The Long Way Home

Chapter Eighty Nine: Hope

Our hearts don't lie (the feeling),
We just can't hide (When it's right),
So don't waste my time (Boy believe me),
Our hearts don't lie (Oh woh

Gabriella Cilmi – Hearts Don't Lie

She was called Hope and just like the word she lit up everything inside Ronon, awakening emotions that he had never felt before. His heart was singing with joy and his soul... Well he never really believed in souls until he met her. It was ridiculous that he should feel this way so quickly. At first he'd thought it was some kind of pheromone effecting him the same way when Lucius had come to Atlantis but this was different.

That chemical Lucius had used had descended on his mind like a fog back then clouding his judgement. What Hope was doing was gentle and passive, her calm, level headedness crept over him like a water soothing away all of his rough edges and making him feel at ease. It was hard for him to fit in with people, he never knew what to say, his silence made them uncomfortable and in turn they shyed away from him.

Hope wasn't like them, he sensed a kinship inside of her that was stronger than any bond he had ever developed before. He wasn't sure about what was going on but he was enjoying it. It had been such a long time since he had felt anything but the hollowing numbness that was writhing around inside of him. He occasionally felt flashes of rage, of frustration and sadness but never anything this powerful.

Hope felt like home and it had been such a long time since he had found himself a sanctuary like that. Ronon had his own four walls back at Atlantis, his own room, his own stuff but he had never had his own person, not completely. He had been jealous of Sheppard and Cass's relationship for a little while in the beginning. Anyone could see the love brimming between the two of them, they didn't even have to speak to understand what the other was thinking and it was riveting to watch the words that were exchanged with only the barest of glances.

Sheppard had tried to explain it to him once when Ronon had asked about the connection but Ronon could never quite understand what he was talking about. The idea of someone knowing you like that had made him shiver, he had done such terrible things throughout his life, he didn't want anyone else to see his most private thoughts or memories. Now he was thinking maybe that wasn't too bad after all. Just spending a little time with Hope was reminding him of what it was like to share part of himself with someone and although it was scary, it also fulfilled him in ways he had never even dreamed.

This wasn't him, he never let his guard down. For seven long years Ronon had survived as a fugitive of the Wraith with hyper vigilance and violence, now his survival instincts were twisting and changing in order to include Hope.

Their hands brushed accidentally as they stood side by side. Her cappuccino skin was soft and balmy and Ronon resisted the urge to link his fingers with hers. Instead he chanced a glance at the profile of her face, studying her unique beauty while the two of them were alone.

Hope was gorgeous, her chestnut hair was shining under the sun as she tilted her head up towards Sheppard as she conversed with him and the rest of the team. Her movements were graceful and athletic and he could tell she had an impressive, lean body underneath the black vest top and grey combat trousers she was wearing.

He imagined, his fingertips creeping along the line of her ribcage as he slowly drew that vest top up along her magnificent form. He wondered what her mews of pleasure would sound like ringing in his ears as he nuzzled that delicate, petite throat with his hot mouth. He wanted to feel her tiny hands rubbing over his chest, tracing the lines of his hard muscular chest as her teeth grazed his lower lip.

Hope nudged his body gently with her own drawing his attention back to the conversation they were embroiled in. Ronon cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck with his large hand looking guilty at his train of thought. It had been over seven years since he had touched a woman and he worried about his abilities if a relationship ever did come to pasture.

"So let me get this straight." Sheppard said, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood well within his wife's personal space. "Someone is stealing supplies from the camp and redistributing them within the grounds and outside to the villages and towns."

Something had happened between them, Ronon could see it in the way Sheppard stood so close. It was protective and possessive, he knew the other man coveted Cass like she was his most precious treasure but something had set his instincts into overdrive. Just by simply glancing at Cass he could tell her patience was strained, he rarely saw this dark, angry side of her but she had grown more and more agitated with every sentence that had left Hope's mouth.

It was the same fierce emotion he could see on Hope's decadent features as she spoke. The two women were cut from the same cloth, they cared about the people in this camp and to see someone taking advantage of them was like receiving a personal insult.

"I've worked in a few camps before as an Aid Worker, I know how important it is to keep a registry of the more lucrative supplies in case something like this happens. When I first discovered that people were using mediations that hadn't been prescribed to them, I confiscated them and traced the batch number. Every single medicine I found was supposed to be locked up in pharmacy's storage facility. There was no record of them ever being prescribed in the log and it's not just for one doctor." Hope explained as simply as she could so that Teyla and McKay would understand.

"What kind of drugs are we talking about?" Teyla requested.

"Painkillers, antibiotics, anything that could be of value." Hope responded.

"Have you been to Drew with this?" Cass asked the other woman cautiously.

Ronon noticed she didn't look at Sheppard when she mentioned this 'Drew'. It was as if she could already predict the scowl that was spreading across Sheppard's features. Hope's dark eyes met Cass's head on as she answered the other woman's question.

"He said he'd look into it." Hope said with a twinge of helplessness in her voice. "That was a month ago."

Ronon hated hearing that desperate plea in her tone. It made him feel like he should be helping her, it was true that they should be doing something about this. There was so much need in this camp and for someone to be twisting it for their own gain made his blood boil with indignant rage. His nostrils flared as her raw anger became his own, his nostrils flared as he met Sheppard's watchful gaze.

"We need to do something." Ronon stated gruffly.

Sheppard's gaze roved to his wife as she pursed her lips together grimly at the implication that passed between them.

"I'll take care of it." Cass said finally, her hands on her hips.

"I'm leaving Ronon here until this is cleared up." Sheppard informed her in an authoritative tone that gave no leeway for an argument.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Cass agreed before turning her attention to Hope. "Would you mind getting a hold of the logs so we can compare them against your registry?"

"Of course." Hope said with a brisk nod before she took off back towards her quarters leaving the small group behind.

"This couldn't just be simple could it?" Cass muttered to herself as she shook her head in disgust at the situation.

Ronon's forest green eyes were still on Hope as she swiped her keycard letting herself into the concrete building residing beside the clinic. Cass was was right, this couldn't just be simple.