Author's Note: Another cross post and another John as CO story. Because I love them. Not sure that this one is my favorite but it has some fun moments in it, I think.
Warning: Nothing really. Not beta'd so I claim all mistakes. Some spoilers for season 5 episodes 1 and 2 mostly. Maybe light swearing but never anything you wouldn't see on the screen.
Hope you enjoy!
Jacob took a deep breath and peered around the overcrowded mess hall of the Cheyenne Mountain base. The SG-freaking-C, Jacob thought wildly as he tried to suppress the massive grin threatening to spread across his face. While he was certain that no one was paying him any mind, he preferred to not give the appearance of mania so soon after arriving.
But a part of him couldn't help it. He had tried so long to get approved for transfer to the SGC operations and now all of that hard work was finally paying off. And not just to be stationed at Cheyenne Mountain. No, he was going to be posted at Atlantis, of all places.
Jacob shook his head again, trying to wrap his head around the fact that tomorrow, he would be boarding a freaking spaceship and traveling to another galaxy.
It was common knowledge that most of the military personnel that were approved for Atlantis were Marines. It made sense, of course, as the Atlantis Expedition was notoriously dangerous and the Marines were specially trained to be some of the most elite fighters in the world. Jacob wasn't one to play much into the extremely competitive nature between the military branches as he knew they all had important and necessary roles to play.
And while First Lieutenant Jacob Perkins would openly admit that most Marines could outfight him on any given day - not for lack of trying, of course -, he took solace in the fact that he could outfly them on any given day. He was a damn good pilot and turns out, Atlantis was finally in need of a few new Air Force recruits.
And Jake was all too ready to meet their call.
So now, after spending a few days at the SGC to prepare for the couple of weeks they would be spending in space, today was the final day before their departure. Final day on Earth. How crazy was that?!
Still, the more pressing matter at hand was that there were no vacant tables and hardly any open seats. Almost every one of them were basically at capacity with people, mostly new recruits like himself, as they bustled and talked excitedly. He probably could have chosen one of the less busy tables and tried to needle his way into the conversation, but more than likely, it would just be awkward.
Especially since they were pretty much all Marines and the few other AF comrades he had met so far were nowhere to be seen.
But another quick glance around the large room showed a table towards the wall, just inside the mess hall, that was empty except for one single man. He was in his late thirties, maybe early forties, with messy dark hair and wearing tan khakis with a simple, blue button-up shirt. He stood out amongst the military uniforms, even though most were dressed down. He had to be one of the scientists, Jake decided, and while they were not known for being the friendliest of people, Jake didn't have a lot of options. He was tired of awkwardly holding his tray of food and just wanted to sit and eat. A glance at the ground around the man showed a book on the floor, clearly having been dropped by the table's occupant.
Seeing an opportunity to break the ice and hopefully get a chair at his table, Jake walked over to him and picked up the book.
"I think you may have dropped this," Jacob said politely, holding the novel out to the man who was now slowly looking up from his newspaper. Jake glanced at it and realized it was a couple of days old. Yep, had to be one of those odd scientists who was very smart, but very awkward. Not exactly how Jacob wanted to spend his last lunch on Earth but alas, he needed a seat.
Besides, maybe this dude was cooler than he looked.
But as Jake observed the man as his green eyes met Jake's brown ones, he noticed how run down the man looked. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin looked a little pale. It wasn't like he was about to keel over or anything, but the man clearly wasn't feeling his best. Feeling even more apprehensive about joining him at his table, Jake suddenly considered how badly he really needed to eat right now.
"Thanks," the man said finally, his voice mostly a low rumble as he held out the book, War and Peace. "Gonna try to finally finish this damn thing while I'm on leave."
Jake nodded at the man's attempt at light humor, not really able to read him too well. The man then glanced around the crowded room before landing on the tray in Jake's hands.
"Need a place to sit?"
The man must have noticed the apprehension in Jacob's demeanor as he continued to study the man's appearance. But the spiky haired man just smirked and gestured at one of the empty chairs.
"You don't have to, Lt.," he said casually, turning back to his newspaper. "But I'm not sick. Just had surgery a few days ago, hence my unnaturally spritely appearance. Or you could always find some burly Marines to squeeze in between. Won't hurt my feelings either way."
Jake stood for a second and watched as the man tossed the book into a duffle bag sitting in the empty chair next to him, his eyes never leaving the newspaper in his hands. Jacob frowned and suddenly wasn't sure if his initial assumption that this man was a scientist was correct. He had been able to recognize Jake's rank quickly from his uniform and just seemed too laid back.
Then again, maybe Jake was being a little too judgemental. Regardless, recent surgery seemed to fit and he wasn't interested in offending anyone, anyway.
"Thanks," Jake said genuinely as he slid into one of the chairs opposite the man. "A burley Marine sandwich is not exactly what I was hoping to enjoy for today's lunch."
