Sheppard was extremely pale, but his vitals looked good, and his breathing was strong. She shooed the nurse out the door, then took Sheppard's hand in hers and sat on the side of his bed. She kissed his hand before placing it on her lap and then reached out to smooth back the forever uncooperative chocolate brown hair.

"I won't let you leave me, flyboy."

"I'm not going anywhere," he croaked hoarsely without opening his eyes.

"Shhhh, sleep," she cooed.

"Been sleeping," he slurred sleepily.

"You need to sleep some more," she ordered.

"I mean it, you know," he yawned. "I'm not going anywhere," he slurred again.

"Good. I'm going to hold you to that. Now sleep," she ordered, kissing his forehead gently.

A moment later, his breathing told her that he'd drifted back to sleep. He would need it if he was going to have enough strength to fight off any infection resulting from the toxins released when his appendix ruptured. If anyone could fight, it would be John, she consoled herself. Outside the recovery room, Caldwell watched, along with Weir, who'd just returned with Daniel.

"How's he doing?" asked Weir.

"He's stable," Caldwell replied.

"And Logan?" asked Daniel.

"As long as he's stable, she'll be fine," Caldwell shrugged. He knew that Daniel knew how important Sheppard was to her.

"Colonel Caldwell, we have two of our guests isolated, but we haven't found the third yet..." Weir began.

"Which one is missing?" Caldwell asked.

"Seila," Weir replied.

Caldwell looked over at her, mildly alarmed. "The last time I saw her, she was with..."

"We haven't found Lyta yet either, so they might still be together."

"They have my son," his alarm growing.

"The other two women have no idea what happened back on Takada, which means they probably had no plans to do anything untoward here. At least that's what we're hoping. Did you ask Lyta to show Seila around?"

"Yes," his jaw tightened.

"Anywhere in particular?"

"No, I just sort of implied that I wanted her off my back," he growled.

"Okay, then she was probably taking her on an extended tour. I thought about calling to them over the city's communication system, but I didn't want to alert her, just in case."

"No, we shouldn't. But I want them found...now!" his eyes had turned steely and cold. With one final look at Sheppard and Logan, Caldwell turned and strode out of the room, with Weir on his heels.

Daniel watched them go, then refocused his attention on Logan and Sheppard. He knew, as well as Caldwell, just what it would do to Logan if anything happened to Sheppard. He shook his head, sent up a silent prayer and left to go help search for Caldwell's son.

Logan emerged from Sheppard's room some four hours later. Exhausted, but encouraged, she'd let Beckett cajole her into going back to her own quarters long enough to shower and grab a bite to eat. He'd assured her that Sheppard would sleep for the remainder of the night, and that all his tests were very encouraging. As of yet, no infection had settled in and Sheppard was resting comfortably.

As she made her way toward the mess hall, following her shower, Logan noticed that there were a great many people up and about for the lateness of the hour. The entire time she'd been at Sheppard's side, she'd been completely oblivious to everything else going on in the city. She was beginning to feel that cold sense of foreboding wash over her. Something was terribly wrong. She stopped a pair of airmen along the way and asked about the number of people still on duty. What they told her did nothing to assuage the foreboding growing inside her.

She hadn't given the three women who'd come here from Takada a second thought when she'd returned to the city. She'd been so preoccupied with fear and worry over Sheppard. The thought of Samuel Caldwell in danger spurred her into action. Beautiful, sweet little Sammy, the boy she loved and had sworn to keep safe, Shannon's legacy. Her thoughts went to Caldwell, who had been so kind to her earlier when she fell apart. Had he known even then? No, he couldn't have. Her thoughts raced as she ran back to her quarters and grabbed her zat and sidearm then headed to the brig.

Mirin and Pelu stared in fear at the angry woman before them. They'd been told what had happened back on Takada, and they knew that this woman meant business when she'd told them that she would do whatever it took to recover the missing woman and child. They'd had no part in whatever it was Seila was doing, though they had been as desperate and lonely as she. Both had admitted that the sight and proximity of a baby might easily have driven Seila to desperate measures, but neither believed her capable of harming a child. The woman, Lyta, might be another matter, however. If Seila did try to take the child, and Lyta tried to stop her, Seila very well might hurt her, if she hadn't already.

