Ronon POV

Erik and I were taken from our cell the following morning and led to the ring for practice with the other men. The dark skinned man was noticeably absent, and I took this as a sign the guards were taking seriously their orders to keep the two of us apart. We were each handed a wooden sword – the training weapon of the day – and paired with one another to run through a few practice moves. Although it felt good to finally be active again, our minds were still firmly focused towards escape, a point emphasized as Erik swung his sword and hissed to me, "Check out the perimeter fence."

I fended off his blow before it could land. "What about it?"

"Can you see a fuse box anywhere? Or wiring maybe?" He dropped to one knee and thrust his sword upwards at me.

I shifted to attack from the side and he quickly got back to his feet. "Can't see a thing," I admitted. "You thinking of taking out the power supply?"

"Unless you have a better idea?" He swung at me again.

"Nope," I shook my head. "You wanna make a break for it now? Take our chances?"

He shook his head. "It's unlikely we'd be able to disarm the fence before the guards were upon us. We don't want to raise suspicion until we're sure…" He puffed a little from exertion as he continued to swing and lunge.

"Then how?" I growled.

"Be patient," he said. "The opportunity will come."

"And what if it doesn't?"

"Then tomorrow we do it your way,"he blocked a blow from my sword. "That gives Marcus and the others one more day to get us out of here before the tournament."

I glanced around at the guards who watched over us. Two of them were talking, their guns lowered. The other two held position, weapons at the ready, while above – armed with my own gun – Rydan watched our every move. Reluctantly, I had to agree with Erik's rationality. "Tomorrow then," I said. "But if I see an opportunity before then, I'm taking it so you'd better be with me."

He nodded, and we panted for a moment in silence as we each caught our breath.

"That's enough for today." Rydan suddenly called. "Surrender your weapons to the guards and return to your cells."

"Some weapon," Erik tossed his wooden sword to the ground. "Think I could do more damage with my bare hands." I dropped mine alongside it, and together we walked back to the stone archway that would take us back into the complex. The young boy was still in the same cell as we had seen him in yesterday, only this time the occupants had been joined by another boy and an overweight man with a receding hair line. No one made eye contact as we passed by.

"What's with the people in that cell?" I asked the guard who walked in front of us.

He did not pause or turn to look at me. "That's the death cell," he said as if that somehow explained things. "Just be glad you're not in there with them. Today of all days."

"What's so special about today?" Erik joined the conversation.

"You'll see," the guard replied. We reached our cell and he motioned for us to enter, and then before we could question him further, he locked the door and quickly turned and left

Once again we found ourselves locked inside the tiny, cold room with little more than meal times to break the monotony. Sometime after Martha had served lunch, we heard footsteps approaching down the corridor. Erik was already standing at the window and I went over to join him. At the sight that greeted me I automatically reached for my gun – only to remember a split second later that I had no gun. I stared in shock, not at the Rat who walked towards us, but at the four wraith who followed him behind. They passed our cell, one wraith and three masked foot soldiers.

"What business do the wraith have here?" Erik asked as they turned the corner and disappeared from view.

"None that's any good," I replied with certainty.

We stared down the corridor as noises began to filter back to us. Harsh words… a cell door slamming… a woman crying… And then the footsteps slowly began to return. This time when the Rat returned he was followed not only by the wriath, but by the people we had seen in the holding cell. We watched, powerless to act as the small group filed past our window, the wraith herding them along. In the middle of the group walked the young boy. His head was bowed and his blond hair covered his face so that we could not see his expression.

"My God," Erik stared at the Rat. "He's just handing those people over to die…"

I remembered the old man who had reached through the bars of his cell to clutch at my arm. "You don't understand. If you don't help us, we're all going to die." I sank back from the window. The security, the tournaments, and now the wraith… This was no slap-stick operation we had found ourselves a part of – this place was a well-run-machine that would crush anyone who dared to get in its way. I looked at Erik and for the first time since our capture, I saw doubt on his face.

