A/N: Of course, I do not own SGA. That's enough to kill a mood.

So...I am very sorry about not posting in a while. I've been going back and forth between ideas. I have the next two chapters mostly written already. I wrote chapter 5 first, although it's not completely done, but almost! Then I started on chapter 4. It's about...halfway done, but there are some major things happening in it and it's a long chapter...so that takes time. I should have it up soon though! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

John walked into the mess hall as he did every morning after his run with Ronon. They had gone their separate ways fifteen minutes ago to shower, change, and then meet back up for breakfast.

He made his way through the line, getting a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee, as was usual. He immediately spotting his table full of their usual people: Teyla, Ronon, Nikki, and Rodney. John sighed inwardly as he noticed that one person in particular wasn't sitting at the table: Melissa.

They'd started dating a month and a half ago when she had gotten up the courage and asked him to have dinner with her. He hadn't seen the harm in it, so he'd agreed. They'd had a good time, so he figured he might as well get back into the game and enjoy himself for once. He'd asked her on a second date, a third, and then a fourth. They'd been officially together for about three weeks now and the gossip mill was still buzzing about it.

It turns out that no one had expected the CMO to start dating, ever.

Melissa Stevens was a very nice girl. She was bright, talented, and funny. She laughed at his lame jokes and made him smile. They hadn't been together for that long, but already he was starting to care for her.

There was just one problem with the situation. Well, make that four problems. She had confided in him the night before that she wasn't particularly fond of his friends, none of them. She found Ronon intimidating and she was scared of him. Teyla was too calm and serene for her. Rodney was far too obnoxious and he was her boss, which John understood her reasons behind that one. It was hard to be able to stand Rodney for long. It took a special kind of person, he supposed. And then, there was Nikki. Melissa had accused him of sleeping with her, which wasn't true. He'd never cheat on anyone. And besides, Nikki was his friend.

John was torn. He didn't know what to do about the situation. He couldn't make her sit with his friends and be unhappy the entire time and he couldn't ditch his friends for some girl. Neither situation was right, and yet here he was, stuck in the middle.

This is why I don't date, he thought to himself.

Melissa wasn't in the mess hall yet, so he didn't have that big of a decision to make yet. He sat down in his usual spot next to Nikki and across from Ronon. They greeted him good morning and he smiled back in return.

The group continued on with their conversations while John sat silent, eating his cereal and wondering what his next move would be. He liked Melissa. He really did, but was she really worth risking his friendships to be with her?

No, she wasn't. These people had been his family since he'd met them basically. It hadn't taken long with any of them to form deep bonds, even with Rodney. That's what made his decision for him.

There'd be another girl, another woman, but his family was everything to him and he just couldn't risk losing any one of them, not for a girl.

He knew it'd hurt and it'd be hard to do, but he had to do it. It'd hurt like a bitch, really. He was starting to really care for Melissa, not to mention she was the first girl he'd dating since his divorce.

He stood abruptly, startling his friends out of their conversations, and made his way out of the mess hall. He knew that if he put it off, he'd never do it. He had to do it now while he still had the nerve.

John walked through the many hallways towards her quarters. It didn't take very long to get there, he knew the way by heart by that point. He'd been there plenty of times to pick her up for dates or just to walk with her to her lab or to the mess hall.

He rang the chime on the door and waited. There was no answer. His brow furrowed and he tried the chime again. After a long moment, the door slid open to reveal Melissa standing in her robe, her hair slightly a mess as if she'd just gotten up.

"John! What a surprise! What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk. Did I wake you up?"

She glanced back towards her unmade bed and nodded, "Yeah, I overslept. I didn't hear my alarm. Late night in the lab last night."

He nodded, his spidey senses starting to tingle and alert him that something wasn't right. "Melissa, we need to talk."

She nodded, "Yeah, okay. Um, can it wait a little bit? I mean, I'm running late since I overslept and I'm supposed to be in the lab working. You know McKay. He'll have my head."

"I'll tell Rodney it was my fault. Mel, we really need to talk."

She glanced at her bathroom door for the briefest moment, but he caught it. "Okay, but just real quick. We're working on something exciting and I want to get back to it."

He stepped into her room and caught the smell of something. He didn't react to it, keeping his eyes open for signs as to what was going on.

They walked over to her couch and sat down. "So, what's up, John?"

He took a deep breath to try to steady his nerves. He was never good with things like this. "Mel, I don't…I've been thinking…"

He trailed off as he caught sight of a condom wrapper on the floor by her bed. It looked like someone had tried to shove it under the bed, but hadn't done a good enough job of it. And that's when he knew what that smell had been. It was a man's cologne.

In the time that they had been together, they hadn't made it to the stage where they slept together yet. The farthest they'd gone was a make-out session that had only lasted ten minutes before he'd been called away.

