statement made Elizabeth wince, but that particular bit of news wasn't a surprise. Sumner's absence had been glaring when the team returned.
"I see," she said softly.
Sheppard finally met her gaze, his eyes impossibly dark. "I'm the one who took the shot."
Elizabeth blinked, her mouth dropping open in complete and utter shock. A whole host of terrible scenarios raced through her mind, but Sheppard was watching her intently, measuring her reaction, obviously expecting her to jump to conclusions.
She schooled her features as quickly as she could.
"I see," she said again, carefully this time, the words sounding heavy to her own ears. "What happened out there, Major?"
His tense posture relaxed a fraction at her apparent acceptance, and he proceeded to tell her about the Wraith, about the one that had been…interrogating…Colonel Sumner, and the choice that he had made.
Elizabeth had never believed in mercy killing, didn't think it was anyone's right to make that decision, but the scene the Major had described was enough to make her blood run cold.
She hadn't liked Marshall Sumner.
She knew the feeling had been mutual, and she had quickly realized that they would butt heads more often than not. But, she had been willing to accept that if it meant keeping her people safe, and she'd honestly believed that Sumner was the right man for the job.
Sumner had been a difficult man but a good one…a good Marine. He'd done his duty and done it well.
She pictured that man on his knees, tortured and old before his time, forced to divulge information that could put the entire expedition - even all of Earth - at risk. And that was enough for her. The look Sheppard insisted he'd seen, the silent request he'd honored…she believed they had been very real.
When the Major had finished, she leaned back in her chair and folded her hands on her desk. "I understand," she said quietly.
And she did.
Sheppard's eyes narrowed faintly, assessing her. "Then you can accept my report?"
Elizabeth heard what he wasn't asking, the questions he probably didn't want to voice: Could she accept what he had done? What he was capable of doing?
She looked away for a moment, studying the gate room through her office window. The sun was setting, the shadows around the gate dark and imposing, especially now.
She drew a deep breath and turned to meet Major Sheppard's gaze once more. "Yes, Major," she answered at last. "I can."
Fin
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the fic and please let me know what you think!
Take care and God bless!
Ani-maniac494 :)