Fic: Sympathy for Eve, 21/27 (PG)
Title: Sympathy for Eve, 21/27
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Beckett, Sheppard, Lorne, Zelenka, Emmagan, Dex, Kusanagi, Simpson, Kavanagh, Weir
Relationships: McKay/Beckett, Sheppard/Kusanagi, Zelenka/?, Emmagan/?
Rating: PG for this part, but the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: mpreg, schmoop
Spoilers: None
Summary: Part 21 of the Sympathy for Eve series. When Rodney gets turned into a woman for a month, he decides to experiment, but little did he know it could have unforeseen consequences. Set somewhere in a nebulous third season AU after any cliffhanger-y stuff has been resolved.
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Author's Notes: Beta and useful comments provided by mice1900, inkscribe and desala, but mistakes are entirely mine.
Rodney blinked awake at the hard kick to his abdomen, shifting uncomfortably. He peered at his watch. 4:47 AM. Out in the other room, Carson was coughing. He ignored the twinge of guilt and turned over on his side, stuffing one of the extra pillows under his protruding abdomen and another under one bent knee. Usually, he would have slung his leg over Carson's. The coughing fit ended and Carson groaned. Rodney could hear him trying to get comfortable, the sound of a body shifting on cushions, the telltale creak of the couch. Rodney closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
"Ow!" Rodney started awake as his hip twinged. He looked at his watch. 4:51 AM. Carson started coughing again. Rodney moaned and struggled out of bed and padded toward the living room. "Hi."
Carson turned over. He didn't look too good. His hair was plastered to his forehead and he was shivering, even though his cheeks were flushed red. His eyes were glassy when he looked up at Rodney. "Sorry," he croaked. "I didn't mean to wake ye."
"I can't sleep anyway. The bed's too empty and just when I settle in, Little John decides to squirm."
"Sorry," Carson said again.
"Let me get you some tea and some medicine."
"Ah, thank you, love. I've been thinking about getting something for the cough, but I feel so weak."
"It's okay," Rodney assured him. He headed into the kitchen and started the water heating and then went into the bathroom and dug through the medicine cabinet until he found the NyQuil. Carson was asleep when he walked back through, but was awake coughing again before the tea was done steeping.
Rodney helped him to sit up and dropped the capsules into his hand, then handed him the tea. Carson leaned on him weakly and sipped from his cup, grimacing as he swallowed. "Throat's sore."
"I'm going to kill you if I get this, you know," Rodney threatened.
"Can ye just kill me now?" Carson rasped.
"Idiot," Rodney said with affection.
Carson handed him the half-empty cup and slid back down to the couch, curling under the covers, his head on the small amount of lap that Rodney had left. Rodney petted through his hair and rubbed his back as another coughing fit seized him.
Within fifteen minutes, Carson was once again dead to the world. Rodney slipped from the couch, gently shifting Carson's head back to his pillow and then went into the bathroom and thoroughly washed his hands, then found the vitamin C, zinc and echinacea lozenges and downed double the recommended dose.
He went back into the bedroom and climbed in bed, squirming until the position was tolerable, then laid, hand rubbing in soothing circles over his abdomen, smiling as he thought of his son within. Soon enough, Little John quieted and Rodney slipped back to sleep.
***
"Hm?" Radek awoke to the press of warm lips against the nape of his neck.
"Going for a run."
"Okay." Radek snuggled back under the covers. "See you later."
***
John blinked awake to the pleasant weight of Miko against him. He carefully stretched, hissing as muscles protested the movement. After cleaning up from the baby shower last night, he and Miko had collapsed on her couch. Obviously, that's where they'd ended up falling asleep. He looked at his watch and sat up so fast Miko nearly tumbled from the couch. "Oh, shit! I'm late."
She muttered something in Japanese, sitting up and peering around. "My glasses?"
"End table. Can you look for my radio? I think it might be in the cushions," John said as he headed for the bathroom. "And if Lorne calls, tell him I'll be there in ten minutes, tops."
***
"Doctor Biro?"
Biro turned and smiled at Teyla, noting the flushed face. "Yes?" she asked, already leading the other woman to an exam table.
"I... am not feeling well."
"You're rather warm. Sore throat? Coughing or sneezing? Congestion?"
Teyla nodded. "All of those. Plus nausea, which may be... a different problem."
"Yes, I know about that problem. We all keep up on the current medical status of all the expedition members, so we aren't caught flat-footed if an emergency arises." She picked up a thermometer.
"That must take much work."
