Title: Losing
Author:YappiChick
Feedback: Yes, please!
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
Spoilers: Up to "Phantoms"
They were performing a delicate dance. One they had been practicing for years. Block. Block. Spin. Yet, despite their weekly training, Teyla's partner always seemed to lose his timing right about the time she was being to enjoy herself. The sticks clattered to the ground.
"John, I can not help you progress any further in your fighting techniques if you can not master the most basic moves," Teyla warned for the tenth time since their session had started.
"I know, I know. I'm trying. Haven't I gotten any better?" he asked with a little pout.
She shook her head adamantly. "If anything, you have gotten worse. Now, again."
With a sigh, he picked up his sticks and circled her, figuring his next move. He delivered a fast strike to her left, which was easily blocked. Suddenly, Sheppard found himself on the defensive. Teyla's blows were fast and hard; he barely had time to protect himself. Moments later, he held up his sticks too quickly, lost his balance, and fell flat on his back.
Teyla used his position to her advantage. She quickly straddled his stomach and held one of her sticks across John's throat. "This is why you must practice most often."
"Sorry to interrupt," Ronan said from the doorway.
Teyla, not in the least embarrassed, got off John. "Yes, Ronan?"
"Weir needs to talk to Sheppard. Since he wasn't picking up his radio, I figured he was down here," Ronan said.
John nodded. "All right, tell her I'll be there in thirty minutes. I'm going to take a quick shower."
Ronan shook his head. "She said you need to go to her office now. Apparently, someone back on your planet isn't happy about the fact you shot nearly everyone on your team."
"Great," he said, rolling his eyes. He turned to Teyla. "Bureaucrats," he muttered as he walked out of the room, even though he knew neither of his friends would understand what he was talking about.
Ronan watched Teyla pat her face with a towel. "I would have given up on him a long time ago."
Teyla forced a smile. "He is my friend, Ronan. As long as he wants to continue, I will still train him."
Shaking his head, he said, "If you want to waste your time, go ahead."
Thankfully, he turned and left her alone in the gym. She breathed a sigh of relief. Ronan's timing couldn't have been better. She found herself losing patience at the lack of progress that Sheppard always seemed to show.
Gathering her belongings, she made her way out of the gym and back to her quarters. On the way there, her mind would not turn away thoughts of her friend. It was confusing to her how after so many years of practicing, the colonel showed such lack of skills. He had all of the qualities a good fighter needed in order to succeed.
He was strong. While it wasn't the most important point, having strength did give a person an edge in a fight. She remembered how effortlessly he picked her up after he had shot her. During their training sessions, she had, on more than one occasion, noticed how defined his muscles were.
He was intelligent. Though he often tried to downplay how smart he was, especially around the scientists on base, Teyla recognized how clever he was. He would notice details around them that no one else would; he could figure out problems that even Rodney could not. That advantage alone should have made John one of the most formidable opponents that Teyla had ever met.
He was patient. She knew that this skill had been tested repeatedly since the colonel's arrival to the Pegasus Galaxy. The Genii ambush on Atlantis. Waiting to be able to rescue his friends as he watched them because addicted to the Wraith enzyme. Remaining calm, planning an escape, despite the fact he had been fed upon numerous by a Wraith.
He was brave. Teyla knew this from the day that she met him. She had never known of a person willing to rescue anyone off a Wraith hive ship, let alone people that were practically strangers. Throughout the years, he had shown his bravery continuously. It was one of the qualities Teyla admired most about John.
On more than one occasion, she thought she could be the problem. She remembered one time when she asked, "Colonel, would you prefer if I wore the clothes that people in your military wear when we are training? Perhaps you would learn better in that kind of environment."
He shook his head wildly. She couldn't remember a time he had been so animated. "No! I mean, nah, that's ok. I'm just a slow learner. That's all. You're a wonderful teacher, Teyla. Really." She was unsure if he was telling the truth, but decided to respect his request.
Finally, she pushed her thoughts of John to the side as she showered and got dressed. She wanted to go to Elizabeth's office and see if there was anything she could do to help John get out of trouble.
As she approached the gate room, she heard Ronan and John talking around the corner. Normally, she was not one to snoop, but the snippet of conversation she had heard so far had her intrigued.
"...understand why you would humiliate yourself week after week. You have to know that she thinks you are hopeless," Ronan said.
She could almost see John shrug. "That doesn't bother me."
"But, Sheppard--"
"Let's just say, that sometimes losing is as much fun as winning," he said in a sly tone.
Teyla's face broke out into a smile. Maybe, she thought, she would let the colonel win the next time. After all, she couldn't let him have all the fun.