skidmo_fic (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
skidmo_fic) wrote2006-11-06 06:30 pm
skidmo_fic) wrote2006-11-06 06:30 pm
Mrs. Beckett, ch. 2 (R)
Title: Mrs. Beckett
Rating: R
Pairing: Carson/Other
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me...sadly
Feedback: yes, please.
Summary: Ronon picks up a stray on a mission
“Dr. McKay showed me some of the writings of the Ancestors today. Their language is very similar to that of my people. And Col. Sheppard’s been teaching me to fight.” Laria and Carson were walking back from the southwest pier after a sunset picnic.
“Is he, love? I hope you’re not stretching yourself too far with it. You’re still recovering you know. That was quite some trauma you received, on top of being malnourished for several months.”
“Don’t worry, Carson. The colonel is very careful with me. And if he were working me too hard, one look from Ronon would keep him in line.”
She laughed. She was always laughing with Carson. It had been so long since he’d been with someone who could make him laugh. He’d almost forgotten how much he loved it. Laria seemed to be able to make him laugh even when he’d had one of his black days. When everything seemed to go wrong. When he lost another patient. When he experienced another setback in his retrovirus research.
Before Laria, he would leave the infirmary on those days and go back to his rooms, pull out a bottle of whisky and pour himself a dram or two, trying desperately to pretend none of it had ever happened.
Now he found himself seeking out Laria’s company on those days. The first time had been accidental. She’d been in Atlantis for a week, and he’d had a black day. He decided to check up on her before going to find his whisky. He told himself it was because he was still concerned for her health, but he couldn’t really put his finger on what made him go to her rooms that night. When he’d arrived, he’d found her playing a game with Ronon. It looked like the Pegasus version of checkers, but Carson soon discovered it was far more complicated than its counterpart. He watched them for a few games, and then Laria asked if he wanted to play. She pitted him against Ronon, and Carson had been completely hopeless. Watching him lose spectacularly had started her giggling. Soon she had Ronon holding in his chuckles too. Eventually Carson gave in and laughed out loud.
“You don’t laugh enough, Dr. Beckett. You have a lovely laugh,” she’d said as she fixed him with those sparkling green eyes.
Suddenly, the day hadn’t seemed quite so black.
And now they were on a picnic together. Carson had tried to keep himself from falling for her, but he’d found it impossible. Col. Sheppard wasn’t helping any either. He was constantly planning outings for them, trying to get Carson alone with Laria. Eventually, Carson had given in and planned his own outing.
Laria’s laugh brought him back from his reverie. “What were you thinking of, Carson?”
You, us, life, love and laughter he thought, but he found himself saying, “Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering when you’ll be leaving for the mainland.” Brilliant, Carson. Make her think you don’t want her here. Sheppard would be furious with you.
Laria’s face darkened a bit. “Oh. Um, I’m supposed to go with Teyla the next time she visits.”
“Right. Well, you’re almost fully recovered now, so I don’t see why you couldn’t go any time.”
There was no response. Carson was mentally kicking himself for his stupidity, but he couldn’t seem to think of a way out. That was the other effect Laria had on him. She seemed to make him incapable of rational thought at times. He tried to convince himself that what he felt for her was merely friendship, that they’d only known each other for a few months and that was not nearly enough time for him to feel this deeply. But everything moved faster out here. There wasn’t time to luxuriate over a relationship, to let it grow slowly around you until you suddenly realized that you were in love. It had been that way with Perna too. It had only taken a few days for Carson to realize that he, if not loved, then at least cared very deeply for her. Even those feelings were nothing next to the way he was beginning to feel about Laria. But what if she didn’t feel the same way? What if he blurted it out and frightened her away? Now that he’d gotten used to having her in his life could he make it through another black day without her laugh to ground him?
He didn’t realize that they’d reached her door until she stopped and looked up at him. She looked worried as she said, “The mainland is not so far away. There would be times when we could still see each other, I suppose.”
“Certainly, love. It’s just a puddlejump away.” He tried to smile at his joke, but somehow it didn’t even make his eyes crinkle.
“I will miss you, Carson.”
“Aye, I’ll miss you too, lass.” He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek, not noticing, or maybe just ignoring, the disappointed look in her eyes.
Not wanting to linger any longer, he quickly turned to walk down the hall. He turned the corner and walked straight into Col. Sheppard.
“Nice date?”
“Er...yes. It was lovely.”
“Liar.”
“It was! We had a lovely dinner and a nice chat.”
Sheppard crossed his arms and gave Carson a hard look, “And yet you leave without a kiss goodnight. You know, Doc, if you don’t get your act together she’s gonna head off to the mainland and forget about you.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Colonel.”
