I'm posting a bonus chapter seeing as we've gone into lockdown. I should have some time on my hands in the next week, so I'll try and update regularly.

Chapter 5: Escape from the planet.

When John awoke again, it was still dark outside and he seemed to be in the bed that he'd spent last night in. He felt incredibly warm, in fact, he felt warmer than he had for a long time. Someone had obviously undressed him again as from what he could ascertain, he was wrapped in blankets with only his boxer shorts on underneath, he sure hoped that it had been Teyla because anything else didn't warrant thinking about. The pain in his arm was muted and his head felt fuzzy, so obviously someone had given him some morphine. The wet bandages and splint on his arm from his unintended swim in the river had been replaced with dry dressings and the sling had been put back on.

In the dark, he could just make out the shape of someone sitting next to his bed and they were sitting in the ragged old armchair that Teyla had sat in the night before. He sure hoped that it was Teyla again and if it was, he was going to let her know how he felt about her, even if it was the middle of the night. Well least he would give it a try since everyone knew how lousy he was at expressing his emotions.

"Teyla…" He whispered, at least that's what he thought he said since his brain was too addled to really tell.

"John, I am here."

"How long have I been out? The last thing I remember was collapsing in the sitting room of the cabin."

"You have been asleep for nearly eleven hours, and I am happy to tell you that we have finally managed to get your temperature back to normal."

"Where's Sheppard because I really need to speak to him?"

"Sheppard is asleep as are the children. He was out searching for you for hours and when he came back, he was cold and exhausted, so I suggest that you let him sleep until morning."

"He lied to us Teyla. He told us that the jumper he'd crashed in the second time around was a lost cause, but I found it and it was completely intact and I was able to start it up."

"I am sure he has a perfectly good explanation for his deception, and we will ask him in the morning once you have both had a few more hours sleep. And believe it or not, I could use some more sleep as well."

He looked at her as she tried to get comfortable in the overstuffed armchair and he wondered why she didn't get in bed beside him.

"Teyla, that armchair can't be too comfortable, so why don't you just come to bed?"

"I am fine in the chair John," She replied and although it was dark in the room, he could sense her embarrassment.

He decided that now wasn't the time to push it so he just nodded and hoped that she could see him.

Closing his eyes, he listened to her breathing even out, so he knew that she was fast asleep. But sleep didn't come so easily for him, and he lay awake thinking about everything that had happened over the last few days. Had Teyla and Kanaan really split up and if so, was Sheppard right, was it because she was in love with him? These were all good questions, and he knew that he would have to ask Teyla soon, but right now the biggest question on his mind was why Sheppard had lied to him. With all of these questions rolling around in his head, it wasn't long before he fell into a troubled sleep.

When he awoke again there was sunlight streaming through the window, and he was surprised to find that Teyla was no longer in the armchair beside the bed. He was still wrapped snuggly in warm blankets and the pain in his arm was beginning to notch up, so he really needed Teyla in the room right now.

He was about to yell for her when the door opened, and he was annoyed to see that it was Sheppard entering the room.

"What are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously.

"Teyla said that you found the jumper."

This wasn't the thing he really wanted to talk about right now but now was as good a time as any. He was really hoping to get off this planet in the next few days because there was no way that he wanted to turn into Sheppard. The man was nothing like he was, it was almost as if Sheppard had given up on life. If he were dying, he would be fighting for life until his last breath, especially if he had children who needed him. Sure Sheppard's Teyla had died, but the man still had so much to live for so why wasn't he fighting?

"Why did you hide the fact that you'd fix the jumper from me?"

Sheppard sighed and John wondered if he was about to clam up, "the jumper was fixed many years ago, but Teyla and I knew that we couldn't get off the planet, because the chances of us getting sucked into the anomaly again were incredibly high. So, I spent many years trying to work out the calculations. I was close before Teyla died and on the morning that I worked it out, she went into labour and five hours later Patrick was born. Two hours later she passed away and two hours after that we lost Patrick. For a long time, I was too distraught to even consider leaving the planet and when I worked out, I was dying earlier this year, I knew that I would never go home to Atlantis, but maybe you and your Teyla could. So, I have spent the last few months waiting for the two of you to arrive."

"I'm sorry that your Teyla and your son died, but if we can manage to get you off this planet, perhaps we could find you a doctor who could heal you and then you could be around for your kids."

"Being around you for the last few days has made me realise that I am a shadow of my former self, so I will be coming with you and hopefully I can find someone to heal me because I intend to fight for my life so that I can spend more time with my children."

