We used to swim the same moonlight waters
Oceans away from the wakeful day
John stood at his balconey and looked out at the clear waters below. he held the hairbrush Red had given him several months before, It used to be Teylas. Now she was gone, again. He remembered everything. Even though he didn;t want to, he did. Turning away from the sunset he set the brush on Teyla's nightstand, which held a picture of him and her together on the night of their wedding. John stared at it, slowly picking it up from the nightstand and holding it in his hands, He bit back a sob as he sat heavliy on the bed. he set t he picture back on the nightstand and laid down, staring at the ceiling, finally drifting off into a fitful sleep.
In Weirs office three people were there, John had left several hours before and was in his room. Rodeny sat in a chair, writing on a tablet PC, trying to figure out a math problem, and Ronon sat in the other chair staring at nothing. Finally Weir broke the silence. "Alright, something went wrong at the planet, the bomb was set off and the coven was destroyed, but Teyla wasn't found, not even in orbit." Weir looked at both men. Who looked towards her when she spoke. "What do we tell John?"
"Nothing, let him sleep it off" Ronon said. Weir looked at him,
Rodney broke in. "That'd be inpossible for him to do, you remember the last time Teyla died? It was all we could do to keep him sane enough to not kill himself."
Ronon snapped back "So what are we gonna do? sit around while Sheppard rots in the room? He hasn't eaten since before Teyla left for the planet." Weir nodded.
"So we have us some trouble then." She said
Rodeny nodded. "Yup, Sheppard is locked in the room and I can't crossover the code to get in, he wired it to not let anything past his own code." Rodney set the computer aside.
"So what do we do?" Weir looked at both men. Ronon said nothing,
"I don't know, give up?" Rodeny said.
"Wouldn't that be what the Wraith want us to do in the first place?" Weir asked.
Rodney nodded, "you have a point." he commented.
"So one of you have to get to John and talk to him, good luck." Weir said.
"Right, yeah. here goes nothing." Rodney said getting up, he and Ronon both left Weirs office. Someone will have to talk to Kiro too.
My fall will be for you
My love will be in you
If you be the one to cut me
I'll bleed forever
John woke up to a knocking on his door. Getting up from the bed he looked around. 'Where am I? Oh right, Atlantis without Teyla, great, so its not a dream. Damnit all to hell.' John got up from the bed when the pounding at the door never stopped, and once opened he saw Rodeny, but noone else, "Rodney? What's going on?"
"Good to see you too." Rodney said, "mind if I come in?"
John stood to the side to allow Rodney in before looking down the hall in both directions before sealing his door with Rodney inside. "OK Rodney what is this about?"
"Your current state of life if you want to know" Rodney said looking at John, "Youl ook a wreck, did you try to strangle yourself again?" At Johns odd look Rodney waved a hand "forget I said that."
"You said what?" John said looking at Rodney, "Look, Rodney, don't you have to bother Radek about something, I got a lot of my mind right now."
Rodney took one look at the nightstand, yeah sure Sheppard had a lot on his mind, loosing Teyla and then remembering everything over the past ten months. "You look terrible."
"Rodney, I don't have time for this" John said going to the bed and sitting on it. "I heard it from Weir, from Jack, From everyone, I'm not going to go through it again."
Rodney looked to the door then back to John. "Kiro's worried." He moved to the door. "She's down the hall in guest quarters if you want to talk to her, I guess I'll be going then?" As he spoke Rodney watched John get up from the bed and go to the balconey, Rodeny followed still speaking then made to go before John spoke up in anger.
But instead John said simply. "Don't leave yet." Rodney went and joined Sheppard at the balconey rail and looked towards the sunrise. Sheppard had slept all night long, and just barely so. "I miss Teyla. She was my wife, i lost her once, and I promised myself I'd not lose her again, and look what happens." John said. Rodney only nodded, not saying anything, what could he say? "Everything in my life had been crappy ever since I became Air Force, Coming here I thought that would change and it did. I met a beautiful woman, got married, had one hell of a daughter with the same woman I promised myself I would never lose again." John shook his head. "Now she's gone."
"Yeah, life tends to screw things up for us doesn't it?" Rodney said before shutting up. bad choice of words. But when John said nothing Rodney continued. "I mean think about it, here we are, seven years in Atlantis, going to and from earth every few weeks to a month between trips. You're married to one of the best people I'd ever spoken with before. Not that Maffy is bad mind you. She's lovely...."
