Fic time
I know I said I was going to write another fic first, but I just started typing tonight and couldn't stop. Don't worry, I'll get A Thousand Miles done as soon as possible, as that's what won the poll.
In the meantime:
Title: A World of Veiled Illusions
Author: rhin_ariel
Rating: PG
Pairing: Gen (S/W Friendship)
Summary: If she fell asleep, would she wake up here on Atlantis, or trapped in a nightmare world where everything was gone?
Spoilers: The Real World
The water had turned cold long ago, but she hadn’t turned it off. She felt that it was the only thing keeping her awake, her mind too fearful to let her sleep. If she fell asleep, would she wake up here on Atlantis, or trapped in a nightmare world where everything was gone?
The cold also made her feel alive, the cold droplets rolling down her pale skin, chilling her body. She could feel her pulse as the blood rushed through her body, trying desperately to keep her rapidly cooling body warm.
Eventually, she had to turn the shower off. The last thing she wanted right now was to be back in the infirmary. Could it really have only been a few hours? Could she have lived so much of her life in such a short time? Except, it wasn’t really her life.
Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she dried her body roughly, watching as her skin became red. It didn’t hurt much, but it was enough to remind her that this was real, to remind her that this was her body in her home. She didn’t bother to dry her hair; it wasn’t exactly a priority at the moment.
Pulling a dressing gown on, she stepped into her room and looked around. Everything was there, just as it had been when they’d arrived back on Atlantis. Her bed was unmade, with clothes strewn across it. The windows were partially open, allowing the cool night air to blow through. The curtains billowed in the breeze, dancing in the empty air. She glanced at her desk, where her fathers watch now lay, its chain snaking across the top. Her laptop lay next to it, the Atlantis logo staring back at her in the dim light. Mighty Pegasus, the winged horse, flying freely.
Next to it was a bottle of pills. To see them, her heart skipped a beat. Was she sure this was her world? What if those pills were another trick by the nanites? Her mind was trying to convince her they were just the sleeping tablets Carson had given her long ago, when her world had become so difficult to navigate. But still, the little voice of concern persisted. What if she had never left that world?
A knock at the door cause her to jump out of her skin. Her blood ran cold as the sound echoed around her room. Were these the orderlies, come to take her back to her little white room? Had they come to imprison her in that cell, and try to imprison her mind? She wasn’t strong enough to fight back this time, her body drained by her fear of sleeping. If they burst through her door and seized her, she would be trapped. This world would fade once more, and she would be lost in a world of veiled illusions.
“Elizabeth? Elizabeth are you in there?” asked the voice from behind the door. It was a voice she knew well, and a voice she trusted. He had saved her before, pulling her away from the brink of destruction. He had done it many times in fact, his last one saving her mind rather than just her body.
“It’s open,” she called out, her voice sounding so weak to her ears, and yet so loud in the emptiness of her room. She watched the door as it slid open, and there he was. John Sheppard. He looked just as he had done in the SGC, not that he knew that. He had been there for her in that world, not that she had realised until much later. He had saved her life in that world, but he would never realise. That was unless she decided to tell him, but now was not the time.
“You okay?” he asked slowly, stepping into the room. She wondered what she looked like to him, the leader of the city in a dressing gown with soaking wet hair. To him, she looked so small and fragile, just as she had done lying on that bed surrounded by machines. It had scared him to see her like that, but there was nothing he could have done. He still wasn’t sure why he’d gone into the quarantine and taken hold of her arm. Something told him it would help, for her to know he was there for her. So she could know she wasn’t alone.
“I just…I couldn’t…” she started, searching for words that weren’t there, no matter how hard she tried. To explain what she was feeling would take a lifetime. Unable to think of what to do or say, she turned her eyes to the floor, unable to meet his gaze. She heard him move forwards, his combat boots eventually gracing her line of vision.
“Elizabeth?” he asked once more, her name echoing in her own mind. For a while, she had never expected to hear him say her name again. For a while, he was lost to her. They were all lost to her.
“I don’t know if it’s real,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. But he heard the words as they drifted on the night time air. With no words to respond with, John took one more step forwards and wrapped his arms around her slim body. Elizabeth closed her eyes and savoured the feeling as she was pressed close to his body. She could feel the warmth of his body through her thin gown. She could hear his pulse as she pressed her head to his chest. She felt his hand on her hair as he gently stroked the dampened curls.
“It’s okay Elizabeth. It’s going to be okay,” he said at last, but he didn’t release her from his arms. She let the words hang in the air, letting them slowly sink in. Was he right, would she be okay? Even as she thought this, though, she knew it was true. Her friends had been there for her in her hour of need, and they would be there now to help pick up the fractured pieces. She was no longer alone in a world in her mind. She was home once more.