The man smirked and threw Jake a quick glance from above his nearly week old newspaper.
"I think there is a more current newspaper around here somewhere," Jacob offered conversationally as he prepared his food to finally be eaten.
"It's still new for me," the man responded without looking up. "Just catching up."
Jake frowned but didn't say anything else. Maybe he was a scientist, afterall. He just seemed odd. Either way, it didn't matter. He just wanted to eat and move on with his day. A few moments later, however, his table companion put his newspaper down and looked at the two Jello containers that Jake had; it was his favorite and he had managed to snag two when the mess hall employee wasn't looking.
"Want mine?" the man asked, tossing over his own sealed Jello container. "I'm sick of Jello."
Jacob laughed and remembered how often Jello was offered after a surgical procedure he had endured a few years back. "Recent surgery… yeah, I suppose you may be sick of Jello. Although, I don't think I could ever get sick of this jiggly goodness."
The man grunted out a quick laugh before he started cleaning up the trash around his barely touched tray of food. It made sense that he wouldn't be overly hungry if he was still recovering from a recent injury. Jake suddenly found himself curious about what the scientist was recovering from but knew it wouldn't be an appropriate question to ask.
"You leaving already?" Jake asked, observing the man gingerly move his tray around. "Didn't mean to run you off."
But the man stopped, shook his head and slowly sat back against his chair.
"Nah, I wish," he replied after a moment. "I'm waiting on my ride so I'm kind of stuck here until they're ready for me."
Jake nodded, torn on whether or not he was thankful or disappointed that the man wasn't about to vacate the table. On one hand, it was kind of awkward talking to him but on the other, sitting alone didn't sound appealing either. Besides, this was his last day on Earth and he was potentially sitting across from someone who had a few cool stories or interesting knowledge of life with the SGC. Furthermore, given that he was jettisoning off to an entirely different galaxy in less than twenty-four hours, the likelihood of seeing this man ever again was slim to nil.
"Gotcha," Jake responded after swallowing down a gulp of hamburger. "So what's your name?"
The man considered the question for a moment - again, odd - but eventually answered, "John."
Jake brushed off his hand and reached across the table for a handshake, "Nice to meet you, John. I'm Jake."
John nodded and winced slightly as he reached out for a firm handshake.
"Oh sorry," Jake said quickly, going back to his food. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
The man chuckled and shook his head and brought his arm in to lightly cradle his own side, "Nah, you're good. Just a little sore."
Jacod nodded and briefly considered inquiring about the injury, but again decided against it. Instead he took another bite of his burger and looked at his food. He wasn't sure what to say and John, though friendly enough, didn't seem to be much of a talker.
"You a part of the group heading out for Atlantis tomorrow?" John asked after a moment or two of silence.
Jacob immediately perked up and nodded, a fresh grin spreading across his face. "I am! From what I hear, it's one of the largest groups to be sent at one time. Which, in hindsight, could mean they just lost a bunch of people but, either way, I'm beyond ready to go."
John eyed him for a moment and Jake couldn't figure out what he was thinking. He had a slight smile on his face but there was a hint of something in his eyes; sadness, maybe? Jake suddenly found himself even more curious as to who this man was.
"Have you ever been?"
John frowned, "To Atlantis?"
"No, to Antartica," Jake replied playfully, rolling his eyes. "Yes, to Atlantis!"
John rolled his eyes as well, wrapping his arms across his chest and sitting back further in his seat. "Yeah, I've been to Atlantis. I've been to Antarctica, too, though."
"Nice," Jake responded, "You sound like that Johnny Cash song. I've been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere…"
John laughed then and sat up, waving his hands playfully, "Don't you dare butcher Johnny Cash like that, soldier."
Jacob chuckled and took a sip of his water to clear his throat, "I think I sounded pretty close."
"Yeah, don't quit your day job."
"So what was it like? Atlantis, that is. Not Antartica."
John shrugged and it looked like he had a lot to say, but settled on, "It's big. And beautiful."
Jake sat for a moment, nodding and waiting to see if the man would give him anything more than that. When he didn't, Jake playfully brought his eyebrows up high and responded, "Wow… must have really left a big impression on you."
John chuckled and replied, "You have no idea."
"Okay, so what did you do there?" Jake pried a bit more. "Researching Ancient technology or something?"
John cocked his head to the side in apparent confusion.
"You're a scientist, right?"
"A scientist?!" John retorted, nearly spitting out the water he just drank, his face now thoroughly disgusted. "Hell no. Why would you think that?"
Jacob leaned back and brought his hands up defensively, not entirely sure if John was legitimately offended or not. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Sorry… just, you know, you don't really look military and I don't know anyone other than scientists and military personnel who work out here. Are you a civilian contractor?"
John rolled his eyes and huffed, "I'm Air Force, dammit."
