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Two Princes
Chapter 10 - Curiosity
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Lorne
The three of them had exited Teyla's tent just after she left, but as Halling turned immediately back towards the celebration, Lorne waited outside Teyla's tent for John to join him. John wandered out of the tent, his attention clearly turned inward and as he neared Lorne couldn't help but say something.
"I'm really sorry," he said quietly to John, but John shook his head and waved it away.
"Don't worry about it."
Lorne nodded taking the words at face value, but looking at John out the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but regret what he had done. Walking together they rounded the tents and the party came into view. Lorne looked at John again and the man smiled at him, trying to appear casual no doubt, but Lorne saw that deep thoughtful look was still there in the guy's eyes.
"You want some ruus wine?" Lorne offered, heading towards the large bowl nearby. He could certainly use something to drink.
"No, I'm good," John replied.
Lorne poured out the dark wine into a cup for himself and turned back to John. "You sure?"
"After that Sweet Grain treatment I think I'll stay away from the stuff for a while," John replied. He looked away from Lorne to the crowd of Athosians all sitting and standing around eating and drinking. "Looks like we're popular here tonight then."
John had certainly seemed popular with Teyla, or at least that was what Lorne guessed from the split second he had seen of his two friends, lips locked together. But, Lorne wasn't so sure he had been the most surprised out of the three.
"We sure are," was all Lorne said in reply though. John wouldn't want to talk about it and it was none of Lorne's business anyway. "We should go mingle," Lorne suggested.
The next hour or so was spent talking with the rest of the camp. It never failed to impress Lorne how much Athosians could drink of their ruus wine, though perhaps it was explained by the frequency of which they celebrated things. Not that Lorne was complaining.
As he re-filled his cup with only a splash more of ruus wine, Lorne spied Fera across the room. She gave him a large wink before returning to her conversation. Only then did Lorne notice that Teyla had reappeared, Torren apparently asleep once again. She had sat down in the furthest corner within a large group of her people. Halling was recounting a story of some kind if the hand gestures were anything to go by. Lorne turned as he sipped from his cup and saw that John had also noticed she had returned, as he was glancing in her direction every now and then. Teyla for her part appeared to be engrossed in Halling's story – perhaps a little too much.
Fera's shoulder and hip bumped against his, the warmth of her body settling against his side. "What is so interesting?" She asked conspiratorially.
Lorne hadn't realised how obvious he had been. He turned his head towards to Fera, but kept his eyes across the room. "I accidently interrupted something between John and Teyla earlier," he told her in a hushed voice.
"Ooo, really?" Fera asked instantly intrigued. "What kind of something?"
"The kissing 'kind'," Lorne replied.
"No!" Fera said with enjoyment.
"It looked like it was a surprise for everyone though," he told her as he watched John move around the tent a little, as he tried not to stare at Teyla.
"Well it would surprise a couple to be walked in on," Fera replied.
"No, I mean I think the kissing was a surprise," he whispered back, trying not to enjoy this so much.
"Really?" She leaned a little closer, watching John along with Lorne. "He doesn't look surprised any more," she said with an amused hushed tone.
"I think this is all about to hit the fan," Lorne muttered.
"It has been heading that way for some time, my love," Fera replied with a laugh.
He had to nod at that, but he wasn't entirely sure how this was going to play out. His gaze travelled to where Kanaan was sitting near Teyla listening to Halling, and Lorne had to wonder.
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John
The party had ended a short time ago and, in typical fashion with the Athosians, once it was over it was over. There were no drunken people still stumbling about and no one sleeping the night away in the open air. But, then John supposed that it wasn't like they needed to get a taxi back to their beds.
The camp was pretty much silent outside, as everyone was back in their tents and probably all asleep by now. He hadn't been back home that long, having helped tidy up after the party, and now he sat dressed ready for bed, but he was barely aware of how he had gotten changed, because his mind had been turning all evening.
Despite having been aware where Teyla had been sitting most of the time at the party, she had still somehow managed to give John the slip when she had left. One moment he was helping someone move the tables back into their normal places, the party goers all filing out of the large tent to head to their beds, and Teyla had still been across the tent from him. Then he had put the table down and looked round and she had gone already. Having already agreed to help tidy up, possibly because most of the other men were a little on the merry side, he had stayed helping out. Now, back in his tent he was ready for bed and paused.
