Title: The Unerring Complexities of the Human Psyche: Survival
Written For: Tielan
Author: azure_horizon / gater101
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Spoilers: The occasional swear word.

Season: Three
Prompt: Teyla/Lorne "an offhand comment taken seriously by the others, action/drama, season four or later."

Word Count: ~12,150
Author's Notes: Apologies, Tielan, for the lack of season 4. As with the other story, I just couldn't do it. The Kanaan issue just wouldn't let me. I hope you like it, regardless. Apologies, also, for the length – it kind of got away from me. I hope you like it – you did once upon a blue moon say you would like to read something longer from me.

Thanks: Thank you to all of my alphas and betas. Jess, for your continual encouragement and prods in the right direction, to Cazz for the general idea, to Paulie for his hard-line attitude when telling me if the story sucked and to Rhonna, my nit-picker who just wouldn't let me go with some of sentences I'd come up with. Thanks very much.

Part One

"Teyla?"

She looked up from her inventory of their packs and looked to Major Lorne as he lay with his back propped up against the trunk of the tree, his face pale in grey light. A smattering of rain fell on their heads and stuck their clothes to their skin. The thick mud underfoot clung to their boots and trousers and anything else unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. Tree sap stuck to Teyla's hair from where she had brushed against weeping leaves and she had learned it did no good to try and wipe it free.

"Yes, Major?" She said as she turned her attention to him, lifting the small first aid kit from her pack and brought it to his side. The wound on his abdomen was deep and bloody and she feared infection; the first aid kit was little use against such wounds and she had yet to find any of the leaves and herbs she had learned to use on Athos.

"What time is it?"

She glanced to her wrist where her watch was but the screen was shattered and it had long since stopped recording time. She looked to the sky but the absence of the sun and the fact that she and Lorne had been unconscious for an indeterminate time made it difficult for her to estimate.

"I do not know." She shuffled to his side and lifted his vest and jacket away from his body, wincing as he hissed as the fabric stuck to his wound. "Sorry," she murmured as she glanced up to his tight features and winced.

"S'okay," he gritted out, his eyes screwed tight as pain washed over him. "What's the damage?" He asked through clench teeth and Teyla looked up to his face, meeting his eyes for a moment. "That bad, huh?"

She looked away again and searched through the small kit for something to use; iodine wipes, gauze and two ibuprofen stared up at her and she glared back down at it. Nothing that would do any good. The flesh wound looked septic, the obviously broken ribs painful.

"I am no medical doctor and even if I was, this kit would be of extremely limited use."

Lorne grunted out a laugh and Teyla was internally proud of him. She smiled up at him and touched her fingers to his forehead, noting with disdain his elevated temperature. She sighed as she withdrew her hands and looked about the forest around her.

In the gloom, she could see little and not very far. Vague outlines of trees met her vision, the undergrowth shifting with wildlife and wind and she knew that even if she tried, she would find nothing without the use of torchlight.

And her head hurt. A lot. She had tried to hide it from the Major but the dull ache had intensified in the last hour and had taken over; speckles of light danced across her eyelids when she closed her eyes and blood rushed through her ears and pounded against her temples.

"I am going to have to remove your jacket so I can clean your wound," she said as she focussed her wandering attention back on the man in front of her. Lorne nodded and grimaced as he lifted his body and tried to shimmy out of his jacket. When a whimper of pain escaped his lips Teyla pressed a hand to his shoulder and eased him gently back down. "I can cut around the wound," she said as she pulled the scissors from the first aid kit; they were small and her fingers barely fit through the grips but they would need to do.

"Okay," he murmured, his body sagging back onto the log behind him in exhaustion.

She looked over him worriedly; even in the dim light she could see his grey pallor, the light sheen of sweat on his forehead, the way his eyes drooped.

Carefully, she slid the scissors under the material and winced with him as the cool metal grazed his inflamed skin. Her hands shook slightly as she tried to work but she pushed it aside; her own pain was less than his and she would deal with it later. As she peeled the square piece of cloth away and asked Lorne to hold back his jacket she focused her attention on cleaning his wound and not on the sounds of pain that escaped his throat.

"How are your sister's children?" She asked as she swiped at the bloody, seeping wound with the iodine wipe, knowing it would be insufficient against infection.

