Fic: Love in the Midwest

[sgarb_mod]

Author: lar_laughs
Word count: ~16000
Rating: R
Pairing(s): John/Rodney, Ronon/Teyla, Evan/Amelia
Summary: Life on the Dotted A, a ranch on the Colorado/Kansas border, is always an adventure but things really heat up when Amelia goes back to Kansas City to help out her cousin, Ronon Dex. John invites the man back to help out at the ranch, never thinking for an instant that the band of thugs was trailing them, intent on mischief and mayhem.
Warning(s) highlight to read: alternate universe, mild violence, the blatant use of current equine headlines, some language
Notes: A big thanks to Aster for her beta help and the continuing hand holding that I seem to need for these challenges. Also, I used this article at the Time-Standard (California) for specific guidelines on EHV-1. I know this was a horrible tragedy in the horse world but it helped in the shaping of this story so I grabbed what I could from all the different articles that are piling up on the subject. I also apologize for being very vague with the military verbage. This is very much a work of fiction and I made things work for me.

Companion piece to Love in the Midwest.

Love in the Midwest

Chapter 1: Grace for the Day

The pile of peeled potatoes was piling up on the counter as Teyla watched the sun get lower and lower in the sky. This was normally Amelia's job but the girl had dashed off early yesterday with a mumbled explanation of a family emergency. It left them in the lurch, what with the calves deciding that they wanted to come at least two weeks earlier than anyone had predicted. Seemed everyone was having family emergencies.

That thought made Teyla grin broadly. It was nice to smile, seeing as there wasn't much to smile about these days. The weather on the Kansas/Colorado border had been decidedly less like spring lately and more like the dead of winter. They'd lost three head in the blizzard last week because they'd been in one of the outer pastures, away from any shelter. The day before the wind and snow had hit, it had been sixty degrees. No one, not even the weather man, had seen that particular weather pattern coming.

Rodney had spent more than a little time gloating about the storm. He'd been pushing, for weeks, to be given permission to come up with something that would be a better weather detector. Something that could be used right here, right now without having to depend on the local channels in either Colorado Springs or Colby to tell them what they might be able to expect. Between the last few storms that had come upon them unexpectedly and the coming tornado season, Elizabeth would probably be swayed to let him start tinkering.

Right now, there wasn't time for tinkering. The only reason she was in the kitchen was because the hands would need food when they finally made it inside. And by hands, that meant every single living soul that could walk more than three steps in a row before falling down on his wee little bum. Not that Torren wouldn't have loved to be outside right now instead of in his bed like the year old that he was. This was not the sort of work that a little boy would be welcome to watch, even if she would have permitted him out in the cold and damp and coming dark.

When the potatoes were all peeled, she cut them up and dropped them into the pot of water that had been simmering on the stove since she'd come into the room. As big as the pot is, she knew it would need time to heat up. Seemed she hadn't lost all her cooking knowledge, no matter how she tried to get away from it every time she could. When Elizabeth offered to hire someone to cook for them full time, Teyla had been the loudest voice of agreement since cooking duties so often fell to her since no one liked eating John's version of pancakes more than once a week and Rodney only knew how to dial for pizza. That was always fun but the tip was always more than the pizza, considering they were at least fifty miles from the nearest pizza place. Seventy-five, for the decent stuff.

All the other people who lived here were hired for their ability to ride and rope and brand. In a pinch, Lorne could be depended on to stir something up but they saved his cooking skills for times when they were far enough away to need a cook stove and the dutch ovens. On a working ranch of this size and scope, there was little time and energy on cooking and cleaning.

Tonight was the old stand-bys. She had chicken ready to fry up and the potatoes would be ready to whip when the first straggles started in from the fields. There was a tossed salad already in the fridge, something she'd put together after lunch clean-up so she could be ahead of the game when she came back inside to finish dinner. It was pretty weak to call it a tossed salad and not just lettuce with a few carrots thrown in for color. Tomorrow, she'd need to remember to run down the road to Parrish's to see what kind of vegetables he had growing in his greenhouse this time of year. Torren would be excited for the trip and, truth be told, so would she. Conversation that wasn't all about gestating cows and everything that surrounded that experience would be a welcome relief. Even if said conversation was about soil and water and the million and one things that needed to be done before apples could be grafted.

"I need to go on a date. One where there's conversation and candlelight and food that I didn't help cook or shop for," she said, half to herself, as she pulled out the first pieces of chicken from the skillet and transferred them to a tray in the warming oven.

"Don't we all."

Teyla turned, her cheeks already burning with embarrassed color as she tried to figure out how she was going to play this. "I didn't hear you come in, John."

The man looked all done in. He was in his stocking feet, as everyone was in the main house unless they remembered to leave slippers in the mud room, and had unbuttoned his work shirt but had only gotten half of it untucked from the waist band of his jeans. Half his dark hair was lying flat and the other was sticking up straight but not in the way it normally had. Instead of making him look rakish, he looked disheveled. There was a streak of blood on his forehead; whether from him or an animal was uncertain.

"Is there coffee?"

"Of course. Go wash up and I'll have a cup waiting for you." She nodded toward the direction he was already headed. "And don't even think of heading toward your office. You'll sit down and forget how to get back up again or how to get your eyes open again. It would be a shame to get water spots on that manuscript sitting on the corner of the desk."

He narrowed his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at her. "For your information, it's not on the top of the desk anymore. I had to lock it up after I caught Rodney trying to sneak a peek yesterday. At least I know someone in this house hasn't been snooping around."

"Not today," she called out after him, tucking her smile away for later because the outside door was opening again, the mud room filling with cold bodies trying to get their work boots off without sitting down or tipping over. They were all silent, tired to the bone, but this was just a brief respite before they headed back out.

If anyone would talk, it would be Rodney. His mouth seemed to unhinge when he was tired which, with these hours, was most of the time. The man didn't look or talk or act like a cowboy but he was in the middle of everything these days. This round of calves was all his doing. For the last three years he'd been tirelessly leading a team that was working on a new breed of cattle that ate less food while producing more meat. The DNA sequencing alone had taken most of the first two years. Now he was reaping the rewards of his apparent success by donning a heavy coat and boots at every opportunity to see if his theories were working. For a scientist, he made a surprisingly good cowboy.

No one was bothering to stop his ramblings, but Lorne and Grodin were guiding him to a chair just to make sure he got to the table. If Rodney didn't get fed every four to six hours, he became even more irritating than normal, mostly because he was scared of letting his blood sugar drop. In the entire time he'd been here, they'd never not fed him at least three decent meals a day. The few times the meal times had differed from normal, he'd grown so tense that they'd taken to leaving a box of snacks for him in key locations, just to be on the safe side. No one was going to starve while they were at the Dotted A. Not even the scientists who weren't used to working around the clock like this.

"Anyone left out in the cold?" she called out over her shoulder as she finished up the last batch of chicken.

"Checkers is checking one last thing in the barn." Stackhouse laughed nearly as hard as Markham, both of them pleased with the joke that had taken them days to perfect.

"His name," she reminded them dryly, "is Radak or Zalenka. You'd do well to remember that."

Neither man looked like they were feeling at all bad about the insult. In fact, they were still grinning when Elizabeth walked up behind them. "I think Dr. Zalenka could use a hand. I'm glad to see that you both have offered to help him so that he'll be able to get to dinner before it gets cold." She held out their coats, waiting for them to either refuse or accept their banishment with grace.

As she knew they would, they took their coats and walked back out into the cold without another word. When their boss gave an order, even one that sounded calm, they knew to follow it right away. This was more than a job. Everyone at the Dotted A was part of a family, one that both worked and played together as a unit. Banter now and then was acceptable but both men had taken it to the extreme lately, finding ways to poke at him with both their words and their actions. It wasn't like they were doing it to be nasty. They just weren't good at accepting new people. Radak had been here for several months but that still made him fair game, especially with the language barrier.

But, she thought with a sigh, this was not something to be concentrating on at the moment. She still had potatoes to mash. That thought led her to another one.

"Has John come back from washing his hands?" she asked over her shoulder.

Several people replied negatively before Rodney stood up. "He probably sat down at his desk and fell asleep. Again. I'll go get him."

Teyla thought about telling him to sit down, that she would go get him, but she didn't have the time right now to try to get their writer-in-residence back to the table. With any luck, it wouldn't take Rodney long to get the job done although she had her doubts. It was Rodney's loss if he didn't get back when the food was hot. Even so, she set aside two plates piled high with food and placed them in a warm spot at the back of the stove.


Chapter 2: These Are the Moments

John remembered typing in his password to start up his computer but everything went fuzzy after that. It had been days since he'd gotten any new words in any of his documents. At this point, he could only hope his agent wasn't expecting a miracle because that's what it was going to take to get either of these books in on time. When this current situation was under control, he'd have to send an email for an extension... again. If it hadn't been his publishers idea that he live on a real ranch while writing this series, he didn't think they would understand why he hadn't been able to write lately. Pregnant cows didn't care about when his deadline was. They had their babies wherever and whenever they felt like it.

