[fic] From Above Removed (Chaya/Weir; Emmagan/Weir) [PG]
Title: From Above Removed
Author: havocthecat
Rating: PG
Pairing: Chaya/Weir; Emmagan/Weir
Summary: "There are those among you," she says, looking at Elizabeth, "yourself included, Dr. Weir, that I know Athar would welcome with open arms.
Author's Notes: Written for the sg_femslash mini-ficathon, round one, for poetryfiend's prompt of "Crush, UST," and pairing Elizabeth with Chaya. Obviously, I neither own the characters and setting, nor will I be profiting from this fic. Title is from Dante's Divine Comedy, specifically the Paradiso. Thank you to amitee for betareading!
***
Chaya wanders the halls of Atlantis, visiting once again, after so many years of thinking the city lost beneath the waves. There are small things she can do to help the expedition, but only when the attention of the other Ascended ones wander. She had been exiled to Proculus for good reason, or so they said, and yet they sometimes envy the close ties she has formed with other, supposedly lesser beings.
This is something her people have never learned; those who have not begun walking the path to Ascension are simply different. There are two on Atlantis who shine more brightly than most, their minds seeking something they do not yet realize they are reaching for. John is showing his home to her, and yet her thoughts do not linger on his words, nor the hard-edged suspicion of Dr. McKay.
Teyla and Elizabeth have left her to John, to his strawberries - she has had them many times under another name - and are eating together in Elizabeth's quarters. Teyla finds her path through the bright, burning flames of candles and meditation. Elizabeth has pulled herself away from her burdens enough to calm her mind and body with a series of practiced, calming stretches, and deep, unhurried breaths. Their minds flowed together earlier tonight as they worked together. They were almost in harmony, despite their different beginnings and alien mindsets. Chaya smiles brightly, turning to John and looking encouraging. He presumes she is beaming at him, and she does not discourage this.
Elizabeth's fire burns brightly. Her passion and courage have drawn Chaya here more than any pleadings from John. She cannot aid Elizabeth; she cannot destroy the Wraith as she longs to do. To stray from the path laid out by the others would invite harsher strictures.
The peril of the clairvoyant awareness achieved with Ascension is that she can see as Teyla and Elizabeth finish their meal. They draw together fiercely, clothing discarded, and fall onto the bed. Chaya would give them privacy if she could. She does the best she can, giving attention to John, and losing herself within memories of past visits to Atlantis.
***
"There are those among you," she says, looking at Elizabeth, "yourself included, Dr. Weir, that I know Athar would welcome with open arms. But there are others--"
Elizabeth interrupts, and Chaya lets Elizabeth's practiced voice soothe her feelings. "I handpicked every member of this expedition, and I know Teyla feels as confident about her own people." Chaya feels Elizabeth's regret for misunderstandings first made, and joy found in the discovery of each other's similarities, the pleasure of sharing differences and growing understandings. That alone gives her hope for the future of this expedition.
"I'm sure," says Chaya, her face smooth, showing none of the puzzlement she feels at the curious echo of another mind, almost identical to Elizabeth's, slowly flickering out of hibernation somewhere on Atlantis.
"At the end of the day, this is a matter of trust," Elizabeth says, and Chaya cannot help but take comfort in the stab of guilt Elizabeth feels. Chaya has long been the beloved of her people; she is no longer familiar with suspicion.
"Yes, it is, Dr. Weir," says Chaya, glancing at Dr. McKay once again. He does not even look up. He is too engrossed in the world of machines to understand human attachment. The dim flickering of prescience tells her that this may change, but, for now, she must give him with harsh words. "Have your scans found anything yet, Dr. McKay?"
***
Later, after she dissolves her semblance of flesh and returns to Proculus, she wonders, After Elizabeth arrives with John and Teyla, and the Wraith are destroyed, she wonders. The shock that had been on Elizabeth's face, the wonder, was tempered with sadness. Chaya is no stranger to the flaws inherent in mortal form, nor the temptations of Ascension. Had there not been a duty to her people, she would have retaken corporeal form and stayed in Atlantis.
They stare at each other silently until John can bear it no longer. "Is it Chaya or Athar? I'm just curious."
