Authors Note: This hasn't been beta-read so I apologize if it has grammar/spelling errors in or if the characters sound a bit off. Please let me know what you think of this, complaints, suggestions; any feedback would be helpful as long as it is constructive.

Be aware it isn't my favourite or best chapter but it was needed and possibly a little rushed, so sorry.

I want to apologise in advance for any bad medical scenes, hard to find out what would be right and I don't have any ER episodes to refer to ;)

Also presume that the Wraith don't know they are in Atlantis because I thought it better not to presume that they'd know unlike the canon of Season 1. Hope this doesn't bother anyone, it certainly allows for a wider scope in fic.

Spoilers: For Season One episodes 1-14

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Stargate in any incarnations of course and I'm not making any money, this is just some harmless fanfic fun.

Chapter 9: A Wolf at the Door

Terror reigned down on them through the Stargate, various fire coming at them through it. She called up to Grodin who was already onto shutting the gate down, striding across to the button, when an explosion rocked the control area and something whipped past her left hand side distracting her from his fate. She spun round, hearing the 'oophf' emitted by Aiden as he took a stunner to the chest, followed by a blast to herself. She never heard the thunk of Lt. Ford hitting the ground as she slipped into unconsciousness, helpless.

She woke up, finding it a difficult to open her eyes and strange to be lacking normal sensations of her body.
Her eyes darted around, trying to work out what was happening. Medical staff were rushing all over, in a buzz and hub around one bed in particular.

She tried to see what was happening but it was near impossible without being able to move her head.

Then suddenly she heard Carson's voice shout out, more unusually panic ridden.
"He's going into arrest!"
The doctors and nurses scattered, fumbling to find the equipment, prepping for a code.

As they backed up, clearing away as commanded, she saw out of the corner of her eye a pale arm with scratches on from between the medics. Too pale to be Peter and the scratches likely to confirm her worst fear.

She felt the numbness overcome her, too tired to keep up the struggle to watch the scene despite her desperation to know the outcome. She knew Carson would do his best but she feared it would not be enough.

On her second awakening she felt much better, flexing her fingers, glad that the feeling was returning. At least she had felt good enough until she'd met the concerned expression of John Sheppard. He looked haggard, with a woeful tone to his voice as he greeted her.

"Welcome to the club." he said smiling a little more like his usual self. A smile that dropped at a thought she couldn't know but presumed was to do with the other member.

She tried to say how is he, referring to Rodney, but her mouth wouldn't cooperate. The syllables came out wrong and she grimaced at the lack of control she had, not able to ask the right questions and leaving it him to know what she wanted to hear.

"He's stable. Little worse for wear but not too bad considering the wraith had him for nearly two months."
She stared at him, sensing there was something he held back.
He sighed, obviously knowing he couldn't escape telling her.
"I was gonna leave it until later, when you were recovered fully but,...... Carson thinks he might have brain damage,"

Her shock must have registered on her face despite her unresponsive muscles because he looked regretful, continuing where she expected nothing more to be said.
"...and that isn't our only problem. But I'll fill you in a soon as we know more." he finished tactfully, skipping out of the infirmary.

She grunted, cursing his well meaningfulness. He was saving her from something, something that as the leader of Atlantis she needed to know.
But she was as helpless here as she had been in the gate room earlier, unable to gather herself and follow the Major, content only with revenge enacted later.
Meanwhile she lay there focusing on the annoyance against Sheppard rather than the black hole of fear at what he'd told her.

Eventually she succumbed to a disturbed sleep. Delving into a shimmering reality, all too similar to the one she'd left behind in her physical body.

She was in Atlantis but it was empty, corridors deserted, rooms abandoned. All except the gate room, where he stood as he had hours before. Only here he was recovered, as the man she had known, his eyes shone, full of care and he held out his arms for her.

She ran to him, hugging him emphatically, pulling him close, wanting as much of him as possible.

