Traditional Dress

“Remind me again why I’m doing this,” Laura said, running a hand under the leather vest where it rubbed against her neck. Not that it was doing her any good.

Major Lorne grinned. “You were chosen specially, Lieutenant.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Laura told him. “You just picked me cos I look good in leather.”

“I think I’m pleading the Fifth on that one,” Lorne said dryly to hastily stifled laughter from the rest of his team.

“You don’t have to say it,” Laura assured him, fighting the urge to grin. “I know you’re thinking it.”

Lorne shook his head and cracked a smile. “Whatever gets you through the night, Lieutenant. You checked your transmitter?”

Laura raised a hand automatically to her ear and one half of the pair of earrings she was wearing. Shaped like slightly over-sized silver discs, they weren’t exactly traditional Athosian dress, but Teyla had assured Lorne and Colonel Sheppard that they’d get away with it, and it was the only way they had to keep in radio communication without raising suspicion. “All set. Just waiting for Teyla.”

“Any idea what the hold up is?” Lorne asked. His team were scheduled to depart on their mission as soon as Teyla and Laura went through the gate, and were lined up by the gate-room steps, decked out in regular gear and shifting impatiently, now that Laura and Lorne were done being friends and back to being colleagues, which was less entertaining.

Laura shrugged, the leather vest rubbing her neck again. There was no way this could be an essential part of the Athosian dress – she’d seen what they wore on occasional trips to the mainland. “She set the departure time. Maybe she’s held up with her team.”

“Or with Colonel Sheppard,” Lorne muttered, turning away to tap his ear-piece on, but before he could say anything, the door to the gate-room slid open and Teyla hurried through, adjusting the straps of her bag.

“I am sorry I am late, I was unavoidably detained.” Laura caught Lorne’s eye behind Teyla’s back and grinned. “Have you been waiting long, Lieutenant Cadman?”

“I’m good,” Laura said easily. “We ready to go?”

“Of course.” Teyla let go of her bag and looked at Laura, then nodded. “Exenne has done well with your clothing – I would believe you were from Athos if I did not know better.”

“Thanks,” Laura said, though she couldn’t help noticing that Teyla was wearing her usual soft patchwork coat over her brown pants and tightly fitted purple shirt, with not a scrap of leather in sight, while Laura suffered in the knee-length leather vest Exenne had picked out for her, claiming it marked her out as a member of the closest thing Athos had to a member of the military.

“All right,” Lorne waved up to Chuck on the dialing device. “Dial it up.”

*

M9S 825, or Angelken, had been a burgeoning trading partner of the Athosians before the Wraith had come and they’d moved to Atlantis and then to the mainland, and, angry over the Athosians absence when they returned for a follow-up visit, had only just agreed to recommence trade negotiations.

“They’re insisting on speaking with Teyla as the Athosian representative,” Lorne had explained when he’d come to Laura to pitch the mission. “Something to do with having already established a rapport and not wanting to start again.”

“It was more than two years ago,” Laura had pointed out. “Won’t they pretty much have lost any rapport they had by now?”

“Hey, I don’t make these decisions,” Lorne had said. “Anyway, Teyla thinks they might have Ancient technology on their world, from what they were saying when she met with them on Athos, but they’re not keen on having strangers visit, so we’re not going to get a team out there, even if they set something up with Teyla.”

“Why me?” Laura had asked. “I don’t know anything about Ancient tech. I don’t even have the gene.”

Lorne had shaken his head. “You’re not going to look for technology, you’re going to scope the place out, see what they’ve got that we could use to get us an in.”

“Why me?” Laura had asked again. “Surely Teyla could do that. Or you or Colonel Sheppard.”

“Mainly because your team actually has the fewest missions ending in the need to be rescued of all the gate teams,” Lorne had said with a wry smile. It was a source of endless amusement to the Marines just how often their Air Force COs needed hauling out of a bad situation, and Laura was always more than happy to remind Lorne of this. “But also because the Angelkens only deal with women.”

Laura had made a face. “I was a lot happier to have been asked before you told me that part,” she said.

*

Angelken was, like most planets in Pegasus, primarily trees and grass, with few signs of any advanced development, at least within sight of the gate. There was, to Laura’s surprise, no-one waiting to meet them when they stepped through and the gate shut down behind them.

“Are we early?” she asked Teyla, who was scanning the nearby tree-line.

“I do not believe so. But the Angelken, as I am sure you remember, are cautious in their dealings with those they do not know well.”

