By Its Cover

By Ann3

Writer's Note: I've always loved the special bond that Teyla has with Carson. But at the same time, I've often wondered what their first real encounter might have been like. So I threw that thought in with his rather more... um... destructive tendencies, an overheard conversation, a displaced and unsettled Athosian leader - and came up with this.

As with Sheppard's point of view, it's based around the events in Rising, but moves later on in the story to a few days afterwards. There's also reference made to the SG1 episode Heroes.

As always, I hope you enjoy !

Chapter Two - Dr Destruction

She was running out of reasons not to go and seek his advice. He was, after all, the 'crazy Scotsman...''Dr Destruction…' who'd almost shot down Major Sheppard.

The pain in her wrist was getting worse, though, to the extent that she could barely move it. Shoving Aiden Ford out of that culling beam had clearly caused more damage than she'd first felt.

If she was to be any use at all to her new allies, she was going to need all her fitness. All her strength. And if that meant seeking help from the forebiddingly named 'Dr Destruction' then… well, so be it.

Still mulling over what she'd overhead as she'd passed the Commissary, Teyla then blinked. Without even being aware of it, she now stood, as though almost guided to it, outside the Infirmary.

Her sacred Ancestors would say she'd been led here to him by fate, yet… well, her doubts still lingered.

Guiltily wondering when she'd lost such vital faith, Teyla took a final, nerve-steadying breath – allowing more of that fated guidance to take her into the daunting domain of Dr Carson Beckett.

He'd seemed pleasant enough, what she'd seen of him, at least, during last night's celebrations – Dr McKay's 'citrus emergency' forcing him to leave it before she'd had a chance to talk to him, but…

"Ye look a wee bit lost there, lass… can I help ye…?"

Startled by this peculiarly accented voice, Teyla spun, with finely honed speed, to face its source – her instinctive reaction met not with the resistance she'd expected, but rather a wide-eyed, fearful yelp.

Realising, with some alarm, how brashly she'd reacted, Teyla retracted her hand just as quickly – her attempts to explain and apologise forestalled by one of the gentlest, kindest smiles she'd ever seen.

"It's alright, lass, that was my fault, it… well, it was bloody stupid of me to startle ye like that, and… I'm sorry, lass, are ye alright…? Is there something I can help ye with…?"

Soothed by that voice now, recognising the open concern within it, Teyla finally nodded and smiled – taking advantage of this awkward moment between them to take her first, up-close look at Dr Carson Beckett.

It was his face, his eyes especially, which now caught, and held, her startled attention. Startlingly blue, they also held a gentleness every bit as natural, every bit as sincere, as his smile.

John Sheppard's eyes had been friendly too, of course, and just as honest, but… well, not as innately friendly as these.

At the moment, though, those eyes were still frowning slightly, holding hers in puzzled concern – the awkward expectancy within them finally reminding her of the question she had yet to answer.

"Yes, thank you, I – I am fine…" she said at last, tearing her eyes, with some difficulty, away from his, "And I – I am sorry if I hurt you, as I pushed you away… I am afraid I over-reacted when you…"

"…startled the bejeepers out o' ye…" he finished for her, the smile growing into an equally charming grin. "Like I said, lass, it was my fault… I really have tae remember that I'm not back home any more…"

It had passed through them within seconds, but Teyla had still seen the sadness flit through his eyes – confirming her suspicions that he felt as lonely and overwhelmed on this strange and dangerous new world as she did.

Before she could commiserate with him, though, the smile returned to its full, distracting strength. Even without that smile to distract her, Teyla still found herself staring at him in astonishment. This was Dr Destruction…? This was the doctor who'd caused such chaos on his own world…?

He seemed so harmless and unthreatening, the last person you'd expect to cause upset or trouble. She'd realised that now. Seen it in the fear and alarm which had just flashed through his eyes as her hand had slammed against his chest. Dr Carson Beckett clearly avoided confrontations, whatever the cause or kind, wherever possible.

Her surprise was such that her reaction, instantly regretted, escaped before she could contain it.

"You are this – this Dr Destruction I have been warned about…?"

