New chapter...YAY! So, I just wrote this...and I had to rewrite the end of it. LOL. Turned out WAY TOO RAUNCHY for y'all to read. WAY. Like...I'd have to up the rating, so I took it out. LOL.
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Chapter Nine: On Top
Atlantis, with all its wonders and awesomeness, was much like a maze. To get where you want to go, its best if you've been there before, or have a guide who can help. Some of the Athosians often compare finding their way about the cavernous city to finding spirituality, done best with close guidance and often with fantastical results.
Not that Gordy knew any of this. What he did know was that he hated to be lost, and felt very much the fool when he found himself standing in front of his assigned temporary quarters yet again for the sixth time. He was nowhere near to achieving the nirvana associated with actually arriving where you intended to go. (On another note, Colonel Sheppard often finds it restful to idly walk the corridors of Atlantis, sometimes with Ronon at his side, and together the two of them know their way around the city better than many of the maintenance people).
The soft music of laughter behind him had the tall dark man turning and glowering at the laughter. Teyla and Sheppard were clearly amused with the obviously disoriented man. It earned them his signature "Do that again and you're dead" look (not that he'd copyrighted it since it seemed that every thug this side of the Milky Way had the exact same look, though admittedly the Wraith "thugs" had perfected it). "Why are you laughing?"
"We've been following you for half an hour," Shep said as he looped his arm into the warrior's much larger one. For some reason, despite the circumstances, he liked Gordy. The fact that the man was hell-bent on protecting Elizabeth made it easy.
Teyla took his other arm and continued to laugh softly. "It was most amusing. We'd have assisted, but we thought you might be...what did you say about it, John? 'Up to no good'?"
Sheppard nodded, now actively leading Gordy, and be extension, Teyla, to the cafeteria. "It's one of those colorful Earthly colloquialisms."
"That is a very large word, John," Teyla said with an amused smile. "Elizabeth would be most proud."
"Speaking of Elizabeth," Sheppard led in (this conversation had been rehearsed between Teyla and himself about twenty times before they went to find Gordy or Shalimar to try it out on), "What's up with the whole He-Man sleeping in her room? Is he taking advantage of her?"
Gordy laughed, loud and robust (total warrior laugh, all manly and amused), before struggling to find his breath to speak. "Hardly. Shalimar is honorable, and would never take advantage of a woman in her condition. For all we know, she could be mated."
"She's not," Teyla said, all googly-eyes and pouting lips, "are you?"
"Teyla," Sheppard hissed behind Gordy's back, his eyes full of murder, "stay on subject."
She shrugged and stared up at Gordy. "Is Shalimar with someone back on your world?"
"No, on my world warriors remain without mate until such time as they are no longer needed to fight," it was a necessity of his life. Any encounters with females would be short and sweet, until he was high enough in rank, or too old to be of much use on the battlefield anymore. Now that much of the fighting of his people's past was over, one would think the leaders would relax the ordinance, try to repopulate their world, however, it had not happened yet.
"So, he is just using her until he has to leave?" Sheppard asked as they arrived at the cafeteria and headed for a table.
"Why do you keep asking me that? They're not even staying in the same bed."
"How do you know that?"
"Back on my world, we would alternate nights. One night he'd be there, the next one I would be."
Teyla set a glass of water in front of Gordy with a smile. "He's just guarding her at night then?"
"Why are you so interested? Are either of you involved with her?" Gordy asked, his tone light as his mind began to dance with images of the pale Beth and the bronze Teyla engaging in delicious acts of debauchery.
Teyla and Sheppard glanced at each other, startled like, and spoke at the same time. "No."
Sheppard sighed, leaning back in his chair, grateful that he wouldn't have to take Shalimar onto the dock and beat him up for being a bully to Elizabeth. "I'm glad you're just guarding her. I might've had to hurt somebody."
Gordy grinned; his eyes alight with mischief as he spoke. "I never said we were just guarding her. You assumed."
"Then just why are you and he there with her at night?" Teyla asked, frustrated by the lack of straight answers.
"She doesn't sleep at night. If one of us wasn't there, who knows who'd keep her on a leash," Gordy replied, hoping that this would stop with the questions and maybe give him a chance sweet talk this beautiful chick across from him into letting him try out some of those more interesting "ideas" that had swept across his mind only moments ago.
"She has trouble sleeping?"
Gordy shook his head, the light dancing on that obsidian skin, casting purple highlights and making Teyla want to touch, just to see if it was soft or as hard as it appeared to be. "No, she doesn't sleep at all."
"Like, at all?"
"At all."
On the other side of Atlantis, entering what can only be described as Nerd Heaven, Beth and Shal found themselves surrounded by lots of gadgets, gizmos, and geeks. Whereas Shalimar hung back, not at all comfortable with the amount of electronics and experiments operating in the room, Beth ventured forth, intrigued by the vials and the pictures.
Shalimar wasn't alone, however, as Ronon too found himself uncomfortable with the level of intelligence that routinely worked here. Standing side by side, similar in stance and training, their eyes moving about the room the exact same way, their lips turned in the same sneer, one would think them brothers. Had it not been for the vast physical differences, it might even have been a possibility.
Beth turned from the other side of the room to study her two escorts, one light to the other's dark. While Shalimar appeared almost pure in his appearance, light hair and skin matched by light eyes and humor, Ronon was almost demonic next to him. Dark hair, tan skin, and eyes so brown they were almost but not quite black. Those very same eyes were almost always dancing with some unsaid humor. Beth appreciated those differences, and had in the past hour learned something very interesting. While Shalimar comforted her in his familiarity, it was Ronon who drew her.
Beth studied what some guy named Radek was working on (it appeared to be slime on a stick to her) and listened as he explained that it was actually a mold capable of movement, that also disinfected everything he touched. He also said that he'd spoken to her several weeks ago about implementing it's usage in Atlantis (something she didn't recall). Given the adoring look on his face, Beth surmised that she was something of a wet dream for him, and quickly made her way back to the entrance.
"I've seen enough, let's move on," Beth said when she stood before her sentinels, not unaware of the authority in her voice that came so easily. Wordlessly the men turned to leave, but McKay would have none of it.
"You haven't seen my projects yet!" He gasped as he hurried to her side.
"I don't want to," she said with a smile and a sardonic twist of her eyebrows.
"You must! Mine are the best, as I'm the best. Absolutely brilliant."
"I'm sure you are, but I still don't want to."
"You have to."
"I don't."
"You have to."
"I don't."
"Oh, come on," McKay said as he wrapped a hand around her arm, intending to pull her over to the table where his own experiment (which had so recently been restarted after Zelenka's stupid tests on the electrical systems).
Almost before anyone could blink, Beth had slid into a crouch and used the impetus to throw McKay over her shoulder and into the wall. She stood with a smile, idly dusting her hands off. "When I say no, I mean no."
Beth shrugged off the calming hand of Shal, who had been at her side within a second of the incident, already weary of these people and having to watch their every move. They were outnumbered here, unknowledgeable of the terrain, and under-prepared for anything. If a fight were to occur, they would almost certainly lose. He was not comfortable here.
"Beth, what have I told you about when we're in public?" He asked quietly.
She sighed, turned into his arms so he could lead her away. "That when I kick people's asses before you can, it emasculates you and makes you feel like a pussy."
"Exactly. So, next time you want to hurt someone?"
"I should let you do it."
It was an unchangeable truth that at some point or another, every person on Atlantis will get the urge to knock the egotistical McKay on his ass.
Was it any wonder that seconds after Beth left, the entire room burst into spontaneous applause?
