Carson hung up the phone the day after Thanksgiving, completely flabbergasted. When he'd come to the office, he'd planned to figure out exactly what he was going to do about the missing medications in his pharmacy. He knew he should go to the sheriff and report the theft, but he hesitated. He had no idea why beyond the thought that he wasn't from around here. If anyone was suspected, it would likely be him. And he didn't need or want an investigation into his past.

Then, as he resigned himself to make the call, his phone rang. Wondering if he'd imagined it, he'd answered with a business-like tone. It was the University of New Mexico, and their genetics professor wanted him to take the place of a guest lecturer who had suddenly canceled on them. The man said he'd been stunned to learn that Dr. Carson Beckett had moved to New Mexico, and Carson had listened with a sheepish smile. By the time he hung up the phone, he'd accepted the invitation and now wondered how he was supposed to get to Albuquerque by the end of the week.

A knock on his door brought his head up. Katie had obviously arrived, and she peeked into his office. Carson appreciated that she at least respected the space he'd designated as his own, and he often made sure the door was closed just to keep her away. Today, she wore another snug blouse, accentuated by a light jacket that didn't close all the way in the front, and another short skirt. At least she wasn't wearing platform heels like she had a few days ago. Carson had watched her then as she sashayed around the office and mentally prepared for treating a broken ankle once she fell. Of course, Katie would have loved that.

Realizing he couldn't get out of this, he waved her into the room. "Good morning." He reached for a file and opened it just to make it look like he was busy.

Katie walked across the room and dropped into the chair directly across from him. She leaned forward, not so much that she appeared too eager but just enough that he got an eyeful if he glanced up. "How are you doing, Carson?"

In spite of his determination to not give her any encouragement, he glanced up at her. His eyes met hers, however, and stayed on her face. "I'm fine, Katie. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged and sat back, adjusting herself so that she was both comfortable and still seductive. "I wondered." She gave him a sly look. "You're not sleeping well, and I didn't know if there was something you wanted to talk about."

Aye, an' like I'd be talkin' about it with you. He kept that thought to himself and closed the file with a sigh. "No, can't say there is."

She gave him a look that said she knew he was putting her off. "Carson. You and I both know you're not handling this thing with Debbie well. You've put in hours in that pharmacy doing inventory and, now that you're done, you've said nothing about when it'll open up again."

"I never said anything about bein' done." Carson frowned, trying to remember who had been around when he'd left on Wednesday. He might have mentioned something to Jorge that morning when he arrived, but he hadn't thought Katie was around then.

She shrugged. "I heard you talking to Jorge when I got here this morning."

"Ah." He nodded. "Yes, well, I'm finished inventorying the medications, but I have not made a decision as to when the dispensary will open again. I've still got the rest of the merchandise to inventory as well."

She tried to look coy. "You know, we'd be willing to help you if you'd just ask."

"Asking has nothin' ta do with it, Katie." Carson resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "If I allow you to inventory something, then you'll come under suspicion should there be anything missing. If I do it, the only person suspect is me. Not to mention my own peace of mind."

"You think I'd try to steal something from you, Carson?" She put a hand over her heart. "I'm hurt!"

This time, he really did snort at that. "I'm sure you are, Katie." The phone rang right then, rescuing him. He excused himself and picked it up, grateful that it was simply one of his elderly patients asking a quick question about her blood pressure medication. He heard voices in the background and suspected that visiting family had gotten on her nerves. By the time he finished with the call, Katie had left him alone. He got up and closed his office door, taking a few moments to pinch the bridge of his nose. Several words described Katie, but the most accurate one was "trouble."

By that afternoon, Carson was more than happy to see Katie leave for her second job. He watched her sashay off toward the cafe and wondered why he'd thought it a good idea to hire her. He'd had various assistants in the past, and she got on his nerves worse than any of the others.

Jorge ambled past and caught the relieved expression that crossed his face. "You okay, Doc?"

Carson glanced up. "Aye." He gave the other man a rueful grin. "I'm just wonderin' if I made a mistake in hirin' a receptionist."

