[identity profile] sgasesa-admin.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] sga_santa
Title: The Human Side
Author: [livejournal.com profile] moose_happy
Recipient: [livejournal.com profile] smaragdbird
Pairing: Michael/Teyla, background Lorne/Ladon Radim
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not my characters. Not my world. Definitely not any money .
Author's Notes: AU following ep 2.18: Michael. Word Count: 2175
Summary: Michael must work to save his growing family.

-o-

Michael jolted awake, groping for the radio that was squawking at him on the nightstand. He jabbed the earpiece into his ear, swearing under his breath, and swung out from under the covers, trying to remember where he'd discarded his BDU bottoms when he'd staggered into his quarters the night before, following a long run to work off excess energy.

"Kenmore here," he barked into the radio, trying not to fall over while shoving his feet into the pants.

"AR-2 needs to be geared up and ready to gate out in 15 minutes. Rise and shine, Lieutenant, we've got a Colonel to rescue again." Lorne's voice was wry, but a note of concern managed to seep through.

Michael winced, glancing around his dark, empty quarters. Idiots, the lot of them. He laced up his combat boots with some violence, then shoved his arms into his jacket. He was definitely not thinking about all the things that might be going wrong for Colonel Sheppard's team, who'd gone missing following a meeting with the Wraith, Todd, a week earlier. He quickly loosened the thigh holster he'd made way too tight with that last flick of his wrist. He was definitely not thinking about his very pregnant wife, who'd kept insisting on "just one more mission, then some time off."

Teyla'd seemed to be his only friend for so long after he'd been rescued from the Wraith. It had been like no one really believed he couldn't remember anything - like they all thought he'd been brainwashed or something. But she'd been there for him, and even though he'd had to ask nearly a dozen times before she'd said yes, she'd eventually agreed to marry him. She'd become his family. And now she was missing. Along with their unborn son. Because she was so damned bullheaded.

Michael stomped towards the transporter, barely taking note of or feeling a twinge of guilt at the young scientist who took one look at his face and ran the other way. Exiting the transporter near the Control Room, Michael grabbed and donned the tac vest tossed his way by Captain Coughlin, then quickly checked through the pockets before donning the proffered P-90.

"Are you up for this one, Lieutenant?" Colonel Carter was standing in the middle of the 'Gate area with Major Lorne when Michael entered with Coughlin at his side. Her lips were pursed, arms folded under her breasts, and par for course, she looked ready to jump through the gate with them at a moment's notice.

"I dare you to stop me," he snapped, adding as an afterthought: "Colonel." Dr. Beckett should have restricted Teyla's off-world activity months ago, and Michael was the only one smart enough to know when she needed help, apparently.

Carter frowned but didn't chastise him, settling instead for a slight shake of her head. "Major Rutherford's team came back this afternoon with intel on Colonel Sheppard's whereabouts." She stopped, frowning further at the spectacle of Dr. Parrish dashing into the gate room, late and flailing with his tac vest. Carter shot Lorne an irritated look.

"He's like McKay, Colonel," Lorne explained with a shrug. "If we don't have him, we're going to need him, and not having him's liable to get us all killed."

Carter sighed in response. "As I was saying," she began again, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Major Lorne has all necessary information, and will dispense it to the three of you on a need to know basis. It appears, however, that Todd was not the betrayer here; his second contacted Rutherford's team yesterday to ask why he hadn't returned yet. Plan to recover him as well as AR-1."

Lorne grinned at the team. "Everyone ready to rescue some Sheppard ass again?"

Carter sighed, then chucked, motioning to Chuck behind the DHD. "Dial it up!"

Just before the four men made to step through the ring, Carter called out to Lorne once more. "Remember what I said, Major. Mind your people."

Michael caught both the returned nod, and the worried sideways glance Lorne shot in his direction.

~~~

As soon as they were through the 'Gate, Lorne took point, moving towards the treeline about ten yards away. Before they'd even begun to get their bearings on the dark moon, however, Michael shot his hand out and pulled his team leader to a halt, hissing for silence. His hearing was far superior, and there was no question that there were people - definitely human - surrounding the little clearing. His warning was cut short by the click of a gun's safety disengaging nearby enough for them all to hear it.

A figure moved towards them from under the deeper blackness of the tree line, gun leveled. Michael felt Lorne virtually deflate under his hand.

"You little bastard," the Major swore.

"Is that any way to greet me, Evan?" Ladon Radim stepped into the glare from Lorne's flashlight.

Lorne seemed to gird himself for war under Michael's hand, stiffening his spine. "I thought the Genii were done with this shit."

Radim's eyes flicked to the rest of the group. "And here we have the lucky father, I see." His voice was speculative as he stared at Michael.

"Where's Teyla?" Michael snapped angrily, at the same time as Lorne demanded, "What do you know?"

Radim laughed. "I know plenty, but it is most certainly not me you should be worried about. I'm on your side these days, remember?"

Michael jumped in again when the stocky Major didn't respond right away. "What are you talking about? Where is Teyla?"

Radim squinted at Michael, then Lorne. "What a tangled web we weave, no? You taught me that quote, Evan."

"What did you do with Sheppard's team, Ladon?" Lorne's voice was resigned, almost defeated.

"Nothing, of course." Radim angled his gun towards the ground and whistled. A dozen more Genii stepped forward from the trees. "A rogue group - old followers of Kolya's, no doubt - have your people, and the Wraith. They left this moon yesterday, but I know where they went. They want the baby, Evan."

Michael surged towards Radim, feeling his anger heat his face. He struggled against the restraining hands of Coughlin and Parrish. "Why the fuck do they want my baby, you asshole?"

Radim took a step back and shot a smirk towards Lorne. "Moody a bit, isn't he?"

Lorne sighed. "Parrish here likes to say he's having a sympathetic pregnancy. I say Teyla's hormones aren't nearly as crazy as his are."

"Major!" Michael snapped, subsiding in his struggle against the restraining hands.

"Kenmore, we still don't know what all the Wraith did to you while you were captive, and you don't remember. Between that and Teyla's Wraith DNA..." Lorne trailed off, and Michael refocused on the primary goal of finding his family.

"So where the hell are they?"

"Hoff."

"Hoff?" Lorne sounded incredulous.

"I'm sure you've heard about the plague. Some of our scientists were doing unsanctioned research on the Hoffan virus."

"Why?"

"Because if the Wraith feed on a carrier, it kills them."

Michael's eyes widened. "Poisoning the food supply?" he cut in.

"If you will," Radim nodded. "That's why your Wraith friend contacted Sheppard, I suspect. Needed to lay the blame somewhere." He motioned with his hand, turning back to the woods. "Come. I'll show you the information we've gathered on the Hoffan base. We'll get your team back, see if your Colonel has made anymore deals with the devil in the interim."

