It's only just beginning: chapter 8
Title: It's only just beginning
Author: Betty (sarah_jones on lj)
Fandoms: Stargate, Stargate Atlantis, Primeval, JAG, Doctor Who/Torchwood, Animorphs & Angel
Rating: M
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.
Summary: The story starts after the Stargate Atlantis season finale. There will be new enemies and new adventures, as well as new characters from other fandoms. Old enemies and older characters will return as well.
After finishing my exams and moving I finally found time to write again. I hope you’ll like the next chapter.
I included a “guest star” in this chapter: Addison Montgomery from Private Practice & Grey’s Anatomy. She will be in the story for one more chapter after this, I think. I’m not sure yet if she will return in the future.
I also updated the character list a little. If you want to check it out go here.
Alright, enough with the ramblings...
chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, timeline for all chapters
chapter 8:
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Day 6/7: Atlantis holding cells:
John went into the holding cell area where Todd’s cell was.
“What is it now?” he asked sounding rather annoyed. Then he froze. There was someone else in the cell. A woman seemed to be unconscious on the floor at the far end of the cell. Her back was to him, so he couldn’t see who it as.
Drawing his gun John stepped closer.
“Ah, Sheppard,” Todd said as a greeting. “How nice of you to come.”
John frowned. “What’s going on? What did you do?”
“That is what I would like to know.” Todd gestured at the woman. “And I did not do anything.”
“Don’t touch her!”
“I have not, as I was not sure if you intended her to be a present for me or not.”
Todd’s calm voice was starting to really annoy John.
“We would never send you a human being to feed on,” John stated. Doing that to anyone would be more than cruel. John didn’t even wish it on his worst enemy.
“Ah, that is what I suspected. Something else must be going on. Tell, me, John Sheppard, are your people having trouble? I could feel the presence of other Wraith earlier today.”
“That’s none of your damn business,” John barked. Then it dawned on him. People had been appearing in the city. Obviously someone was unlucky enough to end up in Todd’s cell.
“You didn’t feed on her, did you?”
“I already told you, Sheppard. I did not touch her.”
John wasn’t sure what to think. Todd hadn’t fed in a while and the gene therapy to turn Todd into a human or at least a hybrid still wasn’t completed, so Todd really had to be hungry. Did he fear they would kill him if he fed on someone? Or did he have another plan, like escaping while they got the woman out of the cell? Todd was smart; he surely had some sort of plan.
John quickly radioed for backup. Once the room was full of armed people John went to the cage and shut off the security system.
“If he moves shoot him,” he ordered before going into the cage. Todd stayed as far away from him as possible, looking rather smug and in control of the entire situation. Bastard!
Once he reached the woman John knelt by her side and turned her around. He knew her. It was Sora, one of the Genii they met during their first year in Atlantis. They held her prisoner for a while before letting her go when the Genii gave them bombs to fight the Wraith.
Sora was unconscious, but luckily seemed unharmed. He gestured to a marine to help him and together they carried her out. The cage was locked again and Todd seemed to smile.
“I did not plan anything,” he stated and John frowned again.
Major Teldy radioed the infirmary while John stepped closer to the cage, staring at the Wraith. He just didn’t get this particular Wraith.
Todd seemed to wait for a reply. John however shrugged and then turned around. “Whatever.”
“Take her outside and wait for the medics to get her,” he said to Teldy. Then he went to find out who was on guard duty today. How could no one have noticed that a woman was in Todd’s cell? She could be dead. It didn’t matter if she was Genii and used to be their prisoner. No one was left to be fed upon by a Wraith!
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Day 6/7: Atlantis - cafeteria balcony:
Amelia glanced at Ronon. He was standing at the balustrade. Most people had already retired for the night. Once Teyla left as well Amelia and Ronon were alone. Getting up she walked over to him.
“Hey,” she said silently.
Ronon pulled his gaze away from the ocean and looked at her. “Hey.”
Amelia smiled a little. Just being close to him made her feel happy. But something was off tonight. She could feel it.
“So, want to tell me what’s bothering you?” she asked bluntly. Ronon wasn’t really a talkative man, so she knew she had to ask if she wanted to know something.
“Nothing,” Ronon quickly said.
Amelia raised an eyebrow, but didn’t press the subject. If he didn’t want to talk about it she would accept that.
“I made it,” she then said. “I’m joining a team.” Ronon had still been busy cleaning up the mess in the city when Teyla told her, so she didn’t have a chance to talk to him about it yet.
“Of course you made it,” Ronon said smiling slightly. He was proud of her and happy for her that she made it, but he still wasn’t looking forward to her going off world so much.
