Hello hello, I'm back again. This is another long one and I hope it all makes sense, I wanted to get through a fair bit in this chapter and I edited it around two small children which isn't always easy. I hope you like it.
The Thing
John stared up at the … thing in front of him.
"What do you suppose that is?" O'Neill asked from beside him.
"I can honestly say I have no idea, Sir," John replied.
"Teal'c?" O'Neill asked.
"I have not seen anything like this before either, O'Neill," Teal'c replied.
The 'Thing' was a large stone rectangle that looked like a doorway of some kind, but led to nothing.
Of course this was a mission none of the scientists had come along to because there was no indication that the planet had anything on it that would interest them. The only reason they were here at all was because they'd seen a plant on the MALP that Teyla identified as a medicinal herb and Carson, Janet and the botanists were interested in investigating it.
John had gone for a short walk with O'Neill and Teal'c, to check the area more thoroughly for potential threats while the botanists and Janet were taking samples. They'd come across the Thing right as they were about to stop and turn back.
"Are we certain there are no other life-signs around?" O'Neill asked.
"Yes, Sir," John replied, studying the life-signs detector.
"All right then, I guess we'll be sending a science team to check it out. Leave a locator beacon here and let's head back and see if the others are done with their … stuff," O'Neill ordered.
John fished the locator beacon out of his TAC vest, turning it on and placing it down beside the Thing. They turned to head back to the gate and John pondered over what the Thing could possibly be. He'd couldn't wait to tell Rodney about it, the scientist was bound to be excited.
The very thought of Rodney brought a soft smile to his face, which he quickly schooled back into a neutral expression before anyone else could notice.
They'd been on Atlantis for ten months now and John could honestly say he'd never been happier in his life. He liked O'Neill and Elizabeth, he liked working for them and he respected them both more than any CO he'd ever had. They'd settled into a good rhythm, O'Neill and John, O'Neill was still the boss and that suited John down to the ground, but O'Neill had also given John the responsibility of taking over certain duties around the city that the CMO usually handled, because they were areas where John was more highly trained.
John was in charge of overseeing the combat and flight training for the marines and John would be lying if he said he didn't love it. They traded off monthly on organising the staff rosters and they shared the responsibility of doling out disciplinary action when it was necessary, which thankfully wasn't often.
They had a good group of people in the city, most of whom treated each other, the civilians and John, O'Neill and Elizabeth with respect. There was the occasional run in, those were unavoidable, but it was usually the same people so John and O'Neill were never surprised when it happened. The Captain who had originally had a go at Rodney in the sparing room, Captain Rogers, and Dr Kavanagh, who was just an ass, tended to disagree a lot, and it had resulted in some rather nasty pranks being pulled.
The hardest part about doling out that discipline was trying not to laugh at the end results of those pranks; some of them were downright hilarious. Rodney and Sam handled Kavanagh's discipline while John and O'Neill dealt with Rogers, and when it was over they all usually ended up in O'Neill's office laughing their asses off.
John's relationship with the rest of the group had only strengthened as he'd spent more time with them as well. He'd developed an amiable, respectful relationship with Jeanie, Jennifer and Janet, he'd developed good working relationships with O'Neill, Lorne, Ford and Cadman, he had a very pleasant friendship with Daniel, Sha're and Teal'c, and he'd gotten to become really good friends with Sam, Teyla and Carson.
His relationship with Carson actually improved when surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on your view, he and Janet broke up around the middle of the year. It was an amicable split, they both wanted different things out of life that didn't surprise anyone, but of course break ups still hurt and John and Rodney had done their best to be there for him. John had developed a new appreciation for the man, who he usually only spoke to in passing, and found him easier to talk to than almost anyone he'd ever known -aside from Rodney of course-. They'd become far closer than John had actually expected, the guy was just genuinely nice and caring and he didn't judge; John really liked him and so did Rodney.
The only people around him that he really struggled with were Vala, who was always far too full on and touchy for John's taste, and Lt Boman, who while being a brilliant team member as Lorne had promised, just didn't mesh with John or the rest of the team. There was something about her that rubbed the rest of them the wrong way, but she hadn't done anything to be removed from the team so he couldn't do that. She was polite and followed orders, she just felt … wrong. Over all it could be a lot worse so John just did his best to ignore it, as the others did. As a team the rest of them meshed together beautifully.
And then of course there was Rodney.
To say he was incredible would have been the biggest understatement ever. They spent almost every spare second they had together and it was never enough; John always wanted more. Rodney was everything John could ever want in another person and the more he knew him the more he liked him. Those feelings he still had no name for were like a brand burnt into his soul and they burned so beautifully. He'd long since stopped being afraid of them, even if they overwhelmed him more often than not, they made him feel happy and lighter than he ever had in his life.
There had been a couple of occasions where he'd been concerned that Rodney was going to fall for one of the women in the city, after all there were a lot of really good looking, intelligent women along on this expedition, and there had been a few off world as well, who had shown a very obvious interest in Rodney. Katie Brown, a botanist, had even gone so far as to ask Rodney out, and John had overheard more than one conversation between women in the mess hall about him, but nothing had ever come of it and John would be lying if he said he wasn't relieved.
Of course, even if Rodney weren't straight he and John could never have a real relationship. DADT was a thing even if they were in another galaxy, but John wanted him anyway and he wanted Rodney's attention, he didn't want to share it. Of course if Rodney ever showed any real interest in anyone, John would be hideously jealous, but he wouldn't do anything to ruin things for his friend; he wanted Rodney to be happy. For now he was enjoying having all of Rodney's attention on him and he wanted it to stay that way as long as it could.
