Woman Warrior

By Tazmy

Thanks to Sholio for the beta and Angw for the ideas.

Spoilers for first half of season four.

Rodney didn't remember being knocked out, only watching Teyla go down and then chasing after her. Everything else was lost in the darkness. He woke up in the cold, shivering and nauseated. Water dripped steadily on his forehead, stinging with each drop. Groaning, he pushed the water away, only to flinch back from his own hand, which was now red and sticky.

He tested the rest of his muscles, moving his legs and fingers. Finding no other injuries, he lifted himself off the ground, focusing on his surroundings. The walls were wet and smooth, so this was probably a cave of some sort. The only source of light was a crescent feet away, where a giant boulder blocked the exit.

"Teyla?" Rodney called, remembering that she had gone down before him so she was probably here. "Teyla?" he tried again, louder.

He walked toward the boulder, but his feet collided with something—someone. He saw her bloodied hair, and still form. Teyla hadn't even flinched at the movement.

"Oh God," Rodney cried. "Please don't be dead. Please don't…" He leaned down, pressing his fingers to her warm skin. Teyla moaned and Rodney breathed his own sigh of relief. "Teyla?"

She was soaked with a mixture of sweat, blood, and water. Her face crinkled in pain, she turned to him. "Rodney?" Then her eyes shot open, and she pushed herself up. "Where are we? John? Ronon?"

Rodney tried to remember, but the events surrounding their capture were too blurry. He remembered the crackle of weapons firing, the pain in his side as he ran. The terror of not knowing who was shooting at them, but knowing it was coming from all directions.

Teyla had been moving slower than usual, out of breath, and sweating. John and Ronon had given cover fire as Rodney ran to her, only to see a bright red light take her down. She collapsed into a heap and he followed not soon after.

So where were John and Ronon?

"They're probably looking for us," he finally answered. "You know how worried the Colonel gets but he'll never admit it and…" Teyla cringed again and Rodney immediately shut up. She was holding her stomach. "You're not going to be sick are you?"

Teyla was an awful shade of green but she shook her head, reaching a hand for him to grab and hoist her up. "I will be fine."

"No offense, but you look like crap."

"I said I'm fine." Her words were like a hot iron. Taken aback, Rodney tried to catch her eye. Teyla rarely let her anger show, and it only served to convince him that something was seriously wrong.

Teyla swayed slightly, grabbing for his arm "You should sit down. I mean, you really, really do not look good."

He led her toward the wall, allowing her to casually lean against the rocks without looking weak. She was more like John than she would ever admit.

Satisfied that Teyla was standing on her own, Rodney headed to the entrance. Before he got there he could see shadows and hear voices.

Rodney whispered to Teyla, hoping their people outside wouldn't hear him. "There's someone here." Inching closer to the boulder he saw three men in leather skirts and bare chests. Each carried large weapons, the same ones he remembered from when Teyla had fallen. "I think they're the bad guys, which I guess would make sense given the whole getting shot thing. Oh crap, we're being held prisoner again, aren't we?"

Teyla wasn't talking. From his periphery he could see her slink to the ground, grabbing her hair with a sob. It was such an un-Teyla thing to do that Rodney had to shake his head to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. But she was still there, holding her legs close to her and sobbing.

"Teyla?" he asked softly, coming to her side. This was awkward, strange, and completely uncalled for. "It's not as if we haven't been captured before. I bet Ronon and the Colonel are already coming to rescue us and we're not even that badly injured. I don't think it's really anything to be upset over and even if it were that's my job and…Teyla?"

She held her stomach tightly with one hand while brushing away tears with the other. Sniffling, she stifled the last sob. "Forgive me. I…I am not myself."

"What is it?" Rodney moved closer to her, knowing that this was not nothing. He'd only seen Teyla cry once, and that was when Carson had died. To see her tear-stained face now was more unsettling than anything else that could have been thrown at him. "Are you in pain? Did something happen?"

