A/N: This takes place about a week after Suspicion and maybe three to four weeks after Thirty-Eight Minutes/Looking for Signs of the Spring, so we're about two months into Season 1, one month away from the events in Polaroid Picture. It's also the last story of the batch that I needed to complete before I could do a first chapter reorder (as everything following now will take place after Polaroid Picture. I did, however, realize that I need to get one more story done and one more uploaded (so, two in total... does anyone want me to draw them a diagram because honestly, at this point that would probably make it easier to follow my erratic writing and publishing schedule for this...) before we finally can get to the aftermath of Polaroid Picture. Anyway, just look out, I'm gonna reorder chapters in two or three days, so don't be confused, okay?

Anyway, this was supposed to be the story in which Teyla makes an appearance and she sort of does but somehow I found myself focusing more on the other three female Marines Maureen mentioned first in Out With The River and yes, Elise Crown is the blonde Marine from Hot Zone who assaults Teyla in the mess hall, I actually googled to find out if "female Marine that assaults Teyla in Hot Zone" has a name. Turns out, yes, she does and here she is \o/

I also think this might be Bechdel Pass? Would really love some input from you so don't be shy!


As the Moon Came Out

"As the moon came out and the fire burned
everybody was singin' along
To some Ramblin' Man, a little Curtis Loew and all them feel good songs
We danced all night without a care, no place we'd rather be
Cause these are the days we'll talk about, when we lived so wild and free."

Lady Antebellum, "Perfect Day"

"So," Lieutenant Elise Crown, one of my few fellow female Marines, says, and looks at the tents glowing in the light of the setting sun, "that was a pretty piece of work, huh?"

I give her a short tired laugh and wipe my forehead with my uniform shirt's sleeve. "Yeah, you can say that." Ever since the Athosians decided to move off to the Mainland a week ago, we've been shuttling gear, supplies and people back and forth by jumper. Sheppard had us all rotate, so that the gene carriers would get practice piloting the jumpers in atmosphere and the Marines, Airmen and foreign soldiers wouldn't get stupid ideas in the current lull of activity after the unpleasant goings on following Bates's suspicion of the Athosians being spies for the Wraith. And today, finally, was my turn.

Well, mine and the rest of the female Marines'. Aside from Crown, there's Joanna Cuevas, another lieutenant and Corporal Amy Strickland, the lone female enlisted among the Atlantis Marines. None of us has any idea how all four female Marines ended up as the latest group of Athosian Camp duty – especially since Crown and Cuevas both are at least permanent members of their respective gate teams – but when Sheppard handed us the assignment, all we, good little Marines that we are, did was nod and go on loading the jumper with the last batch of supplies Sheppard and Weir set aside for the Athosians to ease their start on the Mainland a little. And honestly, after the stunt that Bates pulled, it was the least we could have done.

Anyway, I think we did good today. Most of the tents were already set up when we came here since the Athosians are semi-nomadic in nature and truth be told are a lot better at setting up their tents than we are but we still had a lot to do with helping them to close the gaps in the security perimeter around the camp, bury the weapons caches Sheppard wanted them to have, clear some of the designated areas for growing next year's crops… just another day at the office, really.

Well. Sun's about to set and apparently, here on the Mainland, we're in the middle of fall season and it's getting a little chilly. I turn back to Crown. "Okay, corral the troops, I think our work here is done for today."

Thankfully, Crown – a Marine with a bit of an explosive temper, a tendency for being in a crappy mood and very quick to annoy – just nods and walks away to find Cuevas and Strickland and I'm a little surprised by that. Technically, all Sheppard did was make me the designated driver and leave the rest up to us so I expected either Crown or Cuevas to take the lead because both of them are a lot more Marine in their habitus than I am and have two or three years in the service ahead of me but for some reason, when we came to the Mainland, all of them looked to me. Doesn't really make sense and the only explanation I could come up with is that while we all have at least a year of SGC service under our belts, I'm the only one who served that year on a gate team on a permanent basis.

