fic: Back Home [Pt.4]
TITLE: Back Home - Pt. 4
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: Settling down won't be easy for either of them. Ronon/Keller.
CATEGORY: romance/drama
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: 2,341
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: Sorry this took so long. It if helps to know, I really agonized over writing this chapter.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Back Home - Pt. 3
It's like lightning in a clear blue sky
There's a storm, but you keep it in side
It's like thunder when I look in your eyes
And it rolls, it rolls so deep.
“Rolls So Deep” by Aqualung
Ronon stirred awake as he felt Jennifer shift beside him. He cracked an eyelid to peek over at her. She appeared to be fighting off wakefulness as she groaned and buried her face in chest. Maybe that was another reason she preferred sleeping in his room. His quarters were situated so that the windows faced the west, where the morning sunlight did not shine through. That made it much easier to sleep in, as he would very much like to do this morning.
“I hate mornings,” he heard her say, groggily.
Jennifer had mumbled the words into his shirt, against his chest, and the sensation was strange yet appealing.
He opened both of his eyes to see her lifting her head to look into his face. He didn't know quite how to greet her after her expression of discontent. “Good morning?” He ventured a smile.
Ronon barely stifled a laugh as she buried her face in his chest once more. Then he realized something. Bringing his arms to circle her slight form, he rubbed her back consolingly. “You feeling ok?” Jennifer had not experienced any 'morning sickness' the past few days, but he didn't know how long it would last or if it would come and go.
Jennifer sniffled against is chest. She was . . .crying?!
“Jen?” Ronon sat up, gently lifting her with him. “What's wrong?”
Jennifer pulled away from him wiping fresh tears from her eyes. She sat up, tucking her legs underneath her.“I'm sorry,” she half sobbed, sniffling once again. “I'm just. . .it's just . . .” She closed her eyes and inhaled a ragged breath. When she opened them again, she seemed to have regained some composure.
“Hormones,” she said, as if that explained everything.
Ronon, however, was more than a little unsettled by Jennifer's behavior. Though he was glad that he wasn't the cause of Jennifer's unexpected outburst of emotion, it was just weird to have her crying all of a sudden, and it pained him to see her in such a state no matter what the source.
As if she sensed his doubt Jennifer reassured him, “I'm ok, really.” Her smile seemed sincere enough. He watched her as she moved her hand to brush a stray tendril behind her ear. He saw her hand freeze as her brow crinkled. She traced her hand over her ear and down the side of head, following the path of one of the braids he had done the night before.
“Hey. . .” she drawled. An amused smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. His hand came up to brace her hip as she climbed over him and off the bed. He watched with interest as she peered at her reflection in the mirror and took in her appearance. Ronon had enjoyed doing her hair the night before, but she had fallen asleep shortly before he had completed the style. Now he was surprised to find himself a bit nervous as to what her reaction would be upon seeing what he had done.
“Wow,” she was saying now, to his relief. She didn't appear to be on the verge of tears again, so Ronon took that as a good sign.
Jennifer spared a glance in his direction, a bright smile illuminating her features. “It's like, little French braids . . .” she trailed off as she turned her head to the side to better inspect his handiwork. She gingerly touched the back of her head where he had intertwined the five 'French braids' and twisted them around at the nape of her neck. “Oh cool . . . they're, like, in a little bun in the back.”
Ronon swung his legs over the side of t he bed and onto the floor to face her Jennifer as she sauntered over to stand before him. He found the series of movements incredibly sensual
“So,” she began, a smile still on her lips. “What's the story with you and hairstyling? Spill.” She playfully nudged his right shoulder, her fingertips ever cool.
He caught her hand before she could pull it back, taking the opportunity to brush his lips against the smooth skin of the inside of her wrist while he considered his reply. He took great pleasure in the flush that spread across Jennifer's face.
“My mother,” he answered.
Ronon explained further as Jennifer's brows lifting in obvious fascination. “She used to do the hair of a lot of the girls in my village. I used to sit and watch her.” He shrugged. “I guess she saw I noticed, and she taught me how. I got pretty good.”
