Title: Lost Among The Stars

Summary: When Major Evan Lorne is attacked on a mission off-world, a series of events is put into motion that reveals the very secret John Sheppard had worked so hard to keep hidden. Eventual Sheppard/Lorne. Spoilers for "Coup d'etat" and "Doppleganger".

A/N: Hello my loyal readers. I'm sorry for my prolonged absence but I have been very busy of late, with both work and my free time. To make up for this fact, I will be publishing another chapter in the next week or so as opposed to my usual monthly posting.

I do want to thank several followers who sent me messages and reviews to encourage my continued writing. I promise not to abandon this story, though it is taking more time for me to finish that originally anticipated. Thank you for sticking with me.

This chapter is mainly from Lorne's point of view of the past weeks that he had been off in the Milky Way galaxy. That being said, a majority of the beginning will be exposition as opposed to dialogue and action. But worry not! The chapter definitely gets more interesting once Lorne makes it back to Atlantis…

I don't want to give away any more than I should so I'll just leave you too it. Happy reading!

Characters: Evan Lorne, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon, Teyla, Elizabeth Weir, Sam Carter, Radek Zelenka, Jennifer Keller, and other minor characters and OCs.

Disclaimer: all rights belong to MGM.

Warning: mentions of non-consensual rape.

~o~o~

Monotony.

Lorne detested, and respected, that word.

While he could hardly call his job tedious - what with the crazy adventures he endured on a more than daily basis as a member of the Atlantis Expedition - there was a certain repetitiveness that was both boring and alarming.

Mountains of paperwork. Training and drills. One rescue mission after the next. Meetings and debriefings. Death.

Constantly brushing with death by immolation and decapitation and malnutrition - not to mention possible death by Wraith - was no small feat. And even though Lorne defied death on countless occasions, he could never afford to allow himself to fall into a false sense of security. Doing so would be his downfall.

It was only logical to use his experience and adapt to every situation. That's why when he received his orders to return to the SGC and take part in forming allied treaties against the Ori, the Major adapted. He packed up and shipped out.

His assignment - aiding negotiations with the Unas - was, dare he say it, monotonous. Repetitive and exhausting. For the past three weeks he followed a strict routine. Meetings and discussions. Ritual meals. Adherence to cultural norms. Daily reports to Earth.

Being an ambassador and representative of Earth was tiring, but rewarding, work.

Many Unas tribes were wary of humans, so they were reluctant to freely offer up the addresses of their home planets. As such, P3X-403 was determined a neutral ground for the negotiations to take place.

When Lorne first arrived on the mining planet of P3X-403 he was met by several Unas tribal leaders.

"Kor 'Uman!" the friendly and familiar title rang throughout the air by several Unas in the welcome party.

The Major brightly smiled in response, raising his own hand in respectful greeting. The amiable salutation, however, turned tense when the Lorne's heavily armed escort also exited the Stargate.

Lorne immediately out his rusty linguistic skills to use, explaining that the team of Marines sent with him would not be taking part in negotiations.

The Major told the Unas in attendance that while he was an honorary member of Kor Asek's tribe, he was foremost the representative of the humans of Earth and their allies against the Ori. The Marines were only there for security, to ensure that no one other than Unas or Earthlings exited the 'gate. It was imperative that the Ori never discover their meeting - for the safety of both their species.

Kor Asek and Chaka - mutual friends of Daniel Jackson - accepted his explanation wholeheartedly. With their backing the other Unas eventually agreed that the Marines could remain on P3X-403, on the single condition that they stayed away from all the council meetings.

Lorne understood their fear. The Unas had long been hunted and enslaved by the Goa'uld. Such evident displays of strength and advanced weaponry was disconcerting. And though the Unas greatly outnumbered the Marines, they inherently did not trust the soldiers.

And so the Major openly ordered the contingent of Marines to camp by the Stargate. They were not to leave the clearing without his express permission. He paused before adding that the soldiers were also not allowed to prevent any Unas from leaving the planet if they so wished. Lorne did not want to keep the Unas against their will while discussions were underway; they were on P3X-403 to negotiation after all, not to coerce through the use of force.

The Unas relaxed when they saw that the humans respected their conditions to the treaty talks.

Glad he had not caused an intergalactic incident within the first five minutes of his assignment, Lorne took a moment to introduce Major Paul Davis to the tribal leaders. Stationed at the Pentagon, Paul Davis was a member of the Office of Homeworld Security. He had been assigned to accompany Lorne and the three Atlantis scientists to P3X-403 to ensure that the needs of Earth were being met.

