The "We're Still Here" party was beginning to wind down. Elizabeth was fairly sure that Lieutenant Ford was the brain behind the party and it had had the desired effect: everyone was pleasantly mellow and finding the good side to life on Atlantis instead of focusing on missing home. A couple of the scientists had worked out how to hook up an iPod to the internal communications system. Elizabeth was not going to ask whether they'd remembered not to pipe music into the sleeping quarters.
"Do all Earth parties involve alcohol and loud music?" Teyla asked.
Elizabeth grinned. "Only the good ones."
The truth was that there wasn't enough alcohol in Atlantis to get completely drunk, although the fruit punch was heavily spiked and Elizabeth had drunk enough to feel pleasantly buzzed. Someone had turned the music down a while ago, low enough to actually conduct a conversation, but that hadn't stopped the crowd on the impromptu dance-floor. Even Rodney had been persuaded to dance, although he resembled a chicken on speed and everyone around him had to occasionally duck away from flailing arms.
Elizabeth had joined in for a couple of songs earlier in the evening, but she was happier to sit on the sidelines and drink punch. Watching other people dance had always been more fun than making a fool of herself. Teyla had spent most of the evening on the dance-floor, confirming Elizabeth's assumption that her natural grace would make her a natural dancer. It had been hard to pull her eyes away from the beautiful woman. Elizabeth told herself that she was just keeping an eye on Teyla in case anyone did anything inappropriate. The mixture of disappointment and relief she'd felt when Teyla sat down next to her was easily excused by the alcohol.
Teyla held up a cup of spiked punch. "I think that I prefer Major Sheppard's beer."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "John gave you beer?"
"The house that he fabricated seemed to have everything that he liked," Teyla said. "Although not popcorn, thankfully."
"He never really explained what happened to you," Elizabeth said.
Teyla frowned. "I did not understand some of it. There was a party, but many of the people were dead. Or had died, I think. Things became very confusing."
"So I gathered." Elizabeth sipped her punch, feeling relaxed and content for the first time in months. "I liked the clothes you found, by the way."
Teyla's eyes lit up. "I hope that Major Sheppard's memories of your market places were accurate. There was so much choice! When you make contact with Earth, I would very much like to visit your markets and trade again."
"I'll take you myself," Elizabeth promised rashly, enjoying the enthusiastic gleam in Teyla's eyes.
"I would like that," Teyla said happily. "I do not think that Major Sheppard enjoyed the trading as much as I did."
"I doubt he did."
"Many of your clothing styles are very different from our styles and there was great variety," Teyla continued. "I noticed that many groups dressed in similar clothing styles - does that signify tribal allegiances?"
Elizabeth almost choked on her punch.
"No," she said quickly, trying not to laugh or cough. "Fashion is important to many people on Earth. They often dress to fit in with friends or popular groups." She paused for a moment. "Huh. Thinking about it, that does sound rather tribal. Our military units certainly have elements of tribal culture."
"You will have to advise me on how to 'fit in' with the correct groups," Teyla said.
"I think you were doing very well on your own."
In Elizabeth's opinion, the sleeveless top and short skirt suited Teyla much better than the bulky jackets and combat trousers she usually wore to fit in with the Atlantis staff. She had well-toned muscles and smooth skin that Elizabeth had to stop thinking about right now because she was supposed to be missing Simon.
Teyla must have sensed the change in Elizabeth's mood; her smiled melted away to be replaced by a concerned frown.
"Did something happen in your fabricated reality that upsets you?" Teyla asked gently.
Elizabeth deliberately stared at the dancing crowd. "I saw my partner, Simon."
There was the slightest of hesitations before Teyla spoke. "Do you miss him?"
"Yes. And no." Elizabeth frowned. "I don't know how to explain it."
"Does it make you uncomfortable to discuss it?"
"A little," Elizabeth said.
"Then we will not discuss it now," Teyla said.
Elizabeth wondered briefly whether Teyla intended to discuss it later. The prospect was both worrying and intriguing, but she couldn't work out why. Instead she gulped down the rest of her punch and stood.
"This is breaking up," Elizabeth said, gesturing unsteadily around the room. "I should probably go to bed."
Teyla stood with her. "May I walk you to your room?"
Elizabeth's mind felt distinctly fuzzy. There was a reason why she should refuse Teyla, but she couldn't quite reach it.
"I'd like that," Elizabeth said.
She began walking unsteadily towards the door, which wavered in front of her rather disconcertingly. Someone took her elbow to steady her and Elizabeth smiled at Teyla thankfully.
"I think that punch was stronger than it looked," she said, concentrating to make the words sound right.
Teyla tucked her arm through Elizabeth's and guided her to the door. "I think that you had more of it than you intended, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth frowned. "You called me Elizabeth."
"Is that inappropriate?"
"Probably," Elizabeth said. "But I liked it. Friends should use each other's names sometimes. Even friends like us."
"Then I shall call you Elizabeth when it seems appropriate," Teyla promised.
"Thank you."
"Here are your quarters."
Elizabeth blinked at the doors Teyla had stopped in front of. "Thank you."
There was a hint of a smile in Teyla's voice, although she kept her face neutral. "A leader should never allow her people to see a weakness like this."
"You think that I'm drunk?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes."
"I think you're right," Elizabeth said, sighing. "I don't normally drink like this."
"I believe you," Teyla said. "The last few days have been difficult for everyone."
Elizabeth stared at the doors for a minute before saying quietly, "I love Simon, but I can't give up what I've got here. People depend on me. And I'm not sure that I could be happy if I wasn't here."
"Elizabeth, you would not tell me this if you had not drunk so much alcohol," Teyla said softly.
"You're right, I wouldn't," Elizabeth said, shaking her head even that made the wooziness worse. "So I should go to bed now before I say anything else that I shouldn't. Good night."
Teyla gently disengaged her arm and stepped back. "Good night."
Elizabeth tapped her door open and left before she could say anything else that she would probably regret in the morning. Teyla was entirely too easy to open up to when she was sober. Adding alcohol was bound to cause problems.
Muttering under her breath, Elizabeth tugged off her boots before falling onto her bed fully dressed. The stresses and the alcohol combined to pull her into sleep before she could undress or even turn the lights down.
*fin*