DISCLAIMER: I do not own this show, or these characters; I just borrow them.
Weathering the Storm Part 16
AN: Thanks for those who reminded me that I did not move the rating up when the flashbacks started. That has been taken care of. I also changed the warning on the story, so if anyone does not want to read this story please don't.
AN2: Also I wanted to point out that the reason I did put in as much detail about the rape was because the physiological effects are going to be delved into deeply. As will be seen slightly in this chapter and in others as Dr. Weir starts to feel that she has no control: over herself, her people, and her emotions.
AN3: Some people have mentioned that Dr. Weir would not just take what was happening without fighting. She did fight, but she is one of those people that would do anything to keep her people from being hurt, and to her if that is keeping them from knowing what happened to her she will including having Rodney be forced to watch.
AN4: Some people have also mentioned that Kolya is off-character, that I'm not keeping in line with the personalities of individuals, and that I should watch seasons 1 and 2. I do own season 1 and so yes I did not know that the actor for Kolya did not see him as tyrannical, but from what I saw from 'The Storm' I did. Also my story is just based up to and including 'The Storm' and 'The Eye'. I will get into some of the other shows as the story progresses. For the knowledge up to them I think I'm doing a good job with who the people are and I will not change it.
AN5: Many people also want to know when John and the rest will find out about the rape. It is going to be quite some time before all of the main team learns about the incident. I know when in the story they will, and I hope you will be patient as I deal with many other aspects of the story until we get to the teams reactions to learning the truth. Also a relationship/close friendship will not start with Sheppard until after this fact (granted the relationship could go either with him or McKay, so if anyone has any preference let me know.)
AN6: Others have wondered why John doesn't know already in a sixth sense, he likes her, kinda way. He is starting to realize that something is going on, but the city being taken over and being stabbed as Elizabeth was, anybody would be emotional and on pins and needles. Also Elizabeth is not pouring her woes out to Sheppard because she still wouldn't know him very well or for very long. I'm assuming about 6-8 months as it was the middle of the first season. While I might make a friend in that time, I would not spill a major problem to them. I see Elizabeth as the same way, especially as she is the leader and would probably try to keep some distance between herself and her 'staff'.
AN7: Please let me know if you want me to keep writing this story. Well, if you want me to post the story, because I know where I want this story to go, and it is an emotional release for me so I will write; however, I won't post here if no one wants me to.
The jumper rose out of the jumper bay and above the city of the Ancients. Looking down at the marvelous city and out to the pristine calm water, it was hard to fathom the devastation that blanketed the mainland. From the co-pilot's seat, Elizabeth was one of the first to see the damage. Trees that were once towering giants now lay scattered on the ground like a box of dropped toothpicks. Much of the ground could not be seen as the water level had flooded the area. But this water was not the brilliant blues of the ocean. It was muddy brown and was littered with all types of debris from leaves and twigs to pots and pans.
Major Sheppard circled the damaged settlement twice in order to try and find a clear space large enough for the jumper to set down. He finally set down on a hill above the water level. Then fallen trees seemed to act like a natural dam, and the ground here showed little damage. But this one spot of minor damage only seemed to enhance the destruction around it.
The rear hatch was opened by Rodney the minute that the jumper powered down. He mentioned that he needed air as he was getting claustrophobic; however he wasn't much happier when he stepped out as the musty air hit him full force.
The rest of the group numbly followed Rodney out. All had a similar look of grief on their faces: the Athosians as their home was in ruins and the Atlantians as they felt sorrow for their friends.
Halling stepped out of the jumper and turned in a tight circle where he was standing. The damage was worse than he imaged. The forest to the east at one time was dense with foliage. His son and his friends often went there to play games, he and the other men in the village would hunt the animals that lived within the shelter of the trees. However Halling could see that that shelter was not as dense as it once was. Many trees seemed to be leaning on the next in a weary sort of manner, and a few of the taller trees had cut a path through anything that dared to stand in it's descent to the forest floor.
To the northwest Halling could see a large lake that had not been there before the evacuation took place. In fact the 'lake' was centered on top of the newly planted harvest, and some grown crops that were brought here from Athos. He knew that while losing the harvest would hurt his people and the Atlantians from getting a large food supply that they needed, he also knew that many of his friends were going to be hurt more by the lose of the few plants brought over from their homeworld. It would be like losing a piece of their culture, and therefore a piece of themselves.