“Of course,” Laura said, grateful to Teyla for covering her slip. She rolled her shoulders, trying to think like an Athosian and not like a Lantean Marine. Which was easier said than done, since she really didn’t know the Athosians all that well, either as individuals or as a people. She’d not even spent much time with Teyla, beyond the occasional joint mission or training session. “Do you think we should make our way to the village? They might be on their way.”

“I do not believe that would be wise,” Teyla said. “We will wait here and give them time to come to us.” She scanned the tree-line once more, then put her bag down, out of range of the stargate if it activated and sat down, crossing her legs beneath her.

Laura gave it another minute, unable to shake the sense that someone would come at them with weapons the moment they relaxed – hindsight was always 20/20, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn from it – then gave up and sat opposite Teyla, mirroring her position and allowing them to keep most of their surroundings under surveillance.

Teyla smiled warmly at her. “I am glad that you have accompanied me on this visit,” she said carefully. “It is always pleasant to have a friend when waiting.”

“Sure,” Laura said. Military life was all about hurry up and wait, and she’d had years to get used to the and wait part, but there was something about Teyla’s calm that made her want to fidget and look away. She made herself sit still and meet Teyla’s gaze. “So, what’s it like working with Ronon Dex?”

“Ronon is very different from Lieutenant Ford,” Teyla said, dropping her eyes, and Laura felt herself flush. She’d seen Ford around the Mountain before the expedition left the first time and heard what had happened when Lorne’s team had run into him, but she still found it hard to remember that he was missing and not just somewhere else. He hadn’t even been gone six months.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to –“

“Do not worry.” Teyla leaned forward to touch Laura’s arm quickly in reassurance and Laura caught the scent of something floral and spicy; incense, she thought, familiar from her college room-mate, freshman year, who’d burned the stuff like it was going out of style, and always carried the scent of it in her hair and clothes, brushing Laura’s skin when she leaned over to point out an error in Laura’s French translations – “Lieutenant Cadman?” Teyla asked, breaking through Laura’s thoughts. “Are you well?”

“I’m fine,” Laura said, shaking the memories away. “You know, you should really call me Laura. Either that or I’ll have to start calling you Ms Emmagen.”

Teyla smiled briefly. “Actually, there is a word in Athosian for leader that you would have to use as a title. It is not easy to pronounce your language, even with the translation device in the ring.”

“Try me,” Laura said. “I’m good with languages.”

“Very well.” Teyla said something with a lot of vowels and not a lot of consonants that sounded like it was coming through a poor ship-to-shore line, and looked expectantly at Laura, who laughed.

“You’re right, I don’t think I’m going to be able to say that. Definitely call me Laura.”

“Thank you.” Teyla tilted her head and smiled. She had a nice smile. “Laura.” A nice smile, and she made Laura’s name sound exotic and different with her Athosian accent, not boring the way Laura had always found it when she was a kid, and that was *not* something Laura needed to be thinking about. “And to answer your question, Ronon is becoming a valued member of our team.”

“Good. He seems like a nice guy.” Not that Laura could really comment – she’d spent even less time with him than she had with Teyla – but Carson had said good things about him, before he’d decided that it was too weird that they’d kissed for the first time when she’d been in his best friend’s body, and promptly dumped her. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had a point, even if Laura did miss the chance for regular sex.

“I am not certain who you have on your team,” Teyla said.

“Dr Metcalfe, from Anthropology, Lance Corporal Cooper and Staff Sergeant Li. The only all-female team in Pegasus.” Laura knew she was grinning like an idiot as she said that, but she didn’t care; there was nothing wrong with being proud of her team.

“I thought that –“ Teyla dropped her voice and it took Laura a moment to realize that she was probably still worried about them being watched, even though there’d been no signs of any life. “That there were rules about women in combat.”

“The SGC doesn’t really uphold those kinds of rules,” Laura said. “Colonel Sheppard told me to choose a team, and I chose the best people. Dr Weir supported it.”

“I am sure you do an excellent job,” Teyla said.

“We do,” Laura agreed, feeling a warm rush at her words. “Listen, you don’t think something’s happened to the Angelkens, do you, and that’s why they’re not here to meet us?”

Teyla frowned. “I do not believe so. Rodney reported that there have been no Wraith in this area since before the Angelkens contacted me.”

“Still…” Now that the idea was in her head, Laura couldn’t let go of it. “Maybe we should go check. Just in case.”

“I do not think that would be wise. The Angelkens are a cautious people, with strict traditions. They would not look well on us trespassing without a guide during our first visit. We will allow some more time for them to come to us.”

