A/N- Hope the January blues aren't hitting everyone too hard. But to perk you all up, here is the next chapter!
As i mentioned in my last update, the time frame of these episodes have changed slightly from a 6 week period to a 6 month period.
Thanks to TheShadowsNightmare and TheStrangeBunny for your reviews - sorry for any devastation.
But although there isn't any JohnxAlice contact in this chapter there is plenty of angst.
Happy reading!
One month later.
Alice blinked as the sun rose higher in the sky and its beams started streaming through her makeshift door. Stretching out her stiff limbs she sat up in her bed and stared around her place. Calling it a house would be a bit of a overstatement, the walls were made out of wood, mud and cloth and the floor was covered with a thin rug. But it was enough for her, she barely spent any time in it anyway.
It had been 63 days since they'd left Atlantis and Alice's dufflebags still laid half packed on the floor. It wasn't that she imagined leaving here anytime soon, but unpacking them seemed to final. And she still felt slightly in denial over the whole situation. Everything had happened so fast from finding the crew of the Tria to evacuating Atlantis, there hadn't been a lot of time to really process everything. But she couldn't stop thinking about it now.
Alice's datapad was next to her bed with her gun and a notebook. Rodney had been kind enough to slip in a naquadah generator into the Athosian's gear when they were evacuating. It had been a week or so after they'd arrived here when Telos had called Alice and Teyla over because one of the bags was humming.
Cautiously they'd opened up the bag and inside was the generator and a note.
The generator should last you more than ten years with the amount of energy you'll be using.
Hope this helps.
McKay
Alice had burst out laughing at the formality of the note. But she also felt a sharp ache within her as she thought of her former teammate.
As she sat looking around her small room she wondered what Rodney was doing now. If he'd stayed with the SGC or moved on. She knew it was dangerous to speculate as she couldn't think of Rodney without thinking about him. The memory of the man left her raw and empty.
She had to move, as long as she kept moving she wouldn't be swallowed up by her emotions. Throwing off her blankets she stood up, trying to clear her mind. There was plenty of work that needed doing and the more she focused on that and the people who needed her the stronger she felt.
Quickly she changed into a fresh set of clothes from her duffle bag, her fingers brushing over the material of John's shirt. As she pulled her shirt over her head, her nose filled with his fading smell. Closing her eyes she took in a deep breath, letting the smell relax her before she headed outside, squinting at the bright sun.
The Athosians were simple people, they didn't need or want lavish homes all they wanted was a peaceful place to grow old and enjoy their lives without fear from the Wraith.
Kids ran around past Alice, she could hear them yelling out 'it' as they giggled. She may or may not have been teaching them some more Earth games. The settlement was coming together well, it hadn't taken them long to put together all the homes as the Athosians were almost nomadic in nature. They weren't into permanent structures, but that was probably for the best. They knew so little about this planet that they might need to move at some point.
The first few weeks on New Athos had been exactly what she'd expected. A lot of work went into building a completely new settlement, planting as many crops as possible and learning to hunt the new wildlife.
The days on New Athos were just over 26 hours long, and they seemed to be in the middle of Spring. Alice had managed to convince Helia to allow them access to the Ancient's database and download all the information stored about this planet. So they knew the seasons were long and they had plenty of time to grow a healthy supply of food before winter.
Those first few weeks were extremely labour intensive, Alice was still covered head to toe in bruises and cuts. But no matter how tired or exhausted she felt, at the end of every day she felt a warm sensation seeing the difference they'd made.
It hadn't taken long for the Athosian's to accept Alice and Ronon as one of their own. The first night they'd spent on New Athos had turned into a bit of a celebration of sorts, and there had been a lot of Athosian moonshine. Alice wasn't ashamed to admit, she'd had more than her fair share trying to forget the pain of what had happened.
When Alice wasn't working in the fields she spent her time with Ronon training. She knew that she couldn't be a farmer for ever and as much as she cared about the Athosians, her place wasn't among them. And neither was Ronon's. It wasn't difficult to see him getting more restless building and farming day after day. But it had become more evident over the last few days.
When Alice had suggested daily sparring sessions a couple of weeks back he'd practically jumped at the idea. Though she hadn't exactly predicted how seriously he was going to take her training, not that he had before, but he didn't hold anything back in their sessions and she had the bruises to show it. Though she was proud to have left a few of her own marks as well.
