Secret Admirer

Chapter 1

Elizabeth Weir sat quietly as Colonel Sheppard and his team went through their debriefing after their off-world mission. As each of them gave their rendition of the events that had ended any hope of trading with that planet, Ronon noticed that Elizabeth didn’t make a single remark about the disastrous outcome.

Under normal circumstances, she would have given each of them a sharp reprimand for their individual actions but she sat staring at the conference room table clasping her hands together. She had been in this subdued state of being for some time now. She was distracted. She seemed more on edge. Her mood was increasingly more morose. The tension in her body was evident to him but it seemed to escape the rest of the team’s notice until John didn’t receive a response to his question.

“Elizabeth!”

“Huh?” She turned her gaze to the bewildered Sheppard and shook her head to focus on him. “I’m sorry, John. What were you saying?”

“Rodney was telling you of the wonderful things Atlantis will be deprived of because of Ronon’s outburst and my decision to back him up.” Elizabeth just nodded her head and glanced between him and McKay. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She forced a small smile and nodded at the flabbergasted scientist. “Please continue, Rodney.”

As soon as he started rattling on about missed opportunities, Elizabeth tuned him out. Her eyes drifted to gaze through the open doors and focused on the box that appeared on the desk in her office. ‘That wasn’t there before I came in for the debriefing.’ She bolted to her feet, knocking her chair over in the process, and quickly departed the room. “Excuse me.”

“Wait!” Rodney called out to Elizabeth’s retreating form and glanced over the faces of his teammates. “What’s up with her? She’s been acting strange for a few weeks now.”

“It has been longer then that, McKay, but as always you fail to notice other people’s problems unless it affects you directly.” Ronon’s brow rose as he dared Rodney to deny his comment. The resident genius’ mouth open and closed like a fish out of water but he ultimately decided to remain silent. “Sheppard?”

“I’m on it.” John got up from the table and followed Elizabeth to her office.

“I guess the meeting is over.” Rodney closed his laptop, gathered his files, and stood up to leave. “I’ll be in the lab if I’m needed.”

“Will you not wait to find out what is wrong with Dr. Weir?” Teyla called out to McKay as he walked to the door.

“Sheppard will handle it.” McKay paused briefly. “He’s better at these kind of things then I am.”

“Ronon…” Teyla turned her attention to her usually silent teammate after Rodney departed quickly. “How long has Dr. Weir been acting distracted?”

“For about 2 months now.” He glanced towards her office on the upper level of the command center and watched Sheppard knock before he entered. “Something is disturbing her. She has been losing her focus and her tension is elevated.”

“How did you come about this knowledge?” Teyla raised a delicate brow as she smiled softly at him.

“I pay attention.” He didn’t fall for her attempt at subtle humor and barely managed to refrain from snapping at her. “She is the leader of these people and we have allied ourselves with them. It would serve you well to be more observant to the mannerisms of the woman we take orders from.” He left her behind with her mouth slightly agape.

~*~

As John knocked on her door, Elizabeth was forcing the lid back on a box when he entered. She looked flustered and masked her tension as he gave her a concerned glance. “What’s going on?” He lightened his expression and gave her his trademark lazy grin. “You ran out of the debriefing like you had a Wraith on your six. Then again I run like that when McKay gets on his high horse and starts a tirade.”

“It’s nothing, John.” She tried for levity but saw his doubt plain as day in the look he gave her. “I am just tired.”

“Try again, Elizabeth.” He sat in the chair across from hers and looked at her expectantly. “I’ve seen you run on less sleep then I get and that isn’t much.” It was clear by his expression that he wasn’t leaving until he got an explanation. He tapped his fingers on the armrests of his chair and raised his eyebrows. “So…spill it already.”

“Fine.” She said in a defeated tone and flopped into her chair. “Someone has been giving me…gifts.”

“And that is a bad thing?”

“Not at first but I am starting to get a little uncomfortable with the direction this is going. It started out as a flower here or there with a little note that was signed ‘Your Secret Admirer’.” Her eyes darted down to the box between them and averted her gaze to stare at her clenched hands. “They have gotten a little too personal for my tastes recently and the cards have started to say things.”

