Note: PurpleYin mentioned something about going deeper into why it happened.
It had been over a week since Bates and Teyla had their...rendezvous and Bates was still trying to understand why it had happened. He had gone over his thoughts and feelings over and over again, he had tried to understand why he allowed Teyla to push him, why he let her continue. He was also wondering why she did it, Teyla was not a person who he would thought would be, for lack of a better term, easy, and in all fairness he knew she wasn't easy. There was something more, he knew something had happened that day to get Teyla to go the extremes she did and he knew he had to find out what.
Teyla sat on the bed in her quarters brushing her long brown hair. She had tried not to think about what had happened with Bates but had failed, it was all she thought about. She was disgusted in herself for allowing it to happen. She knew that since the problem with the suspicion of a spy on Atlantis Bates had not trusted her or the Athosians, but before that, she thought that maybe there was a connection, she even sensed that they could have been friends, but it had not worked out that way.
She knew Bates thought that the only reason she was on SGA-1 was because Sheppard had a crush on her, but Teyla knew that it wasn't true. She did often wonder why it bothered Bates so much, was it professionalism or was there something he was trying to hide.
Either way, it didn't matter because she would never find out.
Slowly Teyla returned the brush to her bedside table and stood up, she was about to put on her jacket when she heard someone knocking at her door.
Teyla quickly put on her jacket and opened the door expecting it to McKay or someone else, anyone else other than the man who was stood nervously outside her door.
Teyla swallowed hard but tried to compose herself.
"St Bates, what can I do for you?"
Bates looked from the floor to her face then back to the floor.
"We need to talk"
Teyla nodded, she never thought that this day would come but...here it was, and it surprised her.
"Come in"
Teyla moved to the side of the door and allowed Bates entry. Teyla went and sat down on a chair at the far side of the room and motioned for Bates to sit opposite her. Bates slowly moved to the chair and sat opposite her, still trying to find something to say to her.
"We need to discuss what happened."
Teyla nodded
"I agree"
Bates cleared his throat.
"Why did you kiss me?"
Teyla sighed, it was the obvious first question, but there was another question, something she needed to know the answer to.
"Why did you challenge me?"
Bates shook his head and sighed
"Weir told me to talk to you, basically told me that she was sick of us fighting."
Teyla nodded
"But you did not talk to me, instead you challenged me"
Bates nodded
"I was getting to that, if you'd let me continue..."
Teyla quickly apologised and Bates continued
"I challenged you because I thought it would be easier then talking to you, I thought if we could get it out of our systems maybe things would start to get better"
Teyla nodded in agreement
"I can understand how you would come to that conclusion"
Bates looked at her and sighed
"So why did you kiss me?"
Teyla stood up and walked to the far side of the room.
"I do not know, I thought maybe I could break you down. A very stupid way to do it."
Teyla looked out of the window at the ocean
"I wanted to...kiss you. Don't ask me why, it's too difficult to understand, but I don't hate you, at least not the way you hate me."
Bates sighed and looked down at the table in front of him.
"Do you know why I hate you Teyla?"
Teyla turned round to face him, quickly blinking back the tears in her eyes before shaking her head.
Bates smiled
"Neither do I. I guess it's a combination of different things, the fact you were chosen for Sheppard's team and not me, the fact that you got the trust of everyone so easily and I've had to work for it..."
Teyla cut in
"I do not have the trust of everybody. I do not have your trust, even though I have tried to earn it."
Bates shrugged
"I trusted you to start with I guess, but the thing with the spy made me loose trust in you, as it was building up again we all found out you were part Wraith. Think about it Teyla, when you weigh up everything you can understand why it's not easy for me to blindly trust you."
Teyla walked back over to her seat and sat back down, looking at Bates.
"Then why..."
Bates cut her off
"...Did we do that? I don't know, I was pissed at the fact that you'd managed to get one over on me again."
Bates looked up at the ceiling before carrying on.
"I was frustrated and...well you were there...what I don't get is why you..."
Teyla cut him off
"...Offered? Believe me it was not my intention when you walked in that room, it was sort of an afterthought. I have a desire for you to trust me and my people, don't get me wrong that's not the reason I did it. The first time I met you, you followed Colonel Sumner and treated me the way he did, like I was not there. When we had our first real conversation the night of the celebration, I thought we shared a connection. I liked you, you were different, not like anyone I'd met before."
Teyla looked away, slightly embarrassed at what she was about to say.
"I guess...I think...I developed some sort of feelings for you. They became stronger and even after everything, including your distrust of me, they are still there. I thought that maybe if we...were together, even just for a few moments, they would be fulfilled and disappear."
Bates nodded, slightly uncomfortable
"Have they?"
Teyla shook her head.
"No, if anything, they are stronger."
Bates nodded and cleared his throat.
"You know I don't really feel that way about you?"
Teyla smiled at him
"It is okay, I know."
Bates stood up and was about to leave but felt really bad about leaving it like this, slowly he turned round to face her
"Look Teyla, I don't fully trust you and I don't know if I ever will, but I will try to be nicer to you and your people,"
Teyla smiled again
"I would welcome that"
Bates nodded
"Okay"
He took one last look at Teyla wondering if there was anything else he could add, finding nothing suitable he left her quarters
TBC...?