I promise I have not forgotten this story. Thank you for all your private messages and support. It kept me thinking about what I need I have to say that this story is un-betaed so it may be rough. Good news is that next chapter is done as well but I need to look it over and will post before the end of the week. Thanks again!

Chapter 12-A Final Ally

Todd was speechless as he stood in the throne room. He looked all around at the relics, and the intricate decoration. It was empty except for what he assumed was Sheppard's bodyguard. A crew of them along with Lorne had brought them here and ensured they did not know the way. The tall one and the blond one he had seen previously, stood in front of them. There were also four elders behind Sheppard and then the ones he recognized from Sheppard's team. There were also a few other humans off to the side.

He walked slowly toward the throne with his five Wraith brothers behind him. In the past, he knew that humans would have run from him and he would have been in power, but Todd sensed that he was powerless here. Sheppard wore a crown and a dark blue almost black robe that had intricate embroidery in silver. The heir of the Ancient was a king but of whom and what?

"At last Sheppard. I see your true purpose in this galaxy. I know not where we are, but I assume this is your world." He bowed his head in respect. "Am I expected to kneel or grovel in some way?" he said jokingly, but Sheppard looked suddenly embarrassed.

"No of course not. I am sorry, but even though I am in charge here, I can't seem to get away from protocol."

Todd chuckled along with several others. "I have brought my trusted brothers with me. We are willing to undergo the transformation first. We have summoned many who have agreed to undergo it as well and they will begin to meet us in one week. The others will follow at staggered dates."

"That's good. I wanted to bring you here so that my uncles, Pegasi, and the families of my uncles could see that I accept you and your men as friends. I wanted them to see you as who you are before you change so that you can join our worlds. I mean if you are still willing."

Todd was sure Sheppard had said "our worlds" and wondered what that meant. "Yes, we are willing."

Sheppard stood and walked toward the Wraith. "That's good, because I would have hated to have to kill you."

Todd laughed but he knew it to be true. Sheppard would protect his people as he himself would do.

Todd and his Wraith brothers were introduced formally to each of the families. Todd sensed no fear in them and he knew that these people had not been hunted by the Wraith. They looked at him curiously, asked questions and even reached out to touch him. Todd stared into the eyes of a small child who was smiling up at him and he realized he was smiling back.

"Follow me," Sheppard said quietly after he had met everyone and they along with some of Sheppard's guard, followed him.

The walked down several long empty corridors. All of them were decorated in finery. Todd had remembered a similar type place though not so ornate several centuries ago. It was an empty wasteland now. Todd was lost in his thoughts when they suddenly stopped. "This is your room and your men will each have their own,"

"Why will we be separated?" Todd asked slightly uncomfortable.

"I will keep your memories as much as possible, but I cannot do that for each of your men. My Pegasi have agreed to do this for your men. It requires a type of bond so the five have stepped forward. Of course, if you or your men do not want to retain any memories then we can forgo all of that."

Todd understood now what Sheppard and his men were willing to do for them. "We have discussed this and wish to retain what we can. We are grateful for your willingness and that of your men to do this."

Sheppard nodded and let Todd walk through the door first. The Wraith sat down after being greeted by Dr. Beckett. He watched Sheppard hand his crown to a smaller man that Sheppard called Samsus. The elder also took Sheppard's robe and he heard the king-that was what Sheppard was after all-tell the old man not to worry.

"This is a mild sedative. The transformation should not hurt but there will be some discomfort. The sedative will help with the process." Beckett explained quietly. "We will have to restrain you just to be safe."

Todd sighed and shook his head as he laid down. "For you or me?"

"Both," Sheppard said walking up to him. "Ready for a Vulcan mind meld?"

Todd searched his memory. "I do not understand this."

"My thoughts to your thoughts et cetera, et cetera."

"Who or what is Vulcan?"

Carson looked at Sheppard. "Really Your Majesty, he hasn't even seen a movie."

Sheppard frowned. "Pity. But we can remedy that too."

"Just get on with it Your Majesty," Todd said with a teasing sneer. "My mind and my memories are open to you."

Sheppard smiled then closed his eyes. He felt the Wraith's orderly mind and connected to him.

