Hello, Stargate Lovers!

Here's a new chapter... some things are coming!

I have been trying to connect dots and such, so bare with me...

Hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter 60: Original Chapter 0.17

Turning to the other side of the bed, sleep evaded him.

It was not the first time, or the first night and it wouldn't be the last one. Not until she came back. Looking at the light streaming over from the window he thought in how quickly he had gotten used to sleeping next to Alexandra in the few days they had been together. She had put him at ease, keeping the bad dreams away.

And a year had passed since then...

And even if he had got used to it, at the same it, not seeing her in her office was strange. Or to hear bicker with Rodney. Play with Torren. Laugh with Teyla. Sparring with Ronon. Not seeing that it was strange.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He needed to get his mind back in the game. She was not dead. She saved him. He understood that. Hell! He would have done the same, if the situation was reversed. But his anger... his anger was still there. Simmering. Anger because she made the bargain. Anger because she didn't visit.

Sighing, he turned once again and his hazel eyes found a woman next to him. He could only stare at her brown eyes.

"You're here." Tiredness slipped from his mind at the sight of her.

The smile made John's heart beat erraticaly and his hands pulled her against his body, enjoying the contact, feeling her curves and the softness of her skin.

"I miss you." Her brown eyes locked on his, while her hand cupped his jaw.

"It's just a dream, John." Alexandra's voice came out soft.

"It seems so real." He took her hand and played with her fingers.

"Well, it's your dream, flyboy." Her tone came out flirty.

"Then, if it is my dream…" His lips touched hers softly. First, it was slow, then it became heated as he felt her hands move on his body, the soft sounds she made and the way they moved against one another.

"John..." Alexandra pushed him away slightly. "I'm here to ask you something."

"What is it?" The pilot frowned, worried.

"You have to go to a planet called Morlya. It's in the city's database. Ask McKay."

"Why?"

"You'll know why once you're there."

"Alex…"

"I can't say much else. I'm already taking too much of a risk coming here."

His lips descended onto hers once again, using as much of their time as he could, trapping her between his body and the bed.

"Stay." He mumbled as his lips followed the path of her jaw, to her neck, inhaling her scent, feeling her hands on his back, pulling him against her body. "Come back..."

As they parted, her brown eyes followed the lines of his face, her fingertips traced the healed scars on his chest.

"I'm sorry..."

The words rang in his ears as John sat up, now completely awake and with his heart beating fast.

"Morlya?" Rodney was already going through the database with a frown.

"It's a mining planet, mostly." Teyla said, watching her team leader. "And she didn't say anything else?"

"No."

The athosian watched the pilot closely. There was a different kind of impatience coming from him today. Maybe it was from Alexandra's visit, or maybe it was the prospect of doing something that could help them get her back on their side.

"Are you okay, John?" She stepped closer and asked him quietly, watching his hazel eyes turn to her.

"I'm fine."

"Did Alex...?"

"She looked fine."

"Of course, she is. Is not like she's locked up. She can roam the galaxy and..." The scientist heard John's answer and spoke while waiting for the information to load. Ronon bumped his shoulder to silence him, but it didn't work. "Ow! What? I'm just stating the truth. She ascended because she wanted to. And we should be thankful. After all, she saved John. And she's helping us. In a way..."

"Rodney." Teyla warned, her dark eyes going from the scientist to the colonel that watched his friend, quietly, as if considering his words.

"Fine, fine..." The scientist sighed and looked towards the computer. "Well, yes, it's a mining planet. A couple of settlements, but it doesn't seem to have any relation to the Ancients. And it's a planet without a Stargate. If we are really going, we'll need to use the Daedalus. Which, actually, is arriving in about two days."

Teyla, Ronon and Rodney looked towards John that had been listening to the information.

"Whatever is there, it must be important for her to risk the Ancients wrath." The athosian mentioned, in a soft tone.

"I'll talk with Woolsey." John decided.

Days later

"Lorne, sweep the area." John ordered as he placed his sunglasses.

"Yes, sir." The major gave his orders to his team and disappeared into the woods.

It was a sunny day, peaceful, no Wraiths in sight, as far as the colonel could tell.

His team made contact with the locals, gathering information about their trades and way of life, if there was any indication regarding the Ancients and their ruins.

At some point, during a break for lunch, John stepped away from his team, needing a little time to himself.

There was nothing. Nothing they could use, the settlement was as medieval as many others they had encountered over the years and there was no technological advancements of importance. Then, why did Alexandra sent them there?

As John walked, he found himself on a sunless path that lead to a pillar in the middle of the dense forest that surrounded the settlement.

"McKay, I found something." He spoke to the radio.

[Where are you?] Teyla answered instead.

Checking his measuraments, John frowned.

"Two clicks west. About half an hour from your position."

[How come you walked that far?!] Now, Rodney was surprised.

"Distracted."

Carefully, John walked around the pillar. It looked Ancient. How come the locals didn't told them about it?

There were markings in the stone. And he knew there was something familiar in them. But what?

"Sheppard, next time you want to take a minute, don't walk this far. My feet hurt." Rodney whined as he approached his team leader and looked at the pillar, his tablet already in hand to scan it, not missing the roll of eyes it was sent his way. "Hm..."