This unjust reputation was clearly familiar to him too, since his eyes now changed once more – the pain within them staying noticeably longer this time as he sighed, wearily shrugging his shoulders.

"Aye, lass… aye, that's me… Dr Destruction, at your service…"

No stranger herself to hurtful derision, insensitive prejudice, Teyla reached once more for his arm – the firm squeeze upon it, the deliberate use of his proper name and title, met with a shyly appreciative smile.

"I am pleased to meet you, Dr Beckett… and I am sorry if I have caused you any pain or offence…"

To her surprised relief, the smile had already grown stronger, restoring the playful twinkle in his eyes.

"Och, forget it, lass… ye cannae blame yourself for other people's ignorance…" he assured her – the mischievous grin on his face suggesting that such ignorance came at a deservedly painful cost. "Besides, what those eejits tend to forget is that I'm responsible for their vaccinations, and…"

The smile then faded slightly as Carson noticed the telltale favouring of a protectively cradled wrist.

"Sorry, lass… here's me, bletherin' on, and here's you, I'm guessin', hurt and needin' my help, and… och, never mind my blethers, Teyla… let's get ye up on this wee couch here, and take a look at ye…"

Still struggling to understand what he was saying, Teyla hadn't even noticed this first use of her name. Finally smiling in recognition of its significance, she allowed herself to be gently guided by his hand towards a nearby couch – grateful just to let the lifts and falls of his voice wash over her, soothing away her apprehension.

She'd heard countless voices, of course, through her contact with John Sheppard and his team, but… no, this one, with its peculiar cadences and puzzling expressions, had both charmed and intrigued her.

Teyla just hoped that satisfying her curiosity wouldn't hurt and offend him, because to do so again – well, it would upset her too now, just as deeply, to see him go through such unjust, undeserved pain.

"You do not… speak quite like the others here…" she ventured, watching his eyes for his reaction – gladly returning his smile when, instead of betraying the hurt she'd dreaded, they shone with laughter.

"Ah, so you'd noticed that…?" Carson chuckled, still laughing while he gently examined her wrist. "Aye, lass, you'll find a lot of that here… all kinds of strange voices and accents to get used to…"

"Major Sheppard told me that his comes from a great land called… America…" Teyla cautiously continued – encouraged by more of that charming laughter to share it with him as she watched him work. "And I have noticed that his accent is the same as that of Dr Weir, and Lieutenant Ford, but yours…"

"…is just a wee bit different… and a bit hard tae understand… aye, lass, I know…" Carson chuckled, winking at her, in playful mischief, as he went on to explain what was clearly an ongoing problem. "I'll have to start writing things down instead of saying them, just so people can understand me…"

"That would be a great shame, Dr Beckett, since your accent is so charming…" Teyla pointed out – the perfect seriousness of her reply contrasting, just as charmingly, with further chuckles of laughter.

"You're a friend to Scotsmen everywhere, lass… whichever galaxy they're in…" Carson grinned – prompted by another puzzled, quizzical frown to explain himself as he finished bandaging her wrist. "I come from a lovely place called Scotland, lass… I'm still from Earth, like the others here, but…"

"…your land is sufficiently distant from theirs to have its own language…?" Teyla finished for him – confident enough in his presence now to smile back at him, to enjoy the open pride in his eyes.

"Aye, lass, very much so… very much so…" Carson agreed, adding another slyly winked afterthought. "And I'd hate ye to think I'm biased or anything, but I think it's the loveliest language on Earth…"

"I cannot see any reason to hate you for pride in your country, Dr Beckett…" Teyla replied softly – taking advantage of his startled delight at her words to build another cautious bridge of friendship. "In fact, I cannot see any reason to hate you at all… not when you have shown me such kindness…"

They'd been words she'd sensed he'd needed to hear, to re-settle him after the pained hurt of before – his reaction to them all she'd hoped it would be as that friendly smile chased its remnants away.

"Ye know, lass…? That's the kindest thing I've heard about me for a long time…" he said at last – making a show of looking around them, before leaning in to add a playful, conspiratory whisper. "Now, if we're to be the good friends I hope we can be, could ye do me one more wee favour…? If I can call ye Teyla, do ye think you can call me Carson…?"

