Chapter 50
"John, please, let me help," she says, walking briskly into his office.
After the fiasco of Janus' device, John has agreed to help the Travellers start a new settlement. With the help of McKay and a team of various scientists, they've narrowed down a list of habitable planets that would suit the settlers but of course, everything remains to be done. That's where Atlantis comes in. They've had a lull in their missions so Woolsey has agreed to lend a few teams to help with the settlement.
John gives her a tense smile. Ever since Dr Jackson has left, he's been avoiding her. Getting caught red-handed at being jealous is clearly not something he's proud of. "Sure, of course. You can help," he answers against all odds.
She lift an eyebrow. "I thought you were gonna say no," she points out.
He sniggers. "Well, I guess you don't know me after all," he says, tilting his head. "But make no mistake. You don't get your own jumper nor do you assemble your own team. You don't stray and if I say fall back, you fall back. Deal?" He narrows his eyes at her and waits. The ball is in her court.
She nods, pouting. He still doesn't trust her to take care of herself but she wants to go with them because, to be honest, she's heard too much about those Travellers not to want to meet them.
"What can I do to help?" she asks and sits on the other side of his desk.
"Well, for one, I need to know how much food we can spare. We owe those guys, so Woosley has agreed to help them every way we can. But right now, I think food and shelter are the most pressing issues," he informs her.
She nods. "OK, well, we have enough to feed an army in the storage area. I can leave Wilson here and take Ridgeway with me. We'll bring staples. Things that don't need to be refrigerated. And go from there – evaluate what they need for their first few months. We've done it before for the Athosians so I know what to expect." She settles in her chair and twiddles her fingers, her mind already on the task at hand. He knows she lives for these moments. It makes him want to smile – seeing her so eager to get on a new job, have new projects and help people. He doesn't because things are tense between them at the moment. He reflects that this might be a good thing. Going off-world together can help them reconnect. Here, they avoid each other. There, they'll have to spend time together.
"OK, that sounds like a plan." She raises to her feet but he motions for her to sit back. "I'm not done yet, Léger. I meant it when I said I want you to follow my orders. I'll be your CO out there and I want no slacking of discipline," he tells her pointedly.
She bites her lower lip. "You don't want them to think you're a softy," she teases him.
He growls. "Louise! I don't give a damn shit about what they think but I do know one thing though. Things rarely pan out the way we'd want them here, in the Pegasus galaxy, so I need to be sure my teams will be as safe as can be. And what's good for the others is good for you too. You don't get a free pass to doing whatever enters your reckless brain." She glares at him. "And drop the attitude, lady! Out there, I'm not your friend. I'm Colonel Sheppard, military commander of Atlantis, understood?" She pouts, fuming. He can be so impossible sometimes! "Understood?" he repeats and stands, staring down at her.
She raises to her feet slowly, her hands on the arms of the chair, locking eyes with him. "Yes, Colonel. I heard you," she barks before leaving the room.
They arrive early and set to work immediately, unloading the crates from the jumpers and setting up a large tent that will serve as a temporary kitchen then she and Dusty start preparing breakfast. They'll be in charge of feeding all the people, Lanteans and Travellers alike, who are building shelters.
Before he leaves to help the guys from engineering, John approaches her. She's already working on preparing the midday meal, breakfast having already been served on tables outside the tent. "You make quick work. That's good," he compliments her. She glances at him briefly and gives him a tense smile.
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir," she answers curtly, making Ridgeway's eyebrows shoot to his hairline. What got into his superior? He's the only one in the tent at the moment and when only he or Wilson are around, those two don't bother with protocol. He has noticed though that for some weeks now, Sheppard doesn't call her sweetie but only uses her last name. He cringes inwardly. Dr McKay is probably gonna grumble again about those two's constant bickering and he'll be right.
John approaches her and looks around. He nods at Ridgeway who leaves the tent quietly. "Louise," he chides her.
She turns to him and lifts her eyebrows expectantly. "Sir?"
He huffs. "God, Louise, stop it. There's no one around."
She makes a face. "You've got to choose, Colonel. It's either Louise or Léger and Colonel or John. I'm getting tired of trying to follow you here."
He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can we agree on John when we're alone and Colonel the rest of the time?"
He's not touched her ever since Jackson has left. She sighs. "OK," she agrees.
He leans in and kisses her temple. "Good. I'll drop by later. We'll pitch our tent near the temporary commissary," he informs her.
She turns to him, nonplussed, so he elaborates. "You didn't really think I was going to let you out of my sight? You're staying where I can see you."
She doesn't say a word so he takes it as a yes and leaves, feeling relieved she hasn't rebuked him. They've always shared a tent off-world. If she agrees to it now, maybe it means things can still be mended.
It's late at night when she finally walks to their tent and settles for the night. He's not arrived yet. He's told her at dinner he'll probably work a little more on the first building which is almost complete while they still have enough light.
She sits outside the tent, in front of the fire, and thinks about the people she's met today. She's especially fond of that young girl – Mila – who came back for seconds tonight when she served pies she's baked back on Atlantis. She's a sweetie and Louise cannot imagine how such a young girl can live on ships all the time and be a chief engineer at such an early age. As dedicated and smart as she is, Louise has discovered she's also only a child who had bright, eager eyes when John started telling stories to the other kids at dinner time. Mila didn't dare get closer and listened to him from afar. She must deem herself too old for such childish activities so Louise motioned for her to get closer and they both sat next to John. He scooted so they could both fit in next to him, Louise's arm brushing his, but he did not so much as glance towards her.
