TITLE: Colonel Daddy
AUTHOR: Aunty Pasta
SUMMARY: Two children have been living alone since the culling of their planet. When Sheppard's team discovers them lost and alone, they become attached to the colonel and he finds himself liking playing daddy.
RATING: K
DISCLAIMERS: No pairing unless you count a certain colonel and the kids he gets to play daddy to.
FEEDBACK: Enjoyed, respected and encouraged.
BETA READERS:
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere. Just ask first so I know where it is.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Special thanks to my sister and niece for the names for Mothie and Isolder.
I am wondering if this is worth finishing. Please read and review and let me know what you think.
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The village was way too quiet. Nothing moved except the wind. The really weird thing was, the village was completely intact.
Going house to house, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard found no signs of life at all until he came to a little house near the other end of town from where they had started. Rodney had gone on to the next house and Teyla and Ronan were covering them outside. Dirty plates littered the floor, much like they had in every other house, but the food remnants on some of them were fresh.
"Looks like I've got something…" he began then stopped at the clatter from the next room.
"What is it?" came Teyla's voice over the radio.
"Stand by," he replied and held his gun at the ready. A curtain hung in a doorway, hanging down to about a foot above the floor. Sheppard ducked down to peer under the curtain and spied a small set of hands pressed to the floor just out of his normal view. At the base of the curtain were crumbs of food, scattered like so much dust.
Standing up straight once again, he pulled out a chocolate bar and unwrapped it. He sat on the floor against the wall next to the curtain and broke off a chunk. "Man, is this candy good," he said just loud enough for the owner of the hands to hear. "I wish I had someone to share it with."
As he sat and listened, there was a soft rustle as the hands came fully into view beside him. "What is candy?" a small voice asked.
He placed the piece he had broken off on the floor near the hands. "It's good," Sheppard replied. "Go ahead. Try some."
One of the hands hesitantly picked up the piece of chocolate and disappeared back behind the curtain. Seconds later, the small voice spoke again. "Can I have some more?"
Sheppard smiled and broke off another piece of the candy. "Here ya go." He placed the brown square in a small palm. "I'm John," he went on. "What's your name?"
He waited a few minutes while she consumed her prize. "Mothie," she replied.
"Are you here by yourself?"
"No," Mothie replied. "My brother went to look for more food."
"Where are your parents?"
She was silent for a minute. "The Wraith took them," she said so softly, he almost couldn't hear her. "The Wraith took everybody."
"I'm sorry," Sheppard said, softly. They were both silent for a minute before he spoke again. "You can have the rest of the chocolate bar if you come out."
After a few more minutes of silence, she slowly crawled out to sit in front of Sheppard. He held up the remainder of the chocolate bar and smiled as she took it. He watched her quickly consume the rest of the candy, gauging her age to be six or seven. "Do you know where your brother went?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer when a blood-curdling scream interrupted. Before Sheppard could get off the floor to find out what had happened, Mothie was in his lap and clinging to him. "It's the Wraith!" she exclaimed.
Sheppard held her close and stood, using the wall for support. "If it were the Wraith," he explained. "My friends would have seen them and signaled me."
"How?"
He tapped the radio in his vest. "It's called a radio." He tapped the button to speak into the device. "What was that?"
"Ronan was attacked by a boy hiding in the bushes near one of the houses," Teyla reported.
Sheppard looked at Mothie. "It's probably Isolder," she stated. "He has been taking care of me."
Sheppard nodded then spoke into the radio once again. "Don't hurt him," he told them. "I'll be right there." He tried to put Mothie down but she clung to him. "You need to get down," he told her. She quickly shook her head. "We're going to find your brother."
"I don't want you to leave me," she whispered.
"I was planning on taking you with me," he told the child as he wrapped his arms back around her. "But I was hoping you would walk."
She was still for several minutes before he felt her nod into his shoulder. She let him slide her to the ground then gripped his hand like she would never let go. He bent to look in her sparkling green eyes as she pushed away the dirty red curls that had fallen in her face. "Let's go find out what's going on with your brother."
Mothie nodded and walked with him out the door.
Sheppard walked out the door of the house with Mothie's little hand still clutching his, only to find Ronan holding a boy of about twelve up by his arm at arm's length. The boy swung his hand at Ronan, trying to hit him and missing by a good foot each time.
