A/N: Thank you to those of you who were kind enough to leave reviews and/or add my story to your alert list. Warning: this chapter contains minor reference to rape.

Ronon POV

Sara and I woke the next morning to discover that a distress call had been sent to Tarus from the trading world of Tantador. In response, the supply drop scheduled for Erik, Troy and I was postponed so Erik could call for a team of volunteers to travel to Tantador to investigate. I immediately put myself forward, and was pleased when Sara decided to join me. After a hasty breakfast together, I suggested that Sara get ready while I broke the news to Natara that we would be gone for the day. I found her in Summer's bedroom, sitting on the floor with her two cousins and surrounded by a sea of colored building blocks. Isobel, who sat cross-legged beside them, looked up as I entered the room and I nodded at her as I watched Natara place a block on top of a small tower in front of her.

"What's that you're making, Nat?" I asked as I crouched down beside her.

She looked at me and grinned. "Make big," she said, as if that explained things entirely.

"Uh huh." I raised my eyebrows and shifted position so that I sat beside her on the floor. She passed me a blue block and I leaned forward and placed it at the base of her tower to give it some stability. We continued for a moment in silence and I watched her place two more blocks on top of what now looked to be a rather shaky tower before I put my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. "You're a clever girl," I told her as I kissed her cheek. She ignored me and reached for another block, so I let her pick one up before I turned her around to face me. "Is my clever girl going to be a big girl as well?" She wriggled upon my knee as she tried to continue her play. "Mommy and daddy need to go away for a bit today," I told her. "But you're lucky, 'coz get to stay here and build blocks with Summer and Max while we're gone."

I had her attention now, and she dropped the block she was holding as she reached out to grasp my coat with a small but very determined fist. "No go-way," she stated.

"It's only for one day, sweet-heart. We'll be back again before you know it."

She shook her head and looked at me with big green eyes. "No," she said again, a little louder than before. The blocks that had held such fascination for her moments before were suddenly forgotten as her bottom lip began to tremble.

I forged on. "Isobel's going to look after you. You've stayed with her before, so we know you'll be fine until we get back."

"No, daddy." She increased her hold on my jacket as tears filled her eyes. "Me go too."

I gave her a sad smile and pulled her into my arms. Long before she was born, Sara and I had reached an agreement that Natara would not leave the safety of Tarus until she was of an age where she would be able to defend herself. With Atlantis the only exception, neither of us had ever been tempted to revisit our decision, and this was certainly not the tine or situation to do so now. "You know we can't take you with us," I told her, my voice low as I pressed my cheek to the top of her head. "It's not safe for little girls to explore the galaxy." She started to cry, and her body shook as I held her against me. I suddenly realized how Sara must have felt these last few months – she did not have the luxury of leaving Natara with me as I did with her. I stood up and rubbed Natara's back as her sobs increased. "Hey," I whispered, "Where's my big girl gone to?"

"She'll be fine," Isobel spoke up from across the room. "Sara often leaves her with me while she works out or does errands. She always settles down once she leaves."

I nodded. What she said made sense, but it didn't make it any easier for me to pass my daughter over. I turned as Sara entered the room and Natara caught sight of her. It was so long since I had last seen Sara dressed and ready for action that I could do little more than stare in approval as she walked over and held out her arms to take Natara from me.

"What's all the fuss about?" she settled Natara comfortably upon her hip. Her burgundy leathers and long auburn pony tail were foreign enough attire to tip Natara off that we really did intend to leave as I had told her. I watched the tears roll down her cheeks in silent protest. "There's no need for tears," Sara flicked her pony tail back over her shoulder as she tried to keep her voice light. "I told you last night that I was going to leave you with Isobel while I did some errands. This will be no different. Besides, daddy and I will be back again before you know we're gone." She held onto her for a few moments, but Natara's cries showed no sign of abating. Isobel stood up and Sara gently disentwined Natara's fingers from her jacket collar so she could pass her to her. "We love you sweetie," she said. "Be a good girl, and we'll see you when we get back." She kissed her on the cheek and as she turned to leave the room Natara began to cry even harder.

I hesitated to follow, and Isobel smiled at me and motioned her head towards the door. "Just go," she instructed. "She'll be fine shortly."

