FIC: 3/3 Las Cinco Muertes (SGA AU - McKay/Sheppard - NC17)
TITLE: Las Cinco Muertes
AUTHOR: Tarlan
RATING: NC-17 McKay/Sheppard, Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson mentioned
DISCLAIMER: Not mine! Jurassic Park and Stargate Atlantis belong to someone else.
SUMMARY: After hearing about the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, paleontologist Rodney McKay wants to see them for himself. He hires big game hunter, John Sheppard to protect him... but disaster strikes when they arrive on the island.
CHALLENGE: fanfic100 challenge 053. Earth and anotheratlantis challenge 40.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The five main islands in Las Cinco Muertes are: Isla Matanceros, Isla Muerte, Isla Sorna, Isla Tacano, and Isla Pena
YAAYYY! Finished :-)
Full story at my fiction archive:
http://www.davidhewlett.co.uk/fiction/viewstory.php?sid=98
John awoke feeling well rested despite the less than comfortable surroundings and he attributed both the discomfort and the restful sleep to the same source. Rodney McKay was still lying encircled within John's arms, his head tipped back, supported on John's shoulder, warm breath coming slow and deep. His lips were parted and John grinned at the drool drying in one corner. McKay...*Rodney* was strangely endearing despite his more abrasive qualities and John wondered if the man's vulnerability was partly to blame. He could tell that Rodney had never really left civilization behind before. Perhaps he had attended digs in different parts of the world but John would bet what few possession he had left that Rodney had lived in tents or trailers, and sat around camp fires eating hot food and drinking coffee, surrounded by radios and other electronic equipment. He doubted Rodney had ever slept rough in his entire life, or gone more than a day without a hot meal through necessity rather than by choice, and he doubted the man had ever been this scared in his life before.
In truth, John was a little anxious too, and for good reason. They had yet to find a place where they could cross the game trail without ending up as a meal for a hungry predator and, from what he had seen yesterday of the gray, bipedal dinosaur that Rodney confirmed was a velociraptor, they had no way of outrunning the creature. It was not going to be a simple matter of making a dash for it when they found a narrower section. These creatures worked in packs and were built to out pace their prey and take it down hard with sharp claws and teeth. They made a hungry lion look like a pussycat in comparison.
Staring into the sky, he noticed that the sun would be up in a few more minutes, the horizon already lightening. He tightened his hold on Rodney and let the man sleep on for a little longer, aware of how exhausted Rodney had been the night before. Adrenaline had that effect on a person, and Rodney had been running on adrenaline for far too long yesterday, though John would probably never admit that he admired the man's determination to keep going. Rodney wriggled in his arms and John felt the first coil of want tightening in his body, wondering how much of the imperative to mate was a biological urge brought on by fear of impending death. All John knew was that he wanted Rodney in a way he hadn't allowed himself to want anyone in years; at least not since he'd lost Mitch.
He let one hand trail up the sleep-warmed body, feeling the pulse point on Rodney's throat and savoring the strong beat beneath his fingertips. Rodney moved again, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh as he burrowed deeper, pushing his face against John's hand when John reached up to cup his jaw. Long, sandy-colored eyelashes batted as Rodney awoke, staring bleary-eyed at John. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to lean in and press his lips to Rodney's, and even the sour taste of morning breath could not detract from the sweetness of this first kiss and the promise held within.
Rodney froze for a moment and then half turned in his arms, hand cupping John's face in return, his fingers sliding into John's hair and tugging gently as the kiss deepened, lips parting as tongues met tentatively, tasting stale Powerbar and saliva, and little else. John pulled back and stared deep into desire-softened blue eyes, curious when Rodney drew away a fraction before turning completely, kneeling between John's spread legs. The blue eyes dipped to John's crotch before flicking back up, and John nodded when he realized what Rodney was asking of him, unresisting as strong, agile fingers worked open John's pants and freed his half-hard erection. His head thumped back against the thick tree branch as Rodney's hot mouth engulfed him, one hand wrapped at the base of his shaft, working him slowly as Rodney licked and sucked, bringing him fully hard. He gave a small wordless cry when Rodney pulled off when he was so close to coming, breath stuttering when Rodney opened his own pants and pushed them down along with his boxers to his ankles, kicking off one boot so he could free at least one leg from the restricting material. A tube of scent-free sunscreen was pulled from one of his jacket pockets, and Rodney squirted a generous amount on his fingers before easing those fingers inside his body, preparing himself. It was the hottest thing John had ever seen, watching Rodney writhing on his own fingers, fucking himself deeply, eyes heavy lidded yet focused on him, and breaths coming in harsh pants of pleasure. He stopped and balancing carefully on the large natural platform formed between the thick branches, he clumsily straddled John's thighs and lowered himself onto his lap, guiding the head of John's cock between his asscheeks to the loosened hole. They groaned softly in unison as John breached his body; Rodney sank down onto John with a blissful expression.
John didn't bother to ask why he was letting him fuck him halfway up a tree in a jungle filled with flesh-eating dinosaurs for the question itself held most of the answer. Instead, he gripped Rodney's hips, holding him still even as Rodney grasped John's shoulders for balance. He watched strong thigh muscles flex as Rodney rose a fraction, feeling the incredible sensation of his cock sliding within the tight, slicked channel, gripped by velvet heat. The pace was slow and incredibly gentle, like nothing John had experienced before. Always, with Mitch, it had been fast and hard, as if desperate to feel the rush and get the sex over with.
The small thrusts sent shock waves of pleasure through John, the building climax ebbing over him so slowly it was like drowning in molasses, sweet and heavy, his senses spiraling with the intense pleasure rippling through his body. At some point, one of his hands must have worked its way between them to grasp Rodney's cock, jerking him in perfect time, and even as John floated back to Earth, he felt the first pulse of Rodney's release over his busy fingers, felt ass muscles flexing hard around his softening cock, sending tiny echoes of pleasure coursing through him until Rodney collapsed forward, burying his face against John's neck as he rode out his orgasm.
Afterwards, the weight of Rodney's body became a little too much and, with great care, he eased his lover to one side, dragging a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe up the mess they had made. He watched as Rodney dressed in silence, straightening his clothing and fastening his pants before replacing his discarded boot. His fingers were trembling from the aftermath of his orgasm so John leaned in and laced up the boot before dragging Rodney back down for a deep and dirty kiss.
When he let go, Rodney gave him that now familiar crooked smile, still saying nothing, which seemed so out of place on the normally loquacious man.
"I...I just wanted to....One last time, in case we don't..."
John reached across and gripped his arm forcefully. "We're gonna make it, Rodney." But Rodney shook him off.
"No. You can't promise that. Of the last group of men who landed here, eighteen were slaughtered by...by a T-Rex or a velociraptor or some other predator. Eighteen out of twenty-eight people, and yes, I should have remembered about the long grass because most of those men lost their lives out there. And now...now we know for certain that they are hiding out there."
John let his hand drop, listening to Rodney's heavy breathing, brought on by his agitated state.
"That's less than a fifty percent survival rate...and we both know I'm not as fit and I can't climb trees and..."
This time John reached forward and dragged Rodney into his arms, holding him tightly to his chest. "Those others didn't have me protecting them," he whispered harshly. Rodney sagged against him before reaching around and hugging him back. John heard him murmur softly, closing his eyes in bitter acceptance as he registered the words.
"We have to cross the game trail some time."
"I know."
Rodney gave a single harsh sob into his neck. "You know...I'm more an archaeologist than a paleontologist. I mean, I know a lot about unearthing the past in both fields but I should have stuck with the ancient civilizations because I'm not that good with animals, except my cat of course. Although I might have been good with dogs too if mine hadn't run away when I was a kid--"
John stopped the flow of words with a gentle shake. "Hey...it's okay."
He gave him another firm squeeze and then released Rodney, reaching around for his pack, and drawing out two pouched meals. John handed one to his new lover and then tore into his own, grimacing as he spooned the cold mess into his mouth. He wished they could have built a fire and set the boil-in-a-bag meals in hot water to heat but they could not take a chance on the aroma of a hot meal attracting the velociraptors or another predator. Rodney dug into his own meal like a starving man.
"Slow down," John murmured, grabbing Rodney's forearm. "Or you'll be sick."
Rodney frowned at him but he did at least obey, slowing his eating and licking the spoon thoroughly between each mouthful in such a sinful way that John felt his cock twitch in remembrance of those lips wrapped around it. Some how, they had to make it across the game trail to the relative safety of the trees beyond, if only so he could feel those lips around his cock again, though next time he wanted to come in that luscious mouth and feel Rodney drink every drop.
****
Rodney rubbed his sweaty hands over his thighs as he stared across the narrow gap between the trees. They had been walking for most of the morning and this was the best crossing place that they had seen yet, except most predator would know to wait at a potential bottleneck site where the herd was forced to slow down, making them an easier target. Nothing stirred in the grass ahead of them but Rodney could sense something was out there, waiting.
John drew him further back into the trees, away from the edge of the game trail, and pulled off his pack, gesturing Rodney to do the same. He started to pull out the contents, staring at each item for a moment before placing it on one of two piles. Tearing into the lightweight tent, John extracted the ground sheet, dropping it on one pile while the tent went on the other. He gave a wry grin.
"Figure we're safer in a tree than on the ground."
Rodney nodded, knowing they could always rig something with the ground sheet if the weather turned nasty. When he picked up his pack, it was a lot lighter with just the bare minimum needed to survive stowed away and the rest discarded. He understood why, aware that the extra weight on his back could mean the difference between life and death in the next half an hour.
