![[I saw three ships]](../2005-1icon.png)
For many, many years I took care of my people, and they took care of me. A great adversary came and slowly, but surely, my people went away.
I slept then. At the bottom of the ocean, knowing no touch, no life.
Many more years passed, and then, he came. Woke me from my slumber. Yes, he was one of many. But his touch, his presence…it was as if my people had returned.
Once again there was life, and touch. But his touch was valued above all others. He enchanted me as I enchanted him.
But soon, there was an interloper.
The first time Teyla spent the night with Major Sheppard, she returned to her quarters in the morning to discover there was no power. No lights. The doors wouldn't open. A quick radio call fixed the problem, though nobody in Operations could figure out why the outage was only in Teyla's space.
Rolling power outages seemed to follow wherever Teyla and John went. One day the doors to their workout room would not open, and no amount of Zelenka or McKay's tinkering with the circuitry could get them open.
When Teyla brought an injured Sheppard back from a mission, she found her quarters flooded with seawater. The problems continued even after she moved to drier quarters on another level. Lights that wouldn't turn on. Lights that wouldn't turn off. Showers with no water pressure. Showers with no hot water. Backed up plumbing. Teyla just smiled and spent more time with John in his quarters.
She suffered the indignities and inconveniences without comment. Then one day, her workout clothes came back from laundering in shreds.
The ritual was simple. The appropriate mindset was all that was truly required. The candles merely helped with the mood. Teyla had told John (over the radio, fists clenching the tattered remains of her halter top) that she was going to spend the evening in meditation. This was not far from truth.
The candles lit, Teyla stood in the middle of her living area. Her goal was to reach the ghosts of the Ancestors. To ask for their assistance in removing whatever foul, malevolent forces were plaguing her.
Her plea was heartfelt and sincere, if a little strained. It had been suggested by several people, not unkindly, that perhaps Atlantis itself was a little jealous of the time she spent with Sheppard. While Teyla could believe in ghosts helping to rid her life of demons, she found the idea of a sentient city quite unbelievable.
How could I not hear her plea?
Her intrusion was not deliberate, nor malicious. She too had been enchanted.
I would have to find a way to make her understand….
Legends her father had passed on told of people who could speak with the gods. Teyla believed these to be merely fanciful tales. She did not expect a direct response to her ritual.
As such, she had trouble believing the vision before her. The room had gone completely dark, the candles put out in a gust of wind. No light came in from the window; all the lights in the city seemed to be out. A small ball of light appeared before Teyla, growing quickly in size and resolving itself into a glowing human form.
It appeared to be one of the Ancestors, a tall, regal woman dressed in fine white robes. She held her hands clasped in front of her. When she spoke, her voice filled the room.
"Teyla Emmagen," she said.
Teyla bowed her head in obeisance, then raised it again to meet the Ancestor's eyes.
"Your entreaty has been heard."
"Yes?" Teyla responded.
"You must understand. He is the closest thing I have left to the Alterans. His touch is nearly indistinguishable from theirs."
Some of the jokes she had overheard, silly notions about the city being jealous of the time she spent with John, began to make sense to Teyla. "Major Sheppard?"
"Yes."
This was not a vision of an Ancestor, then. Teyla realized she was speaking to the city itself.
"I do understand about his touch, though not quite the same as you mean." Teyla smiled. "And he loves this city. We all do, each in our own way. I would never consider taking him from the Atlantis."
"You take him from the city on a nearly daily basis, Teyla Emmagen."
"It is a whole new galaxy for John and his people to explore. They are on an expedition. John always returns."
"You care for him and his people?"
"As he cares for me and mine. And for Atlantis. I will not take him from it."
"Teyla!" The muffled shout came through the door, followed by a harsh pounding. "Teyla!"
Teyla raised an eyebrow.
"It is him. The rest of the command crew is not far behind. They seem to be concerned about the power spike here and the complete loss in the rest of the city." The Ancestor nodded and smiled. "I trust you, Teyla Emmagen. Just remember, he is not yours alone."
The door slid open, and John stumbled in, the door closing immediately behind him. He had only a moment to stare at the glowing figure before it faded into nothingness. All the lights came on the second the glow disappeared. Looking out the window, Teyla could see the city lights coming back on.
John scratched his head and looked from Teyla to where the glow had been. He looked back at Teyla. "Um."
"I do believe Operations will no longer be receiving calls from my quarters on a daily basis." Teyla smiled and walked toward John. She didn't stop when she got to him; she kept on walking, backing him into the wall.
"Oh, really?" He put his hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Yes." She took one of his hands off her hip and placed in palm down against the wall. "All I have to do…is share."
![[fin]](../2005-1banner.png)