HALF-BREED: CH. 13 - "CELEBRATION"

CHAPTER 13: CELEBRATION

Summary:  Autumn is missing her Commander and having a miserable time in Atlantis...but makes a new friend...and more enemies.

The room was dark except for the light of the stars reflecting off the walls and the ceiling. Autumn was in bed on the hive ship, laying on her back with her eyes wide open, feeling restless. The Commander's sister Sally had put a moratorium on his and Autumn's cohabitation after he confessed to her his love for his worshiper.

Yes, some Wraith were capable of having feelings but mostly, for them as a race struggling to survive, love was the weakest of human emotions and their leaders needed to be strong and disciplined in both mind and body. Their very survival depended on it so they could not afford to feel any empathy towards their human cattle. They were a source of food and nothing more. The few who were allowed to live were basically slaves that did whatever they were told to do even if it went against everything they believed in. If they refused, they were fed upon then discarded like leftovers.

Even though Autumn was his personal worshiper, Sally saw no reason for her brother to continue sharing his bed with her since she had proven herself to be a trustworthy and loyal companion for the Commander. So she gave the order for Autumn to have her own room and it was making both worshiper and her Wraith master miserable. To alleviate the misery, they took turns sneaking into each others' rooms at night, though sometimes during the daytime they would rendezvous covertly – he seemed to like the supply closet best. Tonight it was his turn in her room but he was late – very late – and as she counted all the minutes going by, she became more agitated with each one that he was not there with her. She thought about getting up and going down to HIS room to find out what was keeping him, but then decided that might freak him out. He was already skittish where romance was concerned so she didn't want to risk further alienating him. But alone in the dark, she felt like she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't.

She closed her eyes and tried to think more pleasant thoughts but all of her most pleasant thoughts involved being with HIM – touching him, laying in bed with him, talking to him, kissing him. Almost as if on cue, she suddenly felt something soft brushing against her lips.

It was the Commander. And this was a great example of why Sally had nicknamed him “Silent Jimmy.” He was always quiet, even as a child. His brother Ipsissimus was, however, the complete opposite. Ipsissimus was loud, boisterous, arrogant and self-absorbed – the epitome of an attention whore. Xenos – or “Jimmy” as the humans liked to call him – was solitary, inquisitive and extremely bright. He liked to take things apart then put them together again. For a long time everyone thought he was mute because he didn't talk although he could definitely scream, something that usually only happened when his brother did something to piss him off, which seemed to be all the time. Even when he did start speaking, he said little but said it well. Sally was surprised when Autumn casually mentioned in a random conversation that Jimmy had LOTS of verbal exchanges with her and that he could be quite a chatterbox, especially when he was in a good mood. So she wasn't surprised when he declared to her his love for his worshiper.

Now he was on top of his worshiper, with his mouth on hers, their tongue acrobatics worthy of a Gold Medal for make-out sessions. Even all these years later, his kisses still gave her goosebumps.

“I missed you, paramour,” he murmured into her mouth.

“I missed you too, lover,” she whispered into his ear before giving it a playful bite, sending a shiver throughout his body. Autumn wasn't sure if that was good or bad. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all!” he replied. “You just gave me a shiver! I am tingling all over now.”

“I bet,” she giggled. She could feel his massive stunner poking her in the belly.

“I am so hard for you right now, precious pet!” he announced. “I hope you are ready for me!”

“I was BORN ready for you, Commander. All I could think about tonight was how much I want you inside me!”

She'd barely gotten the words out of her mouth when he suddenly slammed into her with such force, it nearly knocked the wind out of her. But it was a feeling she liked rather than feared. She knew he would always give back to her whatever breath that he took but it was not necessary in this case. Her breathing was fine. He'd just taken her by surprise.

Once he got a rhythm going and their bodies were in synch, it was pure pleasure from that point forward. He took his time with her, slowing down when he felt like she was heating up too fast. He liked it when she could climax with him and he attained this goal during the first round. For Round Two, he wanted HER on top because he got turned on just watching her gyrating her hips and grinding against him. When they both finally peaked together again, he pulled her close to him and kissed her – a long, languid and lingering kiss – and finally said the three words she'd been dying to hear.

“I love you, Autumn.”

“I love you too, Jimmy,” she replied through tears of joy. “You have no idea how happy you just made me. You are the Commander of my heart....and I love you so much....it hurts.”

“What hurts?”

