Knew I forgot something. Meant to say thank-you to Jayne Perry for looking the story over before posting and that this story was a challenge from fellow squirrel BarcardiCider. Criteria as follows: A Story based around Teyla - she may team up with only one of the team Rodney, Ronon or Sheppard. The other two members are lost and she and ? are trying to find them. Must be a trip through the stargate, must have a market place scene, Must be at least one Bantos stick fight and some whumpage to any character of your choice.

Payment for the pain

Chapter 1;

Teyla and Rodney walked through the forest. Teyla slightly in front, her body ready for action and the P90 held ready to use. Rodney was to her side, slightly behind with his hand gun held tightly in his hand pointed towards the ground. His head spun round, trying to take in everything at once while Teyla's head spun slowly as they progressed through the trees. She was taking in every detail and every sound that was not made by Rodney, her footsteps falling quietly on the forest floor.

"I'm thinking I should leave the team," Rodney said quietly making a point of looking every where but at Teyla, "You know, when we get back to Atlantis with Sheppard and Ronon. I think I'm a danger to the team." His arms waving aimlessly, the handgun forgotten as it travelled through the air still gripped in his hand.

She subconsciously avoided the barrel without a thought. Teyla knew he blamed himself and in her heart of hearts she knew he was right. He was to blame for Sheppard and Ronon's current predicament but that still did not mean that he had to leave the team.

She wanted to keep moving, knowing every minute may make the difference but she also knew Rodney and she knew that if this was not addressed now it would fester and become something more and harder to remove. She came to a halt and turned to him, cocking her head slightly to one side.

"We all make mistakes, Rodney," She replied in her quite tones, compassion bleeding into the words as she placed a hand on his forearm bringing it back down and steadying it. He glanced at her hand and flinched as he saw the gun beyond it suddenly remembering it was there and pointed it towards the ground. He glanced up at her and then back down to the gun as he brought his other hand over to rub up and down the barrel with nervous energy. Inwardly she sighed but did not remove his hand from the barrel.

"You don't," Rodney mumbled harshly, words twisted in bitterness. Teyla knew better than to react to the harshness surrounding the sounds and instead listened to the words and the speed and turn of the vowels. She knew the bitterness was directed at himself and not at her.

"I have made mistakes, Rodney," Teyla said slowly. Unbidden and expected the broken memories rushed to the surface, all the colours and sounds resounding and rebounding behind her eyes. She resumed walking, trying to distract herself from the thoughts – pushing them back down into the dark places of her soul. She was more disciplined now and it was easily done, although the sounds took longer and mixed faintly with the sounds around her. It made her jumpy and she settled herself, breathing regularly until only the natural sounds of the forest remained.

"Yeah, right… even if you did, which I very much doubt, I'll bet your mistakes didn't kill people you care about," he retorted. "I always seem to end up hurting someone," he almost whispered as he followed her. Huffing deeply as his shoulders slumped. She heard him swallow hard and could see his mouth falling into that sharp line without having to look at him.

"Yes, they did," she replied, her voice quiet. Part of her still looking inwardly as her own words registered in her mind, instantly she regretted them. She knew Rodney needed to hear them though, to know it was a mistake anybody could make but it was giving too much of herself.

She knew where the conversation would go now, where Rodney would need it to go and she could feel the apprehension starting to rise within her. She started to feel the movement of time heavy around her, knowing every second was now just a movement nearer the inevitable. Her deepest scar would finally speak after over twenty years, forced by Rodney's insatiable curiosity.

"Really?" Rodney turned sharply to her, shock evident in his voice. She nodded, unwilling now to use words and not wanting to look at him for fear he would see the pain in her eyes, the burden that she carried everywhere.

As they continued to walk through the trees she could sense him glancing at her again and again.

"Are we still heading in the right direction, Rodney?" She would face down a wraith without a second thought but if there was a chance she could avoid this, or even just delay this, she would and she would use any distraction she could until the time came.

"Errrm," Rodney paused while he dug a hand into his military tac vest to pull out the Life Signs Detector. Head down he studied the ancient technology. "Yeah," he glanced up and indicated straight ahead of them, seemingly unaware again of the gun held in his hand as he waived it. "That way." He pushed the device back into his vest and shuffled his pack back on his shoulders to sit more comfortably, gun still in his hand. "They should…they are at the base of the mountain."

She wanted to admonish him but knew he was in too fragile a state to take it well. He was lucky he didn't blow his own brains out. Teyla continued walking and Rodney soon fell into step beside her.

"Why do you think they won't answer?" Rodney asked quietly, again rubbing his hand up and down the barrel.

She glanced down at his hands and as he followed her gaze he stopped, clearing his throat. "As you said, Rodney, it could be ore in the rock. They may have lost their radios. You know many reasons we have not been able to use our radios in the past."

"Yeah, but mostly the reason is because we are injured or have guns pointed at us. I mean they could be lying somewhere trapped and unable to reach for radios or even unconscious or… or…"

"Rodney," she interrupted.

His neck twitched as his shoulders shrugged. The unvoiced, I can't help myself. She nodded and stated plainly, stressing the words, "we don't know the reason yet so we have to move quietly, we have to move fast. Let's go, Rodney." She watched him quietly and patiently, not showing how her own words had affected her, twisted something deep inside.

He looked at her, guilt and fear passing over his open face to be replaced by resolve and nodded. He raised his gun slightly to point away at an angle, bringing his other hand around to hold it steady and true as he moved forward. He still sounded like an elephant to her ears but for Rodney it was a marked improvement. She smiled indulgently, fondly at his back as she raised the P90 to a ready position and continued to monitor their surroundings as she followed him.

TBC