Sara POV

We returned to Atlantis to learn that Marcus had not been in contact. After the success of our mission it was sobering news, and a meeting was called in Elizabeth's office so we could discuss what to do.

"I appreciate everyone's concern," Erik said as he leaned against the back of a chair. Other than the arm he was nursing, he showed no adverse effects from the battles he had fought. "But there could be any number of reasons why the Major has not checked in, and not all of them are necessarily adverse…"

Erik would be the first to volunteer for a return mission if he thought it necessary, but instead he looked to John, who I had automatically slipped back into thinking of by first name now that our mission was over.

"You say he was armed?"

John nodded. "He lifted a gun from one of Rydan's guards."

"Well, he's certainly capable of taking care of himself…" he paused as a small smile pulled at the corners of him mouth, "…and from what I understand he has an invested interest in the girl's wellbeing. He won't be short on motivation to get her out of there."

I smiled, as did most of the others in the room and the mood lifted a little.

"At this stage, I think we should wait and give him more time. If we haven't heard from him in a couple hours then we'll consider mounting a search to go back for him."

"Very well," Elizabeth replied. "At your recommendation, General, we'll wait and see if he makes contact on his own accord for now."

She had just finished speaking as the door to the room swung open and Carson suddenly appeared. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he beamed. "I heard the good news and I just wanted to stop by and welcome everyone back." He approached Ronon and grasped his upper arms. "Good to see you again, big guy."

"Hey, Doc." Ronon appeared pleased, if a little uncomfortable as Carson shook him gently back and forth in his enthusiasm.

"Welcome back, General," Carson turned and extended his hand towards Erik and then frowned as he saw Erik was nursing his arm. "And what do we have here?" He reached out and gently grasped Erik's wrist so he could lift the arm for inspection. "Looks like a nasty contusion you've sustained there… or worse. Come with me to the infirmary and I will get it checked out for you."

"It's nothing," Erik protested. "I'll be fine… Isobel can take a look at it when I get home."

"Ah, I'm afraid not. As a trained physician, I recommend an injury of that magnitude be seen by proper medical attention. The bruising may be a sign of severe tendon trauma or a fracture to the bone."

Erik sighed and gave in. "Alright then, but make it quick. I've got a man missing out there, and a wife and kids at home that I haven't seen for a week. The last think I need is to be laid up in the infirmary for the rest of the day."

"Very well," Carson agreed. "But if it does turn out to be anything of a more serious nature, then I will have to insist you reconsider."

Erik rolled his eyes. "We'll see about that."

Carson turned to Ronon. "I take it you've been engaging in activities of a similar nature? If so, you should probably come along for a check-up too."

Ronon looked at him evenly. "I'm not hurt."

"Even so, it won't take long to give you a once-over. Then we'll know for sure."

"Sounds like a waste of time," Ronon stood his ground.

"Uh…" Rodney lifted his hand cautiously. "Might I suggest that you see me as well?"

"Whatever for, Rodney?" Carson looked at him in surprise. "You look perfectly fine to me, and I would be willing to bet you did not get yourself caught up in whatever fight these two here did," he gestured to Erik and Ronon.

"That may be true," Rodney lifted his chin in offence. "But while being off world, it is possible I may have been exposed to micro-organisms of the uh… body fluid kind."

"Body fluid kind?" Carson's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "I wasn't aware you were indulging in sexual practices, Rodney. Let alone those of the unprotected variety."

A series of smiles broke out around the room, to which Rodney retorted, "Oh yes, very funny. I'm glad you all find my physical wellbeing to be soamusing." He looked back at Carson. "If you had seen even half of what I've been exposed to today then you might not be so quick to form an opinion."

The Colonel smiled and shook his head. "Just take him with you, Carson. We'll let you know if we need him again."

"Looks like I'm staying then," Ronon folded his arms across his chest and challenged Carson to dispute him.

Carson sighed. "What I wouldn't give for a nice, normal patient once in a while. Instead I get one who won't admit he might be hurt and another who hurts everywhere. All. The. Time."

He herded Erik and Rodney out of the office and the room fell quiet. I happened to glance down, and then froze in horror as I saw a blood stain across my right breast. It was difficult to see against the red fabric which explained why I had not noticed it earlier, but now I found myself flooded again with images of how it had got there. I lifted my hand and saw the dry trail of blood that stained the underside of my forearm. Oh God. This was too much. What I needed was… I paused. I really had no idea of what I needed.

"Are you okay?" I looked up to find Ronon staring at me. There was an odd look on his face and I got the feeling it was not the first time he had spoken to me.