"It is nothing," she snapped, the anger returning to her eyes, and all the while he kept glancing at her stomach feeling he was missing something, that the answer was there, that…

Oh.

"Oh."

Teyla scooted away from him, reading his response correctly. Glancing at him, she brushed back her hair, straightening her shoulders. "We don't have time for this. We should find a way out, now."

Rodney did not move, still staring at her stomach as though an alien would burst from it at any moment. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"We should figure out if we have any supplies, anything we can break past the guards with."

Rodney's eyes widened as he remembered the blood and the water and the red light that had hit her-right in the abdomen. "Oh my God. Oh crap. Are you okay? No, wait, stupid question. Are you, um, is it…?"

His mind was a hurricane of thoughts. Why hadn't she told him? How could he get her back safely? Was the child okay? Was Teyla okay? He wasn't aware he was voicing the questions aloud until Teyla yelled, "Rodney!"

"Yes, what?"

"I said I'm fine!" She glowered at him with a stare that could bring down a fleet of Wraith hiveships. Rodney breathed in deeply, not realizing he had been hyperventilating.

"We need to get you to Atlantis," he finally said. "I'll get you there and then Keller will tell us that everything is fine and—"

"No," Teyla pushed herself up along the wall. "We need to find John and Ronon first. They need us."

"We don't know that. And you're…you're… How could you not tell us? How…?" Anger flooded through him. He hadn't expected that. He didn't even know if he had a right to be angry. "You could have put us all in danger! What if you got yourself killed? And the child. Oh crap. The kid…is it…?"

Teyla leapt to her feet, her hands on his shirt, holding him tight against the wall, fury flaming in her eyes. "Enough!" she cried. "Enough." The second word came out softer as her grip loosened. "I…The baby is fine." Though she didn't sound so sure and Rodney knew there was no way to know. He saw the fear in her, the compete terror at the thought of losing her child. He couldn't even imagine what it was like for her.

Soothing his neck, Rodney tried to think of neutral conversation. So Teyla was pregnant. "How far along are you?"

"Two months and nine days. You will tell no one." She said it as a statement, but Rodney knew it was a question.

"No. I won't. But you probably should."

"I will."

00oo00

Teyla held her stomach, wishing she could feel the life within her. Wishing it could talk to her and tell her it was okay, that she hadn't killed it. That coming offworld hadn't been reckless.

"It's a dangerous galaxy, Teyla. You could get hurt."

Keller had warned her that stuff like this might happen, but it had seemed too distant and the gate had called to her. Why should she stop? She had watched many pregnant women fight against the Wraith. It was not an illness.

So she had stepped through the event horizon, willing to take her chances, and not willing to tell her friends of the risk she was taking—afraid they wouldn't let her.

Athosian prayers filled her mind as she continued to hold the tears at bay. Her head swam with nausea and dizziness, and even the little light getting into the cave made her vertigo worse.

Rodney glanced at her again, before turning away. She could feel his stare. He was concerned, but she didn't want any of that. She could take care of herself. This changed nothing.

She watched him, studying the cave, trying to feel around in what little light there was, searching for their packs, knowing they probably weren't there. The sound of running stopped him and he paused. "Something's happening."

Rodney moved closer to the entrance, motioning for Teyla to follow. All of her muscles complained as she lifted herself to her feet and then came by his side. Through the narrow gap she could see that a scrawny boy had joined the guards, his face covered with mud. He brandished a tight scroll toward a burly man, shaking as he did so. When the guard took the parchment, the boy scurried away, terror in his eyes. If the boy was so terrified of the guards, that couldn't be a good sign for herself and Rodney, Teyla realized.

"Alright," the burly guard called to the other two. He pushed his leather skirt up with one hand, while reaching for his weapon with the other. "The Magnificent One has made his decision and it is as we suspected. I will inform the prisoners."

The other two guards, each at least a head shorter than the first, nodded briskly and began to push the boulder back. Teyla moved herself in front of Rodney, but he stubbornly got back in front of her. Scowling, she allowed him to take the lead, knowing it was better not to show discord in front of the enemy.

