Fic: Checkmate: Lassie Takes Timmy To The Shrink
Title: Lassie Takes Timmy To The Shrink
Author: Beadtific
Pairing: Not in this chapter
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Sweet. Very sweet. And kind of silly. Also, probably violates basic shrink rules. But I love John and Kate working together, and I love John being a good commander. And sneaky.
Kitty!John is very busy tonight, and not five minutes after I posted the last chapter, this popped into my head.
Kate Heightmeyer was typing up some notes when John Sheppard ran in her door and jumped on her desk, his red ball held firmly in his mouth.
“Rrrow!” he said as he dropped it. “Rrrrow, rrrow!”
“John?” What’s wrong? You seem very agitated.”
He jumped off her desk and stood in the doorway. “Prrrrt?”
“Do you want me to come with you?” She paused and put her hand over her mouth, covering an involuntary smile.
“Mowr!” John half-growled at her.
“I’m so sorry. I understand there’s a problem. It’s just…” She tried to stifle the involuntary giggles. “It’s not little Timmy is it?”
“Mow!”
Her giggles dried right up. “It is?”
John fluffed out his fur and ran a few steps into the hallway and back. “Mrrowr!” He sounded very frustrated.
“You want me to come.”
He jumped back on the desk. “Nooowr!” He picked up the ball, then dropped it and put his paw on it, firmly.
“You want me to stay here.”
John went briefly limp with relief. Leaping down, he quickly brushed against her legs, purring, and then hurried back to the doorway. He turned to check on her one last time, as if to make sure she was going to stay.
“I’ll stay. I’ll be right here.”
“Prrt.” John said approvingly and ran, seriously ran to the transporter.
Kate peered down the hallway after him.
“Mowr!”
Busted. He’d looked back as he waited for the transporter to open. “I’m just worried!” she called. She ducked back into her office and left the door open.
She looked at the ball on her desk thoughtfully, and picked it up with a tissue. She blotted it dry and frowned, thinking about what might have led John to bring it here. She put it in her drawer and sat down. Shaking her head, she removed it and put it just behind the chair she sat in for clients. Sitting back at her desk, she watched the ball as if it might tell her something.
She waited. About fifteen minutes after John’s arrival, she heard a male voice in the hallway.
“Where you takin’ me, Colonel?”
Kate leaned slightly to the left so she had a partial view of the hallway. A big, strapping Marine, Jason Harris, an ATA carrier just barely 20, was trying not to step on the frisking Colonel, who was running circles around his legs. He was one of the men who’d come on the Daedelus a few weeks ago.
“You wanna go over here? What?” There was laughter in the young man’s voice, but his shoulders drooped and he had, what Kate knew, were chapped places under his eyes. Those kind of abrasions on the delicate skin of the eye were from crying and rough Kleenex.
As soon as he looked up, he’d see her, so Kate got up and walked to her doorway.
“Hi,” she said, “Colonel. And Private Harris?”
The young man startled. “Uh, yes ma’am." His eyes darted to the nameplate beside her door. “Dr. Heightmeyer?” He frowned. “Colonel,” he said in a deeply aggrieved tone, “what are you doin'?”
“I suspect,” Kate said, smiling down at John, “That you’re his pockets today.”
“Mowr!” John whined.
“I’m sorry, ma’am?”
“Come on in,” she said, shaking her head affectionately. “I think he wants you to carry something for him. Let me see if I can find it.” She rummaged in her desk while John crouched on it, pawing intently at the closed drawers.
Harris sidled in like one of them was going to bite him. “I’m sorry to disturb you, doctor,” he babbled. “The Colonel and I were hanging out this morning - you know he still jogs? Well, he and Ronon showed me this real nice route and then we got to talking, or well maybe….hey, sir, is that what you wanted?”
The young man walked over to the ball and picked it up. It jingled, and John’s entire body went taut with excitement.
Harris beamed. “This what you wanted, Colonel?”
John hunkered down on Kate’s desk, ready to pounce. He wiggled his hindquarters in anticipation.
“A cat that wants to fetch? You gotta be kidding me,” he laughed.
“Try it. He loves football.”
“Oh yeah? Then go long, sir.”
John leapt, ran and turned and caught the ball neatly, and brought it proudly back to Harris, who thumped him gently on the head.
“Oh lord, I almost said ‘good boy.’”
John dropped, rolled and kicked Harris in the ankle. Harris patted his side gently, chuckling.
“He’s taken a real interest in you, Private Harris,” Kate said. “He doesn’t show many people his playful side. You understand. Even in his condition.”
“Wouldn’t be professional, I guess.” Harris mused, absently sitting on Kate’s couch as he tossed the ball for John to run after. “Though that’s gotta suck if he wants to run and play and all. I mean, he should be able to enjoy it.”
“I agree.”
John ran and jumped and caught the ball over and over for Harris while the young man sank deeper into thought.
“I mean,” he said haltingly, “it’s kinda this once in a lifetime opportunity, you know?” His voice cracked.
“But there are a lot of adjustments to make,” Kate said gently. “And things aren’t quite the same.”
Harris bent his head over his hands, the ball held tightly between them. “It kinda looks the same, but it’s really not.” His voice was thick with emotion. “It’s just a hellova lot to take in.”
John twined around his ankles, pressing against him for support. He purred. Kate slipped quietly into her chair.
“You’re the sneakiest cat I ever met, sir.” Harris smiled through his tears. “Getting me to come unload on the doc, here.”
Purring louder, John butted his head against Harris’ knee.
“I’m happy to listen if you want to talk, Jason.”
Harris looked up at her and grinned a lopsided grin. “Well, ma’am, I’m here,” he shrugged. “Besides, my commanding officer made me come.”
