Turnabout is fair play. 500 words.

"What?"

Carson sighed. "If you'd stay still and listen for a minute you'd hear me."

Rodney stopped trying to get around the two orderlies that Carson had ordered to keep him away and glared at Carson.

"That's better," Carson announced with a nod. When Rodney remained still and relatively attentive for thirty seconds Carson continued. "It appears that the apple of your eye had a wee bit too much to drink," said Carson, amusement tempered with concern lacing his Scottish brogue. "In fact, she got way too drunk. I didn't get the whole story, but it looks like someone had the idea of playing the alphabet game using the names of men on Atlantis." Carson raised his right eyebrow at Rodney and added, "She kept repeating your name and had to take a drink every time she did."

Rodney gave his head a gentle shake in disbelief. "Where the hell did she get that much alcohol?" he demanded harshly.

Carson folded his arms across his chest and gave Rodney a wry smile "This coming from a man who got trolleyed and ended up sleeping, more or less, with two other men in the same bed."

Rodney started sputtering at Carson's erroneous description of the facts, but clamped his lips together when Carson held up a warning finger.

"Anyway, it seems as though Radek isn't the only one who knows how to build a still." Carson nodded as realization dawned on Rodney's face. "Apparently, someone has a still in operation that produces a rum that has quite a kick to it."

"Rum?" asked Rodney as he looked past Carson's shoulder to the sleeping form of his fiancé.

"Aye. A dark rum," Carson informed Rodney. "Apparently the person spent some time in the Caribbean and developed a fondness for black rum." Carson gave Rodney a smirk. "It seems Jennifer likes it as well."

Rodney stared at Jennifer and stayed eerily still for a moment.

Carson watched and waited. Rodney's silence and lack of movement was a testament to how much he loved and cared for Jennifer.

"She'll be okay?" asked Rodney, his voice barely above a whisper.

Carson gave Rodney a sympathetic smile as he moved to stand next to his friend. "Aye, she'll be back to her beautiful happy self in a few hours. I'd wager she'll have a bit of a headache at least, but she'll be fine." He nodded to the orderlies who stepped aside and then prodded Rodney towards Jennifer. "Go on, but if you wake her I'll beat you with my bagpipes."

Carson smiled as Rodney sat down next to Jennifer and took her hand in his. Satisfied with that situation he turned around and came face to face with Allison Porter and he could easily see the telltale signs of a severe hangover in woman he'd become fond of.

"Let me guess," he whispered as he put his arm around her shoulder and led her towards one of the beds, "the old black rum strikes again?"

A/N: "The Old Black Rum" was written by Bob Hallett of the band Great Big Sea and released by GBS on their 1995 album Up.