"We are here," said Melosh as they came out of the forest and into a small glade.
Teyla smiled in delight. The storm had passed leaving a bright full moon that shined down on the little spring, reflecting off the various mineral deposits washed down from the mountain and turning the water a rainbow of color. Small, white, sweet-smelling, night-blooming flowers covered the ground around the area, releasing more of their heady scent as their feet disturbed them. "It is beautiful," she said.
Melosh leaned down and picked one of the blossoms, tucking it into her hair. "No, you are beautiful."
Teyla ducked her head and took a seat on the ground, letting a boulder act as a backrest. "Melosh…" she began, marshalling her thoughts.
"Tell me of our fathers and of Holling and Charan. I have missed them most." He said, taking a seat beside her on the ground.
"Our fathers were long ago taken by the Wraith," she told him gently knowing the pain such news would cause him. Her eyes glittering with unshed tears. He turned away from her, in sorrow, and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, I know you and your father were very close."
After a few minutes, he had regained some control. "Holling and Charan?" he asked, his voice still rough with emotion.
"Holling is a father now. He has a young boy named Jinto." She cocked her head at him and smiled fondly. "He reminds me of you at that age, always curious and getting into trouble."
"And Charan?"
"Charan passed beyond just recently. I performed the ring ceremony for her." This time it was Teyla who was trying to hold her emotions in check.
"I am sorry. You cared for her very much," he said gently, "and she loved you like a daughter."
"She was the last of my family," said Teyla, her eyes welling again with unshed tears.
Melosh wrapped an arm around her shoulders in companionable comfort and Teyla leaned against him automatically, her distress momentarily clouding her thoughts.
"I will miss her tuttleroot soup," he said.
Charan's last gentle insult to her cooking skills came unbidden to Teyla's mind and she laughed.
He smiled at her. "What? What did I say?"
"It wasn't what you said, it is what Charan said." Teyla went on to tell Melosh of Charan's last days. Soon they were both reminiscing about the friends and family of their youth and days now long gone.
A brightness among the trees in the distance eventually caught her attention. "What is that?" she asked, curiously.
He smiled at her. "It is the sun."
Teyla looked alarmed. "Have we been talking all night?"
"Yes, and we have a long hike today, but I feel like I have more energy now than after a night of good sleep," he said, grinning at her.
-o-
"What's that," asked McKay, sniffing the air in distain and knuckling the sleep from his eyes.
Sheppard stirred the bowl without enthusiasm. "Apparently it's some sort of porridge."
"It smells hideous."
Ronon stuffed a spoonful into his mouth and swallowed after a minimal amount of chewing. "I've had worse."
Rodney merely wrinkled his nose. Glancing around, he noticed they were one team member short. "Where's Teyla?"
"She never came back."
"Really?" asked McKay, frowning before he made the connection and then smiled slyly.
The grin promptly disappeared as Ronon handed him a bowl of the noxious porridge. Rodney looked down into the contents of the crude wooden bowl. "I'm not eating this swill."
"It's going to be a long hike," warned Sheppard, forcing some of the food down.
"Isn't there anything left from last night?"
"You ate everything already, including the powerbars, so unless you want to turn cannibal…"
"I vote we eat McKay first," said Ronon instantly, a feral grin on his face.
"Never mind, I'll try it," Rodney said, managing to choke down about half the bowl before they were interrupted by their tardy teammate.
"We missed you last night," said Sheppard as she entered the hut.
"I am sorry. Melosh and I were talking and I lost track of the time."
"You were talking -- all night?" Sheppard asked casually.
"Yes," she replied, a little miffed at his obvious insinuation. "We were reminiscing about times past. Not that it is any of your concern."
Sheppard raised his hands slightly in surrender. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's none of my business."
Teyla seemed to accept his apology at face value. "Melosh is ready to leave if you are," she said, grabbing her pack.
"I just need to make a quick call to check in with Elizabeth and we can go."