~~~
Author: Beadtific
Pairing: Not in this chapter
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Sweet. Very sweet. And kind of silly. Also, probably violates basic shrink rules. But I love John and Kate working together, and I love John being a good commander. And sneaky.
Kitty!John is very busy tonight, and not five minutes after I posted the last chapter, this popped into my head.
Kate Heightmeyer was typing up some notes when John Sheppard ran in her door and jumped on her desk, his red ball held firmly in his mouth.
“Rrrow!” he said as he dropped it. “Rrrrow, rrrow!”
“John?” What’s wrong? You seem very agitated.”
He jumped off her desk and stood in the doorway. “Prrrrt?”
“Do you want me to come with you?” She paused and put her hand over her mouth, covering an involuntary smile.
“Mowr!” John half-growled at her.
“I’m so sorry. I understand there’s a problem. It’s just…” She tried to stifle the involuntary giggles. “It’s not little Timmy is it?”
“Mow!”
Her giggles dried right up. “It is?”
John fluffed out his fur and ran a few steps into the hallway and back. “Mrrowr!” He sounded very frustrated.
“You want me to come.”
He jumped back on the desk. “Nooowr!” He picked up the ball, then dropped it and put his paw on it, firmly.
“You want me to stay here.”
John went briefly limp with relief. Leaping down, he quickly brushed against her legs, purring, and then hurried back to the doorway. He turned to check on her one last time, as if to make sure she was going to stay.
“I’ll stay. I’ll be right here.”
“Prrt.” John said approvingly and ran, seriously ran to the transporter.
Kate peered down the hallway after him.
“Mowr!”
Busted. He’d looked back as he waited for the transporter to open. “I’m just worried!” she called. She ducked back into her office and left the door open.
She looked at the ball on her desk thoughtfully, and picked it up with a tissue. She blotted it dry and frowned, thinking about what might have led John to bring it here. She put it in her drawer and sat down. Shaking her head, she removed it and put it just behind the chair she sat in for clients. Sitting back at her desk, she watched the ball as if it might tell her something.
She waited. About fifteen minutes after John’s arrival, she heard a male voice in the hallway.
“Where you takin’ me, Colonel?”
Kate leaned slightly to the left so she had a partial view of the hallway. A big, strapping Marine, Jason Harris, an ATA carrier just barely 20, was trying not to step on the frisking Colonel, who was running circles around his legs. He was one of the men who’d come on the Daedelus a few weeks ago.
“You wanna go over here? What?” There was laughter in the young man’s voice, but his shoulders drooped and he had, what Kate knew, were chapped places under his eyes. Those kind of abrasions on the delicate skin of the eye were from crying and rough Kleenex.
As soon as he looked up, he’d see her, so Kate got up and walked to her doorway.
“Hi,” she said, “Colonel. And Private Harris?”
The young man startled. “Uh, yes ma’am." His eyes darted to the nameplate beside her door. “Dr. Heightmeyer?” He frowned. “Colonel,” he said in a deeply aggrieved tone, “what are you doin'?”
“I suspect,” Kate said, smiling down at John, “That you’re his pockets today.”
“Mowr!” John whined.
“I’m sorry, ma’am?”
“Come on in,” she said, shaking her head affectionately. “I think he wants you to carry something for him. Let me see if I can find it.” She rummaged in her desk while John crouched on it, pawing intently at the closed drawers.
Harris sidled in like one of them was going to bite him. “I’m sorry to disturb you, doctor,” he babbled. “The Colonel and I were hanging out this morning - you know he still jogs? Well, he and Ronon showed me this real nice route and then we got to talking, or well maybe….hey, sir, is that what you wanted?”
The young man walked over to the ball and picked it up. It jingled, and John’s entire body went taut with excitement.
Harris beamed. “This what you wanted, Colonel?”
John hunkered down on Kate’s desk, ready to pounce. He wiggled his hindquarters in anticipation.
“A cat that wants to fetch? You gotta be kidding me,” he laughed.
“Try it. He loves football.”
“Oh yeah? Then go long, sir.”
John leapt, ran and turned and caught the ball neatly, and brought it proudly back to Harris, who thumped him gently on the head.
“Oh lord, I almost said ‘good boy.’”
John dropped, rolled and kicked Harris in the ankle. Harris patted his side gently, chuckling.
“He’s taken a real interest in you, Private Harris,” Kate said. “He doesn’t show many people his playful side. You understand. Even in his condition.”
“Wouldn’t be professional, I guess.” Harris mused, absently sitting on Kate’s couch as he tossed the ball for John to run after. “Though that’s gotta suck if he wants to run and play and all. I mean, he should be able to enjoy it.”
“I agree.”
John ran and jumped and caught the ball over and over for Harris while the young man sank deeper into thought.
“I mean,” he said haltingly, “it’s kinda this once in a lifetime opportunity, you know?” His voice cracked.
“But there are a lot of adjustments to make,” Kate said gently. “And things aren’t quite the same.”
Harris bent his head over his hands, the ball held tightly between them. “It kinda looks the same, but it’s really not.” His voice was thick with emotion. “It’s just a hellova lot to take in.”
John twined around his ankles, pressing against him for support. He purred. Kate slipped quietly into her chair.
“You’re the sneakiest cat I ever met, sir.” Harris smiled through his tears. “Getting me to come unload on the doc, here.”
Purring louder, John butted his head against Harris’ knee.
“I’m happy to listen if you want to talk, Jason.”
Harris looked up at her and grinned a lopsided grin. “Well, ma’am, I’m here,” he shrugged. “Besides, my commanding officer made me come.”
~~~