“That you did,” Jennifer breathed, brushing her hands over her braids in wonder, and more than little appreciation. “I love it.”
Ronon felt heat rising in his cheeks now.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jennifer was nervous.
No, she thought. 'Concerned' might be a better word to describe how she was feeling. Definitely concerned. Not scared or terrified. Not yet, anyway.
As she was leaving the mess after breakfast that morning, Jennifer had run into Colonel Carter. Thinking on it now, it seemed more like the older woman had approached her, almost like she had even been looking for Jennifer specifically.
“Dr. Keller,” Col. Carter greeted with a nod and a smile. “How are you this morning.”
What does she mean “how am I?” Do I look sick . . . am I showing that much. . .does she know? The thoughts rushed through Jennifer mind before as she tried to think of an appropriate response. “Oh, hi Col. I'm fine, and you?”
Jennifer could not understand why she felt as if she was being accused of something. Col. Carter was only being polite, yet she felt like she was being interrogated by the woman's simple inquiry.
“I'm good,” Carter replied. “Wow. . . your hair. It looks really nice. Very becoming.”
“Oh?” Jennifer reached up to touch her hair before remembering how it looked, the braids Ronon had done the night before.”Oh yeah. Thank you.” Ronon, did it, she almost said. But she held off, because it seems like too intimate a detail to share, a special moment that she wanted to keep between them for now.
Jennifer watched as the other woman her tapped her fingers the laptop she was holding. “So,” she interjected. “Your shift in the infirmary doesn't begin until later this afternoon.”
“Yes, that's right. At two,” Jennifer confirmed.
“Well, if you have some free time before then, I'd like you to stop by my office.” Carter's blue eyes met Jennifer's as she waited for the young doctor's reply.
Oh, God. “Ok. I can stop by in half an hour, if that's alright.”
“Sounds good,” Carter said. “I'll see you then.”
Now Jennifer felt as if she was back in school, standing outside the office of the principal. Through the glass walls she could see Carter sitting at her desk, and Jennifer wondered at her chances of running away without being seen, but then the blond woman looked up and smiled, beckoning her to come in. And then Jennifer felt incredibly stupid for her moment of trepidation.
Somehow Jennifer's feet had carried her to the other side of the glass partition, and she had taken a seat in the chair opposite Carter's desk.
Sam was speaking, but Jennifer was having a hard time following her words. She asked how things were going in the infirmary, how the new additions to the medical personnel were fairing. Jennifer was pretty sure she managed coherent responses, for Carter would smile and nod and move on to the next thing.
Then she paused, and that caught Jennifer's attention. She saw concern in Carter's eyes and the pursing of her lips. “Jennifer, are you alright?”
“Yeah. I mean, yes, I'm fine.” Jennifer didn't realize she had slumped down in the chair until she sat up straighter, trying to give some semblance of professionalism. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you seem a little distracted at the moment, for one,” Carter replied with a knowing smile.
“Oh. . .” Jennifer began to fidget with her fingers and then stopped, entwining them and placing them neatly in her lap. “I've just had a lot on my mind lately.”
Col. Cater looked at Jennifer expectantly, as if she wished for her to explain more. Jennifer however, chose not to elaborate and just stared on as an increasingly uncomfortable silence filled the room.
Carter finally sighed. “Okaaay.” Abruptly, she rose from behind her desk and nodded to Jennifer. “You mind joining me for some fresh air?”
“Uhm, ok. Sure.” Jennifer rose as well and followed the woman out onto the balcony adjacent to the office.
As Jennifer followed Sam out onto the balcony, she was immediately soothed by the cool burst of fresh air against her face. She breathed in deeply and for a moment closed her eyes as she savored the light saltiness distinctive of ocean air.
“It really is beautiful out here,” Jennifer exhaled as she came walked over to the railing.
“Yes,” Carter agreed. “With all that going on in the city, the Replicators and the Wraith, we tend to forget what amazing beauty this galaxy actually has to offer.”
Jennifer simply nodded as she looked out onto the expanse of the city below. She had definitely been taking the Pegasus experience for granted lately. It wasn't like she could blame anyone though. The last few months had been particularly stressful, and now with everything going on with Ronon. . .
