Springtime for Atlantis - Part Three

[cait]

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Rodney said vehemently, stuffing tiny pink things into a bag.  “With all of these special crews going off to check out ‘strange occurrences,’ we’re really getting stretched.”

“Yeah,” John grabbed a soft yellow thing and held on to it.  “But, Rodney, should we be doing this?”

Rodney looked at him, flabbergasted.  “She almost killed you! And me!  And thank god that that pier wasn’t, oh, I don’t know, a keystone to the foundation of the city, she would have killed us all!”

“I know.” John twisted the blanket in his hands.  “Maybe we should go with her, go to a deserted planet or something.”

“John.” Rodney grabbed his hands.  “I’ve been researching that planet, where she was born?”

“Really?”

“Well no,” Rodney admitted, “I had what's-her-face, the useless one who lives over by the mess do it, but I read all of the information.”

Rodney took the blanket out of John’s hands and put it in the bag.

“Ten thousand years before the Ancients left Atlantis that planet used to be a penal colony for the Ancients.” 

“Like Australia?” John was intrigued, despite himself.

“Yeah,” Rodney said, “Friedrich and the rest of the anthropologists are going nuts.  But apparently one or two of the Ancients stayed behind when they dropped the program and transferred all the prisoners.”

John sat on the bed, heavily.

“For thousands of years that planet’s entire culture was entirely devoted to hating the Ancients.” Rodney sat down beside John.  “They apparently gave it up when the Ancients came to earth, but who knows?”

“So Nora,” John started, feeling a little relieved, despite himself. “So Nora –“

“We don’t know.  Maybe she was sent here to cause trouble, maybe not.”  Rodney grabbed John’s hands again.  “But John.  She can be happy and have a good family on some safe planet.”

John nodded.  It would be the least he could do for his daughter.

 

*

 

Lorne and Cadman were standing together in the hall just outside of the infirmary wing, arguing in whispers. 

Rodney paused. “Should we?” He jerked his hands back in the direction they had come. “Privacy?”

“Nah,” John said, checking his watch, “Elizabeth said not to be late.”

“I hate you, asshole,” Cadman hissed finally, pushing Lorne out of the way.  “We are over.”

John and Rodney nodded at her as she went by.  They stopped awkwardly at Lorne.

“Women,” Lorne said, looking suspiciously moist around the eyes.  “Who needs ‘em.”

John put his hand on Lorne’s arm; Lorne did have that artistic temperament, who knew what he might do.

“Whoa, Shep,” Lorne had tensed up.  “I still like the ladies in that way.”

 “Carry on with that, then.”  John scowled at him; Rodney laughed.

Lorne rolled his eyes and walked away, but, John comforted himself, he did look slightly happier.

When they got into the infirmary, all of the nurses hugged him.  One of them passed him Nora, and John swore he could see tears in her eyes. 

Nora was dressed, as usual, in pink, with an embroidered rabbit on the front.  She stared at him, eyes big in her bobbling head, and she started to cry. 

Rodney ducked. 

John smashed her against his chest, and looked around wildly, but nothing happened.

He eased her back so she could look at him.  Her eyes were all red and her lower lip was trembling.

“John.” Elizabeth’s voice was in his ear. “they’re here.”

John took the blanket the nurse, who also had a trembling lip, was offering, and put it carefully over his shoulder.

“Come on baby,” he said to the top of Nora’s head, “time to meet your family.”

 

*

 

The gateroom was packed with people and they all had a little something for Nora that they were pressing into Rodney’s hands.  More than a few people were openly crying and even more than that were discreetly wiping their eyes. 

Elizabeth was wearing a dark suit and was standing solemnly next to a youngish couple dressed in peasant clothes. 

Kate Heightmeyer stopped John before he got to Elizabeth. 

“Hi John,” she said with a sad smile. “Why don’t you give Nora to me now?  It’s best if you don’t meet the new parents.”

“Okay,” said John.  He looked at Rodney, who was uncharacteristically subdued; Rodney looked away, eyes red. 

“Do they – “ John nodded toward the couple, “Does –“ But he didn’t know quite what to ask.  He looked at Nora, who was staring up at him, tear marks all down her little face. 

