Chapter 5

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John's shoulders ached as his arms were hauled above his head yet again and he was chained to the overhead pipe. Today was Saturday, bath day and even though he knew he wouldn't be beaten, whipped or shocked, it still would be very uncomfortable and demeaning.

His shirts already lay near the door and he attempted to kick Guido, what he'd named the big guy with the too-friendly hands, where it might hurt him. He managed to get his foot right in the guy's windpipe and he staggered back and grabbed at his throat. But the look on his face let John know it had been a mistake. But John wasn't planning on just hanging here without at least putting up some sort of a fight.

"Colonel," Athena scolded as she sauntered closer. "I don't understand this resistance of yours. You should embrace all the attention you're getting from so many people. And you have to admit by the end of the week your scent is far from pleasing to be around."

John just scowled as Guido recovered and pulled on the snap and then the waistband of his pants. "Maybe if you didn't chain me up every night, I might be able to use the facilities to keep myself better smelling. Or better yet, let me run home and get a change of clothes."

Athena chuckled at the witty comment then gave John a wicked smile. "Oh, I don't think I'll be doing that. And it would deprive my associates here of all the pleasure they get from assisting you."

John just glared at her as Bruno, the name he'd given the other assistant, poured a bucket of cold water over his head. He shivered as the liquid cascaded over his skin and then cringed when the two gorillas began soaping him up with wash cloths. Guido started immediately on his nether regions while Bruno scrubbed his back quite vigorously. John just squeezed his eyes closed as the lacerations on his back that had barely begun to scab, were pulled open again. He squeezed his eyes tighter and focused inward.

The water splashed out of the big tub as Teyla smiled up at John. He walked toward the beautiful woman and wished he could be in there with her right now. But their little guy needed to have a bath first.

"What do you think, Pal," John asked the little boy snuggled in his arms, "You want to have a nice tubby with Mommy?"

"Tub!" the boy managed to say then held out his arms and attempted to dive in. John slowed his descent and kneeled next to the large basin Teyla was immersed in. She held out her arms and John peeked at her golden orbs that rose briefly above the surface.

"Hello, Precious," Teyla cooed to the child, "Let's get you cleaned before you go to bed, okay?"

John smiled as Teyla turned him around to sit in her lap and he picked up a wash cloth and began to run it through the bubbles then over the boy's skin.

Today is Saturday. Bath time.

The words rang through John's head but he pushed them away as they caused him some distress. He focused back on the little boy and gorgeous woman sitting here in front of him, soaking away their cares.

John took one tiny foot from beneath the bubbles and cleaned between the toes and up the leg. As he did this he thought of something his mother had always done when he was little and had taken a bath.

"This little piggy went to market," he said as he wiggled Torren's big toe back and forth. Then he reached for the next. "This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef and this little piggy had none. And this little piggy cried wee wee wee all the way home."

John ran his fingers up the little boy's leg and tickled his belly at the last few words. The child, as expected, squealed in delight and wiggled in his mother's lap. But as soon as John had removed his hand, he lifted his foot and demanded, "Wee wee!"

John laughed and saw how pleased Teyla was at their antics. He rubbed his finger down the middle of the child's foot then pushed it back in the water. He reached for the other.

"How about we clean the other one now?"

John began the little rhyme again and felt warmth creep through him at the joy and pleasure Torren was getting from his little game. He loved this child and was so happy he could be part of his life. John continued to scrub the child and sing him silly little songs as he washed. When he was all shiny and clean, he lifted him and wrapped him in a fluffy towel.

"Say good night to Mommy," John instructed and lowered him to right in front of Teyla's face.

Teyla reached soapy hands and pressed kisses to the freshly scrubbed cheeks and whispered, "I love you, Torren. Have pleasant dreams, little one."

"I'll put him down and be back shortly," John promised his eyebrows raising. "Just lean back and relax."

"I will be waiting right here, John," Teyla promised and John heard the seductive tone to her voice. He stared at her long thin arms resting on the side of the tub and closed his eyes for a second when he saw her lay her head back exposing her slim neck. It was far too tempting so he quickly shook his head and walked out of the bathroom.

"Let's get you ready for bed, TJ," John suggested to the squirming child in his arms. "Then maybe I could go and scrub your Mom's back. I think that's a kind of hard place to reach. And if I'm really lucky maybe she'll scrub my back too."