“All I’m saying is if I’d just had a lovely dinner and a nice chat with a girl like that, I’d leave her in no doubt about my feelings. I’d make sure she knew she was wanted here. I’d make sure she knew I wanted her here.”
“You would, would you? And how would you suggest that I do that?” Carson’s arms were crossed as well now, and his voice rose a few pitches as he contemplated how horribly he might have ruined things.
“I’d go back to her room and knock on her door, and when she answered it, I’d just kiss her, good and hard. Then I’d turn right around and walk away. Leave her wanting more.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Hmph.” But Carson seemed to be wavering.
“C’mon, Doc, you know you wanna.”
Carson left Sheppard there and headed back to Laria’s door, pausing for just a moment before straightening his shoulders and knocking determinedly.
When Laria opened the door, he almost forgot what he was going to do.
“Carson? What is it?”
“Just this,” he said and then grasped her head in both hands and kissed her, good and hard, like the colonel had said. When he pulled away, Laria looked as dazed as he felt, so he smiled and whispered, “Good night, love,” before turning and marching down the hall again.
He tried to ignore the smug look on Sheppard’s face as he passed.
***
The next time Teyla went to the mainland, Laria wasn’t with her. Sheppard had brought her down to the labs to “help” McKay translate some inscriptions on a piece of Ancient tech he was working on. McKay said that there were any number of competent translators in the expedition, but Sheppard was convinced that only Laria would have the cultural expertise to determine the correct linguistic context, or something along those lines. The justification had seemed fairly arbitrary to Carson, but he wasn’t about to complain.
In fact, it seemed that each time Laria would have a chance to go to the mainland, Sheppard came up with something pressing that needed her attention on Atlantis. The colonel had even suggested that she join his team when she had completed her combat training. Teyla’s grasp of the Ancients language was fairly strong, but Laria understood the nuances of syntax better than she did. Carson had long since stopped thinking of Sheppard’s actions as meddlesome, content to take any excuse to have a few more days with Laria.
Days became weeks became months, and soon even Dr. Weir stopped pretending that Laria would eventually join the Athosians on the mainland. Carson was quickly slipping into a routine that involved liberal doses of Laria’s laughter. They had dinner together every day, and in the evenings they would play games in Carson’s quarters, switching off between Pegasus and Earth games each night. If Carson had to stay late in the infirmary, Laria would join him there, just sitting in his office reading (McKay had declared it a travesty that she could read Ancient but not English and had assigned one of his scientists to teach her) while he bustled around keeping things in order. Carson should’ve known that Sheppard’s meddling wouldn’t stop with making Laria a permanent resident. Life was becoming too simple and, on Atlantis, that was a sure sign that something was about to change.
Sheppard caught up to Carson one night on his way to meeting Laria for dinner.
“Hey, Doc, how’s it going?”
“I’m doing well, Colonel. How’s yourself?”
“Oh pretty good.” The look in Sheppard’s eye was enough to make Carson wary. He seemed to be looking Carson over for signs of weakness.
“Can I help you with something, son?” Carson asked.
“Oh, no. I’m doing fine. I was just wondering if there was anything I could help you with.”
“Nothing comes to mind.”
“Huh. Well, you know you can talk to me if you ever need any advice, right?”
Carson stopped walking and fixed Sheppard with his best “I know you’re up to something” look. “Look, you can stop acting all innocent, Colonel. That hasn’t fooled me since our first day here. What’s on your mind?”
Sheppard put up his hands in mock surrender, “Nothing, Doc, really.” Carson just stared all the harder. “Okay, okay. I was just wondering when you were going to make it official.”
Carson prided himself on being able to interpret the colonel’s meanings better than almost anyone except Rodney, but this was a bit too cryptic even for him.
“I’m sorry?”
“You know...with Laria.”
“Make what official, exactly?”
“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Carson crossed his arms and waited for Sheppard’s explanation. “Geez, I thought you’d be all over it by now.”
“Really, Colonel, if you can’t make any more sense than that, I wonder that you try speaking at all.”
“It’s just that, well, Laria’s being allowed to stay here because she’s pretty useful right now. But what happens when we don’t need her anymore? I can’t keep making up reasons for her to stay. For that matter, what happens if we find her home planet? I know McKay’s certain it’s been destroyed and the gate’s been buried, but what if there were survivors? What happens when her reasons for leaving are stronger than her reasons for staying?”
It took Carson half a second to realize that Sheppard wasn’t kidding. “First of all, Laria has proven her usefulness time and time again. I don’t think Dr. Weir is suddenly going to make her leave. And secondly, if we do find some survivors from her home, what could I possibly do to make her want to stay if she really wants to go?”
“C’mon, Doc. You’re not really that naive are you?”
“Let’s pretend for a moment that I am.”
“Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? She’s head over heels for you. If you asked her to stay, she would. But you’ve got to make sure she knows you mean forever.”
