Author's Note: I mention this because I've gotten various reviews about it. The redemption of John Sheppard has begun, but that doesn't mean there won't be more hard knocks around the corner. As always, hope you enjoy! ~lg

oOo

Lorne sat in the main area of the clinic, listening to Sateda's version of crickets as he waited. While Carson had prepped Sheppard for surgery, Evan had contacted Ataliya. Elizabeth would appear at any time, and she'd want answers. Unfortunately, Evan had nothing to offer her.

Ronon had already shared what he knew of the events with Calixte, and Evan made plans to visit her world the next day. Right now, however, they all waited. Olina sat next to Ronon, her head on the big guy's shoulder as she dozed. McKay paced quietly while Teyla meditated. Carson and Shani worked on Sheppard, their voices muted by the thick walls of the clinic, and many of the Kians stopped by periodically to get a status report.

The door of the clinic opened, and Elizabeth rushed through. Javan followed her as she looked for Lorne. "How is he?"

Evan shrugged. "No news yet. Carson's working on him and has Shani's help." He added that last bit for Javan's benefit.

Elizabeth turned to Teyla and McKay as Olina lifted her head. "What happened?"

McKay pointed at Ronon. "He found him in Calixte's house, stabbed in the gut."

"Calixte?"

Rodney glanced around nervously. "She's. . .um. . . ." He looked to Ronon for help.

Ronon met Elizabeth's eyes. "She's a prostitute."

"Sheppard's been seeing a prostitute?" The shock in Elizabeth's voice was warranted. When no one answered, she took the seat that Evan offered and settled in for the long wait. Javan stood beside her but eventually joined Evan on the floor.

Midnight came and went before they heard any news. Light conversation passed sporadically, usually started by McKay fretting about this or that. Evan had just begun to doze when he heard tired footsteps come down the hall. He blinked away the grit in his eyes as he dragged himself to his feet.

Carson blinked tiredly at their guests. "Elizabeth!"

She smiled. "Hello, Carson. How's John?"

Carson shook his head. "He's lucky he didn't pull out that dagger, or shift it too badly. The tip of it nicked an artery as well as puncturing a lung. If it had been removed, he would never have made it back here." The announcement was met with various gasps. Carson continued, "He's sedated right now. I'll start weanin' him off of the meds tomorrow."

Elizabeth nodded. "I'll sit with him while you get some rest."

"Och, I'll be fine." Carson waved a hand. "But I know he'd appreciate seein' ye when he wakes up."

Evan took that as his cue. "We arranged accommodations for you to stay as long as you need," he said softly. "They're not much, but. . . ."

"Thank you, Major." Elizabeth smiled and reached out to touch the tired doctor's arm. "Good work, Carson."

"Thanks." Carson headed for his desk, his face determined.

At that moment, Shani appeared. Carson straightened and glanced at Evan, but he stayed in place. Her eyes went to Evan first, and she offered a smile of pure exhaustion. Due to her position in the hallway, she didn't see Javan until she had entered the room. "Javan?"

The tall man smiled. "Shani. It is good to see you."

"Yes," she agreed. She sent Evan an apologetic glance, one he wouldn't have caught if he didn't know her well. But, he nodded, telling her that it was okay to ignore him for a bit.

Motioning to the door, he sighed. "If you'll follow me." He waited until all three agreed before leading the way out.

Shani insisted on walking her brother to the guest quarters. Elizabeth and Evan stayed quiet as the two shared a brief conversation about recent events. Sheppard's near-death had shaken Elizabeth, and she needed time to react. Evan wished he knew how to help her and waited while Javan and Shani bid one another goodnight. Then, aware that he was being watched, he fell into step with her as she turned toward home.

"Thank you for waiting for me," she said when they reached her door.

"No other place I'd rather be." Evan smiled at her, lowering his voice so it didn't carry on the night air and disturb the neighbors. "Sorry our date didn't happen."

She returned the smile, her dark eyes glittering in the moonlight. "I have no doubt that it will."

He chuckled at that and, after saying goodnight, went to his home for what little remained of the night. Tomorrow, he had a mission through the gate to figure out what to do about Calixte. Yet another mess to clean up. With a deep groan born of pure exhaustion, he climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep.

oOo

The mission to Calixte's world didn't happen until noon the next day. Evan had awakened at his normal time in spite of only a few hours of sleep and visited the infirmary. Carson was still up, sitting next to Sheppard's bed while writing in a journal. Evan suspected the doctor recorded everything he did just for something to do and didn't stay long. Their disagreements over Shani had been set aside for a time, and Evan accepted Carson's quiet update on Sheppard's condition. The colonel likely wouldn't wake until after he'd left for his mission, so he resolved to make it as quick as possible.