"Who? Katie?" Jorge jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "She's a handful alright. But she's good at her job."

"It's not her job I'm concerned about." Carson shook his head. "Have a good evening, Jorge."

"You, too, Doc." Jorge left the clinic then, and Carson headed back to his office to listen to the silence.

He was bored. As he sank into his office chair, he took a few moments to look around and let that realization settle in. Back in Pegasus, he always had some sort of illness or injury to treat, research to do, Rodney to argue with, or Sheppard to give him gray hair. Here, he might see one patient a day. It was a good thing he could afford to live off of his savings account for a while, but days like this left him longing to head through the Stargate again just for something to do.

Deciding that he had nothing better to do, he pulled out his secure computer for the SGC and accessed his research notes. He had a guest lecture to prepare for, and he figured he might as well get a head start. He'd work out transportation later.

oOo

The day after Thanksgiving at Porter's Tea and Coffee House left Alison exhausted. Sure, she dodged bullets, Wraith stunners, and—more recently—Zat guns on a regular basis, but she always had adrenaline to help her get through that. Here, she just had coffee. And she'd drank too much of that earlier today with her mother over breakfast. Margaret had mentioned that Carson tended to appear between ten and noon, but he hadn't made an appearance at all. Alison was both relieved and disappointed by that.

Seeing him yesterday, while absolutely surprising, was wonderful. He'd been the same charming person he was a year ago when they'd met, but circumstances had changed. This time, he was putting down roots, working at a stable job, and apparently loving life in her tiny home town. Alison was the one working off world in combat situations. She was only home for a month, maybe six weeks. Did she even have the right to be thinking about Carson as someone more than just a friend?

He was obviously still dealing with his own demons. Alison had seen the shadows in his eyes, the way his smile faltered occasionally, and the exhaustion he hid from her mother. It was so different from the way he'd been in Pegasus, and she suspected being back on Earth had triggered the emotional reaction. While she wasn't a psychologist by any stretch of the imagination, she knew that being so close—galactically speaking—to Scotland but still being unable to return had to weigh on him. She wanted to help him even though she honestly had no idea how.

Tired of her thoughts and ready to be out of the tea house, she grabbed the broom and headed out the front door. They'd stayed busy as people came in for a final cup of coffee before hitting the road to home, shopping, or any number of destinations. The front sidewalk could use a bit of TLC, and she wanted the cold air on her face to help her focus on what was really important. And that wasn't worrying about Carson Beckett.

The temperature had dropped considerably during the night and had stayed down all through the day. Now, after sunset, Alison shivered in the cold as she began sweeping around wrought iron patio furniture that her mother kept out for the summer months. Leaves and other debris had been blown into corners, and she enjoyed the mindless task of cleaning the front walk.

Movement down the street caught her eye. She glanced up in time to see Carson locking the front door of the clinic. She'd noticed light coming from inside a while ago and was surprised when he shoved his hands in his pockets, ducked his head against the wind that kicked up suddenly, and started walking toward the north side of town. He looked so lonely with his shoulders hunched against the cold that she couldn't ignore him. Taking the broom back inside, she untied the black apron she'd worn for the day and found her mother in the office. "Mom?"

Margaret looked up. "Ali, what's wrong?"

Alison jabbed a finger over her shoulder. "Mind if I borrow the car?"

"Of course not." Margaret reached for her purse and dug out the keys. "I've got another couple of hours of work here anyway. What's going on?"

Alison smiled. "Just going to give Carson a ride home."

"Take your time." Margaret turned back to the computer screen. "I've got a ton of ordering to do, and then I've got some accounting work to finish."

Alison nodded and headed out the back door. She found her mother's car where it was typically parked and slid inside. The heater would take a bit to warm, but it would be better than walking in this cold. Carefully backing out of the parking space, she drove down the route that Carson had taken. Based on what he'd said the night before, she figured he'd take the most direct route to her mother's rental property.