The burly guard stepped inside, snarling. "You were not welcome here." He was eye to eye with McKay, his putrid breath making its way back to Teyla.

"Not welcome. Right. Got it. So we'll just be leaving now and head back home then," Rodney answered. Teyla had to smile inwardly at his simplicity.

"You have trodden on our neutral ground, where no man from any land may travel. Your actions threaten war among our nations and defile all of our beliefs. It is not the Magnificent One's wish that both of you be freed."

Teyla stepped around McKay, holding his arm so he could not step in front of her again. "We apologize. We did not know the rules of your world. We assure you that we meant no harm."

"But harm has been done! Your intentions are of no interest to us. For your crimes, you must pay."

"Pay?" Rodney asked weakly.

"There can be only one penalty. Death. "

"Right, of course. It's always death with you people, isn't it?" Rodney crossed his arms, stepping closer to Teyla.

The guard made no sign that he had heard Rodney. Instead he looked each of them up and down. "By law, only one of you must pay for the crime. Which shall it be?"

Ignoring the growing nausea in her stomach, Teyla narrowed her gaze. "We are a team. Neither of us will die here this night."

But Rodney stepped closer to the guard so that they were near nose to nose. "What happens to the other. The one you don't kill."

The guard smiled, revealing a set of broken and blackened teeth. "They will be let go--sent to warn your people to never return here."

"Then take me."

"Rodney!"

The guard nodded. "You are a man of honor then. Very well."

"No!" Teyla shouted, this time shoving Rodney to the side with all of her strength. He fell against the floor with a stifled cry. "Neither of us shall die here tonight," she replied, glaring at the guard. "We will fight you."

The burly guard laughed. "We are three men to your one. You would lose."

"I could take you each down myself." Now she was nose to nose with him, daring him to try her. She was not weak and they would not defeat her.

The burly guard laughed again, his two subordinates joining in. Beside them, Rodney shook away the shock of being pushed away. Coming to his feet, he swayed slightly. She wondered just how badly his head had been injured.

"No. I'll go with them," Rodney said. Nervously he looked to her stomach and back at her face, his eyes pleading.

Teyla sized up the guards. She had taken out more opponents than this before. How many Bola Kai had fallen thanks to her?

There was only one decision to make here.

"We are through talking," she said raising her fist and shoving it into rotten teeth.

Realizing that wouldn't be enough to bring the guard down she quickly swung her leg under his, throwing him off balance, ignoring her own dizziness. Meanwhile, she could hear Rodney struggling with one of the guards. The third one stood there, stunned, as though he had never been in a fight before.

The burly guard gained his balance just as a bright red light filled the cave. Rodney's aggressor was down, but then but then Rodney crumpled in a second flare of red light. The third guard held his smoking gun with a shaking hand.

Teyla knocked it away with a swift kick before jumping out of reach. The gun clattered to the floor, and she rolled toward it, taking it in her hand before the guard could reach his own and shoot. She fired quickly and the other two went down.

Waves of dizziness overpowered her, and her nausea surged again, but she swallowed it back.

Breathing through the pain, she rushed to Rodney's side. "Rodney?"

He didn't move.

Checking his pulse, she found it beating strong beneath his skin. There was no time to wait for him to wake up. Lifting him onto her shoulder, she staggered past the guards and to the opening of the cave. Beneath the red sun's light, she saw their bags, resting against a few rocks. Gently, she placed Rodney on the ground, noticing for the first time fresh blood from the back of his head.

Shuffling through the pack, she took the headset and ignored the rest.

"John? John are you there?"

"Teyla?" It wasn't John's voice, but Major Lorne's. Still, it was a relief.

"We're on a mountain, and Rodney is injured and unconscious. Do you have a jumper?"

There was a pause as Lorne conferred with someone. "We do, but we're launching a rescue mission to get Sheppard and Ronon. What territory are you in?"

