Chapter 10 – Broken Ties

Izzy woke the next morning and her eyes automatically slid to the ring on her right hand. She smiled, remembering the conversation she had with John the day before. She was sleeping on a cot that they had generously provided, and surprisingly, she slept better that night than she had in the past few weeks.

Izzy rolled over and searched for John, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Judging the time of day by the position of the sun in the sky, she guessed that it was sometime in the late morning.

After pulling her hair into a quick side braid, and pulling on a clean change of clothes, she left the tent to find John.

"She's awake!" Someone yelled, and Izzy spotted Luca and Iris immediately.

"Hey, guys." Izzy said, rubbing at her eyes sleepily.

"How come you slept so long?" Iris asked, tugging on Izzy's hand.

"I guess I had some catching up to do." She replied. She wasn't a big morning talker… in fact, it was difficult to get her to say anything for a good 20 minutes after waking up in the morning.

She let Luca and Iris lead the way, and she was only vaguely listening to whatever they were chatting about. It's not that she didn't like kids, she loved them, but it was just too soon after waking up to have much patience for it at all. Izzy hoped that they were leading her to wherever John was.

She was relieved when they got to the main village area and there stood John with Keras.

"There she is." John said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder when she leaned into his side. Luca and Iris ran off after Keras made a shooing motion with his hands.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Izzy asked

"You needed sleep." John shrugged.

"I assume you slept well." Keras said. He was a kind man, Izzy thought, and she found it to be very easy to talk to him. He was about the same age as Jason, which made it even easier to relate to him on a personal level, despite differing cultures.

"Yes." Izzy said. "It's been a long couple of weeks."

Just then, John and Izzy's headsets blared to life. Izzy wasn't sure why she was even wearing her radio earpiece… force of habit, she guessed.

"Colonel Sheppard, come in."

Izzy recognized that the voice belonged to Chuck, her favorite technician. John furrowed his eyebrows and tapped his earpiece.

"Go ahead."

"We need you to return to base immediately. Ronon has been taken."

John and Izzy's eyes widened at the news.

"We're on our way. Sheppard out."

"Keras, I apologize, but Izzy and I have to go. There's been an emergency on Atlantis and they have requested that I return immediately." John said, an apologetic look about him.

"Say no more." Keras said. "I understand."

"Thank you, for everything. Sorry we couldn't stay longer." John said.

"It's our pleasure. Come again soon." Keras replied, shaking John's hand. "And it was nice to meet you, Izzy."

"You too." Izzy said, shaking his hand.

John tugged at Izzy's elbow and they quickly went to their tent and gathered their belongings before hastily making their way towards the jumper.

"It's too bad the jumper is so far away." Izzy said. "Also, I'm starving."

"We'll be back to Atlantis soon, so you can get something there." John said, picking up the pace. They were nearly sprinting through the woods. John was obviously concerned about the situation, that much Izzy could tell, and she also knew that time was of the essence. They needed to get back as fast as humanly possible, because the more time went on, the less their chances of finding him would be.

Izzy nearly cried out in relief when the jumper came into sight. It felt like they had been running for hours, but in actuality was probably only fifteen or twenty minutes. They both dropped their bags on one of the benches in the back and took a seat. John wordlessly powered up the jumper and began flying towards the gate.

"Do you think Ronon is okay?" Izzy asked quietly.

"I don't know." John said. "Hopefully we'll know more soon."

As soon as John returned to Atlantis, he was swept away to meetings about how they were going to get Ronon back, figuring out who took him, etc. Izzy went to the infirmary, knowing that she would need a blood test – it was standard protocol after returning from offworld.

She waved at Carson and hopped onto the end of one of the infirmary beds, rolling up her right sleeve without even giving it a conscious thought.

"Hey, Carson." Izzy said, smiling at the Scottish doctor who was excellent with quick needle sticks.

"Izzy." Carson said, a small smile playing at his lips. "How was your time with your father?"