He was careful to build a shield around his own memories and thoughts but also tried to objectively gather Todd's in a way that was not intrusive. However, the normally very secretive Todd had made his mind very available. Perhaps this was a way to put the king his trust and willingness to be part of a new future with humans. Sheppard started at the beginning and did his best to capture what detail he could and file it away in a small corner of his own memory center. He filed the battles, the intrigue and even the memory of their first encounter. He staggered slightly as the memory of the experience was reversed where he remembered it as Todd feeding on him.

Beckett watched silently in the corner. He noticed Sheppard's occasional grimace and even break a smile or two. He almost stepped forward when the king staggered but did not for fear of interrupting the process. Finally, Sheppard slowly opened his eyes. He looked briefly at Beckett then down at Todd. "Ok," he said quietly.

Todd nodded his agreement and Beckett took his cue and walked forward with the syringe of the retrovirus.

He delivered the injection. "You only need this one followed by one more in two hours. Then it will be done."

Todd thought how simple it was…this transformation. He had a small sense of remorse but he was eager to be done with the fatigue and, yes, the fear that came with just trying to survive.

Sheppard knew he needed to give Todd his privacy. "I have a few things to take care of so I am going to check on your crew and then head out for a little bit. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Don't worry I've got you right here," he said with a smile as he pointed to his head.

"I am not sure how much I am comforted by that Sheppard, but it seems we have entrusted each other with much."

Sheppard looked thoughtful. "Yeah, we have. Once this is over, I have a lot more to trust you with."

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Sheppard looked at Tristan and the five other Pegasi. They sat in Sheppard's personal rooms. "Any issues or concerns?"

Tristan laughed. "Your Majesty?"

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

Etienne spoke first. "Their early memories were distasteful, but they are sincere in their desire to become human. They do not feed for pleasure only necessity. I did not try to keep all those memories."

Sheppard looked at him sympathetically. "I know. I am sorry to have asked this of you and I thank you."

"It was useful, Your Majesty," Tristan said thoughtfully. "We got a sense of their tactics and way of thinking. This was something foreign to us and believe it will help us in our battles with them or rather the Wraith who do not transform."

Sheppard poured each of them a drink and settled back into his chair. "I tried not to get too deep into his memories but I wanted to make sure they covered their tracks as they recruited others for the transformation. I have to hand it to him and his team but they were pretty efficient and secretive. I hope we have enough of the retrovirus because there aren't going to be too many Wraith left."

"What will come of them?" Tristan asked. "There will be so many."

"It's up to them. They can be integrated amongst our worlds. I don't think it would be good for them, at least initially to be placed in other worlds around the galaxy. Todd and his group will help them. Whatever happens, they need to know the truth of who they are and where they came from but they are welcome amongst us. Thankfully, Carson and team did a great job so that they will not need any boosters to maintain their transformation. We will keep them at the hidden planet for a while until we can finalize the integration plan, but I want it done quickly. If they are going to be accepted they have to be here when the battles begin to fight alongside our peoples."

Tristan nodded in agreement. He knew differences could be overcome when facing a challenge together. "When shall we greet our new partners?"

"Carson said we should wait until tomorrow. They will sleep most of today but I'll check in. No doubt it will be an excuse for another feast. Gonna be weird to see them eat regular food."

oooooooooo

Transferring memories back was not as hard as storing them Sheppard decided. He was glad to be rid of them. He added the memory of the transfer so that hopefully Todd would not be so confused when woke completely and come to accept his new self. His Wraith "friend" looked odd with long white/blond hair. Strange to see him as a human now. Sheppard turned to Beckett. "He sort of looks like one of the elves from Lord of the Rings with that white hair. That is the first movie I am going to show him," he said with eagerness.

Beckett shook his head in amusement. Poor Todd and his gang did not know what they were in for. Sheppard looked down at the former Wraith one more time. "And you are sure it's permanent."

"Aye. I'm sure. He is 100% human, permanently."

Sheppard raised his eyebrows. "Ok. Well, let me know when he wakes up again".

Ooooooooo

He opened his eyes and looked around cautiously. The surroundings were familiar but he was still unsure exactly where he was. It did not come to him all at once until he saw the man sitting in the chair near his bed. What was his name? He had dark unruly hair. He was well dressed and wore a small crown but his hair appeared to stick up in various spots. The man stirred and an image shot through Todd's mind with his hand on this man's chest and he was draining his life from him. Todd gasped and the man's head shot up and looked at him groggily. The man's name was Sheppard.

