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

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

[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.

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"Of course." he said "For now though, you're our cook." he grinned.

Which reminded him, he needed to make sure the Daedalus had brought enough to refill their pantry otherwise they'd be here a little longer than planned.

By now, the moons had both risen over the sea, though the stars weren't all that visible thanks to the cloud-cover tonight. He'd heard there was a storm headed their way soon.

A cook. A teacher, a fighter, a cook. Her life had turned out nothing like she'd grown up imagining it would be, but all in all it hadn't been that bad. She'd found a place to fit in, and friends, and someone who loved her. If you looked past how all of it had ended, it was a pretty good life.

"Two moons," she said softly, her voice full of wonderment. "It's incredible."

She sighed gently and sank a little further into the couch. "You know, even though it's killing me that I'll never see my friends again, or be able to go home... I'm glad I ended up here." A glance Todd's way. "I'm glad I got to meet you."

"The last world Atlantis was on had five." he said, admiring the pair.

A smile then a chuff at that final bit, "Well, you'll live longer." She might even find someone here on Atlantis to be with. She and Sheppard seemed to get along well enough. But most importantly, she wouldn't be experimented upon or under constant alert for danger.

"Let's hope so," she joked with a wry smile. "I'm not off to the best start." At least the pills were starting to kick in, dulling the sharp pain to a dull, persistent ache.

If he asked, Rogue would tell him that she wasn't looking for someone to spend her life with, not in that way. John Sheppard deserved a wife, someone to be madly in love with him. Everyone she'd met at Atlantis deserved that. But Rogue didn't want that life anymore. She had loved someone with her whole heart and soul, and she'd lost him. Now all she wanted was a friend, a partner to have her back. A different kind of relationship.

"You'll heal." he assured her. Then thought of something. "Do you find your ability to be...weaker or stronger when you're injured?" he asked.

If weaker, perhaps this was the opportunity to try training her. If more powerful...

It was hard to say, her ability wasn't a parasite or like his ability to see in the dark, needed special circumstances to work. But it was worth asking about.

Rogue was quiet for a moment, thinking over his question. "It's usually always the same," she concluded. "It wasn't until I touched you that it was... not exactly weaker, but slower."

She ran a gloved hand through her hair. "When I was seventeen, shortly after my mutation manifested, I died. Logan tried to bring me back by touching me so I could absorb his healing ability. It did work, eventually, but it took a lot longer for my power kick in and borrow his. But beyond that, even when I've been unconscious, it's been the same."

So it was slower when she she badly injured, as his first guess confirmed. Eventually it did kick in but it took time.

But when it came to him, it was erratic.

Why?

She'd said before she'd touched aliens before. So what made the Wraith special that it fluctuated between ripping his arm out of his socket to nothing at all?

It had to be some combination of their natural healing ability and...was her ability somehow sensing his own ability to take the life force of others? No, it wasn't a separate entity...which probably would have made things easier to figure out if it were.

Charles had spent far more time with her than he did, so he had to take her word on his word that he believed the ability to control her gift was within her somewhere.

He silently contemplated all this, looking out across the ocean.

Rogue's own thoughts were moving along the same lines, only she had a few brilliant minds analyzing alongside her own. She let them go at it this time, they were being a bit less manic about it at least, and after a while she had a theory to propose.

"Charles thinks it might be different with you because of your ability being similar to mine," she said, her gaze on the window as well. "After the gene therapy, you might not need to feed on humans to survive, but you're still physically able to do it. Charles - and Erik," she added at someone's insistence, "believe that my power is inconsistent because of the interference of your ability, of that genetic base code that allows you to take the lifeforce of humans."

She looked up at the ceiling, absorbing the idea even as she expressed it aloud for him. "They think that interference might be enough for me to learn how to alternately dampen or enhance my powers, but they don't know that it would work the same way with humans. With other Wraith, yes, but I'd probably have to find another mechanism to gain control when touching humans."

But it was all just a theory.

He looked to her when she spoke.

It was still a little strange to think that she had two minds...no, two hundred minds kicking around in her own, but it wasn't like he didn't believe her about it.

"I thought of that as well. However, it's best to start somewhere." He pointed out. And despite how much Sheppard and his team liked her, she'd never be allowed to stay on Atlantis if she didn't gain some control over her ability, even if Woolsey left. And that was the end goal was it not? She couldn't live on the hive forever. She was welcome to until or if the queen rejected her, but he figured she'd be more comfortable here on Atlantis.

