A/N: To ladygris: thank you for all your assistance, opinions and sage advice. Words cannot express how much I appreciate it all.
To Lithane: *big, fat, wet raspberry*
Not a Hero
Chapter 9
Every Little Breath
Area 52
Employee Quarters
Room 2B
It was evening in the desert of Nevada, hot and dry, just like always. There may have been sounds in the darkness but John couldn't hear them. He was inside his room staring out the window from the comfort of the air conditioning. In the distance, the mountains loomed and he imagined coyotes were howling mournfully at the moon. Closer, he could see buildings that looked like storage, but much larger, and hangars. From one of them, he'd seen several different types of vehicles come and go, guessing it was the motor pool or employee parking. It reminded him he no longer had wheels.
After his talk with Woolsey, he'd been sent down the hall to Melissa's office where she set him up with an email address. She also gave him all the computer access codes he would need to do the job he'd been asked to do as well as the databases from which all their information would come. He'd immediately made use of it to do some research and didn't like what he'd found out, which wasn't much.
His contemplation of the outside world done for now, he went to get ready for bed. In lieu of pajamas or scrubs, he wore a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. The events of the day made him groan as his body settled on the mattress and his head dropped to the pillow. Now that he had a new job and a whole new life ahead of him, sleep came easily for the first time in, well, a long time. He was just starting to dream, the images jumbled, as if he were watching moments from his life in random order, when he was…disturbed.
~~O~~
Magee was just about to shut down for the night when he received an email. His surprise at receiving communication from this particular person came out in a huff. After their last encounter, he'd doubted they'd speak in person unless they had to, much less electronically.
An apology is in order. Meet me outside my quarters. Thirty minutes.
It wasn't signed but had come from Sheppard's address. Now that he was officially working for the agency, he probably wanted to make amends for all the horrid things he'd said during their argument.
David's father, a wealthy industrialist, had many friends high up in the government as well as the private sector. That's how he'd gotten this position and he was making the most of it, using his authority to get what he wanted. And he wanted Keller. Eventually she'd see that he could do things for her that no one else could and would beat a path to his door, he was certain.
He would finish his current project then go to the meeting, keep the man waiting so he'd see who was really in charge. A chuckle of anticipation at the look on Sheppard's face when he found out that he, the Assistant Director of Operations, now had the power to have him fired would be worth the wait.
~~O~~
Jennifer appeared in the lobby area of Area 52 with a sort of peace offering for John. Not that she needed to apologize for slamming the door in his face. He had intruded on a private meeting. But she'd seen this particular item and it made her think of him.
In the Infirmary, Dora told her John had been moved to a regular room. She decided to head that way after she checked on the patients still in residence to give the on-call doctor a break. That done, she went to her office and typed up a report she should have done days ago. She sent it to Woolsey and the other interested parties then pushed away from her desk. After checking the hall to make sure David wasn't lurking about, she headed for her next destination.
San Francisco
Peace Conference
The Civic Center
Evan reacted instinctively upon seeing his partner holding a weapon on the Senator. Keeping his Glock trained on Anthony, he quickly glanced over to the dark-haired woman, only able see the left side of her body. "Are you alright, Senator?"
Her head bowed forward a moment as if in relief. "Thank goodness you arrived when you did, officer. He…"
"Do not listen to her!" Bentaresh stayed in control of the body with Anthony's permission. "She is not what she seems."
Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Evan ignored his comments. "Toss that over here." The device in Anthony's hand landed a short distance to Evan's right. He gave it a quick glance just to assure himself of its location then nodded to the Senator. "Ma'am, if you please."
"What is going on here?" The accented voice behind them sounded incensed on the Senator's behalf.
Moving to the side so he could keep everyone in sight, Evan reached under his jacket and produced a pair of handcuffs. "Ambassador, would you be kind enough to put these on him?" He nodded at Anthony.
"Care to explain why?"