So, John was happy and as he reached the gate, where the botanists were finished gathering their samples, he smiled warmly at Teyla who returned it with just as much warmth, and they headed back through the gate together.
John's feelings for Teyla had definitely improved with the discovery that she had no romantic interest in Rodney. It turned out her sights were set clearly on a certain tall, dark jaffar, and it didn't take long for the jaffar's sights to turn directly towards her as well. They were a really good match actually, and they had ended up getting together a couple of months into the expedition; much to the joy of everyone around them.
When they walked back through the gate, O'Neill and the botanists headed up to debrief with Elizabeth while the rest of them headed for the gear up room to get their tactical gear off. They hadn't even worked up a sweat so John didn't bother with a shower, and it was close enough to lunch time that he figured he'd go down to the lab to see what Rodney was up to. He'd tell him about the Thing before dragging him off to lunch.
As John approached the lab, he heard music that was very much not to Rodney's taste blasting from the speakers. He moved inside, spotting Kavanagh and another scientist arguing over a calculation that was written up on the white board and raising an eyebrow. He could see exactly what they were trying to do, however they seemed to be arguing quite passionately about it.
John looked round and spotted Rodney and Sam sitting next to each other at the desk, typing away on their computers. Jeanie and Jennifer were there as well, studying a piece of newly discovered wraith tech.
That explained the music.
He moved over to Rodney and placed a gentle hand on his back. "Hey," he greeted softly.
"Hey," Rodney greeted him happily, smiling brightly like he always did for John.
God he was beautiful!
"Glad to see you back in one piece. How was the mission, find anything interesting?"
"Actually yes, a big, stone, doorway looking Thing," John replied.
"Really?" Rodney and Sam asked, their eyes lighting up with interest.
"Yeah, we're not quite sure what it is yet, but there will definitely be a science team getting sent back there to study it. I figured you'd want to know ASAP so you could decide who should go," John explained and they both looked thoughtful. "So, I have to ask," John continued before they got too deep into their pondering. "How are you not over here twitching and horrified right now?" he asked, motioning towards the two scientists at the white board.
"Because we've done this on purpose," Rodney replied. "We worked out that formula days ago, but we wanted to see how long it would take them to work it out and it turns out they're both stupid."
"Really?" John asked surprised. "I know Kavanagh isn't as clever as he thinks he is, but I thought he'd at least be able to work that one out … and who is that other scientist? I remember seeing her around occasionally, but I have no idea who she is."
"Ah this is where it gets interesting. Neither of us hired her, she just sort of turned up on the books as an expedition member before we left and when we looked into it further it turned out the IOA sent her," Rodney explained.
"After discussing it with Elizabeth we think she's an IOA spy, because she's definitely not a scientist, so we've been going out of our way to keep her occupied with things that have no real importance and hooking her up to work with Kavanagh as often as possible. It keeps them both out of trouble because they spend more time arguing with each other than anything else and we have everything she does constantly monitored so we know what she's up to. So far she just seems to be writing reports to the IOA about us, and there's nothing too concerning in them because she has no idea we know and thinks the things she's been assigned are important enough to report about, even though they're not," Sam explained and John couldn't help but grin.
"Well, that's one way to deal with a spy," he said jovially.
"One of our favourite pass times is torturing them with stuff like this and seeing how long it takes for them to crack and lose it at each other. Today we're playing wrong number bingo, the loser has to go on the next coffee run. So far I'm winning. If they choose a 7 next, I win, if it's a 9 we're even again," Rodney explained.
"And what if they get it right?" John asked, surprised when Sam and Rodney both laughed at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you were being serious," Sam said after a few moments. "Well, if they do happen to stumble on to the right answer we both lose, and then we rock, paper, scissors to see who goes."
"Ah, okay," John replied, settling in to watch with them for a while. They were right, it was quite entertaining. "Oh, she's going for it," he said as the woman moved forward with the marker outstretched and they all leaned forward to see what she was going to write. When Kavanagh pulled her back and argued with her further, they all sat back with a disappointed sigh.
"Hey, do you know what? I just had an even better idea on how we can bring this to an end," Rodney said suddenly. "Why don't you go over there and just casually write up the number they need?" he suggested to John.
"Oh yes, do it, there's nothing funnier than seeing their faces when they realise the non-scientific staff are smarter than them," Sam urged. "We've done it a couple of times over the last few months. Once we gave Teal'c the answer and got him to write it up, another time it was Sha're; god their faces were priceless."
"And if you do it you can then explain to them why you're right and they're stupid, none of the others would be able to do that. Please, John, it'll be fun I promise," Rodney asked with those far too beautiful eyes looking at him hopefully and John was powerless to say no.
Not that he would have anyway, because they were right, it did sound like fun.
"All right," he agreed, moving over to the whiteboard. He plucked the red marker from the tray and wrote the number in the space, as if it was nothing.
The two 'scientists' looked back at him in shock for a moment before Kavanagh hissed, "Hey, we were working on that! What makes you think you can just come in here and throw up a number wherever you want?"
With an insolent smile John rattled off a full mathematical description of the equation and why he was right, enjoying the way their jaws dropped and they just stared at him in abject horror. When he was done, they both tried multiple times to say something, but only inarticulate sounds came out.
"Yes, that was a military major just solving your equation for you," Sam said as if she was explaining something to a small child.
"But don't feel too bad, he's actually a mathematical genius and you're just … you know … not," Rodney added.
By this time Jeanie and Jennifer had turned to watch all of this unfold and John could see them both holding back laughter.
John capped the pen and placed it back on the tray before moving back over to stand beside Rodney, the group of them looking at the scientists expectantly.
