Chapter 40

When she stepped through the Stargate back into Atlantis, Mehra was surprised to see Colonel Sheppard waiting to receive her team on their return. He was still dressed in civvies, so not officially on duty, but he was taking an interest in operations, and that was an improvement from her point of view. She hadn't spoken to him herself much since their return from Gragoffa. He was an intensely private man, and she wasn't foolish enough to class herself as part of his inner circle even after their shared experiences. But she'd checked in with Teyla from time to time, and although the Athosian had been tactful, it was obvious from her reports that Sheppard hadn't been himself of late.

Major Teldy greeted him formally and give him a very quick run-down of progress on P3S 585, a recently culled planet they were helping to rebuild. He seemed interested, and said he would attend the formal debriefing for the full report.

Considering his quiet and sombre demeanour on the few occasions she'd run into him in the past two weeks, this was a distinct improvement. It seemed like he'd turned a corner today. Either that or he was bored out of his skull. That was a definite possibility. She hated leave, too. That was why she was already back on active duty despite Keller's initial recommendations.

As the rest of her team filed away, he acknowledged her directly. 'Mehra. How are you doing?'

'Good, Sir. It's nice to be out in the field again.'

'Yeah, I gotta admit, I'm a little envious you managed to negotiate a shorter leave period,' he nodded, giving her a crooked smile. 'Can't wait to get back into the thick of things myself.'

'That's good to hear…maybe try not to attract the attention of any psychopaths this time round, though Sir.'

'Outta my control,' he shrugged. 'We seem to be magnets for any and all of the worst types.'

'That we do, Sir,' she agreed. 'But life would be pretty dull if that wasn't the case.'

He patted her on the shoulder. 'Go get yourself checked out. I'll see you at the debrief.'

As she headed away to the infirmary, she second guessed herself. He'd been in a good mood for the first time since their return. Maybe talking about psychopaths hadn't been the best topic of choice. Open mouth, insert boot as usual. No wonder the rest of her team always told her to leave the diplomacy to them. Maybe she should apologise later…or maybe that would just make things worse. Damn, she was bad at this stuff. She'd probably just handle it the way she always did. Pretend like it hadn't happened until everything went back to normal.

The rest of her team were already settled onto examination beds with their tac vests and jackets removed by the time she got there. A nurse showed her to a free bed, and she followed suit, relieving herself of the parts of her uniform that would get in the way of her check-up.

She was still thinking about what a mess she'd made of her conversation with Sheppard when an almighty flash of white light from a bay at the far end of the room burned a glare on her retina, leaving her momentarily blinded. 'What the hell…?'

With the nursing staff all panicking, she soon pulled herself together, snatching out her side-arm. So, bright white flashes of light were apparently not the norm down here, she realised as the medics all crowded behind her team, letting Major Teldy command the situation.

Teldy signalled for them to follow her toward a curtained off medical bay used to treat anyone with more serious needs, and once they were close enough for her to touch the dividers, she signalled for them to fan out and aim to cover her.

Mehra nodded her understanding, levelling her gun at what she estimated to be head high for the average Wraith. They had no idea what was behind those dividers, but since the Wraith were the most likely suspects with that kind of tech, that was where her mind immediately went.

Teldy now gestured a countdown from three, Mehra tensing ready to take on whatever might launch at them once revealed.

On zero, Teldy pushed the divider aside…to reveal a naked female curled up in an almost foetal position with her back to them.

As the others edged forward, still poised to fend off an attack, Mehra hesitated, the sight of a few locks of red waves draped over the figure's shoulder giving her pause. There was no way…was there? It had been over three weeks. Her hand shifted toward her earpiece, ready to activate it with what she hoped was good news.

Teldy reached the figure first, grasping her shoulder and pulling back to roll her over.

At that point Keller arrived at Mehra's shoulder, having been attracted by all the commotion. 'Who is that and what is she doing in my infirmary?'

As the female rolled onto her back, unconscious and unstirring, Mehra couldn't hold her excitement in anymore. 'Colonel Sheppard, this is Mehra. You're needed in the infirmary ASAP.'

oooOOOooo

The cup of coffee he'd ordered in the mess hadn't even reached his lips when Sheppard got Mehra's call to get himself to the infirmary.

'What's up, Sergeant? Is everyone okay?' he asked, cup still hovering and poised for drinking.

'Sir…there's something here you really…really…need to see.'

'Care to elaborate? I am officially still on leave,' he reminded her, allowing himself a quick sip as he waited for her answer.