"Where would she go? What would she do?" Logan demanded.

"I don't know," Mirin said.

"We do not know your city. To leave, she would have to return to the gateway." Pelu insisted.

Logan continued to grill them about Seila. About the way her mind worked. When she was satisfied that they'd told her everything they could, she took her leave and went out to search again. She had to be somewhere in the city, Logan thought. She could not fly a jumper, nor were any missing, and she couldn't have gotten past the guards posted around the gateroom. And she couldn't remain in one place very long, since every inch of the city was systematically being searched. She would have to keep moving to avoid detection... Then it hit her. The one place no one had bothered checking, since he wasn't there...

Logan opened the door to Sheppard's quarters and cautiously stepped in. The room was dark, but she could sense that she wasn't alone. Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, she waited for a moment before going any further. Within moments, she'd located the still form of Lyta, sprawled face down on the floor. Logan checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when Lyta groaned. She was alive, but she had a nasty gash on the side of her head, and bruises up and down her arms.

Logan tried to rouse her without hurting her further. "Lyta! Wake up, it's Logan," she prodded.

"The baby," she groaned.

"Where is he?"

"The woman...Seila...She took him...I tried to stop her, but..." she began crying.

"Do you know where she might have gone?"

"No...I must find him..." Lyta tried to sit up, but was overcome with dizziness and fell back down again.

Logan keyed her mic and called for a medical team to come to Sheppard's quarters. "I'll find him, Lyta, I swear!" she promised before running out of the room.

Twenty minutes later, the sound of Sammy's cries alerted her to his location. She rounded the corner in time to see Seila step out of the transporter, carrying the fussing infant in her arms. Logan yelled at her to stop, but the crazed woman continued to run down the hall. Logan smiled, knowing that Seila was entering a passage that dead-ended. There would be no where for her to run now. Logan had her cornered. She keyed her mic and radioed her location to Caldwell, knowing he would have thirty men down there within minutes.

"There's no way out, Seila." Logan called to her.

"I won't give him back!" she screamed.

"The child does not belong to you," Logan tried to remain calm so that Seila wouldn't freak out and hurt the baby.

"You can have others...I...need...him..."

Logan stopped about seven feet in front of her. "I understand how difficult it must be for you, but this is not the way."

"You know nothing!"

"I know you're not getting out of here with that baby!"

Samuel was squirming like mad, his chubby little arms outstretched for his Godmother. It was clear from the expression on his face that he didn't understand why she didn't immediately sweep him into her arms and cover his face with kisses, as she had always done whenever she saw him. Caldwell charged down the hall, with about ten people behind him, and skidded to a halt when he saw Logan pointing her zat at Seila. Samuel saw his father and began kicking wildly and whimpering.

"Colonel, please...lower your weapon," whispered.

"Just waiting for you, sir," she said and immediately holstered the zat.

"Please, Seila, give me back my son," he said.

"No!"

"This isn't necessary," his tone was soft but stern.

"You don't understand what it's like...You don't know..." she cried.

"We can help you."

"You would come with me?" she asked tearfully.

"NO!" replied Logan, Bates and Lorne in unison.

"Then I will take the boy!"

"No...Let him go, and I will come with you," Caldwell said.

Logan looked up at him in surprise. "That's... unacceptable, sir."

"I have to do this..." he told her.

"You and the boy," insisted Seila.

"Seila, think about what you're doing. Do you really want to hurt that baby?" Logan asked.

"No...But I need them...I can't be alone anymore..."

"You don't have to be. We've told you and your people, we can help you, there are lots of men on many worlds...They would be happy to...help...your people."

"I want this man." her eyes took on a proprietary gleam. "And this child."

Logan looked up at Caldwell again, then got an idea. "These are spoken for," she smiled.

"You lie! His wife, the child's mother, is dead!"

"Indeed she is," Logan took a deep breath and tried not to flinch at her reference to Shannon. "But now they belong to another."

Caldwell and his men looked at her questioningly. Only Bates seemed to understand where she was going.

"I don't believe you," Seila snapped.

