Insubordination

[Damon Riggs]

”Evasive action now... I’m letting the guns go,” Riggs said as the alarms on his ship were blaring. It was the most expressive thing he’d said to Teyla in two weeks. They hadn’t been avoiding each other, but their conversations centered on how the weather in space was. The man couldn’t seem to get his timing right with anything as far as Teyla was concerned. She’d all but ignored the fact he told her he cared. Instead, she left.

There was no room for that now. The ship was under attack, but not from the barabel, it was under attack because the guns they were running were in opposition to the expansion of the newest version of the Sith Empire. Teyla didn’t want to go after Ferian, but she had been okay with running weapons to people fighting Sith. Riggs didn’t understand her logic sometimes.

He unstrapped himself and made his way back to the cargo area. Riggs didn’t care about this cargo getting to the rebels as much as he cared about getting out of the situation alive. They did no more good for the movement if they died in this fire fight.

His hand slapped the big red button to open the cargo hold once he was secured. Riggs didn’t want to fly out into space with the cargo. He comm’d back to Teyla.

”It’s done! Now get us out of here!

@Teyla Ee’everwest

 

[Amz]

“No! We can’t! Those people are depending on us!” She took a fleeting glance then looked back to the viewport, realizing Damon was already gone before he could hear any of the other objections she had.

The alarms blaring pulled her back. There was indication that the ship had sustained damage, and even though she wanted to engage the mercenaries, first they needed to escape. Dropping the cargo would distract long enough for them to make their exit. Damon was making the right call, but knowing that didn’t help the sickening feeling that settled in her gut. Those people needed the blasters, it was the best chance they had, maybe even their only one. All of the muscles in her body tensed with the thought, so much so that her hands briefly unclenched from the vice grip she’d maintained on the ship through the fire fight. Fingers splayed out to stretch and grabbed for control again as she hurriedly activated the full panoply of relevant instrumentation to start evasive action and evade enemy fire.

“Just hold on! I’m already on it!” She responded over the shared channel in regards to their leaving, not hiding the frustration in her voice as she stretched across the control panel to set the coordinates for their next jump into hyperspace. The ship canted with her while she tried to maintain flight control. “This would be a lot easier with a co-pilot!” she grumbled, to no one in particular, managing to reach the navi computer. From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse through the viewport of their pursuers gathering the cargo they’d jettisoned into space.

Teyla’s jaw clenched and she sat back into the seat, straightening her posture as once more she resumed full command, stabilizing the vessel. Coordinates confirmed, Teyla made the jump for hyperspace as soon as they had a clear exit.

Now safely flying blue lines, she unstrapped the restraints and went to meet with Damon in the hold, feeling alright about letting the autopilot take over now that they weren’t being fired at and couldn’t be chased.

“We’re going back for the cargo, right? Those crates should still have the trackers and we could have a location on them before they realize anything.”

[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Riggs hadn’t heard the complaint about not having a co-pilot because he was already on his way back to the cockpit. The two had decided some time ago to put tracers in the weapons in event of having to dump cargo. They had been forced to dump it a few too many times thanks to the barabel stalking them. However these Sith gunships chasing them had not been the barabel. Knowing them they would scoop up the weapons and either destroy them, or use them.

Sitting back in the seat, Riggs put the straps back on. He barely made it back in time for Teyla to hit lightspeed. The hyperdrive was the only thing on the ship that hadn’t needed repair, but Riggs was saving for a new one just in case.

Teyla’s question hit him with some force. He never expected her to want to go against the Sith, not after what she said about Ferian Adair. Riggs brows turned downward as he gave her a look which expressed his disbelief. He turned the autopilot on when it was safe to do so, and unstrapped himself. Without even answering her, Riggs walked back to the galley. If she wanted an answer she was going to have to follow him.

Caf was what he wanted. After the escape they just made all he wanted was caf. He really didn’t know what to say to answer her. He wanted to go back, but not if the Sith picked them up. Riggs sighed as he dug into the cupboard and pulled out the canister. Measuring the ground beans the captain filled the filter and added the water. Pressing the on button he let the machine do the work and waited.

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

Teyla knew there was potential risk to go back after the cargo, but she also had the idea that Damon would have wanted to. The fact that he did not reply and then looked at her in disbelief, was annoying by itself. Then he actually walked away. Her mouth tightened and she bit down on her lower lip. This was heading into debate and argument territory.

