Chapter Text
rest
Made for yesterday’s @femslash-friday-prompts ‘I told you so’.
~500 word ficlet below, though I'm rusty writing SGA characters and I would've liked to write more but ran out of energy.
Quote from unknown.
No matter what they do Elizabeth’s lunch meetings always get interrupted. When they try lunching out of her office, in the hope that people will respect the social space in the canteen, Teyla doesn’t say ‘I told you so’ after the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd interruption. But she wears a look that says as good as, though she wears it kindly.
The next meeting Teyla schedules has Teyla walking into her office, simply telling Elizabeth to follow her, and walking out again - it’s an instruction she’s too curious not to obey. They’re both quiet as they make their way to their destination, with Teyla leading Elizabeth into a room not unlike the other quarters, but far enough from the common path to be unusual. Teyla lights the many candles scattered about the place, and some sweet incense, and then works on preparing some tea to go with an impressive spread of Athosian delicacies. Elizabeth has to admit the atmosphere exudes a certain sense of calm, much like Teyla herself.
“This…This looks wonderful, but you know there’s no guarantee someone won’t call me up on the comms.”
“Dr. Grodin agreed to only patch through to your comms in the event of what he deems an emergency.”
“- I’m not sure that’s a great idea.”
“Do you not trust Dr. Grodin’s assessment?”
“Of course I do. I trust him to know what’s important a darn sight more than I trust most of the scientists, Rodney included half the time.”
“Then there should be no problem leaving everyone else to their duties. For all other inquiries you will be…temporarily unreachable.”
Elizabeth wants to protest, so many worries whirl around in her mind, but she can’t find the words in that moment. Teyla finishes pouring the tea and pushes a cup across to her side of the floor mats where a comfy cushion also awaits her.
“Elizabeth, it is just one hour. They will manage without their leader for that time. One hour a week, if you are amenable to it being a standing appointment. Trust me when I say you must have some time to be yourself, without that burden, or you will lose yourself in their needs. I know from experience. I need this as much as you do.”
At that, Elizabeth agrees. And it does become a habit of theirs, to retreat to this peaceful space where no one knows they are except Grodin, and then after him, Chuck. They both decorate it piece by piece: Teyla talking of the items precious to her, of the trade agreements and friendships forged that they remind her of; Elizabeth bringing items back from Earth once contact is re-established and explaining not only customs personal to her but those of a wide array of different cultures she knows of.
There’s a freedom in that space, to be herself and to know Teyla as another woman who enjoys her company. Not a leader then, except that they both are. Equals. An hour a week never seems enough and that need builds until she finally finds the words for the want that is long overdue voicing, to ask for more, to ask for herself for once.
Also rebloggable on tumblr here.