John Sheppard stood at the sight of Ronon, his eyebrows raised in surprise at the Satedan's appearance, more so at the sight of the unconscious wraith in his arms. Without a word between them, perhaps more of a silent understanding, Ronon stabbed at the consol at the entrance to the cell block and opened the web-like bars. Together they made their way cautiously through the ship, searching methodically for Carson and the others. Upon finding them, greetings and half-hearted jokes were exchanged, everyone watching Ronon out of the corners of their eyes as he monitored Murry's troubled expression with the glazed. spaced look, much like that of a disaster-victim. Together once more, they made their way from the ship, no one really speaking, everyone trying not to stare at the wraith, who writhed and bucked in the ex-runner's arms. No one could quite sum up the courage to break the quiet of the ship (the sort of silence that spoke of death and failure) to ask what transpired in that room and Ronon did not speak of it. The silence reined all the way back to the Jumper and to Atlantis through the Gate, with Ronon pointedly sitting in the back. He clutched tightly at Murry. He grasped him in such a protective way it was as if he could see that the scarred wraith was slowly changing to smoke and in danger of drifting away.

Meanwhile In Atlantis…

Devi and Turi, clutching tightly at each others hands, stared at the sedated Charley. Self-inflicted scratches rapped her skin and bruises from the head-butting marred her pretty face. A grieving frightened fury was building in the room, Turi knowing the cause and Devi rocked by the effects. "How could he even think of creating a link like this with her, he must've known this could happen!" Turi spat with venom, finding fuel in Charley's pained cries that still issued from her nightmares. Devi was unnaturally silent, scared for Charley's mind but also for Murry, for if Turi was correct, then the wraith was in deep trouble. " We should never have trusted that irresponsible idiot!" Devi stared at her twin and did not hesitate when she slapped him, the impact of her hand on his face a resounding thwack.

"Get a hold of yourself, you don't know what's happening here! And that idiot saved our lives, got shot saving mine, so show some respect. Damn it Turi, you know better than this" She shouted, the anger and fear mixing to create an unstable reaction, tears streaming down her face. "Maybe it was an accident" She whispered through her sobs as her twin hugged her, letting her bury her head into shoulder and weep. "Don't you speak any more ill of him…he might be…" She couldn't finish and sank to the floor.

Murry curled up in the darkness, feeling weightless and faded but still he hung on, much to the annoyance of Riain, who wished nothing more than to right the wrongs done to him and Karitz, and get on with what was left of his life. And so, his torrent of torments and mocking never ceased and he pummelled the creature with his voice.

Murry huddled tighter as the screeching and shouting rose to a crescendo and he clung to what he could remember, what was protected inside his whirlwind of terror, an image of a young blonde female and a tall human warrior with dread-locked hair and a pendant. Their names escaped him now, much like water slipping through his grasp. Huddled inside his consciousness, he held tightly onto the vague and untidy happy memories he had, scrap-cards of wonderful light-filled places and hazy snapshots of people he knew and loved. He knew he loved them, his heart swelled at the very thought of them, even if everything was slowly fading. Details were fuzzed but he could hear the musical whimsical laughter of a child and the deep chuckling of an adult clearly, like ringing bells. It was happy. It was safe. It was home…

"You are a disgrace to your species, you rejected piece of hapless hideous meat! Look at what you hold onto. You are an abomination!"

The creature that was him but not, screamed to the endless black vault. The echoes hit Murry like a physical force, it threw him and everything went strangely stark, something shattered, perhaps it was his self-control. With a rage that had been building for just over twenty-years against his brethren who had shunned him, the wraith moved forward through the blackness, his eyes narrowing in his scarred face. A wind rushed from the shadows of the infinite, growing in strength and Riain was whipped around by it.

"I may be broken and clumsy and hideous, but I'm far from rejected, I am loved" His voice never wavered, never stuttered, it never did in his dreams. "And it's all that I've got" The wraith screeched a battle-cry, straining his vocal-chords with the intensity and the wind began to fly with a destructive force, tearing at Riain, ripping and shredding through him. "I am Moraine. I survived" He roared and the echo exploded into what could only be described as shreds of silver glitter and they floated down in the murk, shining with a light all their own.

The jumper landed with a soft thud in the bay and the team was greeted by an anxious Doctor Weir. Ronon paid no heed to anyone, his attention consumed by the wraith he held in his arms as Carson and he jogged quickly to the infirmary.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Ronon queried as he placed Murry on one of the empty beds, the first words he'd said since the rescue. Before the doctor could answer, the wraith began to cough and splutter.

"W-where am I?" He murmured, staring blankly at his surroundings, not sparing even a casual throw-away glance at Ronon or Carson "Is h-h-he g-gone? W-who am I? Am I-I m-me? Am I s-still m-me?" he stuttered hoarsely, as if he had been screaming too much, too loudly. The look of confusion and sorrow peppered across his face which Ronon had become so loathingly familiar with, returned, as the wraith curled up tightly on the sheets, his head in his scarred hands and his eyes blank. Ronon approached cautiously, wondering silently to himself if he'd done more bad than good by shutting off that machine so violently.

