Chapter 5
Kanaan stepped round Teyla quickly, feeling the renewed extra power to his limbs and he lifted his stunner and took out the three soldiers who had been behind Teyla. They had been focused on the newcomer and only one managed to fire at Kanaan, but the shot went wide, probably from fear of hitting their own people, and Kanaan stunned him.
"Stop or I will stop using a stunner!" Tolim's voice echoed down the atrium. The last few soldiers across the far side of the atrium froze, they attention divided between Tolim at the far end and Kanaan, who moved down the atrium and stunned them quickly as they hesitated. From the level below he heard shouting and some shots were fired up towards Tolim, but he simply stepped back into the shadows away from the railings overlooking the lower level.
"I see one more face down there and I will kill all your people who lie up here," Tolim shouted down at the people on the level below. The silence was their reply, but no doubt they would be planning another move.
Kanaan turned back towards Teyla, who stood still under Tolim's attention. He had a stunner in one hand and a sidearm in the other. "Sit down at the table, Teyla," he instructed.
A flush of protectiveness filled Kanaan as he moved towards them. "She will not cause trouble, Tolim."
Teyla glared at him over her shoulder. He wished he had explained himself clearer to her. She may not agree, but the outcome would be for the greater good and she would have to forgive him eventually.
"Where is the vial?" Tolim asked from across the atrium, his voice filled with anticipation.
"I have it," Kanaan replied. "Teyla, please sit down up there," Kanaan suggested, indicating the chair at the far end of the atrium where he had originally been seated when she had arrived. She held his gaze for a moment longer and then moved forward. Kanaan stayed a good distance from her, knowing that she would take any opportunity to attack him now. He suspected it was only that he held Torren that stopped her, and perhaps the safety of those others lying incapacitated on the floor around them.
She sat down tensely on the chair and looked up at him. Kanaan reached into his pocket, into the container and pulled free the remaining vial. He moved towards Tolim, trusting him to watch Teyla, and injected the contents into Tolim's arm. "You should begin to feel the effects immediately," he reported.
"Tolim, how can you do this?" Teyla demanded as Kanaan set the empty vial down, but she must understand that, like him, Tolim remembered the days of working with Michael and the prospect of what could be possible.
Tolim looked down at her. "To make everyone safe and that is the last I will speak of this."
"And what will you do now?" She asked them. "You are trapped up here."
"We have plenty of hostages now," Tolim replied. He sighed then, no doubt feeling the restorer in his veins.
"And you will kill innocents to get what you want – how are you any different to the Wraith?" She spat.
"This is for the greater good, Teyla. You as a former leader should understand that," Tolim replied.
"And for what exactly are you prepared to sacrifice yourself for?"
Kanaan looked down at Torren in his arms. "For our son. He is all that is important."
He knew Teyla could not argue with that, for she would do anything to protect her son. He looked up at her, expecting to see understanding, but her face was pale.
"What are you going to do with Torren?" She asked. Kanaan wished he could take the fear from her eyes. He moved closer.
"He will never be harmed, Teyla. He will be looked after as the most precious being in two galaxies as he is. You need not fear for him."
"You are taking him to Michael," she concluded.
"You left us no choice. I had hoped to live here happily with you and Torren, but after Colonel Sheppard saw me…"
Her expression shifted into anger again. "Since you attacked him."
Kanaan frowned down at her, this was a subject he did not wish to wander into. "He should survive the injection. I had hoped to gather information from the medical records on his reaction for Michael, but that will not be possible now."
"He should live? Listen to yourself," she said. "Every life is important, Kanaan."
"We have to think of the greater good."
"And at what price?" She demanded passionately.
Kanaan frowned down at her. "Is the price too high when it is Colonel Sheppard's life?"
She frowned up at him. "Any life is too many."
"But you would happily sacrifice my life now to stop me, yes?"
He enjoyed the shocked worried look to her face, but his short victory was far too short lived, for it told him how she was distancing herself from him. "In your mind I am a target now, so if my life is ended how will you describe that – for the greater good perhaps?"
She looked down at Torren.
"Would you not sacrifice another for Torren?" He pushed. "Or is Colonel Sheppard the only one you would not want to risk?" Kanaan knew the anger and jealousy was clear in his voice, and he regretted letting her hear it, but part of him had wanted to push her on this subject for so long.
She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing.
"You do not think I have seen your longing looks at him, that I have always seen them?" He demanded.
