SG:Universe: "Lit"
Title: Lit.
Author: Rodlox.
Fandom: Stargate:Universe
series: "The Unfolding"
(This fic takes place before the story " Unfolding" itself)
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairing: Nicholas Rush/Vanessa James, mention of the late Mrs. Rush.
Summary: Their interactions in the episode Light.
Dedicated to: Rollahardsix and Eternitywaits - thank you both for giving me the push I needed to write this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The way Rush saw it, while everyone else was in any number of rooms, going through the various stages - denial, acceptance, bargaining, etc - he was simply side-stepping them. They are, after all, to me, simply not relevant.
And that was when he came across Lt James. Or she came across him - it was hard to tell.
Despite Colonel Young's order to her, she hadn't been able to watch his six all that much - between various shipboard crisises and Colonel Telford's interference, she'd been on other assignments than himself.
Having missed what Lt James had just said, Rush replayed it in his mind (one of the benefits of a brain such as his own). "You're going?" Rush asked her, having gleaned the essentials from what had been said just now.
"If Colonel Young calls my name, then yeah, I'm going," she said.
"To a rock we don't yet know anything about?"
"It's there. We know that."
Rush frowned, unable to argue that point.
"And I can't protect you from burning up," Vanessa pointed out.
"So what will you do if you aren't selected in the Colonel's lottery?" Rush asked, voice the same, but oddly curious what her answer would be.
James shrugged. "I hear there's going to be a prayer group." To fend off any 'but you're a -' argument, she added, "The point of religion is to provide a community - people who've got your back when times get tight."
"So when you joined the military, you doubled your protection."
"Yep. No idea what we'll be reciting, but it's a good way to go."
Whereas I'm going to be by myself - my choice entirely - at the end.
"What about you?" Vanessa asked him swiftly, her eyes alert and peering openly at him.
Her eyes...boring into my soul for reasons of curiosity, as Madeline would have put it. "I'll be in my quarters, I suppose," Rush said. "In case you haven't noticed by now, I don't place much value in being around people simply for the sake of being around them."
"You're right, I have noticed. Not that you're shy," she said with humor in her voice.
"I've always been this way," Rush said. Just more focused and driven without Madeline to moderate my pursuits. "Though I've known a few shy people to find crowds a safer place to hide than dusty corridors."
"That we do," Vanessa said.
"You? Lieutenant James, I find that a difficult propect to believe."
"Not a fan of the Red Queen?" she asked, half teasing.
"Which one?"
"Not the one in the Butcher novels." Wait, that was the Winter Queen and the Red Court. Keep moving, don't stop swimming. "I was shy, not anymore."
"Military broke you of it?" asked as a perfectly innocent question, not probing or mocking anything...and thus making her wary.
"No," Vanessa said. Lightening her tone back to normal, "You got something to read in your alone time?" she asked him.
"I'm afraid not. Unless you count the files on Destiny's computers."
"I got something better - I'll drop my book by your quarters later," when you're not there.
"You brought a book?" Rush blurted out. In the rushing and chaos of the evacuation, how did you manage that?
"I always carry that book," Vanessa said matter-of-factly.
"And what if you're picked?"
She looked at Rush funny, like he'd just failed at logic. "Same thing."
"Why's that?"
"Because you'll need it more than I will."
"I'm afraid I don't follow," Rush said.
This was where most people would lay a hand on the shoulder of the one who didn't understand. Vanessa didn't - as much because she was who she was, as because Rush is who he is. "Worst case, it'll help you kill time waiting to implode." It was then that her radio crackled. "Have to go," she said and made haste towards the 'gateroom.
~~~
Alone in his quarters, Dr Nicholas Rush looked at the cover. "I admit, I never thought her the type to read a book such as this," he said to the emptiness, and opened the book, eyes skimming each page. Publication information, the author's dedications, and just before the page of acknowledgements, there was dry ink.
Rush read the handwritten dedication:
Vanessa,
of equal import are lots and loyalty.
if a man has no corruption & no bias, be loyal to him for his choices are lots from God.
be Jago, and one day, you will be Ilisidi.
Ruth
"Hm," Rush said to himself, and delved into the book, waiting for physics to interupt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the end of this fic
Author: Rodlox.
