The odd Atlantean claxon blared through the gate room, echoing off the walls of her office. Elizabeth glanced at the clock on her laptop, but she already knew that it was too early for one of her teams to return.

"Unscheduled off-world activation," Anderson announced as she raced into the room. He swiveled toward her, his eyes still locked on the gate readout. "It's Colonel Sheppard's team, Ma'am. Reporting a possible medical emergency."

Elizabeth nodded. "Let them through." She tapped her headset as she headed toward the staircase. "Doctor Beckett, we need a team up here right away."

She barely heard his acknowledgment as the first figure stepped through the event horizon, immediately followed by two more. Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon Dex. John finally followed, backing through the blue and turning on his heel after two steps. Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. If someone was injured, it didn't seem to be immediately life-threatening. She jogged down the stairs, more than ready for answers.

"Colonel," she said with enough snap to get his attention. "There was an emergency?"

He nodded, but Carson and his team raced into the room before he could respond. They pulled up short, obviously as surprised as she was not to see anyone in dire straits.

"It's Teyla," John said quickly. "We think she ingested something on the planet, or maybe inhaled it. I'm not sure if the Inannians knew about it or not."

Carson stepped forward, reaching for Teyla's wrist. "What are your symptoms, my dear?"

"I am fine," she said, twisting her hand out of his grasp. "The colonel has overreacted." She tilted her head to the side, her eyes sliding toward John in a subtle glare.

John smiled coolly. "No, the colonel did not," he said, waving Beckett forward again. "You haven't been acting like yourself, Teyla. And if you can't see that, well, I'd rather have the doctor take a look."

Elizabeth glanced at Carson, who was looking back at her uncertainly. She nodded once, then looked back at John and Teyla, who hadn't stopped glaring at each other. Except...there didn't seem to be any real anger between them. She looked at Rodney, who had been oddly silent and still since they returned, and Ronon, who was as quiet as he always was.

"There was an incident," Rodney spoke quickly as he noticed her attention. "Back on the planet. I concur with the colonel, and really, why are we debating this? Strange, alien substances aren't something to play around with."

Teyla looked away from John, rolling her eyes as she stepped forward, smoothly skirting Carson. "Dr. Weir," she said, her voice rich and calm. "Elizabeth, please. I appreciate everyone's concern, but there was simply a misunderstanding. I am fine."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of the situation. She knew that John took his team's welfare very seriously, so it was possible that he was overreacting, but she generally trusted his judgment. Still, Teyla seemed to think she was fine, and Elizabeth trusted her as well.

"We should err on the side of caution," she decided. Teyla looked hurt for a second, before she regained her calm facade. "But I don't think we need to make a big production out of it. Why don't you head down to the infirmary yourself? Dr. Beckett can check you over, and then we'll worry about everything else later."

Teyla grinned, her whole face opening up. She leaned forward, laying a hand on Elizabeth's forearm. "Thank you," she said, leaning closer to whisper. "Men are far too overprotective at times."

Elizabeth smiled back. "I understand that," she said dryly.

Teyla's smile slowly eased into something else, but before Elizabeth could interpret the look, Teyla was moving. Her hand threaded through Elizabeth's hair, holding her head firmly, and then Teyla was sucking on her neck, teeth pressing in an almost-bite. Elizabeth gasped, her own hands automatically reaching for Teyla's head. Arousal shot through her with surprise. She wasn't sure whether she was trying to push Teyla away or pull her closer.

Then Teyla was gone, pulled back by several sets of hands, leaving Elizabeth gasping and shaken.

"What the hell was that?" she asked.

"That was the incident," Ronon said before he turned and followed the rest of his team toward the infirmary.

Elizabeth folded her hands and leaned forward as Carson took his seat. Perhaps she should have done this less formally, gathered her people and information down in the infirmary where they would be closer to Teyla, but right now she felt like she needed a little distance from the earlier events. She took a deep breath and started.

"All right, gentlemen. Care to explain what's going on?"

John and Rodney exchanged a glance. "Is she going to be okay?" John asked, looking over at Carson.