"It's a long story and…"
"I'm not the enemy here, Evan." Anthony was back again. "She's the Goa'uld." He indicated the Senator without taking his eyes off his partner.
Evan ignored him. "Ambassador?"
The other man shrugged and took hold of Anthony's right hand twisting the arm behind his back. A metallic snap-click was followed by a second one and the Ambassador took a step back.
The dignified Asian man called out when the Senator wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him to her. She lifted the hand that had been hidden from Evan's view as her eyes flashed, her voice changing. "I would have preferred my original choice, but you'll do very nicely as host to Chione." Bringing the symbiote up, she bent the Ambassador forward to expose the back of his neck.
Stargate Command
Barracks Level
"Mmm. Oh, that feels so good, Rodney. Don't stop!"
Rodney grinned at his wife. He would keep rubbing her feet until she fell asleep or told him to stop, whichever came first, though it was seldom the latter. Adjusting his position, he gently squeezed her calves, rubbing his strong hands over her skin. "How's your back?" His eyes skimmed up the length of Sam's body to her swollen belly. It had only been a short time since they'd found out they were going to be parents, but now she looked ready to give birth any day.
Slater had discovered that the Goa'uld healing device Sam used on Sheppard had somehow interacted with the pregnancy hormones speeding up not only the babies' development but the Detective's recovery as well. Rodney had been skeptical until his hypothesis was confirmed by Jennifer. Not that he hadn't believed the man but he could have been mistaken in his conclusions. With Jennifer's voice as well as Carson's and Lam's, he and Sam had no choice but to believe it. Conception had taken place just two weeks prior to Sam using the healing device instantaneously setting the gestation into overdrive.
"Not good."
Sliding off the bed, Rodney moved up even with Sam's torso. "Turn on your side." She did and he used his fingers and thumbs to manipulate the muscles of her lower back. "So we're naming the boy Daniel. How about Olivia for the girl?"
"After your sister?"
"Yeah. She died of crib death a few years before Jeannie was born. When they're old enough, we can tell them about their namesakes. "
Sam heard the wistfulness in his voice and it made her smile. When they first met it was instant dislike on both their parts. He was constantly telling everyone how smart he was, bragging about his accomplishments, ridiculing those he felt were inferior intellectually and morally. Then one day, she saw through all of that to the genuinely kind and caring man underneath. He still retained some of the idiosyncrasies and quirks from that time, but now they were tempered by the love they had for each other. If he started getting out of line, all it took was a touch on the arm or the lift of an eyebrow and he'd moderate his words and attitude. Actually, it worked in both directions as Sam had a tendency to let her temper get the best of her as well. "A fitting tribute to both. Great idea."
"I know." He sounded smug though it was more of a put-on than actually meant. His right thumb pressed on a spot just to the right of Sam's spine even with the middle of her pelvis.
"Ow!"
Rodney immediately backed off. "Did I hurt you?"
"No. It's just…every time you press on that one spot they kick. The inside of my uterus is being used as a soccer ball." Sam groaned as she adjusted her position and Rodney lay down spooning her from behind. His right arm went around her just above her belly. Her fingertips raked his knuckles, over his wrist, into the hair on his arm and back then encircled his wrist moving it down to the lower curve of her abdomen. "Rub here. That calms them."
He did and they finally quit moving around so much. "That's because they know Daddy loves them and wants them to be happy and quiet so Mommy can sleep." He kissed her on the neck and closed his eyes. Now that the kids were somewhat still, Sam drifted off to sleep, and Rodney soon after.
Area 52
Employee Quarters
Room 2B
Scanning her card, she opened the door and slipped inside leaving it slightly ajar. There was enough light coming through the gap to make her way to the bed without tripping or running into furniture. Sitting on the side of the bed her hip touching John's, she leaned forward, pressing her hands to his chest.
He stirred, the tempo of his breathing telling her what she was doing was having the desired effect as his hands came up to gently grip her arms above the elbows. When his hands reached her shoulders they pulled her close, sliding around to her back caressing her spine though the blouse.
