A/N: Thanks once again to those who were kind enough to leave a review for my last chapter. I never really know how things are going to be received so it's great to know people are still reading! This is the second to last chapter, mild M rating applies.

Sara POV

After all of the testosterone in the gymnasium, it was wonderful to sit in the warm calm of the hair salon and talk to my friend. Kadria and I had shared everything from school girl crushes to first kisses, broken hearts to adult relationships with each other over the years so I was not surprised when she quickly steered the topic of conversation towards Ronon.

"I hope you're going to tell me more about this mystery man of yours," she said. "You know he couldn't keep his eyes off you last night, right?"

I smiled and lowered my eyes. As much as I wanted to confide in my friend about Ronon, I really didn't know where to start. Usually when we had these kinds of talks we would give each other tidbits of information and slowly savor the moments of story telling, but between discovering I was pregnant and watching Ronon and Erik fighting each other, I just didn't feel up to it. There was really only one thing I could tell her. "I… think I'm in love with him, Kad," I said, "And it's the best, most terrifyingly wretched feeling ever."

She grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Wow, you've got it for him bad."

I nodded. "I've turned into one of those pathetic, awful women who can't think of anything beyond the man they are seeing. I don't even know how it happened. I just know I feel so much happier when I'm around him."

Kadria smiled. "You love him. It's only natural you want to be with him," she told me. She must have sensed how upset I was because she grinned and added, "But if you start knitting socks for him, then you know I'll have to slap you."

I laughed, a strangled sound that was half sob due to the lump in my throat. "I hate knitting," I assured her.

"Well that's alright then," she teased. "You had me worried for a moment." Her expression grew more serious as she looked at me. "Does he know how you feel?"

I nodded. "He told me he feels the same way."

She pulled back and looked at me in surprise. "But that's…great. So what's the big deal then?"

"Everything," I said. "For a start, he and Erik don't see eye to eye. They're at the gymnasium together now, attempting to permanently maim each other under the guise of sport."

Kadria laughed. "And this is new how? Your brother is always like that with any man who takes a fancy to you. If he has his way, I swear you'll die a spinster." She sobered. "That's not the only reason why you're upset though, is it? There's something else, something you're not telling me."

I shook my head. As much as I was tempted to, I could not bring myself to tell her that I was pregnant. No matter what his reaction, I owed it to Ronon for him to be the first to know. "It's…complicated," I said, and realized that even to my own ears my reply sounded weak.

Her expression softened and to my relief she didn't push me further. "I'm sure everything will work out," she said, and then she smiled and shook her head. "Now I sound like a really bad therapist. Why don't you tell me how great he makes you feel instead? Or even better," she lowered her voice, "What he's like in bed."

I smiled. Despite my worries I found myself recalling last night and the wonderful hours Ronon and I had spent making love together. A warm glow settled over me as I relived the way he had looked at me, the words we had said to each other. "He's… amazing," I heard myself say. "Definitely the best I've ever had."

She grinned and clapped her hands together. "I knew it!" she exclaimed. She sat forward in her chair and listened eagerly as I went on.

"He's so…intense. The way he looks at me, the way he touches me… it's like nothing I've ever experienced before," I told her. "When I'm with him, he makes me feel like I'm the only thing in the universe that is worthy of his attention."

Kadria gave a dreamy sigh, "Intense," she repeated, "Now that I could live with that."

I smiled. There was so much more, so many feelings I was yet to explore myself. I needed to share them with someone, if only to make more sense of them myself. "He's warm and solid and wonderfully attentive… but he's not a pushover," I told her. I realized that what I was saying applied to both in and out of the bedroom. "When I'm with him he lets me take the lead, but I am never in doubt he is capable of taking it back again at any time. I trust him, and I have faith in his judgment…" I looked at her and smiled. "Honestly, Kad, when I'm around him he makes me feel so… good to be a woman that I practically curl my toes."

She giggled and fell back against the cushions. "Best description ever!" She told me. "You lucky thing!"

Her laughter was infectious, and I settled back next to her on the settee. We were still laughing when Ronon entered the salon a few moments later. I sat up and tried to compose myself as he gave us both a puzzled look.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head.

