Last time on Stargate Atlantis:

There were hangovers all over Atlantis, and Dr Weir had a mysterious rash over her face. Major Sheppard made Dr Beckett spill his Irn Bru, in the meantime, everybody went to bed and everybody suffered experienced some very strange but vivid dreams. Dr Weir dreamt she and Major Sheppard snogged after he sang "Fly Me To the Moon" to her. Drs McKay and Beckett had gone skinny dipping with Teyla (the baggage!) and had to rescue her when she got tangled in seaweed. Peter Grodin lost all his clothes except his socks... Teyla returns to her room to discover that her bra had seaweed tangled in it... leading Dr McKay to reach the conclusion that the dreams were real after all! Meanwhile, on a balcony somewhere, Dr Weir and Major Sheppard have an encounter that leaves them hotter and sweatier than before... before Dr McKay bursts on the scene with Teyla's bra and the proof that is about to shake Atlantis to its very core...

Chapter 8:Turbulence

Teyla arrived on the balcony just after Dr McKay, having pursued him and her undergarment all the way from the infirmary. She couldn't recall the scientist ever moving that fast before. Perhaps he had been training.

Dr Weir and Major Sheppard were already there. Major Sheppard had been staring out to sea before Dr McKay had arrived. However, after Dr McKay's announcement, Major Sheppard now looked – Teyla searched for the word in her head. Terrified.

Dr Weir's face, however, had turned a peculiar shade of green, she looked like she might be ill. Teyla was concerned. However, as she opened her mouth to ask after Dr Weir's health, Major Sheppard recovered his voice.

"What?" he said. "Rodney, what are you doing with Teyla's bra?"

Dr McKay waved it in his face, "It's not … this… it's the seaweed…" he shook his head and turned to look at Major Sheppard, who was standing with his mouth open looking at the object in Dr McKay's hands.

"How did you know that was Teyla's?" Drs McKay and Weir asked in chorus. Teyla was also puzzled, she could not recall Major Sheppard ever laying eyes upon her undergarments, so she joined the other two in regarding Major Sheppard with a piercing stare.

"I er, erm, just when this day could not be more awkward…" Major Sheppard mumbled, his face burning. "It's got her name tag on it" he said quickly.

Teyla cocked her head to one side. "Name tag?" she questioned.

Major Sheppard looked haunted, "It's a tag with your…"

"Never mind Major," Dr Weir said coldly. Teyla noticed the hurt that flashed over her face and sighed inwardly. It seemed that she, Dr McKay and her undergarment had all arrived at a most inopportune moment.

"What was that about the seaweed?" Dr Weir moved away from the balcony.

"The dreams!" blurted Dr McKay "We think the dreams actually happened!"

"Aw crap" Major Sheppard ran his fingers through his hair, making it even wilder than normal. "aw crap, crap, crap" he said again, turning toward the sea and then back toward Dr McKay. He was certainly very agitated.

Dr Weir looked at Major Sheppard with irritation. Teyla could relate to Dr Weir's plight at times, being a woman and leading men who acted like children was extremely trying.

"And that has what to do with seaweed exactly?" Dr Weir asked. Arms folded.

"Teyla in our dream" Dr McKay seemed to find Major Sheppard's behaviour very interesting as he was somewhat distracted by it. "Are you allright Major?" he asked.

"Rodney, focus" Dr Weir said.

"Er yes. Sorry Elizabeth. In our shared dream, when we were swimming Teyla got tangled up in seaweed.. we, that is Carson and I, had to help free her. And today she found this attached to her…" Dr McKay looked at Teyla's undergarment and held it up helpfully in front of Dr Weir.

"Bra" Weir supplied helpfully.

"Yes, thankyou, while she was searching for her … something or other…"

"My nightgown" Teyla helped Dr McKay out this time. Did the man not know what items of clothing were called?

Dr Weir looked at Major Sheppard. He looked at her.

"Your rash" he said.

"My rash." She stated.

"What about your rash?" Dr McKay said. "Wait, you two did have the same dream didn't you? I knew it!"

Teyla knew she had to take charge of this situation quickly or judging by the look on Dr Weir's face, she was going to murder either Major Sheppard or Dr McKay or both of them.

"Dr Weir, may I have a word with you?" Teyla asked.

