Second installment for the evening...

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DAY 1 – WAKING

Chapter 4 - Comfort

By the end of the day, and despite his orders to rest, John had managed to coincidentally appear four times during Teyla's day.

The last, and kindest, had been upon her arrival back into Atlantis having visited Oneakka's bedside in the Facility. John had been waiting to the side of the large Gate Room, apparently because Ketra had been "missing her". That theory might have held water if Ketra had not been fast asleep at John's feet. He had apparently taken Ketra for a run along another pier that afternoon, though he had not been running but had been on his 'skateboard' and the workout had clearly exhausted Ketra.

But of course Teyla more than welcomed his waiting for her return and his kind concern over Oneakka's health. She had been pleased to report that Oneakka, despite being deeply asleep during her visit, had been removed from a critical status and was now classed as stable by the Healers.

The positive news relayed, John had offered to accompany her and Ketra to the Mess Hall for late meal, where they had met up with Si, Dr Beckett, and Mr Woolsey, and they had all enjoyed a pleasant meal together. The conversation had centred mainly around why the Ancestors had chosen not to record anything about the ship and Ancestors on the 'black box' recording, though there were no real conclusions to be found as yet.

With Ketra's sleepy chin resting on her lap, Teyla had enjoyed the variety of further discussions that had run into the evening hours, with Colonel Carter and the others from the IOA joining them for a late 'coffee'. Teyla was not overly keen on the drink's flavour, though John had tried to convince her to have some this evening as it was supposed to be energising. She had seen the telling sparkle in his eyes that told her that his motive was less than innocent in persuading her to try the stimulating drink again.

With the meal, drinks, and conversation all complete, they had all retired for the night, and she and John had finally been able to retreat to their quarters. There had been little resting since though.

After a shared shower and lovemaking in the washroom, they had moved to John's bed, where she now held a very pleasing position sat astride him.

His fingers were interlinked with hers, his body stretched out beneath her, and his manhood buried deep within her as she rocked her hips slowly and steady on him. His eyes were dark and intense, but his smile was soft and full of pleasure. Smiling down at him, she leaned her weight into their clasped hands and lifted herself a fraction and lowered again.

"Oh, yeah," John muttered with feeling and she grinned as she repeated the motion while he lifted his hips to meet her. Oh how she had missed this with him, this pleasurable ease and enjoyment together. And it was even more relaxing now, since they no longer had to steal what short time they had on his visits to Athos, hidden away in her quarters before they had to return to the official meetings. No, now they had all night together, and each night for the rest of the week during her stay in Atlantis. And she was more than willing to sacrifice her nights of sleep to reconnecting with John in every way possible.

John drew his fingers from hers and slid his hands around her sides, caressing down to her hips. Her hands free, she spread her palms on his wide, toned chest, and leaned her weight down onto him as she started increasing the speed of her motions. His hands gripped tightly around her hips, helping her move on him. His eyes were wide and he had stopped talking, which was always a very good sign that he was losing himself to the final stages of his pleasure. His lips were parted, his breathing fast and louder, his hands gripping a steady massage of her hips as they moved together. She increased her movements, squeezing him inside her with each rock of her hips and a flush of her own pleasure started moving up inside her, the growing, urging sensations speeding up her movements further.

He was gasping her name now, his hands massaging her breasts as she leaned further over him, pushing all of her weight down through her hands gripping his chest. Despite the growing passion, she found herself once again fixing her gaze on the top of his chest where the Wraith had fed upon him. Without meaning to, she was again looking for a hint of what had befallen him. But there was no sign of injury, he was instead strong, vital, and all hers again.

She straightened up from him, lifting her hands up to her own breasts, cupping his hands under hers as she ground down onto him. The wash of pleasure rushed up through her and she abandoned herself to it fully, throwing her head back and gripping John's hands tightly to her breasts, the rhythmic squeeze of his palms and the hard upwards thrust of him inside her throwing her further into the blissful release.

Why had she ever thought it wise to walk away from such pleasure with John?

He was groaning loud under her now, his body tight and shifting as his hands slid out from under hers, his sweeping caresses sliding down and over her belly. His fingers slid between her legs, rubbing her, arousing himself and pushing her release on further. Looking back down at him, she massaged her aching full breasts, his eyes locking with hers before sweeping down her body and up again. He was on the edge of his own release, so she started rocking on him again, squeezing him tightly inside her.

He moaned, his hands a near constant moving caress over her now as if he couldn't decide which part of her wanted to touch the most. A faint layer of sweat glistened over his skin and she reached down to his chest and belly, stroking her fingers over his moving body, glorying in the freedom to do so again. During their separation she had tried carefully not to think of remembered moments of such passion with him, but now she could once again allow her desire to run free. So, she settled her palms back on his shifting, flexing chest, and started to lift and lower herself, squeezing and releasing him, and keeping her eyes locked with his.

He did not last long.

She watched him reach his release, his eyes squeezing shut, his body becoming rigid under her and she rocked him tightly within her again. His hands were tight vice-like grips on her hips now, rocking her with his shuddering hips. She let him guide her as he needed, simply watching him, savouring every drip of pleasure with him.

With a last juddering sigh, his face and body relaxed, his head dropping to his pillow and his darkened eyes opened. Sliding herself up off him, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips before settling herself down over him. His arms surrounded her, just as they had this morning, and she pressed her flushed cheek to his chest, his fast breathing loud in her ear.

Oh how she had missed this.

She let out a long happy sigh, closed her eyes and just listened to his heartbeat as it started to slow from its fast race and settle into a steady rhythm beneath her.