"Kanaan," Tolim warned from his side. "We need to focus on our mission."
But Teyla had her eyes locked with his and Kanaan realised he had made a mistake, but he could not back down now.
"Unlike you, Kanaan, I have remained faithful and honest," she said.
It should not have cut him so deeply, yet it did. "How honest is it to love two men at once?" He pushed.
Her eyes narrowed and the moment hung in the air. "I never said that I loved you, Kanaan," she said finally.
He knew he had been unable to hide the pain her words inflicted and that he would never know if she had truly meant them. She would never be honest with him now and he would never know the truth. It was true that she had never used those exact words of love, but it had been implicit had it not? They had enjoyed a happy relationship before on New Athos and they had a son together. He had assumed she loved him, and only now did the realisation hit him that she may never have felt for him as deeply as he felt for her.
Kanaan stepped back from her, trying to hide his emotional conflict. He hugged Torren closer to him - at least he could be sure of his son's love. Teyla watched him with a carefully controlled blank expression, only twitches of worry could be seen as she glanced down at Torren.
Tolim was correct; they needed to move along with their mission. Kanaan turned towards Tolim and reached for the radio he had removed from a soldier.
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"This is Kanaan, I wish to speak to Mr Woolsey," the voice asked politely over the radio link.
Richard stood up straighter from where he had been leant over Zelenka's shoulder, studying the life signs display of the pier.
"Woolsey here."
"Mr Woolsey. We regret what has happened here, but you have forced our hand. We have many hostages here and we will sacrifice them if necessary. If you meet our demands then I promise that no one will be harmed."
"I want to speak to one of my people," Richard stalled.
"They are all unconscious at present, except for Teyla, which has left us with all of their weaponry at our disposal."
Richard walked away from the pier display and looked across the room to where the others were watching him worriedly. "What are your demands?" He asked.
"We only wish to leave this planet. There is a Jumper hovering out near the pier. They are to pick us up from here, along with a number of hostages, and will take us to the Gate Room. You will dial up the address for New Athos in the Pegasus galaxy, and do not pretend that you do not have the power for that. We will pass quickly through the Gate and you should be left with enough power."
Richard turned towards the darkened Gate below. "As you know the Gate here is shut down to allow the Earth Gate to take precedence. I will have to clear this will my superiors."
"No, Mr Woolsey. You will reactivate the Gate in the city now. I know it is a simple matter that Doctor Zelenka can perform in Doctor's McKay's absence. We will begin to harm your people in five minutes time unless the Jumper collects us from the balcony outside this atrium."
Richard pursed his lips. Zelenka waved him over to the display again and he moved to his side. Zelenka's finger pointed to a lone life sign that was moving swiftly along the corridors towards the atrium in question. It had to be Colonel Sheppard, who they had been informed had broken out of the isolation room five minutes ago. This could present a problem, or a solution?
"Kannan, we will comply with your demands, but you need to give us at least ten minutes to reactivate the Gate."
"That will give the Jumper plenty of time to de-cloak and collect us," the response came back quickly.
"Very well, I will instruct the pilot to collect you from the atrium's balcony."
"You have ten minutes to get the Gate dialled to New Athos," Kanaan stated and the line cut off.
Richard kept his swear words to himself, but only barely, as he turned back to his people. "Doctor Zelenka, better start working on the Gate."
"Really?" Zelenka asked surprised.
"They've got at least twenty of our people over there and little Torren," Richard pointed out. Zelenka nodded and turned to the dark dialling console.
There seemed to be few options at the moment, but at least once they were in the Jumper the majority of the hostages would be free. Something would have to be done between that balcony and the Gate…he really wished Colonel Sheppard was himself.
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Teyla felt the vibration of the Jumper as it neared the tower, but she did not turn to look out the window. Tolim had dragged three people out to the balcony, one of them Rodney, and had tied up the rest, all still deeply unconscious. He had taken the time to stun everyone again, which had killed Teyla's hopes of them, especially Ronon, of regaining consciousness any time soon. She had few options with Torren in Kanaan's arms and two weapons almost always focused on her. How far could she push her belief that Kanaan was reluctant to harm her? She wished she had not made that comment about not loving him, because she may have distanced him from her. Perhaps, it was time to try something different.
As Tolim moved back out to the balcony, issuing orders to the Jumper's pilot, she focused on Kanaan. "Will you let me hold my son, Kanaan?" She asked.
Kanaan looked over at her, his expression conflicted for a moment. "I am sorry, Teyla, but I cannot risk you running off with him. He is too important."
"And am I to never see my son again?" She demanded and she didn't even try to hide her fear and barely suppressed panic at the thought.
Kanaan turned towards her, his back to the railings. "You will be coming with us, Teyla."
"To Michael?! No, Kanaan, I will not."
"You want to be with our son, then that is how it will be. In time you will see that I have made the right choice."
"Once Michael has finished experimenting on me?" She asked.
"He will not do that, Teyla."
"Unless he tells you it would be for the great good," she replied and she was pleased to see a touch of worry flicker cross his face. "And what if he changes his mind about Torren? What if he decides that Torren will be the next to be sacrificed? Will you let him do that?"
Kanaan looked away from her, back over the railing, and she saw him frowning before turned back to her. "Michael will never hurt, Torren." His attention went past her through the window.
"You cannot know that for sure, Kanaan, and once Michael has Torren it may be too late."
Kanaan looked down to her again. "Michael will care for our son as much as we do."
"He cannot, Kanaan. He is a monster."
Kanaan frowned at her. "You do not understand."
"I think that I do, Kanaan. I think that you are the one who is confused. I think that Michael's experiments on you have twisted your mind and you are not the man I used to know."
"I am the man I have always been," Kanaan protested.
"Look at yourself," Teyla replied as she gestured up to his face, which had taken on a far too pale hue with bluish veins over his skin.
"I am better than I was, Michael has helped to make me stronger - that is all."
"No, he has made you into his slave. He has turned you partly into what you hate – Wraith."
Kanaan moved towards her slightly. "And what are we? We both carry Wraith genes, and our son – does that make him evil? Do you judge Michael because he is trying to improve himself?"
She frowned at the turn in the conversation. "No, I judge Michael because he is responsible for the death of thousands, Kanaan. And you helped him."
"And what about Doctor Beckett? Do you judge him as you do me? He helped create the virus, the hybrid treatment. He worked to harm others and you do not judge him as you do me!"
"That is different," she protested.
"How, Teyla? Because he was forced? I am as well, for this is the only way to save our people and all the others in our home galaxy that these people from Earth have so easily turned their backs on."
She frowned up at him. "You have seemed happy to be here though. Why? When you do not agree with leaving Pegasus unguarded?" She realised the answer as soon as she asked it. "Because Michael has been taking advantage of our absence. He was responsible for the signal and he knows Atlantis has left Pegasus."
Kanaan nodded at her theory as Tolim walked back into the atrium.
"The hostages are in the Jumper, along with the pilot. We must leave now," Tolim reported.
"I will not leave, Kanaan," Teyla stated.
"Stun her and carry her," Tolim suggested. Teyla frowned at Tolim – she had known him all her life and she was shocked to think how little she had known him. Surely Michael was behind these changes to their personalities, even if they did not agree.
"Teyla, do not make me stun you," Kanaan offered. "Because I will do it."
She considered her options and they were few. She stood up slowly and walked towards Tolim, who watched her carefully over the stunner in his hand. He still had a sidearm, which was tucked in his waistband, and it would take time for him to reach it, yet it would take only a moment for him to fire the stunner at her. If she was stunned unconscious there would be nothing she could do to stop them. Both men watched her carefully. She was almost out of time.
Once they were in the Jumper they would be protected by the ship and she could not be sure that Mr Woolsey and the others would be able to stop them. With all of her team incapacitated she feared that there was no one to help her. As she passed by Kanaan she looked down at her son who was staring up at her worriedly. They would take her son to Michael – she could not allow that. It would be better that she died than her son be handed over to that monster. Maybe there was a way of saving Torren somehow? Below the railings behind Kanaan she could see the glint of metal that told her that the team on the levels below were still nearby in the shadows. She wondered if they were preparing to strike. She had to delay at all costs.
She stopped and turned towards Kanaan, her back to Tolim, and looked down at her son.
"I want to hold Torren then," she argued.
"Once we are through the Gate you can hold him," Kanaan replied, his body tense and his eyes worried. She suspected he knew that she would try something, anything, to stop this. She looked down at Torren, judging how far away she was from Kanaan, how far she had to reach to snatch her son back. It was far from a smart or logical plan, but the urge to free her son from Kanaan was so strong that she had to squeeze her hands into fists to stop herself. Anger, intent and pure, flowed through her veins as she looked up at Kanaan.
