So starts another story! I am doing my best to keep everything going, but even then life is busy! Moving soon, farming is in full swing, and there are horses to work. I have limited things down to weekly updates, to allow myself time to keep ahead in my writing. I do hope those who follow this understand. Thanks!

"Being able to admit when you're wrong is important, but so is standing up for yourself when you're right."

The sun had risen on the city, as did every morning breaking over the endless ocean that surrounded the floating ship. As it did, people woke and began their regular duties. There were missions to get ready for, paperwork to do, and projects to be either started or pushed off for a later date. The place had a routine to it, an effortless way of going about the day to day tasks that it provided on a near constant basis. Never was there a dull moment or a sense of nothing to do. There was always something to do here; it was just a matter of digging around until you found something you were useful at.

The same sunlight floating from the windows is what woke Carson slowly from his sleep. It fell over his face, as he regretfully woke from what had been the best night's sleep he'd had in god knows how long. His eyes slowly opened, looking at the familiar ceiling of his room. He had laid there staring at it enough times to recognize the familiar lines and patterns that covered it. It took him a moment, to remember the events of the evening before. He smiled, the memory would forever be in his head. He glanced down, and the grin only grew as he gazed upon the sleeping form of Forrest.

She was tucked along his side between his body and arm. Her head was resting gently on his chest with her hand resting just below his neck. He could feel the soft rise and fall of her body as she breathed, still asleep. Her body covered by one of his shirts, but he could feel the smooth skin of her legs wrapped around his own. Her hair fell in waves over her back and his arms, as he let his hand rest against her hip. He had never expected this to be the ending of the day before. He smirked, she never slept in this late, no matter how late she had been up the day before. Yet here she was, able to see it was nearly ten in the afternoon on the clock on the wall. She was stunning, as he studied the way the sunlight reflected against her hair. He had never seen such beauty or elegance as what she had. He did not know what he had done to deserve her or earn her affection. All he wanted was for this to become constant, to be curled up with her in the narrow bed they currently shared. He had made that need very known the night before.

He knew this moment would not last, as he felt a deep sigh escape her body. Her body shifting slightly, as she seemed to nuzzle into his neck contently. She did not want to move or open her eyes as her body woke. She just did not want the moment to end, as she enjoyed the smell that was him. The way the blanket around her smelled the same and held the heat of both their bodies. Her hand curled softly against his chest, her leg slowly running along his as she felt his hold tighten possessively. With her eyes closed, she smiled against his neck.

Something had never felt so right to her; it felt natural to be curled against him in the same bed. Nothing could ruin the moment she was having. Except for one thing, *You have much to tell me.* She managed to hold in the groan, as Castiel's teasing tone filled her head.

*Oh I see you are awake.* She responded with a slightly annoyed tone. Of course, he had decided to talk then; he couldn't wait for them to be having breakfast or something similar. *How much do you know?*

She knew he had been blocked when she entered this room, but when asleep he can quickly get around the barrier she was able to place up. *I have only been awake two or so hours little one, but I can tell by your emotions what happened.*

She could feel her face turn red, *Well, I guess I don't have to explain that part.*

*No, just what all happened when you had me on morphine.* He had an understanding tone, and she did find it comforting. *He has had feelings for you since we came to this city little one, I have been watching that for some time now.*

*All knowing Castiel huh?* She could nearly feel an eye roll from the dragon, before his tone became serious,

*The men of Loonrian would never have looked at you or acted the way he does. Cherish him little one, enjoy your time with him. You both have the day off, and I am here helping in the Infirmary. Have a good day.* His voice was loving as ever, as his mind left hers in silence. While he did not block her out, he gave her privacy.

He knew she was awake, and he shifted himself a little "Morning love." He said as he leaned up just slightly to kiss the top of her head. He could feel the grin on her face, as she lifted her head slowly up. Her eyes looking softly into his own, sleep still holding them ever slightly.

"Morning." She leaned up, placing a light kiss on his jaw before leaning up on her arms, feeling his body stretch slightly under her.

"You slept late?" The teasing tone of his voice causing her to give him a slightly sideways glance.

"Best night's sleep I have had in a long time." She said as she slowly pulled away from him, sitting up on the bed and stretching her arms over her head with a yawn as she gazed out the windows of his room. Looking at the elegant spires of the city that glistened in the sunlight. She felt Carson shift, as he leaned up next to her. His bright blue eyes never once leaving her as he wrapped one arm around her waist. "I could say the same."