"Speaking of Maff Harrisi" John spoke up his eyes on the clouds. "How are things between you and her?"
"Oh, uh... going well I guess" 'Is that all you can think of Rodney?' he wondered to himself.
"That's good. Is there a mission today?" John asked
"Last I remember yeah, why?" Rodeny asked as John moved to the bed and picked up something from it. Teyla's hairbrush. "You aren't thinking.... You are thinking" John had started to change. "You mean to go on the mission slated for Lornes Team? You were told to be off duty because of your depression, not to touch weapons until Jack said otherwise, so why go?"
"Rodney, I'm not going because of my depression and wanting to be out of Atlantis, I'm going because I'm going to meet someone we both have spoken too before the last time we lost Teyla." John said putting on his boots, placing a chain on the hairbrush and putting that around his nect under his combat vest. A hand lingered there and for a moment John felt another hand over his own, but shook it off. "Coming?" he asked Rodney who merely nodded.
"Lead the way" Rodney said John opened the door and took off for the gateroom. Without coffee too.
Scent of the sea before the waking of the world
Brings me to thee
Into the blue memory
Teyla woke up in her room. It had been another week without John. Red was nice yes, but John, she wanted him above all else. Leaving her bedroom she moved through the Atlantis of the Ascended plane, looking for Mira, the Ancient woman who had first spoken to her last time. Why did Red get her then and not take her directly to John? Oh great, it happened again, why am I not with John? Teyla wondered seeing where she was, she had Ascended again. But why?
This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. "Red!" Teyla called leaving her quarters for a second time to speak with the good man. Why was she there? Red appeared almost instantly wandering dow nthe hall.
"Yes?" Red asked seeming to stagger into view. "Heya Teyla what's up?" he asked seeing her.
"Where am I?" Teyla asked him.
"Oh that's easy" Red said. "You're uh...... you are uhm... you're.... " he said trying to remember what he was going to say. "Boy life with baked brains hurts you know." He said with a grin which made Teyla smile but not laugh. "You're in Atlantis, Miros brought you back here when the bomb went off. She said she'd take you back to the mortal plane but i think she went back on her word again."
That wasn't good. "What? I can't be here, I want to be with John and the Team. My family." teyla said.
"Miros' gonna have trouble coming..." Red said in a singsong voice before he was woman handled. "Gee, say one thing get a slapping from another, say another thing get barbecued."
"I want to go back to the team and my family. you're the only person I can trust here, so you have to help me." Teyla said to him, Red was nodding
"When I heard of people getting grilled that was one thing but this is fully another. But I'll do what I can, i'll even get you your own beating bag if you want." Red said heading off to find Miros but nearly running into another person, a slouched over man at that. "Why if it isn't Groucho Marx!" Red said seeing his old friend.
"Hello Red good to see your strange face among all these familar people." Groucho said sdpotting Teyla "and who might this be?"
"Oh this is Teyla, Teyla this ia good friend of mine," Red said introducing Teyla to Groucho Marx who replied to the good friend comment with.
"No point in getting personal Red, nice tyo meet you madam now if you'll exsuce me I'm off to sweep Miri off my feet!" With that Groucho slouched off at a rapid pace.
"Funny, she's just the person we want to see!" Red said motioning Teyla as he had to run to catch up with Groucho and keep pace with him.
My fall will be for you
My love will be in you
If you be the one to cut me
I'll bleed forever
"Remind me again why you're going on this Mission General?" Weir said seeing John appear in full gear ready to go with Lornes team.
"To meet a friend on the other side, we both know him and he and I have to chat." John said, he had told Lorne of the plan, he'd go with the team to the planet, but then dial to another from there. Where he'd talk to Red.
"You do know I'm going to need someone here to cover for you, and Jack is currently playing golf or watching his favorite TV show" Weir said, getting a smile and a raised eyebrow from John. Jack almost always watched The Simpsons whever he could.
"Caldwell can do it" John said, he knew Caldwell was mad when he got passed for promotion. But when he was given the Bane to command when Sheppard was not on it. he seemed ok for being passed for the promotion.
Weir nodded. "Very well, good luck." The team then left through the stargate.
Into the blue memory
"Are you sure sir?" Evan Lorne asked General Sheppard, John was still getting used to it. Not much to do as a general.
