Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[continued from here]

It was a pleasant surprise to glance over and see Todd asleep on the bed, relaxed and peaceful. He can't have gotten much quality rest the night before propped up in the chair as he had been, certainly not when he'd been woken by her nightmare. She hoped that didn't happen again tonight, he had important things to take care of tomorrow; she didn't know all of the details, but with a civil war going on between his people, he needed his wits about him.

To that end, Rogue forced herself to stay awake for hours into the night, eating the dinner he'd brought for her and looking through one of the books from the collection he'd shown her before their sparring session. She didn't recognize anything on the pages, but it gave her a topic for conversation with the voices in her head, providing ample entertainment to pass the time. Eventually she fell asleep herself, the book held carefully to her chest as she curled up in the armchair, her boots set on the floor beside it. It was a fairly deep sleep, and she didn't dream for one of the first times in many weeks, something she was eternally grateful for when she awoke.

Comments

[commandshumor]

Todd was woken by his second's voice within his head.

They were within range of their sensors, which meant they'd be here within an hour or so.

He got up, made himself presentable and then went over to Rogue, who was still asleep. She had enough food on the tray to last her the day. After negotiations were done the final repairs ought to be finished so a well-deserved hot meal for everyone was hopefully on the menu tonight.

The wraith decided to wake her so that she could move to the bed if she so chose. He gave her shoulder a shake.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue wasn't used to people touching her. It wasn't part of her everyday life, hadn't been for over a decade except for a select few people, and with the war, well. It wasn't a surprise that she jerked away from Todd's touch, confused and absolutely terrified that the soldiers had come, the Sentinels had found them, they were being taken away.

It was only because she instinctively recognized Todd as something else that she didn't react by attacking him, though her gloved hands did still come up defensively. When the confusion passed after a few moments, she visibly relaxed into the chair.

"Please don't ever do that if I'm not wearing my gloves," she half-pleaded, half-cautioned, rubbing her hands over her face while her heartbeat slowly began to return to a normal rate. "I don't want to hurt you."

[commandshumor]

He let out an annoyed growl when she jumped.

Panicky thing wasn't she?

Then again...was he not the same after escaping the Genii prison? Every noise, every scent, or touch made him uneasy for a long time after that.

Todd nodded with a grunt. Though perhaps it best she got used to others touching her unexpectedly. How was she going to learn to contain her ability to only be used when she wanted to?

He said nothing of it though. "The others will be here soon, I'll return later when we're on our way again" he said and headed for the door.

[theycalledmeacurse]

"Good luck," she offered as he left, unsure if he actually heard her or would appreciate the sentiment. She genuinely wanted this meeting to go well for him, for the entire cause to succeed. It certainly seemed like the best option for this galaxy.

She did move to the bed, curling up among the blankets, though it was a long while before she fell back to sleep. This time she did dream, dark dreams that didn't allow her any proper rest, and so eventually she gave up and returned to perusing the book from the night before. She thought she might have figured out which symbols represented numbers, but there was no way to confirm it.

[commandshumor]

There was more than just the one locker of books, another, perhaps loose, opened when the books in the other were jingled around a bit. There were actually several of these bookshelves within the walls. Some were in good condition, but none of them new and many were very old.

The eldest and most battered among the collection was a translation text of a more blocky text into the thin Wraith style, and then again into the blocky wording, like an English to Spanish dictionary. But without a key to some text more Earthly, there was no deciphering it.

There were other books, many with illustrations which told the reader what the book was about. One image kept cropping up in various texts, that of a city on water.

One by one, the other hive ships arrived and single pilot dart ships flew over. Todd greeted each fellow commander and led him to the chamber where they would all talk together.

First, he discussed how his meeting with the new hive had gone. Disappointment rippled through the others. They could use all the allies they could get. Two commanders also had poor luck, though they'd not been given quite the same send off Todd had been given. However, there was good news for him. The young female was indeed not related to him, which meant he was first in line to become her commander when she matured. And the good news kept coming, three commanders had managed to convince their queens that more females were needed to strengthen the species and that traditional means of producing them-only for honor-needed to be set aside for a time.

