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Entry tags:	familyway, fic, sga

Fic: In the Family Way (11(b)/11)


Title: In the Family Way (11(b)/11)
Author: Rusty Armour
Pairing: McShep, Beckett/Other
Summary: Some are born into families; others create their own.
Word Count: 3,496
Category: Slash, MPreg, AU
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Pretty much everything up to and including season three.
Disclaimer: Thou Shalt Not Steal. Even in the interest of fic. Most of these characters aren't mine. I, uh, borrowed them. Yeah.

---

By the time they reached Cheyenne Mountain, O’Neill had vowed that he would never go on a road trip again. He told Major General Hank Landry as much when he walked into his office.

“Carter and McKay played ‘Name Your Favourite Physicist’ for, like, three hours,” O’Neill said, “and I lost track of how many games of ‘Prime, Not Prime’ I suffered through.”

Landry sat back in this chair, studying O’Neill in amusement. “As fascinating as all this is, General, you haven’t told me the reason why you were on this road trip in the first place.”

O’Neill rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Oh? I haven’t?”

“No, you haven’t.” Landry folded his hands on his desk. “I could be mistaken, but I’m assuming this would have something to do with McKay and Beckett’s disappearance.”

O’Neill nodded. “Yeah, I’m afraid it does, General.” He took a deep breath. “Carter called and asked me to come to Toronto because McKay was seeking safe passage back to Atlantis.”

Landry raised an eyebrow. “Safe passage?”

O’Neill sighed. “This isn’t easy to say, so I’m just going to spit it out. McKay’s pregnant and he thinks we want to steal his baby.”

Landry’s mouth fell open. “I’m sorry. Come again?”

O’Neill closed his eyes. “Apparently, McKay was implanted with the embryo of an ascended Ancient. When he learned that he was pregnant, he became convinced that we were going to kidnap him and conduct experiments, so he fled to Canada.”

Landry frowned. “And by ‘we,’ you mean…?”

“The American government and the military,” O’Neill said.

“Ah, I see.” Landry sat in silence, digesting the news. Then he burst out laughing.

O’Neill gaped at Landry in surprise before his own lips started twitching and he found himself laughing as well.

“I’m sorry,” Landry said, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. “It’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in weeks. I knew McKay was a bit of a headcase, but I had no idea…” This set Landry off again and rendered him speechless. When he had recovered, his voice sounded strained and hoarse. “Where is McKay now?”

“He’s in the briefing room with Carter, Sheppard and Beckett,” O’Neill said.

“Well, I guess I’d better go talk to him.” Landry stood up and walked around his desk.

When they arrived in the briefing room, Rodney, Sheppard, Carson and Carter were seated around the table. Sheppard and Carter rose from their chairs and saluted when O’Neill and Landry entered the room. Rodney and Carson looked nervous and tense. Landry smiled and rubbed his hands together.

“So, I hear congratulations are in order,” Landry said. He held out his hand to Rodney, who hesitated a moment before shaking it. “Do you know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?”

Rodney looked at Sheppard and Carter, unsure what to say. “It’s a girl.”

“That’s wonderful,” Landry said. “I’m sure a daughter will bring you great joy.”

Rodney stared down at the table uncomfortably. “Yes, I’m sure she will.”

Landry exchanged a meaningful look with O’Neill. “Well, you must all be anxious to return to Atlantis. If there’s nothing else you require, you can be on your way.”

Rodney’s head jerked up. “You’re going to let us go? Just like that?”

“Uh, is that a problem?” O’Neill asked.

Rodney slapped his hand on the table. “Yes, it’s a problem,” he said. “You people aren’t even trying. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you weren’t interested in me and the baby at all.”

Sheppard gripped Rodney’s arm. “Rodney…”

Rodney shrugged off Sheppard’s hand. “No, I’m the first man to become pregnant – pregnant with a ten thousand year old embryo, I might add – and, yet, there’s been no mention of incarceration or experimentation of any kind. Have you got something better? A grandmother expecting Asgard twins, perhaps?”

“Rodney…” Sheppard growled.

Landry crossed his arms and gazed at Rodney sternly. “Do you really think we’d do that? That we’d hold you against your will and conduct experiments?”

Rodney looked away and shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” O’Neill said.

Landry laid a hand on Rodney’s shoulder. “Son, your baby is important to us and, naturally, we’d like to learn more about her, but we have no intention of taking her away from you. Considering the amount of Ancient technology that exists in the Pegasus Galaxy, it would be in our best interests if you were to raise her in Atlantis. This would give her an opportunity to learn about her unique heritage and interact with Ancient technology. In turn, we’ll be able to study her in what might have been her home, if her biological mother had carried her to term.”

Rodney met Landry’s eyes reluctantly. “But you won’t need me for that. What’s to stop you from hiring a group of scientists to keep her in a lab and experiment on her?”