“If you’re sure,” Laura said doubtfully, but it wasn’t like she was in charge, or could start ordering Teyla around. “Is it summer here? It’s getting warm.”

“Angelken is always a warm planet,” Teyla said, “But yes, I believe it is their summer.”

“Well, it’s definitely too hot to be dressed like this,” Laura said, standing up so she could remove her leather vest. Without it, the knife sheath she wore on the belt of her soft brown pants was clearly visible, but most of the people they met in Pegasus were armed, and at least she could feel the slight breeze she hadn’t noticed before, ruffling the loose green shirt Exenne had dressed her in.

“I agree,” Teyla said, shrugging out of her coat without getting up, and Laura’s face was suddenly warm in a way that had nothing to do with the bright sun; if she’d thought Teyla’s top was fitted when it was mostly covered with her coat, it was even more obvious when she removed it, the sleeveless top showing off Teyla’s defined arms and shoulders, as well as the smooth skin of her throat and the curve of her breasts.

She was going to kill Major Lorne for making her do this, just as soon as they met with the Angelkens and went home.

“Want to play cards?” she asked, reaching for the pack she always carried in her pocket before remembering that the Athosians didn’t have cards and therefore neither did she. “Or not.”

“I am quite happy with your company, Laura,” Teyla said, catching Laura’s gaze when Laura looked up, and Laura found she couldn’t look away. “Though I am sure you would prefer to be doing something more active.”

“No,” Laura said, alarmed by the way her voice squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “No, it’s fine – I’m fine.”

“Good.” Teyla smiled and leaned forward, her hand going to the scarf Laura had used to cover her hair, since there weren’t many red-heads in Pegasus and it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that they’d run into someone on Angelken whom she’d met before. Teyla’s fingers brushed against her cheek, then the tip of her ear before sliding under the scarf. “Your hair was coming loose,” she said softly, and how had she got so close without Laura noticing?

Close enough for Laura to lean forward and –

In the trees behind her, a branch broke with a loud crack, and a couple of voices cursed.

“The Angelkens,” Teyla said, sounding breathless. Laura felt the puff of her breath against her own skin.

“Yeah. Finally.” One of the voices spoke again, closer than before. “Right. We should –“

“Yes,” Teyla said, and withdrew her hand from Laura’s hair just before a trio of women in standard pseudo-Medieval Pegasus dress stepped into their clearing.

*

Eight hours later, Teyla had an arrangement for another meeting about making an agreement and Laura had a report to Dr Weir and Colonel Sheppard about the likelihood of Atlantis arranging an agreement (‘don’t get your hopes up’).

Dismissed by Colonel Sheppard, Laura got halfway down the corridor outside the gate room before stopping, undecided over where she wanted to go. Teyla hadn’t said a word about their moment in front of the gate for the whole day, not even walking back to the gate, and Laura was halfway to thinking she’d imagined the entire thing, or imagined what Teyla wanted.

Except she couldn’t shake the feel of Teyla’s fingers in her hair, on her skin, or the way Teyla had leaned into her. And sure, alien culture, different gestures and meanings, but Teyla’d been living with the expedition since their first days in Pegasus, she had to have picked up their meanings by now.

Laura rolled her eyes at herself – she hadn’t agonized this much about the decision to come to Atlantis, though that might have had something to do with Lorne pointing out that she’d been complaining about her team leader’s attitude for the last eight months, and that on Atlantis, not only would she be a team leader herself, but she’d be reporting directly to him.

“Get a grip,” she told herself firmly, and headed off towards Teyla’s quarters.

*

Teyla answered the door barefoot, wearing the filmy skirt Laura had seen her in at the gym with another of her fitted Athosian tops, having obviously found time to change while Laura was occupied with Sheppard and Weir. “Laura,” she said warmly. “Won’t you come in?”

“Thanks,” Laura said. “I wanted to ask if you had any special washing instructions for these clothes. I don’t want to ruin them.”

“They will be fine being washed with your other things.” Teyla let the door slide closed behind them, and Laura noticed the candles lit on every available surface, most of them obviously used regularly with lines of wax running down them. “I am certain Exenne is not in a hurry for them to be returned.”

“Great,” Laura said. “Thanks.”

“You look most fetching in our clothes,” Teyla said, suddenly a lot closer than she had been. “Had we been with my people, I would have invited you to return to my home with me.”

Laura didn’t blush, ever, not since she’d trained it out of herself before joining the Marines, but she still felt a prickle of heat across her cheeks as she swallowed.