So I kind of took the lead by mainly just telling them to make themselves useful and report back via radio in regular intervals when they left the camp and I guess it worked? Or at least none of them challenged me and since all three are very sensible and competent individuals, everything went fine, which, considering that practically all other teams who came here in the last week had some unpleasant encounter with local flora or fauna at some point, is actually a major achievement. Pretty sure it's worth a commendation or two or something.

Anyway… "Lieutenant Reece?" Huh? Oh, Teyla Emmagan.

I'm still not sure if we're supposed to call her by her first name or address her with Ms. Emmagan or maybe some honorary title she has in the capacity of being leader of her people which is why once again, I'm glad to be a Marine. Because when in doubt, there's an address that never fails you. "Yes, ma'am?"

It makes her smile, the kind we keep seeing whenever she seems to try and make sense of Earth customs and how to react to them. It's a small half-smile, followed by her eyebrows rising and, "Teyla is really fine, Lieutenant."

Yeaaah, that's not how Marines are wired. Pretty sure that from a politeness point of view it would be okay to tell her to call me by my first name but personally? I'm fine with Lieutenant. I like Teyla but being so close to Command sort of makes her a part of Command and as much as I respect Major Sheppard and Dr. Weir, I'd rather not get cozy with anyone in the command group. Not even, to be honest, Aiden Ford. Anyway, "I'd rather stick with "ma'am" for the time being if that's okay for you. It's the politest way to address civilian contractors and foreign leaders and…"

"Then I will respect your choice and be honored by it." Oh, okay. That's nice. So… "And I would like to invite you and your team to have dinner with us."

Huh, that's new. Far as I know, none of the other teams got invited to dinner? Or at least they were all back to Atlantis by dinner time and no one ever mentioned an invitation. I frown. "I'm not sure we can stay, ma'am. Atlantis expects us back as soon as we're done here."

"I'm sure it will be fine if you explain the circumstances of your late stay." Yeah, actually I'm not. Ever since Bates messed up the relationship with the Athosians and it turned out that Teyla kind of was betraying her team to the Wraith, only not intentionally, Command has been a little uptight about us socializing with the Athosians after duty hours. Relations are pretty fragile at the moment and I don't have a feeling that Command would allow a couple lowly Marines to potentially jeopardize what little stability we currently have by possibly misbehaving.

I'm still fumbling for the politest and most diplomatic way to tell her that when Strickland comes walking over waving around something that looks like a strip of cooked meat on a stick and grinning at me in the twilight. "You're not gonna believe this, LT. This is better than anything the kitchen guys have come up with in the last two months. You really gotta try it."

Seriously? Before I even know it, the words, "Really, ma'am? Bribery?" are out of my mouth. I really should do something about this "Talk first, think later" thing.

Teyla, however, just gives me another half-smile, this time definitely mischievous. "It is not our fault that your kitchen personnel don't know how to cook."

Okay, that was a low blow. Mostly because she's right and she knows it. Strickland, for her part, has reached us, alternating between chewing and grinning with delight. "Honestly, ma'am," she tells me, "best mystery meat I ever had. Uh, no offence, Ms. Emmagan, ma'am." Considering that Strickland was part of the initial Iraq invasion before she came to the SGC and has been posted to both Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune, I'm pretty sure that she can boast an impressive experience regarding mystery meat. Which just means that I'll have to believe her.

Teyla nods at her, giving her a diplomatic, "None taken, Corporal." Then she turns back to me. "Will you have dinner with us, Lieutenant?" This woman is positively evil. Getting the enlisted girl hooked on tasty mystery meat and then repeating her invitation right in front of said enlisted girl. Who's now giving me the damn puppy eyes. Also, Crown and Cuevas are coming up to us, too, at least not carrying any more food but definitely ready to hate me forever if I decline now. Really? Is this what command is about? Is this what the Major had to deal with all the time?