It had come out of nowhere that kiss and it had taken him completely by surprise. And he had been confused as to where it had come from. He had tried to remember exactly what they had been arguing about – having a chain of command and somehow that had led her to kiss him. And it had been only a fraction of a second before Lorne had interrupted them. Teyla had looked so embarrassed and thrown off centre. Normally that would have surprised him, but he had been too shocked to do anything but watch her walk away to hand Lorne his tags. Then Halling had turned up and she had left. It wasn't like Teyla to run away from anything, but he understood since he had felt the need to run away as well. He had quite happily headed back to the party with Lorne, thinking it best to have a little space and time to think through what the hell had just happened.
He sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed. Part of him was highly suspicious of what had happened – fearing that it had been some aberrant act on her part. Maybe she was getting sick or something. Or maybe she hadn't really meant it, but then try as he might he couldn't quite see how talking about chains of command and battle situations would lead a woman to become passionate. And it had been an abrupt passionate action. That thought shimmered some heat through his body.
Yet, hadn't he been thinking about kissing her lately anyway? So she had beaten him to it – so what? Maybe it had simply made clear that she really was attracted to him as more than a friend. But, there was danger down that path. He fucked up relationships and Teyla meant a hell of a lot to him. Surely it would be better for them to stay good friends and stay close. But, hadn't that been his thinking before Kanaan had arrived on the scene? He remembered the depressive jealousy he had experienced after she had told him she was pregnant. Of course he had focused most of that emotional reaction into the fact that she had lied to them and concealed her pregnancy thereby putting both her and the unborn Torren at risk. But, there had been the pain under that. He had realised that he had missed something potentially special with her. Now Kanaan was out of the picture and if anything, he and Teyla were closer than ever. There were no pesky worries about being members of the same team or what the rest of the city would say. Nor would he have to worry about one day being parted from her, as this was his home now as well.
He sighed again at his thoughts. He really needed to talk to her, but it wasn't like he was good at that kind of thing. His lips tingled with the memory of her kiss, as short as it had been. He had his answer at least now as to whether she really had been flirting with him over the years, especially when they had teased each other. But, that did not answer the question as to whether she had really meant that kiss or whether she now regretted it. She certainly hadn't made eye contact with him all evening.
Well, he wasn't going to get any answers by sitting here. Normally he would try to avoid anything this dramatic in his life, naturally being inclined towards the 'hold back and wait and see' tactics when it came to emotions. But the decision about the future of his and Teyla's friendship needed to be made, even if it was to admit that things would be best to be kept simply friendly. Sure it would be weird for a while, but things would get back to normal again. Yeah, until some new Kanaan made a move on her.
He pushed his feet into a pair of boots and pulled on a coat over his bed clothes. He headed out of his tent to go find out some answers, after all he wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway, so he might as well go talk to her now.
He trod quietly along the worn trail between mostly darkened tents on both sides of him, until hers came into view. The faintest touch of candlelight flickered around the edges of the closed entrance flap. Probably only one candle was still alight inside, so either as she was still awake or had fallen asleep without extinguishing it.
"Teyla?" He called softly to her, lifting his voice just enough to carry through the flap.
There was no response for a moment which meant she was asleep or wanted to make him think she was.
"Yes, John, come in," her voice called back. He felt relieved that she had decided to talk to him and invite him in, yet there also was no turning back now.
He reached in and unhooked the main closing tie on the inside of the flap to keep it closed against the night and any bad weather. He lifted the fabric doorway to move into her tent and saw that he had been correct that only one lone candle still burned. It was set beside her bed, in which she sat, her back leant back against pillows, the sheets and warm blankets over her. He noticed she had a book in her hands, possibly from Earth he noted, as she lowered it to her raised knees under the blankets.
"Hey," he greeted her as he stepped fully into the tent.
She smiled back and he could see already that she was making an effort to control her expression.
"Wasn't sure if you'd still be up," he said, trying desperately to break the strange new tension in the air between them. He realised he was still holding onto the tent flap and let it drop and took a moment to secure it closed again. The warm air inside the tent surrounded him as he turned back to her.