The "scientists" continued with their goldfish routine for a few more moments before clearing their throats and just walking out of the lab.
John knew Rodney and Sam were on the brink of hysterical laughter and he placed a hand on both of their shoulders, "Wait for it …" As soon as the scientists were out of the room and far enough down the corridor to be out of ear shot he squeezed their shoulders gently and they all burst out laughing.
O'Neill walked through the door a few minutes later and the five of them were hunched over the desks, still laughing their asses off.
"Do I want to know?" The Colonel asked.
"No," Jennifer squeaked and they broke out into more laughter.
Jack leaned on a desk near the door, "Whenever you're ready," he said casually.
After another minute or so they calmed down enough for Rodney to speak, "Oh my god, I love your brain," he said, wiping his eyes.
"It does occasionally come in handy," John replied, turning to face O'Neill. "Sorry, Sir."
"Oh, don't mind me, I'm just sorry I missed out on the fun," Jack replied as unconcerned as he generally was about things like this. "On a different note, it's lunch time, boys and girls, get your buts out of the lab and let's go eat something," he ordered.
Sam and Rodney got off their chairs and they all headed for the door, wiping their eyes, wide grins still on their faces. Sam slipped her arm through Jack's and walked beside him, Rodney and John behind them and Jennifer and Jeanie at the rear.
As they walked through the corridor they were joined by other members of their circle. Teal'c and Teyla joined them first followed by Daniel who came up to walk beside Sam. As Rodney asked John about the stone thing they'd found Sam dropped back to listen to what they were saying.
Daniel obviously didn't notice and started pestering Jack.
"Okay, so what did it look like?" He asked eagerly.
"Big and stony," O'Neill replied.
"Seriously? That's all you can tell me?" Daniel asked dryly.
"Yeah," Jack replied.
"Come on, Jack, you can't tell me anything else? How big was it?" Daniel asked.
"Big," Jack replied.
"Yes, but how big?" Daniel asked.
"I don't know … bigger than me," Jack replied.
"Was there any writing on it?" Daniel asked.
"There could have been, it was very …"
"Big?" Daniel supplied for him. "Seriously, Jack, you can't tell me anything else about it?" Daniel asked exasperated.
"No, Daniel, it was big and stony, that's all I've got, and you know there isn't going to be anymore; you're asking me. How long have we been married?" he asked sarcastically.
Daniel glared at him, "Too long."
"Too long indeed and you still haven't worked out that asking me about this sort of stuff is pointless. Why don't you ask Sheppard? He remembers all this sort to stuff which is why I always take him along on missions none of you science types can make it to, something that my very clever wife and Rodney have both obviously worked out because who are they talking to right now?" Jack asked pointedly.
Daniel rolled his eyes and looked over at the three of them.
"Now, Rodney being back there with Sheppard is nothing new, but I have been off world for a while and generally Sam is very happy to see me and she'd be over here talking to me right now, but she's not, because she knows that there's new technology to explore and the person to ask for details about it is Sheppard and not me. How have we known each other so long and you still don't get it?" Jack asked frustratedly.
"I guess I thought that one day you might manage to remember … something," Daniel replied dryly. "I live in hope."
"Or a really deep ditch of denial," Jeanie chimed up from further back and Jack turned around to point at her.
"See, even that McKay has worked it out. How are you still so naive to think that I'm going to change … ever?" Jack asked.
"I am not naive," Daniel argued back.
"Yeah, you are," Jennifer said from behind them "But don't feel bad about that, it's not a terrible thing, it just means life hadn't beaten all the innocence out of you yet; you still get a chance to be young and idealistic."
"Excuse me, you're younger than I am," Daniel argued.
"Only physically, up here I'm about as old as Mitchell," Jennifer replied.
"And how exactly do you measure that?" Daniel asked.
"By my distinct lack of naiveté, idealism and innocence" Jennifer replied.
"We need to find a way to wean you off being so idealistic, Daniel," Jeanie said.
"Who are we weaning off what?" Sha're asked, entering from another side corridor.
"Daniel off his idealism and innocence," Jennifer replied.
"Oh no, don't do that, it makes him so cute," Sha're argued. "I like all that innocence you're not allowed to take it away."
"Just teach him that he's never going to get any detailed information out of me about anything that's not tactically related," Jack replied.
"Of course not, Daniel, you know better than that by now surely; you always ask Sheppard," Sha're admonished with a sweet smile, slipping an arm through his.
Daniel sighed and kept walking, "Forget it, I'll just go and see for myself."
"Ooh, fun! Where are we going?" Vala asked leaping out of a corridor.
"To a planet with a 'big stone thing'," Daniel replied dryly.
"Oh goody, I love big stone things; is it pretty?" Vala asked.
"I don't know, ask Sheppard," Daniel replied monotonously and Jack turned to smile at him.
"See, you are getting the idea," he said with a proud smile, wrapping an arm around Daniel's shoulder. "I have never been prouder of you than I am right at this moment."
Daniel just sighed in annoyance and refused to engage any further.
Carson and Janet joined them last and when they entered the mess hall they headed to their usual table. John gave them all the information he could about what he'd seen and Sam and Rodney were eager as always to go and check it out. They made the decision to go the next morning, SG1, 2, Sha're and Vala.
With that decided they settled in to eat and John looked over at Rodney with a soft smile. The last few weeks had been crazy, with teams bringing tons of new tech through the stargate to study, so they hadn't had a good hang out night in a while. With the new stone 'Thing' to study John had a feeling that the next little while was going to be just as hectic. With that in mind he leant over to whisper to the scientist. "Hey, want to do something tonight? We haven't seen much of each other lately."
