Kindred
005.
I jolted awake. I could no longer feel the breeze, let alone any air flow for that matter—I had been brought inside. To my room apparently; I glanced around and my eyes fell on the shadowy outline of a figure on one of the chairs—Specialist Dex. I could tell my gasp, or scream or whatever I let out woke him. His gaze was a heavy weight on me.
“I’m okay. You didn’t have to stay…but thank you.”
He stood and moved to my bed, sitting himself down at my feet. His hand coming to rest over one of my ankles, giving it a slight squeeze; some of these people were afraid of him?
“Sheppard was looking for McKay, I was asked to help.”
I knew what he wasn’t saying, just as he knew what I wasn’t. I felt his gaze flicker across my face; he always did that when we were alone. He’d measure the bridge of my nose, slide down its slope. Dance across the width of my cheeks, flutter over the curve of my lips, and linger on my eyes.
“Um look, um, your name is, Calen right? Yes, well, you are going to be babysat by the cave man while I go help get Zelenka and his team out of one of the far south-west pier labs. You don’t get to stay here because I’d really rather you not accidentally turn something on that no one knows what it does…go play or something…whatever it is people like you do.”
I glanced up at the tall man that stood behind Dr. McKay, his arms crossed over his chest—this was their Ronon Dex? I smirked to myself; I could so put him on his back. I turned my attention back to McKay.
“You think I’m five McKay? Fine, I get your need for the sitter, but seriously, I’m more than capable of working on experiments, I am a scientist!”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“You’re an English major, an English major! That’s your Doctorate, not science! I read your file!”
He threw his hands up in the air and stormed out of the lab. I turned my attention back to Specialist Ronon Dex. Yeah I could definitely take him. He’s a lot younger than the one I’m used to, and a lot stronger, but he’s the same height and I know exactly where his weakness is. I hopped off the table I was sitting on and grinned up at him.
“What’s fun to do around here? You guy shave a sparring room?”
Something akin to amusement flashed through his eyes and he just grunted and turned on his heel—at least this one wouldn’t wax poetic about me. I followed him to a transporter then down a few halls before he opened a door where Teyla of Athos and a man in military issue sweats were circling each other with bantos rods. Without even glancing at our intrusion, she spoke.
“Good afternoon Ronon, Ms. Calen. If you wish to use the room, I am sure the Major and I could locate to another of the smaller gyms.”
With two swift swipes she had caught the Major behind his left knee and had him pinned to the mat, both their chests heaving and visible body parts glistened with a sheen of sweat; so they had been at this for a while. She smiled down at the men then helped him and I froze when he turned to face us.
“Ah, Major Lorne have you not met our newest addition? This is Ms. Amelia Calen. She is from another time and is now under Dr. McKay’s guardianship. Ms. Calen, this is Major Lorne.”
His blue eyes met mine and I swear I saw something like recognition flash through his. He quickly wiped his hands on his pants and held out a hand.
“Evan, Evan Lorne; nice to meet you.”
I smiled and inside I felt my heart jolt with an ache I still had not had time to even recognize. I forced my outward appearance to remain calm and collected and watched in silence as he and Teyla gathered their things and left Specialist Dex and myself alone. The second the doors swished shut I felt hands grab out for me and I quickly spun out of their reach.
I turned and faced the larger man, silently willing him to do his worst—he accepted. Reaching down and picking up the freshly abandoned set of rods, he tossed me a pair and the other he clutched and twirled in his hands. I did the same, measuring their length and their weight with each spin. The left was slightly heavier and would work to my advantage. We began to circle each other and I could tell he thought I would be the one to go down.
“You related to Sheppard where you come from?”
I raised an eyebrow as I spun out of one of this outward slashes.
“The others don’t see it, but I do, you look too much like Sheppard and McKay.”
He ducked from one of my swings and I tilted my head just slightly.
“And here I thought you talked less than the version of you I left behind.”
He narrowed his eyes and paused for just a second before my right rod nailed him in his left thigh. He shook his head and returned to his fighting stance. I let him circle me once, standing there unmoving—it unsettled him.
“You giving up?”
I shook my head and twirled a stick in a lazy circle.
“Just waiting for some actual competition to show up.”
He let out a small chuckle and mumbled something that sounded like McKay under his breath. He lunged unexpectedly, but I saw it; I always would. I crouched low, letting his shoulders hover over me before I twisted myself along the curve of his side, bringing both rods up at the same time, my right tucking into his abdomen and my left sliding just behind his right knee. We flipped till he was on his back and I knelt above him. His hair was splayed across the floor and his eyes wide and locked onto me. I smiled down at him and patted his shoulder after I tossed the rods behind me.
