Fic: Team Building of the Flies (McKay/Sheppard/Dex/Emmagan)
Title: Team Building of the Flies
Author: rysler
Source: Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard/Ronon/Teyla
Rating: NC-17
Recipient: telesilla for sga_santa
Team Building of the Flies
Rodney couldn't move. Ronon had pinned him perfectly. Hands pinned his up against the headboard. Knees pressed against his thighs. Ronon's legs were tilted at just the right angle for maximum pressure with minimum effort. It was--beautiful, really, this exertion of physics. Never mind that he was completely immobilized because Ronon was simply bigger and stronger. Rodney struggled. Or, his brain sent orders to his brain to struggle, but he didn't actually move.
Ronon was good.
Rodney thrashed his head against the pillows. He feared helplessness, feared his own weakness, more than anything else, and it was unfair of Ronon to make it so clear, that Rodney could be reduced to nothing so easily. His cock rose, straining against his belly, reminding him on an instinctive level that it was important to face fear, not run from it and save the world, time after time, terrified of being this--an out of shape male that Darwin would have taken care of long ago, if not for his superior intellect.
His superior intellect couldn't get him out of this one. He had tried. He had been talking, babbling, for a half-hour, trying to wear Ronon down with logic, with emotions, with promises, with bribes. Ronon hadn't even laughed; just pinned him like the perfect machine. The perfect man.
"It's not fair," Rodney said.
"No talking," John said, stepping into view. Rodney squinted.
"Good," Teyla said, kneeling on the bed, opposite from John. She slid between Ronon's arms--he was a marvel of engineering in every way--and kissed Rodney.
Rodney woke up. He sighed and looked down at the tented blanket above his hips, and muttered, "Just once I'd like to sleep through the good part."
* * *
"You can't be serious," John said, tossing the file on the table. The dramatic gesture didn't have the force he intended. Sam merely smiled at him, her hand pressed together. "Really?" he asked.
"Look, now that we have the gate bridge, Earth's going to get a lot more involved. And that's a good thing. More supplies, more support, more comic books." She continued smiling at him.
No wonder they let her blow up planets. John was considering following these orders, and she hadn't even offered him any logic.
She said, "But Earth is aware that the bridge goes both ways. We're a lot more vulnerable to influence from the Pegasus Galaxy now."
There was the logic. He sighed.
"We just have to know we can trust the aliens," she said.
"We can. And besides, we're the aliens. This is their turf."
Sam folded her hand, and said, "Sorry. Ten years of doing this from the other side. Look, it doesn't hurt to have a close team."
"We have a close team."
"Do you? Teyla's upset about her people. Ronon almost betrayed you--just recently, wasn't it? We barely got Rodney to come back from Earth after what happened with his sister. You need to unite them, even when there's no true common purpose."
"Are you speaking from experience, Colonel?"
"I'll tell you my stories when you tell me yours, John."
"So..." He wiped his hands on his pants and asked, "I have to go get some stories to tell?"
"Good luck," she said.
"Yeah."
* * *
John wasn't hungry, and he knew the team noticed. The mess hall was serving tacos. He loved taco night. See, he thought. They know about the tacos. Why go further?
Ronon reached for his untouched taco. John stopped him with a gesture of his fork and said, "The IOA thinks we should have sex."
Teyla looked at him steadily. Ronon's eyes narrowed. McKay dropped his fork and said, "What I do with Katie is none of anyone's--"
"With each other," John added.
Rodney looked pale.
Ronon leaned back and folded his arms.
Teyla looked exasperated.
"I'm just saying," John said. "Those are my orders."
"You can't be serious," Rodney said.
"No, I'm not serious. They want us to do some team-building exercises, maybe a sweat lodge, talk about our feelings, share. Hold hands. I thought it'd probably be easier to accomplish their 'goals' by just having sex."
"Earth people--" Teyla started, and groped for words.
"Suck," Ronon said.
"I was going to say something more diplomatic, Ronon," Teyla chided.
Rodney said, "No, he's right. We suck. Could we not live our lives without a little interference? Hasn't saving the universe gotten me the right to choose who I'd like to--"
"So you wouldn't want to have sex with me?" John asked, batting his eyelashes at Rodney.
Rodney looked away, out at the ocean.
Teyla said, "Eat your tacos, John."
Ronon asked, "What's a sweat lodge?"
* * *
Sam stepped up to the edge of the event horizon, and then turned back to look up at John. Keller, overburdened from her pack, continued staring straight ahead, willing Sam to join her before she toppled over.
John waved. He said, "I'll water the plants."
Sam smiled, waved back, and disappeared with Keller through the Stargate.
"So, you're in charge," Rodney said.
"With the Apollo a week away and the Colonel gone, yes, I'm in charge."
"Where's Sam going, anyway?"
"It's classified."
Rodney inhaled and began counting under his breath.
"What are you doing?"
"Waiting for something to blow up."
"So, Atlantian paintball game?"
Rodney glared at him.
"What? With a few hundred people and a base this size, it could be really fun."
Alarm klaxons sounded.
John said, "Satisfied?"
Rodney went to the gate console, hovering over the officer who was furiously typing commands. "It's Teyla and Ronon."
"Let them through," John said.
The gate shield collapsed and Ronon and Teyla came through. Ronon's shoulder was bleeding, and Teyla was carrying him. Weapons-fire followed them through, scarring Operations floor, until the officer got the shield back up.
"Wraith," Teyla called up to John.
"Won't they follow?" Rodney asked.
"We blew up the crystals in the dialing device," Ronon said.
"Good thinking."
A medical team arrived. Ronon frowned, and asked, "Where's Keller?"
Dr. Ward looked offended.
"She and Sam went to Earth," John said.
Ronon snorted.
"Hey guys?" The officer at the gate console called.
John glanced at him.
"There's an error in the gate."
"How do you know?" Rodney asked.
"There's a diagnostic that runs every five minutes. It's throwing up an error."
"Try dialing out," Rodney said.
"To where?"
"Does it matter? The alpha site."
The officer shrugged and dialed. Nothing lit up.
"What, did we break a bulb?" John asked.
"Looks like we're stuck," the officer said.
Rodney sighed. He said, "I didn't even get to count until ten."
Teyla was looking up at them with concern.
"Looks like we're cut off and so we have some time on our hands. Want to have an orgy now?" Rodney asked.
John no longer thought any of this was funny.
* * *
Radek yanked a panel off an Atlantis wall, and peered at the morass of crystals and plasma packs inside.
"What do you see?" John asked.
"I have no idea."
Rodney said, "If we can't dial out--to anywhere--do we have enough food?"