Carson could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. “Are you suggesting that I ask her to marry me just so that you can have the pleasure of her company on Atlantis?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down there. Is that why you think I’ve been doing all this? Because I want to keep her around?”
“Well, haven’t you?”
“No!” Sheppard shook his head vigorously. “No way, Doc. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I like Laria and all, but she’s not the one I was thinking of.”
The conversation was quickly moving past cryptic into enigmatic. Carson just shook his head and sighed. “Will you just say what you mean for once, lad?”
“Well, you know...um...it was obvious from the beginning that you liked her a lot, and you haven’t really been that interested in someone since Perna, and that was, what? Three years ago? I just thought you could use a little happiness in your life. You always seem so stressed. Laria seemed like the perfect person to lighten you up a bit. And, well, when it comes right down to it, I’m a hopeless romantic. I like to see people in love. And you and Laria, well, you could make the long haul. All you have to do is ask.”
Sheppard patted him rather awkwardly on the arm before walking away leaving Carson with a completely bewildered look on his face.
***
Dinner was excruciatingly slow that night. Carson tried to listen to Laria and Rodney explaining the breakthrough they’d made on the artifact they’d been working on, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. What if Sheppard was right? What if the only way to keep Laria here was to marry her? He had to admit that it wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed his mind. Marrying her, that is, not trying to keep her on Atlantis. He’d thought about what it would be like to come home to her every night, waking up next to her every morning. Laria’s people didn’t approve of sex before marriage, and while Carson was happy just to be able to be with her at all, he had to admit that sleeping with her would be quite a nice addition to the pleasures they already enjoyed together. It wasn’t unheard of for people from Earth to marry aliens. Daniel Jackson had kind of set that precedent right off. And even one or two of the scientists on Atlantis had married Athosian girls since they’d gotten the okay from the SGC.
“...and then Dr. Zelenka started shouting in Czech...I think it was something about Rodney’s mother, but I couldn’t quite catch it all.”
Laria’s laugh brought him back to the present. He looked up into her eyes and found that his mind was already made up. She was looking at him expectantly, obviously waiting for a response to her story.
“I’m sorry, love. I wasn’t listening.” He was going to leave it at that, but in a sudden burst of confidence he blurted out, “Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to get married.”
Laria’s gaze never wavered, but Carson could see tears forming in her eyes. Rodney’s jaw had dropped, and he all but shrieked, “Hello? I’m still here. So is half of Atlantis for god’s sake! I realize your intellect pales in comparison to mine, but I had rather thought you were intelligent enough to realize that the middle of the mess hall is no place to propose!”
“Rodney?” Carson said without looking away from Laria. “Shut up.”
Laria was still just looking at him. Suddenly Carson began to wonder if maybe this whole marriage thing was a bad idea after all. He was just thinking of all the ways he could get back at Sheppard for pushing him into this when Laria said, “I’d love to, Carson. When were you thinking of?” And then Carson thought that John sounded like a lovely name for a firstborn son.
***
Laria’s people didn’t approve of long engagements either, so a few weeks later, everything had been set in motion. They’d be married on the mainland in a service that combined the traditions of Laria’s people with those of the Athosians and what little Carson remembered enough to think necessary in an Earth wedding. Halling would perform the ceremony, which was to be relatively simple. Most of Laria’s traditions involved the lead up to the wedding.
Carson was standing in a hut a little ways off from where the engagement feast was to be held. In a few minutes, he’d have to go in and ask Laria’s father for her hand in marriage. Only, since Laria’s father wasn’t available, she had asked Ronon to stand in for him. Carson wished she had asked just about anyone else. Ronon had been extremely protective of Laria since she had come to Atlantis, but since news of their engagement had come out, he’d taken to glaring at Carson in the hallways. Carson was almost afraid to make the trip from his room to the infirmary anymore. The man had always set Carson a little on edge, but now Carson was positively skittish around him.
The rest of the ceremony would be simple. First he was to ask the military leader for permission to marry (Sheppard had been far to excited about that) because the men in Laria’s country all served in the army for at least two years before they were allowed to marry and had to request permission to leave the military before taking a wife, then...well...Carson didn’t like to think about what came next, but after that he and Laria were to ask the civil leader for her blessing (Dr. Weir thought this was very sweet) because if the civil leader saw any reason for the marriage not to take place it would be her duty and her right to prevent it. For now he was focusing on John and Elizabeth and trying to remember the words he had to repeat to each of them. That was the really easy part. With both John and Elizabeth he’d merely be reciting lines. With Ronon, he’d be on his own. Once he’d asked Ronon’s permission there was no scripted question and response format. He had to stumble his way through and then present Ronon with a gift.
Rodney came into the hut and tried, quite unsuccessfully, to stifle a laugh. “You’re not really wearing that, are you?”