"Haven't you wondered why the child reaches for me, even now?" Logan turned slightly and winked up at Caldwell.

"I have claim to the child, and to his father. I will not let you try and usurp my place." she warned Seila.

A few of the others were beginning to catch on to her plan now.

"You have a chance to leave this place, to start a new life with any number of men in this galaxy, but you cannot have this one!" she put her arm around Caldwell's waist to further illustrate her point.

"You lie!" she was becoming more and more agitated.

Logan wanted to push her into focusing on Caldwell instead of the baby. With an apologetic look at Caldwell, she reached up and pulled his face down to hers and plastered a searing kiss on his lips. Several of the men murmured and smiled, and even wished they could trade places with Caldwell, knowing full well that it was all for show - part of her plan to get the baby away from the crazed woman, but not caring.

Seila did exactly what Logan was hoping for. She came after her, loosening her hold on Samuel and allowing one of the men to snatch the baby from her arms as she lunged for Logan. She pulled away from a shaken Caldwell in time to grab the hand that raised up and tried to plunge a knife into her. The two women tumbled over, falling to the floor and began fighting for control of the knife. Seila was so crazed by this time that she began striking out at Logan's face with her free hand, in order to loosen her grip on the knife they were fighting over. None of the men dared to intervene, lest they inadvertantly distract Logan and end up getting her injured. Despite her craze-induced strength, Logan managed to get the upper hand, knock the knife completely out of Seila's hand and send it skidding down the hall. Then, with two solid punches to the face, Logan knocked the rest of the fight out of her before Bates and Lorne pulled her away.

Two others took hold of Seila, cuffing her arms behind her back. She continued to scream and rant at Logan, who in an uncharacteristic show of bitchiness, walked back over to Caldwell, took Samuel in her arms and planted another searing kiss on Caldwell just to stick it to Seila.

They could still hear her screaming and cursing as she was led down the hall and down the stairs toward the detention area.

Logan accompanied Caldwell back to his quarters, where Beckett did a quick exam to confirm Logan's assessment of Samuel's condition. The baby was a little tired and overstimulated, but he was unharmed. Lyta was in the infirmary, recovering from a severe blow to the head, and Torus was safely esconced and snoring in the extra room in Caldwell's quarters, blissfully ignorant of all that had taken place.

"You took an awful risk, you know?"

She shrugged, "I honestly didn't believe that she would hurt him."

"I know she wouldn't. But you...? She definitely would have hurt you."

"With all you big strong men standing so close by to save little ol' me?" she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Caldwell chuckled in spite of everything. "And now, you have to endure the non-stop ribbing you're going to be getting from everyone about your...uh...tactics."

She shrugged again. "Meh! They knew what I was doing."

"You think that's going to stop them?"

"Probably not," she took the baby from him and held him closely against her for a moment. "It was worth it, sir."

"Thank you," he took her face in his hands, gently rubbing his thumb across her cheek. "Thank you," he repeated and gently kissed her forehead.

She smiled sleepily up at him, then kissed the baby and handed him back. "I better get going, I want to be there if John wakes up."

"Tell him I'll see him tomorrow."

She wasn't sure how she made it back to the infirmary. She sure didn't remember walking there, but now that she was there, something had instantly set her back up. She paused in the hallway, then froze in place. "Logan!" She could hear Sheppard's voice in her head just as clearly as if he'd been standing next to her. She ran to Sheppard's room and what she saw there made her blood run cold. She was immediately transported into the nightmare she'd been having for months. Sheppard was laying in bed, but there was a steadily growing light surrounding him as he lay there.

"NOOOOO!" she screamed.

Logan knew it was pointless to pull her weapon, but she aimed it at the intruder anyway. "Get away from him!" she shouted.

"I am not here to harm him."

"I said get away from him!" Logan growled menacingly.

"He suffers needlessly."

"He's getting better," she countered. "At least he will if you stay away from him."

"I can help him."

"I thought you weren't allowed to help us lowly mortals," Logan snarked.

Athar gazed evenly at her. "Not in normal affairs, but I can guide him through his ascension."

"He's not dying!" she screamed.

"You would rather he suffer?"

"He was recovering... He didn't even develop an infection..."

