Ferretti's Folly # 1 - Fatal Mistake
Ferretti's Folly # 1 - Fatal Mistake
by Sally Rolfe
Title: Ferretti's Folly # 1 - Fatal Mistake
Author: Sally Rolfe
Email:blaidd@brentstait.fsnet.co.uk
Status: This part complete, but more parts to come...
Category: Romance/action/angst
Spoilers: COTG & season 4 "Divide and Conquer"
Season/Sequel info: Ferretti's Folly # 1
Rating: PG-13
Content Warnings: slight reference to sexual situations
Summary: Ferretti makes the first of many mistakes.....
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of me and are not to be used without my express permission.
DEDICATION: To my best friend Winifred, Brent Stait for making Ferretti so lovely and for being so darn gorgeous! and to all those who work so hard to bring us such a fantastic series. Thanks guys!
FEEDBACK: YES PLEASE!!
AUTHOR'S NOTES: lots of Ferretti whumping! but I love him really!!!! oh, *** *** indicates a flash back sequence and ~*~*~*~*~*~ indicates a change of scene.
Major Louis Ferretti stood, rubbing his hands together and watching as the gate exploded open again, as it had done a thousand times before. This time was different though, for this was the first time his new team had been off-world together. He looked at them, cracking each of his knuckles in turn, as he memorised their faces, something he did before every mission. He wanted to commit every detail of them to memory, just in case any of them did not make it back this time. He eyes lost focus for a moment as he recalled the previous members of his team who had not made it home. He had lost three people during his command of SG2 and each death tore away a piece of his soul, leaving an empty space that could never be filled. Or so he had thought. Then she came along. Lysa. The woman he loved, his very reason for living. The woman who stood at his side now, blue eyes slightly lidded as she looked disapprovingly at him for cracking his knuckles. It was a habit of his that she hated, but she said nothing. It was one of the many things he loved about her, the way she took him as she found him, faults and all. He was a soldier to the core and couldn't be anything else, but she didn't care. She loved him for who he was and had made a promise on the day they'd begun their secret affair, that she would never try to change him. And from that day forward, she had kept her promise. She supported him, loved him and let him be who and what he was. She was the rock he clung to when the memories of his dead comrades surfaced. And now, she was about to step through the gate for the first time. She'd been assigned to his team a few days earlier and, as soon as he had been informed, he'd gone to see Hammond and have her removed. Of course he couldn't give an explanation for his request without admitting to their relationship, something he could not do as it would mean a court-marshal for them both, and so Hammond had refused his request. He'd even tried talking her into requesting transfer to another team herself, but she had refused. His attention was snapped back to the present by Hammond's voice authorising them to leave on their mission. Ferretti turned slightly and nodded to Hammond, motioning his team to start their ascent up the ramp and through the gate. Following close behind, Ferretti took a deep breath and steeled himself for the unknown.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cold air greeted them on the other side, their breath coming in gasps as they tried to quickly adjust to the change in temperature. Ferretti looked at each of his team, touching them each briefly on the shoulder as he made sure they were OK and none the worse for their trip through the gate. He hovered slightly longer by Lysa's side, his hand lingering on her shoulder as he tried to renew his bond with her, but she shrugged away his hand, still upset after their fight. Realising he had stayed too long with her, he made his way down from the gate and looked around him, blowing warmer air onto his clenched hands in an attempt to warm them. From the corner of his eyes he saw Lysa shiver and clenched his hands tighter, fighting the urge to wrap his arms round her and warm her up. He shook his head slightly, angry at Hammond for putting her on the team, and with her for refusing to transfer. He knew he could show no more, or less, affection for her than to any member of his team and was worried that her being here would distract him from the mission at hand.
