A/N: Well, everyone, it's happened. I've come to the point in my writing where I've accepted that a T-rating for this story will not be enough. Starting with my next chapter, I'm going to have to bump my rating up to M. I intend for the overall tone of the story to be the same as it's been so far, but I think the next chapter will be just a little too much to be considered T, even with a content warning at the start of the chapter. I hope I don't lose any of you, as this story will cease to appear in the regular fic listing due to this website's default filtering system. That said, I hope you'll consider following if you haven't already, so that you get notified when I next update. Either that, or please remember to change the filters when you're browsing newly updated stories so you can continue to read this one.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little chapter! Alpha Site, indeed. Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and sticking with me! :)

What the hell was he doing?

Not two nights ago, she had all but confessed that she had feelings for him, or potentially would if only he reciprocated those feelings. He had rebuffed her, hoping that if he told her he wasn't interested she could tamp down those potential feelings before they took root. But there was no potential in what he had just witnessed. Her feelings toward him were already in full bloom. He could still feel the soft skin of her neck and her feather-light pulse beneath his fingers, could still picture how her eyes had closed and her lips had parted at his touch.

He didn't know what had provoked him to hold her like that, to embrace her the way he had. She had let her guard down around him and he had been tempted. Whether she had needed him or not…whether she had wanted him or not, he shouldn't have done it. It was wrong to give her false hope. Wrong to let her believe he had finally overcome the death of his wife. He would have to be more careful around her.

He pulled his blaster from its holster and spun it around absentmindedly; he needed something to distract himself, something other than the memory of her body heat in his hands.

Sheppard appeared at his side and, as he did, the gate sprung to life and an announcement sounded overhead.

"Scheduled incoming wormhole."

"What's this?" Ronon holstered the gun and turned to his friend. "Thought we were going home."

"We are. But I asked Woolsey to send Beckett and a security contingent over first. Resources are thin enough around here as it is, and I felt a bit guilty asking them to stretch any further."

Ronon had known John long enough to be able to read between the lines. The employees on Atlantis were the best and the brightest, whereas those that ended up on the Alpha Site…well, they weren't Sheppard's men. Grunting in reply, he looked over his shoulder for what had to have been the fifth time in as many minutes to see Teyla and McKay heading over to join them. He must have made some indication of disappointment at the sight of them, because Sheppard peered curiously up at him.

"You expecting somebody else?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?" He squared his shoulders and straightened his back. "No."

Had the circumstances been different, Sheppard would have pressed the matter further, but the appearance of Dr. Beckett and four marines through the Stargate sufficiently distracted him and saved Ronon from having to endure any further questioning. He jogged up the ramp to meet the new arrivals.

"Carson!" Sheppard exclaimed. "Glad you could make it."

"Didn't have much of a bloody choice now, did I?" Beckett retorted.

"I'm sure Janus appreciates the house call."

"I'm sure," he muttered under his breath. "Now. I expect he'll be in the infirmary, then?"

As Sheppard explained the circumstances in which they had encountered Janus to the doctor, Ronon found himself once again looking over his shoulder. Where the hell was she? If she didn't show up soon, they'd have to page her. Or maybe he should go looking for her again, let her know they were about ready to leave.

"Hanson."

At the sound of the man's name, Ronon snapped his attention back to the security contingent and looked more closely at the small team of marines.

"Sir," the corporal responded, lifting his hand in salute.

He didn't know why he was surprised. It made sense that Hanson would be here – he was head of base security, after all – but something about the guy didn't sit right with Ronon. He studied the young man's face and after a few seconds concluded that Hanson had to be younger, maybe by a couple years, than he was. His face was broad, as was his neck, and his strong, cleanly-shaved jaw came together in a wide, clefted chin. The corporal's hair was blond, buzzed short in the style many of the marines favored, which made it seem like his ears stuck out just a fraction more than they should. Despite his thick, somewhat simian appearance, he was not an unattractive man. Or so much Ronon assumed, based on the constant female attention the marine seemed to enjoy. The thought made him recall the time, a few weeks ago, when he had seen Hanson and Rogers talking together in the commissary. Upon realizing he hadn't seen her laugh or smile like that since then, he felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

"At ease, Corporal. Glad you could make it," Sheppard said. "It's not that I don't trust our new friend…I just think he's hiding something from us. I, for one, would prefer to find out what that is sooner rather than later. Keep an eye on him and I want you on the lookout for any suspicious behavior if and when he regains consciousness."

"Understood, sir."

"I want regular check-ins, every 6 hours."

"Yes, sir."

"And keep an eye on our doctors, too."

"Of course, sir."

"Hang on a minute. Doctors?" McKay interrupted. "What do you mean, 'doctors…' plural?"

"Don't you remember? Woolsey decided he wants you to stay," Sheppard revealed.

"He what?!"

