A/N: I do not own SGA. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Anyways, back to the story.

Chapter 8

Things were going smoothly on Atlantis. There was only the occasional kidnapping or Wraith attack. Jennifer was back from making her rounds on different planets, trying to help those who had come into contact with the Hoffan drug. Her and Rodney's relationship was in full swing.

Ronon and Amelia had recently announced their newfound relationship. Teyla had finally confessed to John of her new relationship with Kanaan, an Athosian who was on New Athos. She had recently found out she was pregnant with his child and that he was coming to live on Atlantis with her.

John and Nikki hadn't made their relationship 'official' yet, but they had gone on several dates. Rodney kept whining that that had meant that they were official, but John would just roll his eyes and change the subject. Usually after telling him to shut it or he wouldn't be getting any flying time. That usually worked.

John had big plans for tonight. He and Nikki were only going to be watching a movie, but tonight was the night he was going to make it official. He wanted her in his life and he had a feeling she wanted the same thing.

His radio crackled, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Weir to Sheppard. Come in." He reached up and hit his com. "Sheppard here." His teammates, Nikki, and Alex looked up from their conversation at his sudden words. They were all sitting around a table in the mess hall. "I just talked to General O'Neill during the weekly dial-in with Earth. Pack your bags. You leave for Earth in one hour."

He sat up straight. "Why? Did something happen? It's not…" His mind instantly flew to his brother, Dave. "It's your brother, John. All I was told was that he was in some kind of accident and that you were needed immediately. Will anyone be accompanying you?"

His face paled slightly at the thought of his brother being hurt or possibly dying. "Um…I don't know. I'll get back to you. Sheppard out."

He stood up and moved towards the door, not even hearing his friends calling his name.

Nikki jumped up and ran after him. She managed to catch up to him and stop him before he left the mess hall. She stood in front of him blocking his path. "John, what's wrong? What happened?"

He looked up at her with worry very clear in his eyes. "I'm being sent back to Earth. There was some kind of accident…" He shook his head slightly. "It's my brother…"

Her mouth opened and her eyes widened a little. She pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear, "I'm so sorry. I'll go with you if you want me to." All he could do was nod his head and then moved to leave the mess hall.

Before she left to pack, she returned to the table to let their friends know what was going on. "John's being sent back to Earth. There some was kind of accident involving his brother. That's all I know, but I'm going with him."

They nodded and Ronon spoke up before she walked away. "Nikki, make sure he's okay."

She nodded. "I will."

sgasgasgasgasga

One hour later, John and Nikki were standing in the gate room waiting for the gate to be dialed. Elizabeth joined them and stepped in front of John. "Don't worry about Atlantis. We'll take good care of her while you're gone. Just take care of what you need to take care of, okay?" He nodded. He didn't want to risk talking and his voice coming out rough.

She turned and looked at Nikki. "Take care of him for us. We need our Colonel back in one piece."

Nikki nodded and gave a small smile before taking John's hand and squeezing it. He looked down at her and tried to return the smile, but failed. He was too worried about the lack of details to do much.

She squeezed his hand once more before letting go when the gate started to dial. John looked up at the balcony and saw his team standing there. Rodney gave a small wave, Ronon nodded, and Teyla gave him a small, encouraging smile. He nodded his thanks to all of them and then stepped through the gate with Nikki by his side.

They stepped through and found General O'Neill waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp. "Colonel." He nodded to John. John nodded back. "General." Jack turned to Nikki. "Well, I don't believe we've met. I'm General Jack O'Neill." He extended his hand towards her when they reached the bottom of the ramp.

She shook his hand. "Dr. Nikki Teagan." "Oh, a Dr., huh? Lord knows this one here needs one plenty." He tried lightening the mood, but it failed. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood. Anyways, I wish I could give you more details about your brother, Sheppard. I would if I had any. All I know is that he's at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, CA. I already have a car waiting up top to take you to your hotel and then to the hospital. They have cell phones for both of you." John turned to Jack. "Thank you, sir." "It's not a problem. Just go make sure your brother's okay. Don't worry about anything. Anyone has a problem with either of you being back, I'll deal with it. If either of you need anything, my number has been programmed into both phones." They nodded as they walked through the SGC. Cameron Mitchell walked around the corner and almost walked right into Sheppard.

"Whoah! Sorry about that, Sheppard. I didn't know you were back." From the look on his face, it wasn't under good circumstances. John nodded and glanced over at Nikki.

"Mitchell, this is…um. Dr. Nikki Teagan from Atlantis." He reached up to shake her hand, but hesitated slightly at Sheppard's own hesitation. Was there something going on between them?

