Hello, Stargate Lovers!
How's your week been?
We're almost at the end of the season, but do not worry, many things are going to happen yet!
Chapter 53: Episode 5x17
"And that concludes our briefing." Richard Woolsey looked over to the room, to the heads of the various departments in the Atlantis city.
Rodney, who had sat down next to Alexandra at the beginning of the session, started going over some of the new protocols and she nodded, enjoying his babbling since it was the only buffer against the thoughts that were currently going over her head as soon as her eyes landed on hazel ones.
Perched at the entrance of the briefing room, John had come a few minutes later and stayed silent, hearing Woolsey until the end, even if his eyes kept drifting over to where Alexandra was sitting.
After Procullis, almost three weeks ago, it seemed there was a silent agreement of staying out of each other's way, even if not avoiding each other at staff meetings, dinner with their friends, watching a movie in the common area, or when her presence was requested to help SGA-1 team.
So, even if it pained him, John had stayed clear of going over to her office in his morning or night check-ins, or even for just a talk. After all, he knew that if she needed something, she would call him. Or if there was something to report, she would. At least, it was his belief, since she had done that after an incident over an undentified object that one of the teams had brought in and it had provoked chaos for a few hours, days before.
"Col. Sheppard, a bit late to the game?" Alexandra offered a smile, trying to sound playful as they had been months ago.
"Had reports to update, Dr. O'Neill." The pilot placed his hands in his pockets, enjoying that side of her.
Rodney, that had stopped between the two, stared at each in turn.
"You're being too polite again. I don't like it." The scientist narrowed his eyes, before pulling Alexandra with him and starting his babbling once again, missing her look of playful exasperation towards John and the shrug and smirk the colonel sent her way.
As she was finishing up her notes before going on a mission, a gurgle caught Alexandra's attention and she looked up from her computer with a smile.
"He was missing his best friend." Teyla said as she approached the scientist with Torren already reaching for the other woman.
"And here I thought John was his best friend." Alexandra playfully said as she took the boy into her arms and gave him a cuddle.
"Shh, it's a secret. You're Torren's best friend."
The two women grinned at the baby's squeal. However, Teyla had another thought in mind as she had picked Torren up from her private quarters with an intention.
"You know, I've been meaning to ask you, but it seems were never alone lately."
The scientist looked over towards her friend, curious and worried.
"What is it? Is everything okay?"
"You and Col. Sheppard... how are things? You two seem so... respectful. Which is good, but after everything..."
Silence filled the office. Teyla thought she wouldn't have an answer from Alexandra as she had looked away and smiled at Torren. But she noticed her friend looked at ease with the question and not troubled like many times before.
"Well, if he knows, might as well tell you."
And so Alexandra told Teyla what happened in Procullis, alongside her story with Cameron.
"Oh, Alex. I'm so sorry. I can't believe the Ancients would do such a thing."
"It's fine, Teyla. Really." The former major shrugged. "I'm used to it by now. The core of the Ancients are the ones to blame. I've met them a few times over the years and they don't scare me."
"But to do such a thing…" The athosian had a split second decision and hugged the other woman.
Alexandra chuckled, earning another squeal of the baby in her arms at the sudden embrace.
"Thank you." There was a fond smile on her lips. "Me and John are dealing with it. In our own way. It's actually weird, after everything we went through. And John... He's dealing with it in a very... smooth way, to be honest. Hasn't pressured me at all since Procullis."
Teyla nodded. Then saw her friend go for her radio on her ear.
"I have to go. Major Matthews team is waiting for me."
"Sure." Teyla took Torren back from her, even if with a pout.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, and play with you, Torren. Okay?" Alexandra gave him a smile. "See you later, Teyla." The scientist took her backpack and left.
One Day Later
"We're receiving a signal." Amelia said by the controls. "It's Col. Sheppard on a secure channel."
"Patch me in." Woolsey answered. "Colonel, what's happening up there?"
[Well, the Wraith have thrown us a little curve ball here. Got no life signs on board. We think they're hibernating.]
"Why would they do that?" The Atlantis commander frowned.
[That's what we'd like to find out, but it means boarding the ship.]
"Are you sure that's wise? What if it's a trap?"
[Well, if it is, it's a pretty lousy one. If they ambush us, you can still take them out from down there.]