"We have stockpiles for three months, and the Apollo will be here in a week. We've already sent them a message via subspace."
"What for? It's not like they can go any faster."
"Rodney."
Rodney sighed.
Radek shooed them away, and they walked together toward the staircase. Teyla was sitting on the steps, looking at printed maps.
"Find anything?" John asked.
"Even at sub-light, it would take less than a week. Katie is working on what we can cull from the seas."
"Algae?" Rodney looked panicked.
Teyla shrugged.
Rodney said, "Remember when your people grew our food? That was nice. Simple. Not algae. Not once.
"I remember," Teyla said.
"I would give anything for that wretched tea. What did you call it?"
Teyla looked down.
Rodney winced and said, "We'll find them. And we'll make them come back. And--fish, or something."
Teyla smiled. She reached out and took Rodney's hand, and said, "We will."
Rodney felt a warmth in his chest, expanding outward, along his hand, to her. He squeezed her fingers, and then continued up the stairs.
"What was that about?" John demanded. "Are you starting without me?"
"Very funny. Look, there's no reason to worry about this. I mean, it's just a fried part or whatever. Things break. It's no worse than any other situation we've been in. In fact, it's a lot better."
"Unless, without the purpose of exploration, without the milk of human contact, we all go crazy and Lord of the Flies on each other."
"Yes, unless that. Thank you, Sheppard."
John slapped him on the back.
"I need to tell you something," Rodney said, once they were safely in Sam's office.
John raised his eyebrows.
"I had a dream about Teyla."
"So?"
"A dream dream."
John smirked.
"It's not funny."
"Why bring it up?" John asked.
"Because ever since you brought up your orders from Earth, I can't get it out of my mind. You did this. You need to fix it."
"I can't fix your dreams, Rodney."
"Do you have anything better to do?"
John sighed, and said, "No."
"Well, I do. I'm going to go fix the gate before someone steals Radek's glasses and chases him through the base with a paintball gun and makes him squeal." Rodney stormed out of the office.
John sighed and sat down at the desk. "Is nothing funny anymore?" he asked.
* * *
Teyla swung her stick at John's knee. His kneecap would have shattered with the impact, but he jumped up, letting the stick pass harmlessly under him, and crouched as he landed, bringing his stick up between them. Hers was there, waiting, and the clash sent vibrations through his arm.
He used the joined sticks as leverage and pushed into her, sending her back several steps before she ducked, and he stumbled over her, raising his stick just in time to prevent hers from crushing his throat.
She smiled.
"Teyla, can I ask you a question?"
She nodded, peering down at him.
He swallowed, and said, "Let me rephrase. Can I stand up, and ask you a question?"
She stepped away, lowering her weapons.
He stood, rubbed his throat, and asked, "With this crisis, do you feel... superfluous?"
"What?"
"Unneeded? Unnecessary. I mean, we're not scientists. I mean, I can fix a puddle jumper or re-wire a gate if I have all the right equipment, but I'm no Rodney. And there's no one to protect, no adversity to make decisions through. I can't really help."
"So you feel... superfluous."
"We are leaders. There will always be a need for leaders. You could order someone to kill another man. Do you think Rodney can do that?"
"No, but there's no one to kill at present." He sighed.
"So, we practice." She lifted her sticks. "We wait. We will be ready."
"I hate waiting," he said.
She nodded.
He hated waiting, especially, when he was hot. He put down his sticks and pulled off his shirt. He was still hot. He felt like he was breathing in an oven. Sweat poured off his chest.
"Are you hot?" he asked.
"Yes," Teyla said. "I think it is more than just exertion."
He called out, "Radek?"
"Yes, Colonel Sheppard, the air system isn't working."
"Why?"
"I think I may have... unplugged something. I do not know about the Ancient technology in this panel."
"After four years, shouldn't you know?" John asked.
"John," Teyla said.
He frowned at her.
"Do you think yelling at him is going to make him work faster?"
He sighed, and asked, "What do we do, Radek?"
"Open a window? It's an unusually hot summer on this planet, from what we can tell by our climate studies."
"Fantastic," he said.
"I have a fan," Radek said.
John slung his shirt over his shoulder, shrugged at Teyla, and said, "It's just another day at the beach."
* * *
The heat was pissing everyone off. Rodney walked through the hall, carrying a portable computer and scanner case, cringing at the stench of male sweat and female--he didn't want to know. He rounded a corner and nearly ran into Ronon, who was carrying a crate.
"What's that?" Rodney asked.
"Frozen apples. The chef thought it'd be a way to cool everyone down. And they'll take time to lick down, so they'll occupy people. Everyone's getting testy."
"You're telling me. Do you know where Radek told me to shove this?" Rodney tapped the computer.
Ronon said, "I can guess."
"Can I have one?" Rodney asked.
Ronon put down the crate.
"Freeze!"
Rodney and Ronon looked behind them. Lorne was coming toward them with a detachment of Marines, guns raised.
"Want an apple?" Rodney asked.
Lorne ignored him, and said, "You're going to have to come with us, Ronon."
"Why?"
"Look, there're two aliens on this base, and those two aliens came through the gate this morning and caused everything to shut down." Lorne said. He was sweating, and had to wipe at his eyes and blink away the salt stinging him.
"I think that was the aliens shooting at us," Ronon said.
"Still, it's safer if we take you into custody, so the humans can fix what you started," Lorne said.
"On whose orders?"
"Colonel Sheppard charged me with security when he took over Colonel Carter's role," Lorne said.
"So you're acting alone," Ronon said, taking a step toward the Marine detachment. Guns rattled.
"Well, actually, he's acting with a whole bunch of Marines," Rodney said. He stepped between Ronon and Lorne, and approached Lorne, saying, "Look, we need him. He's on my team."
"Your team isn't off-world. It doesn't count," Lorne said.
"Hey. It does. He's good at lifting stuff. Don't you have anything better to do?"
"That's the problem," Lorne said. "What is there to defend?"
"So you invent an alien conspiracy?"
Lorne shrugged, and tightened the grip on his handgun.
"Look--" Ronon started.
A loud whoosh went through the air system. Lorne looked at the ceiling. Rodney swung his shoulder into Lorne's straightened arms just before Lorne fired in surprise, and the bullet ricocheted off the wall and embedded itself in the apple crate.
"Hold your fire!" John yelled. He jogged up the corridor toward them.
"Reflexes, Lorne," Rodney said, panting. He didn't look down at himself to see if he'd wet his pants when the gun went off. He really didn't want to know.
Ronon stood perfectly still.
