fic: "Left Behind" [Pt.5]
Aug. 24th, 2008 02:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
renisanzTITLE: Left Behind – Chapter 5
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: Many questions arise when Ronon brings an mysterious young woman to Atlantis. There are no easy answers. A sequel to “Leather” and “Let Go.”
CATEGORY: Angst/Drama/Mystery/Romance
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: 2,186
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: This story contains some spoilers for Season 4. Story is set sometime during Season 4, after “Quarantine.” Teyla's not pregnant, but the Athosians are still missing.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Left Behind - Pt.4
“She killed them with her brain.”
Under any other circumstances Dr. Jennifer Keller would have laughed. That was crazy talk. Then she quickly sobered as she reminded herself that Dr. Marc Pedersen was, in fact, serious as she had the test results in front of her to corroborate her colleagues findings, but. . .
“Are you certain of this?” Teyla's usually calm voice was tinged with doubt.
Jennifer looked up from the computer screen and at Marc's profile as he nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I mean, I'd like to do some more tests but the preliminary results indicate that this young woman, Seraih, possesses some,” he reached for the tablet and Jennifer handed it to him, “impressive mental abilities.”
“To say the least,” said Col. Sheppard.
Jennifer finally found her voice. “Alright, let's not jump to conclusions about what this could mean,” she said. She looked from Teyla to Sheppard, and willed herself not to look at Marc, as she could feel his disbelieving expression burning a hole in the side of her face.
Sheppard nodded, his jaw tense, “So, what's the plan then?”
Jennifer sighed. “Well, we need to brief Col. Carter on this new information, but,” she finally turned to Marc, “We need to conduct further tests to find out the extent of her abilities.” Jennifer had her suspicions about a few things, but she chose not to express them just yet.
“You don't think she's a danger to anyone?” Sheppard prodded, sparing a glance at Teyla.
“Well, no. The information we have so far is that Teyla was the only one affected by Seraih's,” Jennifer paused, trying to think of a better word to use to describe Seraih's abilities, but settled on “powers. And even then it may have been an instinctual reaction to the shock of what what was happening on her planet.”
“So, you're saying these 'powers' are unpredictable.”
“No,” Jennifer met John's measuring gaze. “I'm saying that I don't believe she's dangerous, but we need to do more tests to figure that out for sure, and know exactly what we're dealing with. We have to remember that she's a victim in all of this. Ronon wouldn't have brought here if he thought she would be a threat to us.”
“I agree, Colonel,” Teyla spoke up. “When Ronon and I finally found Seraih, she was in a great deal of distress. However, once she realized who we were, whatever she was doing with her mind seemed to cease.”
Teyla's statement seemed to satisfy the Colonel, for the moment. Jennifer hoped she was right.
“I need to get back to the infirmary,” Jennifer stated, as she got up from the table, away from her untouched tray of food.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“. . . and you found no one alive?”
“No.” A vision of pleading, intense brown eyes staring out of a face withered beyond recognition—almost.
“But. . . how can you be certain? It is possible they escaped through the Ancestral Ring,” Seraih looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. He had hoped the same thing, however, the evidence suggested otherwise. The disarray they had found in the town told that the Wraith had taken the inhabitants of Mira by surprise.
“You were the only person we found,” Ronon admitted. The only person we found alive. It was the grim truth. Before Seraih could ask more, he supplied. “We had out people go back to the planet, to search for survivors. We didn't find anyone.”
“They may have escaped and have yet to come back,” Seraih told him. “Someone could have. . .” she choked, wiping the fresh tears away as they spilled onto her flushed cheeks.
She was growing more agitated, and Ronon figured he should tell her something to give her hope. He stepped closer to her bed, and the movement caught her attention. “I once thought all my people were gone. When I first came here, to Atlantis, they sent this machine to my homeworld to see what had happened to it, if maybe I could go back home . . . It was destroyed.”
