Trust Once Broken | SGA John Sheppard

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"Held back?" Elizabeth challenged. "She struck a superior, she-"

"She can land me on my back half the time we spar. You're standing and your jaw isn't broken," Ronon said coolly. "What else would you call it?" It was clear by his tone that Ronon was no less upset with Weir than Kai over her decision to protect Ladon.

Elizabeth refused to let Ronon see how unnerved she was, she lifted her chin defiantly as she faced down the large Satedan. "John would never have wanted me to-"

"But John isn't here, Kai is. She's who you are dealing with. And if you think for one second that John wouldn't be just as upset if their roles were reversed..." Ronon drug off then he shrugged and shook his head in disgust.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to argue more but Carson laid a gentle but firm hand on her arm. She flinched and turned to lock gazes with him. "Elizabeth," he said gently. "This whole time, you have been doubting Kai's commitment to the Colonel. Do you still doubt her?"

Elizabeth froze for a second as his question went over her. She pressed her lips together in a grim line and slowly shook her head. She handed him back the ice pack and closed her hand over his briefly. "You're right," she said, all the anger draining out of her. "She made it clear how she feels about him."

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John lay on the floor of his cell, panting. His whole body was radiating pain. He had a high tolerance for pain, but being fed on by a wraith hurt more than he could have possibly imagined. He was shocked he hadn't passed out, he could feel his pulse pounding through his whole body and his muscles ached.

"They called you Sheppard," the voice from the neighboring cell rumbled.

"Yeah, that's my name. Pleased to meet you," John panted. He somehow managed to keep his voice light as he forced himself to breath past the pain. Every cell in his body felt like it had been squeezed and wrung out.

"You are in pain?" His neighbor asked.

"Well, I just got fed on by a wraith, what do you think?" John snarked back. His pain made him less patient than he should have been with the other prisoner. He forced himself to take another deep breath and be patient. He needed to be making friends for a potential alliance, not being an asshole.

"I would not know," the prisoner said calmly, not seeming at all put off by John's less-than-friendly tone.

"Hopefully, you'll never have to find out." John groaned as he pushed himself up to sitting. Pain radiated through his whole body and his muscles struggled to work. "I didn't think anything could hurt that much," he said with a grimace.

"You are still alive," his neighbor said simply.

"Yeah, well I don't know how many years the damn thing took off my life, but I'll tell you this, if Kolya's men hadn't pulled that damn thing off, I'd be dust in a flak jacket."

There was a long pause before his neighbor spoke again. "Do you blame the Wraith or the master?" he asked.

John shrugged. "I'm gonna go with both," he wasn't sure but it seemed like his neighbor had been down here a long time without social interaction. There was something off in the way he spoke and his overly correct grammar.

"There is a difference," his neighbor pointed out. "The Wraith must feed in order to live. For Wraith, hunger burns like a fire."

John frowned as a bad feeling went over him. He pushed himself to his feet as silently as he could and eased his body towards the window to the adjoining cell.