"Love to," Rodney replied with a soft smile. "You're right it has been a while and it looks like I'm going to have a lot to do for the next few days."
"I thought the same thing. Anything in particular you want to do?" John asked.
"Oh, I don't know, I'm pretty fine with anything," Rodney replied. "As long as there's you and music, I'm easy."
John smiled warmly, pushing aside the urge to lean over and kiss the other man, which was getting harder to ignore with each passing day. "Glad we can agree on that. I'll think about it this afternoon and see if I come up with anything."
"Okay, I will too," Rodney replied, returning his smile.
They finished their lunch and went back to work, John getting some rosters done before heading down to the gym and getting in a work out, then heading to the sparring room with Teyla and Teal'c to train some marines. When they were halfway through their session Rodney and Sam came in, looking like they'd just spent a bit of time in the gym themselves, and waited for their turn in the sparring ring.
Sam ended up going through a round with Teal'c, then Rodney took on Teyla, and John was thrilled to see them all improving with consistent practice and each other's assistance. They'd already been brilliant, but there was always room for improvement and he was glad they were all taking their training seriously.
Plus it was always amazing to see Rodney move around a sparing ring; damn that man was sexy.
On the way out of the sparing room one of the marines asked whether John ever sparred with Rodney and he shook his head. They had tried it one evening when they were alone and found they just couldn't do it; they were too worried about hurting each other. John didn't say that to the marine of course, he told the man that they just didn't do it. This had prompted the marine to ask whether he could spar with Rodney, which made John want to snarl at him to keep his hands off John's scientist, but instead he replied that it would have to be up to Rodney.
He wondered what the scientist would say if any of the marines asked to spar with him, it would actually be quite funny to see the man drop a few people; it would be exceptionally hot as well.
They headed back to their rooms to shower then made their way down to dinner, enjoying it with the group again. When they were done, they stole a couple of extra pudding cups then headed back to the command tower. They grabbed their iPods on their way through the room and headed out to the deck where they now had a small table and a few chairs that they'd managed to find and build over the last few months.
It was amazing what you could come up with them there was no other option.
"Okay, what have you got for me tonight?" John asked Rodney as they sat down.
"Within Temptation," Rodney replied. "You?"
"Bruce Springstein," John replied. "I imagine yours will be far more energetic than mine, do you want to go first," he suggested.
"Sure, it's basically a song about you," Rodney explained.
"Really?" John asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, it's called Faster," Rodney went on. "It was originally written about Niki Lauda, but I think it suits you as well."
"Well put it on then," John replied and Rodney brought it up on his iPod. They sat back to listen and John had to agree, the lyrics reminded him a lot of himself.
I can't see, cause it's burning deep inside.
Like gasoline, a fire running wild.
No more fear, cause I'm getting closer now.
So unreal, but I like it anyhow.
I go faster and faster and faster
and faster and faster and faster and faster.
I can't live in a fairytale of lies.
And I can't hide from the feeling cause it's right.
And I go faster and faster and faster and faster for love.
And I can't live in a fairytale of lies.
I can feel that you've mesmerized my heart.
I feel so free.
I'm alive, I'm breaking out.
I won't give in, cause I'm proud of all my scars.
And I can see I've been wasting too much time.
I go faster and faster and faster
and faster and faster and faster and faster.
I can't live in a fairytale of lies.
And I can't hide from the feeling cause it's right.
And I go faster and faster and faster and faster for love.
And I can't live in a fairytale of lies.
I can't live in a fairytale of lies.
And I can't hide from the feeling cause it's right.
And I go faster and faster and faster and faster for love.
And I can't live in a fairytale of lies.
A fairytale of lies.
The song ended and Rodney looked over at John expectantly.
"Okay you got me, I like that one," he admitted.
"I thought you might," Rodney replied with a grin. "What are you going to play for me? Please tell me Bruce Springsteen isn't as depressed as Johnny Cash."
John laughed, grabbing his iPod.
"I'm serious, that guy needs therapy. Heitmeier would have a field day."
"He's not that bad," John argued, still laughing.
"Really? Find me one happy song he sings and I'll take it back," Rodney challenged.
John found the song he wanted to play for Rodney and put it on. "I'll work on that for next time. You told me my music is too mellow so I chose something that isn't as mellow as I usually listen to. It's called Thunder Road."
The screen door slams
Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside
Darling, you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me
You can hide 'neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a saviour to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair?
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting down on the tracks
Oh-oh come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh-oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold
Thunder Road
Well I got this guitar
And I learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back
If you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride ain't free
And I know you're lonely
For words that I ain't spoken
Tonight we'll be free
All the promises'll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
When you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind
So Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers
I'm pulling out of here to win
John studied Rodney's reaction and grinned when the scientist turned to look at him with a look of shock in his eyes.
"Holy crap, it had a beat and was only mildly depressing; after the Black Sorrows I was getting worried that there was nothing else even remotely upbeat in your library. Just how long did you have to scour your iPod to find this particular treasure?" he asked, only half joking and John laughed. "No seriously, I must know, how many days did you have to mull over your iPod to find something this up beat?" Rodney continued the joke and John only laughed more.
"Stop it, my music isn't that bad," he argued back.
"Not that bad? It puts me to sleep at night better than any sedative I've ever been given, how can it not be that bad?" Rodney asked and John just shook his head, still laughing.
"Come on now, if you keep picking on Johnny I'll take your sedative away," he threatened jokingly.
"Oh no you won't, then you won't be able to listen to him either and then what are you going to do?" Rodney joked back.
"I can always close the wall you know," John joked.
Rodney just looked at him with an insolent grin and John mock glared at him for a moment before they both laughed again.
