Fathers Day by Kharma2815 (Harlequin challenge)
Title: Fathers Day
Author: Kharma2815
Rating: Um, PG-13?
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and events are not mine. Not money is being made.
Spoilers: None
Pairing: McShep
Summary: Rodney unexpectedly becomes a father.
Word count: 2942
Notes: 3 firsts in one fic. My first post here, my first SG:A fic and my first slash fic, so I'm a little nervous. Any constructive criticism will be gratefully received. Unbetaed so any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
"No!" Rodney stated emphatically. "No way, not on your life and also nu-uh."
Elizabeth winced as the screaming that was coming from the other room went up a notch in volume and the walls shook. "Please, Rodney!" she begged. "You're the only one that she responds to."
"She responds to John as well," he pointed out and Elizabeth shook her head.
"Not like she does to you."
Rodney folded his arms and glared at her. "I am not looking after her, and that's final."
"She's just a baby, Rodney," John pointed out and Rodney turned the full force of his glare on him. Unfortunately, it only had the effect of making John's smirk even bigger than it usually was.
"She's not a baby, she's a devil child. How many other babies do you know that can throw things around the room with her mind when she's not happy?"
"Rodney,” Elizabeth said calmly. "I would rather not make this an order but I will if I have to."
"But I don't know anything about babies," he wailed and Elizabeth felt herself relax slightly, once he started using that particular tone of voice, she knew the battle was half won.
"I thought you had a younger sister," John pointed out.
"3 minutes younger," Rodney snapped. "I may have been an extra-ordinarily gifted child, but even I wasn't capable of looking after Jeannie at 3 minutes old."
"Major Sheppard can help you," Elizabeth suggested.
John looked shocked for a moment, then thoughtful and he finally shrugged in acquiescence.
Rodney sighed. "Okay," he said giving in. "But it's just temporary right? Just until we can go back to that God-forsaken planet and find her parents?"
"Absolutely!" Elizabeth agreed and Rodney sighed again, but nodded. The noise from the other room immediately stopped.
Carson and Elizabeth exchanged relieved smiles and left to go back to their offices. John slung his arm over Rodney's shoulder and steered him out of the side room and into the main infirmary.
"Come on," he said companionably. "Let's go and pick up your foster daughter."
Rodney muttered things under his breath that John was glad he couldn't really hear, but he allowed himself to be led away.
5 hours later the new father was settled back into his room, which had been rearranged to make room for all the needed baby paraphernalia that various people had cobbled together for him.
"This is never going to work," he complained as he looked around the room.
John looked up from the couch where he was making the baby giggle by blowing raspberries on her tummy.
"It'll be fine," he said calmly.
"What if she doesn't like me?" Rodney asked plaintively and glared when John just smiled. "Look," he snapped. "Just because every woman you've ever met has fallen at your feet, doesn't mean that it happens to everybody else. We're not all intergalactic playboys!"
"Come and sit down for a minute," John said and patted the couch next to him.
Rodney surprised himself by doing as suggested and gingerly sat down next to the man holding the baby, who instantly held her arms out to Rodney. She looked up at John in confusion, when the other man didn't take her.
John jiggled her for a second and whispered nonsense to her and she relaxed against him again. "Why won't you hold her?" he asked Rodney.
Rodney sat in tense silence for a moment and John though he wasn't going to answer and maybe they should rethink this whole thing, when Rodney suddenly spoke. "I'm scared," he whispered.
"What of?" John asked gently.
"What if I drop her and she hits her head and dies?" Rodney almost shouted. "She's so little and there's so many big things in the world and she could get hurt so easily!""
"Rodney," John said softly. "You're not going to hurt her. According to Carson, she's about a year old, so you don't have to worry about supporting her head or anything."
John could see that the other man wasn't entirely convinced yet, so he continued. "Babies are a lot tougher than they look you know. If they weren't, the human race wouldn't exist."
He held the baby out to Rodney. "Why don't you try holding her? I'm right here, so if you drop her, I'll catch her. Okay?"
Rodney closed his eyes for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay," he said and held his arms out.
John gently passed the baby over, who immediately snuggled into Rodney's shoulder, put her thumb in her mouth and fell asleep. Rodney looked down at her for a moment and then a slow smile crept across his face as he relaxed back into the couch.
A few minutes later and he too was asleep. John watched them both sleep for a moment before gently taking the baby from Rodney's arms and placing her in the crib that had made from an old packing crate. He tucked the blanket securely around her and bent down to drop a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Sweet dreams, little one," he whispered.
He watched for a moment, just to make sure she was settled, and then crossed to Rodney and draped the blanket from the bed over him. John watched the other man sleep for a second before acting on impulse on bending to softly kiss his forehead. "Sleep well, Rodney. You're going to make a great father."
He took a few minutes to straighten away some of the baby things that had suddenly appeared in Rodney's quarters, taking a moment to wonder where the hell the engineering staff had come up with a stroller, and then thought the lights dim and left to go to his own bed.
