She withdrew into the cool shade of the cabin and swallowed a sob. Why is this happening?

-3 Weeks Prior-

Food ran short quickly as, surprisingly, it wasn't as abundant by the caves in the middle of the forest as it had been on the edge by the gate. Emboldened by her stomach contracting in hunger she began sneaking into the village under the cover of night to grab some food; a small handful here and there. Kylie could tell by the way her clothing sagged and her thighs burned under the smallest amount of strain that she hadn't had nearly enough to eat for far too long. The temptation to steal her fill was great yet would reveal her far too easily. A missing apple and a bun could be brushed off, not even noticed, after all, nobody counted beans individually. A small handful of seeds didn't show on the whole. But any more than that…

But it wasn't enough, if her withering body was any indication.

She was terrified of being caught.

Now more than ever.

The combination of no food, none of her regular vitamins or creams, and drinking barely enough to stay hydrated had wrecked havoc on her body. Her psoriasis was out of control and the pain was excruciating. Now that her clothing was torn she was barely covered, there was no way she could pass through town without it being seen. Deciding she had nothing left to lose and the star gate rarely even a thought in her mind she made the decision to move on and see what else was out there. If she happened to run out of food before finding anything else out there then… so be it.

She took the tattered shirt, leaving her covered in nothing but a filthy sports bra, and tied it into a pouch. It would hold enough that rations could be drawn out a good two weeks. Three if she went here and there without a single bite.

Night crept up slowly as Kylie waited on the outskirts of town, as impatient as ever, watching the regular routine of the villagers. Feeding the animals before securing them in their pens, closing their baskets and stores of food and drink, bringing in firewood to rest beside the hearth, dousing the torches that had been lit around the center of the village. At this point Kylie had seen this so many times she could easily join them and not miss a step. As she moved into town nothing seemed out of the ordinary; curtains were drawn, children in their beds, parents idly chatting by the fire in hushed voices. It was still so strange to her how content this village seemed at all times. They all worked together for the betterment of their community, as far as she had seen they had no need for money and everyone shared the land so greed was rarely a cause for dispute, she had not once seen Wraith even attempt a culling. Even the children barely threw tantrums. It felt as if the village were in that constant state of a sleepy, warm, Saturday morning that Kylie knew so well as a child.

She drew closer to the storage canisters next to the barn already feeling the physical exertion of trying to be as stealthy as possible; her heart was beating hard. Everything was going as normal and yet she couldn't escape the feeling of dread. Regular appearance aside, something felt off about the whole thing. Convincing herself she was feeling paranoid due to the fact that she was moving on into an uncertain future, she crossed the clearing to the canisters.

She froze, hand reaching for the lid to the barrel of apples. There, out of the corner of her eye, there was a movement in the shadows. Her heart was now beating wildly, she felt herself struggling to keep her breath under control. Turning her head slowly she saw as the shadows stood up full form, revealing itself to be one of the villagers; a man, about six feet tall. Still eclipsed by shadows she couldn't make out his face and therefore his intent but the fear she felt in that split second took control and she did the only thing she could think of. She ran.

"Hey! Wait!" Came the deep voice behind her. She felt a prickling in her skin as if wanting to submit. The sensation only made her push herself to go faster. "Wait! You-"

She couldn't breathe. Her body burnt, her heart beat so fast it felt as if it would stop at any moment, her vision blurred.

She felt herself fall, saw the ground coming at her fast, but she never felt the impact.

When Kylie woke she was stunned to find that she felt remarkable. Far from the regular feeling of refreshment after a long, comfortable rest, she realized quickly that her body wasn't sore and her skin wasn't burning. Her heart had returned to its regular rhythm and she felt as if her episode of starving in the wild hadn't even happened. She opened her eyes and sat up slowly, taking in the room around her. Before she could fully register the wooden cot she slept on, the gorgeous flowers on the hand carved furniture filling the room, or the warmth of the sun that shone on her through the window, there was a small yelp from the doorway. A child, no more than seven, peered at her through the door as it sat ajar. Before Kylie could smile or let out a simple 'hello' the child had gone off running.

"Papa, papa!" Kylie heard in the distance. "She's up! Papa, come!"

Panic shot through Kylie and she burst out of the bed ready to bolt. Except as she stood she found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror and realized two things instantly. One; someone had changed her clothing. She was now wearing hand made cotton clothing so comfortable it felt like a second skin. A light brown long sleeve top, cut off under her ribs and exposing her midriff, and a dark brown skirt that clung to her hips yet flowed beautifully down to her ankles. Two; her skin was clear. As she stared at her exposed stomach and saw not a single mark, no torn skin, no smears of blood, she was rooted to the spot in disbelief. Tears stung her eyes and threatened to spill so she shut them quickly and kept them shut hard. Kylie refused to move, her hand hovered over her skin yet she couldn't bring herself to touch it. What sort of cruel dream is this?

