| Discrete �I can�t chance you getting infected.� �You have to trust me.� �I do.� �Do you?� He does, actually, but he doesn�t know how to tell her that without giving too much away. He didn�t disobey her order for the reasons she thinks; he�s more selfish than that. The excuse he gave her is about as honest as he can get: he couldn�t risk her being infected. But not because he respects her or because she�s a friend. No, John Sheppard is not quite that self-sacrificing. He couldn�t chance her because, very simply, he doesn�t want the responsibility of running Atlantis. ** ** �You are the ranking military officer. I can�t chance you getting infected.� �I can�t chance you getting infected.� Later, as he recalls their argument, John thinks maybe he said too much with that one sentence. She�d kept it professional, but he�d forgotten and made it personal. It�s not what they�re supposed to be about. They�re supposed to provide comfort and friendship and an understanding � the shared burden of command. She had Simon and he had�well, no one, but that�s not what he led her to believe. He�s not sure if he wants her to call him on his not-so-Freudian slip. --end-- back to Atlantis fanfic |