After a moment of thought, Todd held out his left hand. "Try again" only a brush of the fingers to test. Small steps.

Rogue stared at his hand for a long moment before finally nodding and tugging the glove off her right hand. She concentrated for a moment, trying to smooth over the frazzled edges of her mind from the tiring day, and then set her fingertips on his skin.

The connection was instant, but only a trickle of his energy was received by her power, with that familiar static electricity feeling arching up her arm. Lifting her hand from his, she asked him carefully, "Did you feel it this time?"

He kept calm, eyeing her as she pulled off her glove and then the brief contact. The tingle returned, then faded.

"Yes, much like the first time" he said, looking at his hand then her own. "Have you used your power often enough for it to become a strain?" He asked "Or rather were you ever physically weakened by using it often?" He knew the ability itself did not wane but perhaps she herself did.

He also wondered if he'd be pushing to try yet again.

"Physically, it's only ever a problem when I've borrowed other mutants' powers and used them," she answered. "That can be pretty exhausting. But the real strain was always mental, from having to deal with new psyches being in my head, or old ones being strengthened with a new touch."

But she didn't feel him in her head. Perhaps it was another side effect of their similar abilities. Whatever the reason, she was grateful for it. "Touching you doesn't bother me that way, though."

He had no powers to give her and therefore she'd never become exhausted from touching him. So the only thing that remained was the original idea that keeping her calm and exposing her often to him.

Todd held up his hand once more. "I think the only way we will make progress is by regular contact. Again." He said.

Thus far, the only time her ability had hurt had been in the arena. The question was would that happen in a casual situation like this or was it limited to when there was no holding back and the adrenaline was running high?

Rogue nodded and once again set her fingers against his hand, studying the way it felt when his energy began flowing into her at that slow, steady rate. A few seconds was all the tried before breaking the contact, rubbing her fingers together to chase away that lingering sensation.

It really did feel... malleable, almost. Like a floodgate that was partway lowered, if she turned the valve just the right way she could block off the tide entirely.

"I'm going to try manipulating it," she told him hesitantly. "Slowing it down even more, trying to stop it completely."

If she was going to put a damper on her power, it couldn't just be at the point of contact, or that would be all that could be controlled. No, she wanted full control of her ability, and that meant she had to focus on her own mind, on that tug she felt within her center whenever her power kicked in.

So as she once again allowed her skin to touch his, she concentrated fully on that pull of power, the thread between them and where it connected to her. She imagined turning that valve, putting her weight behind it to close the gate and stop the exchange. The seconds that passed seemed like an eternity before she finally felt... something. A flicker of change, the strength of the connection wavering, weakening until it was only a tiny trickle.

It was such a surprise that it actually worked that her focus broke and her power flared, that floodgate crashing open and pulling his energy into her with painful force. "Shit!" Rogue jerked her hand away with a grimace and clutched it to her chest. "Are you okay?"

So far, so good. She even wanted to try this on her own without his prompting, a sign that she was getting more confident.

Her fingers settled into his left palm and remained there. The tingle slowly began to decrease! Weakened until it was just barely noticeable. Well done, not bad for-

That sharp yank and pain ripped through his arm like before in the arena and he jerked away the same time she did, claws slicing her palm in the process. He snarled at the pain, gripping his arm, the bone-deep ache that followed flooded through him.

The door room his room opened and the marine stepped in, gun raised and pointed at Todd.

"Back away."

"Calm down" Todd hissed, still gripping his arm.

"Back. Away." he repeated, and Todd complied, knowing better than to test Sheppard's men. He moved as far to the opposite side of the couch he could, both hands raised. The marine noticed his red bloody fingers and looked to Rogue. "Where'd he hurt you ma'am?"

Rogue had forgotten about the marine stationed outside, and was confused for a moment as to what exactly was happening and what the guy waving the gun around was talking about. Then she noticed Todd's hand, the blood on his fingers. How...

A glance down at her own hand answered the question. Oh. Ow. Now that she recognized what had happened, her hand was stinging something fierce, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it should have been. The bleeding was already beginning to slow, and all she could figure was that she'd picked up a little of the Wraith's natural healing speed during the exchange.

