Thanks so much, again, for the lovely reviews! I'm so glad people are enjoying reading my story. Thanks so much for the kind and encouraging words! :)

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John pushed back against the cold fog clouding his mind, forcing himself to think clearly… or just stay awake! His right elbow rested heavily on his side as he couldn't even muster the strength to hold his gun hand up. Not that it mattered too much. He could still shoot from the hip and hit more often than miss. It was a style of shooting frowned on by the Air Force, but he'd always been a sucker for a good western, so it was something he'd perfected a long time ago. He drew in a stuttering breath. His left elbow shook from trying to hold his weight but he refused to let it give out. Behind him, he heard the crunch of snow as Rodney apparently shifted his stance.

McKay… For a moment, John remembered the way Rodney had been when they'd first arrived in Pegasus. A lot had changed since then, and so, apparently, had McKay. He'd known Rodney wasn't going to leave him behind, even when he insisted on it. Underneath all the blustering, Rodney was a good guy… not that he'd ever admit it. Part of John felt guilty over it; Rodney would probably die alongside him for his principles, but he pushed the feelings away. They'd survive, if he had anything to say about it.

John shook his head slightly. The cold was playing with his concentration; his thoughts were all over the place, when they needed to be focused on the approaching Malneks.

The lead animal snarled and uncontrolled memories flashed over John. Wraith… Malneks… fighting… pain…. John dismissed the memories. They'd survived then, with only swords and wits and this time, with guns, they'd survive again.

The Malneks inched closer as they spread out. John swallowed hard. Through the cold and the pain, his stomach was threatening to do undignified things as well. Great… that's all I need… "M-kay…" he managed. John closed his eyes for a second and tried to stop his teeth from chattering but it was futile. In the back of his head, words like 'hypothermia' and 'life threatening' popped to mind, but he called on a deep pool of strength; a well he kept full for just such an occasion, and cleared his mind. "R-odney."

"What?"

Rodney's reply was snappy, but John expected it. Even in one word, he could hear a hint of the fear Rodney tried to keep in check. John didn't blame him, not for one second. With the growing darkness, the Malneks looked more like werewolves than actual wolves. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but they seemed to have huge rounded backs and low set heads. Their mouths were full of sharp teeth and their eyes caught the last rays of sun and gleamed as they stared back with a viciousness that redoubled the cold chills that swept through him. Hell yes, McKay's scared, he'd be insane not to be! John pushed down his fear. "S-plit…" he managed. "Th-the big black one… th-that's twelve o'clock. Y-you take six to t-twelve. I'll take twelve to s-six…"

"They're all big and black!" Rodney snapped back.

"M-kay," John hissed through clenched teeth, "th-the alpha! The r-really big-g one!" He cocked his gun and flipped off the safety. "H-old… fire…not y-yet…"

"Yeah… and how much closer do you want them?" Rodney retorted quietly.

"M-kay!" John managed to glare up at him before returning his attention to the Malneks as they inched closer. "F-focus!"

"Right," Rodney sighed. "This would be better if you still had your P-90," he added crossly.

John's teeth were chattering so loudly that he struggled to even hear his friend. He cocked a brow. "L-lost it… t-tryin not to…get killed by… s-snow…"

"Right," Rodney answered, "of course you did."

John didn't have the strength to retort. Leave it to Rodney to somehow make being caught in an avalanche and losing his P-90, his fault.

"I swear if we get out of this alive, I'm carrying a P-90 anytime we go off world from now on." Rodney groused.

Abrupt movement out of the corner of John's eye quelled any reply he had. "McKay!" he warned as one of the Malneks leapt at Rodney who immediately opened fire.

Adrenaline spurred on by an intense instinct for survival, coursed through John sharpening his senses and lending him strength as his shots immediately joined Rodney's.

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Teyla froze in her tracks the unmistakable sound of nine mil fire sending a cold stab into her heart. She stared for a moment at the trees. "No," she whispered. The shots could only mean one thing.

The Malneks had found John and Rodney.

