Well… it's been… nine months since I updated, and considering I left this at a miscarriage, I feel there may be some irony there. Anyway, I hope some people are still reading this. After this chapter, canon will take over for a while, but we'll get to that when I write it. Good news? I actually remember what the ending is.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Ronon wanted to pace across the floor, but that would have given the impression that he was worried, and he wasn't. Not really. Even though it was his baby sister who was in the other room. No… Ronon wasn't worried at all.

Michael on the other hand, was pacing, back and forth, back and forth. Major Lorne and Sheppard were both following him with their eyes, looking faintly dizzy.

"I should be in there." the Wraith growled at last.

"What could you do to help?" asked Teyla, trying to sound reasonable.

"Something! I know more about the delicate balance required between wraith and human."

"So the kid's yours?" asked Sheppard.

"Of course it is, who else's would it be?" demanded Michael, giving Sheppard a look like he was an idiot.

"Well, I just… I thought that wasn't how it worked with you guys." Sheppard looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"You thought we only reproduced asexually."

"Well… don't you?" asked Rodney, a squeak in his voice.

"It is true that our Queens allow us to multiply in huge amounts, but our other females are not so different to humans. And the males' purpose on an evolutionary scale is merely to pass on DNA. Therefore we can reproduce both asexually and sexually."

Ronon really wanted to shut the Wraith up, but for now it seemed that he wouldn't be allowed. He growled to himself, kicking at the floor. "How much longer is this gonna be?"

"As long as it needs to be. Carson will do whatever he must to care for her." said Elizabeth.

"What about the child? Will he try to save it too?" Michael's voice was a growl, like an animal defending its territory.

"He'll do his best Michael."

"I'm sure." Michael snorted and he resumed his pacing, hissing to himself.

A wail pierced through the door and echoed down the corridor, chilling all who heard it to the bone. Michael snapped his body around to face the door as the wail died to loud screams of protest, then muffled sobs. The doors slid open and Carson came out, looking very weary.

"Ah did everything that ah could, but…" he spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "Her body just aborted the pregnancy."

Michael shoved past Carson to reach Kaie, who was sobbing behind some curtains.

"What caused it Carson? Was it the argument? Stopping the storm?"

"Ah canna be sure until ah've had a look at… what's left. Could have been both, could have just been a natural thing that happens."

"But you don't look convinced." said Teyla in a quiet voice, respectful of the grief emanating from the sickbay.

Carson grimaced and glanced over his shoulder before speaking in a quiet voice, "I'll need to check to be sure, but I think this was a case of genetic incompatibility. Wraith DNA is significantly different to human DNA, and if you consider that most defective zygotes formed are aborted very quickly with a healthy human couple, the odds of a successful conception, pregnancy and healthy baby are very, very slim. Frankly I couldn't believe it when I realised who the father was."

"So… basically those two probably can't have a child." Sheppard was trying not to show how disturbing he found the idea of Michael having a child with anyone.

"Probably not."

"Good." grunted Ronon, "She gonna live doc?"

"Aye, she'll need some time to rest, but I can't see any complications, she's tough like you big man."

"Whatever." Ronon turned on his heel and walked away, shoulders hunched as he went. The others left behind breathed a collective sigh of exasperation.

"What now?"

Michael pushed the curtain aside as he approached the bed. Kaie was curled up in a ball, sobbing into the pillow. Her fingers flexed as she clung to it, searching for comfort. Her skin was grey and her face seemed to have sunken in.

"Kaie." Michael's voice was as soft as he could make it. Kaie blinked up at him, her large green eyes dark with despair.

"I'm sorry Michael." Her voice was little above a whimper, and one of her hands flew out to grab his. "Don't hate me, please."

"I will never hate you my love." Michael freed his hand and brushed the backs of his fingers over her hair.

"I didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know. It's just what happened. I did say that this could happen."

"But… I thought… it wasn't supposed to happen. We're… we're better than that."

"There's obviously more requirements than what we'd hoped."

Kaie bit her lower lip, looking up at him. "But… we're above this. We're as close to perfect as we can be. We have to be… your mind, my powers… we have to be perfect."

Michael perched on the edge of the bed, looking into the distance. "Perfection achieved through effort sounds far more satisfying, don't you think?"

"If loosing another baby is your idea of effort, then maybe I don't want to be perfect." Kaie glared at him, then rolled over, putting her back to him. Michael sighed,

"That isn't what I meant. I just meant we'll need to do more studies, and experiments."