Flexing her muscles, she swung her arms back and forth around her. Trying to loosen up the stiffness she felt from over exerting herself. After hours under the relentless sun and evenings sparring, she barely had the strength to change her clothes. But she preferred it that way. It meant she had almost no time to think about how much she missed not being able to hear the ocean or the feel the warmth of John laying next to her as she slept.
Folding over her stomach she reached down for her toes feeling the muscles in her back slowly relax. Straightening back up, she checked her shoes and then started running. Usually Teyla joined her for a morning jog around the area, but she was busy this morning attending to some village matters, so that left Alice alone.
The thought of being alone with her thoughts made her tense. Since they'd been here she'd constantly been on the move, busying herself with one thing after another. She barely took any breaks, and when the rest of the village rested, she was either sparring with Ronon or sketching out some design to improve the village. Afraid that if she stopped the sadness and grief would overwhelm her.
Teyla and Ronon had been careful not to mention John's name around her, but even that couldn't stop the sudden ache in her chest when she thought about him.
She had never felt about someone they way she'd felt about him. And she wasn't sure if she would ever feel that way again. It had caught her off-guard how badly she noticed his absence, she didn't even need to be thinking about him to know he wasn't there. It was as though someone had taken a part of her away.
Those kind of thoughts were dangerous. So just pretended they didn't exist, hoping that one day maybe they wouldn't.
Throughout her run she focused on the pacing of her feet, and the rate of her breath. Every run she took a new path, exploring the new planet bit by bit. Today she'd found a new river about 4km away from their village.
By the time she made it back, the rest of the Athosians had started waking up and preparing to start their day of work. Alice wiped sweat from her brow and placed her hands on her knees, taking in deep breaths.
"You're getting better." Ronon's voice came from behind her.
"Thanks" She smiled breathlessly. "Today was the furthest I've gone. Though I'm still sore from last night's session." As she said it, the rib Ronon had accidentally bruised twinged.
He clapped his hand on her back. "Ready to go?"
Alive huffed and straightened up. "Sure." Together they headed into the fields, ready for another day of ploughing and planting.
After a few hours, Alice was sat on the edge of the well they'd made splashing the cold water on her face. The days were getting warmer and drier as they approached summer.
"Aly!" Ronon yelled. Alice squinted, looking up and wiping her brow with her sleeve.
Ronon was waving his hand, gesturing for her to come back towards the settlement. Curious, Alice stood up bringing her tools with her and made her way across the field back into the village. "What's up?" She dropped her tools into a weaved basket.
"The Genii are here." Ronon's eyes were narrowed suspiciously and a scowl was forming on his mouth.
"What do they want..." she raised an eyebrow.
Since they'd given Atlantis back to the Ancients they'd not heard from either them or the Genii. The only people Alice had any contact with were the Taranans and the kids on M7G-677, they'd been having trouble with their ZPM again.
Ronon shrugged and started leading her towards Teyla's tent. Now, they were back amongst the Athosians, Teyla had taken back her role as leader of her people. Even though Ronon and her weren't Athosian they didn't have any problems following her. Her time with the expedition had given her the best qualities from both John and Elizabeth. And neither Ronon or Alice had any desire to take over or set out on their own.
Before they pushed through the curtain into Teyla's tent, Alice realised how much of a mess she looked. She was covered in dirt, mud and sweat. Not to mention the mottling of bruises that covered her skin. If they were back on Atlantis, there was no way she'd be heading into any meeting looking like this. But this wasn't Atlantis, she reminded herself and stepped through the opening.
Three Genii soldiers stood with their backs to Alice and Ronon. But she recognised the man in the middle instantly.
"Ah Doctor Riley, Ronon." Ladon dipped his head respectfully. "It's good to see you."
Alice bit her lip, holding her tongue as she directed her gaze over to Teyla. "Please let's all sit." Teyla said politely.
Ladon and his men, didn't hesitate. They pulled out the bench of the table and sat down. Alice noticed they were armed, though not heavily. She tapped her foot on the floor, before moving forward to sit next to Teyla. She was aware only Ronon was armed on their side, her gun was still in its holster next to her bed. But if they'd come to fight then they wouldn't have sent the leader of the Genii.
Hesitantly, she lowered herself down, folding her arms over her chest. Ronon stayed standing, crossing his arm over his broad chest.
"Ladon." Alice acknowledged him. "And you can just call me Alice."
Ladon gave her a diplomatic smile. "Very well. Alice." He looked around at them and clasped his hands in front of him. "The Genii were very sorry to hear of your people returning back to your home planet." He address Alice directly as he spoke. "I heard that you had stayed and I knew you would never come to me... so I thought I would come to you. Our relationship has been ... strained, but we need to put all that behind us now."