Amelia looked at him, not sure what to think. He smiled, but still didn’t really look happy. Wasn’t he glad that she would now be on a team as well?
“You don’t sound too happy,” she observed silently.
“I’m happy for you,” he stated.
“But?” There was a but, she just knew it. Didn’t he think she should be on a team? He was the one who made her want to join one in the first place. She thought he’d be happy about it. She wanted him to be happy.
“You don’t think I’m good enough to join a team?”
Ronon stared at her. “No, of course not. You’re great. Any team would be lucky to have you!”
Amelia frowned slightly. She just didn’t get it. If he really thought that, why wasn’t he celebrating with her?
Ronon sighed. He hated talking about his feelings. He generally wasn’t much of a talker.
“I was worried about you today,” he finally admitted.
Amelia looked at him a little surprised at the revelation. Then she smiled.
“And now you think you’ll have to worry about me every time I step through the Stargate?”
Ronon nodded.
Amelia smirked slightly. She somehow liked that thought. It wasn’t that she wanted to worry him, but it was good to know that he cared about her so much.
“Well, now you know how I feel every time you step through the gate,” she said teasingly.
“That’s different,” Ronon protested.
“How? Because I’m a woman?”
Ronon sighed. He didn’t mean it like that. “I’ve spent years out there.”
Amelia actually had to chuckle at that. Typical male behaviour.
“First, this is the milky way. So you haven’t actually been out there. And just because you have been on a lot of different planets doesn’t make you invincible. You almost died on that Wraith Hive!” Infact he actually had died and was brought back by a Wraith. Even thinking about that made her heart ache. She almost lost him.
Ronon frowned. She did have a point, but that didn’t make him feel any better.
“I’ll try to be careful out there,” she promised while taking a step towards him.
“You better,” Ronon simply answered. He really didn’t want to lose someone else. Years had passed since he lost Melena, but it still hurt. The first woman he had been interested in after that was Jennifer and he kind of lost her, too; to Rodney.
Amelia smirked. Then she closed the distance between them, pulled him down to her and kissed him. It was sweet and gentle. She pulled away soon, feeling a little uncertain all of a sudden. He didn’t pull away, but was this actually what he wanted? Blushing she looked down.
Ronon had been a little surprised when she kissed him. Sure, they had spent a lot of time together lately, but that was it so far. Now things had definitely changed… and he liked it. Her lips were soft and it felt really good to be kissed by her. When she pulled away he felt like protesting.
A smile appeared on Ronon’s lips. Then he gently grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer, capturing her mouth again for another kiss.
This kiss was less gentle, more passionate, demanding and it left Amelia completely breathless. Yes, this definitely was what he wanted.
When they finally broke apart she took a deep breath and looked up at him happily. Part of her couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. She just kissed Ronon Dex! Half the women in Atlantis probably would kill to be in her place.
“I could get used to that,” Ronon said, still a little breathless himself.
Amelia smiled happily. “Me, too.”
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Day 7: Atlantis - balcony by the infirmary:
Sheila sat on a bench, lost in her thoughts. The sun would soon be up and she hadn’t been able to sleep much. Sharon’s operation had gone well under the circumstances. The doctors feared that she would die, but they managed to save her. Unfortunately she still hadn’t woken up. They said she was in a coma. She might wake up any minute, or in months. Maybe she’d never wake up, but Sheila didn’t even want to think about that. Sharon was the only person she had left. They were about 10.000 years in the future. Her people were gone and Atlantis was back on Earth. Everything was so different and strange, even though she was still in the same city she grew up in.
“Please tell me you slept at all,” a voice suddenly said. Sheila turned around and noticed that it was Cameron Mitchell, the man who saved them. She managed to smile a little. She liked him. She was glad that he showed up when he did and that he seemed to try and help her in any way he could. He had checked up on her and Sharon before he retired the previous night, and it looked like he was checking on them again the first thing in the morning. It was nice of him and it made her feel a little bit better. They could have ended up in worse places. At least Atlantis hadn’t fallen into Wraith hands. Her people had to leave their home, but they managed to go back to Earth, where they lived peacefully, as far as she was told. And now Atlantis was once more inhabited. It would have been a waste if the city stayed abandoned forever.
“I did. An hour or two,” she said as Cameron sat down as well.
Cam, sighed. He wished there was something he could do to help her and her sister, but unfortunately there wasn’t.
“You do need rest, you know? You’re not helping your sister by not sleeping.”
“I know. It’s just so much to process. Everything changed in the blink of an eye. Everyone I ever knew is long dead by now,” she said silently, trying not to feel miserable again.