"Sheppard," Todd said quietly. "How long have you been here?"

Sheppard stood and stretched. "Not that long. Just made sure you got your memories back." Sheppard did not go in to detail as to what that entailed and how hard it had been on him. It was nothing like the transition Todd had gone through.

"How are you doing?" Sheppard asked him quietly.

Todd nodded and sat up. He pushed back long blonde hair from his face. He looked at his hand and noticed the color of his skin. It was different than how he remembered his hands. These were smooth and his fingers were long. "May I have a mirror?"

Sheppard must have known this would be one of his first requests because he reached to his right and grabbed a small mirror by the handle and handed it to him. Todd looked at the king then slowly turned toward the mirror. He had seen himself before but never paid attention how he looked until now. His hair was long and a whitish yellow color. His skin was no longer the pale color it was before but looked more like Sheppard's. His eyes were blue and now he breathed in through two nostrils. He opened his mouth and saw how different his teeth now were. I am human he thought.

"How do you feel," he heard Sheppard ask.

Todd put the mirror down. "Less menacing," he replied with a hint of humor.

Sheppard smiled. "Well you can get there again. Look at Ronan or some of my Pegasi. Etienne is pretty menacing when he wants to be."

Todd laughed out loud. "How true Sheppard. I will indeed have to work on this. I suppose I am still the same as I was but the Wraith parts of me no longer over power the human components."

Sheppard nodded. "Exactly. Your Wraith DNA no longer is dominant."

"I feel like myself to an extent. I thank you for maintaining my memories, I believe it has helped me. This will help me transition the rest. I will work with my men to determine the best way forward. We were able to convince many to join our ranks." Todd knew it would take some adjustment on his part…he was the same but with a significant difference. He did not have much time to transition but he and the men he chose had already been ready for something like this. They were his most stable and devoted colleagues and together they would adapt. Am I still Wraith, he wondered quietly, but Sheppard's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"I wish we could keep the memories of all of them, but I don't think we can."

Todd nodded. "I understand. We may be able to find other options to help with the transition. Perhaps it may not be necessary to keep full memories." He picked up the mirror again. Perhaps the transition should have been harder but he felt oddly at peace. There would be no more infighting and a struggle to survive. He would thrive as a human or he would die fighting along them. He realized he could not read Sheppard's mind but he could sense him. Sheppard likely had barriers up but they had been connected after all. A flash of him feeding on the king flashed in his mind and he held his breath. Perhaps he would have some transition issues later, but he was not one to dwell on the past once a decision was made. He heard a rumble internally and a pain crossed his midsection. His head shot up toward Sheppard.

"My midsection is uncomfortable." He saw Sheppard smile then turned to look toward the door. It opened and an attendant entered with a plate of human food. Todd joined Sheppard in his smile.

"It's called hunger, and this place has some great food."

Todd had tasted human food before out of curiosity but it was difficult to eat and he did not enjoy it. "I believe I shall enjoy it now."

"Oh yeah. Let's share a small glass of wine and a snack then we can join the rest of your team for a real feast."

ooooooooooooooooo

Todd was pleased that the transition had gone well for each of his men. They seemed to have no issues and all had the same color hair which was oddly comforting at the moment. They had been allowed to visit with each other and ensure that they were well. Dr. Beckett examined each of them then they were shown to their individual rooms and allowed to rest before the great feast. Sheppard and some of his team, along with the Pegasi and the Guardians of Sheppard's throne were in attendance. The former Wraith were treated equally as the others and Todd wondered why Sheppard's people held no grudge or concern. He watched the interactions amongst them and some of his men. It was his own that seemed slightly withdrawn and confused but Sheppard's people seemed to be trying to put them at ease. He realized that they had no fear in the Wraith and absolute trust in Sheppard.