Just as she'd suspected, he'd only made it about a quarter of the way home. The car engine had finally warmed enough for the heater to blow mediocre heat from the vents, and Alison pulled to a stop next to him. She leaned across the front seat and rolled down the window as Carson spotted her. "Care for a ride?"

He smiled at her. "I'd love a ride." He opened the car door and slid inside. "Thank you, Alison."

"Don't mention it." She pulled away from the curb. "It's a bit cold to be walking."

"Aye." He rubbed his hands together. "I've thought about buying a car, but I'm not too confident in my ability to stay on the right side of the road."

She glanced at him, taking a moment to remember that people drove on the left side of the road in Scotland. Then, she grinned. "And, in Pegasus, we don't have to worry about traffic laws when flying a Jumper."

"Aye," he said again, this time with a laugh. "How are you?"

"Oh, tired." She turned into his driveway, not really wanting their conversation to end. "I'm not used to working like that. It's different, not as hard, but still tiring when you're accustomed to something else."

"I imagine it is." He pulled his keys out of his pocket and looked at her for a long moment. "Would you like to come inside? I'll make some tea, and you can warm up for a bit."

Alison met his eyes and easily read them in spite of the darkness. His question wasn't motivated by anything other than loneliness. "I'd love to, Carson."

The smile he gave her as he climbed from the car told her that she'd made the right decision. Turning off the ignition, she followed him to the front door. The house was cool, but the heater had managed to keep the chill out. Carson switched on lights as he moved through the home, leaving Alison to make her way at her leisure. He nudged up the thermostat on the heater and headed into the kitchen, rubbing his hands as he did so. Alison moved through the living room, taking in the changes.

The small house had always held a special charm, though Alison had been unable to pinpoint what about it intrigued her. Now, however, touches of life warmed the space. The walls were still plain white, but a huge painting broke the biggest one with a breathtaking panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge. The warm reds of the bridge, golden rays of the sunshine, and general brightness blended well with the brown furniture. A television hung above the fireplace, and table lamps were the only things other than medical journals on the end tables. Alison stood in front of the painting, studying it and recognizing the unusual perspective.

"Major Lorne brought that when he an' the team visited for Halloween." Alison turned at Carson's voice.

She smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Aye." Carson grinned, clearly thinking about that visit. "We allowed Ronon to pass out Halloween candy."

She snickered. "That had to be fun."

"Och, it was!" He laughed as well. "One lad asked, 'Dude, are you, like, a surfer dude or something?'"

Alison couldn't help it. Hearing his Scottish accent combine with an affected surfer's accent brought out a full belly laugh. He'd apparently meant to do so because he grinned as if his entire job was complete. Alison finally got a hold on her giggles. "And what did Ronon say?"

"'I'm Satedan,'" Carson said in a very good imitation of the big man. "Colonel Sheppard saved him by adding that it was an alien from Wormhole X-Treme."

"Quick thinking."

"Aye." He would have said more, but the tea kettle chose that moment to scream from the stove. Alison watched him move back into the kitchen to pour the boiling water over tea bags that he'd placed in a teapot on the counter. He moved easily in the kitchen, knowing where everything was located without looking. It fascinated her, and she leaned on the breakfast bar to simply admire his movement. He glanced up a moment later and gave her an inscrutable look. "How have you been, Alison?"

The question, while vague, was very pointed. She let out a deep breath. "I'm good. Really." Meeting his eyes, she smiled. "It was hard for a bit after losing Alicia. Major Teldy chose a new team member, but it wasn't the same. It took a while for us to gel."

"Who did the major choose?"

"Lieutenant Adam Martin." She grinned. "I feel kinda sorry for him being the only guy on a team full of girls."

Carson snickered again, and she remembered the sheepish expressions he and Sheppard had worn when they realized the entire team was comprised of women. "I'm sure he's well protected with Sergeant Mehra around."

"Oh, she got a promotion. She's now Staff Sergeant Mehra." Alison shook her head. "She doesn't let us forget it, either."

"I'm sure she doesn't." He reached for two mugs and began pouring tea while glancing at her. "She's a character, that one."

