Day 10

John's standing in the passageway, letting the harsh, cold rain assault him fully. Three days and no sign that the storm is going to let up any time soon. Not even the nearby sun has been able to break through the deep cloud cover. Where did those clouds come from anyway? He distinctly remembers a clear sky the first day through the gate.

The gate. He can't get anywhere near it. Several times over the past few days, he's tested his theory by venturing out a few yards at a time, only to rush back inside the passageway when a bolt of lightning nearly found him. It happens too often to be a coincidence. The lightning truly is attracted to him. Must be my natural charm.

He's tried going without a stitch of metal; having finally seen the melted damage to his P-90, he figured it might not be a bad idea to avoid conductivity. All of that failed. For once he'd relish hearing one of McKay's rambling explanations...or anything.

Silence may be golden, but this is hell. He hasn't seen another person besides Ashri. And even she refuses to spend time with him or even visit his dreams anymore. He misses her, misses the connection he knows they share. But his apology fell on deaf ears. Even the animals seem to look on him with distain.

John sighs, shakes rain from his hair and steps all the way into the mountain passage. He decides to head right, towards his newly found quarters, instead of left. He's had enough of the pitch black cavern for today. Ashri's not big on lights, seems to be highly sensitive to them, in fact. And she spends a lot of time floating in the water…naked. Just the thought of that tightens certain muscles he's been trying to ignore.

She disappeared after their tussle that first night, so John ate the fruit and vegetables she'd laid out for him and slept fitfully in the nook. When he awoke the next morning, she wasn't anywhere to be seen, but by the blue-white energy—reminiscent of daylight—in the high ceiling and rafters, he found she'd left breakfast for him on the large stone table. Seems John's diet here would consist mostly in the vegetarian arena, however he did sample something like a cross between bread and a cracker and what he could only describe as pink scrambled eggs.

The last two days, he spent some time exploring the cavern, finding several other hologram-like walls that lead to different sections of the temple. The Ancients made this place fully functional, including a hydroponics lab for food, a water reclamation lab, storage areas and several sparsely furnished sleeping quarters. John figures the temple served as some kind of observation post, which would explain why they hid it inside a mountain, but doesn't explain the lack of windows. Luckily his control over the ATA gene enables him to wander aimlessly for hours, when he's not napping. Still, he usually ends up right back in this passageway, tempting Mother Nature to strike him down.

Dinner by candlelight.

John wanders in from the passageway after a long nap. He's never been this tired before and feels it must have something to do with the weather…or maybe his injury whatever that was. Ashri's sitting at the table, thankfully clothed, and sharing some of her food with the cat languishing on the end of the table. Even in the faint light, John can see tabby stripes on the furball's thick coat. As he moves closer to the table, the cat jumps to its feet, glares at him and hisses before leaping off into the darkness. John raises a brow, so much for that natural charm.

He sits opposite Ashri, facing her. She's already set a plate for him and a cup of water. "So, what's for supper?" he asks reaching for his only utensil, a large spoon. She refuses to meet his gaze and continues eating in silence. John checks out his plate, several brightly colored pieces of fruit and vegetable combined with some sort of mushy grain that reminds him of mashed potatoes, only dark brown. He digs in, finding the food as delicious as before. She may be pissed at him, but Ashri knows how to be a good host and she's a damn fine cook.

"So," he starts, trying to make headway on that apology again. "You've got quite the pad here. Big..." He watches her carefully. "Where's everyone hiding?"

Ashri's spoon hesitates over her plate and she stares at her food. Her shoulders collapse a bit and she bows her head. Intense sadness radiates from her, the wave hitting John full force and he shudders involuntarily, shaking off the urge to weep openly. With a deep breath, Ashri returns to eating and the sadness lifts from John's mind. Okay, that was different.

