A/N: Being stuck in the middle of a heat wave sort of fed the muse, for some weird reason and this was born. Takes place during season 3, sometime before "The Return."
One Way to Beat the Heat
The bright moonlight shone in through the open window, providing the only light in the completely dark room, the curtains completely still, indicating no sign of even a slight breeze.
John sighed as he tossed in bed again, finally laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He had shed as much clothing as he could, hoping that it would cool him down, provide some comfort but it had all been in vain. His room felt like a sauna, even with the open window and the sheets kept sticking to his skin.
This damn heat wave was getting on his last nerve and to top it all off the ventilation in the city had been on the fritz. There were times when it would work perfectly fine and then all of the sudden it would shut off, making the city into one huge oven. So much for this advance Ancient technology!
Rodney, Zelenka and the other scientists had run diagnostics on the system but as of yet had not figured out what had happened. He chuckled, all these geniuses in the city and they couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. He had given Rodney hell for it the first day, him being the resident genius and all and he couldn't even figure out how to fix a simple ventilation system. That had annoyed Rodney to no end, but now three days later, he was the one who had become increasingly annoyed.
Even stepping foot outside, onto the piers and balconies was no relief at all. He couldn't even go off-world, Elizabeth had cancelled all gate travel to be safe. He had argued that it had only been the ventilation system, no other systems seemed to be affected but she had said she didn't want any surprises.
He thought he felt the room grow hotter, if that was even possible and he groaned. Well, there went another sleepless night. He had taken a cold shower before bed, hoping it would cool him off and help him sleep but as soon as he had stepped out of the shower, he felt himself start sweating again.
He thought about putting his head in the small fridge he had in his room, just like he had done when he was a kid, but that would only work for a minute. Maybe he should just head to the infirmary. They had set up portable A/C units, but he really tried to avoid that place as much as possible, maybe he would use that as a last resort.
"Aghhh!" He felt that even a small movement seemed to increased the temperature in the room. Finally making up his mind, he got up, removing the sheets that had clung onto his sticky back and he put on a pair of shorts and a shirt that he had discarded earlier. As soon as he put on the shirt he felt the cotton material stick to his skin.
He rolled his eyes. "Why, why, why?"
He walked through the halls, meeting a few people along the way. Apparently he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep in this damn heat wave. He finally reached his destination, hoping he was the only one there. The doors swished open as he saw that nobody was around.
The metal of the pier felt cool against his bare feet and he felt a difference in temperature as soon as he had stepped outside. It was slightly cooler than his room but not bymuch. Well, I guess this was an improvement. He made his way to the edge and sat down, dangling his feet off the side, watching the reflection of the moon on the middle of the ocean. Usually he could withstand any weather that was thrown at him, hot or cold but for some reason, this time it had bugged him to no end. He felt a bead a sweat make its way down the side of his face, immediately wiping it away with the back of his hand.
He laughed out loud. "Great! Just great."
"Looks like the heat finally got to him." The all too familiar voice surprised him, he hadn't even heard the door, let alone the footsteps. He turned to see Ronon and Rodney make their way over. "He's delusional."
"Oh, very funny, Rodney."
Rodney chuckled as they sat on either side of him. "Hey! You're the one sitting out here all alone, laughing and talking to yourself."
"At least I'm not the one sitting in a lab with no clue with what the hell went wrong," he teased, knowing full well that it would annoy him.
"I said I was working on it and this heat, isn't making it any easier, you know."
"I thought you said you were a genius," Ronon said.
John chuckled. "I thought so too."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "I know what you guys are trying to do and it's not gonna work."
John turned to Ronon. "Were you trying to do something? Cause I wasn't."
Ronon shook his head. "Nope."
He chuckled before they went silent, each apparently lost in thought.
"So, you guys couldn't sleep either?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Nope, too hot. Even for sparring."
John chuckled, well that was saying something, Ronon not wanting to spar. "Well, I guess this is better but not by much."
"Yeah."
"I should really head back to my lab…"
"Oh, c'mon, Rodney. Forget your lab. You're going to overheat that small brain of yours."
"Hey! My brain is perfectly normal sized and besides I have to figure out what's wrong."
John sighed. "There are other scientists in the city besides you, you know."
"Yes, but-"
"Yeah, yeah, McKay. Not as smart as you," Ronon interrupted.
John chuckled and Rodney glared at him. "I wasn't going to say that but if you think so…"
Ronon and John rolled their eyes.
