Fic: Restless (PG)
Title: Restless
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Sheppard, Beckett, Emmagan, Ford, Zelenka, Everett, Lorne
Relationships: McKay/Sheppard pre-slash, Lorne/Weir implied
Rating: PG but series overall will probably be NC-17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: References to events (some somewhat different in this AU) in Condemned
Summary: Part 3 of the Unified Theory series-- an AU where Everett was never drained by the Wraith and kept his position as military commander of Atlantis.
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Rodney had discovered on their trip back on the Daedalus that John seemed to be plagued by occasional restless nights. The first time, he'd lain there and listened as John whimpered and shifted. The second time, he'd laid a calming hand on John's arm and John had followed the touch to his body, curling close.
Rodney had woken up before John and managed to disentangle himself. When he'd gotten out of the shower, John had just been waking up, apologising for hogging the bed, unscathed by whatever dreams or memories had triggered his restlessness in the night. Twice more on their trip, Rodney had found himself with John against him, heavy and warm with sleep, and twice he'd slipped out before John awoke.
He recalled times before when they'd been offworld and John had started awake and stomped out of their tent to check the perimeter. They'd been in separate sleeping bags, uncomfortable, and Rodney hadn't thought anything of John's sleeplessness at the time, but he'd begun to see the pattern.
And now, John was curling up against him again, hand fisted in Rodney's shirt, but still whimpering in the back of his throat. Rodney had never allowed himself to hold John in return, but now he slid arms around his ostensible husband and then soothingly rubbed his back. John stilled then and Rodney turned his head enough to feel John's hair against his cheek, remarkably soft. He breathed in the scent of the man and closed his eyes, warmth filling his body with a delicious lassitude. He knew he shouldn't enjoy this, shouldn't allow himself this indulgence, but for just this brief span John was his-- truly his-- and he accepted it as a rare treasure. Tomorrow morning, he would slip away, wrapping this moment up carefully and placing it away in his memories.
***
"Doctor Beckett?" Teyla's voice was quiet, exhausted.
He roused from sleep, sitting up in the infirmary bed he'd claimed as his own for the hours he'd need tonight. He glanced at his watch. Aiden would be here in another fifteen minutes. There would be a half an hour of hell, then he could return to his flat and rest for the rest of the night. "What is it, Teyla, luv?" he asked.
She sighed, her mouth set in an unhappy line. "I cannot sleep again. It has been especially difficult since the arrival of... the one they call Jim."
Carson nodded sympathetically. "I really hate to keep giving you sedatives," he said. "I think I'd like to try an antihistamine and see how that works for the night."
She nodded. "All right. I am grateful for your help."
He smiled at her as he rolled out of bed. "Ah, luv, no need to be grateful. If it weren't for my work, ye wouldn't be suffering so." He touched her lightly on the shoulder to lead her toward his office and felt the tension there. "Good Lord, your shoulders are so tense."
"Yes," she acknowledged, "my neck and shoulders have become very... painful."
"Would ye let me work the knots out for you?"
She smiled tentatively. "Of course, Doctor Beckett."
He pointed at an infirmary bed, sliding a curtain closed to block the view of anyone entering. "Lie down on your front. It would probably work better if you removed your blouse, but I'll leave that to you."
She considered for a moment, then turned from him and pulled the blouse over her head, then lay down on the bed. He rubbed his hands together to warm them, then carefully laid them against the back of her neck and began, slowly working outward. She made small sighs and whimpers of pain as he worked and he focused on her voice and the body under his hands, silent in concentration. So much of his work was cold, distant, theoretical or dealing with abused flesh-- tears, burns, bruises, gunshots, infection and fever. To touch warm flesh and feel the shift of muscle and hard bone under unscored skin was a strange delight amidst days of looking at slides, running computer simulations and sewing up wounds. Oh, the muscles were tight from a mind overwrought, but the flesh itself was whole. The world faded around him until there was nothing but the slide of his hands on warm flesh and the quiet sounds Teyla was making-- the hitch of a breath here as fingers pressed into a snarl of muscle; the release as his hands warmed an area, feeling the muscles relax.
