Ten Years of Perseverance (Emmagan/Michael, Heightmeyer/Sheppard, Lorne/Weir) [PG-13]
Title : Ten Years of Perseverance
Author: havocthecat
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Teyla Emmagan/Michael Kenmore, Kate Heightmeyer/John Sheppard, Evan Lorne/Elizabeth Weir
Word Count: ~6,200
Summary: "O' the mass of arms, the brilliant leadership, the courage and magnitude of the ancient armies of Greece, combined to conquer the city of Troy - all that, and ten years of perseverance." --Hipponax of Ephesus
Author's Notes: This is a mostly canon-compliant story, but in this universe, the father of Teyla's child is Michael. (Teyla, apparently, lied. Wouldn't you, if you were her, and you'd slept with Michael and accidentally gotten pregnant?) Kanaan isn't as much of a factor. I need some more reasonable (to me) explanation of why Michael was obsessed with Teyla and her child.
I've written an Elizabeth/Kate prequel called Forbidden Fruit.
Written for world_of_blade for the 2008 sg_rarepairings ficathon. I hope that you like this story. It makes use of your prompts (well, two of them), and takes them in a darker direction. I checked with angelqueen04, and she said you like darker stories, plus you have a Brave New World AU that's a WIP, and it's hard to get darker than Brave New World. (So, whatever happens, angelqueen04 takes a vast portion of the blame. Or the credit.) Also, remember that poll about Michael/Teyla on my journal? Well. I was really hoping you'd like what I'd done with those two. jadestrick and triciabyrne1978 were betas. Thanks, guys!
I know you asked for Keller/Sheppard, but I don't have a good enough handle on Keller to write her consistently, so I made do with Heightmeyer/Sheppard instead. I'm very sorry! I couldn't manage Keller for you.
Pairing: Lorne/Elizabeth
Three Things You Want To See: Together when Atlantis goes into lockdown, laughter, teaching each other something.
Three Things You Do NOT Want To See:
Pairing: Michael/Teyla
Three Things You Want To See: Michael didn't let Teyla go when he first went back to the hive, still has a tiny bit of human feelings, Teyla has to help him in some way.
Three Things You Do NOT Want To See: Michael being all goody-goody. He still needs to be the bad guy.
***
John stumbles back toward his bed, trying to see in the light from New Lantea's two moons. It's too dark, and he stubs his toe on his guitar stand. His soft curses draw someone's attention. He sees a figure shift on his bed. "Who's there?"
There's no answer. He stalks closer, ignoring the pain in his foot, and pulls the covers back. Kate's lying there, her head is propped on her arm, and her hair is falling down her shoulder. She smiles up at him. "Hello, John."
"You're dead," he says hoarsely. A chill races through him at the sight of her green eyes. "The alien. It killed you."
"No. No, that wasn't me." She lifts her hand, and John can't stop himself from letting her draw him down into the bed. Her expression is as gentle as he remembers, and he lets out a groan as she presses her body against his.
"How is this possible?" asks John. The warmth of her hand as she lets it rest on his arm is unbelievable. He never believed he'd see her again. "Tell me this isn't a dream."
"It's not a dream." Kate's palm slides up his bicep, and the pressure of her hand on his shoulder pushes him closer to her. "I'm sorry I was gone so long."
"Too long." She's wearing some kind of a flimsy tank top, and John starts to tug it over her head. "We'll have to see Colonel Carter in the morning."
"It's not morning yet," murmurs Kate. "We have time."
***
Evan is in one of the few unused rooms on Atlantis. He doesn't know what he's doing here. He can stare out the windows and pace the floor, but there isn't anything to be found. There hasn't been anything here since Sheppard packed up Elizabeth's belongings and sent them back to Earth. She's gone.
The hell of it is that no one knows what he had with her. No one can know what they had. If he gets caught coming into what used to be Elizabeth's quarters, well, he's developed the habit of sleepwalking since that damn entity took out Kate Heightmeyer. It makes a good excuse, and since Colonel Carter can't seem to get the IOA to approve a new shrink for the expedition, no one's going to expect it to stop any time soon.
"Couldn't sleep?" He hears Elizabeth's voice and whirls.
She's standing in the doorway. Her arms are crossed, and the expression on her face is calm. Evan thinks there's a hint of triumph in her eyes. She's wearing leather, and the uniform has changed, even though there are a couple red stripes on the jacket. He thinks she's lost weight.
"If you didn't look so different, I'd think I was hallucinating." He smiles at her, but it's shaky. He's afraid to move closer. She's colder now. He doesn't know what she's been through, but he's seen soldiers come out of a POW camp before. She reminds him of them, only he doesn't know what she's been through. He only knows the scraps she'd let him see before.
"But you know that you're not?" she asks. She steps inside and wanders closer. "Did you put everything into storage, or ship it to Earth?"
"Sheppard decided to," says Evan. He shrugs. "I tried to argue."
"John has always been stubborn," says Elizabeth. She quirks one corner of her mouth. At one time, she would've smiled. Not now. "He never wants to give up hope, but when he has something concrete to hold onto, he clings to that instead."
"The clones." Evan stares as Elizabeth nods once, long and slow. "That was you. You gave him something concrete."
Her mouth purses. "Not me."
"Another clone, then." Evan's voice is flat. "She told us you were dead."
"Don't you know? Replicators lie." Elizabeth's voice is soft, and he thinks she feels regret. Even knowing her as well as he does, he can't always read her. "We agreed it was necessary."
"I didn't--" starts Evan.
"She knew what had to be done." Elizabeth steps toward him.
A muscle in Evan's jaw jumps. "Why are you back here, Elizabeth?"
"It couldn't be that I can't stay away from you?" she asks. Her voice is coquettish, but her laugh is more amused than anything. Evan can't help but chuckle along with her.
"Cut the bull, Elizabeth," he says. He knows how she feels about him, but he knows how she feels about everything. "You'd cut your own heart out and serve it up on a platter if you thought Atlantis needed you to."
"If only you knew the truth," says Elizabeth. She reaches up and touches his cheek just as the quarantine protocols engage, and the door closes behind them.
His instincts are struggling to figure out if Elizabeth's a threat to Atlantis or not. He can't look away from her eyes. "What's the truth?" asks Evan.
Moonlight filters in through the windows and falls on Elizabeth's skin. It glows just like flesh and blood. He doesn't know if that's what she is any more. "Everything is about to change, Evan." She's always been able to speak volumes without words. That, at least, is still the same. "That's the only truth we can have tonight."
***
Her son cries out once, and Teyla's eyes fly open. She leaps out of bed, as lightly as she's able to. Her body is still weak from childbirth, and her center of gravity has not yet returned to where it was before she became pregnant. Torren falls silent as Teyla's eyes widen.
"Teyla." Michael stands next to her son's crib, and she feels the chill of his presence seeping into her bones. "I've missed you."
"Whatever it is that you wish, leave my son be," says Teyla. "I will not permit you to harm him."
"He's a beautiful child." Michael smiles fondly down at him, and Teyla steps forward.
"Leave this room now." Teyla's voice is low as she grinds the words out.
"This room is exactly where I want to be," said Michael. "I need your help."
"Excuse me?" Teyla shifts her weight, preparing to spring at him. He holds no weapons that she can see. The force of his mind does not batter at hers. She still does not trust that he is defenseless. "I will not aid you."
"Not willingly." He holds up his hand, and Teyla sees the small vial he had been concealing. As Michael throws it down, she hears the glass shatter. Atlantis' quarantine protocols engage as she moves.
***
Kate's leaning against the headboard, naked, her fingers running through John's hair as he leans against her chest. He's been trying to pry information out of her for the past half-hour, but she's good. No matter how directly he asks, she can find a way to dodge even the simplest questions, like 'how didn't you die?' and 'so if you're you, who did Teyla and Keller find in your bed?'
"Why now?" asks John. He's got his arm slung over her stomach, and he wants to make this last as long as possible. He doesn't think she's going to stay. Not with the way she's being evasive.