"I'm fine," I told him, even though I felt anything but. I thought about the room he kept on Atlantis and the clothes I had stored there. If I could just get changed I might feel a little better. "Ah… I think I might go and get out of these clothes," I told him. The need to be moving suddenly overwhelmed me and I made a vague attempt to excuse myself before I hurried out of the room.

Ronon POV

What the…? I stared after Sara's retreating back, but before I could follow her I remembered I was not alone.

"I'm going to…" I trailed off as I caught sight of Sheppard. His expression indicated he knew more about the situation than I did. "What's going on?" I asked.

He pursed his lips together and gave me an uncomfortable look. "It's probably best you ask Sara," he said as he inclined his head towards the open door. "I don't know the whole story."

"Is she hurt?" I was torn by my need to follow Sara and the urge to question him further.

He shook his head, and I glared at him in irritation – Weir too, although a blankness in her expression indicated she knew as little as I. "What then?"

Sheppard indicated towards the door. "Go. We'll send word if we hear anything from the Major."

I turned and moved swiftly towards the door.

"Ronon?"

I paused.

"Take as long as you need."

What was that supposed to mean? Now I was really concerned… I strode after Sara, guessing I would find her in my room—

"Ronon..!" I rounded the corner and almost ploughed into Lorne.

"Hey," he grinned. "I didn't realize you were back…" He sobered as he looked at me more closely. "What's going on?"

I stepped around him, barely breaking stride. "You tell me," I growled as I reached my room and swiped the access panel. At first glance the room appeared empty, but then I heard running water and realized Sara was in the tiny bathroom off to the side. I approached and saw her standing over the sink with one arm extended. She was rubbing at it frantically with the palm of her other hand.

"Hey," I called, and she jumped at the sound of my voice. She did not turn to look at me though, but instead continued to wash. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"I just need to clean up a bit…and get out of these clothes."

I walked over and reached for her hands, holding them lightly in my own and stilling them from their task. "Hey…" I brushed the pads of my thumbs gently against her skin. To my surprise I discovered the water on her right arm was pink. "Are you bleeding?"

"No."

I looked her over to check for myself. Satisfied she was telling the truth, I turned her hand slowly and saw a trail of dried blood – partly removed – staining the underneath of her forearm. Did this have something to do with why she was so upset? I let go of her other hand and placed the plug in the sink so it would fill. She kept her eyes downcast as I shut off the tap and squeezed a small amount of liquid soap into my hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I scooped a handful of water over her arm and then slowly massaged the soap in with my fingers.

"You won't like it."

I wasn't sure I liked it already, but I stayed silent. Sara did not upset easily. Whatever had caused her to react like this would not be insignificant.

"On Danisine… Our plan was for Marcus to use Marissa as a reason to approach Rydan," she began. When a moment passed and she did not go on, I decided to help her out a little.

"I know," I told her. "The girl came to see us the night before the tournament. Said she was going to kill Rydan while the rest of you busted us out."

"Really?" She looked at me in surprise and for the first time since I had entered the room our eyes met.

"Uh huh," I held her gaze as I splashed water over her arm to remove the traces of soap residue. She was not wearing her ring I noticed, but after a moment's thought I decided not to mention it for now. "So, what went wrong?"

"There was an auction… Marissa was sold." She broke eye contact again. "Marcus no longer had a reason to approach Rydan… So I came up with an idea that would give him one."

Not really following, I frowned as I entwined my fingers with hers beneath the water.

"The first time we went to Danisine, Rydan took an interest in me—

Interest? "What kind of an interest?" I was not sure I liked where this seemed to be heading.

"You know what I'm meaning," she said. "The interest a man takes in a woman."

I tensed, but she hurried on before I could speak. "I asked Marcus to take me to Rydan in place of Marissa."

"You what?" I stared at her in disbelief. "And he took you? To that man?"

"He didn't want to," she leapt to his defence. "He was dead-set against it. I had to talk him into it."

I grit my teeth against the white hot fury that seared through me. Sara's idea or not, I could not believe any man would agree to something so reckless. Silently I prayed for Marcus's safe return – so I could crush him with my bare hands. "Tell me everything," I said.

She gazed down at our entwined hands. "Rydan saw me, and he let Marcus bring me to him inside his viewing area. The whole idea was to get ourselves within reach of the guns his guards carried."

I had no interest in guns, I needed to know about her. "What did he want with you?" I braced myself to ask the question I feared most, "Did he touch you?"

"No," she shook her head. "Not really…"

I narrowed my eyes. Which was it? No? Or not really? If Rydan and Marcus were together in front of me right now I would have trouble deciding which of them to tear apart first.