John rubbed the towel over the boy and dried him well. As he wrestled him into a diaper and then pajamas, the child pointed and babbled some words. "Boot! Ea Up!"

John laughed when he realized exactly what book he wanted him to read. It was a favorite of them both. He finished dressing the boy then sat in the rocking chair next to the crib and opened up the book that held pictures of animals on it.

John flipped through the pages singing the words and Torren clapped along with each page. He was fairly close to the end when he noticed Torren was beginning to droop. He finished off this page.

"Today is Saturday, Today is Saturday, Saturday, bath time," he shook his head and knew that wasn't right so he looked at the page and tried again. "Saturday, chicken. Friday, fresh fish. Thursday, roast beef. Wednesday, zooooooop! Tuesday, spaghetti. Monday, string beans, all you hungry children come and eat it up. Come and eat it up. Come … and … eat … it … up!"

He looked down and Torren's thumb was firmly in his mouth and so instead of doing the last page he simply closed the book and gently moved toward his crib. He pressed a few soft kisses to the child's cheek and the top of his head then lowered him to the mattress. He stood staring at the precious child for a few moments then headed back to the bathroom where Teyla was hopefully waiting.

And to his pleasure she was. Her head was resting on the edge of the tub and her eyes were closed peacefully. John toed off his shoes and pulled his t-shirt over his head then padded quietly to kneel by the large tub. He ran his hand through the water and realized Teyla must have added some more hot water to it while he was gone.

"Do you plan on joining me, John?" Teyla asked quietly her eyes still closed. "I assume Torren is sleeping now."

"Yeah, he's asleep," John replied, his own voice rough with desire. "I was hoping for an invitation."

Teyla opened her eyes and her saucy look made John's stomach clench and passion curl inside. She reached for his belt buckle and began to undo it. John helped her and soon he was standing with nothing on. Teyla ran her hand over his hip and one eyebrow lifted sensuously.

John took that as the invitation and stepped into the warm frothy water. As he kneeled down in front of Teyla, her legs widened and made room for him and he almost lost it right then. He leaned toward her and touched his forehead to hers.

"Hey gorgeous, come here often?" he teased in a gruff tone.

Teyla's lips twitched at his playful banter. "Fairly often," she teased right back, playing along casually.

John's nose nuzzled into her neck and blew at the few soft tendrils that hung down from her upswept and clipped hair. "Doing anything special?"

Teyla looked around the room and John noticed she had lit a few candles while he had been putting TJ to bed. "I was hoping to find someone to wash my back for me. It is very hard to reach."

John looked around too and queried, "Any takers?"

"No," Teyla breathed out on a long sigh. "It appears a bit slow in here tonight. Perhaps someone will come along soon, though."

John's smirked at the exchange between them. "Well, I suppose … if no one else comes along … maybe … I could help you out. You know … just … if no one else comes along."

Teyla lifted one eyebrow. "Do you have experience in this area?"

John's mouth now twitched. "I've scrubbed a few backs here and there. I just finished a young gentleman and was extremely careful and gentle. I could give you his name as a reference."

Teyla looked amused as she replied, "No, I will take your word for it. You appear to be a responsible person. I suppose you will have to do … for now."

"Do you have a wash cloth?" John said as he looked around on the edge of the tub.

Teyla shrugged one elegant shoulder. "It was around here earlier. Perhaps you will need to find it."

John smiled wide and leaned forward so his mouth was touching Teyla's shoulder as his hands slipped around her back to feel under the water. He searched on the bottom of the tub and his fingers touched against her back and hips and then moved around to follow the lines of her legs down to the back of the tub. They moved to the inside of her thighs until they touched the wash cloth resting against her womanly mound.

John's eyes flashed as the backs of his fingers touched her curls and rubbed softly against her. Teyla let out a tiny moan and her eyes fluttered closed for a second before opening again with an intense look. John rubbed again and Teyla shivered in reaction.

"Oh, I was just supposed to be doing your back, wasn't I?" John clarified his eyes filled with devilment. He moved back so he was closer to the other end of the tub and motioned for Teyla to scoot forward.

Teyla gazed curiously at him but moved to the center of the tub and felt John's long legs slide by her hips. He then reached for her ankles and dragged her so they were behind him and their chests were very close.

"I need to be able to reach your back," he shrugged in answer to her silent question. He then picked up the washcloth and proceeded to pass it over her back, his arms around her as he did. Teyla lifted her arms and rested them on his trimly muscular shoulders, her fingers playing with the short hair that rested on the back of his head.

