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Chapter 11 – The New Guy

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"Capshaw's probably the best of the bunch," John said, thumbing through the thick file. He and Sam were in the conference room, reading out files to each other. "He spent a year with the SGC fighting the Ori, before coming to Atlantis ... Gene therapy didn't take ... Spent most of the last six months with Santiago, who, by the way, has written him a glowing and very touching recommendation."

"Do you know him?" Sam asked.

"Capshaw? Not very well. He keeps to himself for the most part," John said. "He's a 'by the numbers' sort of person, but he seems okay."

Sam was satisfied. "Well, if you're good with him, then so am I," she stated, tossing aside the thick brown file she held in her hands. "Hopefully, he's up to dealing with Ronon and McKay."

"I actually don't think Ronon'll be a problem. They spar together every once in a while," he informed her.

Sam nodded, but cautioned, "They might be okay in the gym, but we're talking about taking Teyla's place on the team. I don't see Ronon being too happy about it."

"He'll get over it," John said unconvincingly.

"By the way, how did Teyla take it? Shaking up teams is always hard, especially when you've had a team together for a long time like yours. It's like breaking up a family. I know from experience," Sam said.

Uncomfortable, he answered, "I haven't told her yet."

"John..."

"I know. I'm gonna tell her. I'm just waiting for the right time," he said making excuses.

Sam reminded him, "Orders are going to start hitting desks..."

"I know. I'll tell her."

John met Teyla in the gym. She was finishing up a session with Mehra, so he stayed back and watched. Mehra was a scrappy fighter, but bantos rods weren't really her strength. She took more after John's school of thought. The Shoot It Method. Simple, easy.

When the two women broke up, Dusty picked up her stuff and quickly made her way to the door. John said to Mehra, "Nice work, Sergeant."

None too pleased with her performance, she answered with a sullen, "Whatever, sir," and let herself out.

Smiling, Teyla asked John, "Did you come to try your luck? I promise I will prove much more of a challenge than the last time."

Wincing slightly at the memory, he shook his head. "I actually wanted to see if you wanted to get some dinner. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Is everything alright?" she wondered.

"Yeah, it's fine," he said. He knew she wasn't going to take this very well. There were a lot of military policies that would never apply to the Athosians. They lived their entire lives under constant threat of the Wraith. They lived, loved, and fought by each other's sides no matter the sitaution or personal connection. Unlike the military's emphasis on discipline, efficiency, and order, where having a personal life is strictly limited and kept behind closed doors, the Athosian's personal lives were integrated into the village dynamic without a blink.

"You know what? Let's do it. Let's go," John decided.

Smiling, Teyla handed him her rods and retrieved another set from her things.

When they squared off, they fell back into their old rhythms. Attack. Counterattack. Over and over.

"You are holding back, John," she said.

Braced for the next onslaught, he cocked his eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

"I do not know, but you are. I remember you hitting a great deal harder last time."

"That explains it. You weren't exactly thinking clearly last time," he said, playing off her observation and going on the offensive.

She was ready for him. As his rods flew at her, she parried and returned the blow with exquisite precision. With a swift smack to his left leg, she used a trick she had learned from Ronon and used her rods to knock John to his knees.

"God!" he swore at his rapid disarming.

"I told you, you were holding back," she said closing the distance between them. She stood over him and he took advantage of the view. Her leg appeared through the slit in her skirt and her flat stomach was at his eye level. His eyes grew dark.

"And you're getting over-confident," he said. With no rods left, he threw his arms around her and tackled her to the floor. They landed in a heap, with John sliding on top of her and she could feel that the game had changed.

"I thought we were going to have dinner," Teyla said with a laugh.

She and John were in his bed, naked and enjoying a little of the old afterglow. Teyla was lying on top of his chest. He kissed her and mumbled, "This seemed like a much better idea. Besides, we can still go get dinner if you're hungry."

"Do you have any popcorn?" she asked.

He laughed. "I think you've cleaned me out. If you're going to be spending more time here, I'm gonna need a bigger stash."

"You must see to that," she cooed in his ear, then she took his earlobe in her mouth. His eyes rolled back in his head as shivers ran down his spine.

"Didn't you wish to speak to me about something?" she breathed in his ear.