“Is something going on that you'd like to talk about?” Carter's voice brought her out of her musing.
Jennifer turned to look at the woman as she continued. “Between you and Ronon, possibly?”
She wanted to say something, anything, to allay the her superior's concerns, but all Jennifer could manage was a wide-eyed expression. She was pretty certain her face was growing red as well.
“Look, normally I wouldn't ask about your personal life. But the past few weeks I've noticed something changes. I've seen from the logs that you've been taking a lot of days off in the infirmary.” She sighed and it seemed to Jennifer that Carter was having as hard a time saying the words as Jennifer was having hearing them. She figured Carter took her continued silence and lack of denial as evidence that she was on the right track with her suspicions.
“I didn't want to say anything. At first I sensed a bit of awkwardness between you two after you came back from Ferra. I realize it was quite an ordeal for you, and maybe I should have been more direct in suggesting that you . . . talk to someone about it then.”
Oh great. “It's . . . I don't have post-traumatic stress,” Jennifer managed to say.
“That may be true,” Carter allowed. “But there is something going on?”
“Yes.” Jennifer leaned into the railing, chewing the inside of her cheek in an effort to stifle the words that were fighting to bubble forth.
“You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable, but it's obvious you need to tell someone. I can't have my Chief of Medicine breaking down because she's overworked and stressed, no matter what the cause.”
“I'm pregnant,” Jennifer felt as if the words exploded from her mouth, though it came out as barely a whisper. Jennifer forced herself to look up into Carter's eyes which were now wide with shock. “It's Ronon's. Well, they're Ronon's. It's twins.” The words rushed from Jennifer now, as she answered what she felt was the next obvious question.
Jennifer wished that she could blame the tears stinging her eyes on the biting, salty wind. For weeks she had tried to steel herself for the inevitability of this moment. She knew she would have to tell Carter eventually. She thought she was fine with it, with the idea. Yet now, waiting for some sort of response from the woman was proving unbearable. It was too much.
And then she felt a hand gently reston her forearm as it draped over the railing. Her view of the city's spires had blurred under the unshed she had yet to blink away. She looked back to Carter to see that her face now betrayed nothing but warmth and understanding.
For the first time in weeks, Jennifer felt a little less unsure.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Once in the seclusion of her quarters, Jennifer allowed herself to breath for the first time in what seemed like hours. Her little meeting with Col. Carter-Sam-had gone better than she had hoped. Ultimately, Jennifer was relieved to find that she wasn't fired. Not that she had expected the Carter to respond particularly rash to the news of her condition-her pregnancy-but, Jennifer couldn't recall what exactly she had expected to happen. However none of the scenarios she could think up ended well for her-or Ronon-and she was pretty certain that she would have been packing her bags right now.
But she wasn't.
She didn't have to, at least, not for a while.
Jennifer was a bit disappointed with herself for thinking that Carter would respond any other way than she had-with genuine compassion and words of reassurance. Sam was awesome.
Jennifer giggled to herself, shaking her head. She felt more than a little giddy now having been relieved of the burdensome worry that had plagued her for weeks.
She slid into her desk chair and moved the mouse to deactivate the screensaver on her laptop. “Three new emails. . .” she mumbled as she clicked the icon to open the mail program. One of the emails pertaining to her administrative duties in the infirmary. Another one was from Marc; apparently he'd made some more headway in identifying the compounds in the Ferran cocktail. The last new message was from-
“Aunt Joanna. . .?” Hoping to allay her confusion, Jennifer clicked the message and began reading.
She didn't get very far before she started to cry.
TBC.
Back Home - Pt. 5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: Sorry (kind of) for the horrible cliffhanger, but it had to be done, really. This was a really pivotal chapter as far as shifting the action of the story, so I hope you guy like it. I'm fairly confident the rest of the story will flow much quicker now (hoping, anyway). Let me know what you think.
Yes, Sheppard is still in the dark. I'm holding out as long as possible on that one.
Yes, I so named the character after you. :)
Thanks to
sezjarafor the background info on Sam,
tardiscalling84for reading an early version, and
journeyman07for being a great alpha (someone who helps the story along as it's being written).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: Settling down won't be easy for either of them. Ronon/Keller.