"Let's move out" he barked, rubbing his hands together before shifting his pack into a more comfortable position and leading them towards a nearby crop of trees. Eyes darting around them, hands gripping their weapons tightly, SG2 made their way slowly into the woods. They had no idea what to expect and the uncertainty made them all uneasy. Their apprehension was eased somewhat by the way Ferretti moved confidently onwards, taking point as he always did. The other three members of the team were all relatively new to being part of an active SG team, but Ferretti's confidence and experience reassured them immensely. He was a good leader, and friend to his whole team. He encouraged them to make suggestions, listened to their ideas and explanations (though he didn't understand half of the scientific stuff!) and made them feel at ease in his presence. He'd practically had to order them to call him by his first name, or at least his surname, rather than his rank. With the loss of their scientist and the assignment of Lysa as replacement, he had decided to organise a small get-together at his house the previous night in an attempt to let them get to know her before her first mission. The night had gone well, lots of beer and pizza being downed while Ferretti was being thrashed at cards, and everything had been almost perfect, until the others had left for their respective homes. Ferretti glanced at Lysa, noticing the hard look on her face and the air of distance surrounding her, as he remembered what had happened......
*** ***
"Well, they seem to like you" he called, walking slowly back into the living room with a smile on his face. The smile broadened as he leant against the door frame, watching as Lysa, kneeling on the floor, cleared away the cards strewn in front of the fireplace. The ties of her shirt had come loose, revealing the occasional glimpse of her full breasts as she moved. His breath caught in his throat as she turned slightly, causing her shirt to fall open completely. A sultry smile crossed her face as she looked up and saw him in the doorway, pausing in her task as she wiped the sweat from her collarbone. Her hand lingered there for a moment before moving downwards, deliberately teasing him.
"Lysa, please speak to Hammond before we leave tomorrow" he requested of her, fear tingeing his voice at the thought of anything happening to her during their mission.
Her eyes hardened and her short dark hair fell across her face as she shook her head, understanding the true meaning of his request.
"No! I'm part of your team Louis, whether you like it or not. The fact that I happen to share your bed does not mean you have any reason, or right, to treat me any differently to the rest of SGC" she snapped, her stare icy as she got to her feet and pulled her shirt closed.
"Lysa..." he began, holding out his hand to her as his eyes begged for her to understand.
"Don't!" she cut him off, understanding his reasons but angry nonetheless. "You have no right to deny me this. Would you rather I was on another team? Have you ever considered how you would feel if something happened and you weren't there?"
"Please don't talk like that!" he pleaded, closing his eyes as he tried to block out the dreadful images that came to mind at her words, images he'd already seen in his nightmares.
"Why? You have to face the truth Louis. If I transfer to another team, the chances of something happening are just as great. At least if I'm on your team, I can watch your back and you can watch mine" she told him, her tone softening slightly as she tried to make him see the sense in her being beside him during a mission.
"I don't want you on a team at all!" he shouted, trying to make her understand he had only her well-being in mind.
"What?! How dare you?!" she yelled back, shock and hurt crossing her face. With a look that ought to have reduced him to ashes, she pushed past him and headed for the door. She was fast but he was faster, reaching the door just before her and placing his hand flat against the solid wood, barring her way. His biceps rippled as he pressed his weight against the door, making it impossible for her to leave. She turned on him angrily, tears flowing freely from accusing eyes.
"Lysa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just..." he started to explain, reaching out to touch her face and wipe away her tears.
"That doesn't change what you said" she snapped, pulling away from his touch. The look of anger, hurt and betrayal in her eyes overwhelmed him, causing him to act with unusual forcefulness. He pinned her against the door, one arm across her collarbone as his other hand, under her chin, forced her to look at him. Anger burned like fire in her eyes as she looked at him, her tears forgotten in her fury.
"Don't you understand? I don't want you on a team because I don't want you getting hurt" he hissed, his face inches from hers. "If you were on ANY of the teams, I'd be constantly worrying that something had happened to you and that would mean I couldn't do MY job"
"Your JOB? That's all you ever think about isn't it?" her reply was harsh, her voice like acid eating into his heart and soul. "I promised you once that I would never try to change you, so why can't you extend me the same courtesy? I will not give up my chance to become part of an active SG team so you can be the model Major!"
"You knew who and what I was when we first got involved. If you don't like it, why don't you leave?" he demanded, regretting the words the moment they passed his lips. She looked at him in disbelief, the look on her face as shocked as if he'd physically slapped her. Without another word, she spun round and yanked open the door, disappearing into the night. Ferretti stood on the doorstep, knowing better than to try following her when she didn't want to be found. Angry at the way he had mishandled the situation, he slammed his fist into the wall.