Luckily for Lorne, Paul had experience in politics. He was frequently called to aid Stargate Command during diplomatic conflicts with other nations on Earth and other portions of the United States government. But, due to being short-staffed, the SGC decided that he was to be sent off-world to oversee the intergalactic negotiations.

Despite this, Lorne was given total command of the visiting group because of his experience with the Unas and his ability to speak the language. Paul was just an observer who was to report daily to the SGC and OHS.

After introductions were complete, Chaka invited Lorne and Paul to a tribal meeting that evening.

While the Marines set up camp by the Stargate, the two Majors set off in the direction of the hills. During their trek, Lorne spoke affably with the other Unas from his tribe. Kor Asek was pleased to see Lorne wearing his ceremonial Goa'uld-bone necklace that he had been given during his last visit. Lorne once again thanked him for the generous gift.

Kor Asek informed Lorne that he had heard of the Ori threat but his tribe had never witnessed the death and destruction they wrought upon enemies and followers alike. It was then that another tribe leader, La Karik, spoke up. The elderly Unas depicted a plague that killed many of his best warriors.

Respectfully speaking to Lorne, La Karik pledged to stand by them in the fight against the Ori. Lorne thanked La Karik, grateful to have another ally this early in his negotiations.

That evening, as was tradition, Lorne and Paul were brought before the united tribal council. As their contribution to the beginning of the ceremony, the Majors presented several bricks chocolate. Kor Asek and the other leaders brought similar delicacies, weapons, and decorative ornaments as a sign of peace and unity.

As negotiations continued into the night, Lorne became more confident in his language ability. He opened several arguments and provided visual evidence for their cause. He also occasionally translated for Paul, who wished to ask questions or give answers Lorne could not provide.

Discussions were slow and tedious, but they seemed to be proceeding nicely.

But in the second week there was a significant setback.

One particularly young Unas, who outwardly did not respect Lorne's place as an honorary tribe member, challenged the Major to a duel of sorts. The youngling asserted that Lorne had no claim to his position on the council, that he simply wanted soldiers to fight and die for the humans of Earth.

For the sake of negotiations, Lorne accepted.

The youngling was much stronger and larger than the Major. Lorne knew he has to use his agility and size to his advantage. He also had to plan precise strikes because the Unas' thick skin and study bones did not allow the youngling to be easily defeated. Luckily each opponent was given one weapon to use in battle. Lorne chose a long staff-like weapon while the youngling picked a large, gnarled club.

It was then that the Major was grateful that he continued to practice with his three-quarter staff on Atlantis. He was also particularly thankful that he had taken to joining Ronon, John, and Teyla's private sparring sessions.

That being said, he was able to win the duel against the brash youngling. But victory never came without pain. Lorne suffered a dislocated shoulder and a fairly large bump on his head before ending the fight.

The dual certainly broke up the monotony of negotiations; for which Lorne was grateful.

Afterward negotiations progressed in his favor. Impressed with his honor, fortitude and skill, the tribal leaders began to fall behind Lorne's treaty proposal.

On the last night of deliberation before a vote was to be cast and the treaty was to be signed, Kor Asek closed all arguments by announcing: "the Ori must be a terrible foe if a great warrior like Kor 'Uman is asking for help". Chaka and La Karik also pledged that Earth would have their backing if Lorne asked for it.

And so it was decided - with a unanimous vote - that the Earthlings would have a new ally in the war against the Ori.

The next day Lorne, Paul, the scientists and their military escort returned to the SGC to debrief Generals Hank Landry and Jack O'Neill.

"I must say," Jack drawled, casually slumped across the SGC conference table, "I'm impressed, Major."

Lorne ducked his head, trying to hide his blushing cheeks. "Just doing my job, sir," he replied formally.

"To be perfectly honest with you, Lorne," Hank spoke up, directly addressing his subordinate, "Neither the OHS or the IOA believed we would be able to get even one tribe to be our ally… but to get the full backing of the Unas? That's quite incredible!"

Jack hummed in agreement. "They underestimated you, Major" he commented with pride. A thoughtful look crossed his features before he also added, "We underestimated you."

Ignoring Jack's comment, Hank continued, "This kind of success could give you a very comfortable job and promotion back here at the SGC…"

"No thank you, sir," Lorne immediately interrupted. "But I'm very happy serving under Colonel Sheppard on Atlantis."

