Authors note: this is more like a filler chapter. I hope you not dissappointed :)
Chapter 21: Out of the bag.
Four months Later "Any word?"
Leyna sat down in the mess hall next to a grumpy Rodney and a smiling John. Obviously they were having one of their famous quibbles again.
"Nope," John replied turning to Leyna, "Were going tomorrow."
"Dammit." Leyna muttered, "I forgot to get food."
"Not to worry!" Major Lorne said from behind her, "I brought you a tray"
Leyna smiled as the Major took a seat next to John and pushed a tray of food in front of her.
"Thankyou very much" She thanked him warmly, digging in to the food. She smiled as Teyla joined them.
Ever since people found out she was pregnant, she was being waitied on left right and centre.
Leyna felt the warmth of her family surround her. She smiled as she looked around the table, but her smile fell as soon as she remembered the vital person that was missing.
She was dying to go off world; she had never spent four months straight in the one city before. It was fun for the first few weeks, as she would explore the city, but after a while every corridor looked the same, and every new room held no interest to her. Her mind kept wandering to one person.
"Would I be able to go with you?" Leyna wondered out loud, the table froze and looked at her.
"I don't really think that's a good idea." John said slowly, "It didn't work out so well for Teyla."
Leyna remember being told about when Teyla was pregnant with Torren. She was kidnapped by Michael when John had finally agreed to let her go off world. Luckily, they got to her just in time.
"And I don't think that Rodney is planning on delivering anyone babies" John smiled as Rodney squirmed in his seat. She heard Teyla chuckle.
"Besides," Teyla said, placing a gentle hand on her belly. "You are a lot larger than I was at 5 months."
It was true. As Leyna looked down to her protruding stomach, she placed a hand over Teyla's and gave her small smile. She was fairly large for 20 weeks, Jenifer said it was more like she was six months pregnant at least. Everyone teased her saying it was what you get for having Ronon's baby.
"Okay, I'm going to the gym" She asked standing up.
"Rodney it's your day today." She heard John mutter.
Leyna frowned. She was well aware that they had made some sort of roster for looking after her. They only time she had time to herself was in her sleep.
"Rodney, you do not have to go with me." Leyna challenged, Rodney's eyes filled with hope, but faltered when he noticed John glaring at him.
"No it's fine; I was going to go for some exercise anyway." Rodney almost groaned.
"That's it." She huffed, "I won't stand for this, I'm pregnant, not on suicide watch."
The table started at her with stunned eyes. She sighed.
"It's not that I don't appreciate it, but I need my space."
"We're just trying to look after you." John defended,
"I know, but there is a certain point, that you need to stop. The only thing i want right now is Ronon, but seeing as I know that won't happen, I'll settle for time alone. So Rodney, don't worry, I will go to the gym by myself," She noticed John about to but in," and I wont over do it. I'll be fine." She said pointing a finger to John.
She turned around and headed towards the gym. Marines consumed the gym floor and Leyna hopped on an exercise bike and watched them spar. She picked up pace until she began to work up a sweat, and then slowed back down again.
"Need some company?" She jerked around to find John standing next to her, a guilty look on his face.
Leyna sighed, "If you must. I'm surprised you've left me alone for this long."
"Well actually, I've been hiding in the corner."
Leyna looked to John, hoping that he was joking, his guilty expression growing.
"Your unbelievable!" Leyna exclaimed,
"Ronon would kill me if he ever found out I left you alone for even a second." He defended
"When."
"Excuse me?"
"When he finds out. He is coming back" Leyna clarified. She wasn't not going to start talking about Ronon in past tense.
"Oh yea, sorry." John stuttered. There was an awkward silence as the Marines finished their gym session and filed out of the gym. She was aware of John's gaze on her as she tried her best to compose her forlorn face.
"Well I'll make you a deal." John said helping her off the bike, "I'll spar with you, if you don't tell Ronon when he comes back."
Leyna grinned widely, "You have a deal."
Rodney and Teyla made their way to the gym where he hoped Leyna still was. He felt guilty for not going with her.
"What's wrong?" Teyla asked him
"Do you think he'll do it?" he asked quietly, Teyla knew what he meant.
"I have no doubt that Ronon will come back alive." She said carefully, her face hard.
"Yea but do you think he'll come back with Magine's body?"
Teyla's face fell, "That I am unsure of."
That made him feel uneasy. Teyla was always the one to reassure everyone in the time of doubt. If Teyla was lost for words, he was surely done for.
