Title; Settle into me
Characters; John Sheppard and team.
Genre; Fluff
Spoilers; Season five – BIG SPOILERS – If you haven't seen Search and Rescue then this is going to spoil you big time as I generally write from Canon. So you've been warned.
Summary; John's exhausted.
A/N; I've had a really crappy last couple of days. The job I applied for, a managerial position, didn't go to me. I'm so freaking angry its unreal…..and I've decided it's time to leave the job I adore, so I wanted to write a bit of fluff to cheer me up. And I thought I'd share it.
The first time they noticed it; he was sitting in the commissary eating his breakfast, one minute he was leaning on his hand, eating his cereal, the next he was slumping forwards with his face gradually edging towards his bowl. If it hadn't been for Ronon's quick, sharp kick to the table then he would have face-planted his oatmeal.
"What's wrong with you?" McKay had asked, sighing patently and waving his fork in the air.
Sheppard had yawned, stretched, pushed the bowl away and blinked tiredly, "What?"
"You nearly took a nose dive into your breakfast."
Sheppard rubbed his face and sighed, "Just tired McKay. It happens."
"Well next time it happens we'll let you drown!" McKay told him.
The second time they noticed it, Sheppard was in a debriefing. Granted, Doctor Martin had been talking for a good twenty minutes without pausing for breath, but even Sheppard could usually tolerate that level of tedium. They were all alerted to him snapping his head up, shifting in his seat embarrassedly, and then making exaggerated blinked motions to clear away the vestiges of sleep. That time, Carter had held him back after the meeting, concerned.
"Are you okay Colonel? You look exhausted."
Sheppard had waved it off, "Must be working too hard," he admitted with a sly smile.
"Okay, well maybe you should have an early night. I'll get Lorne to cover your shift."
The third time they noticed it, Sheppard hadn't turned up to the 'gate on time for their bi-annual off-world trip to Langria.
McKay had invaded his quarters, bypassing the door controls with practised ease, to find Sheppard in bed, head under the covers, and one hand dangling over the edge of the bed.
McKay gave it a tug; Sheppard woke, startled, nearly tipping over a….bottle? And he raised his head blearily.
"The mission," he said, digging his head into his pillow. Then with his voice muffled, he told McKay, "I'mup."
"Obviously you're not!" McKay snapped, pulling at his tac vest and sighing. He couldn't be more uncomfortable if he tried in the military get up and Sheppard was lounging around in bed, "Or were you planning to go off-world in your quarters?"
Sheppard pushed the covers off, his movements stiff and un-coordinated, as he reached for his pants, "I'm up now!" he told him irritably, "I'll be along in a minute." And then he yawned.
The dark circles under his eyes were unmistakable; he looked like he did when he'd been away on a mission for weeks on end being chased by wraith. McKay didn't understand how he could be so exhausted when he hadn't done anything in days.
"Maybe you should sit this one out?" That was the first time McKay had said that, "I could lead the mission."
Sheppard shot him an amused look as he tugged on his t-shirt, "Yeah right. I'm going."
McKay stood there for a minute, scanning the disarray that Sheppard's room was in; clothes, boots, blankets. Blankets? And was that a stuffed toy?
"I'm ready," Sheppard told him heading for the door.
McKay stopped him at the threshold and pointed at a dubious stain on the back of his t-shirt, "That is disgusting and I don't even want to know what it is….but you remember the Langrian people right? The freaky clean put your head on a spike if you're not disinfected people…."
Sheppard rolled his eyes, pulled the t-shirt up, grabbed another, snagged it over his head, groaned a little and then pushed McKay towards the door.
"Are you seeing someone on the base?" McKay asked as they left the armoury with his gear, "That's why you're tired right? Who is it?"
"No Rodney," and Sheppard laughed, "I'm not seeing somebody on base. Not like that anyway."
"Then what? Because frankly, it's becoming annoying."
"You wouldn't understand."
They entered the gateroom and Ronon shot him daggers, apparently he'd been accosted by one of the new recruits who were looking for pointers on shooting wraith. Since Teyla's temporary departure from the team, they were testing out new temporary members.
Speaking of Teyla, she was waiting at the bottom of the steps for them, baby in arms. Said baby was bawling at the top of his lungs.
Sheppard shot McKay a look; maybe even flinched a little and broke off to head over to Teyla. She passed the baby to him momentarily as she pulled something out of her pocket and passed it to him. Something for the Langrian people presumably; she was an old ally of there's but with the baby, Sheppard refused to let her off-world and she refused to leave her newborn at home.
"Please give them this John," she smiled and ran a hand through her unbrushed hair.
In the meantime, the baby had stopped crying. Sheppard passed him back, the briefest look of affection in his tired eyes, Teyla was doing her Athosian forehead thing, and then they were off.
"What was that all about?"
Before Sheppard stepped through the gate, letter from Teyla in his hands, he shrugged, "What?"
--
It was the middle of the night when the door to his quarter's chimed. Sheppard threw the covers off, checked the time, 3am, and tugged on a pair of sweatpants before answering the door.
He knew who it was before the door swished open.
Teyla was stood in front of him, baby screeching at the top of his lungs. She smiled tightly, looking every bit as exhausted as he felt and she said, "I'm sorry to wake you John but…."
Sheppard stepped out into the corridor, looked up and down and then helped her in, "It's okay Teyla," he told her.
"He won't stop crying and……" the baby in her arms was a mass of hot, wet, squirming softness. His little fists were balled up tightly as he wriggled in her arms. "I have tried everything…." She closed her eyes momentarily, "I don't think he likes me……."
Sheppard shook his head, "Course he likes you, you're his mom. He's just…..fussing……….like Mckay."
Teyla smiled softly, "Perhaps."
Like he had done a hundred times before, Sheppard pulled the covers aside on his bed and Teyla sat down.
"You get some sleep," he said, resisting the urge to yawn, "I'll sit up with him."
"Are you sure?" She looked up with trepidation, perhaps fear, "Because I could….."
"I don't mind," he took the baby carefully, cradling the head as she had taught him. The baby made a few more little snuffling noises before settling against him, sucking his thumb, entirely quiet.
Teyla had already curled up in the bed, on her side watching him. She had started coming to him a few nights back; he knew she didn't want to ask for help. She was strong and like him, exceptionally stubborn.
He sat down in the chair next to his bed and placed the blanket up over his legs. He leaned back and positioned the baby so he was lying flat against his chest, fists balled up under his chin and Sheppard looked down to watch the top of his head.
"Thank you John," Teyla said, already drifting into sleep.
What with the way this little guy came into the world, it wasn't surprising that Teyla felt vulnerable. And she came to him because she knew he would look after them; that her child would be safe while he was resting in his arms. It seemed that the baby felt the same way from his silence.
This was a mission. One he'd take seriously. He'd somehow gained another team member; he was small and he wasn't able to fire a P90 yet, or take McKay down a peg – well, unless he spit up on him- but he was family nonetheless.
Sheppard turned the lights down a little, listened to Teyla's and the babies even breathing, and thought it wasn't a bad way to lose sleep.
The End – Please comment. :D