~~~

Michael stood at the entrance to the cold concrete cell, gaping. Teyla smiled gently up at him from where she was reclining on the hard bench along one wall. McKay was next to her, grinning from ear to ear.

"I delivered your baby!" he crowed, pointing at the bundle in Teyla's arms. "I delivered your baby, and you should name it after me to prove your undying gratitude!"

Michael kept staring at the scene before him in shock until Parrish gave him a huge shove, forcing him to stumble into the cell.

"Teyla..." He dropped to his knees by her side, one hand seeking her face, the other cradling the baby's head.

"Michael." She smiled. "It is okay. We are both okay. Rodney did everything just right."

McKay nodded eagerly at Michael's glance, like a puppy seeking praise. "I caught the baby!"

Michael laughed. "Thanks, Doc." He punched McKay lightly on the shoulder. "You did good."

"Michael," Teyla interrupted, her voice somber. "Where are Colonel Sheppard and the others?"

"Major Lorne and the Genii are searching for them. He sent me and Coughlin and Parrish when the guard told us where you were." Michael paused and glanced at the cell door. "We need to get you out of here. Can you walk?"

Teyla hesitated. "I believe so. But the Genii are who took us prisoner."

Michael frowned, then unhooked his P-90 and shoved it towards McKay. "Not Ladon Radim's Genii, apparently. He helped us get to you. The Major's willing to trust him, so I guess I am too. McKay, take my gun. And don't shoot me, please."

"I've been in the field more than you have," McKay muttered irritably, fumbling with the gun and quickly backtracking when he caught sight of Teyla's glare. "Okay, maybe not more than you have, but you know what I mean."

Michael just rolled his eyes at the scientist, then slipped an arm around Teyla's waist, supporting most of her weight. Coughlin quickly took point, leading the way towards the exit, while Parrish fell into place behind Michael, Teyla, and McKay. They could hear yelling and gunshots in a distant part of the compound, but Michael had only one goal in mind: getting his family to safety.

By the time they traversed the distance back through the city towards the gate, Teyla was visibly tiring and the baby had started in with an audible whimper. McKay was grumbling about having to rescue himself, and Michael wished he still had his gun to turn on the ornery scientist.

"Hush," he hissed, pointing out to Coughlin a low wall that could be used for cover. The gunfire had gone silent some minutes earlier, and Michael could hear a second group of people nearing the 'Gate. They crouched down behind the wall, Michael helping Teyla ease into a seated position, where she began to try to comfort and silence the baby.

"Coughlin? Kenmore?" Lorne's voice crackled through the radio. "We've got injured. Dial Atlantis."

~~~

"Torren Michael Emmagen Kenmore," Teyla said, smiling. She was curled up on one of the infirmary beds, cradling the infant Dr. Beckett had just pronounced in perfect health.

"Torren?" Ronon's growl was friendlier than usual; the special glare he tended to reserve just for Michael was absent, and he appeared almost relaxed in his perch on the edge of Colonel Sheppard's adjacent bed.

"My father was named Torren," Teyla responded softly.

"I still think you should have named him after me," McKay huffed, folding his arms and flopping back against the wall in dramatic fashion.

"Sorry, Doc." Michael smirked. "All you had to do was sit there and catch, after all."

"Yes, that's all I had-"

"McKay," Sheppard snapped, rolling his eyes, at the same moment Teyla chose to scold Michael.

"Hey Evan. Think we could manage one of those?" The teasing voice came from the other side of the room where Radim was laid up in one of the infirmary beds, nursing a severe concussion.

Lorne, who was leaning against the wall between Radim's bed and one occupied by another Genii, choked. "Manage one of what, exactly?"

The Chief of the Genii grinned and pointed at Torren, earning an even bigger blanch from Lorne.

Sheppard groaned, then laughed. "And on the list of things I didn't want to know about my second in command..." He sighed, then shook his head. "Really, Evan? Ladon Radim?"

Michael let the conversation fade into the background, focusing his attention instead on his wife and the baby cradled in her arms. No one - Wraith, Genii, or otherwise - was ever going to take them away from him. He smiled at the sense of good will that washed over him. He was sure he was imagining it, but it was almost like the baby had read his mind, and agreed.
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