"No," Kadria said at the exact same moment.

We dissolved into laughter again and it was a moment before I managed to pull myself together. "Sorry," I said to Ronon as I stood up. "We just haven't seen each other in a while." I reached out and touched his upper arm. "I'd like you to meet my best friend, Kadria"

He looked at Kadria who immediately got to her feet.

"Kadria," I said, "This is Ronon."

I waited while they took each other in and then breathed a sigh of relief as they exchanged polite greetings. Finally it seemed as if two important people in my life might actually be able to get along. My spirits lifted further as Ronon slipped his arm around my waist and turned to Kadria.

"You mind if I steal her for a while?"

She held up her hands. "Be my guest."

I felt myself being guided toward the door. "I'll catch up with you again later," I assured my friend.

She gave me a knowing smile. "Mind those toes."

Ronon gave me a puzzled look. "Something wrong with your feet?"

I shook my head as Kadria's laughter followed us outside. "I'm fine I assured him. Why?"

He slipped his arm from my waist. "I was thinking we could take a walk up to that lake you showed me yesterday."

"Okay," I agreed as I indicated the direction we needed to go. Ronon followed beside me and I noticed he didn't appear to be suffering any lingering effects from his escapades with my brother.

"It looks like you're still in one piece," I told him, "Dare I ask how Erik is?"

He grinned and tilted his head to the side a little. "Your brother's a hard-ass," he told me. "Last I saw of him he was fine."

I raised my eyebrows. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you just paid him a compliment."

He grinned. "Maybe."

We reached a fork in the road and I guided us around to the right. "Where does the other one go?" Ronon asked.

"That road leads to the mine," I told him. "We run a small scale operation digging for coya. It's a pale green gemstone that is native to Tarus." I turned my head to look at him. "You probably won't remember, but the necklace and earrings I wore last night – they had coya stones in them."

He met my eyes. "I remember," he said.

His gaze implied there was very little about last night that he did not recall, but when he spoke again I understood why he had taken particular interest in the gemstones.

"We extracted merthas on Sateda," he told me. "It's a stone similar to coya, but the color is much deeper green."

"I've never heard of it before," I admitted

He shook his head. "You won't hear of it again either," he told me. "The wraith destroyed the mine."

We walked in silence for a moment and I directed him towards the field we needed to cross in order to get to the lake. I scaled the fence that stood in our way and turned back to find Ronon starring at the huge hay barn that loomed to the right of us. It was the same barn I had spent many hours playing in when I was younger, but there was really nothing notable about its appearance that would explain Ronon's interest.

"Something the matter?" I asked.

He grinned and shook his head. "Nope."

I raised my eyebrows. There was definitely something he wasn't telling me but he didn't seem inclined to elaborate so I turned and led the way across the field. The mid-day sun beat down upon us as we walked and Ronon removed the dark brown coat he wore and rested it over his arm. It wasn't long before the lake came into view and we walked together across the schist rock that led down to its edge. Because it was still early afternoon, the children who usually played there were still in school and we had the area largely to ourselves.

"This is Lake Moorsworth," I said to Ronon as he stood next to me and looked around. A small bow-wave in the water indicated we had startled a trout and he pointed towards it with his hand. "The lake is full of them," I explained as I selected a large, flat rock and sat down. He joined me a moment later, sitting close enough so that his shoulder brushed against mine. We looked out across the water together and I realized that if I wanted to tell him about the baby, then this was probably a good opportunity to do so. The problem was, I still had no idea of how to bring the subject up.

"You okay?" he asked, and I realized my worry had made me quiet.

"I'm fine," I told him. "I was just thinking."

"Same," he said as he turned slightly to look at me. "You know Atlantis has offered your people a team of men to fight for them?"

I shook my head. "I wasn't aware of it," I told him. "Is this in exchange for the ZPMs they need?"

"Uh huh." He looked at me again. "The men are from Sheppard's home world," he explained. "Your brother has asked me to stay at Tarus and take command of them."

"Really?" I looked at him in surprise. "And this is something you would consider?"

He held my eyes. "I believe I could work under your brother's leadership," he said. "He's upfront, and he seems to know what he's about."

"Wow," I replied. "This is some turnaround."

