Chapter 4 - New Enemies

"You're Izzy, right? The new girl?"

Izzy glanced up from where she was taking her shin guards and cleats off after practice. Two of her teammates were standing in front of her. Maggie and Bridget if she remembered correctly.

Maggie had fair skin, green eyes, and black hair. She stood at about the same height as Izzy at 5 feet six inches.

Bridget was tan but had strawberry blonde hair. They were inseparable, it seemed, as Izzy had a few classes with them.

"Yeah, hi." She said nervously, stuffing her shoes into her bag.

"I'm Maggie, this is Bridget." The black haired girl said.

"Nice to meet you guys." Izzy said with a genuine smile. She had a hard time making friends so far and was hopeful that she could be friends with them.

"We just wanted to tell you that you can come to us if you need any help at all." Bridget said.

"Thanks," Izzy smiled, standing from the bench.

"You're in our pre-calc class, right?" Maggie asked, walking next to Izzy towards the parking lot to meet their rides back home.

"Yeah." Izzy said.

"Are you in eleventh grade?" Maggie inquired.

Izzy laughed a bit. "No, tenth."

"Wow, you must be super smart." Maggie commented.

Izzy shrugged. "My dad is kind of a math geek so I guess I just take after him."

Bridget smiled and nudged Maggie. "I think we're gonna have to ask her for help, not the other way around."

Izzy smiled as they laughed. "Probably not. But we can help each other because so far it's pretty much torture."

"Oh my gosh I know. And our teacher doesn't help. He looks like Harry Potter and Shrek made a baby, just not the same shade of green."

The three of them laughed. Izzy shook her head at the mental picture. That was something she wouldn't be able to get out of her mind for a while.

"At least he doesn't smell bad like Mr. Parsons." Bridget said.

"Like does he shower? He always smells like sweat and mothballs." Izzy commented.

Maggie's started laughing so hard that she snorted, which set the three of them off laughing even harder.

"I like this girl, Mags." Bridget said, looping her arm with Izzy's.

Izzy smiled. "Well hey. I see my dad so I'll see you in pre-calc tomorrow."

"Where's your dad?" Maggie asked.

Izzy gestured towards their black SUV and the man with messy hair leaning against the hood with a small smirk on his face. She returned the small wave that her father gave her.

"That's your dad?" Bridget stage-whispered.

"Yeah." Izzy said, confused at her new friends' behavior.

Maggie glanced a Bridget and then at Izzy. "He's like, really hot."

"I thought you said he was a math geek." Bridget commented.

"Oh, he is." Izzy rolled her eyes. "See you tomorrow."

Izzy walked to her father and handed him her bags when he held out his hand for them.

They got into the car wordlessly. John didn't speak until they were comfortably heading away from the school.

"So what was that about?" He asked.

"Maggie and Bridget." Izzy said. "They're just funny."

"They were staring at us until we pulled away." John stated.

"Yeah, they think you're hot." Izzy giggled.

John furrowed his eyebrows.

"No worries, Dad. Most girls think that most men are attractive." Izzy shrugged. "Part of the hormones I think."

John's frown deepened.

Izzy glanced at his expression and smirked.

"I think you're gonna have to get used to it."

Izzy woke the next morning and immediately knew it wasn't going to be a good day. Her stomach was in knots and she felt anxious to the point of not wanting to get out of bed.

The only time she could remember feeling something comparable to what she was currently feeling was the first day at her new school. And even that wasn't as half as bad as in that moment.

Plus, it was a Saturday. She should be happy.

The weather reflected her mood perfectly as the normally sunny San Francisco was covered in a blanket of gray clouds and large droplets falling from the sky.

After glancing at the clock, she saw that she only had thirty minutes before she left with John to go to Atlantis for the weekend. She sighed and changed into her weekend wear, grabbing her favorite hoodie from her closet on her way out the door.

John was waiting in the kitchen with a thermos of tea for her and coffee for him.

"Morning." John said, grabbing a granola bar from the pantry.

Izzy gave a half-assed wave in response. Neither of them were morning people and it usually took at least thirty minutes before either started talking to the other, and it worked for them.

Izzy tied her shoes and handed John her bag when he held out his hand for it.

"Got everything?" He asked.

Izzy nodded in response.

Once they had gotten to Atlantis, John was swept away to meetings and Izzy wandered to find a quiet place to do her homework.

"Izzy?"

Izzy turned at the sound of her name.

"Landon?" Izzy asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Reassignment." He said. "I got moved back to Atlantis."

Izzy paused, her emotions at war with each other.

