AUTHOR'S NOTE: To Guest 64: Thank you most kindly for your generous and thoughtful reviews. Your feedback is MUCH appreciated! END AUTHOR'S NOTE

In the three days since the Genii rebels arrived in the Ancient city nothing untoward happened. Most people there were beginning to relax a bit more, believing that the rebels were no threat. Neither Logan or Sheppard ever relaxed their stance on the matter, however, and they remained as vigilant about security as they had been from the moment they learned they'd be coming.

Logan could not shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong, but there were no outward indications of trouble in any form coming from the rebels. Even acknowledging that Weir might be correct about her feelings about the rebels being based solely on her experiences with other Genii, she still couldn't bring herself to trust them.

Another week passed and still there were no problems. Almost everyone in the Lantean camp was starting to lean toward the idea that these rebels were really sincere in their desire to break away from the current regime and form a partnership with the Lanteans. There were now but a few who remained suspicious of their true motives: Logan, Sheppard, McKay, Teal'c and, fortunately, Caldwell. As military commander, he had final say in releasing any restrictions placed on the rebels, and since he didn't completely trust them, he was not inclined to do so.

When yet another week passed without incident, Caldwell was hard-pressed to come up with a reason not to formalize an alliance between their two peoples. He had shared this with them over dinner one evening, and asked them to come up with something concrete, or the matter might be taken out of his hands.

That night, Logan and Sheppard sat down and discussed what had or hadn't happened that might indicate the need for further questioning of the rebels. Try as they might, they couldn't come up with one single shred of evidence to support their reasoning not to trust the Genii. No, they didn't really NEED the Genii as allies, but it would be very nice if they didn't have to worry about having them as enemies, constantly looking over their shoulders for Genii operatives, in addition to the enormity of defending themselves and others against the Wraith. They went to bed that night without any proof or plan as to how to get to the truth concerning the rebels.

Logan woke the next morning to find that, not only had the sun already risen in the sky, but it was well past noon! She looked over and found Sheppard still sleeping beside her. She bolted upright and was immediately overcome with pain and nausea. She cried out, grabbing her head and sank back against the pillows.

"John," she gasped. "John, wake up!" she cried.

A terrible feeling of dread suddenly washed over her, she threw the covers off and tried to get to her feet. To her horror, she found that she was unable to stand. "JOHN!" she yelled, causing herself even more pain, but she was rewarded by a low groan from her husband. Logan dropped to the floor and began crawling toward the other bedroom.

As she reached the doorway to the childrens' room, she could hear screams emanating from down the hall. The same scream that came from deep in her soul when she looked into the empty bed and crib of her children.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed.

There was a loud thump from the other room. Sheppard reacted instinctively to his wife's agonized scream, though his legs and arms were slow to respond. "Logan?" he croaked, crawling toward the childrens' room.

Adrenaline pumped into her system and Logan got to her feet through sheer force of will. She staggered back out to find Sheppard on the floor. "The kids..." her face was white.

"Where...?" was all he could manage.

"They're gone!" she cried.

Sheppard too, pulled himself to his feet and stumbled along behind her. "Gone...? What?"

Logan made her way to the door and out to the hall. She could hear Kitah and now Lyta screaming hysterically on either side of their quarters. S.O.'s were lying in the hallways, barely able to move, but struggling to get to their feet. Sheppard grabbed a P-90 from one of them and took off toward the control room. Logan went to Caldwell's quarters. He and Lyta were in the same physical state as everyone else appeared to be. Caldwell looked over at her helplessly, as he tried in vain to comfort his wife.

"Yours too?" he asked.

Logan nodded. "And Daniel's..."

The shock was beginning to wear off, and the anger to take over. "Genii!" she hissed and then hurried out as fast as her shaking limbs would allow.

Sheppard beat her to the quarters where the Genii had been housed. Where every S.O. assigned to them lay or sit on the floor in varying states of incapacity. "They're all here except for the one called Vanu," he informed her.

"Dammit! I knew it!" she seethed.

She was barely keeping a lid on her rage. The thought of the Genii, any Genii, so much as touching her children was maddening. But they didn't just have hers; it looked like they had all the Lantean children - even Hope! Logan knew that losing her temper at this point wouldn't help the children, so she kept a tight grip on her emotions. She would save her rage for the ones holding their babies.

They roused the S.O.'s, at least well enough to guard the remaining Genii, then sent a few to rouse Beckett and to inform Caldwell and Weir about what was happening. They then set their angry sights on the rebels, who were looking around as though they had no idea what was going on.