"Your brother's not so bad." He held my gaze. "Turns out we have interests in common."

By the tone of his voice, it was safe to assume it was not their love of combat or their mutual desire to kill wraith that he was referring to. I smiled. "I'm glad," I told him.

He shifted slightly and braced himself on one arm as he turned towards me further. "He mentioned Atlantis was going to talk to you about staying on with them," he said. "You know anything about that?"

I frowned as I thought back to earlier that morning. "The Colonel did say something about a permanent position for me," I told him. "He brought it up while you and Erik were sparring though, so I thought he might be trying to make me feel better. I'm not sure how much weight there was to his words."

"It's a pretty sure bet he meant what he said," Ronon replied. "They care about you. I know they'd be happy to see you stay."

I lowered my eyes. It seemed we were back to the exact point we reached the night before. Only if we were going to make a decision about our future, I couldn't ask Ronon to do that until he knew everything there was to tell. "I think we're both familiar with the pros and cons that come with both Atlantis and Tarus," I said, "But there's one more thing that I've thought about that you probably haven't considered…"

He looked at me, his face completely open, and I knew he had no idea of what was coming.

"If you compare the two worlds," I continued, "…then I think Tarus is the better place to raise a baby."

He stared at me, and the corners of his mouth curled into an odd kind of smile. It wasn't like we had ever talked about children before and I could see he was perplexed that I had chosen to bring the subject up now. His expression changed, and I watched his smile catch and then slowly begin to fall as understanding dawned. The last trace of his amusement disappeared completely as his eyes dropped to my stomach. "You're pregnant?" he asked as he looked at me again.

"I'm not certain yet," I told him. "But yes, it's more than likely." My heart pounded. So much depended on his reaction that I had a hard time meeting his eyes squarely.

"Really?" He asked, and the smile that had left his face just moments before slowly began to reappear.

I nodded, afraid to trust my voice.

His smile grew wider and he stared at me in wonder. "How long have you known for?"

"A while," I croaked, "but I kept hoping…I kept thinking that I might be wrong."

His brow furrowed and his smile wavered a little. "This… isn't what you want?"

The question caught me off guard. Somehow, I had been so worried about his reaction to the news of a baby that I had not really taken the time to consider how I felt about it myself. I placed my hand to my stomach and was surprised when a lump of emotion welled up inside me. "I…" I stammered. Although its presence was not yet visible I felt a surge of protectiveness towards the tiny life inside me. How could I love something so fiercely when I had only just acknowledged that it even existed? I blinked back tears as I realized I had no idea of how – I only knew that I did. "Yes," I told him as I finally found my voice. "Yes. I want this baby."

He pulled me to him and the next thing I knew his lips were on mine. His kiss was so heated, so possessive,that I yielded to his strength and clung to him with a longing I did not know I possessed. He stroked my back, my arms, my jaw and my heart soared at his every touch. Not only did he want this child, but he wanted it with an intensity that left me breathless. I realized I had doubted him without reason but it was impossible to tell him so when his mouth was doing such delicious things to my own. He placed his arm around my waist and gently lowered me down onto the sun-warmed rock beneath us. I could taste him, breath him, touch him and yet it still wasn't enough to quell the longing he stirred within me. When he finally released my mouth, there was only one thing on my mind. "Make love to me," I whispered.

He pulled back a fraction and raised his eyebrows. "What…here?"

I nodded. "Yes…"

His eyes clouded with desire. "Someone could come," he warned.

"They won't," I assured him. "We'll be able to see them if they do."

He gave a brief laugh. "Not before they see us." He looked over his shoulder back towards the way we came. "Come on," he said as he stood up and pulled me upright beside him. "I've got a better idea." He slipped his hand through mine and led me away from the lake, back to the field we had crossed earlier. My body was heavy and languid with the need he had stirred, and I swayed my hips gently as I walked. When the barn loomed into view I suddenly realized what he had in mind. I pulled him forward in anticipation and he grinned and lengthened his stride but refused to let me hurry him further. His resistance was a reminder of everything I liked about him and the moment we stepped through the open entrance to the barn he reinforced the feeling as he pulled me to him and kissed me soundly. A small stack of bales was situated near the open front and he released my mouth for long enough to guide me towards them. I scaled up the side of them with ease and knelt on top as he tossed his coat up and quickly followed. We were now out of sight from passers by, but because the roof was so high the sun was still able to reach us. He reached for me and guided me down onto the hay beneath him as he kissed me again. Slowly we stripped each other bare of clothes and placed them under us so they formed a soft barrier between our bodies and the hay below. The sun and air hit my bare skin and I arched myself towards Ronon's touch as he slid his hands over my breasts and downwards to stroke the sensitive skin of my belly. He was fully aroused and his erection pressed against my thigh, pulsating and hard as he looked at me in question.