Todd handed over the rest of the serum he had for inoculations of the gene therapy among the other hives before they left. The remainder of his crew could wait until they reached Atlantis.

[theycalledmeacurse]

While that was certainly true of most human women, Rogue had always been one of those girls who just got along better with the guys. Most men weren't as high maintenance as women, they didn't bicker or get needlessly jealous. She could hang out with a guy, have a beer, and just relax and be herself, whereas with women Rogue usually felt judged on some level.

But she didn't get that from Teyla. Maybe it was because the other woman wasn't from Earth, or because of her own experiences growing up 'different', but Teyla's calm and controlled manner was something Rogue had definitely appreciated and could stand to enjoy a little more of before their departure.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," she agreed, heading for the door. She paused in front of the door long enough to wish Todd a good night before exiting the room, nodding to the marine, and returning to her own lodging for the rest of the night. After some meditation and an exhausting cry, she even managed to get in a few hours of sleep before the rising sun woke her.

The colonel was there not too long after, offering to escort her to the cafeteria for some breakfast. The Wraith might not need to eat more than one meal a day, but Rogue was still decidedly human and the prospect of a hot breakfast wasn't one she could pass up. Especially when they arrived and she smelled the coffee.

"Oh lord, you have coffee," she said, looking very much like a kid who couldn't believe Christmas had finally come. "I haven't had coffee in over two years."

Sheppard raised an eyebrow and just took a step back, waving her forward. "You go first, you've earned it after the interrogation McKay put you through last night."

Rogue poured herself a close to overflowing mugful of the heavenly beverage and grinned at his words. "He wasn't that bad," she protested, then grimaced slightly. "Though he did promise to pick up where we left off today."

Sheppard let out a pained sigh. "My sympathies." Grabbing his own coffee, he led them through the line for food and to a table once they had their trays of eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes. "You know, I could probably scrounge up some coffee to send with you. It would probably be the instant kind, but I'm guessing there aren't many coffee makers outside Atlantis anyway."

Rogue grinned broadly at the man sitting across from her. "Careful there, Colonel. Keep this up and I'll be proposing marriage before you know it." It made him laugh, as intended, and he promised to see what he could do.

The morning passed quickly, the rest of Sheppard's team joining them for breakfast before too long, with Rodney continuing to barrage Rogue with questions in between the easy conversation between the rest of them. Afterward, Sheppard did offer to give her the grand tour, and Teyla proposed a sparring session, as she was interested to see the fighting skills Rogue had talked about.

What was most surprising was when Rodney showed up at the sparring session as well, armed with a tablet and another long list of questions. Rogue continued to answer the questions, but her tone was more distracted and almost dismissive, though the Canadian completely missed the clues she was sending him as she and Teyla tested the weight of the sticks the Athosian favored.

"Just remember not to let your skin touch mine," she warned the other woman, gesturing to her neck and face, the only stretch of skin left uncovered by her usual uniform. "Anything else goes."

"Understood," was Teyla's reply before she grinned predatorily and launched into her first move. Rogue nearly had the upper hand in that beginning bout, too, until Rodney's voice cut through her concentration and she ended up flat on her knees with a stick at her throat.

A little bit of Logan slipped into Rogue's expression as she whipped around to practically growl at the man, "Rodney, if you don't can it with the questions so I can focus, I'm gonna give you a first hand demonstration of my powers."

And damn if he didn't seem to actually consider it for a moment.

[commandshumor]

Todd was awake and escorted to the hospital a little while after Rogue had gone down to breakfast. He and Keller reviewed the blood work and scans from those of his crew who had already been inoculated. "Everything checks out" she said, bringing up the screen to show him. He swiped through them one by one, checking over each of them anyway. Satisfied that the results were indeed perfect and that if any further side effects cropped up, they'd start with the first, him. "Now, these are the results from the three drones you left us." She said, handing him a portable screen.

