SG-1/SGA Story: Past and Present

[cat_77]

Written for choc_fic

Title:  Past and Present
Rating:  PG-13?
Synopsis:   "It was either that, or let McKay do the negotiating."
Season/Spoilers:  Minor (now) casting spoiler for Season 4 of Atlantis.
Challenge Prompt:  Stargate: Atlantis/SG-1 crossover, Ronon/Teyla/Sam: have to pretend to be married - Old stories - they're haunting me/This is nothing/Like I thought it would be ...
Author Notes:  This is a bit different from my usual style.  I also went a bit less with the crossover aspect and a bit more with Sam being on Atlantis.
Disclaimer:  Not mine.  People with a lot of money own them.  I am only taking them out to play.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

“You’re kidding me, right?”

 

“Unfortunately, no,” Teyla apologized, and she did sound sincere.  “The Elians are quite insistent on the most opportune times to negotiate business transactions, and that time is three days from now.  If we do not attend this meeting, we shall not be able to instigate trade relations for one of their solar years.”

 

“And we could really use some of their ore, not to mention having alternative fresh food sources in case our own shipments are delayed,” Sam recited, knowing all the reasons they had started this process by heart by now.

 

“The negotiations themselves should take no more than two days, three at the most should anything unusual arise,” the smaller woman promised her.

 

“With a two day festival leading up to them,” Carter sighed, remembering the earlier briefing on all the hoops that needed to be jumped through with this particular culture.  It was nothing complicated, and nothing objectionable, just certain necessities that needed to be respected and participated in or else you risked alienating a potential ally in a galaxy where you could use every friend you could get.  “Are you sure they won’t accept anyone else?” she tried, even though she already knew the answer.

 

The Athosian shook her head.  “They will accept the word only of the speaker of your people.  I would go on your behalf, but they already know I am of Athos, not Atlantis.”

 

“Can’t we just say someone else is the speaker?”

 

“Unfortunately, it was mentioned only Colonel Sheppard had the right to speak for Atlantis, and that he reported to you,” Teyla winced.

 

“It was either that, or let McKay do the negotiating,” Ronon chimed in.

 

How it actually went was like this:

 

“Their technology is laughable, but they do make a good brioche,” Rodney commented, not bothering to lower his voice even though their hosts were mere steps away.  He helped himself to another selection, popping it into his mouth and licking the crumbs from his fingers.

 

“Why yes, Rodney, I’m sure they have a lot to offer,” Sheppard said just a bit too loudly and too forcefully in hopes of appeasing the Elians.

 

“Oh, I never said that,” McKay replied with his usual oblivious honesty.  “I mean, seriously, just how many potato substitutes do we need?  The only thing of any possible worth here is that ore, and who knows how pure it is.”

 

“McKay...” John tried to cut him off, seeing the way their hosts were becoming less than pleased at what was being overheard.

 

“Unless...” Rodney trailed off for a moment, idly picking up another confection from the many offering plates.  He snapped the fingers of his free hand and addressed the man who had done most of the speaking for the Elians up to this point, “Hey, do you guys have any Ancient tech?  It might be crap, but we can see what we can do with it.”

 

“Rodney...”  This time it was Teyla giving him the warning, never a good thing.

 

“Huh?  Oh, I mean, er, did your revered Ancestors leave anything behind that you might be willing to part with?  Strange, glowing objects of probably no use to you other than some religious mumbo jumbo,” he clarified.

 

There was a chorus of several variations of his name from his teammates.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

The Elder’s eyes narrowed.  “Does this man speak for your tribe?” he demanded.

 

“No,” John and Ronon chorused while Teyla gracefully added, “He does not.”

 

His attention turned to the woman of the group.  “Do you speak for this tribe?  If I recall correctly, you are of Athos, not this Earth they speak of.”

 

“I am merely here to assist in the negotiations.  I do not have the authority to speak for their tribe,” the Athosian agreed.

 

“Me neither,” Ronon quickly chimed in when the man’s attention drifted to him.  “Satedian,” he shrugged.

 

“Am I correct in assuming that you then speak for your people?  That you are their leader?” the Elder addressed Sheppard.

 

“Well, technically, yes,” John hedged.  “I am from Earth, and I have the authority to speak for our people, but I report to another of, er, higher rank than myself.”

 

“Colonel Carter,” Ronon clarified.  He eyed one of the plates, shrugged and popped the offering into his mouth, chewing carefully for a moment before turning to Sheppard and asking, “Can you see if we can get any of this? We had something like it back home.  There’s no citrus, so it shouldn’t even kill McKay.”

