Chapter 4
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The chill in the room woke John up and he snuggled deeper into the warmth of the thick comforter. It took him a few minutes to realize that his body wasn't aching from the twisted position he usually was in when he awoke. And the chill was from the fact that he hadn't added any more logs to the fire since he had settled in the bed last night.
But remembering last night had him opening his eyes and confirming that he had indeed slept in the big bed right next to Teyla. And there she was tucked snuggly into his right shoulder, her hand resting next to her head which was lying on his chest. Her lashes lay heavy on her cheeks and her breathing indicated she was still very much asleep.
He slipped his left hand out from under the padded quilt and checked his watch. He still hadn't changed it from Atlantis time but he knew what the difference was and realized it was at least a half hour past when he usually woke up. Apparently he had slept really well last night. He hadn't woken even once and he usually did. The settee was extremely uncomfortable and the blanket he'd been using wasn't as warm as he'd like it. But if he kept the fire stoked then he didn't really have to worry as that kept him warm.
But he'd never gotten up last night to add more logs to the fire and so the air in the cottage was cooler than usual. He knew he should get up and get the fire going again especially since Teyla liked a cup of tea in the morning. He'd gotten in the habit of making sure she had hot water to do that when she finally got up. But he knew moving would probably wake Teyla up and he really hated to do that.
His thoughts moved back and forth between knowing he should get up and go for his run and wanting to stay right where he was with Teyla cuddled warmly in his arm. He could feel his right hand resting against her back and wished he had the courage to caress her with it. But last night had taught him she wasn't ready for that yet. And he needed to respect that.
He wasn't even sure how she would feel knowing she was sleeping against him like this. She had gone willingly into his arms and allowed him to hold her last night as they stood in front of the fireplace and yet again near the river. But when they had gotten into bed she had stayed on her side with only her hand clenched in his, laying against him.
Right now, though, her entire body was pressed against his right side and just the thought of that alone made him feel suddenly warmer than the flames from the fire would have done. He pulled the covers over both of them a bit higher so only her head was exposed then rested his hand on his chest touching her hand. He turned his head so he could see her peaceful face and he felt his body fill with peace also.
The last month had been more than a little topsy turvy for them but for the first time since they'd been captured, he almost felt calm. They'd made the mistake of splitting up on the planet P2X827 to check out some leads on Ancient equipment they'd heard about. They figured each group had someone with the ATA gene. But as he and Teyla had moved behind a stand of tents they had felt something sharp strike their necks and before he could radio for help they were both falling to the ground.
They had woken up in a cell in what would then become a nightmare. It hadn't taken long for them to be made aware that they were now property to be sold as slaves. And when they were told what they'd be doing as slaves, he had tried to keep the contents of his stomach from coming back up. And not so much because he was worried about himself but for Teyla.
He tried to push aside all that had happened the next five days as they were processed and checked for disease and 'tested' out for working parts. It still made him nauseous to think of it. And then they had been sold. They'd been bound and transported to yet another world, although their residence was far cleaner on this world than the little holding cell they'd been in.
He and Teyla had actually occupied a small room together near the masters' chambers. Apparently so they could be called in at a moment's notice if they were 'needed'. They'd only been needed once before the couple who had bought them had decided they were going on another shopping trip to some other planet. But that time had been enough.
He supposed he should feel lucky that they hadn't wanted him and Teyla separately. They had needed some stimulation to get them going on their own and so he and Teyla had needed to 'perform' for them. He wasn't sure that the second time was any easier than the first except the masters had been in their large bed surrounded by long, hanging, sheer fabric and he and Teyla had been on a small chaise lounge across the room. It had definitely been easier pretending no one was there but he still had felt self conscious and that he was forcing himself upon her.
But when they had tried to resist, the masters had threatened having several of their servants tie Teyla down and take her anyway and they would watch that. It had been their choice they had been told. Some choice! But when he had looked at Teyla, she had grabbed for his hand and with tears in her eyes had nodded her consent.
They thought the next few days without the masters would be better and they furiously looked around for ways to escape. The opportunity presented itself when the grown twin daughters of the masters had come looking for John to amuse themselves with Mommy's new toy. He wasn't proud of the way he had tricked them or what he had to do to get away but he was glad he had managed. And he'd managed to grab a sharp letter opener along the way.
Which he promptly used to slit the throat of the two guards who thought Teyla was free for the taking now that the masters were away for a few days. But the sight of her, tied to the bed struggling for her life as one of them stroked his manhood in preparation for her, sent a rage through him that he'd never felt before. He never gave it another thought as the blood of that man sprayed across the room ending the torment he had planned for Teyla.
He had quickly untied Teyla and thrown her some clothes that weren't covered in blood and they had maneuvered their way through the large manor trying to get away. That's when they had found Tenyse. She had hidden them in the kitchen as more guards poured through the house looking for them. And she had promised to help them get to the gate if they would only take her home.
