Title: Portrait of a Once and Future Queen
Author: Lady Taevyn
Rating: PG
Category: Gen/Pre-ship
Pairing: Lorne/Teyla
Summary: He made quick work of moving the stool into a shaft of amber tinted light that made Teyla's hair glow.
Disclaimer: Not mine, I'm just playing in the sandbox.
A/N: This started out as a response to one of the challenge prompts at sgararepairings, and basically exploded out of my control.
Evan Lorne wasn't a master painter by any stretch of the imagination, hell he wasn't even very good at painting people; that's why he stuck to landscapes. He hadn't been able to bring many paints and canvases with him when he first came, and requisitioning them was out of the question so he'd taken to sketching; mostly on his downtime, in order to save the few remaining canvases he had. Getting his team on the rota for M2S-180, a marketplace of sorts shouldn't be too hard; maybe there he'd be able to find the Pegasus equivalent of pre-stretched canvases. He was feeling rather confident in his work and felt like he was ready to move on to an actual posed piece. Now he needed to find the right model. Almost without his bidding Teyla's face came into his mind. She was late into her pregnancy and not going off-world much; but would she be willing to sit for him. Only one way to find out. Two days later he finally caught up to her, as she was leading a group through some Pegasus-style-yoga-cool down stretches. He moved to the front of the room as scientists and marines alike filtered out around him, putting his arm out for her to grab onto so he could help her off the floor.
"Thank you Major. I find it's harder and harder to pick myself up these days. Was there something you needed?" Teyla asked taking a sip of water from a bottle she picked up from next to her towel on the bench.
Best just to ask out right; Evan wasn't one for beating around the bush. "I was wondering if you'd pose for me." At her quizzical look he elaborated, "For a painting, it would be very tasteful. It's just that I'm trying to get away from doing all landscapes, and you were the first person I thought of when it came to doing a portrait." Evan's face felt like it was on fire. He hadn't been this embarrassed talking to a girl since high school.
"I am flattered that you thought of me Major. I am not sure what missions we will be going on in the coming days, but let me find out and I will let you know." Teyla replied blushing at the idea of having her picture painted by Evan. She had seen the painting he'd done of the city, it was breathtaking.
In the intervening days Evan went in search of the perfect location for his painting. He finally found it in one of the outlying sections of the city. It was complete luck that he found it, he was about to give up and opt for an out of the way hallway; when a door immediately to his right slides open his breath is caught in his throat. Evan is transported to Earth, his past. His first real memory, one that no one has to help him with is from when he was four. His younger brother's baptism; St. Margaret's church. The stained glass was glowing as the morning sun caught each color and made it dance on the floor. Evan thinks this is the first time he wanted to be a painter. So he could capture that feeling and hold it forever. He quickly shakes himself from his meandering thoughts and looks at his watch making note of the time. He makes his way back to the main part of the city with a bounce in his step. He has the perfect location and a beautiful subject. This should be his best painting yet. Teyla catches up with him at dinner.
"I will be free tomorrow afternoon if that will work for you. We have a mission in the morning, but it is a follow-up for intel from the people of M4S-176, so it shouldn't take more then a couple of hours. Will that be ok with you?" She asks placing a hand to her belly. Evan wants to reach out and feel the life that is growing inside her, but knows he has no right.
"That'll be great, I found the perfect spot and the light's not good until almost 1500 hours. So we could meet up for lunch and go from there." He poses it as more a question and is relieved when she nods and smiles brightly at him.
"I would like that very much. Thank you, for this honor." Teyla says grasping his shoulders and leaning in to touch her forehead to his. He feels honored by the gesture; he's only ever seen her do this with her team, Carson, and Dr. Weir. It's like he won first place in track in his junior year all over again; he's floating on a cloud. His patrol time can't be over soon enough that night. He rushes through change over and knows Linsic is giving him a weird look but he doesn't care. He needs to spend some time in the space; it was how his mother had always done it. She would take her paints, canvas, and easel to the space she was going to be working in and 'get its permission' to capture it. Evan felt stupid the first few times he'd done it, but remembered distinctly the first space that denied him. It was a cottage/lighthouse, and he knew immediately that he would never paint it. His mother later confided that she had also been denied access to the same space. Evan felt good about this space though, since it had really found him and given him such an immediate pleasant memory. He would honor tradition and get permission anyway.