"Is that better?" he asked, hands making one final survey of the geography of her back.
"Yes. Thank you, doctor."
"I'm glad to help. I'll go get your antihistamine while you dress."
"Hey, doc?" Aiden's voice called.
Carson glanced at his watch. Punctual as expected. "Come in, Aiden," he said, nodding to a bed. "Have a seat and I'll be with ye in a moment."
Ford did as he was told, fidgeting. Carson stepped to the medicine cabinet and drew out a bottle of pills and a small vial full of a yellow-orange liquid. He collected a hypo and a prescription bottle and label and returned to the main room.
"Hello, Aiden," Teyla said, stepping out from behind the curtain, tying the laces on her blouse.
"Teyla," he answered. "Is anything wrong?"
She gave him a tense smile. "I am having some difficulty in sleeping."
"Here you go, luv," Carson said, quickly filling in the label and sticking it to the bottle, then adding six pills. "Take two of these when you get back to your quarters. I've put in enough for two more nights. If you're still having difficulty after that, come see me again."
"Thank you, Doctor Beckett."
"Good night."
"Good night, Teyla," Aiden said, then turned to study Carson. Carson could see he was already beginning to twitch. "How long have I got, doc?"
Carson looked at his watch. "Twenty-four minutes."
"I don't know if I can wait that long," the former Marine said.
"If you need me to, I can restrain you," Carson answered, nodding to the straps on the side of the bed.
Aiden grimaced. "I'll try, doc."
"Just lie back and try to relax. Let's talk about something to get your mind off it. What have you and Doctor Corrigan been up to?"
"Just going over the details of MX4-956's society," Aiden said as he lay down. "He's all excited because of their marriage customs."
"Oh, aye? And what are they like?"
"It's sort of a group marriage thing. An entire generation of one family will marry an entire generation of another. No one much worries over who the specific father or mother of any one child is-- they're all just the family kids. That way if some of the parents get culled, but not all of them, the kids aren't orphaned and there's still family stability."
"Well, that works fairly well for the children, I suppose," Carson said. "But I feel sorry for the person who falls in love with someone outside their family group."
Aiden shrugged, then twitched. "It didn't seem to be a problem." He hissed suddenly, curling in on himself, a sweat breaking out on his brow. "I think you're going to have to restrain me, doc."
Carson sighed as he reached for the straps.
***
"Hey, Radek," John called as he stepped into the puddlejumper. "Rodney tells me we're going to be working together."
The Czech slid out from underneath a console, a frown of concentration on his face. "Good. I could use assistance."
"So, what happened to this one?" John asked.
"It was shot down by indigenous population using crude explosives."
"Low-tech, but effective. Where do you need me to start?"
"The main power distribution conduit is damaged, as well as one engine pod." Radek waved his hand in the direction of a datapad. "Perhaps you could assess damage to the engine pod while I continue work on power distribution."
"That works for me."
***
Lorne set his tray down across from Everett. "Sir," he greeted, nodding.
Everett nodded in return. "Major, how long before we can get your team back into rotation?"
Lorne stabbed a slice of potato, smiling at the familiar white of it. There was a Pegasus Galaxy starchy vegetable that tasted almost identical, but he'd always found the bright purple colour faintly disturbing. "I need to replace Walker, of course, but I had an idea."
"And that would be?" Everett asked.
"What would you think of Doctor Sheppard?"
Everett's face darkened. "That would put two scientists on your team."
"No one else needs one right now, and I didn't think you were planning to form anymore teams for a while. He's former military, so he's got combat experience, and he works well with Teyla and McKay."
"And that's my other concern. With McKay and Sheppard married, well... I just don't feel that fraternisation between team members is appropriate."
