It's Far From Over: chapter 5
Title: It’s Far From Over
Rating: M
Genre: crossover, sci-fi, fantasy, action, adventure, romance, mostly het
Fandoms: Animorphs, Army Wives, BTVS, Doctor Who, Eureka, Hawaii Five-0, Legend of the Seeker, NCIS LA, Primeval, SG-1, SGA, SGU, Supernatural, Torchwood, Veronica Mars & Warehouse 13 (set mainly in the Stargateverse)
Characters: Aiden Ford, Allison Blake, Amy Pond, Bobby Singer, Cameron Mitchell, Cara Mason, Castiel, Chase Moran, Chin Ho Kelly, Chloe Armstrong, Claudia Donovan, Claudia Joy Holden, Daniel Jackson, Danny Williams, Dean Winchester, Denise Sherwood, Douglas Fargo, Eli Wallace, Elizabeth Weir, Evan Lorne, Eric Beale, Everett Young, Faith Lehane, Frank Sherwood, G. Callen, Grace Monroe, AU!Gwen Cooper, Helena G. Wells, Henry Deacon, Hetty Lange, Hilary Becker, Holly Marten, Jack Carter, Jack Harkness, Jack O'Neill, clone!Jack O’Neill, Jennifer Keller, Jenny, Jo Lupo, Kensi Blye, AU!Jo Harvelle, John Sheppard, Kahlan Amnell, Kono Kalakaua, Laura Cadman, Lori Weston, Martha Jones, Marty Deeks, Matthew Scott, Mickey Smith, Myka Bering, Nell Jones, Rachel Berenson, Richard Cypher, Riley Finn, River Song, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Rory Pond, Rose Tyler, Roxy LeBlanc, Sally Sparrow, Sam Carter, Sam Hanna, Sam Winchester, Stephen Hart, Steve McGarrett, Tamara Johansen, Teal'c, Teyla Emmagan, the Doctor (10.5 & 11), Trevor LeBlanc, Vala Mal Doran, Veronica Mars, Willow Rosenberg, Zane Donovan, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander + some minor characters
Pairings: Faith/Riley, Elizabeth/John, Sam/Jack O., AU!Gwen/Jack H., TJ/Cam, Martha/Becker, Rachel/Stephen, Lori/Steve, Kahlan/Richard, Cara/Ronon, Vala/Daniel, Kensi/Deeks, Cadman/Danny, Claudia/Eli, Veronica/Dean, Teyla/Teal’c, River/11, Rose/10.5, Jennifer/Rodney, Nell/Eric, Kono/Callen, Roxy/Trevor, Allison/Jack, Jo/Zane, Claudia Joy/Michael, Pamela/Chase, Denise/Frank, Amy/Rory, Chloe/Matthew, AU!Jo/clone!Jack O., Jenny/Ford, Sally/Mickey, Malia/Chin, Grace/Henry, Willow/Sam, past Willow/Kennedy
Summary: After an attack on the SGC the Stargate Program finds out about the supernatural and a secret plan of an old enemy who is set on taking over the Earth. Greatly weakened in numbers the Stargate Program begins to recruit while starting to hunt down their enemy.
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters or fandoms. I wish I did… *g* I don’t make any money with this! I’m just writing the story for fun and hope someone else will enjoy it, too.
Spoiler Warnings: all of Animorphs, season 1-5 of Army Wives, all BTVS & ATS seasons (no Comics), season 1-6 of New Who, all of Eureka, season 1+2 of Hawaii Five-0 (2010), all of Legend of the Seeker, season 1-3 of NCIS LA, season 1-5 of Primeval, all of Stargate, season 1-6 of Supernatural, season 1-3 of Torchwood, all of Veronica Mars, season 1-3 of Warehouse 13
Other Warnings: some characters deaths (but no one listed under characters)
I’m German and my English isn’t and probably never will be perfect. I hope I don’t make too many mistakes. Feel free to point out errors so I can learn and improve.