His blackened eyes opened and he rolled her onto her back. "It can wait," he growled as he attacked her lips and let his hands do his talking.

Teyla was supposed to meet John in the mess hall fifteen minutes ago for lunch, but an early sparring session with Ronon had thrown her off schedule. She hurried through the corridors of Atlantis, when she heard a voice calling behind her.

"Teyla, wait up!"

She recognized the tenor of Major Lorne's friendly voice and she halted long enough for him to catch up before she continued.

Walking side by side, she inquired, "What can I do for you, Major?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to tell you that I look forward to working more closely with you and to welcome you to the team," said Lorne.

Confused, Teyla said, "I do not understand."

Evan continued on his cheerful manner. "I guess the colonel's finally decided that another team could really use your skills."

"Your team?" she asked.

"I assumed you knew. Orders came through this morning. Colonel Sheppard transferred you over to my team effective immediately," he explained, sensing he'd stepped in something as he watched her face cloud over.

"He did?" she said, looking shocked.

Crap.

"You know, I probably jumped the gun a little. I'm sure he planned on telling you himself," he said, trying to smooth things over with little success.

"Would you excuse me, Major?" she asked quietly and a little too politely. It made his skin crawl.

"Sure," he answered as she left. As he watched her stalking down the hall, he had never been so glad he wasn't the colonel. If the shoe was on the other foot, he'd be in hiding about now.

The news of her transfer was still bounding through her head, when she reached the mess hall. Trying hard to compose herself, she looked around for John. She found him sitting at a table along the west wall with Rodney, his back toward her.

"Zalenka says it can't be done, but I said, 'Let someone who knows what their talking about try it.' Oh ... hey, Teyla." Rodney greeted her with a smile, blissfully unaware of her mood or the situation.

John spun around. "You okay?"

"I need to speak with you," she said, her voice eerily calm.

The pair walked through the mess. Keeping her voice under tight control, she wore a faint smile as a mask to the crowd of people surrounding them. "I was just speaking to Major Lorne in the hallway. When were you planning on telling me that I am off the team?"

John's eyes darted around at all the eyes around them. Keeping his voice low, he said, "I meant to tell you. I was going to tell you last night before we got ... sidetracked."

They passed through the doorway to the hallway, but they found no more privacy there. People crowded the passageway. Some were on their way to eat, some were leaving, but John was intensely aware that none of them seemed to be in a hurry to be elsewhere.

"I do not understand, John. Doctor Keller insists that I am fully ready to return to duty."

Shaking his head, he said, "This has nothing to do with you not being ready."

"Then why, John? What is this about?" she said, her voice rising. She was struggling to understand, to wrap her mind around the idea that the last mission she had been on with her team, so long ago now, was indeed going to be the last. "Why am I being left behind?"

He stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop. "Nobody's leaving you behind. You're gonna be out there doing the same things you've always done, just with a new team."

Shaking her head, she started down the hallway again. "You do not understand."

"What don't I understand?" he said, chasing after her. He could feel more and more eyes turning on them with every passing second.

When he got close enough, he grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. "Listen, the military has protocols. Rules that have to be followed and as long as we're doing...what we're doing, we can't be on the same team."

"And what is it we're doing, John?"

Caught off guard, he stammered, "We're ... you know ..."

She felt like he'd just punched her in the gut. She couldn't look at him anymore. She was too angry, too hurt.

Gathering himself, he continued on, trying to keep his voice down. He didn't think anyone could hear them, but he knew that it was blatantly obvious from their body language that things were not okay. "Having you with me would be a distraction. A liability. It could influence my decisions and people could hurt because of it."

"Let go of me," she ordered, pulling her arm free of his hand.

"Look, I should've told you. You shouldn't have found out like this and I'm sorry for that, but there's nothing I can do about that now."

Knowing the conversation had unraveled and salvaging it at this point was unlikely at best, John decided to end it as quickly as possible, the only way he knew how. "It's done, Teyla. You report to the stargate in the morning with the rest of Lorne's team. End of discussion."

Meeting his gaze, she spat out, "Yes ... Colonel."

He watched her walk away from him. Keenly aware of the stares of dozens of eyes on him now, he restrained himself from doing what he really wanted to do, which was put his fist through a wall.

