Quiet Moments Like This
It was quiet moments like this that made the challenging life on Atlantis bearable.
John Sheppard sat on one of the balconies on the east pier with one of his closest confidents – Teyla Emmagen. It was easy to talk to her, especially after their spiritual experience with the Ancient Aysala Sim a month ago. Since that time they had become closer and they enjoyed the peace.
They sat in chairs and John brushed Teyla's hair. It was his understanding that women always enjoyed having their hair brushed, but he had never actually tried it. Now he realised how much he had been missing. Women loved it.
"Tell me of your schooling," Teyla said suddenly. His rhythm faltered and he untangled the brush from her hair.
"There's not much to tell," he shrugged. "I was just an average student, which my dad didn't like. He wanted me to distinguish myself and go into Legal Studies, but I went into the army instead."
"What of your friends?"
"Most of them joined the army with me and most of them died. All my friends are here now. I wouldn't trade you all for the world." He felt her chuckle and she gently reached back and touched his hand.
"I am glad for that," she said. "You have given my people hope and our continuing friendship is important to the welfare of the galaxy."
A few minutes passed in silence and eventually they stood up from the bench.
"We should be getting back," Teyla said, speaking what was on both their minds. They went into the room that connected to the balcony and John ran his hand, swiping it over the control. Nothing happened. He frowned. There seemed to be no power getting to the console.
He tapped his radio. "Rodney? What's happening here? There's no power where I am on the east pier." Silence. "Rodney?"
"Perhaps the radios aren't working," Teyla said worriedly. John thought back to everything he knew of the east pier. There was nothing he knew that could help them and no explanation as to why his radio wasn't working.
"Rodney, come in," Teyla said into her radio. There was nothing but static. "Our radios must be cut off. I do not understand."
"Neither do I," John muttered. He paced for a few steps and ran his hand through his hair. "This is nuts. Why the hell would power to the room be cut?"
"I do not know. I have little understanding of Ancient technology-"
"That's it!"
"What?"
"Ancient technology! I have the gene, so if I focus I can maybe get the door to open." His eyes flashed with excitement and a crazy grin appeared on his face. Teyla raised her eyebrow but didn't protest. She was just as curious as to if it would work.
Frowning, John moved closer to the door. He wasn't one hundred per cent sure what he had to do but he attempted to focus completely on opening the door. It didn't work. He was too nervous and tense about being shut in a room where no one knew where they were to relax.
"John, come here," Teyla ordered. When he didn't move she marched over to him and grabbed his shoulders. "You cannot focus while you are so tense! Let me help you."
"How?"
She turned him around and began to knead her hands gently into his shoulder blades. Sighing, he hung his head and enjoyed the sensation of her massaging his back. She really was a woman of amazing talents. Maybe she could be his professional masseuse. Her hands were gentle, yet thorough, reminding him of the precision in which she'd painted his skin with Henna last month. As she worked he felt the tense muscles release under her touch. When she finished he sighed.
"That was awesome," he said, turning and grinning at her. She smiled and gestured to the door.
"I do believe you must use your newfound calm to get us out of here." Humour sparkled in her voice. It was actually quite a funny situation, now that he thought about it. This was probably the first time being locked in a room with a woman and not using the alone time to his advantage.
This time he was truly focussed. He closed his eyes and touched his palms to the door, feeling the city beneath the skin. Power pulsed underneath his fingertips and he reached out with his mind, gently coaxing the city to open the door. There was a tugging sensation in his gut and a pleasant tingling feeling crawled over his skin. Suddenly the door opened.
"You did it John!" Teyla sounded impressed.
As she smiled, he wondered how he would explain it to her. The feeling had been so strange. It was like he had been connected with the city simply to open the door. Thinking about it, it hadn't been that simple. His entire body felt numb and he was slightly confused.
"I don't…" he searched for the right words. "I can't explain it. It's like I was in synch with my gene. Wow, it feels so weird." The numbness died away quickly and he flexed his fingers experimentally. "We're out of the room because I was one with the systems."
Teyla stared. "That makes no sense."
"It doesn't make any sense to me either. I wonder what Rodney would think about this."
She smiled and nudged his shoulder. "Why don't we go to his lab and tell him?"
John agreed and she pocketed the brush before they began the long walk to Rodney's lab. He stared out of a passing window, thinking about this new discovery about himself – how strong his Ancient gene really was. Then he looked over at Teyla, thinking how magnificent she appeared in moonlight. They had been on the balcony for longer than he'd thought and darkness had descended over Atlantis.
Yes, he did like quiet moments like this. It made the not-so-quiet moments bearable.