"Stand down, Marine," she said in a firm, if annoyed voice. The one she'd used with students, with the teams she had led. "Everything's fine here. It's nothing I didn't ask for."

The marine looked confused by that, but did seem to take a small degree of assurance from her words. Still. "Ma'am, I don't think-"

"I'm not asking for your opinion," she interrupted sharply. It was hard to be intimidating while sitting down, but she seemed to be doing a damned fine job of it if his slightly shocked expressed was anything to go by. "I'm not a resident of Atlantis, and therefore this doesn't concern you or anyone else. It's between me and Todd, even though I know you'll have to report it to Colonel Sheppard."

She felt a little guilty for being so brusque with the man, he was just doing his job, but he seemed to take it in stride. "Yes, ma'am, I will."

"Then go do it," she ordered.

Edited 2015-12-04 19:01 (UTC)

The confused marine tapped his earpiece and returned to his post outside the door, speaking to the colonel as it closed behind him.

Todd relaxed and looked to her. "Closer that time." he grunted, getting up and going to the bathroom. He washed the blood off then returned with a damp towel and a first aid kit he'd found under the sink.

He sat back down, setting the kit between them and holding out the towel to her. "What happened?" he asked. He still ached something fierce all over and a wave of exhaustion was sinking in, but they'd both been quicker than in the arena, ironically enough, so it wasn't as bad.

Rogue pressed the towel to her palm, hissing as the pressure made the stinging worse. "Something stupid," she grumbled, carefully wiping at the cuts on her hand.

"Those things are really sharp," she commented, noticing how clean the cuts were. The bleeding had already stopped, too, and she could feel the slight itching of healing underneath the biting pain.

Going back to the topic at hand, she explained, "I was surprised that it was starting to work and lost my focus. Stupid." She paused in her work and looked up at him. Repeated her question from before, she asked, "Are you okay?"

He chuckled at the claw remark, then let out a long sigh at the reason why she'd goofed up. "Drained." he answered, literally. "At least now we know you can have some control over it. The trick is keeping that control. We'll try again tomorrow perhaps"

The door slid open again but now it was Sheppard himself. Clearly he'd been settled in for the night when the marine had called, having only quickly pulled on his boots and strapped a wraith stunner to his thigh before coming over. "Everything okay here?"

"We're fine Sheppard." Todd answered, glanced to Rogue then to the colonel. Just in case this happened again, he decided it best to tell him what was going on. "If you must know Rogue is attempting to harness her ability. I think you'll approve, its quite painful for me" he grinned.

The colonel gave the pair a lopsided smile and sighed, "Okay okay, just, try to keep it down kids. You gave your guard quite the scare."

"Is he really still necessary, Sheppard? There are cameras all over the place" Todd pointed out. Indeed there were two-he knew of-in his room and one outside his door. There was also the night patrol, beefed up thanks to the presence of the extra wraith in the hospital.

Sheppard shrugged, "I guess not. I'll talk to Woolsey about it in the morning."

Todd nodded his thanks at that.

Sheppard turned his attention to Rogue, peering down at her injured hand. "You should probably get someone to look at that," he advised, concern laced through the words.

Rogue shook her head slightly, dismissively. "It's already starting to heal," she told him. "Side effect of my power. Besides, it's nothing I can't take care of myself." She'd been out fighting in the field for years, after all. A cut hand was nothing compared to what she'd had to help patch up, on herself and for others.

Sheppard took that in and nodded slowly. "So if this, whatever you're doing, works," he started, gesturing between the two of them, does that mean I'll get that kiss you promised me in the Jumper bay?" The question was punctuated with a teasing grin, aimed at lightening her mood.

Rogue narrowed her eyes at the man, a mischievous smile blooming with her answer. "Only if you're a very good boy, Colonel Sheppard. You've gotta earn it."

That comment earned her a pair of raised eyebrows and a laugh.

Todd occupied himself with opening the kit and pulling out a bandage for Rogue, blinking at the flirty pair. Even after all this time, he still found human courtship quite strange.

"If you two are quite finished..." he said, handing Rogue the bandage. "I'd like to get some rest because someone sucked the life out of me." he said with a point look to the mutant.

"Hey, what goes around comes around. Your come-uppins just took ten thousand years." Sheppard said to him.

