Listen to the Light [PG-13]
Title: Listen to the Light
Pairing: Carson/John
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Sunday
Word count: 1060
AN: Many thanks to heimedall for the beta
For the kids challenge
The small girl came running up to him, laughing. They had met her five months ago, when they were called off-world by one of their allies. She was trapped in her house and was left behind when the villagers ran from the Wraith, and through some miracle, she survived.
They brought her to Atlantis and when she first stepped in the gate room, she started laughing. No one had laughed in the gate room, not after Carson's eulogy, and seeing her smile made John want to keep her close; everyone in Atlantis wanted to have her close, because she was smart and playful, eager to know and help. She laughed, she played and more importantly, she moved on without looking back or grieving. They needed to learn how to do that.
"What are you up to?" John asked her, smiling.
"Umm... nothing," she had a way of getting herself in trouble without doing bad things. She wasn't naughty, she was just too young in a city that was too grown up.
John shook his head and puffed. Cara tilted her head a bit, studying him, as if she wanted to determine whether he was worthy or not of knowing the truth. Finally, she sighed and admitted, "I was talking to a friend."
"Ah, do I know him?" John asked, as they started walking towards Cara's room. He fondly remembered the time when she introduced him to a zoologist who later explained to John how much Cara wanted one of the lab mice and how she tried every persuasion method known to get him. Then there was the time when they spent an hour talking to one of Cara's imaginary friends: a green dolphin named Rudy. Apparently, Rodney had explained to her how intelligent the Earth mammals were and Cara wanted one in Atlantis.
"He knows you, and I think you know him," she said, nodding thoughtfully.
That meant the friend was a real person. "What's his name?" John asked, curious.
"His name is Carson," she answered simply, looking at him as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
John stopped, staring at her. "Carson... what's his other name?" he asked, trying to hide his nervousness from the girl. For a second he wished… he hoped…
"I don't know... friends don't talk about last names..." after a few moments, she said, "I can take you to him, and you can see if you know him."
John nodded, disappointed. He wasn't sure what he hoped for, but meeting some Carson on Atlantis wasn't it; he wanted his Carson back. In the past few months, life in Atlantis had become calmer, and he wished Carson could have been there to enjoy it.
John noticed that Cara was taking him to one of the uninhabited areas of the tower. They had declared it safe and everyone was free to wander around, but few did. She was obviously one of the more curious inhabitants of the city.
A few minutes later, they entered a small room. It was simple, and even the usual decorations that Atlantis' walls had were missing. There were no consoles, no furniture, nothing.
"Hi," Cara said playfully.
"Who are you talking to?" John asked, looking around again.
"Carson, he's over there," she explained, pointing towards the wall, next to the door. "He says hi."
"Umm... hi, Carson," John said slowly, staring at the wall. He was surprised that Cara had named one of her imaginary friends Carson, especially since no one ever mentioned the Scottish doctor to her.
"Carson says it's normal for you not to see him," the girl said, frowning slightly. "He said that in some places, rules must be obeyed. That he cannot talk to anyone he knew before..."
"Rules... before… he's... is he really Carson?" John asked, overwhelmed by the hope that it wasn't one of Cara's friends, that it was really his Carson - Ascended, invisible to him, but there.
Cara laughed, "he's always been here," she frowned, as if she was listening to something that didn't make sense, then said, "he says you shouldn't have gone fishing."
"What? When?" John asked, looking at her, impatiently waiting for an answer. A week after the explosion, Rodney took them all to the mainland, fishing. Somehow that fishing trip hurt more than the body recovery, more than the eulogy, more than the funeral in Scotland.
"You hate fishing, John, you should never go fishing," Cara said, trying to imitate Carson's Scottish brogue. John looked at her, surprised. "He talks funny," she explained, "and he laughs when I try to speak like him."
John grinned, finally believing. "I imagine he does. Are you okay where you are?" he asked, looking at the wall, trying to imagine Carson leaning against it, smiling. He would be wearing one of the blue shirts he loved so much and the jeans he kept for their days off, the ones he wanted to wear Sunday, but didn't because John forgot to take them from the washing machine in time for them to dry.
Cara nodded vigorously, "He says..." she frowned again, waiting for Carson's answer and listening patiently. Eventually, she said smiling, "he says he's happy. I think he'd be happier if he was here, but -"
John watched with amusement as the girl frowned, pouted and turned her back to the wall. "I'm not talking to you," she said, then turned to John. "He said I'm too young to understand."
A few seconds later, she turned towards the wall, face radiating with happiness. The walls lit up, in a way John had never seen before. Blue and green played along the surfaces as a quiet song played in the room. They both watched the light dance, matching the tones of the sad song. John couldn't tell how long it was before the music stopped and the lights went back to normal.
"He has to go now," Cara explained, with sadness in her voice. "Bye, Carson," she said, waving at the door.
"Bye..." John said softly, grateful and sad.
"He'll probably come back later," Cara said reassuringly as they left the room, "but this is the only place where he makes the lights dance."
John smiled. Cara was too young to understand. A green shadow played over the wall next to him and he knew Carson was smiling, too.