"Experiments like another pregnancy?"

"Perhaps. But perhaps not. I'm not sure yet what the best course of action would be."

"I want our baby." Kaie whimpered, "We deserve our baby."

"We will get a baby. I promise you. And that baby will be the reason to end all the fighting between humans and Wraiths. We will make everything better in this galaxy."

Kaie swallowed, then rolled back over, staring up at him. "Our baby will make everyone see that they can be allies, friends?"

"Of course. He or she will be an inspiration to everyone."

Kaie smiled through her tears. "We'll make this universe a better place."

"Of course we will."

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes John?"

"I'm wondering if there's any real point in us trying to lock Michael up again. We both know that Kaie will just bust him out again."

"I've been thinking about that myself. And I've come to the conclusion that we should try to broker a peace."

"A peace?" John had to thank God that Ronon was not around to hear that.

"Our hands are tied John. If we try to lock Michael up and punish him, Kaie will retaliate, and we just don't have any way of fighting against her."

"McKay's working on that Elizabeth."

"I know, but so far he's had no success and who knows how long it will take him. This is the best way to stay in control of the situation. We can promise to leave them in peace so long as Michael agrees to never conduct the experiments he did before. No more creatures." Elizabeth sighed as she glanced down into the isolation room where, for security and privacy, Beckett had moved Kaie. Michael had followed of course. At the moment he was reading aloud to her something Carson had given them. "Besides, look at him. I don't think he's the same man we encountered… that we created. He's so gentle with her, like he's afraid he'll break her."

"Yeah, I don't get that. Kaie said she kept Michael as a prisoner. So… how did this happen?"

"Good question. I doubt we'll ever know though."

Kaie gasped as Michael fed off her. The energy which coursed through her, which kept her from the realms of sleep and peace, flowed from her chest into Michael, who groaned in a manner that was almost like pleasure. There was no pain, only release as he drained more and more. Then he let go and staggered back. His pupils were dilated and he was panting. Kaie leaned back against the wall, trying to catch her breath, but otherwise, she felt fine. A little drained, but otherwise good.

"You should be dead." gasped Michael. His fingers were twitching and he was shaking with all the energy he'd absorbed. "I took enough energy for two humans."

"Well, I'm not. I barely felt that." Kaie grinned, straightening up. She felt calmer, saner, than she had in years. The world seemed less disjointed and disconnected. "In fact, I feel better now than when you did it."

"How is that possible?"

Kaie arched her back, stretching luxuriously as she walked towards Michael, who stepped away until he was trapped by the wall.

"I can split atoms by willing it. I can see across the universe if I just close my eyes. If you feed off me, then you're feeding off the universe itself, pet."

"All that power… such energy." Michael's eyes were wide. They were so dilated, they were almost completely black. His breathing sped up and Kaie could feel his heart racing. He was aroused. "What are you?"

Kaie smiled, pressing her body flush against his, looking up into his eyes, "I don't know. Maybe you can figure it out."

Michael's scientific mind was audible to her as it began to run through every form of possible answers. The idea that someone else could know what she was, that someone would finally help her understand what she was, made her whole body shiver. Michael's eyes widened further as the shiver passed over his skin. He could feel her heartbeat against his own. The excitement that was coursing through him, filled him with a kind of desire he was not familiar with. He wanted to feel her skin on his, he wanted to grab her hair and crush her mouth against his. He wanted to be buried within her.

Kaie gasped as Michael's long fingers tangled in her hair before pulling at it so her neck was exposed. She could smell his scent and it made her purr as he reversed their positions, crushing her against the wall, and growled in her ear.

There was nothing beautiful about their coupling. Terrible in its intensity, Michael bit through her skin many times, crashing his teeth on hers. Kaie pulled out a handful of hair, scratched lines down his back and dug her nails into his shoulders. They snarled and growled and whimpered at each other, primal forces making the room shake around them. Kaie's hands flew up above her head and gripped the stone, crushing it into dust as she shrieked and pulled Michael into release with her.

Michael felt exhausted in a way he was not sure any Wraith had ever felt. Exhausted, weary, but content. There was no need to feed, the urge had gone completely silent for the first time since he'd been born. Even on Atlantis, as a full human, it had never been silent.

Kaie laughed as she pushed him over, knocking them both to the ground, his chest cushioning her fall. She pushed her hair out of her face as she hovered above him, less than an inch from touching noses.