Nikki reached up and shook the man's hand. "Nikki, this is Colonel Cameron Mitchell." She gave him a small smile. "It's nice to meet you." He smiled as well. "Likewise."

Sheppard frowned and turned to look at Jack. Jack caught on to his discomfort. "Well, we need to get you two to the surface. The car's waiting." As the started forward, John glanced over his shoulder. "See you around, Mitchell." He nodded. "Yeah, maybe I'll see you when you head back. See ya!"

They made their way to the surface and John realized Jack hadn't gotten them a car. He had gotten them a short limo. He rolled his eyes, but turned and shook the man's hand before climbing into the car after Nikki.

As soon as the door was closed, she slid closer to him, entwined her fingers with his, and then rested her head on his shoulder. She was trying to give him as much comfort without saying anything. That's how Sheppard liked it. He was a man who preferred more action than words.

They stayed silent the entire ride to their hotel. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder, so it hadn't been hard to avoid any kind of conversation. Sleep was impossible for him. He was far too worried to get any sleep.

They got to the hotel and checked in. John figured Jack had gotten them two separate rooms, but apparently there had been a mistake and the rooms that had been reserved for them had been booked and were being used, not that John really cared. It just meant that they had an excuse to get one room with one bed.

They walked up to their room and set down their bags. John sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. Nikki sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his waist. He leaned towards her and rested his head on her shoulder. "I'm just warning you, my family is nuts. Just be grateful…Just be grateful my dad isn't here."

She rubbed his back trying to ease some of his tension. "Don't worry about me. I'm tough. I can handle anything, remember?" He smirked and then sat up. He turned to look at her. "Thanks for coming with me. You didn't have to."

She moved a piece of his hair that had fallen into his eyes. "I know, but I wanted to. That's what…that's what I'm for, right?" She smiled and tried to hide her hesitation at what they were. Truth is, she had no idea what they were. They had gone on several dates, but were they girlfriend/boyfriend? Were they friends with benefits? What?

He looked down at his hands. "I was going to wait to talk to you about this tonight during movie night, but since that's not happening anymore…and I could use a distraction…"

Nikki's eyebrow raised. "John, what are you talking about?"

He looked back up at her. "I'm guessing you noticed my hesitation earlier today at the SGC when I introduced you to Mitchell?" She nodded and let him continue. "I know we've gone on quite a few dates." He looked down at his hands. Silent for a moment, not sure where to go from here exactly. "Nikki, I want to be with you." He looked up at her and into her eyes. "I don't want to say, 'Hey, this is my friend, Nikki.' I don't want us to just be friends." She smiled and inched a little closer to him. He took that as a good sign.

"So, this is me asking if we can make it official and you be my girlfriend." A smile erupted on her face and her lips met his. His arms went around her and she pushed him down onto the bed. They had a couple of hours before they were able to go see Dave in the hospital, so they decided to use their time wisely.

John pulled back and looked up at her. "There's something else I have to say now or I might not say it." That worried her. He was so serious about it.

"Nikki…you mean a lot to me. You mean more to me than anyone has in a long time. I guess what I'm trying to say is…I love you, Nikki." Her mouth dropped open. That's not what she was expecting. At all. After a second, she recovered and her face shone with her happiness.

She leaned down closer to his face. "I love you too, John Sheppard." His smile was genuine for the first time in hours that day. She was the source of his happiness in all of his pain and worrying. That gave her a very comforting thought.

He pulled her head down and their lips met again. Soon the kiss turned quite passionate and her hands started to roam. He rolled them over so that he was on top. Her hands slipped under his button-down shirt that was untucked like he always wore it.

Her hands started to move upwards, taking his shirt with them. He smiled through their kiss. He pulled back and looked at her. "Need any help there?" He had a mischievous look on his face.

She giggled and nodded. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off. Nikki sat up and pulled her shirt off as well. She pulled him back down on top of her and found his lips. They explored each other's upper bodies with their hands for a few minutes. Then John started trailing kisses down her neck. He found her sensitive spot and stopped when she moaned slightly. He teased her there with his tongue and then continued trailing his kissed down. He made a trail all the way down to her belly button before he stopped and moved back up to her lips. Her hands reached lower and started to undo his pants. He kicked off his boots and then followed her lead by undoing hers as all.

He pulled them into a sitting position and she starting sliding down his pants. Soon he was only in his boxers. She rolled them over so she was on top. He slid hers down as well, leaving her in only her bra and panties.

