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

Todd nearly struck at her, but as though her touch were sapping him of his anger, he quickly dropped his fist, rage subsiding to irritation and then to a blank and empty feeling.

He drew in and blew out a shuddering breath to calm himself. The commander didn't look at her for a long time, perhaps ashamed of his outburst. But, eventually he did look to her.

"We've been without a queen for so long." he sighed. "What's another decade or so?" he added dryly.

She wasn't afraid in the moment he seemed about to hit her. It wasn't that she thought he wouldn't do it, but more that she understood it wouldn't be intentional. That wasn't Todd's way, especially not with her.

Rogue would rather he have hit her than to see him deflate as he did. Anger she could deal with, sorrow too, but emptiness was so much more difficult. It pervaded everything and was hard to shake, she knew that very well.

"It's everything," she countered, tears still staining her cheeks. "You have every right to be upset. I'm so sorry for your loss." She wanted to embrace him, to comfort him during this awful time, she just didn't think he would accept it. But she couldn't do nothing, she didn't have it in her, so she did reach out, moving to set a gloved hand along the curve of his jaw. If he would let her.

Todd realized a few minutes too late that she'd been crying.

He didn't understand, why should she be upset? He'd not lashed out at her, in fact the lack of a queen in the near future meant she'd still have a home on the hive. She should be happy, or relieved at least. But as his senses cleared and he picked up on her own, he found that that was not the case.

You are my friend.

Instead of jerking away or even tensing at the touch, he closed his eyes, and accepted it.

It meant the world to her that he didn't reject her touch, both from the perspective that they didn't have that casual closeness, but also because so many had in the past. It made her ache inside, for the both of them.

Of course a small part of her was relieved that she would continue to have a home on his ship, but she'd barely spared a second to think along those lines. Her focus was on Todd, on the pain he was feeling and what this loss meant to him. To his crew.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated quietly, keeping her hand on his jaw. "I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. If there was something I could do to make this easier for you, I would." She would do anything to ease the pain of the situation for him.

Edited 2015-12-20 08:32 (UTC)

"You've done plenty." he assured her, feeling better as the minutes ticked on in the presence of her calm and sympathetic mind.

He'd been an idiot himself truth be told. He ought not be upset over this female's death. It just meant she was never strong enough to be a queen. Now or a few years from now, made no difference, all queens that had taken the throne before they'd begun to feed, while few and far between, never had a long reign thanks to their impulsive ways.

Todd realized something as well now.

If need be, he'd fight to keep Rogue on board. She was a fixed point he needed in his life, and she needed a home. Both benefited, and both needed one another.

She gave him a small smile at that and nodded slightly, dropping her hand from his jaw but not stepping away. Being close to him was comforting, and she'd savor it for as long as she could.

"So what now?" she asked him gently, hoping it wasn't too soon after what he'd just experienced. Did this mean they just had to wait for however long? It seemed like such an awful fate for these people who had come to mean so much to her. She had her favorites among his crew, of course, but she cared for all of them and would protect them with her life if it came to it, just as she had with her team. It didn't matter that she suspected they might not do the same.

She reached up with a hand to brush at the spots on her face that felt wet and slightly sticky from the salty tears. The emotional rollercoaster of the last short while had her feeling worn out, but her focus was still fully on him.

"Well, if you mean by literally, I think dinner would be appropriate." The stress of the day had worn him down leaving little but his hunger.

"In general...We'll have to wait and see. The commanders said they'd do what they can about recruiting other hive ships and getting their queens to produce females. In the meantime, we're going to make our patrols through our territory, check on the worshiper world, another check with the commanders, and then back to Atlantis. The serum for the drones has to be completed as soon as possible and by then Keller and Beckett will have had those we left with them on the drug for a reasonable amount of time."

It seemed like a busy schedule but this would be over a period of several weeks to months, as predicted.

"It's a lot to do," she commented, giving him a brighter smile than before. "I guess we'd better have a damn good dinner, to make sure we start things off right."

At the back of her thoughts, she'd already been contemplating what to make that night. She didn't know how the rest of the crew was handling the disappointment of the day, but she didn't imagine they were overwhelmingly happy about it. They'd been so long without a Queen...

