Hello all! Sorry for the delay, but SG Chicago and Richmond Comic Con got in the way. Anyway, here's a new chapter for all of you. Thanks to all of you that have favorite, followed or commented on this story. It makes me so happy that y'all are enjoying it.

Thanks to Mysra for waving her beta wand over this. You rock, girl!

John drifted into wakefulness, his mind felt as though it was wrapped in cotton. He blinked and took in his surroundings. Lying in the infirmary and on good drugs, check. IV, nasal cannula, and other tubes and wires, check. Bulky bandages on arm, leg, knee and ankle, check. Warm weight on right arm, che … hm? He turned his head enough to see Teyla slumped on the side of his bed, her head pillowed on her arms which happened to be wrapped around his.

Even though they had lived side by side for years, it was rare that John caught Teyla asleep. Since he didn't feel like moving and waking his various injuries, he decided to indulge in one of his favorite pastimes – Teyla gazing. Her face was turned towards him, lashes dusting the top of her cheeks. Faint laugh lines radiated outwards from the corner of her eye to trail off in the golden silk of her skin. The corners of her mouth crinkled as if she smiled at something in her dream. John hoped she was dreaming of him. Their relationship was still very new but it went deep into his soul and it would kill him to lose her. Seeing her luscious lips made him want to taste them. He twitched and regretted it as fire awakened in his body and he squirmed as he tried to hold in a groan. He didn't realize he'd woken her until a hand slid beneath his neck and a straw slipped inside his mouth.

"Drink, John. Small sips. It will help."

He did as she told him and the cough that had been building in his chest calmed. He opened eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed and gazed at his angel of mercy. "Thanks, Teyla."

"You are welcome, John." She leaned over and kissed him lightly. "It is good to see you finally awake."

"What happened?"

Teyla's face smoothed out. "What do you remember?"

John closed his eyes and a furrow appeared in his forehead. "We went on a picnic, all of us except Rodney. Torren fell an' skinned his knee. Kanaan and I went lookin' for rocks. I fell near the river when some of them moved under me, messed up my knee an' ankle."

Teyla held the cup of water for him again.

"I tried to get Kanaan's attention but he didn't seem to hear me. I crawled to the shore an' found a branch I could use as a crutch. Made my way back to the grass an' stopped to rest 'fore I tried to get up the hill so I could yell for help."

"Why did you not use your radio?"

"Lost it when I fell."

"What occurred next?"

John opened his eyes. The hazel orbs were tinged with pain, but free of the glassiness of fever. "Kanaan snatched my makeshift crutch then shot me. Twice. Said he was taking back his son's love then pulled the trigger."

"John, I am so sorry." Teyla bowed her head. "It is because of me and Torren that you are injured."

John fumbled along the railing until he located the bed control. Being upright made his arm ache but it was worth the pain to be able to look Teyla in the face. He hated lying on his back while trying to have a serious conversation. He reached out and caressed her cheek. "No. You do not apologize for his actions. Ever. He made you choose then decided that he didn't like your choice when he realized it didn't include him." He shifted and winced as his stitches pulled. "You won't let me blame myself for waking the Wraith, so you don't get to blame yourself for this."

Teyla raised her head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "John, I …"

John slid his thumb over to seal her lips. "Ssshh." He swallowed and took a deep breath. "We both know how bad I am with words, so let me finish." His hand moved from her cheek to cradle the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair. "I love you so much. You've given me a chance at the happiness that was always just beyond my grasp."

Teyla smiled and sat on the edge of John's bed. "John Sheppard, you may prefer deeds to words, but when you do use them, your words are as beautiful and valuable as the finest gems." She placed her hands along his bristled jaw and kissed him. The kiss started out light but quickly flared to a deep, fiery passion that blocked out the rest of the world.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Carson was making his rounds and saving his most frequent patient for last when Ronon, Rodney, Lorne and Woolsey invaded his domain. Before he could even open his mouth to question their presence although he guessed they were here to visit John, Rodney made a preemptive strike.

