A/N: Not so Christmas themed in this chapter, but more romantically inclined.
John shifted, remembering he was laying in his back in the freezing snow. Gently shifting positions, he sat up, his arms still snaked around Teyla's waist. He brushed some of the snow from her hair, then grinned.
She quirked an eyebrow, then glanced back at the jumper. "We should probably head for the village."
John nodded, slowly standing up, reluctant to let go of her. "That's the most fun I've had in years."
"Athosian children are fond of playing games such as that." Teyla replied, starting to walk back towards the village, her hand entwined with his.
He glanced down at their entwined hands, surprised by the commitment in hers and even his own. He normally didn't fall for women, not completely, but if anyone asked, Teyla Emmagen had him. He couldn't say he was complaining.
As they reached the village, Teyla gave his hand a brief squeeze then released it. It was a small signal, a signal to take it easy. He could do that. He walked just a step behind her as she moved among the tents, looking for Halling's.
Halling was waiting for them when they arrived. "Teyla, Colonel Sheppard, it is a pleasure to see you both." He bowed his head slightly.
Teyla smiled broadly. "It has been many days Halling."
"Yes, it has. You both look cold, come, the fire is warm." Halling opened the heavy tent flap and motioned for them to enter.
John walked into a surprisingly warm tent. In a fire pit in the corner a warm fire blazed. Around it were two small stools. Hoping Halling wouldn't mind he sat down on one, warming his wet body.
Teyla seemed to be thinking the same thing. However, she retrieve a pair of blankets before sitting down. Handing one to John, she took her jacket off and snuggled into the heavy blanket.
John followed her example, hanging the jacket on a small stand and then warming under the blanket. It was thick and heavy, but that was best. He immediately felt cocooned in his own body heat.
Halling pulled a chair up next to them. "I must admit I am surprised you would both get so wet walking from the jumper."
"Well, I was explaining snowball fights to Teyla when she poured snow down my back." John quickly explained.
Halling regarded him with a confused expression. "Snow?"
"He means Ancestor's tears." Teyla replied.
Halling nodded in acknowledgment.
"We had a scuffle after that. Nothing major, though I ended up on my back in the snow." He glanced at Teyla, making no mention of the kiss they'd shared while laying on each other in the snow.
"I will bring some warm tea." Halling said as he departed.
XXX
An hour or two later, both of their clothes had dried in the warm air of the tent. Halling was out preparing for the feast. John sat alone near the fire, trying to understand his newfound feelings.
Fact number one, he was in love with Teyla and she with him. Fact two, their romance wasn't going to go over well with the US Air Force. Fact three, he wasn't sure how the Athosians would deal with it. Fact number four, he wasn't certain he could deal with it.
In the heat of the moment, nothing had mattered. Now everything mattered again. He owed it to her to talk to her about this. He was just making his mind up to go find her when she sat down next to him.
"John we must talk about what happened." Her voice was grave. He wasn't sure he liked that.
"Fair enough." He admitted, turning to face her.
"I wanted it." Teyla confessed suddenly. "In that moment John... all I thought about was you."
"I'd be guilty if I said I didn't say the same thing."
"But as we got to the village, I realized that our positions as leaders..."
John nodded. "Yeah, the Air Force wouldn't exactly like it if I dated a member of my team."
"Dated?" Teyla asked, confused.
John silently swore to himself, another word that didn't exist in the Athosian dialect. "Loosely, it mean romantically involved."
Teyla nodded. "I am not sure how my people would react."
It was John's turn to nod, his heart was turning to ice as he realized where this conversation was headed. "As much as it hurts," he said quietly, "we may have to go back to just being friends."
Teyla turned away. "I am not sure I can."
He placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing her back towards him. "I'm not sure I can either." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
Her eyes burned with a silent struggle over what could be done or what should be done. He was certain the same anguish was playing itself over in his soul. The honest selfish fact was that he didn't want to let go. He didn't want to pretend because ever since he'd crossed that line, he hadn't been able to jump back.
She looked different now. Whereas before she was simply an attractive and strong willed woman who was his best friend, she was an irresistible person. Her very presence brought something out inside him, something he'd prefer to admit he didn't have. She'd broken through all the boundaries he'd erected to shield his true self from others. She knew who he was, there was no way around it.
"We could conceal it." Teyla suggested nervously.
John shook his head. "I couldn't live like that, could you?"
"No." Teyla looked into the fire, it's light casting shadows on her face.
"And even if we did, it'd only be a matter of time before someone found out."
"Perhaps we should..." Teyla trailed off.
"You know, this is the last Christmas present I ever wanted to give you."
Teyla smiled at the light joke. "Perhaps we should wait, we both need time to think."
John glanced at her, not convinced, but willing to give her the time she needed. "Alright."
Teyla placed a hand on his cheek. "John, whatever happens know this, I love you."
He drew her into a gentle embrace. She didn't resist, but fell into it. He released her after a few seconds. After that kind of hug he wasn't sure it was possible to even pretend not to love her. After the kind of conversation they'd just had, he knew there was no way out, not any easy ones.
"So Teyla, when's this feast?" He asked.
"As soon as the sun sets."
John peeked outside, the sun was on the horizon. "We won't have long to wait."