Tegan's Point of View:

I never got to say goodbye...I already miss them all. I just up and left and now they'll think I didn't care but I do. Oh god, suck it up James! You're a soldier not a sap!

Shaking it off I focused on the screen infront of me and watched what was happening, General O'Neill stood beside me with a intense look of disgust on his face as the images played. No matter how hard I tried to focus though, I couldn't. My stomach was in knots and a weight had settled on my chest...that weight was guilt. It ate at me constantly and there was a longing feeling I couldn't shake plauging my every thought. But I needed to be here right now, not there. Still, I was allowed to miss them right? They were my friends. Teyla and Kanaan and Torren, I could still see all of them watching me as I ran past the messhall, not stopping to say goodbye. Ronon would have gladly put his tracking skills to good use for me right now but he wasn't here. Rodney wasn't here either. There was no John, no Major Lorne even though we only really spoke twice. Heck I was even missing Keller. Atlantis was so far away now and I'd never felt more isolated. Rodney wasn't around to comfort me this time and John...god I missed him more than I cared to admit. John and his warm presence, the relief it gave me just seeing him with his arms crossed and that smirk on his face would have alleviated some of the tension in my body.
"Lieutenant are you even watching?" the General asked, nudging my arm. Blinking once I sighed and ran a hand through my hair,
"No I'm not. I'm sorry, I've got a lot on my mind sir. You don't have to be here, I'm watching this time." I assured him and pressed rewind on the video. General O'Neill didn't look particularly happy, infact, he looked a little green almost. Pushing the thoughts of my friends away I tried to focus on the screen and watch what was going on. The whole reason I had left in the first place was on the screen infront of me.

Three Hours Earlier:

Tegan was walking towards the training room, she was going to meet up with John and Ronon for a sparring session but before she could get there her earpiece crackled.
"Lieutenant James come to my office immediately, you have a visitor." Woolsey sounded moody. Frowning slightly, Tegan changed course, notifying John that Woolsey wanted her so she'd be late. The halls of Atlantis were quiet, the sea outside glittering in the sunlight. A tranquil feeling settled over Tegan when she looked at the picturesque scene. The one person she hadn't expected to see in Woolsey's office was General O'Neill, looking solemn and sat rigidly in the chair beside Woolsey's desk. Woolsey had a face like thunder, angrily staring at the General and standing when he saw the young Lieutenant walk in. Looking relcutant and bitter he walked out of his own office, shutting the door behind him. O'Neill raised his eyebrows,
"Is he always so...pushy?" he asked, breaking the silence. Tegan frowned,
"I haven't had much cause to speak to him sir." she replied, keeping her tone polite and respectful, but the confusion was plain on her face. Why was he here to see her? The General took in her appearance. Her tan had become darker since he'd dropped her off at Stargate Command all those months ago. Had it really been half a year already? Her expression was lighter too, less closed off and the tension she had once held in her shoulders was gone, Atlantis had done her good apparently. Guilt began to creep in that he had to give her such bad news.
"At ease Lieutenant...this isn't professional, this is personal."

Immediately, Tegan felt her body tense up, every muscle coiled tight like a spring and she straightened like there was a pole up her back. Her arms dropped to her sides, her mouth going dry and her throat closing up. The air was getting difficult to breathe but she forced herself to remain standing, her full attention on the General who could have sworn he saw a flash of panic flit through her unique grey eyes.
"He's found me hasn't he?" she asked, her voice sounding detatched and her expression letting the General know she wasn't currently in Atlantis but somewhere much furthur away. The General shook his head,
"Not you, no...but he's surfaced. Lieutenant, the British authorities have been in touch, there was a fire at your home...three people are dead and it's been burned to the ground, nothing was left standing." the General informed her, a melancholy note in his voice. The words were swimming around Tegan's head, not really sinking in but forcing her to sit down. Swallowing hard, she tried not to think about it but she had to ask,
"Were the bodies identified?" The General looked at her uncertainly, did she really want to know? Seeing her serious expression he realised she did, she must have known the people in that house.
"They were thought to be squatters because they and there families appeared to be living there...There was Monica Loretz and a James Grundy...the last was a child, her family identified her as Lisa McCauley." he told her. Tegan looked down at the floor. He had taken away three more people she cared about, a child no less.
"They weren't squatters. I gave them the rights to the house, it belongs to them and they live there together...all of them."she replied, staring blankly at the floor.

General O'Neill nodded in understanding, watching her stand up and begin to pace the room with a hard stare, chewing her lower lip.
"He left a video message for you too, nobody's been allowed to see it but the President and your Prime Minister."
O'Neill looked disgusted by the very thought but Tegan didn't seem fazed, as if she had expected it. In a way, he supposed she had. Tegan looked at him blankly,
"I'm presuming there's an option for me to return home, otherwise you wouldn't be here." she spoke calmly but he could see it in her eyes that this had disturbed her. The shock had hit her like a brick wall and she was slightly frustrated at herself, that she had let herself become so naieve as to think she was safe now, that he'd given up maybe. O'Neill handed her over a folder,
"I was ordered not to read them, but I've been told that those orders come from the highest clearance in both the British and American governments." O'Neill watched her eyes subtly widen and heard her sharp intake of breath. O'Neill hadn't been allowed the details of this mission, but he knew enough of the history between both Tegan and this man to connect the dots. Tegan was struggling to process the words printed on the page before her.

