A/N: This chapter was the first one written. The rest of the story was written around it.

Chapter Six - Six months later

Lorne and his team moved stealthily towards the supposedly abandoned building upon P6X-662 in which the many locals guided them to, telling them that if anything was going on then it would be coming from there. Reva walked in after the three men, carrying her weapon low at her side. She frowned as she glanced towards the open doors behind her. Something didn't feel right.

The climate of the planet greatly resembled P3M-736 in that the atmosphere contained high radiation level. Reva didn't know much about the technical stuff but she knew no one could live on this planet for a long period of time without protection. The plant life and vegetation thrived, absorbing enough residual light during the day.

Reva looked away from the open doors and looked around the inside of the building. It looked just like everything else on this planet; well made but not made to last from the materials. The thick wooden columns that held it all together were rotting and Reva saw many of the filings on the ground that were completely dead. The ceiling had a large round hole in the middle, making it look as though the roof were sinking.

The windows were covered in thick dust making them impossible to see in or out of and most of the wooden flooring beneath their feet creaked loudly with each step they took. When Reva reached the middle of the room she stopped again and looked to her teammates. They were still looking around. Did they not sense the same thing that bothered her?

Quickly, the room darkened but what had caused it was unknown. Everyone stopped their movements, switching on their lights. They continued to wait but nothing happened. Something then caught Reva's attention. She walked to one side of the room and saw markings, writings in a foreign language. Reva's eyes narrowed as she continued to look at it. There was something disturbing familiar about it.

Smith kicked up the doors on the opposite side of the large building and looked out the back. It looked much the same as the front but there was one thing that was different. A silver cylindered shaped object sat nestled in the tall green grass. A single red light flashed from it.

Lorne approached Reva and stood beside her. With his head he indicted to the wall as he spoke. "Do you know it says?"

Reva frowned faintly. She pointed to the words as she spoke. "I don't know what these first two words is but this says uno verimas, which means one truth. Anquietas, The Ancients have... our... Master will..." Reva stopped as she shook her head, sighing heavily. "I don't really know. I'm just guessing at what I've seen Dr. McKay work on."

"Alright," Lorne said with a soft sigh. "Linkins write that down and we can give it to McKay to translate."

"Yes, sir," Linkins said moving forwards with a small piece of paper and pen. Reva bit her bottom lip as she watched. She was determined not to start anything right now with this particular teammate. It wasn't the time.

A piercing cry rang through their ears as Smith came running towards them. "There's a bomb!"

The three others turned quickly to look outside, all of them seeing a large silver shape, not being able to tell what it was exactly. "Oh, god," Linkins choked out.

"Wait, how do you know it's a bomb?" Reva asked quickly. She didn't exactly doubt him but she didn't want them all fearing for their lives for nothing.

"Smith has a degree in engineering," Lorne replied. "I think he'd know when he saw one. How much time is left?"

Smith shrugged, apparent fear clear in his eyes. "Not long, a few minutes, I think," he mumbled.

Lorne wasted no time. "Alright," he said clearly. "Let's go. Now!"

As he yelled the instructions, an audible beeping sounded off the cylinder object. The team ran as fast as they could. Not even ten seconds later, a large explosion split the silence around them. The abandoned building exploded into great balls of fire. The team covered their heads with their arms as they continued to run.

When they all reached a safe distance they stopped to take a breath and make sure everyone was alright. "You... think... it... was... a... trap?" Smith asked through pants.

'Had to be," Lorne replied heavily.

"Um... guys..." Linkins said fearfully, pointing to the side of the burning building. "I think we need to leave."

Thinking they needed to leave was an understatement. Along with the charging Wraith came the townspeople, armed and all. "Agreed," Lorne muttered quickly. All of them turned and ran as the first round of bullets flew past them. "Get back to the gate!"

The trip back was much quicker but the firing of weapons hadn't slowed down. "Smith, dialled the gate, we'll cover you!" Lorne shouted.