I take great care not to sigh or show any other sign of defeat and give Teyla a conciliatory look. "Yes, ma'am, we'd very much like to stay. Thank you for your invitation, we feel very honored."

She squealed. Strickland just positively squealed. Almost inaudibly but she did. Knowing for a fact that this woman is one of the best female Marines in the entire Corps – one of the best Marines, period – a crack shot and a very skilled hand-to-hand combat fighter and instructor, this is just this side of disturbing but then again, who am I to talk?

Crown and Cuevas – if I were Rodney McKay I'd probably have resorted to CC by now so everyone thank God I'm not – don't squeal, which is kind of comforting but at least they don't look like they're planning to mutiny, either. Alright, team leader: lead. "Crown, go call Atlantis, tell them we're gonna be here for a little longer. Strickland, Cuevas, you're with me and Strickland, no more usage of the words "mystery" and "meat" in the same sentence for the rest of the evening."

She grins. "Roger that, ma'am. It is really good, though."

I catch Teyla looking at me and shrugging, as if to say "What can I say? She's right." and can't help shaking my head, working hard on hiding a grin at Strickland's enthusiasm for meat on a stick.

Then Cuevas, not really a chatty person, surprises me by turning to Teyla and saying, "Hope you don't mind me asking, ma'am, but why us?"

Actually, that's a pretty good question. Huh. Teyla, in turn, makes a face. "We did extend this invitation to all teams. You were the only ones to accept."

Right. That says a lot about the contingent and the damage Bates did. I know that he was just doing his job, and that he didn't do anything wrong – in fact, from a military perspective, Bates handled that exactly the way it had to be handled – but here we are. I clear my throat. "We're still in the process of settling in back in Atlantis and things are uh…"

"I understand, Lieutenant, no need for excuses." Okay. You know, I think that when I'm grown-up, I kind of want to be like her. Teyla Emmagan is, without a doubt, the most composed person I have ever encountered. Everyone else, it would just have sounded passive-aggressive or dismissive. Teyla somehow manages to makes it sound genuine. "I have, however, a small request on behalf of some of the young women in the settlement."

Okay, uh, what? I frown. "Just shoot, ma'am, and I'll see what I can do."

"Well," she starts and I notice Strickland and Cuevas listening intently, "you know that we are primarily hunters, yes?" I shrug and nod. Sure, everyone does by now, kind of a no-brainer. "My people are not a people of warriors." Considering that I've seen Teyla and some of the other Athosians kick our guys' asses on a regular basis in the gym, I kind of doubt that but okay. I motion for her to go on. "We also do not deal with warrior societies very often so in those last few weeks, some of my people have encountered a whole new way of life and some of the young women and the girls have become fascinated with the idea of female warriors, and we understand that the US Marines are considered as some of the finest warriors on your planet."

"Damn straight the finest," Cuevas mutters and I raise my eyebrows at her, prompting her to add a crisp sounding, "ma'am." Strickland just grins and I don't move to correct Cuevas. No point in that anyway, considering she's right about it.

Teyla just smiles and continues. "So, we would be very grateful if you could share some of your experiences as female warriors with us tonight."

Huh. Okay, that should be easy. I shrug. "Sure, no problem, ma'am."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Your contribution will be very much appreciated," Teyla tells us and Strickland for one looks positively excited at the prospect of being allowed to dig out some of the jucier stories she's got in her enlisted treasure trove of superior officer idiocy. Cuevas at least doesn't look like she wants to kill me for agreeing to a bunch of Athosian kids peppering us with questions, so I guess that's a win.

I nod at her. "Okay then, I'll just go collect Crown from the jumper and join you at the campfire, right?"

At that, Teyla starts marching towards the nice cozy fire the Athosians have lit in the settlement's central square, Cuevas and Strickland doing me the favor of checking with me for approval and then following her when I nod at them while I make my way over to the jumper, encountering Crown just when she exists. "You got to Atlantis?"

