So the time on Earth won't pass exactly the same as time in the Pegasus Galaxy. Or rather, I will be writing about what's going on with the SG-1 and Scoobies in short scenes that won't necessarily match the time frame where Buffy's at. I hope it doesn't annoy. It's just easier to fit in scenes of the other BTVS characters this way.

Chapter 4: A Runner No More

*****Earth*****

Xander drove the last mile to his new home in Colorado with some strong misgivings. It had been difficult saying goodbye to Anya. He wanted her to move with him, but she refused. Her attachment to her shop was too strong. She didn't know what she'd do with herself in a new place when she was just getting used to being human in Sunnydale. At least on a hellmouth, she felt at home. Xander got it, but it hurt. He wanted her to love him more than anything. Of course, the irony was she said the same thing to him. He did love her—more than he had ever loved anyone. It was just meeting Jack and finding out about a life in another galaxy had done something to him. The side of him that was a monster killer and the echo of the soldier he had been had both stood at attention. He felt that Jack's offer was the best possible future he could have. Not only didn't he want to let his girls move so far away without him, he wanted the future that Jack said could be his.

Xander also liked the man Jack saw when he looked at him. He wasn't the Zeppo or Buffy's sidekick, but he was his own man with things to offer. It made him feel better about himself in a way that nothing ever had. Being excited about this new path made him feel guilty, though. He was leaving Anya behind. What if the distance was too much? What if they grew apart? What if she forgot about him? What if he forgot about her? It hurt his heart to think about it.

The driveway to their new home was ahead. Xander had felt the darkness of the hellmouth leave him the more distance he got from the place. The beauty of Colorado was bright and more barren in places than California. The ocean was far behind him, but they never spent much time at the water. Xander figured he'd pick up skiing. He turned into the drive, excited to see the large house that sat on a few acres. The building in the back was a place he could store his tools. Xander had been pulling a U-Haul trailer full of furniture he had taken from his house. Anya insisted that he take half of their things. It had hurt to do so—it made them seem more broken up than they were. However, he knew taking the smaller guest bed was a good choice. Not only did it leave Anya the nicer bed that she loved, but it kept him from having to go furniture shopping.

As soon as he turned off the engine, Dawn came flying out the door.

"You're finally here!" she shouted excitedly.

By the time he got out of the car, she had practically tackled him. "I can tell someone is excited to see me," he said, hugging her.

"I have so much to tell you!" she gushed.

Tara stepped out on the porch to greet him. "Glad you made it, Xander. How was the drive?" she asked.

Xander pulled her in for a hug. "Good. I enjoyed it. This time nothing went wrong with my car!" he said with a grin. The SUV he now owned was in top shape. His last attempted road trip had been vastly different.

"That's good," she said, smiling up at him. Xander was the brother her own had never been. She loved him and was glad Willow had him. Sometimes Buffy made her nervous. At times, she'd felt insecure about her place with Willow when faced with Willow's devotion to Buffy. But with Xander, she never had to feel that way. Xander just accepted her and loved her, treating her like a sister from the beginning.

"Where's everyone?" Xander asked when he didn't see Daniel or Willow.

"Daniel is using his link to Vala to find some ancient treasures!" Dawn said excitedly. "Willow is helping."

"Huh?" Xander asked.

"You missed some things," Tara said, smiling. "Come inside and eat, and we'll fill you in. Then we'll help you unload."

Xander put his arms around both girls' shoulders and followed them into their new home. He had a feeling that life in Colorado would be every bit as exciting as life in Sunnydale had been. Hopefully, he'll have less trips to the hospital!

*****Pegasus Galaxy*****

John looked at the unlikely pair, who were holding weapons toward him. They weren't Ford, nor were they Wraith. The giant seemed menacing, while the girl looked too young and fragile to be much of a threat. However, her look made him pause. Could she be the one they were watching for? He raised his hand, moving his weapon off from them even as his team kept theirs aimed.

"We're not here to harm you," he assured them.

"That's good. I want a hot bath, not a bloody fight," Buffy said easily. She lowered her weapon and looked at Ronon, who had not lowered his.

"We're looking for a friend of ours. He is a bit confused right now," John said.

"He also looks like a failed science experience," Rodney added. He frowned at the pair. What was a girl that looked like her doing with a man that looked like that? "Are you alone?" He noticed her weird outfit. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"What business is that of yours?" Ronon asked, pointing his weapon at Rodney.

"Ro, calm down," Buffy urged, facing him. "We don't need to fight humans who could easily be from my planet."

"And what planet might that be, dearie?" Dr. Beckett asked, his Scottish brogue causing Buffy to glance at him intently.

"Earth," she said. "Are you Scottish? How did a Scot get to another galaxy?"

"How did Survivor Barbie get to the Pegasus Galaxy?" Rodney asked with a noticeable smirk.

"Huh?" Buffy asked, confused at that particular Barbie reference.

"You know the show, Survivor? One of those dumb reality shows Americans are always making," Rodney said with disdain.

"Hey! What's wrong with being an American? I'm an American!" Buffy said, offended at the dig.

John grinned. It had to be her. "Are you by any chance Buffy Summers, daughter of Dr. Daniel Jackson?" he asked.

Rodney looked at John in surprise. Then he realized what her presence meant. "Damn, Shepard. You're right. She does look like the picture," Rodney acknowledged.

The previously unconscious Lieutenant Ford began to stir.

Buffy noticed it right away. "Careful. That guy over there attacked us. I think he's coming to," Buffy said, distracted. John moved to investigate.

"It's Ford," he said.