"Not really. Open, please." She inserted the thermometer in Teyla's mouth, then picked up the blood pressure cuff. "Medical status doesn't change too awful much from one day to the next and we've gotten used to all the permanent conditions, which aren't many." She checked Teyla's blood pressure, then looked at the thermometer when it beeped. "One-oh-one-point-three. And your BP's a little low. Are you feeling light-headed?"
"A little."
"Have you had breakfast?"
Teyla grimaced. "I find I cannot stomach much for breakfast. I have had some Athosian tea, lightly sweetened, and a few of the saltines that Carson gave me on my last visit."
Biro nodded. "Let's check your heart and lungs." They both fell silent as she listened. "Hm. No congestion in your lungs, which is good. I think it's just this flu-bug that's going around. I've had a half-dozen people through the infirmary and who knows how many are just suffering at home. I'll get you something for the fever and to try and loosen up that congestion. Mostly you just need to rest and drink plenty of fluids. Would you like to stay here or go home?"
Teyla hesitated. "I would probably rest better at home."
"Usually that's the case. I'll arrange for someone to check in on you every couple of hours."
Biro smiled to see Teyla relax at that. The woman was as bad as some of the men when it came to asking for help. "That would be appreciated."
"I'll be right back with your meds and then I'll have Ashleigh there accompany you back to your room and make sure you're comfortable. Ah-ah-ah!" she said when Teyla looked about to protest. "You need to rest. You let her set you up with some juice and a maybe a little something for later if your stomach settles down, all within easy reach of your bedside. It's okay to let yourself be babied a bit when you're sick."
Teyla gave her a rueful smile. "I will try to rest, then."
***
"Carson?"
He fought to surface to consciousness, finally forcing his eyes open. He tried to talk, but what came out was more of a squeak.
Rodney looked apologetic. "Sorry to wake you. I need to go into the lab. Will you be okay for a couple hours?"
He nodded.
"Okay. I left a pitcher of ice water and a cup on the end table. There are a couple powerbars, too. You can't have any more medicine till eleven."
Carson mouthed, "Thank you," and closed his eyes. As Rodney kissed his forehead he smiled before drifting off to sleep again.
***
When Radek coughed, Rodney shot him a look of horror that made Radek wonder when Rodney was going to start pulling out the wooden stakes and crosses.
"What are you doing here if you're sick?"
"Kavanagh and Simpson both called in with fevers and I wasn't feeling that bad."
"Get out of my lab! Why would you expose a pregnant person to a disease like this?" Rodney demanded.
"First, it is a mild flu. Second, Carson is sick, so you are already exposed. Third, usually you would be demanding I quit whining and come to lab."
Rodney waved his hands at him. "Go home and don't come back till you're not contagious."
"Thank you for your concern," Radek deadpanned, standing.
"Yes, yes. Drink plenty of fluids, rest, all that. Just go away and take your viral load with you."
***
"Looks like my team's mission tomorrow is cancelled," John said as he clicked off his comm. "Radek and Teyla are both down with this flu bug that's hit."
Lorne nodded. "Parrish and Kaufman are both down with it, too. Looks like the Daedalus might have brought it in."
"You know, I appreciate the food, ammo, movies, meds, and personnel, but I could do without the imported viruses."
"No kidding. I was thinking of knocking off early to make sure people are taken care of, if that's okay with you, sir."
John waved. "I'll hold down the fort. Check in on Radek and Teyla for me, would you?"
Lorne nodded. "Absolutely."
***
In the next two weeks, practically everyone came down with the flu. Elizabeth succumbed next, then Ronon and Lorne. John and Miko got sick at the same time, which inspired ribbing about them doing everything together. Rodney stood in the eye of the viral storm, unaffected. By the end of the epidemic, his smugness was almost intolerable.
On the day that Vogel and Optican dragged back into the lab, looking a little the worse for wear, Rodney was in rare form, snapping orders, mocking mistakes mercilessly, and pushing to get the labs back to smooth working order. It was a little before lunch when he stood quickly and his vision suddenly swam. Radek reached out a steadying hand and let out a gasp of surprise, guiding him back to his chair and then pressing a cool hand to Rodney's forehead.
"It's not fair," Rodney griped as Carson gently led him out later. "I had it beat, I tell you. If we hadn't run out of those zinc and vitamin C lozenges..."
"It's all right, love," Carson assured him, arm around his waist. "Ye'll be well in no time."
"I'd better be. I don't want to be sick on our wedding day."
Carson smiled and hugged him closer. "I'll be sure of it, love."
***
"... in sickness and in health..." Carson met Rodney's eyes and smiled, thinking of how they'd both had to care for the other in the past couple of weeks. "... to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. With my whole heart and with complete devotion I pledge you my love."
