Chapter 7

Willow sat on the ground holding Marta. She heard the obvious sounds of people moving through the grasses. It sounded like a small group of people. She was mostly sure they were harmless people—not the wraith but she wasn't fully sure. She carefully and quickly disentangled the girl from any physical contact with her. She repeated a slight variation of the concealment spell she had whispered when she had first hid from the wraith.

"Let us not be seen, let it all to them seem a dream. Let us not be seen, let it all to them seem a dream. Let us not be seen, let it all to them seem a dream." The air around her shimmered briefly and she knew it had worked. She and Marta were hidden. They were safe.

Willow didn't have a long wait before she saw four people walk through the grasses and straight towards her. They could not see her, yet they stopped right before her—as if they knew. Two were in the lead. One tall man with watchful eyes and slightly messy hair. He had the look of a man that didn't miss much. A small but obviously physically competent woman stood at his side. Two other men rounded out the group. One was talking entirely too much and the other not at all. The one who spoke too much had a more than slightly petulant air and the other was obviously younger than the rest. He seemed completely vigilant. He looked around and settled his eyes exactly where she sat. He was uncannily perceptive. Willow knew there was no way he could see her but from where she sat she got the feeling that he had reasoned that she sat where she sat. Eh? Willow had no other way of understanding he knew—but--he just knew.

"She is here" The vigilant man spoke the words aloud. "The trail ends right here. She is here—right here." He looked forward, again, practically right into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" The man with the messy hair said this and looked confused. He reached his left hand up to scratch at his head and further rumple up his hair. He looked towards the petulant man, "McKay, do you pick up anything on your instruments?"

"Nope—not a thing." This McKay answered. He was fiddling with a light blue and white looking square. He grimaced and repeated himself.

"Not a thing—really nothing here."

"Look at the ground. The villagers ran in one direction—she followed and somehow veered this way. The trail ends here." As the younger man spoke the words he walked around circling Willow. "Look. She didn't continue in any other direction. She didn't go back and join the villagers—we would have seen her. She is right here."

The small woman looked as if she were considering his words and trying to decide if he was truly right or completely wrong.

"Why then does she not reveal herself?"

"We are holding guns. She doesn't know us." The younger man addressed these words to the other three in his team.

He walked back to his position directly in front of where he knew the woman to be. "I am Lieutenant Aiden Ford of the United States Military. The safety is on my weapon—in fact it is on the ground." He put the gun on the ground.

"We are not here to hurt you. The wraith is dead. We are not your enemy."

Willow stared at the man. This guy was good—all kinds of good. Good looking… good at his job… good at making her feel safe. She believed him. With one whispered word she ended the spell. "Reveal"

McKay jumped a little backwards when the woman appeared out of thin air. She was right were Ford had said she would be--hmm.

"Well—hmm." This was the first word Sheppard could manage along with the speculative hmm… what do you say to a woman who appears out of thin air… dressed in jeans, a pair of Converse, a sweatshirt that read Red on one side of the zipper and Sox on the other. It was no mistaking the truth. She was most likely American—unless the Pegasus Galaxy was a notch stranger than they had originally supposed. It was a good thing Teyla was there to help.

"I am Teyla Emmagan. The child, is she well?" Teyla also placed her P-90 on the ground and then positioned herself close to the woman and the child. The woman looked concerned. She looked upward and met Ford's eyes, the turned apprehensively to McKay and lastly to Sheppard. She looked like she was mostly sure she had made the right decision to reveal herself but a little concerned that she might have placed either herself or the child in great danger.

"How can we help?" Aiden wanted to reach down and check on the child but he was uneasy about doing so. He didn't want to startle the girl. He had noticed how she had become very nervous when Sheppard had taken inventory of her clothing.

"Lieutenant Ford… Marta is weak—tired--drained." The girl spoke the words in almost a whisper. Her voice was very quiet. When she spoke it was obvious she was American. She had a curious lack of an alien vocal inflection. She sounded like any random American.

"Call me Aiden." He dropped into a crouch and inclined his right hand towards her. So far so good—McKay just didn't need to say anything abrasive… and all would be fine.

The woman allowed him to reach towards, Marta. Aiden didn't have any advanced medical training but he could tell when someone needed immediate medical assistance and when someone was asleep. He was in luck—Marta was asleep.

"She is fine. She is just resting." The woman turned her grateful eyes towards Aiden. He saw immense relief. "Really? I was sure…" She didn't finish the sentence. Instead she let the thought trail off fragmented. She snapped her eyes shut. Just before her green eyes hid behind her lids, Aiden was sure he had seen in them, a haunted look. Aiden wanted to relieve her as much as was in his power to do so.

"If you like, we can take her to see a doctor. We have a doctor on base."

