Fragile Lives

Chapter 24

They walked on in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. It was far too early to voice anything just yet anyway. More facts were needed before they could draw any conclusions. The further they ventured into the main community the livelier the place became. It seemed the heat didn't deter people from having a good time as the evening entertainment appeared to start early. Taverns and eating houses were plentiful. Music and laughter spilled into the street along with the smoke from various substances which John didn't like to think about. Added to the aroma of cooked meats and spices, the end result wasn't unpleasant. It made them both feel a bit peckish but apart from the fact they had none of the local currency, there simply wasn't time to stop and eat. They had a mission to fulfil so they ignored it all and moved on. Luckily no one else bothered them as if seeing two complete strangers was an everyday occurrence.

The taverns and other low lying buildings eventually thinned out until the last abode came into sight, if you could call it a house. In fact it looked more like a small dome sticking up out of the sand. The other buildings had been rustic red like the sandy soil but this dome building was a dirty grey stone colour. As they approached, John could see that the actual home was probably in the ground, making him believe he really was on Tatoonine. Who could have guessed how close to the truth George Lucas had been. But there the Universe was full of infinite possibilities.

They moved to stand near the edge of a dugout, oval shaped hole. It wasn't very deep, probably no more than twelve feet. Carved into the walls were what looked like water troughs and the sandy soil around the troughs was marked with multiple footprints. As John glanced over the edge he could just make out a strange looking animal keeping well in the shade along one wall. The thing appeared to have longish hair and short legs. John moved a little further around the edge until the shaded wall came into full view and there were at least twenty of the creatures lying quietly or munching their way through some rough looking grasses. They definitely weren't bovine and the ground dwelling definitely wasn't for human habitation unless she liked sleeping with the creatures.

"I think I've just found the Goads." John announced. Teyla had stayed where she was, not looking into the hole at all but at the small doom building where John could now see a woman standing in the doorway pointing a gun their way. It was difficult to determine her age as her dark skin was heavily weathered by the sun and her hair bleached almost white. John guessed she wasn't as old as she looked. She was even shorter than Teyla in stature but that didn't mean she was harmless as a look of distrust marked her face.

John quickly moved back to Teyla and held up his hands. "We're not armed," Which wasn't exactly true but the woman didn't need to know that. "Are you Fremia Pat'an?"

The woman waved the gun in the air. "What is it to you stranger?"

"We've come to talk business but if you're not her then…" John began to walk away.

"All right, I am she. Now what business do you want to discuss?"

John glanced at Teyla. She was fanning her face with a small piece of paper and looking really hot and flustered. He felt the same and very thirsty, too. "May we go into the shade or someplace cooler than out here? My wife is feeling a bit overwhelmed by the heat."

"How do I know I can trust you? You may steal my Goads? Who are you anyway?"

John put on his best and most trusting smile. "My name's Han and this is Leia," he said pointing to Teyla. "Believe me we are not interested in stealing any of your Goads. We're just here to talk business for our boss Ehram Lanbar." He'd taken a gamble, hoping that she knew the dead trafficker personally.

The woman looked irritated. "That good for nothing fraud never paid me my dues. You had better come into my home and tell me what you are really here for."

John let Teyla go in first, she had no problem entering but he had to stoop low to get through the small doorway. Inside, the building was surprisingly cool and spacious with the minimum of furnishings so as not to overcrowd the tiny room. Once again it reminded John of North African abodes. Brightly coloured cloth and cushions gave the little seating area a homely feel. It seemed most of her needs were served only by one room. Over on one wall a shelf-like alcove appeared to be her sleeping area, once again it was covered with bright blankets. Against the opposite wall stood a simple solid fuel burning stove and above hung a variety of cooking utensils. Only one other door appeared to lead into another room. John guessed it to be the washroom. Despite the room's apparent cleanliness and care, he couldn't imagine raising a child in such a small area. Yet who was he to judge having been born into a house of wealth and luxury.

Fremia instructed them to sit. A few minutes later she provided them with a much needed glass of cool water, which tasted surprisingly good. They thanked her and got down to business.

"So how much does Lanbar still owe you?" John asked.

The woman looked perplexed. "Well you should know if he sent you."

Teyla spoke up. "He only told us with speak to you. No amount was mentioned."

Fremia raised her gun and started to back away from them. "So you have come here to kill me."

John held up both hands. "We're here to do no such thing. Now please lower your gun and sit down then tell us all about the deal you made with him. Then we can sort things out. Ok?"

Hesitantly, Fremia slowly lowered the gun and moved to the bench seat, although she sat well away from them and kept her gun by her side. "What do you want from me then?"

