Hello, Stargate lovers!

Here is another chapter! It's a day off for me, so I decided to post another one this week! And it's a big one!

Hope you like it? No, I hope you love this one!

Chapter 13: Original Episode 0.3

It was a nice day. Alexandra couldn't get enough of the good weather and sun of New Lantea. She took her backpack wondering if that would change anytime soon.

Even though she tried to avoid it, the scientist yawned as she got to the gateroom. The late night reading about the planet she was about to visit was taking a toll on her mood.

"Dreamed about me, doc?" John leaned forward once he saw her reach the team.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Alexandra smirked, playfully, as the gate opened, leaving an open-mouthed John behind.

"I'm liking you more by the day, doc." Ronon stated with a laugh seeing John's dumbfounded expression.

The Satedan high-fived the archaeologist and John was glad about it. As he predicted two months before, his friends had welcomed Alexandra in their midst with no problem. And it helped that she was so… cheerful. He didn't know if that was the right word, but the energy she brought to the ancient city did help go through the days.

On the other side of the gate, John looked around the area and divided the group.

"Okay, kids. McKay, since you've been complaining all morning…"

"My wrist is…" Rodney whined a little.

"You'll be with Teyla and Ronon. I'll be with Alex." John gave him a wide smile, to spite him a little.

Rodney sighed, glancing at Alexandra, who gave him a shrug as the two sets of the team walked away from each other.

"You're so mean to Rodney, sometimes." Alexandra said as she followed John's lead, both following a path into the woods. Her eyes went back and forth to the ancient device in her hand.

"He needs that. He's always complaining otherwise. Besides, you should be used by now after what he did the first time you two went on a mission together."

"Well, considering we buried the hatchet since then, he's not so bad after all. Besides I made sure he knew I wasn't in Atlantis to steal his position. This way." She pointed, her eyes on the device.

"Too bad. I'm sure a lot of people would like that." John said, jokingly.

"Shush, Sheppard." Alexandra rolled her eyes. "Rodney almost died a few weeks ago. You're speaking of your best friend." She elbowed him with a conspirational smile which made him chuckle.

"Hey… I'm just saying. Radek would be thankful."

"He probably would." She chuckled. "There's something towards East."

"Lead the way, doc." The pilot gave her a pleasing smile as they started walking in silence. Neither one minded it until he yawned.

"Not enough sleep last night?"

"Something like that."

"Uuuh… hot date?" She said playfully, without taking her eyes from the tablet.

John chuckled and bumped her shoulder as they came across dense vegetation and walked through it.

A cave appeared in front of them and both held their P90s up to shed some light on the path ahead.

Once they entered, though, lights turned on around them.

"Wow!" John said.

"Ancient markings." Alexandra commented, focusing on the walls.

"Hey, guys. We found something." John told the others through the radio.

[We found something too. Investigating.] Answered Teyla.

"Be careful." John turned back to the scientist next to him.

"What do you think, doc? Any value?"

"Perhaps." Alexandra walked to the pillar at the center. "There is Ancient language here. But there are markings that I don't recognize." She pointed out to John.

"Let's get to work then." He nodded and watched her get comfortable.

Half hour passed by. John paced around the cave and outside, hearing her mumble, watching her scribble and take photographs. She looked in her element. At peace. He had only seen her like that once, when Daniel Jackson had needed her help while she was training him back on Earth. It still amazed him that side of her. And since she had stayed in Atlantis, he had come to see a different side, more relaxed, more teaseful, almost a flirting side of her. Or maybe it was because she didn't have her rank anymore. But he had to admit, he liked it. Maybe that beer she still owed him could lead somewhere…

In one of the times he entered the cave to check on her, John stopped and his eyes landed on Alexandra. He frowned.

[Sheppard.] Ronon said, interrupting his thoughts through the radio.

"What is it?"

[There's something coming out of the sky.]

"Wraith ship?" John frowned, walking towards her.

[No. It looks like…]

"A satellite?" Alexandra asked at the same time John pulled her face towards him. "What?" She mouthed at him with a frown.

[Yes.] McKay intervened. [How do you know?]

"Your eyes." John answered to her. "They're really red. Bloodshot red."

Alexandra rubbed her eyes but didn't feel any different.

"I'm gonna take you back to Atlantis. Now." He said in a serious tone.

"No." She took her face from his hand. "I need to finish this translation."

"Alex, you don't look okay."

[John.]

"What now, Teyla?" He frowned, impatient.

[The satellite is right in front of the gate.]

In that moment, Alexandra buckled against the pillar and John made a split decision.

"We are heading back." At the same time he said it, he saw blood coming out of her ear. "C'mon, Alex. Something is happening to you."

"I'm fine." Her breathing was ragged now and, in a second, John pulled over his shoulder. "John… c'mon..."

