Touched By An Ancient

By Ann3

Writer's Note: Okay, this chapter is a wee bit longer than the others. Each time I thought I'd finished it, another idea popped into this sick and twisted mind of mine which, of course, I had to take further.

There's a very brief reference to Rising here, just to set the scene. Thanks as always to Rox for her continued support... and on with the show !

Chapter Twenty Four

As he stood beside it, pensively fingering one of its armrests, Carson allowed himself a rueful smile. He'd never make light of the Chair's power, of course, but… had he really been so terrified of it…? So needlessly terrified of something which, to these now wiser eyes, was so incredibly beautiful…?

Its workmanship alone, its delicate intricacy, fascinated him as he continued to gently trace its contours and outlines. It had protected him too, of course, shielding him from one seriously miffed pilot back in Antarctica. It had changed his life, in ways he'd never imagined. Now it was set to change that life even more.

Little wonder, then, that it took several gentle calls of his name to break the depth of his thoughts.

"Carson…? Carson, are you alright…? If you need more time, more rest…"

Startled for a moment, Carson then met Elizabeth's concerned eyes with a shyly self conscious grin.

"Sorry, lass… aye, I'm fine… just doing a wee bit of woolgathering…"

"Yeah, what is it with you Scots and sheep…?" McKay chipped in, completely straight-faced – a masterclass of deadpan self control which, needless to say, didn't last for very long.

Starting with John Sheppard's helpless snigger, a wave of laughter swept through the Chair Room, lifting an undercurrent of tension which, if truth be told, had silently plagued everyone in it.

Still giggling from no end of possible answers, Carson then cast his friend a grin of grateful affection.

"You really want to know, Rodney…?" he asked, bright blue eyes speaking volumes of mischief.

"With that grin on your face…? What, do I look like an insane masochist…?" McKay shot back – a lethal glare in his direction persuading John Sheppard to keep his mouth very wisely shut.

It was a debate that had to be continued, of course – and it no doubt would be, with great hilarity. But as gradually fading grins and laughter testified, far more serious matters had to be resolved first. Radek Zelenka's voice from behind them, for all its typical quietness, still sounded unnaturally loud.

"Dr Weir… Rodney… Carson, we – we are ready…"

Having cleared more medical checks than even he'd thought existed, Carson Beckett was ready too – his standing as mother hen extraordinaire coming under serious threat as McKay fussed and fretted around him.

"You sure you're up to this…? I – I mean, we're green to go from this end, but…"

"Rodney, believe me, I'm fine…" Carson assured him, reassuring his anxious friend as only he could. "If I said 'trust me, I'm a doctor…' and did a wee voodoo dance, would that help you feel better…?"

"Not really. I've seen you dance…" McKay shot back, taking the art of deadpan to a whole new level.

Blushing reached a whole new level, too, as Carson's face matched the redness of Elizabeth's shirt – soft mutters about needles, the bluntest he could find, warning McKay he'd pay for that one, big time.

Watching this latest round of brotherly insults, Elizabeth couldn't hide a wry, proudly knowing smile. Twelve days ago, she'd watched Atlantis' most entertaining double act in action, just like this.

There were differences, of course. At least the ceiling wasn't falling in on them this time around. And, she hoped, Rodney would have learned his lesson sufficiently to be slightly more sensitive.

The greatest difference, though, one that still astonished her, came from that double act's other half. Outwardly, he was the same striking young doctor who'd impressed her so deeply at the SGC – the dark hair as charmingly tufted as ever, the blue eyes still holding hers in rock-steady calmness.

Yet there was a depth of wisdom within those eyes now, an intensity, that hadn't been there before – recognition of the courage beyond prompting her, just as she'd done twelve days ago, to take his hand.

"Okay, Carson, it's all yours. Just try and stay with us this time, okay…? And no heroics, you hear…? I mean it, Carson… the slightest sign of trouble, and we're bringing you back… okay…?"

Even as he nodded agreement, Carson couldn't resist teasing her too as he settled back into the Chair.

