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

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.

"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.

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.

Todd glanced to her when she said no to the stronger drugs. Another question to ask about.

He was quickly distracted by the first underling who'd begun to feel the side effects. He gave the guy his bucket even though he'd have nothing to cough up. Keller tugged the curtain around his bed closed so that they wouldn't have to watch the poor wraith dry heave. Ronon pulled a face but looked around to watch until the underling was out of sight. Seeing wraith in pain or discomfort always brought him pleasure.

"Well with three cracked ribs it'll take perhaps six weeks to heal, so no more sparring." Beckett said, handing over a cup of water and Tylenol to Rogue.

Number two and three wraith soon joined the first in the dry heaves club and their beds were curtained off too.

Rogue downed the pills without hesitation and vaguely wished she had some strong whiskey to chase it with. Not that it would be an actual good idea, but she wasn't exactly full of those today anyway.

Noticing the way Ronon was enjoying the Wraith in discomfort, Teyla put her hand on his shoulder and began tugging him away. "We'll check on you later, Rogue," she said as they rounded the corner and Rogue gave them a little wave.

After a few minutes of listening to the poor Wraith being sick, she flagged down Carson and asked, "Isn't there anything that can be done for them? I mean, not medication or anything, but maybe something natural to take the edge off?" Despite the fact that she was in a great deal of pain herself, her first instinct was to help them.

"We tried." Todd answered for him. The Scot made a face and went to chase Ronon down and fix the cut he'd gotten from the spar. "But in the end it was best to just let it run its course" the wraith continued. "The side effects only last a couple days at most, then the nausea changes over to thirst and then normal hunger."

Todd looked her over. "Tough spar?" he asked with a chuckle.

The process sounded completely awful. Her heart ached for all of them, and she made up her mind to make sure they had the best possible first experiences with normal food. It was the only thing she could do for them, and it didn't feel like anywhere near enough.

Rogue laughed and grimaced at the same time. "Good spar," she corrected. "Except for the end. That wasn't so great."

A chuckle then he said, "Guess this means we'll be leaving here before you recover enough to spar again."

If all went okay, his crew would all be given the therapy within a week

Todd left Rogue to rest a bit. They were inoculating his crew in batches of seven, the other four were set up in the nearest quarters in fold-out cots and he went to check up on them. Keller head just finished their injections and she left the commander with them, going back to the hospital.

"Sorry, its been kinda busy around here." she said to Rogue and introduced herself.

Rogue waved off the apology. "I'm sorry for taking up space like this," she told the doctor. "Once the stuff Dr. Beckett gave me kicks in, I'll be out of your hair so you can concentrate on more important things," she added with a nod to the curtained off Wraith.

"I heard you tell Dr. Beckett that you didn't want anything stronger than Tylenol," Keller started with a frown. "There a reason for that?" Jennifer Keller wasn't one to skimp on the questions, something she and Rodney had in common.

Rogue gave a somewhat uncomfortable smile and explained, "Strong painkillers have a tendency to make me sicker than they are right now. I'd rather deal with a bit of pain than that." It wasn't entirely a lie, but she didn't add that narcotics also tended to break down her mental shields and let the worst of the psyches in her mind run wild and unchecked. That wasn't something she wanted to have to work through in front of these people.

Keller wanted to question her more, about the rumors and about what McKay had been prattling off about, but she did have a hospital to run and no time today to do so. She told her she could stay as long as she needed, cracked ribs were no laughing matter after all.

Apart from the marines standing guard outside the rented room, Todd was the only one within with his underlings, all of which were also suffering the heaves too. Well, at least the therapy was consistent. Though he didn't think he'd have much of an appetite later on after all this. After the nausea came chills, the side effects were a lot like detoxing. But as the wraith already had the necessary organs, it was more of a matter of flipping a switch in the brain than it was flushing it out.

Todd was kept busy checking on each of his crew members, assuring and keeping them calm, not verbally but mentally. Eventually the side effects slowed up and the seven could get some rest. Beckett shoo'ed the commander away to get some dinner, but instead, he had his marine escort follow him to the balcony outside the gate room. The fresh sea air was good on his skin and senses after a stressful day.

Tomorrow would be harder however, as the youngest of the wraith on board would be getting the serum. The same wraith that had fought two others in the sparring ring that day he and Rogue started. The youngster had just shifted over to a human diet. Well, "just" was an understatment, but compared to the rest of the crew, he'd been feeding on humans the shortest span of time. Thus far, age and how long since maturity had not had any different effect, but they'd find out tomorrow if that held up.

