Author's Note: A HUGE apology for not posting anything yesterday. I know everyone in the US has been hammered by this winter storm, my area included. For those of you thinking me a wimp, I'll agree. It hasn't been this cold in my area since 1951! And it hasn't snowed like this since the late '80s. So the entire area is a little shut down for a while. For those of you living where it gets this cold on a regular basis, you are my heroes! And, while I hope to do daily posts, the story has proven to be a little longer in the writing. I'm committing to every other day posts, with the in between days as extra for you! A big thanks to Ani-maniac494 and theicemenace for their help on this chapter. As always, hope you enjoy! ~lg

oOo

"Get down!" Sheppard whispered hoarsely. The group ducked behind some bushes, not doing a very good job of hiding. Sheppard glanced up as the Dart flew overhead. "They didn't see us."

"Or saw us and didn't care," Ronon pointed out. Sheppard ironically noted that Ronon would know the Wraith better than most.

"Thing I don't get is why send one Dart." McKay's eyes were so wide Sheppard could see whites in the fading light. "Most cullings have at least three Darts, if not more. Why only one?"

"That's a good question."

Ronon looked around. "I don't hear anything."

"So where did it go?" McKay asked.

"Who cares?" Sheppard replied. "They left the gate, giving us time to hunker down for the night."

"And if it takes more than the night to get help?"

"Lorne already knows something's wrong." Sheppard led the way through the foliage. "He'll bring help. And a Jumper."

"I hope so," McKay muttered.

Unfortunately for their assumptions, not all the prisoners had left the gate alone. Before Sheppard even reached the gate, he heard Teyla cry out in the darkness. Her cry drew the attention of the other hunters around them. Sheppard backed into Ronon, their legs sheltering Teyla. McKay drew his M9 and looked around.

Behind him, Ronon whispered, "I count three."

"Four," Sheppard whispered back.

"We can take them." Ronon's voice growled.

"I know. But will that be all of them?" Sheppard's eyes skimmed the forest around the gate, spotting a great area for a hunting blind. "We just need to hold them off long enough to build shelter. Then we can figure out what happened to Teyla."

"I am fine, John," she said from the ground. But he knew by the sound of her voice that she'd been severely injured. "It's nothing worse than anything I've ever had."

"I'll be the judge of that," Sheppard rejoined. He wanted to curse at the top of his lungs, but he couldn't. Not now. First Ford and Elizabeth, now Teyla. His track record with protecting his team hadn't exactly gone as planned lately.

In the few seconds it took for them to discuss their position, the villagers attacked. Sheppard found himself wrestling with one wiry fellow while another tried to knock him senseless. McKay helped by whacking the second man over the head with a stick, and Sheppard threw off his attacker in time to save McKay from a knife to the gut. Unfortunately for him, one of the villagers brought a torch to the fight, and the light from the fire momentarily blinded Sheppard. He rolled with the punch he barely saw coming but heard Ronon's blaster finishing off the last of the villagers.

"This-this-this is insane!" McKay whirled, grabbing the torch that had been dropped. "What did we ever do to them?"

Ronon knelt over Teyla. "We came through the gate."

Sheppard had to agree. He dropped to his knees, examining Teyla's injury. It looked like she'd taken a knife to the back of her shoulder, and the wound bled quite badly. Pulling a pressure bandage from his TAC vest, Sheppard bandaged her shoulder as best as possible and nodded over his shoulder. "There's a spot to hide, but we have to put out the fire."

"What? Why?" McKay demanded.

Ronon glared at him. "Do you want to draw every person in the vicinity to us?"

"Oh." McKay meekly stamped out the torch.

Once his eyes had readjusted to the darkness, Sheppard set about creating the blind. They were close to the gate. When rescue arrived, Teyla would be close to help. Based on what little he'd seen, Teyla would recover in no time, but movement right now had to be excruciating. Still, she bore it with only a tiny whimper and a deep sigh of relief when Ronon settled her into the leaves and dirt that McKay had thoughtfully gathered for a bed. Rolling onto her side, she positioned herself so she could fire her stunner from the ground if necessary.

Content that he'd done everything he could, Sheppard settled himself next to a massive tree and began to wait.

oOo

Evan had a headache by the time he flew through the gate. Kalle had insisted on riding in the front with him, asking all sorts of questions about the Jumper. Most of them revolved around weapon capabilities, and he realized the man was afraid they'd use the Jumper against their hosts. Evan assured him that they only had the one even though he knew another sat cloaked behind the cabin Sheppard had ordered built as an infirmary.

