A/N: Hello anyone out there (taps on monitor), I'm getting worried by the sudden drop off in reviews. I'm not one of those people that will demand a certain number of reviews before I post the next chapter, but the more reviews I get the more likely I am to post sooner.
The lack of reviews is making me not want to write (I will finish this story – I hate leaving stories unfinished – but at this rate it'll take me longer than planed) so come on people please throw me a bone, anything even if it's to tell me what you don't like about the story (constructively though please).
--
Looking at his watch Skyler sighed impatiently, his team was supposed to have gone off world five minutes ago but there was some kind of hold up in the control room. Dropping his pack on the ground and handing his P-90 over to Axle, Skyler jogged up the staircase to the control room to see what was going on.
Spotting Elizabeth speaking with Grodin and the tech sitting at the DHD he made his way over. "What's the hold up?"
"I'm afraid your mission's being put on hold." Elizabeth answered. "We've run into a medical situation and have begun to institute a level four quarantine. All gate activity is suspended for the time being."
"Right," Skyler nodded, unzipping his vest.
While Skyler went to inform his team what was going and to stand down Elizabeth activated the citywide comm. system.
"May I have everyone's attention please? We have run into a questionable medical situation and at Doctor Beckett's suggestion we have decided to put the city into a self-regulated quarantine. For at least the next couple of hours, I need everyone to stay where they are, and report anyone moving freely through the halls. I hope you'll understand. Thank you."
After getting his team situated and checking with the soldiers on duty in the gate room Skyler returned to the control room to hear Sheppard arguing with Elizabeth over the radio.
"I'm ranking military officer here." Sheppard countered whatever Elizabeth had just said.
"Yes, I'm aware of that, Major. You were off radio and we had to act quickly. Now, this is all protocol that was put into place long before this expedition began. Sgt. Bates and Major Cain are both here with me and we agreed this was the best plan of action." Skyler could practically hear the silent exasperation in Elizabeth's voice.
"Alright, alright. Teyla and I are coming up to join you."
"We're in a self-regulated quarantine, Major. Everyone stays where they are."
"We're nearly a mile away on the east pier. D'you really think I'm in any sort of danger walking from here to the Control Room?"
"At this point we don't know where they contracted the virus. This is a medical situation, John. Only authorized personnel in hazmat suits are allowed to roam freely. Those rules apply to everyone, including you."
"Well, then, get someone to bring me a hazmat suit."
Elizabeth was starting to get angry. "Everyone in hazmat is busy configuring the lab to deal with a possible outbreak. Now if an opportunity arises, I will send somebody to come get you, but in the meantime, radio contact will have to do."
"All right. Just ... keep us in the loop." Sheppard was frustrated.
"Will do." Elizabeth closed the com-line letting out a sigh. She didn't have long before Rodney contacted her about an Ancient viral lab.
--
An hour later Skyler watched the screen showing Peterson's life sign moving closer to the control room as Sheppard and Elizabeth again argued over the radio. If the situation had been different he probably would have made a smart-ass comment about them arguing like an old married couple.
"We don't yet know the nature of the virus we're dealing with. This is still a medical situation." Elizabeth had just about had enough of John's attitude.
"We don't have time for this. I'm heading out." John was done arguing, it was time to take action.
"Grodin, seal the gym." She'd just reached he breaking point. Peter quickly did as ordered, pushing several buttons on his consol.
"What the hell is this?" John was quickly moving past frustrated to pissed.
"You said so yourself – you are the ranking military officer. I can't chance you getting infected."
To Skyler it almost sound like Elizabeth was getting more personal than professional with that last statement. He wasn't blind he could see the beginnings of something deeper stirring between Sheppard and Elizabeth. He still hadn't quite made up his mind on how he felt about that possibility.
"I can't chance you getting infected." There was no denying the personal meaning behind that statement. "Bates?"
"Yes, sir." Bates replied, silently curious that Sheppard was speaking to him when Cain was the ranking officer present.
