fic- "Time Heals" (NC-17, Complete, SGA, Ties that Bind) Part 10
Time Heals by CJ aka WritinginCT (NC-17)
Fandom: Stargate SGA
Pairing: multiple m/m (primarily OC's), m/f, m/m/f
Warnings: rape/ torture recovery (non graphic descriptions of the assault itself)
Categories: Drama, romance, friendship, family, BDsM.
Disclaimer: I don't own the recognizable characters I'm just inspired by them.
Status: Complete 6/08/2011 53200 words
Summary: Time may have healed their bodies, but for two damaged men assigned to Atlantis, it will take meeting each other to truly become whole again.
Note: Set, with permission, in the alternate SGA universe The Ties That Bind created by keiramarcos , which was inspired by xanthelj 's works Coming Home and General & Dr. Sheppard.
Thanks to singletailwhip for the grammar beta! She's a master comma wrangler and error catcher!
Special thanks to Keira for letting me play in her sandbox and her support and beta. I adore the TTB series and I'm so excited to have permission to be a part of it- thank you, Keira!
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They sat and ate, Carmine's inhaling of his first plateful let Joey know how hungry the other man truly was.
Carmine was buttering some bread and asked casually, "So how were things with Adrian? Any issues? Any asses I need to kick?"
Joey swallowed what he had been chewing and took a big drink of water. "No, no asses to kick, but there is something you should know."
"I'm listening," Carmine said before breaking off a piece of bread and popping it in his mouth.
In a confident tone that sort of surprised Carmine, Joey explained about his night terror and his subsequent reveal of his past to Adrian.
"He was okay with it? You're okay with it?" Carmine asked with a little concern.
"Yeah, he was and he's very... I guess supportive is the word."
"He's good like that. He's got a big heart and he really does care about you. To him you're family, and that's that."
Joey grinned. "I'm starting to understand that. I don't think I really did before."
"So what about you? You seem pretty upbeat about it."
"It's weird. I've been so afraid of people finding out because I was worried about how they would look at me, like I was something broken or defective. But that wasn't Dr. Beckett or Dr. Johnson or Adrian's response. Everyone is shocked and disgusted for me and not by me."
"I think you'll find that any decent human being would be, Joey."
"Yeah. It's kind of a relief, you know, having other people know about it. It's taken a little of the pressure off of me."
Carmine nodded and scooped himself out some more fake chicken. "So what else has been going on? Did you keep your appointment with Emily?"
"Yes, sir. We actually had a good session. And that brings up something else I need to tell you about."
"Well, you have been busy. What something else?"
Joey's cheeks began to flush, and within moments his face and neck were scarlet. In long and drawn out, embarrassed statements Joey finally managed to share the details of his meeting with Katie Brown, and his discussion about it with Dr. Johnson.
Carmine thought hard for a moment. "I don't think I've met Katie."
Joey's eyes were fixed on his plate and avoiding Carmine. Carmine reached over and gently cupped Joey's cheek in his big hand.
"Hey, for the record I agree with Emily. What you're feeling is healthy and natural and there is no reason for you to be ashamed about it."
Joey looked up and Carmine could see relief easing the doubt they held.
Carmine gave Joey a little grin. "I told you that if you ever met a woman you wanted that I would do everything in my power to make it happen for you. So, should I make an effort to meet this mysterious Katie Brown that has you so twisted up?"
"We'd have to tell her about me. To explain."
"Yes, we would. Would you be okay with that?
"With her I think I am, she's a very kind and gentle person. But I don't know if it will all be a complete turn off for her or not."
"There's only one way to find out. But only if you want me to approach her."
Joey looked back down at his plate, his flush back in full force. He grinned and replied, "I would like that, sir, very much."
They finished their meal in companionable quiet.
---------------
After dinner, Joey showered and joined a naked Carmine who was stretched out on top of the blankets on their bed.
Carmine pulled a nude Joey on top of him and kissed him. His big hands were roaming all over Joey's back and he was savoring the feel of Joey's soft skin over lean muscle.