“Does their planet get culled often?” Rodney’s voice broke in the middle of the question.

Kate looked so very sympathetic that John had to look away.  “No,” she said gently.  “They have some sort of shield.”

She looked John straight in the eye.  “They are very nice people, Rodney, John.  She’ll be happy.”

John handed Nora over to Kate, and turned away before he could see the couple walk through the Stargate.  Rodney grabbed hold of his hand, and he squeezed it hard as they left the gateroom.

God, what a relief.

 

*

 

 

John got a lot of hugs the first week Nora was gone, and the kitchen staff sent over a basket of cookies.  Ronon clapped his shoulder, and cut off one of his dreadlocks to signify mourning. There was no mention to John directly of how Nora was a doomed soul, but Roberts, who helped out the priest once a week during service, mentioned that Ronon was spending a lot of time down in the chapel singing Satedan songs of repentance.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened in Atlantis, and as the second week progressed John let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.  Two Marines had showed up one day, and solemnly moved John and Rodney’s things into another apartment – a sunny, big room with a balcony that was just down the hall from the lab area.  Their old room was emptied, but it still had its pink walls and Lorne’s picture hanging.  John went in one Saturday in search of his lucky socks, and found that people had pinned pictures of their own lost children on the walls. 

Elizabeth had come in and stood at John’s side as he stared at the photos of babies and teenagers, notes saying goodbye to lost loved ones, and dried flowers and candles covering two entire walls of the room.

“Some people come to Atlantis because it’s an adventure, to discover things we’ve only dreamed of,” Elizabeth said quietly, eyes on the shrine. “But most people only can if they’ve lost all connections on earth.”

“Elizabeth,” John started, his voice rough. “I – “

But he didn’t have anything to say.

“Hope,” Elizabeth said softly.  “It was the right decision, John, but she gave people hope that there could be a future here.”

John turned to look at her.  She was smiling softly.

“Did you know that two of the scientists are getting married?” Elizabeth said, putting her hand on John’s arm.  “People are starting to settle down, to make families.”

John swallowed the lump in his throat.  He would keep them safe.

“It’s not just a job anymore,” Elizabeth was looking at him, but John had the feeling that she wasn’t talking to him. “You can let yourself live.”

Elizabeth started, suddenly, and let go of his arm. “John.  Baby.  Very sad.  But life moves on, embrace the present.” She patted him briskly on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Elizabeth.”  He should feel worse about the baby, but he really couldn’t.  He did what he had to do to protect his people. 

Elizabeth smiled at him and left.  John let out a sigh.  It was awful, he knew, but life was going on for him normally, he was less upset over Nora than most people.  He was busy, with missions and paperwork, and sometimes when someone looked at him and started to cry he had to think wildly for a second on what might be upsetting them. 

 

*

 

He and Rodney were heading down to the mess that afternoon; John not especially looking forward to the wide berth most people gave him, or the impromptu therapy sessions with Heightmeyer while he tried to eat his lunch.  He now knew that more Atlantis personnel than he had thought possible had had secret adoptions at one point.  Apparently the members of their expedition were a fertile bunch. 

Rodney was talking about something that had happened in the labs earlier, and John let the words wash over him, reveling in the comforting cadences of his rage.  He was so wrapped up in the way Rodney’s voice rose and fell in harmony with the movement of his hands, that he almost walked straight into Lorne and Cadman, who were practically having sex in the hallway outside of the armory.

“Hey,” said Cadman, not removing her hands from Lorne’s ass, “watch out.”

Rodney stopped talking mid-word and took a step backwards.

“Carry on,” John said mildly.  It was nice to see them back together again.  It had been tense with them glaring at each other constantly.

They did, wholeheartedly, and John was kind of amazed that Lorne could get his tongue that far into Cadman’s mouth. 

John started walking again, but Rodney just stood there, appalled. 

“Hey Rodney,” Cadman smirked as she arched her neck so Lorne could gain access.  “You know, I might have picked this up when I was in your body.”

Rodney sputtered.  “As if, as if I-“

Lorne looked up and smiled with too many teeth to be friendly.  “That’s even more disgusting than Laura dating Beckett.”

Cadman shoved him playfully.  “Don’t joke about that.”