They continued undressing each other until there was nothing left. Nikki pushed John back on so he was laying on his back. She straddled his hips, leaned forward, and found his lips. She made a trail of her own going down his neck, down his chest, and then stopped right before she got lower. She looked up at him with a sassy look in her eyes.

He smiled and rubbed his hand up one of her arms. She took that as a good sign and then moved lower. For a couple of minutes, all she did was tease him. He groaned. "You are such a tease…" She smirked and then gave him what he wanted. She brought him right to the edge of his orgasm and then brought him right back before he peaked. He looked down at her again. "That is so not fair."

She laughed and moved forward to join her lips with his. He wrapped his arms around her back and twisted, making them roll so she was on her back.

He made another trail down to her bellybutton, smirked, and then continued lower. He did the same thing she did. He teased for a while until she couldn't take it anymore and finally gave her what she wanted. If her moans of pleasure were anything to go by, he was doing pretty good.

And then right before she peaked, he brought her back down just as she had done. He made a trail going back up to her neck and started sucking on her sensitive spot, making her moan again. "John, you are so evil." He chuckled against her neck and moved his lips to hers.

After a minute of passionate kissing, he positioned himself above her, silently asking for permission. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he took that as a yes.

They made love to each other quite passionately. It was their first time and John wanted to take it slow and easy for a while and enjoy it. Until Nikki kicked things up a notch and it got intense.

A while later, John rolled off of her and pulled her into his side. She curled next to him rested her head on his shoulder. With her free hand she played with his chest hair.

She looked up at the man who had stolen her heart. "I love you, Colonel John Sheppard."

He looked down at her and smiled. "I love you too, Dr. Nikki Teagan." They just laid there for a while enjoying the feel of the other lying next to them.

After a while, John looked at the clock and almost groaned. It was time to get back to reality. The car would be there in ten minutes to pick them up. He sat up and started getting dressed. Nikki looked over at the clock and understood why. She moved to get her own clothes as well.

They got dressed and then made their way down to the lobby to wait for their car. John had his arm around her shoulders and she had her arm around his waist. They saw their car pull up and made their way outside.

sgasgasgasgasga

John walked into the hospital with Nikki right behind him. He made his way to the receptionist's desk and asked where his brother was. Nikki stayed a couple feet behind him, giving him space. She took in her surroundings and noticed a dark-haired woman look up at the sound of John's voice and then make her way over to them.

Nikki watched as she walked right up to John. He turned to look at who had walked up to him and she saw the look of surprise on his face. And then something else flashed in his eyes.

"Nancy. What are you doing here?" "I could say the same about you, John."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm here for my brother." She smirked and shook her head. "That's a first. So am I, actually. I was waiting for Becca, his wife, to come down."

"I know who his wife is, thank you very much. You're not in this family anymore, Nancy. So why are you really here?"

Nikki could feel the tension rippling through the air. "Like I said, I'm here to see Dave. I never thought you'd show."

He ground his teeth together, but turned and looked at Nikki. She stepped to his side. "Come on, we need to get up there." Nancy grabbed his arm before he could leave.

"Wait, who is your little friend here?"

They turned back to her, but before he could say anything she jumped into the conversation. "I'm Dr. Nikki Teagan. And you are…?" Nancy smirked and sized Nikki up. "I'm his ex-wife, Nancy." Nikki smiled and slightly narrowed her eyes. "Well, it was nice meeting you." Nikki turned away, but Nancy stopped them again. "So, is she your little charity case or just your bedroom buddy?"

John's fists clenched. "She's my girlfriend, Nancy. Now what's it to you?"

Nancy smiled and looked at Nikki. "So what's it like spending countless nights alone never knowing where he is. Or when he is home he can't talk about it so his entire life is one big secret. And what about all his mistakes? What's that like?"

Nikki was really getting pissed. "We don't spend countless nights alone. Those nights are few and far between. We spend a lot of time together. As for his secrets? He doesn't have to keep very many. You see, I'm one of the head scientists on the base where he's the commanding military officer, so we get to go on a lot of missions together. And mistakes? Honey, that's where you're wrong. This man saves lives every day while you're probably sitting on your ass getting a fake tan and mani pedi and drinking some fruity little girl drink. You obviously don't know this man as well as you thought you did." She smiled her sweetest smile, "It was nice meeting you. Have a nice day!" And then turned around and walked away leaving Nancy standing there wide-eyed with her mouth hanging open and sputtering.

John caught up to her and looked down at her with the biggest smile on his face. "Have I told you I love you lately?" She smiled up at him. "I told you I'm tough and can handle anything."