"We do?" Ronon said from behind her.
"Well, your friends have all returned home and you've been asked to leave Atlantis. So the question is: what will you do next?" Ladon didn't seem phased by Ronon's intimidating position.
Teyla straightened and gestured outside. "We are helping my people rebuild this settlement."
"Yes, but the settlement seems finished." He looked up at Ronon. "Besides, is carpentry and clearing brush really the best use of your skills?"
Teyla sighed exasperatedly. "Get to the point."
A small smirk appeared in the corner of Ladon's mouth. "Come work with me." Ronon snorted quietly, but once again Ladon focused his gaze onto Alice. "I understand your reluctance. In the past, the Genii have hardly been the shining beacon of hope in the galaxy."
Alice raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. "You could say that again."
"We are growing stronger every day, and we have a number of operations planned that could seriously cripple the Wraith."
Alice leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table. Her eyes focused directly on Ladon's. "What do you have in mind?"
Ladon dropped her gaze. "Well, I am of course reluctant to go into specific details here ..." Alice leaned back and glanced up at Ronon. She could tell he was thinking the same thing - there was no plan. "... but suffice it to say the plans are dangerous and in need of your unique abilities."
"We're not interested." Ronon grunted.
Ladon smiled again and pushed his chair back, standing up. His guards stood beside him. Alice and Teyla followed suit. Ladon pulled down the bottom of his jacket. "Well, that's too bad ... although not entirely surprising. Give it some time, Ronon and Alice. I wonder how much joy you'll find as a tava bean farmer."
Alice seethed, but mostly because she knew he was right. After everything they'd put her and her team through, the last people she wanted to form an alliance with was the Genii. But what choice did they have. They couldn't exactly take on the Wraith by themselves, and the Athosians weren't warriors.
Alice waited until she couldn't hear the footsteps of Ladon and his men as they headed back to the gate, before she turned to look at Teyla and Ronon. "As much as I hate to say it. He does have a point." Alice sighed and leaned back onto the table.
"I'm not working with the Genii." Ronon stomped over to the otherside of the table and took one of the Genii's vacant seats.
Alice flicked a piece of food off the table. "I don't think we really have much choice. We can't take the Wraith on by ourselves without any resources. And it's not like the Ancients are going to ask for our help."
Ronon grunted. "I still don't like it."
Alice turned to Teyla. "What do you think?"
Teyla pursed her lips and looked down at her interlocked hands. "My people are farmers, not warriors. If you wish to return to the fight, the Genii do offer the best option."
Alice narrowed her eyes. "You mean you wouldn't join us?"
A small shadow of sadness and guilt passed over Teyla's face. "I have been away from my people for a long time. Right now, they need to be my priority."
Alice wanted to argue, to say they wouldn't go without her, but she knew it wouldn't change her mind. "Nothing needs to be decided tonight. There's still plenty for us to do here."
Ronon grunted, and stood up to leave the room.
Alice sighed and stood up to follow him. "I better get back to work."
As she lay in bed that night, she thought about Ladon's offer. No matter how much she'd disliked the Genii in the past or how much trouble they'd caused her, she couldn't deny how tempted she was at the offer. They had everything she needed to continue the work the expedition had started, resources, equipment and soldiers. Granted they'd proven to be unreliable in the past, but if she had a chance to train them, share her knowledge, then just maybe they could make it work.
She rolled over onto her side, she could almost hear John's voice in her head. He wouldn't approve of this, he'd tell her to find another way. But there wasn't a lot of options, and as she was painfully aware he wasn't here.
—
Barely two days had passed before Ladon returned. Alice had been expecting it, she knew he wouldn't let them turn him down so easily. And as much as she loved Teyla and the Athosians, the prospect of getting back into the field and helping people was too tempting. At the end of the day, that was why she'd stayed.
If Ladon hadn't stepped through the gate that morning, Alice had been prepared to go directly to him. She'd noticed him from the edge of the field, heading straight for Teyla's tent, with two guards flanking him carrying large bags.
Alice instantly dropped her tools in the dirt and ran over to them, whistling to capture Ronon's attention. He'd been repairing the roofing of one of the Athosian's homes. He jumped down straight away to join her. "They're back." He knew exactly what she was talking about as his face donned that familiar scowl as she approached him.