Straight in front of him, bridging the fields and the forest, Halling could see the wreckage of their homes. Many of the tent-like structures had been ripped out of the ground and were scattered around the settlement. Some tents were still standing in their designated area, however the water level easily spanned a tenth of their height. Various cooking utensils, clothing, and even a few toys that were not gathered up before the quick departure of the mainland could be seen scattered about as well.
Halling did not like the devastation that had befallen his home, but he knew that his people would be able to rise from this new setback. They were still lucky to have met the formidable friends and allies that had delivered him and his people to this place were they did not have to live in as great a fear of the Wraith coming to cull their children and friends. He took a deep breath to center himself on the great task of getting his people back home, and looked around at his companions to see how they were faring.
Teyla looked around in shock at the changes that a few days and a major hurricane had cause to her people's settlement. She noticed much of the loving work that had gone into making this place her people's home was ruined. She glanced at the two farmers next to her and saw the look of lose in their eyes as they gazed toward the flooded fields. She knew that they had worked hard tilling the land, and the whole village was looking forward to the first harvest and the step toward self-sufficiency. Next her eyes came to rest on Doran. He looked miserable, but in the time since he and the others had been back from Manara she had not seen him look much differently. Finally she glanced over at Halling and saw him take a deep breath, he looked towards her and she knew that the time of contemplating the damage and what might have been was over. Now came the time to determine how to fix the problem at hand and to get her people home.
Dr. Weir noted the gaze of all the Athosians were settled on the ransacked settlement. After a few moments, she thought about calling the people to order but she was just here today to help out and see how the damage would affect Atlantis in the long run. She glanced over toward where she was told the fields were. She knew the biggest problem was going to be the food shortage. Her people were already starting to get low on many of the food stuffs that they did have. She shook her head out of the long term worry. She was here now and could help with getting the Athosians home. She pictured Jinto and his questioning gaze about whether they had a home to come back to or not. She vowed that she would do all in her power, and the power of those in Atlantis to get Jinto and all of the Athosians settled back into their new home.
Everyone came to attention when someone cleared their throat. Halling glanced back at those who stared at him. When his eyes glanced on Dr. Weir, he tilted his head slightly to let Dr. Weir know that she could start her briefing before the group broke up to work on their given tasks. Dr. Weir shook her head to let Halling know that he was the leader for this trip. He glanced at Teyla and when she only gave a warm smile in support he stated, "I know it looks awful. But we have struggled through much worse and come through unscathed. We need to know the extent of the damage and while visually it is very telling, we need to know everything in order to get our people home. I want Jinto to run amongst the trees again, and I'm sure you all feel the same about your families."
Halling turned his attention to the farmers in the group, "I would appreciate if you would see how badly the situation is with the harvest. Also see if any of the storage compartments still hold the tilling equipment and seeds as we might have need of them sooner than we thought."
Next he glanced at Doran. "Check on the main settlement and determine which areas can be fixed up quickly. We need to get some of the homes back into place in order to get a group over here to work tirelessly until we can get our people home. Also determine what areas can be saved and what areas cannot be. You go with the Atlantians and Teyla and we will meet back here to go home when the sun first touches the horizon." Halling turned with purpose and strode slightly westward to try and find a stable path to get to the fields. The farmers had to hurry to catch up with him before he disappeared behind the jumper.
"Well I guess that leaves us to go straight. Hey Doran you know the terrain better than any of us so what is the best way to get down to the village." John asked. He watched as Doran veered slightly to the right and started to descend the hill. Teyla followed closely behind her fellow Athosian, and Rodney was close to her heels. "Lady's first," John stated to Elizabeth as he gestured towards the others and after she started on her way, John picked up the rear.
Once the group got halfway to the settlement, the terrain started to slope upwards. The group was chilled and they were knee deep in water for the majority of the time. They trudged along and tried to keep their footing on the slippery ground. John almost let out an audible sigh at seeing a piece of land that rose out of the water. He could not wait to get his legs out of the water if even for a few seconds. Doran started to walk up the semi-steep slope and the rest of the group watch in desperation as Doran's feet started to slip backwards. Much of the muddy hill came down with him making the slope even steeper than before.
John looked around for another way to get up the incline. He could see that about 100 meters to the left the ground did not seem as steep, but he really was hoping to get out of the water for a bit. He moved his glance to his other side and quickly saw the way up. About 15 meters away a downed tree connected the bottom of the hill with the top, and he knew that the branches could be used as footholds or handholds in order to get up. He mentioned this to the group, and after hearing Rodney rant about the stupidity in this decision the group started to walk toward the tree. John smirked as he heard Rodney grumble about how they should just be smart and go toward the flat area.