Fandom: Stargate:Universe
series: "The Unfolding"
(This fic takes place before the story " Unfolding" itself)
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairing: Nicholas Rush/Vanessa James, mention of the late Mrs. Rush.
Summary: Their interactions in the episode Light.
Dedicated to: Rollahardsix and Eternitywaits - thank you both for giving me the push I needed to write this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The way Rush saw it, while everyone else was in any number of rooms, going through the various stages - denial, acceptance, bargaining, etc - he was simply side-stepping them. They are, after all, to me, simply not relevant.
And that was when he came across Lt James. Or she came across him - it was hard to tell.
Despite Colonel Young's order to her, she hadn't been able to watch his six all that much - between various shipboard crisises and Colonel Telford's interference, she'd been on other assignments than himself.
Having missed what Lt James had just said, Rush replayed it in his mind (one of the benefits of a brain such as his own). "You're going?" Rush asked her, having gleaned the essentials from what had been said just now.
"If Colonel Young calls my name, then yeah, I'm going," she said.
"To a rock we don't yet know anything about?"
"It's there. We know that."
Rush frowned, unable to argue that point.
"And I can't protect you from burning up," Vanessa pointed out.
"So what will you do if you aren't selected in the Colonel's lottery?" Rush asked, voice the same, but oddly curious what her answer would be.
James shrugged. "I hear there's going to be a prayer group." To fend off any 'but you're a -' argument, she added, "The point of religion is to provide a community - people who've got your back when times get tight."
"So when you joined the military, you doubled your protection."
"Yep. No idea what we'll be reciting, but it's a good way to go."
Whereas I'm going to be by myself - my choice entirely - at the end.
"What about you?" Vanessa asked him swiftly, her eyes alert and peering openly at him.
Her eyes...boring into my soul for reasons of curiosity, as Madeline would have put it. "I'll be in my quarters, I suppose," Rush said. "In case you haven't noticed by now, I don't place much value in being around people simply for the sake of being around them."
"You're right, I have noticed. Not that you're shy," she said with humor in her voice.
"I've always been this way," Rush said. Just more focused and driven without Madeline to moderate my pursuits. "Though I've known a few shy people to find crowds a safer place to hide than dusty corridors."
"That we do," Vanessa said.
"You? Lieutenant James, I find that a difficult propect to believe."
"Not a fan of the Red Queen?" she asked, half teasing.
"Which one?"
"Not the one in the Butcher novels." Wait, that was the Winter Queen and the Red Court. Keep moving, don't stop swimming. "I was shy, not anymore."
"Military broke you of it?" asked as a perfectly innocent question, not probing or mocking anything...and thus making her wary.
"No," Vanessa said. Lightening her tone back to normal, "You got something to read in your alone time?" she asked him.
"I'm afraid not. Unless you count the files on Destiny's computers."
"I got something better - I'll drop my book by your quarters later," when you're not there.
"You brought a book?" Rush blurted out. In the rushing and chaos of the evacuation, how did you manage that?
"I always carry that book," Vanessa said matter-of-factly.
"And what if you're picked?"
She looked at Rush funny, like he'd just failed at logic. "Same thing."
"Why's that?"
"Because you'll need it more than I will."
"I'm afraid I don't follow," Rush said.
This was where most people would lay a hand on the shoulder of the one who didn't understand. Vanessa didn't - as much because she was who she was, as because Rush is who he is. "Worst case, it'll help you kill time waiting to implode." It was then that her radio crackled. "Have to go," she said and made haste towards the 'gateroom.
~~~
Alone in his quarters, Dr Nicholas Rush looked at the cover. "I admit, I never thought her the type to read a book such as this," he said to the emptiness, and opened the book, eyes skimming each page. Publication information, the author's dedications, and just before the page of acknowledgements, there was dry ink.
Rush read the handwritten dedication:
Vanessa,
of equal import are lots and loyalty.
if a man has no corruption & no bias, be loyal to him for his choices are lots from God.
be Jago, and one day, you will be Ilisidi.
Ruth
"Hm," Rush said to himself, and delved into the book, waiting for physics to interupt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the end of this fic