Laura Meet Carson - Again
Disclaimer - Obviously, I don't own SGA. That Rodney/Laura kiss in Duet would have been canon.
Pairing - Rodney/Laura
Rating - T
Episodes - Sunday (317) and Kindred (419 - 420) mentions SG-1's Redemption I (602)
Summary - What if Rodney and Laura finally get together after Carson dies. What happens when clone!Carson - who thinks he's still with Laura - finds out?
For the purposes of this story, Laura is attached to the Daedalus and therefore spends a week or so on Earth, three weeks on the trip to Atlantis, two weeks - or as needed - in Pegasus, and another three weeks for the trip to Earth.
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What he was doing in front of this house right now, Rodney didn't know. Maybe because no one else would think to. After all, Carson and Cadman broke up months ago. Time and distance apart, and a lack of chemistry - which Rodney absolutely was not taking any sort of responsibility for. It wasn't his fault that Cadman used him to kiss Carson - took its toll on them.
Few knew however, that Carson and Cadman maintained their friendship. She needed to know that Carson died - how Carson died. And frankly, he needed female help to deal with the Becketts.
Rodney took a deep breath and rung the bell.
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Laura answered the door to see McKay standing there. And she knew. Something was wrong. "Who?" Someone was hurt. That's the only reason McKay would be there. For the Wraith or Ori, Homeworld Security would send some lackey.
"Can we do this inside?" McKay's usual discomfort with being around her was nowhere present.
She stepped inside and led him into the kitchen. "I've got some coffee." All of a sudden, whatever he wanted to tell her, she didn't want to hear. Fortunately, for once, he seemed to understand.
"Coffee works."
"So how's the rest of the team?"
McKay shrugged. "Teyla's recovering from an injury, but Sheppard and Conan are ok."
Laura nodded. "The others? Doctor Weir? Radek? Carson?"
McKay had been nodding absently until she mentioned Carson. Something cold gripped her. "Rodney, what happened to Carson?" His whole demeanor became downcast. "No. Not Carson."
"The Ancients and one of their damned experiments. It resulted in an explosion. He saved someone's life. The explosive was in some newbie scientist my niece is smarter than." McKay's expressive face told the story as eloquently as his words. His pride in Carson; his disbelief that Carson was gone; his disgust with the other scientist; his disillusionment with the Ancients. His grief. His grief overlaid everything.
That same grief overwhelmed Laura. Abruptly, she got up and went out to her back yard. The sting was too sharp for anyone to see. Even this almost friend who was also grieving.
He came outside a few minutes later with their coffee. "See, the thing is, I need a favor." Laura scowled. "We still haven't been to tell the Becketts. I mean Sheppard's here on Earth, and Ronon, but I don't think either of them have a clue how to deal with families. Let alone grieving ones. I sure as hell don't. Come with us to Scotland. Save me from the overly emotional Beckett clan."
"Yeah, McKay. I'll go. Carson spoke of Moira fondly. I'd like to be there for her."
The wake was horrible of course. Carson was too beautiful a soul to have left them so soon. But in a strange way, it was wonderful too. His family laughed as they cried. Everyone told stories of Carson. Granted the Lanteans watered down their stories. Moira's eyes shone with tears through each story. Occasionally, one of the other family members handed her a tissue when it was too much.
Colonel Sheppard recalled some of the many times Carson patched him up. McKay choked through remembering the times he'd coerced Carson to try out a new bit of technology. Ronon told of Carson's friendship for and acceptance of him.
Through it all, Laura continued to gain a broader picture of the man who was her friend. The more she learned about him, the more she mourned the lost possibilities.
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He woke to the quiet knock on his door to find Cadman standing there. "Wasn't there anyone else you could bother this early?"
"Of course I could, Rodney. But why should I when you're available?" Her tone was teasing and arch, but sadness still clouded her eyes. "I gave up on sleep. Maybe we could go watch the sun rise above the loch."
"Yes, because I'm the early morning riser of the group," Rodney grumped as he pulled on some jeans over his boxers. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Cadman looking a split second longer than she needed to at his Tardis boxers. No way in the world she was checking out anything other than the boxers.
She must have seen the suspicious look. "Relax, McKay. I've already seen it all before. Remember?"
"Oh, com'on. Didn't I say to not mention that? I distinctly remember saying 'Don't talk about it.'"
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"So, Doctor Who?" Laura grabbed at the question in desperation.
"What's not to love? Give the guy a sonic screwdriver and let him talk. He saved the world." McKay looked around distracted trying to find his watch.
"Just like you then," she teased. Thank God he got distracted. Laura couldn't believe she'd been checking out his ass. She was a Marine for Pete's sake. She saw hard bodies, tight butts, and alpha types every single day. Butts didn't usually do anything for her. Eyes, smiles, brains, and a gentle personality. That's the usual things she was attracted to.
She continued to bicker with him as they walked down to the loch because that's what he expected of her - of them. But a part of her was distracted. Contemplating. Considering. She'd used 'attracted to' in a vague reference to him in her thoughts. Eyes - yes. Rodney had pretty blue eyes. Smiles - when he allowed it to come out, it was always filled with wonderment. Brains - he never let anyone forget his genius. Gentle personality - occasionally. Really, you had to get through his abrasiveness to see his kindness. Carson spoke often of it; his team, AT-1 - not the scientists - saw it; Doctor Weir saw it. She herself saw glimpses f it with his sister during those three weeks on the Daedalus. You had to learn to see it.
Oh God! She was totally checking out his ass because she was attracted to him? She stumbled over a nonexistent rock on the path. That so could not happen. Not now, now ever!
And yet, it was a magnificent golden sunrise she was sharing with Rodney. And he was right. She could have invited any of the Lanteans but she invited Rodney. Oh God! She was interested in Rodney.
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They had just gotten settled down when Cadman reached out and took hold of his hand. "It's not home, but it's pretty." Rodney stared across the water. "I can see why Carson loved it here so much. They all love each other."
"Yeah, Moira's wonderful," Cadman smiled. "She just grabs everyone in sight and mothers them equally."
"Is that what she was doing? I thought is was just some weird Scottish thing." Rodney tried not to think about why he was still holding Cadman's hand.
"You didn't recognize her mothering you within an inch of your life yesterday? That explains a lot, McKay." It was a human reaction. Simply the need for human contact in a time of sadness, Rodney decided.
"Well, we didn't all grow up with sunshine. Your Mom and Dad attended your graduation from the Academy. Mine asked why I didn't graduate sooner."
"What?" she sounded outraged. "I'd bet you were in an advanced school and went to MIT or something. That's something to be very proud of." Outraged on his behalf? That hadn't happened before. Not until recently and then it was usually mixed with an urgency to solve whichever problem was at hand.
"My parents were unhappy and blamed me for it." Rodney tried to sound matter-of-fact about it. Like he wasn't revealing something he'd only told one other person in the world before. Come to think of it, who knew if Sam was on Earth or not.
In any case, it was probably too much to give away. He watched as the sunrise turned from pink to gold and tried not to think too hard why Cadman's hand felt so right in his.
A/N 2 - Man! This one is scary! I'm not used to writing Rodney and I'm filling in a lot of blanks with Laura. Just... Review and let me know! Reviews are like peppermint ice cream on Christmas! Wonderful!