Disclaimer: Don't own Atlantis, Sam Carter or Todd.

Such a Simple Choice?

While her head rested in the palm of one hand, the fingers of Sam Carter's other hand played across the control pad of a lap top computer, scrolling through the latest mission reports as she had done so many times before. Tonight things were different though, while her tired eyes scanned the reports, her mind simply refused to absorb any useful information.

During her time with the Stargate Program, Sam had written more than her share of such reports so knew only too well how tediously boring they could be to anyone who hadn't been on the mission. But this wasn't boredom gnawing away at her concentration now. Her mind was off on a little frolic of its own that involved a continuous, looping replay of an event that had occurred several hours earlier. She sighed and finally pushed the lap top away. With this level of distraction the reports might just as well be written in Ancient. Or Wraith.

In truth, so much was swirling relentlessly around her mind, so many decisions to make, so much new information that could potentially affect Atlantis and all the lives under her control. A dying seer whose visions foresaw the destruction of the city, an engagement above the city between two hives that had destroyed both ships, a fledgling alliance with a technologically advanced race to destroy a common enemy, the Replicators, an artificial form of life she had come to abhor through her interactions with their Milky Way cousins while part of SG-1.

No, she smiled weakly to herself, that summary greatly underestimated the magnitude of what she had done by agreeing to this new partnership. What she had actually agreed to was an alliance with a technologically advanced race of deadly predators with an unappeasable appetite for human life. A slight shiver ran down her spine. She had come across many life forms during her travels to different worlds but these beings, these Wraith that occupied the apex of the food chain in the Pegasus galaxy, were unlike anything she had met before. And they or rather one of their kind, the one currently languishing in the brig down in the bowels of the city, was the instigator of this niggling little problem that had assumed a far greater prominence in her mind than she would ever have imagined possible.

Finally just slumping back into her chair, her long legs stretched out under the desk, she closed her eyes, all too aware of the images, the sounds ready to jump unprompted and unwanted to the forefront of her mind as soon as the darkness descended. Sure enough, there they were; the Wraith's outstretched hand offered for her to shake, his smiling face, captured against the backdrop of the strange reverberating laughter that had followed her as she turned to walk out of the brig despite her best efforts to block it out. She opened her eyes again but the sense of unfinished business stubbornly refused to fade away.

To say it had been one of the more unusual little interactions she'd ever had with an alien would be a gross understatement but it wasn't until now, sitting in the sanctuary of her office, completing some of the more mundane chores of command that she realised exactly how much meeting this Wraith had unsettled her thoughts. It was not a happy realisation. Sam Carter considered herself an experienced galactic explorer, well practised in the skills of meeting and mixing with alien races in many shapes and forms, adept at making split-second decisions in the face of extreme and often life-threatening situations. But this had been a challenge of an entirely different colour.

As indeed had been the hand that was extended so confidently in her direction. With five fingers and a thumb, the basic prehensile shape reflected the Wraith's intricate genetic relationship with humans but the iridescent green skin clearly marked it as something distinctly alien. The long fingers were shapely enough but any claim to elegance was diminished, in her eyes at least, by the thick, dark claw-like nails that capped each digit while an equally dark network of vessels that graphically wove its way up towards the black leather cuff completed the unusual picture. The most sinister feature though, the one she'd only heard about but never seen, the feeding slit, the orifice that the hand's owner used to steal a human's precious life energy was hidden from her immediate view.

She had looked at the hand for several more seconds before lifting her eyes to look at its owner for several more seconds.

A strong face, not surprisingly tinged the same green hue as the hand, framed by a mess of long, dishevelled, silver hair. An interesting face, with some distinctly non-human features, such as the sensory pits bisecting each cheek, that seemed to intensify rather than diminish its subtle attraction. A wide, strong mouth sat atop a silver goatee beard that, unlike the hair, looked to be groomed on a regular basis. No doubt the star-burst tattoo that spiked its way around his left eye held a story of its own, one she suspected might reveal something about the history, beliefs and character of this Wraith.

But perhaps the most striking feature, the one that caught and held Sam's attention like a magnet, were his eyes. Deep amber and black pools that drew her in, reminding her of an exotic big cat, the perfect predator, fascinating and relatively safe to look at from afar but hypnotic and lethal if allowed to get close enough to strike.

Even as had she watched, those eyes started to twinkle and his face was transformed by a cheeky smile as he realised that she wasn't going to take his hand. Sadly lacking any understanding of what qualified as humour for a Wraith, Sam found it impossible to understand what particular part of the whole little pantomime he found so funny.

Now, sitting in the relative comfort of her office, she was still is at a loss to explain his actions. For a moment she had thought his offer to shake hands to cement their arrangement was genuine. But that illusion had been shattered by the words he uttered as he pulled his hand back and the smile turned into a full-blown laugh. "Just a little Wraith humour."

Such a simple phrase but at the time it was the trigger she needed to simply ignore his attempt to follow some of the protocols of human behaviour.

