Chapter 3: Recovery
Harry woke up with a pain in his leg arm and a sore chest, he was surrounded by people he knew all looking down at him from his comfortable bed. Draco was holding his uninjured hand, "Who died and left you all standing here." Harry said with a smile Draco smack him around the back of his head as the three boys who jumped up onto his bed kissing and hugging him cringing with pain. "Ease up boys I'm still sore." he said the boys stopped but stayed on the bed.
"You have nine lives Potter." Draco said with a snarl.
"You know me Draco I do like to push the envelopes of what you can survive." Harry said and John laughed.
"Ain't that the truth." John added.
"Did someone get the number of the bus that hit me." Harry asked.
"1st Lt. Walkinson." Sam said.
"What the hell was he thinking?" Harry demanded.
"He got spooked." John said.
"Has his transfer gone through." Harry asked.
"Yes he leaves in the morning with the Apollo." John said.
"Remind me to thank him for the trip to the infirmary, as if I don't spend enough time in this place already." Harry said the others laughed. "So when can I get out of here?" he asked.
"Tomorrow, you have been in here for a couple of days unconscious." Sam said. "If the rest of you wouldn't mind I need to speak to Harry alone." she said she waited for them to leave them together before sitting down in the vacant chair. "I'm leaving with the Apollo in the morning the orders came through the gate this morning, they wish for me to lead the Avalon expedition." she said now they were alone.
"Do the others know?" Harry asked.
"No, I had to wait for you to wake up before I made the announcement." Sam said handing him official papers.
Colonel Potter
Effective 8th July 2008 you are given command of the Atlantis expedition, it has been decided that you are the best candidate for the position.
General Landry
"This isn't a joke is it?" he asked.
"No they wish for you to take command here, your family is being allowed to stay based on the information they are able to give us on the features of the city." Sam said.
"Congratulations Sam you have earned this." Harry said. "Carson I need to get out of here tonight, we have a party to arrange." Harry said as the door closed behind the woman.
"I said that you could go in the morning colonel I meant in the morning." the aggravated doctor said from his office doorway.
"Sam is leaving tomorrow for good I think that it should be my first act as commander of this base to make sure she has a good send of." Harry said to him the doctor looked shocked for a moment then smiled patting his friend on the shoulder said he was free to go.
--
That evening a miffed Draco found Harry in his office preparing for the change of command that would be happening in a few hours, the man had become more of a workaholic in the intervening years. Harry looked up at the sound of his office door opening and smiled at his husband, the party down stairs was still going on Harry had left a few hours before to make some use of the free hours he had.
"You were missed in the party." Draco said.
"I had some paper work to go through before I turned in for the night, I had a headache and decided to make my escape." Harry said with a smile placing his pen on top of the paperwork giving his partner his full attention.
"I wanted to ask you something." Draco said softly Harry looked at him for a moment.
"As commander or your husband." He asked Draco laughed.
"Commander, I'd like to join a team." Draco said.
"Your aware that their is a program you have to go through we have the facilities here in the city but it isn't easy." Harry replied.
"Yes I am." Draco said. "Sir." he said as an after thought Harry laughed.
"I'll speak to John in the morning." Harry said.
"Are you done." Draco asked.
"As a matter of fact I am." Harry said rising from his chair.
"Good because their is a party downstairs with our name on it." Draco said.
--
A couple of days later and John was standing in front of Harry in his office they both felt awkward, the office had been occupied by two people before him both of whom were older and more experienced than he was. John had a cup of morning coffee the two of them were looking over the duty roster for the month.
"Draco is going to be trained by my team, we have a team member down because of your promotion." John said to Harry.
"I was expecting as much, his a fighter John so don't think that you have to go easy on him and you never know he may actually teach you something." Harry said to him the man laughed at the idea but nodded.
"He does show promise." John said.
"John you have to know I thought this would be your post, Sam and I both applied for the Avalon post." Harry said to the man who nodded. "We aren't going to have a problem are we?" He demanded of the man.
"No sir." John said and Harry smiled.
"Glad to hear it, I need my XO on my side not against me." Harry said to him.
"You won't have a problem from me." John said.
"Glad to hear it, your scheduled for a of world trip tomorrow. Take Draco out with you to observe only in the field give him a weapon but his their to observe only." Harry said to him.
"I was just thinking that." John said.
"Get him back to me in one piece or I will dock your pay." Harry said John laughed.
"Your worried about him?" John asked.
