Rodney ran through the woods blindly, following the dim sounds of his companion. Teyla was as quiet as a shadow, but the surrounding forest was so silent that even he could hear her—which meant that pursuit would be close behind them and catching up fast.
The rain hung in the hair like a fine mist, coating Rodney in a trickling layer of cold damp that caused his hair to cling to his forehead and dribbled down his nose. When he let his breath out in a panting gasp, it blew in the air before him and formed a misty cloud that came back to hit him in the face. He brushed at his face to wipe away the distracting water, but all his attention was focused on Teyla. The woman was the only person capable of keeping him alive right now. Without her, he was probably doomed. As it was, even with her he was probably doomed. The Wraith were everywhere and only sure damned luck would save them now. He only hoped that the others got away…
Rodney almost ran over Teyla's small form when she suddenly skidded to a halt, barely slipping on the slick ground. Rodney knew he was being as loud as a charging bull as he stumbled to a halt, grabbing the nearest branch to keep from falling on his ass in the mud. He looked at Teyla, saw her hair clinging to her forehead and bare shoulders, and then at the surrounding forest.
"What?" he gasped in a harsh whisper. "Why are we stopping?"
Teyla turned slowly to face Rodney and he felt his heart contort at the pained look in her eyes.
"I am sorry, Rodney." She whispered, the rain dripping down her face like tears. "But we can go no further. The Wraith are ahead of us and they are behind us. They will be upon us in minutes."
At first, Rodney said nothing. He simply stared at her, his mouth slightly open, and all he wanted to do was grab her shoulders and shake her, to scream that they couldn't stop, that so long as they were alive they had the ability to run and run and run…
But then something inside of him shifted and he closed his mouth, his lips pressing firmly in a thin, crooked line. He knew his eyes were impossibly wide and he probably looked terrified, but he nodded and pulled his gun from its holster. It was a simple 9mm and probably only had three or four rounds left, but it helped to make him feel a tiny bit more secure.
"Then I guess this is where we fight." He said, wondering if he would have said words like that three years ago. Probably not. Three years ago, he would have been curled up in a tiny ball on the ground, blubbering like an idiot. Or—more likely—he would have been dead already.
McKay saw a look of pride and respect slowly creep into Teyla's eyes and for once, he actually felt brave. He felt like he could stand and fight and maybe even win—probably not, but just maybe. He at least knew that if this warrior woman believed in him, than the least he could do was believe in himself.
At least right up until the moment he died. Then he could feel free to cry and bitch and moan to his heart's content. Maybe it would give the Wraith indigestion.
Oh, one could only hope.
For several moments, there was no sound except the steady, drizzling tap of the rain as it splattered peacefully upon the surrounding leaves, sliding down to hit the earth. He felt it trickle down his neck and face, warming in his hair so that it felt more like blood running down his skin than water. The image was a thoroughly disturbing one, but somehow appropriate.
There was a quiet sound as Teyla drew her knives—a weapon as pitiful as his gun, but solid enough to give them both some comfort. She took a familiar stance, one Rodney had seen her take in sparring lessons against Sheppard many times, and looked at him. With her hair plastered to her head and her dark eyes glittering darkly in the rainy night, Teyla looked every bit the warrior princess—dangerous, beautiful and proud. At that moment, Rodney had never been so proud to call her a friend, or as proud to be called a friend by her.
"Teyla…" Rodney's voice broke and he took a deep breath, his blue eyes meeting hers. "Thank you. For everything."
Teyla smiled slightly.
"It was an honor, Rodney McKay." She said, her voice gentle and calm even though they were both about to face certain death. "And even knowing that it would still lead to this very moment, I would still be proud to call you friend."
Rodney couldn't find the words to respond, so he simply nodded and cocked his gun.
Somewhere a branch snapped and McKay could hear the quiet thump of footsteps. He felt his blood run cold as he looked at Teyla's face, seeing the familiar shudder ripple across her face as she felt the nearness of her enemy. But despite the disgust and fear, she remained still and calm. She looked at him again and smiled, before she turned her back to him and stepped back until they were almost touching. Silent, they stood back-to-back and faced the darkness.
With a crash, the Wraith burst through the underbrush. There were only two of them, but they were enough. With a cry of brutal hunger, they rushed forward. Rodney's gun echoed in the night, firing three shots before the weapon clicked and told him that it was empty. With a sick feeling forming in his stomach, Rodney chucked the gun at the monster's head in a last ditch effort to ward it off. But the Wraith, ignoring the three bleeding holes in its chest, merely ducked out of the way of the harmless weapon and grinned.