"So, we're gonna cross here?"
John nodded. "Yeah."
The sound of thunder brought both of them looking to the clear blue sky, confused, until Rodney realized it was the ground trembling. He looked to John and they raced back to the edge of the game trail in time to see a herd of graceful ostrich-like creatures running towards the bottleneck.
"Gallimimus Bullatus. Grant mentioned them in his book. See the way they veer, flocking like birds evading a predator."
"Yeah...but more importantly, they're coming this way."
"Exactly! They'll have to bunch up to get through this narrow section. If the velociraptors are here then they'll be on the other side of the bottleneck where they won't get trampled, waiting to pick off those on the flanks, and stragglers, which means..." He grinned at John.
"Which means we start running as soon as the main bulk of the herd passes by."
Rodney swallowed and gave a short laugh. "See you on the other side?"
"Hell, Rodney. We're sticking together!"
They moved to the edge of the game trail, and Rodney could already feel his heart racing as the tension mounted. John's hand was gripping his arm again and then it slid down until they were holding hands, fingers interlocking.
"Ready?" John asked.
Rodney nodded rapidly. "As I'll ever be." He took deeper breaths, trying to steady his nerves as the majority of the flock thundered by.
"GO!"
John tugged and they both started running, hearing the screams as the velociraptors attacked the gallimimus, His heart was in his throat as he ran, terror giving extra energy to muscle. A straggler gallimimus clipped him, tearing him from John's grasp, and he and the gallimimus both went down. As he scrabbled to find his feet, terrified when he slipped back onto one knee on the damp earth, a gray shape lunged out of the grass, jumping right over the top of him, its curved claws sinking into the gallimimus not four feet away, the ostrich-like creature screaming its agony as both predator and prey rolled further away. Barely withholding a scream of his own as something grabbed at him, relief flooding through him as John hauled him to his feet. Then they were running again, breaking through the tree line and not slowing until they had left the game trail far behind.
Rodney fell against a tree, legs turning to jell-o, muscles shaking from both exhaustion and terror combined. He felt John's arm slide around his shoulders and leaned his head back against him, welcoming the roughness of bristles against his face that proved he was still alive. John squeezed tighter, pressing his face against Rodney's cheek.
"Thought I'd lost you," he stated roughly. "Don't do that again."
"Believe me, I have no intention of doing that again... Ever."
John huffed a laugh against the side of Rodney's neck before pressing a kiss to the gradually slowing pulse and then pulling away. He brushed away some of the damp earth still clinging to Rodney from his fall before standing back and appraising him.
"Come on. I want to put a lot more distance between us and them before nightfall."
Rodney looked back along their trail and nodded, taking a moment to get his bearings from the small compass he pulled out of his pocket before indicating the direction they should travel. John sighed, shaking his head slightly, and started walking, glancing over his shoulder with a soft smile just to make sure Rodney was following. Rodney pushed the compass back into his pocket and took several hurried steps to catch up, stupidly afraid of being left behind even though he knew that would never happen. John had already come back for him once after all.
They walked for hours, taking occasional breaks for just a few minutes at a time to catch their breath and share what little food remained. By late afternoon, Rodney noticed John glancing upwards more often, searching for somewhere they could stop for the night and Rodney resigned himself to the embarrassment of trying to climb another tree with John's help, though hopefully, this time there would be no velociraptor almost sniffing at his heels.
They settled down as before, clinging to each other as the air grew colder with the setting sun, too tired to share more than a few gentle kisses and caresses before sleep overtook them. It started to rain during the night, and John pulled out the ground sheet, quickly setting it up as a makeshift shelter with Rodney's help, tying it to the branches fanning out above them. He pulled Rodney back into his arms and they shivered together, trying to warm each other as the rain brought a colder chill to the air.
****
John stood on the ridge and looked across the valley, seeing the overgrown airstrip far below. He reckoned it would take them a few more hours to reach it, though they would have to be careful as last night's rain had left the earth damp, and possibly treacherous underfoot in places. A glint of sunlight off metal caught his eye as he looked along the path they needed to take, trying to assess the lay of the land before they were back beneath the canopy of trees.
"What's that?" Rodney had spotted it too, his finger pointing to a noticeable path of destruction from the end of the runway and into the trees, passing through the area where the metal had glinted momentarily. To John's aviator eyes, it looked like the wing of a plane and he suspected that the rest of the plane lay spread out over a few miles.
"You want to check it out?" He teased.
Rodney's blue eyes widened, mouth drooping in dismay, probably at the thought of taking a detour when they were so close to reaching their goal. John regretted his words instantly because Rodney had been through too much to be teased while they were still in danger especially as he had no intention of investigating anything other than the control tower and buildings, wanting to get them off this island as soon as possible.
"Maybe another time then."
"I can state categorically that no force on heaven or earth will get me to come back here."
John slapped Rodney on the shoulder. "Me either, buddy. Come on. We could be at the control tower by mid-afternoon."
The sides of the valley were steep and John found they had to slide down on their ass over some of the steeper slopes, holding onto tree roots to stop them from plunging headlong into the valley. Neither could afford any more injuries, especially broken bones. At least the gash on Rodney's arm had not become infected. He had checked it several times since they started out, cleaning the area and dusting it with more of the antibiotic powder before wrapping it in fresh bandages and burying the dirty ones deep.
The rain during the previous night had turned the earth to mud in places, and John barely caught himself from slipping, sliding several feet before he caught the root of a large shrub. He noticed that the ground evened out again a few feet below so he would not have fallen far but it still paid to be cautious. He checked up the slope to where Rodney was making his way down carefully, and settled on a larger tree root to wait.
A birdlike chittering noise had him tensing and he flinched as small dinosaur, maybe three feet tall, peered through the undergrowth head of him. It cocked its head to one side and gave that same birdlike call, jumping forward a couple of feet as if inquisitive. John narrowed his eyes at the creature but it didn't seem at all threatening, just stared at him oddly.
"So, little fella, what are you then?"
John jumped back when a large chunk of branch hurtled towards the creature, smashing into the trunk of the young tree close to the dinosaur and splintering. Another lump of a branch followed.
"Get away from him!" Rodney was snarling and it took a moment before he realized that Rodney was talking to the creature, acting like a madman as he hurtled more pieces of wood that had the creature jumping sideways but not fleeing.
"Rodney?"
He looked back at the dinosaur as it hissed, sharp teeth bared and two brilliantly colored fringes fanning out from around its neck. It spat at him, the gooey black substance hitting the top of John's pants as he jumped up in shock, aware that if he had stayed seated then it would have hit his face instead. The barrage of sticks rained down harder and John took the hint, adding his own firepower as he hefted a large branch and swiped at the creature, smacking it good and hard around the head. Its hiss turned to a pained cry and it dashed off into the jungle, leaving John standing there still brandishing the branch as a weapon. A crack of breaking roots and torn shrubs heralded Rodney's arrival and he gave his lover a quick once over.
"What the hell was that?"
"Dilophosaurus... and that was just a baby." Rodney stared off into the jungle.
"That was a baby?"
"What say we keep moving in case its parents are around here some place?"
"Yeah, that might not be such a bad idea."
John kept a hold of the branch as they made their way across the gentler slope to the edge of another steeper one but John could see that they had almost reached the bottom of the valley. He sniffed and went to touch the black goo coating his pants but Rodney's hand gripped his wrist.
"I wouldn't if I were you. Its saliva is supposed to be both a poison and a paralyzing agent." He swallowed. "The thing is, it prefers to eat you while you're still alive."
"First chance I get, I'm changing into *my* spare pants." He smirked at Rodney, pleased when the fear faded from Rodney's eyes. Rodney grinned back as they both recalled his angry words a few days back, at how John might need a spare pants if he came across one of this island's predators.
The rest of the trek through the jungle passed quickly and without incident though John made Rodney stop at the edge of the buildings, wanting to check for danger lurking within before calling Rodney forward. The hangar had been gutted, with nothing remaining but a few parts of planes and abandoned airport vehicles. He turned to call Rodney and frowned in annoyance when he discovered the man only ten feet away.
"Thought I told you to wait outside," he grated in a low voice.
"I'm sure I'd be safer in here with you than out there..."
"Alone?" John grimaced. Rodney had been so brave fighting off the dilophosaurus that John had forgotten how scared he was the rest of the time. "Let's head for the control tower. Maybe there's something left."
They took it slow, watching the shadows for anything out of place before entering the control tower and climbing the stairs. Much of the glass overlooking the runway was broken from the outside, with slivers lying on top of control panels. Being careful to avoid cutting himself, John made his way to the radio and flipped the switch, unsurprised when it remained dead. He set down his bag and pulled out the parts he had scavenged from the helicopter.
"Let me," Rodney stated and took the pieces, pulling open the board beneath the radio station. He swapped out several boards and twisted a few wires. "You know I said I wanted a radio kit as a child....Well, I bought one a few years back, Found out I was pretty good at playing with the electronics." He huffed out a laugh. "Try it now."
John flipped the switch and, this time, the board lit up. He grinned until he realized that he hadn't thought about who to call. The Costa Rican government refused to send anyone to investigate the disappearance of fishermen off Las Cinco Muertes so he didn't want to waste a call on them, and he didn't know the frequency of the US embassy.
"Rodney?"
"Give it here." Rodney tuned the frequency but then looked to John. "I was on a special archaeological dig with...well, it was being run by the US Air force and had this frequency linked to... It might be dead now but..."
