Spoilers: Mild S5 spoilers (in first chapter).

Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money etc…..

--

Darts buzzed overhead and Teyla threw herself into the cover of the nearest doorway. Behind her she heard people's screams cut short by the sweeping beams leaving others crying out in fear or for those taken. An explosion rocked the ground from under her as she struggled to climb back to her feet.

"…group through the Gate." Someone reported over the radio, the sound masked by the noise of the debris falling around her. She reached up and pressed the ear piece tighter into her ear as she blinked the dust from her eyes. She clambered further into the building climbing over a fallen strut from the ceiling and headed towards the closed doorway ahead of her.

"Teyla, report!" John shouted over the radio.

"The Wraith are attacking on foot at the outskirts of the village. We are evacuating the last of the buildings." She reported back. Another explosion outside made her stumble again as she kicked open the door, revealing a darkened room in the corner of which huddled three children. She lifted her palms outward hoping to indicate that she was no threat, their faces panicked and beyond terrified.

"You must come with me, now." She ordered them in as kind a voice as she could manage. She dodged round several fallen tables towards them. "The Wraith are coming, we must leave."

The oldest child, who Teyla estimated to be ten years old stood first, her arms holding a small boy. "Have you seen our parents?"

Teyla pushed aside the emotions she felt surfacing. "Everyone is being evacuated to the Stargate, they are most likely already through. You must come with me now." She reached them and picked up the remaining child, a little girl of perhaps six years. Her tear stained face stared up at Teyla as she instinctively clutched hold of Teyla's vest. Teyla turned towards the next door in the massive long building. "Keep hold of him and follow me." She kicked out at the door, the wood splintering apart under her aggressive kick. She pushed the older girl through the door and ran in herself, the six year old handing onto her tightly.

"…keep that gate open!" She heard John shouting over the radio. Behind him she could hear Ronon's weapon discharging repeatedly and the rapid fire of P90s. She renewed her pace, reaching out and pushing against the girl's back. "You must run faster." She ordered.

The next room they entered set along the ancient long house, was filled with bodies and when the girl looked like she would stop in fear, Teyla pushed once again at her back. "Keep moving."

Then the closed door to their right burst open and a man fell into the room, a Wraith latched onto his chest. He screamed and thrashed against the creature. The door to the left burst open and another Wraith entered. The girl screamed and fell back against Teyla. Encumbered by the impact and the young girl in her arms Teyla had to quickly put the child down before she could bring her weapon up at the Wraith.

It was reaching out at her when the bullets impacted its chest. Wraith blood splattered over the children and they all began to scream in shock. Teyla had a single moment of warning from her gift that made her turn and she intercepted a Wraith reaching at her from behind.

Crying out she twisted the Wraith's wrist she had caught, forcing it to snap, but the Wraith turned with her and brought its other hand up and smacked hard her across her cheek. The floor hit Teyla's chest in a rush, her breath forced from her lungs and dust gusted up around her. In the background she was aware of John shouting at her over the radio and the children crying.

Rough powerful hands grabbed her by the back of her vest, lifting her straight up from the floor. She managed to twist round and kicked out at the Wraith's closest leg. It stumbled slightly and dropped one hand from her back. Reaching up she hit it as powerfully as she could straight into its nose. It hissed and let go of her completely. Her hands free she pulled up her P90 and fired. The dead Wraith fell away from her with barely a sound, but she turned to see another Wraith entering from the right doorway. She grabbed hold of the children and pushed them back towards the room they had exited only moments before.

The Wraith rushed at them seeing her retreat. Teyla managed to shove the two smallest children behind her, but the monster grabbed a hold of the older girl's leg. The children screamed in Teyla's ear again as she reached out and caught hold of the girl's arms, trying to pull her back to safety. The Wraith snarled over the sudden tug of war, its cruel eyes showing amusement at the battle. Teyla couldn't risk letting go of the girl's arms to reach for her weapon. She looked down into the girl's eyes, blue innocent orbs that begged her to save her.

From behind the Wraith came the sudden rapid sound of P90 fire and its hold on the girl dropped away. Teyla fell backwards with the girl in her arms, almost crushing the two little ones who had been behind her. John stepped through the far door with Ronon at his shoulder.

"You alright?" John demanded as Ronon moved forward scooping up the two youngest children into his arms, whilst John covered the two open doorways as best as he could.

"Yes." Teyla gasped out her reply as she stood up.