Thanks again to my awesome beta landiana24 for betaing this chapter! :-)
Story Introduction with character info, etc *~*~* Story Master Post *~*~* Fanart (new and older ones that fit this story)
Fandoms & Characters in this chapter:
Army Wives: Finn LeBlanc, Roxy LeBlanc, TJ LeBlanc, Trevor LeBlanc
BTVS: Riley Finn
Hawaii Five-0: Danny Williams, Kono Kalakaua, Lori Westen, Steve McGarrett
NCIS LA: Eric Beale, , Henrietta 'Hetty' Lange, Kensi Blye, Marty Deeks, Nell Jones, Sam Hanna
Stargateverse: Jack O'Neill
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chapter 5: Recruiting
Day 3 - Fort Marshall - evening:
“Finn, TJ, stop that,” Roxy called. “Put the ball away and go wash up.” She sighed in relief when her sons complied without protest. Getting back to the salad she was preparing she noticed the front door opening. A smile appeared on her face as Trevor came in.
“Well hello there, soldier,” she said with a grin.
Trevor looked at her with a smile, glad to see his wife in such a good mood. She had been sad and moody since Pamela moved away and their own upcoming move wasn’t helping either.
“Hello yourself,” he said stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her. “I’ve got good news,” he declared before kissing her neck.
Roxy grinned. “I’m pretty sure I already know,” she stated while leaning into him.
“Do you now?” he asked wondering if she really could have any idea what he was going to say.
“As a matter of fact I do. A certain Air Force General came into the Hump Bar today and told me he offered you a job,” she said glancing up at him.
“Seriously?” Trevor asked surprised while going to get himself something to drink. “What did he tell you?”
“That he offered you a job in his highly classified organisation.” She turned around to face him. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I don’t have the job yet,” he clarified, but felt glad that Roxy seemed to be as thrilled about this as he was. Roxy wasn’t always happy with him being a soldier. He had feared that she might decide classified equalled too dangerous. Luckily that didn’t seem to be the case. “There will be tests tomorrow and they only take the best.”
“Exactly, which means they will be thrilled to have you,” she said.
Trevor snorted. “General O’Neill seems to have made quite the impression,” he observed before drinking some orange juice and taking the rest over to the table.
“He promised I could open a bar in A…,” she stopped herself just in time. “Wherever their secret base is.”
“He told you where it is?” he asked looking at his wife in disbelief. How could she know more about this than he did? All he was told was to be ready tomorrow morning at 1100 to fly out.
“Well, not really. Just somewhere in California,” she declared happily while placing the salad on the table.
“Ah, that’s why you’re so chipper all of a sudden,” he declared, getting her good mood now.
“All of a sudden? Are you trying to tell me that I…”
“Of course not,” Trevor quickly stated and silenced her with a kiss. “I’m just happy that you are as excited about this as I am.”
“Excited about what?” Finn asked rushing back into the room followed by TJ.
“Your dad got a job offer,” Roxy said. An onslaught of questions from the two boys started immediately.
“Slow down,” Trevor said while getting the plates and shooting Roxy a look. He hadn’t wanted to tell the boys before he knew for sure he had the job, but he guessed it was too late now.
Roxy smirked. “I guess now you have to make sure to get the job,” she said silently, knowing full well that he’d hate to tell the boys about a job they surely would think sounded exciting and having to disappoint them afterwards.
Trevor laughed slightly. As if he didn’t anyway. A classified job that was a joint operation between the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps… he was dying to find out what that was all about.
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Day 3 - LA - NCIS headquarters - late evening:
“Pretty sneaky, clearing out your desk in the middle of the night,” a voice said, making Henrietta Lange turn around in surprise. She had thought NCIS headquarters was empty, which would allow her to get all of her things out unobserved. Apart from that she didn’t recognize the voice. Looking up at the man she narrowed her eyes.
“Jack O’Neill,” she said after a moment. She hadn’t seen the man in a while, which was why it had taken her some time to recognize him. Glancing more closely at his uniform she added: “Lieutenant General… I believe the last time we met you were a Colonel.”
Jack smiled slightly. “I believe you are correct.” It had been a while.
“A lot of people were convinced you’d never make it past that. I am glad to see you proved them wrong,” she stated.
Jack grinned. She was right, and it had been a pleasure to stick it to those who didn’t believe in him or openly opposed him. But that wasn’t important right now.
“Looks like you’re leaving, Hetty.”
