A/N: Thanks so much to Shadows-of-Realm for his assistance with this chapter. Normally, ladygris is my Beta but she's been busy with RL issues that take precedence over my needs/wants. We all deserve time to ourselves now and then.

So, with that said, here's the next chapter of Not a Hero.

Namaste,

Sandy

Not a Hero

Chapter 26

Storm and Tempest

Ronon drew attention at the best of the times, mostly due to his tall stature, dreadlocks and formidable expression. Today, he was being stared at for another reason. He exited the transporter, turning immediately in the direction of the main Infirmary. That wasn't an unusual sight. He often ended up there after an intense workout in which his sparring partner got in a lucky shot.

No, this time it wasn't himself that was in need of medical attention. The big man had Lorne slung over one shoulder and was dragging Sheppard by the back of his shirt. Both were unconscious.

Before the medical personnel could move to assist, he dropped Sheppard, laid Lorne on a bed then picked Sheppard up and laid him on the one next to it.

"What happened?" Jennifer's voice rang through the emergency care area stopping Ronon before he could leave. She made quick assessments of both men to ascertain that they were at least breathing, gestured for additional assistance then stalked over to Ronon, standing toe to toe with him. "Ronon! What did you do to them?"

"What they wanted." He turned to leave, but Jennifer's hand on his arm stopped him again.

"I find it hard to believe they wanted to be beaten unconscious."

He shrugged and smirked. "They went down too easy. Lorne dislocated his shoulder. I put it back. Sheppard hit the wall. Might have a broken rib." His weight shifted as he waited for her to digest the information, but all she did was glare, turn and stalk away to tend to her patients.

~~O~~

When John finally regained consciousness, he opened his eyes, immediately shutting them again to block out the brightness of the Infirmary lights. His head felt like, well, like someone had pummeled him into unconsciousness. Reaching up to rub the ache just inside his hairline, he encountered the unmistakable feel of stitches. The surrounding area felt tender and was probably bruised as well.

Trying again to open his eyes, he managed to achieve his objective though it hurt to do so. Looking down the length of his body, he saw his right foot wrapped in an elastic bandage and elevated on a pillow. A groan burst out of him when he tried to sit up because his ribs hurt like hell. "Oh, crap. What happened?"

Angel hurried to his side. "Ronon happened."

With an effort, John was able to focus on his surroundings though his head still hurt, beating in time with the beeps from the VS monitor.

"I did warn you."

Using the controls to raise the head of the bed, John watched Angel for some sign that she had compassion for his condition. He did not like the glare. If there was a photo next to "looks that kill" in the dictionary, that would be it. "What? No sympathy?" His throat felt as if he needed to gargle, a side effect from the pain meds.

From the neighboring bed, just as groggy and for the same reason, Evan said, "Don't bother. She's overdrawn at the sympathy bank."

Angel scoffed. "It's not that I don't have concern for your injuries. Doctors are foremost supposed to do no harm, but that you went up against Ronon when I advised you not to, which was for your own good by the way, well, you deserve everything you got."

"Isn't that a little harsh, Angel?" John automatically used her nickname forgetting for the moment that they weren't alone.

"Maybe you should have sympathy for me, Sheppard." Evan was scowling at him. "This is my second run-through of the I-told-you-so lecture."

Rolling her eyes, Jennifer left them alone.

Looking closer at his partner, John saw his left arm in a sling and a purple bruise shining brightly on his left cheek, the shape suspiciously similar to the end of a Bantos rod. "What happened to you?"

"Dislocated shoulder, wrenched back, bumps, bruises. You?"

"Head, ribs, ankle. Oh, and pride."

"Yeah. That too."

After a long moment of silence, John said, "We should've listened."

"I know." There was another long pause. "While we were waiting for you to come out of it, she told me I have that gene too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Now we can both use the Ancient tech."

Crossing his arms, John huffed in annoyance. Great! Every time I come out on top, he comes back at me with something new. Wonder whose is stronger. And why he woke up first.

Area 52

Tobias Ritter settled quickly into his position at Area 52 though maybe unsettled was a better word.

He spent the first couple of days deleting files from the computer in the office that had once been Magee's. Most of them were a compilation of errors that Magee felt had been committed by Richard Woolsey and the staff. He read some of it gritting his teeth at the venom with which he'd written the reports. Magee particularly hadn't liked someone named Sheppard for some reason. Nor did he care for his partner, a man named Lorne, but the dislike he had for him wasn't as fervent as that for Sheppard.