"Please make sure you do a good job," Teyla instructed as the cloth glided over her skin.

John moved the cloth from her shoulders to the water again then up her back again to under the water to her lower back. The fabric was thin and he could feel her curves and shape under his fingers and he loved when he touched someplace sensitive and she shivered. He continued this for a while and soon her head was resting on his shoulder and he knew she could feel his arousal pressing against her lower belly.

But he wanted this time to last forever so he took her hips and moved her slightly away from him. Her frown let him know she had liked what he was doing and where it was going. And he still planned on having it go in that direction, he just wanted a longer travel time.

He now ran the cloth along her collar bone and then over her shoulder. He picked up her arm and ran it down the length all while her eyes followed his movements. Her free hand slipped to his hip and caressed the wet skin there. When John picked up her other arm, Teyla shifted hands also.

"Just so you know… I'm not charging you extra for the arms."

Teyla smiled. "So generous. Thank you."

John's grin also grew. "No problem, all part of the service. If you're gonna do a job well, then you need to do it right."

He now lifted the wash cloth to her neck and then ran it down to her chest, over her rounded breasts and back up again. His eyes grew intense as he stared at her golden orbs bobbing in the water and rising and falling with her increasingly heavy breathing. He lifted each breast and allowed the weight to fill his hands and tried to control himself from taking one in his mouth. It was so tempting.

When he was finished washing her front he scooted even further back and started on her leg. Teyla leaned back a bit and swirled her hands in the water. A slight frown appeared on her face.

"The bubbles are all gone."

John looked at her beautiful form reclining in the clear water and leered at her. "The better to see you with, my dear."

Teyla chuckled at his saying from one of Torren's favorite stories. "So you are the big bad wolf. Have you come to gobble me up?"

John moved the cloth to Teyla's foot and rubbed around her cute toes then pressed his mouth to her largest toe. "Hmmm, maybe I have."

He took her toe into his mouth and sucked on it and heard Teyla's indrawn breath. He then moved his lips and tongue to the others and nibbled.

As he did he mumbled, "This little piggy went to market …"

At Teyla's laugh, he dropped her foot and began to scrub her other leg and foot in the same sensuous manner. As his hands approached her upper thigh, he heard Teyla's breath hitch. His breath was beginning to quicken also.

He now dropped the washcloth and all pretense at trying to clean Teyla and simply pulled her hips toward his. His hands held tight and kept going until she was pressed up close to his chest, her legs wrapping around his waist. He couldn't imagine a nicer position.

"And now it's time to cry wee wee wee all the way home," John rasped into her hair as his lips attached themselves to her neck.

Teyla let her head drop back and held John's head close to her as his lips assaulted her. They whispered across from her shoulder to her chin then over to the other shoulder. He pulled her in tight and moved his face right up next to hers, their noses touching.

"I think I'm really beginning to like bath time," John sighed as his tongue poked out and traced the outline of her lips. Teyla's mouth opened in response and John groaned as her tongue also peeked out to run over her lips.

Their tongues shyly met and touched and their breath blew softly against the other as they stared into each other's eyes. John had never been so aroused in his life. Teyla was so wonderful to be with and he knew he never wanted to be anywhere else but right here by her side, holding her close.

"God, Teyla, you are so beautiful! What did I ever do to deserve being here with you?"

Teyla gave a tiny smile and ran her hand down the side of his face. Her lips pressed against his softly and she answered, "You have just been you. And I could think of no other I would rather spend time with. I cherish every minute we have together, here alone or with Torren."

John framed her face with his hands and pressed light kisses to every part of her face he could, his lips barely touching her skin. Teyla's hands caressed the side of his neck then lowered to run through the hair on his chest and follow its path down below the water.

John sucked in a big breath as her hand reached his erection and found it hard and firm and quivering with readiness. His mouth pressed harder to hers and assaulted her senses as his tongue drove inside her mouth and explored.

He felt Teyla shift so she was more firmly in his lap and her opening was right over his shaft. His hands roamed her curvaceous body and he lowered his lips to allow his tongue to now lick at one of her erect peaks. Teyla moaned and her hips wiggled until he felt her accept him inside. She rose and fell and moved from side to side arousing her folds as she stimulated him.