"The little girl you gave to Lanbar was she your daughter?" Teyla asked gently.

"Once again you should know that. Who are you really?"

John sighed and held up his hand in a pleading gesture. "Just tell us about the child and we'll tell you everything after that. I promise."

Fremia looked at them questioningly. "Very well. However, I do not think you are Lanbar's people. If you are law keepers I have done nothing wrong as far as the laws of this planet goes."

"Was she your daughter?" Teyla asked again.

"I may have told Lanbar that but it was not the whole true. I was protecting someone else." Fremia went silent after that.

"Please tell us about her. I can assure you we have nothing to do with this planet or its laws." Teyla quietly pleaded.

The woman looked at them and must have seen they were being honest for her, she nodded. "Well you certainly do not come from around here with your pretty faces and pale skin, at least his is. Now you must understand we have to enforce very strict codes of conduct in order to survive this harsh environment. We stay close to the Ancestors' ring so that we may trade but despite that food and water are still very precious commodities. We have deep wells but at the hottest times of the year they can run low. So our population is strictly controlled. Our beliefs dictate that a united couple may have no more than two children. To have a child out of union is not permitted and looked upon with great scorn."

John lent forward. "By united or union you mean husband and wife?"

"Yes, I suppose that is what you could call them, although we do not use those terms. Our beliefs even forbid intimate contact before union. The girl I protected was very young and foolish. She met a man from another world and claimed to fall in love with him. They meet in secret during the few times he came to trade here and he even promised that they would be joined in union. The foolish girl believed him. She was so infatuated by him. Then one day he simply stated that he would not be returning to Kaluna again because his wife and children needed him at home. It left her broken hearted as she came to realise he had just used her for his own pleasure."

Fremia looked down at her hands for a few seconds before continuing. "A few months later, she realised that she was with child. Naturally, she feared the people's wrath and as she had no family to support her she came to me for help. I have contacts on other worlds where I trade my Goads and I arranged for her to stay with them until the babe was born. Sadly, the birth did not go well as the attending healer was incompetent. She died of fever a few days after giving birth and I was left with the child. I am a widow and I did not want the responsibility of raising a baby on my own. Although I had to bring her here until other arrangements could be made. I made up a story for the elders, telling them that she was a child of an off-world friend who had died and would be living with me only for a very short time until a new family could be found. If I had not told them that I would have been banished and my life here at an end. It may seem hard to you but I love tending my Goads and I had no desire to find a new husband."

"Did the elders not enquire after the young girl?" Teyla asked.

"No they believed she had gone looking for a better life elsewhere and would not return. That was the story they were told." Fremia looked down at her hands again and whispered. "Having the babe here was hard work as tending the Goads is a full time job. Then one day Sukie crawled away and fell down into the Goad pit when I was not looking. She survived the fall with only a few bruises and thankfully the Goads left her alone but I quickly realised she could not stay with me any longer. She deserved a better place than this harsh planet. Also the elders kept asking me when the child would leave. Then I met someone while trading on Delka who said he could help me find a good family for Sukie and that I would receive a sum of money for my trouble."

That sounds like Deelan or even Ehram Lanbar himself. John gave her a reassuring smile. "What happened after that?"

"A woman turned up a while later and handed me a few coins with a promise of more once Sukie was settled with a new family. She took the child and that was the last I heard from anyone. Even my contact was gone when I tried to find him again."

John looked at Teyla and smiled, here was hope for them yet. He cleared his throat. "Okay, I think we can tell you the truth now. My real name is John Sheppard and this is Teyla Emmagan of Athos. It's a long story but the baby girl ended up with us."

"So you are Sukie's new family?"

Teyla smiled at her. "Not exactly. However like John said, it is very complicated."

"Did you have any idea that Lanbar may have been a child trafficker, a dealer?" John said trying not to show malice as he was sure Fremia had been ignorant of the full facts.

Fremia looked down at her hands again, only this time with a look of shame. "I did not know at first, only later I had my suspicions when he failed to honour our agreement. I did not want much money for the babe, only a small payment for the care I had given her. I should not have handed her over as eagerly as I did as later I feared she had ended up in a bad place. Now you tell me she is with you. You look like good people, so I hope she is safe."

Teyla looked at her honestly. "I can assure you she is doing fine and is very happy with us."

"Yeah as Teyla said, she is happy now. There are a few things we ought to discuss before we leave. I can't promise you payment but maybe we can help you in other ways. However, first of all we need to know something about the father as he has a right to know."

