HALF-LIVES

CHAPTER 2

John Sheppard stepped through the Stargate, followed closely by Ronon and Major Lorne. It was night on the planet, and once the Stargate shut down, there was absolutely no light for the team to see by. Sheppard switched on the light at the end of his gun, and immediately heard the other two men do the same. Three small pools of light shone onto the grass at their feet, moving apart from each other as the men moved off toward the village, in search of Kanaan and his men.

"Okay," Sheppard whispered, "remember, we're only here to observe. Try and stay outta sight."

"Got it," Ronon rumbled from somewhere near his left side.

They slowly crept through the field, keeping their lights pointed toward the ground, until they could just barely see the outlines of a few dozen tents, lit by a small fire within their circle. Thirty yards outside of the circle, another larger tent stood, and Sheppard guessed that this was where the inhabitants of the village housed their visitors. He made a quick motion with his hand, to which both Lorne and Ronon nodded in understanding, and then walked quietly toward the tent. Muffled voices reached his ears from within the tent, and he caught what he thought was Kanaan speaking in a low murmur. Sheppard nodded to his team, then switched off his light and slipped inside the tent, leaving the other two men to keep watch.

Though the inside of the tent was as dark as it was outside, Sheppard saw Kanaan's outline near the middle of the room. A hint of sliver flashed in the firelight, and Sheppard put up his hand in defense.

"Wait, Kanaan. It's me, Sheppard."

There was a brief pause, and then Kanaan lowered his hand. "Sheppard?"

"Yeah."

"What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Teyla? Is…"

Sheppard shook his head. "No, she's fine, and so is Torren. In fact, Teyla was worried that something was wrong with you. Everything okay?"

Kanaan sighed. "For now. But I fear that these people do not trust us at all, and will not ally themselves with us against the Wraith. As it is, they do not have any technology or means of fighting the Wraith, should they come to this planet. The people would be wiped out completely."

"So, what's taking so long, then? If they aren't of any use…" Sheppard's question was cut off by the sound of Ronon's voice over Sheppard's comm.

"We're about to have company, Sheppard. What should we do?"

"Please, Sheppard," Kanaan urged. "You must go back to Atlantis. I and my men will return soon."

"Just…wait a minute," he replied, then to Ronon, he said, "Fall back toward the Gate, and try to stay outta sight. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," Ronon replied, and he and Lorne quietly slunk into the darkness behind the tents.

Sheppard cocked his head and stared at Kanaan. At the father of Teyla's child, he thought somewhat bitterly. If he was honest with himself, which wasn't often, he was still a little angry that she had concealed her pregnancy from him in the beginning. "What is really going on here, Kanaan? You sound as if you're afraid of these people."

"They may not have weapons that can kill a Wraith," Kanaan explained, "but they have some that will kill humans. We were just now trying to plan our escape from this planet."

Sheppard saw then that Kanaan and his men were all bound together by both their ankles and arms, with metal cuffs that were all linked by two long chains. It wasn't a weapon that he'd seen glinting in the dim light, it was their handcuffs.

"Great," Sheppard muttered under his breath. He tapped the comm. at his ear. "Ronon, Lorne, we've got a problem."

"Uh-huh." It was Ronon's way of saying, 'Go ahead.'

"Kanaan and his men aren't negotiating with the village. They're its prisoners."

Lorne's voice came over then. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, obviously we've gotta get them out."

There was a too-long pause, before Ronon said, "So, what's the plan?"

"I'll let you know when I have one. Stay down for now."

He switched off the comm., and turned back to Kanaan. "I don't suppose anyone has a key?"

Kanaan, not understanding John's dark sense of humor, shrugged and replied, "No."

"Well, we'll have to improvise, then." He laid his gun on the ground, and took out his military-issue knife, pulling Kanaan's wrists closer to inspect the lock. Realizing that wouldn't work, he sighed and slipped the knife back into the loop on his vest, then peeked out the tent-flap. Village men milled around near the fire, talking and laughing quietly. In their hands were black, shiny guns that looked eerily similar to the ones he and his team carried.

"Crap." He tapped the comm. again. "Gotta plan, guys. We need a distraction. Preferably as far away from the Gate as possible."

Ronon looked at Lorne. "C4?"

Lorne shrugged. "A few."

Ronon sighed. Why did every mission have to go like this? Then, he spoke to Sheppard. "We're on it."