"What?" Rodney said with a smile.
"We need to get you out of that lab, Rodney."
"Is this an only boys gathering?" asked a female voice behind them causing them to jump. Teyla laughed as they all turned to look at her. How did they not hear the door that time?
"Nope, but you do have to be part of the team to join us," John answered with a chuckle.
She smiled as she sat next to Rodney, dangling her feet off the side. "Picking on Rodney again, I see."
Ronon and John shook their heads as Rodney nodded.
"No. We're just hanging out. It's too hot to be in there and it seems that none of us can sleep."
"I know what you mean. I was unable to sleep as well."
They all turned their attention back to the water surrounding the city.
"I wonder when this heat's gonna end?" John thought aloud as he fanned himself with his shirt.
"Don't know but I hope it's soon," Rodney said.
They say along the edge, making small talk and joking around, momentarily forgetting about the heat.
"It's getting pretty late," John said as he looked at his watch. "I guess we should at least try to get some sleep."
Rodney stifled a yawn, "I guess."
They stood up and made their way to the door, a blast of heat hitting their faces as soon as it opened. "Oh great!" John groaned.
They quickly made their way to a transporter. "You are at least going to try to get some sleep, aren't you Rodney?" John asked as they made their way inside.
"What? Of course," he answered. No one was convinced. "Okay, maybe I was going to spend a bit more time in the lab."
They all groaned. "Rodney!"
Ronon grabbed him by the collar. "Hey, Conan! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Saving the lives of the other scientists," Ronon answered. "Goodnight Teyla, Sheppard." He hauled a protesting Rodney down the hall.
John and Teyla chuckled as they heard the two continue arguing all the way down the hall. "Perhaps some time away from the city would do Rodney some good," Teyla said as they walked out of the transporter.
"Yeah. I think so."
"Maybe we could take a trip to the mainland? The children have been asking about you and I am certain the other Athosians would be happy to see you."
He smiled. "That's actually a great idea. I'm sure I can convince Elizabeth to let us go. I'll talk to her first thing in the morning, so we can spend the rest of tomorrow there. Sound good?"
She nodded.
XXXXX
He casually strolled into Elizabeth's office, she was busy working on the tablet in front of her. Probably playing Solitaire, he thought. She was so engrossed in whatever she was doing that she didn't even look up. He reached her desk and he craned his neck to see if he could catch a glimpse of whatever she was working on.
"Hello, John," she said without even looking up.
"How'd you know it was me?"
She chuckled as she looked up, setting her tablet aside. "Lucky guess."
He sat down on one of the chairs in front of her desk, picking up one of the many items that cluttered her desk.
"What can I do for you, John?"
He gave her an innocent look. "What makes you think I want something?"
She smiled. "Once again, lucky guess."
He put the item back on her desk and leaned back on his chair. "Actually, wanted to take a trip to the mainland, visit the Athosians. Teyla said the kids have been asking when we'll go visit. Thought it would be a good time."
She smiled and leaned back in her chair. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Yeah. Plus they have that pool of water there…"
She laughed. "Of course. Nothing better in this heat wave than a dip in the water."
"Exactly."
"Very well, then. Why don't you take Rodney along? Zelenka says he's been spending all his time in his lab, trying to figure out the problem and has been short tempered with everyone." John raised an eyebrow. "All right, more than usual," she said with a chuckle.
"I was planning to. Ronon's coming along too. You wanna join us?"
"Thanks for the offer but I'm going to pass."
He stood up. "All right, then." He walked to the door and turned back around. "You sure you don't want to come along? It'll be fun."
"No, thank you. You four go ahead."
"You sure? Last chance."
She chuckled. "I'm sure. Say hello to the Athosians for me."
"Will do." He turned to walk away and shouted back. "You sure?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Okay. Your loss," he called back.
She chuckled as she picked up her tablet again, continuing her game.
"We leave in an hour if you change your mind!"
XXXX
He instantly felt relief as his feet made contact with the crystal, clear, cool water. He smiled as he submerged himself completely and swam out, enjoying the coolness of the water on his warm, sticky skin. He finally emerged, taking a much needed deep breath, and wiping water off his face with his hand. He finally registered that he had swum out to the middle of the pool. Looking back to the edge where he had come from, he saw the kids following Teyla out to the water, the excitement clear on their faces, ready for what he thought should be a day of fun. He waved and swam back towards them.