She looks at him, but speaks to Elizabeth. "When I was a mortal, I lived here. This was my home. When those of us whom you call the Ancients ascended, we were supposed to leave behind all human ties. Some of us found that difficult."
Once glance at Elizabeth's face, and she sees understanding dawning. Elizabeth would know of Daniel Jackson, who sought out those Ascended who were exiled. She remembered long conversations with him as he struggled with thoughts of revenge, and how best to aid his still-human friends. "You couldn't stand by and watch your people be destroyed by the Wraith," she says. Chaya knows that Elizabeth feels the same way, and that she is slowly coming to see this galaxy's people as her own.
"When their terrible fleet approached, I lashed out with my mind, and with a single thought destroyed them all." Even the Wraith had feelings, though it was tainted by their unending hunger. Even the Wraith felt pain and fear as they were utterly destroyed. "The others of my kind did not approve of such interference in corporeal matters, and so I was exiled. My punishment was the unending protection of this world."
"Why pretend to be human at all?" asks John. He is angry, yes, but seeking to understand.
Maybe her words can help. "So that, time to time, I may walk among the people, to know them as the good and kind souls they are. For thousands of years, I have come and gone to the villages, never staying too long to get attached to anyone, until I met you." Chaya thinks that perhaps John thinks she means him alone, but she does not. "I have never regretted the choice I made all of these years until now. I am permitted to safeguard my people, but my people only. This is my punishment." She steps forward, her eyes searching and her words urgent as she seeks to explain. "This is what makes it punishment. If your people came here for my protection, the others would stop me. Do you understand?" She sees it dawning in their faces, feels it in their minds. Teyla and Elizabeth glance at each other, and Chaya knows she must leave soon, before temptation pulls her from her place once more. "I can never help your people."
John steps in front of her. ""I'm not sure I'm gonna let you walk away that easily, and I'm not just talking personally here, though that's definitely part of it." Teyla and Elizabeth glance at each other once again, affection and exasperation mingled and shared between them. "There's so much more we can learn from you."
"I can't, John." She shakes her head, the bright sun of Proculus shining down upon them all. "The others won't allow it. It's their highest law never to interfere." Even the humans' entertainment shows they grasp this philosophy, even if they don't practice it. "I am bound by those laws, however much I wish to help you."
"So, uh, we can never--"
She interrupts John before he finishes. "I can never leave."
"Well, I could come and visit," says John, an easy smile coming to his face. He is always self-assured in his charm. "If you don't mind flirting with somebody from another species."
"We're not as different as you think," says Chaya, returning his smile. It has been some time since she was the untouchable priestess, after all.
"I think we're more different than you think," says John, but Elizabeth and Teyla do not share this belief. A quick brush of the back of Elizabeth's fingertips across Teyla's hand is the only outward indication of this.
"I can show you. All of you." It is in her mind to share what she is, to let these three--to let Elizabeth--know all that she is, and all that she was. Perhaps Elizabeth would make different choices, perhaps the knowledge she could share, the wisdom of the Alterans, would make the coming times less difficult. For brief moments, the attention of the others wavers, called away by Ganos Lal in an action that hints of the deliberate, subtle sabotage she has been known for, and Chaya smiles.
"Show us?" asks John, gulping and looking uncertain.
"By sharing with each other," she tells them, and sees Elizabeth's spine straighten as Teyla's chin lifts. "We will know each other as well as anyone ever can." Their understanding of each other will deepen as well. It can only strengthen the trio, the way they work together. The fact that it will strengthen Elizabeth and Teyla's relationship is painful, yes, but Chaya has long since welcomed her solitude.
"Okay," says John, glancing over at Elizabeth and Teyla.
Elizabeth considers, taking the time to look over at Teyla, their eyes questioning each other as they stand silently. "All right," she says.
"I agree as well," says Teyla, stepping forward.
"Gotta get the car back by midnight, though." John swallows nervously.
"This will only take a few moments." She steps closer, and reaches out, one hand in John's, as he reaches to lace his fingers through Teyla's, and Chaya watches Elizabeth reach out to both herself to Teyla at once.
Chaya wonders, as the white light of Ascension begins to envelop them, what it would be like to belong there, to have a place in Atlantis with these humans. She uses this moment as a balm for the sharp sting of her exile.