Carson sat forward, his eyebrows drawn together, furrowing his brow. "It's hard to say. We're still running the blood work and urinalysis. But other than a case of chronic flat feet, she seems perfectly healthy."

"Other than a propensity for biting people, you mean," Elizabeth prodded. Four heads came up, staring at her neck, and Elizabeth tried not to blush as she remembered the large purple hickey edging her throat.

Carson looked embarrassed, ducking his head to stare at the screen on the table. "Ah yes, that is the problem, isn't it? Though it's not just biting. She was very...flirtatious with one of my nurses who drew Teyla's blood. Though Teyla did seem to be in control of the more aggressive...impulses with her."

"Really? Is she only fixated on women, then?" Elizabeth asked.

"No," Ronon answered, his deep voice booming and startling in the sparseness of the conference room. Elizabeth waited, but no one stepped up with an explanation.

"Okay, Colonel. Tell me what happened," she said, crossing her arms. She was willing to allow them a little latitude for feeling uncomfortable, but this was ridiculous.

John straightened, sitting stiff and proper, avoiding her eyes. "We met with the Inannians and engaged in trade talks per your instructions. They were eager to meet with us, but they were especially taken with Teyla. Something about being a scarlet priestess. She assured me that she was okay with it, and convinced me to let her to visit one of the temples alone. She came back in time to for the banquet, and I didn't notice anything wrong then."

Elizabeth nodded, waiting. John sighed, then slouched back into his chair as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"After dinner, I found her with Ronon, and I thought that, well, lets just say I jumped the gun a bit. While I was, uh, having my misunderstanding with him, Teyla, uh..." He glanced at Rodney.

Rodney flushed, but didn't look away. "She knocked me flat and started going down on me."

"Oh!" Elizabeth coughed, trying to clear the astonishment from her voice. "Oh, well, I take it that was out of the ordinary, then."

John snorted, and Rodney rolled his eyes. "No, Elizabeth, I often have beautiful women perform sex acts on me in front of my teammates. Of course it was out of the ordinary."

"Right," John broke in, "so we figured out pretty fast that something was going on. She was getting friendly with all of us, Elizabeth. I thought it best to get her back here as quickly as possible."

She nodded. "I agree. And none of the rest of you were affected this way?"

Again that exchange of glances. It would irritate her more, except Elizabeth knew that this was their way of protecting their team, rather than the exclusionary glances of power-tripping men that she was used to.

"No, not really," John said, and Rodney shook his head.

"I have had no more difficulty controlling my libido than I usually do," Ronon added.

Elizabeth stared at Ronon for a moment before turning to Carson. "So, what do we do?"

Carson shrugged. "For now, there's nothing I can do. I gave her a sedative, and I have my best people watching her. I need more information on what she was given, however. Assuming that it was a drug and not some form of technology."

Elizabeth nodded. "John?"

He was already standing. "We're on it."

"And be careful," she added. "I don't want any more...incidents."

He only nodded before leaving the room, Rodney and Ronon behind him. Elizabeth looked back to Carson, who was fiddling with his computer again. She sighed and sat back in her chair.

"Well, as far as crises go, not the worst we've ever had."

Carson looked up. "No, but I'm concerned for her, Elizabeth. I don't know what this is. I mean, who knows what other effects it might be having on her? And psychologically...Well. I can't see Teyla appreciating the loss of control.

Elizabeth nodded. "You're right, of course. But Teyla's strong. She'll get through this. Besides, we're all professionals, no one's going to make anything of it." She paused, running a finger across her throat, ignoring the little shiver inside. "Believe me," she added wryly.

Carson smiled and stood up. "Well, I'd better see to my patient, then."

Elizabeth followed him out, heading back to her own office. She opened her laptop and brought up the file she'd been working on earlier, and very resolutely did not check the mirror a third time.

Carson looked up from the tox results as the alarm from Teyla's monitors went off. He raced toward her bed to find her sitting up, gulping down water from the bedside cup. The finger monitor lay on the table, wires dangling to the floor. Carson sighed and waved off the shift nurse before stepping closer.

