Umm ... Sorry it took me so long to update? (upps!) Didn't realize that it had been that long! Well, now, since probably no one is reading these author's notes anyway, I give you chapter ... uh ... is this eight? Oh, nine!

P.S. Sissy has beta'd this. After much poking and prodding.

Something was wrong. He could feel it. The cold coursed through John's veins as he walked around outside, forcing on the emotion deep inside him and embracing it. Teyla had been gone too long, much too long. He considered going to look for her, but Nickolai was with them now, and he had to take care of the little boy. Turning around, John opened his closed eyes to see the form that was probably Nickolai.

"Nick?" he asked, walking to the mouth of the cave.

"Yup?" Nickolai answered, dropping down in the mud beside John. He smiled up at him, the rain dripping off from his hair and into his eyes, eventually finding its way off his nose and to the ground.

"I need to go look for Teyla. Stay here."

"I wanna go too!" Nickolai complained.

"It's too dangerous. Stay here." John turned away from the kid, crossing his hands over his bare chest in attempt to keep warm. Nickolai just jumped around, coming to a halt beside John and putting his own little hand over John's. It was tiny compared to the older man's.

"Please let me help," Nickolai pleaded, tears falling from his eyes. "This is partly my fault anyway."

Though John couldn't see the eyes of the little boy too well, he knew they were ones of a child who had lost everything,a child who had gained nothing,and a little boy who had been forced to grow up much too quickly. He sighed, knowing that Nickolai wouldn't give up easily. He also knew that he couldn't leave Nickolai alone for that long.

"I wanna help someone. Before, all I did was hide, stay back and watch people die when I could have helped. The Ha'trock won't hurt me. I could have saved those people, my baby sister and my dad." Nickolai wiped his tears away with a soaking sleeve, trying to put up a brave face. John sighed, realizing that if Teyla had been taken by Ronon, or was lost, he didn't have much time. Night was nearing much too quickly. It was almost winter, so the days were getting shorter and the nights longer.

"Fine. But if I tell you to run, run." John caved, grabbing the little boy's hand and leading him through the path that Teyla had taken. He could see her footprints, but they were fading from the rain.

The light blue smudges in the soft mud cleared faster and faster as the rain picked up with the wind, forcing John and Nickolai into a run. Soon, despite their best efforts, the rain beat them and the footprints had gone. John sighed, stopping in a small clearing and looking around. His vision was clouded; there must have been mist or fog in the air. He could usually see things clearly. Well, as clearly as you can when everything was blue. Things with body heat, or recent activity seemed to show up a lighter blue, and non-active things like trees a darker blue.

"Nickolai, do you know how much longer until the Ha'trock come out?"

"About two hours. Mr. John?"

"Yeah?"

"I think they went that way," Nickolai said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"They?" John questioned, realizing for the first time that Nickolai could know much more than him.

"Her and a big guy."

"How do you know that?" John asked.

"My people can read minds to a certain extent," Nickolai said, tapping the side of his head. "I never do, unless I have to, because my daddy said not to. Teyla is so far away that I can't actually read her mind, but I can get a few images and flashes. She's tied up, and they're inside a small house. The guy is big, and he has a knife. He is sharpening it," Nickolai said, recalling some of the images he had gotten before. John just stood there, his mouth agape.

"How do we get to them?" he asked.

"They are in the houses my people used to live in. Come, this way. If we hurry, we might be able to make it before nightfall." Nickolai said. They fell into a comfortable silence as they ran along, Nickolai leading the way.

Teyla laid against the wall, watching as Ronon sharpened his knife. They had been silent for the past few hours, because Teyla feared that if she spoke, Ronon might kill her sooner. He just sat around the fire, using a rock to sharpen the knife that he had probably made himself. It was a blade inside a carefully carved handle. It was made out of a very rare wood on Athos. Teyla was sure the wood was on other planets as well, and in bigger quantities, but she knew it very little as a child.

The wood was said to have healing abilities. She knew it was just a myth, but the idea of a knife using the wood that as supposed to heal people made her feel mad, sad, and sick at the same time.

