Warning: Rated M for sexual content in later chapters.
Chapter: 6 of 10
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
Bud Out
"Come in," Teyla called, turning to the mirror as she tied back her hair. She smiled at John's reflection as he entered the room. "Hello," she greeted him.
"Hey," he said, giving her that sideways grin that set her stomach aflutter. "Hope I didn't keep you two up too late last night."
She smiled. "No, it was very pleasant." Especially after Ronon and Rodney had left, and she had sat with John, his arm on the back of the couch behind her, not quite touching her. Their hands had brushed as they passed the popcorn and a sleeping Torren back and forth, and she had felt flushed with happiness as they sat in the darkened room with only the light from the screen flickering over them.
John crossed the room, grinning as Torren reached his little arms toward him and squealed. "Hey, kiddo!" John lifted Torren from his crib, raising him above his head and tilting him rapidly back and forth, making Torren giggle uncontrollably. John turned to Teyla, but then she saw him looking over her shoulder, and she realized he was focused on the small pink flower bud in a tiny bottle on her dresser. "Torren been pillaging in the botany lab again?" he grinned, shifting the baby to one shoulder.
She chuckled. "No, Lieutenant Jonas picked that for me. He has been telling me about the upcoming Earth holiday of Valentine's Day."
"Really." John's eyebrows drew together slightly, and Teyla studied his expression with curiosity.
"Yes, he said it was an expression of affection," she replied, finished fixing her hair, and gazed up at him.
"Really," he said again, his frown deepening. "And did he enlighten you on any other Valentine's Day traditions?" She could hear the sarcasm laced with concern in his voice and she tried not to take pleasure in his sudden shift of mood.
"He did ask me on a date," she said quietly, trying not to grin. She could see John was working to suppress a scowl and she took pity on him. "But I declined. He is quite a bit younger than me, and I would feel as though I were stepping out with a younger brother."
An expression of relief crossed his face, but then a slight frown returned. "I didn't realize the suitors would be lining up so quickly."
"No?" she asked, smiling slightly.
"Well, I knew they'd be lining up; I just didn't think it would be so soon after, you know, Kanaan left."
She said nothing and just smiled at him again, handed him Torren's bag, and left for her shift.
.
.
.
Teyla crossed the darkened mess hall to retrieve Torren from John. He handed the sleepy boy over, and she gathered her son close and kissed the top of his head, reveling in the feel of him snuggling up to her chest. "It appears as though you wore him out completely," she remarked.
"Yeah, we had a pretty intense game of peek-a-boo going on." John handed her Torren's bag, and she was disappointed to see him turn to go. He turned back as he left, walking backward for a few steps, and said, "I left something for you in your quarters. See you tomorrow," and then he was gone.
Teyla entered her room, not bothering to turn on the lights, crossing in the moonlight to Torren's crib and lowering him into it. He was already fast asleep and she took a moment to rub his little back, listening to his soft, steady breathing. She rose and turned, then inhaled sharply when she saw a large vase filled with a dozen pink buds sitting next to Lieutenant Jonas' single flower, dwarfing it completely, and she smiled giddily into the dark.
TBC