Sparklyshimmer2010 - As a sparky fan, I thought I'd let you know I edited this chapter for a kiss. LOL. I'm glad you're enjoying this.
Rinoax - Hm, I don't know. Pain for two weeks from having wisdom teeth removed, or possibly dying from being fed on. That's debatable. LOL. Yes, John was there to save her, as usual.
Only 3 more chapters finished. Then I'll probably change the story to 'complete', but if I think up any more ideas, I'll still post them. Thank you all for sticking with me this long. :)
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There are many things to admire about John. Some people admired his sense of humor. Some, his kindness. Others admired his physical strength, in the training room. Then there were the ones that admired his smile, his eyes, his hair…
I've even heard a group of female marines talking about one of his other 'great assets'. They were staring at him as he walked out of the room. I wondered briefly if they'd enjoy the view so much if I gave them mop up duty of the latrines for a week.
Me, I admired his strength of will, myself. The fact that he's a constant fighter. He never just gave in.
Here I am, sitting on my bed and writing in my diary, recalling an incident that took place, as Kolya's men ambushed us in Atlantis, right before a severe storm. It was cold, wet, I was stressed, and the situation was grim.
Kolya'd managed to capture me and Rodney.
And Rodney had panicked as usual. We were lucky they didn't shoot us, really. I think part of me is still trying to figure out why they didn't.
Either way, John was out in the newly evacuated Atlantis, somewhere, trying to sabotage Kolya's men and keep us safe. It was more than a little nerve wracking when I couldn't figure out where he was. I could hear him talking over the loud rain at one point, and I guessed he was outside, seeing as how we were in the dry control room.
Do you know how worried I was, knowing he was outside with Kolya's men wandering around all over the place, and a storm that could be potentially deadly on it's way?
He never once gave in. He told me later about how Kolya had told him I was dead, and how worried he was for me when Kolya almost dragged me through the gate. I think I could pretty much call us even, at that point, since not knowing where he was or if he was alright for so long, had been pretty scary for me.
"How did you do it?"
Even repeating the question to myself now, I couldn't get the answering grin out of my mind. It was shaky, but at the same time just asking me not to press it. Then he said, "I couldn't give up." There was so much in that tone that I couldn't recognize or understand at the time.
Let's not forget how Kolya took him prisoner, too. Captured him and wanted to 'trade' him for Ladon. So many thoughts had passed through my mind. I wanted to trade, to have my John back…
My John…?
But then part of me wanted to blurt out, "You're insane, right?" Either way I didn't trade, and I thought the worst they'd do is keep John as a bargaining chip, but no…
He insisted no. He gave me a look that showed how certain he was of this and shook his head slowly. Then they brought out a Wraith. A starving Wraith. His eyes had widened when he realized what they planned to do, but he still insisted no.
So Kolya sat back and made us watch as the Wraith fed on him. It wasn't much, and John was gagged so that kept the noise to a minimum, but I could still hear and feel the anguish in his cries. It was over quickly, but it felt like forever. John's eyes showed just how weak he was, and the pain he was in, and I could clearly see the difference in his age.
And he still insisted no. Don't trade Ladon.
He still fought.
It happened more than once. They'd call in, bring out the Wraith, let it feed, then stop it and end the call. Each time, I saw Kolya's amusement grow at our despair, and every time I turned to my guys wanting to beg them to hurry up and find John. And every time, they had nothing. By the time they finally had something, John's hair was grey and his face horribly pale and wrinkled. One more feeding, and he'd die.
But Kolya didn't call.
I'd sent out the rest of John's team, along with an extra group of marines, and I waited for Kolya's call anxiously, scared because I knew it meant the final feeding, yet hopeful because it would mean John was still alive and there was still time. But Kolya didn't call. I didn't know how to feel as I waited at the screen, my arms folded over my chest.
"Chuck? Why haven't they called?"
Why did I think he'd know?
My heart pounded as I stalked back and forth, waiting for that fateful call, but it never came. Then the gate dialed. It was our rescue team confirming they'd found Colonel Sheppard and he was with them.
Then I heard his voice.
"I'm ok, really."
It didn't sound raspy or tired, like I'd expected, but like the John I knew. Ordering clearance for them to land, I turned and left the control room, making my way to the jumper bay where I knew Carson was waiting for a medical emergency. Hell, I didn't know what to expect when I got out there, but a medical emergency was definitely part of it.
Imagine my surprise when John sauntered out of the back of the jumper as big as he pleased, looking only slightly worse for wear than he did before leaving, and hopped up on the gurney with no effort.
"John…?"
He looked at me in surprise before shooting me a sheepish grin and waving.
So here I am, torn between smacking him on the back of the head and admiring his will to fight, no matter what this galaxy throws at him.
I finished writing in my diary and sighed before closing it. "I guess I should admire him." He saved Ladon's life, and still managed to thwart Kolya. Not to mention, we had a tentative new Wraith ally. "He never gave up." Getting up, I sighed and walked out of my room, still dressed in my uniform as I walked down the hall. I quietly greeted members of the night watch as I rounded the corner and made my way to the transporter. Then I stopped as the sound of grunting from the training room caught my attention.
"Come on, you can do better than that!"
That was Ronon, and I frowned as I turned and walked to the door, swiping my hand over the control to open it and leaning against the frame when I saw sweat covered Ronon and John sparring in the room.
"Hey, I had kind of a big day, you know." John shot back as he ducked under Ronon's swing. He turned and swung back, and I sighed loudly as Ronon grabbed his arms.
"Yeah, I can imagine. What with being captured by Kolya, fed on my a Wraith, reverse fed on by a Wraith, and ordered to bed rest for the rest of the night." I let my eyebrow slide up as John very slowly turned to look over his shoulder. "Busted!"
He opened and closed his mouth quietly, looking for all the world like a fish out of water. Ronon seemed torn between wincing and grinning, and he settled for letting John go, cuffing him on the shoulder, grabbing his things and nodding to me as he walked past.
"So…? What're you waiting for?" I let my other eyebrow slide up as I gestured to his things with my arm, doing my best to ignore how sweaty and good he looked. It was still a bit of a shock that the Wraith hadn't drained all of his life.
He walked over slowly and grabbed his things, still giving me a sheepish look as he walked over to me. "I couldn't sleep." His face turned serious and he shuddered a little as he took a long drink from his water bottle. "I needed to work off some stress."
Nodding a little, I walked beside him as we made our way to the transporter. "I was on the way to the lunch room for a piece of cake, myself."
Looking to me a moment, John nodded and looked forward, swiping his hand over the control to the transporter and waiting for me to step in. "Mind if I join you, or should I go back to my room-"
"John." Interrupting him, I hit the button that sent the transporter to the hall leading to the lunch room. When it stopped, I turned to him and allowed myself a moment to really take in his appearance. One, maybe two extra gray hairs, though I couldn't see any, but he basically looked the same. Shaking my head, I walked forward and gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before stepping back and stepping out of the transporter, glad the hall was empty. "Are you coming or not?" I called slightly as I began walking down the hall.
"Elizabeth…?" He looked at me a long moment before a look of understanding crossed his face. "I'm alright, you know." He walked forward and leaned over me. Very carefully, he leaned even closer and pressed his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. When he pulled away, he had a very tiny half smile on his face. "Really, I promise."
"I know." I felt my face heating up as we walked to the lunch room. "It would take a lot more than…that to stop you. You're a fighter."
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Hope you like it
Written November 14, 2008
R+R please
Thank you
Tenshi