Javan also insisted on going on the mission with him. Evan didn't refuse given that the world was a contact they'd received through Javan's many trading opportunities. Plus, he wanted a bit of time to get to know Shani's brother. Not that he intended to tell Javan anything about how he felt for Shani. He wasn't even certain what he had with Shani, just that he liked her a lot more than he'd liked any woman in recent years. Maybe even in his life. And he hoped that sentiment was mutual.

On Calixte's world—of which Evan had never learned the name—a short, rotund man met them at the gate. "You are from Colonel Sheppard's people?"

"Yes." Evan stepped forward. "I'm Major Evan Lorne, Sheppard's second-in-command. This is Javan, one of our allies."

"Of course." The man bowed. "We welcome you to our world yet again, Javan of Tariq."

Javan returned the bow with a slight one of his own. "Orestes. I wish our visit was under less dire circumstances."

"Agreed." Orestes turned to Evan. "How is Colonel Sheppard?"

"He's stable." Lorne shook his head. "Unfortunately, he's still sleeping off the surgery our doctor did to repair the damage to his body."

Orestes nodded sagely. "We were worried that our alliance with both Sateda and Ataliya might be in danger."

Javan frowned. "Why?"

"Because Colonel Sheppard speaks as if you are close." Orestes's eyes grew round, as if he'd said something he shouldn't have.

Javan smiled. "And we are. But the actions of one person would not destroy our trade agreements unless it was proven that it was a malicious attack against Sateda and not the work of one woman." As he finished speaking, he sent Evan a shrewd glance. The major had to admit that Shani's brother was a smart man to phrase the words in such a way. By doing so, Javan inquired as to whether Orestes wanted to kill Sheppard or not.

The other man clearly understood. "Of course not!" He motioned over his shoulder. "Calixte was a member of this village, but she does not, nor has she ever, spoken for this village!"

Evan held up a hand. "Wait. 'Was?'"

Orestes nodded and sighed. "You should come and see."

Evan and Javan exchanged glances as they followed Orestes into town. Javan was taller than Evan by several inches, but he was slender. Still, the air of authority that he carried projected onto Evan, and the two made an imposing pair. Or so Evan hoped. He caught the wide-eyed looks as they strolled behind Orestes and wondered how they must appear to this village.

Toward the edge of the opposite side of the village, Orestes stopped. What had once been a wood-framed home was now a smoldering heap. The stench of smoke reminded Evan of Kiah, and he had to swallow several times to push back the bile. He did not need to suddenly develop PTSD right then or have a major flashback. He endured enough with the dreams he'd told no one about and the work on Sateda.

With the reaction firmly in control, he glanced at Orestes. "This was Calixte's home?"

"Yes." Orestes shook his head. "I don't know what happened between her and Colonel Sheppard—besides the obvious business they shared. But after your people carried the colonel home, her house caught fire. We found a body inside, and from what we can tell, she did not make it out alive."

"From what you can tell?" Evan asked.

"Yes. The body was burned beyond recognition."

Evan let his mind turn over that for a moment. The last thing Sheppard needed right then was some woman on a revenge kick. He still didn't know what had caused this Calixte to go off the deep end and stab Sheppard, and not being certain if she was truly dead could be dangerous.

Javan also shared that thought. "You are certain it was Calixte?"

"As certain as we can be."

"Perhaps Major Lorne and his people could take the body." Javan lifted his chin. "They have the technology to determine if it was, in fact, Calixte who was burned. Not only would it lift a weight off of my shoulders to know that this woman is not still seeking revenge, but it would help you, as well."

Orestes stared, dumbfounded that these two men would be asking for a corpse. Evan supposed that, from the village elder's point of view, it was a silly request. A morbidly silly request. But, he eventually nodded. "I suppose it could not hurt anything. Calixte did not have any family to speak of, and none of our villagers will claim her."

"Why's that?" Evan asked. He thought he knew the answer but wanted to hear it from Orestes.

"She was. . .tolerated." Orestes chose his words wisely. "Many of our men would visit her as their wives stayed home, waiting for them to return. Her coming here caused many problems, but she refused to leave. I suppose we should have forced her out a long time ago."

Javan put a hand on the man's shoulder as Evan gave orders to Coughlin and Reed to get the body. There was very little conversation between Orestes and Javan as they waited and, soon, the group headed for the Stargate.

Halfway there, Javan slowed his pace, motioning to Evan's team to continue ahead of them. As Evan fell into step, he smiled. "This seems like a strange time to speak of this, but I am headed back to Ataliya this evening." He eyed Evan. "My sister speaks highly of you."

Evan kept his grin from his face as he wondered what he should say. He didn't want to appear too smitten with Shani right then. "She is an impressive woman."

"Agreed." Javan stopped walking and faced him. "She tells me you taught her to fly the Puddle Jumpers and that you and she spend many evenings together, talking through things that happen on Sateda."

