Title: Sin of Omission

Summary: Some things just won't stay buried. Teyla, Ronon, Sheppard (Some Shep/Teyla, of course)

Spoilers: Season 2, Trinity

Rating: PG-13 for some language and violence

Disclaimer: I think we all know that I don't own "Stargate: Atlantis." I'm just playing with them.

Note: Thanks to Alli for beta reading this mess. :)

Note 2: Yeah, it's a WIP. I think there will be six parts to this. I'm not finished, but I'm close.

Part One

The worst moments of your life were always the ones that stuck around. The happy memories occasionally showed up to remind you of a time when your life didn't suck. The bad ones tended to linger, playing like a movie reel over and over to show you what an asshole you were and how every thing that had gone wrong in your life was completely your own fault.

If it was something you would rather forget -- losing your brother as a boy, watching your friends die in Afghanistan, killing your C.O. before a Wraith can finish sucking the life out of him -- you could bet it'd be the special feature playing in your mind every time you let your guard down or your attention wander.

Memories were a bitch.

Sheppard once saw a movie where a guy had his memory erased to get rid of all traces of an ex-girlfriend. The movie hadn't been that bad, but John couldn't help but think that if a crappy relationship was the worst thing you had in your memories, you were damn lucky and should just suck it up.

John had some really horrible memories pretty much on constant replay, but every one of them now took a back seat to the vision before him.

In the dim room, the flashlight on his P90 illuminated the unnaturally still form of his teammate and friend Teyla Emmagen, arms bound behind her. The light showed dried blood and bruising on her face, neck and arms, and her shirt was ripped open in the front.

"Teyla?" he whispered, in case Ronon hadn't been able to take out all the guards.

She didn't answer.

He studied Teyla, finally realizing why her stillness was so unnerving.

She wasn't breathing.

Two days earlier

"I'm telling you, she has a thing for me!"

"McKay, I'm telling you, she can't stand you," Sheppard said. "Not that I blame her."

"It's chemistry, Colonel," McKay said, smirking. "I'm sorry if you don't understand that, but --"

"Oh, I understand chemistry, all right," Sheppard said. "But you and Malena? Don't have it."

"I suppose you think she's madly in love with you, Captain Kirk!" McKay yelped.

Teyla exchanged a glance with Ronon, who rolled his eyes. These two could argue for days, never coming around to a point. Clearly, they both enjoyed it, or they wouldn't have been arguing nonstop since the team stepped through the gate twenty minutes before.

"She hates you both," Ronon said, speeding up to push past Sheppard and McKay. "She tried to climb into my bed last time we were here."

Sheppard and McKay looked back at Teyla. She just shrugged and followed Ronon.

She could hear the argument resuming behind them.

"Is that true?" she asked Ronon quietly. "About Malena?"

"Yeah," he answered, glancing back at Sheppard and McKay. "Found her totally naked in my room."

"You did not ...?"

"Not my type. Why? You jealous?" he grinned wolfishly at her.

Teyla punched him in the arm, hard enough that he winced. Though Atlantis was filled with rumors that the two of them were in a relationship, in truth Ronon reminded her of a cousin she had been close to as a girl. Jace had been as a brother to her, and she was beginning to feel the same way about Ronon. He could irritate her to the point of violence at one moment, and the next he could be the only person who truly understood her. They were both outsiders in Atlantis, but they stayed because they saw in the people from Earth the best chance for defeating the Wraith.

"I do not wish these negotiations to be ruined by you bedding the leader's favorite daughter," she said.

Ronon smirked. "Might get a better deal if I bedded the leader's favorite daughter," he said, jumping aside to avoid her fist this time.

Ronon was a fast learner.

Cirsla was a large, bustling city, located a short distance from the Stargate. Though much of the city was underground, there was enough activity aboveground to make the back of Teyla's neck itch. The place should have been a beacon for the Wraith, yet Councilor Doram claimed the city had not faced attack in decades. The youngest Cirslans thought the Wraith to be scary bedtime stories parents invented simply to frighten them.

It made Teyla antsy.

Dr. McKay believed Cirsla was protected by a shield, a cloak like the 'jumpers had; he theorized that that was the reason the city was built at a distance from the Stargate. If the Wraith came through the Stargate, they would see nothing but a forest. So far the Cirslans had not chosen to reveal their secret to the Atlanteans. Dr. Weir felt that forming a good trading relationship with the people of Cirsla would help to strengthen the trust between the two peoples. She had planned to come to the negotiations herself, but she had become ill at the last minute.

