Ancient History
Chapter Six: Expected Problems
By Ddoskocil
------------------------------------------

This chapter is a little longer than I like, but once I started writting, I couldn't stop. :) And I'm sorry about where I had to cut it off, but if I kept writting, this chapter would be way tooooo long. Anywho, enjoy!

Simple Hope: Sorry your computer isn't working. And all the mysteries of John Sheppard shall be revealed next chapter.
Soccor-Bitch: Thanks for the review.

Side note: Ch.7 will most likely be updated next Monday or Tuesday instead of Sunday (I work in retail during the busiests shopping day of the year. Why oh why? ;) ). Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone from America. And everyone else...have a good Thursday.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erika stood next to John in front of Elizabeth's desk. She glared at her cousin and superior officer as he yakked on to Elizabeth.

"She can't go through that gate, Elizabeth," he practically yelled at the leader. She stood and leaned across the desk at him.

"And why not, Colonel?"

"She's...not qualified," he answered lamely as he wrung his hands together.

"What?" Erika exclaimed.

"Have you even read her file, Colonel?" Elizabeth demanded. John scowled at her. Erika stood silently brooding. She wanted to scream at him, but decided it was not the best time. Everyone knew her relationship with John. And she did not want to undermine his authority in front of the Elizabeth and the crew on the command room floor.

"Well-" he started.

"I've been on over 300 missions in the last two years, Colonel," Erika said dangerously, her eyes narrowed.

"Have you ever seen combat?'

"You really have never read my file."

"Well."

"Yes, Colonel, I've seen combat. I've fought against Jaffa forces on a dozen or so planets. I've fought against locals on just as many planets. And then there was this incident with the natives of PX9-115." John raised an eyebrow. "Cannibals."

"I thought you worked in archeology," he mused.

"I do work in archeology," she answered. "And there are lots of risks when working on Earth, let alone alien planets."

"All the more reason for you not to go."

"Oh, for crying-out loud, John."

"Captain," Elizabeth reminded her quickly. Erika dug her nails into he palm of her hand, but quieted.

"The decision has already been made, Colonel," Elizabeth continued to John. "Captain Sheppard's mission is a go. I don't want to hear any more arguments, Colonel."

John glared at Elizabeth for a moment. Erika was sure he was going to say something more, but he turned violently and stormed out of the office. When he was gone, Erika sank into the chair. She rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to relieve the stress of the encounter.

"Captain." Erika opened her eyes to find Elizabeth staring at her. She sat up straighter and shifted uncomfortably in the chair.

"Yes?'

"This is becoming a problem," Elizabeth stated matter-of-factly. "Any idea why John's so protective of you?"

Erika sighed. She knew Elizabeth already had a good idea why her cousin was protective. It was all in the tone, the raised eyebrow, the arms crossed over her chest. Erika bit her thumbnail nervously.

"You'd have to ask John," she finally replied.

"I'm asking you."

"I'll talk to John about it."

"Talk to me about it, Erika."

"He fucking left when I was 13 and I never heard from him again!" Erika yelled as she jumped out of the chair.

"What happened, Erika? Why did he leave?" Elizabeth asked softly. Erika threw her hands up in exasperation and began pacing. She knew she looked like a caged animal; she felt like a caged animal. Elizabeth trapped her.

"I don't know," she admitted angrily.

"Tell me what happened between you two, Erika. I'm worried that this is going to interfere with your work. What happens when you come back through that 'Gate with an injury? I need to know what I'm dealing with here."

Erika felt defeated. She slumped back into the chair, her energy gone. "Fine. Fine," she said slowly as she gripped the arms of the chair. She closed her eyes and collected her thoughts.

"No. I'll talk to John when I get back. If it gets worst, I'll spill, but I can't do it now, Elizabeth. I've got a mission and I can't be thinking about the past." She rose quickly and left the office.

"Erika!" Elizabeth called from the doorway, but Erika ignored it. She briefly thought she might get fired for her actions. But then she chuckled to herself. What were they going to do her, send her packing back to Earth? Besides, her reason was valid. She needed to have a clear head on her shoulders when she went off world. She quickly went back to her quarters and packed, relieved that John did not dog her every step.

