"I will feed on you all; no one in Atlantis shall escape!"

Carson's eyes were closed, his hands balled into fists as he trembled under the wraith's threats.

Michael smiled as he paced around Carson's cot. "Have you a lover, Beckett?"

Carson said nothing.

"I have seen Teyla speak to you often…"

Carson's eyes popped open. "Leave her alone!"

Michael smiled again. "Ah, have I touched upon a nerve?"

"She's my friend."

Michael's smile vanished. "She pretended to be my friend. It was a lie; everything was a lie!"

"We did it all fer yer good, lad…"

"NO, you did it for YOUR good, doctor!" said Michael, grabbing Carson by the front of his jacket. "For the good of you humans!" He let go roughly. "Teyla will be the first one I will feed upon!"

"No!" said Carson. "She tried ta help ya!"

"Lies!" Michael bent over him, menacingly. "She will be the first! And I will do it before your face, while you beg for me to stop!"

"No!"

"No! Teyla! No!"

As one, each member of the team scrambled out of their beds.

John reached Carson's side first, having been awake anyway, keeping 'watch'. He knew from experience that nightmares were coming for the doc. Grabbing him by the arm, he shook his friend awake, to find his eyes already open.

Carson shot upright, gasping from fear.

Teyla, having heard her name being called so frightfully, sat on the bed and took him by the arms. "Carson! It is all right; I am here. We are all safe."

Carson's eyes were full of tears as he sat there, shaking. "Teyla," he said, sounding immensely relieved.

Seeing her gentle friend hurting so badly broke Teyla's heart, so she did what any woman would do in such a situation.

She pulled Carson closer and hugged him.

The loving contact easily broke open the floodgates. "Teyla! He said that he was goin' ta feed on everyone in Atlantis, an' that he would start with you, since yer my friend! He said he would do it right in front o' me eyes an' ignore me while I beg 'em ta stop!"

Teyla said nothing, letting him speak as she gently rubbed his back.

"He kept askin' me questions, an' when I refused ta answer, he'd pretend that he was about ta feed on me! I was so bloody scared!" Carson told her. "I'm a doctor, not a soldier!"

Rodney would've had the perfect opportunity to slip in a Star Trek joke there, but he remained silent, sadly watching his friend suffer.

John focused on the 'questions' statement, and made a motion to Teyla.

The Athosian knew what John wanted; they'd quietly spoken earlier while Carson slept. "What did he ask you, Carson?" Teyla carefully said, still comfortingly rubbing his back.

Carson was silent for a few seconds, and they were afraid that either he wasn't going to answer, or that he'd fallen asleep on Teyla's shoulder.

"I can hardly remember," Carson finally said. "He asked about Atlantis! Our defenses, the shield! I think he even asked how many puddlejumpers we have!"

"What did you tell him?" Teyla asked.

"Nothin'!" Carson told her. "I didn' tell him a thing, despite all his threats!"

Everyone smiled at that. Carson was tougher than he looked.

"Finally, he…he probed my mind. I dunno what he found, there was so much!"

Teyla frowned. "So much what?"

"I could 'see' what he was doin'! It was like watchin' TV!" Carson told her. "Thoughts and memories played in me head. I saw myself as a wee bairn! I saw me mum, old friends, Atlantis…everyone!"

"He must've seen the bomb," said John.

At his voice, Carson startled and broke Teyla's hold, sitting back and seeing the other three.

John handed him a glass of water that he'd purposely left on the nightstand.

Carson gratefully drank it, trying not to spill it as his hand shook. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Remember when we tried to set the bomb off after rescuing you?" John said. "It didn't explode. Michael must've dismantled it."

Carson sighed, nodding. It made sense. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," said John. "Right guys?"

"Right," said Rodney.

"Of course not," said Teyla.

"You resisted a wraith," said Ronon. "You should be proud."

Carson gave them a little smile. "How did I find such wonderful friends?"

Teyla smiled back and squeezed his hands.

