DISCLAIMER: I do not own this show, or these characters; I just borrow them.

Weathering the Storm Part 14

While Teyla was able to vent her anger, Elizabeth did not get a chance to vent her own emotions. The first order of business came in the form of a man, Doran. "What can I do for you?" Elizabeth looked up from the conference room table and the papers that lay scattered around her. She was shocked to see the Athosian who had given the Genii access to the city.

The man in front of her glanced at his feet as he shuffled them. "I wanted to apologize for my actions," he stated as he finally looked up. "I caused much pain and grief, and for that I am sorry."

Elizabeth saw the bandage on Doran's arm to attest to the fact that he was also a victim in this whole situation. "The blame does not belong to you, but to Kolya… to the Genii. You have nothing to be sorry for," as Elizabeth stated this, she knew the truth behind her words. Kolya twisted people in order to get his way, giving them no choice in the long run but to comply with his wishes. As she let Doran know that he was not at fault, she was also telling it to herself. She just hoped that she would not be too pigheaded to listen to it.

When Doran left the room, Elizabeth felt a bone-searing weariness descend upon her. She looked at her watch and saw that she had only been up for two and a half hours so far today, and that in ten minutes she was supposed to be meeting with Sergeant Bates to hear his account of what happened on the Manaran home world, and how the safety sweeps of the city were progressing. Right after that meeting came a meeting with Dr. Zelenka and a few other scientists in order to determine how the city was faring technologically and also to determine how to start preparing for any other weather anomalies in the future. Only minutes after the aforementioned meeting was scheduled to end, a meeting with the individuals that ran the commissary was planned to determine how long the current food stores could be stretched out to provide for all the people in Atlantis, including the Athosians in case the need arose.

The meetings seemed to drag on endlessly, but finally Dr. Weir realized that the only sound in the conference room was from her pen scratching notes on the papers in front of her. She glanced at her watch and noticed that it was long after the lunch hour, and the time was creeping closer to the end of a normal work day. But this was not a normal day. Granted no day in Atlantis was a normal day, and therefore the normal nine-to-five job was only a long forgotten memory. Elizabeth glanced at her meeting schedule. She noticed that she had a twenty minute break until her next meeting was planned. She thought about heading to the cafeteria in order to get a bite to eat; however after her bleak meeting about the food shortage she was not in any hurry to help that shortage progress. She knew in the back of her mind that she should eat and that a merger meal would not harm the supplies as much as she feared, but her thoughts today were so jumbled with thoughts of the damage to the city, its people, and herself, that rational thoughts were often ignored.

Dr. Weir massaged the back of her neck. She knew today was going to be a busy and draining day, and so far it was turning out to be even more so than she imagined. She felt that she had gone a few sparring rounds with Teyla. Needing a break, Dr. Weir stood up and walked out of the conference room. She planned to walk out on the nearest balcony in order to get a breath of fresh air; however her trek was brought to a halt when she noticed a child crouched under a nearby computer station.

Jinto was crouched under an unused computer console. He kept his eyes glued on the walkway going to the conference room in order to determine when his father showed up; therefore he was facing away from the conference room door. Jinto failed to see the door behind his open, and Dr. Weir step out of the room. He was used to people walking past so he did not think much when a pair of legs showed up in his peripheral vision, but when the legs did not keep walking past, Jinto looked over. He saw the feet planted on the floor, and with wide eyes he moved his gaze upward.

Elizabeth walked over next to the boy, and stopped. She looked down on Jinto and wondered how long it would take him to notice her standing next to him. A few moments later she saw him look towards her feet, and in that moment she planted a stern expression on her face. That look was almost destroyed as the big eyed, worried look glanced up to her face. Jinto's brow furrowed in question and fear, and Elizabeth could not hold the angry look. She smiled down at the boy and knelt beside him.

"So what are you up to?" Dr. Weir asked.

"Please don't be mad. I just wanted to know what was going on." Jinto looked down and lowered his voice before continuing, "Are we going to lose another home?"

Elizabeth paused momentarily. As leader of the city she had been working on getting everything back up to its normal standards, and worrying about the food shortage that was probably made worse as the storm's damage to the mainland was not yet known. Those many concerns caused her to overlook the most important concerns affecting the inhabitants of the city, and that was their fears. "I'm sorry that I did not address these fears earlier." She stood up and reached out a hand to Jinto, "Will you join me?"

Jinto was shocked when Dr. Weir spoke to him as a person, and not just as a child who was in everybody's way. He grasped her hand, and the two of them walked out onto the balcony.

"So why were you spying from under the computer?" Dr Weir asked as she watched Jinto look around in order to try and see his new homeland.

As Jinto was facing away from her, he did not notice Elizabeth hurrying towards him as he leaned over the railing, or see the frightened look on her face. Once he determined that no matter how far he leaned over the rails he could not see land, he turned back to see Dr. Weir standing right behind him. "I'm…I mean…My friends are worried that they might not have a home to go back to," Jinto stated as he hopped off of the bottom rung of the railing.

