Written for the LiveJournal community 5 True Loves, using the prompt "moving". I claimed the character of Teyla for the challenge, which requires you to write five stories featuring five different pairings for your claimed character. This is fic #4, the previous three being "All Tied Up" (Teyla/Rodney, adult), "Asymmetry" (Teyla/Lorne, adult) and "Mirror, Mirror" (Teyla/Michael, PG).
x x x
A Fire I Can't Put Out
The pounding is loud, fast and persistent, and makes Cameron think twice about entering the gym. He knows the feeling, and that particular punch bag has taken a hell of a lot of flack from his own fists in recent times. Curiosity wins out, and he peers through the gap in the door to see who would be training in the middle of the night. He recognises her small form almost immediately, clothes, hair and skin gleaming with sweat under the harsh artificial light.
The door creaks as he leans in, prompting her to catch the small punch bag in her fists and turn around. An emotion that he can't quite place passes fleetingly before her expression disappears behind a well-worn mask.
"Er, sorry Teyla, I was just wondering if you'd mind me using the treadmill -"
"Please do." She gestures towards the row of machines in the far corner, and he edges into the room before closing the door behind him. When he turns back, she has already collected her bag from the floor and is crossing the room.
"Oh, don't leave on my account."
"I am finished. Good night."
He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. Instead, he catches her elbow as her fingertips reach the door handle.
"Teyla, I know that this must be really hard for you..." His voice trails away as he receives a polite but wry smile, his fingers leaving her flesh abruptly. "Okay, so maybe I don't know how hard this is for you. What I'm trying to say is that if you need someone to talk to, someone who isn't going through the same thing, you know where I am."
This time the smile is genuine, even if the corners are tainted by sadness. "I appreciate that, Colonel Mitchell."
"It's Cameron."
She nods briefly. "Cameron."
They look at each other for another moment before she smiles and reaches for the handle once more. "Good night."
"Night."
x x x
He finds her in the mess hall the following night, alone again.
"So, Dr. Weir tells me that you haven't left the base yet." He slides his tray onto the table before lowering himself into the chair. She looks up, half embarrassed, half annoyed.
"I have been busy. There are still many arrangements to be made before our move to Cimmeria."
"Yeah, about that." He dips his spoon into the dessert, looking up to find her watching him. "You sure you wouldn't rather stay here? Granted, so far, you've only seen the inside of a mountain, but there's so much more to Earth -"
"I am aware of that, Colonel...Cameron," she replies carefully. "I have seen much of your world, albeit indirectly. Believe me when I say that this was an informed decision, and one that every Athosian contributed to."
"Right. Of course." He swallows a spoonful of Jell-O as he watches her smile at a passing Marine. Roberts, if he recalls correctly, who was stationed in Atlantis for over a year. "I just think that you would be better off here. Safer."
Teyla frowns. "Doctor Jackson has assured us that Cimmeria is under the protection of the Asgard."
"Oh, it is. But even the Asgard haven't found an effective weapon against the Ori yet, should they choose to target the planet. And besides, I'm sure that the Atlantis expedition would love to have you guys around. Seems like you've made a lot of friends." His eyes drift across the hall to Roberts, who is watching them with less discretion than he thinks.
She smiles. "We have. But this world is not for us. We are simple people - farmers, traders. The move has been difficult enough, it would be unfair to ask that we change our lifestyle as well."
He nods. "I understand. But if you change your mind..."
"Thank you for the offer. It is much appreciated."
She brings her cup to her lips, draining the last of her tea before she rises. "Enjoy your dessert. And thank you, again."
He smiles up at her. "No problem. Good night, Teyla."
"Good night."
x x x
He knows that the loss of their home has hit all of the evacuees hard, expedition members and Pegasus natives alike, and he has heard more than a few raised voices over recent days. He can hear the barely controlled anger in her voice, even if her companion can not. Their conversation rises and falls intermittently, and Cameron struggles to catch the hushed words.
"If we had stayed -"
"We would surely be dead!"
"...do not know that..."
"Dr. Weir would not have order an evacuation unless there was no alternative."
"...no alternative for them. There was always an alternative for us. We could have stayed in our galaxy -"
"The war was lost long ago..."
