A/N: This is just a short chapter. I hope you enjoy. Thanks Garber Baby for reviewing my last chapter. Chelsie66, I hope you had a nice Easter

Ronon POV

We were woken early the next morning and taken from our cell to the communal shower area at the other end of the corridor. It was the first time since our imprisonment that we had seen running water and as we had the place to ourselves, the guards seemed content to lean against the room's only doorway and let us make the most of it.

Despite the chill of the stone room, the water was extremely hot and it revitalized me in a way I had not realized that I needed. I soaped away the grime from the last few days and then stood under the hot spray right up until the moment the supply was shut off. The guards then jerked their heads towards two towels, and we approached to find a tiny razor blade sitting on top of each, no doubt intended for us to tidy our appearance.

I dried myself and pulled my clothes back on while I studied the blade. It was small and flat, most probably designed that way so that it could not be used as a weapon to stab. It would however still slice, if applied in the right manner… I made eye contact with Erik in silent question.

He looked from me to the two guards, resting against the doorframe with their weapons lowered to their sides. Still watching them he suddenly raised his hand and abruptly flicked his long hair back over his shoulder. The effect on the guards was immediate. They snatched up their weapons and pointed them towards us before either of us could have taken more than a single step. When they saw he meant no trouble, they relaxed again, but his point had been proven. The guards might appear laid-back, but really they were on high alert – our two tiny razors would be no match for their guns.

We dressed and reluctantly put the razors to use as they were intended, applying them to the whiskers we had both grown over the past few days. It felt good to rid my cheeks of growth and I trimmed carefully around the hair on my chin and upper lip. Erik shaved himself entirely clean and then the guards ordered us to place the razors back on the bench where they could see them. Only when they were satisfied that we had obeyed did they allow us to leave the room and return to our cell.

"What time's practice?" I asked as the door slid closed behind us.

"No practice today," the guard replied. "The place is on lockdown for the tournament."

I glanced at Erik. We had banked on a practice session to get us out of our cell. Did this mean we were now stuck in here until tomorrow?

Erik approached the window. "What if I need the bathroom again?"

"Tough," the guard replied. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Our worst fears realized, we sank back into our positions on the bottom bunk. As the hours passed, the tension inside both of us began to mount. Like caged animals, we were forced to find ways to let off steam. I paced the floor – four steps to one side, and then another four back again – while Erik put himself through countless repetitions of sit-ups and then moved onto push-ups. When Martha came to serve us lunch, she paused to admire the sight of Erik at work.

"Oh my," she grinned, "If I was ten years younger you'd have me saving my coin to take you right off Rydan's hands," she grinned. "I could think of far better ways to put a man like you to use than in that ring of his."

Erik finished his set and stood up. His black tank hugged his body and the muscles in his chest and arms were pumped from their work out. "Tell you what, old woman," he flashed a grin as he leaned forward to grip the bars on the window, "You get us out of this cage and then we'll see what you and I can do about those fantasies of yours."

She laughed. "Even if I was gullible enough to try something so foolish, I wager you'd high-tail it off with the first skinny young thing that looked your way. An old girl like me wouldn't stand a chance."

Erik grinned. "I guess you'll never know," he said.

She gave him a toothless smile and stirred the pot of stew in front of her. "One thing about being old and fat, it makes you aware of your limitations," she said. "Now, how about some lunch then?"

She passed Erik a bowl of stew and then turned to me. "What about you, huh?" she looked at me properly for the first time. "What's your story?"

"I don't have a story," I told her.

She laughed. "I guess that makes you the strong silent type then."

I stared at her. "Don't have a type either."

She handed me a bowl and spoon. "Probably a good way to be," she said. "Might see you last a few months in this place."

Erik watched her as he ate. "How come you're working for a man like Rydan?" he asked.

She lowered her ladle back into the soup pot. "It's either I cook, or I wind up in the death cell with everyone else who doesn't have a use."

"You have any family?" Erik asked.

"I have a son," she said. "Don't know if he's still alive though. It's not like we get to keep in touch."

"If you got out of here… do you think you could find him?"

She pursed her lips. "I have an idea of where I'd start looking," she admitted. "But it's not safe to talk about such things. If the master hears of it, I'll wind up in a power of trouble."

Erik gave her a sober look. "You think you're not in trouble now? What happens when you're too old to work? Or if you get sick? You think Rydan's going to take care of you while you recover?"

She turned away. "I'll be going now," she said.

Erik pressed his face to the bars of the window. "If you help us get out of here, then you have my word we'll see you to the gate," he told her.

"I can't," she kept walking. "You don't know what you're asking. I'd help you if I could, but I can't…I'm sorry."

Erik turned away from the window and shook his head. "Well," he said to me. "There goes our last chance of getting out of here on our own merit before the tournament."

Defeated, we watched the rest of the day pass without event. Martha returned in the evening with our dinner but blatantly refused to be drawn into conversation. At last the lights in the corridor went out, signaling the day had come to an end. The only illumination in our cell was a thin ray of light from a single florescent tube left turned on. Erik stretched himself out on the bottom bunk while I lay on my back above and stared at the ceiling as had become my habit.

I had barely made myself comfortable when a soft noise came from outside our cell door. I sat up and quickly dropped down from the bunk, landing on the floor with bent knees to mask any noise. Erik was on alert by now also, and he followed me silently across to the window. Had Martha returned after all?

"Who's there?" Erik whispered.

A shadow moved outside and then a young woman's face appeared at our window. I stared at her for a moment and then slowly recognized her as the same woman I had seen with Sara and Marcus. She pressed her fingers to her lips as she indicated for us both to keep quiet.

"I can't stay long. Rydan is expecting me in his quarters," she whispered. "I had to come now though, or I might not get another chance to talk to you both."

