A/N: Ladygris Beta'd this chapter for me. Thanks so much!

Gracias,

~Sandy

Never Far Away

Chapter 10

The Next Night

Gunny dropped into his seat passing one of the beers to Carson. "What's got your boxers in a bunch, doc?"

Carson took a drink of his beer before responding. "I had wee disagreement with Dusty 'n we haven't spoken since yesterday."

The medical doctor didn't elaborate and Gunny didn't ask. He'd probably get the straight dope as soon as she was released back to duty.

The men settled into a relaxed and companionable silence, both watching the couples on the dance floor. His acute hearing, which rivaled Dusty's, picked up the sound of voices behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, a potted tree blocked the way so he couldn't see who was talking, but he didn't much like what they were saying about the base commander. He mentally labeled them Putz One and Putz Two. At the moment, Putz One was doing most of the talking. The second voice, Putz Two, was accented, but Gunny couldn't immediately place it.

"Woolsey has no business being in charge of Atlantis."

Snickering. "Yeah, just like Sheppard. He only got the job because Sumner was killed by a Wraith. Weir went to bat for him and the next thing you know he's got an undeserved promotion and it's official."

"What could the IOA and General O'Neill have been thinking?"

"No idea. That probe was like the Holy Grail and they just let it go. And did they even think about Science and Research? No."

"Just think about the real world applications their technology might have had."

"Not to mention the money we'd have gotten for our…" Carson could almost hear the air quotes "…inventions."

That was more than enough as far as the Master Gunnery Sergeant was concerned. He set his beer carefully on the table, scooted his chair back and stood.

"Where ya goin', Gunny?"

Gunny flexed his hands, cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. "To teach a couple of big mouths a few lessons."

Carson took a long drink of his beer and stood as well. "I'll come with ya."

Gunny put a hand out to stop Carson from following or interfering. "Stay out of the way, doc, but don't leave. They're gonna need medical attention when I'm done."

Peeking around the tree, Carson saw that the voices belonged to scientists, not soldiers as he'd expected. "Those are Rodney's people. Let him handle it." For a moment he thought the other man was going to continue with the planned butt-whooping until he nodded.

"Okay."

~~O~~

Unaware that they'd been overheard, Putz One and Putz Two went on to their next subject: Sheppard.

"…and every time they stay overnight you can bet it's because Sheppard's spending the night playing slap-and-tickle with some sweet young thing who doesn't know any better than to fall for his supposed charms."

"But they stay overnight almost every time they go out."

Putz One snorted. "That's my point! He must have a girl on every planet they've been to in the last five or six years. Case in point. The last time I went offworld with Sheppard's team we were negotiating for a cache of Ancient tech the locals had found. They were willing to part with it, but at a price.

"So I'm off with McKay giving them a look-see when our 'escorts' pull out their weapons and herded us back to the palace. Their leader was this Amazon with blond hair down to her thighs, big green eyes and a body that would make even J-Lo jealous. And the way she was dressed! The front was so low you could almost see her navel and the slits went all the way up. Anyway, she'd gotten upset about something that Neanderthal did and halted the negotiations.

"When we get there, Sheppard's in the woman's bedchamber and all we can hear is the two of them giggling and laughing. This went on for at least two hours. But I do have to give him credit. Whatever he did to her, she was much more amenable when he was done. She comes out waving a hand and telling us to take whatever we wanted."

It continued on in that vein, the two men disparaging and maligning the senior staff one at a time. Carson knew that Gunny was upset and he wasn't the only one. But Carson figured it would make more of an impact if Rodney were to reprimand them than to have Gunny on report for knocking their heads together.

Carson went to the bar to get the next round and on his way back, he heard his own name. The remarks they made didn't really bother him but Gunny was another matter. The big Marine once again started to rise and Carson hurried to assure him that he wasn't offended. Gunny didn't like it, but he went along with his friend. By mutual unspoken agreement, they just sat back and listened, the two scientists giving them more than enough rope for Rodney to "hang" them with.

Eventually even Carson had enough. He walked around the tree to their table, standing before them with his arms crossed. "Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, I happened to have been on the mission t' which ye were referrin' previously and must inform ye that yer completely wrong about Colonel Sheppard in general and Odelia in particular."

"We heard them in there together…alone. So don't try to tell me…"

"Och, but I am tellin' ya. Ya see, I was there in th' room with Sheppard and Odelia, and no we weren't playin' games. The two o' them talked while I treated her son for allergic dermatitis.

"So before you go belittlin' people behind their backs, be certain of yer facts. As a scientist you know the consequences of makin' an assumption based on little or no hard evidence. In this case, it led ye t' an erroneous conclusion, that the Colonel and Odelia had been spending…quality time together." Both men look contrite, or at least tried to, but it didn't reach their eyes telling Carson that they didn't believe him. "Ye've had enough t' drink, lads. It might be a good idea to retire for th' night while I'm still in th' mood t' be generous."

The two men didn't even consult one another, the one with the biggest mouth doing the talking as before. "Thanks for the advice, but we're staying."

