Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis, or any associated characters, names or places. This piece of fiction is written entirely for non-commercial entertainment.

Fallout: Protective Instincts

Teyla isn't there when it happens. The latest wraith attack on the city begins just after her arrival at the hybrid colony, and happens too fast for any of the offworld teams to be contacted. She spends a relaxing nine hours within her people and Kanaan, blissfully ignorant that her friends are once again fighting for their lives, their home, and the safety of Teyla's child.

They win, of course, and it's all over before she's even aware of it, but the closeness of the danger, the hairsbreadth between triumph and disaster is evident the moment she steps through the gate. Scorch marks mar the gate room walls, smashed glass and P90 shells litter the floor. The cleanup is well underway; teams of marines moving too and fro with debris and more than a few wraith corpses. Scientists and technicians are crouched amongst the consoles, sending up sparks and shouts of instruction. There is no sign of her team.

A strike team of wraith had beamed in, Chuck tells her, hurrying down the steps to meet them. Over his shoulder she can see Woolsey closeted in his office with Lorne opposite him, their arms are moving as if they are shouting. Both look dust-covered and exhausted. Chuck continues his tale; the wraith had held out here and the whole city had been besieged for a few hours, until Colonel Sheppard and Ronon had stormed the gateroom through the jumper bay with a team of marines and taken the city back. No-one knows how the dart had got so close without them sensing it, or how the wraith has managed to jam the shield. There are rumours, speculation that the wraith must have got hold of some Asgard technology, perhaps stolen from the Daedalus.

Teyla looks about her at the organised chaos, and wonders at their good fortune that the wraith sent a team of foot soldiers into the city rather than just a bomb, else there would have been nothing for her to come back to. The thought makes her tremble with fear. Chuck knows there were several fatalities, but he doesn't know who. He doesn't know about Jennifer Keller who was minding Torren. He doesn't know about Teyla's team. Oh, and by the way, the radios are down too.

She knows she should stay and help, but she can't, not while everything's unknown, not until she sees her baby. Teyla leaves the control room behind her and heads out into the damaged city, trying to stay calm and not run. She meets Zelenka hurrying towards the gateroom and catches his attention from his tablet and mutterings.

"Teyla! You are back! You missed a big fight…"

"I have heard, Radek, and I am pleased to see you safe. But I am searching for my team and Doctor Keller, she was looking after my child today…"

The little Czech frowns. "I think she must be in the infirmary, several people were injured. Ronon will be there too…"

"Ronon?" She steps forward, gaze intense.

"Oh he is fine," He assures her, "a little singed perhaps."

"And Colonel Sheppard and Rodney? Where are they?"

It does not surprise her to hear that McKay is already shut away in his lab, verbally abusing the staff and trying to determine how the wraith managed to block the shields and nearly kill them all. Zelenka hasn't seen Sheppard since that final assault. The information does a little to comfort her, she doubts McKay would have left the infirmary if any of the team were in serious mortal danger. But still, the tight net of panic will not leave her stomach until she sees them all with her own eyes and has Torren back in her arms.

The chaos in the infirmary is slightly more organised than the gateroom, but even under a veneer of calm, it's still chaos. The beds are filled with the expedition's injured, both military and civilian. Most are clutching broken or burned limbs, or are bundled up in blankets against shock. Clearly the most life threatening injuries have already been dealt with. Ronon is conspicuous by his height and bulk even when sitting, and Teyla quickly goes to him.

"Ronon."

Despite the nurse wrapping yards of white bandage around his forearm, his quick nod is enough for him to indicate to her that he is okay, or will be at least. Ronon had never really needed words, not when it mattered. She gives his uninjured shoulder a gently touch that means everything from sorry I was not there, to glad you are alright and thank you. His glance tells her they're alright and there are other places you need to be and I know.

All he says is "Go."

Searching across the crowded room Teyla sees Keller's blonde pony tail, and moving as slowly as she dares across the room, finds the young doctor bending over a concussed Chinese anthropologist. She cannot see her baby.

"…no skull fractures, just hold that compress there …"

Teyla doesn't want to interrupt but the words wont stop in her mouth. "Doctor Keller…"

Jennifer glances up, she looks exhausted.

"Teyla! Are you alright?"

"Yes Doctor Keller, I am fine."

The doctor turns slightly, peeling off a pair of nitrile gloves. "I'm sure you've heard what's happened, sorry it's a little chaotic in here at the moment." She rubs her face.

