Date: 15th May 2007

Title: Repercussions
Author: Kazavid
Chapter: 6 / 9

Series: None
Rating: M
Pairing: John Sheppard / OFC Nicole Johnson
Archiving: None
Warnings: Sexual Content
Spoilers: None
Feedback: Yes
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis and its characters do not belong to me.
Summary: While Beckett tries to assess Sheppard's injuries, Sheppard remembers some painful memories from his past.

Repercussions

Chapter 6

John left the infirmary, his purpose, to find Nicole, but he didn't have a clue as to where her room was. But he knew how to find out. He headed to Weir's office.

"I need to see the files of the new arrivals," he said as soon as he entered the office.

"John, it's nice to see you up and about," Weir said, knowing that he wasn't supposed to be doing any work. "Did Becket release you?"

"Yes, he did. And I'm fine, now do you have the files." He didn't feel like making small talk.

"Why do you want the files?"

"I need to check something," he said without explaining.

"Sorry, but no can do. Beckett's already said you're not to do any work for another week."

"This isn't work; it's just a bit of reading," he told her, getting frustrated that she wouldn't just hand the files over.

"Sorry, but the new personnel, and any security issues, aren't your responsibility till next week."

"Fine, I'll find it myself."

"Find what?"

"Nothing," he muttered, storming out of Weir's office.

ooooo

He'd been looking around for over half an hour, and still hadn't found her; he was starting to get tired. So he headed to the mess hall, thinking he could grab something to eat. As he entered the room he spotted Nicole exiting through the other door across the room.

"Nicole!" he shouted over, and then followed her.

"Nicole, wait!" He caught up to her in the corridor.

Nicole turned around at the sound of his voice.

"John, did Doctor Beckett release you?" she asked, her eyes running over him from head to toe. He was wearing his usual style of clothes, black t-shirt, black military combat trousers, and looking very charming. But she preferred him when he was in the infirmary, where he'd been half naked. As he got closer, she pulled her thoughts together, tried to hide her emotions.

"I need to talk to you," he said, his eyes ever watchful as he tried to gauge her mood.

"Sorry, but I'm just about to go off world with one of the teams." She looked at her watch, "I have to go." She said, and went to step passed him.

"Not until I've had a chance to explain." He moved to block her escape.

"So you're all better now are you?" she asked, there was a slight edginess, to the tone of her voice.

John was a bit wary of answering her; he could see the glint in her eyes. With caution, he answered her. "I wouldn't say I was all better, I still can't resume any duties."

"But you're alright, aren't you; I mean Doctor Beckett wouldn't have released you, if you were still sick." She concluded.

"I'm fine," he said, still warily.

She smiled. "That's good, I just wanted to make sure you were ready."

"Ready! Ready for what?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"For this." She swiped her hand, hard, against the side of his face.

The resounding crack as her hand hit his face seemed to reverberate along the corridor, where there were several people, watching. Nicole heard a number of, oohs, some sharply drawn in breaths, and a couple of sniggers, most notably one from Doctor McKay, who was coming towards the mess hall with Ronon. Nicole walked off, leaving John standing there, watching her go.

"A woman who doesn't like you Colonel," McKay remarked, smiling at Sheppard's obvious discomfort.

Sheppard turned around to look at McKay. "Actually McKay, it's the complete opposite," he told him, rubbing his hand against his stinking cheek.

"Ah, Colonel Sheppard, didn't heed my advice I see, been upsetting your young lady friend." Beckett remarked, as he came to join McKay and Ronon, "Finally changed her mind about slapping you, did she, well it's not as if you weren't expecting it. I mean you kept telling her you thought she should slap your face, so now she has, maybe you can move on, so to speak." Beckett's lips twitched as Sheppard glared at him.

"Sheppard already knows her? But she's only been here for a week, and he's been in the infirmary all that time. How on earth does he do it?" McKay asked, then started babbling about Sheppard and his exploits.

ooooo

For two days, Sheppard stalked around Atlantis, trying to talk to Nicole. But every time he managed to corner her, she somehow managed to get away. He was getting very frustrated, and decided that if he didn't get to talk to her today, he'd just set up camp in her room and wait for her there. That's probably what he should have done in the first place, he thought, instead of tiring himself.

ooooo

Sheppard was talking to Ronon, in the reception area when he spotted someone who looked very familiar. The short brown hair, and tall lean frame, reminded him of someone. When the person turned around Sheppard smiled at the familiar looking face.

"Hey, Steve! I didn't know you were here. How long have you been on Atlantis?" Sheppard asked, heading over to the newcomer.

Steve grimaced when Sheppard approached him, it had been three years since they'd last seen each other.

"Hey buddy, nice to see you." Sheppard slapped his hand on Steve's back, and grinned. "So what are you doing here?"

"I'm on the Daedalus, this is just a lay over. There are a few repairs to be done on the ship, so I have a few days to relax," Steve told him, wondering if now was the best time for him to keep his promise.

"Maybe we could have a few drinks later, and you can tell me what's been happening with everyone," Sheppard suggested.

Steve wasn't so sure Sheppard would want to have a drink with him after he did what he had to do.

"Sure, what ever you want," Steve told him.

"Great then I'll see you later."

"Look, I was going to apologise to you, but on second thoughts, I don't think you deserve an apology, because in my opinion you absolutely deserve it." Steve told Sheppard.

"Deserve what?" Sheppard asked, puzzled.

"This." Steve pulled his arm back and clenched his fist, swinging hard; he hit Sheppard square on the jaw, and sent him reeling backwards to land on the floor in a heap.

Ronon grabbed for Steve.