Of course that wasn't going to happen.
"Okay, what are we going to do now?" Rodney asked.
"Well we've had our musical education, I was thinking about maybe watching a movie if you're up for it?" John asked.
"Okay, I'm good with that. Did you have anything particular in mind?" Rodney asked.
"Something funny," John replied and Rodney looked thoughtful.
"Have you seen Death at a Funeral? Not the American version, it was terrible, the British version," Rodney asked and John shook his head.
"Okay, that's what we're watching," Rodney decided. "Do you want to sit out here or go back inside to the beds?" he asked.
John thought about it, "Bed sounds good to me," he replied and Rodney nodded, climbing to his feet and heading inside to grab his computer.
While he was looking for the movie John went into his cupboard and got changed into something more comfortable to sleep in. When he came back out a minute later, he noticed the computer was on the bed but Rodney wasn't in the room. He listened closely, but didn't hear anything; then Rodney came out of his cupboard in pyjama pants and a t-shirt and John couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.
Rodney glanced up and must have noticed the smile because he looked at John, puzzled. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing, I'm just having a proud moment," John replied not mentioning that he was also having a particularly horny moment.
Rodney still looked confused, until John walked over and gently touched the scientist's bare arms. "I can see them, they're not hidden under multiple layers of clothing, and I didn't need to say anything to get you to do it" he said. "I'm very proud of you."
Rodney blushed and it made John's smile widen; blushing Rodney was adorable. "Oh … well … you said it doesn't bother you, and it's warm so I thought-"
"There's nothing to bother me, you look good, Rodney; don't get all shy about this, own it. You're getting more comfortable in your skin and that's good," John said, smiling warmly as Rodney finally looked up at him, that adorable blush still dusting his perfect cheek bones.
"You're the nicest person in the universe, you know that right," he said softly.
"Only to you," John replied as they always did.
God I want to kiss you.
"So, did you find the movie?" John asked to keep himself from doing something stupid.
"Yeah, I did," Rodney replied, moving over to the bed and grabbing his computer.
They moved their pillows up against the wall behind their beds and got comfortable with their pudding cups. Rodney put his computer on one of each of their legs and turned on the movie. The credits were coming up and John was settling in to enjoy the movie, when suddenly the com system blared to life and a horrible sound screamed through the speakers.
Rodney paused the movie and looked up at the speakers horrified.
"What is that?" John asked.
"That is Bjork," Rodney replied, closing the movie and bringing up something else on his computer. "JJJ have hijacked the top floor's com system," he explained after a few moments.
"Can you stop it?" John asked.
"I'm trying," Rodney replied, moving his fingers over the keyboard faster than John had ever seen anyone type. It had only been a few minutes before the door that led to the hallway connecting their room to Jack and Sam's slid open and they both came running in. Sam didn't say anything, she dropped down onto the bed next to Rodney with her computer and the two of them got to work.
Jack looked over at John with a pained expression, before handing him a beer.
John thanked him sincerely. "Want to go and sit out on the deck?" he offered.
"Sure," Jack replied, and the two of them headed out there to sit down.
"How was your evening going?" Jack asked.
"Good," John replied. "You?"
"Yeah, good," O'Neill replied.
It wasn't often they were talking about something other than work and neither of them were particularly chatty, so they lapsed back into silence but it wasn't uncomfortable.
A few minutes or excruciating sound passed before O'Neill spoke again. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," John agreed easily, figuring it would probably be something pretty innocuous.
"I normally don't like to meddle because … well I just don't, but are you ever going to make a move?" the Colonel asked, and John almost choked on his mouthful of beer.
"Make a move with who, Sir?" John asked.
O'Neill just looked at him and John had to fight not to squirm under that knowing gaze. "Look, I know what the rules say, dumbest rule ever if you ask me, but we are in a completely different galaxy, living in a tower no one else can get into, and none of us here are going to say anything or care. Well, we'll be happy for you, that's about it. I know I'm not supposed to talk to you about anything like this, but to hell with that, Rodney is my friend, I want to see him happy, and I like you so I want to see you happy as well."
The 'music' shut off and they both sighed in relief.
John was struggling to think of what to say back when Rodney and Sam walked out on to the balcony, holding their computers.
"We have ended the siege," Sam announced, looking relieved and annoyed in equal measure.
"And have taken control of the com system. We have worked out how to isolate certain rooms as well, so we thought about sending something back to our friends," Rodney continued. "Any suggestions?"
John thought about it and he could see O'Neill doing the same. "Does anyone on base have the crazy frog?" he asked, and the others looked back at him with a mixture of horror and glee.
"Let's find out," Rodney said with a frightening grin, and began to search.
"Then that song with the rodents, what's it called? Hampster something," O'Neill said and John nodded approvingly.
"Achey Breaky Heart," he added.
"The one with the high pitched screeching," Jack said. (Wuthering heights)
"Absolutely Everybody."
"The song about … what was it, ketchup? The one with the dreadful dancing."
"Gummy Bear."
"That song where the guy whinges about his break up." (Somebody that I used to know)
"Anything by Mika."
"Anything by that kid that sang at the Australian Olympics." (Nicki Webster)
By this point Rodney and Sam were laughing so hard as they looked up the songs that they had to ask John and Jack to stop coming up with ideas. They put a play list together and patched it through the com system to JJJ rooms, but not Carson's, glad for their friend's sake that the walls in the tower were thick.
"I only wish I could see their reaction," Sam laughed.
"Me too," Rodney agreed.
They both laughed a little longer before calming down and leaning back in their chairs with a sigh.
