You guys gave that to me.

-E-

Devastation. Ruins. Broken buildings and old, burnt trees. A barren world, brown and dull.

Where the totems had once stood were now broken tipped scraps of wood. Where fields of rolling greens and blues and purples had once covered the lands, there was now ash and rubble. Even the sky painted a different color on the landscape, dull and desaturated.

The MALP pressed forward, into the broken remnants of a village.

It wasn't her village, but it may as well have been. Hers was a day's journey from the ring, following the main road. Or rather, what was left of the main road, which wasn't much. In the 12 years since the Wraith had destroyed her planet, nature had reclaimed part of what was once hers.

A tiny green shoot popped in front of the camera. The MALP stopped.

She felt a presence behind her, warm and comforting. She'd almost forgotten that there were people around her as she stared at the grave of her homeworld. Her civilization.

She should have felt something more... but she didn't. Just a hollow void in the pit of her stomach where feelings should have been.

She supposed a part of her had known (the part of her that had lashed out against Ronon when he'd told her back on whatever rock they'd saved her from), in some form or another, that they were gone.

The day of the invasion had sent her world reeling towards its inevitable death. She hadn't been there to hear its final breath, to see the life fade out of its soul. She'd been captured in the beginning. Culled. Then the resistance started.

The Surians were a proud people.

Once she'd been turned into a Runner and set free, she couldn't bring herself to go home. She didn't want to know the truth that she faced today.

The room was silent around her as the others waited for her to say something. She couldn't. She didn't know what to say. Yup, that's my planet. Dead alright. Can I stay here? She realized she didn't really know where to go, now. Would they let her stay? She felt like she owed them, more than she could ever repay. What was a life worth?

So far, they'd given her one day back. That was surely worth her loyalty.

She twisted to the side... and saw Ronon standing less than a foot away, arms crossed, examining the feed from the MALP. His eyes were hooded, deep. She wondered if he'd stood here not too long ago, staring at the same screen as similar images were presented to him.

Probably.

She slid her eyes towards Doctor Weir. "Thank you."

The video feed was cut. Mercifully. Eva turned her back on the screen. Better to put it behind her. No point in focusing on things she couldn't change.

The ruin of her homeworld definitely qualified. It probably took the number one position.

Doctor Weir approached her, expression soft, and Eva felt the defensive walls she'd forged over the years go up. She hated pity.

Probably because people typically pitied the weak. She was anything but weak.

Doctor Weir stopped a few feet away from her, and Ronon twisted so he was facing both of them. "You're welcome to stay in Atlantis, Eva. For as long as you like." Eva nodded. "I've already had Anderson," she indicated one of the men working the computers, "look for suitable accommodations for you. Sheppard recommended quarters near Ronon's, if that's acceptable...?"

"Sure," Eva replied. She didn't really care where her room was. Though she got the idea that Sheppard had suggested that because she and Ronon were both Runners.

Former Runners, she amended. No longer members of the hunted.

"If you have any questions..." Doctor Weir started to say, but was interrupted as Rodney very noisily joining the group.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the medical wing?" Sheppard asked and Rodney rolled his eyes.

"Apparently Eva did a better job stemming the blood flow than I thought. Beckett patched it up and I gave him the slip," he clapped a fist into his other hand smartly. "Thought I'd come up here, say goodbye if necessary or welcome her to the team. City. Atlantis." He gestured and turned towards her. "So, thank you for the expedient care. Beckett has your sleeve if you want it back. Though, it's covered in blood and kind of gross, better to just leave it. And listen, if you ever need anything, I'm here. Whatever it is."

Eva stared at him, dumbfounded and slightly uncomfortable. Sheppard voiced her skepticism with a lazy roll of his eyes. "Really?"

"What?"

Ronon leaned towards Shepard casually. "Is this that Kirk thing?"

Wait, hadn't Rodney said something about kirk while they were in the cave...? "Intergalactic Kirk?"

Apparently, she'd hit the mark on something because Sheppard laughed disbelievingly. "Ohhh, you didn't say it in front of her, did you? You never say it in front of them!"

Rodney and Sheppard started bickering, one defending his use of the word Kirk while the other made fun of him for it. Evidently, Rodney was failing the argument. His cheeks flushed and he grew flustered while Sheppard laughed harder. Doctor Weir simply rolled her eyes, smiled at Eva, welcomed to her Atlantis, and strode away.

Ronon shook his head next to her. She was curious about this Kirk thing, now. She stepped closer to him and grabbed his attention. "Kirk?"

Ronon eyed her, the humor still sparkling in his green eyes. It suited him. "Mckay thinks you're pretty."

What, really? She didn't really equate her appearance with pretty. More practical. Hair kept short for fighting, attire cut to fit her without flapping. She couldn't resist casting a glance down at her body before looking back up at a bemused Ronon. "Huh."

"Come on, I'll show you to your quarters."

"You know where they are?"

"Only one empty room by mine."

With one last glance at Sheppard and Rodney, she followed Ronon.

AN: Can you guys tell I was listening to moody music at the beginning of the chapter?

Also, I made a temporary Cover Art for Never Surrender! Check it out! :) Just a quick painting of the gate room for now. Eventually gonna add Ronon and Eva to the mix. Getting the correct height difference on those two will be fun. She's short and he's tall. Seriously, Jason Momoa is huge (And gorgeous!)

And yay, Eva has a home! Though it looks like I lied about the thoughts of rainbows and sunshine. But what about true love? ;) Guess we'll just have to wait and see! Thank you, all of you, for the reviews! I love hearing from you guys. Criticize away!