Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. No profit is made from this.

A/N: This is set shortly after the episode 'The Lost Tribe' and is a John/Jennifer pre-ship

"Colonel." Jennifer greeted approaching the gurney. "What happened?" She asked noticing the blood stained cloth he held to his head.

"Would you believe me if I told you that Rodney unleashed a crazy Predator-like beast on me."

"Oh please, it was more like Thumper." Rodney called over. "And it is not my fault the frequency I was using to probe the ruins upset it."

"So Thumper jumped up and whacked your head with a carrot?" Jennifer asked examining the wound. Although her voice sounded light hearted Sheppard could see the worry and stress in her eyes.

"It was not Thumper." Sheppard threw back.

"What's Thumper?" Ronon asked in between glaring at the nurse who was performing his post mission medical.

"Is Thumper not the name of the toy rabbit you gave Torren?" Teyla questioned.

"That's the one." Jennifer said.

"It was not Thumper." Sheppard protested.

"Actually, the resemblance was quite striking." Teyla commented.

"Thumper did not have crazy red eyes and an evil looking face. Nor did he attack innocent bystanders."

"You weren't innocent, you were with McKay." Ronon said springing off his gurney.

"I did nothing to it." Sheppard argued, looking at Jennifer's frowning face. Turning to the rest of his team he suggested. "Why don't you guys go grab some food, I'll join you when the doc's done."

"We can wait." McKay offered, although his heart was not in it.

"Go." Sheppard ordered. "You being here spreading lies about Thumper is going to damage my reputation."

"You sure?" McKay asked sounding happier.

"I'm sure. Just save me a turkey sandwich." He called after McKay's retreating back. "Seriously guys, go." He then said to Teyla and Ronon who had remained. Reluctantly they followed McKay out of the infirmary.

"So what exactly happened between you and Thumper?" Jennifer asked as she cleansed the wound.

"It was not Thumper." Sheppard reiterated. "It was an evil creature that lunged at me and I tripped and smacked my head into a tree."

"Thumper knocked you to the floor?" Jennifer asked in disbelief. "Maybe my sparring lessons with Ronon are a waste of time if his tuition can not even protect you from a bunny."

"I'll remind you that most of the trouble you attract does not have four legs and Ronon's methods are very good against the two legged critters. And it was not a bunny. Isn't there some ethical code you are meant to follow you that's meant to stop you mocking your patients?"

"Not that I know of. Besides after all the stick I get I deserve to dish some out." Jennifer replied as she carefully sutured the wound.

"But on me?" Sheppard protested.

"You give me as much grief as anyone else." Jennifer said applying a dressing. "Ok, all done. You know the drill."

"Yes I do." Sheppard replied sitting up.

"Ok then." Jennifer said sitting back waiting for the Colonel to get up. When Sheppard failed to move off the gurney she asked. "Something else I can do for you?"

"Yeah, you can accompany me to the mess hall."

"I'm on duty." Jennifer said.

"We both know your shift finished," he paused and checked his watch, "two hours ago. So let's go. Or if you want I'll go sparring with Ronon."

"Although you clearly need the practice, no sparring for at least twenty-four hours." Jennifer replied.

"But if you're not around to remind me I might forget, seeing how I have a head wound." He persevered.

"Ok, you win." Jennifer replied looking defeated.

As they walked down the corridor in silence Sheppard kept looking over at Jennifer before he stated.

"You're still blaming yourself."

"Kinda hard not to. I saw him four hours before, I must have missed something."

"Even if you did, wouldn't it have shown up in the autopsy?"

"Apparently not." Jennifer shot back.

"Stop being so hard on yourself doc."

"People don't drop down dead for no reason." Jennifer argued. "There must have been a sign."

"And how many times have you re-reviewed the data from the medical?" Sheppard probed. "And the autopsy?" Jennifer turned towards him as if to answer, but was distracted by her radio.

"Keller here." She said as Sheppard stood and watched. He watched as she frowned and turned. "I'll be right there." She responded into the radio before running back to the infirmary calling out to Sheppard. "I have to go."

Sheppard stood for a moment in the corridor wondering if he should follow her but as his radio continued to remain silent he guessed a military presence was not required and resumed his walk to the mess hall.