Carson looked down at his clothing. Laria had insisted that he be dressed in the traditional garb of his people, so he was decked out in full Scottish regalia. “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing, Rodney. At least my traditional costume doesn’t involve a red coat and a funny hat.”
Rodney snorted, “No, just a skirt and a crotch-purse. Well, Bonnie Prince Carson, they’re ready for you now.”
“Right...erm...Me too, I suppose.”
Carson strode out the door with Rodney close behind. Rodney was Carson’s best man, and it was his job to provide moral support during any challenging, or potentially deadly, portions of the ceremony.
They made their way to the center of a large circle of people in the middle of the village. Carson could see Laria sitting with Ronon directly across from him. He smiled weakly at her, and she grinned back at him. When he reached the exact center, he turned to his right and walked towards Col. Sheppard.
Kneeling in front of him he said, “I’ve served you well for four years. Have you found any fault with me?”
Carson could see a smile playing on the corners of the colonel’s lips and prayed he wouldn’t make this more difficult than it was. Finally, Sheppard replied, “I have found none. You have indeed served me well and may ask a boon.”
“I wish leave to be married.”
Sheppard was grinning mischievously now, but he merely responded, “Granted. Go and be happy.”
Carson’s knees trembled a little as he rose and walked to stand in front of Laria and Ronon.
“Sir, I have completed my service to the army and have come to ask your permission to marry your daughter.”
Ronon leaned forward in his seat and stared hard at Carson. Carson swallowed. Laria had told him that he must not say anything more until Ronon had made his answer. It seemed like an eternity before Ronon stood and walked toward Carson.
When he was standing right in front of Carson, Ronon said in a low voice, “I hope you know that you are one of only two men in Atlantis that I would let marry her. She saved me. It is my responsibility to look after her. But you saved me once too. Saved me from the life of a runner. I will leave her in your care while she is in the city if you will leave her in mine when we go through the gate.”
“I will, son.”
Ronon placed a hand on either of Carson’s shoulders and said in a louder voice, “Then you have both my permission and my blessing.”
Carson gave a huge sigh of relief. From here on, it was smooth sailing, only lines to say. He pulled his dirk from its sheath and presented it, hilt first, to Ronon. “As thanks for the work you have done in rearing Laria to be the woman she has become, I offer this gift.”
Ronon accepted the small knife and pulled his own sword from its sheath. “In recognition of your new position as protector of my daughter, I offer this gift.”
Carson’s eyes widened as he looked at the sword. It seemed enormous. It was enormous. It was too much. “I can’t take that from you, son.”
“It’s only a sword. I know you won’t use it, but it would mean a lot to me if you would take it.”
Carson nodded and took the sword from Ronon then handed it to Rodney to carry. He looked back at Laria and held out his hand to her. She rose from her seat and took his hand, and together they walked toward Elizabeth.
When they stood in front of her, Carson looked at Laria, who nodded, and he said, “Lady, I have been relieved of my duties in the army and have been granted permission to marry. Will you bless my union?”
Elizabeth’s smile was gentle and understanding when she asked, “Whom would you choose?”
“With her father’s good grace, I choose Laria.”
Carson felt Laria squeeze his hand, but his heart was so full he knew that if he looked at her, he would cry, so he kept his eyes fixed on Elizabeth as she asked, “Laria, do you accept Carson of your own free will?”
“I do, Lady.”
Elizabeth stood then and held out her arms towards the couple, “Then with my blessing, you will be married in three days time in the presence of all who wish to join in your celebration. Go now and prepare yourselves.”
Carson found himself unable to move as Laria was led away by Teyla. Eventually, Rodney tugged at his sleeve. “Hello? Carson? Time to go now.”
***
Three days later, they met again in the center of the village for the ceremony. Carson didn’t know what Laria had been up to during that time, but the Athosians had insisted that it was necessary for the bride and groom to be apart for three days before the wedding. The whole day was blur for Carson. He’d worn his kilt again and somehow he had made it into the village and to the front of the gathering of people there, Rodney on one side, Halling on the other. He was aware enough to notice Laria as she walked, almost floated, down the aisle on Ronon’s arm. She was wearing some sort of toga-like dress. It was the same green as her eyes, and the Athosian women had left her hair down but braided flowers together and made a sort of wreath of them that she wore like a crown. Carson fleetingly noticed that Ronon seemed to be torn between staring at Laria and contemplating the flowers in her hair.
Carson wasn’t sure what he said in response to the questions Halling asked him, but they must have been satisfactory because, after he’d answered, Halling had him take Laria’s hand and slide the thin band of gold onto her left ring finger. This was the one Earth tradition that Carson had made sure was included. The only words he remembered from the whole ceremony were the ones Laria said to him as she slipped a matching ring onto his finger, “I thee wed.”