“Like what?”

“He comments about what I was wearing that day or how I wore my hair. Lately he has been signing the bottom ‘I’ll be watching you’ or ‘You’ll be mine soon’ and it is starting to get to me John.” She tossed the card across the desk for him to look at and pushed the box towards him. “This one bothered me the most.”

“I can’t wait to see you in this.” John read off the card, dropped it on the desk, and opened the box. Elizabeth’s cheeks colored brightly when he lifted a negligee that consisted of barely any material and dropped the garment back into the box. “Elizabeth, how long has this been going on?”

“Two months and the gifts keep getting more and more intimate.” She stared down at her lap and appeared to be on the verge of tears. She held them at bay and glanced up at John with a desolate look in her eyes. “I’m getting scared, John.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” His worried eyes glanced at the slight tremors that shook her hands before he looked up at her. “I am the Head of Security on Atlantis, Elizabeth. I need to know these things.”

“John, it is just a harmless flirtation that has gotten a little out of hand.” She smiled weakly. “I didn’t think you needed to know and it…is somewhat embarrassing.”

“Elizabeth, someone is stalking you not some admirer that has gone too far. I should’ve been told the moment you started feeling something was off.” Her eyes clenched and she lowered her head when he said those words. “What is it, Elizabeth?” He took one of her shaking hands in his and watched as tears welled in her downcast eyes. “There’s something else. Tell me.”

“I can feel him watching me.” It came out as a whisper but her grip tightened on John’s hand to an almost painful point. “It makes me feel…unclean.”

“I’m getting you a security detail until we can find this guy.” John’s voice held his worry and he patted her hand before he released his hold. “I want all the stuff he’s sent you so we can go over it.” He picked up the card, tossed it back in the box, and slammed the lid back on. “Maybe we can get a bead on him.”

“John, don’t you think that is a little extreme?” Elizabeth’s tone returned to a semblance of normalcy. John’s overprotective nature made her feel safe and reassured.

“No I don’t. You never know what these freaks will end up doing.” He could see she was weighing the options and was very familiar with Elizabeth’s stubborn streak. “You could be in danger.”

“I find that difficult to believe. This is Atlantis. The SGC does such extensive screening…” She trailed off, sighed heavily, and held her head between her palms. “I don’t want the detail, John.”

“Elizabeth!”

“No!” She stood and placed her fists on the desk as she leaned towards him. “You can take the things he left me and do an investigation but I will not let this change my life anymore then it has.”

“You are making a mistake.” He stood across the desk from her in the same position she was. He was worried about her and it was plain to see in his pleading blue eyes. “This has already gone past the stage of harmless attraction. It is teetering on crazed obsession.”

“Then you better get to work.” She straightened up and pointed at a filing cabinet in the corner. “Everything he left and wrote is in the bottom drawer.” She turned to walk to the door and paused to glance over her shoulder. “Oh and John, please try to keep this discreet. I don’t need the entire city learning about this.” With that said, she left the frowning Sheppard alone in her office.

~*~

Ronon stood in the doorway of Elizabeth’s office and watched as a handful of security men gathered up assorted sized boxes. Sheppard gave them orders to take the boxes to an available lab and collect all the personnel files of the recent arrivals in Atlantis. “What’s all this?” Ronon asked as he watched the Airmen carry several boxes out the door.

“Some freak has been sending Elizabeth strange gifts and cards.” He sighed and sank down into her chair. “The stuff is disturbing to say the least.”

“Disturbing how?” Ronon sat in the chair opposite John and eyed the box that remained on the desk.

“I’ve looked at them. They started innocent enough but the last few…” John pointed at the one before him. “Let’s just say they are inappropriate.”

Ronon opened the box and peered inside before John had a chance to protest. “What is this?” He picked up the skimpy lingerie and eyed it curiously as it dangled from one finger. “String?”

“It qualifies as string but that isn’t what it is.” He swiped the offending garment off of Ronon’s finger and it fell back in the box. “Women wear these things, Ronon. It is a form of clothing.”