The three of them moved into position and fired continuous rounds as Smith dialled the gate as quick as he could. "You knew they were here, didn't you?" Linkins shouted to Reva over the noise.

For a brief moment Reva looked at Linkins. "How the hell would I know!" she screamed back.

The bantering continued and none of it went unnoticed. Lorne watched between them, still making sure they were doing their jobs. Once the gate activated Smith sent his IDC and called to his team. The three remaining ran backwards, still firing as they went.

As Lorne's team stepped through the gate, safely back on the other side, Reva charged her weapon and pointed it directly at her teammates head. Immediately gate room security surrounded her and the rest of the team. An alarm sounded around them for thirty seconds before it was turned off.

"Reva, step away," Lorne ordered sternly.

Reva didn't move a muscle.

Elizabeth Weir and John Sheppard who were standing in her office both quickly noticed the commotion. "Oh my god," she said in alarm. They both ran from the office and down the stairs. John motioned for her to stay where she was as he moved forward.

"Take it back!" Reva yelled at the top of her voice.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true," Lieutenant Linkins shouted back, his own weapon pointed at her. "You couldn't see what you had done!"

Reva pushed her gun into his forehead forcefully, her white teeth bare and anger etched noticeably on her young face. "You weren't even there. You were assuming, just like you always do."

"What the hell is going on?!" John yelled.

Neither of them moved. The hatred between them continued to radiate strongly. Neither of them wanting to give any ground. Quickly John was losing his temper. "Both of you stand down immediately," he ordered firmly.

Nothing happened and John's jaw clenched tightly in his rapidly increasing anger. He pushed his way towards them, ignoring the protests from Elizabeth. He got between them and pushed Reva's arm away. Reva's chest heaved deeply as she panted heavily. He shoved her away from him and the rest of her team. She thought of moving back but John's arm extended towards her, his finger pointing at her.

"Walk away and cool off!" he shouted.

Reva's body shook with rage as she bit down hard on her tongue. There were so many things she wanted to yell out right now but she held them back and stormed from the gate room. Once she was out of sight John whipped round and turned on Linkins.

"You have been warned about provoking her before," said John angrily. "What she did was out of line but you still have no right to make the situation worse. You go and cool off as well. I don't want to see you until you have."

John's hard hazel stare watched until Linkins was clear of the room before he looked around. Smith silently left for the locker room with wide eyes, evidently wanting no part in this. The situation calmed swiftly and John slowly approached his second in command. "Major, what happened?" he asked quietly, so no one else could hear them.

Elizabeth joined them as Lorne sighed heavily. He glanced around them also before locking eyes with John again. "We were ambushed. I think it was the same Wraith as last time and Linkins indirectly blamed Reva for causing the attacks."

"Why?" asked John, frowning.

"He thinks since Ronon was a runner that they're after Reva too but we know she has no tracker in her body," he explained carefully. "They then argued and said a few choices words to each other before Linkins said she was a traitor and spy, that she was informing the Wraith of our positions."

"You don't believe it?" said John knowingly.

"No," said Lorne confidently. "Not for a second would I believe she'd help them, especially all her brother's gone through. I'm sure she hates them has much as anyone but I will say that it's a big coincidence that when we do run into the Wraith, Reva's with us."

John thought for a moment and turned to Elizabeth. A knowing look passed between them. "Wait in my office and we'll discuss this more," said Elizabeth quietly.

"It's a good idea," said John glancing around subtly. "I'll go speak with Reva first but and I'll meet you in there."

"Yes, sir," said Lorne before moving.

Both Elizabeth and Lorne moved quickly and so did John. He stalked through the corridors until he found her. Reva was walking quickly towards one of the many balconies around the city. When Reva exited she walked to the railing and leaned over and looked down before gazing upwards to look at the water. It was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set and the sky was slowly turning a dark orange.

Reva eventually lifted and held onto the railing with both hands and sighed loudly. That mission had just gone wrong. There was no other word for it in the English language or any language actually. Reva's head snapped to the side as the door slid open and John walked out. Reva recognised the look in his eyes. He was angry, she knew that. He was angry because of her.