Rodney started walking quickly, face red.

“Rodney!”  John hurried to catch up. “Where are you going!”

“Well we can’t go to the mess now,” Rodney said without turning around.  “I don’t even know if I can ever eat again.”

They switched direction to the gateroom.  There was usually something going on there that time of day for Rodney to be enraged about, plus, John thought, rubbing his belly, they usually brought in sandwiches for people working over the lunch shift.

But as soon as Rodney was distracted enough with some new piece of Ancient tech an offworld team had brought back so that he could go grab the last blue rat thing sandwich, the klaxons went off.

John looked at the sandwich longingly.  He wondered if he’d been conspicuous enough that people would notice if he’d just slip out.

“Off world activation!” Chuck sounded exited.  He didn’t get to do this as much as he wanted too.  “Col. Sheppard! What should we do?”

Damn.  Spotted.

“Who is it?” he asked, jogging up to the DHD console.

“MXC-8C4,” Chuck replied, pushing buttons frantically. “They’re usually friendly.”

John looked at the people assembled in the gateroom.  Any non-military personnel had hurried to the back of the room and all troops had fallen into position led by Lorne, who had rushed in. 

“Let ‘em in.”  John grabbed the P-90 that was kept under the console desk and shielded Chuck with his body.  “Get ready to throw up the shield.”

The whole of the gateroom held its breath, and John heard the click of safeties go off around the room. 

A man, dirty and hunched over holding a bundle, staggered through the gate, all alone.  He fell to his knees as soon as he stepped through the gate.

“Get the med units down here,” John yelled as he hurried down the stairs to the man.  “Close the gate.”

The man was breathing normally, but he was pale under all that dirt. 

“What happened!” John checked the man’s pulse, it was erratic and fast, but the man was looking up at him with surprisingly steady eyes.

“I saved her,” he croaked.  “Everyone else – gone, but I saved her.”

He thrust the bundle out to John.  John, heart in his throat looked down.  It was Nora and her eyes were open and staring placidly at John out of her dirty face.

“There was a landslide” the man was breathing deeply.  “It hasn’t happened in anyone’s memory or in any of our histories.  Then an earthquake, it killed all the rescuers.”

John looked down at Nora, who was sucking her dirty fist benignly. 

“Then an explosion, it damaged the gate and set fires through the village.”  The man looked up at John.  “What could have brought this evil upon us?”

Rodney, listening across the room, was pale. 

This time, John caught Nora’s foot in his hand before it connected with his neck.  He narrowed his eyes at her. 

The glass walls that lined the gateroom exploded.

 

*

 

“But it’s impenetrable glass,” Rodney insisted.  “You couldn’t break it if you shot a gun straight at it.”

John was sitting in one of the labs, where they were holding their staff meeting.  It was evening, and the clean up crews had been working since that afternoon trying to get the rooms around the gateroom usable again. 

“There is no scientific reason for these disruptions,” Rodney darted a glance over at John.  “We can’t keep blaming seismic activity, because there isn’t any.”

“We need to figure out what is causing this, gentlemen.” Elizabeth steepled her fingers. 

“I think I –“  It sounded crazy, he knew, but it was time to let Elizabeth in on what was really happening.

Elizabeth was touching her earpiece and looking serious.  She nodded twice. 

“I’ll be right there,” she stood up, “There’s been another incident.”

“Where’s Nora?” Rodney blurted out.

Elizabeth’s look of distress softened.  “It was in the infirmary, but Nora’s all right, even though she was there.”

Rodney’s lips went thin and white.  John felt a thudding in his ears.  Now was the time to tell her.

 He closed his eyes, preparing himself.  He opened them: Elizabeth was gone, and Rodney was looking at him like he was a crazy person.

 

*

 

He sat in the mess later, picking at his food and twirling the salt shaker around the table.  This was getting ridiculous.  How had people detected witches?  He vaguely remembered something about throwing them in the water to see if they would float and something about making them recite the Lord’s Prayer. 

He looked glumly across the room at Cadman and Lorne, who were laughing quietly with each other.  He and Rodney had been like that once, but now they had an evil baby.  He totally understood women and their craziness now. 