---- ----

John gripped the rail as he watched Erika disappear through the Stargate. His icy stare found Weir, but she was busy and did not look up. It would not make a difference. The decision was made and Erika was gone despite his best attempts to keep her out of danger.

"You can't protect her forever." John's shoulders dropped just a little, but he kept his gaze on the 'Gate. He hated hearing it spoken out loud.

"I know," he responded. Only then did he turn to Elizabeth. She was studying him and he suddenly felt self-conscious under her soft gaze.

"She'll be find, John." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He nodded and looked back at the 'Gate.

"I know." He did not see her leave, but he knew she did, leaving him to his thoughts. He sighed. There were things to do. He would not stand on the balcony waiting for her return. He was halfway across the control room when the vortex swirled and the Stargate came alive.

"Incoming wormhole. It's Sergeant Pines' code," someone yelled. John's heart stopped.

"Open the shield," Weir ordered. John turned in time to see three men pulling Erika through the vortex onto the command room floor.

"Erika," he yelled. He ran, almost fell, down the steps to skid to a stop by her side.

---- ----

Erika struggled against the three men as they dragged her, cursing them as she kicked. Her ankle throbbed, but she did not care. She was more concerned with getting free. Her captors suddenly released her and she plopped ungracefully to the floor.

"Beckett, we have an emergency in the 'gate room," she heard Elizabeth yell. John was suddenly by her side.

"Erika!" he yelled. She could hear the panic in his voice and fought down the urge to push him away.

"I'm fine. I'm fucking fine," she stopped, realizing she was in mixed company. It was not time to start an argument. "I'm okay, Colonel. Just my ankle."

"Who's injured?" Carson called over the radio. Elizabeth frowned.

"False alarm, Carson," she replied. She looked at Erika and the young captain could only guess what she was thinking.

"What happened, Captain?"

Erika struggled to her feet. She slapped away the helpful hands of her team and John. It took her a few seconds longer than it should have, but she stood on her own. A sharp pain shot up her right leg when she put pressure on it. She winced and put all her weight on her left leg.

"I tripped. In a gopher hole."

"They have gophers on that planet?" John asked. Erika's eye twitched but she ignored his comment.

"I twisted my ankle. Then these three decided that I needed to come back for medical treatment. They ignored my direct orders and restrained me before dragging me through the Stargate," she finished to Elizabeth. The leader's eyes widened in surprise.

"Explain yourselves," she demanded of the three men that stood before Erika.

"We had higher orders, Ma'am," Pines replied shortly. Elizabeth's eyes flickered to John.

"Captain, why don't you go to the infirmary and have that ankle checked out." It did not sound like a suggestion. Erika nodded. She slowly turned, trying not to put too much weight on her right ankle.

"Don't touch me," she barked when one of the soldiers attempted to help her. The offending hand was removed. But it was replaced by John's hand. Erika scowled.

"Colonel," Elizabeth said harshly. "Can I speak to you?"

"Now?"

"Now."

John sighed. There was no arguing with her when she used that tone.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked Erika.

"Oh, peachy," she replied sarcastically. She shrugged off his hand and limped away. Each step caused an army of knives to stab at her ankle, but she breathed in deeply and tried to ignore the pain.

"Sir." Erika growled under her breath. She did not stop as the soldier ran up to her.

"I'm sorry, Sir."

"Don't be sorry. Just don't do it again," she replied coolly. "Go see Doctor Beckett to make sure your nose isn't broken."

"Yes, Sir," he replied before he took off down the hall ahead of her. Erika could not tell if he was hurt by her words. She did not care. She was pissed and more than just her ankle was wounded. She mumbled to herself as she limped slowly toward the infirmary. She passed a few people as she walked but all offers of help were rudely brushed off. She knew she would regret it later, her ankle already felt like a grapefruit, but she had enough "help" for one day. She hoped Elizabeth was tearing into John.

Carson met her at the door to the infirmary. His hands were stuffed deep in his lab coat and he frowned at her.

