Chapter Text
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Weir asked. "We've already decided to revoke the agreement. There's no reason for you to return."
Sheppard gazed intently at her. "I need to. Besides, I think canceling might be a mistake."
Elizabeth's brows shot upwards. "Are you serious? You can't possibly think we would trade for food treated with the toxins that almost killed you."
John rested a hip on the corner of her desk. "First of all, almost everything we eat has some kind of crazy chemical in it. Have you seen what they put in MREs and power bars?"
"That's not-"
He held up a finger. "Not to mention the preservatives and pesticides used on what we receive from Earth. However, I'm not advocating trading with them for food. I think we should consider helping them come up with better ways to raise crops."
Weir steepled her fingers as she pondered the idea. "I have considered that. We can always use more allies, and we know they will eventually run out of the melrodin compounds anyway. But I'm not sure I'm ready to expose anyone else just yet."
"I don't think we would be in danger. They use the melrodin twice during planting season which has already ended." He jumped to his feet and started pacing. "My team needs to go back, Elizabeth. Teyla needs to restructure the agreement, Rodney needs to finish his research in that lab, and Ronon and I just need to go. We promise not to get near a farm." He leaned both hands on her desk and gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.
She chuckled. "Fine, you have a go. But if you come back with so much as a sniffle…."
He flashed his typical cocky flyboy smirk. "Got it. Thanks."
OoOoOoOoO
"Have you lost what's left of your mind? How can you even think of going back there?" McKay fumed.
"Is your gear ready?"
"Surely you know by now that ignoring me will not make me go away."
Rodney had stormed his way to John's quarters as soon as the pilot had notified his team of the mission. Sheppard stopped searching for his aviator shades and turned to the scientist.
"What do you suggest? That I hide in my quarters every time something bad happens? We started a trade agreement with the Gralans three months ago, and I intend to finish it. Are you telling me you don't want to get your hands on the information in that lab?"
"Not badly enough to risk our lives over it, no."
John crossed his arms over his chest using a palm to prop up his chin and contemplated his friend. McKay's face was white with anger, but there was more to it than that. The blue eyes that blazed with fire also held a bit of fear. Sheppard didn't know much about Rodney's past, but the parts that Jeanie had told only reinforced what the air force colonel had suspected; McKay'd had very few friends as a child or as an adult.
"Look, Rodney, I can't promise that nothing will happen. We have dangerous jobs, and all of us put ourselves in harm's way at some point. But what happened last time was a fluke. Going to Grala is no more dangerous than any other planet we visit when we step through the gate."
The physicist deflated a little and refused to meet his gaze. "I know that. I just prefer to err on the side of caution. You and Ronon almost died there. Why does it have to be us that go back?"
"Because I decided a long time ago not to live my life in fear."
Rodney's head jerked up, and his eyes met Sheppard's. The corner of John's mouth lifted. "Everybody's afraid of something, McKay. But we all have a choice on how we deal with it. I meet mine head on with my team covering my back."
McKay's chin lifted. "Then I guess it's time to go."
OoOoOoOoO
The first thing John saw when he stepped through the gate was the tall trees. He followed their lines upward to the clear blue sky feeling the sun and the breeze vie for his affections. He took a deep, cleansing breath as he turned toward the village, hoping his pounding heart would calm.
"OK, kids, let's go."
Teyla blocked his path. "Are you certain you wish to do this?"
He had never been able to bluff the Athosian. "I need to. I'll be fine."
She regarded him closely and eventually gave him a small smile. "Very well then."
The team made its way to the heart of the village to be met by a flustered but pleased Ren Mikros.
"Colonel Sheppard! We had despaired of ever seeing you again after so long a time. Welcome back to Grala. I understood that you had become ill. I trust that you and Specialist Dex are fully recovered."
"Yes we are, Ren Mikros. I apologize for the delay in our return. We would like to discuss the trade agreement and to continue examining the ruins if we may."
"Why, of course. I look forward to finalizing our negotiations. Please take all the time you need at the Ancestor dwelling."
"Thank you." John turned to his team. "Ronon, you and McKay head back to the lab while Teyla and I talk with Mikros. Check in every hour."
The Satedan gave him a hard stare and then nodded. "Every hour."
Sheppard smiled at his team. "Let's get to work."
The End.