"Unlock the gym." John normally would have given the order to Cain but knowing about the major's relationship to Elizabeth couldn't take the chance that the younger man would side with his aunt and not let him out of the gym.
"Yes, sir." Bates moved towards Grodin's consol.
"Stand down, Bates." Elizabeth ordered in a stern tone that stopped Bates in his tracks. "You are not in command here, Major."
"Well, we'll agree to disagree. Bates, open the door."
Bates looked at Elizabeth for a moment then stepped forward again.
"Don't" Elizabeth stood firm, not backing down. Bates stopped again.
"Elizabeth, he's heading right for you."
"So we'll stop him. We'll talk him down, we'll block his way, we'll..."
"Sergeant Bates, I am ordering you to open up the doors between the gym and the med lab right now." John was refusing to back down as well.
Skyler having kept his mouth shut up to this point waiting to see how the power struggle resolved between Elizabeth and Sheppard watched Bates and Elizabeth stare each other down. Bates' expression was resolute, while Elizabeth tried to look firm – to Skyler tough it was clear that she was afraid that Bates was going to disobey her in favor of his commanding officer.
While he understood Sheppard's unspoken reason for giving Bates the order to open the gym instead of himself, Skyler didn't think it was fair of Sheppard to put the sergeant in the position he just had. Ending the stale mate he reached over and hit the control to open the gym door himself.
"We're heading out."
Half listening to Sheppard, Skyler looked Elizabeth straight in the eyes. It took everything he had to not look away when he saw the hurt and betrayal that flashed through her eyes. "Peterson has to be stopped."
He didn't do what he'd just done to try and undermined or hurt her, but Sheppard did have a point about Peterson needing to be stopped. He also had to agree with Sheppard about not wanting to risk Elizabeth getting infected – though his reasons were slightly different.
--
Watching as John made his escape out of her office behind Carson and Rodney, Elizabeth closed her eyes pinching the bridge of her nose. Of all the dangerous, irresponsible, insubordinate things that arrogant, stubborn, cocky man had done.
And Skyler, she didn't even want to think about what she was feeling about what he'd done – though she did have to wander if she'd feel like she did if it had been Bates and not Skyler who had opened the gym doors. Both men had undermined her authority and that had hurt and wounded her deeply.
Feeling smothered Elizabeth left her office, crossing the control room to the balcony. Leaning against the railing she soaked in the warm sensation of the sun and the gentle ocean breeze.
"You shouldn't be so hard on Sheppard. He was just trying to do his job the best way that he could."
Startled Elizabeth turned finding Skyler standing by the balcony doors, his hands shoved into his pockets. Shooting him a piercing glare she silently turned back to the ocean view.
"What, are you giving me the silent treatment now? Is this going to be like when I joined the Air Force and you're gonna refuse to talk to me for the next year?" Skyler took a step closer, but didn't move to stand next to her like he normally would have.
"I'm sorry if you feel like I hurt you and undermined your authority today, but I won't apologize for what I did. Yes I agree it was wrong of both me and Sheppard to do it in public the way we did, but it was the right thing to do, Peterson had to be stopped."
"I understand that and I agree, but what happened today can never happen again." Elizabeth turned to face her nephew again, arms folded.
"Look Elizabeth I can't promise you it won't happen again…I won't promise you that. If Sheppard hadn't broken quarantine then there's a very good chance that Peterson would have made it to the control room and infected everyone there including you and I couldn't let that happen. You're the only real family have left and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anything happen to you if I can prevent it."
"I get that, I do. But Skyler you need to learn when to put your personal feelings aside and think about the good of the whole. I know that's hard for you sometimes, you're driven by emotions and instinct, so am I on occasion and that isn't necessarily a bad thing sometimes." She moved to walk past Skyler, pausing to rest a hand on his arm. "But we can't always afford that, sometimes we have to look at the bigger picture."
"So where do we go from here?" He ducked his head before looking out at the ocean view.
"I don't know." She answered honestly moving away from him back into the control room.