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

Citrus? Really. Interesting. She filed that very useful bit of information away for future reference. But really, a watergun full of lemon juice wouldn't be taking things too far, would it?

"He just caught me off guard with it, is all," Rogue explained as they walked, beginning to feel a little frustrated for letting him get to her in the first place. "I'd mentioned Remy before and apparently he took that as permission to ask whatever the hell he wanted about our life together. I was fine with some of it, but this..." She shook her head with a sigh.

"You have the right to draw the line at whatever questions you like" he said "And as its McKay, I'd say he's gotten enough answers" he stated

if they were going to make any progress during tonight's training, she had to be calm, so he decided to try and take her mind off McKay by telling her that he'd ordered them groceries.

"I was sure to include coffee and chocolate on that list." he said

Rogue was excited for the groceries, she had to admit. Things had been getting a bit tight even for her, and it would be wonderful to have a bit of variety to work with again. But when Todd mentioned the specific additions, her jaw dropped and she was torn between being shocked and completely elated.

"You..." She didn't know what to say. She finally settled for a highly inadequate, "Thank you. That's... really very kind of you."

Unexpected, but wonderfully kind. And she couldn't begin to think of a way to repay him for the consideration.

The wraith was pretty pleased with himself for remembering her tastes...no pun intended...But also he found it was the little things that seemed to keep her happy. And like a Queen, keeping a female pleased was what mattered most on a hive.

As she got herself some dinner, he got himself some tea-no sugar, though he decided to try a little honey in it-and they sat down together, away from Sheppard's usual table. Teyla was already there wrestling a fussy Torren into his highchair, and was soon joined by her husband, Kanaan, who'd been sick for the majority of the week but now looked healthy and carried both his tray of food and Teyla's to the table.

"Where did Sheppard go?" Todd asked Rogue, remembering he'd left her with the colonel and the Athosian and Sheppard wasn't likely to bail on Rogue without reason.

Keeping a woman pleased was a wise course of action in any circumstance, not just on a hive. Todd was smarter than he knew.

"He got called away right as Rodney showed up," she answered after taking a bite of her mashed potatoes. They needed salt. "I think one of the labs was smoking. Or someone was. All I heard was lab and smoking." She gave a little shrug and added, "He didn't seem concerned at the time."

His reaction had actually reminded her of her own back during her time at the mansion. It was a rare day that one of the students was blowing up, melting, freezing, or dematerializing something.

Hard to say if that came from just general respect, or from living in a matriarchal society. Maybe both.

"Maybe a little too much to hope that McKay will stick his nose into the matter and burn himself." Todd chuckled. "Then again, perhaps not, for he'll just be complaining about another thing for all of Atlantis to hear." he said, thinking better of it.

He sipped his tea, which tasted infinitely better with the honey. Perhaps a little sweet was okay after all.

Also, though he couldn't explain why really, the warmth of the mug against his palm felt good. Comforting after dealing with the only man other than Woolsey he'd have few regrets about feeding upon if given the chance.

"Up for some training tonight?" he asked

Rogue had to agree with the observation about Rodney. She wouldn't wish that fate on anyone, except maybe Woolsey.

She flashed Todd a smile at his question. "I was hoping you'd ask," she admitted. "After last night... I still can't believe it actually happened. I haven't touched anyone like that in a decade."

She paused them, fork hanging limply from her hand while she chewed on her lower lip. Finally, she told him, "I really can't begin to thank you for all you've done for me."

He could understand that, half a century without the touch of another that wasn't harsh or harmful. Sometimes he wondered how he'd kept going all those years locked up. Apart from the part where dying from starvation wasn't possible of course.

A grunt of a reply at that. He still felt he owed her a debt he was not sure how to completely repay other than doing what he could for her.

"Good, for a moment I thought I'd get an evening alone" he grinned in good humor.

Sheppard and McKay walked in and Todd was happy to see the colonel smack the doctor's shoulder, McKay no doubt retelling what annoyances he'd been up to. Sheppard gave Rogue another apologetic look but sat with his team-soon joined by Ronon who had a fresh bandage above his eye, most likely from a sparring accident.

In Rogue's mind, whatever debt Todd might have felt he owed her had been long ago repaid, especially after he had offered her a permanent place aboard his hive. Well, as permanent as it could be, considering all the extenuating circumstances. That act alone had tipped the scales for her and now she felt that she was in his debt, and she was fairly lacking in the means to even try to repay him.

