Chapter 5
Zelenka began muttering Czech again as the fifth argument broke out that day between Rodney McKay and Samantha Carter. Daniel had the cunning plan of excusing himself to go tour the far end of the Atlantis complex, Radek Zelenka unfortunately had to continue his work amongst the din.
"Pleaze Dr. Carter, Rodney vill you pleaze stop, can't you go to ze other lab to continue your disagreement, but ve scientists here vud like to continue our verk in silence!"
Sam's cheeks blushed
"Dr. Zelenka I apologise, I meant no disrespect."
Rodney stood there and sighed heavily
"Radek, I'm…sss…orrr… you know what, why should I apologise for something I did not start!"
Radek's eyes rolled and glared at the pair, McKay grabbed a bunch of his notes and his laptop
"Carter! This way!"
Rodney left the lab to his quarters, Sam followed reluctantly.
"McKay what was that about, you acted like a spoilt child and you blew like I had blown up an entire solar system with a push of one big red button that screamed do not push!"
Rodney's head jerked violently up, his hand reached to squeeze his sore neck, but his eyes glared so intensely towards Sam, if he had laser vision she would have been lying on the floor in two halves.
"Don't you dare, I did not mean to blow up a 1/3 of a solar system and it wasn't with one button, if the damn ancients couldn't control the bloody thing, the almighty God McKay can't either! I didn't blow as you so politely put it, your Samantha Carter, Astrophysics extraordinaire, member of the intrepid Sg-1, your question was something a 12yr old would ask!"
Sam crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly
"A twelve year old! What twelve year old asks about the force of power from a crystal conduit relative to a ZPM cloaking device?"
"Well I was making nuclear missiles when I was in school. But fine be smug about it, God Sam why are you here? Why choose this bloody galaxy, I let you live in one of your own, Daniel I understand, Archaeologist and all but you? You could just read his reports and well we all know his reports you'd know everything and their place without even being here!"
Sam's face became a little more serious
"Rodney come on be civil, I wanted to … see … you, Pete and I, well we aren't together no more."
Rodney continued to watch Sam's eyes lose their colour as their argument simmered down
"I know I promised not to see you again but well Rodney you know we make a very strange but good team, and I thought maybe we could give it a go?"
Sam edged forward and placed her hand softly on Rodney's side, he sighed with the touch, he leant his body further into the touch and closer to her own body
"Sam… please we… I…"
Sam lent in and kissed the corner of his mouth, the softness of her lips, Rodney's body lost all sense of reason; he took her lips in his, the murmur of words being released from them both were incoherent, Sam stepped back to the bed, she unzipped her BDU and dropped it to the floor,
"I forgot what our arguments were like, and the effect it had on me."
Sam whispered. Rodney gulped hesitantly, his mind asking his heart was this what he really wanted, his response was the silence, except for the vibrant drum beats that effectively was his panting heartbeat eagerly bursting from his chest, his body moved forward and helped undress Samantha.
He lay her on the bed and kissed her lips once more moving down over the neck and her clavicle and down to began moving lower, Rodney wanted to continue but a stern voice was calling
"Dr. McKay to the briefing room ASAP… McKay? For God sake Rodney get to the briefing room now or Ronon is coming down there and shooting your ass up here!"
This was repeated twice before Rodney realised he was one Dr. Rodney McKay and they needed him, and if he wasn't there he wouldn't be able to sit down for months if Ronon shot him like the message said. Before he left he glanced back at Sam took a breath and honestly spoke
"Sam, I did honestly enjoy what that could have been, but we both know we lost out time and place for this and well this wouldn't be the best of ideas, think this shouldn't be mentioned again."
Rodney left, Sam sat curled in the bed covers and sighed, she grabbed her clothes and quickly dressed, she knew McKay was right, she didn't want to hurt him or herself again and that was what she was doing, wasn't right to use McKay as a rebound lover. She quickly left with no evidence that she had been there.
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McKay sat in the briefing, like an empty vessel he caught random words, Wraith, retrovirus. Either way it wasn't enough to stop the images of semi-naked Carter imprint on her memory and replay each time changing to what suited McKay. From afar a single doctor watched how the vacant McKay said nothing, searching for approval Carson Beckett questioned him
"Your thoughts on the matter Dr. McKay?"
McKay looked around the room, Teyla, Ronon, Sheppard, Beckett, Weir, Zelenka and Colonel Caldwell looked on waiting a response
"My thoughts? Yes well the idea… yes good… I'm sorry but I need to take my leave"
McKay left hurrying to the nearest exit, he knew he couldn't go back to his room, it would smell of her, so he headed for food then to the lab and began to spend every working minute finishing studies and devising new experiments and formulas to keep himself away from… everyone!