She opened her mouth but John held up his hand to silence her. "Don't speak," he said angrily. He approached her and stood right in front of her. She locked eyes with him. She was determined not to look away.

"What you did was reckless and completely out of line!" he shouted. "You threatened a member of your own team."

"But John..."

"No, don't speak!" he said even louder. "I cannot have you threatening members of this expedition again. I cannot protect you forever."

"But..."

"I said don't speak!" he repeated angrily. His hazel eyes flared dangerously and his jaw clenched. "I am your superior and you will listen to me now. I know that during a fire fight things can get heated but back there you threatened a teammate and you directly disobeyed an order from Lorne. That is unacceptable. When you are out with his team you obey and report to Lorne and when you come back here you report to me as well. If you don't want to be here in Atlantis that's fine, leave, but if you do you will start doing as you're told. I know you're not from Earth but the rules we have are from there and if you're going to stay here you will abide by them also. When Lorne tells you to do something, you do it. When Elizabeth tells you to do something, you do it. When I tell you to do something, you do it! I do not want another repeat of today. Do you understand?"

Reva recognised defeat. "Yes," she whispered quietly.

"Good," said John firmly. "Now, when you've finished calming down you will go and apologise to Linkins and Lorne."

"But..."

John silenced her with an unspoken, murderous glare. She nodded softly. He turned sharply and left the balcony, leaving Reva alone again. She turned back to look at the view and she exhaled shakily. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes but she held them in. She wasn't going to let this get to her. No, she was better than that.

John made his way back to Elizabeth's office. He looked to her before glancing at Lorne who still waited for this meeting to happen. John sat down and Lorne slowly took a seat also. '"Sorry if I kept you waiting," said John quietly as he crossed one leg over his knee.

"It's alright, John," said Elizabeth dismissively. She exhaled slowly as she thought. She quickly decided to get straight to the point. "I've re-reading through several off-world mission reports and it seems Reva has caused a few problems and not even all problems have been off-world."

John changed positions. He placed his foot back onto the ground and he leaned forward in his chair. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, John, I know you trust her but there have been complaints about her and..."

"No," said John. His tone was quiet but it seemed to carry enough weight to make Elizabeth raise an eyebrow. "She has proven herself to us and her brother has done the same. I don't think it's wise to question her loyalty now."

"I'm not questioning that quality, John," pressed Elizabeth. "I'm questioning her ability her keep her temper in check."

"I'll make sure she does that," said John.

"You can't guarantee that she will listen to you, John," said Elizabeth, her head tilting slightly. "She's young and she needs more experience. She isn't ready for this and she hasn't listened to you much in the past."

"She will this time," said John firmly.

"John..." she attempted feebly.

The room went quiet and Lorne cleared his throat, gaining both Elizabeth and John's full attention. "What if we took her off duty for a while? You know, see if she calms down a little."

The room went silent for a moment. John rubbed a hand over his cheek and chin as he turned to look at Elizabeth. She looked down at her desk, her eyes skimming over her laptop. She leaned her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together. She glanced at Lorne before focusing on John.

"I think that may be a good idea," she said quietly. "But John, speak with her again tomorrow and let me know what you think about it."

He nodded and knowing that the meeting was over he left Elizabeth's office and walked the path to his quarters slowly. Once there he opened the door and lay down without changing. He rubbed his hands over his eyes. Today's small incident was something he didn't want to see repeated. He couldn't keep helping her.

At three in the morning, Reva got up from her warm bed and fixed her clothing. She opened her door and walked down the empty corridors. She stopped at Linkins door and mentally slapped herself. She didn't really want to do this but she did know her actions were over the top.

She set the chime off and waited patiently. It eventually opened and there stood Linkins, dressed in his bed clothes, his hair messed, his eyes only half open. "Do you know what time it is?" he mumbled.

"Yes, I am aware," Reva said quietly. "I've just come to apologise. I know threatening your life was wrong. I let my anger get the better of me. I'm sorry."