Reluctantly, I turned and left and Natara's cries echoed down the hallway behind me as I caught up with Sara. "That was hard," I let out a long exhale.

She nodded. "I've found it's better to make the parting as brief as possible. She only gets more worked up if you drag it out. I told her last night I was going to leave her this morning for a short time, so it's not like her routine for the day has been altered completely. She gave me a wry smile "Not that I ever find it easy to leave her alone though."

I shook my head in admiration. She seemed so cool and calm about the whole thing. Myself, I felt a bit like my heart had just been wrenched from my chest. "You're amazing, you know that?" I told her.

She laughed. "Tell that to Natara," she said, as we stepped outside together. I felt marginally better once the door closed behind us and I could no longer hear our daughter's cries. The morning was overcast but not cold, and to further distract myself I suggested we jog the short distance to the airfield. By the time we got there a group of four had already assembled on the Tarmac and we hurried over to join them. A couple of curious glances were shot in Sara's direction but nothing was said as I looked around to discover that her presence was not the only notable change of the morning. Instead of Troy, who seldom left Erik's side on off-world excursions, Marcus took up position to Erik's right. He looked at Sara for just a fraction longer than necessary before he caught himself and shifted his gaze to give me a brief nod in greeting. I returned the gesture. We were both so used to maintaining the civility that existed between us that it was now almost second nature to do so. It wasn't that I disliked Marcus as such – it was difficult to dislike someone who had a work ethic and morality so similar to my own – it was more that I suspected if anything ever came between Sara and I, he might put his principals aside and take the opportunity to attempt to rekindle his relationship with her. I pushed my misgivings aside and Erik called everyone to attention. There was very little he could tell us about what we might encounter when we landed at Tantador as the call we received had come via distress beacon. Instead, he ran through safety protocol and advised everyone to check their weapons were loaded and ready to go should we need to disembark in a hurry. Pep talk over, the six of us boarded an apec and I took my usual seat behind Erik at the main control console. Apecs were designed to be flown by a single pilot, but dual controls were installed for additional support when required. As I buckled my safety belt I watched Sara and Marcus both reach for the seat at the second set of controls.

"Oops," Sara exclaimed as she hastily stepped aside and gestured for Marcus to take the seat. "Old habits…" she smiled.

He shook his head. "My mistake," he said as he fell back to the position behind. "She's all yours."

I watched the exchange with interest. Even after all the time I had spent at Tarus, I still found the hierarchy difficult to decipher at times. Erik undoubtedly was top dog, but after that things got a bit murky. Was Sara next in line if anything happened to her brother? And if so, then was she aware of it? What about Troy? It seemed he was ahead of Marcus, despite being younger and less experienced. Was I to take orders from Troy in Erik's absence? And what about Marcus himself? Although he carried the title of Major, he commanded the same number of men as I did and carried out similar tasks. Were we equals? Or did my standing with Sara elevate me above him? They were all compelling questions that, in my opinion, would one day need to be addressed.

I settled back in my seat as the apec lifted smoothly off the ground. The two men behind me – both chosen from the squadron that Marcus commanded – struck up a conversation as we prepared for the short journey. Up front, Sara and Erik talked back and forth as they negotiated the secret gate to Tarus and then guided the apec towards the more prominent gate on Cynox. Sara had once told me that 'flying was not her thing', so it still surprised me to discover it did not mean she was capable of doing so if required. I liked that even now, almost three years since we first met, she could still occasionally surprise me by revealing some other small, unknown tidbit about herself. It was a constant reminder to me of how special she was – and of how much I loved her for it.

The gate on Cynox came into view and I leaned forward in my seat to try and get a better view as we entered it and flew out into the open air of Tantador. The last time I had been here was a little over a year ago, when Erik had traded grain and medicinal supplies with the people there for a quantity of lubricating oil to service the aircrafts at Tarus. From memory, the village looked much the same then as it did now, with forty or so stone houses situated in a forest clearing a short distance from the gate. The people of Tantador were a basic race of people who lived by the belief that everyone could live in harmony with each other and the galaxy itself. How exactly their beliefs explained the wraith and the destruction they reined upon human kind, I was not sure, but I had visited enough worlds to know that human kind had developed any number of different ways to cope with the constant threat the wraith posed. As we flew overhead, some of the villagers came outside and waved as they recognized the apec.

