Chapter 49
Before we begin, don't forget about the prequel called Louise. It will tell you a lot about Louise's feelings towards John.
Spoilers for First Contact and the Lost Tribe
"Louise? Hey! There you are!"
She's currently sitting with John at the table in the kitchen, planning the arrival of a dignitary from one of the planets they want to trade with. Woolsey has asked them to work on making him feel at home and what better way to do so but organize a welcome dinner.
She turns to the door and jumps to her feet, a huge grin spreading on her face that mirrors that of the newcomer. "Dr Jackson! You've arrived!" she exclaims and walks to him briskly.
He wraps his arms around her to give her a bear hug, rocking her from side to side. "I've missed you," he says as he breaks the embrace but keeps his hands on her shoulders, observing her. "You look good. How have you been doing?"
She nods. "Good, yes. You?"
He grins. "Couldn't be better! I'm here to find that secret lab of Janus's, ya know?" he says conspiratorially and winks.
She laughs. "I should have known you were here to unearth something!" she teases him, still grinning.
"And see you into the bargain!" he replies, ruffling her hair.
She hears John clear his throat behind her. "Oh, hey, Dr Jackson, this is John Sheppard," she says turning to the man who's now standing with his arms crossed over his chest. She detects a trace of annoyment in his eyes but ascribes it to Daniel's boiterous ways. She knows for a fact it does piss off Rodney.
Daniel walks to the other man and extends his hand. "We have already met, though briefly. Colonel Sheppard," he greets him with a broad smile. She sees John is trying to be civil, though barely. He shakes the other man's hand and greets him with a stilted: "Doctor."
Daniel turns to Louise. "We were on our way to the lower sections of the City, getting ready to work, when Rodney mentioned you had made that praline brioche I'm so partial to. He said you might still have some so I decided to take a little detour. I didn't even know you were here. Thought you were on a mission off-world..."
She laughs and walks to her pantry to get some brioche, talking over her shoulder. "I was supposed to but Mr Woolsey decided welcoming our new allies to Atlantis would be a good way to start the negociations. We were planning it with John when you arrived."
"Shrewd negociator, that Mr Woolsey. He knows how to use his assets!" Daniel banters. He turns to John who's sat back at the table. "They don't stand a chance with the food she makes."
"I know," John says more curtly than he had intended. He sees Louise stare him down so he amends. "Yes, she is indeed our best asset in food negociations."
Louise has finished preparing a tray for Daniel that she hands to him. "Here you go, Dr Jackson. The strongest coffee I have and some brioche that will keep you going until lunch time."
He thanks her with a smile and a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, young lady. I'll see you then. Say," he adds, "if I can take a break, what about having dinner together? It would be nice to catch up."
She smiles fondly. "Sure. I'll make time for you. See you then."
He leaves with his tray in hand, whistling, after bidding them both a nice day.
She sighs with content and wheels around, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Well, this is an excellent day," she informs John. He does not reply so she insists. "Don't you think? Daniel, the secret lab, our food negociations..." He grunts noncommittally. "Well," she teases him, tickling his side, "I know someone who's gotten up on the wrong side of his bed."
He huffs and stares her down. "If you say so... I'm off to seeing Woolsey," he adds, glancing at his watch. "I'll see you later."
"Hey, we've not finished here," she protests.
He huffs again. "Louise, there are other matters I need to attend to. We've made good progress already. Send me a memo when you're done with it."
She looks crestfallen. They were having such a great time until Daniel arrived. She doesn't understand what's happened to put him in such a foul mood. "Will you come around for lunch?" she asks him hopefully.
He shrugs indifferently. "Don't know. Might not have the time. Besides, it's not as if you needed the company now Jackson is here."
She watches him leave the room, dumbfounded. Now what was that about?
They have found the lab and have been working on it for hours, neither of them wanting to let the other one be the first to discover something. It upsets her to see Rodney and Daniel act like kids. Everything is a competition for Rodney but she has to admit, Daniel doesn't know how to let go either. Very much like John, she reflects, rolling her eyes.