"You should have at least radioed for crutches," he scowled. He put a hand on her back to steady her.

"I don't need help," Erika snapped.

"Oh, I bloody well think you do," Carson replied, his voice rising slightly. She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her. "Don't argue with me, Captain. You've done some damage to that leg and walking on it will only make it worst."

"Carson, I walked from the Command Room. I don't think ten more feet will kill me," she shouted. She took a defiant step forward and almost fell as her ankle gave out. Carson rushed forward and caught her.

"No more fuss from you, lass. I'm helping you whether..." his voice trialed off a their eyes met. Erika's heart beat faster as she lost herself in his gray-blue eyes. Her stomach tied itself in knots when he did not look away. He helped her rise, his eyes still locked with hers. She desperately wanted to close the small space between them to feel his lips against hers. But she held herself in check, remembering that the infirmary was a public place.

"Thanks," she managed to stammer out instead. He smiled and she almost melted.

"You're welcome." He held her gaze for a moment longer then jerked away. She heaved a sigh and was about to take an experimental step forward when Carson stopped her.

"Erika," he warned. She lifted her chin, determined to win, but the second he met her defiant gaze, her resolution dissolved.

"All right," she said as she hung her head in defeat. He thrust a pair of crutches at her and helped her maneuver to one of the beds. She sat and looked around nervously, never really comfortable in hospitals since her mother's death.

"If you're busy, I could take an ACE bandage back to my-"

"Here." He shoved an ice pack at her. "Take your shoe off and place that on the ankle. I'll be right back." Erika sulked but did as she was told. Her ankle felt numb by the time Carson returned with an ankle bandage. He pulled a stool over and gently removed the ice pack. He did a quick visual examination than looked up at her.

"Does this hurt?" he asked as he rotated her ankle so her foot was pointed straight. Erika pressed her lips together.

"A little."

He nodded and moved her foot so her toes pointed to the ceiling. A hiss escaped her lips as she drew in a sharp breath.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he continued to rotate her ankle. Erika took a handful of the sheets in each fist and clenched her teeth, forcing herself to show no sign of pain. Carson raised a brow at her, but otherwise said nothing. He finally relented his torturous poking, although it took an actual cry of pain from Erika before he stopped.

"It's not broken," he announced. "Just a bad sprain. You'll need to stay off of it for while, which means crutched. And no off world missions for at least a week." He picked up the bandage and began to carefully wrap her ankle. Erika just stared at him, slack jaw, while the information sunk it.

"A week!" she exclaimed. "I can't be away from my sites for a week. Carson-"

"Those are my orders, lass. I would order bed rest as well, but I don't think you'll listen." He sighed and changed topics. "You gave those lads some fierce wounds. Sergeant Pines has two fractured ribs. What happened on that planet?"

"I tripped," Erika replied curtly.

"Oh, I got that much. What else happened?"

She was silent for a moment, remembering.

---- ----

"Ow!" Erika yelled as she fell. "Fuck." She tried to put weight on her ankle and felt a sharp pain.

"Fuck," she cursed again.

"Are you okay, Sir?" Pierceman asked as he offered her a hand up.

"Just a sprain, I think," Erika replied as he helped her to her feet. "Nothing an ACE bandage can't fix. Let's move out."

No one moved. The three men exchanged looks that made Erika a little nervous. She took a step forward, but winced when she put pressure on her wounded leg.

"That wasn't a suggestion, guys," she reminded them as she limped to a large boulder. "That was an order." They stood their ground as they looked at her.

"No, Sir," Pines suddenly responded. "Pierceman. Jones. Restrain Captain Sheppard." The two men looked at each other then moved toward Erika.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Sergeant? Stand down."

"No, Sir," Jones replied quickly. Pierceman grabbed her by the shoulder. Erika whipped her head around and glared at the sergeant.

"I order you to release me. I will defend myself," she said coldly. It was not a threat. The soldier loosened his grip and paused. He exchanged a glance with Pines before his grip tightened. Erika spun around and punched the man in the face. Jones grabbed her other arm as Pierceman let go to clutch his nose. Erika turned to Jones and slugged him across the jaw, although it was not as hard as it could have been with her off hand. She heard Pines swear as he ran over. She spun on her good leg and kicked with her bad, landing a solid blow to his chest.

