New Fic: The Colonel and the Astrophysicist: The Temple of the Ancients, pt 1
Title: The Colonel and the Astrophysicist: The Temple of the Ancients
Author: Diana Williams dkwilliams
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: NC-17
Vetted By: Shrewreader
Beta by: mecurtin, tesserae_
Warnings: Mild bondage
Author's Notes: Originally, I wrote Just Another Weird Alien Ritual for bard_Mercutio for the Secret SGA Santa. Then I decided it would make a cool porn film, seeing as how we all love Aliens-Made-Them-Do-It stories. This is in the same general timeline as Their Debut, although I think I’ve reallocated Jack and Daniel (or at least this is before they become porn actors themselves).
Summary: Another movie in the “The Colonel and the Astrophysicist” series. Doctor Mensa’s discovery of an ancient device in a temple on another world leads to trouble. It’s up to Colonel Stone to rescue him by performing a certain ritual…
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Scene 1
Interior, ELIZABETH WEIR’s office at GPFG studios. Elizabeth is accompanied by TEYLA EMMAGEN. SAMANTHA CARTER, and LAURA CADMAN, and they are reviewing the latest “Colonel and the Astrophysicist” script.
Elizabeth drew a steadying breath as she read the last page of the script, moistening her dry mouth so she could speak. “I like it. Great job, Teyla.”
“It is a little clichéd,” Teyla demurred.
“It’s such a classic, though,” Laura said, dreamily, as she used the script to fan her flushed face. “Aliens making them have hot sex to save their lives. Sam, what do you think?”
“It’ll be good,” Sam agreed. “The only problem I see is that we need a decent actress to play the priestess, someone who won’t be completely upstaged by our guys and yet not overshadow them. Someone our audience could imagine being.”
“What about the girl who played the prisoner on the space vampire’s ship, the one who helped Stone and Mensa escape?” Elizabeth asked. “She and John had nice screen chemistry.”
Laura shook her head. “We had to blacklist her. Turned out she's some kind of cult member and she started stalking John. Rodney had to take out a restraining order against her.”
“There’s the princess from the medieval planet, the one with the evil uncle who tried to force Stone to marry her,” Teyla said. “She made the character quite sympathetic.”
“Jumped John in the shower after shooting; he wrenched his knee getting away from her,” Laura sighed. “He forgot to lock the door to his dressing room. Again.”
Teyla shook her head. “He never does see them coming.”
“Good thing for him that Rodney does,” Elizabeth said dryly. “See who you can come up with, Laura. We’ll put it on the shooting schedule for next month. Oh, and make sure Dr. Jackson’s available for consultation on the set design. We’ve gotten a lot of favorable reviews on the website since he started vetting our historical accuracy.”
“Not to mention saving our asses when we accidentally spelled out a dirty word in Norse on 'Teal'c and the Hammer of the Gods',” Sam added.
“I wish we could get Daniel and Jack to do a film for us,” Laura said, the dreamy expression returning to her face. “They look so good together.”
“Fat chance of that,” Sam said with a snort. “Jack says that the only one who gets to see Daniel’s ass is him.”
“Then they should be more careful about where they have their make-up sex,” Elizabeth said tartly. “I’ll never be able to look at the canteen the same way.”
“Oh, don’t tell them that!” Laura exclaimed. “That’s one of our perks in working here.”
The other women laughed and then the conversation turned to the more practical aspects of filming the upcoming episodes.
Scene 2, Temple set
Interior, GPFG studios, exterior of Temple set. The crew and several actors, including JOHN SHEPPARD, are milling about, waiting for the rehearsal to start. Sam is talking with the camerawomen about blocking while other crew members adjust lights and set pieces.
John sat in his folding chair, running over his lines while keeping his eye on the crew so that he’d be ready when they were. It had been a long morning. Rehearsals had been delayed by a problem Daniel Jackson had with the altar set and the master carpenter. Then, after Daniel and the carpenter, Jack O’Neill, had returned from their discussion of the problem, the set needed a partial rebuild before he and Rodney were able to rehearse the altar scene. Now John was more than ready to wrap up for the day. There was just one more scene to run through, the set-up scene with the priestess and the extras, and he was hoping they could get through it quickly so he could take Rodney home and spend some quality time with him.
“John Sheppard?”
John looked up to see the actress they’d brought in to play the priestess standing in front of him. She was a beautiful brunette, exotic in a smoldering way that he supposed some men might find hot.
Rodney was going to hate her.
“Yes?” he said cautiously.
She held out her hand and he reluctantly took it for a brief handshake. “Chaya Sar. I believe we worked together several years ago - ‘Island of the Lost’ for Athar Studio?”
