A/N Many thanks to all who have taken the time to leave a review. Reviews are like food to the starving, precious and gratefully received.

Chapter three

The following morning, having endured what he considered a mind-numbingly boring evening with their hosts and what passed for a hearty meal, Rodney stood on the step and stretched his spine in a vain attempt to remove the kinks. If these peasants thought they'd provided their guests with the plushest of available accommodations he shuddered to think what the alternative had been.

Waldon had insisted that they sleep in his home and had shuffled his family off onto the neighbours without so much as a consultation with the missus and Rodney had been so tired after the day's trekking back and forth to even refuse the probably flee-infested mattress. He'd just been glad that by the time he and Sheppard had trudged to and from the jumper Elizabeth and Teyla had calmed Ronan to the point where he was just whittling on one of the larger twigs from his hair. Although, Rodney thought, he was whittling that stick into an unnecessarily sharp point...

Sheppard and the whittler appeared from the room behind him and Rodney tried not to look as if he was scampering out of Ronan's way. John just grinned at him as they stretched their legs in preparation for a morning jog. Teyla had stayed with Elizabeth to ensure their safety overnight, in spite of John's tongue-in-cheek reminder to his leader that she'd said he'd to remain by her side at all times. She'd taken great delight in wiping the cheesy grin from his face when reminding him that his deputy was available in the more than competent form of Teyla Emmagen.

"Stay close to the others, Rodney. I don't think there's any danger but give us a shout on the radio if you've any doubts. We're just going to do a loop of the path around the town and check if there's anything we weren't shown yesterday, so could be back before you've even finished a girly scream."

Rodney bristled at the implied slur to his courage. "Try not to strain anything on your run with Conan, and don't stop off to flirt with the women. Seriously, have you seen their teeth? I don't know what they're planning to harvest here today but if their dental decrepitude is anything to go by it must be high in sugar."

Ronan snarled at him as he passed by and Sheppard smirked again at Rodney's smothered whimper.

'Cocky flyboy and his tame Wookie!' McKay thought as he watched them take off with an easy loping gait. Perhaps he should stop referring to Sheppard as Kirk and start to think more along the lines of Han Solo. But then that would cast Teyla or Elizabeth as Princess Leia and he tried very hard not to imagine either one of them in that leather and chain-link bikini number or the weird hair buns.

He was saved from any more disturbing thoughts by the arrival of one of those very same women, thankfully quite safely attired in her normal uniform.

"Good morning, Rodney. Did I hear Colonel Sheppard's voice just now?" Elizabeth gave him a warm smile as she allowed herself a small yawn and gentle stretch.

"Gone off with Chewbacca to check out the lie of the land. You should know by now he's the suspicious type, always thinking there's something we've not been told or shown."

"And you should know by now that those very suspicions have saved us many times, Rodney," Teyla gently chided as she moved silently behind him.

Rodney gave a yelp and leapt away from the person invading his personal space and Teyla smiled softly at him. She was well aware of the prickly scientist's need for space and the fact that he was uncomfortable around women and although she was genuinely fond of him it didn't stop her mischievously teasing him from time to time. She suspected that the colonel's impishness was rubbing off on her.

"Yes, yes…that may be but the man's paranoid. I mean, look around you. There's nothing more threatening here than impending toothlessness or a hyperglycaemic coma. Did you taste that wine at last night's meal? Pure mead. There's many a monk back on Earth who'd give their eye teeth for that recipe. Er…okay, bad simile, but you get my idea."

The two women did take a moment to regard their immediate surroundings and had to admit that it was the picture of bucolic tranquillity. The day was young enough that the promised heat hadn't yet reached stifling proportions and the lazy haze over the surrounding fields created a soothing rustic peace. Those of the town's citizens who could be seen were going about their routines with little more than a smile of greeting and nod of the head towards their visitors and even Teyla had to admit that the idea of danger lurking here was far-fetched. The whole scene reminded Rodney of something vaguely Amish.

A short time after their conversation Sheppard and Ronan returned and once they'd freshened up the team made their way towards the meeting house, hoping to wrap up the negotiations and return home before they all developed diabetes.