Sheppard observed Ford with the girl. It amazed him how naturally Ford was progressing with offworld contact—though actually, in truth, this girl was obviously American, and the fact that Ford was able to calm and reassure her probably really wasn't an astonishing feat. Actually, he had really to give credit where credit was due. All he had been able to mutter out was- well and hmmm. McKay wasn't doing too much better. Sheppard turned around a full one hundred and eighty degrees to find McKay fiddling with his detectors. He decided the best thing for him to do was figure out what was going on in McKay's mind. He walked over to where McKay stood outside the edge of the circle.

"What do you make of all this?" Sheppard addressed his question to McKay but kept the woman and the rest of his team in full view.

"I don't know! Now this technology detector—reads NOTHING! Earlier SHE came up as a weapon of some sort—now nothing! Is it broken? Is she depleted? I don't understand!" McKay spoke his words in an increasingly loud whisper.

Ford looked towards McKay and Sheppard. He had the beginnings of a frown on his face. It was obvious he didn't want either man to say anything to upset the woman.

"I'd like to see your doctor. Is the base far?" The woman addressed her question to Ford. Before he could answer, Sheppard started to speak.

"Miss…" He paused to give her a chance to fill in the gaps.

"Willow. Willow Rosenberg."

"Well then, Miss. Rosenberg, Lieutenant Ford, myself…" He paused as Miss Rosenburg gave him a pointed stare. It was obvious she knew he had completely bungled the introductions, so much for serving as an example of leadership. "I am Major John Sheppard—and the confused man behind me is Doctor McKay." He tried to finish off the introductions with a small joke. Anything to relax this taut scene.

McKay was muttering to himself about the equipment… Teyla and Ford were looking over the young girl—Marta—that was her name. Trying to make sure she was truly sleeping and not in some coma, and every member of his team was a little on edge because they had seen this young woman fire a fireball right through the chest of a wraith. This Rosenberg should be the only calm one here but she seemed as tense as the each of them.

"We came through the gate to trade with the people of this planet." At Sheppard's statement, Willow looked completely flummoxed.

"Planet? We are on a planet? Of course we are on a planet—duh Earth is a planet…. She looked at Aiden. His brown eyes held an obvious trace of amusement. Willow wasn't angered. He looked as if he were more than a little fascinated with her. Oh my goodness! Willow knew she was just about to put both feet in her mouth. She needed a new focus—other than his coffee colored eyes. Coffee colored? A moment ago, he had non-descript brown eyes!

"So…. Is this a different planet from Earth? Thorough what gate? I didn't see a gate—grass, yes. Gate, no." She was babbling! She was about to denigrate into a full scale babblefest and she knew it was because Aiden had assured her--Marta was only sleeping.

"Yes. There is a gate—a Stargate… and yes there is grass and yes this is M94-086" Aiden gave her these answers with increasing smiles. She was confused and cute—but catching on quickly. He really wondered just how she got to M94-086? It seemed it was a mystery even to her!

"Okay. Hmm." Sheppard thought and spoke these words aloud. "Miss Rosenberg—most if not all of what we can tell you is classified." He made sure he stared fully into her eyes as he spoke. He wanted to see her reactions. I--we will be happy to fill you in—after I get the go ahead from the leader of our expedition. In the meantime, perhaps we can get your child to our doctor."

Sheppard was sure he had given a pretty good pitch. He had made a logical and honest promise and he had read understanding and acceptance in her eyes. Now he read confusion. Teyla put words to the confusion.

"She is not your child?" Teyla said these words to Willow as a question.

"No. She isn't. She asked me for help and I carried her here." Willow started her explanation with her eyes fully focused on Teyla. She finished her explanation with her eyes focused on the ground as if she were ashamed.

Teyla first glanced at Ford and then gave Willow a long look as if she were considering her words. It seemed that Teyla knew Willow was not telling her the full truth but either the full truth was of little consequence or either she believed the truth would come out in due time. She did not press Willow for complete answers.

"Come. Let us find her mother." Teyla stood up and offered a hand to Willow. "I know where the villagers hide from the wraith." Teyla's words reassured Willow. Willow struggled to her feet, swaying a little. She steadied herself by placing a hand on Aiden's shoulder. She felt weak. She knew she had to stand and make her way to Marta's mother. She just wasn't sure if she had the energy. Aiden reached to the ground and put her messenger bag onto his shoulder.

Teyla gave Willow a quick glance. It was obvious she would not be able to make it on her own. Teyla made the obvious decision. "I will carry Marta." She didn't state the observable fact—'you can lean on Lieutenant Ford' because this was already happening, before her eyes. Teyla trusted her instincts and had had a good idea of how things would unfold. Teyla began moving forward carrying Marta. Ford and Willow followed with Sheppard and McKay at the back of the group.

Aiden seemed to fall into place at Willow's side.