AN: Wow, I'm really surprised by the reaction to this little fic! You know, originally, I was just going to do the scene in the jumper with McKay, and leave it at that. I guessed you all wouldn't be thrilled at being left hanging, and decided to tell the pre-story and aftermath (and now aren't you glad I did)! Seriously, thanks for the reviews, you've made a happy writer on this side of the PC.

III.

They were led out of the prison building, and through another door, which gave way to a medium-sized oval arena. Sheppard could see roughly cut wooden seats filled with people waiting eagerly for the evening's entertainment. He realized that would be him.

What he was hoping for was Ronon and Teyla signaling Atlantis that there was something wrong. By now, they'd been out of touch for the entire day, and that went against protocol. Ronon was new, but Teyla would know something was up. Of course, there was always the off chance that something had happened to the other two members.

"Doctor McKay, if you would," Klicktik gestured towards a balcony off to the right of the entrance they had come in.

So, this is where they split company, Sheppard thought. He caught Rodney's gaze, and said without speaking for him to go with Klicktik, to cooperate and not make the situation worse than it was. McKay's imperceptible shake fueled Sheppard's irritation, and he hardened his stare. If McKay tried anything now -

One of Sheppard's guards tugged him, "This way, Colonel," said Rakura.

"I'll see you soon," Sheppard assured McKay.

Rodney could tell he was a precariously balanced log on water, and the stubborn jut of his chin retreated slightly. "You bet," he promised to Sheppard, layers of meaning in his words.

John allowed himself to be led into the center of the arena. The crowd applauded, and shouted. He wasn't sure if they were rooting for him, but no one was throwing rotten produce, so that had to be a good sign.

He wasn't looking when his opponent was brought in. Instead, he'd found where McKay was sitting next to Klicktik, and was trying to exude confidence to ease Rodney's stiff posture. He was telecasting that everything would be fine. He heard the crowd fall quiet, and saw the stunned expression on McKay's face.

Whirling, he stared in disbelief at Ronon, who was staring at him with equal surprise. Ronon turned on the large guard who had led him in, asking, "What is this?" and his demeanor was predatory.

Yeah, what the hell is this, thought Sheppard angrily. He narrowed his eyes at Ronon. "Where's Teyla?"

"With you, I was told," answered Ronon stiffly.

Klicktik was standing in the box; Ronon and Sheppard both turned to look at him, and saw Teyla was now sitting beside McKay, and both were under heavy guard. Teyla looked pissed and McKay was as confused as he was angry.

That makes two of them, because Sheppard wanted to know what was going on.

"Klicktik, is this how you treat your guests?" bellowed Sheppard.

"Your Doctor McKay insulted our ways, Colonel!" shouted the Kenai leader. "For that, you accepted his place in battle."

"And of me?" Ronon called. "I will not fight Sheppard!"

"You will, because if you don't, you all will die," vowed Klicktik. "If Sheppard wins, your two companions and the colonel may leave. If you win, Ronon, I will release Miss Emmagan and Doctor McKay, but you will remain and fight for our world, and train our people."

"Like hell he will," growled Sheppard. They'd been double-crossed, and led into this situation, it was now as plain as writing on the wall, but that fucking thing about hindsight – it does you no good.

The entire goat sacrifice had been orchestrated. Ronon and Teyla had been separated from them for a reason. Everything had been played out in perfect script since their arrival, and now they were screwed.

A sharp yell, and Sheppard's attention was drawn back to McKay, who was no longer sitting, but forced to stand, with a knife to his throat.

Klicktik was smiling with patent pleasure. And why shouldn't he, thought Sheppard angrily, he had them by the proverbial balls, and knew it. He saw the knife press harder into McKay's flesh, and he could just make out a droplet of blood welling at the edge of the blade.

"Son of a bitch!" swore Sheppard. "Stop it!"

"You will fight?" asked Klicktik, waving a backhanded move at the guard to hold his action.

"I'll fight," Sheppard conceded. He looked over at Ronon, and shook his head no, because he could see Dex gearing up to attack the Kenai guard beside them. If he did that, Sheppard knew McKay would be dead before they even made two steps. "But Ronon goes free if he wins!"

That smug bastard merely shook his head. "You are in no position for demands, Colonel."

Hate is such a strong word, but at that moment, hatred was what Sheppard felt for Klicktik, hell, for the entire Kenai people. If he could, at that moment, he would gladly have wrung the man's neck.

A weapon was thrust into his hand, and he jerked back, almost dropping the sword. Sword? He didn't know how to swordfight? He looked up, and caught a lethal looking crossbow being thrust into Ronon's hand.

The reality settled on him like a thick yoke, and he wanted to throw the sword down in disgust. There had to be a way out of this –

Ronon stalked forward, clasping hands, and grabbing his wrist firmly. "I will try not to injure you fatally," he uttered low, between them only.

"That's comforting," Sheppard retorted equally low, a trace of amusement at the very unfunny situation. He didn't have any illusions that he'd be the one trying not to be killed. He'd seen Ronon fight, hell, had put the man through his paces before allowing him to join his team.

"As we fight, move closer to their location, and on my mark, we turn on them," Ronon continued hurriedly. "I'll take out the one on McKay."

It could work. Ronon had the bow, and it'd get the greatest threat out of the way. Sheppard's heart was pounding. If they screwed up – "Make it count," he urged, and took a swing at Ronon's face with the hand not trying to hold on to the sword.

