I don't own SGA or any of it's characters. I only own my badguy and my story... with a few extras thrown in for good measure. Well, I'm living up to my word folks. I'm posting another chapter. But this is all I have written at the moment so I won't be posting another one tonight. So have fun. :)

Chapter Sixteen

Expedition members jumped out of the way when they saw the Satedan striding down the hallway still wearing the burgundy scrubs from the infirmary. As soon as they saw the determined and pissed off look on his face combined with the speed at which he was walking, nobody had wanted to get in his way. That was something they didn't want… to be decked by the one person who could do them considerable harm. Even above Teyla. They had gotten to know the Runner, as much as anyone could, but they were still quite jumpy when it came to the man. He was one scary dude… even on his good days. Which they couldn't tell the difference. So they just continued to avoid him.

When he arrived at the Control Room, nobody objected that he wanted to see Dr. Weir. They just let him go. He barely even knocked as he entered the room. "Why hasn't McKay fixed Sheppard yet?"

Elizabeth looked up at the man. He looked horrible. Pissed and horrible. Bad combination she thought. "Direct as ever Ronan." She said without even a hint of a smile. Neither of them were in that kind of a mood.

"Answer my question. Why hasn't McKay fixed Sheppard?" He stood directly in front of her desk and crossed his arms across his chest. He looked extremely imposing.

"There was an explosion Ronan. It ruined two of the pods. It took some time, but Rodney, Carson and Teyla managed to get the other two working. Now Rodney and Teyla are trying to make sure that the pods are safe to use. Safe to put John in. It shouldn't be much longer." She didn't know why she felt the need to explain everything to the Runner. She didn't have to. It was her discretion about what information she gave out. But the man had become a close friend of the Colonel's so she told him everything. At least everything that she knew.

By the time she had finished Ronan was now sitting in the chair across from her. Still with his arms crossed over his chest. The bruises on his neck were turning dark purple and it was a strange sight to see. Never had she thought that he would be the one who had been beaten. It was usually the other way around. But she knew that Puren had taken him off guard and that it had been almost fatal.

Ronan just frowned at her. It was an intimidating frown. And she was a hard woman to be intimidated by anyone. Ronan was different though. Maybe it was that he was an alien. Or maybe it was because of his size. Or hell, it could have even been both. Any way that she looked at it though… he was just an intimidating force.

"I'm going down to the lab." Ronan said as he stood up.

"Do you really think that's a wise decision? You just woke up less than half an hour ago. Don't you think you should get some rest?" she asked concerned.

"I'm fine. I don't need to rest." He said determinedly.

She thought about his statement for a moment and then realized that he was probably the only person who could say that and make her believe it. Even though he looked like hell it didn't mean that he was about to keel over. She finally nodded her head in agreement and watched as the man turned. "Ronan?" she said before he could leave. He just turned and looked at her with his right eyebrow raised. "Just a thought here. If you're going to the lab, can you put some regular clothes on?"

He looked down at the burgundy scrubs he was wearing and then back at Weir. "Hm." He said in what she thought was an agreement and then he left the room.

A smile finally reached her face and she shook her head. And, she wasn't sure, but she thought she caught the tiniest smile on Ronan's face as well. Or was that just her imagination? She looked at the man as he disappeared from view. "Nah." She said shaking her head. "It was a smile."

There was a clank of sound coming from Rodney's direction and then emphatic profanity. Teyla turned around from her position at the console in time to see the physicist sitting on the floor rubbing his head. "Dammit! That's going to leave a mark. Ow!"

"What happened Dr. McKay?" she asked as she came over to stand in front of him.

"I moved the wrong way and hit my head on the under side of the damned pod." He rubbed profusely at the spot and grimaced.

"Why were you under the pod to begin with Rodney?"

He craned his head up towards her and gave her one of those 'are you stupid' looks that he was a master at giving. "I was checking on the connection. What do you think I was doing?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "It was a valid question Rodney." She said raising her left eyebrow in a frustrated manner.

McKay, with an equal, if not more of a look of frustration on his face stood up from the floor with his data pad in hand and walked past her. "We'll talk later about the validity of your questions. Right now we have to get these pods running at one hundred percent. Is that too much to ask?"

