FF: Learning to Fly - A Million Miles Away 1/4 NC-17 (SGA) (Sheppard/Weir)
Title: A Million Miles Away
Author: Manda
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir. Also in this chapter: McKay/Beckett, Laura Cadman/Katie Brown, Kate Heightmeyer/Evan Lorne
Rating: NC-17.
Spoilers: Nothing specific, but set in my Learning to Fly universe, so anything up through Season Two is fair game
Warnings: Generally, BDSM and Femdom, so if that squicks or offends, please don't read. Um, also, warnings for f/f sex and m/m sex. Not sure I really need to warn for that, but just in case it squicks or offends, don't read.
A/N: In honor of getting my Season 2 DVD's from Amazon today, I'm posting this earlier than I intended J This falls roughly around the time of "The Tower" but I'm skipping that ep because, well, I want to. That's the nice part about being the author right?
A/N2: This is for Mice, who asked for more McKay/Beckett. Let's just say they fared better than Laura/Katie.
A/N3: Thanks to Meret for the awesome cover art!
Previous stories can be found here: Stories Index
Enjoy! ~ Manda
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Do you have everything?"
"Yes, it's all ready to go. I told you that."
"You're sure you didn't forget something. This looks kind of light."
"There's another full one under the seat. Believe me, there's plenty."
"'Plenty' by whose standards?"
"Mine."
"Oh. Okay, then. That is plenty."
"Thank you." Rodney tossed a glare Cadman's way. "I've got four post-doctorate degrees and G.I Jane is grilling me on how to pack a picnic basket," he muttered, making sure Cadman heard every word.
"Yes, well, I can kill you with my thumbs."
Rodney looked up, more curious than afraid. "Is that true? I always hear someone say it in the movies, but I've never actually seen it done."
Cadman shrugged. "It's possible - not in a Jet Li I-can-kill-you-with-a-needle type of way. But when you're fighting someone, you can gauge their eye, or break their windpipe."
"Huh. Can you show me?"
"Seriously?"
Rodney gestured expansively around him. "Galaxy of life threatening aliens, plus any number of natives who wouldn't mind killing us? It might come in handy."
Ten minutes later, Laura had Rodney on his knees in a firm chokehold, her knee pressed into the center of his spine. Which was exactly how Sheppard found them when he walked into the Jumper Bay.
He gave them one long look then shook his head. "Please tell me this isn't foreplay of some sort." Rodney and Cadman pulled away so quickly they nearly tripped over each other. John thought he heard them both mutter Ew. "I sent you up here for a reason, remember? Is everything ready?"
"All set Colonel," Cadman confirmed, smiling a little.
John smiled back, bouncing up on the balls of his feet nervously. "Okay, good, all right." Cadman and Rodney shared a look. The word 'smitten' passed almost telepathically between them. "Hey, I just wanted to thank you for this. All of you. Make sure you let everyone know how much I appreciate it, okay?"
"You just make sure Elizabeth doesn't fire us for this and I'll be happy," Rodney said sarcastically. His face softened slightly as he said, "She deserves a break. If this is what needs to be done to get her one, then so be it." Cadman nodded heartily.
"She's gonna be here any minute. You two should get out of here," John said, checking his watch. 9:58. He'd told her 10:00 a.m. and Elizabeth was nothing if not punctual.
"Have fun," Cadman grinned, waggling her eyebrows. John glared, ever so briefly, but Cadman kept grinning. "Come on McKay. I can show you how to break out of that chokehold. And you definitely need to learn how to throw a decent punch." John watched them go, shaking his head ruefully. They were living proof of one of the unseen effects of Atlantis: it made for some very strange bedfellows.
Footsteps on the stairs alerted him to Elizabeth's presence. He turned quickly, making a show of bending over to check out the Jumper for pre-flight, something he'd already done. Twice. Elizabeth walked over, drawn by the vision of John's backside, and cast a quick glance around to make sure they were alone in the bay before grinning wickedly. "Nice view."
He straightened up slowly and leaned ever-so-casually on the jumper hull. "Thought you'd like that."
"You are getting very good at figuring out what I like," she murmured softly. She took a breath and the playfulness was gone, replaced, as always, with the neutral command look she had carefully cultivated. "Are we ready?"
"As ever," John responded.
Elizabeth settled herself into the jumper's co-pilot seat as John went through his pre-flight checklist, spun up the engine, and was cleared for flight. She watched him, so sure, so confident, as he activated controls with barely a flicker of his mind. It was stunning to watch Atlantis and all her various pieces respond to him. She felt the briefest tingle as the inertial dampeners engaged and then they were up, up, flying in the clear blue sky of a Lantean morning. Elizabeth took a deep breath and relaxed for the flight.