"Let me GO!" he was demanding. Ronan looked over at Sheppard.
Sheppard nodded and then added, "Gently. Don't drop him."
Ronan put the struggling boy gently on his feet and released him. Angrily, the boy turned and kicked the Runner hard in the leg. Ronan let out a very un-Ronan-like yelp and hopped back as the boy retreated behind Sheppard and his sister. Rodney choked back laughter from next to Teyla.
Sheppard looked over his shoulder at him. "You Isolder?" The boy nodded. "I'm John."
"Who's he?" Isolder asked with a nod to where Ronan stood glaring at him.
Sheppard squatted down in front of the boy. "That's Ronan," he told him. "He's a friend of mine. He wouldn't hurt a fly." Sheppard looked back at the still glowering Ronan. "Unless it was Wraith." He paused as he studied the boy. "You're not Wraith, are you?"
Beside him, Mothie giggled. "Of course not," Isolder replied.
"Good, good," Sheppard said with a nod. "The other two, they're some more of my friends." He pointed at Rodney and Teyla. "That's McKay and that's Teyla."
Isolder peeked around Sheppard as he introduced the others and nodded. Sheppard looked back at Isolder and Mothie. "What do you think we should do with you?"
"Can we go home with you?" Mothie asked. Isolder poked her with an elbow and gave her a dirty look.
Sheppard looked at Isolder. "You want to stay here? Alone? With no one to take care of you?"
Isolder puffed out his chest. "I can take care of myself."
"Her too?" Sheppard nodded to Mothie where she still clung to the colonel's hand.
Isolder let out a breath. "I could use some help," he admitted.
Sheppard nodded in understanding. "Then you can come home with me," he said. "Come on."
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Isolder came through the gat just behind Sheppard and his sister and stopped in his tracks, looking up and up and up into the ceiling of the gate room. "Wow!" he whispered.
"Wow's a good word for it," John said as the gate shut down and both children jumped. "It's just the gate shutting down," John soothed. He let both children get a good look around before urging them forward.
"It's HUGE!" Mothie said from John's arms. She had gotten tired during the trek to the gate and John had offered to carry her.
"And this is just the Gate room," John said as Weir approached.
"Looks like you've picked up a couple of hitchhikers," she said.
"Yeah," John replied. "This is Mothie," nodded to the child in his arms. "And the one trying to look like he's not hiding behind me is Isolder."
The boy in question peeked out from behind the Colonel then ducked back into hiding. Mothie peeked out under her arm at Weir then ducked back like her brother had. "Kids," John said. "This is Dr. Elizabeth Weir."
"Nice to meet you both," Weir replied.
"Are you really a doctor?" Isolder asked as he peeked out from behind John once again.
"Yes," Weir said as she bent slightly to be more at the boy's level. "But not the kind of doctor you are probably thinking." She squatted. "I'm what we call a Ph.D."
Isolder nodded and looked up at John. "I thought you said there was gonna be a doctor to make sure Mothie and I weren't sick."
"There is," John said. "He's waiting for you in the infirmary."
Mothie lifted her head. "Are you gonna stay with us during the exta, stamin, samin…"
"Examination," John provided. "I'll be there."
"Will it hurt?" Isolder asked Weir.
She shook her head. "Nope," she replied. "Would you like me to escort you down?"
Isolder grasped John's sleeve. "Do you have to?"
Weir smiled in surprise. "I always escort visiting dignitaries to the infirmary."
Isolder looked up at John and he nodded at the boy. Reluctantly, he took Weir's offered hand and they led the way.
"John?" came Mothie's tiny voice in his ear.
"Yeah, Mothie?"
"What's a dignitary?"
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"They're both a wee bit undernourished," Beckett told John as the latter sat on the bed next to the Mothie. Isolder sat across from them on the next bed. "But otherwise, they in good health."
"Good," John said with a nod. Beckett only smiled and walked away to treat the rash McKay was complaining loudly about. John snorted as his friend held up his forearm and pointed out the red and bumpy skin.
"It's only a wee heat rash," John heard as he led the children from the infirmary.
"What now?" Mothie said then yawned.