Of course, she was quick to follow and quirked a brow when she discovered him making caf.

“Hey! What was that just now?”

Teyla thought she had an inkling about why he avoided giving her an answer, but a part of her wanted to hear him say it and validate her suspicion, feeling herself growing increasingly agitated by the silence. Going after Ferian was a lot different than going after a collective group. Sure, both options had the potential for danger and maybe Damon thought it was contradictory of her to be alright with going after the one and not the other, but in her mind the collective seemed safer to take hits at.

Needing to decompress, and without another word, Teyla spun on her heel and proceeded to help, pulling out a couple mugs along with the cream and sugar. Caf was the last thing on her mind, but if he was making it anyway then she might as well indulge.

The upper half of her body pressed up against the counter, leaning in, waiting.

“So, are we going to sit here in silence forever?"

[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Riggs said nothing. He just tapped the metal counter as Teyla got the mugs ready and pulled out the cream. He wasn’t going to say anything, not until he had an answer. It seemed like whenever he opened his mouth around her he blurted something out which seemed to just make Teyla even more upset. His mind was not in the place to have a fight with her, it just wasn’t. The ups and downs between them were taking their toll. One minute they were hot, the next cold, and both too stubborn to talk about it.

He poured the car in his mug and hers. They really were like an old married couple caught in the middle of a fight. Riggs still liked her, still cared, but he knew talking about the guns meant talking about Ferian. He wasn’t going to do that.

Riggs carried his mug out to the booth, the entire time without saying anything. He even took a sip after sitting down. Damon couldn’t stay quiet though, and as the mug was set on the table, he finally said something.

”I’m trying to not make this about something else... that’s what this is about. Like I get it. You want to help these people, and we need to go after these blasters... but...” Riggs stopped himself before saying anything stupid.

He took another drink of the caf, forgetting how hot it was. The hot liquid was caught in his mouth as he knew it would burn his throat on the way down, but he had to swallow. It did burn. His hand went to his mouth.

”Crap that was hot!”

Riggs sat the caf down and pushed it aside to cool off for a while.

”You frustrate me sometimes you know. Like you want to help these people, take on some gunships possibly, but you won’t let me go after Ferian in any way. Like I’m just supposed to be okay with what happened to you or something. The right thing is to go after the cargo. The right thing is also stopping Ferian from doing what he did to you to someone else. I like you... I care about you... and even though I’m frustrated I could make out with you all over again... I just don’t understand you!”

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

Teyla kept her gaze transfixed on the mug in her hands, brows furrowed as she tried to pull together her side of the argument, frustrated by her sudden loss for words. Manicured fingers slipped around the handle of her mug and she walked carefully over to the booth, slipping in on the opposite side of him.

“I certainly don’t feel like I’ve made any indications that I have required you to be okay with what happened.” she took a testing sip of her caf. Still piping hot, the mug was set down.

Did Ferian deserve to pay? Absolutely. There was no disputing that point. But she just wasn’t ready to tackle that mountain yet. Two years running, and she still couldn’t face that man.

“I only asked that you don’t pursue him, and I’m insulted that you’re insinuating I’m being unfair towards you by requesting that. Why do you think I asked you in the first place? Didn't you stop to think that it's because I care for you, too?"

Finally, she took a drink of her caf.

“Yes. I am all for getting our cargo back, for successfully delivering those weapons. If there’s a way that we can do a little bit of good, then we should. But, don’t try to compare helping a ragtag group on the fringe, to Ferian. The two situations are not even remotely similar. Get it out of your head that they are.”

[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

”I can’t!”

Riggs hand slapped the table as he exclaimed his frustration.

”Don’t you get that I have spent my entire life helping the underdog and going up against people and regimes exactly like Ferian!? It is all I know to do. It’s like asking me not breathe.”

Damon sat against the back of the booth for a moment. He let it be quiet because he knew Teyla was only trying to keep him alive. She cared too, and he knew it. They hadn’t really talked about it, but the two had been dancing around their feelings and physical attraction for a while now. It complicated their partnership, but Riggs wouldn’t have it any other way. He sighed as he picked up the caf and took another drink. It had cooled a bit.