"Put your gun away, Major," John said. "Let's start distributing lunch to all the scientists, okay? And then maybe you can go fishing. Or scouting. Something that doesn't involve guns."
"Yes, sir," Lorne said, panting. He ignored the sweat on his brow.
"Go," John said.
"Yes, sir." The Marine detachment moved down the hall.
"You're not going to throw them in the brig?" Rodney asked.
"The last thing we need is to spread rumors through the base that we're putting people who are noncompliant in the brig. The place'll go nuts. Remember what happened last time?"
"No. I don't remember. Remember?"
John grinned. He said, "Radek got the air back on. As long as everyone's full and comfortable, we can wait this out."
"Very good use of the needs pyramid."
"Not Hobbes?"
Rodney rolled his eyes.
Ronon finally spoke up, and said, "McKay. You saved my life."
"No. I didn't--Not really."
"He almost shot you," Ronon said.
"Oh God. He almost shot me." Rodney's eyes widened.
Ronon stepped forward and hugged him, wrapping his arms around Rodney's back, and squeezing him until Rodney hugged him back, clasping his hands around Ronon's waist.
John raised his eyebrows.
"Isn't that the Earth custom? I saw it on television," Ronon said. "Besides, he hugged me first."
John rubbed his forehead and asked, "What were you watching?"
"General Hospital."
John sighed. He said, "We're all sleeping in Operations tonight. Bring a sleeping bag."
"Why?" Rodney asked, his voice muffled against Ronon's chest.
"So, theoretically, if anything else goes wrong, we'll at least control the force fields."
Rodney nodded.
John exchanged one last look with Ronon, and jogged down the hall.
Rodney said, "You stink. Please take a shower before tonight."
"You stink," Ronon said.
"What do I smell like?"
"Human."
"Really?" Rodney asked.
Ronon stepped back and folded his arms.
"Fascinating."
* * *
All the logic in the world wasn't making John's erection go away. He put a pillow in his lap, and ignored the suspicious look Rodney gave him. Night had fallen and the base lights were low in deference, and to encourage the population to sleep. Radek had poisoned the apples, so to speak, with a mild sedative, and raised the temperature of the air--in hopes of isolating the gate problem, but the side effect was a languid and passive crew.
John sure hoped nobody attacked Atlantis while they were all stoned. But in the meantime, everything seemed to be holding. The diagnosis of the gate, though, had not been good.
"We need a new part. It's as simple as that. Ours is fried."
"We don't have any stockpiled?" John had asked.
"We never knew it was an important part until Ronon's Wraith friend shot it. Now we know. And sure, we could recreate one, with the Ancient replicating technologies, or by rewiring Rodney's nanites, or by casting metal from the bottom of the ocean and gutting a puddle jumper. But it would be easier and faster just to wait for the Apollo."
"I hate waiting," John said.
"Yes. So you've said. We get it. You are a man of action."
John ignored him and paced.
"Have an apple," Radek had said.
If Radek had poisoned the food supply, Carter had poisoned the well. John couldn't stop thinking about Rodney's dream, about the way Ronon had held him, about Teyla's steady eyes, roving over his body whenever they fought. He pushed against the pillow, and his cock spasmed eagerly in response. He sighed.
Things were starting to become funny again. Maybe it was the incense Teyla was burning in Sam's office. "Is that an aphrodisiac?" he asked.
"A what?"
"A smell that's supposed to make you horny," Rodney offered by way of definition.
"A what?"
"The incense. Does it aid copulation?"
Teyla said, "It's merely to hide the human odor you are exuding."
"We showered!" Rodney said.
Ronon leaned over and sniffed at Rodney and said, "He smells like strawberries. And human."
"Strawberries?"
"It was a gift from Katie, all right?"
"When does she want you to smell like strawberries?"
Rodney said, "Just deal the cards."
They'd been playing poker for an hour. John thought it was a wise implementation of the team-building. They were learning how to lie to each other, how to read past those lies, how to tell what a bluff was and when the deal really mattered. Ronon had understood--his warriors played the same sorts of games for the same sorts of reasons. Rodney and Teyla, of course, were above it all, so they played to win, rather than to enjoy the combat.
John dealt. He held the cards with his left hand, and slid his right under the pillow, squeezing himself. Relief mingled with arousal. He shivered.
"It is not an aphrodisiac," Teyla said. "Do your people really need such aid in order to mate?"
"They estimate half of the males on Earth have problems 'mating,' as you say," Rodney said.
Okay, that wasn't helping. John massaged himself and tried to think about math. But that made him think of Rodney. He thought about that horrible tea Teyla made him drink whenever he got a cold, but that only made him think of Teyla, and not the tea. And Ronon, smirking across the room, made it impossible to distract himself with thoughts of guns or fighting.
"We can help you with that," Ronon said, his voice low and rumbling from his chest.
"With what? No. I'm good. Just bet."
"I am betting," Ronon said with a slow grin.
"John, really, you're distracting us all. Just deal with it," Rodney said.
"It's fine."
"It wouldn't change anything," Ronon said.
"Wouldn't it? On Earth, it would. It's the ultimate act of--"
"Trust? Intimacy? Friendship?" Teyla asked. "To let someone see you naked and flawed and helpless?"
At least that wasn't a turn-on. Heat rose in John's neck. He said, "Yeah, basically. Look, we're all trapped, and we're all sweaty, and we're all tired--"
"I'm pregnant," Teyla said.
All three men turned to her. Ronon and John shared a glance. "It wasn't me," they said simultaneously.
Teyla rolled her eyes.
"We'll help you," Rodney said, reaching across the pot of money and taking her hands. "Your child will have three fathers. At least."
Teyla smiled. "Thank you, Rodney."
Rodney nodded.
"Yeah. It'll be awesome," John said, even though he felt utterly terrified. Questions raced through his mind, but if Rodney was going to be wise, so was he. He said, "We're a team."
"This is good," Ronon said. His voice was as hoarse, as afraid, as John's.
"How so?" Teyla asked.
"Sateda's gone," John said. "Your people are--gone. Earth is gone. We're from Atlantis. And this baby will be from Atlantis."
"Elizabeth would have liked that," Rodney said. He and Teyla shared a smile.
Still smiling, Teyla turned back to John and said, "See? It would not change anything."
"Ante up," Ronon said.
"Hey." John stood up, holding the pillow against his crotch. He said, "I'm in charge, here."
"So be in charge," Rodney said.
A sexual charge went through John like lightning. Whatever Teyla was burning, it was definitely adding to the mood, and with a clear head, on a normal day, he never would have said, "Fine." His voice was an octave higher than usual, but he swallowed hard, and studied each of them in turn.
