Final in the Hindsight series. Yes, I'm finally admitting it's a series. Cross posted on LJ.
Surprise POV today.
Rating: pg-13
Pairing: Sheppard/McKay
Warning: language, some kissing
Spoilers: Trinity
Note: I'm not as happy with this one as I am the other's so constructive criticism is highly appreciated here.
It's been a very, very long day. The shower is calling you, but the debriefing had to come first. Colonel Sheppard is out of the infirmary and Doctor McKay isn't screaming at everybody anymore.
Sheppard said that it hadn't been an ambush; that he'd been distracted by… something (he wasn't telling what) and he'd wandered away from the group. That's when they had got him.
McKay said that he hadn't been particularly concerned when the Colonel had wandered off, but something in his body language told you he was lying. The meeting ends and Weir looks at you and nods.
"Good work, Major Lorne," she says and the group stands, takes a moment to look at each other (or not look at each other in the cases of Sheppard and McKay) and then parts. You head for your room, hoping the scientists have fixed the recent hot/cold water issues.
You get sidetracked and end up in the mess hall, not a bad thing when you realize you're hungry, and you get something quick to snack on before heading back on your way.
You're in one of the empty halls when you hear it and you stop, because you're a soldier and investigating noises in empty halls is what you do.
"Listen, I just wanted to thank you for…" It's Colonel Sheppard and you start walking again.
"Hey, no big deal right…" you can see them now, Sheppard and McKay standing some distance from each other, both trying and doing a pretty good job of looking at everything but each other. Sheppard nods distractedly, looking down at the floor.
"And I wanted to talk about… you know… the other thing…" There's a pause and you realize this isn't the sort of conversation you should be walking in on. You move to your right, hidden now by an outcropping in the wall and contemplate taking a longer route to your room. "I'm sorry," the Colonel's voice sounds choked and you peek around the outcropping to see that he's still not looking at McKay, but he's moved closer. "About what I said. Rodney, I didn't mean it," McKay cuts him off with a hurried, fluttering of hands.
"No no, its fine, I mean… What's 5/6ths a solar system between friends?" Sheppard's head snaps up and they make eye contact for the first time that you've seen in over three weeks. McKay stutters. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. What I meant was-" Sheppard cuts the babbling scientist off by grabbing him by the shoulders and giving him a shake.
You make a small move toward them, worried that it might get violent. Sheppard is your commanding officer but your mission here is to protect the scientists.
"No, Rodney!" Sheppard shakes him again and you take another step. "That could have been you!" McKay's eyes widen and you step back, thinking you may know what's going on here. "God, that was so stupid! The damn thing could have taken you with it! And I almost didn't…" Sheppard pulls the scientist close and hugs him, hard. You can see that McKay is stunned but the scientist regains a small amount of composure and puts his hands on Sheppard's back.
"I thought you were… angry because…" he doesn't finish the sentence and you already know that while you may be a little lost, everything is making perfect sense to the two standing there.
"No! I thought I was going to lose you…" And that was a cliché if you've ever heard one and apparently you're not the only one who picked up on the corniness of the way the conversation has turned.
"Well," McKay says in that rushed way that means he's nervous, "at the risk of sounding as cliché as you," the joking tone leaves his voice now and the conversation goes back to it's formally somber tone, "you don't have to worry about losing me…"
"But I almost did! Jesus, that's the point. After what I said and the last few weeks I thought-" McKay pulls back and puts one of his usually in-motion hands to Sheppard's lips, shaking his head.
"No, John. You never did."
You see the two men share a look and lean forward to… you move back into your corner, deciding not to watch the rest. Plausible deniability and all that good stuff. Then you smile because you know McKay and Sheppard are going to be ok and if McKay and Sheppard are ok, then the rest of Atlantis will make out just fine.
You tip toe away, though you're certain they're too preoccupied to hear you anyways, because you know you shouldn't have been eavesdropping.
A/N:"Plausible deniability and all that good stuff" Favorite line in anything I've written ever. Also; The End
The End