As soon as they exited the other side of the wormhole, he cloaked the Jumper and flew to a high enough elevation that he wouldn't rustle the trees. Life signs showed all around the gate, but only four of them glowed white with the transponders that Sheppard's team had been implanted with during their first few missions. They weren't far from the gate, but one of them was growing weaker.

Touching his radio, Evan spoke into the air. "Major Sheppard, this is Lorne. Come in."

Kalle gave him a surprised glance, and Evan realized he'd likely never seen a radio.

"Lorne. It's good to hear your voice!"

"Likewise, Sir."

"Do you know how hard it is to get a taxi out here?"

"Well, we're here, Sir." Lorne grinned at the dry comment, knowing Sheppard likely worked to keep McKay calm. His HUD activated, and he frowned. "Sir, I've got a Wraith Dart on approach to the gate."

"Wait to see what it does," Sheppard ordered.

Evan obediently backed the Jumper away from the gate. The Wraith Dart dialed out and disappeared a moment later. "Any idea where the Wraith went?"

"No, but it didn't cull anyone that we could tell." Sheppard cursed suddenly. "Major, get over here now. We've got company." The radio went dead.

Evan carefully set the Jumper down in front of the gate. Keeping it cloaked, he grabbed a life signs detector and motioned for Kalle and the rest of his team to follow him. Kalle stuck close, his intimidation by the advanced machinery keeping his arrogance at bay. So long as the man stayed quiet and fought decently, Evan didn't mind. He watched the dots on the life signs detector close in on the four dots indicating Sheppard's team. Moving in that direction, he readied his weapon.

Ronon's blaster and the familiar sound of Wraith stunners broke through the quiet night. Men hollered, and Ronon's growl carried on the air. Evan thought he heard a whimper, but he couldn't be sure if it was McKay or Teyla. He pulled his own stunner from its thigh holster and took out the attackers unlucky enough to be on the outside of the fight. Working his way in, he noted that Kalle had resorted to an age-old method of elimination: death. Just who was this man if he could kill so quietly and quickly?

Finally, they found Sheppard. He stood in front of a hunting blind, his stance protecting those behind him. "Major! It's good to see you."

"Likewise, Sir." Lorne glanced at Kalle. "We were concerned when you didn't return."

McKay appeared from the rear of the hunting blind. "Thank God you're here! Look, we need to get back! Teyla's been hurt."

At that pronouncement, Kalle rushed into the hunting blind and dropped to his knees. He spoke softly, and Evan heard Teyla's voice in reply. Rather than trying to listen to the conversation, he turned to Sheppard. "As soon as she's ready, we'll get back to the Jumper."

"Good." Sheppard nodded. "We didn't notice the missing DHD until we got here."

Lorne accepted that and turned, surprised when Kalle reappeared with Teyla in his arms. She leaned her head weakly on his shoulder but didn't seem to be overly impressed by his obvious show of machismo. Realizing the man waited for him to lead them back to the Jumper, Evan turned and stomped off into the forest. He didn't mind rescuing Sheppard in the least. He just wanted a warm bath and bed. Now that Sheppard's team had been rescued, he could return to his tent and sleep for ten hours.

oOo

The next morning, Teyla settled comfortably into her bed, staring at the crude walls of the new infirmary. While the beds and much of the equipment from the Alpha site had been salvaged, the log cabin looked about as different from Atlantis as. . . . She didn't have an adequate comparison. While a constant reminder of what they'd lost, the "cabins" were warm and easily built using lumber that Geir's people had already prepared.

Teyla stared out the window and thought about the last twenty-four hours as she listened to crews build several small cabins. She'd never felt so trapped and helpless as she had lying in that hunting blind. John, Rodney, and Ronon had willingly put their lives on the line to protect her while she bled out on the forest floor. She'd known at the time that she could do nothing, but it didn't stop her from feeling horrible about the situation. If she'd not stepped on that stick. . .or cried out. . .or done any number of things. . . . Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts from her mind. She'd done nothing wrong. She needed to stop blaming herself.

The door opened, admitting a bright ray of sunshine along with Kalle. Teyla smiled at him and watched as he wound through the narrow aisles between the beds. Dr. Beckett had a tiny office just off the main "ward," where he'd crammed most of the salvageable equipment he'd brought with him. Another tiny room functioned as an operating room. While Carson complained about the tiny spaces, he was grateful not to be working in a tent.

Kalle moved to Teyla's side, a smile softening the sharp planes of his face. "How are you?"

"Dr. Beckett says I will recover." Teyla cringed as she readjusted her position on the bed. "Thank you for coming to get me."

