Rodney sighed and rubbed his temples before turning his attention back to his laptop. The mood in the large main lad was hushed as all the little minions were sneaking about, trying to be as quiet as possible: hoping not to provoke him into a rant. It was strange how they always managed to pick up on his moods. He snorted at this mental image and rubbed his temples again; trying in vain to build up his mental shields. Fuck. This was why he didn't do people. This was why he was such an incredible asshole most of the time.
Turning back to his laptop, he tried to focus on the calculations that he was running for the umpteenth time this morning. He was able to work for almost five full minutes before he snarled and violently slammed the laptop closed. Getting to his feet, he kicked the chair he had been sitting on out of the way and stalked out of the room. Scientist bolted out of his way like scattered birds: all diving for cover.
Stalking down the corridor that leads to living quarters, he tried in vain to shore up his shields again. He frowned when a pair of marines, that was coming towards him, paled and made room for him to pass them. He checked his shields again. Nope: he wasn't projecting, so something must have showed on his face. Strange. Before he could think about it, he reached and entered his room.
Leaning against the closed doors, he felt like screaming. This was not fucking fair! He turned and rested his head against the cool alloy of the door, taking a moment to steady himself. Okay, this was obviously not working and really; he had nobody to blame but himself. Moving away from the door, he stumbled and cursed under his breath. Damn it, damn it all to hell! These rooms were supposed to be shielded. Running his hands through his hair, he felt like curling up in a small ball in the middle of the room and just crying.
He stopped and suppressed the urge to do so as deep as he possibly could. That would not solve anything. Reaching the small locked cabinet that stood next to his bed, he knelt and, with shaking hands, opened the bottom drawer. Slowly he removed a tray and its covered contents. Getting back to his feet, he left the room and headed down the hall to a certain door.
He stood about a minute in front of the door; trying to get his courage up. Really, this is why he didn't do people. This is why he tried so hard not to care: because when you cared, no matter how hard you tried not to, you always let people in.
Taking a deep breath he, manoeuvred the tray so that he was holding it in one hand. Running his free hand over the crystal controls, he listened to the soft chime echoing in the room on the other side of the door. He almost bolted as he heard the approaching footsteps. Really, he don't do people. So why, by all the stars in the Pegasus galaxy, was he doing this? Seeing the door open, he felt the full blast of grief, which he had been trying to shield against for the better part of the last week, roll over his mind.
"Uhm Teyla… Hi… I was thinking… Actually I was hoping that…" Rodney stammered. Damn it, why was this so hard? Oh, right, because he didn't do people, that's why. So why was he doing this again?
Teyla raised an eyebrow and looked at the nervously stammering scientist in front of her. "Dr. McKay, is there something I can do for you?"
Rodney felt like kicking himself. The beautiful Athosian woman's eyes were red and there was a tiredness about her that made his hart ache. Teyla was a warrior. She was Xena. She was kick-ass. She was serenity and calmness and absolutely lethal. She was not supposed to look this heart-broken. She was not supposed to be this heart-broken. She is team and she is like a sister to him and, oh, right, that was why he was doing this.
Holding up the still covered tray, he smiled a small little smile. "I was wondering if you would like to have some tea with me."
The Athosian woman stared at him for a long moment before a small, sad little smile made an appearance on her face. It wasn't big, but it was a start. Bowing her head she nodded. "I would like that very much, Rodney." She answered as she stepped aside, allowing him to enter her rooms.
Okay, so maybe he didn't do people, but Teyla wasn't people. She was team. She was family. And maybe, just maybe he did do family.
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Lt. Colonel John Sheppard looked up at the firm knock that echoed through his office. He lifted an eyebrow at the air force major standing in his door. "Major Lorne, is there a problem?" he asked as he motioned for his fellow Ranger to enter his office and close the door.
The Major shook his head and grinned slightly as he made his way over to chair that his CO had pointed to. "No Sir. I am actually here to ask you that question myself." Lorne said as he seated himself.
"Oh?" Sheppard asked softly, putting down the pen he had been writing with and leaning back in his chair. His expression was carefully neutral. "Is there any specific reason why you want to ask me that question?"
Evan suppressed the urge to grimace and nodded. "Yes, well, I just had a very concerned marine in my office." He stopped abruptly; not quite knowing how to continue and suddenly realizing that this might not have been the best idea after all.
"Yes and…" John prompted when his second in command didn't continue.