"Sheppard will get us out of here," I told him. "We just need to give him more time."

Sara POV

Troy's funeral was attended by so many people that the Tarus church was filled to capacity. Natara and I sat together in the front row pew, next to my aunt and cousins, while the seats behind were taken by Troy's friends and colleagues. At just 24 years of age, he had been popular with both his peers and his elders, and by the time the minister had finished speaking on his behalf there was hardly a dry-eye left in the room.

Many friends and members of the public had kind words of Troy to share and I nervously waited until last to take the stand. From my personal relationship with Troy to the work he had done within the Tarus military, I gave a speech that flowed from my heart. I talked about Erik and his love for Troy, and of how much he would have wanted to be here. In closing, I vowed that in honor of Troy, the Tarus military would continue to fight to make the galaxy a safer place to live. As I left the podium, I was surprised to hear people begin to applaud. By the time I reached my seat, it seemed that everyone was standing and their applause filled the church. Relieved and drained, I let my aunt put her arm around me as she stood and led the way from the church.

On Marcus's command, Tarus soldiers rose from their seats on the end of each aisle and formed a guard of honor for us to walk though. I held tightly to Natara's hand as she walked beside me, her eyes wide with all of the proceedings. Once outside, we waited for the rest of the congregation to join us and then the stillness of the day was broken as a succession of sparcs flew overhead and then twenty one rounds of rifle fire were released. Natara put her hands over her ears and began to cry from the noise, and I picked her up and held her close until it was over.

"It's okay, sweetie," I murmured into her hair. "It's just gunfire, it won't hurt you."

She shook her head and cried harder. "Want daddy," she said.

My heart ached at the mention of Ronon. "I want him too," I whispered. "But he loves you, and he'll be back soon…."

She clutched me more tightly and my heart sank as her cries grew louder still. She had been so good up until now, but I sensed that today no amount of promises or calming words were going to soothe her – she wanted her father and nobody else would do. Part of me wanted to cry right alongside her, but I could not allow myself to break down in front of everyone – not today of all days. The people of Tarus needed someone to look to in my brother's place. I had to appear and confident of Erik's return so that they could be too. "Shhhh," I whispered into Natara's hair. "Mommy's here..."

"Hey," Isobel smiled as she appeared beside me. "Is somebody having a bad day?" She inclined her head towards Natara.

"She wants her father," I said. "I can't seem to calm her."

"Maybe you just need to let her get it out of her system for a bit," she suggested. "Mine have both had a rough time of it, I'm amazed at how well Natara has coped until now."

"I know," I agreed, "She's been pretty amazing."

"And she's not the only one," Isobel gave me a pointed look. "That was an inspiring speech you gave inside. Your brother would have been proud."

"I hope so," I bit my lip.

"I know so," she replied.

Together we followed the others to the hall where refreshments were being served. By the time I got there, Natara had begun to settle a little and was no longer crying so loudly. Max and Summer were both in high spirits and with a chocolate biscuit in each hand, Natara eventually recovered from her sorrow enough to go off and play with them.

I took the opportunity to catch up with John and Rodney. They had come to the memorial on behalf of everyone at Atlantis, and just seeing them now made me feel a little better. To my surprise I discovered Rodney still wore the tattoo Teyla had given him – although it looked completely at odds with the shirt and suit jacket he was dressed in.

"Yes, yes," he saw me looking and waved his hand to ward off my stare. "I know, it's still there." He pursed his lips into a tight line. "It happens that the ink is not only sweat proof – it is also resistant to practically every other solvent known to man."

I glanced at John and the two of us shared a smile.

"Oh, right," Rodney caught our look and sighed in exasperation. "The two of you go ahead and laugh it up at my expense. You've no idea how humiliating I'm finding this. I look like a common…thug."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," John told him. "At least when you open your mouth people will know you're an educated thug."

I gave Rodney what I hoped appeared to be an understanding smile. "At least you won't need to get it reapplied when we go back to Danisine," I told him.