When they reached the tree, Doran and Teyla quickly scaled the tree to the top of the hill. Rodney grumbled about having to climb but he quickly decided that it was better to brave the tree then to brave Sheppard with his look of annoyance. Sheppard again gestured to Dr. Weir to go first. The first few tentative steps up the tree went well, but on the fourth step John saw her left foot start to slide backward. While Elizabeth was trying to find the odd handhold in order to try the next large step, John feared that she might fall. He pushed on her back in order to help steady her while she tried to reach the next step.
John watched as Dr. Weir quickly jerked away from his touch and started to turn toward him. Before he could try and prevent any mishap, he saw her lose her footing and land hard on the tree trunk. He grimaced at the pain that must have caused but thought that she was lucky that she was not a guy or that would have hurt so much more. Trying to lighten the mood John stated his thoughts out loud, "Ohh that had to hurt. Be glad you're not male. I cringe just thinking about what that fall would have done other than making a guy hit some very high notes." He chuckled and noticed that the others were glancing down to see if everything was okay. He didn't think the fall had been that bad and was about to say so when he noticed the tears creating clean lines on the leader's dirt smeared face. "Elizabeth," he asked worriedly as he walked over to her.
During the trek from the jumper towards the main settlement, Elizabeth had been staying alert to her surroundings in order to keep her feet firmly planted in the mud as she trailed behind Rodney. She glanced around her and in all directions she saw how much damage that had occurred during the hurricane's rampage. 'I still have my home which is more than I can say for the Athosians,' she thought as she looked around at the downed trees and the flooded land surrounding her. 'I should be grateful. I still have my life, and so do most of our people,' her mind shifted from the planet to the two soldier who lost their lives needlessly.
Trying to bring her focus back on the task before her, she thought of all that would need to be done on the mainland before the Athosians could come back and be safe in their homes. She wished that there was something that she could do in order to feel safe in her own home. She shivered at where her thoughts were taking her, and as the wind barrier in front of her shifted away. She glanced up to notice that the group was starting to head to the right in order to get up the hill in front of them. She was glad for the cold as it gave her some cover from others wondering about why she might be shivering. However she also worried about the group as the wind and the water were not a great combination for anyone's health; especially not for Dr. McKay as most everything seemed to make him sick, and much faster than others in the same conditions.
The group came upon a downed tree that acted as a ramp up the hill. The tree seemed firmly entrenched in the land and looked less slippery than the mud beside it; therefore Doran started to make his way cautiously up the tree. The next thing she knew, Rodney was half up the tree and so she started to look for the nearest handhold so she could start the ascent. A few steps up the tree there seemed to be no handhold nearby. She looked around and noticed what she was looking for slightly beyond an easy reach. She stretched out her arm and push onto her toes in order to extend her hand farther. Her shoulder started to protest at this movement, and she gritted her teeth to not let this defeat her, she would not let Kolya and his aftermath defeat her. Just as she was about to grasp the limb she felt someone touching her back.
In the back of her mind Elizabeth knew that she was on a planet far away from Kolya and that after the gunshot hit him that he was probably dead anyway, but an instinctual fear started to well up inside her. Her heart started to race. 'FIGHT OR FLIGHT' her brain screamed. As climbing up the rest of the way would take too long she decided that fighting was the smarter move. She quickly turned around in order to face her attacker. She tried to get her bearings after the quick move, but it was impossible. First the world spun and then she noticed her field of vision start to move downward. Mere milliseconds before she impacted the ground, she realized that she was falling. She held out her arms in an attempt to cushion the fall.
The pain was instantaneous and intensive as she landed straddling the tree trunk. Healing bruises screamed out as they were pressed upon and white flared behind her eyes. The pain in her shoulder was trying to vie for her attention. She tried to breath deeply in order to push the pain back and face whatever danger was in front of her.
She heard John's voice speak with levity and she knew that whether there was danger around or not that he would not let her come to harm if he could stop it. She started to calm down from the pain in her body, and from the adrenaline rush that her fear produced when the words filtered through her pain-fogged brain. Any remaining pain was currently pushed into the recesses of her mind as anger and other emotions took over.
Her thoughts whirled around in a mad dash to be heard as they jumped from topic to topic. 'Why does he think that falling like I did would only hurt a male? If I was male Kolya might not have preyed upon me. If I was male I might have been stronger and able to fight him off better.' Rationally Elizabeth knew that this was not always the case, but she was not thinking rationally at the time being.
