AN: Wow, thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! Just a few words in reply, feel free to skip to the story.

What happened to our dearest (injured) Sheppard? Good question, but you won't find out in this chapter just yet...

Referring to cybersyd42's remark about an SG-1 story featuring Daniel pulling up his team mates while being mangled by a rope: no, I haven't read it, but I would really love to! Is anyone out there (who has read it) willing to mail me (a link to) the story, pretty pretty please? As a reward, you can borrow my imaginary (thoroughly whumped but extremely well cared for) Rodney for a week. Thanks!


-3-

The rope was cutting into Aiden's hand, grating painfully. His muscles were burning. and he was sure his arms were trembling, although with the tumultuous ever-changing water currents he was jostled too much to actually see it.

It had taken the longest time –what the hell was McKay doing there, catching a tan? – but finally he saw the river's bench approaching. Painstakingly slow, but definitely steadily coming nearer.

He really ought to tell Major Sheppard to add more physical training to McKay's schedule. The man was such a cliché of the out-of-shape geek. He wouldn't be surprised if the haughty astrophysicist had landed his but in the mud while stumbling across the slippery river's bench.

Speaking of the bench.

His water treading feet hit something hard and firm, and with a sigh of relief he realised he had reached terra firma again. Still, the water currents were traitorous and he kept a firm hold on the rope until he was less than waist-high in the water. After quickly wading the last few paces out of the water, he first focussed on gently laying Teyla down and checking her breathing again. To his tremendous relief, it was still there, sounding unhealthily raspy, but there nevertheless.

Probably still water inside her lungs.

Aiden turned her face to one side, knelt astride her hips, put his hands on top of each other just below her rib cage and pressed them into her abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Water flew from Teyla's mouth, she coughed wetly and proceeded to throw up half the river.

Aiden helpfully rolled her to her side, and patted her back reassuringly through the ordeal. Teyla's brown eyes opened briefly, looking entirely too unfocussed to Aiden's liking, before fluttering closed again.

"Teyla?" He ventured worriedly, shaking her gently, but she was once again completely unresponsive.

"She's been shot by one of the natives' arrows.." A voice behind him caused him to jump ever so slightly.

Aiden whirled around, took in the bedraggled form of Rodney McKay, and started to laugh.

The scientist was covered in reddish brown mud from head to toe, looking as though he didn't have a dry spot left anywhere.

His face, hands and clothes were all dripping mud, and Ford found it hilarious. When he had briefly entertained the idea of McKay slipping before, he could never have imagined the Canadian to be so –well- thorough. Well, he had to give it to McKay: when the man went for it, he sure went the whole way.

When McKay didn't start bitching, but instead dropped next to Teyla, frowned and clumsily pulled her jacket of her right shoulder, Aiden quickly stopped giggling at the site of blood.

The Canadian had spotted what he, Aiden, had missed before: the small gash in her jacket concealing where an arrow had glanced her. The wound itself didn't look too serious though…

McKay fumbled with one of his vest's pockets, and finally managed to free a small med pack which he tossed over to Aiden.

"The arrows are poisoned, but apparently nothing too serious, just tranquilizers." The scientist said softly.

Aiden nodded absentmindedly, not even bothering to ask how McKay knew that titbit, while he quickly bandaged Teyla's shoulder.

A loud yowling made both men look up.

"Of course, it had to be mommy's girl…" McKay's muttered comment sounded slightly exasperated, and made absolutely no sense to Aiden whatsoever.

The only thing the young lieutenant knew, was that there stood a tiger-sized grey-with-white striped feline glaring murderously at them. An alien wolf-tiger. With a tiny exemplar of the same species jauntily prancing beside it.

"Shit…" He pulled out his gun, but was stopped in his tracks by McKay hissing: "No! If they live in a pack, more might attack the moment you kill this one…"

Aiden glanced at his muddy team mate, who was clumsily grabbing his P90.

Before he could comment, McKay looked at him intensely. "You will have to carry Teyla to the gate. I'll be alongside to cover you."

The steely determination in the blue eyes smothered Aiden's protests. After all, the suggestion did make sense. Aiden was the fittest and could run the fastest. Even bearing Teyla's weight, he'd still be running about as fast as McKay without any burden.

And, he had to admit reluctantly, the physicist wasn't such a bad shot at all.

At least, he wasn't on the Atlantis shooting range…

With a brief prayer, Aiden hoisted Teyla up in a fireman's carry, and started running into the forest.

McKay kept right by his side, suddenly falling back briefly to shoot twice, before catching up again.

"Is it dead?" Aiden asked.

McKay didn't answer straight away.

"Well?" Aiden prompted.

"Not really…" McKay admitted reluctantly, meanwhile panting slightly and throwing a furtive glance over his shoulder.

The sudden shaky intake of breath following that glance didn't promise much good.

"What?" Aiden snapped, by now thoroughly sick of this particular day.

"There… are… more…." McKay said in between quick shallow breaths.

"Well, make sure they are really dead this time!" Aiden grouched as he shifted Teyla's suddenly heavy body into a marginally more comfortabl position.

Again, McKay fell back, but this time Aiden counted 10 gun shots, and it took a lot longer for the scientist to catch up again.

"Clin…gy…" McKay panted, sounding strangely amused, apparently more to himself then to Aiden, who was starting to think the man was getting hysteric.

Thankfully, the density of trees was quickly dwindling and soon they were running over the meadow in front of the stargate.

McKay turned around again, and fired 4 more shots, while Aiden speed-dialled Atlantis, and sent his IDC. When he looked behind him, he gasped at the sight of some 10 more wolf-tigers approaching rapidly. He also noticed 3 dead ones, one lying so close to McKay its nose nearly touched the doctor's boots.

Then, the scientist pushed him through the event horizon, and the world became a mass of blur and colour.

Arriving on the other side of the gate, he heard McKay's panted whisper: 'Shield', and repeated the command louder. The tell-tale sound of the gate's shield engaging told him they were safe at last, and Aiden finally allowed the full weight of tiredness to fall over him.

His knees gave in.

Helpful hands caught him and took over his precious burden. Amongst the sudden flurry, he spotted doctor Beckett running over and quickly informed the physician: "Teyla was shot by an alien arrow, she nearly drowned and hasn't been conscious since…"

The Scottish physician nodded and gave the unmoving Athosian his undivided attention. "And you, are you okay?" He asked semi-casually, his eyes never leaving Teyla.

"Yeah, just sore, and tired." Aiden grinned weakly.

"Okay, then, you'd best be getting to the infirmary too, so Mae can check you out." Beckett moved back for a second while Teyla was loaded on a gurney, glancing first at Aiden, then at McKay.

"Rodney?" The physician asked softly, giving the quietly staring scientist, who was standing alone to the side trying to catch his breath, a piercing look.

His staff was already leaving with Teyla, and Aiden sighed, hoping McKay wouldn't start complaining about a splinter while Teyla was in more urgent need of the doctor's help.

McKay blinked owlishly several times, before the glassy look in his eyes disappeared, and panted heavily: "I'm …fine, … Carson, …you should …get to …Teyla"

The Canadian took several deep breaths, then tried again "I expect it's the …. same poison as the one on … Sheppard's dart, … but she was in the water ….immediately after being shot, …. and the arrow … was mostly …stopped by her … jacket…" He started making a wide gesture with his left hand, grimaced and quickly let the hand fall down limply again.

Beckett frowned deeply.