Jacob nearly choked on his drink this time at the man's statement. Sure, if he really was military, Air Force would make more sense than Marine Corp, but still, John's appearance didn't exactly scream Air Force either.
"Oh, sorry," Jake finally said, trying to hold back a mile.
"A scientist…" the man repeated grumpily under his breath as he glanced around the room.
"I said I was sorry, airman," Jacob responded jokingly, suddenly wondering if he should try to ascertain the man's rank. Then again, most people would be quick to rub a superior rank in your face, so he doubted he needed to worry much. Besides, if this man truly was Air Force as he claimed, he didn't really look like the kind who would make it up too high in the ranks.
"Okay," Jake continued, noticing that John wasn't much into talking anymore but Jacob wasn't ready to sit in silence. Besides, he found John to be interested and it seemed like there was still a lot of information to be learned from him, even if Jake wasn't entirely sure he could trust the man's words to be truthful. "What did you do out there? Or are you stationed there, and just on leave? Oh! That could be why you were reading an old newspaper… Unless you're just…"
John raised his eyebrows, "Just what?"
Jacob thought for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Eccentric?"
John watched him for a moment before chuckling. "Yeah, I'm stationed on Atlantis normally. Just forced on medical leave for a couple weeks."
Jacob's eyes lit up at the acknowledgement that this man was at least somewhat familiar with Atlantis. Maybe there was a little bit of insight he could gain before striking out for his new home away from home.
"Yeah, well we've all heard how dangerous that post can be so I guess it's a good thing you have a chance to recover and not… you know…."
John nodded at that one, "That is very true."
Jacob sat for a moment as the conversation slowed down again, but he wasn't ready to let it.
"So, what happened to you anyway?" he asked conversationally as he took a bite of his fries, "If you don't mind me asking."
The man seemed to consider the question and eventually replied, "Probably wouldn't believe me."
Jake laughed then and snorted, "Please, from what I've heard about the Pegasus Galaxy, there's almost nothing I wouldn't believe."
John nodded pointedly, "Okay… well this recent one was from being impaled by an alien plant creature thing with an AI type intelligence. Just," he then made a "spluck" type sound as he mimed something being driven into his abdomen, " a tentacle thing right in the gut. It was way worse than the rebar from the building explosion a few weeks prior. It was thicker and wiggled for a while," he finished, shuddering as the words flowed through his mouth.
Jacob listened and felt his eyes grow wider as he let his fry fall to the plate. He wasn't sure what was more frightening; imagining these injuries or the ease at which this man spoke about them. Furthermore, what was an airman doing in these situations anyway? Hell, was this man even in his right mind?
"What…" Jake stuttered, eyes locked in on the amused face of his table companion. "That sounds gnarly and, yeah, kind of hard to believe. And what the hell are you doing out there anyway? You're an airman… shouldn't you mostly be flying Puddle Jumpers and, you know, stuff like that?"
John laughed then and shook his head, picking up his paper again and flipping it over to the crossword. "You're gonna love Atlantis."
The man glossed over his question again but Jake wasn't ready to give in. "Seriously, what do you do out there? Official escort for VIPs, or something?"
John looked up and took yet another awkwardly long moment to consider the answer, which further made Jake feel suspicious as to whether or not he could trust anything that came out of the man's mouth. He was either telling the truth, a true jokester or completely delusional.
"I'm the Commanding Officer."
John stared at Jake and Jake stared right back. Jacob studied the man's face for what seemed like minutes, waiting for him to start laughing, but when he didn't, Jake did it for him. This was way too much. There was no way Colonel Sheppard, the legendary Military Commander of the Atlantis base, was randomly sitting in the SGC mess hall with messy hair, a wrinkled button-up and tan khakis, of all things.
And in response to Jake's laughing, John started to chuckle, too. He then turned back to his crossword, shaking his head slightly.
"Yeah, okay," Jake said finally after his laughter died down. "I'll go ahead and be Colonel Sheppard, too. The man sounds absolutely insane but he obviously handles his business so yeah, why not! Call me Colonel."
Jacob shook his head, deciding that he wouldn't waste too much more time on this strange man but still enjoyed the belly laughs all the same. He was almost done with his food anyway.
"Well, if you really are stationed at Atlantis and scheduled to return after your medical leave," Jake began as he started cleaning up his mess, "I suppose I'll see you around. And maybe you can give me the grand tour, Colonel."
Jake laughed again and saw John - if that was even his real name - just sitting back now and watching Jake with a very amused expression. But Jake didn't care what this yahoo thought. He was suddenly even wondering if the man was actually military at all. No, this had to be a bored scientist just trying to haze a new batch of soldiers.
