Author's Note: To those who reviewed anonymously, so very glad you're enjoying the story! I had a blast writing it inside of a month, and I'm having even more fun re-reading and editing it for posting! It was a blur during November when I was writing it, so I feel almost like I'm reading it for the first time. Katie's actions in Ch 19 do have far-reaching effects on the entire cast of characters, so I hope you enjoy how all of this plays out! ~lg

oOo

Carson and Alison returned to Esperanza around noon on Monday. Rather than driving her directly to her mother's home, he took her to the coffee house. Both of them were anxious to see Margaret, and he wondered how the older woman would take the changes in his relationship with Alison. Probably with a thrilled expression and a teasing glint in her eyes. Margaret loved to get a rise out of people, though she was careful with those she called family.

As they walked through the door, Alison glanced up at Carson and gave him a smile before scampering across the way to hug her mother. He had to admit that she looked great. The vacation had added color to her cheeks, and the new clothes she wore were stylish, expensive, and absolutely distracting to any man who enjoyed seeing her curves as much as he did. Margaret hugged her daughter with a laugh and then turned to hug Carson, who joined the two women slowly.

"So," she asked with a teasing grin, "where did Carson take you?"

Knowing the insinuations were inevitable, he leaned against the counter and allowed Alison to answer. She dimpled at him. "The Swiss Alps. We went to a ski lodge owned by one of Carson's close friends."

"Very romantic!" Margaret gave Carson an approving smile.

Alison rolled her eyes at her mother and flushed. "It wasn't just us. There were other people there. It was a team Christmas."

Margaret chuckled. "Honey, I've known you a long time, and I feel like I know Carson well enough to say that, even though there were other people there, it was still very romantic."

Carson pushed away from the counter. "Aye, Margaret, you're right," he said with a wink at Alison. Other than his nightmare, everything had been perfect. He'd been able to spend plenty of time with Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla. Alison had seen her team. The couples had enjoyed their time, and those not seeing anyone had found things to keep them occupied. Even now, Carson dreaded returning to his home knowing that Alison was across town. It was an odd feeling, especially since nothing firm had been decided between them. But having her so close for the last two nights had highlighted how he truly felt about her.

Margaret caught sight of his wrapped wrist right then. "Carson, what happened?"

He held it up with a rueful grin. "Skiing accident."

Margaret blinked. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, aye." He chuckled. "What is it that everyone says in this instance? You should see the other guy."

Alison touched her mother's arm when Margaret's eyes grew round. "Ronon's fine, Mom." She gave Carson a censoring glance, trying to scold him without saying anything for frightening her mother. "He's got a fractured clavicle, but he'll be just fine."

For his part, Carson found the "scolding" to be utterly adorable. "Aye, he will be." He smiled at Margaret. "I had a wee bit of a concussion an' a sprained wrist. Nothin' to worry about."

The conversation went on, with Alison showing her mother the expensive watch and sharing various incidents of the weekend. Carson listened indulgently, knowing that women had to get these kinds of details out. He'd never been one to really talk about things, not since coming out of that stasis pod. His time with Michael had changed him, made him a little colder and a touch bitter. Being around Alison brought out a side of him he hadn't seen since. . .well, ever. He shared another smile with her as Mrs. Engleside came into the coffee house, though his mind was elsewhere. Sometime during the weekend, he'd stopped thinking of himself as separate from the original Carson Beckett. Being with his friends had done wonders for many of the questions in his mind.

Then, he frowned, snapped back into the present by Mrs. Engleside's manner. It was a dreary day in Esperanza, a high layer of clouds blocking the sun and giving everything a gray cast. But she wore large sunglasses as if it was the brightest day in the middle of summer. And she was limping. Carson watched her momentarily before deciding to speak with her.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Engleside."

"Doc." She smiled at him, but it was strained. "I heard you were out of town for the weekend."

"Aye," he said with a nod. "We had a team Christmas with some close friends of mine."

"Sounds wonderful!" Her voice was wistful. "Where did you go?"

