A/N: Coffee Alert!

This is a birthday gift for my good friend and brainstorming buddy, LoneRanger1.

FYI – Once again this sneaky writer has gotten the birthday boy to help with his gift. Am I good or what?

Many thanks to ladygris, Shadows-of-Realm, dwparsnip and DaniWilder for their assistance with brainstorming and Beta-ing.

Feliz Cumpleaños, mi amigo!

Sandy

Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

Chapter 7

Heroes and Orgasms

When the Moon Howls

It was full dark, had been for a while. The team had long since contacted Atlantis to let them know all was well and they'd be staying one more night.

Sam had changed back into her uniform before the celebration in honor of the death of Ashkore. Now the party was over and the team had been left alone in the tavern. They each had a tankard of beer only this time Sam was actually drinking hers instead of giving it to one of the others. She still didn't like it but was too tired to care at this point. Jennifer and Rodney sipped from theirs then switched with Ronon and Dusty when Horsik and Winifred were out of the room.

She reached for more of the berries that Winifred had brought for dessert. They looked like blackberries but were on stems like grapes and tasted like a cross between pomegranates and watermelon.

When she was caught covering a yawn, she gave her people a sheepish smile and dropped her feet to the floor. They stood when she did. "Let's get some rest. We'll go back to Samira's after breakfast and make arrangements to transport the equipment she's turning over to us."

"What about sleeping?" Rodney didn't bother to cover his yawn as they followed their leader up the stairs.

"Same as before."

John stopped in the middle of the hall, a little nervous about sleeping in the same bed with his CO again though they'd already done so twice. "Two hour shifts. Me, Ronon, McKay and Mehra. And make sure you lock the doors, just in case."

"What about me?" Sam yawned again.

"After a day of sword fighting and dragonslaying, you deserve a good night's sleep, Colonel." One side of his mouth lifted. "That's an order, by the way." His companions looked doubtful forcing him to add, "If you're worried about nighttime visitors again, shove a chair under the doorknob and sleep with a weapon in your hand." John was more than a little annoyed with Rodney and his constant complaining. He went to the door at the end of the hall and shoved it open. "In!"

"But…" Rodney stopped his protest when Jennifer took him by the hand.

"Just drop it, Rodney, and come on. I'm about to fall asleep on my feet." Sam, John, Ronon and Dusty just stared when the physicist meekly allowed Jennifer to lead him into the room. "Night."

John and Sam shared a small grin then chuckled when the third door slammed behind Ronon and Dusty. She nodded, yawned and went into her room.


Just as he did on that first night, John paced the length of the hall several times, pausing at the top of the stairs to listen for movement below. Unlike the previous time, all was quiet. He thought about checking the place out, but decided against it. Sitting on the top step, he thought about all that had happened over the last few days and chuckled to himself. This report would be one of the oddest he'd ever written. He began composing it in his head, but when he got to the point where Sam had come out of their room dress like Xena, well, that was all he could think about.

And the more he thought about it, the more his body reacted to the visual his mind presented. He attempted to moderate those effects by thinking of puppies frolicking in the snow, being caught in a blizzard, stranded on an ice raft with Yukon Cornelius or even being plunged into ice cold water with no time to prepare. Not even picturing his grandmother in a bikini helped because each time he tried it, Grams morphed into Sam.

I need another beer.

John made his way down to the first floor as quietly as possible. He laid his weapon on the bar, filled a tankard half full, drank it down and waited ten minutes. No change. He repeated the process with the same results. With a shrug and a long heartfelt sigh, almost a groan, he carried the mug to the kitchen and set it in the sink.

Back on the second floor, he continued to pace the length of the hall and kept reminding himself that his superior officer should not be the center of his sexual fantasies. He respected her more than any other CO he'd ever served under, including General O'Neill, and winced at what she would say or do if she knew he'd been picturing her naked, covered in nothing but perspiration as he let her have her way with him...or the other way around.

