A/N: Here you are my pretties, a brand new sparkly chapter for you all to enjoy. The squeaky-cleanliness is all thanks to the ever so lovely LantienLady without whom this work would not be so good as it is. Anyways, as always, I hope that you all enjoy this latest adventure and if you do, please tell me so. Reviews are how fanfiction authors get paid so put a penny in my cup and make my day. Cheers!


Episode II: Mutatis Mutandis

Everything was backwards. Even with things being as they were, Tanis had expected some sort of salutation from the humans upon his return to Atlantis. But no, the greetings they had received had been cold — their own offers of salutation rebuffed and their general presence looked upon with scorn and disdain. It did not make any sense, and Tanis, for one, was angered by it. His return to the city should have been a joyous one — a victory! And yet, after a very short briefing in which the humans currently residing in their city had made certain that he and his kith understood that they held them to blame for the current set of circumstances, he, his son and Nicodemus had been escorted from the control tower down to the very bowels of the city — where they had promptly been incarcerated.

Guards were stationed at the doors and the full measure of the security systems within the prison had been activated. He and the others were left to wait while the humans retreated and made plans among themselves on how best to stop Mathis and save the wraith.

Nothing was as it should be.

~xXx~

Since, in the end, they decided not to call on Todd to come and torture information out of the Ancients, Sam, Woolsey, John and Weir had all decided that the first thing they really need to do was call a meeting. So, they put the ancients in interrogation, locked them in with Ronon and Kate, and then summoned everyone else to the briefing room. At the moment, the oblong room was packed with people and, as Sam looked about the enclosed space, she couldn't help but smile at the diversity: Major Lorne, Captain Cadman, Teyla, McKay, Colonel Sheppard, Woolsey, Dr. Weir, herself, Colonel Mitchell, Daniel, Vala, Andromeda, Bellatrix and Methuselah were arranged haphazardly around the long conference table. It was quite a sight to behold. The only thing missing from their set of oddities was Todd — and maybe a couple more of his wraith.

"So," Woolsey began as, out of the corner of his eyes, he watched General Carter scan the room. He cleared his throat and folded his hands on the table. For once, he didn't have a plethora of files stacked neatly in front of him. They were flying this one blind and, as much as he didn't like it, he'd just have to deal with it. "What do we know?"

Mitchell threw up his hands. "Not a whole hell of a lot," he said scornfully, leaning back in his chair. "The damned Ancients are talking."

Sam leaned forwards. "We know that, whatever their plans, it has something to do with a second Attero device," she sighed. "But, other than that, Mitchell's right; we have nothing. We won't know more until Ronon and Kate complete their interoga-"

"We're done."

The room at large twisted in and/or looked up as both Ronon and Kate walked grimly into the room. Since there weren't any more seats left, the two interrogators remained standing and prepared to tell the room what they'd found.

John looked at his sister and teammate. "Well?" he asked impatiently. "What'd you get?"

Ronon grunted. "Not much."

Collectively, the people sitting down at the table all frowned. Kate stepped up.

"But we got enough," she said, surveying the relieved expressions that were now filtering across more than half of the faces currently giving her their undivided attention. "At the very least we know what the general plan is if not all the details."

Daniel frowned. "And what is the general plan?"

Kate took a deep breath. "Mathis got infected on purpose. Since the Ancients have more of their brain turned on than we do, him having a goa'uld in his head's a lot different than what we're used to seeing. Mathis is in complete control and he's using the symbiote in the same way that the symbiote usually uses its host."

Everyone at the table made faces of disgust, even the Ancients. "That is horrible," Bellatrix said, her voice trembling. "What could he possibly hope to gain from such an action?" she looked around, her eyes showing the others around the table her confusion. "Where is the logic?"

Ronon grunted again. "The goa'uld had something he wanted so he invited it in and then took it over."

Bellatrix blanched and wrapped her arms around herself. Never would she have thought Mathis to be one so depraved that he would resort to using his body and sharing his mind with such a lowly creature just to achieve his goals. It was not right.

Methuselah agreed with his colleague. "I too, do not understand," he said slowly, eyeing the standing man whom he had been introduced to as Ronon. "What knowledge could Mathis hope to gain from cohabitation with -"

"Apparently the goa'uld knows where Janus went wrong," Kate deadpanned. The room fell silent and all eyes turned to her. She breathed deeply. "Tanis and Nicodemus didn't say anything but Tobias started talking pretty fast when Ronon threatened to shoot him in the foot and then work his way up. Mathis took the goa'uld in because this particular goa'uld is somewhat of an expert on Ancient and Asgard technology. Using what he knows of the Asgard, it's figured out how to not only make the Attero device work but also how to make it work better."

McKay scoffed. "You mean he's figured out how to make even more of a giant mess?" the scientist looked appalled at the thought. "How could that damned thing get any worse?"

Andromeda sighed. "The primary device is larger and disrupts on a greater scale than the secondary platform that you and your team destroyed," she glanced about the room and felt no small amount of guilt for being the one to inform them of this. "The device that Mathis seeks, if he truly is able to correct Janus' error, will be capable of causing insurmountable destruction. He means to wipe out the wraith once and for all."

Kate growled. "Well," she said bitingly, her teeth clenched. "We'll just have to stop him then."

Mitchell eyes her. "Why?"

Kate rounded on him, her eyes bright despite the fact that they'd turned almost black. "What do you mean why!"

Cameron cowered. Gulping, he looked back up at his furious former teammate. "Well…" he began slowly, his voice shaking slightly. "It's just that you've been trying to get rid of the wraith for over five years. If Mathis can get the Attero device to not blow up stargates when you turn it on then why not just let him -"

"BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE RIGHT TO PLAY GOD THAN THE GOA'ULD, THE ORI OR THE FUCKING ANCIENTS!" she screamed. Around the table, nearly everyone jumped. "We do not get to decide which races are good and which ones are bad and who gets to live or die. It's not up to us and the majority of the wraith haven't done anything wrong!"

Mitchell blinked, gulped and held back the retort he'd been about to make.

Daniel didn't. "What about the cullings?" he asked, turning towards Kate who seemed to be unnaturally defensive when it came to the wraith. "Or any of the other atrocious things that the wraith have d-"

"The cullings were an Ancient's idea not the wraith's and it was thought of as a way to fix a multitude of problems," Kate announced, her jaw set, her arms crossed and her eyes blazing. "They were never meant to have gone on for this long."

Daniel shook his head. "But they're still happening. The wraith still -"

"What do you mean it was an Ancient's idea to start the cullings?" Mitchell interrupted, sitting up suddenly and glaring upwards at Kate. "That's crap! I call bullshit on that one. It -"

"It is true."

SG-1's illustrious leader trailed off and turned to stare at Andromeda. The Ancient held his gaze unwaveringly. "Come again?"

Andromeda pulled herself up and sat regally in her chair, her back stiff and straight. "It was not the wraith that devised the feeding method that has evolved into what you and yours call culls. Kate is correct. It was one of us that first considered harvesting humans from overpopulated worlds to be used as nourishment for the wraith. The process solved a number of problems such as -"

"Such as what, exactly?" Mitchell demanded, shocked and feeling mildly betrayed that the Ancients - the Ancients - had been the ones to come up with such a horrible idea. It went against everything that he'd come to think they stood for. "Whose dumb idea was it to start -"

Andromeda pressed her lips together into a thin line. "Mine."

Mitchell blinked as, around the full circumference of the table, all the others gasped.

"Andromeda," Bellatrix whispered in a hushed voice, turning to look at her friend in incredulous horror. "Surely not? How could you -"

"Because it was the right thing to do!" Andromeda said harshly, her emerald eye alight with much the same fire that burned in Kate's grey ones. "You know as well as I that our kind thought very little of the humans they seeded on various worlds. We considered them our lesser, little more than creatures for us to study. Very little thought was put into where they were placed and during the war it came to my attention that more than half of all of our human seeded worlds were overpopulated; their ecosystems unable to support such large numbers of them. They were starving, dying. I did not see the harm in implementing such a course of action as it both alleviated the strain on their environments and gave the growing population of wraith a viable food source. It was what was best and you, as a medical practitioner, should be able to see that!"

Bellatrix sat still, stunned, while, besides her, Methuselah worked through all that Andromeda had said. "Then it is true, the mutterings that flew about during the war concerning your allegiance," he eyed her. "You fought against us."

Without shame, Andromeda nodded her head once jerkily. "I did."

In the wake of her confession, the room fell silent. No one spoke until finally, John decided that they really needed to get on with it. "So," he said lamely, looking around the room. "How about we call it a day for now?" Nobody moved. He took a deep breath and went on. "Tell you what. I'll just go call Todd and get him to tap his intel since I'm pretty sure the Ancients didn't tell you where this second device thingy is?" He looked at his sister. When she gave her head a small, controlled jerk downwards he took that as confirmation that he was right and stood up.

"Okay," he clapped his hands together. "Wrap it up people and take some time," he pointed behind him, "I'm just gonna…"

John didn't even finish his sentence before he bolted out of the tension filled room and made a bee-line for their Todd phone. Footsteps echoed behind him and he turned to see Sam following him. He slowed down and then stopped to wait for her. "Some meeting huh?"

Sam rolled her eyes and nodded, falling into step besides John as they walked through the corridors towards the west pier. "Oh yeah," she said sarcastically. "Lots of fun. We should do it again soon."

John snorted. "Something tells me that the next time we all gather it'll be worse," he glanced at her as they stepped into the nearest transporter. "Can't wait to see what happens when we put the Ancients and Todd in a room together."

Sam made a face and winced. "You can control him right?" she asked, suddenly worried about the whole endeavor. The transporter doors opened and they stepped out, turning left down another hallway. "I mean, if it comes down to it and you need to? You can call him off right?"

John shook his head in the negative. "Not a chance in hell," he informed the general but, at seeing the look on her face, added, "My sister on the other hand, all she's got to do is say jump and Todd'll ask how high. I may not be able to control him but she's got him wrapped around her little finger. It's disgusting."

Sam shot him a look. "What do you mean?" she asked. She'd known that Kate seemed to have a greater sway over their wraith ally than anyone else but she'd never have figured on her having the kind of total control that her brother said she had. Todd had always struck her as being the type of person that gave out orders and not the type that took them.

John made a face and then tried to explain what, exactly, he'd been trying to get at. "I mean, that Kate's got a hold of Todd in more ways than one. He listens to her, takes her advice and genuinely trusts her but, it's not because they're good friends."

