[SH] The First Time

[shepcrew]

This was it, he decided. They'd been together long enough for him to be certain of a few things, and, also? It just felt right.

He had nothing planned save for the where, and the presentation of the where. He decided that several candles on the dresser - the surface of which had been cleared of just about everything - would suffice for lighting. Not too many, because that was over-kill, and besides, he had no idea how candles played a role in those rituals she mentioned and the last thing he wanted was for her to be reminded of that. Somehow, he didn't think it would matter, but still. The thought was there. And he banished it.

The awkward part came when Teyla discovered him smuggling the candles to his room. She raised a brow and he stammered something incoherent and fled for the sanctuary of his room. He had gone for lunch with McKay, and when he had returned, his modest supply of candles had been augmented to provide an artful, yet sensual display, and a bowl sat in the middle of a semi-circle of candles of various sizes on the dresser, with a bottle of scented rose-water and a strange flower that reminded him of a lily on a lilypad. Peeking out from under the bowl was a folded piece of paper, which he snatched up and read eagerly.

The proper Athosian custom for this particular event of courtship requires candles placed in a specific array around the room. The centerpiece of a floating flower is to represent the eternalness of your union, as the flames represent the strength of your passion.

I will be by to light the candles and set the flower when the time comes.

I wish you both the best.

T.

He smiled and pocketed the note. He looked around his room and figured that, incongruous as the candles would be with the rest of the decor, it was somehow fitting. Thanks, Teyla. I owe you one.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Inara to arrive for her visit and reherse the excuse he had to force her to use the guest chambers to freshen up.

...He just wished he wasn't so damned nervous.

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He leads her, past many stares and openly gaping people, to a balcony. Not the balcony, but one that's out of the way and private. It's wide enough to comfortably accommodate a table set for two with enough room to move around and not worry about bumping into the furniture. On the table is a single candle waiting to bit lit, and next to it a bouquet in an Athosian-made vase , consisting of Inara's flower surrounded by complementary blossoms.

The table cloth isn't silk, since this is a military outpost and not the Ritz, but it's white; the place settings are actually real and not the usual hardy plastic used on a day-to-day basis. The wine glasses (on loan from Elizabeth) are the real fare, too, and not the usual ones from the mess.

To one side, out of the way, is Major Lorne, also in his dress blues, standing at easy attention. And he's far enough away so that he doesn't obstruct what John has been aiming for all this time, and it's the reason why this spot - found by mere chance - was chosen:

The sun is setting on the horizon, the calm waters of Lantea reflecting the array of colours from the the golden light as it slowly deepens into an amber hue. And, as they step onto the balcony, there is a brief yet brilliant flare, a last send off of the sun's radiance before the shadows begin to slowly bleed ever so gracefully into the dying light.

And he's watching her out of the corner of his eye, hoping that this was everything she had been anticipating and more.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

Her mouth shapes the 'oh' but having been left breathless by it all it's hard to make the sound actually come out. And there should be more words but the 'oh' is what's stuck there, eyes wide and full of wonder and...

And it's beautiful. It's all so, so beautiful, and even with the wonder of the sight she can't help but glance briefly at John because, well, he arranged it all and so carefully and perfectly. And. Words are failing her even as thoughts right now as she looks out at the sunset, back at John. It's all so... it's almost heartbreakingly perfect. Is heartbreakingly perfect, except for the heartbreak part, which is entirely inappropriate to a moment that's too full of love to be heartbreak.

And she does manage to at least vocalize the "Oh..." after a moment, a sound that encompasses amazement and wonder and joy and gratitude and love and all sorts of other things that escape her in more wordy form right now. And, "John..." After a moment, sliding her hand to curl around his, as if there could be any doubt about her joy in the whole arrangement.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He smiles as something inside him finally relaxes without him having to try. He could do this. John Sheppard could totally pull this off. It would be spectacular.

He leads her to the table, where he pulls the chair out for her, making sure she's seated comfortably before taking his place across from her. At a subtle glance from John, Lorne walks over.

He bows. "Good evening. My name is Evan and I'll be your waiter this evening."

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

Her composure is unshakeable, or at least, her poise. But something in her eyes suggests delighted laughter as she nods to (poor) Lorne with all the gravity she would give were they ... well, actually in a restaurant.

And John gets a brilliant, amused smile for this. She can only imagine him putting the idea to Lorne, and the reaction it would have gotten.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

John smiles gratefully up at Lorne. If he hadn't promised the Major payment for this, he'd be putting the man in for a raise. And Lorne, bless him, plays the part beautifully.

"Might I interest you in some wine? We have a fine selection from around the Pegasus Galaxy; Might I suggest a hearty red from P7K-988, or perhaps a delicate white from M3Y-461?"

John looks to Inara, brow slightly raised in the silent question of lady's choice?

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

It's the cuteness of the act, the whole setup, that makes her cheeks flush a little with pleasure, eyes sparkling. She's managing not to smile too much. Barely.

And, well, if he's letting her choose... she has to breathe for a moment before she can speak clearly and select a red wine, which she usually tends to favor. In absence of knowing what would complement the dinner, she'll go with what she likes.

She still can't quite believe this is happening. That he's arranged all this, set it up, playing it out... for her, it speaks to time and care and patience and dedication and that is worth so much.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

John goes for the red, as well, having sampled both earlier and preferring the red. Lorne isn't gone long enough for any conversation before he's pouring them both a glass of wine and then backing off.

John has no idea what to say yet, outside of raising his glass and offering, "To true love."

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

"To true love," she agrees, with a smile and still a hint of a blush. (And it will occur to her later, although it's far from her mind now, that Lorne is not someone to play poker against if he can maintain straight-faced composure in the face of all this sweetness.)

