Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairing, etc.

Part 4/6

Author's Note: This part is a missing scene for The Hive. It picks up right after Ronon says the line which I have used as the first for this chapter. I hope you enjoy this installment!

Part IV

-The Hive-

If it distracts you, clear your mind of it. If it fuels your anger – use it.

It hadn't been that long since Ronon said those words to Teyla. She'd started pacing then, back and forth motions in front of the cell door which were making him jittery. Most of that is probably the enzyme – or lack thereof, he reminded himself. At this point in his life, he had a lot of fuel for his anger. He wondered what she'd find to fuel herself.

Of all the things the Wraith could do for torture, Ronon wondered if perhaps they'd picked the most pleasant and the worst, all in one. Sticking him – alone – in cell with Teyla – it had to be the ultimate of all torture. Maybe that was part of his fuel. . .

"Are you mad at me?" he ventured at last.

Teyla turned from her distracted pacing. "Why would I be mad?" she looked puzzled.

Unbidden, heat pulsed up his neck and onto his face. He felt like a beacon now. "Well – I don't know. Just – back at Ford's— I wasn't exactly on my best behavior. Usually – I do behave better than that, honest," he mumbled. Shifting his gaze away from hers, he waited for her to react.

Her soft footsteps moved across the cell; out of the corner of his eye, he watched her sit down again. "Nor was I," she admitted softly. "I think – maybe – we might have—" She bit her lower lip guiltily. "I apologize if I offended you in any way." Her formerly pallid complexion flushed, making her skin seem closer to the normal color.

Ronon snorted softly, then realized she was serious. "Wait – why are you apologizing? I'm the one who started it."

Teyla folded her lips and rolled her eyes. "That is true – but I did not have to continue it."

True. Swallowing back his agreement, he shrugged. "No harm done?" He stuck out his hand, hoping she'd take it. "Still friends?"

A brief struggle flared in her eyes. Her shoulders seemed to slump a little, and her smile was forced when she took his hand. "Friends," she agreed.

They lapsed into silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. At last Ronon couldn't take the quiet any longer. "We could finish what we started earlier, you know."

Teyla's eyes went wide. She stared at him openmouthed, expression a mix of confusion and something else not quite identifiable.

Ronon realized how that could be taken, considering their preceding conversation. "Oh. Oh! No, no, not that. Sorry." That heat in his face was back. "No – um, I mean – planning our escape?" he finished weakly. Could this get any more awkward?

"Oh. Yes. I apologize." Teyla looked away, her fingers nervously plucking at the fabric of his coat. He'd halfway forgotten his earlier action: waking up from being stunned (again) to find Teyla passed out as well. He'd laid her on the single bench in the cell; dissatisfied with the arrangement, he'd tucked his coat under her head for a pillow. "Well – how much farther past create a distraction can we plan?"

"Neither of us are thinking well at the moment," he agreed. And that is painfully obvious. The last he didn't say. "Obviously we gotta find Sheppard – and a way out." He wondered if he should mention Ford. It seemed to be a sore subject with her.

Teyla seemed to be holding her breath. When she realized he wasn't going to say more, she subtly breathed again. "Yes. Perhaps Col. Sheppard will be able to find the Dart in which we came."

"That'd be nice."

Another uneasy silence fell between them. Suddenly he was very aware of how close Teyla was. This time he was the one to jump up and pace to the back corner of the cell, putting as much space between them as the cramped space allowed. Friends, he reminded himself. This certainly wasn't the time to realize he had feelings of a certain kind for Teyla.

She gazed at him from the corner of her eye, seeming just as discomfited as he. "I wonder how long it will be before they come back." She seemed desperate to make conversation.

Ronon swallowed, vowing to do better this time at protecting her. Getting shot right off typically didn't help the situation. "I don't know. They're probably trying to draw out the tension." They're doing a mighty good job of it – and they don't even realize.

Teyla turned her face away, toward the door. "Yes," she said noncommittally. "That seems likely."

Utilizing the moment, Ronon scrubbed his hands down his face. He was surprised to see they were shaking. It's just the effects of the enzyme wearing off, he told himself. Now if only he could make himself believe it.

"This is awkward," Ronon muttered, mostly to himself.

"It is." Teyla stood, and Ronon watched warily as she walked over to him. "When – we return to Atlantis, I think – we need to have a – certain conversation." Biting her lower lip, she shyly peeked up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

Ronon leaned back a little further into the wall, fists clenching together at his sides. "Yeah – I think that might be a good idea."