”Look I’m not gonna pretend this is rotten timing for this conversation, but you have been avoiding me... again...” He looked at her from across the table. ”I know I’m being selfish, but you have to let me do this. We can take him out, just like we can get the weapons back. We make a great team, and I’m not dumb enough to go at him directly.”

Riggs sighed

”We just need to stop dancing around the real issue so we can just move on from what this is really about.... but that can wait until after we get the guns. When the job is done we’re going to talk about it.”

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

Teyla expected this wouldn’t be over, she knew he was too grounded in his stance to relent that easily, but it was a first to see this much intensity rise to the surface. The sound from him hitting the table caused her to startle slightly and she shifted uneasily on the bench cushions with a sigh.

“Really? Because last I remember, you became a smuggler to put all of that behind you. Just like I did!” There was a sharpness carried in her tone that wasn’t normally there, even when she was upset she could keep her emotions in check rather well. But the longer this was being drawn out, the less patience she found herself having for Damon and she fought against the impulse to get up and leave the conversation. To just walk away would be easy, but it could also be very damaging given the fragile nature of what they were talking about. But was sitting here and having a cyclic argument doing them any good? The more she thought on it, the more frustrated she became.

Both of them were coming at this issue with good intentions to keep the other person safe, but they were not meeting in the middle. They were on completely opposite ends, in different places as a result.

What made this even more of a struggle was that they hadn’t actually determined what they were to each other. There was attraction, and after their last intimate moment, Teyla was able to conclude that Damon certainly meant more to her beyond their partnership, but the conflict came from how he’d reacted to the scarring. Maybe it really was all he knew, and he was trying to care in the only way he knew how. But Teyla really only wanted his comfort, for him to be with her that night.

Her brow raised incredulously at his next sentence.

“You’re right, the timing is crudy. The more time we spend sitting here and arguing about this, the more time those Sith have to make off with our weapon crates. And, really? I’ve been avoiding you? I think we’ve both done a pretty good job at avoiding each other.” Teyla lifted her chin. She wasn’t going to take all of the blame for the recent distance between them. He’d been more than a little cool himself, after she basically forbade him from going after Ferian.

Then Damon tried to make eye contact and Teyla looked away from him with her lips pressed tight together in silence. Seemed the ice queen was still in her, but that only lasted a moment, because her expression broke, softening when he mentioned they made a good team, that they could get the weapons, and go after Ferian indirectly.

After some silence, she cracked “Fine.” her gaze returned to Damon. “We’ll talk about it. After this job...we’ll figure it out together. Us. Ferian. But it’s not going to be one person calling all of the shots in this. We need to be on the same page and work from a middle ground. Otherwise, there’s not going to be a discussion.”


[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

”I started smuggling to out the war behind me, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t followed me on occasion...”

Riggs was stubborn enough at the moment to do the dumbest thing he possibly could, not let Teyla win. He had to be right, he just had to be. There was no possible way Teyla was thinking about this objectively, especially when Ferian was the object of her night terrors. Damon was as guilty as she had been of that very thing. He wanted so desperately to just fix it, to make her problems go away, that he didn’t see all Teyla wanted was comfort and someone to be with her through it.

Yes, he had been avoiding her too. Her charge punched him in the gut hard. The man wanted to avoid the fool he’d made of himself because he just had to rush in and save the day. His reaction to feeling the scars had been over the top. He knew they would be there, but nothing about them seemed orderly. They felt random, like the man found some twisted pleasure in cutting her.

Riggs sighed.

”I’m sorry... I just want to fix it, but that’s not what you want,” he said standing up and heading back to the cockpit. ”We got pull the traders up if we want any hope of getting these weapons back. And I promise this time I’ll do my best to listen, hmmm? By the force we have to figure out what we are when this is all over... before we both tear our hair out.”

Riggs rushed to the cockpit and threw on the traders. They were losing time, and they had to move now.

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

‘You just can’t be wrong, can you?’ Teyla thought it, but didn’t say it. The only visible indication that his words perturbed her was the tension in her jaw, the straightening of her shoulders, and the furrow of her brow.

If she didn’t drop it, this was never going to end.

What Damon said next about wanting to fix what happened made her pause, she was tempted to tell him that it wasn't something he could fix, but knew that wouldn't go over well. If anything, his admission confirmed what she'd been thinking. He was trying to show he cared, and a small bit of guilt settled in the pit of her stomach over her own part in their argument, and how difficult she was being before.