"You could hurt him," she argued, trying to keep her words logical, but her voice betrayed her fear, her anger. Kanaan moved back very slightly, turning his body to pull Torren further from her.
"Kanaan, stun her and we will carry her to the Jumper," Tolim protested, his voice betraying his own growing anger.
"Teyla, do not make us force you into that Jumper," Kanaan warned.
She heard Tolim move towards her back, and she hoped he felt worried by her back turned to him. "I'll stun her then," Tolim stated.
"No!" Kanaan protested, his eyes sliding over her shoulder towards Tolim behind her. He looked back at her. "She will cooperate, for our son."
Teyla squeezed her fists tighter, her nails biting into her palms. She was surprised at Kanaan's reaction, but it meant that she had something to work with still. She looked back down at Torren, who was again reaching his little hands towards her, his lower lip quivering. He clearly knew something very wrong was occurring, but he did not understand. He wanted her comfort. She dared not reach for him yet, so she smiled at him as best as she could and reached out with her thoughts, hoping to reassure him somehow. A new vague sensation touched her mind as she did so though, and for a fleeting moment she thought a Wraith was in the city, but she assumed that it was Kanaan and Tolim she sensed. They were becoming more Wraith after all.
"Do you really believe that our son will be safe with Michael?" She asked Kanaan. "A madman surrounded by unstable killers?"
Kanaan's gaze darkened and she feared she may have pushed too much, but she was nearing the end of her own patience. Then, Kanaan's expression softened again. "Then come with us to care for Torren. I promise that I will not let anyone harm him, even Michael."
She studied Kanaan's eyes. "How can I ever trust you again after this?"
Tolim sighed loudly. "This is foolishness, Kanaan. Leave her here!"
"Michael said to take her with us," Kanaan replied calmly, his eyes locked with hers.
"He said 'if possible'. Torren is what is important here. Stun her and bring her, or leave her."
"Go to the Jumper, Teyla," Kanaan ordered her, gesturing with his stunner towards the open exit to the balcony.
She looked back down at Torren. She had no choice now it seemed. She could only hope that someone would stop the Jumper before it went through the Gate. She made sure to give Kanaan a clear view of her distasteful expression before she turned towards the exit.
They walked two steps before all the lights shut off. She did not wait to think, to question, she only reacted, turning and reaching for Torren in Kanaan's arms. He had been turning, expecting an attack from the teams below or from the staircase at the far end. But, nothing moved, not that Teyla noticed for she was too busy squeezing her hands around her son. Kanaan reacted belatedly to her action, but immediately turned, trying to push his own body between her and Torren. However, Teyla had gotten one arm around Torren, trapped between him and Kanaan's middle. She turned with Kanaan and struggled to free her son.
Tolim's hand landed on her back and pulled her roughly away from Kanaan. She could not turn and fight him, not when she still had an arm around Torren. Instead she used her free arm to strike an elbow back at Tolim. However, he ducked aside and batted her arm away with far more force than he normally would have had. She heard herself cry out, but she turned back to Kanaan, pressing closer to limit how much Tolim could attack her and she almost had both of her arms around Torren.
"Just move with her," Tolim shouted as the emergency lighting came to life, adding dark shadows to the atrium. Moonlight mixed with the faint light around them and suddenly Kanaan was pushing himself up against her and forcing her backwards – towards the exit to the balcony. Tolim grabbed at her back, pulling as well. She had to get out of their grasp, hopefully with Torren.
A loud slamming sound echoed around the atrium and the air stilled. Tolim stopped pulling her with him. "The exit is blocked!" He exclaimed.
Teyla tried to pull Torren free again, but Kanaan twisted away pulling her arm free from around their son and he lifted his elbow to block her. The sharp hard edge of his elbow impacted with her cheek and she was knocked away from him forcefully. As she stood back she saw the far end of the atrium was blocked off – the internal lock down doors of Atlantis were down, but there was no alarm. They were trapped in the atrium. Before she could understand how that could help her, there was movement from the railings. She saw, through the moonlight and emergency lighting, two hands appear on the railing and then a form leapt up over the railing, somehow from the levels below.
Tolim and Kanaan reacted immediately both turning and firing at the new dark shape. Teyla stepped back as both their stunners blazed on both sides of her. Blue light lighting up the atrium, but there was no following dull thud of an unconscious body falling to the floor. She blinked her eyes clear from the after affects of the stunners' light and saw John stood by the railing, the stunners clearly having had no affect on him.