The bond was forged at that time. Tenyse had never tried to escape before as there were too many people to get past and she wasn't strong enough to overpower them. But the strength of John and Teyla, together with Tenyse's knowledge of where the gate was, and their willingness to actually wound or kill those in their way, had gotten them to the gate. As neither of them had their GDO, the obvious choice had been Tenyse's planet of Dimitta. They could make their way back to Atlantis from there.
Little did they know that in the nine years since Tenyse had been there, the control crystal for dialing the gate had been stolen, lost or damaged somehow. They'd taken the two day trip to bring Tenyse home and John had gone back to see if he could find some way to get the gate working. But he knew without the crystal there wasn't a chance in hell.
He'd left a marker there on the slight chance that Atlantis could indeed locate them. But he'd wanted them to know they'd need to travel two days before they would be found. The remnants of the village by the gate had obviously not been home to anyone in many years and he wanted to make sure they knew to look further. But since a jumper couldn't fit through the gate due to nearby trees and rock formations, they'd have to go on foot.
He sighed. But all that was just a dream.
Of course having Teyla in his arms like this was also a dream. One he'd had for many years. And now it was coming true. But at what cost? But he supposed he shouldn't complain since he and Teyla had only been held captive for about a week. Poor Tenyse had been held for around nine years. He wasn't sure how many of those she'd been working 'upstairs' but he couldn't even imagine the pain and suffering she had gone through regardless of how long.
Teyla shifted slightly and John held his breathe, really not wanting her to wake up yet. Having her in his arms was so excruciatingly wonderful, he didn't want it to end. But then he thought back to Atlantis and what would happen if they managed to get back there. Would they be able to continue their romantic relationship? Did they really even have a romantic relationship yet? He had only truly kissed her yesterday. What they had done while in captivity didn't really count.
But he wanted to continue this relationship even though he knew that the physical part of it would have to wait. Teyla seemed fine with a few light kisses but anything more at this point wasn't going to fly. And he was okay with that. His feelings for Teyla were so much stronger than he ever thought possible. He had only realized just how strong they were when people were threatening to hurt her. But he wanted her and her sweet ways and her little mischievous smile when he teased her. He had a sneaking suspicion that she liked it when he teased her. It's why he did it so often. It was one way of making her smile and forget all the crap that had happened.
He wanted her friendship and her bravery and he wanted her to always be there when he screwed up so she could tease him. And he wanted her to care about him the way he cared about her. Deeply, gently, honorably and absolutely. She was that important to him.
He thought again of Atlantis and knew if they somehow found them today and they were returned, he and Teyla might not have the opportunity to truly explore what could be between them. There would be too many people around, watching them, trying to get them to work out the problems they had from being held captive. They'd say their feelings for each other were only based on what they went through together. They'd spend more time with the base shrink than with each other. Here in this quaint, little village, in this cottage they had started to call home, maybe they could explore the possibilities.
Of course he would never tell Teyla those thoughts. He wasn't even sure he truly desired to stay here versus being returned to Atlantis but he knew the chances of being found were slim to none. So maybe if he convinced himself that being here at this moment in time was better than being in Atlantis, he wouldn't get too depressed about the fact that they probably weren't leaving here.
He looked down at Teyla and noticed her eyes had opened and she was gazing up at him, a tiny smile playing around her lips. His lips curled in the same direction.
"Morning beautiful," John whispered and squeezed the hand he held in his.
At the endearment, Teyla's cheeks flushed and her eyes looked away in embarrassment. She looked at how she was draped half on John's torso and started to apologize.
"I am sorry, I must have gotten cold and was looking for warmth."
She attempted to move but John's arms tightened and held her still. "You're fine, Teyla. You've been keeping me warm, too. That's kind of my fault, though. I usually keep the fire stoked up and this bed was a little too comfortable so I just slept right through the night. See, there was a good reason to keep me over by the fire."
"But we do not need the fire to blaze all night if we are able to provide warmth for each other here, is this not true?" Teyla ventured a bit shyly.
One side of John's mouth twisted up. "Good point. But the cottage will be a little chilly when we get up. If you don't mind that, then we're good."
Teyla gave a deep sigh, moving closer to John as she did. "I will admit that I also had a very restful sleep last night. Perhaps the best since we have been on this world. I wonder if there is a correlation."
"Or maybe I'm just a really good pillow," he teased.
Teyla gave a dainty chuckle and moved her hand over John's chest. "Yes, perhaps you are."
The feel of her hand gliding across his chest made his breath catch and he closed his eyes and lowered his lips until they touched her hair. She tilted her head and glanced at him with another contented smile.
He lowered his head even further but before his lips touched hers he asked permission. "Is it okay if I kiss you again?"