“We're in agreement then?" It was a rhetorical question, and she looked to her caf as she followed suit in getting up, she'd entirely forgotten about it during the conversation. The cup was still full, and she knew it was cold now. What a waste.

Once they got the trackers up, Teyla set a course to take them to the right location. They were lucky, it seemed that the trackers hadn’t been found yet, which also indicated that the weapons weren’t destroyed. “Well...good thing. Seems the weapons aren’t destroyed. But you know what that means...” It was a two edged sword. It meant they intended to use what was inside against those who the weapons were originally intended for, and that made her feel an even greater sense of urgency.

The brunette settled back into the pilots seat and got to work next to Damon. “I’ll scramble the code once we get closer. They shouldn’t be able to recognize us.” The only problem she could see would be the red paint job, but with all the ruckus from before, it was possible that small details like that went unnoticed. “We’ll hail them once we arrive. We just need to come up with a good cover story before we get there.” Damon used to be a military captain, if anyone knew what would work to get them on that ship, he would.

Figuring all of this out was the easy part. It was this next bit she didn’t like, the part that made her rethink everything they were about to do. “You know that I’m not going to be able to board with you, I’ll need to be ready so we can take off the second you get the crates back on board. You’ll have the datapad which will take you to their exact location and we’ll be in contact through our comms. Everything should be fine if you don’t draw any unnecessary attention to yourself.” Rocco had left the crew for some personal reasons. Teyla didn’t know what the space monkey was up to now, but it meant Damon would have to go at this alone. It was always a worthy pursuit to fight for a selfless cause that went beyond your own self interest, but they had come to rely on having Rocco around for the extra muscle. His absence left a hole. They were going to need to fill his position for potential situations like this in the future.

Once they were in agreement about what the plan was, they jumped to hyperspace and were soon seeing blue starlines.

[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

She wasn’t going with him. Damon knew it, but he didn’t want to think about. They would need a clean getaway. He just nodded as she asked him how to get on board.

”Tell them something green is coming out of their exhaust port and our mechanic knows what it is and can fix it...” Riggs didn’t know if it would work with who they were tailing, but he was desperate for a paycheck.

When Teyla was told to board, Riggs was shocked it worked. He ran to the cargo bay and tossed on a pair of coveralls which he used the sleeves to tie off at the waist. He grabbed a cigar, and let the baggy parts cover his blasters. ”I’ll be back with those guns. You keep the engines hot.”

Riggs tapped the comm device in his ear and winked. There was nothing like a mission to get the two to work together and flirt. Riggs was flirting anyway, and he knew it was likely killing Teyla how he could go back and forth with it so easy. The bottom line was he liked her, cared, and wanted to be with her, but they were supposed to be keeping it professional. Teyla drew those lines hard since her nightmare.

His boots crossed onto the ship. The cargo was in the bay next to them, just on the other side of the brig. ”It’s coming from something you got in the cargo bay,” he said counting on the guys in PVC pipe uniforms to be dumb enough to fall for it. They did. What he saw in the brig made him stop. There was a Wookiee, but not any Wookiee, it was a friend. Riggs motioned for him to stay quiet when he thumped the two escorts in the back of the head and opened the cell.

”We have to run. There are six crates we are taking back to my ship before anyone finds them.”

He showed him to the crates where they were still attached the hover cart.

”I drive, you shoot.”

Riggs headed back to the ship as a regiment of troops started running toward them.

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

“Permission to dock, bay one.”

Teyla looked over at Damon and shrugged her shoulders, letting out a breath as she started going through the necessary boarding procedures.

The hangar was surprisingly empty and security looked light. Good. That meant they hadn’t suspected anything amiss yet.

When Damon came back dressed in his mechanic getup and immediately started flirting, Teyla shook her head. It was so typical that he would have the inclination to resort to playful banter so soon after their fight, even in a time like this. He did realize how quickly this could all turn ugly, right? Of course he probably did. That’s most likely why he was trying to keep things light now.

Despite herself, she smirked. “Don’t you worry about the engines. Just mind how long you take. Don’t want to burn through all the fuel before the fun actually starts.” Seemed like even when she didn’t have the energy for it, Teyla could still volley the banter back at him fairly well. “And get back here in one piece.”