 

His team leader rolled his eyes.  “I’ll see what I can do,” he promised sarcastically.  Turning back to the Elder, whose look of annoyance had changed to one of mild amusement, he said with as much sincerity as he could muster, “I apologize for my team’s behavior and look forward to our upcoming negotiations.”

 

The man nodded.  “I place my faith in your tribe with you and this Colonel Carter.  You handle your team well and it is a credit to your leader.  We will negotiate with no others until their behavior and authority are proven,” he declared, eying Rodney warily.  “You may bring who you wish to the negotiations, but no others may speak on your behalf.”

 

“Understood,” John agreed, forcing a smile and pulling Rodney’s hand away from a curtain where several of the religious leaders had just disappeared to.  Ronon stepped up and neatly blocked the way from further attempts.  “We look forward to doing business with you.” 

 

“How many planets has McKay been banned from negotiating on?” Sam sighed.

 

“Only five,” Teyla reported.  “Though there are several that request any others if at all possible and the Gielorans specifically request him as they have found a kindred spirit in what they called his ‘truthful mind-set’.”

 

Carter resisted the urge to wipe a hand over her face.  “Is there a list?”

 

“Elizabeth kept a database and gave me access rights,” the smaller woman assured her.  “I have done my best to keep it updated.”

 

“Not that it matters since he can’t come this time anyway,” Ronon pointed out.

 

Carter leaned back in her chair and sighed, again.  “If it was just McKay, that wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s Sheppard too, which means Atlantis will be without its top two military leaders for almost a week while I’m with the Elians and he’s still in confinement.”  She paused, taking a sip of the coffee-like tea Teyla had offered her earlier.  “We’ve always known there had to be a downside to the ATA gene, and this little virus appears to be proof of it.  At least it’s not as serious as it could be, and we caught it before it spread too far.”

 

How it actually went was like this: 

 

“Ooh, what are you?” Rodney asked, picking up an object that looked suspiciously like a large silver egg sitting neatly on a tiny little stand in the center of a stone and metal dais.

 

Sheppard wandered closer and peered over his shoulder.  “What did you find?”

 

“I have no idea,” McKay admitted, focused on the readout on the screen of his handheld device.  “I’m picking up energy readings and they all seem focused on this baby right here.”

 

“Makes sense,” the other man commented, looking around at the mostly barren room.

 

“Hey,” Rodney called, turning his attention away from his find for the briefest of moments.  Satisfied he had Sheppard’s attention, he continued, “I’ve been wondering, when you’re around Ancient tech, do you feel that weird sort of vibrating sensation in the back of your head?  Because ever since the gene therapy I get it all the time.”

 

“You live in the City of the Ancestors, perhaps it calls to you,” Teyla suggested from the other side of the room.  She had found a doorway, but it appeared only to lead back down to the front entrance hall.

 

Cutting off McKay’s sarcastic remark before he could make it, John confirmed, “Yeah, there’s a sort of low buzz thing going on.  Pretty constant in Atlantis, but sometimes I can feel it around other places as well.”

 

“Like now?” Rodney asked, turning his attention back to the unknown object. 

 

“Definitely now,” Sheppard agreed, stepping closer.  The object had started emitting a low glow, revealing patterns similar to those drawn on the stone.

 

“I just can’t get it to...” Rodney tried, trailing off as he squeezed his eyes shut in concentration.  The egg lit up a little bit more, but not by much.

 

“Here, let me try,” John suggested.  He lightly touched the metal, which erupted into a near blinding light show.  When the special effects started to fade and everyone could see again, McKay and Sheppard both lay huddled together on the floor, completely unconscious.

 

“Not again,” Ronon complained, bending down to hoist his teammate over his shoulder and start the trek out of there.

 

“Doctor Keller assured me the effects should only be temporary, and they should fully recover in only a matter of days,” Teyla promised.

 

“Yeah, that’s what she said two days ago, not that she wants to get close enough to find out,” Sam muttered.

 

The Athosian opened her mouth to speak, paused and cocked her head to the side as if trying to choose the correct wording.  “The nature of the affliction does warrant distance,” she said wryly.

 

“That’s just because no one wants to be involved,” Ronon stated with a little less delicacy.

 

Carter snorted at the candor.  Apparently, the nearest Keller could figure, Sheppard’s ATA gene set the thing off and Rodney’s meant he was also affected.  Lorne got too close while transporting them to the infirmary, and now he and some botanist he hung out with also caught it. 