“I apologize,” Teyla said, laying one hand on Laura’s arm. “I forget that your people are not so forward in these things.”

“No, I – I mean, no, weren’t not usually so forward but it’s not –“ God, shut up. She sounded like a babbling idiot. Worse, she sounded like Rodney McKay trying to get a date. “I like that in a woman,” she said with a grin, and leaned in to kiss Teyla, finally, finally, like she’d been waiting months for it instead of hours.

Teyla kissed back with enthusiasm, forceful and controlled like she was in the training room, pressing Laura back against the door and sighing against Laura’s mouth. “I was given to understand,” she said, her voice a little breathless, “That members of your military were not permitted to do such things.”

Laura put her arms round Teyla, pressing her close and running her hands over the intricate stitching of her top. “I live to break the rules,” she said and Teyla laughed.

“Then I see why Colonel Sheppard speaks so well of you,” she said, which was really pretty flattering and yet pretty much the last thing she wanted to hear while she was making out with a female alien half a corridor away from her CO’s quarters.

“So,” she said, sliding her hands down over Teyla’s skirt, feeling the warmth of her skin through the material; Teyla made a low noise in her throat and did a kind of full body shiver that pressed her into Laura in all the best ways. “In the interests of cross-cultural understanding, I really think we should –“ Teyla turned her head and bit down on Laura’s collar bone through her shirt and she choked on the rest of the sentence. “We should, er…”

“Take this to somewhere more comfortable?” Teyla asked, her lips catching Laura’s skin as she spoke.

“Yeah,” Laura agreed. “That.”

Teyla looked up at her with a wicked smile that made Laura do her own full body shudder. “I am quite comfortable here. Though I am sure I would be more so if you were wearing fewer clothes.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Laura agreed, reluctantly letting go of Teyla’s ass to reach for the ties of her shirt, except that Teyla was faster than her, already sliding Laura’s shirt up, kissing and licking her way up Laura’s body as she did so and oh, Laura was glad she’d given up on the Athosians’ complex version of a bra as Teyla’s mouth closed over her nipple, sucking hard. She let her head fall back against the door, her arms trapped by her shirt as Teyla grazed her teeth over Laura’s skin.

“God, that’s… Wait. Let me take this off.” The typically cool air of Atlantis made her shiver in contrast to the warmth of Teyla’s mouth but it was worth it to have her arms free so she could unlace Teyla’s top and push it aside, her fingers fumbling as Teyla nibbled her way along Laura’s neck.

Teyla, apparently, hadn’t faced the same problems, as she was wearing the band of cloth the Athosians used as a bra, and she’d had enough trouble with her own, never mind doing it to someone else, especially when Teyla planted a final kiss on her neck and sucked her ear lobe between her teeth.

“Teyla…” She’d never been particularly interested in people getting near her ears, but clearly she’d just never had the right person do it, because the rhythmic sucking and the sharp bite of teeth was going straight to her pussy. She gave up on the complex knots, impatient for skin, and slid both hands under the material instead, cupping Teyla’s perfect breasts and stroking her thumbs over hardening nipples until Teyla was groaning, right in her ear, their thighs between each others’ legs and their hips moving in counterpoint, friction that felt amazing but wasn’t enough, dulled by too many layers of material between them.

Teyla groaned when she pulled one hand away, then sighed, “Oh, yes,” as Laura slid her hand into the gap between their bodies, through the slits of Teyla’s skirt and up the inside of her thigh, momentarily surprised not to find more complicated Athosian underwear. Teyla was wet and ready, Laura’s fingers slipping easily inside her, eliciting another moan, a low, pleasure-soaked sound that she already knew she wanted to hear again, a lot, and a hard bite to the outside of her ear.

“Yes,” Teyla murmured. “Please –“ She closed her hand round Laura’s wrist, repositioning her and pressing Laura’s thumb to her clit. “Please.” She ground her hips down hard onto Laura’s hand and Laura fought her own groan as Teyla slid her own hand into Laura’s pants, pressing against her and letting Laura thrust into it until Teyla clenched round her fingers and melted into Laura. She pulled Laura’s head round, pushing her tongue into Laura’s mouth and kissing her hard, and Laura shuddered and came, every nerve in her body humming with it.

They seemed to kiss forever, slowly coming down, the kisses turning languid and soft, half-naked against Teyla’s door, but even the high of orgasm couldn’t make the cool metal comfortable indefinitely. “Now can we move it somewhere more comfortable?” Laura asked, shifting as she felt her skin start to stick to the metal as she cooled down.

