Hey brother, there's an endless road to re-discover.
Hey sister, know the water's sweet but blood is thicker.
Hey brother, do you still believe in one another?
Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?...
What if I'm far from home?
Oh, brother I will hear you call.
What if I lose it all?
Oh, sister I will help you out!
Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do.
~Acicii "Hey Brother" (Gwaine's new theme song can be found /6Cp6mKbRTQY)
"...The frack, Gwaine!" Laney all but screamed at her brother. "You're putting me in one hell of a position. I can't believe you! You have fought to be back there for months. You finally get a good team, and now you want to resign?"
"I thought you didn't want shit like this to happen again, where I can't call you if something happens? I figured you'd be all for me handing in my resignation!"
"I am." She conceded, taking a drag off her cigarette. He waited for her to explain what she meant. "I just don't know how we're going to survive if you do."
"What do you mean?"
"The district manager called me this morning. My performance is great, but due to all the absences, in the less than a year I've been working there, I've been offered a position that would, I quote: 'better suit my qualifications and needs schedule.' A part-time assistant manager in bum-frack Nebraska! What am I supposed to do?
"That job wouldn't pay shit! I'm out of a job...'laid off.'" She hooked her fingers in the air. "If I don't take it, I would have no pay coming in. There's not gonna be any more child support. Hell, there hasn't been for a while now. If you quit, what are you going to do? I doubt you could get a job to support all of us, and still be able to go off to the stars with your buddies, because I know that's what you really want to do."
She'd already explained to him what had happened with the boys' father. He found himself wrestling once again with issue of his own lot in life, and asking for handouts from friends was just something that neither he nor Laney were comfortable with. "We'll figure something out. I'll figure something out."
"I was so scared that something had happened...that you were gone again...like last time!"
"I know, I'm sorry I didn't call you right away. I needed to work out some issues that I didn't want to burden you with."
"I wish you would! Dad, mom, my ex-husband, Boyd, you...I can't do it Gwaine. I can't lose anyone else. This stress, not knowing if you were alive or dead...Now, not knowing how we're going to survive!"
"Fine. I won't resign, yet. I'll ask to be transferred to a desk or something. It'll be a little bit of a pay cut, but we'll survive off it, until you get something else." His plans were shot to hell. Something needed to be done about this Morgana/Orici situation, but he had to admit, he wasn't Bruce Wayne. This wasn't some fantasy, superhero novel, where he could just run off and play hero to the galaxy. That lifestyle didn't pay the bills and wouldn't put food on the table. He had promised her that family was his priority now, and he needed to prove it to her; damn whatever else was going on.
Part of him warred against the idea. What good was putting food on the table if the Ori won?
She put out her smoke in the ashtray on the porch. Swiping her sleeve across her face to clear away the tears, she turned to go inside. "I need a drink."
"Pour one for me." He said. Gwaine stood on the porch for a moment, after she had left. He felt a cold wind began to sweep down from the north. In Colorado the temperature changed quickly, and the sunny, seventy degree, spring weather could turn into a roaring blizzard in less than a day. It seemed to perfectly mimic his own day; waking up to an amazing piece of island sunshine...the calm before the storm.
On the plus side, it would mean he'd have more time to be with Carolyn; even if it silently killed him to think of staying on the sidelines of the oncoming tempest. Falling asleep next to her had been the first night since his return to the twenty-first century, that Gwaine had really slept. Normally, he would lie awake for hours, or become started out of his restless slumber by some faceless nightmare. He had only gotten through it all by using a prescription, a drink, or complete physical exhaustion to achieve even a hint of shut-eye.
Although, if he really thought about it, the previous night had been a bit exhausting...and it certainly had been physical.
Carolyn sat, nursing a cup of coffee. Her car was parked out in front of the house, after having driven Gwaine home. It was, surprisingly, her first time there, and Laney had offered her the cup to thank her for bringing her brother. The Beast had refused to start. Gwaine had mentioned he thought it was the starter in the ageing vehicle. Currently, it was still in the parking lot at the Base.
When the argument between the siblings had started, Laney had grabbed her pack of cigarettes and headed for the front porch. Not wanting to interrupt, by trying to get around them, Carolyn stayed in the kitchen to politely wait. She was just finishing a text to a colleague, who had taken over the shift of Base physician, when the sound of a beaming device caused her to jump.