"Moraine, do you remember who I am?" The Satedan looked Murry straight in the eyes, searching for an answer, waiting for a reply. The wraith stared uncomprehendingly at the man for a full thirty seconds, his eyes narrowing considerably.

"I-I k-know your f-face Human, I-I know y-your f-face…G-give me a moment…" Ronon's spirits dropped slightly at the way the wraith had spoken, ever so softly redolent of the Warrior Wraith, those who thought of humans as prey and nothing else. "I-I know it…I k-k-know you…Rorok?…" The wraith shook his head, correcting himself "No, n-no…" He paused again, closing his feline eyes.

"You have to remember Moraine, me, Charley…" Ronon muttered and was cut off by the wraith's joyful exclamation.

"Ronon D-dex! C-charley?…Oh no…No…" Glee turned quickly to horror as Murry leapt from the infirmary bed and onto the smooth stone floor with a fluid ease that Ronon did not recognise, not that it registered at that particular moment. "T-too l-l-long, b-b-been away f-f-for f-f-far t-too l-l-long…" He ran, clocking his full speed through the corridors, rounding corridors and dodging shocked soldiers and scientists alike. Ronon chased after him, trying to purge his mind of the horror that registered on Murry's face before his flight.

Murry stopped suddenly enough to cause him to skid a little, even bare-footed. He stopped and stared at the door. Ronon caught up within a few seconds and with a hand on the wraith's blue-hued shoulder, he waited for an explanation. He didn't wait long.

"C-Charley's in h-here, s-she's w-waiting f-for m-m-me, b-been w-waiting a-all t-this t-t-t-time…n-n-not g-good…" He didn't elaborate the why or how, and Ronon didn't ask, suddenly, he just didn't want to know. He didn't want to open that door. He didn't want to be here. "P-please, f-f-for m-me…" The wraith murmured, as if reading his mind.

The Satedan could not deny his discomfort.

He opened the door and a number of things happened at once.

Devi turned when she heard the door open, frustration sparking in the palms of her hands, she had requested specifically that they were all left alone, all of them, the children of Sideka Orphanage, gathered restlessly around Charley's bed, to explain the situation their own way. Murry was gone and they had no reason to stay but Charley couldn't leave.

"I thought I told you people to leave us the hell alone…?" She stared at the figure in the doorway. She was about to rush forward when Turi roared and flew mercilessly at the wraith, knocking him to the floor.

"You bastard, you mindless oaf of…You son of a bitch!" He screeched in Murry's frightened face, pelting him with his fists. Ronon saw the reflection of retaliation in the wraiths confused eyes and wrenched the young boy away in time to save the structure of his nose as Murry had unsheathed his claws, poised to tear it off.

"Fuck, Murry, what the fuck are you doing, he's just a kid" Ronon roared, trying hard to keep track of all of the youngsters flailing limbs as he struggled, whether to flee or to attack again, Ronon did not care. Devi stared, mouth agape, her entire reaction system slowed to a standstill in the sight of Murry's unsheathed claws and maddened expression.

"W-what…w-who is h-he? W-why t-t-the f-fuck d-d-did h-he attack m-me?" Murry screamed, his eyes wide with confusion and sparked with the chemical imbalance of fright. In the noise and anger that charged the atmosphere and compelled the children to cower behind Devi in fright, no one noticed Charley clambering silently off of the other side of the bed and toddling across the floor sleepily, clutching a worn stuffed octopus in one hand (a gift donated by a certain concerned nurse) and yawning widely, she approached the wraith.

"Hawo Murry. Hug?" She murmured and Ronon swept towards her, pushing Turi from him, aiming to lift her away from harms way. Murry did not move, instead he stared at the girl, the wounds that marred her skin. He was silent, his face suddenly calm, holding out his hand to Ronon, hinting for him to stop.

"Y-young l-l-little one…D-do you know w-who I am?…what I-I a-am?" He kneeled and spoke directly to her. For the briefest of moments, Ronon could see what the children saw in him, a faint timeless quality that hung in his eyes and an aura of unflinching patience and undeviating honesty. Charley yawned again and answered.

"You is my hero. You is Murry." She smiled in the innocence that hung on her shoulders like a grand mantle, walked unsteadily for a few steps and collapsed forward, saved from the floor by only Murry's reactions as he pulled her into a fierce but protective embrace.

He was crying.

Mucho thanks to Amaruk and Frankie-the-Elf for their much appreciated reviews and to everyone else who has been patient enough to wait for me. I know the waits between chapters are far too long, it's just I'm battling with a rather irritating case of Writer's Block and I know am finished this chapter at ten to four in the morning...I keep strange hours