"Shut up." He said in a commanding tone. She knew there was no fighting him now.

The pilot walked slowly the distance back to the gate. Once he got there, he saw the satellite floating in front of it.

"What is wrong with her?" Teyla asked as the team approached them, looking concerned.

"Something is not right with her."

All of a sudden a shrieking sound was heard and everyone looked back at the satellite.

"Uh-oh." McKay said when a metallic arm came out of the apparatus.

"Let me… see." Alexandra croaked out.

"Is it something you encountered before?" John held her against him as he lowered her to the ground.

"No." She shook her head. "But that thing it's turning on its defense mechanisms."

"How do you know?" McKay asked, looking at her.

The same shrieking sound was heard again and the satellite shot in their direction. They fell onto the ground.

"Jesus!"

"Rodney, when I tell you, dial the gate!" Alexandra said.

"Wait! Alex! What are you doing?!" John saw her stand.

"Diversion. Now, Rodney!"

Rodney ran to the dial device and John's mouth fell open seeing her run in the opposite direction while the satellite actually followed her.

"Run! I'll be right behind you!" They heard Alexandra through the radio.

"C'mon, Sheppard!" Ronon yelled, pulling their leader with him.

"We can't leave her!"

"She'll be fine! She knows what she's doing." Rodney said, very sure of himself.

John looked at the scientist in disbelief but something in his face told him to trust them. And so the team ran to the gate, falling into the blue pool, followed by Alexandra and energy beams blasts towards the walls on the other side.

In the gateroom, everyone in the room had to duck.

"Shut down the gate!" John said to the coms.

[We can't! There's too much energy coming through!] Chuck said.

"Lower the iris!"

[Same, sir!]

"Chuck, when I tell you to shut down the gate…" Alexandra stood, her eyes landing on John. "Do it!"

[Uh... Yes, Ma'am.]

The archaeologist opened her arms and a smooth, glowing light came out of her body, enveloping the gate. The blue pool almost touched her as the energy beams still came through, one actually grazed her side.

"Now!"

Chuck pressed the button and the gate disengaged. Alexandra fell hard on the floor as John slid to where she was.

"Hey..." His hand went softly behind her head.

"Medical team to the gate room! Now!" Sam ordered, running down the stairs.

"John…"

"I'm here."

"I'm sorry." Alexandra's voice came out quietly as her eyes closed into the darkness.

"How is she?" Samantha approached Jennifer Keller at the infirmary.

"She's alright. Her brain is functioning. It's like she is just dreaming." Dr. Keller answered her commanding officer.

"Good. That's normal." The Atlantis leader looked at the person sitting by her friend's bed. "What about him?"

"Col. Sheppard refuses to leave."

Samantha nodded. She thought back when Jack had decided to put Alexandra and John together for his training. She knew he was onto something. However, everything that happened since then had changed Alexandra's life. Had changed her friend's heart.

"How long is she going to stay like this, Sam?"

As Samantha Carter approached the bed, John's voice took her out of her musings. He looked ragged.

"We never know for sure. Sometimes is a few hours. Others a week. A couple of days."

John kept quiet. His eyes not leaving the bed.

"I was never given her entire file to read. So, I didn't know..."

"It's been two days. You should get some sleep, John." Samantha was worried now.

"I knew she had the gene." John kept going. "She even helped with a jumper. But… powers?" The pilot looked up at his C.O.. "Is she an Ancient?" There was tiredness and a crazy shimmer in his eyes. "Why didn't Gen. O'Neill never allowed me to read her file? Why didn't she tell me about this? Doesn't she trust me?"

"John, I know you're worried and frustrated." Samantha understood. "And I'm not going to tell her story. That's hers to tell. But there is something that I can tell you... She does trusts you. And Gen. O'Neill had his own reasons to not give you the entirety of her file."

The pilot looked between the two women. A calm washed over him. He nodded, following his leader out of the infirmary to one of the balconies.

"Once she wakes up, I'm sure she will answer every question you'll have." Samantha started. "However, there is a reason why she doesn't tell everyone of her powers. She is, indeed, an Ancient, like you said."

John stared at Sam, placing his hands on the railing and absorbing her words for a moment.

"How…?"

"That's one of the questions she will answer. You have to understand one thing, John. She was hurt, abducted, experimented on and that's why she keeps this to herself. And she does it to protect the ones close to her. You and now Atlantis, included."

Turning his eyes to the dark horizon, John huffed, frustrated.

"There's only a few amount of people that actually knows back at the SGC."

"What about here? A full room saw what happened…"

"Diligences are being made." Samantha nodded.

Thinking back three years, John always knew there was something different about her. Some secret, the way she deflected his questions about certain SG-1 reports.

"Why is she unconscious? Keller said she should be awake."