Teyla laughed, reaching for the knot in Laura’s head scarf and carefully removing it, running her hands through Laura’s hair as it came loose. “Perhaps you would even like to remove your shoes.”

Laura bent to do so, taking her socks off as well, because there was just no way for socks to look god in bed, and when she stood up again, Teyla was lying back amongst the richly colored throws Laura had barely registered when she’d first arrived. Teyla had managed to remove the rest of her clothes in the time it had taken Laura to deal with her boots, the candle light flickering giving her skin a golden glow, her eyes bright as she slid a hand between her own legs and looked up at Laura. “You may even remove the rest of your clothes,” she said, and one thing Laura had always prided herself on was that she didn’t need to be told something twice.

Teyla’s bed was softer than hers, and wider, allowing her to settle herself between Teyla’s legs without either of them being in danger of falling off. Teyla immediately raised herself up to kiss Laura, her hands on the base of Laura’s spine, holding her there. Laura watched her eyes slide closed, but she couldn’t bring herself to do the same, even though most of her previous partners had thought it was kind of weird that she liked to see while they kissed.

It was worth it though, to see the look of slack pleasure on Teyla’s face, to memorize the way her eyebrows arched, and the fine lines at the edge of her eyes, because she couldn’t imagine that she’d get to see them again, not this close.

Teyla shifted under her, pushing her hips up a fraction then stilling, like she hadn’t meant to, but that was enough of a hint. Laura broke the kiss, sliding her mouth across Teyla’s body, her neck and her throat, the perfect curve of her breasts and the smooth expanse of her stomach. “Is this okay?” she asked. “I mean – do your people do this?”

“Oh yes.” Teyla’s hands smoothed through her hair and Laura felt the faint tremor in them as she gently nudged Laura’s head lower. “Oh yes.”

Laura hadn’t done this to another woman in months, not since well before she’d come to Atlantis, but it wasn’t something she’d ever forget, her hands on Teyla’s hips to keep her from jerking up, licking at Teyla’s clit and sliding a single finger inside her as Teyla groaned and writhed, her fingers light on Laura’s head, not holding or pushing, just resting there.

“Oh. Oh Laura,” Teyla murmured and just her voice was enough to turn Laura on; she hummed, half-consciously, and Teyla’s whole body jerked as she cried out and came.

Laura couldn’t help the grin she knew was spreading across her face, even as the familiar ache started in her jaw, but she barely had a moment to bask in her accomplishment before Teyla was hauling her back up the bed and pushing her onto her back, swinging one leg over to straddle Laura’s hips. Laura reached for her, wanting a kiss, but instead she got Teyla’s mouth on her ear again, nibbling round the edge of it.

“What is it with my ears?” she asked. Not that she was complaining, not really. Not if it kept Teyla pressed close.

Teyla bit down on her earlobe, then pressed a gentle kiss against the bite. “You have most becoming ears,” she said solemnly.

“Uh-huh,” Laura said doubtfully, because, sure, there wasn’t anything *wrong* with her ears, but they were hardly something to write home about.

Teyla laughed, sending a shiver through Laura’s body. Maybe there was something in this ear thing after all. “There is something in the top drawer,” Teyla said, pulling back slightly so Laura could half turn onto her stomach and open the drawer. It wasn’t hard to find what she was looking for – it was the only thing in there.

Teyla’s eyes were wary when Laura turned back, holding the dildo in one hand. It wasn’t made of any material she recognized, firm but giving, like rubber, only not quite so smooth, medium sized and strangely curved and, thank God, a tasteful shade of dull gray. She’d never recovered from a girlfriend during college who’d had a rainbow patterned dildo.

“Is this something that the people of Earth do?” Teyla asked. Laura smiled, hearing her own words reflected back. Maybe she’d suggest to the anthropologists that they do a study into different planets’ sexual practices.

“Definitely. That is absolutely something that the people of Earth do,” she said fervently, and Teyla laughed, leaning down to kiss her again and take the dildo from her hand.

It slid into Laura in one smooth stroke, and Laura got why it had curves where it did, pressing into every good place inside her, Teyla’s hand bumping against her as she thrust it slowly in and out. Laura couldn’t drag her eyes away, mesmerized by the movement until Teyla twisted her wrist and pleasure spiked through her. “God, Teyla, do that again.”

Teyla obliged, pushing in harder and faster, a wicked twist to every thrust that made Laura gasp and curse, her hands fisted tight in the coverings, fighting not to jerk up and knock Teyla away. Teyla reached down with her other hand, rubbing her thumb over Laura’s clit, and Laura’s whole body spasmed as she came, shocking and hard, pushing Teyla’s hand away as she rode it out.