John remembered, and barely repressed a shudder. They’d been cast as two of a group of shipwrecked sailors in a decadent Polynesian orgy in that movie, early enough in their career that they hadn’t been able to pick and choose their jobs. It had involved a horrible two-day shoot because of a number of things, including a cheesy and unfocused script and a prima donna lead who’d made everyone miserable. John had been so put-off by the scantily clad women wriggling all over the place that, for one of the few times in his life, he’d had trouble getting it up, even for Rodney. And Chaya had been one of the most enthusiastic wrigglers.
Rodney was really going to hate her.
“Um, yeah,” he managed to say, briefly shaking hands and then retrieving his hand so he could clutch his script. “It’s, um, a pleasure to see you again.”
She smiled in a way that was just short of a smirk, lowering her eyelashes demurely. John desperately looked around, hoping that the crew was ready for them, but they seemed to be involved in a discussion about the placement of the extras. Chaya seemed to take this as encouragement to take a step closer.
“I was very pleased to hear we’d be working together again,” she said. “In fact, I came here for you, John. Although I’m disappointed that we have so little…interaction on screen. Perhaps we could discuss some improvisations to the script that would remedy that? Over dinner? Perhaps a picnic in the park near my apartment?”
John opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to think of something to say, some way to turn her down without offending her. He was really bad at this kind of thing.
“That would be a ‘no’,” said a brisk voice behind Chaya, and John looked up with relief to see Rodney standing there, looking irritated. “John will be having dinner with me tonight, same as every night.”
Chaya turned and looked at Rodney, appearing just as irritated as he was. “McKay,” she said, displeasure dripping from her words. “You are still associating with him, John?”
“Chaya Slur,” Rodney retorted. “You’re still working? I thought you’d retired years ago - you’ve been in the business so long, you’re practically ancient.” He looked her over. “Whoever did your cosmetic surgery is good. The face-lift scars barely show.”
“Rodney,” John hissed, glaring at him. “Be nice.”
Rodney tilted his chin up, his lips tightening, as he glared back. “Kate wants to discuss the ritual scene while we’re waiting to rehearse. Unless you’re too busy?”
John inwardly winced at the biting tone; unless he did some fast talking, he was going to be sleeping on the couch tonight. “Right,” he said, nearly springing up out of his chair in his haste to separate Rodney and Chaya. “I’ve got plenty of time right now.” He turned to give Chaya a polite smile. “Nice to meet you again, Chaya.”
She gave him a sultry smile, pointedly ignoring Rodney. “See you later, John.”
“Not if we see you first,” Rodney muttered, grabbing John by the elbow and towing him in the direction of the acting coach.
Scene 3, John and Rodney's dressing room
Interior, dressing room. Bits of costume from the current production are hanging on the clothing rack against one wall, various personal paraphernalia strewn about the room. A marked-up copy of the script is lying on the counter by the mirror. JOHN and RODNEY are seated on the couch. KATE HEIGHTMEYER, drama coach for GPFG Studios, is sitting in the makeup chair facing them.
"I saw the rehearsal for the altar scene," Kate began without preamble, "and I wanted to discuss it with you. Frankly, I was a little disappointed."
John exchanged a surprised look with Rodney; it was rare that Kate ever said anything disparaging about their work. They were professionals, after all, and always did their best.
Kate must have seen the look because she quickly waved a hand in dismissal. "No, John, it was good work - you two always put in an excellent performance. But the scene could have just as easily been Ryan tied up in Stone's quarters for a bit of kinky sex. Aliens are forcing them to have sex to save their lives. Don't you think that should reflect in the scene?"
John frowned slightly. "This is porn, Kate, not an action-movie-of-the-week. The ‘ritual sex’ is just an excuse to get us naked and fucking for our audience to watch. The audience doesn’t care about realism."
"Maybe not in the usual porn, but by now you know how different our films are."
"And you want us to put more dramatic tension into the scene," Rodney guessed. He looked at John. "She has a point."
"You just want the chance to show off your Yale drama skills," he shot back.
"Rodney," Kate interjected before they could start their usual bickering. "How do you think Ryan is feeling in this scene?"
"Terrified," he said promptly. John mouthed "teacher's pet" to him but Rodney just raised an eyebrow and continued. "He's tied to this altar and he knows it isn't a good thing, even if he doesn't know exactly what they’re planning."
"Good, keep going."
"It's better once he sees Stone; he knows the Colonel isn't going to leave a man behind or allow anyone to hurt him. Ryan knows he’ll be okay now."