"You're awake, I see," he said as he reached into his pocket, searching for a pen he didn't really need. Teyla set the cup down, then swiped at a droplet of water clinging to the tip of her nose. Carson bit his cheek to hide a smile. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

Teyla smiled at him. "I feel fine, thank you."

He nodded, his own smile emerging. He was relieved that she appeared lucid and calm. "Do you remember why you're here?"

Teyla looked to the side, obviously thinking. "You were all concerned about my behavior," she said after a moment.

Carson tried to keep from frowning. "Aye, that we were," he told her. "I have a few more questions for you, if you're up for it?"

She smiled again, then placed her hands on the bed behind her and leaned back. She tossed her hair over her shoulder in a move that was straight off of shampoo commercial. "I do not mind."

Carson paused, watching her suspiciously for a moment, but Teyla just sat there calmly. He sighed and drew the rolling stool over with his foot, then sat down in front of her. He opened up her file and glanced over the few notes he had already made.

"We're trying to figure out if you were affected by anything during your time in the temple," he said. "Did you eat or drink anything while you were there?"

"I have already told you that I did not."

"Right," he said under his breath. Her memory seemed unaffected, but he still had no leads. "What about inhaling something? Did you smoke, or was there incense burning anywhere?"

"There were many braziers burning," she said, drawing the words out lazily, her voice low and seductive. Carson had never heard her like this before, and he reminded himself that it was not natural. "But I did not notice any unusual smell."

Carson sighed and dropped his pen back into his pocket. "Is there anything you can think of that might explain your symptoms? Did anyone touch you, or did you touch any strange object–" He stopped, the words lost as he looked up to find Teyla leaning forward, her head close to his own, pupils dilated as she watched him. He cleared his throat.

"There was nothing," she told him firmly. She licked her lips. Carson started and forced himself to look back up at her eyes. "I am simply very aware of my desires now. And the desires of those around me."

Carson opened his mouth, but he couldn't think of what to say. He needed to remind her that this wasn't appropriate. He needed to remind himself that this wasn't appropriate. He needed to...

Teyla ran a finger across his cheek, so gently it was a bare tickle across his skin. This close, he could smell her, flowers and feminine skin eclipsing the strong smells of the infirmary. Carson swallowed as she ran her fingers through the hair at his temples, her palm brushing against her cheek. Teyla was devastatingly beautiful, and he could not ignore that now. She dipped her head, and then their lips were brushing together as she spoke.

"Do you desire me as I desire you?"

Carson's brain finally caught up to reality. He jerked away from her, rolling back on the stool a short ways. Teyla lost her balance and tumbled off the bed. He reached out, catching her around the waist as she clutched at his shoulders.

"Teyla, please," he said, then swallowed as he realized he was more or less holding her in his arms. He tipped his head back to meet her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that she was pressed up against him, standing between his legs. "You're a beautiful woman, my dear, but you don't want this. You're not yourself. You need to get back into bed so that we can take care of you."

Carson started to pull away, but she slid her hands down his arms and held on. He couldn't look away from her eyes. She leaned forward, rubbing her cheek against his.

"Do not deny me," she pleaded, her breath hot in his ear. Then she pulled back and kissed him, a soft, probing kiss that left him hard and panting. Her lips were so delicate, her hand cradling his face strong and sure. She pulled back, still close enough that he could kiss her if he leaned forward the slightest bit.

"Teyla," he whispered. She smiled slowly, like she was getting just what she had always wanted. That brought Carson up short. He stood up, grabbing onto Teyla's shoulders and guiding her back onto the bed. He slapped at his radio--except he'd forgotten to put it back on.

"Nurse Greevy," he called out, edging away from the bed. "Your assistance, please."

Teyla simply watched him with heavy-lidded eyes, a small smile lingering on her face. Carson cleared his throat, debating whether to sedate her again.