His smile got wider and he reached down and entwined his fingers with hers. And that is why he loved her so much.

They walked up to the level his brother was on and quickly found the right room. He paused at the entrance and looked in at his brother lying motionless and hooked up to machines. He wasn't even breathing on his own. There was a tube running down his throat. He'd never seen his brother look so…vulnerable.

Becca looked up at the doorway and saw John standing there. She stood up and made her way over to him. "John, it's good to see you." She pulled him into a hug and he hugged her back. "Becca, what happened? All I was told was there was some accident."

Her eyes were sad, her shoulders drooping a little, and he could tell she hadn't slept much. She motioned into the room and he walked in with Nikki right behind him.

They walked to the other side of the room. John and Nikki sat down on the little couch and Becca pulled up the chair. "Aren't you going to introduce us, John?" She gave a small smile.

John looked up, "Oh, right, sorry. Becca, this is my girlfriend, Dr. Nikki Teagan. She's a scientist on the base where I'm stationed." Nikki reached out her hand towards Becca. "Nikki, this is my sister-in-law, Becca Sheppard." Nikki gave her a small smile as they shook hands. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances though."

Becca nodded and looked over at her husband lying motionless on the bed. She turned back to John. "The other morning he left for work like usual. Everything was normal. He left at the same time he does every morning. After he left, I took the kids to school, picked up some grocery's and by the time I got home, there was a message on the answering machine. It was from the hospital telling me that my husband was in an accident and to call them back. So, I did. They told me he had been driving down the interstate when a semi lost control. Dave was between the semi and the railing. He got smashed between. The car was totaled and Dave had to have immediate surgery. They said during the surgery, he slipped into a coma. They have no idea if he'll ever wake up." She tried to stop a small sob from escaping and failed. She put her head in her hands and cried silently. John got up, knelt in front of her and pulled her into his arms. He rubbed circles into her back, trying to calm her. When she stopped crying, he pulled back slightly.

"Who's the doctor taking care of him?" She wracked her brain for a minute before looking up at him. "Dr. Heath." John nodded and stood up. He turned to look at Nikki and she nodded.

He left the room and walked over to the nurse's station. A nurse looked up as he approached. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Yes, is there a Dr. Heath here?" She looked down at her charts and nodded. "He should be coming back from supper any time now. What is it regarding?"

He looked down at his watch for a second and then back up at her. "I need to speak with him about my brother, Dave Sheppard." She nodded and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. "Okay, and what's your name?" "John Sheppard."

She scribbled down his name and Dave's room number on the piece of paper and looked back up at him. "Okay, I'll let him know when he comes up to go talk to you." He smiled. "Thanks." She nodded and watched him walk back into the room he had walked out of. Another nurse walked over to her. "Man, he was cute. You should get his number." She rolled her eyes and looked down on the piece of paper. "His brother is in bad shape. I highly doubt he'll be in the mood to give out his number to a random nurse."

The woman rolled her eyes as well. "Exactly. He's vulnerable. Take advantage of it. You never know, you may just have some fun." She winked at the first nurse and walked away. She shook her head and looked up when the elevator doors opened and Dr. Heath walked out.

She handed him the piece of paper and told him that Dave Sheppard's brother was here and had asked to speak with him. He nodded and moved towards Dave's room. He stuck his head in and took in the newcomers. The man practically shouted military, except for his hair. Maybe ex-military? "Are you John Sheppard?" John's head snapped up. He stood up and moved towards the door.

They exited the room and moved to the man's office to have a more private discussion. Dr. Heath closed the door and turned to John. He stuck his hand out towards him and John shook it. "I'm John Sheppard. Dave's brother. I got here as soon as I could." Dr. Heath nodded and sat down behind his desk, gesturing for John to sit as well.

"Dave suffered a massive blow to the head. Right now we're not sure if it's caused brain damage or not. It's hard to tell since he's in a coma. We're not even sure if he'll ever wake up. There's nothing I can do for him besides keeping a breathing tube in his throat and giving him fluids. It's all up to him." John nodded and looked down at his hands. That's when he had an idea. He looked back up at Dr. Heath. "Thank you. I need to be getting back to my family now." He nodded and watched as John left the office, closing the door behind him.

John walked to the waiting area and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Jack's number and hoped he could pull this one off. It was to save his brother's life, afterall.

MoonWolfAtlantis provided one of the ideas for this story, so thank you for that! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the late update. And about the cliffhanger. I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible! I'll need more ideas for when this little adventure is done! If you have any, don't be shy! Thanks!

Enjoy! And Review please! =)