"Secrets and Challenges"

Ch. 23

(Atlantis, Kitchen)

Stacey sat down at one of the tables with a fresh cup of tea. She closed her eyes and wiped the sweat off her face.

The nightmare she had was one of the worse ones she's had by far. It was the nightmare with the Wraith. Or more specific: the one where a Wraith was sucking her life and that of her unborn child. She tried to forget the cold feeling she felt in the dream as the Wraith was draining her, but couldn't.

Stacey couldn't shake the feeling. She abandoned her tea, put the heels of her feet on the chair, wrapped her arms around her knees, and let her self cry. She didn't bother to fight them back this time.

She was sick of being strong and held on to her emotions. That was one of the reasons she would go into a violent rage every so often.

Stacey heard footsteps coming from the corridor outside. She lifted her head slightly and sniffed her nose. It was the most familiar and most comforting smell to her. Once John Sheppard entered the nearly deserted kitchen, Stacey stood up from her chair and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

John wrapped his arms around her, holding her closer. Stacey dug her face into his shoulder and sobbed.

"Hey, hey, hey," he cooed. "It's alright, it's alright. It was only a dream; it wasn't real, Stace."

John kissed her head lightly.

(Briefing Room)

Stacey entered the briefing room as if the incident in the Kitchen never happened. She sat beside John and McKay. Once Elizabeth, Ford and Teyla entered they began the briefing. For most of the briefing Stacey only half listen to what was going on. She wasn't even sure why she was there. Until something McKay said caught her attention.

"There seems to be some Naquida deposits in the soil," he said.

Stacey looked up from her cup of tea.

"What?" she asked.

"And you didn't care to announce this earlier because . . ." Weir said.

"I didn't think it would be very important at the present time," McKay answered.

"What is this Naquida?" Teyla asked.

"It's the main mineral for the Goa'uld technology," Stacey explained. She turned to Rodney, "Do you think the Goa'uld could reach the Pegasus Galaxy?"

"It's possible. But, very unlikely they would be around anymore," he said.

"Right, they're a bit busy in the Milky Way Galaxy to worry about what's happening around this particular Galaxy," Stacey said, bitterly.

"What could drive the Goa'uld out of an entire Galaxy?" Ford asked.

"The Wraith would be my best guess," Weir said.

"That's not a very comforting thought, though, is it?" Stacey said.

"No, it's not," Weir said. "We can talk about maybe having a team to further check out the site. But, let's get back on track. Is PZ4-003 a viable planet for a Beta site?"

"I believe it will suffice," Teyla said.

"The planet is not inhabited from what we've been able to see. And there our plenty of vegetation and water," McKay said.

The briefing ended moments later. Stacey waited until everyone left, except for Elizabeth. She managed to catch up with her before leaving.

"Elizabeth," she said.

"Stacey, how are you feeling?" she asked as they began to walk into Weir's office.

"Better. The tea Carson found on the Mainland has helped a lot," Stacey said.

"That's good news," she said, walking into her office and taking a seat.

Elizabeth indicated for Stacey to do the same. Stacey sat in the seat across from her.

"What is it that you needed to talk about, Doctor?" Weir asked.

"I'd like to be part of the team to check out the Beta site further," Stacey said eagerly.

"Stacey," Weir sighed deeply.

"I am the best person to lead the team. I'm the only one on this base excluding you, Rodney, and Lt. Ford that have fought the Goa'uld. Please, Liz, I have devoted over five years of my life at the SGC to protect earth against the Goa'uld," Stacey said, slowly and clearly.

"Alright, but, I'm not making it a top priority. We'll put it on the To Do List for now," she told her.

Stacey nodded.

"May I ask you a favor?" she asked next.

"Sure,"

"Could you please not schedule anymore night missions of John and his team?" Stacey said.

"Of course, I'll make sure there will be no more of them," Weir said. "May I ask why?"

"I'd rather not say just yet," Stacey said.

"Okay, fair enough," Weir said. "Is there anything else?"

"No, not really," she said.

Stacey got up and headed down to the Infirmary.

To be continued . . .