The general frowned. "It's not?" They had reached the west pier and Sheppard was already booting up the long range comm. system that they used solely to contact Todd the he-never-answered-anyways-so-what-was-the-point wraith.

John grunted and opened his mouth to answer but was saved the effort as, in front of him, the console beeped and Todd's image popped up on their screen. "Well hello."

Sam was impressed. Despite still being a bit confused over the apparent dynamic shift between Todd and Kate, she was surprised that the wraith had responded so quickly to their call. During her tenure in Atlantis, and because she's made it a point of reading up on everything 'Todd' since she'd left, he'd either not answered at all or had gotten back to them at some later date. She's never seen him pick up this fast.

The wraith eyed the human who was not the one that he had been hoping to see when he had noticed the incoming message to his hive from Atlantis. "Sheppard," he said tersely, his voice not quite a growl. "What do you want?"

John glared at him. "Nice to see you too," he mocked, crossing his arms and sighing. "Look," he started. "We've got a situation here -"

"When do you not?" the wraith asked insultingly. John's eyes narrowed.

"Shut it you," the colonel commanded the wraith who just looked haughtily back at him with a smug looking smirk on his face. "Anyways," John continued. "We need you to tap your intel and trust me," he said quickly before Todd the infuriating wraith could interrupt him again, "It's in your best interest to just do it."

Todd growled. "And why is that?" he hissed. "I do not think that you are in any position to be telling me what is or is not in my best interests Colonel John Shepp -"

"There's another Attero device and, unless you want all of your hives to go boom, you'll shut up and do what I say."

In the background, Sam couldn't help but grin at the display. Honestly, watching John and Todd talk was almost always amusing. They both tried so hard not to be friends that it was funny.

Todd's eyes narrowed to slits. "There is a second what!"

John smirked in triumph at having won this round and gotten the upper hand. "You heard me," he told the wraith who was now visibly pissed where before he had just sounded angry. John inwardly did a little happy dance. He did so love to rile Todd up. "Anyways, there's more but I'll wait until you get here to give you the full scoop."

The wraith snarled, his fists clenching and unclenching as he wished fervently that he could reach through the communication portal and strangle the irritating human that was, unfortunately, his beloved's brother. "And what makes you think that it is I that shall be coming to you?" he demanded. "I am rather busy at the moment and do not have time to entertain you and all of your numerous problems. I will make enquires and forward any useful information I gather to you. But I will not be visit -"

"That's too bad," John said slowly, his voice dripping sarcasm. He shrugged and then added flippantly, "Guess I'll tell Kate that you won't be stopping by any time soo-"

"Katherine has returned?" Todd interrupted the human, his irritation bleeding away at the mention of his chosen.

John grinned. "Yep," he sighed and then looked back at the wraith who now, dare he say it, looked quite eager about something. John's stomach did a back flip and he pushed down the urge he had to barf. "But I guess you won't get to tell her how much you missed her since you won't be stopping by -"

"I will be arriving shortly," came Todd's crisp reply before the line went dead and the screen turned black.

Smiling impishly, John turned around and faced the slack jawed and staring General Samantha Carter. "Well," he said slowly, stepping away from the screen and stopping before her. "That was easy."

Sam blinked. "How…" she shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know," she sighed and stood back so that she could follow Sheppard back up towards the inhabited portions of the city. "So," she began after they were three corridors over from the comm. room. "How long do you think it'll take him to get here?"

Once again, John smirked. "Oh, he'll be here by the time we get back to the gate room."

Sam frowned. "Seriously?" she asked, incredulous. She snorted. "Even given his mood and the fact that he did a complete three-sixty in two minutes I think it'll take him a little longer than that to get here. He doesn't usually travel by gate does he?"

John shrugged. "He's been using it a lot lately."

Sam looked at him. "What do you mean 'lately'?" she frowned. "Just how much has he been here since the attack?"

John sighed. "Well, since we got Kate back, he's been here damned near every day like damned clockwork."

Sam's frown got deeper. "Why?"

John let out another sigh — this one much more epic-sounding than the last. There really was no way he could say this and make it sound good but it had to be said. "He's been coming to see Kate."

The general's frown didn't go away. "What do you mean, he's been coming to see Kate?" she asked, perturbed that she wasn't getting a straight answer out of the man. "Why -"

John made a noise in the back of his throat that betrayed his reluctance to admit everything to her about what was going on. "He's been…he's here to…he…" they'd entered the gate room by this time and, as John had predicted, Todd the wraith was already there, ringed in by marines that dissipated as soon as they saw their CO. "Oh look," he said, calling Sam's attention to their visitor so that he wouldn't actually have to answer. "Todd. Told you."

Sam looked pointedly at him from out the corner of her eye and shot him a look that let him know that this discussion was far from over. Falling into step with her fellow Air Force officer, they approached the wraith at the same pace and speed. Coming to a stop in front of him, she looked up and nodded in greeting. "Todd," she said curtly. "Glad to see you made good time in getting here."

The wraith hissed and looked down on the fair-haired female. "I had said that I would be here shortly," he said, turning his gaze onto Sheppard. "Did you not believe me?"

John gave a noncommittal shrug of one shoulder. "Ehhh, usually your version of 'shortly' is more than," he looked down at his watch. "Ten minutes."

Todd snorted. "It was important to me that I arrive here quickly. Delaying my departure would only have -"

"Why can't you just cut the crap and admit that you got here as fast as you could because you want to play tonsil hockey with my sister?"

Sheppard's interruption grated on his nerves almost as much as whatever he had said did. Todd had been working with the humans of Atlantis for well over five years now and he still had not mastered all of their idioms. Not that he had tried particularly hard but, it had behooved him to at least try to discern the meanings of their various sayings and terms of phrase. "Translation, Sheppard?" he inquired heatedly, making sure that his displeasure was known. "You believe that I traversed such a distance so hurriedly as there is between my hive and your fair city — why?"

John glared at him. "Because you wanna to see my sister," he ground out through clenched teeth. Angrily, he crossed his arms and scowled at the now smirking alien. "Why do you always have to be so damned difficult?"

The wraith rolled his shoulders. "Katherine does not seem to think that I am — what do you say? — overtly difficult to put up with."

The colonel's fists clenched. "Well, that's because my sister's in love with you now listen up," The wraith was still smirking as though he had won something, which was only making John that much madder. "Here's how this is gonna work. You're gonna trot on down to our 'you-phone' and call up one or two of your little wraith buddies — the fortress commander and your son for starters — and you're gonna get them to come here. At which time they will bring with them all that you've got on our problem. We will have a meeting and we will go over it and you will not eat the Ancients that we woke up, unfroze and brought here because we need them to stop the other Ancient that's got a goa'uld in his head," he paused and looked up at Todd the still irritating but no longer smirking wraith.

He sighed. "Now go," he said, stepping back and holding out his arm towards the corridor that led off towards the indoor park that had suddenly become his sister's favorite place to be. "Kate's that way in the woods with Vala. They're having girl talk but I'm sure she won't mind the interruption if you're the one doing it."

While not fond of being ordered to go somewhere even if the destination was favorable to him, Todd held his tongue and stalked past the human male stiffly, his steps and thoughts already focused on reaching his Katherine as quickly as he was able.

John watched him go, wishing ardently that he could just shoot him and get it over with.

Sam cleared her throat. "Tonsil hockey?" she inquired watching as John's head whipped around towards her, a deer-in-the-headlights look plastered across his face. "There something you want to tell me?"

Having forgotten that Sam had been standing there the whole time, John now suddenly became very interested in the floor. "It's a long story," he informed her meekly.

Sam raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Oh, I don't doubt it," she looked at him pointedly. "Wanna grab lunch and tell me about it?"

John took a deep breath and contemplated his options before he let it all out and started walking. "Yeah sure, let's go," he said as Carter fell into step besides him on the way to the mess hall.

~xXx~

Katherine. Katherine, my Katherine. I am coming, I am here. Katherine, Katherine…

His message to Romulus sent, his orders given, Todd turned his steps towards the artificial forestry nestled in the heart of the city. With the thought of his beloved and the reunion he was to have with her to spur him on, Todd quickened his stride and bought himself to Atlantis' arboretum with great haste. Hurriedly he entered the sanctum and began to search for her, recalling from Sheppard's conversation that she was not alone. Within moments he heard the muffled sound of voices being carried to him on the artificial breeze. Turning his steps in the direction of the sound he continued onwards until he rounded a bend and stopped, the sight before him taking his breath away.

Katherine and another ebony-haired woman were sitting together in the sunlight under the partial shade of a willowy tree. Both were smiling, both were laughing, but it was the glint of the sun's beams filtering down from above that added an almost ethereal ambiance to the scene. The light refracted off of Katherine's cascading locks infusing the strands with colors that one normally would not see. In that instant, she was the most beautiful creature that Todd had ever seen.

She did not see him, nor sense his approach and so, in a rare moment, Todd contented himself to watch her as the words that she and her companion were speaking finally drifted to his ears. The contents of their conversation brought a smile to his lips.

"So, tell me more about your Todd."

Kate sighed and dropped her eyes from the leaves of the tree overhead to the grass. Idly she began to play with a longer-than-average blade as she thought about what to tell Vala the always inquisitive. "He's not mine," she corrected for what had to be the hundredth time or so in the past week. "And what, exactly, do you want to know?"

Vala shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Everything?"

Kate snorted. "He's over seventy thousand years old. There isn't enough time to tell you everything."

The older of the two women let out a dramatic sigh and flopped down onto her stomach in the grass, propping her chin up on her hands as she looked at Kate. "Well then, tell me this, is his sense of humor really what my Daniel and Cameron say it is? Sam once told me he offered to shake her hand."

Kate giggled. "Yeah, she told me about that," she let out a deep breath and began to pluck at the grass she'd been fiddling with. "His sense of humor is a bid darker than most people's; very sardonic."

"So like yours then?" Vala concluded, lifting an eyebrow. "Alright, next question: why do you always smile whenever you talk about him?"

At that question, Kate felt her cheeks stain a rosy pink. "I umm," she faltered, not really sure of what to say. "I don't."

Vala produced another epic sounding sigh and sat up, crossing her arms at she looked at the much younger woman who was clearly in heavy denial. "Yes you do," she countered. "In fact, other than the fact that you're blushing rather prettily at the moment, you're smiling now." She cocked her head to the side, a sudden epiphany striking her as she continued to gaze at Kate. "You like him."

Since denial was pointless at this point, Vala was way too good at reading people, Kate just flippantly rolled her shoulders and looked up at her friend. "I a little bit more than like him, Vala."