Hetty sighed, looking down. Yes, she was leaving, for good this time. She had handed in her resignation after Callen had been arrested for shooting the Chameleon earlier today. And this time she would not be coming back. She had lost too many good people. Callen was the last straw. He might not be dead, but he was gone none the less. She sighed again, not even wanting to imagine him in prison.
“I am, but that isn’t why you‘re here, is it, Jack?”
“Not really, no,” he agreed. “But it might make things easier.”
Hetty looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t she sighed and steepled her hands. “Get on with it, Jack. It’s late and I am tired.”
Jack narrowed his eyes. She really did look tired, not at all like the strong woman he knew.
“That wouldn’t happen to have something to do with your agent and the man he killed, would it?”
Hetty frowned. He had to bring that up, didn’t he? “Don’t tell me that’s why you’re here?”
“As a matter of fact it is,” he stated.
That caught her interest. What interest could he possibly have in what happened with Callen? The last she heard about Jack O’Neill was that he was leading some secret branch of the military.
“You seem to have information I need, Hetty. So I thought I’d come by, ask for help, offer you a job and get your agent out of prison…” he trailed off looking at her mischievously. When Sam called him back and told him that the shooting that was all over the news involved an NCIS agent, and that Henrietta Lange was his supervisor, Jack had started thinking. Since he had to talk to her about the man that had some kind of connection to Ba’al anyway, why not offer her to join the Stargate Program as well? He knew how capable she was, had met her on several highly classified missions in the past, and he had decided to recruit in unusual places. In addition to that the thought of letting the IOA deal with Hetty brought a big fat smile to his face. He was sure she’d get the buggers off his back far longer than he’d ever manage himself.
Hetty’s head snapped up and she stared at him. There weren’t a lot of people that managed to surprise her, but Jack O’Neill just did.
“The information you need seems to be worth a lot,” she said as hope rushed through her. Callen’s situation was pretty hopeless. Not even with all her contacts had she managed to come up with a possible way to get him out of his mess. Could Jack really do it?
“It is. You probably heard about the Stargate Program? I happen to find myself in charge of it once more, in addition to Homeworld Command,” he said watching her closely to see her reaction.
“I heard of both, but don’t know any details,” Hetty answered looking at him. He seemed almost surprised at her answer. “Contrary to some people’s beliefs I don’t know everything,” she stated. “The rumours I did hear made me decide I was better off not knowing.”
Jack laughed at that. Yeah, he guessed that was not the worst decision someone like Hetty could make. Like him, she was the kind of person that liked to get involved and solve a problem if she knew there was one. For her knowing about an alien threat would mean that she had to try and help fight it off. If she was content with her life as it was, it was definitely smart not to start digging deeper. But since the life she had been leading seemed to be over anyway Jack had no reservations about turning her world upside down.
“How about you make us one of your famous teas, sign my non-disclosure agreement and I will tell you how we can help each other out,” he suggested. It wasn’t like he cared about tea, but a meeting with Hetty without being forced to drink one of her teas somehow seemed wrong.
A small smile appeared on Hetty’s face. “If you insist,” she stated. “But I am warning you, if I make you tea I expect you to drink it.”
“I was afraid of that,” Jack stated chuckling. “But I am sure I will find a plant around this place that needs watering should the tea taste like the last one you offered me.” Seeing her scowl Jack smiled. The Hetty he knew and liked still seemed to be in there, and he’d make sure she came back out permanently. They’d need her.
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Day 4 - LA - NCIS headquarters - morning:
Kensi Blye walked into NCIS headquarters feeling utterly miserable, then she almost ran into Sam Hanna, who scowled at her. Great, as if it was her fault that his partner went and shot someone in front of a news crew. Sure, the bastard deserved it, but shooting him like that… as much as Kensi understood the impulse she wished Callen hadn’t done it. Yes, letting the Chameleon go and win this time would have sucked, especially after all the people he killed, but they could have caught him later. She was sure that somehow they would have caught him. Now… what did they have now? A body and a co-worker - and friend - behind bars. On top of that she had already heard rumors that Hetty had resigned. Of course Hetty tried to resign a number of times already, but Kensi was afraid that she really did mean it this time. The murders of Agents Renko and Hunter really had taken its toll on her, and if that hadn’t been enough Callen did the rest.