He taught the kids a few water games and watched as they splashed happily around, laughter filling the air. He noticed that even Rodney was having fun, although he might have not wanted to admit it.
"See, Rodney. Isn't this much better than being stuck in that lab of yours. Just look at the view," he said indicating the small waterfall. "Plus it's much cooler."
Rodney shrugged as he looked around. "I guess."
"C'mon, how about a cannonball," he said as he stood up. "Or don't tell me you don't know how?"
"What? Of course I can," Rodney said as he stood as well. Before John had a chance to answer Rodney jumped, tucking his legs under his chin and landed with a big splash.
John chuckled and jumped in. As he emerged he heard Rodney laugh, "Gotta admit, I missed doing that."
"You wanna go again?" The question had barely left his lips, when he saw that Rodney was already making his way onto the rock they had just jumped off from.
XXXX
Halling stood next to him. "I want to thank you Colonel. The children have really enjoyed themselves today."
He smiled. "It's nothing, really. I'm really enjoying this too."
"They have been asking for you. Wondering when you would come back for a visit."
"Things have been really busy back on Atlantis but we were finally able to make time."
"We are glad. The children seem to be very fond of you."
He smiled as he looked out at the kids, splashing around and laughing, others playing the new game that he had taught them, Marco Polo. He wasn't exactly sure how to react to that and Halling must have picked up on that because he quickly changed the subject.
"Are you going to stay with us for the night? The children are very eager to hear another one of your stories."
John chuckled, turning to see that Halling had a smile on his face. "I am sure that can be arranged. I just have to let Dr. Weir know but I'm pretty sure she won't mind."
"I am sure everyone would be pleased to hear that."
"Colonel Sheppard!" he heard one of the kids shout out, waving him over.
"I guess I'm needed," he said with a smile.
Halling chuckled. "Go ahead. And thank you, once again."
"You're welcome and it's my pleasure." He turned and jogged back.
XXXXX
He saw Teyla sitting alone on one of the big rocks, watching them and laughing. He turned to the kids that had surrounded him. "Okay, kids. I think it's time I take a break."
"Awww," they cried out in unison.
He chuckled. "Don't worry, it's just a short one." He pointed at Rodney and Ronon. "But have fun with those two."
"But Sheppa-" Rodney began to protest before being interrupted by Ronon, who slapped Rodney on the back.
"What's wrong McKay? Afraid of a couple of kids?"
"What? No."
John shook his head, silently laughing as he waded out to the edge and walked over, sitting next to Teyla. "Hey."
She smiled. "I see the children are enjoying themselves."
He chuckled as he watched Rodney finally join in on the splashing. "Yeah."
"I spoke with Elizabeth before we left…" Teyla said.
"Couldn't convince her either, huh?"
She chuckled. "No, but she did tell me to keep an eye on you three," she gave him a grin. "Especially you."
He chuckled. Why did everyone assume he was always looking for trouble. "Why me?"
She gave a small shrug and chuckled. "Those were her words, not mine."
"Right. You two talking about me when I'm not around?" he teased.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, that is all we talk about."
He chuckled.
"Are you staying overnight?"
"Yup, talked to Elizabeth, said it was fine. And…" he looked around, making sure that Rodney was out of earshot. "Zelenka finally fixed the system."
Teyla laughed. "I do not think Rodney is going to be very pleased when he hears that."
John chuckled as he looked over at Rodney who was laughing as the children splashed around him. "I guess not but I'm not going to ruin his day by telling him yet. I'll let him have his fun, even if it means letting him tease me."
They chuckled.
"Hey, Sheppard! I think you're break's over!" Rodney yelled out.
"Hold your horses, Rodney. I'm going!" He turned to Teyla. "C'mon, lets go."
XXXXX
Rodney and Ronon had finally, after many unsuccessful attempts, managed to dunk him into the water.
He heard a laugh and turned around. "Oh, you think that's funny, Teyla? Why don't you come over and join us?"
She smiled, walking to the edge, dipping her foot in slowly in the water before submerging herself into the clear water. John wondered where she would pop up when suddenly she emerged right next to him.
"Nice swimming but I doubt you'll beat me."
"I bet you she could," Rodney piped up. "I mean, she already kicks your butt at everything. Why would this be any different?" he teased.
John threw him a glare. Ronon and Teyla laughed.
