I promise that I haven't lost track with the beginning of this story – all will make sense, just stick with me!

The newbie party was usually held in the main bar area, but since it was Summer Cat wanted to do something different. The South Pier was the perfect place, shaded from the brisker evening winds, and at night time the two moons shone almost directly above it. She loved the city so much that she wanted the new recruits to see its perfect beauty, just like a mother showing off her child. Harry Burt, the infamous Atlantis barman, had created a special newbie cocktail which ingredients he would not give up, but it packed quite a punch and had floored many an unsuspecting young marine. It was weird being the hostess, meeting and greeting her guests as though she was someone important, which she knew she was not, but it did give John the opportunity to socialise with all the new recruits, now that he no longer had to worry about the organisation.

She glanced in his direction. He was totally at ease with the social situation, a young female scientist hanging on his every word, fluttering her eyelashes at him in some vein hope that she might end up in his bed tonight. Not for the first time, Cat smiled to herself. She knew he enjoyed the attention, loving the ego massage despite his professed embarrassment at all the attention and was flashing his most charming smile at the young woman, but also knew that she would be the one with him tonight, a knowledge confirmed by his need to make regular eye contact with her throughout.

It was about half way through her evening when she saw the blonde nursery nurse heading in her direction, smilingly holding out his hand in greeting and thanking her for the 'lovely party'. It gave her the chance to have a closer look at him. He was quite tall and very thin, certainly over 6ft, and his blonde hair was parted at one side, the long fringe permanently flopping over his forehead and having to be swept back from his eyes, which were a piercing bright blue with the blondest eye-lashes she had ever seen. At first, she hadn't quite distinguished his accent, but she now recognised the unmistakeable transatlantic lilt of an English man who had long lived in America, the more clipped vowels occasionally stretching into a longer drawl. She guessed he was probably in his twenties.

'I just love working with babies and young children,' he was responding to her question about why he had chosen his career. 'I know that people find it strange and there aren't many men in my line of work, but it is something I've always wanted to do. When Stargate Command discovered that I had the ATA gene, I was recruited, very quickly as it happens, just three months ago.'

Cat listened intently as he continued with his story, finding herself strangely drawn to the unusual young man. There was something about him that drew her in and it wasn't until she heard a cough at her shoulder that she turned away from him to see her husband trying to attract her attention.

'So, Andrew,' he said, placing a proprietorial arm around her shoulder, 'what do you think of Atlantis so far?'

'I'm impressed, Colonel, and its inhabitants are so friendly!' At this the young man winked at Cat and wandered off to chat to one of the new scientists.

John grunted under his breath, and released his rather tight hold on her. 'Well, he seems very 'nice'', he said pointedly. 'You certainly appeared to be enjoying each other's company.'

Cat look sideways at her husband. True, the younger man had attracted her attention, but not in the way he suspected. However, she was vaguely irritated by his assumption and saw no reason to dissuade him, especially given the time he had spent flirting with the young female recruits. 'Yes, he is rather attractive, isn't he?' she said provocatively, and she left his side to talk to some more of her guests. She heard him huff from behind her and was aware that he had left her side, the familiar tight back showing his temper.

All in all, apart from a jealous husband and the slightly taught atmosphere between him and the nursery nurse, she though the evening had been a great success. A couple of the younger recruits had left early, having drunk too many of Harry's cocktails, but most seemed to enjoy themselves and Atlantis had never looked better. The city felt like an old friend who she wanted desperately to show off to everyone, and it had glistened green and gold in the fading light, the laughter of the guests mingling with the sound of the summer evening breeze whistling high above the pier through the maze of towers. However, back in their quarters, the air was a little less soft and balmy. She undressed for bed and joined John, who was curled up tightly with his back away from her, clearly still awake, but desperately pretending not to be. Had she been less tired or irritated with him, she might have closed the space between them, but she was both and she decided to let him stew in his juices for a while. He needed to learn to trust her. It wasn't much better in the morning either, he getting up quickly and heading off for his morning run, without a word. And, the next evening, he stayed out late with Rodney, playing with their remote control cars late into the night, before grumpily returning to bed in the early hours.

Over the next week, the tension between the couple did not abate. Cat, always stubborn and with a tendency to take offence far too readily, was not willing to disabuse John of what she saw as a slight on her character, and he allowed the seed of jealousy to grow irrationally. They still shared a bed, but that was about all they shared, and once again the other inhabitants of the city had to put up with the fall-out from his mood. Marines were placed on extra duties, off-world teams were berated for not reporting back on time and one of the younger recruits even ended up in the brig for drinking too much on his night off, normally the cause of a good-humoured ticking off from his CO. Rodney had taken to avoiding his friend when he saw him coming, knowing that, in this mood, John would be less than lenient with, what he knew to be, his unwittingly acerbic tongue. Even Ronon had begun to reschedule some of their practice sessions, having suffered a cut lip as John took out his mood on his best friend. All of Atlantis sighed and waited for the ruckus to be over, so that things could get back to normal.