She's left trays of food for them both at the lab and been greeted as if she were a godsent. It's amazing the amount of food they're able to wolf down when those two work! Rodney has fussed a lot about where she would leave the trays, in case something dropped on their precious artefacts. She's looked around the lab briefly before leaving, her eyes twinkling at seeing so many Ancient objects but Rodney has pushed her gently towards the door, in spite of Daniel's protests she could stay and maybe help them.
She's aggravated because she's not been allowed to see everything. Most of the objects are inactive and for all they know, some might not even be of any worth, but there's that cool piece of technology she's caught a glimpse of before Rodney ordered her to leave that was blinking, beckoning to her. But Rodney knows she's like John – unable to not touch things – so he prefers her out of the picture and ignores her plea to look at precisely said object.
When they disappear, she's finally accepted the fact neither John nor Daniel will spend time with her at the table that night and has opted for eating alone in the kitchen before she turns in for the night. She's walking back to her quarters, feeling despondent, thinking about how the day had started brightly but ended on a bleaker note when she hears the alarms of the City and runs back to the nearest transporter to get to the Control Room, knowing there must be intruders in orbit or near the City. She watches helplessly as the alien pod passes the defenses of the City, getting inside the shield as if it were not there. John and his team leave at a run but they can't get to Rodney and Daniel before it's too late and the pod has left with them, taking them to who knows where.
He finally returns to see Zelenka who's desperately trying to locate the pod, to no avail. She's tried to remain calm during the whole invasion but now she needs to do something – anything to help her friends. She approaches John and lays her hand on his arm tentatively. "John," she says quietly. "What can I do to help?"
He glances at her briefly. "Not your job, Louise. If you want to help me, get back to your workstation," he says sternly.
She rolls her eyes, pissed. "Come on, John. You know I go bonkers when my friends are in danger."
He huffs but relents. "OK" He turns to Amelia who's currently relaying his orders as he assesses the situation and makes quick decisions to ensure the City won't be invaded again. "Get her a jumper. We need as many people in the air as possible to establish a defensive perimeter," he says, pointing with his thumb at Louise who grins. She leaves at a run to the jumper bay but he calls back after her. "Léger," he barks.
She skids to a halt and turns. The room is full of people, watching them. It's no secret the 2IC and the head cook have a fiery relationship. "Yes, Sir," she answers respectfully, knowing it's no time to remark he could call her Louise, given everyone knows where those two stand.
"You do only what you're told, understood? I have no patience for reckless people around here right now," he adds, leveling his gaze with hers.
She nods quietly so he motions for her to proceed. She grins and leaves and he shakes his head, wondering if he might have made the wrong decision here. She's gained a lot of confidence since her first mission off-world – too much to his own liking.
He calls her about an hour later and tells her to report to the Control Room. She scowls but has no choice but to relent. He's already in the jumper bay when she arrives. She watches him intently, waiting for him to explain his decision. He leads her back in the jumper and makes her sit on one of the benches. "Drop the attitude, Léger," he tells her, seeing the permanent scowl she's sporting. She rolls her eyes, making him huff in exasperation. "Sweetie, I really don't have time for your teenage rebellion. I called you back because I need you here. I'm leaving Amelia in charge of the operations but I obviously won't be here, should those guys return so, against my best judgment, and because I have no choice, I need you in the Chair," he explains patiently.
He gets a broad smile in return and a bear hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she gushes.
He shakes his head at her antics. "I don't have the time for more training sessions and I know we only did that once but you did fire a drone the first time I showed you so..." He hates having to ask. The only time he let her try using the Chair, the half hour she spent there drained her and she had to get a shot of glucose to compensate for the exertion.