But she withdrew, a fear on top of her, and saw his eyes were bright with tears. An ominous look on his face, heroic, tragic. He held her head, cradled gently with his hands either side and spoke to her.

The words were lost, the reality silent from then on. Finding no sense to what he tried to communicate she felt despair once more, knowing simply the troubled expression he gave to her.

And a darkness embraced them, moving across the room as if they were eclipsed.

Surrounded by a deep abyss, full of tortured memories that she couldn't bear a second more of .

"There, there. It's ok lass, take deep breaths."
She straightened up, obeying Carson's orders.

She never been scared out of wits by a dream before. Not even as a child had she felt that type of emotion. Distraught at all consuming primal evil that had been upon them both. Which made her remember, consciousness kicking back in.

"Rodney?"
She was surprised but pleased it came out right first time. Her paralysis had mostly worn off, feeling now regained in all but the extremities she thought as she attempted to wriggle her stiff toes.

Carson went tight lipped at her mention of their mutual friend.
His face downcast as he addressed her.
"I think you'd betta see for ya self."

She pushed herself off the bed promptly, guided by Carson as she staggered, muscles not quite ready for walking.
He used his other hand to draw the curtain back.
She choked at his visage, her hand covering her mouth, not wanting to let anything more escape.

"He's awake, breathing on his own, all is well and good generally speaking but he's been catatonic for the past few hours. It might be due to the trauma of his experiences, which can't have been pretty, or it could be related to his brain damage."
The doctor folded his arms resolutely, still holding out hope.
"Scans revealed it was extensive but we can't be sure how it will affect him."

The tears came even though she willed them away and she found Carson's strong arms around her shoulders.
She bit down on her knuckles, somehow relishing the pain and glad at the control it gave her. It stopped her from letting go totally. She should have been a wreck seeing him as he was, eyes staring out at the ceiling, much like he had been in the gate room, all trace of his personality gone.
To see him sleeping would have been comforting perhaps, but then anything other than this would be more desirable.

"Why don't you sit with him, talk to him, you might just get through to him."

She was about to follow his order without question but then her mind caught up with what Sheppard had said.
She refused the motioning of the doctor, forcing his hands away as they tried to position her into the chair.
"What else Carson?" she demanded, falling back into her authoritarian persona easily.

He swallowed nervously and look unsure. Elizabeth took this to be an indication Sheppard had ordered him not to reveal anything.
"The Major is handling everything, there's nothing to worry about." boasted the Scotsman unconvincingly.
Just as she'd thought, trust Sheppard to usurp her at a time like this. He'd been doubting her effectiveness for some time and whilst she saw some truth in his reasoning it didn't make her unfit for command.

Luckily for Carson Sheppard strode in, saving the doctor form a dispute.

"Major."
"Elizabeth." he said in reply, trying to humour her and make light of the situation
She didn't take it this time however.
"Major," she said stressing the use of his rank, at which he winced, realising his mistake to try to soften her up.
"...I want to know exactly what's going on."

Sheppard and Beckett exchanged looks briefly, making her feel ever more like it was some great conspiracy.
"You won't like it." said John, not liking having to say what it was.
"Tell me something new. Besides could it really be that bad?" she said with confidence.

As an afterthought she wondered if she should have said the last part, because from the quick re-exchange of looks between the other two she could tell that it very well could be and her confidence had been terribly misplaced. Since when did the Pegasus galaxy give anyone here a break.

Carson stepped forward unhappily.
"We found more than brain damage on the scans. Rodney has a wraith device in his brain, we aren't too sure what its for and even less certain about how to remove it, if it an be removed that is."

She felt worse than before, wishing she hadn't asked almost, but knowing that this information gave them power and that they had the best minds her to solve this problem. The best minds minus one she added sadly to her train of thought.

"Get Zelenka and Kavanagh and their teams on it, Simpson too." she barked out, ready to walk away and get coordinating as she did best.