Throwing up his hands, Carson shook his head. "Suit yerself. But ye might want t' move t' another table before ye get into trouble. Others…" he nodded in Gunny's direction, "…might not be as forgivin'."

Putz One looked as if he wanted to continue the argument, but Putz Two held him back, the two of them staring at Carson until he turned and walked away.

~~O~~

Gunny eyed the scientists between the leaves of the tree as Carson seated himself with a sigh. In his opinion, those two were not an asset to the human race. The doctor wasn't in his chair more than a minute before they started up again. This time making remarks about the female staff, mild by the standards they'd already established, at least at the beginning. Slanting his eyes to the side, even in the dim lighting of the bar he could see that up until now Carson had been holding it all in not wanting to lose his temper. But that time was coming to an end if the tightening of the skin around his eyes and mouth was any indication.

The Marine scooted his chair back in preparation for giving them the thrashing they so richly deserved, stopping when he heard the name of a friend and teammate being bandied about. Again he studied Carson's expression, not liking it one bit.

"…yeah, Teldy is a cold b****, but Mehra's got her beat." This was Putz Two. "I asked her out and all I got was an icy stare and an equally subzero 'no'. I thought it was because she didn't like geeks, but if that were true then why is she with Beckett?"

Putz One took over digging them into a hole they'd never get out of. "I guess she owes him and using her body is the only way she can pay him back."

Carson's bottle slammed to the table. As he started to rise, Gunny stopped him. "Doc, you're not gonna…"

"In peace there's nothing so becomes a man/As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears/Then imitate the action of the tiger."

Confused, Gunny narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "And that means…"

"Pray for peace, but be ready to defend those ye care about." Carson stood so abruptly his chair fell over, his bottle shattering when it hit the floor. Before Gunny could stop him, the doctor had skirted the tree and confronted the two men once more. Shaking his head, Gunny followed to make sure the other two didn't gang up on him.

"Lad, I think ye should rephrase that."

The two men smirked at each other, Putz One standing up and showing himself to be at a few inches taller than the medical doctor. "You're right. I should. What I meant to say is, whatever it was she paid for with sexual favors, well, you got ripped off."

The last word was hardly out of Putz One's mouth before Carson's fist hit him in the jaw spinning him around. He fell onto the table overturning it and sending him crashing to the floor.

Seeing his friend on the floor turned up the heat under Putz Two. His right hand balled into a fist, swinging into a clumsy punch that impacted with Gunny's chest when he pulled Carson out of the way. The man looked up at the big Marine with foreboding a split second before he was socked in the face.

~~O~~

Both men lay on the floor looking up at Carson and Gunny as if they couldn't believe what had just happened. His mind filled with fury, Carson started forward again intent on doing even more harm. He grabbed the man's shirt, dragged him to his feet, cocked his arm and hit him with an uppercut that staggered him. Carson released him and he stumbled over to another table. It didn't fall over, but drinks were spilled.

Not yet done with the man, Carson followed again grabbing his shirt and dragging him into a small pool of light where he slammed a fist into his stomach. The man had been stunned as much by the fact that the doctor would hit him in the first place as by the strength behind those punches.

Putz Two came to his friend's aide, grabbing Carson's shoulder and spinning him around. Carson's hold on Putz One slackened enough for him to get away, Carson preparing himself for a hit that never came.

Gunny had taken hold of the arm that had been poised to punch and had pulled him away. He didn't hold back like he had the first time sending the man flying up against the bar.

When Carson released Putz One, he fell against the Athosians' table, knocking it and all its contents to the floor. Beer splashed sending a wave of the amber liquid all over. As a group, the four men got to their feet and formed a line, their faces dark with anger as they were confronted by Gunny and four other soldiers who had seen what was going on and were now spoiling for a fight.

The room had gone quiet except for the music droning on heedless of the events about to take place.

Carson recognized the Athosians as troublemakers. In an effort to defuse the situation, he smiled contritely, but two of the Athosians stepped forward eyeing Carson up and down, ignoring the other grunts. The one on the left flexed his hands glaring at the scientists and Carson. "You owe us an apology."

The one on the right took that same step up. "And drinks."

"I'm sorry ye've lost yer drinks 'n I'll be happy t' replace them as soon as those two…" he nodded at the Putzs "…apologize for the things they've been sayin' t'night. Especially what was said about…" He didn't a chance to finish as a fist hit him in the stomach. He grunted and bent at the waist putting him in the perfect position slam his attacker, Putz One, in the chest with his shoulder. The two men fell to the floor grappling and rolling back and forth each looking for an opening.

The Athosians, not happy with the course of events, launched into an attack on Gunny and the other four. Fueled by alcohol, punches flew as did bodies as an all-out old fashioned barroom brawl erupted. Tables, chairs, glassware, dishes, pool cues, anything that wasn't tied down or too heavy to lift became projectiles or weapons.

~~O~~

The only light in the room came from the dual moons of New Lantea illuminating the couple asleep on the bed. Spooning John from behind, Amanda's soft snores were the only sound aside from the environmental system until he was startled awake by the PA.