He looked the man in the eyes and for the first time since he'd met him, he saw a spark in Sheppard's eyes, "do you even know what's wrong with you anyway?"

"I'm not really sure but I suspect it's some form of cancer."

A sense of sadness filled him as he remembered back to when his mother had died of cancer when he was fourteen and right now, he really hoped that someone had discovered a cure for cancer so Sheppard's kids wouldn't have to watch their father die like he'd had to sit and watch his mother die.

"Well Sheppard, what do you say we try and get off this rock sometime today," he suggested with a lopsided grin.

"If my calculations are correct, we will need to leave tonight, so maybe we should go and get the jumper out of the cave today?"

He didn't have any idea whether Sheppard knew what had happened yesterday or not, but there was no way he was going to step on that bridge again, "Umm…. the bridge broke when I was on it yesterday and that's how I ended up in the river."

"John! He exclaimed, "you didn't use that rickety old thing, did you? I deemed that one unsafe a long time ago, so I built a safer one above the waterfall. I dug out a set of steps leading downhill to the cave as well."

He was incredulous by this revelation, "Well, why the hell didn't you destroy that other piece of crap?! I could have killed myself!"

Sheppard looked remorseful as he answered, "Sorry John, I had no idea that you'd go looking for the jumper. I had every intention of telling you about it when you were well-rested. Believe me when I say I never meant to deceive you. As it has always been my intention for you and Teyla to get off this planet."

"Yesterday you told me that you would help fix my jumper, so why didn't you just tell me about the other jumper then? At least I wouldn't have ended up in the river."

Sheppard just stared at him, "really I don't remember that conversation?"

He stared back at him wondering if Sheppard was lying again, or was suffering from memory loss due to his sickness? He wondered if he should mention it or perhaps he would keep an eye on him over the next couple of days.

"Well, in that case maybe you can send Teyla in so that I can put some clothes on, and she can give me some pain meds so we can get on with the day. Maybe you can show me around the planet this morning as well."

Sheppard gave him a lopsided grin, "perhaps I'll make some breakfast first that's if Teyla's not out there cooking?"

Suddenly he felt terrified, "I hope not. I don't know what your Teyla was like but believe me when I say this Teyla can't cook."

"I remember," Sheppard chuckled before leaving the room.

He sat up on the side of the bed with the sheet covering his bottom half and when Teyla came in a few minutes later, he felt incredibly embarrassed.

"John, Sheppard told me that you may need some help getting dressed, he also told me that you had been complaining about my cooking again," She said glaring at him.

He had no idea what to say about that, so he just opened his mouth and hoped that something would come out, "umm…. I'm sorry for insulting your cooking." He then used his best puppy dog look to try and calm her wrath.

"I am very upset with you John Sheppard, but I fear that I cannot stay angry with you for long," she said before kissing him on the cheek, "now would you like some help getting dressed? Shall we start with your pants?"

He didn't miss the glint in her eye, and he began to blush as this was certainly uncomfortable, "umm…."

"Do not be embarrassed John, I have seen it all before. And besides, my people live in tents, so we are used to seeing each other in a state of undress."

That comment made him blush further, so he just decided that he needed to get it over and done with, "please just hurry up and get this over with because my arm is hurting, and I really need something for the pain."

He was relieved when her look turned serious, "I will help you and then I will give you something for the pain. Then we can have some breakfast, I believe that Sheppard is cooking pancakes again."

Five minutes later after struggling to get dressed he walked out into the kitchen to find that Sheppard was sitting at the table alone. He looked around expecting the kids to come running out of their bedroom, but the room remained quiet.

"Where are Dave and Charlie?"

"They've already eaten, so they have gone to play outside, so this morning it is just you Teyla and me."

He nodded his head slightly, "have you told them that we are leaving today?"

John watched as Sheppard rubbed his slightly bent arm and he almost felt like mirroring the action, "does your arm always give you problems?"

"It's always ached a little, but in the last few years, it is constantly painful. I often have to use medicinal herbs to relieve the pain," Sheppard rubbed his arm again before continuing, "I suggest that you get that arm looked at as soon as you can because although Teyla did a good job of setting my arm, it has never been as strong as it was before the crash."

He knew that if he were able to get back home, Carson or Jennifer would probably insist that he have surgery on it, but if he was stuck in the future he had no idea who would fix it and would it even matter anyway.

Perhaps he and Teyla could still go home, even if they couldn't travel back in time, but what would that achieve? Would anyone they ever cared about still be alive? The thought was just too depressing, so he put it out of his mind and started attacking the stack of pancakes that Teyla had cut up for him.