"Give or take a few centuries." Todd chuffed, getting up. Everything hurt, but he kept a straight face.

"Come on, let's leave the old bug to his bed." Sheppard said to Rogue, jerking his head to the door.

Rogue applied the bandage to her hand while the two joked in their own way, smirking at the exchange. They were pretty amusing when they got going. When she was finished, she tugged her discarded glove back on and began the process of heaving herself up off the couch. Sheppard was immediately at her side, taking her elbow and helping get her upright.

"Thanks," she murmured, again noting the differences between humans and Wraith. Not all humans fit into that mold, of course, but John Sheppard certainly did.

As they moved to the door, Rogue stopped near Todd and quietly informed him, "My usual offer stands. Come find me in the morning if you need to take me up on it."

Sheppard frowned slightly at her words, but didn't say anything as they left the room and he escorted her back to her room for the night. She wouldn't have answered him even if he'd asked.

Todd cocked his head at that but then realized what she meant. He'd avoid feeding on her though to regain his strength, preferring to leave any touching and risks thereof to her training.

After the door closed, he laid down and fell into a dreamless deep sleep.

He woke a little later than usual the next day but the uninterrupted rest felt good and he was ready to deal with today. No need to seek Rogue out and feed on her.

The wraith given the serum the previous day were getting their check-ups from the doctors, and Todd checked each one too to ensure they weren't hiding any side effects.

Once they were finished, they were escorted down to the cafeteria for their first meal of an early lunch. Todd sat with them and ate as well, knowing the rest of the day would be devoted to the next group which were on their way from the hive.

Rogue slept right through breakfast, and might not have made it to lunch if Dr. Beckett hadn't shown up at her door, having decided to track her down since she'd failed to visit the hospital for a checkup as promised. He'd taken one look at her ribs and immediately dragged her out of her room, insisting on performing a full scan with the proper equipment.

The bruising on her side was significantly improved, to Carson's astonishment. He'd heard about her ability from Rodney, who hadn't been able to contain his glee over having something new and exciting to study, but as they say, seeing is believing. After Rogue provided a brief explanation of what had happened the night before, the Scot determined that the borrowed healing had easily shaved off a week of her recovery time.

She was glad to hear it, because the whole event had actually taken a lot out of her. Physically, she was fine beyond the mostly healed cuts on her palm and her still injured ribs, but mentally she was a little on edge. Once she'd gotten to her room the night before, everything had come back to her and she'd fully realized what had happened. At the time, she'd been so involved in controlling the situation and effectively protecting Todd from the marine and potential repercussions of the accident, but in the quiet of her room she relieved the marine bursting into the room, pointing a gun at her companion. Just like so many had before, to other friends in other places and times.

Nightmares had plagued her for much of the night, and it wasn't until the sun was up that she got any real rest. It was because of her listlessness that Carson forced her to have lunch in the hospital before allowing her to retreat back to her room for a nap.

After brunch with the boys, the newly changed wraith were escorted back to the pier where the new group were waiting, including the youngest of their lot. They switched, the first group being returned to the ship, and were brought to the hospital and the spare room to be inoculated.

Like the day before, Todd oversaw each one of his crew, glad he had a strong stomach for the usual side effects ensued.

He tried not to check up on the youngster any more often than the others but this would make or break the serum's wide-spread ability and Keller could swear the old commander hovered around a little more than before. However, by dinner, there'd been nothing different in the side effects with him.

Sheppard stopped by briefly but long enough to know the youngster was special, and so during dinner, with Rogue sitting with them, he announced..."Cody."

Rodney pulled a face, instantly knowing what the colonel meant, who seemed very proud of himself for the clever name he'd come up with. "I thought we were going to discuss what we're going to name them?"

"I said no such thing, and I can't help it when these inspirations strike" Sheppard defended, starting on his dinner-tonight was beef stew and biscuits.

"Which Wraith did you...bless with this name?" Teyla said, amused. Torren beside her, eating his peas before Rogue could take them away.

"The young one." Sheppard said

"They all look the same to me." Ronon said

"The one with no beard or tats." the colonel elaborated

"Oh that one." Ronon plainly didn't seem to remember there being much of a difference between any of the new wraith on the base, though, like Teyla, somewhat amused by Sheppard's naming of them.

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