With a playful little grin he teased Joey, "I love touching you, you know. Just like this."
"I love having you touch me like that. It makes me feel wanted and... loved."
"Well, you are," Carmine said and kissed Joey tenderly to emphasize.
With a suggestive wag of his eyebrows, Carmine asked, "So any suggestions on tonight's future activities?"
Joey's eyes locked onto Carmine's for a long moment, his expression thoughtful and serious. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again without saying a word.
"What?" Carmine prodded.
"I was thinking..." Joey's words trailed off and he swallowed hard. He took a breath and stretched to reach into the nightstand. He grabbed a tube of lubricant. Without a word, he pressed it into Carmine's hand.
Carmine's eyes darkened with lust, there was no denying that he had been looking forward to finally being inside of Joey. Slowly he licked his lips and asked gently, giving Joey a graceful out if he had just been impulsive, "Are you sure?"
Joey nodded and replied in a low near-whisper, "Yes. Very. But I don't think I can... I mean I don't know if we should..."
Carmine tried to make sense of Joey's stammering and hazarded a guess. "No bondage, nothing from the toy box. Just you and me, here in our bed, where you feel safe."
Joey nodded and Carmine smiled gently before quickly flipping them around so Joey was underneath him. He kissed Joey, toying with Joey's bottom lip with his teeth. He moved his mouth down to torment Joey's neck and teased, "I can work with that."
The lube was dropped casually off to the side and Carmine amused himself by using his hands and mouth to get Joey hard and needy.
While Carmine's mouth was teasing and nibbling on the inside of Joey's thigh, his hand found the tube on the bed. He shifted a bit on the bed and licked a wide stripe along Joey's cock. Softly he said, "I'm going to touch you now, it's just me here."
The briefest of flickers of tension ran through Joey as Carmine's slick finger gently entered him. Carmine looked up and was relieved that there was no sign of panic on Joey's face though. He turned his attention back to Joey's cock and balls. Slowly and surely Carmine worked his fingers and his mouth in perfect counterpoint. He had to work not to grin as Joey fisted the sheets as he tried to arch and writhe so turned on he didn't know which way was up.
Carmine's breath was uneven and hot against the sensitive skin of Joey's inner thigh as he asked, "Ready for me?"
Joey's own breathing was ragged and his mouth parched. He looked down and met Carmine's eyes and groaned, "Yes. Please, sir, please...."
Carmine sat up and quickly slicked up his own aching cock. He covered Joey's body with his and gently but firmly pushed himself inside.
Carmine paused and let Joey's body accommodate him. It also gave him a moment to breathe himself, he had expected the squeeze and the heat, but not the emotional punch of finally being inside Joey. That Joey trusted him enough to get beyond his past and welcome him into his body was almost emotionally overwhelming for Carmine.
He looked at Joey's face and saw no signs of distress or discomfort. He claimed Joey's mouth possessively and slowly began to move. Long and slow and deep he fucked Joey, like they had all the time in the world.
---------------
There was to be no basking in the afterglow or falling asleep in each other's arms, however. They had just cleaned themselves up and flopped back into bed when Carmine's radio chirped on the nightstand. He quickly answered it, immediately sitting up and replying, "Meet me here in five."
Carmine turned to Joey and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. "Something's going on with those visitors from the IOA. Ramon and Adrian will be here in a minute. I want you two to stay here until I know exactly what's going on."
Joey nodded and the two men quickly dressed. Just as Joey was pulling his t-shirt up over his head, their door chimed.
Ramon and Adrian looked about as disheveled as they did. There was a hard set to Ramon's face.
"What happened?" Carmine asked.
"From what I got, it sounds like General Jordan tried to rape Commander Sheppard."
"What?"
"Yeah. It gets worse though, Commander Sheppard defended himself and landed a good one to Jordan's face."
"Striking a superior officer, wonderful. He's a Geisha for Christ's sake. This is going to be messy."
"Yeah."
Carmine turned to Joey and Adrian. "You two stay here. I've got to go see what's going on. I'm not specifically in the chain of command, but I am a ranking officer and this is going to turn the city into a fucking powder keg."
