Don't Drink the Water…part three
Sheppard was standing outside, having escaped the meeting, and Ailyn, for a small amount of peace. They had drank to the Watcher's, and then Jeram had had them drink to the babies, the crops, and even to the team from Atlantis.
He hoped the festivities were winding down because he was worried that if they ate or drank anything else, he'd fall down and wouldn't be able to get up. He sighed. It was probably rude to stay out for long, but he was loath to go back. He felt like some boy toy, and was tired of being groped, whether by accident or design, by the she-wolf that Ailyn was turning out to be.
What a job description. Strategize plans on saving a galaxy, and the occasional need to put up with alien groping. Oh, and by the way, we're going to pay you a pittance.
"Major?"
John cringed. Ailyn. He schooled his features into an enigmatic smile, and turned to face her. "Ailyn," he said.
"My father was wondering where you went? Is everything all right? Did we bore you?"
She actually looked anxious. "No, not at all," he stumbled; knowing that to screw up the trade at this point would be bad. "It's fine. I just…needed some fresh air."
She smiled, and this time the anxiety melted away into a soft, seductive look. "I see."
Oh, shit. She thought he came out here hoping she'd follow, and they could…get it on. "Uh," Sheppard backpedaled, as she stalked forward towards him. "The…the trade is…going good, don't you think?"
She drew up close, and pulled his jacket down, leaning in for a lingering kiss. "Yes, it is," she murmured, trailing a path of kisses down his chin, aiming for the soft curve of Sheppard's neck.
God, McKay was right, he was Captain Kirk, the only difference, Kirk wanted the girls, and he, on the other hand, would rather not be this adventurous, at least not without getting to know them a little more.
A loud cough caused Ailyn to pull back, and a very flushed Sheppard thanked the stars above, until the voice spoke, "Not to interrupt anything, but Jeram is ready for the final binding, Captain," McKay jibed.
Sheppard had a swift thought of grabbing Ailyn, and bending her over for a long, hard kiss, just to piss McKay off further, but instead he straightened his jacket, and pushed Ailyn to the side, albeit with politeness. "I'll be right there, Doctor," he said.
Ailyn was looking at him confused. "Captain? I thought you said…"
"I am, it's a private joke," Sheppard explained awkwardly. Wow, he was really flushed. His face felt ten sides of hot. "Shall we?" he held out his arm, and she wrapped one of hers with his.
OoO
The leader, Jeram, had finished off the ceremonies with one final drink of whatever that stuff was, and the group had begun to disperse for the night. Jeram had another daughter, Seleya, who had a thing for Rodney, and now the tables were turned, and Sheppard was taking a lot of enjoyment with the shoe being on the other foot.
Sheppard sidled up to McKay, "You look hot, McKay, something wrong?"
He'd seen Seleya give McKay something a lot more than a proprietary kiss. Ailyn had been distracted by her baby daughter, and had to attend to her child, leaving Sheppard free to make an escape. Now Rodney was in the position of extracting himself from an alien woman's clutches.
They said their goodbyes, and Seleya yanked McKay into a crushing grip, extracting a long, promising kiss that Sheppard was certain involved tongue. Then the long trek back to the gate, five miles, in darkening skies, and with more than heavy guts filled with food and drink.
"The one time Ford stays back, and look at what happens. The native women wanted a lot more than medicine and farming techniques," Sheppard joked.
Teyla arched an eyebrow at McKay and Sheppard, both of whom were grinning from ear to ear, now that they'd managed to escape without being taken for a romp in the hay. It was one thing to be flattered by the attention, another thing to actually let go the strings of morality, and do something you might later regret. For all they knew, sleeping with the woman might have meant you were married on this world.
"It's not such a surprise that these women recognized a good thing when they saw it," McKay said smugly.
Teyla was smiling for entirely different reasons. "I believe their attention was due more to the fact that the number of men that the women are not related to is very few."
"Spoilsport," Sheppard teased.
McKay stripped off his jacket, tugging at the collar of his baby blue shirt. "Is it hot, or is it me?" he asked, wiping at his forehead.
"It's hot," John replied.
"It's you," Teyla said at the same time.
Sheppard and McKay were both sweating, and Teyla fought to hold back the shivers from the crisp night air. "I assure you, it is not hot," she said, and now she was frowning at the two men who were clearly not only warm, but overly so.
That should've sent off warning bells somewhere in Sheppard's mind, but it didn't. In retrospect, the thought that maybe that drink was more than just a local version of apple cider should have occurred to him, but it didn't. The fact was, he was feeling pretty damn happy all things considered.
"Maybe you should've hitched up with an Iskalan guy to warm you up!" McKay suggested.
John saw the gate, and Ford kicked back beside the DHD, in the distance. He depressed the radio, not catching the very dirty look Teyla was giving McKay. "Ford, we'll be there in ten, get ready to dial it up," he ordered. Then turned to Teyla, "You really should lighten up. You don't always have to be the remote Athosian leader. Let your hair down, kick back, have a good time."
"My hair is down," Teyla said, and the tone of her voice was frosty with warning.
"It's a saying, it means to relax." Sheppard didn't realize the hole he was digging.
"I understood what you meant." Teyla left no doubt that she was displeased with the Major and McKay.
Sheppard had a momentary thought that maybe the drink had affected them more than he'd thought. Truthfully, he felt a little over exuberant, perhaps a little tipsy. It was bound to happen, a little drink, he'd have to remember that in the future, but for now, he couldn't understand why Teyla was being a stick in the mud. It had been a fun night.
"Come on McKay, let's race to the gate, we'll leave Miss Priss to her uptight ways," and Sheppard started into a dead run, with McKay hot on his heels.
Teyla couldn't help the shot of hurt at his words, but then the riding thought was something wasn't quite right. This wasn't normal for the Major, or Doctor McKay. She stared at their backs, watching them run up, and tackle Ford, who went down to the ground in a mass of limbs and backpacks. Something was definitely not right.