She felt a burst of relief, but then she saw the dark colour to his face, and processed the way he stood – still and aggressively. But, she didn't worry about that just yet as she took advantage of the distraction and moved abruptly towards Kanaan again, reaching for her son once more. Kanaan saw her move and turned away from her, using his body to block Torren from her again. Torren began shrieking tearfully, but as she tired to get around Kanaan, Tolim grabbed her from behind again, holding her back. She turned back towards him, but another hand appeared grasping Tolim's forearm, forcing him to cry out in pain. Teyla heard the snap of his arm as John pulled him free of her.
She turned back towards Kanaan, who was now running away down the length of the atrium. She had no idea where he thought he could go but she followed, aware that Tolim and John were fighting behind her.
Kanaan fired his stunner back towards her, wildly over his shoulder, but she was able to duck aside in time away from the poorly aimed shot. Kanaan turned back towards her, running backwards now, Torren screaming in his arm, the stunner pointed towards her. She advanced towards him and moving quickly from one side to the other as he fired at her again.
"Teyla, do not do this!" He shouted at her over his firing, and then he dropped the weapon and in a flash of movement he had a sidearm in his hand instead. He fired at the wall near her and she stopped immediately, the echo of the firearm echoing in her ears. She could see the panic in Kanaan's eyes, that he was feeling pushed into this rash action. She slowly lifted her hands.
"It is over, Kanaan," she said as calmly as she could. Another firearm fired repeatedly behind her and she looked over her shoulder back towards John. She did not have time to worry for him, for with a rush of air and a cry she saw Tolim fall over the railing and she heard the thud of his body hitting the floor two levels below. Tolim had been removed from the fight, but the thought occurred to her now that the threat level may not have changed. She looked back down the dark atrium towards John.
He stood away from the railings and faced her down the length of the atrium. Cold fearful memories assaulted her as she watched him move forward. She remembered in vivid detail how he had been all those years ago when he had been infected with the retrovirus and now, as he moved through the shadows towards her and Kanaan beyond her, she felt that fear again. Fear at remembering how John had been affected before, how aggressive he had been, and that her friend may be lost once again.
She couldn't see enough of his face through the half light, but she could see that his complexion was different and the way the light glinted off his eyes seemed wrong. But, it was the way he moved that made her the most worried – his body was held tall, his arms hanging loosely at his side, his attention fixed forward with no expression on his face. He exuded violent intent and she had no idea if he understood the intricacies of what was happening here. Did he recognise her? Torren?
"John?" She called to him with both concern and warning.
He ignored her as he approached and she could see that all his attention was fixed on Kanaan beyond her.
"Stop, Colonel Sheppard!" Kanaan shouted down the atrium. "Or…or I will shoot her," he added. Teyla would have protested against the threat, hopefully simply a bluff, but she was more concerned that the situation was about to escalate.
"No, Kanaan," she said over her shoulder, her attention remaining on John as he drew even closer. "He may not be able to understand you," she warned Kanaan. "John, he has Torren," she said as calmly as she could. She could hear the adrenaline in her voice.
John stopped, a metre from her, and his eyes moved from Kanaan to her. Nervous hopeful relief slid in beside her fear and concern. She could see the new strange centres to his eyes, again far too familiar from the retrovirus. He blinked at her, the movement slow as if he was thinking slowly – she hoped he wasn't. He gaze moved back to Kanaan again, but he didn't advance forward.
"Torren," John said, his voice oddly smooth and soft. Oddly at such a moment she found herself wondering how he was here. Why wasn't he in the isolation room under Jennifer and Carson's care? But, at least for now it was clear that he was not out of control, having some mental clarity.
"I will do it, Colonel," Kanaan threatened and Teyla almost shouted at him herself, as she turned towards him slowly and carefully, trying to keep John in her peripheral vision.
"It is over, Kanaan," she pointed out.
"No, I can still get to the Gate. No one will risk attacking me while I have Torren." It was clear that Kanaan had been forced into a corner and was purely reacting.
Teyla thought she heard a low rumble of sound from John at that. "Kanaan, they will not let you get to the Gate. Just hand Torren over to me and you will not be harmed in any way."
Kanaan was biting his lower lip and Teyla realised that Torren had stopped crying and instead was staring at them all in strange silence. Teyla saw the gun quivering in Kanaan's hand. She turned herself more fully towards him. "I know you do not wish to harm anyone, Kanaan. That you do not want to shoot me."