Just then they entered the Gym to find Leyna and John in the middle of a sparring match. Rodney's eyes fell of Leyna swollen stomach.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
John's face whipped to him and Teyla standing in the doorway, his eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights. Just then Leyna spun with grace and whacked John right in the chest. John toppled over and again Leyna spun hitting John's back with the bantos rods. Rodney felt a little guilty as John lay gasping on the floor.
"Thanks Rodney." He gasped,
Leyna and Teyla were laughing and Rodney walked to his side helping him up.
"Are you aware that that huge bulge on her stomach contains a baby!" he scolded, John looked up at him with anger.
"Oh really? I thought it was just full of air." John looked mad, but Rodney didn't know if it was from him or getting beaten by a pregnant woman, nevertheless he stepped back.
"Well I was just saying." He stuttered.
"Rodney relax," Teyla's arm gently squeezed his shoulder, "When I was pregnant, I would spar with Ronon."
Rodney's eyes grew wide but Teyla only smiled, "And as far as i know, Torren is as healthy as ever."
He heard Leyna hold back a laugh from behind John.
What was wrong with these people? Obviously they didn't care what the baby turned out like. But then again, it did have Ronon's genes so that may be a moot point.
"Fine, but if your baby," Rodney huffed, pointing a finger at Leyna, "comes out with bruises and a square head, don't say I didn't warn you!"
Rodney stormed out of the gym, listening to the laughing behind him.
Honestly, he thought, people with average minds are simply unbelievable.
Leyna laughed as Rodney stormed out of the gym. She turned to Teyla.
"Did he really spar with you?" she wondered.
"Yes." Teyla said, still laughing, "Although he did go easy on me."
"Now I don't feel so bad." John groaned, rubbing his chest.
"Thank you John, really. It was just what I needed." Leyna said honestly.
"Glad I could help. But I'm going to go get some sleep before we leave tomorrow."
Leyna bit her lip. It was nagging her to no end, but she didn't want to push him.
"What?"he asked, his voice guarded.
"Can I please go with you?" she heard John groan, "I won't be any trouble I Promise, and it will be different than how it was with Teyla. I don't have any hybrid wraith after me. I'll be able to sense any immediate danger; I just need to go off world. That place is so secluded. No one even knows it's there!"
She was just about to go on her knees when John turned towards her.
"Fine, you can go. BUT, you stay in the jumper, you understand?"
She all but jumped in John's arms, squealing as she hugged him tightly. She kissed his cheek.
"Thank you so much." She squeaked before running off to bed before John could take it back.
The next morning, Teyla had woken her up and walked her to get geared up.
Seeing as the vest didn't fit and her stomach was too large for the normal black pants she wore on missions, she wore dark brown pants Sam had shipped from earth with an elastic band at the front, with a beautiful light brown shirt that hugged her growing breasts, but loosely hung over her bulging stomach. She wore a long black leather cloak over the top, to hide small knifes in small places, just like Ronon had taught her. Strapping a gun to her thigh, she and Teyla walked tho the jumper bay.
"Leyna?" Lorne said in surprise, looking to John for answers.
"I said she could come." He sighed, "She's going to stay with you in the jumper."
Lorne's face turned from confusion to excitement, "Well alright then."
Leyna took a seat behind Teyla, she noticed they were missing someone.
"Where is Rodney?"
"He's working with Zalenka today. Besides, if he was coming, you wouldn't be." John stated, positioning the jumper in front of the open stargate.
"Why not?"
"Well after last night, if he found out I let you go on this mission, I'll be a dead man when Ronon gets back."
"What happened last night?" Lorne asked mischievously. John didn't answer.
"We sparred." Leyna said, and smiled as Lorne burst out laughing.
"Yea, you're a dead man buddy." He chuckled, slapping John on the shoulder.
Half an hour later. "Alright. Leyna stay here and keep an eye of the jumper, Lorne stay here and keep an eye on Leyna." John said walking out the jumper with Teyla.
"Can I go outside?" Leyna asked hopefully,
"No!" She heard John shout from far away. She sat down and began to sulk like a child.
"Very mature." Lorne chuckled. She silenced him with a deadly look.
Ronon had just finished pinning the material with his note on it to the tree when he heard voices.
He cussed and ran in to the trees across the yard. Usually Maria was the one to deliver the note, but just as they had assumed, Rikell had contacted her, saying he needed her to look at Magine's body. They were so close. Maria said to wait and deliver the note in a few days. However they always delivered the note at the same day every month, and he didn't want to cause Leyna any unnecessary worry. Ronon figured that seeing as he was stuck hiding in Maria's home, he would deliver the note.