And then, to his wonder, he was saved. The piercing shriek of a Wraith alarm blasted through the cell from deep within the ship, forcing its way between them like a barrier. Ronon was both grateful and regretful for the sound. "Get ready," he told Teyla gruffly. As he headed for the cell door, Teyla nodded briskly and went to sit on the bench, tugging his coat just a little closer to her.

Ronon could feel Teyla's eyes on his back as he approached the door to the cell. He could already feel the emotion building in him. Did he have something to fight for? Oh, yes. This would certainly help fuel him.

To his surprise, however, it was not a Wraith that appeared around the corner. It was Sheppard, and he skidded to a halt when he saw them. Ronon was pleased to see the colonel had a familiar weapon in his hand.

"Hey!" Ronon said. Teyla appeared at his left elbow, expression similar to his. Maybe they had a chance, after all.

"I'm going to bust you guys out of here!" Sheppard said cheerfully, as if it were no big deal. He turned toward the cell controls and lifted Ronon's blaster.

"If you don't mind," Ronon mumbled. The fingers of his right hand itched to reach out and snatch his weapon back. He wouldn't feel safe – like he could keep Teyla safe – until he had it back.

Perhaps Sheppard didn't sense the tension in the air; if he did, he probably would identify it as anxiety to escape. Only a miniscule part of that was the cause, Ronon mused as he watched a shot from his blaster obliterate the controls.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ronon saw Teyla smirk up at him. He had a feeling he knew exactly what that meant – we will talk, and don't you forget it.

No worries about that.

The colonel stared at the controls for a second, mouth open. Shaking himself, he turned to hand Ronon's blaster back to him. "Gotta get myself one of these," he said in awe.

Ronon shook his head and went to get his coat, one ear tuned toward Sheppard and Teyla, the other for any signs of danger that might be approaching. "Where's Kanayo?" he heard Sheppard ask.

"He is dead," Teyla responded. Ronon couldn't find it in himself to feel the same gravity in her tone. Everything was a bit of a haze – he wasn't sure if it was caused by his heightened emotions or the fading effects of the Wraith enzyme. "Ford?" she demanded then.

Ronon swung his coat over one arm and shoulder. He had no time to put it all the way on; Teyla and Sheppard were already on their way out. He chased after them, switching his blaster to the other hand so he could finish putting on his coat as they ran.

"The last I saw he was okay, so I'm sticking with that," Sheppard replied over-the-shoulder.

The halls, ominously empty, flashed past as Sheppard led the way to the Dart bay. Ronon spun every few feet to make sure there were no Wraith behind them, trying to sneak along and wait for the right shot. A short time, which felt more like a long time, later, they arrived at the entrance to the bay.

Ronon paused directly behind Teyla, peering easily over her head at the open area beyond the doorway. Instead of seeing the ships all lined up in their little docking areas, he saw them screaming around inside, darting to and fro.

"The culling is beginning!" Teyla said in horror.

"We have to stop them," Sheppard said. His matter-of-fact manner was beginning to drive Ronon up the wall.

"How?" he demanded. Another quick glance down the hall showed no pursuit. That was unsettling enough in itself.

"Stay here," the colonel ordered. "When I give you my signal, get out in the open." With that enigmatic order given, he dashed off into the heart of the bay.

Teyla looked over her shoulder to him, and he shrugged. Apparently she didn't understand their team leader's orders any more than he did.

Then – for Fate and the Ancestors were fickle things – they had to wait again.

"We will make it, you know," Teyla said. Sheppard's mood seemed to have rubbed off on her.

Ronon didn't want to argue with her. "I know." He reached out to briefly brush her arm. "We should get closer to the entrance to the bay."

Teyla nodded and took off. Ronon followed, casting glances over his shoulder. They were so close – he wouldn't let anything mess it up now.

A single Dart broke from formation, gracefully swooping toward the little cubbyhole where Ronon and Teyla waited.

"Is that his signal?" An edge of hysteria was beginning to creep into Teyla's voice.

"It'd better be." Ronon reached out and caught her arm as she started to run off. "Wait." He quickly mashed his lips against hers. When he pulled away and saw her breathless expression, he offered her a half-apologetic grin. "Just in case," he said.

A matching expression formed on her face. She reached out, twining her fingers with his. Together they ran into the Dart bay – ready to be rescued or taken together.

-End Part IV-

TubaPrincess: Yes, it is – though Ronon and Teyla aren't thinking so! Thanks! I could just imagine John doing that, tossing the water over the pair of them to "cool them down," so to speak. I know what you mean – friend time is so hard to organize! It made the weekend we could spend together even more special. Thank you so much for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

SpaceMonkey0941: Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it. It's the first really intense romantic scene I've ever written, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out – so I was really nervous, though I had a lot of fun. So it makes me really happy that you liked it. Thank you so much for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! -hugs-