[Stargate: Fiction] "Compatibility of Souls: Ch. Eight: Home on the Range" [9/12] [John/Rodney, G]
Title: Chapter Eight: Home on the Range
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 2,600
Prompt: mcsheplets challenge #052 ‘destiny’
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay (also implied Aiden Ford/Teyla Emmagan)
Summary: John is the new sheriff and Rodney is the town blacksmith
Chapter Eight: Home on the Range
Warning! This chapter contains mentions of historically-accurate racism and homophobia, which the main characters do not believe.
Lantea, Colorado Territory
1874 A.D.
It was dark when John rode into the frontier town of Lantea. He hadn’t intended to arrive so late, but when the full moon had risen, he’d known he would never be able to sleep, and he had given his horse enough time to rest, so he decided to press on.
The town was dark, too, houses shuttered against the cool night air and businesses closed until the morning- except for one large building, where John could see a flickering light.
He tethered Jumper to the hitching post outside the empty sheriff’s office and walked down the equally-empty street toward it. As he neared, John could hear a steady metallic clang, which made him frown suspiciously, until he saw the horseshoe hanging above the open door. This must be the blacksmith’s shop, and the man at the forge must be the blacksmith- he was too old to be an apprentice.
John opened his mouth to call a greeting when the man twisted the metal in his tongs and raised his hammer, bringing it down with another clang that John barely heard, too distracted by the shift of muscle in those broad shoulders.
John took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it. Getting caught staring at another man would not make a good first impression.
“Shouldn’t you be asleep at this time of night?” he asked, suddenly, as the blacksmith raised his hammer again.
The man whirled. “Do you mean to give me a heart attack, sneaking up like that?” he demanded, then seemed to realize there was a stranger standing in his workshop in the middle of the night, and tightened his grip on the hammer. “Also, we’re closed. So if you need horseshoes, or bullets, or some such nonsense, you’ll have to wait until morning.”
John grinned. “Nah, though I might take you up on those bullets, someday. I’m Sheppard, the new sheriff.”
“You’re early,” said the blacksmith, turning to put his tongs back in the fire. “You can meet with Elizabeth- Miss Weir, our mayor- tomorrow. There’s a cot in the sheriff’s office, if you think you can find that by yourself.”
John worked hard to suppress his smile. “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said, pointedly.
“What? Oh, yes. McKay. Rodney McKay. Blacksmith, carpenter… the only man in this town capable of making anything with his own two hands, judging from the amount of work I have to do.”
“Sounds like you’re pretty important,” said John.
“Yes, I am,” McKay snapped. He seemed to be waiting for some kind of insult or punchline, and when John just continued smiling at him, his expression softened, just a bit. “I really should get back to work, sheriff. Good night. And welcome to Lantea.”
“Good night,” John said, reluctantly, and left.
John found the small stable behind the sheriff’s office and settled Puddle Jumper for the night. The office itself had two rooms- a large one, with three wooden desks and two iron-barred cells, and a much smaller one, with a wooden bed, an empty chest of drawers and a little cast-iron stove. John hung his hat on the bed post, set his boots within easy reach, and was asleep within minutes.
He woke with the sun the next morning, but he’d barely stepped outside when he was approached by a smiling, well-dressed woman.
“I’m Elizabeth Weir,” she said. “Welcome to Lantea, Major Sheppard. I’m sorry there was no one here to meet you- we weren’t expecting you until tonight.”
“That’s quite all right, ma’am. I didn’t want any fuss. And it’s just ‘sheriff’, now.”
“Of course,” she agreed, still smiling. She was a beautiful woman, charming and self-assured- she’d have been just John’s type if he wasn’t a confirmed bachelor. “Ah, here’s your deputy sheriff. I’ll leave you in his capable hands.”
John could see why Aidan Ford hadn’t been offered the post of sheriff, and it wasn’t just his age. He smiled, a little nervously, until John shook his hand firmly, then drawled that he’d fought on the Union side, and that he didn’t judge a man on the color of his skin, but by what kind of pie he liked.