Everyone was coupled up.  Teyla and that scientist, Branton were at the next table over.  John had wanted to sit with Teyla, and maybe get some soothing yet sensible advice, but as soon as he had started walking towards her she had started shooting him looks of death.

So he sat forlornly in the mess hall, picking at his food and contemplating how seriously fucked up he and Rodney must be if their combined DNA produced Satan. 

“Hello.” Elizabeth sat down beside him, banging her tray down with an audible thud.  “I think I’m going to change the fraternization rules.”

Elizabeth was glaring at Teyla, who had her arm on Branton’s arm and her foot entwined around his.

“It’s not emotionally healthy.” Elizabeth picked up her pudding cup and looked at it sadly.  “It just makes everyone unhappy.”

John couldn’t agree more. 

“Could you open this?” Elizabeth held out her pudding cup beseechingly.  “I don’t think I can manage it.”

John looked at the pudding – it had an aluminum top and John had seen Elizabeth open it by herself countless times.

“What?” John said.  “You can open it yourself.” 

He hadn’t meant to sound so rude.

“I know.” Elizabeth’s face crumpled. “I will be alone forever.”

She buried her head in John’s shoulder.  John patted her hair awkwardly and looked around to see if anyone could rescue him.  Teyla was looking over at them, but she was smiling wildly.  She waved a little.

“What the fuck!” John heard, and without even looking to see what was happening, he pushed Elizabeth under the table.

She went down easily, and it turned out she wasn’t the only one being shoved under tables, when John stood up to help he was the only one in the whole room standing, but he stayed up for longer than he should have, looking around the room for Nora.

Because a goddamn tornado was whirling around the mess, tearing up tables and chairs, throwing people across the room, sending knives and forks flying out like bombs. 

John crouched down, fast, he hadn’t seen her, and because that salt shaker he’d been fiddling with was flying off the table along with everything else and almost whacked him in the head.  It smashed against a flying tray instead, and the lid came off and salt went flying everywhere.

John couldn’t even process the itchiness of salt getting into his eyes, because there was a crash and a bang and then – a flash of something before the tornado disappeared with a scream and what sounded like mild, “Och, No.”

John straightened up, unsure.  He couldn’t possibly have seen – there was absolutely no way –

“Was that?” Lorne said, and he looked around the room at the slowly straightening up people.  “Did anyone else see –“

Whispers circled the room.  Elizabeth was shaking her head in disbelief.

“I could have sworn I saw –“ She had trouble getting the words out.

“The ghost of Carson.” John finished.  The room went silent.  “We are being haunted by the ghost of Carson Beckett.”

 

*

 

Word traveled fast around Atlantis, and John didn’t know what he should do first: laugh, cry, or go back to Earth where things like this never, ever happened.

He wound up radioing Rodney, who laughed and laughed when John told him.

“Is it any more unlikely than an evil alien baby?”  John said peevishly.

There was a second of silence.  “How do you get rid of a ghost, anyways?”

John had no clue. 

He was standing in the gateroom, watching Rodney and Chuck trying to calibrate the life sign detectors to detect paranormal activity, when a young Lt., just off the Daedelus, came up to him.

“Sir,” he said, and John had known his name last week, he’d read his file twice.  Father was a Marine; guy was a new recruit who knew how to fight dirty.

“Yes,” Winchester.  That was his name. “Lt. Winchester?”

“I know how to get rid of a ghost.”

John scrutinized him.  He didn’t look like a teenage girl trying to piss off her parents by being Wicca.

“Done it often?” 

Winchester smiled, sharp and dangerous.  “Done it enough.  Me, my dad and my kid brother used to go hunting.”

John nodded.  This guy was officially the scariest guy on base, surpassing even Cap. Crazy Eyes. 

“You gotta salt this guy’s bones, and then torch ‘em.”

“His bones are on earth?” 

Winchester nodded grimly, like he’d been expecting this.  “Nothing is ever easy, is it.”

And that made about as much sense as anything else.

 

*

 

John went along with a full unit of Marines, and a few scientists who promised to do their readings and tests from the very back of the room.  They were in Carson’s room, which was still full of the boxes Rodney had filled with his effects. 

Winchester had shaken his head grimly when he heard that.  “There’s something in there.  Something holding him here, we might as well take out the whole room.”