"That's complicated." He can almost hear her sorting through what to say. "Things are coming to a head."
"What do you mean?" John pushes himself upright, because he can't ignore his instincts any more. Something's wrong with Kate. "What did you do?"
The anticipatory look on Kate's face is scaring him, and he doesn't know what to do about that. She's Kate. She's supposed to be the safe one, not the one that starts freaking him out. "Spent some time with the man I love," she says.
"I'm not kidding," snaps John. "What. Did. You. Do?"
She looks over at the door half a second before the quarantine protocols engage and they get locked in, and she's smiling the whole time. Kate's listening to something, there's no doubt about that. John's reaching for his sidearm when she finally speaks. "Elizabeth is taking her city back."
"Holy shit," says John. If Elizabeth isn't dead, and Kate knows it-- "You're a Replicator?"
***
"You know that, whatever you're doing, we're going to stop you. You know how Sheppard gets when the city's locked down." Evan shrugs and goes to sit on Elizabeth's couch. He may as well relax, and wait for the right moment to make a move. "Why are you here?"
"John's taken care of," says Elizabeth. She looks satisfied. "Since the quarantine protocols have engaged, we know Teyla has been too. I've got people rounding up the other key members of the expedition, but I wanted to find you personally."
"I'm touched," says Evan dryly. He starts looking around. Maybe there are ventilation shafts. "If I'd known you wanted to come back to Atlantis, I'd have ordered streamers and thrown a party."
"I can't imagine that Colonel Carter would approve." Elizabeth sits next to him, and he gives her a 'what, you're kidding me?' look. She arches one eyebrow, and Evan gestures with a 'be my guest.' "Be sensible, Evan. You're not going to be able to escape, and if I were going to harm you, I'd have done it while you were distracted."
"Like that's going to stop me?" asks Evan. He nudges her with his leg. It's almost like old times, except she's trying to hijack his city. "This is Atlantis. We don't give up here."
"I don't give up either," says Elizabeth.
The city hums under his feet. It always has. The tone changes tonight, though, just enough that Evan frowns. "Shouldn't your people be doing something other than powering up the star drives?" he asks.
"Don't be ridiculous," says Elizabeth. How can she be so calm right now? "I've been getting everything in place for a very long time now. I don't need violence. Not when everyone's locked away. All we need to do is wait."
"For what?" Evan's suspicious. On the other hand, he's got good reason to be.
"You'll have to be patient." Elizabeth looks him over. "Is everything going well? You're looking a bit stressed."
"My girlfriend that I thought was dead turns up alive, is trying to take over Atlantis, and you tell me I'm looking stressed?" asks Evan. His mouth twists as he looks over at Elizabeth. "Gosh, Elizabeth, I wonder why that is?"
"I've missed you, Evan." Elizabeth chuckles.
"If I say I missed you up until the point I found out you'd turned evil, will you hurt me?" asks Evan. He doesn't think she will, but he's not sure. He's not sure about anything these days.
"Of course not," says Elizabeth. He expects her cat-that-ate-the-canary smile before it happens. "I'm going to need you around."
"I feel so much better." Evan's head fell back against the couch. This was a clusterfuck. If you wanted to put it mildly.
***
Whatever was released from that bottle burns in her lungs. Her son wails, and Teyla snatches him out of his crib. "What have you done?" she backs away. Michael makes no move to stop her. She falls back onto the bed, too weak to continue standing. Torren is not silent. He turns his head back and forth, and his fists wave in the air.
The door does not open, and she is unable to affect the metal as she pries at it. For the first time, she curses the repairs made to Atlantis during its occupation by the Replicators. Torren senses her agitation and his cries grow louder.
"I have done no more than you have done to me," says Michael. He is calm. She sees him watching, his gaze on her face as she unlaces her bodice and puts her son to her breast. There is no need for modesty. Not around Michael.
Torren latches on and falls silent, sucking greedily as Teyla cradles him protectively within the curve of her arm. There is no other way to calm him. "What we have done was necessary," begins Teyla.
"I am aware that you felt it was," says Michael. He makes no move toward her. Teyla's joints begin to ache as she bears his impassive regard. "Our son is strong. I had worried."
"You need not have." Teyla glares across the room. Michael shifts his weight and beings to walk toward her. "I told you that our child would be raised as Athosian."
When he sits on the bed, she pushes him away, but her arm falls weakly to her side. "My thoughts burn for you," says Michael. She feels the touch of his mind against hers, and sees that he speaks the truth. "There was no Wraith that would accept me, tainted as I am with the touch of humans. With your touch."
Teyla bends over her son, whose fists beat against her chest. "You came to my bed," she says, as the light begins to pain her eyes. "You wished to share yourself with me. That you feel tainted is no doing of mine."
"Why did you take me in?" asks Michael. He sounds almost angry, though she knows he is also curious. He does not understand what brought them together, and he has never understood what drew her to answer his call. They are both aware that he did not compel her. "You must have known--"
With a weary sigh, Teyla pushes herself upright. It takes all of her effort to ensure that Torren does not wail. She pushes herself to lean against the headboard, and gives Michael a sharp look when he moves to help her. He draws back. "I do not know how the Wraith feel," she says. "I only know how I feel."
"I've never known that." Michael is bitter. She believes that his bitterness is deserved. Their kind will forever be enemies. Though she may believe that Michael has human qualities, he feeds upon her kind. That is intolerable. She does not regret her one night of weakness, but she will not allow that to affect her now. She cannot allow it.
Her lungs still burn. Her joints ache, and keeping her eyes open is so very difficult. Torren cuddles against her with a soft, contented noise. She adjusts her bodice, then holds him to nurse at her other breast. She will burp him later, when he is finished. The room blurs as her vision grays at the edges. "What have you done?"
"I will not be without the company of my kind forever," he says.
Teyla looks up at him in alarm. "What was in your vial?" she asks. Panic threads its way through her. It weakens her further, and her vision grays. Her hold on her child tightens as Michael's silence draws on. He speaks to her without words. "Michael, what have you done?"
***
"I'm still Kate." She looks so calm, sitting there with her hands clasped in her lap. "You didn't doubt that five minutes ago.
"Five minutes ago, the city wasn't in lockdown, and I didn't know you'd joined Team Evil." John draws his sidearm and aims it at her. She looks nonplussed, and John is burning with rage. She's been gone for a fucking year. He has her back, or so he thought, and now he's finding out she's not real. "Are you a robot with Kate's memories, at least, or are you some kind of Replicator fake?"
"If I weren't Kate, I wouldn't have been in your bed." There's no alarm in her expression, though her eyes flicker from the sidearm to John's face and back again. "I meant every word."
"Damn it, how am I supposed to believe anything you say?" asks John. "Instead of just coming home, you and Elizabeth are plotting to take over the damn city."
"The IOA will never let us come home." Kate leans forward, and John's on edge. He worries that she's going to jump him. She brings her hand up to gesture, or maybe attack. Before rational thought can kick in, he squeezes the trigger. The gun kicks in his hand, and the scent of cordite and gunpowder fills the air.
She falls back, panting for breath, and blood seeps out of the wound in her chest. Her hand covers the bullet hole, and the look in her eyes is so hurt and betrayed that John knows that this is Kate. She can't be anyone else. Replicators sure as hell can't fake that kind of emotion. "Jesus, Kate, it is you," he says. He drops the sidearm on the night table and rushes to her.
"John--" Kate draws a breath, and he can hear a wet, bubbling sound. "You're an idiot."
His radio is on the table, and he scrabbles for it. "Keller!" he snaps. "Keller, we have a medical emergency!"
There's no hiss of static, no telltale clicking. "Radios are down," she manages to get out.
He's got one hand pressed down on her chest. With the other, he's scrabbling around for his shirt. He grabs hers instead, and holds it down on the wound. She slips her hand from under his, and gives him a look he can't decipher. "I'm not losing you again."
"You won't." Kate leans against him. He doesn't care about the mess. He doesn't care any more about her trying to take over Atlantis with Elizabeth. She covers her mouth and coughs up a trace of blood. "The nanites will heal me."