Rogue shot Sheppard a smile in response to that apologetic look, letting him know from a distance that there weren't any hard feelings for him having left her in Rodney's clutches. She only raised an eyebrow at Ronon's new bandage, but didn't give it a second thought. She'd seen firsthand how he could be in a spar - some might call it reckless, but she preferred to think of it as being enthusiastic. She had a feeling the Satedan would agree with her.

Dessert that night was a peach cobbler, not too sweet and nicely flavored with cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. After her first bite, she held her fork out to Todd. "You should try this," she encouraged him. "It's got a good flavor, I think you might like it." And if he did, she could try making it or a variation of it when they were back on the hive.

Todd was hesitant to, every dessert he'd tried thus far had not been something he could enjoy, but he had to try everything, even just once, to find out if it was for him or not.

He took the offered fork and scooped up a bite to include both the fruit and the crust. After looking at it a moment, he stuck it in his mouth.

It was good, but still, too sweet to eat a whole serving of.

Rogue might be from the land of pies and rich desserts but it was clear she'd have to become more creative and find something that wasn't in that realm for the wraith.

He gave her back her fork.

"Still too much for me."

Well, that was a little disappointing. Another idea crossed off the list. Rogue was determined to find something of the palate-cleansing dessert nature that would appeal to Todd's particular taste, now that she was going to be staying on the hive. Though it was seeming more and more like this was going to be a long-term project. It wasn't as if she didn't have the time, at least.

"I'm going to find something you like," she declared with a pointed gesture of her fork, though the determination in her voice may have made it more akin to a threat than a promise.

Edited 2015-12-12 04:38 (UTC)

Todd chuckled, "I look forward to when you do find something suitable." He said.

He finished his tea and left her to finish her cobbler while he checked on his crew for the night. He was still expecting something to go wrong or perhaps word from the hive that a new side effect had broken out. Fortunately however, his fears had not manifested. Those settled from the stress of the day talked with their commander about what they were going to do once everyone had gotten the treatment.

The plan was to rendezvous with the commanders again to distribute more of the serum. Beckett and Keller were hard at work producing it, but if they wanted to ensure perfection and no screwups, they calculated they'd only have enough to give to two hives by the time Todd's crew was done. Another few months and they'd return to Atlantis and pick up more. The status that his hive had become a delivery vessel wasn't the greatest, but Woolsey and Sheppard felt it best that the location of the city remain known by as few as possible until the wraith not committed to the diet change were elimated or joined up.

Todd returned to his room and settled down to read more of The Once and Future King, though not jumping ahead, just rereading what Rogue had already, and waiting on her.

Rogue finished her cobbler at the table she'd shared with Todd before grabbing a cup of coffee and joining Sheppard's team for a few minutes of conversation. It was good to finally meet Teyla's husband, since she'd heard about him a bit from the rest of the group, and she got to hear Ronon's recollection of the sparring match, which was pretty animated for the big guy. And Sheppard was kind enough to run interference when Rodney tried to ask a few more of his questions, though he'd thankfully had the foresight to stick to less personal topics than before.

She had a nice time with all of them, but while it was a little sad to think it might be a long while before she saw them again after this visit, Rogue wouldn't hesitate to admit that she was looking forward to being back on the hive. The others might never understand it, but the ship had become almost like home to her, certainly the closest things she'd had to a home in years.

A quick stop at the hospital to get her usual meds and then she was at Todd's door again, a smile in place while she waited for him to let her in.

He let her in and they sat down on the couch. The weather outside had cleared completely and the moonlight on the sea was quite lovely.

Todd let her calm down-he should have insisted on no coffee before this but perhaps not.

When he felt she'd settled down and nodded her readiness, he held out his hand-the right this time-for her to take.

"Try to hold on as long as possible." he said. He'd like to try with some distractions if this turned out as well as last time.

He would have had to insist quite a lot to keep her from enjoying that cup of coffee, and it didn't effect her focus that much. Just a little. That she would admit.

His right hand this time. She felt like that said a lot for her progress, that he was willing to proceed in this fashion. She appreciated the faith he had in her and her growing control.

