Fic: Victories (Gen, G)
Title: Victories
Author: ceitie
Recipient: alyse
Pairing: Gen, Teyla & Elizabeth friendship
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,135
Summary: Tag for The Storm / The Eye. Teyla closed her eyes for a moment, felt the aches and bruises left from the fight, the tension still tightening her shoulders and making her stomach churn.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its characters.
-o-
The shield had gone up, protecting the city from the storm. They were safe.
Teyla closed her eyes for a moment, felt the aches and bruises left from the fight, the tension still tightening her shoulders and making her stomach churn. Sora's eyes on her back.
She didn't feel safe.
Teyla opened her eyes and glanced around the Control Room. Now that the first rush of relief and joy had passed, everyone simply looked exhausted and grim. Dr. Beckett sat on the floor, his head in his hands. Aiden was gripping his P90 tightly and watching Sora, who stood apart from the rest of them, arms crossed and face blank.
Elizabeth and John were speaking in low tones about what should be done next, but Teyla was having a hard time concentrating on their words. Elizabeth's face was very pale and her hair was still damp, and John kept shifting his weight back and forth as if standing still were painful.
With a start, Teyla remembered Alasa and the two boys whom she had ordered to stay in the jumper. She turned to Rodney, who was half-crumpled over the control panel, rubbing at his eyes.
"Dr. McKay," Teyla asked, "is it safe to go down to the jumper bay? There are still three of my people in the jumper."
Rodney waved a hand without looking up. "Yes, yes, it's fine now."
Teyla turned and hurried down to the jumper bay, sending a quick prayer to the Ancestors that they had heeded her words and stayed in the jumper, safe from the electricity that had crackled through the city's corridors. For once, her prayers were answered, as three wary faces peered out at her from inside the jumper and she felt the breath huff out of her in relief.
"Teyla, are you well?" Alasa asked.
Before she could reply, Toben said excitedly, "There was lightning everywhere, we could see it crackling off the walls! Was it a weapon, did you stop the attackers?" His brother Atto shushed him, shoving at his shoulder, although he looked just as curious as to Teyla's answer.
"The attackers are gone," Teyla said, "except for - one prisoner. The lightning was not a weapon, Dr. McKay used it to power the shield so that the city is kept safe from the storm."
"So everyone will be able to come back?" Atto asked quietly. We won't have to abandon our home again? was the unspoken question hovering behind it.
Teyla managed a smile for him. "Yes, once the storm has passed, we can call our people back from Manara. Now gather your things, we will go wait with the others in the Control Room."
Toben opened his mouth, ready with more questions, but Atto grabbed his arm and towed him away, back into the jumper.
Teyla started to follow them, but Alasa stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm.
"And you, Teyla, are you well?" Alasa asked again. "Your face is bruised."
Teyla hesitated only a moment. "I am not badly injured." She brushed past Alasa and walked up the ramp into the jumper.
***
Teyla tried to keep moving. It was easy at first, there was no shortage of things to do. She went with Aiden to escort Sora into an empty living quarters, one with no balcony and a door that Rodney promised to keep sealed shut. Sora refused to look at either of them, and said nothing until she was standing alone in the middle of the room, holding the bottle of water and MRE that Teyla had pushed into her hands.
"What now?" Sora said.
Teyla stared at her, remembering Sora's face twisted with rage, the knife flying forward. "I don't know."
Aiden glanced at Teyla, waiting for her nod, and then waved his hand over the panel. The door slid closed, and Teyla stepped away.
After that Rodney needed their help with some essential repairs, which involved running all over the city while Rodney snapped at them over the com, until suddenly there was the sound of a muffled fight and then John's voice replaced Rodney's, ordering them back to the Control Room for food and rest.
In the Control Room, Rodney was sitting in a chair pushed back from the control panel and sulkily eating an MRE. John sat next to him, picking at his own food and ignoring Rodney's grumbles about the importance of restoring various systems. Elizabeth sat a little further away, leaning her head back against the wall, with a half-eaten meal next to her.
Aiden made a beeline for the bag with the MREs and other supplies that Teyla had scavenged from the jumper. Elizabeth raised her head as they came in and said, "Teyla, I sent Alasa, Atto and Toben with Carson to the infirmary. Carson had a concussion and Alasa said that between the three of them they would be able to watch over him and also get some sleep themselves."
"That sounds wise," Teyla said. She retrieved a MRE from the bag and went to sit next to Elizabeth.
Teyla glanced over at Elizabeth as she worked to open the packet, taking in the shadows under her eyes. Elizabeth was still too pale. "You could go back your quarters and get some rest as well."
Elizabeth tilted her head, neither an assent or a negation. At last she said, "It doesn't seem right - to leave before it's over. Before the storm has passed."
Teyla stared out at the windows across the room, still dark and lashed by wind and rain. "We survived the storm," she said, and then stopped, surprised by her own words. She turned to look at Elizabeth, who was watching her carefully. "We survived," Teyla said again, more sure this time. "The city survived. This -" she waved her hand at the gloomy windows, "is just its last howl of anger, because we have won."
"Won," Elizabeth said softly. "I supposed we did." Her eyes slid over to where John, Rodney and Aiden were sitting, and there was something dark in her expression.
"Living is winning," Teyla said, and she knew that for the truth. Even with the Genii transformed from friends to bitter enemies, Sora standing alone in her cell, their little group huddled in this ancient city, now damaged and scattered with corpses, and the storm outside smashing against their hard-won shield - even now it was the truth.
Elizabeth looked at her, and then away, before nodding, sharp and decisive. "It's nearly morning," she said. "We'll be able to call back our people soon. I'm going to wait until then."
"I will wait with you," Teyla said, and they watched the storm batter the windows until the clouds cleared away and the first light of morning shone through instead, clean and bright and new.