Walking towards her desk Kensi noticed Eric Beale and Nell Jones carrying boxes past her.
“Morning,” Nell said cheerfully.
Kensi narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?” she asked. Under the current circumstances Nell’s mood seemed odd. And were those her personal belongings in her box? Nell couldn’t be leaving, too, could she?
“Morning,” Marty Deeks muttered from behind her. Kensi turned around and looked at her partner. He looked tired and grumpy. At least that did make sense, she thought as he sat down at his desk and peered at a stack of papers.
“Non-disclosure agreements?” Deeks asked raising an eyebrow. Seeing Kensi’s expression he pointed at the stack of papers on her desk, assuming they were the same.
“What?” Kensi asked walking over to her desk, which sure enough did have a non-disclosure agreement on it as well.
“What’s this?” Sam asked grumbling while sitting down at his own desk.
“I thought you were able to read Mr. Hanna,” Hetty said appearing next to their desks.
“Hetty!” Kensi called, feeling immensely relieved to see that their boss was still there. “I was afraid you had resigned.”
“And sneaked off silently in the middle of the night,” Sam added.
“I thought you knew me better than that,” Hetty stated, not admitting that she had been about to do just that.
Deeks snorted, but quickly tried to mask it as a cough. “Think I caught a cold…” he muttered.
Kensi rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Hetty. “So, what’s this?” she asked gesturing at the agreement on her desk.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything before you signed it, Miss Blye,” Hetty stated.
Kensi stared at her. It kind of looked like Hetty’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. But that was ridiculous, wasn’t it, especially in their current situation.
“I’d sign the agreement as quickly as I could, if I were you,” Eric said coming up behind Hetty. “You won’t believe…”
“Mr. Beale, weren’t you packing your belongings?” Hetty asked, interrupting him.
“Already done,” Eric stated, but seemed to change his mind at the look Hetty gave him. “Right, packing… I’ll be upstairs.” That said he rushed off, joining Nell and starting to whisper and gesture around excitedly.
Kensi tore her eyes away from them and glanced down at the non-disclosure agreement. She guessed if she wanted to find out what the hell was going on she had to sign this.
“Right…” Hetty said glancing from Eric and Nell back to the other three. “Read it, sign it and pack. We’re leaving in 45 minutes. I expect you to be ready.”
“Where are we going?” Sam muttered, really not in the mood for all of this strange behaviour. It looked like Hetty, Eric and Nell had all gone crazy. Callen hadn’t been arrested 24 hours ago and they were all smiles.
“To your new job of course, Mr. Hanna,” Hetty stated matter of factly, as if it was crazy to think anything else.
“Our new what?” Deeks asked.
“New job,” Hetty repeated. “I’m afraid you are finally going to have to leave the LAPD, Mr. Deeks. Of course you have to pass some tests first… all of you,” she went on. “But I am sure you will pass with flying colors. I spoke in the highest tones of you to get you all this opportunity, so I expect you to do me proud.”
Kensi stared at Hetty, for a moment wondering if she was still at home in her bed having a very weird dream.
“You want us to try out for a new job?” Sam asked disbelievingly. “What about the job we already have? What about NCIS? What about Callen?” They had to try and figure out how to get G. out of his mess, didn’t they?
“I’m afraid NCIS will have to go on without us, and I am sure Director Vance will find replacements in due course. There is something much more important in store for each of us,” Hetty replied. “As for Mr. Callen. You will see him in… Ah, I can’t tell you that before you signed those agreements. So, hurry up and get on with it. We are on a tight schedule.”
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Day 4 - Atlantis - late morning:
“Commander McGarrett,” Riley called hurrying down one of Atlantis corridors.
“Henrietta Lange and the new recruits from NCIS are arriving in 15 minutes. I was informed that you would like to welcome them personally,” he stated.
Steve smiled. “Yes, I would,” he answered. He had regretted to have missed the chance to see Sam Hanna when he came to Hawaii. He was looking forward to finally see him again now. And he definitely wasn’t going to miss the look on the man’s face when he saw Atlantis for the first time.
“So, enjoying being in charge of the whole city?” Steve asked falling into step next to Riley.
