Part: 38/40
Note: Hi All - Here is the second chapter of the week, which brings Day 39 to a close before we reach the final Day 40! I'm planning to release the last 2 chapters together, hopefully next week. I hope everyone is well xx
00000
DAY 39 – The Last Day of Before
Chapter 38 - Time
John had calculated they had all of five minutes, six tops, until they had to start back for the Mess Hall.
Because she was heading off to war.
It was far from the first time, for either of them, but this mission felt more worrying than usual. They basically knew nothing about the Skerti, outside of the body of that Queen Skerti Halling had killed. They didn't even know if that new drive tech or those slug-filled robots were actually Skerti tech or not. There could be anything waiting for her out there.
She was heading out into the unknown to face living vampires that had savaged their way through that Salvager ship's crew.
He really wished he hadn't looked at those pictures the Elite had shared with them.
Or watched the Van Helsing movie last night.
At least werewolves weren't a real thing...hopefully.
To ensure their cover story was true, as soon as he and Teyla had reached their quarters, they'd started checking what she had left here. She'd headed to the bathroom to check what she'd left in there and he was checking the rest of the place. The room was neat and tidy, because she didn't really stay here much and, quite frankly, even when she had, she'd lived on his side of the adjoining door. This had just been her dressing room and tea room, as he'd joked.
He glanced around the tidy tea table, the kettle, her jar of dried Athosian tea and a set of cups untouched for too long. Nothing else was in view, so he headed to the low chest of drawers and slid open the top drawer. She had spare clothes in here: several folded tops and a pair of pants. He shut the drawer and pulled open the one below. Underwear. He peered in around them, just to make sure nothing had got pushed to the back.
"Anything I did not intend to leave behind?" She asked from across the room as she emerged from her restroom.
"Just your spare undies," John grinned round at her as he pushed the drawer closed. "I promise not to go touching them while you're away."
She laughed as she headed towards him.
Towards their final goodbye.
He just wished they had a little longer.
"Or go trying them on or anything," he joked to help the awkward lump in his throat as headed to meet her in the middle of the room.
"I am sure the flowery printed pair would look particularly good on you," she smiled as they reached each other, her arms lifting to slide around his shoulders. "Though they may be rather restrictive in some areas."
He chuckled as he slid his arms around her middle, pulling her up against him, her arms a warm tight weight around his shoulders. He pressed his face against the side of her throat, nuzzling into his usual warm place just under her ear. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed and drank in the feeling of her, pressed to him from knees to throat.
What if this was going to be their last hug?
He told himself he was overreacting; that she was practically a super-soldier. Expertly trained to kill Wraith, and the Skerti were related to them, so she'd be okay.
She was his warrior princess, who could kick serious ass and be home in no time.
She'd be okay.
He realised that he had tight handfuls of the back of her jacket, his arms wrapped right around her narrow shape so that she fit inside the length of his forearms. He knew her being petite didn't make her vulnerable, but it suddenly felt like it.
He pressed his face tighter in against her skin, wishing he was going with her, that he could protect her from what she was going to have to face out there.
But he couldn't. He was staying here while she was heading into unknown danger.
Memories of seeing big strong Oneakka in his sickbed in the Facility played through his mind's eye, and Elite Kari' culled shrivelled body lying on the Glisi world's snow.
Elite died all the time.
None of them were immune to it.
Images of that damned Van Helsing movie hit him again; all those villagers' throats ripped out, blood everywhere...
Why couldn't he and Teyla just go live somewhere quietly together? Somewhere beautiful on Athos maybe, have their own home together. Live a safe life that didn't involve her heading off into crazy danger.
She shifted her body, pulling from him, and he had to force himself to loosen his grip around her. Struggling against a wave of desperate sadness, he tried to control his face so he wouldn't let her see how close to tears he felt.
It wasn't like they hadn't had to leave each other before. Seen each other off to war before.
Her hands slid warm and soft across his cheeks, cupping his jaw, as he fixed his eyes on her lips. Her mouth met his halfway, the pressure just as strong from her side.
It wasn't a passionate, 'got to have you now' kind of kiss, but sweetly soft, solid, and real.
