LONG CHAPTER ALERT!
Debbie418uk2 - True. In mine it's usually John that ends up mostly hurt. Hm, maybe I need to change that? (thinks about it) LOL I couldn't help but giggle at that. John is a smart ass, one of the reasons I love his character. I also love the banter between John and Rodney, it's cute. I absolutely love the sarcasm, which is why I try to lean on it every now and then.
Godsdaughter77 - Yeap, that was what I was going for. Clumsy due to concussion. Thank you, I'm glad you're liking the story so far. :)
This chapter came from Debbie418uk2's chapter 39 "Obsession" from Rodney's Really Bad Days. The chapter is her idea, and I'm honored she is allowing me to do a sort of side story to it. Sure, Sarah attacked Rodney, originally, and I'm not going to change that, but he was unconscious for days. What happened in that time?
The flashbacks will be from Debbie418uk2's story, and the parts in between are mine.
Thank you for allowing me to do this.
Disclaimer : I do not own SGA or any of it's characters. Sarah Cooper is not mine, she came from Debbie418uk2's Rodney's Really Bad Days (Chap 39 - 'Obsession', it's awesome! Check it out!). Most (if not all) of the flashback quotes are also not mine, either.
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(John's POV)
Flashback
Rodney came walking up briskly. "I need your help."
Rodney never asked me for help, so I assumed it was serious. "O...k..." I allowed myself to be pulled into the conference room, resisting the smart remark that was on the tip of my tongue. By the look on his face, this was serious. "What's up?"
"It's Sarah Cooper."
For a moment, I processed the name. Oh. "That cute little brunette lab tech of yours?" I remembered her. When she first came here, she was really quiet, and I tried to show her around but she insisted she was fine. I did notice she never looked at me, with Rodney in the room, but I never really gave it much thought.
Rodney nodded, a blush covering his face. "Yeah. She's...err...coming on to me."
"Really?" Again it took me a moment to process this. A cute girl was coming on to Rodney, and he needed help?! "What do you need me for?" It's not like I was usually the one playing matchmaker.
"I'm not sure what to do."
Ok, so that sent my mind spiralling to places south of the border, and I felt my eyes widen before narrowing. "Rodney...?" That came out really wrong, so can you blame me if I misunderstood?!
He shook his head, the look he was giving me, stating that I obviously had the wrong idea. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Look, she's been leaving cute little messages on my computer, flowers in my room. Last night I woke up and she was in my bedroom. Just sitting in a chair, watching me sleep. It's creepy."
Oh yeah, that definitely sounded like a stalker quality to me. But McKay was a genious. Best of the best on Atlantis, or so he liked to say. "How'd she...?"
"She hacked in."
He went on to explain what happened, and how 'inappropriate' it was, though I think he was more worried about the creepiness than inappropriate-ness. He asked me for my help, to kind of be a back supporter when he informed her she was being transferred back to earth. He couldn't deal with her, she was scaring the hell out of him and keeping her on Atlantis was definitely out of the question.
End Flashback
Walking through one of the darkened night hallways, I found myself looking back at that moment, and wishing I'd thought to put a guard on her sooner. After McKay's stuff had been destroyed, his entire room engulfed in flames, and what he told me about her, I should have done more.
Instead, I stood back, following the old 'innocent until proven guilty' thing, despite knowing deep down it had to be her.
I paused, recalling the viscous gleam in her eye as she stabbed Rodney, and the blood he choked up as he struggled to breathe. She just hit him and stabbed him like it was no big thing, I'd never seen such rage. And all because she'd been rejected? Part of me wished I'd never been involved, this was insane! Still, I knew that if I hadn't been there before, Rodney would have died for sure. I couldn't help the shiver of dread at that thought.
Activating my radio, I sighed quietly and shone the light of my P90 down the empty corridor behind me, before looking on in the direction I was going. "Sheppard here. No sign of her so far."
"Lorne here, sir. No sign of her at the east pier."
"Dechamps here, no sign of her at the south dock, sir."
"This is Radek Zalenka. No sign of her at the jumper bay."
