Date : 20 June 2007

Title: Love After That Night

Author: ElaineDex

Chapter: 1 of ?

Rating: M

Pairing: John Sheppard/Lyssa Hunter

Lyssa Hunter/Lieutenant Marcus Tyler

Ronon Dex / Ellie Harrison-Dex

Ellie Harrison-Dex/Major Lorne

Archiving: None

Warnings: Sexual Content

Spoilers: This story follows on from Love's Dark Journey

Feedback: Yes

Disclaimer: Ellie Harrison-Dex, Major James Reece, Lieutenant Franks are mine. Lyssa Hunter and Lieutenant Marcus Tyler belong to Kazavid, the rest of Atlantis, unfortunately have nothing to do with me.

Summary: Will the events of 'that night' force Ronon and Ellie and Sheppard and Lyssa apart for good this time or can love win out once more?


Only a week had passed since the events of 'that night' but to Ellie and Lyssa it seemed like a lifetime.

Ronon and Sheppard were completely unaware of their inner turmoil and neither Ellie or Lyssa had any idea how they were going to carry on this way.

Every time Ellie looked at Ronon playing with their daughter, Hope, she was wracked with guilt over what she had done.

Lyssa was just the same. Every time Sheppard smiled at her or put an arm around her she had to force herself not to freeze.

Even though what they had done was not intentional and had been in no way their fault, they still felt the same guilt as if they had gone out and deliberately been unfaithful.

One afternoon when Sheppard's team was off-world, Lyssa and Ellie got together in the mess hall.

"I can't cope", Ellie announced as soon as they were sat down.

Lyssa regarded her for a moment before admitting,

"Me neither".

"Do you think we should tell them?", Ellie asked worriedly and Lyssa sighed deeply.

"I don't know but we can't carry on like this", she replied.

They both sat quietly for a while as they pondered the future if they did tell Ronon and Sheppard what had happened. Everything would change, there would be no doubt about that. But would it make things better or worse.

"I know that telling them probably isn't a very good idea….but I don't like keeping things from Ronon and to think I have to spend the rest of my life hiding this from him, well…….I just don't think I can do that", Ellie said eventually and Lyssa nodded.

"I agree. I can't keep this from Sheppard….it's too much of a burden".

They looked at one another and impulsively Ellie reached out and grasped Lyssa's hand.

"We'll always have each other though right?", she said and Lyssa had to smile at the look on Ellie's face.

"Sure", she replied.

Ellie took a deep breath and said, "Tonight then…..we should tell them tonight".

"Tonight", Lyssa agreed.

ooOoo

Sheppard collapsed on his and Lyssa's bed. He felt exhausted. He and his team had spent nearly an hour running from the Wraith through a dense forest and had barely made it to the gate without being captured.

Not one of their better missions.

"I'll get cleaned up in a minute", he said glancing up to see Lyssa frowning down at him and thinking she was annoyed because he was lying in his dirty clothes on their freshly made bed.

"No problem", Lyssa said, steeling her nerves for what she was about to do.

"Are you ok?", Sheppard asked dragging himself into a sitting position and Lyssa shook her head, sitting beside him.

"I have something to tell you", she said and Sheppard looked at her warily.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like whatever it is?", he asked and she leaned forward and kissed him, savouring the taste of his lips before she dropped her bombshell.

"You know when I was taken over by one of the ancient Wraiths?", she said eventually and Sheppard nodded.

"Yeah…", he replied slowly.

"I did some things that well………that I would never, ever normally do", Lyssa said and Sheppard caught her hands in his.

"You've all been cleared for what happened to the Marines", he said and she nodded, the deaths of those innocent people also on her conscience.

"It's not that", she said and Sheppard began to get worried.

He remained silent and Lyssa had to stand and walk away from him before saying,

"I can't believe I am willingly going to tell you this", she said and Sheppard also stood.

"Just tell me Lyss, the suspense is killing me now".

Lyssa paused before saying in a rush, "I had sex with Franks and Tyler".

There, she'd said it. Her relief was only brief as she took in the shock on Sheppard's face.

"You er, you did what? I don't think I caught that", he said but the look on her face told him there was absolutely nothing wrong with his hearing.

They stared at one another for the longest time before suddenly, Sheppard turned and headed for the door.

Lyssa raced after him grabbing his arm but he shook her off.

"John….please….we need to talk", she said but he opened the door.

"I need some time alone", he said before he disappeared.

Lyssa wrapped her arms around herself and prayed he hadn't gone to find Franks and Tyler.

ooOoo

Ellie placed Hope in her bed as Ronon entered their room and headed straight for the bathroom.