Or I’ll drag your sorry shebs back from the netherworld, myself.
--------------------------------------

Teyla paced back and forth as time passed after he had gone, watching the docking back from the viewport, making sure things stayed clear while she waited to hear something, anything.

This was insane! What in the name of Shiraya was she thinking, anyway? Teyla continued her pacing and abruptly stopped at the shrieking sound of blaster fire.

She flipped on her comm, “Uhhh, Damon, You there? What’s going on?!”

Without waiting for an answer, Teyla grabbed for the blaster strapped to her hip - years after leaving the CSF, and she still didn’t go anywhere without a firearm attached somewhere to her person - and descended down the loading ramp.

Damon was approaching quick...with a...Wookiee?

Teyla didn’t have the time to care about who it was, as long the Wookiee was on their side. From what she could see, it seemed it was only because of the Wookiee, that there was any space between Damon and the troops at all.

Then a second group of troops rushed from the opposite side of Riggs and this newest companion.

Teyla cursed and opened fire on the front line of enemies to try and draw their attention away from Damon. Several soldiers dropped, giving the two enough space to have a clear path to the ship.

It would have to be enough for now, because they needed to get out of here as quick as possible.

Teyla ran back up the ramp to get them ready for take off, plopping into the pilots seat.

When Damon came to strap in next to her, she shot him a side glance.

“I thought we agreed not to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves? What happened? And who’s the Wookiee? More importantly, does your friend know how to use the guns? Could really use some coverage while I get these coordinates in, or it’s going to be a sorry day for all of us!”

[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Riggs ignored Teyla over the comms, but for the very good reason that he was busy driving a crate full of weapons while being shot at. Teyla has told him to be discrete, but that was hard to do after breaking a Wookiee out of the brig. They weren’t supposed to be taking on extra passengers at the moment, but this really was a two man opp with a getaway waiting for them. As the blaster bolts whizzed past his ear, Riggs could only smile that a pissed off Wookiee with a blaster was leaving a trail of bodies behind them.

From his periphery, Riggs caught the other unit. He cursed, but Teyla came bounding down the boarding ramp providing enough cover to get the two up the ramp. Damon pulled out his own blaster and fired at the line of troops coming from the side just for the added leverage. Once they had the cargo secured, Riggs shut the ramp.

”Teyla, Rafiki. Rafiki, Teyla.”

The Wookiee greeted Teyla then ran off for the guns. He knew what he was doing.

Riggs followed Teyla into the cockpit and strapped into the co-pilot chair. He knew Teyla wasn’t going too happy with him, but maybe she would like having Rafiki onboard with them. Damon smirked.

”We met once when I was still in the Navy. I had to arrest him for ripping the arms off a soldier because they got caught cheating in a game of Sabacc. I filed the paperwork wrong so after three hours we had to let him go. Ran into him a few weeks after that before we shipped out, been friends since. Hadn’t heard what he was up to the past few months. Now I know.”

The way Riggs said it left little room for argument. Rafiki was joining their crew, but Teyla herself had hoped for some muscles. Riggs was playing off the idea.

”I know busting him out made too much noise, but I couldn’t leave him there. We need the help anyways. Now c’mon, let’s deliver these guns so we can get paid!”

Riggs let out a whoop and a yell.

”We’re gonna get paid!!!”

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

Introductions with Rafiki were some of the quickest she’d ever gone through, watching the wookiee madly push towards the area he needed to be in order to handle the guns. She listened to Damon’s story and both of her brows raised, then one lowered, brown eyes reflected with the briefest look of concern about the kind of friends he kept. Her mouth opened to respond to the ‘ripping of arms off’, “What kind of people…” but snapped shut when a regiment of troop lining up and filled the viewport, readying to take fire. Their shields were damaged from the last encounter, and Teyla grit her teeth in anticipation of blaster fire, only to watch them scatter away the moment the Revenge started raining down projectiles.

“The wookiee can shoot, and that’s all I care about right now!” she told her copilot.

Teyla knew she would have done the same thing for any number of her own friends, and as long as the big furry-guy wasn’t ripping off their arms, then she wasn’t going to sit around complaining. She’d throw in her lot with the wookiee. What choice did they have? Besides, if she had been able to get used to Rocco. Surely Rafiki wouldn’t be worse.