In the jungle of M67-LH3, team Sheppard trudged through the heavy underbrush on their way to the stargate. They were hot and sweaty from the sauna-like temperature on top of being fully loaded with their usual gear and the local insects had developed an appetite. They were, in a word, miserable.

They had come here seeking an Ancient outpost, but all they found was an empty shell of a bunker that may have once belonged to the Ancients. There was nothing of value to take home, except themselves.

"Sorry we couldn't come up with something more exciting for your first mission with us, Capshaw. We must be a terrible disappointment," John said wryly.

"It's fine, sir."

"We'll try to come up with something better next time."

The blond marine didn't say much. John kept trying to engage him in conversation, though, because it kept McKay's opportunities to complain to a minimum and it gave his thoughts less free time to roam to more painful things.

"You get that scar of yours fighting the Ori?" John asked. He had seen Capshaw sparring with Ronon on a previous occasion and he sported a large scar on his chest. It ran all the way from his right shoulder to the left side of his ribcage.

"Jaffa, sir. Staff blast."

Rodney chimed in at that. "And you survived?"

"Apparently, Rodney," John joked.

Not appreciating the colonel's sense of humor, Rodney said, "Yes ... very funny."

"I got lucky," Capshaw said. "My team took a lot of fire, but they got me home and I spent a few months in recovery."

"Sounds like a good team," Ronon rumbled from the rear.

"Yep," said the marine, keeping his focus on his surroundings. "I'm sure this one is just as good, from everything I've heard."

"We're better," said Ronon pointedly.

Rodney decided the time was right to toot his own horn. "That's right, Mason. Do you mind if I call you Mason? You have the privilege of working with the best mind in the Pegasus Galaxy. And these guys are pretty good, too."

"Rodney ..." John growled. "Don't make me shoot you."

"Your just cranky because you're fighting with Teyla," Rodney came back, snidely.

"McKay!" The fight was far too fresh in his mind to have the scientist poking his nose in it.

To Capshaw, Rodney quietly said, "He's not usually this touchy."

"The colonel's personal life is really none of my business," Mason said. "I just go where I'm ordered. The reasons don't really matter."

"What kind of attitude is that?" asked a perplexed McKay. "I wouldn't have a career if I had an attitude like that."

"It's a good thing I'm a soldier then, and not a scientist," said Capshaw. "For instance," he continued, "if I were a curious person, I might wonder why I was the one yanked away from my teammates to satisfy military protocol, because my commanding officer is sleeping with one of his."

McKay heard the sound of Ronon's stunner power up and Sheppard halted in his tracks.

"But I'm not. I go where I'm ordered. Like I said, the reasons don't matter. I'm here to do a job and I'll do the very best job I know how, no matter what."

Colonel Sheppard stalked toward the big marine and stopped inches away from his face. "Do you have anything to say to me, soldier?"

"No, sir. Just being clear, sir."

John's jaw tightened. He wanted to bury his fist into something and for a brief flash of time, he considered Mason Capshaw's face to be suitable, but he resisted the powerful urge.

Over Capshaw's shoulder, Ronon had pulled his stunner and was holding it to the back of the marine's head. "Put it down, Ronon," John ordered and to the entire team, he said dangerously, "This subject is closed. The next person breathing a word about it on official time will be taking the first gate back to the Milky Way. Am I understood?"

The only response he received was a trio of nods and that was good enough for him.

Colonel Sheppard was in his office. Major Teldy's team had just returned to base and the blue glow on his walls, reflected from the active stargate, disappeared. He was currently knee-deep in the team rotation schedules for the next two weeks. His desk was a mess, his was laptop was open, and his pen was scribbling furiously across the paper, when a soft tapping came at the door.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

John looked up. "Major. How'd it go?" he asked.

Teldy stood in the doorway, still fully geared up and armed. "We may finally have a lead on the Athosians."

John sat back in his chair and his expression darkened. "What have you got, Major?"

"Do you remember a man named Nabel? Michael's spy that Teyla and Dr. Keller found on New Athos?" she asked.

Sheppard nodded and she continued, "We think we know where to find him."

Author's Note: Curious to hear thoughts on the new guy. I know how I see him, but interested to know your opinions.