Title: Kiss and Part
Author: Me
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: CharacterDeath
Pairing: John/Teyla, Teyla/Kanaan, John/Larrin
Disclaimer: The characters, etc, of SGA don't belong to us. For fun, not profit.
Size: 2,294 words
File Format: word
Comments: All errors are mine. Beta by Yappichick and Foxyinthecity. Thank you. HUGS!
Summary: Sort of AU....As she got closer to John, she shot him a desperate look. They had to do something.
Kiss and Part
Since there is no help, come let us kiss and part-
Nay, I have done you get no more of me;
And I am glad, yea glad with all my heart,
That thus so cleanly I myself can free.
Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows
And when we meet at any time again,
Be it not seen in either of our brows
That we one jot of former love retain.
~Michael Drayton
Running down the corridors and outside one of the city's open docking fields, it took her another thirty seconds to spot John. He was running towards the edge of the city's borders. Teyla could see there were two other people running ahead of him and to her suspicion, she realized who they were. And when she realized who they were, she felt a whirlwind of emotions all at once, knowing that this would end tragically.
While she was still running with her gun gripped tightly in her hands, she noticed that John stopped at the edge of the pier with Kanaan and Larrin standing way too close to him.
It's exactly what she had feared.
As she neared them, Kanaan turned just slightly enough to show Teyla that he was holding a gun to John. Larrin pulled John further from the pier and forced him to turn around with his back to Kanaan, but Teyla was now close enough to listen to the conversation.
"You never give up, do you Colonel Sheppard?" Kanaan asked while Larrin stood, looking quite pleased with the turn of events.
"John?" Teyla asked and their eyes met.
"This is between you and me, Kanaan." John said, ignoring Teyla.
"This has always been about you, Sheppard. I have cursed our Ancestors since the day you first walked into our lives."
"He's got a gun pointed at Colonel Sheppard." Teyla barely heard from her earpiece and she thought it sounded very much like Major Lorne. Tensly, she gripped the gun she'd been holding in her hands.
"I would not do that if I were you, Teyla." Kanaan warned. He shoved John out of the way and pointed his gun at Teyla. "I have other plans for you."
"Kanaan, stick to the plan!" Larrin voiced under her breath as she held her gun to John. She was disheveled and sweating, Teyla noticed.
As John stopped himself in at the edge of the city's platform, Teyla froze.
"Now, give Larrin your gun." Kanaan said.
Fearing for John's life, Teyla loosened her grip on the gun. "You do not have to do this, Kanaan." Desperate, she sought out Larrin. "Larrin, why are you doing this?"
"Simple; power and freedom. Kanaan can give me what I want." She glanced at John with her last words. "And not just in bed."
Teyla felt sick for she knew that Larrin was only using Kanaan just as he was using her. They were in fact a great pair.
"Does he snore in bed? Because I do. Trust me, you wouldn't have liked it!" John added from behind.
"SHUT UP!" Kanaan shouted. "There is no going back now. You gave me no other alternative. I was never good enough for you, Teyla. You have always loved him even while you were with me. And Sheppard--he gave Larrin empty promises."
"I never made Larrin any promises!" John exclaimed.
Larrin stepped closer to John. She was never in love with him, but she never got from him what she most desired; the city of Atlantis, John's servitude, and his pleasure. "True. And how could you? When your eyes were set on Teyla." Larrin snapped.
John looked at Teyla and then smiled, "And I still can't keep my eyes off her."
Since they started spending more time together and the alliance between the Travellers and Atlantis was sealed, Larrin was in Atlantis as often as she could be, finding excuses to get intel on the city and of course, keeping her eye on John. But it never got serious beween Larri and John. He confessed to Teyla that he never fully trusted her for one minute and that included even in the privacy of his quarters.
It must have been during that time that Larrin noticed the obvious connection and attraction between John and Teyla. After Kanaan and Teyla's breakup, John spend more time with Teyla and Torren. But it would be months after the breakup with Kanaan that things between Teyla and John became intimate. As expected, not everyone felt the same joy for their new relationship, and the two that stood out the most was Kanaan and Larrin. Yet, never in her wildest imagination would Teyla imagine that they would bind forces against her and John and more so, against Atlantis. Surprisingly, it was Kanaan that started it all.
Teyla moved closer to John, but never took her eyes off Kanaan.
As she got closer to John, she shot him a desperate look. They had to do something.
But she feared John's look; the look of determination, the look right before he declared his own death sentence. For she knew, he would stop at nothing to save her life. And she saw the decision on his face.
"ENOUGH!" As Kanaan neared Teyla, John kicked him on the knees, sweeping his legs out from under him. Hitting the floor with a jolt, he dropped the gun. Wasting no time, Teyla lunged at Larrin whose gun was aimed at John.
