Finding Middle Ground

Teyla glanced up at the clear blue sky and smiled. It was so beautiful here, it always was. She looked down the hill at the small village in the valley below. She could see the wooden cabins, the shops, the church, and the town hall. It was just as she remembered. It had been a long time since she had been here and it appeared as if nothing had changed.

"What did you say the name of this town was?"

She glanced over her shoulder at Ronon.

"Clantor."

"That the welcome wagon?"

Teyla, surprised to hear a word from John, glanced at him and then looked down the hill.

"I believe so."

They reached the bottom of the hill and continued to the main road of the village. There, they were met by a party of five; four men and an older woman. When the two groups came together, the woman gasped.

"Teyla? Teyla, is that you?"

Teyla smiled.

"Yes Marta, it is I."

As the women greeted each other, one of the men stepped forward, but glares from John and Ronon gave him pause.

"Dear child, we thought you were dead."

"I am very much alive. As are many of the Athosians."

Marta glanced at her from head to toe.

"It was you."

Teyla's brow rose.

"Excuse me?"

Marta clapped her hands in joy.

"I had a dream that someone was pregnant. She was familiar to me, but she was not of this village. It was you."

Teyla smiled.

"This is true?"

Both women turned to a tall man with blond hair and green eyes. Marta frowned at him.

"Yathan, did I not just say so?"

She turned back to Teyla.

"It is not your first. You are mated."

Teyla nodded.

"Yes."

She turned to John.

"Lt. Col. John Sheppard, may I present Marta Chan, a member of the Clantor council."

John smiled and bowed his head slightly in greeting.

"Marta, this is Dr. Rodney McKay, Lt. Aiden Ford, and Specialist Ronon Dex."

Marta studied each man before turning back to Teyla. She squeezed her hand.

"You are very lucky dear, each of these men care for you."

She tilted her head.

"And you them."

Teyla looked at John, who steadily returned her gaze. She also looked at Aiden, who'd begun to fidget, Ronon, whose cheeks were slightly pink, and Rodney, who had a sudden itch in his throat that he couldn't get rid of.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Clantor. This way please, the council will wish to speak to you."

Teyla lay in bed. She needed to talk to John about something and was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it. With patience and reason she hoped to bring him around to her way of thinking, but knew that it would take some time. Teyla only prayed that it didn't take a whole six months. She stilled as the bathroom door slid open, watching as John entered the room. He walked across the bedroom and placed his bundled uniform and towel in the laundry, before climbing into bed. John pulled Teyla close and kissed the nape of her neck. He ran his hand over the curve of her stomach and let out a long sigh. Teyla rested her hand on top of his.

"You are tired?"

He groaned.

"Your day was busy?"

"Mmm hhmm, you?"

"I had my check up with Carson this morning."

John rose resting on his elbow.

"What did the good doctor say?"

She turned over to face him.

"The baby and I are both fine. He also said that I could return to active duty, with restrictions of course."

John's brow knotted.

"Why would he say that?"

Teyla took a deep breath.

"Because I asked him to."

"Why would you do that?"

"Is it not customary for the women of your military to remain on restricted duty until it is no longer safe for them to work?"

He smirked.

"Got a pressing mission, do you?"

"No, but there may be other reasons for me to go off world."

Another smart remark teetered on the tip of his tongue until he noticed how still she was. She was serious. John frowned.

"There is no need for you to go off world, besides it's too dangerous."

Teyla glanced around the town hall chamber. It was one of four in the long, narrow building. This room was just large enough to fit a long table and several chairs. Its floors, walls, and ceiling were all made of wood and there were two shuttered-less windows that allowed air to circulate. Aiden leaned back in his chair.

"What's the story with Marta? Is she a fortune teller or something?"

Teyla shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Marta was born with the sight. It allows her to see things."

Ronon frowned.

"How so?"

"She says that she sees a spectrum of colors surrounding each person's body. Each color represents an emotion or general thought. As to her dreams, she is unsure when they began. They are not always clear and sometimes take months before she makes a connection. Her abilities have made her an important member of the council."

"And Yathan?"

Teyla looked at John.

"He is Marta's son."

The chamber door opened. They stood from their seats as the council members entered the room. Once everyone was seated, a plump man with grey curly hair began the introductions.

"I am Conor Ord."

He pointed to the people to his left.

"This is Jan Barton and Oliver Cole. We, along with Marta, make up the council of Clantor. Welcome."

Marta introduced the Atlantian team. Conor smiled at Teyla.

"Daughter of Tagan, I remember your father well. He was a man of great honor. We consider the Athosians to be allies and hope to continue to do so for many years to come. Your friends are our friends. How may we be of assistance?"

Teyla glanced at John.

"I may be needed occasionally for missions."

He sat up in the bed.

"There are others who can take your place."

She sat up as well.

"Surely, there would be no harm in my going on a diplomatic mission. It would be safe."

"Teyla, they're all 'diplomatic' missions and you've seen how quickly things can go wrong."

"John, I do not speak of missions that may require combat. I am referring to visits to planets that the Athosians have traded with in the past. Those with whom we are familiar, our friends."

"You mean like the Genii?"

Teyla frowned.

"I can just as easily have an accident here, as I could off world. What difference would it make?"

"The difference is that a majority of the planets we trade with are primitive at best. And if something were to happen to you or you were cut off from the gate, the changes of you dying would significantly increase. Here, we have Carson and Ancient technology that could help save you."

"John-."

"No."

"But-"

"No!"