"I'm sorry." John's aware they're both still naked. She's gasping for breath, but it's not as labored as a few minutes ago. He realizes her blood has to be full of nanites, but he doesn't move away. It's too late as it is. He's covered in it. "I thought you were threatening me."
"I spent the whole time trying to decide what to say to make you understand," says Kate. His arm is still wrapped around her, and she's shaking. John tugs the blanket up to cover them. "You shot me before I could say anything."
***
They've been glancing at each other without words. Evan is taking the time to watch Elizabeth's reactions. Some of them don't make sense, not until he realizes she's hooked in with all the other Replicators. Great. Just great. When Elizabeth's face tightens, Evan looks at her with concern. Her breath hisses out from between her teeth, and her knuckles whiten.
"What's wrong?" he asks. He's worried. He's never seen her like this. Atlantis doesn't have an anti-nanite system that he knows of.
She doesn't answer, but her eyes narrow. She's angry.
"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" he asks again, his voice sharper. "Are you all right?"
"Kate's hurt." She starts to look distant, like she's paying attention to something else. "It's John. He shot her."
"I know you've been out of contact playing Replicator Queen, but you've got to know Kate's dead," snaps Evan. He can't take this much longer. He still gets a sick pang when he remembers getting out of the infirmary and discovering that the entity had killed Kate. They'd been friends. "She's been dead for nearly a year."
"Are you so sure?" asks Elizabeth, and the absolute certainty in her eyes is accompanied by a quirk of her mouth. He knows that look.
"What did you do?" asks Evan. She stays silent, but stares at him the whole time. He's not sure what she's thinking. "Elizabeth, tell me. If Kate's alive--"
"I always wondered if you were interested in her." Elizabeth looks amused at Evan's sharp, bitter guffaw. "No?"
"Kate and I worked together back on Earth. We're just friends." Evan leans back against the sofa and scrubs his hand through his hair. "This is crazy. Why can't you just come back to Atlantis like a normal person?"
"This is my city." Elizabeth's voice is hard. He's heard her like this, but not often. Usually negotiating with enemies. "No one is taking it away from me again."
***
There is hunger burning in Teyla's veins. Her son whimpers, and she feels the pull of his mind more strongly than ever before. Michael is with her, his body supporting hers. His presence burns with a fierce light; the heat of him sears her skin.
She cannot muster the will to speak, but they have not needed words for some time now. He still longs for her touch. Ever since the day he found out she carried his child, he has known she is the queen he gives his loyalty to. He does not understand how she makes him feel. Something softens within him when he thinks of her, but Wraith are not soft.
Teyla cannot help but listen to the unspoken echoes of his thoughts. She understands love. Affection. Fondness. She knows how anger can twist them. She knows how hatred and betrayal can drive any sentient creature. While her body shakes, and she sweats out her humanity one drop at a time, she musters what little strength she can.
There is strength in her mind. He underestimates her resolve. He underestimates the love she feels for her son.
There is one thing that she forces Michael to understand. The force of her emotions overwhelms him. She gathers his darkest, most hidden feelings, and holds them in her thoughts. He cannot help but acknowledge her influence on him, nor can he ignore the regard he has held her in since they first spoke.
As Teyla's thoughts fade and she falls unconscious, she hears a harsh, shuddering sob break free from Michael.
***
"It's almost time to go." The skin on Kate's chest is healed over. There's not even a pink, round scar. John drags his eyes from her chest to her face when she speaks. "They're expecting us."
"They?" John frowns. "I thought it was just Elizabeth and the Replicators." Shit. His girlfriend is a Replicator.
Kate reaches for a pair of slacks folded and set on the floor by his bed. "I'll have to borrow one of your shirts."
John glances down at the crumpled, bloody mess that's Kate's shirt, then leans over to grab a black t-shirt out of his drawer. He hands it to Kate with an irritated look. "Still not an answer."
She takes the shirt and slips it over her head, then gives him a pleasant smile. "I'd rather not be shot again," says Kate.
"I already apologized for that!" exclaims John. He's not pouting as he hands Kate her pants, then slides out of bed to grab his own. Well, fuck. He may as well go see what he can do to keep his city safe, though he's still not sure Elizabeth would ever hurt any of the people on Atlantis.
"I know." Kate slips on her pants, and John stops, his shirt halfway on, because he's still struck by how beautiful she is. That and the fact that she's not dead. She walks around the foot of the bed, and when she's in front of him, she looks worried. "I don't know what's going to happen between you and I. I don't know how to explain what Elizabeth has done."
"We'll work it out," says John. He has no idea how, and the expression on Kate's face says that she knows that too. "We will. You just have to trust me on that one."
"Can you trust me?" asks Kate. He doesn't know the answer. He just knows that the answer he wants probably isn't the right one.
***
"Do you really?" The look Elizabeth slants at him is skeptical.
He's missed the real Elizabeth. Evan's still not sure what's changed about Elizabeth since he last saw her. If this woman is even the same one who was captured.
"It doesn't matter," says Elizabeth, after Evan refuses to answer. She stands, and while, before, she'd have brushed imaginary dust off her clothes, she's now still. "Michael should be ready by now."
That gets Evan's attention. "Michael? You're working with that bastard? Elizabeth, do you know what he's done?"
She looks amused at him. "Of course."
"Why?" Evan bites the word out. His jaw is clenched, and he's going to get an earful from Keller at his next exam. His stress levels are off the chart. Elizabeth had better have a damn good excuse for what she's doing.
"Because there are no humans in Pegasus that have his skill with genetic manipulation," says Elizabeth. She gestures for Evan to stand.
He shakes his head. "No."
"If you don't come with me, I'll have two of my people drag you along." The hard look in Elizabeth's eyes is back. Evan's only heard that voice aimed at him once before, and that was when Phebus was in control.
"If you've got your people, what the hell do you need me for?" asks Evan. There's bitterness in every word, because he wants things to go back to normal. But how often does he get what he wants?
"If I hadn't wanted you, I would never have come back to Atlantis." No matter what, Elizabeth's still gorgeous.
Evan still can't tell what she's thinking, but he hauls himself to his feet. May as well see how this plays out.
***
Teyla wakes with a sudden start. It is not the slow, gradual coming to awareness that she is familiar with. Torren is bubbling over with laughter. Michael is holding him, staring down with a curious, puzzled frown. "Do all human children make these noises?" he asks.
"Do Wraith not know laughter?" she asks. Her voice is different. Its timbre has changed, grown more vibrant. She stares at Michael, who cannot take his eyes off her. "Michael, what have you done to me?"
He did not answer her before. Perhaps he will now.
"You are my Queen," he says. Torren grabs for his hands, and Michael lets him take one finger. Torren stuffs it into his mouth and gums at Michael's skin. She does no more than note Michael's curious affection for their son. Teyla realizes that her child's skin is pale, as though sun has never touched it. One look down at her own hands reveals their pallor as well.
She pushes herself up and walks to her mirror. The eyes that stare back at her are dark. The hair that falls across her shoulders is still her own, but her teeth are sharpened, and her hands-- Teyla does not look at her hands. The hunger thrumming within her is testament enough to what Michael has done. "Do you think I will leave Atlantis with you? Do you think that I will aid you, or be a part of what you have become?"
"I have become what I am thanks to you," says Michael. He stands and walks toward her. Teyla stands her ground, and he gives her child to her. "I am no longer fully Wraith, just as you are no longer fully human. Though I suppose you never have been."
"Why?" She has no other questions to ask. Not at this moment. Teyla gathers her child to her and rocks him, whispering soft words in his ear. She does not know what to expect next, but her son does nothing except fall asleep in her arms.
"I cannot be alone." Michael reaches toward her to place his hand on her shoulder, but Teyla quells him with a single look. "You are angered."
"As were you, when you were changed by Dr. Beckett," says Teyla. Her eyes meet his. Her spirit is full of anger, and he is unyielding. She can be so as well. "I pose no threat to you, though you are a danger to I and those I love."
"Am I not one of those you love?" asks Michael. His hand falls to their son's chest, but Teyla does not fear for Torren's life.
