A/N: Thank you to everyone who left reviews or faves for the last story

Beta read by AnnieB and Lyn; any remaining mistakes you can blame on me.

UPDATE: September 2020. As with the previous two stories, I've gone back through this one with a fine-toothed comb, fixing grammar errors as well as some general structural cleanup. There are no changes to the plot, though several scenes are more fleshed out now.

Carson Beckett decided he was a man who believed in miracles. Perhaps no wonder seeing as he had already witnessed so many in their short time in the Pegasus galaxy. He sat back on his heels as Major Sheppard's stats slowly returned to normal. Sheppard was breathing on his own, and while he was still unconscious and the bite on his neck looked bad, it could have been much worse.

Beckett blew out a silent breath. Sheppard should recover without any ill effects from the bite. Good news for the three people still in the jumper with him and his medical team.

Elizabeth sat on one of the benches in the rear of the jumper, her hands steepled in front of her face, and her eyes closed. Carson heard her whisper something he didn't quite catch, then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she knelt down and touched Sheppard on the leg. She gave Beckett a nod, and a smile then made her way out of the jumper.

Carson glanced at Sheppard's other side where Teyla sat on her knees next to him, and now that his heart was going again, she held Sheppard's hand and spoke softly to him. He was reasonably sure the words weren't in English, and he smiled at the attention, it was something Sheppard would have laughed off if he were awake. He let her be for the moment as the medical team retrieved the gurney waiting in the bay. Miracle aside, the sooner he had Sheppard in his infirmary, the happier he would be.

Which left Rodney. Carson heard a crash behind him and turned in time to see Rodney stumble over something on the floor of the jumper. Rodney gave the offending item a swift kick before he continued pacing in the small space.

As Rodney turned in his back-and-forth, Beckett had his first good look at McKay's face and suddenly wondered if he was about to have another patient on his hands. Rodney kept staring at the unconscious Major, his mouth slightly open, his skin pale and sweaty, and his arms clenched around his middle in a self hug. Beckett had never seen Rodney so upset in all the time he'd known him.

Carson heard the rattle of wheels on the floor of the jumper bay moments before the medical team returned with the gurney. He watched with pursed lips as Rodney wedged himself into a corner of the rear compartment as the medical team knelt beside Sheppard. Carson's frown deepened when he noticed Rodney never took his eyes off Sheppard or the machine that reassured him the Major's heart was still beating.

Never thought I'd see the day, Carson thought to himself with a private smile. Rodney actually caring for someone other than himself.

As the team loaded Sheppard onto the gurney and moved out into the bay, Teyla walked beside it, one hand on the gurney, the other still grasping Sheppard's arm.

Rodney started pacing again as soon as the gurney cleared the rear hatch. Beckett stopped beside him and forced him to a halt.

"Rodney? Look at me," Beckett said softly and put both hands on McKay's shoulders.

He could feel Rodney shaking, and it took several long seconds for Rodney to focus on him.

"He is going to be fine. Do you understand?" Carson tried to look into Rodney's eyes, but Rodney kept ducking his head away.

Rodney just shook his head. He tried to shrug off Beckett's hold on him and continue moving, but Carson didn't let go.

"I almost b-blew it, Carson," Rodney said in a near whisper. "I almost …" He looked everywhere but at Carson. "I almost lost one of the few people in this universe who gives a damn about me because I-I-I panicked!" He tried to pull out of Beckett's hold again.

"Rodney, don't do this to yourself, lad," Beckett said softly as Rodney stared at the defibrillator on the floor of the jumper.

The Rodney he'd known for the past few months had a towering ego to go with his massive intellect. Stuttering was a new behavior, and Carson's concern notched up another level.

He forced Rodney out of the puddle jumper and sat him on one of the supply crates stacked outside. He suspected Rodney's behaviour was the result of stress and what he'd just witnessed with Sheppard; Carson hoped getting him out of the shuttle would help pull him back.