The two men who appeared seemed just as startled to see her, as she was them. One she didn't recognize, the other she did, and she smiled pleasantly at the large man.
"Percival! It's been a while." She said, recovering from her surprise. "How are you?"
"Dr. Lam. It's good to see you...uh..."
"They're out on the front porch...discussing things." She explained, watching his eyes wander curiously around the room. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh. This is Sir Leon. Leon, this is Dr. Carolyn Lam."
"Ah, the infamous Dr. Lam. I've heard a lot about you."
"...And you are the heroic knight in the shining Tel'tak, I've been hearing about. You helped save a lot of people out there."
He blushed and ducked his head slightly. "I wish I could have done more."
"It doesn't sound like anyone really could have."
"'Anyone really could have,' what?" Laney asked, coming back into the kitchen. She moved to the cabinet above the refrigerator, and pulled down a bottle.
"It's classified. I'm sorry." Carolyn held out her hands in apology.
"Yeah...whatever." Laney poured two glasses and held one out to Gwaine, as he came in a few seconds later.
"Where are the boys?" He asked his sister. He nodded a greeting to Leon and Percival.
"Upstairs...either sleeping or on their games."
Carolyn reached out to take Gwaine's hand. The confident air he had earlier, seemed to have vanished, and the despair from the night before had returned. It hurt to see him so resigned, as if nothing he had done made a difference.
Her incoming email alert on her phone broke the awkward silence that had gathered.
Taking her hand back she opened the file and began reading it. "Huh. Dr. Roberts, who took over for me yesterday, just sent me an update." She began paraphrasing the report. "Due to constant stability shown through the night, Colonel Emrys was transferred to a nearby hospital this morning, where he...ooh!...Where he regained consciousness."
Everyone released a breath of relief, upon hearing the news.
"Any further updates will have to come from the attending doctor at the hospital." She held up her coffee cup in a toast. "Here's to getting some good news."
Gwaine set his glass on the counter after taking a small sip.
Leon gasped in mock horror. "Sir Gwaine...putting his drink aside? I never thought I'd see the day!"
Laughing, Gwaine shook his head. "Thanks. I appreciate the vote of confidence."
"You should probably go see him. I know you want to." Laney said, with her back towards the rest of them. Her voice trembled with inner turmoil.
Just like that, Gwaine's mood sobered again. "You should come with me. I know Martha would probably love to see you."
"Oh, yeah, and who am I supposed to get on such short notice to watch three sick kids? Toby can take care of himself, but he's been the sickest. I can't ask him to watch his brothers." She snapped out.
"I'll stay." Percival offered, without being asked, "They're good kids, and they know me."
"Good! It's settled." Gwaine said, clapping his hands together, and throwing his friend a grateful smile. "I'll ride with Carolyn, and Leon can ride with you."
"Why the hell don't you ride with me...Don't care to finish our discussion?"
"I need to talk with Carolyn about some of the...uh...things that happened. I know, I know." He held up his hand complacently. "You signed the paperwork and all that jazz, but there're still a lot of things that are classified."
"What the frack is that supposed to mean?" She spun away from the counter, to glare at her brother.
"I'll be out in the car, waiting." Carolyn said, making a quick exit. Deniability was a wonderful things at times.
Gwaine waited until she had gone through the door. "Laney, I can't tell you what happened out there."
"Don't you think I know that?" She started to rant.
Grabbing her shoulders gently, Gwaine forced her to look him in the eyes. Using her proper name to get her full attention, he said quietly. "Elaine. I can't tell you. Under my contract, I could be brought up on Court Martial if I did." He emphasized. His brown eyes slid over to Leon, meaningfully, and he gave a slight nod of his head for extra measure.
Leon snorted softly, catching onto his friend's double meaning. He smiled at Laney.
"Fine." She said softly in agreement, understanding what her brother was implying. Leon was not bound by any of the regulations Gwaine was, when it came to confidentiality.
"Pull over." Leon said, when they had gone beyond sight of the house.
"What? I thought we were..."
"Just pull over, Elaine. I'm not going to tell you about what happened, while you're driving."