They hadn't spoken much about Ladon's offer, but she had an idea what Ronon's reply would be. But no matter how much he hated them, she was sure he wouldn't let her go alone. Alice wiped her hands on the back of her jacket before stepping into Teyla's home. "You're back sooner than we thought."
Ladon smiled. "You're more valuable to us than you think." He gestured to his guards, they dropped the bags they were carrying. "At least a month's worth of food and supplies. If you agree to work with us we will continue to supply the Athosians with what ever they need."
Alice looked up at Teyla in surprise, though she normally had a great poker face, even she looked shocked at the proposed exchange. Ladon really must be desperate.
"We have not had much time to consider your offer." Teyla glanced between Ladon and the supplies. Alice knew the Athosians needed these - they'd planted crops but it would be some time before they were ready to be harvested and they'd only been able to take what they could from the Lantean mainland and those supplies were already running low.
"What about medical supplies and military support?" Alice stepped forward, knowing this was her best time to negotiate.
Ladon turned his attention to her, a small gleam in his eyes igniting as he realised what this meant. "Whatever you need."
Alice took in a breath. "Then I have some conditions, but..." she glanced up at Ronon and Teyla. "I'm in."
Ladon's mouth widened into a broad grin. "I promise you won't regret it."
Ronon huffed behind her, stepping forward so he was by her side. His arms crossed threateningly over his chest. "There's no way I'm letting you go with them alone."
"We wouldn't have it any other way." Ladon kept his grin, unfazed by Ronon's show of force, then shifted his gaze to Teyla.
She gave Alice an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, my place at the moment is with my people."
Ladon's face fell ever so slightly, but he didn't look surprised. "I understand." Then he turned back to address Alice and Ronon. "We would like you to join us as soon as possible. We could certainly use your expertise - both of you."
Alice's heart pounded as adrenaline started pulsing through her. "We only need a few minutes."
"We'll wait for you at the gate." Ladon held his hand out to Alice.
Alice took his hand and watched him and his guards leave. They waited a few moments, then Alice threw her arms around Teyla. "We'll be back before you know it. Be safe."
Teyla laughed softly against her ear. "Do not worry about me. Stay close to Ronon and remember, no matter what they say the Genii have proven to be untrustworthy in the past."
Alice let go and let Ronon in to say a quick goodbye. "I'll meet you at the edge of the village, i just have to grab a few things." Alice ran back to her own house, throwing her make-shift mattress over to get under her bed. A black duffel bag sat there covered in a thin layer of dirt.
She pulled the bag out and took out her old Atlantis military uniform. She'd kept it purely for sentimental reasons, but it felt appropriate to put it back on. It felt like a small piece of armour she could wear, to protect her from what felt like a deal with the devil.
She changed quickly and pulled her hair up into a bun. Then grabbing her gun belt, she ran out of the tent towards the edge of the village.
—-
Three months later.
For three months now Alice had been running ops on and off for the Genii. So far, they'd kept to their end of the bargain. Ladon hadn't exactly been happy to find out a condition of her help was that she would not assist in creating any weapons or nuclear warheads. Nothing that was too far ahead of their current level of technology. But he'd made it very clear how badly they needed her help, so albeit reluctantly, he agreed to her conditions.
The Genii had given both her and Ronon their own quarters on the base. Most of the time they both preferred going back to New Athos, but when they were running ops or training till the early hours of the morning, Alice was thankful to have somewhere to crash.
As Alice and Ronon had expected the 'master plan' Ladon had hinted at was rough. But with them on board they'd helped refine and build upon his strategy. So far they'd run a few surveillance ops trying to work out any patterns they could to the Wraith's movements. They'd discovered that the different factions of the Wraith each claimed a different section of space, occasionally one faction would challenge another but mostly they avoided each other.
Alice huffed, she was standing in a brightly lit room with her fists raised. Ladon stood opposite her, his stance low and his eyes calculating. No matter what move she made Ladon's body would adjust to it. If she was going to beat him, she'd have to be fast and quick enough to catch him off guard. Making her decision she struck, rushing forward she tensed her arm and made all the preparations for a palm strike. Ladon's eyes followed her, already moving to block her. But at the lAst minute Alice dropped into a crouch and swung her leg out as hard as she could catching the back of Ladon's knees. His body fell hard down onto the floor.
Quickly she twisted back up and thrust her foot down onto his neck. "And you're dead." She grinned. "maybe leadership is making you soft." She pulled back her foot, allowing Ladon to stand.
"Or I was just never the best fighter to begin with." He countered.
