![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title: Red Sky At Dawn - Part Twelve
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kellifer_fic
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, that is,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
pegasus_b
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They come from the SciFi Original Series Stargate:Atlantis. Don't own, don't sue!
Summary - “Yes boys and girls, a simple ruse isn’t going to do it. The Wraith need to see bits of Atlantis, charred and broken. Destruction on an epic scale. They need to see something to write home about.”
Part 1 can be found here
“Alrighty.”
The room was immediately silent when Rodney had spoken his first word and he was inwardly pleased. He knew he complained about having to save the whole place every other week but also loved that people had complete faith that he could.
“Now, as I told Doctor Weir, simply hiding the city isn’t going to work again. The Wraith knows something’s here and while they might not know exactly what, I’m assuming they’ll lay low until they find out. One thing we know about the Wraith, they’re very patient. The last thing we need is a Hive ship burying itself on the mainland to wait us out.”
All the faces surrounding him looked a little paler at the prospect and Rodney noticed that Kavanaugh looked positively green.
“So, that being said, we need for the Wraith to know they’ve wiped us out. We need them to know they’ve destroyed the entire city.”
A fission of murmured protest ran around the room but when Rodney held up a single hand, they all fell silent.
“Yes boys and girls, a simple ruse isn’t going to do it. The Wraith need to see bits of Atlantis, charred and broken. Destruction on an epic scale. They need to see something to write home about.”
Kavanaugh was no longer the only person in the room looking green.
“You can’t be serious!” Teresa exclaimed. “After all this you’re just going to let them destroy the city?”
Rodney looked at her patiently and then sought out Penley’s face in the gathered group, spotting the engineer and sharing a grin with him.
“We’re going to make them think they’ve destroyed the city.”
“I thought you said a simple ruse wasn’t going to cut it?” Rodney’s attention was drawn to Jack and he raised an eyebrow.
“Oh no, it won’t. We’re going with a really complex ruse this time. Only way to be sure.”
xxxxxx
“What’s that?” A gruff voice behind her made Park turn around.
She froze when she noticed the large man that had been brought through the gate. “I…uh.,um…” she leaned sideways and noticed that there was a lack of armed guard behind him. She righted in her chair and then slid sideways so her body was blocking the long range scanner. “It’s nothing.”
Ronon frowned when his eyes went up and over her shoulder to the left, hearing the murmur of voices issuing from the closed conference room. “What’s going on in there?”
He’d been down to the infirmary but Daniel had been gone. He’d asked a tiny nurse where Daniel was but she’d backed away from him with large, terrified eyes and he hadn’t pushed her, not really wanting to scare anyone. He was smart enough to realise that he would be imposing to most people in this strange city so he was constantly trying to be as polite as possible, but he supposed the very public hostage taking had not won him very many friends.
He wasn’t really fussed though; there was really only one person in the city whose opinion of him mattered. Alright, he had to admit there was two now. Ever since he’d found out that Major Sheppard wasn’t involved with Daniel, he’d allowed himself to feel respect and a general liking of the man because he recognised a competent warrior when he saw one and he saw something of his Satedan comrades is arms in Sheppard.
“Should you be… up here?” Park asked and Ronon looked at her in surprise.
“I don’t know, is this one of the restricted areas?” Ronon knew that there were some parts of the city he wasn’t supposed to go but no one had actually gotten around to telling him which those were. Everyone had been called to a meeting before he could get the details.
“Oh, um, not really. I mean, you probably shouldn’t be. I don’t think they’d want you near the ‘gate. You’re not supposed to leave right?”
Ronon glanced sideways at the ‘gate and then at the DHD control that Park had unconsciously rested her hand on. Park looked at it herself and then paled. Ronon grinned, trying for disarming but he feared he was coming off menacing when Park scooted her chair backwards a little, looking over the railing of the control room to the ‘gate room below, her eyes resting longingly on the three marines that were standing in a small group, chatting amiably.
Ronon held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said and saw Park’s eyes widen further. He figured the best thing to do was retreat and find Daniel later, considering he was probably in the meeting they were having.
“I’ll just go, shall I?” he said, holding up his hands and taking a few steps backwards. He turned and saw a man step back into the shadows of the hallway just above the ‘gate room and Ronon’s eyes narrowed.
He looked back at Park who was still looking faintly terrorised and sighed.
He wasn’t trusted in this place and he doubted he ever would be. He knew the orders surrounding him was that he wasn’t allowed to leave the planet, but he knew there were Athosians on the mainland, a people he was familiar with and would probably have an easier time adjusting to his presence.
