SGA: September Song
September Song
PG-13, John/Teyla/Elizabeth, sequel to Field Jacket Blues
i.
The hardest part is holding back.
John comes through the gate with Ladon Radim holding him up and the waiting medical team rushes in immediately. Elizabeth, at the bottom of the steps, makes it no more than two feet towards him before he’s whisked from the gate room. She’s left standing in front of Ladon and she holds out her hand. "Thank you," she says, and somehow her voice is clear.
Ladon nods. "I should return as quickly as possible."
"I understand." She turns to look up at Rodney. "Would you dial the gate for Ladon, please. I'll be in the infirmary if you need me for anything."
She hears the whoosh of the wormhole connecting as she walks away.
ii.
Somehow, someone gets in touch with Teyla and she’s there in the infirmary before Elizabeth even realizes there were a few minutes when she wasn’t. They stand on the other side of the curtain, listening to the questions Carson poses, straining to hear John’s quiet answers. His voice is different. Elizabeth lets her fingers tangle with Teyla’s.
Carson emerges after what feels like forever. "He's no longer awake, but you can see him now, if you'd like," he says. As if they wouldn't.
John's a pale sleeping shape in the bed and it's jarring to Elizabeth because she's never seen him look anything less than strong. "What's happened to him?" she asks quietly, and Carson makes a indefinable gesture.
"He's dehydrated and malnourished," he replies. "There's few cracked ribs, and I saw some older, healed fractures on the scan. A lot of bruises."
She feels Teyla squeeze her hand, hard. "His captors beat him?" Teyla asks. Elizabeth can hear the low fury in her voice.
"It appears that way, but you would have to ask the Colonel." Carson looks at them, his eyes tired. "I've given him something for the pain so he can sleep, so it might be a bit."
Elizabeth looks down at John again and slides her hand gently over his wrist.
"I'll give you a few minutes alone," Carson murmurs, and backs out past the curtain. Elizabeth rubs her thumb over the back of Teyla's hand.
iii.
They take turns in the infirmary without really discussing it. John's still asleep most of the time, waking only briefly - Carson insists that it's his body's way of repairing itself and that they should be thankful, since he seems to be recovering quickly. Carson promises them that the scans look better already, but Elizabeth admits to Teyla in the privacy of her office that she'd feel so much better if John would just open his eyes and see that they were there. "It's like I didn't realize how much I missed him when he was gone," she says, and Teyla reaches across the desk for her hand. Elizabeth smiles. "What would I have done without you?"
"Survived," Teyla says simply, and Elizabeth chuckles lightly because Teyla's right, of course, but it's certainly less romantic than the idea of pining away.
The radios crackle. "Dr. Weir," Carson says, "Colonel Sheppard is awake."
Her heart leaps and she's sure Teyla's expression is mirroring her own. "On our way."
She can hear John badgering Carson about getting some real food when they enter the infirmary, and she and Teyla trade amused glances. "John," Elizabeth calls, "please don't give Dr. Beckett too hard a time."
"You know how tired I get of jell-o, Elizabeth," he replies, and then they're at his bedside and John grips her hand in his so tight it hurts, grabs Teyla's hand with the other. She finds herself at a loss for words. John grins and it looks a little strange now that his face is thinner. She smiles back and then John is tugging them lightly down towards the bed. Carson disappears, pulling the curtain. She and Teyla lay down on either side of John, moving hesitantly at first, but then he makes a sad sort of noise that speeds their movements. She can feel his ribs under her hands. "I'm sorry I was gone so long," he whispers, and Elizabeth tries not to cry but she fails.
iv.
It's not until a few days have passed that Elizabeth realizes she might owe Rodney a truckload of coffee, or maybe chocolate, because he's been doing as much of her work as he can do without it being outright forgery, and the stack of things on her she needs to attend to is much smaller than it rightfully should have been. "Seriously, Elizabeth," he says, sitting across from her, "I didn't mind. It got me away from Zelenka for a while."
"I appreciate it. I feel like I've been falling behind for a year," she confesses with a sigh.
"Doubtful."
"You know what I mean."
Rodney nods. "It's funny, you know?" He clears his throat. "I'd gotten to that point where I thought Sheppard was never coming back, and all the search teams were just to make the rest of us feel better."
Elizabeth can't deny that. "The last few months... well, it's a good thing Major Lorne backed me up when the IOA came asking."
He grumbles something unrepeatable about the IOA under his breath and Elizabeth tries to stifle her laugh. "Go on, get out of here," he tells her. "Go spend some time with them before we all have to get back to work for real."
She goes.
v.
While John was unconscious in the infirmary, she and Teyla moved all his things from his dusty quarters (Atlantis had turned the lights on for them now that he was home) into their brighter, more spacious ones and had pushed their bed from the wall to underneath a large window that looked out over the ocean. Now, she finds John and Teyla curled up in it under a blanket while the light breeze blows over them. Teyla is asleep but John is not, and he smiles at her as she crosses the room. "Get your paperwork done?" he asks.
