AN: Yes, I have returned to the world of fanfiction. This isn't the story I promised most of you. I'm still working on my Shep and Lorne whumpfest, but I threw this together after seeing Sunday. However, there are NO spoilers for that episode. I only got the idea from what Sheppard said about being married.

So, yes, this is a short fic about John and his ex-wife. It is mostly done, and updates will be coming every few days.

I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or anything in that 'verse.

This is set between Irresponsible and Tao of Rodney. Spoilers up to that.

Enjoy!

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"Lady and Gentlemen, this concludes our visit to P3X-797. As we exit through the Stargate, please be sure to keep your arms and legs inside the Puddlejumper until we come to a complete stop. I hope you've enjoyed your stay. I'm your Colonel, signing off."

"Do you lie awake at night dreaming up pithy comments to use on missions, or are these just spur-of-the-moment idiot-grams?"

"Whatever annoys you most, Rodney."

The mood in the Puddlejumper was jubilant, despite the sarcastic comments of Rodney McKay, astrophysicist and Ph.D. extraordinaire. Atlantis' premier team had just brokered a deal with the Teramundians, a feat they had managed without getting shot at once, what had become the exception rather than the rule for this type of thing.

Of course, their success had put Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard into a good mood, which always spelled trouble when he was in close proximity with Rodney.

The remaining members of the team, Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagen, were used to the banter, and paid little attention to it, preferring instead to chat about the training schedule they had created for the new military personnel. Some people considered it odd that Ronon and Teyla were partly in charge of the training, since they were actually from the Pegasus Galaxy, but they were the best hand-to-hand combat fighters in the city, and John was all for utilizing whatever resources he had.

They were approaching the space gate, so Rodney dialed Atlantis while John continued needling him. "Come on, Rodney, you have enough gadgets now to keep you occupied for months. You can't tell me this wasn't a good trip."

Rodney frowned. "Fine. It was a wonderful trip. Bloody brilliant, as Carson would say. But am I ever going to get to study this stuff? No! Because this mission went so well, inevitably the next one won't, and you know what that means? I will get shot or captured, and then I will be stuck in the infirmary for God knows how long and then I'll get to repeat the whole process over again!"

John nodded sagely, then turned to Ronon. "Hear that, big guy? Rodney says it's his turn to get shot, so we can take a break for awhile."

Ronon grinned. "Sweet. Can I do the shooting?"

Rodney sent their IDC, all the while glaring at Ronon. "No, you may not shoot me. The law of averages dictates that I actually be injured by someone not on our side this time. It's been awhile."

John laughed as he maneuvered the jumper through the gate. As soon as they were in the city, he settled the ship into its dock and then radioed Elizabeth Weir, his CO and head of the expedition.

"Hey Elizabeth, we've got quite a few crates here. Can you send some techs up to sort all this stuff out?"

"They're on their way. How'd it go?"

"Rodney found some nice toys, but he's complaining that he didn't get shot at this time."

There was a brief pause, and John could imagine the grin that was probably on Elizabeth's face. "Understood, John. Get checked out and then head to the briefing room."

"Will do." John climbed out of the jumper, nodding to the techs as they unloaded the crates.

The team made their way to the infirmary, where they were given a clean bill of health by the CMO Carson Beckett. He had heard John's comment to Elizabeth and reminded Rodney of his many previous trips to the infirmary, which made Rodney even more irritable and left John grinning like a Cheshire cat.

All in all, it was an interesting briefing, and Elizabeth was very glad when it was over. She had rarely seen John this happy, and she asked him about it as he escorted her back to her office.

"I guess it's because things have been going pretty well lately. I didn't get a dishonorable discharge for disobeying Landry, we screwed up the Asurans plans, the Wraith haven't really bothered us lately, and I got to shoot Kolya. Top it off with new allies, and I am a happy man."

Elizabeth smiled. "I guess things have been picking up for us. Of course, now that we've realized this…"

"It's all gonna go downhill, yeah, I thought about that. But I can enjoy the good times while they last." John grinned lazily, and Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Hey, are we still on for lunch today?"

"Wouldn't miss it. I'll see you in the mess hall."

John headed for the transporter, only to be halted by Elizabeth calling his name. He turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"John, I forgot to tell you. Colonel Caldwell left a bunch of reports and messages for you on your desk. He said there are a few time-sensitive items in the batch."

John made a face. He hated paperwork. "All right, I'll check them out. See you later." Changing direction, he headed to his own office, a place he tried to avoid as often as possible.

He stopped in to check with his 2IC, Major Evan Lorne, who was heading offworld that afternoon. He had reports on the new military personnel, which John took reluctantly. The SGC did a pretty good job of selecting new people, but there were always two or three who didn't work out. It was his job to weed them out before they ever stepped through the Stargate. The training sessions with Ronon and Teyla were designed to do just that.

When he finally reached his office, he was tempted to turn around and head straight for his quarters. The mission reports he had piled up before leaving now had company, and it would take him quite a while to sort everything out. People never seemed to realize how boring some aspects of command could be.

Three hours into the task, he took a break. He had decided to begin with the mission reports, since they needed to be sent to the SGC the following day. They were pretty straight-forward, if time-consuming, and he thought his superiors would be pleased with the results of the last few weeks.

He still had a couple of hours before lunch, so he pulled up the files Caldwell had sent. Most were Caldwell's personal reports on the new personnel. John had been irritated when Caldwell had started sending those, but he soon admitted that the man's longer command experience made him well-equipped to spot problems well before others. John made a note of who he needed to watch, forwarding the list to Teyla so she could keep an eye on them.

There were two other files that Caldwell had sent, one a personal note from the Colonel, giving him a heads up that something big was going down at the SGC with regards to Atlantis. John had to admit, it was odd getting these occasional tips from the man who had tried to take over his position on several occasions, but he had come to appreciate them. He had long ago learned that the military was full of pompous generals who sat on their asses dreaming up ways to advance their careers at the expense of the people under their command. Neither John nor Caldwell was prepared to sacrifice their people at the whim of Washington, so they tried to plan ahead.

The second file was titled 'Personal Letter', and that made John curious. He didn't get mail generally, and when he occasionally got something, it was sent via the weekly check-ins with the SGC. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to get it to Caldwell, and they didn't want Stargate Command involved.

He opened it, not sure what to expect.

The first line sent shock waves throughout his body.

Hello, John. I know I said I never wanted to speak to you again, but things have changed, and I guess I was lying before.

In all honesty, there were dozens of people who had vowed to have nothing to do with John, but for some reason, he just knew it was her.

General Sheppard insists you'll get this, even though he refuses to tell me where you are or what you're doing. The most I was able to get out of your father was that you had been tasked to Antarctica. I got the feeling you guys don't talk much. Anyway, he says he'll send it to a friend who can get it to you.

John, there is so much I want to say, so much I have to apologize for. You were right. I didn't understand, and I wasn't ready for such a big commitment. I treated you horribly, and you never complained. I should never have left the way I did, and I'm sorry for what I put you through.

I know this is a lot for me to ask, but I want to see you again. We never talked about what happened, and I need to know that you don't hate me. The thing is, I'm getting married again. And I need to know that things are okay between us before I can go through with it. I told Mark, my fiancé, about what happened, and he's agreed to postpone the ceremony until I get an answer from you.

This isn't making sense, I know. My emotions are all a mess, and I feel terrible for even asking you to do this. I know this is difficult for you. I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me. I just…I had to try.

I left my contact information with your dad. I hope to hear from you soon.

Kristina

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