“Because, like it or not, you’re her mother now,” Landry said. “She needs you. We need you. A screwed up little girl isn’t going to do us much good. No, to conduct a proper study, we’re going to need a subject that is being raised in a stable and nurturing environment. You can give her that, Dr. McKay.”

Rodney took a moment to consider what Landry had said. “Can I have that in writing?”

Sheppard groaned and put his head in his hands. “Rodney!”

“What?” Rodney demanded. “This is our kid’s future we’re talking about.”

Wisely choosing to ignore the ‘our,’ Landry said, “Yes, you can have it in writing.”

Rodney gave a curt nod. “Thank you, General.”

Landry patted Rodney on the back. “Oh, it’s my pleasure, Dr. McKay, believe me.” Landry ended up accompanying everyone to the gate room, his eyes twinkling as Carter gave Rodney a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, despite Sheppard’s malevolent glare. As Rodney, Sheppard and Carson walked up the ramp, Landry said, “Be sure to take lots of pictures. The more, the better.”

Sheppard beamed at Landry. “Yes, sir. Will do.”

“After I have that written agreement,” Rodney added.

Sheppard rolled his eyes then gently grasped Rodney’s arm as they stepped through the gate with Carson.

“Sheppard will be a good dad,” Landry said after the three men disappeared into the dazzling blue pool at the end of the ramp.

Maintaining a completely neutral expression, O’Neill nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~


As they stepped through the gate on Atlantis, the first thing Carson’s eyes fell on was the huge WELCOME HOME banner that had been suspended from the balcony. Then there were people flooding into the gate room, and Carson was being lifted off his feet as Ronon engulfed him in a bear hug. However, silence descended as people started noticing Rodney’s belly.

Sheppard wrapped an arm around Rodney’s shoulders as Rodney pressed back against him. Elizabeth pushed her way through the crowd, her eyes filling with tears when she looked at Rodney.

“Oh, Rodney, is this why you left?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well…yeah,” Rodney said.

Elizabeth shook her head, though she couldn’t hide the fond expression on her face. “Oh, Rodney.”

Sheppard removed his arm from Rodney’s shoulders as Elizabeth hugged them both. Then, as Elizabeth embraced Carson, Teyla and Ronon approached Rodney, touching his belly almost reverently. This seemed to be the only encouragement the rest of their friends needed, and soon Rodney had several more hands on his belly.

“When are you due, doc?” Lorne asked. “Do you know what the sex is?”

“We must hold a celebration,” Teyla said. “You call it a baby shower, do you not?”

Zelenka began buzzing around Rodney in excitement. “How did this happen? Was it done through Ancient technology? You must tell us, Rodney.”

“Hey, how are you going to get the baby out?” Ronon asked. “Is Carson going to cut you open?”

When a couple of Marines thumped Rodney on the back, and half a dozen scientists whipped out scanners, Rodney turned pale and tried to shrink away from them.

“All right, everyone, back off!” Sheppard barked. “He’s had a long trip and he needs to rest!”

A path was instantly cleared for them, and Sheppard kept a secure hold on Rodney as they left the gate room. Carson was about to follow, but the path disappeared and he was quickly surrounded. It was only after he had fielded everyone’s questions that he was allowed to go.


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~


All of Atlantis became obsessed with the baby. Teyla did, indeed, hold a baby shower, which took place in the mess hall because everyone wanted to attend. However, even after the baby shower, gifts were being left outside Rodney’s door. A number of these presents were Athosian, and Carson wondered if they had been sent by the Athosians themselves, or if Atlantis personnel had picked them up from the mainland. The scientists had even started a baby betting pool, which was a little ridiculous considering that Rodney would be having a caesarian section – not that Carson knew when the exact date would be either. He was monitoring Rodney’s condition on a day-by-day basis.

He wanted to put off the birth for as long as possible, but he knew that Rodney’s body hadn’t been designed to hold a baby. Carson was worried about the parts of Rodney’s anatomy that wouldn’t normally be pressed against a uterus. There was also the baby’s welfare to consider as she would require more and more space as she continued to develop. An even bigger concern was engagement. When, at 37 weeks, the baby began to turn towards the birth canal – the one Rodney didn’t possess – Carson knew it was time to deliver her.

Sheppard arrived in the infirmary two minutes after he was summoned on the radio. Carson’s staff was still setting up equipment, but Rodney had changed into a hospital gown and was sitting on a bed, looking like he wanted to throw up. Sheppard sat down beside him and started to rub his back gently.

“Carson says it won’t hurt, but that it will feel strange to have people poking around inside of me,” Rodney said.

Sheppard kissed his forehead. “You’ll be fine, Rodney. Carson and his people know what they’re doing.”