"Once Carson puts me on restricted duty, I could talk to Elizabeth."

John glared at Teyla.

"You can talk to Elizabeth until you're blue in the face, but it doesn't mean you're getting off this planet."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really."

He nodded.

"Yes, really."

She tilted her head.

"And who, exactly, is to keep me from leaving?"

John grinned. Teyla smirked.

"Well, in that case I can leave whenever I wish."

She turned to get out of the bed, but soon found herself pinned to it. He glanced down at her, all hints of amusement gone from his face. John leaned forward, kissing her deeply. He pulled back and softly brushed his lips against hers.

"No Teyla."

Teyla leaned against the well, drinking deeply from the cup. She took a handkerchief from her pocket and wet it. Holder the damp cloth to her forehead, she sighed. The cool water felt good. After two hours of talking, the air in the council chamber had become hot and stuffy. She'd soon begun to feel lightheaded. When a break was called, Teyla had made her escape before anyone could detain her. She jerked around at the sound of pebbles scattering. Yathan stood on the far side of the well. He slowly walked over to her.

"I can not believe that you are alive and well."

He stared at her face.

"I keep thinking of when last we spoke."

"Yathan do not-."

He smiled.

"It is okay, Teyla. I understand why you turned down my proposal, you were not ready."

Gently, he grasped her hand.

"It is just that…… I waited. For one year, I waited for you. When we came to Athos and found your dwellings destroyed and all of your people gone, we knew that the Wraith had taken you."

She nodded.

"They did. We were attacked, but John and his people were able to provide us with shelter."

Yathan sighed.

"I mourned you. It took some time, but eventually I was able to find some peace in the thought of you at rest with the Ancestors."

He smiled.

"I even began to think that maybe you were watching over me from the Heavens. For years it kept me going, until I found Kate."

Teyla smiled, pulling her hand free.

"You have married?"

He shook his head.

"No, we are engaged. She reminds me of you. Your spirit, your fire, she even looks a little like you. I thought it would be enough."

She frowned.

"Yathan,-."

"But now, seeing you here-."

"Teyla, are you okay?"

She turned as John approached.

"Yes."

He looked from her to Yathan.

"The council is ready to resume talks."

She walked to his side.

"I am ready."

Teyla glance back at Yathan.

"It was good to see you again. I wish you and Kate well. May the Ancestors keep you safe."

"I called this meeting because we have received data from Earth about a device that could help us in our fight against the Wraith."

Elizabeth glanced around the conference table.

"There is, of course, a slight problem."

John sighed.

"Surprise, surprise."

"Dr. Jackson's research shows that the address for the planet where he believes the device to be located is incomplete."

Elizabeth glanced at Teyla.

"But he was hoping that the Athosians might be familiar with it."

She handed Teyla a digital tablet.

"Daniel gives a detailed description of the planet and its location."

Caldwell leaned forward.

"But what about the device itself, what does it do?"

"Of that, we are unsure. All we know is that it is said to have great power."

"But not enough power to save the Ancients."

Elizabeth sighed.

"No Colonel, but it may buy us some time the next time the Wraith decide to attack Atlantis."

Caldwell nodded.

"True, but we have to find it first."

They both turned to Teyla. She nodded at Elizabeth.

"I am familiar with the planet. It is called Clanthos, the village you seek is Clantor. The Athosians have traded with them on many occasions, but it was some time ago."

Rodney smiled.

"So you know the gate address?"

Teyla glanced at John.

"Yes."

He rose from his chair.

"Please excuse us for a moment."

John walked around the conference table, stopping briefly to assist Teyla from her chair. The others watched as they stepped into the hall for a private discussion.

"Teyla, now is not the time."

"But John, this could be a trial. The Clantors are good friends of the Athosians, safety is not an issue."

"Teyla-."

"Try to see this from my side. How would you feel if someone told you, right now, that you could not go off world for six months? You would drive us all insane inside of a month. You nearly did once and that was because you and Ronon ate that strange fruit from Mantu."

"Yeah and my skin changed colors."

"But other than that you were fine. When Carson refused to let you go on a rescue mission, you were livid."

John sighed.

"I see your point, I do, but I still think it's too dangerous."

Five minutes later, they returned to the conference room and resumed their seats. Everyone looked at Teyla. "I would like to go to Clanthos as a liaison." Caldwell frowned. "Is gate travel considered safe for someone in your condition?"

Teyla hummed softly, as she rocked back in forth in the chair. She smiled at Jared, who was desperately trying to fight falling asleep. A few minutes later she rose and placed the toddler in his crib. Teyla climbed into bed. She snuggled next to John, who wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Teyla?"

She glanced at him.

"Yes."

"I relented this time, but it won't happen again."

She sighed.

"I figured as much. I saw the stubborn look on your face in the conference room. If Caldwell had not offered to take us on the Daedalus and Carson had not volunteered to go along, I do not think you would have budged at all."

"Probably not. It was the thought of being able to beam you off the planet at the first sign of trouble that swung the ball in your favor. I was tempted to do so when I saw you at the well."

"I know."

"I did this because I want you to understand I'm not putting restrictions on you to hurt you, but because you affect everyone around you. Ronon, Aiden, Rodney, Carson, and even Caldwell were all distracted with concerns for your safety. That can be dangerous." Teyla slowly smiled.

"Do not worry. I am content, for now."

John leaned over Teyla until their noses touched.

"When is a pregnant woman ever content?"

Her response was cut off by his kiss, so she pinched him instead.