She did as he requested, and stopped in the pull-out to one of the many oil wells, that dotted the eastern plains of Colorado. The pumps for the wells were set in the middle of fields, with a single-lane, mud road leading out to them. Laney had always thought they looked like humongous, black, metal ants; their heads bobbing up and down, as they worked to pull out whatever was at the bottom of the pipes.
Snickering softly, she recalled one episode of her brother's when he was younger. He and his friends...a bit drunk...had decided to go out in the middle of the night, and try to ride one of them. They, thankfully, were only caught by the rancher who owned the field, and had to work for him for a few days in exchange for not having the local police called in.
Leon stared at his hands in his lap for some time.
"Look, if you're not going to tell me..."
"It was Hell." He stated quietly. His voiced sounded old and tired, a reflection of all that he had been through.
For Leon to call what happened out there 'hell' meant that it was worse than she had imagined. She noticed for the first time, the way his eyes glistened. It scared her. This show of emotion from a man who usually seemed to have none, worried her.
He shifted in the seat, turning towards her, his eyes still downcast, as he contemplated how much to tell her. "It was a battle...no...a slaughter. Those of us who survived, only managed to do so through luck, or because they wanted us to. I've seen wars, battlefields soaked with blood, and heard the sounds of men dying all my life. This was...different.
"There are no screams in space. The explosions in your boys' games when a spaceship is destroyed, are just special effects. The only sounds you can hear are things inside your own confined pocket of reality, protecting you from the nothingness beyond."
Leon didn't give her many details after that. He explained simply that they didn't know Gwaine wasn't with Arthur and Merlin, when the Tau'ri had ship arrived and then departed shortly after, from the planet. He mentioned their arrival at the battlefront, and damage to his ship; saving Arthur in the nick of time, and with no sign of Merlin.
"It took a few hours, but we finally were able to receive messages. We could hear Merlin, Gwaine, Mitchell, and others talking. We heard them going back and forth with Colonel Carter. She was in a spacesuit, floating outside of everything. Their beaming capabilities were down. I was working on fixing my own. Arthur was fuming when he heard that Merlin was going to try and use his magic.
"Gwaine didn't know to stop him. I managed to get the beam working, but not in time to stop Merlin. We heard his scream through the coms."
"Oh, god." She whispered, speechless upon hearing this. Laney was grateful that he had insisted that she stopped the car.
Leon cleared his throat and shifted in his seat again. "We were able to bring Colonel Carter aboard. After that, it has mostly been recovery, and trying to get survivors home." He guffawed suddenly, and picked at the edge of the window, flicking his nail under the weather stripping. "Witnessing all that, certainly makes a man want to re-evaluate his life."
He reached out and took her hand, brushing his thumb across the back of it. They were weathered and sported small scars from years of hard work and living. Chipped polish and chewed ends told the tale of her worries over the past couple of weeks. He felt guilty about having avoided her, since Gwaine had caught them. Initially, he had brushed off his friend's comment about Laney possibly breaking his heart. He hadn't felt like he had a heart left, up until that point. His reluctance to return to her after that seemed to be a failed effort at proving he didn't care.
Percival's words about helping Arthur, and the rush Leon had felt from helping those after the battle, had ignited a deeply buried chord of passion inside of him. Leon looked up, catching her eyes. He smiled and opened his mouth to tell her.
Laney seemed to sense the shift in conversation. Her eyes darted away. She pulled her hand out of his and wiped furiously at her face. "We should probably get to the hospital." Putting the car in gear, she pulled back out onto the road; swerving to avoid a pothole...and an awkward conversation.
Gwaine adjusted his sunglasses, as he stepped out of the car. Carolyn was already heading into the hospital, while he leaned against the front fender, as his sister's car pulled into the spot next to him.
The tension and emotional turmoil was written all over her face. He knew for certain that Leon had told her about the battle that had transpired. Silently, he reached out for her the moment her car door shut, and pulled her into an embrace.
She clung to him, as if her life depended on it. After a few moments, he pulled back. "We'll talk more later, okay?"
Nodding mutely, she let him lead her into the hospital.