Lorne considered him a moment. "May I ask you a question, sir?"
Everett nodded.
"Do you have a problem with Doctor Sheppard?"
"I believe the man was involved in an affair with Doctor McKay, a man under his command and against military regulations, when he was last here. I don't condone or wish to appear to condone such disregard for orderly military behaviour."
"Doctor Weir doesn't believe so," Lorne said, then froze.
Everett's eyes flashed fire. "Doctor Weir's opinion is biased."
Lorne was silent, concentrating on eating for a moment while he thought. "Sir, if I may be so bold... If Doctors McKay and Sheppard were involved before-- and I'm not agreeing that they were, though I respect your opinion-- then it doesn't appear to have negatively impacted their working relationship. So, it stands to reason that it shouldn't interfere with it now, should it?"
Everett gave him a sour look. "I think it would be more appropriate for him to be on Lieutenant Cadman's team."
"With all due respect, I think that's a bad idea."
"How so?"
"He's a former major in the United States Air Force and former commander of this base. Regardless of his current standing, military personnel here are going to accord him the respect due his former rank. That would put someone of a lower rank in an uncomfortable position as his team leader. The only two teams he can really serve on without that being an issue would be mine or yours. He needs to be on an offworld team-- his experience is too invaluable to not use. So, it's your choice-- do you want him on your team or mine?"
Everett glared, then stood and picked up his tray. "If you want him, Major, you can have him. But don't say I didn't warn you."
"Thank you, sir," Lorne said to his retreating back, then watched as the object of his discussion and his supposed husband walked in together, earning a glare from the colonel as Sheppard slipped an arm around McKay's waist.
Perhaps Everett was right. The two did seem to be very close. Maybe they just didn't talk much.
He waved the two over when they had gotten their trays. As Sheppard stepped ahead of McKay, Lorne saw Rodney's eyes sweep down his husband's frame, a look of pure possession glinting in his eyes for just a moment, before it was gone.
Yes, he decided, Everett might just be right after all.
next part
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Sheppard, Beckett, Emmagan, Ford, Zelenka, Everett, Lorne
Relationships: McKay/Sheppard pre-slash, Lorne/Weir implied
Rating: PG but series overall will probably be NC-17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: References to events (some somewhat different in this AU) in Condemned
Summary: Part 3 of the Unified Theory series-- an AU where Everett was never drained by the Wraith and kept his position as military commander of Atlantis.
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Rodney had discovered on their trip back on the Daedalus that John seemed to be plagued by occasional restless nights. The first time, he'd lain there and listened as John whimpered and shifted. The second time, he'd laid a calming hand on John's arm and John had followed the touch to his body, curling close.
Rodney had woken up before John and managed to disentangle himself. When he'd gotten out of the shower, John had just been waking up, apologising for hogging the bed, unscathed by whatever dreams or memories had triggered his restlessness in the night. Twice more on their trip, Rodney had found himself with John against him, heavy and warm with sleep, and twice he'd slipped out before John awoke.
He recalled times before when they'd been offworld and John had started awake and stomped out of their tent to check the perimeter. They'd been in separate sleeping bags, uncomfortable, and Rodney hadn't thought anything of John's sleeplessness at the time, but he'd begun to see the pattern.
And now, John was curling up against him again, hand fisted in Rodney's shirt, but still whimpering in the back of his throat. Rodney had never allowed himself to hold John in return, but now he slid arms around his ostensible husband and then soothingly rubbed his back. John stilled then and Rodney turned his head enough to feel John's hair against his cheek, remarkably soft. He breathed in the scent of the man and closed his eyes, warmth filling his body with a delicious lassitude. He knew he shouldn't enjoy this, shouldn't allow himself this indulgence, but for just this brief span John was his-- truly his-- and he accepted it as a rare treasure. Tomorrow morning, he would slip away, wrapping this moment up carefully and placing it away in his memories.
