Fic:SGA:Checkmate: The Road Home: Gata
Title: The Road Home, Gata, part 1, a Checkmate story
Series:Checkmate ‘Verse
Author: Beadattitude
Pairing: John/Rodney
Rating: G
Beta: yin_again (Thanks yintastic one!)
Warnings: Animal transformation, angst, schmoop, romance
Author's Notes: I'm still working on the transformation fic, which is taking longer than expected because I just really want to get it right, y'all. So, since you've been waiting so patiently, here's how it all starts.
Summary: Part of the Checkmate ‘verse endgame. John feels like he needs to return to Gata for his transformation. Set after “Conviction.”
Teaser:
“Colonel Sheppard seems to feel that it’s imperative that he return to Gata immediately.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth sounded a little nonplussed. “He told you this?”
._~*~_._~*~_._~*~_.
John strolled in around four in the morning and caught Rodney tossing and turning on a bed peppered liberally with physics journals and magazines. The lights were at a level of polite dimness - theoretically for John (who, of course, had excellent night vision) - but really for Rodney to see John when he chose to slip back into the room.
Not that he was worried.
Hearing the door open and shut, Rodney sighed and punched his pillow. “I take it all is well?” he asked a little bitterly.
John sat on the end of the bed and stared at Rodney, his head tilted.
“What?” Rodney asked, narrowing his eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t check Jenson's calculations again. He’s going to get spoiled.”
He might have been a little defensive at being caught awake while John was out doing the restless prowling thing for the third night in a row. Rodney couldn't quite get to sleep until John had returned to their quarters - his quarters - the room safe and sound. Not that there was anything out there that might hurt John, but he just….
He took a longer look. “What is it?”
John was shifting his weight from one paw to the other nervously. He was looking at Rodney with the kind of expression he wore when he was about to admit to something he’d done that was really stupid or embarrassing.
“You didn’t break up another lover’s lane did you? Are you okay?”
(John had fallen asleep in a tree in the conservatory, and fallen out of it when an overly enthusiastic anthropologist tackled a marine against the trunk. In the scramble for dignity, John had been accidentally kicked. He’d only been a little bruised and embarrassed, but Rodney had been out for blood. John was forced to set his teeth in Rodney's ear until he promised to back off.)
With one, final, pained look, John planted his feet, stared him right in the eye and said, “Nnnoow.”
Rodney stared at him, mouth open. “What?” he said faintly.
“Now.”
“Oh my god.”
“Ronnnee,” John growled, impatient. “Rrrrodneh.”
“Ohmygod, that’s my name!” Rodney crowed, grinning, as he grabbed John and lay back, holding his squirming, complaining friend over his head.
“Oh my god, you can talk! I mean, you talked before, but it was meowing and I understood you mostly but you can speak English now and you sound mostly like my Aunt Millie, who was born with, with, with you know, deafness, and oh shut up and put your claws back in, I’m going to hug you.” And he did, lowering the glowering cat to his chest.
“Look at you, you got your fur all irritated and poofed out for nothing,” he said happily, smoothing it down. “Say something else.”
John looked at him flatly. “Gaaata. Now.”
“Oh.” Rodney said, suddenly breathless. “Oh. Now Now. ”
“Nnnnow.”
“Oh, shit.” He jumped up, scrambling for his radio and his pants, and dumped John unceremoniously on the floor.
“Rrrowr!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Rodney babbled. “Do you feel okay? I mean, is this that something that just came over you or I don’t know….” He stopped. “Why do we have to go now?”
John shifted his paws again and looked up at Rodney his ears twitching. “Doon nnno?”
“You don’t know?”
“Mow. No.”
“Why are you talking now?”
“Mrrrrowr!” John said in irritation.
“Yes, obviously dressing!” Rodney snapped back, hopping around on one foot. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me!”
“Haaar.”
“Heart?”
”Harrr-d” John said, obviously struggling to enunciate.
“But. Still!”
“Rrrrr.” John walked over to the door and stood, waiting.
“I’m coming! Jesus!” Rodney stuffed his feet into his shoes and keyed his radio.
“McKay to Weir.”
“Rodney? What’s wrong?”
“Colonel Sheppard seems to feel that it’s imperative that he return to Gata immediately.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth sounded a little nonplussed. “He told you this?”