Joey and Adrian both nodded, and Carmine and Ramon turned and left, Carmine buckling on his sidearm as they walked.
---------------
After getting a more accurate briefing on the situation from Master Chief Frost, Carmine and Ramon made the rounds about the city cooling flaring tempers where they could and correcting the misinformation about the incident that had morphed as it traveled from person to person like a game of telephone gone awry.
It was a long night, and the tension on the city was high.
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The gymnasium was packed to witness the morning's punishments. Joey envied Adrian a little in being a civilian and not having to witness it.
Joey stood at attention next to Carmine while General Jordan viciously administered the punishment. He couldn't help his eyes from wandering to Dr. McKay; he couldn’t even begin to think of what had to be going on inside the Courtesan as his Dom was so brutally beaten in front of him.
There was an almost tangible wave of satisfaction that went through the entire assembled company when the other visitor slapped General Jordan with the strap he had attempted to bring down across Colonel Sheppard's abused back for an extra lash.
As the company disassembled, Joey could see a hard set to Carmine's jaw. He laid a hand gently on Carmine's arm.
Carmine met his eyes and finally relaxed an iota. Joey said lightly, "I need to get to work. We've got a couple of teams heading out this morning."
Carmine nodded. "I'll walk you."
They walked to the control room, and like he did every other time he had walked Joey to work, Carmine kissed him tenderly right there in front of everyone before Joey headed down the stairs and off to his work area. Jordan and his escort were in the control room waiting for their dial-out and tension in the room was reaching explosive levels. Carmine went and stood in an out-of-the-way corner with his arm crossed and an unreadable expression on his face, and he didn't move until Jordan was finally gone from Atlantis.
---------------
Even with all the turmoil on the city, Joey made sure to keep his regular appointment with Dr. Johnson later that afternoon.
"So that's a big step," Emily said cheerfully.
Joey blushed and answered back, "Yeah. I'd forgotten how much I like being penetrated."
Emily grinned again. "Was Carmine surprised when you offered?"
"A little. But you know him, he's good at going with the flow."
"Yes, he is. So you sound pretty happy about it all, am I reading that right?"
"Definitely, I just wish that we had done it sooner. It seems silly now to have waited. Carmine isn't Borden and he will never hurt me. Never. I feel like I should have trusted in that sooner. That's all."
"Joey, you're working to get past not only the violation of your body, but of your trust. Someone you trusted, loved, and looked forward to making a life with, hurt you in ways that were more than physical. It's natural that you would be slow to build that level of trust again with another man, even one as gentle and honorable as Carmine. I've been listening to you tell me about your relationship with Carmine from its very beginning, and I have to say that as an outsider I think the way it has blossomed is beautiful. It's strong and healthy, and the pace at which you're taking everything seems to be working for the both of you."
Joey nodded and took a moment to digest her words.
Emily leaned back in her chair and prompted, "So, what else is new?"
Joey grinned and blushed. "I told Carmine about Katie Brown."
"And what was his reaction?"
"You were right, and..." Joe said, then paused like he was going to say something further but didn't.
"And...?"
"Carmine's going to talk to her, tell her about me and see if she'd maybe like to play with us a little."
"Are you apprehensive about that?"
"Honestly, not so much about me, I think she's a good person and her reaction is going to be like yours, Dr. Beckett's, and Adrian's. But I'm worried about how she'll react to Carmine's scars. I don't want him to be hurt by her reaction, or her rejection. He doesn't deserve that."
"If you really feel that she's a good person, what makes you think her reaction would be in any way hurtful?"
"It's not so much what people say or do, it's more that it reminds him that his scars are there, that he's not like he used to be. And he tries to hide it, but I know it bothers him."
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A week later Carmine was sprawled on the couch in their quarters, his laptop balanced on his stomach and he read through the day's announcements and schedule changes. Joey was at his desk working on his schoolwork. Carmine frowned upon seeing an announcement from Commander Sheppard and after reading it he called over to Joey, "C'mere for second."
