Dr Rodney McKay shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wishing fervently for the briefing to be over and for everyone to just stop staring at his face. The huge painful bruise that wound across one side of his face was a mix of purple and black but it could not have been the first they'd ever seen or the worst, so he had no idea why they continued to stare. Not that they knew how it got there, they might've guessed within a shot of the truth, but none knew for certain and Rodney sure wasn't going to tell them. They all asked and asked, questions upon questions but the stubborn scientist refused to open his mouth. Elizabeth even had the nerve to rope in the resident psychologist, Dr Kate Heightmeyer, to try and persuade him to open up to what transpired on that planet. Everyone thought that he'd been traumatised by some kind of terrible event or torture or something when he first came round and began to ramble about rape and Wraith. Rodney was glad enough for the others to think that without suspecting the truth, though he was a little guilty when they all started giving him sympathetic looks when ever he passed by. It was still infinitely better than if they knew the truth.
They were visiting the planet P3X-249, a planet on which there was technologies, some quite similar to Earth's albeit a little less advanced, more around the early nineteenth century than anything else. Everything was going well, except the weather of course. It was raining heavily and they took shelter in a tavern, a nice homely place where everyone was laughing and telling jokes to one another. Ronon fitted right in with the more rowdy of the drinkers, taking his fill of the near inexhaustible taps of beer. John declined the drink but he too sat and talked with the happy drunken men. Teyla sat among the women at the bar who were also happy and were pleasant enough. Rodney stuck out like a soar thumb and so he sat at the empty window seat, staring out into the rain soaked street. No one noticed how miserable he was and no one noticed when he left to get some air. Standing under the dripping canopy outside he sighed and watched the rain falling. He knew he shouldn't leave the tavern without telling anyone but he didn't care and left, becoming soaked almost immediately in the deluge.
He wandered slowly, remembering the route, memorising it carefully. He eventually found himself in a small courtyard garden sheltered by a wooden roof that was ribbed with thick rafters. He sat on one of the benches and twiddled his thumbs, the cold beginning to nip at his uncovered hands and face.
He was about to wander his way back to the inn when he heard shuffling from one of the alleyways and rattling coughs that resonated through the small square. Rodney watched at first, indifferent, then horrified as a drenched Wraith, dressed only in achingly tight low cut black leather pants, shuffled in and collapsed onto one of the other benches. He looked to where Rodney sat and smiled pleasantly at him, taking a cigarette from a packet in his hand and ignited it with the lighter he held in the other, put it to his mouth and drew in deeply, exhaling the saccharine smelling smoke. The Wraith was shivering violently and even as Rodney watched was falling asleep against the wood, his eyes heavily lidded with fatigue and the cigarette close to falling from his lips. Rodney didn't move from the bench, frozen in equal amounts of fear and perverse curiosity. The Wraith shook himself awake and stood, shuffling slowly towards the frozen scientist and was looked like he was about to say something when a voice echoed threateningly from the street. "Nakira, I'll find you and when I do you'll wish for death!" The Wraith's eyes widened and took on a desperate pleading gleam when he placed a finger against his lips and hissed, pulling the scientist behind a dumpster just in time when a man flew into the courtyard. He was tall and muscled, burly enough to put even Ronon to shame, his head was the same width as his neck and his arms bulged against his shirt, his face was flushed red with anger and he held a long whip in one hand which dripped with blood. Rodney glanced to the terrified, shuddering Wraith and saw the bleeding slashes the arced across his back. The cigarette still hung from his quivering lips and Rodney looked back to the man as he cracked the whip and laughed, a low growling sound that gurgled from his throat then left the courtyard, leaving behind the disgustingly potent stink of semen, sweat and blood.
The Wraith stood shaking and slipped out from behind the dumpster, drawing again on the cigarette and exhaling the smoke. He looked to Rodney and helped him to his feet then returned to the opposite bench. Rodney had no idea what to do and sat back on the other bench, regarding the tightly clad Wraith.
He was slightly taller than the scientist, built like a stork with long stick legs and slender arms, his hairless chest was a pale blue hue as was the rest of him; his hair was hacked short, with clumps torn out and matted with red blood and some streaks of blue, the trousers he wore were skin tight and slipped down every so often, revealing his razor sharp hips. The Wraith stood from the bench once more, stubbed the cigarette out on the wood and dropped it, wound his arms around his freezing chest, scuffled over to the scientist and asked,
"Umm...Look, I'm cold and lonely and I was just wondering if I could join you" His voice was quiet and soft and full of insecurity. Rodney shuffled over on the bench and the Wraith curled up next to him, resting his head against the scientist's thigh. Rodney, in another fit of that perverse curiosity, looked down at the sleeping creature and, transfixed, he slowly began to trace the Wraith's elongated cheekbone lightly with his index finger. He almost jumped up and off the bench when the Wraith's eyes opened and stared, full of a childlike, sad innocence, up at him. "If you'd wanted payment, you need only to ask". He lifted up towards the scientist and brushed his lips against Rodney's startled cheek, his hand running through his hair and shifting his weight until he was almost straddling the shocked man. Rodney pushed the Wraith from himself instinctively and regretted it immediately when the soft-spoken creature bounced across the stone floor. Rodney stuttered an apology quickly, half standing from the bench.
"I'm sorry"
The Wraith pulled himself from the floor and took another cigarette, lit it and dragged on it deeply.
"It's okay" He stood and brushed himself off just in time for the beefed up man to return once again, flying into the square from one of the tributary streets and grab the Wraith by the hair, smash his face viciously against his kneecap.