Broken Arrow


Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around.


Elizabeth Weir stood quietly at the end of the dock looking out across the lake. A thick forest of mostly fir trees stretched along the shoreline and in a small open area she spied a family of white-tailed deer that had come down to the water's edge for a drink. Pulling her sweater more tightly around her against the morning chill, Elizabeth smiled at the little group and allowed herself a small wistful sigh. There was no time for self pity in this new life that had been chosen for her. And really, on most days, she didn't mind the peace and solitude at all. On most days.

A mechanical sound interrupted her brief reverie, and she frowned up at the small helicopter that passed over head. Not a rare occurrence in these parts considering how close they were to Colorado Springs, but unusual nonetheless for it to be flying quite so low and apparently heading toward the nearby town of Moose Landing. Probably hunters. The season had already started for some species and soon the surrounding woods would see the influx of groups of weekend backwoodsmen intent on taking home a prize. Hopefully, Elizabeth thought, they would actually take the meat home to be eaten or at least donate it to a shelter. Shaking her head, Elizabeth turned and headed back toward the cabin she had called home for the last two years.

Situated on Green Mountain Lake, near the small settlement of Moose Landing whose colorful name had come from a variety of sources depending on which old timer you talked to, the cabin was the perfect size for one occupant. It was a well-constructed log dwelling with a great room, half bath and small kitchen on the first floor and a loft bedroom suite on the second. The large fireplace of smooth river stones covered most of one wall and the wall facing the river was mostly windows. It was cozy and warm in the winter as long as the supply of wood held out, even when the power failed, as it sometimes did. In the summer she could open all the doors and windows and enjoy the cool breeze that seemed to always come from the lake. On this day in late September, the weather promised to be unseasonably warm and before walking down to the lake Elizabeth had opened the house. Returning to the cabin, she shed her sweater and turned to the task of cleaning up her breakfast dishes.

After her rescue from the replicator planet, the IOA had agreed to let the newly repaired, completely healed and now considered dangerous Dr. Elizabeth Weir return to Earth, they had insisted that she be placed somewhere away from most contact with other humans. Elizabeth wasn't sure what they thought would happen. Maybe that she would go on a hugging spree and infect the entire planet with nanites making Stephen King's book The Stand into partial reality. It wasn't clear, but she was grateful that they hadn't placed her in some alternate reality where she would have felt even more like an alien. As it was, her family and friends were not allowed to come visit or even know what had happened to her, and she had adopted her newest and only companion from the local animal shelter. Smiling down at her faithful friend, Sadie, Elizabeth rubbed the Golden Retriever's silky coat briskly.

“What'd ya say, girl, another beautiful day in the mountains?”

The dog seemed to smile back. “We'll go for a walk later. A long one by the lake shore. Would you like that?” Sadie seemed agreeable and Elizabeth gave her another pat before washing her hands and starting on a tuna salad for lunch.

Chores done for the morning, Elizabeth grabbed the weighty biography of Theodore Roosevelt that she had been working her way through and headed out to the back porch. She enjoyed stacking a few pillows behind her in the old swing someone had installed and reading the days away, occasionally watching the squirrels and chipmunks busily searching for nuts nearby or watching a hawk circling over the trees. On this occasion, however, Sadie's rapid series of barks which quickly subsided, alerted her to the fact that she had company. Before she could discard her book and investigate, a lazy voice floated over to her from the corner of the porch.

“You know, your guard dog is way too friendly.”

Elizabeth froze, hand still reaching out to place the book on the nearby table. It couldn't be. Not after all this time. Breath catching in her throat, she released the book and straightened.

“John?”

“In the flesh.”


Do you feel what I feel
Can we make it so that's part of the deal
I gotta hold you in these arms of steel
Lay your heart on the line this time.


“John Sheppard?” Elizabeth faced the man who was so much a part of her old life that to remember one was to bring a flood of memories of the other. “What...how...what are you...”

