The Wishing Well

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the characters associated with it.

Chapter Six

"Anna!" Sheppard whispered, staggering further away until his back collided with one of the plump walls. "No! This isn't real!" Sheppard slipped slowly down the wall and landed with a plop upon the padded floor.

Anna was coming around with a soft cry of fear. She tried to sit up but apparently experienced the same disorientation Sheppard had upon waking.

I should probably help her up or something… The stray thought floated through Sheppard's mind, but his body didn't seem inclined follow up with actual motion.

Anna sat up, having adjusted to her surroundings. She pulled herself up on unsteady feet and turned in Sheppard's direction. When her gaze met his, she gasped. "John?... No! You're not really John. Who are you?"

She seemed angry, and more than a little afraid. John stood up, much more steady this time, and walked toward her. "Anna, it really is me. I know how you feel. I am perplexed to see you, too."

"No!" she said shrilly. Quickly adopting a fighting stance, she danced towards him, her heels bouncing on the padded floor.

Sheppard, reacting on his years of training, matched her fighting stance with one of his own and stepped forward to meet her half way. "Anna, I don't want to fight with you!" He relaxed his arms slightly and tried to get closer to her.

"Who are you? You're not John Sheppard! John couldn't possibly be here!" She danced around the room, staying just out of his reach.

"Why don't you believe that I'm me?" Sheppard inquired with a puzzled frown. This isn't making any sense. She's the one who died, so why does she think I shouldn't be here?

"Because John Sheppard is dead!" she spat in fury! "He was killed in a car accident his senior year at the Air Force Academy! I don't know who or what you are or what kind of macabre joke you're playing, but I'm going to kill you for using his likeness to hurt me!"

"What? Anna, wait!" Now he was the one dancing away from her advancing form. If the look on her face was any indication, she had every intention of killing him once she got her hands on his person.

"Anna, I'm not dead! I know this sounds crazy, but in my experience, you're the one who died in that car accident!"

Anna paused for a moment. "No! I don't believe you!" She began her assault with renewed vigor.

"Anna, it really is me! Look, I can prove it!" Sheppard leaped away from her, speaking quickly. "Remember how we first met? I was outside your daddy's office at the Air Force Academy waiting to have my ass chewed for having too many demerits! Remember?"

Anna slowed her movements and pinned him with suspicious eyes. "I remember."

Smiling, Sheppard continued. "You came to visit your dad and ended up waiting with me until he could make time to see you. We hit it off and, even though your dad didn't like me, we were together from that day on!"

"He liked you." Anna dropped her hands and stared at him in frustration. "You're a ghost. Better still, a hallucination! Yeah, that's it, a figment of my deluded imagination!" She scratched her head and studied him cautiously.

"I'm real, Anna." Sheppard spoke softly so as not to spook her. "I didn't die in that car accident, you did." He tilted his head back and flashed a rueful grin. "Maybe I'm the delusional one and you're the ghost!"

Anna snapped. "Don't do that! Don't smile that sexy grin and act so cavalier! It took me years to get over your death! You are a ghost and I'll prove it to you!" She lurched forward a bit.

"I won't be able to touch you. My hand should go right through your body. That will prove you're not really here!" With unexpected speed, Anna charged him, hands extended.

Sheppard let her come, felt her body connect with his larger one, absorbed most of the impact. Yup, we're both solid, no ghosts here! At first contact, Anna yelped and tried to back away. Sheppard moved quickly and encircled her in his strong grasp. She fought hard to get away, using military tactics she could only have learned from her father, but Sheppard had years of experience and held tight.

"Shhh, Anna, it's okay. Shhh, I'm right here, I'm real, and I'm not going anywhere." he soothed.

Anna's fighting slowed and eventually turned to sobs. She pulled back enough to peer up into the handsome face and sexy hazel eyes she had never expected to see again. He gazed down at her lovely face, wiped away her tears and smiled again. Her heart twisted so painfully in her chest she had to gasp for air. She sagged in his arms. Sheppard's smile turned instantly to a look of concern.

"Anna! You're having an anxiety attack! Look at me! That's my girl, look right into my eyes and listen to my voice. You are safe! I have you and I won't let anything hurt you, ever again!" His eyes held hers and his hands soothed her tense shoulders as they both sank to the floor.

Anna focused on his mesmerizing eyes, listened to his voice and held on for dear life. Gradually, her breathing evened out and her heart settled down to a healthy rhythm, or as healthy as possible when being held by John Sheppard. She reached shaking fingers up and placed her hand tentatively against his cheek. He turned and kissed her palm, and ghost or no, his kiss still gave her goose bumps!

"I thought I'd helped you deal with your attacks…that you were over them." Sheppard ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it back into submission.

"I was over them…until you died." When she was able, she pushed herself up to a sitting position. Sheppard, recognizing her need for a little distance, let her go. She inspected him, head tipped to the side, moss green eyes gone wide.

"There must have been something in that ancient well water I drank!" she murmured ruefully. "I should have listened to McKay!"

Sheppard snapped his gaze to Anna's face. "What did you just say?" He demanded.