Ten minutes later, armed with slices of cherry cobbler, a grinning Ford took him on a tour of the little town. John had been a bit worried when the kid had headed for the apothecary at the mention of pie, but apparently Cara Beckett could keep her cooking and her chemistry separate.
Lantea seemed like a nice place, and John found himself beginning to relax, until he made the mistake of asking what had happened to his predecessor.
“Sheriff Sumner was killed by the Wraith,” Ford said, grimly. “There’s dozens of them in the gang, and they attack everywhere. Most places pay ‘em protection, but Miss Weir refuses.”
“Good,” said John, which was apparently the right answer, because Ford’s smile was back. “So, if they do attack here, it’s just you and me?”
“And Miss Teyla,” said Ford, then flushed slightly. “Miss Teyla Emmagan of the Athosian tribe. Her people don’t go along with the Wraith, either.”
“You’ll have to introduce us.”
“I will, sir,” Ford promised. They had reached the large open door of the blacksmith’s shop, and he paused. “This is Doc McKay’s place. He’s-”
“Blacksmith, carpenter, only sane man in town?” said John, intentionally loud enough for McKay, back turned and stoking the forge fire, to hear him. “We met last night.”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” said McKay.
“I’m told I can be very charming,” John said, as innocently as he could, just to see the blacksmith scowl.
He wasn’t disappointed. “Don’t you have anyone else to annoy, sheriff? Some people actually have a living to make.”
“I’ll just come back later, then,” said John, and strolled out of the shop again, while McKay yelled after him, “Working, Sheppard! Maybe you should try it!”
One day, John woke up and realized that he’d been in Lantea for four months. He even had something of a routine- riding patrol through the outlying farms as the sun came up, then back to town for breakfast with Miss Weir. Often, Miss Teyla joined them, bringing news from the other nearby tribes before she took the afternoon patrol with Ford. If they’d been back east, John would have been required to send them out with a chaperone, but he had the bruises to prove that Teyla could take care of herself.
Still, it left John with most afternoons completely free, and he’d taken to spending them in McKay’s workshop. The blacksmith complained that John was a distraction, loudly and often, with tangents to complain about John’s hair, his choice of career and his intelligence. He’d actually stopped working when John had mentioned he played chess, to go and find his chessboard, shouting his moves to John between hammer blows.
That was fine with John, because when McKay was distracted, he couldn’t see that John spent much more time watching him work than he did studying the chessboard. He knew nothing could ever come of it- even if his predilection wasn’t immoral and illegal, McKay had a very specific type and John wasn’t blonde or female enough to fit it. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t look.”
Of course, being sheriff wasn’t all losing at chess and oogling blacksmiths. Mostly, it involved settling disagreements between townspeople, which could take a few minutes or a few hours, depending on who was disagreeing. That morning, he’d broken down and called in Miss Weir after ‘that idiot Kavanaugh’ (as McKay called him) had the usually mild-mannered Parrish so upset he looked about ready to throttle him. John escaped when Miss Weir had their full attention and headed for McKay’s shop- only to find it dark and empty.
“Have you seen McKay?” he asked, sticking his head in at the general store.
Zelenka looked up from his inventory. “Not since this morning,” he said. “He and Deputy Ford took a wagon of goods to the train depot. They have not returned?”
“No,” said John, and he started to worry. He worried more an hour later, when Teyla rode into town, alone.
“I was supposed to meet with Aidan, for our afternoon patrol,” she said. “But he did not come.”
“He’s with McKay, at the train depot,” John told her.
Teyla frowned. “They would have left early, and it is not a long journey.”
“Yeah,” John agreed, and went to saddle Puddle Jumper. “Up for a ride with me, Miss Teyla?”
They followed the wagon trail toward the depot, hoping that McKay and Ford had merely been delayed. That hope was dashed when they came across McKay’s empty wagon. It was riddled with bullet holes, three wheels broken, and half overturned in a ditch, but McKay’s horse was unhurt. John untied it and sent it back up the path with a gentle swat.
“The Wraith?” he asked.
Teyla shook her head. “They would have taken the horse. Or killed it.” She paused, then held up a scrap of gray wool. “The Genii.”