'No, Sir. All I can say is that you should get your ass down here pronto…Sir.'

Annoyed, but at the same time mildly intrigued, he gulped back a couple more mouthfuls and headed out, hopping into the nearest transporter since it was apparently so urgent that he get there.

When he reached the infirmary, Mehra was hovering just outside the entrance, a grin almost splitting her face in half. That wasn't what he'd been expecting.

'All right, Sergeant. Spit it out,' he coaxed, planting his hands on his hips as he watched her bobbing around with excitement.

She didn't say anything, just beckoned him forward. Puzzled by her odd behaviour, he followed her into the infirmary and toward the far end of the ward. Teldy and her team were loitering outside of some privacy dividers, and from the shadows he could see, someone else was busy working behind them.

'Did someone get hurt?' he asked Mehra, confused by why she appeared to be so ecstatically happy if that were the case.

'No, Sir. Go ahead and take a look.'

At the sound of his voice, Dr Keller emerged from behind the shielding. 'Colonel…uh, this is gonna be a bit of a shock, but, -' She now beckoned him forward, too, as if none of them could put the situation into words. His insides knotted up, wondering what they had hidden away that they couldn't even speak about.

When his eyes fell on the face above the pale sheet on the bed Keller had been working at, he thought he might be dreaming. He'd imagined her being there with him on Atlantis so many times as he'd slept for the past few weeks that he thought this was just one more of those fantasies. He stopped breathing. It was Mishta…just lying there, sleeping.

'You should talk to her…sometimes that helps people to wake up,' Keller encouraged.

He turned toward her, his jaw slack, his brain blank. Was this real? Was she actually here?

'Colonel…are you okay?'

He blinked at her, then looked down at the face he'd thought he would never see in the flesh again…then he backed out. He just walked away.

After a few seconds Mehra ran to catch up with him. 'Sir…what's up?'

He didn't know how to answer that. He knew somewhere deep down he was elated, but he just couldn't believe it was real. He suspected he was going to wake up any moment and realise it was all a lie conjured up by a brain that just didn't want to accept she was gone. He could barely think, let alone speak, so he said nothing, just leaned his back against the wall outside the infirmary and slid down until his butt hit the floor. Then he remembered to breathe again.

He dimly heard Mehra calling for the rest of his team, and was equally vaguely aware of their arrival a few minutes later, at first overjoyed, then rapidly disturbed by his lack of response. But what was the point? This was all going to be over in a short while when he woke up and he'd be back to dealing with his loss again.

'I shouldn't have dropped this on him the way I did,' he heard Mehra say. 'I always do dumb stuff like this and mess everything up.'

'Do not blame yourself, Dusty,' Teyla said sweetly. 'I would have done the same thing.' Then Teyla's face was in front of his as she squatted down and took hold of his hand to speak to him. 'John…come with me. We will go and see Mishta together.'

Her words sank in through the haze and he focused on her. 'It's not real.'

Her face crumpled as she fought back tears. 'It is real, John. She is here. Jennifer called Rodney to tell him the same thing.'

He stared at her, saw the distress in her eyes as she gazed at him, and told himself to do what she asked. If this was a dream, it would soon fade into the background and be forgotten, like so many others he'd had of late.

He pushed up, barely able to feel the ground beneath his feet as he walked back to the medical bay. Keller had wheeled the dividers aside now and he could see Mishta's glorious red locks right from the doorway. It stopped him in his tracks again. This couldn't be real. He wasn't this lucky.

A firm grip from Ronon got him moving again, the weight of the hand and the arm reaching across the back of his shoulders grounding him as he moved toward her.

Keller smiled as he approached, but there was genuine concern for him in her expression, too. 'You don't have to worry, Colonel. I've examined her and, like you, she's in perfect health. She's just resting. I imagine returning to human form after ascending is pretty exhausting. She'll wake up when she's ready.'

He was immediately thrown back into the memories of watching over her when she was sick…when he'd thought she was going to die. But this was different. Back then, she'd been fading right in front of his eyes. Here, sleeping peacefully, she looked radiant. So, was that what had happened? She'd ascended? For the past few days he'd been reaching out to her with Teyla's help. Had she heard and come back to him?

'Rodney told me she was pretty. That was an understatement,' Keller gushed, taking hold of his arm and gently guiding him to a chair she'd set beside the bed. 'Here, sit down before you fall down. Marie, can we get a cup of tea? Lots of sugar.'