CATEGORY: romance/drama
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: 2,341
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: Sorry this took so long. It if helps to know, I really agonized over writing this chapter.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Back Home - Pt. 3
It's like lightning in a clear blue sky
There's a storm, but you keep it in side
It's like thunder when I look in your eyes
And it rolls, it rolls so deep.
“Rolls So Deep” by Aqualung
Ronon stirred awake as he felt Jennifer shift beside him. He cracked an eyelid to peek over at her. She appeared to be fighting off wakefulness as she groaned and buried her face in chest. Maybe that was another reason she preferred sleeping in his room. His quarters were situated so that the windows faced the west, where the morning sunlight did not shine through. That made it much easier to sleep in, as he would very much like to do this morning.
“I hate mornings,” he heard her say, groggily.
Jennifer had mumbled the words into his shirt, against his chest, and the sensation was strange yet appealing.
He opened both of his eyes to see her lifting her head to look into his face. He didn't know quite how to greet her after her expression of discontent. “Good morning?” He ventured a smile.
Ronon barely stifled a laugh as she buried her face in his chest once more. Then he realized something. Bringing his arms to circle her slight form, he rubbed her back consolingly. “You feeling ok?” Jennifer had not experienced any 'morning sickness' the past few days, but he didn't know how long it would last or if it would come and go.
Jennifer sniffled against is chest. She was . . .crying?!
“Jen?” Ronon sat up, gently lifting her with him. “What's wrong?”
Jennifer pulled away from him wiping fresh tears from her eyes. She sat up, tucking her legs underneath her.“I'm sorry,” she half sobbed, sniffling once again. “I'm just. . .it's just . . .” She closed her eyes and inhaled a ragged breath. When she opened them again, she seemed to have regained some composure.
“Hormones,” she said, as if that explained everything.
Ronon, however, was more than a little unsettled by Jennifer's behavior. Though he was glad that he wasn't the cause of Jennifer's unexpected outburst of emotion, it was just weird to have her crying all of a sudden, and it pained him to see her in such a state no matter what the source.
As if she sensed his doubt Jennifer reassured him, “I'm ok, really.” Her smile seemed sincere enough. He watched her as she moved her hand to brush a stray tendril behind her ear. He saw her hand freeze as her brow crinkled. She traced her hand over her ear and down the side of head, following the path of one of the braids he had done the night before.
“Hey. . .” she drawled. An amused smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. His hand came up to brace her hip as she climbed over him and off the bed. He watched with interest as she peered at her reflection in the mirror and took in her appearance. Ronon had enjoyed doing her hair the night before, but she had fallen asleep shortly before he had completed the style. Now he was surprised to find himself a bit nervous as to what her reaction would be upon seeing what he had done.
“Wow,” she was saying now, to his relief. She didn't appear to be on the verge of tears again, so Ronon took that as a good sign.
Jennifer spared a glance in his direction, a bright smile illuminating her features. “It's like, little French braids . . .” she trailed off as she turned her head to the side to better inspect his handiwork. She gingerly touched the back of her head where he had intertwined the five 'French braids' and twisted them around at the nape of her neck. “Oh cool . . . they're, like, in a little bun in the back.”
Ronon swung his legs over the side of t he bed and onto the floor to face her Jennifer as she sauntered over to stand before him. He found the series of movements incredibly sensual
“So,” she began, a smile still on her lips. “What's the story with you and hairstyling? Spill.” She playfully nudged his right shoulder, her fingertips ever cool.
He caught her hand before she could pull it back, taking the opportunity to brush his lips against the smooth skin of the inside of her wrist while he considered his reply. He took great pleasure in the flush that spread across Jennifer's face.
“My mother,” he answered.
Ronon explained further as Jennifer's brows lifting in obvious fascination. “She used to do the hair of a lot of the girls in my village. I used to sit and watch her.” He shrugged. “I guess she saw I noticed, and she taught me how. I got pretty good.”
“That you did,” Jennifer breathed, brushing her hands over her braids in wonder, and more than little appreciation. “I love it.”
