"I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Cadman." Jen muttered, her entire body flushing from embarrassment as she tried her best to look casual while strolling across a very uneven, rocky shoreline.
"Oh hush." Laura laughed. "It's working."
"It is?" Jen turned.
"Don't look!" Laura wacked her across the arm. "You'll spoil it."
Jen straightened up and concentrated on walking without falling, her sneaker's rolling over on the round pebbles of the shoreline.
"I still do not understand." Teyla shook her head, adjusting the straps on the bright red bikini Laura packed for her. "What does wearing this… swimming outfit have to do with building a raft? Is it not the point to build the raft so you do not have to swim?"
"No," Laura glanced over at Teyla. "The point is to win. By any means necessary."
"I see." Teyla nodded. "So this…" she looked down at the red bathing suit. "Is…"
"A distraction." Laura laughed. "They're going to be too flustered to do anything more than stand there drooling like bunch of idiots.
"I feel like an idiot." Jen muttered, stopping in front of their pile of logs and rope. She dropped her hands to her hips and turned towards Laura. "You so owe me for this."
"Owe you?" Laura grinned. "Honey, you're gonna owe me judging by the look on that man's face."
"What man's face?" Jen frowned, looking over her shoulder.
Laura smacked her arm again. "Don't look!"
"Why not?"
"Because you're supposed to be nonchalant, remember?" Laura stooped to grab the instructions to their raft project, taking her time while she bent over to dig around for the paper before standing up slowly. "We're just out here, three co-workers, building a raft…" She reached up and pulled the elastic out of her pony tail, releasing her hair into the breeze. "Not a care in the world…"
"You're completely insane, you know that?" Jen muttered, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at Laura.
"Yeah well you look sexy as hell." Laura pursed her lips and nodded. "Yellow is definitely your color. Really pulls out the sparkle in your eyes."
"Are you hitting on me?" Jen made a face.
"You think Ronon would mind?" Laura wiggled her eyebrows.
"Laura!" Teyla laughed.
"What?" Laura smiled. "I'm just saying…"
"I'm well aware of what you're saying!" Jen flushed. "Please tell me this isn't one of your little schemes to play matchmaker. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my own relationships."
"Aha! See! She admit's there's a relationship!" Laura pointed her index finger at Jen, then looked knowingly at Teyla.
"What?" Jen croaked, her face flushing a deep red. "What relationship? Who said anything about a relationship? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, she's got it bad." Laura grinned at Teyla, who laughed. "Admit it. You're all aflutter over the guy and you're secretly loving the fact that I made you wear a skimpy look-at-me-baby bikini. Poor Ronon doesn't stand a chance with you dressed like that."
"I hate you." Jen muttered, adjusting the shoulder straps of the bikini with a delicate snap. "I really hate you."
Laura laughed again, and looked from Jen to Teyla. "Come on, girls. We've got a raft to build and a prize to win."
"Oh… hell." Evan exhaled, staring at three very shapely bikini clad bottoms - one red, one blue, one yellow - bending and dipping as the women moved their logs closer to the river, their raft half assembled.
"Oh hell." John repeated as the women entered the water, squeals against the cool temperature echoing amidst their laughter. When the water fight started, Rodney made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a strangled squawk and sat down onto the ground with an ungraceful plop.
"How cold's that water?" Ronon finally managed to ask, his voice a barely recognizable growl.
"Probably pretty damn cold." John muttered.
"Good." Ronon bent to pick up two of the logs they'd managed to bind together before the bathing suit display began, and walked towards the river.
He didn't stop until he was in well over his waist, but his eyes never left the three women.
"Cold water, good." Rodney croaked, scrambling up to grab another log and quickly following Ronon.
"Probably not cold enough." John muttered, grabbing the next log and following Evan, who hurried after carrying the rope.
"This is going to be a very… very... long… weekend." Evan sighed.
"Come on, J!" Laura urged… "They're catching up!"
The women had finished their raft first, well in front of the men. They'd packed their clothes and supplies into two large plastic containers, and stacked them in the middle before paddling their way downstream towards their destination. The finish line was marked with a large yellow flag, snapping happily in the breeze.
"Yeah, like me rowing faster is going to make a difference against the fantastic four back there…" Jen muttered, digging in harder with the paddle, and chancing a glance over her shoulder.
The men didn't finish their raft until the women were well into the river. But with four strong arms paddling, they were quickly making up the difference.
"We are almost there!" Teyla exhaled, digging sharply into the water with her paddle. "It is only a little farther!"
With a hundred feet to their prize, they could clearly hear the taunting coming from the raft behind them.
Jen stabbed her paddle into the water, and squealed when it was suddenly ripped out of her hands.
"My paddle!" She shrieked, staring into the water where it disappeared.
"How could you drop your paddle?!" Laura shouted.
"I didn't drop it!" Jen pointed to the water. "Something took it!"
"What do you mean, something took it!" Laura spun around, nearly tumbling off the raft when something hard slammed into the bottom of their makeshift boat. Only her quick reflexes saved her from toppling off and into the river.
"What…" Teyla quickly looked from Jen, who was behind her, to Laura beside her. "Was that?"
Another loud knock rocked the underside of the raft.
Jen quickly scrambled away from the edge. "Rock?" She squeaked hopefully.
A pounding slam rocked the raft from beneath, snapping one of the logs in the middle of their boat.
"Oh crap." Jen stared at Laura, then spun around to look at the raft coming quickly up behind them. Too far to be of any help.
Teyla pointed to the beach front. "Paddle!" She yelled.
Laura spun to drop her paddle back in the water but never made it.
With a sickening crunch, their entire raft was upended, sending them spiraling into the air with screams of shock and dismay.