The windows of the hospital room were covered with thick, blackout drapes. One sliver of sunlight from a small gap between the two curtains escaped, and left a bright beam across the bed, in the otherwise dimly lit room. Martha fussed around Merlin's bedside, rechecking his vital signs every few seconds, until Merlin thought he was going to go mad. If he had the strength to move, or even argue, he would have. He longed for some peace and quiet, to analyze his dreams.
Even though he was grateful to be alive, he had little memory of what had happened in the hours leading up to his unconscious state. His last clear memory was standing on the bridge of the Korolev, relaying the translation of the Ori message. After that, there were blurs and flashes...of life and dreams...mixed together in some abstract vision of reality.
His responses to enquiries about how he was feeling, were short and snippy. He wanted to feel bad about being an 'old grouch,' as Arthur was referring to him, but he couldn't seem to find the energy to care.
Arthur snickered from a seat under the television mounted in the upper corner of the room. Dr. Lam had come in briefly, before disappearing to speak with the attending physician about Merlin's case. Never a fan of hospitals, Laney had offered to go get everyone something to drink. She was uptight and nervous. Merlin was silently grateful that she had left the room. Her tension was palpable in the air surrounding her.
Leon and Gwaine leaned casually against a wall. The former seeming tired, but pleasant enough. The latter...barely glanced at Merlin. The man's inner thoughts pre-occupying the present situation. Merlin had been told that Gwaine was the one with him, when he had collapsed.
Merlin reached out weakly for his wife's hand. Martha smiled encouragingly. "Martha..." He whispered in a hoarse voice. "I need to speak with Gwaine, alone."
She looked about to argue, not wanting to leave his side, but an urging glance from the others in the room, changed her mind. "Alright, then. I'll give you a few minutes of reprieve. I guess, I have been hovering a bit much, haven't I?"
He tried to smile, but it failed to fully appear.
Gwaine pushed off the wall, as the others left. "Twisted deja vu, eh?"
"You could say that." He waited until Gwaine had situated himself close to the bed. "I'm sorry, I put you through that."
Gwaine chuckled, "Now, don't you go and be like that; never thinking of anyone, but yourself." He rolled his eyes, jokingly. Merlin was the most selfless man he had ever met. Even now, as he laid in a bed, barely awake after days spent in a coma, he was apologizing for making someone else's life difficult.
"Perhaps." Merlin said, understanding the joke, but not finding much humor at the moment. "I need you to do something for me."
"Anything. You know that."
"Remember, ages ago..." His breath wheezed a bit. "Well, ages for me... When I asked you to help me get to the Valley of Fallen Kings?"
Gwaine nodded.
"I need to get there again."
"Shit." Gwaine sat back in the chair and looked away. Of all the things Merlin could have asked..."I don't have much leave left, and it's not like I can quit my job right now. Laney and the boys need me."
Merlin stared at his friend, visibly shocked that after saying he would do anything, Gwaine would flip-flop and make excuses to deny him.
"I want to, Merlin. I really do, but I don't know how I can. Aside from the fact you're in no position to hijack a plane and fly us there. I'm sure Leon could..."
"I'm sure he could, as well. I need you, though. You know where it is."
"I can't. Not right now." The decision he had made the night before, in Carolyn's arms...a woman he finally allowed himself to open up to...had come crashing down with a dose of reality that morning, with his sister and her situation.
"What do you mean?"
Gwaine hesitated. He didn't want to burden his best friend. "We can talk about it when you're better."
Merlin closed his eyes. The soft hum of the nearby monitors filled the otherwise quiet space. "I might not be getting better, Gwaine. Something is happening to me...happening to Aithusa...faster than I had anticipated." One of the images began to make itself clearer in his mind. "When I tried to reach out to Colonel Carter...I felt Aithusa. He was there, Gwaine, on the other side of that wormhole, and he was in pain...such pain..." Merlin's hand went instinctively to his chest, and he clutched the front of the hospital gown.
Gwaine's lips were a tight line under the unshaven scruff. He didn't know quite how to handle what his friend was telling him. Feeling that there was more to the story, he prodded, "You never got a chance to tell me what happened with the Nox."
"I guess I didn't, did I?" Gwaine shook his head. After another moment of silence, Merlin told him some of what he had learned, not just from the Nox, but also the pixie.
"Are you telling me, the dragon took off for the stars centuries ago, with Morgana's body?"