"I was reading," she answered him as she lifted the book in her hand.
Grasping at the avenue of small talk he moved forward a little into her tent. "From Earth?" He had seen books on many worlds in this galaxy, but the Athosians tended to use scrolls or fabric books.
She smiled that controlled smile again. "Yes, I was given several as gifts by those on Atlantis over the years."
He moved further towards her across the living space of the tent, one side of which was Torren's play and sleeping area, which were both empty tonight. The large bed of hers was set at the back of the tent with her wardrobe and smaller pieces of furniture to one side. He picked up a small wooden stool as he neared the foot of her bed.
"I thought we could talk," he said hoping to cut through his desire to keep talking about anything other than why he was here. He set the stool down near the side of her bed about level with her legs.
He thought he saw her swallow before she nodded, turned and placed her book on her bedside table. She turned back, sitting up slightly more against the headboard of her bed. John sat down on the stool, his back against her wardrobe, facing the side of her bed. It helped in way that he was seated slightly lower than her. It was warmer further back in the tent, or perhaps it was just because he was uncomfortable. Perhaps it also had some source in that part of him that was filling with excitement that had been sparked by her kiss earlier. He tried to control it, because it wasn't that simple.
He pulled off his jacket to help him feel more relaxed, though it may also have been a bit of a delaying tactic. He set his booted feet solidly on the floor and leant his forearms on his thighs as he looked at her across the space between him and her bed. Perhaps he hadn't chosen the best location to talk about this subject matter.
Fortunately she began the conversation first.
"I need to apologise to you, John," she said politely. He wasn't sure he was pleased to hear that. Hell, she was taking back the kiss already! "For arguing about the mission," she clarified. Relieved more than he had expected he tried to control his expression even more.
"Well, you know you had a point," he admitted. He had been thinking about the argument as well. "This isn't Atlantis and we aren't part of the military any more." He wasn't surprised at the swell of sadness that the point provoked – he suspected he would always miss Atlantis.
"But, you are correct, there does need to be a clear chain of command in some situations," she pointed out.
He looked down at his hands hanging interlinked between his knees. "I hadn't realised that I had automatically put myself at the top of that chain. I guess I've gotten used to being there," he added with an ironic smile. He looked back up at her. "I suppose I think of it as the expertise I can bring to the camp. I'm not any good at farming or wood carving, but I can fight Wraith."
She smiled at him. "John, you make an excellent farmer. We do not all need to be experts at what we do. There is no superior here with whom you have to prove your part in order to stay here."
He hadn't realised he had been thinking that way until she said it. He had grown up in a home with a very clear patriarch, and though John had rebelled against that, he had then gone on to join the military – a place where you must always follow orders. His natural need to rebel had still won out on occasion and had almost gotten him thrown out, but it had also led him here. He had chosen a career in which he followed orders and strove to prove himself. Maybe he hadn't escaped his father as much as he had thought. It was a sobering thought.
"What is it?" Teyla asked.
He shook his head. "Nothing, its just I think I just saw a pattern to my life that I hadn't wanted to see before."
"Or perhaps you did not need to. You made an excellent military leader for your people. You protected Atlantis for five years and now you simply wish to protect my people as well."
"You've all taken Lorne and me in…"
She sat up a little in her bed, the blankets falling slightly to her waist, revealing the dark blue top she wore. "You know that we do not expect anything in return. You are both part of our camp now. There is no one judging you."
How had she turned this conversation into making him feel better about himself? Her supporting him, as she always did for everyone. It was typical of her to turn the focus onto another, but now he wondered if it was also something of a defence technique on her part. He didn't doubt she thought of others, she had become a leader in order to focus on helping others, but perhaps her own needs had fallen behind. He knew how that felt. Abruptly he knew he didn't want to just forget that kiss. Their life in Atlantis had gone and now there was no distractions of missions, superiors or career – there was only the need inside him that he had had for many years: that he was attracted to Teyla. There was something about her beyond her physical appearance that appealed to him. It had been a very real chemistry that had been there from the start between them. It had led them to trust each other from that first meeting and it had kept them protecting each other's backs all this time. But, perhaps it had also been swept aside in order to focus on what others needed, what the larger picture required in protecting a city and keeping things simple in the team.