Twisting his body, he brought her onto the bed with him, her squeal of surprise ending when he covered her mouth with his. One leg came up over both of hers holding her still though not trapped. His hand moved to the waistband of her slacks and pulled the tail of her blouse out just enough to slip his hand inside to her stomach.
She gasped when his lips left hers to lay a series of kisses along her jaw to her neck, following it down to her shoulder then around to her throat. "Mmm, Angel."
He stopped his work on her neck, hissing in pleasure that was close to pain when her hand slipped below his waist. "Sure, sure. I'll be your angel."
~~O~~
John couldn't believe that Angel had come to him. When her small yet exceedingly capable hands touched him, he pulled her onto the bed. He hadn't thought she was the type to waylay a man in his room but, hell, if she was offering, he'd be crazy to turn her down. And while he was seven kinds of fool for even being here, he was not crazy. Not in the strictest sense of the word. Just the normal kind of crazy. And he was a man who had only just managed not to be killed by an alien. He deserved a little stress relief, didn't he? "Mmm, Angel."
"Sure, sure. I'll be your angel."
At the sound of her voice, John stopped his exploration. Reaching over her he flicked on the bedside lamp. "Melissa! What the hell…"
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
She kissed him again, her hand going back to what it had been doing and he almost gave in, almost took her up on her offer of a few hours of well, not anonymous sex though it was close. With a surge of will power he didn't know he possessed, he broke away from her, got out of bed, holding the pillow in front of him. "Get out of here."
"I don't understand. I thought…"
"What? What did you think? That I wouldn't care who I was sleeping with as long as she was willing?" She didn't say anything, just crossed her arms and glanced away, which told him that's exactly what had been going through her mind. "Look, I'm sorry if you think I led you on."
"I read the signals wrong is all." Melissa turned away from him. "Just tell me one thing. Who were you thinking of when you were… Who's Angel?" She looked over her shoulder at him. "It's Dr. Keller, isn't it?" He didn't respond and that was answer enough for her. "You do know it's unethical for a doctor to sleep with a patient, right?"
He nodded, letting her get as far as the door before speaking. "Melissa." When she looked at him again, he gestured and belatedly began buttoning her blouse.
~~O~~
Jennifer located 2B on the right, her eyebrows coming together over her nose at finding the door open and a woman coming out still doing up the buttons on her top. Her hair was tousled and her face flushed. The woman passed without acknowledging her, swiping her card and pushing through the door into the main office area.
Her thoughts on what had been happening before she arrived were confirmed when she stepped into the doorway and found John just pulling up his jeans. He pulled his T-shirt down over his hips, pushing a hand through his hair making it stand up even more than it usually did. "What was that all about?"
"A misunderstanding."
"Really? 'Cause from here it looks like…"
John huffed at her. "I know what it looks like but it wasn't."
She tried and failed to keep the irritation out of her voice. "You sure?"
"Very."
Shrugging as if she thought he was lying, she turned to go, striding quickly in the same general direction that Melissa had gone, disappointment clouding her expression. She didn't stop until he caught up with her stopping her forward motion with a strong grip.
"Angel-Jennifer, please stop." Aiming a thumb over his shoulder, he tried to explain though all that came out was a harshly whispered, "I thought she was you."
Jennifer scoffed. "How could you possibly think she was me?"
"Uh, it was dark. She came into my room while I was asleep." The glare turned to disbelieving annoyance. "And well, we've never kissed."
"That's it? Really?" Jennifer's hands came up to grab fistfuls of his T-shirt and pulled his mouth down to hers. Her lips worked against his, trying to prove a point but also showing a healthy dose of exasperation. "There! Now you'll know."
Jennifer's hands still held onto his shirt. Every little breath came fast just as his did and when she raised her eyes she knew he would see that the anger had gone, replaced by desire.