The elder woman let out a squeak of girlish excitement and leaned forwards. "Oh, do tell," she pressed, her excitement building. "Does he like you?"

Kate opened her mouth.

"A great deal."

Both women froze for a millisecond after hearing the deep, double-toned voice come from behind them before the younger one spun around and looked up, her eyes alighting when they beheld who the speaker was.

"Todd."

The wraith felt a great warmth sweep through him at the breathy way in which Katherine called out his name. It was not his true name, granted, but as they were in company he would take what he could get and hearing her say even his human epithet in such a way was enough to increase both his heart rate and his temperature significantly. With a hiss he came towards her, his eyes trained onto hers as she stood and lifted herself up to his level. He stopped in front of her and looked down upon her, still marveling at the way the overhead light played across her features, enhancing them. Stars but he had missed her.

"Katherine," he said softly, dipping his head towards her only just, enough so that the space between them was now minutely small and he could feel the heat of her coming off of her skin. "Welcome back."

Kate felt her breath hitch and catch in her throat at how close Todd was. God, she wanted to kiss him so badly but she knew that the wraith and Todd in particular, didn't do PDA like humans did. They were a reserved lot, preferring to keep all types of affectionate gestures and displays behind closed doors and way from the eyes of others. It was something that Kate had told herself that she could live with but, right now, she could barely contain her urge to close the space between them.

"I missed you."

A deep, rumbling noise bubbled up from the lowest portion of Todd's abdomen and expanded outwards as his eyes darkened from gold to a deep, almost brown, amber. "And I you," he responded, hissing in pleasure as Katherine reached out and touched her hand to the hard planes of his chest.

He could feel the warmth of her skin through his leathers like a brand and, on impulse, he closed his fingers around her wrist and brought the appendage upwards to his face. Leaning forwards, he pressed his mouth into the palm of her right hand where, if she were wraith, her feeding slit would be. He let his lips linger against her skin, which had flushed at his touch, for just a moment before drawing away and returning the hand to its former position. Opening his eyes, which had closed on their own accord, he turned them forwards and caught Katherine's gaze. She was looking at him with such intensity that Todd, for a moment, almost dismissed his sense of propriety altogether in favor of a gesture of affection with much more sustenance. He controlled himself, however, and drew back and away from her with a considerable amount of effort on his part until there was at least a decent amount of space between he and her.

The woman whom Katherine had been talking to coughed and cleared her throat.

The spell was broken and Kate turned away from Todd and looked backwards towards Vala. "Vala. I-"

"Not your Todd hmmm?"

Kate turned beat red. "It's not -"

Vala shot Kate a pointed look before she turned and shot her gaze upwards towards the green skinned, white-haired alien who really wasn't as ugly as the boys had said he was. Actually, when one looked at it from a purely biological point of view, she could understand perfectly what drew Kate — and she was sure a large number of other females — towards him. The wraith was pretty much male sexuality incarnate.

She returned her gaze to Kate. "Right, well I'll just be going then. Got to go find out what my Daniel's doing," she skipped past the both of them. "Toddles," and was gone.

Todd turned back to Katherine. "She is Dr. Jackson's mate?" he asked curiously.

Kate nodded, her eyes trailing off in the direction Vala had gone. "Yeah," she said slowly, letting out a sigh with her words. "It's an ongoing source of amusement."

The wraith harrumphed. "I have no doubt," he muttered before he cocked his head to the side and regarded his intended. "I would have thought she would have been less…accepting of you and I."

Kate rolled her shoulders and looked up at Todd. "Vala's a romantic. She doesn't care who I'm with so long as I'm happy and I give her all the mushy details."

Todd quirked an eyebrow. "Details?" he questioned, frowning. "It is customary for you humans to discuss your intimate lives with one another?"

Kate nodded. "It's socially acceptable to dish about your significant other yeah," she eyed him. "I take it wraith don't do that?"

He shook his head. "They do not and I would prefer that you do not either."

Kate inclined her head. "Whatever you want," she paused and looked up purposefully, locking her eyes with his own, "Valloran."

Todd took a great gulp of breath inwards and expelled a lust-filled growl. They were now alone and Katherine had called him by name. The rules of behavior that limited their interaction while in the company of others were no longer in place and so, giving into the desire that he had earlier, Todd leaned forwards and brought his mouth down to cover hers.

The effect was instantaneous. In the time it took to draw one breath, Todd pulled his chosen flush against him, all but lifted her off her feet, and moved forwards until her back hit the tree under which she and her companion had most recently been sitting. Fire exploded within him as he probed his tongue at the barrier of Katherine's lips and felt her yield to him. Once he was inside he delved deep, plundering her as she in turn rose up to meet his challenge. A snarl of pleasure erupted from the back of his throat and vibrated off of Katherine's mouth which was locked to his with a force and a desperateness that they had not explored before. It was as though the time they had spent apart, separated by two galaxy's worth of stars and planets, had magnified both their needs so that, combined, their shared passion was a force that could not be contained.

Kate moaned into Todd's mouth and let her hands roam free across his chest until they found his shoulders at which point they both went upwards until she lost them in the unkempt messiness of his hair. The bark of the tree bit into her back but was ignored and a breathy gasp escaped her as she felt the telltale evidence of Todd's excitement press firmly into her belly. Wriggling just a little, she smiled against him as he responded to her play by growling and pressing down on her with still more force. The sensation was exquisite and Kate let herself lose control with reckless abandon as the wraith above her forsook her mouth and lowered his head into her neck, playing a trail of gentle bites and hot kisses downwards from just below her ear to her shoulder. Kate opened her mouth, threw back her head and groaned.

The sound elicited an almost animalistic response from Todd. The wraith's hands were already gripping Katherine's hips with a vice-like intensity but now, as the proof of her pleasure echoed in his ears, Todd's grip tightened so much so that he feared he would draw blood with his fingers even through her clothing. He was certain, however, that Katherine would not mind and so he let his fingers flex and pull her to him more tightly while at the same time he pressed against her as forcefully as he dared. Leaving the juncture of her neck and shoulder, he brought his head back up and once more captured her mouth with his. The war between their tongues began again and stretched onwards until, knowing that if he did not stop he would soon lose the ability to do so, Todd pulled back and removed a portion of his weight from the female who was still trapped betwixt he and the tree. Breathing heavily, the wraith lent his forehead against hers and allowed it to rest there while they both fought to regulate their breathing.

"Why'd you stop?"

Todd hissed, the note of disappointment in her voice filling him with want. "Because if I did not then I would not have been able to."

Kate opened her eyes and looked up at him — his own eyelids remained closed. "And that's a bad thing?"

Todd's eyes flew open and he locked them to those of his intended. "We are not ready."

Kate huffed and looked away. "I'm ready."

Her avowal startled Todd who released his hold on her and took a step back, his eyes appraising her body as his view of her expanded. Her skin was flushed with the heat of desire, her pupils were dilated despite the light thus signaling her evident arousal and her breathing was still uneven and heavy. Todd knew then and there that yes, she was ready.

He, however; was not.

"Katherine," he implored her, reaching out his feeding hand to catch her chin and turn her head towards his. "Tell me, what happens when two humans who have devoted their lives to one another mate for the first time?"

Kate frowned. "Nothing."

Todd sucked in a breath. He had not expected this and the knowledge explained why Katherine wished to continue where he himself found himself hesitant. "The event is somewhat more significant to the wraith."

Kate's eyes flashed upwards and narrowed. "What do you mean?"

He drew in a deep breath and worried over his ability to correctly explain a phenomenon that he had only ever read about and had never thought to experience himself. "You…are aware that we are…connected, you and I. You can feel me as I can feel you even when we are not physically close to one another?" Katherine nodded. "Then understand that when we mate for the first time it will consummate much more than simply our relationship. It will cement our connection and bring a finality to our union. Once done, it cannot be undone and it cannot be voided. There is no, what do you call it?...divorce amongst my kind as there is amongst yours. A binding once sealed is sealed forever."

Kate stared at him. "Divorce?" she questioned that word, more than any other he'd used, bringing on a new level of seriousness to what he was saying. "You mean -"

"Once we copulate we will be bound."

Kate swallowed; still not quite sure he was getting at what she thought he was getting at. "And that means?"

Todd looked down on her possessively. "You will be my mate. My, as you humans say, wife."

Kate's mouth dropped open as she felt her eyes widen fractionally. "You want to marry me?" she whispered, surprised. "I-"

Todd cocked his head to one side and studied Katherine's apparent surprise. "I want you as my mate, indefinitely," he eyed her. "What did you think I meant when I disclosed my intentions to you before your departure?"

Kate stumbled over her response. "I..I don't… I don't know," she looked up at him. "I didn't think you meant marriage."

The wraith took a step towards her and replaced his hands on her hips. Katherine had not moved away from the tree. "Katherine," her eyes flashed up towards his and held. "You are more then I deserve and yet, you want me. Why should I not wish to be with you for the remainder of my life?"

Kate opened her mouth to reply but stopped and frowned, his words confusing her. "But," she began, her brow furrowed, "I'm human, you're wraith. I'm not gonna live as long as you do. I'm -"

"When we are bound, your life and essence will be tied to mine and mine to yours. You will live as long as I do or I will pass gracefully from this world with you into the next once you tire of it."

That statement shocked her. Todd was not only asking her to marry him but he was literally offering her the forever that all the romantics and poets of Earth always wrote, sang and dreamed about but never got to see. If she agreed, if she said yes, she'd be with Todd from the day they first made love until Judgment Day. It was a lot to take in.

"Oh."

The wraith looked over her. "Does the thought of an eternity with me scare you?" he asked worried that he might have overwhelmed her. To a human whose lifespan was measured in only a handful of years, the prospect of forever was, he was sure, a daunting concept to grasp. Still, he waited on baited breath to hear her response. He had meant what he had said. Should Katherine grow tired of living after only a few hundred years or so he would lay down his life and crease to live simply so that he might follow her into the beyond. Todd could see no sense in continuing to survive if Katherine was not by his side.

"No," Kate whispered breathily, her eyes flying up to his and holding. "In fact, it sounds wonderful."

Her words were not the ones that he was expecting but then, like always, Katherine surprised him. Todd could feel his lips curling upwards until he was sure he was smiling more broadly than he ever had before in his entire adult life. "That is good to know," he said around his grin as he stepped forwards and pushed her back up against the tree once more. "Now, do you -"

"Oh yes, we're definitely going to have to set down some ground rules."