Teyla surveyed the mountain range, trying to remember the MALP telemetry and what little she had heard of this planet. Four distinct territories of four distinct civilizations, and she could have been in any one of them. "I am unsure."

"Listen, the gate is down. We only just managed to get through, but we do have the doc with us. How badly is Rodney injured? Should we abort and come for you?"

"No. No. I will keep us safe until you have John and Ronon."

"We will be approaching the prison where they're being kept shortly. It's best if we go into radio silence until we've finished. Then we'll come for you."

"Understood. Good luck, Major."

Replacing the headset, she emptied one of the bags, filling it only with needed medical supplies and a life-signs detector. Without the gene, however, it was useless to her. She looked back anxiously, but none of the other guards stirred.

The pack now light, and Rodney slung over her shoulder, she surveyed her surroundings. There was only one downward path--a thin, winding trail covered in rocks—so taking a deep breath she started her way down.

"I will get you home safe," she promised the child within her. Then looking tightening her grip on Rodney's still form she added, "Both of you."

Rodney's slack form was heavy, heavier than she would have guessed.

Her dizziness made it hard to see, but the trail continued onward even as the sun descended. Once her foot caught rock, turning her ankle slightly. At least the trail had been thick there and though many light rocks tumbled over, Teyla managed to hold her balance and keep Rodney on her shoulders. Wincing, she continued down the trail. She just had to find somewhere safe to hide.

00oo00

Rodney woke to the sound of Teyla whispering his name. She pressed the canteen against his lips. He drank greedily of the sweet water, then pushed the canteen away. Events came to him in flashes. His head pounded, making remembering that much harder.

"Rodney?" Teyla said his name softly, brushing her cold fingers across his clammy brow.

"Teyla?" Then he remembered her secret and the guards and the guns. "Teyla!" he cried, sitting straight up and examining her. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine."

It was dark, but he could still see that her head was sloppily bandaged. Beyond that, he couldn't tell, but he remembered how she had looked earlier—bloodied and bruised. "Are you sure?"

"Rodney," she warned.

He knew enough to stay silent, so instead he looked out into the dark forest. When had it become night?

"Where are we?"

"A cave. We are not far from the previous one, but far enough that we should not be found for a while."

She handed him water, filling him in on all that he had missed. How they were waiting for word from Lorne and that a rescue team had been sent out for Ronon and John. Rodney listened, taking it in slowly while wondering why there were two Teyla shadows talking. He probably had a concussion. He remembered hitting his head on his last fall, the cliché stars wrapping around him as blackness took over.

So Teyla had carried him then. Terrified, he glanced at her stomach. "You what?" he shouted without meaning to. "In your condition, you… Are you…You can't do that!"

"I did and that is why you are alive."

He glanced again at her, emotions racing that he hardly understood. He thought of Madison and his sister. He'd never been there for his pregnant sister, never liked kids really, but that didn't mean he wanted them harmed. And this was Teyla's baby. "You could have hurt yourself."

"It was my choice to make. Would you rather have died?"

"I didn't say that." Over and over the scene of Teyla getting shot in the stomach played in his mind, toying with his nausea more than any concussion could. She had carried him. She really was as stubborn as John.

Teyla sighed, glancing at the strange stars. "I know you mean well, Rodney, but really, I am fine. This does not make me weak."

Rodney's mom had miscarried after exercising too hard. The doctors didn't say that was what it was, but Rodney had read up on it and had learned about all the different ways a child could die in the womb. It was the best conclusion he could come up with, much better than the doctor's answer of "These things happen." Looking at Teyla, all those reasons cycled through his mind and he realized he was terrified. Not as terrified as she probably was, but terrified nonetheless. Frustrated, he reached into the remaining pack and stared at the LSD. No life signs, that was something. Just in case, though, he continued to stare. He had to think of something different—anything but this.

He pressed the buttons, clicking away, until he saw Teyla hold her forehead while swaying. In a moment he was by her side. "You okay? What's wrong?"