Sheppard answered, as she should have expected him to.
"We already have and they're pretty sure they know what it does, at least what one of its functions is."

She turned, meeting his eyes, fearing that this was what they'd wanted to save her from. She should have known it couldn't even be that simply or easy to handle.

"It's transmitting a wraith signal. Best guess is its leading the wraith right here to Atlantis, with no doubt about where we come from. If they weren't sure when they met us before then they will be now. Rodney's like a walking beacon."

However hard the news was she dealt with it.
"What can we do?" she asked, directing it more to Carson, who put in his bit on the problem
"We can't remove it without killing him, its drawing power from his body, any damage to it will be transferred onto him"'Like a wraith' she muttered, recalling that this was a recurring theme.
"Not to mention that it's in a very delicate spot in his brain, making it a bit hard to investigate.."
"So what do we do?" she repeated. Hoping that some one had formulated some kind of plan whilst she'd been recovering.

"They could could be here within day for all we know."
There was an implication of his statement that she didn't want to believe.

"And?"
She hoped he'd drop it, that she wouldn't hear him say it.

"I asked you in the gate room if you were willing to put everyone's life at risk for one man and I'm asking you again."
There was a strength to his voice, no doubt that he was right, a tone that said he'd already judged the whole situation but she wasn't willing to give up like that, still resentful that he'd given up prematurely last time. So she countered equally as sure, not changing her mind from the actions she'd committed to by raising the shield.
"It could be a month until they get here and it might not make any difference and if it does then we might have time to figure this out."

Carson watched them cautiously, aware that this as a big issue and neither wanted to back down.

"But it might be a day and we could use this to our advantage."
"The 'this' is a person, your friend. What do you want us to do with him,? Abandon him on a remote planet. He's in no condition for that and we both know what they'd do with him if they realise he's worthless."

She felt her breathing hitch up but ignored it, intent only on setting Sheppard straight. Her mind in a flurry of thoughts, how could he do this, and a whirlwind of emotions, anger and fear and disbelief.

"He's also a threat and there's a chance that by sacrificing him we'll save ourselves."
He said it like a final statement, a certainty to it she hated. Was it the only solution he'd accept? She couldn't let that be.
"For how long? They have to know we're here by now, in this section of the galaxy at least even if not exactly where, in Atlantis, and they'll figure it out anyway. They won't give up on Earth like that."

Only then when the argument had escalated so did she see others had been listening, Ford sitting up in his bed and a groggy Grodin behind them, all watching the sensational fight for power.

And in amongst them, joining the spectators as a ghost, the pale but recognisable face of Rodney McKay. His voice croaking out her name hesitantly, sounding like a scared little boy

The others followed her gaze and they rushed over to his side.
Sheppard getting there first, her second.

She took his hand squeezing it tightly, seeming to relax at her touch but still gazing intently at Sheppard, who glanced worried at Carson, with semi-realisation on his face.
"You don't know who I am, do you?" queried Sheppard.
Rodney nodded, glancing round dubiously only seeming sure of who she was, but tearful at her presence just as quickly as he truly noticed her, becoming mortally afraid.

It was as if she was the one returned from the dead. He started begging her forgiveness, hand clasping on to hers but not accepting it as proof she was real. All the same acting as if he could talk to her.
"I didn't tell them anything, Elizabeth, I didn't tell them a thing.". He whispered the words between desperate gasps for air, appearing so terribly afraid for her.

John looked clueless, standing there his face unreadable at this revelation and Carson having gone off in a hurry to consult the other doctors.

She did all she could in the face of this news.
"I know" she said soothingly, sitting down to cradle the crying man, rocking him slowly in a hug. "It'll be alright, I promise." she cooed to him as she stroke his matted hair. The blood clogging it making the horrors he'd suffered evident.

If only she could keep that promise.

A/N: Only two more chapters left and it does get a little happier, for a time. Please let me know what you think, it's always appreciated.