They were warriors. And they were waiting.
"Stand up," he said.
They complied. Rodney and Ronon formed a triangle with him, with Teyla in the center. Standing, Rodney's pants stretched, revealing an erection that mirrored his own. Ronon's crotch protector was too padded to penetrate, but Ronon's glinting smirk told him what he needed to know. And Teyla--
"Teyla," he said, his voice low.
She tilted her head to look up at him. He stepped closer, and Rodney and Ronon took a step, too, constricting the triangle. John slid his hand under Teyla's skirt. He met no hesitation, no token resistance, and found her wet and swollen against his fingers. She gasped.
He met her eyes. She was so soft against him, he wanted to feel that on the most aching, needing part of himself, and put his free hand on Teyla's shoulder, to push her down. But she was a leader, like himself. So he looked past her, to Ronon, who stood watching with heavy-lidded lust. John turned his hips to the left, so that he could still touch Teyla, and said, "Ronon."
Ronon was on his knees in a second, putting his hand on John's crotch. John groaned. Teyla pushed against his hand. He leaned in to kiss her, as Ronon opened his pants and yanked them down his thighs. He groaned aloud against Teyla's lips as Ronon's mouth touched his skin. How long had they all been thinking about this, he wondered. When had it become so necessary?
Rodney squeaked.
John dropped his free hand to Ronon's head, feeling the rough texture of his hair against his palm, and said, turning his cheek to Teyla's lips, "Behind me."
"What? Really?"
"Please."
Rodney disappeared from view, and John concentrated on the changes on Teyla's face as he slid his fingers between her lips, his arm pressing against her belly. A cold hand cupped his bare ass. He shuddered. And then he heard the zipper on Rodney's pants, and nearly came from the sound and the warmth of Ronon's mouth and the way Teyla's tongue flicked at his chin.
"Condom," Rodney said. The tip of his cock brushed John's lower back, leaving a wet, warm trail that made heat travel up his spine.
"She's pregnant," John said.
Ronon agreed, pistoning his mouth on John.
"I need lubrication, I can't just--"
"Later," John said.
"Right."
"Do the best you can."
Teyla stepped back, and undressed in front of John, starting with her skirt. She revealed rich skin and dark hairs, exotic and human. Ronon pulled back to kiss John's thighs and balls. His hand covered John's cock, sliding across the saliva he'd left.
Rodney tentatively stroked John's sides, and then hugged him from behind, squeezing his pecs, rubbing himself against the length of John's ass. His cock pressed between John's cheeks. John moaned and closed his eyes as Rodney's cock slid over his ass, stimulating him. Ronon swallowed his cock again. John wanted to fuck them all at once. He didn't know where to start. Rodney let out a quiet whimper against his shoulder.
Teyla, gloriously naked, lowered herself to the ground. She freed Ronon's cock from his pants and stroked him. John pulled back as his toes began to tingle, and grabbed his own cock. He came, spurting over Ronon's face, and watching his orgasm stain Ronon's hair, knew this had crossed a line. He panted, leaning on Ronon's shoulder, his cock half-hard.
Rodney squeezed his ass, parting him. Rodney let out a guttural cry and then something wet touched his ass and trickled down his thighs, and Rodney sank to his knees, to press his cheek against the back of John's thigh, and lick what he'd left with a rough tongue, and breathe.
Teyla and Ronon looked to him, suspended in their passion, and John, feeling his prowess rise again, said, "Teyla, whatever you do, you're on top." He licked his lips. "You're in charge."
She pushed Ronon onto his back, her hand still working him, and then straddled him. They sighed together as she encompassed him. John knew, watching, that they'd done this before.
Rodney sprawled on the floor, his cock limp and still outside his pants. John knelt. He put his hand on Rodney's shoulder. Teyla rode Ronon, her back arched, her eyes closed, to an orgasm that shuddered through her, her mouth wordlessly open, her nails raking Ronon's stomach.
Ronon thrust his hips upward, but John urged Teyla away. She stood. John knelt over Ronon, taking his cock in his hand, jerking.
Rodney crawled closer. He glanced at John, and then leaned over and kissed Ronon's mouth. Ronon kissed him back, tilting his chin back and putting his hand on the back of Rodney's head. John wanted to control Ronon's orgasm, to cause it, to make Ronon remember who was in charge in every moment. He cupped Ronon's balls with his free hand, and squeezed.
Ronon cried out, and bit into Rodney's lip. Rodney kissed him harder, their tongues sliding against each other, Rodney's hand on his chest, holding him down.
John eased his grip, and said, "I want you to come in my hand, Ronon."
Ronon did what he was told, coating John's fingers, shuddering against Rodney. John sighed and said, "Good." He tugged on Rodney's arm.
Rodney broke the kiss. Ronon threw back his head and took in gulps of air. Rodney moved down, and licked the wetness from John's fingers and Ronon's belly.
Teyla watched it all with a steady, steely gaze.
* * *
"Atlantis," this is Apollo."
The comm came on the third morning, earlier than John expected. He sat up, dislodging a sleeping Ronon's head from his bare stomach, and said, "Good to hear you, Apollo."
"We've spent some time cloning a part to Radek's specifications. We're ready to beam down, Colonel."
"Excellent." John pulled on a tee shirt and his pants. He locked the door to Sam's office as he left, hoping no one would need to go in there until everyone was awake. As far as the crew knew, they were just keeping an eye on the command systems.
Though everyone would know soon enough, with his tousled hair and bare feet. He greeted the Apollo team by waving from the balcony. He would worry about the stench later.
* * *
Sam sat in her chair, smiling occasionally at him as she went through the report. "Doctor Keller informs me that Rodney was treated for a few scratches he suffered while you were out of contact, Colonel."
"Nothing out of the ordinary, right?" he asked.
"I suppose not. I was a little afraid I'd come back to see chaos."
"Colonel, where's your faith?" He gave her his best boyish grin.
She said, "I know how fast these situations can change. Even with the best of intentions." She leaned across the table. "Anything left out of your report?"
"No, sir."
She nodded. "Still, I'm going to leave the part about the drugged food out of what we send to the IOA. I don't want them getting any ideas."
"It was only the first night. People adjusted. New civilizations were born," he said.
She cocked her head.
"I took your advice. Used the downtime for some team exercises."
"And that's how Rodney got the scratches? Let me guess. Simulated warfare."
"They turned down my paintball idea."
"Everything's funny with you, Sheppard."
He shrugged. "Make love, not war. That's my motto."
"Great. When will your team be ready to deploy? We need to restock our supply of fruit."
