Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate franchise.

A/N: I wrote this for the lovely Gater, who's birthday is today. Happy birthday hun, hope it's a good one! :D -hugs-

Thanks Yappi for the beta!

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Dread

It was a feeling he was all too familiar with. Not that he was afraid easily – but it was just something that he felt when his team was in danger, or when Atlantis was under attack.

He'd felt it again yesterday, when Rodney spotted a Wraith cruiser in orbit on his tablet, heading their way at top speed. There wasn't a whole lot of time to form a plan, or to warn all of the inhabitants of the planet. He had his own team, a small group of marines – but unfortunately, he had even more scientists with him.

The planet they had been on had several Ancient outposts, hidden away far from the village. Rodney had detected them when they first stepped foot on P3X – 593, and they had taken a quick peek at one of them. Rodney almost resembled a little boy on Christmas morning – his joy at finding the outposts clearly visible to his teammates.

There was just the four of them, and the outposts were stationed several miles away from each other, so they had decided to return again, with more man power – and scientists to assist Rodney.

As the familiar feeling of dread crept into his stomach, he started giving out orders to his marines. They were ordered to protect the scientists and to not leave them out of their sight – no matter the circumstances. His team knew what to do without hesitation.

Rodney joined the scientists, his gun ready and the safety off. He was still slightly unaccustomed to handling a weapon after 4 years – but he tried his best, and didn't show his fear to his science team, nor did he utter a complaint.

Teyla and Ronon warned the people of the planet – trying to bring them to safety before it was too late. They headed for the nearest outpost – it would be big enough for all of the people to hide, and Teyla and Ronon would be more capable of defending them that way.

So they ran to safety, as John and Rodney headed for the Gate. They wouldn't leave themselves; but they would simply send the scientists through the Gate. John looked back at the other half of his team while running, hating to separate, but it was necessary right now. Teyla picked up a little girl from the ground – who had fallen, her short legs unable to keep up with the rest. She looked back as well – probably feeling the same as him. They shared a quick glance, then focused on their tasks at hand once again.

John frowned at how fast they were going, even with fear driving them forward the scientists weren't moving as quickly as he would've liked. Rodney checked to see how much time they had left – but John could already hear the darts approaching. One of the scientists tripped because he'd been looking up at the sky – he scrambled to get up and started running again. Luckily, John could already see the Gate ahead. He told two of the marines to go with the scientists, to make sure all of them got through safely.

Rodney's eyes widened as he thought of the possibility that they Wraith might dial the Gate to make sure no one could escape, and he sprinted the last metres to the DHD. Dialing Atlantis, he got ready to send his IDC through.

They didn't have to wait long for the go ahead, as Chuck's voice came through and cleared them almost instantly. John yelled for back-up, and explained that they were under fire. They needed the Jumpers.

The marines rushed everyone through, two of them stepping through as well. Chuck told them he was going to shut down the Gate, and dial their planet - to send the Jumpers through. Everyone stepped aside when the wormhole closed, and a new one was established. As promised, two of the pilots John had been training came through, and parked the Jumpers close by. The wormhole closed, and John radioed Teyla to ask what her status was.

After some static, her voice came through, yelling to be heard over the noise of gunfire. They were holding their own, but there were still too many Wraith surrounding them. They needed help.

Screams on the background could be heard, Teyla yelled something, but the gunfire was too loud, and they couldn't hear what she said. John called her name, waiting for a reply. The only thing he could hear were screams, the sounds of Ronon's gun discharging, and a P-90.

He swallowed, that sense of dread overloading his senses. He pushed it back, focusing on the positive things, though it still lingered.

They ran inside the now opened Jumpers, and John sat down in the Pilot's chair. Making sure everyone was inside; he fired a drone at a dart heading for them, and cloaked the Jumper. It exploded in the air, debris falling on the ground and smoke lingering in the air.

According to the Jumper's statics, there were three darts left – and over twenty Wraith life-signs on the ground. Most of them were around all of the blue dots, the people hiding in the Ancient outpost.

He radioed Teyla again, and tried Ronon when all he got was static. They were probably fine, just too busy to answer their radios… they could have lost it, or it might be broken. John shook his head, trying focus on flying before his thoughts turned negative.

The outpost came into vision, or rather, the Wraith surrounding it. John decloaked the Jumper, and fired another drone, making sure it wouldn't harm the people inside of the building. It exploded at a safe distance, and John counted seventeen dots that disappeared from his life-signs detector.

The remaining darts headed toward them at the sound of the explosion, and John fired another two drones. They were easy targets, the first one exploded completely, and the second one got hit in the tail. It crashed, hitting the ground with so much force it exploded after all.

As John landed the Jumper, the last red dot disappeared from his screen as well. Ronon stood at the entrance of the outpost, spotting them, and lowering his gun in relief.

Teyla stepped outside a moment later, and John smiled as his shoulders sagged, the tension fading away. She saw him through the window and smiled back. Ronon and Teyla were both unharmed, save a few bruises and cuts.

All in all not the worst case scenario, and John was happy with the outcome. Teyla had stayed in the infirmary overnight – she had gotten hit in the head, and Keller had simply wanted to make sure she would rest enough. John was on his way to meet her and Rodney and Ronon now, for lunch – which they usually did with each other.

He still had that feeling though – and he thought it might be something that would always be present in these dangerous times. The thought that something could happen to his teammates, Teyla, was a scary thought. He walked in the mess hall, and the feeling faded when he saw Teyla, smiling brightly at him.

It always lessened when he was around her, maybe because he felt safe then, content. It was nice to feel that way, and he figured that that was why he enjoyed being around her so much. Apart from the fact that Teyla was simply always nice to be around. He'd just have to find a way to spend even more time with her… He smiled as he thought of that, and sat down next to Teyla, sitting just a bit closer than necessary.

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-The End-