Instantly, Todd backed off so that Katherine's back came off of the tree as the both of them turned. A very irritated Colonel Sheppard stood just beyond them to their left, a scowl painted onto his face; his blue-grey eyes stormy not unlike his sisters as they fixatedly locked onto Todd. The wraith was not pleased to see him. "Sheppard," he hissed, drawing back up to his full height. "You are interrupting. Go away."

The human scowled. "Yeah, right," he said, crossing his arms and cocking his head to one side. His conversation with Sam hadn't gone down the way he'd planned it — she'd actually told him after listening to what he had to say that maybe he was underestimating Todd and the wraith really did love Kate — so, after finishing his food quickly and hightailing it back to the control room, he'd learned that Todd's wraith were incoming and that they'd be here soon. Seeing this as a sign, he'd taken it upon himself to go and find said wraith and his little sister because Lord only knew that they didn't need to spend any more 'alone time' with each other than they did already. Case in point, the scene he'd walked in on.

Coming into the park only to find Todd the wraith pressing his sister's back into a tree while they made out was now the number one on his list of things he never wanted to see again as long as he lived. John had been more than happy to interrupt them and had no intention of going anywhere now that he had broken them apart.

No matter how darkly Todd glared at him.

The wraith snarled. "You try my patience Sheppard," Todd said angrily, furious to have had his conversation with Katherine interrupted especially be this one. "Is it not considered rude even amongst your kind to -"

John waved the wraith silent. "Oh chill you," he scolded, frowning. "Keep your pants on. I came down here to tell you that your wraith are here. That being said, tonsil hockey time is over. We've got a galaxy to save so let's hop to it."

Todd didn't move and neither did Kate. Both lovebirds were glaring at him heatedly. John was nonplused and just responded by clapping his hands together. "Come on," he called out, repeating his claps. "Hop to it, let's go. Can't keep your wraith wait -"

Todd snarled loudly and reached out, grabbing the insufferable Colonel John Sheppard by the front of his uniform and hauling him towards him. Teeth bared he bore down on the no longer clapping human. "Do not think to treat me as though I am your pet, Sheppard," he growled, releasing the male who took several quick steps away from him in fear. "And do not make it a habit of interrupting the time I would spend with Katherine."

John squeaked and made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded a lot like 'meep'. Nodding furiously, he bobbed his head up and down repeatedly. "Got it. Won't happen again," he continued to back away from the wraith. "Your guys are in the gate room so I'm gonna just…go…" He quite his retreat and made a break for it calling back over his shoulder as he went. "We'll be waiting for you in the briefing room."

Todd and Kate watched him go before the latter turned towards her suitor. "I think you scared him," she deadpanned, a twinkle dancing merrily in her eyes.

The wraith hissed slowly and nodded. "I think so, yesssss," he took a breath and released it, turning towards his chosen and holding out his arm for her to take, his hand fisted and held parallel to the ground. Katherine took his offer and gracefully placed her hand, palm also down, atop his closed fist. Pleased, he bowed towards her gently and asked, "Shall we?"

Kate nodded and let Todd lead her from the artificial forest out into the hallways of Atlantis and upwards towards the gate room.

~xXx~

"What say you, of working with the wraith for a common goal?"

Andromeda turned towards the voice and, seeing that it was Bellatrix, smiled. She had been standing at the balcony overlooking the disembarkation room below, lost in thought when her friend had come up to her. Besides their disagreement on the ethics of the cullings that had taken place this morning, Bellatrix was - like her - a supporter of the wraith. She was also one of the very few that knew the full extent of Andromeda's participation during the war and what had happened to her during the conflict's duration.

The younger woman sighed. "I think it good," Andromeda said slowly, returning her eyes to the room below. "It has been too long."

Bellatrix nodded, lowering her voice so that they could not be over heard. Tanis, Nicodemus and Tobias had all been brought up from their interrogation rooms and seated in the meeting room. They had been unbound and were being guarded but still, Bellatrix was wary. Knowing that Andromeda had not fought for their glory was a heavy enough blow to the three without them hearing from her lips or from another's of what else had happened to the daughter of Tanis during the engagement. No possible good could come from them knowing all of the truth.

"And who," she inquired softly, leaning towards Andromeda so that little distance if any separated them, "Do you think this wraith the humans have made allies with - Todd - has summoned to aid us? I wonder if he will be any one that we have known?"

Andromeda gave a small grunt and then turned her head towards her friend. "Their Todd is one we know," she said, her voice equally as cool and quiet as Bellatrix's.

The black haired medical examiner frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in contemplation. "Who?"

"Valloran."

Bellatrix's head reared backwards and her eyes widened. "Truly?" she asked, her voice breathy. "He is still alive?"

Andromeda snorted. "Survival is a talent of his," she looked at her friend. "It is part of his name you know."

The elder inclined her head. "Yes, I am aware." Below them the portal became active and the humans suddenly began to flurry about. Bellatrix cast her eyes downwards. "It would seem as though the wraith have arrived."

Andromeda inclined her head and watched lazily as first one and then another and then another black clad figure walked through the ring. The new arrivals were of little interest to her as her eyes swept disinterestedly over their features. She froze. Recognition flared up within her and she felt her whole body still, the air bleeding from her lungs, shock stealing away her ability to think coherently.

She gasped.

Bellatrix heard Andromeda's whisper and looked down, her own eyes alighting on the visage of one wraith in particular. Knowing what she did of him and her friend, she thought to comfort the younger woman by reaching out to her and drawing her to her for both comfort and protection. "Andromeda?" she questioned, turning the girl's face towards her own. "Will you be well with this? Can you be with him so near?"

Andromeda nodded shakily and cast her eyes down once more. The wraith were grouped now in the center of the disembarkation room speaking to several humans. Longingly, she let her eyes trace his face and, against her better judgment, she let her lips form his name and speak it softly.

"Romulus."

It had been so long since she had seen him but she had known that he was yet still alive; her own continued life was proof of that. Andromeda had not been lying when she had told Kate in confidence while still back at the SGC that she had served on the wraith's side during the war. What she had concealed during their conversation was that she, like Kate herself, had been a companion. The circumstance under which she had come to be the leman of a wraith was much like the one that Kate had been placed into. Romulus, the wraith to which she had been given, had taken her to protect her and keep her from meeting the fate that the queen of the hive wished for her. But, unlike Kate's experience as a companion, hers had not ended so pleasantly. There was much she would need to say to him if ever they were afforded the opportunity to speak alone. She knew the chance was remote but still, simply seeing him alive and whole before her eyes was enough to swell her heart and cause it to beat more strongly; almost erratically.

Romulus. Do you remember me? Romulus, Romulus…

Below, in the gate room, Romulus stood with both Caavin and Thayne awaiting the arrival of Valloran from whereabouts unknown, when a familiar presence suddenly began to dance on the very edge of his senses. Romulus felt his body still. Whoever it was, the brush of their consciousness to his was achingly familiar, hallowed almost. Straining to capture the essence of the one who thought to touch his, he pushed his mind forwards and made to strike — only to pull up short when a voice he had not thought to ever hear again infiltrated and assaulted his mind. Romulus, the voice asked, speaking his given name softly, gently, Do you remember me? Do you? Romulus, Romulus… His heart beat sped up of its own accord and he turned, his eyes seeking out what his subconscious told him was there.

He found her. Looking up, Romulus lifted his eyes upwards and locked them onto the figure of the woman that he had known only in his dreams for the past ten thousand years. Andromeda.

The moment passed them by quickly as, at that moment, Valloran entered from a nearby corridor with Katherine at his side. Romulus tore his gaze away from his former companion and focused them on his friend and Commander, bowing respectively as the highborn came to a stop before him.

"High Commander."

Todd, who was not so obtuse as he was sure many others thought him to be, knew without asking that all was not well where Romulus was concerned. Something troubled him, stirring confliction in his mind. Todd, therefore, thought to inquire after it mentally, even as he began addressing Caavin and Thayne with spoken words. Romulus? He inquired telepathically, a worried tint to his mental tone. What is -

Romulus shook his head. It is nothing, he insisted. I am most well, you need have no worry.

Todd was unconvinced but he let it go, knowing that he could not coax from Romulus anything more than that which the elder wraith would freely give up. To try was to be disappointed. "Then come," he said out loud, gesturing for his commanders to follow him as he once more held out his arm and fist to Katherine to take. "Let us see what sort of mess Sheppard and his team have gotten themselves into now."

All three wraith snorted in amused derision for the antics of the Atlantis humans as they made their ways upwards to the briefing room. When they entered however, it was not Sheppard they were met by. A loud and resonating voice filled with hatred and disdain screamed at them as soon as they set foot into the oblong chamber.

"YOU!"

Todd froze and jerked his head upwards, his eyes landing on the only other person besides the queens and his motem that he hated above all else. "Tanis!"

The disturbed Ancient had been informed that the humans inhabiting his city had made friends with and worked commonly with a particular wraith, but he had not thought that it would be this one. Anger boiled up within him at the sight of the traitorous creature and almost without thought, Tanis reached for the first weapon that he thought to get his hands on. What that turned out to be was an energy pistol that had been hanging on the hip of the one called Ronon. Screams went up around the room as he brought the pilfered weapon up and took aim.

Because Katherine was standing before him, Todd's mind did not register Tanis' threat as being directed at him. As soon as the wraith saw what was happening and correctly concluded the trajectory of the runner's gun, he reacted on instinct and reached out, wrapping his arms about Katherine's waist whilst twisting and pulling down. The weapon discharged and the energy blast went off over both of their heads, burying itself into the wall of the human's briefing room.

The room exploded. Ronon, Lorne, Mitchell and John rushed forwards to subdue Tanis and to keep the other two Ancients from doing anything stupid themselves. In a matter of seconds, Tanis had his hands behind his back and the side of his face planted into the table. Grunting with the effort that it had taken to wrestle the gun out of his hands and get him under control, Lorne shoved the crazed Ancient back into his chair and then cuffed him. Order was once more restored and, as one, everyone's attention shifted from Tanis towards Todd and Kate who were just now standing up.

Tanis stared. Valloran's automatic reaction upon being made into target was to protect, not himself, but the girl. The wraith's instincts had told him to defend her first before himself and even, to use his own body as a shield for her. When he had pulled her down, he had twisted them both so that his greater form had completely covered hers, blocking her from Tanis' view. Valloran had never cared for the guard of another over and before the defense of himself. It was this innate sense of self preservation and instinct for survival that had kept the hated wraith commander alive for so long in spite of the numerous attempts on this life that had been made — most of them by Tanis himself — throughout the course of the war. In short, it would appear as though the woman, in contradiction to the Valloran that Tanis had come to know, was important to him. How much so had yet to be determined.

