Chapter 1: Sparring

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the typing errors. Please don't sue me.

Notes: This is my first SG fic, so please be gentle. (I don't think I've quite gotten the different characters' speech patterns down. Hope it's not freakishly out-of-character.)

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Ronon was only a little surprised when he entered the gym and saw Jennifer methodically stretching by the far wall. At this late hour, the large room was almost empty, but somehow the doctor still didn't notice the approach of the Satedan until he was looming over her.

"Didn't think you'd make it tonight."

To her credit, Jennifer didn't jump when the deep voice broke her from her reverie. Instead, she took the large hand he offered. As he pulled her to her feet, she replied, "Well, recent events have proven that I need the extra sparring practice more than ever." She released his hand and busied herself completing her stretches. She didn't notice his disapproving frown, or she probably wouldn't have continued, "It would be nice to be able to go off world without getting my ass kicked."

This time, she did jump when she felt his gentle, yet firm grip on her arm. "You handled yourself out there."

The guilt and fatigue of the past few days made it impossible for Jennifer to keep the bitterness from her voice. "If you consider getting myself kidnapped, putting you, Rodney, and that little girl in some pretty serious danger, and, sending Kiryk off to certain death by Wraith 'handling myself,' then I certainly did that."

Ronon was still trying to think of a way to reply to her words when he saw Jennifer ready herself in a defensive stance. She nodded to signify that she was ready to begin, and Ronon could see a spark of determination in her eyes. Figuring he was better at actions than words, he made his first attack.

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Forty-five minutes later, an exhausted Jennifer Keller slid down the gym wall and gratefully took the bottle of cold water her instructor offered. Winded, she nodded her thanks and drank deep before she stole a sideways glance at Ronon. He hadn't taken it easy on her tonight…and if she wasn't mistaken, she'd gotten in one glancing blow a few minutes before they'd called it quits.

Before she could express her thanks, however, her companion began speaking instead. "You did good."

For the first time all evening, Jennifer offered a real smile. She was glad that Ronon had apparently forgotten her little pity party from earlier. She'd regretted the words almost as quickly as she'd said them and was pleased that the Satedan wasn't going to bring them up, either. "Thanks, I apparently needed the workout. There's no better therapy than a session of hitting something with a stick."

Ronon didn't return the smile. Instead, he continued on, "I wasn't talking about tonight."

Sensing that the conversation was going somewhere she'd rather avoid, Jennifer interrupted. "Gee, I thought I was okay. I think I even…"

"I was talking about on the planet."

With that, Jennifer's smile faded. Her gaze dropped from Ronan's face to the bottle in her hands. For the first time since she'd known the man who sat beside her, she wished he'd be quiet.

"I read the report you wrote for Woolsey. He had to stun you twice just to get you to go with him, but when you realized what he needed, you went with him willingly. In that cave, you went after a Wraith, a Hunter, by yourself. And in the clearing, I think McKay would say you kicked a little ass yourself."

Jennifer was quiet a moment and she digested the logical way Ronan had laid out the events of the past few days. "But what about Kiryk? I couldn't save him."

"No, but you gave him the chance to make a choice. He brought the Wraith into that little girl's life, and by dialing the 'Gate, he was able to take them out of it. It was a fair trade."

Her voice almost a whisper, Jennifer replied, "That's what you would have done, isn't it?"

A grunt was the only reply she received…and it was really the only one she'd expected. Bringing herself to her feet, Jennifer said, half to herself, "We have too damn many hero complexes in Atlantis."

Ronon rose and followed her out of the gym. As they walked back to her quarters, she turned to thank him for both the practice and the advice. Instead, she was shocked into silence when she realized Ronon was standing close and staring intently into her eyes.

"Think about it this way, doc. Maybe we just have a lot of heroes in Atlantis." Jennifer felt his hand gently brush her hair behind her ear before he added, "You did good."

His hand dropped reluctantly from her face and he said, "Get some sleep."

Jennifer heard rather than saw her door close behind her. She readied for bed quickly and was under the covers in only a few minutes. It was a long time, however, before sleep came.