Disclaimer: Not mine. Never will be.
Author's notes: This story takes place after "Epiphany". This story is a little different for me. My humor Muse will be coming back soon though. I hope! As always, I would love to hear what you think.
Teyla stood outside John's door, hesitant to ring the door chime. Though, as Ronon had so indelicately put it, John was only gone for a couple of hours to them, she knew John suffered much longer. His stricken look when he saw them did not go unnoticed by her; it was as if he thought they would willingly abandon him and he was honestly surprised to see them again.
And that did not settle well with her.
Finally, she waved her hand in front of the crystal, waiting for the colonel to grant her entrance. Seconds later, the door slid opened, revealing John with no shirt and shaving cream covering half his face.
A blush kissed Teyla's cheeks. Since she had been to Atlantis, she had never seen the colonel in such a state of undress.
John seemed oblivious to her embarrassment. "Come in," he said, walking back in his quarters before she stepped through the doorframe.
"If this is a bad time, Colonel, I can come back later," she said.
She watched as he closed his eyes in annoyance at his title. She knew that he wanted her to call him John when they were "off the clock", but using his first name now, especially in his current state, seemed obscenely intimate for some reason.
He looked at himself in the mirror, grabbing a razor off the edge of the sink. "I'm just getting rid of this damn beard. Too itchy."
Not knowing quite what to do, Teyla took a seat on the edge of John's bed. She watched his careful movements for a few seconds, listening to the razor cut away the unwanted hair. Her gaze moved around the room. The clothes he had been wearing on the planet were in a pile in the corner next to the bed. A towel was on the floor next to where John was standing.
Finally, the last of his beard was gone. He turned to face Teyla with a small grin. "As good as new," he said, rubbing his face clean with a hand towel.
Though his face now looked like the John Sheppard she knew, there was still a lingering sadness in his eyes. "John…" she started slowly.
He turned his full gaze to her, almost challenging her to say what he needed to hear. She was unfamiliar with this unshielded side of John. He did not usually reveal his emotions so openly. However, the intensity of his need almost caused Teyla to pull back.
Teyla, however, would not back down. "We would never leave you behind," she said, cutting to the heart of the issue, "not if there was a chance to save you." She paused for a second. "And even if there was not, I would find it very difficult to depart."
What he said surprised her.
"Teer and I…well..we…" he trailed off, allowing Teyla to figure out his unspoken words.
This time she could not keep the deep blush from coloring her cheeks. Foolishly, she had thought the reason for his sadness was the fact he missed everyone on Atlantis and felt abandonded by them. Perhaps his sorrow stemmed from the fact that since they he rescued him, he would have to leave his lover's side. Suddenly, being here with the colonel seemed ridiculous.
She stood up to leave. "I am sorry for your loss," she said, not meeting his eyes.
Before she got halfway to the door, his strong hand gripped her arm. "I hooked up with her because I didn't think you guys were going to come back. I thought you guys had moved on." He squeezed her arm, causing her to look at his eyes. "I'm sorry."
Momentarily she was confused. Why was he apologizing to her? It was not as if they were in a relationship and he had committed adultery. Then it came to her; he was asking for forgiveness because he didn't trust them to come back for him.
"John," she said passionately. "If something happened to you, I would not being able to 'move on' as easily as you believe. You have become a close friend." Closer than he knows, she thought.
A smile passed over his lips. "You're not just buttering me up, are you?"
"I assure you, my words are sincere."
He looked down at his chest, the emotions of the conversation getting almost too uncomfortable for him. "I guess I better get a shirt on. I wouldn't want someone to stop by and think something is going on down here," he joked, breaking the seriousness of the mood. Quickly he got his shirt on and stood next to her. "Let's get something to eat. I haven't had a turkey sandwich in months."
She suppressed rolling her eyes. The colonel was the only person she knew who would willingly eat them without a complaint.
Before they exited his room, he stopped her. "Thanks, Teyla."
She smiled brightly. No other words needed to be spoken; he knew that she would always be there for him and that was enough.