She smiled, as she realized how awkward she felt at that moment in time, she had never allowed someone else to see her like this. She had never placed herself into a situation like this, and she had no idea what do do with herself. But she watched as his eyes slowly looked away, in the shy manner she was used to seeing from him, "I'm not one to move things that fast normally." She realized she was not the only one slightly nervous about the current situation as his voice filled the room. Watching as his one free hand rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes refused to meet hers.

"I don't mind." She grimaced at herself in her mind; she sounded like a child. She had no idea what the hell to say, or respond with. In the back of her mind, she could feel Castiel's encouraging presence, knowing damn well he could feel her embarrassment. But Carson's eyes finally found her's again, and she could see a hint of fear in them along with the affection he felt. Her innocence was not helping at all. She smiled, scooting herself closer to him again to lean her head against his shoulder.

"Then I guess I shouldn't apologize?" She could hear the slight worry in his question. "Never apologize last night Carson." Her voice was a whisper, as she felt him gently lean his cheek to her head. "I think the speed of things is what I needed to realize how I feel about you." She knew how deeply she cared for him, how much she longed for his touch and the comfort of his arms. The night before had been what she needed to cement them, and know they were in fact real and returned.

It made his body float, the words she spoke in the quiet of the room, able to feel the warmth of her body against his own. She was right, in the pas 24 hours he realized how deeply he had fallen for her. How much she meant and how much he needed her. He had not expected it, he never would have thought someone like her would walk into his life and make his heart sing again.

"Cas tried to tell me." She said with a slight laugh as she leaned away from him, looking up with bright eyes.

"Did he now?" He felt a moment of panic, wondering how much the dragon now knew. Fearing the wrath of the large reptile, the idea of being hung from a balcony in the dragon's paws coming to mind.

"He said that you were different and that I was oblivious to how you looked at me." He felt his face turn a shade of red, as she smiled up at him. "I see the way you look at me now Carson. And I hope you still will?." She sounded almost scared to him, as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I never will love, I can promise ya that" The silence was held, as she looked into his eyes and understood,

"I'm sorry, that I was so oblivious to the way you felt." His smile was warm, as he shook his head slightly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." His voice was feather-like, as she let the words sink in. She had so much to say, well, repeat. She knew she had told him every emotion she felt the night before when she had let her soul connect with his. She had always heard some of the women she lived with at the university, talk about their relationships, she had never once heard them talk about it in the way she had experienced it with Carson. He had made her feel like royalty, and he had worshiped her, just thinking about it now made her face feel warm.

She smiled, before looping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He returned it warmly, as he squeezed her tight for a moment. "Don't know about you love, but I am starving." Taking note of the slight flush to her face before she had hugged him. She laughed, as she leaned away nodding her agreement. She uncurled her legs from under her, looking to the door of his room with a shocked expression to see some of her clothes freshly folded on the floor, with a pair of her boots on top.

"That shit head has been awake much longer than he claims." She growled the words, as he looked over to the neatly folded clothes. "Castiel?"

"Yes, he said he had only been awake a few hours, I feel like it was more than that." He watched as she stood. The shirt she wore falling halfway down her thighs as she walked gracefully to the folded clothes. She looked so fragile, yet he knew there was a strength to her that many underestimated.

"You're gorgeous you know?" He said as she picked up her things, and turned to look at him with a slightly red tone over her cheeks, that only made him smile more.

"You're not bad looking yourself." She attempted to return the compliment, but she was clueless really on how to react. She knew she was horrible at this, romance anyway, as she held her clothes in her arms. "So um, are you okay if I take a shower here? I still smell like wet dragon and mud." Not that he had noticed, but he smiled.

"Of course love." The smile that flashed across her face was a bashful one, as she slowly wandered over towards the bathroom and let the door close behind her.

He sat on the bed, lost in thought as he listened for the sound of water as it began to fall inside the shower. Hard to believe in a span of 24 hours their relationship had changed entirely. For the better, of course, he had not felt like this in months. Not since the explosive crash that was his relationship with Cadmen. He shook the thought of that out of his head, letting the memories of the night before take their place. He had never known a connection like the one he held with Forrest. She had a beauty that he could not put into words, be it the curiosity that danced in her green eyes or the tenderness in her smile. She had awoken emotions he did not realize he processed, never In his life had he made love to someone so deeply.