"We're ready for anything, Colonel." He smiled, and added, "Bring it on."
END
Author: rysler
Source: Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard/Ronon/Teyla
Rating: NC-17
Recipient: telesilla for sga_santa
Team Building of the Flies
Rodney couldn't move. Ronon had pinned him perfectly. Hands pinned his up against the headboard. Knees pressed against his thighs. Ronon's legs were tilted at just the right angle for maximum pressure with minimum effort. It was--beautiful, really, this exertion of physics. Never mind that he was completely immobilized because Ronon was simply bigger and stronger. Rodney struggled. Or, his brain sent orders to his brain to struggle, but he didn't actually move.
Ronon was good.
Rodney thrashed his head against the pillows. He feared helplessness, feared his own weakness, more than anything else, and it was unfair of Ronon to make it so clear, that Rodney could be reduced to nothing so easily. His cock rose, straining against his belly, reminding him on an instinctive level that it was important to face fear, not run from it and save the world, time after time, terrified of being this--an out of shape male that Darwin would have taken care of long ago, if not for his superior intellect.
His superior intellect couldn't get him out of this one. He had tried. He had been talking, babbling, for a half-hour, trying to wear Ronon down with logic, with emotions, with promises, with bribes. Ronon hadn't even laughed; just pinned him like the perfect machine. The perfect man.
"It's not fair," Rodney said.
"No talking," John said, stepping into view. Rodney squinted.
"Good," Teyla said, kneeling on the bed, opposite from John. She slid between Ronon's arms--he was a marvel of engineering in every way--and kissed Rodney.
Rodney woke up. He sighed and looked down at the tented blanket above his hips, and muttered, "Just once I'd like to sleep through the good part."
* * *
"You can't be serious," John said, tossing the file on the table. The dramatic gesture didn't have the force he intended. Sam merely smiled at him, her hand pressed together. "Really?" he asked.
"Look, now that we have the gate bridge, Earth's going to get a lot more involved. And that's a good thing. More supplies, more support, more comic books." She continued smiling at him.
No wonder they let her blow up planets. John was considering following these orders, and she hadn't even offered him any logic.
She said, "But Earth is aware that the bridge goes both ways. We're a lot more vulnerable to influence from the Pegasus Galaxy now."
There was the logic. He sighed.
"We just have to know we can trust the aliens," she said.
"We can. And besides, we're the aliens. This is their turf."
Sam folded her hand, and said, "Sorry. Ten years of doing this from the other side. Look, it doesn't hurt to have a close team."
"We have a close team."
"Do you? Teyla's upset about her people. Ronon almost betrayed you--just recently, wasn't it? We barely got Rodney to come back from Earth after what happened with his sister. You need to unite them, even when there's no true common purpose."
"Are you speaking from experience, Colonel?"
"I'll tell you my stories when you tell me yours, John."
"So..." He wiped his hands on his pants and asked, "I have to go get some stories to tell?"
"Good luck," she said.
"Yeah."
* * *
John wasn't hungry, and he knew the team noticed. The mess hall was serving tacos. He loved taco night. See, he thought. They know about the tacos. Why go further?
Ronon reached for his untouched taco. John stopped him with a gesture of his fork and said, "The IOA thinks we should have sex."
Teyla looked at him steadily. Ronon's eyes narrowed. McKay dropped his fork and said, "What I do with Katie is none of anyone's--"
"With each other," John added.
Rodney looked pale.
Ronon leaned back and folded his arms.
Teyla looked exasperated.
"I'm just saying," John said. "Those are my orders."
"You can't be serious," Rodney said.
"No, I'm not serious. They want us to do some team-building exercises, maybe a sweat lodge, talk about our feelings, share. Hold hands. I thought it'd probably be easier to accomplish their 'goals' by just having sex."
"Earth people--" Teyla started, and groped for words.
"Suck," Ronon said.
"I was going to say something more diplomatic, Ronon," Teyla chided.
Rodney said, "No, he's right. We suck. Could we not live our lives without a little interference? Hasn't saving the universe gotten me the right to choose who I'd like to--"
"So you wouldn't want to have sex with me?" John asked, batting his eyelashes at Rodney.
Rodney looked away, out at the ocean.
Teyla said, "Eat your tacos, John."
Ronon asked, "What's a sweat lodge?"
* * *
Sam stepped up to the edge of the event horizon, and then turned back to look up at John. Keller, overburdened from her pack, continued staring straight ahead, willing Sam to join her before she toppled over.
John waved. He said, "I'll water the plants."
Sam smiled, waved back, and disappeared with Keller through the Stargate.
"So, you're in charge," Rodney said.
"With the Apollo a week away and the Colonel gone, yes, I'm in charge."
"Where's Sam going, anyway?"
"It's classified."
Rodney inhaled and began counting under his breath.
"What are you doing?"
"Waiting for something to blow up."
"So, Atlantian paintball game?"
Rodney glared at him.
"What? With a few hundred people and a base this size, it could be really fun."
Alarm klaxons sounded.
John said, "Satisfied?"
Rodney went to the gate console, hovering over the officer who was furiously typing commands. "It's Teyla and Ronon."
"Let them through," John said.
The gate shield collapsed and Ronon and Teyla came through. Ronon's shoulder was bleeding, and Teyla was carrying him. Weapons-fire followed them through, scarring Operations floor, until the officer got the shield back up.
"Wraith," Teyla called up to John.
"Won't they follow?" Rodney asked.
"We blew up the crystals in the dialing device," Ronon said.
"Good thinking."
A medical team arrived. Ronon frowned, and asked, "Where's Keller?"
Dr. Ward looked offended.
"She and Sam went to Earth," John said.
Ronon snorted.
"Hey guys?" The officer at the gate console called.
John glanced at him.
"There's an error in the gate."
"How do you know?" Rodney asked.
"There's a diagnostic that runs every five minutes. It's throwing up an error."
"Try dialing out," Rodney said.
"To where?"
"Does it matter? The alpha site."
The officer shrugged and dialed. Nothing lit up.
"What, did we break a bulb?" John asked.
"Looks like we're stuck," the officer said.
Rodney sighed. He said, "I didn't even get to count until ten."
Teyla was looking up at them with concern.
"Looks like we're cut off and so we have some time on our hands. Want to have an orgy now?" Rodney asked.
John no longer thought any of this was funny.
* * *
Radek yanked a panel off an Atlantis wall, and peered at the morass of crystals and plasma packs inside.
"What do you see?" John asked.
"I have no idea."
Rodney said, "If we can't dial out--to anywhere--do we have enough food?"
