The characters in this story don't belong to me, if they did, they'd still be on air.

The cold blackness was all he knew. There was sound, but it was so muffled that it blended into the silence that surrounded him. The cold was so pronounced he was numb, he did not know if he was shivering or not, but he did not think he was. The only thing he saw was the blackness, it surrounded him, encased him, became him. Every time he breathed in, he smelt, and tasted, rot, decay and death, it surrounded him as surely as the blackness. He was lying on his back, this he knew, and was then rolled over onto his side although he did not feel it, but the sensation was there. He could not move, and even if he could, he had nowhere to go as all he knew was nothing but the blackness. There was a dull pressure at the base of his skull and then he knew pain, it lanced into his skull, through his body and looped back into his head. He thought he was screaming, but he did not know, as he heard nothing, felt nothing but the pain, saw nothing but the blackness and as sudden as it has started, it ended, leaving him with a single whispered word: stay.

He opened his eyes and closed them again suddenly, as the light hurt his sensitive eyes. He tried to remember, to remember from before, but all he remembered was the darkness. Opening his eyes again, he took a look around himself; he was lying on his side, naked, and there was nothing but trees in all directions. He realised that he was in a clearing, and tried sitting upright slowly, before he did a mental once over. He was sore all over, but why he did not know, there was also a dull throbbing in his head, radiating from the base of his skull. Reaching up, he felt something poking out of his skull, which his instincts told him instantly that whatever it was, it was evil. He tried to pull it out, and immediately the pain returned, threatening to overwhelm him. Whimpering slightly, he lay back down and heard a soft metallic clinking from somewhere near his chest. Keeping his eyes shut, he ran his hand down his chest and found two metal discs attached to a chain around his neck. Opening his eyes a crack, he examined them, there were shapes carved into the metal, that seemed familiar, but he did not know what they meant.

After several pain-free moments he took several deep breaths, opened his eyes, and stood shakily. He wobbled on unsteady legs but remained standing upright, so taking several more deep breaths; he cautiously took a step forward. He remained standing upright and so encouraged, he quickly took several more before he collapsed into a heap. He slowly returned to his feet and took several more, slow, deliberate steps, and in this manner he made his way cautiously out of the clearing and into the trees. The clearing gave him the creeps, as if something evil had tainted it, but even so he did not go far before he was forced to stop and rest. He felt weak, and vulnerable, a feeling he did not enjoy. A bird cawed overhead and he jumped, opening his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He tried several more times before realising that even if he could make a sound, he knew not how to make it, or even what to make. Several hours later of stumbling around in circles, he had ended up in the clearing twice more, he stumbled into a cave. It took a moment before he realised that he was in a cave, as the entrance had been obscured and the ground before it was steep, he had slipped right into the entrance. If you did not know it was there, was looking for it, or stumbled into it like he had, you would never know it was there. He curled up against the back wall; it was warmer in here, and felt safe. Closing his eyes, he let himself be pulled into a restful sleep.

Stargate: Atlantis

He felt the hand run up the inside of his thigh. They were more alone than if they were on an uninhabited planet, rather than in a city. They needed no one else; the two of them were all they needed. He felt guilty when they were here, together, that their secret was tearing at him. But when they were apart, he felt lonely, even when eating with his friends in the mess hall, not that they graced him with their presence nowadays. He should go, it was late, and if he stayed, he might be missed. As if sensing his dilemma, the hand slid from his thigh to wrap around his chest, the other arm coming up from under him, pulling him into the chest of his companion. Lips brushed up against his ear and he felt warm air tickle the side of his face, as a single word was whispered into his ear: Stay.

A/N: So my New Years resolution was to finish the year with at least one less unfinished story than I started with. I went through all of my stories and picked out this one. I figured that of I posted it in pieces, I might actually finish it. I started this years ago and did a quick edit, but it's still rough in parts. Ideally I'd update regularly, but beyond what's already written, I make no promises.