Ronon hadn't reported, so obviously there had been no sign of her at the infirmary, where he'd positioned himself next to Rodney's currently comatose body. Carson hadn't called either, so there was no change in Rodney's condition, and Teyla hadn't called, meaning she and Elizabeth were safe.
I'd posted her with our base commander, just because this girl was so insane, I didn't even want to speculate at what she'd do, if she thought Elizabeth might be a threat to anything she wanted.
There was currently no sign of her, but also no way she could have gotten off Atlantis without us knowing. I don't care what kind of hacker skills she had. "Alright. Keep looking, as long as she's loose, McKay's in danger."
"Understood. Lorne out."
"Dechamps out."
"Uh, right. Zalenka out."
Rolling my eyes, I sighed and kept going. I swept the light of my P90 around carefully, as I passed two empty bedrooms.
Flashback
"Can I, er, sleep on your couch, tonight?"
That had been a surprise, and I think I was starting to get worried. Rodney wasn't one to be cowed easily, let alone ask others to room with them. He was such a picky person, it was more he'd never even think of asking, then anything else. I let him stay, after he showed me his room. I don't really remember much of it, I was so shocked by the evident rage that whoever had done that, must have been feeling.
Then, I heard him say the name Sarah, and considering how the earlier meet-and-greet had gone, I wasn't too surprised.
"Wow. Gonna press charges?"
"She's probably hacked into the CCTV and deleted it. I would have. She had my door code, so I can't prove it was her. Look, maybe she's got it out of her system."
Oh, I doubted that. People as insane as this girl seemed to be, don't just get it out of their system with one attack.
"Kinda wish she hadn't torn up the photos of Jeanie and Madison, though."
I mentioned he could probably get more, and got the usual McKay remark for that. Obviously, I let him stay. I never realized how good of an idea it would be, until the alarms went off. I jumped awake, and watched as Rodney rolled right off the small couch he'd been lying on. Jumping up, I grabbed my hand gun and helped him up before the two of us rushed out of my room.
Why was I not surprised to find the source of the alarm being Rodney's room? Ok, so I wasn't expecting the blaze, but part of me really wasn't surprised. As I stated before, people like this never got it out of their system with one attack.
Elizabeth had rushed on to the scene only minutes before us, it seemed, and turned, relieved as we approached.
"Oh thank god you're alright!" Her concerned look remained, though, and she frowned in confusion. "We were afraid you were in there."
His face was white as he looked into the melted and blackened remains of his room.
"Where were you?"
"Well, uh, my room got trashed, earlier."
"Why didn't you report it?"
He shrugged, looking sheepish and definitely scared. "Well, I guess I didn't think it was important and I didn't want to mess with it. Anyhow, I was sleeping on Sheppard's couch."
I nodded at this, my own eyes wide as I checked out the remains of the room. Literally nothing but blackened metal remained. Nothing. Turning to Rodney, I tried to play it off casually. "I guess we don't have to pick it up, now."
End Flashback
I knew I never should have left Rodney alone. He tried to insist he was fine, but the circles under his eyes, white face, and constant jumpiness should have been a dead give-a-way. I know I couldn't have watched him 24/7, but somehow I felt I should have tried harder.
He'd been stabbed, badly. Carson didn't even know if he'd be alright.
This was all so hard to take in. Here, in the Pegasus Galaxy, we worry about alien viruses and creatures, Replicators, Genii, and Wraith. We have so many off world enemies, it never seemed to really occur to look for ones in our own city. That we could actually have dangerous enemies living with us on Atlantis.
We never even considered looking to our own, for things like this! Attempted murder, insane stalker issues. Obvious obsession... It made me wonder what else we could expect in Atlantis. What else was hiding here that we had no idea about?
"Doesn't the SGC even do background checks, or personality checks or something?!" I hissed between gritted teeth.
"They do."
I halted and froze as the silky but bitter voice spoke out from behind me. For a moment, I wondered how the hell I'd managed to miss her on my scout, but then, I hadn't really been paying attention.
"But then, it doesn't take much to drive people insane, now, does it Colonel?"
The way she said my title was with such disgust.