"Feel like helping me figure out the mysteries of the universe? Starting with me?"

Michael had no strength to speak, so he could only nod. His hand pulled her hair, stretching her neck above him and he licked it, tasting the salt. She certainly tasted like a human. He could start with that.

"Ronon?"

"Not a good time Teyla." Teyla sighed as Ronon assaulted a punch bag with heavy, bitter blows. His teeth were clenched so tight he was in danger of breaking his jaw.

"Ronon, please. Let us help you through this."

"Through what? My sister's betrayal?"

"Ronon, she just doesn't see things the way we do."

"Don't Teyla, don't try to justify her actions for her. As far as I'm concerned, she's been as good as dead since the minute she chose those things over me. I will never forgive her for that. Never!" Ronon's shout reverberated through the room and he hit the punch bag so hard it broke off its suspender. The bag fell to the ground like a dead body. Teyla wondered if Ronon saw Michael or Kaie in place of the bag.

Michael glanced up as Carson entered the room, reading a chart. Kaie was asleep. Some of the colour had returned to her cheeks.

"Are those the tests results on the remains of the miscarriage?"

Carson jumped at Michael's sharp tone, but he nodded, holding it out. Michael snatched it and began to read through it, a frown on his normally expressionless face.

Carson made himself busy by checking Kaie's vitals. They were much better than they had been. Kaie had the same speedy recovery inclination as her brother.

Michael sighed heavily, setting the results down. "As I suspected. These readings are indicative of an incompatibility in mine and Kaie's genome structures. They simply didn't fit right."

"It's incredible that she even managed to conceive considering how they were forced together." Carson could not keep the slight reproach out of his voice as he looked at Michael.

"Science begins with smashing rocks and ends with dancing particles, Doctor Beckett. It was a first attempt, perhaps more clumsy than you would have produced, but I am trying to blend them, not have one dominate over the other."

"That may be impossible. There's only so much genetic engineering can do before something goes terribly wrong."

"Perhaps. But I will not cease until I have succeeded or exhausted all options."

"Couldn't Kaie use her ability? If she can play with atoms…"

"You answered your own question with that single word Doctor Beckett. Play. Kaie may know more than others about the universe, but she is still mortal, human and inexperienced. She relies on me to be the refiner, the one who does the tiny details, or explains to her how to do them. This sort of manipulation is too complex for her to just play with. Changing one element into another is simply a form of radioactive decay sped up or reversed. It is a relatively simple concept when you take care. Genes are more complicated to actually control."

"She doesn't understand them, so she can't control them."

"Basically yes. She sees the whole universe, Doctor. There is a limit to how much even she can do. And like most creatures, she has to learn."

"I think I understand."

"You have been less adverse to her, and myself, than others."

"Well… I made you how you are. It was my retrovirus that changed you from full Wraith."

"You feel responsible for me."

"In a way. And Kaie's a victim of the universe really. She didn't ask to be this way or to think the way she does. Enlightenment can be a burden I'd say."

"You agree with her beliefs about Wraiths?"

"I believe that at the core, they're no different from humans or any other species. Doing what they must to survive. I just wish there was a way to stop all the fighting. I'm a doctor, so anything that costs lives is something I'm against-" Carson cut Michael off before he could add anything "-I know that other creatures loose their lives to keep others alive and that's nature, but I don't have to like it."

"Do you partake in meat?"

"Yes. But I will remind you that I am human. So I am flawed. I can't stop myself from enjoying haggis and steak and other meats, and to be perfectly honest I don't want to. But that doesn't mean I enjoy thinking about it."

Michael stared at him hard. His eyes flickered with something and then he nodded. Rising to his feet, the half-wraith set down the chart and placed his hand on Carson's shoulder –something that near terrified Carson. Michael's lips quirked in what may have been a smile.

"You and I have much in common Doctor Beckett."

Carson swallowed and cleared his throat as he pulled away and checked Kaie's vitals once more before leaving as fast as he could. Michael watched him go, then, as the door slid shut he lifted his fist and opened it, staring at something resting on his palm.

"Will it work?"

Michael smiled at Kaie as she sat up, having been away the whole time,

"Yes. I believe it will."

Hmm… this fic seems to be getting more and more attached to philosophy about animal rights… that was SO not in my plans. It just keeps cropping up. Hope it's not put anyone off, or confused them.

Reviews are very appreciated

Night's Darkness