Title: Show No Fear
Author: Feral Geek
Rating: pg-13 to R
Summary:…If you don't know by now, go back to the beginning and start reading.
Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate, or the Wraith, they own me. However if you see it and are 'wtf is that? Oo' its probably mine (unless otherwise stated)
A/N: Whooo! Double Post! (awesome, yeah?)
Annnnnyway! Hope you took a peek at Cavan's drawing (its it great?! I squeed with fan girlish joy when I saw it ) Also, I want you to go look at 'The Unseen' By SNBRADY, 'kay?
Uh…read and review!
---
It
was late in the night and Carson had decided to check up on the new
parents.
Adrienne hadn't had the easiest time of it, and the
doctors had wanted to keep the children under observation for a few
days.
As far as they knew, nothing like this had happened before, at least, no one that had done this was still living.
And they wanted to be sure that there would be no complications, and that the twins would be fine.
This was the fifth night they had spent in the Infirmary, and so far nothing had gone wrong.
Still, it couldn't hurt to check.
By now, he was used to the sleeping patterns of his new wards, and Carson expected Adrienne and the children to be fast asleep, and Cavan to be perched in silence on the edge of his chair, watching over them in silence.
Carson was, of course, correct.
For a moment he stared at the Wraith, who seemed to be completely oblivious to the doctor's presence.
For a moment, Carson wondered what caused the Wraith to keep the silent vigil as his family slept, before professional concern took over and he asked, "When was the last time you slept, lad?"
Cavan didn't even turn to look at the doctor, one shoulder lifting in an indifferent shrug.
He had been picking up a few of the human expressions, and shrugging was one of them.
Then again, this sharing of habits had gone both ways, in turn a few of the regular infirmary staff had picked up some more Wraithlike facial expressions and gestures.
To
be honest, all of them had grown skilled at reading the alien faces
that had once seemed to blank.
In truth, they were simply
more…subtle in their actions than humans were.
"Well?" the doctor continued to persist, and he might had asked 'when did you last eat', out of sheer habit before remembering exactly what it was that Cavan ate.
Finally, the Wraith relented and
replied, "Five days…"
Carson frowned slightly, that would
mean that the other had not slept the entire time that his mate and
children had been in the infirmary.
"I cannot…"
Cavan had cut Carson's rather indignant question off, turning slightly in the chair to look at him, eyes glowing a predatory blue in the gloom of the darkened infirmary.
"I have been…dreaming…my mind will not allow me rest."
Carson
frowned at this, "Do you need a sedative?"
Many of the
inhabitants of Atlantis suffered nightmares, and a number of them
were almost dependent on sleeping pills to get them the amount of
sleep they needed to function.
Although he couldn't blame them…he too suffered from nightmares.
"No…" Cavan replied, shifting in his chair to look at Carson, falling silent once again, before looking back at Adrienne, "My dreams are not bad…they are simply…memories."
The Wraith actually seemed hesitant, as though unused to talking.
Which, to be truthful, he was.
The silent mental communication of the Wraith left many of them with difficulties expressing themselves verbally.
However this was not the reason why he seemed so hesitant, it was as though he wanted someone to speak with, but was…afraid.
A disturbing thought.
However Carson quietly waited for the other to go on, and eventually he did, "I dream of one of the first times I can across her…" he said faintly, looking away as he began to tell Carson what had happened.
---
The wraith padded through the forest in near silence, the only sounds he made was the occasional crunch of dead leaves or twigs beneath heavy boots.
Cavan was filled with pride this night, having been
given another important task.
Finally, the young soldier was
moving up in the ranks of the Hive.
Again it was a scouting
mission, his task to examine a world under the control of a rival
Hive.
To see if it was fit for them to cull.
And it was.
Such a mission was vital, and, though it told him he was expendable, if he completed it in a satisfactory way…one could say he would not be quite as expendable as he was before.
He must not fail.
To fail would mean death.
For himself, and the Hive.
The
population was thriving here…allowed to grow unchecked as the
Wraith slumbered.
A world ripe for the picking.
They would feast.
The undergrowth here was disturbed, leaves trodden into the dirt, and small fibers of cloth had snagged on the branches.
As he walked, he began to pick up faint traces of the human scent.
A small, wicked smile tugged at his mouth as he turned, followed the scent trail.
Perhaps he himself would feast tonight.
Soon, the scent trail grew stronger, and some of the tracks seemed to overlap on themselves, as though a group had been entering and exiting this area a few times.
His assumptions were correct, and he noted that usually only one or two sets of the footprints would lead away, while all of them eventually led back.
Cavan snorted derisively at this, the humans had
grown so soft between the cullings, that they didn't even bother to
cover their tracks.
That would prove to be a deadly mistake; on
this night, and many other nights.
The
Wraith's pace slowed as he neared the encampment, hunger beginning
to fray his nerves, urging him to slake his craving on one of the
slumbering humans.
For a moment, Cavan had to pause and re-gain
control, lest he give himself away and rouse some alarm.