"What is it, Rodney?" Teyla frowned, watching the two men as she arrived with Ronon behind.

"These markings."

"They look familiar, don't they?" John turned his attention back to the scientist.

"Isn't the same ones on the box you opened, before..." The satedan's words made him remember.

"Almost dying!" John's hazel eyes locked on the pillar and his hand went towards it, before Rodney slapped it away. "McKay!" He groaned.

"Don't you remember what happened when you opened the box? Do you want to die? Again?!" The scientist was angry now. "What are you thinking touching something that has the same marks as that box?"

"I wasn't thinking."

"Well, that much is obvious. Now, let me assess this first, before anyone has a death wish."

Giving Rodney space and time, the rest of the team set a perimeter, while John informed the Daedalus and Lorne about what was happening.

Hours later

"There's a faint energy coming of it..." Rodney grumbled. "When I tested the wood of the box, I thought it strange. But they look... similar. Like a..."

"Pandora's box."

The voice came out soft and immediately everyone turned towards it.

Alexandra stood there, hiding amongst the shadows of the woods, soft long silver dress that flowed as she entered the sunlight. Her brown eyes followed her friends stares until they stopped on John's.

"Hey, doc!" Ronon smiled, approaching his friend and giving her a big bear hug.

"How are you?" Teyla grinned, stepping closer as well.

"What do you mean, Pandora's box?" Rodney didn't even flinched and continued like usual.

"It's what the Ancients call it. Exactly like the myth, Rodney. Is something with no explanation. They don't know what it is. Who or how it was made. How it got here."

"But they knew how to save John." Teyla interceded, her eyes going from Alexandra to John that had kept his silence and distance.

"It took a collective to do it." The new Ancient offered, glancing at her friend. "When I got John's box, there was nothing but marks. Nothing Ancient related, like you said at first. Actually, for a moment, I thought it could be a new language, something that we haven't found yet in Pegasus, but nothing came from my research in Atlantis database."

Rodney nodded, going over his computer and inserting a few commands.

"What are you doing here?" The frown on John's face was deeper, watching his friends surround Alexandra like she had never left.

"Trying to help." Serious brown eyes found hazel ones.

"Help with what, exactly?"

"That box appeared out of nowhere and made a damage."

A mocking groan left the pilot's throat and Alexandra frowned.

"A damage?" John took a step towards her and she didn't flinch. "Is that all you have to say?"

"John..." Teyla tried to stop what was coming, knowing what his bottled up emotions could do.

"No, Teyla." He gave her a warning look and turned to Alexandra. "No John. No excuses. No explanations. You. Left!" Now his anger was flaring after so long trapped inside of him as he approached her slowly.

The other three went silent, trying to give them as much privacy as they could at the moment.

"I didn't want to leave, John." Alexandra's tone was soft, but serious.

"Well, but you did! And it took you one year to visit!"

Her lips turned into a fine line.

"You think it's easy for me, to be up there, and see you spiral into... everything you're feeling? Do you think it's easy for me to not talk to you, or Teyla, watch Torren grow up, not bicker with Rodney or sparring with Ronon? I would much prefer to do all of that than being up there and be scolded for things that I have no power upon?"

"You bargained with them! You said..."

"I saved you, John!" She was trying really hard to not start crying, like she did every time she looked down onto Atlantis for the past year.

"I didn't need saving!"

They squared up to each other. The fire inside her flared and John narrowed his eyes.

"You know what it was like for me to watch Adria hurt Cam to break our connection? He almost died and even if my feelings were made up, I spiraled into nothing. So, John, what do you think it would have happened if I had let you die?! Especially when I knew I could have done something to save you?!"

John's hazel eyes were trained on her face, on her words. His desire for her was still there as his hands grabbed his riffle gun tightly to prevent him from falling into it.

[Col. Sheppard. Wraith ship incoming. If your team is ready, we'll be beaming all of you out.]

"We're not ready, Col. Caldwell." The pilot answered back.

[You have to be, because darts are going your way.]

As the information arrived through the radio, darts were heard.

Turning her attention to Rodney, Alexandra touched the pillar and a slit opened, revealing a box inside.

"How did you...?"

"Gloves, Rodney." The scientist nodded and put latex gloves on and opened his backpack. "Study both boxes, Rodney. Don't open this one until you figure out the markings. They're not entirely Ancient. I'll try to help as best as I can on my side."

"Got it." The scientist nodded, offering a quick and sad smile.

"Tell Torren his godmother is watching over him." The Ancient turned to the athosian.

"I will." Teyla smiled as she offered one last hug to her friend and stood aside with Ronon, that clapped her shoulder softly.

"Alex..." At the sound of John's voice, she turned to him.

"You have to go." She was stern now, and took a few steps back. "Move on, John."

"You can't ask that of me."

"I am. Or Atlantis won't survive." At those words, John went silent. "Goodbye." And she disappeared.

The silence was answer enough.

"Daedalus, you're free to beam us up." The colonel said to the radio, his trained on the spot she had just been in.

[Got it.]

As John and every member of his team went back to the Daedalus, Alexandra's heart wrenched into a tiny piece, but it was for the best. Now he could move on.

Ps: Thoughts?