~~O~~
John saw the look in her eyes and took a chance. The worst Angel could do is…hurt him really, really bad.
As he lowered his head again, to his surprise, she gulped, her eyes going very wide as he cupped her face between his palms. When he rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks and down to almost but not quite touch the corners of her mouth, her jaw dropped open. He took her up on the unspoken invitation and covered her mouth with his.
~~O~~
When John kissed her, she let her body make the decisions like it had been wanting to do. It had been a long time since she'd kissed a man who kissed her back the way he was now and she found herself unprepared for the onslaught of sensation. Her hands uncurled from the cotton of his shirt, flattening against his chest and sliding up around his neck. She pressed her body against his and found the evidence to substantiate his claim that nothing had happened with the other woman. His tongue touched hers, making her gasp. Without thinking about the consequences, she spun them around and dragged him toward his room. She'd started something and had every intention of finishing it.
~~O~~
David walked with a bounce to his step. Oh yes, this was going to be a good night. Sheppard would apologize and, being a generous man, he'd accept on the condition that, going forward, he be treated with the proper amount of respect that was his due.
Before he reached the rendezvous point, he heard sounds. If he didn't know better, he'd think a couple was making out in the hall. He stumbled to a halt when he turned the corner and came upon just such a scene. Sheppard was kissing Jennifer while pushing her in the direction of his room.
He stepped back around the corner so he wouldn't be seen. Not that either of them was aware of their surroundings at the moment. Anger replaced the smugness which changed quickly to disbelief when Sheppard stopped their forward momentum. They exchanged a few words then his door closed leaving Jennifer alone in the hall. With a sound of frustration, she stormed off headed, he presumed, for the Infirmary. And he followed her.
San Francisco
Peace Conference
The Civic Center
The being that was both Anthony and the Tok'ra Bentaresh thought frantically trying to find a way out of the situation they were in. They could not and would not allow Jendayi to implant the Ambassador. The two minds that were one came to an agreement. Calling on his years playing football, Anthony chose to pass rush the quarterback. Just as Jendayi brought the symbiote around so it could join with the Ambassador, Anthony bent and rushed, catching her in the stomach with his shoulder. His hands cuffed behind him, he had no way to brace himself and landed on top of the host, sending the symbiote flying through the air.
Anthony heard Evan shouting at him to stop but he was concentrating on trying to get away from Jendayi. She pushed him off of her, climbed to her feet and rounded on Evan as he tried to sort out who was who not wanting to shoot the wrong person. That the Senator would attack him obviously hadn't occurred to him until she kicked his weapon away.
Area 52
Employee Quarters
Room 2B
As cold water cascaded over his heated skin, John thought about the events of the last few minutes.
The situation with Melissa coming uninvited to his room bothered him but not as much as the one with Angel. It was right up there with the fact that anyone on the base with the proper clearance had access to him. Have to do something about that.
If Angel hadn't arrived when she did, he might have already reached his happy ending. Scratch that. He would have reached it though he hadn't been thinking about Melissa as he kissed and touched her intimately. He'd been thinking about long blonde hair, brown eyes and a sweet smile. Yes, both women had left him, but it wasn't the one who'd gotten his motor running that he'd chased. It had been Angel.
Oh, he'd tried to think of her only as Dr. Keller to keep some distance between them. But in his mind, she would always be Angel, the woman who'd saved his life and made him think there might be hope for him after all.
Turning to let the water hit him in the face, he tried to figure out why, when she'd offered what he hadn't taken from Melissa, he'd backed away and was at this moment trying to calm the tension in his mind and body with the coldest water possible. Like a neon sign in the dark, it came to him. It just hadn't seemed right that he should use her in that way. She wasn't the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am type and neither was he, not anymore, not really. And Melissa's words made him think about what sleeping with him now would do to Angel's career. No way would he let her jeopardize that for a roll in the hay.
