Thanks for all of the encouragement and reviews. They are so inspiring! This chapter is a little short, so I'm giving you two chapters at once. Hope you like'em...

Elizabeth heard voices in the background as she slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes were heavy, but she managed to open them. She looked around and saw a familiar figure sleeping uncomfortably in the chair next to her bed.

She wondered how long he had been sitting there and watched him sleep for a few moments. Soon, the memories of the last few days came flooding back. He had been so gentle and caring as he carried her to safety. If he had not arrived when he did…no, she refused to entertain those thoughts. Raising a hand to rub her throbbing head, she winced audibly at the extreme soreness in her muscles and the stabbing pain in her ribs.

The noise woke John. "Good morning," he said rubbing his eyes. He stood and moved closer to her side. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm sore, but all things considered, I'm glad to be alive," she smiled and looked around. "Where are we? This isn't the Atlantis infirmary." She knew that room well. Usually, she was the one standing next to the bed. It was strange to be on the other side.

"We ran into a problem and couldn't make it through the gate, so we brought you back to Castoria. Don't worry...Carson's been taking great care of you," he smiled.

As if on cue, Carson strode into the room, "Aye, how is my patient doing this morning? It's good to see you awake finally."

She flashed a smile at him and then looked back at John while Carson worked on her IV.

"What kind of problem?" she asked.

"We're taking care of it," he lied. In truth, he had been camped out at Elizabeth's bedside since they'd arrived.

Luckily, the Wraith had not ventured into Castoria yet. For some reason, they remained away. It worried John, but for now, they were safe. Although, he wouldn't leave Elizabeth alone, just in case.

"John, what's going on?" Elizabeth didn't want to be shielded. She wanted to know what they were up against and wouldn't take no for an answer. John finally told her about the hive ship and its precarious location in front of the stargate.

"Oh my God," Elizabeth whispered with concern evident in her eyes.

Before she could say anything else, Jacob arrived to check on her. He strode up to her bedside, picked up her hand and kissed it lightly as he greeted her. Elizabeth smiled and blushed slightly. John rolled his eyes and looked away. The Prime Minister was trying his best to charm Elizabeth.

Unable to take it any longer, John excused himself and left the room. He found Ronon standing guard outside her room.

"I don't trust him."

"Neither do I" John responded. "Why don't you see what you can find out? Follow him for a few hours. See where he goes."

"With pleasure." He paused, "You got a plan to get us out of here?"

"I'm working on it. Let me know what you find out. I'll get Ruiz to stand guard."

Ronon followed Jacob after he left the infirmary. The first few hours were mundane.

He watched Jacob perform his regular activities, and he was about to give up when he noticed Jacob stepping out of his office and discreetly looking around to see if anyone was watching him. He slipped away quickly taking a back stairway that led him outside of the city.

"Now, this is getting interesting," thought Ronon.

He trailed the Prime Minister back to the stargate. Ronon stayed hidden in the trees while Jacob walked towards the Wraith hive ship and met with the sympathizers who were camped protectively in front of the stargate.

They greeted him respectfully. Ronon gathered that it wasn't his first visit with this group.

He managed to get closer to the prime minister by blending in with the sympathizers. He wanted to get close enough to hear their conversation. Ronon stiffened when he heard Elizabeth's name.

"What are you up to?" he whispered and listened closely before retreating back to the trees.

Ronon found Sheppard sitting next to Elizabeth's bedside in the infirmary. Sheppard had just said something that made her laugh and then wince in pain. In addition to the bruises and cuts, she was suffering from two cracked ribs as a result of her beatings. Her face was still swollen and her eye had turned dark black, but she was still beautiful. John reached out and touched her hand gently. She looked down, surprised at his touch.

When Ronon entered, John retracted his hand quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed. Elizabeth stirred feelings deep inside him. He knew he cared for her, more than he should.

"Hello Ronon," Elizabeth said. She still had a hard time reading Ronon.

"Dr. Weir…Colonel", he said, locking eyes with John. John knew what that look meant. He had found something. John nodded.

Looking back at Elizabeth, Ronon asked, "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," she replied, but she didn't miss the knowing glance they exchanged. She knew something was going on, even if she couldn't read Ronon's face as easily as she could John's.

"Elizabeth, I need to talk with Ronon. Would you excuse us for a minute?"

"John."

"I'll only be a minute."

"No, Colonel. I want to know what's going on. I can see it on your face. What's happening?"

John nodded at Ronon, and he began to explain.