So comfort food it would be. Mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables, and roast beef. Brownies for dessert, made with the darkest chocolate they had and flavored with coffee to temper the slight sweetness of the chocolate. It was all the sort of food that said home to her, that was filling and warm and left you feeling just a little bit better after a hard day. She hoped it would do the same for everyone else on board, that she could help them in this small way.

They all enjoyed the meal, and the dessert too very much indeed. There'd been a definite air of disappointment when they arrived but after clean up and as they left, they certainly looked in better spirits.

During dinner, they spoke of everything from the meal itself, to the engineers finally working out a way to make showers work on the hive, to the younger wraith on board the hive and how their progress with fighting and their chosen professions was coming along.

When the last of the plates had been put away, Todd and Rogue headed back to her chambers, spirits better than they had been in the last couple days, despite the afternoon's poor news.

If there was one thing Rogue had learned growing up in the south, it was the healing powers of food. She was glad that seemed to extend to wraith as well; it helped her urge to look after them all, the way she had her students back at the institute. There was even a little mother-henning in there at times, as she looked after these creatures that were centuries and millennia older than her. None of that made any difference in her mind.

The dinner had really taken it out of her, though. It had been a lot of work to make enough for everyone, and even with her helpers, Rogue had put in extra work at a quick pace to get things done. She considered it worth the renewed sharp ache in her side to have seen the others in such brighter spirits, and to have enjoyed overhearing their conversations.

The pain she was in was likely apparent though, with the way her arm was held close to her left side, her breathing shallower than usual, and her eyes a little tight at the corners. But she was still happy and smiling from the accomplishments of the evening.

"You're in pain again" he observed "Did Doctor Beckett give you any medicine?" he asked. Her injury should have been on its tail end by now, but after today's activity, she might have set herself back a week or so.

Again, the idea of using the enzyme to finish the job came to his mind, but he'd only ask now if Beckett had not provided her with anything to dull the ache.

Edited 2015-12-20 21:42 (UTC)

"He did," she answered with a slight nod, "but it was only a small amount and I've already gone through it. I should have rationed to keep some in case I get sick, but I didn't think of it."

Not that she was expecting to get sick or injured again anytime soon, but you never knew. With only wraith aboard who didn't get sick and healed quickly, she doubted they had any sort of first aid on board.

Todd hesitated, then decided not to beat about the bush anymore and tell her a final option, as there was, indeed, little else on board that would help her.

"There is...another drug you may use." he said. "It will even heal your ribs."

He held up his right hand to show her the feeding slit. "It won't hurt" he assured her "And since you're taking the enzyme with an injury, you won't become addicted to it."

She stared at his hand for a long moment, at the slit that had always fascinated her. He wouldn't suggest it if it would harm her in any way, she knew that without question, but she still didn't agree right away.

"Would there be any side effects?" she asked carefully, considering the option he'd presented. It would be nice not to have to worry about her injury any longer.

"Short term heightened heart rate, a little more strength and energy, alertness levels risen. Like a powerful adrenaline rush" he elaborated.

"I wouldn't offer it if there was an alternative. In fact I thought about offering it back on Atlantis, but I believed you'd be mostly healed by now, especially with all our training sessions where you could potentially gain some of my healing ability. Apparently not."

An adrenaline rush that could heal her. Interesting. Intriguing, really. And worth a try, since thete weren't alternatives. She'd also thought she might pick up more of his healing during their training, but she'd gotten his vision instead. It wasn't worth waiting to see if it might work soon when he was offering this now.

"Alright," she agreed after a moment. "Let's do it. Thank you for offering," she added with a small smile. "I do appreciate it."

The wraith nodded. "Very well, sit down on the bed and pull your top down to expose part of your sternum." he ordered. He flexed his right hand as he waited for her to comply. "Remember, I'm going to be touching you, so try to keep your focus like in our training." he reminded her.

When enough of her pale skin was exposed for the feeding slit to not ruin the cloth, he lifted his hand, the slit wide open as he pressed it against her skin.

"Slight pinch." he warned.

The pinch was more than slight, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by the rush of the enzyme he fed into her. The pain in her side swiftly disappeared, the cracked ribs and bruising healing as though they never were. Any other ailments, back ache and her fatigue of the day followed, replaced with relief and energy, and it was even a little pleasurable.