*** ***
With a sigh, Ferretti turned back to the task before him. He hated the distance between them but could think of no way to bridge the gap. A movement to his left caused him to stop suddenly, turning to see what had attracted his attention, weapon ready. The woods they had entered were shadow filled, movements in the branches causing the team to become edgy and jump each time they thought they saw something. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Ferretti continued forward cautiously, eyes taking in everything around him. Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, warning him of unseen danger. Spinning round, he was just in time to see Lysa disappear from view, her scream echoing for a moment before being cut prematurely short. The feeling of absolute horror that ran through him was something he had never felt before and he rushed to the place where she had disappeared. A large crevice loomed before him, Lysa's unconscious form laying at the bottom, blood staining the rocks around her head. Without thinking, he started climbing down to her, his heart pounding in his chest as a thousand different scenario's rushed into his mind.
"Lysa?" he breathed, reaching out to her, fingers pressing against her neck as he prayed for a pulse. Relief washed over him as he found one, weak and thready but there. Gently cradling her head against his chest, he felt tears spring into his eyes.
"Sir, we're lowering ropes down to you now" Lt. Mickelson's voice floated down from the top of the crevice, causing Ferretti to look up just as two ropes dropped beside him. Switching back into military mode, he quickly moved Lysa's body onto a piece of nearby drift wood and secured the ropes to it. Motioning the two remaining members of his team to begin, he watched as they gently hauled their team mate out of the place that had nearly become her tomb, praying his make-shift stretcher would hold. Seeing her reach the top safely, he scrambled back out of the crevice, rushing to Lysa's side and gently gathering her into his arms. In one easy motion, he was on his feet, cradling the unconscious scientist against his muscular chest and striding back towards the stargate.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hours later, Ferretti sat in the infirmary, Lysa's hand held gently in his as he prayed for her to wake up. He lost track of how long he sat there, eyes never leaving her face as he waited for some sign that she was regaining consciousness. An old adage sprang to mind as he waited, causing him to sigh in disgust at his behaviour the previous night."Never go to bed angry"was a saying he had heard many times, but one he had never really known the true meaning of until now. A thousand things he felt he should have done crossed his mind as the minutes turned to hours. He was pulled from his black thoughts by a hand on his shoulder, hope springing in him as he thought Lysa was awake. Despair crowded in on him again as he saw her condition had not changed and he turned to see who had come in.
"Ferretti, why don't you get some sleep. Sam will keep an eye on Lysa" O'Neill voice was kind, worry colouring his tone as he saw the effect the accident was having on his long time friend. An image suddenly sprang to mind of another such bedside vigil, following their return from the second Abydos mission. That time however, it had been Ferretti that lay unconscious in the bed, head bandaged and lucky to be alive, while his best friend Charles Kawalsky sat beside him and waited for him to wake up. It was something soldiers did whenever a comrade was injured, and something O'Neill had done his share of in the past.
"No! I'm not leaving her!" fear and guilt making Ferretti unusually short tempered.
"Major Ferretti, that was a suggestion. However, if you'd like me to make it an order...." Jack left the unspoken threat hanging in the air between them. "Come on. We need to talk". He placed his hand firmly on Ferretti's shoulder, making it clear he would brook no argument. Admitting temporary defeat, Ferretti reluctantly released Lysa's hand and got to his feet. Turning to follow Jack from the room, he caught Sam Carter's gaze and held it for a moment until he'd assured himself that the woman he loved was in good hands.
A companionable silence had fallen between them during their walk to the briefing room. Once inside however, Jack turned on his friend, determined to drag him from the guilt that was consuming him.
"It's not your fault Louis" Jack's voice was kind but firm.
"Yes it is! If we hadn't argued that night before the mission, she would never have been far from the rest of the team!" the pain in Ferretti's voice was almost more than Jack could bear but it did confirm his suspicions that the two were involved.
"How long have the two of you been involved?" Jack asked, blunt and to the point, as always. The startled look Ferretti cast at him was small comfort that his instincts had been correct.