"Can't see anything out of the ordinary," Erik voiced my thoughts. "Lets put her down and take a look around." The apec slowly began to descend and soon it settled on the ground in the middle of a large clearing beside the village. Sara cut the engines and stood up as the side door slid open for us to disembark. I lingered while Marcus and his men exited the craft and then I followed Erik and Sara down the ramp. The village spokesman, a middle-aged man with dark brown skin and a shiny, bald head came forward to meet us.

"Zerin," Erik greeted him. "How are things going? We received word there's some kind of trouble here. Is there anything we can do to help?"

Zerin extended his hand through the pale linen robe that he wore. "Welcome, General Thorn," he took Erik's hand for a moment. "And people of Tarus. On behalf of my people, I thank you all very much for coming. I wish the circumstances of our meeting could be more pleasant, but please, I would ask you all to come inside so I can explain further." His heavy robe swayed as he turned and started to walk towards a large stone building that stood nearby.

I glanced at Sara and she shrugged as we fell into step behind Erik and followed Zerin into the cool interior of the stone building. Six men, also clad in long, off-white robes were seated together around a wooden bench in the center of the room. They shifted to make room for us on the wooden benches as Zerin indicated for us to join them. "Your timing could not have been better," he said as he took his position at the head of the table. "We are in the process of discussing a problem that has arisen." Everyone was silent as Zerin went on to explain their plight. "Eight days ago, a group of six men came through the gate in the middle of the night. They broke into our storage barn and took four sacks of grain and a number of tools we use in the fields." He looked at Erik. "As you know, we believe in equality for all, so we would not have turned away a stranger in need had they asked for our assistance. These same people came back two nights later and raided our barn a second time. This time they took three months worth of supplies – food and grain that was needed to see our people through winter. We tried to reason with them, to explain we needed those things for our own survival, but instead of listening, they turned their guns upon us. Three of our people were killed that night." I glanced around the table to gauge the reaction of Sara and the others. Their expressions ranged from anger to sorrow and the mood at the table was decidedly somber. "As you know, we like to settle our own disputes…" Zerin continued. "But last night something took place that is beyond our ability to endure."

I frowned. Their supplies were gone and three of their people had been shot - how much worse did things need to get before they called for help?

"Last night, the men came back. Only this time, they turned their attention towards… other interests," Zerin explained. "A young girl – my niece, as it happens – was taken from her bed. She was dragged into the forest while the other men stood watch with guns. They held her there all night and…"he struggled for words, "…well, I'm sure you can imagine what they did to her. We could do nothing but listen to her cries for help."

I was filled with a rage that was so potent I did not trust myself to speak. Erik got to his feet and banged his fist down on the table so that many of those seated around it jumped. "Damn it, Zerin," he cursed. "These people are the bottom feeders of human kind. The supplies they stole were not for their own use, but to sell to other settlements and the money used to fill their own pockets. They will drain you dry in every way possible. Why did you leave it so long to call on us?"

"We dislike firearms and do no condone confrontation," Zerin replied. "We thought we could cope with the situation ourselves. We realize now we were mistaken."

Erik sighed and shook his head. "We'll deal with the problem for you," he said. "But you'll have to let us do it our way – the way these scumbags will understand." He looked to me for emphasis and I withdrew my gun and placed it on the table.

"If anyone here's still got a problem with weapons, now is the time for them to get over it," Erik said.

There was silence in the room. "Good," Erik motioned for me to re-holster my gun. "What time does it get dark around here?"

"Around six o'clock," one of Zerin's men replied.

Erik gestured to Marcus. "Major, you come with me. We're going to check out the supply barn. The rest of you, have a scout around the area. You're looking for ambush points and anything else you think might come in useful when these lowlifes show up again tonight. Any questions?"

I got up, eager to get going.

"Wait," Sara put out her hand to prevent everyone from leaving. She turned to Zerin. "What about the girl? Is she alright?"