"What about your family?" She asked. They were the reason he had left Atlantis the first time almost a year ago.

Landon shook his head. "They... " Landon cleared his throat and blinked furiously, trying in vain to keep the tears at bay. "Drunk driver hit my aunt and uncle. Harper and I are living in an apartment not too far from the Warehouse."

Izzy's eyes widened and tears came forward instantly.

His parents, and his aunt and uncle - the people who had stepped into his life in a parent role - all were gone.

At least she had her father. Landon had no one.

He looked tired. Izzy noticed it as soon as she saw him. It had taken a strong toll on him and she sensed it immediately. The circles under his eyes were dark and his forehead had lines permanently imprinted from worry and grief.

Izzy didn't say anything. She didn't have to. She knew what loss felt like.

She stepped forward and hugged him, placing her ear over his heart.

"How long ago?" Izzy asked.

Landon sniffed. "Two weeks."

They stood like that for what seemed like minutes but could have been hours.

Landon was the first to pull away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to weep all over you."

Izzy shook her head. "You don't have to apologize."

She opened her mouth to speak but the sound of her radio cut it off.

"Izzy come in." John said.

Izzy sighed. "Go ahead."

"Meet me in my office."

"Be right there."

Izzy stuffed her radio in her back pocket and opened her mouth to talk, hesitating.

Landon shook his head. "Go."

Izzy hesitated.

"Go." He repeated. "We'll catch up later."

Izzy walked away and entered her father's office, letting the door slide shut behind them.

"So Landon is back." Izzy said, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

John looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face as if something dawned on him. "Oh yeah." he said. "I forgot to tell you."

Izzy rolled her eyes.

"Did you know his family died?" Izzy asked quietly, wiping at her eyes inconspicuously.

John paused, shuffling the papers on his desk. "I'd heard that too."

John glanced up at his daughter. She was twirling one of the ends of her hair around her finger and staring into space.

"You okay?" He asked.

Izzy's eyes snapped to his and nodded.

"Good, because I have to go off-world." John said.

"'Kay." She said.

John studied her closely. She seemed distracted and unfazed by him leaving. Part of him was hoping that she would be fine with it but the other part of him was confused at her lack of a reaction. Sure, she had been engulfed in this way of life for almost two years but she still didn't like it when he left. And he didn't like leaving.

"I'm not sure how long we'll be gone yet, but Carson is gonna look after you. You'll stay here for the weekend and if I'm not back by Sunday night he's gonna take you to school Monday morning."

Izzy nodded.

"When do you leave?" She asked.

John glanced at his watch.

"Now, ish." He said, standing from his desk.

Sure, she didn't like it when he left.. especially for multiple days at a time, but she was used to it by now. Not that she ever thought she would be fully used to it, she at least accepted it.

Izzy walked with him to the armory, hugged him when he left, and told him that she loved him before he stepped through the blue.

A day and a half passed without much excitement. It was Sunday night when they dialed back in. Izzy was in the library sleeping when they dialed in and only woke when one of the nurses hovered over her.

"Izzy." She whispered, shaking her shoulder gently.

"Hmm." Izzy said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"The teams are back." She said.

Izzy scrambled off the couch and left for the direction of the infirmary, knowing they would be there for their post-mission blood work.

"Wait." The nurse said.

Izzy turned.

"Dr. Beckett wants to talk to you when you get there." She said.

Izzy's breath caught in her throat. She knew it wasn't going to be good news.

She entered the infirmary and immediately felt the tense atmosphere. Ronon was sitting on a nearby infirmary bed, one of the nurses taking blood from his arm. He was surprisingly not protesting and was sitting there quietly, letting the medical staff do whatever they needed.

Ronon caught her eye. She almost took a step back at the look she saw in his eyes as she couldn't quite interpret it. He wasn't angry. If anything he was scared… scared of what she didn't know, but if it made Ronon that unsettled then she probably didn't want to find out.

"Carson?" Izzy asked, looking around for him.

Dr. Beckett appeared from around the corner. His eyes seemed bluer than normal and he was pale and wide-eyed.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the infirmary.

"Carson what is it?" Izzy asked.

"Not here." He said gently.

Izzy let Carson lead her in silence until he led her to a quiet balcony. Izzy didn't like where this was going at all, and she was beginning to fear that something had happened to John.

Carson sat on a bench and Izzy took a seat next to him.

"Something happened on the mission." Carson said, gazing over the ocean at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Izzy's eyes widened. She wiped her sweaty palms over her pants as the anxiety took hold of her. She took a deep breath in and deep breath out and prayed that John was still alive.

