Chapter: 1

Rating: M

Spoilers: Season 5 – Set after Enemy At The Gate.

Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate universe and I make no money from this.

Notes: And yes, before any of you ask, I am now also working on continuing The Questioning Way :)

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The darkness lingered into his consciousness again, as it had so often before. He lifted into it, searching the air around him for what had woken him. Occasionally a stray creature would find him, usually stepping around him with wary caution. If he was inclined to reach out, breaking the deep sleep for a moment, he would drain them. Once or twice the creature had turned out to be a human who, like the vermin, had strayed far too deep into the unknown. Those moments of nourishment were appreciated, but he did not always bother. He preferred to sleep as much as he could and let the deep stillness contain his strength for as long as possible. So, gently he surfaced once again, seeking what may present a short meal.

Voices, numerous and vibrant sparkled into him and he woke in an instant to the chorus of his kind. Excitement burned his way out of the deep sleep. So long he had waited for his kind and the brilliance of their combined minds was the sweetest elixir he could ever have tasted.

With a roar of triumph he loosened the supports around him and dropped down into the chamber beneath him. Dust burst up into the air around him as he landed in what had once been his most secret of homes. Laughing in mad delight he reached out towards the voices, to the minds that danced on the edge of his consciousness.

Something was wrong though. They did not respond, and perhaps had not even heard his call. Angered by the slight, he forced his mind out further, but once again he found the doors closed. Grunting in distaste he withdrew his mind; he would find them by foot then.

With another swirl of thick dust he turned and strode away, seeking the path his victims had used to enter his sleeping place.

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The thickness of sleep hung onto her, a heavy weight that had to be shrugged off with effort. Something had stirred her, something itching in her head, telling her not only that she must wake, but that her days ahead were to be, as ever, challenging.

Dim yellow light shone over her eyelids and she opened them to the familiar sight. A mechanical hiss spoke of the last dying remains of the connection, leaving her once again on her own and in the full light of consciousness.

With a sigh she pulled her arms free of the soft cushions that had supported her during her long sleep. Her arms free she reached up, slowly, and triggered the hatch above her, and true light streamed into her sleeping hole. With the light on her face she pulled herself up and out, back into the world.

She did not need to know why she had woken, for she could feel them. Bitterness at this fact was as strong inside her as was the heavy reluctance that she hated about herself. Stepping out into the cool air she reached for her small collection of items, the technology activating for her. Information streamed over the display and it was with some relief that, this time, she saw that the world had advanced considerably during her recent sleep.

The bitterness fell away from her as she left her chamber, her strength and determination returning once again. She paused briefly to look back at the place that had been hers for so long, protecting her as she slept over and over again through the ages. As she closed up the seal she knew that she would never use it again; this would be her last mission.

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The afternoon light was lowering outside the wide glass windows, and Teyla watched as a white cloud drifted across the lone alien sun. The laughter beside her drew her attention away from the beautiful distant sight and back into the discussion around her.

The meal had been very enjoyable and the company, as always, was enjoyable. The restaurant had reserved a private room for the group and they had been here all afternoon enjoying the food and each other's company. For it was not so often that they were all together anymore.

She looked round at the sea of faces set around the long table. They had all served in Atlantis, but that was not necessarily true anymore. Atlantis had been relocated to a designated International area of the wide ocean John told her was called the Pacific. Since then half of the staff had been relocated to their home lands and those that remained spent half of their time travelling back and forward from the city. Not that the city was empty. No, in fact each morning Jumpers brought in large contingents of scientists and experts to study the city. On occasion Teyla felt as if they studied her as closely. She had been interviewed more times than she cared to count, but they appeared happy for her to remain in the city. She had asked many times when Atlantis would be returning to Pegasus, but no answer had been forthcoming, and whether it would was the current topic of conversation around her.

"I'm just saying, IOA aside, the military is going to be reluctant to let the city leave. Now the chair has been destroyed, it's the only defence the planet has against any major invasion." Major Lorne stated as he swirled the deep red coloured wine around in his glass.