If the General was surprised by the rejection he didn't show it. "Well, I had to try," Hank shrugged, before shuffling around some papers before him. "We have a 'gate departure set up for you and the other scientists returning to Pegasus. It's scheduled for 1300 hours."

Jack stood up and straightened his wrinkled uniform. "That gives you enough time to go get cleaned up, Major. And stop by the infirmary, I know the doc wanted to check how your shoulder was healing."

"Thank you, sir." Lorne stood and moved toward the exit.

"Oh, and when you see Sam, tell her that she owes me a fishing trip after that trick she pulled on Langara!" Jack called out after him. "She'll know what I mean."

The Major smirked, "Yes, sir!"

~o~o~

Several hours later, Lorne found himself in front of the Stargate.

Having changed back into his Atlantis BDUs, he suddenly felt very homesick. Yes, he surmised, Atlantis was his home now. He missed the ocean. He missed his friends. He missed his bed. He missed John.

Thinking of his commanding officer, Lorne wondered if the Colonel would be there to greet him when he arrived back on Atlantis.

Behind him Lorne heard Jack give the order to activate the Stargate. Nostalgia rushed through the Major's system as Walter Harriman began the dialing sequence.

"CHEVRON ONE ENCODED."

However, as fondly as he remembered his time debarking through the 'gate with SG-11, the long-winded sequence now seemed completely unnecessary. He was glad Chuck forwent Walter's tradition and simply dialed the Atlantis Stargate in silence.

"CHEVRON TWO ENCODED."

Sighing, Lorne threw his duffle over his uninjured shoulder. He didn't want to put too much stress on his previously dislocated appendage, especially since his pack was heavier on the return trip.

An hour or so ago, Radek's friend had found him outside the guest quarters and delivered an assortment of chocolates. It was a pleasant surprise. Lorne had completely forgotten his promise to the scientists back on Atlantis to bring back some of the rich sweets.

When asked, Radek's friend refused payment - saying the Czech scientist had already taken care of it. To return the favor, Lorne swung by the SGC kitchens and grabbed some cooking supplies. He was even able to swindle the head cook out of some heavy cream and tomatoes to make Radek's favorite sauce.

As such, Lorne's duffle was almost overflowing with food. Luckily, due to his rank, he wasn't required to be searched before returning to the Pegasus galaxy. Not that any of the things in his pack were necessarily banned from Atlantis; but rather he didn't want to explain why he has carrying a pound of confectioners sugar and a bottle of vegetable oil, among other things.

Lorne was pulled from his musings as Walter finally announced, "CHEVRON SEVEN LOCKED!"

The Stargate activated and the swirling blue event horizon burst forward before settling into a calm pool. Without bothering to look back, the Major calmly followed the scientists through the 'gate.

When his combat boots finally hit the ramp on the other side, Lorne was hit with the smell of salt water and the sound of Lieutenant Abrams' greeting.

"Major, it's good to have you back."

Looking around the 'gate room, Lorne didn't see John among any of the staff. Though he was disappointed that John wasn't there to welcome him back, Lorne hid his frown and responded, "It's good to be back, Lieutenant." He continued down the ramp as the Stargate closed behind him. "Did I miss anything while I was gone?"

"Not really," Abrams shrugged, "Colonel Sheppard was only kidnapped once, which is pretty surprising."

"Nothing too serious?" Lorne hummed in response. Knowing how often John and his team got into trouble, the Major was amazed that something colossal - like an invasion - hadn't occurred while he was was back in the Milky Way galaxy.

"He was gone for about a day before we got to him… but we gained a new ally from the whole incident. I'll make sure the report is on your desk so you can read it yourself."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

As they reached the base of the main stairway, Sam greeted them. "Welcome back, Major. I trust you had a pleasant journey."

"Yes. Thank you, ma'am," Lorne professionally nodded in response before adding, "General O'Neill says hello."

Sam smiled, a sly look crossing her face. "Were those his exact words?" she playfully chided him.

"He might have mentioned a fishing trip in there somewhere," Lorne smirked in return.

Shaking her head in exasperation, the Colonel asked, "How was your time with the Unas?"

"Very nice, ma'am. We now have their full backing in the fight against the Ori," Lorne reported.

"Really?" Sam raised her eyebrows, clearly not expecting the negotiations to go as well as they did. "That's wonderful!"

