Note: Right, we're on the last stretch of this story! Only a few more chapters to go. Real Life allowing, I should get them all posted by the end of the week! Thank you to everyone who has been reading through with me on this story, I hope you are enjoying it still.

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Shoving the falling bricks aside, Si swung himself over the barrier the Wraith had been attempting to construct to block the corridor. The Wraith were dead or dying under his boots as he hit the floor on the other side of the barrier. He lashed down at one that tried to grab one of his ankles, but Si's blade sliced down at the pale Wraith hand quickly ending the attempt. Si didn't wait to complete the job fully, for the pressure of the Queen's presence was like a painful freezing cold beacon ahead of him. He stretched out his mind, but already Teyla's was there, vibrant and so overwhelmingly powerful that he had no way of entering into the mental battle, but he could feel the strain, the wavering edge to Teyla's focus that meant that she was hurt, that she was in desperate danger.

The light from the exit ahead called to Si, through which he could feel the battle against the Queen, as well as four other male Wraith locked on the periphery. With the Earth weapon in his hand, raised and pointed to where he sensed the first Wraith on the other side of the exit, he ran on.

Two rapid shots rang out as he arrived. Angry and desperate Si stormed into the chamber, seeing the Queen falling to the floor and the rapid following shots of the weapon in Sheppard's hand. Si immediately turned his fire on the Wraith still standing, adding his bullets to Sheppard's.

The last Wraith dropped and Si fired into it and the others once again to make sure Sheppard's shots had removed the last of their life.

Sheppard let out a loud exhausted sigh from behind him, but Si couldn't see Teyla anywhere. He turned back to Sheppard and only then noticed Teyla's reddish hair against the man's shoulder. And the blood and the knife handle protruding from her upper back.

Pain and fear rushed through Si as he rushed towards them, barely making sure to avoid stepping on the fallen Atlantis personnel. As he neared, Sheppard had lifted his head allowing Si an improved view of Teyla. She was slumped unconscious against Sheppard, his arm around her back all that was keeping her upright. As Si dropped down by Sheppard's side he had already identified the handle of the blade in her back as Elite weaponry and already he suspected he knew whose hand had plunged it there. The desire to scream out his anger was only superseded by his desperate desire to see to Teyla. She was so still against Sheppard, her blood smeared cheek pale.

"She's still breathing," Sheppard informed him, the man's voice holding worry and exhaustion.

Behind Si the rest of their group were filling out across the chamber, and for the first time that he could remember Si realised he had turned his back to a room without being totally sure that no Wraith remained. That moment of foolishness may be explained by the knowledge that there were others behind him to back him up, but he knew it was due to panic and fear for Teyla. He had seen her injured before, too many times, but he had not seen her so close to death as he did now. Si pressed his fingers to Teyla's throat, needing to feel her pulse to be sure. It was thin and weak, but it was there. She still lived.

"We have to get her up to the Daedalus," Sheppard stated. "Now."

Doctor Beckett appeared on Si's right, crouching down and adding his medical comments.

"We have a full medical infirmary on the Daedalus," Doctor Beckett informed him. "We need to get that knife out of her back, but not before I can see what damage it's done," Beckett continued.

"We need to get her to the Daedalus," Sheppard repeated, but this time it was a subtle question and Si looked to the man's eyes and nodded. Si moved to stand, his hands moving around Teyla. "I've got her," Sheppard stated as he shifted his free arm around Teyla's legs. He already had the best grip on her, but Si almost protested, wishing to carry her himself. He quelled that reaction and nodded again, standing further back. He kept one hand on Teyla's back, supporting her weight as Sheppard got his feet under him. Despite the man's clear exhaustion, he lifted up Teyla's weight enough for Si to feel comfortable that Sheppard would not drop her. Doctor Beckett fussed around her as Sheppard began moving down the littered chamber. Si followed, finally looking around the chamber.

Major Lorne was at the far hatch and he turned as he saw Sheppard approaching. "We've blocked the way out above, and I've got the Daedalus on radio out here," he reported. "They report most of the darts are down, but there's still a Hive ship in a low orbit."

Si drew his mind back to the situation and away from the still lingering fear for Teyla's health.

"Get our stunned people together and out into the open for Daedalus to beam us up," Sheppard was ordering through his teeth as he carried Teyla's unconscious weight towards the hatch.

