Hello my friends! Here we are with another update. I have to say I'm ready for John and Kai to work out their differences. I was a little hesitant to write this episode but Lucius is one of those characters you love to hate!

Happy Reading!

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Irresponsible
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"So they didn't say why they needed Doctor Beckett?" Kai clarified with a confused frown. She had just been called off of a project by Doctor Weir, inquiring if she was available to accompany Doctor Beckett off planet to meet up with AR-1. AR-1 had reached out to Atlantis asking them to send Beckett to meet them off world. It sounded like it was not a potentially dangerous situation, therefore an escort was more appropriate than an entire team, and Kai happened to be one of the few available on such short notice.

"Colonel Sheppard did not," Elizabeth confirmed with a weary sigh. "He only said that there was not a medical or military emergency and he wanted Beckett to come through with a portable lab that had the ability to run a blood test."

"A blood test?" Kai asked with a frown. She couldn't imagine the situation that would warrant this kind of request. She zipped up her TAC vest as she and Elizabeth walked into the gate room. She had her Blades strapped to her low back and a handgun on her hip. She hadn't bothered with a P-90 or anything else for weapons. It sounded like a simple enough job. She had her scarf wrapped around her head as she usually did in a potential combat situation, but the end of it was loose over her shoulder so it didn't cover her face. If this was supposed to be a friendly visit she didn't think showing up with her face covered in full TAC gear sent the right message.

"Thank you again for being willing to escort him. John made it clear there was unlikely to be any danger but the Stargate is a bit of a walk from the village. I think we would all feel better knowing Carson had back up, just in case," Elizabeth added with a tense smile. She would never admit it was she that would feel better sending Carson with backup. Doctor Beckett didn't often go off world, and she didn't like the idea that something could happen to him.

Kai nodded again absently. The project she had been working on wasn't time sensitive and it had been a while since she went off world. She could see the tension in Elizabeth as she spoke and Kai wondered if it was because she knew something she wasn't sharing, or if it was simply because of her feelings for Doctor Beckett. Elizabeth had never admitted to giving special treatment to Carson, but this was dangerously close to it.

They came around the corner to find Beckett waiting with two cases sitting at his feet. Kai stepped forward and scooped one up, leaving her right hand free in case they ran into trouble when they came through the gate. A bodyguard wasn't much good if their hands were full.

"All right," Elizabeth said, rubbing her hands down her thighs. "Um, be safe and good luck," she said and she patted Kai's shoulder awkwardly.

"Right, you as well," Carson agreed nervously.

Kai glanced back and forth between them, but didn't bother saying anything. They had been dancing around one another for weeks now and it wasn't her place to draw attention to it. She nodded to Elizabeth and strode towards the event horizon.

Kai and Beckett stepped through the gate and came out into a beautifully landscaped garden around the Stargate. There were carefully cultivated shrubs and flowers making the entire clearing look like a well maintained park. It spoke a lot about these people's wealth and security that they had time to maintain their Stargate in such a way. It also seemed like a way to highlight to the Wraith that there was prosperous settlement nearby. Or any potential enemy really.

"Well, this is pleasant," Beckett said cheerfully as they started out down a brick ladened path.

Kai grunted, but didn't exactly agree. The obvious display of wealth was a concern if the community wasn't able to defend itself. She kept her eyes on the woods around them, but so far she hadn't seen any type of guard or soldier keeping watch. She kept her senses attuned to the area around them, but all she could hear were the birds and the gentle breeze blowing through the trees. It made her uneasy.

"Do you know why AR-1 was here in the first place?" Kai asked.

Beckett turned back to her. "You didn't hear?" he asked in surprise.

Kai shook her head. In her efforts to keep distance between herself and Sheppard there had been a distance growing between herself and the other members of the team. She had been avoiding the gym and mostly eating her meals in the lab or her quarters. She saw McKay most often, but he wasn't one to volunteer information unless it was a subject he chose.

"Looking around, I would assume trade," Kai said.

"Well that too," Carson said with a bit of excitement in his tone. "But, it appears as though this town has been blessed with the presence of a superhero in their midst!"