Thinking hard, the name Sheppard rang a bell but it was distant and barely registered. Shrugging, he made a mental note to have IT go in and completely remove the files he'd deleted, especially the ones on some of the female staff.

Tobias had been raised to respect women no matter what. The only proviso was if they were trying to do harm to him or someone else. In that case, he'd attempt to subdue them and if that didn't work, only then would he use any means necessary to protect the greatest number of people possible.

A knock on the open door preceded Sheila entering. He started to stand but she motioned for him to remain seated. She held several objects in both hands which she laid on his desk. One was the size of an iPhone and the second had a curved earpiece with a very thin wire that ended in a small microphone. The third and fourth were a shoulder holster, a .44 Remington Magnum and several magazines of ammo. "Mornin', Toby. Here's your company phone. This headset can be used at any SGC facility. I got you new ones so you wouldn't have to use Magee's old ones. Who knows where they might have been. And of course, your company-issue weapon. Sorry it took so long to get everything."

"Not a problem. And thank you, ma'am."

Stopping in the doorway, Sheila turned back. "Do me a favor, Toby?"

"Of course."

"Please stop calling me ma'am." She said it with a small smile.

Tobias returned the smile. "As you wish…Sheila. Um…" he glanced at her feeling a little awkward. "May I ask a favor of you?"

"You don't like it when I call you Toby?"

"It's not that. It's just that no one has called me by that nickname since Great-Grandmother Cecilia on Father's side passed away. After that, I was called Tobias at Mother's insistence."

Sheila clasped her hands in front of her. "And which do you prefer?"

Thinking about his great-grandmother had made him nostalgic. "I'd be pleased to have you call me Toby."

"As you wish." She repeated his words back to him and he grinned in reply. "Mr. Woolsey wants to see you at 1400 to go over the personnel files of prospective new staff members. His office."

"I'll be there."

Atlantis

Infirmary

Nighttime

Unable to sleep because of his sore ribs and his refusal to take any more pain meds, John sat up reading, the curtain drawn between the beds for privacy and so he wouldn't disturb his neighbors. The rustle of bedclothes reached his ears but he didn't think much about it because Lorne had been restless all night. John was reaching for his water glass when the curtain parted and his partner came to stand next to his bed, his eyes wide and unfocused.

"Lorne? You okay?"

"Mom? Courtney? Why're the lights out?"

The tone and inflection in Lorne's voice were that of someone much younger. "Lorne?" His partner walked away without responding. John tossed back the covers, grabbed the cane he used in place of crutches and followed.

Female voices up ahead drew Lorne in their direction. He stopped, turned his head side to side as if searching for something then headed for Angel's office. Inside, Angel and Dr. Cole were talking. They fell silent when Lorne came to stand in the doorway, the hand of his uninjured arm holding the doorjamb.

"Mom? Sis?"

The smiles that had graced the faces of both women disappeared telling John they knew what was happening just as he figured it out. Lorne was sleepwalking.

John reached out to lay a hand on Lorne's shoulder but drew back when Angel shook her head. She came around the desk to stand close to Lorne without touching him.

"Agent Lorne?" Cole deliberately kept her voice soft. His head turned toward her, a deep frown creasing his features.

"I ordered Panda Dragon, Mom. Come downstairs and eat." He paused as if listening. "But you need to eat something. Court and I need you, and starving yourself won't bring dad back."

With a smile, Cole said, "Sure, honey. I'll be right down."

To John, Angel mouthed, "Go back to bed. We'll take care of it."

"But…"

"C'mon, sis. I got you that gross bok choy and shitake mushrooms with lobster sauce you like so much." His tone was coaxing.

Angel took Lorne by his good arm and turned him around, leading him in the direction of his bed. "Thanks, big brother. Let's eat before it gets cold." Cole followed and a moment later, so did John. He'd never seen someone walk in their sleep before and it freaked him out a little. It also gave him a little more insight into his partner's past.

Once Lorne was back in bed and truly asleep once again, Angel raised the safety rails then came to John's side. "I know you see this as an opportunity to razz Evan. But John, I'm asking you as a favor to me, do not mention it to him. Not ever."

He nodded and got back into bed. After Angel left, he turned out the light but lay awake for a long time before falling asleep.

~~O~~

Back in the office again, Amanda Cole mock glared at her friend. "How come you were the sister and I had to be the mother?"