They held the simple kiss for what felt like hours, but in seconds she was pulling her lips from his, her fingers stroking down to his chin. He couldn't look up at her eyes yet though, couldn't allow anymore space between them just yet. He clasped at her jacket at her lower back, keeping them together from thighs to mid chest at least.
Her lips pressed back against his, more teasing this time, her tongue seeking his. He pushed the kiss deeper, willingly losing all his awareness.
And then it stopped as she pulled back again, her fingers sliding over his lips, her fingertips teasing his lower lip that she'd just kissed.
"I will see you again, John," she whispered, but he could hear the uncertainty, the emotion in her voice.
He'd been pretty sure he'd seen that in her earlier before and through the contract signing, but he didn't need to hear it for real.
That she was nervous too.
He didn't want her to be nervous...vulnerable.
He wanted her to be the stoic, powerful, and sometimes unapproachable Elite warrior again. The warrior from their first meeting who had literally dropped into his life, slicing off Wraith's heads and arms like she was some sort of warrior goddess.
Who could survive anything.
And come back to him.
He couldn't find the words to tell her any of that though, his throat tight to the point of pain.
Her hands slid up the back of his neck, warm and caring, and he responded to her pull, bowing his head until their foreheads touched.
He heard her sniff faintly and he snapped open his eyes, seeing the faint shimmer off two tracks of tears rolling down her face.
He lifted his forehead from hers and let go of her back to reach up, cupping her gorgeous face in his hands. He wiped his thumbs gently over her tears.
His wife.
"I love you," he told her.
"I love you too," she smiled back.
"You come back, okay," he ordered her gently and her smile widened.
She nodded within the cradle of his hands as she blinked her damp eyelashes, trying to regain control of herself.
He wished they had time so that they didn't have to end this; that they could be emotional together, that he could lead her to his bed, that they could hold each other as they slept.
But there was no time, no chance.
"You need to watch where you are walking while I am gone," she added, her old teasing warning.
"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled as she lifted a tissue that she'd gotten from somewhere and dabbed at her eyes and cheeks. He wondered if she'd brought a stock in her pocket. He liked that, liked that it was so obvious how much she was going to miss them, just like he was going to do.
He ran his hands down her sides, resting his palms on the tops of her hips inside her jacket, as she dried her face and made herself presentable for all the annoying watching eyes they were going to have to go back to all too soon.
"You'll be careful, right?" He told her.
She nodded as the tissue disappeared somewhere. "I will," she promised, her voice firmer and more in control, but her eyes were still soft.
"And if the garlic theory pans out, you keep it with you all the time," he added. "And check if daylight flashlights work against them."
"Yes, I will," she nodded like she was humouring him now.
"And don't let any of them bite you, even a little bit," he added, not that there was anything in the Elite research that said there was any risk of infection like there was in almost every vampire movie he'd stupidly watched.
"I will not," she added with raised eyebrows at what had been a pretty obvious piece of advice.
"Just," he slid his hands around her back again, pulling her in for another hug, "take care of yourself," he finished as he pressed his lips to the side of her neck.
"I will," she promised again, her neck shifting as she turned her head, pressing her cheek against the inside of his shoulder. She nestled her cheek and her arms in against his chest and he raised his arms further up her back to fully enclose her against him, like they did in bed.
His watch bleeped; their time was up.
But neither of them moved.
He rested his chin against her hair and closed his eyes, just absorbing everything he could of the moment.
He just wished he could go with her, watch her back, but he was going to have to trust the other Elite to do it for him. He had to trust in her training, her experience, and, as if such a thing was possible, that their love would somehow bring her back safe to him.
There was nothing else he could do. As great as the new trading contract was with the Elite in sharing tech and intel, there was nothing he could personally do. Nothing he could do to keep her safe out there. He'd hoped that Chaya would have come through with something, but each time he visited there was just a coffee and sandwich waiting for him. No miracle knowledge he could produce for Teyla and Pegasus to actually help in the upcoming fight against the living vampires.
All he could do was worry about her, trust in her mad skills, and love her as much as he could.