John didn't wear cologne, so it wasn't his. His eyes narrowed and he stood up. He walked over to the edge of the bed, bent over, and picked it up. He stared at it for a moment, letting it really sink in that he wasn't seeing things.

He turned around and walked into the bathroom and found one of the scientists sitting on the edge of the tub, half naked. The man looked up at him frightened, his mouth open in shock.

John turned around and glared at Melissa. "You're kidding me, right?"

She jumped up from the couch and moved over to him. "John, it's not what you think!"

"It's not what I think?! Really? You're going with that? Then why is there a condom wrapper when we've never slept together? Or how about the half-naked man in your bathroom? Care to explain that one?"

She stomped her foot and clenched her fists. "It's none of your business!"

He stared at her for a moment in shock. "None of my business? Melissa, I'm your boyfriend and you're sleeping with another man. Like hell it's none of my business!"

Her resolve broke. Apparently, she'd expected that to work. "John, baby, please! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! It'll never happen again!"

He shook his head at her, "No, it won't. Because I'm breaking up with you. That's what I came here to do anyway and you just reinforced my decision."

He started making his way towards the door when she stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "John, please, don't do this!"

He shook his head, "Even if I hadn't been planning on breaking up with you, there's no way in hell I'd stay with you after this. You lost all trust I had for you and you'll probably never get it back. Melissa, I suggest you get out of my way."

"You won't hurt me."

"No, I won't. But I do know a female scientist and an Athosian leader who probably wouldn't hesitate and would be here in minutes if I asked."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Fine. Go ahead and call them. They won't do anything. They're not brave enough. Dr. Weir will kick them out of the city if they harm a civilian."

He shook his head, "I'm not calling going to call them here just because you're being immature about this."

"Fine. I will then." She reached up and hit her com. "Dr. Nikki Teagan and Teyla Emmagan, this is Melissa Stevens. Can you please come to my quarters immediately? The Colonel is being unreasonable." She clicked off her com, not waiting for a response.

"Unreasonable? You think I'm being unreasonable?"

She smirked at him, her mood changes were starting to give him whiplash. "Yes, and that is what I'll tell Dr. Beckett. I'll tell him you're delusional and are making things up. That something is wrong with you."

She turned towards the bathroom. "Babe, might want to get out of here before people show up!"

The man walked out of the bathroom and quickly searched for his clothes. John glared down at Melissa. "You really think that Carson and everyone else are going to believe your word over mine? Who do you think you are?"

She smiled wickedly at him, "I think I'm your worst nightmare."

"No, more like someone who needs to be locked up in a padded room with a straight jacket."

The man had found his clothes and was quickly getting dressed when Nikki and Teyla arrived. Nikki hadn't bothered with the chimes and had slid it open, revealing the scene in front of them.

John looked down at Melissa. "Looks like your plan failed there. What's your excuse going to be this time? I held you captive?"

She turned her angry eyes towards him, "You're just upset that you can't have me!"

A smile of his own graced his face, but it wasn't a normal smile. "You really think I want you after all of this?"

Teyla's voice made him look up at them. "John, what is going on?"

"I walked in to find her cheating on me. Then after I broke up with her and tried to leave, she blocked my way to the door. She said I wouldn't hurt her, which is true, but I said I know two women who wouldn't be too happy with the situation and could help me out. That's when she called you. She won't let me leave and she's trying to turn everything around on me."

Melissa looked up at him and took a step closer. "Well, if you had just done what boyfriends are supposed to do, none of this would have happened!"

He shook his head at her incredulously, "You're saying that if I had slept with you, you wouldn't have cheated on me. Nice, Melissa. Real classy."

Nikki walked over to the two of them to try to deflate the situation. She looked at Melissa and refrained from punching her. "I don't know who you think you are, but I suggest you back off, Melissa. Whatever you're trying to do isn't going to work. So, just take a step back and we'll figure this out like adults."

Melissa shook her head. "John is mine. He's not yours, Nikki. I know you want him, it's obvious by the way you two act with each other. I'm not blind, you know."

Nikki shook her head, "Melissa, we're just friends."

"Yeah, whatever. You're not getting him, bitch."

This turn in events left John with a headache. The change in moods and situations was making his head spin in circles. He was starting to conclude that she was bipolar and hadn't been treated for it yet.

Melissa raised her hand to hit Nikki, but Nikki was faster. She grabbed Melissa's arm, twisted it behind her back, and slammed her down onto the bed. Melissa kicked out her leg and knocked Nikki's knees out from under her, making her hit the ground. She swung out her elbow and it connected with Nikki's nose, causing blood to immediately gush from it.

Teyla raced forward as Melissa stood and prepared to deliver another blow. She grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and let her fist slam into her jaw. Her next blow was directed towards a pressure point and she applied the precise amount to make her lose consciousness.

