Title: Home Truth
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm not pretending to own them. Really.
Summary: He didn't really feel like talking. John, Teyla, post-"Outcast" fic.
Note: Thanks to Alli for the beta!
He knew she was there, even before he felt the brush of her fingers over his shoulder and she settled at the railing beside him.
He didn't really feel like talking, and she seemed to understand. It was a while before she finally spoke. "I am sorry about your father, John," she said quietly.
He shrugged. "I'm OK, thanks."
"I wish I had been here," she said. Teyla had been visiting friends offworld, looking for news of the Athosians. Frankly, he had been glad she was gone. It was hard enough realizing that his father was gone forever; the last thing he'd needed was another sympathetic person trying to get him to spill his guts about it.
"Any news?"
Teyla sighed. "Nothing. Nobody has heard anything. I would have been better off coming to Earth with you, as Ronon did."
He smiled a little, thinking about his brother's face -- or Nancy's -- if he'd shown up at his father's wake with a beautiful pregnant woman. He knew, though, that wasn't what she'd meant. He glanced at her stomach. "Yeah, I don't expect Junior there would've liked being thrown around by a Replicator much."
"I cannot say I'm sorry to have missed that, myself." She rubbed a hand over her belly. "Though I believe we both know you wouldn't have let me anywhere near a Replicator."
Damn right, he wanted to say, but one look at her raised eyebrow convinced him that silence was the best response.
A few minutes later, she stirred at his side. "A few of us are meeting for dinner if you're interested. 'Junior' is very hungry, as usual." She grinned, "We can watch Ronon and Jennifer pretend they are not staring at each other."
He opened his mouth to refuse. Instead, he couldn't stop himself from blurting out, "He was disappointed in me. My father. I was never what he wanted me to be."
"Well, then," she said slowly, "I suppose he never really knew you at all."
"I --" To Teyla, it seemed, it was just that simple. "I guess you're right."
She laughed suddenly and patted her belly. "He's hungry," she said again. "Are you?"
"I could eat," he said. "And I better get mine before you eat it all."
He chuckled, ducking the punch she aimed at his arm. "Besides," he said. "I have to tell Rodney all about how Dr. Lee saved the day ..."
End