Rogue hadn't been able to get much traditional rest in the hospital bed, not with the sounds of the sick Wraith filling the space around her. She'd managed to meditate for a while, though, and that was something at least. The pain wasn't helping her mental state much, but it did give a small degree of assistance in keeping her anchored to reality, making it easier to shore up the walls between her and the hundreds of others mucking about her head.

After a while, though, enough was enough. She left the hospital as quickly as she could, sneaking out before either Beckett or Keller could spot her, and wandered back to the parts of Atlantis that she was beginning to know well. That was how she stumbled across Todd, spotting him through the glass and quietly joining him on the balcony with a nod to his marine escort.

She stood at the railing, looking out over the endless ocean, for a long moment before gently asking, "How are you handling all this?" She kept her voice low, this conversation just for the two of them, her concern for him genuine. None of this could be easy for him, having to watch his crew suffer like this, even if they would be better for it in the end.

He glanced to her when she joined him, but said nothing, soaking in the warm breeze until she spoke.

"Its difficult. Wraith under stress tend to let their telepathic thoughts and emotions wander over our link more freely. So if one feels it, so do the others, including myself. Fortunately the side effects are short-lived and they're already calming down." he elaborated.

Todd looked to her again, "How are your ribs?"

"Not too happy with me at the moment," she admitted, her expression tightening as she shifted to lean her good side against the rail. It didn't help much. "Hurts like hell, actually, but only when I breathe."

She lifted up the edge of her shirt, exposing an expanse of pale skin that led into dark, mottled bruising covering her lower left ribcage just under her arm. "On the bright side, I think I've discovered a new shade of purple."

He had an easy way to fix that...The enzyme...the Gift. But her life wasn't in danger, she'd heal in time. No need to offer it. Especially since she turned down stronger drugs. Speaking of which...

"Why did you want a weaker medicine for the pain?" he asked curiously "Cracked ribs take time to heal and as you just said, they hurt like hell."

"Well, the simple answer is that really strong painkillers make me sicker than your crew have been all afternoon," she told him, looking uncomfortable at the mere thought of it. "The more complicated reason, though..."

Rogue worried her lower lip with her teeth for a moment, debating how to explain a situation that most people couldn't even begin to comprehend. "I think I've mentioned before that there are over two hundred individual personalities in my mind. Most of them... aren't very pleasant. They were people we were fighting, people I had to interrogate, even people who just... attacked me personally." She tried to take a deep breath and ended up coughing for her trouble. When she'd composed herself again, she continued, "Murderers, rapists, sociopaths. I've got the whole catalog up here, and when I take really strong drugs like that? Found out the hard way that my mental shields don't hold up as well, and the whole gang can come out to play."

She shook her head in resigned frustration. "The last time it happened, it took two weeks of really intense therapy with Charles before I could even be in the same room as someone else. Because of what they made me see, and feel. So I just deal with the pain as best I can, because it's better than the alternative."

To humans, Wraith were monsters. Stood to reason, they fed upon people like humans fed upon poultry and cattle. But Wraith only fed upon people to survive. There were only a handful in the long history Todd knew that went above that, feeding for pleasure.

Murder? Wraith took out villages and towns for either associating with a Runner, or ensuring a civilization didn't grow too powerful, because that led to people like the Genii.

Rape? High offence to another wraith or a human, punishable by instant death.

The definition of a sociopath alluded him but he presumed it was no better than the other two.

All three types...and more, all scrambling about in one head? She was tougher than a Wraith queen. But it seemed a fragile barrier she'd put up. Endure the pain of cracked ribs or suffer the minds of criminals. No, she had little choice but to endure.

It was quite incredible.

He smiled a bit and then jerked his head. "Come, let's go get some dinner."

There was a reason Rogue had found a measure of comfort on the hive ship, among Todd and his crew. Humans were capable of great kindness and compassion, but also great cruelty, and she had seen more than her fair share of the latter. Being among the Wraith was relieving because she didn't have to question their motives or guess at their intentions. Wraith were easy to understand once you took the time to understand their culture, and now that they wouldn't be overly tempted to have her for dinner, there really weren't many places she would rather be.

Especially because Todd never looked at her in pity the way a human would. He accepted who she was, what she could do and the side effects that came with it, and he offered no sympathy or allowances for her condition, just as she didn't lament over what she had to deal with. She wasn't a crybaby, and it was such a wonderful thing not to be treated like glass.

Rogue sat with Todd for dinner, having spent enough time with Sheppard's team for the day, and genuinely concerned that Ronon might not make it through the meal without using his butter knife for something other than its intended purpose.

Todd was glad she'd chosen to sit with him as the only members of his crew were currently in bed or up on the hive and sitting alone would have looked...rather pathetic.