As absorbed as she was in the rejection of what she saw in the mirror Kylie didn't hear the door creak as it opened the rest of the way. Nor did she pay any attention to the sound of gentle steps as someone entered the cabin.

"It is real, m'lady." Came a voice a few paces from her side, deep and gentle as it rumbled words of reassurance. "Your ailment is gone."

Her hand moved forward with a mind of its own, closing the gap and feeling her skin for the first time. The instant it touched the fingers dug it, as if clinging on in fear of the plaques popping up at any second. Feeling the soft skin under her palm Kylie cracked her eyes open to peer in the mirror once more. It was there… right there. Her reflection held not a single mark, no scars, no pain, and at that her dam burst. Kylie felt her legs give out beneath her and as she landed on her knees, weeping unabashedly.

By the time Kylie calmed the day had progressed considerably. The sun turned orange and pink as it peered through the trees of the surrounding forest and the wind grew cool. The breeze touched Kylie's cheek as it gently blew through the open windows of the cabin and helped bring her back to her surroundings. She had already accepted a damp cloth and was washing her surely battered looking face by the time she realized who had handed it to her.

A man sat on the floor behind her, arms around her shoulders, holding her in a strong unyielding embrace. Coming from a strange man in a strange place such a hold would have – should have – felt terrifying and yet she felt it more as a comforting gesture instead of threatening. Has he been here the whole time?

She looked up at his face through her swollen weary eyes and found him smiling softly down at her. He must have been passing his forties; his face held laugh lines and a few odd wrinkles, his chocolate hair revealed silver glints in the sunlight. Yet his features still held the strength and stubbornness of youth in his strong jaw and his fierce green eyes. He held the aura of a man of experience and could see in the smiles he offered her that he had not been jaded by it.

"You must have been plagued by this illness for quite some time." He commented, making no judgment on how intently she was studying his face or staring in his eyes. For that she was grateful. For all of it, she was grateful.

"Am I dead?" Her voice was hoarse from crying. "I was running and… my heart. Now my skin is…" She still couldn't say the words. "Am I dead?"

She felt the rumble through his chest as he chuckled at her question, the vibration feeling so sweet. "No, m'lady. You are not dead. Almost but you came to your senses and thought better of it."

"It was you, wasn't it? The one by the barrels." He nodded easily. "I'm sorry I was taking your food. I don't have a very easy explanation for you. I have no way to repay you."

"Think naught of it. I saw you your previous trips to our stores." Kylie was shocked and embarrassed.

"You knew and still let me go? Why?"

"It was evident you were in need, why punish the hungry? I thought you would have approached us if you were in dyer need but you never did."

"I've been alone… I wasn't sure if- I…" She couldn't find the words.

"I understand, m'lady. I saw you growing frail. It is why I was waiting for you that night. To invite you to dine with us." Kylie's face flushed with embarrassment.

"That night? How long have I been out?"

"Neigh a week, m'lady. Our healers worked for days to bring you back."

Kylie was silent for a time, stunned by the realization of just how close to death she had been. "Thank you," she said softly. "my skin… quite some time is right. My whole life… How?"

"In truth, I'm not certain. Perhaps our medicines used to rejuvenate your body worked against your ailment."

"I thought you'd see my skin and turn me away." Kylie confessed. "Or hurt me. Thinking I would make you all sick."

"Worry not, m'lady. It's over now."

"Why do you keep calling me that? 'M'lady'."

"You're a Priestess of Ancient Descent, are you not? You came through the Ring of the Chosen, same as those before you. Admittedly it has been quite some time since any have come through the Ring. In all my years I have only read about such old traditions."

"I guess in a way I am... Back home there are a few people descended from the Ancients and I am one of them. Very very distantly descended. How do you know about the Ancients?"

"We here are all direct descendants of Ancients and the Shamans that would occasionally be sent through the Ring in search of safety or a place to complete their spiritual journey."

"So this is another sanctuary built by the Ancients?"

"Another? You mean there are more?" His expression was a confusing mixture of pleased and perturbed.

"Sorry, yes, well... one, actually. That we've encountered, at least. Or used to know, in any case. They were discovered by a friend of mine and shortly after they all Ascended. I never had the chance to meet them, unfortunately."

