Author: Jadelyn Tate
Story: Falling In the Black
Disclaimer: I own no one but Nicole Scott.
A/N: This focuses mostly on an OC dealing with life in the Pegasus galaxy from Season one through…whenever I end it. :D Also, this is for my own personal prompt challenge of 50 prompts. If I get enough interest, I may LJ community the prompts.
Thanks: To wild_force71 (aka Wild Force Ranger on ) for all her help as a sounding board. :D

"Sora, what the hell is going on!?"

"I'm staying," Sora replied back calmly. "I've already cleared it with Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard."

"…Why?" Nicole demanded. She'd already lost Peter, she didn't want to lose Sora too.

"I want to help defend Atlantis," she told her. "I have the training, I have the skills. I can be of use here."

"Sora…"

"No, listen to me," the young woman said, staring at the linguist. "I have done very stupid things in the past and I regret most of them. But part of me doesn't regret helping raid Atlantis because it led to me staying here. In the time I've been here, you accepted me more than my own people ever did, my own father!

"Atlantis is the best hope of ridding the universe of the Wraith. My people will never accept that but I do. And if the Wraith are going to attack Atlantis, then I will be here to defend her. Because this is it. I believe this is why you ended up here. To free everyone from the Wraith threat. But if Atlantis falls, that will never happen," Sora told her seriously. Nicole closed her eyes a moment.

"Sora," Nicole took a deep breath, eyes wet as she opened them. "I'm proud of you."

"You are?" she asked, surprised. Nicole nodded.

"Be careful," she told her, hugging her. "I'm going to be very put out if you get yourself killed, little sister."

Sora didn't reply, simply buried her face in Nicole's shoulder and tightened her grip. "Time to head out Nicole," John said, appearing from out of nowhere. Nicole smiled her thanks as Sora gave her one last hug and dashed off.

"Keep an eye on her?" she asked as they made their way to the gate room. John nodded.

"I'll do my best," he promised.

Nicole watched as the gate opened. Looking back, she locked eyes with Teyla. The Athosian smiled at her and Nicole smiled back as Sora moved to stand by her side. Waving, she sent a prayer up to whoever was listening that they remain safe.

~~*A*~~

In the days it took to set up the Alpha site, the fear was almost permeable. Before, in Atlantis, there was always the glimmer of hope for rescue, for going home. Everyone knew, however, that if the Wraith couldn't be stopped, they would never see Earth again.

Nicole spent most of her time doing Elizabeth and John's job since she was the most senior officer left. After the first day of settling disputes between the small military group and the larger civilian group, Nicole decided she was not meant to be a diplomat.

"Doctor, we have an incoming wormhole." Nicole tensed as the message came through her radio.

"Acknowledged, I'm on my way," she answered. By the time she got to the gate from the Alpha Site, the wormhole had been established and a captain was talking with the head of gate security.

"What's going on back on Atlantis, Captain?" she asked. She was a bit miffed when the captain waved her away. "Captain!"

"Sir, this Dr. Scott, head of the Alpha Site for the time being," the sergeant told him. The Captain blinked at her.

"Sorry ma'am, I didn't realize who you were," he apologized. Nicole studied him—he was extremely excited. Something good must have happened.

"Update?" she asked.

"We got reinforcements," he told her with a grin. She frowned, confused.

"Reinforcements?" she asked, surprised. "From where?"

"Earth," he told her. Nicole's eyes widened. "They found a ZPM and showed up just before we were going to send the last team through. I have orders to bring back all military personnel and any civilians who want to fight—excluding yourself."

"Excluding me?" she said, eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Major Sheppard would prefer you stay here to head the Alpha site, ma'am," he told her seriously. Nicole blinked at him, not having expected that. "He said he wants someone he trusts in charge in case the battle goes bad."

"What's the plan to defend Atlantis?" she asked after telling the Sergeant to round up the military and any volunteers.

"Colonel Everett has several bombs, ma'am," he told her, almost bouncing with excitement. "We plan to make the hive ships go boom."

"Well, bombs would certainly do that," she muttered. She froze, eyes widening as the rest of his words sank in. "Wait a minute—Stargate Command sent Colonel EVERETT?"

"You know him ma'am?" the captain asked, surprised. Nicole made a face.

"He was a team leader at the SGC," she explained. "If he's leading the battle, then, well, we're doomed."

"Ma'am?" he asked, surprised. Nicole made another face at him.

"Look, I'll be honest, the guy drives me nuts," she told him seriously. "But if it comes down to it, you'd be best to follow John Sheppard, not Everett."

The man frowned uncertainly and Nicole resisted the urge to pat his arm. "Everett…well, lets just say his record of getting out of trouble on his own is…not good. He had the highest turn rate of almost any SGC team."

"People didn't like his command so they transferred to another team?" the Captain asked hopefully, quiet now that the military men and the civilian volunteers approached. Nicole gave him an unreadable look.

"That wasn't why he had such a high turnover rate."

"Oh."

As the group moved out, Nicole sent another prayer that they remain safe and Everett didn't do something stupid as he was prone to do. As the wormhole closed, she took a deep breath and turned. A small group of civilians stood behind her, including a couple nurses.

"Get a triage area ready, just in case," she ordered quietly. They nodded and left. She turned to the others. "Find people to watch the gate and make it known no one is to leave the base camp without my say-so. And someone needs to keep an eye on Dr. Parrish; he was talking about the interesting flora an hour ago."

The two civilians snickered—it was well known that the paleobotanist had a bad habit of wandering off when he saw something he deemed "interesting."

Turning back to the gate, she swallowed as she thought of the people she knew were battling for their home. "Be safe."