"Ronon, leave him," Sheppard shouted, when he managed to sit up.

"What the hell was that for?" He asked Steve, while he rubbed at his bruised jaw.

"You really shouldn't leave your friends to do your dirty work for you," Steve told him.

"What did I leave you to do?" Sheppard asked, trying to think what it was he had done.

"You should have told her yourself," Steve bit out.

"Nicole!" Sheppard groaned.

"Yes, Nicole. So you do remember her then," Steve said, unable to believe that Sheppard could forget her.

"Oh I remember her, who could forget her," Sheppard said sarcastically, hadn't he been trying to tell her for the past week, alright he was a few years too late, but he was trying to explain to her, that was if he could catch her.

"Well I promised her that the next time I saw you, I'd hit you. So consider yourself hit." Steve reached his hand down to pull Sheppard up.

Still wary, Sheppard gave his hand to Steve, and let him pull him up.

"You deserve more than a hit, considering the mess you left behind," Steve remarked cryptically.

"What mess?" Sheppard asked, backing away from Steve, just in case he decided to follow through on his thoughts about him deserving more than a hit.

"Forget it; it's not for me to tell you."

Sheppard no idea as to what his friend was talking about. "You can't just hit me, and then say something like that, and not tell me," he argued.

"What's the matter; don't you know what's going on?" Steve asked.

"No."

"Well, sorry pal, but if you don't know what I'm talking about, then I have no intention of telling you." Turning around, Steve walked away.

"We still on for that drink later!" Sheppard shouted after him.

"If you want," Steve replied.

"You're still going to have a drink with him, after he hit you?" Ronon asked, confused.

"Yes, why, is there something wrong with that?" Sheppard couldn't see why Ronon thought it was a problem.

"Colonel Sheppard, is everything alright?" Doctor Beckett came over, and looked at Sheppard nursing a bruised jaw.

"I,...er..." Sheppard didn't want to tell Beckett what had happened.

"His friend hit him." Ronon had no qualms about telling the doctor what had happened.

"A friend! Not a very good friend I presume." Beckett said.

"Well I consider him to be one of my best friends," Sheppard admitted.

"A best friend you say. And he hit you." Beckett said.

Sheppard didn't answer him.

ooooo

Sheppard was waiting behind the wall near to the Jumper Bay. As the team passed by he scanned each one of them, and when he knew all of them had left, and that Nicole hadn't, he then entered the Jumper Bay. Nicole was kneeling down, searching in her backpack. As he approached, she looked up and he saw her grimace, obviously he wasn't someone she wanted to see right now, a guy could get the feeling he wasn't wanted, he thought, and then promptly ignored the fact.

"Something wrong?" Nicole asked, moving to stand up.

"Yes, something is wrong," he said.

He grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her in to one of the Jumpers, where he then closed the back of the Jumper, and locked it.

"Is this necessary?" She asked, looking at the locked door. Folding her arms, she turned around to see him sitting in the pilot's seat.

"Oh, I'd say it was very necessary. It seems to be the only way I can get to talk to you."

"So talk."

He hesitated, this seemed to easy, he thought, she was too compliant. He'd expected her to argue more.

"Okay, well a few days after you left, I got a letter, saying that I would have to leave within the week. I'd still expected to be there when you returned, so I could tell you myself," he told her, watching her closely for any reaction, but she was showing none, he decided to carry on.

"I was writing you a letter to tell you what was happening, seeing as I wouldn't be there to tell you. When an emergency cropped up and I had to leave, then they told me I couldn't return to McMurdo, I had to go to the SGC, so I didn't have a chance to finish the letter." Still he saw no reaction from her.

"Is that it?" she asked him, her voice a little harsh,

Maybe he hadn't explained himself properly "Yes, so you see I was trying to tell you..."

"You consider those few little words, 'trying to tell me' do you." she said, her voice sounded even harsher.

Nope, definitely hadn't explained himself properly, he thought.

"So you're trying to tell me that you didn't know you were going to be leaving before you tried to write a note. You couldn't have told me before I left?" She watched his skin redden. "When exactly where you planning on telling me you were leaving?" she shouted. "Maybe an hour or two before you walked out the door, is that it?"

She really sounded pissed at him now, he thought. Maybe he should have just stayed in the infirmary, she'd treated him so much nicer when he'd been in there, she'd stroked his chest, and she'd kissed him. Now she was looking at him like she wanted to strangle him.

Nicole saw the look on his face, and almost laughed at the absurdity of it. He was the one to instigate this little incident, now he looked like he desperately wanted to escape. She noticed the slight bruising on his chin.

"What happened, did you have a run in with a door, or something?" she asked, indicating the bruise on his chin.

""You could say that. I actually ran in to Steve."

"Steve! He's here?" She suddenly went very pale, and her voice sounded strained.

"Yes, and he had some interesting things to say," He told her, trying to sound like he knew more than he did.

"Like what?" she whispered.

"Like the mess I'd left you in." He watched her eyes quickly dart towards him.

"Mess?" She looked right at him.

"Yes, why didn't you tell me," he asked, trying to bluff her in to telling him what the mess was.

Nicole narrowed her eyes. He didn't know anything, he was bluffing, trying to get her to tell him, devious swine, she thought.

"Nice try, but don't forget I've seen you bluffing before, and you're not very good at it, or you're just not very good at trying to bluff with me." She heard him sigh. "So are you finished now? Can I go? I have to get a report done before tomorrow."

"This isn't over, you're hiding something and I intend to find out what." He moved to the console to unlock the Jumper door.

"There's nothing to find out," Nicole shouted as she left the Jumper.

He didn't believe her.

TBC...