He quickly saw a problem. "There's only two results, what happened to the third?" he asked.

She frowned and apologized. "I"m sorry to tell you this but it died."

"By the drugs or a marine with a trigger finger problem?" he asked going back to the first drone results

"Bit of both. The drone was doing fine on the first regiment and then reverted into the ravenous nature that happened...you know, the first time we tried this. The marine tried to stun it but it wouldn't go down so he shot it. Autopsy showed that the cancer had returned and taken over the brain." she elaborated.

"What of these two?" he asked after a moment, looking through the survivors results.

"We tried a new serum and so far it seems to be working with no side effects. They eat as often as you do and have displayed no aggression." she answered

"Good, I'd like to see them" he said, handing her the tablet back and they went down to the holding cell. True to her word, the two drones were docile, responding to the commander when he mentally ordered them to stand and he had a look at them. They no longer wore the masks and they were far from pretty, but they were no longer starving beasts. The drones could perhaps be used for farming after all.

"Its only been four weeks so I hesitate in offering to distribute the drug." Keller said.

Todd grunted in reply and had the drones sit back down before looking to her. "I agree, I will take no chances this time around. You may keep them until we return to Atlantis. I will provide three more drones so that the drug can be tested to the best affect."

She agreed and while she went on lunch, Todd remained in the hospital making preparations with Beckett for the first batch of his crew to be given the gene therapy. It was jarring and had some short term side effects so making the wraith as comfortable as possible was best.

"Yer certain ya want ta give the entire crew the gene therapy now?" Beckett asked for the hundredth time. He was a bit of a worry-wort and while Todd knew that in the past he might have been reckless wit this, this time they'd run all the tests they could and it'd been some time since his inoculation, if any further side effects were in the gene therapy, he would be the first to feel them.

"Yes, I am." Todd answered patiently.

[theycalledmeacurse]

After another comfortable meal with the group, Rogue was surprised to receive an offer from Ronon for his own sparring session. He'd heard about her formidable skills from Teyla and, though he still didn't entirely trust her due to her association with Todd, he wasn't one to pass up the opportunity for a good fight, especially with someone new. New meant the potential for a challenge, and according to Teyla, Rogue didn't hold back.

So they found themselves back in the room from earlier, Teyla joining them mostly to enjoy the show. Ronon had even found a pair of gloves for the occasion, borrowed from one of the marines, so he wouldn't have to be quite as careful as Teyla had been, though Rogue pointed out that his bare arms could still pose a problem if he got too excited.

It was much better this time without Rodney hanging around, and Teyla offered her some pointers based on observations made during their own session earlier. Ronon proved to be an excellent opponent, possessing the same level of skill as Teyla but showing a wildness that reminded her of Logan. That feral side of each of them emerged as the session progressed and soon they were going at it without any inhibition, sticks and fists flying while Teyla urged a warning for caution that ultimately went unheeded.

And that was how Rogue ended up being half-carried into the hospital with Ronon on one side and Teyla on the other. Ronon had landed a particularly good hit to her side that had most certainly cracked some ribs, though Rogue was pleased to note that he was walking away pretty banged up himself. She waved them both off when one of the staff appeared to look her over, but gave Ronon one last parting, playful punch to show there weren't any hard feelings. She'd had fun, after all.

[commandshumor]

"What the bloody hell have you two been doin'?" Beckett said as Rogue was brought in. Todd looked up briefly, went back to his work then looked up again when he realized who'd been brought in.

"Friendly spar." Ronon answered.

"Friendly my ass, you're bleedin' and she has cracked ribs!" Beckett said "Ever heard of holding back?"

"No." the big guy answered simply

Teyla rolled her eyes but stuck beside Rogue as she was looked at by Beckett.

"Told you, you need to keep your elbows down" Todd said, passing by Rogue with a tablet in his hands, though he did have a smile on his face.