"You don't get it," Rodney snarled. He tried to jump to his feet, but Beckett stopped him. "I'm supposed to know these systems! I should have worked faster to get the pods retracted. But no, instead I kept staring at, at Sheppard lying on the floor, that, that … thing slowly k-killing him."

He tried to stand again, but Beckett kept one hand on his shoulder to ground him and keep him seated.

"Then I should have thought of blowing the rear hatch," he ground out. "I shouldn't need Kavanagh, of all people, to tell me about a basic law of physics," he continued his self-recrimination. "I just stood there, watching as Teyla and Ford tried to help him. What was I doing? Nothing." He looked up at Carson. "If I had managed to do any of those things, we would have been back sooner and, and …" His gaze travelled back to the floor of the jumper where the defibrillator and other medical equipment was still scattered.

Carson shook his head and stepped into Rodney's line-of-sight to block his view of the jumper.

The gurney had already left the bay, and Carson knew he had to get back to Major Sheppard. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone left in the bay to deal with one man about to tear himself apart with self-doubt.

"Rodney, listen to me," Beckett said with all the empathy he could muster in his voice. "Are you listening?" He ducked his head, trying to catch Rodney's eye.

Rodney looked up at him, and Beckett could see just how lost the man was at the moment.

"Major Sheppard will be fine," Beckett said and knelt in front of him. "You got him home. Do you understand me? He's home, and he is going to be fine. And a big part of that is because of you."

Finally, Carson saw the lost look dissipate, and some of the usual Rodney reappeared as he scrubbed at his face for a moment then nodded. He still looked wan, but Carson thought they were past the current crisis.

"All right, then," Carson said and stood. "I want you to go back to your quarters, get cleaned up and find something to eat. Your blood sugar is probably scrambled after all of this. I'll page one of the nurses to get you back to your room."

Rodney shook his head and slowly got to his feet. "I'll manage," he said, and his voice sounded a bit stronger.

Carson wasn't happy but realised Rodney needed to regain some control of his situation, and this was a simple way to do that. "All right, then. I will call you in about an hour to let you know how Major Sheppard is doing. I want to hear that you've eaten something by then."

Rodney nodded as they made their way to the exit. "I can come see him, can't I?" Rodney asked as they reached the door.

"Course you can," Beckett assured him as they left the jumper bay. "But he might be asleep, so don't go waking him up."

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

John knew he was lucky to be alive. Talk about a hail Mary, he said to himself with a grim smile.

He distinctly remembered the way it felt to have the bug attached to his neck while the rest of his body slowly went numb and lifted a cautious hand to check it was actually gone. He remembered Ford trying everything he could think of to get it off and Teyla trying to keep him as comfortable as she could. He remembered the hard grip Rodney had had on his shoulder as if afraid what would happen if he let go. John also remembered the panicked look on McKay's face when he'd suggested using the defibrillator.

McKay scared was fairly common, but that was McKay truly terrified. Not something he needed to see again anytime soon, John decided as he tried to shift on the bed.

He'd fallen into a light sleep after the team had left and he hoped they would get some rest of their own. It had been a long day for all of them. Now he was awake again listening to the quiet of the infirmary wondering what had woken him up.

He could tell from the quality of the silence around him it was late. The lights in the infirmary were in their low, night setting, and the nurses were huddled at the far end of the room. So why was he awake and his senses telling him something was wrong?

He listened and heard the slight moan again and then felt a weight on the bed near his hip. The moan turned into words and John heard a mumbled "two minutes, only two minutes". With a start, he realised the weight was Rodney, his head pillowed on his arms and his arms resting on the bed. John looked over at McKay and noticed he was still dressed in the clothes he remembered from the team's visit earlier in the evening.

"Rodney? What the hell?" he whispered and rested his hand on the closest arm he could reach. "McKay?" he called softly, but the only response he received was that the murmuring stopped and Rodney settled.

"Major, you should be asleep," Beckett said in a low voice as he came over to the bed. He glanced at the side of the bed with a frown. "Oh, bloody hell. How did he get back in here?"

He heard Beckett clicking his tongue but was relieved when he didn't do anything to wake Rodney.