Through the confusion of troops trying to hurriedly assemble after the last volley of fire, Rafiki had effectively created some much needed distance between them and the ship, and Teyla didn’t hesitate on her end to nose up the Revenge and get them lifted off the ground in the midst of bedlam, and alarm.

The Revenge spun on its axis and Teyla activated departure mode and accelerated the craft, blasting clear of the hangar and leaving in its wake a splay of smashed troopers and scorched transparisteel.

Teyla was focused as she worked and manipulated the instrumentation, like it was an extension of her own body.

After they reached atmosphere, a grin crossed her face from Damon’s whooping, “Just stay sharp until we get out of this mess, we're not clear yet!”

Just then, Teyla yanked the ship hard to the right, barely skirting what would have been a direct hit. “Dammit!” she should have accounted for the cannons, “Get ready to jump to lightspeed!” ahead of them looked clear. Good. They were going to need that path to make an escape. It was what was behind them that she was worried about.

Then another shot drove past them, this one rocking the ship, missing them by a hairline and exploding several asteroids into a blaze of fireballs in front of them. Debris flung around them, obscuring their pathway. Sweat began to bead at her temple, but Teyla took them through the devastation anyway, doing her best to avoid whatever she could for the sake of their weakened shields.

Barely making it into the clear, they made their less than clean escape to hyperspace.

Pure joy was writ across her features, and finally, she echoed Damon with an excited holler of her own.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanctuary
Eon Village, Southern Island
Thirty Minutes After Sunset

The small oceanic village of Eon was filled with celebration tonight. The crates were successfully delivered, but that wasn’t the cause for the lively atmosphere. Though, Teyla was sure it had meant something, because she briefly picked up on an incorporated layer of hope among the people who had flocked together to dance and socialize.

Many worlds across the galaxy were taking a brief reprieve for cheerful festivities this time of year, and it seemed the island world hadn’t paused their own moment for merriment either, despite the looming threat of a potential invasion. Damon and crew had been invited to stay and partake after the ordeal they’d been through to get the weapons to these people, and since the Inquisitors Revenge was in need of more than a few repairs, they’d gone along with the idea.

Teyla smiled wearily, coming up beside Damon and passing him one of the two cups in her hand. She wasn’t sure where their newest team member had wandered off to, but she was sure he was enjoying his newfound freedom of that cell, wherever he’d gone. “A mug of caf for your thoughts?” she inquired, taking the seat next to him, knowing the question could bring up any number of conversations.

They’d emerged relatively unscathed from one of their most dangerously insane jobs to date, and had agreed to talk about a topic the two of them, though mostly Teyla, tried avoiding for weeks now.

Yes, the topic of Ferian would be somewhere in the mix of all this, but she knew that wasn’t the underlying issue, much as she wanted to cast the blame of the contention between them on that subject, it had really only served to surface the heart of the matter: the relationship between them was changing. No...was changed. She’d felt it some time ago, but adamantly denied her shifting emotions.

Chilled fingers pulled her jacket in closer around herself to brace against both the upcoming talk, and the damp ocean breeze that starkly contrasted the burn of the blazing fire hitting her face.


[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

They pulled it off and got paid. Riggs could not have been happier to even think those words. There were a few moments where he didn’t think that was going to be the case, but it had been. His team was invited to stay with the village for their celebration, and Riggs had accepted. After everything they had been through Riggs and Teyla needed the break, and Rafiki would always throw down for a party. He’d already gone off, but Riggs had made him an offer. By the time the ship left he’d have an answer, but Damon was confident the walking carpet would accept.

For his own part, Riggs leaned against the wall of a nearby building. He wasn’t one to participate in the rambunctiousness of celebration anymore. Before he had lost his crew, Riggs would have been in the center of the party, well Jenkins would have been and finding a way to drag Damon into the middle of it.

A small sigh escaped his lips thinking about he late best friend. Riggs crossed his arms over chest and just continued to watch. Eventually he pushed off the wall and found a place to sit. Looking like he wanted to be in the mix wouldn’t hurt.

Teyla sat next to him and presented a hot cup of caf. He grinned and took it. Her question just elicited a shrug.

”I don’t know. Just thinking about an age long gone I suppose.” Riggs took a sip.