Lorne grinned. "It got a bit rocky in the middle, but everything worked out."

"I'd love to hear the full story sometime," Sam hummed, thoughtfully tapping her chin. Then shrugging she said, "Well, I know John will be happy to hear that you're back."

"Oh? He doesn't know I was scheduled to return today?"

"No, sir," Abrams answered. "Colonel Sheppard departed several hours ago through the 'gate with Sergeant Stackhouse and his team. He left before we got word that you'd be back."

"Lorne, why don't you go unpack before I debrief you about Atlantis operations and John's current mission," Sam offered.

Lorne nodded, anxious to learn about what he missed while he was gone. Readjusting his heavy duffle, he moved to depart from the 'gate room. But before he got more than three steps, the DHD alarm went off.

"UNSCHEDULED OFFWORLD ACTIVATION!"

Immediately dropping his pack, Lorne spun back to witness the Stargate light up and begin the dialing sequence. Abrams promptly gave Lorne his spare sidearm while he raised his own gun toward the 'gate. The security team also hefted their standard P-90s, fully prepared for whatever might come through the event horizon.

Behind him Lorne could hear Sam rush up the stairs to stand next to Chuck, giving orders all the way.

The shield shimmered to life just as the event horizon exploded outward. Lorne anxiously clicked the safety off the handgun.

"It's Stackhouse's IDC," Chuck reported.

"Lower the shield," Sam commanded.

Just as the shield dissolved, a team of Marines rushed through the Stargate carrying a stunned teammate between them. Moments later, Radek and Grace stumbled out of the event horizon. Radek didn't seem injured but he was supporting Grace, who was visibly bleeding from a cut on her forehead. Each scientist tightly clutched a handgun in their dominate shooting hand.

Teyla soon followed. P-90 raised and ready to fire, her breathy commands for everyone to stay behind her falling onto deaf ears.

"What happened?" Abrams ordered, stepping forward to assume the command position he had filled the past three weeks.

But before anyone could answer, an explosion echoed through the Stargate.

Sergeant Stackhouse came flying through the open wormhole. He awkwardly landed on his side before rolling to a stop in front of Lorne. "Sir?" he groaned, sluggishly blinking up at the Major.

But Lorne didn't answer. Instead he turned his gaze back to the Stargate just in time to witness the event horizon ripple dangerously and disengage.

The 'gate room erupted with activity.

Fear coiling in his gut, Lorne knelt next to the downed soldier. "Where's Sheppard?" Lorne dumbly asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"Sssstuck on the planet," Stackhouse slurred. "DHD… exploded."

A team of medics rushed forward to collect the stunned Marine and to aid the obviously concussed Sergeant. Grace dismissed the stretcher, stating that her head wound was simply superficial. She attempted to smile and wave when she caught Lorne's eye, but was quickly ushered away by Radek toward the infirmary.

Teyla also spotted the Major and quickly stalked over.

Sam appeared at Lorne's side. "Teyla, what happened?"

"The Wraith detected our presence on the planet and sent scouts to hunt us down," the Athosian explained. "We out ran several darts just to get to the 'gate. But we confronted six Wraith sentries before we were able to dial the DHD… they did not go down easily."

"And the others?" Sam asked Tayla, referring to Ronon, Rodney and John who had not come back with the rest of the team.

Still shocked by the sudden turn of events, Lorne answered for the Athosian. "Stackhouse said that the explosion we heard was the DHD…"

Teyla nodded. "Yes, several darts attempted to prevent us from leaving the planet. One must have hit the DHD, that is why the wormhole disengaged."

Sam pursed her lips together. "So the rest of your team is stuck on a hostile planet? With no way to dial back to Atlantis?"

"It would appear so," Teyla answered solemnly.

"I'll put a team together," Lorne anxiously stated. "We can take a Jumper through the 'gate so we can dial back when we find Sheppard and the others."

Sam nodded, agreeing with Lorne's plan. "You have an hour to get ready."

Wishing he could depart sooner, Lorne reluctantly accepted. After ordering Abrams to round up some soldiers, Teyla volunteered to join the rescue party. Lorne smiled softly at his friend. "Of course, Teyla," he said, fully understanding the panic and frustration she was experiencing for her teammates. Being helpless sucked.

It was no problem finding volunteers to go on the rescue mission. In less than fifteen minutes, Lorne had two teams put together - one led by him and another by Abrams. With time to spare, Lorne advised the soldiers to prepare for departure while he rushed to the infirmary to check on his friends. He instantly spotted Radek and Grace lounging on neighboring beds.