"It was great." Izzy said, deciding to not tell him about the chat she and John had the night before. While she still felt a blossom of warmth in her chest every time she thought about the conversation or looked at her ring, it was an awkward story to tell your friends – even the ones that were closest to you.

"I see some dried paint on your face. Guess you didn't get it all off when you tried to wash it off." Carson said good naturedly, sticking her arm with the needle.

"Oh gosh, don't even get me started." Izzy said, not phased by the needle stick. "I was covered in paint, and they put my hair into tiny little braids complete with grass and straw as decorations. I'm definitely going to get food and a shower when we're done here."

"Probably for the best. You smell, too." Carson teased.

Izzy playfully glared at him. "It's not like they had showers in the middle of the woods."

"I'm just teasing." Carson said, winking at her.

He filled the last vial with Izzy's blood and wiped off her arm before taping a piece of gauze over it.

"Have you heard anything else about Ronon?" Izzy asked.

Carson noted the shift in conversation and shook his head. "Nothing yet."

"Do you know who took him?" Izzy asked, rolling down her sleeve.

Carson snapped off his gloves and threw them in the trashcan next to the bed before snagging a rolling stool with his foot and sitting in front of Izzy.

"Tyre." Carson said.

"Ronon's old friend from Sateda?" Izzy inquired.

Carson nodded. "Teyla was with Ronon when Tyre ambushed them. He left Teyla alive, and she was able to come back here and let us know what happened."

"I don't mean to sound so blunt, but why did he leave Teyla alive? Wouldn't he be worried that she would be able to come back and tell us?" Izzy reasoned.

Carson scratched his head. "That's what they were wondering, too. I suppose he thought he could make a clean getaway before she alerted us."

Izzy sighed and rubbed at her forehead. Carson was right, though. Her attempt to wash the paint from her face in the creek on the kid planet was in vain, because there was still some dried paint along her hairline. She really needed a shower.

"I should get going." Izzy said, trying not to think about the dire situation at hand. She hopped off the bed. "I haven't eaten yet and I'm getting hangry."

Carson laughed. "Hangry?"

"You know… negative drop in emotional state because of... lack of food." Izzy said, waving her hand vaguely.

Carson laughed again. "Guess you'd better get some food then."

"Yup. I might die if I don't soon." Izzy said, turning to leave the infirmary.

"Dramatic much?" He said, a twinkle in his eyes.

Izzy smirked. "Bye, Carson."

The next morning, Izzy joined John in the mess hall for breakfast. Today was unlike other days, though. They met later than they normally did, around 9:30 instead of 8. As it turned out, they both needed the sleep.

"Sleep okay?" John asked. He was sipping a cup of coffee but didn't have anything else in front of him.

"Yeah right." Izzy scoffed. "You?" She slid into the seat across from John.

John merely laughed in a sarcastic manner. The tiredness was evident in the lines on his face and in his tone of voice. The Ronon situation was wearing on everyone. The day prior, John and his team talked with another Satedan contact of theirs, Solen, and he promised that he would let them know if he heard anything about Ronon from anyone. At least they had eyes and ears outside Atlantis. It at least raised their chance of finding him.

"Yeah… didn't think so." Izzy said regarding John's lack of sleep.

She rose to get food, and when she returned, Rodney approached the table.

"You guys are up early." He said, a tray of food in his hands.

"It's 10AM." John stated.

"Oh, God." Rodney groaned, sliding in the seat next to Izzy. "I didn't sleep at all. I was up all night thinking about the Ronon situation."

"Join the club." Izzy said, picking at the food on her plate. Despite how hungry she was, she just wasn't in the mood to eat.

"You got anything?" John asked.

"I've got nothing. I tried everything: pacing, snacking, bathing…"

"Bathing?" John asked.

"Yeah. Like Archimedes." Rodney said.

"You mean the Greek scientist who had a crush on Teyla?" John asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, like the Greek mathematician who came up with the Archimedes Principle." Rodney replied. "The physical laws of buoyancy? According to legend, the idea came to him when he was sitting in the bath, so…"

Izzy raised her eyebrows and looked at John. What did this have to do with anything?