She brushed him away, turning back. "I am fine."

"You keep saying that."

She swung around with an angry glare. "I am an Athosian. My mother fought while I was in the womb as I fight now. You would do well to understand this. I. Am. Fine!" She pushed away from the ground, moving as far as she could before hunching over and vomiting.

Rodney looked away, not sure how to help, not sure if he could. Trying to ignore the sounds, he turned back to his data pad. When he heard Teyla's footsteps heading back, he took a canteen and offered it to her without looking up. She took the water without comment.

The silence didn't last long. Rodney kept watching her, hating that they were fighting. Wasn't this supposed to be a joyous announcement? Why did he feel the way he did?

"Why didn't you tell us?" Why didn't you tell me?

"You would not have understood. You would have tried to protect me as you are doing now."

"Oh."

She sounded weak, and Rodney wished that Keller was here to announce that all was okay, that nothing was wrong. Everything had to be okay. Teyla was probably still looking green, and even the dark he could see she walked in a scattered pattern. She nearly fell twice. Things were not okay.

"Have you thought of any names?" he asked, desperate to keep the conversation on convivial terms.

"No. The village traditionally chooses the name for the baby."

"Does that mean we get to?"

Teyla tossed a rock at a tree, a grim expression on her face. "Of course," she whispered.

"We'll find them, you know--your people."

Teyla turned, smiling. "Thank you." Then her hand was on her head again, her body shaking. Knowing she would yell at him, but not caring, Rodney was by her side, holding her shoulder.

"You should rest."

"I am fine."

"We all have to sleep. Please? I'll let you know if Lorne calls…"

To his immense relief, she nodded. Pulling a blanket out of a pack, he helped her settle. "It'll be okay," he told her, but she had already fallen asleep. Her forehead burned beneath his wrist. This wasn't the type of first aid he was trained for. He had no idea what to do, how bad she was, and what else might be happening. So many things could be going wrong, and he didn't understand any of it. All he knew was that Teyla was not well.

Slowly he backed away from her and grabbed the headset. Holding it in his hand, he paused. They were on radio silence at last check, Lorne's men just reaching the stronghold where Ronon and John were being kept. If he interrupted, it could blow the whole mission. But the mission could last hours; he'd been on enough of them to know.

He wondered if Teyla could wait. Could John and Ronon handle themselves?

"Major," he whispered.

"Dr. McKay? We're supposed to be on radio silence."

"I know, I uh…" His heart pounded, as he watched Teyla's sleeping form carefully for any movement.

"What is it? What's your status?"

"Teyla's hurt, bad. We need someone here now."

Silence, more voices. "We're about 500 meters from John and Ronon, we can't backtrack now. We'll be there as soon as we can."

The radio clicked off, but Rodney waited to take it off as if still expecting Lorne to speak. He hoped John and Ronon were okay. John always managed to get himself injured and Ronon was terrible at proper first aid.

"This sucks," he told himself, before turning back to the data pad and distracting himself some more.

Teyla tossed in her sleep. Rodney found himself inching closer to her, caressing her forehead while reading. The minutes came slowly and the headset still remained silent. Contingency plans traced through his mind. The gate was blocked, which meant it was probably going to be up to him to fix that.

He replaced the bandage on Teyla's head, trying not to notice that she didn't stir during the whole ordeal. The injury was still oozing blood, but it was hard to tell how much damage had been done.

He attempted to change his own bandage, but squirmed at the pain and thought it best if Keller handled that part.

Sometimes he thought he heard the headset, but it turned out to be the silence—or the concussion. He was still so dizzy.

From the distance, he could see torches blazing smoke into the sky. The villagers were looking for them, and it was anyone's guess when they'd be found. Teyla had said it was safe, but there was no way of knowing that. Rodney knew it was down to luck, just as Teyla did.

