Thanks to all my lovely reviewers. Well, here it is. I've teased you long enough. Not the end of the story, but 'that' scene. As usual rated 'T' for some adult themes.
Cat felt like a giddy teenager again. It can't be bad, she thought, to still get a tingle of delicious excitement when standing next to John. The dress uniform had helped, of course, but only because it had sparked lusty imaginations of a starlit night on the East Pier. Unlike many of the females in the city, who looked at him with undisguised admiration in any case but it was even worse when he was wearing what he was today, she didn't have a particular 'thing' for men in uniform. In fact, and she almost made herself laugh out loud to this, it was men out of uniform that she preferred. His strength today, his natural charm in company and the place he had carved out with so much difficulty for himself here in Atlantis all added to the attraction she felt, which was so physical it made her ache from somewhere deep inside her. That he just happened to be good looking too was definitely a bonus, though! Again, she smiled to herself, glad of the opportunity to find some humour and lightness after everything that had happened.
And the pier looked beautiful tonight. The warm winds were swirling gently, as though ready to caress the two of them in a welcoming embrace and the moons glinted randomly off metallic edges, lighting up the scene that she'd so carefully planned. She wanted it to be perfect. He deserved it and so did she. The little table was set, just away from the view of prying eyes. A crisp white tablecloth set with two gold edged plates, two glasses and a wine cooler in which Harry Burt's best champagne was sitting and a large silver dome covering their food; a silver candelabra glistening with lit candles quietly fluttering in the breeze.
Cat took a moment to check everything was just right and then turned towards the ocean, breathing gently as she took in the sweet air that murmured across the water. Water, she thought, had delivered some of the best and worst. Here, with the moonlit ripples, it seemed benevolent and generous. On other occasions, even in the waters around the city, it had been dangerous and frightening, especially when David had tried to kill her. John had been there to soothe her, to nurse her and to love her and it was her turn now to care for him. No. It wasn't as simple as that. This was about mutual healing. This was to be the last piece of the jigsaw that would make whole the picture of their life together. She still felt deeply the trauma of events back on the mainland, the image of Dane's body underneath the water very near the surface and threatening to bob to the top if she stopped trying to push it back to the depths but she now knew that the time was close when she could forget.
She heard a noise behind her as someone entered the pier and cleared his throat to attract her attention and she turned and she smiled at her husband. The dress uniform still looked crisp and sharp, but the hair had escaped its earlier boundaries and was making a break for freedom on one side. And he was smiling back. Oh yes, he needed this even more than she and she was absolutely determined to make the evening special. The McKays, Ronon and Amelia and Teyla were all sharing babysitting duty and she silently thanked them, yet again, for giving her a little breathing space away from her demanding daughter. But now wasn't the time to think about Mona or other responsibilities.
'Good evening, Colonel,' she said, as formerly as possible, trying to reduce the smile that threatened to develop into a broad beam, 'Please, would you sit down at the table.' Her 'persona' for the evening, she'd decided, was some sort of military wife from Colonial India, dressed in a tea-dress and stilettos. Her hair was pinned back and smoothed into place, thanks to Teyla, and she'd been most careful to select underwear that matched the general era. He might have a few surprises there, she inwardly grinned. As gracefully as she could, given lack of practice, she tottered over to him and took his arm, guiding him to the little table where the food was already set. Under the silver dome was one of Maria's best curries, not too hot but fruity, and some Indian bread.
John sat down and raised an amused eyebrow at his wife. It was typical of Cat to prepare so elaborately and carefully. The little note on his pillow this morning had been a more formal invitation than usual, the gilt edges of the card matching the table cloth and he excitedly leant forward and straightened the matching name card by his plate. He knew that the meal and the formalities were just an appetiser for the rest of the night. This time, though, he wasn't intending to let her have all her own way. He too understood the healing power of their 'dates' on the pier. So, without needing to be asked, he stood up and retrieved the champagne from the cooler, deftly popping the cork and pouring out the drink. What many of his acquaintances or men under his command didn't know was that one of the few benefits from his privileged background was the ability to do such tasks with ease and they were often surprised when, for example, their colonel knew how to prepare a cigar or pass the port!
