Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis, I just torment the characters from time to time to make sure they don't get bored.

Gelida

It wasn't that he didn't like rain, Sheppard mused as he wallowed in the ever-softening pool of mud that had been his pew for the past two hours now. He honestly didn't mind a quick shower that damped down his unruly hair or cooled off the heat of an otherwise stifling day, but this…this was something else.

This planet, M5N 332, had a naturally cool climate that turned cold as the sun descended. Real cold. They'd been forced to venture there on foot because the 'gate was surrounded by forest, leaving them unfortunately light on supplies given their current circumstances. But the MALP telemetry had shown nothing dangerous in the vicinity and no nearby life-signs to give them cause for concern, so it hadn't seemed like an issue. The only thing that had shown up was an intermittent energy reading in the distance, one that Rodney had considered worthy of further explanation because of its similarity to Ancient power sources. It had turned out to be nothing more than a downed and dying puddle jumper…one abandoned millennia ago before the planet had become so densely forested judging by the state of its disrepair, and other than a brief discussion about sending back a salvage team to collect anything usable they'd deemed it unworthy of any more consideration.

Sheppard tried one more time to pull his leg back from the vine now binding him in situ, with no more luck than he'd experienced on any of the previous two dozen occasions he'd tested its strength. As expected, it reflexively tightened to a level of moderate discomfort that prevented him from continuing, just as it had done each and every time he had tried the same thing. If the definition of insanity really was repeating the same action over and over again and expecting a different result, he figured he'd lost his mind. But he was getting more than a little sick of sitting on his ass in the mud now, and no one had offered any better suggestions.

'McKay…are you getting anywhere with that thing?' he asked, drawing a deep sigh from the pathetically sodden scientist.

'Not yet,' Rodney called back, his tone just the wrong side of curt. 'Though I imagine I'd make more progress if people didn't insist on continually interrupting me.' He slipped his flashlight from a pocket in his tac-vest and flicked it on, gripping it between his teeth as he continued to work.

Rodney didn't like rain. Sheppard knew it reminded him of his near-death experience with Kolya and a freakishly huge storm, and his saturated exterior and persistent scowl were testament to that hatred. Though he preferred to keep positive, even Sheppard had to admit he would give anything for the clouds to clear, if even for a few minutes. He'd take whatever small amount of relief he could get right now.

'Well…keep at it,' Sheppard grunted, trying to shift himself so his butt was clear of the mud, even if it was for just a second or two.

The 'thing' McKay was working on was the DHD, which was so far remaining stubbornly unresponsive in the now failing light of sunset. What the MALP hadn't shown them before they'd made this trip was that the plant life around the unused Stargate included more than just trees, but vines too…vines that appeared to be hyper-mobile and act with a sadistic intelligence that had led them to long-ago burrow their way into the DHD and disrupt its functioning, trapping any unsuspecting traveller right there with them.

On finding his friend ensnared and unfreeable, since trying to cut through its touch outer layers had only caused it to grasp on harder, Ronon had attempted to track the vine back to its source, to no avail, so the only other option seemed to be to send someone back to Atlantis to return with a botanist who might understand what made this thing tick and thus encourage it to let go. That or the combat engineers could bring some industrial level cutting equipment to free him up…or sever his leg. Right now, Sheppard wasn't sure he would mind if it had to be the latter. At least he could get back to a nice, warm, dry infirmary bed…No…okay, scrap that thought. He really hadn't meant it. He was very attached to his leg. Literally. As, unfortunately, was this damned plant.

'Are you feeling all right, John?'

The question gently directly at him by Teyla made Sheppard acutely aware of the fact that he actually wasn't feeling all right. Not all right at all. 'Kinda cold,' he admitted, now shaking like a startled chihuahua.

Ronon immediately shook off his coat and tossed it to Teyla, who wasted no time in wrapping it around Sheppard's shoulders and tucking the length of it under him. 'Better?'

He nodded, though it had actually done little to warm him up. 'You're gonna catch your death,' Sheppard complained to his friend through chattering teeth.

'It's not that cold,' Ronon shrugged, lifting the vine that was wrapped around Sheppard's ankle again. The moment he touched it, Sheppard felt it tighten its grip on him, its barbs digging deep into his skin. The pain increased exponentially to a point that even he found almost unbearable. It was as if it remembered what Ronon had done the last time he'd touched it.

'Stop!' Sheppard hissed, his reaction sharper than he'd intended. 'Just…don't touch it, okay?'