"And Jake?" Kate asked, turning to John. "How does he feel, seeing Rodney like that?"
“Well, seeing Ryan tied up like that is kinda hot…” John broke off as Kate gave him The Look, and he sighed. “Okay. He’s worried about Ryan. And angry. Ryan belongs to him, to his team." John’s hands automatically curled into fists against his leg. .”If they touch him, he'll kill them.”
Rodney blinked. “Easy, Rambo.”
John tried to hide his surprise at his own vehemence. “Rodney, Stone is a soldier. He’s not going to let anyone he cares about get hurt, and especially not Ryan.”
“But Ryan isn’t going to get hurt by any one, not with Jake there.”
“They’re going to watch them fuck!”
“Okay, and that freaks Ryan out at first, but once Jake starts touching him, he tunes that right out. It’s - Ryan gets hyperfocused on something and then nothing else exists, and right now, that’s the Colonel making love to him. He trusts Stone.”
Kate nodded. "Yes, good, and that trust is something I'd like to see explored in future scripts because it's very important to the relationship between these two." She turned back to John. "What about Stone? You said he’s angry because he doesn’t want them hurting Rodney. Is part of the anger also fear? He’s in a fuck-or-die situation, after all.”
John smiled ruefully. “Something I can relate to. Not that I’d actually die if I couldn’t get it up, of course.”
“You’d make Carson’s day, at least,” Rodney teased. “He doesn’t get much chance to perform his fluffing duties around here.”
Katie laughed. “That’s actually a good point, John - use that thought if it helps make the scenario more realistic for you.”
“Do not give John performance anxiety in the middle of a shoot!” Rodney protested, only partially serious.
“I’m not worried,” Kate said tranquilly. “One look at you is about all he needs to crank his motor.”
John blushed but couldn’t deny it.
“John, you pointed out that the aliens are going to watch. How does Stone feel about that?"
John frowned, staring at the floor without seeing it as he thought, trying to relate Stone’s feelings to his own, but it wasn’t easy. He'd never had a problem about having sex with Rodney in front of other people - hell, he'd never have made it in this business if he did. He supposed that he had an exhibitionist streak in him, not to mention the fact that he thought his lover was hot and loved showing that off to people. After all, it really wasn't John-fucking-Rodney - it was imaginary characters, like Stone. But Stone…
“He’s always been careful. He has to be, if he wants to keep his job. And now he’s pretty much outed to Evan and Parrish’s characters; even though he knows they won’t talk, it’s gotta be at the back of his mind.”
He looked over at Rodney. “At the same time, he loves Ryan, thinks he’s hot and sexy, and part of him has to regret that he can’t show that to anyone, can’t say ‘look at him, he’s fucking hot and he’s mine’. So maybe this is a chance for him to show Ryan off, to say ‘look what I can touch but you can’t’. As long as he gets to take his scientist back home, safe and in one piece. I know that sounds kinda contradictory.”
“But that’s how real feelings are, which is what makes life interesting,” Kate pointed out. “These are good thoughts, gentlemen, and I want you to keep them in mind when you’re running lines at home tonight. We’re not looking to turn this into a Lifetime Channel movie-of-the-week, but it shouldn’t be as easy for them as a Friday night fuck back on Atlantis. A little uncertainty, a feeling of risk and danger, will help increase the intensity.“
There was a knock on the door and a P.A. stuck her head in. “Mr. Sheppard? Dr. McKay? They’re ready for you on the set.”
Scene 4, Plot and part of the dialog comes from my story "Just Another Weird Alien Ritual"
Interior, exterior of Temple set. JOHN SHEPPARD, dressed as Colonel Stone, is obviously trying to get inside the temple but is being held back by several beefy half-naked Temple guards. Between John and the temple stands CHAYA, playing the chief priestess. EVAN LORNE and DAVID PARRISH are standing behind him, similarly restrained. SAM CARTER is standing beside the camera, intently observing the scene as LINDSAY NOVAK pulls back for a wide shot of the group while ALLISON SIMPSON zooms in for a close-up of John’s face.
Colonel Jake Stone struggled against the guards restraining him, glaring at the priestess as she stood between him and the temple. “What have you done with Ryan?” he growled at her.
Chaya arched an eyebrow and gave him a cool look. “Doctor Mensa is unharmed. However, he has violated the sanctity of our temple.”
"There must be some kind of mistake."
"There is no mistake, Colonel Stone. Doctor Mensa has gazed upon that which is forbidden for off-worlders to see. This cannot go unpunished."
Stone froze. “And this punishment would be…?”
“The altar must be purified through the spilling of the offender’s vital essences. Once that is done, you and your people will be allowed to leave.”