After a few moments of silence, John tries again. "I followed your buddy, Whooter today." He'd decided the owl needed a cool name. "Seems he knows his way around. He showed me his escape window or crevice…whatever it is." Which had answered one of John's many questions about the other inhabitants of the temple. If they were wild, how could they stand being held captive, and if they were pets, how did she manage to sustain them on a veggie diet? Since he had nothing better to do, he waited for the owl to return. When it did, it had presents grasped in its claws. "So, he must be kind of your milk man, right. Not really bringing milk, but he had a couple of Easter Eggs…"

She narrows her eyes at him in question then just as quickly looks down at her plate again. John takes a bite of food, trying to decide how best to describe Easter then chooses the easier path. "I just meant they were bright red." He shakes his head. "Never mind."

More silence. He's getting sick of silence and for a guy who likes a good bit of solitude, that's saying a lot! Not ready to give up, he tries a different tactic. "You know, this is really good," he says, tapping his plate. "Before I go, maybe we can set up some trade-"

A sticky piece of fruit hits him in the cheek. He looks up in time to catch Ashri burying a small grin in her drink. John raises his brow. Huh. "Nice shot." Her eyes snap to his then away, but she's taking a long time with that drink. "Sense of humor…that's always good." John grins at her, waiting.

She finally raises her eyes to his, trying to keep that hard glare from before, but failing miserably. He cocks his head and gives her one of his famous puppy-dog pouts that always works on Elizabeth. Ashri loses it and starts to silently giggle.

"Yeah," John smirks. "You like me."

Ashri answers by flipping another piece of food at him.

"John?" Elizabeth sits up suddenly, finding herself in the infirmary with an I.V. stuck in her right hand.

Carson's by her side instantly. "Easy, Dr. Weir. Lay back."

"Get this thing off me," she says; her voice harsh and scratchy.

"Not likely, my dear." He gently presses his hand onto her shoulder. "You're under my command now. And I'm ordering you to stay put."

She tries to sit up again. "I have work-"

He presses her back down. "Aye. You're working on getting better. I can't believe you let yourself get this bad. You're a doctor."

Elizabeth lies back, dropping her left arm over her forehead. "Ph.D. not MD."

Carson sighs. "All I'm saying, lass, is you're one of the brightest people I've ever met, and you nearly let yourself starve to death."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "That's a bit extreme, Carson."

"You said it." He wraps a blood pressure cuff around her arm and pumps it up. Once finished, he removes the cuff and pats her hand. "You'll be my guest for the next day. If you behave and follow my instructions exactly, then I'll release you—with conditions—to your own quarters for at least two more days. Understood?"

Elizabeth narrows her gaze, but doesn't push the matter. "Understood." The fact is, she feels very tired and in need of some TLC. "Carson? How long have I been out?"

"The better part of two days. You were severely dehydrated and lacking nourishment. You're lucky we caught it soon enough. You could have caused serious damage to your internal organs."

All she can do is nod. "Well, if I'm stuck in here, I need to speak with Major Sheppard, let him-" The look on Carson's face stops her cold. "What? What is it?"

Carson's brow creases with concern and he leans over, using his pen-light on her eyes. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Carson?" she puts a heavy edge on his name.

"Humor me, Dr. Weir."

He puts the light away and she blinks to get rid of the left over bright spots. "Umm," she scratches her head and concentrates. What…? "Oh God." She's been in a car wreck before, but this hits her with ten times the force. She can feel tears rising as she catches Carson's eyes. "Major Sheppard!" Then everything returns in a flood. She sits up again, twisting to get a look. "Teyla, Lt. Ford?"

Carson's gentle hand is on her shoulder again. "Yes, they're still here."

"Are they any better?"

"I'm afraid not. But they haven't gotten any worse."

She lies back against the pillow, blinking away the unshed tears. "Is anyone else sick?"

"No. Dr. McKay managed to make the announcement without scaring anyone senseless. A couple people with colds, one case of hiccups, nothing major." He winces at the use of the last word.

"Major," she repeats softly with a slight whimper, seeing John's handsome face in her mind, his boyish smirk that usually made the girl in her giggle. Elizabeth sighs heavily. "I'm hungry."

Carson pats her hand again. "That's a good sign. I'll have some food brought up from the mess. Nothing heavy, mind you. Some crackers and soup. I think there may be some raspberry Jell-O."

Elizabeth closes her eyes, not caring. "Sounds yummy."