Everyone began to worry about McKay and the amount of work he had taken on, if he wasn't going on off world missions he was locked away in his lab, he had already had two near misses of hypoglycaemic attacks, sleep deprivation and caffeine were the only factors pushing him on, Carson was becoming more agitated at his behaviour but knew McKay would take it personally if he consulted him. Finally he decided after McKay nearly collapsed on a neighbouring planet, it had gone on to long, McKay had forgotten to lock his lab this one night and Carson took this opportunity to chat with him.
"Rodney?"
Carson spoke softly, Rodney had fallen asleep against the desk, Carson hovered his hand over the mans shoulder, deciding if this was wise
"No, I don't I wont let you! Lemme go, please!"
Carson shuddered when he heard McKay's voice he was talking in his sleep. Again Carson hand lingered in the air again ready to wake him, but again Rodney spoke
"Leave him alone, no not Beckett, take me!"
Carson didn't move but continued to listen contemplating that he really should wake him
"No! He doesn't know, I can please don't hurt him anymore!"
Carson had enough and lowered his hand and gripped lightly
"Rodney?"
Carson rocked him slightly, Rodney's eyes grew wide
"Oh God no! Carson!"
"Aye lad, I'm 'ere, calm yourself you fell asleep at your computer, when was the last time you slept?"
"Err, Tuesday or was it Friday it's umm well err this equation its really important and well I must get it done or , or well its just really important"
"So is your health, sleep … in a bed get Dr. Carter to check it in the morning I'm sure she will be willing to help."
"Sam? You want me to let Sam look at this? Hello I'm the genius here, I don't need help best of all from Samantha fricking Carter!"
"Whoa Rodney it was a suggestion, I didn'ta mean you couldn't…"
Carson's cheeks began to flush with embarrassment and well he didn't mean anything by it he hoped if someone lightened the load for McKay it would have helped.
"Uhhh I I Umm good night Rodney"
Carson tried to flee the situation quickly
"Carson, wait you don't have to go, you know me lack of coffee makes me grouchy, what am I saying im always grouchy I know we haven't spoken much since the whole Cadman thing and now Samantha is visiting and now im babbling."
"It's alright you don't have to explain yourself I'm glutton for punishment I keep coming back to ya for more."
Carson again flushed by his words
"I meant as a friend like."
Rodney watched his friend become increasingly uncomfortable
"I'm sorry for what Cadman did, are you two dating?"
Carson still slightly flushed coughed at the question
"She's not really my type Rodney she's errr… bit too female for me"
Rodney stared and his eyes widen as it clicked
"Your gay?"
"Aye."
"I've known you what 2 maybe 3 years and you didn't say anything even when we were in Antarctica"
"I didn'ta think I had to voice it to everyone, you ain't said your bisexual, but that's me guessing there"
"Yes well, your correct have you … you know dated anyone at Atlantis?
Carson just shook his head
"Although Dr. Jackson has been asking questions."
Rodney gave a puzzled look
"Why?"
Carson tutted he knew this had to be said soon
"And I thought you were the genius Rodney, he believed I was jealous, work the rest out for yourself and go to sleep, in a real bed! Or I'll call security and sedate you if I have to, understand?
"Yes, yes ok im going"
" Good, one thing , do you know you sleep talk?"
"No, why what was I saying, wasn't bad was it, nothing personal I hope, you know it only happened the once before that briefing I didn't mean to be late but she was there on my bed and …"
"Dr. McKay please stop that before you tell me something im going to regret or be disturbed by, it was of a personal nature, it was about myself"
McKay's body stiffened and he turned himself on the chair to face the doctor
"And what did I say?"
" Something about leave him alone, he doesn't know, take me instead, don't hurt him anymore, then when I woke you, you called my name"
"Oh yes I remembered the last bit, I umm Carson please don't ask me to tell you not just yet, we well best if I go sleep, thank you."
Carson left Rodney pondering, he shut his computer off for the night and walked back to his room his mind flickered back to the conversation, Carson Beckett was gay and he had dreamt about him and how they were trapped and they were being tortured, and they somehow knew his weakness was Carson and every punch into the doctor's side, made Rodney wince. He reached his room, took out an old t-shirt and replaced his blue scientist shirt took his boots and socks off dropped his trousers and left his boxers on and got into bed. He lay there reliving the conversation and the nightmare, the kiss they shared emerged in his mind and he began to realise he wasn't embarrassed about it the feeling he had of that kiss turned him on, and he was scared of what Carson would do so his safest option was to hide from him. Rodney turned over and his eyes fluttered heavily and slipped into a deep sleep, easily than he had done so for quite some time, his dreams caused a smirk to form.