Jennifer shrugged. "Maybe even asleep he realizes that our relationship is more like brother and sister than anything romantic. You were 'mom' just because you were with the 'sister'." Bringing the computer out of power save, she went back to work. Or rather tried to. "Where were we?"

Amanda sighed, flopping onto the sofa along the front window. "You were just about to tell me all about that hunky John Sheppard."

"Was not."

"Was too." Scooting around to get comfortable, Amanda crossed her knees, laced her fingers and hooked them around the top knee, a smirk twisting her lips. "Answer one question for me."

Throwing down her pen, Jennifer knew they weren't going to get any work done until Amanda's curiosity was satisfied. "Fine. But just one."

"We both know what they say about the size of a man's feet and how it relates to the size of his..."

Jennifer rushed to interrupt. "That's a myth and you know it!"

That was just the opening Amanda needed. The smirk turned into a grin. "You peeked!"

Her friend's mouth opened and closed, pink flowing across her face, down her neck, stopping only when it reached the collar of her uniform shirt. "No. But I've seen enough of men's…business to know it's not always true."

"But you were his doctor. Surely you sneaked a look at least once." A look of indignation was aimed at Amanda but it only made her grin harder.

With all the indignation she could muster, Jennifer said, "I'll have you know I never peek…unless it's in the line of duty."

"So?" Amanda waited but Jennifer didn't respond, keeping her eyes determinedly on her computer. "Throw me a bone here, Jen. I haven't been on a date since…well, it's been a while. Please?" She stuck her lower lip out and pouted, her hazel eyes big and round and pleading like a puppy's. Jennifer had never been able to resist that particular expression from her friend and she knew it.

A long drawn out sigh of submission ended on a growl. "If you must know…" she jumped up, closed and locked her office door then sat next to Amanda, "…I did peek…once. In the line of duty, you understand."

"And?" Amanda said eagerly.

The flush deepened, her eyes meeting those of her friend with a smile. "It's true. At least for him."

"I knew it! And what about that other slice of hotness, Evan? Is it true for him too?"

Jennifer's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. "What? NO! Ewww! That'd be like peeking at my brother. It'd just be…ewww!"

Amanda did her best to keep it together but she lost the battle, laughter spilling out of her to fill the room. Jennifer made an attempt at a glare but she too began to laugh.

~~O~~

Evan made his way carefully down the three steps to the Gate Room floor. He'd been waiting all morning for Sheppard to make some smartass comment about the sleepwalking episode Jennifer told him about but he'd been suspiciously quiet. The cause of his nighttime stroll was known and with a little coaxing he'd told Jennifer the story without going into great detail.

His back still ached as did his shoulder and various other areas that he didn't want to think about. A medic had tried to get him to ride in a wheelchair and he'd almost given in until Sheppard had refused to be pushed.

Beside him, Jennifer stayed at Sheppard's side as he limped along with the use of a cane. Both men carried their duffle bags, the ends of a set of Bantos rods sticking out the zipper of each, gifts from Ronon. The Satedan had come to the Infirmary the preceding evening and, without a word, had thrown them on the foot of the beds, waited for them to be acknowledged and left. It hadn't taken long for the partners to be told that the rods were not an apology.

On Sateda, a weapon given in this manner, in public, from one warrior to another, the victor to the fallen, they were a challenge. By accepting the gift, they'd accepted the unspoken challenge for a rematch the next time they crossed paths though they hadn't known it at the time. After the dents Ronon had put in their egos and their bodies, had they known the consequences, they still would have accepted.

Jennifer wasn't happy about it, Evan could tell, but she didn't say anything. Just shook her head as she ordered medics to accompany them to their rooms and help them pack if necessary. Both men declined…loudly.

Now here they were the next day about to return to the planet of their birth and Evan had already said his good-byes. All but one.

On three separate occasions he'd started to call Teyla but stopped before activating his headset. Her room was close to his and the thought briefly crossed his mind that he should knock on her door and say it in person. But that didn't seem like such a good idea considering their previous encounter and the aftermath.

"Chuck, please dial Earth."

"Yes, Dr. Keller."

Out the corner of his eye, Evan saw Sheppard hobbling toward the event horizon, stopping for one last look. Evan did the same, letting his eyes scan the enormous room and the faces of the friends he'd made while here. However, one particular face stood out from all the rest.

There on the catwalk above, Teyla was watching, both hands gripping the rail. When their eyes met, he felt again the flare of awareness though they were separated by more than just the width of the Gate Room. She nodded once and he returned the gesture just as he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. It had been dislocated during the abortive sparring session and was still very sore. Jennifer had offered pain meds but he refused them because they made his mind fuzzy and he wanted to remember everything, even the pain. Especially the pain. "Ow! The hell'd you do that for?"