Joey looked up and blinked, he had been thoroughly engrossed on what he was working on. He quickly went over to Carmine and asked, "What is it, sir?"
"I know today was crazy with the explosions and bomb sweeps and stuff but did you see the new 'no-go' list Commander Sheppard posted?"
"Yes, I saw that this afternoon."
"Good. I'm not sure exactly what Staff Sergeant Laville did to get on that list but I want you to be cautious around him, okay? If he in any way makes you uncomfortable or is disrespectful or if he touches you, I want to know immediately. And if I'm off-world, you find any SEAL or the Master Chief."
"Of course."
"C'mere," Carmine said and reached up and tugged Joey closer for a teasing kiss. He released him before it got either of them too worked up and said reluctantly, "Back to your books, young man."
Joey went back to his desk and picked up his pen to dive back in, but before he did he teased nonchalantly, "You know we really should try playing the stern headmaster and the naughty schoolboy sometime, that could be hot."
Joey deftly caught the throw pillow Carmine threw at him and chuckled.
Later that night when they were in bed and settling in to sleep, Carmine squeezed Joey tightly and said lowly, "I'm going to talk to Katie Brown. You're still good with that?"
Joey snuggled closer to Carmine and replied, "Yes, as long as you still are."
"I still am."
Joey was drifting off to sleep and whispered, "I hope you like her...."
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The next day Carmine had some free time and meandered down to the botany lab only to be told that Dr. Brown had gone to a very late lunch. He left a very curious group of botanists in his wake as he left the lab and headed for the mess hall.
"May I join you?"
Katie looked up from the magazine she was reading as she ate her lunch in the near empty mess hall. Standing in front of her was a large and imposing soldier that she didn't know, one that looked vaguely familiar, however. The side of his face that wasn't scarred was incredibly handsome and he gave off an air of self-confidence. His smile was genuine and appreciative and Katie was flustered at the attention. She said quietly, "Sir?"
"Sorry, Dr. Brown, I probably should introduce myself, Lieutenant Commander Carmine Picone, US Navy SEAL."
Katie smiled in an instant. "That's why you look so familiar, sir, you're Adrian's cousin."
Carmine chuckled. "Favorite cousin, but that's a family joke with a long story behind it. May I?" he asked gesturing to the chair in front of her.
"Um, sure."
"So I understand that you met my submissive, Joey Olsen, while I was off-world," Carmine said, opening the conversation.
Katie was nervous, did Commander Picone think she had been untoward to his submissive? She had found herself attracted to Sergeant Olsen and his gentle way, but she thought she had managed to keep that attraction to herself. She just hoped that Picone wasn't angry.
"Y...yes. We're working to design a new sample transportation module for the botany department."
Carmine nodded. "Well, that's right up Joey's alley. He likes figuring out how to make things work. He's studying to be an engineer did you know that?"
"He mentioned that he was taking classes but not about wanting to be an engineer. I think that's great, Commander."
Carmine was taking in all that he could about Katie. She was petite and graceful and her face was lovely. Her earlier smile had been blinding and he wondered if it was something she did often, because it was something he could definitely get used to seeing. He could tell that he was making her nervous, but it didn't seem to be from his physical appearance, rather it seemed to be stemming from his questioning her interaction with Joey.
"I'm very proud of him, he puts a lot of time and energy into his schoolwork. Anyway, you're probably wondering why I sought you out."
Katie nodded a little hesitantly.
A group of six sat down at the table next to them and Carmine frowned at their proximity. "It's nothing bad, I promise. Actually, I'm hoping it's going to turn into something great, but will you take a walk out on the pier with me? I need to tell you some things but I'd rather have a little privacy. We'll stay in sight of people, if that make you more comfortable."
Katie squinted a little and regarded Carmine for a moment before saying, "Okay. Let me just radio my lab and let them know where I'll be."
After she did just that, they headed out for the pier.
Carmine was trying to figure out where to start. He decided that finding out if she had any interest at all first would be the best way to go.
