Spoilers: Set in Season 5 (So includes mild speculation as to what may happen)
Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money from this endeavour. I only love this world so much I wish to play in it gleefully!
Note: With my internet connection down for several days I decided to tidy up my hard-drive and have found several of these little stories! So thought I would post a couple here or on LJ.
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Teyla opened her eyes, her mind sleepy and her body relaxed. Above her she could see the moonlit sky, obscured occasionally by passing clouds set high above the tall canopy towering above her. Turning her head to locate the light shuffling sound that had woken her she spied a small creature nosing through the leaf litter at the base of a nearby tree; an innocent and non threatening animal, just making enough noise to bring her out of her sleep. Sleeping this past week in the forest, sleep was always light and easily disturbed. Her senses were ever watchful, even whilst she slept.
Happy that there was no immediate threat she turned to look once more up at the sky through the swaying branches and leaves above her. The air was cool, even in the sheltered place in which they had chosen to camp this night on their trek to the Stargate. Pulling up the double layer of military issue blankets to her chin she tried to think warming thoughts. It wasn't that it was unbearably cold, nor was it too uncomfortable to sleep upon the hard ground, neither was it an unpleasant world – Yet, she could not get comfortable.
She looked over at the man sharing the double blankets; her companion on this week long march through an alien forest. Her thoughts flickered to the single grave they had left near their crashed Jumper. Captain Carey had been a good man and an able warrior and it pained her to think of his loss. So it had been John and her, only survivors. As usual John was excellent company, yet once again, it was not quite comfortable. They laughed and shared memories and stories as they walked day after day. She loved his company and he appeared to enjoy hers, yet there was a subtext of discomfort.
Now she looked over at him, turned on his side towards her, his face relaxed in sleep. They shared the blankets each night, having found sleeping apart too cold in the depths of night. They usually fell asleep back to back under the blankets. Though he lay under the same blankets as she did he appeared to be very far away. They slept at the furthest edges of the blankets, as if there were an unspoken No Man's Land between them.
She pulled the blankets up to her chin, inhaling the scent of him. Catching herself in such thoughts, she turned over as gently as possible so as not wake him. Facing out towards the forest and her back felt cold, exposed to the empty space of No Man's Land. This was foolish. She knew what made her uncomfortable. Yet, she could not be sure if he felt the same level of discomfort. She thought he did and it was nothing new between them. Ever since she had become pregnant that discomfort had become ever apparent. Then with Kanaan's betrayal and her son taken from her by Michael she had only felt more distant from her friends, especially from John. It was up to her to find her son and to stop Michael. In some way she felt responsible for it all, though she knew she could never have predicted any of those events. Yet, she felt that burden. So, she distanced herself even more from those around her, and that had only made the tension between John and her more apparent. Not that anyone on the outside would have seen that tension. They appeared to be close friends, which they were, however there was always that level that was unspoken. She only prayed it was not all from her own imagination. She thought she sensed the same discomfort within him; that things were not quite comfortable between them anymore.
Maybe it was time to address it?
She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping John, the handsome angles of his face highlighted by the alien moonlight. He looked so very far away from her, or was she far from him?
Pulling her courage together she sat up slightly and carefully shuffled backwards towards him. She moved as delicately as possible, trying not to wake him. She pulled her jacket, her makeshift pillow, along with her and when she reached close enough to him to feel his body warmth she settled down. But, it still wasn't close enough, so she shifted backwards by her hip and shoulder, until she could feel his body an inch or so behind hers. The space was warmer so much closer to him and his masculine smell was stronger. So, she settled down against her pillow and tried to relax though her heart rate raced.
He stirred slowly, but with intent, as if he had already been awoke. He moved his arm slowly, hesitantly even, over her. She acknowledged him, by wrapping one hand over his muscled forearm as it carefully encircled her. He pulled her then very gently closer to him, the pressure subtle enough that she could resist it if she wished. She slid backwards once more, barely an inch before she felt his legs against hers, his belly and chest against her back. His arm relaxed around her and she felt his breath against her hair, his nose brushing the back of her neck softly. She sighed gently in response, contented suddenly. She thought she could feel a smile against her neck as he rested his chin against her comfortably. And so the discomfort was addressed, at least enough for now. She did not know how he would behave towards her tomorrow, or if he would ignore it completely. Yet, she felt comfortable finally within John's very warm and appealing embrace. So she began to drift off to sleep once again, stroking his arm that encircled her.
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