"Yeah." Evan met Javan's eyes, refusing to be intimidated. "As I said, your sister is an impressive woman. I value her insight into leadership and the things we face."

Javan chuckled suddenly. "Major, do not pretend you don't know what this is about. You are well aware that I can put things together to see that my sister cares for you more than just as a friend. My question to you is this: what do you intend to do about it?"

Evan blinked at that. "Are you asking me about my intentions toward your sister?" When Javan nodded, he shook his head. "Even if I have them, events haven't exactly allowed us to pursue anything outside of friendship."

"But you wish to?"

"A bit," Evan admitted. "Look, I understand. I have a younger sister, as well. And I grilled every single one of her boyfriends until I couldn't do it because I was overseas. You don't need to worry about how I'm gonna treat Shani. Not only is she your sister, but she's an integral part of our team. As the only doc other than Beckett, she's pretty intimidating to anyone who crosses her."

Javan's smile grew the longer he talked. "Very well, Major." He began walking toward the gate. "But, just so that you are aware, I gave her protection over to Dr. Beckett when she left Sateda. I know the doctor to be a very stubborn, fiercely loyal man. Elizabeth calls him a Scot. You may want to consider his reaction should you intend to pursue anything more than what you have. He stands in my stead."

Evan sputtered and rushed to catch up to his team. Javan's expression gave nothing away as they returned to Sateda, but Evan knew how deceptive that was. He excused himself after explaining the newly-arrived corpse to Beckett and went for a long run. He needed to figure out what to say next time he and the doc spoke.

oOo

The first time Sheppard woke, Beckett stood next to his bed with that infuriatingly professional smile. The doctor explained that he'd been through surgery and would be laid up for quite a while. Sheppard barely nodded before he drifted back to sleep. When he next woke, Elizabeth sat next to his bed. The sun was setting, and Beckett had disappeared.

Sheppard watched Elizabeth as she stood next to the window. Her hair had grown since they left Ataliya, laying on her shoulders in large curls that softened her face. Her skin had the golden glow of one who spent much time outdoors, and she wore a traditional Ataliyan dress. This one was blue, and it fit her stately figure to perfection.

Then, he moved and groaned as pain bloomed in his body. It hurt almost as badly as the actual stab wound had, but it was different. Elizabeth turned at the movement and hurried to his side. "John?"

"Hey." He forced himself to breathe through the agony. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." She reached for a chair. "Ronon said he found you in Calixte's home?"

The mention of that particular woman made Sheppard flinch. "Yeah. She was. . .a friend."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. "A friend?"

"Do we have to get into this now?"

"We do if you intend to keep up this behavior." She cocked her head to one side. "John, I have never known you to be so reckless."

"Didn't think I was." John hated the defensiveness that rose up as the conversation progressed. He shouldn't have to defend his actions. "Look, as happy as I am to see you, I really don't want to talk about this right now."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Fine with me. But you do realize that Carson will want a full explanation, as well as to do some. . .examinations. . .to make sure you're. . .okay." Her face heated as she forced out the words.

"Examinations?"

"John, the woman was a. . . ."

"I know what she was!" He scrubbed a hand down his face, his pain rising another couple of notches even as the sedatives still in his system made him sleepy. "Just. . .drop it." He sighed and belatedly added, "Please."

"For now." Elizabeth reached out and touched his arm. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Me, too." He frowned. "Who called you?"

"Major Lorne." She smiled. "I head back to Ataliya tonight and will return tomorrow with more supplies. Until you're on your feet, I'll stay here and work with Major Lorne to discover everything we can about Calixte and her motivations for trying to kill you."

John started to say that he knew her motivations but stopped. Even with the medications in his bloodstream, he knew he'd been a first class jerk to Calixte. He should have known that using her just for sex was never a good thing. He'd never gone to visit other women more than once, and Calixte was justified in thinking they had a relationship. But he refused to feel bad for more than not letting her down gently. Though, come to think of it, he should have known something was up by the way she seemed to shrug off the insult that would have caused any other woman to slap him.

He finally met Elizabeth's eyes. "It'll be good to have you around."

She nodded. "It will be good to be here." Her smile turned cheeky. "Just don't expect to get off light. Carson plans to have a nice long chat with you once you're able. He's worried about your. . .health."

With that final warning, she rose and left him to his thoughts. John drifted to sleep worrying that Carson would jump out of the shadows and pounce just when he wasn't ready to answer the questions. He should have known the doctor would pick a much more suitable time.

oOo

"Major?" Beckett's voice brought Evan's head up from the meal he'd been picking at. He'd taken to eating two or three times a week at Solen's tavern, partially his way of showing Kavanagh that he had taken the man's warning seriously.

Now, however, he motioned to the chair across from him. "What can I do for you, Doc?"