Cat continued to visit Andrew in the nursery, taking time to find out more about him. He told her about his upbringing with a nice middle-class family in England, and that he had come to America when he was twenty one, wanting to broaden his horizons and explore more of The World, never imagining that he would end up in another galaxy. She even began to help out with some of the younger babies and began to enjoy it in a way she never had before. A couple of times, she caught John spying on them from the door of the nursery, which made her shuffle even closer to the younger man, just to provoke a reaction.

Matters came to a head on the eighth day after the party. Once again, they were lying in bed, his back set against her, wearing a t-shirt and jogging bottoms which was a sure sign that Colonel Sheppard was not pleased. She had just shut her eyes, though she doubted if she would get much sleep, when she found herself pinned down under her husband, his hazel eyes flashing with anger, her arms held firmly above her head.

For a moment he stared at her then he demanded loudly through gritted teeth, 'I need to know. What is going on between you and that nurse? What do you see in him? He's young enough to be your son. It's indecent the way you've been throwing yourself at him.' John paused, breathing hard in an attempt to hold back from hurting her, the emotion clear in his expressive eyes, tears just welling beneath the surface. 'I never saw you as the baby-snatching type. I mean, he barely shaves and he's such a boy.' At this he released her arms, and was about the get off her, not wanting to give away any more of the distress he was feeling.

Cat realised that it was time for the charade to stop. She could hold on to her feeling of righteous indignation in the face of his angry jealousy, but couldn't bear to see him so hurt. As soothingly as she could, she stroked his stubbly cheek and chin with the back of her hand. 'My darling! Why would I want a boy when I have such a man?' His eyes widened and he paused, undecided between staying and storming out of the room. She continued, attempting to hold eye-contact with him. 'Who else could make me feel so much like a woman? I am very lucky. You're everything I've always wanted and more. No-one else could make me feel like you do just by a single touch or a look across the room.' Cat could sense his shift in mood, as he began to breathe more heavily, his pupils starting to dilate. Oh yes, she had missed this and there was no way he was going to get away from her now. 'I have a husband who is man and boy all at the same time. Who can take me in his arms and hold me strongly, but also still be youthful enough in spirit to race remote control cars with his friends. Who is the best lover a woman could ever hope for,' (oh, yes he was certainly interested now!) 'and who is the most lusted after man in the whole of Atlantis.' As she spoke, she moved her hand across his chest and down his stomach, feeling his muscles quiver as she did. His breathing sped up and she could feel him shaking with the effort of maintaining control over himself, then in a sudden motion he wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly, and kissed her so passionately that she lost all sense of time or place. When they parted lips, she gazed into his eyes and, even though they were now smiling and heavy with lust, there was still a distant ache and the suggestion of a suppressed tear.

'You don't have to worry. You will never have to worry. There is no man for me other than you. I love you beyond words.' She could see him begin to relax, the eyes always so expressive now full of desire and want, and he kissed her again, running his hands across her breasts and down her body, showing how well he knew the places that gave her most pleasure. She, in turn, revelled in the smooth firmness of his back, keeping her touch just strong enough to avoid tickling him.

For a moment they paused. 'You mustn't ever feel jealous. You should know that I'd never betray you with another man and I'm sorry that I made you feel like this. I was so angry that you failed to trust me that I couldn't see how much I was hurting you, but you must promise never to doubt me again.' She needed to make him understand. He nodded his head and whispered 'I promise' huskily, before he continued with his caresses, and they fell together in a loving and passionate embrace, making up for all the lost hours they had spent coldly ignoring each other for the days previously. And if Colonel Sheppard and his wife looked a little tired the next day, nobody particularly minded because his lively smile was back on his face and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

***

Chief Maria Johnson, Head of Catering in the city and probably John Sheppard's greatest fan, was concerned. She always worked late, being a bit of a night owl, and virtually single handed set out the breakfast food which also meant that she was available for any of the resident insomniacs in the city who would frequently 'drop in' on the off chance that there might be some leftovers. In the old days, before he married, John was a regular visitor and she really missed his charming company. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was worrying her, everything seemed in place, and yet she had the distinct feeling that something had been moved. Carefully laid out on a 'special' tray was Colonel Sheppard's breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, and woe betide anyone who touched it. Even though she had finally admitted to herself that she would be now permanently reduced to gazing from afar, she swore that she would look after him until her dying day. I mean, he plain didn't eat enough, all too apparent in his skinny frame, and it was her mission to feed him up. She looked around the kitchens again, still frowning with the sense of something awry, finally turning off the lights and shutting the door behind her.