Teyla took in a deep breath as she tried not to strangle the man and then turned to follow him. When she arrived at the console McKay was already pushing buttons. She did not interrupt him.

"This should be the sequence to get the pod running at full capacity. But as I said before, it would be a lot easier with 'Ancient Technology for Dummies' at hand."

"It better be the right sequence McKay." came a deep raspy voice from behind them. When they both turned they saw Ronan standing at the entrance to the lab, wearing his brown leather pants and beige top. His long, dreadlocked, brown hair was tied back which made it quite easy for them to see the massive purple bruises that had formed on his neck. Puren, or Colonel Sheppard for that matter, had done considerable damage.

"Ronan. It is good to see you up and around." Teyla said with a large smile and gave the man a hug when he arrived at her side. He gave her a slight hug back and then stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest again.

Rodney just looked at the man, not sure what to say. Almost a minute went by before McKay said anything. "So. How are you doing?" It was lame, but it was the only thing that he could think of to say.

"Fine." Was the only word that Ronan said to answer him.

"Right. The monosyllabic answer. I can live with that. How's Sheppard?"

"Not good. He's awake, but Puren showed up. Which is why I'm here."

"Dammit. I'm moving as fast as I can Ronan." He said defensively. "It's not my fault that there's a learning curve when it comes to Ancient Technology." Ronan and Teyla both looked at him with some confusion and Rodney rolled his eyes and sighed. "Never mind. Why do I always need a translator when I'm talking to you two?" He turned back to the console and began pressing buttons.

"Listen McKay." Ronan said with an angry tone. "Get this thing working. Sheppard's fading fast. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to see him die. Even if it is just his mind and not his body."

Rodney looked at the Runner incredulously. "What the hell are you talking about! Of course I don't want to see Sheppard die! What do you take me for? I like the insufferable man just the way he is. The rakish hair, the uncalled for sarcasm, his Captain Kirk way with the ladies and yes, even the hero complex! He's my friend!"

"Then start acting like it McKay!" Ronan said using as much of his voice as he could while still trying to sound menacing.

"Excuse me!" McKay said with a loud squeak.

But before the argument could continue, Teyla stood between the two men and placed a hand on each of their chests. "Stop it! We do not have time for this childish argument!" She looked from one to the other.

They both held their tongues. Ronan's mouth looked like he was about to bear his teeth. It would have made him look even more animalistic if he had had fangs. He was breathing quite heavily. Rodney, on his part, had his lips pursed tightly together. It was obvious to her that he was trying to keep in a very nasty comment that would have been directed at the Satedan.

"Ronan." She said facing him. "Rodney has been down here almost constantly working on these pods with me since we found them. He is trying extremely hard to get them working so that we may save Colonel Sheppard. I understand that you are angry and frustrated with the situation, but you do not need to act this way with him. He is being a true friend by doing this." Ronan glanced at her and then back at Rodney. His face had softened somewhat. As much as that could be possible with him.

Teyla turned to face McKay. "Now Rodney. I know what you are doing for the Colonel. We all do. But you do not need to act so condescending towards us. You are not the only one who is trying to bring him back to us. You have to understand that I am here and I am willing to help you. And that Ronan is upset and wants to help in his own way. So please, let us just work together and save Colonel Sheppard." She looked imploringly at the man. Rodney looked at her and then back at Ronan. He nodded his head.

Teyla could see that the tension level in the room had dissipated somewhat so she took her hands down from their chests and then stood back from them. "Thank you. Both of you. Now please shake hands and agree that you are going to work together from now on to help the Colonel. No more arguments. Agreed?"

"Agreed." They both said simultaneously and then reluctantly shook hands.

"Good. Now let us get back to the task at hand shall we?" she said and then turned to face the console. She knew the day was going to be long, but at least she had been able to get her other teammates to work together. Sort of.

TBC in Chapter Seventeen...

A/N: Have fun with this chapter? I hope so because I don't know when I'm going to get to write more. Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow. You'll have to wait and see. Later days folks. :)