Riley snorted slightly. “Fells like I’ve been here for all of five minutes. I get lost in this city at least 5 times a day, and they put me in charge…” he trailed off. He understood why of course. The funeral of the Stargate Command personnel that died in the bombing was today and everyone who knew the deceased wanted to go of course. That they trusted him enough to leave him in charge in their absence actually was encouraging, but he did feel a little overwhelmed. A lot of people had asked him questions over the past hour that he couldn’t answer simply because he had no idea what they were talking about. But at least he had finished all tasks General O’Neill entrusted him with. The tests for the new recruits were set up, their transfer organised and he made sure that the Hammond started preparing to leave as soon as the funeral was over. The ship would fly to a planet that mysteriously couldn’t be dialled by Stargate. McKay had found its address among others on the planet Ba’al had the Confessor kidnapped to. Since that planet had been dialled from the planet Ba’al’s people had been on, it obviously could be reached not too long ago. That it was unreachable now was suspicious, which was why the Hammond would go check it out.
“I know what you mean,” Steve stated. The city was huge and a bit like a maze. He had managed to get lost a few times already, too. Luckily there were transporters all over the city that could take him back to a place he knew, like the gate room. “But at least there were no emergencies…”
“Oh man, now you jinxed us,” Danny called, joining them. “How often have I told you not to do that?!”
Steve chuckled, glad to see that his friend had arrived.
“Major Riley Finn, Detective Danny Williams,” he said, introducing the two men and ignoring Danny’s comment.
Riley shook the Detective’s hand, then excused himself. “I need to go welcome the recruits from Fort Marshall. I will see you later.”
“Sure,” Danny said and watched the man leave. Then he looked around. “Atlantis… It’s still hard to believe,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. He had been on so many classified missions already, but never would have guessed what he missed. But he was here now.
“How’s Grace?” he asked, focusing back on Danny.
“Fine, I think. It’s amazing how resilient she is,” Danny stated. “Rachel on the other hand had a bit of a fit. Told me she was glad they’d be moving, and that Grace would be safer with me far away.” He sighed, but couldn’t really blame his ex-wife. Grace had been abducted twice now because of him.
Steve sucked in a breath. “She’s wrong,” he declared.
“I know, Danny said. It’s what I told her, said that Grace was still my daughter no matter where she was. I mean, it’s not like people like Delano couldn’t find her somewhere else if they really wanted to.”
Steve nodded. Unfortunately Danny was right about that. “How did Rachel take that?”
“Not good, but when I reminded her that if I hadn’t been nearby things would have been a lot worse, she finally shut up,” Danny stated. He hated that he had to bring that up to Rachel, hated even thinking about it, but he had to make sure Rachel wouldn’t try to take Grace from him. “Then I mentioned that I’m moving to San Francisco, too, and I think she was okay with it.”
“Good,” Steve said. He really didn’t want Danny to get into any more trouble with Rachel.
“So, where’s Kono?” he asked while leading Danny towards a transporter that would get them to the east peer where Sam and the rest of NCIS would arrive.
“The infirmary, getting her routine check up. I already finished mine,” Danny said holding his arm out and pointing at a band-aid on his inner elbow. “They poked and prodded me big time. I hope this is all going to be worth it.”
Steve grinned. “You’re not going to start whining again, are you?”
“I don’t whine,” Danny protested.
“Sure you do,” Steve simply said.
“No I don’t,” Danny insisted, then added: “So, where are we going?” to try and change the subject.
“To welcome Sam and his colleagues from NCIS.”
“You mean Sam Hanna and his team? They joined the Stargate Program, too?” Danny asked pleasantly surprised. He had enjoyed working with them.
Steve grinned. “I was surprised myself when I found out this morning, but I’m definitely not complaining.”
“Me neither,” Danny stated.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Day 4 - Atlantis - east pier - late morning:
Kono stepped out onto the east pier, a grin appearing on her face as she saw Danny and Steve bickering. She had no idea about what this time, but who cared? It was a familiar sight, which she was grateful for. Atlantis was a little intimidating, in addition to amazing and exciting. It was all a bit overwhelming, but seeing Steve and Danny like that made her feel right at home.