"What do you want? Are the others here with you?" Erik's asked, and I realized he had recognized her also.

She shook her head. "No, but they are coming here for you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Erik hissed. "The tournament's tomorrow. The place will be crawling with people."

"They are going to use the crowd as a distraction," the woman whispered. "It was the only way to get you out… The guards would not let their weapons into the compound." She cast a frightened glance down the corridor as if she was fearful someone might discover her at any moment.

"How do you know all this?" I asked. "I thought the others were taking you back to Tarus?"

"They did," she said. "But the exchange they made for me was only temporary. I had to come back."

"Okay then, so tell us," Erik said, "What's the lowdown for tomorrow?"

"Your friends from Atlantis are going to short circuit and lower the perimeter fence while the two of you are in the ring," the woman told us.

Erik nodded. "What about Rydan and his guards?"

"Marcus is going to overpower the two guards that take position beside Rydan in his private viewing area. He intends to gain possession of their weapons." She cast another glance down the corridor. "I am going to take care of Rydan," she said.

I looked at her. The woman would be lucky to weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet. What exactly did she have in mind? "Define 'take care of'," I said.

"I intend to kill him," she said, her voice never missing a beat. Her unusual eyes held my own and challenged me to believe otherwise.

Erik let out a low whistle. "Alright then… so why wait until tomorrow? Why not kill him right now, tonight? Or even better, let us out of here and we'll do it for you."

She shook her head. "Hank has the only set of keys to your cell. I could not get you out of here without drawing attention, and then we would not be able to access the gate. The plan is set for tomorrow." She began to draw back from the window. "I have to go now, or Ryan might come looking for me."

"Wait," I called to her so that she paused and looked back. "Is Sara coming here tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yes."

I sucked my breath in through my teeth as she turned and hurried back down the corridor.

"Well," Erik turned to me. "At least we know there's a plan."

We took up our former positions on the bunk and he spoke again. "All going well, this will be the last night we spend in this hole."

"Suits me," I replied. "I'm over all of this waiting around."

We lapsed into silence for a bit, each of us alone with our thoughts. I worried over the news that Sara was intending on coming here – even though I knew her well enough to expect nothing less. If anything was to happen to her...

"Isobel's pregnant."

Erik's voice broke the silence along with my thoughts.

"We haven't told anyone yet because it's still so early," he went on. "I'm only telling you now because… well, if things don't go right tomorrow I might not a chance to."

I stared up at the darkened ceiling. Erik was not a defeatist and I recognized what he was saying as concern for his wife rather than fear for our own situation. "You're worried about her?"

"A little," he admitted. "I guess she will be alright though… even with me being stuck here. She's tougher than she looks."

Somehow I had never imagined Isobel as being tough – maybe because she always appeared so compliant and seemed content to stay at home and focus on her family.

"People don't realize it," Erik continued, "But it's really Isobel who holds Tarus together. I couldn't manage half of what I do without her support."

"You ever tell her that?" I asked.

There was silence for a moment and then he whispered his reply, "All the time."

I nodded, even though I knew he could not see me. Erik truly loved his wife – and now they were expecting their third child… I could not help but think of Sara and the contraception she was taking. So far we had never discussed a sibling for Natara, but secretly I would not have been disappointed had fallen pregnant again. Given that she had only just returned to full-time duty after having Natara however, I was reluctant to bring the subject up with her.

"I wish I'd asked Marcus to take over the running of Tarus," Erik surprised me by saying. "It won't be easy on Sara, not with having the both of us in here."

Unknowingly, he had just voiced my own concerns. I knew Sara in a way that he didn't though, and I tried my best to reassure him in the same way as I was reassuring myself. "You didn't see her, living wild back when we first met," I told him. "Not many could have coped the way she did. She's the kind of person who when the situation gets tough, she just gets tougher along with it."

"I guess…" Erik said. "It's just a lot for her to take on all at once."

"She'll cope," I assured him, and despite myself I smiled. "If you're going to worry about anything, then worry about how to get the control back from her when you return."

He chuckled. "You think I might have a fight on my hands?"

"Rather you than me," I told him as I pulled the blanked up to cover my shoulders. "We should get some rest."

"Yeah," he agreed and I felt the bed frame move as he shifted beneath. "Don't go anywhere without me."

I snorted in amusement and we both fell silent in the darkness. Despite the confidence I had shown Erik, I really was concerned about how Sara and Natara were getting on. Any time I thought of my daughter, my arms physically ached to feel the weight of her in them. I missed her so much that thinking about her made me weak when I most needed to be strong. As I closed my eyes, I comforted myself with the thought that tomorrow night I would hold both Sara and my daughter in my arms again.

Sara POV

A late night meeting was called on Atlantis so that everyone could go over their roles for the following day. So long as nothing unforeseen arose, it was agreed that we would stick to our original plan and wait for Marcus to gain position and then for Marissa to strike at Rydan as the signal to start our rescue. The only new addition was the presence of the Daedalus, back from Earth and now hovering within range of Danisine. If for any reason we could not make it to the gate, it would provide a useful second escape route.

I got home late from the meeting to discover a bunch of freshly cut flowers in a vase on my bedside table. A bright combination of daisies, lilies and irises, I smiled as I reached to read the card that was attached to them.

Good luck, Kadria xxx

I had barely spoken to my best friend since the day Ronon and Erik had gone missing. Nor, I realized, had I give any thought to my wedding, or the plans Kadria and I had been making for it. I stroked the petal of one of the irises between my thumb and forefinger. Even if Ronon did return tomorrow, there was no way I could finalize all of the wedding plans in time for the day we had chosen. Everything would have to be postponed and then re-organized for a later date.

As sad as the realization was, right now I was more concerned with his safety than the plans we had for the future. So long as I managed to bring him home, then nothing else was important.