"But it's all we've got." Rodney nodded, looking relieved that John understood. "Do it," he stated and watched as Rodney forced some saliva into his mouth before making the call.
"Dr. McKay to SGC. Come in SGC." Nothing. He tried again. "This is Dr. Rodney McKay to SGC, General Jack O'Neill. Are you receiving?"
A crackle of static and then Rodney gasped in relief as a tinny voice echoed from the grimy speaker. "This is SGC. Please state your business with the General, Dr. McKay."
"We're stranded on Isla Sorna, Las Cinco Muertes, in dire need of assistance."
"Dinosaur island?"
As if to verify the words, John heard a distant roar of something huge, something that was moving closer if the tinkling of glass fragments falling from consoles was anything to go by. The room shook with each footstep and then John saw it step out onto the runway less than a hundred feet from the base of the tower. He knew that shape from childhood books of dinosaurs but where it had seemed so cool as a kid, now it was simply terrifying. It took another step in their direction.
"General O'Neill?"
"Yeah, McKay. What the hell was that...? No, don't answer that. Where are you exactly?"
"I...um...we're at..." Rodney's voice had risen several octaves as he stared out of the window, which put them on eye level with the massive T-Rex.
John took the radio from Rodney. "General O'Neill, this is Major John Sheppard, former USAF. We're in the control tower of the main air strip on Isla Sorna. Sir, we could really use a hand getting off this island."
There was a moment of silence before O'Neill came back. "On one condition, McKay. You sign the damn agreement. Both of you."
Rodney laughed mirthlessly, taking back the mike. "Believe me, General, I'd sign over all my worldly possessions right now...if I had any."
"Hang on, kids. We're on our way. Over and out."
Rodney gave a ragged sigh as O'Neill signed off, reaching slowly for John and hugging him close as the T-Rex took another two large steps towards them, bringing it up close to the broken windows.
"Don't move and it won't see us," Rodney whispered out of the corner of his mouth as the fetid breath from the meat-eater gusted over them. It roared again, spittle showering them, massive teeth barely four feet away from them, separated only by the consoles lining the windows. John heard Rodney's whimper above the roar, his own arms tightening on his lover as Rodney pressed his face into John's shoulder.
The massive head pushed through the broken window, its huge nose nudging against Rodney's arm, most likely scenting the blood. As it opened its mouth to snatch at what it could smell, John bunched his muscles ready to shove them both out of the creature's immediate reach, already planning their escape route back into the jungle. Instead, he felt the floor shimmer beneath his feet and then froze when he realized he was staring straight into another man's eyes. The man's lips quirked as he tried to force away a smile, his brown eyes twinkling in mirth even as his nose wrinkled.
"Dr. McKay? Major Sheppard? Welcome on board the Daedalus."
"Now that's what I call a rescue," John stated as he held on tightly to Rodney.
****
Carson acknowledged the radio call from the Daedalus.
"Everybody listen up. We have two male patients beaming down from the Daedalus imminently. Possible dehydration, cuts and bruises only. Let's be prepared."
He watched as his team went to work, still feeling a little out of place from slipping into the spot vacated by Janet Frasier after she was killed in action offworld only a few weeks earlier. He knew his was a just a temporary assignment until they could bring in another doctor of Janet's caliber, and that suited him just fine because he preferred his genetic research.
The stench of stale sweat, dank earth, and goodness knows what else arrived with the two men, who seemed to be holding onto each other for dear life.
"Okay...first things first. Let's get those clothes off and incinerated."
Carson guessed which one was McKay instantly, having heard a few stories from Daniel concerning the scientist. The man was angry, slapping away from everyone's touch except for Sheppard's. Irritated by the delaying tactics, Carson stepped right up into McKay's face, and then he saw the terror in the man's wide eyes, realizing it was panic guiding the man's anger. His own annoyance bled away, his brogue becoming soft yet firm.
"Dr. McKay, you are covered in mud, sweat, blood, grime and goodness knows what else. Basically, you stink. Now, if you won't remove the offending clothing so I can examine you before shoving you under a hot shower and handing you a hot meal, then I'll have no option but to sedate you, and get my nurses to both strip you *and* sponge bath you. Do you understand?"
The deep blue eyes stared into his, the panic slowly receding as his words sunk in.
"Hot meal?"
"Aye. As soon as I've examined you."
"I'll take my clothes off now," McKay stated meekly, offering a tiny smile in response to Carson's more indulgent one. Carson turned away, tilting his head at Sheppard meaningfully, and smiling as Sheppard started pulling off his grimy clothes.
"I'm stripping."
Turning back to McKay, Carson smirked at the man's obvious discomfort at being naked in front of him. Despite the ordeal both men had been through, they seemed relatively healthy though Carson noticed the bandaged arm. He cut away the soiled dressing that was stiff with mud and sweat, dropping it into a dish for incineration. The gash in McKay's arm was ragged but surprisingly clean. At the time it happened, it would have benefited from a few stitches but it had started to heal on its own now.
"Who dressed your arm?"
McKay looked across to the other bed where Sheppard was being examined carefully.
"Good work, Major."
"Thanks."
"Did you use a powdered antibiotic?"
"Polysporin. I know it's technically for minor cuts but I didn't have much else."
"Normally, I wouldn't recommend it over larger areas or deeper cuts like this but, under the circumstances, it probably prevented this wound from becoming infected. That and the regular cleaning."
"I worked med-evac for the Air Force before..." His words trailed off as if they had triggered an unwelcome memory.
Carson nodded, allowing the man his privacy and turned back to his own patient. He noticed the skin rash from too many days in a hot and humid climate with no washing facilities. Even McKay's hair was caked in grit and sweat, and something else that was rank and still wet. He rubbed some of it between his fingers, sniffing it and drawing back form the stench.
"Might I inquire what this is?"
Sheppard answered. "T-Rex saliva. It took a fancy to Rodney...as dinner."
"T-Rex!" Just when Carson thought he'd seen everything.
"Hah!" McKay shouted. "At least I'm not covered in dilophosaurus spit."
"Diloph...?"
Carson snapped his mouth shut, recalling talk of Hammond's experiments with genetics that brought dinosaurs back in the modern age. Hammond had approached him the best part of a decade ago, wanting him to lead his genetics program but Carson had agreed with Dr. Ian Malcolm's assessment. It was not a matter of if they *could* bring back dinosaurs, more if they *should*. Now, if it had been a program to restore some of the recently extinct or endangered animals then he might have been interested. As it was, the program had been a disaster just waiting to happen, judging by the events in San Diego a few months back.
"Let's get this arm cleaned up and bagged, and then you can take that shower."
"God, yes!"
Carson smiled. McKay wouldn't be the only one relieved to have the man clean in his infirmary. As it was, Carson had to send a male nurse in with McKay to watch over the exhausted man while he washed, though he noticed the way Sheppard tensed when McKay moved out of his sight. From what he could gather from the snippets of conversation, both men had suffered through a frightening ordeal, relying completely on each other, though Carson would be a fool not to notice that the closeness had stepped across the boundary between friendship and lovers, especially as McKay bore all the physical signs of recent anal sex. He just hoped the bond they had formed under duress would not tear them apart now that the danger was gone.
An hour later, after he had seen both men eat a hot and nourishing meal, he released Sheppard from the infirmary, telling him to drink plenty of water and take himself off to bed. He noticed the reluctance to leave McKay behind.
"Don't worry, Major. I'll take good care of him while you get your rest."
"Is he...going to be okay?
Carson glanced at the sleeping man, eyes automatically flicking to the monitors and the drips he'd ordered as a precaution along with a broad spectrum antibiotic.
"Aye. He'll be just fine."
"Okay."
Sheppard licked his lips self consciously and then walked away, stealing a single backwards glance at McKay before the door closed behind him, but when the door opened again less than a minute later, Carson turned to vent his exasperation, only to see O'Neill stick his head round the door. Carson bit back a smile, aware of O'Neill's reluctance to enter the Infirmary, having spent too many hours here as a patient in the past.
"Daniel's due back in fifteen minutes, and you know he's gonna ask about McKay, so..." The man blew out his cheeks and raised his hands in a 'what can I do?' gesture.
"He's had a pretty traumatic experience. The blood loss did'nae help with the dehydration, and his blood sugar level is still a little too low for my liking, so I'll be keeping him here overnight for observation. Otherwise, he'll be right as rain come morning."
O'Neill had wandered across to stare down at McKay. "Daniel likes him," he offered by way of an explanation but Carson could tell that O'Neill had taken a liking to McKay too, even if he would never admit to it.
"Keep me posted."
"I will do, General."
Carson sighed as the General sauntered off just a little more eagerly than usual, but Carson's domain seemed to have that effect on some people. In contrast, he caught a glimpse of someone hovering and sighed, stepping out into the corridor and confronting Sheppard.
"You can take the spare bed next to McKay's for tonight, though I'll be kicking you out if I find I need it for someone with a more pressing need."
The close-mouthed grin and the relief in the man's eyes told Carson he had made the right decision and, in hindsight, perhaps the Major simply needed to be close to someone right now. He'd suffered through the same terrifying ordeal as McKay after all, and maybe he was just a little better at hiding it.
****
Rodney was practically vibrating when he stepped into the small guest quarters assigned to John at the SGC.
"They found Atlantis! Can you believe that! That's what Daniel wanted me to sign on for a couple of years back." He grinned almost like a maniac, eyes losing focus. "The city that sank beneath the waves, except it wasn't on Earth or even in the same galaxy." His eyes were sparkling now. "The Lost City of the Ancients...and we can go there."