"You do that a lot," he told her.
She looked confused. "Judge you?" She asked surprised.
"No, make people feel better about themselves and their situation," he replied.
She looked surprised again and he felt a tiny bit smug at throwing her off again. She wasn't the only one of them with insight into the other. "You were arguing with me earlier because you thought Lorne and I were taking too high a risk," he told her.
"And I pointed out that my presence in that ship may have helped you both," she countered, but there wasn't the same fire as there had been in the earlier argument. She was more level headed now. They had both had time to think through what they had said to each other.
He regarded her for a moment. "You're right; I should have taken you with me."
She lifted a pleased eyebrow. "And I should not have let you leave me behind."
He smiled at that. "But, of course that would have left Halling and the others without someone militarily trained guiding them." He had known that at the time and, though it was a valid point, he could also acknowledge to himself that it had been a welcome excuse to trap her into staying away from the ship. "I didn't want you, or them, hurt if I could avoid it," he explained.
She nodded. "If we are forced into a battle situation again you need to remember that I was a member of your team for five years and that I do not need protecting like a civilian."
He looked away from her for a moment, looking across her bedside table. "I know that," he replied. "It's just that we don't have the back up we used to." The lit candle was set up on a high stand flickering above the bedside table. Piles of thick wax had slid down the sides of the large candle, turning into abstract shapes as the liquefied wax had cooled away from the heat of the flame.
"Then we need to make sure that we are not pulled into too many battle situations," Teyla said.
"We can try," he replied as he turned back to her, watching the candlelight glow over her skin.
"And if we do get pulled into one, then I will always listen to your experience," she added. "That you are the height of the chain in those circumstances."
He wasn't really fooled by that and narrowed his eyes at her. "Unless you disagree with me."
She tried to look innocent in response, but it slipped into a soft smile. "Yes."
He let out a short breath almost a laugh as he shook his head, looking away towards the other end of her tent, where the candle light could not reach. There was no military structure here and therefore no real way for him to press his authority over her to keep her safe. But, then she had grown up in this dangerous galaxy without his protection for many years and he knew that she felt the need to protect others as he did. But, he knew that his desire to protect her was slightly more powerful than it was for the safety of others. He looked back at her.
"How about next time we agree to work together?" he suggested. It was a compromise that he could and would have to live with.
She smiled widely at him and nodded, and he got the impression that he had really pleased her. "Very well," she agreed.
He nodded and extended his hand towards her. She smiled again and reached across the space between them to shake his hand. They shook hands on the agreement and he let her hand go slowly, his fingers grazing over hers as her hand was pulled back. It was a fraction of a second, but he thought he saw her reaction to it, though she hid it behind her smile.
"But, I'm gonna need to know," he told her. "If you're going to try to win every argument the way you did today." He kept his tone light, rather proud of himself for having found a way to slip gracefully into this part of the discussion. He saw the red spread over her cheeks and she cleared her throat.
"I apologise for my rash action earlier," she replied.
He fixed his eyes on her as she looked away and then met his gaze again.
"For the kiss or the rash part?" He asked, aware that oddly he was enjoying himself.
He saw her frown down at the smile on his lips and saw that she knew he was taking some enjoyment in this. But, the question was still a serious one and she took a breath to answer him.
------
Teyla
He had surprised her from the moment he had appeared in her tent tonight. Not only had he sought her out to have this discussion, but he had sat down near her ready to talk and willing to compromise on their earlier argument. The faint light of her reading candle danced over one side of his features, the other side of his face sharpened by shadows, until he turned slightly towards her and the light would glow across his entire face again. He looked somehow even more attractive in this light, sitting so close and she wondered if it was some form of self torture for her to feel this way.
But, he had been nothing except honest and open as they had talked about their argument. It was so unlike him, though she conceded that perhaps they were into new territory with each other now. She had no idea how he behaved around a woman he had shared a kiss with - that the hidden softer more open side of him, which she had seen glances of, may be more apparent.
She also saw the teasing quality to his manner, which was very much him. He was always one to use humour as a shield.
"For the kiss or for the rash part?" He had asked, surprising her yet again.