Someday, when he wasn't so sleep-deprived, he might be able to work that into the next Steele Thompson novel. Right now, it wasn't anything he wanted to relive. With six books on the bookstore shelves, he'd already used a lot of the ranch life that he'd experienced over the last few years. Most of it he gave a sugar-coating because no one would believe it.

With a chuckle, John opened his eyes. He either needed to get to work or he needed to go get something to eat. The second was probably the better choice, anyway. If Teyla was making her fried chicken, it was going to go quick and he wasn't entirely certain she'd be able to keep any back for him. It was first come, first serve on nights like this. All the cold and the lack of sleep made everyone slightly cranky so that they were more likely to fight for their share. Teyla's chicken was worth winning the fight, though. Not that Amelia's was anything to sneeze at, though.

"Hey."

Rodney's soft greeting from the doorway had John blinking his way out of the dream about a pile of chicken already on the desk in front of him. He really had been asleep, his eyelids almost gummed together. "Dinner started?"

"Yeah. You're missing it. Not like you to miss a meal."

"No," John retorted, stretching his arms up and over his head, "it's not like you to miss a meal. I miss them all the time."

"Yes, well... I figured you shouldn't miss this one."

As much as he appreciated that Rodney was trying to come up with conversation, John couldn't let him off so easily. Rodney had been the best at what he did for so long that he'd forgotten what it was like to be new at something. While he was a brilliant scientist and the only person in the country to be able to breed a cow that could eat less hay while getting more meat (something that shouldn't have been impossible but wasn't when the brain of Rodney McKay came at the problem), Rodney was crap at relationships. That was by his own admission, made only after more beers than even John remembered either of them drinking. Now, whenever possible, John liked to give him practice at this.

"And why is that?" It was hard not to smile, though. Rodney looked confused as he worked through what exactly John was asking him. He was smart enough that John knew he'd have it figured out soon. The moment he rolled his eyes, John laughed. "You just look so cute when you're trying to look out for my best interests."

"Very funny."

"No, but it could have been." Taking sympathy on the man, John pushed his chair away from his desk. "But thank you for thinking of me. That was nice."

"I'm getting good at nice."

Rodney suddenly looked so damned proud of himself that John couldn't help but chuckling. He was about to say something when his phone started ringing. Sure enough, when he checked it he saw that it was his private line. There were only a handful of people who had this number. One of them, his agent, swore never to call him without good cause, while another, his brother, flat out refused to call him, and a few of them were in the house with him. That left Amelia.


"Hello?"

"John?"

It was hard to tell for sure if she was the one actually calling since he could barely hear her voice over the static of the connection. "Amelia? Is everything going okay at home?"

"No." There were sobs on the other side of the connection but she pulled herself together. "I... I know this is a lot to ask but I need help. It's my cousin. He's been... well, he's been kidnapped, I suppose."

"Shouldn't you call the police?" John looked up as Rodney moved to stand beside him. He shook his head to show that everything appeared to be okay, as close a crying Amelia could be okay, and held up his hand to keep Rodney from peppering him with questions he couldn't answer just yet. "They'll need to be called before-"

"It's not that kind of kidnapping. It's the kind that I can't tell anyone about or he'll be hurt. He probably already has been hurt. It just... I don't know what to do. There's no one here I trust and, well, I know you're probably still calving but-"

John almost flinched as Rodney took the hand he'd extended out. It hadn't been meant as a Take my hand because I need it gesture but it was nice that Rodney had taken it upon himself to offer the support. If taken as John was sure that Rodney meant it, it was the sort of thing that one person did for another whom they liked in a I'm here for you way. After being alone and on his own for so long, it was nice to have someone around to offer help.

"I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. Can't make it any sooner because I'm going to need some sleep. I suggest you try it, too."

The fact that he'd made her laugh, even one that sounded nearly like a hiccup, was good to hear. "I will. And... thank you."

"Of course. Just hold on. Okay?"

She didn't answer but he could almost hear her nodding. It was good enough for him.


Chapter 3: A Flight Risk

It was always strange to fly in John's helicopter. Teyla didn't mind the noise but the hovering was odd. The Bell 430, a dark blue with the ranch's brand painted in white along the back rotor arm, was John's baby and he would have driven it everywhere if he could have. While Teyla knew that time was of the essence on this mission, she also knew that they could have conceivable driven to Kansas City. It was just another excuse for John to take the chopper out. He loved to fly this thing and kept it in impeccable condition. Too bad it was only taken out to check on the pastures or when he needed to travel. In the early days, John used it to travel back and forth to see his editor but now he'd taken to checking in via his computer.

"We're almost there." Teyla almost jumped out of her seat as John's voice came through her headset. With a few deep breaths, she was calm once again. This was not the time to let any nerves that might come up bother her. The main reason she came was because, quite frankly, Rodney couldn't.

Go with him. Just... watch out for him, okay? He forgets sometimes that he's not in the military anymore and that this isn't a mission where he'll have Marines at his disposal if he needs help. Since she couldn't help but agree with the man, she nodded solemnly and promised to watch out for John if he'd do the same for her and help Zalenka watch Torren. While not the ideal babysitter, especially at this time of the year, the only other idea she'd had was to take him to her uncle's house and that... well, that bridge had been burned a long time ago.

The last thing she wanted was her son being used as a pawn to bring her back into the Emmagan fold. She still wasn't ready to be that woman, the one they had always assumed she would be. Her parents were dead. There was nothing she could do to get them back and there was no way she could take their place in this world they had created. The community was their idea. Not hers. She'd tried it their way for a bit, easing out of life at the Dotted A and back into that old way of life. She'd even attempted picking a mate to see if that would ease her way back in to that life. It hadn't. She had Torren and would never give him up for anything but that didn't mean she wanted to go back. At least on the ranch, she was allowed to come and go freely. Her world wasn't quite so confined and narrow as it was with her family.

"Teyla?"

Her head snapped up again. She'd let herself drift away on her thoughts and her face must have shown her consternation because Lorne was looking back at her from the front seat where he was helping John with the navigation coordinates, his own face mirroring her frown.

"I am fine. Just... thinking."

"Right. Thinking. Well, we're about ready to land. You ready for this?"

She couldn't help the sneer that replaced her frown. The ranch hands forgot that they weren't the only ones who had once ridden the circuit, ready for anything and asking for more. As much as she hated to remind them of her own belt buckles and trophies, she was every bit as prepared for the unexpected as they were. The only difference was that she'd been able to go into the ring with a horse she trusted to get her to the buzzer. That didn't mean she trusted just anyone but it certainly did mean that she was more willing to work as a team than most of them were.

In the fifteen minutes it took for John to land the helicopter, Teyla had once again composed herself so that none of her thoughts showed on her face. When John held out a hand to help her down out of the cab, she was able to smile at him and thank him for his kindness. None of her earlier turmoil was there to cloud her expression or keep her from focusing on the task at hand.

After only another half an hour, they were walking toward a beat-up blue Suburban. Amelia stood by the front door, her normally expressive face hidden in the shade of a too-large ball cap. She lifted a hand in greeting but quickly got into the driver's seat as soon as they got close enough to do anything more than wave. Teyla took the seat behind Amelia while John took the passenger seat and Lorne got into the back with her.

Something seemed off about this, seeing as Teyla knew for a fact that Lorne was sweet on Amelia. They weren't exactly out in the open about what kind of relationship they had but they most definitely had one. Unless all those kisses she'd walked in on over the past year had just been about friendship. If that was the case, she wanted to rethink her friendship with both of them.

As Amelia put the large vehicle into gear, Teyla suddenly understood the arrangement. From his position, Lorne could watch Amelia without having to worry about being obvious. If he had set where John was, he would have had to turn his body to get as good a view as he had. John was trying but the seat belt was getting in his way. As he peppered their hostess with questions, he struggled with the most comfortable way to sit so that he could carry on a planning session.

That was most definitely what this was. Most of the basics, they already knew from the first few phone calls John had made. There were still holes that needed to be filled in and John, ever the master plotter, had spent the flight figuring out just what additional information he needed to know.

He was also working at putting Amelia at ease so that when they finally pulled into the driveway of a dilapidated house in the middle of a subdivision that Teyla wouldn't have been comfortable walking through closer to twilight, she had taken off the hat and was smiling once again. She'd even snuck a few peeks back at Lorne when she thought that no one was watching.

"So, you know where he's being held and who's holding him? Still, I have to ask again, why aren't you going to the police with this?"

She spread her arms wide, taking in not only the house but the whole neighborhood. "Does this look like a place the police are going to come running to? Sure, they'll take my information but Ronon's already been in trouble with them a few times. They're going to look for him just enough to keep my satisfied that they're trying but they won't find anything. If they did, they'd have to do something about it. This is not a place where can live and expect too many results from the police. This is not the Dotted A where Elizabeth can call up Sheriff Caldwell with a complaint and he listens because they're drinking buddies from way back. This is a place that a person runs away from and never really expects to come back to."

