A/N: Thanks go out to Whirlwind421 for her assistance with naming the staff psychologist and ladygris for helping with other OC names as well as her Beta assistance and friendship.

~ Sandy

Threads II

Loose Ends

Part 4

With a weary sigh, Amanda pulled the surgical scrub top off over her head and tossed it to the floor even before her door had completely closed, not caring who might see. Her shoes, socks and pants came next with her bra and panties the final barriers between her skin and a hot shower.

Captain Martin had needed emergency surgery though it hadn't taken long to find the problem. His vitals had finally stabilized and Jennifer had sent her to get some sleep. She'd tried to argue with her friend and superior, but it only made sense for Jennifer to stay and keep an eye on their patient. Amanda, Marie and Isabelle were heading out on a medical mission the next day with Team Lorne as their escort and she needed a good night's sleep.

Amanda put on her pajamas, towel drying her hair as she went into the bedroom to sit on the side of the bed. Photos looked out at her from the wall, desk and bedside table as she combed her hair. One in particular disconcerted her. It was taken on the Stanford campus in the spring of John's junior year, her senior year. The sun was shining bright, the grass was green and flowers bloomed. She was sitting between John and a guy with long blonde hair whose name she couldn't remember. Their backs to the camera, the rest of their study group completed the circle. John was facing into the camera as was she and the unknown blonde, a shit-eating grin on his face. The woman with long dark hair in a ponytail seated on his other side was smiling as well, but she was looking at John.

Amanda and John's ex-wife had been college roommates until Amanda had gone off to Johns Hopkins. A year later she'd gotten an invitation to Nancy and John's wedding, but wasn't able to attend due to her class schedule. John had joined the Air Force shortly after the wedding and their divorce came along a few years later.

Picking up the photo, Amanda stuck her tongue out at him. "Why I put up with a pain in the ass like you all these years, I have no idea. Oh, yeah. I love you. Guess I always have." She set the photo back on the table and crossed her arms. "Stop looking at me like that, Sheppard. I only figured it out a couple of weeks ago." With a growl, she shoved the photo into the drawer and slammed it shut.

Crawling under the covers, she punched her pillow into submission, hugged the extra one to her and closed her eyes.

~~O~~

Madelena shivered and cuddled closer to Peter as he pulled the covers up over both of them to block out the slight chill of the room as it brushed over their heated skin. He felt her smile against his shoulder and pulled her closer.

"I did not plan for this to happen when I offered to help you back to your room. But I am so glad it did, Peter."

Peter kissed her on the forehead. It fits into my plans quite nicely. He just held her without speaking hoping she'd go to sleep. Sex with her was good but not great and though he was more than happy to be sleeping with a woman that even Sheppard hadn't been able to get, he had much higher standards than a cosmologist/mechanical engineer from Munich. To start with, she was a little too skinny for his tastes. Moving the hand on her waist up and down, he felt the lower curve of her ribcage. He liked his women a little more zaftig, and preferred redheads to blondes though from what he'd seen, she wasn't a natural blonde anyway.

Her soft snores started a short time later interrupting his plotting and planning. The next step in his scheme was to let it slip to that strange little woman that he and Madelena had spent the night together. With her on point, it wouldn't take long for the story to get around the city and back to Sheppard. He scooted around to get more comfortable, switched out the light and went to sleep with a big smile as he imagined the look on Sheppard's face when he heard the news.

~~O~~

After spending nearly twenty-four straight hours in the Infirmary, Jennifer took a break to get something to eat and some real sleep instead of the catnaps she'd taken while Captain Martin was in recovery. Although she was more tired than she'd been in weeks, she just couldn't go to sleep.

Tossing off the covers, she shoved her feet into sneakers and left her quarters. Sometimes when she couldn't sleep because Rodney was away on a mission and she was missing and worrying about him, she'd just start walking without any real direction or destination. When she stopped walking, she found herself in front of the staff psychologist's office. Though she doubted that Dr. Arnett would be here at this time of night, she announced herself anyway.

The door slid open and a smiling face surrounded by short dark hair that came just to the bottom of her earlobes greeted her. Bright green eyes took in Jennifer's apprehensiveness and immediately drew her inside.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, Dr. Arnett." Jennifer sat down in the comfy armchair and tried to relax. "I need to talk to someone."

"You're in luck because I just happen to be a professional listener. And call me Sydney. How can I help?"

"Well, I…something happened during this latest emergency with Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay. It has me…disturbed. I'm having trouble sleeping and that's not the worst of it. Every time Rodney touches me I can't help but freeze up. I've pushed him away so many times that he thinks I don't want to be with him anymore." She huffed at herself. "I love him and nothing will ever change that. It's just that…" Sydney handed her a box of tissues just as the first teardrop fell. "I've never been afraid of him before."