“The town on the ridge?” John said, frowning. “They’re… hang on! McKay mentioned them. Their sheriff, mayor, someone like that, wanted him to… build something? But he didn’t have the time.”
“He would not have done it,” said Teyla. “The Genii were once allies to the Athosians, but in their desire to defeat the Wraith, they have gone against every law sacred to my people and theirs.”
She paused. “I do not believe they would greatly harm Dr. McKay, as they require his cooperation, but they will not be kind to him. Nor to Aidan.”
John rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find them.”
She nodded, expression softening briefly, then she was all business again. “Then we must hurry. There is a passage through the ridge, leading to the Genii, but it is difficult.
John swung himself into Jumper’s saddle. “Lead the way.”
The pass was very narrow- Teyla’s mare didn’t even hesitate, but John leaned low over Jumper’s neck to whisper encouragements until the trail opened to a tall, wooden stockade.
“I was once welcomed here,” Teyla said, sadly, and pushed open a door that John hadn’t even seen.
The town of Genii was… fortified, there was no other word for it. Crouched behind the general store- which more resembled a jail than Zelenka’s open, cheerful shop- he could see that every building had heavy shutters, and most of them were closed. There were no chickens pecking though town, no children running or laughing, no women gathered outside the apothecary or men at the saloon.
John didn’t like it.
Then, suddenly, there was a loud crash from a dark building and a familiar voice cried, “Of course I did that on purpose! If you want me to blow things up for you, then I need to know the yield of your explosives. Get rid of these idiots, Kolya, and send Ford in to help me.
“McKay,” John whispered, smiling.
“And Aidan is alive, as well,” Teyla added.
He was, but he didn’t look good- two gray-uniformed Genii had him by the arms as they crossed to the warehouse, and even from a distance, he looked feverish. As they disappeared into the building, John turned to Teyla.
“All right,” he said. “There’s only the two of us, but we’ve got surprise on our side. If you take my spare revolver and sneak around-”
He broke off as a loud explosion rocked the entire town. The roof blew clear off the warehouse, crumbling into flaming pieces in midair and raining down onto the other buildings, most of which burst into flame, too. Genii soldiers were everywhere, trying to put out the fires, but they barely noticed John as he ran for the warehouse.
“McKay!” John yelled, into the smoke, pulling his bandana over his nose. “McKay! Ford!”
“Sheppard, get out of here!” called McKay. “Just go!”
John rounded a corner of charred debris, pistol drawn, and froze. McKay was kneeling on the ground, covered in soot but otherwise unharmed, beside the prone form of Ford, and glaring up at a grim, uniformed man who had a revolver aimed at the blacksmith’s heart.
“Yes, Sheriff Sheppard,” said the man. “Go. This business is between Dr. McKay and myself.”
“Like hell it is,” said John. “McKay? How’s Ford?”
“Drugged to the gills. I don’t even know what Kolya gave him.”
“Something to change the tide of battle,” said the man, Kolya. “Your deputy’s sacrifice will be long remembered.”
“You bastard-” John began, and Kolya calmly swung the pistol to point at him.
“I require Dr. McKay alive, sheriff. But you are only in my way. Put down the gun and leave, and I may be persuaded to spare your life.”
John tightened his grip on his revolver. At some silent signal, half a dozen Genii soldiers had entered the warehouse, surrounding them- John might have had a chance of out-shooting Kolya, but even if he’d had perfect aim, his revolver only had six bullets. But there was no way he could leave McKay here without doing something-
Suddenly, a shot rang out. Kolya’s gun clattered to the floor as he clutched his hand, blood seeping between his fingers, and John looked up to see Teyla, still holding his spare pistol trained on the Genii leader.
“Surrender, Kolya,” John demanded.
“Never,” he spat. Still keeping pressure on his wounded hand, he lunged, but John sidestepped and brought the handle of his revolver to Kolya’s temple with a sickening crack. As he fell, the six Genii soldiers snapped to attention, but none of them even managed to fire a shot. Three fell to Teyla’s bullets, John dispatched two more- and Rodney shot the last.