Kai froze for a second and cocked her head to the side. "A super hero?" she clarified, saying the words separately and slowly.

Carson nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!" he gushed. "The Athosians who have been regular trade partners here came back with tales of a man who fought off an entire group of armed bandits single handedly."

Kai nodded, although that didn't impress her in quite the same way it seemed to impress Carson. "What's a super hero?"

Carson stopped and looked at Kai with a confused frown. "Well...it's a hero that is even better. You must have-"

"We don't," Kai interrupted already shaking her head. "Heroes are not really something looked on in a positive light among the Mortii. It was a word often used in derision to describe someone being foolishly idealistic and reckless."

Carson let out a small sigh. "Of course it is," he muttered. Kai arched a brow but Carson shook his head. This was not a conversation he saw himself winning. The Mortii culture at times was just too different and it didn't help to point out the areas where it lacked. "Let's keep moving," he suggested.

"So they came here to meet a super hero," Kai said as they walked.

"A superhero, aye," Carson said, his excitement rising once more.

"And they want a blood test?" she asked.

"It would seem so," Carson agreed. "He must be quite capable if they want to test him."

Kai nodded, but her thoughts had already turned to other possible explanations of this super hero. The wraith enzyme Ford had injected himself and his men with for instance. A man on that could certainly have managed the feat this hero seemed to be so famous for. Of course, Ronon could have managed it all on his own, as could she given the correct circumstances. A group of armed bandits didn't always mean they were skilled or particularly brave. She could come up with any number of explanations that had nothing to do with a super hero. She assumed Sheppard would have been equally as skeptical.

As Kai and Beckett approached the town square they saw a large gathering of people ahead of them. Kai was too short to see all the way to the middle of the group but it appeared someone was speaking at the center of the crowd who were enthralled by whatever they were saying. The towns folk were all dressed in tidy, clean clothing. The society was preindustrial-agrarian by the look of the buildings, but they were well on their way in development.

Kai frowned as she got close enough to hear the man talking. "I think I know why they want a blood test," she muttered her jaw tightening.

Beckett glanced towards her in confusion. They were still too far away for him to hear what she could. Kai's hands tightened into fists and she marched into the middle of the town square. "You son of a-" she started to say.

"Kai dear! So good to see you!" Lucius Lavin gushed, cutting her off as he pushed himself to his feet. He moved towards her like he was going to hug her.

Kai's jaw ticked and her hand dropped towards her Blade. She strode straight towards Lucius, her eyes locked dangerously on his pompous face.

For his part Lucius was too dense to see the danger stalking towards him and instead mistook it for her being happy to see him.

John jumped to his feet and moved quickly towards Kai to intervene. He and the rest of the team had been relaxing, listening in disbelief as Lucius had recounted their exploits in the Pegasus as his own.

"Wait, wait, wait," John said, stepping between them.

The Bond was locked down so tightly he hadn't felt her arrival. He hadn't realized Elizabeth was going to send anyone to accompany Carson. Had he known, Kai would have been the last person he would have chosen. There was too much history between Lucius and Kai and he was having a hard enough time tolerating the guy without Kai standing there to remind him of all Lucius had done. John wasn't likely to forget the way Lucius had singled out and specifically preyed on Kai with the help of his little drug. It was just the luck of timing that had kept her and the other women on Atlantis safe from him.

Kai stopped as John stepped in front of her. His back was to Lucius and despite wearing sunglasses she knew he was looking her in the eye. Kai didn't understand why Lucius was still breathing. She had agreed to returning him to the people he had drugged and deceived, she hadn't expected them to let him go. He needed to pay for what he did.

Completely oblivious Lucius turned to the crowd. "Everyone, these are more of my good friends. This is the lovely Kai," he said gesturing to Kai, "I know it doesn't seem as obvious with her wearing all this stuff," he said waving his hand dismissively at Kai. "-but you'll have to take my word for it."

John whirled back around like he was going to attack Lucius and Beckett quickly stepped in front of him, blocking both Kai and Sheppard while they took a moment to calm down.

Lucius smiled when he saw Carson. "And this is Doctor Carson Beckett. Great doctor, just great. Come, come sit down. I was just in the middle of a story."