“By the Wraith,” she whispered.
“Yeah. Because we fought back,” Ronon stated gruffly. His throat still tightened at the memory. “Anyway, a little while later, I found out there were about 300 survivors from Sateda, living on other worlds.”
“You believe that people from my world have done the same.”
Ronon shrugged, choosing not to tell her what his gut said. “It's only been a few days.”
“They might yet return,” Seraih said the words as if she was not absolutely sure of it herself. Still there was a glimmer of hope in her voice at the prospect.
Ronon watched as Seraih looked down at her hands. Her slim fingers toyed with the cords of the pendant that had belonged to her husband. The fingers of her right hand found the small knot that was tied on that side of the pendant, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. She stopped the motion suddenly, and closed her hand around the pendant. “Others may have fled to the safety of other worlds, yes. That is a possibility,” she said, her voice thick with tears yet to come. “But Andri is gone. He is not coming back.”
No, Ronon answered silently. The Wraith who had fed upon the young man had made sure of that.
Seraih inhaled deeply and then released a ragged breath. She wiped at her now running nose with the back of her hand, and Ronon remembered the box of Kleenex on the stand next to her hospital bed. He pulled one out of the box and offered it to Seraih. She looked up at him in confusion, and Ronon made a gesture to show it was to wipe her nose and eyes.
He was surprised when she let out a wet, rueful laugh before accepting the tissue. “Thank you,” she said quietly, dabbing the tissue against her nose.
“How long must I stay here?”
Ronon was startled by the abrupt change of subject. He didn't know whether Seraih meant how long she would be on the infirmary, or in Atlantis as a whole. He chose to answer the former.
“Doc said for a few days at least, make sure everything's ok with your baby.” Ronon inclined his head slightly, indicating the life that persevered in Seraih's belly, visible even under the layers of sheets and a blanket. He might have gone overboard with wanting her to be as comfortable as possible while she slept.
Seraih accepted this. “Did you, uh,” she ran a hand through her hair, looked away and then met his eyes once more. “Did you inter the ones that fell to the Wraith?”
“Yeah. We buried them.” Ronon thought she would have asked more about Andri, but he decided it was better to just answer her as she asked.
“How many in all?”
“Eight.”
“That is all?”
“Yeah,” Ronon confirmed. He had thought that strange as well. There were hundreds of people just in the township where Seraih made her home.
“When I am well enough,” Seraih continued, “I would like to visit their place of rest.” Seraih yawned and relaxed against her pillows. She didn't seem to mind as exhaustion overtook her. Ronon watched her as her breathing became slower and deeper, her eyes falling closed. When he was sure she was almost asleep, she suddenly cracked her eyes open. “Ronon?”
“Yeah,” he said, suddenly alert. Seraih reached out, her hand finding his and pulling it to rest against the swell of her abdomen.
The fond smile tickled the corners of his mouth as he watched Seraih stifle another yawn. Despite everything, she appeared to be at peace for the moment. “Thank you for saving her.”
“Her?”
He leaned forward studying Seraih's face. “Our baby. It's a girl,” she sighed, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.
Ronon's heart warmed as he remembered the day many months ago, when Seraih had barely contained the news of her pregnancy. He had suspected as much from the moment her saw her. She wasn't far along, but the changes in her body that had already taken place were apparent to a discerning eye. Still, he acted dutifully surprised at the news. Andri had been a good husband to her, and Ronon was confident he would have been an loving father.
Ronon's hand was still firmly enclosed in her fingers. He was about to pull away, but then hesitated. Bending down, her reached and brushed one of the longer curls of Seraih's dark hair away from her forehead, placing his lips against her cool skin.
When he straightened, he was startled to see Jennifer standing in the small opening of the privacy curtain. A blush was steadily spreading across her cheeks, tinting even the tips of her ears. Her hazel eyes were wide, her body tense, and he noticed she held the tablet against her with a white-knuckled grip.