But just as Jacob stood up, an alarm started blaring through the speakers and with it came a sudden rush of adrenaline. Jake's eyes darted all around the room along with every soldier in there. He even noticed that John had perked up completely, no longer looking like a weary, injured weirdo and instead exuded alertness and… maybe even a hint of military training as his eyes scanned the room carefully and he stood up. Jake even noticed his hand reach towards what could have been a weapon, but of course, there were no guns attached to those khakis. Hmmm.
"Attention: we have a mentally altered Marine on the loose. He is armed and dangerous but is not in his right mind, due to no fault of his own. Please only attempt to disarm and subdue should you encounter him and alert your proper chain of command."
Before Jake really had time to understand the scope of what was happening, screams down the hallway provided only a second's notice of what was about to happen. The doors to the mess hall suddenly burst open in a flurry of movement and sounds. There was yelling and strange noises of the weapon the man was yielding - Jake was certain it was one of the energy type weapons he'd been told about - as the blasts fired rapidly and were taking down people left and right.
Jacob tried to get his bearings straight and figure out what to do, but kept getting knocked over by scrambling people all around him. He suddenly felt someone grab onto his uniform shirt and pull him backwards towards the wall and in between the two tables he had just been eating at.
"Stay down," John said quickly, alerting Jake to his presence. Jacob, heart still racing and sending deafening blood pumping through his ears, watched as John appeared completely calm but hyperfocused on the shooter and their surroundings. It was becoming increasingly more possible that this man was, in fact, military trained. The jury was still out on his rank.
"He's using the stunner right now," John said quickly, though Jacob wasn't sure if it was directed to him or to himself, "but it's only a matter of time before he remembers the P90 swinging around his neck."
John then half crawled over Jake to get closer to the isle where the screaming, completely incoherent perpetrator of the sudden attack was edging closer and closer. He was still sending blasting shots out at a near constant rate and despite how manic the man seemed, he had a knack for taking down the few people who had already tried to get through to him.
"If I manage to get him down," John said quickly, grabbing Jake's attention with a firm hand on the shoulder, "Disarm him the moment you see an opportunity but ONLY if I have him pinned. No heroics, Lieutenant. Got it?"
Jake frowned and tried to work through the adrenaline in order to process what was happening; the man he had very recently decided he couldn't trust was asking - or was it ordering? - him to be a part of this last minute plan to take down the threat.
But as John's eyes bore into him even stronger, Jake just nodded. All else aside, the fact that John was eerily calm even as the threat drew nearer told Jake that the man was either insane enough to pull this off or else really was the legendary man he had recently claimed to be. Either way, as more bodies fell hapless to the ground all around the room, Jake didn't see where he had many options.
He nodded quickly and in response, got a lopsided, wild-looking smile. It was as if the injured, pensive man from moments ago had been replaced by an adrenaline-seeking warrior who lived for moments like this. In any case, the complete change was downright frightening, in Jake's opinion.
With no more time left, the weapon wielding man was now only a meter or two away, his stunner seeming to slow down and sure enough, he threw it aside and fumbled at the P90 around his neck. Jake saw that no one else was close enough to take advantage of the momentary weakness so it was now or never.
John must have been thinking the same thing because as soon as the the shooter's back was turned, John leapt forward with far more power than he could have imagined possible from the man who had winced during a handshake not even thirty minutes prior. But amazingly, he managed to wrap his arms around the man's neck and pulled back until the shooter lost balance and plowed John and himself into the ground, John making contact first. Jake winced as John's head bounced against the floor but somehow, he did not let go. Jake saw John's hands fumbling with the P90 strap as he reached around the shooter who was still squirming on top of him.
Realizing that he was trying to undo the strap to allow for disarmament, Jake poised himself to spring into action.
Unfortunately, the shooter didn't go down without a fight. Jake watched in horror as he rammed and flailed against John, looking similar to an angry alligator trying to subdue his prey. At one point, Jake started to rush forward, only for John to yell out, "Not yet!"
The momentary loss of focus earned John a hard elbow to his nose, immediately sending blood gushing from the broken bone and mangled cartilage. But still, the man held on and kept fighting until he was able to slide the gun just out of the shooter's grip.
Without further thought, Jacob lunged forward and pushed the weapon as far as possible, realizing that a Marine was now securing it and starting to make his way over to the scene. Jake quickly returned to John who was still fighting the shooter and noticed that SGC security members were now pouring into the room, their weapons drawn. Still, Jacob knew John was injured and the longer he remained under the mentally altered and steadily thrashing soldier, the more likely he was to injure himself further.
Joined by others now, they all descended upon the grappling men and together, they managed to subdue the soldier well enough to pull him off of John and to the side. Thankfully someone, presumably a doctor, then ran in and after a quick needle to the neck, the soldier finally went limp.
Jacob found himself panting as the still surging adrenaline made him feel sick and unsteady.
Had that really just happened?