Stone’s lips tightened. “And by ‘vital essences’ you mean?”
“His seed,” Chaya said simply. “His body must be penetrated and filled as he is stirred to pleasure, and his seed then spilled - “
“On the altar; yeah, I got that part,” Stone said impatiently.
“As you are his leader, you are permitted to perform the ritual on him, but if you fail to spill his seed, both your lives are forfeit."
“We do this thing and your people let Ryan go, unharmed?”
“You have my word, Colonel Stone,” Chaya said.
“Right,” said Stone, starting to unfasten his vest. “Let’s get this over with.”
"Colonel!" Major Adept said sharply. "You can’t risk going with them, unarmed. It could be a trap. One of us can - "
Stone shook his head. "Mensa’s on my team; he’s my responsibility."
Adept’s eyes slid to his own scientist, his gaze smoldering as he imagined his lover in a similar circumstance. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Understood, sir.”
Stone turned to the priestess. "Okay, I’ll do it. Take me to him."
Chaya made a gesture and the guards released the three men. Stone shrugged out of his vest and unfastened his thigh holster, handing both to Major Adept. "Go back to the gate and stand guard. If we’re not there in an hour, go back to Atlantis and bring reinforcements."
Major Adept nodded, then Stone turned back to follow the priestess into the temple.
“Cut!” Sam called out, and glanced sideways to her two camerawomen, confirming that they felt as good about the scene just shot as she did. “Extras, back to your places and we’ll get a few close-up shots of Evan and David with the crowd in the background. John, Chaya, you can take a break; we’ll start the interior temple scene with Rodney after lunch.”
John nodded and started toward the dressing rooms, to see if Rodney was through with make-up and ready for a lunch break. Chaya had other thoughts, though, and stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“That was very good acting, John.”
“Um, thanks,” John said, looking down at the hand grasping his arm with surprise. He’d thought that she’d steer clear of him after the heavy brush-off Rodney had given her the previous day, but apparently she was made of sterner stuff than that.
Chaya seemed to think this was an invitation to move closer and she did. “It’s quite refreshing; usually the men in our profession have no acting talent at all, but that’s not the case with you, is it? You are different from the others.”
Not waiting for a reply, she leaned closer, until her breasts were brushing against his arm. “The next scene is intense. Would you like to go to my dressing room and run lines? I can play Doctor Mensa’s part.” She gave him an enticing look from under her lashes that left him in no doubt of her meaning.
John’s eyes widened - his ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look, as Rodney called it - and he swallowed nervously. These things always took him by surprise, and he had no idea how to discourage the attention without making matters worse. At least this time he didn’t have to worry about being kicked off the set. “Look, you’re very nice, but…”
“I can be very, very nice.” She advanced on him and he backed away hastily until he found himself pinned against a wall, her hands invading his personal space with deliberate intent. “I’d like to show you just how nice I can be.”
“Back off, harpy,” a sharp voice said from behind her and John nearly slumped with relief as Rodney stormed over to them. “The botox shots must be shrinking what passes for your brain because you just don’t seem to be getting the message.”
Chaya glared at Rodney as she crossed her arms across her chest. “I do not see what business this is of yours.”
“Hello, partners?” Rodney snapped back. “As in committed and exclusive partners? Co-staring in a series of films together? Didn’t you even bother to look at the script or do a little research, or would that take too much time from your tanning bed schedule, Chippy?”
John winced and Chaya said icily, “My name is Chaya.”
Rodney flapped his hand dismissively. “Whatever. Let me put this simply for you because you are obviously not the brightest crayon in the box. In the first place, John’s very, very gay, and I don’t know how you haven’t figured this out before because, hello!, gay porn star! And in the second, he’s very, very mine.”
Chaya turned her back on Rodney and gave John a sultry pout. “Are you sure you’re gay, John?”
Rodney opened his mouth to reply but John beat him to it. Giving Rodney a lascivious look that made him blush, he said, “Sure I’m gay? Pretty much.”
Rodney gave her a smugly triumphant look. “Right. So just go elsewhere to ply your wares. I’d suggest a street corner near Sluts ‘R Us. You might get lucky if someone’s desperate enough.”
Chaya snarled something at Rodney and stormed off, brushing past Laura Cadman on her way out. Rodney watched her for a moment, a satisfied look on his face, then turned to give John a concerned look. “Are you okay?”
John shrugged and slid an arm around his lover’s waist. “Not a big deal. And you were around to defend my virtue.” He leaned in for a kiss. “My hero.”
