Trust Once Broken | SGA John Sheppard

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Happy Reading!

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Irresponsible Cont.
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While the townsfolk were busy cheering for Lucius, Teyla managed to catch one of their attention and got them to cut her free. She went to John and freed him before turning towards McKay and Ronon. Lucius joyfully led the townspeople away towards the tavern while John moved to Kai. He crouched behind her and reached down to steady her hands as he cut the rope.

"You okay?" He asked in a low voice.

Kai glanced over her shoulder at him, her face pinched with annoyance. "What was that?" She demanded, rubbing her wrists to regain circulation.

John shrugged. "Wanted to see what the superhero would do, I suppose."

She grunted but didn't have anything else to say. She hated having to sit there and wait for Lucius of all people to rescue them. It wasn't typical of Sheppard to do so and even if he had wanted to see what Lucius could do, it was strange for him to risk the safety of everyone in the square. Lucius's presence had John more off balance than she thought.

Once they were all free, they found their gear dumped in an unceremonious pile nearby. John handed out the weapons, turning to Kai and holding out her two Blades last.

Kai sank her teeth into her lip to keep from looking at John - Colonel Sheppard - as she took them. Blades weren't magical, but there was significant meaning in the giving and taking of them. Taking them from him reminded her of when she had offered her first Blade to him back on the Wraith planet. It seemed like so long ago now, but it had been the first time she had trusted him implicitly.

She turned her back on him and began tucking them away. She trusted John with her safety. That had never come into question. Even when she disagreed with him, she knew she was safe with him. But physical safety wasn't the problem. Being around him like this was harder than it should have been. Back on Atlantis it was easy to remember what had happened between them, but in the field, things had always been so natural. They worked together well and the gentle, teasing banter was too easy to fall back into. There was just too much at stake. Kai tightened down the Bond another notch.

With his back to her, all Kai saw was the tightening of his shoulders. John flipped his sunglasses over his eyes to hide his expression when the pain in his chest flared as Kai closed herself off to him even more. He didn't know what he had done this time. He ground his teeth and checked his gun. He took a deep breath and turned back to the group once he was sure his tone could be light.

"Well, let's go see our friend," he said, but no one was fooled by his casual words. There was a tightness in his shoulders that belied his friendly tone.

As they entered the tavern they could hear him telling yet another story. John recognized this one too as the time they had taken over a hive using the retrovirus and the Queen had nearly killed them.

"And then, she jerked up and grabbed for my throat!"

The crowd gasped in horror.

"That was me," Kai grumbled half under her breath.

John glanced towards her. "Not so funny now is it?" He teased gently. He watched Kai's face carefully at his words. He knew she needed distance, knew she had asked him to respect her space, but she had been the one to volunteer to join his team off world. He wasn't about to treat her differently than he would any other member of his team. Seeing Lucius again had him on edge and having Kai pull away even further from his wasn't helping his temper.