Thank you so much for the reviews! Welcome to any new followers! I have been rather busy lately between a sick kid, work, and now dealing with a head cold myself. So...forgive me for not responding to you all this chapter. Thanks to Nance for rehalyzing (yes, I misspelled that on purpose) how bad I am grammatically and IcarusLSU for helping me smooth out some of the details. This chapter corresponds to Stargate season 9 episodes The Fourth Horseman parts 1 and 2.
Warning: Tissues might be needed for this chapter.
Merlin slid the phone into his pocket a scant moment before a wave of dizziness descended upon him. He felt Arthur's arms, now strong and vigorous, steadying him.
"Are you alright?" He heard the king's voice, filled with concern.
The warlock held out his hands, and seemed to regain his balance. "I think so...probably just exhaustion from..."
"The spell?" Arthur asked, though he had no idea how magic worked. It made sense to him that it would be like any other mental or physical exercise. "Where's your room? You should probably rest."
The fact that Merlin didn't argue, wasn't lost on Arthur. Merlin's eyelids drooped, and he leaned on his friend, while giving Arthur directions through the house. The hallways were overly decorated and the king snorted as he looked on them in passing.
"What?"
"Your decorating style...is rather interesting."
"Yeah...I rather dislike it, but this is what happens when I give someone a lot of money and have them attend to it, while I travel the world. It's what an eighteenth century classic manor house is supposed to look like...or some such shite." He rolled his eyes. "I've just never spent enough time here to actually do anything about it. When I have been here, it's usually just in my chambers, the office, the gym...or outside somewhere."
They reached a large set of panelled, double doors at the end of the hallway. Merlin pushed them open and the suite of rooms beyond, caught Arthur by surprise. They were bright, clean, updated...and certainly more modern than the rest of the house he had seen. The walls were clean of any of the obnoxious wall decoration and were painted in a light pale blue; the coffered ceiling high above, was white. The thick carpeting from the hall floor ended, and gave way to light wood flooring, the likes of which Arthur had never seen before, flowed through the space; accented only by an area rug that peeked out from under the edges of the bed, providing a warm place for feet to land. The whole ambiance of the room was tranquil.
The bed was low to the ground, set on a dark wood base and the mattress, in Arthur's opinion, appeared rather hard and thin. The head was located against a wall to the left where, when laying on the bed, one could see both the bedchamber door and the east facing bevelled glass of the French doors, which lead out onto a balcony. One armoire, a small table beside the bed, and a simple wooden chair near the glass doors completed the furnishings.
A small wave of Merlin's hand, and the doors opened, allowing for a gentle breeze to flow into the room.
"Another type of remote thing?"
"Nope...that was magic." Merlin responded, disengaging himself from Arthur and making his own way over to the bed.
Arthur nodded. As strange as the style was, it fitted Merlin. "I guess your life is so complex...Always has been, I suppose...You need a calm place like this to rest."
Merlin smiled, peeling off his shoes, and stretching out on the bed. "Are you giving me permission to take the afternoon off, Sire?" The snark in his voice was tempered with the warmth of the friendship they used to share.
Arthur looked out towards the balcony, with a teasing grin. "Just today. Tomorrow I expect you..." He glanced at Merlin out of the corner of his eye. "...to be yourself and start helping me figure this place out."
"That, I can do." Merlin said with a sigh. "Oh, if you can manage to find your way to the kitchens, you know what you should do this afternoon?"
"Hmm?"
"Find Cassie, and ask her to help get a basket together for you. Take your wife outside for a picnic. She's been through a hell of a lot the past couple years of her life."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. He realized that, for all his time in the past few weeks spent with Guinevere, their only real conversations had been centered on getting him back up and running, their son, and adjusting his mindset. He marvelled at the strength she had shown and wondered if he could have done the same, if their positions had been reversed.
Images of his own father while he was growing up, came to mind. The bitterness from the loss of Arthur's mother came to the forefront. How differently would he have reacted, if it was Guinevere who had been taken from him?
He turned to thank Merlin for the suggestion, but discovered his friend was already sound asleep.
(*~*~*~*)
"Hey Dallon, where ya been? Colonel Reeves has been looking for ya." Lt. Summer said, with a teasing glint in his eye. "You were supposed to report to the gym for our phys training two hours ago. You're gonna be in trouble."
"Shut up, Summer. I was busy with some personal shit." Gwaine responded, "Where's the Colonel? I need to talk with him."