“To what end?” His eyebrow rose in curiosity as he peeked into the box to look at the mass of string again before he glanced up at John. “It hardly provides protection from the elements. Although I suppose one could have greater freedom of movement due to the lack of material.”

“No, Ronon. This outfit has a particular use.” John chuckled at the Satedan’s confused look and had to remind himself that Ronon was from a different planet. “Women wear these things in the bedroom. It is made to…entice their partner and…make them more amorous…in bed.”

“I don’t see the reasoning.” He picked up the negligee again, looked at it, and let it fall from his grasp. “The material would just get in the way of the mating process. The female should just come to her male nude. If he doesn’t understand her intentions, he is an unworthy mate and doesn’t deserve her affections.”

“Right. While I’d like to continue this conversation of cultural differences, I am kind of focused on this situation with Elizabeth.” He sighed and propped his chin up on his palm. “These kinds of gifts are acceptable between two consenting adults but this is considered harassment when the woman is unwilling. Where I come from men who act this way could be a threat to the woman especially if she rebukes his affections.”

“So you are saying she could be in danger.” It wasn’t a question. Ronon was beginning to understand the scope of the madness that gripped this individual. He didn’t rely on his charms to gain his intended female’s favor. Instead he chose to instill fear with his secretive actions and Ronon knew Elizabeth Weir was not easily frightened. “We need to find this man.”

“We’re working on it but I am worried about Elizabeth’s safety. She doesn’t realize how bad this can get and she refuses a security detail.”

“She is a proud woman, Sheppard, and very stubborn.” That got a laugh from John but Ronon failed to understand the humor. During his brief time of courting females of his planet, he frequently saw that pride and stubbornness ran hand in hand. It was part of the thrill of the hunt to win her heart. “As the ranking military officer on Atlantis, you are in charge of security matters. You should have made the detail an order.”

“It isn’t that simple with Elizabeth, Ronon. Try to imagine how Teyla would react if I ordered such an invasion of her privacy. She’d kick my ass.” Ronon smirked at Sheppard’s comment taking it for the truth it was. “Elizabeth might not be the physical fighter that Teyla is but she is in spirit. She would view my order as undermining her position on this base.”

“She is concerned about how the others will view her.” Ronon nodded his agreement. “Nevertheless, she must be protected.”

“You’re right.” John’s eyes narrowed on Ronon as he leaned back in the chair and grinned mischievously. “And I think I know the perfect man for the job.”

~*~

Elizabeth wearily ran her hand over the door access to her quarters and blindly entered. She was being truthful when she told John she was tired. Her sleep was disturbed when she managed to get any. Every time she closed her eyes and drifted off, she woke feeling like she had been watched and, on occasion, touched.

The whole thing made her feel like her control was being stripped from her. She was scared more than she let John know. There were times that she entered her quarters and found some of her things moved. It wasn’t overt but very miniscule. Elizabeth was meticulous with her private things. There was a place for everything and there were times she would find something placed a few inches from where she left it.

It was enough to make her feel like someone had invaded her private sanctuary. The thought alone that someone could enter her quarters was unnerving. She didn’t feel like she belonged here anymore. She tried to pass it off as being paranoid. That maybe she had not left her brush in its usual spot because she was distracted.

Upon looking at her dresser, she came to the startling realization that her concerns were not paranoia or unfounded. She felt like the entire world stopped spinning in that moment. Her vision tunneled as she focused on the envelope perched against her jewelry box.

Her eyes fell closed as she tried to banish the image from her thoughts but it remained sitting there, mocking her when she opened them again. She took several deep breaths to steady herself as she approached her dresser. Her gaze snapped to her hand when she saw it shaking uncontrollably as she reached out to grab the envelope.

She gripped it tightly in both hands as she noticed the familiar handwriting on the front. With trembling fingers, she finally managed to open the flap and pull the plain white paper out from within. She could hear the heavy breaths escaping her open mouth as she unfolded the paper and felt every hair on her body stand up when she read the words.

You let Colonel Sheppard take my gifts.
I thought you liked the pretty things I gave you.
I thought you were different, Elizabeth, but I was wrong.
You are just like every other woman I’ve ever known.
You are an ungrateful bitch.

