Wont you come out and play with me?

***

“Major Sheppard has decided to go to the mainland.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Surfing?”

“Yes. He said that he has an inflatable Donald Duck pool toy that he believes some of the children will enjoy.”

“I think the reference might be lost on them.”

“As it is on me.”

Elizabeth looked up from the papers in front of her and smiled gently at the other woman. “I never considered how hard it must be for you.”

“To live among humans?”

“Yes.” Elizabeth nodded, picked up her stapler and stapled the seven pages of Kavanaugh’s complaints together before dropping them in her out tray. That man needs a life.

“It is not difficult. Major Sheppard is most gracious in explaining most things to me. He says all I have to do is say the magic word.”

“Magic word?” Elizabeth repeated, eyebrow raised.

“Please.” Teyla grinned.

“Of course.” She laughs. John Sheppard was very much like a young boy in many ways. Though teaching manners was, perhaps, the lesser of many evils he could have chosen to impart on their new friends. “Are you going to go surfing?”

“No, I thought I might get some exercise.”

“Fight sticks?”

Teyla raised an eyebrow. “One needs a partner for such an activity.”

“True.”

“Would you be interested in training with me, Doctor Weir? It has been several weeks since you did.”

It’s been several weeks since Elizabeth could move her left elbow without a twinge, as she recalls. “Actually, I will, if you don’t mind.”

Teyla bows slightly, a pleased smile on her lips. “I will go and change.”

Elizabeth nods. Shutting down the music player open, she pulls the Dido CD from her laptop and replaces it in the case, before beginning the process of shutting down the computer itself. “I will as well. Meet you there in 15 minutes?”

“As you wish.”

***

As she rotates her shoulders, warming up, Elizabeth finds herself a little nervous.

She and Teyla have had several training sessions together over the previous months, but the other woman is far more skilled than she and she still has a partial bruise on her elbow that is a testament to her talent. While she has no doubt that the Athosian leader wont hurt her, it is clear that using the fight sticks is something akin to playing with fire.

Teyla is a few feet from her, also warming up, stretching her neck. She spreads her legs and slides down. Elizabeth can’t do the splits and she can’t tear her eyes off the woman on the floor.

Her skirt spreads outwards and her legs come through. Her stomach is taut, muscled but flat. Teyla noticed her gaze and looks up at her, smiling.

“Are you ready, Doctor?”

“Call me Elizabeth.” She rotates her arms once more and picks up her sticks. “And yes.”

They begin with a routine that they developed. It’s more of a dance than a fight, but it gives Elizabeth a chance to feel more comfortable as she twirls the sticks through her fingers, watching as Teyla does the same.

Moving to the centre of the mat, they bow.

Remembering from previous experience, Elizabeth is ready for the strike that Teyla delivers as she rises from her bow and blocks it easily.

“You remembered well.” There is pride in her voice.

Elizabeth spins and offers a blow of her own, not missing a beat, though it is also easily blocked. Their sticks make a loud sound as they collide. “I had a good teacher.”

“I am honoured that you think so.”

“It’s true.” She replies as she blocks another strike.

“Would you like to learn something new?”

“Of course.”

As per their other lessons, Teyla stands back and demonstrates the move with an invisible opponent, counting through the steps as she does so. Her grace, the dexterity as she moves is palpable and Elizabeth is envious and impressed.

“Wow.”

“Would you like to try it?”

“As the dominator or the submissive?” She won’t think about the double meaning there.

Either Teyla misses it or chooses not to comment. Elizabeth suspects the latter. “The dominator.”

She nods. “OK.”

“Slowly.”

Elizabeth raises her right arm, offering a blow above Teyla’s head. The other woman takes it and their sticks collide as she blocks, while the other hovers mid-air, ready to defend.

Teyla counts, “One.”

Moving her left arm, while keeping her right stick locked with Teyla’s, Elizabeth spins around her body and slips behind her, their bodies pressed together. She counts, “Two.”

In a counter-move, Teyla raises her right hand back to try and clock Elizabeth on the head. She blocks it easily, her right arm sliding around Teyla’s as she bends her wrist to stop the progression of the stick.

Teyla Counts, “Three.”

The move ends with Elizabeth behind Teyla, their arms locked together so that neither can really make an aggressive move and their bodies pressed close.

Elizabeth doesn’t count; the heat against her front is too strong for her to breathe properly.