She was very upset.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jennifer stood was frozen in place as Ronon lifted his head up from placing a kiss on Seraih's forehead. She barely heard Ronon's voice over the roaring or blood in her ears, the words “our baby” replaying in her head.
“I'm sorry, what?”
“I said, is everything ok?” he repeated in a low voice, stepping around Seraih's bed and walking to stand in front of Jennifer where she was rooted in place.
Jennifer blinked, shaking her head. “No, no, everything's fine,” she responded, her voice too high for her liking.
“You look. . .upset.”
“What?” Jennifer tried reign in her racing thoughts, as she tried to process the words Ronon was saying to her.
“Is everything going to be ok with Seraih? her baby?"
Oh, he thought . . .
“Oh, no. I mean, yes. She's fine. They're both doing well,” Jennifer assured him, relieved to have her attention on something else for the moment. “She's sleeping now. That's good. I wanted to see how she felt about having an ultrasound done in the morning. Thought it might give her a boost to see the baby moving around and all,” she said, glancing around Ronon to Seraih's sleeping form.
Ronon nodded. “Yeah. She'd like that.”
“Yeah,” sighed, unable to stand the smile Ronon got at her suggestion. “I thought she might,” she whispered.
“Hey,” Ronon stepped closer to her, and Jennifer was forced to look up into his searingly handsome face. “Are you feeling, ok?” he asked, raising his hand to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
But Jennifer leaned away from his touch, and immediately regretted it when she saw the look of confusion in his eyes. “I'm sorry, I'm just . . . tired,” Jennifer said. It wasn't a lie. Her shift had ended over an hour ago. Still, she had come back to the infirmary with the intention of talking to Ronon about what had happened on Mira as well as going over what the tests Dr. Pedersen ran had revealed. She was starving, too. She hadn't been able to eat any of her dinner since her stomach had been in knots once Marc had revealed his findings. Now she could no longer concentrate on anything but getting out of the infirmary and to the refuge of her quarters.
Ronon seemed to accept her answer, though. “Ok,” he nodded. “You should get some sleep.”
“Yeah. I just came back to check on Seraih, and now I'm going to bed.”
“I'll walk you.” Ronon stated.
“No,” she said a little too quickly. She knew he had not meant it as an offer, but she declined it as such. “I mean, you should probably stay with her, ya know, in case she wakes up again.”
“I think she'll be ok now,” Ronon said. “It won't take long.”
“I know,” Jennifer said, already stepping away from him. “I really think you should stay.” She really did.
Ronon stared at her for a moment and then sighed.
Jennifer sighed as well, relieved he was no longer pressing the issue. Ronon still stared at her, though. His face was barely readable, except his expression was one she had come to recognize to mean he was trying to decide something. Decision made, he held her gaze in his intense hazel eyes as he slowly leaned his face down to hers. Basking in the heat of him, Jennifer cursed her weakness as she found herself unable to move away from him this time. Ronon's nose caressed hers, and he paused briefly, as if expecting her to back away. Instinctively, Jennifer tipped her chin upwards and their lips met in a tender kiss. She hated the intoxicating effect of his touch, even as she leaned into the embrace. The forgotten computer tablet nearly slipped from her fingers, her limbs suddenly weak.
“Thank you.” Jennifer's eyes fluttered open at Ronon's voice.
“For what?” she croaked.
“For taking care of her. I knew you would. Thank you.”
Jennifer couldn't help but smile, even as tears stung the corners of her eyes. “You're welcome,” she managed to say, with as much sincerity as she could muster. “Goodnight.” She turned away from him and walked away, just as the first tear fell.
Left Behind - Pt. 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: I know you guys are tired of me babbling on about how hard and difficult the chapter was to write. Well, not so much with this one, though I did stress over it a bit. I hope all the explanations that have been given so far work for you.