"The IOA is still in command of the city and it will be their decision." Colonel Samantha Carter stated gently, a line she had repeated many times over the past six months. "Mr Woolsey is still in control of the city and he knows how important Pegasus is to us all." The woman's bright blue eyes settled on Teyla briefly. Teyla had always respected the woman, but since Atlantis' return to Earth, Teyla had had more contact with the Colonel. Sam had been commanding an Earth ship, until she had learnt she was pregnant. Reassigned to Earth she was now, once again, heavily involved with Atlantis and the two of them had struck up a friendship forged in regularly sharing lunchtime meals in the city's Mess Hall and talking of children.

The reminder made Teyla look round to the small play area that the restaurant had set up in one corner of the private room. Torren looked round at her, almost as if he had felt her attention, and with a small smile he got up onto his feet and began to walk over to the table. He was only just now able to walk unaided and he seemed quite determined in progressing to running. Teyla watched him, a little nervously, as he stomped his way towards the table, and paused behind the back of the closest chair. Teyla smiled as Torren stared up, his head tilted right back, at Ronon's back above him. Teyla felt Torren had still not gotten over the change to his uncle's appearance. Ronon had returned to the city one day with his long locks of hair cut away, leaving short straight hair. Torren hadn't recognised him at first and had cried. Ronon, who remained pleased with the loss of the weight of his hair, had seemed regretful about upsetting Torren.

Torren moved around Ronon's chair and reached up, expecting someone to notice him and lift him. Teyla smiled at the innocence of youth, but sure enough Torren was almost immediately lifted up. Teyla looked down the table to see that Carson had lifted her son up onto his lap. Torren sat there happily enough, eyeing up the dessert remains on everyone's plates. Everyone seemed to love her son and their continued interest in Torren warmed her heart. It seemed that whenever someone from Atlantis visited her they brought a toy for Torren. He was becoming rather spoiled in Teyla's mind, though she knew she would never deny him anything.

Happy her son was comfortable she returned to the conversation.

"…with what we're learning from Atlantis now, it will be no time till we can make our own." Rodney was stating around his fourth serving of sticky pudding. Beside him Jennifer leant across the table offering the remains of her fruit salad to Torren.

"Rodney, there is still a lot to learn before we get anywhere close to recreating our own version of a Jumper." Sam replied, her tone measured. Teyla watched the blonde woman exchange an amused glance with John. It was clear to Teyla that John was not the only one who took great amusement in handling Rodney.

"We'll get there and now that we finally have enough people to properly study the city…" Rodney added.

"It'll take years to properly study the whole city, Rodney." John interrupted.

"Which is why they'll never let us take it back to Pegasus." Rodney returned as he dropped his fork down into his empty bowl with a flourish.

"Rodney." John warned gently and Teyla felt the subtle tension grow around her that always appeared when the subject of not returning to Pegasus came up in conversation. Teyla knew they were all concerned for her and wanted her to be able to return 'home', and they felt for her as it may never happen. Or if it were to, then she may only be granted a lift home on an Earth ship and the city would remain. If that day arrived, then she would be saying goodbye to them. All that and more filled the pause in conversation, all eyes on her, though they tried not to.

Teyla smiled at Rodney as he spluttered an apology towards her. "Not that I think they'll never go back." She lifted a hand towards him, amused herself at his pained expression. "In fact didn't they say they're sending the Daedalus back soon?"

"Not any time soon, they're still off on that super secret mission." Carson interjected, grunting slightly as Torren levered himself off the man's lap and onto Ronon's. Ronon caught the boy up and lifted him up high and planted a large 'raspberry' against Torren's belly. Everyone carried on talking, all used to Torren's presence.

"Where did they go?" Rodney asked as he helped himself to the last remains of the fruit salad that even Torren hadn't wanted.

"'Super secret' Rodney." John replied with heavy sarcasm.

"I heard it was something to do with heading over to the Ancient's original galaxy." Lorne added as he set aside his wine glass and reached for the tall jug of coffee. "Word has it they're planning some new expedition."

"Well, if they are we're not included that's for sure." Rodney muttered.

"Bored of Earth already?" John asked.

"No, with the city here there's enough work to keep me busy indefinitely and I never say that."

The door opened behind them admitting one of the waiters, and with his presence all conversation on work stopped.