"We have stockpiles for three months, and the Apollo will be here in a week. We've already sent them a message via subspace."
"What for? It's not like they can go any faster."
"Rodney."
Rodney sighed.
Radek shooed them away, and they walked together toward the staircase. Teyla was sitting on the steps, looking at printed maps.
"Find anything?" John asked.
"Even at sub-light, it would take less than a week. Katie is working on what we can cull from the seas."
"Algae?" Rodney looked panicked.
Teyla shrugged.
Rodney said, "Remember when your people grew our food? That was nice. Simple. Not algae. Not once.
"I remember," Teyla said.
"I would give anything for that wretched tea. What did you call it?"
Teyla looked down.
Rodney winced and said, "We'll find them. And we'll make them come back. And--fish, or something."
Teyla smiled. She reached out and took Rodney's hand, and said, "We will."
Rodney felt a warmth in his chest, expanding outward, along his hand, to her. He squeezed her fingers, and then continued up the stairs.
"What was that about?" John demanded. "Are you starting without me?"
"Very funny. Look, there's no reason to worry about this. I mean, it's just a fried part or whatever. Things break. It's no worse than any other situation we've been in. In fact, it's a lot better."
"Unless, without the purpose of exploration, without the milk of human contact, we all go crazy and Lord of the Flies on each other."
"Yes, unless that. Thank you, Sheppard."
John slapped him on the back.
"I need to tell you something," Rodney said, once they were safely in Sam's office.
John raised his eyebrows.
"I had a dream about Teyla."
"So?"
"A dream dream."
John smirked.
"It's not funny."
"Why bring it up?" John asked.
"Because ever since you brought up your orders from Earth, I can't get it out of my mind. You did this. You need to fix it."
"I can't fix your dreams, Rodney."
"Do you have anything better to do?"
John sighed, and said, "No."
"Well, I do. I'm going to go fix the gate before someone steals Radek's glasses and chases him through the base with a paintball gun and makes him squeal." Rodney stormed out of the office.
John sighed and sat down at the desk. "Is nothing funny anymore?" he asked.
* * *
Teyla swung her stick at John's knee. His kneecap would have shattered with the impact, but he jumped up, letting the stick pass harmlessly under him, and crouched as he landed, bringing his stick up between them. Hers was there, waiting, and the clash sent vibrations through his arm.
He used the joined sticks as leverage and pushed into her, sending her back several steps before she ducked, and he stumbled over her, raising his stick just in time to prevent hers from crushing his throat.
She smiled.
"Teyla, can I ask you a question?"
She nodded, peering down at him.
He swallowed, and said, "Let me rephrase. Can I stand up, and ask you a question?"
She stepped away, lowering her weapons.
He stood, rubbed his throat, and asked, "With this crisis, do you feel... superfluous?"
"What?"
"Unneeded? Unnecessary. I mean, we're not scientists. I mean, I can fix a puddle jumper or re-wire a gate if I have all the right equipment, but I'm no Rodney. And there's no one to protect, no adversity to make decisions through. I can't really help."
"So you feel... superfluous."
"We are leaders. There will always be a need for leaders. You could order someone to kill another man. Do you think Rodney can do that?"
"No, but there's no one to kill at present." He sighed.
"So, we practice." She lifted her sticks. "We wait. We will be ready."
"I hate waiting," he said.
She nodded.
He hated waiting, especially, when he was hot. He put down his sticks and pulled off his shirt. He was still hot. He felt like he was breathing in an oven. Sweat poured off his chest.
"Are you hot?" he asked.
"Yes," Teyla said. "I think it is more than just exertion."
He called out, "Radek?"
"Yes, Colonel Sheppard, the air system isn't working."
"Why?"
"I think I may have... unplugged something. I do not know about the Ancient technology in this panel."
"After four years, shouldn't you know?" John asked.
"John," Teyla said.
He frowned at her.
"Do you think yelling at him is going to make him work faster?"
He sighed, and asked, "What do we do, Radek?"
"Open a window? It's an unusually hot summer on this planet, from what we can tell by our climate studies."
"Fantastic," he said.
"I have a fan," Radek said.
John slung his shirt over his shoulder, shrugged at Teyla, and said, "It's just another day at the beach."
* * *
The heat was pissing everyone off. Rodney walked through the hall, carrying a portable computer and scanner case, cringing at the stench of male sweat and female--he didn't want to know. He rounded a corner and nearly ran into Ronon, who was carrying a crate.
"What's that?" Rodney asked.
"Frozen apples. The chef thought it'd be a way to cool everyone down. And they'll take time to lick down, so they'll occupy people. Everyone's getting testy."
"You're telling me. Do you know where Radek told me to shove this?" Rodney tapped the computer.
Ronon said, "I can guess."
"Can I have one?" Rodney asked.
Ronon put down the crate.
"Freeze!"
Rodney and Ronon looked behind them. Lorne was coming toward them with a detachment of Marines, guns raised.
"Want an apple?" Rodney asked.
Lorne ignored him, and said, "You're going to have to come with us, Ronon."
"Why?"
"Look, there're two aliens on this base, and those two aliens came through the gate this morning and caused everything to shut down." Lorne said. He was sweating, and had to wipe at his eyes and blink away the salt stinging him.
"I think that was the aliens shooting at us," Ronon said.
"Still, it's safer if we take you into custody, so the humans can fix what you started," Lorne said.
"On whose orders?"
"Colonel Sheppard charged me with security when he took over Colonel Carter's role," Lorne said.
"So you're acting alone," Ronon said, taking a step toward the Marine detachment. Guns rattled.
"Well, actually, he's acting with a whole bunch of Marines," Rodney said. He stepped between Ronon and Lorne, and approached Lorne, saying, "Look, we need him. He's on my team."
"Your team isn't off-world. It doesn't count," Lorne said.
"Hey. It does. He's good at lifting stuff. Don't you have anything better to do?"
"That's the problem," Lorne said. "What is there to defend?"
"So you invent an alien conspiracy?"
Lorne shrugged, and tightened the grip on his handgun.
"Look--" Ronon started.
A loud whoosh went through the air system. Lorne looked at the ceiling. Rodney swung his shoulder into Lorne's straightened arms just before Lorne fired in surprise, and the bullet ricocheted off the wall and embedded itself in the apple crate.
"Hold your fire!" John yelled. He jogged up the corridor toward them.
"Reflexes, Lorne," Rodney said, panting. He didn't look down at himself to see if he'd wet his pants when the gun went off. He really didn't want to know.
Ronon stood perfectly still.
"Put your gun away, Major," John said. "Let's start distributing lunch to all the scientists, okay? And then maybe you can go fishing. Or scouting. Something that doesn't involve guns."