With a pang of regret, he headed towards the Jumper bay, somewhere Daniel had shown him, planning on asking for a lift over with one of the supply runs.
xxxxxx
Penley had been called to the front of the room and was blushing scarlet as he laid out Rodney’s plan. He flipped through schematics, pointing out things as he went. “The south and eastern most piers break off into sections here,” he said indicating the broad flat tips of city, “here and here,” he continued, drawing his hand down in a small arc. “From what we’ve been able to pull from the Ancient database, the city is definitely meant to be capable of intergalactic flight, but not the whole city.”
Rodney looked around, taking in the fascinated faces. Penley had paused and Rodney nodded for him to go on.
“They expanded the city in these sections and the whole thing is actually on a platform of sorts. If you ever saw Atlantis take off, you would think that you were only seeing the top layer leaving. That’s basically what happens.”
“Are we sure?” Elizabeth asked. She was leaning forward in her chair, eyes bright.
“We’re sure,” Rodney interjected when Penley failed to respond. “They expanded the city with their population growth but when actually in space, they put a lot of the population into their version of stasis so they don’t need as much living area. Just think of it as the Ancients having basically built a city around a ship, a city they could leave behind if the need ever arose.”
“That’s just… very cool,” John sighed and Rodney had to grin at him. They’d struck up a necessary working relationship but he found himself liking the man more and more. He felt in another life and under different circumstances they might have been friends sooner, despite their glaring differences.
“So…?” Jack prompted from his seat, steepling fingers under his chin.
“So, during a Wraith bombardment, we sink the ship part of the city and let them blast the remaining to smithereens, seeing nothing but floating wreckage and debris when they’re finished.”
“You know how to do this?” Elizabeth asked, obviously awed.
Rodney held up a finger. “I’ll need a little help, but yes, we know how to do this.”
“There’s a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” Jack said, astute as always and Rodney looked at him patiently.
“Of course there’s a but. Isn’t there always? I blow up a moon and a Wraith and Goa’uld ship in the process but we have to deal with earth quakes and unpredictable tidal forces afterwards. I can move the city into another plain of existence but only for a short period of time and we were damn lucky that the Wraith scanned and then left without hanging about. I am the ‘but man’-“ There was a great deal of sniggering in the room that broke off as Jack made a point of glaring at whoever was doing it, mentally filing their faces away for later. “What I mean to say is, we’re going to lose a chunk of the city in all this and we have to make sure there isn’t anything important that we might need later. We’re going to have to devote every bit of power we have to shielding the portion of the city we’re sinking and it’s going to be damn cold underneath the ocean and we’ll be restricted to how long we can stay down there. Plus, we know how to sink the city but are not sure how to keep it on the ocean floor yet.”
“That’s a lot of but.” Elizabeth said, her tone worried.
Rodney held up his hands. “Trust me,” he said simply.
xxxxxxx
Rodney had asked for Daniel to hang back after the meeting and he had done so. Jack was the last one to leave the room, casting a worried glance at them both but Rodney had waved him off with a smile. Jack didn’t look very reassured but he left anyway. Rodney wondered if Jack were ever going to trust him where Daniel was concerned, or trust Daniel.
He thought wryly that although the man terrified him, Ronon might serve as a way to allay Jack’s final concerns in that area.
“I need you to talk to Ford again.” Rodney said, with no preamble.
Daniel blinked at him. “You mean-“
“Actually talk to him, inside.” Rodney watched Daniel’s face, measuring the reaction but saw that he was carefully closed down. “Look, I know it might seem like asking a little much but I need to know how to keep Atlantis anchored on the ocean floor and while the information we need will definitely be in the Ancient database, we just don’t have the luxury of time we need to actually look for it.”
“I understand that, but-“
“Daniel, I wouldn’t ask if we weren’t desperate.” Rodney said, taking Daniel’s hands across the table he’d been leaning on. Daniel pulled his hands away and Rodney sighed.
“Look, the last time..” Daniel trailed off, looking torn. Rodney realised that he hadn’t actually asked what it had been like for Daniel, hooking into the city and Ford that way and he probably should have.
With a pang he knew there were a lot of things he should have done where Daniel was concerned but hadn’t. He knew he had pulled away completely, not even trying to hold onto their friendship in the last few weeks. It had just been easier for him but it had to hurt Daniel. When they’d been involved, they’d always had breaks when one or the other was seeing someone else, but their friendship had remained intact every time, up until this last break.