He looked over at Sheppard and marveled at the human's capacity for forgiveness. Todd had nearly killed him, tortured him to be sure even if unwillingly. Was it practically or something about Sheppard's character that made it possible for him to forgive? He suspected it was the latter. Sheppard was different than even some of the other sovereigns he had met on other worlds. They were more concerned about saving themselves than caring for their people. Yet here was a man, who could easily retreat away and live a life of comfort but now commanded many whose sole purpose was to free the humans of Wraith. He stirred himself from his thoughts and saw the human looking at him with a slight smile. He raised his glass and Sheppard returned the gesture. Yes he was content.

ooooooooooooo

"Are you sure your plan will work Todd?" Sheppard asked. Then he stopped a moment. "I know it's kind of late to be asking but is that name okay?"

Todd smiled. "It is the only human name I have known and it pleases me. Besides, I have no desire to learn a new name." Todd stood and walked toward the window to look out into the courtyard. He noticed Teyla sitting quietly speaking to one of the Arcadian women. There was so much variability in the way humans looked. There were many females to choose a mate from, and he wondered if he woulld find one to love…or if they would in turn love him. No Wraith queens would survive to become human. There were too few anyway. He wondered if he would even be able to have children. How odd for his mind to go to this, he thought. "Yes, I believe it will. I have sent my brothers out. My only fear is how long we can keep it silent. I don't think it very long and that will make them vulnerable. There are too many to send here. Many may be slaughtered by the remaining Wraith."

Sheppard invited him to sit down. "Here try this. It's called hot cocoa. Different than coffee." Todd laughed. "I liked coffee, but I really must stop sampling every food you think I might like. You are like a child sometimes Sheppard." He was happy to see the King laugh at his jest as it was intended.

"You aren't the first to say that," Sheppard said. He turned more serious. "Don't worry. I have a plan. Changing Wraith to human is the first step. Trust me. We won't be leaving them vulnerable for long. It just takes some coordination. We will talk about it tonight. Bring your second to the briefing room after dinner. We will meet to discuss it. Todd nodded and sipped form the warm, ornate cup. He smiled broadly.

"Indeed, Sheppard this is my favorite thus far."

000000000

The young queen looked to her Wraith. They had decreased in numbers but she did not know why. She had not noticed at first but then as the weeks progressed she noticed that she had lost nearly a third then half of her hive. She did not know how they had disappeared. It was hard to find any other Wraith but a drone. She still had her loyalists and they had sought to find what had happened. She had heard through her sisters of similar disappearances. What she found disgusted her.

"Why would they wish to become human?" She spat out. "This was a failed experiment years back with the Atlanteans."

"Apparently, my Queen, they have been promised freedom as the Atlanteans have concocted a new scheme to eliminate the Wraith."

"They have tried and failed many times. Have you found where these new humans are located? I think we should cull a new herd."

"We believe that we have found where our Wraith are disappearing to."

"We must have someone on the inside of our hive assisting them. The drones would not be able to concoct such a plan. Find the source and bring the traitor to me. Have you alerted the other hives of the location of this…supposed refuge?" she said very slowly as she tried to find the right words. She couldn't, so sarcasm would have to do.

"Yes, my Queen. They are awaiting our word."

She nodded. "Then give it."

He bowed slightly and did as he was told. He knew he was betraying her, but the reputation of the one the humans called Todd was trustworthy. He had been offered an opportunity of freedom from the Queens and this life of constant battle and survival. He sent the message he had been told to send and because of his position in the hive, he was able to send a message to his brothers on other hives. The final rendezvous is at hand. He took his few belongings, along with the last group of Wraith who agreed to change, and boarded a ship then vanished without even the Queen knowing. The Heir of Armentarius could apparently cloud their minds. He marveled at the effort it must take, but this is why each disappearance happened at the same time.

000000000000000

Lorne watched Sheppard sitting on his throne. The Guardians and the Ancients who were Pegasi surrounded him in a circle. Their eyes were closed and he knew they were mentally linked to the King. The first time Sheppard had blocked the Wraith Queens so the other Wraith could escape, nearly did him in. He was exhausted for just over a week, but they got better at it and now in a few days he recovered. Despite his resilience and resoluteness, Lorne knew it was taking a toll on him…on all of them. This was the last time because in true fashion, Sheppard was not going abandon those that helped the Wraith escape it took longer than he first suggested. He had waited until they all had a chance to convert, but now Sheppard said it was time to pull the trigger and within weeks, the full-on battle would occur. First there was the bait and then the skirmish with the little fish that would draw out the big fish.

