Lessons

Title: Lessons
Characters: John S. & Teyla E.
Category: TV Shows » Stargate: Atlantis
Author: meekobb
Language: English, Rating: Rated: K
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Published: 09-23-08, Updated: 09-23-08
Chapters: 1, Words: 1,006

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, I make no profit, Please do not sue.

John Sheppard bounded into Rodney McKay’s lab and dropped an old portable AM/FM radio on the desk. McKay looked up from the program he was involved in, annoyed.

“What do want me to do with this?” McKay grumbled as he took a bite of the candy bar that was lying on the desk next to his computer.

“I need you to somehow make it work for us here,” John said briskly.

“You do remember us being ions and light years away from Earth to pick up any type of station, right?” Said the scientist, with crumbs from his candy bar falling from his open mouth.

“Surely you can figure out some way to make it play something?” John looked at McKay pleadingly.

McKay, never wanting to disappoint his friends, aired a look of defeat. “Fine! Any particular type of music?”

Leaning against the table, the man with untamable hair looked up thoughtfully. “A variety. Some classic rock, some slow ballroom type junk. Danceable tunes, you know?” John answered.

Rodney looked up at his teammate with a dawning in his eyes. Before he could utter another word, Sheppard held up a finger to silence him.

“Not a word – to anyone, otherwise I will leave you on a Wraith planet,” John said as he started to walk out of the lab. “Let me know when you’re finished!”

Rodney sat back down and picked up the clunker of a device. She will surely enjoy this one, he thought as he started to take the old Earth device apart.

After the dinner rush was over, John found Teyla sitting in a far corner of the Mess reading a tablet. With a confident stride, he walked up to her and leaned over on the table, his strong arms supporting his frame.

Teyla looked up surprised, “John! I missed you today for lunch and our sparring match. Did something come up?”

John offered a sly smile and rolled his head, “In a matter of speaking, yes. I have something to show you. Come on.” He stood up and extended his hand out for her.

Teyla looked at her friend curiously before accepting his gesture. She ran a number of possibilities of where John was leading her to as he guided her through the long corridors. Finally she reached what appeared to be an amphitheater of sorts.

“John?” Teyla questioned curiously.

John led Teyla to the center of what appeared to be a stage and held up a finger, indicating her to hold on a moment.

He placed an odd looking device on a chair and hit a button. Soon soft tunes filtered out filling the empty space with a warming sound.

John stepped back over to Teyla and slowly pulled her into a dancing position.

“John? What is this?” Teyla asked again.

“This my fair lady, is your first dancing lesson,” John said with a grin as he looked into her eyes.

Teyla looked up John with a skeptical look, “Dancing?”

Sheppard canted his head and offered a quirky smile, “Yea, why not? You wanted to know what else I did on Earth besides eat popcorn, watch football, and ride ferris wheels.”

Unsure of where John was planning on going with this – dancing – idea, Teyla let her hand be guided to his shoulder as he took her other in his own hand. He took a step back but kept the physical contact.

“Okay, so I will first show you a waltz,” John said softly.

“A wa-lt-z?” Teyla repeated slowly, letting the word dance on her lips. “What kind of purpose did this – wa-lt-z – serve on Earth?”

Choking on his words, trying to think of a way to explain dancing, Sheppard looked into his friend’s eyes while he considered the question. “Purpose? Let’s see – well, there really is no specific purpose other than entertainment I suppose,” he started. “Like martial arts, ballroom dancing can be a very formidable exercise. The waltz is slower paced and good to learn first before others like the foxtrot, cha cha, samba, etcetera. This one helps focus on concentration and posture.”

Teyla narrowed her eyes as she considered his words. “Okay,” she said cautiously. “What do I do?”

“You? Nothing much initially, just follow me, and let me lead,” John straightened his back into a proper posture. Teyla imitated his movements, straightening her back and holding her shoulders back.

“I am ready to begin,” she said bowing her head.

“Okay, well – the steps generally are in sync with a count. Just follow me,” John said softly. He started to move through the steps counting for each move. After a couple tries, he looked up into Teyla’s eyes, which were studying his face.

“What? Do I have broccoli stuck in my teeth or something?” John said as he ran his tongue along his white teeth to feel for any anomalies.

Chuckling, Teyla shook her head. “No Colonel, it is just – I’ve never expected something like this from you.”

Raising an eyebrow, he replied with jest, “Well there is a lot about me you still don’t know. What did I say about calling me Colonel off duty?”

Smiling, Teyla acknowledged with a curt nod, “Of course – John. Shall we continue?”

John started to count with each step he led Teyla with, “One, two, three, four.” He kept his eyes on the woman as she lowered her head to see his footsteps and soon fell into sync with him.

The duo continued their lesson late into the night, losing track of time. As they finished, John walked Teyla back to her quarters and bid her goodnight, leaving a brief kiss on her cheek before disappearing in the dark corridors. Teyla stood frozen in the doorway, a little in shock of the tenderness Sheppard has shown her recently.

As Teyla laid her head down on her pillow, she wondered what else John Sheppard will surprise her with.