"The baby?" he asked

I smiled as I realized what he was asking. "The baby will be fine," I assured him.

"I thought so," he said, and he slid his fingers lower to seek out the moist area between my legs. At the same moment as they found their target, he leaned over and took my nipple between his teeth. The two way assault made me gasp in pleasure and my thighs seemed to part of their own accord in order to let him touch me further. I reached for him, but he chose that moment to inch his lips down my body and replace his fingers with his tongue. The sensation was pure bliss and I sighed and lay back in the open air as he slowly teased me to orgasm. When it was over, I stretched my arms above my head in pleasure and he rose to his knees above me and positioned himself at my entrance. The heavily defined muscles of his shoulders, torso and lower abdomen flexed as he braced himself and then pushed his length into me. I panted at the tightness of his fit but when he rolled his hips towards me I moved to meet him. It felt so good, so natural to be with him that I quickly gave myself over to the pull of his body over mine. He started to ride me harder, each thrust longer and deeper so that my former satisfaction quickly disappeared and my body once again ached for fulfillment. I arched myself beneath him as I reached my second climax, and I watched as a few moments later he experienced his own. He relaxed on top of me, his body heavy and beaded with sweat as I cradled his head in my hands. I was pleased with his foresight as I realized that if we had stayed by the lake we would have to dress again now incase somebody stumbled upon us. In the privacy of the barn we could lie together for as long as we liked. I smoothed my palm down his back and he lifted his head slightly and looked at me.

"I'm gonna tell Sheppard and the others that I'm leaving Atlantis," he said.

I exhaled and looked up at the iron roof high above. Although it was what I wanted to hear, I still had reservations. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

He rolled to the side so that he lay propped up on one elbow beside me, his thigh draped across my own to hide the majority of our nudity. "It's what I was going to do anyway," he said, and he reached out and placed his hand back on the smooth skin of my stomach. "This just confirms it."

I nodded and placed my hand on top of his. The warm afterglow of our lovemaking prompted me to ask something that had been playing on my mind. "Is having a child something that you had ever considered before now?" I questioned.

He smiled. "It's not something I ever ruled out," he told me. "I kind'a thought that maybe one day…" he shook his head and gave a low chuckle. "I have to admit, I didn't see it happening so soon."

I gave him a wry smile. "That makes two of us."

He moved his hand and I withdrew mine so he could trace light circles on my stomach with his fingertips. I watched in fascination as he drew random patterns that tickled my skin. "Now or later, it makes no difference," he told me. "A baby somehow feels right."

The lump in my throat returned as I looked up at him. The moment was perfect, so perfect that I was reluctant to speak for fear of breaking it.

He lifted his hand from my stomach and stroked the side of my face. "You make me happier than I ever thought I could be again," he told me.

The love I felt towards him was like a physical ache inside me. What had I done to deserve a man who fought so fearlessly and loved so deeply? I drew a shaky breath. "Same," I managed to say.

He leaned over and kissed me gently, and then looked down at me and smiled. "Not that I don't like you naked," he said, "but it's probably time we got dressed and met the others."

Sadly, I had to agree. He removed his leg and we set about locating our clothes. Once done, I shook out my hair to rid it of stray pieces of hay and then turned my attention towards Ronon, whose dreadlocks harbored plenty of evidence of where we had spent the afternoon. "There you go," I said as I plucked out the last piece of hay I could find. "Now nobody will know we've been here."

He chuckled. "I doubt anyone's gonna believe we've been somewhere holding hands all this time."