"I do not know any longer," she says. He cannot find a response to that.
They sit in silence for a great length of time. Torren makes noise, now and again, and Teyla nurses him as Michael watches. That, at least, has not changed. It feels like hours before the door opens. The quarantine protocols have not disengaged, and so she does not know what to expect. When Elizabeth is revealed, standing in the doorway, Teyla stands. She does not wish for anyone she knows to see her as she is now, but there is no point in attempting to hide.
Major Lorne stands behind Elizabeth. He does not look pleased to be flanked by two in the garb of the Replicators. His eyes light on Teyla's features, and he seems even less pleased. "Elizabeth, please don't tell me--"
She holds up one hand, and Major Lorne falls silent, though not without a sour look at the back of Elizabeth's head.
"Hello, Teyla." Elizabeth steps inside, and her lack of surprise at Michael's presence in Teyla's quarters is revealing. Many questions that Teyla once had are now answered. "How are you feeling?"
"I think that you must know," she tells Elizabeth. "Is Michael not your ally?"
"Of course he is." Elizabeth seats herself with regal grace and beckons her Replicators to enter. They do so without sound, though Major Lorne grunts as he is prodded forward. "Kate should be along with John soon. It'll be quite the reunion, don't you think?"
"Kate?" Teyla shakes her head. "It cannot be possible."
"How best to destabilize the expedition?" asks Elizabeth. She leans back in her chair, as self-assured as ever, though colder than Teyla has known her. "I took Kate and left a cloned body in her place. Without her presence on Atlantis, you've all been off-balance."
"How could you feel such anger at us?" A burst of sadness takes Teyla by surprise. "How could you take my dearest friend from me when I was already grieving your loss? How could you allow Michael access to Atlantis to do this to me?"
She gestures at her face as Torren begins to wail. Major Lorne's flinch at her expression is new, but one thing is unchanged. Her child has always sensed her distress and responded to it.
"Before you get upset about not being human any more," snaps Elizabeth, "perhaps you'd best consider that I'm not human either."
"I have not forgotten you," says Teyla. She has very rarely seen Elizabeth so infuriated, though the outward signs of it are hidden. "Nor have I forgotten what has happened to you. If I thought there was any way we could have rescued you, I would have urged Colonel Carter to authorize a mission."
"As you can see, I've rescued myself quite capably," says Elizabeth, and then gives Michael a significant look. "Carson?"
"My people have taken him from suspended animation. They'll care for him until I can halt the cellular degradation, per our agreement." Teyla looks between Michael and Elizabeth. She looks just like a Wraith, which is wrong on so many levels, and her kid has gone from cute to creepy-looking.
"This is nuts," groans Major Lorne. He sinks down into a chair. "I never thought you'd team up with Michael. Of all the people in this galaxy who want to get a piece of Atlantis, you had to work with him?"
The door to Teyla's quarters opens again, and Kate enters, followed by Colonel Sheppard. At least one of them has a sidearm, though given what Elizabeth said earlier, Evan's not so sure Sheppard will be willing to use it again. Especially since it looks like Kate's wearing one of his shirts.
"Oh, damn it," mutters Sheppard, once he catches sight of Michael. The Replicators with Elizabeth take his sidearm, so that's not an option any more. "Go a little more Dark Side, why don't you?"
"Are you feeling all right?" asks Elizabeth. She gives Kate a worried look, and Evan wonders if he's wrong. Maybe she's still the woman he's been missing.
"I'm fine." Kate passes by Michael without acknowledging him and sits on the bed next to Teyla, who flinches.
"You must not--" she begins, looking away.
"I'm so sorry for what we had to do." Kate's voice is full of the sympathy Elizabeth couldn't manage. She doesn't seem to be affected by the sight of Teyla's black irises, even if the same thing nauseates Evan. He can't help that.
"You didn't have to," says Teyla.
Kate folds her hand over Teyla's, then leans forward. Teyla lets Kate touch her, fingertips under her chin. She tilts Teyla's face up so they're looking at each other again. "We believed it was necessary. I can explain why later, if you'll let me."
Teyla turns her face away once more, and rearranges the blanket she's got Torren wrapped in. "I do not know if I wish you to."
"The IOA is going to flip its collective shit at the weekly dial-in," says Evan. He and Sheppard give each other a look. The IOA has been flipping its collective shit for a while anyway. Colonel Carter's too independent for them. "Especially when they see Elizabeth, Kate, and Michael."
"I'm counting on that," says Elizabeth. The satisfaction in her voice is tangible. "We'll see what they have to say for themselves when we speak to them next."
***
"Dr. Weir!" General Landry's look of surprise is too over the top to be real. Evan doesn't expect Elizabeth to be fooled, and one glance at her face confirms that she's not. He isn't sure why she's amused. It doesn't bode well for the SGC.
"General Landry." Elizabeth does that sideways almost-nod that she saves for when she's curious. Evan knows this isn't any old weekly dial-in, though it looks almost like one. He's still got a Replicator shadowing his every move. "I'd say it's good to speak with you again, but we both know that's not true."
"Colonel Carter has to have told you the IOA demands your unconditional surrender," says Landry.
Evan tries not to do a double-take when Elizabeth chuckles. "Colonel Carter is resting quite comfortably in a holding cell."
"Given her history, I don't think Colonel Carter's interested in letting another human form Replicator endanger Earth." One of these days, someone's going to tell Landry that when he uses that folksy voice, it makes some people want to shove his teeth down his throat. It wouldn't take much provocation for Elizabeth these days. Her temper hangs by a thin thread.
"You're presuming I'm entirely Replicator." The start of a smirk curves Elizabeth's mouth. "Or that I'm going to threaten Earth."
"Why don't you enlighten me?" asks Landry. He's switched to being all business. Evan knows damn well Elizabeth's been waiting for that.
"You'll have to find a way to live with your unfulfilled curiosity, General." Elizabeth's voice is ice. "There is no Replicator threat to Earth."
"I'm aware that the Atlantis expedition, under the command of Colonel Carter, engineered the destruction of the Replicator homeworld." Of course Landry's going to defend Colonel Carter. The SGC takes care of their own.
There's no change in Elizabeth's expression, but one look at her, and Evan knows. "It was you," he says.
That's when Landry notices Evan's there. "I suppose you have something to say about the matter, Major? Something that's going to help your case in the impending court-martial?"
Shit.
"No, sir." Evan's snapped to attention before he realizes it.
"And what are you planning on doing about the Wraith threat, Dr. Weir?" asks Landry. Evan doesn't relax. Now that he's in Landry's sights, it's only a matter of time until he's in for it again. "Our intelligence leads us to believe they're still seeking the location of Earth as a potential new feeding ground."
"The Wraith are being taken care of." Elizabeth's self-assured statement has Landry blinking. "I'm sure your intelligence satellites will give you more than adequate information."
He doesn't blame Elizabeth for her bitterness. He's resentful about those intelligence satellites too.
One look to the side, and he sees Teyla standing next to Kate. Michael's nowhere to be seen. Not surprising. He's a liaison for negotiations between Elizabeth and the other Wraith, and he's still hoping Teyla's going to forgive him. Sheppard's waiting to see if Elizabeth's going to do anything to threaten Earth or Atlantis before he passes judgment, but he's been spending all his nights with Kate. His judgment is starting out skewed.
Evan's not sure where this is going. Landry's got that look like he's about to bust Elizabeth's balls. "Dr. Weir--"
"Enough." Elizabeth's voice slices through the start of Landry's tirade. "Earth has repudiated me. I'm aware of the IOA's plans for Colonel Carter's reassignment. It's time we admitted what you and I both know, General."
"What's that?" Landry's reviewing a list of orders he's going to give the instant the wormhole shuts down. They're in for a fight. "Come on, Elizabeth. Share something with your old pal Hank."
"The Pegasus galaxy takes care of its own problems." Elizabeth folds her arms across her stomach. Her chin lifts. There's fire in her eyes, and she's beautiful. "Stay out of the way, or I'll decide you're one of them."