It had been for Jack, Rodney realised. He couldn’t have Jack and still be close to Daniel and he had made his choice. Just the look Jack had given him when he’d left the room had confirmed it. Jack probably did trust him but would never trust Daniel and Daniel would always be a sore spot.
Rodney had sacrificed Daniel to make his and Jack’s relationship work and there was no going back.
Daniel was studying his face carefully, as if he could read Rodney’s thoughts and Rodney flushed and stood.
“We need this,” Rodney said simply.
“Okay.” Daniel nodded.
xxxxxx
Daniel caught him just as he was about to step onto the puddle jumper.
“Where are you going?” Daniel asked and Ronon turned, knowing that was a mistake. Seeing Daniel standing behind him, one hand on the wall to support him because he wasn’t yet at full strength and looking achingly fragile made Ronon’s resolve to leave disappear completely.
“I scare your people. I thought if I stayed with the Athosians for a while-“
“No,” Daniel said, finality in his tone.
Ronon quirked an eyebrow at him. “No?”
“No,” Daniel repeated. He relinquished his hold on the wall and stepped forward. Bartook, who’d been going to ferry Ronon over, discreetly made his exit.
“Your people don’t trust me. I still had one of your soldiers following me and I think I gave the small girl in the control room heart failure.”
“I’m sorry about the tail, I only just found out about that and it’s going to stop. As for Park, well, you’re big and imposing and the last time she saw you, you were holding Elizabeth and Teyla hostage.”
“True. That’s what they all see when they look at me. I was trying to protect you but they just see me threatening one of their own. I understand that. I’m just trying to do the right thing here.”
“Screw the right thing,” Daniel snapped and Ronon blinked at him in surprise. “I’ve lost way too much in this life. I’ve been through too much. Something good came waltzing into my life and no matter how unconventional; I’m going to hang onto it. If you don’t like it, tough.”
Daniel’s speech would have made more impact if he hadn’t wobbled to the left on the last word, gasping as a sharp twinge ripped through his abdomen. Ronon automatically reached forward and threaded arms under Daniel’s, pulling him to his body and holding him there while Daniel breathed raggedly through the pain. When it subsided, he moved back a little but not enough to move out of Ronon’s arms.
“I don’t know what happened to you exactly, but if my staying helps even a little, then I will.” Ronon said gently. Daniel, who at over six feet wasn’t used to being the smaller of a pairing, felt a small thrill chase through him at how he was being held, gently and with great care.
“Thanks,” Daniel sighed, resting his forehead on Ronon’s broad chest for a moment before looking back up at the taller man. “Look, there’s something I have to do and I’d like you to be there, to catch me afterwards.”
Ronon looked at him in confusion, looking even more puzzled when Daniel added, “Because the last time, I almost crushed Teyla.”
xxxxxx
“I find it adorable that you’re jealous, but you don’t need to be.”
Jack scowled at Rodney. “Didn’t anyone every teach you not to poke a cobra with a stick?” he asked cryptically and Rodney snorted.
“Where on earth do you get this stuff? Is there some book you read called ‘How to confuse and just generally weird people out?’”
“I mean, don’t make fun of me,” Jack grumbled. “I get that the kid is important to you-“
“Daniel was important to me. You are important to me. See the difference?”
“Don’t give me that crap. You still care about him,” Jack snarled.
“For chrissakes, of course I do. How callous do you think I am? I know this would be easier back on earth if we didn’t have to see him everyday but we’re in a unique and very odd situation and I can’t avoid him and sometimes I’m going to need to work with him. I don’t want Daniel, I want you.”
“He still worries me. I still don’t think he’s… all there.”
“Jesus, Jack. There’s a lot of people that still don’t think you’re all there.”
Jack’s mouth firmed down into the line that well and truly announced that he was pissed off. Rodney rolled his eyes and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Jack who stiffened but finally relaxed, letting himself be hugged.
“If anyone should be nervous about this thing we’re doing, it should be me. You know how I feel. I can’t say the same about you.”
“Hell you don’t,” Jack protested but Rodney just pulled back and glared at him.
“I’ve told you.”
Jack grimaced. “I’m working on it. I’ll get there,” he promised, sounding contrite.
Rodney ran hands up underneath Jack’s shirt, trailing fingertips through the wiry chest hair. “See, I trust that you will. Why can’t you trust me where Daniel’s concerned?”
“I’ll try,” Jack allowed and Rodney chuckled, burying his face in the hollow between Jack’s throat and shoulder.
“Try harder,” he grumbled.