"Filing a report with General Landry about your behavior." The cocky young Lieutenant stood back in a challenging stance. "Word has it, you're gonna be on your way out soon."
"You're walking a fine line, Lieutenant. Don't push me...not when Reeves isn't here to save your sorry ass. In case you've forgotten, I outrank you."
"Oooh, is that a threat...Major?" Summer stepped forward, coming face to face with his superior.
"Is there a problem?" Major Calden's voice broke through the tension.
Gwaine's mouth worked, trying to formulate a response. He simply wasn't in a mood to deal with Summer.
The Lieutenant smirked, and backed off a step. "No, Sir. I was just explaining to Major Dallon that the Colonel was looking for him."
Calden, luckily, had a better head on his shoulders than his teammate, and could sense the underlying tension. Gwaine outranked him due to time served, although the other Major had been on the team longer. He had an easy-going attitude and worked well with the others, mostly ignoring Summer's behavior.
Recently, he'd expressed to Gwaine, that the reason he wasn't considered for the Second-In-Command position on the team, was because he was on his way out. Calden had seen enough of the day-to-day activities of the SGC, and was being offered a very lucrative position as a consultant, to one of the Base's private contractors. "Everything alright, Dallon?"
Gwaine nodded mutely, finally taking his eyes off Summer.
"Oh, come on Major. It's not like someone died, or anything."
Before Calden could blink, Gwaine's fist had met with Summer's jaw. He grabbed Gwaine and pulled him back, just as Security Personnel converged on the altercation.
(*~*)
A few minutes later, all four members of SG-18 were standing in Landry's office. The general was pacing back and forth, ranting, "You lot don't think I have enough to deal with? What with the Prior Virus running rampant? The President declared a state of quarantine..but it was too late, we're already getting reports in that someone managed to get on a flight to Europe!"
He came to a stop in front of Gwaine. "Major Dallon, I think I have been more than lenient with you, since your return. I don't know how command issues were handled in the Dark Ages, but here...IT'S NOT BY PUNCHING YOUR TEAM MATE!"
Summer's was holding an ice pack to his face, while trying to stand at attention. He let out a soft, unintentional snort at the reprimand Gwaine was receiving. Unfortunately, this caused Landry's attention to shift.
He stood in front of Summer, looking down his nose at the lieutenant. The kid snapped to full attention immediately. "You think that's funny...do you? You think, just because you guys are Marines, that you can get away with antics like this?"
"No, Sir!" Summer responded.
"Colonel Reeves. What do you have to say about your team? I know you had just written up Major Dallon again. I had thought, since the two of you knew each other years ago, you might be able to work with him easier. Was I wrong?"
"Sir, I've tried working with him, but as this incident shows..."
"This incident also shows what others have complained about, as well, Colonel! You can't control your team! I have half a mind to throw you all in the brig!"
The door to Landry's office opened. Walter purposely didn't make eye contact with any of the officers inside, as he tapped nervously at the paper in his hand. "Sorry, Sir. The latest report of those infected. There's been another..." He paused. Normally, he was able to relay information easily, but he'd read the name on the printout. Walter swallowed and glanced at Gwaine.
"Another what, Chief?"
"Uh...sorry, Sir. There's been another death reported. This was one of the people infected at the gas station and brought to Level Five." His eyes shifted to Gwaine again. The Major's eyes were closed and Walter realized, Gwaine already knew what was on the report. Quickly, he handed the page to Landry and excused himself.
Landry's eyes narrowed. He sat down in the big red chair at his desk, his eyes scanning the report. "Major Dallon, I assume you were up on Level Five when Colonel Reeves was looking for you?"
Gwaine's eyes glistened and his mouth tightened, but he didn't break stance. "Yes, Sir."
The general nodded thoughtfully. "Is it safe to assume, you already know what is in this report?"
He didn't trust his voice to say anything more than..."Yes, Sir."
"You will still have to be punished for your physical assault on a fellow officer, and not informing your command right away."
"Yes, Sir." Gwaine didn't expect any less.
"The Base is still under lockdown...but you may go make any calls you need to. You are temporarily removed from duty until this can be resolved. Dismissed."
"Yes, Sir." He nodded and moved towards the door, not making eye contact with his teammates.
"Sir!" The colonel began to protest. He was silenced with a single look from Landry.
"Oh, and Major Dallon...". Landry added, as Gwaine's hand reached for the handle.
He turned back to his commanding officer.
"My condolences to you and your family."