"Where... is... she?" Sheppard demanded, holding his gun on Roth's head.

"She...?" he looked around, somewhat confused still.

"The one called Vanu. Where did she go?" Logan asked.

"Vanu? She was here when we all retired for the evening...She...is missing?" Jaci asked.

Logan wheeled on her angrily. "Lose the innocent act! We want to know where she is NOW!"

"We do not know," Roth stated.

"What has she done?" Feres asked.

"You know damned well what she's done!" Sheppard shouted.

"No, we don't," Feres argued.

"The children! She's taken the children and YOU all helped her do it!" Logan screamed in fury.

"The children? NO! None of us helped her...We were trying to make an alliance..."

"More like you were looking for a way to get to us," Sheppard countered.

"No," said Roth. "If she has done this, then she acted alone."

"She couldn't have acted alone! She couldn't have gotten all the children by herself!" Logan shouted.

"Then she was working with someone who isn't one of us!" Roth countered defensively.

"I should have known..." Feres muttered.

Both Logan and Sheppard jumped at that. "Should have known WHAT?!"

Feres looked fearfully at them. She knew well the reputation both held with the Genii. These were not ones to be trifled with. But, Vanu had seemed so sincere, so weary of the feud. She believed Vanu to be done with old grudges.

"SPEAK!" Sheppard shouted, making Feres jump.

"Vanu... She had reason to..." she trailed off, looking to her fellow Genii for support.

"WHAT?!" Logan demanded.

"I believed in her when she told me she held no grudges... Now it appears I was wrong."

"What grudge?" Sheppard asked.

"Vanu... She is a Mhott by marriage, but she is, by birth, a... Kolya."

ELSEWHERE IN THE GALAXY

Vanu kept watch over the two sleeping children. It hadn't been her intent to KEEP them, but now that she had them, she had no intention of parting with them. They owed her. Sheppard and Devane... They had taken her family from her and now she'd repaid them in kind. She smiled as she thought about how pleased her brothers would have been to know that she'd avenged them in such a way as to inflict the maximum amount of pain possible. She'd heard countless warnings about the Lanteans, Sheppard and Devane in particular, but she'd pulled off her vengeance without any problem and very little effort.

True, it had been hard to look at either one of them with a smile plastered upon her face, when what she'd truly wanted to do was take their lives the way they'd done to her brothers. But, this way was far more satisfying. They would suffer pain, for the rest of their lives, knowing that they'd lost their precious children as a result of their crimes against the Genii and the Kolya's in particular.

At first, she had toyed with the idea of executing the children, but quickly discarded that. It would be better to leave Sheppard and Logan agonizing over what specific fate had befallen them. Had she killed them, they would, at least, have closure. If they didn't know whether the children were alive or dead, or where they were, they would suffer a thousand times over. This was further sweetened by the knowledge that she could now mold the children into her own image of what they could and should be. They would grow up to hate and despise their parents, perhaps to one day FIGHT their parents, as the Genii did.

The oldest was two, still young enough that she would soon forget all about her parents. The boy was roughly a year younger than his sister, he would be even easier to mold. She wished that the two of them didn't look so much like their father, Sheppard, but she could live with it. They had not yet woken, but they would soon and she needed to move before they did. The Lanteans were no doubt awake by now, though still somewhat incapacitated by the gas she'd used. They would be coming after her, but they wouldn't find her. All they would have is the first world she gated to once she had all the children. She'd left there almost immediately after her arrival.

Once the gas had been released, and everyone incapacitated, it had been so easy to pluck the children, one by one, from their beds, laying them side by side in front of the gate and easing them through to the open arms waiting on the other side. The ease with which she'd accomplished this made her question, for the hundredth time, how her brothers had been taken down by such incompetent soldiers.

It mattered little now. She had avenged them. They could rest in peace. She and her husband would raise the Sheppard children as their own. Perhaps one day, those children would be the ones who finally take the lives of Sheppard and Devane. She dialed the gate and then picked up a sleeping child in each arm. This would be the fourth world she set foot on since leaving New Lantea. They would never find her, or the children, once they reached their final destination.

Hope lay very still, pretending to be asleep. She'd been extremely confused and very dizzy when she first woke up, and unable to control her arms or legs. She felt a bit stronger now, but she didn't want anyone to know that. She had no idea where she was, but once her head began to clear, her instincts and everything her parents had taught her began to kick in.