"Wonderful," Rodney echoed. "I like the sound of that."

Without warning, both John and Ronon whacked him upside the head.

Rodney flinched and jumped up. "Hey! What was that for?!"

Both men were laughing, not able to believe that they'd both just done the same thing.

Teyla laughed too, and Carson couldn't help but join in.

Rodney crossed his arms with a 'hrumph!'

Carson's eyes started to close; he was drained both physically and mentally. The headache that Michael's mind-probe had caused was pulsing through his skull, and he tiredly rubbed his forehead.

"Sleep," Teyla suddenly said, pushing him back down flat.

Carson tried to protest, not wanting to risk anymore nightmares, but his aching brain had other ideas…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Carson fought his bonds as he watched the wraith drag Teyla into the room. She was bruised and bloodied, her arms tied behind her back.

"No, Michael, don't! Please!" he exclaimed. "I'll do anythin' ya ask, please!"

"I told you she would be the first!" Michael exclaimed. "Keep begging, doctor!"

Carson couldn't stop the tears that welled in his eyes. "Please," he said. "Feed on me instead!"

"Carson…" said Teyla, but Michael's hand around her throat cut off her words.

"Michael! Please!" Carson urgently begged. "Don't do it! Please!"

But Michael merely looked at him, smiled, and slammed his hand on the Athosian's chest.

"No!" Carson shouted. "No!"

Before his eyes, Teyla aged…and aged…and aged, until there was nothing left but an extremely old woman.

Michael threw her to the ground, and turned to face Carson with a triumphant expression on his face.

Carson didn't bother hiding his tears…or his anger. "Yer a monster!" he shouted. "An evil monster!"

Michael frowned at that, and grabbed him by the throat, squeezing tightly.

Carson gasped, unable to take in any air.

Michael snarled in his face, maintaining the grip.

Carson started to see spots before his eyes, and his vision darkened. Just when he was about to pass out, he suddenly found himself thrown to the floor, the wraith's hand no longer squeezing the life from his body.

Michael watched as Carson gasped and choked. A few seconds later, he left without a word.

Carson limply lay on the floor, trying to drag enough air past his aching throat. When he finally opened his eyes, he wished he hadn't.

Teyla was dead.

"Noooooo," Carson moaned, trying to drag himself over to her frail corpse. He lacked the strength though, only succeeding in touching her arm. "Teyla," he called, tears sliding down his face. "Teyla?"

There was, of course, no answer, so he simply lay there and mourned his friend, holding tightly to her arm…

"Carson? Carson!"

Once again, the doctor bolted upright, finding himself in his Daedalus bed. He was shaking again, and wondered if there'd ever come a day after this that he wouldn't shake.

"Shh," he heard, as hands grasped his arms. "You are safe, Carson, fear not."

Teyla.

Carson took a shuddering breath, lowering his head. She was alive; Michael hadn't fed on her.

Teyla rubbed his arm, and he tightly grasped her hands, trying to control his emotions. "Thanks, lass, I'm all right." His voice trembled though, contradicting him.

She smiled, and he realized that a nearby lamp was on, keeping it dark enough for sleeping, but light enough for a certain doctor to instantly recognize his surroundings.

"Lay back," Teyla said. "We shall be home soon."

"Home…" Carson echoed. He itched to get back to Atlantis; to his infirmary, his quarters…even seeing the Gate would be welcome right now.

Snort…snuffle…snort.

Carson recognized the sudden symphony as coming from Rodney. The scientist settled down again, and Carson was glad that his nightmare hadn't woken anyone else. "I'm sorry fer wakin' ya, love," he said to Teyla.

She shook her head. "You did not. I was already awake."

It was only then that Carson realized they were taking turns watching over him. He was immensely touched, and almost couldn't speak for a minute. "Ya need sleep too. I'm all right."

She smiled, not believing him for a second. Sitting on the side of his bed, she patted his arm and began to softly sing.

Carson closed his eyes, letting the sweet melody comfort him.

TBC