She felt the tree shift as someone sat beside her. The pain started to trickle back into her awareness at the movement caused her bruises' to renew their screams in order to be heard over her muddled thoughts. She felt a finger caress her cheek and a gentle voice ask her if she was okay. She didn't know how to answer as her thoughts were all over the place. So rather than say nothing as would have been the smarter move, she said everything that came to mind.
Major Sheppard sat down near Elizabeth and asked her again if she was okay. He brushed the tears off her face, but only ended up smearing the dirt on her face even more. He heard Rodney call down to make sure that everything was okay, and when John looked up he saw Doran and McKay looking down with pensive looks on their faces. He didn't see Teyla and was about to wonder where she was when he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. Looking over, John saw that Teyla was half walking, half sliding down the hill.
While not hearing a response from his leader was starting to scare him, he didn't know what to think when she did start to respond.
Dr. Weir's response started out quiet, so quiet that John had to lean closer to hear her; but they ended up far from quiet.
"No… I'm not okay. That hurt. I hurt." Elizabeth said in a whisper as she struggled to voice her thoughts.
While the last part of the comment did not just include her physical pain, John did not grasp the hidden meaning behind her words. He started to wonder how hurt she was as she would usually bite her tongue in order to appear the unshakable leader that she thought she must be. John started to ask her how and where she hurt but before anything could come out of his mouth, Elizabeth continued on with her rant.
"Why would you think that a fall like that would only hurt a guy?" John could hear the contempt behind the words and when he tried to explain, he was again cut off. "Yeah, so if I was a guy that would have really hurt huh," John could hear the sarcasm dripping off her words. "What about the other hurts? They might not have happened if I was a guy." At this point she was all but yelling, "I could have kept him away. I could have defended myself." Realization of what she had just said started come to her; she could hear the warning bells in her head warning her to change the topic and to cover up her blunder. "I could have defended Atlantis." The last was said quieter than the rest.
John realized that Elizabeth was finally done and so he could now get a word in edgewise, but he could not think of anything to say as his shock of her outburst was too great. John looked up in the sky for guidance and saw the shocked faces of Doran and Rodney gazing down. If John was not so rattled he would have found it very amusing that Rodney was slack-jawed and shocked into silent. He glanced back down to Elizabeth when he heard a hiss of pain next to him. John watched as she stiffly pulled her legs up over the tree trunk and to her chest. Not caring at the time about getting filthier, Elizabeth leaned her back up against the sloped mud wall. He noticed the amount of caution that she took in positioning her right arm just so, and realized much of what Elizabeth was livid about. She couldn't prevent Kolya from getting the upper hand on her and thereby stabbing her in the shoulder. She was not able to prevent the city from being taken over, and so she felt helpless. Just like he did, especially when he thought that he got her killed. Before he could go down that emotional pitfall, he turned his attention back to Dr. Weir. Thinking that he knew much of the reason for her pain, emotional and physical, he asked her, "Did you jar your arm in the fall?"
Elizabeth looked up at him realizing that he had just given her the perfect out, "Yeah. It smarts…a lot," she said with gritted teeth as she tried to prevent the lie from spilling forth.
However John saw the gritted teeth and realized that the pain must have helped to bring her feelings about the attack on the city to the forefront of her mind. He thought when he got back he might talk to Dr. Beckett about everyone involved in the incursion to talk about how they felt. He knew that it would also prevail to him. But he had seen the stress on his whole team the last few days, and he would do whatever it took to help his teammates and friends.
Teyla finally reached the bottom of the incline and stood in front of the pair. "Dr. Weir," Teyla asked gently. After hearing the rant she had an idea of where Elizabeth was emotionally and mentally.
Elizabeth looked forward towards Teyla. Her eyes seemed to ask for help on how to get a few moments to herself away from the prying eyes of the guys. Teyla knew that she would do whatever it took to help Elizabeth, whether that help was a friend to rant to, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to help get her out of the mess her mouth had just gotten her in made no difference. Teyla was going to try to help with any and all aid that she could give, starting with getting the three men to go on ahead.
"Major Sheppard, why don't you, McKay and Doran walk on toward the settlement and get started with the work there. We will be behind shortly." Teyla saw the look of worry that he shot over to Elizabeth, and she added before he could complain about her health, "I'll give her something for the pain and make sure that her injuries will not affect her coming to help before we come to join you." She shoot him a questioning gaze complete with eyebrow raise in a silent question of whether he could do anything more than she promised to do.
John saw the questioning gaze on Teyla's face. "I don't leave people behind," he countered.