Teyla gave her head a little nod and shifted to align her face closer to John's. He closed the distance and she met him halfway. John didn't want to scare her any so he kept it light, his lips skimming across hers in a gentle whisper. His right hand pressed her a bit closer to his body and his left slid under her hair to cup the back of her neck. One of her hands was trapped between their bodies but her free hand moved around and ran up and down his muscled back.
When she continued to enjoy the feel of his lips on hers he exerted a bit more pressure and closed his mouth and opened it again, nipping on her lips, first the bottom then the top. Teyla mimicked the action and John was glad to see she didn't seem bothered by what they were doing. She continued to follow his lead and explore the taste and feel of his mouth as well.
He moved his mouth up and caressed her cheek and forehead with his lips then continued down to her nose and nipped on the end of that as well. Teyla's eyes were closed and her breath had sped up but she gave a tiny chuckle when he did this.
"Are you in need of breakfast by any chance?" Teyla asked impishly.
John gave her nose another kiss then moved back to her mouth. "Nah, I'm good right here. You?"
"I am very good right here," Teyla said breathlessly and shifted to continue kissing him.
John's tongue poked out to run over his lips and when they encountered hers, transferred attention. But he kept it simple and merely outlined her lips with his tongue but did not venture inside no matter how much he was dying to. Teyla's hand pulled him in closer too and she kept her mouth open slightly to allow his lips to continue their tracing.
John opened his eyes and took in the sight of Teyla so close, her lips begging for his to touch them. The image of it sent a pang of desire straight to his center and he had to grit his teeth to attempt some control. But Teyla must have felt that a certain part of him had started standing at attention, hoping to be noticed. John eased away from her a bit and gave her a chagrined look.
"Don't pay any attention to that," He growled facetiously and shrugged. "It's just a morning thing. It has absolutely nothing to do with the beautiful woman lying in bed with me."
Teyla's eyes gleamed with mirth. "It is quite difficult to ignore."
John rolled over onto his back, closed his eyes tightly and groaned. "Sorry, Teyla."
"I was not complaining, John," Teyla informed him quietly but when he opened his eyes he saw that she did seem a bit uncomfortable. Maybe it was time to get up anyway. He should have gone for his run an hour ago.
John pushed himself into a sitting position and slid his legs onto the floor. "I'm gonna go see what I can salvage of the fire and get some water boiling for you. Why don't you stay huddled under these covers until I can get the chill out of the air."
Teyla looked at where the sun was angled in the room and commented, "It appears later than usual. You did not go for your run this morning. Will you go now?"
John glanced at his watch again and said, "No, it's kind of late. I promised Shuntar I'd meet him this morning to check his progress on the coolers he's making and then I wanted to see if Timnis has those metal panels for the water heater. And I need to get that stump out of the ground so I can expand the garden so I'm sure I'll get my cardio vascular exercise that way today."
He turned back to look at Teyla all tucked under the blankets. "You know I'm probably going to get fat now, right?"
Teyla looked very confused. "How so?"
"It was easy getting off that torture device each morning to go for a run and get the kinks out. But if I'm sleeping in this bed next to you, I'll stay here until you kick me out."
Teyla didn't answer, just gave a pleased look and pulled the covers closer around her. John bent down and gave her one last kiss then walked to the fireplace to see if he could coax some sparks from the burning embers.
Twenty minutes later he had enough heat going that he could transfer some burning logs to the stove and start heating water for Teyla. He knew this was going to be a tradeoff. Sleeping on the couch was awful but the fire was usually easy to get going in the morning as he tended it often in the night. But sleeping in the bed with Teyla was so incredibly delicious and restful, he almost didn't mind the extra work he needed to do in the morning.
He got himself washed and dressed then heard Teyla moving around behind the screen and she came out a few minutes later in a pair of dark colored pants and a light blue blouse. He had to admit Teyla in a pair of snug jeans was a very nice sight. Not that the sight of her all the time wasn't a very nice sight.
Teyla poured the steaming water in a mug then asked, "John, would you like some tea, also?"
John smiled at her and replied, "That'd be great. Although I really do wish they had something like coffee around here."
"I do believe Shalise spoke of one tea that comes from the mountain region that is especially strong and revitalizing. I wonder if you would like it and if we could get some."
John nodded his head as he picked up the basket on the counter and brought it to the table. "I'll ask Finn and see if he knows about it. Usually a run wakes me up pretty good but on the days where I'm coerced into skipping my run, I'll need something else." John gave her a mischievous grin at these words. Teyla just blushed.
John lifted the towel inside the basket as Teyla took a sip of her tea and held up the last of Tenyse's muffins. "Only one left. I'll have to see if I can sweet talk Tenyse into making us some more. I'll split this one with you."
Teyla took another sip of tea and smiled. "You may have it John. It seems my stomach needs some time in the morning to wake up before it will allow me to put anything sweet in it."