She saw the smile was still there on his lips, but looking into his eyes she saw only honest curiosity there. She wasn't sure if he was trying to make light of the kiss to lessen the fact that she had acted the way she had. Or was he flirting with her?
Unsure she focused on what she wished to say. She cleared her throat, looking away from him as she tried to gather her thoughts, so that she would be honest with him, but not share more than they were ready to handle.
"I am sorry if I embarrassed you," she began hoping that as she talked she would say the right thing.
"You didn't embarrass me," he interrupted. She looked up at him, thrown a little, but pleased to hear his immediate response. Perhaps not all was lost, for even if friendship was to be their future, then at least he might not distance himself as she feared.
"You caught me a little off guard though," he added, again with that light tone that she appreciated from him. "There I was trying to argue my point on battle command and…"
She looked down feeling deeply embarrassed, but warmed by his humour and the situation. "It was not well timed," she admitted.
"It did take me by surprise," he repeated.
She smiled at him, trying to focus past her hot cheeks to the kind look in his eyes. He would not hold anything against her it seemed. "You did appear rather shocked," she teased him back.
He pulled a face to show how truly shocked he had been. "Then I thought maybe it was your way of getting me to shut up." She laughed lightly at that suggestion. "Tell me, honestly," he went on, his tone still teasing. "Have you been shutting up McKay all these years with that tactic?"
She laughed properly this time and shook her head at him as she couldn't help but pull a face of her own. "No. I adore Rodney, but not that much."
He nodded. "Ronon?" She shook her head again. "Woolsey?" He asked with pretend alarm.
"No, no one else," she admitted as she laughed at his joke.
"Okay," he said as he nodded. Silence filled the next moment, the humour dying away a little, but it had broken much of the tension between them.
He leant forward again on his stool, his forearms once again on his thighs, his manner certainly more serious, though the kindness of him was still somehow apparent to her.
"Our friendship is important to me, Teyla," he said softly. Though they were kind words, she feared where they were headed.
"I am sorry if I have jeopardised that today," she replied into the pause in his words.
He looked up at her. "You're the closest female friend I've ever had," he said carefully. "Certainly my closest friend in this galaxy," he added with a touch of forced humour. The forced smiled slipped as he looked down again.
"And you are mine," she told him quietly. That he would confess this to her was a massive event in itself and she tried to feel honoured and satisfied with that. He was right that they had a strong friendship and she wished to keep it as he did, though not quite as much as him it seemed.
"Are things really over between you and Kanaan?" He asked then. His voice had been pitched at the same soft confessional tone as before, though now there was the touch of something else in his voice.
She had not expected that question and suddenly the feel of this conversation shifted. His expression was very controlled, though she detected a determined touch around his eyes that told her that his question was important to him. Excitement began to bubble inside, but she kept her focus on her answer.
"Yes," she replied simply.
His eyes searched hers for a moment with more directness than normal for him. "Really?" He asked.
She decided that she needed to explain a few things to him, but she felt she still needed to be very careful. She looked away from him, to the darkened areas of her tent beyond the reach of the candlelight. She took a breath, measuring how she should explain. She decided to be very honest. She looked back to him and saw that he had tilted his head so as to keep his eyes on her face.
"Kanaan and I were good friends as children, but there had never been anything more than that, until the time I returned to live with my people when that small group of Ancestors returned to Atlantis." He nodded in a way that suggested to her that he had guessed that had been when things had begun between her and Kanaan. She looked away from him to her tent again. "It was difficult for me to live back among them, for I missed Atlantis." She shared a smile with him then, knowing he truly understood those emotions. "I believed that I would remain on New Athos from then onwards and that Atlantis was lost to me." She had not realised how similar her life was now as to how it had been then, though this time John was with her.
"Torren, as much as I loved his arrival in my life, he was not planned," she explained to John. "I do not believe that I had ever seen my future to include Kanaan for the long term."
She looked round to John and watched him watching her.
"You kept him a secret from us for a long time," John said quietly.
"Torren?" She asked confused.
"Kanaan. You never told any of us that you were seeing him," John pointed out. She thought she detected some bitter emotions under his controlled voice.