"Of course I am worried about him John his my husband, but I also know him well enough to know that he wants in on this job rather than watch everyone else risk there lives." Harry replied to him the man nodded.
--
Harry walked into the quarters at just after eight in the evening and could here the boys playing in the main room, Sirius and Remus were playing with them while Draco was cooking in their small kitchen making use of the fresh supplies sent through from Earth and the stuff they had been harvesting from the closet land to the base.
"Everything okay you look like your tired." Sirius asked.
"I'm good its been a long day is all." Harry said to him.
"You hungry." Draco asked.
"Starving, feed me." Harry said the adults laughed.
"Do you know what team I will be on?" Draco asked.
"Your with John from tomorrow, your observing unless things go tits up understood." Harry asked.
"Yes I understand." Draco said kissing Harry. "Thank you." he whispered.
"Um I'd better make sure your given a proper send of later." Harry whispered in his ear the man blushed causing Sirius and Remus to laugh. "But not in front of the boys." he added with a smile on his face.
"Daddy can we draw." Alex asked him.
"Dinner is almost ready boys so go wash up then after dinner Alex its your bath time." Harry said.
"Your not going to make us bath as well are you dad." the twins asked.
"I think you probably should do don't you, I know that Teyla saw you playing out in the sun this afternoon on one of the docks." Harry said.
"Your spying on us." Jamie asked.
"No just doing what a parent should and keeping an eye on you all, now I want you both to promise that you won't go down to the docks without adult supervision and certainly not your younger brother his a lot younger than the two of you." Harry said the boys ducked their heads and said sorry to him. "No problem, we still don't know a lot about the city so their maybe dangers here that we don't know about yet." Harry added.
"We'll be careful dad." Lucas said hugging him.
"I know you will, now I went to Dr. Sala today and stole some of her board games and when the Apollo returns she will have a load of toys for all of you." Harry said to them their eyes lite up with delight. "That's still nearly two months away so your in for a wait but it'll be worth it until then we have to make do." Harry said all three boys hugged him kissing his cheeks. "Hands wash now please." he added the three boys ran for the bathroom.
"Your learning." Draco said.
"Aren't I just, Sirius are you both okay to take care of them all tomorrow?" Harry asked.
"We were just going to be doing some research so its no problem." Remus said.
"We can entertain them, Pads could come out." Sirius said Draco and Harry both groaned causing Sirius and Remus to laugh. "Take them out onto the dock or something with some books and what ever else." Harry said.
"That is an excellent idea." Remus said.
They sat down to dinner talking about the day and laughing at the table. People would have been forgiven for thinking that the seven of them weren't closely related family rather than fathers children and godfathers as they were.
Harry disappeared after dinner to shower and prepare the boys for bed while the others sat watching the laptop with one of their new films brought in by the Apollo, Harry came out of the boys rooms an hour later rubbing his eyes tiredly Sirius smiled at him as he sat down next to Draco in a tank top and a pair of shorts.
"We should let you two get to bed its getting late." Sirius said.
"About eight tomorrow would be good Sirius I have to be in CnC by eight and Draco is scheduled for a nine o'clock departure." Harry said to his godfather who nodded Remus said they would be here at that time to pick the boys up or wait and help get them ready. "Thanks guys we'll see you in the morning." Sirius said.
Harry watched them go before wrapping his arm around Draco's shoulder the blond smiled as they stuck another dvd in the player and pressed play, "You hear that Draco the beauty of silence." Harry said the blond laughed at this. "Kids in bed annoying godfathers gone for the evening and some pre mission sex in store." Harry added with a wriggle of his eyebrows causing the blond to laugh and blush a colour that the Weasley's would have been proud of.
"You have a devious mind Potter." Draco said.
"And you love me for it just as much." Harry said the blond laughed but nodded.
--
The following morning Harry struggled to get the boys out of bed earlier than they had had to since they had arrived at the city, an incredibly grouchy Harry could be muttering half way down the corridors of the city as he stepped into the CnC people stared at the thoroughly dishevelled looking Colonel like he had grown an extra head.
"Good morning Colonel." McKay said.
"Good Morning? What's good about it Doctor exactly." Harry snapped most of the people in the command centre sniggered at the colonel walked past him into his office where Dobby had made a fresh cup of coffee for him. McKay came in with Carson just behind looking at the two of them he would have dearly loved to murder McKay on any given day.
"Doctors. What can I do for you?" Harry asked.