 

What “it” was made her want to snort again.  The affliction was a sort of intimate codependency.  That’s all the further she let the good doctor get before she held up her hands and covered her ears.  Those affected needed to stay close to each other and needed physical touch every few minutes or else they slipped into a coma-like state.  Touch from non-ATA carriers seemed to do little besides cause them pain.  Keller had paired them off based on exposure time and her sick sense of humor and currently Sheppard and McKay were sharing private quarters in a distant sector, and Lorne and his flower buddy had a home of their own.  They managed to keep the details private, for now, quite the feat in the close-knit community she currently lived in.  She didn’t know who she felt the most sorry for at this point: Sheppard, McKay, or Keller.  Thinking about it, she decided on the botanist; Lorne was never even in the running – she had worked with him back at the SGC for too many years.

 

She forced a smile she did not feel and asked, “So, what time do the festivities begin?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“I assure you, Colonel Carter, I did not know this was going to happen,” Teyla insisted for the twelfth time.  Sam was certain of the number; she was counting.

 

True to her word, Teyla had joined the mission, planning on attending as a liaison between the Elians and the Atlantis contingent.  However, apparently she had been rather young when she last visited with her father, and had not quite taken note of all of the social customs and mores as she had thought she had.  Sam did not blame her, but it did not stop the other woman from feeling guilty anyway.

 

Ronon, on the other hand, had insisted on attending as a sort of personal bodyguard, at one point issuing the ultimatum, “It’s either me, or a squad of Marines, your choice.”  Sheppard’s and McKay’s calls to her over the radio from their secluded location had also insisted on her bringing backup, placing full faith in their teammates.  As for herself, Carter had learned many years ago not to question the protective nature of large alien teammates and had agreed, though she did not miss the order for a full contingent of Marines to be on call just in case that they tried to slip past her.  “Standard procedure,” was all the Lieutenant had said when asked and, after remembering some of the past mission reports from the Pegasus galaxy, she decided to go with it.

 

“It’s fine,” she repeated her previous answer through grit teeth.  “Just help me into this thing.”  The “thing” in question was an elaborate collection of robes made out of a fine, silk-like fabric.  They were held together through a complicated system of ties and wraps, most of which were extremely difficult to reach on her own.  Her companions had already donned their slightly simpler versions.  Teyla looked splendid in the soft lavender hues while Ronon looked... snug in a set of blue that were obviously not made for a man his size.

 

“I shall do it,” the Athosian insisted, slapping the large man’s hands away from one of the wraps.

 

“On Sateda, it’s the man’s job,” Ronon explained, picking it up again.

 

“And on Athos, it is that of the woman,” Teyla told him, pulling the soft fabric from his hands.

 

“And on Earth we would not be having this conversation,” Sam cut in with exasperation.  “Just, someone, get this on so we can get going!”

 

“As you wish,” Ronon said, offering up the next piece.

 

Teyla smiled, “An enjoyable film.”

 

Sam shook her head, not surprised to find hands in her hair adjusting one of the ribbons.  “I can believe that thing made it across a galaxy.  Do I even want to know how it made the manifest?”

 

“Most likely, no,” Teyla advised knowingly.  She finished looping one last tie and stepped back to eye her work critically.  “I believe we are ready,” she announced at last.

 

The aide that had been assigned to them hid her smile and led the way to the reception hall.  As they stepped out to the corridor, Carter stage whispered, “Do I have to wear this thing every day?”

 

“Only during the festival,” Teyla advised.  She waiting until the Colonel’s shoulders sagged slightly in relief before adding, “There are separate robes for the negotiations.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Well, that could have gone better,” Sam commented, plopping down less than gracefully on one of the chaises lining the reception hall.  The festivities were still on-going, but she wanted a break.

 

“He was challenging you, I challenged back,” Ronon shrugged, leaning against the chair at her side.

 

Teyla joined them, nudging Carter’s legs over to allow her room beside the other woman.  She sat daintily on the cushion, tucking her feet up beside her.  “I believe it is more accurate to state he was challenging your position as First Husband, and you took offence,” she pointed out.

 

The large man tossed a dreadlock over his shoulder and asked, “Would you prefer his proposition?  He really didn’t seem your type.”

 

Sam smiled despite herself.  “No, he really wasn’t,” she agreed.  “And neither was the Elder’s wife you stared down, and don’t think I didn’t see that,” she added to the woman beside her.

 

“We are simply... protective... of our spouse,” Teyla laughed lightly.  Turning more serious, she inquired, “Does this bother you?  Pretending to be something we are not?”

 

Sam seemed to think it over for a moment before saying, “No, not really.  After finding out about their views on ‘unpaired’ men and women, it really is the only solution.”  The Elians believed that everyone of age needed a match.  The reasoning was that it kept each person balanced and loyal.  Families usually matched up their children at a young age to form alliances.  Falling in and out of love was also not out of the question within their system, with a true love becoming the First Husband or First Wife and the previous spouse relegating themselves to a slightly lower position or leaving the household completely if desired.

