A/N:
Okay, I'm nervous about this week's posting and it's taken me all bloody week to finish it. *sigh* When I'm confident, I can normally get it done in a day and spend the rest of the week splitting time between fine-tuning it and working on other projects. But I realized something last week, since the rush of getting things written for NaNo my descriptions had suffered, so I had to slow down. Not really a problem in and of itself, but I was already nervous about what was supposed to be in this chapter. If you have read my other stories, I don't shy away from M- rated material. But that's normally blood, guts, gore, and strong language for me. But I've begun branching out because my characters have required more. So I was nervous about that too.
Point is? This chapter was a beast to write and my mind kept going "but we have that nice story to finish reading" or "let's try this new recipe." So anyway, I could use some love this week. But if not, I still hope you enjoy it.
Like, follow, favorite, review, subscribe, and all the rest.
Much love,
J.R.
Recap:
Resident Wing. Kara's quarters.
I'm pregnant. Slowly breathing out, Sam was having a hard time coming to grips with this new reality that was just dropped in her lap. Her mind spun like a dizzy child on a merry-go-round who had a bit too much sugar. But no matter where it roamed it kept coming back to one question. How do I tell Jack?
Episode 11 part 3
Resident's wing. Sophie's quarters.
There were times that Sophie regretted how she lived. It wasn't often, granted. But when she came back to her quarters and saw carefully stacked, rolled, and sorted blueprints in disarray because they weren't locked in a cabinet after a full day of games, injury, and near-death by radiation and blunt trauma, she did regret not having that cabinet situation sorted out. It didn't help that her tablet and computer had been tossed around like they were in a blender by the waves.
Just thinking about cleaning up all the mess was giving her a headache. On top of the residual pain that not even her shot was taking care of? All she wanted to do was curl up in her rather comfortable ancient technology bed, hold her son for a bit, watch a silly movie with him, eat snacks, and have a hot drink. Maybe some whiskey too if she could find some.
"Thanks for bringing me home, Ronon." She groaned, leaning over to pick up one of the rolls.
Glaring at her with tiny slits for eyes, Luka snatched the rolled print out of her hands and quickly gathered the others in his small arms before returning them to their box and pointing at the bed. "Doctor Keller said you were confined to bed until further notice."
"Who is the parent here?" She returned the glare, wrinkling her nose at him just the way she knew made him roll his eyes and give up being annoyed. She didn't like it when Luka and she had tiffs. It was disconcerting. For so long it had just been them.
Not bothering to waste words arguing with the pair, Ronon scooped her into his arms. "Bed, now."
"Not the way I wanted to hear those words from your mouth." Sophie sighed but didn't fight the hold. She was just too sore and really wanted to be in bed anyway. Instead, she closed her eyes and relaxed. It was nice being held. "But if it comes with popcorn, ice cream, a movie, something to drink, and some cuddling from my favorite people, I'm good with that right now."
"Luka," Ronon called, picking his way over tossed pillows and what looked like a battle-ax when the microwave began humming out in the kitchen area. Did he even want to know why she had a battle-ax in her room? "What movie do you want to watch?"
"We might need to straighten the bed a bit." She muttered, as he sat her down on the edge and she winced, pulling a wicked-looking knife from between the mattress and the bed frame. "This does not belong here."
Chuckling, Ronon took the knife from her and twirled it between his fingers. "Why do you always have better knives than me?" The metal glinted in the automatic light of the room.
"The dads make all of our weapons." She shrugged, pulling the sheets back into place. "We all know how to. We even know how to flint nap. But they have the gift for making anything out of metal." Eyes flicking curiously to the band around his wrist that wasn't covered by one of his thick leather bracers currently, she bit her lip. The skin, pale from her time in the infirmary and the medications, instantly turning red from the abuse. "Noticed that they gave you a wrist band. Is it working alright for you? Sometimes they need time to adjust to the user."
Looking down at the hand that was still fiddling with the knife, Ronon stilled. "Yeah." An eyebrow raised, was it bad that she kinda wanted to bite it? Oh that's right The adrenaline had burned off most of her heat but she would still be a bit more… lusty than normal for a bit. And that was saying something. "Sigrun slapped it on me when Luka was hacking into the city comms. Don't really know what it is or does thought."