--end--
Author: havocthecat
Rating: PG
Pairing: Chaya/Weir; Emmagan/Weir
Summary: "There are those among you," she says, looking at Elizabeth, "yourself included, Dr. Weir, that I know Athar would welcome with open arms.
Author's Notes: Written for the sg_femslash mini-ficathon, round one, for poetryfiend's prompt of "Crush, UST," and pairing Elizabeth with Chaya. Obviously, I neither own the characters and setting, nor will I be profiting from this fic. Title is from Dante's Divine Comedy, specifically the Paradiso. Thank you to amitee for betareading!
***
Chaya wanders the halls of Atlantis, visiting once again, after so many years of thinking the city lost beneath the waves. There are small things she can do to help the expedition, but only when the attention of the other Ascended ones wander. She had been exiled to Proculus for good reason, or so they said, and yet they sometimes envy the close ties she has formed with other, supposedly lesser beings.
This is something her people have never learned; those who have not begun walking the path to Ascension are simply different. There are two on Atlantis who shine more brightly than most, their minds seeking something they do not yet realize they are reaching for. John is showing his home to her, and yet her thoughts do not linger on his words, nor the hard-edged suspicion of Dr. McKay.
Teyla and Elizabeth have left her to John, to his strawberries - she has had them many times under another name - and are eating together in Elizabeth's quarters. Teyla finds her path through the bright, burning flames of candles and meditation. Elizabeth has pulled herself away from her burdens enough to calm her mind and body with a series of practiced, calming stretches, and deep, unhurried breaths. Their minds flowed together earlier tonight as they worked together. They were almost in harmony, despite their different beginnings and alien mindsets. Chaya smiles brightly, turning to John and looking encouraging. He presumes she is beaming at him, and she does not discourage this.
Elizabeth's fire burns brightly. Her passion and courage have drawn Chaya here more than any pleadings from John. She cannot aid Elizabeth; she cannot destroy the Wraith as she longs to do. To stray from the path laid out by the others would invite harsher strictures.
The peril of the clairvoyant awareness achieved with Ascension is that she can see as Teyla and Elizabeth finish their meal. They draw together fiercely, clothing discarded, and fall onto the bed. Chaya would give them privacy if she could. She does the best she can, giving attention to John, and losing herself within memories of past visits to Atlantis.
***
"There are those among you," she says, looking at Elizabeth, "yourself included, Dr. Weir, that I know Athar would welcome with open arms. But there are others--"
Elizabeth interrupts, and Chaya lets Elizabeth's practiced voice soothe her feelings. "I handpicked every member of this expedition, and I know Teyla feels as confident about her own people." Chaya feels Elizabeth's regret for misunderstandings first made, and joy found in the discovery of each other's similarities, the pleasure of sharing differences and growing understandings. That alone gives her hope for the future of this expedition.
"I'm sure," says Chaya, her face smooth, showing none of the puzzlement she feels at the curious echo of another mind, almost identical to Elizabeth's, slowly flickering out of hibernation somewhere on Atlantis.
"At the end of the day, this is a matter of trust," Elizabeth says, and Chaya cannot help but take comfort in the stab of guilt Elizabeth feels. Chaya has long been the beloved of her people; she is no longer familiar with suspicion.
"Yes, it is, Dr. Weir," says Chaya, glancing at Dr. McKay once again. He does not even look up. He is too engrossed in the world of machines to understand human attachment. The dim flickering of prescience tells her that this may change, but, for now, she must give him with harsh words. "Have your scans found anything yet, Dr. McKay?"
***
Later, after she dissolves her semblance of flesh and returns to Proculus, she wonders, After Elizabeth arrives with John and Teyla, and the Wraith are destroyed, she wonders. The shock that had been on Elizabeth's face, the wonder, was tempered with sadness. Chaya is no stranger to the flaws inherent in mortal form, nor the temptations of Ascension. Had there not been a duty to her people, she would have retaken corporeal form and stayed in Atlantis.
They stare at each other silently until John can bear it no longer. "Is it Chaya or Athar? I'm just curious."