"We survived for generations without the Lanteans, and we would have continued to do so. Of that I am sure."
Her footsteps are light as she retreats, and Cameron barely has time to turn around before she comes into view. He hears her parting shot loud and clear.
"Then you are the only one."
She stalks past him without a second glance, jaw and fists clenched tightly.
He contemplates passing by the labs or the gym to see if one her team mates is on hand. Ex-team mates, he reminds himself. Then he remembers the polite smile that he had received in the gym, the same smile that she has worn almost constantly for those first few days on Earth. If she had been wearing a mask for him, it was most certainly in place in their presence as well.
His hand wavers briefly outside her door before he raps on the wood sharply.
"Come in."
The scent of her candles hits him almost immediately, and he pauses in the doorway, wondering if he's interrupting something. She looks up at him expectantly from her seated position on the bed. When he doesn't speak she rises and approaches slowly.
"You are not disturbing me. In fact, I would appreciate the company."
He steps further into the room that she has been allocated, swinging the door shut behind him. She walks past him to switch off the lights before returning to the bed.
"My eyes are still not quite used to the lighting."
He nods in understanding. "Yeah, I can imagine that after living out in the middle of an ocean for a few years, this place seems pretty...unnatural." He makes his way to the table in the corner, where she has laid out some of her belongings. "That's why it's good to get out of here every once in a while, see the real world."
When she doesn't reply, he turns around to see her eyes unfocussed and her face baring a wistful expression.
"I'm surprised that Sheppard hasn't offered to take you out, show you the sights. I heard that he's already swindled the SGC out of at least five cross-country flights for Ronon before he gets his official assignment."
"He did me make a similar offer, but I declined."
He places the urn that he has been holding carefully on the table before pushing himself away from the edge. "Come on, I want to show you something. Grab a jacket."
He already has the door open by the time she gets to her feet, her scepticism clear to see.
"Trust me, you'll like it."
x x x
The view isn't what he would call breathtaking, and he has no doubt that she's seen better, but it's just right for now. It's simple, and real, and home.
"Welcome to Earth," he says quietly as he settles down next to her on the grass.
"It's lovely. And not what I expected from you."
He grins. "What did you expect?"
She tilts her head as she considers the question. "A bar. A sporting event of some kind. Somewhere with a lot of people. Or perhaps even your own home."
"Well, I'm not used to having visitors, which you'd notice if you saw the state of my house," he replies with a chuckle. "You're right about one thing though - we should have brought beer."
They share a smile before he plucks a long blade of grass and runs it through his fingers as he continues. "Honestly? I brought you here 'cos this is where I come when things get tough. This place just seems to ground me, it makes me feel like I'm really on Earth and not some planet halfway across the galaxy."
"I can't even begin to understand what you're going through." He runs a fingernail along the now folded blade. "But I do understand the need to show everyone else that you're coping even when you're not."
They sit in silence for several minutes, and he contemplates asking her if she wants to return to base. The sound of her soft-spoken voice makes him look up.
"I understand Kalen's frustration at having to leave the Pegasus galaxy and the only worlds that are familiar to him. I understand Elizabeth's guilt over admitting defeat and destroying Atlantis. I understand Ronon's desire to stay here and help with your fight. I understand and feel it all. But I am not in a position to show it."
"You can show it to me. I'm just an innocent bystander. I'm not gonna judge you."
Her lips curve into a soft, honest smile before she turns to look at the view across the valley. "So, do you like football too?"
He feels the evening chill by the time she finally gets to her feet and holds out her hand for him, suggesting that they should return. She is more relaxed than he has ever seen her, and he sighs as he rises, relieved by the knowledge that he has helped her, in some small way.
She steps forward slowly, maintaining eye contact. He lowers his head and leans toward her, expecting the gesture that he has so many times over the past few days, from Athosians and expedition members alike. His eyes drift shut as she reaches for him, fingertips warm and light on his bare arms. The touch of her forehead on his is just as warm.
His eyes flutter open as her lips touch his skin momentarily, hot breath feeling like a caress across his cheek. "Thank you."
She is already at the car by the time he starts to follow. "You're welcome," he replied quietly.