What she didn't see was the shadow that ducked behind the cupboards as she left.

***

SGA1 were off world, visiting a small planet on the outer edges of the Galaxy. It was one of those routine missions, information gathering and re-cementing friendly relations. Since the loose federation of planets had formed a couple of years ago, it had proved even more vital for them to maintain a high profile, reminding everyone that they were the friendly face of military protection. The truce with the Genii was holding, but there were always rogue elements fracturing from the edges and Laden's position was tenuous to say the least. Even so, everyone was surprised when the gate dialled early and the urgent request for a medical team came through. Woolsey had yet to get used to this part of his job. He remembered how difficult Colonel Carter had said it was, watching and waiting for the teams to return, and dreading this very message, uncertain which one of his friends and colleagues was injured. He ran down the steps from the balcony and anxiously waited as the team returned, shocked and surprised to see his Military Commander being carried in Ronon's arms. As he got closer, he noticed that the Colonel's skin was pallid and shiny with perspiration.

'What happened, Doctor?' he asked Mckay, whose mouth had set into the tight slit of concern that he reserved when those he cared about were in danger.

'I'm not sure. One minute he was fine, snarking about how slow I was walking, and the next he keeled over clutching his stomach, throwing up most of its contents. I mean, it must have been bad because he was complaining about the pain. Then, he just passed out and he's been like this ever since.' The worry was evident in Rodney's eyes. Of all the people on the base, John was his closest friend who kept him grounded with both his witty put downs and his devout loyalty.

Keller and her team were working on John, placing him carefully on the stretcher. Then all hell broke loose.

'He's stopped breathing. We have to get him to the infirmary now,' shouted Jennifer as she tried to get his heart going again. 'Come on, Colonel, don't do this to me.' The medical team rushed him from the gate room, followed by John's three closest friends and colleagues.

The call came through while Cat was working at her desk. 'Doctor Sheppard. Please come to the Infirmary immediately. It's Colonel Sheppard.' Every time he went off world, she dreaded hearing this message, and she felt her stomach do a somersault before she managed to pick herself up from the chair and run as fast as she could along the corridors. She had no idea what was wrong or what had happened, but knew it had to be serious. She hurtled into the ward, running straight into Ronon's large bulk.

'What's happened? Where's John?' she stammered.

'He's with Keller now,' replied Ronon, as calmly as he could, but she could hear the concern in his voice.

'What do you mean? How is he?' Cat could feel her self-control waver as tears of worry and fear began to fight their way to the surface.

Ronon explained what had happened on the planet, and how John had stopped breathing in the gate room. They knew nothing more; just that Keller was with him and had been for the last ten minutes. The world seemed to still uncannily, her body numb from shock and tension, Ronon holding her gently in his arms. She could feel her legs shaking, but they felt like someone else's and she heard a sob which she thought must have been hers. How long they waited, she couldn't have said, but finally Jennifer was walking towards her, a concerned look on her face.

'Well, he's critical but stable,' she said. 'His heart stopped for several minutes and his breathing is being assisted by a ventilator, but he is alive.' She looked sympathetically at Cat. 'We don't know what caused him to crash, or brought on the violent stomach cramps and vomiting and I have taken several blood tests, but his symptoms are typical of some kind of poisoning. We'll know more after the test results and then we can begin to treat him. Until then, the best I can do is keep him comfortable and maintain round the clock obs. You can come in and see him if you want.'

Ronon guided Cat to the bed. She could hardly bear to look at the lifeless form that should be John. He was so still, flat out on the bed with a small sheet covering his middle. His skin was a deathly pale but with livid blotches showing just beneath the surface, and his body was covered in a fine film of perspiration; even in a comatose state, he was visibly shaking with tiny vibrations across his body. The ventilator forced air into his lungs giving his chest an unnatural shape as it filled them. She pushed Ronon back, sitting on the chair next to the bed, and put her hands on her husband's strong arm, stroking him with gentle movements and then she rested her head on her hands. This could not be happening. She didn't understand. The monitors bleeped to the rhythm of his heart beat, giving her some comfort. Ronon, Teyla and Rodney withdrew only to the edge of the curtains and looked on helplessly as their friend and team leader struggled for his life.

TBC

Please R & R. Constructive criticism always welcome.