A few days later…
Coming back to his temporary quarters, much bigger ones with a separate room for a six year girl, John Sheppard is greeted enthusiastically by his niece.
Throwing down her child sized bantos sticks, Atiya runs and jumps into the man's arms, "Uncle John!"
John drops his bag and catches his niece, "Whoa!" It takes him a moment to get his breath back and he leans against the doorjamb briefly before laughing a little. "I'm getting the impression you missed me and I was only gone for a few of hours."
Teyla scoops up the discarded practice weapons with a laugh, "Apparently that was too long, though Atiya did learn a lot today. She is a very quick study, which makes me wonder where she got that from, as her uncle seems to still be having a hard time with the basics even after all these years under my tutelage."
Making a face at his friend over the little girl's shoulder, John hugs the kid tighter for a moment before stepping fully into the room and sitting down on a chair with her. "Hey Munchkin, you're being awfully quiet. What's up?"
Now it's Teyla's turn to make an exasperated face at him, which he ignores as his attention is focused on the child in his arms, still clinging to him like a lifeline. Suddenly it dawns on him what the problem is, "Oh, hey, honey." He pulls her back from himself long enough to look her in the face, tilting up her chin with the fingertips of one hand, "I promised you I'd come back and I did. I wasn't gone long and the people I went to see were our allies, so I was in no danger. I am not about to take a dangerous mission while I have you here. Besides, didn't you have fun with Teyla, learning how to fight with bantos sticks?"
Atiya gave a grudging nod, "I did, but it's not the same as being with you."
Knowing the child has an overprotective streak a mile wide, he tells her, "Atiya, everything was fine. If I'd gone on one of the dangerous missions, I'd have needed to take Teyla with me because she's the best at guarding my back, but Ronon is pretty darn good too. I DID take him with me, just in case though. Doesn't that get me any brownie points?" He asks that last in a very plaintive tone.
Looking down again, the child's low muttering is barely heard, "If it was such an easy mission, why couldn't I go with you? It was because of Dickhead, wasn't it?"
Teyla gapes, trying not to laugh as that would send the wrong message to the child.
Briefly closing his eyes, John tries desperately not to laugh too before sighing and opening them again and trying to give his niece a disapproving look all at the same time. "We've talked about you calling him that, Atiya. Like it or not, he's the man in charge around here and I have to obey his orders. Not just his, the big wigs back on Earth are really mad AT Woolsey for taking OUR side and insisting you stay here with me instead of going back there."
"He only did that so Mama and Papa wouldn't hurt him if they come back for me." She looked stricken for a moment and then practically yelled, "WHEN! I meant WHEN!" Bursting into tears, the girl clung to her uncle even more and her unnatural strength came into play.
It was almost making breathing an issue and John was sure he'd have bruises later, but he ignored that for the moment as he held the girl and just made soothing noises.
Teyla grabbed her things and gave him a nod as she left quickly, knowing John would have his hands full for a while and only he could get through to the little girl when she was so upset. She hurried back to her own quarters where her mate Kanaan was caring for their two year old son, Torren in her absence.
Back inside John's quarters, the beleaguered man gets an idea that really should have occurred to him sooner. "Hey sweetie, if I tell Woolsey I need a few days off and can't go on any more missions at all for the rest of your visit, will that make you feel better?" He gets her to look him in the eye and sees a glimmer of hope there, making him smile. He touches the comm in his ear, "Sheppard here. Woolsey, I respectfully request a long weekend off. I need to spend it with my niece, show her some fun things to do here in the Pegasus Galaxy."
A brief pause before the sound of a throat being cleared is heard, "Very well, Colonel. I'd like you to fill out the proper paper work and turn it in, but that can always wait until tomorrow."
Atiya's happy shriek momentarily deafens both men, making John grin even as he winces in pain.
"Thank you, sir. I'll get that done first thing tomorrow morning. Right now, it's time to show this kid how we do R and R around here. Sheppard out." He removes the comm and tosses it on the table beside them.
"Let's have some fun, shall we," he asks with a smirk.
Clapping her hands with glee, Atiya agrees wholeheartedly.
About half an hour later, the door opens and two remote controlled cars come racing out, followed by the colonel and his niece. He's running and she's on his skateboard, doing stunts and still keeping up with the RC cars racing ahead on their way outside to one of the piers.
The next few days are spent doing various things around Atlantis; teaching Atiya how to play golf with some cobbled together clubs small enough for the child, (She hit better than her uncle, a fact which made observer Ronon laugh and John grimace, but not where the girl could see him) swimming on a beach on the mainland, building sandcastles and even flying a kite that John made for the girl, and fishing off the East Pier.
That last was a disaster, as far as Sheppard was concerned, but Atiya was thrilled. She caught a monster, a literal monster of a fish that not only didn't have a problem breathing air, it tried to attack them once John and Ronon helped the child get it up on the pier. Out of nowhere (or the backpack the girl always wore on her back, John wasn't sure which) a short sword or a very large knife came out and the child slaughtered the thing in a very messy fashion. Sheppard was further grossed out by the fact Atiya had no problem with Ronon's suggestion that they find out if it was edible.
Dripping bluish blood and other oddly colored fluids, the grinning child looked up at her beloved Uncle John, so very proud of her accomplishment that he didn't have the heart to show his true feelings about it, but told her how proud he was of her instead.
Ignoring the mess, Ronon picked the girl up and whirled her around, proclaiming her a great warrior and making her giggle her head off when both John and Rodney got "icky stuff" spattered on them.
Rodney had had a conniption until the marine biologists assured him the creatures couldn't "invade" the city on their own, nor did they frequent the waters of the mainland where the Atlantis residents would go for their recreation. Something about the water temperatures being too warm near land, but John quietly breathed a sigh of relief himself at that one, as did Teyla.
Looking at the clawed flipper bones and jawbone full of large, spiked teeth mounted on the wall of their quarters the next day, John had to admit it was quite the accomplishment for the girl and didn't begrudge her the trophies.