"Colonel Sheppard?" Someone yelled beside him. Jake felt his heart leap into his throat as he turned to face a doctor now kneeling beside John - or was it really Colonel John Sheppard?! - with her eyes wide as they scanned his lean frame still lying prone on the ground.
Jake also took a moment to acknowledge how truly awful his random table companion now looked. Blood streaming down his face from his nose and short, pained breaths were evidence of the fight of his life he'd just endured. His wrinkled button-up also now had a dark red stain slowly growing in the bottom ride section of his abdomen. From the killer AI plant thing, was it!?
Jake tried to control his breathing as he realized this man had to be Colonel Sheppard, his new CO. How in the world had he managed to run into the legend himself and become a part of what would likely be another heroic story told amongst new recruits?
"M'fine," the Colonel mumbled as blinked lazily up at the ceiling before he slowly tried to sit up. "Lieutenant… Help me up. We need to make sure all these soldiers are just stunned and nothing worse."
Jake looked and saw Colonel Sheppard staring at him, so he quickly sprung to his side.
"Colonel, you're bleeding…"
"Stitches opened up," he mumbled as Jake and another Marine carefully pulled him up, holding him steady for a moment while he got his bearings straight. "It'll be fine until we check these guys out. Some people don't handle stuns too well."
The doctor nodded and began moving around the room to check the various unconscious men and women scattered on the ground.
"Anyone able bodied, help check for strong pulses and breathing," Sheppard ordered, his voice hitching slightly in pain as he wiped some of the blood off his face with his already stained shirt. "Check in with available medical staff if it's anything questionable then assist them with transporting your comrades to the infirmary. Let's go!"
At that moment, General Landry bustled into the room, gaining an immediate reaction from all military personnel as they stood at attention, even Colonel Sheppard offered a shaky salute as he swayed slightly between Jake and the other Marine.
The General quickly waved them all off.
"Continue with your orders," he told the room before turning to face the Colonel. "Looks like you've about got this under control, Colonel," he said in a slightly amused tone as he quickly surveyed the current rescue efforts. "I see you are taking your own recovery very seriously."
Around him, Jake heard a few nearby new recruits begin whispering and pointing their way, clearly as surprised as Jake was to have been unknowingly dining with their new CO. Or perhaps they were more stunned by how he looked. Or maybe they were mostly stunned by all of that plus the fact that the clearly injured man had managed to subdue the attacker mostly on his own.
But Colonel Sheppard just shrugged and swayed again, "And to think someone thought Earth would be less dangerous than Atlantis… might as well let me go home now, General."
General Landry laughed and shook his head, "Negative, Sheppard. Just need to get you to your brother's house and away from all of this. Just for a little while."
The doctor beside him then cleared her throat.
"After Dr. Lam, here, checks you out again and closes up whatever you got going on there," he clarified, motioning towards the Colonel's still oozing wound evident by the blood soaked shirt and moving on to the tan khakis. Jake rocked slightly where he stood as the bright red made him feel a little uneasy. Get it together, Jacob.
"Yes, Colonel," the doctor added, "You and Corporal Andrews, here, appear to be the most seriously wounded at this time."
Jake followed her gaze to the unconscious Marine who had come into the mess hall with his weapons blazing. He looked to be a younger, burly man. It was a surreal thing to think a device or drug or whatever could turn a trained soldier into a mindless weapon so easily. Was this just going to be the new normal? From the reactions of his superiors, he was inclined to think this wasn't all that unusual.
"Let me see if I can snag a wheelchair or gurney," the doctor now stated, looking around the room quickly.
"No, no, no," Colonel Sheppard said immediately, "Doc, you have a lot of big men in here who will be dead weight until they wake up. Save the gurneys for them. I can walk."
Jacob eyed his CO along with the rest of them wearily, fully aware that the man looked like he would pass out at any given moment.
"Colonel…" Dr. Lam began hesitantly.
"It's just down the hall and I'll have Lieutenant…?"
"Perkins, sir," Jacob replied instantly, his heart pounding again.
"I'll have Lt. Perkins escort me down, just in case I start to keel over. You okay with that, right, Lieutenant?"
Jacob nodded, his gaze meeting the worn out green eyes of his new CO. Sheppard smiled and nodded.
"Meet you down there, doc?" The Colonel now inquired of the doctor, no doubt getting the final approval from her. After an apprehensive nod towards the General, the doctor finally sighed.
"Okay, Colonel," she responded, and Jake could already tell that she was used to him as a patient and found him a little exhausting at the very least. Jake could understand why; the man had just put himself in danger while recovering from what appeared to be a very recent, very serious surgery. "I'm going to make sure the last of the patients are fit for transfer but my staff will take one look at you and begin assessing and resuturing the wound the moment you get down there. But I will be checking you out myself as soon as I get a free second."
Jacob watched as the Colonel flashed a lopsided grin and stated, "Looking forward to it."