They had agreed to talk when the whole thing was over, and Riggs supposed that’s what this was. The argument, that’s what it really was, had been pretty heated. As much as Riggs wanted to make it about Ferian, he knew it wasn’t. He took another sip trying to avoid it all, but that wasn’t going to get them there.

”Sorry for being a pill. I mean I knew you had the scars. You told me about them, but when I felt them I could actually picture it happening to you. It’s not really about Ferian, just that anybody could do something like that to anyone. I was mad, still am, because I like you.”

Riggs drank more caf to gather himself for what he was going to say next.

”You said once that we just needed to take a leap of faith. Well we did, and things, they changed. I’m not sure this works anymore, not if it’s just about business. That’s not good enough for me anymore, and I understand if that’s a problem for you.”

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

“I was being stubborn...I understand where you were coming from with it.” Teyla responded, wrapping her hands around her mug for warmth. “Your nature is to take action and protect, like you said before..it’s like asking you not to breath.” It's one of the things I like about you.

It became easier, once they weren’t arguing and were out of danger, for Teyla to gain a little bit of introspection on the argument from before.

The ultimatum he gave her though, that caught her off guard.

She was silent as she contemplated what to say.

What she needed to do, was tell Damon the truth of why she was always pulling back whenever things became serious between them.

Teyla wanted to tell him how she wanted to stay, and how painful the mere idea of not being near his side felt, but for the ex-handmaiden, it was not easy to be vulnerable.

Yet, Teyla had already allowed herself to be so in front of him several times. It seemed like she was going to need to do so, again.

It wasn’t going to be easy, she was hesitant, but...

Her cup of caf was set down next to her on the wooden bench they occupied with a light ‘clink’ as she turned to face him fully. “It is not that it is something I don’t want.” she began, looking down at her hands that she clenched nervously together, moving them back and forth. She settled them into her lap after manically repeating that motion, and bit her lip before inhaling a shaky breath.

“I’ve been down this road before,” Teyla admitted, “Long before the invasion happened, I briefly left the CSF to work as head of Soren Security for Corellian entrepreneur, Baros Sal-Soren. I met him when I was working on the Thistlebark murders and the two of us worked closely together for a while...he..and I...I let myself care about him. If I’m being honest, it was the entire reason I gave up working with the CSF to begin with. Thinking I could keep my lines strong and firm, lying to myself about how it was only about the 'bigger paycheck'. But all of it amounted to naught, because I crossed every professional boundary…” It was awkward to tell him about Baros, especially with how she felt towards Damon. “Things didn’t end well between us, and I never heard from him again.”

Telling him about all of this was incredibly difficult to do, she didn’t know how he was going to respond to yet another secret she’d kept from him, especially with how difficult she’d been towards him in concern to Alex, but he needed to know.

“What’s been happening between us...it parallels that, and,” she shrugged her shoulders, swallowing, trying to hold back the emotion in her voice. “I don’t know what to do! I want to stay with you, not just as another member of the crew, but with you.” her hands moved from her lap and to the bench, clenching her fingers around its edge for support, her eyes looking into his sapphire blues. Did she leave what was between them, for the vain hope of what could be, and follow her own advice she’d given him weeks before? “I’m just...I don’t want the past to repeat itself, and I need some kind of reassurance that it won't.”

[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

“It is not that it is something I don’t want.”

Well that wasn't the answer Riggs was hoping for. He should have guessed though. Nothing between them had ever been easy. Damon had always been pushing the line while Teyla kept holding him at bay. It was this dance they kept doing, but for once Riggs finally felt like he had found someone that he could be with, and was on the same page about the future. Riggs didn't want to go back to the military, Teyla didn't want that either. She wanted this life, and that was important to Riggs.

Rather than react, because he did that too much, Riggs just listened. Now she was the one opening up about her past, and Damon would have never pictured her working for the Sal-Soren. He was visibly dumbfounded because of what he knew about her. What was more they had been romantically involved, or something close to that. Damon understood. He didn't like it, but he understood.

Her hesitancy was because of that experience, and Riggs couldn't change it. There was only one way to reassure her though.

