Title: Emerging
Summary: AU, Major Teyla Emmagan makes the most difficult decision of her life, to join the Atlantis expedition.
Category: Gen
Author's notes: Written for the scifibigbang . Thanks to the Teyla Appreciation Thread over at GW.

September 8, 2002
Central Afghanistan

The heat of the sun was nearly as unforgiving as the Taliban.

It was another sweltering day in Afghanistan; the sweat pooled on the base of Teyla Emmagan’s neck, despite the fact she was in the cabin of a helicopter, cool air blowing on her face. The day had been uneventful, but successful; she had no contact with the Taliban as she delivered the much-needed medical supplies to a local village.

Now she was heading back to base where she would reload her chopper with supplies and head back into the harsh Afghan land. It was difficult, but satisfying work.

Teyla landed her helicopter and exited the cabin, stretching out her legs. Several other officers started to load her chopped with supplies. To her surprise, Major Chris Halling was waiting for her in the hangar.

Instantly, she was on alert. Halling would not be out here unless something was wrong. Though they were part of the same unit, Halling could usually be found dealing with the local people, trying to earn their trust.

Quickly, she walked to him. “What is wrong?” she demanded.

Halling pulled her to the side of the hangar, away from the other pilots. “Captain Lorne’s helicopter was shot down at 1400 hours as he was traveling from Arghandab,” he told her quietly.

Teyla froze. Evan had been shot down? Was he safe? She looked around the hangar, which was decidedly inactive for a rescue mission. “Has he been recovered? Do we know if he is all right?”

Halling frowned. He knew she would take the news with difficulty. “We don’t know, Teyla. We lost contact with him shortly after he went down.” He took a deep breath. “The rescue mission is on hold. The area has too many insurgents to authorize a mission. We are working with the locals in the area, trying to come up with a plan.”

Teyla’s eyes widened. They intended to leave Evan out there? “Then I volunteer, sir.”

Her response was not unexpected. Halling knew the loyalty she felt to those in her unit ran deep. “I know how you feel, Teyla. I already offered myself, but the decision still stands. There is to be no rescue mission of Captain Lorne until the Pentagon gives the ok,” Halling responded softly.

“Halling,” she said, not willing to give up, “what if he is injured? Or the Taliban kidnaps him? Do you realize what they would do to him?”

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, understanding her pain. Their unit was close; to have one of them missing was painful. “It is not out decision to make. We have our orders, now we must follow them.”

His answer didn’t satisfy her; it only added fuel to her desire to save Evan. “I want to talk to Colonel Francis.”

“Teyla,’ he said softly, “you need to let it go.”

She did not intend to do any such thing. “You know Evan would do no less for any of us,” she hissed.

He sighed. Teyla had always been protective of those in her unit, almost to a fault. “Let the fighting die down, then you will have clearance to save Captain Lorne,” he assured her. Halling looked to her helicopter which had been restocked with supplies. “Perhaps things will change when you have returned.”

Teyla could not understand how he could be so unaffected by this. She looked at him for a second before seeing the worry in his eyes. She realized he was worrying as much as she was, but they were bound by the orders given to them. She nodded. “Perhaps they will.”

Halling offered a weak smile, knowing how difficult it was for her to say those words. “Travel safely,” he said, putting his hand softly on her shoulder.

“I will,” she said, turning around and walking back to her helicopter.

By the time she had turned on the engines, she had already decided she would find Lorne. Once she had dropped off the medical supplies, she would take a diversion and rescue her fallen comrade. She would deal with the repercussions later.

Thankfully, her flight to Senjaray was uneventful. She delivered all of the supplies to the grateful village and again she was in the air. Her adrenaline pumped through her as she steered the chopper away from the base, towards where Lorne was last heard from.

As expected, not two minutes had passed before the base was attempting to contact her. With a flick of the wrist, she cut her radio off. “I am sorry,” she whispered, hoping that Halling would understand how she felt; she could not leave one of her fellow soldiers behind.

Soon, she found the wreckage of Lorne’s helicopter. Even from this distance, she could see the steady trail of smoke rising from it; he must have taken a direct hit. Cautiously, she looked around for any enemy fighters; the terrain appeared clear. In the distance, she saw what looked like another fallen chopper and a small village. Perhaps Evan headed that way.

She flew towards the wreckage when the sound of gunfire interrupted her survey of the land. Suddenly, the helicopter began to spin. Knowing the helicopter was going to crash, Teyla did all she could to control the crash.