The Ancient's attention was called away from his thoughts at the sound of the one called Sheppard yelling. "See!" the colonel was complaining loudly, pointing at the large crater that Todd and Kate were standing in front of. "This is why we don't have nice things!" he rounded on the perpetrator. "You blew a hole in our wall!"

Tanis snarled. "Technically it is our city and we may do to it whatever we please."

John wasn't sold. "Oh fuck that!" he continued to yell angrily. "You jumped ship and ran. Haven't you ever heard of finders keepers?"

Before Tanis could formulate a response, the Ancient found himself under a new kind of threat than that posed by the guards now hovering at his back. A loud growl irrupted through the room and, as one, all occupants turned to see what was happening now.

Todd had bought both himself and Katherine up from their crouch, had released her and had started forwards intending to do an as of yet undecided amount of harm to the Ancient. He was denied his chance however, when his chosen caught the aim of his actions and put herself in his way to stop him — which had resulted in his snarl.

"Stand aside!"

Kate shook her head and stayed where she was, squarely in front of Todd the very pissed off wraith. "No."

In his chair, Tanis smirked. For all that Valloran had thought of her wellbeing before his, the girl was truly dense if she thought that she and her words could stop the wraith. Valloran was a force unimaginable and the girl was nothing. He would crush her.

Todd was less than pleased. "He -"

Kate had had enough. The threat they'd all been brought here to discuss was too important to get pushed to the side because of a vendetta. Kate knew exactly why Tanis and Todd hated each other so much and, while she sympathized with Todd, she wasn't going to let him pull them off track. So, headless of his anger, she narrowed her eyes, set her jaw and refused to move.

"I don't care what he did to you, what you did to him or even that he just tried to shoot us," Kate stated, her voice deadly in its calm. "We've got a bigger problem than your issues with Tanis, one that threatens the lives of all wraith not just you so," she took another step towards him and stopped when she was about a millimeter away from his leather clad chest. Looking up, she lifted herself up onto her tiptoes and stared straight into Todd's eyes. "You're gonna let this go."

The room held its breath. Talking to Todd with the tone of voice and in the way that Kate was doing so now was, in general, suicide. It was the collective opinion of almost everybody in the room - the exceptions being Romulus, John and Lorne - that Kate had lost her damned mind. She was done for; Todd was gonna kill her.

Murder was not something that Todd was currently contemplating but, he was considering the fact that no one, not even his motem in her numerous attempts to control him, had ever spoken to him in such a way before. Todd did not like being told what to do even if the person doing it was someone whose esteem he valued so highly. Angrily, he hissed and then let out a dark, deep snarl. "Am I?"

Rather than repeat herself, Kate stood down and raised a hand. Placing her hand flat on Todd's chest, she pushed, forcing the wraith to take a step backwards. "Sit."

Todd did not immediately obey but knew that his compliance to her will was inevitable. Katherine furious was a power that not even he would fight. As a commanding female, she was all encompassing and, despite the will he had to resist control, he found another more instinctive part of him wanting nothing more than to surrender to her. In that moment as his golden gazed stared back into her own passionately blackened orbs, Todd knew that he did not have the will or even the desire to refuse her. To Katherine he would bow and do so with reverence. Her commands he would follow; her will be would obey.

Without his eyes ever leaving hers, Todd took another step backwards and then sat himself in the nearest available seat. Pulling his gaze from hers, he turned his eyes resolutely forwards and remained that way; patient and waiting.

Everyone started, at least half the room's occupants blinking rapidly while trying to pick their jaws up off the floor. The only ones that weren't shocked speechless were Romulus and John. Caavin and Thayne's expressions mirrored the gathered humans and all of the Ancients. Romulus, however, simply nodded his head minutely in acknowledgement of what had just occurred while John, on the other hand, grinned wildly and shot a look towards Carter.

"Told you."

Sam nodded mutely. "How high. Right," she swallowed and sat down in her own chair, still slightly stunned. "Gotcha."

Still smirking, John plopped himself down into another vacant chair as, slowly but surely, the people around him all did the same. Once everyone was seated, Kate to Todd's right, Woolsey cleared his throat and began.

"Well," the director stated lamely, "Moving on," he turned towards Todd the suddenly obedient to only Kate wraith, "What intel were you able to bring us?"

Todd grunted. "Unfortunately, nothing of any great value."

Mitchell snorted. "Big surprise there." The comment earned him a glare from not only the wraith but also Kate, Lorne and Cadman as well. He cleared his throat. "What I mean is: you never really seem to get us anything useful."

Cadman scowled. "Well that's not true," when the Colonel looked confused she added, "This one time, when Kate was captured by Michael, we asked him to tap his intel and he sent us a file so large we had to print half of it out so that it wouldn't take up so much room in our system. We were going through it for hours."

Sheepishly, Mitchell looked downwards and started to intently study the table. Woolsey cleared his throat again. "In the absence of information then, what's the plan? We can hardly go through this one both blind and playing by ear."

Vala raised her hand and bounced in her seat. Woolsey nodded towards her. "Well, for starters," she began, "What is it that we actually know about this other Attero device? I mean, it is the same as the other one or is it different somehow?" She looked over at Andromeda. "You said yourself that it was capable of greater destruction. In what way?"

Next to her, Daniel had to admit that his wife had a point; they had never really discussed the differences, if any , between the two versions of the machine. "Vala's got a point," he announced, looking around the table briefly. "How, exactly, are they different?"

Andromeda took a deep breath and then sighed. "The primary platform operates on a much broader range of disruption than the secondary platform, the one that you destroyed, did. It's method of destruction is less focused and is also less effective to an extent. It was this reason why the ruling council decided that a second platform needed to be constructed."

Lorne frowned. "Whataya mean 'less effective'?" he eyed her. "I thought the whole reason that this is such a big deal is that it's more dangerous than the last one?"

Andromeda inclined her head. "It is. The secondary device operated by disrupting the specific sub-space frequencies utilized by wraith hyperdrive systems. The primary platform in essence does the same save for it does not specifically target only subspace frequencies."

McKay made a face. "Well that doesn't make any sense," he said loudly. "If it doesn't target their hyperdrives then how is it even a viable -"

"I am not finished, please do not interrupt me," Andromeda cut him off, shooting the rotund human scientist a hard look. "All will be explained if you would simply allow me -"

Ignoring her warning not to interrupt her, McKay went on, convinced as always that what he had to say was more important. "Look missy, I'm sure that you think you're explaining everything just fine, but I'm the one those crazy metal-encased Ass-gards kidnapped in order to make the other machine work so I think I know more about it then you do given that I -"

Andromeda let out an unladylike snarl of contempt. "Given what, exactly, doctor?" she inquired, anger and condescension evident in her tone of voice. "I will have you know that Janus was in my employ and therefore all of his projects were subject to my inspection and review. Janus never was as good at the mathematics as he was in thinking up incredible ideas. He left the majority of the arithmetic up to those whose skills far exceeded his own and so, therefore, was unable to locate the sub-routine that I encoded and then covertly routed into the primary operating system of the finished platform. I am the one that caused the Attero device to fail so, I believe doctor, that it is to me that you should be listening, yes?"

McKay sat in his chair with his mouth open, stupefied into silence. Across the table, Romulus bowed his head in order to hide his pride at Andromeda's achievement. He was not alone. While not applicative of the manner in which she had used her skills, Tanis was still insurmountably proud of his daughter's accomplishments. He had said, when first meeting these humans, that she was considered to be one of the best engineers in Alteran history and he had not been exaggerating. Andromeda's intellect was considered to be, by many, a treasure. It was a pity, truly, that she had not been fighting for their glory. Had she, then Tanis had no doubt in his mind that Atlantis would have proven victorious.

After her words had sunk in, it was Daniel who spoke first. "So wait," he said, shooting the Ancient a look from across the table. "You purposely sabotaged it?"

Andromeda nodded. "I did," she sighed. "You are already aware that my efforts during the war were to aid the wraith. The Attero device was not the first plan for me to destroy — but it was the last. After I succeeded in its destruction my efforts were put towards other things."

McKay, having finally shaken himself out of his stupor, gaffed. "Like what?" he demanded.

Andromeda turned cold eyes onto the human scientist. "That is none of your concern nor," she added when it looked like he might try to interrupt her again, "does it have any bearing on the subject at hand," she turned back to the room at large. "The primary platform differs in that it disrupts not the sub-space frequencies used in hyperdrive activation but all frequencies emitted by a hive. It is also a short range device, meaning that a ship must be within a certain distance to the machine in order to be effective. That is why it is more dangerous."

Kate hissed, unhappy. "So, simply passing by is enough to get blown up," she looked sideways at Todd who looked as displeased as she felt. "That blows."

Lorne snorted. "Yeah, really," he sighed. "So, what are we going to do about it?" He looked around the room. "Do we still not know where this damned thing is?"

Sam opened her mouth to say no but then paused and turned towards Andromeda. "Do you know where it is?"

She shook her head. "While under construction, we placed a portal on the world but, after it was complete, it was removed. I am sorry."

Kate had an idea. "We could always wait."

Todd looked at her. "What purpose would that serve?" he asked, hissing.

Kate drummed her fingers on the table. "Think about it," she looked around before turning to face Todd. "If we tell all your hives to stop moving and stay where they are, all we have to do is wait for one of the queens or someone else that you don't like to get within range of this thing and go boom for us to get an idea of where it is. Once we do, we can take one of our ships to the location, infiltrate the facility and turn it off."

Todd considered this. "It is…a viable plan," he said slowly, twisting so that he could look at Romulus. "What say you?"

The elder wraith inclined his head. "Katherine's idea has merit. If we issue a full-stop directive to those hives under your control then we need not worry that we will lose any resources looking for this device," a glint formed in his eye. "Let the queens do the 'finding' with their ships and their resources."

Todd nodded. "Very well," he turned to look at Woolsey. "We will wait."

Atlantis' director bowed his head. "Very well then," he began to straighten his files as he prepared to dismiss the meeting." This meeting is adjourned. I'm sure we all have things to do while we wait," he looked at Todd. "I trust, you'll be wanting to stay here?"

"It would be pertinent for me to remain in the city, yes." Todd agreed, nodding towards his fellow wraith. "As it would be also for them."

"I'll prepare quarters," Elizabeth said, standing. "If you'll follow me," she invited the wraith who, upon standing, followed her out of the briefing room.

With the departure of the wraith, the group broke apart. Lorne, John and Ronon marched the hand cuffed Ancients down to the brig while everyone else went their own separate ways.