"It's OK, John," she replies. "If need be, I'll do it. Go get them. It's the only thing that counts right now. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
She's halfway to the Chair room when it happens. A blast of such magnitude it rocks the City. She taps her headset and calls the Control Room but only gets static in return. She finally gets Teyla who tells her hurriedly what happened. All transporters are temporary down from the surge of energy and she has to make her way on foot to the infirmary where she's been informed John and Radek have been taken. One of the medics blocks her way when she tries to enter. "Colonel Sheppard said not to let you in. It's not a pretty sight to see, Ma'am. You need him to be patched up before he'll allow you in," he tells her, making her growl in frustration.
"I'm not a kid and it's not my first rodeo in the infirmary. Damn it!" She huffs and starts pacing when he stomps through the door.
"Léger, stop being a pain in the neck!" he orders her. He's shirless and when he turns to get back inside she sees the red marks from the shattered glass that hit him. On any other occasion, she'd probably have sniggered inwardly at herself for gawking at his taunt muscles but now all she can think of is how he must hurt. "Stop gawking," he sniggers anyway, not turning back to her.
"You're impossible, Sheppard," she retorts, blushing.
He smirks and winks at Teyla. "I know," he replies smugly. "OK, kiddo," he tells her, as he's putting his shirt back on, "now you know I'm OK..."
"Sort of," she counters and he rolls his eyes.
"As I was saying, Léger, before being so rudely interrupted," he sniggers, not wanting her to win that one, "now you've seen with your own eyes I'm alive and standing, I need you to return to the Chair room and stay there. And get to the armory to get a walkie-talkie. If we lose power again, you'll want to remain in contact with the temporary Control Room."
"What are you gonna do?" she calls after him as he leaves the infirmary.
"Figure something out, I guess," he answers tiredly.
He's assigned one of the techs to her and she gets an update every half hour. Cooped up as she is in the windowless room, there's nothing she can do but wait aimlessly for any good or bad news coming her way. She's still there when Chuck relays the information to her the Daedalus is on his way with everyone on board. She breathes out and leaves the room, glad she hasn't had to get in the Chair after all. She checks on her kitchen and then goes to wait in the infirmary, knowing Daniel will be beamed down there as soon as the Daedalus arrives.
She sits in a chair outside the infirmary until she's allowed in. He beams at her when she enters. "Now, that's a comforting sight," he tells her and makes her sit on the bed beside him. She smiles at him but sobers up when she sees John enter and scowl.
She kisses Daniel's cheek. "Are you hungry?" she asks. He nods with a smile so she tells him she'll be right back and exits the room with John in tow.
"I was looking for you everywhere," he tells her, his eyes boring into hers. He huffs. "I should have known," he adds nastily.
She lifts her eyebrows. "Well, your mood has clearly not improved since yesterday," she sniggers. "FYI, Sheppard, I always come to the infirmary when one of my friends is hurt. Lord knows I've spent quite a few sleepless nights here over the years for you all but most of all for a snarky friend of mine," she adds pointedly. He knows it's true but he's always surmised she'd always check on him first and this time, she hasn't – and that pisses him off.
"No hugs and kisses as I return home this time?" he can't help countering.
She shakes her head sadly. It seems all he does these days is point out what she does wrong. And he did call her a rebellious teen! She looks up and down the corridor but sees quite a few people coming their way. "It wouldn't be wise, John. Given the amount of people around," she elaborates, glancing briefly at a couple of medics passing them.
He knows she's right but can't shake off the angry feeling building in his chest. He realizes he'd like her not to care. The hell with the consequences. What are a few snarky remarks and knowing looks if you can have the comfort of a friend's arms? He huffs. "Excuses, excuses, Léger," he retorts pointedly and walks away.
Daniel spends a few more days on base, making Rodney antsy every time he walks into Janus's lab. He doesn't like to have the guy around. Too much competition. He's been charming with Keller and that's another problem. One of the many problems actually. Rodney has noticed how John's look mirrors his own when Daniel sits next to Louise in the mess hall and converses with her. When he takes walks with her to the piers.