Elizabeth shakes her head ruefully. "I'll never be done."
He lifts the edge of the blanket, inviting her in, and she kicks off her shoes and takes him up on the offer. He kisses her cheek almost chastely and she brings her hands up to his face. "I love you," she murmurs, because if there's one thing she's learned in the last year it's that it is terrible to wait, and it's not like she doesn't know. John's smile broadens and his kiss this time is anything but chaste.
vi.
Ronon shows up at their door the next night and asks if he can borrow John, makes vague promises about returning him in one piece. Elizabeth and Teyla trade glances as John puts on his shoes and follows Ronon out the door. "It will be good for him," Teyla says, sliding her arms around Elizabeth's waist. "I think Ronon has missed John more than he ever expressed."
Elizabeth lays her hands over Teyla's. "Carson won't be happy if Ronon breaks him," she murmurs, and Teyla laughs against her neck and pulls her back to the bed. They fall in a tangle and Teyla straddles her waist, smiling down at her. "You are in a very good mood," Elizabeth breathes, sliding her hands over Teyla's shoulders.
"I feel as though a weight I had forgotten was there has been lifted from me," Teyla replies and Elizabeth arches up a little to kiss her. Teyla makes a pleased sort of noise against her lips, sliding her hands up Elizabeth's arms to press them above her head. "Perhaps we should wait for John to return." Teyla's murmur is nearly a purr, her voice suggestive and throaty. Elizabeth shivers. But they fall asleep waiting, and when Elizabeth wakes up she finds herself pressed between a morning-groggy Teyla and an out-cold John.
"Maybe Ronon did break him," she laughs to Teyla after they've dressed in silence, as she's running a light hand over John's waist. He doesn't even stir. "Tea?"
Teyla yawns hugely. "Tea."
vii.
The Air Force decides that being MIA for a year qualifies John for a medal, and Atlantis personnel decide that John getting a medal is a good excuse to stay awake all night and drink a lot. Somehow it's Radek who gets drafted to bring the idea to a forewarned Elizabeth, and she tries very hard not to grin as he sits in the chair across from her with his hands clasped between his knees and asks, "May we have a party?"
Morale has never been better: the scientists are overflowing with practical research ideas, the Marines have never looked sharper, people smile constantly in the halls. Elizabeth had been too lost in her own grief to notice how sloppy things had become. She won't begrudge them a chance for some celebration. "Yes, Radek, we can have a party."
They invite the Athosians as well, and after some discussion, Ladon Radim. "He saved me, Elizabeth," John says to her, his voice low. "He got me out of there and he brought me back. He could have left me in some desert to be recaptured - he could have left me in that cell."
It's the most he's ever said out loud about the kidnapping. Elizabeth had read the written report but had never asked him to talk about it. "I would be glad to have Ladon here," she tells John, and hugs him. Lorne looks away. John looks vaguely embarassed for a second but then he cracks a joke about Lorne's voyeuristic tendencies and grins.
"You know I've never been particularily demonstrative," he murmurs later, once the security details have been finalized and Lorne's left.
"I never used to be," Elizabeth replies. "You know how you said Ladon saved you? Teyla saved me." She meets his gaze, and while his face is serious, his eyes are smiling and she knows he understands.
viii.
"How come there's always a dozen problems that occur before the fun?" she asks Rodney. They're up to their thighs in water along with twenty other people. "Isn't it supposed to be the calm before the storm?"
"In our case, it's usually the storm before the thirty seconds of calm," Rodney grumbles and kicks the pump. Surprisingly, that makes it work, and Elizabeth tries not to chuckle at the collective sigh of relief.
"I know you all want to get cleaned up, but let's not abandon the ship before we're sure it's not still going to sink," she calls out. Teyla wades up behind her, saying her name. "Yes?"
"Ladon has arrived," Teyla murmurs in her ear. "He and John are having a very... intense discussion. I thought it best to leave them for a while. Would you like some assistance here?"
Elizabeth looks at the receeding water. "Rodney's reconfigured swimming pool pump seems to be working, so I think we're good. For now. I should probably stay a little longer, make sure everything goes smoothly." But Rodney is shaking his head at her, and making 'hurry-up-and-go' motions in their direction. Elizabeth sighs, and doesn't resist as Teyla takes her hand and pulls her away from the mess before something else can happen.
ix.
John walks though the door just as she and Teyla have finished peeling off their wet clothes. He comes close, looks at them for a moment. There's something in his eyes that Elizabeth can't identify. "You smell like the ocean," he says, and pulls them both down onto the bed.
They are very, very late to the party.
end
Thanks to havocthecat for betaing as I wrote, and encouraging this fic even when I thought I had given up on it.