Crawling reluctantly out of the warmth of the bed, he rummaged around to find his clothes for the day. He already knew he was spending most of it with her, probably filling the rest of the team in on the events of the day before. Not that he minded, of course, some of the more personal details would be left out. He had never been one to be open about personal relationships, but the catastrophe that was Cadmen had sadly been out in public. He did not need the entire city knowing about things like this, at least not yet. He ran his fingers through his hair, after pulling one of his regular dark blue t-shirts on. He could not help but listen contently to the sound of running water, knowing full well she was inside and would walk out again to him. She would return to him every time, at least that was what he longed for after the evening they had shared.

When she did, she panicked for a moment. Her eyes darting around the room that was now empty. "Carson?" She knew she sounded desperate in her call, but the idea of being left alone in the room made her uncharacteristically nervous. The idea of him leaving made her heartache. "I'm out here." She hung onto the accented words and walked away from the bathroom door to see Carson standing out on his balcony. Dressed, and ready to go about the day as they normally would have. He smiled, seeing her dressed in her traditional garb and her silver hair braided tightly.

She walked out to him, her smile large as she wiggled her way under his arm, and stood close to his side. The pair looked out over the city, listening as the waves washed against the edges below. "You ready to go eat?" She asked as she let her eyes close, basking in the much-needed heat the sun provided. "Aye, let's go." She felt the tight squeeze of his arms before he pulled away heading for the door. She watched for a moment, looking at how his body moved with such ease. He was more than not too bad; he was hot in every way to her. She smiled, bounding over to catch up as the door opened and the pair walked out into the deserted hallway.

Castiel sighed, as he sat in front of Carson's desk, his paws delicately rummaging through the paperwork that covered most of the space. Carson and Forrest alike had neglected most of the reports they should have been doing, but Castiel did not mind. Forrest was still not the most fluent in English, and he had no issues getting all of the paperwork completed and turned in. He was quite sure Elizabeth had no idea that close to 80 percent of their paperwork had been completed by the dragon. Yet the agreement between the three had been what she does not know won't hurt her.

He had already inspected himself, one of the nurses that morning having explained that Carson had been the one to set and fuse the bone in his wing, and stitch above his eye. He had to admit, the doctor's ability shown in the work that he did. The bone fuse was textbook, and Castiel had to admit he had only seen stitching of this quality from Forrest before. It made the dragon happy, to know that there was someone else with her skill level. The dragon let out a soft sigh, as he began to organize the paperwork on the desk into piles, one for Forrest and one for Carson. It really would not take the dragon long to do, and then it would be one less thing to worry about for the two. They had much more important things to focus on in his opinion.

He had woken nearly three hours earlier, around their regular time to wake up. One of the nurses had already removed all the monitors and IVs from his ears and gave him the go-ahead to leave. He had been able to feel that Forrest had him blocked, but when she is asleep, it is effortless for him to get around her barriers. He had opted to walk around the city, not risking any flight on the newly repaired wing. In that time, he had gotten into Forrest's head and felt the emotions that it held even as she slept peacefully. He could feel her happiness, and how safe she felt at that moment in time.

Wading in those emotions, it had not taken the dragon long to figure out what had happened. He had seen it coming; he knew the relationship between the two would morph from friendship to lovers. The way Carson treated her and looked at her told Castiel all he needed to know. His kind was very preceptive of the emotions of others, and humans tended to show and express theirs with much more freedom. He knew the Earth doctor had been developing feelings for his Forrest since the day they came here. The day the dragons returned proved his point even better. He had heard the conversation between Carson and his friends during their celebration; he had listened to the doctor talk himself up to asking for that dance. That night he knew things would change, and for Castiel it was bittersweet.

He had protected Forrest from the harsh reality that was their world for so many years. He had been her one protector, and companion for most of her life. When they went to the university, he had done his best to protect her from the not so kind-hearted men that it held, but he could only do so much. He was protective of her, in ways no one here would ever understand. Leaving her in the care of Carson had come naturally. The dragon had felt the ability to trust the man with her. Sure, he believed he could do that with most the humans of this city, for they were not Loonrian. But not like him, no Carson was different even from them. For Castiel, he was happy for his little human. Satisfied that she had found someone she felt so strongly for, glad that she had found someone else she felt safe in the company of. Yet he felt sadness, watching as the little girl he had raised turned into more than just a curious doctor. It pained him, to know he was not the only one she felt safe with or would seek comfort with. Jealous, that now he would have to share the beautiful individual that was Forrest.