Jake snickered at the attempt to be charming while having a face that was covered in drying blood, but somehow he still made the pretty Dr. Lam chuckle and roll her eyes before turning away.
"Let's go before they change their minds," Sheppard whispered to Jacob as he began to walk slowly towards the mess hall doors.
In a bit of a shell shocked stupor, Jake willed himself forward to take on the newly appointed task of making sure Colonel Sheppard - the Colonel Sheppard - made it in one piece to the SGC infirmary. It all still felt so surreal; randomly sitting next to the odd looking lonely man, having an equally odd conversation, having that conversation interrupted by alarms and gun fire, and now finally watching Colonel Sheppard save the day and hobble his way to the infirmary.
"You okay, kid?"
Jacob snapped his head over towards the Colonel and frowned, wondering what the man was seeing that warranted such a question. Was he showing some sign of weakness that his CO was picking up on?
"Yes sir, I'm fine."
Sheppard chuckled as he breathed through what Jake could only imagine was intense pain and fatigue. "Good. You did pretty good out there. Kept your head and jumped in to help. Not too bad."
Jake looked down at the compliment, feeling as though he should have done more. The Colonel had devised and executed a plan with such ease and without second thought. He had stayed remarkably calm and had physically held his own against a man who was bigger and hyped up on whatever drug or device that had made him go crazy in the first place. All while recovering from previous wounds.
And yet here Jake was; younger and healthy as an ox. He should have been able to come up with that simple of a plan. At the very least, he should have told his CO to let him make the tackle instead, knowing that Sheppard was already wounded.
"You sure are quiet for someone who was talking my damn ear off not even an hour ago."
Jake laughed nervously as the Colonel's words pulled him from his thoughts. "Sorry about that, sir."
Jake then physically cringed as he recalled all of the things he'd said to Sheppard during their conversation.
"And… I'm sorry, sir. I… didn't think you were actually, you know…"
Colonel Sheppard laughed again, despite the fact that Jake could tell the pain (or maybe the blood loss) was starting to catch up with the man and slow their trek significantly. "You didn't believe me."
Jake nodded as his face seemed to get stuck in a perpetual cringe. "Yeah… I think I also called you insane. Well, I called Colonel Sheppard insane, but… you know."
Sheppard huffed and his expression changed to what Jacob sincerely hoped was mock disgust, "I can handle insane. Hell, I may even admit to it. But you thought I was a scientist."
Jake laughed nervously, briefly stopping to help steady the Colonel as they turned the final corner to the infirmary. "Yes, sir. Sorry about that, sir. I think it was the khakis."
Sheppard seemed to consider that for a moment and ultimately shrugged and nodded, "Fair enough. Damn khakis. Never again. They also stain too easily…"
Jacob glanced down wearily at the dark red stains on his tan khakis, still growing at an alarming rate. Stained khakis was hardly the primary concern on Jacob's mind, personally. Thank God they were halfway down the hallway.
"Okay," Colonel Sheppard breathed heavily, his feet now dragging with every step. "I may need a little help."
Without second thought, Jacob immediately moved closer to the Colonel and allowed him to wrap his arm across Jake's shoulder. He then grabbed Colonel Sheppard's wrist with one hand and lightly placed the other on his CO's hip - or just above - desperately wanting to avoid putting any kind of pressure on his bleeding wound.
"Need to… buy… me dinner… first, Lieutenant," his CO grumbled, his voice now noticeably weaker than before. But Jacob laughed nervously, thankful that they were so close to the door. Also thankful for the Colonel trying to maintain a light atmosphere despite the seriousness of the situation.
"Anytime, sir," Jake breathed out, now taking on more of the Colonel's weight. For such a lanky guy, he was definitely solid.
"Maybe… after… that grand tour you mentioned."
Jacob winced again as he remembered even more of his mockery at the idea of the man he'd been sitting with truly being the Military Commander of Atlantis. Thankfully, he was beginning to think that Colonel Sheppard wouldn't hold it against it. At least not in a negative way. He may not live it down, but it was better than having a black mark against him with the boss before ever stepping foot in Atlantis.
"Oh good heavens!" an older, dark skinned nurse called out the moment Jacob walked the Colonel through the infirmary doors. "Colonel Sheppard we only just released you and now look at you!"
The nurse bustled around the packed infirmary trying to get closer, only to stop and motion towards an open bed in the back of the room.
"Let's get him over there," she said seriously to Jake. Colonel Sheppard snorted beside him.
"I'm still here, you know?" Sheppard grumbled. "And walking…"
"Not for much longer at this rate, Colonel," the nurse snapped over her shoulder. "Going and getting yourself beat up. I never…"
"Just… missed you, Teresa."
"That flyboy, pretty boy charm of yours don't work on me, mister. Now get that tush in bed so I can fix you up."