Long may it last, she does think, but doesn't say. "And the joy it brings," simple, and not likely to turn around and bring up bad thoughts.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He smiles at her words and touches his glass to hers delicately, letting the chime of striking glass hang as he takes a sip and sets it down.

"Now you know why I deflected you with the Jumper ride," he says, eyes sparkling, leaning forward a little. "Couldn't have you all balcony-gazing'd out."

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

"Mmm-hmm," and, yes, they were right about the wine. Best be careful not to let it go to her head, she decides.

There might be a bit of a wile or two in the way she savors the taste, lashes fluttering for a moment, then leaning slightly forward to match him. Her eyes sparkle, too, mischief and love and a flare of excitement.

"And that was some excellent deflecting, too. Almost makes me wonder what else you have planned." And she looks forward to finding out, in due time, though.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

And he appreciates the display, because he knows it's just for him.

"Well, you'll just have to make it through dinner, now, won't you?" He says playfully. "And thank you."

And really, dinner was the hard part of this whole deal, because MRE's even when made pretty on a plate, aren't very good. Oooooh, he's going to owe a lot of people a lot of things.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

She's very seriously considering rearranging her life to make such displays only for him, for the forseeable future. But she'll wait to tell him that until she knows what she's going to do.

"I suppose I will," she teases gently back, beaming. Because, really, this whole thing is... well, it's still amazing. "I think I can manage to contain my anticipation."

Okay, maybe not. "I still... this is so amazing, John. It really..." Words. Failing her. Once again, he's caught the Companion totally off guard and her fingers spread for a moment, as though seeking the words she can't seem to find. And then her hands are curled in front of the smile in a gesture that's shy, delighted, adorable and joyful and all the things she never got to experience.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

His smile is the dazzling one. He can't help but preen a little at her pleasure, and he offers a modest and off-handed, "Well...you know...." a slight shrug. "It was nothing." It was actually everything.

Lorne gets a silent command from an obviously well-concealed ear-piece, and he's heading off momentarily. Then he's returning with another Marine who's carrying the first course.

"Ma'am, sir," Lorne says, standing to one side as the Marine waits for them to move back so he can set the bowls down. "Your meal tonight is traditional Athosian. First course consists of tuttleroot soup, slow cooked over an ash fire to give it a unique flavouring. Please, enjoy."

John's blinking up at Lorne, totally wondering what the hell is going on. This wasn't the menu. His eyes narrow as he suspects...Teyla! Sigh. He was going to have a talk with her...

Ah well. As long as his teammate wasn't the one who cooked, this should be good.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

She glances at John's semi-surprise, moving around and to accomodate the Marine-waiter with practiced and reflexive ease. Apparently he's not the only one who's been planning. That's rather cute, too, although it also makes her wonder how many people have been playing matchmaker on them... or perhaps not matchmaker, but facilitator.

At least it means, or seems to, that she has the approval of John's friends and adoptive family. And that makes her feel ... better, somehow. More light-hearted, in a way. Something like that.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

John takes a tentative mouthful of the soup, nodding in satisfaction. "Well, I guess it's safe to say that Teyla isn't our chef tonight," he says, but it's not unkind. "She probably got one of the other Athosians to cook for us tonight."

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

Someone skilled, by the flavor. She chuckles, a murmur of appreciation. "Apparently," she says with a smile. Probably, if Teyla's going out of her way to augment this plan of his, the best she could find.

She still can't quite find words, for some reason. It's strange, and it feels as though she should be able to now that the flutters have settled, but. There are words. She still can't believe he's doing all this for her. The only thing she can manage to think of to say, still, is how did I get so lucky. Which sounds cheesy, so. She won't. Yet.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

Dinner progresses smoothly, or at least John hopes that it can be considered smooth, seeing as how he's currently as in the dark as Inara is on the proceedings.

But when the dessert arrives, (a very sweet, brownie-like Athosian delicacy), he figures it's time to retake control over his evening.

"Having fun, so far?" he asks, offering her a piece of the brownie on the end of his fork. Yes, he's feeding her dessert. Why do you ask?

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

"Mm-hmm..." she smiles, and being fed dessert almost requires wiles, or at least seductive glances as she nibbles it from his fork, and oooh. That's good.

"Well, I don't know. Fun is such a ... casual word." Eyes sparkling; clearly 'fun' isn't quite enough to describe the proceedings. "I could put some adjectives to it, like, oh. Most fun, wonderful fun. Amazing, delightful..."

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

And he takes those seductive glances with a slightly seductive smile. "Outstanding, romantic, perfect...?" he adds to her list.

He has his own mouthful of the dessert, with a quick flick of the eyes up to Lorne, before offering her another bite.

Shortly, there's a new person on the balcony, this one seated at the other end and with a guitar. He starts to strum a few chords before moving into a song.

The corners of his mouth quirk up in an apologetic smile. "I was trying for music during dinner, too, but there was a sort of huge deal in the labs today and this was the earliest we could swing it."

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

"Perfect, incredible, idyllic..." Nibble. Smile.

And then when the music starts there's absolutely nothing of skilled seduction in the way her cheeks flush pink. In the way she smiles, half goofy delight and half shy adoration.

"Oh, I don't know..." she starts, managing words around the way she wants to laugh out loud just for the sound of joy. "This is rather perfect as is..."

Labs. Huge deal in the... "Rodney didn't really blow up your room, did he..." If he's set up all this, somehow, she doesn't think he'd let Rodney do something so potentially dangerous as start mucking about in his room. Besides, there's no real reason to do experiments in crew quarters anyway.

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[continued here. (http://shepcrew.livejournal.com/5418.html)]