The impact was less than what she expected and she managed to come out of the crash relatively uninjured. She landed grabbed her P-90 and her backpack, full of supplies, and exited the cabin.

The sun rays were atrociously hot. She cautiously made her way to where Evan’s chopper had been shot down. Sweat was already beginning to bead on Teyla’s neck as she approached the wreckage. She peered inside; no one was in there. She did note, however, the small pool of blood that was on the floor of the cabin.

Evan had been injured.

Quickly, she scanned the sand for clues to which direction he had gone. There, to the east, she saw his heavy footprints and every so often, a drop of blood. She followed the path carefully.

The sounds of a car’s engine caused her to flatten herself against the scorching sand. She remained frozen there until the sound faded away.

The enemy was close.

Knowing she was running out of time, she sped up her pursuit of Lorne. As she climbed to the top of a tall sand dune, she looked through her binoculars. She allowed herself a small smile as she found Captain Lorne, hiding in the wreckage of the chopper she had seen before she had crash- landed.

To the east, she saw several jeeps driving across the desert, none of them heading towards Lorne. Still, she knew she would have to be careful. Making sure her gun was loaded, she made her way over to the helicopter.

Several silent minutes passed as she made her way to the wreckage. Teyla wished she could call out to Lorne, to assure him he was not alone and help was coming, but she was in no position to do so. Alerting him of her presence would only bring an unwanted presence of Taliban fighters.

Finally, she slid down the last sand dune and approached Lorne, making sure he saw her before he fired his weapon, believing she was the enemy.

“Evan,” she said with a small smile as she tucked herself behind the Russian helicopter.

“Teyla?” he asked, almost not believing what he was seeing. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I am rescuing you,” she said. Before she could continue, she noticed movement on the sand dune to the east. “Wait here.”

Carefully, she made her way to the top another sand dune. She pulled out her binoculars. Three men were walking, looking around for them. They did not have much time. She ran back to the helicopter.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” Lorne said with a smile.

Teyla looked at him; he was worse than what she had thought. He had a huge gash in his leg and several more wounds on his arm and across his cheek. The blood loss had been severe if the glassy look in his eyes was any clue.

“Where’s the rest of the rescue party?” he asked, looking around.

Teyla wouldn’t answer him.

“You came here alone?” he asked in disbelief. He slumped against the side of the chopper. “I’m assuming against orders, huh?”

Teyla shrugged. If she could save Evan’s life, then it was worth not following orders. “Yes. Halling said that Command felt the area was not secure enough for a rescue mission. I did not think they would make a decision in time. Apparently, I was correct.”

She pulled out some gauze from her pack and started wrapping his leg. “I saw your helicopter. You are lucky to be alive.”

He winced as she pulled the bandage tight across the wound. “Where’s your chopper?”

“It was shot down,” she reluctantly admitted.

Lorne frowned. “You should have stuck with negotiating. You suck at the rescue business,” he joked, despite the seriousness of the situation. He looked at the sand dunes for a moment. “This place is crawling with Taliban. Tell me you have a plan to get us out of here.”

Teyla walked away, scanning the dunes where she had seen the men. “We need to leave now.” She flashed him an unsure, but determined smile. “I will get you back to base, Evan. Do not worry.”

She slung his arm over her shoulder and they slowly began making their way through the desert. They climbed a slightly sloped sand dune. Teyla frowned at their slow progress, if they were spotted, they would never be able to hide from the Taliban.

When they reached the top, Teyla spotted a gnarled tree trunk and leaned Lorne against it. “Wait here.” She pulled out her radio and tried to establish contact with the base. “Arclight, this is Roundhouse Zero-Six. Do you read?”

No response.

She turned back to Evan, who was beginning to lose consciousness. “Evan,” she called as she shook him slightly. “Evan! You must stay awake.”

His eyes fluttered open. “Teyla, when we get out of here, I’ll make sure I say something really nice at your court martial.”

Teyla smiled briefly. “You must stay awake in order to be able to testify.”

“I’m trying,” he said sincerely.

“I cannot contact the base. We need to move forward,” she said.

Gingerly, he stood with Teyla supporting his weight. They walked for nearly a quarter of an hour, occasionally having to hide from the view of the Taliban fighters. Finally, they reached the tall sand dune Teyla had climbed at the beginning of her search for Lorne.