John glanced up at Beckett and tried not to move his neck. "I was sleeping, Doc, until my bedmate here started having a nightmare."

"I should have expected that," Beckett muttered more to himself, then added to John, "Part of me is just happy he's sleeping. You've both had a rough day."

"Tell me about it," John huffed and rubbed gently at the gauze covering his neck.

"Aye." Beckett checked the monitors near the bed, carefully moving around Rodney so as to not wake him. He made a few notes on the chart in his hand, then turned back to John. "How are you feeling?"

"I can feel, so that's a plus," Sheppard said with a wry smile. "The pins and needles numb feeling is finally gone." He wiggled the fingers of one hand to show Beckett, the other he kept on Rodney's arm. "Neck is stiff, though."

"You were lucky, Major. That creature missed your carotid artery by millimeters. As it is, the punctures were deep so you'll need to be careful until the wounds heal."

Rodney sighed and shifted slightly on the bed.

Beckett looked down at him, and John could see a worry line across Beckett's forehead. "You should have seen him, Major, when you first got back. I don't think I've ever seen him so upset."

John looked down at Rodney slumped on the bed beside him. "Coming within seconds of dying will do that to someone, Doc." He'd tried for humor, but even to him, it came off rather flat.

"True, but that wasn't the real reason." Beckett gave John a steady look. "And I think you know that."

Sheppard had the grace to look contrite, glanced away, and ran his hands through his hair as he admitted to himself he probably did know. Hadn't Teyla spelt it out for him last month? Somewhere in the last four months, Rodney had gone from just an annoying member of the science team to an annoying brother. He smiled to himself as he realised the feeling was actually mutual.

"Our Rodney discovered today he cares about someone else as much as he cares about himself," Beckett said with a tiny smile as if reading John's thoughts. "And he was afraid he might lose you, Major."

John glanced back down at Rodney as he started to mumble again. He put his hand back on Rodney's arm and waited for him to settle.

"Chaguo ndugu," Sheppard said softly, his tongue tripping over the syllables.

"What was that, Major?"

John kept his hand on McKay's arm and looked up. "Hmm? Something Teyla said while we were trying to get Rodney and Ford out of that mine a month ago. Chaguo ndugu. She said it meant brother by choice." John felt his face redden with the admission.

Beckett nodded. "Smart woman, that Teyla," he said and started to walk away.

"Hey, Doc," John whispered. "We can't just leave him here."

"As I said, Major, I'm happy he's at least sleeping. One night won't hurt him any."

"But what about me? He's hogging that whole side of the bed!" John sighed in mock frustration as Beckett went back to his office with a chuckle. "I hope you're happy, McKay," John grumbled even as he scooted over slightly so Rodney had a bit more room.

John woke the next morning to find Rodney gone. He was slightly hurt McKay hadn't said anything before he left, but shook his head, still a bit surprised Rodney had been there at all. He was finishing his breakfast when Elizabeth walked into the infirmary and over to his bed.

"How are you feeling this morning, Major?" she asked and smiled down at him.

John looked up with a smile, careful not to pull the dressing taped to his neck. "Oh you know, like a guy who had a vampire bug stuck to his neck and was dead for a few minutes." He watched Weir's face, and when she didn't react to the joke, he continued, "I'm fine. Beckett promises I can get out of here tomorrow if there are no infection or 'complications.'" He gestured quote marks around the last word.

"That's good news," Weir replied. "I saw Lieutenant Ford this morning. He seems to have recovered as well."

"Yeah, lucky guy. He didn't even have to spend the night."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing better, Major. I'll leave you to rest." Elizabeth turned to leave, then stopped and came back to the bed. "If I were you though, I wouldn't joke about the being dead part around Rodney. He was pretty scared yesterday. We all were."

John looked down at the bed. "Yeah, so I heard."

Elizabeth tapped his leg. "I'll see you later, Major," she said and left.

After Weir, he had a steady stream of visitors for the rest of the day. Teyla and Ford stopped by to share lunch. The pretty blonde nurse came by every four hours to check the dressing on his neck and change it. Bates came by with some security reports so he'd have something to read at least. The only person he didn't see was Rodney, which hurt more than a little.