Hot sweet tea, just how Mishta always drank it.

The nurse bustled away to arrange that, as he tentatively reached out and took Mishta's hand in his. It felt real. Was it?

'That's it. Don't worry. You won't break her,' Keller beamed, stepping back to let the others in.

Teyla circled to the opposite side of the bed and gently rested her hand on Mishta's shoulder. 'The Ancestors have smiled on you today, John. They sent her back to you.'

It all felt so surreal. He was still waiting to wake up.

'So…if Mishta's here…I wonder if that means Lansha's going to pop up somewhere,' Rodney pondered as he wrapped an arm around Jennifer's waist. 'He was a smart guy. I could use him on my science team. Very practical.'

'Perhaps if he shows up, we should let him decide his own course,' Teyla suggested.

That idea seemed incredulous to McKay. 'How could he possibly turn down the option to work with a genius?' he snorted as if it were the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. That earned him a slap on the arm from Jennifer, though it brought a smirk to her face, all the same.

Sheppard just continued to hold Mishta's hand, rubbing his thumb back and forth across her knuckles as he drank in her beautiful features. Though the weight of her inert limb was substantial in his grip, it was not as heavy as it had felt as he'd sat beside her in the shelter on Gragoffa and begged her to open her eyes for him. He didn't beg now…if this was real, those eyes would open soon enough. He just needed to be patient.

'Perhaps we should all give John some space,' Teyla suggested. 'You will keep us apprised of any changes, won't you Jennifer?'

'Of course. And I'll go see where that tea is.'

They filed away, leaving him alone with her, still staring in disbelief at the beautiful face he had never hoped to see in the flesh again. After a few minutes, he got the feeling he was being watched. He looked over toward the infirmary entrance to see Mehra leaning against the door frame. He gave her a casual kind of salute, one she returned in kind before breaking out into a grin and sauntering away.

He lifted Mishta's hand to his lips and planted a kiss on it, then pressed his forehead against it and stayed there. If this was a dream, he hoped he never woke up. He wanted to exist in this moment forever.

oooOOOooo

It took longer than expected for Mishta to wake. Jennifer had ushered him away at sunrise after finding him asleep in the chair next to Mishta's bed where she'd left him when she'd clocked out for the evening the night before. She'd checked Mishta's vitals, assured him she remained fit and healthy, and told him to take some time to freshen up so he was at his best when she finally opened her eyes.

So, as instructed, he'd gone back to his room and showered, luxuriating in the soothing warm waters as they'd eased the aches from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Not that he cared. He'd slept and woken, and this time Mishta was still there. This was actually real. For the first time in a long time he felt genuinely, deeply happy.

By the time he began pulling on fresh clothes, he was already being hailed. 'Colonel Sheppard. I'm sorry to interrupt you so soon, but…she's awake,' he heard Dr Keller announce.

'On my way.'

It took him only moments to finish dressing and arrive at the infirmary…to be greeted by the sound of something smashing somewhere within the ward.

'Aww crap,' he breathed, darting in.

It was not unlike when she'd woken up after the synthetic enzyme treatment. Mishta was in full self-defence mode, holding everyone else at bay.

'Thank God you're here,' Jennifer cried as she spotted him, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him forward. 'She just woke up and started going nuts!'

Two marines held their guns on her. He immediately placed himself between Mishta and them. 'Put the guns away, fellas. She's not a threat, she's just scared.'

They lowered their weapons but didn't holster them, still on alert. He let it slide for now.

'One look at us and she went absolutely crazy,' Keller explained. 'I tried talking to her, but she won't let anyone near her. I thought you were the best person to calm her down.'

'I doubt it'll make any difference. She won't remember anything just yet.'

He raised a hand in Mishta's direction and spoke as gently as he could. 'It's okay, Mishta. No one's going to hurt you.'

'Manier a mae,' she growled at him.

The sounds she made meant nothing to him. 'It's okay. You're safe,' he tried again, edging a little closer, both hands raised name to show he was unarmed.

'Imperatro tergium!' she yelled, as she slipped from the bed, clutching the flimsy sheet that was the only thing covering her.

Maybe handing his universal translator over to the science team on their return hadn't been such a good idea. He could really use it right now.

'That's…that's Latin,' Keller told him. 'Well, Latin is its root anyway. I learned it to help with medical school. I guess they kept close to the language of the Ancients even when humans died out.'

'Do you know what she's saying?'

'Get back…stay away…I think. That kind of thing.'