He looked at the steep slope and forced a smile. “Wanted to make this rescue as much of a challenge as possible, huh?”

“You can do it. The helicopter is not much further,” she encouraged him. “We will use the radio there.”

Carefully, they stepped on the slope together. Despite their caution, the moment Lorne put his weight on his injured leg, his knee buckled. He fell down, pulling Teyla with him. They rolled down the hill, not stopping until the reached the bottom of the hill.

Teyla quickly climbed off from the top of Lorne. He held his leg, squeezing his eyes shut. “We must hurry,” Teyla said.

Lorne opened one eye slightly. “I’m sorry if I’m slowing you down,” he said dryly.

“It is not much further,” she promised as she pulled him on his feet again.

They walked silently for a couple of minutes. His steps were getting more unsteady. Teyla knew he didn’t have much time left. “Teyla,” he said softly. “Whatever happens…thank you for coming to get me.”

“You are welcome, but you will be fine,” she said softly.

When they climbed up the next sand dune, Teyla was welcomed with a wonderful sight. There was a jeep with a single man guarding it next to her chopper. They had a way back to the base.

She aimed her P-90 at the unsuspecting man, shooting him once in the chest. “We need to go before the others find us,” she called to Lorne.

He didn’t move.

Not wasting anytime, she dragged him across the sand to the jeep. With a heave, she placed him in the passenger side of the car. Quickly, she hotwired the car and drove west, back to their base. Back to safety.

She glanced at Lorne, watching the shallow movements of Evan’s chest. Her career might not survive the upcoming days, but Evan would.

And that was enough for Major Teyla Emmagan.

**********************

July 15, 2004
Antarctica

Major Teyla Emmagan managed to avoid having a court martial for her actions in Afghanistan, thanks to her father and the heartfelt testimony of Evan Lorne. Still, her “unorthodox” actions had led most in the Air Force to shun her and she found herself in the very cold, very isolated land of Antarctica.

Most of the time, she flew alone, testing various aircrafts for the military. But, over the past six months, she had been shuttling people, mostly military personal, to a classified base about 100 miles from McMarkdo.

Today was no exception.

As she glanced at General O’Neill out of the corner of her eye, Teyla wondered what, exactly, his background was. There were rumors of his team and their highly classified missions. When Teyla was first transferred, there were some officers who were convinced that there was an alien on O’Neill’s team.

Teyla dismissed that as one of the crazier theories, but still, she thought, it would be fascinating to know what exactly happened throughout the General’s career.

“Is there a problem, Major?” O’Neill asked.

Busted, she thought.

Teyla hid a wince as she turned her attention to the controls. “No, sir, we will arrive at the base in twenty minutes,” she answered smoothly.

Miles of snow covered land passed under them before the General spoke again. “So, tell me a little about yourself.” He looked out of his windows. “I always like to know something about the pilot who has my life in their hands.”

Teyla was surprised. Most of the time when she had to escort someone, they tried to speak as little as possible to her, knowing she had no security clearance at the base. Well, it certainly added to the theory that General O’Neill was not a typical officer.

“I have been in the Air Force since I was eighteen,” she said. “It seemed like the correct path to take. Growing up in the military, watching my father--”

“That‘s right. Colonel Emmagan was your father,” he said.

She glanced at him, intrigued. “You knew him?”

O’Neill nodded. “He was one of the best negotiators the military ever had,” he replied. His voice softened. “It was a great loss for everyone when he passed.”

Despite the years that had gone by since his death, Teyla felt a heaviness in her heart that never seemed to fade. Though he had fought valiantly, her father had finally succumbed to cancer several years ago. She pulled herself to the present. “Yes, it was.”

O’Neill frowned, uncomfortable with the sudden sadness that settled over the helicopter. “So, how did you end up here?” he asked, changing subjects.

She looked out the window, steering the helicopter slightly to the left. “After my last mission, I was assigned here last year. It was the only continent that I had not been deployed.” She shrugged slightly. “I enjoy it here.”

O’Neill looked at her incredulously. “You like it here?”

She smiled slightly, amused by his reaction. “Yes, sir.”

O’Neill sat back and shook his head. “And I thought I had lost my ability to be surprised by people.”

A faint smile danced over Teyla’s lips. “We’ll be there in about ten minutes, sir.”

The flight was going smoothly; for once the weather was working with her. She checked her controls, making sure everything was working properly.