"Yes, sir," Lorne said, panting. He ignored the sweat on his brow.
"Go," John said.
"Yes, sir." The Marine detachment moved down the hall.
"You're not going to throw them in the brig?" Rodney asked.
"The last thing we need is to spread rumors through the base that we're putting people who are noncompliant in the brig. The place'll go nuts. Remember what happened last time?"
"No. I don't remember. Remember?"
John grinned. He said, "Radek got the air back on. As long as everyone's full and comfortable, we can wait this out."
"Very good use of the needs pyramid."
"Not Hobbes?"
Rodney rolled his eyes.
Ronon finally spoke up, and said, "McKay. You saved my life."
"No. I didn't--Not really."
"He almost shot you," Ronon said.
"Oh God. He almost shot me." Rodney's eyes widened.
Ronon stepped forward and hugged him, wrapping his arms around Rodney's back, and squeezing him until Rodney hugged him back, clasping his hands around Ronon's waist.
John raised his eyebrows.
"Isn't that the Earth custom? I saw it on television," Ronon said. "Besides, he hugged me first."
John rubbed his forehead and asked, "What were you watching?"
"General Hospital."
John sighed. He said, "We're all sleeping in Operations tonight. Bring a sleeping bag."
"Why?" Rodney asked, his voice muffled against Ronon's chest.
"So, theoretically, if anything else goes wrong, we'll at least control the force fields."
Rodney nodded.
John exchanged one last look with Ronon, and jogged down the hall.
Rodney said, "You stink. Please take a shower before tonight."
"You stink," Ronon said.
"What do I smell like?"
"Human."
"Really?" Rodney asked.
Ronon stepped back and folded his arms.
"Fascinating."
* * *
All the logic in the world wasn't making John's erection go away. He put a pillow in his lap, and ignored the suspicious look Rodney gave him. Night had fallen and the base lights were low in deference, and to encourage the population to sleep. Radek had poisoned the apples, so to speak, with a mild sedative, and raised the temperature of the air--in hopes of isolating the gate problem, but the side effect was a languid and passive crew.
John sure hoped nobody attacked Atlantis while they were all stoned. But in the meantime, everything seemed to be holding. The diagnosis of the gate, though, had not been good.
"We need a new part. It's as simple as that. Ours is fried."
"We don't have any stockpiled?" John had asked.
"We never knew it was an important part until Ronon's Wraith friend shot it. Now we know. And sure, we could recreate one, with the Ancient replicating technologies, or by rewiring Rodney's nanites, or by casting metal from the bottom of the ocean and gutting a puddle jumper. But it would be easier and faster just to wait for the Apollo."
"I hate waiting," John said.
"Yes. So you've said. We get it. You are a man of action."
John ignored him and paced.
"Have an apple," Radek had said.
If Radek had poisoned the food supply, Carter had poisoned the well. John couldn't stop thinking about Rodney's dream, about the way Ronon had held him, about Teyla's steady eyes, roving over his body whenever they fought. He pushed against the pillow, and his cock spasmed eagerly in response. He sighed.
Things were starting to become funny again. Maybe it was the incense Teyla was burning in Sam's office. "Is that an aphrodisiac?" he asked.
"A what?"
"A smell that's supposed to make you horny," Rodney offered by way of definition.
"A what?"
"The incense. Does it aid copulation?"
Teyla said, "It's merely to hide the human odor you are exuding."
"We showered!" Rodney said.
Ronon leaned over and sniffed at Rodney and said, "He smells like strawberries. And human."
"Strawberries?"
"It was a gift from Katie, all right?"
"When does she want you to smell like strawberries?"
Rodney said, "Just deal the cards."
They'd been playing poker for an hour. John thought it was a wise implementation of the team-building. They were learning how to lie to each other, how to read past those lies, how to tell what a bluff was and when the deal really mattered. Ronon had understood--his warriors played the same sorts of games for the same sorts of reasons. Rodney and Teyla, of course, were above it all, so they played to win, rather than to enjoy the combat.
John dealt. He held the cards with his left hand, and slid his right under the pillow, squeezing himself. Relief mingled with arousal. He shivered.
"It is not an aphrodisiac," Teyla said. "Do your people really need such aid in order to mate?"
"They estimate half of the males on Earth have problems 'mating,' as you say," Rodney said.
Okay, that wasn't helping. John massaged himself and tried to think about math. But that made him think of Rodney. He thought about that horrible tea Teyla made him drink whenever he got a cold, but that only made him think of Teyla, and not the tea. And Ronon, smirking across the room, made it impossible to distract himself with thoughts of guns or fighting.
"We can help you with that," Ronon said, his voice low and rumbling from his chest.
"With what? No. I'm good. Just bet."
"I am betting," Ronon said with a slow grin.
"John, really, you're distracting us all. Just deal with it," Rodney said.
"It's fine."
"It wouldn't change anything," Ronon said.
"Wouldn't it? On Earth, it would. It's the ultimate act of--"
"Trust? Intimacy? Friendship?" Teyla asked. "To let someone see you naked and flawed and helpless?"
At least that wasn't a turn-on. Heat rose in John's neck. He said, "Yeah, basically. Look, we're all trapped, and we're all sweaty, and we're all tired--"
"I'm pregnant," Teyla said.
All three men turned to her. Ronon and John shared a glance. "It wasn't me," they said simultaneously.
Teyla rolled her eyes.
"We'll help you," Rodney said, reaching across the pot of money and taking her hands. "Your child will have three fathers. At least."
Teyla smiled. "Thank you, Rodney."
Rodney nodded.
"Yeah. It'll be awesome," John said, even though he felt utterly terrified. Questions raced through his mind, but if Rodney was going to be wise, so was he. He said, "We're a team."
"This is good," Ronon said. His voice was as hoarse, as afraid, as John's.
"How so?" Teyla asked.
"Sateda's gone," John said. "Your people are--gone. Earth is gone. We're from Atlantis. And this baby will be from Atlantis."
"Elizabeth would have liked that," Rodney said. He and Teyla shared a smile.
Still smiling, Teyla turned back to John and said, "See? It would not change anything."
"Ante up," Ronon said.
"Hey." John stood up, holding the pillow against his crotch. He said, "I'm in charge, here."
"So be in charge," Rodney said.
A sexual charge went through John like lightning. Whatever Teyla was burning, it was definitely adding to the mood, and with a clear head, on a normal day, he never would have said, "Fine." His voice was an octave higher than usual, but he swallowed hard, and studied each of them in turn.
They were warriors. And they were waiting.