Ronon instantly dropped the vine and cast him a quizzical look, as if wondering how they were supposed to figure out a way to free him if he couldn't get near the thing. 'Okay.'

'Sorry…didn't mean to shout,' Sheppard ground out as the plant relaxed again and his pain subsided. 'When you do that…it grips harder.'

'You want me to try cutting it again?'

Sheppard knew Ronon meant well, but the last time they'd taken a knife to it, he'd almost passed out from the pain. 'No…let's just stick with trying to get the DHD working, okay? I've had enough of this thing fighting back already.'

He saw the wary look Teyla and Ronon exchanged, but they didn't say anything. Instead, Ronon lumbered over to Rodney. 'How much longer, McKay?'

The scientist snatched the flashlight from his teeth. 'Did you not hear me say I would do this quicker without interruptions?' McKay grouched. Again, he let out an exaggerated sigh and let his shoulders slump. 'The plant has infiltrated all critical 'gate functions. When I try to pull it out, it just grips on tighter, and if I cut any away, it attacks Sheppard. So, I'd say our options are limited.'

'We need to contact Atlantis for backup.'

'Yes…I am acutely aware of that, but no amount of repetition of that fact is going to make this problem any easier to solve.'

Ronon simply stared at him, then turned on his heel. 'I'm gonna see if I can track down where this thing is growing from again.'

Teyla watched him go, then turned to Sheppard and offered up another of her soothing smiles. 'I think I should cut through your pants leg and check your injury. I will be careful.'

He instinctively tensed as she pulled her knife and slid it under the hem of the fabric, slicing cleanly and quickly up to his knee. He watched her face as she examined him, her brow puckering in confusion. 'What is this?'

He glanced down at his exposed shin, seeing a considerable swelling. He didn't remember at first, then he recalled an event back at the crashed jumper. 'Bug bite,' he shrugged.

'You never mentioned it,' she chided gently as she pulled out medical supplies from her tac-vest.

'No…it's nothing serious. I can barely feel it.' Although, if he was honest, he could barely feel any part of his lower leg now. God, he was tired. He fought down a yawn and swiped a hand over his face, trying to liven himself up.

Teyla clasped the back of his calf to begin cleaning the bite, recoiling as her fingers made contact with his skin. 'Colonel…you are like ice to the touch!'

He reached down to feel the exposed skin himself, the vine tightening a little at his movement, and even though his fingertips were chilled, he could instantly feel how much colder his leg was. 'That doesn't feel right,' he admitted.

'No…it doesn't,' she agreed. 'Perhaps the vine is too tight. I will try – '

The moment she so much as brushed against it, the tendril wound its way higher up his leg and dug in its barbs, drawing a hiss and a clenching of his jaw to keep back the words no one as refined as Teyla should ever have to hear. 'Please…stop,' he panted, his jaw so tight he could barely force the words out.

Teyla, clearly doing her best to hide her alarm, began pulling more items from her tac-vest. 'I am sorry. Maybe we could –'

'Whatever you're about to say – NO,' he immediately interrupted, hating to sound so pathetic and whiney. His tolerance for pain was pretty high, but this thing inflicted agony on him every time they tried to do anything to it. After these past two demonstrations of its intent, he was content to sit tight and let McKay do his thing. He could wait this out. 'We're pissing it off. Let's just leave it alone. It's gotta get bored some time, right?'

'That depends,' McKay called over now, peering at them over the DHD. Teyla's expression fell; clearly she knew as well as Sheppard did that anything Rodney was about to add to the conversation was unlikely to improve his mood. 'Perhaps it's eating you, but it takes a really long time for the digestive liquids to break you down into a form it can absorb. You could be here a while.'

The panic Sheppard momentarily experienced was reflected in Teyla's eyes as they now flashed up to meet his. He hadn't even thought of that. Was the coldness in his leg part of the plant's feeding process? Was he being slowly digested even as they tried to free him? He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a brick of C4 and a detonator. 'Go find Ronon. When he detects the source, tell him to use this.'

Teyla wordlessly nodded and took it from him, darting off in the direction Ronon had taken just a few moments earlier.

'Haven't you got that thing working yet, McKay?' Sheppard demanded. He looked down at his leg, the vine drawing blood were it determinedly gripped onto him. ''Cos, surprising as this may be to you, sitting on my ass in a pool of mud is honestly not the way I prefer to spend my days.'