"But surely-" Teyla started to say when a cell phone's ring interrupted her.

Amelia looked at the caller ID, her expression tightening up once again. "Yeah?" Her eyes widened as if she heard something she wasn't expecting to hear. "How did you... No, I thought... Okay but... No, listen. They're friends. I called them here to help you. Just tell me where to come pick... What?"

She took off running around the edge of the house, leaving the rest of the group to stay or to follow. Teyla was first to sprint after her, probably because she wasn't completely sure that the girl wasn't just using this as a ruse to get away from them. She should have been willing to let her run but she found that she wanted to keep the girl around and not just because she wanted to take on cooking duties again. This was something that she, for one, needed to see through.

Because she was so closely behind Amelia, she was the first one of the group to meet Ronon. Her first impression didn't go as Amelia might as planned. Before she'd even had a chance to slow to a halt, a tall man had her pinned to the side of the badly-peeling house. Even with their differences in weight and height, she wouldn't have been in this situation if surprise hadn't been on his side. Even with all that they had come here to do, she truly hadn't expected anyone to be waiting for them in the backyard. Maybe she should follow John's advice and become a little less trusting.

"Let me go," she growled even though her wind pipe felt like it might be crushed at any moment.

"Amelia, who-"

"Let her go." John's voice was much too calm. It wasn't until she heard the twin clicks of two rifle's being cocked and ready to fire that she realized she'd been the only one to read the situation wrong.

"Why should I?" The man continued to look directly into her eyes, his last concern seeming to be the fully-armed men behind him. Teyla couldn't help but notice the scar running up his face, slightly marring the upper lid of his right eye and cutting away part of the brow above it. If she wasn't mistaken, he'd seen the service end of a broken bottle in a bar fight sometime in the past and hadn't gone to get the scar taken care of. It probably served him well when he was trying to look intimidating.

"Because she asked nicely. Where we're from, when a lady asks politely, we go out of our way to do as she requests." John's drawl was a little more pronounced that it normally was. He only brought it out when he was trying to intimidate or impress. She highly doubted that he was hoping this man would ask for his autograph when this was all said and done.

Amelia stepped forward for the first time. She laid a hand on Ronon's arm but it did nothing to ease the pressure on Teyla's throat. "Ronon, these are the people I was telling you about. I asked them here to help you get away from Queenie and her gang."

"I didn't need any help. I told you I'd get out of this on my own. No need dragging strangers into this."

Seeing as this was going to either come to a head with her conscious or unconscious, Teyla attempted to help out her cause a little more herself. "We are friends. Now let go of me or I tell those handsome men over there to shoot and hope they remember not to hit me in the process. I would rather get hurt by some friendly fire than by these scare tactics of yours."

He loosened his hold just the slightest. Just enough so that Teyla could get some leverage so that the foot to his kneecap had some drive behind it. Unfortunately, he only grimaced at both. Fine. If he wanted to play that way, she would let him in a secret that a few cowboys had learned when they tried cornering her in the barn. She might have looked small and sweet but she was deadly when it came to protecting herself and those she loved. It was one of the reasons that John brought her along with him when he was away from the ranch.

In a matter of seconds, he was down on his knees and Teyla could step away from him just far enough so that he couldn't get his hands on her again if he wanted to try for a second round of hurt. From the look of things, he wouldn't be coming after her again any time soon. John and Lorne also felt confidant of this, lowering their guns as they gave him sympathetic glances. They'd both been where he was, but only for the sin of doubting she could do what she said she could do.

"Now do you plan on listening?" He nodded, his head still bent down as if he was kneeling to her in adoration. "Good. Now, this is-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he lashed out with a strong arm against her legs. This time, she was prepared for him. When he made contact, she moved with the blow before swinging her own arms out in a flurry of movement that had him flat on his back this time. The only thing that kept her from beating him to a bloody pulp was that he'd stopped his own attack as soon as he realized what was happening. He kept his hands up in a show of surrender that she found endearing, in an odd way. Normally, when she put a man on the ground like this, she could only sneer at him. This man had done nothing but trying to keep his cousin safe. The arm at her throat hadn't given any ground because she was a woman, either.

She bent over him. "I am going to give you one more chance. The next time you try something like that, I'm going to grab John's gun and shoot you myself. Do we understand each other?" This time, when he nodded, she smiled and offered a hand up. "Good. My name is Teyla. This is John and Evan. We're friends of Amelia."

"She's talked about you before. I just had to be sure. Hope you don't mind, ma'am."

Amelia took Ronon's hand in hers. "How did you get free from them? Tyre said they were going to take out their payment in your flesh this time."

"Yeah, well, I got away. 'Nough said."

"No one gets away from Queenie. Not with the kind of money your dad owed her."

John's mouth was a thin line as he watched the conversation flow around him. When he'd finally had enough of watching and not participating, he shook his head and spoke up. "I only know some of the story. I think you owe me the rest of the story just for the fact that I wasted all this gas on coming here for nothing."

"Not for nothing," Amelia protested. She tugged on Ronon's sleeve to get his attention. "This isn't over and you know it. She didn't just let you go without taking something from you or making you promise something. You're just lucky she didn't kill you this time." When Ronon just shook his head without offering an explanation, Amelia just rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'm going to tell them if you won't. Ronon's family decided to buy a house out in one of the subdivisions away from this part of town. This is where we grew up." She pointed to the house next door. "That's where I lived and Ronon lived next to that. This house is where our Aunt Ara lives. All one big happy family, living together on the block they grew up on. Ronon's dad worked for years to be able to afford something better for his family. He bought a house and, a year later, found out that it had some serious damage to the foundation and basic structure. They tried getting it fixed but it cost a lot more than they could afford so they decided to go after the contractor."

"We couldn't touch them. Not in court or out," Ronon growled. He tugged his arm away from his cousin as if he couldn't stand to be touched while discussing his past. Teyla felt an odd connection to him in that moment. She didn't like to talk about her family either. John had pulled bits and pieces out of her over the past few years but nothing like what this man was having to endure.

"So you decided to make your own form of justice?" Lorne asked. His voice was soothing and Teyla noticed that he wasn't looking at Ronon but at Amelia even though she had yet to give him anything but a glance now and then.

When Ronon shrugged, John took over the conversation. "So this isn't something that's going to go away. If we factor in the time that Amelia had to spend to travel here and our time away, this is a spendy way to get back at someone who you can't win against. Is anyone actively in trouble? Like, is anyone else being held against their will?" When both Ronon and Amelia shook their head, John smiled in that way he had when he'd come up with what he thought was the best plan for the situation. Most of the time he was right so not a lot of people argued with him. Well, no one else but Rodney, but Teyla was convinced he did it so that John would notice him because he didn't do it nearly as much as he had in the past. "Okay, so here's what we're going to do. Lorne, you're going to drive Amelia back. I assume it will take a little over two days to get back." He held up his hand to silence Lorne when he would have protested. "Two days."

Next, he turned back to Ronon. "Seems to me that you would be better off if you got out of this town for awhile. Why don't you come back in the chopper with me and Teyla? There's always work to be had at the ranch. In the meantime, we'll sic Elizabeth's lawyers on this problem and see what they can't unearth."

Ronon looked down at Amelia to see what she thought of the idea. When she nodded her head, the first smile gracing her lips since they'd arrived, he nodded his head as well. "I don't take hand outs. I'll work to pay off any time the lawyers spend on this issue."

Teyla laughed as John grinned and held out his hand. "Good. Then we'll have you around for a good long time."


Chapter 4: You Need to Unwind From Time to Time

It took two weeks for everything to even out on the Dotted A. Amelia and Lorne had taken three days to get back from Kansas City, trying to convince everyone that the work truck had sprung an oil leak but no bill ever showed up for the repairs. Elizabeth had taken the news of their newest worker with the aplomb that John had expected of her, offering to show Ronon around the ranch and not even batting an eye when he refused. Rodney had been a tad too enthusiastic to hear that there hadn't been any shooting of any kind but John could appreciate his worry and welcome home attention.

Ronon had been the biggest surprise. When John had offered him a job, he'd figured the man would make some small talk and in a few days, be one of the other hands. The problem was that he flat out refused to take part in small talk. Yes, he answered direct questions but he didn't do much more than that. When the conversations swirled around the dining room, he just sat back in his seat and watched everyone. John felt like an exhibit in a zoo at times when the man was staring at him. It was like he was learning what it was that he was supposed to be doing, how he was supposed to act.

Rodney was the one, surprisingly, who picked up on the signs. "He's a kid from the streets. You don't do the wrong thing out there or you get killed."

"And how would you know?" John had chided from his place in front of the computer screen. It was where he was spending all his free time these days and Rodney had learned that he could come in for a visit if he didn't make too much noise. What was noise and what wasn't was always up for discussion. "From watching Cops?"

"I'll have you know, I was in a production of Les Mis when I was in grade school. They taught us how to be street children. I got rave reviews."

"From your mother?"

"And my grandmother."