"Carson, is Sheppard awake yet?"

"I don't know Rodney. I was headed fer the Colonel's room when the lot o' ye waltzed in."

"If you don't mind, Doctor, perhaps we could accompany you?"

Carson bobbed his head. "Certainly, Mr. Woolsey."

Carson felt like a mother duck with a brood of younglings trailing behind as he made his way through the infirmary. They passed several members of his staff who were smiling at the sight. He smiled as he imagined the four men as ducks – Ronon would be the big one that got his way, Rodney the greedy one that ate anything that fell in his reach, Woolsey the fastidious one that always preened, and Lorne would be the quiet one that watched over the others. He added John and Teyla to the mix and his smile grew wider. Teyla would mother the flock and make them behave and John, he would be the heart of the flock, the one that brought them together and made them a force to be reckoned with.

They reached the Colonel's room. Carson opened the door then stopped. Rodney banged into him and they both would have fallen if not for Ronon's quick reflexes.

"Carson, what …"

Carson glared at the irascible astrophysicist. "Hush, Rodney."

"Wha…"

Any other words that were about to tumble from Rodney's lips were muffled behind Ronon's hand as they crowded the doorway.

John was indeed awake, but both he and Teyla were oblivious to anyone else. Carson was surprised that the room wasn't fogged up considering how engaged the two were. He shoved backwards which forced the rest to back step and closed the door. Taking a deep breath, Carson squared his shoulders and knocked before opening the door again.

This time, Teyla was seated on the edge of John's bed fixing her hair while John watched with a barely disguised gleam in his eye.

"Well, Colonel, how are we this evening?"

John tipped his chin down, his eyes narrowing at Carson's chipper tone. Carson knew that look. His first entry hadn't gone unnoticed.

"We are fine, but I wouldn't mind a treat from your bag of tricks."

"Move aside please lass, an' let me examine the Colonel."

"Certainly, Carson."

Teyla moved to speak with Ronon while Carson examined John.

"Well, Colonel, yer fever's finally broke and there's only a tiny bit of congestion remainin'. I need to change the bandages, but that can wait a while."

"Thanks, Carson." John focused on the silent group by the door. "Nice of you guys to visit."

"No problem, Sheppard."

"It was no problem, Colonel." Woolsey stated.

"We had to come verify that you were still in one piece and not sporting any extra pieces. Who knows what side effects you get from rattling the bones of alien chickens?"

"Well, we'll see how many extra holes yer sportin' after yer next physical. I've got a couple o' new nurses that need practice drawin' blood an' I thank ye fer volunteerin' Rodney."

John stared at the look on Rodney's face then burst into laughter which he immediately regretted. The pain from his wounds, which had dulled down to a background throb, roared to life and stole his breath. Carson shoved a pillow against his chest, which John strangled as he rode the wave of pain until it ebbed. "What happened with Kanaan?"

Carson, Rodney and Ronon suddenly found the floor interesting. Teyla met his gaze with a frown.

"Kanaan has requested the Rite of Juris. Halling has agreed." Woolsey said

"I'm guessing that means he gets to face his accuser."

"I am sorry, John, but it is his right."

"Hey, I understand. At least this time he won't have a Beretta pointed at me." John moved to sit up, but Carson placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Stay still, lad. The hearing is not for another week. Halling was adamant that you be on your way to recovery."

John relaxed back into his pillows. "So what happens during this trial?"

"Halling and the village elders shall hear the facts of the incident." Woolsey said. "They will call upon each person involved in the matter and question them as to the events. With the exception of the accused, each person involved in the matter is kept separate from the proceedings until they are called upon."

"I can do that. It sounds similar to a lot of our trial systems on Earth."

Woolsey tugged on his jacket. "It is. I am very irritated by Kanaan's actions. There is no logical excuse for this."

