Chapter Six

The day had been hectic to say the least so far. Major Lorne had been assigned to the reconnaissance mission on ‘her’ planet and she spent the time that his team was away going over every possible scenario in her mind of what they would bring back with them. She just hadn’t been in the mood to go off world the last couple days as they prepared Lorne’s team for what they needed to look for and what kind of information they needed to wheedle out of the people. Inevitably it was decided that there wasn’t much else they could do but go back under the guise of wanting to trade and make another ally. The people didn’t have much to offer in either instance but she trusted that Lorne could make it look good.

Even though the process would take longer than she would like, it would give her more time to prepare for whatever ‘test’ the Ancients had designed. If it was a physical test that they wanted, then she would be prepared. She had already stepped up her training regimen and was putting in some extra time sparring with Ronon. If it was some kind of mental test … well, there might be a little more trouble there. She had started meditating again after waking up in the morning and whenever she had a few spare moments but it just wasn’t her thing. She was more of a take action kinda girl than anything else but she would be as prepared for that eventuality if it came to pass as she could be.

Elizabeth was one of the best readers of the Ancient script and considering the value of the information that they would be getting had committed herself to aid Buffy in whatever translating that might be needed if anything was brought back. That was definitely something she was grateful for. She wasn’t all that talented with languages but whatever Elizabeth told her she was reading wouldn’t make much sense without someone who knew about the subtleties of her ‘profession’. In that, they would make a wonderful team.

Unfortunately, Lorne didn’t have any intel for her when he came back but he had created a good foundation of friendship amongst the town leaders which was of the good. Some of them, after all, were probably part of the Order.

Buffy walked away from her desk and went to stand on the balcony outside her office as she tried to calm her racing mind. There were a few people that Elizabeth had assigned to her for this particular project but seeing as there was nothing for them to do at the moment she released them. It was likely that they had gone back to do their ‘real’ jobs for the remainder of the day. There was only so much she felt comfortable sharing with them and she knew they could tell. It wasn’t in what they said but it was in the way they held themselves. They knew she knew more and felt like she was cutting them off at the legs on a silly little cultural history mystery of an insignificant little world. The only reason that Buffy thought they accepted the assignment was because they needed a break from all the ‘we’re doomed’ attitude that permeated some areas of Atlantis at times.

Buffy got a sick feeling and breathed in the crisp air of the ocean. She’d gotten the feeling before from time to time and it meant bad news was a-comin’. She’d had it since the morning but had brushed it off as a result of the stress she had been under in the last couple days which caused her appetite to lessen and her caffeine intake to skyrocket. She figured it would get better when Lorne got back with his intel but it didn’t. She leaned against the railing of the balcony and closed her eyes. Maybe it was time to do the meditation thing again.

She was just getting comfortable when Teyla walked in on her. Buffy smiled, she was the perfect distraction at the moment.

“What’s up Teyla? How go things in P-wherever you went?” she asked.

“Not well, I am afraid,” she said and walked further into the room. “There was a situation and Colonel Sheppard was injured. I thought you might like to know.”

Buffy stood up. “Where is he now?”

“They took him to the infirmary from the Stargate,” she answered.

“Thanks,” Buffy said before she sailed out of the office and quickly made her way to the infirmary.

Buffy had had one day with John before he went out on this mission and it had been a short one. Far too short considering that she didn’t expect him to come back to her broken.

She walked into the infirmary and was assaulted by the sterile smells of antiseptic and whatever plant or Wraith bit Beckett was dissecting at the moment. It made her belly ache practically double in intensity.

Buffy went to the hospital bed John was laying back on. “I don’t go on one mission with you, one, and you come back in a stretcher? What were you thinking?”

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Sheppard said calmly and grimaced slightly at the displeased expression on her face.

“Yes, and thank you for your concern for my injuries,” Rodney said petulantly.

“You walked in Rodney, how bad off can you be?” she replied.

“I’ll have you know that the conditions that we were subjected to on that planet were primitive at best. We’re lucky that we didn’t come back here in pieces,” he said and Buffy felt a strange sense of relief wash over her. If Rodney could be that dramatic about the situation then things couldn’t be as bad as her mind originally imagined.