"No," he exhaled dramatically. "At this rate it appears we could return there in two months and still I would not need to worry about reapplication."

I smiled at him again. "Thank you for coming," I told him. "It means a lot that the two of you are here."

"Yes, well…" he softened a little, and looked to John for rescue.

"We're all sorry for the loss of Troy," he told me. "He was a good kid with a lot of potential and he'll be missed on Atlantis as much as he will be by those here."

I accepted his condolences gratefully and the three of us talked back and forth for a bit until it became apparent that there were others waiting to talk with me also. I said goodbye to them and quickly found myself fending off questions from my people as to the whereabouts of Erik and Ronon. Somehow I managed to smile and appear confident that they were going to return soon. Eventually the day finally began to wind down and that was when Marcus approached me for the first time.

"You did yourself proud today," he told me as he rested his hand lightly upon my elbow. "It was a fitting send-off."

I saw mirrored on his face the same strain that I was feeling. "I couldn't have done it without you," I told him. "Thanks for arranging the military side of things… I wouldn't have known where to start."

"Something tells me you would have worked it out," he held my eyes as he released me. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you…I'm about to take Marissa back to Danisine."

"Oh. I completely forgot that was today," I raised my hand to my forehead. "Are you going to take someone else along with you?"

He shook his head. "It might make Rydan's suspicious. I've been practicing flying the puddle jumpers, so I think I should manage by myself."

"Where is Marissa?" I asked. "Is she still up at the cottage?"

"Yeah. She said she'd wait for me to come and get her there."

"Do you mind if I come with you?" I asked. "Not to Danisine… just to the cottage. I'd like to see her again before she goes."

"Sure," he replied. "Are you ready to go now though?"

"Just give me a moment," I told him. "I'll get Natara."

I found her behind the refreshment table and she appeared to have forgotten her earlier upset as she was all smiles when I stooped to pick her up. "Ugh," I gave an exaggerated grunt, "Somebody's been eating too many chocolate biscuits!"

She giggled and I kissed her cheek as I said goodbye to Isobel. As the two of us approached Marcus, he surprised me by waving his fingers at Natara in greeting.

"Hey cutie," he smiled.

I hid my astonishment. If Marcus had avoided Ronon since his arrival at Tarus, then he had positively shunned our daughter.

Natara gave him a shy smile and then buried her head in the crook of my neck. It had been a long day for her already. I rubbed her back as the three of us began to walk. "How did you get on yesterday?" I asked Marcus, anxious to hear how things had gone with Marissa at the cottage. "Did you have any luck talking to her?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "She thought I'd come for some kind of, uh…payment for the exchange I'd made for her with the knife."

"Oh no," I shook my head. After the talk I'd had with Marissa yesterday, it was all too easy for me to imagine her coming to that assumption. "What happened?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I sat down at practically the other end of the garden and eventually managed to convince her otherwise. I think she was surprised when I apologized for what I'd said the day before."

I nodded. "Surprised is good. At least it might get her thinking about things a bit… Anything else?"

He shook his head. "I didn't stay long. Basically I just calmed her down, said my piece and then left."

I studied him in profile. It couldn't be easy to have feelings for someone he had to tread so carefully to be around. "You probably did the right thing," I lamented. "She won't be used to being with a man who doesn't want something from her."

He turned his head and gave me a wry smile.

"Oh, you know what I mean," I stammered. "A man who doesn't just take what he wants."

He chuckled softly and let me off the hook. "I imagine not," he agreed.

We approached the cottage together and I put Natara down. She ran ahead of us to the door.

Marcus stared after her. "She looks just like him," he said.

I realized with a start that he was talking about Ronon. Natara paused at the door and then looked back at us, her green eyes and dark brown curls emphasizing Marcus's words. "I know," I replied as I looked at her. I know.

"She came along so quickly after the two of you met," Marcus came to a standstill and looked down at me. "I used to imagine… Well, let's just say I would have taken her in and raised her as my own, had you ever asked it of me."

