Loved your reviews! Thank you so much and keep them coming. I made this chapter a bit longer, just for you guys..hope you like it. This story is beta read, but there could be some spelling mistakes left, and they are all mine. Just remember that English is not my first language and I try to do my best. But thanks for the beta offers, means much to me!

Now, here´s some Lizzie whumpin´ for ya... didn´t see that coming, did ya? Oh, and Lorne is back too, because he is just so cute.

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He hurt.

Everywhere.

He forced his eyes open, moaning slightly at the stabbing pain in his head. "Son of a bitch." The silent curse left his dry lips. "What the hell happened?" He pushed himself to sit, leaning against the cold and wet wall.

"I really don´t know." Lorne replied from across the small cell. "They came from no where. I didn´t see a thing."

"Elizabeth?"

The major nodded the cell across theirs. "She´s been out since they brought her back."

Sheppard rubbed the back of his head, wincing at the pain. "What do you mean when they brought her back?" He asked, standing up and walking to the door, leaning against the bars, trying to see her.

"Where´s Ronon? And the others?"

Lorne shrugged his shoulders. "Getting back up I hope. Haven´t seen them here."

John nodded and turned back to look to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth?" He called softly. Getting no response he sighed frustrated. "You checked the window?" He asked, nodding towards the small window where the rain fell in

"Yes, sir."

The doors opened, bringing in the cold wind and rain. It was dark, only one torch giving them light in the darkness. Three men stopped in front of the bars, motioning him to back off from the door.

He took a few steps back, never taking his eyes away from their captors.

"Don´t even think about it." One of the men said and pulled out a gun.

"Who are you? What do you want?" He asked instead of the smart ass reply he would have normally given.

"What do we want?" The other man asked almost surprised. "Atlantis of course. We are going to trade your lives for the city of the Ancients."

"Okay, first of all, that´s a terrible plan."

The door was pushed open and the man with the gun stepped inside, cocking the gun as Lorne moved a little.

"We´ll see."

"You really think that the three of us are so important that they are just handing over the city to you?"

"I really don´t think you two are that important, but Dr. Weir is."

He flinched a little, but his face show no emotion.

"She will give us the access codes to get through the shield that protects your Stargate."

"I pretty much doubt that." John replied calmly.

"We´ll see."

They were dragged out into the rain, two of the men staying to guard them as the third one went back inside. He returned only a short time later, pulling her after him and pushing her roughly out from the door. She met John´s eyes as he caught her from falling but neither said anything.

"Let´s go." One of the men said, pointing the way that would led them back to the gate.

Instinctively both men positioned themselves so they were between her and the three men. The wordless conversation passed between Sheppard and Lorne as they glanced each other frequently, both ready to react if the chance for an escape would come.

"Who are you, guys?" John asked, the tone of his voice light, almost conversationally.

"We are the Traders." Came a simple reply.

"Oh." John said, pretending to think. "Never heard. Sorry."

"We live on the other side of the mountains. We have no interest to the simple people who live in the village. They offer us nothing. They are nothing. But, we hunt down the strangers who come through the Stargate and trade them for weapons."

"Hence the name Traders. Very creative." John couldn´t resist.

The rain came still down from the dark sky with a raging force, the thunder crashing ear hurting loud above them. And all the while as they made their way slowly toward the gate, Lorne guided Elizabeth a little farther from the group, unnoticed and quietly.

Lorne glanced at the wet woman next to him, grimacing a little at the blood that dripped from the side of her head where she had been hit. And when the lighting split the sky, followed by the crash above he nodded at her and she disappeared into the darkness.

John glanced back to see Lorne nod his head to him and he sighed out. And for a moment he thought their plan had succeeded. That she was safe.

"Where´s Dr. Weir?"

"Find her!"

Two men split into the woods and the third forced John and Lorne on their knees. They didn´t say anything, both silently praying that the head start she had was enough.

But the Traders knew their surroundings, and moved in the darkness faster than she could. She gave up running, and stopped to listen. Another lightning bolt lit up the sky, and she backed slowly towards the trees.

To the man´s surprise she fought back hard. Arms that grabbed her from behind let go as she spun around, with all the training she had learned from Ronon, all the hours he had forced her to keep going, no matter how tired she had been, came into her mind and she attacked with the all the skills she had. And the man went down, falling on his stomach and stayed there.

She was breathing heavily, the rain, the coldness, the unfamiliar ground under her feet and the fear she felt was exhausting enough. She stumbled forward in the darkness, her heart pounding, adrenaline rushing through her body.

