Hello, Stargate fans!

First of all, thank you for the latest two reviews I got! I'm happy you are enjoying this story so far. And so soon I have another chapter!

Next, I'm not going to dive into the works of this episode, since I want to give a lot of moments for the characters to bond, and not just do that through missions. Besides, you already know the episodes, right?

So, the action of this chapter happens after the ending of the original episode, named "Doppelganger" (4x04).

Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Episode 4x04

The team was reunited at the table, slowly getting back into their normal selves after the whole doppelganger nightmare.

At some point of the evening, John looked around and found Alexandra sitting in one of the benches placed outside, at the balcony. She was focused on what she was writing in her tablet.

"Hey." He sat down next to her.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Alexandra asked, not completely taking her eyes from her writing. She hadn't been in Atlantis for the ordeal, but was aware of what had happened.

"I'm alright." John could feel more at ease now.

"I'm sorry for Dr. Heightmeyer." She mentioned, glancing up at him.

The pilot nodded, still shook from the action of the day and tried immediately to change the subject.

"Your mission went okay?"

"Yes. Stephens showed me the campsite and I brought a lot to translate."

"That's good."

Picking up on his soft tone, the scientist ended up turning her tablet off and turned to him completely. She couldn't imagine having someone else in her mind. But then again, in a way, she already had at some point in her life.

Alexandra looked behind them, at the group of people still at the table.

"Hey… it's not your fault." She poked his shoulder. "There were casualties, yes. But Atlantis is safe. Your friends are safe."

"I know."

"Then why the gloomy face?"

"I hurt them. I know it wasn't me, but…"

"You feel responsible. I get that." And she did. "Listen, SG-1 made a lot of mistakes, but they always fixed it. And that's what you have been doing for the past three years, right?"

"But, today, I was the enemy. To my friends."

"I understand." Alexandra thought back to when Anubis had taken control of her and made her hurt her own friends, her family. "But look at them…" He did, briefly. "Rodney saved you. You saved Rodney. You're important to them and that's what you should think about. Focus on."

"I do have to thank Sam." John said, after a moment.

"Why?" Alexandra frowned, not understanding.

"Convincing you to stay. With your pep talks, Atlantis is going to become better than it was before."

Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"She did convinced me to stay. Especially given what happened with the replicators..." They gave each other a brief glance, remembering Elizabeth. "But she did run things smoothly in this first crisis regarding Atlantis, didn't she?" Alexandra looked back at her oldest friend.

"She did. I'm not surprised though. She's amazing. I'm glad Gen. O'Neill chose her." John noticed the small smile that appeared on Alexandra's lips. It was different than usual. "What?"

"Nothing." Alexandra shrugged.

"C'mon. You're not leaving me hanging with that little smile of yours."

Alexandra looked back and forth, between the two Colonels, considering her next words.

"Can you keep a secret?" There was something in her eyes, which made him more curious and nodded. "Okay, I'm gonna tell you a story. Or somewhat of a story. Hm... You know when you have two people for which rules are life for them? That they have lived so much by them that they don't know what to do without them? Or that they manage to hide behind them, because they're afraid of what might happen if they just throw them to the wind? That loyalty is at the top of their qualities? And feelings are just put aside and not thought of?"

"Well, yes. I can understand that." John nodded, a bit confused though.

"That's Sam... And my uncle."

"Your uncle. And Sam… Wait…"

"Yeah." Alexandra thought for a moment. "He chose her first for this position, yes. He knew she deserved it and was backed up by the I.O.A. But he also did it to prepare his retirement."

"He's retiring?! Actually retiring?"

"Yes. That's why he's not the one here. He loves this but he thinks it's time to live his life. After such a long time fighting, letting go of the past, he deserves someone like Sam at his side."

"Mm… I heard he was reluctant to be head of SG-1 back in the day." John mentioned.

"Not reluctant." Alexandra sighed. "Months before he got chosen for the first mission to Abydos, he lost his son. My cousin..." Her voice faltered. "…found his service gun and..." She gulped. "I was younger than him but I remember that my uncle got depressed for a long time, until he was convinced by Gen. Hammond to be part of the Cheyenne Mountain research team. He first met Daniel and that's how everything started."

"And spite the secrets, you were happy." John had gathered as much.

"I was. Rules and secrets aside, after that first mission, I got my old uncle back. At least from what I remember before my cousin died. And after years of seeing those two go back and forth, I can see they are happy now with their decision."

"I still can't believe it." The pilot was surprised.

"They hide it very well. So well that there was this one time a Tok'Ra device thought they were Jaffa spies."

"Really?!" John saw her nod with a chuckle. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You and Mitchell. You left your rank. But you're here now."

Alexandra sighed and looked towards the dark horizon. She knew John was prying.

"For years, I saw my uncle and Sam go round and round and I didn't want that. I was happy with my degree, what I accomplished, and enjoyed working closely with Daniel, so I left the army."

"What did Mitchell say when you told him you were coming here?"

"He didn't like it. But when I heard about the Asuran plan the I.O.A had come up with, I knew I had to come here."

"But you've broken up now..." John saw her alarmed look. "Rodney let it slip. I don't know how he got that information." He said it quickly.

"That little bastard. How did he…" Alexandra stopped upon seeing an amused John. "That is none of your business, but it is true. We are. But that's a story for another time."

He was curious, but was able to see she didn't want to talk about it. So, for a little while, they kept quiet, just enjoying the sounds of the night, comfortable with each other.

"You should get some sleep." Alexandra said, upon seeing his yawn at some point. "You had a rough day."

"I really do." John stood up, noticing their friends had already turned in for the night.

Then, looking down at her, he caught a sparkle in her brown eyes that made him raise a brow and become alert.

"What?" She frowned as she picked up her tablet and stood.

"Nothing. I just… realized you haven't bought me that beer yet."

"Oh, really?" Alexandra walked past him into the quiet corridors of Atlantis. "Perhaps tomorrow night. After you had a good night of sleep."

Following her, John raised a brow mischievously.

"What? Like a date?"

"You wish, Sheppard."

"Well, wishes can become true." He said as they entered the elevator and pressed the button to the right corridor of their quarters.

"Is that what you say to all the girls, Colonel?"

"Not all the girls." He shrugged, teasing her.

"Well, aren't you a flirter…" Alexandra teased him, knowing full well he was.

"And you haven't seen anything." John took a step closer to her as their eyes locked.

For a moment, energy sparked within her. And, in that same moment, Alexandra took a step back from him. Her eyes reading him, as if looking for something.

"And I won't." The scientist shrugged, easing her heartbeat as she took a step in the direction of her quarters. "Have a good night, John." She gave him a quick smile and disappeared.

With a hand to her chest, Alexandra thought that it would have been so easy to fall into the depths of his hazel eyes. Too easy.

It couldn't happen again.

She was fine just the way she was. No power was worth the pain it involved.

Watching her go, John felt a drop in his stomach. He didn't want her to leave. It was so easy to fall into that banter with her that he almost expected a different outcome to that look they shared. But her final words… What did they mean?

John Sheppard decided all of that was due to the lack of sleep, so he went to his quarters. Alone.

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