Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairing, etc.

Part 36/40

-Chapter 35-

Life and Death

It was a truly strange feeling, seeing someone else's hands move when Teyla commanded them to. She could feel both her own body and that of the Wraith Queen she'd hijacked, and it took her a while to get used to moving one without the other. But, once she did, she was able to move the Queen purposefully through the ship to the target area.

Teyla had to keep her mind focused solely on the job, because while she was trying to keep control of the Wraith, the Queen was trying to regain control of her body. She fought back against the mind that had invaded hers – if Teyla's concentration slipped even a little, it could be disastrous to her – let alone the mission!

Through the Queen's eyes, she watched the walls of the ship and its other occupants pass by as she moved through it. Through the Wraith's senses she could feel the hatred, the malice, the hunger, they were all feeling. She shuddered, her stomach rolling once or twice at the sensation. No matter what happened to her, she was going to make sure this mission succeeded. The Wraith had to be exterminated!

When at last she and the Queen, as one, reached Teyla's destination within the ship, she thoughtfully examined the controls before her. She knew a certain amount of their technology was controlled mentally, but the one she was looking for wasn't. The Queen read her intentions and tried to hide her thoughts, but Teyla saw the control in her mind. Ahh. She reached for the control, stomach tied in excited knots.

No, you insolent human! The Queen fought back ferociously, briefly distracting Teyla from her goal. For a moment she stayed completely still, fighting an internal battle with the Queen for control of the Wraith body. I can feel how tired you are, human, the Queen whispered.

Teyla's and the Queen's hands curled into fists. Not tired enough to give up! Teyla cried. She focused all her energy on forcing the Wraith to the back of her mind again, just long enough so she could press the target button.

A deep rumble built in the bowels of the ship, then a loud explosion sounded outside. Teyla grinned in triumph as the Wraith Queen howled in rage and defeat. The ship shuddered violently again, and this time alarms wailed.

Another exultant laugh built in Teyla's chest. She pushed the Queen away and withdrew into her own mind, opening her eyes at the same moment that Illydia opened hers.

"We did it!" Teyla cried. She swapped tired grins with Illydia, who had one hand against the bench seat next to her to hold herself steady. Teyla felt the exhaustion crowd into her mind and body, and leaned against the life pod next to her.

"This is amazing!" Sheppard yelled from the front of the ship. "Wow!" His eyes were glued to the LED readout transposed over the front windscreen of the jumper. "The ships already out of hyperspace are fighting with each other!"

"And the ones that are just dropping out are joining in the fight, too!" Weir exulted.

Teyla and Illydia swapped another grin. "Are you okay?" the kind Queen questioned.

Teyla nodded and smiled wanly. "I'm just a little tired." She rubbed her forehead with her hand. "I have a bit of a headache. The Queen – she did not want to relinquish control of her body. She fought me every step of the way." She glanced up as Rodney squeezed between her and Illydia to check another of the overhead consoles. Teyla closed her eyes and sighed, then got to thinking. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, looking around. "Where is Ronon?" She remembered feeling how tired he was, how slowly he withdrew from her mind after he helped her drive out the Wraith who'd tricked her. "Where is he?" Panic rose into her throat.

Elizabeth appeared next to her, crouching to rest her hand on Teyla's shoulder. "He's in the life pod," she said gently. "He is still alive. But we had to put him in there after he helped you."

Horrified, Teyla turned to face the pod at her back, gently resting her hands against its cold metallic surface. Her vision once more flashed through her mind, and she felt tears prickle her eyes. Ronon, you stubborn man! she cried inwardly. Why did you do that?

Illydia knelt on her other side, left hand resting gently next to Teyla's on the life pod. "That could be you," she said softly. "It seems impossible that you survived a Wraith's invading your mind unscathed."

Teyla blinked her eyes, wishing the pod had a glass top so she could see him. "What did he do?" she wondered.

Illydia avoided her gaze. "His destiny," she said. "You should have been severely brain damaged – or even dead – after that. He must have helped you drive the Wraith out while at the same time healing any damage it was inflicting on your mind. . ." She trailed off.

Fury boiled inside her. "He should not have done that."

Elizabeth replaced her hand on Teyla's shoulder. "You're important," Weir told her. "He wanted to, he—"

"I had a vision!" Teyla said. "I saw this, and I told him not to do it!" She wanted to scream, to cry, to throw things. But she couldn't. Her fear and sadness was too crippling, too overwhelming.

"Uh – guys?" Sheppard called from the cockpit.

Illydia and Elizabeth withdrew. Teyla stayed by the life pod a moment more, resting her forehead against it before she stood and went to the front of the ship to join everyone else.

McKay pushed past them to look at the HUD. "Oh no," he said. "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

"What?" Teyla demanded.

"Some of the Wraith have started turning weapons fire to the surface," Rodney reported. "Most of the ships are still destroying themselves, but if we don't move right now, they're going to find us eventually, cloaked or not. And when I say move, I mean evacuate the planet!"

"But the ship, will it fit through the cave?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.

Sheppard slid a gaze in her direction, worried. "It has to," he said. "The life pod is hooked up to the jumper's power, and it has to stay plugged in for Ronon's sake."

Teyla clenched her hands into fists, feeling numb inside. "You should all go," she whispered. "I will stay here with him."

Everyone immediately vetoed it. "No," Sheppard said determinedly. "We've all come this far, and you and Ronon even farther! We've all heard the legends, and you've told us about Ronon's mother's letter. You deserve to be happy after what you both just went through, and by the Ancestors, I'm going to make it happen!" He spun back to the pilot's controls.

McKay squeaked. "But – but – the jumper! It might be too big to fit through the cave!"

The jumper smoothly lifted off as everyone scattered to find seats. "Then I'll make it fit!"

-To Be Continued-