They ate in silence, which gave John a chance to contemplate the day ahead. Hopefully, this was going to be his last day on this planet and then what? He would be alone in a small jumper with Teyla, Sheppard and two children, but how long would they have to float around in a jumper together? There was only so much air and food so at some point they would be dead in the water, depending on how long it took them to find someone willing to help them. With a bit of luck, they would find a huge starship travelling through space and maybe it would have time travel capabilities and they could be back on Atlantis and back in their own time within a matter of days.

He shook his head to try and rid himself of such fanciful thoughts since things were never that simple.

He found himself scraping the plate, so it didn't take him long to realise that he'd finished his pancakes and when he looked up, he found that Sheppard and Teyla were staring at him, "What?"

"You look deep in thought John, is everything okay?" Teyla asking taking his hand in hers.

"Yeah, I'm just wondering what our chances of ever getting home are even if we manage to get off this rock. But the one thing I know for sure is, I will never give up trying."

"Yes John, I know you will not, and I have every faith in you that we will find a way home to Atlantis and our son."

He couldn't believe what Teyla had just said, so he decided that this was the time to tell her exactly how he thought about her and although he knew that it was going to be difficult, he had to do it.

Looking around the room to make sure that Sheppard wouldn't hear, he opened his mouth and hoped that something intelligent would come out, "Umm… Teyla, did you, Ummm…just call Torren our son?"

"Yes John, I did. I never told you this but when Torren started to call you Da I was incredibly pleased because I knew that he was trying to say, dad."

That was what he had always suspected, but if that were true why did Teyla keep telling everyone that Torren had been trying to say, John?

His voice was hesitant as he replied, "Why did you tell everyone that he was trying to say, John?"

"Because I was still with Kanaan and whatever I may think of Kanaan, he is still Torren's father and I believe that Torren should get a chance to know him."

Taking in a deep breath he finally confronted her about the state of her relationship with Kanaan, "and what do you think of Kanaan?" He asked with all seriousness in his voice.

"Kanaan is one of my oldest friends and for a time we thought that it could turn into something more and Torren was the result of that, but deep down we knew it could never be because I am in love with another. And we argued terribly about our son before I left New Athos because Kanaan already suspected that Torren thought of you as his father, and he was deeply hurt by it."

"So, what does that mean for us?" He asked with a pained look.

"It means that I love you John Sheppard and I have loved you for many years, so I would like to be with you."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing Teyla actually felt the same way about him as he felt about her, "I love you to Teyla and yes I would like to be with you. I would also like the opportunity to be Torren's dad if we ever get home."

Taking him by surprise she leant in and kissed him passionately on the lips and he was pleased that he was able to kiss her back with just as much passion that is until someone clearing their throat interrupted them.

He looked up to see that Sheppard had entered to room and he had a huge grin on his face, "you two will have the rest of your lives to do that so how about we let the children clear the kitchen and then we can go and get the jumper." Shepard suggested with amusement on his face.

"I will stay and help the children tidy up, while you and John go and get, the jumper," Teyla suggested, and John didn't miss the flush of her cheeks.

"Why are we bothering to clean up the place?" John asked with a shrug of his right shoulder.

"Just in case someone decides that they would like to use the cabin at some point," Teyla answered.

Nodding he turned and followed Sheppard through the door. When he arrived outside, he realised for the first time that the sky was grey and overcast, "the weather's not going to affect our escape is it?" He asked with concern.

"Unless there's a bad storm, we should be alright. This weather is great for fishing though, so how about we go and catch some fish for dinner before we head to the jumper?"

Looking down at his arm that was in a sling again, he realised how ridiculous it sounded, but there was no way he was going to be able to hold a fishing line. Hell, he couldn't even get dressed without Teyla's help at the moment, so how the hell was he going to go fishing? But then he knew that there was no way that he was going to let a little thing like a broken arm stop him from doing anything. He did go for a surprise swim in the river yesterday after all.

"Sure, why not."

"I'll just go and grab some fishing poles then."

Sheppard left just as it began to rain, and it felt wonderfully refreshing. John had forgotten what it was like to be out in nature because when they were on earth, he was stuck on Atlantis most of the time. Other than visiting his brother on one or two occasions and a few official military meetings or functions, he'd never left San Francisco Bay.

A few minutes later Sheppard arrived back with two crude-looking fishing poles. Taking a closer look, he realised that they were more like spears.

Sheppard must have sensed his confusion, "the fish practically jump out of the river in this kind of weather," Sheppard told him handing him a spear.

He walked along the river, by Sheppard's side enjoying the rain on his face and the wind in his hair. It must have been about five minutes before they came to a shallow spot at the river, and he watched as Sheppard started to wade in. Great he thought, now I need to get my shoes and socks off again and I should probably take my sling off.