Ronon felt heat rising in his cheeks now.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jennifer was nervous.
No, she thought. 'Concerned' might be a better word to describe how she was feeling. Definitely concerned. Not scared or terrified. Not yet, anyway.
As she was leaving the mess after breakfast that morning, Jennifer had run into Colonel Carter. Thinking on it now, it seemed more like the older woman had approached her, almost like she had even been looking for Jennifer specifically.
“Dr. Keller,” Col. Carter greeted with a nod and a smile. “How are you this morning.”
What does she mean “how am I?” Do I look sick . . . am I showing that much. . .does she know? The thoughts rushed through Jennifer mind before as she tried to think of an appropriate response. “Oh, hi Col. I'm fine, and you?”
Jennifer could not understand why she felt as if she was being accused of something. Col. Carter was only being polite, yet she felt like she was being interrogated by the woman's simple inquiry.
“I'm good,” Carter replied. “Wow. . . your hair. It looks really nice. Very becoming.”
“Oh?” Jennifer reached up to touch her hair before remembering how it looked, the braids Ronon had done the night before.”Oh yeah. Thank you.” Ronon, did it, she almost said. But she held off, because it seems like too intimate a detail to share, a special moment that she wanted to keep between them for now.
Jennifer watched as the other woman her tapped her fingers the laptop she was holding. “So,” she interjected. “Your shift in the infirmary doesn't begin until later this afternoon.”
“Yes, that's right. At two,” Jennifer confirmed.
“Well, if you have some free time before then, I'd like you to stop by my office.” Carter's blue eyes met Jennifer's as she waited for the young doctor's reply.
Oh, God. “Ok. I can stop by in half an hour, if that's alright.”
“Sounds good,” Carter said. “I'll see you then.”
Now Jennifer felt as if she was back in school, standing outside the office of the principal. Through the glass walls she could see Carter sitting at her desk, and Jennifer wondered at her chances of running away without being seen, but then the blond woman looked up and smiled, beckoning her to come in. And then Jennifer felt incredibly stupid for her moment of trepidation.
Somehow Jennifer's feet had carried her to the other side of the glass partition, and she had taken a seat in the chair opposite Carter's desk.
Sam was speaking, but Jennifer was having a hard time following her words. She asked how things were going in the infirmary, how the new additions to the medical personnel were fairing. Jennifer was pretty sure she managed coherent responses, for Carter would smile and nod and move on to the next thing.
Then she paused, and that caught Jennifer's attention. She saw concern in Carter's eyes and the pursing of her lips. “Jennifer, are you alright?”
“Yeah. I mean, yes, I'm fine.” Jennifer didn't realize she had slumped down in the chair until she sat up straighter, trying to give some semblance of professionalism. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you seem a little distracted at the moment, for one,” Carter replied with a knowing smile.
“Oh. . .” Jennifer began to fidget with her fingers and then stopped, entwining them and placing them neatly in her lap. “I've just had a lot on my mind lately.”
Col. Cater looked at Jennifer expectantly, as if she wished for her to explain more. Jennifer however, chose not to elaborate and just stared on as an increasingly uncomfortable silence filled the room.
Carter finally sighed. “Okaaay.” Abruptly, she rose from behind her desk and nodded to Jennifer. “You mind joining me for some fresh air?”
“Uhm, ok. Sure.” Jennifer rose as well and followed the woman out onto the balcony adjacent to the office.
As Jennifer followed Sam out onto the balcony, she was immediately soothed by the cool burst of fresh air against her face. She breathed in deeply and for a moment closed her eyes as she savored the light saltiness distinctive of ocean air.
“It really is beautiful out here,” Jennifer exhaled as she came walked over to the railing.
“Yes,” Carter agreed. “With all that going on in the city, the Replicators and the Wraith, we tend to forget what amazing beauty this galaxy actually has to offer.”
Jennifer simply nodded as she looked out onto the expanse of the city below. She had definitely been taking the Pegasus experience for granted lately. It wasn't like she could blame anyone though. The last few months had been particularly stressful, and now with everything going on with Ronon. . .