Rodney nodded, but he was clutching the edge of the mattress tightly. “What if something goes wrong? They’ve never performed this procedure on a man before. What if something happens to the baby when they’re trying to get her out, or-or they can’t stop the bleeding.” Rodney grabbed Sheppard’s hand. “Promise me to look after the baby if something happens to me.”

Sheppard looked Rodney straight in the eyes, his gaze unflinching. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“Yes, but if it does…” Rodney said.

Sheppard sighed and gave in. “Fine. Although nothing is going to go wrong, I promise to look after the baby in the unlikely event that you can’t take care of her yourself.”

Rodney smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

When everything was ready, Rodney was helped on to the operating table and surgical drapes were set up to block Rodney’s view of the procedure. Once the anaesthetist had administered the epidural, Sheppard took a seat by Rodney’s head.

The delivery started off well. Once Carson had made an incision across the lower abdomen and had opened the womb, it took less than five minutes to deliver the baby. Carson’s assistant, Jennifer Keller, was holding up the tiny pink infant, when Rodney started haemorrhaging.

“We’ve got a bleeder!” Carson shouted. The nurse standing to Carson’s right handed him a clamp without being asked as Carson frantically tried to stop the bleeding.

Carson had discussed with Rodney whether he would like to opt for a caesarian hysterectomy, but Rodney had already been dreading the c-section. The idea of a riskier operation that would involve a longer, and more painful, recovery process didn’t appeal to Rodney. He had decided that he would leave the uterus intact for the time being. Now, it looked as if Carson would have to remove it after all.

Carson was about to ask the anaesthetist to administer a general anaesthetic, when there was a bright flash of light and a beautiful dark-haired woman was standing on the other side of the operating table. Carson was so startled, he almost dropped his clamp. Without a word, the woman held both hands over the exposed uterus. To Carson’s amazement, the bleeding not only stopped but the uterus disappeared altogether. Then the incision Carson had made to Rodney’s lower abdomen closed up and all evidence of the traverse cut faded.

Everyone was so stunned by what they had just witnessed that they almost didn’t notice Keller returning to the operating table with the baby in her arms.

As soon as Rodney had started haemorrhaging, Keller had snipped the umbilical cord and had gone off with a nurse to check the baby. Keller had needed to suction away some lung fluid and mucus from the mouth, nose and throat, but that was hardly unusual with a caesarian birth. After taking measurements of the baby, Keller had wrapped her up in a blanket, hoping Rodney would still be able to see her. However, what Keller hadn’t been expecting was to encounter a woman she’d never seen before or a patient exhibiting no signs of having undergone surgery.

When the woman began to approach Keller, the young doctor backed away and Sheppard leapt out of his chair. Rodney raised his head and, although his voice was a little weak, it was still loud enough to reach everyone’s ears. “Let her see her baby.”

Sheppard, who had run between the Ancient and Keller, shook his head. “No, it’s your baby. You carried her, so that makes you the mother.”

“If it wasn’t for our Ancient friend, here, none of this would even be happening,” Rodney said. “Sheppard, let her see the baby, or we’re through. I’ll never speak to you again.”

Sheppard shot a furious look at Rodney, before realizing that the surgical drapes were still hiding Rodney from view. He turned his attention on the Ancient and glared at her instead. The Ancient studied Sheppard calmly, but didn’t make any further attempts to see the baby. Then Keller was stepping around Sheppard and standing before the Ancient.

The Ancient’s face lit up and she reached out to stroke the baby’s cheek with a finger. Then she waved an arm towards the operating table and went to stand beside Rodney. Sheppard and Keller were right behind her.

“May I see her?” Rodney asked Keller.

“What?” Keller said. “Oh, right! Yes, of course!” She bent over and carefully placed the baby in Rodney’s arms. Rodney stared at the baby, completely entranced. Then his head turned sharply towards the Ancient.

“Really?” Rodney said. “You like it? It’s a little unusual, but I thought it was somehow appropriate, given where we are and everything.”

The Ancient inclined her head and smiled.

“Well, if you’re absolutely sure then of course I’ll use it.” Rodney focused his attention back on the baby, kissing the top of her head. Then Rodney was being kissed in turn as the Ancient leaned down to brush her lips against his cheek. The next instant the Ancient was gone.

“What did she say to you?” Sheppard asked. “What was it that she liked?”

Rodney bit his lip and looked sheepish. “She approves of the name I was considering for the baby.”

Sheppard’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? And what would that be?”

Rodney looked up at Sheppard’s expectant face and took a deep breath. “Brenna. It’s Gaelic for ‘little drop of water’.”

“Why, that’s lovely,” Carson said, peering at Rodney and the baby from the other side of the surgical drapes. “It’s certainly fitting for a wee lass born in Atlantis. Don’t you think so, Colonel?”