Part 13
Author:
kellifer_ficFandom: Stargate: Atlantis, that is,
pegasus_bRating: Mature
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They come from the SciFi Original Series Stargate:Atlantis. Don't own, don't sue!
Summary - “Yes boys and girls, a simple ruse isn’t going to do it. The Wraith need to see bits of Atlantis, charred and broken. Destruction on an epic scale. They need to see something to write home about.”
Part 1 can be found here
“Alrighty.”
The room was immediately silent when Rodney had spoken his first word and he was inwardly pleased. He knew he complained about having to save the whole place every other week but also loved that people had complete faith that he could.
“Now, as I told Doctor Weir, simply hiding the city isn’t going to work again. The Wraith knows something’s here and while they might not know exactly what, I’m assuming they’ll lay low until they find out. One thing we know about the Wraith, they’re very patient. The last thing we need is a Hive ship burying itself on the mainland to wait us out.”
All the faces surrounding him looked a little paler at the prospect and Rodney noticed that Kavanaugh looked positively green.
“So, that being said, we need for the Wraith to know they’ve wiped us out. We need them to know they’ve destroyed the entire city.”
A fission of murmured protest ran around the room but when Rodney held up a single hand, they all fell silent.
“Yes boys and girls, a simple ruse isn’t going to do it. The Wraith need to see bits of Atlantis, charred and broken. Destruction on an epic scale. They need to see something to write home about.”
Kavanaugh was no longer the only person in the room looking green.
“You can’t be serious!” Teresa exclaimed. “After all this you’re just going to let them destroy the city?”
Rodney looked at her patiently and then sought out Penley’s face in the gathered group, spotting the engineer and sharing a grin with him.
“We’re going to make them think they’ve destroyed the city.”
“I thought you said a simple ruse wasn’t going to cut it?” Rodney’s attention was drawn to Jack and he raised an eyebrow.
“Oh no, it won’t. We’re going with a really complex ruse this time. Only way to be sure.”
xxxxxx
“What’s that?” A gruff voice behind her made Park turn around.
She froze when she noticed the large man that had been brought through the gate. “I…uh.,um…” she leaned sideways and noticed that there was a lack of armed guard behind him. She righted in her chair and then slid sideways so her body was blocking the long range scanner. “It’s nothing.”
Ronon frowned when his eyes went up and over her shoulder to the left, hearing the murmur of voices issuing from the closed conference room. “What’s going on in there?”
He’d been down to the infirmary but Daniel had been gone. He’d asked a tiny nurse where Daniel was but she’d backed away from him with large, terrified eyes and he hadn’t pushed her, not really wanting to scare anyone. He was smart enough to realise that he would be imposing to most people in this strange city so he was constantly trying to be as polite as possible, but he supposed the very public hostage taking had not won him very many friends.
He wasn’t really fussed though; there was really only one person in the city whose opinion of him mattered. Alright, he had to admit there was two now. Ever since he’d found out that Major Sheppard wasn’t involved with Daniel, he’d allowed himself to feel respect and a general liking of the man because he recognised a competent warrior when he saw one and he saw something of his Satedan comrades is arms in Sheppard.
“Should you be… up here?” Park asked and Ronon looked at her in surprise.
“I don’t know, is this one of the restricted areas?” Ronon knew that there were some parts of the city he wasn’t supposed to go but no one had actually gotten around to telling him which those were. Everyone had been called to a meeting before he could get the details.
“Oh, um, not really. I mean, you probably shouldn’t be. I don’t think they’d want you near the ‘gate. You’re not supposed to leave right?”
Ronon glanced sideways at the ‘gate and then at the DHD control that Park had unconsciously rested her hand on. Park looked at it herself and then paled. Ronon grinned, trying for disarming but he feared he was coming off menacing when Park scooted her chair backwards a little, looking over the railing of the control room to the ‘gate room below, her eyes resting longingly on the three marines that were standing in a small group, chatting amiably.
Ronon held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said and saw Park’s eyes widen further. He figured the best thing to do was retreat and find Daniel later, considering he was probably in the meeting they were having.
“I’ll just go, shall I?” he said, holding up his hands and taking a few steps backwards. He turned and saw a man step back into the shadows of the hallway just above the ‘gate room and Ronon’s eyes narrowed.
He looked back at Park who was still looking faintly terrorised and sighed.
He wasn’t trusted in this place and he doubted he ever would be. He knew the orders surrounding him was that he wasn’t allowed to leave the planet, but he knew there were Athosians on the mainland, a people he was familiar with and would probably have an easier time adjusting to his presence.