She looked down at the blankets over her lap. "Kanaan and I had an enjoyable relationship, but he was not all that I wished. Yet other choices were not available to me either." She had the courage to look up at John as she made that point, hoping he would understand how long her attraction to him had existed.
He looked surprised for a moment, though he was trying to hide it better this time. She maintained their eye contact this time, watching him blink and look aside, only to return to her eyes, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
"Did Kanaan tell you what we argued about?" He asked, surprising her with the turn of the conversation, but she was interested in this. Kanaan had been rather vague on the details of his disagreement with John and no one else in the camp had appeared to recall precisely what words had been exchanged between the two men. Another spark of excitement went through her. She had suspected, knowing it may not be real, that the two men had argued over her in some manner.
"He said that you would not let him forget that he had been wrong about how long I survived out in that hillside. He said that you hold that against him and judge him harshly over it."
"I do," John replied with feeling. "He should have been out there looking for you, Teyla. They all should have been, but especially him."
"He was right then," she replied, trying to lighten the mood a little since a dark mood had settled over John.
"We don't leave anyone behind, Teyla. No one should."
She turned a little towards him, shifting her body under the blankets to face him more directly. He needed to understand that it was not her people's fault. Yet, John had been right about the outcome.
"I agree, of course I do, but all their experience told them that it was hopeless, John. You were correct earlier when you said that my people do not have the experience that we do following our time in Atlantis. My people have lost so many of our number, it is almost to be expected. Kanaan thought he was right and you should try to understand that."
John did not look happy about that. "He was wrong and he almost made us all lose you."
She gave him a smile. "I know, and you know how grateful I am for what you did for me. That time and the many times before."
John looked a little embarrassed. "We've all saved each others' butts plenty of times."
"Exactly, and we do not hold the loss of some people on those who had been unable to save them. Kanaan knew that you judged him and he felt bad because you were right."
John was silent for a long moment. "That wasn't all the argument was about." She lifted an eyebrow as John looked up at her with a cautious expression. "He said that I was trying to get you for myself."
She was astonished to hear that. She would not have thought Kanaan to have said that out loud, though she had thought that he may have been jealous to that extent. John studied her face, no doubt her surprise clear in her expression.
"I did not know he had accused you of that," she said.
John pursed his lips a little. "He was right though," he said quietly.
A wave of heat followed the wave of surprise through her, though she tried to concentrate on him and not on the way her breathing had increased. "You never tried to break my relationship with Kanaan," she pointed out. She was pretty sure that John would not do such a thing, but clearly Kanaan had thought otherwise.
"But I wanted to," he confessed.
She drew in a breath, her lips abruptly warm. She could feel her heart racing now, and she tried to keep it all from showing. She met John's eyes and studied him for his honesty and saw it there.
"You never said anything to me," she whispered.
A small smile moved one corner of his lips. "You never said anything to me." He looked down then, back to his hands. "Besides I didn't want to ruin things. In the team and you know…our friendship." He gestured between them and looked up to her. "And I'm not all that good with the…"
"Feelings," she supplied for him as he paused, repeating the moment from a past conversation they had shared together. It had felt an important conversation back then and now it seemed even more so.
He nodded, matching her smile. A nice warm spread of feelings filled her chest as she watched him.
"You seem to be doing well with them right now," she pointed out.
He gave one of his little shrugs and tilted his head, all to deflect the compliment, and then he looked back at her seriously. "A lot has happened over the last couple of years."
She nodded her agreement. The last two to three years had seen much change and her own life had been dramatically altered. And it looked set to change again.
"So, I suppose," he began as he rose slightly from his stool, pulling it forward, until it was close to the side of her bed and he sat down on it again, looking up at her. "We need to decide what to do now."
Anticipation warred with caution inside her.
"If we should risk this, or keep our friendship as it is," he added. She nodded her agreement - yes that was the decision. She knew which she would prefer.
"Our friendship has already been altered by this conversation," she said.
"That's true," he admitted as he leant one forearm along the edge of her bed, bringing him within touching distance of her. The air felt warm and close around her, and she felt as if she were being pulled in towards him by some unseen force. Perhaps the desire and curiosity that were years old.