“No, Elizabeth, he communicated via his Quija board!” Rodney bent to scoop John up and settle him on his shoulders. “Apparently he’s been practicing human speech for emergencies, so he could scare us with the unearthly tone of his voice. Suffice it to say that he made himself quite clear.’” John pressed his head next to Rodney’s radio, listening in.
“I see,” Elizabeth replied frostily. “I’m not sure I should authorize this mission based on the say-so of the Gatan shaman who thought Colonel Sheppard might like to return and a talking cat, no matter who it is. Did we get any information about the transformation process from the database? Have you consulted Carson?”
Rodney reached up and scratched Sheppard’s neck in sympathy as he boarded the transporter.
“No, I haven’t consulted Carson, the human internist, about my friend, the cat. As for the process, you were the one who gathered the information, and that information was, well, spotty at best because they won’t let us examine the device! Elizabeth, please. Colonel Sheppard hasn’t asked for a thing for himself during this whole process, and has continued to be a vital part of this community while in feline form, something that I’m sure you can agree that not many people could accomplish; especially his work continuing to support and lead his men. And let me remind you; the sooner he transforms back into human form, the sooner you get your full-time military commander back.”
“Okay, Rodney, I’m convinced. I take it that you’ll want Teyla and Ronon to join you?”
“Yes, I think we should go as a team. Thank you.”
“Rodney, I should apologize; you caught me a little off guard. Just…just don’t do any other ceremonies while you’re there, all right?”
“Understood.” Rodney keyed his radio again. “Teyla, Ronon, this is McKay, do you read?”
“I am here, Rodney,” Teyla said.
“Sheppard says it’s time to go to Gata. We have the go ahead for a mission. Please meet me in the gateroom in ten? Oh, oh, and swing by the Colonel’s quarters and pick up the bag on his bed, if you would. I meant to have it with me. And can you get Ronon?”
“Yes. We will be there as soon as possible, Rodney,” Teyla sounded nervous or excited, and Rodney tried to not let that ratchet up his own tension as he keyed the transporter.
“So,” he said to John, rubbing his ears. “Road trip?”
._~*~_._~*~_._~*~_.
Series:Checkmate ‘Verse
Author: Beadattitude
Pairing: John/Rodney
Rating: G
Beta: yin_again (Thanks yintastic one!)
Warnings: Animal transformation, angst, schmoop, romance
Author's Notes: I'm still working on the transformation fic, which is taking longer than expected because I just really want to get it right, y'all. So, since you've been waiting so patiently, here's how it all starts.
Summary: Part of the Checkmate ‘verse endgame. John feels like he needs to return to Gata for his transformation. Set after “Conviction.”
Teaser:
“Colonel Sheppard seems to feel that it’s imperative that he return to Gata immediately.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth sounded a little nonplussed. “He told you this?”
._~*~_._~*~_._~*~_.
John strolled in around four in the morning and caught Rodney tossing and turning on a bed peppered liberally with physics journals and magazines. The lights were at a level of polite dimness - theoretically for John (who, of course, had excellent night vision) - but really for Rodney to see John when he chose to slip back into the room.
Not that he was worried.
Hearing the door open and shut, Rodney sighed and punched his pillow. “I take it all is well?” he asked a little bitterly.
John sat on the end of the bed and stared at Rodney, his head tilted.
“What?” Rodney asked, narrowing his eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t check Jenson's calculations again. He’s going to get spoiled.”
He might have been a little defensive at being caught awake while John was out doing the restless prowling thing for the third night in a row. Rodney couldn't quite get to sleep until John had returned to their quarters - his quarters - the room safe and sound. Not that there was anything out there that might hurt John, but he just….
He took a longer look. “What is it?”
John was shifting his weight from one paw to the other nervously. He was looking at Rodney with the kind of expression he wore when he was about to admit to something he’d done that was really stupid or embarrassing.
“You didn’t break up another lover’s lane did you? Are you okay?”
(John had fallen asleep in a tree in the conservatory, and fallen out of it when an overly enthusiastic anthropologist tackled a marine against the trunk. In the scramble for dignity, John had been accidentally kicked. He’d only been a little bruised and embarrassed, but Rodney had been out for blood. John was forced to set his teeth in Rodney's ear until he promised to back off.)