With a pang of regret, he headed towards the Jumper bay, somewhere Daniel had shown him, planning on asking for a lift over with one of the supply runs.
xxxxxx
Penley had been called to the front of the room and was blushing scarlet as he laid out Rodney’s plan. He flipped through schematics, pointing out things as he went. “The south and eastern most piers break off into sections here,” he said indicating the broad flat tips of city, “here and here,” he continued, drawing his hand down in a small arc. “From what we’ve been able to pull from the Ancient database, the city is definitely meant to be capable of intergalactic flight, but not the whole city.”
Rodney looked around, taking in the fascinated faces. Penley had paused and Rodney nodded for him to go on.
“They expanded the city in these sections and the whole thing is actually on a platform of sorts. If you ever saw Atlantis take off, you would think that you were only seeing the top layer leaving. That’s basically what happens.”
“Are we sure?” Elizabeth asked. She was leaning forward in her chair, eyes bright.
“We’re sure,” Rodney interjected when Penley failed to respond. “They expanded the city with their population growth but when actually in space, they put a lot of the population into their version of stasis so they don’t need as much living area. Just think of it as the Ancients having basically built a city around a ship, a city they could leave behind if the need ever arose.”
“That’s just… very cool,” John sighed and Rodney had to grin at him. They’d struck up a necessary working relationship but he found himself liking the man more and more. He felt in another life and under different circumstances they might have been friends sooner, despite their glaring differences.
“So…?” Jack prompted from his seat, steepling fingers under his chin.
“So, during a Wraith bombardment, we sink the ship part of the city and let them blast the remaining to smithereens, seeing nothing but floating wreckage and debris when they’re finished.”
“You know how to do this?” Elizabeth asked, obviously awed.
Rodney held up a finger. “I’ll need a little help, but yes, we know how to do this.”
“There’s a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” Jack said, astute as always and Rodney looked at him patiently.
“Of course there’s a but. Isn’t there always? I blow up a moon and a Wraith and Goa’uld ship in the process but we have to deal with earth quakes and unpredictable tidal forces afterwards. I can move the city into another plain of existence but only for a short period of time and we were damn lucky that the Wraith scanned and then left without hanging about. I am the ‘but man’-“ There was a great deal of sniggering in the room that broke off as Jack made a point of glaring at whoever was doing it, mentally filing their faces away for later. “What I mean to say is, we’re going to lose a chunk of the city in all this and we have to make sure there isn’t anything important that we might need later. We’re going to have to devote every bit of power we have to shielding the portion of the city we’re sinking and it’s going to be damn cold underneath the ocean and we’ll be restricted to how long we can stay down there. Plus, we know how to sink the city but are not sure how to keep it on the ocean floor yet.”
“That’s a lot of but.” Elizabeth said, her tone worried.
Rodney held up his hands. “Trust me,” he said simply.
xxxxxxx
Rodney had asked for Daniel to hang back after the meeting and he had done so. Jack was the last one to leave the room, casting a worried glance at them both but Rodney had waved him off with a smile. Jack didn’t look very reassured but he left anyway. Rodney wondered if Jack were ever going to trust him where Daniel was concerned, or trust Daniel.
He thought wryly that although the man terrified him, Ronon might serve as a way to allay Jack’s final concerns in that area.
“I need you to talk to Ford again.” Rodney said, with no preamble.
Daniel blinked at him. “You mean-“
“Actually talk to him, inside.” Rodney watched Daniel’s face, measuring the reaction but saw that he was carefully closed down. “Look, I know it might seem like asking a little much but I need to know how to keep Atlantis anchored on the ocean floor and while the information we need will definitely be in the Ancient database, we just don’t have the luxury of time we need to actually look for it.”
“I understand that, but-“
“Daniel, I wouldn’t ask if we weren’t desperate.” Rodney said, taking Daniel’s hands across the table he’d been leaning on. Daniel pulled his hands away and Rodney sighed.
“Look, the last time..” Daniel trailed off, looking torn. Rodney realised that he hadn’t actually asked what it had been like for Daniel, hooking into the city and Ford that way and he probably should have.
With a pang he knew there were a lot of things he should have done where Daniel was concerned but hadn’t. He knew he had pulled away completely, not even trying to hold onto their friendship in the last few weeks. It had just been easier for him but it had to hurt Daniel. When they’d been involved, they’d always had breaks when one or the other was seeing someone else, but their friendship had remained intact every time, up until this last break.