Such a simple request, yet it now forged a bond between them that would last through their lifetimes. As Teyla nodded, in very happy agreement to it, her eyes met his once more, in silent understanding. And in that moment, between two lost and lonely souls, a very special friendship was born.

She hadn't expected to need his expertise again so soon, or for such deeply personal reasons as these. Then again, Teyla sadly reflected, the Wraith's revenge against them had caught them all by surprise.

Within days of a victory that she'd known had been far too easy, the inevitable reprisals had come – the camp on the mainland where many of the Athosians had re-settled hit with sudden, brutal speed.

Nor had Teyla expected to see the raw fear in his eyes as they'd joined John Sheppard's rescue team.

For reasons that clearly still haunted him, Carson Beckett did not enjoy travel to unknown territory – especially when that territory had been left razed to the ground by wave upon wave of Hive ships.

As Chief Medical Officer, he'd been the first, automatic choice to lead the medical rescue teams – the speed with which he'd organised and assembled them speaking volumes for his skills as a leader.

His skills as a fighter, though…? Well, it had soon become obvious that was another matter entirely. The thought of what faced him, the pistol strapped so ominously against his leg, clearly unnerved him. Ever since they'd left Atlantis, he'd sat staring at it, his face betraying every part of his restless unease.

Such fear didn't entirely surprise her. He was a doctor, after all, not trained to fight in combat.

Had he, though…? Had there been some time, back on his world, where he'd had to stand and fight…? Had someone he'd cared about, loved as much as she loved Charin, been brutally taken from him…?

Teyla just wished she knew its true cause, if only to offer him the comfort that he so clearly needed. Instead, finally gaining his still strained, distracted attention, she offered him a reassuring smile – one returned just as gently, offering her the same mutual comfort as Carson shyly squeezed her hand.

"I'm sure Charin made it to safety, lass, before… well, before the worst of it hit…" he said at last – this concern for her fears and anxieties above those of his own causing her to stare at him in surprise.

Gifted with the ability to sense the Wraith, she wasn't used to having her own thoughts read so easily. Being so openly cared about by someone she'd only just met was another startling discovery.

But then again, as Teyla was rapidly discovering, this quiet, gentle new friend was just full of surprises. In contrast to his unease as they'd left, the closer they got to the mainland, the more settled he became. By the time they touched down, the blue eyes had cleared again, becoming set with determination – his voice regaining its strength as Carson prepared his teams, as best he could, for what was to come.

"Right then, people, now I know this is going to be a first for most of you, but we're well protected… and Major Sheppard's teams will take good care of us, so let's do our jobs just as professionally. Just stay together, close to the Major here, and… well, remember, this is what we're all here for… there's people here that need us, so let's do all we can to help them... okay...?"

They'd been short and sweet, but Teyla doubted whether she could have said those words any better – John Sheppard's proud smile suggesting he felt the same way as he glanced at Carson and grinned.

"Nice job, doc…" he said at last, echoing Teyla's admiration for their CMO's skills in leadership. "Just what they needed to hear, so I'm guessing you've… um… done this before, back at the SGC…?"

He'd meant every word, sharing Teyla's need to settle the nerves only they'd been allowed to notice – so the raw pain which now filled Carson Beckett's eyes came as quite a shock to both of them.

The soft, strained voice which followed only did nothing to ease their dismay, or their concern.

"Aye, lad… aye, you could say that…"

Torn now on whether to apologise or let things lie, that decision then left John Sheppard's hands.

"Major…! Doc…! Over here… we've – we've got survivors…!"

In strangely perverse irony, Aiden Ford's urgent shout was just what Carson Beckett needed to hear – forcing him to snap out of the horrors of the past and back into the precious hopes of the present.

Following him, at an equally urgent run, John and Teyla traded another glance of silent understanding. When the time was right, for all concerned, they'd find out what had caused that haunted expression.

For now, though… well, Carson Beckett needed help of a wholly different yet just as vital kind. And if the scenes which now met their eyes were anything to go by, he was going to need plenty of it.