"Operations to Colonel Sheppard!"

Instantly awake, he reached for his headset slipping it over his ear. "Sheppard. What's going on?"

"There's a situation in the bar."

"What kind of situation?"

"Fighting, sir."

"Send two squads and medical. I'll meet them there."

"On the way, sir."

John eased out of Amanda's embrace, already reaching for his shoes. He thought about getting into uniform but didn't want to take the time. He was already running a hand through his hair on the way to the door when the bed creaked and bare feet hit the floor with a thump.

"I'm coming, too." Amanda shoved her feet into her shoes, John slapped the sensor and both took off at a jog.

~~O~~

Those not involved in the fight stood on the sidelines cheering, switching sides at random though most seemed to favor Carson over the others. The manager and his staff just watched, their main concern the cleanup that would follow. Security had already been called so now all they had to do was wait for them, and Sheppard, to appear.

Carson regained his feet, dropped into a boxer's stance and proceeded to pummel Putz One senseless. No Marquess of Queensberry rules for him! He hit, gouged, poked and stomped with impunity, above and below the belt, not giving the other man time to get in a shot. Not that he was in any shape to do so as he staggering around the floor trying to get his hands up to defend himself. The effort was futile though and with one last uppercut to the jaw, Putz One was out of the game. His head snapped back and he just kept going until he lay on the floor unconscious.

A hand on his shoulder spun him around and Carson found himself face to face with one of the Athosians, Mahesh, a young man known to have a precarious hold on his temper. The Athosian's fist shot out, but wasn't permitted to reach its target, namely Carson's gut. Carson stepped into the swing, grabbed the man's arm, spun in a circle and sent him flying into one of the soldiers, a young woman. The second lieutenant elbowed the Athosian in the face sending him back toward Carson who stuck a foot out and tripped him. The woman nodded and flashed him a grin. In response, Carson flipped her a salute just before Putz Two reared up in front of him.

Putz Two wasn't much of a fighter and it was apparent in his clumsy attempt to sock Carson in the stomach. Again, Carson stepped out of the path of the man's fist and wrapped one arm around his neck, using this advantage to drag the man around the floor. Putz Two had one arm trapped behind Carson's back, but all he could do it claw at Carson's shirt in an attempt to free himself.

Suddenly, the music stopped and all the lights came on, though the fight continued until an authoritative voice shouted, "What the HELL is going on?" Backing him up were two squads and a medical team, including Amanda and Jennifer. Rodney and Ronon pushed their way to John's side, Rodney just staring while the Satedan looked disappointed that he'd missed a great fight.

Still holding onto Putz One's neck, Carson turned them both to face the owner of that voice. "Colonel Sheppard!"

~~O~~

John surveyed the scene, his eyes wide as one by one the soldiers sorted themselves out and came to parade rest. The Athosians came together as a group off to one side. Putz One was still out, lying nearly on his stomach.

His hazel eyes, widening slightly in surprise, came back to Carson and Putz Two. "Doc!"

"Oh…" Belatedly, Carson loosened his hold allowing the other man to stand upright.

The only sounds in the room were the shifting of weight on the wood floor and the occasional clearing of a throat as they all waited for John to speak again. "Who started it?" John settled his weight on both feet prepared to wait out the culprit and was surprised again when Carson raised his hand.

"That would be me, Colonel."

Not able to hold onto his unreadable expression, John let the shock show. "You started…" he waved at the wreckage that had once been an off duty sanctuary for the staff, "…this?"

"Aye. Though I was provoked inta it by somethin' he said." he pointed to the man lying on his side in the middle of the dance floor.

"O-kay. You and I will talk later." John raised his voice so it could be heard by all involved in the skirmish. "Listen up! Once your injuries have been taken care of, get to work cleaning this place up then get out. For the next two weeks, you're all restricted to quarters except for meals and missions. That includes you, doc." The military personnel came to attention and waited to be dismissed before following John's orders as the medical team went to the man on the floor.

"Dr. Keller!"

The medic's tone drew both Jennifer and John. She crouched next to the man, her hand on his shoulder to roll him onto his back. Gasping, she looked up at John standing beside her. "Oh, my God!"

John took one look and the amusement at finding out that Carson had been the instigator changed to alarm. "Everyone stop what you're doing! Now!" He gestured for the leader of the guards that had arrived with him, Captain Mizrahi. John leaned close, lowering his voice. "No one leaves. No one touches anything. Get Colonel Lorne down here too."

"Yes, sir." The Army Captain turned away. "Back to your seats, everyone. Let's go!" A Sergeant draped a tablecloth over the man on the floor then took up a guard position.

"Colonel?" Carson pushed his way through a small cluster of people staring at the floor. He'd heard the alarm in Jennifer's voice, his doctor's instincts rearing up. A guard stepped into his path, weapon held ready. "What's goin' on?"

"Don't come any closer, doc."

The order hit Carson like a sledgehammer. "Colonel, please tell me what's goin' on!"

Jennifer came to his side, touching him gently on the arm. "Carson, the man you argued with is dead."

TBC