John reached under his seat then leaned over, dropping a garish pink envelope on her lap. Surprised, she lifted it delicately between her fingertips, flipping it over. "What's this?"
"No idea," he feigned. "Why don't you open it?"
She did just that. The pink envelope gave way to a brightly drawn birthday card with cartoon office workers holding balloons and confetti and wishing their boss a happy birthday. The inside held signatures from easily half of the expedition. She quickly picked McKay's scribbled handwriting out, as well as Zelenka's. Chuck and the entire control room staff had signed their names beneath a doodle of the Stargate. She flipped to the back of the card and found more signatures and brief notes of well wishes.
"I suppose I should be grateful you didn't tell any of them my age," she said, searching for a firmness to her voice that just wouldn't come.
"You didn't think I was going to let your birthday pass without doing something."
"And you couldn't have done something privately?"
"Hey! This is private. McKay wanted cake, but I think that was more for him than you. Besides, it was Heightmeyer who ratted you out and passed around the card, not me."
"Remind me to come up with some creative way of punishing her later." John turned, his eyebrows crawling into his hair line. Elizabeth gave him a look. "Not like that."
"You said 'creative,'" he muttered, turning back. Her lips twitched into the hint of a smile. "You're not really mad, are you?"
"I just want to have this meeting with Halling about the new irrigation system and then get back to Atlantis," she sighed. "Considering how eventful my last birthday was, all I want this year is some peace and quiet."
John grinned enigmatically, keeping his eyes steadfastly on the HUD. "I think I can handle that."
*
He set the jumper down at the out skirts of the settlement. As soon as the hatch opened a dozen voices call out to them in greeting.
Jinto jogged over to them. "Colonel Sheppard! Dr. Weir!" He'd grown a foot at least since the last time Elizabeth had seen him, but that didn't stop the boy from giving them each a crushing hug.
"Hey Jinto," John greeted, pulling the boy into another affectionate hug as they walked into the main settlement area, talking and laughing about the boys sudden growth spurt. Elizabeth nodded and waived to those she knew in the settlement. Halling approached, smiling, and greeted them each with the traditional Athosian head touch.
"It is a pleasure to see you both again," Halling said. "But I was not aware you would be coming."
Elizabeth stared at him, obviously confused. "But Teyla said you requested a meeting with us-"
"-Yeah, about that," John cut in, motioning for Halling and Jinto to wait a moment as he steered Elizabeth away from the others. "Teyla said to tell you she's sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Elizabeth asked, eyes narrowing.
John shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "For lying to you."
"John..."
"It was the only way to get you to take a day off," he explained quickly. "I knew you'd never do it willingly, so Teyla made up a story about Halling requesting to meet with you."
"What makes you think I'm going to go along with this?"
"Because I'm asking in a really nice way?" he ventured with as charming a smile as he could muster. Elizabeth continued to glare. "Okay, plan B. I thought you might be upset, 'cause I know how you hate wasting time, so here's what I figured: We go see the irrigation system plans, which he does have by the way, spend ten minutes talking trade, and then we take the rest of the day off. That way, you don't feel guilty about skipping out on work, and you get some time off."
"John the city-"
"-will still be there when we get back," he interjected. "Look, if you really don't want to stay, then we can get right back in the jumper and go straight back to Atlantis. But if part of you wants to stay, even a little part, then you should stay. Because you work hard and it's your birthday, and your friends went to a lot of trouble to arrange this."
She gave him a look, her resolve wavering. "Who's in charge of the city?"
"Teyla and Rodney, just like before."
"You lied to me. I should be angry with you," she huffed.
"And you can be," John grinned. "Tomorrow."
He looked so earnest; her resolve crumbled. "Let's go see Halling's irrigation plans."
*
The mess hall was filled with its usual influx of people for lunch, but Kate didn't mind. Nodding in recognition to several people as she collected up her afternoon meal - rice and some form of wild chicken from the mainland - she scanned the room until she found an empty seat. Right across from Evan Lorne.
"Mind if I sit?"
"Of course not," he smiled, getting up quickly to pull out the chair he'd been casually propping his feet on.
"It's crowded today," she observed, cutting into the almost-chicken.
"There were rumors of a cake of some sort in Dr. Weir's honor," Lorne said conspiratorially. "I wonder who could have started them?"
"McKay probably," Kate grinned.
"Too bad. I like cake." Evan looked around to see who might be listening, but the others at the table all seemed duly engrossed in Dr. Kusanagi's latest tales from the science lab. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "So it looks like Operation 'Get-Weir-Out-of-Here' is a success."
Kate smiled knowingly. "Laura told me they still haven't come back from the mainland."
"You realize the odds are they got eaten by a giant sea creature right? That's the sort of weird thing that would happen around here."
"I think we need a motto for Atlantis. Something like, 'the city where whatever can go wrong, will go wrong."
