Like strawberries in summer by darkmoore [R]
Show: SG1/SGA
Rec Category: Alternate Universe
Characters: Carson Beckett, Jack O'Neill, John Sheppard, Major Lorne, Rodney McKay
Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Categories: Alternate Universe, Slash, Crossover/fusion
Warnings: Adult Themes, angst
Author on LJ: Darkmoore
Author's Website: Piersonfanfic
Link: Like strawberries in summer Part 1 with links to parts 2 & 3
Author's Website: Darkmoore on AO3 Link: Like strawberries in summer on AO3
Why This Must Be Read: The Summary says: Sentinels and Guides come in matched pairs, one near-perfect Guide for each Sentinel. Of course, things are never that easy for Sentinel Rodney McKay, though. He didn't find his Guide as a youth, and by the time he's in his forties, it doesn't seem like there's any chance.
Rodney McKay is a Sentinel who has yet to find a guide and has to relay on medication to keep his senses in check. As he gets older he realises that the new guides are getting younger and is unlikely to find his guide.
Major John Sheppard was due to go back to Afghanistan in three days when he comes across a zoned out Sentinel and tried to help him. The Sentinel is Rodney, and unbeknownst to them both they have bonded.
John doesn't want to be a guide and Rodney doesn't want to force John to change his life regardless of him being Rodney's guide but if John doesn't take Rodney as his Sentinel then Rodney could die. What will John do?
An unusual sight caught his eye. A man, standing completely still, in the middle of the sidewalk, staring into the distance. Something about the way he held himself and the fact he hadn't moved an inch since John had come near enough to be seen set off an alarm somewhere in John's mind. He approached the man, stepping into his field of vision purposefully, but nothing happened. Then John caught a glimpse of a necklace half hidden under the jacket of the man standing in front of him. John knew that charm, had seen a similar one thousands of times around his father's neck. It was the letter 'S', surrounded by five small stars that symbolized the five senses. And suddenly he knew what was wrong. The man was a Sentinel, caught in a zone-out.
Cursing under his breath, John quickly scanned the area for the man's Guide. He didn't want to risk a confrontation for touching the Sentinel if his Guide was just around the corner and ready to help. But the area was strangely deserted for this time of day. Hesitantly, John stepped closer to the man in front of him. He'd seen his own father in a zone-out every now and then and knew what it did to a Sentinel. He needed to get him out of it sooner rather than later.
Blocking the sight to the flickering light that John was reasonably sure had been the cause for the zone-out was only a first step. He felt a bit awkward, but he'd try what he had seen a few other Guides do to their Sentinels. Sure, he wasn't that man's Guide, but maybe he'd get a result anyway. So he took hold of one of the Sentinel's hands, and squeezed it gently, saying, "Sir, you need to focus on me. Come on, you can do it."
John's worry grew tenfold when it didn't work. Maybe it was important after all that he wasn't this man's Guide. But he needed to try again. He couldn't very well leave the man helpless and unprotected out here alone. "Listen to my voice. You need to focus. Please, I need your help!"
That did it and John let out a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding. Telling a Sentinel you needed help sometimes did the trick. Most Sentinels he knew were hands-on, ready to do whatever they could to help. After all, the anthropologists had said that was what their purpose had been all along. To protect and help.
The Sentinel blinked several times before yanking his hand out of John's, a confused, panicked look on his face.
"Calm down. It's okay. You had a zone-out. Everything's alright, no need to worry," John said hastily, raising his hands in a soothing manner.
The Sentinel's eyes narrowed at him. "Who are you? Where am I and ..." His eyes grew wide when realization hit. "Oh god, no, not again ..." he all but sobbed when John's words registered. "If they find out they'll try to put me on drugs again. I can't work on drugs, my brain gets all foggy and ... oh please, no ..."
He looked so stricken John impulsively put a hand on his arm, steadying him, "Whoa! Slow down, buddy. Why don't you calm down a bit and tell me what happened? Maybe I can help? And then I'll take you home; I really think you shouldn't go on your own. Wouldn't want for you to have your next zone-out in front of a car, now would we?" He knew he had to sound patronizing, but the man in front of him reminded him more of a lost little kid than a Sentinel who could fend for himself. Besides, John was pretty sure the man was at least slightly drunk.
The Sentinel seemed to get himself together as he took a shaky breath. "Thank you! I mean, for helping me out of that. Who knows what could have happened ..." he broke off, clearly uneasy. "I'm Doctor Rodney McKay and I'm a Sentinel, as you noticed. I ... I'm having a few problems with zone-outs, lately, but the drugs they try to force on me make me feel all sleepy and dizzy and my head feels all foggy and I can't work on my projects then and what use am I anyway if I can't ..." he ranted, obviously working himself up into a panic again.
"Stop!" John said, tightening his grip on the Sentinel ... Doctor McKay's arm. "I think I should bring you home now. Will your Guide be there or do you need to call them?"
McKay's body suddenly went stiff beneath his hands and he looked away from John, avoiding his eyes. "I don't have a Guide. Never found mine. That's why they want to force drugs on me. I'm unstable, a liability." He sounded bitter now and somehow resigned. "It's such a total waste of my genius. All because there's no-one out there who belongs to me ..." he trailed off and John was sure it was the alcohol speaking.