Zerin lowered his eyes. "Heather is as well as can be expected," he replied. "She has not left her bed since the men abandoned her in the woods early this morning. She does not wish to speak with anyone and we feel it is best that she is left alone for a while."

"Would it be possible for me to see her?" Sara asked.

I raised my eyebrows. Surely, after everything she had been through, a visit from a stranger would be the last thing the girl would want? It seemed Zerin agreed with my opinion. "The girl has no desire to see her own mother," he said. "What makes you think she'll want to see you?"

"I'm not sure that she will," Sara admitted. "It's only…" she glanced around the room and I suddenly realized where she was heading. "…Something similar almost happened to me once," she said, her low voice. "I understand she does not want to talk about her ordeal, but I was lucky enough to have someone who stayed with me after mine, and I know that it helped… a lot." Her glance in my direction was brief, but given the impact of her revelation, I knew that not one person in the room missed it. The weight of Erik's stare shifted from his sister to settle upon me and I could feel him silently attempting to put together the pieces of Sara's story. I kept my gaze upon Sara herself. If she wanted her brother to know the details of that day then the words would have to come from her herself. I was relieved when Zerin finally broke the tension and conceded to her wishes.

"Very well," he agreed. "But if she objects in any way to your presence, then I insist you leave immediately." With that, Zerin and his men filed out the door, followed by the two men under Marcus's command. Sara's eyes were downcast, so she did not see the long look that Marcus shot in her direction as he passed by. Erik lingered until Sara finally met his eyes. His face was a combination of sadness and outrage as he pulled her to him and held her for a moment.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I had no idea. I wish I could find a way to erase whatever it was you went through."

He caught my eye above her head and gave me a silent nod as he released her. I watched her closely and saw the barely perceptible raise of her fingers as she signaled for me to keep my distance. In admitting her ordeal to a room full of people, she had made herself vulnerable and anything I did might crack the fragile grasp she had on her emotions. I knew that more than anything she would not want to cry and appear weak in front of those around her. I nodded to show my understanding and she turned away from me and followed Erik outside. As I joined them, she turned to me with a shaky smile.

"I'm going to see Heather," she told me. "I'll catch up with you again later."

I nodded, and held her gaze for a fraction longer than necessary. The moment was subtle enough to escape those around us, but it was enough to reinforce the unity between us. I turned away as Erik clapped his hands together.

"Right," he said. "Let's got to work."

Sara POV

The drapes were pulled across the single window in Heather's bedroom as I stepped inside. She lay with her back towards me on a single bed in the far side of the room with the blankets pulled up high around her shoulders. All I could see of her was the top of her head and the light brown hair that fell across her pillow. My heart went out to her – nobody should have to endure what she had gone through last night.

"Hi, Heather," I ventured as I closed the door behind me. I kept my voice low, but even to my own ears it sounded invasive in the silence of the darkened room. "You don't know me, but my name is Sara Thorn. I come from the world of Tarus, and my people are friends of your people." There was an arm chair a short distance from the bed and I carefully lowered myself into it. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want too…I'm just going to sit here with you for a while and tell you a little bit about myself."

The blankets pulled tighter around her shoulders and her head disappeared from sight a fraction more. I bit my lip. What was I hoping to achieve through coming here? Did I really think I could help a complete stranger who had been through such a terrible experience? I knew I had to try. "A few years ago," I began, "I was taken away from my family and friends. I had no memory of who I was, or where I came from. I was forced to exist completely by myself and to rely only upon my own skills for survival." I crossed my legs and settled back into the chair as I became immersed in my memories. "If I had known in advance everything I would go through, I would have said it was impossible that I would survive, but as you can see, I am still here so it turns out I was wrong." I turned my head towards the bed. Heather had not moved. "I existed for eight months in complete solitude, sleeping in caves and eating whatever I could find. I had to move constantly because the-(I swallowed the word wraith as I decided they had no value to the discussion)-because I was being hunted," I amended. "I proved to myself that I could live without others, but it was a miserable way to exist. Because I had no memory of who I was, I did not know that there were people out there who loved and cared for me – people who would have helped me, if only I could have somehow reached them." I lowered my voice and spoke to Heather's back. "You are blessed in that you have the people who care about you right outside the door…" I paused as I recalled the family I had met briefly, "…your mother and father, and your younger sister, Hope."