In the sudden ringing silence of the half-demolished warehouse, he didn’t move, hands shaking but gun steady. John holstered his own weapon and approached him, slowly, as Teyla knelt to check on Ford.
“Good shooting, buddy,” he said, gently, prying Kolya’s gun from McKay’s fingers. “You all right?”
McKay let out a shuddering breath. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he said, softly. “John.”
John had always thought he had the most boring Christian name in existence, but that was before he heard McKay say it. “I-”
“There will be time for this later,” Teyla interrupted, gently. She had gotten Ford back on his feet, but he swayed dangerously. “We must go.”
John handed her his revolver and slung one of Ford’s arms over his shoulder, while McKay took the other. “Let’s go.”
The Genii were too busy putting out fires to stop them, and they made it back to Lantea as the sun set. Miss Weir met them in the middle of the main street, for once not looking proper or elegant, and pulled each of them into a hug.
“Welcome home,” she whispered in John’s ear, and he relaxed enough to hug her back.
Miss Beckett took Ford to the apothecary shop, with Teyla to help her look after him. “And someone should stay with Rodney tonight,” she added, to John, before she left. “Just to be safe.”
“You don’t have to stay,” said McKay, when John walked him to the door of the blacksmith’s shop. “They… they didn’t hurt me.”
John took a deep breath. “I’d like to,” he said, softly. “I’d like to… stay.”
“Oh,” said McKay, nervousness and insecurity and hope warring on his face. “Oh. I, um, I only have one bed.”
John grinned, closed the shop door behind them, and leaned in to kiss him. “That sounds perfect.”
Who’s Who
John Sheppard as Lantea’s new sheriff
Rodney McKay as the town blacksmith
Elizabeth Weir as the mayor of Lantea
Aidan Ford as deputy sheriff
Carson Beckett as Cara Beckett, town apothecary/baker
Teyla Emmagan as an honorary deputy, a Native American
Radek Zelenka as the owner of the general store
Acastus Kolya as the leader of the Genii, a bad guy
Marshall Sumner, mentioned as the previous sheriff
Chapter Nine
Current Mood:
tired
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 2,600
Prompt: mcsheplets challenge #052 ‘destiny’
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay (also implied Aiden Ford/Teyla Emmagan)
Summary: John is the new sheriff and Rodney is the town blacksmith
Chapter Eight: Home on the Range
Warning! This chapter contains mentions of historically-accurate racism and homophobia, which the main characters do not believe.
Lantea, Colorado Territory
1874 A.D.
It was dark when John rode into the frontier town of Lantea. He hadn’t intended to arrive so late, but when the full moon had risen, he’d known he would never be able to sleep, and he had given his horse enough time to rest, so he decided to press on.
The town was dark, too, houses shuttered against the cool night air and businesses closed until the morning- except for one large building, where John could see a flickering light.
He tethered Jumper to the hitching post outside the empty sheriff’s office and walked down the equally-empty street toward it. As he neared, John could hear a steady metallic clang, which made him frown suspiciously, until he saw the horseshoe hanging above the open door. This must be the blacksmith’s shop, and the man at the forge must be the blacksmith- he was too old to be an apprentice.
John opened his mouth to call a greeting when the man twisted the metal in his tongs and raised his hammer, bringing it down with another clang that John barely heard, too distracted by the shift of muscle in those broad shoulders.
John took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it. Getting caught staring at another man would not make a good first impression.
“Shouldn’t you be asleep at this time of night?” he asked, suddenly, as the blacksmith raised his hammer again.
The man whirled. “Do you mean to give me a heart attack, sneaking up like that?” he demanded, then seemed to realize there was a stranger standing in his workshop in the middle of the night, and tightened his grip on the hammer. “Also, we’re closed. So if you need horseshoes, or bullets, or some such nonsense, you’ll have to wait until morning.”
John grinned. “Nah, though I might take you up on those bullets, someday. I’m Sheppard, the new sheriff.”