The look on her face when she'd seen Melissa leaving his room would stay with him for a while, he knew, but wasn't sure why. Just like he didn't know why, when he closed his eyes at night, some of the nightmares had been replaced by more pleasant scenes. Why sometimes Angel replaced another in those nightmares. And why he even cared what she thought about him.
He shut off the water, towel dried his hair, and wrapped the terrycloth around his waist. Out in the bedroom, he threw himself down on the bed where he lay awake for a long time just staring up at the ceiling.
~~O~~
Melissa tied her hair back into its usual ponytail with quick angry movements but it was herself she was angry with, not John. Her little plan to make David jealous with the one man that might have done the job had failed miserably. The humiliation of it heated her face as she booted up her computer, accessing the file containing all the forms the company used for one reason or another. She filled out the one she wanted and emailed it to her direct supervisor and to Mr. Woolsey. After a short pause, she forwarded it to John, adding a short note of apology on the end.
It was time to make some drastic changes in her life. Woolsey would get back to her within two days to let her know if her transfer request would be approved. If granted, she'd be relocating to Washington, DC to work in Homeworld Security with General O'Neill. The chances of accidentally running into David, John or Dr. Keller again would be reduced to very small. And that she could live with.
~~O~~
Jennifer hurried down the hall shoving open the door to the ladies room and going to the first sink. She splashed cold water on her face over and over not caring that her hair was getting wet.
Unlike the first kiss, which Jennifer had done out of anger and frustration, the second one was so unbelievably intense it had taken down her defenses as if they were made of smoke. The heat from his body had warmed her in the slight chill of the air conditioning. Now she welcomed the chill.
Drying her face, she looked at herself in the mirror and saw what she always saw, but now there was a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there in a long, long time. Well, never, actually. Her first foray into an intimate relationship with a man had been with her lab partner in med school. After working late nights and weekends together for months, they'd finally given in to their desires. The relationship had lasted until he'd gone overseas to study.
Her mentor, Carson Beckett had been kind enough to help her through the break-up, though it hadn't hurt as much as she thought it should have. And from then on, she'd done everything he'd counseled her to, which had eventually brought her to this place and time.
She balled up the paper towel and tossed it in the trash on her way to the door.
~~O~~
Waiting for Jennifer outside the bathroom, David almost danced with glee. This was just the opportunity he'd been waiting for.
When she stepped out, her hair damp and face still that attractive shade of pink, he pushed off the wall. "Jennifer." The look she shot him wasn't pleasant at all, but that would soon change. "Can we talk?"
"I'd rather not, if you don't mind." She started walking and he fell into step beside her.
"Actually, I do mind. I saw what happened with you and Sheppard." Her shoulders stiffened. "He didn't want you. That much was obvious when he left you all hot and bothered." Drawing her to a stop, he put as much sympathy and compassion into his next words. "I won't do that. I'll see to it that you are completely satisfied every time we're together." She didn't say anything so he continued. "Take a few days to think it over." He took a card from his inside breast pocket. "Here's my personal cell number. I know you'll make the right decision."
Leaving her alone, David turned and went back to his office. He knew she'd give in, that she'd see what he could do for her, what they could do for each other. And if she declined his invitation, he still had the video logs of her encounter with Sheppard. With the threat of deregistration and prosecution hanging over her head, it was a certainty that she'd come around.
He packed up his laptop, scooped his car keys off the desk and left for home making plans.
San Francisco
Peace Conference
The Civic Center
Evan watched as his Glock spun through the air to land more than twenty feet away. Now that he was disarmed, the Senator, who had to be a Goa'uld just as Anthony had said, turned back to the Ambassador. He'd gotten to his hands and knees, the wind knocked out of him. Movement drew Evan's eyes and he saw that snake thing rear up preparing to jump.
Fear like he'd never known swelled almost overwhelming his reason when he saw that the creature had chosen a new host for itself: him. The fear switched over to terror when it leapt into the air.
TBC