"Sacrificing your lives." It was an affirmation and not a question.
[I'm flattered you think Todd would go to so much trouble to kill me. Look, taking out a hive ship is always a good idea, far as I'm concerned, but we did come all this way, got all dressed up. And if need be, call Dr. O'Neill back. It would be safer for Atlantis if she's there.]
Rodney looked at John and was about to say something when the pilot raised just one finger to keep him quiet.
"All right."
One Hour Later
After discovering Todd's last message intact and going back to Atlantis to relay the new information, and as Woolsey gave his final orders to John, the Stargate came to life.
"Oh, good. She can go with you." Woolsey actually felt relieved.
As everyone exited his office, they saw Alexandra stepping out of the gate and look up at the team stepping down the stairs towards her.
"Mr. Woolsey, where do you need me?" She immediately asked, even before gearing down.
"Actually, you can go with Col. Sheppard's team. He needs you more than Atlantis right now."
Alexandra frowned, not understanding, and looked at John, who rolled his eyes and turned to the older man.
"Mr. Woolsey, Dr. O'Neill should stay here. We still don't know what we might find on the ship."
"Then, she should be with you." Woolsey offered a smile and left the team in the gate room, returning to his office.
"What's going on, Sheppard? Woolsey said something regarding a hive ship and no Wraiths on board?"
"You know that ship we've been tracking for weeks?" Rodney started and at her nod, he continued. "It's Todd's ship and it looks like they're in hibernation, with no wake up call."
"Apparently, it's connected with Dr. Keller's gene therapy." Teyla added as Alexandra followed them back to the puddle jumper bay.
"And you need me why?"
At her words, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon looked over at John.
"Before we knew what was happening, I asked Woolsey to call you back, if there was a threat on board we wouldn't be able to handle." John didn't want to say the words 'not survived' and 'death' when talking with her.
"You mean you were expecting us not to survive." Ronon offered a cheeky smirk, knowing what his team leader was avoiding to say.
Immediately, there was a frown on Alexandra's forehead as she looked from the satedan to the pilot, which he noticed.
With an annoyed huff, John rolled his eyes and nodded towards Dr. Jennifer Keller, Major Lorne's team and the marines that were already waiting for them.
"And now, you are coming with us. C'mon." The colonel entered the jumper, leaving no space for anything else.
A few hours later, after getting on the hive ship and realize that there was more they couldn't handle, John agreed to wake up Todd.
"During the process of hibernation, there is a continuous exchange of fluid berween Wraith and hive." The wraith explains. "The disease must have been transmitted in this manner."
"Great. So we're flying around in a giant tumor." John joked, not enjoying the image Todd placed in his head with that explanation.
"With no way off." Ronon pointed out.
"As time goes on and the disease progresses, more and more systems will become affected." Todd continued.
"Can we land it?" Teyla stared at the wraith.
"Landing a hive is a tricky proposition in the best of circumstances. Under these conditions, I would not recommend it."
"So, what do we do?" The satedan asked.
For a moment, there was silence.
"There is only one thing we can do. We must cure this disease." Todd stated, especially looking towards Jennifer.
"Wait a second. I've barely scratched the surface on what went wrong here." The medical doctor spoke, having listening for the past few minutes in silence. "I mean, it could take months to analyze the data."
"At the current level of the ship's degradation, I estimate we have four days before it becomes uninhabitable."
"Well, you better get to work." There was a grunt coming from the wraith as John said it in a commanding tone.
Finding her alone in the engines chambers right after his orders were given, was a welcome reprieve from that whole thing.
For the past three weeks, they had respected each other's space, spoke to one another in polite conversation or debriefings. Most of all, he missed hanging out with her without the knowledge of everything the Ancients had done to her.
Of course, he wanted more. Talk about everything, something they hadn't done yet, find her in her office and watch her work, like he had done so many times before, kiss her worries away, the moment a frown appeared between her brows, hold her until there was no space or breath between them.
"Is something wrong?" Alexandra asked barely looking at him once she sensed his presence near. Nowadays, she always knew.
"Just checking in on you. After that loose wraith..." John walked around the chamber, trying to focus on his job, keeping his thoughts at bay.
The scientist nodded and stood, her eyes now following him.