Jake couldn't hold back the laughter any longer as this nurse chewed the Colonel up and spit him right back out. He could tell it was all fairly lighthearted and from a place of respect and concern over the man, but still, seeing an older lady who was nearly a whole foot shorter than his CO go toe-to-toe with him (so-to-speak) was nothing short of hilarious.
"Hey now," Sheppard breathed painfully as he helped navigate around all the bustling people as they made their way towards the awaiting bed. "Don't… encourage… her."
Finally reaching the destination, Jacob gently lowered the injured man onto the side of the bed, then watched as he painfully pulled his long legs onto it. He considered helping him with it, but somehow felt it was too personal. Besides, the Colonel would ask if he needed help.
"Alright," Nurse Teresa said with what Jake assumed was mock annoyance, "Let's get these bloody clothes off. Hope you packed more, sug."
Colonel Sheppard sighed and let his head roll to face Jacob as the nurse began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Last… favor, Lieutenant," Colonel Sheppard sighed as his eyes were clearly struggling to stay focused.
"Of course, sir."
"The… table," he breathed, wincing as the nurse stopped fiddling with his clothing long enough to insert an IV. Jacob noticed there was a bit more urgency to her movements and figured the blood loss was taking a hold and she knew it. "I have… duffle bag… more damn khakis…"
Jacob smiled again and nodded, remembering the bag in which the man had tossed the book into earlier. But before he could answer, the Colonel's eyes closed and the tension eased from his face. For a moment, Jacob's heart rate picked up as he felt himself grow more concerned. His eyes darted over to Nurse Teresa but he immediately felt better when he observed her amused face.
"Some good pain meds," she said simply, no doubt picking up on his concern. "His type will never admit to needing them and I don't have time to be fighting him tooth and nail. Stubborn as a damn mule, this one, but cranky when he's in pain. Not today, Colonel. Not. Today."
Jake raised his eyebrows at the woman's good natured rant and observed his passed out CO once again. He had looked odd earlier in the mess hall and kind of frightening during the attack, but now he just looked peaceful. Worse for wear, of course, but relaxed all the same.
"Well, unless you want to see the Colonel naked like half the women on this base, I suggest you go get his items and let me pull this curtain."
Jacob suddenly stood alert and felt unbelievably awkward. He was quite certain he had seen far more of his CO in the last two hours than the man normally ever allowed anyone to see. After all, he hadn't heard stories of Colonel Sheppard hobbling around and needing help to walk. Not that it was at all a bad thing; the human body could only take so much and the Colonel clearly had no problem pushing himself to - any beyond - his own physical limitations.
"Right," Jake said quickly at the nurse's questioning look before heading back towards the mess hall. From what he could gather, most of the hubbub had already died down; the injured and stunned had all been moved for recovery or treatment and the mess hall had been cleaned up. There were still some soldiers littered around the much emptier room but over along the wall, Jacob immediately spotted the table he had shared with the Colonel and was grateful to see the strap of his bag hanging below the chair.
"Yo, Perkins!"
Jake turned to see a small group of Marines and one of his Air Force buddies starting to approach him. Jake nodded curtly, suddenly wishing they would just leave him alone and let him finish his mission first.
"Was that… was that really Colonel Sheppard?" Captain Washington asked first, the others staring expectantly at Jake, waiting for the answer. And for some reason, Jacob found himself feeling somewhat protective of his CO; like he had been told a secret and needed to keep it. Then again, that didn't really make a whole lot of sense, either.
"Yeah," Jake nodded, taking a deep breath and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, it's actually him."
Their mouths dropped and they started looking excitedly between each other.
"Did you see the way he just leapt on the dude?!"
"And he was injured, right?" one of them asked Jake, who nodded quickly but refused to give any more details. "I saw him before and could tell he wasn't doing well, but I had no clue that was Sheppard! How did you know?"
Jake shook his head quickly, "I didn't. Just needed somewhere to sit…"
"Was he cool? I can't believe he just chatted with you like you were buddies."
"I didn't know…"
"He didn't tell you?" one of the Marines asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
Jacob shook his head. "Not at first and even when he did… I thought he was lying. I…"
"Ooooh no, Perkins! Did you make fun of him or something?"
Jacob didn't answer immediately as the embarrassment of his earlier conversation with who he had thought was just some scientist named John flooded his veins. And of course, his audience all busted into laughter and started patting him on the back and other joking gestures.
"I kind of made fun of his khakis before I knew who he was but anyway," Jake finally said with a grin as he swatted them all away, "he asked me to bring him his bag so he can change out of his bloody clothes so if you don't mind…"
Jacob turned to leave, suddenly feeling a little proud of himself as he took in the expressions of his peers. As strange as it had all been, at the end of the day, he had kind of fought alongside Lt. Colonel John Sheppard and it was pretty epic.
But as he grabbed the duffle bag, one that was clearly too light to have held adequate supplies for a couple of weeks stay, a thought occurred to him. He quickly turned to the group of comrades he had just left.