The first three Wraith to be given the gene therapy were laying comfortably nearby. Keller came over, glancing over to where Beckett and the others are, shaking her head before starting with the first wraith. Cleaning a spot on his arm, she then injected him with the serum. The needle prick healed up almost as soon as she withdrew it.

Todd kept an eye on his underling's vitals. When nothing turned for the worse, they moved onto the next one, doing the same for number two and three.

A nurse came by and set a bucket beside each bed. Nausea was one of the immediate side effects.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue did not appreciate Todd's peanut gallery commentary, thank you. She'd be showing him elbows for that comment, just as soon as her ribs healed.

"There is no other damage?" Teyla asked Carson as he completed his scan of Rogue's abdomen, which was already beginning to darken with bruising.

The doctor set aside his equipment and replied, "No, thank goodness. You're very lucky you didn't damage the lungs with that blow," he said with a very pointed look at Ronon.

"See, I told you I was fine," Rogue interjected with a tight smile to the Atlantis bunch. "A few cracked ribs are no big deal." She might have been more convincing if hadn't winced through the proclamation, a spike of pain shooting through her left side with each and every breath.

"Three," Carson corrected sternly. "Three cracked ribs. Any more and I'd have to keep you here for observation." The doctor shook his head in exasperation. "As it is, all I can do for you is give you somethin' for the pain."

Rogue moved to reach out and grab his arm as he turned away, but she made it all of a few inches before pressing that outstretched hand to her side and leaning back again. "No narcotics," she told him in a strained voice. "Nothing stronger than prescription Tylenol. Please."

There was such determination in her voice that Carson actually decided to go against his doctor's instinct and simply nodded before leaving to get her the medication. He didn't ask questions, knowing from his years of practice what narcotics could do to people. Maybe her reasons were personal, perhaps they were medical, either way following her request would do nothing to harm her further and so he would go along with it.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue settled into her seat, watching with fascination as Sheppard controlled the ship with his thoughts. It was amazing. He'd explained during their tour the other day about the Ancient gene that was the key to much of the city's technology and it was just... mind-boggling. And exciting. She envied him being able to have this sort of experience.

"It's okay, I like the rain," she told him with a smile. "And the storm's not bad enough to cause much turbulence, so we should be fine, right?"

"Right," he confirmed with his own trademark smile. "I forgot, you're a pilot yourself. You must miss it, I know I would."

"You have no idea," she said. "I used to be out in the Blackbird at least twice a week, and it was... Well, the technology on that jet put our military to shame, let me just say that. And boy, did she have some moves in her."

They spent the next hour sharing stories about their flying adventures while Sheppard showed Rogue just what the Puddle Jumpers were capable of. The conversation was light and enjoyable, the company pleasant, and she had a wonderful time. She'd missed having days like this, where the world wasn't crashing down around her and she could just laugh with a genuine friend.

By the time they returned to Atlantis, Rogue had laughed so much her chest was aching, her cracked ribs and bruised side protesting loudly. Sheppard helped her out of the Jumper and they stood in the bay for a moment, just smiling at each other and enjoying that lingering sense of companionship.

"Usually, at this point in the date, I'd be batting my eyelashes and giving the guy a kiss on the cheek, just to keep him hoping for more," she teased the colonel, whose expression sobered slightly, though a small smile remained in place.

"I wouldn't stop you," he offered gently, and she understood the meaning in those words. He wasn't afraid of her mutation, he trusted her not to hurt him.

She hesitated for a moment, apprehension clear in her eyes, before she moved in to quickly brush her lips against his cheek. The touch only lasted long enough for her power to flicker on, giving her just a taste of his energy while a slight tingle spread across his skin.

Stepping back, Rogue opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. The things she'd felt from him... "Thanks for the ride," she finally managed, forcing a smile. "I had a lot of fun. I'll see you at dinner?"

She didn't wait for his answer, turning to hurry from the jumper bay as quickly as she could without actually running.

[commandshumor]

Sheppard touched his cheek, watching her go, a mix of emotions going through his head, and across his skin.