~xXx~

"Andromeda."

It had been eleven days since the meeting had come to an end, and during that time Andromeda had done her best to keep busy, offering her assistance to the scientists in an effort to put off the confrontation that was about to take place. Taking a deep breath, the Lantean woman put down the instruments that she had been working with and turned, her eyes alighting on the wraith that stood, both tentative and anxious, in the doorway of the laboratory that had been given to her to use as her own during her stay in the city.

She did her best to offer him a smile or, at least, the closest approximation to the expression that she could afford. "Romulus."

The wraith hissed and drew in a sharp breath. Hearing her voice speak his name was a sensation that he had not thought he would ever experience again. He had left her, not by choice, so long ago that he knew the chances of a reunion with her were all but nonexistent and yet, here she stood. He had known that she survived, had felt through all the centuries of separation the gentle pulse of her life force within his reach of understanding. It was not so different than the awareness Valloran told him he felt of Katherine but it was different. Andromeda and he were both much farther along than Valloran and his chosen and they, like the highborn and his intended, had had no choice in the matter. Fate had taken their will out of the equation. They had been bound by nature and by their own choices; to separate was to die.

It was strange, Romulus thought, to be standing so close to the one he was meant for, and yet feel as though a galaxy's worth of stars still estranged them. There was so much between them left unsaid that he did not know where to start and neither, it seemed, did she. Still, the wraith summoned his courage and forced himself to speak.

"You are well?"

Andromeda bowed her head and nodded, looking intently at the floor. She wanted so much to go to him, to touch him as she had used to, but something held her back. His departure from her all those millennia ago had been harsh, abrupt, and cold. He had not given her a farewell nor said anything to reassure her that she would see him again. He had simply gone and then never returned. The pain that she had endured in his absence was almost a physical being that kept her from reaching out to him. It stood between them, erecting a wall that kept them apart; farther from each other now than when tens of millions of stars and planets had distanced them.

Her unease was tangible and it stung him, making him feel ill at ease and hurt; pained that she would not open up to him. Seeking to assuage whatever fear she had, he advanced, coming to stand but inches from her. When she still did not raise her head, he reached out and touched his fingers to her chin, lifting it upwards. She allowed him the liberty and, once their eyes were locked, the wraith hissed sharply as he saw the pain and fear that lingered in her gaze. Suddenly, his own feelings mattered little as his only thought became to do anything that was within his power to erase the aliment that she suffered under.

"Andromeda," he whispered, lifting up his other hand to let it rest at her waist. Leaning towards her, inclining his head slightly to the right, he searched her eyes with his. "Tell me, what is wrong?"

Tears threatened her as his voice, gentle and meant to soothe, washed over her. "I…I cannot," she chocked on her words and turned her head away, pulling her chin from his grasp. "Please," she begged, "Do not make me -"

A low rumbling began deep within Romulus' chest and bubbled outwards, emitting itself from his mouth in a soft purr. "Andromeda, look at me," he called to her. She turned her eyes back to his with reluctance and it was then, that he felt the first twinges of her anguish begin to echo in his own consciousness. The feeling left him hollow, feeling as though something had been ripped from within him, leaving a gaping emptiness deep within his very essence. Worried, he looked down on his beloved. "What happened to you?"

Andromeda let the tears come, no longer trying to hold them back. They washed forth, cascading down her cheeks as she lent forwards and let him engulf her, wrapping her up in his embrace protectively as she let go her torture and began to speak. "You left me."

Romulus continued to purr and began to, softly, stroke her back. "I did not wish to," he told her, the timbre of his voice kept hushed for her benefit. "I was given an order. I had to obey. To do otherwise would have put your life at great risk. Talka knew that she could force me to do anything that she willed if she threatened you."

She knew this, knew that he had not wished to leave her but still, he had, and she, she endured hell after his departure. "She took her from me," she whispered, so softly that her words were almost inaudible even to her own ears. It was her final confession, the one thing that she had longed to tell him of and yet wished never for him to know at the same time. To tell him of this, of what she had lost, it was almost too much to bear.

Romulus drew back and looked down upon the woman he held cradled in his arms. "Who?" he asked, curious and confused; not understanding Andromeda's words or their meaning.

Looking up, Andromeda turned damp eyes upwards. "When you left me, you did not leave me alone."

Romulus was still confused. "What do you mean?"

Pulling away from him fully, Andromeda stepped back and wrapped her arms about herself, a fresh wave of sadness threatening to spill forth and impede upon her ability to speak. But, she held it at bay. He deserved to know, it was his right. The truth of what had happened to her was not something that she could keep from him.

"The labor was intensive," she began, refusing to look him in the eye. Confess to him she could, but she did not want to see his reaction to her words. It was a sin, after all, what she had done. "She did not wish to come and, in the end, Talka grew tired of waiting and ordered her cut from my womb. They took her away and then sent me, still bleeding, through the portal back to Atlantis. I told no one. Bellatrix was the one to administer me. She vowed to me to say nothing and I have not, not ever, told another save for you now." Finally she looked up, their eyes locking and holding. He looked as though he had been struck. "Please," she begged. "Forgive me."

Romulus felt all of the air leave his lungs at once, his eyes growing wide as his inactive stomach plummeted towards his feet. "You were…" he could barely force himself to state the conclusion he had reached upon hearing her confess. "With child?"

Andromeda nodded.

Breath rushed back into his body as Romulus took one great gulp inwards. "Mine?"

Angrily, her eyes turned hard as they flashed upwards to his. "How can you ask me that?" she demanded, her fury causing her to sake. "In the twenty years that I served as your companion I laid with no one else," she chocked on her emotion and dropped her eyes; she felt betrayed. "How can you think that of me?"

Romulus shook his surprise away and come towards her. "No, you mistake me Andromeda, I do not believe that you have been unfaithful to me it is simply….I am…that was not the confession I had thought to hear you make."

She looked back up at him, some, but not all of her hurt bleeding away. "It was not my intention whilst we lay with one another to conceive. Given that you had devoted your life to militant service, I did not think you could impregnate me but..." she lowered her eyes. "When I discovered my condition, I knew that I could not return to Atlantis as Sallmoraa, yourself, and I had planned. A child born of the both of us would be used, experimented upon and destroyed. We made a contract, Sallmoraa and I, with Talka. It was the only way to ensure that our child would live. I gave her up, let Talka keep her to raise as her own. So pleased was she that she allowed me to return to Atlantis."

His heart bled for her. Andromeda blamed herself for this for it was the greatest crime amongst the wraith to surrender a child. He knew that she had had no choice on the matter. To give up one's child so that they might have a chance at life was less of a sin than to keep it and subject it to the horrors that would have befallen it if she had returned still pregnant to this city. He could forgive her that, in truth, he had never been angry. He would have done the same were their positions reversed.

"Andromeda," he spoke softly, coming to her and bringing her once more into his embrace. "I do not blame you for the loss. You did what you must and I thank you, for having the strength to make such a choice alone." he began to purr again as she leaned into him, allowing him to give her comfort. "It is enough that I know we created a life. Would that I could meet her someday, that we both are offered the chance but, if we are not, it is enough for me to know that she exists."

His forgiveness assured, Andromeda nodded against his chest and let the pain bleed from her body. Telling him had set her free and she languished in it.

"Pardon me, am I interrupting?"

Both wraith and woman turned to find Valloran standing framed in the doorway. There was a look on his face of understanding and, knowing that the time had passed, they both stepped apart and faced him.

"We are done," Romulus announced, eyeing his commander and friend who had been the one to orchestrate the circumstance that had allowed him to have this time with his beloved in the first place. "What need have you of us?"

Todd stepped into the laboratory. "A report came in recently from one of my human contacts," he looked at them both meaningfully. "We have located the device."

Romulus growled softly. "Then it is back to that infernal meeting room?"

Todd smirked but shook his head. "No," he said. "A plan has already been formulated. There is no need to sit through another episode such as was the last conference over again."

The elder wraith grunted. "And the plan is?" he asked, glad that they would not have to sit through another convergence of humans again.

Todd sighed. "I myself, along with Katherine, Tanis and Nicodemus will travel to the device's location aboard one of the gateships. We will attempt to disable the platform whilst Tanis and the other find and subdue Mathis. They wish to save him if it is possible."

Romulus eyed his friend. "And you are comfortable with them accompanying you?"

Todd sighed. "Truthfully? I am not but I have little choice."

Andromeda looked towards him. "My father will behave himself. He knows what he will lose if he does not."

Todd inclined his head. "We shall see," he let loose a heavy breath and turned on his heel. "Come. Sheppard is asking for volunteers to go as backup on their Earth ship. I wish for you both to be among them."

Glancing at one another fleetingly, Andromeda and Romulus nodded once each and followed Valloran from the lab.

~xXx~

The plan wasn't outstanding, but it was the best that they could come up with given everything that was going on. All in all, Kate was less than enthused by it because it meant that she would be forced to work with two very annoying Ancients — one of which, had tried to shoot her a little over a week ago. Regardless of her feelings on the matter however, it had been known from the get go that Todd would be the one that went in to turn the device off. And because she seemed to be the only one that could control him — her brother was still jumping for joy on that one — it was her that got to go with him. Tanis and Nicodemus' inclusion had been last-minute and, as a result, the ride to the planet where the device was located was a long and silent affair. Kate was thrilled when they finally arrived at the location where the device was supposed to be.

That is, until she found out where, in reality, the facility actually was.

"It's under water?" she yelled angrily, rounding on both Tanis and Nicodemus who, up until this point, had spent the entire jumper ride sitting quietly in the back of the ship glaring daggers at the back of Todd's head. She let out an exasperated growl. "Whose dumb idea was that?"

Tanis scowled. "It is to our strategic advantage to put a number of our facilities in water due to the wraith's biological aversion to salt water."

Kate hissed and resisted the urge she had to punch him in the face again. "Do you have any idea how difficult this is going to make things?" she asked as she angled the craft in for decent. She planned to submerge the jumper on the other side of the world and then maneuver in towards the facility from beneath it. Mathis wasn't expecting company but it was a good idea to be careful just in case. She didn't want to take any chances.

The Ancient scoffed. "No more difficult than this whole endeavor was to begin with," he glared at her. "I do not see how this changes things."

To his response, Kate said nothing and simply continued to steer. Annoying is he not? Todd's voice sounded in her head and Kate jerked her head once downwards. Yes very. I want to punch him again.

Again? Todd's mental voice was both amused and inquisitive. There was a first time?