The conversation had moved on to what Rodney was working on so that John only had to comment in monosyllables after that, but it had set him to thinking. That was exactly what Ronon was doing. He was discovering all the nuances that went in to being a good cowboy. Whatever he had been in his previous life, he had learned to look and listen before acting and speaking.

Over all, John couldn't complain about Ronon's performance when he was working. He knew enough about horses to be slightly afraid of them but not enough that he set them off. Teyla had put him on a horse almost as soon as they'd touched the ground and he'd known enough to know that the animal was docile. That was more than John could say about his first time up on Doc. He was still checking fence line by truck but he was making time to practice his riding so he'd be on the same level with the others soon.

Was it the new love of riding that had him constantly at the stables, John wondered as he powered up the computer after dinner, or the instructor? While Rodney hadn't mentioned the amount of time that Teyla and Ronon were spending together, he had to assume that even the focused scientist hadn't failed to notice. There was most definitely something going on between those two. Love? Maybe. Friendship? Most definitely. He liked the idea of Teyla having a friend. She didn't let many people close. He and Elizabeth were the only ones she spent any of her precious free time and Radak, the Czech scientist who knew who to juggle and could make Torren laugh, was her only choice of babysitter if Amelia was unavailable.

Tonight, he was going to test his theory because tonight was a time for celebration. The only reason he'd even come to his office on this beautiful spring day was to check his emails and, sure enough, there was one here from his editor. Danger on the Range was done with final edits and was going to the printer. Cover art for Murder in the Back Forty had been submitted and the initial outline for Farmhouse Fear had been okayed.

God, he hated those titles but they hadn't been his idea and his real name wasn't on any of them anyway. John just came up with the decent mysteries that filled out the one hundred and fifty pages (if he was lucky) and reaped the rewards. Because he used a pen name at the request of the publisher, they never expected him to go to any book signings or glad-hand any patrons. For a hefty fee, they'd bought and paid for his silence.

Picking up the ranch phone, he dialed the number down to the lab barn and asked for Rodney. Several minutes went by before the extension was finally picked up with a curt, "Yeah?"

"Go take a shower. We're going out."

There was a pause. "John?"

"Who else would it be? Of course, it's John. We're going out. I got good news and I want to celebrate."

"This isn't a good time. I have-"

"It's never a good time," John growled, because it never was. It was impossible to tell if the two of them were dating because they never went on actual dates. They hung out at the ranch house, watching movies and then moving things to one of their bedrooms. Whenever one of them wanted to go out, the other never seemed to be able to get away. It was a damned shame. One of them had to cave and tonight, well, that was going to be Rodney.

"I got the news from my publisher. Tonight, I'm going out on the town. I feel like closing down the bar. If you in, you're in. If not, I'll find someone else." Instead of slamming down the receiver like the little devil on his shoulder wanted him to do, John added, "Please come."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "Give me fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen and no more."

John flicked down the handle with his finger before dialing the number to the horse barn. "Teyla? It's John. I got confirmation from my publisher. Yeah, I know. Great, right? So, I was thinking of going by Jack's and having a few rounds. Maybe shoot some pool. Throw some darts. See where the night takes us. You and Ronon want to join me? Well, and Rodney if he gets moving fast enough. Yeah, I can give you fifteen minutes. No more than that or I'm out on my own. Okay, okay. I won't go on my own. Not again."

He was smiling when he hung up the phone. Since he didn't need to freshen up, having done that before dinner, he leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head. Sometimes, he really liked his life.

In twenty minutes, almost exactly to the minute, Rodney, Ronon and John crowded into John's work truck. Teyla, at the last minute, had discovered that Torren was running a fever and had to back out. It was only at her insistance that Ronon hadn't stayed back with her. Still, he was watching the back door as if he assumed she would burst through it at any minute, begging him to stay behind.

"Torren's a tough kid. They have a tendency to get fevers when they're teething," John mentioned, as if he had to convince Ronon that he wasn't needed and this wasn't some elaborate ruse that Teyla had come up with to get him out of the house. "And Torren's cut a lot of teeth lately. He just gets cranky and it helps to have his mama around."

Rodney was the one to grunt this time while Ronon said, "Probably isn't anything to worry about."

"Nope. Nothing to worry about. Just a normal part of being a kid."

"I was in the hospital four time before I was five," Rodney offered.

Ronon immediately stiffened up. "Maybe we should-"

"He won't need to go to the hospital for this fever. Rodney had to go to the hospital because he had croup. It's a great story unless you're eating and then it's kind of gross. Maybe he can tell it... later." John shot Rodney a glare. Just then, the tires hit a particularly deep groove in the road and the conversation lagged as they tried not to hit each other or the roof or the dashboard. As a distraction, it worked perfectly.

There weren't many vehicles in front of the Jackalope, or Jack's as the locals called it, but it was still early yet. The sun had set hours ago but the weather was starting to warm up and most of the farmers and ranchers in the area were starting to think about spring as if it might just show up when the calendar said it should. It was always iffy in these parts. But the warmer weather after the cold winter they'd had was giving people hope and keeping them working longer to be ready for the warmth the moment it showed up.

"Tonight's on me, boys." John was feeling generous but he'd also figured that Rodney wouldn't drink more than one beer and even that would take awhile. While he didn't know how much of a drinker Ronon was, he didn't seem like the kind of guy that would get stinking drunk. At least, not his first night out. One drink each would probably be the max each of them consume so he'd be taking some of the cash in his wallet home with him.

"Wish it really was," Rodney muttered before moving off to see what the line was like at the pool table. Ever since he'd learned the game, Rodney had become the become something of an expert. No one would play him for money but plenty of players lined up to see if they could best him at least one time. To date, no one had.

No one, that was, until Ronon. By the time John got to the table with the drinks in hand, both men had their sticks out and were concentrating on the table. "Who's winning?" he asked, fully expecting to hear Rodney crowing about beating yet another unexpected sap.

This time, it was Ronon's smile he saw. "Me. Rodney really beat everyone in town?"

"This one and the next over. You're really winning?"

Ronon nodded but his smile didn't dim. In fact, it broadened as Rodney began to grumble about what a fickle bitch fate could be. To his credit, he never once laughed. Not in that game or the rematch that Rodney demanded after that one. A crowd gathered but everyone was silent as they watched the reigning champion was toppled.

"Beaten by a caveman," he muttered as he sank down on the chair beside John. "The guy can barely string three words together yet he someone understands the basic dynamics of geometry enough to be able to pull off two wins without even trying."

"Don't be a sore loser, Rodney. He had you-" A yell brought John's head up as he looked for the problem. Sure enough, just as he feared, he saw Ronon fly through the crowd. He knew, for a fact, that Ronon wasn't an easy man to throw around. When he saw a huge man stalk after him, only to pick him up like a child and hurl him back the way he'd come, John knew they were in for some trouble.

"Stay here, Rodney," he shouted as he stood up and unbuttoned the cuffs of his long-sleeved shirt. "I need to go help Ronon."

Surprisingly, Rodney surged to his feet as well. His smile was predatory. "No, this is one of those times I'm going to help. You can't have all the fun tonight."

"Suit yourself." John shook his head as he tried to figure out who was going to be in more trouble in the next several minutes - Ronon or Rodney? No matter. John would do his best to defend both of them.


Chapter 5: A One-Two Punch to the Gut

Teyla served each of the men one of the mugs of hot tea she'd just finished making. She'd been putting on water for her own cup when she'd seen the lights of the truck turning into the driveway. Since it was far too early for the group to be back, she'd begun making preparations for the worst possible scenarios, only one of which included all three of the men being conscious. When the cowboys went out in groups, there was always some sort of trouble that followed them.

Now they sat at the table, nursing any number of seeping wounds as they related, with great gusto, the story of their night. Teyla tried not to interrupt too often as she got out ice packs and alcohol wipes. No one was seriously injured, a relief for her twitching nerves, but they were bleeding from more points than she could keep track of at the moment.

"You should have seen this guy." John cuffed Rodney on the arm before putting his arm around the man's shoulders. "He was an animal. At one point, when Ronon was taking out that big guy with one of Jack's prized bar stools that we'll probably be asked to replace, Rodney was taking on three guys. Three! It was a sight to behold. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Watching kung fo movies."

"Seriously?" Ronon looked as impressed as he could with while holding an ice pack to his eye and leaning his head against his shoulder to keep another in place. "You learned all that from watching TV?"

Rodney shrugged again, wincing as he was reminded that his shoulder had been out of joint only ten minutes ago. "And I picked up some things while living here."

"Still... I'm impressed. Here I thought I'd have to get between you and the bad guys and you ended up getting them off me." John leaned over to kiss Rodney on the cheek, nuzzling his nose against the shadow on the man's jaw. "It's very sexy to have to be careful where I kiss you."

Normally, she didn't mind if John and Rodney flirted with each other in this strange passive-aggressive way they had with each other but there were more important things that needed to be said at the moment. With a dismissive sigh, she turned to Ronon. "You recognized the men?"

"One of them. He's the guy who nearly put me in traction the last time I ran into him. I got him this time." That was followed by a high-five with John who was taking great pleasure in all aspects of the conversation.

