Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing.

And now on with the show...Present Time...

Sheppard entered the room as Elizabeth was talking. He tried to slide in as unobtrusively as possible, but she honed in on him as soon as he approached a chair.

"John, how nice of you to take time from your busy schedule to join us. Take a seat so we can get started…" Really, now it wasn't his fault he was late. The fight between Teyla and Lorne had put him behind schedule and this was the result. His mind weighed heavily on that issue. It was a distraction he could afford at this point since the mission was going to be an easy one. But he wasn't sure if it was one that could be afforded to two team members.

"Now as I was saying, this mission is standard people. Just a survey and study of the structures. Cloaked fly-overs have indicated no life signs in the area so this should be a cake walk. John, you and your team are going just in case. As the premier team, and by request of Rodney, this is your responsibility. The telemetry is provided in the pack in front of you. Preliminary readings show moderate energy readings from the main structure – here," Dr. Weir pointed to a spot on the map, "I expect you to check in within 4 hours and every hour after that. Good luck!" With that, the meeting was disbanded and the group went their own separate ways to prepare.

"Do you have to stick that in my face He-Man?" Rodney's voice could be heard lashing out, "I mean, really. What if it went off? I am far too valuable a mind to just be continually stunned. Think of the brain damage that is incurred every time…"

Ronon just continued to check his artillery while Rodney paced in front of him. They were waiting for the rest of the group to arrive and since departure was scheduled in 5 minutes, they had to come soon. Unlike the others, this wasn't his first gate travel in the last 6 weeks. While the Brain, the Brawn, Ms. Ballsy and the Doc were on Earth and in transit, he had requested time off to visit some really good bars on other planets. He had just come back two days before the quartet and was regretting the time off couldn't have been longer. Especially with the Brain starting in on him again. One of these days, he really was going to 'accidentally' let his stunner go off in McKay's face. A man can only take so much…

Teyla chose that moment to walk into the room in full gear. Ronon had noticed in the past few days that she seemed to wear her uniform a lot more than usual, and if not in full uniform, then she seemed to have acquired several Earth tops from the blonde doctor. Another regret it seems, since he really liked those cute little sewn tops she was so fond of. But that wasn't the crux of what was bothering him about her behavior. She smiled a whole lot less and even then, it was slight. He had not bothered to ask what was wrong since she obviously would not confide in him, but he tried to make himself available for little things like lunch and sparring. But whenever he came to the gym, she was just sitting there…meditating. He was more of an action kind of guy. And so he found himself in this position. Watching, waiting, but never approaching. And it seemed he wasn't the only one. Sheppard was looking at her with this…look. He caught his eye and nodded. They were both aware now and very much out of the loop. Turning around, he saw another pair of eyes from the balcony. Major Lorne was watching her with blatant concern. But his was not concern stemming from curiosity. He had a knowing look. And goddammit, he wasn't going to sit around and wait for her to tell him. He would go straight to another source…the good Major would be hearing from him.

"Dial the gate."

"Chevrons' encoded. Gate activated"

The clangs of 7 symbols catching with the load swoosh of the engaging wormhole drew Sheppard out of his musings. Another day, another mission. It would just be the four of them and a great big forest with buildings. He wanted something commonplace, and, dare he say it, routine for once. He had his hands full enough with the Teyla issue and he really didn't want to screw that up. Their friendship had not quite bounced back from his time as the Fly Part Deux. It was a taboo subject and they made do with what they had, but trust was such a fragile thing. He still had abandonment issues from the time dilation field and while he knew it was irrational since it really had only been a couple of hours for them of extreme pressure, a small part of him believed they really had written him off. He wouldn't even get started on facing Teyla down with the alien in control of his body. That was a whole can of worms that at this point, was better off sealed and buried.

He had noticed, though, that she was more closed off than normal. And once he had seen her roaming the halls very late at night with this glazed look. He had written it off as the occasional nightmare, but then he had to admit, it was highly suspicious. She hadn't resumed kicking his ass either. He had tried talking to Carson to see if he noticed something on their trip to the mainland together, but that hadn't yielded anything of value. Carson kept going on and on about the lack of proper pre-natal care in the village. He hoped that during this mission, he might get a chance to talk to her a bit, without the stifling presence of Lorne over his shoulder or people constantly coming up to him asking for help. That was the other thing he had noticed. Lorne was everywhere! But now he had his chance and he wasn't going to pass it up. He had to get the information from her or else she wouldn't trust him ever again. But in the back of his mind he had to wonder if the scarier notion was what would happen once he got that information.