Author: ceitie
Recipient: alyse
Pairing: Gen, Teyla & Elizabeth friendship
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,135
Summary: Tag for The Storm / The Eye. Teyla closed her eyes for a moment, felt the aches and bruises left from the fight, the tension still tightening her shoulders and making her stomach churn.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its characters.
-o-
The shield had gone up, protecting the city from the storm. They were safe.
Teyla closed her eyes for a moment, felt the aches and bruises left from the fight, the tension still tightening her shoulders and making her stomach churn. Sora's eyes on her back.
She didn't feel safe.
Teyla opened her eyes and glanced around the Control Room. Now that the first rush of relief and joy had passed, everyone simply looked exhausted and grim. Dr. Beckett sat on the floor, his head in his hands. Aiden was gripping his P90 tightly and watching Sora, who stood apart from the rest of them, arms crossed and face blank.
Elizabeth and John were speaking in low tones about what should be done next, but Teyla was having a hard time concentrating on their words. Elizabeth's face was very pale and her hair was still damp, and John kept shifting his weight back and forth as if standing still were painful.
With a start, Teyla remembered Alasa and the two boys whom she had ordered to stay in the jumper. She turned to Rodney, who was half-crumpled over the control panel, rubbing at his eyes.
"Dr. McKay," Teyla asked, "is it safe to go down to the jumper bay? There are still three of my people in the jumper."
Rodney waved a hand without looking up. "Yes, yes, it's fine now."
Teyla turned and hurried down to the jumper bay, sending a quick prayer to the Ancestors that they had heeded her words and stayed in the jumper, safe from the electricity that had crackled through the city's corridors. For once, her prayers were answered, as three wary faces peered out at her from inside the jumper and she felt the breath huff out of her in relief.
"Teyla, are you well?" Alasa asked.
Before she could reply, Toben said excitedly, "There was lightning everywhere, we could see it crackling off the walls! Was it a weapon, did you stop the attackers?" His brother Atto shushed him, shoving at his shoulder, although he looked just as curious as to Teyla's answer.
"The attackers are gone," Teyla said, "except for - one prisoner. The lightning was not a weapon, Dr. McKay used it to power the shield so that the city is kept safe from the storm."
"So everyone will be able to come back?" Atto asked quietly. We won't have to abandon our home again? was the unspoken question hovering behind it.
Teyla managed a smile for him. "Yes, once the storm has passed, we can call our people back from Manara. Now gather your things, we will go wait with the others in the Control Room."
Toben opened his mouth, ready with more questions, but Atto grabbed his arm and towed him away, back into the jumper.
Teyla started to follow them, but Alasa stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm.
"And you, Teyla, are you well?" Alasa asked again. "Your face is bruised."
Teyla hesitated only a moment. "I am not badly injured." She brushed past Alasa and walked up the ramp into the jumper.
***
Teyla tried to keep moving. It was easy at first, there was no shortage of things to do. She went with Aiden to escort Sora into an empty living quarters, one with no balcony and a door that Rodney promised to keep sealed shut. Sora refused to look at either of them, and said nothing until she was standing alone in the middle of the room, holding the bottle of water and MRE that Teyla had pushed into her hands.
"What now?" Sora said.
Teyla stared at her, remembering Sora's face twisted with rage, the knife flying forward. "I don't know."
Aiden glanced at Teyla, waiting for her nod, and then waved his hand over the panel. The door slid closed, and Teyla stepped away.
After that Rodney needed their help with some essential repairs, which involved running all over the city while Rodney snapped at them over the com, until suddenly there was the sound of a muffled fight and then John's voice replaced Rodney's, ordering them back to the Control Room for food and rest.
In the Control Room, Rodney was sitting in a chair pushed back from the control panel and sulkily eating an MRE. John sat next to him, picking at his own food and ignoring Rodney's grumbles about the importance of restoring various systems. Elizabeth sat a little further away, leaning her head back against the wall, with a half-eaten meal next to her.
Aiden made a beeline for the bag with the MREs and other supplies that Teyla had scavenged from the jumper. Elizabeth raised her head as they came in and said, "Teyla, I sent Alasa, Atto and Toben with Carson to the infirmary. Carson had a concussion and Alasa said that between the three of them they would be able to watch over him and also get some sleep themselves."
"That sounds wise," Teyla said. She retrieved a MRE from the bag and went to sit next to Elizabeth.
Teyla glanced over at Elizabeth as she worked to open the packet, taking in the shadows under her eyes. Elizabeth was still too pale. "You could go back your quarters and get some rest as well."
Elizabeth tilted her head, neither an assent or a negation. At last she said, "It doesn't seem right - to leave before it's over. Before the storm has passed."
Teyla stared out at the windows across the room, still dark and lashed by wind and rain. "We survived the storm," she said, and then stopped, surprised by her own words. She turned to look at Elizabeth, who was watching her carefully. "We survived," Teyla said again, more sure this time. "The city survived. This -" she waved her hand at the gloomy windows, "is just its last howl of anger, because we have won."
"Won," Elizabeth said softly. "I supposed we did." Her eyes slid over to where John, Rodney and Aiden were sitting, and there was something dark in her expression.
"Living is winning," Teyla said, and she knew that for the truth. Even with the Genii transformed from friends to bitter enemies, Sora standing alone in her cell, their little group huddled in this ancient city, now damaged and scattered with corpses, and the storm outside smashing against their hard-won shield - even now it was the truth.
Elizabeth looked at her, and then away, before nodding, sharp and decisive. "It's nearly morning," she said. "We'll be able to call back our people soon. I'm going to wait until then."
"I will wait with you," Teyla said, and they watched the storm batter the windows until the clouds cleared away and the first light of morning shone through instead, clean and bright and new.