A quick glance at Alison had her shrugging at him. He turned back to Mrs. Engleside. "We went to the Swiss Alps. Went skiing and snowboarding."

Mrs. Engleside's smile widened. "I haven't gone skiing in years. Not since. . . ." Her voice trailed off.

Something warned Carson against asking about her own well-being, so he picked a different tact. "How's Debbie holdin' up?"

"Good." Mrs. Engleside shrugged. "Doug won't hardly allow her to leave the house, though, and I'm concerned it might create some problems. But she's showing no signs of any kind of relapse."

"Good." Carson waited while Margaret handed the woman her order. "Have a wonderful day, Mrs. Engleside. And give me a call if you need anything."

The woman waved at him and slipped out the door. Carson frowned at the uncharacteristic behavior, and his mind could only make one leap. After having been choked by Doug Engleside, not to mention having his lip split by the man's powerful fist, he could somewhat believe the man was abusing his wife. Carson didn't like what it said about one of the town's most powerful men, and he wondered what else Engleside was involved with.

Margaret interrupted his thoughts. "You two have got to be exhausted." She gave Carson a pointed glance. "Why don't you take Alison to the house and let me tend the shop today?"

Carson pulled his keys from his pocket. "Sounds like a great idea." He hugged Margaret. "Thank you."

Margaret rolled her eyes. "Get out of here."

With another round of grins and "Welcome homes," Carson tucked Alison back into his truck and drove her home. After his time in the United States, he'd adjusted to driving on what he felt was the wrong side of the road. It was odd, but he remembered rather than drifting into oncoming traffic.

At Margaret's house, Carson carried Alison's luggage inside while she slipped out of her heavy jacket. Then, he took her in his arms and kissed her soundly. She sighed as she leaned into him, content to let him lead the way in their time together. Wanting nothing more than to take her up on her invitation but knowing this wasn't the time, Carson pulled back and leaned his forehead against her's.

She smiled. "That's nice."

"Aye," he agreed softly.

"I almost don't want this weekend to end." She looked into his eyes, perfectly serious in spite of the smile on her face. "That chateau was incredible."

"It was." Carson held her close for a few more moments. "Ali-love, I meant every word I said back there. An' I'm willin' to let you make those decisions."

"I know, Carson." She nodded. "I promise we'll make them before I leave."

Not really wanting to think about the end of her vacation just after Christmas, Carson kissed her one more time and then slipped out of the house. Alison waved from the door, and he drove away thinking about some of his realizations over the weekend. He wanted her in his life forever, not just for a few weeks.

Rather than driving home, Carson wound up at the clinic. He'd allowed himself to focus on his thoughts about Alison rather than where he was driving, and his subconscious guided him to the clinic. Thinking it rather fitting since he did need to get another Ace bandage for his wrist, he was surprised to find Katie sitting behind the receptionist's desk. She wore her typical clothing, but her hair was a bit wilder than before. She bounced her knee, her platform heel tapping out an irritating staccato on the tile floor.

Carson frowned. "Katie? Wha' are you doin' here? I thought I gave you an' Jorge the weekend off."

She turned in the chair. "Oh, Carson!" Her hand went to her chest. "Youstartledme!"

He blinked at the way she'd run her words together. "I'm sorry, lass. I stopped in to get some supplies and wasnae expectin' anyone here." As he spoke, he studied her. Pupils dilated, hyperactivity, runny nose. He didn't like the symptoms he was seeing. "What are you doing here?" he asked again.

"Oh, just some work." She shrugged. "Doug wants to bring Debbieintoseeyou, and I think Mrs. Blanchard issickagain."

Carson held up a hand. "Katie. Lass, slow down." He didn't like what he was seeing. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Nothing." She shrugged and stood up to rush over to the filing cabinet. Her hands were shaking, causing the pages in her hand to rattle. "Nothing happened, Carson. I had a perfectlyquietevening, and I don't know when the last time that happened was. Now, I figured I'd come in and getcaughtuponwork!"

Carson moved to her side. "You're sure?"