“Looks like you survived the poking and prodding,” Danny called when he noticed Kono.
“Of course she did,” Steve stated. “She’s not a delicate little flower like you.”
Kono snorted, then gave Steve a brief hug.
“So, what are we doing out here?” she asked. Danny had only told her to come to the east pier over the radio.
“Waiting for them,” Danny answered gesturing towards the ocean.
Shielding her eyes against the sun Kono glanced out at the water and saw a boat coming closer. Before she had a chance to ask who was on it she heard a voice from behind her.
“Detective Williams, Officer Kalakaua.”
Kono turned around and blinked, surprised. “Agent Callen?!” A grin appeared on her face. She had liked working with him and Agent Hanna when they were in Hawaii, and he definitely was good looking. Not that she was interested in him in that way of course. For the moment she had had enough of men. The whole mess with Adam was still too fresh. But something, or better someone, to look at was always a good thing, wasn’t it?
Special Agent G. Callen smiled, then shook Danny’s outstretched hand.
“Good to see you again, Callen,” Danny said before introducing Steve.
“McGarrett, good to finally meet you,” Callen said. “I believe you owe my partner a steak dinner.”
Steve chuckled. “I can’t believe that’s what he’s telling people about me.”
Callen grinned, then turned to Kono. She was smiling at him, her hair streaming out behind her in the wind. She was quite the vision. Of course he already knew that, since they had met only a few weeks ago, but somehow he had forgotten just how beautiful she was.
“You’re working here, too?” Kono asked shaking his hand.
“As long as we don’t fail the upcoming tests miserably, yes,” he answered. He still could hardly believe it. About 12 hours ago he had been sitting in a tiny prison cell, wondering if his life could get any worse. Then out of the blue an Air Force General showed up with Hetty in tail. Without much fuzz they had him sign a non-disclosure agreement and whisked him away in the middle of the night, or better beamed him away, right into Atlantis. Apparently shooting an unarmed man in front of a news camera didn’t necessarily condemn you to prison if the man you shot was an assassin working with a dangerous alien. Not that he was complaining, quite the opposite actually. It was just all a lot to take in. Aliens were real! And he had a new job defending humanity against extraterrestrial threats. It didn’t even matter now that his face had been all over the news and he certainly wouldn’t be able to work undercover again. The Stargate Program didn’t need him to do that. He wasn’t even sure if he’d miss it. It might be a nice change to just be himself for a while.
“Oh please, we worked with you. Of course you’re going to pass the tests,” Danny stated.
Callen grinned. “Thanks for the ego boost.”
Kono snorted, but added: “I’m surprised you even have to take them.”
“Don’t you?”
Kono shook her head. “I guess we already proved ourselves,” she stated grinning proudly.
“Caught two criminals with members of the Stargate program,” Danny explained. “Among them one they seriously wanted to get their hands on.” And another one he seriously wanted to het his hands on. He still had a rather huge urge to throttle Delano for what he did to Grace, Kono, Malia and Kamekona. But at least the man was back in prison now. They had caught Delano because McKay had located the source of his video feed. The grumpy scientist had actually proven to be rather useful. Just like Cadman… A smile appeared on his lips as he thought of her.
“That ought to do it,” Callen said with a nod.
“What are you smiling about all of a sudden?” Steve asked glancing at Danny. He had expected the thought of Wo Fat and especially Delano would make Danny all grumpy, but he was smiling.
“Nothing,” Danny stated quickly.
Kono smirked. “That smile wouldn’t happen to have something to do with a rather hot redheaded soldier who happened to save your daughter’s life?”
“What?” Steve asked. “I thought you had a girlfriend.”
“You mean Gabrielle?” Kono asked. “They broke up over a month ago. She’s seeing someone else.”
“Sorry,” Steve said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Maybe because you were halfway around the world at the time, not even bothering to call and let us know you were still alive,” Danny muttered.
Steve sighed. He had walked right into that one, hadn’t he? Luckily the boat finally arrived at that moment, distracting them all.
“Lori?” Kono called surprised, noticing the other woman on the boat that was docking at the pier. “What are you doing here?” she asked, a wide smile appearing on her face. She had missed her former team mate a lot since she had been sent away by the Governor. It had been nice to have another woman on the team.
