Da da da da!!! (that's supposed to be triumph music or something… don't ask, hard day) Anyways! Here's the next chapter as promised. Cos it's the weekend I wont be able to update but I promise at least 4 next week, starting on Monday! Thanks to JackFan2 for the correction, I changed the mistake.
Chapter 9 – Dreams.
On their second morning in the forest, the sun was barely up, before the pair were on their feet and crashing through the dense overgrowth that had grown in that part of the forest. The forest was still wet from the rain on the previous day and the forest floor had grown slippery and their progress was slowed by Sheppard's frequent falls.
As the morning passed and the sun rose higher, the ground dried, and Weir found the terrain of the forest becoming easier to handle with the absence of water. Sheppard however, was still stumbling and falling, and every time, it seemed to take him longer to pull himself to his feet.
Eventually, Sheppard fell and didn't get up again. Weir waited a moment before pulling his face from the dirt and turning him over. Sheppard's raspy breathing made Weir's stomach churn but she pushed it away and poked him to get his attention.
"John? Hello in there!"
Sheppard's eyes snapped to hers and he blinked "Why'd it go hot all of a sudden, I can't breath."
Weir was speechless for a moment, taken aback by the easiness in which he released the information. He usually kept such problems to himself. She felt his forehead "you have a fever John, and a pretty bad one at that."
"I'm so sleepy" Sheppard muttered, closing his eyes.
"Oi" Weir barked sharply, slapping the side of his face "don't you dare leave me on this godforsaken rock on my own."
Sheppard roused slowly, blinking at her "sorry, I'm just so tired" he shrugged gently and attempted a grin that didn't fool her for a second.
"No wonder, John, you've probably got a concussion" Weir stroked his hair supportively.
"Yeah cos of Mr. youknowwho" Sheppard grinned again, pulling himself to his feet "sorry, let's get going again."
"Alright, just don't do that again" Weir replied angrily "you got mud on me" she said pointing to her nose, where a large splash lay, and her cheeks.
Sheppard grinned mischievously, causing him to stumble slightly "think of it as a free facial" Weir glared at him, resisting the urge to push him in the mud.
They walked on, talking about nothing in particular before Sheppard mentioned "I wonder if they're doing anything in commemoration of the genii invasion back home."
"I don't know. Most of the personnel don't know much about what happened so I don't think there'll be anything big planned. Mckay and the others might have a little something. Though I do hope they're trying to find us instead, you know?"
Sheppard smiled "yeah, that would be better. Then again, if we were thinking about better, I'd go with not being on an alien planet inhabited by life sucking creatures."
"That's your dream in life, is it?" Weir snorted.
"No, truthfully…." He paused as he tried to clear a sudden uncomfortable feeling "my dream in life is to not have to take another human life. I know it's an almost impossible dream to achieve, but it would be nice. I'd like to not have another life added to my killed list."
"One, I hope you don't actually have a killed list and two, you kill to live, you don't live to kill if you get what I mean. You kill because you have to, to protect others."
An image flashed into Sheppard's mind, a blue arm, clasped around a thin, fragile neck, squeezing out the life. He gasped in shock and nearly fell over.
"Are you alright?" Weir gasped, her feet sinking into the mud as she was forced to take most of his weight.
"Just remembered something I'd like to take back. Remember when we met the kid wraith and the stuff after that?" Sheppard's voice grew quiet "what I did to you wasn't because I was protecting anything."
"Yes I remember, it wasn't that long ago" Weir answered gently "and I knew we should have talked about it. You shouldn't have let it eat you John. You know I forgave you, you weren't yourself."
Sheppard nodded "I know that, but I wondered, did that come from me. is that part of my nature? Just buried?"
Weir sighed gently "I'm not a psychologist John, but I believe that that sort of behaviour is in everyone, it just depends how you control it. You control I superbly John and if I didn't believe in you, believe me, you wouldn't be my 2IC. Now, are you done?, you're kinda heavy when you self-analyze."
