Lacrimosa

“Do you know what happens to a Wraith when it feeds of me?” had Mirkwood once asked from a Hivequeen. “It dies.”

The Hivequeen hadn’t believed her then and reached out her hand. Mirkwood smiled as she felt the light pain and started to laugh when she felt her feeding on her emptiness, sucking it out of her. Oh, it had felt so good but had ended too suddenly. The Hivequeen had pulled away from her and cursed her before she died.
***
Major Mirkwood opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Colonel Sheppard sleeping beside her bed on a chair. He looked so uncomfortable so she reached out her hand and touched his. Instantly he was awake.

“Ilmatar?” he whispered in disbelief and bent over her, “You are awake?” He just couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared down at her.

“Hi,” she greeted him with a small smile but was welcomed with a chaste kiss and a hug. She finally slithered her hands around his shoulders and buried her face into his neck. But she didn’t feel anything. She was still hollow inside. And then the screams and pleas filled her head.

“John,” she whispered.

“Yeah?” he asked and pressed a kiss on her temple before he looked at her.

“John, kill me. Just for a short while. Kill me. Make it stop,” she pleaded and looked him in the eye. Sheppard just stared at her, trying to understand what she was asking for.

“What she did to you?” he asked as he cupped her face with his hands. She was about to lie when she grabbed at his wrists but decided to tell the truth.

“She put the fear and the pain of her victims inside me. So many… I can’t take it anymore. Kill me and it will go away,” she told and a single tear rolled down her face.

“No,” he muttered and leaned his forehead against hers, “No, I will not kill you. No, not now or never.”

“So weak,” muttered Mirkwood and closed her eyes in disappointment.

“And you are not gonna try to kill yourself,” added Sheppard and his voice cracked. Mirkwood ruffled her fingers through his spiky hair and slither her index finger over his cheek onto his lips.

“A woman can only try,” she said and took away her finger before she kissed him lightly. He was dazed by her feather-like touch.
***
Major Mirkwood knocked on the door of a lake house. When the door opened, she slapped at General O’Neill right in the face.

“Hi to yourself,” said O’Neill as she brushed past him inside.

“How long?” she demanded.

“What?”

“How long have you known about Ilmarinen?” she asked and stared at him. O’Neill maneuvered around her to grab a bottle of beer. He tried to look casual in his own house but Mirkwood made it look like she owned the place and he was the bad husband sneaking in at the middle of the night.

“Um, for few weeks I guess,” he said like it was nothing.

“And how many people knows about him?”

“Well, I and… I guess you do,” he tried to joke but the look on her face even scared him, “General Landry and the President.”

“Great, so everyone knows?!”

“If you put it that way, then yeah.”

“Oh, that is just fantastic!”
***
Mirkwood stepped into the gym and challenged Teyla to a combat practice. She took the challenge. Marines gathered around the ring to see which woman wins. Mirkwood only smirked as she heard bets to be made and took in a stance. Teyla attacked her with no hesitation with a polished wooden baton. Mirkwood fell into total fighting mode and not even the expert could ward her off. Soon Teyla got smacked into ribs and then kicked to her feet.

There was something about Teyla that brought the aggressive side out in Mirkwood. Ah yeah, she had Wraith-genes! She was the enemy.

Twirling her baton, she took Teyla down and shoved the end of her artful stick in her face. Teyla was on her back, totally helpless when Mirkwood had kicked away her baton.

“And what does that say about you?” asked Mirkwood with a superior tone.

“That I need practice?” told Teyla but her warm smile didn’t work on Mirkwood.

“Yeah,” she said coldly, “Lot’s of it.”

Mirkwood walked out of the gym and headed for her quarters for a quick shower. She had been marching like few minutes when someone grabbed at her arm and spun her around. She had her baton already ready for a strike when she saw Sheppard in front of her.

“Beckett told you to stay away from such activities,” he scolded her but the stern look in her eyes told she was not about to listen to any men in that city.

“I’m just having fun,” she said and ripped her arm free. “And I need a shower. So if you’d excuse me,” she added and walked away. Sheppard stood in the hallway with a sad look and watched her leaving.
***
Vala Mal Doran popped into Major Mirkwood’s office and dropped herself on the corner of her desk. Mirkwood was writing a report behind her laptop.

“So, is this true?” asked Vala and looked around on the table to find something interesting to fiddle between her fingers.

“What is?” asked Mirkwood without raising her eyes from the screen.

“That part that you are an Ancient,” said Vala and toyed with one artifact – a wooden carving of some god. Mirkwood wrote on.

“Aa,” made Mirkwood.

“You know, I have read some stuff around here and if Daniel is right, then your father built a…”

“And you want to get it?” she suddenly asked and eyed Vala, “I know your reputation, Mal Doran.”

Vala put back the figure onto the table and moped.
***
Mirkwood heard the light chime of the door and rolled out of the bed. She went to the door and opened to reveal miserable looking Sheppard.

“You are drunk,” sighed Mirkwood and wanted to slam the door shut when he took a step closer. He was standing right in front of her, almost touching her. His head was bowed to cover the shame in his face.

“Sorry,” he said and raised his hands but didn’t dare to touch her bare arms. “I just… I just can’t bare the thought of loosing you,” and took the courage to place his hands on her cool skin. She just stared at him.

“You went back to that planet,” he whispered, “There were still Wraiths there.”

“And I got free,” she said confidently and smirked. “And you need to sober up. You don’t make any sense.”

Sheppard let her slip out of his hands and slumped down to the floor. Mirkwood turned around and stared at the heap that used to be a Colonel with an attitude. She glanced at her wide bed and really wanted to go back to sleep but Sheppard was sulking and that really didn’t do.

“Get your ass off the floor,” she hissed and sat on the edge of the bed, “And get here.”

Sheppard raised his head and stared at her like he’d been slapped across the face. Mirkwood rolled her eyes.

“You get 1/3 of the bed,” she said snippily, “So you could sleep off that booze. Who smuggled the alcohol in anyway?”

Sheppard stood up and stomped towards the bed. Mirkwood only lay down and curled herself around a pillow. Sheppard looked at her and was jealous over the damn pillow as he tore off his jacket and shirt. She wasn’t impressed by his exposed chest and only closed her eyes and wiggled herself into more comfortable position. Sheppard swallowed a groan as he removed his boots, socks and pants to crawl behind her. He laid his head on the pillow and looked at her bare back in dimming light as she willed the lights to die out slowly. She had only a skimpy nightgown on and that did nothing to hide her body. His slurry mind was too fussy to warn him when he shifted closer to her until he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his nose into her hair that smelled of honey and spices. Mirkwood had slightly jumped from the first touch and then stilled before she relaxed when she realized he wasn’t going let his hands wonder around. Sheppard smiled blissfully and fell asleep.