Lorne heard a sigh and saw Sheppard visibly relax. The king's eyes opened and he looked at those surrounding them and thanked them silently. He caught Etienne steadying one of the other Pegasi.

"Time to rest my friends," Sheppard said so quietly that Lorne was not sure at first if he had just heard it in his head. "We have solidified our plans and prepared all of our warriors. There is nothing left to do now but rest until the time arises for us to finish this."

Sheppard rose slowly and Tristan was by his side helping him. The King leaned heavier this time on the taller knight and gave no protest as they helped him to his chambers. Lorne watched them leave then turned to O'Neill.

"I'm glad that was the last one," Lorne said as he watched Sheppard slowly disappear down the hall.

O'Neill nodded. He had helped Sheppard in place of one of the Pegasi and it had not been pleasant. The Guardians looked exhausted as they shuffled out the room. "Me too."

000000000000000000

Tristan looked down worriedly at Sheppard. The king was sweating slightly and appeared pale. He gave no protest when Tristan and Etienne helped take his boots off and get him to bed. "Go Etienne. See to the others. I will stay here with His Majesty."

The blonde Pegasi nodded but did not move. He looked in earnest at Tristan. "I fear he may have weakened himself."

Tristan put a hand on Etienne's shoulder. "I know my friend," he said warmly. "He could not leave our Wraith collaborators in the hands of the Queens. We will all rest. Including you my friend."

Etienne nodded as he left, but Tristan was worried as well. He knew this one had taken a toll as he could sense the king's mind was unsettled.

Tristan could not believe what Sheppard had done with helping the Wraith escape their hives. He had not thought it possible but why not, if the King could reach out to him across the galaxies? The Pegasi and Guardians were not there to amplify his abilities but rather to protect him and shield him so that he and these worlds could remain hidden. Their effort was so effective that they had infiltrated every hive of the minor and major Queens. Tristan was not sure why Sheppard had tried to save many of the Wraith and thought it might be reckless but Sheppard heard none of it. Thousands had been saved by a well-orchestrated evacuation of sorts. Sheppard had sensed that the Queens had started to become suspicious so they planned the last escape and planted information with their Wraith conspirators on where to converge. A trap had been set for them there and in turn a path to the Queen of all Queens.

"You have gone too far my King," Tristan said as he sat tiredly next to Sheppard. "You do not look well." Tristan closed his eyes for a moment and fell asleep. He dreamt of Earth and the hills he had loved. He missed it in a way but he had never gotten used to it the way others had. This was his home and even after thousands of years he recognized it. They would return and visit enough once it was back in the king's good graces. He was sleeping soundly until an image of a Wraith invaded his mind and he woke with a start. His head snapped toward the gasps of the king.

"Stop!" Sheppard begged but his eyes were closed. "Stop!"

Tristan stood up quickly, "Your Majesty! Wake up!"

Sheppard's eyes snapped open. He winced at an image of a child being fed upon flashed in his mind. He had just enough time to reach for the trash bin by his bed and vomited bile. He set it back with a shaky hand and grunted as he laid back. He closed his eyes then opened them again but that didn't help. His mind could see whether his eyes were open or closed. "I…I can't stop from seeing what they see. What…they did."

Sheppard gripped his head and focused on trying to set up his mental barriers but he couldn't. He was just too worn out form all the times he had done this before. His head was splitting and the nausea overtook him again and he dry heaved as he lifted the can back up. He managed to set it down but he was shaking all over now.

"Let me help you Your Majesty," Tristan said gently as he reached toward Sheppard.

"No!" Sheppard rasped as he pushed Tristan away with his hand. Tristan felt as if he had been electrocuted and the images in his head made him gasp. Sheppard was in trouble. The memories were not his and he knew the king's mental and physical resources were depleted.

"Oh you impetuous boy!" Tristan growled under his tongue. "Foolish lad, you are not invincible!"

"I…hear you," Sheppard managed to grit through his teeth then moaned. He was dizzy and his head felt as if it was cracking in two. He felt pain in his chest and throughout his body as if he was being fed on but he saw the eyes and emaciated bodies of victims. He made a guttural sound as his body stiffened and he seemed unable to move for several seconds. Finally, he seemed to be released from whatever held him and he gasped for breath.