Standing and walking over to the large window that looked out over the Gate Room, she wondered exactly what he had hoped to achieve by offering his hand. Had her initial thought been right, was it a genuine attempt to solidify their temporary pact? Or was he just playing a game, pushing to see how far she really trusted him, revelling in the fear he would assume was behind her reluctance to touch this deadly efficient part of his body. And why was he laughing, because of her reluctance and her decision to ignore the gesture, because he thought he frightened her or was he just amused by his own mimicry of human niceties? Even now she still didn't have an answer and she certainly didn't like the feeling of disorder such ignorance generated in her mind.

But as she watched Teyla and Ronon talking and laughing as they made their way through the room below Sam knew there were other, more personal issues that needed to be addressed, issues she'd spent the last few hours circling and refusing to acknowledge.

Why had she not just called his bluff and taken his hand? Was it because she saw little value in such a gesture with a creature who did not understand the concept of honour behind it? Had she been afraid, despite the fact that several marines had their weapons pointed in his direction? Were her actions driven by some illusive, primitive survival instinct that made her wary of his dangerous predatory nature? Or had her refusal been based on a fear that allowing him to set the agenda for even a small part of their conversation would have undermined her control of the situation?

Walking back to her desk and reaching over to shutdown the lap top, Sam watched the screen finally flicker to darkness before closing the top with a sharp click. Peace of mind wasn't going to find her if she stayed sitting here constantly rehashing her thoughts. No. She had to go and confront the source of the problem if she wanted to get this out of her system.

-0-0-0-

A look of genuine surprise touched the Wraith's face as Sam entered his cell while she felt a slight thrill of achievement that she had rattled his composure for even just a few seconds. But the look was gone almost before it had registered in her mind and he assumed the air of confident superiority she knew was the signature of his race. Yet there seemed to be almost an air of sadness about him, due no doubt to the fact that his hive had been destroyed.

"Colonel Carter?" Even though his dual-toned voice echoed around the hard walls of the brig, it still managed to sound surprisingly intimate as he spoke, slowly and deliberately, caressing the syllables of her name. "A pleasure indeed although I must admit I had not expected to see you again so soon."

He remained seated, a polite smile briefly touched his face as he spoke but his eyes were wary as they darted between Sam and the two marines who had followed her into the cell.

Looking down she saw the tips of his fingers were pressed together as if in a state of mediation but once he noticed her gaze he immediately separated them and placed his hands palm down on the seat beside him, a subtle but defensive move. As he sized up the situation and obviously realised she was not there to threaten, his face relax into a semi-smile, catching the corners of his mouth, exposing the sharp points of his uniform set of teeth and producing a network of fine lines around his eyes.

Sam hoped the expression on her own face conveyed the fact that her visit was for professional reasons only. "I'm not here to socialise."

The words were spoken with an air of authority but even as they left her mouth she realised the error of judgement she had made in coming here, acting on an impulse without thinking things through properly. How was she going to explain this return visit in a way that didn't leave her looking foolish?

The smile disappeared but the eyes stayed fixed on her own, keeping her captive with their hypnotic gaze. "Ah, I see." A slow, deliberate nod of his head made her feel that perhaps he understood better that she did why she was here. "I hope you have not had cause to reconsider our agreement?"

"No. Why would you think I might do that?" She realised that a tone of defensiveness had crept into her voice and demeanour and took a deep breath to help restore her composure.

"Why indeed? But I cannot think of another reason why you would come down here when most of your crew are sleeping." Finally he stood and they were both momentarily distracted by the muffled sounds of the marines shifting into more protective stances but Sam waved them back with a slight, but firm movement of her hand. The Wraith returned his gaze to scrutinise her face as he continued speaking. "I believe only those humans whose minds are unable to let them settle are denied the peace such an activity brings."

Same took another deep breath. While she had felt in full control when they met earlier and she had laid down the conditions for their agreement, she now felt some of her confidence drifting across to this Wraith allowing him to take some control over the direction of their conversation.

"You seem to know a great deal about us."

This time he responded by throwing his head back in a deep, throaty laugh that seemed to reverberate through his body. "Despite what you might have heard of us Colonel Carter, I do not feed on every human I come into contact with. Some are far more valuable alive, kept as sources of information and collectors of intelligence."

A slight tone of accusation dominated her response. "You mean the unfortunate men and women you torture and keep as worshippers?"

Sam watched with interest as her words prompted an instant transformation in the Wraith's manner from amusement to ill-concealed arrogance. "You utter that term so contemptuously Colonel. Have you ever met or even spoken to one of these humans you dismiss so easily?"

"No, but..."

"Then you should not assume to pass judgement on things, on humans that you know nothing about." He spoke with a quiet voice that reminded Sam of the tones her father used to use when she was younger and he felt the need to give her advice she wasn't interested in hearing. Losing his ship didn't seem to have dented this Wraith's natural arrogance to any great degree.