***
"Doctor Beckett?" Teyla's voice was quiet, exhausted.
He roused from sleep, sitting up in the infirmary bed he'd claimed as his own for the hours he'd need tonight. He glanced at his watch. Aiden would be here in another fifteen minutes. There would be a half an hour of hell, then he could return to his flat and rest for the rest of the night. "What is it, Teyla, luv?" he asked.
She sighed, her mouth set in an unhappy line. "I cannot sleep again. It has been especially difficult since the arrival of... the one they call Jim."
Carson nodded sympathetically. "I really hate to keep giving you sedatives," he said. "I think I'd like to try an antihistamine and see how that works for the night."
She nodded. "All right. I am grateful for your help."
He smiled at her as he rolled out of bed. "Ah, luv, no need to be grateful. If it weren't for my work, ye wouldn't be suffering so." He touched her lightly on the shoulder to lead her toward his office and felt the tension there. "Good Lord, your shoulders are so tense."
"Yes," she acknowledged, "my neck and shoulders have become very... painful."
"Would ye let me work the knots out for you?"
She smiled tentatively. "Of course, Doctor Beckett."
He pointed at an infirmary bed, sliding a curtain closed to block the view of anyone entering. "Lie down on your front. It would probably work better if you removed your blouse, but I'll leave that to you."
She considered for a moment, then turned from him and pulled the blouse over her head, then lay down on the bed. He rubbed his hands together to warm them, then carefully laid them against the back of her neck and began, slowly working outward. She made small sighs and whimpers of pain as he worked and he focused on her voice and the body under his hands, silent in concentration. So much of his work was cold, distant, theoretical or dealing with abused flesh-- tears, burns, bruises, gunshots, infection and fever. To touch warm flesh and feel the shift of muscle and hard bone under unscored skin was a strange delight amidst days of looking at slides, running computer simulations and sewing up wounds. Oh, the muscles were tight from a mind overwrought, but the flesh itself was whole. The world faded around him until there was nothing but the slide of his hands on warm flesh and the quiet sounds Teyla was making-- the hitch of a breath here as fingers pressed into a snarl of muscle; the release as his hands warmed an area, feeling the muscles relax.
"Is that better?" he asked, hands making one final survey of the geography of her back.
"Yes. Thank you, doctor."
"I'm glad to help. I'll go get your antihistamine while you dress."
"Hey, doc?" Aiden's voice called.
Carson glanced at his watch. Punctual as expected. "Come in, Aiden," he said, nodding to a bed. "Have a seat and I'll be with ye in a moment."
Ford did as he was told, fidgeting. Carson stepped to the medicine cabinet and drew out a bottle of pills and a small vial full of a yellow-orange liquid. He collected a hypo and a prescription bottle and label and returned to the main room.
"Hello, Aiden," Teyla said, stepping out from behind the curtain, tying the laces on her blouse.
"Teyla," he answered. "Is anything wrong?"
She gave him a tense smile. "I am having some difficulty in sleeping."
"Here you go, luv," Carson said, quickly filling in the label and sticking it to the bottle, then adding six pills. "Take two of these when you get back to your quarters. I've put in enough for two more nights. If you're still having difficulty after that, come see me again."
"Thank you, Doctor Beckett."
"Good night."
"Good night, Teyla," Aiden said, then turned to study Carson. Carson could see he was already beginning to twitch. "How long have I got, doc?"
Carson looked at his watch. "Twenty-four minutes."
"I don't know if I can wait that long," the former Marine said.
"If you need me to, I can restrain you," Carson answered, nodding to the straps on the side of the bed.
Aiden grimaced. "I'll try, doc."
"Just lie back and try to relax. Let's talk about something to get your mind off it. What have you and Doctor Corrigan been up to?"
"Just going over the details of MX4-956's society," Aiden said as he lay down. "He's all excited because of their marriage customs."
"Oh, aye? And what are they like?"
