DAY 5 – DRIVE

Chapter 7 – Bitter Sweet

Despite the eventful start to her stay in Atlantis, the remainder of her weeklong stay had been very enjoyable.

Teyla felt as if she had met hundreds of John's people these last few days, with more having arrived from Earth to meet her and Si. The trade discussions had gone exceptionally well so far and Teyla had plenty to take back and present to the other Elite. She had no doubt that the trade contract would be agreed within weeks, with only small technical details to be clarified and agreed. Colonel Carter and the IOA representatives had all been very agreeable, open to compromise, and had renewed her confidence that John's people were truly engaged with the contract. Despite the repercussions of Kolya's actions within the Alliance, of which poor Father was taking quite an attack for his steadfast response to trading with the Genii, it was pleasing that the relationship between the Elite and Atlantis seemed only stronger.

As she and John had intended, their Political Marriage was providing significant opportunities for both their peoples and the galaxy as a whole.

And Oneakka was still alive and slowly healing. Though still in a medicated stupor, his Healer was pleased with his progress. She had been visiting his bedside throughout the week, and she believed she was not fooling herself in thinking that Oneakka looked a little better each visit. Halling had remained close to his side, while also overseeing the response to the Skerti threat, and all seemed certain that Oneakka would wake soon.

So, despite the initial horrors and stress of the week, it had actually turned into a success.

And especially so in regards to her relationship with John.

It had been wonderful to spend so many days with him. After enough excuse-riddled appearances during the initial days, Colonel Carter had finally given into John's requests for him to be allowed back on duty and play a part in the trade negotiations and discussions once again. So she had spent the last few days with John almost all the hours of the day and night, and it had felt wonderfully satisfying to work with him to forge the ties between their people as their Political Marriage had been intended.

Of course, their nights together had been her most favourite times. She had slept very little this week, and though she could feel the edge of sleep deprivation around her thoughts, she also felt somehow recharged from her time once again in John's arms. Besides, she could catch up on her sleep once she was back in the Alliance.

They had spent so hours through the nights talking and reconnecting like never before. It felt like both of them had wished to cram as much time together in as they could, if not making love or snoozing in each other's arms, then telling each other stories of their lives before they had met. John had told her detailed stories of his younger years, explaining the years that went into his education and then military training, and how he had loved aircraft since he had been a small boy. She had been fascinated to hear all the details she could, and she could now describe the layout of his boyhood bedroom, the movies he had loved, and the many replica aircraft he had made and hung from his ceiling.

In turn, John had asked her numerous questions about growing up in the forest camp, of her daily childhood routine and how the family tent had been set out. She'd told him of small childhood adventures she'd had with friends pretending to be Elite fighting Wraith along the edge of the trees. She'd told him about the day Zabetha had been born, the day they'd lost Mother, and her first night living in the Governing Complex in Tjaru after Father had been elected Leader.

Her days and her nights had been full, and yet she felt deeply happy.

Though, this afternoon had reduced her joy somewhat, but inevitably this week was always going to end. Within the hour, she and Si would be leaving Atlantis. They had been given an hour to pack up their things, though Si had already done so and was down in the gym for one last sparing session with a large group of Atlantis' warriors who had been sharing combat skills with him all week.

Which had left her with enough time to have a passionate shared shower with John, to dress to depart, and pack up her things.

She pulled open the drawers of the side unit she had been using to house her clothes this past week. She checked through each one, but she had removed everything. She turned on the spot and scanned her eyes around the room one last time.

"You got everything out your bathroom?" John's voice called in through the open adjoining door between the two sides of their quarters.

"Yes," she called back, having checked in there already and also John's bathroom as well.

"You can leave some stuff if you want," he added, entirely contradicting his last question.

She smiled as she pressed down on her clothes and worked to close up her bag. It was far more difficult than when she had packed the bag to come here, for she had decided to take the colourful blanket that John had given her. She could leave it here, but she had wanted to take a part of this time with her, having something from John in her quarters in Athos and the Facility. John had grinned widely when she'd told him that she liked the blanket so much she was taking it so she could keep it with her wherever she happened to sleep. He had promised to get her more things for her room, and she had to wonder how packed full her side of their adjoined quarters would be the next time she visited.

"You could even leave yourself here," John suggested from the next room. He had remained in there with Ketra, who had fallen asleep draped over his legs when he had sat on the floor with her. "We could try hiding you in the shower, say you'd left already."

Teyla laughed at the ridiculous suggestion, but she understood what he was saying – he was going to miss her and didn't want her to leave. She didn't want to leave him either, though she was also looking forward to returning to the Alliance. The ideal solution would be to take him with her, but he had his duties. Hopefully the date for the planned banquet on Athos would be confirmed quickly and he could visit Athos for a short stay with her very soon.