"So, Ashri," John says when he's finished eating. He gets up and moves around the table to her side, sitting so that he's facing her profile. She doesn't get up which he takes as a good sign, but she also doesn't look at him. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?" He cocks his head, waiting.

She's busying herself with pushing the last bits of her food around her plate. John leans in closer, not wanting to crowd or intimidate her, but simply wanting to be as near her as possible. "Tell me about your…special hand." Instantly her hands dive under the table and she closes her eyes. Realizing she's a hard sell, John brings out the big guns: dimples and charm. "You know, the silent treatment's not easiest way-"

John.

John jerks, sitting up straight. Okay…wasn't expecting that! He clearly heard her voice—in his head! Shocking. Interesting. Unnerving as hell! Ashri opens her eyes and peeks at him with her peripheral vision before looking at her plate. Again he's stunned by her innocence. She may be harboring a secret, but it's not out of malice, but fear. Just as the sadness invaded his mind earlier, so does her fear now. Fear that he'll not understand or worse…hurt her again.

John's shamed by that last one and his breath catches. Reaching down, he easily turns her chair so she's facing him. She doesn't try to get away or stop him, but she keeps her eyes downcast at her hands clasped in her lap. He licks his lips nervously then makes up his mind on how to proceed. "Okay. Show me what'cha got," he whispers.

Ashri finally raises her eyes to meet his, clearly shocked by his show of trust. Still, she's skittish about touching him. She makes a couple attempts to place her right hand against his temple, but can't bring herself to do it. John covers her hand with his and guides it into place, letting his fingers linger; enjoy the delicate softness of the back of her hand and the warmth against his face. "It's all right."

Ashri relaxes a bit, though her hand trembles under his. She nods slightly then blinks indicating John should close his eyes which he does. Brilliant white light flashes in his mind then fades as beautiful, familiar colors begin to form shapes. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood…until-

A familiar, high-pitched whir startles him and he jumps as a Wraith dart flies overhead and blows the crap out of the nearby stone pillars and Stargate altar. John ducks, but Ashri places a hand on his shoulder. They're standing outside the mountain, in the field he and his team ran through to get to the gate. The yellow-blue grass isn't as tall, though it still leaves stains on hundreds of people running through it for the open wormhole.

Screams are cut off suddenly as several people get scooped up by a Wraith beam that passes right over John and Ashri without taking them. John's rocked by this, but Ashri seems to take it in stride. "There." She points. John's startled by her voice after not having heard it in so many days. He pulls his gaze from her and looks to where she's indicating.

A middle-aged man rushes a very pregnant woman toward the gate. The woman stumbles next to a familiar pond. John's close to a memory, but it's interrupted by the woman's cry. "Rien!" John sees Ashri flinch at the sound of the woman's voice.

"Ashel!" The man—Rien, John figures—moves to help her but takes a hit in the shoulder by a Wraith stunner. He goes down face first into the grass. Ashel screams again, this time in horror as the Wraith approaches not Rien, but her, his vicious gaze directed at her swollen belly.

The Wraith grabs Ashel by the throat, lifting her off the ground, leaving her feet dangling, uselessly kicking in the air. The Wraith rips a hole in the woman's dress and plunges his hand against her bared belly. The howl that barely escapes Ashel's captured throat is enough to send John into a vengeful rage and he starts to move.

Ashri places a hand on his arm. "This is long over," she says as a tear drips down her flushed cheek. John's torn between comforting Ashri and watching the car wreck of a memory she's desperate to show him. Taking her hand from his arm, he clasps it between both of his.

John stares in horror as Ashel struggles futilely against the Wraith holding her. His eyes widen in shock as the woman's belly illuminates from within…nothing he's ever seen or imagined could prepare him for this…A soft whimper catches in John's throat as a tiny fetal hand presses against the womb, mirroring that of the Wraith…coming in contact if not for the now translucent skin of the mother's belly.

Apparently the Wraith finds this as intriguing as John for he gazes at the meeting hands instead of continuing to feed. The pause only lasts a brief moment, but long enough for Rien to pick up the stunner on the ground next to him and fire a shot.