Samantha leaned against the railing with a sigh.

"That's because of the Ancients. When Anubis attacked Earth in Antartica, Alex was in his possession and was using her against us. She was able to break the hold he had on her and fought him at great cost. She was in a coma for weeks. The Ancients became afraid of what she could do and took her powers away, leaving her with the bare minimum. Mostly is the shield you saw. However, every time she uses it for something more, her body crashes down and goes, at the lack of a better word, into hibernation to recharge."

Silently, John nodded.

"Don't be too hard on her, John. Take these days to think. I have a feeling it will take her a while to wake up."

"Thank you, Sam." John groaned out the words, without looking at his C.O..

Samantha nodded and after a moment she left.

"You knew, didn't you? What Alex was?"

Rodney looked up from his computer to a staring John by his office door.

"I did."

"Why didn't you ever mention it? Not even in a joke?" John was now pacing back and forth at that conclusion. His three friends watching him.

"Because the powers are not who she is. And I actually respect her privacy in this matter."

"Because Col. Carter asked you to." Teyla guessed, teasing him.

Rodney shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"Not only that. I saw what Anubis did to her. Me and Sam worked on her when we found her in the snow. And when she woke up…" Rodney shook his head. "Her eyes haunted me for days. But I won't say anything more. Alexandra should be the one to tell you all this."

"Dammit, Rodney!" John slapped his hands on the metal table.

The scientist sighed, looking for help towards Teyla and Ronon.

"She's alright, Sheppard." Ronon said, frowning.

"Yes, John. It's just a matter of recovering." Teyla continued, worried about her friend. Both of her friends.

"Yeah, don't worry so much." Rodney finished.

"I'm not worried!" John looked at the three of them and sighed. "Have you figured out what caused the activation of the satellite?"

"I did. Even though we still don't know to whom it belongs to, it was Alex that activated it. As far as her translating went, the cave you two were in, it's the base operation for the machine and it reacted to her. Basically, a device against Ancients."

"She had bloodshot eyes and blood coming out of her ear."

"The device might have been reacting to her as soon as you entered the cave. It might have taken a while due to the reactivation process."

"The light did turn on very quickly."

"There you go." Rodney danced on the balls of his feet.

"So, should we scratch that planet off the list?" Teyla asked.

"Not exactly. I want to go there with a new team. All of them free of the gene would be better." Rodney pointed out.

"If Sam authorizes it, it's fine with me." John shrugged.

"Great!"

A few days had gone by and John entered the infirmary for his check up after a mission. His eyes immediately landed on Alexandra's bed. It was empty.

"Col. Sheppard." Jennifer greeted him, leading him to one bed. "Ah! Dr. O'Neill woke up last night."

"Everything alright with her?"

"Yes. All blood work is normal. It was like she was sleeping, really."

The pilot thought about those words. He hadn't really thought about what to say after she woke up. He had questions, of course, but what to say after seeing what he had seen? It wasn't like she was the first Ancient he had met.

After his check-up, John went for his usual shower and briefing with Samantha.

"So, we got a new deal trade, Colonel?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." The Colonel smiled and finished the meeting. However, she watched John's hesitation at the exit. "She must be at the gym. She likes to go there. After..."

The pilot nodded and walked the halls, thinking.

"You are very good at this." John heard Teyla say once he got to the mostly deserted gym.

"I have a good teacher back on Earth. And right now I have a lot of energy to spare."

The door was half closed and he could see the two women going at each other with battle sticks. There was a defiant smile on each other's lips as he watched them. Once it came to a tie, he made himself known with a clearing of his throat.

"Col. Sheppard." Teyla greeted him as she faced the door.

Alexandra turned her head to the side and relaxed her stance.

The Athosian greeted her sparring partner and left, after giving one last look in his direction. In that small moment, the scientist went for her bag by the window. Her eyes caught the setting sun.

John's hazel eyes watched her. It wasn't the first time he had seen her train but there was something different now. A glow he hadn't seen before, as if it was coming out of her body.

"I'm sure you have questions." Alexandra spoke softly.

"I do." He took a few steps towards her.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't trust you, John."

"I know."

"It's all you are going to say?" She turned to him, surprised at his scarce words.

John shrugged, his hands in his pockets, only a few steps from her.

Alexandra couldn't help but to smile a little as she sat by the window. Her eyes caught the sun again, only for a moment. She felt him sit in front of her, as if waiting.

"I was in college, second year when I first felt it. The tug in my body. It was like an electric current. But I thought it was just a consequence of studying too much for exams, or because I didn't know what to do with my degree, since the Academy was pressuring me. Then, Daniel Jackson came for a conference and everyone was excited since he had been missing for a few years and suddenly there he was. The sham archaeologist that claimed pyramids were landing paths for alien ships."

"Little did they know." John said.