"Your father and his team encountered an enemy that they we have not come across yet, either in this galaxy or the Pegasus. Major Lorne described them as humanoid creatures with solid black eyes that can change colors to match their surroundings, making them difficult to see at times. In addition to changing colors…" Carson trailed off at the look of Izzy's terrified expression.

Carson cleared his throat. "Their weapons don't kill. Once someone is shot it puts them in a state similar to a coma. We don't know why their weapons don't kill, but what we do know is that if you're shot with one of them you don't die."

Izzy studied Carson's expression. He was trying to find the right words and wasn't succeeding.

"Just tell me." Izzy said.

Carson put his arm on the back of the bench around Izzy's shoulders.

"Your father was shot." There. He said it. The worst part was over.

A single tear ran down Izzy's cheek.

"But it's not like a stunner." She clarified. "He's not simply unconscious."

Carson shook his head. "His symptoms and readings are identical to someone in a coma."

"Do you know when he'll wake up?" Izzy asked, wiping at her cheeks.

Carson shook his head, regret that he couldn't give her a better answer lacing his features.

Izzy swallowed thickly. "Can I see him?" She asked.

"Of course." He said. Carson squeezed her shoulders and kissed the side of her head before standing and offering his hand.

Izzy took it and let him take the lead again. He led her to one of the observation rooms where they were keeping John. Carson looked at her and let her have a moment before she nodded, the door sliding open.

The room was dim but light enough that she could easily see everything. Mr. Woolsey, Teyla, and Ronon were standing together on the deck above the room.

Izzy let go of Carson's hand and the door closed behind her, leaving her alone with her father.

She approached the bed and watched his chest rise and fall with each breath. He was wearing dark red scrubs and didn't appear to have any physical injuries. In fact, it looked like he was sleeping.

Izzy climbed on the bed next to him and placed her ear over his heart, the tears silently sliding down her cheeks. His heartbeat was the same. If anything it was slower than normal. Surely he would wake up soon. He had to. If for nothing else, he needed to wake up for her.

Monday morning rolled around. She was still sleeping on the infirmary bed next to John, neither of them having moved a muscle the entire night.

Carson was standing next to the bed monitoring John's vital signs, but set the tablet down and moved next to Izzy when she started to stir.

"How are you feeling?" Carson asked softly, pinning her with a look that only a doctor could give.

Izzy shrugged. She didn't know how to answer that question. She was physically fine, but mentally and emotionally was a different story, and that wasn't that particular doctor's area of expertise.

"How is he?" She asked.

"About the same." Carson said.

"Any signs of him waking up soon?" Izzy asked.

Carson shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not."

Izzy sighed and sat up. "What time is it?" She asked.

Carson glanced at his watch. "Almost 7."

"Can you drive me to school?" Izzy asked.

Carson hesitated. "I don't think - "

"I'm fine." Izzy insisted. "If anything it will help keep my mind off of it."

Carson sighed. "I don't think you should go, but I understand."

Izzy nodded.

"I'll see if Sergeant Markham can drive you." Carson added. "I need to stay here and figure out how to wake up your father."

Izzy sobbed in the shower, but she let the hot water fall over her face to wash the tears away. She felt the overwhelming need to be strong on the outside, but why she wasn't totally sure. She knew in her heart that no one expected her to be strong, not for this, it just hadn't made its way to her head or emotions yet.

Thirty minutes later there was a light knock on the door. She and John still had some belongings in their old quarters but most of it had been moved to their new house in San Francisco. She grabbed a hoodie that she left there and moved to open the door.

She waved her hand over the control panel, not surprised that Jason was on the other side of it.

"You ready to go, kid?" He asked, his face lined with barely-hidden worry.

Izzy nodded and swung her backpack over her shoulder.

The ride to school was quiet. Jason tried to get Izzy to talk multiple times but she stayed quiet, preferring to spend the ride in silence, mostly worrying about John.

He pulled into the parking lot. Izzy moved to get out of the car but Jason stopped her when he grabbed her wrist.

"If you need anything, I'm a phone call away." He said.

Izzy nodded.

"I'm serious. If today becomes too much just tell me and I'll come get you."

Izzy leaned across the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly.

"Thanks." Izzy said.

All was going well until lunch. She sat with Maggie and Bridget and tried her best to seem normal but she knew she was failing miserably.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Bridget asked.

Izzy nodded. She had been doing a lot of that today. She didn't think she was convincing others and she definitely wasn't convincing herself either.

Maggie glanced at Bridget and they both shrugged. Izzy pushed food around her plate more than actually eating it. She wasn't hungry anyways, and her stomach flipped even at the thought of food.