"Yes!" She suddenly turned defensive. "You don't believe me?"

"Well, I didn't say that." He shook his head. Katie was acting a bit out of character, and Carson worried about what had happened while he'd been gone. She reminded him of the way Rodney had acted when the physicist was hopped up on Wraith enzyme.

"I'm fine, Carson!" The anger in her tone surprised him. "Why would you care how I am?"

He blinked again, this time at the change in her tone. "I care, Katie, because you're my friend."

"Oh, please!" She laughed. "You're no more my friend than you are my lover! You ran off with Alison Porter at the first opportunity you got. Don't talk to me about friendship. And leave me alone!" With that, she gathered her things in frenetic, disconnected movements and stomped out the back door.

Carson stared at the spot where she'd stood just a moment ago. It was true that he'd never cared for Katie in a romantic sense, but he'd always tried to be friendly with her. The venom in her voice was something he'd only heard when she and Alison got into their little tiff in the office. Something must have happened while he was gone.

Making a mental note to check in with Jorge the next day, Carson drove home. He was tired and ready to settle back into life. Like Alison, he didn't want their weekend to end, but he would have been just as happy to have her in his home as he was to be in the beautiful Swiss Alps. That realization made him smile as he parked his truck and walked to the front door. It also highlighted just how serious he was about Alison Porter. She wasn't someone who could walk into and out of his life without leaving a mark. She had changed him.

Inside, Carson took his luggage to the laundry room and started washing his vacation clothes right away. He set the tea kettle on the stove to warm some tea and draped the Athosian blanket Teyla had given him for Christmas over the back of the couch. After making a quick snack, he started a fire and stared into the flames as he wondered what to do now. The evening stretched before him, and he realized that he didn't like being alone. Not anymore.

Tired of thinking about things he couldn't change right then, Carson went to take a long shower and retired early.

oOo

Tuesday morning dawned just as gray and overcast as the day before. Perhaps more so, as the clouds had settled over the town. Carson ironically hoped for rain and then shook his head. In Scotland, he'd never been one to hope for rain though he enjoyed the wildness of the weather. But here, in Esperanza, he learned the value of water falling from the sky. It generally left everything feeling clean, bright, and wintery. Thankful it wasn't snow, he crawled from bed and climbed into the shower.

His head ached. As he dried, he noticed his hand shaking and couldn't stop the mirthless chuckle. He'd managed to time his injections just right so that he didn't need to travel with his serum. But the seventh day was always tough. He woke with the headache, clamminess, and general sense of illness that would kill him if he didn't take the serum. Last night, when he'd arrived home, he hadn't thought to take a dose and head this off at the pass, but it would only take an hour or so for the serum to do its work.

Dressed for the day and determined to make it to work on time, Carson started a pot of coffee. He'd become accustomed to that caffeine infusion during their trip to the Alps, and he opened his fridge to pull out this week's dose of the serum. He had learned to warm the serum before injecting it by setting it in water. It burned less that way, though he was certain he'd always feel somewhat uncomfortable taking an injection just to stay alive. It was no different from a diabetic's need for insulin.

Reaching into the butter compartment of his fridge without looking, his hand encountered an empty shelf. Carson blinked and looked to make certain the vials hadn't rolled out of the compartment last night. There were no silver vials in the fridge. "Oh, crap!" Still feeling unwell, the nausea that crept up at the sight of his vials missing was enough to have him swallowing convulsively. He'd left three vials, enough for the remainder of the month. Where had they all gone?

The shaking in his hands increased as he reached for his cell phone. The first number he called was Alison's, and he regretted waking her. She was up in an instant when she heard his voice, however, saying she'd be over as soon as she could get out the door. The thought of his medication missing concerned her greatly, and he hated the sound of concern that came over the line. The next person he called was Sheppard.

The colonel answered distractedly, almost as if he'd been in a meeting. "Carson, can I call you back?"

"I'm sorry, Colonel, I wish I could say yes." Carson dropped onto his couch and leaned his head back against the wall. "My serum's been stolen, an' I need a dose today!"

~TBC