The wormhole cuts off before Landry can say another word.
--end--
Author: havocthecat
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Teyla Emmagan/Michael Kenmore, Kate Heightmeyer/John Sheppard, Evan Lorne/Elizabeth Weir
Word Count: ~6,200
Summary: "O' the mass of arms, the brilliant leadership, the courage and magnitude of the ancient armies of Greece, combined to conquer the city of Troy - all that, and ten years of perseverance." --Hipponax of Ephesus
Author's Notes: This is a mostly canon-compliant story, but in this universe, the father of Teyla's child is Michael. (Teyla, apparently, lied. Wouldn't you, if you were her, and you'd slept with Michael and accidentally gotten pregnant?) Kanaan isn't as much of a factor. I need some more reasonable (to me) explanation of why Michael was obsessed with Teyla and her child.
I've written an Elizabeth/Kate prequel called Forbidden Fruit.
Written for world_of_blade for the 2008 sg_rarepairings ficathon. I hope that you like this story. It makes use of your prompts (well, two of them), and takes them in a darker direction. I checked with angelqueen04, and she said you like darker stories, plus you have a Brave New World AU that's a WIP, and it's hard to get darker than Brave New World. (So, whatever happens, angelqueen04 takes a vast portion of the blame. Or the credit.) Also, remember that poll about Michael/Teyla on my journal? Well. I was really hoping you'd like what I'd done with those two. jadestrick and triciabyrne1978 were betas. Thanks, guys!
I know you asked for Keller/Sheppard, but I don't have a good enough handle on Keller to write her consistently, so I made do with Heightmeyer/Sheppard instead. I'm very sorry! I couldn't manage Keller for you.
Pairing: Lorne/Elizabeth
Three Things You Want To See: Together when Atlantis goes into lockdown, laughter, teaching each other something.
Three Things You Do NOT Want To See:
Pairing: Michael/Teyla
Three Things You Want To See: Michael didn't let Teyla go when he first went back to the hive, still has a tiny bit of human feelings, Teyla has to help him in some way.
Three Things You Do NOT Want To See: Michael being all goody-goody. He still needs to be the bad guy.
***
John stumbles back toward his bed, trying to see in the light from New Lantea's two moons. It's too dark, and he stubs his toe on his guitar stand. His soft curses draw someone's attention. He sees a figure shift on his bed. "Who's there?"
There's no answer. He stalks closer, ignoring the pain in his foot, and pulls the covers back. Kate's lying there, her head is propped on her arm, and her hair is falling down her shoulder. She smiles up at him. "Hello, John."
"You're dead," he says hoarsely. A chill races through him at the sight of her green eyes. "The alien. It killed you."
"No. No, that wasn't me." She lifts her hand, and John can't stop himself from letting her draw him down into the bed. Her expression is as gentle as he remembers, and he lets out a groan as she presses her body against his.
"How is this possible?" asks John. The warmth of her hand as she lets it rest on his arm is unbelievable. He never believed he'd see her again. "Tell me this isn't a dream."
"It's not a dream." Kate's palm slides up his bicep, and the pressure of her hand on his shoulder pushes him closer to her. "I'm sorry I was gone so long."
"Too long." She's wearing some kind of a flimsy tank top, and John starts to tug it over her head. "We'll have to see Colonel Carter in the morning."
"It's not morning yet," murmurs Kate. "We have time."
***
Evan is in one of the few unused rooms on Atlantis. He doesn't know what he's doing here. He can stare out the windows and pace the floor, but there isn't anything to be found. There hasn't been anything here since Sheppard packed up Elizabeth's belongings and sent them back to Earth. She's gone.
The hell of it is that no one knows what he had with her. No one can know what they had. If he gets caught coming into what used to be Elizabeth's quarters, well, he's developed the habit of sleepwalking since that damn entity took out Kate Heightmeyer. It makes a good excuse, and since Colonel Carter can't seem to get the IOA to approve a new shrink for the expedition, no one's going to expect it to stop any time soon.
"Couldn't sleep?" He hears Elizabeth's voice and whirls.
She's standing in the doorway. Her arms are crossed, and the expression on her face is calm. Evan thinks there's a hint of triumph in her eyes. She's wearing leather, and the uniform has changed, even though there are a couple red stripes on the jacket. He thinks she's lost weight.
"If you didn't look so different, I'd think I was hallucinating." He smiles at her, but it's shaky. He's afraid to move closer. She's colder now. He doesn't know what she's been through, but he's seen soldiers come out of a POW camp before. She reminds him of them, only he doesn't know what she's been through. He only knows the scraps she'd let him see before.
"But you know that you're not?" she asks. She steps inside and wanders closer. "Did you put everything into storage, or ship it to Earth?"
"Sheppard decided to," says Evan. He shrugs. "I tried to argue."
"John has always been stubborn," says Elizabeth. She quirks one corner of her mouth. At one time, she would've smiled. Not now. "He never wants to give up hope, but when he has something concrete to hold onto, he clings to that instead."
"The clones." Evan stares as Elizabeth nods once, long and slow. "That was you. You gave him something concrete."
Her mouth purses. "Not me."
"Another clone, then." Evan's voice is flat. "She told us you were dead."
"Don't you know? Replicators lie." Elizabeth's voice is soft, and he thinks she feels regret. Even knowing her as well as he does, he can't always read her. "We agreed it was necessary."
"I didn't--" starts Evan.
"She knew what had to be done." Elizabeth steps toward him.
A muscle in Evan's jaw jumps. "Why are you back here, Elizabeth?"
"It couldn't be that I can't stay away from you?" she asks. Her voice is coquettish, but her laugh is more amused than anything. Evan can't help but chuckle along with her.
"Cut the bull, Elizabeth," he says. He knows how she feels about him, but he knows how she feels about everything. "You'd cut your own heart out and serve it up on a platter if you thought Atlantis needed you to."
"If only you knew the truth," says Elizabeth. She reaches up and touches his cheek just as the quarantine protocols engage, and the door closes behind them.
His instincts are struggling to figure out if Elizabeth's a threat to Atlantis or not. He can't look away from her eyes. "What's the truth?" asks Evan.
Moonlight filters in through the windows and falls on Elizabeth's skin. It glows just like flesh and blood. He doesn't know if that's what she is any more. "Everything is about to change, Evan." She's always been able to speak volumes without words. That, at least, is still the same. "That's the only truth we can have tonight."
***
Her son cries out once, and Teyla's eyes fly open. She leaps out of bed, as lightly as she's able to. Her body is still weak from childbirth, and her center of gravity has not yet returned to where it was before she became pregnant. Torren falls silent as Teyla's eyes widen.
"Teyla." Michael stands next to her son's crib, and she feels the chill of his presence seeping into her bones. "I've missed you."
"Whatever it is that you wish, leave my son be," says Teyla. "I will not permit you to harm him."
"He's a beautiful child." Michael smiles fondly down at him, and Teyla steps forward.
"Leave this room now." Teyla's voice is low as she grinds the words out.
"This room is exactly where I want to be," said Michael. "I need your help."
"Excuse me?" Teyla shifts her weight, preparing to spring at him. He holds no weapons that she can see. The force of his mind does not batter at hers. She still does not trust that he is defenseless. "I will not aid you."
"Not willingly." He holds up his hand, and Teyla sees the small vial he had been concealing. As Michael throws it down, she hears the glass shatter. Atlantis' quarantine protocols engage as she moves.
***
Kate's leaning against the headboard, naked, her fingers running through John's hair as he leans against her chest. He's been trying to pry information out of her for the past half-hour, but she's good. No matter how directly he asks, she can find a way to dodge even the simplest questions, like 'how didn't you die?' and 'so if you're you, who did Teyla and Keller find in your bed?'
"Why now?" asks John. He's got his arm slung over her stomach, and he wants to make this last as long as possible. He doesn't think she's going to stay. Not with the way she's being evasive.
"That's complicated." He can almost hear her sorting through what to say. "Things are coming to a head."