A nod and then her hand was touching his, wrapping around it to create a solid connection between them. Like last time, she was able to slow and then stop that subtle flow of energy, and her hold on it lasted two minutes longer than the time before. When she finally pulled away, she was smiling, a grin that couldn't be contained. Because it was working.

Six solid minutes. Not even a flicker of her ability rippling the calm and simple...real touch. She was doing better.

It was time to change it up a bit.

Going for a walk around Atlantis might be the best way to ensure the most natural distractions, but if the gene therapy had taught him anything, it was little steps were needed.

"Let's try again, this time..." he held out The Once and Future King. "With a distraction. Read to me aloud while keeping hold of your ability." he said. She knew the book already so it wasn't an entirely solid distraction, but...little steps.

That... wasn't as easy to accomplish.

Rogue took the book in one hand, flipping it to a random page they had already passed, but didn't start reading until she'd taken his hand and stopped the transfer. The words were stilted at first, and her control wavered once, twice, but never did it flare and pull at him like in the arena. She managed two and a half minutes before she could feel her control about to snap entirely and pulled back.

She took a deep breath and looked at Todd. "Definitely not as easy," she surmised, but didn't put down the book. "Are you alright to try again?"

As he thought, and it was best he'd suggested small. Still, two and half minutes, even wavering, wasn't a bad start.

"Until you can't anymore for the night...or the worst should happen" he said.

Todd wanted to keep up the training as often as possible now that they'd established she could control it. But she had her limits and stressing her would likely do more harm than good. Not to mention he didn't much care for feeling like he'd had his arm ripped out.

Edited 2015-12-13 06:04 (UTC)

Rogue was extremely grateful that Todd didn't coddle her or make her take things really slowly. He wanted to push her as far as she could go, but not to her detriment, and he was willing to let her make that call as much as possible. It was similar to the way things had been with Charles, but her mentor had always had a tendency to assume he knew best with all things.

She lasted a little over an hour before she called for a stop for the night. After trying a variety of tactics, she'd found a particular method of focus that allowed her to hold her control for eight minutes while reading. Eight full minutes of touching him. And not once during the process did she suck the life out of him any more than usual. It was real progress.

Leaning back against the couch once the training session was declared over, feeling completely worn out, Rogue reached over and set her hand on Todd's arm, the barrier of his coat keeping him safe. "Todd, I know I keep saying this, and you're probably getting sick of hearing it, but I really mean it. Thank you for helping me like this."

Eight minutes with distractions. Well done indeed.

It was a lot for one night so he agreed to cease the training. Tomorrow would be their last night on Atlantis, the following day they'd be back on the hive. By the time they returned to the ancient city, he was certain she'd be able to keep her ability so under wraps that the effort will amount to no more than remembering to breathe.

The extra touch on his arm had him look down and then back to her. Keller did that when he'd been in the hospital. A reassuring or comforting gesture. But there was still that lingering feeling on the back of his neck that his prey was touching him...and all it would take would be a quick raise of the hand to feed...or defend himself, as prey usually never cooperated with being fed upon and fought back when possible.

It was several millennial of instinct, he doubted it would go away within a couple years.

Todd chuffed in response and nodded before withdrawing. "Get some rest, tonight was quite an accomplished one."

She'd seen the way he looked when she touched him, and while she didn't fully understand the meaning behind it, she could tell it wasn't something he was fully comfortable with. It was a little sad, in a way. She was going to so much effort to be able to touch people safely, but it seemed like it would still be an infrequent part of her life.

She had nothing to complain about though. Anything was better than the sensory deprivation she'd been living with, after all.

Standing slowly, careful of her ribs, she looked back to him after a moment's hesitation. "You know," she said softly, "I really don't care what the others say about you. I think you're a wonderful individual, and I trust you. With everything."

It was just something she wanted to say, that she wanted him to know. She'd seen the way the others on Atlantis were with him, and while she acknowledged that a lot of their fear and mistrust was for wraith in general and probably not just Todd specifically, she also knew him much better in some ways than any of them now.

It was hard to say if she was naive when it came to his kind. But perhaps it was also the fact that they'd lived at the top of the food chain for so long that any view by a human other than as a predator was strange.

But while Rogue had had first hand experience with the wraith, she'd survived. No comrades had died, and she didn't see what the feeding process looked like on someone she knew or loved. The majority of those on Atlantis would tell a different tale. Sheppard had lost count of how many videos he had to make to send to families of those that had died in the war against the wraith. Ronon's entire world had been wiped out by them, and Teyla's people had been pushed to the brink of extinction themselves.