The Wraith drops Ashel and Rien fires again, sending the Wraith onto its back. Rien stumbles over to Ashel, finding a bloody Wraith print on her belly. "Something is wrong," she says, her voice a handful of breaths.

"We cannot chance the ring now," Rien says with a glance over his shoulder.

Ashel nods, looks at the pond. "The temple. It is secret. None will tell of it." Rien considers this for a brief moment then agrees. He slips into the water and pulls Ashel in after him. Together they wade to the mountain wall, take deep breaths and disappear under the water.

White light.

John spins in place…still standing by Ashri, though no longer holding her hand, they're now inside the temple again, he's trying to get his bearings. All the walls are energized, the whole place burgeoning with crystal light. Rien's standing at the stone table with a young child, perhaps ten. John recognizes the man has aged so he figures the child must be Ashri dressed in ill-fitting men's clothing. At the moment, she seems to be having a silent conversation with Rien while they hover over a motionless owl on the table.

"My mother did not survive the birthing," Ashri says, confirming what John suspects. "When Father discovered the markings on my hand, he knew the others would never accept me. He kept my existence a secret. He knew they would fear me." She pauses for a moment then adds with a slight tremor in her voice, "As you do."

"I don't," he says, but he can tell she doesn't believe him. John links his fingers through hers and gives her hand a gentle squeeze. "Not any more." This simple gesture seems to mean everything to Ashri. She pulls her gaze from the others and looks him in the eyes, smiling as she did in his dreams. Again he sees the unconditional love in there…but now something else has crept in. Her eyes dilate as she smiles and momentarily drift to his lips before turning back to the memory before them.

Uh oh. John's sure he not only saw what he saw, but felt that little flutter of attraction as well…and this time, it wasn't coming from him. This could get complicated.

Over at the table, young Ashri places her right hand on the immobile owl. A golden glow comes from her palm. "Father believed my survival of the encounter had been a gift of the Ancestors. I learned to give of myself. Not take."

John watches as young Ashri's concentration begins to pay off. The owl slowly starts to twitch. Then breathe. Within moments, the wild bird takes flight up into the rafters. Rien kisses his daughter's forehead and she beams at him with devotion before collapsing heavily into a chair. Rien kneels next to his daughter, wipes sweat from blanched face.

Suddenly, the owl swoops down from its perch above, landing gracefully onto the table. Within moments the wild creature hops the few inches toward the young girl and gently nips at her arm before lowering its head and exposing its neck for her to scratch, which makes the young girl smile. John is awed by the sight…which explains a lot about the others residing in the temple.

"My father was a great leader of our people. He and mother were…" Ashri seems to be searching for the right word. She looks at him and a glint hits her eyes. "Scientists," she says finally. John realizes that all this time, she's been using his mind to facilitate her use of language. She returns her gaze to the memory. "In Father's absence from the city, the others created a powerful, deadly weapon."

The word weapon instantly charges John's senses. But when he looks into Ashri's face again, he sees a darkness there he wants nothing more than to erase. "The legacy of which," she adds. "Is the lightning storms."

Ah ha! So their not a natural phenomenon. "And just how long do they last?"

"We are amidst the season peak. Strikes will increase in frequency and power for some time."

John nods, biting his lip. "So I'm stuck here." The moment he says it, he regrets it. Ashri pulls her hand from his and clasps both behind her back.

"When the Wraith returned, the weapon destroyed many ships before suffering a malfunction. The skies burned with fire for many days then the red cover came and hot rain fell. Afterward, the strikes began. The Wraith were not satisfied with the damage done to Luminance. They returned in full force-"

"To wipe it out," John says sullenly.

She nods once. "Father left me in the safety of the temple and went to fight among his people." She takes a deep breath and raises her chin almost in defiance to her next words. "He did not return." Rien's image fades, leaving young Ashri alone at the table. "No one did."

The young girl raises her chin as Ashri just did, though tears streak her face. John's too far away to see for sure, but he's under the impression the young girl is looking directly at them…at him.

"Until you," Ashri whispers, almost as an after thought.

White light.