Rodney gave him the look that said, of course, and genius here! Then waggled his eyebrows at John. “Want to go to our dressing room and…run lines?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Link to Part 2
Author: Diana Williams dkwilliams
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: NC-17
Vetted By: Shrewreader
Beta by: mecurtin, tesserae_
Warnings: Mild bondage
Author's Notes: Originally, I wrote Just Another Weird Alien Ritual for bard_Mercutio for the Secret SGA Santa. Then I decided it would make a cool porn film, seeing as how we all love Aliens-Made-Them-Do-It stories. This is in the same general timeline as Their Debut, although I think I’ve reallocated Jack and Daniel (or at least this is before they become porn actors themselves).
Summary: Another movie in the “The Colonel and the Astrophysicist” series. Doctor Mensa’s discovery of an ancient device in a temple on another world leads to trouble. It’s up to Colonel Stone to rescue him by performing a certain ritual…
________________________________________
Scene 1
Interior, ELIZABETH WEIR’s office at GPFG studios. Elizabeth is accompanied by TEYLA EMMAGEN. SAMANTHA CARTER, and LAURA CADMAN, and they are reviewing the latest “Colonel and the Astrophysicist” script.
Elizabeth drew a steadying breath as she read the last page of the script, moistening her dry mouth so she could speak. “I like it. Great job, Teyla.”
“It is a little clichéd,” Teyla demurred.
“It’s such a classic, though,” Laura said, dreamily, as she used the script to fan her flushed face. “Aliens making them have hot sex to save their lives. Sam, what do you think?”
“It’ll be good,” Sam agreed. “The only problem I see is that we need a decent actress to play the priestess, someone who won’t be completely upstaged by our guys and yet not overshadow them. Someone our audience could imagine being.”
“What about the girl who played the prisoner on the space vampire’s ship, the one who helped Stone and Mensa escape?” Elizabeth asked. “She and John had nice screen chemistry.”
Laura shook her head. “We had to blacklist her. Turned out she's some kind of cult member and she started stalking John. Rodney had to take out a restraining order against her.”
“There’s the princess from the medieval planet, the one with the evil uncle who tried to force Stone to marry her,” Teyla said. “She made the character quite sympathetic.”
“Jumped John in the shower after shooting; he wrenched his knee getting away from her,” Laura sighed. “He forgot to lock the door to his dressing room. Again.”
Teyla shook her head. “He never does see them coming.”
“Good thing for him that Rodney does,” Elizabeth said dryly. “See who you can come up with, Laura. We’ll put it on the shooting schedule for next month. Oh, and make sure Dr. Jackson’s available for consultation on the set design. We’ve gotten a lot of favorable reviews on the website since he started vetting our historical accuracy.”
“Not to mention saving our asses when we accidentally spelled out a dirty word in Norse on 'Teal'c and the Hammer of the Gods',” Sam added.
“I wish we could get Daniel and Jack to do a film for us,” Laura said, the dreamy expression returning to her face. “They look so good together.”
“Fat chance of that,” Sam said with a snort. “Jack says that the only one who gets to see Daniel’s ass is him.”
“Then they should be more careful about where they have their make-up sex,” Elizabeth said tartly. “I’ll never be able to look at the canteen the same way.”
“Oh, don’t tell them that!” Laura exclaimed. “That’s one of our perks in working here.”
The other women laughed and then the conversation turned to the more practical aspects of filming the upcoming episodes.
Scene 2, Temple set
Interior, GPFG studios, exterior of Temple set. The crew and several actors, including JOHN SHEPPARD, are milling about, waiting for the rehearsal to start. Sam is talking with the camerawomen about blocking while other crew members adjust lights and set pieces.
John sat in his folding chair, running over his lines while keeping his eye on the crew so that he’d be ready when they were. It had been a long morning. Rehearsals had been delayed by a problem Daniel Jackson had with the altar set and the master carpenter. Then, after Daniel and the carpenter, Jack O’Neill, had returned from their discussion of the problem, the set needed a partial rebuild before he and Rodney were able to rehearse the altar scene. Now John was more than ready to wrap up for the day. There was just one more scene to run through, the set-up scene with the priestess and the extras, and he was hoping they could get through it quickly so he could take Rodney home and spend some quality time with him.
“John Sheppard?”
John looked up to see the actress they’d brought in to play the priestess standing in front of him. She was a beautiful brunette, exotic in a smoldering way that he supposed some men might find hot.
Rodney was going to hate her.
“Yes?” he said cautiously.
She held out her hand and he reluctantly took it for a brief handshake. “Chaya Sar. I believe we worked together several years ago - ‘Island of the Lost’ for Athar Studio?”