-tbc
Chapter Three: Of Chief Priests and Sacred Mysteries
Rating: R
Pairing: Carson/Other
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me...sadly
Feedback: yes, please.
Summary: Ronon picks up a stray on a mission
“Dr. McKay showed me some of the writings of the Ancestors today. Their language is very similar to that of my people. And Col. Sheppard’s been teaching me to fight.” Laria and Carson were walking back from the southwest pier after a sunset picnic.
“Is he, love? I hope you’re not stretching yourself too far with it. You’re still recovering you know. That was quite some trauma you received, on top of being malnourished for several months.”
“Don’t worry, Carson. The colonel is very careful with me. And if he were working me too hard, one look from Ronon would keep him in line.”
She laughed. She was always laughing with Carson. It had been so long since he’d been with someone who could make him laugh. He’d almost forgotten how much he loved it. Laria seemed to be able to make him laugh even when he’d had one of his black days. When everything seemed to go wrong. When he lost another patient. When he experienced another setback in his retrovirus research.
Before Laria, he would leave the infirmary on those days and go back to his rooms, pull out a bottle of whisky and pour himself a dram or two, trying desperately to pretend none of it had ever happened.
Now he found himself seeking out Laria’s company on those days. The first time had been accidental. She’d been in Atlantis for a week, and he’d had a black day. He decided to check up on her before going to find his whisky. He told himself it was because he was still concerned for her health, but he couldn’t really put his finger on what made him go to her rooms that night. When he’d arrived, he’d found her playing a game with Ronon. It looked like the Pegasus version of checkers, but Carson soon discovered it was far more complicated than its counterpart. He watched them for a few games, and then Laria asked if he wanted to play. She pitted him against Ronon, and Carson had been completely hopeless. Watching him lose spectacularly had started her giggling. Soon she had Ronon holding in his chuckles too. Eventually Carson gave in and laughed out loud.
“You don’t laugh enough, Dr. Beckett. You have a lovely laugh,” she’d said as she fixed him with those sparkling green eyes.
Suddenly, the day hadn’t seemed quite so black.
And now they were on a picnic together. Carson had tried to keep himself from falling for her, but he’d found it impossible. Col. Sheppard wasn’t helping any either. He was constantly planning outings for them, trying to get Carson alone with Laria. Eventually, Carson had given in and planned his own outing.
Laria’s laugh brought him back from his reverie. “What were you thinking of, Carson?”
You, us, life, love and laughter he thought, but he found himself saying, “Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering when you’ll be leaving for the mainland.” Brilliant, Carson. Make her think you don’t want her here. Sheppard would be furious with you.
Laria’s face darkened a bit. “Oh. Um, I’m supposed to go with Teyla the next time she visits.”
“Right. Well, you’re almost fully recovered now, so I don’t see why you couldn’t go any time.”
There was no response. Carson was mentally kicking himself for his stupidity, but he couldn’t seem to think of a way out. That was the other effect Laria had on him. She seemed to make him incapable of rational thought at times. He tried to convince himself that what he felt for her was merely friendship, that they’d only known each other for a few months and that was not nearly enough time for him to feel this deeply. But everything moved faster out here. There wasn’t time to luxuriate over a relationship, to let it grow slowly around you until you suddenly realized that you were in love. It had been that way with Perna too. It had only taken a few days for Carson to realize that he, if not loved, then at least cared very deeply for her. Even those feelings were nothing next to the way he was beginning to feel about Laria. But what if she didn’t feel the same way? What if he blurted it out and frightened her away? Now that he’d gotten used to having her in his life could he make it through another black day without her laugh to ground him?
He didn’t realize that they’d reached her door until she stopped and looked up at him. She looked worried as she said, “The mainland is not so far away. There would be times when we could still see each other, I suppose.”
“Certainly, love. It’s just a puddlejump away.” He tried to smile at his joke, but somehow it didn’t even make his eyes crinkle.
“I will miss you, Carson.”
“Aye, I’ll miss you too, lass.” He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek, not noticing, or maybe just ignoring, the disappointed look in her eyes.
Not wanting to linger any longer, he quickly turned to walk down the hall. He turned the corner and walked straight into Col. Sheppard.
“Nice date?”
“Er...yes. It was lovely.”
“Liar.”
“It was! We had a lovely dinner and a nice chat.”
Sheppard crossed his arms and gave Carson a hard look, “And yet you leave without a kiss goodnight. You know, Doc, if you don’t get your act together she’s gonna head off to the mainland and forget about you.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Colonel.”
“All I’m saying is if I’d just had a lovely dinner and a nice chat with a girl like that, I’d leave her in no doubt about my feelings. I’d make sure she knew she was wanted here. I’d make sure she knew I wanted her here.”