That had obviously peaked the man's interest. "Ascension… they are fortunate. We have gone many generations without a successful ascension and it is still our daily struggle. Much information about it has been lost and what does remain is muddled up in fables. Do you know much of it?"

"I do, yes. I decided to devote my life to spiritual matters, coincidentally. But it's the first I've heard of this place. Unfortunately I wasn't given much of a choice in participating in this particular tradition." She backed up somewhat to get a better look at the man's face. "My people never had anything to do with this. We were helping some others that had lost their home to the Wraith and… they were the ones that sent me here. I have to get back, my people will be worried." If they're alive… but then why didn't they come for me…

"You have been here many months. Why have they not come?"

"I – I don't know. There was this…" Kylie stopped herself and pulled back out of the man's arms, moving to stand. She had barely gotten up onto her knees when he had already stood and offered a hand to help her up, which she accepted cautiously. "I'm sorry. I've been going on like this all day and I don't even know your name."

"I am Ewan, the Spiritual Channel of the village. It is my mission to help those in the village reach Ascension as it has been of those that came before me and will be my children's after mine."

Ewan bent and pressed a soft kiss atop her hand, leaving Kylie captivated by the rush such a simple gesture shot through her body. Must be all those months without a single touch…

"My name is Kylie. I'm a… spiritual counselor to my people." She did her best to sum up her life in a neat tidy title as she doubted he would be familiar with the term 'yoga'.

"Kylie." He seemed to purr in his deep voice. She knew she was only hurting herself with any thoughts on how, if she were to close her eyes and hear him speak like that again, she could almost mistake it for Ronon. "Welcome to my home."

The two weeks flew by at an almost ridiculous pace. After being given the first night to get used to her surroundings (and being in her own skin!) she started fresh with a load of questions. Mainly, 'how have you been avoiding detection from the Wraith?' and 'what the hell is in that medicine you gave me?' Both of which were answered quickly and easily.

Like the other Ancient sanctuary Sheppard had stumbled upon, this one had a thoroughly impenetrable shield covering their home. Unlike the other Ancient sanctuary, this one had no time shift and it was just as easy to leave as it was to enter. In fact, Kylie had done this completely unaware. The gate sat on the edge of the shields perimeter and only those of true Ancient descent (the ATA gene, of course) could walk through it. Anything attempting to force itself through would be destroyed.

The medicine they had been giving Kylie was a root used for cases in need of rejuvenation and was much like Earth's coffee or the electrolytes in Gatorade, only far more potent. It was surreal to Kylie that something so familiar and every day (three times a day, actually) to the villagers had such a profound effect on her life. Kylie realized it was the perfect ally for a weak immune system. It looked like a ginger root, tasted like turmeric and garlic, and smelled like oranges. She was so happy on the day they showed her their harvested stock and the new growth that she actually gave a sloppy peck to every one of the farmers and healers responsible. She tried not to notice the pleasure she felt when Ewan's peck intentionally lingered into 'kiss' territory.

Ewan gave her a job within their community; her old title, spiritual counselor. He had surprised her one evening by requesting she continue her 'spiritual quest' by aiding the other villagers and teaching them what she knew. By the end of the week each villager was meditating every morning and all the kids were gleefully joining her in her daily yoga.

Nights were simple and pleasant. Feeling out of place, alone in her cabin, as the other families tucked in their little ones and retired to the comfort of their partner, Kylie began making it a habit to walk the perimeter of the village and enjoy the silence. She would walk until she couldn't, at which point she would lay down and watch the sky. She soaked in the marvel of the nights sky when there were no skyscrapers, no light pollution, and no hundreds of satellites blocking the view. Every star, planet, galaxy, every single life out before her shone in the most dazzling way. Which one is Atlantis…

It didn't take long for Ewan to start joining Kylie on her nightly walks. He would ask about Ascension, about her home, friends, family. They would talk for hours about their lives and their dreams. How two people could quite literally be from different worlds and still have so much in common was far beyond Kylie's comprehension. And she didn't mind it one bit.

Long before she had been there even a month Kylie could easily confess that Ewan was beginning to catch her eye. The love in his eyes when he spoke about his long deceased caught Kylie's sympathy but watching him with his son and helping the others in the village, that caught her heart. Ewan was a simple man, a devoted man, and when he moved building a new cabin or helping in the fields he was a man of power.

There was no way to help it, she was drawn in like a moth to a flame.

I did a quick read through to edit but if I missed anything please let me know! Or if something doesn't make sense. Thank you!