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief to see Jinto back on the ground before she asked, "The other kids are worried huh, … and your not the slightest bit concerned?"

"Well it's just that I have to be the brave one. My friends look up to me. I should have answers to their questions like my father does for our people." Jinto looked up at Elizabeth when he said this, and she saw the burden of leadership that he already placed on himself at such a young age.

"Promise me something?" Dr. Weir asked Jinto, as one leader to another.

"What," Jinto wondered if she was going to tell him to stay away from the gate room.

"If you ever have a question or a concern, don't hesitate to ask either myself or your father. Okay?" Elizabeth asked.

Jinto looked confused at her request, "But I was always told that children should be seen and not heard."

Elizabeth smiled down at Jinto, "But if you agreed with that statement, then why were you hiding under the computer desk hoping to not be seen." Again the confused look graced Jinto's face, and Elizabeth could not help but laugh. "From one leader to another, if I can help alleviate your fears…or those of your friends… please come to me and ask your questions. You might be surprised by what you learn."

"Surprised is the right word for it," Jinto muttered under his breath before he looked up and asked, "Why aren't we allowed to go home yet?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath in order to determine how to answer his question without raising more worries and fears. "We need to make sure that it is safe before you and your people can go home." She knew that that sentence did not explain why they might be in Atlantis for awhile so she continued, "but we also need to get the city up and running completely so that we can be protected. With so few workers in such a large city we don't have the ability to work on getting the city safe at the same time as the mainland. Does that make sense?"

Jinto pondered what he was told. He personally knew how expansive the city was as he got lost within its wall in the first few weeks here. He also understood the need for safety and protection in numbers. He was taught the latter during a Wraith attack. His father once told him that is was better to stick together and defend yourself in one place and with many people, then to spread out too thin so that their was no hope for survival. Therefore Jinto looked up at Dr. Weir and nodded his head, "Yes I understand. Thanks for talking with me. Hopefully I can help soothe my friends' fears."

Elizabeth could tell from the look in his eyes that her answers also helped alleviate some of his own fears. "Remember to come talk to me or your dad if you need to. Okay?" she asked as she held her hand out for him to seal the bargain.

"Okay," Jinto stated as they shook hands on that promise.

The twosome started to walk back into the city walls as Halling rushed out, "Dr. Weir I was looking for you." He was about to go on when he noticed his son standing next to the leader of Atlantis. "I see my son got to you first. I hope he was not being a bother."

"No we were just chatting about leadership issues." She gave Jinto a nudge, and he walked over to his father. Jinto looked into his face to determine if his father was mad at him, but Halling just looked down at his son, placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled, "Wex was looking for you in our room. Why don't you go find him and play. Maybe he will let you be Major Sheppard."

Jinto smiled at his father, glanced back at Dr. Weir and after a quick 'thank you' and a smile, he was off to find his friends.

"So what were you two talking about?" Halling questioned the leader of Atlantis with a warm smile.

Elizabeth gave him a small smile before she informed him of his son's fears about losing another home.

A serious look descended on Halling's face, and he walked over to the railing. He looked over at the horizon and noticed that slight color changes being painted across the sky. Usually the changes in nature helped calm him down, and sooth an problems he was facing, but it did not seem to work today. "Many of the Athosians are wondering such a thing, and I have no idea what to tell them." He sucked in a deep breath of fresh air and turned to Dr. Weir. "When will we be able to make a trip over to the mainland in order to determine the damages, and the repairs that will need to be done? I know that you can't spare the time and men to help repair our home right now, but I need to be able to inform my people of what is to come."

Dr. Weir quickly thought on the matter. She remembered seeing the grateful looks on her people's face as they came back through the gate from Manara to what was seen by many as home. She knew that the Athosians needed that feeling of security and understanding possibly even more than the inhabitants of this city. She remembered watching the desponded group that gated in from Athos. They mourned their home, and then needed to know as soon as possible if they would need to start anew once again. Her mind made up, she radioed over to Major Sheppard. "Major Sheppard could you come to the conference room?"

John heard Elizabeth through his earpiece, and he knew that there was only one correct answer to her question. "I'm on my way." He started to stand up from the cafeteria table when he noticed Teyla tilt her head towards a noise that only she could hear.

"I'll be right there," Teyla radioed back as she also stood up.

"Let me guess," John scrunched up his eyes and placed his pointer fingers on his temples, "You heard a voice, and it commanded you to the conference room."

He opened his eyes back up to see Teyla with a perplexed look on her face as she stated, "How astute of you." John laughed as the confused look on her face, and as they walked toward their destination John tried to find words to explain his actions.

When John and Teyla arrived in the conference room, the table was full of scientists, military personnel, as well as a few Athosians. Teyla noticed a few of her comrades who she knew were the best farmers that the village had. She also noticed Doran in the group. He was a skilled builder, and so Teyla understood why she was needed. The trip to check on the mainland was happening sooner than she thought, and she was glad for this fact as she knew it was important to her people to get back to their everyday lives. She hoped that this trip could help quench the fear that they would need to start over again, but if it should not happen this way, she knew that she would be needed to help her people deal with the upcoming struggles.