The four of them made their way through the gate and the brief cold it entailed. Emerging from the other side in a lush forest similar to the many other planets in the galaxy, the team immediately took stock of the early dawn light peaking over the ridge. Though it was mid-afternoon when they left Atlantis, it seem early morning on this planet. It was a short walk to group of buildings that they would be investigating today and thanks to the differing times, they would have a full day of sunlight ahead.

"Why must you insist on walking to these sites when we have perfectly good jumpers just sitting in Atlantis? Just a few miles you say…well let me tell you, I could go into hypoglycemic shock from the exertion." Rodney paused for effect but noticed all he got for the effort was a snort from He-Man, "Don't scoff at me for thinking of my well being. Without me, we wouldn't be here…"

Teyla was not paying attention to the ranting going on a few feet to her left. Instead, she was absorbed in the local flora and fauna. This planet was particularly vibrant and she did not want to miss the sensation of fresh land air without the insistence of work at her back. There, that leaf! That, she knew, was the local version of helnin and, when crushed, could be made into a drink to help her sleep. Ancestors knew she needed it. Charin had taught her long ago about various plants in the forest and their medicinal qualities with the intent of her apprenticeship. She had only ever used the helnin after her father had been taken. However, the experience had not gone well, as she had used too much the first time and nearly went into a sleep she could not have come out of. Charin had lambasted her for a week for it…oh how she missed Charin. She would have been a great comfort with this weight she now carried. But how would she have reacted to the decision of the Elders? Would she have stood by her? Or felt as the others…betrayed and disillusioned.

"Okay people. Teyla, you take point with me. Ronon, you've got our six. Rodney, you know where to be. Lets move in."

The ruins were like any other site: hidden with overgrowth and dirt from ten thousand years of neglect. The pair entered first, P-90s at the ready for any surprise. They followed a corridor for some time, testing each door they came to. However, each one turned out to be individual quarters of no consequence. Finally after some twists and turns, they came upon a great set of double doors that led to a great room of sorts. The interior was dark, but as soon as Sheppard stepped a few feet into the enclave, low level lighting engaged, illuminating the contents. In the far corner, several control panels stood dark and covered in dust. In the center, a raised platform emphasized the lone metal table. A single light shown down from the center, giving it a forbidding feel. At once, Sheppard was put on edge. There was something about the room that really, really bugged him. He and Teyla spread out to search the panels on the walls for doors while Rodney went straight to the controls. A few buttons later, the entire room was glowing at full power and a screen could be seen on one wall.

When Teyla entered the room and saw the table for the first time, she could not help but think…

…They came to her with rope, tying her down to the wood so she wouldn't lash out…

"Rodney, do you have any idea what they were doing in this room?" John's question jolted her out of her thoughts and he continued to search the walls.

Rodney immediately replied, "Yes, because you've given me all of 3 minutes to figure it all out…of course not! Despite what you think, I do not have super sponge like brain abilities."

As she felt the wall, something in front of her lit up. She felt a scratch on her finger and noticed some blood welling up from the cut. Wiping it on her shirt, she proceeded to approach the table with nothing better to do.

…The bite of the thorns was only bearable if she kept still while they placed it on her head. She would survive this…

Teyla winced at the intensity with which she felt the remembrance. Grasping the edge of the table, she leaned forward to catch her breath a bit. No one had noticed her falter, preoccupied as they were with the room around her.

"Col. Sheppard, I will return to the entrance of the building to keep watch since I am not needed here." She needed to get out of the room. The walls were starting to close in on her…

"Sure, Teyla. Just keep in radio contact," John absently replied, "We won't be long in here since we're due back for check in with Atlantis in a bit." As soon as he said this, he turned to face her and was surprised to see a somewhat jerky walk to the entrance. She had braced a hand against the doorway and was gone. He really needed to go and make sure she was okay. This was not normal behavior for her and damned if he was going to sit back and watch her suffer.

TBC

AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! I thought I would reward you all with the third and longest chapter yet! I hope you can see where this is going…well actually, I hope you can't see it so you will be somewhat surprised as the mystery is revealed.