Xander winched in sympathy when he heard that Lt. Cadman was in McKay's brain. Gods, science had accidentally done what Magic had accidentally done to him - twice! Only in McKay's case, he and Cadman could each take control of his body. When it had happened to Xander, he'd had no control at all, either time. He wished he could share some of his insights from those experiences, but McKay wouldn't understand Magic as an explanation. He might be able to tell him something though. For now, the best Xander could do, was be a silent support for his teammate and friend. Yes, McKay had become a friend. As Xander had told him, he liked snarky people and McKay had been working at being tactless, without being insulting and was improving. Finally they figured out how to get Cadman out of McKay's head. Xander wondered how much each would remember of the other person.
"McKay, get your ass out of this lab. So people are staring at you because Cadman hijacked your body and kissed Beckett. So some of them are speculating that it was just you pretending and you're actually gay. I know you're not gay and you know you're not gay, so stop putting so much importance in what other people think. Come on, it's movie night. Sheppard got Independence Day. You can pick apart the science and we can try to convince you to turn your brain off for awhile and just enjoy it."
"Go away, Captain Harris. You have no idea what I'm dealing with right now." McKay said, frostily.
"Actually, yes I do. The Halloween before my seventeenth birthday someone set off something in my hometown that convinced people they were their costumes for a couple of hours. I went as a soldier. And I was a soldier that night McKay. A soldier named Major Charles Kowalski of the SGC. I bought his uniform at the surplus store. It's how I became a part of the Program. I had to know if what was in my head was real. I contacted Jack O'Neill. He was able to verify that everything I got left with was real. Whatever the device was that did it, it was destroyed that night in order to stop what was happening, people were getting hurt. I don't know what it was or what happened to it after that. I had no control over myself that night, McKay. Charles Kowalski was controlling my body. And you want to know what the real kicker is, McKay? He'd been dead for two years. Whether there was something that involved time or it was something else entirely, I can't say. But I can tell you what it's like having someone else in control of your body and feel totally helpless. I can tell you what it's like to have someone else's nightmares. I can tell you about a trick I learned from those memories that drives Cordy wild, except she'd punish me severely if I did."
"Really? So it's happened to someone else?"
"McKay, SG 1 switched bodies once, remember? Weird things happen to people who are apart of this program. At least you didn't have a Goa'uld in your head. And Cadman's cool. She's an explosives expert, you know. That means she's real good at blowing stuff up. Plus, she plays poker. Cordy says she's been talking about starting a lady's poker night. I plan to be on another planet on those nights. Pretty sure there'll be alot of male bashing going on. So, movie?"
"Okay, I guess. You really have someone else's nightmares?"
"Kowalski had been a soldier for more then twenty years. He wasn't a desk jockey. The nightmares include his death from his perspective."
"Yeah, that would be a nightmare. So, Independence Day. The science is bad in that, you know."
"So I've heard. I'm not a scientist, McKay. I don't care. I just watch it for the explosions and heroics. And hot women, but don't tell Cordy I said that."
"Okay. You sure you can't share that trick?"
"Ask Sheppard, I'm sure he knows plenty of tricks."
McKay did pick apart the science, but he also enjoyed himself with his friends and teammates, even though they teased him about that kiss and asked him if he was really interested in Katie Brown or if Cadman was just winding him up.
He thought he might actually be interested and she seemed to like him too, so maybe, he'd take their advice and ask her out. If he could get his courage up.
