Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was a boy.
Once upon a time there was a boy, and there was a cove, and a ramshackle house on the other side of the railroad tracks.
Once upon a time there was pain, and there was an alley, and a town that smelled of fear and shame and caribou piss.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was a boy.
Once upon a time there was a boy, and there was a sky, and a red brick house in the rolling hills.
Once upon a time there was loneliness, and there was a uniform, and a town that smelled like dust and gasoline.
Once upon a time
Once upon a time there was a rock on which was written the secrets of the universe.
There was an ocean, grey and crashing and powerful, so cold that it turned you blue.
Once upon a time there was a hiding place, a wooden shack on the oceans edge, a treasure cove of tattered comics and twice-darned socks.
Once upon a time, there was a girl, and in this place, they dreamed.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was adrenaline.
There were horses galloping beneath the harsh desert sun, salty-bitter sweat dripping down their backs.
Once upon a time there was a tree house that held a secret.
Once upon a time, there was a boy, and in this place, they fought.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was music.
Arpeggios of blue and green, the painstaking precision of touch.
Once upon a time there was inadequacy. A fear of opening oneself up, because you never know what might come out.
Once upon a time, the piano wept without a voice.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was a perfume bottle.
Buried in a sock drawer, deep beneath the boy-smell of sweat and bugspray, was comfort.
Once upon a time there was a memory. In it a smooth-cheeked woman smiled and hugged, chestnut hair falling in laughing green eyes.
Once upon a time, a mother loved.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was a belt, worn and brown, with a rusting buckle.
Once upon a time, a boy cried out at torn flesh, and fell down.
He whispered to his sister before it was her turn.
"Remember: They only hit until you cry. Don't be brave. Don't be stupid. Be a pussy. Pussies survive."
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was a belt, thick and black, with a polished silver buckle.
Once upon a time, a boy glared defiantly.
He bit his lip as the buckle ripped across his back and reminded himself.
"Don't give them what they want. Be a man. Men don't cry."
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was confusion.
A quiet child leaning into forbidden touch.
A Catholic child praying for salvation, and yet luxuriating in the sin.
Once upon a time there were lips, and smooth muscles beneath callused sea-bitten flesh, and there were over-alls quickly stripped off.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was shame.
An easy-going child reaching out in confusion.
A Baptist child wondering at skin-hunger.
Once upon a time there were lips, and perfume, and smooth breasts revealed under too-tight tank tops.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was betrayal.
The crunch of broken ribs, the snap of shins, the red mist of blood.
Once upon a time there was a dislocated shoulder, and a heart-breaking order.
Once upon a time there was abandonment.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was loneliness.
The easy smile of the prom king, the sparkling wit of the quarterback.
Once upon a time there were walls, and they were closing in.
Once upon a time there was an officer.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was hunger.
The hard, biting hunger that comes after three days of going without.
Once upon a time there was cold, and there was terror, and there was light.
Once upon a time there was a library, and there was an application, and there was an opportunity.
Once upon a time there was a door.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was a choice.
There was a choice, and there was a chance that was taken.
Once upon a time there was a name, and a boy who lied about it, determined to make it on his own merits.
Once upon a time there was a dream of being just like Han.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was competition.
There was also brilliance, and the drive to succeed.
Once upon a time there was ego, because someone has to believe.
Once upon a time there was a struggle the boy had trained for all his life.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time there was a desert.
Beautiful in its despair, it stretched for cracked miles in every direction.
Once upon a time there was a fire fight, and there was an order.
Once upon a time, no-one got left behind.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was a job.
There was a job, and there was beautiful theory, the twists and gnarls of space-time smoothing beneath his gaze.
Once upon a time there was a mistake.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was a cross.
It hung round a soldiers neck, a whisper of a promise.
Once upon a time there was a room, and it was full of officers.
Once upon a time there was a plane, and there was a base, and it was fucking cold.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was a prayer.
Whispered before bidding that town goodbye forever, it spoke of penance, and of reconciliation.
Once upon a time there was a lie, and a cold, blinding hatred.
Once upon a time there was a stranger in a strange land, and a sentence served.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was a plane.
There was a plane, and there was an officer, and there was a device.
Once upon a time there was a mad scientist.
Once upon a time there was a coin flip.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was a chair.
There was a chair, and there was a doctor, and there was a device.
Once upon a time there was a soldier.
Once upon a time, he brought the solar system.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was a death.
There was a death, and there was a bullet, and there was a beast.
Once upon a time, chaos reigned.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was a siege.
There was a siege, and there was an alien, and there was a bomb.
Once upon a time there was a soldier too courageous for his own damn good.
Once upon a time there was a dot, and then it was gone.
Once upon a time, something died inside.
Once upon a time, there was a resurrection.
Once upon a time.
Once upon a time, there was kiss.
Harsh and demanding, rasped chin on rasped chin, chapped lips taking without mercy.
Once upon a time, there was trembling.
The vibrations of adrenaline and amphetamine turning electric.
Once upon a time, there was a bed, and there was a soldier, and there was a scientist.
Once upon a time.
A/N So, what did you think? I'm thinking of making this a series, and of doing little stories like this for other characters and relationships in the gate'verse. Leave a review and suggest who I should do next- Daniel? Ronon? Teyla? Let me know.
Thanks so much for reading, you just made my day. :D
And while you're at it, through some love the way of that sexy little box, won't you? It's cold in Canada, we need your love to keep us warm. ;)