When he had walked to their quarters that morning, the idea he had of what had transpired in the night was confirmed. He had opened the door of their room to see their bed empty, the sheets cold. He knew she had not been awake yet, for he could still feel her mind asleep in his. He knew where he would find her. He had done the kindness, of rounding up some fresh clothes for her along with a pair of her boots. He had lost himself in memories when he held those homemade boots in his paws. Remembering how frustrated she had been trying to remake them after the attack on Loonrian. It had taken her many tries before she perfected them, but she managed to. She was a determined person, and not many things held her back.

He knew the code to Carson's door as Forrest did. There was rarely anything that one knew that the other didn't. He had opened the door, peering inside to see that the pair were curled up together in the bed. He had not dared walk into the room; he only set the folded clothes down on the floor just inside the door. He had sat looking for a moment, noticing how tightly Carson held her. The man was protective, and possessive of her already. Castiel had been excited by the idea when he closed the door and went back to the infirmary with the new found information in his head. He trusted Carson; he knew the man would not hurt Forrest. Healers rarely hurt in that way, at least that was how Castiel had come to view the ones of Earth. Loonrian doctors were a different breed. Sure they helped and healed, but the entire Loonrian race was naturally selfish. That was why Forrest was so unique to him, she was a variance in her people and deserved to be protected and cherished. He only hoped she understood that.

The dragon had opened the laptop on the desk when his ears picked up familiar footfalls. The dragon's sensitive ears allowed him the ability to match footsteps to faces. Everyone had a unique way of moving, and the quiet but steady footfalls could only belong to Teyla. He paused, moving away from the desk to poke his head out curiously as Teyla walked towards the office, he stepped out, dipping his head in greeting before writing onto his tablet. 'Good morning Teyla, what brings you down here?' She smiled lightly, looking at the dragon who had walked out of the office. Not aware that Forrest and Carson alike had been given the day off.

"Hello Castiel, is Dr. Beckett or Forrest here?" While she did appreciate the dragon's ability, she still found herself feeling more comfortable with either doctor.

'Elizabeth has given them both the day off to recover, but I am here. Is something wrong?' The dragon could already see that something was. He could smell the faint scent of sweat, the kind he would associate with fever. Her heart rate was slightly elevated, and he could see the natural glow of the women's skin was dull.

She sighed, before realizing that he was the one available to help. "Well, I was unable to sleep well last night. I think I have been a bit feverish. I just do not quite feel right." She explained as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Castiel nodded his head, before motioning her to follow. She did as he kindly patted an open bed with his tail before writing.

'Well, you are not the first one this morning to come in with these symptoms.' The dragon was writing to her as he picked up one of the scanners from the stand next to the bed.

"There have been others?" Teyla was curious, as she listened to the dragon start working the scanner. He nodded his head before his tail wrote onto the tablet next to her.

'Around seven other than yourself, a few marines, then mostly engineers. Lynda explained to me earlier that it seems to be a pretty common Earth cold.' He nodded, as he looked at the scanner and seemed to smile. 'Same readings as the others have shown.'

She watched as he walked over to one of the medical cabinets, digging a pair of keys from the bag on his side. "Dr. Beckett has given you keys?" She asked curiously, seeing as Carson was not one to share the keys well. Rodney had been attempting to get copies of them for as long as she could remember. He pulled a few small packets of medication out, before walking back over to her. Holding out his paw for her to take them.

'Yes, both Forrest and I have a set. These should help with the fever, and this will help with the congestion. Just head back to your quarters and get some rest. If you need anything, just radio me.' She looked at him curiously,

"You have a radio?"

'I took Forrest's, seeing as she should be getting her rest from the past day's events. I will hear a call if you need anything.' Teyla had to admit; the dragon was as kind-hearted as any doctor in the infirmary. While she found it strange to have an animal be so knowledgeable, she knew his heart was in the right place. She took the medications from his paws and smiled.

"Thank you Castiel, I will see you later." The dragon dipped his head in goodbye, before walking back into the office after she had left.