"Most of the peoples I am familiar with have marriage traditions that are fairly…simple compared to what I have seen of Earth weddings." Teyla sat cross-legged on the floor next to Torren who was crawling around on a blanket beside her.

Laura lifted her head. She was sprawled out on the foot of the bed, painting Jennifer's toenails.

"How many weddings have you been to?"

"None, but I have seen a few on movie night. Are those not indicative of Earth weddings? With all the people and the dancing and the drinking?"

"Yeah. Some of them anyway." Jen giggled. "That tickles!"

"Oh quit your whining." Laura lowered her head and stuck her tongue out one side of her mouth in concentration. "And hold still."

"Is that the type of wedding you desire?"

Jen and Laura both looked up, seeing that the question was directed at both of them, Laura flushed.

"I don't think the Colonel are I are there yet. We're still in the 'can't keep our hands off each other' stage. You know what that's like." She shot Jen a devilish look and the other woman rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, those days are pretty well behind me now. Feeling like a beached whale doesn't exactly make me want to be a sexual vixen."

"Really? I found the entire experience of carrying a life quite…stimulating."

Again, both women's heads snapped around to Teyla's, eyes wide. Slowly, a grin spread across Teyla's face and she wiggled her eyebrows in a decidedly Laura-like fashion.

All three of the women broke into laughter.

"Oh boy, you've been spending way too much time with this one." Jen said finally.

"Even I'll agree with that."

"Perhaps," Teyla smiled and reached over to retrieve Torren before he managed to escape under a chair in the corner. "But, returning to the point, if you would like me to see if I can gather any information on Satedan weddings when I am off world I would be happy to do so."

Jen nodded. "That would be great. John wasn't nearly as helpful as I would have hoped."

Laura hmm'd her agreement and replaced the nail polish brush. "There. All done." She jumped off the bed and stuck the nail polish in her pocket. "Now, if you will excuse me. I need to get going."

Jen glanced at her watch. Ronon and John should be back from their off world trading any minute.

"They'll be back soon, where are you going?" Often the Lieutenant and Colonel took advantage of their friendship with Ronon and Jen to spend time together that would not raise any eyebrows, especially in the evenings. It seemed odd to Jennifer that Laura wasn't planning to hold to the pattern that night.

"Gonna go get a shower." Laura said, pulling on her shoes.

"Oh, I will come with you and get the bantos you borrowed." Teyla said, starting to stand. "Then you will not have to interrupt your plans later."

"No!" Laura said too quickly, then continued at Teyla's puzzled look. "I mean. If you don't mind, I'll bring them to tomorrow."

"Laura, you just said you were going back to your quarters." Jennifer pressed, confused.

"No, I said I was going to get a shower." Laura turned and sauntered toward the door. "I never said it was my shower."

She winked at them over her shoulder just as the door shut behind her.

SGASGASGA

As the sun set below the horizon turning the sky spectacular shades of red and orange.

"Its an honor, you know?" Laura leaned back against John's chest and sighed, watching the sky change colors. From the roof of the towering North East spire, she could almost imagine they were flying. Almost imagine they were alone. Somewhere in a galaxy far far away where being together didn't mean risking everything they had.

"I'm sure it is." John nodded, the stubble on his chin scratching her cheek. Laura relaxed between his bent legs, his arms resting on either knee beside her. "What's an honor?"

"Witnessing the Bonding ceremony. To be their Firsts. Its an honor." Laura clarified. They'd met Jen and Ronon on the roof almost two hours ago, in addition to being a rooftop with a spectacular view, it was also the site of one of their Surface to Air Defense rail guns the Apollo had installed almost two years prior. Mostly the meeting was so that John and Laura would have an excuse to be there in the first place, the weapons needed maintenance after all.

But Jen had taken the opportunity to explain her plan to Laura so she and John would know what to do when the time came, while Ronon had gone about discussing an upcoming mission with his CO and making the required weapon checks. After Ronon and Jen left, John and Laura had settled in to watch the sunset and she'd quietly passed along what Jen told her.