'What do you want me to do?' Rodney retorted, leaving his post and stomping over to him. 'Everything I try to do to remove the vines just causes it to push further into the workings. I can't get the power to connect when it's being blocked by this…thing. I swear it knows what it's doing…or maybe what we're doing.'

Sheppard narrowed his eyes as he gazed up at him. 'A sentient plant?'

McKay sighed once again. 'Ignore me…I'm just spit-balling,' he shrugged, grimacing as he looked down at Sheppard's leg. 'Is it supposed to be that colour?'

It was true that Sheppard's leg had taken on an unhealthy blue hue. He shivered as bone-deep cold gripped him. 'I doubt it,' he confessed, as his brain grew woolly with fatigue. Maybe he should lie back and sleep through it until they had him free.

'You look frozen. You want my jacket?'

Unlike Ronon's hide coat that still remained dry and warm on its inside, Rodney's jacket looked completely drenched. Still, Sheppard understood he was trying to help all the same. 'No…but thanks for the offer.'

Teyla soon joined them since Ronon hadn't got far with his search. 'The tendrils seem to stretch on in numerous directions. It could be some time before Ronon locates the heart of the plant, I'm afraid.'

'That's okay…I'm not going anywhere,' Sheppard quipped, a shudder of cold shaking through him.

Her expression changed to one of consternation as she looked at where the plant gripped him again. 'Colonel…I really think you should allow me to try something to warm up your leg. I do not believe that colour is a good sign.'

'What do you have in mind? It's not like we can light a fire,' he pointed out.

'Perhaps we could just rub your skin to improve the circulation,' she offered.

Though a little embarrassed at the thought, Sheppard decided to play it cool. 'Shhhure…knock yourssself out if you wanna give it a go,' he slurred, finding it harder to form his words now.

The moment her warm palms made contact with his limb the vine did its thing, its barbs biting deep as it coiled ever tighter. 'Stop…Stop!' he gasped, suddenly wide awake again. 'It doesn't want you to warm it up.'

'All the more reason we should try,' McKay insisted. 'Maybe it prefers its food cold.'

'Would you shut the hell up!' Sheppard screeched as his pain ratcheted along with his temper.

McKay snapped his mouth shut at Sheppard's outburst, looking mildly humbled. 'Sorry.'

'Rodney, perhaps you could return to the jumper and see if there are any supplies aboard from which we can build a shelter. If we are to be stuck her for a while, I should like to protect the colonel from the rain,' Teyla suggested.

'Me?' he queried, sighing. 'You're much better at that kind of thing. Why don't you go – '

'Rodney.' Teyla's firm interruption left no doubt that she intended that he should do as she'd requested.

He rolled his eyes. 'Fine,' he huffed, trudging away. 'It's not like I'm making any headway here anyway.' It seemed he had received and understood the message that his presence was more of a hindrance than a help.

Teyla took hold of Sheppard's hand. 'He means well, but he does not think before he speaks.'

Thankful for Teyla's intervention, Sheppard asked the burning question. 'D'you think he's right?'

She frowned as she gazed back at him, then shook her head. 'I do not think so. If this plant is hungry, why is it not trying to devour the rest of us?'

He shrugged. 'Maybe it just needs a snack,' he quipped, trying to keep his spirits up. 'It's saving you guys for the main course.'

'I do not believe that is it,' Teyla told him, remaining serious despite his attempt at levity. 'I cannot help but wonder if there is some connection between this bite and the way this plant has latched onto you. If it were hungry, surely it would have attacked us all.'

Sheppard squinted back at her, wondering why she was attributing such a complex thought process to a plant. 'It's a vine, Teyla. I don't think it's that complicated,' he told her through chattering teeth.

Teyla scooted behind him and straddled him, wrapping her arms around him. 'Is this helping?'

Not really, but it sure as hell felt nice. 'Uh, yeah. A little,' he lied, in no hurry to break the contact.

'I can feel the chill in you even through Ronon's coat,' she murmured, her breath warm against the back of his neck. The sensation made his hair tingle and stand to attention.

'I am pretty cooold,' he admitted tiredness taking hold again. 'Kinda getting worried if I'm honessst.'

She began rubbing his arms to try to improve his circulation. He could feel a little heat from her attempts. But as soon as he did it was over, Teyla suddenly disappearing from around him with a surprised squeal.

'Teyla?' When he spotted her, she was several feet away, a vine retracting from where it had tossed her. 'What the hell…?'