With one, final, pained look, John planted his feet, stared him right in the eye and said, “Nnnoow.”
Rodney stared at him, mouth open. “What?” he said faintly.
“Now.”
“Oh my god.”
“Ronnnee,” John growled, impatient. “Rrrrodneh.”
“Ohmygod, that’s my name!” Rodney crowed, grinning, as he grabbed John and lay back, holding his squirming, complaining friend over his head.
“Oh my god, you can talk! I mean, you talked before, but it was meowing and I understood you mostly but you can speak English now and you sound mostly like my Aunt Millie, who was born with, with, with you know, deafness, and oh shut up and put your claws back in, I’m going to hug you.” And he did, lowering the glowering cat to his chest.
“Look at you, you got your fur all irritated and poofed out for nothing,” he said happily, smoothing it down. “Say something else.”
John looked at him flatly. “Gaaata. Now.”
“Oh.” Rodney said, suddenly breathless. “Oh. Now Now. ”
“Nnnnow.”
“Oh, shit.” He jumped up, scrambling for his radio and his pants, and dumped John unceremoniously on the floor.
“Rrrowr!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Rodney babbled. “Do you feel okay? I mean, is this that something that just came over you or I don’t know….” He stopped. “Why do we have to go now?”
John shifted his paws again and looked up at Rodney his ears twitching. “Doon nnno?”
“You don’t know?”
“Mow. No.”
“Why are you talking now?”
“Mrrrrowr!” John said in irritation.
“Yes, obviously dressing!” Rodney snapped back, hopping around on one foot. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me!”
“Haaar.”
“Heart?”
”Harrr-d” John said, obviously struggling to enunciate.
“But. Still!”
“Rrrrr.” John walked over to the door and stood, waiting.
“I’m coming! Jesus!” Rodney stuffed his feet into his shoes and keyed his radio.
“McKay to Weir.”
“Rodney? What’s wrong?”
“Colonel Sheppard seems to feel that it’s imperative that he return to Gata immediately.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth sounded a little nonplussed. “He told you this?”
“No, Elizabeth, he communicated via his Quija board!” Rodney bent to scoop John up and settle him on his shoulders. “Apparently he’s been practicing human speech for emergencies, so he could scare us with the unearthly tone of his voice. Suffice it to say that he made himself quite clear.’” John pressed his head next to Rodney’s radio, listening in.
“I see,” Elizabeth replied frostily. “I’m not sure I should authorize this mission based on the say-so of the Gatan shaman who thought Colonel Sheppard might like to return and a talking cat, no matter who it is. Did we get any information about the transformation process from the database? Have you consulted Carson?”
Rodney reached up and scratched Sheppard’s neck in sympathy as he boarded the transporter.
“No, I haven’t consulted Carson, the human internist, about my friend, the cat. As for the process, you were the one who gathered the information, and that information was, well, spotty at best because they won’t let us examine the device! Elizabeth, please. Colonel Sheppard hasn’t asked for a thing for himself during this whole process, and has continued to be a vital part of this community while in feline form, something that I’m sure you can agree that not many people could accomplish; especially his work continuing to support and lead his men. And let me remind you; the sooner he transforms back into human form, the sooner you get your full-time military commander back.”
“Okay, Rodney, I’m convinced. I take it that you’ll want Teyla and Ronon to join you?”
“Yes, I think we should go as a team. Thank you.”
“Rodney, I should apologize; you caught me a little off guard. Just…just don’t do any other ceremonies while you’re there, all right?”
“Understood.” Rodney keyed his radio again. “Teyla, Ronon, this is McKay, do you read?”
“I am here, Rodney,” Teyla said.
“Sheppard says it’s time to go to Gata. We have the go ahead for a mission. Please meet me in the gateroom in ten? Oh, oh, and swing by the Colonel’s quarters and pick up the bag on his bed, if you would. I meant to have it with me. And can you get Ronon?”
“Yes. We will be there as soon as possible, Rodney,” Teyla sounded nervous or excited, and Rodney tried to not let that ratchet up his own tension as he keyed the transporter.
“So,” he said to John, rubbing his ears. “Road trip?”
._~*~_._~*~_._~*~_.