"I'm positive, I'll be fine, do your recon and head back home." John replied. even though he knew it that he might not come home alive. Little did he know that it would be alive, but in worse shape then he had planned.
They split at the gate. Lorne and his team going one way, John going the other, towards the trees behind the gate. John was just entering the woods when he got Lornes radio call, it took him longer then planned across a whole field it appeared. "Gernal, the place is devoid of life, had there been people here the Wraith got to them before we got here."
"Either that or someone else. Head back home. There's nothing left here." John said.
"Yes sir, we'll contact you in an hour should something come up, also Bane is up above keeping system watch for you so they can lock onto your beacon and beam you to safety." Lorne said.
"Copy that, head home, I'll radio Bane when needed, Sheppard out." John said turning off his radio and headed into the woods, he should have brought a jumper, he would have had strong need of it had he known how far the woods were from the stargate.
A siren from the deep came to me
Sang my name my longing
Still I write my songs about that dream of mine
Worth everything I may ever be
"You left him there?" Weir asked. This was rediculous. Lornes Team had gone through the gate, and returned more or less in one piece.
"Yes ma'am, General Sheppard said to go ahead and leave that he'd be fine on his own." Lorne replied.
"John mentioned something of meeting up with an old friend someone we all met once already. I'm thinking one of two people, Laden or Red." Rodney said.
"Its possible of either one, either way General Shppard insisted we come back ot the gate after or recon was done." Evan replied. "There wasn't any Wraith activity on the planet that we could see."
"No Wraith activity, but activity of something. The planet reminds me of Sateda only more sophisticated." Rodney said reading over the mission report. "According to this, there's not much left of anything that was there, looks a bit like Hoff would had they done what the Genii did instead of underground. Some of these pictures show towers in the distance"
"Do you think that planet is like Earth then?" Weir asked.
"No idea." Rodney replied
The Child will be born again
That siren carried him to me
First of them true loves
Singing on the shoulders of an angel
Without care for love n` loss
"If she can come back." Red started to say before John broke in.
"What do you mean if?" He asked, why was Red saying 'if'? He rarely said it in such a way.
"I said if? When?" Red asked with a impish grin on his face. "Look, John I know how you feel about losing your wife, and it isn't my fault about it either. It was Mira's doing this time around, from what I remember, if barely, Mira was doing it to get Teyla out of danger before the fire came. Instead she went back on her word." His smile slowly faded seeing John glowering at him.
"So can Teyla come back or no?" John asked getting to the point.
"I'll see what I can do, but no promises." Red said.
"Do what you can, I want my wife back." John said.
"Right, until then, relax, I'll take care of everything. To get around Miros words, all it takes is a little know how." Red said smiling poking himself in the head.
"And I know how" John said, also smiling now, maybe he'd be with Teyla sooner then expected.
"Really?" Red asked in his world famolus Clem Kaddidlehopper voice.
"And how." John said whacking Red on the hat. "Go get my wife, and meet me back at Atlantis." John told him getting up from the rock, it wouldn't take them too long to find Teyla now would it?
Red went staggering off. "I know my cue." He said, making John nearly bust a gut laughing. Red was still funny, that was for sure.
Bring me home or leave me be
My love in the dark heart of the night
I have lost the path before me
The one behind will lead me
What was that? A ship? No, not one ship, several ships. "Sir we have multiple contacts on radar." Marks said from the navigation station of the Bane. Sheppard had given the ship as a temporary command to Caldwell when he wasn't there. Which had been almost three weeks now.
"How many?" Caldwell asked.
"Seven contacts. at system edge." came the reply.
"Cloak us and move us towards the contacts at half speed until we have visual" Cladwell said. The Bane began moving shifting out of phase with everything around it as the cloak went active. As they neared the ships that appeared to be moving towards the planet that Sheppard was on. As they neared the seven ships they got a look at the things. "Those are ships?"
"Looks like it, they aren't broadcasting an IFF though." Marks replied.
"Get Rush up here." Caldwell said, Nicolas Rush was currently thr only person that knew other technologies other then McKay.
He came running onto the bridge. "What is it Colonel?" He asked before seeing the ships and staring. "I withdraw the question" he said going to the window. "What are those?"
"Ships, we count seven of them." Caldwell said.