"Okay, then. How about a race, Teyla? You and me."
"If you wish." He could see the small, teasing smile that she was trying to control. She was probably laughing at him on the inside.
Through all this he noticed Ronon had not said a word but had kept that stupid grin plastered on his face. Some friend he was, enjoying everything at his expense. "Okay, Chewie. Who's side are you on?"
Ronon quickly glanced at Teyla.
"Oh, no, no, no! You too?!" he stared in disbelief.
Ronon shrugged. "Hey, she can kick all of our asses and you know that. But…" he looked over at Teyla. "I guess I'll endure a beating just for you, but you owe me one, buddy."
"Ha!" John said in triumph. He leaned over and whispered, careful not to let the others hear, "Thanks, buddy."
Ronon grinned and whispered back, "Doesn't mean I don't think she'll beat you."
"I know. I'm pretty sure she will," he confessed. Both men chuckled, catching the attention of the other two.
Rodney shrugged it off. "Okay…" he began. "How about you start at the edge and the first to reach those big rocks over by the waterfall, wins."
John glanced at Teyla. "Sound good?"
She nodded and they waded out the edge. Ronon swam out to where they had designated the finish line and sat down on one of the big rocks to the left of the waterfall, ready to declare the winner. Some of the kids got out of the water, sitting on the grassy area at the edge, where they could get a better and clearer view. Others stayed in the water, and others sat on the rocks surrounding the lake. Every single one of them eager for the race to begin.
John stood at the edge, water swirling around his feet, standing at the ready. He looked over at Teyla, apparently as ready as he was. He smiled, "Ready?"
Teyla smirked. "Of course I am."
"Okay…" Rodney began. "First one to reach Ronon…" he turned and pointed at Ronon, who was now standing on a big rock, waving and smiling. John chuckled, it looked like he was having a blast already. "Wins. Got it?"
Both John and Teyla nodded.
"All right, here we go. Ready! Set! GO!"
John quickly took off as soon as he heard Rodney say the last syllable. He ran, the water slashing around his feet, until he felt the ground underneath him give way and dove right in. At that point he wasn't sure if he was ahead or behind he just swam ahead. Through the splashing of the water around him, he heard the excited voices of the Athosian children, yelling either, "Teyla!" or "Colonel Sheppard!" mingled with laughter and clapping. Well at least they were having fun.
He finally caught a glimpse of Teyla, somewhere next to him. So far they were neck and neck but that would soon change as he thought he had an advantage, after all he had longer arms and legs, that had to count for something but suddenly out of nowhere she gave a spurt of speed and went ahead. He was momentarily stunned but recovered, knowing that he had to kick it up a notch if he wanted it to at least be a close race. He thrust ahead, hoping it would do. He ignored everything around him and concentrated on swimming as fast as his body would let him. Before long he felt the cool, wet stone surface graze his fingers and stopped, looking up to see Ronon looking down at him with a smile. He ran a hand over his face, brushing off the excess water.
"Tie!" Ronon announced to the crowd.
There were cheers and clapping from all around.
John looked over at Teyla and smiled. "Good race," he told her breathlessly.
"You as well," she answered, just as breathless.
Ronon stretched out his hand to help her onto the rock and did the same for John. He laughed at his two water soaked and breathless friends. "You two look like you need a rest before swimming back."
John rolled his eyes, still trying to catch his breath. Ronon chuckled again and dove into the water, splashing them in the process.
"Hey!" John yelled out with a laugh.
He watched him swim away and then turned to look at Teyla. "Okay…" she turned to look at him. "Why'd you slow down?"
She grinned and turned her attention back to the others. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
He chuckled. "You already had me beat."
"Oh, did I?" she asked teasingly.
He chuckled once again. "Oh, don't act so innocent."
She smiled. "Lets just say it was for the children's entertainment. They wanted to see a race and they were able to see one."
"I guess that sounds fair. But.." he grinned. "I want a rematch."
She chuckled. "If you wish."
"Yeah and this time, I'll beat you for sure."
She rolled her eyes and laughed. "We will see. I am sure we can have that rematch later today."
"Ha! Deal."
She slid off the rock onto the water. "I will make sure that only Ronon and Rodney are around to watch you lose."
He laughed. "Now, don't get too cocky, Teyla." He jumped into the water, "Who knows, I think this time I'll win."
She laughed as she swam away.
"You'll see!" he yelled after her, following close behind.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! :)