All right, here's the next part of Deception. I did mention ANGST, right?
Spoiler:
Four months later:
Teyla was on the infirmary bed, recovering from a blast from a Wraith stunner. While traveling off-world, the team encountered a group of Wraith outside the village they were visiting. They had managed to eliminate the threat, but Teyla had been hit.
Keller looked from the screen with Teyla’s vitals to Sheppard. “Well, she’s going to be fine, but, Colonel, we don’t know what effects Wraith stunners have on embryos. I’ll monitor the baby, but so far, everything looks fine.”
John’s mind stopped processing anything she said after the word “embryos.” “Um, doc, what are you talking about?”
Keller’s eyes widened. “You mean she didn’t tell you?” She sighed as he shook his head. “Look, I’ve said more than I should have. I just thought since you are friends…” She trailed off. “I’ll contact you when she’s awake. It shouldn’t be more than a half hour.”
He hated being sent away. However, what he despised more was being left in the dark about members of his team. Teyla was pregnant? How? When? With whom? With each question, Sheppard’s walking became more swift, as if he was trying to run away from the Athosian woman.
Unable to get a grip on his anger, he went to his quarters, not wanting to take out his rage on anyone around him. Why hadn’t she told him? Obviously, she was aware of her…condition. It wasn’t like there wasn’t an opportunity; they saw each other every day.
His anger was fueled by her betrayal with every second. People were wrong, he thought. Anger wasn’t red; it was an explosion of color, a fire that could only been extinguished by hitting something really hard.
Just as he was about to see if it was possible to punch a hole through the wall, his door chime interrupted him. Stomping, he quickly activated the door crystal. When he opened the door, Teyla was standing on the other side. “John,” she said softly.
His laugh was bitter. “Oh, so it’s John, huh? You can’t reveal your secret to ‘Colonel Sheppard’, but ‘John’ will just forgive you with no questions asked, right?” he said.
“May I please come in?” she asked, not dismayed by his demeanor.
“Sure, I mean it’s not like anything is going to happen anyway, right?”
That time the comment hit its mark; her eyes fluttered closed. “I should not have kept this information from you. Any of you,” she admitted.
“Damn right. Teyla, how in the hell am I suppose to trust you if you can’t do the same?” he asked in a raised voice.
“I believe this child is a gift from the Ancestors. I did not want to curse it,” she said, trying to explain herself.
A gift? “What the hell does that mean?”
She sat on the edge of his bed. At any other time, it would have thrilled Sheppard that she was so relaxed in his quarters. Now, he could barely stand to look at her, knowing she had been in somebody else’s bed.
“Do you remember when we visited that planet with Tyre?”
He nodded. Of course he did, it was the first mission they had with Colonel Carter in charge of Atlantis.
“The man that I was with, his name is Kanan. He is an Athosian who left many years ago to try to fight the Wraith. In our youth, we were quite in l--”
“Ok, I got the picture. You see an old flame. So what?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.
“After talking, we went back to his place and--”
“You guys did the horizontal tango?” Sheppard spat.
Though unfamiliar with the term, she understood the context of what he was saying. Nodding, she answered, “Afterwards, I could not find him as you know. For many weeks, I was upset. I know that Kanan is a good man, but I could not understand why he would leave. About a month later, Dr. Keller and I traveled to Athos and my people were missing. It was there I discovered the impending birth of my child. I knew then that my night with Kanan was the Ancestors way of allowing the Athosians to survive.”
John looked at her disbelievingly. “So, you think you are carrying some miracle child?” At her nod, he nearly exploded. “It couldn’t just be that you slept with some guy who left you high and dry after he got what he wanted and now you’re trying to make your mistake into something noble?”
He wasn’t expecting her to slap him across the face.
“Do not refer to my baby as such! Unexpected, yes, but it is not a mistake.”
He shrugged off her demand. “Whatever. But, the bottom line is that you withheld information about you that could compromise the team. How are we suppose to investigate places unexplored being exposed to who knows what without the child affecting those decisions? We can’t operate as a team.” He swallowed, already hating himself for what he was about to say. “Teyla, you’re off my team. Talk it over with Carter and see what she wants you to do.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. Despite her sorrow, part of her was glad not having to risk the health of her baby. Still, to not by John, Ronon, and Rodney, would be lonely. “If you feel that would be best,” she said, trying to sound strong.
“I do,” he said. “Look, you should probably get some rest. I’m sure Dr. Keller wants you to take it easy after everything today.”
* * * * *
John wasn’t really surprised when Carter radioed him, asking to see him in her office. When he stepped in, she took no time to put him on the defensive. “What is this about you taking Teyla off your team?” she demanded.
“I assume she decided to fill you in on her condition,” he said bitterly as he took a seat.
“She did.”
“There you know there is no way in hell that I’m going to take her off-world and jeopardize her or the baby. Dr. Keller already was worried what one blast from the Wraith stunner was going to do to it. There’s no reason to put her in that situation,” he explained.
“I know that my trust in her has been shot.” He leaned forward in his chair. “I mean, she thinks that the Ancients played a part with her hooking up with this guy. Come on.”
“Colonel, if I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were jealous,” she said.
He surprised them both by his answer. “Jealous doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
Carter nodded, sighing. “All right, you find another member for your team. I’ll give Teyla another assignment.”
He nodded, torn between being relived that he didn’t have to stand by while the fruits of Teyla and Kanan’s labor grew and mourning the fact he was losing one of his best friends.