Todd had left his sleeping crew to sleep, taking the opportunity to wander what he could of Atlantis, eventually coming upon Radek and another tech operator he didn't know the name of deep in a game of chess, the table set inside the doors of where it usually was on the balcony.

After the tech lost for what was apparently the second time, Todd offered to take his place. Radek-a jumpy sort to begin with-was a bit apprehensive about playing against a Wraith, but accepted the new challenger. He gave him the quick guide of how to play before they began, which pieces moved where, what the endgame was, and so on.

The commander learned very quickly how to think ahead, trying to gauge what moves Radek would make next, but the Czech gave him no leniency and by the time Rogue returned, a small crowd had gathered near the pair to watch, a few even placing bets.

[theycalledmeacurse]

They were playing chess. It was exactly what Rogue needed to get her mind off the confusing emotions she'd gotten from Colonel Sheppard, not to mention the thoughts and brief snapshot of personality that she'd immediately pushed to the back of her mind. She couldn't deal with that right now. So she moved closer to watch as the game progressed, taking note of the type of strategy being favored by each player.

She'd never played chess growing up, but after absorbing Erik, it had become a part of her regular routine, and a frequent part of her sessions with Charles. She'd even beaten the professor a few times without Erik's assistance, which she considered to be a huge accomplishment.

Watching another few moves, she finally smirked and announced quietly, "My money's on Todd." Not that she had any money to bet, but the group still glanced her way in acknowledgement of the statement.

[commandshumor]

Todd looked over to find Rogue had returned. He'd thought she'd have been out all day with the colonel. Had something happened? He'd ask later, right now, there was this to play.

The pair had been evenly matched the first few games, but now, Todd had pulled ahead.

It was close, but the wraith won. Radek however was no sore loser and he agreed to take the commander up on playing again should the opportunity arise.

A little money was exchanged between the onlookers before everyone dispersed, leaving the odd pair behind. The wraith put the pieces in the drawer in the table and came over to Rogue. "Have an enjoyable ride with Sheppard?" he asked.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue had stuck around to congratulate Todd on his well-earned victory, and she was about to do so when he asked his question. How like him to unknowingly bring up the thing she wanted to avoid. She couldn't blame him for it though, it was an obvious thing to inquire about.

"I did," she confirmed with an almost non-existent smile. She hesitated a moment before adding, "But it won't be happening again."

[commandshumor]

"If possible, yes, I will. He'd be lucky if she came aboard at all, but, if he could, yes, he'd tell her about Rogue to ensure the female knew he wasn't hiding anything from her.

The walk from the kitchens to her new room was far closer than the trek from his to the kitchens and they arrived shortly.

On the way, he'd thought about bringing up the idea of using the enzyme on her hurt ribs, and to see if it would revert her eyes back to normal. But again, thought better of it. She'd heal in time and her eyes would return to normal even sooner.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue stepped into the room and sighed audibly, running a hand through her hair before crossing her arms over her chest. That was good. He should tell her. Keeping things from someone so important would be a poor decision indeed, but knowing that didn't help ease the nervousness that was beginning to wear on her.

"I hope...," she started, pausing to take a shaky breath. "I hope things go well tomorrow." It was the only thing she could think to say. He'd said there was nothing she could do to help, so this was all she could do, letting him know she was in his corner.

[commandshumor]

A chuff and a nod. He appreciated that. "Get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow morning" he said and returned to his room to sleep himself.

Todd had gotten used to the other in his room, and without her these days, it made falling asleep strangely more difficult. Coupled with thinking over everything that could go wrong might go wrong, he didn't sleep a wink. Eventually he realized it was hopeless and he got up. He made his rounds early, checking and rechecking things as the ships dropped out of hyper space one by one. Two were still missing, including the one with his potential queen on it but they weren't due to arrive for another hour, so he went to see Rogue.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue's night had been much the same as Todd's, and though she did eventually manage to drift off, her sleep was filled with some of the worst nightmares in her collection. She'd woken in tears once, and again with a silent scream on her lips, and had finally just given up on the effort entirely.