"I think we should get you two something to eat then settle you into bed," John said as he took children by the hand and led them off toward the mess hall.
"I'm not tired," Isolder said.
"You've had a big day," John said. "And I have to go debrief my team."
"What's debrief?" Mothie asked.
John bit back a remark that shouldn't be said in front of children. "My friends are going to tell me what happened on that planet from their point of view."
Mothie clutched his hand in both of hers. "You're not gonna leave us?"
John stopped and got down at her level "Only for a little bit," he told her. "You're safe here." He looked from her to her brother and back. "You trust me, don't you?"
Mothie nodded vigorously. Isolder looked concerned but slowly nodded. Then he looked thoughtful. "Shouldn't we be debriefed, too?"
John looked at Mothie who once again nodded vigorously. John snorted then shook his head. "You have a point," he said. He took their hands and stood. "I think the briefing can wait until tomorrow."
"But I'm not tired," Isolder repeated before a yawn betrayed him.
John snorted again. "If you want to go to the debriefing with me tomorrow, you need to get some rest."
"After food?" Mothie asked. "Right?"
"Right."
"What are we going to eat?" Isolder asked.
John grinned as he looked down at Isolder. "My favorite," he replied. "Macaroni and cheese."
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"You're right," Isolder said with a yawn as he snuggled under the covers on John's bed. Mothie was already asleep beside him. "Macaroni and cheese is wonderful."
John grunted, still a bit upset at having lost the argument of where they would sleep to the now comfortably sleeping Mothie. The children snuggled up on either side of him in the too-small bed. The room fell quiet.
"John?" Isolder asked tentatively.
"Yeah, Isolder?"
"Are you sure the Wraith won't get us here?"
"Yeah," John replied.
"How do you know?"
"Because they don't know we're here."
"They don't?"
"Nope." John replied. "Now close your eyes and go to sleep."
The room was quiet for several more minutes. "John?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for saving us," the boy replied.
"You're welcome," John replied.
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John woke with a start a few hours later to Mothie's screams.
"Don't go! Don't go!" she screamed and writhed beside him.
"Mothie wake up!" John said as he gently shook the terrified child. Green eyes popped open but were unfocused.
Isolder leaned across John and took her hand. "The Wraith won't come here," he told her. "We're safe now."
Mothie started to cry. "I saw mommy and daddy leaving us at the tree," she cried. "Then daddy turned around and it was John." John pulled her close in his arms. "Then the beam came along and swept him away."
"I'm here," John soothed. "And I'm not leaving."
Mothie pulled away to look John in the face. "Promise?"
The tears on Mothie's cheeks broke his heart. "I promise," he said although he knew in his heart it was probably the wrong thing to say. It had the desired effect, however, and Mothie snuggled back down in John's arms and closed her eyes. John gently kissed her forehead. "Goodnight sunshine," he said quietly.
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"Shh," John hushed Elizabeth softly and gestured to the bed where his two guests still slept. "They had a bit of a rough night last night," he whispered.
"How so?" Elizabeth whispered back.
"Mothie had a pretty bad nightmare," he replied, still whispering.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Elizabeth whispered back as she stepped back out into the hall where John joined her. "I was hoping we could discuss what to do with them."
John glanced back at the sleeping children as Isolder rolled over in his sleep. "They need security."
"I know," Elizabeth replied. "And though I know you would love to keep them here, the best place for them is the mainland with the Athosians."
"They've kind of grown attached to me," John said as he glanced back at them again.
Elizabeth smiled at John's concern. "They're not the only ones who have grown attached."
John looked back at Elizabeth in surprise. At her knowing smile, he rolled his eyes. "I'm not that attached."
Elizabeth shook her head. "Right," she said.
John ran his hand through his hair and looked back at her. "Is it that transparent?"
Elizabeth nodded. "You can go visit them whenever you want or whenever they need you." She fell silent as John turned to watch the still sleeping children. "You know it's best for them."
Finally, John nodded. "Not yet though," he said.
"When you're ready," Elizabeth said. "But it needs to be soon. The longer you wait, the harder it will be."
John nodded and turned away from the children to watch Elizabeth leave. As he did, he didn't notice that Isolder had woken and had been watching them sadly through barely open eyes.
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