Sheppard snorted "Yeah, I'm done. I just wanna say I'm sorry."
Weir shook her head "not another word John, I forgave you. Besides, you didn't leave a mark and I fared better than the two guards did."
"I took them off bad duties for a month cos of that. Do you think that was enough?"
Weir nodded "I think that's plenty. Walman and Magson forgave you too. They're still friendly with you aren't they? Hey, look" Weir pointed up ahead "you see that?"
"Ahead of them, the mountains loomed close. Seeing them for the first time, Weir's fear of Sheppard's condition came rushing back and she bit her lip worriedly. Pushing it away before Sheppard noticed, she pushed them on, Sheppard stumbling at the force she applied to it "sorry" she muttered, slowing her pace.
Noticing the worry in her eyes, Sheppard continued the subject "what about you? What's your dream? Apart from getting home!"
Weir smiled "Well, for you to stop getting yourself hurt at every opportunity."
"I don't do it on purpose!" Sheppard responded indignantly.
"Sometimes I'm not so sure" Weir responded coyly "but my greatest dream is to meet the ancients, you know the ones who made and cared for the city, so we can have help unlocking he city's secrets."
"Nothing to big then" Sheppard laughed, causing Weir to follow suit. He rested his head on her hair as they walked and breathed "just think, over those mountains is home and a nice hot bath."
The pair both smiled and as they set off again, Weir looked across at Sheppard, at his drawn, pained face and the stumble in his walk, and felt herself hoping that Sheppard was still with her and still holding on at that time.
-----
Lorne was busy in the control room when Mckay approached him, a worried look on his face. After their meeting in Mckay's lab, Lorne had been privately contemplating the situation and, like the others, had come up with very little worthwhile.
At the present moment, he was busy giving the technicians something to do, by making them run diagnostics on every system they had got up and running to date. The technicians weren't happy but it was at least taking their minds off their missing leaders, which was weighing heavily on everyone.
Mckay stood behind him, bouncing on his heels impatiently. When Lorne finally turned around, Mckay was so close that it scared him half to death. "Sorry, sorry" Mckay said unsympathetically "it's just I thought I'd let you know I've become a lot more superstitious."
Lorne eyed him suspiciously "What's happened?"
As anticipated, things have got a lot, lot worse. I think everyone's forgotten that our weekly earth update is due to be sent in….oooh, a half hour and it's missing two important things."
Lorne slapped his head "Let me guess, Weir's report and Colonel Sheppard's military provisions update. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Mckay shrank back slightly before defiantly replying "Zelenka only just reminded me and he only just remembered so you can't blame him either."
Lorne sighed and pulled Mckay into Weir's office "Sheppard wouldn't have started on his report but Weir's might be finished. I'll try to make a report up. You go look through Weir's files and see if she has a report that we can send, even if it's not finished."
-----
Twenty eight minutes, both men were in a seriously bad mood. "They're aren't going to buy that there's no report from doctor Weir because she has a cold." Lorne growled at Mckay.
"Well you couldn't think of anything better" Mckay retorted "and your report was terrible. It sounded nothing like Sheppard."
"Have you read anything of Sheppard's that would go to a superior?"
"Well, no, but it can't be that different can it?"
"How would I know!? I've never done anything like it" Lorne ignored the technicians worried looks and focused on the dialling gate "either way, they're going to smell a rat, but this way we might just get away with it" the gate roared open and Lorne nodded at the technician in front of him "send the transmission."
Lorne sighed as the technician replied "transmission sent" and the gate shut down. He moved away toward the conference room where it seemed that half of Atlantis itself had assembled. Speaking quieter he added "as soon as Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir are back, they can smooth this all out."
Mckay nodded and then nervously whispered "what if we're…. too late…. to save them, I mean?" both men silent pleaded for a different eventuality at that moment.
"Then God help Atlantis with it's new commander and let's hope that doesn't happen."
Does anyone else think I've got a slight obsession with Major Lorne!... He's my third favourite character. After Sheppard and Weir of course!