"Maybe not," I said as I jumped down and landed on the ground below. "But at least we can keep them guessing."

He joined me a moment later and we left the barn together. The walk to the airfield seemed to go by in no time, and before I knew it we had reached the bottom of the steps that would take us up to the control tower. I turned to Ronon. "Are you sure you want to do this now?" I asked him. "You could always talk to the Colonel about your decision to leave later."

He reached out and grasped my hand. "Best we do it now," he told me. We climbed the stairs and entered the main room of the control tower to find the others from Atlantis assembled around the control tower in the front window. They stood with their backs to us and I had time to notice that Erik and Marcus were also present, as was Alcied who was engrossed in something he and Rodney were doing at the control panel. The Colonel was the first to notice us. "Hey you two," he said as he looked up. "Nice of you to join us."

Ronon grinned, as did I. We were both aware that neither of us had contributed much over the last couple of days. "What's happening?" Ronon asked as he released my hand and we walked over to where the Colonel stood.

He shrugged. "To tell the truth, I'm not sure… McKay and Alcied seem to think they're onto something in regards to the energy source in the tower. They've been working on it for the better part of the day though and the results still remain to be seen."

"Oh ye of little faith," Rodney interjected. "When I tap into Ancient technology more powerful than anything we've ever encountered to date, then you'll change your tune." He held up his hand. "You do realize when this happens you will owe me a very humble apology, don't you?"

The Colonel rolled his eyes. "Yes. And I shall give it gladly," he assured. "Although if you could hurry it along a little, I'd be just as happy to give it to you sooner."

Rodney gave an exasperated sigh and the Colonel grinned and turned back to us.

"You got a minute?" Ronon asked him.

"Sure," he replied as he dropped his voice. "In fact it would probably be safe to say I have lots of minutes."

"I can hear you, you know," Rodney called. "You might think I'm preoccupied here but my mind is perfectly capable of carrying out a multitude of tasks simultaneously."

The Colonel grinned and the three of us moved towards the back wall of the control tower where we could be out of direct earshot from the others. Erik looked up and Ronon gestured for him to join us. "You should probably hear what we've got to say as well," he said as Erik loped across the room towards us.

I think they both guessed why we wanted to speak with them, and I felt Erik's eyes search my face for indication of what we had decided. The Colonel must have done the same with Ronon because he suddenly gave a wry smile and rested his hand on his hip. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like what I'm about to hear?" he said as he looked from Ronon to me.

Ronon nodded and then got straight to the point. "I want you to know…I don't plan on going back to Atlantis," he told him.

Beside me, I felt Eric visibly relax. The Colonel just looked resigned. "I'm sorry to hear you say that," he said.

"My place is with Sara," Ronon continued. "And her place is at Tarus with her family and friends."

The Colonel looked at him and exhaled slowly. "I have to say, I kind of saw it coming these past couple of days," he said. He ran his had though his hair. "And as much as it pains me to say it…I think you're making the right decision."

Ronon held his gaze. "Whatever agreement you and Dr Weir come to with the people here, I want you to know if you or anyone else from Atlantis needs me then I'll be there." He turned to Erik. "With or without permission."

Erik, who was wise enough to keep quiet when things were going his way, dipped his head in silent acknowledgement.

"That goes for me too," I said. I looked at the Colonel and then past him to where the others from Atlantis worked on, oblivious to our discussion. In truth, part of me was just as sorry as Ronon to be saying goodbye. "I'll never forget everything you have done for me."

"It was our pleasure, Sara," he replied. He extended his hand towards Ronon. "I'll be sorry to see you go, buddy."

Ronon lifted his hand to respond and suddenly the entire control tower burst into a flood of light. He turned to shield me from the worst of it, but my eyes still burned from the unexpected intensity as I hid behind him. I was vaguely aware of the others scrambling for cover, and then the light slowly dimmed a little and I found I could open my eyes again. To my astonishment, a large glowing portal had appeared on the rear wall of the tower. As I stood in stunned silence, Erik dived towards the gun cabinet and Ronon snatched his gun from his thigh. I watched him point it towards the shining sphere and with a sinking heart I realized the safety of my secret home world was about to be compromised in a way none of us could possibly have foreseen.