PG-13, John/Teyla/Elizabeth, sequel to Field Jacket Blues
i.
The hardest part is holding back.
John comes through the gate with Ladon Radim holding him up and the waiting medical team rushes in immediately. Elizabeth, at the bottom of the steps, makes it no more than two feet towards him before he’s whisked from the gate room. She’s left standing in front of Ladon and she holds out her hand. "Thank you," she says, and somehow her voice is clear.
Ladon nods. "I should return as quickly as possible."
"I understand." She turns to look up at Rodney. "Would you dial the gate for Ladon, please. I'll be in the infirmary if you need me for anything."
She hears the whoosh of the wormhole connecting as she walks away.
ii.
Somehow, someone gets in touch with Teyla and she’s there in the infirmary before Elizabeth even realizes there were a few minutes when she wasn’t. They stand on the other side of the curtain, listening to the questions Carson poses, straining to hear John’s quiet answers. His voice is different. Elizabeth lets her fingers tangle with Teyla’s.
Carson emerges after what feels like forever. "He's no longer awake, but you can see him now, if you'd like," he says. As if they wouldn't.
John's a pale sleeping shape in the bed and it's jarring to Elizabeth because she's never seen him look anything less than strong. "What's happened to him?" she asks quietly, and Carson makes a indefinable gesture.
"He's dehydrated and malnourished," he replies. "There's few cracked ribs, and I saw some older, healed fractures on the scan. A lot of bruises."
She feels Teyla squeeze her hand, hard. "His captors beat him?" Teyla asks. Elizabeth can hear the low fury in her voice.
"It appears that way, but you would have to ask the Colonel." Carson looks at them, his eyes tired. "I've given him something for the pain so he can sleep, so it might be a bit."
Elizabeth looks down at John again and slides her hand gently over his wrist.
"I'll give you a few minutes alone," Carson murmurs, and backs out past the curtain. Elizabeth rubs her thumb over the back of Teyla's hand.
iii.
They take turns in the infirmary without really discussing it. John's still asleep most of the time, waking only briefly - Carson insists that it's his body's way of repairing itself and that they should be thankful, since he seems to be recovering quickly. Carson promises them that the scans look better already, but Elizabeth admits to Teyla in the privacy of her office that she'd feel so much better if John would just open his eyes and see that they were there. "It's like I didn't realize how much I missed him when he was gone," she says, and Teyla reaches across the desk for her hand. Elizabeth smiles. "What would I have done without you?"
"Survived," Teyla says simply, and Elizabeth chuckles lightly because Teyla's right, of course, but it's certainly less romantic than the idea of pining away.
The radios crackle. "Dr. Weir," Carson says, "Colonel Sheppard is awake."
Her heart leaps and she's sure Teyla's expression is mirroring her own. "On our way."
She can hear John badgering Carson about getting some real food when they enter the infirmary, and she and Teyla trade amused glances. "John," Elizabeth calls, "please don't give Dr. Beckett too hard a time."
"You know how tired I get of jell-o, Elizabeth," he replies, and then they're at his bedside and John grips her hand in his so tight it hurts, grabs Teyla's hand with the other. She finds herself at a loss for words. John grins and it looks a little strange now that his face is thinner. She smiles back and then John is tugging them lightly down towards the bed. Carson disappears, pulling the curtain. She and Teyla lay down on either side of John, moving hesitantly at first, but then he makes a sad sort of noise that speeds their movements. She can feel his ribs under her hands. "I'm sorry I was gone so long," he whispers, and Elizabeth tries not to cry but she fails.
iv.
It's not until a few days have passed that Elizabeth realizes she might owe Rodney a truckload of coffee, or maybe chocolate, because he's been doing as much of her work as he can do without it being outright forgery, and the stack of things on her she needs to attend to is much smaller than it rightfully should have been. "Seriously, Elizabeth," he says, sitting across from her, "I didn't mind. It got me away from Zelenka for a while."
"I appreciate it. I feel like I've been falling behind for a year," she confesses with a sigh.
"Doubtful."
"You know what I mean."
Rodney nods. "It's funny, you know?" He clears his throat. "I'd gotten to that point where I thought Sheppard was never coming back, and all the search teams were just to make the rest of us feel better."
Elizabeth can't deny that. "The last few months... well, it's a good thing Major Lorne backed me up when the IOA came asking."
He grumbles something unrepeatable about the IOA under his breath and Elizabeth tries to stifle her laugh. "Go on, get out of here," he tells her. "Go spend some time with them before we all have to get back to work for real."
She goes.
v.
While John was unconscious in the infirmary, she and Teyla moved all his things from his dusty quarters (Atlantis had turned the lights on for them now that he was home) into their brighter, more spacious ones and had pushed their bed from the wall to underneath a large window that looked out over the ocean. Now, she finds John and Teyla curled up in it under a blanket while the light breeze blows over them. Teyla is asleep but John is not, and he smiles at her as she crosses the room. "Get your paperwork done?" he asks.