“Is something going on that you'd like to talk about?” Carter's voice brought her out of her musing.
Jennifer turned to look at the woman as she continued. “Between you and Ronon, possibly?”
She wanted to say something, anything, to allay the her superior's concerns, but all Jennifer could manage was a wide-eyed expression. She was pretty certain her face was growing red as well.
“Look, normally I wouldn't ask about your personal life. But the past few weeks I've noticed something changes. I've seen from the logs that you've been taking a lot of days off in the infirmary.” She sighed and it seemed to Jennifer that Carter was having as hard a time saying the words as Jennifer was having hearing them. She figured Carter took her continued silence and lack of denial as evidence that she was on the right track with her suspicions.
“I didn't want to say anything. At first I sensed a bit of awkwardness between you two after you came back from Ferra. I realize it was quite an ordeal for you, and maybe I should have been more direct in suggesting that you . . . talk to someone about it then.”
Oh great. “It's . . . I don't have post-traumatic stress,” Jennifer managed to say.
“That may be true,” Carter allowed. “But there is something going on?”
“Yes.” Jennifer leaned into the railing, chewing the inside of her cheek in an effort to stifle the words that were fighting to bubble forth.
“You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable, but it's obvious you need to tell someone. I can't have my Chief of Medicine breaking down because she's overworked and stressed, no matter what the cause.”
“I'm pregnant,” Jennifer felt as if the words exploded from her mouth, though it came out as barely a whisper. Jennifer forced herself to look up into Carter's eyes which were now wide with shock. “It's Ronon's. Well, they're Ronon's. It's twins.” The words rushed from Jennifer now, as she answered what she felt was the next obvious question.
Jennifer wished that she could blame the tears stinging her eyes on the biting, salty wind. For weeks she had tried to steel herself for the inevitability of this moment. She knew she would have to tell Carter eventually. She thought she was fine with it, with the idea. Yet now, waiting for some sort of response from the woman was proving unbearable. It was too much.
And then she felt a hand gently reston her forearm as it draped over the railing. Her view of the city's spires had blurred under the unshed she had yet to blink away. She looked back to Carter to see that her face now betrayed nothing but warmth and understanding.
For the first time in weeks, Jennifer felt a little less unsure.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Once in the seclusion of her quarters, Jennifer allowed herself to breath for the first time in what seemed like hours. Her little meeting with Col. Carter-Sam-had gone better than she had hoped. Ultimately, Jennifer was relieved to find that she wasn't fired. Not that she had expected the Carter to respond particularly rash to the news of her condition-her pregnancy-but, Jennifer couldn't recall what exactly she had expected to happen. However none of the scenarios she could think up ended well for her-or Ronon-and she was pretty certain that she would have been packing her bags right now.
But she wasn't.
She didn't have to, at least, not for a while.
Jennifer was a bit disappointed with herself for thinking that Carter would respond any other way than she had-with genuine compassion and words of reassurance. Sam was awesome.
Jennifer giggled to herself, shaking her head. She felt more than a little giddy now having been relieved of the burdensome worry that had plagued her for weeks.
She slid into her desk chair and moved the mouse to deactivate the screensaver on her laptop. “Three new emails. . .” she mumbled as she clicked the icon to open the mail program. One of the emails pertaining to her administrative duties in the infirmary. Another one was from Marc; apparently he'd made some more headway in identifying the compounds in the Ferran cocktail. The last new message was from-
“Aunt Joanna. . .?” Hoping to allay her confusion, Jennifer clicked the message and began reading.
She didn't get very far before she started to cry.
TBC.
Back Home - Pt. 5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: Sorry (kind of) for the horrible cliffhanger, but it had to be done, really. This was a really pivotal chapter as far as shifting the action of the story, so I hope you guy like it. I'm fairly confident the rest of the story will flow much quicker now (hoping, anyway). Let me know what you think.
Yes, Sheppard is still in the dark. I'm holding out as long as possible on that one.
Yes, I so named the character after you. :)
Thanks to
sezjarafor the background info on Sam,
tardiscalling84for reading an early version, and
journeyman07for being a great alpha (someone who helps the story along as it's being written).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .