Disclaimer: You should know who I own by now, but if you don't, it's all the random characters. Sage and Dinnay are mine too.

The further the three men walked, the harder it became for the guards to carry Ronon deeper into the forest. He was getting weaker with each step he took, which meant that they had to carry more of his weight, and Ronon wasn't a light person to carry. Ronon tried as best he could to breathe. He fought to keep living because he didn't want to die now that he was out of the arena. But he was in pain. And he could feel the poison coursing through his veins. He could have sworn he felt each cell in his body on fire because of it.

The two guards had their own conversation around him only stopping every once in awhile to ask Ronon if he was still alive. Ronon could only exhale in response. When the pain would reach nauseating peaks he would revert back to the ancient Satedan language he learned as a child, not realizing when he did.

The guards would have never said it, but they felt privileged to be around when the Satedan language was spoken. When those moments came, the guards fell silent and all that was heard was the rustle of the leaves and Ronon. For all they knew, they were watching the demise of the final person of an entire race.

Then a different sound reached their ears. They all looked around when they heard the sound of someone approaching. "Who's there?" one of the guards asked.

A hooded figure stepped out in front of them. They had no clue who the person before them was but the figure knew one of them. The only thing that the guards thought was that the person in front of them was a threat. "What do you want?" the other guard asked.

"Satedan," the hooded figure said.

The men who were carrying Ronon stopped walking. They breathed a sigh of relief when they realized that it was only a girl who was threatening them. With much effort, Ronon lifted his head long enough to see who wanted him, but all he could see was a blurry figure. "What do you want, little girl?" the guard asked again.

"My family's blood has been spilled. I'm here seeking retribution for it," Sage hissed.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Ronon asked.

She reached into her coat and pulled out two blasters faster than the other men could react. They didn't even have a chance to draw their weapons when she shot them square in the chests and they fell to the ground like uprooted trees. "Nothing," she said.

Without the two men to hold him up, Ronon swayed where he stood. "I must be delirious because those look and sound like Satedan weapons."

"They are," she said putting the guns back in their holsters.

"Why did you shoot them?"

"I can't have any more blood from my family spilled," Sage said, walking passed him.

"Are they dead?" Ronon asked.

"I set the guns to stun," she said without looking back.

Ronon contemplated following the little girl. There was an air of familiarity about her, but he didn't know if it was just the state of mind he was in. "So are you going to kill me?"

The words made Sage stop in her tracks. "Why would I?"

"To avenge your kin. Are you going to kill me?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you—"

"Of course not," Sage interrupted. "If I was going to kill you, why would I take you all the way out here to do it?"

"To torture me."

"I'm not going to kill you." Sage unholstered one of her guns and walked over to Ronon and held it in front of him. "The coils in this gun and this gun," she said pointing to the one on her hip, "aren't for you. Blood is still being spilled, but I am here to stop it. We need to leave, before someone comes looking for these men," she said putting the gun away and walking back in the direction she was headed before Ronon interrupted her. "Are you coming?" she yelled back.

"Who are you?"

"You need to stop asking questions. Actually save your strength and stop talking all together. We aren't making it to the portal tonight."

"Portal?" Ronon asked slowly following the girl.

"I'm taking you back to your people."

"Why should I trust you?" Ronon demanded.

"You don't have to trust me. But you're still alive." Sage looked back and saw that Ronon was trailing behind. Ronon leaned against a tree and gasped trying to get air into his deprived lungs. "Can you walk?"

When a sufficient amount of oxygen was in his lungs he spoke. "If I need to," he replied.

"You need to."

"Then I can walk."

Sage walked over to Ronon and threw his arm around her shoulders. She was a lot shorter than Ronon was, so she didn't really know if it did anything for him. But for her, it was more of a reassurance that he was there with her. Because of their proximity, she felt him stumble the further along they walked and it scared her.

When the cave was in her view and less than fifty yards away, Sage smiled. She knew that Ronon wouldn't have been able to go further than that. "We're almost there," she said reassuringly.

Ronon looked up and Sage pointed to the cave. Ronon breathed a sigh of relief. He felt his body slowly giving out on him and by now, everything in his body seared with every step he took. "Okay," Ronon forced from his lips.

They got into the cave and Sage propped him up against the wall. She grabbed his chin and looked into his eyes. She was disappointed when she saw the look of defeat in them. "Do you want to die?" Ronon moved his face out of her grip and looked away. "Answer the question, Satedan."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I want to know if I'm wasting my time trying to save your life," she said trying to get some fight back in him. She didn't want him to give up, and she was still going to do everything to save his life, even if he didn't want it. She was just hoping that he had found a reason to live.

"I don't want to die here. Not this way."

"Okay," she whispered with a smile.

"But I want and what will probably happen isn't the same thing."

"The poison," she said. Ronon replied with a nod. "I'm… I'm going to have to purge it."

Ronon groaned at her words. They knew exactly what she had to do, but he didn't think he would survive it. "Okay."