She reached up and slapped her headset as she took off through the snow as fast as she could. "Rodney, do you read me?" She shook her head at the foreboding silence that greeted her, but she tried to find some level of reassurance as the gunfire continued to echo proving they were still alive. Teyla redoubled her efforts as she pushed through the snow.

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"Watch it!" Rodney sent two shots into a Malnek poised to leap at John before reaching down for his spare clip. "Reload!"

On cue, the colonel shifted his attention, firing on another Malnek that eyed Rodney.

Rodney slid the clip into place and cocked the gun, just as another Malnek slipped past John's defenses and latched onto him, just above the knee of his broken leg.

Crippled by pain, John's hoarse cry echoed off the rocks as the Malnek savagely shook his leg. He tried to aim his gun, but the few shots he managed went wide.

"John!" Rodney fired at the Malnek, his shots forcing the beast to let go and stumble back. Rodney took one step towards his friend, before his world turned upside down. He felt the air rush out of his lungs as a tremendous weight plowed into his back forcing him to the ground. His face buried in the snow, Rodney bent his arm, firing wildly, desperately hoping he'd get lucky. Somehow, an errant thought of how Sheppard would rake him across the coals for firing his weapon so irresponsibly, managed to work its way into his thoughts, but panic was a strong motivator and desperately, he fired until his clip was empty.

It was a long moment, before he realized two things. First, the weight on his back wasn't moving… wasn't burying its teeth into his neck. Second more gunfire echoed… automatic gunfire. Heaving himself up, Rodney shrugged out from under the dead Malnek and his eyes fixed on Teyla standing firmly in front of him and John firing repeatedly at any Malnek that dared approach. His breaths heaving, his gaze fixed on John who was as motionless as the dead Malnek next to him. "Sheppard!" On hands and knees, Rodney crawled the short distance between them. He spared a moment to look down at John's closed eyes, before he took the nine mil from the colonel's limp grasp and fired, point blank, at an approaching Malnek who seemed to think the unconscious colonel would make a good dinner. "Son of a bitch!" Rodney shouted before his next shot dropped the beast…

…and then, it was silent.

Rodney looked around for a moment, ready to shoot anything hairy that moved before he realized all the Malneks around him were dead. He looked up at Teyla who lowered her weapon.

"It is over, Rodney," she said quietly, her gaze somehow both comforting and resolute at the same time.

Rodney took another breath before lowering the gun. He looked down at Sheppard's pale face. If the colonel had looked half dead before, he looked at least ninety percent there now. Rodney pressed his fingers into Sheppard's throat, but it was a long moment before he was able to nod in relief. "He's alive, barely."

Teyla dropped her gun, letting it hang from her TAC vest as she grabbed the tattered emergency blanket and heaved it out from under the body of a Malnek.

Rodney scrambled around behind Sheppard and lifted him up before pulling him close to his body once more as Teyla tucked the blanket in around him.

"God," Rodney whispered, "he's so cold." He stared at Sheppard's head for a moment, and tried to quell the dread within him. Not now… not after all of this. You're not checking out, Sheppard! He looked up at Teyla. "Ronon?" He stared at Teyla's somber expression. "If he didn't make it…" Rodney's voice trailed off as a familiar hum reached his ears. He looked up and was met with what was probably the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

A Puddle Jumper.

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At first, Lorne swore his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the black specks he could barely make out in the dusk, coincided directly with the HUD's tracking of their people's sub q transmitters. A small smile jumped to his face. "There!" he exclaimed as he pointed straight out through the Jumper windshield. He smacked the console, opening communications. "This is Jumper Two. Colonel? Teyla? McKay do you copy?"

"Major," Teyla's voice immediately answered. "It is very good to see you. The colonel is gravely injured. We must get him back to Atlantis as soon as possible."

Lorne pushed the Jumper into a descent. "Copy that."

"Major," McKay interjected. "The snow field is unstable. It might not hold the weight of the Jumper without sinking."

Lorne eyed the uneven avalanche snow and nodded. "Thanks for the heads up, McKay. We'll take it careful and see what happens."