"I'm afraid I need to conduct a blood test," Beckett said, knowing immediately why Sheppard would have called him here. The way the villagers were all so entranced by him, it wouldn't be at all surprising to hear he had managed to find himself more of his special herb.

"Sure, sure, I agreed to that. It's a waste of your time, but knock yourself out. I can talk while you do that," Lucius said taking a seat back on the table in the middle of the crowd.

Still miffed Sheppard turned away from Lucius. Kai's eyes were still hard and locked on the man in question. John turned her and gently pushed her towards the bench he had been sitting on. She was so distracted by Lucius's presence she allowed him to guide her towards a seat.

"Where was I?" Lucius asked rhetorically. "Oh yeah, the Iratus bugs tendrils were choking the life from me, I could feel my very life essence ebb and wane. With every passing second I could feel myself drawing closer to death. Now, had I been the only one in the building, the only one in the burning building, I would have surrendered and allowed sleep to overtake me. But there were women and children there with me, whose very survival lay in my hands, I was not about to let them down. So I reached deep down within me and I summoned whatever strength I had, and I grabbed the bug and I ripped it away from me, and through sheer force of will I began to choke it-"

"I don't remember choking it..." Sheppard said thoughtfully, leaning closer to Kai. Trying to distract her.

Kai looked up at him in surprise at the humor in his tone. "I think you were unconscious," Kai said.

John shook his head and continued to chew on a long piece of grass, looking surprisingly calm. "I think this was before you had them shock me with the defibrillator."

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Lucius exclaimed.

Beckett pulled the needle out of his arm looking unrepentant.

"You said that wouldn't hurt," Lucius whined.

"I lied," Beckett snapped. He pressed a piece of gauze against the wound and lifted Lucius's arm up while the blood clotted.

Lucius scowled and turned back to his audience. "And I- I sprang up and I led them all to safety."

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" Lucius called waving at the gathered group.

John pulled the grass out of his teeth and lifted his chin. "How?" He asked, his voice carrying loud enough to be heard over the group. Everyone fell silent in shock at Sheppard's audacity to question Lucius's story.

"What?" Lucius bit off the question.

"How did you lead the people to safety?" John clarified, gesturing with the grass.

Ronon sat forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "You said the way out was blocked."

"Oh, you were listening. That's good, that's good, because it was," Lucius scrambled to gather his thoughts, but no one around them seemed to notice or care. "It was blocked, until I cleared a path through the burning wreckage, and ignoring the searing heat and the flames that were just swirling...and swirling..."

"But how did you-" Sheppard started to press.

"Okay," Lucius bit out, cutting Sheppard off before he could twist his story around. "That's enough reminiscing for today. Believe me there's plenty more where that story came from, so when we gather tomorrow, I'll tell you how I was almost seduced by a beautiful ancient."

John's head snapped back towards Lucius as he once again claimed one of John's experiences as his own.

"How entertaining," Beckett commented blandly as he worked.

"Yeah, you'd think so, but between you and me, not so much," Lucius said jerking his chin towards where Kai and Sheppard sat together.

"You know your stories are awfully fascinating...and familiar," Sheppard added, his tone was carefully neutral.

It took Kai a moment to look past her own distaste for the man to realize Sheppard was just as angry as she was. John had just always been better at hiding his anger. When he sounded friendly and jovial was often when he was at his most deadly.

"Alright, I admit," Lucius said holding up his hands in surrender. "I maybe took some inspiration from some of the mission reports I perused while on Atlantis. But I spiced them up, a little story here, a little bit there..."

"All right, I'm done here," Beckett said. Interrupting Lucius before he could start on another roll.

"Well, you are not going to find any of that special herb in my system," Lucius said. "I learned my lesson the last time thanks to all of you."

"You mean these people are not drugged?" Kai pressed, leaning forward and resting her forearms on her legs. "They simply adore you for who you are?" She mocked, making it clear by her tone just how unlikely that was. Seeing Lucius again made the memory of that drug come back full force. She had been so helpless to his suggestion when she was on it.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Lucius asked, running his eyes over her with interest.