Remembering how he'd said that about Dusty the first time they'd met, Alison knew she needed to turn the subject away from work. Otherwise, she'd wind up losing her heart all over again. "How about you, Carson? I know we talked a bit yesterday, but we were also cut a bit short."

"I'm. . . ." He sighed. "Honestly, I'm fed up."

Alison blinked at the vehement words. "What happened?"

"I hired a receptionist for the clinic who seems to think it's her personal mission to. . . ." He flushed and turned away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk about people you've known all your life like this."

"You're talking about Katie, aren't you?"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "She's really great at her job, but I just don't know how to break it to her that I'm not interested. I thought I could tough it out, let her realize that she's not going to get anything other than a decent paycheck out of me, but it is really startin' to annoy me."

"Talk with her." Alison shrugged. "From a woman's perspective, we like to simply be told one way or the other. It might hurt our feelings, but we're usually very understanding—especially if you've not given her any indication that you'd be interested in her."

"I just might if it continues." He sighed. "As it is, I've got to have a talk with her about appropriate office attire."

He looked so chagrined that Alison barely kept her laugh from escaping. He'd always been oblivious to his own appearance, namely how attractive he was to the ladies, that it was amusing to see him wondering how to get rid of one of said ladies. Instead of laughing, Alison took a sip of tea and hoped for a serious expression. "I'm sure you'll manage it well, Carson."

He glanced over and actually laughed. "You have a terrible poker face, Dr. Porter."

Alison allowed her grin to show. "You haven't seen me play poker, Dr. Beckett. So how would you know?"

"Is that a challenge, love?"

"Maybe."

The word hung between them for a moment, and Alison couldn't believe she'd started flirting with the man. Still, it felt good to have someone in this town that she could be absolutely honest with about her job and the stresses she faced. Though they'd only talked briefly about work, that little bit left her feeling lighter than she had in days. She finished her tea and straightened. "I should get back to the coffee house."

Carson accepted her cup and walked her to the door. "Thank you for the ride."

"Don't mention it." She picked up her jacket from where it was draped over the back of his couch and hesitated for a moment. "Carson?"

He stood next to the door, every inch the perfect host as he studied her. "What is it, love?"

It was the second time in a short while that he'd used that particular endearment with her. Alison pushed aside how it made her feel and reminded herself that he likely talked to all of the ladies like that. It didn't mean a thing. She pulled her mind from those thoughts and focused on what she'd wanted to ask. "My mom wants me to go to church with her on Sunday. I know it's probably not your thing, and it's not mine, either. But I don't want to be the only visitor there."

"I'd love to go," he said immediately. When she gave him a disbelieving look, he put a hand on her elbow. "Honestly. I've not really thought about attendin' but I'm willin' to give it a try. Especially since it'll help make your mother happy."

Alison smiled at that and pulled on her jacket. "Thank you, Carson."

"You're welcome." He opened the door for her and turned on the porch light. "I'll see you on Sunday."

She waved as she climbed back in the car and drove away. As she reached the coffee house, she tried to forget how incredibly lonely he'd looked standing in that doorway. It might have been his choice to live in this town, but she wanted to make it a better place for him than just solitude. And, based on the way he'd smiled while she'd been in his home, he'd loved the company as well.

Margaret was waiting for her, reading a book she'd tucked in a corner of her desk for slow days. "How's Carson?"

Alison flushed. "He's fine, Mom." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, what are you doing done so early? You said you had a couple hours of work to do, and I've barely been gone for one."

Margaret shrugged. "I finished the important stuff, and the other can wait until tomorrow or Sunday." She stood and looked her daughter in the eyes. "For the record, Ali, I'm not going to have a problem if you and Carson start something while you're here."

"Mom!"

"Alright, I got it." Margaret waved a hand. "Now, let's go home. I'm tired."

Alison shook her head at her mother's retreating back and chuckled. She might be attracted to Carson, but having her mother point it out made it worse. Determined to keep things between them friendly, she drove her mother home and retired early just so that she could get her thoughts sorted out before seeing him again on Sunday morning.

~TBC