Stargate Atlantis Fanfiction - Gravity - Part Five: "The Gathering"
Gravity:Part One: Curls
Gravity:Part Two: A Gift
Gravity:Part Three: Yoga
Gravity:Part Four: The Garden
Gravity
~The Gathering~
Halling set a friendly hand on John’s shoulder a moment to gain the military commander’s attention before offering him another mug of potent Athosian wine.
John shook his head and held up a hand, “No, thank you, Halling,” he replied politely.
The Athosian man smiled, “We are pleased that you and your people could join us for the Gathering,” he said.
John looked over to where Carson was singing in a bright, slightly off-key brogue. The doctor held a mug of wine in one hand, while the other gestured wildly about. And the Athosians near the happy Scotsman laughed, gamely trying to catch the off-kilter tune that Carson was cheerfully butchering.
“I think that I can safely say that we’re glad to be here,” John replied with a grin.
“Teyla felt that your people needed the festival as much as her own people do; a time to gather and celebrate life and honor those that have been lost.”
John nodded once, acknowledging the truth of Halling’s words.
Suddenly, a pretty young Athosian woman appeared to take Halling’s hand and lead him off to dance. Halling’s expression reminded John of something Teyla had said about the Gathering being the time when many Handfastings took place amongst her people. And as he looked around, he saw that there were indeed many couples, Athosian or otherwise, similarly engaged with either dancing or quietly talking near the central fire.
John smiled when he saw Dr. Brown coaxing a very drunk, very awkward Rodney to dance. Katie herself wasn’t exactly sober, and both scientists were laughing as they tried to coordinate limbs that kept tangling. Near the fire, Teyla and Ronon sat close, talking quietly to each other. Every so often Teyla would brush a hand over the warrior’s arm or lay it lightly on his knee, and Ronon looked more than pleased with the quiet contact.
“Ahh, Laddie,” Carson slurred in a lilting brogue. “Canna find her?”
John tried to keep his expression blank as he met Carson’s knowing blue eyes.
“Ahh, Johnny, she’s a fine lass, Liz is,” Carson asserted, his brogue thick with the effects of the significant amount of Athosian wine that he had consumed. “She brings out the best in ye, Laddie. And there’s a fine light she has, bein’ with you.”
“Ahh, it’s a beautiful thing, the love ye two have found,” Carson slurred with a drunken smile. “Hold on to it, Laddie. It’s not every day that ye find the other half of your soul.”
“Carson, you are very drunk my friend,” John said, hoping like hell that the physician hadn’t shared any of his thoughts on the matter with anyone else.
“Oh, aye,” Carson agreed. “Aye, indeed. But it doesna make what I said untrue.”
“Carson,” John said before he was interrupted by the doctor.
“I won’t say anything, Laddie. Ye can trust me on that,” he assured the military commander. “Even if I’ve had a wee bit o’ something to drink,” he finished with another knowing expression.
John gave the doctor a wry grin as Carson seemed to read his thoughts. But before he could say anything further, Laura made her way over to them and wrapped her arms around Carson.
“Excuse me, Sir, but I have to steal the good doctor,” Laura said happily.
Even drunk, the Lieutenant was graceful, and she started to lead the doctor away to dance with her. Carson allowed himself to be lead away, a large grin on his face, but he turned back once to call to John, “Ye remember what I said, Laddie.”
The Colonel couldn’t quite keep the smile from his face as he watched Cadman lead Dr. Beckett into the sound of the drums and samisen.
“Aye, Carson,“ John said underneath his breath as he scanned the gathering of people once more for a glimpse of Elizabeth. Finally, he saw her on the edge of the village clearing, disappearing into the trees and heading in the direction of the water.
The military leader edged his way around the celebrating Athosians and Atlanteans so that he could follow the path that Elizabeth had taken. After a few moments, John found her, feet in the cool waves and her head bowed low.
John stood a moment in the shadow of the trees, feeling the twilight rising around them and hearing the distant sounds of the Gathering echo through the warm air. He watched Elizabeth and found himself fascinated, as always, by the beautiful woman before him.
“Elizabeth?”
John stepped onto the glittering sand and stopped just short of the waves. He tilted his head to catch of glimpse of Elizabeth’s face and finally saw why her head was bowed, rather than looking out upon the waves as he would have expected.
“What are they?” He asked quietly when he saw the small blue lights dancing around her fingers.
She smiled softly. “Teyla said that the Athosians call them li'tasi, little stars.”