John remembered, and barely repressed a shudder. They’d been cast as two of a group of shipwrecked sailors in a decadent Polynesian orgy in that movie, early enough in their career that they hadn’t been able to pick and choose their jobs. It had involved a horrible two-day shoot because of a number of things, including a cheesy and unfocused script and a prima donna lead who’d made everyone miserable. John had been so put-off by the scantily clad women wriggling all over the place that, for one of the few times in his life, he’d had trouble getting it up, even for Rodney. And Chaya had been one of the most enthusiastic wrigglers.
Rodney was really going to hate her.
“Um, yeah,” he managed to say, briefly shaking hands and then retrieving his hand so he could clutch his script. “It’s, um, a pleasure to see you again.”
She smiled in a way that was just short of a smirk, lowering her eyelashes demurely. John desperately looked around, hoping that the crew was ready for them, but they seemed to be involved in a discussion about the placement of the extras. Chaya seemed to take this as encouragement to take a step closer.
“I was very pleased to hear we’d be working together again,” she said. “In fact, I came here for you, John. Although I’m disappointed that we have so little…interaction on screen. Perhaps we could discuss some improvisations to the script that would remedy that? Over dinner? Perhaps a picnic in the park near my apartment?”
John opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to think of something to say, some way to turn her down without offending her. He was really bad at this kind of thing.
“That would be a ‘no’,” said a brisk voice behind Chaya, and John looked up with relief to see Rodney standing there, looking irritated. “John will be having dinner with me tonight, same as every night.”
Chaya turned and looked at Rodney, appearing just as irritated as he was. “McKay,” she said, displeasure dripping from her words. “You are still associating with him, John?”
“Chaya Slur,” Rodney retorted. “You’re still working? I thought you’d retired years ago - you’ve been in the business so long, you’re practically ancient.” He looked her over. “Whoever did your cosmetic surgery is good. The face-lift scars barely show.”
“Rodney,” John hissed, glaring at him. “Be nice.”
Rodney tilted his chin up, his lips tightening, as he glared back. “Kate wants to discuss the ritual scene while we’re waiting to rehearse. Unless you’re too busy?”
John inwardly winced at the biting tone; unless he did some fast talking, he was going to be sleeping on the couch tonight. “Right,” he said, nearly springing up out of his chair in his haste to separate Rodney and Chaya. “I’ve got plenty of time right now.” He turned to give Chaya a polite smile. “Nice to meet you again, Chaya.”
She gave him a sultry smile, pointedly ignoring Rodney. “See you later, John.”
“Not if we see you first,” Rodney muttered, grabbing John by the elbow and towing him in the direction of the acting coach.
Scene 3, John and Rodney's dressing room
Interior, dressing room. Bits of costume from the current production are hanging on the clothing rack against one wall, various personal paraphernalia strewn about the room. A marked-up copy of the script is lying on the counter by the mirror. JOHN and RODNEY are seated on the couch. KATE HEIGHTMEYER, drama coach for GPFG Studios, is sitting in the makeup chair facing them.
"I saw the rehearsal for the altar scene," Kate began without preamble, "and I wanted to discuss it with you. Frankly, I was a little disappointed."
John exchanged a surprised look with Rodney; it was rare that Kate ever said anything disparaging about their work. They were professionals, after all, and always did their best.
Kate must have seen the look because she quickly waved a hand in dismissal. "No, John, it was good work - you two always put in an excellent performance. But the scene could have just as easily been Ryan tied up in Stone's quarters for a bit of kinky sex. Aliens are forcing them to have sex to save their lives. Don't you think that should reflect in the scene?"
John frowned slightly. "This is porn, Kate, not an action-movie-of-the-week. The ‘ritual sex’ is just an excuse to get us naked and fucking for our audience to watch. The audience doesn’t care about realism."
"Maybe not in the usual porn, but by now you know how different our films are."
"And you want us to put more dramatic tension into the scene," Rodney guessed. He looked at John. "She has a point."
"You just want the chance to show off your Yale drama skills," he shot back.
"Rodney," Kate interjected before they could start their usual bickering. "How do you think Ryan is feeling in this scene?"
"Terrified," he said promptly. John mouthed "teacher's pet" to him but Rodney just raised an eyebrow and continued. "He's tied to this altar and he knows it isn't a good thing, even if he doesn't know exactly what they’re planning."
"Good, keep going."
"It's better once he sees Stone; he knows the Colonel isn't going to leave a man behind or allow anyone to hurt him. Ryan knows he’ll be okay now."
"And Jake?" Kate asked, turning to John. "How does he feel, seeing Rodney like that?"