John stepped onto the porch and stopped a few feet from her. “I...uh...borrowed a chopper and...um...” He spread his hands. “Here I am.”

Her left eyebrow went up, and John grinned at the sight. Long remembered and as familiar as the brown curls that stirred slightly in the warm breeze.

“But,” Elizabeth swallowed, “nobody, and I mean nobody, knows where I am.”

“They do now.”

At her look of disbelief, John scratched the back of his head and shrugged. “Rodney did some digging. Let's leave it at that.”

Elizabeth hardly heard his explanation. Didn't care really. All that mattered was that he was here, alive and looking much the same as the last time she saw him. His mess of hair still going in all directions and his handsome face still full of mischief. She took a hesitant step toward him and in a flash found herself enveloped in his arms and lifted from the floor. This was a real hug, not one of the awkward two pats on the back brand of hugs he usually gave. He set her down and looked into her flushed face.

“You're not gonna cry, are you?” he asked, licking his lips in that old familiar way that made her flash back to so many angst ridden days. “Because if you cry, Elizabeth, I will have to leave, and I sure would hate to have to leave after coming all this way to see you.”

She dashed away her tears with trembling fingers, laughing and swallowing the lump in her throat at the same time. “Not crying, just leaking happiness.”

He nodded. “Well that's good.”

John looked around while she composed herself. “Nice place you got here, but a bit off the grid for my taste.”

Elizabeth gestured to the swing and they sat. “Not off the grid, I'll have you know. We've got electricity. I even have a satellite complete with high speed internet.”

It was John's turn to raise an eyebrow.

“I guess they trust me not to email everybody and announce I'm home. Even the IOA knows I won't endanger my friends and family.”

“You said 'we'. Does that mean you're not alone out here?” John looked around as if searching for signs of another inhabitant of the cabin.

Sadie chose that moment to walk over and lay her head on John's leg.

“You've met my roommate. This is Sadie, my faithful companion, confidante and hiking partner.”

“Nice to meet you Sadie,” John stroked the dog's head and she went into a frenzy of tail wagging.

Elizabeth laughed, “She likes you. But then she likes everybody. As you said, not much of a guard dog.”

Sadie didn't take offense and only tried to encourage more head patting by maneuvering closer to John's legs. He obliged gladly and for a moment the two old friends both took time to enjoy the sensation of sharing the same space once again. Elizabeth watched his long fingers stroking the dog for a breath and then looked up, her green eyes meeting his hazel. Things between them had never gone beyond friendly flirting and a few fevered dreams, at least on her part. She wasn't sure exactly how John viewed their relationship but his being here after so long told her that she may not be the only one who had once hoped for more than friendship.

“So, um,” she began, “you came here in a helicopter?”

He nodded. “General Landry owed me a favor after the last time I...well I guess technically now I can't tell you that stuff.”

“Mind telling me where you parked?”

He gestured vaguely. “Over in Moose Landing, is it? On the football field by the high school. Scared the cheerleaders right out of their...”

“John.” It was Dr. Weir's old tone. But Elizabeth's teasing smile.

He lowered his head and grinned. “I flashed my ID and said it was a military emergency. They seemed to buy it.”

Elizabeth's grin got bigger.

“Then I meandered over to the general store, bought these clothes,” he gestured to his red plaid shirt and jeans, “talked some guy named Zeke or Zed or maybe Zack into renting me his truck, and here I am.”

“Zack, and he's a nice man. Sells me all my necessities and loves that truck.”

John shrugged. “I told him I was coming to see you. His wife made him let me have the truck. For a price.”

“For which I thank her.”

Elizabeth took a moment to appraise his new outfit. Red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled above his elbows giving her a full view of his tan forearms. She noticed the ever present black wristband and smiled wistfully. The top two buttons were undone and the lean column of his throat drew her attention. She saw him swallow and followed his eyes as they raked over her as if looking for changes.

“It's me, John. I haven't changed much.” She assured him.

“Beautiful as ever,” he stated matter- of -factly, letting his glance drift down over her white eyelet sun dress once again.