"They're so different from Earth ships, or Asgard ones. I'm not used to the intrincacies of how they work. I thought that since this ship is organic, perhaps I could help healing... it."
When John stepped closer to her, hazel and brown met.
"Did you put something on those scratches?" Her voice came out soft.
"Didn't had the time."
"I could..." Her hand went towards his neck.
"No." His hand stopped hers midway. "Thank you. It doesn't hurt." For a moment his thumb caressed the inside of her wrist and he was able to see colour on her cheeks. "You should be down there, Alex. If anything goes wrong, you're Atlantis first line of defense."
The way he said those words, the trust in them and in his tone. That was different.
"It's just..." Alexandra started only for her nightmares to come to her mind.
"What?" The pilot frowned, curious, not knowing what the look she gave him meant.
"We have work to do. This is not the right time or place..."
"Then, when is it? I gave you time."
"What you're feeling... is not... real. John…" There was a hesitation on her side as she took her wrist from his hand.
"You don't know that. I don't know that." He said it softly.
"I can't take that chance, John."
"Dammit, Alex... you do feel something for me." It was a statement as he stepped forward only for her to step back.
"Perhaps I do, but I can't forget what I see every night."
With a frown, John stared at her.
"Dr. O'Neill."
Both looked towards Todd, watching them, curiously, by the entrance.
"I'm sorry, Todd, but there isn't much I can do here. Your ship is different for another living thing I've encountered. Whatever I could do, I would be harming it further. We should head back to the lab and help Dr. Keller."
The wraith nodded, sadly, and left with her.
Teyla, who had followed the Wraith, stayed with John. She could sense her friend annoyed at the interruption.
"John?"
The pilot looked down at his friend as he made leave from the chamber.
"Be patient with Alex. I don't want either of you to get hurt."
For a moment, Teyla saw something she couldn't place in John's expression.
"She told you what happened?"
"She did. And what happened between her and Col. Mitchell as well. I know you, John. I know you are strong and impulsive. And if what you feel is actually true and not something else, give her time to see it."
The pilot considered his friend's words. Then nodded.
"This disease is your responsability." The scientist looked up from her computer the moment she heard those words coming from the wraith. "If I had not agreed to meet with you to discuss this innovation of yours, my crew and I would not be in this predicament!"
"Well, I might be feeling a little more charitable if you hadn't tried to kill half of my people last time we decided to trust each other!"
The moment the wraith lunged against John, Alexandra stood ready to strike while the pilot didn't move, trusting his marines to step up next to him and point their weapons onto the threat.
John didn't even flinched, there was no fear in his eyes. However, at the same time, she was able to see the pain in Todd's expression.
"You owe me this, Sheppard."
"I don't owe you anything." John said without blinking. "Get him out of here." And the marines took him away to the cells.
For a moment, brown and hazel met. There was an expression she didn't see often on him, resolut on what he just said and done, but regretful at the same time. The last time she had seen it, he had come to the decision of trading one life for another.
Without another word, he left.
Beeping alerts sounded all over the control room.
Rodney pressed commands into the systems, looking over the monitors. Nothing was working.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"
[What now?] John sounded over the coms.
"The force of the ship tearing itself apart, it's shifted our trajectory. We're headed straight to the planet!"
As Todd placed himself on the controls, trying to prevent the ship from entering too fast in the planet's atmosphere and crash into the ocean, John placed himself on Alexandra's side. He noticed she had her thinking expression. Then, she bit her lip.
"What?" He frowned.
She glanced at him.
"You're not gonna like it."
"Tell me." Now, the pilot looked away from Rodney and Todd.
"I can create a shield around the ship." For a split second she could see the glint of worry in his eyes. "What?"
"Nothing."
"John." Without realizing, Alexandra took a step closer to him, not missing the way his hands wanting to reach for her.
"Won't that drain you?"
They looked at each other.
Alexandra's eyes went over to his lips, before looking back up and regaining her reasonable thoughts.
Knowing full well what just happened, John smirked.
"This is it!" They heard Rodney say. "We're about to lose inertial dampeners!"
"Do it." John whispered and Alexandra closed her eyes.
A shield appeared on the bottom of the ship, protecting the impact onto the water and keeping it as whole as she could, while rescuing teams were deployed from the ancient city.
Ps: Thoughts?