John didn’t really have a problem with that – Elizabeth had looked at him sideways upon hearing this, but hadn’t said anything.  No one really had anything to say that wouldn’t sound absolutely crazy. 

Rodney was looking skeptical as salt and kerosene were being poured over Carson’s floor. 

“This has absolutely no basis in fact, you know.” Rodney tapped halfheartedly into his data pad. “Ghosts do not exist.”

“Hello, everybody.”   John jumped two feet even though it was just Carson’s mild Scottish burr, not the bellowing howl he’d been imagining.

“Good lord,” Rodney said.  “You haven’t changed at all since my drug induced hallucination.”

And it was true; Carson was dressed in his Atlantis med uniform, hair sticking up and with a worried expression on his face. He was glowing and a little transparent, but John barely even noticed.

“Carson!” Rodney’s mouth was open wide.

Mmmm, thought John, and then smacked himself, because this was the touching reunion between his baby daddy and his best friend.

“You almost killed me with a scalpel!”  Maybe it wasn’t going to be such a touching reunion.

“Ach,” Carson looked a bit peeved. “Well you shouldn’a have got in my way.”

Death had changed Carson, John mused.  He looked thinner.

“I had to come back.”  Carson looked at everyone in the room.  “I had to fight for what I love.”

“Your wee turtles?” asked John, feeling a little bit bad.  Maybe they could learn to deal with the mayhem.

“No,” said Carson, looking at John like he was the destructive glowing ghost, “for Laura.”

“What?”  Cadman, who was standing near the back, sounded unamused.  “Carson.  We broke up six months before you died.  I’ve told you to stop calling me.”

“But you cannae mean it,” Carson wheedled. “My mum said you sounded perfect for me.”

Cadman looked flabbergasted.  John understood how she felt. 

“You came back to the dead for me?” Cadman sounded a little flattered.  “Even though I told you that you were momma’s boy who would never get laid?”

“Aye,” Carson said, stretching out his hands.  “And to kill Lorne.”

“Lorne?” John said, shocked out of silence.  “What did he ever do to you?”

Carson’s mouth puckered.  “He stole my lady love.”

One of the Marines bit back a laugh.  Lorne shifted awkwardly from one foot to another. 

“Sorry,” Lorne offered.  “Wish I’d gone fishing with you.  That painting wasn’t very good, anyways.”

Carson gave a put upon sigh.

The whole room was silent. 

“I have a baby now,” John said, trying to break the silence.

“I know!” said Carson.  “And such a sweet thing.  I’m glad she’s not here to see this”

Carson threw up his hands and Lorne flew up to the ceiling, choking for air.  Lorne scrabbled at his neck, and kicked but he was slowly turning blue.

Carson was cackling madly, and John instinctively pulled his gun and started shooting. 

“Civilians.” Lt. Winchester rolled his eyes and lit a match. 

Lorne fell to the ground gasping for air as the room started to go up into flames.  John, who had been hustling people out the door, rushed over. 

“Christ.” Lorne was struggling to his feet.  “Will you look at that.”

Carson was staring at his hands and arms as he dissolved into flames.  He looked confusedly up at John.

“I’m a doctor – “ he started, and then he burst into ash.

“Never thought I’d see that again,” Winchester was staring meditatively at the flames.

John spat. 

“Now what?” Rodney asked, pulling John out of the room.  Lorne followed and almost crashed into the crew coming into put out the fire.

John looked at Rodney, whose hair was turning gold under the light of the fire.  “I really don’t know.”

Rodney looked at John with disgust.  “I sincerely hope this is not romantic for you.”

John flushed a little. 

“Well it is for some people.” John motioned over to Lorne and Cadman who were kissing obscenely in front of everyone. 

“Yeah, well,” Rodney said, “she dated Carson.”

 

*

 

The infirmary was quiet; most of the nurses were gathered by the door, trading stories about how they had always known Carson was a supernatural psychopath. 

“Hi there,” John said, leaning over Nora’s crib.  “Hi there, non-evil baby.”

Nora stared at him contemplatively, but, John thought, it was kinda cute.

“I’m your dad,” John said.  “You’re going to grow up and play baseball and do math and I’ll take you for rides in the puddlejumper.”