"About 18 months" Ferretti's answer was slow to come, his voice hollow as he tried to distance himself from his pain. "We met during my trip to DC two years back. She contacted me not long after to tell me she was being re-assigned here. We avoided each other for a while but eventually one thing led to another and...."
".....and you broke regs by getting romantically involved with a subordinate" Jack finished for him, understanding Ferretti's situation only too well.
"Yeah we did. Thing is Jack, I honestly don't think we could have prevented our involvement, even if we'd wanted to" Ferretti's voice had softened, his eyes staring into the distance as he recalled all they had shared during their time together.
"I know what you mean" irony coloured Jack's voice as he thought of the situation between him and Carter. Neither of them had admitted their attraction, and that would not have changed but for the whole Zatarc thing. Neither of them had had a choice but to admit their feelings for each other then, as the Tok'ra testing device had picked up that they were lying, without them even knowing it. The admission had caused some understandable tension but they were dealing with it.
"You and Sam? I was wondering when you two were going to admit your attraction" a smile touched Ferretti's lips at the surprised look on O'Neill's face. "It's been so obvious to everyone but the two of you!" he answered Jack's question before it was uttered, causing the Col. to smile in return.
"Louis, just because you and Lysa had a fight does not mean you caused the accident. Nor does it mean that, if everything had been fine, you could have prevented it. What I am surprised about is that she's on your team at all". Eyebrow raised, Jack tried to draw his friend away from dwelling on the accident.
"I tried to get her re-assigned the day Hammond told me she was replacing Thompson, but he wanted a reason and I couldn't exactly tell him about us, could I? I even tried to convince her to ask Hammond for a transfer herself but she refused. That's what caused the damn argument in the first place!" the anger in his friend's voice surprised O'Neill, making him realise just how much his friend cared for the scientist lying unconscious in the infirmary.
"Speak to Hammond. Tell him the two of you have 'irreconcilable differences' and ask for her to be moved to another team" was Jack's suggestion.
"I don't want her on a team at all Jack! What if this had happened and I wasn't there?" fear tinged the Major's reply, his eyes haunted as he clenched his hands.
"Then recommend to Hammond that she be put on duties within the base" Jack's calm confidence made it appear he had an answer for any argument Ferretti gave.
"This is why I never should have gotten involved with her! I'm a lifer Jack, married to the military. I can't change who I am and I can never be the kind of man she deserves" despair and defeat crept into his voice as he made his decision. It was one he had hoped he would never have to make and the very thought of what he had to do tore his soul to shreds, but he felt he had no other option.
"Louis, what are you talking about?" worry coloured Jack's voice, suspecting the answer but hoping he was wrong.
"I have to end it Jack. She deserves better than me and I certainly don't deserve someone like her" Ferretti replied, confirming O'Neill's suspicions, his voice emotionless. Unable to talk any longer, he spun on his heel and strode from the room, heading for the infirmary to do what he had to, before he lost his nerve.
Sitting by Lysa's bedside, Louis Ferretti tenderly held the hand of the woman he loved for possibly the last time. Tears pricked his eyes as he tried to find the words to tell her he was leaving her, something he had sworn to himself he would never do. She had still not regained consciousness yet, which to him was a good thing for he was certain he would not be able to do this if she was awake.
"Lysa, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I realise now that I was being stupid when we argued but I was only trying to protect you. I never thought I would have to do this, but I understand now. I can never be the kind of man you deserve. The last 18 months have been the most wonderful of my life but I can't go on like this. I can never tell anyone how much I love you and I hate it. What I'm going to do makes me want to die but I have no choice. I can't even begin to wonder what you will think when you wake up and I'm not here, and then read the note I've written to explain my actions. I'm sorry my love" he whispered, his tears following freely as he gave up the one thing he loved. Tenderly pressing his lips against her pale forehead, he closed his eyes and felt his heart shrivel in his chest. Unable to stay any longer, he turned and walked from the infirmary, leaving behind his reason for living.
Unseen in the corner of the infirmary, a figure stood watching the scene unfold. With a sigh, the stranger looked at Ferretti's retreating form and shook it's head. "Strike one Ferretti. Three strikes and you're out" was it's inaudible, cryptic remark.....
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