Evan laughed softly, his eyes shinning. "Sheppard probably needs to get that tattooed on his ass."
"He probably already does," Kate smirked, both of them laughing now.
"What are you two laughing about?" Cadman asked, sliding her tray into a recently vacated spot by Kate before slumping into the chair. Kate gave her a quick recap then had to slap the young lieutenant as she nearly choked on the almost-chicken from laughing too hard. Laura guzzled down water, eyes watering. "Please don't ever mention Sheppard and ass-tattoos again while I'm eating. He's my C.O. it's just... disturbing."
Lorne grinned. "Some Marine you are." Laura shot him a look but there was no heat to it.
"Where's Katie at?" Kate asked.
"Baby sitting some ivy-plant-thing. She thinks it might be sentient." Anywhere else, those words would have landed both Laura and Katie in a mental ward. Heightmeyer and Lorne merely nodded along. "It keeps responding to light and noise by changing colors, so I doubt she'll be surfacing any time soon."
"What is it about scientists on this base?" Lorne asked. "They get so involved they barely come up for air." As if to make his point, he nodded down the table to where Miko was still explaining something to a rapt audience.
"It's not all that different from us," Cadman shrugged. "I'm in my own world during a fire fight or if I'm setting charges. Single focus. Only difference is their jobs don't require that type of focus while being shot at."
Kate nudged her shoulder. "You should have gone into psychology."
"Thanks, but I'm with McKay on sticking that 'science' into the voodoo category." Lorne nodded in agreement "No offense," Laura added on, looking sheepishly at Kate.
"None taken. Although I'm calling you Xena from now on at our poker games."
Cadman winced. "You wouldn't."
"Yes, she would," Lorne answered with a grin. Kate grinned back. She'd come up with a few clever nicknames for him already. Cadman stared for a moment then looked away, realization dawning. With a mental congratulation to Kate, she also reminded herself that she had walked into their conversation without really being invited, and was technically, a third wheel to a now obvious lunch date.
"You know, I, uh, I'm gonna take some food to Katie. She's probably starving and doesn't know it." Laura picked up her tray quickly, backing away from the table with a guilty smile just in time to intercept Rodney's approach.
"You mind if I sit?"
"Yes, they do," Cadman answered for them.
"They didn't say that," Rodney argued.
"I'm saying it."
"But you're leaving."
"And so are you."
"But-"
"Now McKay." With a flustered sigh Rodney turned and started walking in the direction Laura was already trying to shove him in.
Kate turned back to Evan, lowering her voice. "Cat's out of the bag."
"Cadman's a good kid. She'll keep her mouth shut," he said.
"If she figured it out, others will too."
"Remind me why that's a bad thing?" he asked, revisiting a topic of conversation they'd been going around since Christmas.
"Evan... I'm the staff psychologist."
"I'm not your patient."
"We've got what? Another month before your annual review? I'm supposed to conduct a psychological assessment wherein you will become my patient."
"I never thought I'd say this, but we really need to get more shrinks around here."
"Doubtful," Kate scoffed. "With our budget demands, getting another psychologist is about as likely as me dating an Asgaard."
Lorne shrugged. "They are kind of cute."
Kate laughed. "I'm going to ignore that you just said that."
"So what do you want to do?"
She took a deep breath. She knew she needed to tell Elizabeth, but she also knew what Elizabeth was likely to say, and she wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ready to give Evan up. Not yet. She knew ignoring the problem wasn't the healthiest way of dealing with things, but Kate figured she was allowed some leeway with her own life. "We've got another month," she smiled. "We'll deal with it then."
*
"Is there a reason you're shoving me out of the mess hall?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to tell me?"
"No."
McKay grumbled something under his breath but kept walking. "Where are we going now?"
"I'm going to go see my-" Laura stopped just before using the word 'girlfriend,' "-Katie. I don't know where you're going."
"I guess I could go back to the lab..."
"Why don't you try going to see Carson?"
"I'm gonna see him tonight."
Cadman rolled her eyes. Men it seemed, whether gay, straight, or any combination thereof, were all the same. Utterly and completely clueless when it came to relationships. "Why don't you surprise him? Maybe take him lunch?" she suggested, holding up her own extra tray for Katie. "Or go for a walk together on the West Pier. You know... like a couple."
"He'd like that?"
"In my limited experience, yes, he would."
"He's probably busy…"
"He won't mind the interruption," Laura countered. "Believe me."
Rodney stopped and considered it, the briefest smile tugging at his lips. "Might be kind of nice."
"Go get him, Tiger," she laughed.
Rodney's smile turned into a glare. "I really don't like you."
"Sure you do," she retorted cheekily, already walking away, her laughter ringing through the halls. Rodney continued to glare.
Part Two