"Want to tell me about it?"

Shrugging, Jennifer stood up and went to the window. Both moons were in the sky and she thought about all the nights she and Rodney had spent sitting on the balcony not talking, just being together and watching the moons shine on the water. "I do, yes but…I haven't told anyone, not a soul. I can't even put it in my report."

"Once you've told someone, it should be easier to tell Dr. McKay. If not me, then someone you trust, a friend or mentor."

With a headshake, Jennifer resumed her seat. "Right now it's more like a nightmare and verbalizing what happened would make it more real somehow. He doesn't remember doing what he did and I know he wasn't in control of himself, but if I were to tell him, he'd be afraid of it happening again. He wouldn't want to put me in danger so he'd leave me and probably Atlantis as well."

Sydney was quiet for a while, just long enough that Jennifer jumped when the psychologist shifted in her seat, tucking one leg under the other knee. "What do you think is happening now, with you keeping this from him?"

A tear created a thin trail of moisture on her cheek. She brushed it away with a soggy laugh. "It's already happened."

"Oh?"

"He told me to stop playing games and just tell him if I don't want to be with him anymore. It sounded like a break-up."

"And do you?"

Now Jennifer was angry, more so than the situation warranted. "Of course I want to be with him. I love him!"

Dropping both feet to the floor again, Sydney leaned forward. "I know that and you know that. But when was the last time you told him?"

~~O~~

The next morning, after a long and mostly sleepless night, John came to a stop in front of Amanda's door, pausing a moment before touching the chime. This is forever, John. No take backs. No do-overs.

The door opened on the medical doctor tucking her black mission uniform shirt into the waistband of her slacks. Her face creased in irritation when she saw who it was. "What the hell do you want?"

"To talk to you." When he heard footsteps he entered the room so the door would close and they'd have some privacy.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you." She continued to move about the room gathering clothing and personal items into a backpack. "Please leave."

"But…"

Amanda turned to face him, one hand on her hip, the other slicing through the air to cut him off. "No. No buts, John. I knew this was a mistake, but I went ahead and followed my heart instead of my head. Every time I've done that it's ended in disaster and this was the worst because, in spite of everything you've done to push me away, I really do love you."

Crossing his arms rebelliously, John tried to think of a good response. "Not every time." Oh, great comeback, John.

As she zipped up her TAC vest, she said a series of words that he hadn't heard put together in that way in years. He tried to appear shocked, but was actually very impressed.

"Need I remind you of Derek, Ronnie and Sean? And let's not forget Brody the stalker." Slinging the backpack over one shoulder, she left her room hoping he'd give up and go away. But it wasn't to be. He followed her to the transporter and jumped in just as she tapped the screen for the Infirmary.

~~O~~

Clamping the stylus between his teeth, Dominic Li walked to the other side of the lab and touched what looked like a keypad on the piece of alien tech he'd been assigned to evaluate. He bobbed his head in time to the music coming from the boom box on the table next to the door.

At first he'd been annoyed with Dr. McKay because this lab was on a lower level away from almost everything and everyone. But now he rather enjoyed working down here alone. He didn't have to worry about someone getting in his way while he paced and he could play his music as loud as he wanted. Which is why he jumped when the music abruptly stopped.

"Hey! Didn't expect to see you today."

Madelena smirked as she walked towards him. "I am…what do you call it? Slumming?"

He laughed as he set aside his tablet and crossed his arms casually. "Slumming is right. You…" The grin on his face changed to astonishment as he watched her looking everywhere but at him. "Oh, Maddie, you got some last night, didn't you?"

She didn't say anything though her cheeks pinked.

Dom pulled out a chair and sat down, his face eager. "Okay, girl. Spill. I wanna hear everything. Every teeny-tiny detail."

"Ah…" Madelena rubbed her hands nervously down the sides of her pants. "I…It wasn't…"

Gasping, he leaned back in his chair. "You didn't…with, uh…?" Shaking her head, the blush deepened even more. "Then who…"

"Uh…" The lab door whooshed open before she could answer. "Oh! Pe-Dr. Kavanagh. We didn't expect to see you here today."

"Yeah, well, I like to keep my staff on their toes." Peter Kavanagh was carrying a tablet, his eyes glued to the screen. "How are you today, Dr. Weissmuller?"

"Good." Madelena was nervous. She'd hoped to put off the awkward morning-after meeting until much later, after she'd had coffee. "And you?"