"Refocus the Jumper's sensors up the mountain as well. With all the gunfire and avalanche activity, the snow pack has to be unstable. I'd rather not get buried in another slide."

Lorne cocked a brow and pushed back his irritation at the decidedly commanding tone McKay took. Annoying as it was, he was right. Besides, they had more important things to think about than bruised egos. "Copy that."

"What's the Colonel's condition?" Carson interrupted.

"Did Teyla not just say grave?" Rodney snapped back.

Lorne glanced up at Carson who took a deep breath.

"Yes, Rodney, but that's a wee bit vague."

"He's hypothermic, unconscious, probably has some broken ribs and a broken leg. Does that sum it up?" Rodney answered sharply.

"Aye," Carson sighed.

Lorne tuned out the conversation as he felt the Jumper touch down. Jarring shudders swept through the hull as the snow underneath them buckled and his grip on the controls tightened; ready at a second's notice to lift off. The last thing we need is for us to get stuck… He eyed the HUD as the shuddering stopped. "Looks like we're settling. His gaze shifted and he looked past the transparent display at the bodies of several dead animals around them. In the back of his mind, he pulled on the mission reports he'd read and Weir's words in the Gate room. "Malneks," he muttered. Lorne turned in his chair, his gaze zeroing in on the tall Marine standing by the back hatch. "Hutchinson! Get your team out there and set up a perimeter."

Hutchinson nodded once, curtly before slapping the hatch control. The ramp was barely half open, before the team of Marines jumped out the back and fanned out.

Lorne grabbed his P-90 and let Carson go ahead of him as the back hatch settled into the snow.

Carson sidestepped a dead Malnek and shot it a brief look. "Bloody hell those things are big!"

Lorne nodded in agreement. "I thought the one in the Gate room was big, but those..." his voice trailed off as he stopped a few feet away from the colonel's battered team. His gaze fixed on Sheppard, cradled in Rodney's arms, as Carson knelt next to them. The colonel was just about as white as the snow around him. "Damn," Lorne muttered as he pushed down his concern with practiced professionalism. His gaze switched to Teyla who stood and walked over to him. He nodded once at her. "You okay?"

Teyla's slight smile was hollow. "Yes. But, the colonel…" her voice trailed off.

Lorne nodded. "Yeah."

"Ronon?" Teyla asked hesitantly.

Lorne gave her the best reassuring smile he could muster. "He's going to be ok."

"Going to be?" Rodney interrupted as he looked up at the both of them.

"Yeah," Lorne nodded. He still had a hard time believing what had happened. "Ronon was attacked by Malneks. Brought one with him through the gate."

"A Malnek?" Teyla's eyes widened.

"Yeah, little lively in the Gate room for a few minutes, but the guys took care of it."

"He's going to be fine," Carson interjected as headed straight for Sheppard.

Teyla took a deep breath. "We knew that Ronon was attacked, but did not know if he…" her voice trailed off.

Lorne stared at her for a moment as he absorbed what she'd said. They hadn't known if Ronon was even alive, much less if help was coming. Hell of a situation to be in. "It's okay now," he responded quietly, satisfied when Teyla nodded silently back.

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Adrenaline sharpened Carson's wits as he fell to his knees and pressed his hand into Sheppard's throat. His practiced eye quickly passed over the colonel's body as he felt Sheppard's slow pulse tattoo against his fingers. "Ach, lad…" He looked up at Lorne. "I need the rest of my supplies including the stretcher."

Lorne nodded and gestured at one of his team. "Collins."

"He's not shivering anymore," Rodney commented quietly.

Carson looked up, meeting his concerned gaze. "Aye. He's too cold for it." Carson's eyes scanned down Sheppard's injured leg, stopping just above the break to settle on his shredded pant leg. "What…"

"Malnek got a hold of him," Rodney answered.

Carson blinked hard. "Oh good God…" he couldn't imagine the pain the colonel had gone through from the attack. "He's lucky to be alive. In his condition, that kind of jarring to a broken bone could've sparked an arrhythmia and killed him."

"He's strong," Rodney muttered.