And hold her as long as possible, letting her be the first to break the hug when she decided it was time to leave.
But she hadn't moved an inch, was just breathing against his chest and, in the soft silence as they held each other, he started to rock them both.
Just like he'd done when they'd shared another hug that had brought them back together.
Maybe, it would do the same again.
00000
Oneakka gently set the small sapling into the hollowed out space he'd prepared in the soil. Being careful of the young plant's delicate roots, he slowly added soil in around it that would provide support and nutrients for its growth. Happy it was settled well in the ground, he pressed the soil firmly around the plant's small stem, adding some more stability.
The same method had worked for all the previous lines of saplings he'd planted today, and for those he'd planted previously...not that he could quite remember when he'd done that, but he knew he had done it. Presumably he'd brought the rich brown top soil in via the Portal, but he was sure that he'd used the goats' dung as fertiliser for his new garden.
He looked up from the lines of new and growing plants, out over the fence he must have put up and painted, to the dark dunes of the dead sand of Ugun beyond. Nothing was living out there, well, apart from Belka's herd. He could only see a faint outline of one goat stood in the far distance. They were safe out there for now and he'd bring them in later once the sunlight dropped. He'd made a large enclosure for them beside the cabin he'd built, to help keep them comfortable and safe at night.
Not that there was anything here to prey on them, he realised.
He glanced up and round at the cabin behind him, squinting against the bright sunlight. As always, he knew the cabin wasn't quite right somehow, that it didn't look as he knew it should, but he couldn't remember why that was. Still, it filled him with a sense of satisfied accomplishment to see what he'd built, knowing it was secure and filled with his things. To one side of the cabin stood a hut that he'd built for growing the young plants and building wooden planters for the herbs. He'd painted patterns around the cabin and hut's doorways, though he wasn't sure when he'd done that. They were Ugun designs, he knew that, patterns he remembered from the shrines and the market stalls. The glittering paint was bright in the sunshine and he sighed with satisfaction at what he'd created.
He still had one last task to complete today though, so he turned back to the newly planted lines and reached for the full watering vessel he'd prepared earlier. He slid his hand around the metal handle, feeling that it had been warmed through by the sunlight. Lifting its heavy weight, he tilted it carefully, allowing just the right amount of water to rain down over the line of young plants. He worked along each row, making sure every sapling had what it needed. The task complete, there was just enough water left for him to wash his hands clean. He straightened up, wiping his hands dry on the sides of his shirt, and took in his work.
He'd achieved a lot and he was pleased with the result.
A flutter of sound behind him heralded Raven's arrival. She hadn't joined him for the planting, presumably having been flying high above or perched up on the roof of the cabin to watch him work. Her presence here would be useful today, helping to keep rodents and other birds away from his new delicate seedlings.
Other birds? He frowned at that thought. There were no birds here but her. No rodents either. No living creature had survived the brutal onslaught of the Wraith.
He heard her wings flap through the bright air as she flew closer, landing somewhere behind him, probably on the handle of the spade he had left stood dug into the ground.
He wiped his hands on his shirt once more and enjoyed the feeling of satisfaction at his growing garden. It felt good. The ground was solid and stable here, the dark dangerous sands off in the distance outside of the territory he'd created for his home. He had everything he needed here now to grow crops to feed himself, the goats, and Raven.
He glanced off into the distance again, considering Belka's herd. There was still only one lone goat outlined in the distance, but he knew the rest of the family would be close by.
Raven cawed loudly behind him, her feathers rustling.
"They're fine out there," he reassured her. "I'll bring them in later."
Though, he frowned out at the dead landscape; what exactly were they grazing on out here? There was no vegetation, no grass. There was nothing alive out there to feed on.
There had used to be grass on Ugun; beautiful grass with fragrant flowers blooming between the blades. He'd tried to find it again, searched endlessly for the field, but he'd never found it here.
So, he'd decided to grow his own. Well, a garden of vegetables, fruit and herbs at least. But there was more than enough space for him to plant a lawn outside the fence, bring in some seed from off-world.
Raven cawed her opinion on that.
"I'll find something," he assured her.