Peter shrugged. "A little tired." He went to the back of the room absorbed in his work and totally ignoring the byplay behind him.

Dom widened his eyes and hooked a thumb over his shoulder. She responded with a shrug.

"Yes, Dr. Li, Madelena and I spent the night together last night." He turned to face both of the scientists who were watching him with mouths hanging open. "Are we gonna do it again? We'll see. For now, just get to work. The SGC doesn't pay us to stand around gossiping about who is having sex with whom."

~~O~~

Amanda was moving so fast John had to increase his speed to keep up. "We should be together."

An irritated laugh stopped him in his tracks for a moment as she abruptly turned to face him. He'd seen that look in her eyes before didn't like it. The first time he hadn't known what it meant, but that was almost twenty years ago and he'd learned the folly of ignoring it. He backed up a step, his hands automatically coming up in preparation of defending himself. It turned out not to be necessary and he relaxed when she resumed her path to the Infirmary.

"There is no we, John." She waved her hand to illustrate. "There's you and there's me but that doesn't make us a we." Several medical cases were stacked on one of the exam tables. She stopped to give them a quick check then shrugged the straps of the backpack over her shoulders. Obviously annoyed that he still hadn't gotten the message, she put a hand up to stop him from responding. "I have to go. The others are waiting for me."

John stepped in front of her, arms crossed obstinately. "You're not leaving until this is settled."

"Argh! I don't have time for this! There's a village on M27-993 in the midst of an outbreak of a flu-like illness. Mr. Woolsey, after a marathon begging session, has authorized a medical team to go and it's my turn. We'll be gone for about three days, maybe more. Do us both a favor and don't be here when I get back." Amanda grabbed her medical cases, ignoring his attempt to help her carry them as she exited the Infirmary with quick purposeful steps.

~~O~~

Peter had his eyes on his tablet, face scrunched in concentration though inside he was dancing with something akin to glee. Next to that creepy Estelle Monroe, Dr. Li was the biggest gossip on the base. He would tell the members of the poker club they'd never invited him to join and the news that he and Weissmuller had spent the night together would be all over the place before dinner. And Sheppard can't do a damned thing about it!

~~O~~

Something Amanda said struck a chord in John carrying with it a memory. He closed his eyes to try to bring it into focus. It was one of the dreams he had while in the coma, kicked up now by his churning emotions. In this particular dream Amanda had been culled and fed on by the Wraith while on a mercy mission just like the one she was going on today.

His subconscious taking control of his body, John set off at a run for the transporter, appearing in Operations just as the wormhole shut down. His heavy breathing fueled more by adrenaline than exertion he called to Chuck. "Dial M27-993! Now!"

The Canadian opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before obeying the order. By the time the third chevron had engaged, Woolsey was out of his office and crossing the bridge.

"Stop, Chuck! Colonel, what's going on?"

"I need to go on the mission." John paced three steps in one direction, turned and made the return trip.

"Lorne and his team are perfectly capable of protecting Dr. Cole and the nurses."

"I know."

"Then why do you need to go?"

"I just really need to be on this mission," John said haltingly as he watched Woolsey's eyes waiting for the surrender that never came. "Why don't I just stay here and wait with everyone else?"

Nodding to Chuck to shut down the dialing sequence, Woolsey returned to his office.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" Chuck voiced the concern he and his co-workers had for their CO.

John shrugged evasively. "They're due to check in when?"

"Every six, sir."

Under his breath, John swore. "I'll be here ten minutes before each check-in." With a grunt, he headed for his quarters to change needing to keep his mind off the fact that Amanda would be away from Atlantis and away from his protection for at least seventy-two hours. A good long run ought to do the trick.

~~O~~

Two days and fourteen hours later, John was in the Mess Hall trying to eat and wasn't having much success. Amanda, her staff and escorts were two hours overdue for their most recent check-in which could have been caused by any number of factors, many of them benign. It was the not-so-benign factors that had him worried. And his mind just kept replaying the dream where she'd been culled over and over.

He wouldn't be doing Amanda or anyone else any favors by not keeping up his strength so he took a long drink of the blue stuff he'd gotten hooked on while ill. After belching, he picked up his sandwich and took a huge bite chewing mechanically not really tasting the food.

"Colonel Sheppard to the Control Room immediately! Colonel Sheppard!"

~~O~~

John took the steps into Operations in one bound. Woolsey was standing in front of Chuck's workstation, both hands on the edge of the console, a grave expression pinching his lined face. "Colonel, it seems your suspicions concerning this mission were more than just flights of the imagination. Major Lorne has just informed us that Dr. Cole has been kidnapped."

TBC