Her bag closed and everything packed up, she ran her hands over her mostly unused bed; well, not entirely unused, for clearly Ketra had taken to sleeping on it since it was free every night. Teyla hadn't had the heart to stop her, and, besides, it certainly helped sell the idea that the bed had been used during her stay.

The bed's sheets smoothed out somewhat, she stood up and consulted her wrist timepiece. There was still a little time left to sit with John before she left.

She collected up her bag and set it up on the side unit's surface alongside her weapons, and laid her jacket over the top. As she did, a pad almost dropped out of one of the jacket's pockets. She caught the pad and turned it on, glancing at the list of reminders she had made for herself during the stay; matters she had wanted to ensure she discussed with Colonel Carter or John, and matters she had noted from discussions here to follow up on with her fellow Elite. She scanned through the end of the list and realised that she had forgotten one last small matter.

She turned off the pad and slid it back into her jacket pocket and headed for the adjoining doorway. "I am all packed," she confirmed to John as she re-entered his side of their quarters.

John looked up from his spot on the floor, his back against the side of his bed, and Ketra fast asleep draped over his legs. Ketra had stayed very close to him this morning, almost as if she knew that they were going to be leaving him soon.

Teyla had spent some of her time this week with Dr Petri studying the Ancestral database's information on Ketra's species. One area of particular fascination was the emotional empathy that the Ancestors had apparently studied in Ketra's kind. She and Dr Petri had gone through all they could find on the matter and had even tried some experiments to test the theory. They had been largely unsuccessful, as Ketra had just seemed confused by Teyla trying to think emotions at her. Growing bored of the experiments, Ketra had simply wandered away to follow her new hobby of tormenting Dr Petri' parrot, Sparrow. Dr Petri had plenty of other ideas on how to test the empathic skills, but Teyla made a mental note to speak to Nalla about the matter. Nalla had previously confirmed that she could read other animals, not just humans and Wraith, so Teyla wondered if Nalla could confirm whether Ketra was picking up her emotions.

Ketra was certainly very comfortable now in Atlantis, her former shyness gone and those in Atlantis all seemed very captivated by her. Unlike in the Alliance, where there were plenty of old scary stories about Ketra's species, those from Earth seemed nothing but fascinated. John had explained that on his world a large majority of people had pets of various species and were fascinated with wild animals.

Ketra was certainly very far from a wild animal now, as she was snoring loudly across John's lap. This morning's skateboard 'run' had worn her out again, but clearly it was doing her good. Though Teyla wondered if perhaps Ketra was getting enough exercise back home. Now she was almost at her mature height and weight, it was possible that Ketra now needed a more physical workout, as she clearly delighted in her runs with John along Atlantis piers.

Lifting her eyes from her sleeping pet, Teyla settled down on the edge of John's bed, her knee against his shoulder. "One matter I had forgotten to pass along to you from yesterday is Seeal's thanks for the Earth music you provided for her."

"Oneakka used the bribe, huh?" John grinned up at her, his free arm settling around her leg, his hand on her knee.

"Apparently," Teyla agreed, though she was not sure of the exact details as to when Oneakka had given Seeal the music collection that John had provided.

"She likes the tunes though right?" John asked, seeming excited about the issue. It had become very clear to her this week that John liked music and often had some playing in his quarters, and she was growing rather used to the variation of the music from his world.

"She said that she very much enjoys all the music," Teyla confirmed.

"She's got good taste," John smiled, clearly very pleased with the news.

"What sort of music did you give to give her?" Teyla asked. Though she had known about the music collection Oneakka had requested from John, she wasn't sure if she had already heard the music collection during her stay.

John quickly looked at his wrist timepiece and then grinned up at her. "We've got enough time if you wanna hear some it?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with no small amount of mischievousness.

"Yes, please," she smiled wondering what he was up to.

"Cool," he gently shifted Ketra's head and long neck off his legs, which was greeted with some dragon grumbles, but Ketra quickly settled her chin on the floor instead and her eyes drifted shut as John climbed to his feet.

"I'll play you some of my favourites from the list," John declared as he headed to where his flat Earth computer sat on the side. He could have asked her to bring it to him, but clearly he had wanted to get up for it. He definitely had something planned.

As he worked on the computer, he glanced round at her. "First, I'll play you my theme tune," he grinned.

"Theme tune?" She asked, his grin suggesting there was a joke to this.

"As in it describes me and who I am," he explained, his tone seemingly serious now, but she was not fooled.

"Then I am very much looking forward to hearing about you in musical form," she replied as she drew her legs up onto his bed, crossing them into a comfortable position.

"Here we go," he uttered as he tapped a control on the computer with a flourish and turned towards her.

Several quick beats echoed loudly out of the speakers behind him and then a voice started.

"Some people call me the Space Cowboy," the voice stated and John sung along with it, pointing to himself with both hands.

Teyla laughed at the words, but also the unexpected display.

"Yeah," John sang next with feeling, starting to move towards her with a playful seductive expression.

