A/N: This has been on LJ for a while. I forgot to post it here.
Somebunny really – I mean really – wanted a second part to this little tag. So, at long last here it is...
Part 2
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"Reach for the sky, Kolya!" Sheriff Sheppard drawls.
"Sorry, Sheriff. This town ain't big enough for the two of us!" The bandit Kolya glares mightily from under his black Stetson.
"This could end bloody or... not as bloody. Your choice."
Kolya seems to consider this as he lights his giant cigar. "Well," he says slowly, tossing the match into the crowd. "Since I'm the bad guy –" His hands flew to his holstered gun.
But it was too late.
The sheriff spun his smoking gun back into its holster, watching the bandit sink to the ground. Hooking a thumb through his belt loop, Sheppard walked over to the motionless body. He needed to check his handiwork, but Kolya's henchmen were already carrying the body away. "Hey, where're ya goin'?"
As he came closer, the crowd gathered around him. A woman broke from the crowd. Dark eyes and caramel skin, she was all smiles.
"Howdy, Miss Teyla," the sheriff greeted, tipping his hat back.
"Oh Sheriff! You have killed the bandit! Now," her dark eyes full of hatred and loathing. "What of the Wraith?"
"Wraith?"
Just then, a very angry, heavily tattooed creature came bursting through the crowd. It held out a hand, touching Sheppard's chest.
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I woke with a start, expecting to see a non-human, sepia-colored Wraith standing over me. Extricating myself from the twisted sheets, I take several deep breaths. Running a hand over my face, I wipe away the sweat dripping off my brow.
"What were you dreaming about?" a voice says from behind.
I had been lying on my side, with my back to the rest of the infirmary. My already stiff muscles grew tighter as I nearly jump off the bed. "Elizabeth! If you know what's good for you, do not sneak up on a person!" I think that's what I said; a series of squeaks and croaks is what reached my ears.
The lights had dimmed when I woke; nice to have an entire city obey your thoughts. In the very dim light, I can see a frown has appeared between her brows, and sadness in her dark eyes. Coaxing the light up a notch, I want to ask what's wrong, but a tickle has formed in the back of my throat. When my bout of coughing subsides, I felt cool plastic against my lips. The water nearly evaporates on my tongue, but the tickle is gone. Rasping my thanks, I hope that Carson won't appear any time soon.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. What time is it?"
She smiles slightly. "Late. Want me to get Carson?"
"No, no." Why am I here again? Oh yeah. Fell asleep. The soft pillows are not at all what they were earlier. Now that I'm awake, they're rough and flat. "I'm good." Which is actually true. My headache is nearly gone, or at least medicated to a dull roar. Taking a deep breath, I remember why I woke. Untangling my feet from the light bedsheet, I discovered I'd been redressed in scrubs. Teal scrubs, to be exact. The same color as the sky when –
"Where are you going?" A spark of amusement colors her voice, and I snap back to the here and now.
"Um, I have to... um," I say lamely, feeling like I'm asking for a hall pass.
She positions herself in front of me, taking my hand. "Well, come on."
"Elizabeth, I'm pretty sure I can handle this all by my–" I'm interrupted by a well-placed punch in my arm.
Now she's grinning at me. "Do you mind? I am trying to work on my bedside manner here. Also," she sobers slightly. "I came here to apologize."
"For what?" The events of the day flash through my mind.
She sighs, and all her words come out in a rush. "I didn't realize that you were suffering."
Suddenly, I feel my brows rise. "It's okay. Really." Suffering? I know I was out of it – okay, way out of it – but I don't think I showed much on the surface. In retrospect, yes, I felt like I was falling to pieces, but... Suffering?
"No, it's not okay. I noticed your hands shaking, but my need to know our city was safe kind of overrode everything." Stopping just in front of the restroom door, Elizabeth looks at me closely. "Rodney told me he had some trouble keeping you focused on the way back to the 'gate."
"Oh he did, did he?" Not that I remember. Too busy freaking out over killing someone who tried to kill me too many times.
Elizabeth's cool hands wrapped around my arm. "He gave me quite the earful. It seems our resident astrophysicist had been observing you closely."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. And I have to tell you," she squeezed my arm. "A concerned Rodney is a scary Rodney." We chuckled together, but she still looked uneasy. "I just want you to understand the safety of The City and everyone here is –"
"It's important to me too, Elizabeth." I wasn't upset with her; I knew she meant well. If any of my men came back through that gate with the tale we told, I'd want answers too. "We've been doing this for nearly three years. I'm fine; everything's fine. Kolya is dead, and Lucius has been neutralized." I took a deep breath. "Just need some time to wrap my head around it all." I jerked my thumb in the direction of the beckoning door. "Speaking of which..."
Elizabeth actually blushed. "Sorry, sorry. I'll see you for breakfast?"
"Absolutely," I say, knowing things can change within the meager hours before dawn. I close the door as she leaves. When I open the door again she's gone, and the infirmary is still quiet. Gathering my smelly clothes, I slip out of the bad place. Feeling the reassuring hum of The City under my bare feet, I smile. We'll all be fine for now.
And her bedside manner is improving. Really.
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The End. Really.
A/N2: So that was the second part of that story. It's cheesy, which is kinda why I left it off. I only changed it a little. Originally, Sheppard woke up to Rodney clacking away on his laptop. But thanks to an interesting point by Stealth Dragon on LJ, I needed Liz to explain herself, and while John may have been breaking down, it's possible no one else would have seen it on the surface.
There you have it, there it is!