"What? Oh, nothing! I was just trying to figure out what happened, how I got here--wherever "here" is."

"You mentioned a well. What well? And how do you know Rodney?" Sheppard's sharp words startled her.

"I work with him. John, how do you know Rodney?" she demanded in return.

"I work with him." Sheppard stated with an odd tilt to his head. "On Atlantis. In the Pegasus galaxy."

Anna's head jerked back in astonishment. "But that's impossible! I work with him on Atlantis! Wait! How do you know about Atlantis anyway! That mission is top secret!"

He scrutinized her face closely. "Let me guess. As far as you know, I died in that car accident. You work with the stargate program and are currently assigned to the Atlantis expedition." She nodded, but remained silent.

"Well, where I come from, you died over 15 years ago. I entered the air force, became a pilot and ended up assigned to Atlantis because I have some Ancient gene. I'm the head of military operations, and Dr. Elizabeth Weir is our expedition leader."

"John, this isn't possible!" Anna ran her fingers through her dark hair in exasperation. "My memories are different from yours! In my life, I am the expedition leader! After you died in the car accident, Daddy helped me finish college where I eventually received my Doctorate in Astrophysics. That's where I met Rodney. After college, Rod and I were recruited for the stargate program, me because I have the Ancient gene. Rod is my husband."

"What!" Sheppard erupted, "No way would you ever marry Rodney McKay! Not in any lifetime!"

Anna smiled. "Rod is a wonderful man who loves me very deeply. We have a lot in common."

"Rod? You call him Rod?" She smiled and nodded. "Great, that's just great!"

Sheppard paced the room for several minutes, trying to rein in his emotions. I'm trained to maintain control. I can do this. C'mon, just breathe!

"Do you love him?" he finally asked quietly.

Anna thought carefully. "John….It isn't possible for me to love anyone else the way I loved you…Never!

Sheppard grunted. "But?" Why is there always a but….

"But, I do love Rod in an entirely different way. He rescued me from the darkness your loss left in my life. He kept me happy and sane, John."

"Just one question… Does your McKay brag about being a genius?"

Her tinkling laugh echoed in the room. "No, in my world, I'm the genius!"

Sheppard's eyes went wide and then he smiled. "Good, maybe you can help me figure out how to get the hell out of this padded cell!"

It was getting dark and the team hadn't returned. Beckett was beginning to worry when Lorne, Teyla and Ronon appeared through an opening in the brush. They were tired, hungry and on edge.

"I'm telling you someone was watching us!" Ronon snarled.

Teyla placed a restraining hand on his firm bicep. "I agree, but we did not see anyone, nor did we find any tracks to follow." She indicated that he should sit in the chair next to Beckett. At his grunt of dissent, she shrugged and took the seat for herself, smiling at the doctor.

"It was getting too dark to stay out there. We'll look again tomorrow." Lorne poured water from his canteen onto a handkerchief and began to remove the grime from his face and neck.

"I used the darkness to hide from the Wraith for seven years. I work very well on my own…" Ronon glared as Lorne caught and held his eye and gave a firm negative shake of his head.

"Ronon, man, listen… you know I respect your abilities. I don't think I could have lasted for seven years on the run like that. But, you know what? You're one of us now, and we kinda like having each others backside, if ya know what I mean." Lorne finished his makeshift bath and put his supplies away. "Right now we need to set up camp and hunker down for the night."

Ronon tried to maintain his usual indifference, but ended up giving a small grudging nod of understanding. He'd respected Lorne before, but the Major just jumped up two rungs on his personal ladder of integrity.

"Sir, I took the liberty of setting out bedrolls and building a fire." Ruger indicated a tin pot hanging from a makeshift spit above the campfire. "Warm MRE beef stew if you're hungry."

"Ruger, I think I love you!" Lorne grinned at the younger soldier and thumped him companionably on the back as they headed toward the food, Ronon in tow.

"How is Colonel Sheppard?" Teyla asked as she studied Beckett's face in the dim glow from the fire.

"Unchanged. I'm not sure if that's good or bad at this point, but at least he's not in any imminent danger." Beckett shook his head sadly. "I'm not sure what effect this prolonged condition will have on his body. If he is not any better in the morning, I will have to start an IV to keep him fed and hydrated."

"Eat!" Ronon handed Teyla a bowl of stew and she smiled gratefully as she accepted it. Ronon pulled his bedroll closer, flopped down and began to inhale his own meal. "Have you eaten, Doc?" Ronon asked around a mouthful of crackers.

"Yes, thank you." Beckett smiled benignly. "It's been a long day. I'm going to turn in. I suggest the two of you do the same, and that's not really a suggestion!" Beckett checked Sheppard one last time, pulled the sleeping bag up and tucked it around the man's body before settling down on his own bedroll near his patient. He was asleep within moments.

Lorne established a two-hour watch schedule, appointing himself as first up. The rest of the group settled in for the night. Teyla was out in an instant, but Ronon was restless. He felt unseen eyes watching his every move. Eventually exhaustion won and his lids drifted down as his body surrendered to a troubled sleep.

TBC