The Long Way Home

Chapter Eighty Eight: Strangers & Lovers

No cares in the world didn't have a plan
I turned around and I caught his eye
He made me lose my concentration

Basement Jaxx – Oh My Gosh

The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind was the only sound that Ronon paid attention to as he stood in the centre of the quiet forest simply listening to nature taking it's course. It was rare that he got to be alone in such an expansive area and he enjoyed being here, it had become home during those seven long years he had been on the run from the Wraith but now he had his own place, his own safe haven.

Yet the forest still held a special compartment in his heart, he had learned to camp, hunt and fish in the woods and they always gave him a sense of comfort. He was in tune with this space, when something was strange he knew it, just like he did now.

It was whilst following Sheppard's request to check the camp's security that Ronon had noticed that there had been some activity to and from the forest. It had piqued his curiosity and Ronon knew that this meant something. He could see that there was something larger at work but he struggled to make sense of it.

There had been footprints in the small clearing he was standing in. They were older than the previous batch, the other ones were a few days old at best. Two men he thought from the sizes, their meetings had been regular, one coming from somewhere deep in the forest and the other from the encampment. There were signs of other people here too but that hadn't lasted long according to the drag marks that slipped deep into the recesses of this place. It wouldn't take long for scavengers to rifle through the remains, there would be nothing left but bones if they found the graves at all.

Ronon's ears pricked at the sound of twig snapping in the distance. Whoever it was, was close by. He had been distracted by his thoughts and he was kicking himself for that. Ronon's hand crept down to the weapon he carried in the holster attached to his hip. His large fingers curled around the grip before he tore it from it's leather bindings and pointing it directly at the tree line. His thumb flicked it to stun as he focused on the target as it made it's way through the dense under grow.

It was the same woman Ronon had seen back at the encampment, the one that had filled him with curious fascination. Her small hands were raised on either side of her head in a gesture of surrender as she stepped into the clearing meeting his evergreen eyes with her own dark ones. There was interest in her gaze and deep down he could sense fear radiating from her as well as resolution. That was odd, he had never been able to feel something from another person so abundantly before. In fact it was more than that, he could feel her presence as if it was somewhere hidden amongst the essence of his being.

"What are you doing here?" Ronon asked her gruffly, his aim not faltering.

Every instinct in his body was telling him to put his weapon down but he ignored them. She was still a threat and there was something badly wrong when something inside of him was saying otherwise.

"I've been looking for this place for a while." the woman told him, her tone conversational as she indicated towards the trees.

Her voice was upbeat, cheerful even as she spoke. There was something inside of him that wanted to bound out and play, she brought out a side of him that he thought had been massacred over the past seven years. The fact that it was back so forcefully put him completely on edge.

"Why?" Ronon responded, tilting his head as he tried to scramble the pieces together.

It was important that he didn't lose focus, all these feelings were bubbling up inside of him and Ronon didn't like it one bit. Things were slotting into place as he stared at her trying to work out what the hell was going on. He wasn't used to feeling like this. Completion was something that he could only dream about but when he looked at this woman he thought he saw a deity and that wasn't to be trusted.