Turning slowly at first, I quickly jumped into gear and pulled my P90 up, only to have it kicked out of my hand, and feel a resounding blow to the side of my head. As everything spun, I blinked and staggered back as a dark shadow swung at my head again. The air whistled as it sailed past, and I caught the glinting of a blade in the faint light from Atlantis' moon.
"You! You just had to interfere! We'd both be alone, and so happy right now, if it wasn't for you! But no... You just had to jump in and save him!" She hissed and stalked forward, her eyes flashing with rage as she held yet another knife.
Alone, and 'happy'? Had she been planning...? I backed up, trying to regain my bearings, as everything spun. "Listen to me, Sarah..."
"No! I'm done listening!" She lashed out, and I felt a sharp pain across my chest as I leaned back at the last moment. "You're all the same! All of you!"
I tried to ignore the seeping gash across my chest. Luckily, it wasn't that deep. Ducking under her swing, I jumped and rolled, coming up across the hall from her, and getting to my feet and stumbling as a sizzy spell hit me. Touching my forehead, I felt a stickiness there, and frowned deeply as I stared at her. "Sarah, Rodney doesn't deserve this."
"Rodney, of course he does!" Her eyes darkened and she sniffled, her face one of such sorrow. "I gave him everything. I gave him gifts, tried to tell him how much I love him, and I even brought him his coffee. I ran errands for him, I tried to ask him out, but he wouldn't give me the time." Her face suddenly transformed into a harder, colder, more insane one. She sneered before laughing a little. "How is dear Rodney, anyways?" Even her tone had changed and become colder.
Flashback
"Well, she damn near killed him. It's just as well medical assistance was so close, or he'd be dead. He's extremely critical, and there's always the risk of infection..."
I frowned as I listened in. "Doc..."
He shook his head, his look grim. "The next twenty four hours are crucial. He's a long way from being out of the woods. Right now he's alive, and if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go try and keep him that way." Walking back to the infirmary, Carson disappeared back into the area he'd sealed with a privacy curtain, where McKay was laying, struggling for life.
Then, Elizabeth turned to me, and her words shook me out of my trance. "How is the search for Sarah going?"
End Flashback
"Oh, actually, he's surprisingly good." I told her easily, hoping it would throw off her game.
Sneering, she giggled and laughed, shaking her head. "I'm a lab tech, Colonel. You'd think you'd realize that means I know practically everything Dr. McKay does." Her eyes turned serious and she shrugged. "He's on a ventilator, and if I remember correctly, Dr. Beckett said something about 'the next twenty four hours are critical', right?"
"You're not getting to him." I told her grimly, grabbing for my knife. It was at that moment that I realized where she'd gotten the one she used against me, as my hand felt at the empty sheath.
"Picked up a little bit on meeting a pickpocket from one of our friendly planets. Nice people, really friendly and they love to share things, including knowledge Too bad they're a little naive." She stated with a toothy grin and shrug. Waving the knife back and forth, she took a step closer. "Looking for this?"
I dropped my hand and stared at her slowly, glad that my vision was clearing. I was waiting for her to make her next move, and felt my heart pounding in fear, knowing she was capable of anything. Short of dropping down and grabbing the knife in my boot, I was basically unarmed. I still couldn't believe I hadn't realized until too late, that I didn't have a knife stashed in my vest.
Or that I didn't go back and get one.
"What's wrong, Colonel? You're really quiet." Her tone was clearly mocking me as she took another step forward. "Regretting getting in my way, now?"
"Not really." I stated with a shrug. "I'm just thinking it's such a pity." I noticed a movement behind her, and watched as Lieutenant Morrison stalked up a hallway behind Sarah.
Her face morphed into one of confusion. "Pity?"
"Well yeah." I took a single step back, and swallowed heavily as my back connected with the wall. "I mean, you're such a pretty girl. It's really a pity you're as loony as a bird."
Her glare was back, and she dove at me with a scream.
I didn't even have time to react. One minute, I'm expecting a comment from her, or a look of anger as she stuttered for words, the next, I'm grasping the hilt of the knife, as it's plunged into my arm. I knew my comment was harsh, but I hadn't expected her to react so quickly. Crying out as the sharp pain came over me, I heard a gunshot, and her weight disappeared from me.