-o-
As the day, and Rodney's complaining, wore on, the sky grew darker and more ominous. Teyla and Melosh's conversation was a cheerful counterpoint to the overcast sky. The Athosian's lilting laughter filtered back as she and Melosh joked and talked. Sheppard began to wonder if maybe Teyla had changed her mind regarding her 'promise'.
During a break in their chatter, Melosh caught Teyla's worried glance at the dark clouds. "It is the rainy season. Do not be concerned. The storm will not break until this evening. We will be safe within the home of the gods before then." She smiled at him, a warm earthy smile that he eagerly returned.
The trail became narrower and steeper the further they progressed. Eventually they had to walk single file. Melosh led the procession, followed by Teyla and the rest of the team -- the natives trailing behind in a long line. Occasionally Sheppard caught a glimpse of the end of their little convoy during one of the many tight switchbacks. He could understand why Melosh had suggested they not try climbing the mountain in the rain; the footing was treacherous enough as it was. He kept a careful eye on Rodney in front of him, but the scientist was a sure-footed climber despite his complaints.
Another hour's hiking brought them within sight of a large entrance carved into the mountainside above them. Torches burned in sconces on either side even though it was still full daylight.
"Does that look like Ancient architecture to you?" asked Sheppard, frowning.
Rodney squinted at it. "Not exactly. It does seem vaguely familiar though."
"It's not Wraith," said Ronon, shouldering past them as the path widened and entering the cave behind Teyla and Melosh without so much as a backward glance toward the hesitating men.
Rodney still looked nervous. "After you," he said, waving Sheppard ahead of him. The colonel rolled his eyes but didn't object. They paused just within the entrance, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the dim lighting.
A glow caught Rodney's attention as they entered and he pointed his handheld device at a shimmering orb near the center of the room. "There's our power source," he said quietly to Sheppard. "It's no ZPM, but it beats our naqueda generators hands down. It's also broadcasting a frequency similar to the cloak our jumpers use."
"That explains why the Wraith never come here. They don't know the planet's inhabited," Sheppard replied quietly.
"Come forward and greet the gods," invited Melosh. "They are anxious to see you."
"See us?" echoed Rodney, exchanging a surprised glance with Sheppard. "As in live, in person?"
Pointy spears in their backs encouraged them to move forward and they approached a dais in a darkened corner of the room where two chairs sat. One filled by a tank with something swimming in it, the other was occupied an almost decrepit old man.
"Yes," a resonate voice said as the old man stood, his eyes lit from within. "Come forward and worship at the feet of your gods."
"Crap, their gods aren't the Ancients…" said Sheppard.
"They're Goa'uld," finished Rodney, reaching toward the sudden pain in his neck even as he collapsed. A few seconds later, Sheppard and Ronon joined him on the floor, feathered darts sticking from their necks as well.
-o-
"Mumph," said Rodney, groaning as he squinted against the light.
"About damn time you woke up," said Sheppard, leaning heavily against the wall. "Was I dreaming or did that guy's eyes light up -- and I don't mean like Christmas morning."
Rodney immediately felt the back of his neck for a Goa'uld entry wound, sighing in relief when he felt nothing but smooth skin beneath his fingers, and only then realizing that his wrists were tied together. "No you're right. It was definitely a Goa'uld."
"We're in the Pegasus galaxy for God's sake, where aren't those guys?" asked Sheppard, taking a few drunken steps while continuing to lean heavily against the wall for support.
Ronon elbowed himself off the floor, something made more difficult since his wrists were also bound, and looked around the room. "Teyla's missing."
"So are our vests and weapons," said Rodney. At the glare the runner shot him, he added, "What? I can't be worried about her and us at the same time?"
"So Melosh's god is the same thing that Caldwell was? I thought his gods were the Ancients." Ronon pulled two spent darts from his neck. "Is he a Goa'uld who took control of an Ancient?" he asked as he checked to see if their captors had missed any of his knives and frowning when he found himself completely disarmed.
