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crysothemis drew mckays_girl is feeling crap so...
bloody hell, I've been on LJ a year today...
*whoot whoot*
Here's to the next thousand years...
*hugs flist bigtime*
Love you guys!!!
(wonderful manip by
berlinghoff79)
Title: Busy Doing Nothing..........for the http://community.livejournal.com/reel_sga/ - Reel SGA Challenge
Summary: Where John and Rodney face dragons of a different kind…
Pairing: John/Rodney – friendship and pre pre pre McShep.
Author: Tipsywitch.
Rating: PG13 - nothing too heavy!
Any warnings/spoilers: none really.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, wish they were (There’d be McShep!). Just trying to play nice with them for a while and trying to behave myself.
Prompt. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, for the reel sga challenge on livejournal. The film has a character called Sir Boss and the film takes bits from the King Arthur legends. There is also Bing Crosby singing “Busy Doing Nothing”. Really……really…….extrapolated!
Notes: I am very very apprehensive. This is my very first fanfic (and my first go at posting a story so please bear with the learner!). Thank you to my ever-patient husband for reading and suggesting. All mistakes are mine alone – please forgive! Constructive criticisms and comments are very welcome. I will warn you - was heading one way (still got plot bunnies for that!) but it ended up somewhere totally different.
A beginning is a very delicate time…
The light from the windows in the towers of Atlantis cast a pearly sheen on the surrounding sea. The sunset had been glorious, as always, but had been lost on the group gathered in the highest room of the smallest tower. The sound of children’s laughter was softened by the stained glass between them and the star filled sky.
John sat, cross-legged, on the floor, facing a group of Athosian children.
“… … and all the crowd could see the sun slowly disappearing. The sky grew dark, the birds fell silent and the townsfolk huddled together in fear and dread”
John made his best *O.M.G.* face and the Athosian children giggled, being suitable impressed. Teyla smiled, looking around at the children’s rapt faces. The Colonel said he had better stories. The children had grown fond of the weekly storytelling. They had also grown very fond of the storyteller. The tales of Sir Boss at the castle of the Arthur King had been very popular.
Teyla looked across to Dr Rodney McKay. She was surprised he had attended such a gathering. His aversion to children was well known from previous forays through the Stargate.
“What happened?” asked Jinto “Did they not understand”
“No” said John “ They had never seen anything like it and they were very very afraid”
Rodney, arms crossed and looking as bored as only Rodney could, muttered “oh please” under his breath.
Why on earth did he say he would come to the storytelling? His stomach growled in answer. OK, a few power bars and the promise of some athosian delicacies, including the *like Chocolate but not quite* had been enough to override the *children will be present* warning signals.
If he was honest with himself, which he wasn’t usually, deep down he knew why. He needed to face this again, needed to see if he could stay and listen without his memories making him feel sick to his core and afraid. It had been so long ago.
“Aannnnnddddd, that’s an ideal time to stop, on a cliffhanger…” John smiled as a collective “Awww” came from the children.
“Will The Boss be able to escape the clutches of Merlin…”? John paused for effect. “Will the townsfolk ever see the sun again?”
“Well, duh!”
“Rodney” John cast a glare in his direction.
Later………….
John and Rodney walked through the deserted corridors to the living quarters. Rodney kept glancing at John, unsure of what to say. John had been pissed at his attitude with the story and Rodney was debating what he should do. The hurt was deep and had been held back for a very long time. Rodney’s quarters, seemingly miles away during the day, for he often complained about it, loomed close. Rodney had to say something. He took a breath and opened his mouth.
“ ‘Night McKay.” John turned to go
“ Colonel! …John…wait”
Hazel eyes caught blue. They waited.
“ And….” John crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
“Oh, sorry.” Rodney winced, caught staring again. “ I just wanted to apologise.”
“What for?” John couldn’t help himself as he let the sarcasm and hurt seep into his words. “For being your usual snarky smug self? Why should a few children who wanted to hear a bedtime story change that?”
John looked at Rodney, and then looked away, brushing his hand through his already mussed hair. “ Thought you’d be able to give it a rest, just for a while.”
Rodney swallowed the hurt. His pride, however, would not back down.
“ So why did you ask me? If you knew I’d be such a….a…”
“ A pain in the ass…”
“No” Rodney bit his lip. He had to explain to John somehow. “I was surprised by your offer. I wanted to come and listen” Listen to you, your voice, to see if you could change it, make it better somehow.
Rodney’s thoughts betrayed him. He was afraid to speak the words but his face showed every emotion. Rodney looked up. John was staring; his anger had vanished to be replaced by a look of genuine concern for his friend.
“Rodney, what’s going on?”
It was now or never. Rodney took a deep breath.
“Ihaven’theardthatstoryinalonglongtimeandtherearealotofnotsogreatmemoriestiedtoit.”
John smiled as he caught Rodney’s arm. Rodney stared at him like he was ready to run for it. Caught in the headlights came to John’s mind.
“Whoa there Rodney, too fast. Try again OK, just… a little slower this time.”
He could tell Rodney was trying to say something important. Something he was not comfortable with sharing. John was surprised to find that he liked the idea that Rodney would trust him.
“Just remember to breath,” John said softly.
Rodney looked at John, waiting for the quip, the smart comeback line. All he saw was a friend ready to listen to him, really listen.
“Oh” Rodney looked to the floor, the walls, anywhere but Johns face. “This is going be to so much easier with coffee not!”