"Fuck," she cursed as pain shot through her foot. It was enough of a pause for Jones and Pierceman to each grab an arm and restrained her. She struggled against them, but they had a firm grip on her. Pines rubbed his chest as he sauntered over. Erika kicked out at him, but he was outside of her range.

"It's for your own good, Captain," he said. Erika wanted to scream, but she clamped her mouth shut. She hated that line, that justification for violating her free will. Pines gave the order to move out. Pierceman and Jones helped Erika toward the Stargate. She fought against them, but they were stronger than her and she was at a disadvantage. She could not see Pines' face as they walked toward the Stargate, but she hoped he feared his for his future career in the military.

---- ----

Carson stopped wrapping her ankle halfway through her story. He looked at her, utter disbelief spread across his face. Erika nodded slowly.

"Well," he finally said, "I suppose that explains the wounds of those three lads."

A faint smiled tugged at Erika's lips. "Yeah. I got in four good shots."

"Four?"

"Yeah. I got in a cheap shot on Sergeant Pines. Kicked him in the balls," she replied smugly. She chuckled to herself as Carson winced. She felt no remorse for kicking Pines. He more than deserved it.

"How's she doing, Doc?" a voice asked as from behind her. Erika practically growled at the sound of John's voice.

"Fuck you, John," she hissed. Carson stood, closed the private curtain and resumed wrapping Erika's foot.

"Excuse me," John said, taken aback by her outburst.

"I didn't stutter. Where the hell do you get off ordering my men to go against my orders? I can't believe you would go behind my back like that."

"And it was a good thing I did. You could have been hurt," he raised his voice. Carson coughed. John turned to the doctor as if just realizing he was still there. "Can we have a moment?"

"He's fine where he is. He's fixing my ankle."

"Oh, I though you didn't need help," John shot back.

"Not from you," Erika yelled.

"All right," Carson said firmly as he rose. "I will not have the two of you screaming at each other in my infirmary. I have sick people here who need quiet. Colonel, you'll have to leave now."

"What?'

"Colonel," Carson said more fiercely. He glared at John until the colonel relented and stormed out. Erika made herself relax by breathing in deeply. She closed her eyes and tried to find her "happy place". Strong hands gripped her shoulders and skilled fingers worked away the tension. She leaned into his touch, a slight moan escaping her lips. She titled her head back and he planted a chaste kiss on her lips. Erika frowned and cracked open an eye.

"That's it? That's all I get?" she whined. He smirked at her as he continued to rub little circles in her back. She whined again in protest when he suddenly stopped.

"You don't' have to stop."

"I need to finish wrapping your ankle. And then you are going to sit here with ice on it, lass," he replied, turning back into Doctor Beckett. He dropped on to the stool, shifting his attention back to her wounded foot. Erika watched as he carefully wrapped the strip of cloth around her foot. She smiled at the top of his head.

"You know, Doctor Beckett?' she asked seductively. She barely saw him raise his eyebrow. "You look pretty sexy in that lab coat."

He lifted his head from her foot and locked his gaze with her. "Oh, do I?"

She did not answer him. Instead she bent and brushed her lips to his. She pulled away, teasing him, when he began to kiss her in return. She smirked at him before lightly brushing her lips to his a second time. Before she could pull away again, Carson stood and deepened their kiss by embracing her. He pulled her close to him as she slipped her hands under his lab coat. She slowly parted her lips when the curtain was jerked open and someone coughed. The two jumped apart and spun to face Doctor Elizabeth Weir with a half bemused, half surprised smile dancing across her face.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, but we need to talk now, Captain," she said in a no-nonsense manner. Carson moved to leave, but Erika grabbed at his coat sleeve.

"Wait, Carson. I want you to hear this too." He nodded and sat on the bed next to her. She leaned against him. He shifted so he could wrap his arms around her. All the while, Elizabeth looked on with slight amusement.

"Alright, Elizabeth. You win. Sheppard History 101."