Rodney interpreted their expressions and went on to explain. "Look, the point is that the revelation occurred while he was, you know… relaxing and not thinking about the problem, and the solution, as it turns out, was right in front of him all along."

"You think we've overlooked something." John concluded, nodding.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Rodney replied. "Look, all I know is that I was up all night going over it and I'm drawing a blank, so I could use a fresh perspective."

John stared at him for a moment. "I'm not taking a bath with you."

It was, of course, when Izzy was taking a sip of her juice when John said that comment. She nearly choked on it, and Rodney gave her an exasperated look. She straightened up, knowing when it was time to be quiet… now was one of those times.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Let's just go over what we know."

"According to Solen, Tyre's on the run." John stated. "Now, we can assume he's operating alone, because if he had backup, they would have been in on the ambush."

"Right. He's alone with Ronon on the run." Rodney reiterated. "So, where would someone like that go? Well, I can think of something like two hundred uninhabited planets that would be perfect. Where do you want to start?"

"How about Sarif Sur?" Lorne suggested, choosing that precise moment to seemingly appear out of nowhere.

"What?" John asked.

"We just got a message from Ronon's buddy, Solen. He hears that Tyre and Ronon are holed up on a planet called Sarif Sur."

"Thank you, Archimedes." Rodney said, a look of hope in his eyes. John had a ghost of a hopeful smile on his face, and he rose from the table.

"Major, get your team and gear up." John said.

"Yes, sir." He replied.

Rodney followed Lorne out of the mess hall but John hung back for a minute, remembering at the last second that his daughter had silently been observing their conversation.

"Bring him back, Dad." Izzy said, wrapping her arms around John. He hugged her back tightly, knowing that they had to leave quickly but taking the time to say goodbye to his daughter. These moments before gating offworld were, for him, some of the most difficult in their relationship as a father/daughter duo. Leaving through the gate and traveling to other worlds was a constant reminder of how dangerous his job was. He reminded himself that he was doing this for Izzy, not in spite of her. By doing this, he was eliminating threats and thus protecting her. And while it was difficult, it was completely necessary.

John pulled away and kissed her forehead. "We'll get him." He reassured her.

Izzy nodded and took a deep breath, watching his departing figure as he jogged out of the mess hall and in the direction of the armory. This was always the worst part… waiting until the first check in (which was normally when you could tell if things were going well or not) and until he returned.

She needed a distraction. Badly.

They were only gone for a few hours. They didn't return from the rescue mission empty-handed, but they didn't get Ronon back, either. Tyre was left on the planet so they brought him back, and according to Dr. Keller, he was going through withdrawal – identical to the kind of withdrawal of reforming substance abuse users.

John, Rodney, and Keller left the infirmary and were walking through Atlantis, still discussing the situation.

"I need you to save him, Doc. Right now, he's our only lead." John said desperately. "If he dies, our chances of finding Ronon go with him."

"Of course, but it could be days before he's even coherent enough to tell us anything."

"John!" Teyla called, jogging to catch up with them. They stopped in the hallway and turned to face her.

"Why wasn't I informed about the mission to rescue Ronon?" Teyla asked, almost bitterly.

John was obviously confused. At this point in time, Teyla had not returned to active duty after giving birth to Torren a few weeks ago… and she was having second thoughts about returning to the team.

"We were playing on a hunch. We had to act fast." John said.

"I'm going to go see if they're still serving lunch." Rodney said. "It's taquito Tuesday."

"I think I'll join you." Dr. Keller said, and they both nearly fled from the awkward situation.

John knew what was coming, and he didn't think he would ever be ready for this conversation. He put his hands on his hips and waited for whatever Teyla was about to dish him.

"I'm surprised that you would be so quick to move forward without me." Teyla said angrily.

John held up a finger. "Don't put this on me." He warned. "You're the one having second thoughts about returning to the team. I cannot give you the option every time we're going offworld."

"This is not an easy decision for me." Teyla stated.

