A Birthday To Remember (2/2)
Title: A Birthday To Remember (2/2)
Author: Nytel
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: John/Teyla
Main Characters: John, Teyla
Genre: Romance
Summary: John gets discharged from the military as the result of his actions in The Return Part 1. This fic takes place a few months later, around/on John's birthday.Spoilers: Up to The Return Part 1.
Word Count: 3,249
Beta: Much thanks to nebakanezer!
Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing them.
A/N: This was written as a birthday present for Camy. :D
A/N 2: This isn't meant to be seperated into two parts, but it's too big for a single post in lj.
Part 2
Teyla was still seeing stars when John rolled off of her. She had thought the last time had been amazing… but that was nothing compared to this. She knew that in her heart it was because their time together now was filled with hope and happiness instead of desperation and despair. She could easily get used to such a thing.
“I’m glad we’re playing it by ear,” John said as he tried to catch his breath.
The laughter escaped her before she knew it-it was marvelous to feel so happy, alive and care free.
“Spontaneity can be a wonderful thing,” Teyla said warmly as she rolled onto her side so that she was facing John, pulling the cover over her bare form as she did so.
John wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Yep,” he murmured against her hair before placing a gentle kiss there.
Teyla sighed in contentment as she relaxed into John’s loving embrace. “I did not think that I would ever have the chance to do this again,” she admitted quietly.
“Neither did I,” John whispered. A second later he added, “So I guess I have to thank Rodney and Carson for this then, huh?”
Teyla angled her head so that she could give John an incredulous look. “I believe that I was the one who remembered it was your birthday.”
He chuckled softly as he ran one hand through her hair. “True,” he assented. “Even so, I’ve never had a birthday present this good before and for that I think they deserve something.”
“Is that true?” Teyla asked, surprised to hear her voice sound so doubtful.
John squeezed his arm around her shoulders tightly. “Yes,” he stated as he looked directly at her.
She felt her cheeks getting warm at his admission. “Surely you have had pleasant birthday presents in the past.” She was more than a little surprised when John shook his head in response to her words.
“Not since I was a kid,” he admitted.
“Why?” she asked quietly.
John sighed. “Never had anyone to celebrate with.”
Teyla propped herself up on one elbow so she could look at John directly. “You do today,” she said quietly.
He grinned at her, before leaning up to steal a quick kiss. She no longer felt like blushing every time he showed affection, and it startled her, knowing that she was falling into this so easily.
***
Teyla was right; this was one birthday that he wouldn’t have to spend alone. More importantly, it was one day that he could spend with Teyla, no longer having to worry about how it would affect their working relationship. For once, leaving Atlantis did not seem like an entirely bad thing.
“Come on,” he said as he sat up. “I want to take you somewhere.”
Teyla sat up beside him on the bed and looked at him peculiarly. “All right…”
“Listen,” he said cheerfully. “On your birthday it’s a tradition to have fun, and just do whatever you want.”
“Whatever you want?” Teyla asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Okay,” he admitted. “Within reason anyway. But there’s some place I want to take you, and it’s my birthday so that pretty much means you have to come with me.” He gave her what he hoped was a handsome looking smile. “Please?”
She laughed lightly. “Of course John, you need only ask. I would even if it were not your birthday.”
He grinned as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I know.”
***
Teyla followed John out of the bedroom and into the small hallway of his apartment. Admittedly it did not look familiar at all, but that was because she had not been paying even the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings since John had kissed her. It was quite possible that they had gotten carried away, but she had expected no less.
“John,” she said quietly, causing him to stop and turn around.
“Yeah?”
“May I ask you something?” she inquired, even though she already knew the answer.
He met her gaze with a look that told her she should know better, but that was fine because she did.
“Does this look all right?” she asked self-consciously as she indicated her outfit. “I am always unsure about Earth clothes.”
He smiled warmly at her. “It looks amazing, you look amazing.”
“Are you sure?” she continued. “Both Rodney and Carson said that it looked fine, but there are times when I am not fully inclined to trust their judgment, especially on aesthetic things.”
“Well,” John said seriously. “In this case they were right.” He paused for a second and looked her over again. “I mean it Teyla, you look great.”
“Thank you John,” she said sincerely.
He nodded his head once in acknowledgement. “Now,” he said. “Are you ready to see some of my world?” he pointed to the door. “I figure since I’ve been all over your galaxy, I at least owe you the courtesy of showing you my planet.”
“For real this time?” she asked lightly, remembering back to one of their first adventures together.
“Yes, for real,” he said playfully as he turned around and made his way for the door. “Smart-ass,” he added under his breath.
“John,” she berated lightly as she smacked his backside. “Manners.”
He laughed and grabbed her hand, tugging her forward so that she was standing beside him. “I really missed this you know,” he said, his voice taking on more of a solemn note. “Things aren’t nearly as fun without you around.”
“The same is said for you,” she replied honestly. “I cannot even begin to tell you how often I wish that you were leading our team instead of Major Lorne. It is not that I do not appreciate the Major,” she said, figuring that it would be best to clarify. “But it is just not the same.”