I stared at him, completely at a loss for words.

He saw my reaction, and he smiled and shook his head slowly at his admission. "It sounds stupid now, and I probably shouldn't have mentioned it," he said. "But… I guess I just wanted you to know why I avoided her so much. It hurt that she was his, that's all."

I finally managed to close my open mouth. For some reason I had always viewed Marcus's attentions towards me as being more about him and his needs, than anything to do with my own. Now I realized how wrong I had been. "I'm sorry," I told him. "I had no idea."

"Don't be sorry," he shook his head. "Ronon has always cared for her, just like he has always cared for you…. I just wouldn't let myself see it until a few months ago." He gave me a reluctant smile. "You're lucky to have each other."

He spoke with kindness, but his words opened a deep chasm of longing within me. What did it matter how much Ronon loved me? Right now he was gone and we didn't have each other…

"Hey," Marcus saw the change come over me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He reached to touch my shoulder but I took a step away, afraid that if I let him say any more I might not be able to keep my emotions in check.

"I'm fine," I shook my head and determinedly swallowed the lump that was lodged in my throat. "What you said…was really nice. Thank you."

He looked at me doubtfully and I held up my hand to cut off anything else he might be about to say. "We're here for Marissa," I reminded him as I stooped to catch Natara's hand. "Let's see if she's in."

He took my cue and knocked on the door. Marissa must have been waiting, because she appeared almost right away. She was dressed in the same pink gown she had arrived in, her dark hair long and silky as it hung loose about her shoulders. She looked at me in surprise and I realized she had probably expected to see only Marcus.

"I just came to say goodbye," I explained

She nodded and for a moment the three of us stood and looked at each other.

"I have something for you," Marissa said to Marcus as she bent to retrieve something from behind the door. A moment later she presented the guitar he had loaned to her. She held it out to him, her eyes shy as she met his gaze. "Can you please return this for me?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied as he took it from her hands. Although his voice was carefully neutral, I could tell he was affected by the finality in her gesture.

Her eyes fell from his face to linger upon the guitar for a moment longer. "I was wondering," she went on, "If maybe I could loan it again… when I come back?"

Marcus broke into a smile. "I'm sure that won't be a problem."

Beside him I exhaled with relief. At least one thing appeared to be going well today.

"I want you to know how grateful I am that you took me away from that place," Marissa continued. "Even though I'm asking you to take me back there again. I am sorry that you lost your knife on my account."

"I haven't given the knife a second thought since," Marcus was quick to assure her.

I suspected that was not entirely true, but the sentiment was genuine. Suddenly I felt uncomfortable that I was witnessing such a personal exchange. As I began to wonder if I should excuse myself, Marissa turned to me.

"Thank you for making me so welcome here, Sara. In return for your kindness, I want you to know that I will do my best to help you get Ronon and your brother back."

"That's very kind of you," I told her, and suddenly it occurred to me that there was something she might be able to do. "If somehow you manage to see them before we get there, can you please tell them that we're coming? I…don't want them to think we've forgotten them."

She nodded. "I'll try."

"They'll work out why we haven't come," Marcus turned to assure me. "No way will they think we've forgotten them.

I nodded. "I just hate that it's taking us so long."

"There is always a chance I might see them today," he said. "Who knows, maybe I'll even manage to bring them home?"

I nodded, hopeful but unconvinced. We began to walk, and when we reached the edge of the garden, Natara and I stopped and let the two of them continue to the airfield alone together.

-0-

Marcus came to see me when he returned. As it turned out, he did not get to see Ronon or Erik while on Danisine – he did not even get past the iron cage at the gate. At the insistence of the guards he had handed Marissa over and then watched as she was taken back to the compound.

I went to bed exhausted, but once again was unable to sleep. Although Troy's memorial was finally over I had trouble believing I would never see my young cousin again. Add to my sorrow the huge hole left at the service in the wake of Ronon and Erik, and it suddenly seemed as if the whole of Tarus was in a period of mourning.