"We?"
"Um...I kind of mentioned that you might want to join the expedition, as a civilian pilot, of course, unless you'd like to rejoin the military and be trapped by their archaic and might I say highly suspect regulations regarding same-sex relationships. Plus you have that Master degree in Aeronautical Engineering that you never mentioned when...You know." He waved a hand between them.
John narrowed his eyes. "And?"
McKay scrunched up his face in that befuddled expression that John found far too endearing. "And there might be monsters there. Not that I love you only because you saved me from getting eaten once or twice but..."
"You love me?"
McKay straightened, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I thought that was pretty obvious as I don't have sex in trees with just anyone."
"Well, that's good to hear."
Rodney's arms fell to his sides, a myriad of expressions crossing his face, revealing every emotion behind every thought. "I'm...not very good at this whole relationship thing. If I...misunderstood then..."
"No."
"No?"
"No. You didn't misunderstand."
Rodney frowned. "Then why won't you go?"
John smirked. "I signed on an hour ago, as soon as General O'Neill told me you were wavering because you didn't want to leave me behind."
"You did?" The beaming smile faded abruptly. "Please don't tell me you joined as US military."
"No, I didn't."
"Oh, thank God!"
John opened his mouth to mention that, for someone professing to be an atheist, he did a lot of 'thanking God' but then he had his own fervent praises tumbling through his mind as his arms were suddenly filled with Rodney's strong, warm body. He hadn't registered how much he ached to feel his arms around the man again until this moment, and he held on tight as Rodney's mouth plundered his, tongues gliding and coiling, breathing in the scent of each other as if it had been months rather than a day since they last kissed.
Rodney's mouth was so much sweeter now, clean with a sharp taste of mint toothpaste and coffee but, underneath it all was the scent that he had craved even beneath the staleness and grime of those days on Isla Sorna; the unique scent of a man he had come to love. He flipped Rodney over onto his back and leaned over him, staring deep into wide, blue eyes that reminding him of the sky, of flying so high that he almost touched the darkness of space. He leaned in and rubbed his freshly shaved cheek against Rodney's, feeling only the slightest rasp of bristles but it was enough to bring him to full hardness, cock pressing eagerly against Rodney's.
He kissed slower this time, savoring the pleasure of having Rodney lying beneath him warm, and clean, and safe, one hand drifting to stroke across the soft black t-shirt, finding a tiny nipple and rubbing it through cloth, feeling the tiny bud tighten as Rodney began to writhe and moan. Almost as an after thought, he realized that he had only ever seen his lover naked once, in the infirmary, and he wanted to rectify that immediately. He wanted to be able to look freely, and to touch every square inch of the soft, mostly pale skin with hands, lips and tongue. He pushed up to sitting and stared down at his lover.
"Get naked, McKay."
Rodney flushed under the heat of John's gaze, hands shaking as he dragged the t-shirt over his head and flung it aside while simultaneously kicking off his shoes and toeing off his socks, revealing pale skin adorned by bruises of varying shades. He reached for the fly of his pants, trembling fingers eager to free his constricted erection and yet his eyes had taken on that soft vulnerable look that John so adored. John eased his fears with a gentle caress, palm sliding flat across a lightly furred pectoral to the smooth hairless flesh surrounding the still peaked nipple. He rubbed across it in teasingly light strokes, pleased with the way Rodney's breath stuttered, chest arching up a fraction as if demanding more.
"Pants, Rodney," John whispered, aware that his voice was almost cracking from this need to see all of his lover, wanting so much more than a fumble in the dimness of a post-dawn light filtering through the canopy of leaves. He wanted to see naked flesh, no longer shrouded in dirty, torn clothes and hidden in shadows, wanted to see the heart-shaped ass that had fitted into his lap to perfection, that had sunk down upon him and taken him away from all the fear of violent death for such a sweet moment in time. He wanted to see along the length of naked back as Rodney sucked his cock, smoothing his hands over He knew he couldn't have it all at once, knew that he would have to wait for each glorious moment.
Rodney raised his hips to draw down the military issue pants and boxers, and John tugged them off the rest of the way, sitting back and staring at the naked body stretched out along his bed, his for the taking.
"Perfect," he murmured, one hand gliding across the soft belly, feeling firmer muscle lying beneath. He saw a flush heighten the color of Rodney's cheeks but John had always preferred the softer types rather than hard, rippling six-packs. He loved the fleshier sides, perfect to hold on to, cushioning the press of sharp hip bone and pelvis.
Eventually, his eyes strayed to the hard cock standing proud from a bed of light brown curls, head glistening with a dewdrop of precome. Unable to resist, he leaned forward and lapped at the tiny droplet, savoring the salty taste bursting across his tongue. John pulled back completely and stood up, eyes traveling along the exposed body from heaving chest to slightly quivering thighs, and he began to strip off his own clothes, discarding them carelessly. He licked his lips as he studied Rodney's mouth, recalling the amazing feel of it wrapped around his cock, the heat and velvet softness, the slight hint of teeth as Rodney took him deep. Yet, as much as he wanted to fuck that wide, beautiful mouth, he desperately wanted to push back Rodney's knees and slide balls-deep inside the tight channel. He wanted to stare into Rodney's eyes as he took him slow but hard; he wanted to capture his whimpers of pleasure as they kissed lazily at first, then more desperately as sensation built on sensation, until he was swallowing Rodney's cries of pleasure and satiation, feeling the heat of his release slicking between them, ass muscles clenching hard and dragging guttural moans from him as he came deep inside that perfect ass.
The thought alone was enough to bring him close to the edge and he had to drag on his balls to stop the impending rush of orgasm, decision made.
"Want to fuck you," he whispered breathily. "Want to fuck you so deep and so hard."
Rodney grinned, legs splaying wider, and drawing up in invitation.
It took a moment of fumbling inside the bedside cabinet before he found the hand lotion someone had thoughtfully left there, and then his fingers were slipping inside the welcoming body, stroking deep, bringing soft cries of pleasure and tiny thrusts from Rodney as they brushed across the small sensitive gland. Rodney sobbed his relief when John positioned him carefully, one leg braced over his shoulder, revealing the loosened, quivering hole. It took but a moment to push inside, the velvet tightness triggering the memory from before, and then he was sinking in on a single stroke, feeling the stretch of muscle and flesh accommodating him, wrapping him tightly in silken heat. He fucked him slowly, reveling in each stroke and in the intense pleasure building, one hand fisting Rodney, timing the strokes perfectly so they were rocking together, losing all sense of self as they moved as one being, one desire, ecstasy triggered by the flood of liquid heat between them as Rodney arched up in release, sending John flying as he gazed into wide, unfocused blue.
He came back down to earth with the sweetest sigh of satisfaction, limbs shaky with that perfect kind of exhaustion, heavy and lethargic as they shared sloppy, mouthing kisses while hands stroked idly over sweaty skin. John breathed in deep as he rolled to the side, taking in the heady scent of male sex, and of Rodney. He leaned up on one elbow and, with the lightest touch, he traced a path across a deeper bruise over Rodney's flank, recalling the gallimimus that had torn Rodney's hand from his, almost bringing him to his knees as he twisted from the force. The flash of teeth and killing claws had stopped his heart until he realized it had not seen them, that it had seen only its intended, larger prey.
"I nearly lost you once."
"I've been told I'm an impossible person to lose once I've latched on to someone."
John felt his lips quirk because, yes, he could imagine Rodney being possessive, holding his toys close lest someone snatch them from him, but that simply mirrored his own possessive streak. John dragged on Rodney until he had him safely plastered half across his chest, ignoring the token protest of being sweaty and sticky because they had both suffered far worse only too recently.
"You know....I really know so little about you. I mean, you know about Jeannie and my cat, and the time my dog ran away, and..."
"Me, I like Ferris wheels, college football, anything that goes more than 200 miles per hour....and I love you."
He flicked the switch and sent the room into darkness, having shocked Rodney into silence, holding his lover close as he slipped into welcome sleep.
****
Epilogue:
Atlantis was more beautiful than anything he had ever dreamed, with light washing through stained glass, bathing the gate room in gold and blue, in burnt orange and ocean green. Rodney knew he was gaping, speechless with stunned pleasure as only John had managed so far in their lovemaking. A familiar man was coming down the ornate flight of stairs leading to a control area, glasses perched on his nose, blue eyes shining as his hand reached out.
"Rodney!" Daniel grabbed Rodney's hand before including John in his greeting. "John. Welcome to Atlantis!"
Two days later, John sat in the control chair and the room lit up around him. A small man with wild hair and glasses stepped forward.
"Think about where we are in this solar system."
An amazingly detailed, holographic map filled the area above their heads and Rodney could only stare in awe, even forgetting to translate the accompanying Ancient text. His eyes flicked across to Daniel, sharing a thunderstruck expression, before they dropped to his lover, who had told Rodney that Carson's gene therapy would not work for him.
"Did I do that?" he asked in a deceptively innocent voice, raising one eyebrow at Rodney.
"Why you... You knew! You didn't need the therapy because..." Because John had one of the strongest natural expression of the ATA gene found so far, equaled only by Jack O'Neill's.
O'Neill smirked and John grinned, and Rodney realized that he and Daniel were probably the only two people in the room who had not known. He turned back to Daniel, who was taking the teasing in his usual good natured way, and shook his head.
"Flyboys!" he stated almost disdainfully, but Rodney could not keep the smile from his lips as he looked back up at the beautiful display.