"All right, let's get back to our evening plans," O'Neill said, standing up from his chair and reaching down to help Sam up. "Have fun you two," he said as he walked back into the room, shooting John a raised eyebrow, that Rodney thankfully didn't see, as he left.
John looked over at Rodney, feeling a blush rise up in his face. God he wanted him, he wanted to say something, but he couldn't shake the fear that it would ruin everything between them and that would kill him.
"Are you ready to get back to the movie?" Rodney asked, looking over at him.
John nodded, looking away before Rodney could notice the blush.
"Yeah, let's get back to it," he agreed, standing up and taking the computer from Rodney's lap, to make it easier for him to get up. He walked back into the room and over to their beds, Rodney following him. They climbed back up to the pillows and John waited for Rodney to settle in beside him before passing the computer back for Rodney to find the movie. He turned it on and rewound the first little bit then sat it back on their legs for them to watch.
The movie was hilarious and John laughed his ass off several times, but he was keenly aware of Rodney the entire time. He didn't know whether Rodney realised John was sitting as close to him as possible, but if he did, he didn't seem to mind. John thought about what O'Neill had said several times while they were watching the movie, fantasising about pulling Rodney into his lap and kissing those beautiful lips. He wanted to, he wanted Rodney so badly, but what if Rodney freaked out and it ruined their friendship? Rodney meant so much to him, he was the best friend John had ever had, he couldn't bear to lose his friendship.
After Rodney had fallen asleep that night John lay awake watching him, completely torn about what he should 'd been fantasising about holding Rodney, kissing Rodney, being with Rodney for so long and he wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything; but he couldn't risk losing him, Atlantis would be unbearable without the other man's friendship.
John reached out to gently touch the scientist's beautiful face, blinking back the tears that wanted to blur his vision. He couldn't lose Rodney, he had to do whatever was necessary to hold on to him, even if it meant living a life that made him feel incomplete.
That feeling would be far worse if Rodney wasn't a part of his life at all.
XX
The 'Thing' had all the scientists perplexed and excited in equal measure. There was writing on it that Daniel had never seen before, which had him more excited than any of them had ever seen him; that was saying something. It was definitely something technological, which had Rodney and Sam just as excited; that was adorable.
John and Jack spent most of their time on the planet with them grinning to each other.
Daniel took image after image of the words, Sam and Rodney took readings and samples, they were having the time of their lives and John loved seeing them all so happy, especially Rodney. The man was so beautiful all the time, but when he was really excited about something his eyes shone like stars and his smile was blinding.
The next few days were a blur or activity, but John would be lying if he said he didn't have a great time. When he wasn't tending to his 2IC duties he was in the lab or on the planet with Rodney, uncovering the secrets of the big stone Thing. It wasn't long before Sam and Rodney were pretty sure they could activate the Thing and all they were waiting on was Daniel working out what it was.
They were planning how best to help Daniel, when the archaeologist ran into the lab, looking like a kid on Christmas morning, telling them all to come up to the briefing room so he could show all of them and Elizabeth what he'd found at the same time.
He was practically buzzing with excitement as they took their seats around the table and John couldn't help but grin at him in amusement.
"Okay, what have you got for us?" Elizabeth asked.
"And we don't need to know every detail of how you found out," O'Neill added as Daniel opened his mouth to speak. The archaeologist glared at Jack for a moment before turning his attention to Elizabeth.
"It took a bit of searching because the symbols had degraded so much, but I finally found a match for the language; it belonged to a race called the Galatians. They were here several millennia ago, well before the ancients, in fact it was the Galatians who taught the ancients how to ascend," Daniel explained and that got everyone's attention.
"They weren't a bipedal species like we are, they were multipedal, and they didn't need ships to travel through space, their bodies were able to survive in even the harshest of conditions. They didn't walk, they floated telekinetically and they propelled themselves through space like jellyfish through the ocean. On top of that they were incredibly intelligent. They crafted passageways through subspace in place of hyperspace travel, they had solar powered energy sources more efficient than a ZPM, and they created portals between different times and different realities, which is what the big stone Thing is."
"A portal to another reality?" Elizabeth asked.
"To every reality," Daniel explained. "It can literally dial up every reality we can access, like the stargate dials up coordinates in space; the ancients actually based the designs of the stargate on these portals."
They were all stunned into silence, it wasn't every day you came across information about a race that were smarter than the ancients.
"Well, as interesting as the thought of going to different realities is, I don't think that's really a priority for us right now. I would be far more interested in learning about their solar power technology. If we could find a way to interface it with the city's systems, we could dial the gate back to Earth and power the shield," Elizabeth said, looking over at Rodney and Sam. "I'm sorry, both of you, I know you've been working really hard on this, but-"
"It's fine, Elizabeth, we have plenty of our own problems without introducing alternate realities right now," Rodney cut her off and John could tell he meant it.
"Besides, we've gone to other realities before, we know they can be a lot of trouble," Sam added, looking over at O'Neill who looked grave. "We've been working so hard trying to find ZPMs and sorting out more efficient ways to use the naqueda generators, if we can find a better way to power the city, there are so many more things we'd be able to do, even move the city if necessary. It's a far higher priority."
"I'm glad to hear we're on the same page." Elizabeth looked over at Daniel. "Was there any information about this technology in the database?"
"There was a lot of information that I haven't deciphered yet, it would definitely help to have Sam and Rodney's help," Daniel said, looking over at them. "While I can get the gist of it all, there is a lot of scientific information that I can decipher but not understand."
"Top priority," Elizabeth said, looking over at the two scientists who nodded. "Right, let's get to it."