Three British civillians are dead. Lieutenant James, your mission is simple, put this man down and end his reign of terror. Keep it quiet, no one must ever know that we were involved, but the government will give you anything you need. You're the best of the best, the only one who can finish this job. Finish it quickly.

Shutting the folder she handed it back to the General and gave him a short nod,
"I have my orders, I'll be returning to Earth with you." she informed him. He nodded and ordered her to pack her bags. Tegan raced through the halls and did exactly as ordered, packing everything haphazardly and in a rush before sprinting back to the gateroom. All the while her mind was on what awaited her back home. She knew that one day he would come for her, he had promised her he would, but this was too soon. She was about to kill a man, a man that had slaughtered her parents and just killed three more of her friends, a twisted and deranged man that had ruined her life. But she was just following orders. Did that make her a bad person? Did it make her a bad person that she wanted revenge almost as much as he clearly wanted her dead? Could she live with herself after this? Would any of her friends ever look at her the same? She didn't even want to think of what Rodney would say if he found out. The wormhole engaged and Tegan didn't look back as she stepped through, knowing if she did, she'd find too many reasons to stay.

John and Ronon never did see her for that sparring session.

"Tegan James, it's been far too long and I admit that's mostly my fault, though you did move around a lot didn't you? Canada, back to Britain again, deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan...you're quite the traveller. But I always find my prey. I'm coming sweetheart. Destroying your home means I am one step closer to destroying you and I won't stop until I have. I made a promise long ago to your farther that I wouldn't stop until every last James was wiped off of the face of the Earth, you're the last one Tegan. As Edgar Allan Poe once said, the boundaries which divide life and death are at best shadowy and vague, who shall say where the one ends and where the other begins? That person is me Tegan, I decided where it ends for you and I've been planning this your whole life from the moment I saw you in that ballroom. If you want to finish this, then you should start where it all began. If you don't come to me, I'll come to you."

The terrifying red eyes from my nightmares were before me once more, set into a pale and sunken face with a pointed chin and a long nose. His eyebrows were so light they were almost invisble, matching his still platinum blond hair. It wasn't in a ponytail anymore but had been cut short in a buzz cut, barely more than fuzz on his head. Thin lips pulled back in a devious smirk as he sat in plain white room, no clues to be found behind him to let me guess his location. He was in a black tank top, showing off some rather buff muscles and the black ink stretching up his inner arms. The only thing that seemed different about him from the last time I had seen him were the crinkles at the edges of his eyes, the only sign he had aged. General O'Neill turned the tape off and looked at me. We were in his office at the SGC and I was sat on the edge of his desk in my civillian clothing, seeing as this wasn't an SGC mission there was no need for uniform.
"Who is that creep Lieutenant?" he asked, finally looking at the screen with a frown. My stomach was twisting nauesously but I pushed the feeling aside, keeping my voice and face blank of any emotion.
"That creep is commonly known as The Ghost, his real name is Gary Murdale. He's originally from Scandinavia but had joined up with the rebel forces while America were in Iraq before we came to help. My dad wasn't a good man General but I loved him anyway, he dealt under the table. Weapons. He was dealing with Murdale but the deal turned sour. People were cottoning on to my dads activities and suspecting him, he was panicking and cut off the deal, handing over Murdale's name...Iraqi police got hold of the information from our government and tried to arrest him, when he put up a fight his family were killed in the crossfire on accident. He's blamed my family ever since and went rogue, splitting from the Iraq rebels and going off on his own, robbing banks to fund himself and plotting our murders one by one. My parents were his latest victims, and I complete the list. Once I'm dead his revenge is complete." I explained.

O'Neill looked almost incredulous but noticed my sincere expression and schooled his face into a blank mask.
"What do you need?" he asked finally. Standing up I shrugged,
"A flight to Paris." I replied walking to the door. O'Neill seemed to choke on the air, scoffing and shaking his head,
"Reinforcements?" he said as if it was obvious. Placing a hand on the doorframe I shook my head,
"No, he'll just kill them, this is personal. Besides, who'll back me up?" I asked rhetorically, almost flinching at the choice of words. Walking out of the room I fought every instinct in my body that told me to go back and get my team. But Atlantis needed my team more than me and I couldn't put them in this kind of danger. Pulling everything I needed out of my locker I headed for the surface, using my phone to book a rental car in Paris ahead of my arrival. O'Neill had had one of the young Sergeants drive me to the airport in his pick up truck and I sent back my thanks with the young Sergeant. Seating myself on the plane I stared out of the window, watching the people scurry about below with no idea I was on this plane planning a mans murder. Guilt began to eat at me, the blue skies in America weren't nearly as plesant as those on Atlantis. I already missed looking out over the water. Sighing to myself I settled back in the seat, knowing I should at least try to sleep before I started tracking down The Ghost.

As the plane soared into the sky I couldn't help but think, John, Rodney, if I die out here, I'm so sorry I never said goodby