“You would, would you? And how would you suggest that I do that?” Carson’s arms were crossed as well now, and his voice rose a few pitches as he contemplated how horribly he might have ruined things.
“I’d go back to her room and knock on her door, and when she answered it, I’d just kiss her, good and hard. Then I’d turn right around and walk away. Leave her wanting more.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Hmph.” But Carson seemed to be wavering.
“C’mon, Doc, you know you wanna.”
Carson left Sheppard there and headed back to Laria’s door, pausing for just a moment before straightening his shoulders and knocking determinedly.
When Laria opened the door, he almost forgot what he was going to do.
“Carson? What is it?”
“Just this,” he said and then grasped her head in both hands and kissed her, good and hard, like the colonel had said. When he pulled away, Laria looked as dazed as he felt, so he smiled and whispered, “Good night, love,” before turning and marching down the hall again.
He tried to ignore the smug look on Sheppard’s face as he passed.
***
The next time Teyla went to the mainland, Laria wasn’t with her. Sheppard had brought her down to the labs to “help” McKay translate some inscriptions on a piece of Ancient tech he was working on. McKay said that there were any number of competent translators in the expedition, but Sheppard was convinced that only Laria would have the cultural expertise to determine the correct linguistic context, or something along those lines. The justification had seemed fairly arbitrary to Carson, but he wasn’t about to complain.
In fact, it seemed that each time Laria would have a chance to go to the mainland, Sheppard came up with something pressing that needed her attention on Atlantis. The colonel had even suggested that she join his team when she had completed her combat training. Teyla’s grasp of the Ancients language was fairly strong, but Laria understood the nuances of syntax better than she did. Carson had long since stopped thinking of Sheppard’s actions as meddlesome, content to take any excuse to have a few more days with Laria.
Days became weeks became months, and soon even Dr. Weir stopped pretending that Laria would eventually join the Athosians on the mainland. Carson was quickly slipping into a routine that involved liberal doses of Laria’s laughter. They had dinner together every day, and in the evenings they would play games in Carson’s quarters, switching off between Pegasus and Earth games each night. If Carson had to stay late in the infirmary, Laria would join him there, just sitting in his office reading (McKay had declared it a travesty that she could read Ancient but not English and had assigned one of his scientists to teach her) while he bustled around keeping things in order. Carson should’ve known that Sheppard’s meddling wouldn’t stop with making Laria a permanent resident. Life was becoming too simple and, on Atlantis, that was a sure sign that something was about to change.
Sheppard caught up to Carson one night on his way to meeting Laria for dinner.
“Hey, Doc, how’s it going?”
“I’m doing well, Colonel. How’s yourself?”
“Oh pretty good.” The look in Sheppard’s eye was enough to make Carson wary. He seemed to be looking Carson over for signs of weakness.
“Can I help you with something, son?” Carson asked.
“Oh, no. I’m doing fine. I was just wondering if there was anything I could help you with.”
“Nothing comes to mind.”
“Huh. Well, you know you can talk to me if you ever need any advice, right?”
Carson stopped walking and fixed Sheppard with his best “I know you’re up to something” look. “Look, you can stop acting all innocent, Colonel. That hasn’t fooled me since our first day here. What’s on your mind?”
Sheppard put up his hands in mock surrender, “Nothing, Doc, really.” Carson just stared all the harder. “Okay, okay. I was just wondering when you were going to make it official.”
Carson prided himself on being able to interpret the colonel’s meanings better than almost anyone except Rodney, but this was a bit too cryptic even for him.
“I’m sorry?”
“You know...with Laria.”
“Make what official, exactly?”
“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Carson crossed his arms and waited for Sheppard’s explanation. “Geez, I thought you’d be all over it by now.”
“Really, Colonel, if you can’t make any more sense than that, I wonder that you try speaking at all.”
“It’s just that, well, Laria’s being allowed to stay here because she’s pretty useful right now. But what happens when we don’t need her anymore? I can’t keep making up reasons for her to stay. For that matter, what happens if we find her home planet? I know McKay’s certain it’s been destroyed and the gate’s been buried, but what if there were survivors? What happens when her reasons for leaving are stronger than her reasons for staying?”
It took Carson half a second to realize that Sheppard wasn’t kidding. “First of all, Laria has proven her usefulness time and time again. I don’t think Dr. Weir is suddenly going to make her leave. And secondly, if we do find some survivors from her home, what could I possibly do to make her want to stay if she really wants to go?”
“C’mon, Doc. You’re not really that naive are you?”
“Let’s pretend for a moment that I am.”
“Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? She’s head over heels for you. If you asked her to stay, she would. But you’ve got to make sure she knows you mean forever.”
Carson could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. “Are you suggesting that I ask her to marry me just so that you can have the pleasure of her company on Atlantis?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down there. Is that why you think I’ve been doing all this? Because I want to keep her around?”