Once everyone had taken a seat at the table, Dr. Weir started to address the group. "I was going to put this trip off for a little longer; however it came to my attention that we all need to know what is going on sooner rather than later." With this statement, she glanced toward Halling and smiled. She looked back to the rest of the group and continued, "That is why I asked you all here."

"Major," Dr. Weir gazed at John, "I want you to lead a team to perform a survey of the buildings, and anything else that might be unstable or unsafe before the scientists move in."

Major Sheppard noticed Elizabeth start to move her gaze away from him, so he quickly stated, "Yes ma'am."

Next Dr. Weir started to address Dr. McKay. "Rodney, I want your help with figuring out how to get the settlement dried out. I've seen the effects of many hurricanes so I have a feeling that there will be some flooding and other water damage."

"But… I'm needed here…with repairs and such," Rodney tried to come up with any excuse to stay behind. He was not looking forward to getting out and seeing the damages that the storm had caused. He had already seen the storm firsthand and got soaked to the bone; moreover he was not looking forward to doing anything that might remind him of the incident with the Genii. He looked at Elizabeth and saw that his words were falling on deaf ears, then he glanced down at his sleeve where he knew the bandage still covered the gapping hole in his arm. He grasped at his last hope for staying in the warmth of Atlantis while the others went and trod in the mud, "Plus Dr. Beckett told me to keep my arm clean, and think of the bug and germ infestation that might be running rampant through the settlement as a result of the stagnant water." Rodney looked up hopefully at Elizabeth, but he could tell from her squared chin that he said something wrong.

As Rodney mentioned the problems that could have arisen from any stagnant water, Dr. Weir watched a few of the Athosians glance at the scientist in fear of what ruin was befalling their new home. Teyla on the other hand just shook her head at Rodney's antics and quietly tried to calm the fears of the farmer sitting next to her, as he knew the damage water and now possibly bugs could be doing to all of his hard work. John was trying to hide a smile behind his hand because of the pitiful excuses that his teammate was dreaming up. He knew that he could do a lot better if he felt the need.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, and making sure that Rodney was looking into her eyes she stated, "Thank you for bring this new concern to the forefront. I didn't think of it. Therefore on top of the former job, you also get to determine how to eradicate any bug problem that might exist. As to your injury, ask Dr. Beckett to wrap it up well before we leave tomorrow morning, and then be careful where you step."

John heard the seriousness to Dr. Weir's reprimand of Rodney; however he could not help the chuckle that escaped his throat. He did a fairly good job of covering it up with a cough, but Elizabeth was not fooled. She glanced over at John with a scowling look. Jeez do not piss her off right now, John thought.

"Can we continue," Dr. Weir commanded as she looked between Dr. McKay and Major Sheppard. After receiving a nod from each of them, she focused on the two farmers at the table. "I need the two of you to determine if any of the crops will still be harvestable. I would also like you to work with Dr. McKay in order to determine what needs to be done with the land to make it ready for planting once again. If there is anything else that you need to do your work please ask. I don't know much about farming and crops other than they eventually make it to the dinner table. So please don't be hesitant to ask for whatever you might need." They nodded so she moved on to Doran.

"Halling mentioned that you are the best in the community at construction," Elizabeth stated this, but looked to Doran for affirmation.

"Yes ma'am. I like to invent and build. I've tried to make some equipment for improving our farming techniques also, but my friends do not want to try out these new ways." Doran replied. Elizabeth was confused where his train of thought was leading him, as her question only asked for a yes or no.

"Yeah he also likes to boast a lot, but he is a great builder," one of the farmers stated as he chuckled.

When Doran came to talk to her earlier, he briefly mentioned that he was given a strong drink as he boasted about his improvements to farming to the Manaran leader, and soon after the Genii started to question him about access to the city. Elizabeth now understood why Doran rambled on a few moments earlier. She took in his downward gaze, and trembling chin.

"Doran," she waited until he looked up enough to see her as she spoke. "I think we might need your innovations, but first and foremost I want you to determine what damage has been done to the buildings. Once you determine what needs to be repaired with the settlement, you can then work with Dr. McKay and the farmers on how to get the farming improved and back up to par."

The same farmer from before chuckled at stated, "Well Doran, it looks like you might get to use your ideas after all."

"Thank you Dr. Weir," Doran stated as he chocked on his voice. Many emotions competed for the forefront, but all he showed was a grateful smile. He felt like he was given a chance for so much from the person that should be condemning him. He was given a chance to use his skills, and also given a chance at redemption.

Both Teyla and Halling realized some of the unspoken words behind Doran's thanks, but only Elizabeth knew all that was condensed into those four little words. She also swallowed the emotions that tried to come forward, and told Doran that he was welcome before she turned to the group as a whole. "It's getting late. I want you all to get whatever you will need for tomorrow's trip and then get to bed early as tomorrow will be a long and trying day. I will see all of you tomorrow morning at 8am sharp. Dismissed."