Elizabeth turned to Rodney. "Rodney, repeat after me: 'I, Rodney, take you, Carson, to be my lawfully-wedded husband...'"
Rodney looked into Carson's face, feeling his eyes prick, as he spoke the words. "... to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. With my whole heart and with complete devotion I pledge you my love."
A single tear slipped down Carson's face and he gave Rodney a rueful grin.
"Traditionally, a marriage is marked by the exchange of rings," Elizabeth intoned. "These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken. Rodney, repeat these words as you place the ring on Carson's finger, 'With this ring I thee wed...'"
Rodney almost laughed as Little John kicked as he spoke. "'... With my body, I thee honour. And with all my worldly goods I thee endow.'"
Carson had wanted the old-fashioned language. Rodney had to admit it felt right, felt somehow more true to the spirit of the ceremony. Carson's ring finger sparkled with the three intertwined gold bands Rodney had selected as he took Rodney's hand and slipped on the old-fashioned ring that Rodney knew had belonged to Carson's father.
"'With this ring I thee wed,'" Carson said, the words fervent. "'With my body, I thee honour. And with all my worldly goods I thee endow.'" Carson let out a nervous breath.
Elizabeth beamed as she spoke again. "By the power vested in me by the State of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you married. You may now kiss each other."
They leaned forward, both pausing for a moment, breath intermingled, knowing they'd stepped over a threshold, and then their lips met, Carson's hand slipping around to feather into the hair at the nape of Rodney's neck even as Rodney slipped his arms around Carson's waist.
They broke apart to the strains of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. They turned and smiled at Major Lorne, violin tucked under his chin, eyes nearly closed as he played.
Elizabeth stepped to the door of her office and flung it open, looking down into the gateroom. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to present to you Doctors Carson and Rodney Beckett-McKay."
She stepped back to let them through. The crowd broke into cheers. Rodney and Carson grinned and kissed again, inspiring whistles and catcalls, then turned as one to shake hands with their friends.
John was grinning. Teyla gave them a warm, but somewhat wan smile. Ronon ignored their proffered hands and gathered them both up in a bear hug. Radek told them to, "Be good to each other."
And then they were heading down to the reception in the gateroom and from there to a new life together.
Next part
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Beckett, Sheppard, Lorne, Zelenka, Emmagan, Dex, Kusanagi, Simpson, Kavanagh, Weir
Relationships: McKay/Beckett, Sheppard/Kusanagi, Zelenka/?, Emmagan/?
Rating: PG for this part, but the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: mpreg, schmoop
Spoilers: None
Summary: Part 21 of the Sympathy for Eve series. When Rodney gets turned into a woman for a month, he decides to experiment, but little did he know it could have unforeseen consequences. Set somewhere in a nebulous third season AU after any cliffhanger-y stuff has been resolved.
Disclaimer: The characters, the setting, etc. are NOT mine, even if I wish they were.
Author's Notes: Beta and useful comments provided by mice1900, inkscribe and desala, but mistakes are entirely mine.
Rodney blinked awake at the hard kick to his abdomen, shifting uncomfortably. He peered at his watch. 4:47 AM. Out in the other room, Carson was coughing. He ignored the twinge of guilt and turned over on his side, stuffing one of the extra pillows under his protruding abdomen and another under one bent knee. Usually, he would have slung his leg over Carson's. The coughing fit ended and Carson groaned. Rodney could hear him trying to get comfortable, the sound of a body shifting on cushions, the telltale creak of the couch. Rodney closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
"Ow!" Rodney started awake as his hip twinged. He looked at his watch. 4:51 AM. Carson started coughing again. Rodney moaned and struggled out of bed and padded toward the living room. "Hi."
Carson turned over. He didn't look too good. His hair was plastered to his forehead and he was shivering, even though his cheeks were flushed red. His eyes were glassy when he looked up at Rodney. "Sorry," he croaked. "I didn't mean to wake ye."
"I can't sleep anyway. The bed's too empty and just when I settle in, Little John decides to squirm."
"Sorry," Carson said again.
"Let me get you some tea and some medicine."
"Ah, thank you, love. I've been thinking about getting something for the cough, but I feel so weak."
"It's okay," Rodney assured him. He headed into the kitchen and started the water heating and then went into the bathroom and dug through the medicine cabinet until he found the NyQuil. Carson was asleep when he walked back through, but was awake coughing again before the tea was done steeping.