"Are you able to come over after practice today?" Maggie asked, directing the question to Bridget.

"No, I can't. My dad said I have to come home and finish homework." She said.

"That's stupid. Why don't you just tell him you can do homework at my house?"

"You don't think I tried that? It's like he doesn't understand that sometimes I just don't want to see him and need some space."

"Last week my dad…"

Izzy tried really hard to ignore them, but when they started complaining about their dads, anger started bubbling inside of her and she snapped.

Izzy made their rambling cease immediately when she abruptly stood from the table, the chair clattering to the ground behind her as it fell to the floor.

"At least your dad isn't in a coma." She yelled. The noise level in the cafeteria died as suddenly as she snapped, and she found that she had 150 pairs of eyes watching her.

Izzy felt her skin grow hot and offered a half hearted "sorry" to her friends before bolting from the cafeteria, heading straight for the school doors.

She was across the parking lot and started down the sidewalk in record time, heading for a nearby park.

She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open, hesitating only briefly before calling Jason.

"Hey kid." Jason said. "How are you doing?"

Izzy had held it together until he answered after the first ring, which told her that he was keeping his phone nearby today in case she needed him.

Her chin quivered and the tears started pouring from her eyes. Izzy took a deep breath. "Can you come get me?"

"Already on my way." Jason reassured. "Are you still at school?"

"No." Izzy said, calming down marginally now that she knew Jason was going to come get her. "I'm at the park down the block."

"Wait there, I'll be there as soon as I can." Jason said. "Hang in there."

Izzy nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. She hung up and found a comfortable spot on a bench overlooking a playground down the hill. A few people gave her strange looks as they walked by, but mostly they left her alone. There were many children playing together with mothers, grandmothers, and a few fathers watching and playing with them.

A while later, someone sat to the bench to her left and she didn't have to look to know that it was Jason. She leaned into his side when he rested his arm on the back of the bench around her shoulders.

"What happened?" He asked.

Izzy shrugged. "It was fine until they started complaining about their dads. I kind of… snapped."

"I see." Jason said.

Jason paused. "I called the school. I explained what was going on and told them you wouldn't be in for at least a few days."

Izzy nodded against his shoulder. "What did they say?"

"Principal Sanders sent his best wishes and said to take as much time as you need. He's arranging to have your assignments sent." Jason ran his hand up and down her arm.

The air grew silent. She watched as a kid slid down the slide and into the arms of her father, both had looks of pure joy on their faces. She frowned.

"Any news on my dad?" Izzy asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Jason sighed. "Nothing yet. Beckett and Keller have been working with their teams all day and night."

Izzy grew silent again.

"Let's say we go home." Jason suggested.

Izzy changed into sweatpants and one of John's black pullovers when they got back to the City. She stayed by his side all day, occasionally talking to him as if he was awake and could hear her. She heard stories of people waking from a coma and how they were completely aware of everything going on around them. She hoped that John could hear her.

It was late at night and many people had gone to sleep for the evening. Carson came in to take another blood sample around 11:30pm. Izzy had laid down next to John at that point.

"Why don't you sleep in your quarters tonight?" Carson suggested.

Izzy adamantly shook her head.

"I'm going to be here all night, Izzy. I'll let you know if anything changes." Carson stated.

Izzy shook her head again.

Carson sighed and rubbed at his forehead, accepting defeat.

"I'll be back in a little while to check up on you." Carson said softly, squeezing her shoulder.

The door slid shut and for the first time in a while she was alone with her father. She took the opportunity to talk to him and to tell him what had really been going on.

"School was a little rough today." Izzy said quietly. "I couldn't focus in my classes and I couldn't stop thinking… worrying…"

Izzy looked at her father to see if he acknowledged that he could hear her at all. She wasn't surprised that he hadn't moved a muscle.

"Maggie and Bridget started complaining about how annoying their dads were. That's when I lost it. I called Jason and he picked me up from school. Only after I cried for a little while."

Izzy shifted and snuggled closer, pulling the blanket more firmly around her shoulders.

"I don't know what happened out there, but I don't think I want to find out. Carson told me a little bit but he stopped because it was freaking me out. Maybe someday I'll be able to hear what happened."

"Carson has been taking good care of me, but he doesn't know how to like you do. He means well, but it's not the same."

She sniffed, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand.

"I miss you." She whispered, her chin betraying her as it began to quiver.

"Please wake up."

A/N: Sorry for the delay - my life is crazy busy always. Mega thanks to miss izzysheppard for the feedback on this chapter!