"Uh-huh." And? "Got Major Sheppard himself."

Mh. Okay. Is she just trying to inject some suspense in here? I give her a dead-pan look, trying to tell her that's not flying with me. "And? What'd he say?"

She snorts and rolls her eyes. "Told me to "have fun, kids" and then proceeded to make me remind you "not to drink and drive"." Of course he did. It's John Sheppard, what did she even expect. "He really has a thing about that Athosian moonshine, doesn't he?"

Come to think of it, "Yep." And then, I have a kind of epiphany. "You know, make sure to secure a bottle." She just gives me an uncomprehending, blank look. "For killing that desk posting shit Colonel Sumner tried to pull on us?"

Crown seems to think on that, for a moment, and I nearly expect her to bust me for down-talking Colonel Sumner like one of the male Marine Corps lieutenants tried to do last week when I shut down his whining about being commanded by an Air Force guy while we were providing security for a couple of archaeologists. But then she just shakes her head and tells me, a weird grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, "Anyone ever told you that you make a pretty good Air Force officer whisperer, Reece?"

One moment, just one short moment I'm not sure whether she just accused me of sucking up to a superior or, even worse, tried to take a veiled stab at that other Air Force officer back at the SGC I used to serve under and still refuse to think about but then I decide to give her the benefit of a doubt and not take the bait, if it was even meant as that. Instead, I just give her a fake resigned sigh and tell her, "Yeah, it's kind of a curse, actually."

That makes her blink and then laugh a low, throaty laugh that sounds genuinely amused – and trust me, "amusement" is not something anyone would ever associate with Elise Crown – and shakes her head, holding out her fist and telling me, "I hear ya, sister," and… oh, right. Fist bump. That's what all the cool kids do instead of high-fiving.

So, as someone who's never really been one of the cool kids, I hesitantly acquiesce and she seems to be satisfied. Wow. Okay. Let's not waste this moment with any awkwardness, then. So I don't clear my throat but just say, "By the way, we're supposed to share some of our "female warrior culture" with the Athosians tonight. Strickland at least seemed totally down with that."

Crown frowns. "Isn't that more up your alley? You are the only humanities major here, right?"

Huh? Far as I remember, Crown was an oceanography major at Annapolis and wow, is she actually intimidated by the word "culture"? I consider making some remark that the Air Force officer I refuse to think about would have made but then again, back at the SGC my paths didn't cross all that often with Crown's and I guess it's still too soon for that kind of crap, even between Marines who usually live and breathe mutual harassment and picking on each other and decide to go for something a little less potentially offensive. "I am, but I got a feeling you've all got the better stories."

She grins, something else I didn't think I'd ever see. "Yeah, I think so, too. But then again, none of us ever got to go off-world so I'm sure you got something to contribute, too."

Yeah. I just roll my eyes. "You have no idea." And quite frankly, I'm not really sure I want to tell any of those stories but it's been two months and I have to start getting over everything, truly getting over it all and turn over a new leaf at some point, so it might as well be tonight. I do take a deep breath, hoping she doesn't notice it in the full dark and that I sound casual enough for her not to get any stupid ideas when saying, "Alright, I'm starving and I got a feeling that Strickland will have eaten all the good stuff if we don't get to that fire ASAP. So let's move."

She just snorts again and together we jog over to the fire, arriving just in time for the last two sticks of mystery meat and a small group of young Athosian women and a few girls apparently hanging onto every word while Strickland talks about putting one of the privates in her MP unit in his place during the run to Baghdad and you know, I now realize that Sheppard knew exactly what he was doing when he put us all on the same mission today and I kind of start to like that sneaky bastard even more for it. Maybe going to Atlantis really was the best decision I could have made, and I'm finally starting to be glad about that. If nothing else, that's gotta be something. Right?