THE END
*
AUTHOR: Tarlan
RATING: NC-17 McKay/Sheppard, Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson mentioned
DISCLAIMER: Not mine! Jurassic Park and Stargate Atlantis belong to someone else.
SUMMARY: After hearing about the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, paleontologist Rodney McKay wants to see them for himself. He hires big game hunter, John Sheppard to protect him... but disaster strikes when they arrive on the island.
CHALLENGE: fanfic100 challenge 053. Earth and anotheratlantis challenge 40.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The five main islands in Las Cinco Muertes are: Isla Matanceros, Isla Muerte, Isla Sorna, Isla Tacano, and Isla Pena
YAAYYY! Finished :-)
Full story at my fiction archive:
http://www.davidhewlett.co.uk/fiction/viewstory.php?sid=98
John awoke feeling well rested despite the less than comfortable surroundings and he attributed both the discomfort and the restful sleep to the same source. Rodney McKay was still lying encircled within John's arms, his head tipped back, supported on John's shoulder, warm breath coming slow and deep. His lips were parted and John grinned at the drool drying in one corner. McKay...*Rodney* was strangely endearing despite his more abrasive qualities and John wondered if the man's vulnerability was partly to blame. He could tell that Rodney had never really left civilization behind before. Perhaps he had attended digs in different parts of the world but John would bet what few possession he had left that Rodney had lived in tents or trailers, and sat around camp fires eating hot food and drinking coffee, surrounded by radios and other electronic equipment. He doubted Rodney had ever slept rough in his entire life, or gone more than a day without a hot meal through necessity rather than by choice, and he doubted the man had ever been this scared in his life before.
In truth, John was a little anxious too, and for good reason. They had yet to find a place where they could cross the game trail without ending up as a meal for a hungry predator and, from what he had seen yesterday of the gray, bipedal dinosaur that Rodney confirmed was a velociraptor, they had no way of outrunning the creature. It was not going to be a simple matter of making a dash for it when they found a narrower section. These creatures worked in packs and were built to out pace their prey and take it down hard with sharp claws and teeth. They made a hungry lion look like a pussycat in comparison.
Staring into the sky, he noticed that the sun would be up in a few more minutes, the horizon already lightening. He tightened his hold on Rodney and let the man sleep on for a little longer, aware of how exhausted Rodney had been the night before. Adrenaline had that effect on a person, and Rodney had been running on adrenaline for far too long yesterday, though John would probably never admit that he admired the man's determination to keep going. Rodney wriggled in his arms and John felt the first coil of want tightening in his body, wondering how much of the imperative to mate was a biological urge brought on by fear of impending death. All John knew was that he wanted Rodney in a way he hadn't allowed himself to want anyone in years; at least not since he'd lost Mitch.
He let one hand trail up the sleep-warmed body, feeling the pulse point on Rodney's throat and savoring the strong beat beneath his fingertips. Rodney moved again, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh as he burrowed deeper, pushing his face against John's hand when John reached up to cup his jaw. Long, sandy-colored eyelashes batted as Rodney awoke, staring bleary-eyed at John. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to lean in and press his lips to Rodney's, and even the sour taste of morning breath could not detract from the sweetness of this first kiss and the promise held within.
Rodney froze for a moment and then half turned in his arms, hand cupping John's face in return, his fingers sliding into John's hair and tugging gently as the kiss deepened, lips parting as tongues met tentatively, tasting stale Powerbar and saliva, and little else. John pulled back and stared deep into desire-softened blue eyes, curious when Rodney drew away a fraction before turning completely, kneeling between John's spread legs. The blue eyes dipped to John's crotch before flicking back up, and John nodded when he realized what Rodney was asking of him, unresisting as strong, agile fingers worked open John's pants and freed his half-hard erection. His head thumped back against the thick tree branch as Rodney's hot mouth engulfed him, one hand wrapped at the base of his shaft, working him slowly as Rodney licked and sucked, bringing him fully hard. He gave a small wordless cry when Rodney pulled off when he was so close to coming, breath stuttering when Rodney opened his own pants and pushed them down along with his boxers to his ankles, kicking off one boot so he could free at least one leg from the restricting material. A tube of scent-free sunscreen was pulled from one of his jacket pockets, and Rodney squirted a generous amount on his fingers before easing those fingers inside his body, preparing himself. It was the hottest thing John had ever seen, watching Rodney writhing on his own fingers, fucking himself deeply, eyes heavy lidded yet focused on him, and breaths coming in harsh pants of pleasure. He stopped and balancing carefully on the large natural platform formed between the thick branches, he clumsily straddled John's thighs and lowered himself onto his lap, guiding the head of John's cock between his asscheeks to the loosened hole. They groaned softly in unison as John breached his body; Rodney sank down onto John with a blissful expression.
John didn't bother to ask why he was letting him fuck him halfway up a tree in a jungle filled with flesh-eating dinosaurs for the question itself held most of the answer. Instead, he gripped Rodney's hips, holding him still even as Rodney grasped John's shoulders for balance. He watched strong thigh muscles flex as Rodney rose a fraction, feeling the incredible sensation of his cock sliding within the tight, slicked channel, gripped by velvet heat. The pace was slow and incredibly gentle, like nothing John had experienced before. Always, with Mitch, it had been fast and hard, as if desperate to feel the rush and get the sex over with.
The small thrusts sent shock waves of pleasure through John, the building climax ebbing over him so slowly it was like drowning in molasses, sweet and heavy, his senses spiraling with the intense pleasure rippling through his body. At some point, one of his hands must have worked its way between them to grasp Rodney's cock, jerking him in perfect time, and even as John floated back to Earth, he felt the first pulse of Rodney's release over his busy fingers, felt ass muscles flexing hard around his softening cock, sending tiny echoes of pleasure coursing through him until Rodney collapsed forward, burying his face against John's neck as he rode out his orgasm.
Afterwards, the weight of Rodney's body became a little too much and, with great care, he eased his lover to one side, dragging a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe up the mess they had made. He watched as Rodney dressed in silence, straightening his clothing and fastening his pants before replacing his discarded boot. His fingers were trembling from the aftermath of his orgasm so John leaned in and laced up the boot before dragging Rodney back down for a deep and dirty kiss.
When he let go, Rodney gave him that now familiar crooked smile, still saying nothing, which seemed so out of place on the normally loquacious man.
"I...I just wanted to....One last time, in case we don't..."
John reached across and gripped his arm forcefully. "We're gonna make it, Rodney." But Rodney shook him off.
"No. You can't promise that. Of the last group of men who landed here, eighteen were slaughtered by...by a T-Rex or a velociraptor or some other predator. Eighteen out of twenty-eight people, and yes, I should have remembered about the long grass because most of those men lost their lives out there. And now...now we know for certain that they are hiding out there."
John let his hand drop, listening to Rodney's heavy breathing, brought on by his agitated state.
"That's less than a fifty percent survival rate...and we both know I'm not as fit and I can't climb trees and..."
This time John reached forward and dragged Rodney into his arms, holding him tightly to his chest. "Those others didn't have me protecting them," he whispered harshly. Rodney sagged against him before reaching around and hugging him back. John heard him murmur softly, closing his eyes in bitter acceptance as he registered the words.
"We have to cross the game trail some time."
"I know."
Rodney gave a single harsh sob into his neck. "You know...I'm more an archaeologist than a paleontologist. I mean, I know a lot about unearthing the past in both fields but I should have stuck with the ancient civilizations because I'm not that good with animals, except my cat of course. Although I might have been good with dogs too if mine hadn't run away when I was a kid--"
John stopped the flow of words with a gentle shake. "Hey...it's okay."
He gave him another firm squeeze and then released Rodney, reaching around for his pack, and drawing out two pouched meals. John handed one to his new lover and then tore into his own, grimacing as he spooned the cold mess into his mouth. He wished they could have built a fire and set the boil-in-a-bag meals in hot water to heat but they could not take a chance on the aroma of a hot meal attracting the velociraptors or another predator. Rodney dug into his own meal like a starving man.
"Slow down," John murmured, grabbing Rodney's forearm. "Or you'll be sick."
Rodney frowned at him but he did at least obey, slowing his eating and licking the spoon thoroughly between each mouthful in such a sinful way that John felt his cock twitch in remembrance of those lips wrapped around it. Some how, they had to make it across the game trail to the relative safety of the trees beyond, if only so he could feel those lips around his cock again, though next time he wanted to come in that luscious mouth and feel Rodney drink every drop.
****
Rodney rubbed his sweaty hands over his thighs as he stared across the narrow gap between the trees. They had been walking for most of the morning and this was the best crossing place that they had seen yet, except most predator would know to wait at a potential bottleneck site where the herd was forced to slow down, making them an easier target. Nothing stirred in the grass ahead of them but Rodney could sense something was out there, waiting.
John drew him further back into the trees, away from the edge of the game trail, and pulled off his pack, gesturing Rodney to do the same. He started to pull out the contents, staring at each item for a moment before placing it on one of two piles. Tearing into the lightweight tent, John extracted the ground sheet, dropping it on one pile while the tent went on the other. He gave a wry grin.
"Figure we're safer in a tree than on the ground."
Rodney nodded, knowing they could always rig something with the ground sheet if the weather turned nasty. When he picked up his pack, it was a lot lighter with just the bare minimum needed to survive stowed away and the rest discarded. He understood why, aware that the extra weight on his back could mean the difference between life and death in the next half an hour.