"It's sort of a group marriage thing. An entire generation of one family will marry an entire generation of another. No one much worries over who the specific father or mother of any one child is-- they're all just the family kids. That way if some of the parents get culled, but not all of them, the kids aren't orphaned and there's still family stability."
"Well, that works fairly well for the children, I suppose," Carson said. "But I feel sorry for the person who falls in love with someone outside their family group."
Aiden shrugged, then twitched. "It didn't seem to be a problem." He hissed suddenly, curling in on himself, a sweat breaking out on his brow. "I think you're going to have to restrain me, doc."
Carson sighed as he reached for the straps.
***
"Hey, Radek," John called as he stepped into the puddlejumper. "Rodney tells me we're going to be working together."
The Czech slid out from underneath a console, a frown of concentration on his face. "Good. I could use assistance."
"So, what happened to this one?" John asked.
"It was shot down by indigenous population using crude explosives."
"Low-tech, but effective. Where do you need me to start?"
"The main power distribution conduit is damaged, as well as one engine pod." Radek waved his hand in the direction of a datapad. "Perhaps you could assess damage to the engine pod while I continue work on power distribution."
"That works for me."
***
Lorne set his tray down across from Everett. "Sir," he greeted, nodding.
Everett nodded in return. "Major, how long before we can get your team back into rotation?"
Lorne stabbed a slice of potato, smiling at the familiar white of it. There was a Pegasus Galaxy starchy vegetable that tasted almost identical, but he'd always found the bright purple colour faintly disturbing. "I need to replace Walker, of course, but I had an idea."
"And that would be?" Everett asked.
"What would you think of Doctor Sheppard?"
Everett's face darkened. "That would put two scientists on your team."
"No one else needs one right now, and I didn't think you were planning to form anymore teams for a while. He's former military, so he's got combat experience, and he works well with Teyla and McKay."
"And that's my other concern. With McKay and Sheppard married, well... I just don't feel that fraternisation between team members is appropriate."
Lorne considered him a moment. "May I ask you a question, sir?"
Everett nodded.
"Do you have a problem with Doctor Sheppard?"
"I believe the man was involved in an affair with Doctor McKay, a man under his command and against military regulations, when he was last here. I don't condone or wish to appear to condone such disregard for orderly military behaviour."
"Doctor Weir doesn't believe so," Lorne said, then froze.
Everett's eyes flashed fire. "Doctor Weir's opinion is biased."
Lorne was silent, concentrating on eating for a moment while he thought. "Sir, if I may be so bold... If Doctors McKay and Sheppard were involved before-- and I'm not agreeing that they were, though I respect your opinion-- then it doesn't appear to have negatively impacted their working relationship. So, it stands to reason that it shouldn't interfere with it now, should it?"
Everett gave him a sour look. "I think it would be more appropriate for him to be on Lieutenant Cadman's team."
"With all due respect, I think that's a bad idea."
"How so?"
"He's a former major in the United States Air Force and former commander of this base. Regardless of his current standing, military personnel here are going to accord him the respect due his former rank. That would put someone of a lower rank in an uncomfortable position as his team leader. The only two teams he can really serve on without that being an issue would be mine or yours. He needs to be on an offworld team-- his experience is too invaluable to not use. So, it's your choice-- do you want him on your team or mine?"
Everett glared, then stood and picked up his tray. "If you want him, Major, you can have him. But don't say I didn't warn you."
"Thank you, sir," Lorne said to his retreating back, then watched as the object of his discussion and his supposed husband walked in together, earning a glare from the colonel as Sheppard slipped an arm around McKay's waist.
Perhaps Everett was right. The two did seem to be very close. Maybe they just didn't talk much.
He waved the two over when they had gotten their trays. As Sheppard stepped ahead of McKay, Lorne saw Rodney's eyes sweep down his husband's frame, a look of pure possession glinting in his eyes for just a moment, before it was gone.
Yes, he decided, Everett might just be right after all.
next part