“You’re early,” said the blacksmith, turning to put his tongs back in the fire. “You can meet with Elizabeth- Miss Weir, our mayor- tomorrow. There’s a cot in the sheriff’s office, if you think you can find that by yourself.”
John worked hard to suppress his smile. “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said, pointedly.
“What? Oh, yes. McKay. Rodney McKay. Blacksmith, carpenter… the only man in this town capable of making anything with his own two hands, judging from the amount of work I have to do.”
“Sounds like you’re pretty important,” said John.
“Yes, I am,” McKay snapped. He seemed to be waiting for some kind of insult or punchline, and when John just continued smiling at him, his expression softened, just a bit. “I really should get back to work, sheriff. Good night. And welcome to Lantea.”
“Good night,” John said, reluctantly, and left.
John found the small stable behind the sheriff’s office and settled Puddle Jumper for the night. The office itself had two rooms- a large one, with three wooden desks and two iron-barred cells, and a much smaller one, with a wooden bed, an empty chest of drawers and a little cast-iron stove. John hung his hat on the bed post, set his boots within easy reach, and was asleep within minutes.
He woke with the sun the next morning, but he’d barely stepped outside when he was approached by a smiling, well-dressed woman.
“I’m Elizabeth Weir,” she said. “Welcome to Lantea, Major Sheppard. I’m sorry there was no one here to meet you- we weren’t expecting you until tonight.”
“That’s quite all right, ma’am. I didn’t want any fuss. And it’s just ‘sheriff’, now.”
“Of course,” she agreed, still smiling. She was a beautiful woman, charming and self-assured- she’d have been just John’s type if he wasn’t a confirmed bachelor. “Ah, here’s your deputy sheriff. I’ll leave you in his capable hands.”
John could see why Aidan Ford hadn’t been offered the post of sheriff, and it wasn’t just his age. He smiled, a little nervously, until John shook his hand firmly, then drawled that he’d fought on the Union side, and that he didn’t judge a man on the color of his skin, but by what kind of pie he liked.
Ten minutes later, armed with slices of cherry cobbler, a grinning Ford took him on a tour of the little town. John had been a bit worried when the kid had headed for the apothecary at the mention of pie, but apparently Cara Beckett could keep her cooking and her chemistry separate.
Lantea seemed like a nice place, and John found himself beginning to relax, until he made the mistake of asking what had happened to his predecessor.
“Sheriff Sumner was killed by the Wraith,” Ford said, grimly. “There’s dozens of them in the gang, and they attack everywhere. Most places pay ‘em protection, but Miss Weir refuses.”
“Good,” said John, which was apparently the right answer, because Ford’s smile was back. “So, if they do attack here, it’s just you and me?”
“And Miss Teyla,” said Ford, then flushed slightly. “Miss Teyla Emmagan of the Athosian tribe. Her people don’t go along with the Wraith, either.”
“You’ll have to introduce us.”
“I will, sir,” Ford promised. They had reached the large open door of the blacksmith’s shop, and he paused. “This is Doc McKay’s place. He’s-”
“Blacksmith, carpenter, only sane man in town?” said John, intentionally loud enough for McKay, back turned and stoking the forge fire, to hear him. “We met last night.”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” said McKay.
“I’m told I can be very charming,” John said, as innocently as he could, just to see the blacksmith scowl.
He wasn’t disappointed. “Don’t you have anyone else to annoy, sheriff? Some people actually have a living to make.”
“I’ll just come back later, then,” said John, and strolled out of the shop again, while McKay yelled after him, “Working, Sheppard! Maybe you should try it!”
One day, John woke up and realized that he’d been in Lantea for four months. He even had something of a routine- riding patrol through the outlying farms as the sun came up, then back to town for breakfast with Miss Weir. Often, Miss Teyla joined them, bringing news from the other nearby tribes before she took the afternoon patrol with Ford. If they’d been back east, John would have been required to send them out with a chaperone, but he had the bruises to prove that Teyla could take care of herself.
Still, it left John with most afternoons completely free, and he’d taken to spending them in McKay’s workshop. The blacksmith complained that John was a distraction, loudly and often, with tangents to complain about John’s hair, his choice of career and his intelligence. He’d actually stopped working when John had mentioned he played chess, to go and find his chessboard, shouting his moves to John between hammer blows.
