Genre:
Gen; drama, angst
Characters:
McKay – Sheppard friendship with a bit of Carson.
Word
Count: 14000 words
Rating:
High, for sensitive situation and cursing.
Warnings:
DARK! Death of major character.
Summary:
Pain comes, drenches him with the memory of grief, and he knows that
time does not heal all wounds.
Beta:
The ever-so-wonderful Angela and Cheryl. Thank you so much for
the hand-holding, the honest opinion and the time. I can't even
begin to tell you how much I appreciate your help with this. You are
truly great women, and I don't know what I did to deserve you two,
but I sure hope I keep doing it!
Chapter 1: A day in the life
John Sheppard opens his eyes. He turns over slowly and blinks at the alarm clock. It blinks back: 7:59. A few seconds and the grating voice of the morning DJ will blast its way to his sleep-addled mind. It's warm under the sheet, so John allows himself the extra seconds. His head returns to the cushioning of goose down. Too fast, the click comes, and what reaches him is not the screams of over-caffeinated morning people, but a punch in the gut softened by a melody.
Once
there was a way, to get back homeward.
Once
there was a way, to get back home.
As Paul McCartney's voice flows over him, John pushes his head further into the pillow, brings the sheet over his head, and hopes this isn't happening.
Hopes this isn't the day, and though he knows he has to get up and face it, he cannot bring himself to leave the safety of his bed. He longs for the mindlessness of sleep.
It seems he is getting a two-for-one on this merry morning.
Boy,
you're gonna carry that weight, carry that weight a long time.
Boy,
you're gonna carry that weight, carry that weight a long time.
Pain comes, drenches him with the memory of grief and he knows that time does not heal all wounds. A shower, coffee and breakfast, however, might temporarily distract him.
O-O-O-O-O
"No! Don't touch that!" McKay slapped Sheppard's hand away.
"What! It's asking me to!"
"It's not asking you to do anything. You've just convinced yourself that Ancient technology talks to you because you think it's cool. It's not cool, the technology is not talking to you, Atlantis is not in love with you, or Carson – and I said don't touch that!"
"What!?"
"Don't touch anything! You're always telling me to be careful; I'm telling you to back the hell away."
"You're no fun." Sheppard grinned behind McKay's back, but catching Teyla's disapproving look somewhat lessened the glow of pleasure he got from annoying Rodney to an inch of his life. He shrugged and stepped away.
"I'm plenty of fun, thank you very much. I simply happen to enjoy being alive, and would like to keep it that way if you don't mind, so don't. Touch. Anything!"
Just a normal exploration day in Atlantis. Sheppard knew one should never think things like that, especially one who lived in the Pegasus galaxy and was rumoured to have a cursed team. The thought did offer some advantages though; when Rodney let out a sound, Sheppard had been alerted that there was potential trouble ahead.
"Heeeeeeeey. Look at that!" McKay rose from his crouch that permitted him to play in the control panel a foot above the floor. In his hands was a cube. An Ancient cube.
"What is it?"
"Don't know, but it's emitting energy. A lot of energy."
"How much is a lot?"
"You know what I'm going to answer to that, why don't you stop asking?"
"How much is a lot?"
"Lots and lots," Ronon answered for Rodney.
"Right you are, my muscled friend." McKay smiled fondly at the box he was holding. "I've got what I came here for, namely, new technology, so, shall we go?"
"We still have three rooms to check out."
"Get to it! I've got work to do!" McKay replaced the section of the wall he had dismantled in his quest for power.
Ronon and Teyla moved out, leaving Sheppard to guard the scientist. "What do you think the cube does?" They had found it in a secret compartment, which led Sheppard to wonder why the Ancients always had to be so sneaky.
"Hmm? Oh. Don't know .Yet. Much too early to tell. Got to run some tests." Rodney was happy and smiling. He knew something.
"You have an idea."
"Ah, yes. An idea. One that I have to verify." McKay put the cube in his pack and shouldered the black nylon bulk.
The men exited the room and headed off to the next one. Ronon and Teyla were flanking the door, listening to Rodney's avoiding responses.
"But you have an idea," Sheppard insisted.
"I've seen something similar in the database." Rodney indicated the door impatiently.
Sheppard momentarily desisted. He would go visit the lab tonight, before heading off to bed. McKay would have more information by that time, and be tired, so loose at the tongue. Decision reached, he stepped up to the door and opened it.