Maybe that brotherly feeling wasn't as mutual as he thought, John chastised himself.

He saw the door to the infirmary open and watched as Teyla walked into the room carrying a tray. Ford followed behind her, two more trays in his hands.

"I don't suppose either of you has seen McKay today," John casually asked with a glance at Ford and then Teyla.

"I have not seen Doctor McKay all day, Major," Teyla said as she set the tray of food on the roll away table in front of John.

"I bet he's just been crashed in his room," Ford added as he set the other two trays on another rolling table. "He was so tired last night he barely ate anything when we went to dinner."

John gave Ford a sharp look at that news and winced as the movement pulled at his neck. "He wasn't eating?"

Teyla must have caught on to his worry and tried to reassure him, "To be honest, none of us ate much last night. It had been a very trying day."

"That's an understatement." Ford laughed as he started to eat.

Half an hour later, Beckett wandered over to the bed with a tray of supplies and Ford cleared away the empty plates. "Let's just have a look at you now, Major," Beckett said as he set the tray on the bedside table and Teyla scooted her chair out of the way.

John winced as the tape came away from his neck and he held still as Beckett carefully probed at the puncture marks.

"Everything looks good," Beckett said with a smile as he taped down the new dressing. "We'll check again in the morning, but I think it's safe to say you will be able to leave in time for breakfast in the mess hall instead of here."

"Great. Thanks, Doc," John replied.

"You're welcome, lad. As for you lot," Beckett turned to Teyla and Ford, "time to leave the Major to his rest."

"We will meet you and Doctor McKay for breakfast at the usual time, Major," Teyla promised as she put her chair next to the bed.

"See you tomorrow, sir," Ford added, and he picked up the dinner dishes they both left.

"Try to get some rest, Major," Beckett said and went back to his office.

Once again, it was late when John heard distressed noises coming from somewhere in the room. He opened his eyes, carefully looked to his left, and once again found Rodney asleep beside him, this time McKay's arms and head rested on John's bedside table.

"You can't keep doing this, McKay," John whispered with a frown. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Before John could do anything else, a nurse came around and shook her head at John's late-night visitor. "He shouldn't be here," she said softly and started around the bed.

"Let him alone," John hissed as the nurse reached out to shake Rodney awake.

She glanced over at John and shook her head. "He can't stay like that," she explained as she gently touched Rodney's arm.

McKay flinched away from the touch and mumbled something about not fast enough but didn't wake.

"Hey," John said again, his temper rising. "I said, leave him alone. Beckett knows he's here," he added and hoped she wouldn't call him on the lie.

The nurse stepped back with a frown.

John wasn't sure if she believed him or not, but she moved back around the bed and returned to the nurse's desk in the corner. John thought she looked anything but pleased.

"Now you've done it," John said and looked over at Rodney. "You went and got us both in trouble."

Rodney didn't answer. He merely sighed in his sleep as he shifted in the chair.

Next morning John once again woke to find McKay already gone, but a clean uniform was waiting in the vacated chair so someone knew he was being released this morning.

"Major Sheppard," Beckett said as he came over to the bed, a tray of supplies in one hand. He looked grim, and John immediately looked around to see who on his team had been injured. "I had an interesting conversation with Sharon Peterson, my overnight nurse, when I came in this morning," he informed John with a frown.

John opened his mouth to reply, but Beckett stopped him. "I don't want to hear it, Major. I won't have you snapping at my staff for doing their job."

"She wanted to wake him up," John said and pointed to the empty chair. He knew they both knew who the 'he' in the conversation was. "You said yourself he needed the sleep."

"Aye, so I did." Beckett looked John in the eye. "So you explain that. You don't snap at my nurses. Sharon is a good person. She was worried about Rodney's shoulder with him sleeping like that." Beckett set the tray on the table and started peeling off the dressing on John's neck. "He's only been out of the sling for a little over a week, Major."