That was fine with John, because when McKay was distracted, he couldn’t see that John spent much more time watching him work than he did studying the chessboard. He knew nothing could ever come of it- even if his predilection wasn’t immoral and illegal, McKay had a very specific type and John wasn’t blonde or female enough to fit it. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t look.”
Of course, being sheriff wasn’t all losing at chess and oogling blacksmiths. Mostly, it involved settling disagreements between townspeople, which could take a few minutes or a few hours, depending on who was disagreeing. That morning, he’d broken down and called in Miss Weir after ‘that idiot Kavanaugh’ (as McKay called him) had the usually mild-mannered Parrish so upset he looked about ready to throttle him. John escaped when Miss Weir had their full attention and headed for McKay’s shop- only to find it dark and empty.
“Have you seen McKay?” he asked, sticking his head in at the general store.
Zelenka looked up from his inventory. “Not since this morning,” he said. “He and Deputy Ford took a wagon of goods to the train depot. They have not returned?”
“No,” said John, and he started to worry. He worried more an hour later, when Teyla rode into town, alone.
“I was supposed to meet with Aidan, for our afternoon patrol,” she said. “But he did not come.”
“He’s with McKay, at the train depot,” John told her.
Teyla frowned. “They would have left early, and it is not a long journey.”
“Yeah,” John agreed, and went to saddle Puddle Jumper. “Up for a ride with me, Miss Teyla?”
They followed the wagon trail toward the depot, hoping that McKay and Ford had merely been delayed. That hope was dashed when they came across McKay’s empty wagon. It was riddled with bullet holes, three wheels broken, and half overturned in a ditch, but McKay’s horse was unhurt. John untied it and sent it back up the path with a gentle swat.
“The Wraith?” he asked.
Teyla shook her head. “They would have taken the horse. Or killed it.” She paused, then held up a scrap of gray wool. “The Genii.”
“The town on the ridge?” John said, frowning. “They’re… hang on! McKay mentioned them. Their sheriff, mayor, someone like that, wanted him to… build something? But he didn’t have the time.”
“He would not have done it,” said Teyla. “The Genii were once allies to the Athosians, but in their desire to defeat the Wraith, they have gone against every law sacred to my people and theirs.”
She paused. “I do not believe they would greatly harm Dr. McKay, as they require his cooperation, but they will not be kind to him. Nor to Aidan.”
John rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find them.”
She nodded, expression softening briefly, then she was all business again. “Then we must hurry. There is a passage through the ridge, leading to the Genii, but it is difficult.
John swung himself into Jumper’s saddle. “Lead the way.”
The pass was very narrow- Teyla’s mare didn’t even hesitate, but John leaned low over Jumper’s neck to whisper encouragements until the trail opened to a tall, wooden stockade.
“I was once welcomed here,” Teyla said, sadly, and pushed open a door that John hadn’t even seen.
The town of Genii was… fortified, there was no other word for it. Crouched behind the general store- which more resembled a jail than Zelenka’s open, cheerful shop- he could see that every building had heavy shutters, and most of them were closed. There were no chickens pecking though town, no children running or laughing, no women gathered outside the apothecary or men at the saloon.
John didn’t like it.
Then, suddenly, there was a loud crash from a dark building and a familiar voice cried, “Of course I did that on purpose! If you want me to blow things up for you, then I need to know the yield of your explosives. Get rid of these idiots, Kolya, and send Ford in to help me.
“McKay,” John whispered, smiling.
“And Aidan is alive, as well,” Teyla added.
He was, but he didn’t look good- two gray-uniformed Genii had him by the arms as they crossed to the warehouse, and even from a distance, he looked feverish. As they disappeared into the building, John turned to Teyla.
“All right,” he said. “There’s only the two of us, but we’ve got surprise on our side. If you take my spare revolver and sneak around-”
He broke off as a loud explosion rocked the entire town. The roof blew clear off the warehouse, crumbling into flaming pieces in midair and raining down onto the other buildings, most of which burst into flame, too. Genii soldiers were everywhere, trying to put out the fires, but they barely noticed John as he ran for the warehouse.