Rec Category: Alternate Universe
Characters: Carson Beckett, Jack O'Neill, John Sheppard, Major Lorne, Rodney McKay
Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Categories: Alternate Universe, Slash, Crossover/fusion
Warnings: Adult Themes, angst
Author on LJ: Darkmoore
Author's Website: Piersonfanfic
Link: Like strawberries in summer Part 1 with links to parts 2 & 3
Author's Website: Darkmoore on AO3 Link: Like strawberries in summer on AO3
Why This Must Be Read: The Summary says: Sentinels and Guides come in matched pairs, one near-perfect Guide for each Sentinel. Of course, things are never that easy for Sentinel Rodney McKay, though. He didn't find his Guide as a youth, and by the time he's in his forties, it doesn't seem like there's any chance.
Rodney McKay is a Sentinel who has yet to find a guide and has to relay on medication to keep his senses in check. As he gets older he realises that the new guides are getting younger and is unlikely to find his guide.
Major John Sheppard was due to go back to Afghanistan in three days when he comes across a zoned out Sentinel and tried to help him. The Sentinel is Rodney, and unbeknownst to them both they have bonded.
John doesn't want to be a guide and Rodney doesn't want to force John to change his life regardless of him being Rodney's guide but if John doesn't take Rodney as his Sentinel then Rodney could die. What will John do?
An unusual sight caught his eye. A man, standing completely still, in the middle of the sidewalk, staring into the distance. Something about the way he held himself and the fact he hadn't moved an inch since John had come near enough to be seen set off an alarm somewhere in John's mind. He approached the man, stepping into his field of vision purposefully, but nothing happened. Then John caught a glimpse of a necklace half hidden under the jacket of the man standing in front of him. John knew that charm, had seen a similar one thousands of times around his father's neck. It was the letter 'S', surrounded by five small stars that symbolized the five senses. And suddenly he knew what was wrong. The man was a Sentinel, caught in a zone-out.
Cursing under his breath, John quickly scanned the area for the man's Guide. He didn't want to risk a confrontation for touching the Sentinel if his Guide was just around the corner and ready to help. But the area was strangely deserted for this time of day. Hesitantly, John stepped closer to the man in front of him. He'd seen his own father in a zone-out every now and then and knew what it did to a Sentinel. He needed to get him out of it sooner rather than later.
Blocking the sight to the flickering light that John was reasonably sure had been the cause for the zone-out was only a first step. He felt a bit awkward, but he'd try what he had seen a few other Guides do to their Sentinels. Sure, he wasn't that man's Guide, but maybe he'd get a result anyway. So he took hold of one of the Sentinel's hands, and squeezed it gently, saying, "Sir, you need to focus on me. Come on, you can do it."
John's worry grew tenfold when it didn't work. Maybe it was important after all that he wasn't this man's Guide. But he needed to try again. He couldn't very well leave the man helpless and unprotected out here alone. "Listen to my voice. You need to focus. Please, I need your help!"
That did it and John let out a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding. Telling a Sentinel you needed help sometimes did the trick. Most Sentinels he knew were hands-on, ready to do whatever they could to help. After all, the anthropologists had said that was what their purpose had been all along. To protect and help.
The Sentinel blinked several times before yanking his hand out of John's, a confused, panicked look on his face.
"Calm down. It's okay. You had a zone-out. Everything's alright, no need to worry," John said hastily, raising his hands in a soothing manner.
The Sentinel's eyes narrowed at him. "Who are you? Where am I and ..." His eyes grew wide when realization hit. "Oh god, no, not again ..." he all but sobbed when John's words registered. "If they find out they'll try to put me on drugs again. I can't work on drugs, my brain gets all foggy and ... oh please, no ..."
He looked so stricken John impulsively put a hand on his arm, steadying him, "Whoa! Slow down, buddy. Why don't you calm down a bit and tell me what happened? Maybe I can help? And then I'll take you home; I really think you shouldn't go on your own. Wouldn't want for you to have your next zone-out in front of a car, now would we?" He knew he had to sound patronizing, but the man in front of him reminded him more of a lost little kid than a Sentinel who could fend for himself. Besides, John was pretty sure the man was at least slightly drunk.
The Sentinel seemed to get himself together as he took a shaky breath. "Thank you! I mean, for helping me out of that. Who knows what could have happened ..." he broke off, clearly uneasy. "I'm Doctor Rodney McKay and I'm a Sentinel, as you noticed. I ... I'm having a few problems with zone-outs, lately, but the drugs they try to force on me make me feel all sleepy and dizzy and my head feels all foggy and I can't work on my projects then and what use am I anyway if I can't ..." he ranted, obviously working himself up into a panic again.
"Stop!" John said, tightening his grip on the Sentinel ... Doctor McKay's arm. "I think I should bring you home now. Will your Guide be there or do you need to call them?"
McKay's body suddenly went stiff beneath his hands and he looked away from John, avoiding his eyes. "I don't have a Guide. Never found mine. That's why they want to force drugs on me. I'm unstable, a liability." He sounded bitter now and somehow resigned. "It's such a total waste of my genius. All because there's no-one out there who belongs to me ..." he trailed off and John was sure it was the alcohol speaking.