"We would like to take some scans of your body, since your part Alterran it would make sense." Carson said.
"And who's idea would that have been." Harry snarled.
"Mine." McKay said.
"Doctor I am already having a bad morning so I am going to forgive you for thinking that I am some lab experiment just long enough for you to get the hell out of my office before you limp out of here." Harry snapped the man looked at his angry expression and practically ran out of the room. "I really need someone who is better than he is so I can fire him." Harry said rubbing the sleep from his eyes tiredly Carson laughed.
"You never did like him." Carson said.
"The military as it right, with our enemies we shoot them but the general won't let me shoot him or curse him for that matter." Harry said Carson laughed.
"You got on well with him for four years." Carson said.
"That was before I was given command of Atlantis." Harry said with a smile.
"Your get used to him." Carson said.
"I think your see hell freeze over before that happens." Harry said to him.
"Worrying about Draco?" Carson asked.
"Maybe just a little, I trust John but this is my family I am playing with." Harry said.
"You could have refused as the general recommended that you did." Carson said.
"Easier said than done, he wanted to be involved and this way he can be." Harry said.
"Your a career officer I think its good that you worry about him it reminds us that your human." Carson said with a smile.
"That's just the point I'm not human or at least not fully, I have Fae and Elven blood in me as well as Human." Harry said.
"Which makes your blood unique to this city, and that of your children's." Carson said Harry's eyes snapped up to his and Carson could see that had been the wrong thing to say as the colonel rose from his chair anger flicking through his body and movements.
"Lets get this perfectly clear Dr. I will happily help you out with samples of blood as will Draco as his part Veela but if you go near my children I will have you out of here so fast your feet won't touch the ground in face your arse will hit the ground before your feet do." Harry snapped Carson for his part was shocked. "Sorry Carson we non human types are very protective of our children and mates if you had suggested Draco instead of me their is a good chance my non human sides would have wanted to attack you." Harry said to him.
"Is that a natural protection thing?" he asked.
"Yes." Harry said.
"Fascinating, on that note I need to do a work up so I have a bench mark for all of them." Carson said.
"I believe that Sirius and Remus are with the boys on the dock." Harry said.
"Wish Draco luck for me." Carson said as he walked out of the door looking at the clock on his desk he smiled heading out of his office in to CnC.
"Team one is ready." Luzenko said.
"Dial it up then." Harry replied.
"Aye Colonel." came the reply as he stepped down next to the gate where the team were standing.
"I want you all back in one piece John or I am docking your pay." Harry said.
"We'll be back in twelve hours with a little bit of luck." John said.
"Good you have a go colonel." Harry replied Harry squeezed Draco's hand before stepping back out of the way. "Have fun." he whispered.
--
That first mission Harry found himself pacing like an expectant father in the control room waiting for news, Sirius and Remus had both tried and failed to draw Harry away from the control room Harry had resolutely failed in their attempts when the gate activated everyone was relieved to hear back from team one.
"Let them through McKay." Harry said to the doctor who nodded.
Harry stepped to a save distance from the gate and watched as all members of them team came back through the gate, smiling and joking happily Harry sort out John's face and got a nod and a smile the others gave a thumbs up which Harry took to mean it had gone well in all respects.
"Welcome home colonel." Harry said not a hint of the worry in his voice that he had been feeling a few minutes before.
"The mission was successful we have a potential site for a beta site." John said.
"Good, I look forward to the debrief you and your team should get some rest. McKay you have CnC." Harry said linking hands with Draco and walking towards the exit. When they had gone their was a collective sigh of relief from the people in the room.
"He hasn't left for twelve hours." McKay said. "Worried about Draco I would imagine." he added.
"He didn't have anything to worry about though." John said.
"Until your married Colonel your never know that feeling." Ronon said and said no more on the subject.
--
"It was amazing Harry, I saw my second alien world up close." Draco said beaming.
"Its just a beta site Draco you haven't met a native of this galaxy yet well except for Teyla and Ronon but they live with us." Harry said.
"Can I be pleased that I have seen something I never thought I would." Draco asked in a growl Harry laughed and patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "It was amazing Harry thank you for bringing us to this place." he added.
"No problems, your need to go over a work out with Carson as a part of the team now the boys Sirius and Remus went through it today." Harry said.
"Oh right." Draco said.
"Come on we can take a bath together before the boys get back from the dock with their godfathers." Harry said to him Draco grinned before following him into the bathroom.