John shook his head, grinning. “ Ok, but just one. Don’t need you buzzing more than you already are”
Rodney palmed the crystal at his door and headed for his supply of what currently went for coffee on Atlantis. John followed and threw himself on the soft couch. Rodney always had a supply stashed in his quarters, regardless of the fact he spent much more time in his lab, where an equally brewed supply was always on the go.
Rodney handed a mug of coffee not! to John and perched on the side of his bed. He drew a shallow breath and pursed his lips to try to exhale the turmoil inside of him.
“Hey. Look. It’s ok. If you don’t want………” Rodney’s quiet voice stopped John from finishing.
“Before my parents decided to split we, that is my sister and I, had to live through reconciliation attempts, botched family outings and embarrassing family sessions”
Rodney stared out into space, the words and thoughts racing out after so long. He could clearly picture, even after all this time, the garden, his sister, even the colour and perfume of the flowers.
“They had tried numerous times and succeeded in only pushing us further apart. I don’t know if my father felt jealous or threatened or whatever. The point of all this is I can clearly remember when I first realised what was going on.”
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…
The kids were in the garden singing parts of a song they had just heard on the TV. It had been a treat to watch. Their mother had allowed it as long as they were quiet and out of the house, or completing their homework, before their father came home.
They ran into the garden and made sword from sticks and shields from dustbin lids, slaying dragons as they went and chasing the dark knights away from their castle.
“We’re busy doing nothing, working the whole day through,
Trying to find lots of things not to do.
We’re busy going nowhere, isn’t it such a crime.
We’d like to beeeeeeee unhappy but………we never do have the time”
Neither heard the car door slam, the front door smack against its hinges and then, the raised voices in the kitchen.
Gradually the sounds from the house filtered into their make-believe world. They stopped and looked at each other, eyes wide with anticipation of what was to come. The porch door flew open and their father strode out of the house.
“Busy doing nothing. That about sums it up.” The eyes flicked from one child to the other. Rodney and Jeannie slowly moved towards each other: Their hands reaching for each other, for comfort that was not forthcoming from their father.
“Can’t you two do anything right? What did I tell you when I left the house this morning? You were supposed to be helping your mother and then onto your homework…”
“But Fa…” Rodney tried to speak
“Don’t interrupt me Rodney” His father took that last step closer, his height imposing over the two children. His eyes stormed filled with anger. “ I don’t need your back-chat on top of everything else today. Who the hell do you think you are? However hard we try, whatever we do, you take advantage, well no more.”
Rodney kept his eyes to the ground. Jeannie looked at him and squeezed his hand tighter.
“ You are no better than me, you are nothing ‘cept what I make you. I will lick you into shape by God and you will obey me”
“I…” Rodney did not finish. His face stung with the shock and sharpness of the blow. He did not fall. He would not cry.
“You will obey me or there’s more where that came from, worthless piece of…” The words were lost in a haze of alcohol as his father turned and staggered back to the house.
Rodney glanced up and saw his mothers face at the window. She looked straight through him, and slowly looked away. Jeannie started to cry.
“Jeannie…” Rodney gently lifted her chin and saw tears rolling down her cheeks from her troubled blue eyes, mirrors of his own. “ Come on, let’s go inside”
“ But…but………He’s in there!”
“ Don’t worry ‘bout that, he’ll be out of it by now”
The two of them slowly walked to the house, their games forgotten but the words were blazed into Rodney’s mind. Their mother didn’t say a word. Their father never touched Rodney again, in either anger or a father’s love for his son.
“Never much been into the family ideal after that”. Rodney couldn’t look at John. “Not ‘til now. Never found anybody willing to put up…” Rodney smiled a small sad smile “…with me like you guys do ” Like you do.
John raised himself from the couch and took the cold empty cup from Rodney’s hands.
“It’s time for you to get some sleep”
Rodney’s face froze as he realised John was leaving. Had he let his guard down for nothing?
John, however, did not leave. He placed the mugs on the table and turned back to face Rodney. John did not need to say anything; it was there for Rodney to see. Open, honest and accepting.
“Sleep. I’ll stay and chase the dragons away”
Rodney removed his shoes and lay on the bed. John dimmed the lights with a thought and moved back to the couch. Rodney tried to relax. He closed his eyes as John began softly speaking.
“Along time ago, when knights were true and valorous and all the ladies looked like Colonel Carter”
Rodney smirked, his eyes still closed.
“There lived a Knight called Sir Boss. Sir, because King Arthur himself had bestowed the title and Boss because he thought it best described himself. He kept a very heavy secret that, if shared, could ruin his reputation as the smartest, cleverest, knight around……...”
The End?
John stroked a stray hair from Rodney’s forehead. He stared at the relaxed face of his sleeping friend for a long thoughtful time before leaning in and gently grazing his lips where his fingers had touched.
“ Sleep well Sir Boss. More dragons tomorrow.”
....too busy at work, the move into new offices did NOT go well, not concentrating on finishing my very first fic for the sga-reel challenge, DVD player still won't play sounds,hubbys gone paintballing and I'm fed up of football and the world cup hasn't even started yet! There's a pile of ironing to do and a spare room to clear out and clean........
......sod this I'm off to the Pub..... one large glass of red please!
I know it's only Friday but.......
It's a Bank Holiday so no work on Monday,
I've got the day off work today
I'm off to see X Men 3 today and........
..........The Da Vinci Code Tomorrow,
Hubby is going away camping ( good luck in this weather!!!!) so everything in between is going to be either Stargate Atlantis or David Hewlett....
It may be raining but it's sunny at my place!
branchandroot