Half an hour later and Teyla and Major Sheppard were in puddlejumper one skimming across the ocean. Teyla occupied herself watching Atlantis' sun scintillate across the surface of the water; Major Sheppard had not said a word since they had started their journey to the mainland despite Teyla's best attempts to get him to speak to her. She was very fond of the Major, she felt that he and she had an affinity despite the fact that they had been born and raised in different galaxies and it pained her to see him so tense.

Major Sheppard sighed once again. Teyla turned to look at him, as he turned to her.

"What?" he said.

She frowned, "You seem quite perturbed Major Sheppard."

"Yeah well, I've got a lot to be perturbed about." Through the window Teyla could see the mainland growing in size on the horizon.

"Would it be of assistance if you told me what you are perturbed about?" Teyla asked him. Teyla actually had a very good idea about what was bothering Major Sheppard but she believed that if he spoke to her about it. However, she was obviously going to have to help him on his way.

"It's just" Major Sheppard waved his free hand in the air vaguely, "it's just Eliza… Dr Weir and I had a disagreement."

Teyla looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Major Sheppard and Dr Weir often had disagreements Teyla had noticed. Teyla had also noticed that Major Sheppard and Dr Weir liked to stand very close to each other and they often engaged in what Athosians called "ifucage". Teyla had in fact, surmised that Major Sheppard and Dr Weir were sexually attracted to each other but for some reason unable to act upon their feelings, which to Teyla was very strange. But there were many things she found odd about Earth people, not least of all Dr McKay's strange dependency on a beverage called coffee.

"What?" Major Sheppard said again irritably.

Teyla was extremely tempted to reply with "Does this have any connection with the sexual attraction you and Dr Weir clearly feel for each other?" or "Why do you not mate with Dr Weir and resolve the situation?" but she felt, wisely, that neither would help the situation. Besides Major Sheppard was in control of the puddle jumper and she had no wish to crash into the ocean.

So she signed inwardly and suppressed her Athosian directness. "Was this disagreement connected to the dreams we all experienced?"

"You mean the experiences we all dreamt?"

Teyla nodded. "Yes, that is one way to look at it."

Major Sheppard sighed. "Yes it was."

"Did you and Dr Weir dream the same experience?"

The puddlejumper swerved violently. Teyla gripped her armrests and cursed inwardly as Major Sheppard recovered himself and got the craft under control.

"Sorry" Major Sheppard apologised. He sighed. "Yes we dreamt the same experience."

And said nothing. Teyla looked through the window and rolled her eyes. She was obviously going to have to be more direct.

"Was that experience responsible for the rash that Dr Weir suffered?"

"Yes" Major Sheppard's voice had a note of doom about it.

"Major Sheppard, I too remember experiencing such a rash when I was young." Major Sheppard turned to look at her with a wry smile.

"I bet you did" he said. "Pretty girl like you? I'd be surprised if it were the opposite."

Teyla smiled, "Athosians have very little inhibitions in the area of physical expressions of emotion…"

"Hey!" Major Sheppard exclaimed, as the tiny ship rocked slight again. "Who said anything about emotions?"

"Major Sheppard" Teyla twisted herself round in her seat so she could see the Major. "It is very apparent that you and Dr Weir are sexually attracted to each other."

"She is? I mean it is?" Sheppard ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up even more than usual.

"When we all consumed the Athosian ale the other night, all the inhabitants of Atlantis did things that they might not normally do and if you and Dr Weir chose to consummate your attraction …."

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Major Sheppard exclaimed. Teyla was glad she did not normally experience flying sickness because this journey had been the most turbulent she'd experienced with the Major.

"Perhaps we should refrain from this conversation until we have arrived" Teyla said, she was a little too aware of the ground racing below for her to feel comfortable.

"Teyla are you sure that the answer to all of this can be found with your people?" Major Sheppard began to manoeuvre the 'jumper in the way that Teyla recognised as beginning its preparations for landing.

"I believe that both the answer and the cause lie with my people" Teyla said, as the ground rushed up beneath them and the 'jumper came into land.

And she was right, she viewed the squirming form of Jinto being held firmly by Halling's large broad hands. Next to her, Major Sheppard also had Jinto's best friend, Eaglen being held in a similar fashion.

The Athosian gin had been spiked by eccleberry juice. Colourless and odourless eccleberry juice was renowned for its relaxation effects, it had been until recent times, a powerful part of the Athosian spring rituals. It had taken some clever deductive work, on the part of she and Major Sheppard but finally they had identified the culprits – Jinto and Eaglen, both of whom had helped deliver the gin to the city a few days before.