“Well, haven’t you?”
“No!” Sheppard shook his head vigorously. “No way, Doc. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I like Laria and all, but she’s not the one I was thinking of.”
The conversation was quickly moving past cryptic into enigmatic. Carson just shook his head and sighed. “Will you just say what you mean for once, lad?”
“Well, you know...um...it was obvious from the beginning that you liked her a lot, and you haven’t really been that interested in someone since Perna, and that was, what? Three years ago? I just thought you could use a little happiness in your life. You always seem so stressed. Laria seemed like the perfect person to lighten you up a bit. And, well, when it comes right down to it, I’m a hopeless romantic. I like to see people in love. And you and Laria, well, you could make the long haul. All you have to do is ask.”
Sheppard patted him rather awkwardly on the arm before walking away leaving Carson with a completely bewildered look on his face.
***
Dinner was excruciatingly slow that night. Carson tried to listen to Laria and Rodney explaining the breakthrough they’d made on the artifact they’d been working on, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. What if Sheppard was right? What if the only way to keep Laria here was to marry her? He had to admit that it wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed his mind. Marrying her, that is, not trying to keep her on Atlantis. He’d thought about what it would be like to come home to her every night, waking up next to her every morning. Laria’s people didn’t approve of sex before marriage, and while Carson was happy just to be able to be with her at all, he had to admit that sleeping with her would be quite a nice addition to the pleasures they already enjoyed together. It wasn’t unheard of for people from Earth to marry aliens. Daniel Jackson had kind of set that precedent right off. And even one or two of the scientists on Atlantis had married Athosian girls since they’d gotten the okay from the SGC.
“...and then Dr. Zelenka started shouting in Czech...I think it was something about Rodney’s mother, but I couldn’t quite catch it all.”
Laria’s laugh brought him back to the present. He looked up into her eyes and found that his mind was already made up. She was looking at him expectantly, obviously waiting for a response to her story.
“I’m sorry, love. I wasn’t listening.” He was going to leave it at that, but in a sudden burst of confidence he blurted out, “Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to get married.”
Laria’s gaze never wavered, but Carson could see tears forming in her eyes. Rodney’s jaw had dropped, and he all but shrieked, “Hello? I’m still here. So is half of Atlantis for god’s sake! I realize your intellect pales in comparison to mine, but I had rather thought you were intelligent enough to realize that the middle of the mess hall is no place to propose!”
“Rodney?” Carson said without looking away from Laria. “Shut up.”
Laria was still just looking at him. Suddenly Carson began to wonder if maybe this whole marriage thing was a bad idea after all. He was just thinking of all the ways he could get back at Sheppard for pushing him into this when Laria said, “I’d love to, Carson. When were you thinking of?” And then Carson thought that John sounded like a lovely name for a firstborn son.
***
Laria’s people didn’t approve of long engagements either, so a few weeks later, everything had been set in motion. They’d be married on the mainland in a service that combined the traditions of Laria’s people with those of the Athosians and what little Carson remembered enough to think necessary in an Earth wedding. Halling would perform the ceremony, which was to be relatively simple. Most of Laria’s traditions involved the lead up to the wedding.
Carson was standing in a hut a little ways off from where the engagement feast was to be held. In a few minutes, he’d have to go in and ask Laria’s father for her hand in marriage. Only, since Laria’s father wasn’t available, she had asked Ronon to stand in for him. Carson wished she had asked just about anyone else. Ronon had been extremely protective of Laria since she had come to Atlantis, but since news of their engagement had come out, he’d taken to glaring at Carson in the hallways. Carson was almost afraid to make the trip from his room to the infirmary anymore. The man had always set Carson a little on edge, but now Carson was positively skittish around him.
The rest of the ceremony would be simple. First he was to ask the military leader for permission to marry (Sheppard had been far to excited about that) because the men in Laria’s country all served in the army for at least two years before they were allowed to marry and had to request permission to leave the military before taking a wife, then...well...Carson didn’t like to think about what came next, but after that he and Laria were to ask the civil leader for her blessing (Dr. Weir thought this was very sweet) because if the civil leader saw any reason for the marriage not to take place it would be her duty and her right to prevent it. For now he was focusing on John and Elizabeth and trying to remember the words he had to repeat to each of them. That was the really easy part. With both John and Elizabeth he’d merely be reciting lines. With Ronon, he’d be on his own. Once he’d asked Ronon’s permission there was no scripted question and response format. He had to stumble his way through and then present Ronon with a gift.
Rodney came into the hut and tried, quite unsuccessfully, to stifle a laugh. “You’re not really wearing that, are you?”