"Some call me the gangster of love," John sang along next, drawing out the word 'love' as he swung his hips one way and then the other.

She couldn't stop herself laughing happily.

"Some people call me Maurice," was the next line, but John performed it as if he was confused at the name. "'Cause I speak of the pompatus of love."

"Pompatus?" Teyla tried the strange word. It had not translated to her.

"People talk about me baby, say I'm doin' you wrong, doin' you wrong," John continued with feeling, moving in time with the rhythm as he moved closer. "Well don't you worry, baby, don't worry," he sang to her as if reassuring her. "'Cause I'm right here at home," he said with feeling.

She laughed in delight.

"'Cause I'm a picker. I'm a grinner. I'm a lover," he waggled his hips seductively this time, almost to her on the bed. "And I'm a sinner," he winked as he leant in down towards her.

She reached up and set her fingers against his chin as she met his kiss, the music continuing in the background.

He pulled his lips from hers. "You wanna dance with me, pretty lady?" He asked in a slightly unusual accent, slurring his words slightly. She suspected it was part of the 'space cowboy' persona he was playing.

"Of course," she agreed readily, climbing up from her crossed legged position on the bed. He held one of her hands as she stepped to the floor and his free arm wrapped around her middle.

"Show you how to dance Earth-style," he smiled as he pulled her tight up against his body.

She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pressed herself even closer as he moved them side to side along with the now wordless music.

"I am not so sure this is an exclusively Earth style of dancing," she informed him as they moved together.

"Sure it is," he grinned back as he folded their joined hands in-between them, holding the back of her hand up against the middle of his chest.

The music shifted and the voice returned, and, once again, John began to sing along with it.

"You're the cutest thing that I ever did see," he sang to her with feeling and she felt herself growing a little warm with delight. "I really love your peaches," he added with a glance down at her chest and she shook her head at him playfully. "Wanna shake your tree," he sang as he lifted both his eyebrows suggestively which, had they no restriction on time, would no doubt have led to them tumbling back onto his bed.

But there was no more time for that, regretfully.

So she drew her hand over his shoulder and stroked her fingers against his cheek. He pressed his cheek into her touch before she rose up a little on her toes to press her mouth to his.

His mouth softened to hers immediately, moulding close and moving passionately slow. As the kiss lingered, they kept swaying with the music, their bodies moving together as one.

As the music eventually drifted away, silence filling the air, their mouths parted, but she kept her eyes closed to savour the moment. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and then gently brushed his lips against her skin.

"You sure you don't want to stay here with me forever?" He asked quietly against her temple.

She opened her eyes, the two of them still moving to a silent song that their bodies could still hear, and smiled up at him.

"We could shut ourselves away," he continued with his plan. "Eating takeout, drinking Athosian tea, and making out."

"It sounds wonderful, but we would need to leave eventually," she pointed out.

"I think we could make it," he disagreed as if it was a military strategy. She grinned up at him as she stroked her fingertips through his hair at the back of his warm neck.

"We could push the two beds together, make one big bed," he suggested, which sounded a very good idea to her.

"We have my large new bed in Tjaru to try out together," she recalled.

"Oh yeah," he grinned at the idea. "Our wedding gift."

"We shall try it out as soon as we can when you visit in the next week or so," she promised him.

He nodded, but his smile was falling away. "Just make sure to take care of yourself out there," he asked her. She suspected that Oneakka's near death had spooked John a little, bringing her dangerous life into all too sharp focus for him.

"I promise," she reassured him. "And you need to promise to watch where you are walking."

He made a show of rolling his eyes. "You fall down one muddy pit..."

She laughed happily. "We shall have time together on Athos, and we can walk through the courtyards together, sit in the Orchard under the moonlight."

"You've got yourself date," John promised.

She smiled back, but her own melancholy was starting to settle in. She did not want to leave him.

John was the one to lift his arm to check the time. "We've gotta go," he confirmed the bad news and stopped their soft, gentle swaying together.

She nodded her agreement as she stilled with him, but she didn't let go of him yet. "Thank you for these days, my love," she told him softly.

He smiled softly back. "You're welcome any time," he told her. "Wifey," he added. It had become something of a nickname, on the surface a teasing joke, but underneath full of love. That, she realised, was a far more accurate description of him than as a 'space cowboy'.

He dipped his head and she pressed her lips against his for their last kiss before her departure.

There would be official words exchanged in the Gate Room, confirmations of trade and a new strong friendship between the Elite, Athos, and Atlantis, and perhaps some ceremony before she and Si left.

But this was her proper goodbye, and her last chance to be alone with her John for her stay.

She felt the tears in her eyes through the kiss, felt the instinctive urge to stay with him, and the simmering fear that something might happen to him while they were apart. But neither of them could change the reality of their lives.

So, she sank into the kiss, her last for too many days, and let herself drift in his love for the seconds they had left together.

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TBC