He paused when he got to Ronon's door, cocking his head to the side. There'd been a sound. Not much, but enough to get his attention. When he realized what it was, he moved to the other end of the hall and tried to ignore it. That proved futile as it increased in volume though he was certain he could only hear it because he was awake. With nothing to distract him but his own thoughts, which didn't help at all, he wished with everything he had that they were back on Atlantis and he was enclosed within the soundproof walls of his quarters. He heard one last long, high-pitched gasp then all was quiet again…for about five minutes.


It was almost time for Chewy to take over. John waited impatiently for the big man to make an appearance and at exactly the two-hour mark, Ronon emerged from his room. He was still in the nightshirt instead of his usual attire, but didn't seem to care. The changing of the guard took place without them exchanging even a glance.

Once in the room, John changed into the nightshirt, again leaving his boxers on underneath. Very briefly he considered taking steps to ease his discomfort but didn't want to be engaged in that particular activity if Sam woke up. He'd never be able to look her in the face again. As he listened to the shallow rhythmic sounds of her breathing, he doubted she'd even hear a C-4 explosion unless it was right here in the room but still didn't want to take the chance. Rolling onto his side facing the opposite direction, he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.


Ronon paced the length of the hall several times then stopped to lean his back against the wall beside the door of his room. The nightshirt he still wore stopped above his knees and he was naked underneath but the slight chill didn't bother him. Moving to the top of the stairs, he listened for movement and heard only the usual night sounds. John's sleep was restless and Sam was snoring lightly. Rodney was breathing heavily just as he always did and whimpering came from Jennifer. He knew for a fact that Dusty was still awake because he could hear her bare feet whispering across the carpet.

The door gave one short squeak as she opened it and stepped out into the hall. She was in her nightshirt and he knew for a fact that she was as naked underneath as he was under his. Her right hand trailed up his left arm as she reached up to kiss him. He thumbed on his weapon's safety and laid it on the small table to his right where it was within reach.

Dusty lifted his nightshirt as he did the same for her. He turned them to press her back against the wall, his hands sliding down the back of her thighs and lifting her up so their bodies could join once again. When the big finish arrived, their mouths swallowed the sounds of pleasure before they could escape and wake the others. She kissed him again and went back into the room with one last glance over her shoulder.

Ronon picked up his weapon and continued his patrol. He didn't know what had come over him or Dusty for that matter, but once the door had shut behind them tonight, they'd been all over each other. Like him, she didn't say much and he sensed that she too didn't have sex with random people she barely knew. But when they got together tonight, it was an explosive combination, in more ways than one.

He clamped down on his guilt for what they'd just done. They'd compromised the team's safety by having sex while he was on duty. That had never happened before. As punishment, he took Rodney's turn on guard duty.

Determined that he wouldn't expose the team to danger on this or any other mission ever again, he also intended to take Dusty's shift. However, one hour before her patrol was to start, she appeared at the door in full BDU, gave him a long passionate kiss and ordered him back to bed for the rest of the night.


Dusty walked the upper floor for a hour or so then descended to the first to check it out, never straying far from the staircase. Outside she could hear the beginnings of the village waking up. She blew a bubble and sucked it back in before it could pop. She wanted to go behind the bar and get a beer but drinking on duty was forbidden. So's having sex on duty and you did that, she reminded herself. She felt really guilty for that though it was her idea and planned on making it a part of her report, regardless of the consequences. I'll talk it over with Ronon when he gets up.

Her conversation with herself over, Dusty went back to the second floor and sat down on the top step to wait for the sun to come up.


When Dusty's three hours ended, none of the others had come out of their rooms and she could still hear them sleeping. After briefly considering waking them up, she made the arbitrary decision to let them sleep a while longer.

