Things that go bump in the night

Things that go bump in the night

Mission

Sheppard kicked a pebble across the wet ground before looking up to survey the terrain once more, the hills were lush and green with thick foliage but he knew now that this was because of the astonishing amount of rain this damn planet had.

"McKay, will you hurry up already!" he shouted with frustration. "There's nothing here, even your stupid scanner agrees with me!"

Rodney had insisted that the old ruins be checked as soon as he heard about them. Always keen to make new discoveries he often spent hours going over piles of rubble just like this one on other planets they visited. And still he had yet to find his all time wish, a fully charged ZPM.

McKay looked up with annoyance on his face "Colonel, have you ever heard the saying never hurry genius!?"

"McKay…" Sheppard drew out the single word, adding a level of threat and irritation to it.

"Fine, fine, just give me two more minutes, then we can go" McKay sighed.

"Good" Sheppard said, satisfied. "Hopefully Dr. Keller, Ronon and Teyla will be finished in the village and we can go back to Atlantis and dry off, finally." He was almost bouncing where he stood, like a small child McKay thought to himself as he began packing his equipment away.

Sheppard marched at a quick pace along the well worn trail that ran between the village and the ruins, aware of everything in his surroundings but not really suspicious of it. the villagers had been extremely welcoming to their guests from the ring of the ancients and they were such a backwards society, still living in mud and straw huts, that Sheppard saw little threat posed.

Keller had come through when Teyla had learnt, through one of the elders in the village, of an unusual plant that grew on the planet. According to the villagers, when mixed correctly with other indigenous plants, could heal almost every physical injury. Surely they will have picked enough of the stuff to take back to Atlantis by now Sheppard thought as they walked.

They got back to the village just as it began to rain for the third time in as many hours. Each time it had been as though the sky had opened up to release an invisible ocean hidden by the thick clouds. Sheppard and McKay jogged the last 100 meters and ducked into the first hut they came to. McKay grumbling the entire way about the weight of the equipment he carried.

"McKay, I get the point, its heavy but would you prefer you get shot if we're in a fire fight because I had my hands full with your stuff."

McKay stopped dead in his tracks, just inside the opening of the hut, a look n his face, as though this thought had never crossed his mind. "Well… no I guess not" he replied.

"Good, then stop whining." Sheppard retorted.

From experience they knew the rain would last no more than10 minutes but in the meantime Sheppard set about entertaining the 3 small children who were the inhabitants of the shelter. From out of one of the many pockets of his flack jacket Sheppard pulled a lighter and put it in his trouser pocket. From the first pocket he then pulled a small, round, ball filled with plastic beans. He began to kick it around in the air, occasionally performing a flashy trick. The kids watched with amazement and when he eventually stopped they clamoured for more.

When the rain stopped, just as suddenly as it started, and the slightly damp Sheppard and McKay made their excuses and went in search of the rest of the team. They walked through the dripping village which began to steam as the new water began to evaporate. As they walked the villagers began to emerge once more from their huts and the village came back to life. Children ran up to Sheppard to see if he would teach them new games while Rodney battered away the little hands that tried, in vain, to see if he would give them anything.

Ronon smiled a predator like smile when he saw Rodney's discomfort but Rodney just kept moving, pretending to ignore everything around him.

"You got everything you need doc?" Sheppard inquired to Keller.

"Yes, I think so," Keller said, seeming slightly flustered, "I'm certainly ready to go." She continued, already starting to walk in the direction of the stargate.

When Keller's back was turned Sheppard raised a questioning eyebrow and Teyla answered by saying; "The Doctor just received a proposal for marriage from one of the men in the village."

"Yes, he was a lovely man but I pointed out that I couldn't drop my responsibilities and settle down just yet…" she trailed off as even she realised that her dismissal had been weak.

Keller kept her eyes fixed pointedly ahead but she couldn't keep from hearing the amusement present in Sheppard's voice; "well I give you my congratulations and I'm sure that if you requested Weir would give you the chance to go through with the marriage."