'Makes sense.' Conscious of how vulnerable she would feel in front of so many males, Sheppard turned to address the marines on duty. 'Uh…guys…you can wait outside. She's not going anywhere.'

They looked reluctant to comply.

'Now,' he ordered them, turning back to Mishta just as she threw the jug of water from the stand beside her bed at him.

'Vadeo pedicaebo ego tu!'

The pitcher glanced his right brow before smashing to the floor, spraying him and Keller with glass and water. 'Whoa…Jesus!'

'That…well, I believe she was suggesting a method of procreation we haven't mastered yet,' Jennifer told him, her cheeks colouring up as she brushed spots of water from her scrubs before they soaked in.

'I get the gist,' he muttered, dabbing at the small trickle of blood running down toward his eye. He became aware of one of the marines at his shoulder now. Gun aimed. Again. 'Marshall…If I see you raise that gun once more, I'm gonna shove it up your ass!' he barked, pain making him curt. 'Now get outside the door…both of you.'

This time they grudgingly complied.

'I thought she spoke English. Rodney told me she had a human father,' Keller said, trying to check his injury.

He brushed her aside, intent on settling Mishta. 'Well, I'm guessing since English is her second language it didn't make it through the transition…not yet anyway. Can you tell her she's safe?'

She screwed her face up at the question. 'Uh…well…I can try, but I'm a little rusty.'

'Try anyway,' he urged.

'Okay…uh…nol…nolite ergo soll…solliciti esse. Tu tutum hic.'

Mishta frowned, but seemed to pick up the meaning. 'Tu quais es?'

Sheppard looked to Keller for a translation. 'I think she wants to know who we are.'

He looked Mishta square in the eye. 'What's the Latin word for friends?' he whispered, hoping it would be close enough to her language to understand.

'Amicis.'

He repeated it for Mishta to hear. 'Amicis'

She glared a while longer, then nodded her understanding, and just a little of the tension left her body, but she remained backed into the corner she had retreated to as she'd jumped from the bed.

'We need to get her a universal translator…and some clothes,' he told Jennifer.

'Clothes I can do, but Rodney has his science boffins trying to reverse engineer the translators. Because 'leave' apparently means only spending four or five hours in the lab per day.'

'I think they might be more useful here right now, don't you?' he pointed out.

'I'll see what I can do…'

She walked away, hailing Rodney, and Sheppard remained half aware of the friendly one-sided debate that was playing out even as he tried to keep Mishta calm. He put his hand on his chest and repeated, 'Amicis.'

She frowned, then said, 'Amicus,' emphasising that final syllable.

'Right…singular…not plural,' he muttered. He patted his chest now. 'John.' That clearly meant nothing to her and just left her confused. He tried again, 'John,' he repeated while patting his chest, then he pointed at her. 'Mishta.'

That didn't help. She just shook her head and squeezed a little further into the corner.

A moment later he heard the sound of glass tinkling as a nurse came to clear away the mess she'd made. He dabbed at the cut on his brow. A sizeable lump had formed, but he didn't think it was too bad. The bleeding had almost stopped already.

'Paeniteti.'

Now that one sounded familiar, even to him. He'd picked up the word penance from his Catholic upbringing. She was asking forgiveness? No…she was apologising.

He smiled and hoped she understood he accepted. She offered up a smile in return, then it slipped away again as Keller bustled back in on the scene.

'Okay, sweetie. I've brought you something to wear.' She stopped and glanced Sheppard's way. 'It's just scrubs, do you think she'll mind?'

'I think she'll be glad for anything right now.'

The doctor nodded, and headed slowly toward Mishta. 'Vestimentae,' she announced, carrying the scrubs balanced on one arm and plucking at her own top as she spoke as if hoping that would reinforce the meaning. 'Tibi.'

Mishta pointed to herself, and Jennifer nodded. She placed the scrubs on the bed and began wheeling the screen around it. Mishta immediately began to panic.

'Oh nonono! It's okay…It's okay! Uh…what's the word…uh…secretum…secretum.'

Again, there was a visible display of relaxation, and the chair Mishta had reached for and dragged in front of her while desperately keeping the sheet in place with her other hand was released again. She nodded and allowed Jennifer to finish screening her off from the rest of the room.

It was only when Mishta was out of sight that Sheppard heard the nurse calling his name at his side. She was holding an icepack for him. He took it with thanks, and she showed him to a nearby bed. He sat at the end of it and waited for the screens to move away. He just wanted to see Mishta's face again. He didn't care whether she was scowling or smiling…he just needed to see her. Every time she was out of his sight, he was afraid she would disappear.