"Heroic…? Me…? God forbid…"

Enjoying that grin too much to think about scolding him, Elizabeth found herself returning it instead. Her next words, though, were totally serious as she leaned in closer, to meet and hold Carson's eyes.

"Good luck, Carson… and for God's sake, be careful…"

"I will, lass, I promise… don't worry, I'll be fine…" Carson assured her, squeezing her hand – this contact encouraging them both as Kate set to work with an alarming number of monitor wires.

"If you so much as sneeze, Carson, I want to know about it…" she explained, seeing his reaction – her attempts to sound business-like really not helped by her countryman's equally feisty humour.

"If I sneeze with that lot round me, Kate, I'll bloody strangle myself…!"

"Hey, it's for your own good, doc…" John Sheppard chipped in, always ready to help a friend in need. "I mean, if you go all Ascendy on us again, we need some way of keeping you grounded…"

Judging by the glare he received in return, that eager beaver helpfulness needed a little fine tuning.

"Yes, thank you, Colonel…" Carson retorted just as dryly, his expression just as innocent. "I can get myself in trouble quite nicely on my own, thank you, without any help from you…"

"You do, son, and you'll have me to answer to…" Kate shot back, raising a meaningful eyebrow – allowing herself just a trace of a triumphant grin as her patient fell wisely, and very rapidly, silent.

That silence then spread throughout the room as the final EEG pads were gently pressed into place. As welcome as it had been, everyone in that room knew the time for fun and games was over. For Carson Beckett, cocooned in monitor wires and sensor pads, there was no turning back now. And for Elizabeth Weir, time didn't just seem to stand still, it actually reversed back on itself.

Her CMO's eyes held the same other-worldly calmness that she'd seen twelve days ago. But at least this time she knew where that calmness had come from. She knew where it was about to take him. And at least she had the chance to make a final heartfelt plea as she watched those eyes begin to close.

"Be safe, Carson… and be careful…"

A slight nod, an almost beatific widening of his smile, assured her that her words had still reached him. Less than a minute after that, though, and Carson Beckett lay far beyond even the most heartfelt of prayers.

For Elizabeth and McKay, the sight of their CMO falling into this depthless sleep was already familiar. But it was unsettling, to say the least, for first time eyes to see Carson's face fall so suddenly slack – its rapid loss of both colour and expression doing little, if anything, to lessen John Sheppard's concern.

"This is normal, right…?" he asked at last, hoping a flash of humour convincingly masked his unease. "I mean, he went like this last time, before the whole freaky glowy thing…?"

Apparently he'd succeeded, since Elizabeth was already smiling, albeit still tensely, to reassure him.

"Yes, John, this is exactly what happened before, except by this point…"

"…he'd also started on the… uh… scientifically eloquent freaky glowy thing…" McKay chipped in – clearly relieved, beyond his flippant mimicry, that the same thing hadn't happened this time around.

Before the inevitable retaliation could zing back at him, though, a much higher power duly intervened.

They'd all been expecting it, of course, this unnatural glow which again surrounded Carson's body. So it didn't need saying. Everyone knew what had just happened, they'd seen it with their own eyes.

But as the smugness instantly fled from McKay's face, John Sheppard dryly muttered it anyway.

"And the scientifically eloquent term for 'smartass timing' would be…?"

"Still working on it…" McKay shot back, working his bank of computers with the same urgent speed. On a bench alongside, an equally grim faced Kate Buchanan was checking her own, the anxious concentration on her face gradually giving way, in palpable relief, to a cautious smile.

"It's alright, Colonel… his vitals are still normal, and stable, and he's not in any pain…"

"And Carson said himself that he knew no harm would come to him…" Elizabeth pointed out, this gentle reminder settling all their nerves as all eyes returned to the motionless figure beside them.

No sooner had their nerves settled, however, than the glow around Carson's body suddenly intensified. At its brightest around his head, it then began to pulsate, slowly at first, then with increasing speed.

Then it happened. As Carson Beckett remained in motionless oblivion to it, all hell now broke loose around him.