Tristan stopped pacing when the door opened. He knew he could not help Sheppard alone and he had mentally sent a message and help was here. Etienne walked in with two other Pegasi including the physician Milinus. Both were disheveled as they were likely in the midst of preparing to get some sleep.

"What is happening?" the physician asked as he moved toward Sheppard.

"After Etienne left he became sick and it seems only to have gotten worse. I believe the memories of the Queens are bombarding him. He cannot keep them at bay."

Milinus felt Sheppard's pulse but pulled his hand back quickly as a Wraith image appeared. "You are right Tristan. We must find a way to stop this but his mental blocks are inaccessible. His nervous system is being overwhelmed and his body will shut down little by little because his brain even the primitive parts will be damaged. Cruel torture!" Sheppard's cheeks were streaked with tears and he shifted around restlessly as he tried to breath.

"We have no choice," Tristan whispered. "He comes first and we must help him block this. I will summon the rest of the Pegasi and we must find a way to shield him."

"No," a deep voice said from behind. "We have already been summoned."

Tristan turned around and looked at Todd and his men as the former Wraith walked in. His long almost white hair was flowing behind him. "The King summoned us when he first woke. We know of this experience. The Queens have used memories as a punishment in the past. A slow torture of the mind for Wraith and human alike. It overpowers the system reducing the brains ability to process them and affects the ability to manage the body's system as your physician has described. We are more experienced with these types of memories and because we have been allowed to keep them, can withstand them better to help him."

They turned to Sheppard as he groaned. His arms were gripping his bed cover and the vein in his neck bulged as he strained to alleviate the pain in his head.

Tristan nodded toward Todd. "You must save him, no matter the cost."

Todd nodded in understanding. Sheppard had saved many of his brothers when he did not have to and this was the price he had paid. Fortunately, they still had their ability to withstand mental connections and Sheppard's mind was open so they could help him. "No worry my Ancient friend. We will not let him die. We are human now and as they say, 'We are in it together."

Tristan nodded with a small smile as he stepped back and turned to Etienne. "Inform O'Neill and Lorne as well as the Guardians. They need to be aware of what is happening." When Etienne had left, Tristan turned back toward Sheppard's bed. Around it stood the Wraith in their black clothes and long white hair. He could only hear Sheppard's struggles in grunts and moans and all he could see of Sheppard between Todd and his men was his hand on a tight grip on the bed.

Todd looked down at Sheppard. "It seems I must restore you once again Sheppard," he said with a bit of humor. Despite his anguish, Sheppard managed a smile as he opened his eyes to look at Todd.

"We do not have the power to penetrate your mind as before but we can link with you. You must use us to take these memories from you and organize them. My four brothers must take the assault from your mind while I help you turn off this ricocheting echo you gained from the queens."

"Hurt…them?" Sheppard gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps, but amongst the four it should not be severe. We have all been subject to this torture before and have defenses built. You do as well, they were only weakened. As I said, I will help you rebuild them."

Sheppard nodded but his body involuntarily stiffened and his eyes started to appear glassy. Todd looked at his men and they moved forward. "Shield yourselves from him brothers until I tell him to unleash the memories. Quickly."

Each of the four former Wraiths grabbed Sheppard's hands or arms and closed their eyes in concentration. Todd turned to Sheppard and knelt. "Now Sheppard! Open the floodgates to them now! Do not hold it back or fight it but send it out!"

O'Neill walked in the door followed by Lorne when he saw the Wraith holding Sheppard down. "What the hell…" he started to say until Tristan silenced him in his mind. He mentally shared what had happened to Lorne and O'Neill. They turned back just in time to hear Todd ordering Sheppard to let go of the memories. At first Sheppard did not respond as he seemed to become unaware of his surrounding but then each of the former Wraith fell quietly back to the ground and lay still. Todd quickly touched Sheppard's head with his hand. "Use my mind Sheppard. Let me help you!"

Sheppard had heard Todd's voice calling, ordering him what to do and he knew his life depended on it so he obeyed. The memories flooded out of him to his new brothers and then he felt Todd's cool mind in the periphery of his own. He heard Todd's voice again and he reached for it.

"Use my strength to rebuild your own Sheppard. Let us build the walls together."