Kai scowled back at him and leaned forward aggressively. John shifted his weight, bumping his shoulder into hers and catching her attention before she attacked Lucius.

Kai flinched at the contact. She and Sheppard had been so careful not to touch one another. It was painful to have him use such familiar action between them. It surprised her so much her grip on the Bond dropped for a moment and, just a second, she could feel the deep rage John was holding back facing Lucius.

"You don't believe me," Lucius said in disbelief, as though every other word out of his mouth hadn't consistently been a lie.

"Well I came all this way with my portable lab, I think I'll run the test results, just to be sure," Beckett said.

"You're wasting your time," Lucius said to Beckett. "In all modesty, these people love me, pure and true."

John shook his head and smiled, although there was too much teeth to it. "Lucius, you can't say anything modestly," he growled not quite able to sound as friendly as he was trying. The brief opening of the Bond had been distracting and then painful as Kai snapped it shut once more. It grated on him to feel the strain and effort it took for her to keep him separate from her.

"I saved them!" Lucius insisted emphatically.

John rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and none of the Atlantis group looked convinced.

"I did!" Lucius exclaimed. "A couple months ago, this bunch of ruffians come into town and start causing trouble. I beat them up, I chase them away, and all of a sudden I'm the town hero."

John scoffed and sat back in his chair, shaking his head in disgust.

"They give me gifts, the women throw themselves at me. It's like the old days but better, because now they aren't drugged," Lucius said smugly.

Sheppard made a sound low in the back of his throat that might have been a growl and shoved himself forward. "Do you hear yourself?" He demanded.

"Hey, We can't all be dashing military men going on exciting adventures and attracting beautiful alien women," Lucius said defensively.

"That's not-" John started to argue and shook his head, not certain why he was bothering. The more he spoke with Lucius about his past exploits the more he wished they had let Ronon string him up. He couldn't believe the people of his previous village hadn't locked him up and thrown away the key for what he had done.

"Hang on, hang on," McKay said, interrupting the conversation before Sheppard got any madder. "You beat them up?" he asked in clear disbelief. It was about as likely as McKay himself managing it.

"Yes, me. I did," Lucius confirmed patting himself on the chest.

"How did you do that?" Ronon asked doubtfully.

"It's not so hard when you're invincible. I'm invincible," Lucius said with a cheeky grin.

John chuckled in disbelief. "Right," he ageed.

"All right, it looks like this is going to take some convincing," Lucius said and he shoved himself to his feet. He looked up to where they were raising bags of grian on a pulley system to store them in the upper levels of a warehouse for the winter. "Let me see," he said rubbing his hands together as he walked towards them. "Time for a demonstration," he told the men working. "Go ahead. Let it go, trust me."

John pushed himself to his feet in the same moment Kai got to hers. He pulled his sunglasses down and watched as what must have been close to 500 pounds of grain fell from the second story and landed on Lucius. Instead of crushing him however, the bags themselves broke apart and scattered while Lucius stood unmoved and unaffected.

Kai frowned as she heard a low buzzing and a green forcefield flickered over his body for a second before disappearing.

Lucius walked up to Ronon and pointed his finger in his chest. "Hit me," he demanded.

Ronon eagerly climbed to his feet, his anticipation had him rocking up on the balls of his feet.

"Don't!" Kai started, but Ronon ignored the warning and swung. His fist slammed into a solid object and he pulled back, shaking his hand in pain. That same low buzzing sounded was accompanied by the subtle green flash.

"See, invincible," Lucius said smugly. "I cannot be vinced." He turned and looked towards Kai and winked at her as though this would somehow impress her.

Her face fell into a dangerous scowl and she took a menacing step towards him. Sheppard laid a hand on her shoulder stopping her. "Okay, okay," he said.

Kai immediately shook off the contact, shooting Sheppard a look. She couldn't handle both refraining from killing Lucius and managing her feelings for Sheppard right now. She needed space to get herself back under control.

"Am I sensing some tension here?" Lucius asked pointing back and forth between Sheppard and Kai. "Maybe some trouble in paradise?" He pressed.

"Drop it Lucius," Sheppard snapped. "Explain."