"What do you mean?" John pushes himself upright, because he can't ignore his instincts any more. Something's wrong with Kate. "What did you do?"
The anticipatory look on Kate's face is scaring him, and he doesn't know what to do about that. She's Kate. She's supposed to be the safe one, not the one that starts freaking him out. "Spent some time with the man I love," she says.
"I'm not kidding," snaps John. "What. Did. You. Do?"
She looks over at the door half a second before the quarantine protocols engage and they get locked in, and she's smiling the whole time. Kate's listening to something, there's no doubt about that. John's reaching for his sidearm when she finally speaks. "Elizabeth is taking her city back."
"Holy shit," says John. If Elizabeth isn't dead, and Kate knows it-- "You're a Replicator?"
***
"You know that, whatever you're doing, we're going to stop you. You know how Sheppard gets when the city's locked down." Evan shrugs and goes to sit on Elizabeth's couch. He may as well relax, and wait for the right moment to make a move. "Why are you here?"
"John's taken care of," says Elizabeth. She looks satisfied. "Since the quarantine protocols have engaged, we know Teyla has been too. I've got people rounding up the other key members of the expedition, but I wanted to find you personally."
"I'm touched," says Evan dryly. He starts looking around. Maybe there are ventilation shafts. "If I'd known you wanted to come back to Atlantis, I'd have ordered streamers and thrown a party."
"I can't imagine that Colonel Carter would approve." Elizabeth sits next to him, and he gives her a 'what, you're kidding me?' look. She arches one eyebrow, and Evan gestures with a 'be my guest.' "Be sensible, Evan. You're not going to be able to escape, and if I were going to harm you, I'd have done it while you were distracted."
"Like that's going to stop me?" asks Evan. He nudges her with his leg. It's almost like old times, except she's trying to hijack his city. "This is Atlantis. We don't give up here."
"I don't give up either," says Elizabeth.
The city hums under his feet. It always has. The tone changes tonight, though, just enough that Evan frowns. "Shouldn't your people be doing something other than powering up the star drives?" he asks.
"Don't be ridiculous," says Elizabeth. How can she be so calm right now? "I've been getting everything in place for a very long time now. I don't need violence. Not when everyone's locked away. All we need to do is wait."
"For what?" Evan's suspicious. On the other hand, he's got good reason to be.
"You'll have to be patient." Elizabeth looks him over. "Is everything going well? You're looking a bit stressed."
"My girlfriend that I thought was dead turns up alive, is trying to take over Atlantis, and you tell me I'm looking stressed?" asks Evan. His mouth twists as he looks over at Elizabeth. "Gosh, Elizabeth, I wonder why that is?"
"I've missed you, Evan." Elizabeth chuckles.
"If I say I missed you up until the point I found out you'd turned evil, will you hurt me?" asks Evan. He doesn't think she will, but he's not sure. He's not sure about anything these days.
"Of course not," says Elizabeth. He expects her cat-that-ate-the-canary smile before it happens. "I'm going to need you around."
"I feel so much better." Evan's head fell back against the couch. This was a clusterfuck. If you wanted to put it mildly.
***
Whatever was released from that bottle burns in her lungs. Her son wails, and Teyla snatches him out of his crib. "What have you done?" she backs away. Michael makes no move to stop her. She falls back onto the bed, too weak to continue standing. Torren is not silent. He turns his head back and forth, and his fists wave in the air.
The door does not open, and she is unable to affect the metal as she pries at it. For the first time, she curses the repairs made to Atlantis during its occupation by the Replicators. Torren senses her agitation and his cries grow louder.
"I have done no more than you have done to me," says Michael. He is calm. She sees him watching, his gaze on her face as she unlaces her bodice and puts her son to her breast. There is no need for modesty. Not around Michael.
Torren latches on and falls silent, sucking greedily as Teyla cradles him protectively within the curve of her arm. There is no other way to calm him. "What we have done was necessary," begins Teyla.
"I am aware that you felt it was," says Michael. He makes no move toward her. Teyla's joints begin to ache as she bears his impassive regard. "Our son is strong. I had worried."
"You need not have." Teyla glares across the room. Michael shifts his weight and beings to walk toward her. "I told you that our child would be raised as Athosian."
When he sits on the bed, she pushes him away, but her arm falls weakly to her side. "My thoughts burn for you," says Michael. She feels the touch of his mind against hers, and sees that he speaks the truth. "There was no Wraith that would accept me, tainted as I am with the touch of humans. With your touch."
Teyla bends over her son, whose fists beat against her chest. "You came to my bed," she says, as the light begins to pain her eyes. "You wished to share yourself with me. That you feel tainted is no doing of mine."
"Why did you take me in?" asks Michael. He sounds almost angry, though she knows he is also curious. He does not understand what brought them together, and he has never understood what drew her to answer his call. They are both aware that he did not compel her. "You must have known--"
With a weary sigh, Teyla pushes herself upright. It takes all of her effort to ensure that Torren does not wail. She pushes herself to lean against the headboard, and gives Michael a sharp look when he moves to help her. He draws back. "I do not know how the Wraith feel," she says. "I only know how I feel."
"I've never known that." Michael is bitter. She believes that his bitterness is deserved. Their kind will forever be enemies. Though she may believe that Michael has human qualities, he feeds upon her kind. That is intolerable. She does not regret her one night of weakness, but she will not allow that to affect her now. She cannot allow it.
Her lungs still burn. Her joints ache, and keeping her eyes open is so very difficult. Torren cuddles against her with a soft, contented noise. She adjusts her bodice, then holds him to nurse at her other breast. She will burp him later, when he is finished. The room blurs as her vision grays at the edges. "What have you done?"
"I will not be without the company of my kind forever," he says.
Teyla looks up at him in alarm. "What was in your vial?" she asks. Panic threads its way through her. It weakens her further, and her vision grays. Her hold on her child tightens as Michael's silence draws on. He speaks to her without words. "Michael, what have you done?"
***
"I'm still Kate." She looks so calm, sitting there with her hands clasped in her lap. "You didn't doubt that five minutes ago.
"Five minutes ago, the city wasn't in lockdown, and I didn't know you'd joined Team Evil." John draws his sidearm and aims it at her. She looks nonplussed, and John is burning with rage. She's been gone for a fucking year. He has her back, or so he thought, and now he's finding out she's not real. "Are you a robot with Kate's memories, at least, or are you some kind of Replicator fake?"
"If I weren't Kate, I wouldn't have been in your bed." There's no alarm in her expression, though her eyes flicker from the sidearm to John's face and back again. "I meant every word."
"Damn it, how am I supposed to believe anything you say?" asks John. "Instead of just coming home, you and Elizabeth are plotting to take over the damn city."
"The IOA will never let us come home." Kate leans forward, and John's on edge. He worries that she's going to jump him. She brings her hand up to gesture, or maybe attack. Before rational thought can kick in, he squeezes the trigger. The gun kicks in his hand, and the scent of cordite and gunpowder fills the air.
She falls back, panting for breath, and blood seeps out of the wound in her chest. Her hand covers the bullet hole, and the look in her eyes is so hurt and betrayed that John knows that this is Kate. She can't be anyone else. Replicators sure as hell can't fake that kind of emotion. "Jesus, Kate, it is you," he says. He drops the sidearm on the night table and rushes to her.
"John--" Kate draws a breath, and he can hear a wet, bubbling sound. "You're an idiot."
His radio is on the table, and he scrabbles for it. "Keller!" he snaps. "Keller, we have a medical emergency!"
There's no hiss of static, no telltale clicking. "Radios are down," she manages to get out.
He's got one hand pressed down on her chest. With the other, he's scrabbling around for his shirt. He grabs hers instead, and holds it down on the wound. She slips her hand from under his, and gives him a look he can't decipher. "I'm not losing you again."
"You won't." Kate leans against him. He doesn't care about the mess. He doesn't care any more about her trying to take over Atlantis with Elizabeth. She covers her mouth and coughs up a trace of blood. "The nanites will heal me."