The first thing she needed was what Uncle John called "Intel." Information about who these people were and why they had taken her. Whatever the reason, she knew it couldn't be good. When she had gleaned enough to determine that they were scientists, Hope's blood ran cold. Her parents had warned her long ago that others would fear her, because of her lineage. Some would want to kill her outright, while others might want to conduct experiments on her. She was truly safe only with her Lantean people and the Athosians.

A little while later, she learned something new that nearly made her heart stop with fear and loathing. The scientists who had her were Genii! Enemies of her people second only to one - The Wraith. The visitors to New Lantea must have tricked them so they could get their hands on her... But what had they done to the others, to her parents, in order to get their hands on her? Both her parents would fight to the death to keep her safe. They were fierce warriors, not easily defeated. Perhaps they had been drugged somehow, like she had been?

"You can stop pretending now, little one," said a cold voice from across the room.

Hope took a deep breath and opened her eyes to find the man and woman staring at her intently. Her hands and feet were bound with strong ropes. As small as she was, they still feared her. This gave her a small amount of satisfaction. She sat up slowly and looked them both in the eye.

"Why have you taken me?" she asked.

They exchanged surprised looks. Her voice was much different than they'd expected.

"Actually, we didn't take you," the woman smiled. "You were more of a ... gift."

"A gift?" Hope asked, forcing herself to remain calm.

"We were told that a young Wraith child was found abandoned on another world. We offered to take you in."

"Out of the goodness of your hearts?" she sneered.

The two exchanged looks again. "You doubt our good intentions, young one?" The man said.

"Indeed. My parents would never abandon me, I was stolen."

"You give your kind far too much credit, little one," the woman said.

"My kind?"

"The Wraith are not known for their compassion, or their loyalty."

"My parents are not Wraith." Hope argued.

"Your lineage cannot be denied, though I confess it is barely detectable except to those who know what to look for. I wonder, young one, how it is that you appear so human," the man studied her face clinically.

Hope fought down a rising sense of panic. "What are you willing to do to learn the answer to that?" she asked.

"Whatever it takes," the man replied.

Hope shook her head and turned away, clutching the teddy bear her father had given her. At least she still had that. She would do whatever it took to hold onto it, for it was more valuable to her than they could know.

UNKNOWN PLANET I

"We are your Mama and Papa now," the woman said.

David Jackson didn't understand much, at his age, but he knew something was terribly wrong. "NO!" he said firmly.

The man looked at his wife and rubbed her back consolingly. They had lost their only child, a boy, just six months previously. This child, so bright and handsome, was a dream come true. There would be no more children born to them, due to complications from the birth of their own son. When they'd heard about the young orphaned boy, they knew it was fate that they should be the ones to take him.

"Don't worry, Kiyah. He is young; he will forget his first parents soon enough, and he will come to love us as much as we already love him."

"I know you are right, Haru. I guess I just did not expect to see such hostility in his eyes. He is so young for that."

"He may have seen the Wraith... take his parents..." Haru whispered so that the boy wouldn't hear him.

That thought nearly broke her heart and she instinctively moved to take the boy in her arms.

"NO!" David shouted again, backing away from them.

"Give it time, dear. He'll come around."

David kept looking around, hoping to catch sight of his parents, his friends, anyone familiar. This place was strange, these people were strange. He felt very unsafe. He wanted his parents, NOW. He reached down and picked up the teddy bear his father had given him and squeezed it tight. His father would come for him. Uncle John, Uncle Teal'c and Uncle Cam, too. They would find him and they would take him home. He wondered where his friends Riley and Chelsea were, and if they were as scared as he was.

UNKNOWN PLANET II

Riley Caldwell WAS scared, and every bit as alone as David Jackson was. Not only were her parents gone, but her older brothers were, too. Where was Hope? Hope always looked after her and David and Chelsea when their parents were away. She didn't know who these people were who were always trying to hold her, but she didn't want to have anything to do with them. She wanted Mama and Daddy. She wanted her brothers. Earlier she'd seen a woman outside who looked very much like her Aunt Logan, but when the woman turned around, she could see that it wasn't her. She began to cry, inconsolably, when she realized that there wasn't anyone here that she knew.

"She'll come around, Tais. She just needs time to recover from the death of her parents."

Tais looked at her husband. "I'm sure you are right. I wonder though, who is this Sam and Hope she asks for?"

"I don't know... Friends maybe?"

"She is so beautiful, Eagin. The daughter I always wanted... She WILL love us, won't she?"

"In time, dear...In time."