"Has everything been satisfactory?" He asked with a smile as he approached the table. Everyone chorused back that it had been a great meal. "Then who would like to be in charge of this?" The man asked with a smile as he lifted the plate in his hand, on which sat the small folder that would hold the bill.

Everyone laughed, suggesting each other, but John reached out for the plate. As the waiter retreated John lifted the folder and set the plate in the centre of the table. Rodney was the first into the small mints piled up upon the silver plate, but John caught the second and was already offering it to Torren. Torren climbed on off Ronon's lap and onto John's to eat the mint.

Everyone began dividing up the bill, the usual jokes about Rodney's eating habits playing out. Teyla watched Torren, sitting happily on John's lap beside her, as he munched carefully on the thin chocolate mint. Torren seemed to enjoy these trips out of the city and Earth culture was equally as fascinating to her, but today she was looking forward to returning to Atlantis. Payment arranged between them all, John stood up, taking Torren with him, and went out to pay the bill. Teyla suspected Torren would return with some new sweet treat. John seemed the worst in spoiling him, though he did so subtly. Torren had accompanied John on many Jumper trips and had 'helped out' in meetings and in John's rounds around the city when it was quiet.

Once everyone had gathered their coats and had all made their way out of the restaurant the sun was sinking quickly, and the bright dark colours spread out across the clear sky above. Teyla paused, her hands buried deep into the pockets of her Earth coat, and stared up at the sky above her. She truly enjoyed these meals together, but by the end of the meal she always found herself feeling rather sad. Tonight, it felt worse for some reason. As she watched the dark dot of a plane travel across the sky, the trails streaking out behind it, she realised that a new subtle anxiety had formed inside her which had nothing to do with saying goodbye to good friends. With a sigh she released a heavy breath. Perhaps it was that she agreed with Major Lorne and Rodney; the city would never return to Pegasus. She had been so hopeful, but she was beginning to lose that hope perhaps. In some ways she was glad though that the Daedalus had not returned to offer a 'lift home', for then she would have to choose between staying here and leaving. She suspected that leaving now would mean that she wouldn't see her friends from Earth for a very long time, perhaps never again.

"You okay?" John asked beside her.

She smiled at him and Torren. Everyone else had said their goodbyes and only those returning to Atlantis remained.

"I am fine. Tired." Teyla told him as she reached for her son. The need to hold Torren was strong, for too often she had dreamt that she had left him behind in Pegasus. She hated the thought of never seeing her people again, or that her home galaxy had been left with no support against the Wraith. Though, at the same time, she had all she needed here. She could lead a happy enough life on Earth she guessed, but that did not feel right. Kanaan agreed on that, as for him, having been separated from their people was a heavy burden. She had people around her she trusted and loved, but he had only her and Torren. Teyla had tried to persuade him that he needed to do more in the city, try to get to know those from this planet. He hadn't quite meshed with her friends and she had begun to suspect that Kanaan did not wish to know them that well. These past months had been a heavy strain on her relationship with him and she feared that soon it would reach a point where strong words would be exchanged.

Torren a comforting weight in her arms, she turned from John's slightly worried expression to the big black car that would take them all back to the base and from there John would fly them back to the city via Jumper. She considered John's almost constant presence in the city to have been a major factor in her surviving the isolation of the city. John was still in command of the military defence of Atlantis and, others had told her, he had received considerable recognition from his superiors for his work. She had to wonder if he had been offered a new station somewhere else, perhaps the SGC, but he remained in the city. She had asked him only last week why he chose to stay and he had joked that he felt it was his home. It was a sentiment she and Ronon shared with him. Though Teyla still considered herself Athosian and wished to see her people again, Atlantis had been her real home for almost six years. John had told her that she could live out of the city on the mainland of his home country if she wished, but she had decided, like him and Ronon, to remain. For her she felt she had to stay, as if leaving the city would lessen the chances of it returning to Pegasus.

Seated in the second row of seats in the car, Teyla watched the road darken outside the vehicle as they left the restaurant's car park and headed out into the busy road. Torren had fallen asleep in his little car seat and the car was quiet with the ease of strong friendships. Teyla stroked her son's hair from his sleeping face and looked out the front to the passing cars, trucks and landscape outside. The shadows became sharp and angular as the sun finally sent its final light across the road and then it was dark.

