Okay, I'll confess up front here. When I was writing this, I made an error. I wrote the Elizabeth/John pieces first and now my muse isn't interested in writing the other parts. So, what you have here is basically half a story. It's not a bad half, but this one had the potential of being much bigger. So, apologies for any non-EJ folks looking for something more. I also struggled with the title so it's lame! But hopefully you will forgive both of these failings. Yes, I am a EJ shipper to the core and in my world, so there is no cause for them to not demonstrate their feelings when they are alone. Nothing graphic in this. Just don't be surprised.
As always, the following is a work of fiction based on the television series Stargate Atlantis. It is in no way intended to infringe on the copyrights of anyone who may have legal rights to the characters and settings. I'm only borrowing them for a short time and will return them in relatively the same shape as when borrowed.
The low sound of voices and movement brought awareness to Doctor Elizabeth Weir that morning had arrived. Daring to peek out through narrow slits made by eyelids that did not want to rise, she realized that the sun had not yet broken the horizon. Moaning, she buried her face deeper into her bed, trying to steal a little more time before she was forced to rise.
Beside her, she could hear the rustle of cloth as Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard pulled on his boots and laced them up. Opening one eye, she watched him stand and stretch, attempting to work out the kinks and pains from sleeping on the ground. Bending over, he picked up his blanket and draped it over her before kneeling down to role up the sleeping bag he had been using for padding.
Glancing back at her when he heard her trying to find someway to snuggle deeper into the extra warmth, he smirked. "Wouldn't get too comfortable there," he warned lightly, knowing she was awake. Raising the cover far enough to see her face, he added, "If you want to be back to Atlantis tonight, we need to head out before too much longer."
"Not til coffee's ready," she muttered in protest, burying her face farther.
Chuckling, John laid his hand on her arm and squeezed it before rising to his feet and moving away.
Elizabeth could hear the low murmurs of morning greetings and conversations around her. She knew she needed to get moving but the thought of leaving her warm position wasn't appealing. She realized she had dozed back off when she suddenly felt someone beside her and the aroma of coffee reached her nostrils.
"Okay sleepyhead," John teased, pulling the blanket from her head. "Coffee's ready. Time to get up."
Opening her eyes, she shut them quickly to avoid the glare of the sun shining in them. "You're a mean man, John Sheppard," she moaned, snagging the coffee cup from him. Shifting slightly, she hissed at the aches in her body.
Amused, John's eyes danced with mischief mingled with a touch of sympathy as he watched her slow telling movements. Assessing that she was merely sore from the past several days, he sighed dramatically. "You're the one who wanted to come on a training mission. If you want to play with the big boys, you gotta get up early." The glare she threw at him over the edge of the cup brought a chuckle from his lips.
Patting her leg, he put out a hand. "Breakfast is ready, and if you wait too long, those guys," he said gesturing over his shoulder, "will have it all eaten."
Looking over at the group of military personnel milling around the cooking fire, Elizabeth acknowledged the truth of his words before allowing him to pull her to her feet. Grimacing, she held tight to his hand as her feet and legs protested. "Just how far did we walk, slash, run yesterday?" she groused, throwing him a glare.
Shrugging, John tried to look innocent. "Twenty, twenty five."
'Miles!?" she exclaimed. Seeing John's amused expression, she hated herself for ever requesting to come with him. "Please don't tell me we have that far to go today?" she asked, her tone desperate.
"No more than twelve, thirteen tops," he replied taking the cup before moving back towards the fire and throwing a smirk over his shoulder at her protest over losing the coffee.
Shaking her head at her own sheer stupidity for signing up for a military training event, Elizabeth reluctantly slid on her boots. She had just finished tying them and had reached to roll up the sleeping bag when chaos erupted around her.
~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA
Amused by Elizabeth's objection to him taking his coffee back, John moved back to the fire to fix her a plate. She needed to eat after the amount of physical activity she had been through the past several days. Although he had had doubts about her coming, she had proven her willingness to attempt anything the others were doing.
It was irrelevant that she had been unable to keep up with them; that had not been the point. It was, as she said when she told him she was coming, important that she understood what she asked of those under her command. That included the military as well as civilian personnel. And their training was a necessary part of that understanding.