Feeling the heat of a soft blush of anger spread across her face down her neck, Sam wasn't sure which particular part of this appraisal of how she should behave had triggered it, the words of chastisement or the tone in which they were delivered. The only certainty that filled her mind was the need to deal with it. Hands balled into tight fists, she fought to reign in her emotions and counteract the assumption of power that he was taking from her with such ease. It was not too difficult, after all he was still her prisoner and she just needed to remind herself that the cards were all in her hands when it came to real power.

"Alright, I don't need to be lectured to by a Wraith, especially not about how I should view your relationships with humans who are forced to choose between servitude and death. That's not why I came here."

The annoyance conveyed in her voice had an immediate effect as the Wraith tilted his head back slightly to look down on her along the smooth straight line of his nose. "Then let us stop this game Colonel," he lowered his head conspiratorially towards her, "and you tell me, why have you come here?"

Both were oblivious to the looks of concern and questioning looks that passed between the marine sergeant and his men. It was as if these two rival commanders were the only two beings that mattered in this room and Sam knew she had been issued a challenge that could not be met by beating around the bush.

"I want to know what game you were playing before," she declared "when you offered me your hand to seal our arrangement?"

"Ah yes." The Wraith's response was accompanied by yet another knowing nod of his tousled head. "I wonder, Colonel, if you would have rejected a human hand so easily? A Genii hand perhaps, and risked them taking offence?"

Sam was not going to be deterred from her purpose so easily and she frowned as she carefully framed her reply. "You weren't offering your hand as a genuine gesture of trust. As I said before you were playing a game, I want to know why?

"Does it really matter now?" The tone of his voice changed to something much smoother, something that lulled her senses and seemed to instil trust just in its timbre alone. "We have reached an agreement that will serve both our interests."

"Yes it does matter," Sam said firmly, "I want to know why you did it, just answer my question, it's simple enough."

Again the slight tilt of his head as he studied her face. "You are quite right, it was a little test of your courage, your ability to look beyond what I am and place your trust in me. John Sheppard had little choice but to trust me when we escaped from the Genii together. But this is different, you are the leader of these people, we are in your city and I wanted to see if you had the same ability to trust the unknown." Another smile flitted across his face but Sam felt there was little humour behind it this time. "I laughed because you failed so miserably just as I knew you would."

Sam felt her annoyance returning, triggered by his audacity to believe he knew exactly how she would have responded to his challenge. "So Wraith find human fear amusing?"

"No, not fear itself, we all have to deal with fear, Colonel and I have seen and known enough in my own life to know it drives any creature to act in ways far different from their usual patterns of behaviour. No, I found it humorous, as any Wraith would, because even with a room full of your warriors to protect you," he spread his hands out and looked around at the marines, "you were still unable to let go of your fear of my kind."

Sam looked at his hands and knew she needed to counter this belief that she feared him. "I wasn't afraid; I just saw little to be gained by shaking the hand of an individual who has little understanding of human values and concepts of honour. For most people, certainly where I come from, a handshake means something more than a gesture to be used to test someone's courage."

"I'm sure you believe that now Colonel, but I felt your fear immediately I held out my hand. Do not concern yourself though, I do not think any less of you because you responded in a way so natural for all humans, irrespective of the power then hold."

Sam suddenly realised he was still playing a game and their conversation would eventually just deteriorate into one of those circular exchanges that left all parties dissatisfied with the eventual outcome. Although she had got him to give her an answer it was not the one she really wanted to hear. It was premised on a reality that she found unpalatable, that she had been afraid to accept his proffered gesture and now, standing before him again, she knew she was faced with the only opportunity she would ever have to change the situation and his perceptions of her.

Silently she slowly held out her right hand, keeping her eyes fixed on his face noticing the slight hesitation, or was it uncertainty, as his eyes flickered briefly over towards the marines. She was determined to keep control of her emotions even though a slight thrill of something she was reluctant to label fear coursed through her body. But now that she had come this far, made this commitment, there could be no backing down.

The Wraith looked down to study her hand for several seconds before turning his attention back to her face, another of his knowing little grins tweaking at corners of his mouth and eyes. The soft but distinctive sound of his leather encased arm moving told Sam that he was having no qualms about meeting her challenge.

Their eyes remained hypnotically linked as Sam felt his large hand slowly start to encircle hers. His grip was firm, his skin surprisingly warm and smooth, his fingers firm and strong and his feeding slit felt like a raised scar on the palm of his hand. She was just about to return his grip when a familiar voice shattered the silence between them and their hands fell away from each other, as if their owners had been caught in an illicit tryst.

"Everything okay here Colonel? Just thought I'd come down make sure you didn't need any help."

Sam and the Wraith exchanged one last look, sharing a common disappointment that they had been denied the opportunity to complete this assignation to their own satisfaction. Flashing a quick look at the familiar face of the newcomer, the Wraith simply turned and returned in silence to his solitary bench. Sam turned to walk out of the cell, stopping briefly to cast a scornful look between the marine sergeant and the interloper he had felt the need to call.

"Thank you Colonel Sheppard, your assistance wasn't asked for nor was it needed.

With that she continued out of the brig without looking back.