Fremia shook her head. "You need not worry about him. I stumbled upon him during a trading trip and I even showed him the babe as she was with me. He said he did not want anything to do with the child as he already had seven others to care for and he doubted she was his anyway. I believe he feared that he would lose his wife if the truth came out. He left shortly after that and I have not seen him since and he does not come here to trade anymore."

John looked at Teyla. They didn't need words for what they were both thinking. "Okay, we have to ask this. Although you weren't the child's legal guardian, do have you anything against us adopting her."

"Well as long as you give her a good home and keep her safe, then not at all."

"We can promise you that, Fremia. I already have a son who is just a little older than the child. They are very content together."

John wouldn't exactly describe their little squabbles as contentment but Teyla was right they already acted like normal siblings. They hadn't told Fremia anything about their home yet and he wondered what her reaction would be to that piece of news. "There is some other information you should know. Firstly Lanbar and his brother are no longer a treat to any child. I personally saw to that."

"I am very pleased to hear it. Although I did not know anything about their dealings at the time, the woman who came for Sukie assured me that she would go to a good family."

"That's where the long story comes in." John began. "I won't bore you all the details but let's just say for a little while she was with a good family. Unfortunately a sickness took them all and the rest of the community. The baby was left alone for a very short time until luckily we happened to find her. We've taken care of her ever since and she's doing fine now."

"And she never got sick?"

"She did not." Teyla assured.

John smiled before getting back to facts. "There's something else we should tell you and that's where we reside. Do you know about Atlantis?"

"I most certainly do, it is the great city of the Ancestors. There are stories of people from another galaxy living there. I do not really believe it."

John smiled again and shook his head. "Teyla is an Athosian and is a very important member of our community on Atlantis. She has helped me and my people a great deal since we arrived from that other galaxy called the Milky Way. I'm the military commander there."

That was a lot for Fremia to take in. She thought about it for a moment. "I never thought I would meet an alien from another galaxy. Yet you look just like us."

John nearly laughed at that. "I'm as human as you and Teyla. The Ancients spread human life throughout both galaxies. I'm from a planet called Earth, which was once home to the Ancestors or Ancients as we call them."

Fremia spoke with awe. "Then you are truly the inheritors of Atlantis."

Teyla quickly spoke up before John could dispute it. "Not all people happened to agree. The Genii for instance do not but John and a few others like him carry the gene that allows them to interact with the wonderful technology left behind by the Ancestors."

John dismissed it out of hand. "That's not important and doesn't make me any better than anyone else."

Fremia looked at him seriously, "Whatever you say, John Sheppard. However you seem to be a man of great kindness and importance, so you will make a good father for Sukie. Have you two been joined in union?"

That was the question Teyla had been hoping she wouldn't ask. "Our beliefs and customs are different from yours Fremia. The main thing is that we love each other and the children. And I know that John will do anything he can to keep us safe, as will I for him and the children."

"Then you have my blessing. I ask only one thing that I may see Sukie one day."

John nodded. "I'm sure we can arrange that. I should tell you that she goes by another name these days as we had no idea what she was called. We named her after two people who were very special to us. One was a great leader who kept us all alive and hopeful despite our many problems during the first few years. Unfortunately, apart from the Wraith we encountered another enemy that proved overwhelming at first. She gave her life saving me, my team and everyone else on Atlantis, which allowed us to eventually defeat them. The second person was a very wise and important Athosian. A close mentor of Teyla's in her youth. We felt it only fitting that the little one should be called after them, so she goes by the name of Elizabeth Charin. Shortened to Beth most times as that's easier."

Fremia smiled. "That is a lovely name and an excellent reason. Far better than the one I gave her as that was the name of my favoured Goad. It died before Sukie, I mean Beth, was even born." Just as she said that a loud bellowing noise reached their ears from deep beneath them. Fremia immediately got up. "That is my call to duty as it is feeding time."

"Could we take a look at your Goad or do they scare easily?"

"Most certainly, John, as long as you and Teyla stay back a little and do not make any aggressive moves."

She led them through the other door. The one John thought was a washroom. Instead it opened onto a long slopping corridor with steps cut directly into the sandstone. If there was a washroom or even toilet it certainly wasn't here. The narrow corridor continued on until they reached another wooden door. Fremia opened it and they found themselves face to face with a sea of woolly faces all begging for food once they saw their owner.

The animals looked something like a cross between a sheep and a goat only they had quite large eyes and long woolly coats. Surprising considering the climate.

John waited until Fremia had finished feeding them before asking in a quiet voice so as not to scare them. "Are these animals native to this planet?"