Of course Waldon wouldn't hear of them negotiating until after the reaping, something about the time of the day for best yield, and they had had to endure the not inconsiderable heat whilst the harvest was gathered in. Sheppard, Ronan and Teyla offered their assistance and by the end of the morning were hot, dusty and weary to the point of exhaustion, much to the amusement of McKay. He, of course, had pleaded fair skin and bug allergies and a short supply of his factor 100 sun cream and stayed beside Elizabeth in the cool of the shade, for all purposes claiming he would keep Elizabeth from harm's way.

So when negotiations resumed Rodney felt a hitherto unknown generosity towards these new trade partners and ventured in where angels feared to tread.

"You know, we've got something else we could offer you by way of trade," Elizabeth heard him say. She turned a questioning eye on him, her eyebrow raised. McKay chose to ignore that imperious look and blundered on. "We're a lot more advanced in medicine and although I don't tell him too often for fear of his head exploding, our doctor could probably do something for you with regard to your...er...dental problems."

"Rodney, don't you think this is something we should have discussed in private?" Elizabeth cautioned, clearly annoyed but remaining controlled.

The McKay hand merely waved perfunctorily as if to erase her comment.

"Seriously, Elizabeth, it would be morally wrong of us to deprive these people of the help they so obviously are crying out for. I've no doubt at all that Carson would be more than willing to offer them even the basics in dental education."

Elizabeth looked up as a figure cast a shadow before them and took in the weary form of her military commander.

"What's McKay giving away with his customary missionary zeal, now?" John asked, plonking down onto his butt with obvious relish at being off his feet and in the shade. His aviator glasses were removed to reveal just how weary he was and Elizabeth surmised that if they were flying home this evening Rodney would fight for the jumper controls and John might just let him have them.

"Very amusing, Colonel, at least it wasn't C4. I merely pointed out that Carson, or probably a better idea, that orthodontist…what's his name…" a snapping of fingers heralded the answer, "McTeeth…could offer these people some advice and it might procure us an extra trade for, say, those nice watermelon thingies."

John's eyebrows rose. "We have an orthodontist called McTeeth? Seriously?" He magnanimously ignored the comment about the C4 in the hope that old Waldo wouldn't pick up on it and ask for an explanation. They seriously didn't need another Genii situation.

Elizabeth swallowed her annoyance at Rodney's obvious ignoring of the chain of command protocol and had to acknowledge that if ever a race of people needed his inspired offer, it was the Lapostans.

"That would be Dr McKeith you're referring to, Rodney, and whilst I agree that it's a reasonable offer, I still would remind you that there are ways to raise such discussions."

She cast a quick glance at Waldon who was listening with open interest at the suggested additional trade, even if he wasn't quite on the same page when discussing orthodontics.

"You have something else to add to our trade agreement, Elizabeth?" Waldon found his voice.

"I can't speak for a third party, Waldon, but I imagine Dr McKeith could be persuaded to, at the very least, talk to you and your people." Elizabeth turned like quicksilver to her chief scientist, knowing her next suggestion might just let him know she was more than a little peeved with him. "Rodney, why don't you take the...er...head back and let Dr McKeith in on your suggestions, and help him bring back any necessary supplies."

"What? What am I, a glorified errand boy?" The expected explosion didn't disappoint.

"This was your idea, Doctor," and Rodney was smart enough to catch the hint of steel when Elizabeth addressed him by rank, "and I strongly advise you to follow orders."

John pushed wearily off his elbows where he'd been reclining on the soft grass and struggled to his feet. "C'mon, Biggles, let's go get McTeeth and his trusty Oral Hygiene 101 and be back before chow time. You know how you'd hate to miss another sumptuous meal here."

'Biggles,' Waldon thought. 'These strangers seem to have an excessive number of names. It must get confusing at times.'

Elizabeth had it on the tip of her tongue to order John to rest and make Rodney fly the jumper on his own but knowing full well her military commander would balk at such an idea she wisely kept her own counsel.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­TBC