“Apparently I have been requested to show up for tests,” Lori Weston said throwing a meaningful look towards Steve before stepping out of the boat and hugging Kono.
Steve stared at Lori in surprise. He hadn’t known that she was coming. “Don’t look at me,” he stated hearing her words. He hadn’t requested her, even though it had crossed his mind. He had thought about suggesting to General O’Neill or Colonel Carter to hire Lori, but had hesitated because of what Lori told him before leaving. She kind of admitted that she had feelings for him. She masked it a little by amending that she had feelings towards the whole team, but he wasn’t stupid enough not to see through that. The problem wasn’t that she had feelings for him, it was that, if he was truthful with himself, he knew that he kind of had feelings for her, too, and that even though he did have a girlfriend. He thought he loved Catherine, but Lori kind of snuck up on him without him even realizing it. Maybe it was because Catherine was deployed and they rarely saw each other? He wasn’t sure, and he wasn’t sure what to do about his feelings either, which was exactly why he had never tried to change the governor’s mind about sending Lori away and hadn’t asked her to be brought into the Stargate Program either.
“You requested the whole Five-0 team,” Lori clarified. “I guess someone thought that included me,” Lori said while giving Danny a hug.
“Sure does,” Danny stated smiling at her. “Good to see you again.”
“You, too,” Lori said before turning to Steve and looking up at him a little uncertainly. The last time she saw him she had kind of admitted her feelings to him. It had thought of felt like ‘now or never’ because she was leaving. He hadn’t really commented on it or said anything in return, which she guessed was understandable since he was in a relationship. Still, she had hoped to get more of a reaction. And she had not thought that she would see him again without the situation being resolved. On the other hand was there anything that needed to get resolved? He had a girlfriend and had not reacted to her admitting her feelings. He probably just saw her as a friend and had decided to pretend that he didn’t get what she meant to make it easier on both of them, and less awkward. She’d just have to deal with her unrequited feelings on her own, which would be really hard, she thought when he pulled her into a welcoming hug. She wrapped her arms around him, inhaling his scent briefly and repressing a content sigh. How the hell was she going to get over him now if she hadn’t managed to do it while they were apart?
Letting go of Steve Lori caught Kono’s gaze and noticed her knowing grin. She groaned inwardly. Was she that obvious?
While Lori was welcomed by her former colleagues another reunion took place a few steps away.
“I can’t believe you managed to weasel your way out of that mess,” Sam Hanna stated grinning at Callen while jumping out of the boat.
“Me neither,” Callen answered while giving his partner a brief hug. “Me neither,” he repeated in almost a whisper.
Being pushed away by Kensi, who obviously wanted to greet Callen properly, too, Sam turned to the other people on the peer.
“McGarrett,” he said, seeing the other SEAL. “Glad to see you had the decency to show up yourself this time.”
Steve chuckled. “It wasn’t my fault that you had to come to Hawaii just when I wasn’t there.”
“Wasn’t mine either,” Sam stated. “How about we blame Dracul Comescue.”
“Works for me,” Steve said. He had read the report about the Romanian criminal who tried to sell small pocks. He definitely wasn’t sorry that Callen had to shoot the man.
Turning to Danny Sam shook the Detective’s hand before asking. “How’s Winnie?”
“Who’s Winnie?” Steve wanted to know while Danny groaned.
“They named my car Winifred,” Danny stated in an exasperated tone of voice.
Steve chuckled. “I think it suits her.”
“It does not!” Danny exclaimed.
“Better than that stripper’s name you suggested,” Sam insisted.
Before long everyone had greeted everyone, introductions were made between the ones who hadn’t met yet, and they started to unload the luggage from the boat.
“Come on then, let’s have a proper look at Atlantis. It’s even more impressive on the inside,” Steve stated.
“I kinda doubt that,” Kensi muttered while looking up at the enormous city. They had a pretty good view of it once the boat reached the inside of the cloak that turned it invisible to the outside world. It was amazing. No wonder there were so many tales and myths about it. She could hardly believe that it was real, and that she would be working in it from now on. It definitely made leaving NCIS easier.
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Book Cover fanart for this chapter:
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chapter 6
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