She frowned slightly when she was contacted over her radio. “All inbound craft, we have a rogue drone that could seek a target on its own. Land immediately and shut down your engines. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill.”

Teyla’s eyes widened. There was no way she could land; the terrain below her was uneven and the snow was too deep. Even the best pilot couldn‘t set the helicopter on the ground.

“I cannot land. Hang on, sir!” she said.

Coming at her was some strange projectile she had never seen before. It was a small missile-like object that almost appeared to be glowing. Quickly, she swung the helicopter out of its path. To her surprise, the drone swung around and headed towards them again.

“Break right,” O’Neill commanded.

She understood the reasoning behind his command, but she needed to get some distance between her and the drone if she was ever going to land the copter. She turned the helicopter hard to the left.

“I said right!” O’Neill yelled over the radio.

“I am getting to that, sir,” she said as calmly as possible as she swung the helicopter to the right.

Finally, Teyla flew to where there was level ground. As if the General could read her thoughts, he asked, “Think you can land now?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Suddenly the drone shot underneath the cabin, shaking the chopper. After it cleared from underneath the carriage, she took calming breath and landed the helicopter.

“Shut it down!” O’Neill yelled.

With a quick tug of the controls, Teyla shut the engines off.

“Sir?” she asked nervously. “What was that?”

Ignoring her question, the General held up a finger. “Wait for it.”

In front of them, the drone smashed over the snow dune and was heading towards them. She looked at the strange weapon as it was slowly approaching.

What was that thing?

“We need to get out!” Teyla yelled.

The two swiftly unbuckled their seat belts and opened their doors. Teyla jumped to the side of the helicopter, planting herself in the deep snow. Behind her, O’Neill was sitting on the snow next to the helicopter as the drone, now powered off, slid towards him.

Slowly, she stood up, dusting off the snow from her jacket. Teyla took a couple of steps forward, looking at the strange drone in front of the General. It looked almost squid-like in shape.

That was what was chasing them? What exactly were they doing at that base?

She studied it for several more seconds before turning around, wanting to get the General to the base as soon as possible so that no more rouge drones, or any other mysterious missile, could attack them.

“That was…unusual,” she finally said as she got back inside the helicopter.

“For me, not so much,” replied O’Neill.

Teyla frowned as she started the helicopter again. She thought she had seen some bizarre things in Antarctica before, but this was, by far, the strangest.

She contacted the base. “This is Major Emmagan. The drone is no longer a threat and appears to be deactivated. General O’Neill and I are continuing to the landing zone. ETA is in seven minutes.”

A relieved voice greeted her. “Excellent news, Major. Jackson out.”

She turned towards O’Neill. “What was that, sir?”

The general sighed. “Major, I couldn’t even begin to explain things to you.” He considered his words for a moment. “Look, when we get to the outpost, I don’t want you waiting out here, just in case something like this happens again, so consider yourself having very limited clearance. But, officially, you saw a failed test missile, got it?”

She nodded. “I understand, sir.”

No other words were spoken until they landed at the outpost. When they arrived, she quickly shut down the engines and followed the General to an elevator. As they descended, Teyla wondered what work they could be doing down there.

The ride was longer than she anticipated. She took a step, trying to peer down the shaft to get a clue of what was going on. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a good look at anything.

When the elevator stopped, he turned to her. “Now, if you would excuse me, Major, I need to have a talk with my good friend Daniel.”

He walked ahead to a handsome man wearing glasses, Daniel, Teyla assumed. She was surprised; he didn’t appear to be military personnel. Looking around she noticed quite a few civilian contractors walking around the cavern.

“Jack!” Daniel greeted.

“Daniel. Warm welcome,” the General returned.

Daniel held his hands up in defense. “It wasn’t me. How did you manage to, uh…”

“Keep my ass from getting’ blown out of the sky?” He turned and pointed to Teyla. “You can thank the flying skills of Major Teyla Emmagan.” He lowered his voice slightly. “She likes it here.”

“Exceptional,” Daniel said, half-listening. Then O’Neill’s words processed. “You like it here?” he asked, amazed.

Teyla smiled at his reaction. “It has its benefits,” she replied as O’Neill and Daniel started to walk away.

Before they got too far, the General turned back towards her. “Hey. Don’t touch anything.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied as she looked around the room.

When they walked away, she started slowly making her way through the strange passageways. People, military and civilians, were walking back and forth dealing with equipment she had never seen before. They must have been accustomed to people coming and going; no one seemed to notice she was there.