“So.” John stood and shoved his hands in his back pockets. “Wanna show me around?”

They strolled companionably around the yard. Elizabeth proudly pointed out her small garden and the bird feeders she had kept filled religiously all through two long Colorado winters. They stopped by the small woodpile and John scratched his head.

“Looks like your fuel supply is kinda low,” he observed.

“Zack and Olivia's son Brian usually keeps a good supply cut for me, but he's away at boot camp. I was planning to ask them to recommend someone to take his place.” Elizabeth frowned at the small stack of fire wood.

John pried the well-sharpened ax from its place on the chopping block and gave it a few test swings. “Tell you what, I'll replenish your supply if you'll buy me a beer later.”

“You know how to chop wood?” Elizabeth took a step back from the swinging ax and furrowed her brow.

“I beg your pardon.” John pretended to be insulted. “I was chopping wood while you were attending dinner parties over in Georgetown.”

Elizabeth smirked at him. “Oh please, rich boy, I know how you grew up. You had servants for that sort of thing.”

The ax landed with a thunk deep into the wood of the large stump that served as a chopping block. John's hands landed on his hips. “I'll have you know my family had a place in Wyoming. We did a lot of skiing there, and my dad insisted my brother and I chop all the firewood ourselves before we could hit the slopes. I can split a log with the best of them.” He picked up the ax once again and bent over to select a large piece of an oak that had been cut and stacked nearby.

“All right then. Show me.” It sounded like a challenge, and John didn't hesitate.

Twack. Thunk. Elizabeth watched as he held the large piece of wood in one hand and swung the ax cutting through it smoothly with the other. Piece after piece met the same fate and pretty soon a good sized pile appeared. His shoulders heaved with the effort, muscles tensing and releasing beneath his shirt. John paused for a moment and wiped his hands on the rear of his jeans.

“Well, city girl, are you going to stand there gawking all day or are you going to stack these?”

“Stacking.” Elizabeth gave him a mocking salute and moved to arrange the cut pieces into a neat row.

John grinned over at her, at the way her hair fell forward as she bent to her task and how the breeze caught her dress and billowed it slightly around her legs. She straightened and the sun brought a hint of transparency to the thin garment. Not room for much underneath, maybe just a wisp of silk or a lacy bit of nothing. John squinted up at the sun and turned his attention back to the task at hand.


I wanna breathe when you breathe
When you whisper like that hot summer breeze
Count the beads of sweat that cover me
Didn't you show me a sign this time?


The day's promise of heat had come true, and John soon began to sweat in earnest. Without thinking he swung the ax, letting the blade sink into the block. Releasing the handle, he grabbed his new shirt by the tail and with one smooth motion, pulled it up over his head and tossed it onto a nearby bush.

Elizabeth dropped the few sticks of firewood she was holding on her foot. “Ow, damn.”
She hopped on one leg and rubbed her toes. John rushed to her aid only managing to make things ever so much worse by grabbing her firmly by the arms. The spots where he was touching her seemed to vibrate slightly like electricity was flowing from his hands to her skin.

“Are you okay?” There was a laugh in his voice but his brow was furrowed in concern.

Elizabeth put her foot down and moved slightly away from him. He dropped his hands and she felt the loss of contact instantly. “Fine.” She smiled in his general direction, unable to catch his eye. “Uh, you must be baking in this sun. Why don't I get us a cold drink?”

“Sounds good.” John watched her walk into the cabin, the white dress seeming to glow in the sunshine, and for the first time in over two years the block of ice around his heart started to melt. A genuine smile with an impressive number of pearly white teeth split his features as he swung the ax above his head once again and sent it into a piece of Colorado oak.

Upon returning, Elizabeth paused for a moment and watched her new woodcutter at work. Twack. Shunk. Thunk. The ax rose in an arc, muscles stretched and pulled across his tanned back and the ax descended, cleanly slicing the block of seasoned wood along the grain. He bent and picked up another piece causing his jeans to slip slightly and reveal a peek of pink striped boxer shorts. The jeans pulled tight across his ass as he spread his legs slightly into a more secure stance. Twack. Shunk. Thunk. He made it look easy.

