Fic: "Match" by kyrdwyn [PG, Sheppard/Beckett]
Title: Match
Author: kyrdwyn
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sheppard/Beckett
Spoilers: None
Series: Lucy Fur
Sequel to: Lucy and Fever
Beta: rosewildeirish, remaining errors are mine
Summary: "Guess she decided I was her pet and no one was stopping her," Sheppard added with a smile for his cat.
Art by the lovely thefannishwaldo
Lucy moved closer to Carson's leg and gave a rumbling purr. Carson smiled and continued to rub behind her ears as he read. Colonel Sheppard's alien cat had been a constant fixture at Carson's side during his convalescence from the fever he'd caught. Carson didn't mind - Lucy had been the one to find him when his temperature had started to spike, bringing along Colonel Sheppard to ensure Carson was taken care of. Having Lucy at his side reassured Carson that any relapse would be detected. Plus she was good company.
Lucy's head popped up, and she gave a happy mew and a tail thump. Carson looked up at the door to his quarters just as it chimed. "Come in," he called, knowing who had to be on the other side.
John Sheppard opened the door and smiled when he saw the two of them. "Lucy, you making sure Dr. Beckett sticks to his recovery plan?"
Lucy gave a smug mrow and arched into Carson's hand, demanding he pet her.
"She's been very conscientious, Colonel," Carson replied as he ran his hand over her silky fur.
Sheppard pulled Carson's desk chair over and sat down by the bed, scritching under Lucy's chin. "She was worried about you."
"I don't know why she's so fascinated with me," Carson said, with an apologetic smile at the colonel. "I'm not anything special."
"She seems to think so," Sheppard said. "And you are special to the people in the city, Doc," he added with a reproachful look.
Carson blushed. "I know, Colonel, but Lucy was a gift to you. You're supposed to be her special person."
Lucy rolled over on her back, presenting her tummy for attention. Sheppard rubbed it lightly, but Carson could see his mind was elsewhere. Carson continued to pet Lucy, waiting to see if Sheppard would speak.
"You know Lucy was a gift from the Altenlians, well, from their chief's daughter in repayment of her life debt to me."
Carson nodded. Sheppard had jumped into a flood-stage river to save the six year old girl from drowning. Under Altenlian law, the child owed Sheppard a debt for saving her life. Sheppard had tried to reassure her parents that it wasn't necessary to repay the debt, but they'd insisted, trying to offer him foodstuffs beyond what the planet could afford. When the little girl had offered Sheppard the pick of her cat's litter of kittens in payment, saying she offered him a life in exchange for her life, Sheppard had accepted.
From what Rodney had told Carson, the life-debt issue had embarrassed the colonel. He'd saved the girl because it was the right thing to do, not because he'd wanted the tribe to owe him something. Sheppard had refused to put the health of the planet's population in jeopardy by taking the food, but the kitten, offered freely by the little girl he'd rescued, had been easier for Sheppard to accept.
"I named her Lucy Fur because she fought like the devil against her brothers and sisters to get out of the box they were in and into my hands. Guess she decided I was her pet and no one was stopping her," Sheppard added with a smile for his cat. "I wasn't much of a cat person, but I had to admire her determination. Still have to admire it, actually."
"Aye," Carson said. "I do too. Especially when I benefit from that determination."
Sheppard smiled up at him. "Yeah. You did." He looked down at the happily purring cat. "The chief told me several interesting things about Lucy's species, beyond the fact that they are descended from pets of the Ancestors. One being that if their owners are unattached adults, they tend to . . . well, play matchmaker."
Carson's hand stilled on Lucy and he looked up at Sheppard. "Play matchmaker?" he asked.
Sheppard nodded. "I think Lucy's fascination with you is her way of trying to set me up with you."
"Hrm-mrow," Lucy said. Carson looked down at her. Her eyes were mere slits, but she had a smug air about her.
"A cat as a matchmaker," Carson said. "And here I'd thought I'd seen it all once I'd met life sucking space vampires."
Sheppard chuckled, then sobered. "She's not so far off the mark, though, is she?" he asked, looking straight into Carson's eyes.
Carson stilled. He knew Lucy and Colonel Sheppard had been the ones who'd found him when his fever had begun to spike, but he had no memory of them coming into his room. "Oh?" he asked, hoping his voice was calm.
Sheppard smiled. "When you were out of it from the fever, you told me you loved me."
Carson blinked. "I was out of it, Colonel; I don't think I can be held accountable for my words."
Sheppard gave him a warm, lazy smile. "Oh, I think you can. After all, I've got Lucy as my witness." The smile got wider, causing Carson's heart to beat faster. "I don't know about you, but I've discovered that Lucy's not someone to ignore." Sheppard leaned closer. "Especially when she's right," he murmured before his lips brushed Carson's.
Carson sighed when John kissed him, letting his mouth fall open under the tender assault. One of John's hands came up to cup his jaw, and someone moaned. John shifted from the chair to the bed without breaking the kiss, pressing Carson back against his pillows. Carson went willingly, one hand coming up to thread through John's unruly hair.
When they finally parted, Carson stared up into John's lust-darkened eyes. John smiled down at him. "I never argue with a lady when she's right."
"Except Elizabeth," Carson said with a smirk.
John chuckled and nuzzled at Carson's jaw. "I don't think there's a way I can answer that without getting in trouble, is there?"
Carson tilted his head. "You could kiss me again," he hinted.
John smiled. "I can do that."
As he put words into action, Lucy jumped off the bed and headed for the door. She slipped out of the room, happy that her pets had finally gotten together, and wondering if she could match the one called McKay with the one called Zelenka. Purring happily, she took off to find them.