Rodney helped him to sit up and dropped the capsules into his hand, then handed him the tea. Carson leaned on him weakly and sipped from his cup, grimacing as he swallowed. "Throat's sore."
"I'm going to kill you if I get this, you know," Rodney threatened.
"Can ye just kill me now?" Carson rasped.
"Idiot," Rodney said with affection.
Carson handed him the half-empty cup and slid back down to the couch, curling under the covers, his head on the small amount of lap that Rodney had left. Rodney petted through his hair and rubbed his back as another coughing fit seized him.
Within fifteen minutes, Carson was once again dead to the world. Rodney slipped from the couch, gently shifting Carson's head back to his pillow and then went into the bathroom and thoroughly washed his hands, then found the vitamin C, zinc and echinacea lozenges and downed double the recommended dose.
He went back into the bedroom and climbed in bed, squirming until the position was tolerable, then laid, hand rubbing in soothing circles over his abdomen, smiling as he thought of his son within. Soon enough, Little John quieted and Rodney slipped back to sleep.
***
"Hm?" Radek awoke to the press of warm lips against the nape of his neck.
"Going for a run."
"Okay." Radek snuggled back under the covers. "See you later."
***
John blinked awake to the pleasant weight of Miko against him. He carefully stretched, hissing as muscles protested the movement. After cleaning up from the baby shower last night, he and Miko had collapsed on her couch. Obviously, that's where they'd ended up falling asleep. He looked at his watch and sat up so fast Miko nearly tumbled from the couch. "Oh, shit! I'm late."
She muttered something in Japanese, sitting up and peering around. "My glasses?"
"End table. Can you look for my radio? I think it might be in the cushions," John said as he headed for the bathroom. "And if Lorne calls, tell him I'll be there in ten minutes, tops."
***
"Doctor Biro?"
Biro turned and smiled at Teyla, noting the flushed face. "Yes?" she asked, already leading the other woman to an exam table.
"I... am not feeling well."
"You're rather warm. Sore throat? Coughing or sneezing? Congestion?"
Teyla nodded. "All of those. Plus nausea, which may be... a different problem."
"Yes, I know about that problem. We all keep up on the current medical status of all the expedition members, so we aren't caught flat-footed if an emergency arises." She picked up a thermometer.
"That must take much work."
"Not really. Open, please." She inserted the thermometer in Teyla's mouth, then picked up the blood pressure cuff. "Medical status doesn't change too awful much from one day to the next and we've gotten used to all the permanent conditions, which aren't many." She checked Teyla's blood pressure, then looked at the thermometer when it beeped. "One-oh-one-point-three. And your BP's a little low. Are you feeling light-headed?"
"A little."
"Have you had breakfast?"
Teyla grimaced. "I find I cannot stomach much for breakfast. I have had some Athosian tea, lightly sweetened, and a few of the saltines that Carson gave me on my last visit."
Biro nodded. "Let's check your heart and lungs." They both fell silent as she listened. "Hm. No congestion in your lungs, which is good. I think it's just this flu-bug that's going around. I've had a half-dozen people through the infirmary and who knows how many are just suffering at home. I'll get you something for the fever and to try and loosen up that congestion. Mostly you just need to rest and drink plenty of fluids. Would you like to stay here or go home?"
Teyla hesitated. "I would probably rest better at home."
"Usually that's the case. I'll arrange for someone to check in on you every couple of hours."
Biro smiled to see Teyla relax at that. The woman was as bad as some of the men when it came to asking for help. "That would be appreciated."
"I'll be right back with your meds and then I'll have Ashleigh there accompany you back to your room and make sure you're comfortable. Ah-ah-ah!" she said when Teyla looked about to protest. "You need to rest. You let her set you up with some juice and a maybe a little something for later if your stomach settles down, all within easy reach of your bedside. It's okay to let yourself be babied a bit when you're sick."
Teyla gave her a rueful smile. "I will try to rest, then."
***
"Carson?"
He fought to surface to consciousness, finally forcing his eyes open. He tried to talk, but what came out was more of a squeak.
Rodney looked apologetic. "Sorry to wake you. I need to go into the lab. Will you be okay for a couple hours?"
He nodded.
"Okay. I left a pitcher of ice water and a cup on the end table. There are a couple powerbars, too. You can't have any more medicine till eleven."
Carson mouthed, "Thank you," and closed his eyes. As Rodney kissed his forehead he smiled before drifting off to sleep again.
***
When Radek coughed, Rodney shot him a look of horror that made Radek wonder when Rodney was going to start pulling out the wooden stakes and crosses.
"What are you doing here if you're sick?"
"Kavanagh and Simpson both called in with fevers and I wasn't feeling that bad."
