Shifting Shadows - R. Dex

-7-

Two weeks later and Jules was settling into a routine. Teyla would get her for breakfast and a meditation session. John would walk her to the infirmary during lunch and when she didn't need to go anymore, he'd walk her around the city so she could count steps before taking her to the commissary after the rush died down. Ronon would bring her to the balcony for dinner. On the days when they were away on a mission, she'd have a meal with Elizabeth or spend the day in her room. Every few days she'd go and sit in the labs with Zelenka, sometimes she'd even bring popcorn knowing he and McKay were likely to go a few rounds verbally to see who was the superior scientist. Her wound was healing nicely and she'd been cleared to begin some limited physical training.

With the buzz of Atlantis and the counting of steps, she was able to begin navigating the city on her own, though she still did best with a buffer between her the hallway traffic.

But for the last three days, she'd been plagued with nightmares. She'd wake in a cold sweat, shaking, chest tight with panic, only the buzz of Atlantis and the static crackle of her radio to ground her once her brain was functioning enough to focus. Since she'd had no radio when she was MIA, it was another sound that she could only find at home and if she focused on it, she could bring her brain back to center.

The last one this morning had been particularly terrible. She'd dreamed of Marin and Feo, of the beatings, the blinding, and then their hands were everywhere-

She launched herself out of bed and to the toilet before her stomach contents made an appearance. She sat on that floor for hours, allowing the cold wall and floor to penetrate to her bones and keep her alert. She went through the motions that day, but Sheppard noticed she was extra jumpy after she'd nearly punched him when he'd grabbed her shoulder to steer her down a new hallway toward the jumper bay.

It was well past midnight when Jules had made her way to the sparring room, unwilling to sleep for fear of the nightmares. So she stood in the center of the large room, practice knife in hand, punching and jabbing and going through the motions of a fight, warming up her muscles and-

The doors whooshed open and a voice said, "Can't sleep?" At the sound of the doors, she spun, throwing the knife at the doorway. She didn't hear the clatter of the knife hitting the wall or the floor and her heart was pounding. "Easy, little warrior. It's just me."

"Shit. Ronon. I'm sorry."

"I'm the one who scared you. Nice throw, by the way."

She doubled over, hands on her knees as Ronon approached. "Was I anywhere close to hitting you?"

"You'd have hit me center mass if I didn't catch it."

Her head popped up, eyebrows raised. "Seriously?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Her brows furrowed in consideration for a second before surprise crossed her face. "Well, damn. And to answer your question...can't sleep."

"You wanna spar?"

"Is that a good idea?"

Ronon shrugged. "You trust me?"

"Sure..."

"Then it's a good idea."

"Ronon-"

"You can start with Teyla or Sheppard if you don't-"

"No! I just...don't know if I can."

"No. Absolutely not. She is not going to be one of the guards assigned to him."
"Sir, with all due respect, I am a well trained fighter with good technique-"
"Who is half his size!"
Captain O'Keefe was on the rotation of guards to keep an eye on Ronon. They were supposed to be capable of taking him down if he turned on the Atlantis personnel, and Major Lorne didn't feel she was capable.
"Sir, no, sir."
"Excuse me?"
"If I were half his size, I'd be roughly three and a half feet tall and I am 5' 2", sir. I am fully capable-"
"You're on science duty."
"Major-"
"Dismissed."
Jules narrowed her eyes at Major Lorne. "Yes, sir."