"Hey John, do you need some help with your boots?" Sheppard called out from the water.

"Nah, it may take me a while, but I think I can manage."

After five minutes of struggling, he finally managed the feat of getting his boots and socks off, so taking his sling off and throwing it on the ground he entered the water, and he was surprised to find that it was warmer than yesterday and Sheppard had already caught four of the biggest fish he had ever seen.

"Are you sure you need me to do anything?" He asked facetiously.

"Yep, I'm hungry and you've seen how much the kids eat so get your lazy butt in here and do some work," Sheppard replied.

He was really beginning to enjoy spending time with his older self, but he shouldn't have expected anything else because normally he enjoyed his own company. Although when he'd first met Sheppard he hadn't thought much of him, as time went on he was happy to see that Sheppard was becoming more like he assumed he would be fifteen years from now.

John very quickly speared a large fish and pulled it in, which wasn't much of a surprise. Growing up he'd never done anything like this thanks to his fancy upbringing, but after twenty years in the military and spending plenty of time off-world with Ronon and Teyla, he was totally used to this type of thing.

After another twenty minutes, they had a large supply of fish, and it was more than enough for the evening meal and there would definitely be some leftover for their trip.

"How about we take these fish back for Teyla and the kids to prepare while we go and get the jumper," Sheppard suggested.

"Sure, but you'll have to carry the fish because I'm going to have to carry my boots since there is no way I'm going to be able to put them back on."

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you put them on?" Sheppard offered with a crooked grin.

He was terrified at the thought, "no it's fine thanks I'll get Teyla to help me."

The rain had dried up and the sun came out and it made the day slightly humid as they walked back to the cabin, but John didn't care because this would be their last day on this planet and then hopefully, they would be able to find a way home very quickly. Then he would be able to see T.J again and then he and Teyla could finally become a couple.

A voice startled him out of his contemplations, "John why are you all wet again?"

It didn't take him long to realise that they had reached the cabin and Teyla had come out to meet them.

"Sorry, Teyla, Sheppard and I did some fishing in the rain."

Teyla turned to Sheppard and gave him the sweet smile that was reserved for people she was annoyed at, "really, you do know that his arm is broken, and the dressings need to be kept dry. You can help the children prepare the fish and I will change the dressings on John's arm?"

"Sorry," Sheppard replied with a sheepish grin.

"Come into the bedroom now and I will help you get dry and re-dress your arm," Teyla suggested in a firm tone.

Giving Sheppard a lopsided grin, he followed her into the bedroom ready to get changed.

"Can we hurry up, please? As we really need to go and get the jumper before nightfall."

"I will not sacrifice your health, and neither should you John. I have no idea how long it will be before we can find someone to look at your arm properly, but looking at how bent Sheppard's arm is, if we do not find someone quickly, you may end up with a permanently crooked arm."

He knew she was right, but he didn't really want to think about it right now, because if they could never get off this planet it wouldn't matter.

"I'll think about what you've said, but if we can't get off this planet, we may never find anyone to help so right now that is not my major concern. Even if we get off the planet, I have no idea whether we'll find someone in a hurry or not. Although, Sheppard has mentioned that he has seen starships flying across the sky from time to time. At least that's what he suspects the lights in the sky are."

"It is all we have, and I have absolute faith that we can find a way home to our son."

If he hadn't been listening intently he would have missed it, Teyla had just called Torren their son and he couldn't be happier. His only hope now was that they would see him again.

Once Teyla had re-dressed his arm and helped him put his boots and sling on they went out to the sitting room to find that David and Charin were doing a great job of preparing the fish for dinner.

"Hey, Sheppard, I'm ready to go."

Sheppard turned to his kids, "right kids, how about you show Teyla how to cook some fish, while John and I go and get the jumper."

He didn't miss the glare that Teyla gave Sheppard as the kids answered in unison, "sure dad."

John pulled Teyla in for a kiss before he followed Sheppard through the door, he looked over at Sheppard and wasn't surprised to see a huge grin on his face.

Sheppard chuckled under his breath as he walked off in the direction of the river. John had no idea what was so funny, but he couldn't be bothered asking.

The primary sun was low on the horizon as they walked upstream towards the waterfall, he had really enjoyed his time on this planet but now he was becoming anxious to leave. What happened after that he had no idea.

They walked for another twenty minutes until they reached a bridge spanning a narrow part of the river and it was much sturdier than the bridge downstream where he had taken his impromptu swim the day before. It looked to be constructed of the same kind of timber as the house.