"We are not on an unknown, hostile plant," Teyla stated.
Before Teyla could say more Dr. Weir interjected, "We have a job that needs to get done before the day is over. Teyla and I will catch up soon, but Doran and Dr. McKay need to get started now on gathering information. We will be fine. Go." Elizabeth stated with as much authority as she possessed currently, which she thought was not much.
While Elizabeth doubted the authority her voice commanded, John did not hear anything out of place. He knew an order when he heard it. He knew that she was right, but he hated to have her and Teyla out of his sight. He tried to tell himself that it was just that he was going to be stuck with an arrogant scientist and the Genii informant by himself, but he knew subconsciously that there was another reason. However he did not have time to debate the reasons that he wished to stay here. He pulled himself upright and started climbing up the tree that he thought would have been the easiest and quickest way to get up the hill. He started to mentally chastise himself and before he knew it, he was at the top of the hill. He looked back down and noticed that Elizabeth had not moved from her curled up position, and that Teyla was fishing around in her bag. He tore his gaze away from the pair, and started walking toward the main settlement. All the while wondering what all was going on in his leader's head.
Teyla fished around in her backpack in order to find some pain pills for her friend. She did not see Elizabeth fall, but she did see how she landed. As Kolya hurt her only a few days ago, Teyla knew that she would be hurting after that fall. She had heard John's words to Dr. Weir, and she shook her head at the stupid comment. Once she realized that Dr. Weir was not answering Major Sheppard, she feared that Elizabeth might be stuck in a flashback. Wanting to get to her friend before John might have touched her, she started down the hill. That journey was evident as her entire back was covered in mud.
Half way down the hill she heard Dr. Weir talking to John. She was glad that Elizabeth was not reliving her memories, but then she started to worry again as she heard Elizabeth's rant. Teyla knew that Elizabeth would not want her story to come out like this, and she quickened her pace down the hill.
She was glad that they were able to talk John into going ahead of them. This way Elizabeth could deal with the pain and her emotions away from prying eyes. She dropped two pills into Elizabeth's hand, and then grabbed her canteen to pass over.
Elizabeth gratefully took the pills and hoped that they would start to work quickly. She wanted to be able to catch up to the others quickly so that they would not worry. She also wanted to be able to help out without pain eating at her awareness. Part of her reasoning to help currently was not charitable, as she was just hoping to get Major Sheppard and Dr. McKay to believe that she was fine.
She glanced up at Teyla and smiled at her newfound friend. She was grateful for Teyla charging in to help and protect her. "Thanks… for everything," she said.
Teyla just smiled at Elizabeth as she went to sit next to her. She hoped that her open manner would help to get Elizabeth to open up, and she was not mistaken.
"I said too much…didn't I," Elizabeth gazed over at Teyla in order to get the truth from her reactions.
Teyla schooled her face to remain neutral while she stated, "It could have gone better."
"You can say that again," Dr. Weir quipped back.
A questioning gaze settled on Teyla's face, but she did was she was requested, "It could have gone better…"
Looking up to see the look on Teyla's face she realized that she was not being mocked. She started to laugh heartily at Teyla's comment and confusing expression. She definitely needed that.
Teyla continued on with her thought through Elizabeth's laughter, "but it could have been worse."
"Too true," Elizabeth said as she sobered to the thought about all of her ideas and wonderings that she didn't say. "Do you think what I said would have been true though? I know that some people will prey on men in order to feel even stronger, but when Kolya and his men went to interrogate Rodney they didn't used the threat of…rape." Elizabeth fought to say the last word, and finally did whisper it as if it was a filthy word.
Dr. Weir uncoiled herself from her comfort position and started to look up to see how much of the climb there was until the top. Her mask started to slide back into place, but before it could try to shut out the past completely Teyla stated her peace. "You did all you could in the situation you were in. Do not forget that. You fought well with what you had and what you knew." Teyla could tell that Dr. Weir was not listening to the truth behind the words. So rather than issue platitude that would be ignored, Teyla tried to get at the one problem she knew she could help with. "Would you be willing to let me teach you how to defend yourself?" Teyla could see the sparkle in Elizabeth's eyes to show that she heard that question, and the compassion and love that went into the asking.