As they made their way to the room the next afternoon Evan explained his ritual to Teyla, knowing somehow that she would understand; and she had.
"The spirits of this place like you, you pay them respect and they give it back ten-fold." She explained after a long silence in which he thought she might have connected with those spirits.
"I wish I had a more comfortable chair for you to sit in. but this stool's the best I could come up with; it'll be the least intrusive in the picture. If at any time you need to get up and move, please let me know. When my sister was pregnant with my fist nephew she couldn't sit still for more then 20 or 25 minutes at a shot before he was kicking at her ribs." Evan explained when Teyla quirked an eyebrow. He made quick work of moving the stool into a shaft of amber tinted light that made Teyla's hair glow. He figured he was asking too much of her to also demand that she sit a certain way, so he simply gave her a few moments to find a comfortable way of holding herself on the stool. He needn't worry about her looking regal; her default look was of a queen overseeing her court.
"Where should I look, at you or toward the window?" Teyla asked unsure of herself.
"If you could turn yourself toward the window but look over your shoulder kind of, that'd be perfect. It's not the most comfortable position, but it'll allow me to get the baby in the picture." At the mention of her baby Teyla automatically placed her hand high on her stomach; she wore a serene smile and a glint of peace was in her eye. Evan bent to the small portable CD player and soon the pair lost themselves to the music pouring from speakers. For the first time in a long time Evan really felt at peace. This was what he was meant to be doing. They spent the better part of the first hour in silence; needing nothing more then each others company and the solitude around them.
Evan had many questions swirling in his mind; questions about the missing Athosians, the baby's father. It wouldn't have been right to ask so he bit his tongue and bided his time. He knew himself well enough to know that he was attracted to Teyla; but he didn't have the first idea about how to approach her romantically. When he heard her making small noises of discomfort he quickly put pallet and brush down and hurried to her side.
"You feeling ok? I was just thinking we should take a break. I'm sorry I didn't think to say anything sooner." Evan said in way of apology.
"There is nothing for you to apologize for Major. My baby is just letting me know that it has been a while since I changed positions." Teyla replied moving off the stool. Evan's hand came up of its own volition, to her belly just in time to feel a strong kick. His face must have registered shock when he looked up; Teyla was trying to hide a laugh. "He will be a strong warrior, and an asset in the fight against the wraith." Just as Evan is about to take his hand away she covers it with her own and holds his gaze for a long second. Something strong passed between them in that moment, but neither is sure exactly what it means.
"Are you ok to keep going, or did you want to stop for today. I've actually gotten quite a bit done; and I'm at a good stopping point." Evan asked, not wanting his time with her to end; while at the same time wanting to ensure her comfort.
"I will be ok to continue in a moment. He just needs to find a comfortable position and stay in it for more then 10 or 15 minutes." Teyla nodded her thanks and stepped away from Evan in order to move around the room. Her restless movement has brought her to a point where she'll be able to see what he's done so far; and a big part of her want to look. She hesitates; he notices.
"You can look at it if you want to. I've never been weird about that. My mom was; I've always had the opinion that art is to be appreciated at all its stages. If you don't like it please tell me and I'll get rid of it." He wants to stand in front of it, block it from her view, her opinion matters to him like no one else's ever has. If she doesn't like it… He can't even think of that possibility. He moves aside as she comes closer, turns away not wanting to see her reaction. But he's so tuned in to the space, the work that he can't help but hear her sharp intake of breath. Her hand is inches away from the canvas, like she wants to touch it.
"This is how you see me. I did not realize." She says on a breath, and her tone is such that he knows she's figured it out. Which is crazy because he hadn't even figured it out until he'd put paint to brush to easel. Then she's moving again toward the window not the door like he feared. As she stands there the colors from the glass play across her skin and Evan wants to start over.