"So, we're gonna cross here?"
John nodded. "Yeah."
The sound of thunder brought both of them looking to the clear blue sky, confused, until Rodney realized it was the ground trembling. He looked to John and they raced back to the edge of the game trail in time to see a herd of graceful ostrich-like creatures running towards the bottleneck.
"Gallimimus Bullatus. Grant mentioned them in his book. See the way they veer, flocking like birds evading a predator."
"Yeah...but more importantly, they're coming this way."
"Exactly! They'll have to bunch up to get through this narrow section. If the velociraptors are here then they'll be on the other side of the bottleneck where they won't get trampled, waiting to pick off those on the flanks, and stragglers, which means..." He grinned at John.
"Which means we start running as soon as the main bulk of the herd passes by."
Rodney swallowed and gave a short laugh. "See you on the other side?"
"Hell, Rodney. We're sticking together!"
They moved to the edge of the game trail, and Rodney could already feel his heart racing as the tension mounted. John's hand was gripping his arm again and then it slid down until they were holding hands, fingers interlocking.
"Ready?" John asked.
Rodney nodded rapidly. "As I'll ever be." He took deeper breaths, trying to steady his nerves as the majority of the flock thundered by.
"GO!"
John tugged and they both started running, hearing the screams as the velociraptors attacked the gallimimus, His heart was in his throat as he ran, terror giving extra energy to muscle. A straggler gallimimus clipped him, tearing him from John's grasp, and he and the gallimimus both went down. As he scrabbled to find his feet, terrified when he slipped back onto one knee on the damp earth, a gray shape lunged out of the grass, jumping right over the top of him, its curved claws sinking into the gallimimus not four feet away, the ostrich-like creature screaming its agony as both predator and prey rolled further away. Barely withholding a scream of his own as something grabbed at him, relief flooding through him as John hauled him to his feet. Then they were running again, breaking through the tree line and not slowing until they had left the game trail far behind.
Rodney fell against a tree, legs turning to jell-o, muscles shaking from both exhaustion and terror combined. He felt John's arm slide around his shoulders and leaned his head back against him, welcoming the roughness of bristles against his face that proved he was still alive. John squeezed tighter, pressing his face against Rodney's cheek.
"Thought I'd lost you," he stated roughly. "Don't do that again."
"Believe me, I have no intention of doing that again... Ever."
John huffed a laugh against the side of Rodney's neck before pressing a kiss to the gradually slowing pulse and then pulling away. He brushed away some of the damp earth still clinging to Rodney from his fall before standing back and appraising him.
"Come on. I want to put a lot more distance between us and them before nightfall."
Rodney looked back along their trail and nodded, taking a moment to get his bearings from the small compass he pulled out of his pocket before indicating the direction they should travel. John sighed, shaking his head slightly, and started walking, glancing over his shoulder with a soft smile just to make sure Rodney was following. Rodney pushed the compass back into his pocket and took several hurried steps to catch up, stupidly afraid of being left behind even though he knew that would never happen. John had already come back for him once after all.
They walked for hours, taking occasional breaks for just a few minutes at a time to catch their breath and share what little food remained. By late afternoon, Rodney noticed John glancing upwards more often, searching for somewhere they could stop for the night and Rodney resigned himself to the embarrassment of trying to climb another tree with John's help, though hopefully, this time there would be no velociraptor almost sniffing at his heels.
They settled down as before, clinging to each other as the air grew colder with the setting sun, too tired to share more than a few gentle kisses and caresses before sleep overtook them. It started to rain during the night, and John pulled out the ground sheet, quickly setting it up as a makeshift shelter with Rodney's help, tying it to the branches fanning out above them. He pulled Rodney back into his arms and they shivered together, trying to warm each other as the rain brought a colder chill to the air.
****
John stood on the ridge and looked across the valley, seeing the overgrown airstrip far below. He reckoned it would take them a few more hours to reach it, though they would have to be careful as last night's rain had left the earth damp, and possibly treacherous underfoot in places. A glint of sunlight off metal caught his eye as he looked along the path they needed to take, trying to assess the lay of the land before they were back beneath the canopy of trees.
"What's that?" Rodney had spotted it too, his finger pointing to a noticeable path of destruction from the end of the runway and into the trees, passing through the area where the metal had glinted momentarily. To John's aviator eyes, it looked like the wing of a plane and he suspected that the rest of the plane lay spread out over a few miles.
"You want to check it out?" He teased.
Rodney's blue eyes widened, mouth drooping in dismay, probably at the thought of taking a detour when they were so close to reaching their goal. John regretted his words instantly because Rodney had been through too much to be teased while they were still in danger especially as he had no intention of investigating anything other than the control tower and buildings, wanting to get them off this island as soon as possible.
"Maybe another time then."
"I can state categorically that no force on heaven or earth will get me to come back here."
John slapped Rodney on the shoulder. "Me either, buddy. Come on. We could be at the control tower by mid-afternoon."
The sides of the valley were steep and John found they had to slide down on their ass over some of the steeper slopes, holding onto tree roots to stop them from plunging headlong into the valley. Neither could afford any more injuries, especially broken bones. At least the gash on Rodney's arm had not become infected. He had checked it several times since they started out, cleaning the area and dusting it with more of the antibiotic powder before wrapping it in fresh bandages and burying the dirty ones deep.
The rain during the previous night had turned the earth to mud in places, and John barely caught himself from slipping, sliding several feet before he caught the root of a large shrub. He noticed that the ground evened out again a few feet below so he would not have fallen far but it still paid to be cautious. He checked up the slope to where Rodney was making his way down carefully, and settled on a larger tree root to wait.
A birdlike chittering noise had him tensing and he flinched as small dinosaur, maybe three feet tall, peered through the undergrowth head of him. It cocked its head to one side and gave that same birdlike call, jumping forward a couple of feet as if inquisitive. John narrowed his eyes at the creature but it didn't seem at all threatening, just stared at him oddly.
"So, little fella, what are you then?"
John jumped back when a large chunk of branch hurtled towards the creature, smashing into the trunk of the young tree close to the dinosaur and splintering. Another lump of a branch followed.
"Get away from him!" Rodney was snarling and it took a moment before he realized that Rodney was talking to the creature, acting like a madman as he hurtled more pieces of wood that had the creature jumping sideways but not fleeing.
"Rodney?"
He looked back at the dinosaur as it hissed, sharp teeth bared and two brilliantly colored fringes fanning out from around its neck. It spat at him, the gooey black substance hitting the top of John's pants as he jumped up in shock, aware that if he had stayed seated then it would have hit his face instead. The barrage of sticks rained down harder and John took the hint, adding his own firepower as he hefted a large branch and swiped at the creature, smacking it good and hard around the head. Its hiss turned to a pained cry and it dashed off into the jungle, leaving John standing there still brandishing the branch as a weapon. A crack of breaking roots and torn shrubs heralded Rodney's arrival and he gave his lover a quick once over.
"What the hell was that?"
"Dilophosaurus... and that was just a baby." Rodney stared off into the jungle.
"That was a baby?"
"What say we keep moving in case its parents are around here some place?"
"Yeah, that might not be such a bad idea."
John kept a hold of the branch as they made their way across the gentler slope to the edge of another steeper one but John could see that they had almost reached the bottom of the valley. He sniffed and went to touch the black goo coating his pants but Rodney's hand gripped his wrist.
"I wouldn't if I were you. Its saliva is supposed to be both a poison and a paralyzing agent." He swallowed. "The thing is, it prefers to eat you while you're still alive."
"First chance I get, I'm changing into *my* spare pants." He smirked at Rodney, pleased when the fear faded from Rodney's eyes. Rodney grinned back as they both recalled his angry words a few days back, at how John might need a spare pants if he came across one of this island's predators.
The rest of the trek through the jungle passed quickly and without incident though John made Rodney stop at the edge of the buildings, wanting to check for danger lurking within before calling Rodney forward. The hangar had been gutted, with nothing remaining but a few parts of planes and abandoned airport vehicles. He turned to call Rodney and frowned in annoyance when he discovered the man only ten feet away.
"Thought I told you to wait outside," he grated in a low voice.
"I'm sure I'd be safer in here with you than out there..."
"Alone?" John grimaced. Rodney had been so brave fighting off the dilophosaurus that John had forgotten how scared he was the rest of the time. "Let's head for the control tower. Maybe there's something left."
They took it slow, watching the shadows for anything out of place before entering the control tower and climbing the stairs. Much of the glass overlooking the runway was broken from the outside, with slivers lying on top of control panels. Being careful to avoid cutting himself, John made his way to the radio and flipped the switch, unsurprised when it remained dead. He set down his bag and pulled out the parts he had scavenged from the helicopter.
"Let me," Rodney stated and took the pieces, pulling open the board beneath the radio station. He swapped out several boards and twisted a few wires. "You know I said I wanted a radio kit as a child....Well, I bought one a few years back, Found out I was pretty good at playing with the electronics." He huffed out a laugh. "Try it now."
John flipped the switch and, this time, the board lit up. He grinned until he realized that he hadn't thought about who to call. The Costa Rican government refused to send anyone to investigate the disappearance of fishermen off Las Cinco Muertes so he didn't want to waste a call on them, and he didn't know the frequency of the US embassy.
"Rodney?"
"Give it here." Rodney tuned the frequency but then looked to John. "I was on a special archaeological dig with...well, it was being run by the US Air force and had this frequency linked to... It might be dead now but..."