Lucius refused to continue talking out in the town square and led them instead into the local tavern. They begrudgingly followed. He sat down and called for food and drinks before he turned back to the group.

"It turns out I had this ancient shield all along," he said opening up his jacket to reveal the green badge. "It was a gift from one of my many admirers back in my old village. You know before I was forced to pack up and leave, thank you very much," he said shooting a scowl at Sheppard.

John leaned forward in his chair. "For what you did, we'd still have you behind bars," John promised him.

"Anyway," Lucius said looking away from Sheppard and turning his attention to the others. "I didn't even know what it was until I went to Atlantis, perused some of the mission reports about the ancient device-"

"You did an awful lot of perusing," McKay commented.

Lucius shrugged unrepentantly. "I peruse, it's a gift." A good looking waitress walked by and Lucius turned his attention to her. "Hey, sweetheart, what do you say you come by my place tonight..." he said with what he surely considered charm, but in fact just made Kai's skin crawl.

"No, thanks," the barmaid said without hesitation.

Lucius looked confused. "Wait, wait, wait," he said. "I'm the town hero," he pointed out, unable to believe someone could possibly be telling him no.

"That was ages ago," she said and she stepped sideways out of his grip and continued on with her work.

Kai bit back a grin that made Lucius all the more embarrassed.

"Let me tell you something, you're only as good as your last rescue," he said with a shake of his head.

McKay held up his hand. "How is it you are able to operate Ancient technology? I know Carson didn't actually give you the ATA gene."

"Oh, that was easy," Lucius said with a casual wave of his hand. "All I had to do was find a guy with the gene and have him initialize the device. I mean, it took a long time, but once it was done I could activate this thing anytime I wanted."

"Fascinating," John said, but it was clear by his tone he thought it was anything but fascinating. "You do know those things run out of juice eventually, don't you?" he pressed.

"Come on," Lucius scoffed. "These ancient things last forever." He smiled triumphantly and stood. "Look, lunch is on me. I'm going to go and take a walk," he said shrugging into his jacket. "If I don't see you before you leave, well then, I'll just...well I'll talk to you later."

John's arms were crossed aggressively over his chest as he stared Lucius down. "We're not going anywhere until we get those test results back," he snarled.

"Whatever you want," Lucius said adjusting his collar. "People to save," and he swanned out of the tavern with a smug smile on his face.

Kai was grinding her teeth with the desire to go after him, but as long as he was wearing the forcefield it wouldn't do any good.

John let out a exhausted sigh and leaned forward, rubbing his temples. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

"Well...perhaps, he has learned a lesson," Teyla said carefully.

Kai snorted and shook her head.

"He's Lucius, are you kidding me?" John replied.

"At least he is trying to do something good to get people to like him this time," Teyla continued, trying very hard to dissipate the tension and anger she could feel coming off of both The Colonel and Kai. Ronon took a large bite off of a chicken leg and she decided to add him to the list of those among them who would happily put Lucius out of their collective misery.

"Well, I've completed my test," Beckett said coming in. "It looks as though Lucius is telling the truth. No traces of the drug in his system," he said.

John nodded, but wasn't all that surprised at this point. The barmaids reaction to him had been genuine. "That's our cue to leave," John said pushing himself up to his feet.

"Whoa, whoa whoa wait," McKay exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "Am I the only person here who thinks he is taking advantage of these poor people? The man's a conman."

"Come on Rodney," Sheppard teased with a grin. "You just want another crack at that shield."

Mckay scoffed unrepentently. "You're damned right I do, it could come in extremely handy. He's practically wasting it!" McKay exclaimed as he chased after the others.

Back in the town square, Sheppard approached the man who had welcomed them to town earlier. "Where's Lucius?" he asked.

"He went out for a stroll. He'll be back later," the man promised.

John nodded. "Well whenever he gets back, tell him we said goodbye."

"Well, alright," the man said in surprise.

John turned and started walking back towards the stargate. Ronon fell into step beside him. "I think we're making a mistake," Ronon said.

"Yeah," John drawled. "We'll have the Athosian's keep an eye on everyone. If anything gets out of control, we'll come back." he said.