"He was one of the group in Kansas City that hurt you?" A nod was her only answer this time. "And you decided to take them all on yourself?"

"John and Rodney were there, too."

Extracting information from this man was like teaching a horse to walk on lead. It was a constant one step foward, two steps back process that had her back teeth grinding together as she struggled with patience. "We will leave that particular line of reasoning for another time. Why do you think he was at Jack's? We are a long way from Kansas City and no one just passes by for a drink."

Another shrug but now John was warming up to the question. "Why was he here?"

"He didn't say."

"Well, of course he didn't say. It's not like you paused in the middle of beating each other senseless to ask or anything. It's just an interesting question. No one should know you're here so why are they here? Did any of the rest of the group look familiar?"

Teyla had to give Ronon some credit for both looking uncomfortable and for seriously considering John's question. When he shook his head, she got up to rewarm her own mug of tea as an excuse not to get seriously angry at all three of them. Fighting was one thing. Bar brawls were a fact of life, especially this time of year when winter was grating on everyone's nerves. Putting oneself in the direct line of danger without finding out the WHY of a situation was another entirely.

"I think-" but Rodney didn't finish his statement as the kitchen phone started to ring.

Since Teyla was the closest, she picked up the receiver. "Yes?"

"I tried calling up to your room but Amelia said you were downstairs. You need to come out to the horse barn." Markham sounded out of breath and, for some reason, scared. That was a bad combination.

"What's going on?"

"It's Athos. Just... come quick." Before she could question him further, he hung up.

She listened to the silence at the other end of the connection for several heartbeats before hanging up the receiver. Athos was her pride and joy; the first thing she'd ever owned that was hers, free and clear. She'd trained him herself, staying home from school on nice days so she could get more time in the ring. They'd been the best barrel racing team for several years after she'd graduated. If Torren hadn't come along when he did, she'd contemplated trying again.

If anything happened to him...

Before she could finish that thought all the way to its inevitable conclusion, strong arms wrapped around her. They were just in time because her knees had suddenly forgotten how to function. She leaned into Ronon's body, trying to find her equilibrium once again.

"What is it?"

"Something is wrong with Athos."

Even before she had time to take a breath to start a new sentence, John and Rodney were running out of the room. "I've got the keys to the truck," John yelled over his shoulder.

When she didn't move, Ronon shook her slightly. "Come on. Let's go find out what's wrong."

She could only nod. "I need to go tell Amelia where I am. Torren is still running a temperature."

"I'll go tell her and meet you down there. Go now before John leaves you."

Before she thought better of it, Teyla stood up on tiptoes so she could reach the underside of Ronon's jaw and placed a kiss there before turning and running out of the room the same way the other two had. One worry at a time was all she could handle at the moment and, thanks to Ronon, she could put all her energy into Athos.


Chapter 6: What a Mess

John woke up quickly, his body suddenly deciding it didn't want to be stuck in this awkward position any longer. The pain in his spine competed with the bumps and bruises he'd acquired last night. "I'm too old for this," he muttered as he tried to straighten up, waking Rodney in the process.

"Why are we in the barn?" Rodney asked as he tried to get both his eyes to open. One was protesting more than the other so that he looked like he was winking but the bruising wasn't as bad as it might have been. Now that John was remembering a few more things about last night's festivities, including the reason they were all in the barn, he was feeling more than a little foolish. The blood lust of the night before was just a bad memory in the light of Teyla's suffering.

Carson Beckett, the local veterinarian, was in with Athos, checking the horse for the continuing signs of infection. "How is she, Doc?" John asked after clearing his throat for the fourth time. Even still, his voice was raspy and thin.

"It doesnna look good. She lost coordination a couple of hours ago and I canna get the fever down." After putting the stethoscope back in his bag, the veterinarian leaned on the gate, peering over the railing at the three men in different stages of wakefulness. "With any luck, we got the other horses out of the vicinity in time. We'll probably know if they're infected in a day or so."

"I don't care about those horses. Only Athos. She's the important one." As horrible as that sounded, John didn't care about those other horses. They were work horses and could be replaced. None of the cowboys were connected to them other than riding a specific one because they liked the way it responded. That wasn't being a best friend with any of the animals. Not the way that Teyla and Athos were best friends. Since, in all reality, Teyla was a boarder at the Dotted A, John had a responsibility to make sure her animal survived over the rest of his stock.

Carson pursed his lips, showing his irritation at the comment without actually calling John to task. Instead, he kept his voice even. "About an hour ago, I got a call back from the lab. It's EHV-1. Equine Herpes Virus. There isnna a vaccine or even a cure."

"Not yet," Rodney muttered as he got to his feet. His brain never seemed to work unless he was moving and his favorite form of activity would always be pacing. The back and forth motion was making John nauseous but he wasn't about to stop him. Not if they got somewhere because

"I will do everything I can do for the horses that are sick. Now that we've got everything disinfected," Ronon moaned at the mention of that work they'd done last night as soon as the vet had arrived and taken a good look at the sick animal, "we need to figure out how the infection spread here. No one else in the county has had any complaints. Have you taken any of your horses off the property? Gone out of state?"

"No." John could answer this even without waiting for Elizabeth to show up to confirm the information. "None of the animals have been off the property. Any rodeos don't start for a couple of months so there hasn't been a reason for them to travel."

"You know what that means?"

There was silence as John and Rodney let the question sink in. Ronon was the one who finally asked, "What does it mean?"

"The virus can be airborne but there's no case for miles. It's highly unlikely that's how Athos got infected." Carson picked up some of the new straw they'd brought in after thoroughly cleaning the pen. "It could have come in from anywhere. Someone could have tracked it in here on their shoes if they'd been around an infected horse. The tack might have been infected. The other equipment. The truck. Anything, really." He paused again for emphasis, as well as to make sure that everyone was listening to him. "Once again, since no one in the area has any horses down with this, I'd say it was brought in."

Ronon was on his feet. "I didn't do this."

"No one said you did." John jumped up to get between the glaring man and Carson. While he hadn't taken it as an accusation, John could see that Ronon might have. It didn't take a rocket scientist, or even Rodney, to figure out that nothing had changed on the Dotted A - except for Ronon. "But he's right. This did come from somewhere else. Now we just need to figure out where it came from and who could have done it."

"It was either done by someone completely unaware of what they were doing or all too aware of the consequences." Rodney had widened his circuitous route so that he was only in this part of the barn for half of the cycle. As always, he kept up with the conversation even if he wasn't always in the room. While part of his brain was being used in trying to figure out if a vaccine could be figured out for EHP-1, John knew he was also trying to reason out this new mystery as well. "Maybe Teyla has some idea who... where's Teyla?"

John wasn't sure why he turned to Ronon to tell him where Teyla was, other than he'd been awake when John had first opened his eyes. "She went to check on Torren. His fever spiked earlier. Amelia came down to get her."

"Well, when it rains, it certainly pours," Rodney exclaimed before he started up his circuit once again.

"Does she need to call a doctor for him?" John rubbed a hand over his face, trying to gain some perspective. Things really were piling up at all at once, it seemed. If he was prone to finding conspiracies in all these activities, he might begin to think that all of this might be connected. It wasn't, he knew, but it was the damnedest luck they were having lately. First the problems with the cows and now Athos and Torren. All they needed was a barn to burn down... but he knew better than to think such things into existence. With his luck lately, the universe might find a way to burn down one of their structures just to spite him for thinking such a thing.

Carson spoke up, reminding everyone that he was still around. It was either very stupid or very brave because Ronon immediately bristled once again. "I donna know much about humans other than what I had to learn but I seem to remember that children that young get fevers for a variety of different reasons, very few of them life threatening. He might just need his mama."

"I'll go check on her," Ronon started to say and John knew he should have offered instead but he didn't want to look in Teyla's stricken face again. It had been bad enough last night when they'd all done what they could to help both her and Athos. Sometimes her firm resolve not to break down had been as hard to handle as any tears would have been.

"I'll stay here with," John indicated Carson with a wave in his general direction, "the doc. Tell Teyla she doesn't need to worry about anything out here. Lorne will head down here after breakfast. Between all of us, we'll figure out a course of action. If you would, remind him on your way through the kitchen that there are hungry men here in the barn that could use some sustenance."

Ronon smiled a very genuine smile, considering the situation they were facing and the fact that he was still tense from worry that they might change their mind and accuse him of wrongdoing. "I'll have Amelia send something down. She's not as likely to forget as one of the men."

Of that, John was sure but he wasn't sure if he would be able to eat anything this morning. Not until they'd cracked open the mystery of this illness. He watched Ronon walk all the way to the house before he turned to Carson. "You might call your contacts in Kansas City and see if they have any signs of the illness there. I think I might have an idea who might have done this. While Ronon didn't have anything to do with it, he might be the reason its happening to us."

"You don't think...."

John nodded his head slowly. "I'm afraid so. Ronon's troubles might just be following him here. We ran into a few thugs last night at Jack's. Some people that he recognized. This all might explain why they were here and why they weren't surprised to see him."