“This is a small payment for all that work,” Elizabeth announced her arrival and he turned at the sound of her voice. “I'll make you lunch later. There's tuna salad.” She knew she was babbling, which was quite unlike her, but it was either talk really fast or do something incredibly stupid.

He took the cold can of Coke she offered and before drinking rolled it around on his forehead, sighing in appreciation. Beads of sweat covered his face, trickled down his neck and darkened his chest hair. John opened the can with a whoosh and drank deeply with his head thrown back.

Elizabeth lifted her own can to her lips but couldn't manage to tear her eyes away from the man who had now lowered his head and was watching her with the same intensity she was watching him. The neckline of her dress featured several small buttons, the top two of which had come open in her struggle with the wood, revealing a bit of cleavage. John's eyes followed the shadowed valley on her chest and trailed back up to her eyes. His bottom lip disappeared between his teeth, and suddenly, right at that moment, their relationship took a whole new turn.

Do you feel what I feel
Ah can you see what I see
Can you cut behind the mystery
I will meet you by the witness tree
Leave the whole world behind.


John took the first step toward Elizabeth. For a long moment that lingered heavy in the warm sunshine, they simply looked into each other's eyes. A thousand words were spoken in the silence of the few heartbeats it took them to reach an understanding. And then his hand reached out and touched her. The unfinished soda fell unnoticed from her fingers, and she reached out and touched him back, gently and tentatively with one finger tracing the drops of moisture that were making their way along his collarbone.

“ 'Lizabeth.” The word was drawn out and whispered against her ear as he leaned forward and pressed his cheek against hers. His warm moist skin beckoned like a thick blanket on a cold night, and she instinctively leaned into him.

Calloused hands framed her face and slid into her hair. Soft delicate fingers traced the line of his throat and down across his chest before landing at his waist. When finally his lips covered hers, Elizabeth's heart threatened to stop and then sped up alarmingly.

She opened her mouth at his urging and his tongue slipped inside to taste all of her. Their bodies slid together as they maneuvered to get closer. The thin dress was no match for the heavy denim that covered the lower half of his body allowing him to feel all of her as she pressed down on his growing erection.

Elizabeth's hands traced the muscles of his back up to his shoulders and back down, then up to his shoulders again and held on tight. Breathing was not an option as he continued his sweet assault on her mouth with his tongue and teeth lifting her nearly off her feet as his arms came around her and pulled her even more tightly against him.

“John,” she gasped his name on an inhale of breath sliding her own arms around his neck and reinitiating the kiss.

John's hand trailed down and toyed with the few remaining buttons before slipping inside the bodice of the dress and covering a full breast. “No bra. Good news.” He smiled against her mouth as his hand continued its exploration.

“It's a warm day. I wasn't expecting...ahh..company.” The last word came out on a strangled groan as he pinched her nipple gently between thumb and forefinger. She signaled her approval by moving her hips forward and down.

“Jesus,” John groaned and suddenly his hands were under her dress and he was lifting the full skirt up and out of the way.

Elizabeth's head fell back and it was her turn to groan as he spun her around. She barely noticed what he was doing as he shoved the ax aside and gave the chopping block a quick swipe with the hand that wasn't firmly closed around one of the smooth globes of her ass. A few steps backwards and she found herself sitting on the block of wood that had so recently served as a cutting service.

Not about to argue about the time or place, Elizabeth reached for his belt and made short work of getting it off while he awkwardly toed off his shoes. She lowered her hands to his zipper, eliciting a hiss from John.

“Better let me do that,” he warned, “don't want to lose any parts before we even begin.”

Elizabeth grinned and leaned back on her hands glad to watch him lower the zipper and slide the jeans down his legs. She did the eyebrow raise thing as she gazed in open admiration at the pink striped garment that did little to conceal his arousal.