When Louise offers to take him for a tour of the City in a jumper, that's when John puts his foot down. They're all sitting at a table at night – the whole gang, Louise, Daniel. He mentions how beautiful the City looked from the Daedalus and she offers, on the spur of the moment, to ask permission to take him. John growls. "Permission not granted, Léger," he snarls.
She makes a face. "I didn't ask you, Sheppard," she retorts. "I was going to ask Mr Woolsey. I'm sure he'll be much more flexible than you are," she points out.
Daniel barges in. "No need to fight over me. If it's too much trouble, I'll pass," he says with a smile.
John rolls his eyes but refrains to say what's on his mind – that Daniel is a hollier than thou ass to him.
Louise grabs John's arm and makes him stand. "Need to talk to you in private, Colonel," she hisses through clenched teeth. "Asap," she adds, pulling him towards the balcony.
He follows her relunctantly, earning himself an amused look from Rodney who knows he's gonna get a talking to. True, he's still at odds with Daniel but John has earned it all right for being such an arse.
"What?" John barks at her as soon as they're outside.
She swats his arm viciously. "You, prick. What got into you? Ever since Daniel arrived, you've acted like a jealous kid. What's wrong with you?" she demands, hands on hips and eyes dark with anger.
He looks away, feeling uncomfortable with her pointed remark about his jealousy. He'd hoped she would not notice.
"I said, what's wrong?" she demands, crossing her arms defensively on her chest.
"Might be," he mumbles.
She narrows her eyes at him. "I didn't get that. Can you repeat it out loud?" she prods. She can't possibly have heard what she thinks she has. Not again!
"I said I might have been jealous. Look," he adds hurriedly, "I don't like the way he's around you – charming his way into your free time. I haven't seen the likes of you ever since he's set foot on the City."
She rolls her eyes at him. "I can't believe you had the nerve to say it, let alone repeat it, John! Every single time some man so much as talks to me, you go nuts. It's getting old, ya' know."
He looks sheepish but she keeps glaring at him. He needs to understand once and for all that if ever she finds the courage to even entertain the idea of them two being more than friends, it'll have to be on her own terms, in her own time. He can't go on edging closer while he keeps others at bay, hoping she'll relent.
"It's so not true," he counters, pissed she's seen right through him. "I let plenty of men approach you."
She gives him a look – one that says "Really? You think I'm gonna believe that fat lie?" - so he pouts and falls silent. "John, I'm begging you. Stop crowding me. I'm your friend. That's a given. Do I really need to say it? That you're my very best friend – the closest person to my heart. So please, don't push my limits."
He huffs. Even the kind words cannot suppress the embarrassment at being caught red-handed. She uncrosses her arms and tugs at his that are still stubbornly crossed over his chest. "Come on," she says softly. "Truce?" He doesn't relent so she flies into a rage. "Damn it, Sheppard! Do you always have to win? Does everything have to be a competition with you? Can't you just accept to let go for once? What if I did the same? I can't believe you're being jealous of the time I spend with other people when you ogle everything that wears a skirt!" she growls, royally pissed. "You know what?" she adds, pointing at him. "Daniel is leaving in two days and until he does, I'm gonna spend as much time with him as possible. Deal with it!" She stomps to the door before he can process what she's just said. He huffs and shakes his head. This is so not what he wanted to achieve. He could slap himself for being so dumb. And jealous!
He shakes hands with Daniel before the latter leaves. They're in the gateroom, waiting for the Daedulus to beam him up. "I got hell from a certain lady friend of ours for being rude to you so, eh," he says, embarrassed, "I'm sorry."
Daniel gives him a broad smile and chuckles. "She's a bunch of wild cats when she gets mad. I got on her wrong side a couple of times. Oh, boy!"
John nods. "Sometimes I think she's too much to handle."
Daniel's eyes crinkle with mirth. "Yeah. But I'm glad to see she has found a home here and good friends too. And you don't need to apologize. I kind of feel protective towards her too. She's been through a lot." Chuck signals for him to get ready. "Take good care of her," he tells the other man before being beamed up.
TBC