Gwaine inhaled sharply, unable to stop the tears from beginning their descent. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Thank you, Sir."
Gwaine had tried to keep an encouraging smile on his face. Boyd had lived a long life, filled with hardship and loss.
"I'm glad you were found, kid. I think your sister would have been the death of me...if you hadn't come home. Take care of her, and those brats of hers."
Gwaine laughed with Pops. "I will." He reached out for his grandfather's hand, though it felt strange through the biohazard suit he wore. Covered head-to-toe in the gear meant to protect him from the alien disease, he felt clumsy and separated from the world around him.
"Tell that friend of yours 'thanks' for me, will ya?"
"Which friend is that, Pops?" Gwaine bit back his tears, unable to wipe them away through the mask he wore.
"That Emrys guy...Looks just like his grandfather. He saved my ass in the war...though, I don't think he knows it..." Boyd suffered through a coughing fit. When it finally quieted, he told his grandson how he had lied about his age and enlisted before he turned eighteen. Before he could blink, he was in the water, heading towards Normandy with thousands of other boys...just as scared as he was.
"I thought you were a pilot...and got shot down?" Gwaine chuckled, wondering how far gone his grandfather's mind was.
"That was later..." The old man's rheumy eyes clouded with nostalgia. "I don't like remembering the early days. We made our way inland...I got separated from my unit. Two days in, and I was a mess...couldn't have found my way out of a wet paper sack. A fire fight was going on above me and I saw an RAF Kittyhawk get shot down nearby.
"I went to check out the wreckage...see if I could use the radio or something. The pilot was unconscious, but alive. I pulled him out and bandaged him as best I could. Thought he was a goner. Radio was busted. Figured, least I could do was not to let the man die alone...but after a while he came to. Seemed surprised, but who wouldn't be when you'd already made peace with your maker.
"Took a few hours before he was able to limp along, but the guy seemed to be touched by God or something. I helped him move, and we found ourselves at one of the rendezvous points. He seemed to have an uncanny sense of direction. I remembered telling him how I had wanted to be a pilot myself. Never saw him again, after that, but when I got out of there, I found a letter accepting me to pilot training."
The old man coughed again, his body weakened by the disease, showed the strain of the action.
"Hang in there, Pops. The docs here will find a cure and get you through." Gwaine used a towel to wipe his grandfather's face.
"Not this time, buckaroo. It's time to put me out to pasture. Caitlyn is waiting for me...with supper ready. You know how feisty she can get, if I keep her waiting."
Gwaine had never had the pleasure of meeting his grandmother. She had died from cancer during his father's estrangement from the Dallon family. He knew the stories though, from Boyd and others, around the small Wyoming town they lived near. Everything he heard, reminded him of Laney. As much as he wanted his grandfather to survive...he knew in his heart, it was time to let go.
Landry turned back to the other three members of SG-18. He was secretly pleased to see the shock and shame evident on both Reeves and Summer's faces. "Dismissed."
Reeves and Summer scrambled out of the office, but Calden paused at the door. "General...?" He implored.
"It was his grandfather."
"Shit."
Landry simply nodded.
(*~*~*~*)
"Major Dallon?" Lam's voice called, from the door of Gwaine's on Base living quarters.
The majority of the personnel who worked at the SGC, had sleeping quarters assigned to them. For the enlisted, this meant a barracks situation with bunkbeds, or racks, in a larger room. Junior officers, like Lieutenant Summer, shared rooms with one or two others of similar rank; while those further up in the hierarchy, were given private one room quarters.
Gwaine was sitting on the edge of his bed, in the same position he had been for the last five hours, since being dismissed by Landry. The old stetson hat hung loosely from his fingers, while he stared at the floor. He twisted its brim and let the memories wash over him. He didn't want to be alone, but he knew he was poor company. With the crisis caused by the pandemic, he wanted to keep himself out of the way.
"Shouldn't you be working on the cure or something, Doc?" He glanced up at her.
Carolyn Lam came into the room quietly and sat on the bed next to him. "About an hour ago Gerak, the former leader of the Free Jaffa, came through the Gate. He'd become a Prior for the Ori, but I guess he hadn't fully converted."
He shrugged, not understanding what she was trying to get at.
"That wave of power that came through recently...cured everyone. He sacrificed himself to create a cure."
Gwaine recalled feeling the odd pulse, much like a change in air pressure, roll through the Base earlier. Since the entire air flow system of the SGC was pressurized, it had made him wonder.