"I didn't think of that," John admitted. "I'll apologise," he said sincerely and sighed. After a moment he added, "I might be feeling a little …"

"Overprotective?" Beckett supplied with a smile.

John shrugged. "Maybe." He looked up at Beckett as the dressing came off. "I'm worried about him, Doc. I wake up to find him crashed here in the middle of the night, but I don't see him at all during the day. Teyla and Ford don't know where he's going or what he does all day, either. All they can get out of McKay's minions down in the labs is that he's working on something important, but none of them will say what that is."

Beckett checked the wound and looked over at John. "Still no signs of infection, Major," he said as he taped on a new dressing. "Take it easy for a few more days and stop by tonight to have the dressing changed."

He packed up the supplies as John threw back the bed covers. "As for Rodney, Major, I suspect whatever he's up to has something to do with what happened in the jumper. That might help narrow down for you where he might be hiding."

John nodded as he picked up the clean clothes. "Thanks, Doc."

"You're welcome," Beckett replied. He picked up the tray of medical supplies and headed back to his office.

"Good morning, Major Sheppard," Teyla greeted as she and Ford walked in the infirmary a few minutes later.

"Teyla. Ford." John nodded to both of them. He held up the change of clothes. "Give me a sec," he added and went behind the curtain in the corner to change. John came out a few minutes later, dressed in his usual grey and black uniform and glanced around the infirmary expectantly.

"I have not seen him today, Major," Teyla said, apparently reading his mind as she watched him look around for their missing team member.

"He missed breakfast yesterday, too, sir," Ford reported.

John pursed his lips at the news McKay was seemingly avoiding all of them.

It had become a bit of a ritual over the past month for the team to have breakfast together. It had started with John helping Rodney with the sling for his shoulder in the morning and then making sure he actually ate a decent breakfast per Beckett's orders. It quickly became a chance for the team to be together before separating to different areas of the city for the day. Now, a month later it was a habit, and one John had hoped to use to get Rodney to talk to him.

John ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He'd just have to find his wayward scientist the hard way then, he decided and led the others out of the infirmary and up to the mess hall.

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

Teyla watched as two Marines worked through the pattern of blocks and counter-blocks, the sound of stick striking stick or more often stick hitting body, echoed through the small training room.

Her breakfast with Major Sheppard and Lieutenant Ford had been pleasant as always, but she could tell Sheppard was concerned that Doctor McKay seemed to be 'ditching them' as Ford had so eloquently put it.

She remembered feeling frustrated with McKay while they were trapped in the jumper. He had let his fears almost consume him at the time, and Teyla wondered if that was the reason he was avoiding them. Sheppard had promised to find Doctor McKay and talk to him. Teyla hoped that would be enough.

"That is good, Corporal Sanchez," Teyla praised as the two Marines finished the form and she focused on her students. "Sergeant Stephens, you are dropping your blocking arm, you must keep it here," she repositioned Stephen's arm, "or you leave your flank exposed. Please try again."

Teyla watched as the two men reset to the first position in the form and moved through the stick form again. This time the sticks hit only wood.

Out of the corner of her eye, Teyla saw Halling enter the workout room and try to act invisible, no small feat for a man who stood close to six and a half feet tall. She nodded to him in acknowledgement and focused on the two Marines again.

The two men finished the form, and Teyla said, "Well done, both of you. I think that is enough for today."

"Thanks, Teyla," Sanchez said with a smile as he and Stephens walked over to a pair of nylon workout bags sitting on one of the benches.

"You are most welcome, Corporal," Teyla replied. "We will have another session the day after tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," Sanchez replied and followed Stephens out of the room.

After the Marines left, Teyla turned to Halling with a wide smile. "Halling, how are you? I haven't seen much of you these last few days."

"Teyla," Halling rumbled and stepped forward. "I am well, thank you." He hesitated and looked around the room.

Teyla knew Halling and a few others of her people questioned why she was teaching Athosian stick fighting to the expedition members, but she hoped he wasn't here just to argue with her about it again.