“Well, seeing Ryan tied up like that is kinda hot…” John broke off as Kate gave him The Look, and he sighed. “Okay. He’s worried about Ryan. And angry. Ryan belongs to him, to his team." John’s hands automatically curled into fists against his leg. .”If they touch him, he'll kill them.”
Rodney blinked. “Easy, Rambo.”
John tried to hide his surprise at his own vehemence. “Rodney, Stone is a soldier. He’s not going to let anyone he cares about get hurt, and especially not Ryan.”
“But Ryan isn’t going to get hurt by any one, not with Jake there.”
“They’re going to watch them fuck!”
“Okay, and that freaks Ryan out at first, but once Jake starts touching him, he tunes that right out. It’s - Ryan gets hyperfocused on something and then nothing else exists, and right now, that’s the Colonel making love to him. He trusts Stone.”
Kate nodded. "Yes, good, and that trust is something I'd like to see explored in future scripts because it's very important to the relationship between these two." She turned back to John. "What about Stone? You said he’s angry because he doesn’t want them hurting Rodney. Is part of the anger also fear? He’s in a fuck-or-die situation, after all.”
John smiled ruefully. “Something I can relate to. Not that I’d actually die if I couldn’t get it up, of course.”
“You’d make Carson’s day, at least,” Rodney teased. “He doesn’t get much chance to perform his fluffing duties around here.”
Katie laughed. “That’s actually a good point, John - use that thought if it helps make the scenario more realistic for you.”
“Do not give John performance anxiety in the middle of a shoot!” Rodney protested, only partially serious.
“I’m not worried,” Kate said tranquilly. “One look at you is about all he needs to crank his motor.”
John blushed but couldn’t deny it.
“John, you pointed out that the aliens are going to watch. How does Stone feel about that?"
John frowned, staring at the floor without seeing it as he thought, trying to relate Stone’s feelings to his own, but it wasn’t easy. He'd never had a problem about having sex with Rodney in front of other people - hell, he'd never have made it in this business if he did. He supposed that he had an exhibitionist streak in him, not to mention the fact that he thought his lover was hot and loved showing that off to people. After all, it really wasn't John-fucking-Rodney - it was imaginary characters, like Stone. But Stone…
“He’s always been careful. He has to be, if he wants to keep his job. And now he’s pretty much outed to Evan and Parrish’s characters; even though he knows they won’t talk, it’s gotta be at the back of his mind.”
He looked over at Rodney. “At the same time, he loves Ryan, thinks he’s hot and sexy, and part of him has to regret that he can’t show that to anyone, can’t say ‘look at him, he’s fucking hot and he’s mine’. So maybe this is a chance for him to show Ryan off, to say ‘look what I can touch but you can’t’. As long as he gets to take his scientist back home, safe and in one piece. I know that sounds kinda contradictory.”
“But that’s how real feelings are, which is what makes life interesting,” Kate pointed out. “These are good thoughts, gentlemen, and I want you to keep them in mind when you’re running lines at home tonight. We’re not looking to turn this into a Lifetime Channel movie-of-the-week, but it shouldn’t be as easy for them as a Friday night fuck back on Atlantis. A little uncertainty, a feeling of risk and danger, will help increase the intensity.“
There was a knock on the door and a P.A. stuck her head in. “Mr. Sheppard? Dr. McKay? They’re ready for you on the set.”
Scene 4, Plot and part of the dialog comes from my story "Just Another Weird Alien Ritual"
Interior, exterior of Temple set. JOHN SHEPPARD, dressed as Colonel Stone, is obviously trying to get inside the temple but is being held back by several beefy half-naked Temple guards. Between John and the temple stands CHAYA, playing the chief priestess. EVAN LORNE and DAVID PARRISH are standing behind him, similarly restrained. SAM CARTER is standing beside the camera, intently observing the scene as LINDSAY NOVAK pulls back for a wide shot of the group while ALLISON SIMPSON zooms in for a close-up of John’s face.
Colonel Jake Stone struggled against the guards restraining him, glaring at the priestess as she stood between him and the temple. “What have you done with Ryan?” he growled at her.
Chaya arched an eyebrow and gave him a cool look. “Doctor Mensa is unharmed. However, he has violated the sanctity of our temple.”
"There must be some kind of mistake."
"There is no mistake, Colonel Stone. Doctor Mensa has gazed upon that which is forbidden for off-worlders to see. This cannot go unpunished."
Stone froze. “And this punishment would be…?”
“The altar must be purified through the spilling of the offender’s vital essences. Once that is done, you and your people will be allowed to leave.”
Stone’s lips tightened. “And by ‘vital essences’ you mean?”