A couple of hours later the door to John’s room suddenly burst open and he woke with a start, automatically reaching for the sidearm lieing beneath the pillow he was resting on. “Who’s there?” he demanded.
“You have to help me,” Rodney begged. “She won’t stop crying!”
John relaxed when he heard Rodney’s voice and released the gun he hadn’t even been aware of holding. He glanced down at the baby in Rodney’s arms with a look of confusion. “She’s not crying now,” he pointed out.
“She’s not crying out loud, doofus!” Rodney snapped. “She’s crying in my head and she keeps sending me pictures of you which I guess means that she wants to look after her while we look for her parents which I think is a fantastic idea so you take her and I’ll go and get all her stuff and bring it over.”
John winced at Rodney’s run-on sentence but had to admire the breathe-control necessary to talk that long without taking a break. “You’re babbly Rodney,” he said with amusement and then frowned. “And what do you mean, she’s crying in your head?”
Rodney came into the room and sat on the end of John’s bed. “Just what I said and would you please take her from me for a minute?”
John reached out and took the baby from Rodney’s arms and he sighed in relief when the crying finally stopped. “So, let me get this straight,” John said. “Not only is she telekinetic but she’s telepathic, as well?”
“Looks like it,” Rodney said and flopped backwards onto the bed and closed his eyes.
“Wow!” John said, looking down at the baby in his arms with something akin to awe in his eyes.
“Do you have any idea how special you are?” he asked her and she gurgled and reached up to pat his face with one chubby hand, making him smile.
He looked over at Rodney. “Don’t suppose you thought to bring her crib with you, did you?” he asked.
Rodney snorted and answered him without opening his eyes. “Yeah,” he said. “I made it invisible first and grew an extra pair of arms so I could carry it. Dumbass.”
“Hey!” John scolded. “Little pitchers have big handles.”
Rodney finally cracked one eye open and looked up at John in disbelief. “What the hell does that mean?” he asked and John actually blushed a little.
“It’s something my Mom used to say to my Dad when I was a kid. She was basically telling him to watch his language in front of the kids and stop swearing.”
“Oh,” Rodney said and closed his eyes again. Neither of them spoke for a while and the baby drifted off to sleep, help securely in John’s arms.
“I think she’s asleep,” John said. “You could probably take her back to your room now.”
“Can’t I just leave her here for tonight,” the other man asked. “I mean, she’s asleep, I don’t want to disturb her.”
John looked down at the baby for a moment and the sighed. “Fine,” he said, giving in. “But you’re going to have to do something for me.”
“What?” Rodney asked suspiciously.
John nodded in the direction of his dresser. “Pull out one of the bottom drawers, dump everything in it on the floor and pad it with the spare blankets from the closet.”
“What on Atlantis for?”
“So she can sleep in it, of course,” John explained. “After all, she can’t sleep in the bed with me. She might get squashed.”
Rodney looked incredulous. “Is it safe for her to sleep in a drawer?” he asked.
“Perfectly. My Mom used to do it all the time when we had unexpected overnight guests and she hadn’t had a chance to get the portable crib out of the attic.”
Rodney still looked unbelieving but figured that John knew more about looking after babies than he did and did as he was told. “Where should I put it?” he asked.
“On the floor in front of the armchair,” John said. “That way I can keep an eye on her, but I don’t run the risk of her hurting herself by climbing out, like she would if I put her on the armchair.”
“Is she able to climb out by herself?” Rodney asked.
“Not sure,” John said as he settled the baby and pulled the blanket over her. “But if Carson’s right about her age, then she should at least be starting to get around under her own power.”
“Oh,” Rodney said and made for the door. “Well, it’s getting late. I should let you get back to bed and get some sleep.”
John walked with him to the door and thought it open, but for some reason, neither of them seemed inclined to actually say goodnight. They stood looking at each other for a moment and then John smiled. “I like the shirt, by the way,” he said and reached out to touch it.
Rodney glanced down at his Physicists Do It At Light-Speed t-shirt and blushed slightly. “My sister bought it for me,” he explained.
“Uh-huh,” John said and Rodney felt his skin go hot under the force of John’s smile.
Rodney gestured over his shoulder. “I really should go,” he said.
John folded his arms, leant against the doorframe and gave a one-shoulder shrug. “So go,” he said. “Who’s stopping you?”
Rodney closed his eyes for a moment and told himself that was imagining the fact that Major John Sheppard was coming on to him. After all, John could have pretty much anybody in the city. What would he want with Rodney McKay, a permanently sarcastic, workaholic genius? No, he told himself. He was just over tired and he was seeing things that weren’t there.
“Rodney?” John said quietly and reached out to touch him on the shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Rodney jumped, startled out of his thoughts. “What?” he said. “Oh yes, I’m fine. Just tired. I’m going to go and get some sleep.”
“Sleep well,” John said with a smile that looked like a cross between affectionate, amused and vaguely worried for some reason.