Sophie's blue eyes went wide. "You did what!" She yelled, spinning on her toes and racing off to the kitchen area where Luka was waiting patiently for the popcorn to finish popping. She spun him around and ran her hands all over the little frame. "Any burns? Marks? Did you get electrocuted? Zapped or hurt?"
"I'm fine." He muttered, trying to turn around to watch the popcorn expanding the bag. He was currently counting the velocity that the kernels were flying at and his mother was being distracting. "The dads and Ronon were watching me every second. It was an emergency or I wouldn't have done it."
Letting out a frustrated breath, she let him go back to his calculations gently pressing a hand to his head. Picking her way back over the strewn toys, yes Luka actually had what he considered toys, and various bits and bobs that seemed to accumulate with life Sophie made it back just in time to see Ronon finish piling pillows over her now straightened blankets. "Thank you." She smiled, not quite sure if she was thanking him for the rearranged bed or looking after her son when she couldn't.
Eyebrows drawing together, Ronon looked at the well-loved stuffed animal in his hands. The floppy-eared animal was barely holding together in some places anymore, the stuffing long since flattened and one of the eyes only a string now. "I don't have much anymore," the toy flopped as his long fingers turned it over for examination. "But I take care of what is mine."
"My team," his probing green eyes seemed to see more in the bit of cloth and fluff than most because he placed it carefully on her bedside table as if it was made of spun glass. "My weapons, my city, my quarters, Luka, you."
Pausing where she was when he added the last two things on his list, Sophie blushed and quickly bent to pick up a midnight blue lace thong that she chucked into the dark overstuffed closet. "Consider us yours, huh?"When he grunted an affirmative, she became very glad that he wasn't facing her. Because she couldn't help the blush that stained her cheeks and the tiny clench of her heart.
"And my family?" She asked. "I know my brothers can be kind of annoying but I do kinda come attached to all of them."
Fishing another piece of barely-there lace from under the leg of a chair, he grinned holding it up by the straps imagining how she would fill it out before she snatched it away and tossed it after the first. "I miss my brothers. John and Rodney are good, but they're friends." He shrugged, still smiling, "mind sharing yours?"
"I don't mind at all." She smiled, and as Ronon leaned in to kiss her lightly, Luka called from the other room that the popcorn was done and would someone please come to get the drinks.
Luka had chosen an old television show. One about a little boy who saved the world from an evil lord after a hundred years of war with his friends and a white fluffy flying animal in tow. He hadn't thought he would like it at first. Earth "entertainment" normally wasn't something he found entertaining. But it was cute. Luka laughed, Sophie chuckled. The popcorn wasn't bad. And surprisingly there was action. He even saw a couple of moves that he wanted to try out the next time he was in the gym.
After a few hours, Luka fell asleep with his head on his mother's lap while she gently teased his tight ringlets into a more manageable order. As the little boy with the arrow chased thawing frogs, Sophie relaxed against his shoulder.
"Wanna tell me what you and the mothers talked about?" She whispered, careful to keep her voice pitched below the voices from the show.
"Marrying you."
Mouth dropping open in surprise, Sophie turned to him blinking rapidly. "I didn't think we were there yet."
For a moment, Ronon only looked at her. His eyes, warmed by something she hadn't seen in many years, skimmed over her taking in the almost puzzled look on her features. "On Sateda," he whispered so as not to wake her sleeping son. "It never took long for a man to decide who he wanted as a mate. It was for the woman to accept, or decline, and set the pace they would continue the relationship." He explained. "You accepted. I spoke to your matriarchs so you could set the pace for whatever you feel comfortable with."
"And if I take years to come around?"
Despite the unease, he felt at the idea, years without a woman? Years without her? Internally he almost wept at the thought. But had this been Sateda, if the woman kept him waiting years after the formal meeting with her matriarch he would be expected to wait years, patiently. "I'd wait."
"Good thing I don't have that patience," she sighed, her eyes almost watering as she tried to force back a yawn. "I guess I need a nap."
Shifting to move out from under her, Ronon kissed her forehead. "I'll put Luka to bed."