'Do you still believe I am wrong, Colonel?' she asked as she picked herself up, her tiny frame now covered in cloying mud. She scraped some from her cheek where it had splashed on landing, flicking it away without a thought. 'It does not want you to be warm, so it removed me.'

He figured that was about as close as an I told you so as Teyla was likely to get. It sure beat the kind of gloating McKay would have subjected him to. 'Yeah…it seems that way.'

She approached him carefully, picking her way through now retracting tendrils. 'I know you will not like this suggestion…but I wonder if we should allow the plant to do whatever it is it is trying to achieve,' she suggested. 'I sense no malice in it. I believe it thinks it is…helping.'

The cold had set in so deeply now that Sheppard's whole body shook continuously in an effort to generate heat. He ached…so badly. He just wanted to go to sleep to get some relief from it. 'If it wants to help it should just let us go through the damned 'gate,' he grouched, wrapping his arms around himself. It did little to relieve his chill.

'Perhaps that is not what is best for you.'

'You want me to give up my autonomy…to a plant?'

The look Teyla gave him was chillier than the triffid's grip. 'I may not be as learned as Dr McKay, Colonel, but my instincts have always served me well.'

He felt suitably chastened by her response and dropped his gaze away. 'Sorry, Teyla. I'm just – '

'Tired and cold,' she said with a sympathetic smile. 'I understand. I do not take it personally.'

'Good.' He really didn't want to offend her. She was honestly being the most helpful of all his teammates right now.

'I simply think you should consider that not all battles are won with conflict,' she continued, crouching beside him. 'Sometimes, one must give ground to gain ground.'

As her warm brown eyes locked onto his he wondered how he always failed to remember that Teyla was experienced in conflict, just as he was, and she bore a wisdom that equalled if indeed it didn't surpass his own…particularly when it came to all things Pegasus. He took a deep, shuddering breath, one brought on by the bitter cold creeping through his veins, and nodded. 'Okay. Let's try this your way. But if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you.'

She smiled at his joke, kneeling beside him. 'Lie back and relax. Trust this plant to do what it feels is required with you.'

He closed his eyes and tried to do that, a thought immediately breaking his attempts. 'Wait. We should get everyone else back here first.'

Confused, Teyla cocked her head. 'Why?'

'Cos if this goes south and it turns on you guys, I want you all together to take it on.'

Teyla's expression softened again, and she nodded, activating her radio. 'Rodney, Ronon, Colonel Sheppard wishes for you to return to our position.'

'What? Can you people please make up your minds?' Rodney immediately griped. 'I thought we were building a shelter.'

With a roll of her eyes, and a distinctive tightening in her jaw muscles, Teyla replied, 'The plan has changed, Rodney. We need the two of you back her as soon as possible.'

'On my way,' Ronon grunted, no-nonsense as ever.

Rodney remained far from chipper. 'Fine,' he sighed. 'Just don't expect me to run back. I've only just got here.'

'Just return as quickly as you are able to,' Teyla reiterated, frowning as she looked down at him now. 'John…are you alright?'

In all honesty, Sheppard didn't know anymore. Since they had stopped trying to warm him up, the chill had spread both intensely and rapidly throughout his body, leaving him trembling and weak. The edges of his vision began to grey out. 'Not ssshhure,' he slurred, his brain spinning. 'Gettin' hard to focusss…'

Teyla helped him lay back again. 'Then do not try to. Be calm. The others will be here soon enough.'

But he didn't want to let go until the others arrived. He wanted to be certain of Teyla's safety. The plant had flung her twenty feet already. He blinked, trying to stave of the encroaching shadows. 'Wanna ssstay awake till they ge… '

'…t's going on?'

His brain phased back in at the sound of Ronon's question. Crap. He'd blacked out.

'We are allowing the plant to do whatever it is tr…'

'…at's a ridiculous idea! What if it's trying to kill him?'

And now Rodney was back, and he'd missed that happening too. Teeth chattering, he lifted his head a little. 'Rodney…'sokay…I agreeed to thisss.'

'Jesus! His lips are blue. We need to warm him up!'

'No…Rodney. The plant will not all…'

The grey in Sheppard's vision darkened and everything faded to black.

'…'s pulling back. Ronon, can you lift him?'

'Dial the 'gate, Rodney. It may work this time.'