"I've come to tell you, Iranda is asking for you. She sounded worried," Halling said and stared down at her.

"Why would she be concerned," Teyla asked as she rubbed a small towel over her face and shoulders, then led Halling from the room. "Is there something wrong with her daughter?"

Halling shook his head. "No, the baby is not due for many days yet." He stopped walking and faced Teyla, his eyes intent, and his posture stiff. "Iranda has had a vision. She says she must speak to you and Doctor Weir."

Teyla looked up at him with a concerned expression. "Doctor Weir? Iranda has had a vision about Atlantis?"

"She will not tell me." Halling looked away, and Teyla thought he seemed frustrated with Iranda's refusal to confide in him. "Only that she must speak to you."

Teyla nodded. "Tell her I will be there as quickly as I can." She tried to smile again, hoping to ease Halling's resentment, but he remained stoic.

"Will you bring Doctor Weir?" he asked pointedly.

Teyla shook her head. "I will hear about the vision first, then decide. Doctor Weir and the other expedition members are not as familiar with Iranda's gift as we are. I will need to explain why her visions are important, and her warnings always taken seriously."

Halling made a disgruntled face but didn't argue. "I will speak to Iranda and let her know to expect you. Do not take too long, Teyla."

"I will not, I promise."

She watched him walk away with a frown. Her relationship with Halling and some of the other Athosians had suffered since they'd come to Atlantis several months ago. She knew moving to the city was the best option for her people, but she understood their frustration at being cooped up within the city's walls.

Teyla returned to her quarters, quickly showered, and changed into a formal Athosian dress and leggings, then headed for the section of Atlantis devoted to the Athosians. She noticed the change in atmosphere as soon as she entered the corridor. All of the doors in this section were set to an open position, and various types of cloth or furs draped the doorways. Candles were lit along the hallways and in the alcoves, the flames protected by glass shields. There was a calm here that Teyla didn't find in the areas where the expedition members lived. In a way, she missed it.

"Iranda?" Teyla called as she stood outside one of the rooms. "I am here, may I come in?"

"Teyla Emmagan," an older woman greeted as the red and gold cloth over the door parted. "Halling found you. That is good." She stepped back and motioned Teyla into the small room. "I have made tea," she added.

"Tea sounds wonderful," Teyla replied as she followed Iranda into the room.

Iranda nodded and waved her hand at the cushions laid out on the floor. "The tea won't take long."

Iranda moved back to a corner of the room where a small heating element on the table held a whistling kettle.

Teyla sat on one of the piled cushions and looked around the room, smiling at the little touches Iranda had added to make the room feel more like the tents they were used to. Colorful cloth hung from the walls, most of the regulation furniture had been removed and replaced with woven mats or cushions like the one she sat on.

Iranda walked over to her carrying two cups. She handed Teyla one of the cups then sat on the cushion beside her. Teyla took a small sip from the cup and savored both the earthy blend and the moment to feel connected with her people.

"How is Isla?" she asked after a few quiet minutes.

Iranda smiled. "The baby is giving her much trouble these days. I have decided she is having a boy. He kicks and squirms so. Isla says her insides will be bruised before he is born."

Teyla laughed. "I am glad she is well and the baby healthy."

Iranda nodded, set aside her cup, and took a deep breath. "You need to warn the people here, Teyla," she said, her voice low and serious. "Trouble is coming."

Teyla set aside her cup and took the woman's hands. "Halling said you have had a vision. What did you see?"

Iranda looked up at the patterns in the ceiling of the room. "I saw you, Teyla Emmagan. You appeared to be looking for something, and the city was falling down around you."

Teyla let go of Iranda's hands and leant back on her cushions. "What was I looking for? What was happening to Atlantis?"

Iranda shook her head. "I do not know. All I saw was you running, and the walls of Atlantis were crashing down around you. I believe Atlantis will fall in the coming days. You must tell Doctor Weir. You must explain we have to leave this place."

Teyla patted the woman's hand and smiled. "I will do what I can, Iranda," she replied as she stood to leave. "Thank you for telling me about your vision."