Si looked down and around noting how many of those stunned on the floor were Atlantis personnel. He glanced at Sheppard carrying Teyla, one of Si's longest and most dear friends, and decided that the least he could do was help gather Sheppard's people for him. So he reached down and hauled up an unconscious Earthman and carried him easily towards the hatch out of which Sheppard and Beckett were already disappearing.

Oneakka was also carrying Earthmen, moving quietly and efficiently as usual, and as they passed on their way through the chamber, Oneakka angled his head down to the floor. "Iketani," he said.

Si paused and looked around dead Wraith to see long pale hair. He leant further and saw her body lying face down on the floor, blood pooled deeply around her. By her side lay her blood-coated, uniquely shaped sword.

"Massa won't be happy," Oneakka grunted as he passed by again to collect the last unconscious man as the last from the Daedalus passed by Si.

"He will have to be satisfied with this," Si replied. "She is dealt with," he added and continued on towards the hatch through which he saw several personnel disappearing in glowing light of the Daedalus' transporter.

"We've still got darts incoming," Major Lorne warned from the hatchway. "We need to get out of here before they turn back and try to sweep us up."

Si doubled his time to the hatch and hauled his man out and into the dark night. He laid the man down on the thick grass beside several others and turned back to see Oneakka drop the last two men onto the grass, only to turn back into the chamber.

"We need to move it!" Lorne ordered as they watched Oneakka disappear inside, crouch down for a split second and then hurry back to them. Si noticed Oneakka already had Teyla's swords tucked through his belt, but what he had returned to retrieve was Iketani's sword.

"For Massa," Oneakka explained as he climbed out of the hatch. Si nodded. At least they could bring the sword to Massa, who had lost his lover to the betrayal of Iketani. Massa would not be pleased to have missed Iketani's downfall, but at least he could have evidence of it.

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The Daedalus' infirmary was a lot quieter than Atlantis', but then John guessed it catered for less people than the city's mini hospital. About half of the beds were full and most of those occupying them had been injured from the fight with the Wraith. Two were personnel hurt onboard the Daedalus as she took fire and one was a pilot who had managed to return his X302 to the bay despite a raging fire in the cockpit. The first of the final three beds held a marine who had broken his leg in the fight with the Wraith down on Mada, then Madesh, who was asleep following his surgery, in the bed next to where Si sat silently. The last bed, the one John was currently headed towards, held the still unconscious form of Teyla.

Si was seated near the end of her bed, his chair set facing out to the rest of the infirmary as if he were guarding Teyla, but then maybe that was exactly what he was doing. John had been sat near the big Elite for the past three hours, but had left to report to Caldwell and to finally change out of his dirty, blood-soaked uniform. He had also taken the opportunity to escort Carson to an available bed. The Doc had insisted on performing the surgery on Teyla and then finishing up Madesh's surgery in the next surgical bay. The Daedalus' lead surgeon had taken it reasonably well, though had pushed Carson out of the Infirmary finally an hour ago. John and Rodney had gotten Carson to some quarters and onto his bed before the man had fallen into the sleep of the dead. He had had a long day. John had pulled off the man's boots as Rodney had laid a blanket over him and they had left Carson to sleep.

In a clean uniform, claimed from the stores the Daedalus was delivering to Atlantis anyway, John was headed back to Teyla's bedside. Both Carson and the Daedalus' doctor had assured him and Si, who had been hovering constantly in the Infirmary, that the knife had not damaged her spinal cord, but had caused some minimal damage to her lungs and resulted in a lot of blood loss. She had been very lucky. The surgery had gone well and she had been patched up. Carson expected she would make a full recovery in no time, but though John trusted Carson completely he still wouldn't feel better until she woke up.

He still couldn't believe what she had done – to hold back a Wraith Queen and those other Wraith, all with just her mind. That alone was impressive, but that she had done so with a knife in her back and bleeding out, was almost unbelievable. She had saved him, saved them all. But, the memory of the sound of her laboured breathing as he had stared up at the Queen's furious slit eyes still haunted him.

Si glanced up at him as John approached the bed. John lifted the tray of food he had quickly picked up on the way here. "I brought enough for two, though I know you guys don't like others choosing your food for you," John offered as he reached the end of the bed. "Or you could head down to the Mess yourself." John was pretty sure that Si hadn't eaten for a long time, and surely must be hungry. They had no idea when Teyla would wake up, and John was sure that Si wasn't going to leave her side anytime soon.

