CHAPTER 35 – HOME

John and Rodney stepped back through the stargate on Atlantis. He had spent a little time in the infirmary at the SGC at the insistence of the doctor there. They had been worried about him. He had concussion like symptons, appeared disorientated and slightly confused and it took more than just a little bit of coercion on his part for them to let him leave. He needed to get back to the Atlantis. And had no idea why.

The half way station had him fidgety and restless again and Rodney had huffed an impatient breath, a little sick of this new John Sheppard. He wanted the old one back. The confident arrogant one, who sometimes had little disregard for the things that Rodney said, but hey – anything was better than this new Sheppard. Too edgy and dangerous for his liking.

Elizabeth looked at them expectantly when they arrived. "So? Any dramatic changes to anything that I need to be made aware of? Anybody not who they seem – anything?" She peered closely into John's face, expecting to see some of the answers there, but saw only the same edginess that Rodney had been privy to for the past few hours. And took a step back. Like Rodney, she wanted the old John Sheppard back. Irreverent and funny. Annoying sometimes even – but their John, and the one they knew and loved. Seems this time travel escapade had taken some of his mojo. Or the woman had... one way or another, Elizabeth wanted it back!

"Only one change that I could see Elizabeth, at least that is before I did like a girl and fainted..."

"Using the F word Colonel – ha! Yeah, I guess that about describes it Elizabeth – he did actually faint – and yes, just like a girl." Rodney took great delight in relaying this information to Elizabeth, especially after the ribbing he had received from John when he himself had fallen to the same affliction. He preferred to call it a manly swoon – if such a thing existed. But fainting? Sounded a little too...girlish...for him.

"Are you sure you're all right John? Do you want to go and see Doctor Beckett?" Elizabeth's eyes immediately registered concern.

"I'm all out of patience for doctors and infirmary's. There's nothing there Elizabeth, at least nothing that any of their fancy machines can pick up. But something's here – in Atlantis. I felt it as soon as I stepped through."

Alarm flickered into Elizabeth's eyes. "Wraith John?"

Wraith? Thought John. Once upon a time this would have been the first thing that had come to my mind also... not that long ago. There again, with that damn fairy tale... once upon a time... probably because I feel I'm trapped in some version of Hans Christian Anderson stories... perhaps I'll wake up and the princess will be kissing me... or will that mean I'll turn into a frog.. aah crap John – get your damn head in the game. This is no fairy tale. This is your life. Wraith? Nah...

"Not having an in built wraith detector like Teyla, that I wouldn't know. But no, that's not what I meant. Actually, I don't know what I meant. Really. Just felt that shift in time again, and had the sudden thought that something came through. Something else has arrived."

Rodney peered into John's eyes. "You sure that fainting spell didn't scramble something in your head? There's no portal in Atlantis!"

"No Rodney, but there's a rift. Where did the dog come through. How did Angel get here? Elizabeth? Where is Angel?"

Elizabeth looked perplexed for a moment. " I don't know John. I let her out onto the pier a couple of hours ago to do her doggy business and have some fresh air, and she took off suddenly barking. I thought she had picked up a smell or something. I didn't worry too much about it, I mean this is a city – you can get lost for a short time, but you're bound to turn up somewhere, somehow... I knew she'd be back, follow her own scent to where she last saw me."

Rodney's eyes widened. "You thinking the same thing, aren't you Sheppard? The rift is here in Atlantis somewhere. If the dog got through, something else could have gotten through. A person perhaps? You would only feel that shift in time if whatever came through was big enough to register the shift in time."

"Gina..." John breathed her name and took off running, immediately tapping his radio to get his security teams onto one channel.

"Sheppard here. Urgent request to all security teams. I need an immediate search of the city – all levels, all areas. You are looking for a small white dog. Yes folks, that's right – a small white dog. And with that small white dog, will be a woman and she may be scared. You are not to alarm her in any way. Do not hold a weapon on her. She is not a threat. You need to find her, and contact me immediately, then stand down. Is that clear."

His voice was clipped and his face had changed. Colonel John Sheppard was back and in clear command. He knew without a doubt that she was here – that shift in time, that tilt that he had felt, could only mean one thing. They had used the rift to get her here and the fact that they had to get her here early meant that something had gone wrong. The crap was about to hit the fan.

And looking at the expressions on both Rodney and Elizabeth's face, it just had.