Borealis (Stargate Atlantis FF)

Chapter 1 The trip back

It was a late night and there was no one in sight in the mess, but they decided that Sam's new-old quarters were much better for this talk. They were both restless since the trip has begun and letting Lorne and Zelenka handle everything was not really helping to ease the tension.

"It's borderline maddening." Samantha Carter commented after handing John a beer.

"But you've made a lot of hyperspace travels, you should be used to it."

"It was different." She grumbled.

"Ah..." Said John knowingly. "You actually had SOMETHING to do then, right?"

They both laughed then. They were tired from doing nothing all day.

"Yup..." She gulped her beer. "What about you, not envious about Lorne in the chair?"

"Nope, he deserves to fly, good pilot for this kind of ship."

There was a pause then and silence. John was the first to break it.

"Why did you agree to this post?" He asked.

"It's a big opportunity for me." She replied almost without hesitation.

"I mean what about leaving Earth?" He dug deeper. "I'm sure I remember Rodney telling me something about your talk when you were stuck underground... He said something about a man..."

"I'm gonna need another beer..." Sam got up and went in the direction of her secret stash. "Want one as well?" she asked John holding a can to him.

"I mean, the general is still on Earth, in Washington..."

"What are you talking about?" Sam tried to look like she didn't know what this was all about.

"Oh, come on, it's probably the worst kept secret in the Air Force right now." John commented with a grin. "And since you keep getting the good jobs I think nobody has a problem with that."

"John..."

"Don't be uneasy about it." He put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting and supportive manner. "I'm happy for you, it's hard to find someone special with our job."

"It's not like we can openly be together." Sam whispered. "The regulations..."

"Isn't he going to retire?"

"There is too much to do still... He is needed."

"So are you."

There was another silent moment and then it was Carter to ask an uncomfortable question.

"Were you two lovers?"

"What? Who?" John was sincerely oblivious as to the point of the question.

"You and Weir... were you two 'together'?" Sam had given him another beer to ease the talk even more. It was a question that had been nagging her for quite some time. "You two looked very close and your behavior when she was lost..."

"No." He stated calmly and firmly. "We were just good friends and partners in leading the city. There was nothing romantic between us."

"Nothing romantic?" Sam probed.

"No romance at all." He confirmed.

"John?" Carter looked at him and saw how he averted his gaze, how he was reluctant to meet her eyes even after the beer. "There is something more in there, isn't it?" She prodded. "John, were you two lovers?"

John stood up and started pacing. Sam looked at the colonel with a strange feeling building inside. He would have denied if he could. This talk was beginning to be much too personal and much too disturbing. If Sheppard and Weir were in fact sharing the bed it would have totally changed the way everyone looked at their interactions. Thank god her room was shielded from anything that could leak the secrets shared in there.

"It was just one night." John spoke at last. "Just after she came back from Earth after the mess with the wraith hives." He explained. "We both needed some reassurance, but Elizabeth was simply shaken by what happened. She couldn't sleep and was disturbed by the situation. We spent the night together, had sex and resumed our duties. It didn't happen again. We were back to our working relationship."

"No one noticed something was different?" Sam was curious.

"Beckett knew, he was always the one with high amount of empathy." John smiled and sat back on the bed. "We admitted to taking comfort in each other's arms the very next day when he confronted us during the usual checkups."

"So you cared for each other far more than you were expected to, didn't you?" Sam asked with a little smile. John just nodded. "It's completely human, John, you don't have to be uneasy about it," Sam used his own phrase, "at least when we are alone."

"Thanks for listening."

"Right back at you.

They were lying on her bed not long after that, drinking another beer. They managed to get themselves in good mood again and into some much needed funny and amusing topics. Their talk went back to the light banter it originally started with.

They woke up in what was considered morning by the timekeeping on the City in hyperspace. Everything hurt. Lying on the bed with head on the wall and legs off the piece of furniture could do that to you. And the headache...

"Oh my..." Sam winced getting up from the bed. "My head is..."

"Yeah..." confirmed John getting to his feet. "I hate hangovers too."

They looked at themselves and both winced. Their clothes were wrinkled and they looked like hell.

"Crap." Decided John. "It's going to look suspicious if I stroll from your room looking like that."

"We can survive that, John." Whined Sam again. "Just be quick. We'll see each other at the briefing in" she checked the clock standing on her nightstand "half an hour. See you in the conference room."

Then next two days were filled with the preparations for coming back to Lantia. The planet was chosen because of the best possible spot and overall conditions. The large ocean that was the original resting place for the city and lush mainland with a possibility to inhabit and provide some very much needed R&R was the best they could do. And since the replicators were already defeated and annihilated there was no real danger.

Securing all the equipment and checking and rechecking everything was what they did. Then, after coming out of hyperspace John sat in the chair and landed. It was his second landing and it went very well, much better than they all expected. It might have been because of all the improvements integrated into the systems since landing on Earth. Nothing was damaged and no one was injured and it was much more than could be said for the other two landings performed by Atlantis in recent time.

Just like after landing on Earth the crew took their time to appreciate the sight. It seemed that everyone went out on the balconies to welcome back the place they were going to work in. John spotted a lot of people he used to know from their first three years in Pegasus and who requested to be transferred back to Earth after Elizabeth's death. It was a sad reminder that some of them didn't make it back.

"What are you thinking about?" Asked Sam coming a little closer to him.

"Elizabeth liked it here, you know, she would be happy to be back."

"She is missed by the people she used to lead." She commented. "I remember feeling a little awkward when they resigned this job just after I came here."

"It was not about you." Provided John.

"I know but it still seemed like they were not happy about me."

"Now they came back..."

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "Now we can build a new history here. I just wish there was someone to help us with the Wraith."

"I don't know about you but I kind of feel being watched since just after we entered this galaxy." John smiled. "It's almost like some force told me we are safe."

"I thought it was just me..." Sam wondered. "We will probably find out soon enough if there is something behind the feeling."

"Yeah, I bet we will, and very soon."