Si's eyes dropped to the tray with clear interest, but he glanced away again. "Later," he replied, his attention returning to watching the rest of the infirmary.

John nodded as he made his way around Si's chair, back to his previously vacated seat near the side of Teyla's bed. "Anything happen?" He asked, though it was clear that nothing had. Teyla lay on her side, turned towards him and Si, her face pale and still. She looked very different in the standard infirmary scrubs she had been dressed in and the pale colour made the dark tattoos down the side of her neck all the more apparent.

"No," Si replied.

John nodded and began picking at his food.

"How is Doctor Beckett?" Si asked, surprising John. Si had been happy to sit in silence unless John, or someone else, had asked him a question.

"Rodney and I got him to a bed before he passed out. He won't be waking up anytime soon," John replied with amusement, though the relief he felt at Carson's rescue was far from amusing.

"It was good of him to see to Teyla before he did so," Si replied, again surprising John.

John nodded as he stabbed at a piece of carrot up from his tray. "He's a good man," he replied. "You won't find a better Doctor either."

Si looked away from his observation of the infirmary towards John. John glanced up at the man's attention and paused in his eating, feeling the weight of the gaze. "You did good," Si stated.

John swallowed the pieces of carrots. "Thanks, uh, so did you. We all worked pretty well together," he point out as he forked up some more veggies.

Si inclined his head slightly and turned back to watching the infirmary. "How long till we reach Atlantis?"

"Caldwell says four hours," John replied.

Si nodded. He had agreed to take Teyla to Atlantis rather than arrange to meet with the Sythus, which would have required the Daedalus flying into Alliance space and Caldwell hadn't been too impressed with that plan. Carson had made the point that Teyla required immediate surgery and it would be best for her to go with them to Atlantis. Si and Oneakka had stated that where Teyla went, they went.

"Where's Oneakka?" John asked as he glanced around the Infirmary himself. Oneakka had remained close by, but had been less willing to be limited to the Infirmary.

"Majors Lorne and Walker are giving him a tour of the ship," Si replied.

John nodded. Si wasn't the best person to sit and talk with, but he was comfortable enough company. John turned his attention to eating and as he chewed he looked around the infirmary again, though his eyes kept returning to Teyla. In the next bed over Madesh was asleep, his head and shoulders supported up to help with his injury. He had been lucky, and according to Lorne, the guy had even taken a gun towards the end against the Wraith.

"What's going to happen to Madesh?" John asked gesturing towards the man with his fork.

Si glanced round towards the man in question and then back to the rest of the room. "He will come back with us, so he can share all he knows of Iketani."

John nodded. "Amazing Iketani didn't kill him."

"It was close, judging by where he was shot," Si replied.

"Carson said he should pull through fine though," John added. "But, he's gonna need some serious rest before you guys start interrogating him."

Si glanced at Madesh again. "I suspect that will not be a problem. He had begun to tell me details when we were first transported up here."

John hadn't been with the last group leaving the planet as he had gone up to the Daedalus with Teyla and Carson. He probably shouldn't have done that – leaving the rest of his team behind, but he had left Lorne in charge. And truth be told he hadn't had much strength left in his body by the time he had materialised onboard the Daedalus. Fortunately, helpful medical hands had taken Teyla and he had sat down heavily across the infirmary and watched as Carson had set to work on Teyla. He had fallen asleep while she had been in surgery. Since then he had been catnapping in this chair, and with Si a metre away he had felt confident that he would be woken if Teyla had woken up.

He glanced at her again, only to see her eyelids moving slightly. His food instantly forgotten he leant forward. "Teyla?" He asked and beside him Si stood up and moved closer.

Her eyelids moved again. "Teyla?" Si called to her, his deep voice soft and with a clear edge of pleasurable hope.

Her eyes slowly cracked open and John watched her blink slowly. Her focus shifted towards him and Si, and a soft smile twitched her lips. One of Si's large hands landed softly on her uppermost arm. John watched the large dark hand squeeze her arm affectionately. That simple action said a lot. John glanced up at Si. Despite the big guy's very tough demeanour, his worry for Teyla had been clear, and now in its place there was a very real relieved smile.

"Teyla," Si repeated coaxing her further out of sleep.