Beckett sat down with a sheepish grin on his face. "I was hopin' we could have a wee chat." He met Evan's eyes. "About Shani."

Unable to believe his luck, Evan laughed. "Javan already cornered me earlier today, Doc."

"Call me Carson." The doctor paused as Solen made his way over to take his order. "I figured he would," he continued after the Satedan businessman went his way. "But I wanted to address what happened yesterday."

For a moment, Evan wondered what in the world Beckett meant. Then, he remembered their disagreement. "Yeah, about that." He set down his spoon. "I was wrong. I had no idea what. . . ."

"You were right." Carson's words brought him up short.

"Sorry?"

The Scot grinned. "There is no difference between you askin' Shani out on a date an' me takin' Dahlia out." He sobered quickly. "But there is. Major, Shani's culture isn't like the Genii's. Or ours."

"I'm aware of that."

"No, I don't think you are." Beckett leaned forward. "Ever been to the Middle East, Major?" When Evan nodded, he continued, "Then ye have a slight understandin' of Ataliyan culture. While Javan doesnae control everythin' about Shani's life, he is still her older brother. Her protection and provision falls to him now that she's a widow. And, with her here, that falls to me. I realize we're not Ataliyan, but I want to help her preserve as much o' that as possible. It'll help her be more comfortable as she learns our culture, an' it'll help us learn to deal with those who have various ways o' doin' things. By no' talkin' to me before you asked her to dinner, you disrespected her culture."

Evan frowned. "Okay, I get that. But," he said as he held up a finger, "I had no idea you were taking the place of older brother. For all I knew. . . ."

"I had a thing for Shani?" Carson chuckled. "Rest assured, Major. The only thing I feel for Shani is the affection of a brother. Comin' from a family of seven, I know the difference quite well."

"That's good to know." Evan stared at the man across from him. Solen returned in that moment, delivering the doctor's meal and refusing to take payment. The Satedan muttered something about doctors who put people back together more than paying their way as he wandered back toward the bar.

Carson rolled his eyes. "I'm glad we got that out of the way, Evan," he said, pointedly using Lorne's first name. "Now, I can spend my time worryin' about more important things."

"Like Sheppard getting himself in trouble?"

"Aye." Carson ate a bite of the stew and sat back in his chair. "This is good, don't get me wrong. But wha' I wouldnae give for a good Scotch broth right now!"

Evan actually laughed. "I don't have a clue what Scotch broth is, but I know the feeling. I've been wondering about how feasible it is to make a good burger and fries here in Pegasus."

"If ye figure that one out, lad, let me know! We'll open a restaurant an' convert the whole galaxy!" Carson tore off a piece of his bread as he again turned back to serious matters. "Elizabeth's stayin'."

"I know." Evan shook his head. "Honestly, I'm glad she's staying. I could use the help. But that's not what concerns me right now."

"Calixte?" Again, Carson guessed correctly. "An' you'd be right to worry. That body you brought back may not give me any DNA, but I can tell from the skeletal structure it was a male body."

Evan straightened in his chair. "You're sure?"

"Aye." Carson met his eyes. "Someone wanted those people on that planet to think Calixte died in that fire. Now, that means one o' two things. Either she's been captured by someone who wants information on Sheppard, or. . . ."

"Or she faked her death and escaped, possibly with information on Sheppard."

"Either way, we could be in serious trouble." Carson ran a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes as he did so. "Just what the colonel needs right now."

Evan didn't reply right away. He didn't need to. The threat that Calixte posed, whether or not she was complicit in her disappearance, was too great. They needed to find her. Finally, he sat back in his chair. "You gonna tell Sheppard, or am I?"

"I'll tell him." Carson offered a rueful grin. "I already need ta have a serious conversation with the lad. I can include it."

"Good." Evan stood and clapped the doctor on his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me know."

Carson nodded once and stared into his bowl. Evan easily read his exhaustion and turned to leave the tavern. But something stopped him. "Oh, hey, Doc?"

"Aye?"

"About Shani." Evan grinned at the sudden scowl that instinctively crossed the doctor's face. "Mind if I take her to dinner?"

Carson stood and sighed. "Would I be able to stop ye?"

"Probably not."

"I figured." Carson gave another tired chuckle. "I don't mind, Major. Just keep her culture in mind."

"Of course." Grateful the doctor didn't warn him not to hurt her, Evan left the tavern and headed for his home. He'd been honest when he said he was thankful to have Elizabeth around. Her experience with diplomacy would serve them well in the coming days, especially with Sheppard out of commission. But the news about Calixte, as well as Kavanagh's warning, was troubling. It seemed that Sateda faced more than merely trying to survive. And Evan wasn't sure he was up to the challenge of figuring it all out before everything came crashing down.

~TBC