Unable to lift a single limb to help, Sheppard felt himself hoisted from the ground and flung over Ronon's broad shoulders before passing out again…

…The brilliant light and woosh of the event-horizon caused his lids to flutter open for a few seconds, before he lost his battle for consciousness again…

…faces, mostly familiar, but somehow hazy and distorted crowded over him, voices barking instructions, the sensation of swift smooth movement, someone squeezing his hand and telling him everything would be alright now…

Darkness.

oooOOOooo

'Dr Keller, he's waking up.'

Despite his inherent hatred of long stays in the infirmary, those words were like music to his ears. Sheppard cracked his lids, immediately regretting it as pain lanced through his eyes and directly into his brain. 'Ow!'

He lifted a sluggish arm to shield his eyes before trying again.

'Easy there, Colonel. You got some photosensitivity?' he heard Keller ask.

'Yeah…some,' he croaked, realising how thirsty he was when his words almost stuck in his throat.

The weakness of his voice was obviously a give-away, and before he knew it, he felt a straw gently pressed to his lips. 'Here you go, Colonel. Just a few small sips for now and we'll see how that sits.'

He drank gratefully, wishing he could drain the glass, but understanding her caution. 'I made it, then?' he quipped as his refreshment was withdrawn.

'You did.' He could hear the smile on her face and kind of wished he felt as perky as she always did. 'And I know a few people who will be thrilled to hear you're awake at…' A pause followed. '…3.23 am.'

He realised the pause had been to check her watch for the time. He shifted his arm a little, peering out from under the shade it afforded him. 'Maybe they would be more thrilled if we waited till morning to tell them.'

'Nope. When I shooed them away a coupla hours ago it was under strict instructions that I let them know the moment you woke up. Marie…could you see to that for me?'

The nurse, who had been standing silently at his bedside without his knowledge, replied, 'Of course, Doctor,' and departed to carry out the instruction.

Keller busied herself with taking his vitals down and checking for various reflexes, further aggravating his photosensitivity with her pen-light, much to his chagrin. He could just about make out Jennifer's smirk when he focused on her again. 'Rodney is going to be so cranky.'

'What's new?' Sheppard joked, trying to sit up. His body felt heavy and slow…far from its usual self. 'So…what's the damage, Doc?'

She immediately supported him and adjusted his pillows to raise him into a sitting position from where he squinted at her through watery, stinging eyes. 'Actually, aside from some relatively mild side effects of exposure to an unknown toxin, you're doing pretty good,' she admitted.

That surprised him. He hadn't expected it to be that simple.

'Oh, and the residual effects of hypothermia, which means I'm going to need to observe you for another forty-eight hours before I can release you.'

He sighed. And there it was, the obligatory infirmary stay. As he shuffled again to get comfortable, he felt a sharp pain in his calf that made him hiss and reach down to tug aside the blankets. A thick dressing adorned his shin.

'Ahh, yeaaahh. And then there's the minor surgery to remove the Gekus larvae from your leg. That's gonna eliminate you from active duty for the next coupla weeks. Sorry.'

He blinked back at her as she threw a sheepish smile his way. 'Gekus larvae? Anything else I should know about?'

'No…that's it,' she assured him, looking distinctly relieved as Ronon appeared in the doorway. 'Ah, seems you have a visitor.'

Ronon assumed a sentinel position at his bedside. 'Good to see you awake.'

'It's good to be awake. For a while there I wasn't sure I would make it. Thanks for getting me out of there, buddy.'

Ronon shrugged. 'I just carried you. Teyla was the one who figured it out.'

That was true. Messed up as his memories of the latter moments he'd spent on M5N 332 were, he remembered that Teyla was the one who had convinced him to stop fighting. He had to presume that decision had led to the plant finally relinquishing its hold on him. 'Yes, she was,' he agreed.

'Well, you can thank her, too. Here she is now,' Jennifer beamed, stepping back to grant Teyla access to her friend.

'John. Thank the Ancestors you are awake. We were all very worried for you.'

'Sorry about the timing,' he offered, a little embarrassed as she took his hand and clasped it between hers.

'I was not sleeping anyway,' she assured him.

'So, I owe you a thank you…and an apology for questioning your judgement out there.'

She shook her head at that. 'You owe me nothing. A friend gives help freely and expects nothing in return.'

Her words were so sincere he felt his face flush with colour, and he had to break eye contact. 'Well…thanks anyway.'

'You are most welcome.'