Elizabeth’s eyes welled with tears as the letter fell from her hands to the ground. She cast her gaze around her room as the feeling of being violated swept through her. She backed slowly to the door watching for any signs of movement. When her back met the exit to her quarters, she swiped her hand over the access, turned and ran from her room.

~*~

Ronon arrived at Elizabeth’s quarters and requested access. He knew she was headed here after he asked one of the scientists to locate her position in the city. He rang the access again and waited a few minutes for a response that didn’t come. He had a feeling something was wrong and tapped his comm unit.

“McKay!”

“Ronon?” Rodney’s surprised voice filtered from the earpiece. “Why are you calling me?”

“I need you to override the security protocols on Dr. Weir’s quarters and grant me access.”

“And may I ask why you need access to Elizabeth’s quarters?”

“Just do it, McKay!” He heard Rodney gasp in exasperation and knew the pig-headed scientist was about to argue but Ronon cut him off. “Now!”

“Just a second.” Ronon heard Rodney’s fingertips tap loudly on his keyboard and three seconds later the door whisked open. “Satisfied?”

Ronon did not dignify his sarcasm with a response and tapped the earpiece to end the transmission. He placed his hand on his blaster as he entered and quickly searched all the closed doors. He could scent her perfume heavily in the air and surmised she was recently here but had left. Upon drawing in her scent, he picked up another that was barely detectable.

He turned back towards the door and a glimpse of something white caught his eye. He bent down and picked it up. His eyes quickly scanned the letter and a growl escaped his throat when he read the hateful words directed at a gentle woman. Elizabeth wasn’t like other women. She was responsible for hundreds of people and cared for each and every one of them.

“Sheppard!” He yelled in a commanding voice as he tapped his earpiece.

“What is it, Ronon?” John sounded panicked when he heard the urgency in Ronon’s tone and knew what his appointed mission was.

“She is not in her quarters any longer but I have found evidence that someone was in here.” He glanced at the letter and gripped it tightly in his grasp wishing it were the mystery man’s throat. “He was here in her quarters.”

“What?” John exclaimed loudly in Ronon’s ear. “How do you know?”

“I can scent him in the room. Besides that I found a letter on the floor. He knows you confiscated the things he gave her and he isn’t happy about it.” Ronon pocketed the letter and turned towards the door. “Can you locate her on the city’s sensors? I don’t think it is a good idea for her to be alone. His mood is most definitely not…amorous.”

“I’ll have Rodney run a search for her now. See if you can get a head start on following her scent…trail.”

~*~

Elizabeth walked quickly towards the south pier. It was located in a section of the city that had barely been explored and remained deserted until it was deemed safe. She came here often to watch the night sky and enjoy the sound of the ocean without being disturbed.

She accessed the door and walked to the end of the pier. She drew in several deep breaths to calm herself before she leaned against the rail. The sound of the lapping water had the effect that she hoped it would and began to relax. Her timing couldn’t have been worse. She felt the sting of a needle in the side of her neck and darkness quickly claimed her.

~*~

She was drawn back to consciousness slowly and heard a voice close to her ear. Her mind was still too groggy to comprehend the words spoken and when she tried to open her eyes, she found only blackness. She felt the fabric tied around her head that blindfolded her and tried to reach up to remove it but her hand was slapped away.

“No. No. No, Elizabeth. I can’t have you seeing my face and ruining our little party so quickly.” She felt his hot breath on the side of her face and instinctively cringed away from him. “We still have a ways to go before our little dance is over.”

“Who are you?” She mustered up as much courage as she could manage despite her overwhelming fear. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because from the moment I saw you I wanted you. I wanted to own you.” He traced a finger over her cheek, down her slender throat, and stopped at the beginning of her cleavage. She went rigid when she realized her top was unzipped and she sat there in her bra exposed to him. “I really would have liked to see you wearing one of the bra and panty sets that I gave you.” She began to tremble when his finger traced over the swells of her breasts. “Of course that cannot happen now that you’ve allowed Sheppard to take them!”

She flinched when he screamed in her face and the night air coupled with her fear to make her tremble. “I really should punish you for your cruelty, Elizabeth, but I won’t…for now.” His hand cupped one of her full breasts and gave it a squeeze as he continued to talk to her.