When we first met, Kate answered, shifting the trajectory of the jumper just slightly. They were entering the atmosphere now and would begin their decent to the planet's surface and then into its ocean in just a few short minutes. It was a very rewarding feeling.

The wraith snorted in amusement which earned him odd looks from both Lantean passengers. I have no doubt, my Katherine. Would that you could receive such pleasure a second time. I grow tired of his presence as do you. When this is over, I dearly hope he is not going to remain in Atlantis.

I think Daniel said something about taking all the Ancients back to Earth in order to keep an eye on them or something, Kate told him as they entered the water. Don't worry, you won't have to deal with him for much longer.

I sincerely hope that this is to be the case and he will leave, Todd continued as Katherine drove the gateship through the inky blackness. It was not long until they could see the outline of a large something in the water before them. As they neared, the facilities details came into clearer view and, not for the first time, Todd had to marvel at the ingenuity of the Lanteans. The platform was truly a sight to behold sitting, perched as it was, on the edge of an undersea cliff.

"Impressive."

Tanis snorted. "You sound surprised, wraith."

Todd snarled. "You need not address me with my biological designation. My name will suffice."

Wary of another argument breaking out whilst in the middle of an important mission, Nicodemus intervened before his commander and friend could speak. "You would have us address you by your given name while in so questionable a company?" he inquired wondering if the wraith had forgotten that they were not alone on this venture. The girl, Kate, was present as well.

Todd hissed angrily and twisted in his seat to argue that Katherine was hardly 'questionable company' but was not given the opportunity as, at that moment, the ship was docked and Katherine stood up, turning to look at all three males coldly.

"If this is going to be what I have to put up with for the whole mission I'll shoot you all here and now and turn this damned thing off myself," her eyes narrowed and she zeroed in on Todd. "Remember what we talked about?" The wraith nodded. "Good. Now shut up."

Todd clamped his mouth shut and stood, following his chosen as she exited the craft and motioned for the Lanteans to follow. Utilizing universally understood hand gestures, she outlined the plan to them all and then crept forwards. The halls and passageways of the facility were silent and still with no sign of life anywhere to be seen. The jumper's initial scan's had shown low levels of energy output coming from the platform so they knew that Mathis was indeed here and had not yet left. Knowing that, there was some urgency to their steps as they hurried along the corridors in search of the main power room.

"This is too easy," Nicodemus muttered as they rounded yet another corridor and met no resistance. He glanced over his shoulder towards Tanis. "Are there not supposed to be security measures of some kind here somewh -"

As if is words were exactly what was needed in order to set off just such a set of security measures, all four individuals froze as, around them, a series of alarms began to scream and wail loudly.

"Shit!" Kate cursed as the klaxons wailed and red lights began to flash from overhead. "We've got to move!"

"I agree," Todd turned towards the Lanteans. "Go. Find Mathis. Meet us back at the gateship." he growled and looked evenly at both former and current enemies. "Do not leave without us."

Nicodemus nodded solemnly. "We will not," he promised and then, without further conversation, took Tanis by the arm and turned down an adjacent corridor.

Todd turned back to Katherine. "If this facility is anything like the other myriad or so that I have been in before, then the main power auxiliary room should be this way."

"I'll take your word for it," she muttered as he took off and she followed. Since time was of the essence and Mathis most certainly knew they were there, they didn't waste any time by walking but rather, ran along the passages until they reached their destination. As soon as they arrived, Todd lost no time in setting himself to work. It was done in minutes. Cutting the main power supply, the wraith siphoned off the energy being used to run the facility and channeled it into all lesser, secondary systems. The problem could be fixed, but it would take time. Provided that they could remove Mathis before he had a chance to attempt to repair the damage the threat had been neutralized.

"Come," Todd said, turning to Katherine and holding out his hand for her to take. "It is done. Now all we have to do is -"

"YOU!"

For the second time in so short a period, Todd turned and came face to face with an armed Lantean who was intent on his demise. Growling, he tried to duck but was not fast enough. Mathis' shot, unlike Tanis', shot true and struck the wraith in the shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards. Hitting the ground, Todd attempted to get up but was instead forced to roll as another shot was fired at him. This one missed and, moments later, Tanis and Nicodemus arrived.

"Get out of the way!" Tanis yelled angrily, grabbing the girl and shoving her to one side so that he could aim a fully charged stunner at Mathis while his attention was occupied with trying to kill Valloran. At the last moment, he considered being rid of the wraith once and for all and changed the direction of his aim. Pulling the trigger, he fired.

Kate squeaked in protest and lost her balance, falling to the floor and landing on her shoulder just as Mathis managed to get Todd within his sights for a third time. Pushing herself up off the floor, she looked up and saw Tanis change targets. Not knowing what else to do she did the only thing she could think of and lunged at the Ancient closest to her. Tackling Tanis turned out to have been a bad idea as the stunner he was holding ended up going off when he twisted and she landed on top of him. At so close a range, even set to stun, the blast hurt and Kate cried out in pain and rolled off of him, collapsing to the floor.

Todd heard her yell and turned. Seeing Katherine on the ground, face contorted in pain was enough to make his anger boil over and turn to fury. Waiting for the next attack, Todd growled and ducked under Mathis' arm, coming up behind the Lantean. Grabbing him by the back of the head, he shoved down and forwards, cracking his opponents head against the ZPM hub. Mathis lost consciousness and fell to the floor where he stayed. Growling ferociously, Todd rounded on Tanis and, reaching down, pulled him up off the ground by the throat.

Tanis struggled against Valloran's grip but did not manage to get free. Knowing he was about to die, the Lantean closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable to come.

"Todd! NO!" Kate screamed, jumping up despite her protesting body and launching herself at the wraith. Catching him by the arm she pulled him round to face her. "Now's not the time!" she reminded him. "We have to g-"

Her words were cut off as the entire facility they were in rumbled and shook, throwing them all off of their feet. Todd dropped Tanis and held out his hands so that he could catch Katherine and keep her from falling. He was successful and, once the shaking had stopped, twisted around to look at Nicodemus. "What was that?"

The Lantean shook his head and looked down at the handheld device he had clutched in his palm. "The facility is losing its stability," he shouted over the continued wailing of the sirens. He looked up at the wraith fearfully. "Mathis set the self-destruct. We are sinking."

Kate hissed. "How can we be sinking?" she asked. "We're already under water!"

Nicodemus shook his head. "The facility is unbalanced. Without the clamps to hold it into place, this whole platform is going to come tumbling down into the abyss."

Kate cursed. "Then we'd beet get out of -"

The wall around them groaned for a second time and then a loud sound, like tearing metal, echoed through the air. Moments later, a seam off to their left burst and water began cascading in, quickly filling up the power room.

"Take him and let's go!" Kate shouted, pointing at Mathis on her way out the door. The Ancients did what they were told and stooped down to hoist their unconscious comrade up. Once he was safely between them, they began to follow her only to be thrown off their feet again as the facility shifted and then lurched, throwing them all backwards.

The Ancients were the first ones to get on their feet again and they wasted no time in hurrying back towards the docked gateship. Todd and Kate made to follow and hurriedly rushed along the corridors. Ocean water chased at their heels and made it difficult to run but they didn't dare stop. They were almost there when the bulkhead doors began to shut automatically. Like Atlantis, the facility was designed to try and protect itself and it needed to control the flooding or be lost.

Tanis and Nicodemus, together with their burden, made it through the door before it shut, as did Valloran — but Kate was not so lucky. At the rear of the group, she struggled through the deepening water and reached the bulkhead too late. It snapped shut and she screamed, hitting it furiously before turning around and looking for a control panel or something that she could override so that she could get out. The water was at her waist now and rising. It was cold and her body had stopped shivering some time ago. When she found nothing she screamed again and began pounding on the door in desperation.

On the other side, Tanis and Nicodemus made it to the gateship and released Mathis only to realize that neither Valloran or the girl were behind them. While Tanis did not care for either of them, Nicodemus knew that if they returned without at least the girl there would be hell to pay. Whilst his commander began to power up the ship, the Lantean officer doubled back and darted back out into the corridor. There he found the wraith attempting to open the locked and shut door.

There was no sign of the girl.

"Where is she?" he asked, coming back up to the wraith. "Where is Major -"

"Valloran!" came a muffled cry through the metal and the Lantean felt his eyes open. "Valloran please, please. Get me out! Get me out!"

Todd snarled and hissed, pushing through the pain that had begun to creep up on him the longer his body was submerged in the salted water. "I am trying!" he shouted back, a desperate twinge to his multi-toned voice. "I do not know what to do!"

Nicodemus stared. Even given the circumstance he still could not believe that the girl knew the wraith's given name. That and the almost desperate way in which the wraith was frantically trying to save her; it spoke volumes. She was more than something of value to him as Tanis had said objectively to him days earlier. She was important.

He cared about her.

Kate pounded desperately on the door again. "Valloran!" she shouted, tears threatening to choke her. The end was near and she wasn't going to let him die for her, no matter how willing he might be. "Go. Please go. Save yours-"

"I will not leave you!" the wraith shouted, hissing as he beat at the barrier that currently stood immovable between he and his beloved. "I will not."

When Nicodemus did not immediately come back with both the wraith and the girl, Tanis left the readied gateship and went back to find them. The state he found them in was a different one and, at seeing that Valloran was attempting the impossible, he tried to make the wraith come away. They needed to leave and they needed to do so now.

"Valloran come!" he called, not liking that he was actually actively trying to save this particular being's life. "It is a lost cause. You have lost -"

"I will not leave her!"

Tanis looked back at the wraith pityingly. The girl he had learned was the one called Sheppard's sister and, therefore, of importance to the wraith because of her value. As long as he brought her back safely his alliance with the humans was in no danger; come back without her and it would be terminated. It was sad, in a way, to see such an individual brought so low as that he had to depend so greatly on so lowly a bunch of creatures as the humans of Atlantis.

"Come," he tried again. "She is not worth your life."

Todd hissed and rounded on the Lantean who would have him leave Katherine behind to die. "She is my life!" the wraith screamed furiously, his eyes set, his fists clenched. "I will not leave her to die!"

There were many ways to express one's affection and devotion in words. The Alterans used the same general expression that most races did, including the humans from earth. 'I love you' was a profound statement coming from either they or the humans but the wraith had a different term. The phrase 'he/she is my life' was their equivalent to the common expression and hearing Valloran say it in reference to a human woman set Tanis' entire world spinning. Valloran, as long as he had known him, had always protested that he was not capable of feeling the type of affection that one must feel in order to make that declaration. Tanis was stunned.