She's seen how Kanara and Larrin and some of the other leaders are watching him intently. They're evaluating their new partners. Things have been tense up until now so they must be wondering if this partnership is worth it. John hasn't told Louise but he's walking a fine line here, trying to project the image of a laid-back and yet efficient leader. Woolsey believes they should tread cautiously with their new friends and John has agreed. He doesn't need Larrin to believe he's got a weakness she could exploit. You're never too cautious.
She's met Kanara and Larrin today. Kanara, when she came for breakfast after John had left. She likes the gal. She came to thank her and her team for her help and worked with her on a list of food ingredients they're in dire need of. Louise has told her she'll establish a proper list and have to talk to Colonel Sheppard about it. She was careful not to use his first name but refer to him respectfully, as instructed.
Larrin, though, is a different matter. She suspects she's on an agenda. Sure they do not have an easy life but it doesn't give her the right to tread upon people like she does. She doesn't have access to the reports detailing the missions on which he encountered Larrin, but Louise has an inkling Larrin is shrewd and played him several times. She's seen John try to get on her right side several times today, being patient while discussing what needs to be done first, and she doesn't like the looks of it at all. It's not that she's jealous. She thinks he's got the right to see anyone he wants – simply not that sneaky alien woman. She sneers inwardly. John can be such a sucker for women sometimes! Can't he see she doesn't care one bit about him?
She huffs and looks around but he's still not there so she stands and walks towards what is to become the center of the settlement. They've built a bigger fire there. It's too dark outside now to work though some people are still at work in the tents surrounding the area.
Only a few people are still outside, sitting around the fire and among them are John and Larrin, sitting side by side and conversing in hushed tones. She feels her anger flare. She's been sitting for almost an hour waiting for him to finish work and he's been there all along it seems, chatting up that brunette? She heads back to her tent, her fists clenched at her sides. The cheek he has! He read her the riot act for spending time with Daniel not a month ago and now he's trying to charm his way with the Travellers' leader?
She gets into her tent and starts packing hurriedly. She'll not stay here and have to witness this farce.
"Louise, hey, hi," she hears behind her so she wheels around. Mila is smiling at her but sobers up when she sees her new friend's murderous look. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," she replies but her body language belies her words. "I've just decided to head back to Atlantis. I'm obviously not useful here. Our guys have everything pretty much covered," she adds, sniggering at her own sarcasm. "I'll return in the morning with the food Kanara has asked for." She hands Mila the list they jotted down together this morning. "Give this to Colonel Sheppard when you see him, please, and tell him I've decided to put the free evening he's granted me to good use."
Mila nods. "But you will return, yes?" she asks hopefully.
Louise gives her a non-committal smile. The hell she will! "And you'll come and visit me on Atlantis," she replies. She likes the kid but wants nothing else to do with her leader. "Be sure to tell them, OK?"
Mila nods again. "Are you leaving with your subordinate?" she asks, referring to Rusty.
Louise shakes her head. "Nope, don't worry. He will be there tomorrow morning to serve breakfast."
"So, who's going with you?" Mila worries. "We've always been instructed to never head through the stargate on our own."
Louise shrugs, though knowing she's breaking the rules here because they have the same instructions on Atlantis. "No one. I can take care of myself."
The gate is heavily guarded but she charms her way with the team on duty and tells them she's going back to Atlantis for a short trip to get some more food.
"Did Colonel Sheppard allow for it?" she's asked.
She looks indignant. "Of course, he did," she lies, knowing she'll get hell from him later but not caring right now. They let her go, knowing how basic rules sometimes do not apply to their commander's best friend.
By the time Mila has handed the list to John and told him what Louise has said, it's already too late. The orders he barks in his walkie talkie of not letting her step through the gate and wait for him to get there arrive just as the puddle whooshes close.
She steps through the gate on the other side, expecting to see the sight of Atlantis' comforting gate room but is sadly disappointed. She's just sent her IDC and received a go-ahead in return so what she sees boggles her mind. She looks round and sees she's stepped back through the exact same clearing she came from. The sights are unmistakably the same with the same ridges in the distance but no one is around. She looks round and breathes in and out slowly, trying to figure out what happened and what to do next. Should she head for the settlement and see why no guards are at the gate or should she try to dial Atlantis again?
She's pondering it when she hears rapid footsteps approaching the clearing. In spite of all the training she's received, she's never been in a situation like this before, having to make a quick assessment of the situation and subsequent decision, and by the time she does, trying to run for cover is already too late.
Two men with an air of authority on their faces and clearly aristocratic garments and followed by guards with crossbows at the ready reach her and seize her. "Who gives you the right to approach the Ancient Ring?" one of them demands, his eyes boring into her.
She tries to free herself fom his iron grip, to no avail. "I'm a traveller," she explains, trying to remain cool in spite of the disastrous situation she knows she's gotten herself into. "I got the address wrong as it appears. I won't bother you further. Just let me dial my homeworld and you'll never hear of me again," she bargains.
The men sniggers. "Traveller? And you don't know this planet is forbidden to anyone? No one gets in, no one gets out, lady. Now," they say, tugging hard at her arms they've bound behind her back, "you're coming with us. You'll be tried for your crimes and most likely executed."
TBC
I love cliffhangers. Don't you? ;)