Kanaan got a single shot, then turned his gun at Teyla. But before he could pull the trigger, Teyla plowed into him, connecting with a swift knee to the groin. The gun flew out of his hands, but she was too late---he had already shot John. And as Kanaan doubled over in pain, Teyla rushed to John's side.
"JOHN?" Teyla shouted. She turned around, but he was nowhere in sight. She ran back to the edge of the city's platform, but all she saw was the long drop to the ocean's floor.
An intense pain hit her straight in her chest. He fell. They were so close to the edge that the impact of the shot must have pushed him over the edge.
Behind her, Teyla saw Larrin help Kanaan to his feet.
"Justice has been executed." Teyla heard Kanaan's hearty laughter.
"You killed him!" Teyla screamed. When she smashed into Kanaan, he dropped his gun, falling off balance by the impact, and went flying over the edge of the platform. But as he fell, he managed to catch a hold on Teyla's jacket. Before either of them knew what was happening, they had plummeted and safely landed on one of the city's ledge.
Kanaan hit first, and Teyla landed on top of him. Wild with rage, Teyla was the first one to stand. As Kanaan struggled to rise, Teyla grabbed him by his shirt and rammed her fist into his face. "You demented impostor. You betrayed me!" She screamed. "You are an insult to our people, to our son!"
Kanaan's answer came in the form of a single back-handed punch that hit Teyla in the side of her face and sent her straight to the edge of the ledge.
"You gullible fallen woman! Do not bring Torren into this. You left me no other choice when you left me for him!" He leaned over and Teyla sense his intentions, but she turned her head away from his. Forcibly, he grabbed her chin and kissed her, but Teyla bit his lips. "The real traitor here is you." Raising his hand to strike her again, Kanaan didn't see John's fist until it was too late.
"Don't. Touch. My Wife!" John growled as his knuckles crashed into Kanaan's jaw.
Shocked and disheveled, Teyla retraced John's steps to the narrow ledge that had saved his life. Along the city walls stood a series of narrow ledges--tiny strips of adornment covering the city's lights, just wide enough to protect John's fall.
Frantically, Teyla watched John use his good arm, hitting Kanaan in the stomach. Again in the face. And again in the stomach. For every restless hour, for every frustrated moment, for every ounce of fear for her life, John had vowed to pay Kanaan back. And payback was exactly what he was giving to Kanaan.
Eventually, John grabbed Kanaan by the collar of his shirt and stared at his beaten face. "And this, you son of a bitch--This is for Ronon!"
Then a single gunshot sounded. Terror filled her every senses. Teyla watched as John's body slumped to the narrow floor.
Almost instantly, blood began to pour from John's back. She wheeled around and saw Larrin step down onto the ledge holding a gun.
"John!" Teyla cried, rushing to his side.
John didn't say a word. But as Teyla hunched over him, she caught a glimpse of the leather ankle holster that he always carried. Carefully, she reached down, hoping to get her hands on the small pistol.
"You okay, baby?" Larrin asked staring at Kanaan.
Kanaan gasped for air, struggling to catch his breath as he nooded. He reached up and claimed his gun from the edge of the ledge where he had dropped it. "Farewell, Teyla. We could have been so good together." Kanaan said, aiming his gun at Teyla's head. "It was lovely meeting your acquaintance for it did bring something precious out of it; Torren." As he neared the edge, Kanaan raised the gun to Teyla's forehead.
"You will never get away with this." Teyla said. "You cannot escape Atlantis."
"That would be true if it wasn't for the fact that I have Michael's army now on my command, and if Larrin did not possess the technology to transport us out of here." He glanced at Larrin and then at Teyla. "You forget that I lived here for two years and despite your ignorance, I did learn a lot about this city and how it works."
He was right, of course. While their relationship had ended more than over a year ago, Kanaan had remained in the city continuing to care for Torren while she remained in John's team despite the fact that they were now committed to each other for the rest of their lives.
"You do not have full access to the city. Rodney will never let you leave and if that's not enough, Amelia will surely kill you for what you did to Ronon." Teyla blurted.
She looked down at John who was still bleeding in her lap. No, she told herself. She couldn't let Kanaan and Larrin get away with this.
"I do not need full access to the city's controls. That is why I have Larrin. And as I have mentioned before, I am not responsible for his death!" Kanaan shouted, once again raising his arm. "Ronon was the only one in this entire city who did not belittle me."
"And yet, you still killed him!" Teyla scorned.
"Don't listen to her," Larrin voiced from behind Teyla. "You've executed your vengeance. The city is now vulnerable to its enemies and my people have all the intel from their database. We have all that we need. Now, let's go!"
"NO!" Kanaan shouted at Larrin then turned his gaze towards Teyla. "Where is my son? Where is Torren?" Kanaan asked as he leaned forward nearly touching Teyla's face with his.