A slight blush faintly stained over the younger Ranger's face before he continued. "Well, the men have noted that Doctor McKay have been in a, well lets say, less that pleasant mood lately and just a bit earlier two of them saw him storming through the residential area, looking like he was about to commit murder. Now, nobody would ever want to be accused of interfering, but they did want to know if the two of you maybe had words, because the only time McKay is this pissed off is when the two of you had a falling out, sir." The Major got out in a rush, wondering if he even made sense to the other man.
Sheppard leaned back further in his chair and stared at the man sitting across the desk from him. "You know, Major, I am relatively certain that was the longest speech I have ever heard you make." Shaking his head he sat up straighter. "As for McKay: no we didn't have a falling out; as you put it. I really don't know what crawled up his ass and died." Reaching over to the corner of his desk, he flipped a switch and turned off the small portable white-noise generator that he kept in his office. He had found it nearly impossible to concentrate on his paperwork without it shielding him from the ambient noise that drifted through the city constantly.
Closing his eyes to better focus on his hearing, he searched for the one heartbeat that had become as familiar to him as his own during the last week. Being unable to sense Rodney's energy signature had forced him to imprint on his heartbeat. Carefully filtering out all of the other sounds, he found what he was looking for with almost casual ease. He took a moment to just drift in the steady beat of Rodney's hart before he focused his mind back to the task at hand. McKay's heartbeat was steady and even, almost at rest. After reassuring himself that the Shift was in a calm state, he pulled slightly back to determine what he was doing.
He breathed deeply and focused on the sound surrounding Rodney. He could hear a second heartbeat, just as familiar to him, near the Shift. He pulled back a bit more to listen to the conversation that was going on and...oh! He opened his eyes only to immediately close them again. He should have realised it himself. He knew that Rodney was close to Teyla; that he saw the woman as a sister. That, combined with his inherent empathy, would have had him feel Teyla's loss at the death of a woman who was practically her mother. He knew that the Athosian deeply mourned Charin's death and was struggling to cope. Her pain would have bled all over any sensitive; but more so for Rodney, who had an emotional connection with her. And without a Ranger to help McKay, he was particularly vulnerable to her pain. He could not tell that to Lorne, however. He did not dare let it slip that McKay was a Shift until after he had gotten McKay to bond with him.
He opened his eyes and cleared his throat before looking over at the other Ranger. "McKay is currently meditating with Teyla in her quarters." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I think most of his bad mood lately is largely due too the fact that he is over-worked. He has been going over the entire command-code structure to ensure that something like the occurrence of last week never happens again." He half-lied to the Major. McKay had been working even longer than normal this last week, but that was only half of the reason why he was so moody. It was, however, the only reason that John could give Lorne without arousing suspicion.
Evan stared at Sheppard with something close to, but not quite, hero-worship in his eyes. "You know, sir, I have trouble finding David when he is in the residential area by hearing alone, because that place is so damn well shielded, and I am bonded to him." He waved one hand at John. "But you: you found the Doc in under a minute. That's just wow." Sheppard merely raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly.
Lorne shook his head and grinned when a thought occurred to him. This would be the perfect time to do some careful matchmaking. David had been nagging at him to say something to the Colonel for weeks now. "But to get back to Dr. McKay, sir. If that is the case, and he really is that over-worked, then maybe you should take the good doctor off the city for a day or two. You know, just the two of you. Head for the main land and maybe spend some time at the hot springs. I am sure that it would be really relaxing for you both." His tone was so full of innuendoes and suggestion that John nearly fell out of his chair.
"What are you saying Major?" Sheppard asked in a carefully neutral voice.
"Just making a suggestion sir." Lorne suddenly frowned when he saw his commander's face. "Really sir, not to speak out of turn, but the two of you disserve a break and well…" He shrugged and got up out of the chair.
Sheppard rubbed his face with one hand and decided to take the plunge. If anyone on the base would have an idea of how the military would react to anything, then it would be Lorne. "How do the men feel about me and McKay?" He knew that he didn't have to be more elaborate. Lorne would understand what he meant.
"Frankly, sir, most of the men want to know why the two of you aren't together already. I mean, even a blind man can see the two of you want each other." The Ranger shrugged and looked at the Prime sitting at the desk. "I know he is not a Shift, sir, but the two of you will be good for each other. The two of you are already good for each other. Besides, you really should see the way he checks you out when he think no one is looking." Lorne replied with a grin before he left the room; not giving John a chance to reply.
"Cheeky bastard." Sheppard muttered, knowing full well that Lorne would hear him. He sat back for a minute, listening to Lorne chuckle, before he leaned over and activated the white noise generator again. He still had some paperwork that he needed to finish.
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