Not sure of where she was going, Teyla walked around aimlessly for several minutes. The underground base was enormous. She walked down the passageway when a large chair in the center of a room caught her attention.

As she entered the room, she heard a Scottish man talking with a few of his colleagues. “The second I shut my eyes, I could see. I felt power I've never had before. I had it dancing all across the sky. It was magical, it really was.” He laughed heartedly. “They're lucky. I don't know where it came from. I just tried to concentrate and the drone shut itself down.”

Teyla frowned, feeling indignant. How could this man laugh at the idea of nearly killing her and the General? She walked to him, anger on her face. “So you were the one who attacked us?” she asked harshly.

The man looked at her, slightly panicked. Though she was several inches shorter than him, he took a step back. “Me?” he squeaked.

Teyla walked passed him to stand next to the large chair in the room, giving her a better view of her attacker. “You were the one who fired that drone at General O’Neill and me. You nearly killed us,” she answered.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the group he had been talking to was making a quick retreat.

He suddenly understood her anger. “Look we're doing research; working with technology that's light years beyond us and we make mistakes. I'm incredibly, incredibly sorry,” he said.

Teyla sensed his sincerity. Instantly, her anger dissipated. “Perhaps it would be wise if you were more careful the next time,” she replied. “What exactly was that anyway?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You do have security clearance to be here, right?”

She nodded. “Yes. General O’Neill gave it to me after our encounter with the drone.”

His eyes widened at her words. “Then you don’t even know about the Stargate.”

“The what?” she asked, confused. She was unaccustomed to being out of the loop; it was not something she enjoyed.

“The Stargate. It was created by these beings called the Ancients. The Stargate allows for us to travel to other worlds through wormhole travel,” he explained.

She frowned in disbelief. “Other worlds? You cannot possibly expect for me to believe that, Mr…”

“Dr. Carson Beckett,” he replied. “It’s true. You saw one of the drones that were created by the Ancients.”

“Then if it was created by the Ancients, how did you launch the attack?” she asked, not believing a word he said.

“There are some humans who have a gene inherited by the Ancients. They think the gene was used as a sort of genetic key, if you will, so that only their kind could operate certain dangerous and powerful technologies,” Carson explained.

As he turned from the chair, Teyla studied it. For some unexplainable reason, she felt as if the Chair was pulling herself to it.

“And you have the gene?” she asked, walking around the chair.

“The specific gene is very rare, but on the whole the Ancients look very much like we do. In fact they were here first. We're the second evolution of this form, the Ancients having explored this galaxy for millions of years before…”

Unable to suppress the urge, Teyla found herself starting to sit in the chair.

“Major, please don’t.”

“Dr. Beckett,” she said patiently. “What are the chances of me having the same gene?” Though she asked it, she had a strong suspicion she did have it. As she sat on the chair, it lit up behind her and started to lean back. She looked at Carson with amazement.

“It’s quite slim, actually,” Carson said, answering her question. “Doctor Weir!” he called. He started walking out of the room before turning back. “Don’t move.”

Teyla remained in the chair, wondering why she decided to take a seat. There was no doubt she had been drawn to it, as though some part deep inside yearned to be connected to the chair. She shifted in the seat, uncomfortable with her actions. Certainly it wasn’t in her nature to just touch random things, especially when she knew the consequences could be dangerous.

Moments later, Beckett returned with a bunch of people, including an annoyed General O’Neill.

“Who is this?” the woman asked.

The General ignored her question and walked up to Teyla, frowning. “I said don’t touch anything.”

“I just sat down,” she argued weakly.

Another man pushed his way pass O‘Neil. “Think about where we are in the solar system,” he ordered.

With hardly a thought, a holographic map of the solar system appeared above her head. Around her people were exchanging smiles with each other.

“Did I do that?” she asked nervously.

The man who had just spoken turned to the woman. “Elizabeth, we don’t have anyone on the expedition who can use Ancient technology with such ease. We need--”

The woman held up her hand. “Hold on, Rodney.” She walked up to Teyla. “I’m Elizabeth Weir.”

Teyla offered her hand, despite being in the uncomfortable position. “Major Teyla Emmagan.”

Elizabeth smiled then turned to the General. “If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like for Dr. McKay to run some tests with on the Major.”

O’Neill looked at Teyla, still sitting awkwardly on the chair. “Sure. It’s the least the Major can do…right?”

