Title: Life Part 5

Author: JeepNY

Category: Drama/Agnst/Maybe more lol

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A few days later

Elizabeth had been packing for a while, she was going to the mainland for a few weeks. It was like moving, she thought to herself. Not knowing what to take back, and what to leave. Teyla had made arrangements for her stay with her people. They had arranged for her to have her own cottage, overlooking the lake.

Over the past few weeks, she had to admit, she was going down hill. She would snap at everything anyone said to her. She would spend as much time alone as she could.

Carson had strict instructions that she was not to be involved in any of the daily goings on in the village. She needed to rest, and that he would visit every other day to check on her.

Looking over at her bags, Elizabeth considered packing the pot John had given her, lifting it up, she almost placed it in her suitcase, but gently placed it back on the table next to her desk.

She did not need to be reminded of him.

But in reality she did.

She wanted him to go with her to mainland.

Spend some time, maybe, together. With no city to run, nothing to side track them.

But it was a mute point to begin with, since he did not return the same feelings.

As her eyes welled up again, at the thought of being alone for the rest of whatever life she had left.

The thought of finding someone else to fill that gap, only intensified her already guilt ridden mind, and she quietly sat down on the edge of her bed.

After a few moments she heard a knock at her door. Quickly pushing aside the pot she rose and answered the door to find Carson standing there with this look of sadness on his face. They were close, he knew she was hurting.

"You ready Lass?" He asked as the doors closed behind him.

She was sitting on her bed not looking at him, fiddling with her hands.

"Yeah I guess I am Carson."

"Are you okay…" he looked around, "I mean other then the obvious."

As she stood, "No Carson, I do not think I am."

"This trip to the mainland should be very good for you Elizabeth." As he grabbed her bags, "Remember the rules Elizabeth, if I hear you broke any of them, you will be back here in no time flat and back on the Deadlus with Colonel Caldwell."

He watched her kringe at the thought of being aboard that ship with that man for that long.

"That is what I figured, so I have faith that you will abide by all my rules."

"Of course Carson."

"Good." He replied as Elizabeth walked out. Carson looked over at what she had in her hands. 'Aye, the gift from Colonel Sheppard.' He thought to himself, as he placed it in one of her bags,

Carson knew that part of what Elizabeth was going through had to deal with Colonel John Sheppard. Ever since his last suicide mission, they both had grown far enough apart where it started to effect the city. Well maybe it was the fact that they had grown to close, and now apart and it….'never mind' Carson thought to himself.

And that is when Carson contacted Teyla and set up this mini vacation. He had pulled rank on her, and decided for the well being of Atlantis and her well being that she needed to relax, to get away from everything, recoop.

Yes he was worried about her, and rightly so.

He had noticed her pleas with the rest of Altantis in the galley at meal time, how she would always take her tray back to her office or room. He noticed that she would never join the rest of them for movie night or whatever Colonel Sheppard had planned for their downtime…it was like a completely different Elizabeth.

Elizabeth stood in the doorway waiting for Carson, "Are you coming?"

"Aye, sorry."

With a small smile she turned and the both of them made their way to the jumper bay.

2 days before

"Colonel Sheppard can I have a word with you?" Carson asked as he walked into the control room.

"Sure Doc, what's going on?"

"In private…" He showed Sheppard into Elizabeth's office and shut the door.

"What's going on?"

"Colonel Sheppard, I have relieved Elizabeth from command for the time being."

"What?"

"She is over stressed, and I fear that it is affecting the city and will do more damage to herself if it keeps on like it is."

He had noticed too, and he was worried. John had tried to get through to her as best as he could, but she just brushed him off.

Not that he can blame her, because in some sad way, he had done the same with her.

And maybe that is the problem. With everything that had happened, each of them tried to communicate in their own way, and each of them failed miserably.

Now, everything was falling apart.

"According to Elizabeth," Carson's voice broke through his thoughts, "She put you in charge with the help of Rodney."

"Okay." He looked up. "Where is she going?"

"All I can tell you right now is the mainland."

"Do you need someone to fly the jumper?"

"No, Rodney will take care of it, I think that is best right now."

"Yeah"

With that Carson turned and walked out of the office and back to the infirmary to make the last of the plans and speak again with Elizabeth.

Sheppard stood there in her office for a moment, not knowing what just happened, or why. He found the floor really interesting as the people watched from the control room.

He looked up and then took one last look around her office. She had rearranged it and some of the artifices she had in there were now replaced. His pot for one was no longer on her desk where it used to be.

Maybe things had changed a lot more then he had thought.

He knew in his own mind, that his feelings for her had changed. He wanted more, but from Elizabeth's actions over the last few weeks, they had only changed for him. She was not interested in anything more then some shallow friendship.

Saddened, he walked out of her office.

"Where were we Sergeant?" He asked.

"With all due respect, are you alright Sir?"

"No, now let's get back to work alright?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Sheppard" Rodney called out as he saw him going towards the galley.

"Rodney"

"I need you to fly Elizabeth to the mainland, you see I have this…"

"No."

"Look, I can't okay, I have this simulation running, and I can't leave it."

"No Rodney, end of story."

"You have to; I am not leaving this in the hands of them." He pointed towards the lab.

"Fine, okay, is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes." He stalked off, "Thank you" and then left him in his own misery.

John turned on his heal and made his way to the jumper bay, meal forgotten, not that he would have ate anything anyway. His appetite lately had been non existent and Carson had called him on it the week prior, threatening to speak to Elizabeth about it.

He told the good doctor he would fix it, but as he sat in the galley most times, he would just push the food around and not eat any of it.

'So what if its just 5lbs' he thought to himself, it's not like I eat junk food here and drink beer all the time.

Sheppard arrived in the jumper bay before Carson and Elizabeth, so he went about the usual pre-flight preparations.

"Colonel" A shocked Carson said from behind him. "What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth had just stood behind Carson and looked at him for a moment and then averted his eyes to whatever else seemed more interesting. That action did not go un-noticed by John and he was saddened by the fact that she felt she had to hide from him.

This whole thing was not a vacation or a way to cure whatever aliments she had, Elizabeth was running, and now he was helping her.

He looked over Carson's shoulder, 'maybe he was running too.'

"Rodney said something about a simulation he couldn't leave."

"Oh. Well as long as you don't mind, we could always find…."

"No it's okay Doc."

He turned to Elizabeth, "Come one let's get your things on board."

She walked by Sheppard, "Colonel"

"Doctor"

Saddened he pondered if this was even a good idea.

Everything seemed so final.

There was no more banter between them, they were not on speaking terms other then for work related issues.

It seemed his life was partly over.