After long silent moments simply breathing together, his hands began moving across her back again, long slow caressing soft strokes that ran lazily from her backside up to her neck and down again.

"Hey, no sleeping," he said, his voice sounding deep and relaxed.

She chuckled against his skin, but made no attempt to move from her very comfortable position, John's soft caresses admittedly quite soporific.

"See, this is why you need to start drinking coffee," he added.

"I would prefer ruus wine for that," she commented.

"Yeah, if you ignore the headache the next day."

"The trick is knowing how much is too much," she replied as she made herself lift her heavy head from his comforting support and settled herself on his chest, tucking her hands under her chin so she could smile at him.

He blinked rather sleepily as he looked up at her across the small distance between them, one of his hands sliding over her hair.

"How do you know how much is too much?" He asked as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear with his gentle warm fingers.

She suspected she knew what answer he was leading her towards. "Practice," she smiled down at him.

He chuckled, the vibration gently moving him under her. She grinned down at him as she reached one hand out to stroke along his jaw to his handsome chin.

"Research is always important," John replied with a returned sparkle in his eyes, but he felt very relaxed and still under her. She doubted he wished to restart their lovemaking just yet, but he had noticeably taken every available opportunity to flirt with her today. She had no complaints.

"Very much so," she flirted back as she settled her fingers on the top of his chest, though found herself once again considering the site where the Wraith's feeding mark had been.

John remained well and seemed, as predicted, to show no negative effects of the Wraith returning the life it took from him. If anything he clearly had plenty of energy, still she could not seem to so easily forget what she had witnessed him go through yesterday.

"I'm okay, Teyla," he said softly and she realised that, like last night, she had begun to silently soothe the site with her fingers as if that would somehow replace the pain he had gone through. She had not realised she had been showing her feelings so clearly, but then that had been their new agreement: for there to be no more barriers between them.

"I know," she replied, but a surprising well of emotion caught in her throat. "It is just that I almost lost you."

His hands cupped her face, his thumbs moving gently across her cheeks, wiping away the tears she hadn't been able to hold in. She closed her eyes as he repeated his touch, softly drying the saltwater from her skin.

She felt faintly embarrassed; she was an Elite warrior. Witnessing death and suffering had, unfortunately, been part of her life for a long time, and she had lost people who meant a great deal to her before. Yet, witnessing John in such pain had affected her in a way she hadn't experienced before. It was perhaps that she had felt so useless, unable to reach him, to help him, to save him from the repeated feedings. That his return to health was due to the actions of the very Wraith that had caused him such suffering felt conflicting and slightly disturbing.

"I'm okay," he repeated softly.

She fluttered her eyes open and smiled at him as best she could.

"I knew you'd find me," he told her, his voice quiet and his thumbs brushed across her cheeks again so tenderly that she had to blink away further tears.

"It was almost too late," she had to add.

"It wasn't though," he reassured her.

"If it had not been for the Wraith..." she sighed a little shakily.

"Yeah," he agreed, "life is weird."

She had to laugh at his understatement and his funny expression.

"You think he's going to tell his Wraith buddies how a group of Humans let him go?" John asked, clearly attempting to make a joke to lift her mood and she felt desperately grateful for it. "He probably smelt all of Human."

"He probably needed to take a bath after his release," she joined in.

"Gotta get that Human stink off somehow," John smiled as he ran the back of his fingers against her cheek and down to her chin.

"Are you saying that I stink?" She took up the distraction.

"No," he pulled his gaze from her lips. "You smell good," he stretched out the word.

She chuckled as she pushed herself forward the small distance it took to reach his lips with her own. His kiss was soft and slow, his hands in her hair and his body warm and alive under her.

She had never imagined a day in which she would be grateful for a Wraith, yet she could not deny the truth of that fact today.

Today she owed a Wraith for the return of her wonderful Husband.

Life was, indeed, very weird.

She smiled into John's kiss as he wrapped his arms around her and started rolling them, tucking her under him, his weight over her that glorious new discovery she had found since his return.

She doubted she would ever be able to forget the pain of witnessing what had happened to him yesterday, but she would strive to never again turn away from such a wonderful gift as John was to her.

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The soft press of the grass under his cheek was an old memory, the scent of the small flowers scattered across the field filling his nose where he lay. Lying on the field, his arms spread across the grass and the strong summer Ugun sun warming his back, memories danced around him.

There was occasionally the sensation of floating, drifting between places and memories, but none of them were sharp enough for him to concentrate on.

Instead, there was simply the warmth, the sense of remembered contentment, and the sense of those he loved nearby.

At times he could hear the giggle of one of his sisters and the laughing shout of a brother, but there were other voices too.

Names seemed linked to those voices as they arrived and drifted away, but he didn't worry about focusing on those details. He just breathed in the soft grass under him, somehow knowing that the summer's day would remain endless around him.

The soft breeze would always stir his hair and the field grass tickle his nose.

And, high above, a bird called. A whisperer.

She was close by, but, again, he didn't worry about where. She was nearby and that was fine.

In the further distance, he could hear the ringing clang of hammer on anvil, Father hard at work in the forge. The old smells of the smoky plumes and the sharp scent of worked metal mixed with the soft fragrance of the field.

There were other places beyond the far edge of the field, but he didn't worry about them. Places where dreams and memories were unkind, dark and old, but here, in the field, there was only peace.

He was safe.

He could simply sleep in the field under the warm sun.

So, Oneakka slept on, his whisperers close by his side.

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TBC