John sighed and his shoulders slouched. “I’d give anything to be back there.”
She squeezed his hand in comfort. “And we would all wish for nothing more than to have you back.”
***
John wasn’t sure how things turned so serious so quickly, but maybe he should have been expecting it. It wasn’t as if he could pretend that his discharge from the military hadn’t happened. Actually, it was probably better that they addressed it now, seeing as talking about it was inevitable. He figured it was best to get the painful stuff over quickly so that he could move on.
Just as John was turning his head to look at Teyla again, he noticed something lying on the floor. It took him a second to realize that it must be the gift Teyla had brought with her-he’d completely forgotten about it, having been too wrapped up in the woman who’d brought it instead.
She must have noticed it too because the next thing he knew Teyla pulled her hand from his and walked over the few steps to retrieve it. Picking it up, she walked back over and held it out in front of her.
“Happy birthday,” she said sincerely.
“What is it?” John questioned as he took the odd shaped package from her hands.
She smiled at him. “I believe that you must open it to find out for yourself.”
After stealing another quick glance at Teyla, John began to unwrap the parcel, letting the plain brown paper fall onto the floor at his feet. When he made it to the third layer of paper he realized that either Rodney or Carson must have helped wrap the gift-his money was on Rodney.
Turning it over to start on the next layer, John realized that the shape of it felt familiar.
He hadn’t recognized it immediately thanks to McKay, but now that there was only one thin layer separating his hands from the gift he was almost certain his guess was correct.
Sure enough, removing the last of the paper revealed to him a pair of Athosian bantos rods. Too stunned to say anything, John turned them over in his hands. They were beautifully hand carved, and the details of the designs were exquisite.
“I thought that perhaps it would remind you of all of the afternoons we spent sparring,” Teyla said quietly as she stepped closer to him and looked over the rods too. “Also, I believe that you know the solitary training exercises, even if you’ve chosen to pretend you don’t.” There was a hint of teasing in her voice.
“These are… they’re amazing Teyla,” he said, finally tearing his gaze away from the gift to look at her. “Thank you.”
She smiled happily at him. “I am glad, although I must admit that I was not sure that you would like the design, but it was one that would not leave my head.”
John’s eyes widened in surprise. “You made these?” he asked, looking back and forth between her and the rods.
She nodded proudly. “Yes.”
John reached across the small distance between them and pulled Teyla into a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered sincerely before placing a gentle kiss on her temple.
“You are most welcome,” she whispered in return.
“Now,” she added as she pulled away. “I believe that you had some place to show me.”
***
“Where are we?” Teyla asked impatiently as she followed John through a large crowd of people, her hand tucked securely in his. Truly, see had never seen this many people gathered in one place before, but Earth was much more crowded than either Atlantis or the Athosian settlement had ever been.
“You’ll see,” he said smugly as he gripped her hand a little tighter and dodged around people to reach some sort of booth.
He stopped there and pulled out his wallet from the pocket of his jeans. Teyla watched as he fished out some money and handed it to the grouchy looking man inside the booth. She was unsure what to make of the exchange, as next the man reached out and wrapped what looked like a thin piece of paper around John’s wrist.
John held out her wrist to the man as well, and soon she was wearing an identical… she didn’t know what it was. She looked at John questioningly, but he just smiled and led her through the gate.
Finding a less crowded place, John stopped. “This,” he began, pointing around him with one hand, “is a state fair.” He was beaming proudly and she couldn’t help but smile.
“All right,” she said. “And what is the point of such a thing?”
“To have fun,” John replied simply. “Now, come on,” he prompted. “There’s a lot of stuff to do.”
***
John wasn’t sure he’d had this much fun, ever. Being at the state fair with Teyla was something that he would remember until the day he died, and probably even after. He’d always loved fairs, but now it was like he was seeing them through a whole new view.
Every single thing seemed to make Teyla happier. John couldn’t get enough of watching her experience new things. Even simple things that he’d never taken much notice of before brought a smile to her face.
He was bound and determined for them to experience everything at the fair before their time together was over. Shoving the unpleasant thought of the end out of his mind, John led her over to a food kiosk.
“What is this?” she asked excitedly, leaning around him to look at the cotton candy machine. Her eyes went wide and he couldn’t help but laugh cheerfully.
“Cotton candy,” he said happily as he handed over a few bills to the woman working there.
“Is it as good as the corn dogs?” Teyla asked, an impish smile on her face.
He grinned down at her. “It’s even better.”
***
As the day faded into night, the excitement that both Teyla and John had been feeling subsided somewhat. It was not gone, nor were they any less happy to be there, it was just that things seemed to be calmer. In fact, walking around the brightly lit fair grounds with John, her hand intertwined with his, Teyla could not remember a time when she had been happier.
“John,” she said quietly, squeezing his hand lightly as she stopped walking.
“Yeah?” he asked, stepping closer and looking down at her.
She smiled at him. “This has been the most wonderful day of my life.” The words were in no way a lie-and she needed him to know.