"Yeah." Alexandra smiled at the memory. "But once he started talking, I felt at ease, like I hadn't been in years. I went to talk with him and we realize that we had something in common. My uncle. At that point they had already met the Asgards. But I didn't know that, of course."

John's hazel eyes watched her, imagining those moments.

"One day, Daniel and I went to lunch. I wanted his opinion about what to follow in my degree. Out of the blue, two guys started a fight and I went to break them off. Instead, I created a bubble of electrical charge and hurt them. Woke up in the SGC a day later."

"I thought the going unconscious thing was recent."

"You talked with Sam." Alexandra looked at him.

"I did."

The scientist bit her lip.

"Well, my gene is slightly different from yours or even my uncle's."

"You're an Ancient." He continued at her questioning look. "Sam told me, so I could understand." Alexandra nodded. John leaned his head to the side, curious than ever. "Why didn't you tell me this three years ago?"

"You weren't allowed to know. And… I didn't want you to."

"But all the SG-1 reports I read…"

"Carefully chosen by me. Even my file was redacted... Listen, after it was established that I was not normal, the N.I.D, the Trust, all wanted to experiment on me."

John frowned, angry, aware of what those groups were capable off.

"So, Gen. Hammond gave me a choice. To protect me, I would finish my training, college and to top it all, he gave me a position at the SGC as an informal member while I finished both. Over the years we found out about the Ancients, the gene. However, Sen. Kinsey knew about this and when he tried to shift powers inside the SGC, one of his many attempts, the Asgards came and made sure that wouldn't happen and that no one could touch me. In any way."

"Go, Asgards!" John cheered.

Alexandra relaxed, smiling as well.

"I actually went with them for a few months, to train and effectively use my powers. And when I came back, Gen. Hammond made sure that whoever knew about my habilities were people he and my uncle trusted and the reports had the bare minimum about it."

"But the N.I.D always have their ways…"

"Exactly. Over the years, they abducted me a couple of times. Even build this device that could diminish my powers. In a way, that's one of the reasons I'm here. After what happened with the Asgards a few months ago, my uncle wanted to be sure that I'm safe back on Earth."

John nodded, slowly assimilating her words, her story.

"How do you know you're an Ancient?"

"In a way, my powers prove it. And my gene. Which comparing it with my uncle's or yours, Sam got to know that mine is stronger. Hence the powers. Besides, Oma, one of the Ancients I met, confirmed it. She just doesn't know why I'm so different."

"Different genes, uh?"

"Yes. Mm… Let's just say that mine is... one hundred per cent. My uncle's is about seventy per cent and yours is ninety per cent. It has to do with deterioration and how quickly Ancient devices react to you."

"Mine is stronger than Gen. O'Neills?"

"That's what you take from what I said?" Alexandra snorted.

John smiled, then turned serious in thought.

"What about your powers? Why did you lose them?" He saw her face sadden and her eyes dropped to her hands.

"The Battle of Antartica." Her voice trembled. "Anubis abducted me, made something to my mind. He used me against Earth troops. Somehow, I was able to snap out of it when Cam's 302 crashed near me. I used what I could of my powers and helped defeat Anubis, but the Ancients became afraid and while I was in a coma, they took them from me. Daniel thinks my mind was with them all the while I was uncouscious."

"Afraid?"

"That I was too powerful. That anyone could use me against them, even."

"Why then? Why not before?"

"As they recognized me as an Ancient, they thought I should obey the same laws as they do. So they didn't want me to fight Anubis and help Earth. Even what happened to Abydos, a year before, it was out of my control. But I was so angry that Anubis used me against my will, that my powers snapped. There's a crater near the outpost in Antartica in result of that."

"Bastards..."

"John, I…" Alexandra glanced at him.

The pilot held his hand up.

"If you have no powers, what was that?"

"My shield. Protection. And when I over use it, I go unconscious."

"To recharge."

"Exactly. Listen, I didn't tell you back then, so you wouldn't freak out. Everything was so new to you and I had just lost my powers, I didn't want to talk about it…"

"That's why you looked sad sometimes." He saw her raise a brow at his words. "While you were working. I wasn't just reading your reports, you know?"

The mood shifted slightly between them as his eyes stayed on her. It felt lighter.

"That's a bit creepy, you know that, right?" They both chuckled. "I'm still the same person, John." She had a tone of reassurance in her voice. But she didn't know if it was for him or for her own sake.

"I know."

As Alexandra gave him a quick smile, she leaned against the wall. Both went silent, looking out the window as the night began taking over the planet.

Just a quick reminder that I'm nor versed in science or the way the military work regarding soldiers that are taking degrees in colleges. So, please, bear with me on this. Did the best I could. And this is, after all, a work of fiction.

Ps: Do leave a comment, please!