Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate franchise.

A/N: This is my fic for SAWS 2009 – Spanky a Week Summer. For this summer there will be one Ronon/Teyla story a week posted by a number of different authors.

Many thanks to the always amazing fyd818, the one who does the main organising required for this project. And also thanks to her for the beta and the title. What would I do without you??

He was casually strolling down the hallways of the City of the Ancestors, looking around him to see if there was anything that could entertain him for some time. There wasn't much to do just by yourself, so Ronon was used to either having one of his teammates with him, or being on a mission.

And if he did just happen to find himself alone, he would eat, sleep, or go spar in the gym. And he'd already done all of that. It was still early, not even noon yet, so he had the whole day ahead of him still – all by himself. A day off with nothing to do. Lovely.

Suppressing the heavy sigh building along with his annoyance, he turned the corner heading towards one of the more vacated piers in the city. But when he saw Teyla standing at the far end of the hallway he grinned, his hope rising at the thought she might be bored as well. They could do something together, 'hang out' as John liked to say. But as he suppressed his suddenly cheerful mood, he narrowed his eyes slightly as he took in her stance for the first time. She was peeking around the corner, her body pressed against the wall as flatly as possible as she kept glancing around. Almost as if... she was hiding from someone.

Ronon uttered a breathy chuckle, shaking his head in surprise and laughing to himself. Teyla hiding from someone, that was a first. She wasn't ever afraid, and however innocent she might appear at times, he knew that she was pretty good at avoiding stuff she didn't really want to do.

That made him wonder who she was hiding from. And for what reason.

Unable to contain his grin any longer, he set off toward Teyla, silently moving closer from behind her. Ronon had to do his best not to laugh out loud as he watched her ponder over her options. It seemed as if she wasn't sure whether to make a run for the transporter and hide in her own quarters, or just to stay here and hope that she wouldn't be seen on the pier. He quickened his step, 'cause he wanted to spook her before she made up her mind.

Slowing down again as he almost reached her, he moved carefully, ducking down so he wouldn't be seen in her peripheral vision either. Moving to stand behind her, he leaned against the wall and straightened up, looking down at the top of her head. Crossing his arms, Ronon cleared his throat loudly.

Teyla responded immediately, one of her hands automatically clenching into a fist as if she were going to hit him, while the other moved to her chest, clutching at her heart. She had jumped away from him while moving her arms, two strides further away from him than she had been before.

Ronon finally allowed himself to vocalize his amusement, laughing at her response and the obvious displeasure on her face at being caught off guard. Then he casually moved even further away as Teyla's expression was replaced by one of anger. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face though, or stop the chuckles from bubbling up into his throat.

"Ronon," she warned, shaking her head in disapproval.

Making an effort to control his breathing, he reduced his wolf-grin to a smile. "You really should pay more attention Teyla," he scolded. "I wasn't even trying to be quiet," he lied.

Teyla narrowed her eyes, and he couldn't help but notice her other hand forming into a fist as well. As always though, she controlled herself, and she took a deep breath before responding to his comment. "What are you doing here?"

Ronon tilted his head, his eyebrows raised playfully. "I think that's a better question for you to answer."

His playful mood rubbed off on her, and she bit her lip to hide the smile threatening to show. Teyla crossed her arms, stepping closer to him and raised one of her eyebrows as well. "That is none of your business," she told him, her eyes betraying her amusement, though she was obviously trying to appear mad still.

"I wonder who you're so scared of..." He allowed his eyes to briefly flick past her shoulder, as if looking for someone to sneak up behind her.

Ronon's comment had the desired effect, as Teyla's jaw dropped briefly before she noted the sparkle in his eyes and his wolfish grin. He laughed again as he saw her little fist coming toward him, hitting him on his upper arm. It stung a little, but she hadn't made a real attempt to hurt him. Just a little warning.

"Okay, okay... I'll stop teasing you. But why're you hiding?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Teyla sighed, chewing on the inside of her lip as she debated whether to tell him or not. She seemed to sense his honest curiosity, a small frown appearing on her forehead as she answered him. "It's Rodney," she told him with a grimace.

Ronon started at her, unable to keep the frown from creeping on his face. "Rodney," he repeated blankly. "You're hiding from… Rodney?"

Teyla nodded, the grimace still in place. "He has – requested my help with some Wraith technology. He needs my help to activate the device… It will only stay activated while I am touching it, because of my Wraith gene."

Ronon nodded, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "And…?" he prompted.

"Well, I did not mind helping him at first. But I must admit that after the first few days, I am less cooperative to hold the device at all times, while Rodney tries to decipher the codes." She shrugged. "He can be quite persistent when it comes to learning about new technology, and he has been following me ever since he found it."

"How long ago was that?" Ronon asked.

Teyla sighed. "A week."

Ronon snorted. He could understand Teyla's desire to escape Rodney's presence after a week of nagging from him. "A whole week around Rodney. That would make anyone try to escape," he mumbled.

Teyla nodded in silent agreement as her eyes quietly drifted over the still empty hallway.

"So, why don't you just tell him to leave you alone? If you threaten to kick his ass he'll run for his life."

Rolling her eyes, Teyla shook her head in disapproval. "I cannot threaten Rodney simply because he needs my help with his experiments," she stated, patiently waiting for him to see her point.

He didn't quite get it though, except maybe that she was scared of offending him. "You need me to do it for you?" he suggested helpfully.

That earned him another punch.

Rubbing his stinging upper arm, Ronon started walking towards the balcony. "Well, I'm gonna enjoy my day off," he told her, trying to appear genuine. "Out on the pier – by myself." He couldn't help from adding the last part, grimacing when she could no longer see his face. He could sense Teyla's hesitation from behind him as she pondered over what to do next.