She hoped she had read him correctly, that he still had some measure of concern for her wellbeing. "I know there is some of the man I care for inside you," she said carefully, moving a step forward. "You do not want to do this."
Kanaan was breathing hard, the sound loud and she worked to keep her own breathing as calm as possible. John was completely still and silent behind her.
"You can still come with me, Teyla," Kanaan said. "If you come with me freely then I will not be forced to hurt anyone."
"They will not let you get to the Gate and you do not want to hurt anyone, Kanaan," she tried to reason with him. John shifted behind her. Kanaan's eyes left her to follow John, and the gun followed, settling on John.
"I will shoot Colonel Sheppard," he said with worrying conviction. "Unless you come with me, Teyla."
Teyla's emotions took another turn, but she knew how to deal with this threat. She stepped to her right, putting herself between the gun and John. "No, Kanaan," she stated.
She saw Kanaan's face darken and heard his angry intake of breath. "Again, you make your choice clear," he said.
She opened her mouth to argue, but John was suddenly closer to her back. She held her arms out to prevent him from getting around her, to keep herself between him and the gun. He did not try to get around her though, instead he pushed her forward towards Kanaan. She tried to resist, but his strength easily overpowered her attempt to hold him back, so she was forced to step forward. He was using her as a shield against Kanaan – it was a good idea, but it made her fearful again about whether this was really her John.
Kanaan backed up as they approached. "Stop it, Sheppard!" He shouted.
John stopped and she dug her feet against the flat floor beneath her boots as much as she could. John's hands remained on her arms, the heat of them intense through her top, as if he were burning with a fever. His presence was intense behind her and the strange sense of there being a Wraithlike presence nearby was stronger. She realised it was John, not Kanaan as she had previously thought.
"You would use her to protect yourself?" Kanaan shouted angrily at John, the gun vibrating with his anger, but still held high and strong.
"You are holding our son hostage!" She pointed out angrily.
"Run, Kanaan," John said with that deep smooth voice, the words delivered with a mocking quality.
She felt him tremble behind her, felt the shudder through his hands against her upper arms, and she feared that he may be losing whatever mental control he had over himself. Or was he simply pushing Kanaan into making a mistake?
"I will not run from you," Kanaan replied, his male ego clearly rising to John's tone. "I am going to take Teyla and our son back to our home galaxy."
"No," John stated. His hands tightened on her arms.
"We will help to save our people. Our son will help Michael bring in a new age and Teyla will see that," Kanaan shouted back at John, perhaps hoping to provoke him in return.
"No," John repeated. "Michael…will…kill her," he added with deep conviction, but though it was the longest sentence she had heard from him, she could only really focus on the cold shiver that went through her. She remembered the report John had written on his visit to a once possible future, how devoid of precise detail it had been, but he had mentioned that all of the team other than Rodney had been killed – she had been killed by Michael in that future.
Kanaan frowned. "He will not."
"He will," was all John replied, and she could feel the tension through his hands.
"You would say anything to stop me," Kanaan argued.
"He speaks the truth, Kanaan. Colonel Sheppard saw a possible future once, in which Michael killed me following Torren's birth." She watched Kanaan's face and she felt a flush of relief at the worrying look across his face. "You cannot trust Michael."
"I do not believe you," Kanaan replied, but his words were directed over her shoulder at John.
John didn't reply, and she saw Kanaan frown at him angrily.
"Just give Torren to me and we will let you return to Michael," she offered. "You can leave unharmed."
Kanaan looked away, clearly conflicted and as he did so John pushed Teyla forward again. Kanaan saw the move and re-aimed his weapon on them. "Stay back!" He was frowning deeply. "You are lying. No one can know the future for sure. You just want me to leave her here!" The burst of aggressiveness towards John worried her, for Kanaan was clearly projecting his conflict on John, the problem was John was just as unstable right now.
Then the tables turned on her again as John replied "Yes," he said softly and with clear challenge in his voice.
To surprise her even more she felt one of John's hands leave her arm and his fingers ran down over her hair. She froze as he stroked her hair. She found herself recalling a look in his eyes when he had pinned her to the gym wall with a strength and speed that had shocked her. He had looked at her then with an animalistic quality and she knew, without looking, that he would have the same look in his eyes now.
The situation was highly unpredictable on two fronts now and, as John shifted closer to her back, she licked her dry lips and looked towards Kanaan.
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TBC