As the sun replaced the twin moons, Rodney found it harder and harder not to drift to sleep. He was awoken by the chirping headset, which he mistook for a bird (that he tried to swat away). Coming to his senses, he juggled the headset in his hand and placed it on his ear. "McKay here."

"We've got them. We're trying to pinpoint your position now."

"Are they okay? Are they hurt?"

"A little banged up, but they'll live."

"Oh thank God."

Then he caught sight of Teyla. In the sunlight he could see her dark bruises, and fresh blood mixed with dried. Her fever still burned beneath his fingers. Glancing again at her stomach, he couldn't quell the fear that she was going to die or the child was or…

"You need to get her now. Teyla's hurt!"

"What?" This time it was John's voice, followed by an angry Keller telling him to stay still. "What's wrong with Teyla?"

"I….She's uh…She's hurt. That's all."

"Dr. McKay," this time it was Dr. Keller, "Can you tell me her symptoms?"

"She's in pain and dizzy and bleeding and…Um…" He wasn't thinking straight, he realized. The world was dancing around him. "She's not well. Feverish." At least he had enough presence of mind not to say more, hoping Teyla had found out from Keller and thus Keller already knew.

"Alright. Don't give her anything, okay. We'll be there shortly. Until then, get her temperature down if you canand just make her comfortable."

"Okay." He sounded so weak and scared, he wondered if John and Ronon could hear it.

Time passed in flashes from that point. He placed wet cloths on Teyla's head while trying to say things that were comforting but probably were more like rambling. "I'm sorry you thought you had to prove yourself and you better get through this and I'm sure you're fine and why aren't they here yet? This is so like John, always injuring himself and getting captured while the rest of us wait."

Somewhere in the mumbling, the jumper landed but he didn't notice until a hand fell on his shoulder.

"It's okay," Keller whispered. "We've got it now."

Rodney kept hold of Teyla's hand, which he didn't even remember grabbing in the first place. He looked at Keller with wide eyes, then back down at Teyla. "Is she okay?" Rodney asked, scared.

"Let me see."

Someone grabbed his shoulders, lifting him out of the way. Rodney didn't even bother to see who it was, but he allowed them to move him as he stared at her.

"We need to get her back to Atlantis," Keller said.

"What happened?" John demanded, sporting a large black eye and a bandaged scalp.

"She's uh…I…" He let it go at that, because it wasn't his secret to tell.

Rodney so wanted to pass out but he refused to until he knew that she was okay. But someone stuck something in his arm. Just a pinch, that was all it was, but a moment later and he was out.

00oo00

When Rodney woke up, he was in the infirmary. John and Ronon were in nearby beds watching him closely.

"Teyla?" Rodney hoisted himself up far enough to see the rest of the infirmary, but needn't have done so. She lay on the adjacent bed, fast asleep and surrounded by tubes and machines.

"She's okay," Sheppard responded. "She's been worse off, anyway."

Sheppard narrowed his eyes, staring hard at Rodney then at Teyla. "Doc says it might be a while before she wakes up. We won't know if she's in the clear until then."

Still feeling a bounding headache, Rodney allowed himself to fall back against his pillow. "Huh, how about that?"

"What?" Ronon asked.

"You got through the gate without me. Who did that?"

Sheppard shrugged, grabbing a nearby magazine. "Not the gate."

"Oh? How then?"

"Daedalus," Ronon answered.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"We really need to stop relying on them," Sheppard moaned. "Caldwell is already starting to hold it over my head."

00oo00

Rodney was glad he had a concussion, because that meant he could stay by Teyla's bed without Keller threatening to throw him out. Whenever John tried to ascertain why a concussion, exhaustion, and a fever were more threatening than usual for Teyla, Rodney just feigned extra dizziness.

When Ronon and Sheppard were finally released from 24 hour observation and subsequently kicked out of the infirmary until they got some real rest, Rodney motioned Keller to come closer. "Is the baby going to be okay?" he asked. He had asked about Teyla earlier, but John and Ronon had been around then.

Keller gave him a suspicious, examining glance. "You know?"