She walked over to the other side of the cave and rummaged through one of the bags she brought with her. She took out a bottle of pills, a needle, and a serum. "I have some drugs to—"

"No drugs," Ronon interjected.

"Satedan."

"No drugs," he repeated.

"You're going to be in a lot of pain. You're no use to me dead."

"I don't care. If you make me sleep, I'll never wake up."

Sage was torn. She didn't want to cause Ronon any more pain, but she wanted to honor his words. She resigned and put the drugs back in her bag. She walked back over and knelt in front of Ronon. "I need you to trust me," Sage said. "I know I haven't given you any reason to, but I need you to."

"You seem really familiar to me," Ronon said, reaching up to touch her cheek.

She moved out of the way just in time. "So what does that mean?"

"I trust you."

Sage received the approval that she sought. She walked out of the cave. "I need to gather a few supplies. I'll be gone for a few minutes. Will you be okay?"

Ronon waved her off with a flick of the wrist.

She walked to the nearest water source with a large canteen in her hand and filled it up. When it was filled, she sat it next to her, fell to her knees and cried. After all the years of searching for him, she had finally found him.

She was the one who found him. Nothing could take that moment away from her. And nothing could stop her from crying. She was overflowing with such emotion that came pouring out in her moment of solitude. She cried because she was happy, but also sad. She was sad at the condition Ronon was in. But she couldn't let him see that. The last thing he would want from anyone was pity and he needed her to be strong.

She wiped the tears from her cheek, gathered the canteen, and headed back toward the cave. When she got back, she saw his head lolled to the side and panicked. She braced his shoulders and lightly shook him. "Ronon! Wake up! Ronon!" she yelled. She cursed herself for dropping her cover and using his name, but it was a moment of urgency.

Ronon blearily blinked his eyes and sat up. "Teyla?" he asked.

"No." She took off her coat and rolled it into a ball. She would have grabbed her pillow, but it was too far, and she needed to get him ready. "I need you to lie down," she replied.

"Where is Sheppard?" Ronon asked again.

"You're delirious. I'm not Teyla and I don't know who this Sheppard is that you're talking about. Now lie down."

Sage helped get him onto the coat and comfortable. "What's going on?"

"I just need you to relax."

"Is Weir mad?"

"Furious," she replied. She decided that it would do him less harm if he thought he was with familiar people.

"I couldn't let them trade and kill you guys."

"It's okay," she whispered. "You were poisoned, and right now I have to get the poison out of you. And I can't do that if you're not relaxed."

Ronon understood and started to take deeper breaths. Sage left the cave again and started a small fire. She took out the blade she used to threaten the man into telling her where Ronon was and held it over the flame. She needed to sterilize the blade and that was the only way she could.

She walked back into the cave and saw Ronon's eyes closed, but also a nearly rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. She took the sheet that she used as a blanket and ripped it into small strips. She grabbed a piece of cloth, dampened it with the water in the canteen, and wrapped the knife in it to cool it. The hissing sound of the water meeting the heat echoed through the cave, but Ronon never stirred once.

Sage knelt next to the older Satedan and looked at the stab wound. It had already begun to scab over. She placed her hand on the wound and gently pressed on it.

Her hand came in contact with Ronon's skin and it felt damp. She placed the back of her hand on his forehead. He had a fever and if she didn't bring it down, there was going to be some permanent brain damage.

She pressed down on another section of his abdomen and Ronon's eyes shot open and he gasped, his back arching off the ground. Sage placed a hand on his chest and eased him back down. Ronon started coughing and blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth. Sage rolled him onto his side so he wouldn't choke on his blood. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she whispered. "The poison is working too fast."

Ronon blinked a couple of times trying to get the haze out of his eyes, but it didn't work. His eyes were glazed over. "It's okay. Are you going to start now?" he asked.

"Yes. Are you ready?" Ronon nodded. Sage took a one of the sheets and crumpled it into a ball and opened Ronon's mouth for him. She placed it inside and closed it. She unwrapped the knife and showed it to Ronon. She leaned over and kissed Ronon on the forehead. "All will be well," she whispered in ancient Satedan. The confused look on Ronon's face told her that he had understood.

Sage took the blade and slowly inserted it into the stab wound that Ronon received earlier. Ronon eyes were locked on the movements of girl in front of him. That was one of the only things that he could concentrate on at the moment. That and his breathing. Sage pushed the blade in deeper and Ronon bit into the cloth.

The pain was excruciation for him. His side felt like someone kept ramming a knife into his side over and over again. The coolness of the blade against his feverish body made his breath hitch in his throat.

Sage pushed the blade in with an inch left to the hilt and pulled it out. She felt Ronon tense under her fingers. She pushed down on the areas around the wound which caused the pain in him to erupt. Because of the sharp pain, he lost consciousness. Sage looked up as she felt the body relax under her ministrations. She took the cloth out of his mouth and tossed it to the side.