"So. Let me start off by saying that as a Dom I don't share my submissives with other Doms. I'm just not built to share like that. I have on occasion brought a second submissive into the mix when it's someone we're both attracted to. Following me so far?"
"Yes, I know of a few Doms with more than one submissive."
Carmine nodded in acknowledgment. "Joey has admitted two somewhat related things to me recently. The first, that he's never had sex with a woman before, or ever wanted to, and..." Carmine trailed off as they reached the edge of the pier.
"And the second?" Katie asked quietly.
Carmine turned to face Katie so that she could see the sincerity of his acceptance of what he was about to reveal. "That he's extremely attracted to you and would very much like the opportunity to be with you."
Katie's mouth fell open in surprise. "He... he said that?"
"Yes."
"I don't know what to say."
Carmine grinned and teased a little. "Well, you could start by telling me how you feel about that."
Katie's blush blossomed across her cheeks. She could understand why Joey was so drawn to Carmine. He was charming and flirty with an aura of sex appeal and protectiveness around him. Her eyes were lowered as she replied softly, "I am attracted to Joey, Commander. And I would be honored to be with him..." Katie swallowed and raised her eyes to met Carmines, and said sincerely, "and with you."
"You read my mind, little one. That was my next question. And please call me Carmine."
Her eyes flicked to his arm and his ruined Master's marks and she asked, "May I ask where you trained... Carmine?"
Carmen looked down at his marks and snorted. "Yeah, I guess I really should get those redone at some point. I trained for two full sessions at Casa di Bella Nascosta in Italy, and one session at La Petite Mort in California. I have master's standing in both houses. "
"Oh, I've heard that the grounds at Bella Nascosta are beautiful, all old world gardens with fruit and olive trees."
"Yes, the grounds are gorgeous, with all these little hidden areas to play in al fresco. I have few pictures in one of my photo albums. I can show you."
"I'd like that."
"And what lucky house did you grace during training?"
"I did one session at La Petit Mort and I went abroad for a year at Amores Breve Morte."
"Another of Italy's fine houses. Tell me you speak Italian?"
"Yes, but I am a little out of practice," Katie replied in near-flawless Italian.
"You have hidden depths, little one, and I think I'm going to really enjoy getting to know you."
Katie's brow furrowed a little and she dropped her eyes.
"Did I say something wrong?" Carmine asked, seeing her expression.
"No. It's just been a long time since anyone wanted to get to know me and not just get me into bed," Katie replied a little sadly.
Carmine gently put a finger under her chin and raised her eyes to met his. "Totally their loss, Katie," Carmine said sincerely.
He got the smile he was looking for out of Katie and they kept walking to the end of the pier where Katie asked nervously, "Um, so Joey had mentioned in passing that you're not a sadist...?"
"Nope, not in the least. I'm not getting a masochistic vibe from you, so I hope that's a good thing."
Katie giggled. "No, I'm not at all. So it's a very good thing."
A sea bird flew by squawking and they watched as it landed in the water between the piers and a quiet moment stretched between them, and not an uncomfortable kind of quiet.
The bird flew off and Carmine gently cleared his throat. "So now that we've got the easy part of the conversation out of the way. There are some things about Joey that I need to tell you. Things that may or may not change your mind. All I ask is that you're honest with me one way or another after I've told you everything."
Katie's brow furrowed and she questioned, "Sir?"
Carmine's expression turned a little sorrowful. "About three years ago, Joey was brutally assaulted and almost killed..."
Slowly Carmine shared Joey's story with Katie and the horror for Joey was written all over her lovely face.
When he was done with the telling, the anger and frustration Carmine felt over Joey's assault was hovering near the surface. He was trying to tamp it back down when Katie surprised him by laying a gentle hand on his arm and saying, "He must love you and trust you very much to have accepted your collar after all that."
"It's a love and a trust that goes both ways, Katie."
Katie nodded in response.
"So, does this change things for you? Our feelings won't be hurt if you say it does, I really just want you to be honest."
"No... no it doesn't change things. I just... I have questions? Like how physically Joey can be with me if he can't pen..." she trailed off.