 

“Would have been fun to see McKay’s reaction,” Ronon commented, not bothering to hide his grin.

 

“It is your turn to be married to him,” Teyla said haughtily.  “I had to do it last time and had absolutely no sleep.”  She turned to the other woman and confided, “He paraded me around as something Colonel Sheppard called a ‘trophy wife’ most of the night before falling asleep and snoring, loudly, for the remainder of the evening.”

 

“And he still expected her to protect him after he insulted the Sovereign’s daughter,” Ronon remembered.  “Still, it’s better than the last time I was married to him:  He kept baiting the King’s guards trying to get them to start a fight.  I threatened to let them at him before he stopped.”

 

“Not that Colonel Sheppard is much better,” his teammate pointed out.  “It is difficult to appear as the dutiful wife when he flirts with anything that moves.”

 

“McKay called it ‘macking’.  I’m not sure what that means, but it might be related to what he calls Sheppard’s ‘Kirk Impression’,” the large man added thoughtfully.

 

Any other musings were interrupted when they looked to their current expedition leader, noticing her expression of both horror and amusement.  Fearing they crossed the line, Teyla tried to placate her with, “I know it seems unorthodox but, as we have traveled to many worlds, we are often mistaken for being in... a more intimate relationship due to the closeness of our team.  We have found it is easier to go along with this assumption rather than challenge it.”

 

Sam finally let out the chuckle she had been holding back.  “Oh no, it’s not that at all.  I’m just trying to figure out who would be with who here on Elia,” she insisted.

 

“So you do not take offense?” Teyla clarified.

 

Carter held up her hands.  “No, not at all.  After a decade at the SGC, you would be surprised at who I’ve been married to.  The first time was a bit of a shock, but we got through it.”  Shaking her head, she added, “This is not the only time I’ve had to do something like this and, if your galaxy is anything like mine back home, it probably won’t be the last.”

 

How it actually went was like this:

 

“I can’t be married to you; you’re like a brother to me!”

 

Daniel pulled her slightly to the side and whispered back, “Sam, it’s either me or one of the Sultan’s sons.  An unmarried woman taking part in these negotiations means she’s up for grabs as collateral.”

 

“But...”

 

“Jack and Teal’c are being shown all the military armaments and weaponry while I’m supposed to negotiate the treaty and you are supposed to make sure I don’t give away Russia,” he reminded her.

 

“Married?”

 

“Me or the Sultan’s son, Sam.  A couple of days of sharing a room and possibly a bed, or a lifetime with a complete stranger on another planet – it’s up to you.”

 

The couple of days turned out to be some of the most enjoyable she had in a long time.

 

She thought back to many times she had taken part in a farce like this with a wry smile.  Sometimes, it had been fun, others, not so much.  They had always gotten the job done though; duty first and all that.  Looking out at the festivities and then back to her companions, she thought about what was expected of them, of her especially as the leader of the group, of all the missed opportunities in the past, and made up her mind.  “So, what do you say we have a bit of fun with this?” she asked playfully.

 

Ronon let loose a feral smile, all teeth as he said, “I’m game.”

 

Teyla could not help the grin that spread across her face.  “As am I,” she agreed.

 

The remainder of the festival was a study in enjoyment.  Flirting looks and feather-light touches mixed with laughing whispers and an almost possessive unity shared amongst the three.  They fed each other the little delicacies, snapping at fingertips before offering to lick off the crumbs.  The teasing seemed intimate in such a public arena; inviting others to look in, but not share in the secret.  The Elians approved.  The Atlanteans did not care.

 

That night, curled up in a luxuriously large bed, Sam reflected, “You do realize they now think we’re some sort of polygamous society with a hierarchy of servants and roles, right?”  She yawned, figuring Daniel would be proud of her remembering some of his lectures, but not quite as proud at the deception.

 

“I’m fine with that,” Ronon muttered, picking up on her yawn and advancing it with one of his own.

 

“As am I,” Teyla agreed, snuggling closer.

 

Sam sighed, this time in contentment.  She wrapped an arm around Teyla’s lean frame that was pressed up against her front and pressed slightly back into the hard warmth that was Ronon behind her.  She thought of friendships and the past and how coming to the Pegasus galaxy was nothing like she thought it would be and how she really should have expected that by now.  She thought of the upcoming trade negotiations and how the Elder assured her they were mostly a formality at this point.  She thought of the little cookies Ronon had liked so much and the neatly packaged basket full of them on the table at the side of the bed.  Mostly she thought of comfort, both the giving and the receiving, and of finding even the briefest moment of peace in this life and learning to accept it.

 

With a final yawn, she let her eyes drift shut with the thought that yeah, she was fine with it too.

 
~~~~~~~~~~

Feedback is alway welcomed.