"Copy."

Sheppard picked up his gun, and glanced at Kanaan. "As soon as you hear the blast, run like hell toward the Gate, okay?"

The tall man nodded. "I understand."

"Good."

About five minutes later, Ronon's voice startled Sheppard. "We're ready."

Sheppard nodded, then felt silly for it, since Ronon couldn't see him. With a frown at himself, he replied, "Go."

A loud explosion boomed through the village, followed by a bright flash of light. The men around the campfire instantly began shouting and ran toward the blast, their guns up and at the ready. Sheppard waited until they were out of firing range, and then pushed Kanaan out the tent's door. Kanaan and his men ran as quickly as the chains allowed, and Sheppard ran behind them, helping up anyone who stumbled along the way.

Lorne had dialed the Gate in the meantime, and he and Ronon stood guard on either side, their guns pointed into the darkness. The captives were almost to the Gate, when a shot suddenly rang out, and Kanaan fell forward.

Sheppard saw him fall, and spun around, firing a volley of bullets toward the village. He saw two man-shaped outlines drop to the ground, just before he ran ahead toward Kanaan. Ronon and Lorne unleashed their guns in the fight, while Sheppard dropped to the ground beside Kanaan.

"Kanaan!" he shouted over the gunfire, checking the man's injury. He could see a bullet-wound in the taller man's back, and the dark pool of blood under him suggested that the shot had gone completely through his torso. The wound was still bleeding badly; if they didn't get back to Atlantis soon, they might not be able to save him.

Kanaan groaned, but was able to pull himself up onto his hands and knees. Sheppard helped him stand up, and let him lean against him as they continued on toward the Gate.

"Ronon, Lorne, let's go!" he shouted to them, and they followed after him, still firing at the villagers.

"Colonel Carter, we've got an incoming wormhole."

Carter emerged from her office, just as the Gate activated downstairs. "IDC?"

The gate technician, Chuck, nodded. "It's Colonel Sheppard."

"Let them in," she replied, trying desperately to ignore the feeling of dread she felt in her gut. She watched as the shield covering the Gate dissipated, and not more than two seconds later, Sheppard appeared, with Kanaan leaning heavily against his shoulder. Five Athosian men followed them, and Lorne and Ronon brought up the rear.

Carter hurried down the steps to the main floor of the Gate room, calling for Dr. Keller as she went.

"What happened?" She asked Sheppard, whose jacket, face, and arms were streaked with Kanaan's blood.

"He was shot in the back. They were being held prisoner. Can we get these chains off?" He asked, looking around for someone to help.

A crew member rushed out of the room, only to return a few moments later with a pair of bolt cutters. They succeeded in removing the cuffs, just as Dr. Keller ran in with a gurney.

"Can you get up here by yourself?" she asked Kanaan, patting the stretcher. He tried, but the pain was too much, and his knees gave out beneath him. Sheppard managed to catch him before he hit the floor, but he glanced at Ronon for help. Ronon easily took the man from him and laid him on the gurney, then stepped back as Keller began to wheel Kanaan toward the infirmary.

A group of officers came in to take care of Kanaan's men, and Carter beckoned for Sheppard, Lorne and Ronon to follow her upstairs. When they were standing in her office, she again stared at Sheppard's blood-covered self, and said, "Just fill me in, and then you can go wash up."

Sheppard took a breath, then began. "We went in quiet, as agreed. We found Kanaan, and I went inside while those two –" he jerked his head in Ronon and Lorne's direction " – kept watch. Kanaan told me that there was virtually no chance of an alliance, and then said that the villagers were in fact holding them prisoner. A bunch of the village men were standing around a fire, too close for me to make a clean rescue, so Ronon and Lorne set off a bunch of C4 as a distraction."

He sighed, sounding defeated. "I thought it would keep them occupied until we got through the Gate, but someone must've tipped them off to our escape. Kanaan was shot in the back, but I managed to get him and the others through. That's about it."

The other two men nodded in agreement.

Carter sat on the edge of her desk, her arms crossed over her chest. "I suppose it was a good thing you went, then. Who knows what they would've done to Kanaan and his men if you hadn't."

"Yep."

"Okay," she said with a sigh. "You're dismissed. Go clean up and get some rest."