"Get out of my lab! Why would you expose a pregnant person to a disease like this?" Rodney demanded.
"First, it is a mild flu. Second, Carson is sick, so you are already exposed. Third, usually you would be demanding I quit whining and come to lab."
Rodney waved his hands at him. "Go home and don't come back till you're not contagious."
"Thank you for your concern," Radek deadpanned, standing.
"Yes, yes. Drink plenty of fluids, rest, all that. Just go away and take your viral load with you."
***
"Looks like my team's mission tomorrow is cancelled," John said as he clicked off his comm. "Radek and Teyla are both down with this flu bug that's hit."
Lorne nodded. "Parrish and Kaufman are both down with it, too. Looks like the Daedalus might have brought it in."
"You know, I appreciate the food, ammo, movies, meds, and personnel, but I could do without the imported viruses."
"No kidding. I was thinking of knocking off early to make sure people are taken care of, if that's okay with you, sir."
John waved. "I'll hold down the fort. Check in on Radek and Teyla for me, would you?"
Lorne nodded. "Absolutely."
***
In the next two weeks, practically everyone came down with the flu. Elizabeth succumbed next, then Ronon and Lorne. John and Miko got sick at the same time, which inspired ribbing about them doing everything together. Rodney stood in the eye of the viral storm, unaffected. By the end of the epidemic, his smugness was almost intolerable.
On the day that Vogel and Optican dragged back into the lab, looking a little the worse for wear, Rodney was in rare form, snapping orders, mocking mistakes mercilessly, and pushing to get the labs back to smooth working order. It was a little before lunch when he stood quickly and his vision suddenly swam. Radek reached out a steadying hand and let out a gasp of surprise, guiding him back to his chair and then pressing a cool hand to Rodney's forehead.
"It's not fair," Rodney griped as Carson gently led him out later. "I had it beat, I tell you. If we hadn't run out of those zinc and vitamin C lozenges..."
"It's all right, love," Carson assured him, arm around his waist. "Ye'll be well in no time."
"I'd better be. I don't want to be sick on our wedding day."
Carson smiled and hugged him closer. "I'll be sure of it, love."
***
"... in sickness and in health..." Carson met Rodney's eyes and smiled, thinking of how they'd both had to care for the other in the past couple of weeks. "... to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. With my whole heart and with complete devotion I pledge you my love."
Elizabeth turned to Rodney. "Rodney, repeat after me: 'I, Rodney, take you, Carson, to be my lawfully-wedded husband...'"
Rodney looked into Carson's face, feeling his eyes prick, as he spoke the words. "... to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. With my whole heart and with complete devotion I pledge you my love."
A single tear slipped down Carson's face and he gave Rodney a rueful grin.
"Traditionally, a marriage is marked by the exchange of rings," Elizabeth intoned. "These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken. Rodney, repeat these words as you place the ring on Carson's finger, 'With this ring I thee wed...'"
Rodney almost laughed as Little John kicked as he spoke. "'... With my body, I thee honour. And with all my worldly goods I thee endow.'"
Carson had wanted the old-fashioned language. Rodney had to admit it felt right, felt somehow more true to the spirit of the ceremony. Carson's ring finger sparkled with the three intertwined gold bands Rodney had selected as he took Rodney's hand and slipped on the old-fashioned ring that Rodney knew had belonged to Carson's father.
"'With this ring I thee wed,'" Carson said, the words fervent. "'With my body, I thee honour. And with all my worldly goods I thee endow.'" Carson let out a nervous breath.
Elizabeth beamed as she spoke again. "By the power vested in me by the State of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you married. You may now kiss each other."
They leaned forward, both pausing for a moment, breath intermingled, knowing they'd stepped over a threshold, and then their lips met, Carson's hand slipping around to feather into the hair at the nape of Rodney's neck even as Rodney slipped his arms around Carson's waist.
They broke apart to the strains of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. They turned and smiled at Major Lorne, violin tucked under his chin, eyes nearly closed as he played.
Elizabeth stepped to the door of her office and flung it open, looking down into the gateroom. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to present to you Doctors Carson and Rodney Beckett-McKay."
She stepped back to let them through. The crowd broke into cheers. Rodney and Carson grinned and kissed again, inspiring whistles and catcalls, then turned as one to shake hands with their friends.
John was grinning. Teyla gave them a warm, but somewhat wan smile. Ronon ignored their proffered hands and gathered them both up in a bear hug. Radek told them to, "Be good to each other."
And then they were heading down to the reception in the gateroom and from there to a new life together.
Next part