"Yes, obviously." He waved his arms around trying to get her to move to the point.

"The scans are good so far. We'll have to monitor the sac and baby growth carefully over the next few weeks, but it looks fine now."

Rodney breathed in a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he'd do if the answer had been otherwise, especially knowing Teyla had carried him down that mountain.

"Good," he finally answered. "Good. And, uh, Teyla's still going to be good, right?"

Keller moved toward Teyla's bed, fidgeting with her IV in the same way Carson used to. "As I said before, we won't know much until she wakes up. But her vitals are stable and I'm optimistic."

"Okay. Good, that's good." There was nothing left to do but wait.

00oo00

Jello cups and torn magazines littered the infirmary floor. Rodney hunched over the screen, working as though this were his lab and not the infirmary.

"Really!" Dr. Keller cried, looking at the mess and throwing her arms into the air. "Are you guys two?"

"No," Ronon answered before belting Sheppard with one of his large sticks.

"This is not a gym."

"We won't break anything," John answered, grinning. Carson would never have let them get away with this, but Keller was another matter altogether. She had the ability to kick them out, but not the will.

"It's been four days. Four days!" Keller cried. "I'm starting to think I work in a zoo or a daycare!"

"You have any more blue jello?" Rodney asked innocently, catching John's eye.

"Out! All of you, out!" Keller's face was red, like a bursting balloon. Teyla couldn't help but laugh.

Silence. Four faces turned to her, eyes wide. Then Rodney cried, "You're awake!" with such a large smile that she couldn't help but smile back.

"I am awake."

Keller pushed past the men, ordering them to the other side of the room under the threat of having to stay as patients. Heads held low, they gained her access and did as they were told.

When Keller had finished her exam, she patted Teyla's hand. "You're going to be fine." Then turning to her teammates, she motioned toward the mess. "Clean up and you can stay with her longer. Otherwise I'm ordering you out of here. Understood?"

The three nodded lamely, and Rodney was the first to lean down and pick up a magazine. When John and Ronon made to help he looked up at her and made an anxious gesture. She did not miss its meaning, but chose to ignore it.

"I am glad that you are well," Teyla told them as she always did after missions like these.

After her second day awake, John started questioning her about her condition and what he was missing. Rodney, looking smug, didn't answer but did continue to gesture.

Courage lost, she grabbed the comic from Sheppard (who had stolen it back) and pretended to read.

"Will you just tell them already!" Rodney shouted, looking ready to burst.

"Tell us what?" Ronon asked. John just looked between them with a curious expression.

"Rodney," Teyla scolded, but he was right. They deserved to know.

"Before I tell you this, let me make a few things straight. I am still able to go on missions. I am not weak in any way and anyone who acts as if I am will learn otherwise. Clear?"

"Sure," Ronon answered.

"Okay…" Sheppard crossed his arms, leaning against the wall and pretending not to be worried, but still looking terrified.

"I'm carrying a child." Even as the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, waiting for the storm that would follow.

"I thought that was obvious," Ronon answered.

"Really?" Sheppard asked, but he was smiling.

"Yup, really," Rodney answered for her. He was grinning, shifting back and forth on his feet and looking proud.

"Wait!" John exclaimed, turning toward Rodney. "How come you know?"

"She likes me more."

"Rodney!" Teyla rolled her eyes, wondering how she had come to have these people as her teammates.

"Okay, okay," Rodney answered. "I figured it out. It's because I'm smart, see, and you're not."

Watching John's gaze narrow, Teyla decided to change the conversation's direction.

"Will you help me name the child?" she asked.

Three voices echoed at once, "Of course."

Teyla smiled at each of them, wondering what she had been expecting. Certainly not this, but she knew now that she should have. This was her family, the people who understood her the most. They were her strength.

THE END

A/N: I do think John is going to talk to Teyla about the safety and about not telling them, but I figured he'd take her news well at first because that is what she needs. Maybe I'll write a tag at some point.