AN: Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen. I hope everyone and their families are safe and healthy. Because our favorite Wraith doesn't think of himself as 'Todd' I use 'He' for his point-of-view until the end of the last chapter.

Waking Up is Hard to Do

Once more he awoke in the Lantean stasis pod. Once more the fire burned, goading him to feed. Once more he stared into the eyes of his human counterpart and held the fire back. "John Sheppard, how long have I slept this time?"

"Only six weeks, Todd. Keller thinks she's got something that you should take a look at. I'm sorry for this, I know it's getting tough. We're doing all we can to convince the people in-charge to let us get you back home," John sighed. "As much as I hate the fact that that you need to eat something that talks back, I don't want to watch you starve."

He growled softly to convey his thanks whether Sheppard understood or not he didn't care to know. "We should not keep Doctor Keller waiting."

The two men walked side-by-side flanked by the ever-present squad of fully geared Marines. "I meant it when I said that we're trying to get you home, and I don't want to see you starve." John muttered.

"Why would I not believe you, John Sheppard? You only lie when it benefits those you protect. Showing compassion to me doesn't do that," the taller man chuckled. "You are not Kolya, John Sheppard. You may enjoy killing my kind at times, but you are not cruel."

"Now why would you bring him up, Todd! We were having a nice conversation and like always you go and make me angry!" John growled.

"You act like a child. Perhaps you are too young to realize I am trying to pay you a compliment," he snapped back.

"Shut the hell up before I shoot you, Todd. I can't take our little mental chess match, not today," John warned in a frozen deadly whisper.

He didn't bother answering. Sheppard's moods shifted so suddenly that even a mind honed for ten millennia needed time to understand it. As the men entered the infirmary Doctor Keller looked up from her laptop. She looked tired, her usual well-kept hair frizzed and escaped its usual confinement. Her uniform rumpled; the jacket long discarded along with her boots. He caught a glint of shiny metal and a gemstone he didn't recognize on one of her fingers. In all the years of dealing with the Lanteans he'd only seen Teyla (whom he thought of as Steelflower) and the Satedan with any adornment.

"Colonel, Todd, thank you for coming so quickly," she called out slightly breathless. "I'm so sorry I had to wake you, but unfortunately, I am stuck. However, if we can get me unstuck, we might have a breakthrough in the serum. It will still take more time than any of us wants to get it working, but we will be closer."

"Do not apologize, Doctor Keller," he replied, sitting across from her on the uncomfortable stool. "I am pleased to help where I can. After all, it is in my best interests to be cooperative."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. It'd taken time but Todd's taunts and sarcasm finally rolled off her. "Be that as it may, I hate waking you. I did try to contact Doctor Beckett, but he's assisting a very serious operation at another base. I've negated the issue that caused the gene therapy to give you cancer. However, now it's causing havoc with what I think is the Wraith equivalent of the hypothalamus." Pausing to rub her eyes, she blew out a long breath to calm her frustration. "I just wish I understood why the Wraith digestive system shuts down at all. From all the data we've been able to gather over the years, there's still nothing to explain it."

"Doc, stop torturing yourself. You and Carson are doing the best you can with what you have. It isn't your fault the Ancients and the Wraith took sloppy notes," John encouraged.

The young woman tried to hide her weariness behind a long sip of her coffee. "Thank you, but we don't know that for sure."

"While I cannot speak for the original Lanteans, my people never recorded the information because we saw no need to question what we are. We never anticipated being short of nourishment," he answered. "Many thousands of years ago, just after we triumphed over your "ancients" a tiny faction of Wraith argued that eventually we would face this issue, but they were led by a very young Queen. The other factions held sway arguing that long periods of hibernation would not allow a shortage of feeding grounds. Then, the young Queen was taken in a battle between hives and disappeared."

John stared hard at Todd. He caught something in his tone that he'd never heard before. Always alert for Todd's double-cross, he searched his face for any tell he could find. Instead, he found the pale face too blank. He hoped it meant nothing. He began walking to the exit and called over his shoulder, "Remember my warning, Todd, no mind games. Not today."

Jennifer's brow furrowed. "What was that about?" she asked.

Unable and unwilling to hide his irritation he grunted. "I paid him a compliment; he took it as an insult."

"How exactly did you compliment him?" she asked her voice full of wariness.

"It is unimportant. I suggest we begin our work. While I don't relish being in stasis, I also dislike the pain of constant hunger," he barked. He watched as the girl's eyes filled with compassion and determination.

"I give you my word we are doing our best," she vowed.

"I know."

Hours later, Jennifer stood and stretched her stiff tired muscles. "Well, at least I have a better grasp on why the therapy is going wrong. That's something I guess."

