Sorry for the delay. Real life has a habit of intervening. I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to update this, as I'm due to have an operation on my right wrist tomorrow (I was due to have this done on Monday but it was cancelled at the last minute – so I'm not banking on it this time round). I'll add to the story as I can, though.
OoOoO
She found him in the gym, taking out his frustrations on a poor Marine, newly arrived at Atlantis. She stood for a moment watching. To her expert eye, it was obvious that the Colonel was emotionally upset. His movements were jerkier than usual, and there were a couple of times that he only narrowly avoided being beaten by his much less experienced opponent.
They finished, with a polite bow to each other. The Marine then quickly grabbed his gym bag and almost ran out of the room.
"Was I that bad?" John asked Teyla.
"You were not as good as you usually are," she replied honestly. "What is wrong, John?" she asked gently.
He didn't answer for a moment, continuing to towel the sweat off his body. He then went over to the bench and sat down. Teyla sat beside him, patiently waiting for an answer.
"I don't know," he said eventually. "I just don't understand the way I feel about her."
"Certainly, your behaviour is not normal for you," Teyla said.
"Maybe I've been spending too much time with Rodney," John joked.
Teyla smiled politely at the jibe. "Why do you not trust her?" Teyla asked, not being distracted by John's humour.
"It's not that I don't trust her. I do, I think. There is just something about her, something that I find creepy. I want to like her. Hell, Carson liked her straight away," he said, smiling.
Teyla smiled in response. "Carson likes everyone straight away," she replied.
"Yes," John agreed. "He tends to see the best in people." He sighed. "It's a strange feeling. It's like an instinct, that I can't control. But I'm not going to let it interfere with the mission." He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself, as well as Teyla.
"I know you will not, John," she said gently. "But remember, Ria is a person too. She knows how you feel about her. You can see it in her eyes. Be as gentle with her as you can."
"I'll try," he responded.
OoOoO
He remembered his promise two days later as he stood at the Stargate, impatiently waiting for Ria to appear. He wanted to get this mission over and done with, and to get the ZPM. The intervening two days had done little for his discomfort in the presence of the woman. Carson had been taking her round the city, showing her all its wonders and introducing her to people. John had watched silently as she had charmed person after person. She always left them with a smile on their face, and a look of joy in their eyes. But when she left him, all he felt was relief.
She and her shadow, Carson, appeared suddenly, taking quietly together as they approached.
"Carson," John said, "are you joining us?"
"Aye," the doctor replied. "I didn't want to risk tiring this poor lass out, so I decided to come along and keep an eye on her."
John looked at Rodney, his eyebrows raised. However, he got very little reaction from the scientist. John had the feeling that all the others knew that Carson was joining them. He had been the only one who didn't know.
"Was it to protect Ria from me?" he asked himself, then shaking his head to get rid of the paranoia that seemed to be ever present when Ria was there.
"OK, everyone," he said, raising his voice. "Let's go."
OoOoO
The land through the Stargate was just as Ria had described. It was a harsh, desert land, with a relentless sun beating down, hitting you with waves of dry heat.
They all quickly put on the sunglasses they had brought with them. John could feel the sweat already beginning to pool on his back. He glanced over at Carson, who was wiping his forehead. Only Ronon seemed untouched by the heat. He seemed to dismiss its effects almost contemptuously.
Rodney looked around, his face already turning pink. "OK," he said. "There is a strong power reading from over there," he said pointing to an overhang of rocks. "Just where you said it would be," he said, smiling at Ria.
"Did you doubt me, Dr McKay?" Ria asked, a smile softening her words from a challenge.
"Of course not," Rodney said quickly. "Well, no more than I doubt everyone."
"Everyone but himself, that is," Carson said, with a grin on his face.
"Well, we can't all be a genius," Rodney retorted.
John's eyebrows shot up again, and he and Carson exchanged amused smiles. Teyla just shook her head gently.
"Well," John said. "It looks like we are headed over there."
With those words, he started towards to the overhang of rocks. The others trailed behind him. Rodney was next, followed by Teyla, then Carson and Ria. Ronon took the rear. Although the planet was uninhabited, and, according to Ria, hadn't been so for many years, the Runner always remained vigilant. Too many years on the run, had taught him to be wary of everything, even his own shadow at times.
It took longer than John expected to reach the overhang. In a barren landscape, distances can be deceptive, and in the heat, it wasn't possible to move quickly. By the time they got there, they all looked bedraggled. Well, except for Teyla and Ria. They both looked surprisingly unaffected by the heat.
"How do you manage it?" he asked, turning to the women. "We look as if we've been hosed down with sweat, and you two are as cool as anything."
"A woman has to have her secrets," Teyla responded, with a conspiratorial grin at Ria.
"And it's fun to drive the men mad with them," Ria added. "You did ask," she reminded John as he shook his head.
"Will I never learn?" he said, almost to himself.
"Probably not," Rodney responded, rather too quickly for John's liking.
"Okay," he said, deciding it was time to change the subject. "What now?" He looked at Rodney first of all. But he just shrugged, and turned towards Ria.
"Now, we dig," she said, almost apologetically. "From what I remember, the power source was buried to protect it. The people who used to live here buried many things to protect them from the sun's rays."
"Now, Carson," John said. "Aren't you glad you came?"
"'Glad' isn't the first word that springs to mind," the doctor replied.
"But just think what we can do with another ZPM," Rodney said, his enthusiasm for the power source overcoming his dislike of physical labour.
"Stop talking, and start digging," Ronon ordered in his usual forthright way.
"You heard the man," John replied. "Let's dig."
OoOoO
Carson forced them to stop every so often, and drink lots of water. The progress was slower than any of them wanted, but the breaks were necessary if they wanted to finish the job. The natives of the planet obviously believed in burying things thoroughly. They had dug through layers of sand, covering layers of rocks, which had been carefully placed to give protection.
Eventually, just at the point where exhaustion was setting in, they found it. It was in a large wooden box, with an elaborate latch on it. Ronon and John lifted it up and laid it on the sand at Rodney's feet.
The scientist just stood there for a moment, looking at the box.
"Come on, Rodney," John said. "You're meant to open it, not say a prayer over it!"
"I was just trying to work out how to open it," Rodney said, defensively. "It looks like an extremely complex locking mechanism. And after some of our experiences before, in setting off traps, I wanted to be careful."
"Caution is sensible, Rodney," Ria said. "But in this case it is unnecessary. The lock looks complex, but it is really very simple. See!" With that, she reached over and released the lock. They all looked into the box and saw a treasure more valuable to them than gold – a power source.
"Is it safe to transport it in this?" Rodney asked Ria.
She nodded. "It is specially designed to protect it," she said. "Even if Ronon decided to through it through the Stargate it would still be okay." The Satedan grinned at her. He rather liked that idea.
"Don't put any ideas into Conan's head," Rodney said. "He might just do it, to scare the hell out of me."
Ronon's grin grew wider.
"OK, children," John said, deciding it was time to bring some order to the proceedings. "Let's head back."
They had gone about 300 yards when Rodney let out an exclamation of annoyance.
"What's wrong now, Rodney?" Carson asked.
"I've left my sunglasses behind," the scientist responded.
"I'll get them," Carson offered, as Rodney's hands were full of the ZPM.
Carson headed back to the overhang, while the others looked off into the distance, wishing for the miles between them and the Stargate to be miraculously covered. They were tired, and hot and just wanted to get home.
Suddenly, Ronon's shout pierced the air. "Carson!"
The others turned in horror, just in time to see the rock overhanging the spot where they had been digging start to crumble. The doctor looked up, a petrified look on his face, as tons of rocks started to fall down on top of him.