"He's got this little silicone sheath thing that will help support his penis during penetration. He showed it to me. But, Katie, that's only one aspect of it all. Trust me when I say his mouth and fingers work just fine."
Katie's blush was back in a heartbeat and Carmine brushed a knuckle affectionately across her scarlet cheek before he continued, "Gotcha. All kidding aside, I think some of it we might have to figure out as we go. It's what Joey and I have been doing and it seems to work pretty well."
Katie went quiet, trying to put words together in her mind. She looked up and confidently met Carmine's eyes. "As I said before, I would be honored to be with Joey, and with you, Carmine. And as far as the rest, I'm good with figuring it out as we go along."
Carmine grinned and squinted at her playfully. "Really?"
"Really."
They turned and started walking back.
Katie hesitated but finally asked softly, "May I ask you something?"
"Always."
"How did you get your injuries?"
"My team was on a recon mission in a busy marketplace in Iraq. We had intel that insurgents were planning a bombing. Long story short, our intel was right and we found the bomb, but we only had a couple of minutes on the timer. So I picked it up and got it out the marketplace before it went off, but I got caught in the explosion."
"That was incredibly brave thing to do, you must have saved many lives."
That stopped Carmine in his tracks and he turned to face Katie.
"The market was full of people that day, and children. I couldn't just let the insurgents murder them."
"No, you couldn't," Katie said and reached up to gently place her hand on his ruined face. Her voice was soft as she asked, "Will you kiss me, sir?"
"As often as you want, little one," Carmine replied before bending his neck and gently claiming her mouth, inordinately pleased when she shivered and pressed closer to him in the middle of it.
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Carmine was off to the mainland for more training exercises with Colonel Sheppard and several teams and Joey was under strict instruction to make sure he ended his day at a reasonable hour.
He headed for a transporter and stretched as he walked, he had been working under a MALP for most of the day trying to diagnose an electrical short that was eluding him. He entered the transporter and hit the button that would take him to the mess hall.
He exited the transporter and almost walked smack into Katie Brown. Pulling himself up short he said, "Dr. Brown, hi."
Katie smiled warmly at him and he felt that same flutter deep in his gut that he had felt the first time she had done it. "Katie, please."
"Katie it is then."
"Is Commander Picone off on the mainland? I heard a bunch of the military teams were out there for some sort of training or something."
"Yeah, they left earlier. I don't think they're going to be back tonight."
"Oh. Are you... are you getting dinner?"
Joey grinned and rubbed his stomach. "Yeah. I spent all day under a MALP and I'm not in the mood to cook. I figured I'd see what the mess was serving instead."
"Would you... like some company?"
Joey was surprised but went with it. "That'd be great. Have you eaten?"
"No, that's where I was heading, too."
They turned and took a couple of steps down the corridor when Katie paused and placed her hand on Joey's arm.
He stopped and turned towards her. "What is it, Katie?"
"Commander Picone told me about what happened with... you. And I know you probably don't like to talk about it, but I wanted you to know that I know. I don't really know what to say to you about it. It doesn't change the fact that I am attracted to you and have been since we met. I'm really looking forward to getting to know both of you better and seeing where that leads us... please say something and stop me from babbling."
"I'm glad you know. For so long I hid what happened to me because I somehow felt like it was my fault, but not anymore. I still have some issues I'm working on but I'm doing okay. You can ask questions, if I'm not comfortable answering I'll tell you, I promise."
Katie nodded and hesitated only a second before hugging Joey tightly. She apologized near his ear, "I'm sorry, I've just wanted to do this since Commander Picone told me everything."
Joey stood there for a moment like an idiot with his arms extended before giving in and hugging Katie back. It was certainly different from hugging Carmine or Steven, and he bit back the painful thought that the last woman to hug him had been the social worker dropping him off to a foster home when he was six.
He finally pulled back gently and said, "Let's go eat, we can talk more over dinner."
Katie stepped back a little and tugged on her shirt bottom to straighten it. "Sounds good to me."
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Part 11
Time Heals index