So I decuded to continue the story... had to up the rating for some suggestiveness :)
John could hear the music coming from Teyla's room before he even turned the corner. It sounded like pipes; a more classically trained ear, Rodney's perhaps, would call it airy, light, ethereal. John just called it Teyla's music.
The Athosians didn't have any sort of sound recording devices, but as John rounded the corner, he confirmed that the music was coming from the small CD player he'd given her last month. A few CDs were stacked next to it; John recognized all of them as ones he'd given her. He smirked a little at the Orleans CD that sat near the top of the stack.
The CD case on top was open, empty, and John could see before he entered the room that it didn't have a cover. John walked towards the CD player and the stack of cases, momentarily forgetting where he was and why he was there in the first place.
"John." Teyla's voice, calm as ever, came from behind him as he touched the case. He jumped back, his hand flying to rest behind his back.
"I wasn't – I was just…" John's voice trailed off. Teyla raised her eyebrows, amused.
"That CD case is for the music currently playing," she said, turning away from John. He noticed for the first time that she wasn't wearing her usual outfit. Instead, she wore sort of a loose dress – a pale green thing that clung to her top before flowing from her waist to her knees. He also noticed with interest that the dress dipped low in the back – so low that he imagined that he could see-
And then Teyla was turning back around, and John was rocking back on his heels, a smile on his face. She raised an eyebrow again. She knew that he had been looking.
"Dr. Haller helped me record this music," she said, indicating the CD player. "She believes that music is very important to culture. I happen to agree." She moved away from him again, crossing the room with intricate steps. John realized that the steps were perfectly timed to the music. He watched her feet as they crossed, paused, moved forward, floated back. John heard her laugh slightly and for a moment thought that it was part of the music.
"This is Athosian dancing," Teyla said. "The song is played while the crops are growing." She smiled at him. "It was a belief among my people, long ago, that dancing for the crops made the harvest more plentiful."
John narrowed his eyes at her. "You dance for plants?" he clarified.
"It is one dance among many," she affirmed, still smiling, still dancing. "This was always my favorite dance."
"And why's that?" he asked, stepping back as she made a sweeping motion that brought her to a stop right in front of him.
Teyla only smiled wider. She grabbed his hands in her own and moved backwards. John stumbled forward, a look of surprise crossing his face.
"There are two ways to perform the dance," she explained. As she spoke, her hands and feet were moving, and he found himself trying to follow her lead, not quite knowing what he was doing. He felt like a fool, crossing his feet over each other awkwardly, moving forward towards her and backwards away from her, trying to mirror her own movements. "The first dance you saw when you arrived. It is done in a group, and each dancer performs the same movements."
John's feet felt a little surer beneath him now, though he still wouldn't say that he had a clue what he was doing. He anticipated the pattern that his feet should be following and stepped through it almost mechanically, still listening as Teyla spoke.
"But I prefer the other form," Teyla said, suddenly spinning around and smacking straight into John's chest. His arms automatically rose to steady her, and he kept his arms around her waist, preventing her from moving away. He smirked down at her.
"And what would that be?" he asked, feeling a slight edge of victory without really knowing why. Teyla smiled, a little deviously, and John's eyes widened as she suddenly leaned back in his embrace, arms above her head. One of her legs rose to curl around his lower back, and John leaned back, bracing their combined weights. His arms shifted as she moved, still dancing, though neither of them were moving their feet. Her movements were graceful and seemed unhurried though the music's tempo was quite fast. Her leg slid from his back and John shifted again as she straightened in his arms. Teyla's arms looped around his head, pulling them together tightly as her embrace dropped lower around his back. Then she was sliding her hands down his arms, catching his hands, and they were moving again, feet and hands and arms, twirling and stepping in time, and though John was absolutely certain that he was going to trip and kill them both at any second, they stayed upright.
The music came to an end with a long, low note held steadily, fading into silence. John blinked, wondering how he hadn't killed the both of them, and noticed the final position of the dance. He was standing, feet shoulder width apart, arms wrapped around Teyla's back. She stood, her body pressed to him, arms snaked around his back; one reached up and across, hand landing on his shoulder, while the other clung tightly around his waist.
They stood like that for a moment, neither really wanting to break the spell. John finally cleared his throat, and Teyla's arms loosened as she looked up at him. She smiled.