She sighed and pulled her arm free from my hands. "Look. This isn't easy for me to talk about. I warned you, you weren't going to like it, so don't go getting angry… Particularly towards Marcus. He isn't the bad guy here."

I stared at her. That point was open for interpretation.

She snatched up the hand-towel and began to dry her arms. Her movements were abrupt and jerky, and I realized I had handled things badly. She was more upset now than she was when I entered.

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I was worried. I don't like to think of you anywhere near Rydan… and I don't agree with Marcus putting you in that position." I reached out to rest my hand on her shoulder but she shook her head and took a step backwards.

"No" she held up her hands. "Not yet. Please, I need to get this out… and if you do that then I won't be able to."

It was the first time she had ever pulled away from me. Wounded, I lowered my hand. What was it she was keeping from me?

"I killed Rydan."

Her voice was so small that for a moment I wasn't sure I had heard her right. "What?"

"It was his blood that was on my arm. I didn't mean to kill him, not at first… But then somehow I did… And it was horrible."

I recalled Rydan, sprawled out on his chair with the knife embedded in his throat, and my mouth fell open. "That was you?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around her chest. She was close to tears and I automatically stepped towards her to pull her to me. To my relief she did not resist, and I circled my arms right around her back and held her more tightly than I ever had before.

She unclasped her hands and wrapped them around my waist to hold me just as tightly. "Do you think I'm terrible?" She pressed her cheek against my chest. "I killed someone with my bare hands… and he wasn't even armed."

Shocked, awed and more than a little impressed, I stroked the back of her head with my hand. "I think you did what you had to do," I told her. "Armed or not, he was capable of hurting you."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

I eased my grip and pulled back a little so I could look down at her. "No," I shook my head. "If I wanted to do that, I'd tell you how proud I am of you right now."

She smiled – a small one, but definitely a smile. "Only you would say something like that."

I brushed a lone tear from her cheek with the pad of my thumb. "I missed you," I told her. "More than you would believe."

Her face grew sober. "Me too," she whispered. "I was so worried. I thought…we might never get you out of there."

I dropped my head and grazed my lips across her forehead. "I will always come back to you."

She curled her fingers against my chest. "I hope so…" she lifted her chin towards me and I pressed my lips to her mouth. The kiss was soft and gentle, but when I increased the pressure of my lips, she sighed and responded in kind. Before I knew it, I found myself wanting her and it was with extreme reluctance that I released her mouth and pulled back.

She looked up at me, her eyes soft and warm. "Don't stop," she whispered. "I want to be close to you. It's been so long."

"People are waiting," I said, even as my eyes fell to her exposed mid-rift and split to the thigh skirt. "Those clothes… They make it hard to think."

She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Then don't think…" she pressed herself against me. "Take them off me so I can have at least one good memory of them."

I exhaled with a rush. "Sara…"

"Ronon," she countered. "Just do it."

I was lost. Fragile or upset as she might be, I swept her up behind the knees and carried her from the bathroom towards the bed. When I set her back down on her feet her lips quickly found mine again, and she began to work the buttons that ran down the middle of my leather vest undone.

"Slow down," I managed to warn. "The others can wait."

"I know," she breathed as she pushed the vest open and slipped her fingers inside to stroke my chest. "But I missed you so much…" She caressed my skin in soft, slow circles and I sucked in my breath as she dipped her head and pressed her lips to my bare chest.

I reached for the hem on her top and pulled it upwards, pleased to see the fabric peel easily from her skin. She raised her arms to assist as I lifted the garment right off over her head and my eyes automatically went to her bare breasts. Oh hell. No bra.

She moved back towards me and I wrapped an arm around her waist and used the other to palm her breast. Her nipple, already hard, pressed against my skin and stiffened further. I shifted and captured it between my thumb and forefinger, making her moan as I pulled on it gently. Satisfied she was feeling it right where I wanted her to, I did the same to the other.

After a brief attempt to remove the leather that encased my arms from wrist to bicep, she gave up and reached for my gun belt instead. With practiced hands, she removed both it and the belt that circled my waist. Before I knew it, I was kicking off my boots and freeing myself from my clothes completely. My mouth still on hers, I found the side split in her skirt and slipped my hand through to stroke the curve of her buttock. The briefs she wore were minuscule and I stroked her again, working my way further and further across her skin.

"You going to wear this dress again?" I nibbled her earlobe.

She shook her head. "No…"

"Good," I wound my fingers around the thin cord that circled her hips and gave it a quick tug. It broke in two and beads rained down upon the floor around us in a symphony of noise.

