Carson was returned several hours after he was taken. Again, Shani paced in the dark. Tonight, multiple campfires lit the area, giving her a bit more light to see as she paced. Men had settled into their duties, barely giving her a glance as they went about their business. Either they'd been warned away from her by their leader or they had become accustomed to seeing her in the cage. No matter why, Shani appreciated their disregard. At least she no longer dealt with the lewd comments meant to intimidate her.

Under the cover of darkness, she unbraided her hair and ran her fingers through it. Dirt and grime clung to her face and clothing, Carson's blood not helping the condition. This had once been a favorite gown to wear, and she was happy to have been taken in it. While it would never be worn again, it was still comfortable enough to help her endure the interminable waits.

Thirty minutes after Carson had been taken, a shout broke the silence of the night. Shani startled and rushed to the side of the cage while men laughed. A few moments later, another shout sounded, this one tapering off into something like a whisper. It was Carson. He sounded close, and Shani began desperately looking around for a way out. The moon wasn't that bright, but her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. When she discovered that the cage was quite secure, tears of rage and desperation fell began to flow. Carson hollered one more time, and Shani barely stopped herself from pleading with the men now watching her and chuckling to help her get to him. It would do no good. Instead, she stood at the side of the cage, hands on the bars and cried until she saw him dragged out of a nearby home.

Ondre arrived at the cage before Carson did. He grinned at Shani. "Step away."

"No." Her answer made him laugh, and she no longer cared what amused him.

He leaned into her face, his breath smelling of alcohol and whatever he had eaten for his evening meal. "Let me rephrase that. Step away, or he will pay the price." He pointed to where Carson hung between two of their captors.

Shani studied her friend. He looked up, his good eye glinting in the faint light of the fires. Catching her watching him, he shook his head, and she stepped away from the door. Ondre opened it, and the guards carelessly tossed Carson inside. He hissed through his teeth as he hit the ground. Shani rushed to his side, not caring about how she appeared as she knelt next to him. "Carson?"

"I'm. . .okay. . . ." He stopped to take a few deep breaths.

"What can I do?"

Tonight, he held an arm across his chest. "Shoulder's. . .dislocated."

Shani blinked. She had dealt with this very problem many times. "You wish for me to fix it?"

Carson squeezed his eye shut and nodded. "Aye." That one word cost him, though. He returned to breathing through his teeth as she ripped the hem of her dress. It wasn't clean, but it would create a passable sling.

As she worked, Shani chatted. "Earlier, I saw something." She looked up to see that he listened to her gentle voice. "A woman. Blond, pretty, but angry. She looked at me as if I had somehow offended her."

"Ye haven't." Carson's voice was hoarse, and it grew even more tense as Shani prepared to relocate his shoulder. "There's no' a thing ye've done to these people."

"Then why take us?" She put a hand on his side and met his eyes. "I'm ready."

He nodded again, this time acknowledging what she'd told him. "They took us for information an' leverage over Sateda." Whatever else he'd intended to say cut off into another shout as she relocated his shoulder. Shani's tears began again, but they stayed relatively contained as she lay his arm across his chest and tied the sling around his shoulders and neck. Carson breathed heavily for a few more moments. "A'right, lass. I think I'm gonna pass out now!" With that, his head lolled to one side.

Like the night before, Shani performed as much of an exam as she could. His torso was a mass of bruises and cuts, as were his legs. But he seemed to have no broken bones aside from a couple of ribs. No wonder he hurt so badly. She could not tell if he had any internal injuries, knowing that she might not be able to save him even if he did. Pulling him into her arms, she held on to the one thing that kept her grounded in this entire thing and looked at the stars.