Todd was getting desperate. "Please," he begged, swallowing his pride and turning his eyes onto Tanis imploringly. "Help me."

It was not Tanis who answered the wraith. The Lantean commander was too shocked to be able to form a coherent thought much less speak. No, in the absences of Tanis' reply, Nicodemus did it for him.

"It is a lost cause," he said truthfully, hopeful that the wraith would see it and let go of his false hope that she could yet still be saved. "Come. It is best we go now or we will not be able -"

Todd snarled and turned his back on those that he had not honestly expected to help in anyways. He had had to ask but, their refusal and readiness to give up did not surprise him. "Go then," he said coldly. "I will remain."

Tanis shook himself from his stupor. "You would die for her?" he asked incredulously. "What good does that -"

"I will not leave her and I will not live without her," Todd reached up and rested his feeding hand against the barrier. Pressing down, he attempted to feel Katherine's presence through the door. "Go. Let us both die in peace."

Still unable to comprehend the wraith's logic, Tanis and Nicodemus both bowed their heads and left, rushing back to the gateship and closing the hatch. Behind, in the quickly filling corridor, Todd continued his struggle to open the door but to no avail. In anger he pounded on the metal as Katherine did the same from her side. He felt helpless. He had not only failed but he had failed her. Now they would both die.

The facility lurched again and the structure groaned. Todd stumbled backwards and fought to right himself once the movement had stopped. Once it had, he noticed something. There was now a small gap at the base of the door. Hope flaring in him that he could at least be with Katherine in the end rather than separate from her, he submerged himself fully after taking a breath of air and pulled. The bulkhead inched upwards and Todd surfaced so that he might breathe before he dived and pulled again. At long last there was enough of a space and, after he reached under the door and tugged at Katherine's leg, she dived down and came up on his side.

"Valloran!" Kate gasped, blinking water out of her eyes. "Where…where are the Ancients?" the look in his eyes told her all that she needed to know. "They left us. They left us here to die. We're…we're going to..to-"

Todd pulled her to him and held her tightly against his chest. "Shhhhhh," he hushed her, gritting his teeth against the pain. "We are together at least."

It was a small comfort. "I love you," she whispered, her blue lips barely able to form the words. "I k-know that it does-doesn't mean m-much b-but I wanted to say-"

Todd hushed her. "Your intent is understood. I thank you, my Katherine."

Nodding her head, Kate pressed herself more firmly into Todd's embrace. Above her the wraith lowered his head and rested his cheek atop her head. Around them, the water continued to rise and then, all that she knew suddenly turned white and then went blank.

~xXx~

In orbit around the planet where the second Attero device was located, the Daedalus circled the planet below, her crew anxious to hear from the team that had gone down. On the bridge, Lorne knew that something had gone wrong. He could feel it in his bones. Someone wasn't gonna come back from this trip and, quite frankly, he just knew that the Ancients were gonna come back fine. It was Todd and Kate that he was worried about.

"We've got a jumper!" Major Marks announced. Lorne literally rushed forwards, and then bent down to peer over his fellow major's shoulder to make sure he'd heard him right.

"Thanks, gotta go," he said in a rush as he peeled off and made a beeline for the 302 bay. He met up with Cadman and Mitchell on the way and then with Andromeda, her brother Tobias, and Todd's best friend when he reached his destination. The jumper flew in and landed while Lorne practically sprinted up to the back of it. When the hatch lowered however, he immediately knew that his bad feeling had been right.

Todd and Kate were nowhere to be found.

"Where's Kate?" he demanded, eyeing the two alert and awake Ancients as they passed Mathis off to the awaiting medical team. Lorne started in on them furiously. "I said, where's -"

"She is lost to you," Nicodemus informed the human grimly. "The wraith as well. Accept it."

Romulus felt a keen feeling of loss began to well up within him, along with a heavy suspicion. "You left them," he accused, his eyes narrowing. "You betrayed -"

"The girl fell behind and the wraith stayed!" Tanis yelled, his voice defensive. "There was nothing to be done. We tried to make him leave her but he would not. More fool he to give his life so easily for a human wo-"

"Katherine is his chosen and you wonder why he would not abandon her to her fate!" Romulus roared. "I will seek retribution for this. You both -"

Tanis cut him off. "His chosen?" he echoed incredulously. "That one would not choose so lowly a creature to be his wife. She might be his whore or his companion as it were but she would not be -"

Romulus lost his temper and made for Tanis, intent to remove his head for speaking so ill of the dead. His advance was cut short however as a blindly bright flash of white light suddenly appeared and filled the whole of the 302 bay. Blinking to save his sight, Romulus turned away and shielded his face. The light dissipated and dimmed and, in curiosity, every single person in the enclosed space ceased their actions and looked up.

A ball of white energy hung in the air above all their heads. It looked odd, Romulus thought, like something from the beyond or some other world. He was just about to inquire after what, exactly it was, when the light morphed and then split into two. The two balls began to circle one another as thy spiraled downwards until they joined again and began to grow. The single entity was almost the width and breadth of Romulus himself, when it suddenly solidified and then shut off revealing two forms within its other-worldly glow.

"Kate! Todd!"

Awareness came back to her in a rush and, blinking, Kate opened her eyes and looked about. She was still held tightly in Todd's arms but she was no longer wet and neither was he. Also, they were no longer in the sinking Ancient facility but, apparently, in the 302 bay aboard the Daedalus. She frowned, confused. "Wh -"

"What the hell just happened?" Mitchell screeched loudly, looking widely around. "Did everyone just see that because I -"

Todd cut the colonel off with a hiss and turned his gaze downwards to look at his beloved. "Katherine," he whispered, drawing away from her so that distance opened up between them. "Are you well?"

She nodded. "I-I'm fine," her eyes narrowed and she looked around. "How -"

Todd took a quick intake of breath as his eyes alighted on their savior standing, or rather, floating, some distance behind those gathered about them. "Ganos."

As one, everyone turned their eyes widening and their mouths dropping open.

The ascended Ancient smiled gently. "I trust that you are in no further danger?"

Todd held her gaze and brought Katherine back into the safe circle of his arms. "We will survive," he continued to look at her. "I do not suppose you will favor me with an explanation as to why you have, once again, interfered in our lives?"

The being known as Morgan le Fay bowed her head and continued to smile at the woman and the wraith. "For the same reason I led you to her while she was a runner and released you so that you might stop Arius from assaulting her."

Todd snorted. "The reasons for which you still do not plan on explaining to me."

She nodded. "The time is not yet right but, I promise you, you will have your answer one day," she replied cryptically before taking her eyes from the wraith and then disappearing, winking from existence as though she had never been there.

Silence filled the space her departure left. No one dared say a word and, it was not until Colonel Caldwell called out to them over the overhead that anyone moved. At that point, Todd took it upon himself to take Katherine to rest while Lorne cuffed and then escorted the Ancients back to their holding cells. Eventually the bay stood empty, no trace of what had happened left within her, her walls silent, stark and still.

~xXx~

It was done. Tanis and the other Lanteans had been taken back through the gate to Earth and there they would remain. Todd was glad for this, extremely so as it meant that life could once more return to normal. Sheppard had been less than pleased to learn that he and Katherine had been saved by an ascended being whose, according to major Lorne, interference in their lives was a sure sign that he and Katherine were meant to be. Todd was not sure if he would go so far as to believe that but it was promising to think of. Surely Ganos would not have invested so much effort in them if they were doomed for failure.

Katherine.

Thoughts of Ganos brought his mind tumbling back to the female who sat before him, her back pressed into his chest as she reclined against him, her body nestled into the space between his legs. They were once more within the glade-like refuge of the city's arboretum sitting quietly whilst Todd waited for his hive to arrive to fetch him. He did not want to leave but, the time had come for him to depart, as there were matters which he must attend to that could no longer be ignored.

"Do you have to go?"

It was as though she had been monitoring his thoughts and, despite his usual feelings on the matter, Todd found that he did not mind the thought of forever sharing his mind with Katherine. "I must, yes," he replied softly, reaching up to tuck a strand of her ebony hair more securely behind her ear. "I have things to which I must attend."

Kate smiled ruefully. "Galactic domination and all that?"

Todd nodded. "Yes, something to that effect," he pulled back from her and looked down upon her. "I will see you shortly, my Katherine, be sure of that."

She smiled. "Are you gonna start taking my brother up on some of his more hare-brained offers of assistance?"

"Hmmnnn," Todd grunted, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Perhaps I shall be finding myself in more need of you Atlantians' assistance in my endeavors," he bowed his head towards her. "I shall gladly suffer your brother for you."

Kate smirked. "I'll tell him you said that, it'll make his day."

The wraith hissed and stood, holding out a hand to help her to rise. She took it and, after he had pulled her upwards, he pulled her to him before she could pull away.

"What?" Kate asked, curious. Todd was looking at her very intently.

"I know that in human culture it is customary to give some sort of gift, usually some sort of adornment, in order to formalize one's desire to bind their chosen," he tilted his head to one side and removed a small box from a pocket concealed within his battle-coat. "I have such a gift for you."

Kate felt her eyes go wide as she looked down at the box that Todd was presenting to her. Taking it in both hands, she opened it and gasped in astonishment at the necklace that lay nestled inside. The stone looked like a diamond but it glowed as though it were being lit from the inside. Wordlessly she lifted it from its wrappings and held it up, her eyes turning from her new pendant onto its giver. "Valloran, I -"

"Shhh," he silenced her, knowing that she had been about to thank him and for her to wait until after he had given his explanation. "It is called a starstone, for obvious reasons. It is rare, each stone unique — much as you are." He took the pendant from her and turned her about so that he might clasp it to her neck. Lowering his head, he allowed her to turn back around as she looked up at him. "Does it please you?"

Kate couldn't think of how to tell him how she felt other than to kiss him. Lifting herself up onto her tiptoes, she brought her mouth to his and pressed it firmly against his lips. The kiss was short, not nearly so long as their other ones and, once she was sure he knew just how much she did like it, she pulled away.

"John's gonna flip when he sees this."

Todd chuckled. "I would imagine so, yes," he looked down on her one last time and reached out so that he might touch her face with the fingers of his feeding hand. "Until again, my Katherine," he let his hand fall away. "I shall have you in my thoughts, always."

And then he was gone.

Kate watched him go, her hand already toying with her pendant as she twiddled it between her fingers. Sighing, she turned and skipped off. She wanted to go show her brother her shiny new engagement necklace, but first, she had to go get her camera. Seriously, John was really gonna flip when he saw her wearing this! Kate could hardly wait.