TITLE: Seeing Green

AUTHOR: Demon Faith

CATEGORY: Romance, Angst, Humour

SPOILERS: ‘Sanctuary’

SERIES: Ninth in the Domesticity Series

PAIRINGS: Carson/Rodney, implied John/Liz

RATING: PG-13

WARNINGS: Argument, jealousy, misconstrued McShep

SUMMARY: Rodney was right – that fact alone will plague Carson for days

DISCLAIMER: I own not the lovely Atlantis cast, but I love what TPTB are doing – this is just supplementary exploitation of subtext, promise. I make no money from the pleasure.

NOTES: This episode left me confused in all kinds of ways. I guessed the twist as soon as I got the ‘Maternal Instinct’ feel in the temple and admit to Rodney-type glee on realising I was right. I’m also cursed by being very subtext and ship aware, especially for this show and its fantastic chemistry, and I believe Rodney almost took on Ford’s role of jealous housewife to Sheppard this episode. Which promptly freaked me out, as Rodney is Carson’s, end of conversation. :)

Hence, this is my stubborn shipper’s spin on ‘Sanctuary’ (and is that enough alliteration for you?)

When Rodney casually wandered into the lab, Carson slammed down the box of syringes irritably and tried not to pay him any attention.

“Don’t even say it,” Carson ground out, pointedly switching off the screen with the oh-so-perfect results of Miss Chaya the Ancient, whom Rodney figured out and nobody else did and he just knew he was going to hear about this from now unto eternity.

“I was just offering coffee.” The tone was a little hurt and a lot sulky, and Carson’s demeanour softened a touch. After all, Rodney had been put down by everyone on Atlantis for doubting and rankling their guest, only to be proved right and receive the rolling of eyes and the please-don’t-let-him-gloat-and-further-inflate-his-ego avoidance.

“Then I will gladly take it,” he said, turning and accepting the warm mug, watching Rodney carefully. He’d heard a rumour of a minor altercation in the corridor between his Rodney and John, and hoped there was no lasting resentment. No matter how Rodney tried to deny it, he worked hard to earn the respect of John Sheppard and the loss of it would be a far greater blow than anyone would suppose. But then, few were allowed to know Rodney as Carson did.

Rodney leaned against the exam table, idly looking around and Carson’s eyes narrowed at the forced nonchalance. Warning bells went off in his head and he mentally flicked through all the other gossip he’d heard that day. Nothing.

“Um…McKay? Do you have a minute?” Carson started at John’s voice, as the man hovered in the doorway. Rodney pushed away from the table with a put-upon smile and moved to the door, sighing dramatically.

“What do you want, Major?” Rodney said, voice low but impatient. Carson moved to examine his dwindling stock of antibiotics, surreptitiously keeping an ear on the oddly-strained conversation.

“I came…to apologise. For yelling at you earlier.”

“It was no big deal. I was…out of line.”

“Still, you were right. She wasn’t just some priestess.”

“That didn’t give me the right to…interfere in your personal life.”

Carson’s ears pricked up and he stopped clinking vials.

“I appreciate the concern. And just so you know – I’m no Captain Kirk.”

Rodney scoffed and Carson tensed. “Oh please, you are so Captain Kirk.”

The two men laughed and as John left with some mutterings about a training session, Carson caught the relieved smile on Rodney’s face and felt his eyes turn a very ugly shade of green.

“What was that about?”

Rodney looked up at the blunt question, wearing a slightly confused from. “What are you talking about?”

“That thing just there with the good Major. Something about his personal life.”

A faint blush graced Rodney’s cheeks and Carson felt his mood sour. Usually that blush was reserved for him but now John frickin-Sheppard was the cause, and that was totally unacceptable. Carson was vaguely aware he was throwing a tantrum, but didn’t particularly care. Rodney, as always, remained clueless.

“I, uh, warned him away from Chaya. I called him,” Rodney took a breath, as if steeling himself, “morally dubious. And Captain Kirk, though in hindsight that was a little redundant. He didn’t take it very well.”

“Hard to imagine really,” Carson, voice dripping icy sarcasm, but Rodney was oblivious.

“I seem to have that effect on people,” he said, with a tinge of regret. “Except for you, of course.” Rodney positively beamed at him, and only then seemed to notice that Carson wasn’t smiling. “What?”

“Oh, nothing, Rodney, nothing at all. I don’t mind you wandering the corridors at night after leaving my bed without a word. If it’s for a good cause like John Sheppard’s love life and your sudden interest in who’s tucking him in at night, well then, that’s okay. It’s not like I was expecting to wake up with you in light of your desperate need to play the Major’s moral conscience in the wee hours – I really should have known.”

Carson stopped, wondering if he could pile any more bitterness into that speech and deciding the answer was probably not. Rodney just gaped at him.

“Well, say something!” he exclaimed wildly. The echoing silence mocked him, even as his supposed lover’s fish impression failed to raise even a smile.

“I don’t know how someone as smart as you can be so misled,” Rodney shook his head. “I blame the proliferation of religion around here recently.”

Carson deflated. “You mean there’s nothing going on?”

Rodney actually had the nerve to laugh. “Oh, Carson, you are priceless. As if I’d lust after Captain Kirk when I have…” Rodney visibly swallowed his first thought, “Doctor McCoy.”

Carson appreciated the amendment, and moved a little closer to Rodney, almost shy in his stupidity. “So, who does that make you?”

Rodney rolled his eyes and placed his hands on Carson’s shoulders. “Why, Mr Spock of course. The epitome of logic and scientific brilliance.”

“Nah, your ears aren’t quite that pointy.” Carson lazily flicked one of the objects in question and Rodney smiled, relaxing.

“Wouldn’t want to be mistaken for an Elf,” he murmured, drawing Carson closer. Carson bit his lip as he realised exactly how much of a prat he was being, and was just about to apologise, when Rodney sighed.

“It was for Elizabeth, if you must know. I couldn’t bear…she’s too good for him.”

Carson hadn’t even thought of that. “Ah, Liz is a strong one. She’ll have him defenestrated in no time.”

A low chuckle by his ear ended all talk of the lovers’ tiff amongst the Atlantis brass and brought Carson firmly back to the make-up part of their own argument. He thought they probably both deserved it.

“Would you ever leave me for an alien priestess?” he muttered, feeling in need of some reassurance for no good reason at all.

“Hmm…well, she was Ancient. It is tempting.”

Carson looked up angrily and smacked the laughing idiot’s shoulder. “The cheek! It’ll be a thorough medical examination after your next mission, let me tell you!”

Rodney leaned close again. “You know you’re welcome anytime.”

He shivered. Oh yes, they should argue more often. Carson kissed Rodney, begging forgiveness with a touch of his lips, the pacifying sweep of his tongue.

Scientist or Elf, Carson knew when he was onto a good thing.