Autumn opened her eyes. That other telepathic woman Teyla was standing next to the bed, looking down at her. She was still in the infirmary in Atlantis. Her Commander's declaration of love was just a dream, but her tears were real.

“I sensed great emotional upheaval coming from you,” explained Teyla. “I ran here from the celebration in the gate room. Are you alright, my child?”

“I am NOT a child!” Autumn asserted. “And I will be fine. I was just having a bad dream.” She did not want to show any weakness in front of these new strangers.

“About someone you love,” Teyla stated. “A Commander.” She noted the look of confusion on Autumn's face. “You were talking in your sleep when I arrived.”

“Oh, really?” Autumn felt a little embarrassed and Teyla could sense it.

“It is nothing to be ashamed of. Would you like to talk about it?”

“Excuse me but who the hell ARE you, lady?”

“Oh forgive my manners. My name is Teyla Emmagan, daughter of Turghan from Athos. I am...”

“The leader of your people,” Autumn answered. “Yes, I can read YOUR mind too.”

“Oh, I do not read minds. It is more of a feeling I get – emotions. I get a sense of what the other person is feeling but unlike you, I cannot read their actual thoughts.”

“Well Teyla Emmagen, I am Autumn Noxx and I am a long way from home and I want nothing more than to go back there but according to YOUR expedition leader, nothing of it remains to return to. So forgive me if I seem ungrateful for your help but I am doing as well as I can considering that I have no idea why I have been brought here against my will!”

“Is there a problem here, Teyla?” The guard outside the door was peeking in. “Should I get Doctor Weir?”

“No, that will not be necessary,” Teyla responded before turning her attention back to Autumn. “You must be hungry. There is a party with food in the gate room. Would you like to go?”

“If there is food then, yes! I'm starving!” Autumn affirmed.

The guard at the door stopped them as they were about to step out.

“Sorry Teyla. I have strict orders not to let the p----” He stopped himself before he blurted out the word 'prisoner' knowing it would upset Autumn but it was already too late considering she heard it in his head before it even started to hit his mouth. “I mean, our GUEST, needs an escort while she is...here.”

Autumn gave him a dirty look and Teyla could sense her irritation and discomfort.

“I will be escorting her, Sergeant. She is hungry and there is food at the party...where there are other military personnel equipped to handle any...difficult situations.”

“Then I will escort you both.”

“As you wish,” Teyla replied as she took Autumn's hand. “Come Autumn Noxx, you will be safe with me.”

Autumn reluctantly grabbed Teyla's hand and glared at Sergeant Hoder who then turned around and marched with them out to the gate room. When they arrived at the party, Sergeant Dunn spotted them right away and immediately sprinted over, demanding to know why Hoder disobeyed orders and allowed Autumn out of the infirmary.

“It is OK, Sergeant Dunn,” Teyla interjected. “It was my idea and Hoder DID escort us here...with his gun at the ready.” She looked disapprovingly at Hoder's semi-automatic. “I have spoken to her and she is calm now. She has rested but is very hungry and there is food here.”

“You should've just had Hoder radio me and I would’ve brought her some food!”

“What's going on over here?” came the voice of Major John Sheppard as he approached the quartet.

“Teyla took it upon herself to bring our new guest to the celebration...without getting permission first!” bellowed Dunn.

“Sergeant, please keep your voice down,” Sheppard retorted. “Teyla, can I speak to you for a moment?” He looked at Dunn and gestured for him to keep an eye on Autumn who had wandered away with Hoder following right behind her. She found the table with the food and drinks on it and was nibbling on some cheese and crackers. “What do you think you're doing? You just broke protocol! Do you have any idea how much trouble this could cause?”

“I sensed that she was upset so I went to check on her. She was crying in her sleep. Hasn't she been through enough already?” Teyla pleaded.

“Look, I understand that you want to help but you seem to have forgotten that she was going to slit my throat! I'll run interference on this one for you but don't let this happen again. Only authorized personnel are permitted to escort her from now on, OK?”

“I understand Major Sheppard. Please, forgive me. I should have sought permission first. I was just acting on my natural instincts.”

“I will accept your apology....if you come have a drink with me,” he proposed with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

“I would be delighted,” Teyla responded, flashing a big toothy grin.

Back over at the snack table, Autumn began questioning Hoder.

“So, what are they celebrating here tonight?”

“A small victory against the Wraith,” he answered matter-of-factly.

