Chapter 1

"Sheppard, there you are! Where have you been?"

John cut an eye at Rodney as he approached him in the hallway, "Nice to see you too Rodney." John replied sarcastically.

"Did you forget our plans?"

Having a bite to eat with his friend and playing video games was always fun. They've been going head to head with this particular game that Rodney had developed for a few months now. They each had developed SIMS-style villages on opposite sides of the river in competition with one another. Rodney was in the process of pushing his town, "Geldar" to become more technologically advance. Considering how much of computer geek, Rodney truly was. He would have thought that Rodney would have chosen a more technologically advance village from the start. But what wasn't really surprising was that Rodney had chosen to fashion their leader, a beautiful woman named Nola, to look an awful like Sam.

"No, Rodney I didn't forgot your plans."

"Ha, ha very funny."

"Fine, no I didn't forget our plans."

The two men began to walk side by side toward the Commissary.

"So what took you so long?"

John rolled eyes at Rodney. "I was a little busy getting my butt wiped all over the floors in the training room."

"What?"

"Rodney, I had my physical evaluation and training session this morning."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I did. And it wasn't pretty."

Although, he couldn't say the same about the instructor, the instructor had certainly gotten his attention. Yes, Teyla Emmagen had certainly had. She had been both beautiful and skilled. And he suspected she had enjoyed teaching him a little too much. He had read that glint in her eyes correctly. And he had paid the price too. There were certain parts of his body that still ached from their morning sparring session.

Rodney's continuous talking having served to interrupt his thoughts and drawing his attention back to the conversation.

"Huh? What were you saying something?"

"Yeah. I was saying your instructor was a woman then."

"Yes, she was a woman."

"A woman!"

He turned and gave Rodney a hard look. It really wasn't that big of a deal. "Didn't I already say she was a woman Rodney?" And he didn't think his male pride would let him forget that anything soon either.

"Yeah, you did…didn't you? So who was she?"

"Rodney I don't know who she is, but she was damn good. She put me on the mat more times than I care to admit to. She said she had been instructed by the higher ups to evaluate whether I was ready to return to active duty and to train me in one of the newest form of the martial arts."

He was at least familiar with some of the martial arts weapons, like the nunchaku , used by martial artists like Bruce Lee in his movies, but training with wooden sticks that she called bantos rods was a new experience and a rather painful one too. But he was looking forward to active duty again. He had been on IR for too long.

"Really! Why? You think it is for a mission?"

"I don't know. But something tells me I'll know soon enough. Apparently, I have a meeting with Oneill tomorrow morning."

"Really, I wonder what mission. I wasn't told of anything" Rodney looked puzzled for a moment. "So… was she hot?"

"Really Rodney! Is that all you want to know?"

"Ha! So she was hot!"

"Did I say that?"

"It was what you didn't say that told me she was hot. So Kirk did you wrangled a date or what?"

"Ha, ha, very funny. And no I didn't wrangle a date."

"Really!" Rodney started grinning.

"Rodney you really seem to be enjoying this a little too much you know."

"It's because I am." Rodney smiled.

"Because the John Sheppard who always seems to have the hot chicks falling at his feet… actually struck out with one. Interesting... So tell me who she is? What is she like? And I have to meet her."

John gave Rodney a sneer. He really didn't care that Rodney was amusing himself at his expense. He certainly, didn't appreciate the Kirk's comment either. He got his fair share of women like any normal male. But Rodney's excessive questions and quips were starting to annoy the crap out of him.

And it wasn't like he had asked Teyla out either for her to refuse. Maybe he should tell Rodney that and maybe then that would shut him up.

And he wasn't going to tell Rodney that he had wanted to either. For he been drawn to Teyla like some force of nature, but the fact was, he hadn't been sure what her reply would have been if he had asked. So he didn't and that was that. And he doubted that would be his last training session with the mysterious Teyla Emmagen.

John and Rodney were entering through the doors of the Commissary when John stopped.

TBC