“His seed,” Chaya said simply. “His body must be penetrated and filled as he is stirred to pleasure, and his seed then spilled - “
“On the altar; yeah, I got that part,” Stone said impatiently.
“As you are his leader, you are permitted to perform the ritual on him, but if you fail to spill his seed, both your lives are forfeit."
“We do this thing and your people let Ryan go, unharmed?”
“You have my word, Colonel Stone,” Chaya said.
“Right,” said Stone, starting to unfasten his vest. “Let’s get this over with.”
"Colonel!" Major Adept said sharply. "You can’t risk going with them, unarmed. It could be a trap. One of us can - "
Stone shook his head. "Mensa’s on my team; he’s my responsibility."
Adept’s eyes slid to his own scientist, his gaze smoldering as he imagined his lover in a similar circumstance. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Understood, sir.”
Stone turned to the priestess. "Okay, I’ll do it. Take me to him."
Chaya made a gesture and the guards released the three men. Stone shrugged out of his vest and unfastened his thigh holster, handing both to Major Adept. "Go back to the gate and stand guard. If we’re not there in an hour, go back to Atlantis and bring reinforcements."
Major Adept nodded, then Stone turned back to follow the priestess into the temple.
“Cut!” Sam called out, and glanced sideways to her two camerawomen, confirming that they felt as good about the scene just shot as she did. “Extras, back to your places and we’ll get a few close-up shots of Evan and David with the crowd in the background. John, Chaya, you can take a break; we’ll start the interior temple scene with Rodney after lunch.”
John nodded and started toward the dressing rooms, to see if Rodney was through with make-up and ready for a lunch break. Chaya had other thoughts, though, and stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“That was very good acting, John.”
“Um, thanks,” John said, looking down at the hand grasping his arm with surprise. He’d thought that she’d steer clear of him after the heavy brush-off Rodney had given her the previous day, but apparently she was made of sterner stuff than that.
Chaya seemed to think this was an invitation to move closer and she did. “It’s quite refreshing; usually the men in our profession have no acting talent at all, but that’s not the case with you, is it? You are different from the others.”
Not waiting for a reply, she leaned closer, until her breasts were brushing against his arm. “The next scene is intense. Would you like to go to my dressing room and run lines? I can play Doctor Mensa’s part.” She gave him an enticing look from under her lashes that left him in no doubt of her meaning.
John’s eyes widened - his ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look, as Rodney called it - and he swallowed nervously. These things always took him by surprise, and he had no idea how to discourage the attention without making matters worse. At least this time he didn’t have to worry about being kicked off the set. “Look, you’re very nice, but…”
“I can be very, very nice.” She advanced on him and he backed away hastily until he found himself pinned against a wall, her hands invading his personal space with deliberate intent. “I’d like to show you just how nice I can be.”
“Back off, harpy,” a sharp voice said from behind her and John nearly slumped with relief as Rodney stormed over to them. “The botox shots must be shrinking what passes for your brain because you just don’t seem to be getting the message.”
Chaya glared at Rodney as she crossed her arms across her chest. “I do not see what business this is of yours.”
“Hello, partners?” Rodney snapped back. “As in committed and exclusive partners? Co-staring in a series of films together? Didn’t you even bother to look at the script or do a little research, or would that take too much time from your tanning bed schedule, Chippy?”
John winced and Chaya said icily, “My name is Chaya.”
Rodney flapped his hand dismissively. “Whatever. Let me put this simply for you because you are obviously not the brightest crayon in the box. In the first place, John’s very, very gay, and I don’t know how you haven’t figured this out before because, hello!, gay porn star! And in the second, he’s very, very mine.”
Chaya turned her back on Rodney and gave John a sultry pout. “Are you sure you’re gay, John?”
Rodney opened his mouth to reply but John beat him to it. Giving Rodney a lascivious look that made him blush, he said, “Sure I’m gay? Pretty much.”
Rodney gave her a smugly triumphant look. “Right. So just go elsewhere to ply your wares. I’d suggest a street corner near Sluts ‘R Us. You might get lucky if someone’s desperate enough.”
Chaya snarled something at Rodney and stormed off, brushing past Laura Cadman on her way out. Rodney watched her for a moment, a satisfied look on his face, then turned to give John a concerned look. “Are you okay?”
John shrugged and slid an arm around his lover’s waist. “Not a big deal. And you were around to defend my virtue.” He leaned in for a kiss. “My hero.”
Rodney gave him the look that said, of course, and genius here! Then waggled his eyebrows at John. “Want to go to our dressing room and…run lines?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Link to Part 2