Elizabeth held out her hand and the small firefly-like creatures drifted in John’s direction. He held out his own hand and the li’tasi danced around his fingers a moment before drifting off to join more of the small creatures that had come to surround them.
They stood for a moment in comfortable silence watching the small blue lights of the li’tasi dance above the twilight waves. Finally, Elizabeth sighed, “We should probably be heading back, they’re going to miss us soon.”
John laughed in response. “Trust me, Elizabeth, no one is missing us right now.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Even Rodney’s had enough Athosian wine that Dr. Brown’s gotten him to dance.”
“Rodney dances?” Elizabeth asked with some amusement.
“You’d be surprised who can dance,” John informed her with a boyish grin.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow once more in response, a smile playing along her lips. “Oh?”
The military leader held out his hand. “Dance with me…” When she hesitated, John gave her a playful grin. “I promise, I do know how to dance,” John quipped. “None of your toes will come to any permanent harm. Look, I’ll even take off my boots.” And he immediately proceeded to do just that, setting his boots aside and joining her in the waves.
“There’s no music,” Elizabeth observed even as she took his hand.
John smiled and drew her into his arms. As they started to move in a slow, graceful waltz, he murmured, “You are my music.”
The waves swirled about their feet as they danced, and the small li’tasi surrounded them like stars. As they continued to dance, John marveled at how perfectly she fit in his arms and how easily they moved together. The scent of her, warm jasmine in the twilight, surround him softly. Her heartbeat merged with his, becoming the song that moved them. And her ocean green eyes drew him in completely.
“Set me as a seal upon your heart,” he whispered quietly, lost in the feel of her swaying with him. “As a seal upon your arm, for love is stronger than death, eternal as the stars.”
“John?”
They slowly swayed to a stop as the li’tasi danced around them.
“I love you, ‘Lizabeth,” John murmured tenderly.
“You love me?”
“I love you,” he whispered softly.
Her slow, warm smile was like starlight caressing him. “I love you,” she whispered in a tender rhythm that felt like it had became his heartbeat.
“It feels like everything was leading me here; leading me here to you,” John said softly.
“Yes,” Elizabeth whispered in agreement. “Everything.”
John smiled in sudden humor. “And apparently, love makes me recite poetry like a teenager.”
Elizabeth responded with a giddy laugh. “I love you, poetry and all.”
He kissed her then like the passionate caress was the very completion of his soul...
Gravity:Part Two: A Gift
Gravity:Part Three: Yoga
Gravity:Part Four: The Garden
Gravity
~The Gathering~
Halling set a friendly hand on John’s shoulder a moment to gain the military commander’s attention before offering him another mug of potent Athosian wine.
John shook his head and held up a hand, “No, thank you, Halling,” he replied politely.
The Athosian man smiled, “We are pleased that you and your people could join us for the Gathering,” he said.
John looked over to where Carson was singing in a bright, slightly off-key brogue. The doctor held a mug of wine in one hand, while the other gestured wildly about. And the Athosians near the happy Scotsman laughed, gamely trying to catch the off-kilter tune that Carson was cheerfully butchering.
“I think that I can safely say that we’re glad to be here,” John replied with a grin.
“Teyla felt that your people needed the festival as much as her own people do; a time to gather and celebrate life and honor those that have been lost.”
John nodded once, acknowledging the truth of Halling’s words.
Suddenly, a pretty young Athosian woman appeared to take Halling’s hand and lead him off to dance. Halling’s expression reminded John of something Teyla had said about the Gathering being the time when many Handfastings took place amongst her people. And as he looked around, he saw that there were indeed many couples, Athosian or otherwise, similarly engaged with either dancing or quietly talking near the central fire.
John smiled when he saw Dr. Brown coaxing a very drunk, very awkward Rodney to dance. Katie herself wasn’t exactly sober, and both scientists were laughing as they tried to coordinate limbs that kept tangling. Near the fire, Teyla and Ronon sat close, talking quietly to each other. Every so often Teyla would brush a hand over the warrior’s arm or lay it lightly on his knee, and Ronon looked more than pleased with the quiet contact.
“Ahh, Laddie,” Carson slurred in a lilting brogue. “Canna find her?”
John tried to keep his expression blank as he met Carson’s knowing blue eyes.
“Ahh, Johnny, she’s a fine lass, Liz is,” Carson asserted, his brogue thick with the effects of the significant amount of Athosian wine that he had consumed. “She brings out the best in ye, Laddie. And there’s a fine light she has, bein’ with you.”