"I didn't tell you that? I could have sworn I told you that…"

"You most definitely did not!" McKay had gone red in the face. "Why the hell does he want me to stay?"

"He wants you to do a few scans on Janus, go through all of his personal effects with a fine-toothed comb... You know, the usual, until we can, with one-hundred percent certainty say that he is clear to be brought back to the city." Sheppard squinted at McKay. "Are you sure I didn't tell you this?"

"But I haven't even showered or…or had a real meal or gotten any sleep. And now you plan on stranding me here?"

"Och, you're not stranded, Rodney," Beckett said, placing a would-be comforting arm around McKay's shoulders. He was clearly taking great joy in his friend's discomfort. "I'll be here, too. Misery loves company, does it not?"

"Oh, please," McKay muttered. "And I suppose I'm misery in this case?"

"Rogers'll be here, too," Sheppard added.

The knot in Ronon's intestines hardened. "Rogers?" he repeated. "Isn't she supposed to be coming home with us?"

"Change in plans. Woolsey wants her to stay, too, in case Janus reveals something in Ancient or McKay needs something translated."

"Emma Rogers?" Corporal Hanson interjected.

Sheppard quickly nodded in casual confirmation.

"Sheppard…" Ronon lowered his voice and turned to partially block Hanson from their conversation. "She shouldn't have to stay. Not after what happened to her. Woolsey can send another linguist. Have him send that…Alan guy, or whatever his name is."

"After what happened to her?" Hanson echoed as a look of concern fell across his features. "What do you mean what happened to her? Is she okay?"

"Dr. Rogers had an encounter –"

"Don't worry about it," Ronon said dismissively, effectively cutting off Sheppard's explanation.

The marine took a step closer to him and looked up into his face. "Where is she?'

Ronon narrowed his eyes and glared down at him.

"She's in the infirmary," Sheppard answered.

The corporal broke his stare, his eyes going wide as he looked past Ronon and toward Sheppard.

"Don't worry," he quickly said upon seeing Hanson's worried reaction. "She's fine. She's just in there interpreting."

"Sir, if you don't mind, I'd like to check on her. Permission to be dismissed?"

"Granted." Sheppard nodded.

Hanson gathered his men and as he passed by Ronon, he reached up and clasped his shoulder in his hand. "Thanks for watching out for Emma for me. I really appreciate it."

Ronon scowled at the man's hand. If he didn't remove it within the next few seconds, the stocky marine was going to find himself thrown like a ragdoll against the metal ramp.

Hanson's grip tightened. "But I can take it from here." He let go, knocking Ronon with his shoulder as he passed. The other marines, along with Beckett and McKay, followed in his wake.

Ronon didn't bother to watch them go and instead turned to face the gate. "Let's get outta here," he muttered to Sheppard.

Sheppard spun on his heel to look up at the gate technicians. "All right," he called. "Fire it up!" He took a moment to stop and make sure that the whole team, at least those returning to Atlantis, were accounted for. "Wait a minute…where's – "

"What are you looking at, semper shitbird?" an angry voice echoed from the hallway.

"Never mind," he sighed. "Found her."

Eva came storming into the embarkation room and, hardly waiting enough time for the event horizon to settle into a pool, stomped through the gate.

Sheppard followed, shouting futilely after her about the proper way to address officers under his command. Ronon was close behind, but before he stepped through the gate, he felt Teyla's hand on his arm.

"I would not believe everything Corporal Hanson says," she said.

"Teyla, what're you talking about?"

She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Look, Rogers is a grown woman." Ronon shrugged with what he hoped was convincing indifference. "Who she chooses to be with is none of my business."

"And have you actually heard her say she has chosen to be with him?"

"Teyla, I really don't care."

She looked toward the floor, at the shimmering blue reflections of the gate's rippling surface. "I am no expert in time travel, but," she lifted her gaze, "I do not believe it insignificant that Eva is still here."

"Still here? Of course she's still here. We haven't found a way to send her back home."

"As Rodney has pointed out, Eva's presence here is precarious. She has the power to change her future…all of our futures. One misstep and she could wipe herself from existence. So perhaps I should rephrase my earlier statement. I do not believe it insignificant that Eva still exists."

He didn't know why he even attempted to hide anything from Teyla; often she knew things about him before he knew them himself. She touched his arm again in a gesture of comfort and disappeared through the event horizon.

Alone with his thoughts, Ronon stared into the glowing blue puddle. Eva had come back to a time before her birth, but if she still existed – flesh and blood in front of their very eyes – that meant she was still destined to be born sometime in the future. And for her to be born…well…

The jealous knot in his gut loosened just a bit, only to be replaced with a very masculine sense of possession that made him even more uneasy than the jealousy had. He took one last look over his shoulder, and returned home.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought of this chapter and the last! Thanks again, everybody, and I hope to still see you for my next updates.