Teyla says, “Checkmate.”

She holds the position for just a little too long and when Elizabeth steps back, just a little, her body cools immediately. “Major Sheppard taught you to play chess?”

“No,” Teyla replies, turning around to face her. “But the word fits, does it not?”

“It does.”

“Would you like to learn to defend from the submissive position?”

Teyla pressed against her back? Oh God… no.

“Yes.”

***

Elizabeth’s arms are stretched above her head, held firmly by Teyla’s own arms. She felt much better when their positions had been reversed.

“Defend yourself.”

“I can’t.”

“You can, Elizabeth.” Her breath is hot against the skin of Elizabeth’s neck. “I have shown you how.”

She does.

She performs the counter manoeuvre to perfection and she ends up facing her ‘opponent’, their arms linked through each other and their bodies touching. Hip to hip, stomach to stomach, breast to breast.

They’re too close.

There’s not enough space between them.

Elizabeth can’t do this.

She can’t.

Teyla is proud again. “Well done.”

***

Elizabeth isn’t sure, but she thinks that she makes the first move.

She doesn’t have to lean far until their lips are together. Teyla’s mouth is soft under hers and her tongue is warm. Their arms are still locked in battle as they explore each other’s mouths. She thinks she can taste honey, hidden in the softness.

When they pull back, Elizabeth’s eyes stay closed for a few beats. She savours the taste of the other woman in her mouth before her brain kicked itself into gear. Almost automatically, her arms pull away and her eyes open in horror. What did I just do? “I’m sorry!”

“Do not be sorry.”

“I’ve never… I mean, I haven’t…”

Teyla almost sounds sad. “Did you not like it?”

“No, I…” I did. That’s the problem. “Teyla.”

“Yes?”

I am a straight woman. I like men. I have a wonderfully loving boyfriend on Earth. Penises make me happy. I’ve had exactly one lesbian experience in my life and that was in Collage so it doesn’t count because everybody experiments. I like men, damnit. “Teyla…” …I want you.

Her mouth opens and closes a few times. She wants to say that it had been a mistake, that she couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow anything like this to happen again and it definitely couldn’t go any further. She was going to say it, going to apologize to the other woman for misleading her or hurting her in any way. She opens her mouth and closes it again.

She just needed a moment and she’ll do it.

She really will.

“Elizabeth.” Teyla steps forward, bringing their bodies into contact again. “I want you too.”

***

They leave the gym.

Teyla takes her hand - does anyone see? Does she care if they do? - and leads Elizabeth to her room. They walk in silence; there is not much to be said.

What am I doing? She thinks. Elizabeth’s brain is still trying to convince her that she is straight, despite the wetness between her legs and the warm hand that grasps her own.

If she lets it, her mind will have a field day convincing her that the wetness is just pent up frustration, the fluttering in her belly is merely hunger pains and the tightness in her nipples is from the cold air. If she just let’s her mind win out over her heart, she will not do this. She will go back to her office and read some reports.

She doesn’t let it, she continues walking.

It isn’t until they’re sitting on Teyla’s bed, sans shirts, that Elizabeth finds the voice to speak. “I’m nervous.”

“You should not be.”

“I know.”

Teyla reaches out and caresses her cheek gently. “We do not have to do anything.”

“Actually,” Elizabeth counters, leaning in to the touch, her breath quickening. “I think we do.”

***

“Please…”

“What’s the magic word?” Her voice is smug.

I just said it! “Please!”

Teyla stops. “Wrong answer.”

God damn it, she stops.

“It’s the magic word.” Elizabeth defends weakly, a tiny sob forming in the back of her throat.

"Not now, it isn’t.” Teyla pauses to saver the sound that comes from her lover’s throat. “There's a magic word for everything… you know this, Elizabeth."

“God…”

She wants to hear her name.

Teyla knows that Elizabeth has a lover on Earth, a man. She also suspects that their leader is attracted to John Sheppard.

They’ve only known each other a few months, but in that time, Teyla has found herself with a permanent knot in her stomach whenever Elizabeth is nearby. A tiny flutter that floats through her body whenever the tactile woman touches her.

She needs to hear her name.

Needs to know that Elizabeth isn’t going to close her eyes and pretend that she is someone else. She will not pretend with this woman. She can’t. “Your God will not save you.”

“Teyla, please!”

Her tongue dips down and then trails upwards. “Good answer.”

***

End