Sara froze. And then I heard her giggle.

It was the best sound I had heard all day. Not only was she enjoying herself, but for the moment Rydan was forgotten. I smiled against her neck and pushed her down onto the bed. She was naked now but for her boots, and I decided to leave her that way as I climbed on top of her.

She parted her thighs and wrapped her long legs around my hips to pull me towards her. I found her centre and pushed myself inside with one smooth stroke. She sighed and fell back against the bed and I kissed her neck and the sensitive skin along her collar bone. The desire to thrust was overwhelming and I fought to restrain myself.

"Don't hold back," she whispered as she grasped my hips and pulled me deeper.

I growled in desire and began to move. My strokes were long and deep, gradually building in intensity until she gasped and cried out my name as she peaked. I rode her through her release and then quickly relinquished control and surrendered to my own.

Sated, I lay on top of her with her, and she wrapped her arms and legs around my torso as we both caught our breath.

"I don't want to move," I told her as I sat up a little and took more of my weight upon my elbows. "I want to stay right here." I kissed the tip of her nose. "Just like this. With you."

She smiled and kissed my lips. "You won't find me complaining."

I took a moment longer to savour the sight and feel of her and then I reluctantly rolled to the side and propped myself up on my elbow. Looking down at her, I trailed my fingertips in soft circles across the pale skin on her stomach. "There's someone else I've missed though, almost as much as you…"

She smiled as she guessed who I was talking about. "She's missed you too," she told me. "But she's been so brave about it… You can tell she's your daughter."

I abandoned her stomach and brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers. "No. Bravery is something she gets from her mother."

She smiled up at me and for a moment longer we basked in the joy of being together. "We should get going," I sighed as I reluctantly sat up.

She lifted her arms above her head and stretched back against the bed with cat-like grace.

"You keep that up and we'll never get out of here," I warned as I picked up my pants, careful to avoid the stray beads on the floor.

She smiled and swung her legs off the opposite side of the bed. I suddenly remembered she was not wearing her ring.

"You took your ring off?" I asked.

She nodded. "I didn't want to, but I couldn't risk losing it. It was too precious to take to a place like we were going."

I was reluctant to admit what she said made sense. "You going to put it back on?"

"As soon as I get home," she assured me. She reached into the drawer and pulled out a pair of tight black leather pants. "I didn't realize you got the band engraved… It was a nice surprise when I saw the writing on it.

Mollified, I smiled and then completely forgot what I was going to say as she dragged the leather pants on over her bare hips.

"What?" she caught me staring. "Somebody just ripped my only pair of underpants in two. What else do you expect me to do?

Still basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking, I walked over and grabbed her around the waist to kiss her again. It was another ten minutes before either of us was presentable enough to leave the room, and then we headed straight for Weir's office together.

"Ah," she looked up as she saw us. "It's good to see you both." Her eyes fell to Sara. "The Colonel filled me in on a little of what took place on Danisine. It seems you played a bigger part than I realized. For what it's worth, you have the utmost respect of everyone who was with you out there today."

Sara nodded and lowered her eyes. Obviously it was still something she was uncomfortable talking about. Weir must have realized this because she changed the subject.

"You will be pleased to know that while you were gone, Major Lancaster has been in contact."

"Is he okay?" Sara asked. "Did he find Marissa?"

"He and the girl are both safe. The gate was over-run, so they are spending the night on Danisine in the jumper. The aircraft is cloaked somewhere in the desert so they should be quite safe." She smiled, "They have a cold night ahead of them though."

Sara relaxed visibly. "That's such good news," she said. "I'm glad they are both safe."

So was I. Now I could tell Marcus exactly what I thought about him putting Sara in danger. I suspected that Erik would probably share my sentiment, and suddenly I wondered where he was. "Where's Erik?" I asked.

"General Thorn was released from the infirmary a short time ago. He has a bruise to the radius bone and will have to take things easy for a while." She clasped her hand together on the desk in front of her. "With Major Lancaster reporting in, he decided not to wait for the two of you but to meet you both at home instead."

I took Sara's hand. "Thanks for what you did for us."

"Not at all. We've relied on you on any number of occasions. Think of this merely as a form of reimbursement."

I nodded. "Tell Sheppard I'll catch up with him later."

"I will do. See you both later."

We said goodbye and quickly left the office. Now that everything was over, there was really only one thing left on my mind. I wanted to see Natara. I led Sara towards the portal and quickened my step in anticipation.

oOo

A/N: Thanks to Chelsie66 and Garber Baby for reviewing my last chapter. I have about another five chapters planned before I wrap up the story.