Chapter 7: Still Battling


It was noon the next day before Torren was finally acting like himself again. Teyla and Amelia had read every single book from his shelves at least twice over and then Ronon had taken over the duty when he had come up from the barn. One of the three was constantly with him, cuddling him securely because any time he thought they might contemplate leaving him alone, he began to cry. It wasn't until he got down off Ronon's lap to play with his blocks that Teyla took her first real breath.

"I think I will go get something to eat." When Ronon stood as if he was going to convince her to let him go for her, Teyla shook her head. "No, let me go. Would you like me to bring something back for you?"

"Just coffee for me."

She nodded and headed down the stairs. The kitchen should have been full of conversation and laughter seeing as it was only just lunch time but there were only a few people at the table and those that were there weren't saying much. It was an odd thing to see at the ranch at any time. Even when activities kept them working into the dead of night, the crew came back to the ranch house in high spirits, laughing and talking with each other as if they hadn't just spent the last sixteen hours in the same company.

It was also strange that Amelia wasn't in the kitchen. Stranger still that Lorne was and he wasn't looking up to greet her. When she questioned him about the girl's whereabouts, he looked up as if he hadn't expected to be addressed directly, his face pressed into a reasonable facsimile of a smile.

"She's helping John."

"Helping... John?"

"He needed some help checking out something."

It was all too vague, setting off warning noises in her head. So that she could put all her energy into getting her son well again, she'd purposefully not thought much about her horse. Now, all that came crashing back again. No one had said one word to her about Athos but she had been able to see Carson's truck from the upstairs window so the vet hadn't left. That meant he was still battling the virus. She trusted her horse to him and knew that he would do whatever he needed to do. Until this moment, she hadn't been able to think about it. Being strong for Torren had been the most important thing.

Now she was free to feel the pain of the possibility of losing Athos and it almost sent her to her knees. "Checking what, Evan?"

"Just helping."

Dusty sat up straighter, her braid slipping over her shoulder as she glared at the foreman. "Tell her the truth, Lorne, or I will. No use keeping this all from her."

"She's got too much to worry about here," Lorne growled back.

With an insult directed at Lorne's parentage, Dusty pushed away from the table and stalked from the room. Chuck took that as a cue to make his own exit and soon Teyla and Evan were the only two people in the room. Teyla found it hard to remember how to breath as she waited for the privacy.

"Tell me where John is."

"He went into the Springs. There was rumors of a few strangers that've been hanging out in town but they aren't staying at the hotel. John figured they were either staying in Colby or the Springs. Either way, that's a lot of ground to cover. He took some of the men and Amelia into town to see if they could find where they might be."


"That's a lot of ground to cover."

Lorne shrugged, draining his cup of coffee before he took it to the sink. "He thinks he has some leads but he wants to see if Amelia recognizes anyone."

"And Rodney?"

If it was possible, Lorne looked even more uncomfortable. "He's out in the lab. Got a burr under his saddle to figure out a way to help Athos and the other horses."

Teyla felt sick but she stayed on her feet. "The other horses?"

"A few of the others have come down with the virus. Doc thinks..." but he let his voice trail off so Teyla could only assume that what Carson thought wasn't something Lorne wanted to share with her specifically. That could only mean that the prognosis wasn't good.

She was going to lose her horse. In her heart, she had known that as soon as she'd walked into the barn and seen the glazed look in Athos' eyes. She'd spent that first night reliving every event she and the horse had attended, going through every misstep and every glory. In a quiet voice, she'd shared those times with her oldest and dearest friend. When she'd decided that her son's health was more important, she'd told Athos goodbye before she'd left the barn without a backward glance. Carson could do whatever he needed to do to keep the horse alive but she knew it was a losing battle. She'd been there when her hind leg had begun to wobble and heard the harsh breathing. Athos was too far gone.

While Evan Lorne was easy-going and diplomatic, he was also loyal to John. Not even Elizabeth, the seeming head of the operation, had more of his loyalty. If John wanted Teyla kept in the dark, there was no way that Teyla would be able to find out more information from Lorne. One of the other hands might crack but she didn't have time to figure out which one. This was something that needed to come directly from John.

The cell phone was in her hand before she'd even realized she'd dug it out of her pocket. "Where are you?" she growled into the receiver when John answered with a grunt.


"I'm on my way home. Give me fifteen minutes and I'll come find you."

Without waiting for more of an exclamation, she hung up. She would give him fifteen minutes only because she had plenty of things to do in that time. First and foremost, she needed to go check in with Carson and get the latest information. As much as it would kill her to see Athos again, it was the right thing to do.


Chapter 8: Before the Worst Can Happen Again


Teyla hadn't yelled at him. That had probably been harder to deal with than if she had ranted and raved and threatened him. She'd listened to what he had to say, her face set in a stoic mask that even he couldn't see beyond. If he'd expected an explosion of anger, he wasn't going to get it from Teyla.


No, that had come from Ronon. "You took Amelia with you when you knew full well what you were going to find?" He'd only wait for a "Yes, but" before he started swinging. John hadn't been completely sure the anger had all been on Amelia's behalf because one word from Teyla had the big man backing off.

"He needed to be sure he was getting the right men," Amelia explained but even her quiet words hadn't eased the frustration and rage radiating from Ronon. As far as John could tell, they'd neutralized the current threat by finding the location of the gang from Kansas City. It had been easy enough considering they were throwing around money in the same spot that John liked to throw around money when he was in town. The difference was, he did it with grace so that he'd made some friends along the way. These men had stepped on anyone and everyone they could, making more enemies in a few short weeks than anyone John had ever seen before.

A few quiet words to the Springs police and the ring had been taken out of commission in a more legal way than John would have liked. He'd really wanted to get his hands bloody again, seeing as these four men had made his life a living nightmare for two short days. It had all happened in less than twenty-four hours but John had a feeling this wasn't the last time he was going to be coming up against this group. They were angry at his interference concerning Ronon and now would be even more angry that he'd taken out some of their men in such a way that they wouldn't be able to operate in Colorado Springs without the police being alerted to their presence fairly quickly.

It hadn't been an eye for an eye, though. Not exactly. By the time John pulled through the gates of the Dotted A, the death count was at two and likely to climb. As far as he could tell, he'd left all of his opponents alive. Given the chance again, he might not be so willing to pull in the law enforcement to do his dirty work for him. He lived by the Old West code that said that a man was able to protect his home and household in whatever way he saw fit. Before, that had meant investing wisely and earning money on side ventures like writing books that he thought were pure crap but sold out as soon as they hit bookstore shelves.

Now, he watched Elizabeth comforting Teyla as they stood over the blanket-covered horse. Athos had battled longer than Carson had expected her to but it hadn't been enough. The virus had ravaged her body and nervous system beyond what either Carson or Rodney could fight. The combined efforts of Medicine and Science hadn't been enough to stop it from accomplishing exactly what those men had intended it to do.

When Ronon had figured out who exactly had been responsible for this disaster, he'd started to pack his bag. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't come, they wouldn't have followed."

John had just shrugged, taking the bag from him so that he couldn't push his way past and start running away. "You don't know that. Odds were, they would have done something to someone we knew. It was only a matter of time before they moved in this direction. Besides, we help out our own here. Amelia asked. We answered. End of story. This isn't your fault."

In that moment, Torren came walking into the room, his arms outstretched so that Ronon would pick him up. Ronon had held him close for a few seconds, kissing the dark tuft of hair on his forehead that was the exact shade as his mother's.

"I think that's your answer right there. You can't leave us now. Torren would miss you. Those little claws of his dig deep, you know. He won't let go of you easily."

Ronon had swallowed awkwardly around the emotion. "Yeah. I guess they won't."

John had given him back his bag. There was no real fear of him leaving, not after that performance.

Now, as he lay in his darkened room, John still felt there was something he needed to do. He'd averted so many disasters lately that his mind kept looking for them, even when there weren't any around. Well, not any new ones. There were the normal disasters that the ranch hands averted on any given day or those that couldn't be averted, like the weather, and just had to be worked around. It was the life they'd decided on and, love it or not, it was the thing that got them up every morning. Yes, writing was something John loved to do but these days he did it to pay the bills. He turned on the computer every day, knowing that he had to produce something so that there was feed for all the cattle and new equipment when the old broke down.

He gave up most all of his earnings because these people were his family and he wanted them to have a decent life. Not the brother that lived in the family home back in Virginia or the father who'd just been buried or the mother that had given up on him even before he'd had a chance to become someone. Those people, who shared his last name, would never get anything from him.

Just when his thoughts began to get truly maudlin, his bedroom door opened, spilling in the dim light from the hallway. At first he thought it might be Lorne coming to get him because Torren was sick again. No matter how many time Teyla assured him that the little boy was better, he didn't quite believe her.

But that wasn't Teyla's shape in his doorway. "Rodney?"

"Who else would it be?"