Thanks tojourneyman07
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: Many questions arise when Ronon brings an mysterious young woman to Atlantis. There are no easy answers. A sequel to “Leather” and “Let Go.”
CATEGORY: Angst/Drama/Mystery/Romance
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: 2,186
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: This story contains some spoilers for Season 4. Story is set sometime during Season 4, after “Quarantine.” Teyla's not pregnant, but the Athosians are still missing.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Left Behind - Pt.4
“She killed them with her brain.”
Under any other circumstances Dr. Jennifer Keller would have laughed. That was crazy talk. Then she quickly sobered as she reminded herself that Dr. Marc Pedersen was, in fact, serious as she had the test results in front of her to corroborate her colleagues findings, but. . .
“Are you certain of this?” Teyla's usually calm voice was tinged with doubt.
Jennifer looked up from the computer screen and at Marc's profile as he nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I mean, I'd like to do some more tests but the preliminary results indicate that this young woman, Seraih, possesses some,” he reached for the tablet and Jennifer handed it to him, “impressive mental abilities.”
“To say the least,” said Col. Sheppard.
Jennifer finally found her voice. “Alright, let's not jump to conclusions about what this could mean,” she said. She looked from Teyla to Sheppard, and willed herself not to look at Marc, as she could feel his disbelieving expression burning a hole in the side of her face.
Sheppard nodded, his jaw tense, “So, what's the plan then?”
Jennifer sighed. “Well, we need to brief Col. Carter on this new information, but,” she finally turned to Marc, “We need to conduct further tests to find out the extent of her abilities.” Jennifer had her suspicions about a few things, but she chose not to express them just yet.
“You don't think she's a danger to anyone?” Sheppard prodded, sparing a glance at Teyla.
“Well, no. The information we have so far is that Teyla was the only one affected by Seraih's,” Jennifer paused, trying to think of a better word to use to describe Seraih's abilities, but settled on “powers. And even then it may have been an instinctual reaction to the shock of what what was happening on her planet.”
“So, you're saying these 'powers' are unpredictable.”
“No,” Jennifer met John's measuring gaze. “I'm saying that I don't believe she's dangerous, but we need to do more tests to figure that out for sure, and know exactly what we're dealing with. We have to remember that she's a victim in all of this. Ronon wouldn't have brought here if he thought she would be a threat to us.”
“I agree, Colonel,” Teyla spoke up. “When Ronon and I finally found Seraih, she was in a great deal of distress. However, once she realized who we were, whatever she was doing with her mind seemed to cease.”
Teyla's statement seemed to satisfy the Colonel, for the moment. Jennifer hoped she was right.
“I need to get back to the infirmary,” Jennifer stated, as she got up from the table, away from her untouched tray of food.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“. . . and you found no one alive?”
“No.” A vision of pleading, intense brown eyes staring out of a face withered beyond recognition—almost.
“But. . . how can you be certain? It is possible they escaped through the Ancestral Ring,” Seraih looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. He had hoped the same thing, however, the evidence suggested otherwise. The disarray they had found in the town told that the Wraith had taken the inhabitants of Mira by surprise.
“You were the only person we found,” Ronon admitted. The only person we found alive. It was the grim truth. Before Seraih could ask more, he supplied. “We had out people go back to the planet, to search for survivors. We didn't find anyone.”
“They may have escaped and have yet to come back,” Seraih told him. “Someone could have. . .” she choked, wiping the fresh tears away as they spilled onto her flushed cheeks.
She was growing more agitated, and Ronon figured he should tell her something to give her hope. He stepped closer to her bed, and the movement caught her attention. “I once thought all my people were gone. When I first came here, to Atlantis, they sent this machine to my homeworld to see what had happened to it, if maybe I could go back home . . . It was destroyed.”
“By the Wraith,” she whispered.
“Yeah. Because we fought back,” Ronon stated gruffly. His throat still tightened at the memory. “Anyway, a little while later, I found out there were about 300 survivors from Sateda, living on other worlds.”