Sheppard leaned on his cane, nodding at the Stargate. "Stop mooning over that incredibly beautiful and sexy woman and come on."

"Mooning?" Evan's forehead creased in annoyance that his partner could read him so well. He followed Sheppard into the wormhole and exited on Earth. But Sheppard wasn't done with this particular form of harassment.

~~O~~

Teyla watched as Evan swept the room, his blue eyes taking in everything, committing it all to memory just in case he wasn't able to return. She'd heard rumors that the expedition might be closed down, its personnel reassigned, and often thought about what would happen to her and her people if that were to happen. She didn't know if he'd heard the same rumors but there was no sense in worrying until something definite had been decided.

A small intake of breath caught in her throat when Evan's eyes met hers. Just before he turned away, she felt the same flare of desire and suddenly she realized that an opportunity she might never have again was slipping through her fingers. To keep from calling out to him, she gripped the rail even tighter.

~~O~~

"You. Teyla." John continued to speak as they came out the other side of the Stargate.

"No idea what you're talking about." Evan huffed, ignoring the looks they were getting from the techs in the Control Room at their condition. "What's with you and Jennifer?"

"Excuse me?"

"You. Jennifer."

"Nothing's with us." John's response had started in the Gate Room and was completed on the bridge of the Daedalus.

The technician nodded a greeting while she entered the co-ordinates for their next destination. As they arrived in the main waiting room of Area 52, Evan faked a sneeze. "Denial! Sorry. Must be something in the air."

Fumbling his access card from his pocket, John refused to respond to the statement. The cane slipped from his hand just as he was swiping the card through the reader. Holding onto the door with one hand and balancing on his good foot, he reached for the cane only to find that Evan had already retrieved it, holding it out to him. He snatched it from him, holding the door until Evan was in a position to do so himself and together they made their way slowly down the hall toward the employee wing.

"Think I'll get something to eat," Evan said when his stomach grumbled.

John glanced sideways at his partner. "Me too. As long as we don't go anywhere near the gym."

Several Weeks Later

San Francisco

The Downing Home

"Evan! Why didn't you call? The boys are with Randy's parents for the weekend."

"Sorry, Court. It was last minute." Evan hugged his sister in the doorway of her home then followed her to the kitchen as she bustled around getting them a drink. He'd have helped but Courtney had told him more than once to stay out of the way so he just took a seat at the island counter. She set two glasses out and poured strawberry lemonade. He took a sip of the tart drink and set it in exactly the same spot covering the condensation ring already formed.

"I'm glad you're here. The kids made you something." She produced a shoe box with a slit in the top, painted and decorated with pictures of the family on the top and three of the sides. On the fourth side, in glittery paint, the boys had written "We love you, Uncle Evan."

Evan was touched that his nephews had taken the time to make him this…whatever it was. He set it beside him and took another drink.

"So what brings you all the way from that super-secret job of yours?" Courtney was a few inches shorter than he with the same brown hair and bright blue eyes but where he was controlled and calm, she was open and free with her emotions.

"I wanted to ask you…well, it's about…" he trailed off, watching a drop of condensation make its way down the side of his glass. "I met a woman and…"

"Wait! You met a woman? When? Where? Tell me about her!"

He'd seldom talked about the women he dated nor had he ever brought one home and laughed at her eagerness to hear about this one. "We met at work…sort of. She's about your height, dark hair and eyes, very athletic. We, uh…she and I…what I mean is…"

She stopped him by taking his hand. "That's enough. I love you, but talking with your brother about…you know, that kind of stuff is just…"

"Icky?" With a grin he used one of her favorite words from when they were kids.

"Very icky."

"You're right. Sorry I brought it up. So what's going on with you? Seeing anyone yet?" Before Courtney could answer, his phone beeped. He checked the caller ID and frowned. "Hold that thought." His thumb pressed a key. "Lorne…Okay. Give me two minutes." Evan downed the last of his drink, put the glass in the sink and headed for the front door. "Sorry, sis. Gotta go. Love you. Give my love to the boys and Randy's folks." They hugged and he kissed her cheek before hurrying out.

Belatedly, she realized he'd forgotten his gift from the boys and rushed out to catch him. She looked up and down the street but only saw the usual cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs. It had only been a few seconds and he was already gone. Back inside, she placed the box on the foyer table. "People come and go so quickly here."

Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Evan had never been to Lake Okeechobee or any part of Florida. Like San Francisco, it was warm and humid this time of year. And he didn't know how Sheppard had done it but somehow he'd managed to have the Dodge Ram four-door pick-up transported with them for this mission.

They'd been sent to check out a report of aliens living in a remote area not far from the lake. After a short investigation they'd located the "aliens", a family of circus performers, a trapeze act. The family had left the travelling circus to settle down, to try to be normal for a while.

Sheppard and Evan apologized for bothering them and wished them well.

Now, at Sheppard's insistence, they were taking a long drive up the coast. Evan had to admit that, while traveling via transporter or wormhole was incredibly cool, taking a long, leisurely drive had its upside as well. He was glad he hadn't missed the incredible scenery along the gulf coast. At least until the sky started turning an ugly gray, the wind picked up considerably and the waves began increasing in size causing whitecaps to form.

St. Petersburg, Florida

Verde Point Hotel

Switching from channel to channel, John finally located a weather report. He hadn't paid attention to what was going on around them until it started looking like it was going to rain. It was still hurricane season and one was headed for their area. Instead of having themselves transported back to Area 52, they decided to find somewhere to wait out the storm. When they reached Fort Myers, John turned the driving over to Lorne and promptly fell asleep in the passenger seat.

~~O~~

The cab of the truck was quiet, the radio having been turned off. Not long after Sheppard had fallen asleep, Evan was startled by his partner calling out. Many of the words were incoherent though a few came through clearly enough for Evan to figure out that he was having a milder version of the nightmare that had awakened everyone in the employee overnight area the first night he'd been at Area 52. And the words he was able to discern caused little threads of doubt to unwind in his brain. Doubt about Sheppard's culpability in the chopper crash.

Evan knew for a fact that Sheppard had been flying the chopper, but now he mistrusted the court's ruling that he'd disobeyed orders to do so. That Sheppard hadn't even defended himself on that issue had seemed to prove his guilt. He'd simply said he was sorry and refused to say more.

Grief at the loss of Lee had kept Evan from questioning it at the time. It was the action of a man who believed himself guilty but there was more to it than he'd originally thought. He hoped that soon Sheppard would trust him enough to tell him the entire story.

Rain began to fall hard and fast with the wind picking up speed as well. As soon as he turned the radio back on, he heard the warning of an approaching storm. The eye would make landfall north of their location but that didn't mean there wasn't a danger.

The lights of an old hotel beckoned so he pulled into the nearly empty parking lot screeching to a stop. The jolt woke Sheppard. "Whas goin' on?"

Reaching into the back seat, Evan handed over his duffle bag then reached for his own. "We gotta get under cover. Hurricane Neville is making landfall in the next couple of hours."

Peering out into the driving rain, visibility almost nil, Sheppard stared at the front of the faded green hotel. "Did you have to pick the Bates Motel as a refuge?"

Huffing, Evan faced front in his seat. "We're lucky to have found this one. All the rest were boarded up and deserted."

Putting on a false happy face, Sheppard grabbed the door handle. "It's perfect. On three…one…"

"…two…"

"…three!"

Both men jumped out, slammed the truck doors and ran as fast as they could to the front of the hotel. Just as they arrived, the doors were opened from the inside then slammed shut behind them. They dropped their bags on the mat and accepted towels. After drying their hair and faces, they wiped as much of the water from their clothes as possible. Once the wet towels were taken from them, they took a look at their surroundings.

~~O~~

A group of people were seated around the lobby watching them with open curiosity. One by one they scanned the faces of the occupants. A man in his mid-forties stood behind the desk, obviously the manager or owner. The woman who'd given them the towels was the same age and the teenaged boy sitting on the bottom step of the staircase bouncing a basketball between his feet had to be their son because he was a younger version of the man with hair the same color as the woman's. Two women in their twenties kept flipping through their magazines as if bored with the whole situation. Every few minutes they would take out their cell phones, check for service, scowl and replace them in the pockets of their cutoffs. Two older men sat on the sofa while a third, a little younger than the others, lounged against the far wall, a bottle of beer in one hand.

All were strangers to John…except one.

The man leaning on the wall had the stature and bearing of recently retired career military and was very well known to the former Air Force pilot. He'd been John's commander during his tour in Afghanistan. It was his testimony at the trial that had sealed John's fate, sending him on a downward spiral.

TBC