Apparently Rodney wasn’t doing so badly either because after a bit of a whimper at what a nurse was doing to his hand he stood up.

“Now that I’ve received such inadequate care, I’ll be on my way. If I suddenly feel as though I’m going to collapse and die, don’t rush to, oh, I don’t know, save me or anything,” Rodney said and left the room muttering about witch doctors.

Carson had stopped wiping at John’s arm completely and was looking down at it oddly.

“You haven’t any wound here, Colonel,” he said puzzled.

Buffy came closer to the bed and absentmindedly took John’s hand as she looked at his other arm. “Where did all the blood come from then?”

“It hurt like hell,” Sheppard added.

“Are you sure the skin was broken?” Dr. Beckett asked.

“Pretty sure,” John said.

“How are you feeling now?”

“I feel fine,” John answered.

“Hmm, well that’s a bit odd now, isn’t it?” Carson mused.

Buffy looked at John’s arm and tried to come up with an explanation as to what happened.

“Is it possible that it’s not your blood?” she asked.

“What about the pain?” he countered.

“Maybe she could have hit you really quickly or accidentally pinched you instead of going for the kill?” Buffy asked, feeling a bit stupid at her impossible claim.

Honestly, what self respecting bad guy pinched their enemies?

“I’ll do some blood work and see what I can come up with,” Beckett said and picked up a needle for the job.

Buffy cringed in sympathy.

“So,” Beckett said with a bit of a smirk on his face, “is there something the two of you want to tell me?”

Buffy’s face scrunched up in confusion and she looked at Sheppard. He too, looked just as baffled.

“I didn’t go on the mission, I don’t know anything more than what I’ve heard in the halls on the way here,” she said carefully.

At that, Carson nodded down towards John’s lap and suddenly it all became clear. He had twined his fingers with hers and pulled her hand closer to himself sometime while Carson was examining him. When she looked back at Beckett he was sporting an impish grin.

John looked at Buffy a bit bashfully before clearing his throat and turning back to Carson.

“Listen Carson,” he said with a grin of his own as the good doctor was putting the needle in his arm, “we’re trying to keep this as much under the radar as we can for a little while.”

“Say no more,” Carson said as he was finishing up, “I won’t tell a soul.”

Buffy felt a sigh of relief escape her. “Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it, love,” he smiled. “It’s good to see that people are starting to make connections. It’s bloody strange, if you ask me, for everything to be so by the book when we’re so far away from anyone else from Earth. Not saying that the Athosians aren’t fine people but we really don’t have all that much in common with them besides their farming and whatnot.”

Sheppard looked up at her innocently and grinned. “Maybe now we can go on double dates with Carson and Lieutenant Cadman.”

Carson blushed a bit and Buffy felt a bit of sympathy for him. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? I mean, seriously John, going on a double date with a subordinate? That’s just not right.”

Sheppard sat up and put his vest back on after giving her a wink.

“So what now, doc?” he asked.

Carson, appreciating that the conversation went back to where it was originally and away from his own love life, went to a computer and pushed some buttons.

“It’ll take me about half a day to finish with your tests. Why don’t you come back a bit before dinner,” he said, already getting lost in his work.

“Sounds like a plan,” John said and patted his shoulder.

Buffy said goodbye and they left the infirmary together.

“So,” John said and looked at his watch, “what do you have planned for the next seven hours?”

“As much as I’d love to spend the day with you I actually have some important work to do regarding a little thing I like to call a ZPM,” she said heavily.

“Some intel came in today then, huh?”

“Not really, but I want to look over a thing or two again just the same. And if you’re feeling, and I quote, ‘fine’, then it would seem a little suspicious for me to be babying you.”

Sheppard theatrically put his hands over his heart. “You slay me!”

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned to face him when they walked into the elevator. After the door closed she turned to him and kissed him hard, passionately and didn’t let go until they were both out of breath.

The expression on his face when she let go of him was enough to make her feel a sense of feminine smugness for a moment.

“Do me a favor and don’t get killed while I’m working,” she threw behind her as the door opened to the floor her office was on and she turned to walk away.

With a grin on his face he decided to go see if Ronon wanted to go for a run instead of helping him train some of the soldiers. Even with his reputation for insubordination there were some orders that just weren’t meant to be disobeyed.