Elizabeth turned and offered a small smile to Teyla. "I would like that." She stood up on the tree trunk and glanced back up to the top to end the conversation. Teyla smiled knowing that she helped how she could here, and that she would help out more when it was needed. She watched as Elizabeth slowly worked on climbing the tree, and heard the hisses of pain that Elizabeth would issue forth as her shoulder complained with each additional movement. Teyla did not bother to ask if she needed help, or wanted to go back to the jumper. She knew that this was an obstacle that Elizabeth felt she now had to conquer. Teyla followed closely behind the leader of Atlantis more to let her know that she was there should Elizabeth need any help, whether with the climb or otherwise.
When they got to the top and started walking towards their destination, Elizabeth decided that the silence was too much. So in a sort of trading one type of teaching for another, she decided to start in on teaching Teyla the finer points of Earth language. "About earlier, when I stated that 'you could say that again' it's a figure of speech. It doesn't mean what it sounds like."
Teyla wondered at this, "Why would you say something that you don't mean?"
Elizabeth laughed again at the confused look gazing back at her as she realized that this was going to take longer than she thought.
John was glad to see Teyla and Dr. Weir coming toward the group. He was wondering about the concerned looked on Teyla's face until they came close enough so that he could hear their conversation. He smiled to himself as he pictured the difficult task that Elizabeth was endeavoring. Elizabeth looked like she was walking stiffly, but she never let on that she was in pain for the rest of the day. Rodney was working on a way to get the water drained from the area, Doran checked on the houses that were still standing to determine whether they could be repaired or if they should be discarded for safety reasons. Once he was done with that, Doran went over and was trying to help out Rodney. He believed that they could use irrigation techniques, while Rodney believed that a more technical approach should be taken. They debated for a long time until they realized that they were essentially fighting over the same topic just from two different directions. Then they worked on finalizing the plans.
Teyla, John, and Elizabeth walked around the settlement trying to find anything that could be salvaged. They each went their separate ways, however Teyla tried to stay as close to Elizabeth as possible in her search area. Therefore Elizabeth was able to hear the gasp of sorrow that issued from Teyla as she picked up a soaked item. Trying to be there for the other women as she was for herself, Elizabeth hurried over to Teyla to see what was wrong. "Teyla," once Elizabeth knew that she was being heard she continued on as she gestured at the object, "What is it?"
Teyla clutched the object to her chest, and Elizabeth could now see that it was a book of some kind. "Most of our history is taught through stories, but many years ago my father's father decided that we should begin to write down many of our stories in case they should be lost or that the storytellers would be culled. He personally started to write what he knew and was taught. My father continued on. Then myself, and then I gave it to Halling when I decided to stay in Atlantis."
Elizabeth had not known what all that her friend had given up in order to stay with them in the city. She wished that she could promise to save the waterlogged item as it was one of the main ties Teyla had to her family, and that it was a treasure of knowledge to the Athosians. She knew that Teyla was just like herself in the fact that she would not want to hear false promises and platitudes. "Maybe this time you can get all of your storytellers to help out. And hopefully once your people get back here, they will be safe from the Wraith for a long time and will be able to get all your known history in writing." Teyla seemed to brighten at the thought of hearing all the stories of their ancestors again. It was a great idea and she knew it, however as she went to place the book in the discard pile Elizabeth could see the pain in the other woman's face as if she was ripping out a piece of herself. Not knowing anything else to say, but knowing that Teyla needed to know she was now there for her, she stated, "I'm so sorry."
Teyla looked over to Elizabeth and remembered that she would always be a part of her ancestors as long as she did not forget the stories and lose herself to the past and the what ifs. She flipped open the book to two different spots and ripped out the pages from the bound book. She folded the papers and put them in her pocket.
Elizabeth watched as Teyla saved two pieces of paper and then dropped the book on the pile that was not salvageable. She watched as Teyla turned her back on the pile and went to pick up the nearest object she could find. Now it was Elizabeth's turn to work near Teyla in order to remind her that she would be there if needed.
The daylight started to get dimmer as the light was nearing the horizon, and the workers were surprised when they looked at their watches and noted that it was close to five in the afternoon. Knowing that they needed to start the journey back to the landing site before too much longer, they started packing up their gear and placing it back on their backs for the trek back. Rodney and Doran were still chatting on the walk about what they would be able to do to get the water level down. When the group got near the tree, they decided to follow Teyla's example from earlier and therefore slid down the slope. Rodney kept complaining that he would get injured on the way down, but he quickly sobered when he saw the look Sheppard gave him. Knowing to shut his mouth for once as he remembered the incident from earlier in the day, he slowly started his controlled fall/slide down the hill.
Everyone made it back to the jumper fairly unscathed from the day's events. Major Sheppard started his checklist of pre-flight status, and once the other team got back he flew the jumper back to the city.