So sorry this chapter took forever to get to you! I had a crazy schedule for exams that left absolutely no time to write. Then when I finally sat down at my computer over break, I discovered that my muse and plot bunnies had stolen my credit card and gone off to Fiji for a winter vacation! They got back yesterday, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to writing more! Thank you all for being so patient, and thanks again for all the reviews!
John watched until they crested the hill, unable to focus on anything but that look in Elizabeth's eyes. He finally snapped out of it when he realized his captors were changing positions.
One moved to stand in front of John, covering all three prisoners, while the other retrieved short lengths of rope from his bag. John stole a quick glance at Telya, and her eyes told him that she was poised for attack on his signal. He gave her a small nod and waited for the men to make a mistake. It didn't take long.
While the first man bent to secure Rodney's wrists behind his back, the other took his eyes off Sheppard for a moment to glance around the area. In that instant, John slammed forward, knocking the gun from the stunned man's grasp. By the time John had jumped back up, the other thug was lying in a heap at Teyla's feet, and she was busy untying Rodney's bonds.
Wasting no time, John retrieved their weapons and tossed one to each of his teammates. "Teyla, flank left. Rodney, with me." With any luck, Damien's party hadn't cleared the valley, and John's team would have a tactical advantage. He slammed a fresh magazine into his P-90 and took off running to the right, trying to force his legs to move faster.
Elizabeth trudged along behind the horses, barely able to focus on anything. Fragments of thoughts swirled through her mind, washed over by waves of fear and sadness. They're taking me back…I thought I was finally going home…John was here to take me home…I hope they're ok…Oh god, I don't know if I can do this again!…
She drew in a deep, shaky breath and tried to pull herself together. She knew John wouldn't just leave her here; he'd be back with a fleet of puddle jumpers, an army of soldiers, and General Jack O'Neill himself if he thought it would help! This was just a minor setback. All she had to do was hold on for the few days it would take them to get back to the gate and bring reinforcements.
The scared little voice in the back of her mind reminded her that it might not be as easy as last time, considering she'd just been recaptured after a failed escape attempt. But Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the skilled negotiator who'd bartered several of the most sensitive agreements in the history of her planet, didn't give up. And she sure as hell wasn't about to start now, when it was her own life at stake!
Feeling much more confident again, Elizabeth raised her head and focused on not letting her fatigue, pain, and fear show through. She certainly wasn't going to let Damien think he'd broken her…it was going to take a lot more than chains to do that, she thought with a small smirk. She walked along behind her captors, head held high.
Without warning, the sky around them exploded with gunfire. Elizabeth immediately dropped to the ground and covered her head with her arms. The horses went wild, bucking their riders and running for the tree line. She heard Damien's men scrambling for cover and returning fire, but it was over rather quickly. Teyla ordered the remaining men to lower their weapons, and Elizabeth raised her head to find herself face-to-face with her chief scientist.
"Elizabeth! Are you ok!" Rodney panted, grabbing her arms and helping her to stand.
She nodded and smiled at her friend. "Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you, Rodney."
"McKay! Catch!" John shouted. He tossed over the keys to Elizabeth's restraints before taking off up the hill. Elizabeth shot Rodney as questioning look as she rubbed her wrists and stretched her arms.
Rodney bent to free her ankles as he spoke, "Damien got away. He ran off up that hill, and Sheppard's beyond pissed. He's gone all cave-man protective and probably won't stop until he's bashed that sleazy idiot's head in with a club."
As soon as Elizabeth was completely free of the restraints, and Teyla had rendered the rest of Damien's men unconscious, the three followed John up the hill. What they saw in the next valley made Elizabeth's jaw drop.
Damien was sprawled on the ground, moving but clearly in a great deal of pain with three men pointing guns directly at his head. Off to one side stood Sheppard, chatting amiably with another man whose back was to Elizabeth.
Noticing their presence, the man turned, and Elizabeth's lips curved into a smile. "Phaestus!" she exclaimed, obviously surprised to see him.
The weathered old man nodded, "I figured you could use back-up. Plus, I've been waiting for an excuse to do that for a long time," he gestured to his men who were now locking restraints onto Damien's wrists and ankles.
Damien finally began to regain consciousness and realized what was happening to him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Phaestus!" he shouted.
"Well…" John drawled, "I think he's arresting you."
At Damien's outraged expression, Phaestus chimed in. "Yep, that's what I'm doing. You see, I believe that you signed a contract of sale and received fair payment. Yet, the Colonel here tells me that you then attacked him and kidnapped Elizabeth. Tell me, Damien, do you know the punishment for stealing a slave?" At this, Damien visibly paled and his mouth hung open in shock.
Phaestus smirked and turned to John. "Would you like to press charges, sir?"
John opened his mouth to say something to the effect of You bet your ass!, but stopped when Elizabeth laid a hand on his arm. Both men turned to her questioningly.
"Phaestus, what is the punishment for stealing a slave?" she asked quietly.
"Well," he answered with a confused tone, "usually the prisoner is sold into slavery himself. You steal a slave, you become a slave."
Elizabeth nodded, then appeared thoughtful for a moment. When she finally turned back to Phaestus, she was back in Dr.Weir mode. "Part of me wants to see Damien experience what he put others through, feel that humiliation. However, the larger part of me wouldn't wish slavery on anyone, no matter what he's done. This won't solve anything, Phaestus. It will only keep the system of slavery going for that much longer."
Phaestus considered her words, nodded, and threw a disgusted look at Damien cowering on the ground. "You're damn lucky, you know that?" he muttered under his breath. Looking back up to Elizabeth, he said "Ok, here's what we'll do. I have to arrest him (not that it'll be a heartbreaking job, mind you), and the law says he has to be sold into slavery. But I respect you and your wishes. For that reason alone, I'll insist that he become my slave. I'll treat him well, you know that, and I'll let him go free after he's served his time."
Elizabeth nodded. "Make sure the others at his plantation are freed as well. Use his money if there's a legal issue about it. And Phaestus…thank you, for everything."
The farmer rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and shrugged a shoulder. "Hey, I told you there was still a soft spot somewhere in this old man." She smiled and gently kissed his suntanned cheek, before turning to John and asking to go home.
John started to reply when Teyla's radio suddenly crackled with static, making them all jump. Teyla answered and passed the radio to Colonel Sheppard who was met with a familiar voice.
"Colonel, when you didn't check back in, we started to get a little worried back home. Thomason and I are in Jumper Two about two minutes from your location. Need a ride?" They could almost hear the grin on Major Lorne's face through the radio.
"Sure," the Colonel answered, beaming at Elizabeth. "Need me to stick a thumb up, or do you think you can find us?"
"I can see you now, sir. We're on our way."
As soon as the jumper landed, the team said goodbye to Phaestus and boarded, eager to leave this particular planet far behind them.
Lorne twisted in his seat to smile at Dr.Weir. "It's good to see you, ma'am. We'll have you back home in just a few minutes."
Elizabeth thanked him and sank gratefully into a seat in the rear of the jumper. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, she was slightly startled when she felt someone sit down beside her. She opened her eyes and met the concerned gaze of her military commander.
"Hey, are you ok?" he asked, the worry evident in his voice.
She gave him a small smile and said softly, "I'm going home." She discretely reached for his hand, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze.
He returned the smile, and the rest of the ride passed in a comfortable silence…though he was all too aware that she didn't exactly answer his question.