“You believe that people from my world have done the same.”
Ronon shrugged, choosing not to tell her what his gut said. “It's only been a few days.”
“They might yet return,” Seraih said the words as if she was not absolutely sure of it herself. Still there was a glimmer of hope in her voice at the prospect.
Ronon watched as Seraih looked down at her hands. Her slim fingers toyed with the cords of the pendant that had belonged to her husband. The fingers of her right hand found the small knot that was tied on that side of the pendant, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. She stopped the motion suddenly, and closed her hand around the pendant. “Others may have fled to the safety of other worlds, yes. That is a possibility,” she said, her voice thick with tears yet to come. “But Andri is gone. He is not coming back.”
No, Ronon answered silently. The Wraith who had fed upon the young man had made sure of that.
Seraih inhaled deeply and then released a ragged breath. She wiped at her now running nose with the back of her hand, and Ronon remembered the box of Kleenex on the stand next to her hospital bed. He pulled one out of the box and offered it to Seraih. She looked up at him in confusion, and Ronon made a gesture to show it was to wipe her nose and eyes.
He was surprised when she let out a wet, rueful laugh before accepting the tissue. “Thank you,” she said quietly, dabbing the tissue against her nose.
“How long must I stay here?”
Ronon was startled by the abrupt change of subject. He didn't know whether Seraih meant how long she would be on the infirmary, or in Atlantis as a whole. He chose to answer the former.
“Doc said for a few days at least, make sure everything's ok with your baby.” Ronon inclined his head slightly, indicating the life that persevered in Seraih's belly, visible even under the layers of sheets and a blanket. He might have gone overboard with wanting her to be as comfortable as possible while she slept.
Seraih accepted this. “Did you, uh,” she ran a hand through her hair, looked away and then met his eyes once more. “Did you inter the ones that fell to the Wraith?”
“Yeah. We buried them.” Ronon thought she would have asked more about Andri, but he decided it was better to just answer her as she asked.
“How many in all?”
“Eight.”
“That is all?”
“Yeah,” Ronon confirmed. He had thought that strange as well. There were hundreds of people just in the township where Seraih made her home.
“When I am well enough,” Seraih continued, “I would like to visit their place of rest.” Seraih yawned and relaxed against her pillows. She didn't seem to mind as exhaustion overtook her. Ronon watched her as her breathing became slower and deeper, her eyes falling closed. When he was sure she was almost asleep, she suddenly cracked her eyes open. “Ronon?”
“Yeah,” he said, suddenly alert. Seraih reached out, her hand finding his and pulling it to rest against the swell of her abdomen.
The fond smile tickled the corners of his mouth as he watched Seraih stifle another yawn. Despite everything, she appeared to be at peace for the moment. “Thank you for saving her.”
“Her?”
He leaned forward studying Seraih's face. “Our baby. It's a girl,” she sighed, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.
Ronon's heart warmed as he remembered the day many months ago, when Seraih had barely contained the news of her pregnancy. He had suspected as much from the moment her saw her. She wasn't far along, but the changes in her body that had already taken place were apparent to a discerning eye. Still, he acted dutifully surprised at the news. Andri had been a good husband to her, and Ronon was confident he would have been an loving father.
Ronon's hand was still firmly enclosed in her fingers. He was about to pull away, but then hesitated. Bending down, her reached and brushed one of the longer curls of Seraih's dark hair away from her forehead, placing his lips against her cool skin.
When he straightened, he was startled to see Jennifer standing in the small opening of the privacy curtain. A blush was steadily spreading across her cheeks, tinting even the tips of her ears. Her hazel eyes were wide, her body tense, and he noticed she held the tablet against her with a white-knuckled grip.
She was very upset.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jennifer stood was frozen in place as Ronon lifted his head up from placing a kiss on Seraih's forehead. She barely heard Ronon's voice over the roaring or blood in her ears, the words “our baby” replaying in her head.