They left the briefing room, but before they could get too far, John and O'Neill stopped them and directed them to the mess hall. Of course they were eager to find out everything they could about these people and their technology, but they also needed to eat, and John got the feeling that a lot of his time over the next several weeks was going to be spent making sure Rodney ate and slept, at least a little.
He was exactly right.
John had to be grateful for how much Rodney liked him, otherwise he was pretty certain the man would have killed him for dragging him away from the lab three times a day and making sure he ate a decent breakfast before he headed there in the morning. When the evenings rolled around Rodney was so tired that he barely managed to talk to John before falling into an exhausted sleep. John missed him terribly, but he understood the necessity of what he was doing and he supported him any way he could.
They finally worked it out a couple of weeks in, the Galatians had used a special type of crystal to store the energy, like the ancients had, but it attracted and stored the solar energy on its own it didn't require any special technology, which was incredible.
The next several weeks after that were devoted to finding the crystal, with almost every SG team being sent to search for it. Rodney and Sam were almost at the end of their rope with frustration, when after three weeks of searching the answer came to them; the planet with the portal. Surely it would need a lot of power to make it work and surely the Galatians would put it on a planet where the power source was easy to find.
It had taken them days, but they'd finally found the crystal growing in sheets and long columns under the ground.
And not a moment too soon.
The engineers were excavating the site when they found out the wraith were on their way to the city.
It became a desperate rush to get the crystal excavated, charged sufficiently to power the city, then get the different energy to interface with the city's systems. It was long and gruelling and John was stretched between making sure the military staff were ready for the attack, keeping Rodney fed, hydrated and making sure he slept at least a little, helping the departments prepare for the data burst they were sending to the SGC with the microsecond wormhole Rodney had found a way for them to produce with the naqueda generator, getting the Athosians packed up and moved into the city, then getting them armed as well.
Lorne took a team up to an ancient defence satellite they'd found, to get it powered up, and it managed to destroy one hive ship; but it burnt out before they could fire again and the satellite was destroyed, taking one of the scientists with it.
The most stressful turn of events -at least in John's mind- was that when the attack was imminent, Alice tracked John down and asked to talk to him alone. He followed her to a quiet corner and turned to ask her what she wanted, only to have her leap on him and kiss him.
Well, that explained why he'd always felt so uncomfortable around her.
John had no idea that Rodney had seen it happen, the scientist was gone before John got his brain to work enough to get away from the woman's grasp and tell her that he didn't like her that way, reminding her that he couldn't have a relationship with her even if he did because he was her superior officer.
She tried to convince him that they could make it work, but he forcefully reminded her that he didn't feel that way about her and to let it go. He wasn't mean about it, as stressed as he was at the time, he didn't want to hurt her feelings; but he made sure he left no room for misinterpretation.
He knew she was upset, but there was nothing he could do about that. It was a fact of life that sometimes things didn't work out the way you planned and he couldn't change that. He checked that she was okay, he wasn't a jerk after all, and when she nodded, not looking at him, he turned and walked away figuring she'd like some time alone to get herself together.
He understood why she'd done it now, after all they may be about to die, but he really didn't have time to deal with something like this. He hadn't said that to her of course, but he'd definitely thought it.
He'd gone back to his duties, too busy to realise that Rodney was suddenly quieter than normal. Everyone was so stressed that even if he had noticed he wouldn't have connected the dots.
They managed to send their message, the wraith eventually arrived, the SGC sent help, but Rodney and Sam got the energy interfaced and the shield up around the city before the Odyssey got there. They were still happy to receive the ZPM and they plugged it into the city anyway, wanting as much assurance as they could get.
The siege had lasted for days, and in the end they had to pretend to destroy the city so the wraith would leave. There were just too many of them even with the shield at full power, which was exactly the problem the ancients had faced as well; too many damn wraith.
When the battle was over the city was cloaked, but still standing. They'd lost some people, but mostly it was people the SGC had sent through to help them during the siege, which shouldn't have made it easier to accept, but it did, because John hadn't spent the last year or so getting to know them.
On top of those losses Alice had disappeared through the gate, after receiving a massive dose of wraith enzyme and going crazy, almost revealing them to the wraith. Again John had to look at the silver lining; the wraith hadn't detected the stargate activating and the city was still safe.
And of course, while he'd never admit it out loud, there were a lot of other people in the city it would have hurt him more to lose.
They'd barely managed to take a breath before they were being ordered back to the SGC for debriefing. They wearily packed up their things, which didn't take long, and trudged through the gate back to Earth.
This is what they'd been trying to find a way to do since they'd arrived; get back to their home world. But as they stepped out of the gate at the SGC, all John could feel was homesick for Atlantis and a desperate hope that he'd be going back soon.
XX
Lt Colonel John Sheppard, John had never thought he'd hear himself called that, but here he was. They'd spent two weeks back on Earth being debriefed by Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Landry and several members of the IOA, who, despite being their usual snooty selves, were actually thrilled with their work.
John didn't know O'Neill had put him up for a promotion, so when they were standing in the gate room being recognised for their efforts, and Mitchell had called him up to receive a medal, then changed the gold leaves on his dress uniform to silver, John had been so shocked he'd almost messed up the oath he had to say.
He'd never expected it, but it was the pride in Mitchell's, O'Neill's, Elizabeth's and Rodney's eyes that made the promotion really special. They'd all been there to cheer him on and he didn't think he'd ever had a moment in his life that had felt better; certainly none of his previous promotions.
The only thing that had dampened his joy had been the fact that Rodney had been distant ever since the siege. He didn't avoid John so much, he still saw him plenty, but when he did something was different; the bond they'd been building and strengthening since they met didn't feel as strong as it used to and John didn't understand why.