"You think you're the only one feeling pressure?" John asked incredulously. "I've got Woolsey pushing me hard to find a replacement for you."

Teyla's face grew concerned. "What did you tell him?" She inquired.

"I told him that I wasn't going to do anything until I talked to you." John said.

"Now, if you want to join the team, great, I'll call Woolsey and make it happen. But, if you want to spend time with your son, I understand. I do, I really do. You aren't the only one with a kid living on this base." John stated.

He paused and took a deep breath, calming down marginally. "You've gotta make a decision." He said more gently before turning and walking away.

He ran a hand through his hair. He was being honest when he said that he understood the predicament Teyla was in. He really did understand the difficult decision she was facing. John asked himself on a near daily basis if what he was doing was worth it, and despite the number of near-death experiences he had, he always came up with a resounding yes.

To him, it was worth it, because it meant that he was protecting the one he loved the most. Not only was he protecting Izzy, but he was also protecting other children… other people's loved ones. That's what kept him going. He hoped Teyla would recognize that, but at the same time, he wouldn't be upset if she decided to spend time with Torren. In fact, he would understand completely.

"Have they found Ronon yet?" Landon asked. Both him and Izzy were laying on their backs side by side on Landon's bed, relishing in the privacy that being in his room instead of the infirmary brought.

"No, but I think Tyre will be coherent soon." Izzy said. "Maybe he'll be able to help them."

"Or maybe he'll lead them into a trap." Landon said. Izzy used to be annoyingly optimistic, always seeing the good in people, but after being on Atlantis, she became a little more skeptical and less trusting of people. Landon was the same way. They both could see the good in people, but also knew from experience that a person had to earn your trust before you put your trust in them.

Izzy reached out and took Landon's hand.

"Where'd you get this ring?" Landon asked, holding her hand towards his face and examining the ring. Izzy turned a bright shade of pink and pulled her hand out of his, cradling it closer to her body.

"Dad gave it to me." She said simply.

"Why?" Landon asked.

Izzy was silent for a moment. Should she tell him? She trusted Landon more than almost any other person in the universe, but the moment that she shared with her father was one that she didn't want to broadcast. It was personal; something meant to be shared between a parent and a child, and not for others to join in.

"He gave it to me as a reminder that I'm valuable and to not give myself away to just anyone." Izzy said, deciding to trust Landon and tell him the jist of what happened. If their relationship continued to progress, she would have to tell him anyways.

"Wow, Iz. That's awesome." Landon said. "So that's why he wanted to take you on a trip."

Izzy shrugged. "I guess he wanted to make it memorable."

Landon took her hand with the ring on it and pressed a kiss to the back of it. Izzy smiled and blushed fiercely.

"Do you think Ronon is going to be okay?" Izzy asked after a few moments of silence.

Landon sighed. "Yeah, I do." he said. "Obviously Tyre wanted him alive for something. I know that someone else has Ronon now and we don't know who, but I think we would know by now if he didn't make it."

"I hope you're right." Izzy said. "I'm really worried about him."

Landon turned his head and kissed Izzy on the cheek. She smiled at him and turned on her side, her back facing him and drifted to sleep, hoping that Ronon would be okay... and that no one walked in on them.

Sixteen agonizing hours later, the team returned from a rescue mission on a Wraith compound. Izzy was not even aware that they had left until a few hours after they had already departed. She dozed off next to Landon and woke about an hour later. Thankfully they weren't caught, but she found out from Carson that Tyre had woken up and agreed to accompany them to find Ronon.

She assumed that it was a very short-notice mission since John didn't come looking for her. There wasn't time. She was reminded of how short John was with her when Teyla was missing a few weeks ago, but thankfully, John seemed to be consciously remembering her throughout these circumstances. He was still consumed with finding Ronon, but made sure to keep his anxious daughter in the loop so as to not make it worse for her. For that, Izzy was grateful.

It was the middle of the night when they returned, and Izzy had just drifted off to sleep in her bed. Normally she didn't sleep well when John was offworld, and this time was no exception. She awoke when she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped and nearly sprang into action into defending herself against the intruder, but stopped when she realized it was only Dr. Keller.