"No, they come from the trading planet of Xhari. They normally live in high, wet regions. I am the only one who has successfully managed to keep them here. They provide fresh milk and cheese to people who desire it. And as I mentioned before I sometimes trade them off-world, especially when I need extra supplies." She led them over to a small enclosure carved into one wall. "I also breed them very successfully as you can see."

"Oh they are lovely." Teyla commented taking in the ten or so fluffy, adorably cute young ones.

John nodded his agreement and turned away before the women saw he was not that smitten. He preferred dogs or horses anyway. "Well, we'd better leave you to it," he announced. "Thank you for everything and we'll get in touch regarding your compensation and seeing Beth. Oh and please don't talk about us being from Atlantis to anyone else. Ok?"

"I understand and do not worry as far as my people are concerned the babe was already placed with a family to good time ago."

It seemed Fremia wasn't that trusting as she followed them back up the stairs. They said their final goodbyes and headed into the evening dusk.

They arrived at the DHD just as the sun's last rays spread across the sandy desert landscape. In its own way it had a certain beauty being cast in bright reds, yellow and even gold. They stopped for a minute to take in its magnificent splendour.

Teyla sensed that John was nervous as he had been unusually quiet once they had left the small town behind. "Are you not happy about being able to keep Beth?"

John turned to her and smiled, "Maybe a little apprehensive about the responsibilities of fatherhood but never happier." He took her hand. "You know how I am with words. I…err…I've been thinking about what Fremia said about union. Well…I...actually thought a lot about it before then but…. Do you mean what you said to Fremia that it didn't matter that we've made no formal marriage yet?"

"Yes, John. I am happy to take time. I had no formal commitment to Kanaan and I do not expect that from you at this time." Teyla thought hard about her next words. "It does not mean that I do not want to be with you. I love you with all my heart. You are my soul mate and I hope to grow old with you. Ancestors willing."

John turned his face away and Teyla thought she saw some moisture in his eyes. He turned back a moment later and squeezed her hand. "I feel the same but one day I want to make that commitment to you. Maybe not in an Earth ceremony like Rodney and Jennifer's but Athosian?"

"I would be honoured when the time is right. For us a ceremonial union is a commitment made only when the couple feel they are truly ready and have been together for a number of years. As I understand it, the trend is going that way in certain lands on Earth."

John nodded. "Yeah, it's quite common these days for couples to live together for a few years before getting married, especially in some European countries. Although that's got a lot to do with personal beliefs, I mean some religious people and their families totally disapprove of such an action. So you're saying we should find a larger apartment, live together as a family and see how things go?"

Teyla nodded and reached up to kissed him. "It does not mean I think our relationship will ever end. Only I need more time and so do you before a formal commitment. However it would never change the way I feel about you."

"Yeah, I just want you to be happy, give you security and be there for you and the children no matter what."

Teyla nodded again and they shared another kiss before John dialled in the coordinates. "Let's go home."

John entered the event horizon feeling somehow slightly relieved. As much as he loved Teyla, the idea of marrying again made him feel very nervous indeed, and if he were truly honest with himself, worried that it wouldn't work out just like it didn't with Nancy. On the other hand things were very different this time around. For one thing he was older and hopefully wiser than the young man who had rushed into marriage back then. Now he had time to grow into it and if it worked well between them, then he would most certainly make a formal commitment to the woman he truly loved.

The End?

Writers note.

This is where I originally intended to end the story. Then a few weeks back I thought I'd include a few more chapters set in the future, including a bit of whump. Now I'm not so sure whether to continue or not as the response to the last few chapters has dwindled somewhat. I'm also getting close to my holiday so haven't so much time. I've learned one thing from this story and that's Sheppard whump is slightly more popular than romance or so it seems. So if I ever write SGA again in the future I will definitely be whumping poor John. (I can just see Joe Flanigan's look of horror). Anyway, if I don't post anymore then thank you so much for all the feedback, the alerts and the favourites. A special thanks to warshipShepp, guest 64 and guest for your reviews, sorry I couldn't thank you personally. It's been great posting. It just makes me a little sad that Atlantis is long gone and the interest in SGA fanfiction has declined so much, except for a faithful few like you guys. Please let me know if you'd like the extra chapters, which I've nearly written and would be only too happy to post.

P.S.

Thanks for the great feedback. After reading your comments I've decided to go with RaySkywalker's suggestion and make a new story out of the chapters I've started. That way I can fill it out with more whump and romance than I had. Can't guarantee when that will be as I'm off on holiday in just over a weeks time but have no fear I will be writing again in the near future. Thanks again and long live SGA!