"I'm sorry." John's aware they're both still naked. She's gasping for breath, but it's not as labored as a few minutes ago. He realizes her blood has to be full of nanites, but he doesn't move away. It's too late as it is. He's covered in it. "I thought you were threatening me."
"I spent the whole time trying to decide what to say to make you understand," says Kate. His arm is still wrapped around her, and she's shaking. John tugs the blanket up to cover them. "You shot me before I could say anything."
***
They've been glancing at each other without words. Evan is taking the time to watch Elizabeth's reactions. Some of them don't make sense, not until he realizes she's hooked in with all the other Replicators. Great. Just great. When Elizabeth's face tightens, Evan looks at her with concern. Her breath hisses out from between her teeth, and her knuckles whiten.
"What's wrong?" he asks. He's worried. He's never seen her like this. Atlantis doesn't have an anti-nanite system that he knows of.
She doesn't answer, but her eyes narrow. She's angry.
"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" he asks again, his voice sharper. "Are you all right?"
"Kate's hurt." She starts to look distant, like she's paying attention to something else. "It's John. He shot her."
"I know you've been out of contact playing Replicator Queen, but you've got to know Kate's dead," snaps Evan. He can't take this much longer. He still gets a sick pang when he remembers getting out of the infirmary and discovering that the entity had killed Kate. They'd been friends. "She's been dead for nearly a year."
"Are you so sure?" asks Elizabeth, and the absolute certainty in her eyes is accompanied by a quirk of her mouth. He knows that look.
"What did you do?" asks Evan. She stays silent, but stares at him the whole time. He's not sure what she's thinking. "Elizabeth, tell me. If Kate's alive--"
"I always wondered if you were interested in her." Elizabeth looks amused at Evan's sharp, bitter guffaw. "No?"
"Kate and I worked together back on Earth. We're just friends." Evan leans back against the sofa and scrubs his hand through his hair. "This is crazy. Why can't you just come back to Atlantis like a normal person?"
"This is my city." Elizabeth's voice is hard. He's heard her like this, but not often. Usually negotiating with enemies. "No one is taking it away from me again."
***
There is hunger burning in Teyla's veins. Her son whimpers, and she feels the pull of his mind more strongly than ever before. Michael is with her, his body supporting hers. His presence burns with a fierce light; the heat of him sears her skin.
She cannot muster the will to speak, but they have not needed words for some time now. He still longs for her touch. Ever since the day he found out she carried his child, he has known she is the queen he gives his loyalty to. He does not understand how she makes him feel. Something softens within him when he thinks of her, but Wraith are not soft.
Teyla cannot help but listen to the unspoken echoes of his thoughts. She understands love. Affection. Fondness. She knows how anger can twist them. She knows how hatred and betrayal can drive any sentient creature. While her body shakes, and she sweats out her humanity one drop at a time, she musters what little strength she can.
There is strength in her mind. He underestimates her resolve. He underestimates the love she feels for her son.
There is one thing that she forces Michael to understand. The force of her emotions overwhelms him. She gathers his darkest, most hidden feelings, and holds them in her thoughts. He cannot help but acknowledge her influence on him, nor can he ignore the regard he has held her in since they first spoke.
As Teyla's thoughts fade and she falls unconscious, she hears a harsh, shuddering sob break free from Michael.
***
"It's almost time to go." The skin on Kate's chest is healed over. There's not even a pink, round scar. John drags his eyes from her chest to her face when she speaks. "They're expecting us."
"They?" John frowns. "I thought it was just Elizabeth and the Replicators." Shit. His girlfriend is a Replicator.
Kate reaches for a pair of slacks folded and set on the floor by his bed. "I'll have to borrow one of your shirts."
John glances down at the crumpled, bloody mess that's Kate's shirt, then leans over to grab a black t-shirt out of his drawer. He hands it to Kate with an irritated look. "Still not an answer."
She takes the shirt and slips it over her head, then gives him a pleasant smile. "I'd rather not be shot again," says Kate.
"I already apologized for that!" exclaims John. He's not pouting as he hands Kate her pants, then slides out of bed to grab his own. Well, fuck. He may as well go see what he can do to keep his city safe, though he's still not sure Elizabeth would ever hurt any of the people on Atlantis.
"I know." Kate slips on her pants, and John stops, his shirt halfway on, because he's still struck by how beautiful she is. That and the fact that she's not dead. She walks around the foot of the bed, and when she's in front of him, she looks worried. "I don't know what's going to happen between you and I. I don't know how to explain what Elizabeth has done."
"We'll work it out," says John. He has no idea how, and the expression on Kate's face says that she knows that too. "We will. You just have to trust me on that one."
"Can you trust me?" asks Kate. He doesn't know the answer. He just knows that the answer he wants probably isn't the right one.
***
"Do you really?" The look Elizabeth slants at him is skeptical.
He's missed the real Elizabeth. Evan's still not sure what's changed about Elizabeth since he last saw her. If this woman is even the same one who was captured.
"It doesn't matter," says Elizabeth, after Evan refuses to answer. She stands, and while, before, she'd have brushed imaginary dust off her clothes, she's now still. "Michael should be ready by now."
That gets Evan's attention. "Michael? You're working with that bastard? Elizabeth, do you know what he's done?"
She looks amused at him. "Of course."
"Why?" Evan bites the word out. His jaw is clenched, and he's going to get an earful from Keller at his next exam. His stress levels are off the chart. Elizabeth had better have a damn good excuse for what she's doing.
"Because there are no humans in Pegasus that have his skill with genetic manipulation," says Elizabeth. She gestures for Evan to stand.
He shakes his head. "No."
"If you don't come with me, I'll have two of my people drag you along." The hard look in Elizabeth's eyes is back. Evan's only heard that voice aimed at him once before, and that was when Phebus was in control.
"If you've got your people, what the hell do you need me for?" asks Evan. There's bitterness in every word, because he wants things to go back to normal. But how often does he get what he wants?
"If I hadn't wanted you, I would never have come back to Atlantis." No matter what, Elizabeth's still gorgeous.
Evan still can't tell what she's thinking, but he hauls himself to his feet. May as well see how this plays out.
***
Teyla wakes with a sudden start. It is not the slow, gradual coming to awareness that she is familiar with. Torren is bubbling over with laughter. Michael is holding him, staring down with a curious, puzzled frown. "Do all human children make these noises?" he asks.
"Do Wraith not know laughter?" she asks. Her voice is different. Its timbre has changed, grown more vibrant. She stares at Michael, who cannot take his eyes off her. "Michael, what have you done to me?"
He did not answer her before. Perhaps he will now.
"You are my Queen," he says. Torren grabs for his hands, and Michael lets him take one finger. Torren stuffs it into his mouth and gums at Michael's skin. She does no more than note Michael's curious affection for their son. Teyla realizes that her child's skin is pale, as though sun has never touched it. One look down at her own hands reveals their pallor as well.
She pushes herself up and walks to her mirror. The eyes that stare back at her are dark. The hair that falls across her shoulders is still her own, but her teeth are sharpened, and her hands-- Teyla does not look at her hands. The hunger thrumming within her is testament enough to what Michael has done. "Do you think I will leave Atlantis with you? Do you think that I will aid you, or be a part of what you have become?"
"I have become what I am thanks to you," says Michael. He stands and walks toward her. Teyla stands her ground, and he gives her child to her. "I am no longer fully Wraith, just as you are no longer fully human. Though I suppose you never have been."
"Why?" She has no other questions to ask. Not at this moment. Teyla gathers her child to her and rocks him, whispering soft words in his ear. She does not know what to expect next, but her son does nothing except fall asleep in her arms.
"I cannot be alone." Michael reaches toward her to place his hand on her shoulder, but Teyla quells him with a single look. "You are angered."
"As were you, when you were changed by Dr. Beckett," says Teyla. Her eyes meet his. Her spirit is full of anger, and he is unyielding. She can be so as well. "I pose no threat to you, though you are a danger to I and those I love."
"Am I not one of those you love?" asks Michael. His hand falls to their son's chest, but Teyla does not fear for Torren's life.
"I do not know any longer," she says. He cannot find a response to that.