The punch he got in his face in return was a lot stronger and on the mark than his had been. He went down, but rolled in the direction of the balcony.

They fought, hands and fists, feet and legs, but keeping the weapons out of it. Sometimes, that meant tossing the weapons to the side, and if that edged them closer to McKay and Teyla, all the better. Ronon wasn't holding back, and though Sheppard wasn't either, he was getting a lot less in than the other man, and taking more hits than he should have.

He could sense the edge of the arena off to his right now. But, he could also sense the growing unrest with the crowd. They were getting tired of the non-lethal fighting. They wanted to see blood, and see someone die. Meeting Ronon's look, he felt obliged to give them what they wanted.

They both rolled, grabbing their discarded weapons, and coming to their feet without pausing. "Now!" shouted Ronon, discharging the arrow in his cross bow. It flew home, piercing the guard holding McKay in the chest, and he fell back dead; the final thought registered on the man's face was surprise, as his eyes widened even as he slumped backwards. The arrow had grazed McKay's shoulder en route, and now Rodney was standing hunched to the side, staring in shock at the rapid turn of events.

"Stop them!" shouted Klicktik, but Sheppard was already advancing on the leader, sword high and ready for a slicing stroke. They'd left their P90's in the jumper, per the agreement, but this metal weapon would do the job as well as anything else, it'd just be a lot messier, and right now, messy had a promise of satisfaction.

Sheppard could see Teyla on the left fighting a guard, and she quickly disarmed the man, and took the crossbow, aiming it at a line of approaching men. Shit! If they didn't finish this soon, they'd be outnumbered, and overwhelmed, and some how John didn't think the option of McKay and Teyla leaving alive was open for discussion anymore.

A guard stepped between him and Klicktik, but Sheppard punched hard with his left, and swung with his right, and the guard went down screaming, as his arm was practically severed above the elbow - definitely messier, thought John savagely.

Sheppard leapt forward, and brought the sword up to Klicktik's throat. "Not so fun when it's your neck on the line, is it," he said coolly.

"Sheppard, look out!"

John turned to McKay, only to watch as Rodney leapt at a guard aiming a crossbow at his back. McKay drilled the man to the ground, and yanked the weapon, flipping it to the handle side, and brought it down hard on the guard's head.

"Let's go!" Sheppard shouted, knowing the longer they lingered, the more the odds stacked against them escaping.

Klicktik took the opportunity, and shoved away from Sheppard, disappearing in the mass of bodies that were beginning to riot. Seems the Kenai people weren't at all particular about whose blood was being spilled, and the fight had become a free for all.

They started sprinting for the exit, making it with little trouble, and headed towards the jumper. They could see it in the distance, not far, and Sheppard thought they'd make it. He was wrong.

"Colonel!"

Sheppard looked over his shoulder, and felt his stomach leap to his throat. Klicktik had an arrow pressed against McKay's side. John's feet stalled without conscious thought, and he turned. "Let him go," he ordered evenly. "You kill him, and I'll kill you."

"Take his place," offered Klicktik. "And the rest of your team may go."

"I thought you wanted Ronon?" Sheppard was trying to find a way out of this. He could tell Ronon and Teyla had stopped running as well, and were waiting behind him; waiting to see what he'd do.

Klicktik jerked his head dismissively. "He'd be too difficult to control; I changed my mind, I want you. Your life for Doctor McKay, how much does he mean to you, Colonel?"

How much did McKay's life mean to him? Sheppard wasn't about to admit it meant everything. "Fine," he answered abruptly.

"What the hell are you doing?" barked McKay. "No fucking way!"

"Shut up, McKay!" Sheppard started moving stealthily towards Klicktik. "Let him go, you've got me." He dropped the sword, and lifted his hands up in complacency.

But McKay had other plans. As Klicktik's weapon relaxed, he shoved an elbow in the man's gut, and spun around, trying to pull the crossbow free.

Klicktik struggled, and just as McKay thought he had it, the weapon fired. Sheppard would've swore that time stopped, as a horrified McKay tried to turn to him and shout a warning, "Sheppard!" but time didn't stop, and the arrow impacted his chest, sending him flying backwards in stunned silence.

"You fool," snarled Klicktik, seeing his opportunity at reclaiming his status begin to bleed out in the dusty ground.

What he would've said next was moot, because at that point, an arrow from Ronon's weapon buried itself in the man's heart. He didn't fall at first, merely backpedaled a few steps, reaching for the shaft of the arrow, and looked up stupidly at McKay. Klicktik opened his mouth to say something, but instead, fell back, dead.

"That's it!" snapped McKay, turning on his heel, and running towards Sheppard's body. "No fucking more. I've had it! People shooting at me, holding knives to my throat, sticking arrows in my side, and goddamnit, you think you're going to fucking die on me now, no goddamn way, you hear me!" He dropped to his knees, and lifted Sheppard's limp torso. "You stupid son of a bitch, sacrificing yourself for me, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Home, McKay," whispered John, blinking against the sudden glare. "I want to go home."

McKay's hand shook as he gripped Sheppard. "I'll get you home, I promise."

"Let me," Ronon said, kneeling down to scoop Sheppard's body into his arms. "We can still save him."

They could still save him – they could. Carson could. McKay followed, dimly aware of Teyla talking urgently to the waiting soldier they'd brought along, the soldier who had stayed in the jumper to ensure no one came skulking about when they were doing their thing in the town. The soldier, who thank god, had the gene, and could fly them back.

Home. They were going home –

TBC