Originally he'd thought it was just because Rodney was tired after all the long weeks of no sleep, then he'd wondered if it was because he'd been busy with the debriefing, then he wondered if he was trying to keep his distance because of DADT and the fact that they spent so much time together would be far more noticeable when they didn't live in a different tower. Then of course they were stuck on the Oddyssey for weeks, tiny quarters, lots of strangers and an alien computer virus to deal with that nearly killed them; that was stressful.
He dismissed all of it though, because they were back in the city now, Rodney had managed to catch up on plenty of sleep, they weren't at the SGC and they weren't being debriefed anymore; but Rodney was still the same.
Something had happened, but John had no idea what it was and it was causing him no end of worry. Had Rodney figured out John had feelings for him and was trying to distance himself from him without making it obvious? John had been too scared to ask the other man what was wrong, terrified of what he might say, but he really needed to suck it up and ask because not knowing was killing him.
Rodney had been holed up in his lab since they'd gotten home and John had been intending to wait until the evening when they were back in their room to talk to him, but the day was getting later and John couldn't wait anymore; it was driving him crazy.
Decided, he left his office and headed for the lab. He'd beg the man to tell him if he had to, he needed to know.
XX
"Okay, you have to tell me what's wrong with you!" Rodney looked over at Sam who was looking at him with an expression that clearly said she wasn't going to accept no for an answer.
He sighed and looked around the lab to make sure they were alone.
"No one else is here, they're in the main lab doing their jobs like good girls and boys. You're not getting out of telling me, Rodney," Sam said sternly.
"I wasn't trying to get out of anything, I just wanted to make sure we really were alone," Rodney replied. He took a deep breath, knowing he had to be honest with her because she'd know straight away if he wasn't. "Before the siege I saw John kissing Alice," he admitted sadly. "I've always known that he'd never love me the way I love him and I figured he'd eventually be involved with someone else, but … of course seeing it hurt, but strangely enough what hurt more was the fact that he didn't tell me about it."
He folded his arms across his chest and looked down. "I thought that we were at least friends, I mean, he said we were, but … wouldn't you tell your friend about something like that? It's just proven to me that not only will he never love me, but also that I'm not even important enough to tell me that he has a girlfriend. I've tried to be supportive since I'm sure he'd upset about losing her, but it's been really hard not to be mopey and miserable around him, so I've done my best to keep away without it being too obvious."
"Well, you're doing a terrible job, it's really obvious, but, Rodney, are you sure you saw what you think you saw?" Sam asked. "I mean we were operating on very little sleep before the siege, are you sure you didn't misunderstand somehow?"
"A kiss is a kiss Sam, it's a bit hard to misinterpret it," Rodney replied.
Sam sighed, "I don't know, Rodney, I mean I didn't get a vibe from them at all, it seemed as if John barely tolerated Alice just like you and Teyla."
"I thought so too, but apparently not," Rodney said glumly.
"Have you actually asked John about Alice?" Sam asked.
"No," Rodney admitted.
"Well, I think you should," Sam said. "Maybe you are exactly right and there was something going on, but I just can't shake the feeling that you've misunderstood something. I know you don't seem to think so, but I think John really likes you, hell, even Jack thinks so, and you know he's the most oblivious man on the planet when it comes to things like this."
"That is true," Rodney agreed, even though he was sure she was wrong about John.
"Look, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but wouldn't you rather know for sure? If it turns out they were together and he didn't tell you, don't you want to know why?" she asked.
"I think the reason why is pretty obvious," Rodney replied but Sam fixed him with a glare.
"Rodney, stop making excuses! John is someone who matters to you and you can't avoid him forever, you need to talk to him like an adult, not run away from him like a child," she chastised and Rodney sighed, knowing she was right.
"All right, fine," he mumbled.
"Good," she replied looking pleased with herself. Rodney was glowering at her when the door to the lab opened and John walked in. Rodney tensed nervously and Sam greeted John brightly before heading for the door, letting him know that she'd just been leaving. She gave Rodney a pointed look from behind John as she walked out of the door and it shut behind her.
"Hi," John greeted, looking and sounding as nervous as Rodney felt.
"Hi," Rodney greeted back, knowing the nerves were showing in his voice as well.
John moved closer to the desk Rodey was sitting at but still kept some distance between them, looking like he was struggling to work out what to say; which was fine because so was Rodney.
Eventually Rodney settled on, "I'm sorry about Alice, I'm sure it was hard for you to lose her like that." Wondering what John would say back.
"Yeah … it wasn't a great day," John replied, leaning back against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "We'll find her though, I'm sure of that, and I just keep reminding myself that we did everything we could for her and at least she didn't tip off the wraith when she went through the stargate; things could have been a lot worse if she had."
Rodney nodded, seeing the tension on John's frame as he spoke about her. He decided he was just going to come right out and ask John how long they'd been together and why he hadn't told Rodney, but as he opened his mouth to do exactly that the door to the science lab opened and Elizabeth walked in with … another Rodney.
"Hi, I'm Rod," the man in the leather jacket greeted with a laidback, friendly smile and Rodney rolled his eyes mentally.
Fucking wonderful!
XX
Ooh, Rod has turned up, what's going to happen now? I imagined that scene between Jack and Daniel for ages and it was written right near the start of me writing that story, it made me chuckle. I broke up Carson and Janet, I think in real life they'd work rather well, but Janet is quite different in this story and Carson's going to have a new love interest, if anyone can guess who you'll win a prize.
For those of you who are following along waiting to see the cave monster he will make his appearance in the next chapter, which is all written and just needs some editing. I hope you're enjoying the story, please let me know if you are.
More to come soon, I promise.