But
nothing seemed to have taken not of his presence, and he resumed his
stealthy creep towards the dun colored tents that were pitched among
the trees.
Cautiously
he surveyed the tents, and was disappointed to find that most of them
were sealed tightly.
To open one would likely alert its resident,
who, in alarm, might cry out and rouse its companions.
One, however, was open, its flap unpinned to allow the tent's occupant fresh air.
It was perfect.
With the easy grace of a predator, Cavan descended on the tent, listening carefully for the long, easy breaths that indicated that whatever was inside was sleeping.
They were there, but punctuated by small sounds, as though the sleeper were in the grips of some horrible night vision.
He would have to move fast, lest the human wake.
A light, smooth motion slid the tent's flap open, and he entered, ducking slightly to keep from disturbing the cloth too much.
Success.
Cavan
stared down at the human female that slept so fitfully, turning
within the confines of the brightly colored dwelling.
For a moment
he cursed the twist of fate that would have him kill her in this
state.
There was no defiance in her manner now, only a slight
unease as she dreamt.
But the hunger gnawed at him as he watched
her, and he extended one of his hands, ready to take her life away
when she shifted again, curling up and using one of her arms as a
pillow.
Cavan snorted softly, amused by her actions when his
eyes lit upon the arm with which she pillowed her cheek.
Encased
with a heavy, durable brown leather, the twin of the one he wore on
his right forearm.
He had not yet bothered to acquire a new guard
for his left.
She had the nerve to wear his so openly.
The
frown still furrowed his brow as he stared at the arm guard, his
brain telling him to be offended at her theft and brazen display of
her…trophy.
But he ignored it, confused by the weak beast that
was tugging fitfully at his chest, overwhelming the instinct to feed,
if only for a moment.
In the still darkness, he contemplated this revelation, snapping to his senses only when a pair of twin slits of light opened slightly, gleaming brightly in the heat detailed world.
For a moment, he and the human locked eyes,
his filled with shock, and hers more than a little bleary.
Then,
much to his surprise, they slid closed again and she continued to
slumber.
A small smirk curved his lips, and the Wraith unconsciously brushed a strand of the human's blonde hair out of her face before standing, and padding out of the encampment.
She would be his.
If not this night, then another.
And he would savor the taste of her defiance.
---
"I cannot loose her," he murmured vehemently, "So many times she has tempted fate…so many times she could have died…and many of those times by my own hand."
For
a moment, Cavan looked up at Carson, and the doctor was taken aback
by the sudden despair that seemed to flash through the alien eyes,
"She is my mate," the eyes closed, and the Wraith looked away
before opening them again, "I would die without her, before me I
see all the things I have fought for…I love her more than anything,
need her more than anything."
One of his hands clenched
spasmodically, the male's exhaustion suddenly evident as his
breathing grew labored, "The need to protect her, to protect my
offspring…overshadows everything else, the need to rest…to feed,
my duties to my Queen."
He would die for them.
Carson could see this, just watching the
Wraith, his love seemed to border on obsession at the moment, made
all the more fierce from his lack of sleep.
Cavan wasn't in his
right mind.
Carson walked around to the other side of the bed,
looking down at the seated Wraith.
The shadows around his eyes
were massive, and he seemed a bit shaky.
Without rest, his body was using the energy he took in feedings much faster.
If he didn't rest, or, and Carson shuddered at the thought, feed, he would run himself to death.
"Lad, you need to rest,"
Carson finally said, realizing that he wouldn't get anywhere if he
simply tried to explain heath reasons.
"If not for your sake,
then for the sake of Adrienne and the wee ones…if you don't rest,
you're going to die, your body is using far to much energy to stay
like this."
For a moment the Wraith looked baffled, trying to wrap his racing mind around the doctor's words.
So Carson tried to simplify it more, "You need sleep, you need to clear your head, or you'll die…and then your mate and your children will have no one to protect them."
That, got through to him, but Cavan shook his head, "I cannot sleep, my mind will not allow me peace."
"I can give you a mild sedative to help you sleep," was the response, Carson already moving to the cabinet where the medicines often used on Atlantis; sedatives, stimulants, and pain medication, among many of them, were kept.
After a long moment, the Wraith nodded, "Yes," he said, voice low as he watched the doctor, already offering an arm for the injection.
The good doctor moved swiftly, leery of Cavan while he was like this.
The medicine easily overpowered him in his weakened state, and the Wraith's eyelids began to droop as he rested his head on his arms.
Before he finally passed out, Carson could have sworn he heard him say, "Thank you."
But Carson told himself that he must have heard incorrectly.
Wraith
don't say thank you…that implied that there was a debt owed.
And
they would never tolerate something like that.
---
The next morning, Cavan was gone, a note resting on his chair, addressed to Adrienne.
When Carson gave her a questioning look, she simply smiled at him and said, "He'll be back in a few days."
That made Carson smile in return.
Hopefully, the Wraith would
return with a clear mind.
---
-tbc-
