A/N: By popular consent, this will most definitely continue. Without further ado, the next chapter. Just so everyone knows the italics equal flashbacks. Chapter 2 Beta'd by Trickster's Queen of War.

John and Teyla had walked to the gate in relative silence. Teyla thanked John for not pressing the issue, but she knew that she would have to tell him eventually. Thankfully, they were soon through the gate and back in Atlantis.

"Colonel, you're back early." Elizabeth stated from the balcony.

"Teyla just needed to get some rest." John said, not voicing the full story for Teyla's sake.

"Is everything alright?" Elizabeth asked, walking down the main steps.

Teyla again smiled meekly. "Yes, I merely need time to rest. I did not sleep well last night, and it is getting late."

"Alright." Teyla saw Elizabeth glance surreptitiously at John, but was thankful that Elizabeth had let the issue drop. "John, make sure she gets to her quarters, then report to my office."

Teyla welcomed the company as John walked her to the transporter, he was still silent, but she could tell he was concealing curiosity about what had happened. She wasn't ready to tell him, but he would be the first to know when she was. Of that, she was certain.

They reached the door to her quarters, John started to say something, but stopped. Teyla nodded, then retreated into her room, letting the door close behind her. She hastily stripped off her mission gear and laid them at the foot of her bed.

She glanced out the window, the memories began to swim again.

Several other young Athosian women were pregnant within the week. The Yalisians, as they were called, were upholding their end of the bargain, working the fields tirelessly. For her part, Teyla refused to not do her job. She was hunting alone, her bow and arrow ready in her hands.

It was then that she felt the cold clutching her gut that warned her of the Wraith coming. She immediately slid her arrow into its pouch and began running back for the village. She had to warn them, it was something her mother had always taught her. She'd never been away before.

She knew in her heart that it would be too late when she got there. Already she could hear the wraith ships screeching across the skies, taking lives with every pass. She prayed that the ancestors would protect them, but she knew it was a worthless prayer, the ancestors had never come to their aid, why would it happen now?

If anything, they must've been punishing her for not helping the Yalisians. She had been away, not able to warn her people of the impending wraith attack. She ran faster. The forest was her home, it always had been. It was not hard to move through the underbrush.

She found her mother on the far side of the village, looking for her. Just then a wraith ship passed overhead. Teyla's mother shoved her daughter to the side, just as she herself was taken. Teyla rolled in the ditch, heedless of the mud. She screamed for her mother, but she knew there would be no one. She was alone.

The tears came to her eyes. She rolled onto her back, losing the will to fight, begging the wraith to take her so that it would all be over. She closed her eyes and let the darkness come.

The painful memory brought tears to Teyla's eyes again. She forced them away. This was neither the time or the place. She needed to rest. Despite all the internal turmoil inside her mind, she forced the memories away and lay down to a restless sleep.

XXX

John shook his head, standing just outside Elizabeth's office. How much should he tell her? He didn't know. In reality, he didn't know anything. He only had a suspicion that Teyla wasn't telling the whole truth about the young boy she'd feinted upon seeing.

Not delaying anymore, he walked in, sitting down at her desk. "Reporting as ordered."

"Thanks John." Elizabeth said, looking up from her tablet computer. "What's the real reason Teyla needed to come back."

John weighed his options. He opted to tell the partial truth. He'd keep his suspicions to himself for now. "She was having trouble concentrating and I thought it'd be best if she came back. Besides, Rodney was the only one doing anything. I left Ronon with him."

"Once she's had a good night's sleep, I want her to report to Carson." Elizabeth replied. "Just to be safe."

"Alright." John replied. "Anything else?"

"No."

John stood to leave.

"One more thing Colonel." Elizabeth said, causing him to pause. "I know that's not the whole story, but I'll let it slide for now." She threw him a knowing smile.

"Thanks." John said, walking out of her office and to the armory. Once there, he dumped his gear and headed up to his own room.

The sun was setting outside. He stopped to regard it on the way to his room, looking out from one of the numerous balconies. He couldn't guess what could've made Teyla react like she had, only that whatever it was, it had been something significant.

His father hadn't been much of a guiding force. Eighteen year old John Sheppard knew that. If anything, everything he did was to spite him. Call it being a rebellious teenager, or not, he didn't care. His mother had been killed in a car crash when he was eleven. The pain was a dull memory, one he still carried with him.

Angela Newman had been one of the greatest influences on his life. There had been times when he just had to get out of the house, and she was always there. He guessed that was the benefit of having a steady girlfriend.

Today had been one of those days. John's father had yelled at him for bringing home a less than stellar progress report. To be honest, John didn't really care for Advanced Placement English. In fact, he could care less. The teacher was an old woman who seemed more interested in the finer points of the English language than teaching them anything.

He didn't even have his jacket, he'd left the house so quickly. His father would calm down, in a couple of hours. Thankfully, Angela was only a short walk away. He walked quickly down the street, closing his eyes and bottling the anger. He couldn't, wouldn't take it out on her.

He reached her house in the usual five minute walk. His ears were already cold from the wind. Thankfully it was only fall, not winter. It was an old Victorian style house. He called it his home away from home, because he knew he was always welcome there.

He walked up the front steps and rung the doorbell. Angela sighed when she opened it, motioning for him to come in. "What did you do this time John?" She said.

"Bad grades in English." John replied, shrugging.

She walked briefly into the kitchen. "Mom, John's here, he's gonna stay for awhile."

John heard her mother reply a cheery okay. He wished he still had parents like that. More importantly, he wished he still had a mom that could cook. In a pinch, Angela's mom would do for a mother though. Hell, she treated John like a son.

Angela led him into the study, where her desk was. As usual, it was piled high with books and school work. She sat down on the couch in the room. He sat next to her, placing an arm around her.

"Why does he do it?" Angela asked.

It was a question John wasn't certain he had an answer for. He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just not good enough."

"Has he seen my grades in English?"

"I doubt it." John replied, throwing her a disarming smile.

"For his information, you're doing better than half the class. Even though that's a C, it's not bad for that class."

"He won't accept it. He's convinced that if I'm not getting A's, that something is wrong with me." John sighed again as he looked away from her.

She reached a hand over and turned him back to her. "Listen to me John; you're going to be great someday. I don't care what anyone says, you've got potential."

"Thanks." John replied, pulling her closer. "It means a lot to me."

Significant meant bad in John's book. His teenage relationships had been fraught with pain, but none had hurt as much as losing Angela. He blocked the memory out and stepped back inside, heading for his room. It was getting late, and he wanted to catch some shut-eye before the morning. Maybe he could get something out of Teyla in their usual sparring session.

A/N: And so the parallels begin, at least in my mind. Let the Shep and Teyla flashbacks continue.