"Hurry, Evan!" she whispered. "Carson needs you to get here now!"

oOo

With McKay holed up in his lab for the next several hours, Sheppard sent Ronon home to be with his new bride. Javan and Demir were organizing the Ataliyan men that continued to pour through the gate, and Lorne was on hand to meet each of Shani's stepsons. Javan took great pleasure in introducing Evan as the man "courting" their stepmother, and John took great pleasure in the deer-in-the-headlights expression on Lorne's face. So far, Shani only had four stepsons, Demir being the youngest at almost nineteen years old. As Sheppard left the area, he overheard one of Shani's stepsons telling Evan about how much they cared for their stepmother. He swore he could hear the major gulp given that the guy was nearly the size of Ronon.

With his Satedan team member off with Olina and McKay in the lab, Sheppard tracked down Teyla. She'd been unusually quiet since Carson and Shani went missing, and John was worried. Even though he'd been making great strides in repairing his friendships with his teammates, Teyla remained distant and cold. But she was different now. There was a feral anger in her eyes that was unmatched, almost as if she hoped one of Orsic's men would snap and give her a reason to kill him.

Sheppard found Teyla in the sparring ring, squaring off with Lieutenant Morales. John could tell from Teyla's expression that the Marine lieutenant had no idea what was in store. He stepped into the ring. "Lieutenant, I've got this one."

Morales gave him a startled look but lowered her Bantos rods. "Yes, Sir." She backed away after handing the training rods over to Sheppard.

Teyla glared at him. "You had no right!"

"I had every right." John twirled one of his rods. "That poor woman is a beginner, and you were about to take her to the mat just to take out your anger on the people who took Carson and Shani. So, I figured I'd save her from having to patch herself up and then patching up Carson and Shani when we get them back."

"Very well." Teyla attacked with no warning. Sheppard barely got the Bantos rods up in time to keep from being hit in the head. She fought with anger, something that he'd rarely seen before her betrayal on Kiah. For several moments, he did nothing but parry her blows and defend himself.

But, as the fight progressed, he found his stride. Teyla was not the only one who was betrayed back on Kiah. He was betrayed as well. Granted, he'd sought for absolution and release from the hurt and anger through something that nearly killed him, but he was on the mend. Or so he hoped. As a result, he refused to accept Teyla's blind anger any longer. She needed to learn that human contact was necessary for life, that she could trust others with who she was and how she felt without attacking any man who dared to brush her arm.

Tired of the relentless onslaught, John did something he hadn't done since before he and Teyla began training together on Atlantis. He fought dirty. Landing the first blow on her kidney, he danced out of her way as he waited for her reaction. It was immediate. Teyla swung around, her anger making the pain of his attack seemingly nonexistent. The fire in her eyes told another story, however. "How dare you!"

John met the anger with fire of his own. "Because you're not the only one who's hurting."

"You don't know what he did to me!"

"I know exactly what he did to you, because his wife did the same thing to me." John kept his answers calm in spite of his swirling emotions. In the last day, he'd felt better than he had in months. The adrenaline rush of trying to find Carson and Shani had shored up his failing resolve to not do something stupid. Now, if he could somehow help Teyla. . . .

She attacked him again, but John was ready. This bout was give-and-take as they traded blows and dodged others. John managed to land a few of them, but Teyla's anger made her physical exhaustion disappear. He violated her personal code of ethics that she'd taught him in Atlantis as many times as he dared, pushing her to react emotionally rather than through habit and years of training. It worked just as well as it would if he had acted without honor in a dojo. She became angrier and angrier, making more and more mistakes. John took complete advantage of them, never allowing her to see anything more than sheer determination in his eyes.

Finally, his persistence in spite of the bruises Teyla inflicted paid off. He saw when her resolve crumbled and pressed the advantage he'd fought so hard to get. He began a crippling attack, driving her backwards and into a stone wall that bordered one side of the octagonal sparring ring. With Teyla flat up against the wall, he held his Bantos rods to her neck in a sign of victory.