John’s face instantly lit up. “I know,” he said. Realizing how he must have sounded, he started to correct himself. “What I meant was…”
Teyla spoke softly. “I know,” she said. “I am glad that you enjoyed your birthday.”
“What do you mean enjoyed?” he asked. He quickly looked at his watch. “We still have an hour left. There is more enjoying yet to do,” he said. “Besides, there’s one more thing I want to show you.”
Teyla raised one eyebrow questioningly. “Have we not seen everything here?” she inquired.
John shook his head slightly. “Not quite. I saved the best for last.”
“You mean that there is something better than the Screaming Mountain of Death?” she asked with a hint of teasing in her voice, referring to the rather frightening roller coaster ride they had gone on earlier.
“Yeah,” John said happily. “It’s much better.” He started walking and tugged her hand, urging her to follow behind him. “Come on,” he said quietly as he headed toward the far side of the fair ground.
As they made their way, Teyla realized that they had not been to this part yet. She vaguely remembered heading this way before, but John had persuaded her not to. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now she couldn’t help but wonder.
It wasn’t long before Teyla saw what must be their destination. It appeared to be an enormous wheel that was illuminated by many white lights. Just then it began to rotate, and she stared openly.
John stopped walking and she paused too. “Is that…?”
He nodded, a huge grin plastered on his face. “A Ferris wheel.”
***
John watched Teyla closely as they sat down in the seat of the Ferris wheel. The way she looked, beautiful and utterly happy, would be engrained in his mind forever. She seemed to grow even happier as the ride began to move, slowly raising them and then lowering them before repeating the motions.
When they came to stop at the top, Teyla peered around them, taking in the view. “This is breathtaking,” she said. “I believe I understand why this is your favorite part of the fair.” She turned to smile warmly at him.
“No,” he said quietly as he moved his hands to cup her face, not letting his eyes leave hers. “I lied. This is my favorite part.”
He tilted his head down towards hers until their lips met. The kiss was soft, and full of emotion. John didn’t even notice when the ride started to move again, all he could focus on was the woman whose mouth was moving magically against his.
***
Teyla leaned back against John’s chest as she looked up at the stars. They were both seated on a lounge chair on the small balcony of his apartment. A few minutes earlier Carson had called, and he said that he would be over in a while to take Teyla back to the SGC. Leaving was the last thing she wanted to do, but it was not an option.
John wrapped his arms securely around her and pulled her tighter against him before angling his head so that he could place a loving kiss on the side of her neck. She knew that he was cherishing these last few moments, as was she.
“John,” she whispered, afraid that talking too loud would break the apparent spell they were under.
“Hmm,” he responded as he leaned his chin on her shoulder.
“Which of those is the Pegasus galaxy?” she asked as she tilted her head towards the sky.
She felt John shrug from his place behind her. “Don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But I do know that it’s far away.”
Teyla sighed. “It is,” she replied honestly. “But not too far.”
“Huh?” he asked, apparently confused by her statement.
She shifted in his arms so that she could look at him properly. “Atlantis may be many light-years away, but I will find a way to come back,” she said honestly. It was a decision that she had made unconsciously sometime that day, and it was the right one.
John sighed as he raised his hand to move a stray piece of hair from her eyes. “Teyla,” he began quietly. “As much as I want you to, I just don’t see how it’s going to work.” His voice had turned bitter and it was filled with despair.
“I have been allowed to come this time, have I not?” she asked, raising one eyebrow at his pessimism. “I am sure that it will not be problematic if I were to return again… and again, and again.” She smiled at him sheepishly.
He still didn’t look happy. “I wish you were right, but they aren’t going to let you visit me, not after what I did.”
“John,” Teyla said sternly. “I know of many, many people who agree that your decision to save Atlantis was the right one. They admire and respect you for it. They also believe that the military made the wrong decision by discharging you, but it is not something they have the power to change. However,” she added, pausing for a moment. “They do have the pull needed to see that I am allowed to visit Earth.”
John looked at her skeptically, as if he couldn’t believe what she was saying because it was too good to be true.
“How do you think I came to be here now?” she asked.
John shrugged his shoulders. “Rodney and Carson.”
She tilted her head. “It was their idea yes, but it was Dr. Weir and General Landry who approved the trip. They respect what you did John, even though that cannot acknowledge that on a professional level.”
A smile broke out on his face. “How’d you get so smart?” he asked jokingly.
“Seeing as I no longer have you to keep me company, I am forced to spend the majority of my free time with Rodney.”
When John laughed, she knew that everything was going to be all right. Already he was beginning to accept what had happened, and he was moving on.
“So,” John said, the laughter leaving his voice, but not the happiness. “I guess this gives a whole new meaning to long distance relationships.”
Teyla smiled at him. She did not know exactly what the phrase meant, but she had a good idea.
“And,” John said slowly. “I guess that means that we have to make the most of the time we do have together.”
“I do not mind,” she said teasingly.
“Well that’s good,” John said seriously. “Because if I remember correctly, we have an hour until Carson gets here…” He winked at her suggestively and she laughed.
“What do you suggest John?” she asked, in a mock-serious voice.
“Well,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her neck sweetly. “I can think of a few things.”
The End