“Nice to meet you Specialist Dex; I’m hungry, can we go to the cafeteria now for some lunch?”
“I’m okay. You didn’t have to stay…but thank you.”
He stood and moved to my bed, sitting himself down at my feet. His hand coming to rest over one of my ankles, giving it a slight squeeze; some of these people were afraid of him?
“Sheppard was looking for McKay, I was asked to help.”
I knew what he wasn’t saying, just as he knew what I wasn’t. I felt his gaze flicker across my face; he always did that when we were alone. He’d measure the bridge of my nose, slide down its slope. Dance across the width of my cheeks, flutter over the curve of my lips, and linger on my eyes.
“Um look, um, your name is, Calen right? Yes, well, you are going to be babysat by the cave man while I go help get Zelenka and his team out of one of the far south-west pier labs. You don’t get to stay here because I’d really rather you not accidentally turn something on that no one knows what it does…go play or something…whatever it is people like you do.”
I glanced up at the tall man that stood behind Dr. McKay, his arms crossed over his chest—this was their Ronon Dex? I smirked to myself; I could so put him on his back. I turned my attention back to McKay.
“You think I’m five McKay? Fine, I get your need for the sitter, but seriously, I’m more than capable of working on experiments, I am a scientist!”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“You’re an English major, an English major! That’s your Doctorate, not science! I read your file!”
He threw his hands up in the air and stormed out of the lab. I turned my attention back to Specialist Ronon Dex. Yeah I could definitely take him. He’s a lot younger than the one I’m used to, and a lot stronger, but he’s the same height and I know exactly where his weakness is. I hopped off the table I was sitting on and grinned up at him.
“What’s fun to do around here? You guy shave a sparring room?”
Something akin to amusement flashed through his eyes and he just grunted and turned on his heel—at least this one wouldn’t wax poetic about me. I followed him to a transporter then down a few halls before he opened a door where Teyla of Athos and a man in military issue sweats were circling each other with bantos rods. Without even glancing at our intrusion, she spoke.
“Good afternoon Ronon, Ms. Calen. If you wish to use the room, I am sure the Major and I could locate to another of the smaller gyms.”
With two swift swipes she had caught the Major behind his left knee and had him pinned to the mat, both their chests heaving and visible body parts glistened with a sheen of sweat; so they had been at this for a while. She smiled down at the men then helped him and I froze when he turned to face us.
“Ah, Major Lorne have you not met our newest addition? This is Ms. Amelia Calen. She is from another time and is now under Dr. McKay’s guardianship. Ms. Calen, this is Major Lorne.”
His blue eyes met mine and I swear I saw something like recognition flash through his. He quickly wiped his hands on his pants and held out a hand.
“Evan, Evan Lorne; nice to meet you.”
I smiled and inside I felt my heart jolt with an ache I still had not had time to even recognize. I forced my outward appearance to remain calm and collected and watched in silence as he and Teyla gathered their things and left Specialist Dex and myself alone. The second the doors swished shut I felt hands grab out for me and I quickly spun out of their reach.
I turned and faced the larger man, silently willing him to do his worst—he accepted. Reaching down and picking up the freshly abandoned set of rods, he tossed me a pair and the other he clutched and twirled in his hands. I did the same, measuring their length and their weight with each spin. The left was slightly heavier and would work to my advantage. We began to circle each other and I could tell he thought I would be the one to go down.
“You related to Sheppard where you come from?”
I raised an eyebrow as I spun out of one of this outward slashes.
“The others don’t see it, but I do, you look too much like Sheppard and McKay.”
He ducked from one of my swings and I tilted my head just slightly.
“And here I thought you talked less than the version of you I left behind.”
He narrowed his eyes and paused for just a second before my right rod nailed him in his left thigh. He shook his head and returned to his fighting stance. I let him circle me once, standing there unmoving—it unsettled him.
“You giving up?”
I shook my head and twirled a stick in a lazy circle.
“Just waiting for some actual competition to show up.”
He let out a small chuckle and mumbled something that sounded like McKay under his breath. He lunged unexpectedly, but I saw it; I always would. I crouched low, letting his shoulders hover over me before I twisted myself along the curve of his side, bringing both rods up at the same time, my right tucking into his abdomen and my left sliding just behind his right knee. We flipped till he was on his back and I knelt above him. His hair was splayed across the floor and his eyes wide and locked onto me. I smiled down at him and patted his shoulder after I tossed the rods behind me.
“Nice to meet you Specialist Dex; I’m hungry, can we go to the cafeteria now for some lunch?”