"They don't look like ships." Rush said. "If those are ships it is most likely a race of beings beyond us. Hail General Sheppard let him know we have us some visitors, they may be nice."
"I think you spoke too soon" Caldwell said as fighters were launching from the seven ships.
"Sir, multiple contacts are exiting the ships." Marks said.
"All batteries ready to fire." Caldwell said.
"Sir, they're heading to the planet" Marks said.
"Turn us around, contact General Sheppard. he has guests inbound planetside." Caldwell said.
"Get me a channel to Atlantis, they'll need to know what's going on." Rush said.
Caldwell nodded. "Channel's open, have a seat." he pointed at the commanders chair. He watched as the Bane turned on a dime and headed back to the planet as fast as they could.
Rush sat down and contacted Atlantis. "Atlantis this is Dr Rush, come in...."
Bring me home or leave me be
My love in the dark heart of the night
I have lost the path before me
The one behind will lead me
"Alright so its settled, Teyla will go back to Sheppard, without any troubles. And I get to go back to bed." Red said with a smiel that made even Miro want to laugh. Teyla standing right there as the Ancient was nodding.
"Indeed it is, Teyla, you may return to John Sheppard, your husband. He is on the planet now, and under attack, you'll have your weapons with you that I took from you when the Wraith planet exploded. You'll have everything."
"I thank you." Teyla said, Miro looked to Groucho who kept making funny faces trying to woo her.
"And you Groucho Marx" she said to him.
He replied, "Yes fruitcake?"
"Dinner, my place, when I get back, you and me, alone" Miro said, that made his heart flutter and Red stare in dumb shock when she said to him next. "And you Red Skelton, I give you a gift, you have stood by Teyla every time she was here with us, and have worked hard to keep her and her family happy. For that I make a request of you, join us on the council"
"Oh well, this is a big offer, is it OK if I think about it?"
"One time offer"
"I thought about it I'm in, when do I start?" Reds voice made everyone laugh.
Take me, Cure me, Kill me
Bring me home
Every way. Every day
Just another loop in the hangman`s noose
"Dr Rush what are you saying?" Weir asked. "There's ships sending fighters to the planet? Why? There's nothing there." This made no sense. What would a group be doing sending ships and fighters to a planet?
"They're ships alright, but not the type of ships I'm used to seeing, they look nothing of ships before, if these are ships whoever designed them must have been drunk" Rush replied. He didn't like it either.
"Does Gernal Sheppard know?" Weir asked
"He said to remove the stargate by beaming, but whatever was sent from the ships is already on the planet, they're swarming it with fighters of some kind, we read no lifesigns though." Rush replied "He's on his own until we engage the ships, Caldwell said to keep the fighters in check for time being. And I agree with him."
Take me, cure me, kill me, bring me home
Every way, every day
I keep on watching us sleep
"This is Sheppard, i'm in trouble down here!" John shoute3d inti his radio as two Cylon soldiers spotted him and opened fire, blasting apart a tree and felling it, John dove for cover behind it, taking out his P90 and returning fire. "Bane come in, I'm in trouble!"
"This is Dr Rush, General Shppard, we jost told Atlantis, can you make it to the stargate?" Rush said over Johns radio.
"I'm cut off from the gate, whatever these things are they found the stargate, tell Atlantis to keep the shield running on the stargate at all costs until it shuts down then transport it up to the Bane. I'll be coming home on the Bane." John said getting to his feet and booking it through the woods, the pair of Cylons right on his tail continuing to fire, ripping up trees and a few others things. "Whatever these things are, they aren't friendly!"
John took off up a road and dove headlong into a room and crash into somebody who startled him even more when she kissed him. "John!" It was Teyla
John Stared for a minute, "Teyla," he forgot everything around him, the Bane trying to radio him, the robotic things outside running around looking for him... or rather now them, he cradled her face in his hands close to his own. For a moment more they hugged before Teyla noticed a red dot on the wal behind John.
"John!" She whispered.
"I know, dozens of them everywhere, I have a gift for them though," John was thinking as he held his wife in his arms, his own hands already molding block of C4 in to a ball. "Got any C4 or grenades on you?" Teyla nodded and handed over hwat she had, a half dozen grenades, John took these and combined them all into the little gift ball, along with shattered glass. "When this goes off hopefully it will give off a big bang." Teyla smiled
"Bane this is Sheppard, Beam us up." John said into his radio. There were two of him?
