This is a continuation of Encounter but can possibly be read as an independent piece. I'm not sure if the story would make all that much sense but you could always give it a try. It goes a bit OCC but then again it is a fantasy and can go any which way I want.

This is slash and HARD M and deals with the after effects of rape. There will be blood and sex, so be warned! It might also get quite cute now and again.

I do not own Stargate Universe or the lovely poems I pillaged from books and the internet. I found TheFryersmuck on YouTube. He/she has been writing the most wonderful little stories and poems in comment section of Mumford and Sons videos.

Where I Wished Not To Go

Chapter I: Half-Forgotten Things

You saw my footprints when it failed to snow,

Paths, they took me where I wished not to go,

Made by man and shaped in haste,

Seems like the effort has been a waste?

-TheFryersmuck

Young awoke to find Eli's grinning face staring at him through the stasis pod door. So he survived, good for him and good for us. The door opened and he made his way out a bit less gracefully than he would had liked and looked around. None of the other crewmembers were out and about yet and he turned to look at Eli who was still grinning like a fool. Young couldn't help but grin back.

"Glad made it, Eli. I see you managed to fix the last stasis pod."

"Yeah, like five minutes after you all went to sleep. I mean, I was standing on the observation deck, thinking about my impending doom, when the solution just came to me. And boy, that was one stupid solution."

"What?"

"To put it in layman's terms: the equivalence of remembering to put the plug in. One of the conduits had fallen out behind the pod and was lying, rather smugly I might add, on the floor behind it! Fallen out!"

While he spoke Eli went around to a console and began pressing buttons. Soon there was a hissing sound as the rest of the crew was defrosted and the doors slid open. "No alien interventions or explosions or even Rush trying to get back at me for some perceived insult or whatnot, just a damn conduit that had probably got knocked out during one of the many times I accidentally hit the damn thing when I was trying to get Brody out three years ago."

Eli took several a deep breaths and Young took the opportunity to inject, "So we were asleep for three years? And complications I should know about?"

"No, nothing yet. But if history serves us right than then shit should hit the fan within a few hours. So there's always that to look forward to. Hi, Rush! Nice nap?"

Said scientist stepped lithely out of his pod with catlike grace. Young often found himself staring at Rush's angular features and into the depths of his almost black eyes. His eyes could convey every emotion with such precision and intensity that Young often had to force himself not to look away. He had seen Rush sad once and the look in his eyes nearly broken his heart. If Rush only had been less than five percent of the asshole he was, then Young would have been on him like a fly.

Rush walked by Young giving him a curt nod. Young in turn had to stop himself from cringing at the insane though that sprung into his mind. The idea that Rush could read minds often slipped into his head whenever Rush predicted what was going to happen or what someone was about to say. The thought was of course absurd but it still sometimes terrified him.

Rush moved to stand behind the console and Eli stepped aside with raised eyebrows, shooting a questioning look at Young who shrugged. Rush rubbed his neck and bent over the console and began going over the data from the past three years. Young once again found himself staring at Rush's face, now in profile. Young had at some point been forced to admit to himself that he really liked the shape of Rush's nose. He was ripped from his musings when Eli began waving his arms wildly in front of Rush.

"So, I'm alive! Feel no need to congratulate me or anything."

Rush looked up at Eli as if seeing him for the first time and frowned. He pulled up his notebook from the hidden pocket on the inside of his vest and began flipping through it.

"You're alive; shouldn't that be enough of a reward?" Rush looked back at the console before turning towards Young who felt a surge of annoyance in his chest. "Our power levels are dangerously low. Less than five percent capacity. I'm going to the bridge to direct Destiny towards the nearest star." Rush stared at Young awaiting his reply and a frown befell his brow when Young took just a little too long to answer.

"Yeah, you go do that."

Rush was still staring at him as if he knew something and was eyeing him suspiciously. Young might have imagined it but he thought he saw something dark and almost fearful pass over Rush's features. For one insane moment Young thought about reaching out to grab his shoulder and pulling him close just to see if it had really been there. But he didn't since he knew how much Rush hated to be touched. He had recently begun to wonder why that was. Rush finally shook his head slightly and turned to walk away towards the bridge while stuffing the notebook back inside his pocket.

Rush suddenly stopped and turned almost making Young jump, but he was facing Eli, clenching and unclenching his hands, apparently trying to decide something. A small smile crept across his lips and he unfurled his hands.

"Congratulations, Eli."

Eli smiled in return, obviously surprised, but before he could respond Rush had left. The rare smile Rush had given Eli still replaying in Young's head, he realised that the butterflies doing summersaults in his stomach probably didn't have anything to do with his dislike for the man but quite the opposite. When the hell had that happen? When had he gone from hating the man to this? When did he go from thinking Rush was pretty to thinking about how much he really liked the warmth in his eyes when he smiled. Pretty?

Young sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Around him people were stumbling out of their pods looking relieved and worried at the same time. Park was being hugged by Greer with Volker watching them jealously until Greet pulled him into a one-armed hug. Volker grinned when Greer kissed him on the head and Park on his cheek. Scott and Chloe were also hugging and so were Varro and TJ. Camile was walking around smiling and shaking hands with everyone. Eli was chatting excitedly with Brody and Volker, who had managed to pull away from Greer. Young felt lonelier than he'd had for quite a while.