While Ronon might be busy thinking about where to bury a butter knife in him, Todd had other concerns.

Like why his dinner seemed to be cooked worms and...he hoped those weren't some bull's jewels...

New supplies had been brought by the Daedalus that morning, among them, pasta. So tonight's dinner was, innocently, spaghetti and meatballs, and fresh-baked rolls.

He nibbled a roll as he contemplated silently about trying what he'd been given.

Rogue was excited for the spaghetti and meatballs. This was comfort food for her, something they'd made regularly at the mansion because even the pickiest of the kids like spaghetti. She could tell that Todd was not as enthused, however, from the way he looked at the food and didn't immediately dig in the way he often did with her cooking. She wasn't quite sure what the issue was, and had they been alone she might have teased him for it, but she wouldn't do that to him when some of the others might overhear.

So instead, she took the first bite, chewing carefully and cataloging the flavors. It needed a bit more basil, in her opinion, and parmesan. The former was something she'd have to go searching for, but she'd seen packets of the latter by where they'd picked up their dinner.

"Hang on a second, don't try it yet," she told him before half throwing herself out of the chair, her ribs making getting up and down difficult. She grabbed a handful of the packets and upon returning to the table, ripped them open and dumped a very liberal amount on both their plates. "Trust me, makes all the difference."

Todd had been about to finally pick up his fork when she stopped him and bolted as quickly as her injured ribs allowed, coming back shortly with...cheese?

He didn't see how dumping more of it on this dish could make it any better.

Perhaps this was an earth special. All worlds had their customs, food especially...

Was it better to try it first or ask what it was first?

Deciding it best that he not become a picky eater, he decided to try it before asking. Mimicking Rogue, he wound some of the yellow strings around a fork and took a mouthful.

Who knew worms could be so good?

The tangy-sweet tomato sauce and the salty sharpness of the cheese were a great combination, and he braved the bullocks too, finding them just as good.

Rogue grinned as Todd finally tried the food and proceeded to eat without further hesitation. At least he didn't hate it.

"This dish is called spaghetti and meatballs," she told him, guessing that he might be wondering. "Spaghetti is made from wheat flour, like bread, and the meatballs are ground beef rolled into this shape. It's a common dish on Earth, noodles are easy to come by and filling."

She'd actually contemplated trying to make her own pasta during the past two weeks. They hadn't had flour, but certain vegetables could be used instead for a similar effect. She just hadn't had the chance to experiment with it yet.

He paused with another forkful of noodles to his mouth when she seemed to read his mind and tell him what he was eating.

He looked down at his tray again.

"Oh." and he continued eating, deciding not to divulge what he thought it had been.

"Are you sneaking into my room tonight or staying in your own?" he asked

She might have asked him about that oh and what exactly it meant when he practically blindsided her with his next question. Well, if that was how he was going to be...

"Do you have a preference, Commander?" she returned, letting her southern drawl warm the words that were definitely an attempt at flirting. Her usual manner had come back in spades during the time she'd spent with Sheppard and the rest, and while it wasn't as easy with Todd, that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

He blinked at her rather odd change in manner but replied, "Before I fall asleep preferably."

He'd fallen back to sleep easily enough after she left but still. Sort of a bother to get up.

Another forkful of spaghetti made him realize he'd been rather idiotic to think it was worms. Although..."ground beef" was still rather vague...

That was it? How... disappointing. Maybe it was a Wraith thing, or a Todd thing. Or maybe she was just out of practice. She'd have to try again, see if she could figure out which it was.

"I'll keep that in mind," she commented with slightly narrowed eyes, playfully of course. She may have felt like death run over, but the company was pleasant enough to balance out the evening.

Rogue was about to make her second attempt at getting under Todd's skin when Sheppard appeared at their table, depositing a small plate at Rogue's elbow. Her eyes widened at the slice of chocolate cake resting there and she turned a very questioning gaze up to the colonel.

"After the day you've had, I figured you could use some cake," he said with an easy shrug, then turned with a grin toward Todd. "Sorry Todd, last piece."

Rogue called his attention back by spearing a forkful of the moist, fluffy chocolate creation and audibly moaned in pleasure as it practically melted on her tongue. From the way Sheppard's eyebrows shot up, it may have been bordering on inappropriate for public ears. As if she really cared.

Pointing her fork at the colonel, she informed him, "Remember that marriage proposal I mentioned earlier? I'm picking out the ring tomorrow."

Sheppard just chuckled at that and shook his head. "I'm looking forward to it," he told her before excusing himself and leaving them to their own devices again.

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:D <3

hehe

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