John shrugged carefully. "True, but when did logic ever matter when it comes to fulfilling one's desires?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The next day, John lay dozing in bed when Teyla hurried in, Torren perched on her hip.

"John, I hate to disturb your rest, but Richard has requested my assistance with a trade negotiation and Amelia is on duty."

John raised his arms. "You don't have to ask. I'll be glad to watch Torren."

"Da." Torren cried as Teyla situated him on John's bed.

Teyla grasped one chubby hand and shook it gently. "Torren, be good and do not crawl on your Daddy. He has a boo boo and you may make it worse."

Torren's big brown eyes shifted from Teyla to John. "You haf a boo boo?"

John nodded. "Yeah, but I'm getting better."

Torren looked up at his mother. "You kiss dem an' make Da's boo boo's bettah?"

Teyla blushed. "I have kissed them several times. Perhaps you need to hug Da to help him heal."

Torren stood and wrapped his arms around John's neck. "I luf you, Da. You need a get bettah."

John wrapped his good arm around Torren. "I love you too, pal."

Teyla planted a kiss on John's forehead then hurried off.

John and Torren played until Torren grew sleepy. John shifted in the bed in order to make room for the toddler. He thought Torren was asleep and was headed that direction himself when Torren spoke.

"Da, why Kanaan hurt you?"

John was shocked. He wondered where Torren picked up the information. He was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, Kanaan is mad because he lost something precious and instead of trying to find it, he took his anger out on me."

"That bad."

John buried his nose in Torren's soft curls. "Yes, that was very bad."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A week later, John hobbled down the ramp of Jumper Two. Lorne was on a mission so Carson had volunteered to fly John, Teyla, Rodney, Ronon and Woolsey to New Athos. John had lodged a token protest, but gave in gracefully before Carson pulled out the big needles. Reaching the soft grass, John had to squash the urge to see how deep of an indent Carson had left. His landing had made some of Rodney's look positively gentle.

"Don't even think it, Colonel. Not all of us are expert pilots such as yerself." Carson said from behind John.

John glanced over his shoulder, an expression of innocence upon his face. "Wouldn't dream of it, Doc."

"Aye, see that you don't."

Jinto approached from the trees and bowed. "Colonel Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan, Doctor Beckett, Doctor McKay, Specialist Dex, Director Woolsey, thank you for coming. If you will follow me I shall take you to the Gather tent."

John normally enjoyed the walk to the village, but the reason for today's visit put a damper on the trip. They left the trees and entered the cleared area where the fields were. On any given day there was usually a handful of Athosians working amongst the crops. Today there wasn't a soul in sight.

Jinto led them to a group of small tents encircled by several villagers armed with stunners. John hesitated at seeing the weapons as they had been asked to only bring sidearms. No one said anything about knives, which was good, seeing as John had one on his belt and several others hidden. Ronon had his usual assortment and Teyla had a long blade strapped to either calf in addition to one on her belt.

"Peace, they are here for your protection. There have been … instances where a friend or relative tried to …"

"Stack the odds?" John suggested.

"Yes, that is it. So now we post guards who have no close ties to either party." Jinto said. "Colonel, this tent is yours." He gestured to the next one. "Teyla, that tent is yours. Ronon, Doctor Beckett, yours are to either side. Doctor McKay, Director Woolsey, you may observe from inside the Gather tent."

John slipped inside and settled on the low couch. He wanted to pace, but his leg bothered him if he did too much walking. Two days ago, Halling and the three Elders who would sit in judgement came to Atlantis to instruct them on the process. According to Athosian law, the accused got to tell his story first then the accuser and any witnesses. He heard rustling outside as first Ronon then Carson were led inside to testify. A barely perceptible swish heralded Teyla's passage through the grass. The interior of the tent was dim and relaxing, but John stayed on guard.

The tent flap was flipped open and Jinto stuck his head in. "Colonel, it is time."