Rogue gasped at the 'pinch' that felt like a hell of a lot more, but the relief that followed was what took her breath away. The pain disappeared completely, the stiffness in her back from leaning over the counter in the kitchen, the leaden weariness in her limbs. She felt more well-rested and in better shape than she had possibly since arrived in Pegasus. It was amazing. The pleasure that came with it was a surprise - a little pleasure went a long way with Rogue, who was so starved for the sensation, and half a quiet moan escaped her before she was able to reel back in the response.

She concentrated on keeping control of her abilities from the moment he made to touch her, stopping the transfer immediately when his skin met hers. But in the seconds that followed she was distracted and that control flickered. When she realized what was happening, she clamped down on her power, using more force than she ever had before to keep it firmly in the 'off' position.

And it stayed. One second she was narrowing her focus to that single task, and the next... She didn't even have to think about it. No concentration was needed. She could feel an indescribable difference in her control, and she looked up at Todd with eyes wide for more than one reason. Because as she let go of her control completely, he was still able to touch her safely.

Todd's grip on her was about a minute long. After he was sure he'd given her enough, he let go with an ugly sucking sound, the bloody wound healing up almost immediately with no sign having been there at all.

"Any better?" he asked, then cocked his head, "What is it?" He realized something incredible had changed judging from her expression. He knew it felt good but even for someone who was starved for touch, the enzyme-especially the relatively small amount he'd given her-wasn't that pleasure-inducing. So what was it?

Rogue took a deep breath and leaned forward, lifting her hands and slowly removing her gloves. She flexed her fingers, stared at her own right palm for a few seconds, and then held her hand out to him.

"I turned it off," she told him, feeling like she was in a bit of a daze. "Touch me again. Please." She had to see if it still worked. She felt like it would, but she had to be certain.

If and when he touched her, there would be nothing but her skin on his. No powers, just her usual warmth.

Genuine surprised crossed his features, and, after a moment, he lifted his hand again, cupping her jaw instead of her hand, as she had his after the news of the queen killing the female.

Warm, soft skin greeted his finger tips with not even the slightest drain of energy.

He brought his other hand up to cup the other side of her face.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

He let go of her face and sat down beside Rogue on the bed to take her hand in both of his. Still nothing.

But how?...and could she flip the switch whenever she wanted...or was this a permanent fix?

Or worse, was this just a strange side-effect of the enzyme? Once the high of it wore off, would her ability come back to the way it was before?

Her eyes drifted closed as he set his hands against her face, and she sighed when the contact ceased. But then he was sitting beside her, taking her hand in his, and she nearly cried at how wonderful it was to simply have someone holding her hand and be able to enjoy it without the stress of worrying about hurting them.

She wrapped her other hand around his and clung to him like her life depended on it. In that moment, she felt like it might.

"I don't even have to think about it," she said softly, something akin to disbelief in her tone. "It's just... off."

Despite the very well known fact that wraith preferred little to no affectionate gestures, he was not going to slap her hands away. This was important, and it wasn't like she was going to run through the ship tomorrow bellowing at the top of her lungs "the commander held my hand!"

But he was the logical one.

Powers didn't just up and disappear for no reason.

"Can you turn it back on?" he asked. Perhaps the enzyme wasn't blocking her ability but just giving her the power to control the switch so to speak?

Rogue glanced up at him, her vision blurring slightly as tears filled her eyes for the second time that day. She very gently pulled her hands away from his, replacing the full touch with just a brush of fingertips.

It took nearly a full minute of concentration to track down that 'switch' within her, that place that just felt right, where her intuition said she would finally have control. Xavier had always said she'd be able to do it, they just had never been able to find a way. Maybe it was because of something to do with the enzyme, or her consistent exposure to wraith DNA, or... There were so many possibilities. She pulled in a tight breath as her power snapped on again, but with the same usual slow pull and not the agonizing pain Todd had felt at times. It was back on, and normal.

She lifted her fingers from him and set her hands in her lap, her gaze moving to his face. She'd done it. Finally. After all these years.

Todd chuffed, and smiled. "Well done" he praised.

But he wasn't ready to celebrate entirely just yet, the enzyme's side effects may be brief but the drug didn't dissolve in the system for several hours. Tomorrow morning, they'd know for sure if the switch she found within her could be activated at any time...or not.

He got up from the bed, "Get some sleep, you've earned it." he said.

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so much <3

<3

i just adore the way things are progressing

same C:

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