"How is he doing?" Ronon asked out of the blue. Teyla took a few minutes to register what he was saying, and who he was speaking about.

"John is fine, but he is blind." Teyla said, keeping it simple. And not telling Ronon of John's healing ability. Teyla didn't know what he would do if he knew of John's powers.

"Sorry about that," Ronon said, a smirk on his face. Teyla knew he was joking.

"No, you are not," she said, rubbing her roped hands against the hard rock she held in them. She had been doing that for the last hour, and she could feel the first of five rounds of rope begin to loosen. She winced as he hand once again rubbed against the rock. Her skin was getting raw, and it had begun to bleed a while back. She could feel the warm blood seeping down the ropes and onto her hands.The blood was making her hands slick, making it harder to grasp the rock. Suddenly, it slipped from her hands, clanging to the floor. Teyla closed her eyes, praying that Ronon had not heard the rock. He did.

"What was that?" he asked, dropping his knife to the ground. He walked over, yanking Teyla forward and saw the rock on the ground, surrounded by the small puddle of blood. Teyla's ropes had begun to weaken, and as Ronon tugged on them, they broke loose. He smirked, grabbing more rope and tying it tight around her wrists, making her wince as they scraped over her raw flesh. He moved her away from the pile of rocks.

"Now, be a good girl, and maybe you will live longer." Ronon went back to sharpening his knife as Teyla slumped. She had been so close.

"We must find shelter now," Nickolai said, stopping in the middle of the path and looking back at John.

John was cold. He was beginning to wish that he had his shirt back. No, he had started wishing that miles ago. Now, he just wanted to be warm. Ha! Fat chance. He thought to himself as he turned to Nickolai.

"We need to find Teyla, is what we need to do," John protested. Nickolai began scanning the rocks for any shelter from the rain.

"The Ha'trock will be out soon. We cannot risk being killed."

"You mean I can't risk being killed. They won't hurt you." John said, holding his ground. "I'll take the chance. Teyla will die soon. Ronon will kill her."

"You can't take the risk. What help will you be to Teyla if you're dead?" Nickolai asked, finding a small cave and climbing inside. John remained outside, his feet sinking in mud and the rain soaking him to the bone.

"I can't believe I am arguing with a seven-year-old about what I can and can't do." John said, throwing his hands up in the air and climbing in beside Nickolai. The cave was only a few feet high, forcing John to sit down, his back slumped against the wall. Nickolai was small enough so he could sit up, and not hit his head on the ceiling. John sighed, looking out into the rain. Teyla was out there, in danger, and he was being forced to sit still and do nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"You love her, don't you?" Nickolai asked softly. John spun his head around, almost hitting it on the ceiling.

"No," he quickly denied. He could see Nickolai smile through the darkness.

"Yes, you do. I can tell."

"Darn mind reading powers," John growled, knowing very well that he couldn't keep it from Nickolai.

"I didn't read your mind. I told you before, my dad said it was wrong." Nickolai said. "I can see it in the way you look at her, and the way you care for her."

"Come on, you're only seven," John said, groaning. A kid understood his feelings for Teyla even better than he did. Sighing, he leaned back on the wall. He could still feel Nickolai's eyes on him. He cracked open an eye, looking at the kid. He was still smiling.

"So, do you?" Nickolai prodded.

"Do I what?"

"Love her!" Nickolai asked, giggling now. John was silent for a while. "I won't tell her, promise." Nickolai said, containing the urge to bounce up and down, for fear of hitting his head on the rock.

"Fine. Yes, I do," John admitted, slouching down as he watched the Ha'trock fly by. The moon was full, casting an eerie glow over the ground. As the Ha'trock slowly came out, they filled the sky in black, the moon and the little light it brought being smothered out. John watched them as they flew through the sky, hungry for blood. Hungry for them.

Well, there you have it. I think there is going to be about ... six or seven more chapters. Thanks to all who reviewed! Oh, and I have a question. Would you guys like to see some back at Atlantis base, or would you like me to stick with Teyla, Nickolai, John and Ronon?

PLEASE REVIEW!