FICLET: Guardian (PG)
Title: Guardian
Author: R. Tom Mato
Rating: PG
Warnings: Crying children (but they stop, finally). Kid!fic.
Notes: Just something I wondered about with all the kid!fics I've seen. Usually the patterns in who gets kidified(?) and who's left watching over them.
===
Colonel Sheppard's team had missed their check-in.
Granted, it wasn't as uncommon an occurrence as Elizabeth would have liked, but three years hadn't stopped her gut from twisting into a pretzel every time they were overdue. She tried to reach them by radio--they weren't supposed to have gone far from the 'Gate. It was a populated planet, as John had informed her from their last check-in, and uncommonly advanced. They were going to check it out but keep alert; they had been burned too many times in the past by people that put on friendly faces.
Major Lorne and the rescue team were heading through the 'Gate. They were instructed to get Sheppard's team back by any means, but not to use those means unless absolutely necessary. She prayed it was just a simple misunderstanding, that they had had too much of some drink that hadn't tasted like alcohol at all, honest, and had fallen asleep drunk.
Almost seven hours later, Lorne's team were running back through, weapons still aimed behind them at the foe they left behind on the planet. The last rounds fired disappeared into the wormhole before it disengaged, the echoing sound of gunfire dying down to be replaced by high-pitched wailing and sobbing. She scanned the group and easily picked out Ronon among the Marines. He was yelling over the wailing and the Marines backed off, eyes darting from Ronon up to her.
Elizabeth hurried down the steps toward him, unable to believe what she was seeing. Small hands were not clinging to Ronon's shirt. Three sobbing, red faces were not pressed into his shoulders and chest, wailing for mothers and fathers that weren't here.
Ronon turned to her and she stopped, disturbed by the look in his eyes. It was wild, panicked, she would say, but she didn't know Ronon to panic easily. At all.
"Ronon," she ventured carefully, looking down at the children before meeting his gaze.
"Just give me a second." His voice was rough and low, almost drowned out by the screaming that hadn't let up.
She gave him a minute, because in that time the screaming had quieted down to high, short whines and hiccups and gurgling coughs. Ronon's breathing evened but he didn't relax, nor did he loosen his grip on the children. The rest of the 'gateroom was silent, watching and waiting for Elizabeth to ask the question they already knew the answer to.
"They did this to them," Ronon explained slowly, as if it was all just processing in his own mind. "McKay and Sheppard had the Ancestors' gene; Teyla could sense the Wraith. They wanted it for themselves."
All she could do was nod. "Go to the infirmary. I'll be there in a moment." As Ronon walked by, one of the heads lifted and a pair of blue eyes locked with hers for the briefest of moments before again hiding in the safety of Ronon's shirt. It felt as if all the breath had been knocked out of her as it clicked that that was *Rodney.* Lorne stepped forward, thankfully forcing her to look away, and she gestured for him to follow her to her office.
Author: R. Tom Mato
Rating: PG
Warnings: Crying children (but they stop, finally). Kid!fic.
Notes: Just something I wondered about with all the kid!fics I've seen. Usually the patterns in who gets kidified(?) and who's left watching over them.
===
Colonel Sheppard's team had missed their check-in.
Granted, it wasn't as uncommon an occurrence as Elizabeth would have liked, but three years hadn't stopped her gut from twisting into a pretzel every time they were overdue. She tried to reach them by radio--they weren't supposed to have gone far from the 'Gate. It was a populated planet, as John had informed her from their last check-in, and uncommonly advanced. They were going to check it out but keep alert; they had been burned too many times in the past by people that put on friendly faces.
Major Lorne and the rescue team were heading through the 'Gate. They were instructed to get Sheppard's team back by any means, but not to use those means unless absolutely necessary. She prayed it was just a simple misunderstanding, that they had had too much of some drink that hadn't tasted like alcohol at all, honest, and had fallen asleep drunk.
Almost seven hours later, Lorne's team were running back through, weapons still aimed behind them at the foe they left behind on the planet. The last rounds fired disappeared into the wormhole before it disengaged, the echoing sound of gunfire dying down to be replaced by high-pitched wailing and sobbing. She scanned the group and easily picked out Ronon among the Marines. He was yelling over the wailing and the Marines backed off, eyes darting from Ronon up to her.
Elizabeth hurried down the steps toward him, unable to believe what she was seeing. Small hands were not clinging to Ronon's shirt. Three sobbing, red faces were not pressed into his shoulders and chest, wailing for mothers and fathers that weren't here.
Ronon turned to her and she stopped, disturbed by the look in his eyes. It was wild, panicked, she would say, but she didn't know Ronon to panic easily. At all.
"Ronon," she ventured carefully, looking down at the children before meeting his gaze.
"Just give me a second." His voice was rough and low, almost drowned out by the screaming that hadn't let up.
She gave him a minute, because in that time the screaming had quieted down to high, short whines and hiccups and gurgling coughs. Ronon's breathing evened but he didn't relax, nor did he loosen his grip on the children. The rest of the 'gateroom was silent, watching and waiting for Elizabeth to ask the question they already knew the answer to.
"They did this to them," Ronon explained slowly, as if it was all just processing in his own mind. "McKay and Sheppard had the Ancestors' gene; Teyla could sense the Wraith. They wanted it for themselves."
All she could do was nod. "Go to the infirmary. I'll be there in a moment." As Ronon walked by, one of the heads lifted and a pair of blue eyes locked with hers for the briefest of moments before again hiding in the safety of Ronon's shirt. It felt as if all the breath had been knocked out of her as it clicked that that was *Rodney.* Lorne stepped forward, thankfully forcing her to look away, and she gestured for him to follow her to her office.