She was rereading the beginning chapters of The Count of Monte Cristo, the ones they'd already finished, when Todd arrived. The familiar and beloved book had done at least a little to soothe her nerves, though she knew she probably looked a complete wreck from the restless night. But one good thing had come about during those long hours - her eyes had returned to normal, though they were redder than usual and itched from the lack of sleep.

[commandshumor]

"Looks as though you got as much sleep as I did" he chuckled, then tapped the corner of his eye and pointed to her. "Back to normal in less than twenty four hours. Not bad." he said

His gaze drifted to the book in her hand then back to her, "Will we read more tonight?" he asked

As he'd gone about his duties for the morning, he'd come to a solid conclusion he wished he'd come to last night to avoid the sleeplessness. That was simply, the worst case scenario was that the potential queen would find him unworthy and he'd have to search for another. That was all.

[theycalledmeacurse]

It was a week of very little stress on Rogue's part, so despite the bouts of boredom, she found herself thoroughly enjoying the downtime and getting to reconnect with Teyla and Ronon and the rest of the friends she'd made on Atlantis. Forging a stronger bond with the queen was also a wonderful benefit of their time together, and Rogue no longer felt any fear of the female wraith suddenly throwing her off the ship. It was a huge relief, and something she was looking forward to sharing with Todd, who she hoped would be pleased at least that she wouldn't be bothering him with that particular worry any longer.

Rogue had also 'connected' with Sheppard again during the week, in ways that she hadn't exactly planned on. Without the barrier of her mutation to keep them apart, their playful flirting had resumed in full force and one afternoon during a walk around the city, the idiot had kissed her. And she'd kissed him back, followed by a prompt apology. She couldn't stay on Atlantis, she couldn't be a girlfriend or a wife, and she still fully believed that was what John Sheppard deserved. According to him, though, it wasn't what he wanted, and he was fine with this thing between them being only temporary. Whether he was lying to her or himself or the both of them, she didn't know, and she didn't really care to find out. They were both adults, and there was nothing stopping them from enjoying each other's company.

So they had. Quite thoroughly. The result of which was they'd both spent the day yawning their way through their various commitments, including Rogue's time with the queen. She did so again during the last setup of the board, covering her gaping mouth with a hand before apologizing yet again. "I'm really sorry about all the yawning, I just can't help it today."

[commandshumor]

"Up late?" she asked, looking around for the pawn that had rolled off the table and plucked it off the carpet near her foot, setting it in its place on the board. This would likely be their last game together for awhile.

"Planning on staying here or returning to the hive once the gene therapy is underway?" she asked. She wouldn't feel insulted if she decided to return and leave her, the commander and a third party-probably one of the scientists-on Atlantis were needed far more.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue's smile at the question was a bit sheepish and a lot like the cat that ate the canary. She just couldn't help it.

The second question was more difficult to respond to. "I'd like to stay," she answered carefully, reaching out to center one of the pieces in its square, "but I realize that one of the crew would probably be more useful to you and the commander. So I'll go back tomorrow." She was already missing Todd something fierce, and by returning to the hive as he returned to Atlantis she'd be prolonging their time apart even further. But she had to do what was best for everyone.

[commandshumor]

"Perhaps if you talk to Colonel Sheppard, he'll allow you to remain" the queen said, settling in her chair and waiting for Rogue to make the first move.

She wasn't wraith, and her abilities had gotten pretty much under total control. They might be more lenient about letting her stay in addition to the extra wraith.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Rogue glanced up from the board for a moment before moving her first piece. "It might be seen as a conflict of interest, considering we slept together last night," she commented in what was clearly a forced try at casually dropping the topic into conversation. "But maybe."

It was certainly worth bringing it up. The guard on Rogue had been significantly more relaxed than the last time she'd been there since she had control of her powers and had been spending so much time with Sheppard's team. Maybe that would change the rule on her staying.