Author's Note:This chapter contains a brief mention of violence against women. I have tried to keep it tame, but it is still there. It was necessary for the story. Also, I will be out of town from 6-20-10 to 6-27-10. I might be able to post, but I'm not sure. So, if you don't hear from this story for a week, you know what happened. Enjoy, review, and see you when I get home. ~lg
SGA SGA SGA SGA
They pushed her into a room of opulence. Decorated with draped red fabric, it resembled the palace of a Bedouin sheik. After placing her in the room, they dressed her in long wraps of gauzy red. The bed, which sat at the center, was covered in pure white while red rose petals floated from the fabric above it. She knew why they brought her here. But she couldn't fight them. They didn't release her enough to allow her to fight. Instead, they forced the horribly revealing clothing onto her body and placed bracelets around her wrists so that they jingled when she moved. Then, as a final touch, they covered her face with a barely-there veil.
The man that came after that clearly appreciated the finery around him. Dressed in an expensive tailored suit, he leered at her and headed her way. She tried to move back, tried to cover herself, but he still approached. Taking her head in his hands, he ripped the veil from her face and kissed her. Hard. She struggled with everything in her, knowing that this was only the beginning. If she didn't break free, she would find more heartbreak than she could face. But the man kept her face in his hands, and she couldn't move. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to stop what happened next.
Anna sat upright in bed, frantically pushing the covers from her body as she fought against the memories. Why would that one have to appear now? It had been three days since the last nightmare. Three blissful days of productive work and restful sleep. At first, she'd thought that her conversation with Ronon had done the trick. After all, someone else knew what it was like to have a past haunt him. Her peace, however, was short-lived.
As she reached full awareness, she understood why she remembered that incident. Just the day before, she overheard two coworkers discussing a relationship one was having with the leader of a Gate Team. She didn't hear enough to know which team or names, having entered the room too late. But she did hear enough to make her blush. No one on Atlantis needed to know that much about the woman's personal life. Anna had reflected that she hadn't blushed in a long time, and she tried to tune out the conversation. But the women weren't done. They went on to discuss every detail of the night, every word and action. By the time Anna left the room, she considered herself well-versed in what a passionate night should be.
As the sun rose, she dressed and headed out for her run. Major Lorne met her every morning now. Anna appreciated him more than he knew. For one, he allowed her to set the pace rather than slowing his pace for her. And he never asked questions. No matter how rough she appeared after a nightmare, he always just ran. That kind of companionship meant so much to her.
This morning was no different. Lorne waited for her, stretching and watching the sunrise. Anna tried to smile, knowing that any other woman would be thrilled to be in her shoes. She had heard them talking about Lorne when they thought no one listened. But the smile didn't quite make it to her lips, much less her eyes. She knew he saw, but he clamped down on his comment. Instead, he pointed to the path in front of him. "Ready?"
"Yes." Anna took the lead and set a pace that wasn't too easy for him but would not wear her out. As they ran, she mused that she didn't quite know what she would do when they were no longer able to run in the mornings.
SGA SGA SGA SGA
"Major." Sheppard's voice caught Lorne as he turned toward the gym.
"Sir?" He slowed his pace as his CO joined him.
"Remember Jeneb?"
"How could I forget?" Lorne grinned slightly. "You weren't here when I got back, and I had to try to track you down."
"Yeah. I remember." Sheppard rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, what do you remember about Jeneb?"
"Closed society." Lorne shrugged. "There really wasn't too much to know. Very much like the Athosians, just not as open to friendships from other worlds. Friendly and polite, though."
"Well, it seems they've stopped being friendly and polite."
Lorne stopped in the hallway. "And this concerns us how?"
"Teyla just heard from one of her contacts," Sheppard said. "They say that their town leader went to Jeneb to try to negotiate. It seems that Jeneb sent 'emissaries' through to this town, and those emissaries were less than courteous. Now, their leader is on Jeneb, and the town can't make contact with him."
"And you want me to check it out because I've been there before." Lorne finally put the pieces together. "Sir, I went to Jeneb years ago, and I stayed only long enough for them to say 'No, thank you' to our offer of trade."
Sheppard shrugged and resumed walking. "I just thought it would come better from a familiar face."