Merlin nodded, "...But, Morgana was dead."
"Yes, but, if these assholes were able to genetically bind the souls of humans and dragons hundreds of thousands...or even millions of years ago..."
Merlin's eyes narrowed at his friend. "I don't understand..."
"When it rains, it bloody well pours." Leaning forward and placing his elbows on the bed, Gwaine linked his hands behind his head. "Fracking hell. It all makes sense now. Okay. So, this whole thing started with Aithusa leaving Earth, right?"
Nodding his head, Merlin waited.
"Traveling through the stars for centuries, looking for the Ori. Last year, after a weird fluke with technology, when SG-1...Daniel Jackson specifically...stumbled across the Ancient Communication Device, these Ori found out about our galaxy, and started sending their Priors through the Gates here. You were fine then, despite whatever else was going on. When Percival and I arrived here...you were fine. Hell, you were better than fine. You were happy, getting married...excited...I'd never seen you so confident and full of life.
"What if that was when they found your dragon...who, even after centuries...was still clinging to the hope that he could save Morgana? If they played on that, they could have easily tricked him. With their advancements, then they sure as hell could have taken a magically preserved body, and perverted it for their own means."
Merlin felt his heart beating rapidly inside his chest. The nearby monitor visually reflected the increase. He tried to calm himself, but in his current state, it seemed to do little good. "Are you saying...Morgana is...?"
"...Back? Yeah." Gwaine stood up. The chair he had been sitting in slid backwards, scraping against the floor like nails on a chalkboard.
Gwaine began pacing and explaining with exaggerated motions about the vision, his decision, and how it was thwarted by the more pressing concerns of his family. He recounted what he had overheard about this Orici. He vented his frustrations; from Laney's former husband, to the loss of her job. He admitted his desire to quit the US Military, but without an income, he'd be putting his sister and the boys in dire straits.
Merlin chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?"
"Is that all that's holding you here?"
Glaring at his friend, he wasn't sure if Merlin quite understood. "They're my family. I can't let them down."
"Gwaine...you and your sister are family. My family." Merlin's mind drifted to the images of Blasine and Gawain. Their relationship to each other mirrored that of Laney and Gwaine's in an uncanny way. "Mithian would roll over in her grave if I didn't do something. Let me help you. If anything, for all the times you've helped me."
He was beginning to feel the strain of the continued conversation. "Arthur...the princely prat of all cabbage heads...was threatening me this morning...Says, he plans to hire a babysitter for me. He also mentioned finding someone to help Gwen out, specifically, once the new baby is born. Gwaine, how much would it take, to hire you?"
"You want me to be a nursemaid for Gwen?" Gwaine's eyebrows rose in confusion.
"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of your sister to help Gwen...and I probably could use some sort of...let's call it a personal assistant. I'd pay moving expenses. I have a lawyer who would love to make sure the boys' father has no say, except for what your sister decides."
Gwaine's face brightened into a wide smile as the pieces came together. He shook his head in disbelief and whistled through his teeth.
Gwaine exited the room to see the faces of his friends and his sister, staring at him intently. He moved over to Laney and took her hands. "Good news. Bad news."
She braced herself and nodded.
"Bad news: I can't work for the military anymore, and so we should probably sell the house and start packing."
Laney looked like she was ready to burst. He put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from acting out.
"Good news, though: I've just been offered a job...some sort of lackey/personal assistant bullshit. But, I was promised...I don't need to know how to type or anything for it. The only catch is it's based out of the UK. You always wanted to move back to England, right?"
She nodded quickly and pinched her lips together, trying desperately not to interrupt. Although, the buildup of suspense by her brother was killing her. Ever since their mother died, and they had been shipped off to Wyoming when she was in her early teens, Laney had often talked about going back. Partially, it was to be near their mother's grave, but also because it was the only place she had ever felt truly at home. Circumstances had never allowed for such a move before.
"Well..." Gwaine continued, "...we're moving in with Grandpa, and mooching off him for a while."
AN: Thanks for the reviews and follows and favs!
CarolynneRuth: You have no idea how happy I was to see you back from break!
Nance: Gwaine is a ladies man hehe :D Thanks for being such an awesome proofreader!
Aerist: I can't wait to see what you come up with!