They sit in silence for a great length of time. Torren makes noise, now and again, and Teyla nurses him as Michael watches. That, at least, has not changed. It feels like hours before the door opens. The quarantine protocols have not disengaged, and so she does not know what to expect. When Elizabeth is revealed, standing in the doorway, Teyla stands. She does not wish for anyone she knows to see her as she is now, but there is no point in attempting to hide.
Major Lorne stands behind Elizabeth. He does not look pleased to be flanked by two in the garb of the Replicators. His eyes light on Teyla's features, and he seems even less pleased. "Elizabeth, please don't tell me--"
She holds up one hand, and Major Lorne falls silent, though not without a sour look at the back of Elizabeth's head.
"Hello, Teyla." Elizabeth steps inside, and her lack of surprise at Michael's presence in Teyla's quarters is revealing. Many questions that Teyla once had are now answered. "How are you feeling?"
"I think that you must know," she tells Elizabeth. "Is Michael not your ally?"
"Of course he is." Elizabeth seats herself with regal grace and beckons her Replicators to enter. They do so without sound, though Major Lorne grunts as he is prodded forward. "Kate should be along with John soon. It'll be quite the reunion, don't you think?"
"Kate?" Teyla shakes her head. "It cannot be possible."
"How best to destabilize the expedition?" asks Elizabeth. She leans back in her chair, as self-assured as ever, though colder than Teyla has known her. "I took Kate and left a cloned body in her place. Without her presence on Atlantis, you've all been off-balance."
"How could you feel such anger at us?" A burst of sadness takes Teyla by surprise. "How could you take my dearest friend from me when I was already grieving your loss? How could you allow Michael access to Atlantis to do this to me?"
She gestures at her face as Torren begins to wail. Major Lorne's flinch at her expression is new, but one thing is unchanged. Her child has always sensed her distress and responded to it.
"Before you get upset about not being human any more," snaps Elizabeth, "perhaps you'd best consider that I'm not human either."
"I have not forgotten you," says Teyla. She has very rarely seen Elizabeth so infuriated, though the outward signs of it are hidden. "Nor have I forgotten what has happened to you. If I thought there was any way we could have rescued you, I would have urged Colonel Carter to authorize a mission."
"As you can see, I've rescued myself quite capably," says Elizabeth, and then gives Michael a significant look. "Carson?"
"My people have taken him from suspended animation. They'll care for him until I can halt the cellular degradation, per our agreement." Teyla looks between Michael and Elizabeth. She looks just like a Wraith, which is wrong on so many levels, and her kid has gone from cute to creepy-looking.
"This is nuts," groans Major Lorne. He sinks down into a chair. "I never thought you'd team up with Michael. Of all the people in this galaxy who want to get a piece of Atlantis, you had to work with him?"
The door to Teyla's quarters opens again, and Kate enters, followed by Colonel Sheppard. At least one of them has a sidearm, though given what Elizabeth said earlier, Evan's not so sure Sheppard will be willing to use it again. Especially since it looks like Kate's wearing one of his shirts.
"Oh, damn it," mutters Sheppard, once he catches sight of Michael. The Replicators with Elizabeth take his sidearm, so that's not an option any more. "Go a little more Dark Side, why don't you?"
"Are you feeling all right?" asks Elizabeth. She gives Kate a worried look, and Evan wonders if he's wrong. Maybe she's still the woman he's been missing.
"I'm fine." Kate passes by Michael without acknowledging him and sits on the bed next to Teyla, who flinches.
"You must not--" she begins, looking away.
"I'm so sorry for what we had to do." Kate's voice is full of the sympathy Elizabeth couldn't manage. She doesn't seem to be affected by the sight of Teyla's black irises, even if the same thing nauseates Evan. He can't help that.
"You didn't have to," says Teyla.
Kate folds her hand over Teyla's, then leans forward. Teyla lets Kate touch her, fingertips under her chin. She tilts Teyla's face up so they're looking at each other again. "We believed it was necessary. I can explain why later, if you'll let me."
Teyla turns her face away once more, and rearranges the blanket she's got Torren wrapped in. "I do not know if I wish you to."
"The IOA is going to flip its collective shit at the weekly dial-in," says Evan. He and Sheppard give each other a look. The IOA has been flipping its collective shit for a while anyway. Colonel Carter's too independent for them. "Especially when they see Elizabeth, Kate, and Michael."
"I'm counting on that," says Elizabeth. The satisfaction in her voice is tangible. "We'll see what they have to say for themselves when we speak to them next."
***
"Dr. Weir!" General Landry's look of surprise is too over the top to be real. Evan doesn't expect Elizabeth to be fooled, and one glance at her face confirms that she's not. He isn't sure why she's amused. It doesn't bode well for the SGC.
"General Landry." Elizabeth does that sideways almost-nod that she saves for when she's curious. Evan knows this isn't any old weekly dial-in, though it looks almost like one. He's still got a Replicator shadowing his every move. "I'd say it's good to speak with you again, but we both know that's not true."
"Colonel Carter has to have told you the IOA demands your unconditional surrender," says Landry.
Evan tries not to do a double-take when Elizabeth chuckles. "Colonel Carter is resting quite comfortably in a holding cell."
"Given her history, I don't think Colonel Carter's interested in letting another human form Replicator endanger Earth." One of these days, someone's going to tell Landry that when he uses that folksy voice, it makes some people want to shove his teeth down his throat. It wouldn't take much provocation for Elizabeth these days. Her temper hangs by a thin thread.
"You're presuming I'm entirely Replicator." The start of a smirk curves Elizabeth's mouth. "Or that I'm going to threaten Earth."
"Why don't you enlighten me?" asks Landry. He's switched to being all business. Evan knows damn well Elizabeth's been waiting for that.
"You'll have to find a way to live with your unfulfilled curiosity, General." Elizabeth's voice is ice. "There is no Replicator threat to Earth."
"I'm aware that the Atlantis expedition, under the command of Colonel Carter, engineered the destruction of the Replicator homeworld." Of course Landry's going to defend Colonel Carter. The SGC takes care of their own.
There's no change in Elizabeth's expression, but one look at her, and Evan knows. "It was you," he says.
That's when Landry notices Evan's there. "I suppose you have something to say about the matter, Major? Something that's going to help your case in the impending court-martial?"
Shit.
"No, sir." Evan's snapped to attention before he realizes it.
"And what are you planning on doing about the Wraith threat, Dr. Weir?" asks Landry. Evan doesn't relax. Now that he's in Landry's sights, it's only a matter of time until he's in for it again. "Our intelligence leads us to believe they're still seeking the location of Earth as a potential new feeding ground."
"The Wraith are being taken care of." Elizabeth's self-assured statement has Landry blinking. "I'm sure your intelligence satellites will give you more than adequate information."
He doesn't blame Elizabeth for her bitterness. He's resentful about those intelligence satellites too.
One look to the side, and he sees Teyla standing next to Kate. Michael's nowhere to be seen. Not surprising. He's a liaison for negotiations between Elizabeth and the other Wraith, and he's still hoping Teyla's going to forgive him. Sheppard's waiting to see if Elizabeth's going to do anything to threaten Earth or Atlantis before he passes judgment, but he's been spending all his nights with Kate. His judgment is starting out skewed.
Evan's not sure where this is going. Landry's got that look like he's about to bust Elizabeth's balls. "Dr. Weir--"
"Enough." Elizabeth's voice slices through the start of Landry's tirade. "Earth has repudiated me. I'm aware of the IOA's plans for Colonel Carter's reassignment. It's time we admitted what you and I both know, General."
"What's that?" Landry's reviewing a list of orders he's going to give the instant the wormhole shuts down. They're in for a fight. "Come on, Elizabeth. Share something with your old pal Hank."
"The Pegasus galaxy takes care of its own problems." Elizabeth folds her arms across her stomach. Her chin lifts. There's fire in her eyes, and she's beautiful. "Stay out of the way, or I'll decide you're one of them."
The wormhole cuts off before Landry can say another word.
--end--