John's head was spinning from the desire coursing through him and he held on tight as she thrust her hips back and forth in a rhythmic motion. The pounding in his ears got louder and John knew soon he would explode with his release.

The pounding continued and John looked around then quickly realized the noise he had heard were footsteps coming down the hall and the door being unlocked.

"Shit!" he swore as he saw that his bowl of mush was still sitting on the floor untouched. He had fallen asleep after his little bath and had forgotten to eat and use the facilities.

He quickly pushed himself up, grabbed the bowl and started drinking it as best he could while he took care of business. It would be far too uncomfortable if he didn't and today was the day they did his laundry. He hated to think of sitting in soiled clothes for another whole week.

"Time's up!" Guido called out as he grabbed the bowl from John and dumped the last drops into the sink. "Here, put these on, quick or you'll be without them until next week."

John had his shorts, pants and t-shirt thrown at him and in seconds had them on and fastened. He knew they weren't kidding. He gave a pitiful look at Bruno and asked, "Any way I could get a quick drink before you chain me up again?"

The man just scowled and grabbed for his arm. But John was quicker and threw a swift punch into his face then kicked out at Guido again and made for the door. It was locked! Damn! He turned around to face his punishment and wasn't surprised when he got a fist in his face and a knee in his gut. He went down hard and curled into a ball coughing.

"I guess that's a no," he attempted to quip, his face contorting in agony. The knee had landed right on the ribs that had been severely bruised on Tuesday, beating day. He wondered if they were now still only bruised.

Hands grabbed at him and hauled him through the heavy door and soon he was chained with his hands near his shoulders again. The door was closed and locked and darkness crept inside the small space.

John closed his eyes then opened them again knowing it would look the same either way. He had never been afraid of the dark, and he knew he still wasn't. At least when he was in here, they weren't beating the crap out of him but after almost two weeks of absolute darkness twenty-three hours a day, it was starting to get to him. And this space was so small he could almost feel the walls closing in on him.

He took a deep breath and tried to get his heart to stop racing. He had to think positively, think of good things. He thought back to the little daydream he had been having during his hour break and knew those memories could get him through quite a bit.

"Teyla," he whispered as he tried to settle into a comfortable position on the hard floor, "God, I need you here with me."

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The water splashed on Teyla's face and she threw a mock angry look at her son. "What are you doing, splashing Mommy? Do you think I need a bath as well?"

Torren just giggled his little baby giggle and slapped his hands in the tub some more. Teyla smiled and vigorously rubbed the cloth over his little toes. She thought back to the dream she had had last night and a sob escaped from her throat. Torren looked up at her with a pout so Teyla pasted a large smile to her face and gave him a light kiss on his head. He turned back and began playing in the water again.

Teyla had been having dreams of John for almost a week now and she wasn't sure what to do about them. She knew they were because of her grief and misery at missing her friend but she had never had dreams that had felt so real before. She would wake and feel as if John had truly been with her. She could almost feel his presence.

She had heard many of the people in the city speak of spirits and she herself had seen several movies about what they called ghosts and she wondered if indeed John's spirit was coming to her and haunting her dreams. She was not sure she believed in such things but she had no other explanation for the intensity of her memories.

And she was not sure she wished for them to stop. She knew at some point she would need to convince herself that he was not coming back to them but for right now, she still needed his strength and comfort. Last night's manifestation had been so heart wrenchingly beautiful she did not wish to relinquish the memories of it. John had been so loving and warm to both she and Torren and it was as if he were back here again, helping her with her child. She wished it were so.

Very soon she needed to drain the water and dry off her son. It was a new day and she had work to do. But the work was never enough to keep her mind from the loss they had all just faced. She and Ronon spent much time sparring and training Marines just to keep busy and to keep their mind off their missing team member. Rodney stayed locked in his lab saying he needed to explore all the unknown parts of the city's computer system while they still had no missions to go on. She knew he also was trying to fill the gap where John had been.

With Torren dressed and in her arms as she walked down the hall, Teyla knew today would be no different. She would meet with Mr. Woolsey and discuss protocols and ambassadorial duties and she would move from mundane task to mundane task. She would visit with Torren several times throughout the day and spend much cherished time with him at night.

And she looked forward to the time that she spent with her son but she knew she was also looking forward to after he went down for the night. Then Teyla could go to sleep and she hoped her dreams were filled with John again. She knew she should not cling to him in this way but for now, it was all she had of him and she did not wish to give it up.

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