She glared up at him, her breath coming in ragged gasps as he stared into her brown eyes. The pain and absolute desperation for something gentle and kind and good startled John. While he had tried to feel those emotions as quickly as possible after coming to Sateda, Teyla had cut herself off from human contact. She needed someone to remind her what it meant to be held and treated with gentleness. John dropped his Bantos rods and did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her.

oOo

Teyla stiffened immediately, shocked that John would invade her personal space enough to kiss her. He didn't press her for more than she was willing to give, just held her in place as he explored her lips. Part of Teyla—the part that had cut her off from human contact—demanded that she fight him off for such a violation. But the other part of her—the part that was still very much a woman and desperate for healing—responded. Before she thought it through, she had leaned into the kiss and had her hands in John's hair as she took advantage of this rare moment. The feel of another person's hands on her body, especially John's hands, thrilled her, and she broke away from the kiss when she felt as if her lungs would burst. Pressed against the wall by him, both of them covered in the sweat of their sparring session and the passion of their kiss, she felt the heady thrill of being desired by a man. John recognized her invitation and trailed hot kisses down her neck before recapturing her lips again.

But something changed this time around. He pulled away before Teyla was ready, stepping back to put space between them. His eyes were dilated, and he breathed just as raggedly as she did. "See?" he asked softly. "It's not so bad to be touched by someone else."

Teyla nodded once, still trying to catch the breath he'd stolen. She knew the willpower it took for him to keep his eyes on her face and laid a hand over her pounding heart. The low-cut top she wore to spar had to be distracting as she tried to regain control over her body's reactions. Even Kalle had not made her feel such passion. "John, I. . . ."

He put a finger on her lips. "We're gonna get Carson and Shani back. Then we'll talk." He dropped his hand to his side. "But you needed to learn a lesson today. Stop cutting yourself off. Don't wait until someone sticks a knife in your ribs to realize what you have here on Sateda. You'll only regret it in the end."

Teyla watched as he walked away after that, her back pressed against the wall now as a means of support. The afternoon had waned as they'd fought, and the cool breeze of the evening made her overheated body shiver. She needed to bathe, to cool down from the kiss and think about what had just happened. When she had first arrived in Atlantis, she had hopes that she and John would one day share this type of friendship. But Atlantis had fallen, and she had come back in contact with Kalle. To find that John was as affected by her—or so she hoped—both surprised her and made her think.

Had she truly cut herself off from human contact like John said? Teyla gathered up the scattered Bantos rods and headed for her home. Tonight, she was aware of how others on the street avoided her and refused to look her direction. That cut deeply, as did the realization that even Athosians gave her a wide berth. In her home, she drew water and washed the sweat from her body as she finally allowed the tears that she'd held at bay for months to flow. Then, she dressed and headed for the Stargate. She would see Carson and Shani recovered. And then, after it was all said and done, she would find a place to curl up and truly grieve for the death of her dreams. . .and, maybe, make some new ones.

oOo

It took McKay three hours to get through all the gate addresses. Evan had watched Javan and Shani's stepsons pace as they waited for news. Of course it didn't help that he was also pacing, but the men seemed to accept him. After that initial reaction, in which her eldest stepson grilled him about who he was, where he was from, and what his intentions were, the other three had backed off. Evan understood on some level. These men might not have been raised by Shani, but she had been a companion to their father through the final days of his life. In their own way, they had come to love her and wanted to see the best for her.

Evan had honestly tried to rest after meeting Shani's stepsons. He'd gone to his home, bathed, lay down, and stared at the ceiling. In the end, he wound up back at the gate, unable to do much more than simply wait until McKay worked his magic.

Sheppard, Ronon, and McKay all appeared at the same time but from different directions. Teyla wasn't far behind, looking a little more calm and a bit nervous as she glanced at John. Sheppard ignored her discomfort, choosing to give McKay the floor.

"Okay, I've gone through all the addresses and figure we have about fifty planets to search." McKay held a tablet in the crook of his elbow, motioning as he addressed the large number of men there. The news of his abilities had already been spread through the Ataliyan contingent, and they all looked at McKay with a combination of respect and confusion. "From what I can tell, they're all planets where Orsic and his people had operations. But one stood out to me." He pushed a button and turned his tablet around to where everyone could see it.