Elizabeth shakes her head ruefully. "I'll never be done."
He lifts the edge of the blanket, inviting her in, and she kicks off her shoes and takes him up on the offer. He kisses her cheek almost chastely and she brings her hands up to his face. "I love you," she murmurs, because if there's one thing she's learned in the last year it's that it is terrible to wait, and it's not like she doesn't know. John's smile broadens and his kiss this time is anything but chaste.
vi.
Ronon shows up at their door the next night and asks if he can borrow John, makes vague promises about returning him in one piece. Elizabeth and Teyla trade glances as John puts on his shoes and follows Ronon out the door. "It will be good for him," Teyla says, sliding her arms around Elizabeth's waist. "I think Ronon has missed John more than he ever expressed."
Elizabeth lays her hands over Teyla's. "Carson won't be happy if Ronon breaks him," she murmurs, and Teyla laughs against her neck and pulls her back to the bed. They fall in a tangle and Teyla straddles her waist, smiling down at her. "You are in a very good mood," Elizabeth breathes, sliding her hands over Teyla's shoulders.
"I feel as though a weight I had forgotten was there has been lifted from me," Teyla replies and Elizabeth arches up a little to kiss her. Teyla makes a pleased sort of noise against her lips, sliding her hands up Elizabeth's arms to press them above her head. "Perhaps we should wait for John to return." Teyla's murmur is nearly a purr, her voice suggestive and throaty. Elizabeth shivers. But they fall asleep waiting, and when Elizabeth wakes up she finds herself pressed between a morning-groggy Teyla and an out-cold John.
"Maybe Ronon did break him," she laughs to Teyla after they've dressed in silence, as she's running a light hand over John's waist. He doesn't even stir. "Tea?"
Teyla yawns hugely. "Tea."
vii.
The Air Force decides that being MIA for a year qualifies John for a medal, and Atlantis personnel decide that John getting a medal is a good excuse to stay awake all night and drink a lot. Somehow it's Radek who gets drafted to bring the idea to a forewarned Elizabeth, and she tries very hard not to grin as he sits in the chair across from her with his hands clasped between his knees and asks, "May we have a party?"
Morale has never been better: the scientists are overflowing with practical research ideas, the Marines have never looked sharper, people smile constantly in the halls. Elizabeth had been too lost in her own grief to notice how sloppy things had become. She won't begrudge them a chance for some celebration. "Yes, Radek, we can have a party."
They invite the Athosians as well, and after some discussion, Ladon Radim. "He saved me, Elizabeth," John says to her, his voice low. "He got me out of there and he brought me back. He could have left me in some desert to be recaptured - he could have left me in that cell."
It's the most he's ever said out loud about the kidnapping. Elizabeth had read the written report but had never asked him to talk about it. "I would be glad to have Ladon here," she tells John, and hugs him. Lorne looks away. John looks vaguely embarassed for a second but then he cracks a joke about Lorne's voyeuristic tendencies and grins.
"You know I've never been particularily demonstrative," he murmurs later, once the security details have been finalized and Lorne's left.
"I never used to be," Elizabeth replies. "You know how you said Ladon saved you? Teyla saved me." She meets his gaze, and while his face is serious, his eyes are smiling and she knows he understands.
viii.
"How come there's always a dozen problems that occur before the fun?" she asks Rodney. They're up to their thighs in water along with twenty other people. "Isn't it supposed to be the calm before the storm?"
"In our case, it's usually the storm before the thirty seconds of calm," Rodney grumbles and kicks the pump. Surprisingly, that makes it work, and Elizabeth tries not to chuckle at the collective sigh of relief.
"I know you all want to get cleaned up, but let's not abandon the ship before we're sure it's not still going to sink," she calls out. Teyla wades up behind her, saying her name. "Yes?"
"Ladon has arrived," Teyla murmurs in her ear. "He and John are having a very... intense discussion. I thought it best to leave them for a while. Would you like some assistance here?"
Elizabeth looks at the receeding water. "Rodney's reconfigured swimming pool pump seems to be working, so I think we're good. For now. I should probably stay a little longer, make sure everything goes smoothly." But Rodney is shaking his head at her, and making 'hurry-up-and-go' motions in their direction. Elizabeth sighs, and doesn't resist as Teyla takes her hand and pulls her away from the mess before something else can happen.
ix.
John walks though the door just as she and Teyla have finished peeling off their wet clothes. He comes close, looks at them for a moment. There's something in his eyes that Elizabeth can't identify. "You smell like the ocean," he says, and pulls them both down onto the bed.
They are very, very late to the party.
end
Thanks to havocthecat for betaing as I wrote, and encouraging this fic even when I thought I had given up on it.