“McKay!” John yelled, into the smoke, pulling his bandana over his nose. “McKay! Ford!”
“Sheppard, get out of here!” called McKay. “Just go!”
John rounded a corner of charred debris, pistol drawn, and froze. McKay was kneeling on the ground, covered in soot but otherwise unharmed, beside the prone form of Ford, and glaring up at a grim, uniformed man who had a revolver aimed at the blacksmith’s heart.
“Yes, Sheriff Sheppard,” said the man. “Go. This business is between Dr. McKay and myself.”
“Like hell it is,” said John. “McKay? How’s Ford?”
“Drugged to the gills. I don’t even know what Kolya gave him.”
“Something to change the tide of battle,” said the man, Kolya. “Your deputy’s sacrifice will be long remembered.”
“You bastard-” John began, and Kolya calmly swung the pistol to point at him.
“I require Dr. McKay alive, sheriff. But you are only in my way. Put down the gun and leave, and I may be persuaded to spare your life.”
John tightened his grip on his revolver. At some silent signal, half a dozen Genii soldiers had entered the warehouse, surrounding them- John might have had a chance of out-shooting Kolya, but even if he’d had perfect aim, his revolver only had six bullets. But there was no way he could leave McKay here without doing something-
Suddenly, a shot rang out. Kolya’s gun clattered to the floor as he clutched his hand, blood seeping between his fingers, and John looked up to see Teyla, still holding his spare pistol trained on the Genii leader.
“Surrender, Kolya,” John demanded.
“Never,” he spat. Still keeping pressure on his wounded hand, he lunged, but John sidestepped and brought the handle of his revolver to Kolya’s temple with a sickening crack. As he fell, the six Genii soldiers snapped to attention, but none of them even managed to fire a shot. Three fell to Teyla’s bullets, John dispatched two more- and Rodney shot the last.
In the sudden ringing silence of the half-demolished warehouse, he didn’t move, hands shaking but gun steady. John holstered his own weapon and approached him, slowly, as Teyla knelt to check on Ford.
“Good shooting, buddy,” he said, gently, prying Kolya’s gun from McKay’s fingers. “You all right?”
McKay let out a shuddering breath. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he said, softly. “John.”
John had always thought he had the most boring Christian name in existence, but that was before he heard McKay say it. “I-”
“There will be time for this later,” Teyla interrupted, gently. She had gotten Ford back on his feet, but he swayed dangerously. “We must go.”
John handed her his revolver and slung one of Ford’s arms over his shoulder, while McKay took the other. “Let’s go.”
The Genii were too busy putting out fires to stop them, and they made it back to Lantea as the sun set. Miss Weir met them in the middle of the main street, for once not looking proper or elegant, and pulled each of them into a hug.
“Welcome home,” she whispered in John’s ear, and he relaxed enough to hug her back.
Miss Beckett took Ford to the apothecary shop, with Teyla to help her look after him. “And someone should stay with Rodney tonight,” she added, to John, before she left. “Just to be safe.”
“You don’t have to stay,” said McKay, when John walked him to the door of the blacksmith’s shop. “They… they didn’t hurt me.”
John took a deep breath. “I’d like to,” he said, softly. “I’d like to… stay.”
“Oh,” said McKay, nervousness and insecurity and hope warring on his face. “Oh. I, um, I only have one bed.”
John grinned, closed the shop door behind them, and leaned in to kiss him. “That sounds perfect.”
Who’s Who
John Sheppard as Lantea’s new sheriff
Rodney McKay as the town blacksmith
Elizabeth Weir as the mayor of Lantea
Aidan Ford as deputy sheriff
Carson Beckett as Cara Beckett, town apothecary/baker
Teyla Emmagan as an honorary deputy, a Native American
Radek Zelenka as the owner of the general store
Acastus Kolya as the leader of the Genii, a bad guy
Marshall Sumner, mentioned as the previous sheriff
Chapter Nine
Current Mood:
tired