John waved it in front of her face and checked, "You're sure?"
Teyla nodded and John didn't waste time devouring it. They sat pleasantly for a while discussing what plans they had for the day then washed up the mugs and headed for the door.
"Would you like company for your walk to town this morning?" John said gallantly and held out Teyla's jacket for her.
"That would be very nice, John. I think I would enjoy it," Teyla replied and watched as John pulled on his own coat. John then moved to the slate board and picked up the chalk as Teyla frowned in confusion.
John just smiled and said, "I'm just kind of used to leaving you a note as to where I am." And he wrote 'TOGETHER' in his typical scrawl. Teyla smiled at the sentiment. She had to admit being together with John was quite pleasant.
They left the cottage and began the journey to town. John was glad it didn't really get too cold here as this walk would be a real bitch if there was snow falling or subzero temperatures. But for now it was simply brisk. He took Teyla's hand in his and rubbed his thumb over it to keep it warm. She moved slightly closer to conserve the warmth. He smiled when he realized conserving warmth seemed to be a theme today.
As they passed by Tenyse and Finn's house, they saw their two teenagers, Zeth and Kalina, run out the door and race past with a "Hi, John, Hi, Teyla!"
John chuckled. They were probably late for school and the older kids went to school in the next town so they had a bit longer of a walk.
"Oh, to have your only problem be getting to school a little late," John mused and Teyla looked up at him.
"Were you often late to school?"
John just rolled his eyes. "We were never allowed to be late. Dave and I always went to private school and my father had us chauffeured there. And our chauffer was this big brute of a guy who would come in and literally grab us even if we weren't ready."
"A chauffeur?" Teyla asked. "What is that?"
"It's someone who is hired just to drive people around."
"And this is typical for your people, to have another to drive you places?"
"No," John sighed realizing he'd never really told Teyla anything about his family. "But my family is really … wealthy. And a lot of rich people have chauffeurs. But no one on Atlantis really knows that. People treat you differently when they know you have money."
Teyla nodded her head in understanding and John realized that it was possible she'd never see them again to divulge that information anyway.
"Who is Dave?" Teyla continued with another question.
"He's my brother," John admitted hoping Teyla wasn't upset that he'd never talked about him before.
She stopped walking for a second and looked curiously at him. "Is he still alive? I have never heard you speak of him."
John squeezed her hand and continued the pace. "Yeah, he is. And so is my Dad but I haven't seen either one of them in quite a few years, not since before I went to Antarctica and that was a year before I came to Atlantis."
"I sense there were problems," Teyla surmised, especially knowing John had given the impression that he had no family.
John sighed again and remained quiet for a minute. Teyla allowed him the time and knew he would eventually answer her question in some way.
"My Dad liked things … his way. And I didn't always want to do things … his way. It caused more than a little friction between us, especially when I joined the Air Force instead of working for the family business with him."
"And your brother?"
"Dave was mostly collateral damage," John shrugged. "He was a major suck up and did everything just the way Dad planned for him. He used to try and get me to see things Dad's way so we had a few arguments too and it kept me from getting in touch with him as much as I should have. Which is too bad because he was married to this really great lady and they had a few kids. The youngest was just a baby last time I saw him. I usually tried to send birthday cards and stuff but it's a little hard to do from another galaxy."
"I am sorry, John," Teyla sympathized and squeezed his hand. "And now … will your people inform them of your disappearance?"
John looked up at the sky and then back down to Teyla who was wearing a very concerned expression. "I don't know. I guess at some point they'll probably have to. I don't know how they'll take it. Depends on what they tell them I suppose. My Dad will most likely feel vindicated like he knew it was a bad idea to join the military."
Teyla leaned closer to John's arm and claimed, "I know they will be saddened even if you do not believe it. You are a hard man to forget, John Sheppard. I am thankful I do not need to live without you. Life would have been much more difficult had you not been here with me this past month."
They approached the clinic and John climbed the steps to the porch in front. He put his hands on her arms and pulled her close. "I'm glad you're with me too, Teyla. I don't know how I'd live without you, either. And you're definitely a better choice than McKay."
Teyla chuckled and John slipped his right hand in her hair and pressed his lips to hers for a lingering kiss. Teyla's hands moved up his chest and rested there as she returned the pressure. The sound of the door opening behind them broke them apart. Shalise was standing there with a surprised and apologetic look.
"Oh, Teyla, John, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were both out here. I heard someone on the porch and figured I'd open the door for you. Um … take your time and come in when you're ready."
"We're all set," John winked at Shalise then looked down at Teyla. "I'll see you later, okay." And John reached down to give Teyla one last, tiny kiss before he stepped down off the porch.
Teyla just nodded and smiled but Shalise called out, "Have a good day, John!"
As he walked away from the clinic, he could tell it was going to be a very good day indeed.
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