"You do not know what I know."

"I know he wouldn't want this!" she shouted.

"You are wrong," Athar spoke so calmly that it was infuriating her.

"I don't care what you think you shared with him, I know him better than you, and I know he wouldn't want this. He would never choose to stand idly by while millions of lives were wiped out by the Wraith, or anything else. Now back off!"

In the back of her mind, she had to wonder why no one else had come running at the sound of her yelling and screaming.

"I can help him in ways you cannot."

"No!" She knew that Athar could wipe her from existence with a single thought, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

"Move away!" she shouted again.

Athar would not budge. Logan nudged closer to Sheppard and as she reached out to touch his hand, Athar finally flinched.

"You must not touch him!" she gasped.

Logan sensed an edge. "Why? Because it will stop whatever it is you're doing to him? Will it wake him up?"

Athar stared unblinking. "It will harm him."

"I don't believe you. Why do you think I came running in here? He called me!" She reached out and touched his face and the light growing around him immediately dimmed. Logan smiled as Sheppard moved his head from side to side. He was struggling to wake up.

"You are hurting him!" Athar cried.

"I would never hurt him. And if you're so sure of yourself, let him wake up and tell me that he chooses to ascend."

"You musn't do this," Athar insisted.

"John," called Logan. "Wake up sleepyhead."

Sheppard began tossing and turning before finally opening his eyes. " Logan... What's going...Athar?" he looked groggily over at her.

"Listen to me, John..." she began.

"No! She's trying to get you to ascend!" Logan snapped, cutting the Ancient off.

"Ascend? What?" he was dazed and confused and the pain medication was beginning to wear off.

"She thinks you'd rather go off with her than stay here and fight."

"What?! I'm not...Hey! My gut may feel like it's on fire but I'm not dying!" he growled.

"You are wrong," Athar countered.

"No he's not! Don't you think he would KNOW?!"

"Come with me, John. I can show you wonders you have never dreamed of."

The light began to grow around her and waft toward Sheppard again. His eyelids grew heavy again and he began to feel like he was floating, not an all-together bad feeling. Then Logan stepped into his line of sight again and the pain started to return.

"John, please...You PROMISED!"

His eyes snapped open fully. "I'm not going anywhere." he murmured weakly.

"I can take you where there is no pain... You do not want this anymore."

"John!" Logan cried, burying her face in his chest.

"I want...I want..."

"You want the pain to stop."

"No..." he shook his head, reaching up to stroke Logan's hair.

"You want the light..."

"No... Logan..." her head snapped up at the sound of her name on his lips. "I...want...to stay...with Logan..." he murmured. "I'm. not. going. anywhere."

Logan turned to stare victoriously at Athar. "You heard him."

"He does not know what he is saying."

"Logan..." he gasped.

"Leave this place now!" Logan ordered. "Or I will find a way to MAKE you leave for good."

"John is the only one who can truly send me away, and he will not do that."

"Get out!" Sheppard barked.

"You do not mean that."

"Yes...I...do! Go back to your...people...You are not wanted here. I wouldn't go anywhere with you, even if I were dying!" Sheppard struggled to get the words out, clenching his teeth through the pain.

"Get out!" Logan shouted at her.

The light grew brighter and brighter until they couldn't see anymore. Logan threw herself over Sheppard until the light reached a pinnacle and then disappeared.

Daring to open one eye, Logan looked around to make sure Athar had really gone, then turned to look down at Sheppard. His face was ashen and perspiring.

"Lo, honey, do you think you could get off my incision?" he gasped.

She grinned, kissed him on the cheek and hopped off the bed. A moment later Beckett and several of the nurses came running into the room.

"What happened?" demanded Beckett.

Logan winked at Sheppard then turned to Beckett. "Just a battle over his soul," she quipped.

"What?" he stood there staring at them.

"Listen Carson, I think you need to check him over again, he seems to have a fever." Courtesy of Athar, no doubt. "And he needs more pain meds."

"I'm not going anywhere," Sheppard reminded her.

Logan smiled and let Carson examine Sheppard and begin a new course of antibiotics. This time, Beckett could not convince her to leave Sheppard's side, and knowing better than to fight her on the matter, he allowed her to stay.