Rodney arrived with a box containing the translators carefully encased in moulded foam. 'Hey, I heard she's….Oh.' Sheppard lowered the icepack to give his friend the full view. 'Wow, she is really cranky when she wakes up from a long sleep.'

'Tell me about it.'

'Could be a sign she likes you…even with the memory loss.'

'She's not five, McKay. Grown women do not go around beating on men they like. She's woken up in a strange place with no memory. She's frightened of me.'

Rodney shrugged. 'Just speaking from personal experience. I've had a lot of animosity aimed my way from women.'

Sheppard simply blinked back at him and decided now was not the time to point out the obvious.

A couple of minutes later, Jennifer pushed back the divider, and Mishta, clad now in pristine white scrubs, looked less than impressed to see someone new there.

'So…I guess she'll be needing this first,' McKay babbled cheerfully, pulling a translator out of the box and heading toward her.

Mishta immediately snatched up a nearby IV stand and wielded it in his direction.

'Back away…nice 'n slow,' Sheppard advised him, gradually easing forward so he could get between them

'Amicus!' Jennifer told her. 'Rodney...amicus.'

Mishta slowly lowered the stand, but didn't let go of it.

'I think it might be a good idea if you put one of those in someone else first,' Sheppard suggested. 'Dr Keller, could you pass me the chair?'

Not wanting to get any closer to Mishta while she was still in her high-alert state, he allowed Jennifer, who was closer to the chair anyway, to bring it to him. He placed it near the end of the bed and sat down. 'Do it, McKay.'

McKay obliged and wedged the translator into his ear, the device automatically adjusting its size to fit snuggly. Then he switched it on, and the tendrils wove through his ear canal to the language centres of his brain, attaching there. It was the weirdest sensation, but he tried not to flinch too much.

'Perhaps Mishta would like to speak some more of that lovely Latinesque tongue of hers so we can test if its working,' McKay suggested, giving her a smug smile.

'Curei est ipse subridaens quasai?' Mishta grumbled. 'Spaectat like an idiot!'

The change happened so fluidly that it seemed like no big deal, but suddenly Sheppard could understand her.

'So…what did she say?' Rodney asked, still wearing the same expression.

'What's wrong with his face. Does he always look like that?' she asked.

'She says you have a friendly smile, Rodney,' he lied, figuring it was best to keep him onside until he'd finished his work. Jennifer just chewed her lip to stifle a laugh. She clearly knew Mishta hadn't said anything that complementary, whether her Latin was rusty or not.

'Maybe you should go next,' Sheppard suggested to the doctor. 'If she sees no ill effects to you either, she might just let us get close enough to fit it.'

'Worth a try,' she chirped, sitting down and allowing Rodney to insert the translator. She shuddered as it did its thing. 'Oh, God!' That felt so strange.' But then she pinned on a smile as she looked Mishta's way. 'Vides...tutum.'

Mishta just frowned again, looking doubtful.

'What did you say?' Sheppard asked.

'I told her it was safe.'

'Can you tell her what it does?'

'I'll try,' Jennifer plucked a translator from the box and held it up for Mishta to see. 'Uh…sequi…sequitur in aurem...facet intelligere nobis.'

Mishta looked at it, then looked at Jennifer. 'I think you mean 'makes'…'makes you understand'. You said, 'lies on to understand',' she corrected.

'Huh…guess I slipped up with my pronunciation,' Jennifer chuckled. 'So…vos?'

Mishta immediately looked anxious, as if she thought this was some trick to harm her. She pointed to herself. 'That thing…in my ear?'

'Is mos succurro vos,' Jennifer replied, explaining to Rodney, 'I told her it's to help her.' She gestured to the chair. 'Commode.'

Mishta locked eyes with Sheppard for just a moment, then relented, walking around the bed and perching on the edge of the seat.

'Okay, let's just move some of this wonderful hair out of the way,' Jennifer cooed, more to herself than Mishta. The doctor brushed her red locks back to expose her ear and Rodney went to work. When the first stage was done, she flinched a little as it shaped to her ear. Of course, that was the easy part, and Sheppard surreptitiously prepared for the reaction the next stage would get. He was right to be concerned. As Rodney hit the 'on' command, she instantly knocked him out of the way, leapt from the chair, and reached for her ear. Sheppard intervened, snatching old of her wrist, and then wrapped his other arm around her to hold her still.