"But it's all we've got." Rodney nodded, looking relieved that John understood. "Do it," he stated and watched as Rodney forced some saliva into his mouth before making the call.
"Dr. McKay to SGC. Come in SGC." Nothing. He tried again. "This is Dr. Rodney McKay to SGC, General Jack O'Neill. Are you receiving?"
A crackle of static and then Rodney gasped in relief as a tinny voice echoed from the grimy speaker. "This is SGC. Please state your business with the General, Dr. McKay."
"We're stranded on Isla Sorna, Las Cinco Muertes, in dire need of assistance."
"Dinosaur island?"
As if to verify the words, John heard a distant roar of something huge, something that was moving closer if the tinkling of glass fragments falling from consoles was anything to go by. The room shook with each footstep and then John saw it step out onto the runway less than a hundred feet from the base of the tower. He knew that shape from childhood books of dinosaurs but where it had seemed so cool as a kid, now it was simply terrifying. It took another step in their direction.
"General O'Neill?"
"Yeah, McKay. What the hell was that...? No, don't answer that. Where are you exactly?"
"I...um...we're at..." Rodney's voice had risen several octaves as he stared out of the window, which put them on eye level with the massive T-Rex.
John took the radio from Rodney. "General O'Neill, this is Major John Sheppard, former USAF. We're in the control tower of the main air strip on Isla Sorna. Sir, we could really use a hand getting off this island."
There was a moment of silence before O'Neill came back. "On one condition, McKay. You sign the damn agreement. Both of you."
Rodney laughed mirthlessly, taking back the mike. "Believe me, General, I'd sign over all my worldly possessions right now...if I had any."
"Hang on, kids. We're on our way. Over and out."
Rodney gave a ragged sigh as O'Neill signed off, reaching slowly for John and hugging him close as the T-Rex took another two large steps towards them, bringing it up close to the broken windows.
"Don't move and it won't see us," Rodney whispered out of the corner of his mouth as the fetid breath from the meat-eater gusted over them. It roared again, spittle showering them, massive teeth barely four feet away from them, separated only by the consoles lining the windows. John heard Rodney's whimper above the roar, his own arms tightening on his lover as Rodney pressed his face into John's shoulder.
The massive head pushed through the broken window, its huge nose nudging against Rodney's arm, most likely scenting the blood. As it opened its mouth to snatch at what it could smell, John bunched his muscles ready to shove them both out of the creature's immediate reach, already planning their escape route back into the jungle. Instead, he felt the floor shimmer beneath his feet and then froze when he realized he was staring straight into another man's eyes. The man's lips quirked as he tried to force away a smile, his brown eyes twinkling in mirth even as his nose wrinkled.
"Dr. McKay? Major Sheppard? Welcome on board the Daedalus."
"Now that's what I call a rescue," John stated as he held on tightly to Rodney.
****
Carson acknowledged the radio call from the Daedalus.
"Everybody listen up. We have two male patients beaming down from the Daedalus imminently. Possible dehydration, cuts and bruises only. Let's be prepared."
He watched as his team went to work, still feeling a little out of place from slipping into the spot vacated by Janet Frasier after she was killed in action offworld only a few weeks earlier. He knew his was a just a temporary assignment until they could bring in another doctor of Janet's caliber, and that suited him just fine because he preferred his genetic research.
The stench of stale sweat, dank earth, and goodness knows what else arrived with the two men, who seemed to be holding onto each other for dear life.
"Okay...first things first. Let's get those clothes off and incinerated."
Carson guessed which one was McKay instantly, having heard a few stories from Daniel concerning the scientist. The man was angry, slapping away from everyone's touch except for Sheppard's. Irritated by the delaying tactics, Carson stepped right up into McKay's face, and then he saw the terror in the man's wide eyes, realizing it was panic guiding the man's anger. His own annoyance bled away, his brogue becoming soft yet firm.
"Dr. McKay, you are covered in mud, sweat, blood, grime and goodness knows what else. Basically, you stink. Now, if you won't remove the offending clothing so I can examine you before shoving you under a hot shower and handing you a hot meal, then I'll have no option but to sedate you, and get my nurses to both strip you *and* sponge bath you. Do you understand?"
The deep blue eyes stared into his, the panic slowly receding as his words sunk in.
"Hot meal?"
"Aye. As soon as I've examined you."
"I'll take my clothes off now," McKay stated meekly, offering a tiny smile in response to Carson's more indulgent one. Carson turned away, tilting his head at Sheppard meaningfully, and smiling as Sheppard started pulling off his grimy clothes.
"I'm stripping."
Turning back to McKay, Carson smirked at the man's obvious discomfort at being naked in front of him. Despite the ordeal both men had been through, they seemed relatively healthy though Carson noticed the bandaged arm. He cut away the soiled dressing that was stiff with mud and sweat, dropping it into a dish for incineration. The gash in McKay's arm was ragged but surprisingly clean. At the time it happened, it would have benefited from a few stitches but it had started to heal on its own now.
"Who dressed your arm?"
McKay looked across to the other bed where Sheppard was being examined carefully.
"Good work, Major."
"Thanks."
"Did you use a powdered antibiotic?"
"Polysporin. I know it's technically for minor cuts but I didn't have much else."
"Normally, I wouldn't recommend it over larger areas or deeper cuts like this but, under the circumstances, it probably prevented this wound from becoming infected. That and the regular cleaning."
"I worked med-evac for the Air Force before..." His words trailed off as if they had triggered an unwelcome memory.
Carson nodded, allowing the man his privacy and turned back to his own patient. He noticed the skin rash from too many days in a hot and humid climate with no washing facilities. Even McKay's hair was caked in grit and sweat, and something else that was rank and still wet. He rubbed some of it between his fingers, sniffing it and drawing back form the stench.
"Might I inquire what this is?"
Sheppard answered. "T-Rex saliva. It took a fancy to Rodney...as dinner."
"T-Rex!" Just when Carson thought he'd seen everything.
"Hah!" McKay shouted. "At least I'm not covered in dilophosaurus spit."
"Diloph...?"
Carson snapped his mouth shut, recalling talk of Hammond's experiments with genetics that brought dinosaurs back in the modern age. Hammond had approached him the best part of a decade ago, wanting him to lead his genetics program but Carson had agreed with Dr. Ian Malcolm's assessment. It was not a matter of if they *could* bring back dinosaurs, more if they *should*. Now, if it had been a program to restore some of the recently extinct or endangered animals then he might have been interested. As it was, the program had been a disaster just waiting to happen, judging by the events in San Diego a few months back.
"Let's get this arm cleaned up and bagged, and then you can take that shower."
"God, yes!"
Carson smiled. McKay wouldn't be the only one relieved to have the man clean in his infirmary. As it was, Carson had to send a male nurse in with McKay to watch over the exhausted man while he washed, though he noticed the way Sheppard tensed when McKay moved out of his sight. From what he could gather from the snippets of conversation, both men had suffered through a frightening ordeal, relying completely on each other, though Carson would be a fool not to notice that the closeness had stepped across the boundary between friendship and lovers, especially as McKay bore all the physical signs of recent anal sex. He just hoped the bond they had formed under duress would not tear them apart now that the danger was gone.
An hour later, after he had seen both men eat a hot and nourishing meal, he released Sheppard from the infirmary, telling him to drink plenty of water and take himself off to bed. He noticed the reluctance to leave McKay behind.
"Don't worry, Major. I'll take good care of him while you get your rest."
"Is he...going to be okay?
Carson glanced at the sleeping man, eyes automatically flicking to the monitors and the drips he'd ordered as a precaution along with a broad spectrum antibiotic.
"Aye. He'll be just fine."
"Okay."
Sheppard licked his lips self consciously and then walked away, stealing a single backwards glance at McKay before the door closed behind him, but when the door opened again less than a minute later, Carson turned to vent his exasperation, only to see O'Neill stick his head round the door. Carson bit back a smile, aware of O'Neill's reluctance to enter the Infirmary, having spent too many hours here as a patient in the past.
"Daniel's due back in fifteen minutes, and you know he's gonna ask about McKay, so..." The man blew out his cheeks and raised his hands in a 'what can I do?' gesture.
"He's had a pretty traumatic experience. The blood loss did'nae help with the dehydration, and his blood sugar level is still a little too low for my liking, so I'll be keeping him here overnight for observation. Otherwise, he'll be right as rain come morning."
O'Neill had wandered across to stare down at McKay. "Daniel likes him," he offered by way of an explanation but Carson could tell that O'Neill had taken a liking to McKay too, even if he would never admit to it.
"Keep me posted."
"I will do, General."
Carson sighed as the General sauntered off just a little more eagerly than usual, but Carson's domain seemed to have that effect on some people. In contrast, he caught a glimpse of someone hovering and sighed, stepping out into the corridor and confronting Sheppard.
"You can take the spare bed next to McKay's for tonight, though I'll be kicking you out if I find I need it for someone with a more pressing need."
The close-mouthed grin and the relief in the man's eyes told Carson he had made the right decision and, in hindsight, perhaps the Major simply needed to be close to someone right now. He'd suffered through the same terrifying ordeal as McKay after all, and maybe he was just a little better at hiding it.
****
Rodney was practically vibrating when he stepped into the small guest quarters assigned to John at the SGC.
"They found Atlantis! Can you believe that! That's what Daniel wanted me to sign on for a couple of years back." He grinned almost like a maniac, eyes losing focus. "The city that sank beneath the waves, except it wasn't on Earth or even in the same galaxy." His eyes were sparkling now. "The Lost City of the Ancients...and we can go there."