It had been for Jack, Rodney realised. He couldn’t have Jack and still be close to Daniel and he had made his choice. Just the look Jack had given him when he’d left the room had confirmed it. Jack probably did trust him but would never trust Daniel and Daniel would always be a sore spot.
Rodney had sacrificed Daniel to make his and Jack’s relationship work and there was no going back.
Daniel was studying his face carefully, as if he could read Rodney’s thoughts and Rodney flushed and stood.
“We need this,” Rodney said simply.
“Okay.” Daniel nodded.
xxxxxx
Daniel caught him just as he was about to step onto the puddle jumper.
“Where are you going?” Daniel asked and Ronon turned, knowing that was a mistake. Seeing Daniel standing behind him, one hand on the wall to support him because he wasn’t yet at full strength and looking achingly fragile made Ronon’s resolve to leave disappear completely.
“I scare your people. I thought if I stayed with the Athosians for a while-“
“No,” Daniel said, finality in his tone.
Ronon quirked an eyebrow at him. “No?”
“No,” Daniel repeated. He relinquished his hold on the wall and stepped forward. Bartook, who’d been going to ferry Ronon over, discreetly made his exit.
“Your people don’t trust me. I still had one of your soldiers following me and I think I gave the small girl in the control room heart failure.”
“I’m sorry about the tail, I only just found out about that and it’s going to stop. As for Park, well, you’re big and imposing and the last time she saw you, you were holding Elizabeth and Teyla hostage.”
“True. That’s what they all see when they look at me. I was trying to protect you but they just see me threatening one of their own. I understand that. I’m just trying to do the right thing here.”
“Screw the right thing,” Daniel snapped and Ronon blinked at him in surprise. “I’ve lost way too much in this life. I’ve been through too much. Something good came waltzing into my life and no matter how unconventional; I’m going to hang onto it. If you don’t like it, tough.”
Daniel’s speech would have made more impact if he hadn’t wobbled to the left on the last word, gasping as a sharp twinge ripped through his abdomen. Ronon automatically reached forward and threaded arms under Daniel’s, pulling him to his body and holding him there while Daniel breathed raggedly through the pain. When it subsided, he moved back a little but not enough to move out of Ronon’s arms.
“I don’t know what happened to you exactly, but if my staying helps even a little, then I will.” Ronon said gently. Daniel, who at over six feet wasn’t used to being the smaller of a pairing, felt a small thrill chase through him at how he was being held, gently and with great care.
“Thanks,” Daniel sighed, resting his forehead on Ronon’s broad chest for a moment before looking back up at the taller man. “Look, there’s something I have to do and I’d like you to be there, to catch me afterwards.”
Ronon looked at him in confusion, looking even more puzzled when Daniel added, “Because the last time, I almost crushed Teyla.”
xxxxxx
“I find it adorable that you’re jealous, but you don’t need to be.”
Jack scowled at Rodney. “Didn’t anyone every teach you not to poke a cobra with a stick?” he asked cryptically and Rodney snorted.
“Where on earth do you get this stuff? Is there some book you read called ‘How to confuse and just generally weird people out?’”
“I mean, don’t make fun of me,” Jack grumbled. “I get that the kid is important to you-“
“Daniel was important to me. You are important to me. See the difference?”
“Don’t give me that crap. You still care about him,” Jack snarled.
“For chrissakes, of course I do. How callous do you think I am? I know this would be easier back on earth if we didn’t have to see him everyday but we’re in a unique and very odd situation and I can’t avoid him and sometimes I’m going to need to work with him. I don’t want Daniel, I want you.”
“He still worries me. I still don’t think he’s… all there.”
“Jesus, Jack. There’s a lot of people that still don’t think you’re all there.”
Jack’s mouth firmed down into the line that well and truly announced that he was pissed off. Rodney rolled his eyes and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Jack who stiffened but finally relaxed, letting himself be hugged.
“If anyone should be nervous about this thing we’re doing, it should be me. You know how I feel. I can’t say the same about you.”
“Hell you don’t,” Jack protested but Rodney just pulled back and glared at him.
“I’ve told you.”
Jack grimaced. “I’m working on it. I’ll get there,” he promised, sounding contrite.
Rodney ran hands up underneath Jack’s shirt, trailing fingertips through the wiry chest hair. “See, I trust that you will. Why can’t you trust me where Daniel’s concerned?”
“I’ll try,” Jack allowed and Rodney chuckled, burying his face in the hollow between Jack’s throat and shoulder.
“Try harder,” he grumbled.
Part 13
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