A/N: Most probably many people didn't expect this turnabout and I hope it's going in the direction that you'll like.

Tomorrow

Chapter Two: Awakening

He snapped his eyes open and jolted up. His balcony door was open like always as the oceans breeze swept over him. He shivered as he held his head in his hands, thinking over the dream he just had. After a minute or so, he lifted his head and realised that he was sweating all over and that his hands were damp and clammy. He wiped his hands against the sheets furiously, with his heart beating rapidly from his dream still. He examined his hands and saw blood on it as well as his sheets being drenched too in blood. He blinked and saw that the blood was gone, just a figment of his imagination. He breathed deeply, trying to get the horrifying images of Elizabeth dying in his arms out of his mind, and turned to look out to the balcony, hoping it would clear his mind. The stars shined over the glimmering ocean as the sea breeze brushed over all of Atlantis.

He blinked many times before he realised that he had goose bumps all over and decided that it wasn't a good idea to wear just pants to sleep. John got up and put on his black skivvy and his military issued boots. He strapped his berretta and left the room.

His mind was still on the dream he had so he immediately walked to Elizabeth's room.

'It was so real…please don't be real,' thought John as he strode to Elizabeth's room. He called out to her, not wanting to just barge into her room, invading her privacy.

"Elizabeth!" John tapped on the door. When he only got silence he tapped the door harder.

"Liz! Are you in there? Please, open up!" By now, he was pounding on her door.

After he got tired of talking to a door, he swiped his hand over the sensor and the door whooshed open. He surveyed the room and found that her bed was made, neat and tidy, as if no one had slept in there. He checked the bathroom just for the sake of it but found nothing.

"Okay John, no need to panic. She could be anywhere in the city, she isn't dead," John said to himself as he left to search other possible places for Elizabeth to be.

He walked over to the nearest transporter and hit the screen as it took him to the mess hall. It was just past midnight so it was highly unlikely for anyone to be awake, eating something, and Elizabeth was on the list of the unlikely to be eating at midnight. He sighed as he tried Rodney's lab down the hall. Rodney's first lab was closer to the control tower but since he continuously hungry, he insisted that his lab work be moved to a closer location to the mess hall.

When John arrived, he wasn't surprised to find Doctor Rodney McKay sitting there with cardboard cups littered around him and a coffee mug full of coffee in front of him as he worked on some alien device that was brought through the Stargate earlier that day.

"Hey McKay," John said as he looked at the empty cups in disdain.

"Hello Major. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence at…" Rodney looked at his watch. "12.30 at night? Honestly John, shouldn't you be, oh I don't know, sleeping?"

"I could say the same thing to you."

"Yes well, I have important things to do and why exactly are you awake at midnight?" Rodney looked back down at his work.

"Uh, couldn't sleep. I was kinda wondering if you've seen Dr. Weir around."

"Nope."

"Do you know where she could be?"

"No," Rodney said as he kept on working, not even lifting his head up.

"There's really no reason for me coming here, is there?"

"Go ask Carson or something. He probably is a lot more useful, but only in your question. No, besides that, I'm useful everywhere…just not now." Rodney paused in his work and thought about what he just said if it made sense.

"Okay, okay. Have fun on whatever you're working on," John said as he left his lab.

"Will do!" called Rodney as John made his way to the nearest transporter and hit the place where the infirmary was. The doors opened a second later revealing the crisp, white, made beds and the door at the rear end on the room leading to Carson's office.

"Major Sheppard. Shouldn't you be asleep?" said Carson after John knocked on his door.

"Yeah just that couldn't sleep."

"Do you want me to give you something?"

"No, just wondering if you knew where Dr. Weir was."

"I was just 'bout to check up on her."

"Oh really?" John raised his brows.

"She's been worn out for a while. She always stays up till wee hours finishing her reports and hardly gets any sleep. She doesn't listen to my advice on how sleep is also part of being healthy." Carson paused before continuing. "Maybe you'd like to give it a try. Get her to take a rest."

"Sure doc, anything I can do to help out."

"Thank you Major. She should be in her office still if she's done what I think she's done: ignore my advice," Carson sighed.

John left Carson's office in haste and quickened his pace so that he was basically jogging now.

'Of course, why didn't I try her office first? She basically never leaves it,' John thought to himself as he grinned. 'Thankfully it was just a dream, but best to double check.'

By now, he arrived at Elizabeth's office only to find it empty. The lights were on and her laptop was running with her report, half typed up, just that, no one was there. It's as if she just disappeared.

"The balcony," John muttered to himself as he darted away to the balcony. He got there in the matter of minutes and swiped his hand over the sensor.

"Elizabeth?" John half called out as the door slid open.

Please Review! Sorry for the short chapter but the next one will be longer than this one I think and hopeand it'll reveal all

Dark Card Mistress