Before she had acted hastily to kiss him, now the situation was different and she could see the intent in his eyes.
She shifted herself closer to the edge of the bed and reached towards him with one hand. His cheek was warm in her palm and she could feel his late evening stubble across his jaw. He looked up at her with dark eyes, the candlelight glowing over his face as his gaze lowered to her lips. She leant in towards him as he lifted his chin, and their lips pressed gently together.
His lips were warm and full against hers as she pressed hers to his. The moment was upon them and finally she would know if there was truly the chemistry she had sensed. That there was more to be felt and expressed between them.
He pressed further against her mouth before he pulled back and their lips parted with a soft release. She opened her eyes slightly to see the closeness of his face, the lines of his features and his hooded eyes looking up at her. Then he was moving back towards her and she drifted her eyes closed again. This time she opened her mouth slightly to meet this kiss, as he did, and she felt his lips around her lower lip. His taste filled her senses though the kiss was still so light. She cupped his cheek tighter, as she drew in a breath through her nose. His mouth slid across hers, and she lost herself in the sensation, returning the touch of lips to lips with relaxed sensitised motions. Her lips felt more alive than ever before, the texture of his lips firing off all her senses.
She felt his hand against her arm, sliding up to her shoulder and he pulled her closer to him. She leant further forward and his tongue slid across her lower lip. She heard herself whimper slightly, but there was no time to feel embarrassed about the sound because he mouthed her lips a little more and then his tongue was between them and she opened her mouth further for him. His hand slid around her neck, into her hair and she entwined her tongue around his as it entered her mouth. She felt him inhale against her at the touch, his fingers tightening in her hair.
She slid her own hands around his neck, one sliding up into his short hair whilst the other she ran back up to his cheek, feeling the movement of his jaw as they kissed. She stroked through his hair, holding him to her as she pressed into his mouth in return. Something indefinable about his taste and scent made her body feel even warmer, and as he sucked gently on her tongue she moaned against him.
She felt him begin to pull back and it teased her gently back from the blissful place his kiss had taken her. The kiss began to lighten, lips once again caressing against each other's until their lips finally partly, ever so slowly.
She sighed as she licked her lower lip into her mouth, her eyes opening to the sight of him once again. His lips were very full and damp, and she had to pull her eyes from them or risk drifting back to his mouth. He moved back a little and his face came more into focus and she blinked her eyes rapidly to bring herself out of her little trance.
His eyes were still heavily hooded and she saw them directed at her lips which made them instantly tingle. She swallowed as she sat back a little from him and realised how much she had been leaning into him, almost to the point of falling from the bed if he decided to move. John moved with her though as she sat back, keeping them closer than if they had both just sat back. He cleared his throat as she watched him blinking his eyes, and his dazed look clearing into focus once more.
"So," he said. His voice was deep and luxurious. "That's a 'no' to staying just friends, right?"
She smiled with him. She ran her hand down over his shoulder, feeling the strong lines of his chest and upper body. He seemed so much more sexual than before. Though she had noticed that about him previously, now that she was 'allowed' to admit and focus on those facts they were unavoidable. She nodded – there was no way to turn back now.
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Kanaan
It was late as Kanaan inhaled the fresh night air. He was leaving the tree line following the need to relieve himself. He enjoyed venturing out into the chill night air some nights, and since Torren slept deeply he had left for a few minutes. Now as he headed back towards his tent he heard a slight movement behind him. It was not unusual to hear people moving around at night, but he still turned to see who it was.
In the distance he saw Sheppard exit Teyla's tent and Kanaan froze, moving only to step back into the shadow of a tent. He stood still and watched Sheppard pull on a coat over what were clearly night clothes, and then the man was walking away in the direction of his own tent.
Anger and righteousness boiled up inside Kanaan's throat. He had known that Sheppard had been after Teyla! He had been right! And she had fallen for the Earth man's scheming. Kanaan wondered how long it had taken Sheppard to step into Kanaan's place. Had it been merely days? Hours?!
As Sheppard disappeared down the length of the tents, Kanaan stepped out into the moonlight again. Kanaan wished that he had followed through in that disagreement and had struck Sheppard, for at least that would make this pain a little easier to bear. Maybe it still would.
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TBC