Teyla nodded as she eyed Dr. McKay who was already tapping on the tablet in his hands. He seemed almost too eager to start the tests. What had she gotten herself into?

“All right, Major, I need you to relax and think of powering down the chair,” he instructed.

She did as she was told and the chair returned to its previous position. The hologram blinked out of existence. “Excellent, now come with me.”

Teyla followed him, wondering what tests he was planning to make her take. She didn’t know anything about the Ancients and their technology.

As she stepped out of the room, Carson walked beside her. “Don’t let Rodney get to you,” he said quietly. “He’s not exactly the friendliest person on the base.”

“I heard that, Carson,” McKay grumbled. “Besides, this expedition isn’t about making friends. It’s about advancing scientific technology for the better of mankind.”

A man, muttering in Czech, walked by quickly. If Teyla didn't know any better, she would think he was trying to avoid Dr. McKay.

“Zelenka!” McKay called before he could turn the corner. “I’m going to need your help testing Major--” He turned to her. “What’s your name again?”

“Teyla Emmagan.”

“Major Emmagan,” McKay said. He led her to a table filled with unfamiliar gadgets. “Here, hold this for a second,” he ordered Teyla.

As she grabbed it, the device began to light up.

Carson looked at her with pity. “Good luck, Major.”

Teyla suppressed a sigh as he walked away. She had a feeling she would need it.

***********************

Nearly two hours and a large migraine courtesy of Dr. McKay later, Dr. Weir walked into the room. “Major Emmagan, may I have a word?” she asked.

Teyla was relieved for the interruption. “Dr. McKay?” she asked politely though she felt like running out of the room.

He waved her away with an impatient hand, reviewing the results of her latest batch of tests. McKay looked up at Elizabeth, giving her a nod before turning his attention back to his tablet.

Dr. Weir led her down a long passageway, away from most of the people. “Major, I don’t know how much you know about our current mission…”

“Dr. McKay was muttering something about traveling to another galaxy,” Teyla replied. “Though I have to admit I still find the idea of wormhole travel unbelievable.”

Elizabeth smiled knowingly. “I understand. The concept is overwhelming.” She crossed her arms. “I’ll be blunt, Major. We need you on this expedition. If Doctors Jackson and McKay are correct, then we’re going to be in an Ancient city, full of technology like what you have been dealing with all afternoon. We have found no one who can use the technology with the ease that you can.”

Elizabeth looked her squarely in the eye. “I want you to come with us to Atlantis.”

Teyla shook her head without thinking. “I appreciate the offer, Dr. Weir, but I have commitments here, on this planet. Not to mention the fact that I already have a current assignment.”

“I’m sure General O’Neill could work around that, but I need for you to agree to come. This mission is completely on a volunteer basis,” Elizabeth replied. She looked at her. “You should know there is a good chance that it will be a while until we can return, but the possibility of what we could find in Atlantis is almost unimaginable.”

Teyla was unconvinced. “Again, Dr. Weir, I must decline.”

Elizabeth frowned. “I understand,” she said stiffly. She forced a polite smile on her face. “General O’Neill is getting ready to leave the base. He wanted me to tell you to have the helicopter ready in ten minutes.”

“Thank you,” Teyla said, walking away from Elizabeth and the Atlantis project. As she reached the elevator, she turned around. “Good luck, Dr. Weir,” she said sincerely.

Without waiting for a response, she rode up the long ride in the elevator, trying to avoid thinking about Dr. Weir’s proposal. She walked to the helicopter and began starting the up the engine.

Several minutes later, General O’Neill took his seat in the helicopter. “This isn't a long trip, so I'll be as succinct as possible.”

Teyla waited for him to speak, but he said nothing further.

“That is certainly to the point, sir,” she commented.

“Thank you,” he replied dryly.

“I have already given Doctor Weir my answer, sir. I do not plan to leave this galaxy or planet for that matter,” she replied.

“How can you say that?” O’Neill asked as he put on his headphones.

“With all due respect, sir, we were just attacked by an alien missile. And now Dr. McKay is telling me that I have some unusual gene that activates various objects created by these beings called the Ancients,” she shook her head. “Not only that, but I am expected to be unphased about these Stargates. I cannot begin to understand it, sir. My decision still stands,” Teyla said firmly.