"Let's get out of here then." John ordered as he turned back through the doorway from which he and Ronon had emerged. Ronon handed one child to Teyla as they followed him. Together they all rushed through the rest of the building, heading towards the promising escape of the Stargate.

--

Kanaan watched as Teyla took Torren from his arms. Her eyes were dull and tired, her face scratched and slightly bruised on one side.

"Are you sure you are alright?" He asked her.

She looked up from their son and smiled at him, nodding. "I am fine, just tired."

"Do you wish me to keep him tonight?"

She looked back down at their boy. "No." A sorrowful expression passed over her features. "I need him to be with me tonight."

"What happened?" He asked softly.

She paused and he wondered if she was going to choose not to tell him. "We evacuated as many as we could from the planet, but the Wraith…they slaughtered them like cattle, there was no attempt to cull only a few; they went after everyone…children."

She went quiet and Kanaan studied her silently. She wasn't badly hurt on the outside, but as usual there were wounds he couldn't see. He considered taking her into his arms, but this last month in which they had separated as a couple had made it difficult to judge the new boundaries of their relationship. He wanted to comfort her, but did not want to complicate things for himself or for her, and neither did he want her to reject his comfort. So he simply reached out and laid a hand on her arm.

She smiled up at him again.

"You did what you could. You saved many people." He reminded her.

"I know." She responded. "It is just that the Wraith…" She shook her head as if to shake her depressed thoughts away physically. "Thank you for looking after Torren today."

"You do not have to keep thanking me for looking after our son, Teyla." He said with a smile.

"I know. But, I appreciate that you are willing to take him while I am off world so frequently." Her tired almost hollow eyes were still sad.

"Go rest, Teyla. Try and sleep well."

She laughed at that as she turned to the door. "I do not believe I will have any problems sleeping tonight, as long as Torren allows me."

"I am sure he will." Kanaan replied and watched as she walked out of his quarters.

He missed her. Yet, he knew he had made the right decision, they needed time apart as a couple. Life here in Atlantis was a complicated matter and he had to wonder if life in this galaxy would ever be anything less than complicated.

He turned to his own bed and began to prepare to retire. As he pulled off his clothes he looked down at his golden skin. He remembered when that skin had been pale and sickly under the care of Michael, as had his mind. Yet…as evil and cruel as Michael was, there had been a sense of purpose as part of his army of Hybrids. Here in Atlantis Kanaan felt very much alone and helpless in the face of the cruelty of the Wraith. Teyla went out most days and fought that darkness, what could he do?

He climbed into the empty chilled bed and blew out the last candles by his bedside. Darkness surrounded him and he allowed his mind to momentarily slide back to his days with Michael. The memories were rather twisted from that time, like looking at them through the surface of a pool of water – he could tell what they were, but they were distorted, forever shifting. But, he did remember the sense of purpose and the overwhelmingly supportive feeling of Michael's mind when he choose to connect with him. There had been simplicity in those thoughts – to be strong and to wipe out the Wraith for good. It was a purpose that Kanaan was discomfited to admit to himself that he missed, especially now when things looked so bleak out there among the stars.

His mind drifted and slinked into the memories of life onboard Michael's ship, the darkness surrounding him as he slipped into a deep sleep. There he heard the whispers of purpose, of power and a future free of the Wraith.

--

John stirred awake, his skin hot and the sheets clammy over him. He came up on his elbows and pushed the restrictive covers from his body. He blinked up at the darkness around him and tried to remember what he had been dreaming about. Something unsettling he guessed judging by the speed of his breathing and the sense of unease that circled his stomach. He blinked his eyes finally clear of sleep and activated the lights with a thought, the light burst into every corner of the room. He closed his eyes against the visual assault. Since his little run in with those nightmare creatures he always turned the lights on full and it appeared even half asleep his subconscious was still worried about them returning. With another mental command the lights lowered enough that he could actually open his eyes and he slowly swung his legs out of the bed.

He sat on the side and peered at the time; it was too early to be awake. He stood up, revelling in the renewed strength of his body once again, and made his way into the bathroom. The lights flickered on, once again at too bright a setting, but they dimmed as he muttered at them. Turning to the washbasin the cold water flowed out circling the basin, he mused, not for the first time, that someone with the ancient gene could get very lazy living here. He dipped his hands into the cold water and splashed some up over his face. The sharp impact of coldness shocked him though he had been expecting it. The water stopped running and he reached out for a hand towel, and covered his face with its dry warmth. The darkness from within the towel was unnerving; a silly response to his lingering memories from last month. A guy his age shouldn't be afraid of the dark. But, then he had actually experienced what could be living in the dark for real, so he allowed himself to feel the fear very briefly and then forced it aside, knowing these fears should pass in time.