"Luck to you, Teyla Emmagan," Iranda said, and Teyla thought she sounded rather sad as if the vision had already come true.

Teyla stepped out of Iranda's room and found Halling along with several other Athosians waiting for her. She smiled and nodded to the group then pulled Halling to one side. "Why did you bring them here?" she asked him in a low voice.

"They have a right to know of the vision, Teyla. That is our way. We do not keep secrets," he said with a slightly superior tone.

"No, Halling, we do not. But I also do not want our people more frightened at the moment. You should have waited until I could talk to you to bring them."

Halling bowed slightly, but Teyla could tell he didn't really accept her viewpoint.

Teyla turned back to the small huddle of people waiting in the corridor. "Iranda wanted me to know of a vision she had regarding Atlantis," she told the group, her voice calm. "I need to consult with Doctor Weir about what Iranda saw."

"Are we in danger?" one female voice asked.

"Where will we go?" asked one of the men.

"We should have stayed on Athos," someone else grumbled.

Teyla sighed. It seemed the level of discontent with Atlantis was growing.

She had no answers for the questions the group asked and hoped such discussion would be unnecessary once she had talked to Doctor Weir. There was nowhere safe they could go that she knew of, and she hoped the others would realise that in time and adjust to life in Atlantis.

"I must speak to Doctor Weir," she said again. "Once I have done so, I will come back and let you know what we must do next."

Teyla walked through the group, grasping hands and patting arms, trying to reassure her people as best she could.

She made her way back through various hallways to the control room and stopped outside Doctor Weir's glassed-in office. She saw Sergeant Bates in the office with Weir and hesitated a moment before knocking. This was a conversation she would have preferred to have alone, but since Bates was the new head of security for Atlantis, he would need to know about the vision as well.

Teyla took a calming breath, knocked, and entered as Doctor Weir motioned her inside.

"Teyla, how are you?" Doctor Weir asked as Teyla stopped at the end of the desk. "You remember Sergeant Bates?"

Weir gestured to Bates, and Teyla nodded in greeting.

Bates stood beside Weir's desk, his spine ramrod straight with his hands behind his back. He gave her a measured look, but his stoic expression never changed, and Teyla's smile wavered.

"Doctor Weir, I do not wish to interrupt," she started to say and hoped Weir would agree that now was not the best time and suggest she come back later.

"It's not a problem. Sergeant Bates and I were pretty much done. Is there something wrong?" Weir waved Teyla into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Teyla said, and foregoing the chair, stood in front of the desk. "I am here because one of my people is concerned about Atlantis."

"Concerned? How?" Weir asked, her expression now solemn.

Teyla hesitated. She wasn't sure how to explain the vision to these people. "You are aware I can sense when the Wraith are near, yes?"

Weir nodded. "And you sense the Wraith now?" she asked and glanced up as Bates stiffened beside her.

"No, not at this time," Teyla assured them. "However, another of my people has a similar gift."

"Go on."

"Iranda has the gift of foresight," Teyla said calmly and frowned as Bates scoffed.

Weir glanced up at Bates. "Did you have something to add, Sergeant?"

Bates rearranged his face to a blank mask. "No, ma'am."

"I didn't think so." Weir turned back to Teyla. "Please, continue."

"Iranda had a vision of me … and Atlantis. She saw me running through the city trying to find something, and Atlantis was falling apart around me."

Weir leant back in her chair. "I see." She paused for a moment. "Iranda has had these kinds of visions before?"

Teyla relaxed her stiff posture, relieved Weir was willing to listen to the possibility Iranda's visions were true. "Yes, Doctor Weir. Many times she has warned my people of coming dangers."

"And she told you nothing else other than Atlantis was in danger? She didn't say how or from whom?"

Teyla shook her head sadly. "I know it is not much, but I felt you should be aware of her warning."

Doctor Weir nodded and sat forward in her chair. "Thank you, Teyla, for telling me." She looked up at Bates again. "I will make the security and science teams aware of this, and hopefully we can stop whatever is about to happen."

Teyla bowed her head and left.