He found the girl's dissatisfaction with her progress endearing. "Doctor, you can't have possibly expected to re-write thousands of years of biological imperative in the course of mere hours."

"No," she snapped, glaring at him. "And you don't have to be so condescending! If I do nothing else in my career, I hope to play a small part of helping all the people in the Pegasus galaxy to end the threat inherent to all its people and races. Yes, we from earth mistakenly woke the Wraith early, and that caused catastrophic results. However, your people took an insane risk waiting so long to find alternatives. What if the Hoffans had developed their drug before we came? What if another plague like the one that drove the Ancients from this galaxy in the first place swept through yours and wiped out the human population there? What would you have done? Eventually, the time of your hibernation and the time it took to have a stable source of nourishment was bound to crash. In some ways, your species is more arrogant then the Goa'uld," she huffed, dropping back down on her stool.

He wanted to roar and scream with grief at the girl's words. She had no idea the pain she inflicted with her words made his burning trivial, but instead, he through back his head and laughed. He didn't stop when the girl's face morphed into pure shock. He didn't stop when the Marines aimed their guns. He didn't stop when the girl shouted that they leave. He didn't stop when McKay burst in. He laughed until he could laugh no more.

"What's going on?" McKay cried out in that half-hysterical half-demanding way he had.

"I don't know, Rodney," Jennifer soothed, as her colleague composed himself.

Taking a deep breath, he composed himself, noting with some surprise the arrogant scientist had deliberately placed himself in front of the girl. Then the glint of metal caught his eye and saw an identical ring on McKay's finger that the girl had. "May I ask if the rings mean anything?"

"Wait, what?" the befuddled pair asked in unison. Still unnerved by Todd's display.

"The rings you both wear," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "I've yet to see any woman or man from earth wear adornment. I assume it isn't a new uniform element since Sheppard doesn't wear one, and neither do my guards. I am curious if they have a meaning."

"Oh!" McKay cried out in a burst of joy. "They mean we're married!" he smiled so wide that it took up most of his face.

He closed his eyes briefly to search his memory if he'd heard the word before, when his telepathic senses filled in the meaning. His eyes flew open, and he stared at the girl. "You mean he is your chosen!" he gasped incredulous at this revelation.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rodney sneered.

Jennifer took her husband's hand and kissed it. "Is that what the Wraith call their um… mates?" she asked, blushing.

He scoffed. "A Queen has the right to any male in her hives she desires. Few males refuse. Even fewer survive refusing."

"Makes sense the Queens would be Black Widows," McKay smirked.

"Not funny, Rodney!" Jennifer admonished.

Immediately contrite McKay embraced his wife. "Sorry, sorry. I just came to get you to for dinner. You worked through lunch, and I've missed you."

She smiled but looked at Todd apologetically. "Maybe you should have sent me a message, honey."

He chuckled. "Nonsense, Doctor, just because I'm starving doesn't mean you should."

Willing herself not to take Todd's bait she snuggled into Rodney's side. "As much as I wish we were further along, we did make a start. You were an enormous help and I truly thank you, Todd."

He stood and the guards once again surrounded him. "It is always a pleasure working with you, Doctor. You have a keen mind. Had you been born Wraith you would have made an excellent Queen." He stared at McKay. "I hope you treasure the gift you have been awarded."

"I do," Rodney replied.

"One more question if I may," he added. "Sheppard seems to regard this day with significance I wondered if anyone understood why?"

Rodney went pale and Jennifer's eyes filled with tears. "We all lost a friend today two years ago," McKay answered, his voice sharp. "She was the original leader of Atlantis. In fact, she was in charge when you and John first met. She watched as you— you know. It tore her apart. Later she was captured by the Replicators, eventually she died. Sheppard was closest to her. The pain is still fresh."

'He lost his Queen. That is a pain I know all too well.'

"Thank you," he answered. "If you have need of me again, Doctor, just wake me."

The pair stood silently as the doors closed behind Todd's exit. Jennifer sighed. "Is it crazy that it breaks my heart that I can eat, and Todd willingly starves?"

Dropping a soft kiss on her lips Rodney answered. "Six years ago, I would have said yes," he admitted. "But you're the best person I know, and I hope I've become a better person because of, and for you. So, no, it's not crazy. It means you are precious, and I do treasure you."

She kissed him back passionately. "I treasure you too, and I'm glad you're my 'chosen,' she giggled.

"Like I'd be stupid enough to ever refuse you," McKay laughed.

"Let's have dinner. I need all the strength I can get if we're ever going to help Pegasus," she sighed.