Sheppard was well ahead of him so he had to shout to get him to stop, "hey Sheppard, how did you manage to build all of this."

Sheppard turned to look at him and a look of sadness crossed his face as he spoke, "I had Teyla to help me."

He was still totally amazed at what Sheppard and the other Teyla had built and he could understand why he didn't want to leave this place, but he was glad that Sheppard had decided to come with them.

After crossing the river, they came to some steep steps dug into the side of the hill and they very quickly walked down them to the cave where the jumper was hidden. He remembered back to the day before when he'd found a large cat in the cave and he thought that it might be a good idea to warn Sheppard.

"Hey Sheppard, there was a large cat in here yesterday, I managed to shoot it, but you never know whether something else has decided to move in."

"Don't worry John, they're pretty harmless really, I managed to tame one a few years ago, but unfortunately it died last year. It was incredibly gentle with the kids believe it or not."

"Really, "he commented and it was more of a statement than a question.

Sheppard cautiously entered the cave with his spear ready and he followed closely with the safety off, his gun. There was plenty of sunlight lighting up the opening of the cave so they had no problem seeing and much to his relief the cave was empty. For some reason, it was much brighter than yesterday, but he certainly wasn't going to complain.

Looking over at Sheppard he realised that he was staring at the jumper with longing on his face.

"Do you want to fly this thing out of here Sheppard?"

A grin lit up Sheppard's face, "sure."

They walked into the jumper, Sheppard sat down in the pilot's seat and he sat down in the co-pilot's seat and a few minutes later they were in the air and they didn't seem to be heading in the direction of the cabin.

"Hey Sheppard, where are you going?"

"I'm just taking one last look around my home before I leave this place forever. I'm glad I decided to leave, but I'm still going to miss this place."

He looked out of the window as they flew over the landscape, he didn't really have a chance to look on the way down as he and Teyla were crashing. They flew over the river and the cascading waterfall and then they flew over the wooded areas. It really was a beautiful planet and if he wasn't so desperate to get home he would certainly like to spend a few weeks here. They continued to fly over the woodlands until they came to an ocean and the water was as blue as the oceans of New Lantia 2.

The primary sun was beginning to set when they arrived back at the cabin and Sheppard looked happier than John had seen him since he had met him two days ago.

"This planet is amazing, I can see why you don't want to leave Sheppard."

"Yeah, but this is my past, it's now time to move on, for the sake of my children."

When they entered the cabin, they found that the table was set and Teyla was just putting the food on the table.

"Did you cook that?" John asked with a gleam in his eye. He was prepared to have something thrown at him, but he was relieved when she merely glared at him.

"Sit down and eat your food John and I might not hold it against you," Teyla said with her annoyed smile.

He immediately sat down and looked at the food on his plate and he was ashamed to see that Teyla had already cut it up for him. He hadn't really given much thought to his broken arm for most of the day, but now the pain was beginning to notch up a little so he would definitely have to take some Tylenol before they left the planet. They sat and enjoyed their meal together as the primary sun sank below the horizon. The sky was a deep shade of crimson near the horizon and the sky above it was a pale shade of pink indicating that the smaller sun wasn't ready to leave the sky just yet. The sunset reminded him of the sunsets on Atlantis. He had only gotten a chance to experience a few sunsets on New Lantia 2 and they were every bit as beautiful as this one.

An hour later after a meal and tidying up the kitchen for the last time, John picked up his few possessions and walked to the jumper, Teyla entered a few minutes later.

He sat in the co-pilot's seat and turned to Teyla who had sat behind him, "how are they doing?"

"I think they are taking one last look around before they leave."

"Yeah, I think Sheppard is going to miss this place, I haven't really spent much time with the children so I'm not sure what they think."

"I believe that they are going to miss this place as well John because this is their childhood home, but I really hope that someone can help Sheppard so that he can spend more time with his children."

Before they had a chance to continue the conversation, Sheppard boarded the jumper with a bundle of possessions and the children followed with theirs. John watched as Sheppard sat in the pilot's seat and he didn't miss the forlorn look on his face.

He smiled at his new friend, "are you ready to go Sheppard?"

"Sure, let's get this bird in the air," Sheppard replied with his lopsided grin.

It wasn't long before the jumper was in the air and five minutes later they were in space, the trajectory of the jumper flew them away from the anomaly but John didn't think it was going to be enough to escape its gravitational pull, but he didn't really have anything to worry about because Sheppard had somehow installed a hyperdrive in the jumper and within seconds they had jumped into hyperspace.

TBC…

So what's with the hyperdrive?