Strange Bedfellows
Chapter 4: One for the Road
John's head was pounding. On top of that, he hadn't gotten a wink's sleep that night. Since turning in at 3:00 am, he had tried to fall asleep but had only succeeded in staring at the ceiling, thinking about the past day's events. He had tried to piece together all the clues, but reminded himself there weren't any -- just his gut feeling. And why the hell is Hergon so damn friendly all the time? With his fake-ass smile… thought the Major.
It was now 7:00 am. John sat up in bed and rubbed his throbbing temples. What in the world was in that drink? he wondered. The Klaans were known for their stiff drinks. John was betting Teyla, being accustomed to the strong ale of her own people, would be the only one unaffected. Maybe I have a hangover… John rose, steadied himself, and mad his way over to a pale of water that was left in his room. He splashed his face with it, hoping it would clear his head and awaken him. He would need to be fully aware if he were to fly the team in the Puddle Jumper back through the Gate later that morning.
It was now 7:30 am, the team's scheduled rendezvous time at the dining hall. John was the first one there, followed by Elizabeth.
She walked in and spotted him sitting at the table, staring absent-mindedly at his clasped hands. As the feeling of guilt once again overwhelmed her, she thought maybe she should leave and return when the others arrived, but she knew it was no use. Despite her silence and his lack of acknowledgement, she knew he had heard her approach.
"Morning," he greeted finally, still looking at his hands.
Elizabeth joined him at the table, offering him a small smile. "Good morning." She took one of the fruits on the table and started nibbling. This could be awkward. "Aren't you going to have breakfast?" she asked after the silence became unbearable.
"Already ate," was the reply.
"Oh." Okay, so he's still mad at me. Not that I blame him…. More silence. "Listen, John, about last night--"
"So when's our scheduled departure time?" he asked, looking at her for the first time this morning. She looked a little sleepy, but John thought she still looked as beautiful as always.
Elizabeth frowned. She knew he knew damn well when the scheduled departure time was. Hell, he was the team leader! He made it a point to study the mission specs more than anyone else. If he's trying to make me feel even guiltier, he's doing a damn good job of it. Elizabeth thought John Sheppard would no longer trust her after this, that their friendship was in jeopardy to say the least. She hoped that wasn't the case.
The next five minutes were spent in silence as Elizabeth finished her fruit. Finally, Teyla hurried in, followed by an extremely groggy Rodney McKay. "I apologize, Dr. Weir, for our tardiness. Dr. McKay was still asleep when I was scheduled to meet him outside our rooms."
Elizabeth simply chuckled. She wasn't upset. In fact, she was glad the pair had walked in when they did. She didn't know if she could take one more minute of silence alone in that room with John. "It's no problem, Teyla."
Rodney slumped down in his seat and put his head on the table.
"Come on Rodney, rise and shine. You have to eat so we can leave. Wouldn't want you to go all hypoglycemic on us now," Major Sheppard advised.
"Uhhnnn" was the reply as Rodney slowly lifted his head and grabbed a fruit.
"That's it, sleepy head," cooed John with an evil grin. Now he was just mocking him.
Rodney glared at John, a look saying, "Shut up or I'll kill you."
Lt. Ford entered the dining hall last of all. "All set, sir. The Puddle Jumper is just where we left it, two clicks south of here. All of our gear is secure and ready to go," he reported to Major Sheppard.
"Very good, Ford. Alright," he announced, standing, "let's take off." He was anxious to leave.
"Oh, and sir?" It was Ford again. "Hergon wants to speak with us before we leave."
Joy. John sighed. "Fine. Rodney, up. Let's go."
"Uh…but I want to sleep…" was the worn-out reply.
"You can sleep on the Puddle Jumper. Come on." With that, the group headed out the door to their pile of gear in the main courtyard. John and Ford checked and double-checked their equipment, just to be safe, while Rodney, still half asleep and hunched in the corner, ate the remnants of his breakfast. Elizabeth talked to one of the locals.
Teyla was about to return to the dining hall to grab another fruit for the road when Hergon intercepted her.
"Must you leave, Teyla? We had hoped you and your people would stay with us a while longer."
"Unfortunately, we must," she replied with a smile. "We thank you for the kindness you have shown us, Hergon." Teyla then bowed and touched her forehead to Hergon's, a traditional Athosian farewell custom.
"Very well then. Is there anything you require before you leave?"
"Once again, your generosity amazes me. I shall ask our leader." With that, she turned and made her way over to Elizabeth who was standing with John. "Dr. Weir. Hergon wished to know if there is anything we need before we depart."
John simply gave her a look that said "no, let's just get out of here," but instead she walked over to where Hergon was standing. John put down his gear and followed.