Behind him Teyla let out a cry and Rodney turned to see the woman clasped around the throat by the other Wraith's taloned hand. She was heaved off her feet and then slammed into the ground, gasping painfully for breath as the Wraith knelt beside her and raised its feeding hand. Rodney could see a dozen bleeding slashes healing themselves and knew that the Wraith paused only because she had stuck one of her knives clean through its hand-mouth.
Rodney forced himself to face forward again and found himself face to face with his own Wraith. Its reeking breath nearly knocked him off his feet and Rodney had never felt more like falling to his knees and sobbing. But he owed Teyla that much at least and stood tall, facing his death like a man instead of like a cringing coward.
The Wraith grinned and clasped McKay around the throat, lifting him until he was almost standing on his tiptoes.
"When I am done with you," it hissed through rotting teeth, "I shall kill the one you consider to be your mate."
Rodney's eyes widened and he felt his entire body go cold.
"Oh, God," he gasped, "don't you touch Eliza—"
There was a loud noise and the Wraith jerked, its eyes flying wide. McKay felt its grip around his throat loosen and he crashed to the ground just as the alien ray gun roared again and the Wraith fell dead to the wet earth beside him. A third and fourth shot killed the Wraith preparing to feed off Teyla and she slowly got to her feet, looking down at her attacker with wide eyes as she rubbed her throat.
Ronan stepped into the tiny clearing that had formed during their scuffle. With the rain dripping down his stony face and his dreadlocks clinging to his head, Ronan looked even more feral and dangerous than usual—which was saying something. He looked terrifying, but Rodney had never been happier to see him.
The former Runner stepped over the deceased Wraith and reached out a hand for Rodney. The shaken astrophysicist accepted and was unceremoniously hauled to his feet, grunting painfully as Ronan's none-too-delicate grip damn near tore his arm out of its socket. Rodney rubbed his shoulder and glared up at the Satedan.
"About damn time." He grumbled. "What were you doing out there anyway, playing hide-and-go-seek?"
"Shooting." Ronan grunted in his usual, chatty way. Rodney felt a tiny smile tug at his crooked mouth.
"Hmm. Well, I suppose it's good to see you, then. And thanks for, uh," Rodney motioned at the body behind the giant man. Ronan didn't even glance behind him.
"You're welcome." He growled as Teyla stepped up to stand beside Rodney, the Athosian still rubbing her sore throat.
"It is good to see you, Ronan." She said breathlessly. She glanced at Rodney and smiled. "Very good."
Ronan stood like a statue for a moment before he suddenly leapt forward and engulfed both of them in a crushing bear hug. Teyla laughed and hugged him back while Rodney, though appreciating the gesture, slapped Ronan's arm and gasped for air. Ronan laughed and released them, quickly grabbing McKay's arm to keep him from tumbling backwards into the mud.
"Yes, well, thank you for that." Rodney said sarcastically and Ronan grinned, recognizing the familiar banter that he was so familiar with. A moment later his smile faded away when Rodney, trying to look nonchalant, looked at Ronan and asked, "have you met any of the others? The Wraith mentioned that there might still be people alive out there…"
The desperate tone in Rodney's voice was enough to break even Ronan's heart and he took a moment to collect himself by reholstering his powerful gun. He took a breath and looked Rodney square in the eye.
"No." he said simply, bluntly. "Everyone else I met was either Wraith or dead."
Rodney's breath hitched.
"Did you see—"
"I haven't seen Sheppard or Dr. Weir. Alive or dead."
Rodney groaned and slowly sank to the ground, his knees giving out beneath him. Teyla and Ronan both leapt forward to catch him and eased him to the cold earth so he wouldn't hurt himself. McKay let his head fall between his knees and he took several deep breaths.
"They could still be alive then." He whispered without looking up. "They must still be alive…"
Teyla looked down at Rodney with such a sad look on her face that she looked like she was about to cry. She glanced up at Ronan and then at Rodney, opening her mouth to speak.
"We should get moving." Ronan said before she could say anything. "More Wraith will probably be heading for this spot. I killed a dozen or so already heading here."
Teyla looked grateful for the interruption and nodded.
"Ronan is right, Rodney." She said, looking down at the dripping man. "We will be no use to anyone if we are caught."
Rodney nodded and started to get to his feet. He shook off the offer of aid and instead got his hands buried wrist-deep in mud as he pushed himself to his feet. Wiping them off on his all but useless tac vest, Rodney motioned into the woods.
"Lead the way, Chewbacca."
Ronan grinned and, removing his gun from its holster once again, stomped off into the trees with Teyla and Rodney trailing close behind. None of them even glanced back at the charred bodies lying lifeless in the mud and collecting pools of water. No one cared enough.