"Ronon!" She called out, moving to catch up with him.

Ronon slowed his step, the pier coming into sight, a small smile twitching his lips.

She moved to walk beside him, her stride matching his. "Perhaps… I could join you?" she asked him, sending him a questioning glance.

He shrugged, working to keep the corners of his mouth from curling where she could see. "Sure," he responded, waving his hand over the control panel on the wall. The doors opened at his request, sliding soundlessly aside to allow them onto the pier.

It was a sunny day, and he was glad that he had his sleeveless shirt on, the warmth of the sun already pressing upon him. Teyla had also dressed appropriately, he noted as he peeked at her from the corner of his eye. She had her brown top on, matching the colour of her eyes, and her uniform trousers.

Teyla smiled widely when she stepped out into the sun, a slight breeze catching the loose strays of hair escaping from the band she had placed around them. They both took a deep breath, the satisfying fresh air filling their lungs, with a small hint of salt from the ocean stretching out in front of them.

"A lovely day," Teyla commented, slowly moving toward the edge of the pier.

Ronon followed her, enjoying the heat of the sun. The water was inviting, gently lapping at the pier with sparkles covering the surface of the water, the sunlight reflecting on it. He murmured in agreement, nodding wordlessly.

They reached the end of the pier, both staring into the water. He could almost picture the white glow of the sand on the bottom, begging for him to dig his toes into it, but the water was too deep for him to see it from above the water.

He looked at Teyla, standing beside him with her eyes closed. She was smiling contently; he knew she felt the same way he did. When they were outdoors, it felt right. Free.

Ronon's eyes were drawn to the water again, and he debated for a moment whether or not to ask Teyla to join him for a swim. It would do her good, he thought, take her mind of Rodney. And he would love for her to go with him. But… He seriously doubted she would say yes…

An idea came to him, and he grinned to himself. Clearing his throat, he crossed his arms. "Think you can see the Mainland from here?"

Teyla opened her eyes, blinking up at him. She considered the question for a moment, frowning slightly. "No, I do not believe it is close enough."

"Where is it, from where we're standing?"

She orientated herself by looking around, estimating its location in relation to Atlantis. She turned away from him, pointing to the left, as he had guessed she would. "Over there, I think."

Ronon laughed loudly as he placed his hands on her back, pushing her away from him with enough force to throw her off the pier.

Her scream was cut off when she hit the water, and he laughed in delight at her surprise.

When she resurfaced, she coughed twice before pushing the strands of hair from her face, revealing her wide eyes and gaping mouth to him. "W-" she paused, seemingly wondering whether to ask him if he had lost his mind, or to yell at him. Or maybe both…

Ronon grinned widely, crouching down before her. "Thought you would like a swim. You know, on this lovely day," he told her, smiling sweetly.

Teyla was fighting to keep the smile off her face, narrowing her eyes at him. She threw her arm at him faster than he had seen coming, but he didn't resist as her grip on his wrist pulled him into the water as well.

He hit the surface of the water head first, bubbles appearing around him when he let the air escape from his lungs, showing him the correct way up.

Moving his legs, his head finally broke the surface of the water, and he greedily sucked the air into his lungs. Teyla's smiling face greeted him, one eyebrow raised, daring him to get mad at her.

He laughed loudly again, splashing some water her way. "Okay – I had that one coming."

Teyla couldn't resist the smirk from showing on her face, though she had her head turned away to keep the water from coming into her eyes. She used both of her arms to splash water back at him, laughter bubbling up her throat.

Ronon ducked his head in the water to avoid the splashes, using both of his arms to get closer to her, and then his legs to push himself out of the water. He silenced her chuckles efficiently when he pushed her head under, his victorious roar echoing over the water.

She was still chuckling when she resurfaced, or maybe again, he wasn't sure. He laughed with her, simply because it did him good to see her laughing so freely.

Their moment was interrupted when they heard someone clearing their throat. Looking aside, he found Rodney standing on the pier, frowning down at them. "Might be smarter to go swimming in swimming clothes – don't you think?"

Ronon shook his head. "Nah, much more fun this way," he told him, taking in Teyla's blank expression, though he could see where her eyes betrayed her annoyance.

"Want to join us McKay?" he offered, sneakily moving closer.

Rodney stepped back hurriedly, out of reach. "Er – no thanks, I um, have work to do. Actually – speaking of work," he continued, "I was looking all over for you Teyla." He gestured with his hands while he was speaking, his laptop under one of his arms. "Perhaps you could help me after you get changed, you know, with that Wraith technology we've been working on?"

Teyla opened her mouth to respond, but Ronon interrupted her.

"Actually McKay – we're kinda busy here. It's a day off – go read a book or something?" he suggested, raising his eyebrows. "Good," he continued, smirking at Rodney's bewildered expression. "See ya."

"Yes, right – I'll just er… Go – Read a book, or something." Rodney stuttered, silently mumbling as he hurried to get back into the city, glancing backwards shortly before disappearing out of sight.

Teyla was biting on her lip, staring at him.

Ronon shrugged, staring back. "See, that wasn't so hard."

She stared for a moment longer, and he wondered for a second if he'd made her mad – but then she erupted into a laughing fit, one hand clamped over her mouth – while the other was curled around her middle.

He chuckled at her, gently grasping her shoulders to keep her head above the water as she tried to catch her breath.

"You're welcome," he said, when she stopped laughing, looking at him.

"Yes, thank you." She told him, nodding appreciatively.

"So," he said, splashing a big wave in her face. "A good day after all," he pointed out, winking at her.

Teyla grinned widely, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. "Indeed it is," she responded, looking into his eyes thankfully. "I suppose I will be in your debt."

Ronon grinned at that. "I'll have to think of someway you can repay me then."

-fin-

Thank you for reading!