A loud sneeze broke the moment, causing them all to look toward the infirmary door as McKay burst in, loudly blowing his nose, his hair dishevelled as if he had literally just fallen out of bed. 'Great, so now I have a cold to add to all my other problems.'

Sheppard felt a wry smile creep on his face, and he couldn't miss Jennifer's eye-roll. The woman had the patience of a saint, she truly did. 'Maybe you need to be in this bed, Rodney,' he suggested.

'Probably, yes,' McKay agreed with an emphatic nod, 'But as usual I'm expected to soldier on.'

'You have a mild cold, Rodney. You'll be fine,' Jennifer assured him, adding a frown when he looked like he might complain more.

Apparently, this was a secret code they had developed between them, because Rodney snapped his mouth shut, then, after a prolonged period of glaring from his better half asked, 'So, how're you feeling Sheppard?'

Satisfied, Jennifer immediately released from her death glare.

'Tired…still a little cold,' Sheppard admitted. 'And hungry.'

'Your body used a lot of energy trying to fight off the hypothermia. I'll see if I can rustle up a sandwich for you,' Jennifer offered.

He couldn't help but wish for something more substantial, but since he was hungry enough to eat his own boots, he accepted her offer graciously, pinning on a smile he didn't really feel. 'Thanks.' He shivered involuntarily, something the doctor was quick to notice.

She reached out and rubbed his upper arm. 'You're gonna feel the after-effects for a few days yet, Colonel. But don't worry, I'll make sure to get you nice and warm.'

Sheppard's brows inched up and he fought back a smirk. At the foot of his bed, Rodney bounced backwards and forwards from his heels to the balls of his feet, his mouth pulled into a tight and awkward smile. 'Should I be worried?'

'Blankets, Rodney. I'm going to get him more blankets,' Jennifer drawled as she headed out.

'And a sandwich,' Sheppard called after her.

Once she was gone, Rodney reached into his top pocket and pulled out a power bar, tossing it to him. 'There you go. Now don't say I never do anything for you.'

Impressed that Rodney would share his stash, Sheppard tore off the wrapper with gusto and tucked in. 'Thanks, McKay.'

Once it was gone, he looked Teyla's way, giving her his best puppy eyes. 'So, I owe you an apology on the whole bug bite thing, huh?'

'Not a bite…an injection site,' Rodney pointed out.

'So, I understand,' Sheppard nodded, grimacing. 'So, we think the plant detected the parasites?'

'Certainly seems that way,' McKay muffled around a mouthful of power bar he'd now bitten off a second bar.

'Jennifer was concerned about your leg when we brought you back,' Teyla continued for him while he finished his snack. 'So, she scanned you and found the dead larvae. Once they were identified by the Atlantis database, Rodney was able to find information that confirms the larvae die if the temperature of the host falls too low.'

'Good thing that plant wouldn't let go. Otherwise, they'd be eating your brains by now,' Ronon added with a grin.

Sometimes his friend had a truly dark sense of humour. 'Really?' Sheppard quizzed, not sure if he was telling the truth or not.

'Really,' Rodney now smirked, rocking back on his heels as he prepared to regale him with the details. 'The Gekus larvae travel to the brain of the in a period of only three to four hours and begin to dig their way in. In a few days you would have become Zombie Sheppard.' He paused and mused, 'I wonder how long it would have taken us to notice.'

Teyla helpfully slapped Rodney's arm on Sheppard's behalf since he couldn't reach him. Ronon on the other hand snorted, enjoying the joke. Sheppard shuddered at the thought, and Teyla, mistakenly thinking he was cold, pulled his blankets up a little higher.

'The plant appears to have evolved as a solution to a Gekus infestation, following a little encouragement from the Ancients, of course,' Rodney piped up again. 'It injected you with something akin to an anaesthetic and then kept you there until it was certain your body temperature had dropped low enough for long enough to kill the larvae. Jen says anaesthetics can make it hard to regulate the body's temperature, and in unusual cases can cause hypothermia. Well apparently, in this case, that little side effect is a feature…not a bug...excuse the pun.'

Sheppard winced. 'You just had to say that, didn't you?'

'Anyhoo, Jennifer says she thinks the plant flooded your system with some kind of antidote once the larvae were dead, so you should be okay again in a day or two…except for the leg, of course.'

'And the nightmares,' Sheppard grumbled, his skin crawling at the thought of hundreds of larval Gekus bugs crawling for his brain. Somehow, his appetite had suddenly receded, and that sandwich didn't seem such a big deal.