Linkins ran a hand through his hair, making it messier as he yawned. "Accepted," he mumbled before closing the door and going back to bed.

Reva rolled her eyes and walked towards Lorne's quarters. She knew she should have done this earlier but after that scalding from John she felt like she couldn't face anyone else. She ran her hand over the chime and once again waited. Lorne opened the door quickly. Reva could tell he hadn't been asleep.

"Reva," Lorne said in surprise. "What are you doing here at this time?"

"I've come to apologise," Reva said honestly, getting straight to the point. "You're the team leader and I openly and explicitly undermined your authority. I'm sorry. I was angry and I let it get the better of me. I've already apologised to Linkins."

Lorne showed a small amount of surprise. "Well, you seemed to have calmed down and realised your actions. Your apology is accepted. I don't want that happening again though," he added.

"It won't," Reva said quietly.

"Good," Lorne said with a small nod.

"Goodnight, sir," Reva said moving from his door.

Lorne returned goodnight and closed the door. If he hadn't been sleeping, it made Reva wonder what he was doing and why he was still awake. She knew everyone had different sleeping patterns but still, it was quite early in the morning. He had to sleep sometime, didn't he?

Reva continued walking but it wasn't to her own quarters. She stopped when she sighted the next door she was walking towards. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed inaudibly. She stared at the closed door determinedly.

She wasn't sure she really wanted to walk the rest of the way. He had been angry with her and she was sure he still was. Slowly, Reva managed to move one heavy foot in front of the other and walk through the space before her. When reaching the door she stared at it for a little longer. She could turn around now and he would be none the wiser.

She closed her eyes as she waved her hand over the crystals, setting off the door chime. She waited several minutes before anything happened. When the door finally opened Reva opened her eyes and they were met with hazel ones. His features seemed to harden faintly at seeing her but he silently stepped to the side and let her enter his quarters.

He paused before closing the door and he stepped inside, a little closer to her but stopped, leaving a few feet between them. Reva felt as though she were hugging herself. Under his gaze she shifted. She felt a little nervous. She could have possibly shaken his trust in her and it was something she always feared would happen.

She finally decided and she closed the distance between them. Gently, she stroked his cheek with two fingers and he moved his head back. "Don't," he mumbled uncomfortably, with a small shake of his head.

Reva nodded to herself. She deserved that. She looked at him and waited until he looked back.

"John, I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I never meant to disrespect you, Lorne or anyone else, but... especially you. And I'm sorry if I've disappointed you. I know you've tried hard with me and I know I keep ...I apologised to Linkins and Lorne... I wasn't going to kill him. The gun was set to stun-"

"Don't you dare lie to me," John breathed dangerously. "I saw the gun after I took it from you."

She stopped and pressed her lips together as tears stung the backs of her eyes for the second time. She didn't like feeling vulnerable. It made her feel weak, helpless and it wasn't something she was liked. She kept her eyes on him. She no longer knew what to say. She could think of many things but none of them were appropriate and she was sure nothing she said now could make up for what happened before.

John seemed to think about what she had just said. Eventually, he exhaled deeply and placed his arms around her, pressing her body into his. One arm went around her back while the other arm reached up and he cupped the back of her head with his hand. They remained in an embrace for a few long seconds. He then moved his head back a little and looked into her eyes, a serious look etched in his face.

"I can't have you doing that again," he said firmly.

"I won't," Reva said quickly. "And I am sorry, I really am," she added quietly.

John leaned towards her and pressed their lips together in a soft, chaste kiss. Reva cupped his cheek but felt unwilling to touch him further in case of rejection. He broke the kiss slowly and looked at her seriously again. "Apology accepted."

He removed his arms from around her and he gently grasped her hand and led her over to the narrow bed. They lay down together and John brought her into his arms and Reva sighed in relief once they had both settled. She didn't want to lose what she had with him. She slowly closed her eyes as he stroked her hair gently. She knew he was still angry but she would accept what she could get right now. She didn't feel as though she had any right to ask for anything more.