Lorne would have made a smart-aleck comment, but they passed one of the rooms Teyla used to meditate. As they did, music came pouring out and down the corridor. Mariachi music, to be more precise. Lorne and Sheppard both stopped and peered around the corner. Anna Travis sat on a low bench, her feet tucked under the flowing skirt of a golden yellow dress. Her fingers danced up and down the fret board of an acoustic guitar while a group of Athosians, Teyla included, listened appreciatively.
Lorne stared, caught off guard by this version of his running partner. Whenever Anna appeared in the mornings, she often looked tired and sad. Now, she was. . . . Beautiful was the only word that came to mind. The high necked dress left her shoulders and arms bare, and her hair flowed around them. Her suntanned skin offset her brown hair and dark eyes to perfection and made the dress seem even brighter. Lorne's surprise came from more than her appearance, however. She played the guitar as if she was the only person in the room. Her face had shed all of the exhaustion and sadness he'd seen since that day in the cave. For the first time in a very long time, attraction stirred in him.
Sheppard glanced at Lorne and buried a grin. The man stared as if he'd never seen a woman before. Not that he wasn't right to stare. Dr. Travis was clearly in her element, and she was a beautiful woman. Sheppard noticed that the moment he rounded the corner, but the expression on his second-in-command's face kept him from thinking about Anna any further than that. He'd never seen Lorne look so smitten.
Anna finished the song with a flourish, and the two men left the doorway before anyone noticed their presence. Sheppard waited, content to allow Lorne to break the silence. Watching the unflappable major work out the implications of his reaction amused Sheppard.
Finally, Lorne glanced at him. "You were saying, Sir?"
Sheppard allowed his grin to escape. Lorne wasn't usually so distracted. "I'd like you to head to Jeneb. First thing tomorrow. I would go, but. . . ."
"Understood, Sir." Lorne kept walking, but Sheppard went his own way. He knew the issue at Jeneb would be handled, and he was hungry. In the mess hall, he found Ronon and Rodney already eating at their normal table. He filled a tray and joined them, willing to let the two bicker like brothers.
Twenty minutes later, Teyla and Anna made their way into the mess hall. The two women laughed and chatted as they filled their trays and made their way to the table. Anna still wore that yellow dress, and Sheppard buried another grin as Ronon straightened suddenly. It seemed that Lorne had some competition. For her part, Anna appeared oblivious.
Teyla spoke before any of the men could say anything. "Dr. Travis is quite a skilled musician."
Anna blushed. "Not really. I've just been playing for a long time."
Sheppard decided to pretend oblivion. "Playing what?"
"Guitar, mostly." Anna picked up her fork and took a bite of the salad that had been served that day. "I like the classics and writing my own music."
Teyla's eyes grew round. "You wrote that music? I've never heard anything like it."
"Most of it." Anna glanced around the table and caught their expressions. "What did I do?"
Rodney decided to speak then. "Do? Nothing. Sheppard just doesn't know when to stop staring at beautiful women."
Sheppard wanted to strangle him. "What he means to say is that you look very nice tonight."
"Yeah," Ronon agreed. "How are you doing, by the way?"
Anna set down her fork, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation turned. "Fine."
Teyla rescued her. "What did you call that? Mari. . . . ?"
"Mariachi." Anna settled back in her chair. "It's from a country on Earth called Mexico. Most of the music has a romantic theme."
Ronon frowned. "Don't you have one of these guitars, Sheppard?"
"I do." John glanced around. "But I don't play like that." He motioned toward Anna.
"You don't play at all," Ronon replied.
Teyla ate a few bites. "You really should hear her play. It is quite impressive."
"Hmm, yes, I'm sure it is." McKay had just dismissed the subject entirely.
Ronon eyed Anna. "I'd like to hear it sometime."
"Maybe later." Anna fell silent after that, content to be present at the table while they talked about work. Sheppard watched her, seeing how she listened closely. He wanted to grin every time Ronon looked at her. He'd seen that expression on Lorne's face earlier that day. It would be fun to watch those two compete for the same woman.
SGA SGA SGA SGA
Light years away, a man stood at his window and looked out on his palace. He was almost ready. Here, on this planet so rich that the peasants didn't even understand what they had, he would build his empire. Here, he would base every thing he would accomplish in this galaxy. Civilizations would fall, and he would become their king. Their god. His eyes glowed with the perverse pleasure of it all.
~TBC~