Two whispered, horror-stricken words summed it up, for all of them, with perfect, heartfelt clarity.

"Holy crap…!"

She'd been able to sense his presence for some time now, drawing strength from its promise of hope. Charin had to admit, though, that the latest protector gifted to them by their sacred Ancestors – well, for several reasons, his appearance especially, he wasn't quite what she'd expected.

But as she'd learned throughout her life, through both joy and pain, appearances could be deceptive. And she knew that this quiet, shy stranger possessed a strength, a precious gift, of unimaginable power.

Watching him briskly organise the evacuation of his patients, Charin then glanced back at Teyla – her stern expression betrayed by the grandmotherly approval in her eyes.

"I am surprised at you, Teyla..." she said at last, shaking her head inteasing chastisement. "You neglected to tell me that your Dr Beckett was quite so young, or that he was quite so charming. And you certainly neglected to tell me that he was quite so handsome…!"

Silently grateful that he'd been too far away to be embarrassed by such praise, Teyla just nodded – the pensive seriousness beyond her smile causing Charin's to follow in more appropriate suit.

"Yet you are troubled, child…? There is something about him that worries you…?"

Grateful, as always, for Charin's foresightedness, Teyla's smile grew slightly easier.

"I do not doubt Carson's honour, Charin, or his commitment to help protect us…" she said at last – niggling concerns over what she'd seen earlier that morning causing her to sigh and shake her head.

"But there is a deep scar of pain on Carson's heart that I know still haunts and torments him, and… I just cannot help but wonder, Charin, why he has come here, to a world of such danger, when… well, when there is so much within it, the life he now shares with us, that fills him with fear…"

Having also sensed that silent, still unshared torment, Charin then smiled, gently patting Teyla's hand.

"When he is ready, Teyla, he will share with you, and the rest of his friends, the cause of his pain. As for his fears… yes, it would be easy to see such open displays of them as signs of weakness. But do you remember what your father taught you, about the existence of true strength and courage…? They are like the air that we breathe. You do not need to be able to see them to know they are there…"

Smiling at Teyla's nod of agreement, Charin then nodded towards the subject of their thoughts.

"Carson has that courage, Teyla, and that strength. He just does not recognise them yet. But he will. When he needs to draw upon his strengths, his very special gift, they will all be there to serve him. He will also need your protection, Teyla, both then and now. Do all you must to keep him safe…"

Pausing for a moment, Charin then favoured her surrogate grand-daughter with a wisely proud smile.

"Your instincts have always guided you well, Teyla, and they have certainly served you well now. In these new allies against the Wraith, and in Carson especially, you have made truly valuable friends. And yes, he is special too. Very special. The Ancestors have chosen him to carry their greatest gift. He is one of the sacred Chosen, and you must do all you can, all that is necessary, to protect him…"

Smiling too now, Teyla nodded once more, her eyes still trained on her people's newest protector. She'd trusted Charin's wisdom, her ability to foresee the future, for as long as she could remember.

She'd trusted Carson Beckett too, just as she'd done John Sheppard, from the moment they'd met.

Even in the few days that she'd known him, she already knew she could trust him with her life, but… what about the lives of her people, whose fate and survival weighed so heavily upon her shoulders…? Could the key to their survival really rest in the hands of one so gentle, so shy of facing danger…?

Doubts continued to niggle against those instincts, right to the moment when Carson re-joined them – their foundations again breached, left further weakened, simply by the warmth of his smile.

It was the calm determination in his eyes, however, which dealt those doubts a final, killer blow – a silent promise of hope, within them, which brought out the full, doubt free beauty of Teyla's smile.

'I'll keep you safe, lassI'll keep all of you safeyou just need to trust me…'

Charin was smiling too, as she watched this silent pledge being forged between two fate-bonded souls. The bringers of hope gifted to them by their Ancestors, she knew, came in many guises, many forms. And this latest gift…? This quiet, gentle healer, brought to them from an impossibly distant land...? Well maybe, just maybe, Dr Carson Beckett would prove to be the most precious gift to them yet.