I rolled over for what seemed like the hundredth time. Every time I closed my eyes I wondered if we could have done something more to get Ronon and Erik out sooner. Was our decision to wait until the tournament the right one? I tossed and turned once again as I thought about Atlantis. Had there been any amendments made to our plan of rescue? Everything Teyla had told us about Rydan had been dead accurate—

I sat up in bed. Teyla. My mind replayed an image… my ring in her palm. I reached over and turned on the bedside light. The dark green solitaire sparkled warmly on my finger and I carefully slipped it off and held it up to the light. My eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden jump from darkness as I stared at the inner band. There! I could just make out a short line of characters, inscribed in italics. I turned the band in my fingers as I read the words.

- For Life. R-

My vision clouded with tears. The message, written with love, made Ronon's absence all the more difficult to bear. I closed my fingers around the ring and slowly lowered myself back against my pillow as I began to cry. My anguish, held in check now for so many days, was so deep that soon I gasped for breath between each gut-wrenching sob.

I did not hear the door to my room open, nor did I see Isobel approach the bed. It was only when she sat down beside me that I became aware of her presence. I abruptly choked off my tears and tried to wipe my cheeks dry.

She reached out and rested her hand upon my shoulder. "Hey," she whispered. "I just came to check on you… After the funeral and all, I thought you might be finding tonight difficult."

I shook my head. I wanted to tell her I was fine, but if I spoke I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from crying again. I continued to shake my head as I fought my internal battle.

"You don't have to hide…" she whispered. "I know how hard it is."

The dam of my tears broke and I silently began to cry again. Gently, she lifted my upper body off the bed and put her arms around me. I let her hold me until my tears were gone and then I pulled back, embarrassed by the weakness I had shown. Isobel's situation was the same as my own. How come she was holding herself together while I was such a mess?

"How do you do it?" I asked her. "Erik is your whole world… I know how much he means to you. How come you're not falling apart like I am?"

Her dark eyes held mine. "Who's to say I'm not?" she said. "We all cope with things in our own way."

I shook my head. I felt like a wreck. Actually, looking at my sister-in-law I felt like a failure. Erik had asked me to step up while he was gone, and here I was crying like a baby. "I feel like I'm letting everyone down," I choked. "Erik, Tarus… even Ronon."

She looked at me in surprise. "Surely you can't be serious" she said. "You have just lost your cousin, and yet you gave a speech today at his memorial that led to a standing ovation."

I shook my head. It wasn't enough. I knew I should be doing more, something that would help get Ronon and my brother back to safety.

"I know how worried you are about the men – I'm worried about them too," she continued. "But you're worrying yourself over everything else as well. Tarus, Troy… even the young woman who was staying here." She stroked my hair, "I believe Marcus has taken a shine to her. Maybe you should let him worry over her wellbeing?" She lowered her voice to a soft whisper. "Your brother once told me that running Tarus was just a matter of finding the right person for each task. You're only one person, Sara. You can't do everything for everyone."

I blinked, my eyes tender and swollen. Perhaps she had a point. "Maybe you're right," I conceded. "Maybe I am trying to take on too much." I unclenched my fist to look at Ronon's ring. Carefully, I picked it up and slipped it back onto my finger.

Isobel smiled as she watched me. "One thing about this whole sorry situation," she said, "I feel better knowing that Erik has your Ronon with him."

"Yes," I agreed. "If nothing else, at least they have each other in that place." I lay back against the pillow and pulled the blankets up around me. Emotionally drained, I closed my eyes.

"It will all work out," Isobel whispered as she stroked my hair softly. She made no move to leave, and comforted by her presence, I eventually drifted off into a deep rejuvenating sleep.

-O-

A/N: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter (I'm wondering if I'm getting a bit too long-winded?) but I've posted it up so that I can at least move on with the story. Action is coming soon, I promise.

Thanks once again to Chelsie66 for your in-depth review of my last chapter. Is anyone else still reading? Please drop me a couple of words to let me know!