"Thanks," Sheppard replied. "But I'm gonna go find Teyla and fill her in, first. Don't want her freaking out if she sees him in the infirmary. Or…" although he didn't continue, Sam knew what he was thinking. Or if he didn't make it after all, she finished for him.

Carter simply nodded, and the three men left her office.

Sheppard stood in front of his bathroom sink, staring into the mirror. He knew he was supposed to be washing the blood off his face and arms, but instead, all he could think about was how he was going to tell Teyla that Kanaan was badly injured, and might possibly die. She had almost lost him once already; this might be too much even for her. And now that Torren – the outcome of her relationship with Kanaan – was here, well, it could only be harder.

With a heavy sigh, Sheppard turned on the sink and began to wash his arms, trying not to notice the reddish water that flowed down the drain, then grabbed a washcloth and scrubbed his face clean. He inspected himself again, making sure he hadn't missed anything, and then shut off the water. As he left the bathroom, he swiped the towel off the back of the door and dried himself with it, then tossed it into the hamper on top of his bloody clothes. He pulled a clean t-shirt from a drawer and slipped it over his head, careful not to mess his hair, and then flopped face-down on his soft, warm bed.

He was almost asleep when the chime sounded at his door.

"Come in," came his muffled reply, and a moment later the door swished open. He turned his head, cracking one eye open to see who was there.

Teyla.

Sheppard scrambled up from his bed at the sight of her standing there in his doorway.

"Hey," he said, straightening his shirt and running a hand through his hair.

"Samantha said you wanted to speak with me?" She asked, letting the door close behind her.

"Yeah. Why don't you sit down?"

"I am fine, thank you."

They stared at each other for an awkward moment, until he finally understood that she was waiting for him to explain why he needed to see her.

"Uh. So, we found Kanaan. You were right about something being wrong." She merely nodded, so he rushed on before he lost his nerve. "Well, we managed to rescue him and his men. But he, uh, he was badly injured in the escape."

There. He'd said it. Now, all he had to do was wait for her reaction, whatever that may be.

Teyla let his words seep into her brain. Kanaan…injured.

"How badly?" She asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Here it comes, he thought. Aloud, he replied, "Pretty badly. He lost a lot of blood."

Still she was calm. "How?"

"Shot in the back." He tried to take her arm, but she moved just enough so that he couldn't reach her. He blew out a breath. "Teyla, I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

Her reply took him by surprise, and he tipped his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You have never trusted Kanaan, from the beginning. Maybe you are glad he is injured."

Now Sheppard was angry. He stepped forward and took her by both arms, his grip strong but not painful. "Listen. Back then, he was under Wraith control. Michael's control. So no, I didn't trust him. But after he helped us out, all that changed."

She looked away, her anger visible through her chocolate eyes, but he shook her once to make her look at him again. "Teyla, why would I wish ill on the father of my best friend's child? On the love of her life?"

At this, her eyes filled with tears. So that's what he thought of Kanaan and me? she asked herself. No wonder he was so eager to find Kanaan. "He is not the love of my life."

"I…he isn't?" Confusion reigned on Sheppard's handsome face, and she shook her head.

"No. It is true, that I care for him deeply. But we were just close childhood friends, comforting each other. Torren was quite…unplanned."

Sheppard was still very confused, and he didn't enjoy the feeling. It frustrated him. "Well, then," he hissed, "why are you so angry at me?"

Teyla flung up her hands in defeat. "I do not know. I am worried, I suppose. Kanaan has always been a dear friend, and a good father for Torren. I do not want to lose him."

Sheppard truly felt sorry for her then. Sure, he'd had a feeling the conversation would go like this, but that didn't make it any easier. If anything, it made things worse. Easing his grip on her arms, he looked down into her eyes and tried to smile.

"Well, you haven't lost him yet. Why don't we go to the infirmary so you can see him?"

"All right," she agreed, managing to return his lopsided grin.

As they walked out of his room, she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "John?"

"Yeah?"

"I am sorry for my anger toward you. Thank you for trying to rescue Kanaan."

The look of pain, mixed with gratitude, was not lost on him, and he nodded solemnly.

"It's what I'm here for."

Dr. Jennifer Keller was darting around the infirmary when Sheppard and Teyla walked in, her strawberry-blond hair coming loose from her ponytail and sticking to her sweat-glistened forehead. She had discarded her white lab coat some time ago, with the feeling that it somehow slowed her down, and now it lay draped across a stray chair, the belt snaking along the floor like a long, white worm.