Teyla was on the infirmary bed, recovering from a blast from a Wraith stunner. While traveling off-world, the team encountered a group of Wraith outside the village they were visiting. They had managed to eliminate the threat, but Teyla had been hit.
Keller looked from the screen with Teyla’s vitals to Sheppard. “Well, she’s going to be fine, but, Colonel, we don’t know what effects Wraith stunners have on embryos. I’ll monitor the baby, but so far, everything looks fine.”
John’s mind stopped processing anything she said after the word “embryos.” “Um, doc, what are you talking about?”
Keller’s eyes widened. “You mean she didn’t tell you?” She sighed as he shook his head. “Look, I’ve said more than I should have. I just thought since you are friends…” She trailed off. “I’ll contact you when she’s awake. It shouldn’t be more than a half hour.”
He hated being sent away. However, what he despised more was being left in the dark about members of his team. Teyla was pregnant? How? When? With whom? With each question, Sheppard’s walking became more swift, as if he was trying to run away from the Athosian woman.
Unable to get a grip on his anger, he went to his quarters, not wanting to take out his rage on anyone around him. Why hadn’t she told him? Obviously, she was aware of her…condition. It wasn’t like there wasn’t an opportunity; they saw each other every day.
His anger was fueled by her betrayal with every second. People were wrong, he thought. Anger wasn’t red; it was an explosion of color, a fire that could only been extinguished by hitting something really hard.
Just as he was about to see if it was possible to punch a hole through the wall, his door chime interrupted him. Stomping, he quickly activated the door crystal. When he opened the door, Teyla was standing on the other side. “John,” she said softly.
His laugh was bitter. “Oh, so it’s John, huh? You can’t reveal your secret to ‘Colonel Sheppard’, but ‘John’ will just forgive you with no questions asked, right?” he said.
“May I please come in?” she asked, not dismayed by his demeanor.
“Sure, I mean it’s not like anything is going to happen anyway, right?”
That time the comment hit its mark; her eyes fluttered closed. “I should not have kept this information from you. Any of you,” she admitted.
“Damn right. Teyla, how in the hell am I suppose to trust you if you can’t do the same?” he asked in a raised voice.
“I believe this child is a gift from the Ancestors. I did not want to curse it,” she said, trying to explain herself.
A gift? “What the hell does that mean?”
She sat on the edge of his bed. At any other time, it would have thrilled Sheppard that she was so relaxed in his quarters. Now, he could barely stand to look at her, knowing she had been in somebody else’s bed.
“Do you remember when we visited that planet with Tyre?”
He nodded. Of course he did, it was the first mission they had with Colonel Carter in charge of Atlantis.
“The man that I was with, his name is Kanan. He is an Athosian who left many years ago to try to fight the Wraith. In our youth, we were quite in l--”
“Ok, I got the picture. You see an old flame. So what?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.
“After talking, we went back to his place and--”
“You guys did the horizontal tango?” Sheppard spat.
Though unfamiliar with the term, she understood the context of what he was saying. Nodding, she answered, “Afterwards, I could not find him as you know. For many weeks, I was upset. I know that Kanan is a good man, but I could not understand why he would leave. About a month later, Dr. Keller and I traveled to Athos and my people were missing. It was there I discovered the impending birth of my child. I knew then that my night with Kanan was the Ancestors way of allowing the Athosians to survive.”
John looked at her disbelievingly. “So, you think you are carrying some miracle child?” At her nod, he nearly exploded. “It couldn’t just be that you slept with some guy who left you high and dry after he got what he wanted and now you’re trying to make your mistake into something noble?”
He wasn’t expecting her to slap him across the face.
“Do not refer to my baby as such! Unexpected, yes, but it is not a mistake.”
He shrugged off her demand. “Whatever. But, the bottom line is that you withheld information about you that could compromise the team. How are we suppose to investigate places unexplored being exposed to who knows what without the child affecting those decisions? We can’t operate as a team.” He swallowed, already hating himself for what he was about to say. “Teyla, you’re off my team. Talk it over with Carter and see what she wants you to do.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. Despite her sorrow, part of her was glad not having to risk the health of her baby. Still, to not by John, Ronon, and Rodney, would be lonely. “If you feel that would be best,” she said, trying to sound strong.
“I do,” he said. “Look, you should probably get some rest. I’m sure Dr. Keller wants you to take it easy after everything today.”
* * * * *
John wasn’t really surprised when Carter radioed him, asking to see him in her office. When he stepped in, she took no time to put him on the defensive. “What is this about you taking Teyla off your team?” she demanded.
“I assume she decided to fill you in on her condition,” he said bitterly as he took a seat.
“She did.”
“There you know there is no way in hell that I’m going to take her off-world and jeopardize her or the baby. Dr. Keller already was worried what one blast from the Wraith stunner was going to do to it. There’s no reason to put her in that situation,” he explained.
“I know that my trust in her has been shot.” He leaned forward in his chair. “I mean, she thinks that the Ancients played a part with her hooking up with this guy. Come on.”
“Colonel, if I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were jealous,” she said.
He surprised them both by his answer. “Jealous doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
Carter nodded, sighing. “All right, you find another member for your team. I’ll give Teyla another assignment.”
He nodded, torn between being relived that he didn’t have to stand by while the fruits of Teyla and Kanan’s labor grew and mourning the fact he was losing one of his best friends.
You definitely get an O for OUTSTANDING.
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