Two hours later Ronon came out fully dressed looking like he'd slept all night instead of less than five. They talked quietly for a short time and he strongly advised her not to include their little tryst in the hall as part of her report. While he was a civilian and not technically her superior, she would do as he suggested. He didn't explain his reasoning and she didn't ask him to. They made plans to meet for dinner when they got back to Atlantis, schedules permitting, and waited for the rest of the team to join them.

The Sun Is But a Morning Star

Sam felt the shroud of sleep begin to lift from her still tired mind. She took a breath and snuggled deeper into the warmth beneath her. A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth at the steady thump-thump under her hand. Until she felt the surface shift. That's when she realized she was naked. Not a stitch of clothing covered her body, just the sheet, quilt and spread.

Her eyes snapped open, blinking several times to bring everything into focus especially the fact that she wasn't actually lying on the bed, at least not completely. She was draped over someone's chest, her right leg bent and dropped between the other person's thighs. A male someone if what she felt pressing into her thigh was what she thought it was, they were. She shifted slightly and the hand resting on her ribs just below her right breast flexed. His other hand was lazily stroking the back of hers where it rested over his heart. When she tried to remove it, that hand disappeared and was tucked over his head and under the back of the pillow.

Slowly lifting her head so she wouldn't wake him, Sam looked down at the dog tags that were nestled in that concave spot just above his abs. Sheppard, John M. It only confirmed what she already knew. She took hold of two of the fingers on her ribs and tried to remove his hand but he just held on tighter.

Not knowing what else to do, she lifted her leg up and over his, the hairs on his leg brushing along her inner thigh and sending a small arrow of awareness shimmering along her nerves. Her heart beat a little faster when her brain finally churned up memories from the previous night. Oh, crap!

Using a tendril of her long hair, she tickled John's nose and the hand around her waist moved to rub that spot then joined the other hooked over the back of the pillow. She quickly scooted out the other side of the bed. Her clothes were folded on the chair she'd pulled away from the vanity. Everything was there except her boxers. Sweeping her hand under the covers, she located wads of clothing at the foot of the bed. One pair of the boxers was khaki green with the USAF logo on one leg. The other much larger pair was white with "Flyboys do it in the air" across the back and an F/A-22 Raptor flying out the front opening. Those she tossed away with the nightshirts and quickly pulled her boxers on. She reached for her sports bra, stuck her arms in and yanked it over her head. It rolled getting caught in her hair and she muttered an oath under her breath.

"Here, let me help."

Her hair came loose and the back of her bra was pulled down into place. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Sam had one arm in her tank shirt before she realized what had just happened. She gasped and spun around, pulling the spread up to cover herself from the neck down. John was sitting up in bed wearing nothing but the covers and his unreadable expression.

Hiding her unease behind her Soldier Sam mask, she quickly gathered up the rest of her uniform with the hand not holding the spread. The bathroom was on John's side of the room so there was no way she could make it without letting go of the cover and she huffed in exasperation. "Would you please not look?" Obediently, John covered his face with a pillow and she scampered around the foot of the bed.

Just before the door closed, she heard his muffled voice say, "Love the tattoo by the way."

With a growl she slammed the door so hard it rattled the mirror above the dresser. It opened just a crack a split second later. "We have to…"

"…talk. Yeah."

The door closed more gently this time.


Rodney rolled over, rubbed his eyes and yawned. Once again he'd awakened with Jennifer in his arms only this time it had a different feeling. Before, it had just been two friends comforting each other while on a mission where nothing had gone right. Her head resting on his shoulder, he looked down at her face noting that the tension and fatigue that was usually around her eyes was gone making her seem so much younger than her years.

A sudden surge of…something, he wasn't sure what, spread through him starting where her hand rested on his chest, infusing him with an emotion he'd never experienced. Not an expert by any means, if he had to guess, he'd say it was the beginnings of love.

Their first night on this planet, in this bed together, had been awkward, yet somehow she'd made him feel like she really cared about him and not just what he could do, the things he could fix, the problems he could solve with only seconds left on the clock. So much so that when she'd awakened from a nightmare of the Bola Kai, he'd just held her, comforting her.