When she noticed the two newcomers, Dr. Keller plastered a smile on her face and walked up to them, flipping her stethoscope around her neck.

"Hi. We've got Kanaan stabilized, but we haven't been able to stop the bleeding. We tried to operate, but we kept losing him, so we packed the wound as best we could, and tried to make him comfortable."

Sheppard crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward a little. "Bottom line it, Doctor."

Jennifer shot him a look, then turned to Teyla and rested her hand on her arm. "I'm afraid he doesn't have long."

"I understand," Teyla choked out. "May I see him?"

"Of course," Jennifer replied softly. "I'm sorry, Teyla."

Teyla nodded. "You did your best. Thank you."

With an apologetic shake of her head to them both, Jennifer hurried off to answer the beep of a computer, proclaiming that some lab results she was waiting for had finally come in.

Sheppard murmured something in Teyla's ear, and then stood near the infirmary door, leaning as casually as he could against the frame. In reality, however, his thoughts were in turmoil. His mission had failed. Sure, he had rescued Kanaan's men; but he had lost the most important man in the group. He wasn't sure Teyla would ever forgive him for it, even if it hadn't directly been his fault. More importantly, he wasn't sure he would forgive himself.

Teyla approached Kanaan's bed slowly, as if afraid that any loud noise or quick movement would immediately cease his life. She took in the tangle of IVs; the bandage around his torso, soaked with bright red blood; the way everyone in the room spoke in hushed tones, and finally it hit her; Kanaan was dying. She slipped into the chair beside the bed, and placed her slender hand over his, her eyes instantly welling with tears.

"Kanaan," she said, and though he didn't reply, his eyelids fluttered slightly. She sighed, steeling herself against the wave of emotions within her. "It is Teyla. I know you are worried about leaving me, and Torren. But I want you to know, that we will not be alone."

She leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on his stubbled cheek. "Your promise to protect me has been fulfilled, Kanaan. For the first time in many years, we are safe from the Wraith."

"I…I'm sorry," Kanaan's whisper reached her ears, and she looked down at him. Though his skin was already turning pale, his eyes were open, and he managed a smile. "I…shouldn't…have left you."

"Shh," she soothed, touching a finger to his lips. "It is all right. Soon, you will be with the Ancestors, and will feel no more pain."

"Sheppard…where…?" He breathed, and she quickly gestured for Sheppard to come over. When he was standing beside her, Kanaan took hold of his hand, and placed it over Teyla's. "Take care…my family."

Blinking in surprise (no, he was not about to cry), Sheppard nodded and croaked out, "I will. I promise."

"Tired."

Teyla could hear his voice fading even more as he said this, and she murmured near his ear, "Then sleep, dear one. Sleep, and I will sing you on your journey to the Ancestors."

Kanaan's eyes slid closed again, as Teyla began to sing in her beautiful soprano. For once in his life, Kanaan seemed to be at peace, even when the heart monitor began to flat line, sending its squealing tone throughout the infirmary. Jennifer had materialized beside the bed sometime in between, and switched off the monitor, not caring to wipe away the tears that streaked down her freckled face.

Teyla carefully lifted the sheet over Kanaan's still form, her breath coming in great sobs. Her heart ached like nothing she had ever felt, and her hands felt clumsy and numb.

When she finally turned away from Kanaan, Sheppard looked down at her, his concern for her clear in his eyes.

"Would you like me to walk you to your room, or somewhere?" He asked softly, but she shook her head.

"Thank you, John, but I wish to be alone. Could you please tell Rodney to care for Torren for a little while longer?"

Understanding her desire for privacy, Sheppard nodded. "Of course. But if you need anything, call me, okay?"

She smiled. It was just like him to offer his help, but grieving for Kanaan was something she had to do on her own. "I will," she said, and was again mildly surprised when he leaned down to touch her forehead with his own. Then, he swiftly turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving her standing there, alone with her pain yet again.

Notes: So, anyone who knows me understands how I feel about Kanaan/Teyla. Although, I didn't really mean to kill him off...I'm secretly happy about it, anyway...somewhere deep in my dark side. Um, also, get ready for tears in the next chapter. Hey, you've been warned! R&R as usual.