He sounded exhausted to the point of not knowing exactly what he was doing. Even though he'd answered John's question, it was still debatable that he knew where he was. When he shut the door and shuffled toward the bed, John came to his senses. This wasn't Rodney's room and, if he thought it was, he was going to run into things. Including that pair of jeans that John had shed and just left lying in the middle of the floor. Quickly, so that nothing happened that really would send him running to the hospital, John turned on the bedside light.

"Did you need something?"

"You." It came out in a little sigh that sent a shiver down John's spine. "Figured I owed you for the drink the other night."

"I didn't invite you out to get you into bed. I could have just asked."

"But you didn't." Rodney sat on the edge of the bed to pull off his socks because no shoes were allowed in the house. It was surprising that he'd remembered the rule because even an alert Rodney had trouble with the rule. "Was working late but knew I needed to get some sleep tonight or I'll be crap tomorrow. Can't give Radak the satisfaction of seeing me not at my best."

"This isn't your room. Just letting you know right here at the beginning. Before things get out of hand. Woah! Rodney. You're taking off your pants."

"So do you, if I remember correctly and I know I do because I have an amazing memory. Scoot over."

John wasn't sure what he was expecting Rodney to do in payment for the beer but it definitely wasn't giving him a kiss on the cheek and stealing a pillow. He plumped it up before crawling in under the covers. When John didn't immediately turn off the lights and lay back down, he frowned. "I need my sleep," Rodney reminded him.

"You're going to sleep in my room tonight? Because you don't like my bed. Isn't that what you usually tell me when I invite you to stay?"

Rodney yawned wide enough that his jaw popped. "Just something I said because I hate sleeping in the same bed with someone. That and having to explain why I'm seen coming out of your room in the morning. But it was nice to wake up in the barn with you. Was that yesterday? The day before? I can't remember. Can we go to sleep now?"

While John wanted to argue and, in fact, had his mouth to open to do just that, he decided to let it go. None of this was his fault so if the other man woke up in the morning, irritated, none of it would be John's fault. He'd done everything he could. With a sigh and a mental shrug, he turned the light off and lay down. Almost immediately, Rodney slung one of his arms over John's chest and buried his face in John's shoulder. In minutes, the exhausted scientist was asleep.

It took John considerably more time before he finally fell asleep but it was with a smile on his face. Until this moment, he hadn't known this was something he wanted. Come to my bed had always had much different connotations which he enjoyed sharing with Rodney very much. But this... this was different. This was peace and contentment and perfect after the few days they'd had.


Chapter 9: Still Not the Worst

The police helicopter hovered over the ranch house, it's powerful spotlight highlighting most of the front yard where some of the snow still lingered in graying piles. It had been so warm lately that Teyla had forgotten that it was still only just spring according to the calendar. An odd thing to think at the moment, she realized, as she surveyed the view from her place in the shadows. Ronon was at the other window, hidden in a similar shadow.

"How long since the bomb went off?" she asked in a husky whisper.

"'Bout fifteen minutes. Those cops made good work of getting here. No cops in KC would have responded this quickly. Maybe they don't have as many doughnut shops in the Springs."

That had both Teyla and Amelia giggling, even in the tense moments that had followed the loud explosion from the south pasture. There weren't any cows grazing there at the moment but it was where the main water pump was located. The electricity had been cut not long after that. As a scare tactic, Teyla had seen worse but she was grateful they'd only taken these pot shots to begin with.

"They're such cowards," Amelia whispered from her position in the closet with Torren. The little boy had slept through most of the excitement but it had been a big day for him. Today was his birthday. All the sugar he'd consumed had done quite a number on his little body so that he wasn't going to wake up for anything. Not even the noise if any of the cowboys had to shoot their rifles.

Every employee of the Dotted A was standing in the shadows of a window throughout the house. The barns were all locked up tight but it had long been decided that everything out there could be rebuilt. The house was different. This old place was home to all of them and losing it would be hard. Granted, they'd get through and rebuild with no problem but being homeless was much different than being without a barn or a lab. If things ever became bad, they had taken a vote and decided to protect the house.

Things were bad. Three hours ago, just as the party was winding down, Dusty radioed in. She and Alicia had offered to take part of Markham and Stackhouse's shift so they could come in and have some cake. Because of the switch, the girls decided to run the route backwards instead of spending all the time backtracking over where the guys had already gone so got to the back fence line nearly fifteen minutes early. The dark-colored van was their first indication that something was wrong. Dusty got out her binoculars instead of trying to get any closer to see why there was a vehicle where no vehicle should be. When she saw the cut fence lines, she told Alicia to call in to the house while she got out her cell phone and called the police. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the yard with the same black van on their tail but the rest of the cowboys were ready for them. A few warning shots were fired but none of them were returned.

They were all beginning to wonder if they'd overreacted when the explosion lit up the night. After that, they'd gone to radio silence just in case the infiltrators might have gotten hold of their frequency. Teyla looked down at her phone as it lit up with a text message. These days, the radios were almost technicality anyway.

"John says he will coming up the stairs in five minutes so please don't shoot him." This brought another strained giggle from Amelia but nothing from Ronon. She looked over at him, trying to see some little detail that would give her some indication how he was really handling this. He'd been stoic and funny by turns, something Teyla knew she appreciated because Amelia had a tendency to get intense. Even with everything that was happening, Teyla had the undeniable urge to kiss him.

The thought made her cheeks burn red with embarrassment. Yes, Ronon had become Torren's new favorite playmate but that didn't mean that Ronon liked Torren's mother more than what was proper for a woman he worked with. There were a few moments, especially in those days after Athos died, that he had looked at her as if he might have wanted to give her a kiss but that was completely different than actually doing it.

When this was over, she was going to kiss him. Maybe. No, she was going to do it. Maybe.

This indecision was unlike her. It was also unlike her not to be focused on the power struggle at hand. They'd known that this group of thugs after Ronon wasn't going to stop with simple harassment in a bar. Whatever message they meant to send, they were intent on doing it in a big way. It all just seemed surreal, though. Like something in a movie instead of real life. And the movie-version of Teyla wouldn't be wondering if she should kiss Ronon. She would have already done it in a scripted love scene somewhere back in the middle of the story. Pity real life wasn't like the movies because making love to Ronon was definitely something she was open to.

There she went again, her mind going off to other places instead of staying in the here and now. When she heard John's heavy footsteps coming up the little-used back stairs that led directly to the nursery, Teyla tried to remember how to breath. Between her daydreams and the actuality of the situation, her heart was beating a little fast.

"Everything going okay here?" John whispered from the doorway.

"We could have answered that question by text," Ronon growled. In that moment, he made the first real mistake of the evening as he turned to look at John's position. When Teyla heard the shattering glass, she almost made the mistake of running to him, thus putting herself in the same danger. All her training came rushing forward, stopping her just as she would have moved. Instead, she took a deep breath. "Ronon?"

His string of expletives was more than enough indication that he was alive and fully functioning. "Just a flesh wound. Amelia, you okay?"

"It hit the wall high and the my right so we're fine. Torren's still sleeping."

"Get low and pull that mattress up over you like we talked about."

"What are you thinking?" John was sliding forward on his belly. "Anything I need to let the rest of the guys know about?"

"I'm ending this. Here and now. They want me. They can have me. I won't have them endanger Torren and Teyla like this. Not because of me."

"Ronon, that's-"

"No," he shot back when Teyla would have tried to start an argument. "You've already lost something important to you because of me. Besides, they keep shooting like that and the cops will be able to figure out where they are."

"You've got a point there. Teyla, tell Lorne I'm coming back to down with Ronon."

Instead of arguing, Teyla flipped open her phone and found the keys without even bothering to read what she was writing. As it was, her tears would have kept her from seeing the screen.


Chapter 10: It Ends With a Bang And a Whimper

"You sure about this?"

"Shut up or I'm going alone."

John would have nodded but Ronon wouldn't have seen him in the darkened room. The large windows of the main room were allowing in plenty of light from the police helicopter as it hovered in the air. From time to time, someone got on a bullhorn and tried to calm things down but neither side seemed to care what they had to say. John knew there was a line of police cars at the end of the driveway but there was still a lot of other exits that weren't being covered by anyone other than the helicopter. It made John itch to go get in his own copter and patrol the empty fields. He'd considered that when this all started but he didn't want to hinder the police operation.

Now he wished he'd just done it when he first thought of it. So much for following his gut. He'd been trying to follow what he thought might be the good path all night instead of going with what he felt in that part of him that demanded he act and not think. But that was what he had Ronon around for these days.

Ronon shifted from foot to foot again. "Look, if I don't come back from this, would you do me a favor? Tell Teyla... well, tell her I wish things had been different. That I had been different. She's special. That's all. Tell her she's special."

"Tell her yourself," a feminine voice whispered from behind them. "I decided I can't let you do this without me. I get to have some revenge for Athos, after all."

John let her insinuate herself between the two of them. He couldn't tell if she was pressed up most against Ronon or not. He'd let the two of them work that out between themselves later. Now they had a ranch to save. The plan had been dispatched by text to everyone in the house a few minutes ago. Once everything fell into place, they'd be ready to take this fight to the next level.

