AN: Okay, so after a while of thinking about it - and a few prods in this direction, I've decided to add on to this story! I was going to make a sequel, but since there were only a few chapters the first time around I figured I'd save space. This is set a few months later, when Aiden is around 6 months old. I also changed the first chapter a tiny bit, so that Teyla doesn't have Torren. Guess that makes this story AU, but I didn't think many people would mind that, especially the Sheyla fans out there! (hint, hint) ;)

PS...Forahr asked if one of JFlan's kids was named Aiden, and you're right! Fergus (I've loved this name since the TV show "Roar" - look it up if you've never heard of it), Aiden and Truman are Joe's 3 boys and from what few pics I've seen, they're adorable like their Dad! :)

A Colonel and a Baby

Chapter 4

"Colonel Sheppard?" A female voice asked in his headset.

John switched on his comm. "Teyla? What's up?"

"Could I have a word with you? It is somewhat important."

"Sure," he agreed. "Where are you?"

"In the control room. I can meet you..."

"That's okay," he interrupted. "Stay put. I'll come to you."

He heard her sigh of relief. "Thank you, John."

As he shut off his radio and exited the gym, where he'd been watching Ronon "instructing" a new team of Marines, John wondered what had Teyla so upset. He was unable to mistake the worry in her voice, and it set his own instincts on alert at once. Years of experience had taught him that if Teyla was worried, something was very wrong.

After a few minutes of navigating the many corridors of Atlantis, John reached the main control room, situated perfectly in the middle of the city, in the tallest tower. Teyla met him on the metal catwalk between Carter's office and the main area, her dark eyes clouded with more concern than he had initially imagined. The pit in his stomach grew exponentially as he drew close to her.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked.

"I have been trying to contact Halling, and no one is replying," she said. "I thought at least someone would respond if Halling were indisposed, but..."

"How long's it been?"

"Four days." He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand and went on. "There are no hunting trips planned, nothing that would take everyone out contact for so long."

He paused a moment to think. Looking down at her, he could see that she was already thinking the worst - that the Wraith had come and somehow culled the Athosians without being detected by Atlantis. Fear reigned in her usually calm demeanor, and it somehow urged his own mind's wheels to start grinding.

"Okay," he told her then, "so let's take a Jumper and go check in. Could be there's a glitch on their end, some simple problem that needs fixing."

She nodded emphatically. "Thank you, John."

He gave her an encouraging smile. "No problem, Teyla. We'll figure this out."

"I just hope you are right, that everything is okay."

He reached out and touched her arm briefly. Though the contact was short-lived, it was uncharacteristic for him to initiate it, and though it startled her, Teyla was careful not to show it. She appreciated his gentle side and so wished to foster it whenever possible.

"Let's just go see before we jump to any conclusions, okay?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Of course."

"I'll go find the others and talk to Carter. Not necessarily in that order."

Teyla smiled, the first he'd seen in a while. "Very well. I will be in the gym if you need me."

He nodded and watched her walk away, hoping for her sake that everything was okay with her people.

There was something wrong. They could tell even before they landed the Jumper. John felt it as he flew over the village and saw none of the usual activity of a working Athosian settlement.

Standing behind him, Teyla's hand clamped onto his shoulder, her fingers digging into his flesh.

"John," she said, her voice strangled.

"Yeah, I know," he replied. Turning to Rodney McKay, who sat beside him, he said, "Scan for energy signatures."

McKay nodded mutely and did as requested. When the scan completed he stared at the screen, confused. John noticed his expression and asked, "What is it?"

"They're all there."

"What do you mean?"

McKay looked through the windshield, squinting as if it would help him see the Athosians better. "Just what I said. They're all down there, in the tents."

"What're they doing?" John asked, more to himself than anyone else.

That didn't stop McKay from replying. "I'm sure I don't know."

John rolled his eyes but kept from making a sarcastic remark. Instead he said, "Well, let's set down and find out what's going on."

He found a nice clearing on the east end of the village and landed the Jumper. The engines powered down, and the entire team had geared up and disembarked within three minutes. They walked into the seemingly-deserted village in single file; Ronon led the way, followed by Rodney and then Teyla, while John kept watch from behind. Their boots crunching on the stones that littered the ground sounded too loud, almost seeming to echo through the valley. Everything else was silent - there were no babies' cries, no dogs barking - not even the birds were singing.

They came to Halling's tent first, Ronon stepping to the side to let Teyla enter, though he kept his weapon ready just in case something lurked inside, about to pounce on her. Teyla glanced up at him, her gaze worried, and he gave her a ghost of a smile. She knew he meant to be encouraging, but all she felt was fear. Slowly parting the tent's flaps, she peered inside. It was dark, none of the usual lit candles flickering from the corners of the room. John flipped on the torch attached to his P90. The beam easily cut through the gloom, immediately illuminating the recognizably tall form of Teyla's closest Athosian friend. He was laid out flat on the floor, not even on the usual pile of skins and blankets the villagers slept upon at night, and his whole body trembled, covered with fevered sweat.

Before John could stop her, Teyla dropped to her knees beside Halling, her hand briefly touching his forehead before pulling back as if burned. Turning to the others, she said, "His fever is high."