End
In the meantime:
Title: A World of Veiled Illusions
Author: rhin_ariel
Rating: PG
Pairing: Gen (S/W Friendship)
Summary: If she fell asleep, would she wake up here on Atlantis, or trapped in a nightmare world where everything was gone?
Spoilers: The Real World
The water had turned cold long ago, but she hadn’t turned it off. She felt that it was the only thing keeping her awake, her mind too fearful to let her sleep. If she fell asleep, would she wake up here on Atlantis, or trapped in a nightmare world where everything was gone?
The cold also made her feel alive, the cold droplets rolling down her pale skin, chilling her body. She could feel her pulse as the blood rushed through her body, trying desperately to keep her rapidly cooling body warm.
Eventually, she had to turn the shower off. The last thing she wanted right now was to be back in the infirmary. Could it really have only been a few hours? Could she have lived so much of her life in such a short time? Except, it wasn’t really her life.
Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she dried her body roughly, watching as her skin became red. It didn’t hurt much, but it was enough to remind her that this was real, to remind her that this was her body in her home. She didn’t bother to dry her hair; it wasn’t exactly a priority at the moment.
Pulling a dressing gown on, she stepped into her room and looked around. Everything was there, just as it had been when they’d arrived back on Atlantis. Her bed was unmade, with clothes strewn across it. The windows were partially open, allowing the cool night air to blow through. The curtains billowed in the breeze, dancing in the empty air. She glanced at her desk, where her fathers watch now lay, its chain snaking across the top. Her laptop lay next to it, the Atlantis logo staring back at her in the dim light. Mighty Pegasus, the winged horse, flying freely.
Next to it was a bottle of pills. To see them, her heart skipped a beat. Was she sure this was her world? What if those pills were another trick by the nanites? Her mind was trying to convince her they were just the sleeping tablets Carson had given her long ago, when her world had become so difficult to navigate. But still, the little voice of concern persisted. What if she had never left that world?
A knock at the door cause her to jump out of her skin. Her blood ran cold as the sound echoed around her room. Were these the orderlies, come to take her back to her little white room? Had they come to imprison her in that cell, and try to imprison her mind? She wasn’t strong enough to fight back this time, her body drained by her fear of sleeping. If they burst through her door and seized her, she would be trapped. This world would fade once more, and she would be lost in a world of veiled illusions.
“Elizabeth? Elizabeth are you in there?” asked the voice from behind the door. It was a voice she knew well, and a voice she trusted. He had saved her before, pulling her away from the brink of destruction. He had done it many times in fact, his last one saving her mind rather than just her body.
“It’s open,” she called out, her voice sounding so weak to her ears, and yet so loud in the emptiness of her room. She watched the door as it slid open, and there he was. John Sheppard. He looked just as he had done in the SGC, not that he knew that. He had been there for her in that world, not that she had realised until much later. He had saved her life in that world, but he would never realise. That was unless she decided to tell him, but now was not the time.
“You okay?” he asked slowly, stepping into the room. She wondered what she looked like to him, the leader of the city in a dressing gown with soaking wet hair. To him, she looked so small and fragile, just as she had done lying on that bed surrounded by machines. It had scared him to see her like that, but there was nothing he could have done. He still wasn’t sure why he’d gone into the quarantine and taken hold of her arm. Something told him it would help, for her to know he was there for her. So she could know she wasn’t alone.
“I just…I couldn’t…” she started, searching for words that weren’t there, no matter how hard she tried. To explain what she was feeling would take a lifetime. Unable to think of what to do or say, she turned her eyes to the floor, unable to meet his gaze. She heard him move forwards, his combat boots eventually gracing her line of vision.
“Elizabeth?” he asked once more, her name echoing in her own mind. For a while, she had never expected to hear him say her name again. For a while, he was lost to her. They were all lost to her.
“I don’t know if it’s real,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. But he heard the words as they drifted on the night time air. With no words to respond with, John took one more step forwards and wrapped his arms around her slim body. Elizabeth closed her eyes and savoured the feeling as she was pressed close to his body. She could feel the warmth of his body through her thin gown. She could hear his pulse as she pressed her head to his chest. She felt his hand on her hair as he gently stroked the dampened curls.
“It’s okay Elizabeth. It’s going to be okay,” he said at last, but he didn’t release her from his arms. She let the words hang in the air, letting them slowly sink in. Was he right, would she be okay? Even as she thought this, though, she knew it was true. Her friends had been there for her in her hour of need, and they would be there now to help pick up the fractured pieces. She was no longer alone in a world in her mind. She was home once more.
End