UNKNOWN PLANET III

Torus defiantly stared down the man holding him captive. He knew enough to keep his mouth shut about who he really was, though he wasn't sure what his kidnappers had already told the man about him. When he'd first awoken here, he'd almost panicked when he saw that his brother and sister weren't with him. Not because he wanted them in the same position, but because he somehow knew that each of them were alone. Riley would be terrified, and Sam would be scared, though he would do his best not to let it show. He'd promised his parents he would always watch out for them and he'd failed them.

He looked down at the chains binding his feet to the ground. They were strong. If he were going to make a break for it, he'd have to do it when they were moving him from his makeshift cell to the fields. He was still but a boy, but this man didn't care. All he wanted was someone to do the manual farm labor. He had several boys doing work around the farm, but Torus was the only one who needed to be chained up so he wouldn't run away.

When he'd first tried to run, upon waking, his "master" informed him that he would be meerciful the first time only. If he tried to run again, he'd been assured that the "master" would inflict far more punitive measures than simply chaining him up. He'd seen the scars on some of the other boys, so he had a pretty fair idea of what those punitive measures would be.

He knew his parents would be searching for him, but there was no telling how long it would take for them to track him down. He was sure his brother and sister had been taken as well, but they were far too young for farm labor - for any labor - so it was safe to assume that they were sent somewhere else, even to another world. The Genii were to blame for this. Those they had come to trust, against his father's better judgement, had betrayed them.

He would be patient for now. He would watch and learn the routine of the man who called himself his "master." He would find a way to escape and this time, he WOULD escape. Even if it were only long enough to send a message through the stargate. He forced himself to concentrate on the mission at hand, and not to think about what his siblings were going through. That would drive him crazy and it would make him reckless.

NEW LANTEA

"Yet you didn't see fit to inform us of this?" Weir glared angrily at Feres.

"You would not have let her be part of the negotiations," Feres said.

"With good reason!" Weir pointed out.

"Yes, I see that now. But I believed her when she said she wanted no part of the old ways... the old feuds... I believed she deserved a chance to show you that she could be trusted."

"And LOOK at what that decision has cost my people!"

"We never wished any harm on your people, Dr. Weir, I hope you can believe that. I am deeply sorry for the part I played in allowing this to happen. The others, they had no idea who Vanu really was. They are not to blame." Feres said sincerely.

Weir was already swimming in guilt, anger and fear. It was at her insistence that they'd even begun negotiations with the rebels in the first place. It had cost them dearly; a price none of them were willing to pay. It was one thing to put their own lives on the line to fight the Wraith - or any other enemy that might cross their path. It was another thing entirely to place the children at risk. She was glad she'd at least listened enough to go along with the idea of using this base as a cover instead of taking the rebels to Atlantis. The damage would have been... She shook her head, not wanting to even think about how it would have left them completely open to attack by the Genii. They wanted Atlantis at least as much as the Wraith did.

Caldwell had mobilized every available team in the galaxy to join in the search for the children. Their determination and anger was an awesome thing to behold. For the first time since meeting the Lanteans, the Genii rebels knew true fear of someone other than the Wraith. Yes, these people could be protective and generous, but they were swift to action when even one of their kind was threatened. Now one of them had incurred that wrath by stealing the most innocent among them: their children. Roth understood where they were coming from, having been in the military. He knew they would obliterate anyone who stood in the way of them retrieving their young - even if it meant wiping out the entire Genii population. Something he was sure they could have done long ago if they so chose.

He'd already known that Sheppard and Devane were a force to be reckoned with - they had quite a reputation among the Genii. But now he'd seen the same fire in the eyes of all of them. The eyes of the Athosian women, Kitah, Lyta and Teyla were as full of fire and retribution as the men. Some had expected them to dissolve into a puddle of grief and fear, but he knew the Athosians to be fierce warriors in their own right. They were not about to stand idly by while their men went out to search for their young. He blamed none of them for the hatred they felt toward his people. The Genii had unreasonably and unnecesarily taunted and attacked these people since the day they'd met. They continued to view them as the enemy, rather than embracing them as the powerful allies they could be and it had cost his people greatly. Many hundreds of Genii had been taken in the cullings as a result of their government's petty views regarding the Lanteans.

He'd offered his help, in trying to track down Vanu and the children, not that he expected them to accept it. He told them everything he knew about where Genii strongholds were located and how to avoid them. He'd all but begged to be taken along - unarmed, of course - but he didn't blame them for not trusting him after what Vanu had done. Whatever the outcome, Roth would be pledging his life and loyalty to the people of Lantea. If that meant remaining a prisoner for the rest of his life, so be it.