Disclaimers: I do not own these characters; this is written for fun, I make no money etc.
Spoilers:general Season 1
A/N:Even if they think they know what is going on, how are they going to fix things? Thanks to everyone reading and leaving the nice feedback.
Chapter Four
Kate spotted John at a crossroad in the corridors, and called out to him. "Major Sheppard? Can I speak to you for a moment?"
John stopped in his tracks, and smiled cautiously at her. "Sure, Doc. What can I do for you?" His face took on an anxious look.
Kate saw his reaction to her, and knew her hunch could well be right. John Sheppard was not usually so easy to read.
"Don't worry, Major. I just thought it might be good for us to get together and discuss what happened on the mainland. Why don't you come over to my office after lunch?"
John began to look distinctly uneasy. "Uh, sure. Fine. I'll do that."
Kate was more than worried now. Given John's reaction, waiting might not be such a good idea. "Actually, Major, I wonder if it might be wise to get started right away. Why don't we get some lunch to take with us and go over there now?"
Unlike Rodney, John rarely spent time in her office, and when he did he wasn't unhappy to be there, whereas Rodney tended to bemoan the fact, even though it was often at his own behest. Rodney could vent his own feelings, and more, in great detail, but John had never let her past the first layer. She had a feeling this was going to be an interesting session.
John looked confused. "You know what, Doc, that might be a good idea."
As they went to the counters in the mess hall, John's nervousness and focus on Kate's company drew a few looks. Kate tried her best to be reassuring, brightly enquiring about how his arm was healing, and praising Aiden's handling of the situation. John continued to be distracted, and Kate was glad when they finally got to her office.
They sat opposite each other, trays in front of them, and John gripped his cup tightly, leaning forward towards her.
"I don't usually get so freaked out when a mission goes wrong," he said quietly, looking down into his drink.
"Rodney was seriously injured, and Charin will take time to recover. I think your reaction is understandable," Kate said plainly, waiting for a way to air her concerns.
John frowned. "Yeah, well, I guess. But… I feel… a little out of control, might be the best way to describe it. And it seems to be getting worse."
"Are you saying you don't feel like yourself?"
John nodded slowly, concentrating on his cup again. "Yeah. It does feel like that. I've done some… crazy things in the last couple of days that I'd never think I would do." He looked up at her, smirking. "I must be pretty freaked out."
Kate smiled at him, she couldn't help it. But really, it was far from a laughing matter. "What kind of things, John?"
He looked out the window. He paused, as if contemplating whether to admit it. Then he gave a short, hollow laugh. "Actually, I feel like hitting on Elizabeth." He turned, and stared at her. "What's that about?"
"And you wouldn't have done that a few weeks ago?"
"Don't get me wrong, Doc. Dr Weir is a great woman. Smart, and pretty. When we first met, I wondered if maybe she was attracted to me, even. But we were always meant to be just friends, believe me."
Kate nodded. "Go on."
"These past couple of days, it's like I can't help myself. She looks amazing. Every time I see her I want to… I dunno, kiss her or something. It's really weird." He looked a little worried, but then grinned. "But hey, why not?"
Kate shut her eyes, trying to focus on what to say. How much to say.
"Major Sheppard. John. I have a theory. I want you to listen to me, and tell me if you think I might be right. It has to do with Charin's staff, Rodney's condition, and how you've been feeling."
"The staff?"
"Yes. I believe you also have been affected by activating the staff, and not just the injury to your arm. Does it seem possible that you have been affected emotionally?"
John took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That would explain a few things. But why? And how?"
"I also believe that the emotions you are feeling are somehow Rodney's feelings."
John's eyes widened in shock and surprise.
"Do you think his emotions have been transferred to you, John?"
John rubbed his face, and stared out the window. "That's some theory, Doc."
"Yes it is. How do you feel about it?"
He shrugged. "Rodney always kept pretty tight-lipped about how he feels about Elizabeth. But he's easy to see through. And I wouldn't like to live like this permanently, that's for sure, with his emotions. Everyone is annoying me, except her. I think I could go nuts."
Kate smiled. "I hope we can do something about it. Dr Zelenka, Dr Beckett and I will do what we can. I wish we knew more about what we are dealing with, so I could give you some answers."
John's face hardened in determination. "Yeah, well, I know someone who might know what we're dealing with."
"Who?"
"Charin. I'm going to see her right now."
Kate reached out a restraining hand. "I'll go and get Dr Zelenka, and we will all go and see her. When she wakes up, we can ask her what she knows."
John nodded. "And Elizabeth. Elizabeth should be there."
Kate felt fear as she heard his anxious tone. They needed to do something, or Rodney might not be the only serious casualty. "Yes, John, we'll ask Elizabeth."
0o0o0
The old woman moaned slightly, and turned her head. By Charin's bed, Teyla sat upright, and took the frail hand in hers.
"Charin? Can you hear me?" Teyla leaned forward expectantly, gently squeezing the old woman's hand.
Charin's eyes fluttered open, and she took a deep waking breath. "Teyla." She smiled. "Thank you for staying with me."
"It is the least I can do. Do you remember what happened? You were hurt."
Charin shook her head. "Just a small wound. Dr Beckett healed me well." She blinked, and her voice grew serious. "How is Dr McKay?"
At that moment, John appeared, his head around the curtain, his eyes narrowed.
"Charin. Dr McKay isn't waking up. Now we don't know of a reason why that is. We were hoping you might know."
Teyla frowned at John, but found herself horrified to see Charin nodding her head. "Charin?"
John sat down next to Teyla, leaning forward expectantly.
"I didn't know anyone would be hurt. I just wanted to see if it still worked." She looked away.