As he dropped the towel from his face, a high dark corner of the bathroom caught his eye and he found himself worriedly studying its reflection in the mirror for any sign that something was living inside the shadow. Of course nothing moved and once again he told himself that he was being silly. He put the towel back on the rail and headed back towards his bed. He shook out the sheets, straightening them again and climbed back into the bed. For a moment he lay there with the lights on and worked up the courage to turn them off. This was stupid; he had fought Wraith today; too many Wraith and too little time to get those people out. They had barely made it out themselves. He had lost several personnel on the mission and had almost lost Teyla. He still couldn't quite process the horror of what he had seen when he had found her; a Wraith playing tug of war with a young girl and Teyla desperately holding on to her, two terrified young kids peering out from behind her.

Once again he was amazed at her ability to still keep fighting in the face of such horror. She went out there as part of his team, leaving her son behind in Atlantis. What if something happened to her? What if something happened to little Torren? A part of John had considered ordering her to go live on Earth with Torren, far away from this horror. But, he knew he had no right to say that to her and there was no chance she would listen to him, yet he couldn't help but wish for it. Surely she must be terrified for her son in this galaxy, John sure was.

He had a feeling then that she had been in his dream again. Since their psychic connection last month he had dreamt of her frequently, not that she hadn't made an appearance in his dream world before that, but now it was different. Now there was real material to use, not just his embarrassing idle male fantasies. Those connections they had experienced last month had been startling and the details had not yet faded from his memories, they were still crystal clear for him to relive in full colour and surround sound. He suspected his subconscious was having fun with him, playing the memories in an attempt to punish him for still thinking of her this way. She was a new mother and she had Kanaan now.

Though, he had noticed that he hadn't seen them eating together in the Mess so often. He knew Kanaan still had his own quarters and used them. It left John wondering, but that was all, after all their relationship was their own business. Maybe Kanaan had his own place to give Teyla space to sleep on her duty days so Torren wouldn't keep her awake. Or maybe they had split up? She hadn't said anything and neither had Ronon, who seemed to be pretty tight with her and John had seen him spending time with Kanaan. John felt a little guilty at not really welcoming Kanaan into the Atlantis fold properly, but he couldn't. It felt rather childish of him, but he still couldn't spend more than five minutes in the guy's company and certainly not alone. Maybe he felt guilty at wishing Kanaan would leave and that he didn't share Teyla's bed. None of that was Kanaan's fault and even if he wasn't here, John knew nothing would change, his hidden feelings for her wouldn't mean anything would be different. But at least if Kanaan wasn't here John would be able to hope at the possibility that she may one day want him.

He was pretty sure she hadn't discovered his feelings for her through their connection last month. But, that hadn't kept him from feeling embarrassed around her for several weeks. She had handled it in her usual steadfast way; being kind and compassionate with him. He loved her for that and he hated her for being so unaffected. But, the weeks had passed and sure enough he was feeling comfortable with her again. However that comfort hadn't yet extended to his nightmares and fear of the dark. He was being stupid he told himself and on a sudden confident impulse he shut the lights off.

The room plunged into darkness and he made himself look at it around him. The unease resurfaced, whispering to him that something was wrong. But, he knew those creatures were gone and that it was all in his head so he kept ignoring it and tried to will himself back to sleep.

--

The night was dark and comforting as the creature slipped from its temporary home, sliding out into the night. It chattered in delight at what was to come, its anticipation almost driving it to seek out sustenance, but it knew that would lead to it being discovered. It would hold on, wait until it was time. Its mind, so alone and angry, reached out again, seeking for the contact, for the voice, for the mind it had discovered.

And it came to the creature; a solid strong mind reaching out, comforting and teaching. The creature sighed and twitched in the darkness, drinking in the contact. It had so missed its fellows, fellows enslaved away from it too far to contact, leaving it alone in the disgusting world of light and hunger. But, that would change soon.

It listened to the music of the mind against its own, following its logic, listening to its plans and absorbing its knowledge. In time it would understand everything, but now it would assimilate what it could, it was enough for what was to come. Vengeance would arrive soon, it just had to wait…and listen to the voice.

Feel its purpose.

--

TBC