Trust was very slow to build. Walking relatively freely about Atlantis was a huge step in that of itself. What progress that had been made the commander could hardly believe, and every bit of it was worth the wait, and he didn't fault Sheppard or the others for taking things slow. The Pegasus Galaxy had known the rule of his kin for countless generations, like the instinct to grab and feed or fight, it wouldn't be forgotten so quickly.

Still, despite her being not of this world-in any sense of the word-he inclined his head in thanks. He'd be sure not to misplace that trust.

Maybe she was a little naïve, not having personally experienced the more vicious side of wraith nature, with the natural predatory state. But she wasn't an idiot. She knew how dangerous and destructive the Wraith could be - she'd seen a glimpse of their potential in the tiny bit of Sheppard she'd gotten during their 'date' the other day. Just because she trusted Todd didn't mean she trusted every wraith in the galaxy. Even the members of Todd's crew still occasionally gave her pause. But Todd didn't, not anymore.

Giving him one final smile, she bid him goodnight and returned to her room. She slept like the dead that night, too tired even for the usual vivid dreams that frequented her sleep. When she woke in the morning, she could have sworn someone had slipped her a sleeping pill the night before, for how fuzzy the world felt. She needed coffee, in a vat.

She was on her way to the cafeteria for breakfast when it happened. Not paying full attention to her surroundings, she couldn't even really say how it happened. Her right glove was off for all of fifteen seconds while she adjusted her sleeve, and it was during those seconds that a Marine came up beside her and touched her arm. It was a purely instinctual reaction that had her lashing out to defend herself, her hand grabbing his arm to push him away, but his own instinct kicked in at the same time. The Marine's free hand latched onto hers in self-defense and her powers kicked in before she could shake him free.

It was just like with the humans and mutants back in her dimension. His energy and thoughts flooded into her, including the physical pain he was in and the terror he was feeling, because in his mind it was just like being fed on by a wraith. His muscles tensed and his hand became a vice around hers.

"Somebody help!" She didn't hesitate to cry out as she struggled to get free from his grip, silently counting the seconds that passed. By the time she pried his fingers from her hand, severing the connection, he had already started convulsing and it was all she could do to lower him carefully to the floor. "Somebody please!"

Major Lorne and a marine under him were closest when Rogue's cries were heard. At first he thought the marine was having some sort of fit, but then he realized it was no ordinary seizure.

He touched his earpiece and contacted the emergency response team and then Sheppard.

Despite all the training the previous night, Todd was up and about early to get his crew moving and put the last batch through the treatment. He and those who'd been given the serum before were having breakfast when there was a commotion with the marines. Several of the guard on the eight of them stayed while the rest jogged off. Todd knew at once something was wrong and he got up to follow, the marines left behind didn't stop him as they'd been ordered to guard the newly treated wraith, not the old one.

He arrived before Sheppard did and he looked to Rogue and at the twitching marine on the ground, but said nothing, just there to ensure the marines didn't get twitchy trigger fingers.

"Why'd you touch him?" Lorne asked, his voice calm and even as the response team arrived and put the marine on a gurney and rolled him towards the hospital, though none were quite sure what to do for him.

Rogue had stayed crouched on the ground when the marines arrived, her eyes on the poor man on the ground until he was taken away. Tony Adams, from Idaho. Youngest of three sons, mother Patsy and father Tim. Both so proud of their little boy when he'd gone off to serve his country, and so elated every time he got home to visit.

Would they ever see him again?

Rogue's own terror set in as she looked up at Lorne and the surrounding marines, all on high alert and watching her with mistrust in their expressions. Just like the soldiers back home. She stayed there on the ground, clutching her ungloved right hand to her chest, and looked at their boots instead.

"It was an accident," she explained, her voice wavering just like it had when she'd said those words at seventeen. "He startled me. I couldn't get him to let go."

She bowed her head, clenching her eyes shut. "He wanted to ask me a question. He didn't mean to scare me." But he had and for a split second he'd been sorry, before the pain and fear set in. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

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he just earned a thousand brownie points with her

now she can make brownies lol

espresso brownies! he might like them :D

lol

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there we go! silly website.

lol

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