John returned his attention to her. "Welcome back," he greeted her and watched her rather dozy gaze shift to him again. She murmured and then coughed. Her throat was no doubt dry, so John set aside his tray and reached for the water cup on the side. "You want something to drink?" He offered, picking up the cup, which had a straw set through its lid.

She blinked her eyes again, this time her focus much clearer and she nodded as she reached for the cup. Her grip was strong enough as she grasped the cup and she set her lips around the straw. She drank some water with clear relief and when she cleared her throat again it sounded better.

"Iketani?" Teyla asked, her voice weak, but stronger than John had expected.

"The Queen killed her," John told her and she nodded, frowning slightly as she rested her head back down onto her pillow. Her eyelids were drooping again, but he saw her gaze shift to Si.

"We have her sword for Massa," Si stated. John had seen the nasty looking sword, that he remembered first seeing Iketani wearing when he had first met her back on the Alliance marketing station.

"It is over then," Teyla said.

"Yes, as is the battle over Mada. The Travellers assisted against the Wraith," Si informed her, and there was more than a little surprise in his voice still. Teyla opened her eyes fully and gave him a surprised look. "For Atlantis, no doubt," Si added, though there was a touch of amusement. Teyla's eyes moved back to John and she smiled with amusement as well.

"Yes, no doubt Larrin is interested in keeping good relations with 'Atlantis'," Teyla said softly, with pointed emphasis despite her sleepy voice. Si chuckled briefly and John got that they were teasing him.

"You're gonna be alright, by the way," John informed her, hastily wanting to be away from the subject of Larrin. "Carson patched you up, said you'd be fine in a week or so."

She nodded, but her eyes had drifted shut again.

"Rest, Teyla," Si told her, his voice soft. He squeezed her arm again and lifted his hand. She opened her eyes, but clearly it was a struggle. "We still have some hours till we reach Atlantis."

"You'll get some more of that tour you were hoping for then," John told her. "Starting with the Infirmary." She smiled, but her eyes closed and remained closed this time. John kept his eyes on her, watching her and guessed she was asleep again.

Si shifted beside him, drawing John from his staring. John looked up at the man, and saw that a lot of tension had eased from the man's shoulders. He also looked more tired. John doubted Si would take up the offer of a bed on the Daedalus, especially as they were only hours away from Atlantis. He wondered if perhaps Si would sleep on one of the empty infirmary beds in here.

"I'll sit with her, if you want to take a break," John offered, not sure if it was an insult to suggest to an Elite that they needed to sleep.

Si looked from Teyla's sleeping form to John. "You said there is food in a mess?"

John smiled. "Yes, there's food in the Mess," he replied. He looked down the length of the Infirmary where two marines stood as silent guards subtly keeping a watch on the Elite man. "They'll show you the way," John suggested as he glanced back up to Si.

Si looked down at Teyla and then at John. There was a long beat and Si nodded. The big man turned and headed down the Infirmary. John watched as Si reached the exit and saw the marines nodding politely. There was some discussion and one marine turned, leading the way to the Mess. Just before Si moved out of sight, the man glanced back towards John and Teyla. Si trusted him enough to leave him 'guarding' Teyla, and that said a lot to John. That single act told John that trust and friendship really could be possible between Atlantis and the Alliance, or at least with the Elite.

He looked back at Teyla, who remained fast asleep. She was okay, they were all okay and it was a serious relief. So much could have gone wrong, and though Teyla had been hurt, she would be fine. They had gotten Carson back, Iketani had been 'taken care of', and they had even managed to get rid of a powerful Queen. Not bad for a day's work.

Soon they would be back in Atlantis. Si had sent out a subspace message to the Sythus from the Daedalus, but otherwise had to wait till they got back to the city before the Elite could contact their people. John didn't know how long the Elite would be staying, so maybe Teyla might be staying in the city's infirmary for a bit, or would the Elite insist on returning with her to Alliance space right away? He wasn't sure, but for now he was happy to know that she was okay, and that the Elite had enough trust in those on the Daedalus to care for her.

He reached down and picked up his tray of food again. He set it on his lap and began munching his way through the first proper meal he had had in ages. As he ate, he let his eyes wander over Teyla's sleeping face, admiring the wide oval shape of eyes, her relaxed features, the growing healthier colour to her complexion and at being able to sit by her side to watch over her.

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TBC