"He's a Goa'uld pretending to be an Ancient," said Rodney. "It makes sense actually."
Sheppard finally managed to stand without supporting himself against the wall. "I'm glad you think so."
"It's not strange that they'd pretend to be Ancients in the Pegasus Galaxy," Rodney explained to Ronon. "In our galaxy the Goa'uld have a long history of impersonating various gods to better control their followers."
"A better description would be 'slaves'," said Sheppard absently, studying their room for a means of an escape.
"And people there fall for that?" The runner's muscles bunched in an unsuccessful attempt to break the straps binding his wrists.
"Humph, yes, surprisingly naive, isn't it?" responded the scientist.
"Rodney, if you're not too busy?" said Sheppard.
"What?" The scientist looked up the colonel in confusion until Sheppard waved his bound hands toward the door. "Oh, right." He rose unsteadily to his feet and began prying at the control panel with his fingernails.
-o-
"Can't you hurry it up?" asked Sheppard.
"I'm doing the best I can. You try rerouting a door control built by an alien race with your hands tied together," the scientist snapped.
"Hist," warned Ronon from where he had his ear pressed to the door. McKay quickly shoved the various cables back into the wall and snapped the cover into place, backing away just as the door opened to reveal the Goa'uld and four of the villagers, this time armed with deadly staff weapons instead of blowguns or spears.
"Melosh tells me you're from the Ancient stronghold of Atlantis," said the Goa'uld.
"Formerly," said Rodney, raising a finger slightly.
"Where is Teyla?" Sheppard demanded.
"I will ask the questions." He pointed at Rodney. "That one first," he said, before turning in a swirl of robes that belayed his decrepit appearance and exiting the room.
The scientist had a chance to shoot them a single panicked glance before he was yanked out of the room. The door snapped shut in Sheppard's face. "Rodney!"
An hour later, their teammate was returned and thrown through the door, barely conscious.
Sheppard knelt beside him. "Rodney, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked as the scientist clutched at his head, obviously in pain.
"You will soon find out, first hand, Colonel Sheppard," said the Goa'uld as the guards latched onto Sheppard and dragged him out of the room.
Ronon stood by, staff weapons aimed at his chest, helpless to prevent it.
Sheppard was marched down the hall to room hung with tattered draperies which might have looked regal at some point, but now just emphasized the state of decay the hung over the entire temple. The tank had been moved into the room as well. The colonel looked at the creature undulating in the murky water with undisguised disgust. "Who, or what, is that?"
One of the guards hit him hard across the back of the shoulders with the butt end of his staff, bringing Sheppard down to his knees with a gasp.
"You will show respect," said the Goa'uld. "That is my queen. Her host was not as strong as my own."
"So, are you gonna tell me your name or should I just call you 'snakehead'?" This time the staff caught him across the back of the head and he briefly saw sparks.
"You shall call me God," boomed the deep resonate voice as the Goa'uld's eyes glowed.
"Yeah, about that -- we pretty much ousted you guys from our galaxy, so that whole 'god' routine doesn't really work on us anymore," Sheppard quipped.
The Goa'uld narrowed his eyes. "In your Galaxy, I was known as Denwen," he said as if expecting the name to strike terror in Sheppard's heart.
"And that?" asked Sheppard, pointing to the tank.
The Goa'uld put his hand in the tank, caressing the creature. "Wadjet. My beloved."
Sheppard looked slightly ill as the slimy snake-like creature wrapped itself around her mate's arm. "You two make a cute couple," he said, his face wrinkled in disgust.
Denwen gave the creature a last fond pat and it slid back beneath the surface. "She will soon have another host -- as will I. This body, too, is nearing the end of its usefulness."
Sheppard's eyes narrowed as he suddenly made the connection. "You mean Teyla and Melosh." He shook his head and gritted his teeth. "You'll put that thing in Teyla over my dead body."
Smiling, Denwen raised his palm in front of Sheppard's face and the hand device he was wearing began to glow. "As you wish."