"I need a shower….I stink", he grumbled and Ellie took a shaky breath as she heard the water start to run.

"Are you ok?", Ronon called and she headed for the bathroom, standing tentatively in the doorway.

"I need to talk to you", she said and Ronon looked at her through the shower screen.

"Ok", he replied, getting clean as quickly as he could.

When he was done he stepped out and wrapped a towel low upon his hips and Ellie's mouth went dry at the sight of him….and then she remembered what she had to tell him and she looked away.

"Ellie?", Ronon said quizzically and she looked up at him, her face a picture of misery.

"Sweetheart, what is it?", he asked going to pull her to him but Ellie refused to go into his arms.

"Don't…..don't be nice to me", she said, a lump forming in her throat and she tried her hardest not to cry.

Ronon looked at her, wondering what the hell was wrong.

"Tell me what's wrong", he said, watching as Ellie took a shaky deep breath.

"When I was a Wraith……I did something……something you have to know I would never ever consider doing if I'd have been in my right mind…", she stopped as Ronon said,

"The deaths of those Marines was not your fault".

Ellie shook her head. "It's not just that….oh god Ronon I am so sorry", she said, tears beginning to well in her eyes and Ronon began to get seriously worried.

"Ellie….just tell me", he said and she nodded.

"I….I had sex with Major Lorne and Major Reece".

There. It was done.

For an endless moment Ronon just stared at her and Ellie began to get un-nerved by his calm demeanour.

"You weren't yourself", he said gruffly, brushing by her to go into the bedroom.

"What?", Ellie said, knowing what he'd said but not believing he had taken it so well.

"It wasn't you…..so it doesn't matter", Ronon repeated as he pulled on clean leather trousers and a tunic.

Ellie went to touch him but he moved away and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?", she asked, her heart thumping wildly as she imagined him going looking for Lorne and Reece.

"For a walk….I'll be back in a while", he replied and then disappeared.

Ellie collapsed onto the bed and gave in to the floods of tears that threatened to overwhelm her if she didn't let them fall.

ooOoo

Ronon stepped out onto the balcony of the mess hall only to find Sheppard standing there, the look on his face and the fact that he still hadn't changed clothing told Ronon that all was not right with him either.

"Damn Wraith", Sheppard muttered and Ronon looked at him.

"You too huh?", he asked and Sheppard nodded, instinctively knowing what Ronon was referring to and restraining the urge to punch the glass wall behind them.

"She's been with Franks and Tyler….two of my best men. How am I supposed to look at them now and not think about what they did with Lyssa?", Sheppard said, his voice anguished and Ronon sighed feeling too pissed off to be angry.

"The same way you look at me…..I was with Lyssa once, remember?", he offered and Sheppard glared at him.

"You were different", he said and Ronon rubbed a hand across his face as he said,

"Ellie's been with Lorne and Reece", and Sheppard glanced at him.

"We should find them and kill them", he said and Ronon nodded.

"In fact, why are you not already trying to find them?", Sheppard asked suddenly as it dawned upon him that Ronon was extremely calm considering the news he'd just been told.

"They weren't themselves", Ronon said and Sheppard looked away.

"That doesn't mean it didn't happen", he said and Ronon agreed.

"I know that. We just have to decide how best to deal with things now".

"Did you get hit on the head or something?", Sheppard asked and Ronon did have to wonder why he was taking things so calmly.

Maybe it was because he knew Ellie hadn't done it on purpose, that she really wasn't herself and had had no control over her actions. It wasn't her fault.

Neither was it Lyssa's but Sheppard seemed to be overlooking that fact right now.

He was angry and he needed to vent.

It was better that he stood here, alone with Ronon and do it rather than go charging off after the other men and cause all kinds of ructions.

That's what he was telling himself anyhow.

"What are we going to do?", he asked, staring at the ocean below as though it would give him all the answers he needed.

"We carry on as though it didn't happen", Ronon replied, knowing it would be difficult for him to. He knew that when he and Ellie next made love he would probably picture her with Lorne or Reece but he also knew they had to get past that.

"If you love Lyssa like you say you do, you have to just get on with things. Sheppard you can't punish her for something that was out of her control".

Sheppard looked at him for a moment or two before going back to staring at the ocean.

Ronon sighed and hit him on the shoulder.

"I'm going to get back to Ellie. You should go to Lyssa too….don't stay out here too long brooding on this".

Sheppard nodded but he knew he wasn't ready to go back to Lyssa just yet…..or if he ever would be.

End of Chapter 1