He had made it clear to her that he wanted the child when he first learned of her and John's relationship. He wasn't willing to compromise, he wanted Torren only for himself and not have him be with Teyla or John. It was the first sign she got that things between them would never be the same. That something had drastically changed within him. It would be too late before she found out his connection back to Michael, his betrayal to their people, and his intent on seeking vengeance on John, the city of Atlantis, and her. Michael's experiment had changed him for good, and nothing would revert him back. And yet, this was Kanaan's own doing. It was always his intention to wage war against Atlantis. His hatred for John and the people of Earth stirred the minute they first met Teyla and the Athosians.
For Kanaan, it was simply a matter. Teyla figured that he must have found that deep dark place within him after his first connection with Michael and after they parted ways and she settled with John.
In his search for vengeance, he found he wanted more; he wanted dominance and so he sought out Michael and found the strength and power that he could never have on his own. It pained Teyla to see this side of him. She was completely blinded and oblivious to just how deep Kanaan's hatred had transformed him. When she broke off their relationship, the worse she had thought would occurred was a tender kiss and an undisputed part. Never this. If he couldn't have her, no one would. And his child would belong only to him. Those were his terms; terms that she simply couldn't agree to. She would die before she let this Kanaan have her child.
Her rage was uncontrollable, and the venom in Teyla's voice was clear. "You will never have him and you will never see the break of sunlight ever again!"
It all happened too fast, but it all played out in her mind in a very slow motion. In one fluid motion, Teyla pulled the pistol and fired. Three consecutive bullets ripped into Kanaan. Two in his chest, one in his shoulder. As he staggered backward, Teyla fired another shot. And another. And another. She pulled the trigger again, but heard only a click.
Click. Click. Click.
Kanaan staggered back when he lost his footing, falling---falling and splashing into the turbulent waters.
She felt the brush of someone's hand from behind her, but she paid it no attention.
Behind her, she heard a loud gunshot and Larrin's cry of pain from behind.
She'd forgotten all about Larrin.
As Teyla turned thinking that this would be her end and awaiting for her death, she saw Larrin pinned to the wall by Major Lorne. He had shot Larrin from behind and Teyla hadn't even noticed.
It wasn't until that moment that Teyla finally took a breath. The threats, the frustration, the angling and manipulation---they were all gone.
They'd lost much---Larrin's fleet had caused severe damages to the city, Teyla's people had sided with Kanaan at the beginning and they'd lost her trust, and while fighting with one of Michael's monsters, they'd lost Ronon.
Now--now she killed the father of her son. How was she ever to explain that to Torren when he got older? Would her son ever understand, ever forgive her?
And John's lifeless form, stilled in her arms.
Had she lost it all? Why? Why did she have to kill Kanaan?
Hearing a soft moan from underneath her arms, Teyla dropped her gun and cradle John's head in her arms.
There.
That was why she did it.
"We need medical assistance." Teyla all but shouted. "John is wounded."
Blinking back into consciousness, John opened his eyes. "No more jealous, bitter ex-lovers?"
As a skeptical grin crept up her cheeks, Teyla laughed out loud. "For my part, yes. For you, I believe Larrin is only the first of your long list of jealous ex-girlfriends." She moved closer and kissed him lightly on the forehead as the medical team strapped him down in the stretcher.
"You jealous?" John asked with a smile.
"You would think that, but I am not jealous."
"Right. This means more time for us in the gym." He winced in pain and hoarsely added, "You're gonna need to tone up a bit more."
Laying her hand on the nape of his neck, she looked him in the eyes. And that's when she realized it. After all these years together, fighting along side one another, facing a countless life-threatening situations, nothing had changed. Since the day he finally kissed her, until just last night when his arms caressed her body and while her body cried with pleasure, she hadn't accepted him; Not fully. Hadn't given herself the thought to admit it, for it seemed that to acknowledge it would be to loose a part of herself. For Kanaan's words hit too close to the truth. She had always loved John. There has never been any other man in her life that she's loved and there never will be. To some extent, she blamed herself for this. Not only did she lied to herself, but she lied to Kanaan. John never made any promises to Larrin. That was a fact. Teyla, on the other hand, did make empty promises to Kanaan. She did believe that she would live with Kanaan forever. But forever was simply too long. That was the untold truth and that was simply something Teyla wasn't ready to face until today when Kanaan brought it all to the surface. It pained her more than she cared to admit. But that wasn't the worst of it. The worst of it was the unashamed admittance that she'd have it no other way, and like Kanaan stated, there is no going back and she won't go back, either. For she finally belongs to the man that completes her.
John.
And then, a peace like she never felt before, overwhelmed her and she remembered.
Right before she thought she'd lost him, that's when she no longer saw John Sheppard, but instead saw her husband; as she's always wanted to see him and as she would always see him until the day she dies.
~The end