A woman screamed and Ronon and Sheppard pulled their weapons and immediately went back to back. Kai swept herself in front of Beckett, shoving him towards the middle of their cicle of protection as the entire square filled with gunmen, all pointing their weapons at their group.

Kai ground her teeth together. It couldn't be a coincidence that this was happening now, after Lucius had so smugly checked his watched and stepped out of the tavern. She didn't like it at all.

"Drop your weapons or die where you stand," the leader demanded, striding up to put his gun straight in Sheppard's face. Sheppard stared the man down, noting the man's composure in the face of a gun fight.

Kai's eyes were on the three gunmen closest to her. They were calm, keyed up for a fight, but not nervous. They were professionals. This wasn't just a group of common bandits. They were too organized, too controlled.

"We're not looking for a fight," John said. "We're just passing through town," John kept his voice calm and level, making it clear they weren't looking for a fight, but they weren't afraid of one either.

"I've got two on my right," Ronon murmured. "One dead ahead."

"Two at twelve o'clock, one behind the fruit stand," John reported back.

"If we act now we risk injuring innocent villagers," Beckett warned them.

"Three on your six in my sight," Kai reported from right behind Sheppard. She left the Bond open just enough for Sheppard to feel her focus and calm. She hoped it was enough for him to know she was ready to take action, but they hadn't used the Bond openly in so long she couldn't be sure how much was getting through and couldn't risk distracting him.

"And us," McKay warned. "We risk injuring us."

"I can take out my three before they get a shot off," Ronon said, a feral smile pulling at his face as he stared down the barrel of his gun.

"I can hear others," Kai reported, "Hidden in the buildings," she said. She could hear the movement of weapons and military boots. "Not civilians," she added.

"It's your call," Ronon said with a shrug.

John sidestepped so he was further from the group, bringing the attention of the group and the guns with him. "Here's the thing," he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl. "If we all start shooting at each other, someone is bound to get hurt. I can pretty much guarantee youll be one of him," he promised the leader. He could feel a pulse of anticipation from Kai through the bond, but it wasn't fear or annoyance, which meant she was with him.

"Are you this hero we've heard rumors of?" the leader demanded.

John pulled back in surprise, relaxing into a thought that had a smile pulling at his face. "No," he said.

The leader reached out and grabbed the arm of the barmaid from earlier, pulling her against his chest to use as a shield and pressing his gun to her temple. John tensed once more. "Then lower your weapons," he snarled.

Not willing to risk the woman's life, John lowered the barrel of his gun. "Okay," he agreed.

"Sheppard," Ronon growled.

"Trust me on this one," Sheppard said, not even close to as mad as he should have been for having to surrender.

Kai scowled, it wasn't like Sheppard to just give up. She lowered her handgun and knelt with the others as the men approached them and handcuffed their hands behind their backs.

"So where is this hero?!" The leader shouted. "One who would surely stop us from emptying the towns coffers, helping ourselves to it's women," he jerked the barmaid and she wailed in panic. "Burning it to the ground when we're done."

Kai frowned. This didn't sound like the words of a bandit.

"So tell me! Where is he?! Where is this great hero who will keep us from destroying everything you hold dear?"

Ronon turned his head and met Kai's eyes. Kai frowned, not mad, but confused. The speech was overdramatic.

"He's right here!" Lucius called suddenly. Stepping out from the shadows and holding his arms out dramatically.

The entire town burst into joyous clapping and Kai had to resist grimacing.

"For I am the man you seek."

"Kill him!" the leader exclaimed loudly. Instead of firing their weapons however a group of four of the men attacked Lucius with wooden boards and sticks. None of it did any damage and when they had worn themselves out Lucius put one hand behind his back and gestured for the men to come at him in hand to hand. With the help of the shield he hit each of them only once with a punch before they collapsed in pain.

"Get up!" Lucius yelled. "Don't come back! For so long as I protect these people, this town shall be safe!" he called triumphantly. The towns people all shouted excitedly and ran towards him, chanting his name.

Kai rocked back onto her heels, unable to shake the feeling that something was very wrong here. And not just because it involved Lucius.

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