Touched By An Ancient

By Ann3

All previous summaries, spoilers and disclaimers apply - reference also made to Sanctuary

Thanks so much for all the reviews and encouragement, it's all much appreciated ! And I promise I'll update as quickly as I can - if I can just get my little Beckett muse to stop sulking and help me out with the plot...

Speaking of which,on with the show... ;o)

Chapter 2

Was this the cruellest irony, that her CMO should be lying here, so lifeless, in his own Infirmary…? Lost in stricken thought at his bedside, Elizabeth Weir could have forgiven herself for thinking so – just as she'd forgive a passing observer for thinking there was no cause for worry. No cause for alarm.

Breathing unaided, with no outward sign of injury, Carson Beckett seemed merely to be sleeping. Only closer inspection revealed a far more disturbing reason for its unnatural, unrouseable depth.

The light which had invaded him still held him within a softer, gently shimmering shroud. It hadn't done anything to stop his shellshocked medical team's frantic attempts to rouse him, but… well, the fact remained that her CMO still lay totally lost to her, in the hands of a much greater power.

For reasons that still eluded her, the Ancients had returned to Atlantis to re-claim one of their own. They'd taken possession of him. Taken him to fight a battle known only to Carson Beckett's mind. Her only comfort, albeit a tenuous one, was the reassuring warmth of life that remained in his hand – the peaceful calmness of his face assuring her that he wasn't suffering any form of fear or pain.

They'd keep him safe, of course. Once this private battle was won, they'd bring her CMO back to her. And she knew he was beyond all chance of hearing her, but… well, it wouldn't stop her from trying.

"I – I don't know where you are right now, Carson… or – or why you've been taken there, but… well, I know it must be important, otherwise they wouldn't have taken you away from us like this…"

Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts, Elizabeth then squeezed his hand a little more tightly – leaning carefully closer to send a heartfelt plea across the immeasurable distance between them.

"I need you to come back, though, Carson, you hear me…? You've got to come back…"

She'd have given anything to hear his voice reassure her, as only that soft Scottish brogue ever could. It was another familiar voice, though, breathless from an all out run, that startled her from her thoughts.

"Elizabeth…? I – I just heard about Carson, is he okay…? Zelenka just said he'd… oh, jeez…"

Skidding to a halt beside her, John Sheppard stared down at the sight before him in mute disbelief. Alien strangeness came with the job, of course, especially here in the Pegasus galaxy, but this... to return from battle in victory, only to find a friend, a good friend, lying so still, so totally lifeless.

Not to mention the glow. He'd seen that glow before, of course. And he knew exactly what it meant.

"Any idea what it wants with him…? If it's trying to control him, or… anything…?" he asked at last – hoping that second question hadn't sounded so crassly clinical to her as it had sounded to him.

To his relief, Elizabeth was already smiling her understanding for a leader's natural sense of priorities.

"No, but I think Carson knows…" she said at last, recalling that strange serenity she'd seen in his eyes. "Just before he lost consciousness, he… well, he seemed to sense something was about to happen..."

"Yeah, that figures… especially if that something has to do with the Ancients…" John replied softly – sufficiently reassured by her nod of agreement to add his own unique call for their CMO's safe return. "I don't know what you're facing, doc, but if it's any kind of green, just keep your head down, 'cos… well, we kinda need you back here… and soon, doc, 'cos no-one keeps McKay in line the way you do. And I need all the help I can get on that score, so… well, just get yourself back here ASAP, okay…?"

The shrouded face beside him remained peaceful and still, void of all response to this gentle teasing. It was the sudden wince on Elizabeth's face, though, which caused John Sheppard's to follow suit.

He'd already guessed its cause. But he still had to know the full and, no doubt, regrettable story – if only to help Elizabeth repair the latest damage inflicted by a recklessly insensitive tongue.

Forever the diplomat, Elizabeth waited until they'd left the Infirmary before putting him in the picture. Even so, those they'd left behind still heard the force of John Sheppard's justly furious response.

"He said what…?"

Wincing at the repercussions to come, Dr Kate Buchanan then glanced sadly and wearily around her. Left shattered in rubble and ruins, her flagship team in crisis, Atlantis was falling apart at the seams. Now, more than ever, she needed her soul to soothe and heal her wounds, to make her whole again – prompting a heartfelt plea to that healing soul, even as he lay beyond all possible hope of hearing it.

"Wherever you are, Carson, just hurry you home. God knows, we need you. We all need you…"