'Speaking of such things, perhaps we should let you rest now. I think we could all use some sleep,' Teyla suggested, once again straightening his blankets for him.

'No…pretty sure I don't wanna sleep right now,' Sheppard assured her, even as the others slipped out of the door.

'See you in the morning, Sheppard,' Ronon called over his shoulder as he sauntered away, still smirking at McKay's little jibe. 'Try not to eat any brains.'

As Teyla attempted a retreat, Sheppard caught hold of her wrist. 'You sure you can't stay a little longer?'

She gave him a radiant smile and dipped her head in acquiescence. 'Perhaps a few moments longer if it helps you to settle.'

'Settling is about the last thing on my mind after what McKay said,' he confessed. 'That was a good call you made out there, Teyla. You saved my life.'

'As you have done mine…many times,' she reminded him. She looked around the room, her eyes scouring the infirmary, flitting from one thing to another. 'Rodney was explaining to us earlier what a zombie is.' Her eyes settled a moment on his. 'I think I prefer you as you are.'

'Yeah, you and me both,' he agreed, watching her as she as reached over to the IV stand and lifted it a little, as if assessing its weight. 'Teyla…what are you doing.'

'Nothing,' she instantly responded, pulling her hand back.

'Doesn't look like nothing.'

'Well…' she began slowly, as if considering her next words. 'If I am to remain with you, I am simply assuring myself that, if any larvae survived, I have the means to destroy your brains.'

She said it so matter of fact that all he could do was gape back at her. Then he noticed the glint in her eye, and the very slightest flicker of a smile at the corners of her mouth. He allowed a similar smirk to creep onto his face. 'That'd be funny, except you could totally do that.'

'Only as a last resort,' she assured him, grinning broadly.

Jennifer returned at that moment with a couple of blankets. 'Don't worry, your food is on the way,' she assured him. 'Just wanted to get you warm first.'

'You're sure you got all the larvae, right, Doc?' she asked as she and Teyla arranged the extra covers.

'Yeah…pretty sure,' she replied.

'Pretty sure?'

She eventually stopped fussing and looked his way. 'Well, they were incredibly small. But I didn't see any left in there when I rescanned you. Besides, every single one of them we excised was dead, so you should be fine if one or two got left behind.'

'Should be?'

'I'm sure you will be,' she answered. 'And that plant seemed to think so, too.'

That wasn't the definitive all clear he'd been hoping for. 'And grateful as I am, I'm not sure I would want to completely entrust my medical care to it. Surely you can give me a better guarantee than that?'

Jennifer blinked back at him a moment, but seemed to have no response to that. 'Uhhh, why don't I go see about that sandwich?' It was only as she departed that he spotted the two SF guards at the infirmary entrance. That wasn't standard protocol. Apparently, the doctor was taking precautions, even as she reassured him.

Sheppard shifted his gaze back toward Teyla, the smile now having slipped right off her face. He reached over and wheeled the IV stand a little closer to his bed.

'I am sure everything will be fine,' Teyla assured him, her smile returning, if a little more forced this time. She resumed her seat, shuffling it a couple of inches closer to the exit. 'H…how long did Rodney say it would have taken the larvae to reach your brain?

'Three to four hours,' he replied, watching her do the mental calculations based on their current time.

She nodded, glancing toward the door.

Sensing she wanted an excuse to leave, he gave an exaggerated yawn. 'Y'know…I am kinda tired. You don't have to st— '

'Very well. Good night, John. I will come back to see you in the morning.' And she was out of the door before he could even wish her a good night himself. She was probably going to alert the others that he might still be on the menu for their little Gekus friends. He didn't blame her. Better to be safe than sorry. An adage Keller obviously believed in, too.

He settled back on his pillows, relieved that, for at least the time being, Teyla wouldn't be dashing his brains out if he made any wrong moves. Although, he figured that might be preferable to becoming a midnight feast for a Gekus. His scalp itched at the thought of them crawling around in his skull, and he gave it a scratch as he involuntarily shuddered. Keller was most likely right that they were all dead since the plant was designed to detect such things, but if she was wrong, Sheppard hoped Rodney was around when he turned zombie on them.

After all, if he was going to eat brains, he might as well start with the smartest one in two galaxies.

A/N Thanks to everyone who reads and comments. This is just a quick one-shot because short stories really aren't my forte and I need the practice. I hope you enjoyed it.