He caught her eye and smirked. “What? They came in a package. Blue. Green. Pink.”

Elizabeth smirked back and reached out to grab a handful of chest hair and tug him toward her. “We'll talk about our wardrobes later.”

She wrapped her legs around his slim hips and settled herself firmly against him which made his eyes roll back in his head. The dress was pulled up to her waist and the warm center of her body was pressed against his hard cock. John tried to remember his multiplication tables to slow things down but all his considerable math skills deserted him. Nothing to do now but fuck her senseless.

Her breasts were fully revealed through the opening in the dress and John buried his face between them licking and sucking his way from one to the other. He pulled a nipple into his mouth and rolled it around his tongue until she tightened her hands in his hair and ground down on him. He could feel the growing wetness between her legs and even through the sweat and pine scented air he could smell her. That unique scent that was all woman and somehow only Elizabeth that made his cock twitch and if possible get even harder.

Elizabeth's tongue came out and traced a line down his throat pausing here and there and finally seeming content to lick its way down his chest until she reached a flat male nipple. Here she drew the tiny bud into her mouth and sucked hard. John nearly pulled her off her perch on the stump before he slammed his pelvis back against her body. Her legs were gripping him tightly so that each movement pressed her clit down against his pelvic bone. And now she couldn't resist sliding her hand beneath the waistband of his boxers and grasping him firmly.

“Christ, Elizabeth!” He shuddered in her hand and reached between them to grasp her wrist firmly. Slightly incoherent, John pulled her hand away and stepped back a few inches to divest himself of his last remaining garment.

Elizabeth indulged herself in a quick inspection and was pleased by what she saw. Very pleased in fact. Her naughty grin made John preen a bit before he grabbed her firmly around the waist with one hand and tugged at the tiny bikini panties that she wore with the other. The bit of fabric slid off and sailed onto the woodpile and it was John's turn to leer. His hot gaze took in the dark triangle between her legs and registered the glistening folds only briefly before his fingers slid up her thigh and into her wetness. She gripped him tighter and gasped when she registered the sensation of his long fingers touching her for the first time. She was wet and hot and throbbing and prayed that he would never stop. One finger and then another slid inside her threatening to trigger an orgasm that she sensed would be like no other.

He kissed her wildly as his fingers continued to do delicious things to her and when both felt they would burst from the tension that was building, he withdrew his hand and pulled her firmly down onto his throbbing cock. Elizabeth crossed her ankles behind him as he found a rhythm that worked. With both her hands in his hair and his gripping her ass, they pounded against each other until the world exploded around them. When the shuddering stopped and they were able to breathe again, Elizabeth found she had slid almost off the edge of the chopping block and was almost fully supported by John's hands. They clung to each other, laughing helplessly.

“I think I have wood chips in my ass,” Elizabeth giggled.

“Yeah? Well I think I ruptured a disk.”

Elizabeth slid off the block and pulled her dress back into some semblance of order while John put on his underwear and jeans. They were disheveled, sweaty and maybe even a bit sunburned but looking into each other's eyes as they walked back toward the cabin with their joined hands swinging between them, they knew they had turned a corner.

“Now how about that lunch?'' John asked.

“You get to do the dishes.”

“Yeah, and what is my reward?”

“Oh, you want rewards now. I would think my wonderful cooking, not to mention the company of two gorgeous and totally agreeable women, might I add, would be enough for you.”

John reached down to give Sadie a quick pat as she returned from a squirrel chasing mission and decided to join them. “Two, huh? And did you say agreeable? Well I do have a few other ideas.”

Elizabeth gave him her signature smirk and a quick pat on the ass before preceding him through the door. “Oh yeah, Mr. Lumberjack,” she teased, “well, I might just have a few ideas of my own.”


I want to come when you call
I'll get to you if I have to crawl
They can't hold me with these iron walls
We got mountains to climb.


*lyrics from Broken Arrow by Robbie Robertson