Feathers rustled again and he could hear the gentle rasp of her black claws on the spade's handle.
"And some flowers too," he added. It would add some colour to the garden and she'd like the pretty ones he had in mind.
Her wings flapped loudly again as she took off from the spade and he heard her feet land more softly to his left. Curious at what she had found to perch on now, he looked round.
Except, she wasn't perched.
She wasn't in her bird form anymore.
Raven was stood tall next to him, her dark eyes focused off into the distance, assessing the goats or maybe the other competitors' plots of land out there.
He frowned at her in human form.
She stood in profile to him, her chin held high, her throat and the tops of her wide elegant shoulders bare to the sun, but the rest of her was covered in a second skin of soft black feathers. The feathery coating held tightly to her outline, clinging to all her natural angles and curves. As a soft breeze stirred through the air between them, he watched the air dance across her feathers, lifting the barbs and revealing brief flashing slithers of her bare skin beneath.
Her long black hair was loose, hanging down her back, the dark tendrils catching across her feathers, drawing his eye to more fluttering patches of revealed flesh across her waist, her hip, and the side of her breast.
She shifted her weight and he quickly looked back up to her face, worried that she was perhaps thinking of flying away. Off to another plot?
He watched her blink long black eyelashes as she surveyed the distant horizon beyond his garden, and then she started turning towards him. Bringing new tempting angles of her body into view.
Slithering glimpses of her breasts and belly as her feathers started falling away.
Her dark eyes on him.
The reality of the dream suddenly became obvious and Oneakka forcefully dragged himself out of it.
He snapped awake in the darkness of his quarters and quickly blinked around the room assessing what time it was and who was here. But it was very dark, with simply the faint ghostly starlight glowing in through the porthole window, and no one else was here.
He sat forward from his pillows with relief, though his breathing was still fast, his skin prickled with sensitive awareness, and his groin was swollen hard.
And the arousing imagery of her had followed him out of the dream.
This wasn't good.
His heart was pounding in his chest like he'd been fighting.
This really wasn't good.
He ran a hand up over his hair, the higher central texture comforting against his palm, as he worked to focus and calm his body.
He didn't want this.
Not this driving urgency that itching hot under his skin, agitating his heart like he was furious at something.
Which was stupid. It had just been a dream...
An erotic dream, even as surprising as it had been, shouldn't cause this.
He pushed the covers off his overly heated body, set his feet on the mattress and rested his elbows on his raised knees. The position compressed his wound, but the faint discomfort felt helpful, as did the cooler air rushing in around him in the darkness.
He rubbed a hand over his hair again, gripping at his short but growing hair, as he struggled against the weird almost panicked feeling still rushing through his veins.
What was this?
It wasn't arousal, well not just that. It felt primitive in a way that made him grind his teeth together and it was clearly pouring adrenaline into his system.
Though, he realised, it was familiar now his mind was a little clearer.
All too familiar actually.
He dropped his forehead into one hand, looking down at the dimly lit mattress between his raised legs, near his still heavy groin.
Battle fury.
That was what it felt like.
That feeling in battle when you were in an enclosed position, backed into a corner, and Wraith were attacking en mass. When everything came down to an animalistic hyperaware state where you had to fight for your life or die. When you let instinct and a lifetime of training, sparring, and muscle memory just react. There was no clear control of what to do in that state; you just fought for your life without thought.
Fight or die.
Those were the only options.
But not from an erotic dream.
That didn't make any sense.
There was no fight here...except...against those who were trying to take Raven away from him.
The realisation was a flush of clammy cold across his heated skin.
He had felt this once before about her – briefly - after he'd saved her from sacrificing herself in the battle against the Slug Robot. He'd caught her, carried her back up to the next level of the Sythus, and then her appeal had hit him square in the face in that corridor afterwards. And Madesh, kind, non-threatening Madesh, had arrived and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Oneakka had wanted to break Madesh's hand to make him let go of her, and maybe tear his whole arm off just to be sure.