"I understand, it's just…"

"Doctor Keller!" A nurse catches the young woman's attention. "Doctor, they need you in surgery…"

"Alright, I'm on my way." Keller turns to follow the nurse and Teyla catches her arm, filled with desperation.

"Jennifer, please. Where is my baby?"

Keller pauses, looking blank for a moment, and then utterly horrified.

"God, Teyla, I'm sorry…" and Teyla's heart twists up inside her, "it was so hectic in here after the attack and I was so snowed under I forgot to let anyone know. He's with the Colonel."

Teyla's relief is so great she feels almost faint, but it still doesn't quite mask her surprise. "He is with John…they are both alright? But surely the Colonel was too busy to take Torren?"

Keller smiles, tired but relieved. "Sheppard came in here with some of the injured marines…" - her smile tightens and Teyla knows they didn't all make it - "…and practically insisted, I don't think I could have stopped him even if I wanted to. He had a slight concussion; I told him to go and rest, he looked pretty wrecked but, well, you know John Sheppard..."

She looks as if she might say more, but the nurse calls again.

"Sorry Teyla, I have to go." She smiles apologetically, and is gone.

Teyla leaves the infirmary and her relief is almost palpable. If John had Torren, then no wraith would ever get near her baby. Still, she needs to see them with her own eyes. She pauses for a moment to consider her strategy. Where would she find John? She passes Rodney's lab on her way to the residential quarters and it takes a brief glance through the door to see McKay rubbing calculations from a whiteboard with a furious "No, no, no, no, no! Are you always this dense or is your brain taking the day off?" to assure her that he too is fine, and she slips out without disturbing him.

She sets off again, confident now of her destination. She has known John Sheppard long enough now to know his movements, his patterns of attack and retreat, his places of safety. It would not be the balcony today, not with possible wraith darts about.

Teyla palms the door controls to the Colonel's quarters, and is mildly surprised when the door slides open, silently; it is not locked. She steps inside and the sight that greets her finally melts the last of that hard block of icy fear in her stomach and turns it to contented warmth in her veins.

John and Torren are sprawled on the couch. The Colonel looks almost as if he has just collapsed there, one leg stretched out along the cushions and the other bent at the knee with his (still booted) foot on the floor. His back is resting against the sofa arm, and his head tucked down towards his chest. John is still in full uniform too and smeared with dust and a little blood. Her baby, wrapped in his warm, handmade blanket, is resting on John's chest, snuggled between the unzipped edges of the Colonel's jacket and the crook of John's protective arm. Both are fast asleep; the breaths of air from John's exhalations wafting the soft tufts of her son's fluffy hair.

Unnamed emotion wells up in her, and her eyes sting. Teyla wants to leave them to sleep, but just to check they are both uninjured takes a few quiet steps towards the couch. Suddenly Sheppard moves, jerking awake with a start and she finds herself staring down the barrel of a Glock handgun, wielded by a still mostly-asleep battle-tense Lieutenant Colonel. She stops still and does not move.

"John."

The soft syllable of his given name seems to shake him out of his dreams and he blinks up at her.

"Oh. Hey Teyla." He lowers the gun and sits back, but does not loosen his hold on the baby. Teyla sees Torren has not awoken, undisturbed by the motions of his protector.

Sheppard clears his throat slightly, still blinking. He says softly; "Good trip?"

"Yes, thank you. I gather it has not been so good here. If I may?" She steps forward and takes the gun from his loose fingers, engaging the safety and placing it on the bedside table.

"You could say that, yeah." He closes his eyes and seems almost about to drop off, before starting awake again. "Ronon?"

"He is fine," she smiles. "Rodney too. It's alright John. Everyone is safe now."

"Good." He mutters. Torren makes the faintest snuffling sound from his dreams and tiny pink fingers curl around the edge of Sheppard's jacket. John is blinking desperately, trying to stay awake. Soon he will force himself up, back to the mess and the chaos to be strong, to be a leader and a protector. His other hand, now empty of the gun, has unconsciously come up to rest by Torren's tiny head.

Teyla sits down comfortably on John's bed.

"It is alright," she says again, quietly. "Go back to sleep. Everyone is fine John. You have done your part."

She half expects an argument, but a combination of head wound, exhaustion, relief and the soporific warmth of the sleeping baby overcome him, and quickly carry John away.

The wraith had been defeated for today, but they were barely out of danger. Sheppard's soldiers had been killed, and the city was severely damaged. The fallout would be significant. And yet John had gone to Torren first. Teyla was not there to protect him, and so John had gone to her baby and taken him to safety.

Teyla watches them sleep, and smiles. Torren John Emmagen. He could have no better namesake.