"Ronon!"

Teyla held back a laugh as the small blonde came hurtling down the wide stairs at the end of the path, heading straight for her teammate.

"It seems she missed you," she hissed under her breath, smiling at Malena.

Ronon growled.

Malena somehow managed to stop herself before she crashed into Ronon, skidding to a halt right in front of him before shooting a suspicious look Teyla's way. "Teyla Emmagen," she said stiffly.

Teyla resisted the urge to roll her eyes, something she seemed to do often since coming to Atlantis. "Malena Doram, it is nice to see you again," she said evenly. With a glance at her teammate, she could not help but add, "Ronon has talked of nothing but you since we left Cirsla. Perhaps you two would wish to speak alone?"

Ronon shot her a look of death but allowed a now-beaming Malena to take his arm. "Wonderful!" Malena said. "I have something I must tell you -- privately -- anyway."

"I am sure," Teyla muttered.

"Pardon?"

"I said, I will wait here," Teyla replied quickly. "For Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay. We will meet you at the conference building in a short while."

Malena looked thrilled, Ronon less so.

Teyla managed to hold her laughter until after they reached the top of the steps and headed into the city.

"Where's Ronon?" Sheppard asked, as soon as he and McKay caught up to where Teyla was waiting.

"Malena stole him away," Teyla said, falling into step with her teammates.

John chuckled. "McKay ... what is that phrase? Oh yeah -- I told you so."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Rodney didn't sound very amused. "OK, so I know i nothing /i about women. I admit it!"

Teyla wondered why she had bothered to wait.

Then John turned to her. "Teyla, you got a tape recorder?" he asked, sending her a grin that warmed her from the inside out.

He is not for you, Teyla reminded herself for the thousandth time. He is your teammate and your leader.

But she had answered her own question. A smile like that was worth waiting for.

The negotiations were going well. Half an hour into their talks, however, Teyla began to worry about Ronon.

Certainly, the meeting was going more smoothly without him around to interfere. It was difficult enough to keep Dr. McKay from offending someone most of the time, but Ronon had a knack for upsetting the delicate balance of a negotiation.

Brutal honesty did not always work well in such situations.

Still, Teyla hoped that Ronon was not off somewhere ruining their negotiations from a distance. He had said Malena wasn't his preferred type of woman, but it was Teyla's experience that men could easily be persuaded to change their minds on such matters.

Councilor Doram had apparently not noticed the absence of his oldest daughter or the fourth member of Sheppard's team, and Teyla hoped he would not notice at all.

A few minutes later, Ronon barged into the conference room, giving the councilor a nod of apology and dropping into the seat next to Teyla. She glanced over at him. His face was completely blank, but there was something wrong. She could feel it.

The meeting continued, but Teyla became more and more distracted by Ronon. He wasn't speaking, or fidgeting as he usually did. He sat completely still, staring at the table.

John had noticed that there was something off about him, too, if the questioning look he gave her was any indication. She just shrugged in response. Ronon Dex was as much a mystery to her as he was to anybody else.

"Maybe we could take a break," John suggested.

"Excellent idea!" Councilor Doram said, clapping his hands together as everyone stood. "I will show you the collection of ancient swords I told you of last time. You seemed eager to view it."

Sheppard glanced at Teyla and Ronon but found himself being pulled out of the conference room by the eager councilor. Dr. McKay muttered something about idiots and sharp objects and followed them.

"Ronon?" Teyla began, grabbing his arm. "Are you unwell?"

He looked around the room suspiciously, then tugged on her arm to get her to follow him. Not speaking a word and ignoring her questions, he led her out of the conference room, outside and into an empty stable across the street from the Meeting Hall.

"What is wrong?" Teyla asked, exasperated.

"Remember Kell?" Ronon eyed the stable as he spoke, as though someone was going to jump out of a stall and attack them.

Kell. How could she forget? She had thought she was doing Ronon a kindness by arranging a meeting between Ronon and his former Task Master. Instead, she had been a party to an assassination. Perhaps a just one, but no matter his crimes, Teyla did not take the man's death lightly.

She sighed. "I remember. What about him?"

Ronon paced the stable. "He had family. A son, just a few years younger than me. He's been here, looking for me."

"He wants to avenge his father." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, and, Teyla ... he was looking for you, too."

tbc