"We?"
"Um...I kind of mentioned that you might want to join the expedition, as a civilian pilot, of course, unless you'd like to rejoin the military and be trapped by their archaic and might I say highly suspect regulations regarding same-sex relationships. Plus you have that Master degree in Aeronautical Engineering that you never mentioned when...You know." He waved a hand between them.
John narrowed his eyes. "And?"
McKay scrunched up his face in that befuddled expression that John found far too endearing. "And there might be monsters there. Not that I love you only because you saved me from getting eaten once or twice but..."
"You love me?"
McKay straightened, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I thought that was pretty obvious as I don't have sex in trees with just anyone."
"Well, that's good to hear."
Rodney's arms fell to his sides, a myriad of expressions crossing his face, revealing every emotion behind every thought. "I'm...not very good at this whole relationship thing. If I...misunderstood then..."
"No."
"No?"
"No. You didn't misunderstand."
Rodney frowned. "Then why won't you go?"
John smirked. "I signed on an hour ago, as soon as General O'Neill told me you were wavering because you didn't want to leave me behind."
"You did?" The beaming smile faded abruptly. "Please don't tell me you joined as US military."
"No, I didn't."
"Oh, thank God!"
John opened his mouth to mention that, for someone professing to be an atheist, he did a lot of 'thanking God' but then he had his own fervent praises tumbling through his mind as his arms were suddenly filled with Rodney's strong, warm body. He hadn't registered how much he ached to feel his arms around the man again until this moment, and he held on tight as Rodney's mouth plundered his, tongues gliding and coiling, breathing in the scent of each other as if it had been months rather than a day since they last kissed.
Rodney's mouth was so much sweeter now, clean with a sharp taste of mint toothpaste and coffee but, underneath it all was the scent that he had craved even beneath the staleness and grime of those days on Isla Sorna; the unique scent of a man he had come to love. He flipped Rodney over onto his back and leaned over him, staring deep into wide, blue eyes that reminding him of the sky, of flying so high that he almost touched the darkness of space. He leaned in and rubbed his freshly shaved cheek against Rodney's, feeling only the slightest rasp of bristles but it was enough to bring him to full hardness, cock pressing eagerly against Rodney's.
He kissed slower this time, savoring the pleasure of having Rodney lying beneath him warm, and clean, and safe, one hand drifting to stroke across the soft black t-shirt, finding a tiny nipple and rubbing it through cloth, feeling the tiny bud tighten as Rodney began to writhe and moan. Almost as an after thought, he realized that he had only ever seen his lover naked once, in the infirmary, and he wanted to rectify that immediately. He wanted to be able to look freely, and to touch every square inch of the soft, mostly pale skin with hands, lips and tongue. He pushed up to sitting and stared down at his lover.
"Get naked, McKay."
Rodney flushed under the heat of John's gaze, hands shaking as he dragged the t-shirt over his head and flung it aside while simultaneously kicking off his shoes and toeing off his socks, revealing pale skin adorned by bruises of varying shades. He reached for the fly of his pants, trembling fingers eager to free his constricted erection and yet his eyes had taken on that soft vulnerable look that John so adored. John eased his fears with a gentle caress, palm sliding flat across a lightly furred pectoral to the smooth hairless flesh surrounding the still peaked nipple. He rubbed across it in teasingly light strokes, pleased with the way Rodney's breath stuttered, chest arching up a fraction as if demanding more.
"Pants, Rodney," John whispered, aware that his voice was almost cracking from this need to see all of his lover, wanting so much more than a fumble in the dimness of a post-dawn light filtering through the canopy of leaves. He wanted to see naked flesh, no longer shrouded in dirty, torn clothes and hidden in shadows, wanted to see the heart-shaped ass that had fitted into his lap to perfection, that had sunk down upon him and taken him away from all the fear of violent death for such a sweet moment in time. He wanted to see along the length of naked back as Rodney sucked his cock, smoothing his hands over He knew he couldn't have it all at once, knew that he would have to wait for each glorious moment.
Rodney raised his hips to draw down the military issue pants and boxers, and John tugged them off the rest of the way, sitting back and staring at the naked body stretched out along his bed, his for the taking.
"Perfect," he murmured, one hand gliding across the soft belly, feeling firmer muscle lying beneath. He saw a flush heighten the color of Rodney's cheeks but John had always preferred the softer types rather than hard, rippling six-packs. He loved the fleshier sides, perfect to hold on to, cushioning the press of sharp hip bone and pelvis.
Eventually, his eyes strayed to the hard cock standing proud from a bed of light brown curls, head glistening with a dewdrop of precome. Unable to resist, he leaned forward and lapped at the tiny droplet, savoring the salty taste bursting across his tongue. John pulled back completely and stood up, eyes traveling along the exposed body from heaving chest to slightly quivering thighs, and he began to strip off his own clothes, discarding them carelessly. He licked his lips as he studied Rodney's mouth, recalling the amazing feel of it wrapped around his cock, the heat and velvet softness, the slight hint of teeth as Rodney took him deep. Yet, as much as he wanted to fuck that wide, beautiful mouth, he desperately wanted to push back Rodney's knees and slide balls-deep inside the tight channel. He wanted to stare into Rodney's eyes as he took him slow but hard; he wanted to capture his whimpers of pleasure as they kissed lazily at first, then more desperately as sensation built on sensation, until he was swallowing Rodney's cries of pleasure and satiation, feeling the heat of his release slicking between them, ass muscles clenching hard and dragging guttural moans from him as he came deep inside that perfect ass.
The thought alone was enough to bring him close to the edge and he had to drag on his balls to stop the impending rush of orgasm, decision made.
"Want to fuck you," he whispered breathily. "Want to fuck you so deep and so hard."
Rodney grinned, legs splaying wider, and drawing up in invitation.
It took a moment of fumbling inside the bedside cabinet before he found the hand lotion someone had thoughtfully left there, and then his fingers were slipping inside the welcoming body, stroking deep, bringing soft cries of pleasure and tiny thrusts from Rodney as they brushed across the small sensitive gland. Rodney sobbed his relief when John positioned him carefully, one leg braced over his shoulder, revealing the loosened, quivering hole. It took but a moment to push inside, the velvet tightness triggering the memory from before, and then he was sinking in on a single stroke, feeling the stretch of muscle and flesh accommodating him, wrapping him tightly in silken heat. He fucked him slowly, reveling in each stroke and in the intense pleasure building, one hand fisting Rodney, timing the strokes perfectly so they were rocking together, losing all sense of self as they moved as one being, one desire, ecstasy triggered by the flood of liquid heat between them as Rodney arched up in release, sending John flying as he gazed into wide, unfocused blue.
He came back down to earth with the sweetest sigh of satisfaction, limbs shaky with that perfect kind of exhaustion, heavy and lethargic as they shared sloppy, mouthing kisses while hands stroked idly over sweaty skin. John breathed in deep as he rolled to the side, taking in the heady scent of male sex, and of Rodney. He leaned up on one elbow and, with the lightest touch, he traced a path across a deeper bruise over Rodney's flank, recalling the gallimimus that had torn Rodney's hand from his, almost bringing him to his knees as he twisted from the force. The flash of teeth and killing claws had stopped his heart until he realized it had not seen them, that it had seen only its intended, larger prey.
"I nearly lost you once."
"I've been told I'm an impossible person to lose once I've latched on to someone."
John felt his lips quirk because, yes, he could imagine Rodney being possessive, holding his toys close lest someone snatch them from him, but that simply mirrored his own possessive streak. John dragged on Rodney until he had him safely plastered half across his chest, ignoring the token protest of being sweaty and sticky because they had both suffered far worse only too recently.
"You know....I really know so little about you. I mean, you know about Jeannie and my cat, and the time my dog ran away, and..."
"Me, I like Ferris wheels, college football, anything that goes more than 200 miles per hour....and I love you."
He flicked the switch and sent the room into darkness, having shocked Rodney into silence, holding his lover close as he slipped into welcome sleep.
****
Epilogue:
Atlantis was more beautiful than anything he had ever dreamed, with light washing through stained glass, bathing the gate room in gold and blue, in burnt orange and ocean green. Rodney knew he was gaping, speechless with stunned pleasure as only John had managed so far in their lovemaking. A familiar man was coming down the ornate flight of stairs leading to a control area, glasses perched on his nose, blue eyes shining as his hand reached out.
"Rodney!" Daniel grabbed Rodney's hand before including John in his greeting. "John. Welcome to Atlantis!"
Two days later, John sat in the control chair and the room lit up around him. A small man with wild hair and glasses stepped forward.
"Think about where we are in this solar system."
An amazingly detailed, holographic map filled the area above their heads and Rodney could only stare in awe, even forgetting to translate the accompanying Ancient text. His eyes flicked across to Daniel, sharing a thunderstruck expression, before they dropped to his lover, who had told Rodney that Carson's gene therapy would not work for him.
"Did I do that?" he asked in a deceptively innocent voice, raising one eyebrow at Rodney.
"Why you... You knew! You didn't need the therapy because..." Because John had one of the strongest natural expression of the ATA gene found so far, equaled only by Jack O'Neill's.
O'Neill smirked and John grinned, and Rodney realized that he and Daniel were probably the only two people in the room who had not known. He turned back to Daniel, who was taking the teasing in his usual good natured way, and shook his head.
"Flyboys!" he stated almost disdainfully, but Rodney could not keep the smile from his lips as he looked back up at the beautiful display.
THE END
*