"They're good," he managed, his voice tight as he watched her work, his eyes glazed over with pain. "Spent some time with them when I returned to Earth," he said after a moment and Teyla looked up to him, smiling encouragingly. "Do you miss your people?"

Teyla looked up, surprised by the question. It seemed that many in Atlantis forgot that, while she was not 'one of them', she was the leader of a people; that she had a life outside of the one she had made for herself in Atlantis. Many asked about her people, though she was sure that those who did were asking for reasons not wholly unrelated to their field of study. Her team members asked – John often ferried her to the mainland – but she was sure that their inquiries were a courtesy, rather than an interest.

"I do." She lifted her flask and poured a small amount of water of the wipe, cleaning away some of the excess blood. "But my people are only a short Puddle Jumper ride away," she said trying to keep her tone light despite the sudden sharp pain at the back of her eyes. "It takes you many days to get to yours."

Lorne attempted to shrug but he froze midway and his face crumpled in pain. Teyla stilled her hand and pressed her palm against his neck, hoping to ease some of his pain. His laboured breathing became more strained and she reached up with her other hand to help ease his body down. When he coughed, his lips became stained with a dark red liquid and Teyla sat back, the fear forcing her hands to drop from his body.

"Shit..." Lorne managed through broken sobs, his hand lifting shakily to swipe at his mouth, smearing the thick blood across his chin. "Hurts..." he said at length as his eyes rolled and Teyla slapped his face gently to keep him awake.

"You must stay awake, Evan," she said loudly, leaning over him despite the pain in her own side, despite the wave of dizziness that hit her as she moved. "Evan," she called again, clapping his cheek with her palm, noting with disdain that his body had slumped and his eyes remained stubbornly closed.

--

As Teyla awoke, the tawny dawn greeted her with its eerie silence. The rain had ceased its torrential patter against the foliage above, the small rivers of water running across the ground had dried to a gentle trickle and Teyla shivered as her own breath echoed around her ears. Sitting up, she shook off the sleep from her foggy mind, noting that her headache had not lessened in the few hours' sleep she'd managed.

"You're awake," Lorne said hoarsely, his breath coming in raspy gasps and Teyla leaned towards him, her back popping as she did so. "I would ask how you're doing but I'm worried you might say you're feeling as bad as you look."

She quirked a half smile in his direction as she pushed herself up from her slouched position, noting how her knees quivered under her own weight.

"I am well."

At the mouth of the small conclave she'd found she looked out over the dawn. Brown clouds hung low on the sky over mossy green ground, the dim light catching the rushing water on the bleak mountains on the not too far horizon. She could smell the pungent smell of scorched earth and something else she did not wish to name. There were no sounds; no small stirring in the undergrowth; no slight wafts of wind and Teyla felt a shiver tickle up her spine.

"You fell asleep." She nodded knowing it would do no good to lie. She had; he had seen her with his own eyes. She heard him sigh and she was thankful that he sounded stronger than he had the night before. When the rain had started, she'd been forced to concede that they would have to find shelter and when she had, she'd had to half drag Major Lorne behind her. "You should take something for the pain," he said quietly and Teyla turned to him, quickly dismissing the sight before her.

"The medical kit was washed away with your pack, Major," she said quietly as she moved to kneel beside him, wincing tightly as pain seared through her side and knees. "I only had a first aid kit in mine," she said and looked up to him, meeting his tired eyes with her own, her gaze laden with meaning.

Lorne shifted, groaning in pain as he pulled at his wound, gripping onto Teyla's fingers as she offered her arm to help him sit.

"I've experienced worse," he muttered in response to Teyla's unasked question. Concerned, Teyla watched as he gulped down air as his face lost what little colour it had. "I'm okay," he said at length, his cheeks flushing with colour at the exertion and Teyla sat back, knowing that man's pride could only take so much coddling. "So, what's our situation?"

Teyla leaned back and grabbed onto the sodden pack she'd somehow managed to keep a hold of as they'd been tossed around in the river. She'd taken an inventory the night before but she knew that Lorne would want to see for himself. She held up the meagre supplies, even those that had been ruined by the water.