Alice raised an eyebrow. "You were part of Kolya's strike team. From what I've gathered that's the equivalent of special forces back on Earth." Ladon gave her a slightly confused look, but she didn't bother trying to explain herself.
"Against a regular opponent I would consider myself a fair fighter, but against the likes of yourself or Ronon. There's a reason we carry guns." He joked.
Alice let out a small laugh. "Yeah you don't ever want to pull a gun on the big guy." The more time she spent with Ladon the more she felt her guard slowly dropping. He was easy to get along with, intelligent and unlike the previous Genii leaders had a sense of empathy. "Thanks for the spar. I hope your wife doesn't mind I kept you back a few hours."
Ladon rubbed his hand through his ruffled hair. "Don't worry, there is no wife."
"Oh. Sorry I just assumed..." Alice cringed.
Ladon held up his hand to stop her. "There were a lot of sacrifices I had to make to get to where I am now. I have no regrets." Alice pursed her lips and stepped back to sit down on the bench against the wall. "What about you? Do you have someone special?"
Alice felt her throat tighten. "No...Not anymore." She said honestly.
Ladon stepped towards her and sat down on the bench next to her. "We all make decisions that haunt us. But we can't change what's in the past." Hesitantly he reached out and put a hand on Alice's knee.
Glancing over to him she saw the soft eyes and smile and she knew exactly what he was offering. In the past she wouldn't have hesitated, it would have been easy to fall into bed with Ladon. He was a good man, despite their rocky start, and would keep her entertained at least for a bit. But that was before John. She dropped his gaze and got to her feet. "Thank you Ladon. It helps to have good friends."
Ladon sighed behind her gently. "I'm going to get cleaned up."
"Let me know the next time you're looking for a sparring partner." She waved back at him as she headed out of the room towards her quarters.
After dinner she settled into her quarters and slipped into the cold sheets. The air in the base was stale and cold, a result of the Genii pumping recycled air through their underground base. It wasn't something she could get used to, and definitely not somewhere she would ever call home, but it worked for now.
As she laid in her bunk, she thought about Ladon's advance and she tried not to think about John. But it was almost impossible.
She wondered if she'd ever be able to go a day without thinking of him. When she wouldn't need distractions to get her through the day. But it had been six months and every morning she woke up with the same pain in her chest and image in her head.
Two months later - 5 months since leaving Atlantis
Alice slapped a magazine into the Genii weapon, then slipped it into the holster on her thigh. Then she pulled out the rifle from its holder, checking its load and slipping the strap over her shoulder.
She quickly checked over the equipment in her tac-vest then twisted her neck around to search for Ronon's face. He was already making his way through prepping soldiers towards her, his lip turned into a scowl when he saw her. "I know. I know. It's hideous isn't it." She looked down at the Genii uniform she was wearing. "But I need these men to trust me, I'm in command of this opp and I need them to follow my orders. If putting on this-" she tugged on the brown fabric. "means they're less likely to hesitate then..." she knew she didn't have to finish the sentence.
Ronon still didn't like being here. The only reason he was still here was because of her. He especially didn't like the budding friendship between her and Ladon. But at least they were back into the action, doing what they did best.
Today was the day they'd been waiting for. A few weeks ago on a routine scouting mission, Alice had started noticing the Wraith reactivating their old outposts. They hadn't been able to get close enough to determine what they were for, but it couldn't be good. They'd spent countless hours scouting outposts on numerous planets and today they were launching their first strike mission against one.
"Once you've geared up go to the gate and proceed to your designated squadrons." Alice yelled through the bunker as the Genii soldiers stuffed excess ammo into their packs. Ronon gave her a gruff nod, and together they headed for the gate.
Ladon was waiting at the gate with his two highest ranking generals. The generals were middle aged, grey and tight lipped. She'd met them once before when Ladon had invited her to join one of his council strategy meetings. They'd been hesitant of Alice and Ronon's involvement in Genii business, especially of how much trust Ladon was placing in her. She'd been given access to virtually every project they had in development at the moment, and now she was in command of this mission.
"Today is a momentous day for the Genii. Today we show the Wraith we cease to cower in fear of their power. Today we fight back." Ladon's voice rang clear in the clearing. "Good luck." He looked directly at Alice and nodded. That was his signal.
"Alright." Alice shouted, getting her strike team's attention. "You all know the plan, we need to be in and out as quick as possible. Stick with your teams and stay on target." She gazed at Ronon, who gave her a small nod. "Dial the gate!"