"Hey, how are you guys doing?" the Major asked, taking long strides before stopping at the foot of Grace's bed.

"I've been better," Grace grumbled, picking at her bandaged head absentmindedly.

Lorne furrowed his brow in concern. "What happened?" he asked, motioning to her injury.

"We were checking out this Ancient monastery or something and there was this tremor… not an earthquake or anything, but it came from within the mountain structure we were exploring," Grace explained. "I got a nasty cut from some falling debris. Stupid really," she grumbled.

"And the Wraith?"

This time Radek answered. "You know, I'm not sure. Ronon mentioned something about an energy pulse that the Wraith might have detected. No doubt the tremors were caused by something foolish Rodney did…"

"Or Sheppard," Lorne added, knowing full well that the Colonel's unnaturally strong ATA gene often caused him more trouble than it was worth.

Grace pursed her lips. "Yes, well, either way, the Wraith showed up with some darts and we had to make a run for the 'gate."

"I'm just glad neither of you were killed."

"We are fine, my friend," Radek calmly stated, smiling up at Lorne. "Now go get the others. We will be here when you return."

"Thanks guys. I'll see you soon."

When Lorne finally made it back to the locker rooms, Abrams informed him that Atlantis couldn't spare more than one Jumper for their mission. The others were all off-world, and it was protocol to keep at least four in the city at all times in case of attack. Lorne immediately radioed Sam to work out the problem. After some convincing, Sam allowed the teams to take a spare Puddle Jumper with them so they wouldn't have to cram all ten soldiers into one ship.

And so, fully loaded with extra clips, everyone boarded their respective Jumper and prepared for departure. As Chuck dialed the Stargate, Lorne instructed the two pilots to put up the cloaking device as soon as they made it to the planet to avoid detection. It was best to maintain an element of surprise when the Wraith were involved.

Just as the event horizon settled, Sam's voice crackled over Lorne's headset. "Bring them back, Major."

"Yes, ma'am."

And they were were gone.

~o~o~

The planet was crawling with Wraith.

After exiting the Stargate, the Puddle Jumpers were promptly assaulted by several darts. Luckily, the cloaking devices never failed, and they were easily able to escape after taking down one the Wraith ships.

Once clear of any immediate danger, Lorne attempted to contact his missing teammates but all he got was static. Either their radios were damaged in the DHD explosion or something terrible had happened that made them unable to answer.

Hoping it was the former, Lorne instructed the pilots to find a clearing to land. Quickly devising a strategy, the Major ordered everyone to divide into four teams of two and split up to search the surrounding area. The two remaining pilots would stay cloaked and use their LSDs to scan the surrounding forest for John, Rodney, and Ronon.

"Take down some darts if you have to," he advised the pilots. "But don't take any unnecessary risks, you're our ticket out of here."

Everyone split into pairs and began to spread out. Lorne partnered with Teyla. They decided to head in the direction of the Ancient structure the Athosian had described.

After approximately ten minutes, one of the pilots radioed the Major, stating that a cluster of life-signs he detected was slowly disappearing.

"Someone's killing off the other signals, sir."

Knowing it had to be one of their missing teammates, Lorne ordered everyone in the vicinity to converge on the cluster's location. With their P-90s level and their eyes sharp, Teyla and Lorne started to sprint toward the given coordinates. It was near the base of the mountain.

"There's only two left, sir," the pilot stated, his voice wavering with uncertainty. "Should I do something?"

"No," Lorne snapped. "Stay cloaked and keep your eyes out for any foreign lifesi-"

But before he could finish, the mountain exploded.

Floored by the concussive blast, the two teammates tumbled to the ground. Ears ringing, Lorne groaned as his headset burst to life.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"What the fuck was that?"

"Sir, are you alright?"

Lorne desperately tried to lower the volume on his earpiece when three Wraith suddenly erupted from the undergrowth.

"Teyla, look out!" he bellowed, lifting up his semi-automatic to open fire on the aliens. Two immediately crumpled to the ground, unable to heal from direct head shots. The last one grabbed the Major by the arm and hurled him toward a fallen tree. Lorne screamed as his previously injured shoulder was dislocated a second time.

Fighting the urge to vomit, the Major tried to catch his breath.