Evan closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hand. He was beyond exhausted, not having slept since this whole thing started nearly forty-eight hours ago. They were approaching Ondre's twenty-four-hour deadline and knew they needed to find Carson and Shani soon. But the sight of that gate address made all the sense in the world. Sheppard obviously put it together as well because he gave Evan his patented "Oh crap!" look.

Javan moved closer to the tablet. "What is this world?"

Ronon growled and stalked a short distance away in an attempt to burn off some energy. "It's Calixte's world."

Javan's head also dropped. "I thought I recognized the address."

Demir looked nonplussed. "Calixte?"

"Yeah." Evan faced Shani's stepson and met his eyes. "It's a planet where Colonel Sheppard got in trouble with one of the local women. She nearly killed him before faking her own death. We haven't heard from her since."

McKay grinned as everyone made the necessary deductions. "I'm no military strategist or anything, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say Carson and Shani have been taken here. It makes sense, especially given what happened between Calixte and Sheppard."

Sheppard cleared his throat. "We'll take that planet. Lorne, your team and Javan's will go with us. We'll split the rest of the worlds up between everyone else. Lieutenant Morales!" John turned to the Marine lieutenant who had stayed on at the clinic after the building collapse. "You're with us."

"Yes, Sir!" She rushed forward, accepting a tattered TAC vest. As she clipped a P90 to her vest, she sent someone running for Carson's "go bag," something that only a Marine would call his medical kit.

There was a bit of commotion as they planned the next leg of their strategy. But, soon, teams were ready to head out. Evan walked through the gate on Sheppard's heels, the exhaustion fading into the background as his senses sharpened and his heart settled. He was finally doing something. Rescuing Shani was important, but so was surviving to make certain she would be okay.

oOo

Like the night before, Carson did not stir until the sun came up. Shani rolled her shoulders against the bars of the cage, all feeling in her legs having disappeared as Carson's weight cut off circulation. There was no way Ondre was taking him again. Not without having to kill her first. She had decided late in the night that she would fight with everything in her to prevent him from being injured further.

When the morning sunshine hit his body, he moaned and turned toward her. She knew better than to take offense to the action, realizing that he was likely not even conscious. Shani readjusted her hold on him, sensation finally returning to her legs. In the light of day, Carson looked horrible. He was covered in blood and bruises, his lip so swollen that he would barely be able to speak. His one eye that wasn't swollen shut had a cut over it, and he shivered ever so slightly in the morning breeze. Shani suspected he was coming down with some sort of infection but could not be certain. Still, she used his still-unconscious state to perform another check of his body, this time with the sunlight to aid her.

His abdomen was a mass of bruises, something she'd known from the night before. She palpitated his abdominal area, producing more groans but not fully waking him. Because of the number of bruises, she could not tell the likelihood of internal bleeding from physical symptoms alone. For that, she needed the hand-held scanner in the clinic.

Despair mingled with her exhaustion, making it more difficult to hang on to her emotional control. Shani eased herself from beneath Carson, taking care to straighten his limbs and try to make him more comfortable. Moving about did little to help, and she was surprised to find the blond woman she'd observed the night before watching her with that same cold, unfeeling expression. Shani met the woman's eyes, refusing to look away on the off chance that the woman might feel some level of sympathy for them. Instead, the woman lifted her chin and, after a sneer, walked in the opposite direction.

That blatant disregard broke the control Shani had managed to keep on her emotions. She blinked as tears streaked down her cheeks, wishing someone in this place would take pity on them. And then, the anger set in. She hollered at the woman, causing her to turn and stare again. Shani continued yelling, drawing a crowd with her shouts as she cursed Ondre, the woman, and every man here. She knew better than to antagonize her prisoners, but she had been pushed to the edge of her control. More tears made their way down her cheeks as she stalked over to Carson's side.

He grinned up at her, clearly having been awakened by her tirade. "Couldnae ha'e said it better meself," he murmured before drifting back to sleep. His comment made Shani laugh in that completely exhausted, totally unamused way.

She was unprepared for the echo of gunfire and the panic that broke loose in the camp.

~TBC