Carson looked down at his clothing. Laria had insisted that he be dressed in the traditional garb of his people, so he was decked out in full Scottish regalia. “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing, Rodney. At least my traditional costume doesn’t involve a red coat and a funny hat.”
Rodney snorted, “No, just a skirt and a crotch-purse. Well, Bonnie Prince Carson, they’re ready for you now.”
“Right...erm...Me too, I suppose.”
Carson strode out the door with Rodney close behind. Rodney was Carson’s best man, and it was his job to provide moral support during any challenging, or potentially deadly, portions of the ceremony.
They made their way to the center of a large circle of people in the middle of the village. Carson could see Laria sitting with Ronon directly across from him. He smiled weakly at her, and she grinned back at him. When he reached the exact center, he turned to his right and walked towards Col. Sheppard.
Kneeling in front of him he said, “I’ve served you well for four years. Have you found any fault with me?”
Carson could see a smile playing on the corners of the colonel’s lips and prayed he wouldn’t make this more difficult than it was. Finally, Sheppard replied, “I have found none. You have indeed served me well and may ask a boon.”
“I wish leave to be married.”
Sheppard was grinning mischievously now, but he merely responded, “Granted. Go and be happy.”
Carson’s knees trembled a little as he rose and walked to stand in front of Laria and Ronon.
“Sir, I have completed my service to the army and have come to ask your permission to marry your daughter.”
Ronon leaned forward in his seat and stared hard at Carson. Carson swallowed. Laria had told him that he must not say anything more until Ronon had made his answer. It seemed like an eternity before Ronon stood and walked toward Carson.
When he was standing right in front of Carson, Ronon said in a low voice, “I hope you know that you are one of only two men in Atlantis that I would let marry her. She saved me. It is my responsibility to look after her. But you saved me once too. Saved me from the life of a runner. I will leave her in your care while she is in the city if you will leave her in mine when we go through the gate.”
“I will, son.”
Ronon placed a hand on either of Carson’s shoulders and said in a louder voice, “Then you have both my permission and my blessing.”
Carson gave a huge sigh of relief. From here on, it was smooth sailing, only lines to say. He pulled his dirk from its sheath and presented it, hilt first, to Ronon. “As thanks for the work you have done in rearing Laria to be the woman she has become, I offer this gift.”
Ronon accepted the small knife and pulled his own sword from its sheath. “In recognition of your new position as protector of my daughter, I offer this gift.”
Carson’s eyes widened as he looked at the sword. It seemed enormous. It was enormous. It was too much. “I can’t take that from you, son.”
“It’s only a sword. I know you won’t use it, but it would mean a lot to me if you would take it.”
Carson nodded and took the sword from Ronon then handed it to Rodney to carry. He looked back at Laria and held out his hand to her. She rose from her seat and took his hand, and together they walked toward Elizabeth.
When they stood in front of her, Carson looked at Laria, who nodded, and he said, “Lady, I have been relieved of my duties in the army and have been granted permission to marry. Will you bless my union?”
Elizabeth’s smile was gentle and understanding when she asked, “Whom would you choose?”
“With her father’s good grace, I choose Laria.”
Carson felt Laria squeeze his hand, but his heart was so full he knew that if he looked at her, he would cry, so he kept his eyes fixed on Elizabeth as she asked, “Laria, do you accept Carson of your own free will?”
“I do, Lady.”
Elizabeth stood then and held out her arms towards the couple, “Then with my blessing, you will be married in three days time in the presence of all who wish to join in your celebration. Go now and prepare yourselves.”
Carson found himself unable to move as Laria was led away by Teyla. Eventually, Rodney tugged at his sleeve. “Hello? Carson? Time to go now.”
***
Three days later, they met again in the center of the village for the ceremony. Carson didn’t know what Laria had been up to during that time, but the Athosians had insisted that it was necessary for the bride and groom to be apart for three days before the wedding. The whole day was blur for Carson. He’d worn his kilt again and somehow he had made it into the village and to the front of the gathering of people there, Rodney on one side, Halling on the other. He was aware enough to notice Laria as she walked, almost floated, down the aisle on Ronon’s arm. She was wearing some sort of toga-like dress. It was the same green as her eyes, and the Athosian women had left her hair down but braided flowers together and made a sort of wreath of them that she wore like a crown. Carson fleetingly noticed that Ronon seemed to be torn between staring at Laria and contemplating the flowers in her hair.
Carson wasn’t sure what he said in response to the questions Halling asked him, but they must have been satisfactory because, after he’d answered, Halling had him take Laria’s hand and slide the thin band of gold onto her left ring finger. This was the one Earth tradition that Carson had made sure was included. The only words he remembered from the whole ceremony were the ones Laria said to him as she slipped a matching ring onto his finger, “I thee wed.”
-tbc
Chapter Three: Of Chief Priests and Sacred Mysteries