It took Sheppard a few days to fight off the infection that had set in. Logan remained by his side the entire time, save for the occasional break to shower, change and eat. It never ceased to astound Beckett how easily she could shift from warrior to caretaker in the blink of an eye. Two very distinct "jobs" that were normally in direct conflict with one another, yet she managed to pull it off, and admirably so. There had been a parade of visitors and well-wishers stopping by to pay their respects to Sheppard, or to try and lure Logan out of the infirmary for a short break. While she'd spoken at length to Daniel Jackson, she preferred to focus her attention on Sheppard, almost as though she were willing the infection to leave his body.

Daniel had been shocked to hear about Athar's recent antics, and marveled that the "Others" had not tried to stop her. What she'd done, in trying to maneuver, or force, Sheppard to ascend was in direct violation of the Ascended's highest mandate. Oma Desala had been punished for merely assisting those who WERE dying to ascend, but she'd never actually tried to force anyone to do so. He was certain that it must be a lonely and horrible existence for Athar to "live," but SHE, at least, had made the choice to risk such punishment in the first place. He knew Sheppard well enough to know that he would never choose to exist as an ascended being, unable to step in and help humans whenever and wherever he could. He also knew that Sheppard was not READY to give up on life just yet.

He didn't know how to comfort or assure her that Athar would not try again, he hoped she wouldn't, but he couldn't be certain. He didn't think the "Others" would let her get away with it, but he couldn't say at what point they would step in; before or after she'd succeeded in taking Sheppard's mortal life. Still, if his life was any indication, and if Athar did succeed in taking Sheppard's mortality, he could always choose to take human form again, as he himself had done. Scant comfort, Logan had said, but it was something.

Once Sheppard began to get his strength back, it was near impossible to contain him in the infirmary. So, with Logan's promise to look after him, Beckett agreed to release him into her care. To that end, she practically moved into his quarters with him, so she could make sure that he wasn't overdoing it. She knew he was REALLY feeling better when she returned one afternoon, after allowing Lorne and Bates to visit alone with him, to find him scowling and glowering at her, while a sheepish Lorne and Bates beat a hasty retreat.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" he bellowed.

"I was thinking I needed to get the baby away from her!" she replied, trying to keep a lid on her temper.

"So you bait her….by KISSING YOUR SUPERIOR OFFICER IN FRONT OF A DOZEN MEN?!" he squawked.

"It worked…. and they knew I was just goading her! Hell, if Caldwell had been a woman, one of them would have done the same thing…."

"If Caldwell had been a woman, then she wouldn't have WANTED her, now would she?!" he arched an eyebrow at her.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes I do. But that still doesn't mean you can put your own life in danger by baiting a psychopath….." he shook his head at her.

"John, it's over. Everything turned out alright. Sammy is fine, I'm fine, Caldwell is fine."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" he gawked at her.

"I should think so….. Aren't you happy that we're all fine?" she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Sheppard rolled his eyes in complete exasperation. "Yes, of course I'm happy that you're all fine. But….." he paused in mid-sentence.

"But, what?"

"You're not still…..carrying a torch for the guy, are you?" he asked.

"What?!"

"You heard me…. Those guys don't know but I do, and those kisses they described, in excruciating detail by the way, sure sounded…..real….." he told her.

"Well, they weren't. Look John, I was angry….and scared….I saw the desperation in her eyes, and I even understood how lonely she must be, but she hurt people I care about…. She tried to steal the baby I….. SHANNON'S baby. I couldn't let her…. And I couldn't let her take Caldwell back to her world either, you know what they would have done to him!"

"I know…."

"I had to get the baby away from her, and I knew the only way to take her focus off Sammy was to goad her….. Of course the second kiss was just to piss her off," she grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, well, she must have really pissed you off, for you to resort to something so…."

"Bitchy?" she finished for him.

"Okay…" he trailed off and studied her face for a moment. "I am glad you're okay."

"So am I…. about you," she smiled up at him.

"No more stunts like that though, okay?" he took her face in his hands and made her look into his eyes.

"No promises," she said stubbornly before kissing his nose and pushing him back down on the bed. "Now you should be resting."