"Ready, Rodney?"

"Yep. We alerted the police. The copter will be changing course right... now."

As soon as the room fell into darkness, Rodney started his countdown. At five everyone covered their eyes. As soon as he said one, the sky lit up with an even more brilliant light than the paltry bomb the thugs had used to take out their watershed. In the next instant, windows all over the house were taken out with rifle butts or, in Radak's case, a very heavy book. For fifteen straight seconds, every single rifle began firing straight out from their position.

In the silence after that show of force, Ronon roared, "Still want me?"

The answer was a single shot from the same direction the original one had come from. "Are they really that stupid?" Rodney asked but everyone knew he wasn't expecting an answer. John gave him a final pat on the shoulder before running back through the house toward the mud room door. It was the only goodbye he'd get if this all went south.

This time, when the Dotted A responded back, they only shot toward the direction that single shot had come from. John, Ronon and Teyla ran out into the darkened yard without the help of any light other than the stars. John's phone beeped and they silently counted down to fifteen again. This time, when the world shivered into brightness from Rodney's percussion bombs, they ran flat out for the fence. When they were in position, John pressed a few buttons on his phone. Several shadows moved in beside them.

"Sir?"

"Told you not to call me that, Bates. I'm not in uniform anymore."

"Doesn't matter. On this op, you're my CO once again. I get to call you sir all I want to." There was muffled laughter from the other Special Operations team that had gathered in the field.

"I can't believe you were in the military," Ronon muttered. "What don't you do?"

"He can't play poker. This guy blushes whenever he gets a good hand."

"Which is why I don't play any more. Can we get on with it?"

The camouflaged military group tightened in around the ranchers. "Wish you would have let us do this alone, sir. I don't like the idea of going in there with civilians."

Ronon cocked his gun with a resounding click. "Then don't think of us as civilians. I would have preferred doing this on my own."

"Which is exactly why I pulled in some favors and got you some back up, Chewy."

This produced more laughter that soon lapsed into silence as they followed the course that John and Lorne had discussed with Bates. When they were in place, John clicked open his phone once again. For everyone's benefit he began a quiet countdown. "Five... four... three... two... one."

The world around them exploded with the sound of renewed gun fire that went on for fifteen seconds yet again. Even before the countdown had finished, answering gun fire came from just to the right of John's position. There was a brief nod between Bates and one of his men and half the group broke off to form a semi-circle cover around the bad guys.

The helicopter flew overhead, snapping on its light to pinpoint the area where it was assumed that the whole of the opposing group was holed up. As hiding places went, it was good cover. A natural hill with some bushes that Elizabeth had decided to let grow because she thought they were pretty. Everyone had humored her but they'd also known that if there was ever trouble, that was most likely the one place they knew they could look for it. Sure enough, this group of city boys thought the same thing.

"This is the Colorado State Police Department. Put your hands in the air," the voice blared from the helicopter.

One of the men lifted his gun and shot into the air, as if he thought he was in a movie and could actually hit it at that distance. Before he'd even had a chance to put his gun down, Ronon lifted his gun and got out his own shot. The other man's gun went spiraling into the darkness as he screamed.

"Shit. I was aiming for his shoulder."

"If you would allow me?" Bates asked, taking up a position to take out the next one. Sure enough, the voice from the helicopter boomed out it's warning once again. This time, a hand with a raised finger came out into the light. This man didn't have time to scream when his hand disappeared in a spray of red.

"Give up, you lunatics," John muttered.

As if they heard him and wanted to make sure he knew they weren't going to be surrendering, several gun barrels came into view. The full force of the team of sharp shooters hit them before they ever got off a real shot. John was pretty sure he got at least one but he couldn't be sure. At a signal from Bates, they ceased their activity and the man in the helicopter gave them another chance.

This time, nothing happened. The helicopter cut the light and a few of the military team went in with headlamps to ferret out any survivors from the covered position. There was no one alive when they got there.


Chapter 11: All's Well In the End

On Torren's next birthday, everyone was a little leery of getting together in a group to celebrate. They'd spent the last year recuperating from what had been a doozy of a year. Half their horses died from the virus but Carson and several other local vets were able to keep it from spreading to any other ranches. It took nearly three weeks to get the water pump working again but it kept ceasing up when there was too much rain which, that year, there was.

The day after the gun fight, it started raining and didn't quit for nearly two months. After that, it was one bad thing after another. Torren fell down the stairs and knocked out one of his teeth. Dusty drove one of the work trucks into a deep rut and broke the axle. Markham went to a rodeo, got thrown by a bull after two seconds and then got his leg stomped on when he tried to be a hero about getting away from the angry animal. Elizabeth had a few run-ins with the original financial backers she'd used when she first started the ranch and spent more than few days in court.

There were also good things that happened. Bates became a regular around the ranch for awhile until Lorne finally got a clue and proposed to Amelia. They had a small wedding at the ranch and then went on their honeymoon, opting to spend a week at the small hotel in Colby they used on their way back from Kansas City instead of going somewhere exotic. Dusty was put in charge of buying a new truck to replace the one she damaged and came home with a girlfriend, the banker who had helped push through the financing. Everyone had always assumed that Dusty was dating Alicia but she took up with Bates about the same time so, in that regard, everyone seemed to be pretty content.

On the day after Torren's party, Teyla began the task of cleaning out the little boy's closet. He watched as she began folding clothes into different piles. "Momma, why can't I keep that shirt? I like it very much."

"I know you do, love. There's just not enough room for all the new things we're getting."

"But I don't fit in those shirts, either." He pointed to the pile of tiny clothes that were piled on the other side of his mother, acting as if they were flithy instead of brand new, some of them still sporting the tags just in case they didn't fit.

"No, you don't. Those aren't for you. Those are for your new little brother."

Torren screwed up his face as he did every time those words were put into play. "I don't want a little brother. I want a kitten."

"You have a kitten," she reminded him. "Ronon got you one last week."

"Yes, but I don't want a little brother and a kitten. Only the kitten."

Teyla laughed as she patted her protruding stomach. "That is too bad, Torren John, because he will be coming to live with us very soon. You get to help pick his name, remember? I thought you liked the one that Ronon picked out?"

"Mama?" He laid his head on Teyla's shoulder, encircling her shoulders with his thin arms. "I like Ronon. He can stay. But not this new brother."

"Heads up," John shouted from the stairway. "Heavy furniture on its way up."

This got Torren's attention. His new bed was finally finished and ready to be set up next to the crib that would be set up for the new baby. He danced around the two men as they carried it into the room and set it down in the corner that had been painted a vibrant orange, Torren's new favorite color. It was a strange combination with the original green color of the room but it made the little boy happy to have his own space so his mother was ready to humor him a little. For his age, he was taking news of the new baby well and there was still news that he needed to be told. Teyla was leery of springing too much on him at once so she'd held back.

When he was settled into his bed, the new Lightning McQueen sheets clashing cheerfully with the walls, Teyla set down heavily beside him and took his hand. Ronon still stood in the doorway, not sure of his welcome just yet.

"Love, you mentioned that you wanted Ronon to stay." She waited for Torren to stop nodding his head up and down. "How would you feel if he was also your new daddy?"

"Really?" His little eyes were as wide as they could possibly be. "My very own daddy?"

Ronon shrugged, a little taken aback by the excitement the boy was showing at this new idea. "Well, yours and your new brothers."

This caused him to think for a bit. "Will you be sure to tell him that you were my daddy first?"

While Ronon had always tried not to laugh outright at anything Torren said, he couldn't hold back this time. He knelt beside the bed, taking the little hands in his much bigger ones. "Sure thing, buddy. I'll make sure he knows just as soon as he decides to come visit us."

"Which could be very soon," Teyla cautioned, wincing just a bit as she had for the last few hours.

It was actually not for three more days, giving Torren plenty of time to tell everyone who would listen that he was getting a new daddy before his brother was. When he finally visited the new baby in the hospital, his hand securely in his Uncle John's, he laid down the law with the new addition. "We get to share our daddy but I won't share my new bed. Well, not yet. You can't sleep on it yet. But... maybe later. If you don't cry much," he added hastily when the baby screwed up his face as if he might protest those rules.

Teyla shared a smile with the three men that surrounded the bed. Her family was safe and healthy and complete. To ask for anything more would be tempting fate and Teyla had been through plenty of that in the last year. For now, she was content.

Comments

[cesare]

I liked how you picked up details of the image like John holding a book and Teyla pictured with a horse, and incorporated them into the story as major aspects of their characters, and the image of Torren and Ronon bonding was sweet. Thanks for sharing!

[danceswithgary]

Interesting collection of characters on a modern ranch! :-D

[runpunkrun]

I really liked Teyla in this.

Also this: "It's very sexy to have to be careful where I kiss you." Hee!

[omg_wtf_yeah]

Lovely AU. Love the details you incorporated from the artwork, John and Rodney's banter, and of course Teyla and Ronon's new family! :)