Meanwhile the remaining Wraith charged Teyla and grabbed her by the throat before she could react. The Athosian cried out in alarm. Her feet desperately flailed beneath her as the alien effortlessly lifted her off the ground.

Slowly breathing through the pain, Lorne hefted his P-90 with both arms and fired. Hot lead tore through the alien's lower limbs. Snarling, the Wraith crashed into the soft earth. Grunting with effort, Lorne rushed over and empties two more bullets in the alien's skull before it could get back up.

Turning back to his partner, he helped Teyla struggle to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked weakly.

"Yes, I am fine," she calmly responded. "Allow me to reset your shoulder." And without warning, she grabbed his arm and twisted it back into its socket.

The Major let out a very undignified yelp before swallowing it down with another rush of vertigo. "Thanks," he rasped.

"Sir! Sir, are you there?"

Wincing as the Jumper pilot's anxious voice erupted from his headset, Lorne responded. "What is it?"

"There's only one life-sign left. And its not moving!"

Forgoing words, Teyla and Lorne jumped into action. The two sprinted toward the given coordinates; it was not more than a hundred yards from their current location. They finally reached a small clearing near the base of the mountain.

As they passed through the tree line, Lorne nearly tripped over a dead Wraith with a broken neck. Another alien was sprawled a few yards away, nothing more than a dried husk. Dismissing the dead Wraith, Lorne continued to look for his missing teammate. Stepping over the corpse, the Major spotted another body further in the clearing.

"John!" Teyla gasped.

The Colonel was fully sprawled on his back, unconscious. A small puddle of blood forming around his left hip. Teyla immediately rushed over and knelt by John's side. Resisting every urge to collapse next to Teyla, the Major dutifully stood guard while the Athosian attempted to wake her team leader.

"John! John, please wake up," she urged him, gently shaking one of his shoulders.

Still on full alert, Lorne open all channels on his headset, contacting all teams at once. "We found Colonel Sheppard," he informed them. "Any luck with the others?"

"Not yet, sir," Abrams answered. "Any idea what that explosion was?"

"Not sure yet, Lieutenant," Lorne truthfully responded. In the background John began to stir. "I'll let you know once I find out," he mumbled, distracted by his commanding officer's uneven breathing. Clicking off his headset, he turned just in time to witness John's eyes flutter open.

"Oh God," he gasped, his hand curling around his bloody side. Rolling his eyes around, he finally noticed the Athosian kneeling next to him. "T-teyla," John wheezed.

"John, it's good to see you alive." Teyla smiled softly and grabbed her friend's bloodstained hand. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I think so," the Colonel nodded. Steading his arms behind him, he slowly dragged himself into a sitting position. He hissed as the injured side stretched and contracted, causing the laceration to bleed more. "Shit, that hurts."

"Allow me," Teyla said, motioning to the wound. She pulled fresh gauze from her pockets. As she carefully wrapped his side, she inquired, "How were you injured?"

"Some shrapnel from the DHD clipped me."

Teyla nodded before questioning, "Do you know where Rodney and Ronon are?"

John licked his chapped lips. "They went back into the mountain to blow the entrance so the Wraith couldn't get the Ancient technology," he slowly explained, his voice becoming stronger by the minute. "I was the lookout. They were supposed to meet me back here."

"Perhaps they got delayed," Teyla reassured him. "You know that Ronon can protect himself, and Rodney has become much better at hitting moving targets."

"Ronon has a twisted knee," John pointedly informed her. "If they ran into any real trouble I don't think they'd be able to handle it."

"Have faith, John," Teyla asserted.

Growing increasingly uncomfortable with their exposed location, Lorne announced, "We should get him back to the Jumper."

John whipped his head around, eyes widening when he finally noticed the Major's presence. "Lorne?" he breathed, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to rescue you, sir," he stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world - and it was. Then turning to address Teyla, the Major urged, "We can't stay here, it's too exposed."

Teyla nodded in agreement before looking back at the Colonel. "John, where is your weapon?"

John scanned the clearing. "Over there," he said, pointing off somewhere to his right. Lorne stalked over to in the direction indicated. Just as he was about to pick up the discarded P-90, he faltered. Another dead Wraith lay a few feet away, its head completely crushed beneath a large fallen tree trunk. Of all the dead aliens in the clearing, this seemed the most grotesque. Lorne marveled how hard John must have fought to keep these Wraith at bay with his bare hands - well, mostly with his bare hands - while injured and bleeding. It was truly remarkable that John was still breathing after been so severely outmatched.