From where he stood on the threshold of the tent, John noticed another form lying beside Halling, and aimed his flashlight at it. "Teyla," he called softly, "Jinto."

She reached over Halling and touched the boy's forehead, then looked up at John. "He is ill, also."

Ronon put his stunner away and said, "I'll go check the others."

"I'll go with you," John said, drawing a nod from the Satedan. "McKay, you stay with Teyla. Get in touch with Atlantis, let 'em know we have a medical emergency here."

McKay nodded, and John followed Ronon from the tent.

The two of them checked a handful more tents and found each of the occupants in a similar state, feverish and either unconscious or close to it. John was more than a little concerned now; if the entire village was stricken then there was a good chance he and his team had been infected the moment they had exited the Jumper. He rolled his eyes as he thought about Rodney's probable reaction to this news, which would likely consist of much yelling and hypochondria.

"Sheppard," Ronon's gruff voice said then. "Weren't Teyla's people caring for that kid you found?"

John's stomach, which had been alternating between worry-induced nausea and the usual feeling of dread he had when he woke up each morning in the Pegasus, hardened into a hunk of lead as he slowly nodded.

"Aiden. I was just about to make plans to come see him..."

"Do you know who he's living with?"

"No, but Teyla does. She came with when I dropped him off." He tapped his radio and after a brief crackle of static, said, "Hey, Teyla? You there?"

There was no response, so he tried McKay next. "Rodney, everything okay?"

Again, only silence returned to him, so he switched off and stared at Ronon, who was currently making the same face he imagined on himself.

"Let's go," Ronon rumbled, and they took off at a run for Halling's tent.

Even an nearly fifty yards away they could see two bodies dressed in black BDU's laying across the threshold of the tent, halfway in and half out. Skidding to a stop beside his fallen teammates, John swallowed the lump in his throat. Teyla lay face down in the dirt, her hands curled into fists on either side of her head, her legs still inside the dwelling. Rodney sprawled slightly diagonal to her, as if he'd been about to catch her when he also crumpled, succumbing to whatever this was.

"What the hell is this?" John asked aloud, though he knew Ronon was just as puzzled as he was.

"We should get 'em off the ground, at least," his friend said, and John nodded his agreement.

"You take McKay, and I'll grab Teyla, put 'em both in the Jumper for now."

John slipped his arms under Teyla's slender frame, hoisting her up against his chest as if he were carrying a child. Her head laid perfectly in the crook of his neck, the perspiration already dampening her face making his t-shirt feel warm and sticky. He readjusted his grip a little, but she did not respond to the jostling, and if he hadn't felt her pulse crashing against his forearm he would have thought she was dead. Shaking his head, he forced those thoughts away as Ronon scooped up McKay in his customary fireman's carry, the physicist's top half dangling over Ronon's back.

"You got 'er?" Ronon asked.

John nodded. "You go first."

Ronon shrugged but complied, walking easily through the brush as if he had not been burdened by McKay's weight, while John was forced to stop a few times to fix his grip on Teyla so he would not drop her. Finally they reached the Jumper and laid their sick friends on either of the benches that lined the rear compartment. Once he was satisfied that they were as safe as possible, John radioed Atlantis.

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard."

The static interference was longer this time, but soon the calm voice of Amelia Banks returned to him.

"This is Atlantis. We read you, Colonel."

"We're at the Athosian settlement, and we've discovered why they weren't answering Teyla's calls."

Colonel Samantha Carter reached Banks' seat and leaned over the console, her hand on the back of the chair.

"Why's that, John?" She asked.

Standing in the cockpit, looking toward the rear of the Jumper where Ronon now slumped between the other two, he replied, "They're all sick."

"Sick?" Carter repeated. "With what?"

"I don't know. Most of them are either delirious or unconscious, with high fevers."

"I'll call Keller to get a team ready, right away."

John sighed heavily. "Tell 'er to make sure they're all in HAZMAT gear."

"Understood. As soon as you get back..."

"That's gonna be a long way off, Sam," he interrupted.

"Why?" She asked, though some part of her already knew the answer.

"Because my team's infected, too. Teyla, Ronon and Rodney are all out cold and showing the same symptoms."

He could have sworn he heard a very coarse word muttered under her breath, but that could have been the static. Then, she replied, "Okay. You sit tight; Jen should be there within the hour, and hopefully she can figure out what's going on."

Still staring at his team, John shook his head. "I'd love to stay put and finish all Rodney's sudoku on him, but there's someone I need to find."

"John..."

"Aiden's here somewhere, and if he's not sick he's all alone. I'll check in every fifteen until Keller gets here," he bargained, though he already knew she would give. Her soft spot for children was just as big - if not bigger - than his.

"Be careful," she finally said, heaving a sigh.

"Scout's honor."

"You were a Boy Scout?"

He chuckled. "No."

"Nice."

Switching off, John gave a last glance at his team and then stepped down the ramp. There was nothing else he could do for them right now, but he needed to find the boy he'd trusted to the Athosians a few months ago. When his boots landed on the soft earth of the mainland he pulled out the Jumper's remote and pressed the button that closed the rear hatch.

"Be back soon, guys," he said to the cloaked Jumper. Then he turned and set off again for the village, this time all alone.

Continued next chapter...