Rodney was holding a zat'nik'til on his former team member, which bothered him more than he would ever tell anyone. How had his friend allowed himself to be reduced this way? Stupid military guys always trying to use their body instead of their brains.

"You had better restrain him," Buffy advised. "He seems kind of messed up."

"He is," Dr. Beckett said. "He has been taking Wraith enzyme to make himself stronger to fight the Wraith, but it messes with the human mind. He is now irrational and totally unstable."

"Can he recover? Look normal again?" Buffy asked.

"I am not sure, but I would think so—eventually," he said.

John put cuffs on Ford, who started to struggle. "I think we should render him unconscious, so he doesn't break the cuffs. We're not sure how strong he is now," John said.

Dr. Beckett moved to sedate Ford. John turned to the two Marines. "Take him back to the gate. Dial out. I don't have to tell you that you need to keep him restrained until we fix him," John said.

"Your doctor is staying, right?" Buffy asked anxiously.

Dr. Beckett turned to her, curious. "Why, lass? Do you need medical attention?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, not me. Ronon does," Buffy said. Ronon glared at her for sharing his business. He didn't know these people or trust them. "He has a Wraith tracker on him. On his back."

John and Teyla exchanged a glance.

"You are a runner?" Teyla asked.

"He is," Buffy said, answering for him. "He doesn't like to talk much."

"We can help him," Dr. Beckett said.

"We have orders to find you and bring you back to our base," John told her. "General O'Neill says your dad is anxious to confirm you are alive."

Buffy grinned excitedly. "You guys are in contact with my dad and SG-1?" she asked.

"You know who SG-1 is?" Rodney asked in surprise.

"Well, duh," she said impatiently. "Of course, I do. Top secret clearance girl. Savior of the world slay gal. I bet I know more things than you do. Except your name."

"More than me?" Rodney scoffed. "Doubtful."

Rodney didn't know what that gleam in Buffy's eyes meant, but he would.

Buffy snickered. "You have no idea," she said.

"Buffy, that's Rodney our lead scientist. He's a brain, but it sometimes not obvious 'cause he doesn't always know when to shut up," John said with a pointed glare.

"I do, too!" Rodney said hotly.

John ignored him and held out had hand to Buffy. "I'm John Sheppard, the military leader. That's Teyla and Dr. Beckett," he introduced. She shook it.

"I'm Buffy and this big guy is Ronon Dex," Buffy said, smiling up at her silent companion. She looked curiously at Teyla. "Are you human?"

Teyla arched an eyebrow. "I am," she said. "I am not from your planet, however."

"Why do you make my senses go wiggy?" Buffy asked.

Ronon tensed, having learned that his small friend had a danger sense greater than his and a built in Wraith detector. His glare resumed. If they tried to attack her, he'd take out the military leader first since he was the biggest threat. Buffy could take the girl. The scientist wasn't even an issue.

John noticed Ronon's sudden tension and worked quickly to reassure her. "We have recently discovered that Teyla has some Wraith DNA. She can sense them because of it. We're not sure exactly how it happened, but we have some ideas," he said. "But she's completely trust worthy."

Buffy nodded, willing to give the girl the benefit of the doubt. She looked up at Ronon, putting her hand on his arm. "It's okay, Ro. These are my people. My dad knows them. That means they're not going to hurt us," she said.

"No, we're not," John assured them.

"If you come back with us, we can fix your friend," Dr. Beckett said.

Rodney frowned. "We can't take him back with that tracker on him. We don't want to bring Wraith at our door right now," he pointed out.

"Can you remove it here?" John asked him.

"Yes, but it's not a good idea if something goes wrong," Dr. Beckett said.

Ronon grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled her away from them. "What are you doing?" he asked, glaring at her.

"I want them to help you," Buffy said. "You don't have to keep running."

"We don't know them," Ronon said.

"If they know my dad, it means we can trust them," she told him.

"I don't know your dad," Ronon pointed out with a glare.

"But you know me. Trust me, Ronon," Buffy said, reaching for his hand.

She was so physical, always touching him. It wasn't sexual, but Ronon wasn't oblivious to her beauty. However, they spent too much time in peril, so he pushed down anything that might be attracted to her. She was his friend—that's all that mattered. If he didn't agree, they would part ways. She was determined to go with these people—he could see it.

"I'm not leaving without you, Ronon," she said stubbornly. When he showed surprise, she glared at him. "Why do you seem surprised? I told you that I was sent to you for a reason. Helping you is what I'm meant to do. I can't leave you. If you want to go somewhere else, we'll leave them."

"Really?" he asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yes," she said. "You'd be really, really stupid to pass on their offer to remove your tag, though."

"Fine," Ronon said. "We'll trust them—for now."

"Until they give them a reason not to," she said. Then she gave him that cheeky grin that always amused him. "Besides, no place in any galaxy can hold the two of us against our will!" He acknowledged her claim with a small smile of his own.

They turned back to the group, Buffy's arm linked in Ronon's. "We'll go with you after you remove his tracker," she told them.

"That's fine," John said, smiling confidently at them.

It took less than an hour for the doctor to remove Ronon's tracker and hand it to Buffy. "Here you go, lass. All out," he said.

Buffy looked at it. "Such a small thing," she murmured. She showed it to Ronon. Then she dropped it onto the ground in front of him. While Beckett was sewing Ronon up, she slammed her foot hard on the device, destroying it.

Ronon felt the weight of it leave him and gave her a rare grin.

"You're free, Ro. No more running," she declared.

Ronon stood up and accepted the tight hug she gave him.

No more running. He was finally free.

*****Chapter End*****

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