“I'm sorry, what?”
“I said, is everything ok?” he repeated in a low voice, stepping around Seraih's bed and walking to stand in front of Jennifer where she was rooted in place.
Jennifer blinked, shaking her head. “No, no, everything's fine,” she responded, her voice too high for her liking.
“You look. . .upset.”
“What?” Jennifer tried reign in her racing thoughts, as she tried to process the words Ronon was saying to her.
“Is everything going to be ok with Seraih? her baby?"
Oh, he thought . . .
“Oh, no. I mean, yes. She's fine. They're both doing well,” Jennifer assured him, relieved to have her attention on something else for the moment. “She's sleeping now. That's good. I wanted to see how she felt about having an ultrasound done in the morning. Thought it might give her a boost to see the baby moving around and all,” she said, glancing around Ronon to Seraih's sleeping form.
Ronon nodded. “Yeah. She'd like that.”
“Yeah,” sighed, unable to stand the smile Ronon got at her suggestion. “I thought she might,” she whispered.
“Hey,” Ronon stepped closer to her, and Jennifer was forced to look up into his searingly handsome face. “Are you feeling, ok?” he asked, raising his hand to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
But Jennifer leaned away from his touch, and immediately regretted it when she saw the look of confusion in his eyes. “I'm sorry, I'm just . . . tired,” Jennifer said. It wasn't a lie. Her shift had ended over an hour ago. Still, she had come back to the infirmary with the intention of talking to Ronon about what had happened on Mira as well as going over what the tests Dr. Pedersen ran had revealed. She was starving, too. She hadn't been able to eat any of her dinner since her stomach had been in knots once Marc had revealed his findings. Now she could no longer concentrate on anything but getting out of the infirmary and to the refuge of her quarters.
Ronon seemed to accept her answer, though. “Ok,” he nodded. “You should get some sleep.”
“Yeah. I just came back to check on Seraih, and now I'm going to bed.”
“I'll walk you.” Ronon stated.
“No,” she said a little too quickly. She knew he had not meant it as an offer, but she declined it as such. “I mean, you should probably stay with her, ya know, in case she wakes up again.”
“I think she'll be ok now,” Ronon said. “It won't take long.”
“I know,” Jennifer said, already stepping away from him. “I really think you should stay.” She really did.
Ronon stared at her for a moment and then sighed.
Jennifer sighed as well, relieved he was no longer pressing the issue. Ronon still stared at her, though. His face was barely readable, except his expression was one she had come to recognize to mean he was trying to decide something. Decision made, he held her gaze in his intense hazel eyes as he slowly leaned his face down to hers. Basking in the heat of him, Jennifer cursed her weakness as she found herself unable to move away from him this time. Ronon's nose caressed hers, and he paused briefly, as if expecting her to back away. Instinctively, Jennifer tipped her chin upwards and their lips met in a tender kiss. She hated the intoxicating effect of his touch, even as she leaned into the embrace. The forgotten computer tablet nearly slipped from her fingers, her limbs suddenly weak.
“Thank you.” Jennifer's eyes fluttered open at Ronon's voice.
“For what?” she croaked.
“For taking care of her. I knew you would. Thank you.”
Jennifer couldn't help but smile, even as tears stung the corners of her eyes. “You're welcome,” she managed to say, with as much sincerity as she could muster. “Goodnight.” She turned away from him and walked away, just as the first tear fell.
Left Behind - Pt. 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: I know you guys are tired of me babbling on about how hard and difficult the chapter was to write. Well, not so much with this one, though I did stress over it a bit. I hope all the explanations that have been given so far work for you.
Thanks to
journeyman07. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
no subject
Date: 2008-09-16 11:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-16 03:40 pm (UTC)Thanks for taking the time to finally read this. I'm interested to see how I resolve this, too . . . j/k. But yes, I am reminded of how I need to get back on this story. :)