“Ahh, it’s a beautiful thing, the love ye two have found,” Carson slurred with a drunken smile. “Hold on to it, Laddie. It’s not every day that ye find the other half of your soul.”
“Carson, you are very drunk my friend,” John said, hoping like hell that the physician hadn’t shared any of his thoughts on the matter with anyone else.
“Oh, aye,” Carson agreed. “Aye, indeed. But it doesna make what I said untrue.”
“Carson,” John said before he was interrupted by the doctor.
“I won’t say anything, Laddie. Ye can trust me on that,” he assured the military commander. “Even if I’ve had a wee bit o’ something to drink,” he finished with another knowing expression.
John gave the doctor a wry grin as Carson seemed to read his thoughts. But before he could say anything further, Laura made her way over to them and wrapped her arms around Carson.
“Excuse me, Sir, but I have to steal the good doctor,” Laura said happily.
Even drunk, the Lieutenant was graceful, and she started to lead the doctor away to dance with her. Carson allowed himself to be lead away, a large grin on his face, but he turned back once to call to John, “Ye remember what I said, Laddie.”
The Colonel couldn’t quite keep the smile from his face as he watched Cadman lead Dr. Beckett into the sound of the drums and samisen.
“Aye, Carson,“ John said underneath his breath as he scanned the gathering of people once more for a glimpse of Elizabeth. Finally, he saw her on the edge of the village clearing, disappearing into the trees and heading in the direction of the water.
The military leader edged his way around the celebrating Athosians and Atlanteans so that he could follow the path that Elizabeth had taken. After a few moments, John found her, feet in the cool waves and her head bowed low.
John stood a moment in the shadow of the trees, feeling the twilight rising around them and hearing the distant sounds of the Gathering echo through the warm air. He watched Elizabeth and found himself fascinated, as always, by the beautiful woman before him.
“Elizabeth?”
John stepped onto the glittering sand and stopped just short of the waves. He tilted his head to catch of glimpse of Elizabeth’s face and finally saw why her head was bowed, rather than looking out upon the waves as he would have expected.
“What are they?” He asked quietly when he saw the small blue lights dancing around her fingers.
She smiled softly. “Teyla said that the Athosians call them li'tasi, little stars.”
Elizabeth held out her hand and the small firefly-like creatures drifted in John’s direction. He held out his own hand and the li’tasi danced around his fingers a moment before drifting off to join more of the small creatures that had come to surround them.
They stood for a moment in comfortable silence watching the small blue lights of the li’tasi dance above the twilight waves. Finally, Elizabeth sighed, “We should probably be heading back, they’re going to miss us soon.”
John laughed in response. “Trust me, Elizabeth, no one is missing us right now.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Even Rodney’s had enough Athosian wine that Dr. Brown’s gotten him to dance.”
“Rodney dances?” Elizabeth asked with some amusement.
“You’d be surprised who can dance,” John informed her with a boyish grin.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow once more in response, a smile playing along her lips. “Oh?”
The military leader held out his hand. “Dance with me…” When she hesitated, John gave her a playful grin. “I promise, I do know how to dance,” John quipped. “None of your toes will come to any permanent harm. Look, I’ll even take off my boots.” And he immediately proceeded to do just that, setting his boots aside and joining her in the waves.
“There’s no music,” Elizabeth observed even as she took his hand.
John smiled and drew her into his arms. As they started to move in a slow, graceful waltz, he murmured, “You are my music.”
The waves swirled about their feet as they danced, and the small li’tasi surrounded them like stars. As they continued to dance, John marveled at how perfectly she fit in his arms and how easily they moved together. The scent of her, warm jasmine in the twilight, surround him softly. Her heartbeat merged with his, becoming the song that moved them. And her ocean green eyes drew him in completely.
“Set me as a seal upon your heart,” he whispered quietly, lost in the feel of her swaying with him. “As a seal upon your arm, for love is stronger than death, eternal as the stars.”
“John?”
They slowly swayed to a stop as the li’tasi danced around them.
“I love you, ‘Lizabeth,” John murmured tenderly.
“You love me?”
“I love you,” he whispered softly.
Her slow, warm smile was like starlight caressing him. “I love you,” she whispered in a tender rhythm that felt like it had became his heartbeat.
“It feels like everything was leading me here; leading me here to you,” John said softly.
“Yes,” Elizabeth whispered in agreement. “Everything.”
John smiled in sudden humor. “And apparently, love makes me recite poetry like a teenager.”
Elizabeth responded with a giddy laugh. “I love you, poetry and all.”
He kissed her then like the passionate caress was the very completion of his soul...