I struggled to keep up as she ran, pulling the knife out of my arm and holding it tightly as I tried to keep my sight clear. I wanted to rest, I wanted to just pass out and wake up in the infirmary, blissfully drugged, but the longer she remained free, the more danger Rodney was in.
My legs threatened to cave under me, but I kept going. Rodney was my team mate, and my friend. I wasn't about to let this crazy...woman hurt him.
She made her way to a balcony that overlooked the ocean. Stopping there, she turned back, her face torn, frightened, angry, and almost dead at the same time. "You took him away!" She screamed at me, taking a step back. "I..." She looked down the hall, and I heard footsteps behind me. "I don't...have anything left." Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Realizing what she planned to do, I took a step forward, and raised my good arm. "Look, Sarah, there's a way around this." I very slowly took another step closer. "Come on, let's talk about this."
She shook her head and turned.
"Sarah!"
Before I could move, she'd hopped up on the ledge, before turning back. "It's too late." She stated brokenly as she leaned over backwards, spreading her arms out as she fell.
Rushing to the edge, I watched as she disappeared into a small dot, and a few seconds later, there was a massive splash in the ocean below. That area was extremely shallow, and I knew there was no way she could have survived. Letting my body slide down the railing, I turned and sat with my legs half up, letting the knife fall from my hand.
I saw Morrison running up behind me, calling to me, and I waved a little as my eyes closed a moment. After I gathered my thoughts, I tapped my radio with my free hand. "This is Sheppard. Sarah Cooper's dead. She committed suicide, jumping off the tower and into the ocean at the North Pier." Closing my eyes again, I sighed and tapped my radio again, trying to think of how I was going to report all this.
"Sir, are you alright?"
Opening my eyes, I nodded. In truth, I wasn't. Not yet, anyways.
(Infirmary)
"That was...really kinda scary." Rodney muttered from his bed.
He was doing a lot better, but he still wasn't allowed to leave he infirmary. Me, for my part, I waited until he was stronger to give him the whole story about what happened. Basically, my initial report to him was that she was found off the North Pier. I didn't know how he'd react to knowing about the confrontation, and until he was stronger, I didn't want to atempt it.
Besides, Elizabeth told me it was a good idea, when I spoke to her privately about it.
"She really said all that? Did all that?!"
Looking steadily at him, I raised an eyebrow. "She tore your room apart, and burned everything down. You really need to ask?" As Ronon entered with a box, I grinned a little and gestured for him to place it in front of McKay. "Oh yeah, we all got together and got you a few things for your new room."
He looked suitably surprised and lifted the lid, his eyes going wide. "Oh, you didn't."
"I owed Chuck a new one, anyways, and thought I'd get you a spare. Just don't keep it in the same place." I watched as he carefully put the mini Canadian flad aside, and reach in the box again, his jaw dropping. "I asked Elizabeth to send a message to the SGC to explain to Jeanie what happened, and ask her for duplicate pictures for you."
Rodney's eyes filled with tears as he pulled out the framed pictures of Jeanie and Madison. Then his face filled with confusion as he saw a note and picked it up.
"And I have no idea what that is."
"It's from Jeanie. She says she's gonna kill me for scaring her so badly, and that she's glad I'm gonna be ok." He smiled a little. "And she wants to see me whenever she can." Looking past the note, his face fell and he carefully pulled out a pile of DVDs.
"Like I said..." Ronon sidled up and grinned. "I saved the Herculese episodes for you. And Sheppard mentioned getting some Xena in there, too. I don't know what it is, but..." He shrugged. "We can always check it out, right, buddy?"
Looking a little more grateful at the mention of Xena, Rodney grinned and shook his head. "Right."
Sighing a little, I nodded at him and saw the thanks in his eyes as he gently touched the images of his sister and neice. Smiling a little, I laid back and relaxed, thankful it was all over, and everyone was safe.
R.I.P. Sarah, I hope your next life is a better one.
Closing my eyes, I let myself go, just listening to the others chat.
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Hope you like it.
It lies heavily on Debbie418uk2's Rodney's Really Bad Days, so if there's anything you don't understand, you'll have to read "Obsession" to understand it. And great big thanks to Debbie for letting me write this!
R+R please
Thank you
Tenshi