Carolyn continued, "Unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough to go much beyond the area, but we've already been able to isolate the antibodies it created in the victims of the P2V and it will be easy to synthesize the cure for others around the globe. I wish he had come through sooner."
Gwaine shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Pops was up there in years. If it wasn't this..." He choked back the emotion that began to overwhelm him.
The doctor put her arm around his back, and that moment of offered comfort was greedily accepted. Gwaine sagged into her arms and cried.
After a while she pulled back. "Have you called anyone yet?"
He shook his head. Gwaine had picked up his phone, and had started to dial the numbers numerous times to his sister, Merlin and Percival. Each time, he had hung up before it connected. "I don't know what to tell them. I left a message for my sister, after I first found out he was here..but I haven't heard back."
"Well, I need to get back to work. We should be off of Lock-Down in about an hour. Do you want me to get someone to drive you home?"
He took her hand in his and kissed the back of her fingers. Dark brown eyes, still wet with tears, lifted and met hers. Carolyn leaned forward at the same time he did. Their lips meeting in a gentle caress.
Gwaine gasped and sat up straight as realization dawned on him of who he was, who she was, and where they were. "Damn..."
She gave him a look of questioning surprise. "I'm sorry. You just lost your grandfather..."
"Well, that too..." He sniffed loudly and stared at the wall. "...but aside from that, you are also the General's daughter."
"Ah..." Carolyn pursed her lips.
He stood up, began pacing and raked a hand over his head. His mind was reeling from the loss, and was now compounded by the thought of how much trouble he could get in, for kissing her. "Not even back a year and I'm making a total mess of things. My friends are in another country. Pops is...gone...because I convinced him to move to Colorado. My career is probably tanked now...if not for decking a subordinate, then for..." He waved his hand in her direction.
She pushed herself up off the bed and took his hand, halting his back and forth movements. "Hey! You have friends here, too." Carolyn protested. Taking a breath, she squeezed his fingers. "Your grandfather's heart was weak, but he got to spend time with you...and you got to be there with him, when he passed. From what I heard, Summer deserved it...and I think, I might have been the one to take advantage of your emotional state. So, you can't be held accountable."
Allowing himself a chuckle through his grief, he squeezed her hand. "You're right...You are right." He sighed forlornly. "You did take advantage of me."
"I did, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did...and if you did it again, I probably wouldn't complain."
Her dark eyebrows rose up on her forehead. "Probably wouldn't?"
"Okay, fine." He rolled his eyes. "I promise, I won't file sexual harassment charges."
Her dark eyes sparkled with amusement at his choice of phrasing.
Gwaine lifted his free hand and ran his fingers through her hair to the back of her neck. Closing the distance between their faces, their lips met again, softly. "Thank you." He whispered, against her mouth.
She pulled away, a blush rising into her cheeks. Brushing her black hair away from her face, she drew a deep breath and smiled, "I need to get back to work, so you can go home."
Reluctantly, he released her and nodded.
Carolyn reached the door and turned back for a moment. "Let me know, when you want to buy me that drink."
"Yo! Dallon!" They heard, as she opened the door to leave.
"Colonel Mitchell," she said, acknowledging the man with a nod, before moving past him.
"Doc," he returned. Cameron stared at Gwaine for a moment. "I wanted to catch you and let you know...I heard about Pops...but I have to say, that color really suits you, man." He pointed to his own lips, indicating that his friend should probably look in a mirror, before going anywhere.
While Gwaine was looking in the mirror, wiping the little bit of rose lipstick off, he laughed.
"What?" Cameron asked.
"You know, Pops got to meet Dr. Lam one of the days I was in the hospital, after I got back. He took a shine to her."
The colonel guffawed, "I wouldn't put it past him to have made sure he died here. Just to see her again...and to try and set you up."
"Me neither." Gwaine laughed, "Remember that time I dragged you to the rodeo..."
"...and there were those two fine little ladies, in the painted-on jeans? Mmhmm."
Gwaine smiled and nodded, "I remember him saying...'I may be too old to chase them tails...'"
"'...but it doesn't mean I can't put on my sweet ol' grandpa charm, to get them to look your way!'"
"Attention all personnel: Quarantine status is no longer in effect. Stand down from Quarantine..." Walter's voice continued through the intercom system.
"Come on, buddy. I'll walk you out. Have you talked to Laney yet?"
Shaking his head, Gwaine grabbed his things and locked up his room. "I think it'll be better face-to-face, with the boys and all."