FOUR

He had no idea for how long they had walked or where they were, frozen to the bone John was moving forward thanks to sheer willpower. They were walking in a somewhat straight line trying to find their way back to the gate; he sincerely hoped that they were on the right track and that they were not going in the wrong direction. Walking in a line he was the one with the heaviest burden, John was very aware of the tight grip Evan had on his arm so that they would not lose sight of each other, he also knew that Cadman had an exactly the same steel grip around Evan's arm. The others were managing, having a short stump of rope which they could use, leaving their hands free.

Hunger was ripping at him, but there was not much to do about that, but he had survived before on tight rationings and little food so he could do it now too. Even though it was a bit different from usual, now they all needed as much energy as possible to keep up the heath in their bodies and to for them to keep going forward. It had been some time since he had started to lose the feeling in his body, especially his cheeks and fingers, being the most exposed to the ice cold wind.

There was only one good thing with this stupid planet and the freak storm and that was he had time to think, before this yes he knew he loved Evan and he cared for the man, but before this, before Evan fell through the ice he had not understood exactly how much he cared. When he had thought Evan died, for a moment John had not been able to think, it had felt as if his heart had stopped moving. Now he knew he would not be able to live without Evan by his side. Marriage was not exactly an option but sharing a life was.

He would be damned before he was going to let Evan die; they would get through this together. John shuddered when an extra vicious wind blew past, distracting him for his thoughts for a second. It was a bit ironic that it took him a weird planet in another Galaxy and Evan almost dying for him to understand what Evan really, in the deepest part of his heart, meant to him.

Not that John was the only one thinking over their loved ones. Evan was thinking of his relationship with John and hoping they would get out of the death trap called 5XS-887, he was not ready giving up on the one guy he thought may just be the one. Markham was thinking of his lover, regretting not making his emotions more clear before they departed for the mission but at that time, it had still been a normal check out get back mission, now it was the possible last resting place for them.

Gilson and Keegan walking last in the line, had their fingers entwined walking hand in hand, it was not as if anyone would notice it in the bad weather and even worse sight that came with it. They had been together for some time now, even before either one of them came to Atlantis, but because of the DADT they were forced to act as best friends, which they were but still…

Dale Robert Gilson, age 28 had been placed into the Stargate program at the age of 23 where he had met Kyle, who had been there for about a year already even though he was younger, having been recruited straight from the air force academy. Dale was a marine but they had hit it off right at the start, and it had not taken them long before they understood that there were more feelings involved than just those of friendship. There had not been much time for dating, as both of them were very busy, each of them being on a SG team but they made it work. Then Atlantis was discovered and it took a while before anyone heard of the expedition, Dale was first to go of the two. He had now been on Atlantis for about three years; Kyle who had joined him not long after was only a few months from him having spent two full years on Atlantis.

Thinking of Kyle always made him happy, and right know he was being pushed by the burning force inside of him wanting to have Kyle safely back on Atlantis as fast as possible and not stuck on this godforsaken planet. He had always felt a bit protective of Kyle, Dale knew his partner could take care of himself he had seen him take down guys without breaking a sweat, but it did not stop him from worrying. Was it because of Kyle's size, he was built a bit like a swimmer slim and lean, or because of his more gentle looks earning a lot of nicknames like 'princess' and 'missy', Dale was not sure but as long as Kyle did not seem to mind, then he would keep on doing it.

Keegan like Dale was thinking of their relationship, and even though it was weird he was happy that Dale was also there. He was a black belt in karate and judo and he could use a variety of weapons but Dale always managed to make him feel safe, wherever they where or the situation they were in. He was not sure of he would have managed this far without Dale there by his side.
Wind, snow, ice it was as if the planet was throwing all it had at them, trying to break them down. Whether it was hours, minutes or seconds, no one knew how much time passed, it was as if time stood still. Attacked by the harsh weather conditions they could do nothing but walk forward and hope for the best, that they were walking in the right direction.

There was no talking, no nothing even though they were together; they were still alone, alone in hell, fighting their own demons.

Teeth chattering, cheeks and fingers almost frozen solid, they continued forward. John was lightheaded but dared not stop, fearing that he would not be able to get his body moving again if he did. Evan was no longer gripping John's arm; instead he was walking with his hands hidden in his sleeves, trying to keep the little feeling in his fingers that he had left.

Suddenly they were out of the forest, the only thing they could see was snow laying in heaps on the ground as long as their eyes could reach.
Letting his gaze travel over the plains, something caught his eye, a black round shape in the distance ahead of them. John was not one who believed in miracles but when he saw the gate ahead of them, but nothing short but a miracle could have made it possible for them to get back to the gate alive.

"IS THAT?" shouted Cadman, he voice caught by the wind barely a whisper when it reached John's ears.

"YES!" shouted John back at her, "ITS THE GATE!"

The Stargate was further away than he had thought at first, and for a second John doubted his eyes, but the gate stood where it had stood since it had been built. Plowing through the deep snow, John was glad he was tall, Evan, Cadman and Keegan were probably pretty tired by now, having had to walk through snow coming up all the way to their thighs.

"Oh God," muttered John, relief washed over him like a flood. "MARKHAM! DIAL THE GATE!"

Relief, happiness, joy and gratitude lay heavy around them. Cadman was so happy that she could cry, still clutching the back of Major Lorne's jacket as if her life depended on it. Markham had never been so happy to dial the gate; a surge of urgency came over him he did not want to stay on the planet a second longer. Dale even managed to crack a smile, Kyle was barely standing but he too was happy, his body sagging a bit at the knowledge that they would get back to Atlantis.

Straight in the back, steps heavy but firm John stepped through the gate, the others not even a step behind him. They had found their way back home from the deepest pit of Hell.

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