“Yes,” Rodney said, totally flustered by the events of the day. “You too.”
He turned to walk away and John went back into his room and the door closed behind him. It suddenly burst open again a few seconds later. “Rodney!” John called urgently. “I don’t think this is going to work.”
Rodney hurried back. “Why? What’s wrong?”
John winced and touched his head lightly. “Because the little madam is now wide awake, sending me pictures of you and screaming her little head off.”
Rodney walked into John’s room and John sighed in relief as the crying stopped, like a tap being turned off. “She’s stopped,” he said with a smile and Rodney felt the tension he hadn’t been aware suddenly disappear. “Think we should try again?” John asked and Rodney nodded.
He walked out the door and it slid shut behind him. Seconds later he opened it again and walked back in. “What the hell are we going to do?” he demanded as the screaming stopped and the flood of images of John Sheppard disappeared.
John rubbed his own head and sighed. “I don’t know,” he said. “But it looks like she wants us to stay together. For tonight, at least.”
Rodney looked around the room. “Well, I can’t stay here. There’s nowhere for me to sleep and why don’t you have a couch?”
John shrugged. “Never really needed one. You’re right about where you’re going to sleep though.” He glanced around the room and suddenly smiled. “I guess we’re just going to have to share the bed,” he said innocently.
Rodney looked flustered by the idea and glanced longingly at the door. A quick burst of crying made him wince and chase his mind about just walking out, regardless of the consequences and he sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But I get the left side and you can stay on the right.”
John checked on the baby one last night before getting back into bed, watching as Rodney did the same on the other side and then thought the overhead lights off, leaving just the bathroom light on low. “Relax Rodney,” he said when he realised how tense the other man was. “I promise your virtue will still be intact in the morning.”
“Not funny,” Rodney growled and John chuckled.
“If it wasn’t funny, what are you smiling for?”
Rodney muttered something no-doubt derogatory under his breath, but didn’t answer out loud.
“We’re a family now, aren’t we?” he asked after a few seconds.
“Looks like,” John replied. “A very strange family, but still a family. Is that okay?”
“I’ll let you know in the morning,” Rodney said and John shrugged.
“Fair enough,” he said and went silent.
“So,” John finally said. “I guess we should figure out what to call her.”
“I’m fairly sure she’s already got a name,” Rodney pointed out.
John turned onto his side and propped his head on one hand. “Yes,” he said. “But we don’t know what it is and we can’t keep calling her the baby.” Rodney opened his mouth to say something but John stopped him. “And no, we are not calling her Samantha.”
Rodney turned over and glared at him. “Fine!” he huffed. “In that case, we’re not calling her Alyssa.” John looked shocked for a moment.
“How did you know I was going to suggest that?” he asked.
Rodney smirked. “You talk in your sleep when we’re off-world,” he explained. “I know all about your Alyssa Milano obsession.”
John was silent for a moment and then smiled. “How about Catherine?” he suggested and Rodney smiled.
“Catherine,” he said quietly. “I like it. Catherine McKay.”
“Hey!” John objected. “I thought we were a family now. How about Catherine McKay-Sheppard?”
Rodney shook his head and John looked hurt for a moment that Rodney obviously didn’t want to share the baby with him, but then he notice the small smile on Rodney’s face. “I was thinking more along the lines of Catherine Sheppard-McKay.”
John thought about it for a second and then smiled. “I can live with that,” he said and then had a thought. “What happens when we find her parents?”
“We give her back,” Rodney said calmly and John’s chest went tight at the just the thought of giving up the little girl asleep in the drawer by the chair and never seeing her grow up. Rodney saw the pain reflected in John’s eyes and laid a hesitant hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure somewhere out there, there’s another little baby just looking for an incredibly brave and handsome, if occasionally moronic, man to be her father.”
“And maybe,” John couldn’t resist adding hopefully. “They’ll be looking for a genius workaholic as well.”
Rodney smiled slightly. “Maybe,” he said. “But we have time to discuss that, don’t we?”
“All the time in the world,” John agreed. Not giving himself time to think, he leaned over and gently pressed his lips to Rodney’s for a few seconds. “Okay?” he asked nervously.
Rodney closed his eyes and pressed his lips together for a second, thinking about it. “Very okay,” he finally said and smiled shyly. “We will definitely be discussing it later.”
“Okay,” John said and closed his eyes, relaxing back into the mattress. “Go to sleep, Rodney.”
“Yes, dear,” Rodney muttered as he started to drift off to sleep and John smiled in the darkness.
He looked towards the room where Catherine was asleep and blew a kiss in her direction. “Goodnight Katie,” he whispered. “And thank you.”
Rodney half woke up, snuggled into John’s side and fell back to sleep, but not before whispering, “Her name is Catherine.”
John wrapped his arm around Rodney’s shoulder and fell asleep himself, a grin bright enough to rival the sun on his face.
The End.