"My radio was cracked and water leaked in," she said as she arranged the supplies in front of him, noting how his fingers shook as he skimmed them over the items. "I could not find yours on you," she said. "The spare one was with Rodney and yours, I am guessing, was in your pack." Lorne nodded, grimacing though Teyla was unsure whether it was in pain or annoyance. "We have three MRE's, some snack bars though I do not know in what condition they will be," she said glibly as she held one of the silver foil packets up, showing Lorne the water that trickled from within it. They shared a small laugh at that and turned back to the supplies. "I have two magazines in my vest pocket, my side arm but I cannot seem to un-jam your P-90," she continued, rattling off what she had discovered the night before while Lorne had lain unconscious and unresponsive. "I have a spare tee shirt in my bag," she said and she let her eyes drift over his torso. "Though I do not believe it would fit you."

Lorne quirked an eyebrow in response, lifting his lips at the corner slightly and Teyla felt relief wash through her.

"I'm sure it wouldn't," he said lightly, his eyes sparkling for a moment as they perused Teyla's figure and Teyla felt a slightly heat tinge her cheeks. It had been many months since someone had looked at her in that way; inquisitive, flirting, roguish and she found that she had missed it. She could see him visibly shake the thoughts from his head and she looked away before his eyes met hers. "How long do you think it will be until the others find us?"

Teyla looked out of the cave mouth, squinting her eyes as she stared into the distance. The ache in her head had increased since waking and her vision was faltering because of it. She scoured the planes for movement, sought out the Stargate amongst the thick blanket of the forest but nothing met her eye except the expanse of empty space. For a moment she felt destitute, isolated and she felt a pang of fear ride through her.

She turned back to Major Lorne but didn't meet his eyes as she stuffed items back into the pack.

"I do not know; the river could have carried us miles from the Stargate, or it could have deposited us nearer than I think." She fought the urge to shrug. "I did not want to leave you to check out the perimeter while you were asleep."

"Hey!" Lorne replied indignantly as he pointed at her, though the sound was feeble even to her own ears and she knew that he knew it. "I wasn't the only one who was asleep," he said quietly, his tone teasing, voice strained. He grimaced in pain and Teyla laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort in a situation where she was sure none could be found. "I may have overdone it with the finger pointing."

Though his words were light, Teyla could hear the pain laced through them. It stung her to acknowledge that, for the moment, there was nothing she could do for him.

"You should not move." She urged him back down after folding up her vest for him to rest his head on. His cheeks had lost their colour once more and his breathing rattled loudly around the small cave, standing the hairs on Teyla's neck on end. She held the canteen to his lips and he sipped from it, coughing some of it back up, the water tinged red. She grimaced, feeling her heart rate increase at the sight of the diluted blood. "I think you have punctured a lung."

Lorne coughed again, his face unrecognisable as his body curled up to protect itself from the pain. She felt helpless and redundant, sitting idly by while the pain contorted his body and face. Long minutes passed, his coughs replaced by sounds of unbearable pain and Teyla felt tears well at the back of her eyes; her own pain had intensified as she had watched him writhing in pain, as she'd been unable to help him and she knew that with the meagre supplies they had there was little more she could do than offer him her hand in support.

"I think..." he started, his voice a meagre rasp of sound that punctured the air. "I think I'd like to see Beckett right about now."

Teyla nodded, unable to speak and she reached out to stroke sweaty hairs away from his forehead. When her fingers touched his skin she almost pulled away from the burning heat that scorched her skin.

"You are running a fever," she said quietly to herself, holding her damp palm against his forehead. She could see his eyes drooping closed but she clapped him on the cheek, rousing him from his half slumber. "You must stay awake, Evan." He nodded but as he did, his eyelids started to close and she knew that she had lost him again.

--

When she opened her eyes, the dark warmth greeted her kindly and she sighed. Sinking back into the pillows she let her head rest for long moments, allowing the familiar scents of home permeate her nose; warm spice, tea, the earthy scent of waxy candles. She licked her lips and she could taste the after tastes of mulled wine and tava ointment.

Conscious thought was slow to return and she revelled in the sensation of being without burden. It was something she had not felt for some time and she cherished it, stored the memory away for later, when she returned to Atlantis, returned to duty.

"You are awake at last, I see," a familiar voice said from the other side of the room and she opened her eyes and turned towards the voice. Kanaan stood just inside the doorway, the morning sun shining at his back and she smiled warmly at him.

"Kanaan," she said quietly, letting her relaxed mood carry to him. It had been too long since she had last spent time on New Athos with her people and to wake up in her own bed, with familiar warmth and care around her was refreshing. Kanaan stepped into the room, his own smile in place. "Are you well?"

He nodded as he settled on the side of her bed, his fingers finding their way into her hair for a moment before he withdrew his touch. It was something she had grown familiar with in Kanaan – a trait he shared with John Sheppard –; quiet moments of affection stunted at the final point before he withdrew.

"I am better for knowing you are well," he said quietly, his voice laden with relief. "Your fever was very high during the night."

Teyla stilled, her gaze fixed on a point on the wall of her tent beyond Kanaan but she did not see the wall; instead, she saw Major Lorne's face contorted with pain, doubled over as he cried out against the onslaught of agony. The sound pierced her good mood and she felt her heart deflate somewhat.

"Is Major Lorne well?" She asked as she tried to sit up, her arms shaking beneath her. She watched as Kanaan frowned slightly, his eyes clouding with confusion. "Kanaan?"

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes skimming her features before looking away.

"You were calling for him during the night," he said lowly and Teyla could hear the underlying question in his tone but she did not answer it. He watched her curiously for a moment but seemed the shake off whatever he had been going to say. "When we found you there was no one else with you."

Teyla sat up further, wincing at the pain in her head that suddenly flared up and she gripped onto the sides of her head, burying her face in her knees. Kanaan's hand on her back was warm and comforting and she leaned into him slightly.

"He is up in the hills in a small conclave." She sat up and rubbed at her temples, squinting through her tired eyes to the chest at the foot of her bed. She turned to Kanaan when he didn't speak and found him looking down at her, his brow furrowed. "He is injured, he cannot walk."

Kanaan moved away from her and stood at the side of the bed, his back turned to her and when Teyla looked beyond him, she could see through the half open flap of the tent, could see people milling around talking amongst themselves. She recognised few.

"It was a hunting party that found you – they searched for others but none were found." He turned to her and she met his eyes that had once been warm and familiar – now they were cool and reserved. She felt her chest constrict slightly at the thought that her people had left Lorne out there to die. And she knew he would if he did not receive medical treatment. "You were alone."

"I will take a party out to him – he will not survive in this."

She made to stand up but his hands on her shoulder pressed her back into the bed. She resisted but it was futile; his strength was too much for her weakened body and she relented, though momentarily and he withdrew his touch from her.

"You must rest. I will lead a party to search for him."

He made to walk away but halted when Teyla reached out and gripped onto his wrist. He turned to her with a frown and Teyla bit her lip, her eyes falling from his so he would not see the depth of her concern.

"Do not return without him."

Kanaan nodded, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he regarded her. She lifted her eyes to him and she saw him lick his lips and turn away. She held his wrist for a moment longer before letting her hand fall listlessly to her side on the bed.

As the flap slid over with a gentle thrump, Teyla turned onto her side and prayed to the Ancestors for Evan Lorne's safety.

--

The camp was bustling with activity when she eventually made it out of her bed and into the makeshift streets. Stalls lined the walkways in the centre of the camp, selling handmade goods and home grown foods. Many of the people were strangers to Teyla, though she recognised some Athosians and other friends as she meandered. She wondered when her people had begun to trade with new partners.

At that thought, she felt a sting. For so long, Atlantis had been her main priority and she lamented that unconscious decision as she walked among the stalls on shaky legs, nodding and smiling and greeting those around her.

Her dreams had been tormented whispers, broken images of a fading friend. Her team, scattered and broken like the pieces of a broken bowl. The radio in her pocket crackling with life as Lorne asked her to return to him. Kanaan, hovering over her bedside as he whispered to another beyond her sight.

Feverish, frightening, forgotten.

With her waking hours, she asked after the group that had set out to find Lorne but the replies she received were not promising – many wondered at what group she was referring. Her search of the camp turned up neither Kanaan nor Halling and she wondered how long they'd been gone for. She checked the watch on her wrist and found it still broken, the digits frozen at 12:47. The overcast, swollen sky offered little clue as to the hour and she felt her trepidation rise.

It had been morning when they had left and as she stood in the deepening dusk, eyes trained on the tree line, she knew that they were not coming back. That Lorne was trapped and alone, injured, near death, still wet, wondering if her t-shirt would fit him.

She could feel adrenaline pumping through her veins at that thought – could she remember the way? Her headache and blurred vision had marred her viewing of discernible landmarks and she was unsure of how far the others had brought her upon rescue. How far had she gotten from Lorne? She could barely remember leaving the cave.

Fight or flight, Jennifer Keller had told her, was a natural human response to the onslaught of adrenaline.

Teyla knew it well. Knew the thrill of fear, the suspense of the almost instantaneous choice, of surprise regardless of the decision as her body reacted and as she cast one furtive glance over her shoulder to the camp as she rushed through the trees, Teyla felt it all over again.

--

"I was beginning to think you were never going to come back."

Exhausted and soaked, Teyla half-collapsed onto the ground beside Lorne, her fingers digging into his arms as she fought for breath. Her lungs burned with exertion and her heart pummelled blood - too much blood - through her too thin veins. She noticed his eyes flick past her, searching for something beyond her but she didn't question – couldn't find the breath to.

"You're alone?" He asked and she could hear the unbridled disappointment in his tone.

Smiling tightly, she looked up at him, meeting his exhausted eyes and quirked a smile.

"Is my company not enough for you?"

He returned the smile but his face contorted slightly at the movement and Teyla instantly reached out to touch his cheek, his forehead, checking his temperature. It was far too high but outside was far too wet and dirty and cold.

"Enjoyable though it is," he said and she felt his fingers brush over hers as they rested on his chest, feeling his erratic heartbeat, "I really wouldn't have minded seeing the rescue team tagging along behind you."

She let out a small laugh at that and ducked her head, fiddling with his torn jacket and shirt and the tactical vest he'd used as a meagre cover. Checking his wound revealed what she had thought; it still bled and looked angry and swollen. It was definitely infected, despite her best efforts to clean it the night before. She reached for the canteen of water and the gauze she had been using as a wipe and found the canteen empty. She looked to Lorne's innocent face and felt guilt clench her stomach.

"How long have you been without water?"

He winced as he shifted under her scrutinising gaze, his eyes not meeting hers.

"A few hours."

She felt as though she had been kicked in the stomach. Her one charge had been to protect him, to help him survive and she had left him without ample water or food and sent out a search team when she should have come herself. Scolding herself, she stood and moved to the mouth of the cave, looking out at the brackish rivers of water that rushed through the forest floor below her.

Making a decision, she stepped back out into the rain, ignoring his calls of complaint. She paused for a moment in the rain, watching him as he tried to sit up, feeling that pang she had thought long redundant and smiled.

"And I will have you know – as Rodney is ample enough a science team, I am ample enough a rescue team."

She enjoyed the sound of his quick, easy laugh and watched him watch her for a moment before she pivoted on her heel and picked her way carefully down the hillside.

"Just make sure you come back and rescue me this time!" Evan called after her and she couldn't help but smile.

--

When she returned, Lorne was unconscious at the mouth of the cave. Beside him, the small steel cup rested, half full with rain water. Guilt panged in her chest as she moved to him, feeling his sodden shirt and trousers. The rain hadn't eased since she had left and she had slipped and slid all the way across the muddy ground and mossy rocks. She tugged him back into the small cave, quickly assessing the mess he'd made and shook her head; his jacket was lying flat against the ground, almost dry and Teyla felt a small smile tug at her lips.

She dumped the pack she had found washed up on the riverside at the back of the cave and tried to rouse Lorne. When he grumbled and moaned but did not waken, Teyla gripped him under his arms and dragged him back into the cave. They both moaned in pain – he at the motion, she at his weight pulling on her aching side and back. Her head throbbed loudly, the blood pounding through her veins and she felt dizzy and light headed. Discarding him where she knew he would be dry, she collapsed to her knees and gagged, dry retching up the little contents of her stomach.

Shakily, she got to her feet and looked around. There was little in the cave she could use to dry herself but she quickly shed her sopping jacket and laid it beside Lorne's, hoping it would dry quickly. She shivered, her exposed skin pimpling against the cold and she crossed her arms over her chest automatically, rubbing her chest in an effort to stop the shivers.

After a few minutes, she gave up and, with a quick glance back at Lorne, moved to the pack she had found near the river. It was a standard Atlantis pack and she hoped that it was Lorne's; that they were the only two washed away when the storm hit. As she opened the pack, her blue fingers shook and she bit back the sobs the coldness tried to draw from her throat.

She turned the pack upside down and the contents spilled to the floor, clattering and clanging as they went. Silver packets littered the floor at her knees and she raised her eyebrows, glancing back at Lorne's unconscious form before reaching for his cup of water and emptying one of the sachets into it.

Why hadn't her team thought to pack extra water purifiers? She smiled and shook her head; the soldiers from Earth were prepared for everything and for a moment, she wondered if John had missed out on much of the survival techniques by being a pilot, rather than a "ground-pounder" like Major Lorne and many of the other members of the military.

The thought was fleeting and vague, easily brushed aside by her rationale; was it not John Sheppard who had saved Atlantis on numerous occasions?

She returned to her inventory and smiled, letting out a small laugh of glee at the sight of the radio, undamaged. She flipped the switch and she let out a small grunt of disgust when it remained stubbornly off. She set it aside, near the jackets and continued. She shook out a small, damp blanket, smiling once again as she cast a glance back to Lorne. His breathing had become laboured and raspy and she could see perspiration on his forehead. She searched for the medical kit and pulled it out, carrying it over to Lorne's side and knelt down by his waist.

"Evan, can you hear me?"

He moaned in response and she frowned in concern. She touched his forehead with her icy fingers and found it damp and clammy, his eyelids fluttering in discontent. She rested her hand on his shoulder as she rummaged through the kit, pulling out the vial of antibiotics and a syringe, piercing his skin with the metal pin. He flinched at the contact and Teyla tried to soothe him with her voice. Though much of the kit was damp, she pulled out a cloth and soaked it with rainwater, returning to Lorne to cover his forehead. She quickly – but thoroughly - cleaned the wound on his abdomen, noting how he didn't respond to her touch.

"Teyla..." she heard him rasp as she secured a clean bandage over his wound and she looked up to his grey eyes.

"I am here, Evan," she said as she levelled her face with his, cradling his clammy face in her hands. She stroked the hollow of his cheek with her fingers, smiling down at him as he blinked up at her, his eyes bleary.

"Good..." he coughed slightly but there was no blood on his lips and Teyla was thankful. "That's good..." His eyes drifted closed and his breathing evened slightly. As he murmured her name again in the realm of slumber, Teyla rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes.

Things were so strange.

--

The stars twinkled fondly above her on the inky dark sky as she watched them, letting their spectre lull her into tranquillity.

Her earlier concern for Kanaan and his search party had long since passed into quiet anger at her friend. She wondered if he had gathered a search party, if he had attempted to look for Lorne but she knew that he must have – he had not been in the camp when she had woken later that day. Neither had Halling nor Beleya, nor any of the other usual search party members.

Fatigue had eased her anger into diaphanous concern, thoughts too tumultuous being banished from her head by exhaustion. She rested her aching head on the cool cave wall beside her and let her eyes wander over the dark land below. Little moved in the quiet stillness, the faint rustle of the trees in the wind soothing her soul, the almost rhythmic breathing of Lorne behind her allowing her to rest for a moment.

The others would find them, she was sure.

She had switched the batteries from one radio to the other and the undamaged once had sputtered to life for a few moments before breaking out again. Lorne had woken long enough to tell her that they just needed to dry out before he'd slipped into unconsciousness again. She had managed to kindle a small fire using the foil wrapped firelighters in Lorne's pack and the meagre amount of dried wood she'd found in the corners of the cave. It wasn't much but it was enough to emit enough light and heat for her to care for Lorne's wounds. It had also helped to dry out the damp blanket which she had quickly wrapped around Lorne and taken his jacket for herself.

"Teyla?" She turned at sound of her name called quietly from inside the cave. She shivered then as a gust of wind blew through the protective barrier of her jacket and she crawled back into the cave. "S'cold," he murmured again and Teyla pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. He was still damp and clammy but she could see his body shivering under the blanket.

She debated for a moment, glancing back to the cave entrance and fiddling with the side arm holstered on her leg. She glanced back to Lorne and saw his lips quivering and her decision was made.

Shedding his jacket, she laid it out over the top of his body and slid under the blanket beside him, bringing her own slightly damp jacket over the top of them. She shuffled closer to his side, stilling when he groaned at contact. She looked up to his eyes, questioning but he shook his head and brushed her hip with his fingers, urging her closer.

As she pressed herself against his side and slid an arm across his waist, carefully avoiding his injured abdomen, she shivered.

She wasn't entirely sure it was from the cold.

She felt him shuffling beneath her hand as she rubbed his chest then she felt his hand on her back, tucking the blanket closer around her neck before settling against her rib cage. The contact was soft and should have been uncomfortable in its intimacy but Teyla could find no strength to protest against it.

"Find anything interesting out on your walks?" He asked eventually, his voice strained but Teyla made no move to look to his face. She had to believe he would tell her if he was in pain.

"There is a village," she said quietly, staring at her hand on his chest. "Some Athosians are there – I believe they have become trading partners with the people here."

Lorne shuffled slightly and Teyla moved with him, shifting above him to give him more space.

"I thought there were no life signs here?" Teyla shrugged along with him some moments later.

"They are quite far from the Stargate; perhaps the sensors merely did not pick them up." She paused. "It has happened before, especially with a valley such as this."

"Would your people travel that far to trade with someone though?"

Teyla shrugged and glanced up to his downturned face, her hand resuming its gentle circles.

"It would depend on what these people were trading."

She could feel his nod of acceptance and she relaxed back into his embrace, feeling the warmth finally seep into her bones. The ache in her head receded as Lorne gently massaged the muscles at the nape of her neck. Minutes ticked by in silence, the quiet only interrupted by one or the others' yawn, or Lorne's hacking coughs.

"How did you find them?" She opened her eyes and glanced up to him languorously. "The camp – the Athosians."

She nodded and smiled slightly, debating whether or not to tell him. He did not need to worry about her when his own health was so dire.

"Teyla?"

She sighed and looked up to him, seeing the concern in his eyes and she melted.

"They found me in the forest. I woke up in one of their tents."

"You woke up?"

She nodded.

"It would seem I passed out."

"Teyla!" He protested loudly, grunting in pain as he tried to sit up before collapsing onto his back. She sat up from him. "Oww." Teyla watched his face contort in pain and she reached out for the medical kit at Lorne's shoulder but he held her arm, stopping her movement. "I'll be okay." He shifted again and Teyla could tell he was trying to hold back his groan of pain and she smiled internally at that. The men of Earth were insanely proud – and Teyla was more than proud of them. She did not know how some of the men of her people – of the people of Pegasus – would survive if they were trapped in another galaxy, cut off from home. It made her admire the Earthlings even more. "So tell me, were you going to tell me about passing out?"

She thought about lying but instead, she shook her head and shifted back against his body. His shivers had stopped and she felt her own temperature slowly rise at their close contact.

"I had thought I was on Athos."

She felt Lorne nod.

"Why did you think you were on Athos?" He asked some time later when her eyes had began to droop with sleep. She blinked the bleariness away and sighed.

"Kanaan was there."

She felt him nod again and she was sure she felt his breathing hitch for a moment. In response, she rubbed her hand gently over his chest in an attempt to soothe.

"So you and Kanaan..." He left the question hanging and Teyla leaned up on an elbow, letting the smile curl the edges of her lips. She watched as Lorne glanced away from her face, past her shoulder and she narrowed her eyes.

"Are friends."

He looked back to her, surprised but he quickly smiled and nodded, glancing away from her again as his smile changed.

"Cause I always thought you and Sheppard..."

At this, Teyla quirked an eyebrow and her lips creased together as she stared down at him. She was sure the edges of his ears turned pink at her gaze.

"As have many."

His eyes shifted to meet hers and she could not read the emotions that were flitting through the grey slits.

"So you're not?"

Teyla shifted again, sitting up to her knees as she stared down at him, assessing.

"Would it make any difference if we were?"

Lorne shrugged and looked away and Teyla felt a small ping in her chest.

"I just like to know the boundaries."

"Boundaries?"

He nodded and Teyla raised an eyebrow again, attempting to keep her amusement at his flustered face to a minimum.

"Yeah, you know... in case I say something out of line."

"Whether Colonel Sheppard and I are involved does not mean I cannot hold my own boundaries."

Lorne skimmed his eyes across hers and she could see the small smile tugging at his lips as his eyes flittered across her body and he reached his hand out to brush the back of his fingers across her thigh. She shivered slightly at the contact, hoping he did not see her reaction.

"I've always wanted to paint you." Teyla smiled at that and felt her cheeks tingle under his intense gaze. "Would he mind if I did that?"

Teyla was silent as she lay back down beside him, shifting so her mouth was close to his ear.

"I do not think that would cross any boundaries."

His light laughter rumbled through his chest and Teyla let herself join him.

"That's good. When we get back to Atlantis then..."

She nodded and smiled, tucking herself back into his chest.

"At daybreak, I will go back to the camp and bring a rescue team to you."

"I thought you were a rescue team?"

She laughed lightly around her yawn and relaxed more against Lorne when his hand rose to the nape of her neck, his fingers moving in light circles at her hairline. She sighed and let sleep take her into its abyss, smiling despite their situation.

--

Gasping, Teyla sprang from the bed her mind a blur of visions and smells and sounds. Charged metal and smoky wood mingled in a strange cacophony; splashes and buzzing clashed in confusing illusions; Lorne's pained voice and cheerful calls lingered in the putrefied stenches of her subconscious.

The room, like the other, was not her own. Brown canvas met her eyes instead of rusty red. Grass underfoot instead of woven stems tickled her toes. The air, though warm, held no comfort. The sounds, though recalling memory, were not of Athos.

Her knees buckled beneath her and she crumpled to the ground, gripping her head as pain lanced her skull. Aching and consuming, she let out a cry of pain and a few tears escaped her lids as she clenched them, wishing to ward off the onslaught of pain.

A figure beside her gripped her hands and pulled them from her head. Unfamiliar eyes stared into hers; the lips moved but she did not hear the words past the screeching in her ears. Her body convulsed and she felt more hands on her skin – warm, like the room, but even less comforting.

"You have a fever," she heard them saying to her but she couldn't understand. Her skin felt cool and clammy, the pimples on her skin alerting her to how cold she really felt. She gasped for breath and twisted her hands from her captor and crawled across the floor to the edge of the bed. Outside, darkness gripped the camp and the cold air wafted into her, chilling her more. "You must let us help you."

"Lorne..." The word was a strangled whisper from her lips and when she looked up, the others were staring at her, shifting glanced between one another. She let out a small gasp. "Lorne is... is..."

The two exchanged glances and the older of the two women took a step towards her, crouching down to her level. Teyla flinched when she reached her hand out to stroke her matted hair but the older woman seemed un-phased.

"He is with the healers."

Teyla vaguely heard the other woman clear her throat lightly but when Teyla tried to meet her gaze, she kept her eyes downcast. Teyla let out a gasp of relief then and turned her eyes back to the older woman who smiled tentatively, her eyes hesitantly reassuring. She stroked Teyla's cheek with her thumb and Teyla returned the smile, letting the relief fully wash through her. She felt her body sag as the pain began to ease from her with each gentle ministration of the woman's fingers.

"How? Wh..."

The older woman smiled again and drew back onto her haunches. Teyla met the frown with one of her own and looked around the tent quickly, glancing over the two figures at the doorway, backs turned. She fought back the sudden surge of nausea and ducked her head into her hands, letting a single sob burst from her throat.

Relief, golden and overdue. She craved it, lapped it up and she felt more tears slip down her cheeks but she made no attempt to wipe them away. She had been strong; she could allow herself a moment of normalcy – a moment to show her humanity to these people who had helped her.

She felt a warm hand on her back and the gentle heat seeped into her muscles, calming her and she wondered whether the woman was disappointed in her. That thought, irrational though it was, jarred her – as though the woman's approval meant more than it should to her. When she looked up to the gray haired woman, for an instant she saw Charin reflecting in those grey eyes.

"You led us to him, remember?"

Teyla closed her eyes against the pain as she tried to think back; vague recollections of wandering through the woods with a team of hunters and Kanaan and Halling.

"These people have tried to help you and you run away from them!"

The empty cave where she had been sure she had left Lorne, the tumble down the hill at the thought of the scavengers that could have feasted on his bloody body. The unfaltering pain as her head impacted with rock after rock, as she scrabbled to grip onto something to stop her descent; of the men calling her name; of the women healing her wounds; of Lorne's quiet voice, dream like in its serenity.

Faint, misty like the paintings Evan had shown her; of the painting he promised to do of her.

She felt softness beneath her and strong arms around her; Charin – but not Charin – above her, the other helping to ease her back against the pillows. She felt coolness on her head, dampness and she closed her eyes as the pain behind her forehead eased slightly.

"Rest my child," the elder whispered, her voice soothing, almost lulling Teyla into a quiet sleep.

"And the Athosians?" She managed to ask as she felt darkness pull at her.

The women shared another glance, conspiratorial almost, before the elder smiled down at her and stroked her head once, twice before moving away.

"They are well."

With that, Teyla fell into slumber.