Lorne looked anxiously at O'Neill. It had been 30 minutes but Todd and Sheppard had not moved. The other four former Wraith had started to stir a few minutes before and the Pegasi tended to them. No one said anything out loud. O'Neill was pacing around and stopped occasionally to check on Todd's men. They were shaky but seemed ok. Another 20 minutes passed and O'Neill's pacing increased. The Guardians, still fatigued from their own efforts also waited in complete silence while only exchanging nervous glances periodically.

A sigh came from Sheppard's bed and Todd crumpled away from Sheppard to the floor. His men moved quickly toward him while Tristan and Milinus rushed to Sheppard. It looked as if Todd was alright but extremely exhausted from what Lorne could tell from his men. They lifted him up and carried him toward the large chair in the sitting area where they tended to him.

After what seemed like an eternity O'Neill could not take it anymore and broke his silence. "Well?" he asked impatiently. After another second or two Milinus turned around. "He appears well enough. His heart rate, breathing and blood pressure are normal. His mind is 'quiet.' He will rest for some time but I believe he will be alright. We should help Todd to his quarters as well. I will check each of you," he said to the Wraith. They gave no objection as they helped their leader up to take him to his room.

"I thank you," Tristan said, "I thank each of you."

The one called Brian spoke quietly, "He is our king now and he saved many of us."

O'Neill walked over next to Tristan. The Pegasi turned to him. "He is better. I can tell his shielding is up again and he will rest and recover on his own."

"I'll stay with him. I can't tell if its arrogance or stupidity with him sometimes!" O'Neill said annoyed but Tristan knew his tone came from concern.

Tristan looked at Sheppard for a moment longer. He was resting peacefully now. He turned to O'Neill and placed a hand on the human's shoulder. "No. It is neither. Like you it comes from honor." He squeezed O'Neill's shoulder then left.

O'Neill went over to Sheppard's ornate bed. He remembered that time he and Sheppard had been kidnapped by the Pirate and Sheppard and endured a clumsy waterboarding to protect O'Neill. The retired general shook his head then reached down and pushed aside the unruly hair in the younger man's face. He winced realizing he was acting fatherly and awkwardly patted Sheppard's shoulder before sitting down in a comfortable chair. "Man kid. I just don't know anymore. Just watching you do all this is wearing me out and I think I must be on my way to an ulcer. No maybe that shouldn't be like me. I don't' usually worry too much. I'm still responsible for you…got you in to this back in McMurdo." O'Neill sighed. "Oh, forget it. I just said all that because I'm tired."

Tired. O'Neill's head shot up. Sheppard still appeared to be sound asleep but O'Neill knew he had heard Sheppard. He relaxed his mind and was overcome with Sheppard's fatigue. O'Neill shook his head then looked around. He stood and grabbed a large soft fur lined blanket then covered Sheppard in it. "Then rest," he said out loud. Rest son while you can.

He noticed Sheppard's face relax even more. There that should do it, he thought. He grabbed a second but smaller blanket that was on the couch and laid down. He closed his eyes and without another thought fell asleep.

ooooooooo

"Any word?" Teyla asked with a smile.

"No my lady," Ewan said with a smile as he stepped aside and opened the door for her, "Still asleep. Both of them."

She tilted her head in acknowledgement then went through the open door. She looked at O'Neill who was sound asleep on the large couch. He was breathing deeply and steadily. His arms were crossed and his covering had half fallen off of him. She reached down, picked it up and gently pulled it over his shoulders. She walked quietly over to Sheppard. He looked peaceful though there was a shadow of fatigue under his eyes. She realized that somehow the presence of O'Neill had a calming effect on him, even after the Pegasi had arrived. There had always been something about O'Neill. Perhaps it had been that the General once commanded him and Sheppard still saw him as a superior or a mentor. It also could be because of their bloodlines, which were forever connected and where their ancestors were connected. She did not understand it, but was grateful for O'Neill.

The older man stirred but continue to rest comfortably on the large couch. She turned and walked out of his room.

"I shall inform Dr. Beckett that they are asleep. Do not let anyone disturb them Ewan."

"Of course my lady," the youngest Pegasi said with a smile. Tristan had already given that order with the exception of her, but Ewan did not tell her that.