Things change...

Thought Teyla as she stepped through the Gate with the rest of her team; they were visiting a planet rumored to have a ZPM.

Three months had passed since John and Carson's return, when Woolsey and Jennifer finally gave the okay for John's return to active duty.

Their first mission out, they had gone looking for Lucius Daravilus.

John's team, Lorne's and a wave of five other teams spread out going from planet to planet searching for him; but after two weeks of searching with no sign of the man, Woolsey called it and the search was put on hold.

Frustrated, John and Lorne's teams had returned to Lucius' manor and spoke to the marines they had stationed there.

No, Daravilus had not returned…

…but the servants were still there.

Angry, John had ordered the servants to leave, but they had smiled at him and said being the son and heir that they would serve him, their new Sovereign, until Lucius' return.

The teams grew silent at that, nervous at John's reaction; his expression was one they hadn't seen before.

Temptation, anger, frustration, longing, sadness and hatred all rolled into one; his inner battle obvious when he turned to Ronon and said…

"Show me where that room is."

And to the others…

"Get these people ready to leave…because they are leaving!"

When John and Ronon got to the room that the Ashen had attacked John in, now brightly lit, the warrior stayed outside giving his friend a moment.

The silence John radiated worried the Satedan, but he kept quiet until he looked in and saw John, eyes closed, leaning with his forehead and hands against a wall, then he watched as he slowly took a step back opened his eyes and pulled a brick of C4 from his backpack and attached it to the wall.

"Sheppard?"

John turned and stared at him for a moment, then rummaged through his bag and as he stalked from the room, handed Ronon two more bricks.

"Place them well." He muttered, and turned and walked away, his hand already holding another brick.

Ronon stared, confused for a moment, then nodded, walking in the opposite direction and did as he was told.

They went to the upper rooms and did the same thing, then returned to the atrium where the servants stood confused, holding their belongings.

"We believe everyone is accounted for." Teyla said.

"I hope so, for their sakes" John replied.

"Sovereign, what are you..?" started one of the servants.

John glared at him, his hand tightening around his weapon.

"Colonel." Lorne stepped forward, slightly shaking his head.

John's glare turned on the Major for a beat, then softened slightly and he loosened the grip on his weapon.

"You've all been manipulated, so until we can find out where you came from and return you to your homes we're taking you back to Atlantis," he stated; his tone leaving no room for argument.

"But this is our home!" argued one of the servants.

John froze at that.

How many lives had Lucius ruined? How many families had he torn apart for his own use; courtesy of a monster in a darkened room?

He sighed opening up his bag and placing the last C4 brick on a pillar in front of the group.

"Well, in the next…" John clicked a switch in his hand then checked his watch, "…eight minutes it won't be anyone's home, now….let's go!" he ordered.

"You didn't…" muttered Rodney incredulously, looking worriedly around the atrium. "How many did you..?"

Lorne's team along with Teyla turned and started pushing everyone towards the door; Rodney mumbling under his breath as he followed…

…is crazy..!

Eight minutes!

Hurry…move!

"You sure about this, Sheppard?" Ronon asked as they followed the group out.

John stopped and turned around; staring at the house he had thought of as his home, a house where he was lied to and changed into someone he didn't know anymore.

"Yeah, I'm sure." he whispered.

They were on the path towards the Gate when the C4 blew.

It was a beautiful destruction.

Two weeks had passed and after Atlantis distributed pictures of the servants to multiple planets, a few of the men and women had been recognized and were grudgingly reunited with families they had no recollection of. The ones whose families they couldn't find were returned to the village by the manor, a place at least familiar to them.

"Where are you taking me? I want to go home! I want to go back to the manor!" Shouted one man as he was being led from the Gate by John and his team. They soon arrived at a modest home, and a woman and two children rushed out to greet them with large smiles on their faces for their lost husband and father.

"He had gone off to buy a birthday present for our youngest…" explained his wife. "…and was seen being attacked and dragged away!" Tears rolled down the woman's face.

"Two years…we thought he was dead…thank you for returning him to us!"

John nodded grimly, wondering if what they were doing was a mistake; the homecoming would not be easy for any of them.

As the days progressed, John's team began to see a change in their leader.

When not off world, he was never far from Carson; always very aware where the doctor was at any given time of day.

Carson didn't seem to mind; it was like an invisible thread of guilt, protection and understanding tethered them to each other.

The doctor had stayed on Atlantis and was helping out Jennifer in the infirmary; he spoke more each day, but his words still bore a hesitancy that once wasn't present. Frustrated, he would often stop talking altogether; only after a long walk with John would they hear his Scottish brogue once again.

"There go the Bobbsey twins..."

Rodney had said to Teyla once as they watched John and Carson leaving the mess hall together.

She hadn't understood the reference, but heard the loneliness in Rodney's sarcasm.

He was feeling left out.

"They have been through something Rodney that we will never understand; we must give them as much time as they will need, to sort things out the best way that they can."

Teyla watched as Rodney swatted angrily at an insect flying near his face, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle and proceeded to spray its contents all over his body.

"I better not get malaria." he grumbled. "Teyla, are you sure about the ZPM? What exactly did your contact say? Are you even sure about this guy?"

Okay, so not everything changes. She smiled to herself and looked over at Ronon and John who were walking up ahead.

But some things do change.

And maybe…eventually things would return to how they once were; but right now things were different…

...because John was different.

She watched as he scanned their surroundings as they continued towards the town. Navis was not a town she nor her people were very familiar with, but during their travels one of the Athosians heard about the town and the treasures said to be in the extensive caverns there, including something that sounded very much like a ZPM.

Teyla moved up until she was next to John.

'Colonel, we are to meet our contact at the edge of town and he will lead us to where the ZPM is located."

John turned to her and nodded, then continued forward.

She sighed inwardly, John was different and maybe only his team could see how.

Woolsey and Jennifer had seen him fit for duty…and he was…but…he was quiet, and became more so after their failure to find Lucius and the destruction of the manor. It was almost like the silence that had once infected Carson now lay claim to him. More than before, he held his thoughts tightly to his chest out of what seemed a sense of shame…or guilt; she could not tell and he would not speak of it.

She glanced over at Ronon who gave her a knowing look.

They all knew John was different…but he was back…and they were back; going off world…being a team again.

It's what they needed. It's hopefully what John needed.

-tbc-