TITLE: Ancient Demons

AUTHOR: Demon Faith

CATEGORY: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

SPOILERS: ‘The Defiant One’

SERIES: Sixth in the Domesticity series

RATING: PG-13

WARNINGS: Reference to events in episode – not pretty.

SUMMARY: Rodney’s not a sharing, touchy-feely kinda guy. Carson’s just tenacious.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the fit Atlantis guys or the freakishly cool Wraith or the wicked city of Atlantis. Really, I don’t own an awful lot. I make no money from this pleasure.

NOTES: lucia_tanaka wanted some H/C for this episode, so I decided to oblige. Hope you like it, hon!

Carson jumped, wondering what on earth had woken him. Completely soundproof walls, and God knows they’d tested the theory. Which meant it only could’ve come from within…

Another shout and he reached out instinctively, grabbing hold of Rodney’s shoulders as the man sat up and stared at the nothingness of the far wall, struggling in Carson’s grip. Another night, another nightmare – this was getting old already.

“Rodney, hush, it’s okay…”

As always though, the great Rodney McKay would not listen. He struggled some more, panting heavily and fighting, shutting his eyes against what he saw dancing across the wall.

“RODNEY!”

The shout echoed around the small room and suddenly Rodney was back with him, staring at him with wide, terrified eyes. “C…C…Carson?”

“It was a bad dream, Rodney. Just a dream.”

Carson pulled him closer, rubbing soothing circles into his back. Yet within an instant, Rodney had pulled away and flipped onto his side. “Stop fussing, I’m fine. Go to sleep.”

Carson sighed and glared pointedly at Rodney’s back – ridiculous man. As if he expected him to just turn out the light and forget anything had happened. Well, Rodney had obviously forgotten who he was dealing with.

Reaching out to trail his hand over Rodney’s tense shoulder, Carson leaned over so he could see the man’s face, and bit his lip. Rodney’s eyes were screwed shut, and he was muttering softly to himself. Carson sighed.

“Tell me what’s been bothering you, Rodney.”

“No.”

Carson rolled his eyes. Now he had the sulky brat version of his lover to deal with. That was a complicated enough minefield without the added pressure of playing doctor to an abused soul He let one hand settle on Rodney’s hair whilst the other brushed across his arm.

“I can’t stand to see you hurting like this. What happened out there?”

“Nothing happened. I’m fine. Go to sleep.”

“I am not leaving you to brood like a ditched lass, Rodney! Something happened on that God-forsaken planet and you need to tell me.”

“I really don’t see how this is any of your business.”

“Not my business? You’re in my bed, Rodney, you’re disturbing my sleep as well as your own - and I care about you, you great oaf! You can’t carry all this hurt inside you – it’ll make you ill.”

“What are you, my friend or my doctor?” Rodney huffed, but there was a hint of a smile.

“What, you expect me to drop off my degree at the door?” Carson leaned closer, and turned Rodney gently onto his back, so he could finally see those scowling eyes. “Talk to me, Rodney.”

A heavy sigh and slowly, breathlessly, words tumbled from his lips. “Gall was attacked. The Wraith…it fed on him, but left just enough, just a speck so he would live. Sheppard told me to watch him, to try and get him ready to move. I was…terrified, but I wanted to be out there, to know what was happening, maybe help.” Rodney scoffed quietly, and Carson closed his eyes.

“Gall seemed to be getting better, said I…I was jealous. Me, jealous.” Carson smiled, opening his eyes again, but Rodney was lost in thought. “He told me to leave, that I wanted to be out there, but I couldn’t leave him and I’m not that brave. I remembered – no more heroics. But Gall, he really wanted me to go, and so…he made the decision for me. When I heard the gun, it was too late.”

Carson couldn’t quite hold his gasp, gripping Rodney’s thin t-shirt in his hand. Oh God, to have talked to the man, practically nursed him, only to see…that. Carson could barely restrain his anger at Gall – to do that to Rodney, to be so selfishly focussed.

“You know, I think that helped.”

Rodney smiled at him, a faded smile yes, but not quite the sullen scowl he’d been wearing since he returned from the edge of the Solar System. Elizabeth had shot several worried looks in Carson’s direction, but he hadn’t been able to offer a single shred of insight. Now he understood why the man would be haunted by nightmares, jump at every noise and drift through the labs like a ghost.

Rodney reached up to him, and Carson gratefully sunk into his arms, realising aging muscles weren’t meant to take that kind of abuse. With a soft kiss of cleansing and absolution, Carson settled over him like a protective blanket, a human shield between Rodney and the demons haunting the night.

“Sleep well, love. Nothing can touch us now.”