Ronon smiled widely as John and Teyla came into view walking to the tree. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he missed them terribly. He looked Teyla over, and thought she was as radiant as she always was, he missed their sparring. As he looked John over however, he noticed the dark circles beginning to form under his eyes, he looked tried, even angry.
He kept waiting for the others to come, for Leyna to come, but they didn't.
She didn't.
It seemed unusual that she wouldn't be with them.
Was she sick? Had she left Atlantis thinking that Ronon was most certainly dead? Or maybe she was just at the jumper.
Ronon remembered how someone usually stayed behind.
Ronon slowly extracted himself from the garden as Teyla and John found his note and made his way to the jumper. He saw the front of the it, and could see Leyna's blonde hair but the reflection from the glass was too strong. He carefully made his way around to find a spot in the shrubbery that had view of the back of the puddle jumper.
She was standing with her back to him, hands on her hips around her long black cloak. He felt an urge to walk out and touch her silky blonde hair. It was longer than when he had last seen her, and more wavy. He wanted her to turn around. He felt an urge to walk in there and kiss her, he missed her so much, but he was aware of Lorne sitting across from her. He listened into their conversation.
"Can I go outside?"
"For the last time no! The colonel will kill me."
"But it's so hot. I want to feel a breeze. Come on you can't keep me cooped up in here in my condition can you?"
Why was she asking for permission to go outside? And what did she mean in her condition?
He heard Lorne sigh and then stood in front of her,
"Fine, 5 minutes."
Lorne walked out of the jumper with Leyna behind her. He wished Lorne would move out the way.
As soon as Leyna walked out of stride with Lorne, Ronon had to stop himself from gasping as he took in Leyna's large belly.
She was pregnant. His Leyna was pregnant.
His first instinct was who the hell did this to her? He was in a mad fit of jealous rage. But as he looked at Leyna again, he noticed that she was too big. There was only one explanation that seemed to fit.
He had done this to her. It was his baby.
His.
Ronon fell back against a tree as he watched Leyna walk around the puddle jumper. He was in a trance. He watched as Lorne followed her everywhere she went, and he smiled as she would draw circles around her stomach and talk to her belly like it could hear her. He was unable to think of anything but Leyna. Guilt washed over him as he not only realised that he had cause her pain, but had left her pregnant. He began to worry that if he returned she might not want him back.
He wanted, no needed to talk to her.
Just as he was about to walk out from his hiding, John and Teyla returned. Leyna froze as she spotted them, she looked at John expectantly.
"What the hell are you doing outside the jumper?" John bellowed.
Lorne stepped in front of her, "That was my fault sir. It was getting hot in the jumper, she needed fresh air."
Ronon smiled as Sheppard mumbled something to himself, and then nodded and handed her the note. His heart melted as Leyna's face lit up an smiled as she read it.
"You can read it in side, we're going. Ronon would kill me if was seeing this."
Ronon chuckled to himself, but stopped when Teyla's head whipped towards the trees. Her eyes suspiciously scanned the forest.
"I agree, let's go." She ushered Leyna into the jumper. Eyeing the forest one last time before the hatch closed.
When the jumper left, he was still in shock. He began his long journey to the ring in a trance. The picture of Leyna in his head burned deeply. She was just as beautiful as he had remembered. He also thought about John, and the team. He felt guilty for leaving without saying goodbye. Especially to John, he knew Sheppard would have left with him. But seeing Leyna, he was glad that John was with her instead. Sheppard was the one of the people he trusted most to look after Leyna.
It was night when he finally returned home to Maria's. When he snuck in, she threw a fit at him. She thought he was captured and was about to go looking for him. She almost yelled that she could have been caught herself, and been arrested for treason.
"She's pregnant." Ronon muttered, and then Maria was screaming for a different reason.
She began crying tears of joy, hugging him and congratulating him. Ronon felt a smile begin to twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"I have some more good news." Maria said, the smile spreading wider across her face. Ronon looked up at her expectantly.
"The ancestors have blessed us with the most wonderful luck. I saw Rikell today, and as I suspected Magine's body is beginning to deteriorate. Naturally, Rikell is frustrated that Leyna hasn't come from him yet, so he wants me to come back tomorrow and do the process all over again. Don't you see Ronon? Tomorrow is our chance! I'll have full access to his body. This will all be over!"
For the first time in four months, Ronon felt happy.
For the first time in four months Ronon felt hope.
I'm coming Leyna, he thought, I'm coming.
To be continued...
Please reveiw!