-00-

"You've been released then?" Rodney observed as Sheppard approached the table.

"What gave you that impression?" Sheppard asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. As he sat he saw his turkey sandwich and his eyes lit up.

"Jennifer not coming?" Rodney asked, resulting in Ronon glaring at him. A gesture that went unnoticed by Sheppard.

"She was, but she got called back for some sort of emergency." The Colonel explained as he bit into the sandwich.

"A medical emergency?" McKay asked.

"Well, I'm not the self-confessed genius of the city, but seeing she is the CMO that'd be my guess." Sheppard answered, his sandwich doing nothing to stifle the sarcastic undertones.

"We were just in the infirmary." The physicist pointed out.

"You sure you didn't bang your head on the mission?" Sheppard asked.

"Funny. I meant what if it were contagious? We'd have been exposed."

"Wouldn't that have triggered a lock down?" Teyla asked calmly.

"Your crazy Pegasus memory deleting one didn't." McKay argued.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Sheppard said raising his sandwich to his mouth again. Before it made it though Woolsey's voice sounded in his ear. Groaning Sheppard put the sandwich down and answered the radio. After a few moments he said.

"I'll be right there."

"What's wrong?" Teyla asked.

"Woolsey wants to see me."

"Why?" McKay asked suspiciously.

"I don't know. For that I'd actually need to see him. If you're that interested you can come along though." Sheppard offered. An offer that the whole team silently refused. "Yeah, didn't think so." He commented as he picked up the remnants of the sandwich and left.

-00-

When Sheppard arrived at Woolsey's office he knocked on the open door and stuck his head into the office, allowing him to see Jennifer was sitting opposite the bureaucrat.

"Colonel, thank you for coming so quickly. Please take a seat."

"What's up?" He asked, although Jennifer's presence gave him a worrying clue.

"There has been a fatality." Woolsey answered.

"Another one?" Sheppard asked as he moved towards Jennifer.

"I'm afraid so." Woolsey replied.

"Who?"

"Lieutenant Fowler."

"Same as before?" Sheppard queried.

"Dr Keller?" Woolsey prompted after a moment of silence.

"Sorry." She apologised. "Just like Adams he appears to have had a massive coronary."

"Could there have been some sort of underlying condition?" Woolsey asked.

"He'd been screened by the Air Force, then at the SGC and then here. Anything underlying should have been picked up. Also it sounds like he was not doing anything strenuous when he collapsed."

"Should we place the city under lockdown?"

"Nothing showed up in the tests I ran on Adams which indicated a viral or bacterial cause. Also the deaths have been ten days apart so it could just be a coincidence."

"You don't sound confident with that assumption." Woolsey pointed out.

"I'm not. Two healthy men in their early twenties should not have coronaries." Jennifer said. "But at the same time there is no evidence suggesting a lockdown is necessary."

"Very well." Woolsey said. "We will keep the situation under review. In the mean time Colonel please can you review the movements of Adams and Fowler in the days leading up to their deaths?"

"I'll get straight on it." Sheppard said, glancing over to Jennifer concerned with how drained she looked.

"Good. If either of you come up with something please let me know immediately." Woolsey ordered. Both Sheppard and Keller nodded as they stood. They had just made it to the door when the bureaucrat called. "Oh Colonel could you just stay behind a moment?"

Wanting to check on Jennifer rather than remain Sheppard paused before reluctantly turning back to look at Woolsey. As he continued to linger in the door way Woolsey added.

"In private."

Nodding Sheppard stepped back inside the office and shut the door.

"I know this is not the best time, but have you had any luck with your investigation into the missing equipment?"

"There is a good reason, detailed in the mission reports, for every missing piece of equipment."

"So you don't think there is a problem?" Woolsey asked feeling some relief.

"The opposite. I'm now convinced something is wrong. Either we are recruiting careless people, which is going to cause major problems, or several people are collecting equipment."

"For what purpose?"

"That I don't know, but I'll keep digging."

"Thank you. Colonel while the other investigation must take priority please let me know if you find anything." Woolsey asked wondering why he'd been so keen to take over as leader of Atlantis.