They dropped out of FTL and Young's radio crackled. He unhooked it and brought it to his mouth when he heard Rush's impatient voice.

"Colonel, this is Rush, we are now in range of a star and we'll pass through it in thirty seconds."

"Thirty seconds? A bit more of a warning would be nice Rush." Young sighed, annoyance lacing his voice.

Rush's voice turned from irritation to otiose anger. "What do you call this? Rush out."

"Rush!" Young knew he was speaking to deaf ears for Rush had already turned his radio off. Young cursed and wondered what had crawled up Rush's ass. The ship shook in the turbulence as they entered the star.

"People listed up!" Young called out, getting everyone's attention. "We have reached the other galaxy and we have been in stasis for three years and so far there have been no obvious complications. We are now entering a star and we should be out on the other side in a few minutes. You all know the drill by now I hope."

Several people nodded and Young continued. "I suggest you return to your quarters until the science team has been able to asses any potential damage to the ship. Volker, Brody get to the core room and check on our situation. Eli get to the bridge and help Rush whether he wants you to or not, and Becker you go look into our food supply. Scott gather a team and check out the populated areas of the ship for any new hull breaches or other damage, but be careful. Camile and I will check in with Homeworld once all reports are in. That's all people."

People were nodding and untangling themselves from hugs and embraces and began to scatter to the four winds. Camile walked up to Young and leaned on the pod next to him with a smile tugging on her lips once everyone had gone.

"So, we made it. I wonder what happened on earth while we were sleeping." Her smile faltered a bit and she began studying her shoes instead of looking at him. Three years was a long time to be away from someone you love and Young knew she feared what Shannon would say when they met again. Around them was silence except for the metallic hum of Destiny and the slight shivering of a loose conduit hanging from a hole in the opposite wall. "Do you think she waited for me or decided to find someone else like I told her to?"

Young felt useless and out of place as he rested a hand on her shoulder and attempted an encouraging smile. He had never been good at comforting people or at giving advice. He remembered when Carmen died and he couldn't even look at TJ. Not because he blamed her, or anything like that, but because he couldn't stand the reminder of what could have been. He couldn't help her any more than he could himself.

"I don't know Camile, as you said three years is a long time, but you'll find out in a little while."

"I'm not sure I want to." A sad smile lingered on her lips when she squeezed his hand before shrugging it off. "I'll see you in the stone-room later then?"

"Yeah, later." Young bowed his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets, sighing as he watched her walk away. The turbulence faded as they exited the star and around them space once again became black.

Young stood staring at the floor, waiting for his radio to sound again. His eyes fell on a pencil stub lying next to the console Rush had been working on earlier. Young frowned and walked over and picked it up. He rolled in between his fingers and noticed it was slightly chewed at the end. In his mind he imagined Rush sitting bent over a console in the core room flipping through his never ending notebook and chewing absently on the pencil. His eyes focused and his brow in a perpetual scowl.

Young knew exactly when his feelings for Rush had changed. He could remember standing in the Gateroom waiting for his soldiers and Rush to return from the desert planet. He had stood shifting from one foot to the other, trying to keep his anger from getting the best of him. Rush had lied to him about the bridge and that was something he could almost forgive, but the thought of him killing Simeon, the only one who could stop the attack on earth made him regret his charity. Maybe he should have killed him on that seed ship and taken the blow that would have followed from the rest of the crew.

Then he looked back at the week following him marooning Rush on the planet and how everything fell apart. Young knew that he was the leader, but he also knew that without Rush nothing would ever get done. Rush was the fall guy and without him nobody would ever dare to do anything in fear of getting blamed for a less than desirable outcome and Rush didn't care what anyone thought of him. Young was often a little jealous of Rush's ability to just not give a damn. Standing before the gate as the event horizon flushed out and puddled he was washed over with so many conflicting emotions ranging from anger, guilt, worry and finally settling back to anger. Through the blinding water-like surface of the wormhole walked Scott and James closely followed by Rush who was looking down at the floor.

Young sighed, instinctively knowing that Simeon could only be dead. Anger flared in him again like icy fire and he began moving towards the source of his wrath. But then Rush's eyes found his and the look he gave him almost took his breath away. Those eyes that were always looking at him with disrespect, anger or even hatred were now filled with the most blatant misery. Young had never seen, and hoped he'd never would again, such brokenness and sadness in another person's eyes.

Scott had grabbed Young's shoulder and whispered, "Go easy on him, sir. He's had a rough day."

As soon they broke eye contact Rush looked away and Young pulled his arm out of Scott's grip and placed a gentle hand on Rush's shoulder. The moment he did Rush flinched and pulled away, his eyes suddenly flashing with a hint of panic amidst all the misery. Young stepped back frowning, not sure what to make of that reaction.

"I'm sorry, Rush." Young's voice hitched as he tried to channel through those few words how sorry he was for Perry, for leaving Rush on that planet and also for the inexplicable fear in Rush's dark eyes when he'd touched him. Young felt that he never wanted to see that fear ever again directed at him ever again.

Rush nodded and walked away towards the bowels of the ship, probably to find something to chase away his grief. Work or booze, either would work, at least for a time. Young watched him go, his shoulders slouched and tense like he was trying not to cry and Young felt something he'd never thought he'd feel for the Rush: fondness.

To be continued