A/N Finally I'm actually able to read my reviews and thank you all for being so positive, I just hope I don't go on to disappoint. The only thing I can say to those of you who are worried about poor, sweet Shep is that there's a lot more of this story to come, hopefully over the course of the next few chapters you'll have a better idea of where I'm heading because right now I'm only just getting started.

Chapter 4

Getting Back On The Horse

Rodney McKay hadn't left Atlantis while Elizabeth had been on Earth. He'd done his best to fill her shoes during her absence and but he lacked her people skills. He knew that everyone else was relieved when she returned and so was he. Having to spend time on the mundane tasks that running a city involved had made him even more irritable than usual and being torn away from the lab so often was frustrating to say the least. He'd got a long list of projects waiting for him and having to let Zelenka take charge over certain areas that he considered his domain had really riled him.

Besides, he'd missed her. She was a comforting presence and one of the few people he knew he could truly call a friend. Now she had been back for a couple of days and he would be able to return to off-world missions. He knew this was why Elizabeth had called him to her office this morning and his heart sank at the prospect. How could he possibly face going back out there? He took a deep breath before walking into her office. Ronan and Teyla were already there with one of the new marines who he had a vague recollection of being introduced to a couple of days before.

"Rodney," Elizabeth got up as he came in and walked around the table. "Come in." She put out her arm, ushering him toward the woman seated on the couch; she got up as Rodney approached. "You've met Captain Frischmann?" So that was her name?

"Er…yes. Briefly." Frischmann smiled at him.

"Dr McKay was rather busy at the time. We'll try the introduction again, shall we?" She stuck out her hand. "Captain Isabella Frischmann. Pleased to meet you, Doctor." She was about the same height as he was and her blonde hair was cropped short. When he took her hand to shake it she nearly crushed his fingers.

"Likewise. So, can I assume you'll be working with us?" Elizabeth answered his question for her.

"Well, as you know, we always put new recruits with experienced teams to begin with and, seeing as the three of you are currently without a military officer, Colonel Caldwell and myself felt that Captain Frischmann would be the ideal candidate to join you."

"Of course. " Rodney nodded. Of course, he'd known it was only a matter of time before Sheppard was replaced but he hadn't quite prepared himself for the reality of it. There was a moment's awkward silence. Elizabeth moved back toward her desk, picking up a PDA.

"Teyla seems to think that this planet may hold something of interest for us."

"You remember my friend, Feara? Well, she has been trading with this world for many years and a local told her a story about what sounds like a possible Ancient structure." Teyla explained.

Elizabeth handed the PDA to the scientist. "We've had a team do a fly over and there's something there, the geography is going to make it difficult to get a jumper in so you'll have to go in on foot. But it's only a couple of kilometres from the gate." Rodney groaned. "The exercise will do you good, you've been sitting behind a desk for the last few weeks. " She teased. "So?" She tipped her head to one side and looked at him encouragingly. "Wanna go take a look?"

ooOoo

And that's how, the next morning, Rodney found himself standing in the gate room, kitted up, his sidearm strapped to his thigh. He stood fidgeting, making sure he had all of his equipment in his backpack.

All Rodney wanted was to get this mission over and done with. Normally, he'd be excited at the prospect of finding something new but today he wasn't in the mood. Besides, even if he did find something cool, who was there to get excited about it with him? Teyla would do her best, and Ronon might raise an eyebrow if it was something impressive but they wouldn't be able to keep up with him like Sheppard could, they wouldn't really understand.

"Ready to go, Doctor?" He looked up. Captain Frischmann smiled back at him, clearly eager to get going. From the little time he had spent talking to her, she seemed pleasant enough, and she was obviously trying to be sensitive to the situation, but she didn't belong and he couldn't pretend otherwise.

"Yes. I think I've got everything." He stood up straight, swinging the backpack up on to his shoulder.

"Okay then." She spoke into her earpiece. "We're ready to go, Doctor Weir." McKay looked up to the control room. Dr Weir and Colonel Caldwell stood side by side on the balcony outside her office. Elizabeth nodded at the gate technician who began the dialling sequence. As the wormhole burst out into the gate room, she looked down at Rodney and raised her hand in a small wave. He forced a smile and returned the gesture before stepping through the event horizon.

ooOoo

Pushing the door open gently, he saw her sat in her chair, silhouetted against the window, her head tilted away from him as if she was studying the horizon. The warm evening sun streamed in through the glass, picking out gold glints in her long hair. He crept quietly into the room, not wanting to disturb her if she was sleeping but needing to be near her; as he moved closer she didn't stir. Seeing that her blanket had fallen to the ground, he reached down to pick it up and place it across her lap.