Sheppard's eyes were bulging, and he began to stand up. "You knew?"
Charin shook her head, and Teyla held out a placating arm towards John. "Let her speak, Major Sheppard."
Seething, John sat back a little, staring at the old woman.
Charin pushed herself into a sitting position, with Teyla's help. Once she was comfortable, she looked hard at John. "I don't know anything with any certainty, Major. I fear even now I can be of no help to Dr McKay. But to say I know nothing would be a lie."
"Then you better 'fess up, lady," John growled.
Teyla interjected, "Wait! Perhaps Dr Zelenka needs to hear this!"
John jerked his thumb towards the curtain. "Don't worry, he's here. So is Kate Heightmeyer and Elizabeth. We thought you might have something to tell us all, Charin."
"Let them come here." The old woman bowed her head. "I should not have let you use it," she sighed.
John got up and drew back the curtain, beckoning a waiting Kate and the others. He then sat back down, and pulled his chair a little closer. "What did the staff do, Charin?"
Teyla helped Charin adjust her cushions, as Kate, Radek, Carson and Elizabeth settled themselves, standing near her bed.
Charin looked around at them all, and began her story. "My mother was known as a Counsellor. People would go to her when they were saddened or upset. Perhaps when something had happened to them that left them in distress. Sometimes she would see families together. I did not understand it when I was small. I just knew that sad people came to her, and they left happier."
Elizabeth exchanged a look with Kate, who smiled, and shrugged.
"After she had died, my father gave me the staff. I did not know what it did, and he never told me. But one of my uncles told me about it once, but I do not know if he told me the truth. I never really believed much of what he said, but perhaps in this he was correct."
"What did he say?" John asked impatiently.
Charin took a sip of water offered to her by Teyla before continuing. "My uncle told me that my mother had a gift for feelings. She could command them, control them, change them. It was considered special, but some were afraid of it. He told me that the staff would draw harmful emotions from a person, and my mother would take them into herself, where she would destroy them. It does not make sense. My uncle told me that my mother died because of the strain it brought upon her, and that is why my father did not wish me to know about the staff."
Teyla held Charin's hand. "I did not know your mother was not taken by the Wraith. Did your father think you had the gift? You seem like a Counsellor to me, even without the staff."
Charin smiled. "We will never know, my child. My uncle told me that they thought it was a Wraith device, sucking emotion from you. Most people were afraid."
Zelenka muttered, "It did not seem Wraith-like in any way. It was an Ancient device."
Teyla held Charin's hand, and said gently, "How did your mother come to have an Ancient device, Charin?"
The old woman looked away, but Teyla felt the grip on her hand strengthen. "My uncle once said something else, something I tried to forget. He said that she was not my mother at all. Perhaps... perhaps she was not. I did not even see her when she died. My father told me she was gone, and I never saw her again. Now I do not know what to think, and I do not want to think about it."
Teyla took a deep breath. "Oh, Charin." The mystery surrounding Charin's mother was more than just about an old staff.
John clenched his fists. "But what do we do now, Charin?" he asked, exasperated. "How do we get Rodney back? And how do I get Rodney's emotions out of me?"
Elizabeth, Teyla and Carson's mouths dropped open. This was the first time they had heard this theory, and they were stunned.
"What?" cried Elizabeth.
"Yeah, that's right," John answered. "That staff sucked emotions out of Rodney and dumped them in me. And I want them out."
Charin was clearly upset. "I am sorry, Major. I never thought it would happen. If what you say is true, then you must control those emotions for Dr McKay."
"What?" sputtered John.
"The staff drew them from Dr McKay because they were distressing him in some way. That is why they have been transferred to you. You must destroy them."
Radek stepped forward. "No, wait, that is not right."
Everyone turned to look at him.
He blinked, adjusting his glasses. "We have been translating the carvings and symbols on the staff. There is definitely a removal and a replacing that is described. That must mean the emotions. They are removed, but then they are put back." He shook his head. "I am sorry, I do not know how, or why. Yet."
Charin looked thoughtful. "I do not think my uncle knew everything about the staff. What he said always seemed half-truth. I wonder if my... mother... used the staff to feel the emotions of the other person, then was able to put them back."
Kate had been listening carefully, but said in frustration, "We still don't know what the staff did or how we can help Rodney or John."
"Maybe we do," said Carson quietly. "Kate, does that not sound much as you would help someone? Draw out their feelings, see things in a different way, then send them away with a clearer mind?"
Kate smiled wryly. "You flatter me, Carson. In an ideal world, yes."
"Maybe that's what the staff did. It created the perfect Counsellor. All we need to do is sort out what John's got inside him, and find a way to put it back in Rodney."
John shook his head, "Ain't gonna happen, Doc."
Zelenka wagged a thoughtful finger. "Actually, Major, one inscription may hold the key. We may not need the staff to return the emotions. All we might need is the fragments of crystal. They could still work, even though they are broken."
John sighed. "I wasn't thinking about the staff," he muttered quietly.
Elizabeth clapped her hands. "All right. Let's get to work. Dr Zelenka, I believe you can complete the work on the translations, and prepare the crystals, but let me know if your team needs my help. Kate, you work with the Major on those emotions, whatever they are. Everyone report to me in… say, two hours?"
Radek and Kate nodded. John put his head in his hands.
As they left the infirmary, John pulled Kate to one side. "Listen. You know as well as I do exactly which emotions I got dumped with. How are we supposed to resolve it?"
Kate smiled sweetly. "As soon as we get to my office, I'm going to ask Elizabeth to join us."
"Oh, great. I can't wait." He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.
TBC
