Author's Note:

Argggh! Not gonna lie – this one has been a beast to write. It started trying to make itself into two parts. So I did what any normal person would do and tried to make them stay in one piece. When that didn't work, I let nature take its course. That's when it decided to go back to being a one-shot.

So here we are. Enjoy!

"How come I never make friends like that?" – Beckett
"You need to get out more." – McKay

Beckett's standing still with the tin can cup half full of the only wine from Earth in the Pegasus Galaxy as Rodney walks away, wondering exactly what it is that keeps him from being as friendly as men like Major Sheppard.
He's a medical doctor – one of the most brilliant from his galaxy – and he can knock out witty repartee with the best of them.
So what is the problem here?

Maybe, he's willing to concede as Teyla walks away and Major Sheppard stands there staring after her with a faintly puzzled and slightly bemused expression on his face, it has something to do with their occupations.
Being a brilliant medical doctor means he's in the laboratory constantly, testing treatments and making that diagnosis that could mean life or death for his patient.
It means that while he works out some, there is no way he can knock off all the weight necessary for a build like the Major's.
Witty repartee is what Dr. Carson Beckett has in his arsenal, but he already knows from the few exchanges he's witnessed that the Major can manage just as well when the situation calls for it.

Hopefully, the situation doesn't call for such responses from Sheppard often.
Otherwise, there is going to be a lot of trouble in a certain department that has nothing to do with medical or military work.

Then Elizabeth stops Major Sheppard as he starts walking back towards the crowd, and Beckett finds himself staring into the cup of wine like it will bring him the solution to all of his problems-
Both the problems he is willing to concede are problems, and the ones that don't seem to be issues at all.
Of course it doesn't, but the thought is rather lovely, come to think of it.

"You look like you're ready to call it a night, Doc."
Beckett pulls his head up at the sound of Lieutenant Ford's voice. Somehow the young man has shifted from the balcony to beside him.
"Not quite yet, lad," Beckett says, holding the cup a little bit further away from his chest. "But soon, aye."

He knows he doesn't need to remind the young man of just how long the last forty-eight hours have been.
They've come to a new galaxy, risen from the bottom of the ocean, met a nightmarish enemy…
And, yes, befriended a new civilization which they shortly thereafter brought back to their new home because nowhere else in the galaxy they know of is safe.
That sounds about right.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Ford replies. "Plenty to do the next few days."

Days. Weeks. Months.
Who knows how long it's going to take to get settled?
Beckett nods. "I'll keep that in mind. You do the same."
Ford laughs. "I will."

That's when the exhaustion hits like a timber of wood, sudden and swift. Beckett isn't swaying on his feet yet, but he knows where this road leads.
It's a less than pleasant one in his experience if he doesn't get himself to bed soon.
"Maybe I will go on, Lieutenant. See you tomorrow."

"Aye," is Ford's response, with a twinkle in his eyes that brings the faintest hint of a smile to Beckett's face as he sets his cup on the table behind him, and heads out.

He's weaving his way through the crowd when he bumps into McKay, who has another kebab in hand.
"Where are you going?" McKay asks. "The night is young."
Aye, and I'm exhausted. Goodnight, Rodney."
"How are we going to make friends if you leave early?" McKay asks, taking a bite off the top. By the grunt of approval, the taste is more than satisfactory, and there's no citrus on it.
"I'll find a way.

Without another word, Beckett takes his leave, feeling a little bit lighter as he walks back to his quarters because what he just said is true.
He will find a way.

That way comes sooner than Beckett expects.

A few days later, he's peering down the barrel of a microscope at the interaction between the ATA gene and the retrovirus he plans to use to administer the therapy with when he feels the tap on his shoulder.
"Carson?"

His head lifts up and away from the lens at the sound of Elizabeth's voice.
Yes, calling her Elizabeth is appropriate.
As the chief of medical operations on Atlantis, he is on a first name basis with the leader of the expedition.
But that doesn't mean he isn't even a little bit thrilled with the fact that she chose to use his first name in a normal work conversation.
Well, maybe it's a normal work conversation, he won't know that until they get into it whether it is or not.

"Aye, Elizabeth?" Becket asks as he turns around to face her.
There's a moment where the faintest of smiles tugs at her lips, and suddenly the answer to how to make friends hits him between the eyes.

Everyone wants to be acknowledged-
Aye, and more than that… they want to be known - to know and be known.
Even after knowing someone for a significant amount of time, it still gives a thrill to hear them say your name because it reinforces that you are known.
And when that someone chooses to make themselves known – to talk about the things they do and why they do them?
It's all the better.

And it's how Beckett makes friends best.

"How's it coming?" she asks, leaning in a little bit like she wants to look in the microscope.
"Slowly," he answers, and shifts so she can move in front of it if she chooses. "Would you like to take a quick look?"
"If you'll explain what I'm looking at, then yes."
Beckett smiles. "Of course, dear."

Of course.