"I find myself wondering again why you say that you do not dance," she said, resting her hands on his arms. "Those are very intricate steps, and I am certain that yo have never seen them before, yet you executed each one perfectly. And," she said, smile turning into a smirk, "you did not drop me."
"It was close," John muttered, looking down at her through narrowed eyes. "You could have warned me you were just gonna drop all your weight on me all at once there."
Teyla nodded. "I suppose I could have," she said, with mock thoughtfulness. "But you did so well on your own."
"And this is a dance for the harvest?" he asked again, recalling exactly how close they had been and how… suggestive… some of the moves had seemed. "You sure you didn't get it mixed up with some other sort of dance?"
Teyla laughed, and he knew that she caught what he was suggesting. "There are dances for that as well," she said. "They are more… provocative."
More provocative? John felt his eyes widen a little. The way she'd been wriggling around there… if he hadn't been so concerned with dropping her… well, the dancing would've turned into something else entirely, he was sure of that.
"This dance is meant to show the strength of those wishing a bountiful harvest," she explained. "The man displays how strong he is, supporting the woman as she gives thanks. In this way, my forefathers believed they could show that they deserved a plentiful return from their sowing."
"Oh," was all John could come up with as a reply. Another song had started after a moment's silence, and the music was haunting, slow and quiet. Teyla's feet were staring to wander again, and John walked to the CD player and hit the button, stopping the music and her movements.
"Anyway, maybe we can continue the dance lessons later. I was just stopping by to see if you were hungry," he said, remembering the original reason for his visit. "I talked Marlena from the commissary into making turkey for dinner and I thought you might be interested. She said she'd make some stuffing and sweet potatoes to go with it," he added, and Teyla's eyes lit.
"Indeed," she said. "I am hungry, and I do enjoy sweet potatoes."
John laughed as they exited her quarters. "You more than enjoy sweet potatoes," he teased. "You crave them. You love them."
"Perhaps," Teyla conceded. "They remind me of arachon root. We used to grow it on Old Athos." She looked directly at him and smiled again. "It is for that harvest that I first learned the dance."
John grinned back at her. "Then I think I like arachon root too," he said, sliding his arm back around her waist as they continued their walk. He felt the fabric of her dress where he usually felt the rough material of her trousers and stopped walking. "Hey, did you want to change out of the dress before we ate?"
Teyla smiled and kept walking. "I will keep it on," she said, "Perhaps I will show you that other kind of dance after dinner."
John's feet nearly tripped him as he hurried to catch up to her. "That other kind of dance?" he asked, slightly rushing his words. She smirked up at him and twirled out of his grasp, hurrying into the commissary.
"We shall see," she said back over her shoulder, laughing as he quickened his pace and darted past her to load up their food trays.
"Suddenly, you seem hungrier," she observed, looking down at the overloaded trays between them a moment later. Teyla grabbed a fork and began to eat the pile of sweet potatoes that were overflowing from a bowl on one of the trays. She looked up and noticed John eating with a singular focus, staring straight at her as he almost mechanically shoved food into his mouth.
"Suddenly, I find myself wanting some more dance lessons," he said, voice low. She raised an eyebrow and began to eat more quickly herself.
They continued that way for a moment, nearly finishing all of the food on their combined trays, neither breaking the gaze that they shared, until Rodney clattered down next to them.
"So you never asked how my date went," he began, already chewing on a buttered roll. "I made another copy of that CD I left at your place, Sheppard, and it was really a hit. Apparently my intel was right, and she loves to dance, and even though I never really prided myself on being much of a dancer, I think I did all right. I mean, I'm seeing her again later this week, so I guess I didn't tread too heavily on her toes." He finally paused and looked up. Ronon sat across from him, one eyebrow raised.
"Who're you talking to?" Ronon asked, beginning his own meal. Rodney rolled his eyes.
"To…" he trailed of as he turned to where Teyla had been sitting only a moment before. "Oh. Wonder where they went?"
Ronon chuckled. "Oh, Sheppard and Teyla?" He smirked as he nodded his head towards the far door. "I wouldn't wonder too hard about it."
"Oh," Rodney said, blinking. Then, "Oh. Oh." He dug his fork blindly into his plate, feeling his face heat up as he ate. "Well, okay then." His face brightened a bit as he looked up at Ronon. "Did I tell you about my date with Dr. Haller?"