No reason could be discerned for their actions, save for "We thought it would be funny". The thinking of children sometimes defeated Teyla, especially small boys.

"Are you aware of the seriousness of this act?" Teyla had no need to raise her voice, the steeliness of her tone made Jinto quiver with fear. Eaglen had gone pale. "This could have caused much damage to the Earth people"

"I'm sorry" Jinto muttered terrified, looking at the floor.

Halling shook his head."Major Sheppard" he boomed, "I cannot apologise enough for Jinto and Eaglen's actions."

Major Sheppard nodded, "Thank you" he said. "However, no real harm has come of the incident."

Teyla disagreed, "This may be so Major, but to contaminate the gin is extremely serious action. Halling, I will leave you to devise an appropriate punishment, but I would suggest that the severity matches the crime."

Halling nodded "Agreed Teyla. I suggest that Jinto and Eaglen be banned from making any trips to Atlantis in the foreseeable future."

"No!" the two boys cried. Teyla nodded satisfied, she knew that Jinto and Eaglen loved to visit Atlantis and were often seen tumbling out of puddlejumpers when their fathers were delivering food to the city.

She turned to Major Sheppard, "I think it is time we returned Major" as Sheppard let the red-faced Eaglen go.

"Teyla explain the eccleberry thing to me again?" Major Sheppard asked her as they walked back to the puddlejumper.

"In the spring rituals, after the long, hard winter our ancestors would sometimes augment their liquor with eccleberries." Teyla explained, stepping over a branch that was lying in their path.

"And that helped "relax" the Athosians?" Major Sheppard grinned as he swerved to avoid a low-lying branch and then stopped to hold it back for her to pass.

"Thank you" Teyla smiled at him. "After a long hard winter, it helped the people lose their inhibitions. A lot of Athosian children were born nine months after the spring rituals."

"I bet" said Major Sheppard, "but your people did not experience forgetfulness?"

"In most people eccleberry juice and gin do nothing more but relax those who drink it, but in some very rare cases, people have forgotten experiences only to re-dream them."

"So the mixture makes you do things you wouldn't normally do?" Major Sheppard asked rounding a corner into the clearing where the puddlejumper sat.

"The mixture only decreases inhibitions Major" Teyla said, "it does not make people act against their own wishes. Or desires" she added pointedly.

Major Sheppard flushed red. Teyla sighed and decided to take the bull by the horns. "You and Dr Weir merely acted on your desires Major, as did I, in that moment I wished to swim with Doctors Beckett and McKay."

"It's not like that" the Major snapped. "You don't understand! Elizabeth and I can't have a relationship!"

"Why not?" said Teyla, "You are both leaders, and you both find each other attractive."

"It's not professional."

"Professional?" Teyla wondered.

"It's not honourable. Teyla I think we should report that the berries make people do things they wouldn't normally do"

Teyla just stopped and looked at the Major in total astonishment, but his face was set and determined and she noticed the sad look in his eyes.

"Elizabeth has a mate back on Earth." He said finally. "This way Elizabeth and I can return to our normal relationship"

Teyla took his arm, "Major, Earth is very far away and she may never return."

He shook his head sadly. "If we were on Earth she would be with him, and I.. well I'm not the sort of guy that a woman like Elizabeth would go for. And" he shook off Teyla's objections and started walking toward the 'jumper, "if we make it back to Earth where would that leave me? If we say that the berries make people do things they'd would never do, then we can more easily forget what happened. Besides" he grinned weakly at her, "think what would happen if Peter Grodin believed that he'd always wanted to get naked in front of Kavanaugh."

Teyla didn't smile. He looked at her and pleaded "Please Teyla?"

Teyla sighed and nodded. Perhaps looking at the wider picture, the Major was right. Presenting the story in this fashion might help some of the Earth people come to terms with their actions. She was thinking particularly of Dr McKay.

"Thank you" he squeezed her arm and walked into the puddlejumper.

Teyla shook her head and smiled. He was afraid and surprisingly for the handsome, confident Major she knew he was unsure about how Dr Weir felt for him. As she followed him into the puddlejumper she decided that this was a battle Major Sheppard was having with himself and one he'd have to win alone.

"One thing before we leave Major" she said. "How did you know that the undergarment was mine?"

Making Major Sheppard blush was a most amusing pastime she decided.