"Hey, Washington," he said, observing the man for a moment until he turned to face him.
"What's up, Perkins?"
"I think you're about the same size as him and I don't think he was really in the right frame of mind when packing to leave Atlantis the other day… got an extra set of BDU's and a shirt or something? You know, make the Colonel feel a bit more normal?"
Washington smiled and nodded, "Oh yeah. But you better put in a good word for me, man."
Jacob laughed, "Nah man, that nurse knocked him out. But I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
About ten minutes later, Lt. Washington reappeared with the extra set of clothes and Jacob couldn't help but grin broadly as he scribbled a quick note that read: In case you're tired of looking like a scientist, here's something cooler. Courtesy of Lt. Washington, Lt. Perkins and the rest of the newest recruits. P.S. thanks for saving our asses. Get better and get back to Atlantis.
And with that, Jacob neatly placed the Colonel's book, the folded clothes and the note in the duffle bag before making his way to the infirmary. Maybe it was a risky move and maybe he felt a little too friendly with his CO, but something told him Colonel Sheppard wouldn't mind too much.
—-THREE WEEKS LATER—-
Jacob felt his heart pounding with pure excitement as he and the thirty other new recruits stood by the large port of the Daedalus, watching the gorgeous city of Atlantis come into view. They were finally here.
Jake no longer wondered why they still sent new recruits on the long, three week journey via the Daedalus when he knew they could use the Midway station for a much quicker passage between galaxies. The answer had been obvious as they had all spent the last three weeks as support crew for the giant spacecraft, helping move all kinds of equipment, clean and sanitize, help with maintenance projects and anything else Colonel Caldwell could think of. For lack of better terms, they had been the lackeys. Although, Jake had to admit that the journey had certainly helped forge some pretty tight bonds with the other new recruits as they dreamed about what life on Atlantis would be like.
And here they were, preparing to dock along one of the many piers surrounding the remarkable, alien city.
When they finally unloaded and fell into neat rows, awaiting further instructions, Jacob began scanning the people standing opposite them. There was a balding man with glasses who he figured was Mr. Woolsey, Expedition Leader, from what he had been told on the trip to Atlantis. Next to him was a shorter man with dark, neat hair in military dress; Jake could make out the rank on his lapel to be a Major. So that was maybe Major Lorne? He wasn't sure as there were other Majors on base, but he knew Major Lorne to be the Colonel's second in command.
And next to the Major stood Colonel Sheppard, only this time, he looked very different than the last time Jake had seen him.
Gone was the shaky, bleeding man dressed in khakis and a button-up. Now the man stood tall and strong, wearing dark BDU's and a matching military uniform shirt. He wore combat boots, though the strings were about as tidy as the man's dark, wiry hair. And around his thigh he donned a holster and his weapon. Needless to say, while this still wouldn't have necessarily been the image of Colonel Sheppard he would have imagined prior to meeting him, this certainly looked far more like a military man than the one he had shared a table with at the SGC.
Interestingly, however, was the fact that his arm was now in a sling. Jake frowned, suddenly recalling his last day on Earth to determine if there had been a forgotten injury to the man's arm. When he came up with nothing, Jacob wondered how the hell the man had gotten yet another injury in the last three weeks.
"Welcome to Atlantis," the Colonel began as he stepped forward and scanned the crowd. "I am Lt. Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne and Expedition Leader Mr. Woolsey."
He gestured behind him to the other two men, both of whom nodded slightly, before addressing the new recruits again.
"I know I have had the pleasure of meeting some of you during your last day on Earth, which was quite the send off, I must say."
Jake and his fellow soldiers chuckled under their breath in agreement as they all recalled the incident in the mess hall.
"And after what I'm sure was a very relaxing space cruise with Colonel Caldwell, I'm sure you are all eager to settle into your new home away from home. Major Lorne will be meeting with you all in approximately three hours in the Duty Room to discuss expectations while on base, as well as your training schedules. I expect you all to be there promptly and ready to listen."
He took a deep breath as he scanned the crowd, but stopped and grinned slightly when his eyes locked onto Jake's.
"But first, I promised one of you a grand tour and since I won't be able to spar with you guys just yet like I normally do," he said, gesturing to his injured arm, "I suppose I can play tour guide this time."
Jacob squirmed slightly where he stood and felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment. He looked down quickly and tried to hide the smile threatening to show. Yeah, he was off to a great start.
"Alright, soldiers," the Colonel began as he turned and gestured for the group to follow, "if you look to your right you'll see the giant ass spaceship that you probably just spent the last three weeks deep cleaning."
Jacob chuckled freely as he followed along, deciding that this was probably going to be the best grand tour of his life.
End Note: There you are. Hope you enjoyed and if you did, reviews make it all worth it. Thanks!