I waited for my words to sink in before I turned back to my own story. "After eight months living by myself, I met up with a man. His name was Ronon and he was big and formidable, and highly skilled at hunting and fighting. The world he came from had been decimated and everybody he cared for was gone. At first he was extremely wary of me, but gradually he let down his guard enough to let me get to know him. It turned out that I was able to help him, and free him from the life he was living." I turned to look at Heather once again. "If a man who is as strong and brave as Ronon can turn to somebody else for help, then I think it's okay for you to do the same," I told her.

Again she did not respond and the room fell into silence. "Ronon returned my help by staying with me, even though he could just as easily have left me on my own again," I went on. The next part of my story had to be told right, and I chose my words carefully. "I ran into trouble one day… trouble that involved a group of men and a similar situation to what I believe you went through last night. The men captured me and took me with them back to where they were living. They gagged me, and tied my hands behind my back…" my voice broke as my mouth suddenly went dry. For a moment I found myself back in that decrepit cabin, alone and at the mercy of the man who loomed above me. His companions waited outside, blocking any chance of escape while they awaited their turn. "I knew what he planned to do – what they all planned to do – and I was completely powerless to stop them."

Heather's shoulders started to shake and I realized she was crying. Going on the theory that the reaction was better than the wall of silence she had built around herself, I forged on. "I was very lucky that day," I told her. "Ronon came after me. He stopped the men from carrying out what they intended to do and he kept me safe. If not for him…" my voice waivered and I paused for a moment. "If not for him, then I probably would have endured something similar to what you did last night." I looked at Heather and saw that her sobs had increased and her grip on the covers had lessened. "But if that had happened, then it would not have been my fault," I told her. "Just as what happened to you was not your fault either."

Heather shook her head against the pillow. "It was terrible," she whispered from beneath the blankets. "What they did… What they made me do…" Her sobs ebbed a little and body became still beneath the covers. "And everybody knows. How can I ever face anyone again?"

"Nobody knows what you don't tell them," I countered. "They might have seen or heard things that make them think they know, but only you know what truly took place." I glanced across the room towards the door. "Besides, I know for sure that the people outside your door love you too much to judge you for what happened."

We lapsed into silence again, and then to my surprise she slowly turned over in the bed and looked at me. Her eyes were sky blue and her face had the innocence of a young woman on the verge of adult hood. She was beautiful. It was no wonder the men had chosen her for their crime. I sat in silence while she stared at me. "You're really pretty," she said at length.

I laughed, grateful for the break in tension. "I was thinking the same thing about you," I told her.

She lowered her eyes and I wondered if I had said the wrong thing. "Why are you here?" she asked. "Those men will be back tonight."

"I came here because your uncle Zerin asked my friends and I to come," I told her. "We're here to make sure the men can't hurt you any more."

"Your friends…? Does that mean Ronon is here too?"

"He is," I smiled. "Right at this moment, he's probably out there choosing a place to hide so he can catch the men by surprise if they show up again tonight."

She thought over my words. "Does he have a gun with him?" she asked her voice barely more than a whisper.

I realized she would have been taught to loath and fear guns all of her life, so I thought carefully about my reply. If I gave her the wrong one, it might undo the progress I had just made. "He does," I told her. "And when he fires it, he never misses."

She nodded. "Good," she whispered. "I'm glad."

We lapsed into silence for a bit and I was conscious that nightfall was fast approaching. I stretched my arms above my head. "I'm pleased we had this talk," I told her. "But if my friends and I are going to protect you, then I need to get outside and join them." She lowered her eyes and I went on to add, "Your family would really like to see you. Would you like me to let any of them in?"

She was silent for a moment and then she slowly nodded her head. "My mother," she whispered.

"Brave girl," I smiled and stood up. "I'll let her know." I walked across the room to the door. Before I opened it to leave, I looked back at the young girl one last time. "Don't worry, Heather. Ronon and my other friends will make sure that none of those men will ever get the chance to hurt you again."

"Thank you," she said, and I thought I saw the hint of a smile on her face as I opened the door and stepped outside to face the night ahead.