“We’re working on finding a way to send you back,” Cam said, trying to make her feel better. He however wasn’t sure if they’d succeed. They didn’t even know exactly which year or even century Sheila and Sharon were from. But they never gave up hope. Sam, McKay and some other scientists were working on the problem and if anyone could solve this it was them.
Sheila gave him a half-hearted smile. She knew how tricky time travel was. Her father had worked on it for at least half of his life.
“And until we do get you home you’re welcome to stay with us.”
Sheila nodded. She hadn’t thought about it before, but these people could simply throw her out of Atlantis if they wanted to. They were so many, that they surely would succeed. But so far they had been nothing but helpful.
She turned to Cameron. “Thank you. For all your help.”
Cam grinned. “You’re very welcome.”
They sat in silence for a while as the sun rose above the horizon. It was beautiful and for a moment Sheila forgot all her worries.
Cam glanced at Sheila as she watched the sunrise. She really looked stunning as the sun reflected off her face and her hair shimmered golden. He definitely didn’t mind to be assigned to her.
“How about some breakfast?” he suggested.
Sheila hesitated. She had been away from her sister’s side long enough.
“Come on, you need to eat. We can check on your sister on our way and tell the nurses to contact us immediately if Sharon’s condition changes.”
“Okay,” Sheila agreed. He was right, she did need to eat. Her stomach growled as if to agree with that.
Cam nodded, got up and started to lead the way back into the infirmary. He was glad that Sheila had agreed to have breakfast with him. That way he could tell her more about everything, maybe get some information, and hopefully make her more comfortable here. Apart from that he could use the company as well. The funeral of all the SGC members that died in the attack was in a few hours and he really didn’t want to think about that right now.
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Day 7: Atlantis - class room:
Stephen looked up from his files about alien races to Dr. Jackson who was telling them a lot of interesting and some boring stuff. He almost felt like he was back in school.
Colonel Sheppard had shown up in the infirmary this morning and showed him to a room after he was released. They even had some clean clothes for him. Stephen quickly showered and changed. Then they went to have breakfast and the Colonel told him a bit more about the Stargate program. It all confirmed Stephen's decision to join. When he told the Colonel the man looked happy. Stephen couldn’t help but smile at that. It felt good that he was wanted here.
After breakfast the new recruits had a debrief about alien races. Since he had made up his mind about joining the Stargate program Stephen went to it as well. Colonel MacKenzie, Rachel and Becker were there as well and they all sat together.
Dr. Jackson was explaining the difference between a Tok’ra and a Goa’uld when the door opened and Colonel Carter stepped in.
Daniel stopped and turned to her. “Is it time already?” he asked and glanced at his watch. “Oh. Okay. We’re done for today.”
“Come on, Daniel, hurry,” Sam answered and briefly waved at the new recruits who were packing up their stuff.
Daniel put on his black jacket and hurried after Sam.
“They are all dressed up,” Rachel observed as she walked out of the room with Jason, Stephen and Lt. Colonel MacKenzie.
“They are going to a funeral,” Mac informed them. She had breakfast with Jack and he told her about it.
“Right, Stargate Command was attacked and destroyed,” Rachel remembered. Vala had told her about it last night. A lot of good people had died. Rachel didn’t know them, but she still felt sad. She had seen so many people die in her life and every death had started to feel even worse over the years. There obviously was no getting used to it.
“Mac,” a voice called and she turned around. Jack was coming up to her.
“We’re off now. You’re the highest ranking officer left in the city, so you’re in charge until we’re back,” Jack said while pulling his jacket straight.
Mac stared at him. He had to be kidding, right? She just got here. There had to be someone else who was more qualified to do the job.
“I know you’re new, but no one wants to stay behind.” They all lost people they knew and cared about in the attack. Everyone wanted to pay their respects. That left the new people. Jack was definitely glad that Mac was one of them. If it had been a complete stranger he wouldn’t have felt comfortable to leave him or her in charge. But he trusted Mac.
“You’ll do fine. And if anything happens, contact us. We can be back in seconds.” The Daedalus was still in orbit and the General Hammond was on the planet as well, so they could be beamed anywhere.
Mac pushed away her uncertainty and nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m sure everything will be fine until you return.” She really hoped it would be. There was just so much she didn’t know yet.
Jack smiled at her. Then he turned around and walked towards a big group of people. A few seconds later they all disappeared.
“Wow, we really have beaming technology,” someone called.
Becker turned from the now empty place to Mac.
“First official day at work and you’re already in charge of the whole city,” he said with a grin.
Mac glanced at him. She really didn’t feel that happy about the whole situation, but she wouldn’t let Jack down.
“Alright. Let’s check out the control room. You three are with me.” If something went wrong she preferred to have the few people she already knew around.