"She okay?" Ronan Dex asked, his eyes glancing toward the dark hair woman gingerly putting on her boots. The Sateedan had been surprised by her more than once on this trip. He had bet Teyla she would be crying to go back to Atlantis long before now. Teyla had merely smiled and shook her head at him when he had said it.
"Feeling that run," John said, nodding. "Guess we'll have to..."
The rest of his sentence was interrupted by the almost simultaneous sounds of an energy weapon discharging and an agonizing cry. More energy shots combined with gunfire and barked orders split the morning air as the realization that the camp was under attack penetrated half awake brains.
Dropping the plate and darting across the short distance, John slammed his body into Elizabeth, driving them both to the ground. "Stay down," he growled as he scrambled for his P90 lying with his gear. Snatching it, he crawled back, making sure he was between her and the incoming weapon fire.
"Get ready to run," John yelled, spinning to shoot a stranger that was getting too close for comfort. Chancing a glance back, he saw Elizabeth gripping a handgun and a radio that had been attached to her pack. "Ronan! Teyla!" John bellowed for his team members. "Cover fire!"
Knowing his order would be followed, John spun and motioned Elizabeth to get up. "Run. Keep as low as you can. I'll be right behind you!" he urged, pushing her forward.
"Radio," Elizabeth called out, feeling it slip from her fingers as she stumbled forward.
"Leave it!" John barked, shoving her on.
~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA
Running as fast as she could through the forest, Elizabeth flinched at the energy bolt that struck a tree as she passed it. Ducking to cover her face from the flying debris, an involuntary yelp escaped her lips as she felt a large chunk of wood imbed itself in her arm. The force of the explosion coupled with the momentum of the sudden assault sent her staggering sideways. Losing her balance, she fell into the brush, instinctively moving herself away from the point of impact.
Scrambling behind a nearby fallen tree, she tried to calm her ragged breathing enough to be able to hear the approach of her pursuers. Desperately clutching the pistol in her hand, she chanced a quick glance over the log. She could see three men nearing her position. Squeezing her eyes shut for a brief moment, she moved to her knees preparing to fire if necessary.
Chancing one more look, Elizabeth swore as one of the three men spotted her. Aiming at the nearest man, she pulled the trigger before firing off several rounds at the others. Ducking to avoid getting hit by their return fire, the sound of their approach was drowned out by rapid gunfire echoing through the forest. Looking over the log, she saw her pursuers crumble from the assault. Frantically looking around to find the shooter, Elizabeth's eyes widened when she saw Sheppard sprinting toward her position.
Sliding on his knees in front of her, John desperately ran his eyes over her to make sure she was intact. Taking in the scratches on her face and neck, he focused on finding the source of the blood flowing down her hand. "Okay?" he breathed, pulling his knife and cutting a long slit in the sleeve of her coat to expose her arm.
"They didn't hit me," she said before a hiss escaped. "How deep is it?" Elizabeth asked through gritted teeth as John felt around the four inch shard of bark protruding from her bicep.
Grimacing, he briefly looked over at her before focusing again on the task he was about to do. "Deep enough this is going to hurt," he said, glancing at her to see if she was ready. Locking eyes, he watched her stiffen and prepare herself. When he saw her slight nod, he yanked the wood from her arm.
Gulping in a sharp breath through her teeth, Elizabeth bit back the yelp that threatened to escape. Blinking the wetness from her eyes, she felt John wrap a bandage around her arm to stop the flow of blood. "Definitely have to rethink these little getaways," she said huskily, trying to ignore the throbbing in her arm. "Remind me when we get back to cancel my membership in the John Sheppard Island Getaway Club."
Flashing her a smile, John rested a hand on the side of her head. "Maybe we should try the beach next time, uh?"
A choked laugh escaped Elizabeth's lips as she leaned her head into John's palm. Pulling her forward, he pressed his lips to hers for a few seconds, both seeking and giving assurance that they would be okay. Breaking the contact, he glanced around. "We have to keep moving," he said, letting go of her to pick up her gun and hand it back to her. "Ready?" Seeing her nod, he stood, bringing her to her feet with him.
Keeping a firm grip on her hand, he paused long enough to retrieve one of the weapons from their attackers before he moved them further into the dense forest.
~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA
AN2: This one will be about 4 parts. Thanks for reading!