Radek sighed and propped his head on his hands, staring at the uncooperative piece of technology. He had been working with it all evening, determined to unlock its secrets before he retired–but so far it was getting the best of him. It should be a simple matter. They had already determined that it didn't need the gene for activation, yet nothing he did could make it produce more that a small vibration. Perhaps it was simply out of power. Unfortunately, he did not think that was the case, and even now he could see Rodney's smug little head bob as he inquired about Radek's progress tomorrow morning.

A hand appeared in his peripheral vision. Radek jumped, scrambling off the stool as he flailed for a weapon, any weapon. He realized the hand belonged to Teyla at the same moment that he brushed the Ancient piece with his hand, knocking it to the floor.

"Damn," he cursed, just as she said, "I am sorry." They both bent down at the same time, narrowly missing bumping heads.

"Sorry, sorry," he told her, reaching for the object she had picked up. "Here, let me take that, please."

Teyla carefully set it in his hands, but she didn't immediately draw back. She cupped her hands around his own, stroking her thumbs along the edges of his palms. It felt like an electric shock sparked from her fingers, zipping up through his arms and catching the breath in his lungs. Radek stood up, disconcerted.

"I, uh, you startled me," he said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I have been busy working and I became absorbed. It is most fascinating, really," he said, hefting the device between them in demonstration. "I believe it's a form of Ancient data storage, or possibly a translation device."

Radek stopped, suddenly aware that she was not interested in his work. Teyla was smiling softly, almost indulgently, watching him intently. He set the device back on the work table, feeling strangely nervous.

"Was there something you wanted, maybe?" he asked.

Her gentle smile changed to a feral grin. "Yes, there is, Doctor."

She stepped forward, and he took a half-step back before he told himself he was being silly, retreating from a beautiful woman. She moved forward again, until her breasts brushed against his chest.

"This, this is not exactly what I meant," he said, unable to believe what she was doing.

Teyla laughed, a deep, chesty sound that vibrated through his bones. "I know," she told him. "But I do need your assistance. Most desperately."

"Oh," he managed as she ran her hands up his chest and around the back of his neck. He swallowed hard. Teyla drew him down into a kiss, a light brush of lips that lit him on fire. She pulled back, and he slowly opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them. Teyla gently lifted his glasses from his face, set them on his workbench, and turned back to him.

Then she was kissing him again, nearly writhing in his arms. This was crazy, insane, but Radek was not a stupid man. He pulled her closer even as she wrapped a leg around his thigh, grinding against his erection. Radek gasped and Teyla moaned, a desperate sound that made him even harder.

"Uh, doc?"

Radek didn't recognize the voice, so he ignored it in favor of the beautiful woman on his lips. Teyla seemed just as intent on continuing their activities.

"Sir, please. You need to step away from Miss Emmagan now."

Radek looked up, annoyed but now wary. He blinked, trying to focus on the blur over Teyla's shoulder even as she began sucking on his neck. Then her hand was at the zipper of his trousers, pressing against him most intimately, and he could only close his eyes and pant.

"Fuck," the other man said.

Yes, exactly, Radek agreed, but then Teyla was pulled away from him. He watched in shock as she dropped to a low crouch, striking out with her leg and sending the Marine to the ground. She turned back toward Radek, but before she reached him another Marine tackled her. They struggled for a short second before the first soldier grabbed her wrists and wrapped a restraining band around them. Carson shot into the lab as if from thin air. He jabbed a syringe into Teyla's thigh and within seconds, she was asleep on Radek's floor.

Carson looked up at him, panting a little. Radek's breath was short as well, from arousal and adrenaline. He fumbled for his glasses, settling them on his face shakily.

"Sorry about that, Radek," Carson said. "I hope she didn't bother you too much."

Radek looked at him, still trying to process the absurdity of the past few minutes. "No, no, it was not a problem," he said.

John rubbed his hand over his chin, grimacing at the thick stubble. He needed a shave, a shower, and some sleep, but he was a lot more concerned about Teyla than getting any of those. Carson wasn't letting them in to see her, even though he said she was sedated. John would have thrown a fit about that, but Rodney and Ronon--especially Ronon--needed him to be cool and collected.