'It's okay…it's okay…it's supposed to feel like that,' he said as she continued to thrash her legs to try and free herself, his shins taking a battering even as he refused to release her. 'Just listen to my voice. Everything's fine. You're safe. We're just trying to help.'

As he said the last few words her legs stilled, and he knew she was listening.

'You understand me now, don't you?'

She strained to look back at him, then nodded.

'Okay…I'm going to let go of you now, but do not try to pull that device out of your ear…that would be bad.'

He didn't need to worry about her taking the translator out. She was far too focused on the slap she let loose on him to think about that. 'Don't ever touch me like that again!'

The contact left his cheek stinging. 'Ow! Okay…you got it.'

'Mishta…John's a good friend and he was just trying to help you,' Jennifer gasped, fussing over him again. He waved her away. 'Pulling that thing out would have been dangerous.'

'Mishta? You keep saying that. What does it even mean?' she demanded.

'It's your name,' Sheppard explained, rubbing his face as he introduced them all. 'I'm John, this is Jennifer, that's Rodney, and you're Mishta.'

Tears sprung to her eyes, but she held them back. 'I don't remember that.'

'That's okay,' he told her. 'You will.'

'What's wrong with me?'

He knew he couldn't tell her the truth…that was far too much for her to take in in this fragile state. So, he winged it. 'You've been sick…and it's caused you to lose your memory. But you'll be okay. I was sick too, and I got my memory back. You just need to be patient.'

'I don't want to be here. I want to go home.'

'Sweetie…You have to stay here so we can look after you for a while. So, why don't you just climb up onto the bed and get some rest?' Keller suggested. 'That's probably as much excitement as any of us need for one day.' Mishta scowled at her use of the word sweetie, and Jennifer swiftly corrected herself. 'Mishta…I meant Mishta...sorry.'

Casting her another filthy look, Mishta eventually did as asked, climbing up onto the bed and stretching out, propped up against the plump pillows.

'How about some food? You must be hungry?'

She looked at Sheppard, then at Jennifer who'd asked the question. 'I am…thank you.'

'No problem,' Jennifer smiled. 'I'll organised some breakfast. Would you keep her company, Colonel? I'll bring something for both of you.' She gave him a sly smirk as she told Mishta. 'He's a good friend. You'll be safe in his hands.'

'Yes, so you said,' Mishta drawled, glancing Sheppard's way.

'Come on, Rodney. I'm sure you've got other things to do, too.'

He remained there for a moment, still wearing his silly smile. But when Jennifer caught his arm and began pulling him away, he was astute enough to realise he'd outstayed his welcome.

Which left John alone with Mishta.

When he realised he was staring, and that she'd noticed, he immediately averted his gaze, picking up the previously discarded ice pack as he dropped down into the chair at the end of her bed, nursing his injury.

'I'm sorry I hurt you.'

Her apology meant more to him than she could ever realise, but he played it cool. He shrugged. 'It's nothing. I've had worse. Good arm, by the way.'

'So, a lot of females throw things at you?'

When he glanced her way, he saw a twinkle in her eye. She was teasing him. 'Not just females,' he quipped, giving her a crooked smile. 'I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity target.'

She watched him intently, amused by his joke. 'So…John. Tell me why you are such a 'good' friend,' she asked, clearly picking up on Keller's not-so-subtle intonation.

'Because I don't take it personally when you throw things at my head.'

She laughed at that, a glorious sound he'd thought he would never hear again. Again, he had to look away, knowing he could give too much away with just a single look.

'How long did it take for your memory to come back?'

That question, revealing the vulnerability that lay at the heart of her, made it easier to look her way again. 'It was gradual…some things came back after a few hours…others took weeks. You can't rush it. Just…give yourself time.'

'Maybe you could tell me some things about me…speed things along.'

He shook his head. 'I'm sorry…it's better to remember it yourself. It comes back in increments and gives your mind time to adjust.'

'A good friend would want to help,' she pressed.

He smiled, knowing she was playing on his sympathy. 'A good friend doesn't do things that go against a doctor's recommendations.'

She pouted, but then gave in. 'I suppose I'll just have to trust you then, 'good friend' John.'

He met her gaze, penetrating as it was as she tried to read him. 'Yeah…I suppose you will.'

A/N: Yay! She's back! But now John has to win Mishta's trust all over again while they wait for her memory to return. Thanks to those still reading. Only a few more chapters to go!