Coming down was like waking up from a head injury, everything slightly out of focus, every inch of her skin overly sensitized. She opened her eyes as Teyla climbed off the bed, watching her move round the room, blowing out candles as she went, wholly unselfconscious without clothes. That had to be a good sign – Teyla wouldn’t make her stumble out in the dark, and she was too satiated to move even if Teyla did want her to leave.

“You will be warmer beneath the covers,” Teyla said, standing over her, shadowed by the last remaining candle.

“Right.” Laura forced her limp limbs into action, climbing under the covers and turning one corner back for Teyla, who lay down on one elbow before blowing out the last candle.

The scent of wax hung in the air, undercut with sex and sweat, and, closer, the same spicy incense she’d smelt on Teyla off-world. There was just enough light for her to make out the edges of Teyla as she shifted, turning to face Laura but not moving any closer.

“Thank you,” Laura whispered, feeling kind of stupid. Teyla didn’t seem like someone who touched a whole lot, but Laura craved that connection after sex, especially after sex as good as that. “That was – amazing.”

Teyla’s laugh was warm and comforting in the darkness. “I agree.” There was a long moment of silence, then Teyla shifted again, pressing her body against Laura’s, who gave her a minute to move again, then turned onto her stomach and draped her arm over Teyla’s waist, pressing her head to Teyla’s shoulder.

“Good night,” she whispered.

“Good night,” Teyla whispered back, and her arm went carefully round Laura’s shoulders, holding her there as she slid into sleep.

*

Her internal alarm woke her at 0530, early enough that she could sneak back to her quarters and change before she had to go meet Lorne for their morning jog. One that she was heartily regretting ever suggesting as she struggled to open her eyes and convince her body that it really did want to climb out of Teyla’s warm bed and warmer embrace to go running.

She cracked the curtains a fraction to find her clothes, trying not to let her gaze drift over to Teyla, soft and sleeping, in case she gave into temptation. She’d never hear the end of it if she missed running with Lorne, and she’d lose all the high ground that being a Marine with an Air Force CO gave her.

She finally found her underwear, kicked half under the bed, and dressed quickly, running a hand through her hair and hoping she didn’t run into anyone in the corridors, since it was undoubtedly pretty obvious what she’d been doing, especially dressed in yesterday’s clothes. There wasn’t any paper to leave a note, but Colonel Sheppard’s team always had breakfast in the mess at the same time – she could run into Teyla on her way there if she timed it right, she was pretty sure.

At that point, she was as ready to leave as she was ever going to be, and about to be late. No reason to hang around any longer, and she was not going to knock something over just so Teyla would wake up and she could have a goodbye kiss. Even assuming Teyla wanted to give her one.

Of course, there was nothing to be done about the sound of the door crystal activating, and the light of the corridor spilled in just as Teyla sat up, the coverings slipping down. Laura quickly swiped the crystal again, closing the door.

“You are leaving?” Teyla asked, her voice rough with sleep.

“Gotta get back,” Laura said, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed anyway. “Before someone sees me.”

“Of course.” Teyla rubbed her eyes, blinked, then looked at Laura. “I had a most pleasant evening. Thank you.”

“Me too,” Laura said, trying to curb the curl of disappointment in her belly. “I have to go.”

“Have a pleasant day,” Teyla said, already lying back, leaving the covers pooled in her lap, which didn’t exactly make it easy to get up and leave. As much as she liked Major Lorne as a friend, he really wasn’t all that tempting against a naked, sleepy Teyla.

“Laura,” Teyla said as Laura raised her hand to the door crystal again. “Next time you come here, perhaps you would again wear the clothes Exenne gave you.”

Laura remembered Teyla’s fingers unfastening the laces of the shirt and sliding over the soft fabric of her Athosian pants, shivering a little at the thought. “I could do that,” she said as lightly as she could manage.

“I will look forward to it,” Teyla said, her eyes sliding closed again.

Laura hesitated, her hand over the crystal. Maybe it would be best to let Lorne win just this once. She was sure she’d be able to trade the bragging rights missing their session would give him for something good in the future. And even if she couldn’t, it wouldn’t hurt to give him one morning off.

Teyla had already lifted the covers when Laura finished her apology and stripped off the last of her clothes. “You are not going running this morning?”

Laura curled back into Teyla and waited for Teyla to wrap an arm round her again. “Nah. Not today.”