She continued pressing on the wound and scowled with disdain at the color of the blood flowing out of him. Instead of a crimson color, it was a thick, tar-like, black. Black because of the poison affecting the cells. She left him for a moment to grab the sheets and wiped up some of the blood.

She continued to press down around the wound until she saw red. There were times that she thought it was too late, and he was going to just bleed to death, but she kept going. The moment she saw red, the sun had begun to set. "Thank the heavens," she sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her forearm.

She didn't have the knowledge to stitch him up properly, so she clotted the blood as best she could with the cloths.

With much effort, she lifted Ronon up and sat him up against the wall again. She rinsed the blood off her hands and Ronon's torso with the remaining water. She walked over to the bag that was full of drugs and took out a vial. It was filled with oil. She poured it onto her hands and spread it on the wound. After the wound was coated, she took the ripped up sheets and wrapped them around his torso.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She was proud of herself. Sage had gotten most of the poison out and she hoped that it was enough for him to live. She put her hand on his forehead and felt less heat rising. "Better than what I thought it would be."

Sage needed to move him one more time for him to get a comfortable sleep, and she groaned. She couldn't put him where he just was because it was covered in his blood. She contemplated moving him to the back of the cave, but it was too far, so she decided to move him toward the entrance of the cave.

She threw his arm around her shoulders and lifted him up with much effort. After what seemed like an eternity, she moved him from leaning the wall to lying near the entrance. She grabbed her pillow and tucked it under his head. She stood up and sat at the entrance of the cave. She stretched her aching muscles, groaning when they reached their limit. She desperately wanted to sleep, but she knew she wouldn't get any this night. She unclipped the gun holsters and removed her vest, throwing them off to the side.

Looking back at Ronon, she gasped. His eyes were wide open. He looked around frantically as if he was searching for something. "You're okay," she said kneeling next to him and brushing his hair back.

"I feel exhausted."

"Go to sleep, Ronon Dex," she said, her defense slowly crumbling, but she didn't care.

"How do you know my name? I never told it to you," he said although his throat was dry.

"I know you. I know all about you."

"Is that all you are going to tell me?"

"That is all you need to know. Now rest. We have a long way to go tomorrow."

Ronon recognized the tone and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he was asleep. Sage stayed up and watched him as he slept. She was afraid to sleep herself because she felt that if she slept, she would wake up and he would be gone, as if everything that was happening was a dream.

She regretted ripping up the sheet because now she had nothing to put over Ronon. And he looked like he needed it.

A feeling that Sage was forgetting to do something kept bugging her the entire day. And now that she was sitting there, looking at the sky, she wracked her brain trying to remember. She watched the dying ashes hoping they would trigger something, but nothing came to her.

She slapped her forehead when she finally remembered. She jumped over Ronon grabbed her communicator. She dialed home and Dinnay answered. On the screen was Dinnay who looked like he was ready for combat. "What are you doing?" Sage asked walking toward the entrance.

"You didn't check in. I'm coming down there, now," Dinnay yelled.

"No, you're staying right there," Sage argued.

"No," Dinnay replied adamantly. "I told you that if you don't check in every hour, I'd come down. You're about five hours late."

"I have a good reason."

"What could possibly be a good enough reason for worrying me?"

Sage tipped the screen and Ronon's face was transmitted through to Dinnay. "That good enough for you?" she whispered.

"Sage, that's Ronon. It's your—"

"I know, Dinnay."

"Is he real? Stupid question, of course he's real. Is he okay?"

"I don't know." Sage went on to tell him about what happened earlier in the day. From threatening a civilian, to shooting the guards, to having to purge the poison. "I was actually surprised that he woke up."

"That's a good thing though, right?" Dinnay said.

"I hope so."

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Exhausted. But besides that, I'm fine."

"So I can be expecting you back in…"

"Two days. Maximum," she replied. "I'll give him a day to rest. We aren't too far from the range of the signal."

"You get some rest too," Dinnay said being a mother hen. "You can't help him if you're all worn out. Look, I know you're tired, so I'll let you go. I'll be waiting okay."

"Thanks, Dinnay. For everything."

"What are… friends for right? Sage, I'll see you later. Try and sleep okay."

"Bye, Dinnay. I love you," she replied.

Dinnay looked away from the screen and blushed. He turned to face her and saluted before turning of the screen. Sage placed the communicator at her side and put out the fire, or what was left of it.

She leaned against the entrance of the cave and looked up toward the heavens. "Thank you," she whispered to the gods, and closed her eyes, forcing herself to try and get some sleep.

Okay… I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this story up. First, I didn't transfer it to my laptop, so it was stuck on my home computer for two months. And now that I'm in college, I don't have all the free time in the world. Sorry. That was a long chapter for me to write. Hope you guys are okay with where it's going. I don't know if I'll use Sateda in my story, but at this point, who knows. Thanks to everyone who is reading this story. Please review. Lil-Rock