Nora looked at him and gurgled.

John ducked and looked around frantically.  After a minute he straightened up, feeling foolish.

“Sorry about that,” he said.  “Old habits die hard.”

Nora threw up just as his radio buzzed.

“John.” Elizabeth sounded odd. 

“I’m just up with Nora,” John said, mopping Nora’s mouth with a cloth. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said, and she still sounded strange.  John tapped his earpiece.  “Come down to the control room.  Bring Nora.”

“What’s wrong?” John picked Nora up, carefully putting her over his shoulder and patting her back.

“Oh, John.” Elizabeth’s voice broke a little, and then she signed off.

Nora looked at John and blinked.

“I agree.  I wonder what’s wrong with her?”

 

*

 

Rodney met him in the hallway outside of the gateroom.

“Elizabeth call you?” he asked, putting his big hand on top of Nora’s head.  “Hello, not-ghost of Carson.”

“Yeah, but she said nothing was wrong.” John shifted Nora into a football hold as they passed through the doors. 

But as soon as they entered the room and everyone started staring at him, John knew that something was very, very wrong. 

Because Elizabeth was in tears and someone had taken down the large picture of a grimacing Nora emblazoned with What we’re all fighting for from over the console. 

John tightened his grip on the baby, but she was squirming in his arms.  John looked down, surprised.

She was smiling and reaching out her arms and kicking and wriggling towards – towards a man and a woman standing beside Elizabeth.

The couple burst into smiles as soon as they saw Nora, and John took in their blue eyes and dark, curly hair. 

“Gwinelda!” The woman cried, reaching out towards Nora.

Nora laughed, and stretched her arms out towards the woman.  John tightened his arms protectively and took a step backwards.

“Thank you.” The man stepped forward and pumped Rodney’s hand.  “Thank you for keeping our baby safe.”

The woman was laughing, tears streaming down her face.  “We thought our baby was dead.”

Nora was smiling and straining towards the woman.  As the woman stepped forward and took her out of John’s arms, Nora babbled happily and waved at John.

Arms feeling empty, John waved back.

John stood there beside Rodney as the happy, reunited family thanked Elizabeth profusely.  He even mustered a smile when the woman kissed him on both cheeks and the man pulled him into a tight hug.  His chest felt tight as they stepped through the gate.

“Huh.” John turned to Rodney when the iris had closed.  “I’m kinda sad that’s over.”

Rodney nodded, eyes a little red.  “She was pretty cute.”

“I miss her a little bit.”  John couldn’t look into Rodney’s eyes, but Rodney grabbed his hand. 

“We’ll see her again.” Rodney squeezed John’s hand.  “Maybe we’ll get another one.”

John gave a shaky laugh and felt his chest unclench a little.  “Maybe not.”

 

*

 

Nora came to visit two weeks later and by the time she left John was rubbing his ears in pain.

“I really don’t remember her being that loud,” John said mildly.

“I don’t think I’ll ever hear in that register again,” Rodney said, sticking his finger inside his ear.  The fact that John found this attractive was disturbing.

“Looks like everybody’s happy.” Elizabeth came to stand next to them and sighed as she nodded towards Teyla and Mike Branton, who were kissing on the balcony, Teyla shooting Elizabeth little looks whenever she could.

“I love you,” Ronon said, coming up behind Elizabeth. “Will you be my wife?”

Elizabeth looked thrilled.  “All right!”

Ronon nodded and walked away. 

“Do you even love him?” Rodney asked her skeptically. 

“He’s a wildman in bed,” Elizabeth said.  “And he comes from a matriarchal society.”

Rodney nodded, the tips of his ears going red.

“And this way we can have a double wedding with Laura and Evan!”  Elizabeth winked at John and Rodney.  “Maybe a triple?”

Rodney gaped and John felt himself tense.  Elizabeth just laughed as she turned away.

“No wedding,” Rodney said. 

“Of course not.” John said soothingly.  “I’d never get laid again.”

 

*

 

Ten feet away, Chuck watched all of this from the console. “All alone, all alone.”  He sighed deeply, planning his revenge on the happy couples of Atlantis.  “Fuck if I don’t hate springtime in Atlantis.”