"It was nothing." Kalle hopped onto the next bed, taking advantage of the empty room. "I couldn't leave you out there, not with hostile men around you."

"I was perfectly safe with Major Sheppard, Dr. McKay, and Ronon."

He looked a little skeptical at that. "I will take your word for it."

Teyla raised an eyebrow. "What of you? I see that Geir has entrusted you as his heir. Should that not fall to Olina as his eldest daughter?"

"I've tried to tell him that." Kalle smiled at her again. "In truth, I think he hopes I will marry Olina."

Teyla frowned at his obvious contempt. "You do not believe this an acceptable match?"

"Don't get me wrong. Olina is a beautiful woman." Kalle shook his head. "Gisli, too, for that matter. But I grew up with them. They are like sisters to me, not lovers." He reached over and took her hand. "Not like you."

Teyla knew she shouldn't feel the awareness that shimmied up her arm at his touch, but she did. She smiled at Kalle and turned her hand to hold his. While she ignored the awareness, she allowed the warmth of his hand to seep into hers. Perhaps a little friendship would help ease her recovery.

oOo

That evening, Sheppard slipped into the tiny cabin he'd spent the day constructing. After his long day of running from villagers, his long night of worrying about Teyla, and another long day of physical labor, he wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the thick pallet on the floor. At least he had a one-room home to call his own. So did Lorne, McKay, and several others. Kavanagh had already made his protests known, especially since he wasn't one of the few that got their homes. Sheppard made a mental note to bump Kavanagh to the top of the list and hoped he'd remember it.

A dim light met him when he opened the door. Sheppard tensed as he glanced around. His thick pallet now hung from a hammock-like structure. A light burned on an upturned crate next to the bed, and a fire lit the fireplace. The cabin wasn't overly warm, but it was comfortable enough to shed his jacket and shoes. Who had been in his room?

"Major." Gisli's light voice came from behind him.

Sheppard whirled. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to see how you're doing." She walked toward him, stopping just shy of touching him. Her blue eyes, so brilliant against her translucent skin, gazed directly at him without a hint of shyness. "I also wanted to make your home a little more comfortable. It's not right that you, as the leader of your people, should live any less comfortably than my father."

"Does he. . .uh. . .know you're here?"

"Of course." She laughed, a sound that filled the room with its airy sound. "I came with Kalle when he came to visit Teyla."

"Oh." John wasn't sure what to say. He motioned around him. "Thank you for this."

Gisli stepped forward, this time putting a hand on his chest. "It is no bother." Rather than saying more, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

John's surprise faded as she held her position. As if by their own accord, his arms came around her waist, and he pulled her close to him. He hadn't held a woman since Chaya, and their relationship hadn't exactly been as fulfilling as he would have liked. Now, however, with a living, breathing woman in his arms, he lost his ability to think clearly.

Several minutes later, however, he came to his senses. By this time, he had Gisli pressed against the wall, her warm hands roving his body as he explored hers. She'd already managed to get her hands underneath his t-shirt, but he stopped when he realized he'd lifted her skirt enough to feel her thighs. Breaking off the intense kiss, he let out a quick breath. "No."

"What?" She blinked at him, her pupils dilated and her face flushed. She moved her hands again, this time toward his waistband. "John, what's wrong?"

He grasped her wrists and pulled them from their gentle, yet torturous, exploration. "This is wrong. Not now. Not when I don't know how your father would react."

"He doesn't have to know."

Now fully in control of his faculties, Sheppard turned his back and walked across the room. What had he been thinking? He hadn't, and he knew that. Behind him, she moved, and he held up a hand to keep her from getting close to him. If she did, he might not stop. He'd already gone to the brink a moment ago, and he knew he didn't need this. Not now. No matter how enticing, sleeping with Gisli wouldn't bring Atlantis back. It wouldn't bring Elizabeth or Ford back. It would only cloud his mind when he needed to be thinking of his people.

Facing Gisli again, he saw the calculating expression on her face and let out a deep breath. "Your father trusts me enough to let my people live here. I'm not betraying that trust by sleeping with you."

She lifted her chin. "You wouldn't be betraying his trust."

"I don't know you, much less your father. This isn't just a game to me. It's the survival of my people." John glanced at the door. "You should go."

Rather than moving toward the door, Gisli walked toward him. She pulled his head down for another sizzling kiss. Stepping back, she smiled into his eyes, her face still flushed with her own desire. "Something to remember me by. I'll be waiting for you when it becomes too much to resist."

She left him, then, and John dressed and headed for the river. The area set up for bathing should be abandoned at this time of night, and the water would be ice cold. Just the thing he needed.

~TBC