“Know this…” His mouth was suddenly by her ear and his thumb flicked over her nipple continuously through the fabric of her bra. “You cannot get away from me. I can find you anywhere.” He pinched the tip between his thumb and forefinger hard enough for her to cry out. “You will belong to me body and soul.”

His touch left her body. She couldn’t feel his breath on her skin. She heard his retreating footsteps over the sound of the ocean. She curled up on her side and cried silently into the night.

~*~

Ronon raced through the corridors towards the southern pier. He had picked up her scent strong in this unused portion of the city and knew she was prone to spending time alone there. He had come across her walking towards there a couple of times when he was out for his daily jog.

He ran now not because of her scent but the scent he had detected in her room. That man had followed her to her private retreat. He had invaded her home. Ronon knew what it was like to have everything stripped from you. The Wraith had stolen his home and family. Elizabeth left her home voluntarily but everything she held dear in Atlantis had been sullied by his presence.

“Ronon!” John’s voice called out in his ear. He sounded panicked.

“What is it, Sheppard?” He replied as he continued towards his goal.

“We’ve detected Elizabeth on the southern pier.”

“I’m almost there.”

“Ronon, she isn’t moving and someone is moving away from her position quickly.”

“I’m almost there!” He ran with every ounce of speed he could pull out of his powerful legs. He drew his blaster when he approached the opened doors leading out to the pier. He scanned the immediate area and found no trace of the intruder but his eyes made out her form curled up on the ground at the water’s edge.

She lay there trying to forget the sound of his voice and his touch on her skin when she heard footsteps rapidly approaching. “No.” She whimpered as she thought he had returned. A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to sit up. “No!” She screamed and struck out at her assailant. “Please don’t!”

“Elizabeth! It’s me, Ronon!” He untied the blindfold from behind her head and threw it to the side. Her eyes were wild with tears falling in streaks down her face. “He is gone.” He calmed his tone, cupped her cheek, and lowered his gaze to look in her eyes. “I’ve got you now. You are safe.”

“No. I’m not.” Her voice sounded broken as she stared at his chest unseeing. “He said he could get to me no matter where I was. He said I’d belong to him.”

“Did he hurt you?” His gaze moved down to her opened uniform and paused briefly over her red satin bra. He lifted her chin with his finger and saw the shock of her ordeal set in. “Did he touch you?” He saw a hypodermic needle lying on the ground a few feet from where he knelt. “Elizabeth, answer me!”

“He…he touched my…” She looked down at her breasts and began to cry in earnest.

Ronon let out a soft growl as not to scare her but to release a small portion of his anger. He took off his leather coat, draped it around her shoulders, and picked her up in his arms. “I will take you back to your quarters now or do you need to see Dr. Beckett?”

“No.” Her voice hitched when she spoke and it hurt his heart to think that someone had almost broken this strong female. She laid her face in the crook of his neck and he felt her tears on his hot flesh.

“As you wish.” He began to walk the pier to make his way to the door. “I will take you back to your quarters so that you may get some rest.”

“No!” Her head rose up and she stared into his eyes in complete panic. “I can’t go back there! He’s…been…there.”

“Ronon! This is Sheppard. Did you find her? Is she alright?” John rattled out so quickly that Ronon did not get a chance to reply until he finished.

“I have her. She is…shaken up but is relatively unharmed.” Ronon replied as he stared into Elizabeth’s pleading eyes. “He was already gone by the time I arrived.”

“Take her to Medical and have Beckett look her over…”

“She does not wish to go to Medical.” Ronon interrupted him as he carried her through the corridors to a lift.

“Fine. Then take her to…”

“Nor does she wish to return to her quarters.” Ronon finished his sentence for him.

“Well where are you going to take her?” John’s voice rose in volume as his concern for his friend’s well-being rose.

“I will take her to my quarters. Have Dr. Beckett meet us there. She was injected with some substance and he needs to clear her of any lasting effects.” He glanced at Elizabeth, who reluctantly agreed with his demands, and laid her head back on his shoulder. “She will be safe with me.”

~*~