Autumn could feel her blood boiling again but tried to maintain a cool facade so as to not draw any attention to herself.

“I see. And why do they hate the Wraith so much?”

“Because they're soul-sucking monsters who almost wiped the Ancients out of existence!” answered the brilliant astrophysicist, Dr. Rodney McKay. He was standing at the table next to her and had a plastic cup in his hand and was sniffing it. “I think I smell lemon. Do you smell lemon? Is there lemon in this? What is it? It doesn't taste like lemonade.”

“So you fear lemon,” Autumn smirked. “It scares you even more than the Wraith because it could kill you, yes?”

“How do you know that?” He looked at Hoder. “How does she know that? Did you tell her?” Hoder just shrugged. “Who told you that? I have a food sensitivity! I am afraid of DYING! I am allergic to lemons! How do you know so much about me? Who are you? What group did you come in with? Are you Athosian?”

“I belong to the soul-sucking monster group,” Autumn replied with more than a hint of biting sarcasm in her voice. “The group that was attacked by YOURS, Mr. I-Hate-Lemons!”

“WHAT? Wait...you're that girl they brought back from that Hive compound! You're supposed to be locked up! Who let you out?” He looked at Hoder again. “Who let her out? Are you watching her? You better be watching her!”

“Of course we're watching her,” countered Dunn who'd just been observing until then. “We don't let WRAITH SYMPATHIZERS wander around alone on this base!”

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Autumn shouted at him, drawing the attention of some of the other party-goers.

“I JUST CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT!” Dunn fired back. “They are celebrating a victory against the Wraith! AND YOU ARE ON THE LOSING TEAM!”

“AND YOU ARE JUST A LOSER!!!!”

Autumn grabbed a knife from the table and lunged at him but Hoder caught her and grabbed both her arms, causing the knife to fall out of her hand. He pulled her arms behind her back, effectively rendering her immobile. Dunn had his rifle drawn and had it aimed at her chest.

“I SHOULD'VE JUST LEFT YOU THERE TO DIE WITH YOUR LIFE-SUCKING FRIENDS!” barked Dunn. “YOU WERE TROUBLE RIGHT FROM THE START!”

“Dunn, what the hell is going on over here?!!” Lt. Aiden Ford came running over with the expedition leader, Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Sheppard right behind him.

“She attacked me...AGAIN! I TOLD YOU SHE COULDN'T BE TRUSTED! Even with an escort, she managed to gain access to a weapon and TRIED TO USE IT ON ME!” He motioned toward the knife on the floor which he had kicked a few feet away from the table.

Weir looked around impatiently.

“Where's Beckett? I need him NOW!”

“I'm right here Dr. Weir!” he replied, scurrying over with a small plate of food still in his hand.

“I want you to go with Ford and Hoder back to the infirmary. I believe Miss Noxx has had enough excitement for one night. Take some food back with you.”

“Yes Ma'am, right away! Same...protocol as before?” he queried, implying sedation.

Weir nodded in the affirmative then glanced over at Autumn who looked like she was about to cry.

“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!!!” Autumn shrieked as Hoder began to march her out of the room, still holding her arms behind her back. Ford walked beside them with his rifle pointed at her. Beckett just gave her a sympathetic look and followed Hoder and Ford back to the infirmary with their new special guest.

As Weir watched them leave, Dr. Kate Heightmeyer, the psychologist assigned to the Atlantis expedition, approached her.

“I heard you wanted to see me?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied Weir. “I'd like you to talk to Autumn tomorrow. She's worse off than I originally thought and I honestly don't know what to do about this. I need to know more about her but she doesn't seem to want to talk to me.”

“She probably just doesn't trust you yet,” replied Kate. “I will see what I can find out but it might take a little time.”

“Well, we just bought ourselves some more time here tonight,” Weir explained, referring to the earlier flood scare right before the city emerged from the water and up to the surface of the planet. At least no one was going to drown now. “But I don't know how long we have until the Wraith find us, so whatever you can do to expedite that process would be very helpful...and I would be extremely grateful.”

“I'll give it my best shot, Elizabeth.”

Disclaimer: The Wraith, Dr. Carson Beckett, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagen, Major John Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Lt. Aiden Ford, Dr. Kate Heightmeyer & Stargate Atlantis are owned by MGM. Autumn Noxx, Sergeant Hoder and Sergeant Dunn are original characters that belong to me. “Ipsissimus” and “Xenos” are Wraith names I created for the story.