O’Neill frowned, not impressed with her argument. “You know, this isn't about you, Emmagan. It's a lot bigger than that. I thought you, of all people, would appreciate that.” He studied her for a second. “You know, you were on the fast track a couple of years ago. Going on this mission could get you back on it.”

Teyla forced herself not to rise to the bait. O’Neill was far from the first officer to remind her of what she could have been. “Sir, I am aware what opportunities I missed. But, I refuse to apologize for my actions in Afghanistan.” She sat straighter in her seat. “And if that means that I am stuck here my own life, then so be it.”

He looked at her, not impressed. “How long are you going to stay here on this continent, held prisoner by your past? Emmagan, I understand what it’s like to be committed to your team. But, they aren’t your team anymore,” he reminded her.

He looked at her for a second. “Why don’t you take a couple of days to decide? Weir and the others aren’t leaving for a few days.“

Teyla eyed his suspiciously. “What is the catch?“

“No catch,“ he assured her. “I’m just hoping you’ll use that time to talk with some people who will get you out of hiding in the middle of this Godforsaken land.”

**************

It had been nearly two years since she last saw them.

Unlike the loud bustle of the mess hall, Teyla was content to sit back quietly, trying to figure out why she had accepted General O’Neill’s offer to take a couple of days to think about joining the Atlantis project. She knew her mind was made up; she wouldn’t go with Dr. Weir and the others.

Or would she?

She took a sip of her tea, trying to calm her thoughts.

Though she was unable to be with her former team, there was something comforting knowing that they were still stationed together, even when she could not join them. Phone calls and emails between them were rare, but if she decided to accept this mission, that would be all but impossible.

Still, she had to admit the General had a point; if there were any people on this planet who could convince her to take the mission, it would be them.

Teyla watched the two men enter in the mess hall, unaware of her presence. Despite the conflict in her mind, she couldn’t keep the small smile from peeking on her face.

She had missed them.

Halling and Lorne walked in together, grinning as they talked to each other. Even from across the room, Teyla could tell Lorne was talking about last night’s baseball game. Halling shook his head, disagreeing with what Evan was talking about.

Teyla stood up, uncharacteristically nervous. As they came closer to her, she waved to them.

It was Lorne who noticed her first. Instantly, he walked passed Halling to Teyla. He picked her up and spun her around several times. “Teyla! What are you doing here?” he asked as he set her down. “They finally let you out of no man‘s land?”

“Not exactly,” she answered before turning to Halling. They quickly embraced before she took a step back, looking at the two of them. Realizing that she was truly considering leaving them caused a wave of sadness to wash over her.

When they saw Teyla’s somber expression, the smiles quickly faded away.

Halling looked directly in her eyes. “Teyla, what is wrong?” he asked softly.

She forced a smile on her face. “Please,” she said, gesturing to the chairs in front of her. The men exchanged an uncomfortable glance as he took a seat.

“I have been offered a new assignment.”

The words hung in the air for a moment while the two processed her words. Teyla had been given numerous assignments over the previous two years and she had never spoken to them about it.

“And?” Lorne finally asked, not understanding the reason behind her visit.

“I do not know if I should take it,” Teyla answered, avoiding their questioning looks.

“Where will you go?” Halling asked.

“I cannot say,” she reluctantly answered.

Suddenly her reluctance made sense to the two men. “Classified operation, huh?” Lorne asked.

Teyla nodded. “That would not even begin to describe it.”

Halling studied her. They had been friends a long time; he knew there was something she was not telling them. Still, he knew she would reveal what was on her mind when she was ready.

“But you’re thinking about taking the assignment, aren’t you?” Evan asked.

Teyla whipped around, facing him. “I am considering it, but I cannot let go of the feeling that I would be abandoning the two of you. Still, I have reason to believe that if I take this assignment, I would be able to move from the trial.” She looked at them, offering a worried smile. “If I do choose to go, I hope…I do not want you to believe that this is a decision that has been easy to make. I know that--”

“Teyla,” Halling interrupted. “The time has come for you to move past your actions in Afghanistan. You have paid your dues.”

Lorne nodded. “If this assignment will allow you to move forward, then you should accept.” Evan grabbed her hand briefly and offered a lopsided smile. “I know you going to be fine wherever you’re going, Teyla,” he said sincerely.

He took in a deep breath. “When do you leave?”

“Two days,” she answered.

“Then we should take advantage of the time that you are here,” said Halling.

Teyla forced a smile; she knew there was a good chance that this was all the time they had left together.
Part 2