Biting her lip, Sophie watched the large male stand and stretch. Ronan was nothing like Travis. Not in essentials anyway. Travis never would have been comfortable with being a father to a child that wasn't his own, but Ronon? Seemed to enjoy it. Travis had never really gone out of his way to meet or even gain the approval of her family, not that that was necessary, but Ronon had honored her customs without realizing it. Travis hadn't been the most thoughtful man, not that he had ever done anything objectionable on purpose really, he mainly just got busy and forgot things, but Ronon? Ronon actively tried to be a good man, one of the best she knew truth be told.
Didn't hurt that he was insanely handsome. Travis hadn't been a slouch in the looks department, but he was a reasonable seven or eight out of ten and Ronon was an easy twelve.
As he reached the edge of the bed, Sophie flung out a hand and caught his wrist. "Stay." She whispered. "We'll figure everything out later. Just stay."
"What about Luka?" He asked, looking to the little boy who shifted in his sleep.
"The bed is big enough for all of us to nap until dinner. Then I'd like it if you ate with us. We can talk after?"
Sliding back onto the bed, Ronon lifted Luka's head and moved him to one of the pillows. "You sure?"
Heart pounding in her chest, almost worse than her wedding night, Sophie nodded and caught a handful of his dreads before he could move away. "If you are." She whispered, pulling him closer by his hair.
He waited, braced above her, for a long moment just waiting. There was more to her question than a nap. "I am."
Nodding, Sophie pulled him closer by his hair and caught his lips with her own.
It had started out tentative and sweet. As easy and gentle as breathing. But Ronon didn't react. So she pulled back, blinking up at him in confusion.
Looking down at her, Ronon watched her face for a moment. Surprise, disbelief, sadness, disappointment all danced across her features fleetingly. Eyes glittering happily, he slid his fingers into her hair, kneading her scalp gently. "Until you're healed, this is all we're doing." He growled softly before capturing her mouth in return. Careful of her injuries Ronon settled over her, keeping his weight off her ribs, and stilled.
Almost groaning into his lips at the intense heat that radiated off him and almost soaked into her sore muscles, Sophie slid her arms around his shoulders. It was so much better than the quick shower she had been allowed in the medical wing.
"Stop thinking woman." He growled against her lips, feeling her still under him.
That growl. Most of her family had a growl. But his? Oh, his made her heart race. "Then kiss me like you mean it." She challenged.
"Is that how it is?" He chuckled, gently tugging her hair and forcing her head back into the pillows just a little more.
She shivered slightly as he ducked under her jaw and kissed lightly where her pulse was strongest. "Yes…" Sophie sighed, her eyes closing contentedly. "That's how it is."
"Should I take that as a challenge?"
She could feel the smirk he wore against her skin where he nipped lightly. Parts of her woke and ached that hadn't in years.
Dragging his fingertips along the loose collar of her tee-shirt, Ronon pulled it off one of her shoulders until it caught on the swell of her breast, kissing and nipping the skin that he exposed. The woman under him shivered, sliding her own hands under his own to the taunt planes smooth skin that hid beneath.
Gasping when her curious fingers found a scar on his side, Sophie pulled his shirt up to see. Willingly, he relinquished it and let it fall to the floor beside the bed before surrendering to her inspection. It was old, over a decade, and from his days as a runner, so the angry scar had smoothed with age. But it still felt different than the rest of his skin. "This isn't a blaster scar." She whispered, tracing it.
"Blade." He offered. "Wraith tried to fight me hand to hand."
She nodded, pushing him back onto the pillows beside had and leaned to kiss the scar. "And this one?" She found a tiny nick of shiny skin on his upper arm and gently kissed it too. "It's older."
"From the fall of Sateda." He murmured, running his fingertips up and down her sides. "I was in a hospital trying to get Melena out when there was an explosion. I got caught by the shrapnel."
Eyes watering for him, for the loss he had experienced and come through, she made a mental note to thank Melena somehow for loving the man beside her. To honor her life and what she had given her life for as a healer.
Brushing his chest with her lips, she moved to just above where his heart lay and kissed there before she moved on. A mischievous smile crept onto her lips and she nipped at one of his nipples causing him to stiffen beneath her. A sound that lay somewhere between a growl and a groan rumbled through him, his hands tightening on her hips, pulling her close.
Blood heating again in her veins, she pressed against him for a moment, her hands sliding down to the waistband that concealed the rest of his skin.
Then Luca snorted in his sleep and rolled against her legs.
Damn.