Rodney was slumped tiredly across one of the empty beds; Ronon leaned against the wall, arms crossed and face set. Surprisingly, Dr. Zelenka was also in the room, perched in one of the uncomfortable chairs, relentlessly tapping his fingers against the arm rest.

"Oh, would you give it up," Rodney snapped suddenly, sitting up to glare at Zelenka. "You're not helping any by playing the Waltz of the Brain Dead Idiots over there."

Zelenka stopped, glaring back at Rodney. "At least I am not taking up medical equipment with my lazy–"

"Gentlemen," Elizabeth said as she breezed into the room. Zelenka shut his mouth and turned a bright red. John couldn't help snickering. "Good news, I take it?"

That sobered him fast enough. He shook his head. "We're still waiting to hear."

She sighed. "Did Dr. Beckett say anything about the samples you brought back?"

"No, he just grabbed them and took off," John told her. "I barely had time to explain where we got them."

Elizabeth's face relaxed, her lips lifting on the right. It was a good look for her. "Carson can get quite focused when he's onto something, can't he?"

John nodded, and then smiled as Rodney rolled his eyes behind Elizabeth. His attention shifted as Carson walked into the room, glancing around at all of them before sighing and taking a seat.

"I suppose it's all right to talk to all of you, since you've all been affected," he said. "Even though it's walking the line of confidentiality."

Rodney leaned forward. "Wait. Affected? Affected how?"

"If you'd hold your horses, I could get to that part," Carson shot back. John opened his mouth to ask about Teyla, but he realized that would probably slow things down instead. Carson turned towards Elizabeth.

"I've analyzed the materials that the colonel brought back, and it looks like one of them is the culprit. It stimulates hormone production, and thus the libido."

"Hormones. So is that why the rest of the team wasn't affected?" Elizabeth asked.

Carson shook his head. "Not actually, no. In fact, normally I would assume that males would be more strongly affected than females. But Teyla is a special case."

"The Wraith DNA," Rodney said.

Carson nodded. "Aye. For some reason, her cells are extremely sensitive to the substance. For a lack of a better term, she's in heat."

John shifted against the bed he was leaning on. It perfectly described what he'd witnessed, but it was disturbing to hear Carson talk about Teyla in such animalistic terms. "So what does that mean for her?"

Carson smiled at last. "Well, the substance has cleared from her system, and I'm fairly certain that her hormone levels will return to normal soon enough."

John sat down on the bed. Relieved sighs sounded throughout the room.

"Wait," Rodney said. "You said we were all affected. But Elizabeth and Radek weren't on the planet, so,"

"Yes, Rodney, you're right. And don't worry, there's no danger. Apparently the Wraith physiology not only caused Teyla's libido to increase dramatically, but it also caused her to secrete an altered form of the compound from the planet. Whenever she touched someone, that substance acted as an aphrodisiac."

"So you're saying the lust wasn't real," Ronon said.

"No, it was real," Carson said, rather emphatically. He cleared his throat before continuing. "It was just exaggerated. The effects should be gone by now, however."

"May we see her?" Zelenka asked.

John raised an eyebrow as it dawned on him why Zelenka was in the room. He was going to have to speak with Radek later; John couldn't see him being able to fight off a determined Teyla on his own.

"Not yet," Carson said. "I know you're all concerned, but it's best to play it safe for a little while longer."

Elizabeth straightened and dropped her arms decisively. "All right, then. I think all of you need to get some rest. We can worry about the paperwork later." She smiled at John and brushed a hand across Carson's back, then left the infirmary. The others sluggishly followed her example, and soon enough John was back in his own room, dragged into sleep by exhaustion and relief.

Teyla once again walked through the darkened halls of Atlantis--now, however, in complete control of her impulses. She felt so confused about everything that had happened. She was mortified at how much of herself she had exposed, but at the same time she could not quite regret the experience. It had been...exhilarating.

She had already talked to each of the others, and they had all been very reassuring. This last visit was the one she truly worried about, however. She had put it off to last, hoping to gain courage. Now there was no choice. She had to face this.

Teyla stopped in front of the door, took a calming breath, and knocked.

Who does Teyla choose? The choice is up to you.