"Stand up," he said.
They complied. Rodney and Ronon formed a triangle with him, with Teyla in the center. Standing, Rodney's pants stretched, revealing an erection that mirrored his own. Ronon's crotch protector was too padded to penetrate, but Ronon's glinting smirk told him what he needed to know. And Teyla--
"Teyla," he said, his voice low.
She tilted her head to look up at him. He stepped closer, and Rodney and Ronon took a step, too, constricting the triangle. John slid his hand under Teyla's skirt. He met no hesitation, no token resistance, and found her wet and swollen against his fingers. She gasped.
He met her eyes. She was so soft against him, he wanted to feel that on the most aching, needing part of himself, and put his free hand on Teyla's shoulder, to push her down. But she was a leader, like himself. So he looked past her, to Ronon, who stood watching with heavy-lidded lust. John turned his hips to the left, so that he could still touch Teyla, and said, "Ronon."
Ronon was on his knees in a second, putting his hand on John's crotch. John groaned. Teyla pushed against his hand. He leaned in to kiss her, as Ronon opened his pants and yanked them down his thighs. He groaned aloud against Teyla's lips as Ronon's mouth touched his skin. How long had they all been thinking about this, he wondered. When had it become so necessary?
Rodney squeaked.
John dropped his free hand to Ronon's head, feeling the rough texture of his hair against his palm, and said, turning his cheek to Teyla's lips, "Behind me."
"What? Really?"
"Please."
Rodney disappeared from view, and John concentrated on the changes on Teyla's face as he slid his fingers between her lips, his arm pressing against her belly. A cold hand cupped his bare ass. He shuddered. And then he heard the zipper on Rodney's pants, and nearly came from the sound and the warmth of Ronon's mouth and the way Teyla's tongue flicked at his chin.
"Condom," Rodney said. The tip of his cock brushed John's lower back, leaving a wet, warm trail that made heat travel up his spine.
"She's pregnant," John said.
Ronon agreed, pistoning his mouth on John.
"I need lubrication, I can't just--"
"Later," John said.
"Right."
"Do the best you can."
Teyla stepped back, and undressed in front of John, starting with her skirt. She revealed rich skin and dark hairs, exotic and human. Ronon pulled back to kiss John's thighs and balls. His hand covered John's cock, sliding across the saliva he'd left.
Rodney tentatively stroked John's sides, and then hugged him from behind, squeezing his pecs, rubbing himself against the length of John's ass. His cock pressed between John's cheeks. John moaned and closed his eyes as Rodney's cock slid over his ass, stimulating him. Ronon swallowed his cock again. John wanted to fuck them all at once. He didn't know where to start. Rodney let out a quiet whimper against his shoulder.
Teyla, gloriously naked, lowered herself to the ground. She freed Ronon's cock from his pants and stroked him. John pulled back as his toes began to tingle, and grabbed his own cock. He came, spurting over Ronon's face, and watching his orgasm stain Ronon's hair, knew this had crossed a line. He panted, leaning on Ronon's shoulder, his cock half-hard.
Rodney squeezed his ass, parting him. Rodney let out a guttural cry and then something wet touched his ass and trickled down his thighs, and Rodney sank to his knees, to press his cheek against the back of John's thigh, and lick what he'd left with a rough tongue, and breathe.
Teyla and Ronon looked to him, suspended in their passion, and John, feeling his prowess rise again, said, "Teyla, whatever you do, you're on top." He licked his lips. "You're in charge."
She pushed Ronon onto his back, her hand still working him, and then straddled him. They sighed together as she encompassed him. John knew, watching, that they'd done this before.
Rodney sprawled on the floor, his cock limp and still outside his pants. John knelt. He put his hand on Rodney's shoulder. Teyla rode Ronon, her back arched, her eyes closed, to an orgasm that shuddered through her, her mouth wordlessly open, her nails raking Ronon's stomach.
Ronon thrust his hips upward, but John urged Teyla away. She stood. John knelt over Ronon, taking his cock in his hand, jerking.
Rodney crawled closer. He glanced at John, and then leaned over and kissed Ronon's mouth. Ronon kissed him back, tilting his chin back and putting his hand on the back of Rodney's head. John wanted to control Ronon's orgasm, to cause it, to make Ronon remember who was in charge in every moment. He cupped Ronon's balls with his free hand, and squeezed.
Ronon cried out, and bit into Rodney's lip. Rodney kissed him harder, their tongues sliding against each other, Rodney's hand on his chest, holding him down.
John eased his grip, and said, "I want you to come in my hand, Ronon."
Ronon did what he was told, coating John's fingers, shuddering against Rodney. John sighed and said, "Good." He tugged on Rodney's arm.
Rodney broke the kiss. Ronon threw back his head and took in gulps of air. Rodney moved down, and licked the wetness from John's fingers and Ronon's belly.
Teyla watched it all with a steady, steely gaze.
* * *
"Atlantis," this is Apollo."
The comm came on the third morning, earlier than John expected. He sat up, dislodging a sleeping Ronon's head from his bare stomach, and said, "Good to hear you, Apollo."
"We've spent some time cloning a part to Radek's specifications. We're ready to beam down, Colonel."
"Excellent." John pulled on a tee shirt and his pants. He locked the door to Sam's office as he left, hoping no one would need to go in there until everyone was awake. As far as the crew knew, they were just keeping an eye on the command systems.
Though everyone would know soon enough, with his tousled hair and bare feet. He greeted the Apollo team by waving from the balcony. He would worry about the stench later.
* * *
Sam sat in her chair, smiling occasionally at him as she went through the report. "Doctor Keller informs me that Rodney was treated for a few scratches he suffered while you were out of contact, Colonel."
"Nothing out of the ordinary, right?" he asked.
"I suppose not. I was a little afraid I'd come back to see chaos."
"Colonel, where's your faith?" He gave her his best boyish grin.
She said, "I know how fast these situations can change. Even with the best of intentions." She leaned across the table. "Anything left out of your report?"
"No, sir."
She nodded. "Still, I'm going to leave the part about the drugged food out of what we send to the IOA. I don't want them getting any ideas."
"It was only the first night. People adjusted. New civilizations were born," he said.
She cocked her head.
"I took your advice. Used the downtime for some team exercises."
"And that's how Rodney got the scratches? Let me guess. Simulated warfare."
"They turned down my paintball idea."
"Everything's funny with you, Sheppard."
He shrugged. "Make love, not war. That's my motto."
"Great. When will your team be ready to deploy? We need to restock our supply of fruit."
"We're ready for anything, Colonel." He smiled, and added, "Bring it on."
END