Jack and the others were all standing around the small ravine that Melony more or less considered the Parking Lot when she brought the Jumper in for a landing about an hour before sunset on Talonopolis. They were undoubtedly checking out the ships, making sure they hadn't taken any harm for having been piloted by neophyte dart pilots, but all of them walked over to meet them when they landed. And none of them missed the fact that all four of them were covered in drying mud.

It's pretty hard to miss, Talon said.

Yeah.

"What on earth happened to you?" Carson asked, immediately concerned and covertly looking for signs of injury on both her and Colonel Carter. Neither woman seemed to be injured – only dirty – but that didn't mean they weren't.

"We found the baby Mok."

"And decided to mud wrestle with them?" Jack asked.

Melony smiled.

"Several of them stampeded," Sam said. "Our direction."

"They attacked you?"

Mitchell shrugged.

"It was probably my fault. Talon wanted a closer look at one of the little ones, and we must have gotten too close for their comfort."

"Are you all right?"

She nodded.

"Just took a tumble."

He looked over at Sam, who was just as muddy, and at Kale and Char. And scowled.

"Well, we're heading back… so why don't you two – four – get checked out by Doctor Beckett when we get back. Just to be sure."

It was indicative of the fact that he considered the Light Ones to be allies that he was starting to look after them, too. Of course, Kale had saved his life, and that would do it every time, Melony supposed.

"We are fine, General O'Neill," Kale said with a smile of appreciation for the concern. "My people are remaining here to keep an eye on the Mok for Colonel Mitchell, and we will remain with them."

Jack nodded.

"You have GDOs?"

"What?"

"They have codes, Jack," Mitchell said. "If they need to come to Atlantis, we'll know it's them knocking on the door."

"Good." He turned to Carter, his brown eyes slightly concerned, although he didn't ask her if she was okay. He could see she hadn't taken serious injury. "Let's get back, then."

They divided into groups to take the Jumpers back. Most of the Jaffa went into the Jumper that Mitchell headed for – mainly because they were far more comfortable with her than they were with the others – and Carson did as well. Tao took the copilot's seat while Melony took the pilot's, even though without the Ancient gene he'd never be able to fly the Jumper.

"You saw the young ones?"

She nodded, taking off right behind Jack, and following him across the lava flow toward the Stargate.

"There were five of them," she said. "All of them looked to be fairly young, but they were definitely not miniature Mok. They were babies."

"Do you think this beam from the Wraith ships will harm them?"

Mitchell shook her head.

"I'll make sure it won't before I allow it to be used on them."

The large Jaffa nodded his head, satisfied. He would, of course, do whatever Mitchell – and Talon – told him to do, but it pleased him that the two of them were in agreement about just how important the Mok were.

"When we reach Atlantis I will inform the others of the young ones."

She smiled, watching as the Stargate came into view and then activated as Jack's Jumper dove towards it. She followed him down.

"They'll be glad to hear of them, I'm sure. We won't have any time to allow them to see them until we're finished with this Wraith problem, but after that, there will be plenty of time."

"They are patient," Tao said. "They will wait."

Hadn't they waited for millennia to find a god who would free them? What was a month to see a Mok?

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"You two are lucky…"

Melony and Sam looked over at each other and then at Carson Beckett, who had just had both of them checked for any injuries from their recent encounter with the Mok. Actually, Carson himself had checked Melony – although he'd been completely professional about it – and one of his doctors had checked Carter, but it was the same thing. Now both women were sitting on the exam beds, just finishing getting dressed so they could return to duty.

"We might not have made it out unscathed if the Light Ones hadn't been there," Melony admitted. "Their reflexes are incredible."

She hadn't even had a chance to register that they were being charged before Kale had already registered it and acted on it.

"Well, next time, you'll know better than to get so close to a mother protecting its young."

He turned to Carter.

"If you feel any aches or pains in the morning, come and get something for them."

"Or have Jack give you a backrub," Melony said with a sly grin.

Sam blushed, but she smiled, too. She knew there was no way Mitchell wouldn't have noticed the change in her relationship with O'Neill, no matter how well they thought they might be hiding it. She knew Jack too well to miss the signs – subtle as they might be.

"I might."

"You can go ahead and leave whenever you're ready, Colonel," Carson said, just a little embarrassed himself.

"Thank you, Doctor Beckett," Sam said, hopping off the table and heading for the door. A shower would be great – and if he wasn't busy, she just might recruit Jack to give her that backrub, after all.

Melony watched her go and then turned back to Carson, who sat down beside her on the bed.

"Are you hungry?"

She nodded.

"Care to join me for dinner?"

"Sounds great."

He stood up, and offered her his arm, and Mitchell took it with a smile. Maybe after they ate, she'd have him give her a backrub, too.