CHAPTER 7 – FRAGMENTED EMOTIONS

He took her to her quarters, escorted by the two marines, and left her there to arrange some food to be brought in from the mess. Ronon was there, and quirking an eyebrow, moved over to join him in the queue.

"So?"

"So, what?" John shrugged negligently, filling up two trays with food.

"You gonna do it?" Ronon nudged him lightly with his shoulder, however the big man had more power than he was even aware of sometimes, and John's coffee was jostled sufficiently to cause a minor spill.

"Hey Ronon, cut it out man! And FYI? IF I decide to 'do it', I'll not be taking out a damn full page add in the Atlantis Times. No damn privacy around here..." John grumbled, using a napkin to wipe up the spilled coffee.

Ronon chuckled. "Yeah sure, whatever works for you. But you'll tell me, right? I mean, we're best buddies!"

"God Ronon, there are some things that a man's just gotta keep... private, y'know?"

Ronon was relentless, and John just sighed. Better to let him get it out of his system now, maybe he'd leave him alone later...

"So John... tell me.. if you 'do it' what will your babies look like, I mean half an invisible entity and half a John Sheppard - doncha think that's gonna look a little weird?"

John turned around to face him, and decided he might as well make a damned announcement out of the whole thing. He spoke loudly to everyone in the room, causing the general chatter and clatter of knives and forks to cease.

"Ok FYI people? I don't know if I'm gonna 'do it'? And if I do, I don't know what the damn offspring will look like? And if you're wondering what it's gonna feel like, well... she's got all the human bits, so I'm guessing it pretty much is the same as any other, give or take... any other questions while I have the floor?"

There were a few snickers from some of the people eating in the mess, a few catcalls, and one guy even walked past and clapped him on the shoulder saying quietly "lucky bastard - I saw her the other day, and damn... she is hot! You wanna pass on it, there'll be plenty to step up to the mark, I'm thinking... and I'll take head of the queue!"

And that was the catalyst for John. Laughing loudly now, he picked up his tray, his passing comment to all interested parties as he left the mess "Sorry boys, she's mine, and when I put my mark on her, there'll be no sharing. Find your own damn woman!"

She was pacing a little uncertainly on the balcony of her quarters and John acknowledged the marines, telling them they could take a break while he was in the room with her. He would contact them when he was to leave. Looking a little uncertain, their orders afterall had come foremost from Dr Weir, but he did outrank them, so that they acknowledged with a salute and left their post, John standing in the doorway watching them leave, the two trays in his hand.

He took the trays out onto the balcony, watching as the soft ocean breeze lifted strands of her long black hair, then dropped them softly to curl around her hips. He set the trays down on the small table that sat out there, and picked up one of the long strands to let it run through his hands, feeling the softness and texture, then tugged slightly so that she was pulled closer to him.

"The ocean is lovely, is it not, John? I could stand out here for a long time to watch the lights on the water. The eyes I see through with now, understand the beauty so much more, than they did when we went for that picnic the other night. The entity, she was not interested in looking, tasting and feeling - she only had the one quest to complete and it disallowed me from doing what I most wanted to do. I needed to feel, to touch and hear... and to taste. Now I feel, I am able to do that."

His hand snaked around her waist, feeling the softness of her body, and pulled her closer, so that she was just a breath away from him, and looking into those amazing violet eyes, that now held the wonder of all the feelings she was being allowed to have.

"Tell me what you feel Andrea, what you taste, what you see. I shall enjoy looking at something for the first time again... one becomes a little jaded, when surrounded by all this on a daily basis. Inspire me..."

She turned slightly, so that she looked out at the ocean again. "I see shifting patterns on the water, that ripple and change and form and shift again. The lights create fingers of magic and it is like sparkles of individual energy, I want to reach out and touch, but it is a picture only, not tangible." She shifted again,so that she was looking at him once more and her hand reached out to touch his face and his lips.

"I feel the scratchy beard of your face hair, it tickles and feels sensual under my hands, then my hand moves to your lips and they feel soft and like skin satin and I want to feel them in a different way." He opened his mouth slightly, capturing her fingers with his teeth and nipping slightly. He watched her shiver. "Now I feel excited, as though some new magic is about to happen, and I want to be closer, without these trappings." She indicated the clothes that she wore.

"That can be arranged sweetheart... it is getting a little warm out here..." and he proceeded to remove her tshirt, pulling it gently over her head, widening his eyes slightly as he noted she wore no bra. His head dipped them, and he took the tip of one breast in his mouth, and suckled gently, listening to her breath as it quickened and hitched, and then a little harder so that her hands fisted in his hair and pulled tightly.

"Tell me what you feel now Andrea... right now..." He moved to the other breast, and she moaned then, hands fumbling at his tshirt so that she could pull it off also, and then her hands were everywhere, touching, testing, sampling until he was just a contradition of feelings.

"God Andrea... maybe we should slow down... saviour this a little more. I want you sweetheart, so bad right now... I need it to be right for you." He stilled then, pulling back from her to look deep into her eyes.

"Is she there Andrea, can I talk to her?" Andrea blinked once, attempting to clear some of the sensual fog from her mind. "I need to know that this is what she wants also..."

"She's here John, she is only feelings now, she grows weaker. Yes, she still wants this, and feels joy that you will do this for her." The violent eyes blinked slowly closed and John moved his hands lower, reaching for the buttons on her pants, undoing, then gently sliding, down... down...

"I do this for us Andrea, and what we feel. She can take what she needs, but this is for us... there's only you and I here right now... just the way it should be sweetheart..."

He pushed her backwards, slowly, towards the bed and lowered her gently so that she lay sprawled in naked abandon, a perfect form created by an alien entity, just for him, just to please him and all he wanted right now, was to please her, in every way that he could. He stood over her, pants unbuttoned, but still sitting low on slim hips and his eyes were hooded as he looked down at her, black hair spread out over the covers, those violet eyes gazing at him in such a way that he felt a shiver run through him. Then her hands were reaching, pulling and his pants were gone, and there was only skin, two bodies, three minds, and the moment that his skin touched hers, there was fire, blazing and hot and each touch of her hands became lava that burned and branded and in a part of his mind he knew that he was hers forever, branded in life for all time.

A shadow crossed her eyes as he rose gently above her, ready to join with her, and he knew it was her, she waited also for the gift he was about to give her and smiling, he was inside and moving and

there was friction, sensation, feeling and love... always love. And he felt new life burgeon inside her and felt the smile from the entity. Her species would be saved.

Covered in a sheen of sweat, he drew her close, his hand restlessly running up and down her thigh, staring mesmerised into her eyes, trying to control the rapid beating of his heart, that echoed the rhythm of hers.

"We are one now John? Do you feel this also? And I carry your children, her children. We have fullfilled her quest. It was the right thing to do, this was the right thing to do for us... I am filled with you now. Is that how it is supposed to be?"

She tucked her head into his neck, kissing softly and he felt a shiver run through his body as excitement began to build again.

"Again, sweetheart?"

"Oh yes, John!"