Cat made eye contact with her husband as they clinked glasses in silent recognition of the moment. Inside, her stomach lurched with the inward, but entirely pleasurable, ache she always felt when looking at him which was a complex sensation bound up with love, lust, desire, passion and attraction. Without speaking, she served the food and they ate silently, allowing the air to soothe and calm their troubles. But the feelings beneath the tranquil surface threatened to burst out at frequent intervals and she was having an increasingly difficult time holding them in. So, with forced slowness, they finished their meal, every watched mouthful becoming more of a torment to each until finally they had wiped every bit clean from their plates and drank every last drop of champagne.
And, as the light from the moons dimmed slightly, a few wispy clouds drifting across the sky, Cat decided enough was enough. She pushed her chair back, and walked over to his side of the table, all the time keeping contact with his darkening hazel eyes, deciding to kick off her shoes as she did despite the slight look of regret on his face which was soon wiped away as she straddled his knees and put her hands behind his long neck, stroking the little spot at the back that she knew was very sensitive. Then she deliberately loosened his tie and slid it off, letting it drop to the floor, before methodically undoing each of his shirt buttons, delighting in the slow revelation of flesh as she did. She could feel his breathing quickening and he seemed to be about to say something, but she put a single finger over his lips and pushed the blue dress jacket off his shoulders, along with the shirt, allowing both hands to caress and stroke his chest, enjoying the smooth firmness under her fingers.
'John?' she let slip as his hands began to move up her dress towards the 'special' undergarments she was wearing. Maria had turned out to be a bit of a dark horse and her 1950's lingerie catalogue had been the source that sparked Cat's imagination this evening. He smiled lustfully as he found the stiffened bottomless girdle she was wearing and even more so when he realised that she wasn't wearing any other bottoms before testing out what was happening further up. Cat was proud of her full breasts and the wired bra complimented them perfectly. And then, the buttons on the back of her dress were being slowly undone, though she could feel his hands shaking through the fabric, and the dress was pulled up and over her head, revealing her full Dita Von Teesesque attire. He buried his face in her breasts and she thought she heard him say 'you're so beautiful' and then she undid the military belt buckle and unbuttoned the stiff trousers.
It was at this moment that John decided he'd reached the 'my turn' moment. Deftly, he pushed her to standing in front of him and then stood up slowly allowing his gaze to run up her body. She in turn watched his clothes descend to the floor and somehow the shoes came off too. He must have found a moment to loosen them when sitting. 'You are beautiful too,' she purred and really, really meant it. John didn't have a muscle or hair in the wrong place and heading towards his fiftieth year was even more firm and taught than ever, youthful softness having been replaced by a body honed through years of work and exercise. Okay, maybe he had to work a little harder at it these days, but she'd keep his secret if this was the outcome. He leant forward and kissed her with unguarded passion before picking her up in his arms, seemingly forgetting any weakness that he'd felt earlier in the day, and carrying her over to their corner where he knew she would have prepared a makeshift bed, settling her down firmly and standing back to enjoy what he was seeing.
And then he took her, with passion and desire almost overflowing and as he did, he felt his troubles, his pains, his worries, washed from him. They became one in a way which neither had ever felt before and at the moment of climax it was as though a caressing pink light enveloped them, growing before finally exploding in kaleidoscopic lights.
Afterwards, neither able to talk, they sank into a warm sleep. John wrapped Cat in his arms and in the Athosian quilts and fell into a deep and restful sleep; the couple were watched over by the city who dimmed her lights on the pier and sent gentle vibrations through the floor, a physical manifestation of her pleasure in their pleasure.
But, Atlantis wasn't the only ancient creation that reacted to their lovemaking. On a planet, in a locked room, a man in a green uniform watched excitedly as the little artefact taken from the city of the Ancestors glowed pink and seemed to grow a little more in power and he smiled. 'It begins.'
Now, I know that's a little shorter than my usual chapters, but I didn't want to do have much more here than the scene itself, apart from the teaser at the end which leads into the next bit of the story. Do hope you liked it and please R & R.