"Hey," she said. "Sorry to wake you. Your dad is back and wants to see you."

Izzy breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Thanks. Could you wait a sec?"

Dr. Keller nodded and waited near the door while Izzy disappeared into the bathroom for a minute to quickly brush her teeth and pull a hoodie on. She left the bathroom and slipped into her shoes.

"Let's go." Izzy said.

Dr. Keller looked as exhausted as Izzy felt and led the way to where her father was waiting for her. Izzy was hopeful, and she guessed that they had brought Ronon back, otherwise John would have come to get her himself.

"Did they find Ronon?" Izzy asked, her voice barely above a whisper solely because of what time of day it was.

Dr. Keller grimaced but nodded. "They brought him back, but he's pretty banged up… he – well I should let your dad explain it to you."

Izzy furrowed her eyebrows but nodded nonetheless. They walked in silence the rest of the way, both exhausted and not wanting to expend energy on talking.

"Wait out here a minute, I'll get him." Jennifer said, putting a gentle hand on her arm briefly. Izzy noted that they were outside the observation deck that overlooked one of the isolation chambers. What the hell was going on?

Izzy complied, leaning against the wall and waiting for John to come out and talk to her.

He came out only a few seconds later, looking like he aged a few years in less than a day.

"Are you okay?" Izzy asked, relaxing into the hug that John wrapped her in. He didn't answer her question but continued to hold her for a few moments before pulling away and moving to lean against the wall next to her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you we were leaving. It happened too quickly." John said, running a weary hand over his face.

"It's okay." Izzy said. And it really was. She wasn't upset with him at all about it. But, she was concerned about Ronon, because she could sense that something awful happened to him but no one wanted to tell her what it was.

"Is Ronon okay?" Izzy asked.

John had a faraway look in his eyes, and he shook his head. "No, he's not. But hopefully he will be."

Izzy swallowed thickly, her heart thudding in her chest. "What happened to him?" she asked softly.

John rubbed the back of his neck. "He was tortured and brainwashed by the Wraith. Tyre used him to try to get into good graces with Wraith."

"Why would Tyre do that?" Izzy asked.

John shrugged. "I don't know. He was a Wraith worshipper but I guess he betrayed them so they... kicked him out. He wanted to stay a Wraith worshipper so he thought that by giving them Ronon as an offering, they would let him."

"Let me guess, they didn't." Izzy said.

John shook his head.

"Can I see him?" Izzy asked.

John looked skeptical. "He's in pretty bad shape right now. I can take you in there, but you should probably prepare yourself. It's hard to see. The Wraith tortured him by taking life from him and then giving it back, like the Wraith did when I was taken by the Genii. But, because they did it over and over, Ronon's system was flooded with a Wraith enzyme. His body is reacting to it like a drug addict would and is going through some serious withdrawal."

John explained the situation to Izzy as best as he could without completely terrifying her. He kept going back and forth on whether he was going to let Izzy see him in this state or not, and after thinking about it for a while, he decided that he was going to. Izzy was ready, and John thought that it would be good for her. Yes, it would probably scare her, but it would also show her that while the Wraith are terrifying, they aren't undefeatable. Izzy seemed to have that opinion of them; thinking that they would never beat the Wraith (especially after finding out she was partially comprised of Wraith DNA), and John hoped that by showing her this, she would see that they could be stopped.

Izzy took a deep breath and nodded, trying to prepare herself for whatever she was about to see.

"Ready?" John asked. Izzy took another deep breath and nodded, taking his hand when he offered it to her.

Izzy inhaled sharply and put a hand over her mouth when she laid her eyes on Ronon. John merely squeezed her hand, letting her wrestle with her thoughts but reassuring her of his constant presence.

Pained tears slid down her cheeks. "Is he dying?" she asked quietly. John winced at the raw pain she was feeling but could definitely sympathize – he was feeling the same way.