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Day 7: Atlantis - gate room:
Jack Harkness looked at the Stargate in front of him. It was big and looked kind of cool. He really wanted to try it out.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Martha asked. “I can’t wait to use it.” She would be joining a team soon and was really looking forward to it.
Jack turned to her and grinned. “I bet you can’t. All those alien planets out there, just waiting to be explored.”
Martha nodded. She always used to get so excited when the TARDIS landed somewhere. There usually was something new and amazing out there. Now she felt the same way. She would see so many great things again. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she thought about travelling again. Looking at Jack she could see that he was feeling the same way.
“Torchwood could probably do without me for a while,” Jack stated. It wasn’t like he was in charge anymore anyway. He had thought about leaving the past days, but didn’t really know where to go. Now he knew where he wanted to be.
Martha’s grin widened. “The Stargate program is still looking for more personnel, especially team leaders,” she told him, hoping that he would really decide to join. It would be great to have Jack around. Everything was a lot more fun with him.
Jack grinned. “Team leader, eh? That sounds like a job for me,” he said. “Want to be on my team?” He winked at her playfully and they both laughed.
“Come on, let’s find out who’s in charge while the General is at the funeral. We need to get you signed up.” Her hand instinctively took his and she dragged him towards the control room.
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Day 7: Los Angeles:
John Sheppard waited at a traffic light. He was trying to get into a better mood. The funeral had been hard on all of them and the mood in Atlantis wasn’t exactly the best. John was glad that he had taken the rest of the day off. He would meet an old friend who lived in LA now and they’d go to the beach. Some relaxing would be nice. John could hardly remember when he last had time to relax. Something always came up.
The traffic light turned green and a woman hurried over the street, talking on her mobile. She caught John’s eye at once. She had deep red hair, long legs and was wearing a skirt. He smiled as he followed. Then he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. A bus was rushing towards the woman way too fast. John reacted instinctively, rushed forward and pushed the woman out of the way. Then the bus hit him.
Pain rushed through John as he flew through the air a few feet. But then it suddenly stopped. John didn’t feel anything anymore as he hit the ground.
Brakes squealed as a bus come to a stop. A man hit the ground and didn’t move. Addison Montgomery slowly took it all in while pushing herself up into a sitting position. She ignored the pain in her hand and knee, where she hit the ground hard. She needed to help the man. He had pushed her away. She had been busy talking to Cooper about Violet and hadn’t even noticed the advancing bus. If she hadn’t been pushed away she would be the one lying on the ground now. She quickly got up and made her way over to the man, pushing away bystanders that were gathering around him.
“I’m, a doctor. Get out of the way.”
She kneeled down beside the man. There was no blood, which was good, but he could still have internal bleeding and injuries.
“I’m Doctor Montgomery. Please don’t move.” He didn’t react.
“Sir, can you hear me?” She turned around to the bystanders. “Has anyone called an ambulance yet?” No one said anything. Then a man pulled out his mobile and started dialling. Good. She turned back to the man on the ground.
John blinked. Everything was out of focus. He knew that something happened, something that wasn’t good. The bus. He remembered pushing the woman out of the way. Then he got hit and pain rushed through him, but it stopped just as quickly. He wasn’t in any pain right now. No, he actually felt good. He felt safe, as if everything was perfect, which was weird. He shouldn’t feel like that, should he?
His eyes focused and he saw the pretty redhead leaning over him. She looked rather concerned and was talking to him. What was she saying?
“Do you know where you are? Can you tell me your name?”
“On the ground,” John muttered silently. Then he cleared his throat and added a bit louder: “Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, USAF.”
Addison smirked at his reply and felt glad that he was talking.
“Don’t move. An ambulance will be here soon. We’ll get you to a hospital and check you out properly,” she promised. “Everything is going to be okay.”
John nodded. He knew that it was what they said to make you feel better. But somehow he had the feeling that everything really would be okay. He still felt all warm and fuzzy, even though the feeling was fading slowly.
“Are you in any pain?”
“No.”
Addison frowned. That couldn’t be good. He was hit by a bus. He should feel pain. Hopefully it was just the shock and not something else. She gently took his hand and squeezed it slightly.
“Can you feel that?”
“What? Your hand?” John asked. He was tempted to push himself up and look around properly, but she had told him not to move. He had been in enough bad situations to know when to do what he was told. Just because he felt fine didn’t mean he actually was fine. He was hit by a bus after all!
Addison smiled in relief. At least he wasn’t paralysed all the way.
“I can feel my toes, too,” John added, which earned him another smile. He really liked her smile. Well, at least he had found an excuse to get to know her.
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poster / book cover for this chapter:
chapter 9