Author: kyrdwyn
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sheppard/Beckett
Spoilers: None
Series: Lucy Fur
Sequel to: Lucy and Fever
Beta: rosewildeirish, remaining errors are mine
Summary: "Guess she decided I was her pet and no one was stopping her," Sheppard added with a smile for his cat.
Art by the lovely thefannishwaldo
Lucy moved closer to Carson's leg and gave a rumbling purr. Carson smiled and continued to rub behind her ears as he read. Colonel Sheppard's alien cat had been a constant fixture at Carson's side during his convalescence from the fever he'd caught. Carson didn't mind - Lucy had been the one to find him when his temperature had started to spike, bringing along Colonel Sheppard to ensure Carson was taken care of. Having Lucy at his side reassured Carson that any relapse would be detected. Plus she was good company.
Lucy's head popped up, and she gave a happy mew and a tail thump. Carson looked up at the door to his quarters just as it chimed. "Come in," he called, knowing who had to be on the other side.
John Sheppard opened the door and smiled when he saw the two of them. "Lucy, you making sure Dr. Beckett sticks to his recovery plan?"
Lucy gave a smug mrow and arched into Carson's hand, demanding he pet her.
"She's been very conscientious, Colonel," Carson replied as he ran his hand over her silky fur.
Sheppard pulled Carson's desk chair over and sat down by the bed, scritching under Lucy's chin. "She was worried about you."
"I don't know why she's so fascinated with me," Carson said, with an apologetic smile at the colonel. "I'm not anything special."
"She seems to think so," Sheppard said. "And you are special to the people in the city, Doc," he added with a reproachful look.
Carson blushed. "I know, Colonel, but Lucy was a gift to you. You're supposed to be her special person."
Lucy rolled over on her back, presenting her tummy for attention. Sheppard rubbed it lightly, but Carson could see his mind was elsewhere. Carson continued to pet Lucy, waiting to see if Sheppard would speak.
"You know Lucy was a gift from the Altenlians, well, from their chief's daughter in repayment of her life debt to me."
Carson nodded. Sheppard had jumped into a flood-stage river to save the six year old girl from drowning. Under Altenlian law, the child owed Sheppard a debt for saving her life. Sheppard had tried to reassure her parents that it wasn't necessary to repay the debt, but they'd insisted, trying to offer him foodstuffs beyond what the planet could afford. When the little girl had offered Sheppard the pick of her cat's litter of kittens in payment, saying she offered him a life in exchange for her life, Sheppard had accepted.
From what Rodney had told Carson, the life-debt issue had embarrassed the colonel. He'd saved the girl because it was the right thing to do, not because he'd wanted the tribe to owe him something. Sheppard had refused to put the health of the planet's population in jeopardy by taking the food, but the kitten, offered freely by the little girl he'd rescued, had been easier for Sheppard to accept.
"I named her Lucy Fur because she fought like the devil against her brothers and sisters to get out of the box they were in and into my hands. Guess she decided I was her pet and no one was stopping her," Sheppard added with a smile for his cat. "I wasn't much of a cat person, but I had to admire her determination. Still have to admire it, actually."
"Aye," Carson said. "I do too. Especially when I benefit from that determination."
Sheppard smiled up at him. "Yeah. You did." He looked down at the happily purring cat. "The chief told me several interesting things about Lucy's species, beyond the fact that they are descended from pets of the Ancestors. One being that if their owners are unattached adults, they tend to . . . well, play matchmaker."
Carson's hand stilled on Lucy and he looked up at Sheppard. "Play matchmaker?" he asked.
Sheppard nodded. "I think Lucy's fascination with you is her way of trying to set me up with you."
"Hrm-mrow," Lucy said. Carson looked down at her. Her eyes were mere slits, but she had a smug air about her.
"A cat as a matchmaker," Carson said. "And here I'd thought I'd seen it all once I'd met life sucking space vampires."
Sheppard chuckled, then sobered. "She's not so far off the mark, though, is she?" he asked, looking straight into Carson's eyes.
Carson stilled. He knew Lucy and Colonel Sheppard had been the ones who'd found him when his fever had begun to spike, but he had no memory of them coming into his room. "Oh?" he asked, hoping his voice was calm.
Sheppard smiled. "When you were out of it from the fever, you told me you loved me."
Carson blinked. "I was out of it, Colonel; I don't think I can be held accountable for my words."
Sheppard gave him a warm, lazy smile. "Oh, I think you can. After all, I've got Lucy as my witness." The smile got wider, causing Carson's heart to beat faster. "I don't know about you, but I've discovered that Lucy's not someone to ignore." Sheppard leaned closer. "Especially when she's right," he murmured before his lips brushed Carson's.
Carson sighed when John kissed him, letting his mouth fall open under the tender assault. One of John's hands came up to cup his jaw, and someone moaned. John shifted from the chair to the bed without breaking the kiss, pressing Carson back against his pillows. Carson went willingly, one hand coming up to thread through John's unruly hair.
When they finally parted, Carson stared up into John's lust-darkened eyes. John smiled down at him. "I never argue with a lady when she's right."
"Except Elizabeth," Carson said with a smirk.
John chuckled and nuzzled at Carson's jaw. "I don't think there's a way I can answer that without getting in trouble, is there?"
Carson tilted his head. "You could kiss me again," he hinted.
John smiled. "I can do that."
As he put words into action, Lucy jumped off the bed and headed for the door. She slipped out of the room, happy that her pets had finally gotten together, and wondering if she could match the one called McKay with the one called Zelenka. Purring happily, she took off to find them.