“It’s a pretty name, but I’m not sure if it suits her.” Sheppard was scrutinizing the baby, as if attempting to determine whether the name matched the face.

“Maybe if you tried holding her, you’d know,” Keller suggested.

Rodney nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, you haven’t had your turn yet.”

“Okay.” Sheppard lifted the bundle from Rodney’s arms and studied the sleeping baby. Then the baby opened her eyes and looked directly at Sheppard. The breath caught in Sheppard’s throat as he saw the colour of the waves outside Atlantis on a stormy day. “Brenna is perfect,” Sheppard said.

“What about a middle name?” Keller asked. “Were you going to give her one?”

Rodney glanced at Carson. “I was thinking of Isobel.”

Carson’s eyes widened. “Isobel? Why, that’s my mum’s name.”

“I know,” Rodney said. “I thought it would also be appropriate.”


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~


Two weeks after Brenna Isobel McKay was born, Carson found himself standing outside Rodney’s quarters. He paused for a second before ringing the door chime. When the door swished open, Carson walked into the room to find an exhausted, but contented, Sheppard cradling his daughter against his chest.

“Oh,” Carson said. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I came to see Rodney, but, as he isn’t here…”

Sheppard laughed tiredly. “He’s in the bathroom. Brenna spit up all over Mommy, didn’t you, sweet pea?”

“And Daddy didn’t do a damn thing about it – just took a picture.” Rodney walked out of the bathroom and glared at Sheppard, though his expression softened a little when his eyes fell on the baby. Rodney also looked completely worn out, and Carson knew he had chosen a bad time to speak to him. Carson was about to make his excuses and leave, but Rodney ushered him over to the bed and pushed Carson down on the mattress.

As if reading Carson’s mind, Rodney said, “I was wondering when you were going to come talk to me.”

Carson gulped. “You did?”

Rodney sat down on the bed as well, leaning back against the headboard and closing his eyes. “Well, yeah. It’s been two weeks since Brenna was born. I’m surprised you’re still here.”

“What do you mean?” Carson asked, though he was pretty sure he knew.

Rodney snorted and opened his eyes. “You’re here to ask me for my blessings, aren’t you?”

Carson blushed. “Well…yes. I suppose I am.”

Rodney clapped Carson on the shoulder. “But you have them already. You’ve always had them. I thought you knew that.”

“Maybe he actually needed to hear the words,” Sheppard said from his chair.

Rodney gazed up at the ceiling. “Well, fine, then. You have my blessings to go and…and officially date my sister.”

Carson looked down at his hands. “Rodney, I want to ask Jeannie to marry me.”

Rodney’s jaw dropped. “You do? Really?”

“Yes, Rodney,” Carson said. “I love her. I love her so much it hurts to be away from her.”

“Then go and marry her, you idiot! What are you waiting for?” Rodney stood up and hauled Carson to his feet. Then he was hugging him fiercely. “We’re going to be brothers, and you’ll be Brenna’s uncle.”

Carson returned the hug. “Well, let’s not be too hasty. We don’t know if she’ll accept yet.”

“She’ll accept, Carson,” Sheppard said. “I know she will.”

“Yes, she’ll accept. She’d be crazy not to.” Rodney grabbed Carson’s arm and started pulling him towards the door. “You need to speak to Elizabeth.”

Carson stared at Rodney in confusion. “What? You mean right now? But it’s almost 2200.”

“Well, there’s no time like the present,” Rodney said. “Besides, you’ll need to talk to her if you’re going to get a seat on the Daedalus bright and early tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Carson gasped. “But I’ll need to pack and say goodbye to everyone.”

Sheppard rose from his chair to join them by the door. “We can see to it that your things are packed and sent to you. As for those goodbyes…Well, I’m sure people will understand under the circumstances.”

Carson nodded, though he still seemed uncertain. “I hope you’re right about this. Maybe, in the mean time, you could do something else for me.”

“What, Carson?” Rodney asked.

“Wish me luck,” Carson said.


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~


Andrew was working on an exercise in his cahier when the doorbell rang. As his mom had gone down to the basement to fetch the laundry, Andrew got up from the kitchen table and walked to the front door. When he saw who was standing there, his mouth fell open in surprise.

“Hi,” Carson said. “I’m a friend of your mum’s.”

Andrew grinned and threw his arms around Carson’s neck.

“Andrew, was that the doorbell? Who is it?” Jeannie appeared in the front hall and froze when she caught sight of Carson.

Carson smiled tentatively at her. “I’m moving to Scarborough and I wondered if I could stay with you.”

Jeannie glanced from Carson to the duffle bag at his feet. “For how long?” she asked.

“For as long as you’ll have me,” Carson said.

“I see.” Jeannie seized Carson by the front of his shirt and kissed him. “I think you’d better come in.”



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