They're standing next to the pond outside the mountain, watching the past. Ashri's head breaks the surface of the pond just as the wormhole whooshes. She hides in the shadows of the rocks, her long hair swirling around her like a silky cloak as she watches the team rushing toward the gate. John sees Teyla goes through, but sees himself pause, locking eyes with the woman in the water. A split second later, John is hit with white-hot lightning and falls face first into the pond.

"Major!"

"McKay down!"

Ford and McKay fall into the wormhole and disappear. Part of John understands the urgency of their retreat as lightning strikes where the two had been standing and part of the altar comes crashing down. But why did they leave him behind? Ford of all people should have returned for him. John suppresses hot tears at that thought and turns back as the other Ashri cautiously swims to the body floating face down in the water and turns him over.

John gasps at the sight of his wide open eyes. Oh, crap! He's seen that look before. Death came instantly. The black gash over his right eye tells him where the lightning hit and a chunk of material missing from the front left of his vest, where the energy burst from and made contact with his P-90. He didn't have a chance.

So, Atlantis probably thinks he's dead…and for good reason. But why wouldn't they come back for his body?

Ashri touches the spot on his chest and pulls back dark, bloody fingers. She turns his face toward her, looking into his eyes and caressing his cheek with the sticky fingers. In the next moment, she goes under water, pulling John along.

Flash of white light and their back in the cavern, dimly lit with candles. John can see Ashri break the surface, tugging his dead body along. She swims to the shallow end and raises him onto the stone steps. Remaining in the water, she deftly strips off his vest then his shirt. She grasps his face so she can look into his eyes again and a small smile lifts her lips.

John can only stand in wonder as he suspects what is about to happen. How could she know it would work? What did she see in his eyes…his dead eyes?

Clapping her hands together once with a harsh smack that echoes through the cavern, Ashri places her left hand over the wound on his forehead and her right over his heart. Closing her eyes, she takes long, deep breaths. The now familiar golden glow emanates from her right palm. Her brow furrows in concentration and then her left palm starts to glow weakly.

Moments pass. John glances at the Ashri standing next to him, but she does not look away from the pond. He watches again, realizing he's holding his breath…waiting…

She's breathing faster…harder. Her brows knit together and her body begins to tremble. The water surrounding them starts to stir and suddenly the entire pond is aglow with murky light. The four corner lamps brighten. The walls of the temple energize.

Ashri's breathing comes in rasps; she's shaking violently though holding onto his body with unwavering strength. Her porcelain face becomes drawn and dangerously pale.

John can't help but kneel at the edge of the pond, watching as she presses on, willing the life back into his body. Her determination and refusal to give up reminds him of Elizabeth.

Ashri's eyes open and it seems she's staring right at John. Not the one in the pond, but the one kneeling before her amazed by her strength and will. How could she believe he was worth all the effort? He doesn't even believe that.

Gasping and trembling, a loud, defiant groan escapes from her throat and she throws her head back. The lights in the cavern brighten exponentially; John has to shield his eyes.

The other John coughs and sucks in a deep rugged breath. He blinks repeatedly, breathing deep then his eyes close.

Ashri collapses limply against the other John's chest. Instantly, the cavern goes dark.

John opens his eyes, finding himself still sitting at the table facing Ashri, but now there are tears on his cheeks. Overwhelmed doesn't even come close to how he's feeling at that moment. He can't get that final image out of his head. All he can do is stare at the woman before him, unable to comprehend anything past her beautiful face and eyes.

What she did defies anything he's ever known about people. John revisits his first assumption, she's not a person…she's an angel.

Ashri drops her hand away from his face and looks down, breaking eye contact. John tugs her hand out from hiding. The fact that she trembles at his touch and doesn't easily comply tells him she's unaccustomed to physical contact and possibly a bit weary given the last time he grabbed her wrist.

This time, he's tender and gentle but persistent and she finally relents. John holds her hand in his, palm up and carefully coaxes her into extending her fingers so he can see the Wraith marking on her palm again. As he studies it, John slowly draws his thumb over the leaf-shaped marking.

Ashri sucks in a quick breath at this genuinely intimate touch and John looks up seeing tears dripping down her cheeks. Just as he caressed her palm, John draws his thumb over her cheek wiping away the tears. He smiles but shakes his head. "Thank you just isn't enough."