"No." John replied just as softly. "The enzyme has mostly left his system now, but no, he's not dying."

Ronon was shaking and sweating, and his eyes were red and puffy. They had put restraints on him and placed guards outside the door as a precaution. Izzy couldn't help but feel a strong amount of empathy for her friend. He was in a lot of pain, that much was obvious, and she hoped that he would be able to overcome whatever torture and brainwashing he endured at the hands of the ruthless Wraith.

"It was worse than this a few hours ago, but I wanted to wait for a while before we told you what was going on." John said.

Izzy let go of John's hand and wiped at her cheeks. "I want to go back to bed." She said softly.

John looked at her with parental concern. "Izzy, I – "

"I'm okay. Really. I'm glad you woke me up, but now, I'm just really tired and want to get some sleep." Izzy said, rubbing at her eyes. John knew that she was upset and was trying to give herself space to process what was happening, so he nodded. But, he also wanted her to know that she didn't have to wrestle with this alone.

"Okay." John said, squeezing her shoulder. "Do you want me to come tuck you in?"

Izzy shook her head. "No, that's okay. I can go myself."

She shifted her weight on her feet and was wringing her hands together. "Would you – can you let me know when he's… coherent?" Izzy asked.

John nodded. "Of course." He said gently. "Get some sleep, okay? Come get me if you need me. I'm only a call away."

Izzy nodded and gave him a small smile before heading towards her quarters to go back to bed. She had so many things to process, and she hoped that she didn't crack under the weight of it all.

A/N: Your reviews were AMAZING :D I had people messaging me, tweeting at me, and leaving such lovely notes about the last chapter. This is why you're getting this chapter now. Reviews motivation to write. I love you all so freaking much!

p.s. – it's 3 in the morning where I am, so I'll be doing the editing at a more normal time of day after I sleep for a few hours.

Special thanks to…

Dani2theela: Thank you as always. You're one of my most dedicated fans and your encouragement means the world to me! Wasn't that scene between Landon and Izzy in the last chapter precious? Gah. Teenage romance. I love it. I agree with you about not seeing the kid planet again in the show – I was definitely bummed about it! That's why I wrote it into the story… I'm glad someone appreciates that!

Michelle (stargatesg1973): Thanks for the review, pal! I always thought John would be a good dad. He definitely has the personality for it! I love that you love that he's a good dad. :D

Maria (thompsonmaria9): Thanks for reviewing on the site as well as keeping in touch on twitter! You're so dedicated, and I love it. It's because of cool peeps like you that I keep writing. I'm glad you liked the end scene! I thought it was necessary and I tried my hardest to stay true to their character! Although, that's one conversation that's difficult to interpret how it would go in real life. Oh well.

Adela: Thanks for reviewing, pal! You're so great!

Thewolf74: Thanks for reviewing! I always know that you're going to review, and I always look forward to what you're going to say. Your commitment is so encouraging! Izzy doesn't have very much Wraith DNA at all (a teeny more than Teyla, but not so much that it's noticeable). She has Wraith DNA kind of like you would have German or Irish DNA – it's genetic. So, in this case, her mom would have passed down some Wraith DNA and John passed down his Ancient DNA to her. Does that make sense? You can PM me if you need more clarification.

Isabelle (izzysheppard): Dude, WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN. I was seriously wondering if the earth had swallowed you up, or if your parents sent you to boarding school or something. I'm glad you're still finding ways to read this! ;)

Yeah… haha... regarding the Mean Girls reference and other teeny bits of humor… I've kind of been on a Parks and Rec. kick lately so I feel like I was a tad bit more humorous than normal in the last chapter. Ha! Glad you made your presence on the earth known again… and tell Amy I said hey!

Brandi (LoveStoryFanatic): PMing me AND reviewing on the site. Take notes, other readers, because writers LOVE it when you guys do this. Thank you so so very much, my friend! I'm glad you've caught up on the last four chapters! Here's another one – don't fall too far behind. ;) I'm also glad that you caught some of your own motivation for your stories! Glad I could help a sista out.