As he stood up, he noticed her withered hand resting on the arm of the chair, dry and claw-like. His eyes snapped up to her face; dead eyes stared back, her cheeks sunken, lips drawn back over her teeth and, at the neck of her nightgown, the red handprint of a Wraith. Dropping the blanket, he turned to run, screaming as loud as he could, but the door had blown shut and he couldn't open it. He shook the door, sobbing and screaming…

Waking up was a battle, the nightmare not wanting to let go; he realised that he was still calling out for his father in shallow little gasps, his face wet with tears. He had been seven years old when he had found his mother dead in her room. The doctors had said she would have a couple more months, as far as his young mind was concerned they had lied. In reality, she had looked peaceful in death but the nightmares had robbed him of that, all his mind did now was torment him. The night she died he sobbed in his fathers arms until he fell asleep. When he woke the next morning his father was still there, holding on to him as if he was scared to let go.

ooOoo

The rain was cold and, no matter how he adjusted his uniform, it seemed to find a way down Rodney's neck. The local area consisted of a vast, evergreen forest covering rocky slopes that undulated in gentle rolling hills, leaving dips and valleys. The path they walked along wound through one of these little valleys and the water ran down from either side of them until they were up to their ankles in thick yellow mud. They headed toward the village; they had planned to check in with the locals anyway but now they also hoped for somewhere to dry off and get warm, hopefully until the rainstorm passed. They could see the little settlement on a hill up ahead of them. Rodney had suggested that they get to higher ground but the slopes around them had become slick with water and would have been dangerous to climb, so they kept plodding on.

"I'm going to be in bed for a month after this. I'll catch pneumonia, or hypothermia. My body is very sensitive to temperature change."

"Yes, Rodney." Teyla bit her tongue. "That is why we must move quickly. Once we get to the village we will find warmth and hospitality, I am sure."

The shot rang out just as Teyla finished the sentence. They dived for cover, McKay feeling Ronon's hand grab his vest and drag him with them, pushing him face down into the mud at the base of one of the slopes. He raised his head, looking for a part of his hand or arm that was free of mud so he could wipe his face but, realising he was saturated in the stuff, gave up. A second shot rang out, a little too close for comfort.

"Somebody's shooting at us!" McKay fumbled to get his gun out of its holster.

"We'd noticed," the Captain snapped back, unable to hide her annoyance.

"Over there." Teyla gestured and through the grey veil of rain Frischmann and Ronon spotted the marksman on a rocky outcrop on the opposite slope; a second assailant could be seen moving in the scrub at the base of the rise.

"I can see two of them, are there any others? McKay?"

"Um…" He pulled the scanner from his backpack. "…Over there - they're moving around to the east of us, three of them heading this way through the trees. They're moving fast."

"We can take them easy." Ronon nodded his head in the direction of the two snipers across the narrow valley. "Those two are mine." Jumping up, he ran from their hiding place, firing as he went. The captain looked after him and cursed loudly, an angry look on her face.

Ronan zigzagged between cover toward the sniper and his companion. For a moment McKay thought Frischmann was going after him but the other three dots on the screen were getting closer. Rodney called out to her just as the first shots were fired from behind them. She turned around, immediately raising her weapon and opening fire.

He didn't look to see what she was shooting at but dived for cover behind a boulder, his hands over his head. A few seconds later Frischmann dropped down beside him.

Chancing a glance around the side of the boulder, he could see the bodies of two of their adversaries lying sprawled on the ground where Frischmann's bullets had cut them down, patches of scarlet blood soaking through their pale grey uniforms. He looked for Teyla but could see no sign of her; glancing at the captain he could see she was wondering were the Athosian was too. He heard Frischmann swear quietly under her breath. The only noise beyond their own breathing was the dull report of Ronon's gun on the other side of the valley and then that stopped too.

They crouched there for what seemed like an eternity, time stretching out, both of them tensed, pushing their senses to the absolute limit, waiting for the attack. Suddenly there was movement to the right of them; the captain swung around, pushing McKay behind her as a bullet whipped past. She raised her P-90 but, just as she did so, Teyla appeared behind the gunman. The Athosian slammed her elbow into the mans spine, swinging out her leg to bring him down to the ground, whilst at the same time disarming him and slamming the butt of his own rifle into his head. By the time he hit the ground, both Teyla and Frischmann had their guns trained on him.

"Teyla, I think there's one more."

"There was but I have dealt with him."

"Well, let's hope that's all of them." She surveyed the trees. "Where the hell is Ronon?"

"I'm here." The Satedan walked calmly toward them. Frischmann looked at him, clearly still annoyed, then she turned to McKay who was crouched down, bending over the scanner in his hand.

"I'm not picking up anymore life signs."

"Yeah? Well that thing didn't work so well, McKay. You said there were only three this side, I counted four." He looked up at her.

"Well they must have been standing too close together or something. I can barely see a damn thing in this weather anyway," he snapped back before noticing the change in her expression, from annoyance to concern.

"Are you hurt?"

"What? No, I don't think so. Why? Do I look hurt?" She gestured to his head; he put his muddy hand up to his forehead and brought it back down, staring at the blood on his fingers mingling with the yellow mud. "Oh my God! I'm hurt!" His eyes opened wide. "We have to go, I need a doctor." He scrambled up and, in his panic, slipped in the mud, landing with a splat. "You see? I'm weak from blood loss." She reached down to help him up.

"Take some deep breaths Doctor, and let me take a look." He looked at her suspiciously but allowed her to examine his wound. Smiling, she let out a small, relieved chuckle. He pulled away, glaring at her in indignation.

"I hardly think this is a laughing matter, Captain."

"No, it's not Doctor, but you are a very lucky man."

"Lucky?"

"Yes, lucky. A little bit to the left and that bullet would have gone through your head instead of just grazing it." It took a moment for this information to sink in. He stood with his mouth opening and closing before putting his hand up to his head again.

"Oh my God! I've been shot!" There was a collective groan from the others but, as he glanced down at the scanner still in his hand, his injury was forgotten. He wiped the mud from the screen as best he could and through the smears saw the screen was lit up with dots. "Oh crap!" He turned the screen to face the others. "We really need to go…now."