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The moon was dull tonight, casting strange ghost shadows across the car park as Nadine stumbled out of the club. She had had her fill of that lot tonight. Navy boys were enjoyable enough, but they could so love themselves. She smiled at her observation as she made her way across the flat broken pavement. She was pretty sure she had parked somewhere round here. After a few beers she was a little fuzzy on the details, but then after a long afternoon with the girls in the bar, as they had waited for the navy boys to arrive, had needed the entertainment.

She around the building, the heavy thick scents of alcohol dimming away with the music, and into the lot. The cars, all parked in neat lines, all looked the same colour in the moonlight. Grumbling, she tottered around the first line, peering at each car in turn. In the distance she could hear the sea and, even at this late hour, the boring old sounds of the working docks. Muttering she moved on to the second line of cars. She was probably over the limit she realised as she caught herself from falling over a bike. But, she laughed it off; she could get out of any ticket a cop wanted to give her. She had 'persuaded' many a kind cop out of a ticket, offering many favours in return for them forgetting her. Sometimes, in her more sober moments, she had to wonder if she drove drunk just to get a cop to pull her over.

She paused, leaning against a door of a red pickup. The happy thickness of alcohol was dying away and the deep depths of depression began to stir. She considered going back in for another beer or two. The club was a simple black outline across the lot, the light and sounds seeping out around the corner. She had so hoped to have found some nice navy boy by now, but she always seemed to end up just having a 'good night', waking up with a heavy head and the stale taste of alcohol in her mouth. So many good nights and somehow, without her knowing how, she was almost thirty five and she had nothing to show for herself. That had never bothered her before, but tonight, as the moon disappeared behind another thick cloud, she found herself unable to deny the heaviness of her heart.

She looked up at the dull grey blue crescent of the moon just visible through the dark grey clouds. Maybe she should have listened to her mom and stayed back home. She could have stayed working on the farm and, hell, being married to that farm boy her family had picked out for her might not have been all that bad. Maybe it wasn't too late. She could call mom tomorrow, say she was going to be passing by home. A good home cooked meal seemed so appealing right then. Someone to love her.

A brief thump of a sound broke her out of her lost thoughts and she looked over towards the dumpster, her heart pounding suddenly. It was probably a drunk. They were always digging through the dumpsters in hope of some left over booze or bits of food. She stared at the dark shadows obscuring the dumpster and, though she could see nothing there, a feeling of fear, like she had never felt before, flushed through her heart and she felt the rush of energy into her body. Something primitive and very real told her that she needed to get to her car now.

She turned and stumbled away, now abruptly remembering the car was in the last line of the lot. She hurried through the cars, her eyes filling with tears as she kept looking back over her shoulder with growing panic. Something was following her she was sure of it, though she couldn't see anything moving in the shadows. She ran on though, as fast as her four inch heels could take her. One ankle went out from under her, but she caught herself. The sharp pain of the twisted ankle was lost in her fear as she reached down and ripped off the shoe. She froze, the worn high heel shoe held in her hand like a weapon. The shadows had stretched right across the lot now and she could see less than before.

Panting, afraid and annoyed at herself all at once she edged backwards. She had always laughed at people who had talked about sixth sense before. Those were the thoughts of people who had the time to sit around all day and daydream she had said, but now she knew it was all true. She could see nothing around her, hear nothing out of place, but she knew without any doubt that she was being hunted. She was prey. It was an ancient and powerful knowledge that told her that she was about to be killed, and though she would fight as best as she could she knew she had no hope. What was after her was stronger than her and she had wasted her life. She had no idea how to fight it away. Tears poured down her cheeks with those dark thoughts, as she circled in the darkness. She should have stayed home. Why did she leave? All those horrid things she had said to her mom! She wished she could take it all back right now.

A scrape of gravel behind her was her only warning and she turned to see the grey shape descending on her. She thrust out with the high heel and felt it embed in the thing and she felt a moment of exhilaration, before her hand and the shoe were knocked away. The clouds lifted from the moon then and she saw the face of the creature, watched as it drew back its hand. She took a deep breath, felt her mouth open to let out a scream that would be as primitive as the fear in her veins, but the palm thudded against her chest and she finally really had nothing else to give.

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TBC