Pairing: Carson/John
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Sunday
Word count: 1060
AN: Many thanks to heimedall for the beta
For the kids challenge
The small girl came running up to him, laughing. They had met her five months ago, when they were called off-world by one of their allies. She was trapped in her house and was left behind when the villagers ran from the Wraith, and through some miracle, she survived.
They brought her to Atlantis and when she first stepped in the gate room, she started laughing. No one had laughed in the gate room, not after Carson's eulogy, and seeing her smile made John want to keep her close; everyone in Atlantis wanted to have her close, because she was smart and playful, eager to know and help. She laughed, she played and more importantly, she moved on without looking back or grieving. They needed to learn how to do that.
"What are you up to?" John asked her, smiling.
"Umm... nothing," she had a way of getting herself in trouble without doing bad things. She wasn't naughty, she was just too young in a city that was too grown up.
John shook his head and puffed. Cara tilted her head a bit, studying him, as if she wanted to determine whether he was worthy or not of knowing the truth. Finally, she sighed and admitted, "I was talking to a friend."
"Ah, do I know him?" John asked, as they started walking towards Cara's room. He fondly remembered the time when she introduced him to a zoologist who later explained to John how much Cara wanted one of the lab mice and how she tried every persuasion method known to get him. Then there was the time when they spent an hour talking to one of Cara's imaginary friends: a green dolphin named Rudy. Apparently, Rodney had explained to her how intelligent the Earth mammals were and Cara wanted one in Atlantis.
"He knows you, and I think you know him," she said, nodding thoughtfully.
That meant the friend was a real person. "What's his name?" John asked, curious.
"His name is Carson," she answered simply, looking at him as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
John stopped, staring at her. "Carson... what's his other name?" he asked, trying to hide his nervousness from the girl. For a second he wished… he hoped…
"I don't know... friends don't talk about last names..." after a few moments, she said, "I can take you to him, and you can see if you know him."
John nodded, disappointed. He wasn't sure what he hoped for, but meeting some Carson on Atlantis wasn't it; he wanted his Carson back. In the past few months, life in Atlantis had become calmer, and he wished Carson could have been there to enjoy it.
John noticed that Cara was taking him to one of the uninhabited areas of the tower. They had declared it safe and everyone was free to wander around, but few did. She was obviously one of the more curious inhabitants of the city.
A few minutes later, they entered a small room. It was simple, and even the usual decorations that Atlantis' walls had were missing. There were no consoles, no furniture, nothing.
"Hi," Cara said playfully.
"Who are you talking to?" John asked, looking around again.
"Carson, he's over there," she explained, pointing towards the wall, next to the door. "He says hi."
"Umm... hi, Carson," John said slowly, staring at the wall. He was surprised that Cara had named one of her imaginary friends Carson, especially since no one ever mentioned the Scottish doctor to her.
"Carson says it's normal for you not to see him," the girl said, frowning slightly. "He said that in some places, rules must be obeyed. That he cannot talk to anyone he knew before..."
"Rules... before… he's... is he really Carson?" John asked, overwhelmed by the hope that it wasn't one of Cara's friends, that it was really his Carson - Ascended, invisible to him, but there.
Cara laughed, "he's always been here," she frowned, as if she was listening to something that didn't make sense, then said, "he says you shouldn't have gone fishing."
"What? When?" John asked, looking at her, impatiently waiting for an answer. A week after the explosion, Rodney took them all to the mainland, fishing. Somehow that fishing trip hurt more than the body recovery, more than the eulogy, more than the funeral in Scotland.
"You hate fishing, John, you should never go fishing," Cara said, trying to imitate Carson's Scottish brogue. John looked at her, surprised. "He talks funny," she explained, "and he laughs when I try to speak like him."
John grinned, finally believing. "I imagine he does. Are you okay where you are?" he asked, looking at the wall, trying to imagine Carson leaning against it, smiling. He would be wearing one of the blue shirts he loved so much and the jeans he kept for their days off, the ones he wanted to wear Sunday, but didn't because John forgot to take them from the washing machine in time for them to dry.
Cara nodded vigorously, "He says..." she frowned again, waiting for Carson's answer and listening patiently. Eventually, she said smiling, "he says he's happy. I think he'd be happier if he was here, but -"
John watched with amusement as the girl frowned, pouted and turned her back to the wall. "I'm not talking to you," she said, then turned to John. "He said I'm too young to understand."
A few seconds later, she turned towards the wall, face radiating with happiness. The walls lit up, in a way John had never seen before. Blue and green played along the surfaces as a quiet song played in the room. They both watched the light dance, matching the tones of the sad song. John couldn't tell how long it was before the music stopped and the lights went back to normal.
"He has to go now," Cara explained, with sadness in her voice. "Bye, Carson," she said, waving at the door.
"Bye..." John said softly, grateful and sad.
"He'll probably come back later," Cara said reassuringly as they left the room, "but this is the only place where he makes the lights dance."
John smiled. Cara was too young to understand. A green shadow played over the wall next to him and he knew Carson was smiling, too.