She'd touched him tenderly on the cheek in gratitude and he'd given in to an impulse. That first kiss had been a mistake because it had led to them spending the next couple of hours making love. He'd said as much in the morning and they'd argued. However, last night, he'd apologized and they'd spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, awakening in the morning refreshed and ready for anything the universe could throw at them.


The six members of the team met in the hall and headed down for breakfast. Sitting next to Rodney, who was next to John, and across from Sam, Jennifer could sense tension between her and John in the way they refused to look at each other even when speaking. She had an idea, but would never voice her suspicions because it would put their careers at risk. Ronon and Dusty, on the other hand, were just the same as always though they did give each other looks that said something had happened between them last night.

And Rodney, well, he was oblivious to the undercurrents in the room as he shoveled food into his mouth and chattered incessantly about all the cool stuff he and his team would get to play with when they got back to Atlantis. Jennifer just sighed and went back to her meal.


On the walk to the Stargate, Sam dropped back between Rodney and Jennifer. "Um, Jennifer, did you and Rodney…"

"What?"

"Did the two of you…" she wasn't sure how to ask what she wanted to ask without really asking, "…experience anything…odd during the night?"

"No. Slept all night." Jennifer told her in all honesty.

Rodney agreed. "Yeah. Best night's sleep ever."

Jennifer touched Rodney on the arm. "Don't forget to thank Ronon."

"Huh? Oh, right." The physicist slowed down until he was walking beside the Satedan. "Thanks for, you know, not waking me last night."

Ronon flicked his eyes at the back of Dusty's head. As if she knew he was looking at her, she blew a bubble and let it pop. "Don't mention it."

At the Stargate

Lieutenant Tommy Stackhouse set the Jumper down thirty meters from the Stargate. Four others came through and hovered in the air awaiting orders. The hatch opened and he stood to greet his CO. "Colonel Sheppard, sir. A fleet of Jumpers filled with scientists and doctors as ordered."

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

The team piled into Jumper One, John's favorite, the young man deferring the pilot seat to his CO, and John lifted off, automatically engaging the cloak so they wouldn't be seen by the villagers. He flew to the cave entrance where Samira was standing outside waiting for them. Decloaking, he landed and she met them at the hatch.

Behind them, the other four Jumpers landed and their passengers emerged. The scientists walked over to their department head while the medical personnel gathered round Jennifer and the soldiers stood near Sheppard awaiting orders. Also in the cave and at the castle was medical equipment and files that Atlantis' CMO was taking control of. Medical and Science and Research would be working closely together to discover what they could use as is and what they could adapt. They wouldn't be able to travel to the castle until it was determined that any weapons or booby-traps were neutralized so Jennifer would spend the time until then supervising the removal of what few medical devices were in the caves Samira called home.

She hadn't told the others, but Samira had made her promise to do a thorough study not only of the medical database, but of her body as well once she was gone and she'd agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Samira's Home

"Welcome back." Samira watched them disembark, sensing that there was something not quite right with the group who'd had each other's backs so steadfastly that first day. "Is everything alright?"

Sam preceded John out onto the hard ground. Standing in the sunshine, they looked at each other then away. "Yes." Sam answered for all of them. "Could we get started? I-we're ready to go home."

"Of course." Samira turned to Rodney. "Everything is prepared."

"Great. Lead the way." He followed her and Sam into the cave, his staff close behind, Jennifer and her people bringing up the rear.

"The Daedalus will be here in a few hours to transport the equipment." Sam had been curious about something and voiced it now. "Samira, why are you doing this?"

"Giving you the last remnants of my people's technology?" At Sam's nod, she clasped her hands together in front of her. They'd reached the huge cavern, their voices echoing slightly. "Soon I will have no further use for it."

TBC