"Oh, that. I know." John responded. And he did. He hadn't been on speaking terms with his brother when he married and a man from his Frat had been his brother's best man. And it had hurt like hell when John found out, though he'd never said so.

John guessed, in some ways, Ronon was more his brother than his brother was.

"You going to be able to set everything up?" He bent his head and pressed a kiss to her neck. Nuzzling against her he inhaled sharply the scent of soap and peaches.

It felt good to indulge in her. She felt so right next to him, fit so perfectly against him. He could almost forget some of the weight of the mission, of the galaxy, that he felt pressing in on him all the time.

"Yeah." Laura pulled her legs closer and locked her arms loosely around them. The sky darkened and the horizon was turning a deep blood red as the sun disappeared. "But I think it's gonna have to wait until after the baby."

"Makes sense." John nodded, lifting his head. The temperature had gone down with the sun and he felt Laura tremble just slightly so he wrapped his arms around her, using the opportunity to playfully brush against her chest.

"Hey!" She angled her head to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He raised his eyebrows with mock innocence.

"Behave." Laura glared lightly and John laughed.

"When do I ever do otherwise?"

Laura just shook her head, smiling to herself.

"I've been thinking about getting my PhD." She said after a moment.

"Oh yeah? In what?" John readjusted so he could rest his chin on her shoulder.

"Nuclear fission and thermodynamics as they relate to things that go boom."

John snorted. "Is that the title of your dissertation?"

"Just about. Radek has been helping me with it and I'm planning to go back to Earth and defend it before the board in the next month or two."

John raised his eyebrows, surprised. Not so much that she was working toward her PhD, he'd long since stopped being surprised by how smart the young marine was. Mostly just because she hadn't mentioned it before.

"You'll do great." He said, not doubting that she would. He waited, knowing there was more to why she'd brought the subject up.

"My tour is almost up." Laura continued quietly. At her words John stiffened and she leaned forward, untangling herself from his arms. She turned around to face him and John was watching her with careful grey eyes.

"I was thinking…well if I get it I'm going to reapply to the SGC program. If I get in I'm hoping to come back to Atlantis."

John relaxed, even if just a little. The process she was talking about wasn't fast. She'd be gone for months. He could go back to earth occasionally but not often enough. For either of them. Still, he swallowed his worries and smiled his best smile.

"I have a feeling that you'll get that assignment." He reached out to grab a lock of hair from her shoulder, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Yeah…they have a a quota to fill." Laura wrinkled her nose. Whether she liked it or not the Atlantis base was populated 4:1 with men, she stood a better chance of returning just because of what she didn't have in her pants than what she did have in her brain.

"No. Because you're the best."

And he said it just like that, like it was a fact. Like it never occurred to him not to accept it as truth and it warmed her insides to know that he believed in her as steadily as he did. John's ability to believe in someone with one hundred percent of his being, despite everything he'd been through, was one of the things she loved about him. To know that she was one of the people that he believed in was something she wouldn't allow herself to take for granted.

"If I do, when I get back I won't be military anymore."

He just stared at her and she forced herself not to fidget nervously, suddenly wishing she could read that damn poker face of his.

"How would you feel about that?" She prompted.

Slowly, seriously, he nodded his head. "I'd like that."

"You would?" She asked, her heart pounding. She flipped her hair, smile full of flirtation and bravado. "And just why is that Colonel Shepherd?"

"Because, Lieutenant Cadman," he let go of the hair he was still fingering and put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her toward him. "Then I can kiss you whenever I want."

"Oh?" She smiled easily, letting him pull her toward him, her heart suddenly pounding for an entirely different reason. "You don't do that already?"

"Well yeah but we can only almost get caught on my desk so many times before our luck runs out." A grin flitted across his face as he tilted his head to one side, leaning forward to meet her. Warm breath on her lips sent shivers down her spine.

"John-" She whispered, protesting half-heartedly their exposed position in full view of the roof access door.

"At ease, Lieutenant." His whisper sent goosebumps exploding across her skin and she moaned when his teeth caught her bottom lip. She melted against him, fisting her hands in his shirt, fully, completely, whole-heartedly at ease in his arms.

"Aye sir."

TBC