"This is Bane beaming now" A heartbeat later John and Teyla were in the bridge of the Bane, John still held the control to the C4 party ball down on the planet. "Dr Rush." He said seeing the man staring at someone who should have been dead.
"I see you got what you wanted to General, shall we go?" Rush replied giving a nod to Teyla.
"Almost." John replied before pressing the key pad and setting off the charge of the party ball. On the planet where nine Cylons had gathered around the odfd item, a supernova of energy exploded from the center of the C4, in combination with the grenades provded by Teyla, and the shattered glass, it was nearly equal to that of a dead ZedPM going off. Buildings were eaten away by the blast as the sudden intense heat exploded liek a ring, leaving a fifty meter block burned to a crisp, whatever buildings or parks that were there were gone in heartbeats.
"Now we can go" John said with a nod to Marks as Rush got up from the seat, apparently the command and comm systems were all located there. But John said nothing of it as he seemed to know that the ship was brand new. "Lets go home"
Relive the old sin of Adam and Eve
For you and me
Forgive the adoring beast
The Bane then made itself known to the other seven ships, hailfire raked against ther shields which held as the basestars rained fire onto the Bane, which moved cleanly through the fire and returned it in kind, beams of white plasma lanced into the sideso f the basestars, leaving noticable damage and in a few cases setting off secondary explosions,
Butthat wasn't exactly what John wanted, "Aim for the damaged areas with railguns, aim for the episcenter of the collosus with the plasma cannons, use the beam cannons as a last resort. lets see how much it takes ot take these fekers out!" John said from the command station. Rain of fire rammed into the nearest basestars. One of them blowing up as a railgunner got a lucky shot and hit the core.
"We're one for none now, lets keep it that way." John said.
Rush was watching a screen, "The fighters are aiming to attack us."
"Jam their raidos, Marks keep us on this heading, move us to quarter speed. Sheilds?"
"89 percent and recharging at rate pof ten percent a minute, but with the ammount of fire we are taking, they are holding steady at 90 percent." Came the reply.
John nodded and turned back ot the window. "Alright, full stop, pick your targets and never relent fire, beam cannons and drones as last resorts only. have at it ladies and gentlemen!" john said as the Bane slowed to a halt and opened fire in all directions at the six remaining basestars. Fire of death was everywhere.
Redeem me into childhood
Show me myself without the shell
Like the advent of May
I`ll be there when you say
Time to never hold our love
John watched the battle reply before him on a holographic screen, the bridge was large enough on the Bane to hold a table liek a full size billards table, as a map, which showed either the galaxy of stars everywhere with names of systems scattered over it, or otherwise, pressing a key he watched the third and fourth basestar, the starship wannabe he called it, explode one after the other. leaving two. This was worth watching as the two remaining seemed to recall their fighters and back up.
John had ordred a pair of drones fired on a timer to explode just as the two starlike ships headed to jump to hyperspace, both of the starships exploded inot space trash in a heartbeat. So the battle was won, and easliy so, but John knew it was never going to be that easy.
He felt an hand snake about his waist, it was Teyla, "hey sweetie." he said taking her into a hug and setting his chin on her head as she settled her head against his chest, they were alone on the bridge, John said he wanted time alone to think about this new development, this new group of people very strongly interested in the planet below seemed tio want to keep the place only to flee when the Bane opened a party bag of fun with them.
"I missed you" teyla said as she hugged John.
"Join the club," John said looking down to his wife. "Don't you ever follow my orders to stay out of trouble?" John said with a smile on his face.
"I try to stay out of trouble, but it seems to come regardless" Teyla said as a smile appeared on her face.
"Yes well, lets try to stick with staying within my eyesight instead, focus on one thing at a time you know." His actions about this made Teyla start ot laugh, John knew how to keep a good time, but was lousy with sadness, unless it was his own depression...
The Wraiths Bane drifted through hy[erspace, John said to not bother milking the drive for all it was worth, perfering instead to take their time, they had beaten back the enemy that wanted the planet and made them try to flee. Now all they had to do was file the report.
What they didn't know was that the planet had bene taken before they had arrived, whatever the robotic people were they knew of thep lanets location, and wanted it for some reason.
My fall will be for you
My love will be in you
You were the one to cut me
So I will bleed forever