Lorne subconsciously massaged his injured shoulder, trying to dispel the throbbing sensation that was slowly making his arm numb.

Backing away slowly, he returned to his teammates with the machine gun. "Let's get out of here."

"What about the others?" John inquired.

"I'll radio another team to circle back and wait for them," Lorne decided, not willing to let John out of his sight.

"Wait," John interrupted, still struggling to his feet with Teyla's assistance. "Rodney still has his earpiece, it was the only one not damaged by the initial blast."

The Major nodded. And tapped his headset on. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir," Abrams responded after a moment of static.

"Colonel Sheppard says that McKay and Ronon are near the base of the mountain. Have all teams converge there and try to find them. Be advised that Ronon is injured and McKay may still have a working radio. Try to contact them." He continued, "Be careful, the Wraith were probably also drawn by the explosion McKey set off."

"Of course, sir."

"Teyla and I will meet up with you after we get Shappard on a Jumper. Where's the closet clearing with no Wraith?"

"Two clicks south of the mountain," Abrams answered.

"Alright, we'll drop Sheppard off and then join the search."

"Yes, sir. We'll keep you updated."

Lorne snapped off his ear piece. "Come on, let's go."

The trio hardly made it a few yards before they heard the unmistakable whine of a Wraith dart overhead. Barely escaping a culling beam, the three teammates stumbled into denser forest. The dart circled back as they ran further from the Ancient structure.

"We have a dart on our tail," Lorne snapped into his head set.

"I'm on it, sir," one of the pilots responded. "Where's your current location?"

The Major didn't have time to respond before a pair of Wraith dropped down from the trees above them. Agilely landing on their feet, the two aliens fired their stunners at Teyla and John. A red beam grazed John, sending him tumbling to the ground. His P-90 fell out of his limp grip.

Teyla was able to dodge the stun beam and responded with a vicious roundhouse kick, striking one of the Wraith in the neck. It gagged and dropped its weapon. While it was still dazed, the Athosian warrior withdrew her hunting knife from its sheath and plunged it into the Wraith's chest. It weakly gurgled, choking on its own blood. Teyla easily pulled the knife out before stabbing the Wraith a second time, effectively killing it.

As Lorne rushed to John's prone form, he opened fire on the second Wraith. The alien's torso jerked violently as each bullet hit its intended target. After the clip was finally spent, the Wraith didn't even twitch.

Teyla straightened, cleaned her knife on the leather jacket of the dead Wraith, and asked, "Is John alright?"

The Major knelt next to the prostrate body, anxiously placing his fingers on John's exposed neck. He felt a steady pulse. "He's unconscious," Lorne informed her.

In the distance the distinctive sound of Wraith stunners hummed. The pair whipped around to spy several more Wraith sprinting towards them.

Teyla immediately clipped John's discarded machine gun to her TAC vest. "I will try to hold them off," she announced, hefting her own P-90 into the crook of her arm. "You get John out of here."

Lorne gaped at her. "Teyla-"

"No," she interrupted him. "I cannot carry John by myself. You must get him to safety."

"But-"

"Just go," she snapped.

Complying with her wish, Lorne scooped John into a fireman's carry and took off in the direction of the clearing. After several seconds, the Major could hear the sound of automatic machine gun fire. Trying to suppress the guilt he felt for leaving Teyla behind, Lorne focused on his breathing. In and out. In and out.

After several minutes, Lorne stopped to listen. Pausing by a large tree, he heard the distinctive rustle of feet headed in his direction. But as the sound of the footsteps grew closer, but they were joined by more. Not Teyla then, definitely Wraith. Huffing, he repositioned John's limp body on his aching shoulder. He didn't know if he could make it to the clearing by himself. He didn't even know how far away it was.

Perhaps he could find a place to rest and call for back-up. The denser forest could offer them protection, he reasoned.

Groaning under the weight of his commanding officer, Lorne took off again.

The sound of his pursuers echoed behind him.

~o~o~

A/N: Sorry to leave it at such a cliffhanger, I can't help myself. We are nearing the end of this epic tale so I want you hanging onto every scene as if your life depended on it - or at least as if John and Lorne's life depended on it… Anyway, Chapter 16 is definitely going to be an emotional rollercoaster so stay tuned!

Expect the next chapter in the next week or so. Until then, please leave a review and let me know what you think. XOXO