As Melissa slipped to the floor, John bent down next to Nikki. He moved her head gently to face him and he inspected her injury to see how bad it was. "Broken nose. Here."

He grabbed the man's shirt that was still lying on the floor, pulled her hand away from her nose, and gently pressed the shirt against it. "We need to try and stop the bleeding."

He looked up at Teyla. "Radio for a med team." She nodded as he turned to look at the other scientist. "And you, you're not going anywhere, so have a seat where I can keep an eye on you."

He nodded, frantically, terrified from what he'd just witnessed.

John looked back at Nikki and lowered his voice. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I've had worse. What about you?"

He shook his head, "I wasn't the one in the fist fight."

Nikki rested her hand on his arm. "John, I saw the look in your eyes when we got here and I see the look in them now. I know how affected you are by this."

He lowered his eyes, but didn't say anything. He really didn't want to talk about it right at that moment.

She caught on and nodded, "We'll talk later."

He nodded, knowing he wouldn't be getting out of it. He looked up at the door as Ronon and Rodney appeared in the doorway.

"What are you guys doing here?"

McKay stepped into the room and looked from person to person, "When Teyla and Nikki got called away suddenly after you had mysteriously left, we got curious. We checked a couple other places before coming here. What…exactly happened here?"

John sighed, not really wanting to go back into the story. Nikki saw his reluctance and jumped in. "John caught Melissa cheating on him, he broke up with her, she went psycho. She thought calling us here would put us on her side or something, but was sorely mistaken. She tried attacking me, I caught her attack, but she got the upper hand and broke my nose. Then Teyla jumped in and knocked her out."

Rodney looked down at Melissa. "I always thought she needed a hug-me jacket."

Ronon grunted and glared at the scientist sitting on the opposite side of the room. "So, what are we doing with him, Shep?"

John looked up at his friend and saw the anger in his eyes. "We'll give him to Weir. Let her decide what do to him. Same with her."

He stood, Nikki following suit. He looked down at her, "Come on, let's get you to the infirmary."

She nodded, understanding that he didn't want to be there anymore, but didn't exactly want to be alone either. Ronon, Rodney, and Teyla could handle a terrified scientist and an unconscious bipolar one until the med team got there.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until Nikki broke the silence. "Don't take this the wrong way, John, but…I'm kind of glad you broke up with her."

He looked down at her, confused. "Why's that? Besides what happened back there."

"Well…none of us really liked her."

His eyes widened, "None of you liked her and you didn't say anything?"

Nikki shrugged, "It wasn't really our place to say anything. If you liked it, then we would put up with her. We always thought…she was a little psycho."

He chuckled, "Next time you think my girlfriend is psycho, please let me know."

Nikki nodded, "Deal."

They returned to silence for another minute before Nikki couldn't take it any longer. "So…can I ask what made you jump up and go to her quarters earlier?"

He stared ahead, but when he answered, his voice was quieter. "I was going to break up with her."

She looked up at him, puzzled. "Why? Did something…else…happen?"

He nodded, his mind going back to the previous night. "Last night we were talking. She said something that took me by surprise. I didn't know what to do at first, but this morning at breakfast I made a decision. I went to go break up with her before I changed my mind."

Nikki nodded, "Can I…ask what she said?"

John smiled gently at her, finding it amusing how curious she was about everything. "She said she didn't like any of my friends. Ronon was scary and intimidating, which I get. He is a bit intimidating at first, but really, he's a big softy. She said Teyla's too…calm and serene? Whatever that means. McKay is obnoxious and her boss. I get that. He can be very obnoxious and it'd be a little weird to hang out with your annoying boss off the clock with your boyfriend. And there's you."

Nikki looked up at him and waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she prodded for more information. "What did she say about me?"

"She accused me of cheating on her with you. She said we're too close to just be friends and she didn't like it. I guess she felt threatened."

Nikki nodded, taking it in. "Well, that's understandable."

John looked down at her curiously, but waited for her to continue.

"Well, I am pretty intimidating. I mean, smart, funny, kick ass, beautiful…that's a lethal combination!"

John couldn't help the laugh that erupted from his chest. He hadn't been expecting that answer and it had actually helped ease his tension. He looked down at her with a smile he didn't think he'd be using for a while. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close.

"Thanks, Nikki."

"For what?"

"For kicking ass and…for being a good friend."

She smiled up at him as they continued towards the infirmary.

So, what did you think? For those of you who have read Triple Threat, the first version, I wanted to add in some moments where you can really see the relationship between two of the characters growing. For those who have read it, you will understand what that means. For those of you who haven't, I don't like spoilers, so...that doesn't give much away, haha! Next chapter should be up soon. I hope you continue to read! ^.^