Carson nodded. "Aye, he's going to have to stay strong to get through this." Carson ran a hand over the tightly secured wire splint, but left it alone. "We'll deal with that when he's warmer," Carson muttered to no one in particular. He looked up as Collins set a large medical bag next to him. "Good son. There's a heavy blanket in there, get it out and get him covered." Carson switched his attention to Lorne. "There's not much I can do here. We need to get him back to Atlantis."

"Sir," Hutchinson's voice broke in, "Life Signs Detector is picking up multiple signals in the trees headed this direction."

Carson sighed. "Ach, great."

"Villagers?" Lorne turned a questioning look to Teyla, who shook her head.

"No, the village was culled and destroyed. There are none left alive."

"Wraith?" Lorne answered sharply.

"I do not sense a Wraith presence," Teyla reassured.

"Then it's another pack." Rodney added, "somehow, I'm not any more comforted."

"How the hell did people live on this planet with these damned things?" Lorne wondered out loud as he looked around.

"The Malneks found… the dead in the remains of the village," Teyla answered quietly. "I believe that has made them more aggressive towards humans."

"Not what I needed to hear," Rodney muttered.

Carson took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on Lorne. "Major," he insisted quietly.

Lorne nodded once. "Right." He looked over at Hutchinson. "How far?"

"Couple hundred yards, sir," Hutchinson answered.

"We're not waitin' for them to show up," Lorne turned his attention to Collins. "Help the good doc. Let's get the Colonel on the Jumper and get the hell out of here."

"In a minute," Carson answered as he quickly unfolded the collapsible stretcher next to Sheppard, before he pulled another splint from his large bag and set to further immobilizing the colonel's leg.

"Doc," Lorne's voice held a note of urgency, "we're sort of on a clock here…."

"Aye," Carson's reply was short, "but we're doing this the right way, Major. I'll not risk another jarring to that leg. The colonel's condition is precarious enough."

Lorne pressed his lips together and nodded. He looked over at Hutchinson. "Captain, stay sharp."

Hutchinson nodded back. "Got it, sir."

Carson secured the splint before he slid his hands under Sheppard's injured leg and grabbed the pant cuff of his other leg as Collins joined Rodney to help lift Sheppard's upper body. "Careful now," Carson cautioned, "we need to do this as smoothly as possible." Carson shifted his feet under himself and looked at Rodney and Collins. "Ready? Lift." Together the three of them lifted Sheppard onto the stretcher. Carson gently let go of Sheppard's legs and stood as Collins and Rodney stepped back as well.

Lorne edged his way in front of Rodney. "I got it."

"What…" Rodney looked up at him.

"Rodney," Carson interjected and gave the doctor a pointed look.

"Right." Rodney stepped back.

Lorne and Collins took the front of the stretcher while one of the Marines and Carson took the bottom. Slowly, they worked their way through the snow and back into the Jumper. As they settled Sheppard on the floor, Carson looked out the back and past the retreating Marines his gaze fixing on moving shadows barely visible against the growing darkness. "Damn," he whispered as the last of the Marines backpedaled into the Jumper and closed the ramp. "Stuff of nightmares," he added, before returning his attention to Sheppard. He stuffed three more emergency warming packs around Sheppard's torso before tucking the blanket tighter around him. He grabbed the colonel's wrist, palpating his pulse before looking up at Lorne who eased the Jumper off the ground. "Major, adjust the environmental controls. I want it warmer in here. As soon as you're in range, dial Atlantis. I want a full hypothermia team standing by in the Jumper bay."

"You got it, Doc," Lorne responded.

A quiet groan captured Carson's attention and he looked down watching as Sheppard's eyelids fluttered. "Colonel? John? Son, open your eyes."

Slowly, Sheppard's eyelids parted ever so slightly, the hazel coloring muted by dilated pupils. "Wha…" His voice was more a slurred whisper than anything.

Carson put a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, John. We'll take good care of ye."

Sheppard swallowed. "D…doc…."

Carson smiled slightly. "Aye," he replied quietly. "We got you, son."

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