"Hergon, if you don't mind me asking, how is it that your people have avoided being culled by the Wraith for so long?" asked Elizabeth. She had weighed the question heavily in her mind for the past two days, and she needed to know the answer. Food deal or not, this could be the most valuable piece of information they collect on this mission -- or on any past mission for that matter. If there was a weapon that could defeat the Wraith, or at least keep them at bay, she needed to know about it.
The Klaan leader looked puzzled at her question. "Avoided? Dr. Weir, you do not understand. We are protected by the Wraith by our Gods whom we pray to every night. They keep us safe, and there is not a man, woman, or child on this planet who believes otherwise."
"Oh, I see." So much for the weapon…. It was worth a shot, though. She noticed John rolled his eyes at Hergon's speech and hoped that Hergon didn't. "Thank you, Hergon, for everything you have done."
"We hope to see you soon, Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard. Safe journeys," said the Chief with a smile and a wave.
John waved back, glad in that they were finally leaving. "Nice meeting you, Hergon. Now if you'll excuse me, we've got a Puddle Jumper to fly."
The team walked through the village's main gate and out onto the dirt road that led toward the Puddle Jumper. They assumed their usual formation with Teyla and Rodney at the point, Sheppard and Elizabeth in the middle, and Ford watching their six. Teyla was the only team member talking, attempting all the while to keep the astrophysicist awake. John walked next to Elizabeth. Ford noticed neither of them said anything to one another, and soon an uncomfortable silence descended upon them. So what else is new, thought Sheppard.
He scanned the horizon as they walked, alert for any signs of danger. Just because they were outside the village limits didn't mean they were out of the woods yet. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up -- something was wrong. Teyla sensed it, too; she turned to him and silently questioned as what to do next.
John held up a closed fist to his team, the sign to stop. He cocked his P-90 and brought it to his shoulder. Teyla and Ford followed suit, all three straining to hear any indications of a threat.
"Oh, what now?" McKay whined. "Major, do you honestly think--"
"McKay," John warned in a curt tone. That was all that was needed to quiet the scientist.
The team listened and watched for several more minutes. Nothing. But the hairs on John's neck didn't stand down. Not willing to stand in the open any longer, he ordered his team to move on. They would be at the Puddle Jumper in a few more minutes.
John instructed Elizabeth to walk behind him. Simply because they were on bad terms of late did not mean he was going to give up his self-appointed duty of protecting her. He also ordered his team into a tighter formation. "Here, take this," John said to Elizabeth as he drew his 9mm pistol from his thigh holster.
"What? Major, I most certainly will not!" Elizabeth was a diplomat, not a soldier. Sure, she had taken a self-defense course and a class in firearms the US military had required all civilian Atlantis expedition members to take, but she was not about to arm herself with a weapon.
"Fine," John replied, a little annoyed, shoving his P-90 assault rifle into her hands and taking back the 9mm for himself. "You can have this instead."
She merely stared at the large gun, and then back at John. "Major…"
"It's easy: just point and shoot," was John's advice. He went back to scanning the horizon, as if that was going to close the matter.
Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks and pulled John to a stop as well. "Major Sheppard. If you honestly think I am going to arm myself with this… this thing, or any other weapon for that matter--"
"Look," John replied, shouting over her. He was really getting sick of her tossing aside all of his precautions. "You can walk back to the Puddle Jumper unarmed if you want, but don't think--"
"Major Sheppard…." This time it was Teyla.
"Just a second, Teyla." He turned back to Elizabeth. "But if you think everything is all hunky-dory, you can think--"
"Hunky-dory? Really? Was that what I was thinking?" continued Elizabeth in a condescending tone. "That's funny, because I thought I was thinking about how big of an ass you made yourself look these past few days." She shoved the P-90 back at him.
Aiden's eyebrows shot up as he tried not to laugh. This was getting good. Oh, it's so on. Hey, at least they're talking to each other. Or rather shouting over each other. He looked over to where Rodney was standing. He seemed fully awake now and his jaw was hanging open.
"Major Sheppard," tried Teyla once again, this time more adamant.
"Hold on a goddamn second, Teyla!" said John. "If I were you, I would be worrying more about how I look," he said to Elizabeth. "In that red shirt you're wearing, you're practically a walking target." He didn't say, however, that she looked great in it. "Now if you'll take the friggin' gun so we can--"
"Major Sheppard! Wraith!" Teyla yelled.
TBC
--------------------
Dum, dum, dum. Cue scary music. Ok, I know I said the action would start this chapter, and it was originally laid out that way, but the chapter was too long so I had to break it up into two parts. So I'll post this and the next chapter together.