He'd crushed that reaction away quickly though, walked away from her, and then spent weeks of struggling against the reality of his attraction to her. But he'd worked through that, he'd faced it and her back in the Facility and they'd both agreed they were friends. Unusual, weird, complex friends, but things had settled down. Things had been really good.
Though he'd been well aware of Ru' interest in her.
And Edfu' uninhibited drooling when he saw her.
But that hadn't mattered like this.
Why were these feelings back now? And so much stronger. Arrived completely out of nowhere.
No, that wasn't quite true, he realised.
There had been a niggle of it in the Canteen earlier today. When she'd been talking with Security member Smee, who had turned out to be the formerly unknown male she'd been spending time with recently.
He'd initially been pleased to hear she had shared a meal with some male, because it made things clear...made her unavailable. But then he'd seen Smee practically run up to her all eager and desperate for her attention in the Canteen...blocking her from Oneakka's view.
A security staff member made sense, there being plenty of common ground between them, and Smee had a long and decorated security career from what Oneakka remembered from his record.
The compulsion to reach for his electronic pad and study Smee's background was almost overwhelming, but Oneakka resisted. As he did the angry urge to go find the male and make sure he stayed away from Seeal.
But that wasn't appropriate.
He didn't want this Wraith crap. He wasn't some sensitive animalistic creature that needed to mark its territory.
She could have any male she wanted... he let out a grunt of a near growl at just thinking it, and his body fired up again.
Panic.
Just like when he'd thought Halling was going to die.
That he'd lose more people who he...
He shook his head into the darkness.
This was probably just some sort of biological reaction at spending so much time with her lately. He was just getting possessive of her time and attention because he was still recovering and the Sythus was leaving him behind.
He didn't get jealous. Well, not since the days he and Halling had competed for Methren's attention.
And whenever he saw Myrtle. He hated that he felt like that, that he lowered himself to pettiness around his old nemesis. But he got so irritated at Myrtle's ease with whatever came at him, his overly laid back attitude to everything, how he could lose almost all his hearing and just accept it without anything twisting him up inside. No, Myrtle had just gone and set up a successful business that also helped the Elite gain information, like it had hardly been any work.
And he'd clearly picked a club so that he could indulge his clearly pathological need to seduce as many females as possible. Always attracting adoration like he was some sort of perfumed flower.
With his unscarred face.
Myrtle had made a pass at Seeal, but she'd turned him down...at least so far. Madesh had been certain Myrtle hadn't been there the last time Raven had been to the infamous club with her social group from the Sythus. But the perfumed predator was so alluring to females; he had a way of persuading and seducing.
Getting whatever he wanted.
Well, he hadn't gotten Raven.
She wasn't fooled by men like Myrtle...presumably. Oneakka actually had no idea how she reacted to males with intentions...like Smee.
He'd bet currency that Smee had used their security careers as a means of trying to win her attention, using it to get close to her, luring her in.
Tempting her away.
It didn't matter though because Oneakka had no desire or need for a female in his life anyway.
He would be back on battle rotation soon enough, and if he worked hard enough at his rehab, it would be far sooner than they all predicted. Then he would be back to his old normal life and she could stay here with whatever males she wanted.
He just needed to get through the weeks of rehab.
And maybe keep away from her a little? He glanced round in the darkness towards the chair she always sat in. He could still faintly smell her in the air from when she'd stayed for awhile after they'd walked back from the Canteen. Maybe her lingering scent had affected his dream? He'd read theories before about there being some chemical smell that females could release which males could detect and potentially find appealing. So, maybe it was that; just some purely biological reaction to having spent so much time around her.
So presumably keeping some distance would be smart then. But then that would allow Smee to get his way.
No, Oneakka had his friendship with Raven, and Smee wasn't going to get in the way of that.
He'd spend his last weeks here with her and prove to himself that he wouldn't be ruled by basic animal hormones. He could be just a friend to his beautiful Raven, with her weird fish phobia and argumentative bickering nature.
No other male was going to steal that from him.
He'd survived every single battle fury he'd had to meet. He'd always survived, always been the victor. So, he would be victorious over this just like he had been every other challenge put in front of him.
And he'd make damn sure no other male pushed him aside!
00000
TBC