"I was ready to marry Russo, ya know. We crossed every professional boundary too, and that was while both of us were in the Navy. I lost her, found her again, and I was ready, but we were not on the same page about the future." Riggs was hoping that bringing up Russo was the right thing to do here, but it was the only way he knew how to show he was committed to finding out what was going on between them. "I don't intend to get involved with you in any romantic sense if this isn't going to be a long term thing. That's not what I want. I'm too old to be playing the field, and I care for you too much to even think about that. I was ready to go to the altar with Russo, and you can be damn sure I'm just as committed to the idea of us if that's what you ever find yourself wanting.

Riggs shrugged and took another drink from his mug. He didn't know if that was the assurance she was looking for, but he might as well tell her what was on his mind. Damon wasn't asking her to stay until something better came along.

"I'm asking you to stick around, and not just as my business partner."

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

She was unsure what he would think of her story, it was the first time she’d completely opened up to him like this, and as such, was struggling not to squirm under his silent stare, feeling her stomach muscles clench and pulse quicken. She supposed if he knew anything about Baros’ reputation, (and gauging his reaction, that seemed to be the case) then she should have expected the bewilderment.

The truth was, the two of them never would have worked. They were too different for anything long term. Teyla knew that from the beginning, and looking back on it, even she had a difficult time fathoming how it all came to be.

Damon was not Baros, though.

She knew that already, with everything they’d been through and experienced together, but hearing what he said served to illustrate the stark contrast between the two of them that much more. Teyla was moved and comforted by his words, working to help ease some of the fear and worries she still clung to, and lowered the walls around her heart. Oh, they were not gone completely, it would take more than a single night of vulnerability for that to happen, but for the first time in a long while, there was a warmth from a sense of security, and it was definitely a start to letting go.

Teyla’s gaze pulled out toward the center of the celebrations, where the crowd thickened as the night drew on, though the party and those who’d gathered had faded, serving more as background noise while she worked through the whirlwind of her thoughts.

She looked back to him, her eyes wandering up to his that waited for an answer.

“Firstly...understand that I care for you a great deal, can’t imagine leaving, honestly. But...I don’t want to jump into this, or make any promises or declarations that can be easily broken. If we pursue whatever is going on between us, then I want to take it slow...” Her fingers unfurled from the grip she’d held on the bench, tension seeping out of her shoulders. “I want to discover what we can mean to each other, without labels and expectations of what we have to be...to just see what happens. If that...if that works for you?”

[member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Damon knew everything Teyla was saying to be truth. She cared for him, that was not only known, but felt. Her passion to keep Damon out of the things which had to do with Ferian. All of it came from the fact she cared. It was her caring which wanted to keep things slow. Riggs breathe in and let it out slowly.

”I agree...” he said with a nod.

Everything that happened with Russo had left Riggs a bit nervous. If they couldn’t see eye to eye on their future would she leave too? Damon wasn’t going to, and Teyla wanted to stay. Were they going to make it, maybe, would they mess it all up, maybe. The thought led Riggs to finish off the liquid in his mug.

”So no labels, just us? I can do that. Though can we revisit that part of not rushing anything...”

Riggs waggled his eyebrows. Yeah, his mind went back to the night they almost crossed a line they would have likely regretted. Still, Damon had wished she had not stopped them that night. Riggs sighed...”

”Can we go back to sharing a bunk... because I kinda liked that..”

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

“Of course you would bring that up...you scoundrel.” She laughed softly and shook her head, teeth sinking into her lower lip by the thoughts he roused, despite herself.

With all of the tension growing between them the last six months, not mentioning the incident from two weeks ago, what Damon was asking shouldn’t have surprised her, but truth be told, it still did a little.

Yet, it was undeniable that in the quiet hours of the last couple weeks, Teyla spent her nights tossing and turning, finding sleep much more difficult to achieve than before. Not because of nightmares, or anything of the like, but because she was kept awake by the thought and desire to be close to him again. All the while letting her stubbornness get in the way, digging in her heels for the fear of being hurt and keeping him at bay, successful in denying either of them the companionship they desired.

So, did that make what she was about to say, too contradictory to what she just told him?

“We agreed no labels...to take this at our own pace, whatever that looks like. Right now? Being with you, that...that seems right.” Maybe they were being too hasty, or maybe this was the natural next step for them. Either way, they would find out. “...We’ll have the ship to ourselves a couple hours at least.” Her golden-brown eyes looked up to his, uncertainty still there, but along with the refusal to be rooted by indecision this time. “...Kiss me, Captain, before I change my mind.”

[member="Damon Riggs"]