She looks at him, but speaks to Elizabeth. "When I was a mortal, I lived here. This was my home. When those of us whom you call the Ancients ascended, we were supposed to leave behind all human ties. Some of us found that difficult."
Once glance at Elizabeth's face, and she sees understanding dawning. Elizabeth would know of Daniel Jackson, who sought out those Ascended who were exiled. She remembered long conversations with him as he struggled with thoughts of revenge, and how best to aid his still-human friends. "You couldn't stand by and watch your people be destroyed by the Wraith," she says. Chaya knows that Elizabeth feels the same way, and that she is slowly coming to see this galaxy's people as her own.
"When their terrible fleet approached, I lashed out with my mind, and with a single thought destroyed them all." Even the Wraith had feelings, though it was tainted by their unending hunger. Even the Wraith felt pain and fear as they were utterly destroyed. "The others of my kind did not approve of such interference in corporeal matters, and so I was exiled. My punishment was the unending protection of this world."
"Why pretend to be human at all?" asks John. He is angry, yes, but seeking to understand.
Maybe her words can help. "So that, time to time, I may walk among the people, to know them as the good and kind souls they are. For thousands of years, I have come and gone to the villages, never staying too long to get attached to anyone, until I met you." Chaya thinks that perhaps John thinks she means him alone, but she does not. "I have never regretted the choice I made all of these years until now. I am permitted to safeguard my people, but my people only. This is my punishment." She steps forward, her eyes searching and her words urgent as she seeks to explain. "This is what makes it punishment. If your people came here for my protection, the others would stop me. Do you understand?" She sees it dawning in their faces, feels it in their minds. Teyla and Elizabeth glance at each other, and Chaya knows she must leave soon, before temptation pulls her from her place once more. "I can never help your people."
John steps in front of her. ""I'm not sure I'm gonna let you walk away that easily, and I'm not just talking personally here, though that's definitely part of it." Teyla and Elizabeth glance at each other once again, affection and exasperation mingled and shared between them. "There's so much more we can learn from you."
"I can't, John." She shakes her head, the bright sun of Proculus shining down upon them all. "The others won't allow it. It's their highest law never to interfere." Even the humans' entertainment shows they grasp this philosophy, even if they don't practice it. "I am bound by those laws, however much I wish to help you."
"So, uh, we can never--"
She interrupts John before he finishes. "I can never leave."
"Well, I could come and visit," says John, an easy smile coming to his face. He is always self-assured in his charm. "If you don't mind flirting with somebody from another species."
"We're not as different as you think," says Chaya, returning his smile. It has been some time since she was the untouchable priestess, after all.
"I think we're more different than you think," says John, but Elizabeth and Teyla do not share this belief. A quick brush of the back of Elizabeth's fingertips across Teyla's hand is the only outward indication of this.
"I can show you. All of you." It is in her mind to share what she is, to let these three--to let Elizabeth--know all that she is, and all that she was. Perhaps Elizabeth would make different choices, perhaps the knowledge she could share, the wisdom of the Alterans, would make the coming times less difficult. For brief moments, the attention of the others wavers, called away by Ganos Lal in an action that hints of the deliberate, subtle sabotage she has been known for, and Chaya smiles.
"Show us?" asks John, gulping and looking uncertain.
"By sharing with each other," she tells them, and sees Elizabeth's spine straighten as Teyla's chin lifts. "We will know each other as well as anyone ever can." Their understanding of each other will deepen as well. It can only strengthen the trio, the way they work together. The fact that it will strengthen Elizabeth and Teyla's relationship is painful, yes, but Chaya has long since welcomed her solitude.
"Okay," says John, glancing over at Elizabeth and Teyla.
Elizabeth considers, taking the time to look over at Teyla, their eyes questioning each other as they stand silently. "All right," she says.
"I agree as well," says Teyla, stepping forward.
"Gotta get the car back by midnight, though." John swallows nervously.
"This will only take a few moments." She steps closer, and reaches out, one hand in John's, as he reaches to lace his fingers through Teyla's, and Chaya watches Elizabeth reach out to both herself to Teyla at once.
Chaya wonders, as the white light of Ascension begins to envelop them, what it would be like to belong there, to have a place in Atlantis with these humans. She uses this moment as a balm for the sharp sting of her exile.
--end--