The other man attacked her from the side, and she never saw him coming. They fell on the hard ground, and the heavy weight of him as he landed on her emptied all the air from her lungs and she felt burning pain on her chest.

She was roughly pulled up by the hair, the man slapping her on the face. His face was showing almost bestial features, the rush he had gotten from the hunt still fresh in his mind.

She stopped fighting back and he dragged her back to where the others were waiting, shoving her roughly on the ground next to John and Lorne. She pushed herself up on her knees, her hand reaching for John´s in the cover of the darkness, to keep him still.

And it was the touch of her hand that stopped him for attacking the man who had beaten her. And he knew she was right. His feelings for her would be used against him.

They were walking again, this time the three men watching them carefully. She was walking between John and Lorne again, John so close behind her that she could almost feel his body touching.

The clearing where the gate stood alone offered them no chance for another try for escape.

"On your knees." Came a sharp command and they gladly fell tiredly on the wet grass.

"Give me the code." The gun was cocked against her temple.

She stayed silent, the rain falling on her, water rolling down on her face. A small wince left her lips as the back of the man´s hand contacted her cheek.

"Son of a..." John lunged forward, surprising the man.

Lorne reacted too and the man never knew what hit him before he was lying on the ground. The gun went off and both soldiers stopped. The third man lowered the gun back against Elizabeth´s temple.

"The code."

"I don´t know."

"You are the leader of the city of the Ancients. How can you not know?" The man asked mockingly.

"They changed it after we missed our scheduled return. It´s a protocol. I don´t know the new code." The lying words left her lips so easily.

The gun pressed a little harder against her head and she winced with pain. "You´re lying."

"I´m not lying."

He moved to her right, pointing his gun at John´s head. "Tell me or I´ll shoot him."

"I don´t know."

"Tell me the code!" He was losing his patience.

"I don´t know it!" She cried out, her tears now mixed with the rain. "I don´t know it."

"Then you have no use to me." The familiar click as the safety was removed made her close her eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the a single shot she heard before all the hell broke loose made her jump and suddenly she felt someone knocking her on the ground, covering her with his own body.

The seconds that passed felt like hours to her before he finally rolled off of her, and reached to help her up. Her legs were shaking and his strong arm around her was the only thing keeping her up.

"You okay?" Ronon´s voice was concerned as he watched her leaning heavily against John.

"What took you so long?" Lorne asked, seeing his men and two other teams checking the dead bodies.

"We would have acted sooner if you two wouldn´t have jumped on them. I almost shot you." Ronon defended a small smile on his lips.

"Dial us home." John nodded Ronon, his arms still tightly around Elizabeth.

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Carson was waiting them with what looked like all his staff. He hurried over to Elizabeth, motioning John to help her sit down.

"I´m fine." She said weakly.

"You´re not fine, love. You´re going straight to the infirmary." Carson ignored her glaring and looked at John. "Colonel, would you mind helping her."

John stood up, pulling her gently with him before wrapping his other arm around her waist and lifted her easily in his arms. She wanted to object. Wanted to say that she was perfectly fine to walk there by herself. But she wasn´t. Her head dropped on his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his neck. She closed her eyes tiredly and fell into sleep.

And when she woke up, she was lying on the soft bed. Her wet and dirty clothes had become a hospital gown, warm covers pulled up to her neck. She was aching, her face hurt, breathing was painful. She reached to touch her side that was bandaged.

"Elizabeth?" The voice made her turn her head carefully.

"Hey, Carson."

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked, checking her IV and pulse from her wrist.

"I´m okay." She said and he gave him the look that told her not to lie.

She smiled at him softly. "Well, aside from the fact I ache all over, I´m okay."

"Lots of cuts and bruises, a mild concussion, two broken ribs." Carson explained quietly.

"Ouch."

"Indeed." He laughed a little. "You should sleep a little more."

"How´s John and major Lorne?"

"A little beaten up, sent them to get some sleep."

She nodded her head carefully.

"Cora and Lily are with the colonel." He told her. "He picked them up after I threatened to take him in if he wouldn´t leave."

She smiled at him tiredly. "Were the girls good?"

He chuckled at the motherly tone of her question. "The girls were good. You really should ask Rodney." His smile grew wider. "Katie was called back to work for a couple of hours, leaving Rodney alone with the girls."

She felt her eye lids getting heavier and he reached to squeeze her hand slightly before leaving her side. The pain medication and the antibiotics were working in her system, giving her body rest to recover and she lulled into a painless sleep.

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OK, I do think that Ronon could have saved them all alone if needed -he´s that good- but for the sake of the story, he decided that back up was needed...smart man.

Hope you liked it. Don´t forget to review! A few more chapters left...